wish for information on the grand questions connected with the war, we recommend the attentive perusal of this Letter, which is manifestly the production of a man of sense and information, who perfectly understands the subject on which he writes.

MISCELLANEOUS.

A

Professional Characteristics, consisting of Naval Squalls, Military Broils, Physical Disasters, Legal Flaws, and Clerical Lamentations, uttered by an Admiral, a Colonel, a Lawyer, a Doctor, and a Parson, in the Coffee-room at Bath.

Allen. 1803.

24mo. pp. 178. 3s.

THESE characteristics are displayed in a dialogue between the different personages mentioned in the title-page, who meet in a coffee-room at Bath, on a rainy day, and amuse themselves by a detail of their respective miseries. The conversation is enlivened by appropriate sallies of humour, and no small portion of wit; and the whole forms a very pleasant amusement for a leisure hour. We shall extract a short passage, in which the curate details some of his miseries, as a specimen of the work.

"Peace! Peace! thou unhallowed bachelor, whilst I relate some of my new comforts with my teeming wife and twins every year.Writing a commentary on the Book of Job, within bearing of the Whilst absorbed in deep meditation on a controversial point, to be suddenly enlivened with —

nursery.

'Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle!’

With a large family grown up, the comforts of a general mourning. The comforts of a notable wife -- always up to your knees in sand and scrubbing-brushes, for the sake of cleanliness. The pleasure of convincing your wife, who is still of the same opinion.-The application of the morning's argument to the passing events of the day--Aye, Aye; just as before,' &c.- With nice ideas of cleanliness yourself, to have your wife at breakfast in a dirty flannel nightcap. Having a large party to dine, your wife insists on writing the cards of invitation; but scorning the dull rules of pedantry, by a fashionable uncertainty in the manufacture of her cards, the company mistake Friday for Thursday, and catch you unprepared.-- On a day when you expect great company, to be visited by a poor relation who is too deaf to take a hint. Reading to your wife an extract from your best sermon, which you are certain must meet her admiration; in the middle of the best sentence she asks you, Pray, my dear, have the pigs been fed?'--Spending the evening with a lady careless of her children, but careful of her china; one of the romps runs against you, the tea-cup drops, and the favourite set is spoiled!... apologies, &c. &c. &c. After scolding your servant for a supposed offence, you discover your mistake, and recollect that it was done by your own orders."

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Men and Manners; or, Concentrated Wisdom. By A. Hunter, M. D F. R. S. The Second Edition, much enlarged. 12mo. 3s. Wilson, York. Mawman, London. 1808.

pp. 202

WE consider all collections of moral and political maxims useful to that numerous class of society which will neither reason nor think for itself. Dr. Hunter has rendered such persons a service, although a very inferior one to that of Lavater in his Aphorisms, or Zimmerman in his Reflexions: he is equally inferior to Shenstone, and many others. Among these 1146 maxims, however, some are excellent, others good, many indifferent and common, others contemptible, and not a few false, immoral, pernicious, and indelicate. Of those which are excellent, Nos. 28, 77, 80, 273, 316, 317, 320, 473, &c. may be enumerated. Of the good, Nos. 4, 5, 35, 38, 57, &c. are instances. Of the indifferent and common, Nos. 3, 10, 13, 26, 47, 75, &c. furnish examples. Nos. 78, 158, 184, 214, &c. are contemptible puns. Nos. 145, 146, 1091, &c. are false or erroneous. Nos. 8. 270, &c. are pernicious; and Nos. 940, 1112, 1127, &c. are immoral and indelicate. Many of the author's maxims, indeed, on the medical profession, do honour to his liberality; and his medical brethren will not thank him for the verdict of the coroner's jury, "Died by the visitation of the doctor," where henbane, and other poisonous drugs, have been administered.

The Spanish Post Guide, as published at Madrid by Order of the Government, translated from the Original in order to be prefixed to the new Edition of Mr. Semple's Journey in Spain, &c. and illustrated by a Map on which the Post Roads are distinctly pointed out. 8vo. pp. 56. 2s. 6d. Baldwins. 1808.

