feizure, to the northern parts of America, as the Spaniards were allowed, by univerial confent, their claim to the fouthern region for the fame reafon; and we accordingly planted our principal colonies within the limits of our own difcoveries, and by degrees fettled the coaft, from Newfoundland to Georgia.

Being entirely at liberty to chufe our fituation in this extenfive country, we naturally fettled our colonies along the coaft, for the fake of traffic and correspondence, and all the conveniences of navigable rivers. And when one port or river was occupied, the next colony, inftead of feating themfeves in the inland parts behind the former, went on fouthward, till they pleased themselves with another maritime fituation. Hence it is, that our colonies have more length than breadth. Their extent from eaft to weft, or from the fea to the interior country, bears no proportion to their reach along the coaft from north to fouth. It was however understood, by a kind of tacit compact among the commercial powers, that poffeffion of the coaft included a right to the inland; and this right was never called in queftion, till it became the intereft of the French to contest it.

Canada, or New France, in which they planted their first colony, is fituated to the northwest of our fettlements, between which they paffed up the great river St. Lawrence, with Newfoundland on the north, and Nova Scotia on the fouth. Their establishment in this country was neither envied nor obstruct→ ed; and here they lived in no great numbers for a long time, neither disturbing their European neighbours, nor difturbed by them. But when they grew more numerous and more powerful, they began to enlarge their territories; and as it is natural for men to confult their own convenience, the prospect of more fertile and agreeable habitations tempted them fouthward. There was land enough to the north and north-west of their fettlements, which they might have occupied with as good right as they occupied Canada, or any other European nation occupies any part of America. It was, however, their refolution to get a better country, and this was not to be had, but by fettling to the weft of our plantations, on ground which was fuppofed to belong to us. Hither they accordingly removed, and fixed at their own difcretion, the western boundaries of our colonies, which were formerly thought to be unlimited. They alfo formed a line of forts, in fome meafure parallel to the coaft; they inclofed us between their garrifons and the fea, and not only prevented our extenfion weftward, but when they had a fufficient navy in the fea, could harrafs our garrifons on each fide. This defign was not, perhaps, difcovered as foon as it

was

was formed, and was certainly not opposed so soon as it was difcovered. We foolishly imagined, that their incroachments would ftop of course; that we fhould be able to perfuade them, by treaty and remonftrance, to relinquifh what they had taken, and to fet limits to themselves. In thefe vain hopes, we fuffered them to make one fettlement after another, to pafs boundary after boundary, and add fort to fort, till at laft they grew ftrong enough to avow their defigns, and fet us at defiance.

Thefe provocations, long continued, drove us at length into a war, the events of which are too well known to be here particularly mentioned. Suffice it to fay, that befides Canada, of which we made ourselves mafters, we conquered the islands of Martinico and Guadaloupe, and the capitals of Cuba and of the Philippine iflands, and not only fecured and extended our own trade, but almost entirely ruined that of our enemies. The French, however, hoped that they fhould have the addrefs, as they knew they had had on many former occafions, to recover by peace what they had loft during the war; and their expectations, it appeared, were but too well founded. Had the minifter, indeed, who conducted the war, been allowed to make the peace, their hopes, in all likelihood, would have been effectually difappointed; but this they were affured, from the beft authority, would, by no means, be the cafe. They received intelligence from their refident at London, that the credit of the English minifter was declining every day, and that he would be fucceeded by a favourite, who had neither capacity nor fpirit to carry on the war, and who, for that very reafon, would eagerly conclude a peace; the calm season of which he would greatly ftand in need of, in order to establish his power.

It happened exactly as had been conjectured. The Earl of B-was no fooner declared minifter, than the negotiation for peace, which had been formerly begun and broken off, was once more renewed; and in order to avoid, if poffible, all kind of altercation, and to prevent the interference of any foreign concerns which might retard the conclufion of the treaty; the King of Pruffia, at that time, the ally of Great Britain, was basely and cruelly deferted, and the new minifter publickly declared, "that the Pruffian dominions were to be scrambled for:" That was his expreffion.

By this inadequate and impolitic peace, the English restored the most valuable conquefts which they had made during the war; the commerce of France and Spain was inftantly revived; and Great Britain retained nothing to herfelt but the barren inhofpitable defarts of Florida and Canada, the establishment

of

of which hangs like a dead of weight round her neck. The fatal confequences of thefe meafures were but too foon apparent.

The British trade, which, even during the perilous time of war, had flourished beyond the example of any former period, began immediately to decline. The enemy refused to fulfil the articles of the treaty; and the new minifter, not fatisfied with having facrificed to his own views the public interest, and violated the national faith, treated with haughtiness, and even with infolence, fuch of the English nobility as were too virtuous to accept his bribes, and too fpirited to regard his refentment. They were profcribed from court, and a number of mercenary fcribblers, whom he had inlifted in his fervice, were carefully inftructed to mifrepresent their conduct, and to blacken their characters. This occafioned retaliation; and hence arofe the feveral political papers, fo remarkable at that time. At length being beat at his own weapons, and grieved, and fore to death, violent and illegal profecutions were commenced against his enemies; and left these fhould fail, recourfe was had to parliament, to fupprefs what was only the bleffed fruit of his own example.

