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ON

Feb.

ARTICLE I.

and again under confideration; and it imports the public, of all things, that

the Nation. 4to. 3s. 6d. Dodley.

This is a masterly performance, and is fup, pofed to be written by a celebrated orator, in anfwer to a melancholy picture of our prefent útuation, which was fome time ago attributed to the pencil of a famous financier.

The tendency of The prefent State of the Nation, the author of the Obfervations tells us, is to hold forth Lord Bute as the best minifter, and Lord La Delpencer and Mr. 'George Grenville, as the ableft managers of the public revenue that have appeared fince the commencement of the prefent reign.

It is

Such (fays the obferver) is the author's fcheme. Whether it will anfwer his purpofe, I know not. But furely that purpose ought to be a wonderfully good one to warrant the methods he has taken to compass it. If the facts and reafonings in this piece are admitted, it is all over with us. The continuance of our tranquillity depends upon the compaffion of our rivals. Unable to fecure to ourselves the advantages of peace, we are at the fame time utterly unfit for war. impoffible, if this ftate of things is credited abroad, that we can have an alliance; all nations will fly from fo dangerous a connection, left, inftead of being partakers of our ftrength, they fhould only become sharers in our ruin. If it is believed at home, all that firmness of mind, and dignified national courage, which used to be the great fupport of this ifle against the powers of the world, muft melt away, and fail within us.

In fuch a ftate of things can it be amifs, if I aim at holding out fome comfort to the nation; another fort of comfort indeed, than that which this writer provides for it; a comfort, not from its phyfician, but from its conflitution; if I attempt to fhew that all the arguments upon which he founds the decay of that conftitution, and the neceffity of that physician, are vain and frivolous? I will follow the author clofely in his own long career, through the war, the peace, the finances, our trade, and our foreign politicks: not for the fake of the particular mea. fures, which he difcuflis; that can be of no ufe; they are all decided; their good is all enjoyed, or their evil incurred: but for the fake of the principles of war, peace, trade, and finances. Thefe principles are of infinite moment. They muft come again

juft, and well confirmed upon all thefe fubjects. What notions this author enter tains, we shall fee prefently; notions in my opinion very irrational, and extremely dangerous; and which, if they fhould crawl from pamphlet into councils, and be realized from private fpeculation into national meafures, cannot fail of haftening and compleat. ing our ruin.

This author, after having paid his compli ment to the fhewy appearances of the late war, in our favour, is in the utmost hafte to tell you that thefe appearances were fallacious, that they were no more than an impefition.—I fear I must trouble the reader with a long quotation, in order to fet before him the more clearly this author's peculiar way of conceiving and reasoning:

"Happily (the K.) was then advised by minifters, who did not fuffer themfelves to be dazzled by the glare of brilliant appearances; but, knowing them to be fallacious, they wifely refolved to profit of their fplendour before our enemies fhould alfo discover the imperion.-The increase in the exports was found to have been occafioned chiefly by the demand of our own fleets and armies, and, inftead of bringing wealth to the nation, were to be paid for by oppreffive taxes upon the people of England. While the British feamen were confuming on board our men of war and privateers, foreign hips and foreign feamen were employed in the transportation of our merchandize; and the carrying trade, fo great a fource of wealth and marine, was intirely ingroffed by the neutral nations. The number of Britifh fhips annually arriving in our ports was reduced to 1756 fail, containing 92,559 tons, on a medium of the fix years war, compared with the fix years of peace preceding it.-The conqueft of the Havannah had, indeed, ftopped the remittance of specie from Mexico to Spain; but it had not enabled England to seize it: on the contrary, our merchauts fuffred by the detention of the galleons, as their carrefpondents in Spain were difabled from paying them for their goods fent to America. The lefs of the tade to Old Spain was a farther bar to an influx of fpecie; and the attempt upon Portugal had not only deprived us of an import of bullion from thence, but the payment of our troops employed in its defence was a freth

drain

1759.

