we

gard to a variety of events, in his contemplation. The chief object at which he labours is to perfuade his country to lay afide all jealoufy of the power, and all apprehenfion of the defigns of France (who it feems is our natural ally) to lend itself to almost all her views of aggrandizement, and promote all her schemes of fpoliation." France," are told, is the great and only effectual fupport of the balance of continental power; of that balance, which the has been labouring for ages to deftroy, and which has at laft yielded to the gigantic efforts of her ambition. To all the territories, and all the influence, which the has by force and fraud acquired, this author would add " the advantages fhe proposes to derive from the maritime countries in the eastern part of the Mediterranean fea, and the countries which lie between these and the Eaft Indies, comprehending Greece, Egypt, the Ottoman empire in Aha, and various others." All the above countries are either to be possessed or influenced by a flate, which has already overrun the faireft portion of Europe, and yet the balance of power is to be preferved, our poffeffions in India are to be fecure, and Great Britain ought to affift in procuring this enormous increase to the power of her rival, and in almoft every age her determined enemy!!! We know not what other readers of this author (if he has any readers who are not reviewers) will think of this and many fimilar paradoxes; but to us it does not appear neceffary to beftow a fingle remark upon them, much less to detail all the wild and unfounded arguments by which they are fupported. What would the wretched furvivors of the maffacres of Alexandria, Cairo ; what would the oppreffed inhabitants of Swifferland, &c. &c. &c. fay to the writer, who would perfuade them that civilization and improvement, nay, that freedom and happiness would refult from their subjection to the iron yoke of France?

The whole conduct of Great Britain in her late difpute with the northern powers is decidedly condemned, and fome pains are taken to perfuade us that an admiffion of the maxim, that "free ships make free goods," would be highly beneficial to this country. The arguments however on this topic are, in our opinion, extremely vague and inconclufive; and the writer does not once meet the plain, and to us decifive reafon, produced by Dr. Croke and others, against this claim of neutrals; namely, that by becoming carriers for the lefs powerful belligerent ftate, they enable that ftate not only to carry on its trade, with a fecurity which it would not otherwife enjoy, but to employ all its feamen in fhips of war alone, and to carry on a naval contest, to which, but for this aid, it would be wholly unequal. We, however, congratulate Mr. E. on the relief which the late treaty with Ruffia mult afford to his apprehenfions of her future hoflility to Britain, and intimate union with its rival.

After all the able difcuffions on the origin of the prefent war; after the full, and we deem irrefiftible, proofs given of the aggreffion of France againft this and almost every other power against which the has directed her arms; after the confeffions of many of her own revolutionary leaders, it is not without aftonishment we read, in a work feemingly written with good intention, that the allies took up arms against France without any provocation; and yet we find perpetual cenfures en

our

our own government for a fimilar conduct. Every thing indeed is concluded againft us; every thing, on the merits of the queftion, is conceded to our enemy. But what fhall we fay to a writer, who declares the terms of peace granted by France to Auftria were fair and honourable? Who propofes to reftore almost every poffeffion taken from Holland and Spain, and give Gibraltar to the latter, in order to detach them from the interelts of France, while that power holds them both, and efpecially the former, in abject fubjection? What fhall we think of the writer who gravely tells us that " no period of the revolution can be inftanced wherein they (the French) did not act confiftently with the principle of pace?"-Aut infanit homo, aut verfus facit. Indeed his whole reprefentation of the French Confular Government, of the enthusiastic zeal for freedom which (according to him) animates that people, of their natural partiality to the English, of the refemblance between their prefent conftitution and ours, &c. &c. &c. is as much a creature of the imagination, as Taffo's enchanted grove, or Ariofto's Paradife of Fools.

The writer's fchemes of internal improvement feem to be well intended, but (with the exception of thofe agricultural focieties already mentioned) are not fufficiently plain to be of practical ufe. We muft do him the juftice to add, he is a warm panegyrift of the British Conftitution. How he can reconcile his attachment to it, with his avowed predilection for all the meafures and all the interefts of revolutionary France, must be left for him, in fome of his future works, to explain, Upon the whole, though there are many fentiments in this work of a general nature worthy of praife, almoft all the writer's opinions on queftions of national policy, efpecially wherever France is concerned, are too eccentric for wildom to adopt, and too revolting to every British feeling for patriotifm to endure."

MISCELLANIES.

