worship, and such tenets of party, as shall be most conducive to his peace and advantage. But we must desist from prosecuting these remarks, in order to present our readers a further specimen of the volume from which we have wandered, in the very sensible remarks which occur on the importance of general knowledge. 'Next in importance to religious instruction, is that general knowledge, that mental cultivation, which is to be obtained (and only to be obtained) by habits of reading, and which must assuredly rank amongst the most indispensable qualifications of a female; not only to render her a suitable companion for an intelligent partner, but as it is eminently calculated to enable her to fulfil every duty of her station. We are aware that this assertion would surprise many mothers among the middling classes, who being destitute of these advantages themselves, ignorantly conclude that such pursuits must be inimical to domestic proficiency. It is granted, that in common with any other desirable object, they may be suffered to engross an undue share of time and attention: but the possibility of abusing a thing, is no argument against it; and we are well persuaded that there is far less danger of this being the case with regard to mental improvement, than with some other things at which these same persons are not always so ready to take the alarm. Frivolities, (which, if not encouraged in their daughters, are but too seldom discouraged by the mothers to whom we allude) are far more frequently found to interfere with, and to give a distaste to, the more important domestic concerns, than a love of reading. So far from estranging a woman from the discharge of her appropriate duties, the direct tendency of knowledge, and of that enlarged view of things which it affords, is to shew her what they are, to convince her of their propriety and impor. tance, and to qualify her to fulfil them in a rational and systematic manner: hence it is that the kitchen, no less than the parlour and the nursery, partake the happy effects of the superintendance of an intelligent mistress. It is true that instances might be produced of women, who, although they have not enjoyed the advantages of mental cultivation, are yet seen to perform the duties of their station with singular propriety and address, and to whom the honourable titles of good wives and mothers justly belong; for good sense, united with sound principle, will go far towards qualifying a person for any station. In such cases, the intelligent observer is ready to exclaim, "What women would these have been, with minds well stored and cultivated by reading!" But notwithstanding these instances, a very slight observation is sufficient to show, that the majority of uninformed women suffer greatly in themselves and in their families from the deficiency. Their houses, indeed, may be neat and orderly; their dinners may be well served; and such mothers may so far possess the gift of management, as to scold, or bribe, or drill their progeny into something like order and obedience; but we must not expect to see these persons act upon system, nor can the permanent effects of a rational system follow; that system, which especially makes it the grand interest, and happiness, and amusement, of the intelligent mother to educate her VOL. XI. N.S. 2 L children. She leaves her pleasures when she leaves her home, and returns to it as from a banishment. 'The duties, of whatever description, which emanate from a mind enlightened and expanded by knowledge, will maintain an evident superiority over such as result from mere habit, or even from an uninformed sense of duty; for a narrow mode of thinking and acting is the inseparable companion of ignorance. Will she who has acquired some general knowledge of the world in which she lives, conduct the affairs of her own province with less skill than she whose ideas are circumscribed to the narrow spot on which she vegetates, incapable of extending them beyond the visible objects around her? Will not she who has taken even a transient survey of men and things in distant ages and countries, be better qualified to encounter her own personal emergencies and vicissitudes, than she who has no other guide to direct her than the impulse of the moment, or the customs and notions prevalent among her neighbours, who are probably no better informed than herself? The contemplation of virtue and of vice, of wisdom and of folly, as exhibited in characters public or private, which history and biography display, stimulate to worthy actions; while a moderate acquaintance with works of taste, would prove of what human intellect is capable, and awaken a salutary admiration of things that are truly excellent, instead of its being wasted on the trifles that amuse vulgar minds A cultivated taste, independent of present gratification, is one of the most valuable of human resources under the trials and daily vexations of life it is even a useful hand-maid to religion, although some narrowminded people may feel offended at the assertion.