Letters from London, written during the years 1802 and 1803, by William Auftin.

In the Prefs.

At Philadelphia.-The Law Dictionary, explaining the rife, progrefs and prefent state of the English Law, in theory and practice, by Giles Jacobs.

Eaft's Reports of Cafes argued and determined in the Court of King's Bench, with tables of the names of cafes and principal matters.

Popular Tales, by Maria Edgeworth, in 3 vols. 12mo. intended for the inftruction and edification of young perfons.

The Travels of Anacharfis the Younger, by Abbé Barthelemy.

A Family Tour through GreatBritain, by P. Wakefield.

Volney's View of the United States, tranflated from the French.

While love too often with tyrannic fway Makes every paffion of the foul obey. Celestial frien hip is by bleffing bleft; We joy to fee our friends admir'd,

carefs'd.

True genuine love, which justly bears the name,

Is an exalted and enobling flame.
But facred friendship claims ftill higher

praife,

He marks a bard in agony fevere Smite with delirious hand the founding ftrings.

He stop'd....he gaz'd: the ftorm of paffion rag'd;

And prayers with tears were mingled.......... tears with grief;

For loft Lorenzo, war with fate he wag'd,

lays.

SELECTED.

LINES

SELIMA.

On the death of POLITIAN, which happened as he was playing an Elegy composed by bimfelf on the death of LORENZO DE MEDICI.

WHILST borne in fable state Lorenzo's bier,

The tyrant death his proudeft triumph brings,

hief.

FROM THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE LATE DR. PRIESTLEY.

The fubject of this memoir has occupied too great a space in the literary biftory of his country not to require an ample biographical record. This will probably be given in due time, by fome writer well qualifiel for the task, aided by authentic and original documents. Meanwhile, one who loved and revered him when living, and will ever bonour bis memory, begs leave to offer to the public the following brief ant imperfect, but he hopes not inaccurate, nor partial, view of what he was and rubat be performed.

JOSEPH PRIESTLEY, LL.D F.R.S. and member of many foreign literary

focieties, was born on March 13, old style, 1733, at Field-head, in the Westriding of Yorkshire. His father was engaged in the clothing manufacture, and both parents were perfons of refpectability among the Ĉalviniftic diffenters. Jofeph was from an early period, brought up in the house of Mr. Jofeph Keighley, who had married his aunt. A fondness for reading was one of the firft paffions he difplayed; and it probably induced his friends to change their intentions of educating him for trade, and deftine him for a learned profeffion. He was fent to a school at Batley, the master of which poffeffed no common fhare of erudition. Befides the Latin and Greek languages, he was capable of giving inftructions in the Hebrew; and his pupil carried with him the knowledge of all the three to the academy of Daventry; at which he

was entered, in his nineteenth year, as a ftudent of divinity. This academy was the fucceffor of that kept by Dr. Doddridge at Northampton, and was conducted by Dr. Afhworth, whose first pupil Mr. Priestley is said to have been. When about the age of twenty-two, he was chosen as an assistant-minister to the Independent congregation of Needhammarket, in Suffolk. He had at this time begun to imbibe theological opinions different from those of the school in which he had been educated. He had likewife become a ftudent and admirer of the metaphyfical philofophy of Hartley, of which, during life, he was the zealous advocate, and the acute elucidator.

After an abode of three years at Needham, he accepted an invitation to be pastor of a small flock at Namptwich in Chethire. There he opened a dayfchool, in the conduct of which, he exhibited that turn for ingenious research, and that spirit of improvement, which were to be his diftinguishing characteriftics. He enlarged the minds of his pupils by philofophical experiments, and he drew up an English Grammar upon an improved plan, which was his earliest publication. His reputation as a man of uncommon talents and active

inquiry foon extended itself among his profeffional brethren; and when, upon the death of the Rev. Dr. Taylor, the tutor in divinity at Warrington academy, Dr. Aikin was chofen to fupply his place, Mr. Priestley was invited to undertake the vacant department of belles-lettres. It was in 1761, that he removed to a fituation happily accommodated to his perfonal improvement, by the free fociety of men of large in tellectual attainments, and to the difplay of his own various powers of mind. He foon after made a matrimonial connection with Mary, daughter to Mr. Wilkinson of Bertham-Foundery, near Wrexham; a lady of an excellent heart, and a strong understanding, and his faithful partner in all the viciffitudes

of his life.

