thought it proper at last to advise our rulers to have recourfe to fome fuch measures. Money is allowed to be the great finew of war: France had none; fhe fet her paper mills to work, and found an ample fubftitute for it in affignats. We decried them as a fraud on the public, an unfunded debt infinitely exceeding the ways and means originally intended for its redemption but our author now promulgates a hint which, if they attend to it, may furnish the allies with a paper-currency as valuable as old Canada bills, or as he himself has repeatedly reprefented affignats.

While he is for iffuing Continental-affignats created for the occafion, redeemable, we prefume, in fair proportions by the different powers at war with France, but which probably our good allies would allow John Bull the exclufive honour of redeeming, he thinks that, as the French advance into Germany, their affignats will lofe what little nominal value they poffefs in or near France. He appears to confider their armies as having reached the utmost bounds of victory: let them advance and penetrate the deferts of Weftphalia; they will find, what they never yet failed to find from Hanover to Bohemia, their paths of glory leading to the grave.'

The following paffage is extracted from the conclufion of the work:

Another campaign may coft Britain twenty millions perhaps of debt. Double the fuppofition, call it forty, or fifty, or any other fum: were it to be expended in a war of ambition, or with any view but that of national fafety and independence, an honeft man would not vote as many fhillings; but the question at prefent is of another complexion; the late manifeftation of the French power is too tremendous to be confidered but with alarm and terror. The independence of Europe is at stake; and, if the fortune of the war be not changed before a negociation for peace, the terms will be the dictates of impofing fuperiority on one fide, and the acceptance on the other, a confeffion of eternal imbecility; refiftance vain, fubmiffion neceffary.'

Some of the author's principles we have condemned in the course of our review: but the pamphlet, on the whole, we muft in justice allow to manifeft much ability. The writer is unquestionably a party man, though acting with what he may confider as a majority of the country: but in this publication he speaks the language of one who looks far into futurity, in fearch of events which, in confequence of the prefent convulfion, may take place when the prefent minifter, his adherents, and his opponents, may be no more. He appears to confult the interelt of Great Britain with refpect to foreign powers, and to feel on that head like a patriot:- but, in guarding against calamities which he thinks the French revolution would bring on this country, he makes no provifion for the preferva

tion of her liberty; on the contrary, he feems but too well difpofed to fpancel or fetter it, at leaft for the prefent. Now as we confider our greatness as the effect of our liberty, we are anxious to preserve the cause. We are for making the people perfectly free, that is, as free as the theory of the conftitution intended they fhould be; and then we would fay, woe to the nation which would prefume to attack us: our ardour, our courage, and our union, would enable us to triumph over every enemy, and would lead us to unshakeable greatness.

We have thus given a copious and difpaffionate account of this work; though it will be feen, when we review the author's reputed "Letter to Mr. Sheridan," that he little merits any complaifance from us :-but neither compliments nor abufe fhall ever tempt us to fwerve from the line of impartiality and justice.

ART. X. An Attempt to promote the Commercial Interefts of Great Britain. By William Langworthy, of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Tract I. 4to. pp. 168. 7s. 6d. Boards. Dilly, &c. 1793.

IT

T is proper to begin our account of this work with a circumftance which does not appear in its title, viz. that the author is the founder of a manufactory of prepared anti-corrofie or blanched iron; the introduction of which, for various naval, military, and other public purposes, is the point to which the greater part of his commercial obfervations manifeftly tends. We do not say this with any intention of prejudicing him as a manufacturer, but in order to give a juft notion of his general design as an author, with respect to the prefent publication.

The volume commences with fome general reflections on the importance of manufactures to this ifland,-which, as fufficiently obvious, we fhall not repeat. Then follows a concife view of the rife, progress, and present ftate of the copper mines of Great Britain; which relates entirely to the Cornish mines, and the Paris-mine in Anglefey. The information refpecting the former seems chiefly copied from Pryce, and not without fome grofs inaccuracies of calculation. The rivalry of the Parismountain mine, and the means by which a monopoly of copper has been gained by the Anglesey company, are curious and ufeful articles of information. The conclufion of this chapter is an attempt to fhew that the Paris-mountain mine is grown poor, and that the greater part of thofe in Cornwall will, in three years, cease to produce any metal; an alarming deduction from what we think incompetent premifes: but the purpose of which is afterward fufficiently elucidated. X 4 A concife

A concife view of the rife, progress, and prefent ftate of metallurgy in England, is concife indeed as a matter of information, but is fkilfully enough pointed fo as to inculcate an impreffion of the danger to our manufactures from an exifting and still farther impending fcarcity of copper and brafs. The remedy for thefe evils is next confidered; which is rationally made to confift in reftraining, within certain propofed limits, the exportation of copper, and in opening new mines; of the probable fuccefs of which, in Cornwall, flattering expectations are raised..

Then follows the main object of the work, which is to difplay the various improper, wafteful, and pernicious purposes to which copper is applied, and to give arguments for the neceffity of reforming fuch abufes. The history of heathing ships leads the way in this difcuffion. The first metallic fheathing for fhips in England was invented about 1670, and confifted of milled lead. This was ufed for fome time in the navy, and answered the purposes of keeping the veffel tight and defending it from the worms: but it was found to have the dangerous property of corroding the bolts and rudder irons, and in confequence was Jaid afide. Copper fheathing was next introduced, but it had the fame property in a more alarming degree; the effects of which were fo fatal, that it was almoft determined to dif-use this fheathing in the navy, when a perfon at Birmingham fuggefted the improvement of fubftituting copper for iron in bolts, nails, and rudder-works. This idea was adopted; and the practice of copper fheathing, as it is well known, has fince become very general in the navy, and in the Eaft India fervice. The expence and speedy decay of the copper are the great objections to this mode of fheathing, and they are placed in their trongest colours by this writer; who alfo combats the idea that copper alone, from its poifonous quality, is capable of defending the timber from the attacks of the worm, and of preventing the adhefion of barnacles and marine plants.

