the paper a character of veracity. His time. The Briton and Auditor, however, proved themselves to be wretched advocates; their ftyle was bad, their facts generally falfe, their arguments weak, and delusive, and their attempts at wit, mere ribaldry. In a word, they excelled in nothing, but fcurrility and abuse, which indeed they dealt about in fuch a manner, and against every one who prefumed to difapprove of the Favourite, that government itself feemed to be paying for, and fetting the example, of attempting to fubvert all order and decency. Therefore the many books and papers, which afterwards appeared in fupport of the public caufe, admit of a very rational and juftifiable excufe. The Favourite and his faction begun the fpirit of libelling, even before the refignation of Mr. PITT; and upon that event, were remarkably affiduous in attacking all the great and eminent characters in the kingdom, who had too much honour and regard for their country, to fupport his deftructive measures. For a confiderable time, nobody paid any attention to the writings of his advocates; at least, the perfonages attacked did not: but at length, apprehending that the infinite number of fat dalous falfhoods, which his writers repeatedly afferted in all the public papers, and induftriously propagated by every other mode of publication, might injure their reputations, and weaken that confidence with which they were honoured by the people, as a reward for their fpirited and difinterested conduct; their friends who were beft acquainted with all their mo. tives and actions, determined to refcue their characters from the pens of fuch infamous affaffins. Thus began the paper war, which was carried on with great fury, by both fides, for a confiderable completely defeated, and grieved and fore At length the affailants being to death, refolved to relinquish that mode of fighting, because they found truth make fo ftrongly again them, and to take up another fort of more ferious and dangerous inftruments. They, in a wild and frantic fit of rage and revenge, broke down all the fences of the constitution, arbitrarily feized and confined whom they pleafed; then called in the aid of the crown lawyers, and afterwards, that of the parliament. Thus they, who were one day encouraging and paying writers of the most defamatory libels, the next beat at their own weapons, were under frivo lous diftinations, Aying to law; and left that hould fail, to parliament, for the means of fuppreffing, and punishing, what was only the bleffed fruit of their own example. [To be continued.] POLITICAL HISTORY of EUROPE, our laft volume, we had the fatisfaction to leave the neighbouring powers fo much on a ballance with each other, or fo much taken up with their own internal concerns, as to afford little or no grounds to apprehend any speedy interruption in that repofe, which has fo lately fucceeded, if not one of the longeft, at least one of the harpet and molt general wars, that Europe had been for a long time afficted with. Happily for the eafe of mankind, this pleating profpect ftill holds up. For as to the points, which yet remain in difpute, between the two most potent of the last three great powers, Great Britain on D dd 2 the the one fide, and France and Spain, in the political world, must be fatisfied to tread in his steps, or at least intirely conform to the views and intentions of. his mother the empress dowager, in whom, as queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and fovereign of Auftria and the Netherlands, all the power of the house of Auftria, notwithstanding the admiffion of her fon to the co-regency of them, fubftantially refides; and who is now, in all appearance, more intent upon fettling her numerous iffue and improving her territories, than upon adding to them, or even upon recovering those which she has loft. on the other; though much it is to be wifhed, that every thing had, if poffible, been thoroughly fettled in the laft treaty of peace; it is to be hoped from all the apparent circumstances of their prefent fituation, that the two latter of thefe powers will not fo far perfift in refusing to comply with the juft demands of the former, as to force her, from motives either of honour or intereft, into a new war; although their litigious difpofitions on these points may probably afford her juft reafons to be more circumfpect and lefs generous with them in future dealings of the fame kind. Nay, this reluctance of the French and Spanish courts to do Great Britain justice may, in the end, turn out to her advantage, by ferving to justify, on these occafions, fuch a strict attention to her own interefts, as might otherwife give umbrage to the neutral ftates of Europe. They may fee that such a conduct is not the effect of arrogance and a fpirit of defpotifm, but proceeds folely from the moft authorised principles of felf-defence. There have, indeed, been, fince the publication of our laft volume, feveral intermarriages, by which the heretofore fo fanguinely rival houfes of Auftria and Bourbon have been drawn nearer to each other, than even by their late poA little before the litical alliances. late emperor's death, a marriage was concluded between his