ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS. We have received fo many invectives against the Corfican Defpot, that we shall be under the neceffity of omitting the greater part of them. On the fubject of the Volunteers we chufe to be filent; Marcellus's piece is therefore inadmiflible. C. D. will be acceptable. AVERAGE PRICES of CORN from January 7, to January 14, Wheat Rye Barl. Oats Beans d. s. d. COUNTIES upon the COAST.. d. s. d. s. d. s. Lǝndon oo o Effex 54 4 29 021 1024 433 • Kent 55 100 026 026 735 10 Suffex 54 O OO 027 428 INLAND COUNTIES. Suffolk 49 o 26 Cambrid. 42 11 26 019 615 25 10 Middlefex 54 11/33 624 2/25 1137 0 Norfolk 46 9 27 019 718 131 5 Surry 51 10 32 023 323 49 935 621 1120 2 39 o Lincoln 48 31 621 417 832 49 8 35 23 219 738 5 Bedford 49 1131 720 10 20 8 33 9 Durham 50 7 00 029 220 10 Huntingd 46 425 Northum. 47 6 36 022 1120 936 Northam. 51 631 019 10 19 631 Cumberl. $4 144 026 10 22 200 Rutland 55 020 018 633 o Weftmor. 54 10 44 Leicester 836 8 Lancash. 58 4 00 026 825 800 Nottingh. 59 834 024 222 637 6 Cheshire 52 4 00 026 10 20 Derby 58 600 026 10 22 141 2 Glouceft. 48 10 00 Stafford 55 1000 025 623 445 o Somerfet. 54 2 00 024 922 743 II Salop 48 8 833 8 122 24 900 o Monmou. 52 5 00 025 220 400 46 432 024 624 143 2 Devon 419 1100 Worcest. Warwick 45 734 424 725 940 5 Cornwall 55 5 00 028 019 500 025 2/24 141 Wilte 49 0100 023 Dorfet 021 040 8 Hants 523 1142 8 Berks 53 400 023 122 936 6 1 00 023 8/23 1038 5 Oxford 49 900 021 3/20 Buks 333 | 00 51 400 021 122 VARIATIONS OF BAROMETER, THERMOMETER, &c. BY THOMAS BLUNT, No. 22, CORNHILL, EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW, FOR JANUARY 1804. MEMOIR OF RALPH GRIFFITHS, LL.D. [WITH A PORTRAIT.]. IN contemplating the Portrait of this Gentleman, in whofe character industry and ingenuity were in an eminent degree combined, there is one question very naturally fuggefted to every literary mind, and that is, How long it has known, or remembers, the original? And this leads to the reflection, that his name has been before our eyes as far back as retrospection can reach, as the Publisher and Proprietor of the Monthly Review, which commenced in May 1749, and has been continued down to the prefent hour. This publication (although it has, perhaps, for what might be deemed the morality of criticism, taken too much the colour, as its authors adopted too much the paffions, of the times,) has been uniformly fucceffful; and it has alfo this fingular cir cumftance attending its introduction, that it came into the world almost unannounced. In contradistinction to the promifes, parade, and verbofity, which are generally the precurfors of periodical works, the two first lines of an advertisement which fcarcely contains twenty, most truly ftate, that " Undertakings which, in their execution, carry the defignation of their use, need very little preface." At this period the Gentleman's Magazine occafionally noticed works of genius, but much more frequently thofe of a political or party tendency, in which all the world knows that genius is the last thing expected, or perhaps admired: yet what might be termed a regular review was unknown in this country. It is true, that early in the eighteenth century a publication of this nature, entitled, "The prefent State of the Republic of Letters †," was attempted, but, probably owing to the extenfive nature of its plan, which includes abridgments rather than opinions of works, without much fuccefs. Copious, pompous, and flo At this juncture there was no regular eftablished Literary Review in Great Britain, nor was the Monthly Review very fuccefsful on its firit publication. Several times it was about to be abandoned, as Dr. G. often told his friends; but patience, perfeverance, and attention, furmounted every obftacle, and procured it a firm eftablishment. Of the Literary Journals which preceded it, the following is as accurate a lift as we can at prefent obtain: (1) Memoirs of Literature, 8 vols. 8vo, 1722. (2) New Memoirs of Literature, by Michael de la Roche, began January 1725, and ended December 1727, 6 vols. (3) Present State of the Republic of Letters, by Andrew Reid, began January 1728, ended December 1736, 18 vols. (4) Hiftoria Literaria, by Archibald Bower, began 1730, ended 1732, 4 vols. (5) Hiftory of the Works of the Learned, began January 1737, ended June 1743, 13 vols. (6) Literary Journal, printed at Dublin, began October 1744, and ended June 1749, 5 vols. EDITOR. † About the year 1727. 