dered in cold blood, after quarter given by Colonel Berry, who made himself dear to Cromwell, by this and fome other actions of cruelty. Another writer tells us, that his horse sticking in the mud, he died magnanimously refufing quarter, and throwing the blood that run from his wounds into their faces.

However these accounts vary in their circumstances, it feems most probable that fome bafe treachery was used in taking away fo valuable a life, as may be easily gathered from a letter, written on this occafion by Cromwell, July 31, 1643, to the Committee of Affociation fitting at Cambridge, wherein the Ufurper fays, in the canting ftile of that age, That it pleafed the Lord to give their fervant and foldiers a notable victory, and that General Cavendish, after a vigorous defence, was flain with a thrust under the short ribs. Be this as it will, all writers agree with Lord Clarendon, that no man could behave more courageously, nor die in a nobler manner.'

We come now to the life of William the first Duke of Devonfire, which opens into a wider field, and gives our Author more frequent opportunities of indulging his fondness for expatiating and digreffing. In fhort the life of this and the Lives of fucceeding Dukes, contain little more than an epitome of Grey's Debates, with occafional extracts from the memoirs and hiftories of the times wherein they lived, in which there is very little materially relative to that noble family. Wherever Mr. Grove has found a paffage affording but the moft diftant mention of the name of Cavendish, in it comes, no matter in how abrupt and unconnected a manner. The following anecdote, however, concerning the firft Duke of Devonshire, at the time he was Lord Cavendish, may not be thought unentertaining.

1669. This year my Lord accompanied Mr. Montagu (afterwards Duke of Montagu) in his embafly to France, where an affair happened, which might have had very dangerous confequences; but our young Lord behaved in fo noble a manner, that every circumftance of it fets his perfonal character in the moft amiable light. He had received an affront at the Opera in Paris, by fome officers of the guard, who, as it is faid, were in liquor, and one of them having particularly infulted him, his Lordfhip in return ftruck him on the face; upon which four or five of them all drew their fwords, and fell on him at once. Unterrified at fo unequal a combat, he made a very gallant defence, yet he received feveral wounds, and must have been overpowered by his cowardly adverfaries, had not a brave Swifs, a domestic belonging to Mr. Montagu, caught him up in his arms, and thrown him into the Pit; the flesh of his arm, however, by the fall, was torn by one of the iron fpikes of the Orchestra, which left a fear, that was visible to the day of his death. This

brave action was reported all over Europe, as much to the honour of my Lord, as to the difgrace of the aggreffors. That great and able minifter, Sir William Temple, was at this time the English ambaffador in Holland, who did, by an elegant letter, compliment his Lordship upon it, by which it fufficiently appeared, that Sir William thought that his spirit and behaviour on that occafion were even of national importance, as it gave the French the highest ideas of the English courage. Still it must be obferved, that the French King, when he was informed of this matter, ordered the offenders to be imprisoned.'

This is followed by an account of the proceedings and debates in parliament, in which his Lordship figured as a patriot, and fometimes made a fpeech. But in the reign of James the second, with whom, as may be imagined, he was no favourite, he gave a specimen of his fpirit which was attended with inconvenient circumstances. But this we need not quote from our Author, as it is fully related in our Review for Sept. 1763. p. 215. Where the Reader will find an account of the Devonfhire family, to which the prefent article may ferve as a fupple

ment.

In 1694, he was raised to the dignity of a Duke,and as a farther mark of the great confidence the King put in him, he was feven times, after the Queen's death, appointed one of the Lords Juftices for the administration of public affairs during his Majefty's abfence. His Grace, in fhort, had the fignal honour of being the only temporal Peer that was in every one of these commiffions.

Our limits will not allow us to enter into farther particulars relative to this noble Duke, whose life takes up above two thirds of this bulky volume; of which the greatest part is filled with the characters of his cotemporaries, with panegyrics upon them in verfe and profe, with a tedious detail of the progrefs and fate of the exclufion bill, with the thread-bare relations of the feveral plots of which those days were fo fruitful, with the proceedings against Lord Ruffel, Algernon Sydney, Sir John Fenwick; with the fquabble between Marlborough and Harley; with other digreffions upon digreffions: for it must be observed, that Mr. Grove feldom mentions any diftinguished perfonage, without acquainting the Reader what other great men said of them, and then what other great men said of those great men: so that they fometimes run three or four deep.

Of William the fecond Duke of Devonshire, we learn, that he was one of those who opposed the occafional conformist bill, and also that of committing the five Aylesbury men for a breach of privilege.' This is a lucky breathing place for our

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Biographer, for here he introduces an account of the proceedings of the Houfe of Commons in the great and well known caufe of Abby and White: we must not omit to obferve that he had already related what paffed concerning this famous contest in the House of Lords, in the preceding life.

In 1706, his Grace was appointed one of the commiffioners to treat about the union, which gives our Author an occafion to expatiate on the bleffings of union; then follows the proceedings of the Houfe on that important affair, and we lofe fight of the Duke of Devonshire for threefcore pages, till at last we find him in the capacity of Lord Steward of the Houfhold, to which he was promoted by King George the firft. Then we lofe him again, and inftead of his Grace's life and tranfactions, we have the life and tranfactions of Oxford, Bolingbroke, Prior, &c. with an account of the difagreement between his Majefty and the Prince: In all which concerns, his Grace does not appear to have borne any, at leaft any confpicuous part; unlets it be, that on the 24th April (no matter what year) he was admitted to kifs the King's hand, after which he carried the fword of state before the King to the Chapel Royal.' All that we find farther concerning his Grace, is, that he was appointed one of the Lords Juftices for the government of the kingdom during the King's abfence, and that he was one of the Peers who found Lord Macclesfield guilty on the impeachment against him, which is very extraordinary to be fure. The mention of Lord Macclesfield leads our Author into what he calls a fhort account of the Rife and Progrefs of the High Court of Chancery.

