698 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



the last two more especially 

 abound in the richest traits both 

 ■ of pathos and humour. 



There are many papers, like- 

 wise, in the Observer, which may 

 more exclusively be termed Hu- 

 morous ; such as the Letters from 

 Mr. Jedediah Fish, in Nos.45 and 

 69 ; the Letter from Rusticus, in 

 No. 80 ; the Letter from Posthu- 

 mous, in No. 92 : the Characters 

 of Simon Sapling and Billy Sim- 

 per, in Nos. 129, 131, and 132 ; 

 the Adventures of Kit Cracker, in 

 No. 134 ; and the Letter from 

 Tom Tortoise, in No. 149. These, 

 and others of a similar kind, very 

 agreeably relieve the literary and 

 didactic portion of the work ; and 

 at the same time exhibit a know- 

 ledge of the world, its follies, and 

 eccentricities. 



It may be afiBrmed of this pe- 

 riodical paper, very highly to its 

 credit, that almost every part of 

 it, either directly or indirect!}', 

 possesses a Moral tendency ; a 

 considerable number of essays is 

 avowedlj' appropriated to subjects 

 of this kind, subjects calculated to 

 improve the manners and melio- 

 rate the heart ; and even in those 

 which are set apart for literarj' 

 and critical inquiry, great care has 

 been taken to render them, in al- 

 most every instance, subservient 

 to the best purposes of virtue and 

 instruction. 



Nor should we fail to notice, 

 that some papers of great value, 

 strong in argument, and curious in 

 research, are devoted to Religious 

 topics. The comparison of Py- 

 thagoras with Christ, in No. 12 ; 

 the defence of our Saviour's Mi- 

 racles, in No. 13; the morality of 

 Christianity, as compared with 

 that of natural religion, in No. 

 83; and an argument for the evi- 

 dences of the Christian religion, in 

 No.93 ; together with three papers 

 in volume the fourth, in answer to 

 the cavils and objections of David 

 Levi, are of this kind, and im- 

 press us with a deep sense of the 

 piety of their author. 



The Observer, though the sole 

 labour of an individual, is yet 

 rich in variety, both of subject 

 and manner ; in this respect, in- 

 deed, as well as in literary interest, 

 and in fertility of invention, it 

 may be classed with the Spectator 

 and Adventurer : if inferior to the 

 latter in grandeur of fiction, or to 

 the former in delicate irony and 

 dramatic unity of design, it is 

 wealthier in its literary fund than 

 either, equally moral in its views, 

 and as abundant in the creation 

 of incident. I consider it, there- 

 fore, with the exception of the 

 papers just mentioned, as superior 

 in its powers of attraction, to 

 every other periodical composi- 

 tion. 



