Reformation, in reply to Bangs on Predestination, By Seth Williston, 75 cts, New York.

A Sermon in commemoration of the Reformation, on the third centurial Jubilee, &c. By Frederick Christian Schoeffer, 621 cts. New York.

A Sermon, preached in Medfield, Jan. 5, 1817, near the 166th anniversary of the incorporation of that town. By Daniel C. Sanders, D. D. Dedham.

A Dictionary of all Religions & Religious Denominations, Fourth edition, with additions and corrections. By Hannah Adams, 8vo. New York and Boston.

The Prophetick History of the Christian Religion Explained. By the Rev. J. George Schmucker, Yorktown, Penn.

A Sermon preached before the society for propagating the Gospel among the Indians and others in N. America. By John Foster, D. D. Cambridge.

Classicks.

C. Cornelii Taciti Opera ex recensione Jo. Augusti Ernesti. Denuo curavit J. J. Oberlinus. Cum notis Sclectis. Wells et Lilly. Tomis tribus. 12mo. pp. 1209. §6. Bostoniæ.

Education.

A Greek Grammar by James Ross. 2d edit. 75 cts. Philadelphia. The Instructor in Reading, Writing, English Grammar, Arithmetick, Merchants' accounts, Mensuration, Guaging, Geography, and Astronomy, $1, New York.

Catachetical Compend of General History, by Frederick Butler, A. M. 374 cts. Hartford.

A Manual, containing expressions used in Travelling and in other circumstances in Life, in French and English, by Madame de Genlis. 12mo. 75 cts. Boston.

An Introduction to Ancient and Modern Geography. By J. A. Cummings, Fifth Edition, 12mo. 75 cts. Boston.

An Elementary Book for the Deaf and Dumb, with the Manual Alphabet, by 'T. H. Gallaudet, 50 cts. Hartford.

Poetry.

The Bridal of Vaumond, a Metrical Romance, 75 cts. New York.

The Progress of Society, A Poem. New York.

Airs of Palestine, a Poem, by John Pierpont, Esq. Third Edition, 50 cts. Boston.

Miscellaneous.

A Memoir on the History, Culture, Manufacture, Uses &c. of the Tobacco Plant.

Syllabus of Lectures on, Government, delivered in William and Mary College, by John Augustine Smith, D. D. President and Professor of Moral and Political Philosophy. 624 cts. Philadelplita.

An Abstract and Review of Baron Rogniat's Modern Art of War. By S. Swett Esq. 25 cts. Boston.

The Infantry Exercise of the United States Army, Abridged for the use of the Militia. $1, Poughkeepsie.

A Narrative of the Loss of the brig Commerce and the sufferings of the Crew, by James Riley, second edition, 8vo. $3. New York.

The Journal of Archibald Robbins, shipwrecked in the brig Commerce. 1, Bridgeport.

Blunt's Stranger's Guide to the City of N. York, 18mo. $1,50 New York.

Letters from the South, written during an Excursion in the Summer of 1816, by the author of John Bull and Brother Jonathan, 2 vols. 12mo. $2 50. New York.

The Massachusetts Register, and United States Callendar, for the year 1818, 18mo. bound $1. Boston.

Letters, Critical and Pathological, addressed to Charles Caldwell, M. D. Baltimore.

The Gentleman's Annual Pocket Remembrancer for 1818, $1, 25, Philadelphia.

The American Lady's Pocket Book for 1818, $1,25. Philadelphia.

A Letter addressed to C. D. Colden, in answer to his strictures in the Life of Fulton, on a Legislative Report, relative to Steam Navigation. By William Alexander Duer, Esq. 50 cts. Albany. The New Hampshire Register, and United States Callender, for 1818, Exeter.

Statistical View of the Commerce of the United States, Second edition, with additions. By Timothy Pitkin, Member of the House of Representatives, from Connecticut, 8vo. $3,50, Hartford. The Federalist, by Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Madison and Mr. Jay. A New Edition, Richmond.

The Hero, or the Adventures of a Night, 12mo. $1. Philadelphia.

In the Press.

The Distiller, by Harrison Hall, a second edition with additions and improvements.

Men as they are, or the Cogitations of the Hermit of Wysox on Society and Manners, 8vo, 2 vols. 86. Philadelphia.

