Retrofpeét of Domefiic Literature... Natural Hifiory. 
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ebfcure origin, and, at the commence- 
ment of the revolutiog, a private in the 
French guards. Thofe who have admir- 
ed the correét eloquence and glowing 
energy of his proclamations, and other 
public papers, will be furprifed to hear 
that he did not learn to read and write till 
This’ general was, 
he was paft twenty. 
one of the bittereft enemies of the go- 
vernment of this country ; on all o¢ca- 
fions he acted againft it with a zeal 
amounting to paffion. The formidable 
expedition againft Ireland, which, after 
reaching in fafety the coaft againft which 
it was direéted, unaccountably failed 
away, was planned and commanded by 
him. The frigate in which he had em- 
barked parted during a gale from the reft 
of the fleet; Hoche is ftated to have ma- 
nifefied the utmoft rage and vexation 
when he found it had returned without 
landing the troops. He had even thoughts 
of landing with his état-major, and putting 
himfelf ac the head of the difaffected 
party in Ireland ; but was deterred from 
this rath attempt by the remonftrances of 
his officers. It is remarkable, that the 
manifelto which he compoled on the oc- 
cafion of this expedition was afterwards 
ifued by General Humbert. 
«© The Life of the Rev. Jonx Ma- 
CHIN” is that of a zealous itinerant Me- 
thodift ; but is more calculated to gratify 
{coffers, by its abfurdities, than to edify 
or inftruét the world. 
‘¢ ‘The Life-of Major J. G. Sempre 
Lise, written by himfelf,’’ informs us 
of circumfteances which we find great dif- 
ficulty in believing. It cannot turely be 
true, that this notorious fwindler has been 
entrufted with important ftate fecrets by 
fovereign princes. Till we hear this on 
better authority than thatof the /o/-d//ant 
major himfelf, we muft withold our he- 
lief. We do not mean that this arch- 
rogue fhould fwindle us out of our fenfes. 
‘« Biographical Sketches of Henrietta, 
Buchefs of Orleans, and Louis of Bour- 
bon, Prince of Condé, with Boffuet’s 
Orations, pronounced at their Interment,”’ 
have been tranflated from the French by 
r. Epwarbp JERNINGHAM. The 
great reputation of Boffuet renders it un- 
neceffary for us to dwell on the dignified 
and graceful fentiment, the pathetic elo- 
quence, and tne religious fervour of this 
great orator and pious Chriftian. Mr. 
Jerningham has conferred a moft ac- 
ceptable prefent on the Englhih-reader by 
his elegant and fpirited tranflation. 
A fecond volume of “ Britith Public 
Characters,’ containing thofe of 1795-—— 
1300, has juft made its appearance. We 
are glad to find: rhat the editor has been 
induced by the favourable reception which 
the firft volume met with from the public, 
not only to publifh the prefent one, but to 
announce a third for the! enfuing year. 
To render the third volume of equal me- 
rit and jnrereft with the two preceding 
ones, he requefts all perfons inclined to 
commynicate complete memeirs or au- 
thentic materials relative to any diftin- 
guifhed perfon, to addrefs them to him 
by the 1% of the enfuing July. The 
prefent contains memcirs of no fefs 
than forty-feven diftinguithed perion- 
apes, and we obferve in it the fame 
{pirit of candour and moderation which | 
made the firft volume acceptable to 
all parties. The fault of this work is 
the indifcriminate praife lavifhed on al- 
moft all the charaéters; fo that we are 
tempted to think the fketches muft have 
been drawn by the partial hand of friend- 
fhip. Who would have fufpetted that 
Mr. Pratt, asa novelift, was equalled 
by few, and furpaffed by none, not ex- 
cepiing Fielding, Richardfon, or Sterae ! 
and that the tame poetry contained tn his 
*« Gleanings in Norfolk”? was a chef 
ad acuvire !! 
We have been much pleafed with the 
firfi volume of the ‘ Annual Necrology 
for 1797-8,” which 1s jut puolifhed. 
The idea of refcumg from oblivion fuct 
characters as, though not of fufficien 
confequence to be treated of in diflinck 
publications, are yet wortoy of being 
handed down to polterity, always ap- 
peared to us a very good one; and the 
execution, though neceffarily of various 
merit. from the variety of perfons en- 
gaged in tt, is upon the whole very re- 
{pectable. 
Wehave been much ftruck with The 
Life of Goprriy AvGusrus Bur- 
GER,” the celebrated author of Lencra, 
which is a matterly {pecimen of concife, 
yet lucid biography. ‘¢ The Life of Mr. 
Wilkes” contains fome curious particu- 
lars, which were to us new. ‘“ 
Memoirs cf Lavoifier’” are tranfl-t d 
from the French of LALANDE, as weil 
as fome other articles. 
We know of but three works which 
have appeared within the latt tix months 
on the fubj<ét of 
NATURAL HIsTory. 
The * Collection of Exotics from the 
Ifland of Antigua,’® by a Lady, confifts 
of coloured plates, of a fma'l colle@ion 
of tropical plants, made for Vifcounteis 
Galway. . 
“Coloured Figures’’ have been pub- 
lifhed of marine plants, &c. by THomas 
VELLEY; 
7 he 
FO39 
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