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gree of candour, as well as of fpirit. He difclaims all party attachment. Above the vilenefs,' fays he, of writing for any faction, or adopting from intereft, any opinions: having little to hope, and lefs to apprehend, from any minifter, I have written as I felt on every fubject. I am neither to be found on the terrace at Wind for, nor at the fuppers' [few authors are, we fuppofe] at Carlton-houfe. I have neither bowed to the meridian, nor to the rifing fun... I have neither flattered the Minifter, where I conceive that he is an object of cenfure; nor juftified the Oppofition in thofe acts where I believe them to have merited condemnation-'

The HEIR APPARENT next attracts our notice; and in this mafterly piece we fee, with inexpreffible concern, the rifing fun almoft totally eclipsed by-But we refer to the picture, and turn our eyes to the drawing which is here given of the Minifter. Mr. Pitt's portrait is a favourable likeness of (if we mistake nor) a favourite with the artift. We do not, however, think that he has done more than juftice to the original.

The Companion to the laft mentioned picture (though the originals are not companions), gives Mr. Fox, painted, indeed, to the life: for, although our political Vandyke modeftly profeffes to have given us only sketches, this is, unquestionably, a mafterly portrait. Free, animated, glowing, the figure feems ready to ftart from the canvafs; its luftre is, however, duly tempered by the requifite shading of an impartial pencil. The foibles that must neceffarily enter into a true delineation of so mixed a character are not overlooked: and we are feasonably reminded that it is not a divinity that we are contemplating, but a mortal, like ourselves, and fubject to the frailties of other men.

In coalition with the laft piece, we have a brief outline of Lord North. It excites in our minds a juft recollection of the character, but furnishes us with no new ideas of the man or the minifter.

Of Burke, it should feem as if the Author thought, the less is faid, the better; but to Sheridan greater attention is given, and ample tribute is paid to forare and fo matchlefs a combination of talents. There, a temperate and a winning elocution, fuitained by claffic elegance, adorned with dramatic and poetic images and allufions, pointed with the keeneft irony, and rifing, where neceffary, into the boldeft animation, confpire to render him one of the most confpicuous leaders of parliamentary debate.'

No longer a painter, but a political spectator of the paffing times, our brother Reviewer proceeds, toward the conclufion of his work, to fpeak, in terms of approbation, of the commercial treaty with France. He then goes on to take notice of a great event by which, among other memorable occurrences, the laft year hath been diftinguished, the death of Frederic the Great, on whom the highest eulogia are lavished.

Lord

Lord Rodney's ample fhare of public merit is likewife the fubject of much encomium, attended by a fevere charge of ingratitude here brought against his country, grounded on the peculiar circumftances, and prefent fituation of this first-rate naval officer, the faviour of the empire, whofe age is embittered by fuits and attachments, and all the nameless engines of judicial torture!'

Mr. Haftings, too, finds here a warm and able advocate, who pleads the caule of the Oriental hero, and ftrongly recommends him to the protection and gratitude of his country.'

The retreat, either actual or imminent,' of Lord Mansfield, from a fituation which he has held with fo much dignity to himself, and fo much benefit to the Public, for a period of thirty years,' furnishes our Author with an opportunity of paying a juft tribute of applaufe to the rare merits of a man, whofe lofs to his country, whenever it happens, will not be eafily repaired.

This Review concludes with an intimation, that, fhould the prefent performance meet the public approbation, the writer may, probably, be induced, at fome moment of leifure, to refume his pen, and to attempt to complete that picture, of which he has only traced the outline.'

MONTHLY

ས་

CATALOGUE,

For JANUARY, 1787.

AFFAIRS of IRELAND.

Art. 16. An Addrefs to the Nobility and Gentry of the Church of
Ireland, as by Law established. Explaining the Caufes of the
Commotions and Infurrections in the Southern Parts of this King-
dom, refpecting Tithes; and the real Motives and Defigns of the
Projectors and Abettors of thofe Commotions and Infurrections,
Dublin printed; London, reprinted for
&c. By a Laym. n.
Kearfley. 8vo. 25. 1786.