Poems, Religious, Moral, Political and Historical, by James Carson, Esq. by subscription, Philadelphia.

A Report of Proceedings before the Circuit Court of the United States on a Habeas Corpus for certain British Officers, charged with violating the neutral relations of the United States, by preparing an expedition to South America. By Thomas R. Peters, Philadelphia.

Fourth Volume of the Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Hilliard and Metcalf. Univ. Press. Massachusetts Term Reports, Vol. 14. Hilliard and Metcalf, Cambridge.

Abstract of meteorological observations taken at Cambridge for October and November.

Whole quantity of rain in October 2.68 inches, and in Novem❤

ber 3.44

CORRIGENDA. In the last number line 8, p. 49, for effect' read 'affect' -line 17, p. 49, for fermentations' read 'permutations'-line 2, p. 75, after 'destroy' add ‘its.”

[We shall hereafter pursue the subject of Boundaries, commenced in the last number. Mr. Wirt's Life of Patrick Henry did not reach us, till the pages for the present number were full. We shall give a review of it in our next.

We are sorry, that an excellent article in continuation of an account of The Jesuits from a highly distinguished correspondent came too late for insertion in the present number.]

NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW.

AND

MISCELLANEOUS JOURNAL.

N°. XVIII.

MARCH, 1818.

ART. IX. Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry. By William Wirt, of Richmond, Virginia. Philadelphia, J. Webster, 1817, pp. 427.

THE prominent incidents of some men's lives are so intimately connected with the destinies of nations, and the important political events of their times, that, in recording them, it is not always easy to draw the line of separation between biography and history. The machinery of society and government is kept in motion by the agency of a few powerful minds,—to delineate these in their true characters, to exhibit them in the greatness of their strength, and extent of their energies, it is necessary to trace their influence, not only in producing the operations and changes, which took place in their immediate sphere of action, but such as proceeded more remotely from the same causes. It should be the aim, as it is the duty of every piographer, to illustrate the character of his hero, by a full, impartial, and undisguised account of the leading events of his life-the moral structure and distinguishing traits of his mind-his habits of thought and principles of action-his motives for designing, as well as the means he used in accomplishing his designs. To do this in writing the life of a man, whose name, and the record of whose deeds, hold a conspicuous place in the political annals of his country, it will often be necessary to enter into historical details and political discussions, which, Vol. VI. No. 3.

38

although they have not the attractions of amusing narrative, bave, nevertheless, the strong interest of important facts, and the practical results of theoretical politicks. The life of Mr. Henry illustrates in a striking manner these remarks—it is a leading feature in the history of his native state, during the period of its severest trials and brightest glory. We shall not begin, therefore, by quarrelling with Mr. Wirt for sending out his book under the title of Sketches of the Life of Patrick Henry, although it might with equal appropriateness have been called Sketches of the History of Virginia.

Biography at the present day occupies an important station in the field of literature. We are not sure that the taste, which has become so prevalent, for biographical sketches, notices and anecdotes, will, on the whole, prove a favourable omen to the interests of truth and letters. If it were the great and good only, who are singled out and held up to our view by their partial biographers, as models of every excellence, which can adorn the human character, we might expect much benefit, and apprehend little danger to the reading community. But the present unfortunate propensity of filling tomes of quartos and octavos with marvellous accounts of the lives of men and woman, who, during their existence, produced no impression on the publick mind, and who were not known beyond the circle of their immediate friends, or the mountains, which bounded the horizon of their native villages, is preposterous and absurd. Such people may have been good in their spherethe recollections of their virtues should be cherished in the breasts of those to whom their influence extended-but why should the world be called off from its busy occupations to listen to an ill told story of their little concerns?-Besides this unwelcome interfering with our more important affairs, we are very likely to be imposed on and deceived. The writer must make a book at all events-his materials are few-he is obliged to resort to his invention for incidents, and to his fancy for embellishments. He moulds the character into such a form as suits his own convenience and prejudicesmakes sage and elaborate reflections on peculiar traits and excellences, which never existed except in his own imagination-surrounds his hero with every variety of circumstancemakes him generous, disinterested, benevolent, brave, liberal, mild, compassionate, as occasion may require; all the nobler and all the gentler virtues are his, and discover themselves in all his sentiments and actions.