him out as one of the most able as well as moft zealous friends of the truly learned and ingenious author of the Divine Legation.

ART. III. A ferious defence of fome late measures of the adminiftration; particularly with regard to the introduction and establishment of foreign troops. 8vo. Pr. Is. Morgan.

N an age like the prefent, fo fond of being thought wife and witty, wherein every man had rather be call'd knave than fool, ridicule, if well pointed, is perhaps the best weapon we can make use of against the attacks of vice and folly, either in public or private life: the keen raillery and true humour of the little piece before us therefore will, we doubt not, be of infinitely more fervice at this juncture than the loud bawlings of a Monitor, or the rancorous invectives of a Letter to the people of England. The author of this pamphlet, arm'd with the fhield of irony, takes upon him to defend, what fo many have lately look'd upon as indefenfible, the measures of our present adminiftration, particularly with regard to the introduction of foreign troops; the reason and end of which falutary measure this ingenious writer has luckily discovered, which he doubts not, when known, will meet with univerfal applaufe, and endear the contrivers of it to their grateful country.

It is well known, (fays our arch defender) how great a cla'mour was raised, and still subsists, artfully propagated by the ❝ enemies of government, as if, by introducing Heffians and Hanoverians into this country, they who directed this measure had facrificed the honour of England, endangered its liberties, and "opened a wide door to all the evils which usually ensue when • the governed feel that their governors have not the interest of ⚫ their country at heart. But these are clamours which could never have exifted, or gained ground, but amongst perfons totally ignorant of the views and motives aimed at by the * bringing over of Germans. What those reasons were which induced the wisdom of government to take this step, I fhall

' now undertake to difclofe, afferting that the present defence

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of Britain from French invafions was not the fole object of those wife minifters who brought over foreign troops amongst us; but that they had, befides this, a nobler object in view, • viz. the future and lafting fupport of our island, by invigorating the withered trunk of English manhood by a seasonable infufion of foreign blood.'

He then obferves, by way of analogy, that farmers vary their feed, virtuofi in fruits and vegetables improve their tafte and flavor by transplanting foreign ones, and jockies import Arabian Atallions to improve British horfe-flesh; which naturally fuggefted to our rulers the neceffity of mending the degenerate breed of Englishmen, by croffing it with a judicious mixture of foreign blood. • Under pretence therefore, (fays he) of a foreign invafion, our wife politicians at the helm have been able to effectuate their glorious plan of reftoring the decayed conftitutions of Britons, by the importation of • fixteen thousand vigorous Germans.”

We defy the most phlegmatic of our readers to pafs over the following paragraph without a smile.

That the great object of mending the breed was underftood to be aimed at, by the introduction of foreign armies, 'tho' it was not exprefsly taken notice of by an act of the legiflature, may be inferred with the utmost certainty, from a refolution which was taken in parliament, immediately after the landing of the Heffians and Hanoverians-I mean the opening of the Foundling-hofpital, for the reception of all infants brought to it; towards the expence of which a fum of money was unanimoufly voted to be applied.

Now it cannot but ftrike every confiderate obferver of times and feasons, that no good reafon can be affigned why the introduction of foreign troops, and the opening of the foundling hospital by vote of parliament, fhould go hand in hand, unless the former was intended to be the means of increafing the number of candidates for the latter. To find the miniflry, therefore, at this particular time, bufied in procuring a fund for the maintenance of children, naturally. leads us to fuppofe, that they had thought of a scheme for begetting them, by introducing amongst us fo many thou • fands of able-bodied Germans.

Having thus difcovered the prudent intentions of the mi niftry, in furnishing the public with fo many thoufands of able recruiters, to enrich our impoverished blood, and raise up a race properly germanized, he propofes that the recruiters fhou'd immediately repair to the feveral public wells or fpa's of the kingdom, there to exercife their talents, and lay the foundation of heroes, who may fhame the prefent generation; but as it 'fometimes happens, (fays he) in public offices, that the bufi< nefs of them paffes through the hands of perfons, who are new in their employments; to prevent any mistake or clafhing of orders, I would not have the war-office further concerned in < this important matter, than to tranfmit to the adjutant-generals of the Heffians and Hanoverians the lifts of females; at each respective place, who have occafion for affistance, that so an exact rofter may be made out, and the detachments to be sent may be proportioned to the demand that there fhall appear to be for them.' He then proposes that thefe German auxiliaries fhou'd march up to the capital, where they will have conftant opportunities of labouring in their vocation; and to make way for them, thinks it wou'd not be amifs to fend not only our British guards, but alfo the rest of our British forces, to that part of the world, in order to be * exchanged for a like number of electoral troops, to be added as a reinforcement to thofe whom we have already here. By which means the grand view of introducing foreigners will be answered in a more extenfive manner, as inftead of fixteen thousand, we may have double that number of re⚫cruiters, But I fubmit all this to the fuperior judgment of a council of war, compofed of British commanders, by whom "I would have this point debated, and whofe determination (if we may judge from the determination of two late famous councils of war) will be fo prudent, as to preferve his maje"fty's troops from danger.'

