4892.) 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
, MONG the various periodical pub- 
A lications that have been projected in 
the courfe of the laft half century, reviews 
of new books have held a diftinguifhed 
place. The idea was plaufible and popu- 
lar ; the encouragement prompt and am- 
ple. The benefits to literature, and to 
the public, expeéted from fuch regifters, 
were too obvious and important not to 
-meet the hearty good withes of moft read- 
ers. How pleafing and convenient, to 
have a recular regifter of all new publica- 
tions, and an account of all.that is moft 
important in them. How ufeful.thus, not 
only to be apprifed of whatever new books 
come forth on the fubjeéts we are moft 
interefted in, but alfo to he informed of 
their particular merits and contents, for 
direfting our choice or rejection, and to 
be amufed and inftru&ted by abftraéts judi- 
cioufly made from them, and, in fhort, a 
condenfed epitome of the whole works |—~ 
With fuch flattering ideas, we pleafed and 
congratulated omrfelves, eagerly encou- 
raging fuch obliging critics and reviewers, 
without dreaming of any adverfe confe- 
quences refulting from them. How could 
we fufpeét any thing difaftrous from fuch 
obliging, good, and able men? They 
could have no end in view but the public 
good. Whocould harboura thought of 
their ever being a€tuated by the mean 
paffions of jealoufy, envy, malice, and all 
uncharitablenels ; of turning their privilege 
of concealed Reviewers to all the purpofes 
of a job, to miflead the public mind—to 
abufe its confidence—to puff off the very 
trafh of their own connections and their 
friends—to mifreprefent and condemn the 
moft valuable works of others ; thus con- 
cealedly and implicitly deceiving the pub- 
lic by falfe notions, to the great difcou- 
ragement of true and genuine litera- 
ture? 
From fuch difaftrous confequences, at 
firft unforefeen or overlooked, but which 
‘experience afterwards evinced to.be but 
too poffible, we have been induced to think 
that Reviews, as they are now partially 
conducted, tend rather to vitiate than to 
improve the public tafte ; and that, un- 
lefs they return to the original plan of a 
fair analyfis of contents, and an impar- 
tie] account of ftyle and manner, we can 
hardly help wifhing that Reviews may be 
completely difcountenanced by all literary 
men. Works of real and fterling merit 
made their way properly before there were 
Reviewers to direét or to miflgad the pub- 
Pe 
- 
Abufe of Reviews; and on Bridge-buildingi 
EH i 
lic judgement ; and why may they not do 
the fame again ? 
I have been led into thefe reflections by 
the obfervation and report of many fla~ 
grant inftances of the abufe of privilege in 
Reviewers, to the annoyance of true learn- 
ing and modeft merit. It would be end- 
lefs to attempt to expofe or repeat all the 
inftances of cruel injuftice that have been 
practiled by thefe concealed tyrants.’ I 
fifall at prefent only advert to one particu- 
lar inftance, becaufe itis a cafe in which 
the fubje&t is at prefent of very great im- 
portance to the nation, and againft an in- 
dividual uncon{cious of provoking affault. 
The cafe here alluded to is relative to the 
improvement of the harbour of London, 
chiefly by means ofa new bridge over the 
Thames, and extenfive wharfs. On this 
occafion, two ingenious engineers, among: 
feveral others, Mefirs. Telford and Dou- 
glafs, announced their propofal for a caft- 
iron bridge, of a fingle arch only, inftead 
of the prefent London-bridge, which 
fhould be of a height fufficient to admit 
trading fhips of confiderable burden to 
fail through the arch, and fo proceed with 
their cargoes as far as Blackfriars-bridge. 
This propofal, from its own magnitude, 
and the importance of its object to the pub- 
lic, became greatly interefting, and the 
fubje& of very general converfation. The 
Parliament of the nation were even im- 
prefled with the magnificence and gran- 
deur of the object, to that degree, as to 
appoint a fele&t committee of members for 
properly examining this propofal, and con 
ducting the inquiry and concerns relating 
to it. : 
To accomplifh this the more effeétu- 
ally, befide the exhibition of the models 
‘and drawings, they caufed magnificent en= 
gravings of the defigns to be executed, . 
which they communicated to a number of 
fcientific and profeffional men, the moft 
able and likely to give advice on fo ime 
portant an occafion, together with copies 
of a collection of interefting queries re- 
lating ta the project, to which they re- 
quelted their anfwers. This was a very 
wife and prudent meafure in the commits 
tee, and well calculated to enfure fafety . 
and fuccefs in their deliberations. 
Among feveral of the public profeffors 
of the univerfities, and other learned phi- 
lofophers coniulted on this occafion, was 
alfo Dr. Hutton, thesprofeffor ot mathe- 
matics in the Royal Military Academy, 
who was deemed peculiarly proper for re~ 
ference on a fubjeét which had formerly 
engaged his attention and employed his 
D2 pens 
