the revolution which has, in this refpect, taken place in most of the French colonies, and its effects in diminishing their cultivation and produce. But a more material question to Great Britain is difcuffed in the fecond and third of these Letters, namely, "what confequences interefting to her are likely to refult from the West India enterprise of the Republic? In examining this question, the author first argues (what the event has fince shown) that the negroes who have tatted freedom will not endure to return to their former ftate of flavery. In this part, the fituation of the field negro in the Welt Indies is well contrafted with that of the poorest and most dependent peafant in Europe. The author, then, fuppofing that the connter-revolutionary project of the Chief Conful will excite in the great body of the negroes a determined inclination to refift, proceeds to enquire, "what are their means of refiftance?" Here he fates the various advantages which negro foldiers poffefs above European armies in Weft Indian warfare. Of these, no British officer or foldier who has ferved in thofe regions can be ignorant; and we have already feen the effects, in the rapid diminution of the French troops employed on the expedition in queftion. After difcuffing this point at large, and with confiderable abi lity, the author confiders the probable effects of a failure in this undertaking; and next, what confequences are likely to flow from the oppofite event of its fuccefs. The establishment of a negro state, or even a community of free negroes, under the government of France, he confiders (conformably to the general opinion) as likely to prove fatal in its confequences to our fugar colonies. Strong reafons, no doubt, appear to juftify this conclufion: yet, in our opinion, for reafons too long to be here explained, even this alternative, or at leaft that of a negro government, is the leaft dangerous of the two propofed. The author next fuggefts, that between the entire fuccefs of the plans of France, and the total fubversion of her authority, there is a middle iffue," that of a compromife, by which the fovereignty of the republic may be acknowledged, and negro liberty at the fame time maintained." The probability of fuch an event, and the great danger that would thence arife to our colonies, are clearly evinced, and well deferve the attention of government; for, although the violent and treacherous proceedings of the French in St. Domingo feemed to have produced a war of extermination; yet, by the latest accounts, the conduct of their prefent commander has an evident tendency to an amicable fettlement. It is however fuppofed, for argument's fake, by this writer, that negro bondage is completely restored. This he alfo deems highly dangerous to our Weft India poffeffions, owing to the great permanent force which the French muft, in that event, neceffarily maintain. Draughs that would hardly be miffed from fuch an establishment would," he obferves," be adequate to overpower the ftrongest garrifon we ever maintained during peace in the fargeft of our inlands." Thefe alarming circumstances are difcuffed at large, and placed in many ftriking points of view. "How then," the writer afks," are thefe great public dangers' to be averted?" He argues, and certainly with great apparent reason, that our army, and even our navy, is inadequate to the purpofe. This confideration leade him to the last, but not least important, part of his task, namely, the enquiry, what measures thefe projects should fuggeft to the prudence of the British Governinent? He first recommends to the minifter, a fincere and exact neutrality in the contest then abour to take place in St. Domingo. He next recommends, for the defence of our own idlands, a measure which he admits to be liable to fome serious objections, and depends chiefly on the ground of neceflity; it is, "the raifing and maintaining of a large body of negro troops in Jamaica, and our other iflands." Allowing the danger of fach an establishment, in the present state of those islands, he yet ventures to hope, that, if fuceefsful, it would “ gradually tend to the amelioration of the focial edifice, by foftening the prejudices which stand in the way of improvement, and by giving fuch internal means of supporting a vigorous police, as might leffen the danger of innovation." In this part of the work, the author ftrenuously urges the abolition of the flave trade, as a preparatory step to that reformation in the condition of the negroes which he fuggefts; and maintains, by arguments which we deem incontrovertible, the right, as well as the power, of Great Britain to enforce it. The laft, and certainly an important confideration, fuggefted by the author, is the ftate of the newly acquired island of Trinidada, and the peculiar dangers to be apprehended from the coltivation of that ifland by flaves, as it is almost entirely surrounded by French and Dutch colonies. Thefe dangers he fhows to be highly formidable; and endeavours to convince the minifter, and even the Weft India' planters, that the fecurity of our old iflands would be materially endangered by fuch a colonization of Trinidada