not, perhaps, be debauched fooner, or with more certainty, than by planting alehouses in it: yet we fee them every where planted, as if for the purpose of rendering this nation more vicious than it already is. If a reform of the lower clafs of people be really wished for, the first step towards it would be, to fhut up the principal part of the petty alehoufes which are at prefent authorized by Government to debauch them. Unfortunately, however, for fo defirable a reform, alehoufes, like lotteries, are opened" for the good of the nation!" The nation must be in a tottering ftate, indeed, if it require gambling and drumkennels, the two main pillars of vice, to fupport it."

After the general defeription follows a register of the RURAL ECONOMY of the vale of Glocefter, on the plan of our author's former works; including what he calls the three branches of rural economics; namely, the MANAGEMENT OF ESTATES, PLANTING, and HUSBANDRY.

All that we fhall attempt to convey of this part of the work will be, fuch paffages as we judge may be inftructive or entertaining to readers in general; referring the agricultural reader to the work itself. What is faid of FARMERS comes within ⚫ur plan.

Husbandmen are much the fame in all districts: plain, frugal, pains taking, clofe, and unintelligible. The lower and middle clafs of farmers, of the diftrict under obfervation, moftly answer, in a remarkable manner, to this defcription:while fome few of the fuperior clafs are as ftrongly marked by liberality and communicativenels:-characters which begin to adorn fuperior farmers in every district; and which muft, eventually, do mere toward the perfection of the art, than all the applauded schemes which theory can boaft. Theorifts may draw plans, and fuggeft hints; and in fo doing may do good fer. vice. But profeffional men only can execute, correct, mature, and introduce them into general practice. Should profeffional men become scientific as well as liberal, what may not be expected? And who, viewing the ring generation, many of them opulent, well educated, and duly initiated in the profeffion they are defigned for, can apprehend that none of them will become ftudious of the art which alone can render them useful and respectable in fociety?"

Under the head WORKMEN we have an account of the immoderate quantities of eider drank by the country people; particularly by farm labourers: whofe wages," Mr. Marshall obferves, "are

66

very low, in money, being only is. a-day; but, in drink, fhamefully exorbitant. Six quarts a day the common allowance: frequently two gallons: fometimes nine of ten quarts; or an unlimited quantity.

"In a cider year the extravaganṛt of this abfurd cuftom (which prevails throughout the cider country) is not perceived. But now (1788) after a fucceffion of bad fruit years, it is no wonder the farmers complain of being beggared by malt and hops! They are not, however, entitled to pity. The fault-the crimeis their own. If a few leading men, in each township, would agree to reduce the quantity of labourers' drink within due bounds, it would at once be effected.

"But the origin of the evil, I fear, refts with themfelves. In a fruit year, cider is of little value. It is no uncommon circumftance to send out a general invitation, into the highways and hedges, in order to empty the cafks which were filled laft year, that they may be refilled this. A habit of drinking is not eafily corrected. Nor is an art learnt in youth readily for got. Men and mafters are equally adepts in the art of drinking. The tales which are told of them are incredible. Some two or three I recollect. But, although I have no room to doubt the authorities I had them from, I with not to believe them: I hope they are not true.

Drinking a gallon-bottle-full at a draught is faid to be no uncommon feat: a mere boyish trick, which will not bear to be bragged of. But to drain a twogallon bottle without taking it from the lips, as a labourer of the vale is faid to have done, by way of being even with mafter, who had paid him fhort in moneyis ipoken of as an exploit, which carried the art of draining a wooden bottle to its full pitch. Two gallons of cider, however, are not a ftomach full. Another man of the vale undertook, for a trifling wager, to drink twenty pints, one imme. di tely after another. He got down nineteen (as the story is gravely told) but thefe filling the cafk to the bung, the twentieth could not of courte get admittance: fo that a Severn-man's ftomach holds exactly two gallons three pints.

"But the quantity drank, in this extempore way, by the men, is trifling, compared with that which their matters will wallow at a fitting. Four well feafoned yeomen, (fome of them well known in this vale) having railed their courage with the juice of the apple, refolved to have a fresh hogfhead tapped; and letting foot to foot, emptied it at one fitting." To be continued.]

The

IN many of the Hiftorical Tales and

Romances which have of late iffued from the prefs, not one fingle trait of the manners of the times to which they allude, is to be found; but the work at prefent before us affords an exception to this obfervation. The fubject of it is taken from the hiftory of the Anglo-Saxon Government, and its hero, as the title announces, is ALFRED THE GREAT. The fcene opens at that part of the life of this extra ordinary Monarch, when, oppreffed by the fudden invafion of the Danes under the command of Guthrum, Oicitel, and Amund, he was obliged to relinquish the eigns of his dignity, to difmifs his fervants, and to feek fhelter from the fury

of his enemies, under the concealment of a peafant's habit, in the houte of a neat herd; and it clofes with the victory he obtained by getting poffeffion of th ́ famous Reafen, or enchanted standard, in which the Danes put great confidence; and with the converfion of Guthrum and his whole army to Chriftianity. The progrefs of the ftory is conducted with great addrefs, and many parts of it are highly interefting. The language is in general correct, the ftyle plain and fami liar; and the fentiments throughout are fuch as tend to increafe the interefts of virs tue, and to promote the happiness of mankind.

