The primrose I forfook, Because it came too soon; "A fentimental fine lady of the prefent day would have thrown her flory into the fhape of a novel. The good old gentlewoman's ballad is at least the more tolerable of the two!" We coincide in opinion with the hiflorian: but at the fame time acknowledge, that a novel, compofed by fuch an authorefs as he mentions, could not but roufe the latent energies of fenfe bility, and afford new canfe of triumph to the boafted perfecti bility of modern philofophy!! The prefent Chapter muft not be difmiled, before we inform our readers, that, in the townthip of Clinger, is fill preferved an inftrument of an cient and approved efficacy in fuppreffing the licence of female tongues; which, if it might be of fimilar efficacy in contributing to fupprefs the licence of thofe female pens to which we have alluded, would command high admiration. It is called "a Brank (qu. a Teut. Brangen, oftentare) as the culprit was led about in this difgraceful flate of penal filence. There is an engraving of fuch an one in Plot's Hift. of Staffordfhire, and another in Brand's Hift. of Newcastle." (To be concluded in our next.) ART. II. Les Cinq Promeffes. Tableau de la conduite Confulaire envers la France, l'Angleterre, l'Italie, l'Allemagne, et furtout envers la Suiffe. Par Sir Francis D'Ivernois. 8vo. 228 pp. Deboffe. 1802. WHOEVER calmly confiders the events of the last ten years, will find ample reafon to conclude, that the French have done more in reducing Europe to its prefent unfatisfactory state, by deceitful infinuations and overbearing language, artfully combined and artfully circulated, than by force of arms. The great mafs of mankind has been difpofed, by by innumerable arts, both from without and from within, to believe every thing which the rulers of the great nation have been pleafed to affert, and to confider them as capable of per forming every thing they have been pleafed to threaten; and, having fucceeded in placing the nations of the continent in this ftrange flate of credulity and terror, they found whatever they attempted more than half executed, through the treafon of fome, and the imbecility of the mafs of their opponents. We have often had occafion to affert, that we are fincere friends of the peace; and we mofl ardently pray for its long duration: but it would be idle to diffemble, at the prefent mo ment, the unbounded luft and infolence of power, confirmed in the French nation by the unexpected fuccefs of their plans; an infolence which they no longer think it neceflary to refrain, even by political prudence, nor to veil, even by fophiftical appeals to moderation. The nations around them have put on the yoke, and they muft bear the infolence which they cannot chaflife. It is to be hoped, however, that the British empire, alone untouched amidft the general wreck of Europe; that the British fpirit, alone unbroken amidst the general defpondency of nations; and that the British prefs, alone free ainidft the general defpotifm, may ftill, with manly firmnefs and watch. ful moderation, do much important fervice to humanity, without appealing to the ever dreadful and ever doubtful deci. fion of arms. The principle of juftice exifts in every breast, and will find an advocate in every bofom. A manly appeal to this principle, happily directed and often repeated, will fometimes arreft the progrefs of injuftice more effectually than the fword. Amidst the din of arms and the violence of party, men's minds are too much agitated with hopes and fears, too much divided with rival pretenfions, and too much biaffed by artful and contradictory infinuations, to judge with calmnefs and rectitude, or to feel what they ought to feel, either for themfelves or others; but, in the calm which fucceeds the storm, as paffion, and error, and prejudice fubfide, moderation, and truth, and reafon gradually refume their empire; injuftice is checked by the general fenfe of humanity; obfiacles are ftarted to its progrefs at every flep; and difficulties accumu-late at every ftage. The most powerful defpot cannot long act against the decided fenfe of mankind: he lofes half his power, and more than half his influence, the moment that his injuftice is unmasked, and his fophiftry detected; and, above all, when the general intereft is decidedly proved to be in conformity with the juftice and moderation for which his opponents plead. 'The The author of the work before us has long been a marked man in what may be called the paper warfare of the Revolu tion, and has been the object of much abuse and ridicule, both at home and abroad, on account of his financial calculations, or, as he himself obferves, for being the great vilifier of the inexhaustible refources of France. All his works have been blamed, even by lefs illiberal critics, as being haftily written and ill arranged, as often prolix, and fometimes as abounding in repetitions. But literary fame, we will venture to say, has never been the aim of Sir F. D'I. being rarely to be promoted by writings of this nature, which are almost always of neceffity compiled in hafte, according to the ever-varying circumftances of the times; and whatever faults may be found with the manner, the matter is undoubtedly important. In our opinion, they all abound in interefling facts, not generally known, or little attended to; the confequences of which are fometimes ftrongly ftated, and often eloquently recommended to the attention of mankind. The ridicule which has been fo often and fo copiously thrown upon what has been called his financial predictions, we have ever confidered as abfurd, and as proceeding either from ignorance or malice. The following extract from the Introduction to the pretent work affords, we think, a fufficient answer to the calumnies on this head, at the fame time that it unfolds the author's prefent views. Deeply convinced as I am," he fays, "that the deficit of France ftill threatens the fociety of Europe with incalculable evils, this motive would have been fufficient to induce me to refume the pen. But this is not the only one; and I have no reafon for concealing one of thofe which animate me, though it regard myfelf perfonally. Shall I avow it? With whatever indifference I have beheld all the ftories which the Parifian preffes have circulated refpecting me for two years paft, I have not been infenfible to the reproach of having amused the coalefced powers with false hopes, by repeating to them, after the annihilation of the paper money, that the internal and difpofable receipts of the victorious republic did not exceed a million a day; and that their modicity put it out of her power to continue the ftruggle at her own expence. Have I been wrong or right? If the paft be still big with futurity, the pofterior pillage which Europe has experienced renders the explanation