Dar

the fcenes are faid to be founded, require a more authentic voucher than the title page of a farce: but admitting them to be true, their influence would certainly operate to the prejudice of the theatres and of the Public. The characters of this drama are coarfely drawn; but, though rough draughts, are sketched with fome humour.

MEDICAL.

Art. 24. Remarks on a Letter to Sir Robert Barker and George
Stacpoole, Efq; upon General Inoculation, by John Coakley Lettfom,
M.D. F. R S. and S. A. By the Hon. Baron T. Dimfdale,
First Physician and Actual Counsellor of State to her Imperial Ma-
jefty the Empress of all the Ruffias, and F. R. S. 8vo. 6d.
Owen, &c. 1779.

It is an unfortunate circumflance with refpect to the prefent dif pute concerning general inoculation, that experience, the only fure teft of utility in every thing, cannot be trusted to decide the point, without great intermediate hazard. If the practice be of that dangerous kind to the public welfare which its opponents affert it to be, the fooner it is fuppreffed, the better; and all lovers of mankind ought to unite in decrying a fcheme, which, during its trial, may prove destructive to numbers of the human race. We do not in the leat question, that a full conviction of this danger was what incited the very respectable Writer before us, on the most benevolent motives, to addrefs the Public on the fubject; and interested as his feelings must have been, after having once engaged in the debate, we do not wonder that a flight occafion fhould move him to repeat obfervations which he thought important. We call the prefent occafion flight, because, as we remarked in a late Review, the letter to which this is an anfwer, contains fo very little new or decifive in the conteft, that it fcarcely appeared deferving of particular confideration. One fingle fact adduced by Dr. L. feemed worthy of notice; and this, we think, the Baron has very fatisfactorily explained, fo as to overthrow the inferences which his opponent was willing to deduce from it. At Ware, in Hertfordshire, after about eighty perfons had died of the fmall-pox, a general inoculation was agreed on, to which the greater part of the inhabitants fubmitted; but a few, from various motives, refufed to undergo it. Of thefe, however, not one took the infection; and this fact is brought to inculcate the idea that there is very little danger of communication of the disease from inoculated patients. But the Baron obferves (and from his refidence in the neighbourhood he must certainly have been well informed of the state of the cafe) that the whole town was apprized of the intended inoculation, and every precaution was used to prevent intercourse between the inoculated and thofe who chose not to comply with the practice. This fupplement being made,' Baron D. goes on to fay, the inoculation at Ware will be found (like fome other inftances that I have formerly noticed) to have been most unfortunately selected; because, instead of resembling the inoculations of the fociety that it is produced to fupport, it differs from their mode of practice in every effential point; and was in fact conducted exactly in the fame manner that I have earnestly recommended in my writings, have three times practifed at Hertford, and feveral times at other places, accounts of which have been published.'

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Art. 21. The Se'er; or, the American Prophecy.
2 s. 6 d.
Harrifon. 1779.
The American Se'er is full brother to Nereus, the ‹
figures in the preceding Article.
Art. 22. The Female Congress; or, the Templ

Mock Heroic Poem, in Four Cantos. 4to. 25.

1779.

In an advertisement prefixed to this poem, as an fubject and the manner in which it is treated, are th ragraphs:

In ca

Where the manners happen to be very fcandale. vailing vices of the age of a very impure die, fatire difcoloured from its fubject, and feem to border nearly nefs. Juvenal, with the beft intentions in the world many things fhocking enough to a modest ear. tire for its freedom, people are too apt to forget its perfons to whom it is addreft; and, at the very momen reflecting the image of deformity, they are angry that indecent, or ungraceful. Satire is not intended for the fpotless, but the vicious and contaminated, to whom pick pravity are no novelty; were it always to preferve fuck uc. chaftity as not to difguft the former, it might want force ancy to ftrike the latter; and fo facrifice the reformation whom it is neceffary, to the fear of difpleafing thofe unneceffary. Should the chafte virgin at any time ... preffions or images in the works of the fatirift, that wo cacy, let her recollect, that the painting was not defigu fpection, and that it is exhibited only as an object of d contempt.

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The following sheets are the produce of an idle week ferious occupations, and were at first written merely amufement; but all our literary amusements, at least, rected to fome ufeful purpofe; and I hope I may be allo out vanity, to affert that, in the following lines, I fince. to ferve the cause of virtue and religion, by expofing to ridi parade of profligacy, and more culpable fimulation of podle

From thefe extracts the Reader may poffibly expect a mo cate work than that now before us. It is, however, too true henfible in that refpect; and, from that circumftance alone. poetical merit fuperior, muft (like the Times of Churchi obfcurity. The fable and characters of the Female Congres conceived or expreffed in that happy vein of fancy and ridic diftinguishes our most popular pieces of mock-heroic poetry, numbers are, in general, above mediocrity, and the Autho to be a found claffical fcholar.

DRAMATIC.

Art. 23. Coalition, a Farce, founded on Facts, and a formed, with the Approbation, and under the joint of the Managers of the Theatres Royal. 8vo. 1s. Blow. The managers of the two theatres royal of Drury Lane and Garden are themselves the subject of this farce. The fatto

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In a poftfcript to the pamphlet, the Writer congratulates the Public on a decrease of deaths from the small-pox in the London bills of mortality for last year. This he attributes, with probability, to the great mortality of the preceding year, which had left fewer fubjects to take the difeafe. To whatever caufes it was owing, we are too well aware of the fluctuating state of this article in a list of deaths, to lay any stress on the event of a fingle year. MILITARY AFFAIR S.

