MCEeOUNT (OF BOOKS: 
Sir Jofhua Reynolds, the refult, ac- 
cording to Mr. M’Cormick, was 
highly advantageous, though in dif- 
ferent-ways to both parties. Ina 
word, Sir Jofhua rofe by borrowed 
wings to hjgh literary fame, by his 
“‘ Difcourfes to the Royal Acade- 
my,” which Mr. Burke is’ faid to 
have compofed for him, while Sir 
Jofhua repaid the obligation by very 
liberal pecuniary difburfements. « 
Mr. M’Cormick, after clofing the 
fhort and unfatisfactory anecdotes 
of Mr. Burke’s private life, and pre- 
vious to the period of his political 
importance, prefents us with the 
following character of him :— 
“In every circle where he ap- 
“peared, an interefting {weetnefs and 
fantibiity of countenance difpofed 
even firangers to form at firft fight: 
a favourable idea of) his charaéter ; 
and this impreffion was afterwards 
filrengthened by the delicacy of 
his behaviour and the numberlefs 
charms of his converfation. He 
was not indeed remarkable for a 
dignity of afpect, nor did any light- 
ning ever flafh from his eye; but 
though he wanted thofe external 
marks of an elevated foul, or of the 
commanding orator, he poflefled 
the fofter graces of good humour 
and: ferenity. It was the clath of 
parliamentary debate and the violent 
collifions of party which afterwards 
ftruck out the latent fire of his foul, 
and betrayed thofe fatal weaknefles ; 
that extreme irritability of temper, 
that uncontrouled and almoft frantic 
vehemerice of paflion, which be- 
came the caufe of fuch frequent 
vexation to his friends, and expofed 
him fo often to the attacks of his 
enemies. Before the commence- 
ment of his political warfare, no- 
thing but the milk of good-nature 
feemed to flow from his lips; he 
457 
replied to the harfheftcontradi€tions 
in a tone of foft perfuafion; he 
heard impertinence and abfurdity 
without a frown. Mafter of every 
ftile, from Bolingbroke to Bunyan, 
his language was always fuited to 
the occafion. The richnefs of his 
fancy enabled him to fcatier flowers 
over a barren fubjeét, while the 
fallies of his wit enabled him to en- 
liven the moft ferious difcuffions. 
It cannot bea matter of juftfurprife, 
much lefs of reproach, that low ima- 
ges and ftrokes of vulgar pleafantry 
were fometimes found in the ex- 
uberance of his entertaining re- 
marks. Inftead of exprefling an 
ill-natured difguft at fuch little 
blemifhes, we fhould rather com- 
pare the impetuous rufh of his ideas 
to the rapidity. of Peruvian torrents, 
which, in wafhing down gold from 
the tops of the mountains, mingle 
the precious ore with common 
fand.”’ : 
Thefe Memoirs throughoutabound 
with violent inveétives againft Mr. 
Burke’s political apoftacy; againft 
which Mr. M’Cormick declaims 
with more acrimony than becomes 
the impartiality of a biographer. 
Another biographical account of 
this extraordinary man, from the 
pen of Dr. Biffet, has been lately ° 
announced, which we fhall notice 
in our next volume. 
An authentic Account of the Embaffy 
Siom the King of Great Britain to the 
Emperor of China ; including ,curfory 
Objervations made, and Information 
obtained, in travelling through that 
ancient Empire, and a fmall Part of 
Chinefe Tartary : together with a Re- 
lation of the Voyage undertaken on the 
Occafion by his Majefty’s Ship the 
Lion, andthe Ship Hindofan %n the 
La 
