The MINIATURE PICTURE, a Comedy. [p.43.] PROLOGUE, written by R. B. SHERIDAN, Efq; Spoken by Mr KING.

CHILL'D

"HILL'D by rough gales, while yet reluctant May

With-holds the beauties of the vernal day;
As fome fond maid, whom matron frowns re-
prove,

Sufpends the fmile her heart devotes to love;
The feafon's pleasures too delay their hour,
And Winter revels with protracted pow'r :
Then blame nor, Crities, if, thus late, we bring
A Winter's drama-but reproach—the Spring,
What prudent cit darcs yet the season truft,
Bafk in his whisky, and enjoy the duft ?
Hors'd in Cheaphide, fearce yet the gayer fpark,
Atchieves the Sunday triumph of the Park;
Scarce yet you fee him, dreading to be late,
Scour the New road, and dash through Grofve-
nor-gate,

Anxious-and fearful too-his fteed to fhow,
The hack'd Bucephalus of Rouen row!
Careless he feems, yet, vigilantly fly,
Woos the fray glance of ladies paffing by,
While his off heel, infidiously afide,
Provokes the caper which he seems to chide :
Scarce rural Kensington due honour gains,
The vulgar, verdure of her walk remains,
Where white-rob'd Miffes amble two by two,
Nodding to booted beaux- How do, how do?'
With generous questions that no answer wait,
How vaftly full! a'n't you come vastly late?
Isn't it quite charming? When do you leave
town?

A'n't you quite tir'd? Pray, can we fet you down?"
These fuperb pleasures of a London May
Imperfect yet, we hail the cold delay;
But if this plea's denied, in our excufe
Another still remains you can't refuse ;
It is a Lady writes-and hark-a noble Muse!
But fee a Critic starting from his bench-
"A noble Author? Yes, Sir; but the Play's not
French;

Yet if it were, no blame on us could fall;
For we, you know, must follow Fashion's call;
And true it is things lately were EN TRAIN
To woo the Gallic Mufe at Drury-lane;
Not to import a troop of foreign elves,
But treat you with French actors-in ourselves:
A freind we had, who vow'd he'd make us fpeak
Pure flippant French--by contract-in a week;
Told us 'twas time to study what was good,
Polish, and leave off being understood,
That crowded audiences we thus might bring
To Monfieur Parfons and Chevalier King:
Or should the vulgars grumble now and then,
The prompter might tranflate-for country
gentlemen.

Strait all subscrih'd-Kings, Gods, Mutes,
Singer, Actor,-

A Flander's figure-dancer our contractor.
But here, I grieve to own, tho't be to you,
Me afted-e'n as most contractors do ;

Sold what he never dealt in, and th'amount
And what th' event? Their industry was such,
Being first discharg'd, submitted his account:
Dodd fpoke good Flemish, Bannister bad Dutch.
Then the rogue told us, with infulting ease,
So it was foreign, it was fure to please:
Beaux, wits, applaud, as fashion should com-
mand,

And Miffes laugh—to feem to understand-
So from each clime our foil may fomething gain;
Manhood from Rome, and sprightliness from
Spain;

Some Ruflian Rofcius next delight the age,
And a Dutch Heinel skate along the stage.
Exotic fopperies, hail! whose flatt'ring fmile
Supplants the ferner virtues of our isle!
Thus, while with Chinefe firs and Indian pines
Our nurseries fwarm, the British oak declines :
Yet, vain our Mufes fear-no foreign laws
We dread, while native beauty pleads our caufe:
While you're to judge, whofe fimiles are ho-
nours higher

Than verfe fhould gain, but where those eyes infpire.

But if the men prefume your pow'r to awe,
Retort their churlish fenatorial law;
This is your houfe-and move-the gentle
men withdraw:

Then you may vote, with envy never ceafing,
Your influence has increas'd, and is increafing:
But there, I truft, 'the resolution's finish'd ;
Sure none will fay-it ought to be diminifl'd.

EPILOGUE, written by Mr JEKYLL. Spoken by the Hon. Mrs HOBART, at Newbury, and by Mrs ABINGTON, at Drury-lane. 'HE men, like tyrants of the Turkish kind, Have long our fex's energy confin'd; In full dress black, and bow, and folemn ftalk, Have long monopoliz'd the Prologue's walk. But still the flippant Epilogue was ours; It afk'd for gay fupport—the female pow'rs; It afk'd a flirting air, coquet and free; And fo to murder it, they fix'd on me.