Art. 25. The Honeft Sentiments of an English Officer on the Army of Great Britain. Vol. I. 8vo. 2 S. 6d. Bew. 17-9.

The title of this undertaking is modeft, confidering the object of it; which is no less than to new model our military establishments, both in conftitution, laws, and difcipline. How many volumes the work may extend to, does not appear; what is now published, be, ing no more than a part of the firit, in form of a pamphlet: with an intimation, that if it meets with acceptance, the reft will follow, as quick as poffible.

Our good old nurses observe, that a burnt child dreads the fire; and our honeft English officer must certainly fome time or other have fcorched his fingers; for in the laft paragraph of an introduction, addreffed to his friends, he roars out luftily, anticipating the fmart he thinks he is to feel from critical pens, How this may be intended to operate, is of little confequence; but taking his honeft word for his being 'neither faint nor devil,' we fhall only affume the liberty, on our parts, honeftly to declare him a military schemer, who not content with ketching the great outline of his intended model, finishes his plan, down to the minuteft parts, unconscious of any dif, ficulties in reducing ideal reformation to practice! We fincerely credit the Writer's honefty from the pains he has taken; and he makes many good detached obfervations. When he has collected the opinions of his military friends, and finished his work, it may claim farther confideration.

POLITICAL.

Art. 26. The Speeches of Mr. Wilkes in the Houfe of Commons, during the latt Seffion of Parliament With Notes. by the Editor. Vol. III. Small 8vo. 2 5. 6d. Fielding and Walker. 1779. The character which we gave of the two former volumes of fpeeches in parliament, by Mr. Wilkes, in our Review for November 1777, p. 337, will fuffice for the prefent addition to the collection; which appears, from frong internal evidence, to come forth on the fame authority, that led us at first to conclude, as we ftill do, that the Orator, the Editor, and the Annotator are one. The fpeeches in the prefent publication, as well as thofe in the former volumes, are all on questions of great importance; and when perused with due attention and impartiality, will do honour to the speaker's character, as a fenator, and a politician.

Art. 27. A Brief Examination of the Plan and Conduct of the Northern Expedition in America, in 1777: and of the Surrender of the Army under the Command of General Burgoyne. 8vo. 1 S. Hookham. 1779.

After a brief arraignment of the plan and execution of the abovementioned expedition, which compofes one half of this pamphlet, the

latter

latter half is made up, by republishing the unfortunate general's letter, from the London Gazette, which appears to have been an afterthought, that the fize of the pamphlet, at leaft, might be thought decent at the time of purchase.

Art. 28. Confiderations upon the French and American War. In a Letter to a Member of Parliament. 8vo. I S. Almon. 1779.

If this correfpondent with a member of the British parliament, is himself a member of the American congrefs, he writes as might be expected from his character and connections. As both parties have appealed from the pen to the fword, that ultima ratio, which has ever decided all political right, he endeavours to influence us by an argument, often ufed indeed, but which feldom prevails much in this country, and that is by alarming our fears. We have, beyond the memory of man, been at the very brink of deftruction, whenever political declaimers pleased; and thus it now pleafes the letter-writer before us, to fum up our calamities, by declaring, "I do from my heart believe, that the profecution of this war will be attended with the ruin and downfal of this country."-Thus it is, that your found catholic politicians precipitate us all to the devil, unless we fubfcribe to their respective creeds!

MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 29. The Exhibition, or a Second Anticipation; being Remarks on the Principal Works to be exhibited next Month, at the ROYAL ACADEMY. By Roger Shanhagan, Gent. 8vo. 2 S. 6 d. Richardfon and Urquhart.

Of the feveral imitations of the famous Anticipation pamphlet, this is, by far, the most fuccessful. The introductory part, in which the Author gives an account of himself, and afferts his affinity to us, of the Scribleriad family, is a piece of genuine humour; and the whole of the pamphlet, with a very few exceptions on the score of inaccuracy, may be pronounced uncommonly well written. The criticifms have, for their object, the works of fome of our molt eminent painters and architects. Among the latter, the Adams are subjected to the lafh, and Wyatt is a particular favourite; but we think our brother SCRIB. is juftly reprehenfible for an unfupported reflection on Mr. Stuart; to whom, at the fame time, he yields the praife of having introduced into this country moft of the improvements in architecture, which other artists have been fo defirous of appropriating to

themselves.

Art. 30. Three Letters from Sir John Dalrymple, Bart. One of

the Barons of the Exchequer in Scotland, to the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Barrington, late Secretary at War, on his Lordship's official Conduct. 8vo. 2s. Coghlan.

Sir J. D. accufes lord B. of ill treating two of his (Sir John's) brothers, while his lordship was fecretary at war. This accufation is in terms that are far from being equivocal. From Sir J. D.'s ftate of the cafe, his lordship behaved, at least, in a very odd manner refpecting the new levies; but whether his embarraffments arofe from the multitude of pretenfions to military appointments, which might be fuppofed incident to his ftation; or whether they flowed from the motives to which the incenfed writer fo liberally imputes them, we do not undertake to determine.

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Art.