The ftyle of this pamphlet is not inferior to that of the author's other works: but molt unquestionably his arguments are weaker, and his fuppofitions fill more groundless than those which we condemned in the fecond part of his Advice to the privileged orders. See Rev. Nov.

CONVENTION and SEDITION BILLS.

Art. 25. A Dialogue upon the two Bills now depending in Parliament. relative to the Rights of the People, tranfcribed by William Wilfon, Jafper's Brother. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Owen. 1795.

These bills having, after uncommon oppofition, gone through the ordeal of parliamentary difcuffion, and received the conftitutional fiat, all debate on the fubject feems to have died a natural death.--We fhall, however, for the fatisfaction of fuch of our readers as may incline to take the principles and probable confequences of thote extraordinary measures into farther confideration, flightly record the ap pearance of thofe publications on the fubject which have been laid before us, either prior to, or after the paffing of the bills in question.

The first production of this kind is the Dialogue above mentioned, Its general defign is to explode the bills, as being of a defpotic unconftitutional nature, inconfiftent with the rights of free-bora Britons, and of evil tendency even towards the very government which they profess to fupport; and which they will, in the opinion of Jafper Wilfon's pretended brother, confiderably weaken, by increafing the number of its discontented subjects. What reason there may be for this apprehenfion, we cannot determine, till we have seen more of their operation on the public mind.

We fay pretended brother of Jafper Wilfon, for we doubt the affinity here claimed with a writer of the first reputation. We always underftood that Jafper is an Englishman: but this gentleman (the tranfcriber' of a coffee-house converfation,) is evidently a North Briton, as appears from the Scotticifms in his language,—as will' for shall, and fhall' for will; with a frequent recurrence of hatred AT' one thing, and hatred AT' another, till the ear of the English reader is quite disgusted. Yet, whatever defects of this kind are found in his performance, he appears to be a man of observation and good fenfe, and a zealous well-wisher to the conftitutional liberties of his country. He has fhewn, however, a want of judgment in one inftance, which we cannot avoid pointing out: p. 25, he remarks that the age of belief in divine infpiration is paft among all men of common fenfe.' -- However restricted, or applied, may be his meaning in this remark, fome readers will perhaps mifunderstand or mifapply it; and not a few may be greatly offended on a religious account, who might not have had any great objection to his politics.

Art. 26. Confiderations on Lord Grenville's and Mr. Pitt's Bills, concerning treasonable and feditious Practices, &c. By a Lover of Order. 8vo. 15. 6d. Johnson.

This animated writer fets out with feveral preliminary remarks, which are moderate, candid, and judicious; he then difcuffes the irregularities profeffedly intended to be corrected by the bills, and expatiates on the importance and formidable appearance of the London Correfponding Society: comparing its principles and conduct with

3

thofe

thofe of the Jacobins in France. He paffes a degree of censure on the political Lectures lately given in Beaufort Buildings; makes warm encomiums on the genuine principles of parliamentary reform; juftly explodes all intemperate endeavours to carry thofe principles into practice; and concludes thefe copious introductory obfervations with denouncing the Correfponding Society as a formidable machine, and the fyftem of political lecturing as a hot-bed perhaps too well adapted to purposes more or lefs fimilar to thofe of the Jacobin Society of Paris. He admits that the proceedings of fuch a fociety, and of fuch lecturers, deferve the attention of government; and he then proceeds to confider the fort of attention which wife statesmen in such cases ought to employ.

Thus far all feems to promife much in favour of the bills; which, however, are here, after a ftrict and ample fcrutiny, totally condemned, as in the highest degree unjuft, arbitrary, and dangerous.-Farther than this conclufion we need not proceed in opening the de. fign and tendency of thefe Confiderations.' We therefore only add that the pamphlet is written with uncommon energy and animation;~ and that, en paffant, Bishop Horfley comes in, (as a favourer of defpotifm) for fome fmart and cutting itrokes of this writer's keen, acute, and formidable pen.

We understand that this production is attributed to Mr. Godwin, author of the well-known work on political justice.

Art. 27. The Proceedings at the Meeting, 17th Nov. 1795, at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich, to petition Parliament against Lord Grenville's and Mr. Pitt's Treafon and Sedition Bills. 8vo. PP. 24. Norwich.

This pamphlet contains the account of a provincial meeting, called to oppose the new meafures, as above mentioned, and has no doubt great local circulation. It is admitted by the different speakers, that Jedition is a proper object of prohibitory regulation. The word (derived à feorfum eundo) properly means a feparation of the people into two parts, for the purpofe of reckoning their relative numbers. The feditious, the feparaters of the people, may be troublesome, particularly if the mctive be flight: but, abftractedly fpeaking, can they be criminal, if fedition, as has been afferted, bears to politics the precife relation of herefy to religion?

Art. 28. A Remonftrance in Favour of British Liberty, addreffed to the Right Hon. W. Pitt, First Lord of the Treasury, &c. By a Country Gentleman. 8vo. IS. Symonds.

This country gentleman' employs warm declamation and ferious argument in fupport of the people's right of petitioning government for the redress of grievances, and of affembling for that purpose; to which right, he apprehends, the minifter whom he here addreffes is decidedly hoftile. He feems perfuaded that what he deems the late infringe. ment of these facred rights is but the first link of a chain, now actually forging, if not already forged, for the fhackling of British liberty; and he fears that the trial by jury, and the freedom of parliamentary

In cenfuring both the bills, Lord Grenville's is ftigmatized as the worft of the two.

debate,

debate, are destined to be the next victims. He enumerates the fatal effects that, in his opinion, will naturally follow the enthralment of our national palladium; and he examines the pretext for these extraordinary, meafures,' which he thinks inadequate and fallacious. He concludes his letter to the premier with an expoftulation on the (alledged) evil tendency of those measures which have given rife to this Remonftrance.

In the course of his addrefs to Mr. Pitt, the author fteps a little out of his way to charge Mr. Wilberforce with inconfiftency, in endeavouring to make the Africans free, while his parl-ry conduct is faid to tend to make his countrymen flaves.

The pamphlet concludes with a pathetic addrefs to the people, conjuring them to be above all things careful to tranfmit to their pofterity the inestimable jewel they inherit from the virtue and heroism of their ancestors."

In a poftfcript, the author takes particular notice of Lord Gren ville's expreffion in the House of Lords" GOOD TIMES," the reigns of Elizabeth and Charles II. and difplays the political character of thofe good times; which, he infifts, were remarkably unfavourable to the caufe of liberty, and confequently of truth and justice.

Art. 29. A Letter to the High Sheriff of the County of Lincoln, respecting the Bills of Lord Grenville and Mr. Pitt, for altering the Criminal Law of England, refpecting Treafon and Sedition. By John Cartwright, Efq. 8vo. is. Johnfon.

As a politician, Mr. Cartwright is fo well known to our readers in general, that to employ a moment of time, or a line of writing, in enlarging on his zeal for the British conftitution, would merely be a work of fupererogation.

This worthy watchruan of the ftate has been exceedingly alarmed, in common with, we believe, at least one half of the nation, on account of the bills mentioned in the title; and he has taken the occafion afforded by a fummons to attend a county meeting, which an indifpofition prevented him from obeying, to offer his fentiments, in writing, to the gentlemen who fhould be prefent at that affembly, on fome of the interefting fubjects which might then naturally come under difcuffion.

This publication contains a variety of political matter, more or lefs connected with the immediate and profeffed object of the meeting: but the principal topics are, the great bufinefs of parliamentary reprefentation, (an object, of which this unchanged, and we believe unchangeable, patriotic writer never lofes fight,) and the dreadful tendency of the two horrible' bills depending in parliament; the fpirit and natural operation of which he execrates in the ftrongeft terms that the English language, noble and nervous as it is, can decently afford.-In the petition from himself, individually, which he had the fingular manliness to prefent, by the hand of Mr. Fox, to the House of Commons, he is perfectly cool and collected, but firm and ener getic.

"To confider of an address to our most gracious Sovereign, relative to the late atrocious attack on his royal and facred perfon."

Left

Left it should be imagined, by any reader, that Major Cartwright is to be numbered among thofe who may have contracted a perfonal prejudice against the minifter, he takes occafion to make, in its proper place, the following declaration: To the friends of the minifter I can fay that I was once his friend; and that he then was the object of my greatest reverence, of my higheft hope. Nor did he ever give me the fmalleft caufe of perfonal offence. I am now his enemy; for he is become, in my eftimation, the enemy of his country, and of human kind!'

With respect to the fubject of parliamentary reformation, and the uniform tenor and conduct of its advocates, we must acknowlege that we have no where feen the question placed in a more comprehenfive or more ftriking light, confidering the narrowness of the limits to which it is confined, than in this fmall but highly interesting publication.