Much they mistake my talents—I was born To tell, in fobs and fighs, fome tale forlorn ; To wet my handkerchiet with Juliet's woes, Or tune to Shore's defpair my tragic nofe.

Yes, gentlemen, in education's fpite,
You ftill fhall find that we can read and write;
Like you, can fwell a debt or a debate,
Can quit the card-table to steer the state;
Or bid our Belle Assemblée's rhet'ric flow,
To drown your dull declaimers at Soho.
Methinks e'en now I hear my fex's tongues,
The flirill, smart melody of female lungs !
The form of question, the divifion calm,
With "Hear her! Hear her! Mrs Speaker,
Ma'am,

Oh, order! order!” Kates and Sufans rife,
And Margaret moves, and Tabitha replies.
Look to the camp -
Coxheath and Warley
Common.

HISTORICAL AFFAIRS.

TURKY.

« Vienna, Jan. 2. The last letters from Conftantinople make mention of an infurrection, in which the minifter of our august sovereign was in great danger, and was obliged to feek refuge in the palace of the French ambaffador. Thefe letters add, that, on the confines of Walachia, great difturbances have lately happened with the Imperialists; that much difcontent prevailed in the Ottoman empire; and that a formal rupture is forefeen there between Auftria and Túrky, and even Ruffia."

POLAN D.

"Warsaw, Nov. 15. The grafhoppers known by the name of Afiatic, and which are the largest and strongeft of the fpecies, having paffed last year from the provinces of Turky into the Buckowina, have been fince fent back to us by the injudicious, though well-meant conduct of the governor of Ifenberg: This of ficer, feeing an immenfe cloud of these grafhoppers failing through the air, caufed the artillery and musketry of the place to play upon them; this broke the cloud, and the insects having divided into two bodies, one of them fettled afterwards in Turkish Moldavia; the other in the Polish district of Huffyalin. Every thing was deftroyed in the places where they paffed, and laid their eggs. Their numbers in the diftrict of Huffy alin were fo great, that the whole furface of the earth feemed to be converted into grafhoppers. There was every reafon to believe, that from fuch immenfe quantities the grafs and corn would be all devoured, and the trees perish by having the bark all confumed by thefe infects; but by the good difpofitions made by Baron de Rucks, first director of the diftrict, the people were delivered from this Egyptian fcourge. By the King's proclamation a reward of a Polith Morin was offered to every one who fhould produce to perfons appointed for the purpose a koretz of thefe infects; a koretz being equal to two Auftrian bufhels. This proclamation produced the defired effect; for in the diftrict of Huffyalin only, there were collected 14,380 bushels of grafhoppers, which were burned in very deep pits dug for the purpofe."

*

RUSSIA.

"Petersburg, Dec. 2. The following is the edict juft published, relative to the principles of navigation adopted by the Emprefs, in the Armed Neutrality. "We Catherine II. Empress of all the Ruffias, Mufcovy, Kiow, Wiadimeria, Novogorod; Czarina of Cafan, Aftracan, Siberia; Lady of Plefcow, and Great Duchefs of Smolensko; Duchefs of Estonia, and Livonia, Twer, &c. &c. &c. having amicably invited his Majefty the Emperor of the Romans, King of Hungary and Bohemia, &c. &c. &c. to concur with us in conciliating the principles of neutrality at fea, tending to maintain the liberty of the maritime commerce and navigation of the neutral powers, which we have set forth in the declaration, Feb. 28. 1780, delivered on our part to the belligerent powers; which principles contain in fubftance: That the neutral ships may navigate freely from port to port, and on the coafts of the nations at war; that the effects belonging to the subjects of the powers at war, be free on board of neutral fhips, except contraband merchandife, among which fhall be confi dered thofe expreffed in the articles 10. and 11. of the Treaty of Commerce concluded between Ruffia and Great Britain, June 20. 1766. That in order to determine what characterises a blockedup port, that denomination is granted only to that, where, by the difpofition of the power who attacks it, with thips fufficiently near, one is in evident danger in entering it. In fhort, that these principles may ferve for a rule in all proceedings and judgements on the legality of prizes; and his faid Imperial, Royal, and Apoftolic Majesty, having confented for that purpose to manifeft, by a formal act of acceffion, not only his full adhe fion to these fame principles, but, moreover, his immediate concurrence to the measures to fecure the execution of them, which we adopt on our fide, by contracting reciprocally with his faid Imperial and Royal Apoftolic Majefty, the following engagements and ftipulations: that is, -1. That on one part and the other, the ftricteft neutrality shall con. tinue to be obferved, and care taken to execute, with the utmost rigour, the prohibitions against the contraband trade carried on by the refpective fubjects, with whofoever of the belligerent powers,