ART. 41. Lives of Scotish Authors, viz. Ferguson, Falconer, and Rufjel. By David Irving. 12mo. 3s. 6d. Conitable. 1801.

Of the writers, whofe lives are now for the first time given in detail by the friendship of their countryman, the two latt only have acquired much celebrity in England. Ferguffon was a poet, but hardly appears to have merited the diftinction which is here conferred upon him. The "Shipwreck" of Mr. Falconer, and the "History of Modern Europe," by Mr. Ruffel, are works of standing and acknow ledged merit, and entitle their authors to the distinction they here receive. Many agreeable and entertaining anecdotes are interfperfed; and Mr. Irving appears to have difcharged an honourable office with great impartiality and candour.

ART. 42. A Letter to the Honourable Colonel George Hanger. From an Attorney at Law. 8vo. 53 pp. 15. 6d. Debrett, 1801..

When the Life of this Hon. Colonel came before us, we felt fo much of honeft disgust at a large part of its contents, that we thought

the

the fewer words we could bestow upon it, the lefs curiofity we should excite in any mind to fee, what none could fee with any chance of advantage. We were therefore very brief in our notice of it; but the hon. author has not, on that account, escaped a more detailed caftigation; which is here given, in a very matterly ftyle of writing, by a member of a profeffion, the whole of which he has libelled.

The tract contains a manly and fenfible vindication of the practice of attornies, againft fome of the moft ground lefs and abfurd accufations that ever were hazarded by prejudice and prefumption. We wifh, however, that in vindicating one profeffion, the author had not libelled another; for the military are no lefs unjustly and injuriously treated here, than the legal corps by Col. Hanger. We with also, that, when the author cordially joined with his antagonist, in execrating the "fyftem of imprisonment for debt," he had condefcended to hint by what other method he would contrive to refresh the memories of fuch forgetful gentlemen as Col. H.

The author peaks with an indignation, juft in its kind, though exaggerated in its expreffions, when he exclaims against the offence of committing a fingle licentious or immoral fentence to the prefs." It is undoubtedly an offence of a moft pernicious kind; its effects cannot cafily be calculated. "It may traverse continents, debafing and corrupting the ingenuous mind of youth, diffeminating vicious principles, and fcattering its baneful effects on the faireft portions of the globe; may corrupt generations yet unborn, and be doing progreffive mischief in fociety, till time shall be no more." All this is true, and ought to be well confidered by the author of the Monk, and many fimilar offenders; but its mifchief is indirect, to which the party corrupted is acceffary; and, therefore, to ftigmatize it beyond murder, rapine, and many exceffes of perfonal depravity, is to confound all just distinction.

ART. 43. Louifa; a Narrative of Facts supposed to throw Light on the myfterious Hiftory of" the Lady of the Hay-Stack." Tranflated from a French Work published in the Imperial Dominions, A. D. 1785. By the Rev. G. H. Glaffe, A. M. Rector of Hanwell, Middlejex. 12mo. 159 PP. 35. 6d. Rivingtons, Wingrave, &c. 1801.

This Narrative is introduced by the account which, under the title of "A Tale of real Woe," appeared in the St. James's Chronicle in 1785, and was thence copied into moft of the periodical prints. The account from the French work mentioned in the title is compared with it, to fupport the notion, that the Maid of the Hayftack, found near Brif tol, might poffibly be Mademoiselle la Freulen, whofe myfterious hiftory involved the fufpicion of a very near relationship to the Emperor Francis I. The probability wants however many circumftances to make it complete. The ftrongeft intimation is that in the Poftfcript, where, on Bohemia being mentioned, poor Louifa is faid to have anfwered, “that is papa's own country." The book is properly dedicated to Mrs. H. More, who was the principal benefaétress of the unfor tunate lunatic.

ART. 44. Communications concerning the Agriculture and Commerce of America; containing Obfervations on the Commerce of Spain with her American Colonies in Time of War. Written by a Spanish Gentleman in Philadelphia, this prefent Year 1800. With fundry other Papers concerning the Spanish Interefts. Edited in London, by William Tatham. 8vo. 120 pp. 45. Ridgway. 1800.

