enforced with all the energy of declamation. Raffelas, like an innocent and tender pupil, is documented by his philofophic fifter, who fhews him the folly of his vifionary expectations. One would imagine that they had changed fexes: for surely that fond hope and pleafing delufion had been more natural on her fide and those deep fentiments and spirited remonftrances had been more becoming in the prince. Nekayah might have reJated her obfervations; but the reflections refulting from them fhould have been reserved for Raffelas.

In a fhort time, they renew the conversation concerning marriage. I know not, faid the princefs, whether marriage be more than one of the innumerable modes of human misery, when I fee and reckon the various forms of connubial infelicity, the unexpected causes of lafting difcord, the diverfities of temper, the oppofitions of opinion, the rude collifions of contrary defire, where both are urged by violent impulfes, the obftinate contefts of difagreeing virtues, where both are fupported by confcioufnefs of good intention, I am fometimes difpofed to think with the feverer cafuifts of moft nations, that marriage is rather permitted than approved, and that none, but by the inftigation of a paffion too much indulged, entangle themselves with indiffoluble compacts.'

By this argument, to fay nothing of the ftrange language in which the lady is made to exprefs herself, marriage is not placed in a more favourable light than celibacy was just before. In short, all that we can conclude from this conversation is, that a married life is very wretched, and a fingle one very miferable. For our parts, we are of opinion, that each state has its advantages and its inconveniencies. But to make a juft comparison between both, we must admit all collateral circumftances to be equal. Thus for inftance, if we fuppose two men and two women, in whom the circumstances of intellect, moTals, and difpofition are equal, and that one couple is married while the other remains fingle, certainly we fhould not hesitate to conclude, that the married pair have the beft profpect of enjoying the most perfect felicity human nature is capable of poffeffing.

After further refearches, the prince and princess meet with an aftronomer, who imagined that for five years he had poffeffed the regulation of the weather, and the diftribution of the feafons. This fpecies of frenzy gives room for a very fenfible chapter on the dangerous prevalence of imagination.

The aftronomer, however, is cured of his frenzy by intercourse with the world; and the tale draws to a conclufion, in which, as the writer frankly acknowleges, nothing is concluded.

They

They find that happiness is unattainable, and remain undeter mined in their choice of life. As nothing is concluded, i: would have been prudent in the author to have faid nothing. Whoever he is, he is a man of genius and great abilities; but he has evidently mifapplied his talents. We fhall only add, that & that his title-page will impofe upon many of Mr. Noble's fair cuftomers, who, while they expect to frolic along the flowery paths of romance, will find themselves hoifted on metaphyfical ftilts, and born aloft into the regions of fyllogistical subtlety, and philofophical refinement.

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Obfervations in Hufbandry. By Edward Lifle, Efq; late of Crux-Eafton, in Hampshire. The fecond edition. In two volumes. 8vo. 10s. Hitch, &c.

TH

HE first edition of this work (which was in a quarto volume) having been so well received by the public, that a fecond was called for, before we had an opportunity of mentioning its character to our readers; we fhould now hope to be excused from entering deep into the merits of a performance, that feems, nevertheless, to deferve the attention of all friends to agriculture. However, as it is a pofthumous work, we need not wonder much at its wanting fuch a degree of precifion, as well as connection, throughout the whole, as might have been hoped for, and expected, if the author had lived to revife and digeft his scattered papers himself. At prefent, it has more the appearance of a common-place-book, than a regular fyftem. For this defect, however, the Editor (who, it feems, was fon to the Author) makes an apology, in an advertisement prefixed to,

the work.

The author, we are told, about the year 1693, and in the 27th year of his age, fettled at Crux-Eafton where he determined to make the study of agriculture one of his chief amusements. In pursuance of this refolution, not only at the place, and in the neighbourhood where he lived, but in his journies into various parts of the kingdom, he made it his business to search out the most reputable farmers, and get the best informations he could, in all branches of husbandry. His method was to note down the opinions and advices he thought ufeful, and afterwards to add remarks on them from his own experience. For many years he had no other drift, in employing himself after this manner, than merely his own information and improvement; but about the year 1713, he feems to have entered into a defign of

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making his obfervations public; for he had begun an index, and thrown together fome thoughts, as an effay towards an introduction, dated at that period. Though his other ftudies, his attendance on bufinefs in the capacity of justice of the peace, and the care of a numerous family, hindered him from purfuing this his intention, yet they did not interrupt his firft defign, but he continued writing down his inquiries and experiments to the time of his death, which happened in 1722.

As thefe obfervations therefore, were left in fuch diforder, as to require no fmall pains and application to regulate and digest them, they would, in all probability, fays the editor, have been entirely fuppreffed, had they not been accidentally communicated to fome farmers, as well as fome gentlemen, who amuse themselves in hufbandry, who were of opinion they might be of ufe to the profeffion, and encouraged the editor to collect them under their feveral heads, and put them into the order in which they are published. He feems to apprehend fome readers will fmile, to fee the names of many English farmers mingled together with those of the ancient Romans, who had wrote upon agriculture. But as this circumftance gives the work an agree able fimplicity, and makes it appear more genuine; be foon determined not to throw it into a new form, but to print it as he found it.

