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be fo ready to facrifice our children, and our children's children, to the flames, for the edification of the church; nor fhould we content ourfelves with offering up a prayer to our Great Mafter, without 'exerting ourselves in the ufe of other means to avert fo great an evil. We are advocates for the late bill in favour of the Roman Catholics, becaufe, next to its reasonableness in a christian view, it is, we think, fafe in a political light. We are no friends to martyrdom. We would not perfecute; nor would we be perfecuted. Did it appear probable that the lenient measures of government would end in popish defpotifm and cruelty, instead of a tame fubmiffion, we would heartily join in a vigorous refiftance. But fuch an event is quite out of fight and it is an argument of a contracted and flavish fpirit, to be conjuring up the spectre of fear, and letting the imagination range without reftraint in the regions of poffibility to search out (as Rabelais fays) fome great MAY BE!

Mr. Jeffe feems to have adopted fome of the notions of Mr. Soame Jenyns, respecting a chriftian's engaging in war. He is not perfectly a Quaker; and yet, confitently with fome of his maxims, he ought to be fo. Our relation to this world (fays he) is washed off in the laver of regeneration; we are not of this world, even as Chrift was not of this world: therefore his fervants may not fight to preferve themselves from perfecution and bondage.' And yet this meek man of God tells us in the fame page, that if he was drawn for the militia, and could not pay for a fubititute, he would then not only for wrath, but for confcience fake, carry his musket, and ufe his bayonet with all the vigour of a Briton.' What a hero!

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But'this is a qualifying claufe to keep the balance even between the obedient fubject, and the humble and tender hearted Christian but (fays Mr. Jeffe) I would take the first opportunity to retire from those scenes which are a difgrace to human nature.'

We shall present our readers with a farther fpecimen of the ductility of this gentleman's confcience: and it is the more curious, becaufe religion accompanies every form into which the state may think proper to beat it out. Religion is its ornament and its defence! Hear him.

If this kingdom fhould be unhappily divided against itself: if king and parliament, as in the last century, fhould wage civil war against each other, I fhould think I owe allegiance to both parties. I would not connect myself with either, if it fhould depend upon my own choice. If I should be compelled by either party, I would obey the force fo far, and fo long only as I should feel its power; and whether peace enfue, or one party be entirely fubdued, i should think myfelf under obligation, as a Chriftian, to obey" the 'powers that be" of whatever kind. And yet, notwithstanding this time-ferving declaration, Mr. Jeffe adds another boast to his former catalogue, viz.-that he is a man of God who loves peace, and not the Vicar of Bray, Sir.'

-Art. 51. A Vindication of the Oppofition to the late intended Bill for the Relief of the Roman Catholics in Scotland: in which an Addrefs to the People on that subject, by the Rev. Dr. Campbell, Principal of Marifchal College, Aberdeen, is particularly con

idered.

fidered. 8vo. 6d. Edinburgh printed, and fold by Cadell in London. 1780.

The Author of this pamphlet expreffes a furprife, as well as an anxiety, at the reflections which have been thrown upon those who flood forth in oppofition to the late intended Bill for the relief of the Roman Catholics in Scotland, by a repeal of the laws which had hitherto been a reftraint on them in that country."

The defign of this performance is to vindicate the zeal of the Scotch protestants in their oppofition to popery, and to fhew the impolicy of freeing the Papifts from thofe reftraints which the wifdom, as well as the piety, of our forefathers had laid on them.

The author reafons fhrewdly on the political part of the queftion: but when he pretends to foretel, from the Revelations, how, and by what terrible means, the whole ftyftem of popery, and its great inftruments, will be demolished, he lofes himself in a labyrinth of theological hypothefis, and fhows more what he wishes, than what he can demonftrate.

We totally difapproved of the oppofition which was made in Scotland to the Bill in favour of the Roman Catholics. It was begun in malice, and ended in outrage. What a difgrace will the remembrances of fome late events in Scotland and England ftamp on the annals of Proteftantifm! The pretence of religion only aggravated the guilt of fedition: and the facred name of Liberty was infulted and blafphemed, when rudely mixed with the outcries of licentioufnefs.

