gency of his arguments on that fubject, we have already borne teftimony*; nor have we denied credit to the † ingenious anfwer of Mr. Cock, the first of his opponents who came under our notice. In the work before us, Mr. Jordan chiefly applies his attention to that part of the fubject, in which the British Colonists in the Weft Indies are interested, and certainly makes out a strong cafe in their behalf. "Adbuc fub judice lis eft". It would not, therefore, become us to pronounce any opinion upon this important question: nor, indeed, will our limits permit us to detail, at length, the arguments produced by each party. We will, however, ftate a few of the points chiefly urged by this intelligent advocate of the Colonists. After giving due praife to the objects and general provifions of the Navigation Laws, Mr. Jordan contends, that those objects are best promoted by occafional and partial modifications of them, which, arifing from peculiar circumftances, accord with the Spirit of the Navigation Acts, as they preferve our "commercial profperity and national fecurity"; otherwife, he fays, "navigation itfelf may be facrificed to the navigation fyftem". On these grounds he defends, first, the "Dutch Property Acts" (by nearly the fame arguments as Mr. Cock); fecondly," the repeal of the American countervailing duties" (which feems to be juftified on rational grounds by this author); and, laftly," the Weft India intercourfe with America". As this laft is the principal topic of controverfy, we will ftate the claims of the Colonifts in the author's words. Having first denied the alledged claim of his conftituents to "an unrestricted intercourfe with the American States", and pointed out the neceffity of fome commercial intercourfe (which, he infifts, cannot be wholly carried on in British bottoms) he thus diftinctly fets forth the claims they really prefer. "The British colonists of the West Indies claim the right of obtaining from America all fupplies of articles of the first neceffity, which cannot elsewhere be had, and of employing all the means neceffary for effectually obtaining thofe fupplies, under a limited and duly regulated intercourse. "They claim this right of fupply upon principles, paramount to all other principles of regulation, for their own immediate fafety and prefervation, from general neceffity, and for the public good. They claim this right upon the grounds of expediency, as promoting the attainment of the very objects propofed by the colonial principle which it controuls, as benefitting the colonial establishments, and actually increafing the colonial trade, and colonial navigation of Great Britain. "They claim the neceffary means of obtaining, as effential to the exercise of the right of fupply, as not injurious to the empire, either in the manner, or to the extent apprehended, as producing, by the benefits it imparts, compenfations in kind, more than equivalent to any conjectural loffes that may be foreboded, and as agreeable to the navigation principles of Great Britain, although opposed to the colonial. * See Brit. Crit. for June, 1804, p. 688. They They claim thefe fupplies and these means in an intercourfe which fhall be fo regulated, as to guard against all the evils which the most cautious and anxious aloufy may divine, and fhall preferve to Great Britain entire, all the obj. As and benefits of her colonial establishments and policy." P. 47. At He defends thefe claims at large, and by arguments, which, though we have not room to detail them, feem worthy of attention from the government and legislature. He alfo accufes Lord S. of fome miftatements, from which the noble Lord can, we doubt not, vindicate himfelt the conclufion, Mr. Jordan fums up the allegations on both fides, in a manner, which to us appears fair and candid; and, without pronouncing on the merits, we can fafely recommend his work to all who wish to understand the nature of this important queftion. ART. 29. An Effay on the Impolicy of a Bounty on the Exportation of Grain, and on the Principles which ought to regulate the Commerce of Grain, divided under the following Hads: Of the Hiftory of the Corn Laws-Influence of the Population on the Corn Trade-Effects of the Bounty on the Rent of Lands-Effects of the Bounty on the Profits of the Farmer-Effects of the Bounty on the Value of Silver-Exportation-Importation-Landlord's-Farmers and Corn Dealers. 8vo. 7° PP. 2s. 6d. Baldwin. 1804. The fubject of this tract being intricate, as well as important, we fhall merely explain the nature of the author's arguments, without attempting to decide upon them. Against the policy of the aft in question he argues with ingenuity, and certainly not without force; examining, and undertaking to refute the arguments produced in fupport of it. One of the principal of thefe refts on the experience of that period during which bounties were in force (viz. from 1688 to about 1770), and of the two periods, the one prior to the first, and the other posterior to the last of thofe dates, within the first of which fuch bounties were never, and within the latter lefs frequently granted. For forty years prior to 1688, the average price of wheat appears to have been 21. 