water of a coal-pit in Somersetshire, in its paffage through a pipe or trunk of elm. This petrifaction feems to be of the fame nature, and to be capable of being applied to the fame ufes, which we indicated in giving an account of Mr. Rafpe's differtation on the qualities of the water at Radicofani in Tufcany. In the 32d article, feveral particulars are related concerning the Tokay and other Hungarian wines, by Silvefter Douglas, Efq. The 36th article is a paper communicated by Mr. John Robertfon, Lib. R. S. and written by the late William Jones, Efq; F. R. S. in which the properties of the conic fections are deduced after a compendious manner, by that excellent mathematician.

• See M. Review, vol. xlvi. March 1772, page 182.

ART. XII. An Effay towards the Hiftory of Leverpool †, drawn from Papers left by the late Mr. George Perry, and from other Materials fiace collected. By William Enfield. With Views of the principal. public Structures, a Chart of the Harbour, and a Map of the Environs. Fol. 12 s. Boards. Johnson. 1774.

HE materials of this hiftory were for the most part collected by a gentleman, whofe untimely death prevented the execution of his plan: the collection has been fince enlarged by other communications, and digefted into its present order by the ingenious Editor. The defign,' as he tells us in the preface, was firft formed by Mr. George Perry, a gentleman who had abilities and perfeverance fully equal to the undertaking. This feheme included a large and accurate plan of the town of Leverpool; elegant views of the town and of its principal buildings: a chart of the harbour, and a map of the environs; the natural, civil, and commercial history of the town; and some account of the adjacent country. He had the fatisfaction to accomplish the whole of this defign, excepting the hiftory of the town and neighbourhood, and to receive the highest approbation from the Public for the accuracy and elegance with which the plan, the views of the town, and the map of the environs were executed. The views of the public buildings were referved for a place in the history, and therefore have not appeared till this publication.

For the last part of the defign, he had collected many valuable materials, chiefly refpecting the etymology, natural hiftory, and antiquities of Leverpool, and the adjacent places. Thefe materials he intended to have increased, and to have di- · gefted into a connected and complete hiftory; and had he lived, would certainly have executed the defign upon a much

This the Editor apprehends, for reafons affigned in the firft chapter, to be the original orthography.

larger

larger plan, and in a much more perfect manner, than it ap pears at present. The Editor, however, has done what lay in his power to collect new materials, particularly, with regard to the population, the public ftructures and inftitutions, and the commerce of the town; and has digefted and drawn up the whole with all the attention which his other engagements would admit of.'

In this hiftory we have a particular account of the state of population and commerce in the town of Leverpool, together with a comparative view of its present and former ftate in both thefe refpects; by which the Reader will be able to judge of the furprifing increafe of its inhabitants, and the very rapid progrefs

ade. The two chapters which treat of these fubjects are by no means the least interesting and valuable part of this volume. We shall in the fequel of this article collect together fome leading facts and obfervations to this purpose.

In November 1565 there were in Leverpool only 138 householders and cottagers; and about the fame time a rate was levied on the inhabitants, by which it appears, that only about feven streets were inhabited. From this time till about the end of the next century, Leverpool made. but a flow and inconfiderable progrefs, either in the number of its inhabitants or extent of its trade. The æra of its chief increase appears to have been the 10th year of the reign of King William, 1699; at which period the inhabitants obtained an act of parliament for building a new church, and for making the town a parish of itself, feparate from Walton, previous to which Leverpool was only a part of the former. Since this time the increafe, both of its trade and population, has been fo great, as to render it neceffary to make three fpacious docks, and to build three large churches. In the beginning of the year 1773, the state of population, in Leverpool was investigated by an actual furvey; from which it appears, that the number of families is 8002, and of inhabitants 34,407. The number of inhabited houfes has been found to be 5928, fo that the proportion of inhabitants to a house is 5, and to a family 4.

The fubjoined lift exhibits the comparative state of Leverpool with that of fome other towns, whofe inhabitants have been either numbered or accurately computed:

In the year 1760 the number of houfes in Leverpool was 4200, and confequently the number of inhabitants about 25,000. In 1753, the number of houfes was 3700, and of inhabitants about 20,000. So that in twenty years the number of people

has

has increafed 14,000, or confiderably above one-third. And if we look farther back, it will appear, that the increase had been almoft equally rapid from the establishment of the African trade in the year 1730; and even from the beginning of the prefent century.'

One in 27% is the yearly proportion of deaths in Leverpool; and 277 years are of courfe the expectation or share of life due to each person born in that place. From a table containing the number of inhabitants at intervals of ten years, from 1700 to 1770, it appears, that the town has doubled its inhabitants in about 25 years, and has at prefent upwards of fix times the number which was in it at the beginning of this century.' And from another table of deaths it is inferred, that, as far as the observations of one year may be allowed to extend, not half the inhabitants in Leverpool die under five years old: whereas in London and fome other large towns, more than half die under three years old: that one in about 15 lives to be upwards of 70 years of age; that women live longer than men, 45 women having died upwards of 70, and only 30 men; that married women live longer than fingle women; and that the proportion of males to females who have died under ten years old has been as 15 to 14.'

Our Readers, who have attended to this fubject, will fee, that the above obfervations confirm the principles advanced by Dr. Price in his late excellent publications; and by reasoning from which, he has fo happily fucceeded in refcuing numbers from difappointment and ruin.

The progrefs of commerce in the town of Leverpool, which is purfued in the fixth chapter of this hiftory, is no lefs furprifing than that of population. In the year 1565 there were in this port only 12 fmall veffels manned by 76 men; but it appears from a lift of the fhips belonging to this place continued down from 1709 to 1772, that in the year 1771 the number of fhips was no less than 323, the whole amount of which was 35,586 tons. The increafe of trade may be observed likewife in the vast increase of the dock duties. From Midfummer 1751 to Midfummer 1752, these produced only 17761. 8 s. 2 d. whereas from 1771 to 1772, they amounted to 45541. 55. 4d.

