Page images
PDF
EPUB

term it), by the completion of his new edition of Chambers's Cyclopædia, has made a Lerd Anfon's voyage of univerfal fcience. A fermon on fuch a fubject, from fuch a writer, will be deemed worthy of attention; nor will the perufal of it difappoint the reader. It abounds with judicious obfervations, clothed in nervous language. What he has here advanced on the importance of knowlege, in general, and of religious knowlege, in particular, claims the moft ferious confideration of all parents, guardians, and thofe entrusted with the education of youth. As the NEW ACADEMICAL INSTITUTION among Proteftant Diffenters (to recommend which is the chief objec of this difcourfe) is principally intended for the education of perfons defigned for civil life; the learned preacher makes it his chief object to ftate the benefits of knowlege in this point of view. We are particularly pleased with that part of his difcourfe where he reprefents the neceflity of mental improvement, to enable the fuccessful and opulent trader to retire from the hurry of business, to the calm fcenes of rural life. Retirement foon becomes a gloomy folitude to the illiterate. While there is novelty in the scene, the uneducated citizen, retiring from trade to fome fequeftered villa,

otium et oppidi

Laudat rura fui

but when the charm of novelty is over, and he is obliged to draw upon himself for amufement, he will exclaim with the lady in Pope's Satire, O odious, odious trees! and

[ocr errors]

mox reficit rates

Quaffas, indocilis fegnitiem patī

The Doctor obferves, that at a period, when the judgment is approaching to maturity, and before it has contracted any improper bias and prejudices, it is of great importance to direct and aid it in forming just fentiments of the principles, obligations, and evidences of religion. We moft heartily fubfcribe to this, and we were a little furprized (feeing that the noble feminary, over which he is appointed to prefide, is in a great measure intended for the education of gentlemen's fons) to find Dr. Rees omitting to enforce the neceffity of this, as the only antidote against the common effects of foreign travel. The omiffion of this, is a lamentable defect in the common education of our young nobility and gentry, and we wish this new academical inftitution may be a means of remedying it. As the fashion of the prefent time is, our youth are fent abroad to affociate with the difciples of Voltaire, on the continent; and being unable to give a reafon of the hope that is in them, are foon converted into fceptics and libertines; but had they been led to form juft fentiments of the eternal principles of religion and morality, they would not confound the errors of popery with the doctrines of Chriftianity; nor conclude, as our travelled men of fashion generally do, that because the former are ridiculous, the latter must be falfe.

Toward the conclufion of the fermon, fome ftrictures are naturally introduced, on the conduct of our univerfities, in requiring all who come to receive the benefits and honours of a univerfity education to fubfcribe the 39 Articles. To infift on fubfcription to a system of doctrine previous to the poffibility of examining it, muft strike every

perfon

1

perfon as a glaring impropriety. It has, however, been fo for a long
time; and this, perhaps, is the only argument which can be offered
for its continuance; but then, is not this like the reafoning of the
old farmer against turnpike roads: Our forefathers went through the
dirt, and why should not we?

III. Preached at Christ Church, Middlesex, for the Benefit of the
Humane Society*, March 30; and at the Parish-church of
Wandsworth, April 27, 1788. By the Rev. Robert Pool Finch,
D. D. Prebendary of Westminster, and Rector of St. John the
Evangelift in that City. 8vo. 2s. Dilly, &c.

An eloquent and well-adapted difcourfe; to which the learned preacher has prefixed an addrefs to the Reader, containing a particular eulogium on this charity; and very properly taking notice, that although in Germany, at Venice, at Paris, and in fome other places not only of Europe but America, fimilar inftitutions have happily taken place; yet, he adds, that it may be faid, without a boaft, that the fulleft difplay both of fkill and fuccefs, has been made in England: where fuch a fyftematic courfe of medical ftudy, ftill in improving progrefs, is eftablished, as is entitled to the highest praise, and fhould excite the emulous encouragement of all ranks of people.'

