by his eloquence confirmed those who had embraced this opinion, and earnestly pleaded" that the government might be confidered as "a theocracy wherein the Lord was judge, law-giver, and king; "that the laws which he gave Ifrael might be adopted, fo far as they "were of moral and perpetual equity; that the people might be "confidered as God's people, in covenant with him; that none buɛ "perfons of approved piery and eminent gifts fhould be chofen ru"lers, that minifters fhould be confulted in all matters of religion; "and that the magiftrate fhould have a fuperintending and coercive power over the churches." At the defire of the court he compiled a fyftem of laws founded chiefly on the laws of Mofes, which was confidered by the legislative body as the general standard; though they never formally adopted it, and in fome inftances varied from it.' He gives the following view of an Indian war.

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The Indians were feldom or never seen before they did execution. They appeared not in the open field, nor gave proofs of a truly mafculine courage; but did their exploits by furprize, chiefly in the morning, keeping themfelves hid behind logs and bushes, near the paths in the woods, or the fences contiguous to the doors of houses; and their lurking holes could be known only by the report of their guns, which was indeed but feeble, as they were fparing of ammu nition, and as near as poffible to their object before they fired. They rarely affaulted an houfe unless they knew there would be but little refiftance, and it has been afterwards known that they have lain in ambush for days together, watching the motions of the people at their work, without daring to difcover themfelves. One of their chiefs who had got a woman's riding-hood among his plunder would put it on, in an evening, and walk into the streets of Portfinouth, looking into the windows of houses, and listening to the converfation of the people.

'Their cruelty was chiefly exercised upon children, and fuch aged, infirm, or corpulent perfons, as could not bear the hardships ofa journey through the wilderness. If they took a woman far advanced in pregnancy their knives were plunged into her bowels. An infant when it became troublesome had its brains dashed out against the next tree or ftone. Sometimes to torment the wretched mother, they would whip and beat the child till almost dead, or hold it under water till its breath was just gone, and then throw it to her to comfort and quiet it. If the mother could not readily still its weeping, the hatchet was buried in its skull. A captive wearied with his burden laid on his fhoulders was often fent to reft the fame way. If any one proved refractory, or was known to have been inftrumental of the death of an Indian, or related to one who had been fo, he was tortured with a lingering punishinent, generally at the ftake, while the other captives were infulted with the fight of his miferies. Sometimes a fire would be kindled and a threatening given out against one or more, though there was no intention of facrificing them, only to make fport of their terrors. The young Indians often fignalize their cruelty in treating captives inhumanly out of fight of the elder, and when inquiry was made into the matter, the infulted cap

tive muft either be filent, or put the best face on it, to prevent worse treatment for the future. If a captive appeared fad and dejected he was fure to meet with infult; but if he could fing and dance and laugh with his masters, he was careffed as a brother. They had a ftrong averfion to negroes, and generally killed them when they fell into their hands.

Famine was a common attendant on thefe doleful captivities; the Indians when they caught any game devoured it all at one fitting, and then girding themfelves round the wafte, travelled without fuftenance till chance threw more in their way. The captives, unufed to fuch canine repafts and abftinences, could not fupport the furfeit of the one nor the craving of the other. A change of mafters, though it fometimes proved a relief from mifery, yet rendered the profpect of a return to their home more diftant. If an Indian had loft a relative, a prifoner bought for a gun, a hatchet, or a few fkins, muft fupply the place of the deceased, and be the father, brother, or fon of the purchafer; and those who could accommodate themselves to fuch barbarous adoption, were treated with the fame kindness as the perfons in whofe place they were substituted. A fale among the French at Canada was the most happy event to a captive, efpecially if he became a fervant in a family; though fometimes even there a prifon was their lot, till opportunity prefented for their redemption: while the priests employed every feducing art to pervert them to the popish religion, and induce them to abandon their country. These circumstances, joined with the more obvious hardships of travelling half naked and barefoot through pathlefs defarts, over craggy mountains and deep fwamps, through froft, rain, and fnow, expofed by day and night to the inclemency of the weather, and in fummer to the venomous ftings of thofe numberlefs infects with which the woods abound; the restlefs anxiety of mind, the retrofpect of paft fcenes of pleafure, the remembrance of diftant friends, the bereavements experienced at the beginning or during the progrefs of the captivity, and the daily apprehenfion of death, either by famine or the favage enemy; thefe were the horrors of an Indian captivity.

