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MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For SEPTEMBER, 1776.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 12. The Gardener's Pocket Calendar; containing the most approved Methods of cultivating the useful and ornamental Plants for the Kitchen Garden, Flower Garden, and Flowering Shrubs. By Thomas Ellis, Gardener to the Lord Bishop of Lincoln. 12mo. 3 s. bound. Richardfon and Urquhart. 1776.

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OOKS of this kind, and under titles fimilar to that of the prefent publication, have greatly multiplied of late; and real improvements have, undoubtedly, been made on the pian of a Gardener's Monthly Director, fince Evelyn's Kalendarium Hortenfe, first published in 1658.-Miller, Whitmill, and Laurence, improved the fcheme; and fince them, we have feveral productions of the fame nature; all of them ufeful, though varying from each other, in respect to the form and method of compilement, rather than in any remarkable improvement of the Horticultural Art.—The prefent work will recommend itself to many Readers, by a novelty of method which, we think, is neat, compact, and convenient. Hear what the Author himself fays, in explanation of his defign:

Several of the Calendars lately published, having greatly encreafed in fize, and confequently in price, by defcribing the particulars of each operation, every time that the plant is mentioned; this hath been the inducement of offering to the Public a new work, upon a different and more useful plan, in faving the reader both time and money. This I have been from time to time improving, by the obfervations made in the courfe of many years experience in an extenfive garden, cultivated under my direction.

In thofe Calendars, you have the trouble of turning to many different parts of the book, to find out the general cultivation of the plant, which it is abfolutely neceffary to be acquainted with, before you can judge properly of performing any one part.

To obviate this inconvenience, a Catalogue is first given of all the plants, herbs, and roots, which are cultivated for the table in England, arranged in alphabetical order, with an account of all the valuable and esteemed efculent varieties of each fort, at prefent known, and in what month of the year they are fit for ufe. "The general cultivation of the plant, from the feed to its perfection, is then described, and afterwards, under EACH MONTH, is mentioned what is then neceffary to be performed, without repeating the particular method of the operation.

The flowers and fhrubs cultivated for the ornament of the pleafure garden, being now encreased to a very large number, it was neceffary to place them in different divifions, according to the me thod of cultivation which they require; they are, therefore, arranged in the following manner, and at the end of each chapter the general culture is defcribed, and afterwards, in the Calendar for the flower garden, the neceffary operations requifite to be performed in every month of the year.'

Art.

Art. 13. Some Memoirs of the Life and Works of George Edwards, Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. 4to. 4 s. fewed. Robfon. 1776.

The hiftory of this ingenious, fenfible, and worthy man, confifts chiefly in that of his works, which will convey his memory, with great diftinction, to future ages. To the Memoirs are added engravings and defcriptions of the following animals: I. The narrowbeaked crocodile; a non-defcript. II. The frog-fifh of Surinam; not to be met with in the British Museum, nor in any private Englifh collection, except that of Dr. Fothergill. III. The argus, a beautiful Chinese pheafant. IV. The fnake-eater; a bird of a new genus,' fays Mr. Edwards, and the only one fpecies of it hitherto come to my knowledge.' V. The Siyâh Ghuh; of which, if we mistake not, we formerly gave an account, from the Philo fophical Transactions; the drawing was made by the late Dr. Gregory Sharpe, from one of thefe animals, kept in the Tower, about fifteen years ago.

Art. 14. A Defcription of the County of Middlefex; containing a Circumftantial Account of its Public Buildings, Seats of the Nobility and Gentry, Places of Refort and Entertainment, Curiofities of Nature and Art, (including those of London and Westminfter) &c. &c. The whole forming a complete Guide to those who may visit the Metropolis, or make a Tour through the County. Illuftrated with Copper Plates. 8vo. 3s. 6d. fewed. Snagg.

There are never wanting obvious circumstances to point out the cheap manufacture of fervile compilations and abridgments: thus the piece before us is embellished with a very coarfe plan of London, Westminster, and Southwark, which though dated in 1775, muft be at least twenty years old; as St. George's fields are represented with all the intricate crofs lanes they might have in days of yore. It is indeed fo far modernized as to have two ftrokes drawn across the river for Blackfriars bridge; but the circus, with the new roads centering in it, would have added to the expence; and for the fame reafon all the old departed gates of London are left yet standing in it. We find nothing in the work that feems worthy of our particular attention. Art. 15. The Commercial Palladium: or Tradefmen's Jewel. Exhibiting Profit and Lofs at one View. Being the only Guide to Affignees of Bankrupts, Trustees of Infolvent Debtors, Stock and Infurence Brokers; and particularly to all Perfons connected in Partnership; as in Lead or Coal Mines, Shipping, Under-writing, Policies, &c. &c. By S. Thomas, Merchant. Author of the British Negociator, &c. 2s. 6d. Robinfon.

