confequences of this method of increafing the influence of the Crown; and thinks, whatever objections were made to a former administration, on the score of corruption, in a late reign, the fame, and still greater, may be made to the present.

In fupport of what he advances on this head, he mentions the following fact.

"At the beginning of this Parliament, two perfons were recommended to the M- whose want of property, and expectations in their profeffion, might perhaps make them useful to him as Members of Parliament; he, having no perfonal or family intereft in any borough, where he could introduce them, did advise, though, at the fame time, preaching aloud the stricteft œconomy, and making it the teft of his righteous administration, that he did not proftitute the public money for these purpofes; I fay he did agree to increase the falary of an office 500l. per annum, if he might be permitted to name the Reprefentatives of a certain borough. The bargain was made; the falary of the office was increafed; the Reprefentatives named were elected; and the whole done in fo open and avowed a manner, that the perfon who receives the increased falary, makes no scruple to declare it in public converfation; whilft the two independent Reprefentatives talk loudly of the upright intentions of their Mafter, and mention, by way of proof, that no money was, at the general election, advanced, out of the treasury, for minifterial purposes."

To this particular fact are added other charges against the M, of a more general nature; after which our Author proceeds thus.

"But it may be afked, Where is the danger of thefe mea-' fures? His M-- , born a Briton, and tender of British liberty, will fcorn to take advantage of any increafe of power, and to do any thing that may, in the leaft, infringe the CON'STITUTION: his M- a man in private life of exemplary goodness, has no other view, than to render his Master's time as eafy, amufing, and quiet as poffible: the Gentlemen who accept thefe offices, have been always fufpicious of the power of the Crown, and cannot be fuppofed, for the paltry bribe • of a nominal 500l. per annum, to have been convinced of the falfity of principles which they have fo obftinately adhered to, and fo loudly echoed for fo many years.' I answer, that I have most fincerely the higheft efteem for the goodness of his M. -'s heart, and do not believe he will be brought to do any act that we shall have reason to complain of: I am pleased

he

he was born an Englishman, because it is an answer to thofe country Gentlemen who, having no other fault to find with the late reigns, were continually grumbling against Hanover, and Hanoverian meafures; as to any other reafon, the great gratitude which this nation owes to King William, a Dutchman, and the reigns of the two late moft excellent Monarchs, during which we enjoyed a liberty which no country ever knew before, efpecially when compared with thofe of their two English predeceffors, Charles II. and James II. will convince us, that it is not neceffary for the happiness of this country, that the Prince fhould be born a native of it: I have greater confidence in his M's paternal love for his people, than to place my satisfaction totally on fo flight a foundation."

Our Author exculpates the country Gentlemen who may of late have accepted penfions, and joined in the measures of the administration, on the prefumption that they are ignorant that by fo doing, they are acting against the spirit of an act of parliament. They fee, fays he, no meafures adopted, but what they have been taught from their infancy to confider as conftitutional and they have been too long out of the fecrets of government, and too little converfant in its ways, to know, that when a M―― has, by the means of free, honeft, upright, and independent country Gentlemen, erected the fuperftructure of his own power, he may, at pleafure, kick down the foundation, and fubftitute any rubbish he shall find ready to his hand, and more fit for his purpose, in their place.

Having thus cenfured the conduct of the administration in the creation of fupernumerary Penfioners, he goes on to confider their behaviour in what he calls, the very great intended increase of the army. Under this head he takes notice, among other grievances, of there being no Commander in chief; of the extraordinary removal of the Lords Lieutenants of counties, and other circumftances which, he fays, open to him a very alarming profpect.

But we must here take leave of this fpirited Writer; hoping, that if he be not mistaken in his facts, he will at least be happily disappointed in their consequences.

K-n-k

The Cafe of going to War, for the Sake of procuring, enlarging, or fecuring of Trade, confidered in a new Light. Being a Fragment of a greater Work 4to. 1s. Dodfley.

HE very fenfible and benevolent Author of this little

T tract, advances a number of judicious maxims, and falu

+ Dr Jucker

tary

tary propofitions, on the fubjects of Trade and Population; all tending humanely to diffuade mankind from the fanguinary purfuits of war; which he justly reprefents, both in its caufe and confequences, to be no less abfurd than it is cruel and deftructive.

But tho' we admit that this Writer's arguments carry much weight, and that his reflections are, in general, pertinent and folid, yet, we think, on the whole, they do more honour to his difpofition, as a Man, than to his capacity as a Politician: at leaft, we conceive, that all his fine reafoning will answer very little purpose, unless it were as convincing to other nations as it may prove to this. He hath undoubtedly fhewn the folly of a nation's going to war, on almoft any occafion; but what if the war will come to the nation? what must be done then? This Writer cannot furely think it prudent that a people should submit tamely to the infults and encroachments of their neighbours! That frugality and induftry tend more to make a nation rich than conqueft, will be readily admitted; but if it will not employ the means of fecuring the fruits of its industry, they will foon become the fpoil of the rapacious and enterprising Invader.