There is more of the crafty politician in this pamphlet than the meek chriftian, and more of the bigotted fectarian than either.

PAMPHLETS relative to the late RIOTS, &c.

By

I. A Plain and Succin& Narrative of the late Disturbances, &c. William Vincent, of Gray's Inn. 8vo. IS. Fielding and Co. To this narrative, which appears to be fufficiently circumftantial and exact, is prefixed, an abstract of the act lately paffed in favour of the Roman Catholics; as alfo, an account of the Bill, as moved for in Parliament by Sir George Saville; with the obfervations of Sir George and Mr. Dunning on the Papift penal laws. The author has likewife added fome anecdotes of the life of Lord George Gordon with whofe commitment to the Tower this narrative concludes.

II. A Narrative of the Proceedings of Lord George Gordon, and the Perfons affembled under the Denomination of the Protestant Affociation, &c. to the Time of his Lordship's Commitment to the Tower, &c. 8vo. Is. Wallis.

This narrative likewife contains an abstract of the late aft, on which the disturbances were founded; alfo, the address prefented to his Majefty, on this occafion, by the Roman Catholic peers, &c. 11. Confiderations on the late Disturbances. By a Confiftent Whig. 8vo. I s. Almon.

The Confiderer warmly arraigns, and totally condemns the principle of the petition, framed by the Proteftant Aflociation,-vindicates, both on religious and political ground, the late aft in favour of the Roman Catholics, commonly fyled Sir George Saville's Bill,

-july

-jufly execrates the horrid proceedings of the mob,-and then deduces the following general conclufions:

1. That the Proteftant religion had nothing to do in the late disturbances.

2. That the prayer of the petition by no means meets with general approbation; and that neither from the numbers or character of the fubfcribers, the object of their petition, or the manner of their proceedings is it to be raised to a level with thofe petitions that have been prefented in a conftitutional manner, by the reprefentatives of feveral of the counties from their conftituents, praying for a redress of their grievances.

3. That the late A&t, in favour of the Papifts, has not been properly reprefented to the people; that nothing can be further from the truth than, that it amounts to an abfolute repeal of the penal laws, or the establishment of the Popish religion; that fo far from their numbers having encreafed in confequence of the mitigation of the penal laws, they have decreafed confiderably, both in this kingdom and Ireland. And,

repeal.'

Laftly-That neither juftice nor found policy can juftify the IV. Fanaticism and Treafon: or a Difpaffionate Hiftory of the Rife, Progrefs, and Suppreffion of the Rebellious Infurrections in June, 1780. By a Real Friend to Religion and to Britain. 8vo. 2 5. Kearfly.

This warm inveftigator of fanaticifm, treafon, and rebellion,' who thus cries aloud and fpares not, has given a very elaborate and fuccinct account of what has happened; but he is as much at a lofs to aflign the caufe which has produced fuch lamentable effects, as any of his brother authors, who have obliged the public with their narratives, &c. on this unhappy occafion. Yet our hiftorian feems eager to fix the charge Somewhere; and we heartily with he were able to do it with certainty, that the fecret, the real authors of fo much diabolical mifchief (whoever they are) may be brought to exemplary punishment. But this gentleman is not fufficiently difpaffionate in his inquiries; abounding more in declamation than argument. He writes, however, in a train fuperior to our common fcribblers to the times, and his manner is frequently entertaining, even on this horrid fubject. His view is, obviously, to vindicate the proceedings of government, in every ftage of this ugly bufinefs; and he points with cagernefs at many gentlemen in oppofition, of whom he more than -hefitates diflike,

Willing to wound, but yet afraid to strike!

On the whole, though intemperately written, and containing, perhaps, fome unfair fuggeftions,-and though it has much the appearance of a minifterial production, yet this pamphlet deferves to be diftinguished from the mob of catchpenny things, that will naturally Spring from this new raised hot-bed of fedition.

It would have been as well if the Author had omitted this word in his title page,

COR.

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the MONTHLY REVIEWERS.