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HE continual difpofition of the Irish peafantry to tumultuous difturbances, the enormity of their outrages, and the perfons against whom their brutal refentment is directed, all tend to fhew that the poor ignorant agents are fpurred on, by concealed and crafty directors, to fome dark purpose. The Author of this Addrefs argues throughout, to prove, that Popery is the root from whence the prefent infurrections fpring. The infurgents are all Papifts, their manifeftoes proclaim them to be fo, their priests openly read them at their altars; their mass-houses are their places of rendezvous, where they bind themfelves by folemn oaths to execute their defigns; and the extirpation of the Proteftant established clergy, and confequently. of their religion, is the object of their confederacy. Some particu lar events and circumftances have, at this time, caufed the fire of the thefe difcontents, hitherto fmothered, to break out into a blaze; first and principal of thefe are, the hafty and improvident repeal of the

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most important parts of that code of laws, called Popery laius; and particularly of that part of them, which forbids the acquifition of freehold property by Papifts.

Another circumitance which has much contributed to the present difturbances is, the vast number of Papifts in this kingdom, who have lately armed and regimented themselves, under the denomination of Volunteers; they have not only intermixed themselves with Proteftants, in feveral bodies of Volunteers, but have formed diftin&t bodies themselves. And even in the city of Dublin, the Popish Volunteers, under the infulting denomination of the IRISH BRIGADE, greatly outnumbered all the other Volunteers.

Another reason that these infurrections have broke out in this laft fummer, is, that a bill was (to fay no worfe of it) very haftily and improvidently introduced into parliament in the course of last feffion, purporting to be a bill for the protection of the perfons and properties of the clergy of the established church. The bill was ill digefted, had many exceptionable claufes in it, and if it had paffed into a law, would have been the occafion of mifchief and inconvenience, instead of advantage, to the clergy; it luckily mifcarried in the House of Commons, and never was introduced into the House of Lords during the debates on this bill in parliament, fome ill. weighed reflections, and which, on examination, would have been found to have arisen from miftake and mif-information, were thrown out on the clergy, and their proctors, refpecting the collection of tithes.-Thefe debates, and the mifcarriage of a bill, with fuch title, fpread like wildfire through the kingdom; fome men of great weight, and in the confidence of government, were reprefented in the publications of thefe debates, as having fpoken very hardly of the clergy, and their proctors, and as having accufed them of exaction in the collection of their tithes. The Papifts immediately concluded, that this was their time to commence hoftilities against the established clergy, and that they would be countenanced, or at leaft connived at by government, and inftantly broke out into open outrage and violence; and formed a folemn league and covenant against the church established.'

The preceding account of thefe artfully fomented difturbances, correfponds with that given in the Philofophical Survey of the South of Ireland; and the refult of the whole is, to prove that the most trifling compliance by the legislature of this country, with the infolent factious demands and pretenfions of a Popish banditti, fpirited up by agitating friars and Romifh miffionaries, fent here for the purpofes of fowing fedition, is as inconfiftent with juftice as it is with found policy, and the fafety of this Proteftant ftate: and that our religious establishment is the main pillar of our conflitution, which cannot be pulled down without the ruin of the whole ftructure of our government.'

When we confider the affuming politics of the church of Rome, and the intriguing character of its miffionaries, a Proteftant eftablishment fhould, before it holds forth indulgencies to the Catholics under its toleration, cautiously weigh the numbers and ftrength of the

See Rev. vol. ix. p. 11.

party,

party, and compute how far their power may be dangerous, should opportunity tempt them to be troublesome. N. Art. 17. Hiftorical Trans. By Sir John Davies, Attorney Ge ral, and Speaker of the Houfe of Commons in Ireland; confifting cf, I. A Discovery of the true Caufe why Ireland was never brought under Obedience to the Crown of England. II. A Letter to the Earl of Salisbury, on the State of Ireland, in 1607., III. A Letter to the Earl of Salisbury, in 1610; giving an Account of the Plantation of Ulfter. IV. A Speech to the Lord Deputy in' 1613, tracing the antient Conftitution of Ireland. To which is prefixed, A new Life of the Author, from authentic Documents. 8vo. 6s. bound. Stockdale, 1786.

Sir John Davies was an able lawyer, and not unknown as a lover of the mufes; two avocations that have little affinity with each other; but the latter was the first purfuit; and indeed he appears from his memoirs to have paid very little deference to the law, in the early part of his life, until his good fenfe corrected his eccentricities. In thefe tracts he exhibits himself in the character of a diligent member of the administration in Ireland; zealous for the fettlement and profperity of that nation, and ftudious of the best means of effecting thefe valuable purposes.