IN No. 122, and the Appendix to Vol. 30, of the Antijacobin Review, we published an Original Itinerary of Spain," which differs very little from this official publication, translated by Mr. Semple. The obvious utility, if not necessity, of such a work at present, when there is not one good map of Spain to be had in London for any price, must render this service of Mr. Semple doubly valuable to the public, and we doubt not will be received with respect. In the map, we observe that Zaragosa is laid down as if on the north side of the Ebro; whereas, it is in fact on the south, just where that river is joined by the Huerva: these two rivers embrace nearly two thirds of the whole circumference of the city. A similar error occurs at Badajos, which is represented on the west side of the Guadiana instead of the east; and as Mr. Semple must have passed Cordova on his rout from Madrid to Cadiz, he should have made the Guadalquivir pass along its south side. Some of these trifling errors, we know, appear in the original, which is extremely negligently executed; but Mr. Semple certainly could have corrected them. Upon the whole, this map of the roads of Spain, and the distances of the chief places, are sufficiently correct for general reference, and will be found very convenient by those who have occasion to travel only the great roads.

REVIEWERS REVIEWED.

TERGIVERSATIONS OF THE CRITICAL REVIEW.

Sir,

To the Editor of the Antijacobin Review.

IN a former letter I have directed the attention of your readers to the principles and behaviour of the Critical Review; and, if I do not mistake exceedingly, that publication is there undeniably convicted of the most disgraceful inconsistency, and consummate impudence. It is the practice of this Review, it appears, both with regard to theology and politics, to extol the most diametrically opposite systems and characters, each of which, in their turn, it as zealously reprobates; to eulogise at one time what it anathematises at another, and again to anathematise what it has before eulogised; to condemn as the result of ignorance, absurdity, and the most obstinate folly, its own language and deportment: and all this, under every species of its tergiversation, with such an air and tone of infallibility; such an effrontery, a confidence, and a virulence; such a total disregard of truth, decorum, and the opinions or feelings of others, as is perhaps unequalled in any British publication whatever.

Now, clearly, such a procedure is an insult to the common sense of the public, and is a conduct wholly inexcusable. To render it in any degree tolerable, the conductor of this publication should, on every such radical and entire change of his views, publicly announce it, and recant his former opinions. In his own style of phraseology, he should publicly avow, that until that happy moment of illumination and reform he had been a bigoted fool, or an interested knave, or both; that all his former tenets and discussions on the important subjects of religion and government were so many downright falsehoods and absurdities, equally senseless and dangerous; and that it is the duty of every man possessed of common sense and common honesty to brand them, and all persons who still approve of them, with every epithet of ignominy. Or, should this enlightened critic be a new editor of the work, he should make a similar avowal respecting the opinions and character of his predecessors; he should openly declare, that although, for reasons which it is unnecessary to mention, his publication retained the name of the Critical Review, yet that it was his object to ridicule, to revile, and to overthrow every opinion by which that work had before been characterised.

It would, however, be comparatively well, if inconsistency and impudence constituted the worst part of the character of this Review, and if its contradictory statements were always to destroy each other. Such circumstances, it must be confessed, would be sufficiently disgusting. Yet, the case is worse when an attempt is made to employ a credit obtained by better principles and a better conduct to poison the public mind, and when there is an appearance of confirmed bad principles. And this is unquestionably at present

the case before us; at least, in several of the late volumes of our critic there has certainly been a great preponderancy of evil.

On subjects relating to government, the prevailing language of the Critical Review now is of the most mischievous tendency. All persons, who credit the statements of these reviewers, must believe, that our liberty is abridged, our property wasted, our honour sacrificed, our lives sported with; and that all our public affairs are conducted in nearly the very worst manner possible. In considering what the British Constitution" actually is in its present living form and vital operations," such, these distributors of" impartial justice," say, are the exorbitant patronage of the crown, and the defective representation of the people," that "corruption" has been suffered to proceed to a most alarming height, and “to stalk abroad with an unblushing front:" that "the malignant gangrene has eaten its way into the very bosom of the legislature:" that this " prodigality of influence has no other object than to corrupt the virtuous principle of the country:" that it "does not reward the old and laborious servants of the people, but the profligate and unprincipled of every age and description, who are willing to truckle their patriotism for gold, and sell their conscience for a job:" that the possession of such a patronage is "a disgrace and humiliation to possessor of the crown:" that "in the present state of the country, almost every act of the government is made a job,... an infamous barter of moral principle for the wages of sin :" that in opposition to all this, a good government rules by love;" that "the affections of the people are the only force which it needs;" and that to maintain the contrary is to confess that the government itself is rotten at the core :" that from what we see take place in procuring a seat in parliament," nothing is left for us "to suppose, but that a man's vote in that house is a saleable commodity, and that his po litical conscience may be trafficked, like a bale of goods, for a certain quantity of patronage, or a certain sum of gold;" &c. &c, (Vol. 11, P. 411-414.)