The appendix contains fome felect accounts of recovery, in various cafes of fufpended animation; with the methods of treating fuch cafes, whether from drowning, fuffocation by damps, hanging, fits, intense cold, noxious vapours, or ftrokes of lightning. Alfo lifts of directors, contributors, affiftants, &c. &c.

IV. Occafioned by the Death of the late Rev. Michael Pope, who
departed this Life February 10, 1788, in the 79th Year of his
Age. With an Addrefs delivered at his Interment, by Thomas
Jarvis. 8vo. IS. Buckland,

The character here given of the worthy Mr. Pope, who was long and well known in our metropolis, is juft, and not overcharged: The addrefs at the grave is what fuch orations, in general, fhould be, not fo much a panegyric on the deceased, as a pathetic application to the audience,-calculated to excite. fuch proper reflections in the mind, as tend to a fuitable conduct in life.

CORRESPONDENCE.

OUR Roman Catholic Correfpondent, P. C1, who fometimes talks to us about religious prejudices in a ftyle which almost makes us conclude, that he deems thofe of his own perfuafion alone free from them, has fent us the following remark on the death-bed declaration of F. Courayer," that he died a member of the church of Rome +;" which we infert as a proof of our poffeffing that libe

*Is it not rather inaccurate to fay for the benefit of the Humane Society? Would it not be proper, in future, to fubstitute the word Inftitution?

+ See Rev. for January laft, p. 37.

rality

7

rality and candour which this Correfpondent expects from us. The following is an extract of his letter:

The intention of this addrefs, is only to rectify, what I rather chufe to think a mistake, than the effect of a malevolent fpirit. P.. Courayer, dying with the fentiments afcribed to him, did not die a Catholic-could not die a Catholic, with any other opinion of the perfon of Chrift, than what St. Athanafius has recorded to be the avowed belief of the faithful from the origin of Chriftianity to his own time; and which continues to be the belief to this day; and must continue, of neceffity, in virtue of the promife, and under the immediate direction, of Jefus Chrift, to the end of the world.

Let this addrefs, alfo, inform you, and, by your means, the uninformed reader, that a member of that church is diftinguished by his erofs, by the commanded fignal of the Lord, by the teftimony he, bears to all its doctrines; and that that qualification does no more depend on his own bare ipfe dixit, than Rouffeau's calling himself a Proteftant, or Voltaire a Catholic, entitles either of thefe infidels to the name of Chriftian; which neither of them renounced formally, but either ridiculed or reafoned against the principles of Chriftianity. For, as by our finful departure from the grace of God, we are no longer protected by its diftinctive influence; fo, by a departure from the prefcriptive rules of the Catholic church, the fallen member is no longer acknowleged. But, if the benighted only mistook his way, and did not forfake it through perverfeness, or a fondness for novelty or deviation; with the anxious folicitude of a regretful parent for the apparent lofs of a ftrayed child, the configns him to the mercy of her all-wife Director, who alone knows the fprings that govern the actions of his creatures, and the rewards due to their efforts; but, in nowife, is the warranted to enfure that crown of glory, which awaits the faithful fervants of the Lord, through the preparation of his church upon earth.'

We have inserted the above stricture, partly to oblige our Correfpondent, but more efpecially from our regard to the facred cause of truth (a caufe infinitely fuperior to the party interefts of any church on earth), if that caufe can be any way affected by the fubject of his letter. For the reft, we abide by our declaration against all theological controversy with this writer: See Rev. for May last, p. 448.

** Mr. Samwell's Letter, and Adolefcens, with fome others, are, under confideration.

ERRATA in the laft Appendix.

P. 577, 1. 2, for cool,' r. calm; and in the next line, for calm, r. cool.

588, 1. 11 from bottom, dele an.'

654, 1. 32, for dédaignanant,' r. dédaignant.

In the Index, Article Selinus, for

rains,' r. ruins.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For SEPTEMBER, 1788.

ART. I. Capt. Wilson's Account of the Pelew Islands, concluded: See our laft Month's Review.

