A Tour up the Straits, from Gibraltar to Conftantinople. Wilb the leading Events in the prefent War between the Auftrians, Ruffians, and the Turks, to the Commencement of the Year 1789. By Capt. Sutherland, of the 25th Regiment. 8vo. 5s. 6d. Boards. Johnson.

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As the pleasure arifing from the perufal of travels and voyages depends entirely upon the novelty of the fcenes defcribed, it neceffarily leffens in proportion as these become known. If any particular circumftance could counteract this effect, with respect to the volume now before us, it is that the fubjects of the author's remarks have a kind of irresistible attraction. Captain Sutherland conducts his readers, almost always, over claffic ground; and where the intervals of his route can fupply little entertainment from description, he endeavours to compenfate the defect, either by appofite hiftorical retrofpects, or a narrative of public occurrences. We cannot help thinking that, in regard to both thefe expedients, efpecially the latter, he is frequently too diffuse. The news of the progress of the belligerent powers, in 1788 and 1789, may have afforded gratification to the author's correspondents at the time; but fuch information is of too temporary a nature to prove interefting to the public long after the completion of thofe events. On this fubject, however, we are willing to grant fome indulgence to a military gentleman, who naturally confidered the operations of war in a light of particular importance.

The first of the letters is dated from Carthagena, of which the author gives an account. He thence proceeds to the island of Caprea, Baia, and the other celebrated places in the neighbourhood of Naples. He defcribes the whole in a distinct and agreeable manner, not much differing from that of Mr. Swinburne. The following extract will ferve our readers as a Specimen :

We loft no time in feeing the wonders of this extraordinary country. Our first object was to follow Eneas to the Cumean Shore, and on our way thither, it was but just to pay our oblations at Virgil's Tomb. This celebrated monument is clofe to the top of the Grotto of Paufilippe, on the left of the east entrance. The infide is a fquare of twelve feet, with three niches for urns on the cast and weft fides, two niches and a door, through which you enter, on the fouth, and the fame on the north. The roof is arched, and about nine feet high. The outfide was originally octagonal, but the angles being worn away, it is now circular, and at a distance looks like the remains of a small tower. The materials are of the common kind, and

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I did

I did not observe any marble near it, except two modern infcrip

Gions.

Formerly the tomb was furrounded with laurels, but as every idle vifitor took a leaf, there is not a fprig left. We could not help exclaiming against fuch facrilege; but our guide endeavoured to comfort us, by faying that the marquis Salcitro had ordered a new fet to be planted,

The Grotto of Paufilippe is at the weft end of the suburbs of Naples. It is a public road cut through the mountain, near half a mile in length, and wide enough for two carriages to drive abreaft. Its height is very irregular, in fome parts eighty feet, and at others only five-and-twenty. In the day time you may fee from one end to the other, by the help of two large apertures, cut diagonally from the center of the grotto to the furface of the mount; but at night we were obliged to use torches, which when any number of vehicles are driving together, have a most beautiful effect. The bottom, like all Naples, is paved with fquare pieces of lava. Its exact date has not been afcertained. The common people infist that it was done by enchantment, as a proof of which they allege that no ftones were found near the entrance. It would be to no purpose to tell them, that those who perforated the mount, very naturally made ufe of the ftone in building the town.

But after all, the difficulty in accomplishing this paffage was by no means fo great as one would at first imagine, for the ftone is fo foft, that, until it has been for fome time expofed to the air, you may crumble it to duft. Neither, in my opinion, is this celebrated excavation equal to the batteries, magazines, and communications, formed in the folid rock of Gibraltar by Mr. Inch, under the direction of general Eliott, and continued with astonishing fuccefs by major general O'Hara.'

While the ship, in which our author performed his voyage, lay off the coaft of Italy, they were honoured with a vifit from the king of Naples, who came in a man of war brig of fourteen guns, attended by another of the fame force. As foon as he was within two miles he got into his barge, and rowed on board the veffel of the voyagers. His majesty, we are told, went all over the fhip, praised every part of her, feemed much pleased, thanked them for the honour they did him, and invited the principal perfons on board to dine at his cafino. He afterwards fent the officers a prefent of some ve ry fine fish of his own catching, and in the afternoon rowed out again to take another view of the fhip. His majesty, fays our author, is thirty-fix years old, well made, and rather tall; lean enough to enjoy all his diverfions, of a fair complexion, light hair, and an affable, open countenance.

After vifiting Sicily the author prooceeds to the Levant, where he gives a short account of the different islands. In a

letter

formation to those who have not perufed the accounts delivered by the travellers immediately preceding the prefent author. His defcriptions, in general, are marked with juftness and delicacy; and though he fometimes indulges too much in Baneceffary details, he never is chargeable with duinefs.

Short Review of the British Government in India; and of the State of the Country before the Company acquired the Grant of the Dewanny. 8vo. 35. 6d. Boards. Stockdale. Notwithstanding the affairs of India have occupied much of the public attention for feveral years, the author of the present treatife affirms, that the true ftate of that country, with regard to its laws, cuftoms, and manners, the characters of its Mahommedan conquerors, and the conduct of the British government, has neither been fairly explained, nor rightly underflood; and with a view, therefore, of fupplying this defect, he has produced the elucidation now before us.