At Warrington properly commenced the literary career of this eminent perfon, and a variety of publications foon announced to the world the extent and originality of his purfuits. One of the first was a Chart of Biography, in which Vol. I. No. 10. Mmm

he ingeniously contrived to prefent an ocular image both of the proportional duration of exiftence, and of the chro nological period and synchronism of all the most eminent perfons of all ages and countries, in the great departments of fcience, art, and public life. This was very favourably received, and suggested a fecond Chart of History, in like manner offering to the view the extent, time, and duration of states and empires. Subjects of history and general politics at this time engaged much of his attention. He delivered lectures upon them, of which the substance was given to the world in various useful publications. His notions of government were founded on those principles of the original and indefeasible rights of man, which are the fole basis of all political freedom. He was an ardent admirer of the British Constitution, according to his conceptions of it, and ably illuftrated it in his lectures.

With respect to his proper academical department of the belles-lettres, he difplayed the enlargement of his views in a fet of Lectures on the Theory and Hiftory of Language, and on the Principles of Oratory and Criticism; in the latter of which, he fuccefsfully applied the Hartleian theory of affociation to objects of taste. Although his graver pursuits did not allow him to cultivate the agreeable parts of literature as a practitioner, he fufficiently fhewed, by fome light and playful efforts, that he would have been capable of excelling in this walk, had he given his attention to it. But he was too intent upon things to expend his regards upon words, and he remained contented with a style of writing accommodated to the great business of inftruction, of which the characteristics were accuracy and perfpicuity.

Fully as his time might leem occupied by the academical and literary employ ments above enumerated, he found means, by perpetual activity and indefatigable industry, to accomplish the first great work in natural philosophy, which laid a folid foundation for his fame in that department of human knowledge. Having long amufed himfelf with an electrical machine, and taken an interest in the progrefs of difcovery in that branch of phyfics, he was induced to

undertake a History of Electricity, with an account of its prefent ftate. As the fcience was of late date, and all its facts and theories lay within a moderate compafs of reading, he thought it a task not beyond his powers to effect completely what he propofed; although his plan included an extenfive courfe of experiment of his own, to verify what had been done by others, and to clear up remaining doubts and obfcurities. It appears from his preface, that, while engaged in this defign, he had enjoyed the advantage of perfonal intercourfe with fome eminent philofophers, among whom he acknowledges as coadjutors, Drs. Watfon and Franklin, and Mr. Canton. The work first appeared at Warrington, in 1767, 4to. and fo well was it received, that it underwent a fifth edition, in 4to. in 1794. It is indeed an admirable model of fcientific hiftory: full, without fuperfluity; clear, methodical, candid and unaffected. Its original experiments are highly ingenious, and gave a foretaste of that fertility of contrivance and fagacity of obfervation which afterwards fo much diftinguished

the author.

It may be proper in this place to fpeak of Dr. Priestley's general character as an experimental philofopher. No perfon in this clafs can be met with who engaged in his inquiries with a more pore and fimple love of truth, detached from all private and felfith confiderations of fame or advantage. Hence he was folicitous only that difcoveries fhould be made, regardless by whom they were made; and he was placed far beyond all that petty jealoufy and rivalry which has fo often led to the fuppreffion of hints from cafual obfervations, till the proprietor fhould have made the moft of them for himself. the contrary, he was impatient till all engaged in fimilar purfuits fhould be put upon the track which appeared to hin most likely to lead to fuccefstul inveftigation. Having no favourite theories to support, he admitted indifferently facts of all apparent tendencies, and felt not the leaft hesitation in renounc ing an opinion haftly formed, for another, the refult of maturer examination. He regarded the whole field of knowledge as common ground, to be cultivated by the united labour of irdi

On

viduals for the general benefit. In these refpects he feems moft to have refembled the excellen: Stephen Hales, whom Haller justly entitles ir indefrijus, ad inveniendum verum natus."

His connection with the Warrington academy ceafed in 1768, when he accepted an invitation to officiate as paftor to a large and respectable congrega tion of proteftant daters at Leeds. Confidering himself now. as more efpecially devoted to theology, he fuffered that, which had always been his favourite object, to take the lead arud his intellectual purfuits, though not to the exclufion of others.