Mr. Langworthy next proceeds to give a general account of the methods hitherto in ufe for preventing corrofion in metals by tinning; and alfo of his own newly difcovered method, to which he gives the name of anti-corrofion. As to the first part of this chapter, it is no more than an extract from Bishop. Watfon's Chemical Effays; and a paffage in that work feems to have fuggeted thofe trials which brought on the difcovery of the new method. The Eifhop, after having mentioned that the end of a pair of iron pincers, long used in taking iron plates out of melted tin, was found to be penetrated through its whole fubitance by the tin, fays, "would the iron bolts ufed in hip-building be preferved from rufting by being long boiled in melted

melted tin?" On this hint various attempts were made, and a patent for the discovery was granted to Mr. Kerr, bit-maker to his Majefty, which at length came into the hands of the prefent writer. This invention, however, proved fo defective, that he was obliged to study the principles of metallurgy, and to make a number of inquiries and experiments in order to perfect it. The particular procefs he of course keeps fecret: but its principle is defcribed to be, firft, preparing iron fo as to render it capable of imbibing certain metallic mixtures not liable to be corroded, and then boiling it in those mixtures till it is completely impregnated and coated with them.

The discovery being thus announced, the proofs of its efficacy are next given, which confift in various certificates from the navy and army, and from private fhip-owners,-fome more and fome lefs fatisfactory. The navy made an objeЯion of expence to the newly-prepared iron bolts, and gave a comparative eftimate of the cost of these and copper bolts, in favour of the latter. On this estimate Mr. L. comments, and with juftice; for we are forry to fay that we never saw a more inaccurate one, though figned by five commiffioners of the navy board. Can it be conceived that they should reckon the returned bolts, after 15 years' use, as of the fame weight with the new bolts; and thould omit to calculate the intereft of the prime coft during that period! We hope that all the national expenditure is not fo negligently confidered!

After having ftated his evidence, which related to prepared bolts, nails, and muskets, the writer proceeds to confider the mischiefs arifing from the ufe of copper in metallic works for fhips, and the comparative advantages of his own prepared metal. This flatement appears to us greatly overcharged; and, when the author indulges in chemical and philofophical reasonings, he certainly expofes his ignorance. What will the reader think of his propofal for actually pickling, by brine baths, Europeans who are destined to live in hot climates; on the notion that, as the fea is falter on approaching the equator, (a fact by no means established,) it is clear that nature gave fea-falt as the univerfal prefervative against putridity; and, therefore, impregnating the blood with it must preserve from putrid fevers?

The remainder of the work, confifting of details of the fupposed advantages of the anti-corrosion metal as applied to various purpofes, with calculations of expence, &c. may be worth confulting by perfons interested in thofe articles, provided they make due allowance for the reprefentations of a man deeply interested in his own invention.

The

The Appendix relates to the great facrifice made by the author to his patriotifm, in rejecting the offers of the French, by which he might have cleared one hundred thousand pounds!

Having thus gone through this work without the least motive for partiality in our judgment, we must recur to the idea with which we fet out, and feparate the manufacturer from the author. In the first character, we think that Mr. L. has a juft claim to the public attention, as the poffeffor of a discovery that may be of extenfive utility: but, in the fecond, we must confider him as one who has merely affumed, for a particular purpose, the style and title of a public inftructor on the most important topics, for which he is not duly qualified.

ART. XI.

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Printed in the Year 1780, and now firft published. By Jeremy Bentham, of Lincoln's Inn, Efq. 4to. pp. 335. 19s. Boards. Payne. 1789. [A mislaid Article.]

WHOEVER has perufed this author's former writings muft have perceived that he poffeffes no ordinary share of understanding, penetration, and difcernment; and whoever reads the prefent work will find abundance of additional matter to confirm him more thoroughly in the fame fentiment. Like many other men, however, of great and comprehenfive minds, he here feems to have engaged in a purfuit too extenfive, perhaps, for the powers of any individual of the human race to execute with precifion and propriety.

The prefent work was originally much more limited in its defign than is indicated by the title-page now affixed to it; being intended only for an introduction to a plan of a penal code in terminis, which was defigned to follow it in the fame volume: but the author, by his own obfervations and those of his friends, having detected fome flaws in his performance, found himself, by his endeavours to afcertain the fource of his errors, fo involved in the metaphyfical maze, that by degrees he grew difgufted with his book; and, laying afide the idea of completing it, he turned his thoughts to thofe confiderations which had led him to engage in it. Here every opening which promifed to afford the light he ftood in need of was still purfued; and as occafion arofe, the feveral departments connected with that in which he had at firft engaged, were fucceffively explored; infomuch that, in one branch or other of the purfuit, his researches have nearly embraced the whole field of legislation.'

In attempting to afcertain, in the courfe of his inquiries, wherein confifted the idenity and completeness of a law?