Our author obferves, it is the prevailing opinion that the British government in India has been a fyftem of tyranny and injaftice; but whatever may have been the faults of fome individuals, he contends that fuch an imputation, when applied to the government in general, is totally erroneous; that it is founded on partial reports, and fostered by fallacious accounts. • What has tended chiefly, fays he, to propagate and fupport this opinion, is, the great pains and talents which have been employed to circulate it, and the unavoidable ignorance of those into whom it has been inftilled respecting the country of India, the fituation in which we found it, and the nature of its inhabitants; their laws, religion, and manners;' fome knowledge of which is abfolutely requifite to form a judgment on the subject.

Our author, with much appearance of juftnefs and dif cernment, imputes the mifreprefentations refpecting the affairs of India partly to the nature of the government, and partly to the nature of things; the former of which he proceeds to explain. It was originally compofed, he obferves, of a council, confifting of a governor and thirteen members; but this number has fluctuated occafionally from fourteen to four, at which it was fixed by an act of parliament in 1784. In this council, which deliberated on every measure of government, relative to peace, war, revenue, or commerce, the governor had no other pre-eminence than that of having the cafting vote; but he was the magiftrate invefted with the power of executing the refolutions of the council; and he enjoyed feveral honorary diftinctions, which rendered his office a fa

tion of fome degree of envy and jealoufy. A difference of opinion, which is natural to all deliberative affemblies, took place in the council at Calcutta; and both the paffions and interefts of the feveral members being excited, their debates were frequently maintained with heat and violence, which, of course, were infufed into the records of the company.

The confequences of thofe inteftine divifions are thus de. fcribed by our author:

As it is a rule of the East India company's governments, that the opinion of every member shall be dilivered in writing, and recorded, and as there were generally two fers of men in council in oppofition to each other, opinions are to be found diametrically oppofite on the fame meafure; and, very frequently, both the measure, and the men who propofed it, are loaded with heavy abufe. This was one great cause of injury to the reputation of the British government in India; for when the miniftry at home were inclined to condemn or reprobate any of its acts, they justified themselves by the opinions of the very members who were on the fpot at the time these acts were done, and quoted the fentiments of one party as irrefragable arguments against the other. Thus the language of irritated animofity has been frequently appealed to as proof of mal-adminiftration, and mere infinuations and affertions, thrown out in the heat of contentious debate, have been brought forward as fo much specific evidence of actual criminality in the perfons against whom thefe infinuations and affertions are levelled.'

This mode of appealing to the opinions of one party in the council, against the determinations of the other, was doubtlefs a most dangerous expedient, by the opening which it afforded to envy and detraction; but its pernicious effects were aggravated, as our author obferves, by a fimilar diverfity of opinions prevailing likewife in the court of directors; by whom the fentiments and prejudices of the members of the council were refpectively adopted, and maintained with equal animofity. The author fhews, by a candid detail of facts, the bad confequences refulting from thofe internal divifions, which exafperating the minds of the different parties, difpofed them not only to traduce the characters, but counteract the meafures of each other, and facrifice the interefts of the company either to their own, or the gratification of private refent

ment.

The author next proceeds to explain the other caufes of prejudice against the British government in India, or thofe which he diftinguishes as arifing from the nature of things. Under this head he comprehends the fituation of the country, and the fyftem of the company's commerce; the former of which, VOL. LXIX. May, 1790.

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letter from Smyrna, he obferves, that though the Britift Levant trade is more flourishing than it has been for many years paft, yet its rife is confiderably checked by our own laws, and by the want of a regular lazaretto in England. This defect has been repeatedly complained of, and appears to be fully comfirmed by the remarks of the prefent voyager.

The fcene of the battle of Marathon feems to have been fuveyed by our author with peculiar fatisfaction; and, in a letter to lord Heathfield, he makes feveral obfervations on the fubject. We shall felect the defcriptive part of his account, as affording a more clear idea of the difpofition of the two armies than we have hitherto met with.

This celebrated field is about twelve miles in circumference, and a day's march from Athens. It is wafhed by the fea on the eaft, and furrounded by mountains on every other fide, except the fouth-eaft corner, where the flat is continued a fhort space along the fhore, and afterwards terminated by hills. The part where this flip joins the grand plain, has a large morafs in its center, which extends pretty close to the hills on one fide, and near the water's edge on the other.

There are two roads from the plains to Athens; the one by the morals, the other through the town of Marathon, which lies at the foot of the hills, nearly oppofite the center of the plains.

Miltiades' army, in point of numbers, was not equal to one tenth of the Perfians; but he knew that by waiting for them under the walls of Athens, he fhould abandon the country to their ravages, and fubmit to fee them receive their convoys, and gather provifions unmolefted; and potfibly even fubject himfelf to a famine. He therefore determined, at all events, to keep from between the enemy and the capital, and wait for an opportunity of attacking them to advantage. And this fortune foon gave him. The Perfians having reached the plains of Marathon, accompanied by their feet, purlued the road nearest the fea. Their van had already afcended the heights, their main body filled the flat beneath, and their rear was paffing the narrow fpace on the fides of the morals. Hiftorians tell us, that Miltiades drew his whole ftrength into his wings, and particularly his right, leaving his center almott open. But as they have not been fufficiently minute in defcribing the fcene of this memorable action, I could not thoroughly perceive the excellence of his difpofition, until I beheld the field of bartle...

The morafs fupplied the place of troops in his center, The space on the left was but narrow, confequently his greatest exertions were required on his right. This the general tho roughly understood, and at the moment the Perlians were in the fituation I have juft defcribed, he rushed from the town of Marathon,