man of tafte plants trees upon the wild heath to give it a cultivated appearance.-The painter felects such objects as will best füit his purpose, and dreffes them to his own ideas;-and why may not the philofopher, in his fpeculations on the bufy fcene of life, employ his fancy in giving to human characters thofe fentiments which would do them honour.--The great advantage of poffeffing a delicacy of taste arifes from the particular objects to which it looks, and the manner in which it purfues them. Nothing mean or fordid attends the mind in its fentimental progrefs. Good humour, candour, benevolence, and all the focial virtues, áre its conftant companions:-affilled, fometimes, and improved by a warm, glowing imagination, which, thus accompanied, while it heightens and beautifies, does not deceive.

I am perfectly convinced, that there is nothing which renders a man fo independent in his happiness as the poffeffion of this delicacy of taite and fentiment ;-which, being feated in the mind, makes that the fource of its beft and noblest pleafures ;while those of the fenfes, though fometimes enjoyed, are ever fubordinate:—and this is the only idea I can form of rational happiness.The evils of life we cannot command, nor oftentimes avoid ; but the pleafures which flow from a delicacy of fentiment are, in a great measure, our own ;-as it is generally, if not always, in our power to direct it to fuch objects as, we have the greatest reafon to believe, will produce pleasure and fatisfaction.'

It appears from the other divifion of this little work, that the firft part, which was published feparately, though in generat well received by the inhabitants of Bristol, had given offence to fome particular perfons, who thought they were pointed out in fome of the characters which the author had delineated. This fubject therefore is largely treated of, in dialogue, in the fecond part, after which we meet with feveral other interefting topics of ingenious obfervation. The philofopher, as we have already remarked, is evidently a man of reflection; and we should reckon it no inconfiderable advantage to the inhabitants of Brif tal, in refpect both of profit and entertainment, that he would continue to favour them with occafional fpeculations of the fame kind.

Reflections on the Law and its Minifters. 40. 15. Williams.

The defects of many of our laws, with the iniquitous frauds and abufes committed by those who practife in the lower department of the profeffion, have frequently been the fubject of just and pathetic complaint. A variety of inftances, in confirmation of the facts alluded to, may be met with in thofe letters, highly worthy the confideration of the legislature, to which they are fubmitted.

Reflections on Gaming, Annuities, and ufurious Contras. 8vo. 15. T. Davies.

The author of this pamphlet difplays in the ftrongest light the pernicious effects refulting to individuals and fociety, from the feveral practices of which he treats; and he alfo propofes

fach

fuch expedients as feem to be the most proper towards remedying thofe evils. The importance of the fubject alone is fufficient to merit the attention of the legislature; but it has an additional claim to their regard, on account of the juft and animated reprefentation given by this writer, of the enormous extortion of ufurers, from perfons in diftrefsful circumftances, by means of an evasion of the laws.

An Introduction to Reading and Spelling, in four Parts. 1. The Principles. 2. Leffons in Profe and Verfe. 3. Select Claffes of Words. 4. Monofyllables ranged by their Sounds. To which is prefixed, a Plan of the Work, with fome Directions to Teachers. By William Scott, Teacher of English and Writing, in Edinburgh. 12mo. Richardfon and Urquhart.

We have long fince had a competent variety of spelling books. But, if we do not mistake the matter, the authors have, in general, purfued an improper plan.

Every attempt to teach children the pronunciation of words, à priori, by an elaborate exemplification of the various founds of the letters, is a tedious and ufeless process.

The leffons, by which they have been first taught to read, have been usually compofed of fhort and familiar words. So far this is right. But no regard has been paid to the length of the fentences. Here is a fundamental error. The confequence of children's attempting to read a long period is, they either fall into a difagreeable monotony, or elfe break the fentence into feparate parts and fragments, by improper paufes. Two or three of the introductory leffons fhould therefore confist of fentences, not exceeding three or four words, which children fhould be taught to pronounce with vivacity and fpirit. This would preferve them from a hafty, mumbling, inarticulate, irregular, droning, way of reading. The fecond class of leffons should confift of fentences compofed of fix or feven words, with a comma intervening, at which they fhould be taught to make a hort, eafy paufe. The next clafs fhould confift of fentences, containing eight or ten words, with a femicolon in the midft.In this progreffive manner they fhould be led to the knowledge of every paufe, and the art of fupporting their voice, with firmness and fpirit, through fentences of the greateft extent.

If fome able writer would purfue this hint, his book would be infinitely more ufeful, than all thofe perplexed and injudicious compilations, which are now in ufe.

Mr. Scott's performance, though not conducted upon this plan, is a work of ingenuity. His leffons are entertaining and inftructive; calculated to expose the vices and follies of youth, and lead the mind to an early love of prudence and virtue.

The first fentence of the first leffon confifts of forty-eight words. How is a child to fupport its voice through this long period?

ERRA TU M.

Dele the remark on Caligula's horfe, p. 439, which was inferted by mistake.

ACCOUNT of the weather and Ayfcongh's Semiramis, a tragedy,

311 Hagley, a defcriptive poem,