be productive of the happieft effects. To this ufeful plant the benevolence of individuals has attempted to add another, the breadfruit tree; and at Madras, and upon other parts of the Coromandel coaft, the propagation of that tree has been attempted with fome fuccefs.

The agriculture and commerce of Bengal will derive much benefit from a proper diftribution of navigable canals throughout this district; by facilitating the communication; by a proper diftribution of water for irrigation; and by forming refervoirs to receive the overflowing of the rivers, which is at prefent a fource of deftruction to the crops of the unfortunate Bengalefe.

The extent and population of English India comes now to be confidered. The poleflion or influence of the Company reaches from lat. 6o. north to lat. 30; for fuch is the magnitude of their empire, that miles are too fmall a measure to compute it by. The breadth of thefe poffeffions cannot be fo eafily determined; but the whole peninfula of India is now nearly fubjected to their power. To our former poffeflions of Bengal, Bahar, and Benares, the prefent government of India has added the country lying between the Ganges and the Jumna, with the Rohilcund; Oude remains, more than ever, from its weaknefs, as appendage of this Presidency. From the Nizam has been taken his hare of the fpoils of Tippoo; the Carnatic and Tanjore have been added to our dominions; and the choice of a prime minifter for the Rajah of Travancore, was the only circumftance, after he became tributary, wanting to fubject that country alfo to our power. Poffefing therefore the Myfore, we enjoy in full fovereignty all the peninfula down to the fouth of the river Toombuddra. But, befides this, the Nizam has been fo fond of the English ever fince the French were difmiffed his fervice, that he retains in his capital, Hydrabad, an additional garrifon of our troops, to the amount of 4400 men. The Paifhwah, too, has not been wanting in his proofs of attachment; and the important cellions, in the Guzerat, of the coaft between Surat and Canara, together with the province of Bundlecund, muft confirm the good opinion which we entertained of his wifdom and integrity, which he has ftill further increased by taking 8000 of our troops into his pay, and ftipulating to make no treaty without our confent. (Lord Wellesley's Notes.)

The only powers in that part of the world, who feem to have been infenfible of our kindness, are the Mahrattas ; but they will no doubt speedily open their eyes to the force of reafon and of arms. The defcendant of the Moguls, when reftored to the throne of his fathers, will require the affitance of a company

of English traders, in the government of his provinces, and in the collection of his revenues, which cannot poffibly be in kindnefs refufed him. This, with the addition of the province of Cuttack, and fome important acquifitions in the Guzerat, and the countries between the Ganges and the Jumna, which are just united with our empire, places the whole peninfula under our dominion.

The population of this vaft empire is far from being accurately known The author of the Indian Recreations has copied from the fame unpublished printed work, (Afiat. Ann. Reg. 1802, Mifc. Tr. 41.), a computation of the number of inhabitants in Bengal, &c. It fcarcely need be observed, that no dependence can be placed on thefe computations, as they affume, as facts, what we have no reason to believe to be fo. The refult makes the population of Bengal, Bahar, and Benares, 30 millions; and, according to the ideas of the author, the popula tion of the English empire in India, including the country of the Nizam and Oude, will amount to between 60 and 70 millions of fouls.

The refources of the commerce of this empire is by no means proportioned to its population. The nature of the government deftroys every principle of induftry and of action. The profperity of fo large a portion of our dominions, is undoubtedly an object of concern of no mean importance; and the confi deration of this question must derive additional interest from its having been declared in Parliament, by the highest authority, that no man would be bold enough to ask for a renewal of the charter on the footing on which it at prefent ftands. The liberties granted to the private trader will be the first step towards the proper colonization of that country; and as it is obvious that the one cannot be granted without leading to the other, it will be much better to look to it fleadily, and confider feriously what is the best means to regulate and direct the change. From the improved fyftem of government in the older provinces of the empire, fw can now hope to make a fortune and return to this country, as was formerly the cafe. Those who go out muft now leave this country with very little prospect of ever feeing it again; and not having European females to adorn and improve their fociety, they contribute to the production of an intermediate clafs of inhabitants who have neither the education or virtues of their European parents, nor the inoffensive and fubmiflive

* It is a f ct extremely worry of attention, that the officers who have difciplined and led on to action the troops of Scindia, under the

direction

miffive talents of their Afiatic brethren. The colonization of India, as we have before said, is going on filently and progreffively, in a way equally detrimental to the interefts of England, and hoftile to the welfare of India. It is faid, indeed, that by the unlimited emigration of Englifhmen, the mother country will be depopulated, while the minds of the natives will be alienated by the difrefpect which the European fettlers will fhew to the religion and cuftoms of the country. But the Mahommedans who, inftead of refpecting, did every thing in their power to thew their deteftation for the worship, and their contempt for the feelings of the inhabitants, maintained an unlimited controul over them for many centuries; and though we are far from thinking that a fimilar conduct would be adopted by any confiderable part of our countrymen, the effect of the Mahommedan conqueft muit have blunted the feelings and moderated the prejudices of the Hindus.

