insignificant to the good and pious man. The cold sceptic may perhaps smile at the credulity of former ages: but credulity is more favourable to the happiness of man, and to the interests of society, than scepticism. In the history of all ages and nations, we read of some such extraordinary appearances in certain stages of society. Shall we then refuse all credit to human testimony; or shall we allow that a kind Providence may have adapted itself to the dark state of society, and given such visible and striking proofs of the connection and communication between this world and a world of spirits, as may be properly withheld from more enlightened times; which may less need them, and perhaps less deserve them?"

Dr. Smith appears to be a man of sincere piety: but his piety, we fear, will be considered as deeply tinctured with superstition; and it may be thought that, unless he could have communicated information more interesting and more authentic, it would have been better if he had allowed the bones of St. Columba to repose in silence.

Art. 58. Anecdotes of the last twelve Years of the Life of J. J. Rous seau, originally published in the Journal de Paris, by Citizen Corancez, one of the Editors of that Paper. Translated from the French. 12mo. pp. 104. 2s. 6d. sewed. Wallis. 1798. Of this work, the following account is given in the preface:

The long dormant controversy respecting the personal character of J. J. Rousseau, has been recently revived among the French Literati, in all its original vehemence. The immediate occasion of renewing the contest, is a publication which made its appearance a few months ago at Paris, intituled, " De mes rapports avec J. J. Rousseau, et de notre Correspondence, &c. par J. Dussaulx." Those who are acquainted with what has been already written upon the life and character of the illustrious philosopher of Geneva, and particularly with the latest French edition of his works, need not be told that the Author of that publication is one of the numerous persons, whom Rousseau admitted to a degree of intimacy for a time, and afterwards discarded for ever. The public have long been in posses sion of the grounds of his quarrel with Dussaulx, and of the letters which he wrote to him, previously to their final separation. But, the answers to these letters having been suppressed, either by Rousseau himself, or his editors, Dussaulx, now bending under a load of years, conceived himself justified by a due solicitude for his own reputation, and the interests of truth, in leaving behind him a complete state of the correspondence, accompanied with some particulars of his short intercourse with Rousseau, and with critical observations on the whole of his life.'

One or two of these anecdotes may be selected:

' I have stated that he possessed a simplicity bordering on the character of infancy. On going to see him, one day, I found him joyful, walking up and down his chamber with large strides, and proudly eyeing every thing that it contained. " All these are my own," said he.-(It should be observed, that this all consisted of a bed with coarse cotton curtains, a few straw-bottomed chairs, a common table, and a scrutoire of walnut-tree.) "How were they not

your own yesterday?" said I, " I have long seen every thing that here in your possession." -" Yes, Sir," rejoined he," but I was in debt to the upholsterer for them, and it is only this morning that I completely paid him off." He seemed to enjoy his few articles of furniture with much more real satisfaction, than the wealthy proprietor, who frequently knows not the one half of what he possesses.

• At another time when I went to see him, there was such a smile on his countenance, and he had such a loftiness of air, that I scarcely knew him at first sight. He rose from his seat, strutted about, and clapping the fingers of his right hand upon his fob, he made the money in it gingle. You see, said he to me, that I have a crural bernia; but I am no wise anxious to get rid of it. He then told me that he had just received twenty crowns for copying some pieces of music.

• I have said that he was good-natured.-A young and very handsome English lady, who was a friend of my wife, had long expressed a desire of seeing Rousseau. As I had long made it an inviolable rule that I should never introduce any person to him, it was impossible for me to gratify her curiosity. One day, however, I had to carry with me to his house, one of my children, who was yet too young for him to have known her; as he requested to see them all one by one, that he might enjoy the pleasure, he said, of tracing in them the virtues of their mother. The young English girl was in my house at the time. I proposed to her to dress herself as a nurse, and to take charge of the infant. She embraced the proposal with a transport of joy, put on the nurse's apron, took up the child, and went along with me. I have already mentioned that this nurse was handsome, but I should have added, that her appearance was far from being vigorous. I took advantage of this circumstance to amuse myself a little. I commanded the nurse to keep the child in such or such a position, to walk or sit down with it, as I pleased, being well assured that she would obey me. Rousseau entered into discourse with her, and expressed a regret that she had been obliged to accept a situation, the fatigues of which seemed to be beyond her strength. He desired Madame Rousseau to make her taste something; and she was very well entertained. Madame Rousseau told me on the following day, that she had remarked with pain, and indeed with surprize, that I had too little consideration for the delicate frame of the nurse, and that I spoke to her with too much harshness.'