fecond fon, and an infanta of Spain, on occafion of which he parted with his Tufcan dominions. But it is not probable, that these alliances can affect the tranquillity of Europe, till most of the princes who have made these contracts for their children are removed from the reins of government; events, confidering their ages, In time, of no very near prospect. no doubt, these marriages and ceffions will give rife to troubles, filial love and refpect giving way to the more powerful paffions of ambition and avarice; and mankind may again fmart for the honour which fome fovereigns do their fubjects, of making them over to each other, without their concurrence, like The fucceffor to Among the events, which ferve to diftinguish the period now under our confideration, the principal, no doubt, would have been the death of the emperor of Germany, had not the troubles ufual on fuch occafions been happily prevented by the previous election of a king of the Romans. Accordingly, August 18, 1765, the prefent emperor Jofeph II. who the year before had been chofen to that dignity, afcended the imperial throne on his father's death, with as little noife and buftle, as if he had been born to it. Nor does beafts of the field. the progrefs of his reign promise to the Auftrian dominions, in right of be lefs peaceable, than its beginning, the prefent empress dov:ager, may The late emperor never appeared to take any fhare in the troubles of Germany, but fuch as his gratitude to his confort and her family for his elevation to the imperial dignity, his dependence upon her for the fupport of that dignity, and a very natural regard for his children, feemed to dictate; and which, in any other prince in the fame circumstances, might reasonably be expected to have operated in the fame manAnd the prefent emperor, heir to no part of his father's patrimonial dominions, finall and infignificant as they were ner. look upon himself as equally intitled to thofe of Tufcany in right of the late emperor, especially as it does not appear, that, as legal heir, he has received any equivalent for them; whilft a king of Spain may think it his duty to protect a fifter, a coufin, or their iffue, in the enjoyment of dominions purchased, perhaps, for them by no inconfiderable portion. And, after all, it must be owned, that this is but a final part of that trouble and confufion, which muft probably attend these ineluctable events, confidering the complicated claims of Spain Spain and Parma to the throne of the two Sicilies, and that of a Don Lewis to Parma itfelf. But gloomy as this profpect may be in regard to the Roman catholic nations of Europe, it can give no alarm to Great Britain, or the other great proteftant powers, whofe ftrength muft ever be in proportion to the weakness of thofe in the oppofite intereft. Befides, the chief of the latter have been of late equally attentive with the former, to preferve that compactnefs fo neceffary to all political bodies by treaties of intermarriage; in the cementing of which, as no ceffions or transfers of territory have been made, fo no feeds have been fown of future difcontent and difcord. Not to fpeak of the late renewals of amity between the branches of the Brunfwick family, by the nuptials of the princefs Augufta, his majefty's eldeft fifter, with the hereditary prince of Brunswick Lunenburg, and of a fifter of that gallant prince with the prince royal of Pruffia, nephew to the reigning king; the treaty of intermarriage lately concluded between another of his majefty's filters, and the prince royal of Denmark, by drawing till clofer the already very clofe bands of friendship between these two fo great and fo good monarchs, how much foever it may contribute to the fatisfaction and honour of their respective families, and the happinefs and fecurity of their fubjects, cannot but contribute ftill more to the ftrengthening of the proteftant intereft. These two fyftems, which we have been furveying, the proteftant and the Roman catholic, are not however, and, in all probability, never will be, either of them, fo much one, as to contain no devious, irregular bodies, politically tending to the other. For the prefent, thefe bodies are chiefly, on the proteftant fide, Sweden, and on the Roman catholic, Portugal; both, beyond all doubt, the most intolerantly zealous members of the perfuafions they refpectively belong to, yet both strongly attached to fome powers of very different, and extremely jealous of other powers of the fame creed with themfelves. Sweden and France ftill perfift in their old friendship, and will, probably, long perfift in it, fince both find their intereft in fo doing. The mixed inter course of trade and politics, which has fo long continued between them, and which their mutual neceffities feem in a great measure to fupport, gives this connection the air of a natural alliance; France ftands in the greatest need of, and is the best able to pay for, thofe commodities in trade, and thofe affiftances in war, which Sweden is beft able to furnish; viz. metals; materials for building fhips; fhips ready built; and fometimes men, whofe bravery and fidelity, as well as hardinefs and difcipline, may be fafely relied