After giving this noble Writer on mineralogy, the titles of the moft skilful mineralogift and metallurgift, and of an indefatigable obferver and experimentalift; and after reciting the particulars of his method of claffifying mineral fubftances, he thus characterifes his work:

On this performance we may pronounce the fame judgment that was paffed formerly by Stahl, on the Phyfica fubterranea of Becher: that it is " opus fine pari." The Author did not found his method on the reafonings of others; but on his own obfervations, deduced from experiments made with indefatigable labour: although he acknowledges, that the foundations of it, with refpect to earths and ftones, were laid by Pott, in his Lithog. We cannot however deny, that this fyftem is too fublime and obfcure, and that it is not exempt from blemifhes: but it is to be observed, that it was not formed for the ufe of those who attend too much to the external appearance or figure of fofil bodies; but for the advantage of metallurgifts, who are too frequently impofed upon by their attention to thefe exterior characteristics. The Author himself acknowledged the imperfections of his work, and accordingly concealed his name; well knowing that, in this life, perfection is not attainable by man.'

In the laft of the two fections, into which this work is divided, the Author treats of the proper method of forming fyftems of mineralogy. The fyftematical writers on mineralogy may, themfelves, be diftributed into three claffes. The firft of thefe confifts of thofe who have formed their fyllems merely on external appearances; fuch as the ftructure, figure, colour, pellucidity, and other fenfible and obvious qualities of mineral fubftances. This has been called the artificial, and still more properly, fuperficial, method. Others, with much more propriety attending to things rather than appearances, have formed their method of claffing foffils, on the interior compofition, or true nature of mineral bodies, as difcovered by chemistry. According to this method, which may juftly be called natural, chalk or calcareous earth, and marble, notwithstanding their different appearance, come under the fame clafs, as being of the fame nature, and differing only with refpect to external accidents or circumftances. In eftablishing this method, Cronfedt deferves all, and more than all, the praife which the Author has above beftowed upon him. The third and laft method may be called mixed, and is that which has been adopted by the Author, in his own Syftema Mineralogicum, printed in 1772 and 1775. This confifts in employing both the extrinical and intrinsical methods, where that can be done, in determining the characters of the genera and orders: or in determining the genera and orders by the intrinfic qualities, or true nature, REV. Feb. 1780. M of

of the fubjects; and the fpecies, by the extrinfical criteria.-On this fubject the Reader will meet with many judicious obfervations, made by a perfon well verfed in the fubject on which he B...y.

treats.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For FEBRUARY, 1780.

AFFAIRS OF IRELAND.

Art. 15. The Commercial Refraints of Ireland confidered. In a feries of Letters to a noble Lord. Containing an Historical Account of the Affairs of that Kingdom, fo far as they relate to this Subject. 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Longman. 1780.

UBJECTS of this nature may be furveyed in two different

according which are

viewed. The citizen of the world, who argues liberally from the general rights of all mankind, will totally reprobate the fovereign controul exercifed by any one nation over another. The patriot, who, on comparifon with the other, is a narrow-minded man, who confines his views to the welfare and profperity of the inhabitants of a particular foil; and to which all the influence they can acquire over others, is to be rendered fubfervient; he will ftretch the arm of power as far as it will extend, over all foreign dependencies, in every refpe&t likely to weaken the fovereignty claimed, or to interfere with the particular interefts of the over-ruling fitate.

The former is indeed a vifionary, a man of mere fpeculation, to whom no goverment will or can liften; becaufe, as the barriers of nature and human inftitutions have determined mankind to unite in diftinct communities, feparate and interfering in interefts; all history will evince, that power can only be ftemmed by power. The latter, then, is the man of the world; whofe principles only, being adapted to actual circumstances around us, can be carried into execution: and we find in national contentions, that after all argument is exhaufted, power is the ultima ratio.