From infancy his mind had been ftrongly impreffed with devotional fentiments; and although he had widely deviated from the doctrinal opinions which he had first imbibed, yet all the pious ardour and religious zeal of the fect among whom he was educated remained undiminished. He likewife retained in full force the principles of a diffenter from the Establishment, and those ideas of congregational discipline which had become obfolete among many of the richer and more relaxed of the feparatifts. Numerous publica tions relative to these points foon marked his new refidence. His "Institutes of Natural and Revealed Religion" gave, in a popular and concife form, his fyftem of divinity with its evidences. His "View of the Principles and Conduct of the Proteftant Diffenters" exhibited his notions of the grounds of diffent and the proper character and policy of a religious fect; and a variety of controverfial and polemic writings prefented to the world his views of the Christian dispensation.

As a divine, if poffible, ftill more than as a philofopher, truth was his fole aim, which he pursued with a more exalted ardour, in proportion to the greater importance of the fubject. Naturally fanguine, and embracing the conclufions of his reafon with a plenitude of convic tion that excluded every particle of doubt, he inculcated his tenets with an earneftnefs limited by nothing but a facred regard to the rights of private judgment in others as well as himself. The confiderations of human prudence were nothing in his eye, nor did he admit the policy of introducing novel

ties of opinion by flow degrees, and endeavouring to conciliate a favourable hearing, by foftening or fuppreffing what was most likely to fhock prejudiced minds. He boldly and plainly uttered what he conceived to be the truth and the whole truth, fecure, that by its own native ftrength, it would in fine prevail, and thinking himself little refponfible for any temporary evils that might be incurred during the interval. To adopt the beautiful and happy fimile of one of his late vindicators, "he followed truth as a man, who hawks, follows his fport; at full speed, straight forwards, looking only upwards, and regardless into what difficulties the chace may lead him."

As pure religion was the great end of Dr. Priestley's labours, fo perfect freedom of difcuffion was the means; and fince he was convinced that this could not be attained under the domination of powerful and jealous eftablifhments, interested in maintaining the particular fyftem on which they were founded; he was a warm and open enemy to all unions of ecclefiaftical with political fyftems, however modified and limited. In this refpect as in various others, he differed from many of his Diffenting brethren; and, while he was engaged in controversy with the church, he had to fuftain attacks from the oppofite quarter. But warfare of this kind he never feared or avoided: it coft him little expence of time and none of fpirits it even feemed as if such an exercife was falutary to his mental conftitution.

Few readers of this fketch need be told that Dr. Prieftley was at the head of the modern Unitarians; a fect, of which the leading tenet is the proper humanity of Chrift, and which confines every fpecies of religious worship and adoration to the One Supreme. If those who have charged him with infidelity meant any thing more than an inference from his avowed opinions on this head, and imagined that he intended more than he declared, and entertained a fecret purpote of undermining the Christian revelation, they have been guilty of a calumny from which the leaft exertion of candour and penetration would have preferved them. They

might have perceived that he was one who laid open his whole foul on every fubject in which he was engaged; and that zeal for christianity, as a divine difpenfation, and the most valuable of all gifts bestowed upon the human kind, was his ruling paflion.

The favourable reception of the Hiftory of Electricity had induced Dr. Pricftley to adopt the grand defign, of purfuing the rife and progrefs of the other fciences, in a historical form; and much of his time at Leeds was occupied in his fecond work upon this plan, entitled "The Hiftory and Prefent State of Difcoveries relating to Vifion, Light, and Colours," which appeared in 2 vols. 4to. 1772. This is allowed to be a performance of great merit; poffefling a lucid arrangement, and that clear, perfpicuous view of his fubject which it was the author's peculiar talent to afford. It failed, however, of attaining the popularity of his Hiftory of Electricity, chiefly because it was impoffi ble to give adequate notions of many parts of the theory of opticks without a more acurate acquaintance with mathematics than common readers can be fuppofed to poffefs. Perhaps too, the writer himself was fcarcely competent to explain the abftrufer parts of this fcience. It proved to be the termination of his plan; but fcience was no lofer by the circumstance; for the activity of his mind was turned from the confideration of the difcoveries of others, to the attempt of making difcoveries of his own, and nothing could be more brilliant than his fuccefs. We find that at this period he had begun thofe experiments upon air, which had given the greatest celebrity to his name as a natural philofopher.

In 1770, Dr. Priestley quitted Leeds for a fituation as different as could well be imagined. His philofophical writings, and the recommendation of his friend Dr. Price, had made him fo favourably known to the Earl of Shelburne (now marquis of Lanfdown) that this nobleman, one of the very few in this country, who have aflumed the patronage of literature and fcience, made him fuch advantageous propofals for refidence with him, that regard to his family would not permit them to be