feature of his eloquence,—the dignified fimplicity and pathos with which he addreffed his hearers on topics particularly feafonable, as well as univerfally interefting. We fat down to the perufal of the prefent volume in high expectation of finding many new compofitions after the fame excellent model; and our only disappointment is, that the number of practical difcourses, whether on general or particular fubjects, is smaller than in the former. Several of this kind occur, indeed, which are entitled to the highest praise for a judicious adaptation of general ideas and fentiments to particular characters and circumftances, and for a dignified plainnefs and folemn energy of addrefs on the moft weighty topics. Of this defcription we mention, as of fuperior merit, the difcourfes on the following fubjects: Purity of Manners no lefs neceffary to a Chriftian Character than Benevolence;' The Government of the Paffions an indifpenfible Duty;' and, The various Opportunities of doing Good.' Befides thefe, we find excellent practical fermons on chearfulness, as a diftinguishing feature of the Chriftian religion; on felf-communion; on early piety; and on the one thing needful; and two valuable discourses on the excellence of Chrift's preaching, and the argument for his divine miffion drawn from his character.

A very confiderable part of this volume, however, is occupied either by fermons formerly published on particular occafions, or by difcourfes on polemical topics, which afford little scope for the difplay of the author's peculiar talent. It is with regret that we find this excellent practical preacher employing two dif courfes on the neceffity of vicarious punifhment, or of an atoning facrifice for fin; in which, without any critical examination of the texts on which this doctrine is supposed to be founded, it is taken for granted that it is the doctrine of the fcriptures; an attempt is made to establish it on the principles of reafon; and a conjecture is hazarded that the redemption wrought by Chrift may extend to many other worlds besides our own. The difcourfe entitled The Character of David, King of Ifrael, impartially stated,' (which was originally preached in 1761, in answer to a pamphlet entitled, "The Man after God's own Heart," now, we are told, entirely forgot,) though altered to omit the immediate references to that publication, and to render it lefs polemical, would have had its place well fupplied by one of his Lordship's practical fermons.

The occafional fermons are-At the Anniversary Meeting of the Sons of the Clergy, 1776. Before the House of Lords, January 30, 1778. For the Charity School at St. Paul's, 1782. On the Thanksgiving for his Majesty's Recovery, 1789.

MONTHLY

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For NOVEMBER, 1794.

LAW.

Art. 16. The Charge delivered by the Right Hon. Sir James Eyre, Lord Chief Juftice of his Majefty's Court of Common Pleas, and one of the Commiffioners in a Special Commiffion of Oyer and Terminer, iffued under the Great Seal, &c. to enquire of certain High Treafons, and Mifprifions of Treasons, within the County of Middlesex, to the Grand Jury, at the Seffion-houfe on Clerkenwell-green, O&t. 2d, 1794. Published at the Request of the Grand Jury. 4to. Is. Payne.

TH

HE crime of high treafon alone is confidered in the prefent charge, and nothing is faid on the fubject of mifprifion of treafon.-The ftatute 25 Edw. III. declares it to be high treafon to compass or imagine the death of the King: this imagination must be evidenced by fome ftep or act in profecution of fuch defign. These acts are denominated Overt Alts, and must be particularly fet forth in every indictment for this crime. The Chief Juftice,-after having ftated the acts of an immediate and direct attempt against the life of the King, and alfo more remote steps taken with a view to effectuate the fame intention, which, on the authority of adjudged cafes, and in the opinion of those two " great mafters of the crown law," Sir Matthew Hale and Sir Michael Forfter, equally amount to overt acts of this fpecies of treafon,-lays it down as clear law that a confpiracy to fubvert the British monarchy, though not in itself a specific treafon under the above-mentioned ftatute, involves in it the compafling and imagining the death of the King, and is in truth of its very effence.'-In connection with this opinion, and in confequence of his reafonings on it, the Chief Juftice confiders that a project of a convention, which should have for its objects the obtaining a parliamentary reform without the authority of parliament, and fteps taken upon it, would be high treason in all the actors of it, for this is a confpiracy to overturn the government.' His Lordship proceeds to ftate two other cafes; which, with his opinion on them, we shall transcribe from his Charge:

