The first part of this volume comprises, in a small compass, much historical information: in the compiling and arranging of which, it appears that considerable industry has been exercised.

The 2d part, which we can recommend to those who delight in borrors, contains a collection (we believe) of all the enormities which the author's utmost zeal and diligence could discover, that have been committed by the French, since the commencement of the revolution,

IRELAND.

Art. 56. A Report of the Proceedings in Cases of High Treason, at a Special Commission of Oyer and Terminer, held in and for the County and City of Dublin, in July, 1798. By William Ridg. way, Esq. Barrister at Law. 8vo. 38. Dublin printed; London reprinted, for Stockdale, Piccadilly.

We have perused this Report of the trial of "Henry Sheares and John Sheares, Esqrs. Barristers," with considerable interest and information, as the detail discloses many particulars concerning the rebellion in our Sister-kingdom. Although humanity, lamenting the stern obligations of justice, may feel for the suffering delinquents* it is impossible for impartiality not to applaud the just and fair proceedings and conduct of the gentlemen of the SPECIAL COMMISSION.

This is, indeed, not only an important publication, but a very curious and, we may be allowed to add, an affecting display of the horrid effects of traitorous conspiracies. The unfortunate brothers, abovenamed, lost their lives by their connexion with the infatuated party known by the denomination of " United Irishmen."

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the EDITORS of the MONTHLY REVIEW,

GENTLEMEN,

IN Mr. Good's valuable Dissertation on the best means of maintaining and employing the Poort, there is an important mistake, that, if it is suffered to remain unnoticed, may be productive of much evil; by leading many parishes to submit to an unreasonable charge for the sup port of their Poor, and by discouraging others from those exertions, which alone can effectually reduce the present enormous amount of the parochial expenditure. You have on several late occasions paid particular attention to this very important subject, and if you should be of the above opinion after perusing what follows, will perhaps think your last page not unusefully employed, in allotting it to the insertion of this address. Mr. Good states that the actual expence incurred for the diet of the Poor by the Court of Guardians at Norwich is averaged at 25.rod. per week each. Their prudence, perseverance, and economy are justly extolled by Mr. Good, and they are entitled to equal applause for their humane and liberal treatment of their paupers; I conceive therefore that it is very material the public should be informed, that the Poor are

* They were both bred to the profession of the law; and one of them, Mr. Henry Sheares, has left a widow and six young children without support, the property of the husband and father being forfeited. † See Rev, for September, p. 77.

15

actually actually supplied with provisions in the very place here stated at less than 2s. per week each. If Mr. Good had consulted a document which he ought not to have overlooked, namely, the annual account printed by order of the Court of Guardians at Norwich, he would have seen his error. That account for the year ending April 1798, states that the average number of Poor supported that year in their Workhouses and Infirmaries, was 1343, and their expence in provisions as follows; viz.

Beef

Beer

Bread, Flour, and Dough

Butter

Cheese

Grocery

s. d.

£.
1645 4 4

440 6 6

2798 7

1145 II

9

103 17 5

50 9 7

Total cost of provisions for 1343 Poor £. 6692 9 11

deed that at Norwich there were 300 fewer in 1792 than in 1789; but in 1794, the numbers were again advanced from 1141, which they stood at in 1792, to 1481: and at Shrewsbury, from 324 in 1789, to 364 in 1794. The events of the last seven years have not been calculated to diminish the number of those poor, who became chargeable to their parishes, nor the expence of their support. At Norwich their disbursements in 1789 amounted to 17,4861. 198. 11d. In 1797, to 25,5161. 78. 8d. which great additional expence has been incurred by the increase of what they call their out-door allowances, together with their pay to militia men's families. Mr. Good then would have no just reason to complain, if I were to retort his charge; and say, " Such inaccuracies should be avoided, because they tend to discredit a whole book, on whatever subject, and with whatever ability it may be compiled." -But though I wish him to feel that he has failed a little in point of liberality, I very readily admit the value of his publication, which is written with much judgment and general impartiality; contains many useful suggestions; and is untinctured with those preconceived, groundless prejudices, that have disgraced many late pamphlets on this subjeet.

I am, Gentlemen,

• Shrewsbury, Nου. 19, 1798. • Your very humble Servant,

'J. WOOD.

P. S. In the printed account of the House of Industry established at Dublin, the average cost of their Poor for 1797 is stated at 3l. rod. per head per annum.-Mr. Good estimates bread at 2d. per pound, Our bushel of wheat, which now costs seven shillings, will produce 80 pounds of very good bread.'

The letter of Dr. Vincent, dated the 2d August, would much sooner have been acknowleged, but that the gentleman to whom it principally referred has been long absent from his usual residence, and at a great distance. We would now submit to Dr. V.'s consideration the following remarks on the etymologics mentioned in his letter: first observing that to the thanks which he politely offers we have no claim, for that an erudite and laborious work deserved and only obtained its appropriate commendation.

Ambissar. For a confirmation of our remark, we beg to refer to Mr. Wilford on Egypt, page 164.- Apu is certainly water in Sanscrit, but P. and B. are not interchangeable.

Kern, signifies conjunction or meeting. Zulkernin applied to Alexander, and Sahib Keran to Timur, both signify lord of the conjunction, i. e. the fortunate conjunctions of the planets, and may be translated Ruler of events.

Medain, is the dual of Medina, and the latter is manifestly derived from Medd, extended. The addition of an h in modhi cannot be admitted, as the dal is a radiant letter. Dr. Vincent is perfectly correct in saying that it means two cities, for it is invariably used by Moslems to denote the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina.