-Offended, because they never availed themselves of her services. Especially is it an antidote against that insipidity of character-that trifling insignificance, which tends to bring our sex into disesteem and contempt; which incapacitates them from sustaining a part in rational or instructive conversation, and which renders old age worse than uninteresting. Would those who have the superintendance of youth, endeavour to give them a just estimate of the advantages resulting from those things they attempt to teach, instead of enforcing them as tasks, their labours would more frequently be crowned with success, and the most scrupulous mother might banish all apprehensions as to the domestic habits of a daughter so instructed. If a young woman has once been rendered domestic upon principle, there is little reason to fear, that when pursuits of a more elevated nature solicit a portion of her attention, they should destroy those habits which are so congenial to the female character, and which form, as it were, a part of her nature. The mind that is trained to an accurate estimate of the importance of objects, will duly apportion the time requisite to the pursuit of each. This is a most essential lesson in education, and should be sedulously instilled by parental example as well as by precept. It should enforce this important truth, that even duty is no longer such, than while it occupies its appropriate time and place. The moment that one duty encroaches on another, it degenerates into a fault.' pp. 96-102. The other volume is interesting, as being the joint production of one who has so well sustained, and one who has so richly repaid, that maternal solicitude which attends the discharge of a parent's duties. As the work has been so long before the public, we shall refrain from making any extracts, and content ourselves therefore with cordially recommending it to those of our readers who have not anticipated our critical sentence. The letters of Laura will not be considered as intruders.' < ART. XIII. SELECT LITERARY INFORMATION John Adamson, Esq. F.S.A. is preparing for publication, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Luis de Camoens, in 2 vols. 8vo. illustrated with nine engravings. In the press, and speedily will be published, in 8vo. illustrated with five plates, An Enquiry, illustrating the Nature of Tuberculated Accretions of Serous Membranes; and the Origin of Tubercles and Tumours in different Textures of the Body. By John Baron, M.D. Physician to the General Infirmary at Gloucester. In the press, Letters of the Right Hon. J. Philpot Curran to H. Weston, Esq. 8vo. The above, which are few in number, were written on Mr. Curran's first coming to London in 1773, at which time he was only 24 years of age. Mr. Weston was a college friend of Mr. Curran. These Letters, while they record the most agreeable feeling of 'Curran's early years, are yet tinged with that philosophic melancholy which accompanied him through life. The Rev. Mr. Butcher, of Sidmouth, bas in the press, a third volume of Sermons for the Use of Families. A new edition of Observations on the Canonical Scriptures, in 4 vols. 8vo. By Mrs. Cornwallis, of Wittersham, Kent, is in the press. In the press, and speedily will be published, Thoughts on Baptism, as an Ordinance of Proselytism; including Observations on the Controversy respecting Terms of Communion. A new edition of Luther's Commentary on the Psalms, with historical elucidations and an illustrative engraying, will speedily appear, in one volume 8vo. In the press, Sermons preached in St. John's Chapel, Edinburgh. By Daniel Sandford, D. D. one of the Bishops of the Scotch Episcopal Church, and formerly Student of Christ Church, Oxford. 