as would weaken its internal means of defence, and render a confiderable and permanent force, both naval and military, neceffary to its prefervation. The importation and employment of free negroes in that colony is therefore earnestly recommended, as the only effectual means of defending it hereafter against invafion. On the momentous queftions difcuffed in this work, we shall not undertake to give a pofi ive opinion; but the confiderations here fubinitted to the minifter are certainly of high importance; and the dangers which the author apprehends, from a continuance in the prefent fyftem (and ftill more from the exteufion of it to our late conquefty are fo truly formidable, that even the hazardous mode of defence pro-" pofed by him appears more defirable, than an adherence to that system, which is equally condemned by policy, humanity, and justice. ART. 32. The Poffeffion of Louifiana by the French confidered, as it affects the Interefts of thofe Nations more immediately concerned, wiz, Great Britain, America, Spain, and Portugal. By George Orr, Ejq 8vo. 45 PP. IS. Ginger. 1803.. We have already had occafion to notice a political Effay by this writer, on the fubject of Malta; which did not appear to us to con tain any very ingenious remarks, or to convey any original information. The publication before us is nearly of the fame character, being almoft wholly Wholly compofed of trite and fuperficial obfervations refpecting the confequences that may arife from the ceffion of Louifiana to the French, and the means thereby afforded them of overthrowing the Spanish and Portuguefe empires in America, and of annoying, if not fubjugating the North American States. The interest of thofe ftates is very properly fhown by this author to be in unifon with that of Great Britain, and an union of councils is confequently recommended. This is by far the moft ufeful (we had almoft faid the only useful) part of the work. We do not require to be told, that "all the different factions that have ruled over France fince the Revolution have invariably agreed in one object, that of aggrandizement," nor that the dominions of that he terogeneous Republic (as the author calls it) have been greatly enlarged and concentrated," nor that "the navy of Great Britain is the bulwark of her fatety and profperity," nor the melancholy truth, that the French are not to be trufted," &c. It is, however, a new information to us, that "Seneca wrote before the birth of Chrift" (p. 15) and that Lycurgus was legiflator of the Athenian republic" (pp. 41 and 42). Gentlemen fhould read before they attempt to write. This author is, however, to be commended for good intentions. He has pointed out fome evils likely enough to happen from the acquifition of Louifiana by the French; but how that acquifition is to be prevented, he has not told us; nor, except the fuggeftion of an union with the American States (which is expreffed in rather vague terms) has he propofed any effective remedy. ART. 33. A Poffcript to Thoughts on the late general Election, as demonftrative of the Progrefs of Jacobinifm. 8vo. p. 103 to 131. 18. Rivingtons, &c. 1803. Whoever undertakes to expofe the machinations of Jacobinifm, is cer tain to encounter Jacobinical flanders. This has been the cafe of Mr. Bowles, whofe pamphlet on the late general election (noticed Brit. Crit. vol. xx. p. 543.) has expofed him to virulent abufe, accompanied with direct and daring denials of his principal affertions refpecting the Nottingham election. But, as he justly obferves," the defenders of focial order muft not fuffer themselves to be intimidated, by any menaces, from exposing the defigns, the artifices, and the bafenefs of their opponents. They muft not be deterred from the profecution of a just and weighty charge, by falfe and calumniating accufations against themfelves." In confequence of this refolution, thefe contradictions and thefe attacks have only led him to inveftigate more minutely the cafe of Nottingham; and his enquiries, he here declares, have not only fully established his affertions, but greatly aggravated the picture which he drew. It appears, that if the Nottingham Goddefs of Reason was not actually naked, he was in a ftate of moft indecent expofure, and that he was attended by twenty-four women, whofe appearance was extremely immodest. "It is now," he tells us, an hiftorical fact, that in a populous town, in the very heart of Great Britain, amidst thoufands and ten thousands of fpectators, a fcene has taken place the very defcription of which tranfports the Hh BRIT, CRIT, VOL, XXI. APRIL, 1803. mind mind inftantaneously to the worst periods of the French Revolution; a fcene in which a tree of liberty, a republican tri-coloured standard, and French national cockades were publicly exhibited,-in which revolutionary airs were played and fung,-in which a Goddess of Reafon walked in folemn proceffion; and which was crowned by a well-known ceremony at Nottingham, that of planting the tree of liberty, around which the Jacobinical mob exultingly danced, vociferating, "We'll down with all kings, and millions be free!" P. 109. To complete the glory of Jacobinifm, the