There are however different degrees of patriotifm. It may fometimes centre in a fingle town, and wish to monopolize thofe advantages, which a mind fomewhat more enlarged would willingly communicate to all within a particular province; a third ftill more liberal, may include all England in his benevolent intentions, but with a most bitter antipathy to Scotland a fourth may kindly take Scotland in, to comprehend the whole island. A fifth may incline, from convenience and good neighbourhood, to view Great Britain and Ireland with an equal eye, deem their mutual interefis infeparable; and think this natural union capable of withstanding the ambitious schemes of all our envious neighbours. How much farther, an experience of human nature, and a furvey of national circumstances over the face of the globe, will justify an extenfion of political liberality, may be left as an exercife for the ingenuity of political leifure. In fuch diffufive fchemes of legislative benevolence, however, a caution ought to be obferved, against reafoning on the tranfactions of nations toward each other, from thofe of individuals;

6

against

against rifking fecurity, by heedlefs bounty; and against refting confequences on gratitude for benefits conferred. No confideration ever withholding a people from afferting what they deem their particular intereft, the moment they perceive it, and feel themselves equal to the attempt. National gratitude, in this view, is political nonsense.

It is natural to take up the treatife now before us, in the character of the last gradation of patriotifm ftated above; and to with all the diftreffes of Ireland removed, not because the inhabitants are men like ourfelves, for fo are our most inveterate enemies; but for the best reafon in the world, becaufe Ireland is a contiguous member of the fame body politic; her proximity of fituation dictating confiderations on both fides, that could not take place in equal degrees, were the island a thousand leagues removed from that of Britain. The intelligent Author, who writes from Dublin, gives a clear historical detail of the commercial circumstances of Ireland, in an eafy epiftolary ftyle; from which it appears, that the prefent diftreffes of that country originated with the prohibition of exporting woollen manufactures, which was impofed toward the latter end of the reign of William III. To check the natural trade of a country, is certainly the most direct mode of ditreffing it; for as this writer obferves,⚫ a country will fooner recover from the miferies and devaftation occafioned by war, invafion, rebellion, maflacre, than from laws reftraining the commerce, difcouraging the manufactures, fettering the industry, and above all, breaking the fpirits of the people.'

It would be tedious to the generality of our readers, to enter into the dry detail of acts of parliament and commercial regulations and calculations; in the prefent train of things, the conclufion of this feries of letters may fuffice to convey an idea of the general subject.

In extraordinary cafes, where the facts are ftronger than the voice of the pleader, it is not unufual to allow the client to fpeak for himfelf. Will you, my lord, one of the leading advocates for Ireland, allow her to addrefs her elder fifter, and to ftate her own cafe; not in the ftrains of paffion or refentment, nor in the tone of remonfrance, but with a modett enumeration of unexaggerated facts in pathetic fimplicity; fhe will tell her, with a countenance full of affection and tenderness, " I have received from you invaluable gifts, the law of common right, your great charter, and the fundamentals of your conftitution. The temple of liberty in your country, has been frequently fortified, improved and embellished; mine erected many centuries fince the perfect model of your own; you will not fuffer me to ftrengthen, fecure, or repair; firm and well cemented as it is, it mult moulder under the hand of Time for want of that attention, which is due to the venerable fabric t. We are connected by the ftrongest ties of natural affection, common fecurity, and a long in. terchange of the kindeft offices on both fides. But for more than a

The common law of England.

+ Heads of bills for paffing into a law the habeas corpus act, and that for making the tenure of judges during good behaviour, have repeatedly paffed the Irish houfe of commons, but were not returned.

