Half-yearly Retrospect of Britifh Literature, 
fhould be added, as objects of {carcely in- 
ferior importance, the anathilaticn of 
tythes and entails. The firft volume has 
appeared of Communications to the 
Board of Agriculture, on Subjeés relative 
ta the Hufbandry and internal Improvement 
of the Country ;*’ as to the contents of this 
volume, no {mall thare of it is employed 
in the narrative of Sir Joun SINCLaAIR’s 
politieal life, written by himfelt. A map 
of his travels through Europe accompa- 
mies this biography, and an abftract is 
added, which informs us, that the whole 
of his journey amounted to 7500 miles ; 
which were completed in about {even 
months and a half: and confequently, 
that he muft have travelled at the rate of 
thirty-three miles a day!!! Sir Joun 
has a very high opinion of the agricul- 
ture of Great Britain; he conceives, in- 
deed, that were all the information which 
we poffefs on the fubject, to be colle&ted 
and fyftematized, it would approach very 
nearly to perfection. Many of the commu: 
nications contained in this volume, afford 
very ufeful hints on a variety of fitbjects. 
Lord-WINCHELSEA, of whom, on one 
account; we haye already made honour- 
ahle mention, has an excellent paper in 
this volume, on cottages: the fame pa- 
triotiim, which we before remarked, fines 
confpicuoufly on the prefent occafion. 
The eighth volume has lately appeared, 
of the ‘¢ Bath Society Papers,’ which, 
like all the others, contains a great va- 
riety of articles, and, of courfe, articles 
of very unequal merit. Mr. KNIGHT, a 
gentleman of acute obfervation and culti- 
vated tafte, has publithed “* 4 Treatife on 
the Culture of the Apple and Pear, end on 
the Menufacture of Cyder and Perry ;°? Mr. 
KnieénT forms a difputable, though in- 
genious hypothefis, namely, that fruit 
trees gradually degenerate by age beyond 
a certain period, and finally Jofe their 
principal difcriminative qualities: and 
that this degeneration affects not merely 
the parent tree, but extends to all plants, 
which, by whatever means, have been pro- 
pagated fromit. He argues on the idea, 
that all plants of this fpecies, however 
propagated from the fame ftock, ‘ par- 
take in fome degree of the fame life, and 
will attend it in the habits of their youth, 
their maturity, and decay ; though they 
will not be any way affe&ted by any in- 
eidental injuries which the parent tree 
may fuftain after they are detached from 
it.”” The fucceisful experiments of Mr. 
Forsy7Tu, in the garden at Kenfington, 
en the recovery of ditafed and aged trees, 
feem to militate again the folidity of 
» SUPP. MONTHLY Mac. No, XXXIII, 
a 
499. 
Mr. KNgcuT’s hypothefis. Mr..K. re-: 
lates fome curious experiments, illuftrat- 
ing the effeéts of impregnating blofloms 
with a foreign farina, the proper anthe- 
re having been deftroyed before their ma- 
turity ; {ome beautiful varieties were pro-~ 
duced by this adulterous connection. 
The prefent treatife, diffidently offered 
as an imitiatory efflay, is an elegant and 
{cientific performance. 
Dr. PaLyas’s % Atcount of the aiffer- 
ent Kinds of Sheep found in the Ruffian Do- 
minions and among the Tartar Hordes of 
ffia,” has been tranflated by Dr. An- 
DERSON: the work is illuftrated with fix © 
plates, and five appendixes are added by 
Dr. A. tending to illuftrate the natural 
and ceconomical hiftory of fheep and other 
domeftic animals. The firft appendix re- 
fers to limits between fpecies and va- 
rieties; the fecond treats on the effects of 
climate, in altering the wool of fheep 5 
the third refpef:s the changes produced 
on animals by food and management; the 
fourth contains an account of the fur- 
bearing animals ; and the fitth offers many 
judicious and ufeful direétions for chooling 
fheep. Sir JoHN ANSTRUTHER’S ‘ Ke- 
marks on Drill Huftandry,’ have many 
of them been publithed in the ‘* Bath So- 
ciety Papers.” ’ 
LAW. 
Under this head we have had but few 
works to notice: Mr. SIMON FRASER 
has publithed a new edition (the fixth) of 
“ Burns Eeclefaftical Law, and has 
enriched it with many valuable notes, and 
with the infertion of many modern deci- 
fions; inftead of contenting himielf with 
barren references, he has undergone the 
labour of making abftracts of cafes, and 
has illuftrated the points of coincidence 
and oppofition ta the fubjeét in debate. 
In Mr. Orn’s ‘ Effay on the Law of 
Ufury,’ is contained a brief hiftory of 
the laws which relate to it; he points out 
what contracts come under the denomi- 
nation of ufuries, and how far ufury af- 
fects the validity of the contra&: Mr. 
PLOWDEN’s more copious work on this 
fubje&t, was mentioned in our laft retro- 
{pect. Mr. Gwitiim’s edition of Ba- 
con’s ‘ Abridgement of the Law, cor- 
rected, with coniterrle Adaitions, incladiig 
the lateft Authorities,’ is executed with 
great fidelity and judgment. Mr..P. B. 
Cross’s “ View of the Practical Benefits 
of the Laws and Conftiiution of England,” 
is rather an hiftorical tract, in which the 
meafures which the legiflature has adopted 
at various timés for the fecurity of our 
life, liberty, and’ property, are enumer- 
Ain D ated. 