WHILE the veffel was building, Capt. Wilson, his fon, the

furgeon, and another perfon, at the preffing inftance of Abba Tnulle, paid a vifit to him at Pelew, where they refided feveral days, and were treated with all the refpect and hospitality that the King, the General, and all others, could devife. They had, in this vifit, confiderable opportunities of feeing and studying the difpofition and manners of the inhabitants, and came away highly prepoffeffed in their favour: indeed the account here given of them greatly exceeds that of any other Indian nation that we have seen or read of; and the civility and hofpitality of the natives of the Society and Friendly lflands, in the Pacific Ocean, as defcribed by Capt. Cook and his companions, are caft at a great diftance. We much fear, that if our voyagers had been caft on fome parts of the coafts of their own country, they would have received far lefs friendly treatment than they appear to have met with from the inhabitants of the Pelew Inlands.

This vifit terminated, however, in another request from Abba Thulle to the Captain, for ten of his men, with their arms, to accompany him in another expedition against the natives of the fame ifland, as their victory had not produced the effects he wifhed for; and to this the Captain again confented.

On the 4th of September Capt. W. and his party returned to Oroolong, the island on which the English were; and had the fatisfaction to find the building of the veffel confiderably advanced. In the afternoon of the 8th, the King came to claim the Captain's promised reinforcement of ten men; and feeing now the swivel guns and the fix pounder mounted, and being informed of their eff &ts, was not eafily denied the use of one of them in his intended expedition against the people of Artingall; but the quantity of powder which it would expend was an infuperable objection to complying with his requeft, and

he

he left them the next day, feemingly but little fatisfied with obtaining only the ten men. Those who remained behind continued to work on the veffel with unremitting diligence; and on the 15th, canoes arrived with the ten men who had been fent with Abba Thulle. One of the canoes, in which were two of the English, was overfet in returning, and they narrowly escaped with their lives. They informed Capt. W. that they arrived at Pelew the night after they left Oroolong; and that Abba Thulle iremed defirous of proceeding to Artingall directly; but, as it was rainy weather, they objected to it on account of their arms being wet: that voyage was therefore put off to the next day; the evening of which proving fair, the King affembled his Rupacks, and canoes, to the number of 200, on board of which confiderably more than 1000 people embarked; and they arrived off Artingall a little before break of day the next morning. Here they brought-to until fun-rife, and then fent a light canoe with four men in it, to enquire whether the enemy would fubmit to the terms which Abba Thulle had propofed, by way of atonement for the injuries of which he complained; and if not, to defy them to battle: it being a maxim with the natives of Pelew, never to attack an enemy in the dark, or by furprise. All the men who went in this canoe had the long white feathers of the tail of a tropic bird ftuck upright in their hair: the perfons who wear thofe feathers being regarded in the fame light by the natives of thefe iflands, as a flag of truce is by us. The people returned with a flat refufal; on which the King immediately gave the fignal for battle. While this was doing, the enemy affembled in their canoes clofe under the land, and blew their conch-fhells in defiance, but did not feem inclined to quit the fhore. The King, feeing their unwillingness to come to an engagement, directed one part of his canoes to conceal themselves behind a point of land, and, after exchanging a few diftant fpears with the enemy, made a feint as if he ran away, fetting the example in his own canoe, and all the reft of his own fquadron following him. This had the defired effect; the enemy purfued them immediately, on which the fquadron that lay concealed rushed out, and put themselves between them and the land; and as foon as the King faw his ftratagem had taken effect, he turned about, and attacked them in front, while the other fquadron affailed them in the rear. The fpears were directed with mutual animofity, and the English kept up a continual fire, which not only did great execution, but puzzled and diftracted the enemy, who could not conceive why their men fell without receiving any apparent blow. They therefore betook themselves to flight, but were greatly obftructed by the canoes who had formed in their rear. Most of them, however, made their way to the shore, fix canoes only, on board of which were

[merged small][ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »