MONTHLY CATALOGUE. POLITIC A L Obfervations and Reflections on the Origin of Jacobin Principles; the leading Diffenters Politics; the Neceffity of the prefent War; the Caufes and Effects of the late Bankruptcies; the Conftitution and Commerce of this Country; and on a Letter addreffed to the Right Honourable William Pitt, by Fafper Wilfon, Efq. By a fincere Friend of his Country. Svo. 25. Debrett. 1794. THE celebrity of Mr. Wilfon's pamphlet never appeared to us fo extraordinary as fince we had the happiness to read the present Obfervations, in which we find fuch a character of Mr. Wilson, as will effectually deter us, and perhaps our readers, from ever looking at, or mentioning that nefarious Letter again. Without fubfcribing to all Mr. Wilfon's fentiments, we confefs we took him to be a calm reasoner, an enemy to the war, merely from the ill effects it might produce upon his country, and we imagined (but the weaknefs of our understanding muft account for it) that his affertions, if falfe, might have been contradicted by facts, and his arguments, if fallacious, repelled by others of a more fubftantial kind. But in all this we have been miftaken; Mr. Wilfon is quite another perfon. In the first place, according to the author of the pamphlet before us, Mr. Wilfon is a rafcally poacher, so industrious in the dark, with ncts, fnares, and traps, as to prove very often highly injurious to the fecurity, peace, and profperity of the country.' In his character of poacher, he has 'Spread a treacherous letter before Mr. Pitt, which is found worthy of much applause and grave obfervation by the malcontents' They find in it a palatable mixture of Jefuitical infincerity-Mr. Wilfon is connected with minority jacobinical friends' he is a malcontent,' gives us obfervations gloomy and hacknied' yet what he fays may found very well in jacobin ears' -he paints gloomy and malignant pictures,' ay, and miferable and infolent pictures he talks of bankruptcies, as of every thing elfe, with the treacherous, but we truft, ineffectual view of fhaking the commercial confidence and credit of his own country, and of all other nations, which would, no doubt, prove very favourable to jacobinical revolutions. His obfervations on the increase of the military establishment of Europe, and the support they have received from the funding fyftem, are as trite as poffible, worth very little notice, and would be read only as heads of chapters, if it were not for the virulence and malignant afperity, with which he endeavours. to excite in his countrymen an averfion and contempt for all the nations of Europe; and a feditious diffatisfaction with the government of their own country. If what he has faid of the emprefs of 7 6 " Ruffia, Raffia, had been faid of Peter the Great, in his own life time; or of almost any other potentate in Europe, they would have demanded reparation of our court by their ambaladors, for fo outrageous an infult. But that great princefs, knowing the licentioufnefs, as well as the liberty of the British prefs, will doubtlefs treat it with filent contempt.' But all this is not wonderful, as Mr. Wilson deals in fupercilious pride, tumidity, and contemptuous irony ;'—' Like the mountain in labour, he heaves and rolls, and raifes our expectation, and is delivered of a ridiculous mouse.'—' He is a democratical revolutionist.'-and uses the most feditious and malevolent expreflions againft the peace and profperity of the country, for which he hypocritically affects to feel a benevolent concern. good fort of malevolence, this frank infincerity, and this afperity of love and patriotifm, feem extremely well calculated to work on the crazy minds of our irrational malcontents'—and lastly, for we have, too much refpect for literary property to make very free with this pamphlet, he is a mifchievous monkey who very ill deferves to live in these times under the protection of the British conftitution and government' If any excufe can be admitted for the matchlefs af furance of this writer, it can be nothing fhort of madness'-nay, we are told that he actually begins one of his paragraphs with a fort of confeffion of infanity.' This Attached as we profefs ourselves to be to the conftitution and government, we differ in many points from Mr. Wilfon, but, till now, we never thought we had been reading the work of a rafcally poacher, a jacobin, a malcontent, and a madman.-Thefe discoveries were reserved for fagacity superior to ours--the fagacity of the prefent author. The Effence of the Calm Obferver, on the Subjects of the Concert of Princes, the Difmemberment of Poland, and the War with France. (First published in the Morning Chronicle between July 20, 1792, and June 25, 1793.) 8vo. 15. 6d. Symonds. 