The editor's professed design is, to show us what the people of other countries are doing, that we may the better regulate our own concerns. The object of the Spanish author's "obfervations is, the profperity of the Spanish Colonies in America, the advantages arifing therefrom to Oid Spain, the increase of the royal revenue, and of our commerce in general." P. 6. Some "curfory obfervations" fhow the importance of agriculture to be fuperior to that of manufactures, and that of manufactures to that of commerce. Much more useful, we think, would have been an endeavour to show, how intimately these interests are connected with, and depend upon, each other. Monopolies are then ftrongly condemned; and doubtlefs thofe eftablished in Spain appear to have been extremely pernicious. But there is fo little in this tract which is applicable to the concerns of Englishmen, and fo little apparent reafon for our relying upon the statements of an anonymous Spanish writer, that we can perceive no valid reason for its being "edited in London."

ART. 45. A New Essay on Punctuation, being an Attempt to reduce the Practice of Painting to the Government of diftinct and explicit Rules,

by which every Point may be accounted for, after the Manner of paufing. By Thomas Stackhoufe. 12mo. 92 pp. 2s. bound. Weft and Hughes, 40, Paternofter-Row. 1800.

A fmall tract, entitled an Essay on Punctuation, is well-known to the reading world. It was published only a few years back, was the production of an ingenious and learned man, and was drawn up in a clear and useful manner. The prefent author, though he does not mention his predecetfor or his publication, feems to allude to it, by calling his own "a new Effay," as if to diftinguish it from the former. The authors of the Encyclopædia Britannica (Suppl.) though they repeat the praife of the former Effay from another writer, confels that they have not feen it, but fay, they do not think that the art of punctuation can be taught by rules." In our opinion, from its facility, it can fcarcely require rules, and will always be practifed with fufficient accuracy, by thofe who write fenfibly, under the guidance of one or two very general principles; and, as common fenfe will usually point well, fo will it cafily discover the real meaning of fentences, even under the difguife of false or inaccurate pointing. For a long time, written books had not even the advantage of divifions between the words; and, though dividing and pointing are certainly great improvements, this fact will fufficienly fhow how much may be

* It was anonymous, but is attributed generally to a Mr. Steele.

done

1

done without them. The attempt of Mr. Stackhoufe is to reduce punctuation to rules fo exact, as to remove all doubt in every inftance; and the attempt is laudable. In his fynoptical table, and other parts of the book, he evinces great clearness of mind and method; but the best recommendation of his art is, in our opinion," that it will prove a general praxis, which will fet the whole grammatical machine in motion ;" and this we believe to be true. 'The author we suppose to be the fame who published, fome time ago, a very ufeful fet of comparative maps, of ancient and modern geography. His motto is a lame one:

"Divide, diftinque, et impera.”

A better might eafily have been found. As,

diftinctio fenfum

Anget, et ignavis dant intervalla vigorem.

From Aufonius. Idyll. iv.

ART. 46. Profe on various Occafions, literary and political. Collected from the Newspapers. Svo. 112 pp. 3s. 6d. Hurtt. 1801.

A fet of ironical Letters, from various Newspapers, in which feveral great names in the critical and political world are treated very ludicrously. They are a good deal in the ftyle of Chalmeriana, and often touch upon the fame topics. The political allufions are generally intended to be hoftile to the administration under which they appeared; but they have, in their ftyle, more of literary fport, than of political feverity. It may not unfairly be objected, that too great a fameness of humour pervades the collection; but there are many things in it, at which the graveft reader must smile.

ART. 47. The Statistical Obferver's Pocket Companion: or a fiftemati cal Set of Queries, calculated to offift Travellers, and all inquifitive Men at large, in their Refearches about the State of Nations. Tranflated from the French of Julia Dutchess of Giovane, Baroness of Underfback, Lady of the Starry Cross, Honorary Member of the Royal Academies of Berlin and Stockholm, and of the Humane Society, London. 143 pp. Booker, Wright, &c. 1801.

12mo.

Who the lady is, who here appears fo abundant in her queftions, and fo magnificent in her titles, we are unfortunate enough not to know; nor which of all the countries in which fhe is affeciated can claim her as a native. Her queries, however, feem to be judicious, and the book of fome utility. The tranflator informs us this fcheme of enquiry "was originally printed upon an immenfe sheet of paper, and annexed to a large volume." It is now compreffed into the form of a portable almanack, and fitted up in a cafe into which it flides, for the pocket of the traveller. In this fhape it certainly is more convenient for ufe than in the former flage of its tranfmigration, and in thefe days of enquiry it will probably obtain a fufficient fale.

ART.