turefque, and our fenfibility was often strongly affected, but never for any length of time; fome ludicrous image or odd expreffion never permitted us to indulge in the joy of grief' for many pages together. Of Mr. Alves' happier manner the following lines may ferve as a fpecimen, and many other paffages of equal merit might be felected:

• Even now for rural ease and air,
I leave the town, tho' paffing-fair,
Just when the morn's broad-opening eye
Wakes the whole woodland-minstrelsy!
And milkmaid blythe with brimming pail,
Comes tripping o'er the foft-green dale;
And grey-clad fwain with forelocks lank and long,
Sweeping the dew-bright lawns along,
Chears his dull oxen with a drowfy fong.
See all with mirth and verdure shine,
To chear this care-worn heart of mine!
And lo, to foothe each forrow's wound,
A thoufand fmiling flow'rets rife,
Purpling the green and velvet ground,
With living cups and bells and eyes,

Thick-fown like fparkling gems, or stars in azure skies!

Hail rural pleasures ever new!

How, when a school-boy did I woo

Your fimple fweets! hail'd the blest day,
That gave me back the balmy May!
Enraptur'd heard the wild lark fing,
To ufher in the laughing fpring;
Mark'd the fky ting'd with fofter blue,
While bland and warm the zephyrs flew :
Watch'd the first blow of daifies wild,
Or fnow-drop, Flora's earliest child!
Now drew the breath of fresh mown hay,"
Or flowering beans, or birchen-fpray,
Now with the tender lambs made all my play
Anon, when fummer in her chariot bright,
O'er heaven and earth effus'd a fiercer light,
I fought the sweet-briars cool perfume,
Or walk'd the golden banks of broom:
Now wading catch'd the finny prey;
Now to the bowery thicket held my way,
Liftening the linnet's artless fong,

Or even to rob her callow young,

Would fometimes dare! though not with fell intent!
-I only wish'd fome woodland-lay;

While careful in the wiry frame ypent,

I fed the clamorous brood with dainties many a day.'
Sonnets to Eliza, by her Friend. 4to. 25. Murray.

We cannot fee the propriety of denominating the little poems,

which conftitute this performance, Sonnets. Inftead of being confined to fourteen lines, they are sometimes extended to four and twenty, and almost conftantly to twenty. They totally differ in adjustment of rhyme likewife from the regular fonnet: it only occurs here in the fecond and fourth lines of the flanza; a fingularity for which no apology is made, nor reafon affigned. It has certainly no pleafing effect on the ear. The fubjects are well chofen, and fometimes (we wish we could fay often) happily treated: but we meet with too many paffages inaccurate and obfcure.

NOVEL S.

The Maid of Kent. 3 Vols.

12mo. 55. Hookham.

This feems to be the work of a man unhackneyed in the profeffion of novel-writing, and with abilities to foar above it. There are traces of learning and knowledge occafionally feattered in this performance; but as a novel it is romantic, improbable, and uninteresting.

Memoirs and Opinions of Mr. Blenfield. By the Author of the Tales of Sympathy. 2 Vols. 12mo. 55. Lane.

This Shandeyan performance aims at wit, humour, pathos, and eccentricity. Though more connected than the Life and Opinions of Triftam, it is inferior in every other refpect; and we must confefs that we have felt little mirth, little interest, and little inftruction in perufing it,

Ellen Woodley, a Novel. By Mrs. Bophote, Author of the Parental Monitor, &c. 2 Vols. 12mo. 55. Lane.

The plan of this little work is greatly fuperior to its execution to have developed with a dextrous hand the changes in Edwin, from the imaginary delicacy of fashion to health of body and firmness of mind; from the insipid frivolity of the former, to the judgment, the knowledge, and the acquifitions of Valentine, would have formed a very interefling work: it would have required, however, great skill and addrefs, united to an intimate knowledge of the human mind. In its prefent ftate, the tale is often pathetic, interesting and exemplary, though generally improbable. It fhould have ended in the middle of the fecond volume, for the last incident of finding the cabinet of money and diamonds is forced and artificial. Mrs. Bonhote might have fpared the fortune of her imaginary Haftings as much as the pleafed, for fhe was the fupreme court of judicature which tried him; or in this age of philofophical apathy, why would he not follow the modern refiners, and make Edwin a diligent induftrious -farmer.

Julia, a Novel. By Helen Maria Williams. 2 Vols. 12mo. 65. Cadell.

The characters, the language, and the conduct of this novel are in no common ftyle. The characters are well difcriminated and fupported; the story is probable and interefting; the lan

guage

guage elegant and pleafing. Perhaps the lady ufes others words. too frequently, and prefers them too often to her own; but the quotations are chiefly from Shakspeare, and we have been fo frequently culprits in the fame way, that we dare not cenfure the error. The defign of the author feems to have been to warn her fex againft encouraging, too fondly, an apparently hopeless paffion: at least in this view we can only excufe the conclufion; yet the character and conduct of Julia are fo exemplary, that the fcarcely deferves the punishment of celibacy. The poetry, interfperfed, perhaps too frequently in erfperfed, deferves the character we have already had occasion to give of this lady's works: it is in general tender, pathetic, and pleasing. Arnold Zulig, a Swiss Story, by the Author of Conftance, &c. 12mo. 35. Hookham.

As the ladies are painters, we must allow it to be no wonder that a woman keeps a fecret; yet we think it might be ques tioned whether Bertoalda does not carry her re erve too far, and we would either recommend to our fair readers not to make any rafh indiscriminate promise of fecrecy, or, in fimilar emergencies to break it. In other refpects this little novel is interefting, eventful, and exemplary. There are too many hair breadth 'fcapes,' and too many improbable circumstances; but as ftepping out of the common path, abounding with unexpect ed changes of fortune, and the flory being told often with ele gance and propriety, the work deferves our commendation.

