original reflections, however, and his general views, evince, we are afraid, fo little acuteness and fo little philofophy, that the merit of them is too equivocal to give the author the fmalleft claim to hifioric honours.

We are indebted to IRA ALLEN, Efq. Major-General in the Militia of the State of Vermont, for "The Natural and Political Hiftory" of that State. The object of the prefent publication is profelfedly to difclofe the origin of thofe difputes, which for many years exifted between the Vermontele and the government of New-York, and to ftate the reafons "which induced the former to repudiate both the jurifdiction and claims of the latter, before and during the American Revolution." The amicable and final adjustments of these difputes took place in the year 1790, fhortly after which time, the ftate of Vermont was acknowledged and admitted into the Federal Union; fince which acknowledgement and admiffion, it seems to have continued in a fate of progreffive profperity. In the year 1792, the popu. lation amounted to 85,589 fouls, and the militia was computed at 18,500; in the year 1798, the militia alone amounted to nearly 30,000! The fufpenfion of political manoeuvre and intrigue gave opportunity for attention to more important fubjects: feveral schools for inftruction were founded, and an univerfity was eftablished on the Eaft-bank of Lake Champlain, endowed with 50,000 acres of land, and fupported by voluntary contribution to the amount of 10,000l. An Englishman fcarcely knows how to credit that the whole expence of government in the State of Vermont, from October 1, 1791, to October 1, 1792, amounted only to 3,219l. 9s. 9d. currency, (about 24151. fterling), and that the expences have not generally differed fince: Mr. Allen affures us, that fuch was actually the cafe, and that when the fum in 1791 was divided between the inhabitants of the State according to the cenfus, it was found that each perfon paid only fixpence three-farthings to government for the protection of his perfon, liberty, and property! Well may he conclude his volume with a prayer, that all mankind were as happy this minute as the Vermontefe.

Mr. TooKE's "View of the Ruffian Empire, during the Reign of Catharine the Second, and to the clofe of the prefent Century," could not have appeared at a more feasonable time: in the politi

cal convulfions of Europe, the Ruffians have taken a very active concern; and their alliance with us naturally creates an intereft in their general character and cuftoms. Mr. Tooke (who published, anonymously, the Life of the late Em. prefs) refided many years in the empire, and was very amply fupplied with ma terials for the prefent work, which contains a vaft fund of information relative to the natural as well as the political hiftory of Ruffia.

It will be learned with pleasure, that a new edition has appeared, revised and corrected, of that most valuable work, Dr. FERGUSON'S " History of the Progreffion and Termination of the Roman Republic."

:

Major OUSELEY has published a duodecimo " Epitome of the Ancient Hiftory of Perfia, extracted and tranflated from the Jeha Ara, a Perfian Manufcript:" The tranflator of this little work prefents it to the public, rather as the herald of another, than as claiming attention from its intrinfic merit: we have, indeed, learned from those far better fkilled in oriental lore than we are, that the intrinfic merit of this chronicle is highly questionable: its originality is fufpected the chronological confufion which is obfervable in it, has given rife to an apprehenfion, that it is a compilation by fome modern writer, infufficiently acquainted with the antiquities of his own and of neighbouring nations. The Chronicle extends from Cainmuras, faid to be the firft Perfian monarch, to the death of Mohammed, a feries comprehending 72 reigns and 3031 years. The work which Major Oufeley has it in contemplation to publifh, relative to the hiftory and antiquities of Perfia, and for which he has already collected the materials, will form two large quarto volumes, each containing at least 400 pages, befides maps and views, plates of infcription, medals and gems, engraved alphabets of ancient characters, and fpecimens of writing, fac-fimiles from miniatures in MSS.

We have feldom completed our femiannual article without enjoying the opportunity of noticing fome publication of that laborious orientalift Mr. MAURICE. In our last we announced the first and fecond parts of the fecond volume of his "Hiftory of Hindcftan;" this work is now brought to a conclufion, and evinces to the laft the fame ardent fpirit of refearch which diftinguished it at firft. In this third and final part, the Life of

Creeflina

principles continue as they began this will justly be confidered by our readers as an encomium. A confiderable portion of the hiftorical department is devoted to Irish affairs; the pre-difpofing causes of the rebellion are inveftigated with can. dour and acuteness; and what is more

The public has fo liberally patronized tranflations from the German Dramas and the German Novels, that we, who occafionally delight in more fober and inAtructive reading, have felt fomewhat alarmed at the influx. It is with great pleasure that we have at last found one gentleman, who is folicitous to render our countrymen acquainted with other branches of German literature. Captain BLAQUIERE, of the Royal Irish Artillery, has moft judiciously tempted us to the perufal of a work of less excitation than moft of thofe are to which we have hitherto been introduced, by felecting for tranflation a production from the very popular pen of FREDERIC SCHILIER, "The Hiftory of the Thirty Years' War in Germany. This admirable dramatift has evinced the versatility of his talents in a rich display of the powers and acquirements which are requifite to form the hiftorian: his matter is patiently drawn from various and authentic documents; his arrangement is clear and correct; his ftyle vigorous and emphatic: his defcriptions glow with poetic ardor; and his moral reflections are deep and philofophical, and how that the author of them has fuccefsfully explored that most intricate of labyrinths, the human heart. The tranflator, who ftyles himfelf a young and inexperienced writer, has executed his task with confiderable fpirit; and we hope, that the public encouragement to this, his early effort, will prompt him to the profecution of more arduous labours.

We know not where we can with more propriety arrange, than under the head of Hiftory,' "The New Annual Regifter for the Year 1798." This work has, in its progrefs, been fo long before the public, that we are not called upon now to ftate its general character and principles; we may, however, be allowed to fay, that its character and

fome judicious hints on the best modes of appeafing it. Refpecting an union of the two kingdoms, our author, while he avows a partiality to that measure, as the probable fource of remote advantages, acknowledges himself unable to discover in what way it can prevent the revival of thofe defolating fcenes which, in the courfe of his narrative, he has had occafion to review. It cannot, fays he, remove the prejudices of the Catholics; it cannot enlighten the people, or relieve them from their burdens; on the contrary, it may for the moment increase one of the principal grievances of which the Irish, at prefent, complain, namely, the expenditure of Irish property at a distance from the country where that property is acquired. He wifely propofes, as measures far more conciliatory in their operation, the transfer of capital to the Irish coaft; that we should excite in the people the fpirit of commerce and manufactures; that fome commercial conceffions fhould be granted by Great Britain; that schools fhould be established for the promotion at once of knowledge and of induftry; that the gentry of Ireland fhould be " perfuaded to embody themfelves in a patriotic union, for the protection and the aid of the poor;" that they fhould follow the example of a fociety in this kingdom, whofe generous efforts in the caufe of humanity, to use his expreffion, are above our praife; and laftly, that they thould reduce to practice fome of the judicious fpeculations which that fociety has promulgated.

The laft work which we have to mention in this divifion of our Retrospect are, "Hiftorical and Philofophical Memoirs (tranflated from the French) of Pius VI. and of his Pontificate, down to the Period of his Retirement into Tufcany." This very interefting publication is the production of no vulgar pen: the author difplays great powers of reafoning and reflection; his remarks are acute and fagacious, his ftyle is eloquent and feduc. tive; fo eloquent and feductive, that fome caution is requifite in reading thefe memoirs, that we lend not too eafy and credulous an ear to the artful and injurious infinuations of an hiftorian, the evi602

dent

dent and able advocate of democratic phi lofophy. In tracing the caufes which led to the fubverfion of the papa! throne, the author pref-nts us with a very fpirited defcription of the Roman government, and the manners and morals of the Roman people he confiders the overthrow to have been precipitated by the timid indecifive measures of the court. But whatever conjectures may be hazarded as to the immediate caufes of this memora ble event, we are of opinion with the hiftoric writer of the New Annual Regifter, whose words on this occafion we fhall take the liberty of quoting, that "the primary caufe is undoubtedly the progrefs of knowledge, the fteady foe both of religious and civil defpotifm; and which, unlike that revolutionary fanaticifm, which borrows its name, and deals alike its fury on truth and error, makes even its enemies the inftruments of good." This latter author places in the list of secondary caufes the abolition of the Jefuits; which order, he ftyles, in a tone of animation, the nobility of the papal monarchy, the prætorian guard of its fpiritual defpotifm. The character of the holy pontiff, Pius VI. is drawn by our memorialift with a spirited but hafty hand. Many of his qualities are allowed to have been brilliant; his capacity is acknowledged to have been confiderable; his manners at once noble and prepoffeffing, and his tafte for the arts to have been tolerably correct. His ruling paffion was an excelfive love of fame, which, in the character of the unfortunate pope, is faid to have degenerated into puerile vanity: it feems not a little unfair, however, to attribute the various fplendid acts of public utility which were induftriously pursued in the pontificate of Pius to fo very mean a motive as the gratification of his vanity: the conftant protector and munificent patron of the fine arts is not to be raíhly cenfured; and he who feeks to immortalife his name by deeds of no lefs arduoufuefs and utility than the draining of the Pontine marthes is amply entitled to the gratitude of pofterity.

From Hiftory we proceed to notice the few publications which have appeared on the fubject of

FINANCE.

Mr. PITT's Income Bill has provoked confiderable investigation, and directed the public attention to the fate of the reve nue, and the ability of the people to replenifh an exhaufted treafury, In our laft Retrofpect we-noticed leveral pam. phlets on the subject of this calamitous

affeffment, and we perceive that fome others yet remain to be mentioned.

The Rev. Mr. BEEKE has published the first part of his " Obfervations on the Produce of the Income Tax, and on its proportion to the whole Income of Great Britain, &c." Mr. Pitt has not, that we remem. ber, even by his bittereft enemies, been accused of depreciating the resources of the nation. The author of the prefent publication, however, who certainly is a warm friend of the minifter, contends, that his eftimate falls far fhort of the real income of the country; the population of which, moreover, exceeds every calculation which has been yet made. From Mr. Beeke's own data, however, it appears, that the income-tax, which poffibly, he thinks, may not produce more 6,500,000l. certainly cannot produce more than another million in addition to that fum.

than

An anonymous writer has given us an "Eftimate of the Produce on the Tax upon Income, with a few Obfervations on the Impolicy of the Measure." The net produce of this tax, according to a calculation, whose basis is the account delivered to the houfe of commons of the number of perfons paying affeffed taxes, divided into claffes according to the amount from fix fhillings to 400l. and upwards annually, cannot exceed 6,279,2221. One observation our author makes, which ought to be deeply impreffed on the mind of every individual: it is of a most ominous and important nature, namely, that the war in which we are now engaged, in the year 1796, demanded an expenditure nearly equal to the whole income of the nation!

One of the commiffioners for executing the late acts has published, Thoughts on Taxation, with fome Suggestions relative to the Means of raifing Supplies for the prefent Year." The ingenious author of this pamphlet has laid down the following principles of taxation, namely, that all taxes should be producive, optional, equal, eafy of collection, invariable, and not on industry, manufallure, or exportation. He has fuggefted for adoption a few taxes, in which are united thefe feveral effentials.

An author, who boasts of his independency on minifters, and of his difunion with every public office, has given us what he confiders to be "Tefts of the National Wealth and Finance of Great Britain in December 1798." The statements in this tract are intended to fhow that the opulence of this country has, fince the Ame