the engravings; ipfe manum ultimam tabulis impofui, unde fperandum fit, quod non de incuria jure querendum foret.' Pref. p. 2.

As we have often lamented the unneceflary bulk of publications in natural hiftory, rendered enormous by the repetition of figures often publifhed before, we cannot refrain from expreffing our full approbation of the work before us, which keeps clear of this fpecious craft. The author (in our judgment) has a right to prefume on the favour of naturalifts in general; for how vaJuable a publication muft this appear to be, when it fhall have to difplay a body of original figures, of great exactnefs, of the first authority, and of the choiceft rarity?

Each fafciculus will contain twenty-five Plates, the figures will be of the fize of the plants which they reprefent; and the parts of fructification, as far as may be, will be duly displayed.

This fafciculus contains, Calceolaria + nana, + plantaginea, ovata, & perfoliata-Salvia rofæfolia-Rouffea ↑ fimplex-Thouinia + fpectabilis-Dichondra repens of Forfter-Ehrarta paniceaTurraa virens, maculata, & † fericea-Silene + chlorafoliaStellarea dichotoma, & ceraftcides-Arenaria dianthoides, cucubalsides-Spergu'a laricina-Rubus † geoides, & DalibardaSonchus Alpinus-Lobelia Columnea-Arethufa biplumata—Paffiflora adulterina, & mixta.

We have given a fpecimen of the Doctor's Latinity in the former article; the defcriptions of the plants are attended with many curious notes, and much nice difcrimination.

It is dedicated to Sir Jofeph Banks.

Thofe marked thus † have not been even defcribed by any preceding author.

ART. IV. A Collection of dried Plants named on the Authority of the Linnæan Herbarium, and other original Collections, by James Dickfon, Fellow of the Linnean Society. Folio. Fafciculus I. 12s. 6d. Printed for the Author.

HE novelty of this publication, like that of the preceding article, induces us to be very early in announcing it to the public. We do not remember any attempt of this kind, except that of Ehrart, who publifhed eight decads of dried plants, fuch as to him appeared rare; though many of his English purchafers thought otherwife.

The defign of the author will be beft explained by his own advertisement :

The intention of the prefent publication is to promote the knowlege of rare and obfcure plants, especially fuch as are natives of Britain, with others allied to them, and to establish their names upon the belt authority. As the comparifon of fpecimens is the only abfolutely certain way of determining fpecies, the Author hopes there can be no doubt of the ufefulness of fuch a publication. It is to be Rev. Aug. 1759. regretted

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regretted that a work of this kind must be of a very limited extent, on account of the difficulty of collecting fo great a number of specimens as it requires. There are therefore only 50 copies printed. Two Fafciculi at least of 25 plants each are intended to be published in the courfe of every year.

This work has one manifeft fuperiority over Ehrart's Phytophylacium. The names of the plants will be given correctly on the first authority. If any thing could difguft and terrify the young botanist, it was the horrid nomenclature which Ebrart ufed; a nomenclature made up of wanton difficulty and learned affectation. Indeed it is much to be wished that all writers in natural history would be attentive to this particular, and feek after names which are eafy and expreffive. All others confuse the fcience, and retard the acquirement cf it. Neither will any credit for fuperior excellence be given to it for its pompous drefs. The flowing robe, the enormous beard, or the terrific action of the wizard, (may we not alfo glance at the modern magnetifts) will not pafs for fenfe with any reasonable man.

Mr. Dickfon has ftruck out a very good plan, and we wish he may be able to pursue it to effect. The habitats of the plants are annexed to the names.

If the faftidious botanist should complain of the brownnefs of the paper, let him confider that paper of this texture attracts lefs humidity than the finer forts, and of courfe is not fo liable to be infested by infects.

The plants in this Fafciculus are, Veronica acinifolia, Scirpus Holofchanus, Phalaris utriculata, Aira canefcens, Gentiana amarella, Arenaria verna, Afarum Europæum, Anemone Apennina, Teucrium Chamapitys, Euphrafia latifolia, Lepidium didymum, Sifymbrium murale, Stahelina dubia; Aristolochia clematitis, Polypodium fragile & Dryopteris, Fontinalis minor & fecunda, Hypnum Smithii, Targionia hypophylla, Lichen chryfophthalmus, caperatus, late-virens, & miniatus-Byffus aurea.

