THE
MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
On the twelfth day of January will positively be published, price One Shilling, the SUPPLIMENTARY. NUMBER to the Seth Volume of the MONTHLY MAGAZINE, containing the following truly interefting and valuable articles; viz.A comprehenfine Retrospect of the Progress of BRITISH LITERATURE during the laft fix Months fimilar Retrospects of Graman, FRENCH, SPA- NISH, and PORTUGUESE LITERATURE, confiling of Information entirely New and Ori-, ginal-&c. &c.; with INDEXES, TITLE, &c.
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.
- sir,
THE Authorr of a publication, in two vols. entitled “Literary Memoirs of living Authors of Great Britain,” has, under the name of DR. PRIESTLEY, assigned a reason for that gentleman's leaving England, which no one else, I apprehend, has ventured to bring forward. Speaking of the doctor's settlement at Hackney, after the riots at Birmingham, he adds “his misfortunes had not cured him of his political phrensy, and his conduct being at length marked by government, a polite intimation was given him to leave the country. Upon this he emigrated to America, and settled at Northumberland town.”
As even anonymous narratives, efpecie ally when they meet the difpofitions of the ignorant and prejudiced, gain credit, it may he worth while to call on the authors to establish the truth of them, by giving their names to the public, and by pro ducing the evidence on which their affer- tions are advanced. With this view, I beg leave, through the channel of your mifcellany, to obferve concerning the author of this account of the ground of Dr. PRIESTLEY's emigration, that there lies upon Him, an obligation to do this or, candidly to retract his affertion. At prefent his account of the matter ftands wholly unfupported and labours under the fufpicion of being, if not an inven- tion, yet a grofs milieprefentation, and injurious furmife, though not of the au- thor of the "Memoirs," yet of fome one to whom he has been too credulous. It is injurious to the name of Dr. PRIESTLEY, for it reprefents him as fly- ing, or rather as freaking away from this country to avoid a profecution, it is to be fuppofed for fedition or treafon; for which it intimates government had grounds, MONTHLY MAG. No. XXXIX. • but, in great tenderness to fo celebrated a character, would not bring forward the charge. that fuch intimations are contradicted by the open and frank conduct which Dr. PRIESTLEY obferved, inftantly on his coming to London, after the riots; by' having it fignified to the king's minifters, that he was there and ready, if they thought proper, to be interrogated on the fubject of the riots. But no notice was taken of the meffage. He feems not to be aware that his affection is contradicted by the candid and ingenuous detail of his reafons for leaving England, which the doctor himself gave to the public. And, while he imputes a "political phrenfy" to the doctor, he feems not to be aware, that the views he has himself exhibited of the courfe of the doctor's ftudies and the long lift of his publications, which he has given, virtually contradicts the imputa- tion; for they fhow how little politics of any kind had been Dr. PRIESTLEY- ject. It is worthy of attention, in this connection, that not one publication, that had a political afpect, came from his pen, after his fettlement at Hackney. And the Author of the "Memoirs" may with propriety be called upon to alledge one inftance of the doctor's behaviour, which, even in his own opinion, could criminate him in the eye of that govern- ment, which he tells us marked his conduct." It may, indeed, be concluded from the whole ftrain in which the au- thor fpeaks of the doctor and his writ- ings, that he is not acquainted with ei- ther but has formed bis judgment of both from common report and vulgar prejudice which, in different inſtances, I have found to be the cafe with thofe who have been difpofed to inveigh moft violently against the one or the other. The Author feems not to be aware
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