did, and it was not accepted, he was perfectly right in refusing as lord Macartney had done. We cannot conceive a case where the representative of the sovereign of Great Britain should submit to a degradation which the representative of the emperor Alexander had peremptorily resisted. The disappointment in not succeeding could not be more mortifying, or the refusal less excusable, for lord Amherst than for count Goloffkin; the latter, after a long and fatiguing journey across the woods and deserts of Siberia, was stopped short just as he came in view of the promised land, and turned back, because he would neither bow the knee to the yellow skreen, nor promise to do so to the Baal himself, on his presentation at Pekin. We have heard it asserted that the Chinese protested against the case of lord Macartney being drawn into a precedent; and that lord Amherst was instructed to comply with the customary ceremonies: the first we know to be false; and the other we have every reason to believe to be so; it is not likely he should be instructed either to comply or to refuse, but to act according to his own discretion and to circumstances. If it be asked; Why send an embassy at all? the Directors of the East India Company can best answer such a question. They only, and their servants, know the comparative situation of their affairs at Canton, before and after the mission of lord Macartney: since that mission, a new generation has sprung up; old grievances were revived; all manner of vexatious impediments and insulting conduct were daily directed against our trade, and those who conducted it; the native servants were forbidden to engage themselves to Europeans; and the latter were prohibited from addressing the local authorities in the Chinese language, which is the only language they understand; supplies of provisions were stopped to his majesty's ships, and cargoes withheld from those of the company; the magistrates entered the factory without permission or previous notice; and many other offensive proceedings were instituted, which seemed too plainly to indicate a disposition to return to a system of oppression and insult, which, though it might have been submitted to in the early stage of our intercourse, could scarcely now be endured. In this state of things, the gentlemen of the factory, two years ago, came to the spirited resolution of withdrawing the whole of the ships of the season (with their cargoes yet unloaded) from the river, and of appealing at once to the court of Pekin: and sir George Staunton, who conducted the difficult and delicate discussions, was under the necessity of actually removing the British flag from the factory, and proceeding down the river to carry their intentions into effect, when the natural timidity of the Chinese got the better of their insolence; and a deputation was sent after him to entreat his return and continue the negociations. It might, therefore, and probably was, deemed advisable to remind these corrupt provincial authorities, by another embassy, that the gentlemen of the English factory at Canton were not a set of unprotected adventurers, as they were inclined to consider them. Beyond the wish of obtaining justice and protection for our trade, the East India Company could have nothing to ask; and when we consider the magnitude and importance of that trade which employs from England more than 20,000 tons of shipping, and from India nearly the same amount-which takes from us broad cloths to the amount of one million sterling, and cottons from Bombay to double that value-which enables, by its profits, the East India Company to pay their dividends, and brings annually into the exche quer from three to four millions sterling-finally, which supplies an article not merely of luxury, but now almost become one of the first necessity, and which no other part of the world can supply the preservation of such a trade from capricious obstructions, and vexatious impositions and delays, is well worth the risk even of offending his imperial majesty, who is generally contented with visiting his anger upon his own subjects. If an embassy produced no other effect, as one of the directors justly observed, one hundred thousand pounds would be well expended every ten or twelve years, to save our people from insult and our trade from interruption.' 'Little mischief as we apprehend from the failure of the embassy, we are not quite at ease with regard to the affair of the Alceste engaging with the Chinese forts. The Chinese have at all times been jealous of our men of war entering the river, and we believe complaints on this score have been made by the Company's servants of the factory, who of course can exercise no control over officers of the navy; but the Alceste was placed under extraordinary circumstances; she had carried out an ambassador on a pacific mission; she was ordered to Canton to refit and prepare for the reception of that ambassador; her captain had a letter from the viceroy of Pe-tche-lee, ordering the authorities to supply her wants wherever she might touch. It would appear, therefore, that the Chinese admiral and the commanders of the forts, in wantonly firing at the Alceste, had exceeded their orders; and this may explain why no notice whatever had been taken of the affair at Canton; where Captain Maxwell had been four days, when the last letters came away; at which time neither the preparations for the reception of Lord Amherst, nor the loading of the Company's ships, had suffered the least interruption. We understand, indeed, that our long forbearance has had no other effect than that of encouraging the Chinese war-junks and forts to fire on our ships of commerce and their boats, on every frivolous pretext, which, though generally harmless, is a wanton and reprehensible aggression. This forbearance must have its bounds; it is not every man who can carry it to that pitch of endurance exercised by the late admiral O'Brien Drury. On the memorable expedition against Macao, this gallant officer found the river near Canton blocked up by armed junks, having thousands of Chinese on board. 