methods of moving the Knight, fo as to cover the fixty-four fquares in as many moves. The firft is copied from De Moivre, and is very regular; the fecond and third are irregular, and confequently not eafy to be remembered.

This publication, which hath afforded us no fmall pleasure in the perufal, concludes with two papers, one, communicated to the Author by Mr. Herbert Croft, intitled, "The Morals of Chefs, by Dr. Franklin ;" the other "Anecdotes of Mr. Philidor, by himself," which is in fact the life of that gentleman; a lift of many, we believe all, Mr. Philidor's dramatic compofitions is here inferted, with the dates when and places where they were first performed; mention is alfo made of fome other of his mufical pieces,

ART. XVIII. Comparative Reflections on the past and prefent political, commercial, and civil State of Great Britain: with fome Thoughts concerning Emigration. By Richard Champion, Efq. 8vo. 5s. Boards. Debrett. 1787.

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TR. Champion delivers his reflections in the form of Letters to a friend, dated at Sea, in 1784, in his paffage to America from England, which unfortunate country the defponding Author quits, before it be totally ruined. The first letter contains Mr. Champion's motives for leaving England. The affairs of Great Britain he fays were then advancing rapidly to a crifis. The infatuated fyftem of government in his native country had long prepared him for executing his defign; and he takes refuge in America before the difficulties, already great in England, fhould increase fo as to make the removal of a family unpleafant and inconvenient. His letter concludes with the following outline of the work:

I owe to you, and to my friends, the opinions which I have formed upon the prefent fituation of affairs in England, and upon which my condu& in leaving it was founded. I mean to offer to your confideration the prefent ftate of its government, of its trade, and of its manners; and drawing a comparison between their prefent and former flate, I fhall endeavour to prove to you that the government of Great Britain is deranged in fuch a manner, as to afford, in its prefent condition, little or no hopes of remedy - that our commerce, which, like a candle going out, has juft emitted a strong and fervid light, is groaning under fuch foreign and domeftic burdens, as mult inevitably reduce it to a very low ftate-and that the prefent ftyle of living in England is attended with such an enormous expence, without an adequate means of fupport, as to make the first national calamity a fure and certain fign of a great and general deftruction of property amongst all ranks and diftinctions of men.

From thefe confiderations, I fhall fhew the probability of a great emigration of its people, whom neceflity will drive from home: and Ifhall then draw fuch ufeful inferences, as will, by a timely exertion

of

of their prefent abilities, preserve them against the worst confequences of the ftorm.'

The second letter difcuffes the national debt, and the prefent peace establishment. Mr. Champion compares the state of the public funds in the year 1754, with that in 1784; he obferves that the prices of the funds have funk during that period from 105 to less than 55-that our credit is decaying and our property decreafing in value, with feveral other calamities, all of which might have been prevented had government, under the prefent reign, been placed in able hands."

In the third Letter, the Author takes a view of the new fyftem of government introduced in the prefent reign.' Here he is fevere. He fays, The characteristic of almost every administration under this reign, has been, an heterogeneous mixture of debility and corruption, Lord Rockingham and the Duke of Portland, who governed during the very fhort period of their adminiftrations on the old fyftem, are the only exceptions,'

Mr. C. then adds many remarks on the Whig and Tory fyftem of government; and, in his fourth letter, defcribes more particularly the principles of the different parties;-which fubject he pursues in his fifth, and makes fpme reflections on those Whigs who have deferted the cause,

An explanation of the apparent contradiction in the actions of the principal Whig leaders with refpect to America, is the fubject of the two following letters; and in the eighth Mr. C. takes no fmall pains to fhew, what is felf-evident, the neceffity of vefting the adminiftration of government in an able and vi gorous minifter. He defcribes the man whom he thinks able and vigorous; and concludes his panegyric on the patriot with afferting that, Any prince whatsoever might accomplish the purposes of eafe to himself, his family, and his people, by vefting the adminiftration of his affairs in the hands of fuch a man as is here defcribed-a man of integrity, of honour, of ability, fupported by families of great property and extenfive connectionsin fine, poffeffed of thofe qualifications which, by engaging the confidence of all honeft men, would put an end to any diffrac tions of the empire, even in the moment of their arifing, and timely guard against the calamities which, in fuch a cafe, would threaten the kingdom; and hence peace and happiness to the prince and people would certainly enfue.'

The ninth Letter is on the ftate of the commerce of Great Britain before the war, to which the Author contrafts, in the tenth, the ftate of commerce fince the peace. He is here, in our opinion, fomewhat mistaken, especially in his account of the Eaft India trade. He charges the prefent Adminiftration, who

*The Reader must bear in mind the date of Mr. C.'s Letters.

are,

are, he fays, the avowed protectors of the East India Company, with having loaded the people with taxes for the support of the Company. He means the Commutation-tax, by which the people at large pay Government thofe fums which the Company ought to furnish. But he ought to confider, that, the duty on tea being taken off, the people are fupplied with that commodity at a cheaper rate; and that the additional Window-tax is a recompenfe for the tea-duty; both were paid by the people at large, and not by the Company. He cenfures the trade for being carried on immediately with the Indies, and would recommend the Egyptians to be the intermediate merchants for fupplying Europe with the commodities and luxuries of the Eaft: this is contrary to the most obvious principle of commerce, the more hands through which goods pafs, muft increase their price. We could eafily fhew many other falfe reasonings in this letter; but we must be brief.

The 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, are on the former and prefent ftate of the manners of the people of Great Britain. Mr. C. enumerates many circumftances that have corrupted the manners of the people; among the chief of which, he places the Eaft India trade, turnpike roads, the influence of news-papers, and almoft every inftitution that tends to increase our foreign trade, and improve our internal commerce and intercourse. The Author draws a comparifon between the vices of Rome before its fall, and thofe which now prevail in England. He here greatly exaggerates matters: though we are corrupted, we are far fhort of the debaucheries and extravagancies of old Rome. The Parliament have never affembled for the purpose of debating on the manner of ferving up a turbot at his Majesty's table, nor have any of the nobility given a private fupper which has coft 20,000 1.

