of public reprehenfion.-But if the intrepid Marquis will, in fpite of dame Prudence, mount upon his tripod, and thunder forth his oracles-let him ftand to the confequences-who can help him?-Can he be furprised however, if fome men fhould ftare, when he announces fuch propofitions as the following: • Le fiécle prochaine fera certainment plus éclairé que le notre; il faut nous confoler: mais je doute qu'avec toutes les lumieres, il puiffe concevoir comment un homme plein d'esprit, dévoré d'ambition, & maître de s'immortaliser en reunniffant une centaine de personnes pour l'aider à perfectionner les idées, a réparer dans fix mois tout le mal qui s'etoit fait depuis un fiécle, les affembla uniquement pour leur ordonner de croire qu'il avoit tout vu, & leur conter en termes bien pompeux, qu'il ne leur reftoit plus qu'à fermer les yeux & ouvrir les mains pour que tout le royaume profitât de fes découvertes.'

The good Marquis is too well acquainted with the mode of thinking that has prevailed among us, on fubjects of this nature, for feveral centuries past, not to be fenfible that such opinions as the above will appear to many, not a little heterodox and paradoxical: and he is alfo too well acquainted with the nature of the human frame, not to know, that in every thing, unless perhaps on religious subjects, whoever goes beyond the degree of knowledge of his reader, is fure to fall, in the opinion of that reader, far below it, and to draw from him a fneer of contempt, which will be expreffed with all the infolence that an undifcerning self-love can dictate.

Notwithstanding the general liberty that prevails in this country, and which in time will correct many errors of opinion, yet thefe, when they have taken deep root, cannot be easily eradicated. It must be by flow degrees, and repeated efforts, and not by one bold ftroke, that they can be deftroyed. Though we cordially agree with our refpectable author in admitting, that many of thofe facred maxims which govern every thing in fociety, never have been inveftigated, and that of ten which are afferted with confidence, and liftened to without a furmife that they can be in any refpect doubtful, perhaps nine are repeated on no better authority than the word of another, who had himself no higher authority for his own affertion; yet we Jikewife know, that for one man who will resolve to undertake this troublesome investigation, millions will be content to admit the affertion as it comes; that for one perfon who will examine the investigation after it has been made, thousands will be better pleased to reject it in toto, as abfurd and ridiculous; and, that their opinion may feem to have the greater weight, they will often be defirous of reprefenting it as dangerous alfo. Every one therefore who refolves to think deeply muft expect to

meet with obloquy and infult; for it is thus that little minds please themselves with the idea of becoming greater than the greatest.

There are two national prejudices that have taken deep poffeffion of our minds, and have been long cherished in Great Britain, our enmity to France, and a defire to encourage commerce and manufactures by particular political regulations, Our author, instead of refpecting these prejudices, attacks them in the moft open and undifguifed manner.. The favourable view which he has been pleafed to give of the difpofitions of the king, and the refources of the kingdom, of France, will prove far from agreeable to honeft John Bull; who is never fo well pleased as when he hears the one despised, and the other represented as extremely infignificant. From this circumstance alone he will be no favourite with the many, or with those who write for the entertainment or approbation of the many. And the following paffage will be as little acceptable to another very numerous and important, and, in fome fenfes, respectable part of the community.

After fhewing how to raise a nation to the most flourishing ftate, he confiders how it may be brought back to its former depreffion. Nothing,' fays he, is more eafy, with the affift ance of twenty corporations, of which I have fpoken; and corporations, as they ftand, can be good for nothing else. It only remains that I should further suppose that they have fucceeded in the attempt which they have infallibly made; to extort or obtain by fraud or importunity from government:

A primary regulation which recompenfes, and confequently affures the greateft poffible exportation of national merchandife:

A fecond regulation, which puts the greateft poffible ob ftruction to the introduction of foreign merchandise ;

A third regulation, which forbids the exportation of grain, from the most humane motive in the world-that bread may be furnished to the labourer as cheap as poffible:

In fine a fourth regulation, which condemns to the gibbet, the gallies, or the prison, those ungrateful and mutinous wretches who refufe to be contented with the price that the manufacturer fhall fix upon their labour, after thefe generous manufacturers fhall have taken from the revenue of the landed gentlemen, BY DIMINISHING THE PRICE OF GRAIN (and hẹ might have added of flocks with their produce), all the money that is neceffary for giving thefe mutinous, ungrateful wretches their bread at a low price.'-How many thousands of men in this island, who think themselves perfectly well qualified to govern the nation with the moft confummate wifdom, will look upon these remarks with a kind of horror, as tending to turn Ff2

into

into ridicule, what they will call the wifeft political regulations that could ever be adopted!

Our author, however, though not the only one who has confidered regulations of the kind juft mentioned, as hurtful in certain cafes, has extended his views further; he has made his obfervations more general, and has uttered them with less referve than most others have done. This univerfal rage,' fays he, to regulate-this defire to direct, to place, to limit-talents, taftes, paffions, riches, &c. has no other effect than to derange every thing, and put it out of its place. Every thing infenfibly affumes its natural place in fociety when adminiftration confines itself merely to the care of protecting one man against another,Philofophy to the fearch of truth-and Morality to the preaching of peace, to the recommending the love of all men, even of Turks, for Turks are alfo our brethren, according to a French bishop, as quoted by M. Mirabeau-to publish, to infpire, to augment the horror, and to unveil the folly of advancing, of affirming, that one nation can be the natural enemy of another, a fentiment which cannot exift in the heart of any man, and which, if it did exist, would demonftrate nothing clearly, but the fear of an infant, or the ferocity of a brute.'