THE attention and judgment with which you felect the moft

important obfervations of the Authors that come under your Review, entitle you to public approbation; and particularly your care to exhibit whatever immediately interefts the general economy of life. In this view I confider your extracts and remarks in the lait month on Dr. Ingen houfz's experiments upon vegetables, from which you take occafion to communicate the danger of confinement in a clofe room containing a large quantity of fragrant flowers. As I imagine your Review is more generally read than any other periodical performance in Europe, I doubt not but your communication will extenfively diffufe a proper fufpicion of this fragrant and infidious poifon, and thereby obviate future injuries from the fame cause ; but I was not a little furprised, when you mentioned this as a caufe of danger" hitherto unfufpected."

Though I am of opinion, that Dr, Ingenhoufz has more clearly explained this deleterious quality in fragrant flowers, it has, I believe, been long fufpected, though not elucidated with that accuracy which the difcoveries of Dr. Priestley have fince enabled experimentalifts to do. About ten years ago I intimated my opinion, in the History of Tea, that its fragrance was deleterious, founded upon experiments, and confirmed by experience; and inftanced two examples of death in tea brokers, who in order to afcertain the refpective qualities of teas, finell at them forcibly, and thus infpiré their effluvia; one of these perfons died paralytic, and the other apoplectic.

Lucretius, in his 6th Book, fpeaks very fully of the deleterious ef fects of effluvia from different fubftances; and his ideas are fo applicable to the prefent fubject, that I beg leave to tranfcribe them here: Arboribus primum certis gravis umbra tributa eft

Ufque adeo, capitis faciant ut fæpe dolores,
Siquis eas fubter jacuit proftratus in herbis.
Eft etiam in magnis Heliconis montibus arbos
Floris odore hominem tetro confueta necare.

In the Acta Curioforum, as well as in fome of the earlier Philofophical Tranfactions, I think I recollect having feen accounts of fome examples of fatality from expofure to fragrant flowers in confined rooms. All the early navigators to the Welt Indies notice the deleterious effluvium of the Manchineel tree, though they vary refpecting its virulence. I do not therefore addrefs you as claiming the merit of a difcovery, but to confirm the fufpicions which you have already frogefted, as feveral cafes have been related to me of perfons who have loft their lives by this expofure, and more than one inftance where the fame fatal confequences have happened from fleeping in a held of beans in blossom.

London, June 12, 1780.

JOHN COAKLEY LETTSOM,

C.'s favour is received, and fhall be farther noticed in our

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Memoire dans lequel on examine les Fondemens de l'Ancienne Hiftoire Chinoife, & où l'on fait voir que les Miffionaires fe font appuyés fur divers Paffages corrompus d'Auteurs Chinois pour etablir 'lAncienneté de la Nation.—An Inquiry into the Foundations of the ANCIENT HISTORY of China, in which it is proved, that the Miffionaries have employed feveral corrupted Paffages of the Chinese Authors to afcertain the Antiquity of that Nation. By M. DE GUIGNES, Member of the Royal Academy of Infcriptions, &c.

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HIS Piece is the fummary of a more ample and extensive Memoir, which the learned Author had read at different fittings of the Royal Academy, and it contains an examination of the proofs that have been employed to afcertain the Chinese chronology; ift, in the writings of the Miffionaries; and 2dly, in the annals of China, themfelves. In a former Memoir, M. DE GUIGNES, by an attentive difcuffion of fome parts of the ancient hiftory of China, had fhewn how uncertain that hiftory is and as feveral Miffionaries had endeavoured to anfwer his objections, he returns to the fubject in the present Memoir, and illuftrates and confirms, by new acceffions of evidence, what he had formerly maintained.

One of the first particulars we obferve in this Memoir, is, the learned FRERET employing a paffage of Meng-tse, a claffical author among the Chinese, and looking upon it as one of the ftrongest proofs of the authenticity of the Chinese chronology; while it is evident, that this paffage does not exift in Meng-tfe, but was a note of a commentator, who lived near twelve hundred years after *. Father Noel, in his tranflation of the works

Meng-tfe lived in the ivth century before the Christian æra, and his Commentator in the xiith century after. APP. REV, Vol. lxii. LI

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