On the other hand it must be acknowledged, that there have been inftances of juftice, generofity and tendernefs during thefe wars, which would have done honour to a civilized people. A kindness fhewn to an Indian, was remembered as long as an injury; and perfons have had their lives fpared for acts of humanity done to the ancestors of those Indians into whofe hands they have fallen. They would fometimes" 'carry children on their arms and fhoulders, feed "their prifoners with the best of their provifion, and pinch them"felves rather than their captives fhould want food." When fick or wounded they would afford them proper means for their recovery, which they were very well able to do by their knowledge of fimples. In thus preferving the lives and health of their prifoners, they doubtlefs had a view of gain. But the most remarkably favourable cir cumftance in an Indian captivity, was their decent behaviour to woI have never read, nor heard, nor could find by enquiry, ENG. REVIEW, OCT. 1785.

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that any woman who fell into their hands was ever treated with the leaft immodefty; but teftimonies to the contrary are very frequent. Whether this negative virtue is to be afcribed to a natural frigidity of conftitution, let philofophers enquire: the fact is cer tain; and it was a moft happy circumstance for our female captives, that in the midst of all their diftreffes, they had no reafon to fear from a favage foe, the perpetration of a crime, which has too frequently difgraced not only the perfonal but the national character of thofe who make large pretences to civilization and humanity.'

It is to be obferved of our author, that he is man of liberality, moderation, and candour. His folicitude to obtain information appears to have been great; and he does not confine himfelf to à bare enumeration of facts. He endeavours to delineate the characters, interefts, and paffions of the perfonages who figure in the fcenes he defcribes; and to catch the features of the times in which they lived. The feeds of literary excellence are already fown among the Americans; and having humbled us by their arms, they are about to contend with us in fcience and letters.

ART. III. The Life of the Rev. Ifaac Watts, D. D. By Sa muel Johníon, L. L. D. with Notes containing Animadverfions and Additions. To which are fubjoined, a diftinguishing Feature of the Doctor's Character, omitted by his Biographers; an authentic Account of his laft Sentiments on the Trinity, and a Copy of a Manufcript of his never before published. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Rivington, 1785.

E had occafion in our laft number, to exprefs our fentiments of the moral and religious character of Dr. Samuel Johnfon. If the hero before us were not exempt from fome of thofe defects and imperfections, which we discovered in his biographer, this ought not to be a matter of wonder. Dr. Johnfon, by his fituation in life, by. the connexions he naturally formed with men of various profeffions and fentiments, and by the perfect independency which is ufually felt by a man of philofophy and retirement, had every advantage which could be defired from breaking away from the fhackles of education and rifing fuperior to the empire of prejudice. Dr. Watts, on the contrary, led nearly the whole term of his life among people exactly of the fame description as those from whom, he received the impreffions of his infancy, he was excluded by his habits from any mifcellaneous and very comprehenfive circle of acquaintance, and his profeffion cannot be without its influence, upon every man, but especially upon a man of mildnefs and timidity, to retain him in thofe fentiments from

which he has already derived a fhare of applaufe. If virtue is to be estimated by a certain generofity and dignity of mind, by a noble difdain for every thing pufillanimous, humiliating, and timid, and an independency and energy of foul that look into the fublimeft fubjects (as Mr. Pitt would fay) without blinking them, much regard will not he paid to the pretenfions either of Dr. Johnfon or Dr. Watts. If acts of beneficence and charity are to be the standard, we are inclined to believe that both of them will ftand defervedly high. But if, in the last place, a fcrupulous regularity of conduct, and a minute attention to every thing that may be fuppofed to belong either to morals or piety, are to turn the balance, we hefitate not to affirm, that the non-conformist will be entitled to an uncontested pre-eminence.