14s. 9d. per quarter; whereas during forty years pofterior to 1720, while the law of 1688 was in full force, the price of the quarter of wheat was 11. 16s. 2d. During the last period, (i. e. fince 1770), when the law of bounty on exportation, and duty on importation has been fometimes fufpended, and fometimes even inverted, the exportation has fallen greatly below the importation, and the price has become very high. The reafoning in favour of bounties, founded on this experience, feems at firft fpecious, but is well combated by this author, who, with great probability, afcribes the variation of prices between the two first periods to political caufes, which influenced the state of agriculture, and the great increase of prices during the laft period, to the progrefs of commerce being more rapid than that of agriculture. In the fucceeding chapters he argues, from the principle admitted by fome reafoners, that the multiplication of the human fpecies is always in proportion to the means of fubfiftence;" to thow that " a fufficient market is always provided at home for all the corn which the utmoft utmost exertions of the farmer can produce." He admits, indeed, of two exceptions to this rule, neither of which applies to the ftate of this country. Thence he infers that, in a well-governed country, there will not (except in circumftances like thofe of America), be any voluntary exportation of corn, unless of the extraordinary produce of a plentiful year. An ample market, therefore, and full encouragement, is always afforded to the farmer, without the affiftance of a bounty.He purfues this fubject much further, and attacks the policy of the law in queftion, with arguments of apparent ftrength. The author further undertakes to fhow that the bounties will not ultimately prove advantageous, even to farmers, fince in proportion to their profits will their rents be raised; and, as all articles of life are influenced by the price of corn, he infifts that the land-owners themfelves would foon find any decrease in their rents balanced by the reduction in the price of labour, and in that of every commodity, or even luxury, which they enjoy. The injury to our manufactures, and confequently to commerce, which arifes from an increase in the average price of corn, which (as he maintains), the bounty on exportation tends to produce, is ftrongly urged by this writer, whofe reafenings, however, we can by no means attempt to detail. In our opinion his work deferves, at least, the attentive confideration of all, whofe fentiments are likely to have weight in any future regulation of this most important queftion. MISCELLANIES. ART. 30. A Tour in Zealand in the Year 1802; with an Hiftorical Sketch of the Battle of Copenhagen. By a Native of Denmark. Evo. 78 pp. 4s. White. 1805. This is a very interefting, amufing, and well-written performance, which we have fome time fince perufed with much fatisfaction, but accidentally laid afide. It is the production of a native of Denmark, and in every particular does him the highest credit. Let him be forgiven if, in his narrative of the celebrated battle of Copenhagen, he labours with extraordinary zeal to do his countrymen the amplest justice; there are traits and anecdotes in his account of it which would do honour to the moft illustrious name of any country; at the fame time, he is not at all backward in allowing the claims of Englishinen to the greatest gallantry, coolness, and intrepidity. Various anecdotes are interfperfed, from which we extract the following: "From church we proceeded to furvey the interior of the cafle, which, however, prefented nothing to engage our attention, excepting the peasant maid who fhewed us the apartments; her fingular drefs and manners visibly interefted my friend. Nor was I lefs pleafed with the fafcinating fimplicity of her whole appearance, fo fuperior to the imitations of our dashing belles, who, at times, borrow the ruftic garb, but cannot complete the metamorphofis by affuming the ruftic's peculiar graces. "Her "Her petticoat was of green taffera; her pale pink filk corfit, which being made to her shape, displayed all the fymmetry of her fine form; while a filken cap, entwined with gold, fat clofe to her face, juft permitting her features to peep forth, and exprefs a countenance which the fancy of no painter could equal.-My friend kindly asked her a very natural queftion; fhe caft down her fine blue eves, and with a figh answered, he had Now no friend; "He fell", faid he, “laft year in the battle, yet I grieve not fo much for myfelf; he died for his country,—it was a noble end—but he might have become a firm fupporter of my aged parents, if diftrefs fhould ever befal them." We noticed to her, that he had as just a claim as others to benefit by the general fubfcription. Her reply won my heart." There are widows, orphans, and wounded enough", anfwered this lovely daugh ter of fimplicity, to fhare the juft reward of their grateful country; my parents will foon leave this world, and honesty, with industry, will help me through it." Had I been a painter, the portrait of this affecting girl should have graced this page." P. 22. ART. 31. The Tourifications of Malachi Meldrum, Efq. of Meldrum Hall. By Dr. Robert Couper. 