Art. 30. Where would be the Harm of a Speedy Peace? 8vo. 3d.. Bristol printed by Biggs, and fold alfo by other Bookfellers. We here meet with fome good and not common-place arguments in favour of a speedy peace. The writer is by no means a fhallow thinker on political fubjects; and it is a credit to him that his general fentiments fo nearly agree with thofe of the venerable and fagacious Dean Tucker. He is in no refpect partial to the prefent ministerial meafures; and he particularly cenfures the impoft on farmers' horfes, which he flyles anodious tax on the produce of the plough, and on all who confume that produce.' This tract is figned with the initials T. B. by which we understand the author of the next article. Art. 31. A Word in Defence of the Bill of Rights, against the Bagging Bills. By Thomas Beddoes, M. D. 8vo. 3d. with the Poftfcript. Bristol printed by Biggs, &c. London, Johnson. An animated and well-written comment on two lines here extracted from the Bill of Rights, viz. "It is the right of the subject to petition the King, and all commitments and profecutions for fuch petitioning are illegal."

The patriotic writer endeavours, with zeal and ability, to defend and guard the Bill of Rights from the attack which he conceives to have been made on it by what he farcaftically terms the Gagging Bilis; and he advifes the good people of Bristol to affemble, in order to exercife and affert their rights; not by riotous behaviour, or intemperate language, but, peaceably, to pronounce their fentiments with calm and dignified firmnefs.' Mr. Dundas,' he adds, himfelf almost called upon you for your fentiments, when he faid that the impending bills ought not to pafs, if the people expreffed difapprobation. By your peaceable demeanour you will convict of calumny those who affert, you are not to be trufted to affemble. Let not even an indifcretion efcape you, which can lend a plaufible argument to tyranny.'

With respect to the late conduct of adminiftration, however, our author does not, himself, (in every part of his popular address,) set an example of the most moderate and guarded language. The premier is often and pointedly attacked. Citizens,' fays the addreffer, if an examination of the minifter's conduct be permitted, I engage

to demonftrate that this man's whole public life has been employed in winding and doubling along the maze of intrigue, under the guidance of felfish craft; and that the bittereft charges in his harangues against Lord North are applicable with more force to himself.”

Yet it does not appear that this warm addreffer of the people has an idea of inflaming them, in order to irritate them against government. For myfelf,' fays he, I deprecate all violence. I fhudder at the idea of confufion. In this fpirit, defcrying anarchy at the end of an avenue of oppreffion, I protest against that revolution of law which threatens our liberty. A man accustomed, all his fecluded life, to seek truth by the inftrumentality of reason, cannot well fail to abhor the diforders committed by mobs.'

Agreeably to this falutary caution, it appears, from the poffeript, that the Bristol meeting was conducted with the utmoft regard to peace and good order; on which occafion, Dr. B. thus concludes his poftfcript: Citizens of Briftol! Your caufe has greatly gained by your excellent demeanour in fupporting it. Patriotic zeal, I am told, never collected fo many fignatures * in so short a time. And not only were no arts used to enlift petitioners, but precautions were taken to prevent improper perfons from figning.

Nov. 21, eleven o'clock at night.

SCHOOL BOOKS.

Art. 32. An eafy Guide, or an Introduction to the Hebrew Language, adapted for the Ufe of Schools, and to render Perfons capable of teaching themselves in an expeditious Manner. By Mrs. E. Bullman. 8vo. Is. No Bookfeller's name.

This lady appears enamoured of the concifenefs, elegance, and grandeur of the Hebrew language. She wishes to recommend it to general attention; and, fince books of inftruction for this purpose bear, the fays, a price too high for the lower orders of the people, the offers this introduction, which the deems fufficient for attaining the first rudiments of the language. The letters, the points or vowels, and the dagesh, alone are here confidered. Plates are given of the Hebrew letters united with the different vowels or points, and their Suppofed pronunciation. A few other plates are added of paffages of fcripture in the original, with an English tranflation underneath. Reading and pronunciation (which are indeed various and uncertain) are alone regarded in this little treatife, which may poffibly prove beneficial for A future work, viz. -the purpose to those who will perufe it with care. a fhort and explicit grammar, we are told, may be expected The English, in the prefent, is rather imperfect and incorrect but the lady is probably a foreigner. Her portrait is prefixed to the pamphlet. Art. 33. The first Principles of Arithmetic, Vulgar and Decimal; with By John George the Extraction of Roots of different Powers. English, late Teacher of the Mathematics in the Royal Navy. To which is added a concife Compendium of Book-keeping by fingle 2s. bound. Vernor and Hood. 1795. Entry. 12mo. pp. 190. This fchool-book may, perhaps-for it is impoffible that we should

To the petition for peace.