The article which may probably attract more attention than any other in the prefent publication, is the authentic account of the Doctor's last sentiments on the Trinity. In this promife of the title page, we are, however, prefented with a fpecimen of authorship, fince no new information is produced refpecting this contefted fact, but the editor confines himself to fome reafonings on the evidence already before the public. From a general retrospect of the whole, we have endeavoured to make up our opinion, and we are inclined to believe that it ought to be granted, of whatever value be that conceffion, that Dr. Watt's fentiments did undergo fome alteration previous to his decease. The opinion of the Doctor which was profeffed and maintained by him during the greater part of his life, was, that the fupreme intelligence was ftrictly and properly one mind, that this mind, in a certain modification was intimately connected with the perfon of Jefus, and that the inferior and individual foul of the author of our religion was the being employed by the first cause, as his inftrument in the creation of the univerfe. The reafoning of the editor in order to prove that Dr. Watts retained this opinion to the laft, is almost wholly derived from one fource, the perfevering and laborious attention which the Dr. had employed from his earliest youth upon the fubject, and the late publication of fome of thofe pieces in which the above fentiment is confirmed, not more than two years before his deceafe. On the other hand, it is is well known, that certain papers which Dr. Watts left behind him upon this question were fuppreffed by his executors, and an addrefs to the Deity was by him prefixed to thefe papers, expreffive of the greateft hefitation and uncertainty. Dr. Gibbons, the hiftorian of Dr. Watts, who was undoubtedly fufficiently inclined to fupport the ortho

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dox caufe, preferved the most inflexible filence refpecting the contents of thefe papers, though urged to a difclofure from various quarters. And, which is the principal direct evidence, the monthly review has affirmed, uncontradicted, in a volume for the year 1782, that the writer was informed by a Mr. Merrival, a diffenting minifter of the city of Exe-. ter, that Dr. Lardner affirmed from his own knowledge, that the imputed alteration of fentiment was real. Thefe arguments though by no means fo fatisfactory as to remove all fhadow of a doubt, do at leaft incline the balance to the heretical fide

ART. IV. A Political Inquiry into the Confequences of inclofing wafte Lands, and the Causes of the prefent high Price of Butchers Meat. Being the Sentiments of a Society of Farmers in -fhire, 2s. 6d. Davis, 1785.

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HE editor, after fome very juft ftrictures on the writings of lawyers, phyficians, private gentlemen, and many, who have no local habitation or name, on the fubject of agriculture; and after making obfervations concerning the difadvantages all muft labour under, who attempt farming without being bred farmers, informs us, that his thoughts are fubmitted (he means published) for the general good in a political light, viz. as information to the legislature, not as infructions to farmers how to manage their lands. He confiders thofe fhop-keepers, who, on the ftrength of fome ideas picked up from writers on agriculture, leave their bufinefs in town, and become farmers, as fo many knights errant, whose madnefs whoever fhould expofe, would, in his opinion, perform as effential a fervice to his country, as Cervantes did to the Spanish nation by the publication of Don Quixote Не advifes gentlemen not to undertake farms for the fake of profit: and fupports the advice he gives by very plaufible arguments

I have been led, fays he, into this train of thinking more particuJarly on account of the late recommendations for the fale of his Majefty's forefts, &c. in order that they may be inclofed and cultivated : on a fuppofition that it would be of great benefit to the nation, in two points of view;-in the first place, that it would bring a great fum of money into the Exchequer; and fecondly, that the future produce of thofe lands, when cultivated, would produce much additional riches to the nation-an idea which I have reprobated, as often as I have heard it advanced.'

The generally received opinion, on the subject of cultivation, is," that the greater quantities and more valuable product the ground in any country is made to yield, the more beneficial it is rendered to the nation at large-that thereforé.