In order to give the Reader an idea of the present ftate of trade in its several branches in Leverpool, a particular account is here added of the imports and exports for one year, viz. from the 1ft of January 1770 to the 1ft of January 1771.'

We fhall take no notice of the other chapters of this work, which contain a description of the public structures and inftitutions, with the internal police and other particulars belonging to this town.

REV. Sept. 1774.

R

Το

To the whole is annexed a map, very accurately constructed, exhibiting an actual furvey of the environs of Leverpool for five miles round, the Exchange being the center; and of course including no less than 50 fquare miles. The Editor concludes with informing the Public, that a plan for the Hiftory of Lancafhire has been drawn up, and fome materials for the purpose collected, by a gentleman who has abilities every way equal to the undertaking;' and we heartily join with him in wifhing, that a design so useful' may not fail for want of the requifits affistance.'

MONTHLY

CATALOGUE, 1774.

For SEPTEMBER,

POLITICAL.

Art. 13. Thoughts upon Slavery. By John Wefley, A. M. 8vo. ts. Hawes in Lamb Street, Spital-Square. 1774.

T

HAT one rational being thould be claimed by another as his abfolute property, in all circumftances, like a horse or a dog, and that he should beget children folely for his mafter's profit, by adding to his perfonal chattels; are tenets fo repugnant to all principles of humanity, according to British ideas, that the flave trade has often been feverely cenfured among us both in a moral and legal view. The advocates for flavery, indeed, are chiefly those who are mediately or immediately biaffed by intereft to defend it; or who, by refidence in our Plantations, have loft those honest tender feelings that prompt us to do as we would be done by.

What the apologists for flavery reft on, as their ftrongeft plea, is that of expediency, according to prefent circumflances; but is not this cafting afide all diflinction between right and wrong, and betraying the caufe of humanity altogether into the iron hand of violence, which is first to decide who is to be mafter and who is to be flave? And does not this as fully juftify a Barbary corfair, as a Jamaica planter, with all his brutal agents in the African trade? Let us at tend to what Mr. Wefley offers on the fubject.

He has collected from various writers, a good historical account of our modern negro flave trade, with descriptions of the country and inhabitants from whence they are brought; the methods by which they are procured, together with the ufage on their paffage, and in the Plantations where they are finally fold and fettled. Mr. Wefley thus fums up the teftimonies he has confulted on the general charac ter of the native Africans. Upon the whole therefore the negroes who inhabit the coaft of Africa, from the river Senegal to the fouthern bounds of Angola, are fo far from being the tupid, fenfeléss, brutish, lazy barbarians, the fierce, cruel, perfidious favages they have been defcribed, that on the contrary, they are reprefented by them who had no motive to flatter them, as remarkably fenfible, confidering the few advantages they have for improving their underAanding: as industrious to the highest degree, perhaps more fo than

any

any other natives of fo warm a climate: as fair, juft, and honest in all their dealings, unless where Whitemen have taught them to be otherwife: and as far more mild, friendly, and kind to ftrangers, than any of our forefathers were. Our forefathers! Where shall we find at this day, among the fair-faced natives of Europe, a nation generally practising the juftice, mercy, and truth, which are found among thefe poor black Africans? Suppofe the preceding accounts are true (which I fee no reafon or pretence to doubt of) we may leave England and France, to feek genuine honefty in Benin, Congo, or Angola.'

It appears more than probable that the good qualities here attributed to the native Africans are dealt with too liberal a hand, in order to dress them up and mortify us by the contraft; but what then? If the negroes do not deferve fo agreeable a character, will it follow that we have a right to drag them away from the places of their nativity across the ocean into perpetual flavery? Others again hardly allow them any pretenfions to rationality, in order, by their difguftful reprefentations, to palliate as much as poffible the injurious treatment of them. Nevertheless thus much may be fafely afferted, that whatever they are naturally, we induftriously cultivate their worst qualities, where we trade with them for flaves; to qualify them for the deteftable employment of kidnapping their more innocent countrymen within land.

We have often been publickly informed how the ships are fupplied with thefe poor Africans, and therefore need not repeat the schemes of violence and treachery recorded by the prefent Writer. Two inRances however produced by Mr. Wesley, will give us a lively idea of this infamous traffic.

The first is taken verbatim from the original manufcript of the furgeon's journal. "SESTRO, Dec. 29, 1724. No trade to-day, though many traders came on board. They informed us, that the people are gone to war within land, and will bring prifoners enough in two or three days; in hopes of which we stay.

"The 30th. No trade yet but our traders came on board today, and informed us the people had burnt four towns: fo that tomorrow we expect flaves off.

"The 31ft, Fair weather: but no trading yet. We fee each night towns burning. But we hear, many of the Seftro men are killed by the inland negroes: fo that we fear this war will be unsuccessful.

"The 2d of January. Last night we faw a prodigious fire break out about eleven o'clock, and this morning fee the town of Sestro burnt down to the ground." (It contained fome hundred houses.) "So that we find their enemies are too hard for them at prefent, and confequently our trade fpoiled here. Therefore about feven o'clock we weighed anchor, to proceed lower down."

The fecond extract taken from the journal of a furgeon, who went from New York on the fame trade, is as follows: "The commander of the veffel fent to acquaint the King, that he wanted a cargo of flaves. The King promifed to furnish him, and in order to it, fet out, defigning to furprize fome town, and make all the people prifoners. Some time after, the King fent him word, he had

R 2

not