As for the ftile, it is not indeed the most correct; for, as the editor fhrewdly afks, what correctnefs can be expected in obfervations haftily penned down, and thofe oftentimes from the mouths of common farmers? In a book intended for the inftruction of hufbandmen, ornaments would be mifplaced, it being thought fufficient if the language is intelligible. But here we think ourselves obliged to remark, that though the language may be fufficiently intelligible to the inhabitants of HampShir, yet there are fo many provincial expreffions made ufe of, as muft, of course, render it fomewhat difficult to others. As to the technical terms used in hufbandry, fome of which are abftrufe enough, there is, happily, an explanation of most of them added at the end of the fecond volume,

The reader is not to expect a compleat body of husbandry in thefe papers; fome things being but flightly touched on, as Hops and Rye, and fome others not mentioned at all, as Hemp and Flax; and many useful obfervations might perhaps be added, even in those matters that are treated on at large; for fuch, indeed, is the extent and variety of the fubject, that, according to the author's remark in the introduction, it is never to be exhausted.

The

The Author obferves, in his introduction, that it may be looked upon as one of the chief misfortunes of this age, that we have not fuch honourable conceptions of a country life, as might engage gentlemen of the greatest abilities, in parts and learning, to live upon and direct the management of their eftates. This he had often lamented, not only as a confiderable difadvantage to themselves, but a great lofs to the public.-He declares himself fatisfied, however, that if gentlemen would use fuch proper methods to attain a skill in agriculture, as they must do to be masters of any other art or fcience, they would foon find an entertainment in it not unworthy the most exalted genius. To induce them to make fo prudent a choice, he employs the remainder of the introduction in fumming up a variety of arguments in behalf of his fubject; to which we refer the reader for farther fatisfaction.

The work itself opens with obfervations on arable land, which he distinguishes into loam, clay, white land, black fpungy land, and fands of various kinds; with a word of advice under each.

In his account of manure and manuring, Mr. Lifle feems to have confulted both ancient and modern writers, of whofe obfervations he has greatly availed himself, as well as of the remarks of fuch intelligent farmers as he happened to meet with occafionally. This being one of the most material points in husbandry, we fhall felect a few of Mr. Lifle's oblervations thereupon, by which method his manner of writing, which is fomewhat unconnected, will beft appear to the reader. We shall obferve his custom of numbering the feveral paragraphs, which have feldom much dependence one upon another; and are fometimes exceffively long, and ill-pointed.

MANURE and MANURING.'

After having given us a catalogue of different manures from Evelyn, he alfo takes notice of the opinions of fome of the ancient writers upon agriculture, as Pliny, Columella, Varro, and Pamphilus; and then proceeds as follows.

$ 19. The maintenance corn muft depend on, is the innate. digefted falts of the earth, and well concocted juices, which are not to be obtained by the precocious way, the fame year the land is dunged; dunging is but a weak fupport for very poor land to depend on; 'tis a good fauce to the noble juices, which

In our author's explanation of terms in husbandry, at the end of the fecond volume, precocious is faid to mean early ripe, or forward; but in the paffage before us, the word feems to be used in a fomewhat different fenfe.

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are before in the land, to heighten them: but if you think dung alone a fufficient nourishment, where the land is before poor, you will find, that in fuch cafe the corn will run out to a firaw, and the grain to a thin body with little flour; and that very poor Jand fhall be as little able to bear good dunging, as a poor man, whofe blood is poor, much ftrong drink: the very quinteffence in earth, which improves grain, feems to depend very much on the air, fun, and rains, incorporated with the earth, which feem principally to give birth and life to vegetables; for the receiving of which principles the dung has not had time, which is newly depofited on the earth: how much is to be attributed to thefe principles is eafy to be feen, if Mr. Ray, Grew, and Malpigius be confulted.

$20. In difcourfe with farmer Sartain of Broughton in Wilts, and other farmers, I was faying, that the tails and the improvement of the dung of cattle was answerable to the food they feed on, and gave several instances of it; to which farmer Sartain replied, they were fenfible also, that when they foddered with the beft meadow-hay, it made their grounds quite another thing in goodness, than when they foddered with a coarser hay. -Farmer Stephens of Pomeroy affented to this, and added, that the fheep-flate in the common of Pomeroy was of fo rowety or roweny, wet, and poor a grafs, that the tails of the Theep that feed on it would do land no good: to confirm his report, he led me to a good healthy ground, which he had fowed to wheat, and which he had folded with thefe sheep, fo rich in appearance, that no ground could be feen for the trundles, and yet by the corn there was no fign of the good effects it had on the land; and the trundles, if you broke them, were as coarse as rabbet-dung. This makes therefore for the improvements by grafs-feeds in poor lands, forafmuch as the sheep gain not thereby a good belly-full only, but also their dung has greater virtue.

§ 21. If you divide the poorer part of a ground from the better, leave two or three lugg + in depth of the poorer ground within the hedge of the better ground; because the cattle love to creep to the hedge-fide, and will improve that poorer part by their dunging on it,

$22. That part of my barley, which had been dunged with horse-dung the year before for wheat, was twice as good as that part, which the fame year was dunged with cow-dung, though that part dunged with cow-dung was rather the better land.

Sheep-walk.

A pole, in measure 16 feet.