Our author's next fcheme, to erect an hofpital, has much humour in it. The erection and encouragement of hofpitals (fays he) feems to be a favourite tafte amongst us, at present. As therefore, in the long catalogue of fuch charitable inftitutions in this metropolis, we have hofpitals for the reception of lying-in women, and an hofpital for the reception of chil

⚫ dren

<dren when born, I have long wondered that fome publicfpirited gentlemen (for no doubt, our managers of hospitals are all public-fpirited) have not thought of establishing hof'pitals for the begetting of children. This beneficial institu• tion, which private charity hath no where encouraged, if the child-getter in Newgate is not to be excepted, will now be fet on foot, upon the most extensive plan, by erecting feminaries of Heffian and Hanoverian heroes, in all the different quarters of London.

It is well known, that over the doors of our hofpitals, we read their appellation with this addition, of their being fupported by the voluntary subscriptions of noblemen, gentlemen, and others. Now, as this infcription may be looked upon as a fign judicioufly hung out, to draw in a fresh supply of fubfcribers, I would have our military hospitals also hang out their figns; and in order to draw in a conftant supply of fair vifiters, upon the front of each of them there fhould be an inscription in large capitals, to the following effect: -The German hofpital for mending the breed, fupported by the liberality of the British parliament. Or if this fhould offend any delicate ears, it might be fufficient to represent, by a very natural hieroglyphic, the ufe and deftination of our hofpitals, by erecting before them the fign of the white horse, • under which figure I would have written this word to the wife, to cover for mending the breed.' He propofes likewise, for the encouragement of his fair country-women, that the laws now in force, which take a fevere notice of ante-nuptial pregnancy fhould be abolished, or, at leaft, lose their efficacy, in every cafe where it fhall appear, that recourse 'was had to a German recruiter. Others again, might think • it expedient that the lying-in hospitals fhould be opened by • vote of parliament, in the fame manner, as the foundling hofpital hath been, to receive every candidate who should come loaded with a foreign burthen. A third encouragement may please a different set of females, viz. a suspension of the reftrictive claufes of the marriage act, whenever mifs in her teens fhall give the preference to an husband chofen from our military hospitals.'

This public-fpirited writer, who is as indefatigable as Mr. Henriques himself, in the fervice of his country, hath likewife thought of an excellent scheme to pay the national debt, which is as follows:

That the ladies of Great Britain have a very confiderable 'fhare of the property in the public funds, is a fact which 'can admit of no doubt. Now, I think, fuch propofals · may be made to the female stock-holders, as will make it for • their intereft chearfully to transfer their properties to the < public.

"Every one knows, that fince the reduction of the intereft of the funds, and the increase of luxury, our fair country'women of fmall fortunes, remain long, alas, very long! ' at the market, and matrimony is a land, at which they have little hopes of arriving, though beheld with longing eyes. In this lamentable fituation, how eagerly would they em• brace any scheme for their relief? Upon this principle, therefore, I would propofe, that books fhould be opened at the ⚫ treasury, and advertisements published, by authority, in the < London Gazette, and all the news papers, making the follow6 ing offer to all the female ftock-holders; That whoever 'fhould come in and subscribe her consent to fink the capital ' of her stock, and in its ftead to accept of an annuity, at the fame intereft of 31. per cent. which the now receives, fhould be encouraged by having an husband provided for her, to ⚫ be chosen from the military hospitals, to be erected for mending the breed. This (fays he) in a few years, will extinguish 'fo much of our debts, as will enable us to pay the whole • body of foreign troops, without laying on any new burthen, 6 except upon the ladies.'

Our author's interpretation of the Hanoverian motto on the grenadiers caps, is easy and natural; the motto is,

Veftigia nulla RETRORSUM.

A friend of mine (fays he) who accompanied me, was fo fhort-fighted as to underftand, by this, nothing more than that they would never turn their backs upon an enemy. But • the learned reader will agree with me, that this must be a miftake. For the words, literally interpreted, feem calcu'lated to convey to us this moft comfortable truth, that the

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