DOMESTIC LITERATURE.

We understand that the Firft Volume of Mr. Nichols's History of Leicestershire is in a great State of Forwardness, and will very fhortly appear. It will contain more Plates, and probably more Information, than any other Work of the Kind that has yet been published. Some of the Plates alfo are executed in a fuperior Style.

Mr. Beloe's Tranflation of the Attic Nights of Aulus Gellius, in Three Volumes, 8vo. with many Notes, is com pleted at the Prefs, and will very speedily be published.

The Public may expect alfo, in a fhort Time, Mr. Billing's Account of Difcoveries, both in Ruffian and in English..

A Life of Mr. Robinfón, by Mr. Dyer.

And a Tranflation of the Poems of the best modern Writes of Latin Verfe, by Mr. Coleridge,

Mr. Efte, we hear, has prepared two Volumes of Travels, which are to contain an Account of Flanders, Brabant, and Germany-and of Switzerland, the Tyrol, and Italy.

We are informed, that Preparations, for a very extenfive Naval Hiftory of Great Britain are making by Mr. Lodge, to whom the Learned World is already. fo materially indebted.

ERRATUM in No. II. Vol. IV.

At the Inftance of Mr. Elphinston, we correct forguif to forgiv in p. 69 of this Volume: and at the fame Time thank that Gentle man for his friendly Expreffions.

In the Prefent Number, p. 231,

For the Price of Dallaway's Heraldry, read 21. 25. inftead of 31. 65.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For OCTOBER, 1794.

Inde et liber crevit, dum ornare patriam, et amplificare gaudemus, pariterque et defenfioni ejus fervimus et gloriæ. PLIN. EPIST.

Thus hath our work increased from the delight we take to honour and ferve our country, labouring at the fame time for her defence and for her glory.

ART. I. A View of Nature, in Letters to a Traveller among the Alps, with Reflections on the Atheistical Philofophy now exemplified in France. By Richard Jofeph Sulivan Efq. F. A. S. and F. R. S. 8vo. 6 vols. 11. 16s. Becket. 1794.

WE

E were not furprised to find that this work had been early able to make its own way in the world, that it had been eagerly enquired for at the fhops, and that many copies had been fold almoft as foon as it made its appearance. The title page is captivating. "A View of Nature," carried through fix Volumes, and thofe of no fmall magnitude, might reafonably be expected to intereft, in a great degree, every inquifitive and curious mind, as containing, probably, a copious account of this great fcene of things, and all the wonders of the Creation. And this in the familiar ftyle of letters", and written to "a Traveller in the Alps", where nature, as it were, has fixed her throne, and reigns in grandeur and fublimity! We would hope too, that the other part of the Titlepage has had its attractions; that, in this kingdom at least, Bb

BRIT. CRIT. YOL. IV. OCT. 1794.

every

every oppofition to "the Atheistical Philofophy now exemplified in France", has a natural claim to the notice and fupport of the literary world. The reflections of a philofopher and naturalift are now the more important, as thefe Atheistical tenets have, as we fee, been themfelves dignified with the ufurped title of philofophy, and the great God of Nature shut out from his own works, by the moit wonderful of his creatures; intelligence made dependent on matter and motion; and the ftupendous mechanifin of the world, its continuance and fupport, attributed to the blind agency of fecondary caufes. We were forry, however, to find that though Atheism is here oppofed, religion is not fufficiently refpected. A third attraction the Title-page might poflefs in the name of the learned author, already known for other works of celebrity and reputation, and in his diftinction, as a Fellow of two of the most learned Societies of Europe.

With an extenfive knowledge of the works of antiquity, Mr. Sulivan appears to have carefully attended to every modern difcovery, and all the fyftems and hypothefes built upon them; to have watched their progrefs, their reception in the world, their fubfequent establishment or overthrow, as new lights have ferved to compare them, or fhow their fallacies and errors. And on thefe generally, as he confidered them, has he paffed a judgment of his own; in fome cafes not dictatorially, but with diffidence, becoming an impartial enquirer after truth. We do not mean to derogate from the reputation of Mr. S. as an original writer, by faying that his work is in general, rather a compilation than a compofition, for fuch not only from its nature it neceffarily must be, but fuch Mr. Sulivan himself acknowledges it, both in his preface, and at the conclufion of his volumes. To give then a concife character of this performance, we may confider it as a valuable collection from the works of the most enlightened philofophers both of ancient and modern times, on fpeculative fubjects, as well as in the line of experimental enquiry; in which the oldeft fyftems and conjectures, with refpect to this great fcene of things, are recalled to our remembrance, and feverally difpofed of, as fucceeding difcoveries have contradicted their principles, 'till we come down to the prefent day, and to the feveral points ftill open to doubt and controverly. Mr. S. himfelf on all thofe points has fome fyftem of his own, which he commonly ftates in a few words, and which may be confidered as that which forms the original part of the book, The reft as a laborious and judicious felection from works, fcattered and difperfed, unintelligible to many, and inacceffible perhaps to more, is a valuable prefent to the

public:

public: and however on fome points we may be difpofed to differ from the author, on others we fhall moft gladly join in giving every teftimony of acknowledgment and approba

tion.