THE Abolition of the Slave Trade is a question which few feeling minds can confider with common temper. The caufe of humanity is deeply engaged on the one fide; and the credit and richies of the country equally involved on the other. The author of the prefent pamphlet has therefore endeavoured to prove that are galation of the trade would answer all the Parpoles of humanity, and at the fame te preferve to this country thofe advanLages which muft unavoidably be loft by

its Abolition: He contends, with great force of reafoning, that the trade may be fo modified and amended, that the condition of the negroes in the West India Colonies may be rendered more fuitable to our notions of comfort and happinefs; but he objects, with ingenious plaufibility, against plunging with inconfiderate and fatal rafhnels into a meature which would not benefit the Africans, but might "make us poor indeed."

THIS little pamphlet poffeffes great merit. The fatire it conveys on the miconduct of men in office is pointed and ivere; and we have feldom feen the talent of irony exercited in a manner fo neat and happy. The author appears to have Rudied Dean Swift's "Advice to Ser

vants" with great advantage. But we

fear the practices which he aims to abolifh, are too inveterate to be removed ; and indeed it can hardly be expected, that, at this period of the world, placemen will be very catily laughed out of the profits and emoluments they have found it fo are duous to obtain,

BY the death of Charles the Sixth, by which half Europe was thrown into tonfufion, the hereditary dominions of the VOL. XVI.

Houfe of Auftria defcended, according to the Pragmatic Sanction, to his eldest daughter, who was then married to the

Q

Duke

Duke of Tuscany, but who was afterwards known by the title of the Queen of Hungary, becaufe Hungary was the only country to which her claim had not been difputed. Among the many German Princes who fell upon the Auftrian dominions on the death of the Emperor was the King of Pruffia, who having affembled his troops, as was imagined to fupport the Pragmatic Sanction, of which he was a guarantee, on a fudden entered Silefia with 30,coo men, and urged his claim to it, as arifing from antient conventions between the Houfe of Brandenbourg and the Princes of Silefia. "All this was executed," fays the author, "at the fame moment. Whilft Louis de Halle, his Chancellor, was compofing a fubtle Manifefto, Frederick kept marching at the head of his army, and was haiter of great part of Silefia, before the Chancellor had reduced his materials into

⚫rder."

"Silefia had only a fmall garrifon for its defence. Glogau is the first fortrefs met with on the fide of Brandenbourg; 300 foldiers who formed the garrifon of that place, under the orders of Count Wallis, were unable to refift the Pruffians. The King left behind him Prince Leopold of Deffau with fome regiments, to befiege Glogau. As for himself, he continued his route with the rest of his army, and arrived before the gates of Breflau the zd of January 1741 he was at the head of a van-guard of 20 companies of grenadiers, and fome fquadrons of cavalry and huffars. The town, which was guarded by its own foldiers, furrendered without refftance, on condition of being fuffered to obferve a fort of neutrality. It was with the fame view, that this city had refufed a garrifon of geoo men whom the Queen of Hungary had offered them fome time before. The city was deceived in its expectations. The King confented to fuffer no more than thirty of his gens d'armes to enter; and they accordingly followed him with his fuite of Princes and Generals. This was all he wanted. His prefence and his conduct were fuch as to hanish apprehenfion, diftruft, and every idea of hoftility. Frederick, at the age of twenty-eighs, poffeffed all the qualities

which had procured him the character of the moft polished man of the age, and their fplendour was embellished by all the vigour and vivacity of youth. He tranquillized the Catholics refpecting the liberty of religion, teftified grea refpe& for the Bishop and the Clergy, gave flattering hopes to the members of the Proteftant churches, and bestowed every fort of attention and regard on the nobility and principal citizens mild, affable, modeft, he loon gained the confidence of the Silefians; they became accustomed to fee him, and no longer regarded his prefence as the forerunner of a dangerous revolution.

"Hitherto everything had paffed without rigour, without effufion of blood, without diforder. The Pruffians had infpired no dread. The vanquished admired the victor, and were never wearied with difcourfing on his great qualities. They were delighted in beholding for the firt time the fpectacle of a brilliant and welldifciplined army. The King gave entertainments and balls, which he opened himself with the finest women of the province. All these circumftances won the hearts of a nation, lovers of pomp and pleafure; and it may be faid, without pleafantry, that Frederck conquered the Si lefians rather by feafts and minuets, than by the terror of his arms.

"Breflau, however, was not a Capuz for the victors. The King quitted plea fures to fly to the conquest of Upper Silefia. In the interim, Field-Marshal Schwerin was advancing to the Neifle with the right wing of the army; and the light troops were difperfed along botly banks of the Oder, even to the frontiers. At the end of January 1741, Silefia was under the power of Pruffia, from Crotlen to Jablunka (the paffage from Hungary), and from the mountains to the frontiers of Poland. The fortrefies of Gloga, Brieg, and Neiffe, were blocked up. The teeble garrifons of fome towns which had prepared for a defence, were made pri foners of war. General Brown had col lected near Troppau the remainder of the Auftrian troops difperfed by fear: but, after a fruitless attempt, he was obliged to pafs the Mora to retire into Moravia,

Several ex

and