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590 Retrospect of Dotnestie Literature—-Furisprudence, Ke. 
and Typographical Cabinet, containing 4 
Seoues of Llegant Views of the most In- 
teresting Objects of Curiosity in Great 
Dreiain, accompanied with Letter-Press 
Descriptiens ;” of which two volumes have 
already been completed. The proprie- 
tors of this elegant publication are 
Messrs. Storer and Greig, who, in the 
course of one hundred plates, have so 
continued to do their best, that they have 
even surpassed the expectation which 
their earlier numbers excited. 
: JURISPRUDENCE, 
Mr. lircumore’s Treatise on the Law 
of Idvecy and Lunacy,” may be recom 
mended with confidence to the protes- 
sional student as a work of real utility. 
Subjoined to it is an appendix, contain- 
ing the Practice of the Court of Chan- 
cery on this subject, and some useful 
practical forms, 
Another imteresting performance will 
be found in Mr. AnneEsiey’s “ Compen- 
dium of tke Law of Marine Insrances, 
Bottomry, Insurance of Lives, and of In- 
surance against Fire; in which ihe Mode 
of calculating Averuges is defined, and i/- 
dustrated by HKxamples.” In a memoir 
prefixed, the progress of navigation and 
commerce is traced from the earliest to 
the present times. 
Among the minor pamphlets which 
have been published in this class, we 
place “ The Constable’s Assistant;” being 
a Compendium of the Duties and Powers 
of Constables and other Peace Officers; 
chiefly as they relate to the apprehending 
of offenders, and laying information be- 
fore magistrates. 
-But the most curious work which has 
appeared, is one which has been only 
printed, we believe, for the author’s 
triends; entitled “ An Essay on the Use 
of the French Language im our Ancient 
Laws and. Acts of Siate,” by ALEXANDER 
Lupers, esq. In which the old French 
upon our statute-rolls 1s considered not as 
Norman, but Angevin. 
‘ BIOGRAPHY. 
A “ Life of Fielding, ays Mr. War- 
son), has now, for the first time, been 
written; no biographer of him having: 
yet appeared, if we except Mr. Murphy, 
whose Essay on his Life and Genius was 
composed for an edition of his works, 
published in 1762; and, as he himself 
says, was never intended as a perform-_ 
ance in which the strict rules of ‘biogra- 
phy were to be observed. 
Mr. Watson, though he has been 
obliged to draw some of the leading facts 
relating to the life of Fielding from Mr. 
Murphy's essay, has endeavoured to 
place them in their natural order; and 
where he could not reconcile contradic- - 
tory circumstances, has ventured to state 
his doubts and his opinions. Many of 
the incidents of Fielding’s life, and the 
facts necessary to the development of 
his character and opinions, are taken 
from his own-works, particularly the pre- 
face to the Journal of a Voyage to Lis- 
bon. The. particulars relating to his 
dramatic writings have, with some trifling 
exceptions, been collected from the Bio- 
eraphia Dramatica, The account which 
is given of his political works, and the 
numerous controversies in which he was 
involved, has been taken from his own 
works, and from the periodical publica- 
tions of his time, particularly the Gentle- 
man’s Magazine. The opinions which 
are advanced on these works have been 
formed from a careful perusal of the _ 
works themselves. 
On this occasion, considerable atten- 
tion has been paid both to the occur- 
rences of the Life of Fielding, and to his 
works.. The author, by censuring where 
he thought censure was due, has endea-. 
voured to exhibit a just character of the 
man; and by bringing into full view the 
different branches of writing in which he 
distinguishéd himself, has shewn the rank 
in which he ought to be classed as a dra- 
matic and political writer, as well as a 
writer of novels. Imperfectly, says Mr. 
Watson, as this may appear to be exe-_, 
cuted, it is hoped that much of the im- 
perfection will be ascribed to the diff- 
culty, at this period of time, of obtaining 
the necessary information, rather than 
to want of diligence or attention, © 
Mr. Freix havirg had no personal ac- 
quaintance with Fox, has collected “ The 
Public Life” of that distinguished states- 
man principally from ephemeral publica~ 
tions. Ft is sufficient, perhaps, to say, 
that without any great share of elegance,’ 
he has written with a scrupulous regard’ 
to veracity. ; . 
In Dr. Bearrte’s “ Narrative of the 
he 
7 ORE. 
Death of Lord Nelson?’ we have a small 
interesting volume, well calculated by its 
authenticity to-gratify the wishes of those 
‘whe would form an accurate idea of the 
hero’s character.- 
We have also to notice the publication 
of the seventh volume of the “ General 
Biography.” 2 hee 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. ws 
A valuable work in this class will be 
foundiin the ‘Voyage le Demarary, con- 
tuining a statistical Account of the Settle- 
ments there, and of those on the Esseque- 
bo, the Berbice, and other contiguous Re- 
vers 
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