THE LONDON REVIEW, AND LITERARY JOURNAL, FOR SEPTEMBER 1799. QUID SIT PULCHRUM, QUID TURPE, QUID UTILE, QUID NON. Travels through the States of North America, and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797. By Ifaac Weld, Jun. 2d Edit. 2 Vols. 8vo. Stockdale. HE ftate of North America has been accurately, defcribed. From various caufes, there has been much partiality evinced; and, while one fet of people have been representing it as the promised land-a fecond Eden-another fet has been employed in painting it with every feature of deformity; as a place deftitute of every comfort, and obnoxious to every thing that can give disgust to the mind, or offence to the fatisfaction of mankind. Mr. Weld has fteered a middle courfe. He went to America with prepoffeffions in its favour, which perhaps had raised his expectations too high. That he has been disappointed, he avows. It will be right to enquire into the cause. 1799. "At a period (fays he) when war was fpreading defolation over the fairest parts of Europe; when anarchy feemed to be extending its frightful progrefs from nation to nation; and when the ftorms that were gathering over his native country (Ireland) in particular, rendered it impoffible to fay how foon any one of its inhabitants might be forced to feek for refuge in a foreign land; the Author of the following pages was induced to crofs the Atlantic, for the purpofe of examining with his own eyes into the truth of the various accounts which had been given of the flourishing and happy condition of the United States of America; and of afcertaining whether, in cafe of future emergency, any part of those territories might be looked forward to as an eligible and agreeable place of abode. Arrived in America, he travelled pretty generally through the States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jerfey, and New York; he afterwards provinces, and of determining, from his own immediate observations, how far the prefent condition of the inhabitants of the British dominions in America might be inferior or otherwife to that of the people of the States who now indeed have thrown off the yoke, but were formerly members of the same extensive empire." In the courfe of thefe Travels, Mr. Weld defcribes the various places through which he paffed, and the objects which prefented themselves to him, in a spirited and we believe an accurate manner; his obfervations on the characters of the people manifeft attention and candour; he corrects fome affertions of former writers, and particularly of Mr. Jefferfon and Mr. Cooper, in their accounts of America; and many anecdotes and narratives are interfperfed, which are both interefting and amufing. The refult of his investigation of the country and its inhabitants is unfavourable, and he concludes his account in the following manner:-" My thoughts are folely hent upon returning to my native land, now dearer to me than ever; and, provided that the ice which threatens at present to block up the harbour does not cut off our communication with the Atlantic, I fhall fpeedily take my departure from this continent, well pleafed at having seen as much of it as I have done; but I shall leave it without a figh, and without entertaining the flighteft wish to revifit it.' As fpecimens of the Work, we shall prefent our readers with the Author's defcription of General Washington's feat at Mount Vernon : "Nine miles below this place (i. e. Alexandria), on the banks of the Patowmac, ftands Mount Vernon, the feat of General Washington; the way to it, however, from Alexandria, by land, is confiderably farther, on account of the numerous creeks which fall into the Patowmac, and the mouths of which it is impoffible to país near to. "Very thick woods remain ftanding within four or five miles of the place; the roads through them are very bad, and fo many of them crofs one another in different directions, that it is a matter of very great difficulty to find out the right one. I fet out from Alexandria with a gentleman who thought himself perfectly well acquainted with the way; had he been to, there was ample time to have reached Mount Vernon before the clofe of the day, but night overtook us wandering about in the woods. We did not perceive the veftige of a human being to let us right, and we were preparing to pafs the night in the carriage, when Juckily a light appeared at fome diftance through the trees; it was from a final farmhoufe, the only one in the way for feveral miles; and having made our way to it, partly in the carriage, partly on foot, we hired a negro for a guide, who conducted us to the place of our deftination in about an hour. The next morning I heard of a gentleman, who, a day or two precetling, had been from ten o'clock in the morning till four in the afternoon on horfeback, unable to find out the place, although within three or four miles of it the whole time. "The Mount is a high part of the bank of the river, which rifes very abruptly about two hundred feet above the level of the water. The river before it is three miles wide, and on the oppofite ide it forms a bay about the fame breadth, which extends for a confiderable diftance up the country. This, at firit fight, appears to be a continuation of the river; but the Patowmac takes a very fudden turn to the left, two or three miles above the house, and is quickly uit to the view. Downwards, to the right, there is a profpect of it for twelve miles. The Maryland thore, on the oppofite fide, is beautifully diversified with hilis, which are