Such opinions, however favourable they may be to the general rights of mankind, are by no means confonant to the prejudices of the bulk of the people in this ifland. For our own part, the more we know of this author, the more we admire his talents, and refpect his difpofition. His works abound with deep reflections, and extensive views of things,—but we must still regret that the peculiarities of his manner prevent them from being fo obvious as we could wish. For farther fatisfaction we muft refer the reader to the book itself, where he will find abundance of matter to excite his curiofity; and if he has a turn for deep fpeculation in matters that affect the general interefts of mankind, he will not probably think his time mif-fpent. But it is to thofe only who have been accustomed to reafon deeply on political fubjects that this work can prove in any refpect interefting.

To the author himself, whofe benevolent intentions we refpect, if poffible ftill more than we admire the reach of his talents, we beg leave to return our beft thanks for the pleasure and information his works have afforded us. May he proceed in his laudable pursuit to inftruct and improve mankind! Let him never forget that this is the land of freedom,-that critics are not here infallible dictators, and that truth must finally prevail. The time, we hope, approaches, when legiflators will be afhamed of being made the dupes of monopots; when they will disdain, in the language of Hamlet, to be

16

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played upon by others as a paffive pipe; when minifters will be compelled to ftudy and promote the general welfare of the people in order to fecure their places, rather than to purchase the favour of overgrown individuals, or powerful companies, at the general expence; and when men, from policy as well as from a religious principle, fhall look on all mankind as their brethren, and study to promote univerfal felicity as the fureft means of augmenting individual profperity:-But the time is not yet come. Prejudices muft gradually abate, and the foundations of many of them are already fhaken- Le fiécle prochain fera certainement plus éclairé que le notre; il faut nous confoler.'

ART. XIV. Mémoires d' Agriculture, &c. Vols. IV. and V. See our lait month's Review.

Vol. IV. TRIMESTRE de Printemps. Spring quarter, for the months of April, May, and June, 1786.

In the extracts from papers communicated in this number, we find an account of a kind of bread used by the inhabitants of the isle of Palma (one of the Canaries), from the root of a fpecies of fern common in that ifland as well as in moft parts of Europe. The root is cleaned, dried, and reduced to a powder, which is extremely light; [qu. is it white, and fit for hair powder this is afterward made into a pafte with water, and baked like bread. We have not a doubt but the large roots of feveral fpecies of this common plant may be applied to various economical ufes. The root of the royal fern, ofmunda regalis, in particular, affords, when fteeped in water, a viscous, glutinous fubftance, in great quantities, very much resembling the unbeaten white of an egg.-This, in certain circumftances, affumes a bright red colour.-But we have not heard that either as a dye, as a medicine, or as an efculent, this plant has hitherto been applied to any valuable use.

From feveral experiments communicated by the Marquis de Léry, it appears that the fruit of the horse-chefnut affords a wholesome nourishment for cattle, and may even be en ployed with fuccefs for fattening them. It is faid to render the tallow of thofe fattened with it particularly firm. The milk yielded by cows fed upon it, is alfo faid to be thicker and richer than that produced from any other kind of food.

The culture of maize, or Indian corn, feems to be gaining ground in France, efpecially in the fouthern provinces. M. Amoreux, of Montpellier, recommends this plant as remarkably proper for being reared on the borders of rivers, and in places apt to be overflowed. He even thinks it tends to dry up the humi

F3

dity,

dity, and render the ground firmer than it otherwife would have been. However this may be, there is no doubt that this plant profpers abundantly on fwampy grounds.

M Dombey, from Peru, prefented to the fociety a specimen of a kind of flour, or ftarch, prepared from a root of a lileaceous plant called chuno-couno, Alstroemeria ligta. Linn. which is ac counted a wholesome and nourishing food. M. Thouin thinks a fimilar fubftance might be obtained from the root of the branching afphodel-afphodelus ramofus, Linn. But M. M. Foureroy and Parmentier tried in vain to obtain a fimilar fubftance from the roots of that plant.

M. Brouffonet gives, in the laft artiele of this part, a receipt for making fpruce beer. We were furprised this philosophic enquirer did not inveftigate the nature of this popular compofition, and try to deftroy that myfticifm which has hitherto accompanied all accounts of it.

The first effay at large in this Trimestre is by M. Boret, Counsellor of State, Auditor of Accounts, and ancient Lieutenant General of the Bailliage of the city of Beauvais, on the means of reducing the measures of grain of the district of Beauvais to the fetier, of Paris. This is an accurate performance; and its ufe is obvious.-The work reflects honour on the worthy magiftrate for his attention to a matter of such public utility.

In the fecond paper, M. le Marquis de Bullion communicates fome obfervations on the culture of afparagus. We prefume the directions are very good.

Memoir 4th. On the Culture and Ufes of Maize. By M. Parmentier. This worthy academician, ever attentive to matters of utility, here endeavours to furnish his countrymen with a fet of plain directions for the culture of this valuable kind of wheat, which feems to be well adapted to the climate of fome of the provinces of France.

Memoir 5th. On the Organization of the different Kinds of Tumours and Excrefcences upon the Body and Branches of Trees. By M. Daubenton. An accurate phyfical inveftigation concerning the particulars here announced, to which we muft refer the curious reader.

Memoir 6th. On the different Species of Poplars, and the Advantages that may be derived from their Culture. By M. Fougeroux de Bondaroy.

This is a continuation of the account of the experiments begun by M. M. Duhamel, with a view to afcertain the value and uses of different kinds of trees. The poplar is a beautiful and quick-growing tree, though the value of the wood of many of the forts is very little known in the northern parts of Europe. This fet of experiments, therefore, which tends to direct the

planter