the

drain opened for the diminution of our circulating fpecie. The high premiums given for new loans had funk the price of the old ftock near a third of its original value, fo that the purchafers had an obligation from the flate to repay them with an addition of thirty three per cent. to their capital. Every new loan required new taxes to be impofed new taxes muft add to the price of our manufactures, and leffen their confumption among foreigners. The decay of our trade muft neceffarily occafion a decrease of the public revenue; and a deficiency of our furds muft either be made by fresh taxes, which would only add to the calamity, or our national credit must be deftroyed by fhewing the public creditors the inability of the nation to repay them their principal money.-Bounties had already been given for recruits which exceeded year's wages of the plowman and reaper; and as these were exhausted, and busbandry flood fill for want of bands, the manufacturers were next to be tempted to quit the anvil and the loom by higher offers.-France, bankrupt France, bad no fuch calamities impending over ber; ber diftreffes were great, but they were immediate and temporary; her want of credit preferved ber from a great increase of debt, and the lofs of her ultra-marine dominions iffened ber expences. Her colonies bad, indeed, pat themselves into the bands of the English; bat the property of ber fubjects had been preServed by capitulations, and a way opened for making ber thofe remittances, which the war bad before fufpended, with as much fecurity as in time of peace. Her armies in Germany had been hitherto prevented from feizing upon Hanover; but they continued to encamp on the fame ground on which the firft battle was fought; and, as it must ever happen from the policy of that government, the laft troops for fent into the field were always found to be the best, and her frequent laffes only ferved to fill her regiments with better joldiers. Toe conqueft of Hanover became therefore every campaign more probable. It is to be noted, that the French troops received fubfiftence only, for the last three years of the war; and that although large arrears were due to them at its conclufion, the charge was the lefs during its continuance *."

If any one be willing to fee to how much greater lengths the author carr es thefe ideas, he will recur to the book. This is fufficient for a fpecimen of his manner of thinking. I believe one reflection uniformly of trudes itfelf upon every reader of these paragraphs. For what purpofe in any cause shall we hereafter contend with France? Can we ever flatter ourfelves that we shall wage a more fuccefsful war? If, on our part, in a war the moft profperous we ever carried on, by fea and by land, and in every part of the globe, attended with the unparallelled circumftance of an immenfe increase of trade and augmentation of sevenue; if a continued feries of disappoint.

* P. 6, 7,

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ments, difgraces, and defeats, followed by pblic bankruptcy on the part of France; if all thefe ftill leave her a gainer on the whole balance, will it not be downright phrenzy in us ever to look her in the face again, or to contend with her any, even the most ef fential points, fince victory and defeat, though by different ways, equally conduct us to our ruin? Subjection to France without a struggle will indeed be lefs for our honour, but on every principle of our author it must be more for our advantage. According to his representation of things, the question is only concerning the moft eafy fall. France had not difcovered, our ftatefman tells us, at the end of that war the triumphs of defeat, and the refources which are derived from bankruptcy. For my poor part, I do not altogether wonder at their blindness. But the English miniflers faw further. Our author has at length let foreigners alfo into the fecret, and made them altogether as wife as ourselves. It is their own fault if (vulgato imperii arcano) they are impofed upon any longer. They now are apprized of the fentiments which the great candidate for the government of this great empire entertains; and they will act accordingly. They are taught our weaknefs and their own advantages.

He tells the world, that if France carries on the war against us in Germany, every lofs the fuftains contributes to the achievement of her conqueft. If her armies are three years unpaid, fhe is the lefs exhaufted by expence. If her troops are cut to pieces, they will by her policy (and a wonderful policy it is) be improved, and will be fupplied with much better men. If the war be carried on in the colonies, he tells them that the loss of her ultramarine dominions leflens her expences, and encreases her remittances:

Per damna, per cædes, ab ipjo Ducit opes animumque ferro. If fo, what is it we can do to hurt her? - It will be all an impofition, all fallacious. Why the refult must be-Occidit, occidit fpes omnis & fortuna noftri nominis

The only way which the author's principles leave for our efcape, is to reverfe our condition into that of France, and to take her lofing cards into our hands. But, though his principles drive him to it, his politicks will not fuffer him to walk on this ground. Talking at our eafe and of other countries, we may bear to be diverted with fuch fpeculations; but in England we shall never be taught to look upon the annihilation of our trade, the ruin of our credit, the defeat of our armies, and the lofs of our ultramarine dominions (whatever the author may think of them), to be the high road to profperity and greatness.

The reader does not, I hope, imagine that I mean feriously to fet about the refut tion of these uningenuous paradoxes and reveries without imagination. Iftate them only N 2 8, 9, 10.

721002"A

that we may difcern a little in the questions of war and peace, the moft weighty of all queftions, what is the wisdom of those men who are held out to us as the only hope of an expiring nation. The prefent miniftry is indeed of a strange character: at once indolent and distracted. But if a ministerial fyflem thould be formed actuated by fuch maxims as are avowed in this piece, the vices of the prefent miniftry would become their virtues; their indolence would be the greatest of all public benefits, and a diffraction that entirely defeated every one of their schemes would be our only fecurity from deftruction.

