in many of his plays. He always, however, faid he did fo to pleafe his audience. But, after all, does not Ariftotle himself fay, without his ufual intrepidity of decifion, "A fable properly conftituted fhould rather be fimple than double; though the latter is preferred by fome."-How difgraceful it is to the literature of this country, that there is no complete edition of the works of this great poet! MILTON. The lover of Milton is in general fo much dazzled with the power of his verfification, that he is almoft inclined to give him credit for being the firit author who accommodated the English language fo completely to blank verfe. To Shakefpeare he was molt certainly much indebted. He had fet him an example, which Milton followed with the imitation of a man of genius. The ingenious Mr. Webb, in his "Remarks on the Beauties of Poetry," fhews in what points the verfification of thefe two great poets refembled each other. He inftances from The Tempest : Have I lik'd feveral women;-never any In this paffage, fays the ingenious critic, the rifing from the feeble and profaic H movement of the first lines, to the even From Dis's waggon; daffodils take "We have no right," adds he, "to complain that Nature is always the fame, or that the fources of novelty have been exhausted. It is in Poetry as in Philofophy, new relations are ftruck out, new influences difcovered, and every superior genius moves in a world of his own." SERINGA PATA M. In giving the following Account of the state of defence into which Hyder Ally Khan put his capital, when attacked by the United Forces of the English Company, commanded by General Jofeph Smith, the Mahrattas, and Nyzam Ally, in the year 1767, the Reader may, perhaps, be furnished with fome idea of the topography of Seringapātam. YDER ALLY, finding himself incapable of meeting his enemies on the open plain, retired with his Army to the inland before Seringapatam, and fortified his camp, which on the left terminated against the city ramparts, and on the right, at a redoubt fituated at the extremity of the canal, which, with the River Cavari, forms the inland on which the city is built by this pofition, the back part of the camp was fecured from every attack by the canal, which is very broad and deep, with fteep banks; the front of his camp was defended by nine large re. doubts, mounting 24, 33, and 36 pounders, that commanded the whole plain about 300 paces; before these, on the banks of the river, were feven other redoubts, flanking those before mentioned, each mounting fix or eight pieces of cannon, and ferved by five hundred men each; all these redoubts had ditches before them planted with pallifades ; and as the river was every where fordable, and and hard at bottom, 20,000 crow feet were forged, to be laid as foon as the enemy appeared difpofed to the attack: about one hundred pieces of cannon from the town ramparts, and fifty that were in a fortified pagoda fituated on a very steep hill on the other fide of the river, oppofite the part of the island furtheft from the city, would have flanked thofe who might be disposed to attack the first line of redoubts, and the fame artillery would have rendered the attack of the fecond line ftill more difficult. In this camp, defended by 300 pieces of cannon, Hyder waited the approach of his enemies; and as his cavalry would have been of no ufe to him, he divided it into several parties, and fent them into the country of Bangalore, to make the fame devaftation he had caused to be made for about thirty leagues around SeFingapatam. This was the position of Hyder when t above armies appeared before Seringapatam. General Smith reconnoitered his camp, and in a Council of War recommended a divifion of the armies, and by feint of attack to endeavour to draw Hyder from his ftronghold; which advice was however rejected by the Mahrattas and the Nizam, whom Hyder found means to conciliate to him, by the payment of fix lacks of rupees to the first, and engaging to pay fix lacks more in fix months. The Mahrattas, in confequence, withdrew themselves; and by the fame pecuniary weapons Hyder not only overcame the refentment of the Nizam, but prevailed on him, to abandon the English intereft, and to efpouse his own, by entering into treaty with the Nizam, to join him against the English. In confequence of this breach of faith, General Smith was obliged to return to the Carnatic, for its defence, and the subfiftence of his army. FORTRESS OF BANGALORE. [WITH A VIEW.] Although the following Account of Bangalore was written by a Bengal Officer only two days after the ftorm of the garrifon, yet it ferves to give a general idea of the great importance of the acquifition to the British power in India. THIS FORT is about a mile in circum ference, and shaped like an egg. There are two entrances to it: one at each end, lying to the north and fouth. The northern entrance is called the Delhi gates; they are five in number, and are ftrong, large, and elegantly finished. The fouthern entrance is called the Myfore-gates: they are low, and far inferior to the Delhigates, and are four in number. Both these gateways are covered by out-works. The ramparts of the fort are very wide, and extremely well built. The ditch is deep and wide, but dry in most part of it. The foflebras and covert-way are both very broad. There are thirt femicircular baftions at nearly equal distances round the fort; and in the body of the place (in different parts of it) are five cavalier baftions. There is fcarcely one good houfe in the fort. The foundery and machinery for boring cannon and mufket-barrels, are certainly the works of Frenchmen: the brafs guns made here, though fmall, are very good, but the mufquetry is abominable. The palace is grand and fpacious: it forms four fronts, E. W. N. and S. each of which composes a lofty colonaded hall, the pillars of them connected by icolloped arches; thefe, as well as the roof, are of wood. To the walls in front of the en trance to the east and weft halls, are balconies, richly carved, raised on small pllars, and joined by arches. In the middle of each balcony is a fquare projection, which we fuppofe to have been the feat of ftate, whenever the Sultan held a Durbar. The north and fouth fronts are remarkably airy, as no wall divides them; fo that you fee through the palace. The whole of this part is of pillars and arches, and all the palace is richly painted and gilded. In front of each face is a fountain. To the N.S. and W. are Jenanas not yet finifhed; they are low, but beautifully painted and gilt. Oppofite the N. and S. fronts of the palace are small flower-gardens, to the right and left, with the Europe pink and various other flowers in them. About 108 guns, iron and brafs, many from 18 to 32 pounders, were found in the fort, and an incredible quantity of all fizes of Europe and country fhot, large, magazines of powder, a vast quant of grape fhot, and mufkets, ammunition, &c. befides a variety of all kinds of Europe entrenchingtools, and every other military store, and an abundance of country implements of war, &c. &c. &c. There are alfo many tanks and wells in this important for. trets. EXTRACTS |