MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND ART. 345 



A LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE LORD BISHOP OP EXETER. BY A 

 LAYMAN. DEVONPORT, 1834. 



THIS pamphlet attempts to shew that " the construction, ma- 

 chinery, service, and sermons of the Church of England ; together 

 with the doctrines of fore-knowledge, election, and predestination, are 

 considered as among the principal causes of the present vitiated and 

 decayed state of the body politic." 



The author is evidently a well-meaning man, but his style is so 

 loose, laboured, incorrect, and obscure, that we are quite certain the 

 prelate to whom he has addressed his lucubrations will be very little 

 edified, should he take the trouble to read them. 



Our Laymam inquires by what means the inhabitants of England 

 have progressed to and attained, " their present decayed and demora- 

 lized condition ;" and is disposed to conclude, that climr.te and food 

 have influenced in no small degree the bringing about of this lamen- 

 table consummation. 



" To the genial climate, therefore/' he says, " together with the large pro- 

 portion of animal food, and nourishing and cordial liquids, which form the 

 daily supply of all classes in this country we may also trace a very material 

 influence in producing that unbounded influence of the passions which now 

 characterize the population of England, and which, with very long prac- 

 tice, have been rendered quite absolute." 



The Bishop of Exeter may be, probably, enabled to decide whe- 

 ther suchfpauses are likely to produce such effects, by a reference to 

 his own moral conformation ; but certain we are, that were we to grant 

 the " decayed and demoralized condition" of the people, we should 

 hardly think of attributing it to their " large proportion of animal 

 food, and nourishing and cordial liquids." 



If our author will undertake to supply the exciting causes, we gua- 

 rantee to restrain and correct that unbounded influence of the pas- 

 sions generated by them ; and we think we shall have chosen the 

 easier task of the two. 



THE PRACTICE BOOK. BY Miss E. TALLANT. SECOND EDITION. 

 LONDON, 1834. 



THESE exercises for the use of children have reached a second 

 edition, which may be said to be a primd facie evidence of their 

 appreciation by those for whose use they are intended. 



To us, not much pondering upon these matters (we must frankly 

 confess it, although there is a lady in the case) the plan adopted by 

 Miss Tallant does not impress upon us the conviction of its being a 

 good one. 



Let us give an example from the second page of these exercises : 



" Though the British ensign felt he was mortally wounded, yet he was 

 so anxious to preserve his ensign, that he wrapped it round his body. 

 Q. What constitutes the British Empire ? What is meant by mortally ? 

 What by the two words ensign ? What are the gradations of military 

 rank ?" 



We could suggest to the young lady who has devised this method 

 of pointing the way to information, that a child who might be re- 



