492 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 212. 



without which individuals cannot go on in improve- 

 ment on independent principles. It resolves wealtli 

 into the forms most conducive to this object, and pre- 

 pares for the highest services both individuals and 

 communities." 



The book, however, Is extremely discursive, and 

 no small portion of it is devoted to foreign politics. 

 Thus, of the "Eastern Question," the author dis- 

 poses in this fashion : 



" Austria, to answer its destination, ougiit to com- 

 prise Wallachia, Bessarabia, Moldavia, and, following 

 the line of demarcation drawn by the Danube, the whole 

 territory at its debouchment . . . Turkey cannot re- 

 gard the sacrifices proposed as of much importance, 

 when such security as that now in contemplation could 

 be obtained. Tlie whole strength of her immense 

 empire is at present drained to support her contest on 

 this very barrier with Russia. But that barrier, it is 

 evident, would this way be efTectually secured : for 

 Austria has too many points of importance to protect, 

 to dream of creating new ones on this feeble yet ex- 

 tended confine of her domains." — Pp. 835, 836. 



From internal evidence, the book appears to 

 have been written between 1812 and 1815. It is 

 printed in half-sheets, from sig. A to sig. 6 B, and 

 three half-sheets are wanting, viz. E, 5 Q, and 

 5 R. In place of the last two, the following MS. 

 note is inserted : 



" Tlie speculations in the two following sheets in- 

 cluded views that related to the disorganised state of 

 Turkey, and the unhappy deijendence of the Bourbon 

 family ; whicli are now, from the changes which have 

 taken place, altogether unfit for publication." 



The sole indication of the authorship which I 

 have observed throughout the volume lies in the 

 following foot-note, at p. 893. : 



" This is all that seems to be necessary to say on the 

 subject of education. In a treatise published by me a 

 few years ago, entitled Improvements in Glasgow, I 

 think I have exhausted," &c.* 



The only treatise with such a title which I find 

 in Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica is thus entered : 



" Laurie, David. Proposed improvements in Glas- 

 gow. Glasg., 1810, 8vo. — Hints regarding the East 

 India Monopoly, 1813. 2s." 



My Queries then are these : 



1. Is anything known of such a treatise on 

 "circulable wealth," &c., as that which I have 

 named ? 



2. Is any biographical notice extant of the 

 " David Laurie " mentioned by Watt ? 



I may add that the volume in question was 

 recently purchased along with about 1000 other 

 pamphlets and books, chiefly on political economy : 



* I find no mention of Mr. Laurie, or of his 

 " Improvements in Glasgow," in Cleland's Amials of 

 Glasgow, published in 1816; nor is he mentioned in 

 Mr. M'CuUoch's Literature of Political Economy. 



all of which appear to have formerly belonged to 

 the late Lord Bexley, and to have been for the 

 most part collected by him when Chancellor of the 

 Exchequer. E, 



Old Trafford, near Manchester. 



" DONATUS REDIVIVUS." 



Can you, or any of your correspondents, give 

 me any information relative to the history or 

 authorship of the following pamphlet ? — 



" Donatus Redivivus : or a Reprimand to a modern 

 Church-Schismatick, for his Revival of the Donatistical 

 Heresy of Ilebaptization, in Defiance to the Judgment 

 and Practice of the Catholick Church, and of the 

 Church of England in particular. In a Letter ta 

 Himself. London, 1714." 



The same tract (precisely identical, except in the 

 title-page) is also to be found with the following 

 title : 



" Rebaptization condemned. Wherein is shown, 

 1. That to Rebaptize any Person that was once Bap- 

 tiz'd, even by Laymen, in the name of the Sacred 

 Trinity, is contrary to the Practice of the Catholick 

 Church in all Ages. 2. That it is repugnant to the 

 Principles and Practice of the Church of England. 

 3. The Pernicious Consequences of such a Practice. 

 By the Author of Plain Dealing, or Separation without 

 Schism," &c. London, 1716. 



I am aware that, according to Dr. Watt, the 

 author of Plain Dealing was Charles Owen, D.D., 

 but he makes no mention of Donatus Redi- 

 vivus, and I am unable to discover any account 

 of Dr. Charles Owen or his writings elsewhere. 

 There appears to have been a reply to Donatus 

 Redivivus, purporting to be from the pen of a 

 Mrs. Jane Chorlton. This I have never seen, 

 and have only learned of its existence from a sub- 

 sequent pamphlet with the following title : 



"The Amazon Disarm'd : or, the Sophisms of a 

 Schismatical Pamphlet, pretendedly writ by a Gentle- 

 M'oman, entituled An Answer to Donatus Redivivus, 

 exposed and confuted ; being a further Vindication of 

 the Church of England from the scandalous imputation 

 of Donatism or Rebaptization, London, 1714." 



The dedication of this last tract begins as follows : 



" To the Reverend Mr. L — ter, and the Demi-re- 

 verend Mr. M— 1 — n. 



" Gentlemen, 

 " This letter belongs to you upon a double account, 

 as you were the chief Actors in the late Rebaptization, 

 and are the supposed Vindicators of it, in the Answer 

 to Donatus ; a Treatise writ in Defence of the Senti- 

 ments of the Church, which you father upon a Dis- 

 senting Minister, and disingenuously point out to 

 Mr. O n by Name," &c. 



The point which I wish particularly to ascertain 

 is, whether Dr. Charles Owen was really the 



