of many of his more learned countrymen, seems to have arisen from his incompetent acquaintance with the full import of the language from which he made his translation.

The British Tourist's or Traveller's Pocket Companion through England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland; comprehending the most celebrated Tours in the British Islands. Third Edition, much enlarged. By Wm. Mavor, LL.D. 6 vols. 18mo. 11 11s 6d. Phillips. 1808. THE empire which forms the great subject and object of these volumes is confiderably indebted to the zeal, induftry, and ingenuity of Dr. Mavor, whose powers of condenfing and confolidating works of extraordinary bulk, diminishing their fize, yet augmenting their fubftance, by preferving every thing of pith and judgment, and omitting what is lefs valuable, is well known to the public, and we truft as well rewarded.

The Doctor very juftly obferves, that "it was long a reflection on the national taste and judgment that our people of fashion knew fomething, from ocular demonftration, of the general appearance of every country in Europe, except their own. Proximorum incuriofi, longinqua fectamur, might, with juftice, be applied to the great majority of Britons, who, from fortune or talents, were qualified to travel to advantage, only half a century ago. Yet, in whatever light we regard the British islands, whether as the cradle of liberty, the mother of arts and fciences, the nurfe of manufactures, the mil trefs of the fea; or whether we contemplate their genial foil, their · mild climate, their various natural and artificial curiofities, we shall find no equal extent of territory on the face of the globe of more importance, or containing more attractions, even in the eftimation of those who cannot be biaffed by native partiality.

"Roufed at last from the lethargy of indifference about what was within their reach, and inspired with more patriotic notions than formerly of the pleasure and utility of home travels, we have of late years feen fome of our most enlightened countrymen as eager to explore the remoteft parts of Britain, as they formerly were to cross the Channel and to pass the Alps. Nor was mere amufement their only object in such perambulations and refearches. While gratifying their own curiofity, or enlarging their own ideas, they appear to have been zealous to benefit and inform their country, by a clofe investigation of whatever could conduce to its intereft or to its credit, its happiness, or its peace. The natives of the three kingdoms have been linked more clofely in the focial tie by the intercourfe which has taken place; and the judicious and liberal fentiments promulgated through the medium of the prefs by a Pennant, a Newte, and a Topham, have manifeftly tended to leffen prejudices, to obviate error, and to extend knowledge.

"The various tours through Great Britain and Ireland, which have been published within the last thirty years, amount to many volumes, and cannot be purchased but at a very confiderable ex

pence. The authors, however, were not all men of equal talents for obfervation or description; nor are their works uniformly excellent or interesting. A fummary, it was conceived, might exhibit whatever is valuable in several; and that for general readers many retrenchments might take place and many details be omitted in all.

"Impreffed with this idea, and wishing to put that information within the reach of every clafs of his fellow-fubjects which only few comparatively can now enjoy, the editor of the following volumes has felected from the body of our tourists the most celebrated works, and has endeavoured to give a faithful view of the peculiar merits and the most valuable contents of each; not wịth the most distant defign of fuperfeding the ufe of the originals, but rather in the hopes that the attention he has paid them will excite, or keep alive, the attention of the public, and ftimulate others, who have leisure or abilities, to follow the fame examples.

"Within the original limits, however, every important objec could not be confidered at fuch length as might be neceffary to gratify the inquifitive; and it has been fuggested that a tour of the metropolis, of the two universities, and of the most fashionable sea bathing watering places, which are only cafually or not at all noticed in the previous volumes, would be a valuable addition. That defign is now accomplished, it is hoped, with the fame degree of respectability and attention as has already gained fuch diftinguished approbation. The lift of market towns, and their diftances from London, cannot fail to be useful to all claffes of readers."

Two editions of this work have already been fold in a fhort period. In the prefent edition several additional tours are introduced, and fome originals, particularly one by that elegant and claffical scholar, Mr. KETT, and another through Wales, the most recent published, by the editor, Dr. MAVOR. The two laft mentioned performances are not the leaft valuable in the present collection; and the whole forms a compact yet comprehenfive library for the post-chaise or portmanteau, for all who travel on British ground, or love the British nation, as well as for thofe who wish to know what that nation inherits of good, comfortable, great, or curious.

4 Letter to the Proprietors of Bank Stock, in confequence of the Result of a General Meeting held at the Bank, pursuant to Notice, on Thurfday the 21st of January, 1808. Pp. 24. 8vo. 1s, Ridgeway.

1808.