The first tract, which is alfo the first in its importance, has been feveral times printed; the other three have been collected from the literary treafures in the British Mufeum. The fecond and third contain much local information, gained by Sir John's attendance on the judicial progreffes of the Lord Deputy in Uiter; and they display a ftriking view of the barbarifm and lawlefs mifery of the inhabitants at that time. The fummary view of the Irish conftitution given in the laft article, his fpeech on being chofen and approved as fpeaker of the House of Commons there, is, according to the fashion of his time, made fubfervient to the most extravagant panegyrics on King James, and on the Lord Deputy Chichester, to whom it was ad dreffed.

Art. 18. A candid Review of the most important Occurrences that took place in Ireland during the last three Years; in which is comprifed, I. The Proceedings of the National Convention affembled in Dublin, November 1783, and the fucceeding Year. II. Rife and Progress of the Bill for effectuating a commercial Intercourse between the two Nations on permanent and equitable Principles. III. His Grace of Portland's Reafons for oppofing the twenty Propofitions fent from the Commons to the Lords of England for their Confideration. IV. Proceedings of the Irish Legislature on the twenty Propofitions tranfmitted from England. V. Opinion of Mr. Fox's minifterial Character.. VI. The probable Confequences of any Propofition in the British Parliament tending to an Union with the fifter Nation. VII. The prefent State of the Prefs in Ireland. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Bell. 1786.

N.

This is a fenfible narrative of events; but it will not be agreeable to all taftes. The writer does not exhibit the Irish convention in the moft refpectable point of view; and in his hiftory of the commercial propofitions, he fhews the weaknefs of the objections ftarted against them by the ministerial oppofition here, and by the parlia

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ment in Ireland. They were indeed very delicate fubjects of confideration; for, as this writer truly obferves, every argument ufed in fupport of them on one fide of the water, were fo many reafons against them on the other fide! He complains much of the abufe of the prefs in Ireland, by circulating horrible exaggerations of riotous proceedings, which give other nations a falfe idea of the internal state of the country. But this is another fubject of delicacy; nor do we clearly conceive the nature of the remedy he propofes against an evil that the Layman in the preceding Addrefs attributes to the printers in Dublin being chiefly Papifts; a circumftance for which we have no better authority than his affertion. This Author fays, very confidently, that the eltablishment of an independent prefs in Dublin, with a correfponding one in London, would in a very thort time be productive of the best confequences to Ireland. When I mention an independent prefs, I mean one not in the leaft connected with minifiers, or any defcription of people in oppofition.' The object of this inftitution is declared to be to report, faithfully and circumftantially, the various occurrences of the times. But what is to be underflood by an establishment not formed either by the government, or by the adverfaries to the governing powers? If a prefs is to be fupported by any fanction whatever, it would become odious; if it is to depend on profit for fupport, it would ftand on no better ground than the prefent preffes; but must be regulated by the common principles of the trade, and must study the taste of the majority of readers: nor will any prefs attract attention by a tame caution of never printing any thing of the truth of which the printers are not affured. A printer of a newspaper at prefent amufes his readers with the current report of to-day; if it is a lie, fo much the better; to-morrow he corrects their judgment by declaring it falfe: the lie and the truth are therefore both equally of ufe to keep his prefs in motion, for that with him is the first object; the people in general are fond of fuch feefaw kind of entertainment, and will have it. Nor does there appear any means to conduct public intelligence upon a better plan than fuch as the people are willing to receive. Si populus vult decipi, decipiatur: it is all for the good of trade, and that is fufficient for both printer and politician, who feel the pulfe of the times as accurately as a phyfician feels a patient's pulfe in a fever.

EAST INDIES.

N.

Art. 19. Memoirs relative to the State of India. By Warren Haftings, Efq. late Governor General of Bengal. 8vo. 4s. Boards. Murray. 1786.

Thefe Memoirs were originally printed by Mr. Haftings at his first arrival from India, for private diftribution; when, as is ufual in fuch cafes, a bookfeller got hold of a copy, and printed it for fale *. That edition as naturally produced the impreflion now before us; for the preface informs us, that the former being printed from an imperfect copy, and without permiflion from the Author, rendered it neceffary for the prefent publifher to give a correct and authentic edition: he therefore applied to Mr. Haftings, and ob. tained his confent. Both thefe editions, to be correct, must corre

*See Review, Oct. laft, p. 307.

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Hafting's Review, &c."
Spond

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