Iravati-is not a compound word. Iravat is an elephant, and the i is the regular termination of the feminine gender. The river is consecrated to the female elephant which Hindu mythology bestows on Indra.

Chandra Bhaga-has in fact nothing to do with the moon. It is consecrated to Sereswaty, who is called the moon-beam from the fairness fairness of her complexion. It is the same river which is supposed, with unmixed waters, and through a subterraneous channel, to rise again at Allahabad; forming a mysterious triad with the Ganges and Jumna.

Bagasira and Dagasira-A headland is termed in Arabic, Ras, synonimous with Sir. Ras al Gebal would have been the name of Dagasira in that language. The syllable Ba at any rate remains unexplained; whereas a Persic name, descriptive of a situation on the coast of Persia, seems to us to deserve a decided preference; for many reasons. Algesira, on the other hand, is a real Arabic word, and is given by Arabians to a part of their own dominions.

Gurmsir-we conceive to be the name of the sandy maritime region, because it signifies "the hot country."

Deval. Dr. Vincent has undoubtedly marked that Pattala and Brahminabad are the same place, (they are only contiguous,) but not that a city much celebrated under the name of Deval was no other than Brahminabad.

These observations are offered solely with a view of contributing a mite to the perfection of a valuable work, and testifying an'unfeigned respect for the author.

We have received a letter from Mr. Eton, concerning our critique on the Survey of the Turkish Empire, in our last Number. We heartily sympathise with every author whose feelings are hurt on such occasions: but Mr. E. who himself understands Reviewing, (as we see by some parts of his book,) will agree with us that, if we would do justice, these short-lived distresses may unavoidably arise.

It cannot be a matter of great consequence whether Mr. Dunant was actually in the office of the secretary to the envoy at Petersburg, exactly at the time when Mr. E. was employed in it, or whether he immediately succeeded the latter gentleman; as we now believe to have been the case: but Mr. Eton informs us that the public business of a secretary was performed by him alone, during the period in question. Whatever Mr. E. may think or say, there are persons in this country who pretend to have had opportunities of knowing as much of what passed in the cabinet of Ruffia, and of the real character of the Empress Catharine II., as that gentleman; and by these we are informed, that it was one of the grand political maxims of that sovereign to temporize, by apparently yielding to the solicitations which she did not deem it proper directly to withstand; and to trust to circumstances for an argument afterward to comply with them or not :so that neither levity nor inconsistency is imputed to her in the passage mentioned by Mr. E. in his letter. This maxim she pro✓ bably adopted from the first and ablest minister whom she ever had, Nikita Ivanitch Count Panin, who practised it on all occasions, and generally found it successful.

Mr. Eton says rightly that the third letter of the Ruffian alphabet is Vedi, and has the force of v; and we willingly embrace this opportunity for offering a hint to him, and to persons who have to translate proper names of men and places from that language into English. This letter the German writers properly render by their vé or doppelt faou, written w, but pronounced like our v. Thus, for example, example, was wollen wir is sounded by English characters vas voller wir: the German v or faou, having the power of an English f; and accordingly persons of that nation, on their first arrival in England, for, what will you give me? naturally say vat vill you gife me? Consequently, when proper names ending in the Russian vedi are, through a German medium, to be put into English, the ve or doppelt faou is not to be rendered by a w, which in our language gives sound quite different, but by f or f, as the accent may require. Thus, not Orlow, but Orloff; net Romantzow, but Romantzoff; not Suwarow, but Suvaroff. It is likewise to be observed of the Polish, that after a c it must always be rendered in English by an b, thus: not Czartorinski, but Chariorinski; not Czernichew, but Chernicheff; not Oczakow, but Otchakoff.

Mr. E. tells us that "he never betrayed any confidence put in him." No charge against him of this nature, either directly or by implication, ever having reached our ears, we have nothing to say on this point.

It is affirmed by persons well acquainted with Prince Potemkin, that in the early part of his life he officiated as a chorister in the cathedral at Mosco; or, as the Russians write it, Moskva. This is mentioned without intending by it the slightest disparagement to that great favourite of fortune: but only in reply to a passage in the letter before us.

Mr. Eton concludes by averring that the depth of his colouring, in delineating the Turks and their government, is not attributable to disappointments in commerce; for that, though he lost a sum of money which he put into a house of trade, yet the managers were not Turks, nor did Turks contribute to the loss; and that, though he may have sometimes mistaken, he is not conscious of having written one falsity, nor even of having exaggerated the truth. We should be very sorry to convey to the public any unfounded imputation of this nature, and desire to protest against it.

A work has lately been announced at Venice, which must be well received by the literary world; particularly by chronologists. The Armenian Monks of the Convent of St. Lazarus have discovered a very antient Armenian version of the whole Chronicon of Eusebius; which they propose to print, with a Latin translation. Every scholar knows how lame and faulty the Greek copies have come down to us; and what pains have been taken by Scaliger and others to restore and amend the mutilated and defective passages. A Prospectus of the work is daily expected in London.

A letter from the Rev. Mr. Fawcett informs us that, in our account of his life of the Rev. Oliver Heywood, (Review, Oct. p.236-7,) when mentioning Mr. Abraham Sharp, we mistook in styling him Reverend, that Gentleman not having been of the clerical order.

The inquiries of the writer of a letter dated from Newcastle on Tyne should be addressed to the Editor of some Magazine ;-they are out of our province.

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