than it would have amounted to in the ufual way. The commiffioners were appointed by the proprietors; the bufinefs executed with fingular difpatch, and all parties interested perfectly fatisfied. Fences, roads, &c. were made by the proprietors.' P. 59. "Let me advise a general investigation of the substrata of all foils about to be improved; for I verily believe, that in most instances á manure may there be found near at hand, and congenial thereunto. Do we not frequently find clay under fand, and fand under clay; under flint, chalk; under white-lias or ftone-brafh, marle; under red earth, lime-ftone; under peat-bogs, fea mud or clay? Are not thefe circumftances fufficient indication to the wary husbandman, to examine minutely the interior quality of his land previous to applying extraneous and expensive manures?" P. 77. "The writer has known thirty-two fucceffive crops of potatoes from the fame field, and the produce as good at the latter part of the term as at the beginning. This will puzzle the theorift, with his peculiar fubftances of nutrition." P. 118. Perhaps there are few things in husbandry more difficult to be accomplished than that of restoring worn-out arable to a good pasture. A few hints on this fubject may not be unacceptable. "The first step is to extirpate from the land all noxious weeds. This may be done by a compleat winter and fummer fallow; or, in place of the fummer fallow, by a crop of potatoes, well manured. and kept perfectly clean, and followed by winter vetches, fed off in the fpring. "At the latter end of May, or beginning of June, fow one bushel of buck-wheat per acre, and when that is up, and in rough leaf, harrow in (choofing, if poffible, moift weather) two bufhels of hay-feed, collected from the beft meadow hay, half a bufhel of rye-grafs, four pounds of marl grafs, and four pounds of white Dutch clover. The buck is intended principally as a fcreen to the grafs feeds. "If, therefore, the harrowing thould pull up fome of the plants, fo much the better. A thick crop is not defirable. After the buckwheat is harvested, which will be fome time in September, let the field be hayned, or shut up for the winter; and let it be fed the next fummer with sheep, or any kind of cattle, except horfes; the latter animal will tear up the young plants with his teeth. Should this pafture, in the course of three or four years, decline in fineness of herbage, and become coarfe and rough, which is frequently the cafe, give it a top-dreffing of lime, or lime mixed with pond or ditch earth, or the fcraping of a road made with line-ftone, or marl; and if neither of thefe can be procured, with coal or foapers' afhes, or any kind of compost; and two years after either of the above manures are administered, ferve out fome good meadow hay on it in the months of January and February, and then give it a compleat covering of rotten dung. "By this method a good permanent pafture may be obtained. If the ground fo laid down be intended for pleasure ground, omit the grais, and add to the natural grass feeds." P. 124. rye In the management and curing of the natural grafs, the inhabitants of this district, particularly in thofe parts where it is intended for fale, are very attentive. "Women or children are employed to fpread the grafs after the mower. About the middle of the day it is turned, and in the afte:noon put into fmall cocks. Next day it is again fpread with great care, fhaking it high up in the air, and feparating as much as poffible every blade. In the courfe of the fecond day, it is twice turned; and early in the afternoon, whilft the fun's rays ars ftrong and powerful, and the bay warm, it is again cocked in heaps, about double as large as thofe of the preceding evening. On the third day it undergoes a fimilar procefs in regard to the spreading and turning; and if the weather be very fine, and the crop not exceeding thirty cwt. per acre, it will be fit for ftacking if otherwife, it fhould be put into large cocks, and left till the fourth morning, avoiding on all occafions ftacking late in the evening, or in a strong dew. Should the weather be difficult, and the hay-making be interrupted by frequent fhowers, or by fome days rain, make a point of drying it thoroughly, and then falt it after the rate of a peck of falt to a ton of hay; this will make it palatable to the cattle. On all accounts, avoid making a chimney in the ftack, for this will inevitably make the hay mouldy and unwholefome. Should it heat too much, and be in danger of taking fire, turn, the mow before the heat is too far advanced." P. 121. The following piece of information, though not new, perhaps, to all our readers, nor of the highest importance, is yet fo generally useful, that we are tempted to extract it. Of late it has been found that potatoes boiled, and mixed with the fkimmings of the pot, or with any other fat or greafy fubftance, is the cheapest food that can be given to all kinds of poultry, and fattens them in a few days, making the flesh of a most delicate colour and flavour." P. 150. At p. 169 we find a plan, by Mr. White, a furveyor for diaming the turf-bogs and flooded lands, near the rivers Bul and Axe. Parties interested in fuch a work will, doubtless, give much attention to a scheme of this nature. "It is obfervable, that the land on which rated flax is fpread to prepare it for housing, is greatly improved thereby; and if it be spread on a coarfe four pafture, the herbage will be totally changed, and the bett forts of graffes will make their appearance. Having myself cultivated flax on a large feale, and obferving the almoft inftantaneous effect produced by the water