moftly covered with wood; in many places, however, little patches of cultivated ground appear, ornamented with houfes. The icenery altogether is moft delightful. The houte, which stands about fixty yards from the -edge of the Mount, is of wood, cut and In painted fo as to refemble hewn ftone. The rear is towards the river, at which fide is a portico of ninety-fix feet in length, fupported by eight pillars. The front is uniform, and at a distance looks tolerably well. The dwelling houfe is in the centre, and communicates with the wings on either fide, by means of covered ways, running in a curved direction. Behind thefe wings, on the one fide, are the different offices belonging to the houfe, and alfo to the farm; and on the other, the cabins for the Slaves. front, the breadth of the whole building, is a lawn with a gravel walk round it, planted with trees, and feparated by hedges on either fide from the farm yard and garden. As for the garden, it wears exactly the appearance of a nurtery, and with every thing about the place indicates that more attention is paid to profit than to pleasure. The ground in the rear of the houfe is alfo laid out in a lawn, and the declivity of the Mount, towards the water, in a deer park. "The rooms in the house are very small, excepting one, which has been built fince the clote of the war for the purpose of entertainments. All of thefe are very plainly furnished, and in many of them the furniture is dropping to pieces. Indeed, the clofe attention which General Washington has ever paid to public af fairs having obliged him to refide principally at Philadelphia, Mount Vernon has confequently fuffered very materially. The house and offices, with every other part of the place, are cut of repair, and the old part of the building is in fuch a perishable flate, that I have been told he wishes he had pulled it entirely down at firft, and built a new houfe, inftead of making any addition to the old one. The grounds in the neighbourhood are cultivated, but the principal farms are at the distance of two or three miles. "As almost every stranger going through the country makes a point of visiting Mount Vernon, a perfon is kept at the boule during General Washington's abience, whofe fole bufinefs it is to attend to trangers. Immediately on our arrival every care was taken of our horles, beds were prepared, and an excellent fupper provided for us, with claret and other wine, &c." His account of that diftinguished characier, as he appeared at the time of the celebration of his birth-day, will, we prefume, be acceptable to our readers: "Philadelphia now wears a very different aspect to what it did when I landed there there in the month of November. Both Congrefs and the State Affembly are fitting, as well as the Supreme Federal Court. The city is full of ftrangers; the theatres are open; and a variety of public and private amusements are going forward. On General Washington's birth-day, which was a few days ago, this city was unufually gay ; every perfon of confequence in it, Quakers alone * * "On this day General Washington terminated his fixty-fourth year; but though not an unhealthy man, he feemed confiderably older. The innumerable vexations he has met with in his different public capacities have very fenfibly impaired the vigour of his conftitution, and given him an aged appearance. There is a very material difference, however, in his looks when feen in private and when he appears in public full dreft; in the latter cafe the hand of art makes up for the ravages of time, and he feems many years younger. "Few persons find themselves for the first time in the prefence of General Washington, a man fo renowned in the present day for his wisdom and moderation, and whose name will be transmitted with such honour to pofterity, without being impreffed with a certain degree of veneration and awe; nor do thefe emotions fubfide on a clofer acquaintance; on the contrary, his person and deportment are fuch as rather tend to augment them. There is fomething very auftere in his countenance, and in his manners he is uncommonly referved. I have heard fome officers, that ferved immediately under his command during the American war, fay, that they never faw him fmile during all the time that they were with him. No man has ever yet been connected with him by the reciprocal and unconstrained ties of friendship; and but a few can boaft even of having been on an easy and familiar footing with him. "The height of his person is about five feet eleven; his cheft is full; and his limbs, though rather flender, well fhaped and mufcular. His head is fmall, in which refpect he, refembles the make of a great number of his countrymen. His eyes are of a light grey colour; and, in proportion to the length of his face, his nofe is long. Mr. Stewart, the eminent portrait painter, told me, that there are features in his face totally different from what he ever obferved in that of any other human being; the fockets for the eyes, for inflance, are larger than what he ever met with before, and the upper part of the nofe broader. All his features, he obferved, were indicative of the strongest and most ungovernable paffions, and had he been born in the forefts, it was his opinion that he would have been the fierceft man amongst the favage tribes. In this Mr. Stewart has given a proof of his great difcernment and intimate knowledge of the human countenance; for although General Washington has been extolled for his great moderation and calmness, during the very trying