M 2

century

century you have, in fome inftances, mistaken our mutual intereft. I fent you my herds and my flocks, filled your people with abundance, and gave them leifure to attend to more profitable purfuits than the humble employment of fhepherds and of herdfmen. But you rejected my produce*, and reprobated this intercourfe in terms the most opprobrious. I fubmitted; the temporary lofs was mine, but the perpetual prejudice your own. I incited my children to industry, and gave them my principal materials to manufacture +. Their honest labours were attended with moderate fuccefs, but fufficient to awaken the commercial jealoufy of fome of your fons ; indulging their groundless apprehenfions, you defired my materials and difcouraged the industry of my people. I complied with your wishes, and gave to your children the bread of my own; but the enemies of our race were the gainers; they applied themfelves with tenfold increase to thofe purfuits which were reftrained in my peo ple, who would have added to the wealth and ftrength of your empire what by this fatal error you transferred to foreign nations. You held out another object to me, with promifes of the utmost encouragement . I wanted the means, but I obtained them from other countries, and have long cultivated, at great expence, and with the most unremitted efforts, that fpecies of industry which you recommended. You foon united with another great family §, engaged in the fame purfuit, which you were alfo obliged to encourage among them, and afterwards embarked in it yourself, and became my rival in that which you had defined for my principal fupport. This fupport is now become inadequate to the increafed number of my offfpring, many of whom want the means of fubfiftence. My ports are ever hofpitably open for your reception, and fhut, whenever your interest requires it, against all others; but your's are in many inftances barred against me: with your dominions in Afia, Africa, and America, my fons were long deprived of all beneficial intercourfe; and yet to thofe colonies I tranfported my treasures for the payment of your armies, and in a war waged for their defence, one hundred thousand of my fons fought by your fide. Conqueft attended our arms. You gained a great increase of empire and of commerce; and my people a farther extenfion of restraints and prohibitions 4. In thofe efforts i have exhautted my ftrength, mortgaged my territories, and am now finking under the preffure of enormous debts contracted from my zealous attachment to your interests, to the extenfion of your empire, and the increase of your glory. By the pre

The English act of Ch. II. calls the importation of cattle from Ireland, a common nuisance. + Wool.

The linen manufacture. § Scotland. This number of Irishmen was computed to have ferved in the fleets and armies of Great Britain during the last war.

The furs of Canada, the indigo of Florida, the fugars of Dominica, St. Vincent's, and the Grenades, with every other valuable production of thofe acquifitions, Ireland was prohibited to receive but through another channel. Her poverty scarcely gathered a crumb from the sumptuous table of her fifter.'

fent

fent unhappy war for the recovery of thofe colonies, from which they were long excluded, my children are reduced to the lowest ebb of poverty and diftrefs. It is true, you have lately with the kindeft intentions, allowed me an extenfive liberty of felling to the inhabitants of thofe parts of your empire, but they have no inducement to buy, because I cannot take their produce in return. Your liberality has opened a new fountain, but your caution will not fuffer me to from it. The ftream of commerce, intended to refresh the exhaufted firength of my children, flies untafled from their parched hps.

"The common parent of all has been equally beneficent to us both. We both poffefs in great abundance the means of industry and of happiness. My fields are not lefs fertile, nor my harbours lefs numerous than your's. My fons are not lefs renowned than your own for valour, juftice, and generofity. Many of them are your defcendents, and have fome of your best blood in their veins. But the narrow policy of man has counteracted the instincts and the bounties of nature. In the midst of those fertile fields, fome of my children perish before my eyes for want of food, and others fly for refuge to hoftile nations.

"Suffer no longer, refpected fifter, the narrow jealousy of commerce to mislead the wifdom and to impair the ftrength of the state. Increase my refources, they fhall be your's; my riches and ftrength, my poverty and weakness will become your own. What a triumph to our enemies, and what an affliction to me, in the prefent diftracted circumstances of the empire, to fee my people reduced, by the neceflity of avoiding famine, to the refolution of trafficking almost folely with themfelves! Great and powerful enemies are combined against you, many of your diftant connections have deferted you, increafe your strength at home, open and extend the numerous refources of my country, of which you have not hitherto availed your felf or allowed me the benefit. Our increased force, and the full exertions of our ftrength, will be the most effectual means of refifting the combination formed against you by foreign enemies and diftant fubjects, and of giving new luftre to our crowns, and happinefs and contentment to our people."

The voice of our fifter has been attended to, and he has fince expreffed herself in the language of acknowledgment, and reconciliation.

N. Art. 16. Terms of Conciliation: or, Confiderations on a Free Trade in Ireland; on Penfions on the Irish Establishment; and on an Union with Ireland. Addreffed to the Duke of Northumberland. 8vo. 2s. Millidge. 1779.

This loofe, vague declamation difplays juft knowledge enough to furnish out an oration for Coachmaker's-Hall, or any other fix-penny club for beer and politics. Who the writer is, does not appear, but we are more than once given to understand, that a difregard of his advice produced all our American troubles: poffioly then, the dread of neglecting him a fecond time, may have proved a lucky circum&ance for Ireland at this juncture.

M 3

N.

Art.