648. Retrofpec? of Domeftic Literature.—Philology and Criticifm. 
promote the advancement of ufeful {ci-+ 
ence, has perfonally and repeatedly ex- 
amined thofe fpecies that grow within a 
confiderable diftance from the metropolis ; 
he has obferved them in different periods 
of their growth, and has particularly at- 
tended to the progrefs of the cones from 
their firft formation to their full maturity. 
He has alfo confulted every author of re- 
pute, with a view not only to afcertain the 
moft accurate {pecific diftinétions, but allo 
to colleé&t every fact relative to the cul- 
ture and ufes of each fpecies. As the re- 
fult of his labours, he has now laid before 
the public new {pecific charaéters, com- 
prehenfive lifts of fynonyms, and minute 
defcriptions in Latin, with various mif- 
cellancous oblervations in Englifh, In 
an Appendix, he has added an account, 
written by Dr. Maton, of feveral fub- 
ftances prepared from djfferent fpecies of 
pine, and employed in medicine, or for 
other purpofes; a letter from Mr. Davis, 
of Hommingfham, in Wilts, on the dif- 
ferent kinds of timber afforded by the dif. 
ferent fpecies; an extraét from Coxe’s 
Travels, relative to Chriftiana deal; and 
a letter from Thomas Marfham, Efq. on 
the infeéts deftrudtive fo pines. The fi- 
gures, exhibiting a branch of the plant, 
the inflorefcence, and the fruit in different 
ftages of its growth, are admirably exe- 
cuted. Mr. Lambert informs us, that he 
intends to follow up the prefent work with 
illuftrations of the remaining genera, in 
the natural order of Conifer; and that 
feveral drawings of the fpecies of dacry- 
dium, and the dombeya, of Lamarck, are 
already finifhed, and will be given to the 
public as foon as poffible. 
Mr. DaNiEL’s ‘ Rural Sports”? will 
be found very amufing volumes, nor are 
they by any means barren of inftruétion. 
** Tracts on the Natural Hiftory of Ani- 
mals and Vegetables, tranflated from the 
erigina’ Italian of the Abbé SPauuan- 
zaNi, by JouN GRawam DauzeLt, 
Efq. Advocate.” 
This is ftated in the title page to be a 
fecond edition: we notice st, nevertheie(s, 
ecaufe it is fo thoroughly correéted and 
revifed as almoft to be a new tranflation. 
-—Occalicnal notes are added, and feveral 
memoirs on fubjeéts conneGed with ani- 
mal phyficlogy, rendering the work alto- 
gether extremely valuable. 
PHILOLOGY AND CRITICISM. 
In furveying the prefent ftate of litera- 
ture, it is :mpoffible not to be ttruck with 
the recent increafe cf the number of our 
Reviews, and the novel ftyle in which 
‘fuffer. 
fome of them are conduéted. The old and 
e‘tablifhed journals were confidered as 
courts of criticifm, before which authors 
might appear with the confidence of being 
treated according to their merit, with the 
affurance that their works would be exa- 
mined with impartiality, and that them- 
{.lves would receive a fentence of glory or 
difgrace, according to the evidence; thofe 
courts of criticifm feem now to be ina 
great meafure fuperfeded by a dreadful 
inquifition, where every man, inftead of 
being fuppofed innocent till he is proved 
guilty, is fuppofed to be guilty, and put 
to the rack for confefficn until he is proy- 
ed to be innocent! In the old ¢ourts, bi th 
of judicature and criticifm, the humane 
maxim was, that it is better fora hundred 
guilty to efcape than for one innocent to 
The principle is now reverfed, 
and the inexorable motto aflumed is, 
‘© JUDEX DaMNATUR CUM NOCENS 
ABSOLVITUR!’” For a great number of 
years, we had three critical journals only, 
the ** Monthly,” the ‘* Critical,’? and 
the * Analytical,’ Reviews. The latter, 
though conduéted by a gentleman of great 
ability, and on a plan of perfect imparti- 
ality, declined in fale, and was abandon. 
ed in the year 1799. The two former 
have been more fuccefsfully fupported. 
In the early part of the laft war, the 
‘* Britith Critic’? made its appearance 
under the aufpices of two clerzymen of 
perfonal refpe€tability and talent, who to 
this Gay continue iis fuperintendence. 
The kingdom was at this time divided 
into two parties: the proprietors of that 
work took the higk-church politics, and 
avowed their intention of counteraéting 
as much as poffible, what they deemed to 
be the mal-influence of thofe free opinions 
which had been defended and propagated 
by the other critical journals. Notwith- 
ftanding, however, that the Britifh Critic 
was avowedly a party publication, its po- 
litical and religious tenets—the politics 
of the court and the religion of the church 
of England —though warmly enforecd, 
were, neverthele!s, generally expreffed with 
aregard to decorum and good manners, 
which modern inquifitors have altogether 
defpifed. It was ieft for the “* Anti- 
jacobin”” Review to be the firft aad fore- 
moft in abufe and intolerance: the mof 
rancorous and infulting epithets were la- 
vifhed upon authors whofe only, though 
inexpiable, crime, was to have differed 
from the editors of that work in their po- 
litical or religious fentiments. They made 
no diftinétion between the calm invettiga~ 
tions of a philofopher gnd the faétious 
Philips 