To have flated thefe reafonings is enough, I prefume, to do their bufinefs. But they are accompanied with facts and records, which may feem of a little more weight. I truft however that the facts of this author will be as far from bearing the touchstone, as his arguments. On a little inquiry, they will be found as great an impofition, as the fucceifes they are meant to depreciate; for they are all either falte or fallaciously ap. plie; or not in the least to the purpose tor which they are produced..

First the author, in order to fupport his favourite paradox, that our poffeffion of the French colonies was of no detriment to France, has thought proper to inform us that they put themselves into the hands of the English." He uses the fame affertion, in nearly the fame words, in another place "Her colonies had put themselves into our hands." Now, in justice not only to fact and common fenfe, but to the incomparable valour and perfeverance of our military and naval forces, thus unhandiomely traduced, I muft tell this author, that the French colonies did not "put themselves into the hands of the English." They were compelled to fubmit; they were fubdued by dint of Eng lith valour. Will the five years war carried on in Canada, in which fell one of the principal hopes of this nation, and all the battles loft and gained during that anxious period, convince this author of his mistake Let him inquire of Sir Jeffery Amherft, under whofe conduct that war was carried on; of Sir Charles Saunders, whofe fteadipels and prefence of mind faved our fleet, and were fo eminently ferviceable in the whole courfe of the hege of Quebec; of General Monkton, who was fhot through the body there, whether France" put her colonies into the hands of the English?"

The obferver after this proceeds in the moft nervous chain of argument to refute the ieprefentation of the Prefent State, and it is the reader's misfortune, as well as ours, that the narrow limits of a Magazine will not allow us to be more copious in an extract trom fo capital a performance.

11. An Effay on the Natural Hiftory of Guiana in South America, &c. 8vo. 5s. Becket. This book is the work of Mr. Bancroft, and feems equally distinguished by its good

Feb.

fenfe and modefty-natural history is perhaps the most pleafing of all ftudies, because of all ftudies it furnishes the mind with the greateft variety, and is no less entertaining than it is neceffary-in the prefent article the reader cannot fail of receiving both pleasure, and profit; for this reason we recommend it to the perufal of our readers, and as they may poffibly wish to fee a fpecimen of the author's manner, we fhall felect the following accouns of religion among the tribes of Dutch Guiana, "The religious fentiments of all the known tribes in Dutch Guiana are nearly fimilar. They all firmly believe the exiftence, of one fupreme God, the author of all nature. But the foundation of this belief depends not on contemplating the effects of that wisdom and power, which has difpofed the innumerable orbs of the universe with fuch harmony, that millions of worlds revolve round millions without impediment to each other; nor on the order, beauty, and regularity which is apparent in every part of this our material fyftem; but on the deformities and convul fions of nature, which, to a philofopher, tend to create fcepticisin and infidelity. The Indian, however, fees unquestionable evidences of a Deity in earth-quakes, prodigies, thunder-forma, and tempefts.

The principal attribute with which thefe tribes endow the Deity is benevolence; and though they impute the good, yet they attribute none of the ills of life to him. Good and evil they think fo effentially different, fo incompatible with each other, that they can never flow from the fame fource; and have therefore inftituted an order of subordi. nate malevolent beings, correfponding to our commonly received ideas of devils, who delight in, and are permitted to inflict, mife. ties on mankind. To them are attributed all the misfortunes and afflictions of life. Death, diseases, wounds, bruifes and all the unlucky accidents of life, are fuppofed to refult immediately from the malign influence of thefe beings, who are called Yowaboo's by the indians, who think that they are conftantly employed in concerting measures for afficting them. To thefe Yowahoo's, therefore, they direct their fupplications, and in affiction ufe various endeavours to avert, or appeale, their malevolence; while the adoration of the fupreme Deity is intirely neglected.

In almost every family there is a perfon confecrated to this fervice, who unites in himself the facerdotal and medical characters. Thefe are called Peii's or Symmeties, and are believed, by the laity, to have a p«rticu→ lar influence with thefe Yowaboo's, not only for averting their displeasure from particular objects, but in drawing down their vengeance upon fuch perfons as they please : a belief, which thefe Peii's inceffantly cultivate, from felf-interefted principles which have ever been found inherent in all orders of men, whether in a state of nature or of civilization.