fituations in which he has fo often been placed, yet those who have been acquainted with him the longest and most intimately fay, that he is by nature a man of a fierce and irritable difpofition; but that, like Socrates, his judgment and great felf-command have always made him appear a man of a different caft in the eyes of the world. He speaks with great diffidence, and fometimes hefitates for a word; but it is always to find one particularly well adapted to his meaning. His language is manly and expreffive. At levee, his difcourfe with ftrangers turns principally upon the fubject of America; and if they have been through any remarkable places, his converfation is free and particularly interesting, as he is intimately acquainted with every part of the country. He is much more open and free in his behaviour at levee than in private, and in the company of ladies ftill more so than when folely with men. "General Washington gives no public dinners or other entertainments, except to those who are in diplomatic capacities, and to a few families on terms of intimacy with Mrs. Washington. Strangers, with whom he wishes to have some converfation about agriculture or any fuch fubject, are fometimes invited to tea. This by many is attributed to his faving difpofition; but it is more just to afcribe it to his prudence and forefight; for as the falary of the Prefident, as I have before obferved, is very small, and totally inadequate by itfelf to fupport an expenfive ftyle of life, were he to give numerous and fplendid entertainments, the fame might poffibly be expected from fubfequent Prefidents, who, if their private fortunes were not confiderable, would be unable to live in the fame ftyle, and might be expofed to many ill-natured obfervations, from the relinquishment of what the people had been accuftomed it is most likely also that General Washington has been actuated by thefe motives, because in his private capacity at Mount Vernon every ftranger meets with a hofpitable reception from him. to; "General Washington's felf-moderation is well known to the world already. It is a re markable alone excepted, made it a point to vifit the General on this day. As early as eleven o'clock in the morning he was prepared to receive them, and the audience lafted till three in the afternoon. The fociety of the Cincinnati, the clergy, the officers of the militia, and feveral others, who formed a distinct body of citizens, came by themselves feparately. The foreign minifters attended in their richest treffes and moft fplendid equipages. Two large parlours were open for the reception of the gentlemen, the windows of one of which towards the ftreet were crowded with fpectators on the outfide. The fideboard was furnifhed with cake and wines, whereof the vifitors partook. I never obferved fo much chearfulness before in the countenance of General Washington; but it was impoffible for him to remain infenfible to the attention and the compliments paid to him on this occafion. "The ladies of the city, equally attentive, paid their refpects to Mrs. Washington, who received them in the drawing-room up ftairs. After having vifited the General, moft of the gentlemen alfo waited upon her. A public ball and fupper terminated the rejoicings of the day. "Not one town of any importance was there in the whole union, where fome meeting did not take place in honour of this day; yet, fingular as it may appear, there are people in the country, Americans too, foremost in boasting to other in nations of that Conftitution which has been raised for them by his valour and wifdom, who are either fo infenfible to his merit, or fo totally devoid of every generous fentiment, that they can refufe to join in commendations of those talents to which they are fo much indebted ; deed to fuch a length has this perverfe fpirit been carried, that I have myself feen numbers of men, in all other points men of refpectability, that have peremptorily refused even to pay him the small compliment of drinking to his health after dinner; it is true, indeed, that they qualify their conduct partly by afferting, that it is only as Prefident of the United States, and not as General Washington, that they have a dislike to him; but this is only a mean fubterfuge, which they are forced to have recourfe to, left their conduct should appear too ftrongly marked with ingratitude. During the war there were many, and not loyalists either, who were doing all in their power to remove him from that command whereby he fo eminently diftinguished himself. It is the fpirit of diffatisfaction which forms a leading trait in the character of the Americans as a people, which produces this malevolence at prefent, just as it did formerly; and if their public af. fairs were regulated by a person sent from Heaven, I firmly believe his acts, instead of meeting with univerfal approbation, would by many be confidered as deceitful and flagitious." Lectures on Diet and Regimen; being a fyftematic Inquiry into the most rational Means of preferving Health and prolonging Life; together with Phyfiological and Chemical Explanations, calculated chiefly for the Ufe of Families, in Order to banish the prevailing Abufes and Prejudices in Medicine. The Second Edition, improved and enlarged with confiderable Additions. By A. F. M. Willich, M.D. 8vo. Longman and Rees. HE very favourable reception given for the prefervation of health, particu Tby the public to thefe ueful Lec- larly in refpect to diet. tures, occafioned the firft impreffion to be out of print