• Whether the project of a convention, having for its object the collecting together a power, which should owverave the legislative body, and extort a parliamentary reform from it, if acted upon, will alfo amount to HIGH TREASON, and to the fpecific treafon of compaffing and imagining the King's death, is a more doubtful question. Thus far is clear; a force upon the Parliament must be immediately directed against the King, who is an integral part of it; it must reach the King, or it can have no effect at all. Laws are enacted in Parliament by the King's Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords and Commons in parliament affembled. A force meditated against the Parliament, is therefore a force meditated against the King, and feems to fall within the cafe of a force meditated against the King, to compel him to alter the measures of his government: but, in that cafe, it does not appear to me that I am warranted by the authorities to ftate to you, as clear law, that the mere confpiracy

24

to raife fuch a force, and the entering into confultations refpecting it, will alone, and without actually raifing the force, constitute the crime of high treafon. What the law is in that cafe, and what will be the effect of the circumftance of the force being meditated against the King IN PARLIAMENT, against the King in the exercife of the royal function in a point, which is of the very effence of his monarchy, will be fit to be folemnly confidered, and determined when the cafe fhall arife.

It may be ftated to you as clear, That the project of a convention, having for its fole object a dutiful and peaceable application to the wifdem of Parliament on the fubject of a wished-for reform, which application fhould be entitled to weight and credit from the univerfality of it, but fould fill leave to the Parliament the freeft exercife of its difcretion to grant or to refufe the prayer of the petition, (great as the refponfibility will be on the perfons concerned in it, in refpect of the many probable, and all the poffible, bad confequences of collecting a great number of people together; with no fpecific legal powers to be exercised, and under no government but that of their own discretion,) cannot in itself merit to be ranked among that class of offences which we are now affembled to hear and determine.'

Thefe are the principal doctrines inculcated in this Charge on the minds of the jury.

Art. 17. Curfory Strictures on the Charge delivered by Lord Chief Justice Eyre to the Grand Jury, O&t. zd, 1794. 8vo. pp. 52. 1s.

Eaton.

The unknown author of these Strictures declares that many new and extraordinary doctrines, on the subject of treason, were delivered in the late Charge; alluding to those which we have noticed at the conclufion of our laft article.-These he examines with confiderable ability, and cenfures with great, perhaps unbecoming, afperity; as he confiders them to be new-fangled treafons of the Chief Justice's creation, unnoticed by the ftatute of Edward III. and unsupported by any precedents.

Art. 18. Obfervations on the Law of Treafen: Wherein it is attempted to be fhewn, that confpiring to levy War is not Treafon by the Law of England. 8vo. pp. 44. Is. 6d. Johnfon. 1794.

To levy war against the King is declared to be a fubftantive treason. By the ftatute 25 Edw. III. a confpiracy, however, to levy war has never been determined to amount to this crime under the clause in queftion. Some doubts, nevertheless, have arisen in the minds of Judges, whether it may not be confidered as a fufficient overt-act of imagining the death of the King. In fupport of the affirmative of this opinion, the cafe of the regicides reported by Kelyng, p. 20, is adduced; and this authority is ftrengthened by the concurrence of Sir Matthew Hale, Sir Michael Forfter, and Judge Blackstone. Sir Edward Coke, however, (and on his reafoning on the ftatute of Edw. III. Inflitute, p. 14. our author chiefly depends,) refifts this idea, and fays, This, namely a confpiracy to levy war, as hath been

What is this fangling of notions and opinions? We with the language were rid of fuch an ill-founding word.

faid, and fo refolved, is no treafon by this act until it be levied, therefore it is no open act or manifeft proof of the compaffing of the death of the King within this act-for this were to confound the feveral claffes." Notwithstanding this dictum, contrary determinations have been made, and the current of modern authorities opposes this doctrine.

Art. 19. A Warning to Judges and Jurors on State Trials; being an Abstract from an antient Lilliputian Chronicle; which thews how a Chief Juftice was executed in virtue of his own Conclusions, and how the Grand Vizir afterwards hanged himself in Despair. 8vo, PP. 50. 15. Eaton.

The allufion of this contemptible and malignant pamphlet to pre, fent circumstances, and modern characters, is fufficiently obvious. Art. 20. An Abridgment and concise Explanation of the Laws relating 19 Riots, Tumults, and Infurrections, and of the Duty and Power of Magiftrates and others refpecting fuch Offences. By Charles Lufh, Chief Clerk of the Police Office, Shoreditch. 8vo. pp. 30. IS. Downes.

The contents of this pamphlet are fairly set out in its title-page. Art. 21. Sketches of the Characters of the Hon. Thomas Erskine, and James Mingay, Efq. interfperfed with Anecdotes and professional Strictures. 8vo. pp. 74. 2s. Kearsley, 1794.