It is proper however to obferve, that we by no means contend for an unlimited and unreftricted fettlement of India, especially during the first years of the attempt. At the fame time, we conceive it would be extremely dangerous to lodge the power of restriction in the executive government, in which it seems to be the tendency of all our late measures to centre the whole patronage of India. The appointment of the three governors, and of the fupreme judges, can never, indeed, by the principles of the conftitution, be lodged any where elfe; but the choice of the inferior officers might still remain with a body of directors chofen by the proprietors of India ftock, which, in fairness to the holders, ought, as well as the debt of the Company, to be made a claim upon the credit of the country. To the fame, or a fimilar body, might alfo be entrusted the licenfing of those going to India, after they had complied with certain regulations as to their character and conduct.

According to the laft accounts, the number of the Company's civil fervants in India were 702; officers 2141; ditto of the marine 122; and of European inhabitants not in the Company's fervice 2318; in all 5161. To this is to be added the numbers

X 4

of

direction and after the desertion of the foreign officers, during the prefent bloody contest, are the natural children of Englishmen, who, by the conftitution of our Indian government, are prevented holding any fituation under the Company. Will it be faid that no danger ariles from the increase of fuch a population, if not counteracted by a more effective one from Europe?

of European foldiers 24,000, making a total of 29,161, to govern a people whofe numbers amount to 70 millions! The inadequacy of this fyftem, when oppofed by rebellion aided by European intrigue, must be apparent to every man, while the numbers are fufficient to produce a race who will eventually expel us from our eastern empire.

This question affumes new intereft, from the account which our author, a chaplain in the King's fervice, gives of the very unfatisfactory condition of that main fupport of our power under the prefent circumftances of India. The European part of the army, fays our author, p. 336, is a motley mixture of all nations; a fmall bribe might engage them in any enterprize; but they are the most debauched and unprincipled troops any where to be met with, and would give no fufficient fupport to any caufe, whether good or bad.' In page 382, he adds, Great Britain has perhaps more to fear from the difloyalty of its army, than its diffipation.' Upon a Sepoy army, according to our author, must depend the fafety of our poffeffions in India. We are ready to allow, that, under English officers, the feppys form excellent and enterprizing foldiers. But is their fidelity fo tried, and their attachment to our caufe fo great, that no bribe could tempt, and no attachment to their country prevail upon them to defert? But, granting that to us they are perfectly loyal, will it be afferted that they are at all equal to thofe troops of France, before whom all but Englishmen have fled? or will it be maintained, that the fuperiority of the European, which has given India to our power, will not transfer it to those who make ufe of fimilar means to acquire it? In the late contests, were not the Mahrattas, bravely and obftinately as they fought, and officered by Europeans or their children, obliged to give way to English bravery and prowess? And is not this a pretty decifive proof, that India can never be defended against European forces by a native army alone? We have much to fear from the introduction of French troops into Hindûftan; much more from French intrigue, and more than all from the operation of thofe、 principles upon the rotten and combustible matter of our European army, upon the unfteady and fickle minds of the natives, and upon the difaffected and mutinous inhabitants of India, especially thofe numerous and formidable bodies who have loft all means of obtaining a livelihood, the troops formerly in the fervice of

the

This is the number stated by Lord Caftlereagh. In fact, however, there are not much more than half that number of European troops in India.

the native princes. Unlefs fome fteps are taken to introduce a body of Europeans who may have a ftrong and permanent intereft in the prefervation of the power of England, and from their fituation be capable of counteracting the intrigues of the enemy, it is impoffible to fay how speedy may be the downfal of our influence in India. Such a line of conduct is particularly called for at the prefent moment, when we confider the precarious state of our colonial empire in the Weft. A complete freedom of trade between India and England would at once provide an opening for that capital which the lofs of the West Indies would throw out of employment, and provide the means of inftantly filling up the blank which fuch a difafter would occafion.

ART. VI. Popular Tales. By Maria Edgeworth, author of Practical Education, Caftle Rackrent, &c. &c. 8vo. 3 vol. Johnfon, London, 1804.

TH HE defign of thefe tales is excellent, and their tendency fo truly laudable as to make amends for many faults of execution. There is nothing new, indeed, in the idea of conveying Inftruction in the form of an amuling narrative; for from the days of Homer downwards, almost all the writers of fictitious history have been thought to aim at the moral improvement of their readers. The means which they have employed for this purpose, however, have hitherto been but indifferently calculated to effect it. The truth is, that almost all moral tales which are not exprefsly accommodated to the taste and condition of children, feem to have been intended for the benefit of persons of high fathion and fplendid accomplishments only; they feldom condefend to the incidents or the duties of ordinary characters or ordinary life, but are occupied entirely in adjusting the claims of nice honour and heroic affection, or in defcribing the delicate perplexities and fantastic diftreffes of thofe who fet vulgar forrows at defiance. Now, confidering that there are in thefe kingdoms. at least eighty thousand readers, it is obvious, that no great moral utility could refult from the general perufal of those brilliant narratives; and that the leffons which they were calculated to teach, were quite inapplicable, to fay the leaft of them, to that great multitude who are neither high-born nor high-bred. It is for this great and most important clafs of fociety that the volumes before us have been written; and their object is, to intereft, amuse and instruct them by ftories founded on the incidents of common life, and developed by the agency of ordinary characters; to withdraw their attention from thofe dazzling difplays of fathion

able