Retrofpect of Domeftic Literature.—Political Economy, 
s¢ Practical Economy; or, a Propofal 
for enabling the Poor to provide for them- 
felves; with Remarks onthe Ettablifhment 
of Soup-houfes, and an Inveltigation of 
the real Caufe of the prefent extravagant 
Confumption of fine Wheaten Bread by the 
People of this Country: by a Phyfician.” 
This is a very fenfible and well-written 
pamphlet, which the author divides into 
three parts: ‘in the firf? he makes fome 
firiking remarks on the injurious confe- 
quences of foup houfes, to the health and 
‘morals of the poor. In the /econd he re- 
probates the con{umption of tea, as lead- 
ing to a moft unneceflary confumption of 
bread, and in it‘elf, as being extremely 
prejudicial to the animal fyftem ; the 
Jearned author - particularly difcourages 
the ufe of it among the laboring poor, 
and fhews by tables that palfies have re- 
gularly increafed with the increafed ufe 
of tea. We have not the prefumption to 
place our opinion in oppofhtion to that of 
a medical man on this fubjeét, but if it 
is a fact it is a curious one, that tea 
fhould be fo deleterious an article of con- 
fumption among us, and fo perfectly in- 
noxious as it appears to be in the Eaft, 
where it is ufed ina much more frequent 
and more copious manner. We do not 
recollect that Sir George Staunton, in his 
Travels over the Chinefe Empire, Captain 
‘Turner, in his Vifitto Bootan and Tibet, 
or Major Symes, in his Embafly, to Ava, 
once mentioned having feen a victim to 
the palfy, or even confidered the free ufe 
of tea as operating unfavourably on the 
conftitutfon of the inhabitants of the 
countries through which they vaffed ; it 
certainly, therefore, 1s fomewhat fingular, 
if its effects are fo noxious on the people 
of England, as is reprefented by this 
writer. In the third divifion of his 
pamphlet, the author enlarges in a neat 
and philofophical manner on the nutri- 
tious principle of wheat, with a view of 
illuftrating its moft economical as well as 
wholefome preparation as food, 
The celebrated Mr. BrinDLEY ob- 
ferved, that in the various works in which 
he was engaged, the North countrymen 
from Lancafhire and Yorkfhire, whofe 
diet was oat-cake and hafty- pudding, fuf- 
tained more labour and gained more money 
than the labourers from the South, who 
lived on bread and cheefe, bacon and beer, 
&c. From this fact the writer of this pam- 
phlet before us, isinduced to recommend 
that the confumption of bread be dimi- 
nifhed among the poor, and that they be 
inftructed in the preparation and ufe of un- 
fermented farinacea combined with ani- 
Monraix Mac, No, 75, 
573 
mal fat, which preparation he afferts, and 
not without apparent reafon, would be 
at once cheaper and more ftrengthen- 
ing. 
Sir Freperick Morton Even has 
endeavoured to form ‘‘An Eftimate of the 
Number of Inhabitants of Great Britain 
and Ireland.’? He fuppofes the number 
of inhabitants in England and Wales to 
be : “ : ; 10,710,000 
The population of Ireland =< 3,800,000 
Scotland, at leaft . é 1,500,009 
Maritime and military popu- 
lation, exclufive of, Indian 
and other foreign corps 500,000 
— ny 
Making a total population of 16,510,000 
Leer ercee 
We fhall fee at fome future time, how far 
this calculation agrees with the cenfus 
now taking by act of Parliament. 
We are happy to fee publiihed ‘* The 
Report of the Commiffioners appointed. 
by his Majefty to enquire into the State 
and Management of the Cold Bath-Fields 
Prifon.’? For obvious reafons, we fhall 
not indulge ourfelves in avy obfervations 
which may have occurred to us onthe 
fubject. 
A Citizen of London, but no Magiftrate, 
has made fome very proper ‘* Obfervations 
on Mr. Colquhoun’s Treatife on the Police 
of the Méetropolis.”” |The writer af- 
ferts, and we think juftly, that many of 
Mr. Colquhoun’s calculations are formed, 
upon very flight and infufficient data, 
and that the remedies which he has pro- 
pofed are many of them very queftionable | 
at beft. ‘The author particularly objects 
again{t the danger which would arife from 
the eftablifhment of a Board of Police 
vefted with all the powers propofed by 
Mr. Colquhoun, confidering that fuch an 
eftablifhment would interfere with the pri- 
vileges of the city of London, Some few 
remarks in this pamphlet are worthy atten- 
tion. | 
Mr. Morcan Cove, Prebendary of 
Hereford, &c. as aSupplement to an Effay, 
which he formerly publifhed, on the Reve- 
nues of theChurch of England,has inftituted 
«‘An Enquiry intothe Neceffity, Jultice, and 
Policy of a Commutation of Tythes.’? 
This fenfible and argumentative tra¢t, ap- 
pears to have been written in confequence 
of certain refolutions publifhed by the 
Grand Jury of the county of York, on 
the neceffity and means of the improve- 
ment of agriculture: in thefe Refolutions 
a fair and permanent compenfation in lieu, 
of tythes is infifted on. Mr. Cove, con- 
fidering that fuch a compenfation would 
4E imme- 