1793. The length and diffusion of thought obfervable in the excellent pamphlet, noticed in the first pages of this Number, has probably fuggefted that it would be doing no unacceptable fervice to the public, to give the fubftance of it in a smaller form. It is done in the way of extract not of abftra&t, for the words of the author are retained, only leaving out what was thought leaft important, and claffing the arguments under diftin&t heads. We hope it may have an influence in increafing the number of thofe who may take them under their confideration. A Glimpfe through the Gloom, in a candid Difcuffion of the Policy of Peace, and an impartial Review of the Profpe&t before us; with a Glance at the Marquis of Landfdowne's late Speech and Motion. 8vo. 25. 6d. Owen. 1794. The following fheets were published in Scotland, in a private edition, about the middle o December: one hundred copies only H4 were were printed and distributed to friends; they were well meant, both with refpect to the war, and to repel the ardour of immediate reform, and were so received. At the initigation of many of these esteemed friends, and with the fame intentions, the author, with fome corrections and additions, now fubmits his fentiments to the public eye.' That his fentiments are well meant we are not disposed to doubt, but we could wish they had been more clearly expreffed. He runs haftily over all the popular topics of the day, without giving a decided opinion on any; he is alternately for and against the French, the war, reform of parliament, the bishops, &c. &c. and it is almoft impoffible to fay, where we have him and where we have Him not.' A man may amufe himself, or his esteemed friends, by rhapfodies like this, but his labour is loft on the public, who defirous of a glimpfe, must be egregiously disappointed to find the gloom deepened. A comprehenfive Reply to Mr. Pitt's Speech, on the Opening of Parliament, January 21, 1794, containing an Examination of the Grounds and Object of the prefent War, with a Propofition for a fuccefsful Mode of purfuing it, that would immediately reduce our Expenditure, and lead to a fecure and permanent Peace. Also, a Comment on the prefent in ficacious Manner of Attempt to Reform the Law, with a Difcufion of the New Tax upon Attorneys. Likewife an Investigation of the A&t of Parliament to reftrain the Payment of Monies due to the French. By the Author of the Errors of the prefent Adminiftration. Svo. 2s. 6d. Ridgway. 1794. In this publication the vulnerable parts of Mr. Pitt's conductare feebly attacked; all is not faid that the fubjects which the author engages in admit of; and, what is equally unfortunate, there is a great want of perfpicuity in his language. The Trial of Daniel Ifaac Eaton, for publishing a fuppofed Libel, intituled Politics for the Iople; or, Hog's Wash: at Juftice Hall in the Old Bailey, Feb. 24, 1794. 8vo. 15. Symonds. 1794. There is nothing interefting in this trial; the counfel advanced the nfual arguments for and against the excrcite of freedom in writing. The libel itfeif fems impotent and contemptible, and from that opinion of it, the jury were probably induced to acquit the defendant of the principal part of the charge, and to bring in a verdict of not guilty. A Defultory Sketch of the Abafes in the Militia, with comparative Reflections on the Increase of our Military Eftablishments and the Decrease of our Manufactures; to which is added an accurate Abfirect from the laft printed Lifts, by which it will appear that there are upwards of 14000 Officers, on full and Half-pay, whilst there exift Two Hundred and Thirty-eight Vacancies in the Militia at this critical Functure. Addreffed to the Right Hon. Francis Earl of Moira. 8vo. 35. Bell. 1794. We do not think the most important part of this work that which stands moft forward in the title-page. The whole, however, JS is ably written, and does honour to the fentiments and feelings of the author, who alledges that he has founded his obfervations on facts alone. But, fays he, they are brought forward not fo much to criminate the leaders in government for the palpable abuses of their fervants, as to roufe the members of both houfes to a timely fenfe of that neceffity for correction which the circumftances of the times demand. The work, of which this addrefs is the forerunner, will be found to contain innumerable inftances of neglected or perverted regulations, and a variety of propofed amendments, in a fuccinct methodical difplay of what the army and militia might be, were they differently modelled. Corruptions are not withholden because there is a prevailing fpirit of unqualified refiftance to every fpecies of reform and innovation, nor are the fuggeftions of poffible found fenfe and policy laid