He had spontaneously promised to set to music all the words which my wife should at any time send to him for that purpose. I one day carried to him, at her desire, the volume of Letourneur's Translation of Shakespeare which contains the Tragedy of Othello, and pointing out the passage in which are these words: The poor soul sat sighing by a Sycamore tree, &c. I mentioned my wife's request that he would set them to music. I observed to him, at the same time, that to assign to these words their appropriate character, it was necessary to read over the piece. " I am very sorry for it," said he, as I have taken a resolution to read no more." As I well knew his scrupulous delicacy with regard to his resolutions, I replied "that the man who holds himself bound to fulfil all his engagements, of whatever nature, should be careful to enter into as few as possible, lest he involve himself in contradictory obligations, one of which he must necessarily violate. You have resolved with yourself to read nothing, yet you have promised to my wife to set to music all the words that she should send to you. She has now sent you some, which require that you shall read a tragedy. You are, therefore, under the necessity of violating your engagement with yourself, or your engagement to my wife; you have only to make your option." I knew beforehand the effect which this argument would produce on his mind. He meditated for a moment, and then, taking hold of the book, "give it me," said he, " I will read it."

• My readers are, doubtless, convinced of the great importance of stating facts, as they passed, and with all their circumstances, to enable them to form just conclusions respecting the man, whose real character they wish to estimate.-He soon after informed me that the music was completed, and nothing was wanting but that my wife should, according to their previous agreement, give herself the trouble of going to hear it, for the purpose of approving or rejecting it. He had composed two different airs for the verses; my wife was to choose between them, or to reject both. In the latter, case he desired me to tell her, that he would enter upon a third attempt. I went to hear them along with my wife, a woman the most unobtrusive of her sex, especially on such an occasion, and herself extremely timid. He placed himself before his little spinnet, but in such a state of agitation, that his fingers trembled on the keys, and his voice could not bring out a note. He coughed, he sighed, and threw himself into violent motions; he assured us, however, that this trepidation would be soon over. At length he succeeded in singing the two airs; and my wife preferred the one which is contained in the collection of his ballettes, published after his death. This air is exquisitely adapted to the true expression of the situation in which the words are introduced by Shakespeare. May I be permitted to remark on this occasion, that it is probable that Citizen Ducis, author of the excellent Tragedy of Othello, was not acquainted with this air of Rousseau's; for if he was, he would certainly have adopted Letourneur's translation, that it might be sung on the stage. He would have had the advantage of associating himself with Shakespeare and Rousseau, would have gratified the public with that excellent production, and given additional effect to the pathos of the scene by the natural and melting expression of the musical composition."

The life of Rousseau was not such as merits minute attention. The details of it tend rather to check the impression of his writings; which, whatever were his failings, are eminently favourable to a generous elevation of sentiment.

Art. 59. A View of Antient and Modern Dublin, with its Improvements to the Year 1796; to which is added, A Tour to Bellevue, the Seat of Peter Latouche Esq. Knight of the Shire for the County of Leitrim. Also a Tour from Dublin to London in 1795, through the Isle of Anglesea, Bangor, Conway, Llangollen, Shrewsbury, Stratford upon Avon, Blenheim, Oxford, Windsor, REV. DEC. 1798. Hampton.

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Hampton-Court, Twickenham, and Kensington. By John Ferrar, Author of the History of Limerick. 8vo. 6s. 6d. Boards. Dublin. 1796. London, imported by Becket.

It is an unpleasant part of our office to pronounce judgments which may wear the appearance of severity: but we are bound, by a strict regard for truth, to deal impartially and justly. In the present instance, we cannot say that we have met with much to praise and little to censure. We acknowlege the pious and so far commendable turn of the writer, and the good intention with which, no doubt, his present work has been offered to the public: but good design cannot stand in the place of those talents which are requisite for the due execution of a voluntary engagement; nor are the public bound to dismiss with favour him who claims their attention under the ill-founded supposition of ability, because of the plea of well-meaning.

