THE BRITISH CRITIC, FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE. MDCCCXI. VOLUME XXXVII. London: PRINTED FOR F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON, By Law and Gilbert, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell 1811. PREFACE. A FEW words feem at prefent to be neceffary, on the general fubject of REVIEWs. A new kind of publication has of late arifen, bearing the fame name, but in its nature, very different. Such we mean, as the Edinburgh Review, and others, fince publifhed, in imitation or emulation of that work. We wish not, in the leaft, to cenfure thefe publications. We allow them all to have difplayed, in turn, diftinguifhed abilities; and to have been often ufeful, entertaining, and inftructive to the public. We feel no furprife at the attraction which they have poffeffed. Our object is only to diftinguish, and to fhow that, however these books may deserve patronage, they are not in fact Reviews, as to their principal defign and contents. Whoever knows the influence of names will allow, that to point out this diftin&tion, if it be real, is no fuperfluous effort on our parts, but an act of just and neceffary felf-defence. We obferved, on a former occafion, that Reviews ought to be, fo far as is practicable, complete histories of contemporary literature. In repeating which, we mean not to affert that fo much is ftrictly implied * It is whimsical enough that they all fo exactly copy the form and appearance of that work as to be liable to be mistaken for it, without reading. 403126 |