that his people are happy, when, at the fame time, they are employed in extorting from them the laft drop of their blood, at leaft the laft fruits of their industry; and if, at any time, they take the abilities of the people into confideration, it is only to compute how long they can yet hold out under thefe oppreffions, without expiring.' This is the language of a free man, and exposes tyranny in its proper colours; the moft diftant advances to ftrengthening the hands even of legal power, ought therefore to be checked in all governors, by every people who mean to preferve their rights from the infidious fchemes of arbitrary magiftrates; though, by fo doing, they may fuffer the reproach of turbulence, faction, and-even of patriotifm. This treatife is, on the whole, however, more amusing than instructive; for, though there are many good reflections in it, they may be faid, in general, to occur rather incidentally, than to Aow from a thorough confideration of the subject of which it profeffes to treat. We have as yet faid nothing of the method in which the fubject of National Pride is difcuffed; but it is branched out into a number of chapters, the heads of which rather perplex the train of reafoning, than appear in the light of a ftrict analyfis. By doing too much, the Author appears, Like many foreign effayifts, to be more defultory than fyftematical. The following paflage is an inftance of that intricate verbofity, which is difpleafing to an English reader: The pride arising from the national form of government, is a fenfe of the fuperior value of that conftitution. A violent, heady, untractable temper cries up for democracy; he who is fond of honour declares for monarchy. A common mind gives the preference to that form where the political conftitution is molt pregnant with perfonal advantages to himself; a generous fpirit efpoufes that form of government which he fees moft productive of public happiness. In general, mo, and in my opinion, the beft grounded pride, is in thole countries where a man depends moft on the difcharge of his duty, and least on men; that is, where every one retains, as much of civil freedom as comports with the tranquil fubfiftence of fociety.' In this paffage the first fentence comprehends the fense of the whole; or, if it needs explanation, we have it well expreffed in the latter part of the lait sentence; though no one but the writer would have deduced that pofition from the words that precede it. Perhaps, indeed, the tranflator may be partly anfwerable here, there being many faults throughout the whole book chargeable to his account. The intermediate fentences are nothing to the purpofe; the enquiry here being, not what fpecies of government is beft for those who exercise it, or who enjoy particular emoluments derived from a participation of the power of it; but what fpecies of government those who live under it have most reason to be proud of. The The Author's obfervations have fometimes an affectation of poignancy, which the premises will not warrant. Thus, Newton will often be called an Almanac-maker, and Montef quieu a Blockhead, while the French and English go on to leave no flone unturned for over-reaching one another in their American trade. Bat pride and ignorance ever go hand in hand.' Now can any man of reflection conceive that interfering commercial interefts influence the judgment of either nation in fcientifical investigations? Neither the English nor the French are fo ignorant as to furnish matter for the fupport of this remark. It is not every effayift who can happily contrast objes in fuch striking points of view as the philofopher of Ferney; though many attempt it. As the Author justifies a laudable pride, fo he gives a very good account of the disadvantages of a man's having too much humility, or of having too mean an opinion of himself: but it is time to finish the article; and there are few perfons who need to be cautioned against this fault. The origin of national characters is thus affigned in the following fhort extract: We often pride ourselves on qualities and advantages which are not owing to ourselves. The heat and cold of a country; the heavy or light air; the nature of the foil, even of the water and the winds; the manner of living and cuftoms, have fo confiderable an influence on the qualities of whole nations, that very little can be originally attributed to them felves. A worthy man may indeed be proud of his virtues, as perfonally his own; but why pride yourself on your intellects, when liable to be irretrievably difordered by fo many accidents, apparently inconfiderable ?' One queftion more may be added, Why fhould we be proud of our virtues, when the conftitution may influence them, more than we are aware, or may be willing to fuppose; and when this pride ipfo facto injures one of them? The diff'rence is too nice Where ends the virtue, or begins the vice.' ART. III. Obfervations en Reverfionary Payments, &c. To which is added, a Supplement, containing additional Observations and Tables. By Richard Price, D. D. F. R. S. 8vo. 2d Edit. 6 s. Cadell. 