As the Preface is the leading object of attention, when we open a new book, the first fentence in this calls for a remark, even before we read the fecond. The Writer premifes, that every attempt to facilitate business may be faid to be a kind of free-will offering made to the Public; or a token of refpect, which merits general acknowledgments, even whether fuch attempt anfwers the end propofed or not? Now it is fufficiently obvious, that neither the premises, nor the conclufion of this peremptory claim of Public acknowledgments, is fairly

ftated,

ftated. When a book is publifhed at a prescribed price, it is no free-will offering; and Mr. Thomas, from his knowledge of trade, muft know, that the purchafer has a right to the equivalent he expects for the money he parts with: it is left to his own reflection what acknowledgment a writer is entitled to, who obtains money on falfe pretenfes.

With respect to tables of this kind, the utmost that can be faid, is, that their merit depends on their correctnefs; but this numerical merit we cannot be expected to enter into. In fums of confequence, printed tables will fcarcely be relied on; yet they may be confulted as collateral proofs; for if the calculations made, agree with the tables, they mutually establish each other.

Art. 16. Coryat's Crudities; reprinted from the Edition of 1611. To which are now added, his Letters from India, &c. and Extracts relating to him, from various Authors; being a more particular Account of his Travels (mostly on Foot) in different Parts of the Globe, than any hitherto published. Together with his Orations, Character, Death, &c. With Copper-plates. Svo. 3 Vols. 155. Cater, &c. 1776.

Coryat was an odd, half-witted, half learned, rambling fellow, with a genius peculiarly turned for improvement in quibbles, conundrums, and quaint fayings; all of which happening to be the mode, in the time of our wife James the First, Coryat filled and crowded his writings with thefe ornaments, till they grew even then ridiculous; and in proportion as pedantic conceits and hard words went out of fashion, it became difficult to determine whether his Crudities were most read for the fake of the information they afforded, or the laughter they excited. Read, however, they were, and, no doubt, had their admirers. Books of travels, too, were lefs plentiful, in those times, than they are in these; and Tom's narrative abounded in fuch facts and anecdotes as could not fail of recommending themfelves by their novelty. He was, moreover, judged tolerably honeft in his reports; and he feems, indeed, to have been a well-meaning, intelligent, kind of buffoon.-Of his wonderful fine ftyle, when he aimed at the fublime, take the following fpecimens, from the beginnings of his feveral orations, pronounced at the delivery of his book to the King, Queen, Prince, &c.

To the KING.

It were no marvaile if the like fhould happen unto me, (most invincible monarch of this thrife renowned Albion, and the refulgent carbuncle of Christendome) fpeaking vnto your most excellent Maieftie, that did once to Demofthenes, that thunderbolt of Athens, when he fpake to Philip King of Macedon, euen to be as mute as a Seriphian frogge, or an Acanthian grafhopper; fince the uery characters imprinted in the forehead of a King are able to appail the most confident orator that euer fpake, much more myfelf-whom if I should compare to a frogge, as having crawlen many leagues- by

Tom would not lose so fine an opportunity as this word afforded him of treating his quibbling majetty with a pun-royal on the word Albion, which he ingeniously derives from all be one, in regard," fays he, of the happie union of England and Scotland.'

water,

water, or to a grashopper, as having hopped many leagues by land, &c. &c.'

To the QUEEN.

• Moft refplendent Gem, and radiant Aurora of Great Britaine's fpacious hemifphere, think not this apparance of mine to be other than naturall, though contrarie to the courfe and order of nature, myfelf, who am nothing but a foggie vapour and an obfcure relique of darkneffe, doe prefume to approach fo neare vnto your Maiefticail prefence, when as all cloudie fogges and obtenebrating mittes are by the glorious appearance of rofe finguered Aurora abandoned and put to flight, &c. &c.'

To the PRINCE,

Most scintillant Phosphorus of our British Trinacria †, euen as the christaline deaw, that is exhaled vp into the ayre out of the cauernes and fpongie pores of the fucculent earth, doeth by his distillation defcend, and difperfe itself again vpon the fpacious fuperficies of his mother earth, and fo confequently fecundate the fame with his bountiful irrigation: fo I, a poore vapour composed of drops, partly naturall, partly literall, partly experimentall, having had my generation within the liquid wals of this farre-decantated ifland, being drawen up by the ftrength of my hungrie and high reaching defire of trauell, and as it were craned vp with the whirling wheele of my longing appetite to furvey exoticke regions, have been hoyfed to the altitude of the remote climates of, &c. &c.'

