Retrofped? of Domeftic Literature.——Mifcellanices. 
#t would have afforded us to have done 
juttice to this work, which is written 
with the fimplicity of a foldier. 
“¢ The Biographical Memoirs of Living 
CharaGers’ proceed regularly, and fup- 
port their reputation and popularity. 
Mr. CuarKeE has publifhed a finall 
but learned pamphlet, containing the 
<< Teftimonies of different Authors re/pee- 
ing the colojjal Statue of Ceres,’ which 
was placed in the veltibule of the pub- 
lic library at Cambridge, July 1, 1803. 
Towhich he has added a fhort account 
of its removal from its Eleufis, Nov. 
22,1808. 
Mr. CuatMERs has at laft compiet- 
ed, in forty-five volomes 18mo. his va- 
luable edition of ‘* The Briti/hb Efjayi/t, 
with Prefaces hiftorical and biographi- 
cal.”” The Prefaces are in general ele- 
gant 3 and the critical remarks on the 
ityle of the different writers, and on 
their comparative merits, are judicious. 
The work is neatly and accurately 
- printed, and will doubtlefs be deemed 
effential in every library. 
Mr. Hoop’s ** Eleménts of War’ are 
remarkably neat and appropriate.— 
The work is altogether well calculated 
for the improvement of young officers. 
‘© The Pic-Nic’? is an amuling Mif- 
cellany. 
“4 praGical Treatife of Perfpective, 
0% the Principles of Dr. BRook Tay- 
Lor. By Epwarp EDWaArps, Affoci- 
ate and Teacher of Perfpeciive in the 
Royal Academy.” 
This work forms a happy medium 
between thofe early writers on the fub- 
ject, whofe rules were drawn trom ob-' 
fervation only, and whofe illuftrations, 
therefore, were loofe and vague, and 
thofe later writers, Ubaldi, Emerfon, 
and Taylor, whole {cientific rules were 
deduced from abftrufe mathematical 
principles. Mr. Edwards’s Treatife is 
eafy and practical; the little know- 
ledge ot geometry neceflary for the in- 
terpretation of the terms, &c. is prefix- 
ed, in ordér to avoid the neceflity of 
recurrence to other books. ‘The fub- 
ject is chiefly explained by examples, 
illuftrated by plates, equally lucid and 
precife. Sheds Sots te 
Ina fixth volume Mr. Pratr has 
brought the feries of ‘* Gleanings” toa 
clofe. In this concluding volume we 
meet with the fame interetting delinea- 
tions of men and manners, the fame I1- 
beral fentiments, and the fame benevo- 
lent {pirit, which characterized the for- 
mer volumes. Theairy formand drefsin 
637 
which thefe Gleanings appeared, have 
doubtlefs introduced them to many 
readers, who would ever have been at 
home to the vifits of the fame thoughts, 
arguments, and appeals, in/a le{s allur- 
ing garb. If, then, the poor have gain- 
ed one friend, or the country one ge- 
nuine patriot, by the means of this 
work, Mr. Pratt may be juftly clafled 
among the few who have fuccetstully 
combined the wtile with the dulce. 
We {hall pafs over afew unimportant 
mifcellaneous pamphlets, and clofe our 
Retrofpect for the prefent half year 
with announcing the importation, by 
Mr. DeBRetTT, of afmall volume of 
‘« Efjays, by the Students of the College of 
Fort William, in Bengal. To which are 
added, the Thefes pronounced at the public 
Difputations in the Oriental Languages, 
on the 6th of February 1802.” 
The college of Calcutta was efta- 
blifhed for the ftudy of the’ Oriental 
languages ; it wasat once humane and 
politic that the natives of India fhould 
not be governed by men ignorant of 
the genius of their country, as well as 
of their ancient prejudices, habits, and 
propenfities. How thould a fyftem of 
laws be eftablifhed with juftice and 
wifdom by perfons ignorant of the 
ufages and cuftoms of the people who 
are to fubmit to them? How are the 
conquered to be incorporated with, or 
affimilated to, their conquerors ? What 
{cheme of confidence and conciliation 
can be adopted? If fo, of what indifs 
penfable importance to the Britifh Gos 
vernment in the Eaft is a cultivation 
of the Oriental languages! for how 
can an accurate knowledge concerning 
the character and genius of a people be 
obtained “by him who 1s ignorant of 
their language? The ettablifhment of 
this college,’ therefore, does great ho- 
nour to its noble founder, the Marquis 
Weliefley, and to the nation which 
fupports it. The date of its eftablith- 
ment is February 101, and on the an- 
niverfary in the following year, public 
difputations were held, and prizes dif- 
tributed, according to the ftatutes.— 
This augurs well. 
One of thefe ftatutes (vi.) fays— 
‘¢ Whereas it is neceflary that the ftu- 
dents deftined to exercilfe high and im- 
portant functions in India thould be 
able to {peak the Oriental languages 
with fluency and propriety.; it is 
therefore declared, that pubic diipu- 
tations and declamations {hall be hoid- 
enin the Oriental languages, at {tated 
4 N2 " times, 