DRAMATIC.

The Little Hunchback'; or, a Frolic in Bagdad. A Farce in two Acts. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden, with univerfal Applaufe. Written by John O'Keefe. 8vo. 15 Debrett.

The Little Hunchback is a pleafant ftory in the Arabian Night's Entertainments, but in Covent Garden it is contemptible. If Ernulphus' execrations would cure one of the d-ble fin of fwearing, these execrable puns would be equally fuccefs ful on a punfter.

Love in Many Masks: as altered by J. P. Kemble, from Mrs. Behn's Rover, and firft acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury. Lane, March 8th, 1790. 8vo. 15. 6d. Egertons.

Mrs. Behn's Rover was not calculated for the nice ears of the prefent age, which does not, however, greatly excel that of our prurient authorefs in real delicacy. Mr. Kemble has, however, preserved much; and we think he might have foffered feveral little comic incidents to remain which were not very offenfive.

POLITICA L.

Conftitutional Connection between Great Britain and Ireland. And the mischievous Effects of introducing British Party into Ireland. Stated in a Letter to the Right Hon. Thomas Conolly, Secretary to the Irish Whig Club. 8vo. 15. 6d. Stockdale.

The fubject of this Letter is founded on the declarations and refolutions of the Irith whig club, to which Mr. Conolly is fecretary. The author charges that gentleman and his affociates with the defign of introducing into Ireland the mischievous effects of British party. Thefe effects, as well as the causes which gave rife to them, and the political characters with which they are connected, are delineated by the prefent writer in a copious ftrain of strong and farcaftic obfervations, accompanied with warm and animated expoftulation. The author appears to entertain the most just and liberal ideas of the nature of the connection fubfifting between Great Britain and Ireland; which he confiders as threatened with dangerous confequences by the avowed principles of the Irifh whig affociation. The pamphlet concludes with a copy of the refolutions of this lately-established

club.

Obfervations on Mr. Dundas's India Budget. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Debrett.

We expected to have met with a series of calculations in this pamphlet, or at least that Mr. Dundas's reprefentation of the flourishing state of the Eaft India company would have been minutely fcrutinized. But the Obfervations are of a general nature, chiefly refpecting the revenues, and have no immediate tendency either to invalidate the ftatement above-mentioned, or to reflect any cenfure on the conduct of the board of controul. A Letter from Lord de Clifford, to the Worthy and Independent Electors of the Town of Downpatrick. 8vo. 15. Debrett.

The fubject of this Letter is entirely local; and whatever may be its effects in Ireland, there appears not to be any good reafon for publishing it in this country. It relates to the report of an oppofition intended to be made to lord de Clifford's inter eft in Downpatrick, at the prefent general election of members to the Irish parliament. The affair can be of very little con cern to the public, and is probably determined before this time. MISCELLANEOUS..

Authentic Copy of the Memorial to the Right Hon. William Wyndham Grenville, one of his Majefty's principal Secretaries of State, By Lieut. John Mears, of the Royal Navy, dated 30th of April, 1790, and prefented to the House of Commons May 13th, 1790. Containing every Particular respecting the Capture of the Vef fels in Nootka Sound. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Debrett.

This Memorial, which is a copy of the one prefented to the houfe of commons on the 13th of May, is faid to contain every

2

particular

particular refpecting the capture of the veffels in Nootka Sound; a tranfaction which at prefent fo much engages the attention of the public. It is not uncommon in affairs of this kind, for the reprefentations of the different parties to prove contradictory to each other. Both fides will naturally endeavour to jullify themfelves from the charge of being the aggreffor. But whatever allowance may be due to the precipitate indifcretion of indivi duals, the act of feizing a British ship, and putting the crew in irons, is such a flagrant infult on the dignity of the nation as demands the most ample atonement. It would, however, be extremely unfortunate, if a tranfaction of fuch a nature, and probably unauthorised by the court of Spain, fhould be permit ted to involve the two countries in the horrors of war, which ought as much as poffible to be deprecated by every civilifed nation. There is reafon to hope, from the inferiority of the naval force of Spain, as well as from the prudence and magnanimity of our own administration, that the difpute will be terminated without any recourse to hoftilitics. In the mean time it is unavoidable that Great Britain should arm on the emergency. In utrumque paratus is the fituation beft calculated for obtaining prompt fatisfaction; and in the adjustment of national disputes, thofe will always prove most fuccefsful who negociate with the fword in their hand.

An Authentic Statement of all the Facts relative to Nootka Sound. In an Addrefs to the King. 8vo. IS. Debrett.

It appears from this statement, that in the year 1785 a plan was propofed by Mr. Etches, a merchant of London, for eltablishing a regular fyftem of commerce between Great-Britain, the north-west coast of America, the Japanese, Kureil, and Jeffo iflands, and the eastern parts of the continent of Alia. For this purpofe, a licence was obtained from the South-Sca company, with fuil liberty to profecute the defign; and another was granted by the hon. Eat-India company, for the difpofal of their cargoes in China. Accordingly in the month of September, the fame year, two fhips failed from Deptford on the propofed expedition; and on reaching Prince William Sound, they learned that there had lately arrived in thofe ports another vellel, which proved to be a brig called the Nootka, captain John Mears, from Bengal. Thefe adventurers afterwards agreed to form a copartnerhip in trade; and they equipped two more fhips that feafon from Canton, with which, and their former veffels, they have ever fince been maintaining a commerce highly advantageous, and fuch as promites, in their opinion, to become an object of great importance to the nation. The adventurers appear to be confid: nt that, notwithBanding the affertion of captain Cook, a paffage between the South Sea and the Atlantic is yet in reality practicable; and they declare a firm refolution of endeavouring to carry it into effect.