£798-] 
haps from the difheartening ftate of pub- 
lic affairs. The Pofthumous Sermons of 
Dr. Savage are fenfible, methodical, and 
evangelical; thofe of Mr. Poller plain 
and ferious, but without any marks of 
fuperior talents : a volume of neat Dif- 
courfes, on Praétical Subjects has been 
publithed by Mr. Draper; but the mode+ 
rate merit of thefe publications has been 
eclipfed by the fplendid excellence of 
Mr. Fawcett’s ‘* Lectures at the Old 
Jewry,” in which, without the aid of 
fyftematic theology,’ moral truths are 
exhibited’ with uncommon force, and 
adorned with all the graces which a fer- 
tile imagination could fupply: if the 
ftyle be, fometimes, diffufe, it is the am- 
plifcation, not of dulnefs, but of genius. 
PULITICS.'. ijl 
In poxitics, the moft important 
publications have been thofe which cans 
hot come under critical animadverfion: 
the daily Regifters and Chronicles of the 
times. On general queftions of policy, 
Mr. Malkin's ‘* Effays on Subieéts con- 
nected with Civilization,” are entitled to 
diftinguifhed -notice: the writer is an 
ardent lover of liberty, and cenfures, 
with great freedom, but without acri- 
mony, mumerous errors at prefent exift- 
ing in fociety. As nearly allied to this 
work, may be mentioned, Watkins’s 
“" Reflections on Government,’ a {mall 
traét, which clearly and forcibly incul- 
cates principles favourable to liberty and 
happinefs. “ Principles of Legiflation” 
have been publithed by Mr. Michel, 
which contain many juft obfervations ; 
but the writer is too much an alarmift to” 
be capable, at prefent, of purfuing his 
own ideas into their obvious confe- 
quences. SBritifh politics, befides much 
ephemeral trafh, have furnifhed feveral 
interefting publications. Of thefe, un- 
queftionably, the work which has the 
moft imperious demand upon public at- 
tention, 1s Mi. Morgan’s ‘ Facts,” in 
which is exhibited, not in loofe declama- 
tion, but in calculations, made by a maf- 
ter of political arithmetic, from the moft 
authentic documents, a ftatement of the 
public expenditure and refources. This 
pamphlet has, perhaps, done more than 
all other late publications to open the 
eyes of the nation to its real condition, 
and to demonftrate the impclicy of per- 
fitting in the prefent ruinous fyftem. 
Mr. Vanfittart’s artful, but vague and 
unfuccefsful attempt to fhow that we are 
not quite ruined, even though fupported 
by Lord Auckland, whofe ipeech upon 
the fubject has been publithed, has only 
Half Yearly Retrofped? of Englifo Literatures 
483 
ferved to give Mr. Morgan an opportu- 
nity of confirming his firft reprefentation 
by * Additional Facts.” Mr. Morgan’s 
true alarm has been encreafed by Mr, 
Paine’s lefs accurate, but ftrongly im- 
preilive, account of the perpetually ac~ 
celerated progrefs of this nation towards 
ruin, from the inevitable operation of 
the funding fyftem, given in his ‘* De- 
cline and Fall of the Englith Syftem of 
Finance.” The great queftion, con- 
cohcerning a reform in the parliamentary 
reprefentation of this country, has not 
been fuffered, entirely, to fleep. A very 
fenfible and fpirited’ «¢ Letter’ has ap- 
peared, addreffed to Dr. Paley, on his 
objections to this reform; and. Mr. 
Wyvill, that upright, judicious, and 
fteady advocate for peaceable reform, 
has effectually expofed minifterial incon- 
fifttency, by publithing the firft part of his 
corre{pondence with Mr. Pitt. “* A Hif. 
tory of the Two Acts’, (Mr, Pitt’s, and 
Lord Grenville’s) is a very copious and 
accurate compilation of all the. tranf- 
actions, both in and out of parliament, 
re{pecting thofe celebrated reftri€tions on 
Englith liberty, which may, hereafter, be 
of confiderable ufe to the, political hifto~ 
rian of the prefént time. -Its value is 
much augmented by the excellent and 
mafterly preface by which the matter of 
the work is introduced. The difpute 
with France is now almoft wholly left to 
be fettled by the wema ratio.regum; and 
few publications worth » mentioning 
have appeared on ‘this fubje@. Among 
the more interefting political pamphlets, 
may be mentioned, ** Confiderations on 
the State of Public Affairs ;’’ “ Hints, 
addreffed tothe Electors of Great-Britain, 
by Charles Faulkener, containing a Re- 
view of Mr. Pitt’s Adminiftration ;” 
** D’Ivernois’s State of the Finances and 
Refources of France ;’? and “A Whig’s 
Apology for his Confifteney.”’ ‘To thefe 
we muit add, more on account of the ta- 
lents difplayed in the controverfy, than 
the importance of the fubjeét,. Mr. 
Burke’s “ Lettertoa Noble Lord,” with 
the replies of his numerous refpondents. 
When the queftion of Mr. Burke’s claim 
to a penfion fhall ceafe-to intereft the 
public, it will not be forgotten, that Mr. 
Burke, at a period of life when genius 
commaaly becomes languid, difplayed the 
full vigotir of his uncommon powers, and 
was even capable of hunting metaphors, © 
as playfully as a {chool-boy hunts butter. 
flies: nor will it be forgotten, that he 
was able, as on a former more important 
occafion, to call forth a hoft of able com- 
7a Qua batants,. 