Our Author affects to think his fentiments on this fubject very paradoxical and contradictory to common opinion; we are well perfuaded, however, that the people of this kingdom in general, perfectly agree with him, in thinking the prosperity of a nation more beneficially effected by the arts of peace, than by dear bought acquifitions of war. To the honour of Great Britain alfo, it may be faid, that it is as little troubled with the Quixotifm of conqueft, as any nation of equal fplendor, either in ancient or modern times: fo that what this Writer advances on the ufual pretences for going to war, is better calculated for fome of our neighbours, who, we fear, will never profit by his remonftrances, than to the inhabitants of this ifland. That there are to be found among us many advocates for war, is very certain ; it is certain alfo, that the circumftances of fuperiority and conqueft carry a flattering appearance to the multitude; but the rest are too well able to judge from their own feelings, to be led away by the cry of an unthinking herd, or the fpecious pretences of interested individuals.

Our Author gives a fpirited and fatirical enumeration of the feveral characters that are always clamouring for war, and founding the alarm to battle. We fhall quote his defcription of the principal, for the entertainment of the Reader, and as a speci men of the Writer's ftyle and manner of reafoning.

The

"The first here in Britain is, the Mock-Patriot and furious Anti-Courtier. He, good man, always begins with schemes of oeconomy, and is a zealous promoter of national frugality. He loudly declaims against even a small, annual, parliamentary army, both on account of its expence, and its danger; and pretends to be ftruck with a panic at every red coat that he fees. By perfevering in thefe laudable endeavours, and by fowing the feeds of jealoufy and diftruft among the ignorant and unwary, he prevents fuch a number of forces, by fea and land, from being kept up, as are prudently neceffary for the common fafety of the kingdom: this is one ftep gained. In the next place, after having thrown out fuch a tempting bait for foreigners to catch at, on any trifling affront he is all on fie; his breaft beats. high with the love of his country, and his foul breathes vengeance against the foes of Britain: every popular topic, and every inflammatory harangue, is immediately put into rehearfal; and

O LIBERTY! O MY COUNTRY! is the continual theme. The fire then spreads; the fouls of the noble Britons are enkindled at it, and vengeance and war are immediately refolved upon. Then the Miniftry are all in a hurry and a flutter; new levies are half-formed, and half-difciplined: fquadrons at fea are halfmanned, and the Officers mere novices in their bufinefs. In fhort, ignorance, unfkilfulness, and confufion are unavoidable for a time; the neceflary confequence of which is fome defeat received, fome ftain or dishonour caft upon the arms of Britain. Then the long-wifhed-for opportunity comes at laft; the Patriot roars, the populace clamour and addrefs, the Miniftry tremble, and the adminiftration finks. The minifterial throne now being vacant, he triumphantly afcends it, adopts those measures he had formerly condemned, reaps the benefit of the preparations and plans of his predeceffor, and, in the natural course of things, very probably gains fome advantages. This reftores the credit of the arms of Britain: now the lion is roused, and now is the time for crufhing our enemies, that they may never be able to rife again. This is pretext enough; and thus the nation is plunged into an expence ten times as great, and made to raise forces twenty times as numerous, as were complained of before. However, being now victorious, let us follow the blow, and manfully go on, and let neither expence ' of blood nor of treasure be at all regarded'; for another campaign will undoubtedly bring the enemy to fubmit to our own terms, and it is impoffible that they fhould ftand out any longer.' Well, another campaign is fought,-and another,and another, and another, and yet the enemy holds out; nor is the carte blanche making any progrefs in its journey into Britain. A peace at last is made; the terms of it are unpopular. Schemes of exceffive oeconomy are called for by a new set of

•

Patriots;

Patriots; and the fame arts are played off to dethrone the reigning Minifter, which he had practifed to dethrone his predeceffor. And thus the patriotic farce goes round and round; but generally ends in a real and a bloody tragedy to our country and to

mankind."

As we are now fo happy, however, as to fee an end to the most expensive war in which this nation was ever engaged, it is to be hoped, that no ill-timed excefs of oeconomy will lay us open to future infults; in which cafe we are convinced the bulk of the nation will not be in hafte to repeat the experiment, notwithstanding our past fuccefs.

Journal of a Tour to Italy.

W

K-n-k

By M. de la Condamine. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Lewis, &c.

HEN men of learning and character publish accounts of their travels, the public never fail to diftinguish their productions from the common details of Voyagers, and Tourmakers in general, who feldom inform us of any thing more important than the quality of the wine in one place, the nature of the roads in another, the price of provifions in a third, the ornaments of a church, the paintings in Prince what d'ye callhim's collection, the exhibitions of a theatre, and the diverfions of a Carnival. But in the travels of a PHILOSOPHER, another fort of entertainment is afforded us, and we receive information relating to matters of very different import: the difcoveries of fcience, the improvements of art, the extenfion of knowlege,— in a word, the general advantage of mankind, or the particular benefit of his own country, are the objects of HIS attention; leaving the gratifications of ufelefs curiofity, or the diffipations of pleasure, to those who are incapable of nobler pursuits, and fuperior enjoyments.

Of this liberal clafs of Travellers is the ingenious Monf. de la Condamine; who, about twenty years ago, published an account of his voyage to South-America, whither he was fent (with fome other learned Gentlemen) by the King of France, his Sovereign, to measure a degree of the Meridian near the Equator, and to make fuch other obfervations as opportunity might afford, in order to afcertain the figure of the earth: M. Maupertuis, and others, being fent at the fame time, to Lapland, to meafure a degree near the Pole.

In the present Tour, the Author's chief view being only toward the recovery of his health, we are not to expect any great

and