fo early, that we had not an opportunity of reviewing it; our attention likewife being engaged to prior publications. This circumitance, however, has proved advantageous, as the prefent Edition, compared with the former, is materially amended, and contains additional articles of the first importance We know not which most to commend, the Author's judgment or his philan thropy; fince both are equally confpicuous in the defign and execution of this Work. The expence of obtaining the advice of skilful regular phyficians in England is fo exorbitant, that thousands and tens of thousands of our fellow fubjects are excluded, by pecuniary inability, markable circumstance, which redounds to his eternal honour, that while President of the United States he never appointed one of his own relations to any office of truft or emolument, although he has feveral that are men of abilities, and well qualified to fill the most important itations in the government. from from the benefit of what is ufually termed and efteemed to be the best advice: thus circumftanced, when any gentleman of the faculty, of undoubted eminence in his profeffion, lays before the public a budget (if we may be allowed the expreffion) of falutary advice, which in the formidable fhape of prefcriptions, instead of an octavo volume, would coft a few guineas, he certainly merits our grateful acknowledgments, and will not fail of meeting with that reward, which furpaffes even golden fees!-the love and admiration of " thofe mothers and guardians of families, whofe greateft pride and happiness it is to rear healthy and virtuous children; and of those friends of fociety and themfelves, who are folicitous to preferve their health, and to adopt the parental hints of nature, rather than fubmit to the palliative relief of art;"-and to whom thefe Lectures are very properly addreffed by our benevolent physician. The analytical table of contents fufficiently indicates the great variety of fubjects difcuffed in this ample Volume; from which we fhall felect fuch articles as are beft calculated to fecond the Author's exertions to diffuade the unwary from injurious habits; to rescue the fenfualift from the brink of deftruction; to diminish the power and influence of medical impoftors; and to preferve the health and lives of his difcerning readers. In treating of the origin and causes of difeafe, we find the following remark, which deferves particular attention, as it may put us upon our guard against the baneful effects of luxury:-" It is a fact univerfally admitted, that mankind, efpecially in large and populous towns, have much degenerated in bodily ftrength, energy of mind, and in their capacity of refifting the noxious agency of powers which affect them from without. The progreffive cultivation of the mind, together with the daily refinement of habits and manners, are ever accompanied with a proportionate increafe of luxury. But as this change from a robust to a more relaxed ftate of life, has produced no difference in the caufes generating disease, to which we are even more fubject than formerly, we muft neceffarily fuffer by the concomitant effects. For though luxury has affifted us in preventing the temporary effects of external agents, fuch as cold, heat, rain, &c.; and we can occationally guard ourselves against their feverity; we are, upon the next return of them, attacked with much greater violence, than if we had been more habi And this ftate' tuated to their influence. "We obferve among the human race a greater number of prevailing paffions, and man is more violently, and, for the time of their duration, more obftinately governed by them, than any other living creature. Thefe emotions variously affect the human body. But the most noxious and oppreffive of all the paffions are terror and grief: the former of which is fometimes fo violent as to threaten immediate destruction. Controlled by their powerful influence, and hurried away by the impulfe of the moment, the mind is rendered incapable of judging, and of properly felecting the means of allaying thofe paflions. Hence the remedies, to which we have recourse during the prevalence of passion, and which then appear to us the most proper, frequently lay the foundation of innumerable diforders both of body and mind." After giving a concife and intelligent explanation of the various temperaments of the human body, our Author very judiciously proceeds to a candid examination of the pretenfions of the venders of patent or quack medicines; and fuch is the general utility of this lecture, that we forego with reluctance a transcript of the whole as far, however, as is confiftent with the limits of our review department, we fhall flatter ourselves with his appro bation, as well as that of our readers, for engrafting upon our common stock of beneficial information the following falutary aphorifms, and the observations refulting from them : Although there is but one state of perfect health, yet the deviations from it, and the genera and fpecies of diseases, are almoft infinite. It will hence, without difficulty, be understood, that in the claffes of medical remedies there muft likewife be a great variety, and that fome of them are even of oppofite tendencies. Such are both the warm and the cold bath, confidered as medical remedies. Though oppofite to each other in their fenfible effects, each of them manifests its medical virtue, yet only in fuch a state of the body as will admit of ufing it with advantage. "It is evident from thefe premifes, A a 2 that |