It is no fmall recommendation of this Fafciculus, that it contains eleven specimens of the clafs Cryptogamia, a class in which Mr. Dickfon ftands abfolutely unrivalled. His fubfcribers muft naturally have an eye to cryptogamic information, and we would advife him to cherish and feed their expectations.

In a practical work of this kind, it would be very proper to add the times of flowering: this information is given only with the Veronica acinifolia.

ART. V. The Temporal Government of the Pope's State. 8vo. pp. 268. 45. Boards. Johnfon. 1788.

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TATES, like men, have been reprefented as experiencing, with with little irregularity, a period of vigour, declenfion, and final decay. The author of the prefent performance exprefles

his furprise at the long existence of the papal government, fo contrary to the general eftimates of political duration: for,' fays he, if the wifeft human inftitutions carry with them the feeds of their own diffolution, they are here fo plentifully dif feminated, that it would feem wonderful they have not long ago operated the moft fatal effects.'

This propofition, touching the feeds of diffolution in all human inftitutions, though morally true, is politically falfe. Such a neceffary confequence is by no means deducible from political exiftence alone. Of this the English conftitution will exhibit a proof, than which, perhaps, if all its "nice dependencies" be carefully adverted to, it is fcarcely poffible to inftance a more perfect, or a more probably permanent fyftem-(we speak but in the way of comparifon, however: for our government is undoubtedly fufceptible of much improvement)-but which, from negligence and corruption, is gradually approaching to its end. In other words, we are not to conclude, invariably, that the principle on which the political machine fhall be conftructed is faulty, because that machine effects not every thing we might wifh; but rather believe, that the movers or directors of it are blameable. It is their part to give it efficience: they accelerate or retard its motion: they, in fhort, are refponfible for its operation in every part. But we proceed to a confideration of the volume before us.

The writer fets out with fome general obfervations on the power and authority of the Pope as a temporal governor. He then adverts to the revenues and debts of the ftate. The former are estimated at three millions, two hundred thousand Roman crowns per ann. equivalent to feven hundred and forty-four thousand, one hundred and eighty-fix pounds fterling. The latter are fet down at fifty millions of crowns, equal to about eleven millions, fix hundred and twenty-feven thousand, nine hundred pounds fterling. The revenue is derived from, 1. The farming of lands belonging to the apoftolic chamber. 2. The farming of certain taxes paid by the respective communities, or parishes, in the flate. 3. The farming of the duties on wines and brandies. 4. The tax upon all butcher's meat confumed in Rome. 5. The tax upon all the wheat brought into Rome. 6. The duties upon all foreign goods imported. 7. A lottery. This author, who views the papal government with the moft ineffable contempt, remarks on the firft article (the farming of lands) in the following words:

Here it must be noted, that the farmers generally let the lands in fmall lots to indigent people, referving to themselves a certain rent, to be paid in kind, about a fixth part of the probable produce. They lend them the feed-corn, often of bad quality, which must be repaid after reaping.'

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The

The lending of fuch kind of corn-feed, appears to us a very extraordinary practice; and we do not conceive that any poffible advantage can be derived to them from it. But let us attend to him when speaking of the office of the annona, the establishment of which is for the purpose of fupplying the city of Rome with wheat, and for fettling the affize of bread. It is hinted in the 16th chapter, that the farmers of the chamber have often in their contracts a privilege granted them, to export a certain limited quantity of corn.' How does this agree with what was before advanced, of the cuftom of furnishing the tenant with feed-corn of a bad quality? We have already remarked the abfurdity of fuch a practice in the farmers of the chamber; and we must farther be allowed to obferve; that they who are to export the wheat with a view to profit, would certainly deal out fome of the best of their feed-corn instead of the wor, unlefs, indeed, they were devoid of understanding; which, we believe, is far from being the cafe.