8vo. In the press, the Life of the late Right Hon. John Philpot Curran, Master of the Rolls in Ireland. By his Son William Henry Curran, Esq. Barrister at Law, 2 vols. 8vo. with a portrait. In the press, a Geographical and Statistical Description of Scotland. By James Playfair, D. D. F. R. S. and F. A. S. E. Principal of the United College of St. Andrew, and Historiographer to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, 2 vols. 8vo. In the press, a Journey in Carniola and Italy, in the Years 1817 and 1818. By W. A. Cadell, Esq. F.R.S.L. and E. Svo. with engravings. In the press, an Account of the Arctic Regions including the Natural History of Spitzbergen and the adjacent Islands, the Polar Ice, and the Greenland Seas, with a History and Description of the Northern Whale Fishery, illustrated by many Anecdotes of the Dangers of that Occupation. Chiefly derived from Researches made during seventeen Voyages to the Polar Seas. By William Scoresby, jun. Member of the Wernerian Society. In 8vo. with numerous engravings. In the press, Sermons. By the Rev. C. R. Maturin, Curate of St. Peter's, Dublin. 8vo. In April, will be published, the History of Ancient Wiltshire: Northern District. By Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Bart. F.R.S. and F.A.S. In the press, Pastorals-Ruggiero, and other Poems. By E. D. Baynes, Esq. Translator of Ovid's Epistles. In the press, No Fiction! a Narrative founded on Recent and Interesting Facts. sequences of Circumstantial Evidence, and recording remarkable and singular instances of voluntary Human Suffering, with various interesting occurrences. By John Cecil. A handsome volume, in foolscap 8vo. In the press, Speeches by the Right Hon. John Philpot Curran, late Master of the Rolls in Ireland. An edition greatly enlarged by the addition of his Speech on the Trial of the Sheareses, and other Speeches never before collected. With a memoir and portrait. In one large volume 8vo. Mr. J. G. Mansford is printing, in an octavo volume, Researches into the Nature and Causes of Epilepsy, as connected with the physiology of animal life and muscular motion. A Collection of Dr. Zouch's Works, with a Memoir by the Rev. Francis Wrangham, in 2 vols. 8vo. will soon appear. The Rev. Edmund Butcher, bas in the press, a third volume of Sermons for the Use of Families. Captain Moritz de Kotzebue will soon publish, in 8vo. a Journey to Persia in the Suite of the Imperial Russian Embassy, in the year 1817. Mr. Bucke, author of Amusements in Retirement, is printing in 4 vols. 8vo. Meditations and Reflections on the Beauties, Harmonies, and Sublimities of Nature. Zeal and Experience, a Tale, in 2 vols. 12mo. will soon appear. A new edition of Bishop Lavington's Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists Considered, with notes and an introduction by the Rev. R. Polwhele, will soon appear. On the 20th of April, will be published, Letters on the Revival of Popery, its Intolerant Character, its Political Tendency, its Encroaching Demands and Usurpations, addressed to William Wilberforce, Esq. By William Blair, A. M. The third volume of Archdeacon Coxe's Memoirs of John, Duke of Marlborough, will be published in a few days. Mr. Montgomery, Author of the World before the Flood, &c. &c. is preparing another volume for the press, entitled Greenland, and other Poems. A new edition will be published short 1 ly, of Mr. Campbell's Poetical Works, illustrated with engravings from designs by Westall. The third volume of Mr. Southey's History of Brazil, is in a forward state, and may be expected during the present season. Mr. W. B. Taylor is preparing an Historical Account of the University of Dublin, illustrated by engravings, iu the same style as those of Oxford and Cambridge. A Series of Letters by the Hon. Lady Spenser to her Niece, the late Duchess of Devonshire, shortly after her marriage, are preparing for publication. Mr. Peter Nicholson will soon publish, a Course of the Mathematical Sciences, adapted to succeed the study of arithmetic in public schools. Captain James Burney, of the royal navy, is printing an Historical Review of the Maritime Discoveries of the Russians, and of the attempts that have been made to discover a north-east pașsage to China. Mr. Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, has in the press, the Jacobite Poetical Relics of Scotland, during the struggles in 1715 and 1745. The Rev. John Evans, of Islington, is printing a Memoir of the late Rev. Dr. William Richards, with some account of the Rev. Roger Williams, founder of the state of Rhode Island. Mr. S. Fleming proposes to publish, in a quarto volume, the Life of Demosthenes; with an account of the age of Philip of Macedon, and Alexander the Great. The Editor of the "Devout Medi"tations from Watts and Howe," the "Pocket Prayer-Book," and other cheap publications printed by the Philanthropic Society, is compelled to caution the public against spurious editions of these little works, which are now superseding to some extent the genuine editions. The object of the Editor in printing them, was simply of a benevolent nature, and from the low price put upon them, it is only by means of large impressions that she can be secured against considerable loss. It is therefore hoped that the Public will not sanction the spurious editions. Art. XIV. LIST OF WORKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED. AGRICULTURE. A Survey of the Agriculture of Eastern and Western Flanders; made under the authority of the Farming Society of Ireland. By the Rev. Thomas Radcliffe. With a map, and numerous plates of implements, buildings, &c. 8vo. 10s. 6d. Facts and Observations relative to Canada. Proving that the British Colonies possess superior advantages to emigrants compared with the United States of America. By Charles Frederic Grece, Member of the Montreal and Quebec Agricultural Societies. 8vo. 5s, BIOGRAPHY. Memoirs of the Rev. Henry Martin, B.D. late Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and Chaplain to the Hon. East India Company; extracted from his private Journals, written at Cambridge, on his voyage to India, in Bengal, and in Persia. 8vo. 12s. Memoirs of the late Rev. William Kingsbury, M.A. formerly of Southampton. By John Bullar, 8vo. 7s. BOTANY. An Appendix to the Synopsis Plantarum Succulentarum cum descriptionibus, synonymis, &c. Auctore A. H. Haworth, F.L.S. crown 8vo. 5s. EDUCATION. Scenes in Asia for little Tarry-atHome Travellers. By the Rev. I. Taylor. Illustrated by 84 Engravings. Price 4s. plain, or 6s. coloured. Scenes in Europe for little Tarry-atHome Travellers. By the same Writer. Illustrated by 84 Engravings. Price 4s. plain, or 6s. coloured. French Pronunciation exemplified: and all the most elegant figures of the French language collected and explained, both in English and French. By M. Ch. Max, de Bellecour. 12mo. 5s. bds. A Sketch of Modern History from the Destruction of the Western Empire, A.D. 476, to the Close of the Year 1818, together with a concise View of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences, and of Civilization in Europe, with a compendious Table of Chronology from the Creation of the World to the present Time. By A. Picquot, author of Ele ments of Universal Geography, &c. 12mo. 6s. boards. Conversations on General History, exhibiting a progressive view of the state of mankind, from the earliest ages of which we have any authentic records, to the beginning of the year 1819. For the use of schools and private instruction. By Alexander Jamieson, author of a Treatise on the Construction of Maps, &c. 12mo. 6s. boards. HISTORY. Memorials; or, the Considerable Things that fell out within this Island of Great Britain from 1638 to 1684. By the Rev. Robert Law. Edited from the MS. by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq. 4to. 11. 16s. boards. The History of France, Civil and Military, Ecclesiastical, Literary, Commercial, &c. &c. By the Rev. Alexander Ranken, D.D. one of the Ministers of Glasgow. Vols. 4, 5, and 6. Continuing the History from the earliest accounts to the death of Henry III. A.D. 1589. 8vo. 11. 4s. 6d. A Statistical, Political, and Historical Account of the United States of America, from the period of the first Establishments to the present day, on a new plan. By D. B. Warden, late Consul for the United States at Paris. 3 vols. 8vo. 21. 2s. boards. With a new map of the United States, and a plan of the city of Washington. JURISPRUDENCE. Esprit, Origine, et Progrés des Institutions Judiciares des principaux pays de l'Europe. Par J. D. Meyer. Tom. I. 8s. boards. Observations on Penal Jurisprudence and the Reformation of Criminals. With an Appendix; containing the latest reports of the State Prisons or Penitentiaries of Philadelphia, New York, and Massachussets; and other Documents. By William Roscoe, Esq. 8vo. 9s. Reports of Cases tried in the Jury. Court; from the Institution of the Court in 1815, to the Sittings at Edinburgh ending in March, 1818. By Joseph Murray, Esq. Advocate, 8vo. 15s. The Penal Code of France, translated into English; with a Preliminary Dissertation and Notes. 8vo. 5s. boards. |