or to provoke oppofition. Utility is clearly the object of the author, and that fort of utility, if we may be allowed the expreffion, which is most useful. On the particular study of the law *, we have an anonymous tract of confiderable utility, and though addreffed particularly to clerks, in an inferior branch of the profeffion, fit rather to be applied to the higher: On the ftudies important to the female fex, Mrs. Cocklet writes with ability, improved by practice and experience; and Mr. Crabb, with more of fcholaftic learning, compiles very useful books for pupils of all kinds. Mr. Le Vaffeur § and Mr. Keegan, take different methods of improving their pupils in French, and both may probably be fuccessful; while Mr. Haffell very clearly exhibits the whole procefs of forming a water-coloured drawing, in a tract which he calls The Speculum q. All these works have merit, in their various ways, and may be used with advantage to the ftudents. LITERATURE. We rife, however, to a higher clafs of inftructions, when we employ the title here prefixed. Dr. Burney's very learned and laborious work on the metres of Efchylus **, is an effort, fuch as few scholars are capable of making, towards illuftrating a very obfcure branch of literature. If ever we are to be made acquainted with the choral measures of antiquity, it must be by fimilar labour bestowed upon the other tragic writers. Connected both with Greek and Roman literature, though with a very different branch of them, is Mr. Combe's account of the Terra Cottas in the British Museum ††; the merits of ancient + No. III. p. 303. *No. IV. p. 418. ceptor and Pupils, No. III. P. 304. III. p. 203. I No. I. p. 89. Afchyli. No. I. p. 14. See his PreNo. I. p. 84. No. ** Tentamen de Metris ft No. VI. p. 564. artists, artifts, with many points in the mythology which they employed, are there pointed out, with clearness and propriety. The variety of literary entertainment provided in the Claffical Journal*, muft, we should think, fecure its popularity, if any thing like popularity can belong to a publication fo far above the tafte and comprehenfion of the multitude. But a very extenfive clafs of readers will certainly welcome Mr. Dibdin's most amufing and ingenious Bibliomania † ; feldom have we seen in a fingle volume, fo much gratification of literary curiofity, conveyed in a style as lively as this book is ingenious. We trust that our recommendation will here entirely coincide with the feelings of the public, PHILOSOPHY. We are almost tempted to add to the preceding head, the books we had noted down for this, fince the greater part of them are particularly calculated to affift the learner in his progrefs to the fciences to which they belong. This may, with the greatest truth, be faid of the two works by Mr. Parkes, his Chemical Catechifm, and his Rudiments of Chemistry §: the latter, in particular, is fuch an introduction, in point of clearness and precision, as very feldom has been produced in any fcience. The other, which was first published, has the fame general characteristics, but being more extensive in detail and experiments, is calculated rather for the more advanced student. Very much of this nature is Captain WilliamJon's book, entitled Mathematics fimplified, except that inftead of teaching the fcience, it is rather intended to enable the unmathematical operator to do without it. It may, however, convey much beneficial information. Mr. Dealtry's work, entitled, + No. VI. p. 601. ‡ No. IV. No. III. p. 300. *No. III. p. 376. P. 401. Principles, have feen. Principles of Fluxions*, is, on the contrary, exprefsly prepared for academical fludents, and is fo prepared, as to form one of the best elementary works that we On the Economy of Fuel, Mr. Buchanan † lays down principles, and propofes expedients which promife greatly to enlighten the minds of thofe who are interested in it; nor can it be denied that the public at large is much interested in every thing that tends to abridge the general confumption of that moft neceffary article. Mr. Crossfield's Calendar of Flora ‡, is an excellent manual for ftudents in botany, though not exclufively prepared for them, but likely to be generally acceptable to English botanifts. HISTORY. 1 When we speak of Hiftory, on the prefent occafion, we are confcious that we have no great hiftorical work before us, to which we can call the attention of our readers; we must be content with one or two that are illuftrative. Of this kind are the State Papers of Sir R. Sadler, a ftatefman employed in many offices of truft under Henry the VIIIth. and Elizabeth §.Thefe papers, edited by Mr. Walter Scott, contain many original documents, and are ably illustrated, when neceffary, by the editor. Cromwelliana, collected chiefly from the newfpapers of Cromwell's time, by the editor, Mr. Stace, anfwer the purpose of bringing together many forgotten facts, and will be confulted with pleafure by the curious. Stockdale's Hiftory of Inquifitions, partly compiled from a French work, contains a melancholy picture of human fufferings, and the triumphs of the moft furious bigotry. To read fuch works for warning may be useful and even neceffary; for pleasure they cannot be read. One * No. V. P. 486. † No. I. p. 80. No. III. p. 302. or or two hiftories lately noticed are almost entirely military. Such are, the Sketch of the Campaigns in Portugal, by Sir Robert Wilson*, and the Sketch of the Campaign in Portugal †, a fhort but fenfible pamph let. BIOGRAPHY. The Memoirs of Prince Eugene, though closely connected with the preceding works, belong more properly to the prefent clafs. The warrior relates his adventures with livelinefs; and is probably well worthy of credit, in all that he pofitively afferts. Biography never approaches fo near to hiftory, as when it takes up the life of a great and eminent statesman, whofe acts were thofe of the public, and whofe plans influenced the deftiny of nations. Such was the Life of Mr. Pitt §; and if Mr. Gifford's account of it did not in all respects meet our ideas of excellence, it is yet too important to be paffed in filence. The Life of Paley would have been more inftructive, had not Mr. Meadley, the author of it, been rather too anxious to make his hero the fupporter of his prepoffeffions. Dr. Beddoes was alfo a man of lively and original genius, and his life, by Dr. Stock, is in many refpects inftructive as well as curious. "That it is in general accurate, and calculated to give a correct view of the fubject, accident enables us to teftify. TRAVELS. In this copious clafs, we have lefs, perhaps, than ufual, to bring forward, yet much that is meritorious. The remarks on Turkey and Egypt, published by No. III. p. 315¶ No. + No. I. p. 79. * No. IV. p. 362. No. I. p. 1. II. p. 110. VI. p. 568. Mr. Mr. Hamilton, under the title of Egyptiaca*, have a ftrong and primary claim to our attention. Of this valuable work, only a first part has yet appeared, but a part much more important than many complete works, and we wait, with earnest expectation, for the continuation of a work, which promifes to throw more light upon the fubject than any which has hitherto appeared, either here or on the continent. The View of Spain, published by Alexander Laborde, and noticed by us in an English translationt, may be confidered as an official work, published under the fanction of the French government. The author was evidently fupplied with money and other means for carrying on all neceffary enquiries; and as the object was then to conciliate Spain, it teems not with those misrepresentations, which, under oppofite circumftances, would probably have disgraced it. The view taken by our countryman, Mr. Jacob, is much lefs extenfive; his Travels confift of letters, written by him during a refidence of fix months in Spain, the matter of which is drawn in part from books, and in part only from perfonal obfervation. A fmaller account of the fame country, by Mr. Semple, which he call his Second Journey in Spain §, has livelinefs and originality to recommend it, with fome characteristic prints. On the land of Madeira, Dr. Gourlay | writes with the intelligence of a phyfician and a naturalift, and has produced an instructive, though not an extenfive volume. Lord Elgin's thin volume on his Purfuits in Greece offers little more than a narrative of the means employed by him to obtain his noble collection of Greek sculpture now in London, The republication of Lord Valentia's interefting volumes **, in a fmaller fize, and with fome judicious retrenchments, will be acceptable beyond doubt, to many *No. I. p. 27. ** No. V. + No. III. p. 284. No. V. p. 514. I No. V. p. 457. purchafers, |