'Apprehending' (he observes in a letter to his friend) that they might fire their little petards, I advanced in my barge to explain to their admiral my peaceable intentions. When within about a hundred yards, they fired a shot which passed over the barge,;, I still advanced; two or three more shot passed over us: I came within forty yards; but in endeavouring to make myself heard, through my Chinese interpreter, all their junks opened their fire on my boat, with stones, and God knows what, until one of the marines was struck. The seamen in the other boats, seeing me fired at so furiously, were no longer under control, but pulled close up, when I saw the necessity of giving them positive orders to keep back, well knowing that the total annihilation of their poor junks, and of the city of Canton, must have been the inevitable consequence, had I permitted a single musket to be fired, which was impatiently looked for by every one. I told the chief of the supercargoes,' continues the brave admiral, that I never would consent to the slaughter of these defenceless multitudes; but that if their commerce required to be be supported by hostilities and that if a single seaman of mine was killed, I would level Canton to the ground.' What ever may be the issue of the untoward circumstances connected with the embassy to China, by what particular point of exaction on the one side, and of resistance on the other, the failure may have been occasioned, in the absence of all information but that which his Chinese majesty has been pleased to give, we can merely form 'conjectures: but, in the well known character of lord Amherst, particularly distinguished as it is by a suavity of manners, an equal temper, and a mild and conciliating disposition, joined to the able support of sir George Staunton, who, with a perfect knowledge of the language and the people, possesses that calm and steady determination which is best suited to deal with this subtle nation we have the best pledges that the honour and the interests of the nation will not be compromised, but remain safe in their hands. If the Nepaul business should be found, which, however, we think not likely, to have influenced the conduct of the Chinese, they are the veriest bunglers in politics that ever existed, since they might have obtained something by a conciliatory negociation; whereas, if their army should, unfortunately for it, come in contact with our Sepoys, their mi serable soldiers with their paper helmets, wadded gowns, quilted petticoats, and stuffed boots, will be too happy to compound for their lives by a surrender at discretion. Art. 7. Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, including some remarks on Grecian and Gothic Architecture, collected from various MSS. in the possession of the different Noblemen and Gentlemen for whose use they were originally designed. The whole tending to establish fixed principles in the respective Arts. By H. Repton, Esq. assisted by his Son, J. Adey Repton, F.A.S. Imperial 4to. pp. 238. 1816.' The art of laying out grounds to produce the most picturesque effect that the nature of the place will admit, constitutes the modern art of English gardening, little known among the other nations of Europe, and not known at all with us. On the continent of Europe, the beauties of gardening are produced by means plainly and manifestly artificial; and the effect is, something highly ornamented, and perfectly distinct from the scenery of nature. In England, the art of laying out pleasure grounds, was gradually introduced by Kent, and greatly improved by Brown, usually known by the name of Capability Brown. Since Brown's day, the affectation of imitating natural scenery has been carried too far, either by applying the scenery to situations too diminutive, or not calculated to harmonize with the stile of the surrounding country, or by imitating those parts of natural scenery, which are too rough to be pleasing or ornamental. We object too, to that intermixture of nature and art, usually called the ferme ornèe; as being neither the one thing or the other, like so many of the shabby edifices with which our carpen ters and bricklayers have disgraced and disfigured the city of Philadelphia. The first of these observations will apply to the Leasowes, the second struck us at Hagley, the third at Mr. Morris's place on the Wye, and the last is so common in England among the gentlemen farmers, and farming gentlemen of that country, as to obtrude itself frequently. Repton in his former volumes on Landscape Garden-, ing, to which this is a supplement, introduced some common sense notions of convenience, which the ultra imitators of natural scenery, King and Price, attacked as a departure from the settled principles of the genuine English School. But if they must be considered as innovations, they are nevertheless great improvements, encroaching upon nature no farther than convenience manifestly requires; at any rate, the ladies of the family will thank him for them. Whenever a taste for this delightful branch of science and of art, shall begin to manifest itself in this country, Repton's treatises will be the classics of amateurs. The Reviewers speak of Repton's book in terms of deserved approbation. Art. 8. Tales of My Landlord. 