Under the life of William the third Duke of Devonshire, we have an account of the dreadful fire which confumed his Grace's houfe in Piccadilly, and likewife a very copious defcription of his Grace's fine feat at Chatfworth. So much for the hiftory of the Duke's cftate: as for the hiftory of his life, it is recent in every body's memory. We all know that he was Lord Lieutepant of Ireland, and that he gained great honour by his prudent and popular adminiftration, But our Author takes up above threefcore pages to tell us this; for he acquaints us by the way what great man died, what great man was promoted, and then he toes their hiftories into the bargain.

This volume concludes with fome memoirs of William the fourth Duke of Devonshire, (his prefent Grace).. These memoirs confift of ten pages, of which there are not ten lines which, in the leaft degree concern the noble Duke, and they only acquaint us with his being invefted with the noble order of the Garter, and with his promotions to the feveral honourable offices his Grace hath held. The reft is a panegyrick on the late Lord Hardwick, followed by a character of our late Sovereign...

Upon

Upon the whole, Mr. Grove was * an indefatigable well meaning compiler, but we can by no means recommend him as a writer; neither can we applaud his choice of fo barren a fubject. Let not our opinion, in this particular however, be construed as any mark of difrefpect to the noble family whofe lives are here attempted. It should be remembered, that the most amiable and refpectable characters are, in general, thofe which afford fewest materials for biographical history.

Since this article was drawn out, we have been informed, that Mr. Grove died within a few days before or after the publication of this hiftory; what will become of his Detached Pieces con crning Cardinal Wolfy, time will fhew.

The Elements of Agriculture. By M. Duhamel du Monceau, of the Royal Academy of Sciences in France, and Fellow of the Royal Society in London, &c. &c. &c. Tranflated from the original French, and revifed by Philip Miller, F. R. S. Gardiner to the worshipful Company of Apothecaries at Chelfea, and Member of the Botanic Academy at Florence. Illuftrated with fourteen Copper-plates. 8vo. 2 vols. 10 s. Vaillant.

M.

Duhamel is well known to the learned world, by his learned treatifes on various fubjects, particularly those upon hufbandry and the improvement of lands; in which he has fhewn an uncommon zeal for the good of his country.

In his preface to the prefent work, we are informed, that his refolution not to advance any unfupported opinions, obliged him, in the fix volumes he formerly published on the culture of lands, to make details of many different experiments; infomuch that the fame fact is fometimes mentioned and fupported by new proofs in every one of thofe volumes. But though this was certainly the trueft method of gaining credit at firft; yet, after having once firmly established his principles, he thought it proper to connect them, in a more compact work; to lay afide feveral pieces he had begun, and to write this Elementary Treatife, or true Rudiments of Agriculture, in which he has attended only to what is abfolutely neceffary and useful.-But though he has thought proper thus to abridge the former details, yet does the prefent work ftill affords us

• General obfervations on the mechanifm of vegetation; the beft methods of breaking up lands-wherein confifts the best tillage, and what is to be expected from it.Of different manures, the means of procuring them, and the beft method

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of ufing them ;-the choice and preparation of feeds, and the feveral ways of fowing them the care that is required during the growth of the grain ;-the manner of getting it in, threshing, cleaning, and preferving it;-which are the most proper inftruments of hufbandry;-of the ufe of natural and artificial pastures; the methods of procuring them;-the particular culture of fome useful plants;-laftly, a detection of fome abuses that are an obftacle to the progrefs of agriculture, are in general the fubjects treated of in thefe two volumes.'

M. Duhamel very juftly obferves, that- We are in no want of theorists, who, without having any real knowledge in hufbandry, from their defks pretend to trace fyftems, and lay down rules to husbandmen, which, being merely ideal, too often lead those aftray, who put any confidence in them.'

In order to obviate thefe, and the like inconveniencies, the Author very judiciously remarks, in his introductory obfervations, that-If we would attend methodically to the progrefs of agriculture, qualify ourselves to judge with precifion of the culture of lands, and be fully fenfible of the advantages one method poffeffes above another, we must first make a general examination into the nature of plants, the affiftance they derive from their roots and leaves, the ufe of their flowers, and nature of the substance that nourishes them, and that of the land which furnishes this nutritive juice.' The above particulars are all treated of in the first book; which contains a fhort, but fufficient theory of agriculture, comprehending the chief fundamental principles of that art. A theory of this fort is certainly useful to fuch as love to give a reafon for what they do; or to know what ought to be the confequences of the methods they use; whether to rectify them when bad, or put them into execution, when demonftrably good and ufeful. But as the worthy Author's intention was to write for the many husbandmen that content themselves with the practice of their art, he has comprised his theory in a fhort compass, to have more room to enlarge on the practical part.-In the fecond book, therefore, he treats of the preparations that are to be made, in order to obtain good crops. Thefe confift in breaking up the land, if it is not already] in culture;-in giving it the neceflary plowings, if it has long been in bearing-in fupplying it with imanures; in laying it out, or parcelling it in a proper manner;in making a due choice of feeds ;-in giving them the preparations neceflary to make them fucceed; and in depofiting them properly in the earth;-and, finally, in extirpating the weeds, which either rob the corn of its nourishment, or choak it.'Thefe feveral heads are the fubject of as many chapters.-An abstract of chap. iii, which treats of manures, may, perhaps, be

as