THE late Mr. Allardyce brought forward important facts when he required the Bank Directors to make a dividend of 121 per cent; but this "old Proprietor" only furnishes the public with a fable, which we fhall leave with him and his fears.

A Topographical Dictionary of the United Kingdom; compiled from Parliamentary and other authentic Documents and Authorities; containing Geographical, Topographical, and Statistical Accounts of

every District, Object, and Place, in England, Wales, Scotland, Ire land, and the various Small Ilands dependant on the British Empire, Accompanied by forty-fix Maps, drawn purposely for this Work, on an original Plan. By Benjamin Pitts Capper, Efq. About 1150 pages, 8vo, 25s. plain maps, or 30s. coloured; or the maps coloured and half bound feparately, 12s. Phillips. 1808.

WE have fo recently noticed the ponderous yet jejune quartos of Mr. Carlisle, that our remarks on the much more portable and ftill more ufeful volume before us must neceffarily be concife. Dictionaries of this kind are merely defigned as books of reference, therefore comprehensiveness of plan and portableness of form are two effentials which Mr. Capper's work poffeffes, and Mr. Carlisle's does not. To fay, indeed, that this 25s. volume is virtually equal to two five guinea volumes, would be great injuftice to its merit; it will be found not only equal but even fuperior in what relates to England, with the valuable addition of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland! It contains all that is either useful or interefting in the quartos, without their endless repetitions and trifling diftinctions of pitiable minutenefs. But, to avoid all invidious comparisons, we shall extract the first page of this Dictionary, whereby our readers will be enabled to compare it with the fame page which we laid before them from Mr, Carlife's work.

"ABBAS COMBE, a parith in the hundred of Harethorne, Somerfet, 4 miles from Milbourn-Port, and 112 from London; containing 88 houses, and 425 inhabitants. It is a rectory, value 91. 9s. 4d. The Frome canal paffes through it.

"ABBENHALL, a parish in the hund. of St. Briavell's, Gloucefter, 3 miles from Newnham, 12 from the city of Gloucester, and 116 from London; containing 38 houfes and 185 inhabitants; is a rectory, value 61. 1s. 8d. Here is a spring of rock water said to be effica cious in the cure of cutaneous eruptions.

"ABBERFORD, a parish and market town in Skyrack wapentake, Weft Riding of Yorkshire, 8 miles from Leeds, and 186 from London; containing 123 houfes and 650 inhabitants; a vicarage, value 61 6s. 8d., in the patronage of Oriel College, Oxford. The town is a ftraggling place, feated on the river Cook, where the Roman highway crofied. Here are the ruins of an ancient castle, built foon after the conqueft. The chief trade is in pins. It has a tolerable market on Wednesdays. Brified's Northern Tour.

"ABBERLEY, a parifh in the hund. of Lower Doddingtree, Worcefter, 8 miles from Bewdley, and 135 from London; containing 82 houfes and 495 inhabitants; is a rectory, value 141. 10s. 2d., and ftands near the Kington canal, on the declivity of Abberley Hill.

"ABBERTON, a parish in the hundred of Winfree, Effex, 6 miles from Colchester, and 55 from London; containing only 30 houses and 150 inhabitants; is a rectory, value 141. 7s. 8d.; patron, the King.

NO. CXIX. VOL. XXX.

F

"ABBERTON, a parish in the hundred of Pershore, upper divifion Worcester, 2 miles from Perthore, 7 from Worcester, and 105 from London; containing 15 houfes and 86 inhabitants; is noted for a bitter purging mineral water. The living is a rectory, value 51. 89. 1d.

"ABBEY, a hamlet to the parish of Malmsbury, Wilts, 96 miles from London; containing 14 houfes and 80 inhabitants. It derived its name from an abbey built by Maildulphus, an Hebridean Scot, in the time of the Anglo-Saxons; from whofe name is derived that of Malmsbury.

ABBEY-HOLM, or HOLM-CULTRAM, a parish and market town in the divifion of Allerdale Ward, Cumberland, 4 miles from Wigton, and 309 from London; containing 428 houfes and 2187 inhabitants, of whom 250 were returned employed in trade. The parish is divided into four townships, was formerly of great repute, and had a ftately abbey, founded by David I, King of Scotland, who refided ekiefly in Cumberland. The church is dedicated to St. Mary, and is a vicarage, value 61. 13s. 4d.; patron, the University of Oxford. The town is pleasantly fituated on the river Tracer, near Solway Frith. About five miles diftant from the fea-fhore are the veftiges of an ancient caftle, built by the abbots of Holm-Cultram, for fecuring their books and charters from the depredations of the Scots. Here formerly was a good market on Saturday, now almoft in difufe.-Houfeman's Defcript. of Cumberland.