of this hiftorical point of the utmost importance; and this is what determines me to complete the hiftory of the revolutionary finances. It will then be feen, that I have rather extenuated than exaggerated the poverty of France; and that the prefent inexhauftible refources with which its chiefs fucceeded in frightening their enemies, have been long and permanently exhaufted. This poverty af fords at prefent only an additional reafon for cultivating peace with its prefent chief, if he will bond fide renounce the making it a real ftate of war. I know and mean to demonftrate it; but I mean alfo to to produce another demonftration. I mean to prove to the neighbours of the new Rome, that, in cafe of their being obliged to recur again to arms, their caufe will be far from being defperate, if they be previously and deeply convinced, that it is chiefly from poverty that the French government will renew the war. I wish to afford them the intimate conviction, that the beft, the only means of preventing this renewal, is to organize, like them, a confcription, which at the inftant they fhall be obliged to acknowledge the impoffibility of providing for the expences of peace, that is, at the firft fignal of plunder and of war, may place all the people threatened, in a fituation to rife en male and in arms, in order to carry the theatre of the war into the country of the aggreffors. This meafure is terrible, I allow; but without it, the greateft part of Germany and Italy will remain, with refpect to France, in the fame fituation as Switzerland at present, and as Poland was twenty-five years ago." But it may be objected, fays this author, that, if the impoffibility of re-establishing an equilibrium between the receipts and the expences of the ftate be proved, it is in effect preparing an apology for the renewal of the war. To which he replies, that his purpofe is not to excite new embarrassments to the French government; but to fuggeft certain internal refources, hitherto neglected, which may enable them to furmount their difficulties; and in an especial manner to imprefs upon their minds, that the falvation of France depends at prefent, as before the Revolution, not on raifing the revenue to the expences, but on lowering thefe latter to the level of the means of the contributors; and, in fine, that the authority of Bonaparte will never be confolidated, till fuch time as he fhall dictate to himfelf the following condition, which he has imposed on the commune-In no cafe fhall the number of the prefumed expences exceed that of the prefumed revenue. "As fuch a reform will require before every thing, that the army and navy be placed on the ancient footing of peace, I am well aware, that the great captain who holds the reins of this military government will have recourse to a thousand pretexts, in order to avoid an economy which would neceffarily require, both at home and abroad, a tone of moderation fo far removed from his character and habits; but I also know, that his writers, by tearing me to pieces, have procured me a fpecies of celebrity in France, which will give to my work fome vogue there. In vain will they point it out as a fnare, as the last efforts of expiring hatred; if it circulate there, it will be read and better understood than elfewhere. It is there, and especially in the provinces, that it will be acknowledged, that the evils of which I furnish the detail are far from being exaggerated; and that there is not a moment to be loft in adopting the great remedy which I propofe. Perhaps the landed intereft will at length refume the initiative of which their pretended reprefentatives have allowed themfelves to be deprived. Perhaps Perhaps they may affume the courage to tell Bonaparte, that, fince the deficit is unveiled, economy alone can arreft its progrefs. They may conjure him to have recourfe to it; and, if he accede to their wishes, then France is really faved, and may yet expect a moderate govern ment; then its inhabitants of every clafs will find themfelves freed from the new confifcative measures which they have experienced during the confulate; then their neighbours will have time to breathe, and retrieve their loffes; then, in fhort, Europe will fee an end put to this difaftrous emulation of military expence, which renders a state of peace almost equally coftly as was that of war. Such are my wifhes, my motives, and my hopes. Now, how can I realize thefe, without fhowing to the neighbours of republican France, that they are liable to be affected by all the falfe financial measures of the Conful; and that, whether he deceive himfelt, or 'eek to deceive them, his and their illufion inuft have confequences equally difaftrous? and whatever may be faid, my work will not be lefs ufeful to France than to her neighbours; for one of my principal objetts is, to prove that her own falvation depends, above every thing, on her being able to devote herielf, without fear from without, to the cultivation of the useful arts, in order to refume, as foon as polible, her rank among rich, flourishing, and industrious nations. Yes, I hope to prove, that whether, in order to live with this warlike people in peace or in war, it becomes almott equally important to affift her in returning to her ancient flate of profperity; because, in the former cafe, this profperity is the only means of recomin ncing with her advantageous tranfactions; and, in the latter, it is fill the only means of obliging her to partake of the chance of lofs which war brings along with it. But, anxioufly as I wish to unfold this entirely pacific doctrine, and to convince the confular government, that the restoration of the French to industry and ease depends on the moderation of the tribute to which they are fubjected: I am equally anxious to convince the powers of the continent, that, if he do not quickly and confiderably retrench his expences, they must perhaps, in fpite of himself, oblige bim to renew the war, which hitherto has alone effectually fupplied. them; that it is not lefs ufeful at prefent, to study the operations of his financiers, than the intrigues of his diplomatics; that the devouring wants of his exchequer are, if poffible, ftill more to be dreaded than his exceffive ambition; and that, of all that paffes in France, that which is there called the deftructive action of the deficit, is what ought to excite the greatett uneafiness without." The whole of the author's original plan is not completed in the work before us. He tells us in a Pofifcript, that the conduct of the confular government in Germany, and, above all, in Switzerland, had led him fuddenly to extend his views, which were originally confined to a detail of the interior of France; but he informs us alfo, that he has already arranged the materials of a work, to be entitled, De l'etat de la France, |