1821.] 



Critical JS^uticcs of Boole s of the Month. 



rius zs faithfully as can be expected in a 

 production of the kind. We are carried 

 back to th" g-orgeousne's and depravity of 

 tlic imperial city — we recline at the sump- 

 tuous fc;ists of ils luxurious senators — Ave 

 enter the Colisreum, and behold men man- 

 gling their fellow creatures, and we rush 

 out in dis<i-iist at one of the hundred vomi- 

 tories. The story is simply, but well told 

 in the person of Valerius, a youn'j; Vro- 

 vincial, who leaves his nalive Britain for 

 the metropolis of the world, where he be- 

 comes eiiamiured of Athunasia, a noble 

 Roman maiden, who has secretly been 

 converted to christiunily, and these ad- 

 venturers furnish the subject of the novel. 



A Supplement to the Plwrmcicopcria has 

 lately appe;ired, Ijy IMr. S. F. Gray, in- 

 tended to g-ive a concise account of the 

 actual state of our knowledg'e of druse's in 

 general. The preface contains notices of 

 several points connected with the subject of 

 medicine and pharmacology, which are 

 written wit!i good sense and impartiality- 

 The author takes an opportunity of exami- 

 ning the tendency of the Apothecaries' Act, 

 and considers this question as well as those 

 arising from the conflicting- interests of the 

 medical profession, with much fairness and 

 liberality. A collection of the most useful 

 medical formula^, a list of the indigenous 

 plants of the British islands, and other im- 

 portant information to members of the pro- 

 fession, will be found in this work, which 

 i> entitled to a respectable ptn'ion amongst 

 the publications already existing on this 

 subject. 



AVhile Ilc/ht readinfi and lif/ht thinking 

 are so much the fashion, it is scarcely sea- 

 sonable to expect that a little volume,which 

 has no flippaut pretensions to amusement, 

 and no splendid decorations to adorn it, 

 will ever rise to the surface of the floating 

 literature of the day, however great may 

 be the soundness and the acuteness of the 

 matter it contains — such is the unpretend- 

 ing volume which bears the title of An 

 Essay on Genius, or the Philosophy of 

 Literature, hy Jon's Duncan. There are 

 many works oftentimes the size that do not 

 contain so many useful truths, and so much 

 cogent argument on this difficult and ab- 

 struse point, as Mr. Duncan's little essay. 

 He takes somewhat the same view of it, as 

 Sir Joshua Reynolds in his excellent dis- 

 courses, and by simplifying the question 

 from the thousand fanciful theories with 

 which former writers had perplexed it, he 

 reduces it to a chain of plain and simple 

 reasoning. He attempts to explode the 

 monopoly of genius which has served for 

 ages as an excuse for the idle, and an ex- 

 clusive privilege for the vain. He h::y. de- 

 monstrated, and clearly too, that .in nn- 

 failing determination united witli unceasing 

 industry, must necessarily overcome all 



4S9 



obstacles, and that it is in a man's power 

 to dir2ct his mind to any subject he pleases 

 with an equal chance of success, subject 

 only to the extent of power which his nnnd 

 possesses. The chapter on education is 

 particularly worth attention. Ou the whole, 

 this treatise is a valuable addition to our 

 stock of practically useful metaphysics. 



At a period when the state of our crimi- 

 nal code engrosses so large a portion of 

 public attention, it is natural to suppose 

 that the ideas of men practically conversant 

 with the administration of law, must at- 

 tract no small share of interest. Whether 

 the pamphlet, which J. T. Barber Beau- 

 mont, Esq., a magistrate for Middlesex 

 and Westminster, has lately published, 

 entitled An Esta;/ on Criminal Juris- 

 prudence, with the Draft of a New Penal 

 Cede, will tend in any degree to forward 

 the great cause of improvement in our 

 penal laws, seems extremely doubtful. Of 

 the many ill-advised schemes of legisla- 

 tion vihich the presumption of men have 

 at various limes attempted to impose 

 upon a sufT-ving community, this seems to 

 be one of the weakest, yet the most severe. 

 Passing over the introductory essay, which 

 is full of contradictory reasoning, it will 

 bo sufficient to mention a few of the novel 

 punishments which this magistrate has de- 

 vised to render us more happy and honest. 

 We have solitary imprisonment with only a 

 blanket to cover the criminal by day, and 

 a bed of rough straw for him to repose on 

 at night, while his beard is to be suffered 

 to grow, and if this is not sufficient to dis- 

 guise him from the recognition of his fel- 

 low-sufferers when they are marched out 

 to take exercise, he is to wear a mask ! 

 Should he attempt to address a fellow-cri- 

 minal, a dozen lashes is the penalty. We 

 have branding in various parts of the body, 

 with a power reserved for the executioner 

 from time to time to take a view of the 

 felon's body, and re-brand him if the marks 

 should be growing faint. Nay, in one 

 case, branding and solitary imprisonment 

 for life are conjoined. Can any thing dis- 

 guise this gratuitous cruelty, which can 

 neither plead the reformation of the offen- 

 der,orthe deterring of others, as an excuse? 

 But more than this, we afterwards find 

 death — with previous amputation of the 

 bands, and in some cases still more shock- 

 ing mutilations ! If this be allowable, as 

 a horror to others, let the rack at once be 

 introduced — it may be defended on pre- 

 cisely the same principle. Such are the ten- 

 der mercies here suggested. The work 

 furnishes, however, some amusement. — 

 What will be thought of a grave legislator 

 who ordains that a chimney-sweeper shall 

 be criminally punishable for soiling the 

 clothes of well-dressed people en pnssavt .'.' 

 The opening .irticlc in the ;;jth number 



of 



