[ 166 1 



[March i, 



NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY, 



ff'ilh an Historical mid Critical Proemium. 



*,* Authors or Pnhlishers desirous of seeing nn enrli/ notice of tlieir Works, are 

 requested io transmit copies before the 18/A of the Month. 



View of the HUiory, Literature, and 

 Mytholoi/t/ of the Ilindoox, \oU 3 and 4, by 

 William Ward, of Seratnpore; is a 

 most valuiible and well-written work; in- 

 deed we have witnessed nothing equal in 

 utility and depth of research to the con- 

 tents of these volumes, since the days of 

 Sir William Jones. The manners, customs, 

 history, and present state of the Hindoo 

 nations, are ably delineated, and trans- 

 lations from their principal works are given 

 to exemplify the cfenius and literature of 

 the natives of the East. Mr. Ward ap- 

 pears to be well versed in the Sanscrit 

 Lano^iuige, and the method which he has 

 adopted of cjiviog by sic,ns and accents the 

 sounds of Sanscrit, or as he has it, Suvfl- 

 shriiii words, must prove of great service 

 to persons studying the pronunciation of 

 hiudostanee. j>lr. Ward is of opinion 

 that the Hindoo is as susceptible of intel- 

 lectual improvement as the inhabitant of 

 Europe ; and we think some of the literary 

 productions of the Hindoo mind, bear 

 convincing testimony to this. ^VI.o can 

 estimate the capacity of minds that !:ave 

 never had an opportunity of bursting the 

 thraldom of ignorance and superstition ; 

 that have never been placed in circum- 

 stances of adequate trial, which have 

 never been kindled by the collisions of 

 genius, the struggles of parties, the pl.iu- 

 dits of senates, and that have never been 

 called into action by the voice of their 

 country, or enlarged by the society of fo- 

 reigners, and by voyages and travels into 

 distant realms ? The European mind, it 

 must be recollected, has attained its pre- 

 sent vigour and expansion by the opera- 

 tion of all these causes, ai:d after the il- 

 lumination of centuries, while we find 

 the Hindoo still walking amidst the thick 

 darkness of a long night of ignorance, 

 uucheered and undirected by the light of 

 a humanizing religion, or any system of 

 order or improvement. The most impor- 

 tant point that strikes our attention in 

 the view thus presented of the condition 

 and peculiarities of the Hindoos, is the 

 little degree of mclioratiun or enlighteu- 

 nicnt that has taken p!ac2 among thera 

 since the introduciiou of Britisli govern- 

 ment. The baneful effects of idolatry and 

 infatuating superstitious, kept up by their 

 priests or brahmins, are still felt in all their 

 horrors; andliumansacriticesandielf-inimo- 

 latiou, are still as openly practised as ever. 

 By a statement, containing the returns of 

 (he mngistratcs, under the presidency of 

 Deng-al, to the Supreme Native Court at 



Calcutta, of the number of widows burnt 

 or buried alive under that presidency, in 

 the years 181.5, 1816, and 1817, it appears 

 that in the year 1817, no less than .vcreu 

 hundred and . six widows were thus immo- 

 lated in that part of India'. The probabi- 

 lity is, that several times that number 

 perished, for these returns depended en- 

 tirely on the will of the families thus im- 

 molating their widows, and on the vigi- 

 lance of the native officers. In short, it 

 appears that two Hindoo widows are 

 roasted or buried alive every day in only 

 one division of British India. Is there any 

 parallel to this in the whole calendar of 

 human offence and human woe? Who 

 shall count the number of orphans thus 

 deprived of father dud mother at one 

 stroke? Who estimate the misery thus 

 engendered ? And this is tolerated under 

 British law I and this is liriiish India! 



ji Lifeof Voltaire, with interesting par- 

 ticulars respecting his death, and annec- 

 dotcs and characters of his contempora- 

 ries, has appeared from the pen of Frank 

 Hall Stan nisH, esq. I'ew remarkable 

 personages who have agitated the times 

 in which thoy lived, and whose opinions 

 are destined to intiuence posterity, have 

 stood more in need of candid biographers 

 than the philosopher of Ferney. Mr. 

 Staudi?]i is an unprejudiced and able his- 

 torian, who though he has not contributed 

 many new facts, (for these have long been 

 cxhausted^hasimpartcd considerable inter- 

 est to his literary pictures,and sketched the 

 events ot an important and extraordinary 

 period of history with spirit and accuracy. 

 A view of the Life of Voltaire necessarily 

 comprehends great part of the political 

 and literary occurrences of the eighteenth 

 century. These will long possess a power- 

 ful interest on all minds. Voltaire, we 

 may almost venture to say, was the first 

 who foresaw clearly, and prognosticated 

 boldly, the approach of the French Revo- 

 lution. He hesitated not to proclaim even 

 in the ears of infatuated princes, what his 

 superior sagacity perceived would be the 

 end of their systems and conduct, namely, 

 that (he people would assert their rights ; 

 and he was not slow him.-elf to raise the 

 banner of mental emancipation. The blow 

 which Voltaire gave to the despotism of 

 priests, and the conspicuous and active 

 part which he took in favour of freedom 

 and justice, have entitled him to the gra- 

 titude and admiration of mankind, what- 

 ever objectionable features may be found 

 in other parts of his character. Opinions 



haT» 



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