But if, at the outfet of our review of thefe volumes, we fcruple not to speak of them altogether, as composing a work full of curious information, we muft obferve that there may be alfo a doubt whether the variety of knowledge difplayed is not too great, though fome apology is made for it in the Preface. A merit indeed it mult be, in one light, to have provided fomething to fuit the taste of many different claffes of readers, but it is not perhaps quite within the rules of fair dealing to depart very widely from the fubject exprelled in the Title-page, fo as, in this inftance, to feduce by falfe lights the ftudent of nature, from her flowery and bewitching paths, into the dreary regions of antiquarian refearch. For furely many readers who may have been tempted by the attractive title of a "View of Nature, fo extenfive as to engage fix volumes, will be ftartled to find themselves stopped at the fourth by "digreffions concerning the antiquities of the Scythian Monarchy-The hiftory of the Sanfkreet language-The derivation of European fuperftitions from the Ealt-The fymbolical meaning of the latterThe obfcurity of the hiftory of letters-Ancient method of writing-Alphabets-Scythian origin of the Greek and Latin tongues-Radical difference of the Celtic and Gothic languages-Comparative antiquity of the Scots and Irish-Similarity of the Greek and Irith tongues, of Phoenician and Irish infcriptions," with variety of other matters, taking up a very large part of the three laft volumes, and certainly little connected, however meant fo by Mr. Sulivan, with what the generality of readers would agree in calling a "View of Nature." The natualift, we must fay, certainly may feel with fome reafon disappointed, to find that in reality not more than three of the fix voJumes ftrictly belong to him, and that in the 4th and 5th he must give way to the Antiquarian and Philologift. The Theologian and Metaphyfician, we are willing to admit, may clain their fhare, (which, however, is pretty confiderable,) under the other part of the Title, nor will the real lover of nature be displeased to have the fupreme intelligence vindicated and defended, or "to have it fhown how little fupport the advocates of the atheistical philofophy can derive, either from Phyfics when well understood, or from Metaphyfics when cleared of their extravagancy." (See preface.) Of this we would hope no true naturalift would complain, but at the worft, should he feel himself disappointed, and his views facrificed to those of the Antiquarian, Philologift, &c. thefe at leaft will be agreeably furprised to find what they could not expect, and to meet B b 2

with,

with, (what thefe laft volumes certainly contain) many curious difcuffions on their favourite topics.

It cannot be expected that we fhould follow Mr. S. ftep by ftep through the various tracks he has taken; in almost every Jetter fome new fubject is ftarted, and in every page fome important obfervation is tranfmitted to us, from the general ftorehouse of human knowledge. Our endeavour will rather be to colle& M. Sulivan's own fentiments on fuch points of fpeculative and experimental Philofophy, as mankind are not yet fully agreed in, together with his obfervations on fuch philofophical and theological doubts and queftions as he has thought proper to bring within the plan of his work.-Some method we fhall endeavour to purfue, by taking the volumes. as they occur, though in many cafes all that relates to a particular point must be collected from diftinct parts of the work, and Mr. S, muft excufe us if we fail to notice as new, all that he has added of his own, as well as if we impute to him fometimes what may properly belong to another, a difficulty having occurred to us from Mr. Sulivan's mode of reference; as throughout the greater part of the book, almost every page is given generally to fome other author, without fuch marks of fpecification as might better ferve to diftinguifh the adopted, from the original opinion.

Thefe letters, we learn from the Preface, were begun in France in the year1789, and continued from that country, Italy, Germany, and England, through the years 1790 and 1791. To whom they were addreffed does not appear.--The five first letters are appropriated by the author to prepare the mind of his young friend for the ftudy of nature-to guard him against the too general" propenfity to turn matters of serious and weighty import to ridicule," and to direct his views upward to the fupreme Creator of that great fcene of things he was anxious to look into. A moft necellary precaution, if we are to confider the following as a true reprefentation of his friends prepoffeflions: "In one of your laft letters, you tell me, the fyftem of atheifin is the natural fruit of much and continued ftudy, in a mind cooled by reafon and experience"! In accounting for the illiberal propenfity of fome people indifcriminately to fneer at religious inftitutions, Mr. S. (probably most justly) attributes it to the unbounded claims to teinporal as well as fpiritual dominion, the abject and comfortlefs aufterities, and the puerile fubtleties, that have difgraced the character of certain orders of the priesthood; notwithstanding, however, fays Mr. S. as the religion of every country makes a great part in its political fabric, it is neither candid not dignified to run into the fashionable practice of expofing the profeffion, the perfons and the characters of Priefts. Throughout Europe

the