By thefe fteps, as might reasonably be expected, he drew upon himfelf the indignation of the public; and he foon found that the miferable party he had formed, was not able to protect him against the juft refentment of a people, whom he had infulted and betrayed. He feigned fickness, and ran away from the ftage of public bufinefs, where he had appeared fo much to his own difgrace, and to the detriment of this country.

He has not fince attemped to come forward in a public capacity; but he has, nevertheless, directed, and ftill continues to direct every motion of the State, with as unbouned a sway over the miniftry, and as great a disregard to the welfare of the nation, as when he was openly at the head of affairs. To his accurfed fchemes of revenge and ambition, ought certainly to be attributed all the irresolution that appears in our Councils, all the distractions that reign among the Great, and all the discontents that prevail among the people.

*The particulars of thefe vindictive profecutions, and the other points of oppofition, during the fame period, particularly thofe relating to General Warrants, the Excife on Cyder, &c. are fully and impartially related in the Hiftory of the late Minority.

AN

H

i

AN IMPARTIAL REVIEW

OF NEW BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, &c.

A Grammar of the French Tongue, grounded on the Decifions of the French Academy, wherein all the neceffary Rules, Obfervations and Examples, are exhibited in a Manner entirely new, for the Ufe of Schools. By John Perrin. 12mo. 3s. Law.

TH

HIS is one of the moft fenfible and judicious French grammars we remember to have seen. The author, Mr. Perrin, who appears to be a compleat mafter of the subject, has explained all the difficulties and peculiarities of that tongue, with great accuracy and precifion; and in order the better to illuftrate his rules, he has added a fuitable dialogue at the end, of each chapter. The fection, particularly on the participle paffive, is extremely curious; and fets the fingular conftruction of that part of fpeech, which gives fo much trouble to learners, in a more clear and diftinct light, than we think has been done by any former grammarian. If the cuftom of most writers, to make the participle agree with the thing of which one is fpeaking, inftead of the perfon who fpeaks: as Avezvous lu les livres que je vous ai prêtés? instead of prêté, Have you read the books I lent you? The fame idiom obtains in the Italian: as, La luna aveva perduti i fuoi raggi, instead of perduta; The moon had loft her

rays.

A Collection of the moft efteemed Pieces of Poetry that have appeared for feveral Years. With Variety of Originals, by the late Mofes Mendez, Efq; and other Contributors to Dodfley's Collection. To which this is intended as a Supplement. Small Octavo. 35. 6d. Richardfon and Urquhart.

Ontains many pretty pieces; and upon the whole may very well pafs for a fupplement to the collection of poems published by Mr. Dodfley, in fix volumes.

Confiderations on the Douglas Caufe. In a Letter from a Gentleman in Scotland to his Friend in London. 8vo. 25. Nicol. Written by an enemy to the Douglas fide, who is warm, fenfible, and farcaftic.

The Effence of the Douglas Caufe. 8vo. 2s. Wilkie.

Written by a friend to the Douglas fide: and at the end are annexed some obfervations, by way of anfwer to the preceding article.

The Wooden Bowl. A Tale. 4to. Is. Moran.

Contemptible!

The Ruins of Poeftum or Pofidonia, a City of Magna Græcia, iz the Kingdom of Naples; containing a Description and views of the remaining antiquities, with the ancient and modern History, infcriptions, &c. 16s. in Sheets. White.

N

Otwithstanding the many travellers, efpecially from this kingdom, which annually vifit Italy, in quest of monuments of antiquity, it is moft certain, that the ruins of the ancient city of Poftum have, till within thefe eight years, entirely efcaped the eye of curiofity. Hence one would naturally fuppofe it, like Herculaneum, to have lain concealed in the bosom of the earth. No; our ignorance of its exiftence was owing to its fituation, in a part of Italy fcarce inhabited, and far diftant from any of thofe cities which are ever vifited by ftrangers. Its difcovery, indeed, was quite accidental. A painter's apprentice from Naples, as we learn from the preface, vifiting his friends at Cappaccio, about eight years ago, was the first intelligent person who obferved thefe magnificent remains of antiquity. He communicated his difcovery to his mafter, who foon vifited Poftum, and made drawings of the principal buildings. Thefe drawings were fhewn to the King of Naples, who immediately ordered the wood, with which the city was overgrown, to be cleared away, and Poeftum arofe from the obfcurity in which it had lain concealed during many centuries. The public buildings, which have escaped the destructive hand of time, are a theatre, an amphitheatre, and three Doric temples. The two firft are, in their prefent fituation, of little importance; but the three temples, confidering their antiquity, which, from their architecture appears to be extremely remote, are amazingly entire. Of these temples, our author gives three admirable engravings, befides a diftant profpect of the whole city, all engraved by Mr. Millar, and executed in a ftile that does him no fmall credit. In the title page to this elegant book, we find a bone for the antiquaries of this kingdom, which, it seems, hath already proved too hard for the teeth of many of the virtuofi in Italy. It is an ancient infcription on a farcophagus found near Poftum, confifting of letters, or characters, fo totally diffimular to every known alphabet, that no one hath hitherto been able to form a tolerable conjecture concerning the language in which it is written. As this is the firft account of Poftum which hath appeared, and as it is the work of a perfon, who is evidently a gentleman, a traveller, an architect, and a fcholar, it must neceffarily meet with a favourable reception from the antiquaries and connoiffeurs of this land of migrating inhabi

tants.