day was the 14th of July, and the whole was united with direct celebration of the favage triumphs of that day. A great part of thefe facts is now eftablished by judicial proof, in the report of the committee on the Nottingham election, and the proceedings of Parliament on the fubject mark the neceffity of putting even the magistrates of that corrupted town under extraneous reftraint. Mr. Bowles has fhown that the place has been long reduced to a state of the utmoft depravity, religious and political: that this has arifen from the afcendency of diffenters in the corporation, who make the being a member of the church of England a difqualification, inftead of, what the laws and conftitution make it, a qualification for magiftracy: and he takes a juft occafion to remark on the falutary tendency of the teft laws, the relaxation of which have led to thefe deplorable mifchiefs. Mr. Bowles's tract and poftfcript are documents not to be difregarded; nor are thefe proofs of the invincible pertinacity of Jacobinifm to be flightly confidered. To thefe wretchedly depraved Englishmen the example of France is totally loft. Its murders, its miferies, its agonizing groans, its everlafting difgrace, all these things are held up to an infatuated English mob as fubjects of triumph and while France, from difmal experience, from its northern shore to the mouths of the Rhône, from the Loire to the Alps, execrates Jacobinifm, there are Englishmen bafe and mad enough to think it a convenient engine of oppofition to government, and in that application at least deserving of encouragement. ART. 34. A Letter addreffed to the Citizens of London and Wrfimin fter; fuggefting Improvements in the Police, congenial with the Principles of Freedom and the Conftitution. By T. Colpitts. 8vo. 34 PPIs. Jones. 1803. The author of this treatife fets out upon a good principle, namely, that instead of attempting to follow the progrefs of vice in London by terror, we should arreft its progrefs by measures of reform." If, however, by the word terror is meant " vigilance in detecting and fecuring offenders," we do not feel ourselves inclined to recommend any abatement of thofe exertions of the police, which have hitherto fe cured generally, though not univerfally, a protection to the lives and property of our fellow-fubjects. Some ftrong objections, however, to the mode fuppofed to be practifed by the police-officers, of be coming acquainted with fufpicious perfons, and waiting till they can be detected in crimes of the highest nature, in order to fecure a reward on their conviction, are ftated. This practice, we agree, should be be attentively confidered by the magiftrates, and, if poffible, abolished Yet we much doubt whether it is practicable, in this great metropolis, to render conftables, chofen annually from among the refpectable inhabitants of each parish, completely adequate to the duties now performed by the police-officers, whom this author propofes to difcard. Other regulations propofed by this writer may, we think, be found extremely difficult, if not wholly impracticable; fuch as, "that every inhabitant shall be obliged annually to give a lift of his family and inmates to the conftable of his diftrict; and that the conftable should vifit each houfe, and fee each inhabitant, as foon as he is inducted into his office; that no occupant of a house should take in a ftranger, even for a night, without fuch ftranger appearing before the conftable, or his affociate, or the fuperintendant of the watch-houfe; and alfo, that the police fhouid, on prefentment and conviction for a diforderly houfe, enter into poffeffion, let, and otherwife manage it, for three years." Thefe propofitions appear to us liable to as ftrong obiections as thofe of Mr. Colquhoun, to which this writer objects. The au thor's remarks, however, refpecting the licences to public-houfes and gin-fhops, feem to be juft; and his work, upon the whole, will deferve the attention of thofe who fhall turn their thoughts to the devifing of new regulations on this important fubject. MISCELLANIES. ART. 35. " never been contradicted, we fuppofe it to be accurate. It appears to us that the prefent is not properly a new edition, but a rifattimento of the former. The title-pages are new; a part of the general Preface has been reprinted, and an Appendix has been added to the first volume, of 34 pages; and to the fecond, of 37, befides a poftfcript. The mufic of Hark the Lark," by Dr. Cooke, and two fettings of "To fair Fidele" are alfo prefixed to the play of Cymbeline, which we believe were not there before. We do not find any intimation that the editor thinks of proceeding with any other plays; and indeed as we before intimated, his method feems too copious to admit of it. Befides which, his plan of changing the arrangement of acts and fcenes is not fuch as could be adopted with fuccefs, in a general edition of Shakespeare's plays. It is too great a liberty to take with a text defigned for perufal only. In fitting his dramas for the stage, licenses of that and other kinds are allowed, and often appear even neceffary; It should be much oftener to make it effective, Hh z but, |