660  Retrofpeét of Domzftic Literature.—Voyages, Travels, &¢, 
work fucceeds an Appendix of nearly 
three hundred pages, containing mercilefs 
tran{criptions from preceding authors on 
the fubjeét of the work. It was incum- 
bent on Mr. Clarke to coilect fa&ts from 
preceding authors, and arrange them in 
his own work. It really is not fair to 
{weil his own volume by tranferibing 
whole tracts from other people. The 
principal fault of this work, and a very 
ferious one it is, is the want of lucid ar- 
rangement. It contains a great deal of 
information, but it is fcattered and con- 
fufed. 
The introdu&tion is divided into four 
fections; thefe contain an account of four 
ditin& divifions of the fubje@t. 1. The 
earlieft periods. 2. The faced periods. 
3. Grecian periods. 4. Carthaginian and 
Roman periods. 
contain the fubftance of Mr. Bryant's 
learned, ingenious, but unfubftantial, con- 
jestures. Inthe third. and fourth we are 
conduéted by the more fteady light of au- 
thenticated hiftory, and the valuable works 
of Dr. Vincent on the Voyages of Near- 
chus and the Periplus of Erythrean fea, 
are very copioufly extracted. The intro- 
duétion concludes with a Differtation on 
the Commeice of the Romans, by thz au- 
thor’s grendtather, the Rev. W. Clarke, 
of Chiche&er, with the additional remarks 
of Dr. Tayler, who. fr publithed it in 
his * Elements of Civil Law.” From 
the introduction we proceed to the body 
ot the work, the firft chapter of which 1s 
divided into two feétions, the one embrac- 
ing a view of the commerciai and mari- 
time fiate of Eurvpe antecedent to the 
fiiteenth century, and the other a. fketch 
of the Hittory of Portugai, as introduc- 
tory to the Periugueze voyages. This 
hiftory begins in the fecond chapter, and 
is continued through that and the third, 
to the arrival of Vaico de Gama on the 
coait of Malabar, in 1498. Altogether 
this work has e great appearance of being 
a Dock maker's job. 
No book has excited more general at- 
tention for fome time paft, than the fplen- 
dic volumes which give the account of 
Mr. Hotcrorr’s Travels. In May, 
2801, Mr. Holcreft, accempanied by his 
wiie and daughter, fet off from Ham- 
burg, on a journey to Paris. Taking 
the route ef Bremen, Oldenburg, Leer, 
and Neue Schantz, he pafied through 
Groningen to Amiterdam, thence to Rot- 
terd2m, whence he proceeded, by way of 
Antwerp, Bruffcis, Lifle, and Amiens, 
Giveity to Paris. The pubic expeéta- 
tion was very highly raifed on the annun- 
ciation of thefe volumes, the acutenels 
The two former of thefe © 
and penetration of Mr. Holcroft being al- 
ready known, as well as his poffeffion of 
that knowledge which, above all cthers, 
enables a man to profit by traveliing and 
to inftruct his readers; namely, the knew- 
ledge of the human heart. He who ex- 
pects an ample deicription of every town 
and village tnrough which the travellers 
pafs, will be difappointed: he had bet- 
ter employ his bookfeller to purchafe 
him fome Direétory,— Many of Mr. 
Holcroft’s are outlines—mere fketches— 
but they are done with great {pirit and 
lite, are full of chara€ter, and befpeak a 
firong refemblance. When he conducts 
us into the Confular Territories, however, 
the outlines are filled up, and he enters 
with minutenefs into the defcription of 
every thing which can add to our informa- 
tion on a fubject become fo interefting to 
us, as the moral and political ftate of the 
French peopte. Mr. Holeroft is difpofed 
to believe, that the ftate of the French 
peafantry is improved: he fays they are 
better clothed, and, if not more merry, 
more evenly cheerful. Neverthelefs there 
are many who affirm they were happier 
under their former mafters; who make 
even bitter complaints, and feel deep 
and unfeigned regret. ‘* He knows but 
little of the human heart (fays Mr. Hol- 
croft) who fhall adduce this as a proof 
that the peafants are now actually more 
wretched. Scarcely the wifeft man has the 
wifdom fo to recolle& hmnfelf as to be 
fatisfied with the prefent. There are but 
few icenes in pait life, fo marked by mif- 
fortune or pain as not, when remembered, 
to excite regret that they are gone, never 
to return. In fuch a town, in fuch a 
country, among fuch and fuch friends, 
how plealantly, fays memory, were the 
days pafled! Faithlefs hiitorian! deceit- 
ful varnifher! how diimal and dirty was 
the town; how folitary and-bleak the 
country ; how du!l, how infipid, how fa- 
tiguing were the friends! An old woman 
lamects the days of her youth; an old 
man the days of yore.” 
As to the ftate ot religion in France— 
on this fubjeét it is extremely dificult to 
form an accurate opinion. From the ace 
count which is given here, we fhould fear 
that it is lameniadly neglected. As Mr. 
Holcroft’s obfervations and enquiries, 
hossever, appear to have been in a great 
meaiure limited within the circle of the 
moft Juxurious and diffipated metropolis 
perhaps in the world, we gladly inculge 
a hove, that the priefliy funétions are a: 
charge with more reverence in the pro- 
vinces of the empire, and that more exter- 
nal decorum, at jeaft, is obferved among 
ibole 