in which the flax was immerfed, I was induced fome years ago to apply it to fome pafture land, by means of.. watering carts. fimilar to thofe ufed near London in watering the roads. The effect was aftonishing, and advanced the land in value ten shillings per acre. This liquid is much feperior to animal urine. The practice I therefore strongly recommend to the cultivators of flax; poffibly it may not be a new idea, but I believe it is feldom fo applied.' P. 215. BRIT. CRIT: VOL. XIII, FEB. 1799. Here "In refpect to private roads, I would recommend a repeal of the law compelling ftatute labour, and changing the fame to a compofition in money. "Whenever a farmer is called forth to perform ftatute-labour, he goes to it with reluctance, and confiders it as a legal burthen from which he derives no benefit. His fervant and his horfes feem to partake of the torpor of the mafter. The utmost exertion of the furveyor cannot roufe them, and the labour performed is scarcely half what it ought to be. This would not be the cafe, were the furveyor to receive in money the highway tax; he could then employ fuch workmen as would do him juftice, or, if they were indolent or infolent, he could difmifs them." P. 308. Here we muft obferve, that, promifing as this scheme appears, it would be very unpalatable to hufbandmen in general. At prefent, the ftatute-duty is ufually called for, when their teams are molt difengaged, and could earn but little of what they would pay in money. We are aware, that the labour due is very imperfectly performed. By law, they ought diligently to work eight hours every day; out of which they ufually take two for reft and refreshment; beginning at eight in the morning, and leaving off at four in the afternoon. But furely one or two forfeitures, recovered by the furveyor of a parish from the most perverse masters, or labourers, wilfully making default, would fet the matter to rights, in a way lefs exceptionable than that which is here fuggefted. We are glad to find (p. 311) that the magiftrates in Somerfet thire have exerted themfelves to enforce the ufe of the Winchefter meafure for corn; and we recommend their example to all magiftrates who make a confcience of doing their whole duty. Mr. B. fays, that this ftep has been "to the great benefit of the feller, and the great lofs of the purchaser." We fhould rather fay, it has given to every one his due; to the feller in this county, it feems 7 or 8 per cent. more than he formerly received. But probably this is over-rated; fince merchants do not altogether neglect the weight of the corn which they purchase. However, when the measure is certain, each party knows what he is doing, far better than when the measure is cuftomary, which is very uncertain. To this general view are annexed, A Defcription of Robert Weldon's Hydroftatic, or Caiffon-Lock, on the Somerfet Canal, three miles from Bath; and an account, from Mr. Parry, of a very promifing provifion for fupplying the poor with fuel, upon the inciofure of Little Dunham, Norfolk, in 1794. We take our leave of Mr. Billingfley, with thanks to him for many useful inftructions, and for the very proper and unaffected style in which they are communicated. 2 BRITISH BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 14. The Battle of the Nile, a Poem. By William Sotheby, Efq. 4to. 2s. 6d. Hatchard, Piccadilly. 1799. To the knowledge of verfification, and the command of a pure and claffical ftyle, Mr. Sotheby completely established his claim by his late publication of Oberon*. If he appears to lefs advantage in the prefent poem, it feems to be chiefly, because the temporary nature of his fubject urged him to fend it forth before it had been equally matured. The compofition is far from wanting fpirit, but in fome paffages, that fpirit appears a little too extravagant. It is, however, very clearly the production of a poetical mind. Were we to choose a paffage for merit of that kind alone, we should probably extract the fpeech of Buonaparte, as the Genius of Gaul, in p. 9, or the account of his fuppofed death, in p. 12. But wishing to unite political utility with poetical gratification, we fhall rather felect the fpirited tribute to the exertions of our own country, in arming itself againft the threatened invafions. Loud rings the ifle-" Lo, Gaul! yon countless hoft Brit, Crit. vol, xii, p. 513. Q 2 Why Why all, when Gallia pour'd th' invading hoft, Will launch the thunder of confuming war. On the bare rock, his net the fifher spread :-- vengeance graves upon the trophy'd pile, "We heard the vow, exterminating Gaul! And rofe at Liberty's parental call→→→ Throne, city, hut-one will, one voice, one foul, This paffage alfo is full of poetry; but there is fome want of conftruction in the fix lines beginning, "Why yon unwearied," &c. "Why quits the yeoman" is right; but to follow that confiftently, it fhould be "why do the fwains, and why do all feek wounds," &c. It feems hardly neceffary to add, that the whole deferves the attention of the public. ART. 15. Song of the Battle of the Nile; published for the Benefit of the Widows and Children of the brave Men who fell on that memorable Day, and humbly infcribed to the Gentlemen of the Committee. By the Rev. W. L. Borles, of Donhead, Wilshire, and Rector of Dunbleton, Glaucefterbire. 4to. Is. Cadell and Davies. 1799. This is modeftly entitled a Song; but it belongs to the better spe cimen of ode writing, and is throughout highly animated and im preffive. We gladly transfer the last stanza to our page. "Haften, O God! the time, when never more And, with bloody banners fpread, Trufting in Thee alone, we hope to quell -All |