on. Portugal, from the defigns of her former matters, and the natural imbecillity of the country, ftands much more in need of foreign affittance than Sweden. This affiftance, which Portugal stands in need of, fhe wifely looks for at the hands of the two greatest maritime powers of Europe, Great Britain and Holland, but at the fame time the two warmest fupporters of the protestant intereft. As much as thefe powers may covet the gold of Portugal to accumulate it at home, or want it to purchase the commodities of other countries, where thofe of their own may not readily find a vent, fo much does Portugal ftand in need of their affiftance against Spain, France, and other powers, to fecure to her a communication with, if not indeed the poffeffion of, the fources of that precious metal; fince France and Spain as far exceed Portugal in maritime ftrength, as they are themselves exceeded in that particular by Great Britain. Add to this, that it is not fo much in the fpirit of the British and Dutch conftitutions to conquer countries, as fairly to gain, by the more agreeable, yet far more prevalent, arts of husbandry, manufacture, and commerce, a fhare of the riches, with which thefe countries may happen to be peculiarly bleffed. It is hardly requifite to fay any thing concerning the other Roman catholic or proteftant powers of Europe; or at least a few words will be fufficient. The king of Poland, though not as yet formally acknowledged by thofe powers who protefted against the diet that elected him, is likely to be foon fo, France has again fupplied the Genoefe with troops for the garrifoning of the few places left them in Corfica; but there is very little probability of her endeavouring to recover for as being, by its maxims of religion and government, quite diftinct from, or rather diametrically oppofite to, all the others, which we have reviewed, we them any of thofe they have loft. It is not her intereft that the Corficans fhould be entirely free, or entirely flaves, fince, as long as they remain in the dubious ftate they now are in, the may expect to commuft here take a particular furvey of, mand in Genoa one of the best maritime quays to Italy, befides ships and failors on an emergency, in return for a few land forces, that the can raife and recruit with very little trouble or expence. Affect of Ruha and Turkey. Little to be apprehended from Ruffie, and fill less from Turkey. Character of the prefent emperor. Afpect of Europe, in general, more pacific than ever. State of agriculture, navigation, and the ufeful arts. The prefent emperor of that ili-governed and illiterate, yet, from its numbers and enthufiaftic fervility to its head, dangerous neighbour to fome of the Chriftian powers, feems to be a very different man from all his predeceffors. tifm and jealoufy feems to be in fome deUnder him, the spirit of Turkish defpolive, even after elcaping from that congree lowered. He permits brothers to finenient, to which the laws of the seraglio had condemned them; and by fending to France for a collection of aftronomical treatifes, he has fhewn a O complete our furvey of the Eu- taste for thofe fciences, which fo much Tropean powers, we are next to con- tend to enlarge ands, fo fider Ruffia and Turkey. The head of the former, wifely confidering, that as much as it may be her duty to deferve, it is, confidering her want of an hereditary, or even elective title, as much her intereft to win the affections of her fubjects, not only fhews the greatest defire to make them happy, but endeavours it by fuch means, as may not too glaringly clash with their deep-rooted prejudices either civil or religious; a method of proceeding fuited only to fuch a fovereign as her predeceffor Peter the Great, whofe pretenfions to the crown were themselves fupported by these prejudices. Amongst other steps taken by her to compaís to exalted a defign, she has given the ampleft encouragement for the in troduction of letters and useful arts, thefe fovereign antidotes against barbarifm, and fuperftition. Upon the whole, therefore, there does not appear the leaft reaion to apprehend any thing from Ruffia 10 difurb the peace of Europe. Little as there is to be apprehended from Ruffia, ftill lefs, if ary thing at all, is to be feared from Turkey, the only great power of Europe, which, NOTE. Of this the reader will find fome proof in a letter written by her Imperial majefty to the celebrated monf. D'Alembest, on his refufing to come to Ruffia, to educate the hereditary Prince her fon; and which, as truly characteristic, we inferted amongst our Characters for last year. mind. But what does him ftill more honour, is that truly neighbourly part he fo lately acted in the affairs of Poland, which muft make us confider him as a pacific, as well as a wise and benevolent prince, and only leave us room to regret, that there are not more potentates of that character amongst thofe educated in principles infinitely better calculated to form it. In short, Europe feems, in general, to wear a much more ferene appearance, than from hiftory there is any reafon to judge the ever did. The spirit of invention, industry, and improvement, are abroad, and feem to have taken place of the spirit