In the first of the two tracts which are contained in this volume, Mr. Ferrar professes to exhibit a view of the antient and present state of the second city in the British empire.' On such a subject, a writer of competent industry, regulated by a discriminating taste and judgment, might have easily collected matter which would not fail to gratify the antiquary and the philosopher, and might have given an interesting though local sketch of men and manners: but Mr. F.'s performance is too much confined to petty details, to the measurement of rooms, the enumeration of lamps, and the transcribing of epitaphs. Pages are filled with lavish encomiums on people who, we conclude, had promoted his subscriptions; and with the most hyperbolic praises of common objects.

To the second tract, the Tour from Dublin to London, we are sorry to apply the same characteristics. Most of what appears to be in any degree interesting in its details is historical rather than descriptive, and is taken from other writers: to whom, indeed, this traveller candidly acknowleges his obligations. What we find of his own amounts to little more than a series of unimportant remarks, on trivial and common topics.

Let us not, however, refuse to Mr. F. his due praise; for to praise he certainly is entitled, if contempt of fatigue, if the most minute and indefatigable industry, and a taste and good-humour which can be pleased with whatever presents itself to his notice, be praise-worthy. We have already observed that he transcribes epitaphs and counts lamps: but he does more, he travels 60 miles in a day through the country which he describes; he preserves the substance and orthography of the directions on the finger-posts; and he collects for his readers the poetry which is to be found scratched on the windows of every country inn, by the idle hands of rhyming travellers.

For our account of a more respectable performance [to the best of our present recollection] by Mr. Ferrar, we refer to the 78th volume of our Review, Art. History of Limerick.

Art. 60. Remarkable Occurrences in the Life of Jonas Hanway, Esq. comprehending an Abstract of his Travels in Russia and Persia; a short History of the Rise and Progress of the charitable and political Institutions founded or supported by him; several Anecdotes, and an Attempt to delineate his Character. By John Pugh.

The

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The 3d Edition, considerably abridged. 12mo. 2s. 6d. sewed. 1798. This new edition of a curious and valuable work, which was first published in 1787, is abridged by its judicious author for the sake of reducing its price, and extending its circulation among those readers who have but little money to lay out in books.' The motive is laudable; especially as the work is well calculated for promoting the two great ends of reading, USEFUL INFORMATION, and RA

TIONAL AMUSEMENT.

For our account of this publication, at the time of its first appearance, see M. Rev. vol. lxxvii. p. 320.

Art. 61. Mr. King's Apology: or, a Reply to his Calumniators. 8vo. 28. Wilkins. 1798.

We find, by the perusal of this detail, that a variety of troublesome and vexatious occurrences have, at different times, contributed to checquer the life of the present apologist with contests and litigations; some of which may have aided his 'calumniators' in their endeavours to stamp on the public mind unfavourable impressions with respect to his principles and conduct. -Expensive law-suits, and disagreeable contingencies, of one kind or another, are the subjects of Mr. K.'s complaint: but the last of those troubles seems to have been chiefly instrumental in giving birth to the apology now before us; which principally relates to the circumstance that, about five or six months ago, the author was obliged to appear before a magistrate, on a very peculiar charge against him, which was deposed by two women of the town. As, however, matters of this sort do not much relate to any branch of literary or scientific discussion, we shall only observe that the women were very soon induced to retract their charge, (before another magistrate,) acknowleging that it was merely a conspiracy to extort money from the person accused.

We have only to add that Mr. K.'s narrative is well written; that some parts of it are even entertaining; and that it will, doubtless, considerably interest such of its readers as are personally acquainted with the writer, or who may have heard of his fortunes or misfortunes: -for it appears that the hood-winked goddess has not always been averse to him.

Art. 62. The Real Calumniator detected: being candid Remarks on Downes.

Mr. King's Apology, &c. 8vo. Is. 6d. The answerer's principal view, in this publication, appears to have been the defence of Justice Bond, of Bow-street; who, as we have always understood, is fairly intitled to the character of an able, vigilant, and useful magistrate, but who has been very harshly and severely arraigned by the resentful apologist in the preceding article, on account of the manner in which he (Mr. B.) conducted himself when Mr. K. appeared before him, to answer to the charge of the two harlots. This zealous vindicator and warm encomiast of the Bowstreet administration is, indeed, very severe and sarcastic on Mг. К. and also manifests (we think) peculiar illiberality, whenever he alludes, as he frequently does, to that Gentleman's belonging [if we mistake not his meaning] to the family of the children of Israel. This anonymous writer writer laughs laug at the recantation of the perjured women, and

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