The author obferves, It would be perfectly dry and infipid, to enter into a minute detail of what each of the above articles produces.' He therefore comments on them in a curfory way, reprefenting the oppreffivenefs of fuch taxes to the community in general, and to the poor in particular, especially as to the fourth and fifth articles: butcher's meat and corn. The former of which (fays he) is taxed at one-third of its value, and the latter at fourteen pence per bufhel.' Thefe, indeed, appear to be grievances; but they are not fo great as may at first be imagined, owing to the regulation of the prices of cattle, &c. But of this we fhall presently have occafion to fpeak. The fixth article, which impoles a duty of twenty-nine per centum on all drugs, fpices, fugars, cocoa, coffee, and tea; and nineteen and an half per centum on all other foreign commodities, is confidered by this author as highly injudicious. It admits (fays he) of no difcrimination between articles of luxury, and articles of neceffity. Foreign falt-fish, for example, fuch as tunny from Sicily, cod from Newfoundland, falmon, pilchards, and red-herrings from England, form the principal part of the general fubfiftence for full one-third part of the year, comprehending the lent, the vigils, and all Fridays and Saturdays.' He continues,

It is furely unwife to tax fuch neceffary and indifpenfable articles at nineteen and a half per cent. because there is no fuccedaneum to fubftitute within the ftate, where the lakes produce very little fish, and the fea coafts lefs: fo that the poor, and even middling clafs of people, cannot afford to buy it, and are therefore obliged to adopt foreign falt fish. The confumption of pilchards, in particular, all over the Pope's flate is incredible, for the labouring people literally

This is not ftri&ly true. The Adriatic furnishes a confiderable quantity of fifh, as do alfo many of the lakes.

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eat nothing elfe but these, and bread, all the year round; they have no idea of cultivating potatoes, or other roots, and butcher's meat they cannot afford to purchase.'

There is certainly nothing unwife in all this, whatever the writer may think. For if provifions be imported and fold at a confiderably lower rate than the actual produce of the country, the poor will at all times become the purchasers. But how are the revenues to be furnished in such a cafe? To what purpose, for inftance, would a tax be laid on butcher's meat, and which now brings in a confiderable fum +? The object of the government is undoubtedly to place all foreign articles of neceffity,' as nearly as poffible, on a par with thole of the ftate. The reafon is fufficiently obvious. That the tax on butcher's meat is not injurious even to the commonalty, we gather from chap. 19. in which we are told, that the Prefident of the Grafcia always regulates the price which the grazier is to have for his cattle: he likewife fettles the retail prices for the common markets, and to which the butcher is obliged to conform. We will tranfcribe a paffage or two refpecting the Grafcia.

The prelate, who prefides over this department, has the care of providing the city of Rome with meat of all kinds, as the term Grafcia imports.-He has under him a confiderable number of minitters, called Precettatori, or Commanders, who traverse the country, and take exact accounts of the number of cattle belonging to every individual. These are reported to the Prefident of the Grafcia, who thereupon, at proper seasons, fends back the fame minifters to deliver an order or precept to every proprietor, commanding him to fend a certain quantity of cattle to Rome by fuch a day. When the day arrives, they are all affembled in the Campo Vaccino, where the

If our common garden-roots are little cultivated in Italy, pulse of all kinds is there to be found in plenty.

It may appear alarming to many, perhaps, but we could wish that a tax were laid on butcher's meat among ourfelves. So far from being hurtful, as may at firft be imagined, we are perfuaded that it would ultimately prove advantageous to the public, by hindering an advance in the price of that commodity at any future period. The matter is worthy the attention of government, and the people at large. It must be brought about by lowering the price of cattle (a perfectly feasible scheme), fo that the confumer fhall pay no more for fuch provifion-the tax impofed-than the prefent established rates: which rates, by a plan that the writer of this article could lay down, might very fhortly be reduced. As the fum produced by this excife would be enormous, however lightly it might be felt by individuals, it would neceffarily fave the community from many heavy and burthenfome impofts: the more particularly burthenjome, because, in fome inftances, partially laid. The price of labour re. maining the fame as at prefent, fuch a tax could not be objected againit by the moft indigent among the people. It is far more expedient than taxing the manufactures of a country, as might very eafily be proved.

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Prefident