the

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It is added, that "no man who directly contributes to the payment of taxes," should be left "without a vote in the choice of his representative:" that "to deprive any part of the property of the country, paying taxes, of the right of suffrage and the privilege of representation, is to do the grossest injustice to the possessors;" to inflict on them "the badge of servitude, and to hold over their heads the scourge of oppression;" and that "the money which is taken out of their pockets," in the form of taxes, is "the forced offering of slaves" that "to expose any particular part of the community to political disabilities and disadvantages merely on account of their religious creed or their speculative tenets, is to be guilty of high treason against God; ... and is as impolitic and absurd as it would be to enact that no man should be either barber, tailor, or shoemaker, who disbelieved in the existence of the antipodes." (Ibid, and Vol. 12, p. 214.)

The readers of this Review are further informed, not only that our cabinets have "no rational and just principles in the selection and appointment of ministers, generals, and civil or military agents;" and that "the influence of private and party views" outweighs all

considerations of merit; but, that " IMBECILITY, VICE, AND FOLLY, ARE THE BEST PASSPORTS TO REGARD;" that " VICE, IGNORANCE, AND IMPORTUNITY ARE REWARDED AND CARESSED, not only because they cannot readily be repelled, but BECAUSE THEY ARE FOUND THE FITTEST INSTRUMENTS FOR DOING THE DIRTY WORK OF THEIR Superiors."(Vol. 8, P. 182, 183; 11, p. 439 ; 12, p. 219.)——— -It is, at the same time, still more exasperating to be told, that things are not in this lamentable state every where; but that our critics know "a military power conducted on scientific principles, and chusing agents by their qualifications, not by the influence of private and party views;" that "in France, since the revolution, none but men of talents have been employed in the civil and military departments of the state." (3, P. 183; 12, p. 325.)——At home, however, under such circumstances, it will readily be believed that our public affairs are deplorably mismanaged. Accordingly, these reviewers also tell us, that our country is suffering for the errors and crimes of its political administrations:" that " errors have been and are committed, to which all Europe must be the victim :" that "the successive coalitions which Great Britain has either instigated or bribed against France, have laid the whole continent prostrate at her feet:" that, in short, "the guilt of obstructing and preventing" the blessed effects of " the first pacific and generous principles of the French revolution" is incalculable, and is only equalled by the mischiefs and miseries which this most absurd and diabolical interference has occasioned. (Vol. 8, p. 182; 10, p. 369: 12, p. 545).

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Nor must we suppose that our governors have not betrayed, at once, weakness and wickedness the most extraordinary on other important occasions. "No dog," the Critical Reviewers say, ever experienced from the most savage master, such a complication of cruelties as the Irish, in different periods of their history, have suffered from the English government. And these cruelties have often` been accompanied with the breach of the most solemn contracts, and with every violation of truth, of justice, and of mercy, which has been at any time practised by those who most despise the sympathies of humanity, and the rules of moral obligation." (Vol. 12, P. 174.) So, speaking of the pernicious effects of a distillery and its productions, which are a prolific source of revenue, these critics say: The life of man, in the calculations of politicians, is thought of little moment when compared with the gratifications of avarice or ambition.?? And, lest their readers should suppose, that in any case government is influenced by motives of kindness and humanity toward its subjects, it is added: "Perhaps if the small-pox had in a similar degree been an object of taxation, the philantrophy of the treasury would rather have rewarded Dr. Jenner for suppressing, than divulging his discovery." (Vol. 12, p. 86; 14, P. 212.)——The war in which we have been so long and painfully involved, is represented as the result of ambition, avarice, selfishness, and the lust of tyranny; and as highly unjust and unchristian. persons who do not join "the cry of Peace! Peace!" are "the advocates of the war-faction," and "vultures who fatten on the carrion of war." "Peace, under any circumstances," they tell us, "can hardly be so disastrous as war;" because, in any case,'

our

All