or

their refpective courts as to the negotiation for peace: fince which it is faid there will be no accommodation; and that the Empress means fhortly to give over interfering for the prefent in this very arduous bufinefs, which there is no profpect of bringing to that happy conclufion there was once a hope of.'

DENMARK.

“Hamburg, Jan. 11. They write from Copenhagen, that the court having claim ed the effects belonging to fome Danish fubjects which were feized by the Englifh at St Euftatia, the court of London is difpofed to comply therewith. In confequence of which all thofe Danish fubjects who have fuftained any loffes either by the capture of St Euftatia, or by the feizure of the convoy escorted by RearAdm. Krul, have been directed to apply either to the college of commerce at Copenhagen, or to the Danish consul at London, with juftificative proofs of their property, and they may rely on the reftitu. tion of their effects and merchandises."

UNITED PROVINCES.

"Hamburg, Dec. 25. In the beginning of October, as one of the King of Sweden's frigates of 44 guns, was escorting a fleet from the Texel, bound for different ports in the Baltic. Com. Keith Stewart met them, and attempted to fearch them: But the Swede having oppofed it, by virtue of the articles of the Armed Neutrality, the convoy was not attacked. The British minifter complained of the conduct of the Swede, but the court of Stockholm approved of it, alledging, that every veffel under the immediate protection of the flag of a fovereign power is not liable to be visited. [p. 47."]

Hague, Dec. 21. Their High Migh. tineffes having received a final anfwer from the Imperial minifter to their memorial relative to the barrier towns, they have fent the neceffary orders to the generals and other officers of their troops which garrifon the faid towns, to prepare to march to these provinces." "Bruffels, Jan. 9. They write from Antwerp, that on the 13th ult. a corps of Dutch troops evacuated the barriers, paffed by that city, drums beating and colours flying, in their way to Bergenop-Zoom, and that the military guards and burghers rendered them all the honours of war."

"London, Jan. 23. The following fpirited requifition was delivered on the 9th inft. by Mr Adams, the minifter plenipotentiary from the United States of America, at the Hague, to the Prefi dent of the Affembly of their High Mightineffes :

"SIR, On the 4th of May I had the honour of a conference with the Prefident of the Affembly of their High Mightineffes, in which I informed him, that I had received a commiffion from the United States of America, with full powers and inftructions to propofe and conclude a friendly and commercial treaty between the United States of America and the United Provinces of the Netherlands. In the fame conference I had the honour of demanding an audience of their High Mightineffes, for the purpofe of prefenting my credential letters, and my full powers. The Prefident affured me, that " he would report all that I had faid to their High Might ineffes, that the affair might be tranfmitted to the different members of the fovereignty of this country, to undergo their deliberations and decifions." I have not yet been honoured with an answer; and, on that account I have now the honour of addreffing myfelf to you, Sir, to demand of you, as I now do demand, a categorical anfwer, which I may transmit to Congrefs. J. ADAMS."

The measures that have been pursued by their High Mightineffes in conte. quence of the above application, have not yet transpired.

"Hague, Jan. 15. The following note was prefented to the Greffier Fagel by Prince Gallitzin, the Ruffian Envoy, and laft Thursday laid before the affembly of the States, viz.

"Her Majefty, the Emprefs of all the Ruffias, having reflected upon the lofs of time which is occafioned by the correfpondence relative to the complaints formed by the subjects of the neutral powers, her allies, concerning the vexa. tions and violations they fometimes fuffer in their trade and navigation, feels it to be effentially neceffary, that the minifters of the allied powers fhould be pro vided with the neceffary instructions for all cafes of that nature: for which ef fect her Imperial Majefty has thought proper to lay before their High Mighti neffes the neceflity and utility of the or ders and general inftructions with which they should furnish their ministers at the

court