Literary and Critical Proemium. 



45S 



any county wrestle so manfully with such 

 enormous ditficultips ; but whilst we bear 

 them patiei.lly in the hope of better limes, 

 it is too much to be told by our friend, the 

 Nottinghamshire fanner, that we are only 

 miserable because taxes are not so heavy, 

 prices not so high, and monopolies not so 

 exclusive as they ought to be. 



The Journal of a Kesiiience in the livrm- 

 hun Empire, by C'apt. HiRAM Cox, con- 

 tains a curious and minute account of the 

 liabiis and manners of a nation liithertobut 

 little known to Europeans. In the year 

 179G, Capt. Cox was deputed to fill the 

 situalion of resident and commercial agent 

 of the East India Company at Rangoon in 

 that kingdom. The .lourual comprehends 

 the transactions of little more than one 

 year, the greater part of which was em- 

 ployed in a journey to Amarapoorah, the 

 capital city. At the age of 39 years, Capt. 

 Cox fell a victim to his own exertions, and 

 the baneful efi'ects of the climate. The 

 present work, which is by no means defi- 

 cient in interest and information, is edited 

 by his son, and throws important light 

 upon countries, which from their vicinity 

 to China and to our increasing Empire in 

 the east, become every day objects of 

 greater curiosity and consequence. As no 

 part of tlia world is less known than the 

 IJurmhan empire, this volume may be re- 

 garded as a valuable acquisition to our 

 stock of geographical knowledge ; and as 

 this portion of India promises a rich harvest 

 to our adventuring merchants at Liverpool, 

 Bristol, and Glasgow,it is likely to be read 

 with profit. 



The last number of the Journal of jVew 

 Voyages and Travels, contained the whole 

 of Montule's Travels in Egypt, so late 

 as 181'.), with no less than twelve engrav- 

 ings. M. Moiitul6 is one of the most 

 active of the travellers who of late years 

 have visited Egypt, and he has produced 

 oae of the most interesting works of tra- 

 vels in that country of exhaustless interest. 

 Many of the subjects depicted are entirely 

 new, and one of them consists of an 

 arched vault of the highest Egyptian An- 

 tiquity. The work at two or three guineas 

 price would have been acceptable only to 

 the opulent, but at its price of 3s. 6d. it is 

 likely to be read by all classes. 



The example of Bui-ns and of a very 

 small number of others, whose genius has 

 triumphed over cirxumstauces, has en- 

 couraged a multitude of attempts in men 

 of inferior education and iuformatiou, 

 which it is painful to reject but impossible 

 to encourage. Itr the present state of let- 

 ters, the most refined and cultivated intel- 

 lects, and the highest excrtioiis of polished 

 genius, meet with a fastidious reception 

 from a public, long accustomed to the 

 contemplation of the best models in every 

 branch of composition. It is of no avail, 



[June 1, 



in such a state of things, to put forward 

 pretensions to notice, which are not sup- 

 ported by decisive and indubitable marks 

 of genius. We cannot say that this is the 

 case with Vicissitude, and other Pieces, 

 by RouERT MiLLHOUSE, and we should 

 do injustice to Mr. Millhouse and to our- 

 selves, ifwewereto disguise our candid 

 opinion that these poems, however credit- 

 able to the author in the circumstances 

 under which he writes, can only aspire to 

 a humble mediocrity. It is easy, however, 

 to ti-ace in them the marks of a good and 

 afTectionate heart, and of feelings which do 

 him more honour than could be derived 

 from the possession of mere poetical repu- 

 tation, and shew him to be worthy of the 

 support and fi-iendship he has found. 



A Treatise on Indigestion, and its Con- 

 sequences, by Dr. A. P. VV. Philip, cou- 

 taius much valuable research into the na- 

 ture and cure of a disorder, which is more 

 prevalent and universal in various shapes 

 than can readily be imagined, and which 

 sometimes occasions much discomfort, 

 where its existence is not suspected. The 

 manner in which Dr. Philip discusses this 

 subject, renders his traatise instructive to 

 the professional man, and intelligible to 

 the general reader. In complaints of this 

 nature, particularly during their fii-st in- 

 ception, so much depends upon the patient 

 himself in the proper application of diet 

 and exercise, that though not inclined to 

 recommend the management of their own 

 cases to afflicted individuals in general, 

 we feel confident that such a publicatioir as 

 this may be consulted with propriety and 

 utility. The bints given by the author 

 for the alleviation and ultimate removal of 

 the distressing symptoms of this malady, 

 deserve great attention. Plain and mo- 

 dei-ate meals, taken at regular periods of 

 time, are productive of the best effects ; 

 and W2 would particularly recommend 

 simple and early dinner's, as an object of 

 the gr-eatest importauce to invalids of this 

 description. Wiihont temperance and re- 

 gularity in the nrode of living, prescrip- 

 tions are of no avail ; and the disease re- 

 solves itself into one of those fatal forms, 

 wlrich, proceeding from a disordered or- 

 ganization, allow of little mitigation, and 

 no cure. 



A novel entitled Valerius has lately ap- 

 peared, and certainly possesses some 

 claims to public attention. The story is 

 laid at Rome during the meridian of the 

 Empire, and at the time of the persecu- 

 tion of the cai'ly Christians. There is 

 something interesting if not improving in a 

 work of imagination, which professes to 

 describe the manners and sentiments of 

 distant countries and of remote times, if 

 the attempt be carried into execution with 

 a tolerable degree of accuracy. This cer- 

 tainly has been done iu the novel of Valer 



rius 