This pamphlet, which is intended as a continuation of a work en, titled "Law Characters," contains a fulfome and ill-written pane. gyric on the gentlemen introduced in the title-page.-For our opi nion of Law Characters, fee Rev. N. S. vol. iv. p. 81.

Art. 22. The Trial at large of the Right Hon. Lady Cadogan for Adultery with the Rev. Mr. Cooper, before Lord Kenyon and a Special Jury, in Westminster Hall. Taken in Short-hand by a Student in the Inner Temple. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Ridgway. 1794.

In this very flagrant cafe, the jury gave a verdict of two thoufand pounds. An animated fpeech from Mr. Erfkine, in behalf of the plaintiff, adds confiderably to the value of this publication,

--

EAST INDIA COMPANY.

Art. 23. Proteft or Diffent of Thomas Henchman, and Randle Jackjon, Efquires, delivered in to the Committee of Bye-laws of the East India Company, against refcinding certain Refolutions for preventing Proprietors from voting upon their own Contracts, or upon Questions in which they have a direct pecuniary Intereft; and for fecuring to the Proprietors at large their Right of Appeal, by way of Ballot, from the Determination of a Majority prefent at any General Court. With a Sketch of the Debate on the Report of the Committee. By William Woodfall. 4to. Is. Debrett.

An opinion feems to have gone abroad, and to have taken hold of many proprietors of Eaft India ftock, that, by a due attention to conomy in the hire of fhipping, fufficient favings might be made greatly to increase their yearly dividends. The refolution of the Directory to fufpend the progrefs of any fuch reform has induced the two above-named patriotic gentlemen to fubmit to the Committee, whe

ther

ther fuch a refolution could have taken place, if a number of perfons had not felt in it a direct pecuniary intereft, far more confiderable than their general intereft as proprietors of the capital flock of the company; and to impute this inconvenience to the circumftance of proprietors being allowed to vote upon their own contracts. To this it has been answered, very concisely, that, “ fuppofing the principle to be good, it cannot be carried into execution;" and a conformable vote having been obtained, these two gentlemen have intimated that they fhall not fear an appeal to the legislature of the country.

One of the fpeakers, Mr. Knox, feems obfcurely to have felt, (for the lucidus ordo does not greatly prevail in the debate,) that, however the proprietory may be interested in reforms which are liable to prove prejudicial to the directory, the public are still more interested in reforms that are liable to prove prejudicial to the proprietory: for much more may be advanced againft tolerating an exclufive company at all, than against the partial diftribution of contracts, at too high a rate of profit, by thofe who are elected for the purpofe of distributing them.

POLITICAL.

Art. 24. On Peace. By William Fox. 8vo. 3d. or five for 1s. Gurney.

Mr. W. Fox again takes up the pen of irony*, to juftify the continuance of the prefent exterminating war; for, as fuch, he contends, on the principles of Mr. Burke and Mr. Pitt, it ought to be confidered. We trust that this fhrewd writer might have faved himself the trouble of the well-intended little tract now before us; and that a fpirit of pacification is already gone forth, which will foon furnish the beft defence of our miniftry against his fevere attack on their conduct, with respect to their perfeverance in the prefent unparalleled war against France: in that cafe, this publication will be much reduced in its importance, and its author must be contented with the scanty praise of having produced half an hour's harmless amusement.

Art. 25. His Majesty's most gracious Speech to both Houfes of Parlia ment, November 25th, 1794. Folio. 3d. Eaton, Printer to the Supreme Majefty of the People.

A tame anticipation, in an ironical ftyle of congratulation on our great fucceffes, and the valuable acquifitions which have been lately obtained by the arms of our allies; with exhortations to 'perfevere in the glorious struggle.'

Art. 26. A Letter to the Right Hon. Charles James Fox, from a Weftminster Elector. 8vo. 6d. Eaton.

This declamatory epiftle may be confidered as a ranting kind of comment on a famous paffage in a modern tragedy:

See M. Rev. Sept. p. 89, Art. 21.

+ No fituation to which we can be reduced, he (Mr. P. according to Mr. Fox,) fays, can juftify us in making peace with the Jacobin government of France; and he infifts on our contiuuing the war until our laft guinea be spent, and the last man of us has fallen.'

The newspapers affert the entire dereliction of Jacobin principles, and the total difperfion of Jacobin focieties, in France.

"When