1772. Off F the vaft variety of publications, which are daily iffuing from the prefs, and the merits of which it is our province, as monitors to the public, carefully to examine, and impartially to report, there are many which we are bound to perufe ex officio, and from which we derive no other information than that they are not worthy the perufal of any befide ourfelves. This is a barren wafte in the Reviewer's track, which nothing could induce us to explore, but the juftice due to every Author, and the refpect we owe to the public, to whom we are accountable. In regard to productions of this nature, we proREV. Feb. 1772. H claim claim our own difappointment as a warning to our Readers; and we confider ourselves as happy in erecting landmarks on the field of fcience, to prevent any curious and unwary rover from ftraying beyond the boundaries either of pleasure or improvement. There are other publications, of a fuperior quality, which contain a ftrange mixture of the uninteresting and ufeful; in forming a judgment of which we endeavour to separate and diftinguith with the utmoft accuracy and precifion; and, having weighed the feveral parts of the heterogeneous mafs in an equal balance, we prefent our Readers with the refult of our care and labour. This part of our province is peculiarly difficult and unpleafing, as we always with rather to commend than cenfure, and never condemn without abfolute neceffity. But in judging of fuch productions as the work now before us, the merit of which is unquestionably established, and universally allowed, we are free from all anxiety or reftraint. To applaud is the leaft tribute we owe to the Author for the inftruction and entertainment we have derived from the perufal of his very ingenious and elaborate performance; and to renew our warmest recommendations of it to the public is nothing more than an act of justice to which they are entitled. The only difficulty we find in giving an account of this publication, is to confine our extracts within proper limits; for were we to prefent our Readers with every thing interefting and valuable, we fhould tranfcribe the whole of it. We have already given a particular view of the defign of this work, together with feveral curious fpecimens of its execution. The Author has added, to this fecond edition, a very valuable Supplement, in which are contained many facts, obfervations, and tables, that render it ftill more interesting and complete. And we may venture to affirm, that this is a work which, befide its feafonablenefs and prefent utility, will retain and acquire growing reputation, as long as any traces fhall remain of that fcience to which it relates. 6 The Author has now publifhed five tables, fhewing the probabilities of life, in the diftrict of Vaud, Switzerland, in a country parish in Brandenburgh, in the parish of Holycross near Shrewsbury, at Vienna, and at Berlin. My chief purpose (fays he) in giving these tables is to exhibit, in the most striking light, the difference between the ftate and duration of human life, in great cities and in the country. It is not poffible to make the comparison without concern and furprize. I will here beg leave to lay it in one view before the reader, defiring him to take with him this confideration, that (for reafons elsewhere explained) it can be erroneous only by giving the difference much too little. • See Reviews for October and November, 1771. Proportion 1 in 451 in 451 in 331 in 2011 in 1911 in 26 Ages to which half the born live. Pais de Country Pa rifh in Bran- Hely-crofs. 41 Proportion of the Inhabitants who reach 80 Years of Age. Pais de Country Pa-| rifh in Bran- Holy-crofs London denburgh Vienna 1 in 21 in 22 in 11 I in 401 in 41 The Probabilities of living one Year in Odds Pais de Country Pa-l rifh in Bran- Holy-cross London Vienna At birth 4 to 13 to 1 25 117 to 1110 to 1 Berlin. I in 37 Berlin. 40 83 to 1 36 to I 32 to I 50 to 1 30 to 1 25 to i From this comparison it appears with how much truth great cities have been called the graves of mankind. It must also convince all who confider it, that it is by no means strictly proper to confider our difcafes as the original intention of Nature. They are, without doubt, in general, our own creation. Were there a country, where the inhabitants led lives entirely natural and virtuous, few of them would die without meafuring out the whole period of prefent existence allotted them; pain and ciftempers would be unknown among them; and the difmiffion of death would come upon them like a fleep, in confequence of no other cause than gradual and unavoidable decay. Let us then, instead of charging our Maker with our miferies, learn more to accuse and reproach ourselves. • The reasons of the baleful influence of great towns, as it has been now exhibited, are plainly, firft, the irregular modes of life, the luxuries, debaucheries, and pernicious cuftoms, which prevail more in towns than in the country. Secondly, the foulness of the air in towns, occafioned by uncleanliness, fmoak, the perfpiration and breath of the inhabitants, and putrid fteams from drains, and kennels, and common fewers. It is, in particular, well known that air, fpoiled by breathing, is rendered fo noxious as to kill inftantaneously any animal that is put into it. There muft be caufes in nature, continually ope-. rating, which reftore the air after being thus fpoiled. But in towns it is, probably, confumed fafter than it can be adequately restored; and the larger the town is, or the more the inhabitants are crouded together, the more this inconvenience muft take place.' The ingenious Author proceeds to collect from Mr Muret, Sufmilch, and other writers on this fubject, feveral facts and obfervations, which abundantly confirm the pofition advanced in his fourth effay, viz. that the probabilities of life ate higher among females than males.' And it appears farther, that married women live longer than fingle women;' for, of equal numbers of fingle and married women between 15 and 25, more of the former died than of the latter, in the proportion of 2 to1. One reafon of this difference may be, that the women who marry are a felected body, confifting of the more healthy and vigorous part of the fex. But this, our Author apprehends, is not the only reafon; for it may be expected that in this, as well as in all other infances, the confequences of following Nature must be favourable. It is an undeniable fact, that there is a difference between the mortality of males and females in favour of the latter. But this difference Dr. Price imagines is not natural; and he adduces feveral inftances to fhew, that it is much lefs in the suntry parifbes and villages than in the towns; and likewife that the number |