4 vols. 12mo. Third Edition. Blackwood, Edinburgh. John Murray, London. 1817.'-This is a very elaborate review of a work which every body in this country has read. It is not merely a review of the Tales of My Landlord,' but a laborious investigation how far they are consistent with It the real histories of the times, and the transactions referred to. is a review very creditable to the reviewer, whose sentiments of the work, of course, are highly favourable. Art. 9.-1. An Appeal to the British Nation on the Treatment experienced by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Island of St. Helena. By M. Santini, Porter of the Emperor's Closet.' 2. Official Memoir dictated by Napoleon, being a Letter from Count de Montholon to Sir Hudson Lowe. Fourth Edition, with a Preface. 8vo. pp. 79. London. 1817.' 3. A Tour through the Island of St. Helena, &c. with some particulars respecting the Arrival and Detention of Napoleon Bonaparte. By Captain John Barnes, Town Major, and Civil and Military Surveyor in the Hon. Company's Services on the Island. pp. 239. London. 1817.' 12mo. 4. Manuscrit venu de St. Helene d'une maniere inconnue. Troisieme Edition. 8vo. pp. 151. London. 1817.' This is, as we may well suppose from the character of the review, a violent attack on Bonaparte and his adherents, and on the statements of Santini, and Count Montholon. If what they say be true, there is a shameful want even of decent attention to the ply of Bonaparte's table: a disgraceful economy, that seems dictated by the most unworthy motives. sup On the part of the ministry, the charge was repelled by Lord Bathurst in the house of commons; and the statement made by that nobleman of provisions and liquors directed for the maintenance of Bonaparte and his suite at St. Helena, showed that it was on a scale sufficiently liberal, affording no reasonable ground for complaint. Both statements may be true. The British ministry may have given the directions which Lord Bathurst declared were given, and yet Bonaparte may not have received the supplies intended for him. To refute fully the disgraceful accounts of Santini and Montholon, the ministry should not only have directed these supplies to be purchased, but they should have ensured their regular delivery, and required as a check, the receipt of Bonaparte, or some person of repute in his household, for the articles actually received. This would have prevented all complaint, and set contradiction at defiance: but they have not done so: and they have therefore left room for reasonable doubt, whether the charges are not true in substance, although the expense of a liberal supply may have been willingly incurred. The bitter style of the Reviewers, is ill calculated to serve the cause they defend. Art. 10.-1. Report of the Secret Committee. 2. On the present State of Public Affairs. Anon. 8vo. 3. A Proposal for putting Reform to the Vote throughout the Kingdom. By the Hermit of Marlow. 8vo.' We have the same remark to make on this "Essay on the rise and progress of popular dissatisfaction." It is a laboured defence of the ministry and their measures, and a violent attack on the friends of reform. To us it seems very imprudent to use the language of goading and irritation toward men who complain because they feel their own and the nation's misery, and who call out for retrenchments on the part of government, which are so manifestly reasonable and practicable. ART. V.-American Entomology; or descriptions of the Insects of North America. Illustrated by coloured figures, from drawings executed from Nature. By THOMAS SAY, Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, &c. Philadelphia, published by Mitchell and Ames. 1817. "Each moss, Each shell, each crawling insect, holds a rank STILLINGFLEET. AT this enlightened period of the world, when almost every branch of knowledge, from being sufficiently understood, both in its principles, and its affinities to other branches, is duly appreciated; and in a country, distinguished alike for native good sense, and cultivated intellect; to address the readers of this Magazine, in commendation of Entomology, might well seem superfluous. Yet, singular as it may appear, that branch of science is not without its enemies, and open defamers-men, who not only deny its practical utility, but endeavour to degrade it, by representing it as a pursuit, puerile, barren, without interest, and altogether unworthy of an elevated mind. In refutation of a calumny, as feeble as it is wanton, and which can redound only to the discredit of those who promulgate it, we might deem it sufficient, briefly to state, that Entomology constitutes a legitimate and very important branch of Zoology; a science, which, for beauty, elevation, and extensive usefulness, has no superior. But other arguments, more specific in their nature, and which may, therefore, perhaps, be held more pertinent to our purpose, are not wanting. |