"ABBEY-KNOCKMOY, a town in the county of Galway, province of Connaught, Ireland.

"ABBEY MAHON, a town in the county of Cork, province of Munfter, Ireland.

"*ABBEY-ODORNEY, in Kerry, Munfter, near the river Brick, 141 miles from Dublin.

66

ABBEY SHRULE, in Longford, Leinfter, Ireland.

"ABBOTSHALL, a parith in the district of Kirkaldy, Scotland; containing 368 houfes and 2501 inhabitants, 14 miles from Edinburgh.

"ABBOT'S-ANN, a parish and market town in the divifion of Andover, Hants, 2 miles from Andover, and 65 from London; containing 85 houfes and 457 inhabitants; it is a rectory, value 421. 17s. 6d.

"ABBOT'S-BROMLEY, or PAGET'S-BROMLEY, a parish in the hundred of South Pinhill, Stafford, 6 miles from Stafford, and 129 from London; contains 180 houfes and 808 inhabitants, and is a vicarage, value 51. 1s. Sd. Affer the diffolution of the monafteries, it was given to Lord Paget, from whom it has generally been named. "ABBOTSBURY, 'a parish in the hundred of Ugglefcomb, Dorfet, 8 miles from Dorchester, and 128 from London; contains 170 houfes and 788 inhabitants; the living is a vicarage, value 101. It tock its name from a magnificent abbey, built on an adjacent hill, by Oriftus, fteward to Canute the Great, for fecular canons. On the ruins of part of the abbey ftands the mansion of the lord of the

manor. The town is a poor ill-built place, in the fhape of a Y; its chief trade is fifhing: here is a weekly market on Thursday."

In the above extract thofe places marked * are not to be found in ' Carlife's "Topographical Dictionary" in the fame order, and the words printed in italic characters contain mifcellaneous information either wholly omitted or imperfectly stated in that work. Here is no diufting repetition of refident population," "king's books," &c. &c. but a concife and connected defcription of every thing peculiar or interesting belonging to each place, with the addition of fome really topographical remarks, fuch as the external appearance and fituation of places, which is entirely omitted in the quarto volumes. The ftyle is perfpicuous and intelligible, not a barbarous admixture of ancient and modern language. The number of houfes is also added, and in many cafes the proportion of males and females, as well as thofe employed in manufactures, with feveral other incidental facts illuftrative of British ftatistics. The principal natural curiofities and antiquities of each place are alfo mentioned; and, what we confider true fair-dealing, the authorities are affixed to almost every article. In the preface, Mr. Capper gives a copious lift of nearly all the works which have been published either on the general or local topography of the United Kingdom, onnitting, however, the Beauties of England and Wales, and fome other works, which are faithfully quoted in the body of the work. Let it not, however, be fuppofed that we think this Dictionary either complete or faultlefs; on the contrary, we have noticed numerous errors and mifconceptions, which the author might himfelf have corrected. Thus, for inftance, the account of the Members of Parliament returned by Irish bʊ-· roughs states then, to be two for cach, whereas every borough returns only one fince the Union, and the number of boroughs was reduced to thirty-fix; fo that with two members for each county, only one hundred members are fent to the Imperial Parliament. In defcribing Bristol, we are told that the Briftol and Matlock waters are of the fame quality, their mineral contents being chalk, lapis calcareus, and calaminaris! without any impregnation of iron Perhaps, however, for the first edition of fo copious and multifarious a work, it is as correct in general as the circumstances would admit.

We must not omit to fpeak of the maps, which are faid to be on an original plan, and which are, we think, indifpenfable to all topographical works. In addition to the accurate divifions of hundreda and parts of other counties intervening, the roads, iron railways, and canals, every place or parith in each county is laid down containing above a certain number of houfes. For example, the map of Bedfordfhire exhibits the name of every path or place containing more than twenty houfes. To this is added a brief ftatifical view of each county; thus-" Bedfordshire contains 10 market towns, 124 parithes, 11,888 houfes, 63,393 inhabitants. 260,000 fquare acres, 40,000 arable, 168,000 pafture, and fends four Members to Parlia ment." The utility of this plan muti be fufficiently obvious to every