415975 rid rid title-pages, though reprobated by Swift, ridiculed by Arbuthnot, and cautiously launched by every respect able author, had yet, in defiance to common fenfe, obtained that kind of general toleration that we often fee given to things of far greater importance: fo that a prudent perfon would have been as diffident of judging of the contents of a book from the title, as he would of taking the character of thofe exalted perfonages, whofe names were generally the precurfors to more folid matter, from the dedication. This kind of titulary puffing, which, it is faid, ufed to put Johnny Barber fo much out of temper, that he was ready to turn an author out of his fhop if the frontispiece of his manufcript exceeded the bounds of moderation, had not paffed unobferved by Mr. Griffiths; and it is very probable, that a defire to reprefs it firft gave him the idea of the Monthly Review, as he fays in the advertisment alluded to, "The abufe of title-pages is obviously come to fuch a país, that few readers care to take in a book, any more than a fervant, without a character." Of either the literary life or domeftic habits of Dr. Griffiths, little is, at prefent, known; which circumstance we hould lament as a misfortune, were we not informed, that it is the intention of his fon, who at prefent conducts the Monthly Review, to publish his Memoirs. When we obferve that, but for this intimation, we should lament our want of materials as a misfortune, it arifes from our reflection, that in the variety of fituations where this venerable critic and valuable member of fociety has resided, from the Dunciad in St. Paul's Church-yard, 1747, to the Dunciad near Catherine-ftreet, 1772, where we perfectly remember his fhop to be a favourite lounge of the late Dr. Goldfmith, he must have become acquainted with more characters, anecdotes, and circumftances, many of which we hope he has preferved, than, perhaps, any other Critic from Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, who, we gather from Polybius and others, was the first reviewer, downward, or indeed any other person of the bibliopolical or literary profeffions. Dr. Griffiths, we understand, was born in the year 1720; retired from his public fituation as a bookseller to ftudies more congenial to his difpofition about thirty years fince; and died, at the advanced age of eighty-three, at his houfe at Turnham-green, the 28th of September 1803. ORIGINAL LETTER FROM THE LATE JOSEPH RITSON, ESQ Dr Sr! (ABOUT 1784.) TH HE clan of the McGregors was once very numerous and refpectable; but the people being of a fierce un. controulable fpirit, and their depredations haveing in the reign of (our) James the 1 been attended by more than ordinary violence, particularly a barbarous flaughter of the laird of Col quhoun and his followers, together with fome young scholars who were mere fpectators of the battle, about the year 1602 feveral acts and orders of the parliament and council of Scotland were made againft them, by which they were fubjected to heavy pains and penalties; and by an act of the 1 parliament of Charles the 1, 1633, ratifying all former proceedings, the individuals of the clan were not only compelled to take other furnames, as well as to give fecurity for their good behaviour, but to maim, wound, kill, destroy, extinguish, and extirpate, the whole clan was recommended to all others, as an acceptable fervice to his Majetty and the nation. In confequence of this diabolical law, fuch of the clan as did not, or could not, obtain protection under the name and patronage of fome powerful chieftain, were hunted and hot like wild beasts for many years after. The civil commotions which broke out in the latter part of this monarch's reign put fome check to these inhuman proceedings; and the McGregors haveing behaved with the utmost loyalty and courage in the King's service dure. ing the ufurpation, the above horrible ftatute was repealed by the 1a parlia ment of Charles the 24, and the clan again restored to the privileges of humanity and of subjects. But |