12mo. 2 vol. 10s. 6d. Aberdeen printed. Johnson, London. 1803. A burlefque tour in Scotland, interfperfed with much poetry, Scotch and English, is announced under this whimfical title. The farrago is fo extremely mifcellaneous, that it is not eafy to give a general idea of it, except by faying that the author affects a species of Shandyifm, which is fometimes happily, and fometimes unhappily exerted. Perhaps we cannot give a better notion of the author's ftyle than by inferting the defcription of his hero's house. "Meldrum-hall, though I cannot trace the laying of its founda tion-ftone to the fabulous ages, or even to the more recent ones of the Danes and Saxons, yet was of confiderable antiquity; and tradition held it up that my ancestors occupied the mansion, far farther back than I am willing to take credit for, though I never was at much pains, I must acknowledge, to throw any doubt or ridicule upon the ftory. Like all old manfions, it had been built into shape, and out of shape, many times, and oft, no matter by whom; but convenience and ftrength feem to have weighed more with the architects, than regularity and beauty. By divers exertions, however, by the time I came to the poffeffion of it, it was moulded into no difagreeable fhape, either internally or externally; and even at that time I think no private gentleman needed to have been ashamed to hang up his hat and coat in the hall, in token of right or heritage. Such was the houfe: a neat flone-wall, topped with a railing of iron, encompaffed the court before it, and the gate was no mean affair, with its pillars decorated a top with the lion and the unicorn. The pillars of the fmill entries on each fide of the gate, and thofe at the angles, were fur mounted, according to the punning conceits of former days, with a drum and a mallet, in allufion to our name. Behind all this, but clofe to it, lay the garden and the orchard; and though usefulness was evidently the first feature in the compofition, yet elegance, and a particular particular kind of tafte, feemed by no means to have been left out of the bufinefs. The whole was nearly furrounded by a foreft almost as ancient as the mansion itself, whofe tenants, the rooks, travelled forth in the morning, feemingly as well convinced of their rights, privileges, and property, as any fquire that ever died of the gout at Meldrum-hall." P. 118. The appendage of a gloffary, very neceffary to an English reader, concludes the second volume. That Mr. Malachi will, even with this aid, obtain much popularity in our regions, we dare not promife; but in a chaife, or in the window of a fummer-house, it might for a time fupply the place of a living companion. ART. 32. The Life and Character of Buonaparte, from his Birth to the 15th of August, 1804. By W. Burdon, A. M. 8vo. 5s. Oftell. 1804. We have formerly had occafion to expoftulate seriously with this author, on the delivery of opinions very erroneous, and of pernicious tendency; we have likewise borne teftimony to his candid retractation of fome of them. We congratulate him on permitting the light and force of truth ftill further to irradiate his mind; which that it has, is often exemplified in the volume before us. This Life of Bonaparte is written with confiderable vigour; and certain parts of it, particularly the defcription of the battle of Marengo, is extremely animated. The author feels, and endeavours to explain, the mifchievous paffions and vices of the character which he once held up to unreferved admiration and applaufe. If we were difpofed captioufly to point out defects, there are many diffeminated through the book, which, though we have not overlooked, we forbear to fpecify. Mr. Burdon hefitates to believe the authenticity of the intercepted Letters; if our affertion be of any avail, we beg leave to affure him, that we ourfelves have feen them, and can testify to their being genuine. We are far from certain, that an occafional correspondent of ours will feel any gratitude to Mr. Burdon for obferving, in his quotation from the ineflimable Gilbert Wakefield's Letter, that the Doctor" purfued the Chief Conful with veneration, and every good wish at the commencement of his career in Italy." A coarfe medallion of Bonaparte is prefixed, of very little ornament to the book. ART. 33. The Hiftory of the Gun- Powder Plot, with feveral hiftorical Circumftances prior to that Event, connecting the Plots of the Roman Catholics to re eftablifh Popery in this Kingdom. Digefted and arranged from authentic Materials. By James Caulfield. 8vo. 55. Vernor and Hood. 1804. We applaud the principle which induced the writer to publish this little work. It is very true, that the Roman Catholics endeavoured to fupprefs all enquiries into the facts relating to this memorable plot; and Mr. Caulfield is entitled to the thanks of the Proteftants for detailing the circumftances which are involved in this extraordinary History. |