The remaining fix Letters are on the fubject of emigration, from this ruined country to a better,-to America where every bleffing and every comfort is to be found! Mr. Champion has been now almost three years in South Carolina; he can therefore by this time fpeak experimentally concerning the country. Whatever America may be hereafter, it certainly is not at prefent, on any account whatever, preferable to England.

The Letters are throughout written with much heat and hafte, and fhew that the Author is more influenced by party spirit than by the true principles of liberty, untainted with licentioufnefs.

ART. XIX. Supplement to the Arctic Zoology. 4to. 9s. fmall Paper; 12s. 6d. large ditto, fewed. White. 1787.

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"O making many

books there is no end"-but the manner in which Mr. Pennant makes them, renders them both entertaining and useful. We have, on former occafions, ex

preffed

preffed our approbation of this induftrious Author's multifarious works; we have gained much information from the perusal of them; and, while we have received inftructions in natural hiftory, we have admired the polite fcholar, and the man of tafte.

The Supplement to the Arctic Zoology is made up of much new matter, which has been communicated to the Author by his friends, or which has occurred to him either from reading or obfervation. It is fent into the world,' he fays, in order to ren der the work as perfect as poffible; and, in cafe the Public should call for a new edition, to take away caufe of complaint from the purchasers of the firft, of not being made partakers of any improvements fuch an edition might receive.'

The gentlemen to whom Mr. Pennant hath been indebted for various communications, are the reverend Mr. Coxe, well known as a traveller in the northern part of Europe;- Mr. Samuel Qedman, a gentleman, whofe name juftly claims a diftinguished place among the difciples of Linnè;-Mr. Lenten, from Gottingen, a metalurgift, who is at prefent engaged in the extenfive copper works in Wales;-Mr. Whitehurst, whose researches into the natural hiftory of the Earth are fufficiently known;-not to mention others of lefs note.

The additions made to the introduction of the Arctic Zoology, conftitute about half of this book, and contain many curious remarks relative to the northern part of the world; the appearance of the countries, and their natural productions, are not barely enumerated, but painted in an ornamental ftyle. Mr. Pennant's lively language muft amufe the generality of readers, although his verbofe defcriptions may be lefs acceptable to the mere naturalift. As an addition to what is faid of Lapland, in the Introduction to the Arctic Zoology, p. lxxii. he fays,

Let me not conceal that Lapland enjoys every native fruit of Great Britain, the Currant, Strawberry, Bilberry, Cranberry; which put it on an equality with our own climate before the introduction of foreign fruits among us. If we claim the puckering Sloe and Crab, we have not much to be proud of, while the Laplanders may boast their Ackermurie (Rubus Ar&icus), which with its nectareous juice, and vinous flavour, fo often fupported the great LINNEUS in his arduous journies through the deferts of the country. They may exult alfo in having given to our gardens the grateful Angelica, the imputed gift of angels to men, and, in Lapland, the common inhabitant of the banks of every rill; the panacea and delight of the natives, and (preferved) a frequent luxury in our most fumptuous de

ferts.'

We wish our prefent limits would allow us to give more ample extracts of these additional notes. The account of the eruption of fire in Iceland, in 1783, is curious, but its length obliges us to refer the inouifitive reader to the book, especially

as the narrative would be interrupted by any abridgment which we could give.

Mr. Pennant has given two maps of the Arctic regions, which are a confiderable addition to the value of the work.

ART. XX. Practical Observations on the Natural History and Cure of the Venereal Difeafe. By John Howard, Surgeon. Vol. I. and II. 8vo. 5s. each Volume, Boards. Longman. 1787.

R. Howard has here given the Public a very ufeful publi

MR.

cation. The hiftory of the difeafe is well delineated; the fymptoms are recorded with precifion, according to the time and order in which they appear, and those which are characteritical are properly diftinguifhed from fuch as are either vague or accidental; fo that the diagnostics of the difeafe, in its feveral ftages, are clearly marked.

We cannot however agree with the ingenious Author, when he affirms the gonorrhea to be a distinct and separate disease from the lues; that fome fpecies of it may not be venereal we readily acknowledge, but that all are nor, is contrary to the opinion of our beft writers, and what is of more weight, contrary to daily experience.

We are next prefented with fome juft remarks on thofe difeafes which are frequently connected with, and analogous to the lues and gonorrhea. The elephantiafis, leprofy, fcrophula, and yaws, are particularly noticed, and their diagnoses well afcertained.

The second volume is wholly appropriated to the cure of the difeafe by its fpecific,-quicksilver. This powerful medicine had long been in ufe, chiefly among the Arabian phyficians, as an alterative in cutaneous eruptions, but it had always been used fparingly and with great caution; it was applied to the lues venerea foon after its first appearance in Europe, by fame daring empyrics; from the fuccefs attending its ufe, it was adopted by Berengarius Carpenfis, and Johannes de Vigo, as early as the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century: the Galenic fyftem, prevalent at that time, was no fmall obitacle to its univerfal ufe; but at length, though the prejudices against it were vehement, and though many fatal errors had been committed during its early exhibition, by an injudicious and indifcriminate application, yet its peculiar efficacy foon eftablished its fame, and, fortunately for mankind, it is a certain remedy for a deplorable malady.

Mr. Howard minutely confiders the three different modes in which it is ufed, viz. externally by friction, fumigation, or internally by taking it in a variety of forms. The practiler muft indeed have very limited ideas both of the difeafe and the remedy,