106 
The review of Arago’s Narrative of 
a Voyage round the World in 1817, 18, 
19, and 20, undertaken by order of the 
French government, is the third article, 
and occupies sixteen pages, contain- 
ing a number of short extracts, all of 
which, by means of the appended re- 
marks, are made to appear extremely 
ridiculous. Not having seen M. 
Arago’s work, we have no means 
of knowing how far these extracts 
have been garbled or caricatured to 
answer the intended purpose; but, if 
any sinister purpose were intended, 
some of the extracts show a suflicient 
extent of liberal principles to account 
for that intention. 
We have next an Essay on the Poor 
Laws, headed by some printed reports 
of the House of Commons, and by a 
speech from Dr. Chalmers, delivered 
about a year ago, in the General 
Assembly of the Church of Scotland, 
On this subject, the practical opinions 
of the reviewer are consonant with 
our own. However the poor-laws 
may have originated, and whatever 
evils they may be supposed to have 
produced, it would be unwise (we say 
impossible,) to abrogate them, except 
by slow degrees. Dr. Chalmers calls 
them ‘a moral nuisance, a bane, a 
burden, an excrescence on the body- 
politic, a sore leprosy, which has 
spread itself over the ten thousand pa- 
rishes of England;” but this language 
is akin to his religious rhodomontades, 
and has nothing to do with reason. 
Examine it as we will, the poor-rates 
will be found to have their origin in 
the poverty of the multitude, and the 
fear of their rulers. When, by some 
concatenation of circumstances, (for 
tyranny itself seldom originates in 
design,) the labour of the poor is not 
paid sufficiently to enable them to 
exist; some means must be resorted 
to that may give them an additional 
income without labour; otherwise we 
shouid heve to’ dread either an orga- 
nized insurrection, or prowling bands 
of robbers and murderers. The poor- 
laws, therefore, do not spring from 
kindness, but from necessity. They 
are necessary to the existence of so- 
ciety, if we would not return to the 
law of nature; for, abstractedly consi- 
dered, ‘‘ No man has a better right to 
the fruits of the earth than he who 
sows and reaps them.” Some of our 
readers may perhaps be startled at 
this language; but it does not differ 
one iota in principle from the opinion 
1 
Philosophy of Contemporary Criticism, No. XXXII. [Sept. t, 
of the reviewer. ‘‘ We contend (says 
he,) that the poor laws are recom- 
mended by practical utility; and we 
would again repeat, that the claims of 
the indigent for relief are sacred,— 
sacred in the highest sense of that 
solemn word ; for the blessings which 
the bounty of God vouchsafes to the 
more favoured is not amere gratuitous 
dispensation. Religion, —or, what 
some reformers will consider better 
authority, the instinctive feeling of 
mankind in all ages and countries,— 
proves that the relief of the poor is one 
of the first duties of the rich.” 
The Travels of Theodore Ducas in 
various Countries of Europe at the 
Revival of Letters and Art, by Charles 
Mills, is an imitation of the Travels of 
Anacharsis, and is very fairly review- 
ed. We wish to “blame where we 
must, and be candid where we can;” 
and, therefore, dismiss this short're- 
view without animadversion. 
The sixth article is the Narrative of 
a Journey to the Shores of the Polar 
Sea, in the Years 1819, 20, 21, and 22, 
by John Franklin, which is deservedly 
praised; and, being.“ published by 
authority of the Right Honourable the 
Earl Bathurst,” affords a convenient 
opportunity for eulogizing his ma- 
jesty’s government. Many of our 
readers will have probably seen this 
Narrative, and the general tone of 
the review is merely that of extract 
and praise. One part only is deser- 
ving of notice on account of its cant 
and vulgar abuse, which would be 
totally disgraceful to any respectable 
work. Franklin’s party were forced 
to separate; and, on that occasion, 
Dr. Richardson and his companions 
were reduced to the most extreme 
weakness, both of body and mind, 
from the want of food: ‘ Never (says 
the reviewer,) were the blessings of 
religion more strongly felt than in the 
case of these exccllent men, when to 
all human appearance their case was: 
utterly hopeless; yet nothing like 
despondency, not a murmur ever 
escaped from their lips.” Then comes 
an extract:—“Through the extreme 
kindness and forethought of a lady, 
the party, previous to leaving London, 
had been furnished with a small col- 
lection of religious books, of which 
we still retained two or three of the 
most portable, and they proved of 
incalculable benefit to us. We read 
portions of them to each other as we 
lay in bed, in addition to the mofrning~ 
and 
