The above general remark of our late want of fuccefs in fea armaments, placed at the opening of this work, is afterward branched into the following fpecific obfervations:

If, then, after a proper examination of the late fea-engagements, or rencounters, it fhall be found, that our enemy, the French, have never once fhewn a willingness to risk the making of the attack, but, invariably, have made choice of, and earnestly courted a leeward pofition: If, invariably, when extended in line of battle, in that pofition they have difabled the British fleets in coming down to the attack: If, invariably, upon feeing the British fleet difabled, they have made fail, and demolished the van in paffing If, invariably, upon feeling the effect of the British fire, they have withdrawn, at pleafure, either a part, or the whole of their fleet, and have formed a new line of battle to leeward: If the French, repeatedly, have done this upon every occafion: And, on the other hand, if it fhall be found that the British, from an irrefiftible defire of making the attack, as conftantly and uniformly have courted the windward pofition: If, uniformly and repeatedly, they have had their fhips fo difabled and feparated, by making the attack, that they have not once been able to bring them to close with, to follow up, or even to detain one ship of the enemy for a moment; fhall we not have reafon to believe, that the French have adopted, and put in execution, fome fyftem, which the British either have not discovered, or have not yet profited by the discovery?'

It will not be expected that we fhould enter particularly into the principles which this ingenious writer advances for the conduct of naval commanders in different circumftances, as they cannot be made intelligible without the plates; it may fuffice to obferve, that he illuftrates them all by a critical examination of our late general engagements by fea, from that off Toulon, under Admirals Matthews and Leftock, in 1744, down to the present time; and as it appears from the whole, that the dexterity of the French to avoid an engagement, is fuperior to our established mode of urging them to it, this inferiority of difcipline will tend, in fome measure, to exculpate fome of our late commanders, from the perfonal cenfures to which their indecifive fkirmishes with fo fhy an enemy have exposed them.

If we may prefume to comprize, in few words, the result of Mr. Clerk's doctrine in this part of his work, it will be, that inftead of an admiral attempting to bear down on an enemy to leeward, in the hope of bringing his whole line into action, he recommends to commence the attack on the three or four ships in the rear, as moft likely to be fuccefsful, for a variety of reafons, the validity of which we do not undertake to eftimate, and for which the work must be confulted.

After all, we confefs ourselves not without fome doubt as to the policy of publishing any propofed improvements of fea REV. FEB. 1791. taЯtics;

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tactics; being of opinion that they ought to have been kept in referve at the Admiralty, if they proved acceptable there, to make part of future fighting inftructions; and that the fuccefs of them would be the moft proper mode of publication: for every idea of national advantage appears to be furrendered, by apprizing an enemy how we propofe to attack him when next

we meet.

The commentaries on our late fea engagements, and the propofed inftructions for the difpofition and management of fleets, in fimilar cafes, are clearly illuftrated by thirty copperplates.

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ART. VII. A Complete Dictionary of Mufic. Containing a full and clear Explanation, divefted of technical Phrafes, of all the Words and Terms, English, Italian, &c. made use of in that Science, fpeculative, practical, and hiftorical. The whole compiled from the best ancient and modern Authors, and particularly adapted to Scholars, as well as Proficients. By John Hoyle, Mufician. 8vo. pp. 160. 3s. fewed. Symonds, &c. 1791.

T1 HE Chaotic dialect of heterogeneous phrafes," of which Dr. Johnfon, in the plan of his English Dictionary, accufes tranflators, is no where to be found in a more Babelonifh confufion, than in the technical language of musicians: as it is not uncommon to fee, in the fame book, Greek, Latin, German, French, Italian, and English terms of art, unexplained; and the multiplication of these terms, from the progress of mufic, and the great importation of foreign compofitions, has been increafing, within thefe thirty years, to a boundless degree.

As fimplicity of melody was the characteristic of mufic in the beginning of the prefent century, few inftructions to the performer were neceflary: but as modern mafters chiefly afpire at refinement, expreffion, and variety, it became, perhaps, neceflary, to increase the technica of the art, in proportion to its improvement in thefe particulars; and yet this licenfe fhould only be granted to compofers of the first clafs, the inventors of the ftyle, paffage, or character of movement, which required explanation. Every young artist, however, who has not enriched the art with a new idea or arrangement of founds, has thought it neceflary to ranfack his Italian dictionary for new terms to exprefs old inventions, or more frequently no invention at all, but a feemingly fortuitous feries of notes, to which he must be a cunning musician indeed, who can give any meaning, even with all the help of a fine new word.

To explain all the terms in mufic which have had no admiffion in the dictionaries of Broffard, Rouffeau, or in thofe of their tranflators, would be a useful work: but it is a tafk for which the author before us does not feem to be completely qualified; as not only an acquaintance with the feveral languages which have furnished these terms is neceffary, but also a profeffional knowlege of their ufe, and acceptation, by great compofers, and great performers.

It is hardly poffible to conceive, but by reading Mr. Hoyle's book, how very deficient he is in these particulars, and into what errors his definitions would lead a performer, or mufical ftudent, who should rely on his authority. A few articles from the first letter of the alphabet are fufficient to justify this remark, in the opinion of every judge of mufic, or of the Italian language:

ACADEMY OF MUSIC, is frequent in moft parts of Europe, but more fo in Italy than any other country, where the young ftudents in the fcience of mufic are inftructed.'

This is certainly new information, if not exactly true. We have indeed been told by travellers, and mufical writers, that Academia, in Italy, meaned a private concert, or affembly of perfons to hear mufic; and that the place where young ftudents in mufic are inftructed,' is called a Confervatorio.