To the Lady ELIZABETH.

Moft peerleffe and gracious Princeffe, the true attractive Adamant, in whose name, fexe, and heroicall difpofition methinkes I fee our great Queene Elizabeth reuived and and refufcitated vnto life from the very bowels of her grave: Give me leave, I most humbly befeech your Grace, as a poore Traueller, out of the roundneffe of my hart as the circumference and foundneffe of the fame, as the center and meditullium thereof, to prefent to your Grace's lily-white hands the Raw trauels of my head and toes, faithfully written by my industrious fingers as they were truly trodden by thefe laborious feete of mine, which with all nimbleneffe yeeld true obedience to their commaunding head- &c."

To the Duke of YORKE.

Moft glittering Chryfolite of our English Diademe, in whofe little yet most louely body doe budde moft pregnant hopes like faire bloffomes,&c. &c. -But here are enow of Mr. Coryat's flowers, for a reasonable nofegay.

Art. 17. The Mifcellaneous Works of Tim Bobbin, Efq; containing his View of the Lancashire Dialect; with large Additions and Improvements. Alfo his Poem of the Flying Dragon, &c. Embellished with Copper-plates. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Manchester printed, and fold by Goldsmith, &c. in London. 1775.

The View of the Lancashire Dialect is a piece of low, but true, humour, well known in that part of the kingdom, and hath gone thro

In a learned note, Coryat traces the refemblance between Trinacria (the ancient name of Sicily) and Britain; diftinguishing each. iland by its three promontories.

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various

various editions: one of which (in 1750) was mentioned with ap plaufe in our Review, vol. iv. p. 156.-The other pieces in this collection have fome degree of merit, in their way; but as the most confiderable require an acquaintance with the northern dialects, the jokes will be as little understood as the language, in other parts of the kingdom.

Art. 18. Johnfoniana; or, a Collection of Bons Mots, &c. By Dr. Johnson, and others. 12mo. 2 S. Riley.

Among the inconveniencies attending eminence of ftation, whether in place, dignity, or wit, those who rank in the latter clafs, are liable to one that is peculiar to themselves, and perhaps, of all others, the moft mortifying-that of having their name clapped to an abominable jeft book!

Art. 19. Hiftorical and entertaining Anecdotes; or, the Pocket Remembrancer; being a new and elegant Affemblage of the moft ingenious Sallies of Wit, lively Effufions of Fancy, interesting Portraits of Vice, wife Sayings, pleafing Stories, &c. 12mo. 1 s. 6d. Lane. 1775.

We find nothing very elegant in this affemblage of hories and bons mats; but we would, nevertheless, prefer it to the generality of our jeft-books, because it is free from that prophaneness and obfcenity which renders fuch compilations unfit for the perufal of young and modeft Readers.

Art. 20. A Dictionary of Love. Small 12mo. 2s. Bell. 1776. The first edition of this important Dictionary was printed in 1753: fee Review, vol. ix,

Art. 21. Letters from Edinburgh; written in the Years 1774 and 1775. Containing fome Obfervations on the Diversions, Customs, Manners, and Laws, of the Scotch Nation, during a Six Month's Refidence in Edinburgh. 8vo. 6s. bound. Dodley. Thefe Letters are faid to have been written by a Mr. Topham, who has, fomewhat rafhly, undertaken to speak decifively of the genius, character, laws, cuftoms, and amufements of the Scots, from only a fix month's acquaintance with the capital of their country. The fpirit, however, of his reprefentations is liberal and candid; and his manner of detail is eafy, natural, and agreeable,-manifefting the gentleman and the fcholar. He is, on the whole, rather partial to Our northern brethren; and he fmartly rebukes Dr. Johnfon for the Jeverity and ingratitude which appear in fome of his obfervations ou Scotland, in his account of his late Journey to the Western Islands. On the other hand, he highly commends Mr. Pennant's defcriptions, as equally accurate, ingenious, and faithful. We wish we could fay all this in favour of Mr. Topham's performance; which, however ingenious and good humoured, is by no means entitled to the praife of accuracy; yet we hope the Writer is no where intentionally unfaithful. In fome circumftances he may have misled himself; in more, he may have been mifinformed by others: but in none, perhaps, has he aimed at impofing on the Public. On the whole, his work is written in a lively, pleafing ftyle; and it abounds with anecdotes and remarks that cannot fail of agreeably entertaining his Readers.

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