1769.

lization. When, therefore, a perfon is fick, or wounded, application is immediately made to a Symmetic, who at night vifits his patient, with all the implements neceffary to exercife his feveral functions. Of thefe the principai one is a large calabash, freed from its feed and internal fpungy fubftance, in which there is a variety of fmall circular, as well at of long, narrow holes, made in different parts of the fhel', which is likewife painted with various colours. Within the hell are put feveral fmall white ftones, which are a fpecies of agates, and on this account are held in fuperftitious veneration by the laity among the Indians, who durft not even touch them; to these are added a great number of fall pea-like feeds, variegated with black and yellow fpots, which, as is commonly believed by the Indians, will occafion the teeth to fall ont if they are chewed. A long round piece of wood is then run through the middle of the fhell, from end to end, by means of two holes properly made, fo that each end of the tick extends about a foot beyond the calabafh; the largeft end affords a handle, and the other is ornamented with a long ftring of beautiful feathers, of various colours, wound on the ftick in fpiral circles, With this magical fhell the Peii begins his nocturnal exorcifm, about ten o'clock in the evening, having firft darkened the room, and made every one quit it except his patient; be then rattles his fhell, by turning it flowly, in a circular motion, at the fame time finging a fupplication to the Yowahoo, which, as well as the motion of the thell, is inceffantly repeated until midnight, when the Pefi pretends to have an interview with the Yowahoo; and at that time two apparently diftin& voices may be always overheard, by any person who has the curiofity to liften, unless it happens to rain at that time, when the Peii immediately postpones his incanta tion to the next evening. What paffes at thefe interviews is unintelligible even to the Indian laity themselves; but the Peii makes a report conformable to his conjectures concern ing the event of his patient's diforder; though ufually in an ambiguous or doubtful ftile.

There are many of the white inhabitants, who have long refided in this colony, that believe the reality of these interviews; nor will they be perfuaded that the voice, which is attributed to the Yowahco, and which feems to come from the woods, can poffioly be made by the Peii.

This ceremony has fome analogy to the Pawwaws of the North American Indians; and indeed all the different tribes on the continent pretend to an intercourfe with evil fpirits but the Peii's carry their diffimula tion fo far, that they at the farce on themfelves when they are difordered; a practice, which has not a little contributed to overthrow all doubts of the fincerity of their pretenfions.

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Thefe exorcifmo are ufually repeated every night, during the increase of the patient's indifpofition, but after a favourable change, or crifis, has happened to the difeafe, the Peii pretends to extract the caufe of the dif order, by fucking the part which has been moft painful, or most affected, and then pulls out of his mouth either fish-bones, thorns, fnakes teeth or fome fuch fubftance, which he has before concealed therein, but which he pretends were maliciously conveyed into the affected part by the Yowaboo. The patient then imagines himself cured, and the influence of imaginatich not a little accelerates his recovery, During this time, however, they do not neglect the use of those few remedies, whofe properties have been difcovered rather by chance than defign, and which they have obferved to produce good effects in cafes apparently fimilar, without knowing, or pretending to know, the manner of their operation. And it is from this fimple origin, that the science of medicine, divefted from its modern improvements, derived its exiftence. "Diligentes bomines baec noetalle, qua plerumque melius refponderent; deinde agrotantibus ea præcipere, cæpiffe; fic medicinam ortam : fubinde aliorum falute, aliqrum interitu, perniciofa difcernentem a falutaribus." But if the combined power of exorcifin and medicine is infufficient to preferve life, the Peii attributes the patient's death either to the implacable inveteracy of the Yowahoo, or to the influence of fome other Peii, whom the patient has unhappily made his enemy, and who has counteracted all his endeavours for his recovery. After the patient's death, the calabash, which has been upfuccessfully used, is buried, and a new one made to fupply its place.

The order of Peii's is hereditary, and is conferred only on the eldest son of a Peii, who is initiated into the myfteries of his Peiifhip with much private, but fuperftitious ceremony, continued for feveral weeks; and, among other whimfical ceremonies practifed on this occafion, he is dofed with the juice of tobacco, till it no longer operates as an emetic: tobacco being efteemed a facred plant among all the Aborigines of America.

The day after the Indian's death, he is buried naked, by an affemblage of his relations, friends, and acquaintance, who, when the ceremony is over, drown their forrow in a drunken feast, in which their pi worree is freely difpenfed; this, with another drink, which is but little different, and is called Beltera, being the only fermented liquors known to thefe Indians before the Europeans transplanted themfelves hither. Thele occafions prefent a ludicrous fpectacle of crying, finging, riot, and drunkennels; the old women are particularly noify and petulent, and diftinguith themfelves by

unging