of conqueft and rapacity, which fo much difgrace her former annals. Princes, in all appearance, begin to difcover more wealth and power in the honeft endeavours of their fubjects to enrich themselves, than they used to do in the fervile affiftance of them to enflave others. Agriculture and navi gation have, at laft, in a great measure, obtained that attention, which such useful and fublime arts deferve. Nor have the intermediate handicraft arts, fupported by agriculture and fupporting navigation, and contributing fo much, in other refpects, to the conveniency and pleasure of life, been neglected. The vegetable fyftem of Tull, after ftanding many years unimpeached by any cafual obfervations, has within thefe few years been confirmed by the exprefs experiments of monfieur Duhamel, and found The members of the royal academy of fciences of Paris have already publifhed feveral accounts of particular trades, which, however trivial they may appear in fome eyes, are the fruit of much thought and experience, and yield room for a great deal more, fo as not to be unworthy of the fcientifick manner, in which thefe gentlemen have handled them. Perhaps, it may be with truth affirmed, that the meaneft of thefe trades is, comparatively, as useful in the scale of thofe human inventions which contribute fo much to make life happy,` as the meanest infect is thought to be in the fcale of created beings to fupport and uphold the whole. New focieties have been formed for the cultivation of all thefe useful arts, not only in England, but in France, and most other countries in Europe.' found to be as true and useful, as it was provements in clock-work for obtainever allowed to be fimple and ingenious. ing the fame ends have likewife been What is more, his admirable machines, pufhed to fo great a degree in point of fo well adapted to that fyftem, and fo portability, as well as certainty, as to happily contrived to combine the in- deferve the highest reward offered by the telligence of the rational with the brute British government. creation, have, likewife, been adopted and improved. A Linnæus and a Stilling fleet have hinted the poffibility and expediency of parting the hitherto undiftinguished common plants of the field made ufe of to feed our cattle, in order to give each its proper foil and cultivation, and fow and crop it in its proper feafon. A Wyche, foaring till higher, has, from a juft confideration of the goodness and power of the Creator, fuggefted the exiftence of vegetables, fit for the fame purpose, hardy enough to thrive in the coldest weather. And these hints and fuggestions have been, by the parting of the plants already known, and the difcovering and the cultivating of other much hardier ones, been proved well founded, and brought into practice by Mr. Baker, and by Mr. Rocque, to the vast enlargement of the human empire over the vegetable world; several plants, which hitherto ufed to be nurfed up in gardens for the immediate and fole ule of man, having been compelled to do duty in the open fields for that of cattle, and made fubject to the plough as well as the fpade, fo as to oblige a far greater portion of the earth's furface to wear the livery of fummer in the depth of winter. The principles of Sir Ifaac Newton, joined to the attronomical obfervations of Halley and Bradley, have been made by M. Mayer of Goetinghen, a groundwork for constructing, with the affiftance of theorems furnished by Mr. Euler of Berlin, tables of the moon's motions, by which the abfolute time of that heteroclite planet's appulfe to any fixed point of the heavens, and of courfe the difference of longitude between any place and the obferver's may, with the help of the ingenious Mr. Mafkelyne's new method of finding the proper allowances for parallax and refraction, be precifely determined; and eafe and expedition have been added to precifion by theorems of Mr. Witchell's invention for the use of lunar tables, and other tables for the eafy and expeditious application of his theorems. Mr. Harriton's im But unpardonable as it might have been to pass over in filence things, that have been done for the general benefit of mankind, and the men to whom we are indebted for the atchievement of them, after beftowing fo much time on fcenes of devaftation and flaughter, we may perhaps be thought to have dwelt too long upon them, at least for this part of our work, however neceflary fome account of them may be to illuftrate fubjects more ftrictly hiftorical, according to the ufual meaning of that word, which may hereafter occur in this part of our work, on a fuppofition of the public's favouring us with a continuance of their patience and indulgence. We fhall, therefore, refer our readers for fuller accounts of thefe matters to the other parts of it, in which they may be introduced at large with more propriety, and confequently more ample justice may be done to them. We cannot however, difmifs the fubject, even in this place, without obferving how many English names appear amongst the authors we have been celebrating; though a thing no way furprifing, fince in this free and fertile country, every man is fure to enjoy in peace the fruits of his ingenuity and la bour |