ACCENT, is a certain modulation or warbling of the founds, either by the voice or inftruments, to express a pasfion. The more full and void of difcords the harmony is,' [on the accents] the lefs offence to the ear will be given.'

Now, if the reader understands how an accent can be a warble, we fhall admire his penetration: but we think we can venture to affure him, that whenever difcords are used in correct compofition, it is generally on the accented parts of a bar.

ALLEGRETTO, is a degree fafter than Allegro, but felḍom ufed, as Piu Allegro is the fame.'!

Under fubmiffion to Mr. Hoyle's better acquaintance with Italian diminutives and augmentations, we rather think Allegretto the diminutive of Allegro; and therefore that it implies a degree lefs gay and lively, or in other words, a flower, instead of fafter time, than Allegro.

ANDANTE. This word (fays Mr. H.) has refpect chiefly to the thorough bafs, and fignifies that, in playing, the time must be kept very juft and exact.’

ANDANTE, from Andare, to go, feems rather to imply a walking or moderate pace, between running and creeping; and this is the first time we have ever been told, that it had any thing to do with the thorough bafs, or diftinctness of the founds.

ANTHEM, a church fong performed in cathedral fervice by chorifters, who fing alternately.'

What are all anthems, then, in dialogue Mr. H. adds, but, at prefent, Anthem is ufed in a more confined fenfe, being applied only to certain paffages of scripture, and adapted to a particular folemnity.'-Is this true at St. Paul's, or at any other cathedral in the kingdom?

< ARPEGGIO, the manner of making the several notes of a chord in mufic be diftinctly heard one after another, by a melodious purling and rolling motion of the hand.'

ASSAI. This word is always joined with fome other word, to leffen or weaken the strength or fignification of the word it is joined with: for example, if it is added to any of thefe words, Adagio, Grave, or Largo, which all denote a flow movement, it fignifies that the mufic must be performed not fo flow as each of these words would require if alone; but if it is joined with any of these, Vivace, Allegro, or Prefto, which do all denote a quick movement, then it fignifies that the mufic must not be performed fo brifk or quick as each of these words would require if alone."

No musician, nor any perfon who is acquainted with the Italian language, is ignorant that the direct reverfe of all this article is true. Affai, in Italian, has not the fame meaning with Affez, enough, in French, but is equivalent to the word very in English: fo that it is ufed in mufic as an augmentative to whatever term it is joined.

Blunders in the definition of terms which have been long in common use, made us curious to fee how the author would acquit himself in explaining words which have been lately adopted from the Italian language, by the greatest masters in Europe, fuch as Calendo, Crefcendo, Diminuendo, Perdendofi, Ralentando, &c.: but no fuch words are to be found; and yet this book is boldly called A Complete Dictionary of all the Words and Terms,' &c.

The only tolerable articles in this compilation are garbled from Chambers, and from Graffineau's tranflation of Broffard's Dictionary. Wherever there is an appearance of learning in mufic or language, it is easy to difcover, though it is never confeffed, to whom the author has been obliged. We cannot however perceive, by the utility, wit, or fpirit, of any of the articles, that he has availed himself of Roufleau's Dictionary, the beft, as far as it goes, of all mufical expofitions: but being written for the meridian of France twenty-three' years ago, even a complete tranflation of it would now be found very deficient by an English mufical ftudent; and Graffineau's tranflation of a work written at the end of the last century, is as de

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fective in explanations of the terms used in the present mufic, as a viginal of Queen Elizabeth's time would be in the compafs or number of keys neceffary to its performance.

In article OPERA, Mr. H. fays, that the Venetians are ag d to be the first inventors of this manner of acting ;'which is robbing the Florentines of their just due; and he affures us, that Operas are now in great efteem in England, and are, for the greatest part, fet to mufic by Mr. Handel.'As this might have been faid with truth fifty years ago, who would not fuppofe this book to have been then fabricated?

If our author's namefake, who has written on the game of Whift, had been equally inaccurate in his inftructions, it might have been fatal to the purfes of his readers: but though this Mufical Dictionary, as it is called, may endanger the reputation of felf-taught Dilettanti, yet Masters must be unworthy of that title, indeed, if they are in want of fuch information as Mr. John Hoyle has here furnished, D.B....y.

ART. VIII. The Goldsmith's Repofitory: Containing a concife Elementary Treatise on the Art of affaying Metals, Rules, Directions, and correct extenfive Tables, applied to all the poffible Occafions of mixing, alloying, or finding the Value of Bullion, under all its various Denominations of Gold, Silver, and Parting. Alfo, an Appendix, in which are contained Abstracts of all the Acts of Parliament now in force, relating to Gold and Silver; and a View of all the Changes in their respective Standards. By W. J. Alldridge. 8vo. pp. 382. 10s. 6d. Boards. Robinfons.

THIS

"HIS will certainly be an acceptable work to goldsmiths, and to all who are concerned in the commerce of gold and filver. The rules, and tables, are much more extensive than any hitherto published, and include every cafe that can, as we conceive, poffibly occur, in the valuation and mixing of those metals, with examples, and the calculations of them at large; and, toward the end, a concife recapitulation is drawn up, under the title of Praxis, ftating the things given and required, with the correfponding rules and analogies, in a tabular form. The rules are juft, and of the correctness of the tables we have no reason to doubt; whereas, in former publications on thefe fubjects, the rules and principles of calculation, in feveral inftances, are plainly erroneous. Mr. Alldridge has fhewn, that when weighed quantities of gold and filver are melted together, with the addition of a little copper, the compound, if the affayer makes an accurate report of it, will be found, by the ufual method of computation, to be worth confiderably more, and confequently to contain more of one or other of the

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precious