by, because they may be tortured into difaffection. I know how difficult it is to obtain admiffion to the minds of men which have been previously occupied by partial fear and intereft; and how improbable every fort of fuccefs muft appear in endeavouring to perfuade, while there is a parapet of miftruft between man and ́man. • To those whose fituations muft naturally be affected by the removal of abuses, the moft flender propofition will look hideous and deformed, because the introduction of it muft, like the probe of an able furgeon, discover more evil than a weak mind is willing to acknowledge. When an individual is under the influence of timidity to fo high a degree that he would rather be deprived of life than fuffer the amputation of a mortified limb, it is humanity to defpife his fears by enforcing the operation. That this fimile would hold good in almost every fituation of the body politic no man could deny, were not the alarms of the country of fo complicated a nature that the very fhadow of energetic remonftrance on the fide of the people, will be readily conftrued into open infurrection. Perfecution-I wish I could use a milder term-seems posted at the entrance of almost every office, not only to prevent correction but to punish investigation. With a fentry of that fort, corruption fits plumed within the limits of its own indulgence and ridicules the admonitions of men who, by a candid comparison of events and caufes, endeavour to obviate effects.' Such, he adds, is the honeft purport' of his addrefs, and we fee no more reason to doubt the purity of his motives than the clearness and competency of his arguments, which have no other fault than that of being expreffèd a little too much at length. Thoughts on the prefent War with France: addreffed to all Ranks of Faulder. 1794. Seeing thefe inconveniconfequently feel them; and and as they are not defigned to fall on any individual in particular, there is no more reafon for one to complain than an other.' And It behoves us to be on our guard, to take in the whole of things, and not to imagine our diftreffes and difficulties to be greater than they are, merely because they are prefent.-This author ftruggles as well as a man can do who is faft jammed between predeftinarianism and politics, and is not very intimate with either. Hopes and Expectations, grounded on the prefent Situation of the Emigrant Members of the Roman Catholic Church, now refident in England. 8vo. 6d. Faulder. 1793. Thefe hopes and expectations are, that the Roman Catholic clergy will ceafe to charge us with herefy, and that the reception they have met with in this country will incline them to examine anew the grounds of our difference in religious faith. We doubt the delicacy of introducing fuch a fubject at this juncture; but the author has certainly written in a commendable strain of moderation and calm nefs. An Attempt to establish the Bafis of Freedom on fimple and unerring Principles; in a Series of Letters. By Charles Patton. Svo. 1f, Debrett. 1793. The principles upon which Mr. Patton would eftablifh freedom, are the fe; that the end of all dominion is to fecure to mankind the freedom of their perfons, and the poffeffion of their property; that in all civilized countries, the inhabitants are naturally divided into two great claffes, continually endeavouring to encroach upon each other; and that all just power must take its rife from a combination of perfons and property. That the reprefentative form of government is beft fuited to freedom, and that the reprefentatives ought to confift of one half chofen by property, and the other by perfons. The executive power is the best means to balance the two contending parties in the legislative affembly, and that power fhould be placed in the hands of a single perfon; and must be possessed of influence in the legiflative affembly, in order to maintain the balance. The creation of peers, he afferts, renders armed force unneceffary in a well-poifed government. The tranfactions in France, fince the revolution, are brought forward to fhew how much that nation have mistaken the true bafis of freedom. He contends, that although popular governments, by raifing the lower class above their natural level in the general scale of fociety, may tend to make them fight a foreign foe with a degree of enthufiafm proportioned to their confequence in the ftate; yet fuch governments, it appears from examples, did not enjoy that domeftic tranquillity and happiness which equitable laws, and a confciousnefs of the abfolute fecurity of property, and of perfonal freedom, muft ever produce. Thefe pofitions, Mr. Patton eftablishes with confiderable strength of argument, and his pamphlet may be ranked among the beft defences |