1^0 REVIEW. STATISTICS. JunC 29, 



might have fervcd to convince us, that in doing this, we wefe 

 purfuing an tgnusjaiuus, that only tended to midead to our 

 undoing : Yet ftill we are running after this IVi// 0' the wi//>, 

 and a fraall addition of ufelefs territory is, even now, in dan- 

 ger of proving a bribe fufficient to draw off our attention 

 from concerns of infinitely greater importance. The pre- 

 fent work, by ferving to bring under our notice many of 

 thefe important objefts, will, I truft, prove an aera in the 

 hiftory of the political ftate of this country : An aufpi- 

 cious aera indeed it will prove, if it Ihall help to produce 

 this effeft. 



Animated with thefe hopes, there feeras to be no reafon 

 to fear, that a work fo happily begun, will not be in a fliort 

 time finally accomplilhed, by the joint endeavours of a fet of 

 men, who only wanted fuch an opportunity as the prefent 

 to be brought forward to the notice of the public as a body, 

 when taken in the aggregate, that can perhaps be equalled 

 by none other on the globe. Hitherto they have been little 

 known, farther than the bounds of their refpeftive parifties. 

 Now the names of every individual will be made known in 

 an honourable manner through all the regions of the 

 earth ; for they may reft aflured that there is no European 

 language into which this book will not be tranilated, nor any 

 country into which it will not find its way. If the clergy of 

 any other country, particularly of England, think they are 

 entitled to equal refpeft, let them produce a work of equal 

 merit. When that is done, a fair ellimate of the merit and 

 abilities of the qficiatinir clergy in both countries may be 

 made^ but if they (hrink back from the trial, the Scottirn 

 clergy will be juftly entitled to a priority of celebrity. 



The ufes that may be made of this work are innumerable, 

 nor could any perfon at prefent point them all out. Some 

 of thefe, together with a general abftraft of this volume 

 (ball be given in our next^ 



