"It appears, from the most authentic documents, that they were ill able to undertake a march on foot of near five hundred miles, and that their ill treatment during the latter period of their captivity, has equalled what they at firft fuffered. Officers of rank and common foldiers were all confined together; their daily allowance about two ounces of pork, and fometimes that quantity of falt fish, of a bad quality, and their bread was full of bran and ftraw; and from the fcarcity of food, and the waht of medicines, numbers died daily.

"The fick and dying were frequently robbed of their clothes by the attendants of the hofpital; and it is hardly neceffary to add, that whenever prifoners were landed, they were immediately plundered of their money, clothes, and valuables.

"Thefe details are fhocking to humanity; but your committee think it their duty to lay them before the Houfe, as coming within the limits of their enquiry; trufting that the care and attention of the British agent has, by this time, alleviated the fufferings of the prifoners."

ART. VI. State of the Country in the Autumn of 1798. 8vo. Price Is. Wright. 1798.

Pp. 32.

AFTER a brief statement of the fituation of the conti

nental powers who have been fubjugated by French arms, revolutionized by French principles, or duped by French perfidy, the author draws the following picture of this country, not lefs fair than flattering :

"Amidft thefe fcenes of ruin and devastation, the island of Great Britain alone has fuccefsfully refifted her power. The British empire has not only been preferved entire, but our Foreign dominion has been extended.

"By the capture of Martinico, St. Lucia, and Tobago, we have fecured our Weft India commerce, and prevented the contagion of Jacobinifin from spreading to our own colonies.

By the conqueft of the Cape of Good Hope and Ceylon, we have fecured, and even ftrengthened, our Indian einpire.

We have gained over France, and her dependents, four of the moft brilliant naval victories, of which there is any example, in the hiftory of the world.

"We have taken, burnt, and deftroyed, more than fixty fhips of the line, and more than a hundred frigates.

"We are in poffeffion, at the prefent moment, of the undifputed command of the ocean in every quarter of the world. We are in the act of blocking up the Dutch feet in the Texel, the French fleet in Breft, and the Spanish fleet in Cadiz; and the last of our feries of victories, the glorious battle of the Nile, has given a death-blow to the naval power of France, in the Mediterrancan.

"We

We have annihilated the commerce of our enemies, and added immenfely to our own.

"Whilft perfecution and bloodshed have marked the progrefs of French arms and French power, we have afforded an afylum to the diftreffed and afflicted of all countries. The perfecuted pricft, the banished magistrate, the royaliit officer, grown old in fervice, have all here found fhelter and fupport. Their wants have been relieved, their fufferings have been pitied, and their merits have been refpected. "In this ftate of things we ought to offer up our prayers of thankf giving to Almighty God, by whofe aid alone we have been enabled to oppofe fuccefsfully the deligns of our enemies. And we ought to feel refpect and attachment to that government which has been the inftrument, in the hands of Heaven, to affect our deliverance, and to conduct us to fafety and to glory. What must be the tree which has produced fuch fruit? What must be the nature of thofe institutions which have fhewn themselves strong, whilft every thing around them has proved weak?.

The different fentiments of the two parties, at the com mencement of the prefent conteft, are thus fairly stated :--

"The party who opposed the measures of government, continually maintained that France never wifhed for war; that he had been unjuitly forced into it; that she acted on principles purely defenfive; that every power might make peace with her, who pleafed; that there was as much fecurity in peace, with her, as with many of the ancient governments of Europe; that all thofe countries, who had been defirous of remaining in a state of neutrality, had found no difficulty in preferving the accustomed relations of peace and amity with her; that he was injured, rather than injuring; and that it was unjuft in the greatest degree, to impute to the government of France, fentiments which were contained in the fpeeches of a few extravagant individuals." The party who defended the war, and the measures of government, connected with it, contended, That the war was occationed by the unwarranted aggreffion of France; that in defiance of the moft folemn engagements, into which he had entered not many months before, fhe had feized upon the Auftrian Netherlands and Savoy as conquered countries, and annexed them to her own dominions; that he had violated the neutrality of Holland, whom the knew we were bound by treaty to defend; that he had proclaimed her intention of fupporting the difaffected in all countries against their refpective governments; that the had received and encouraged addreffes from feditious focieties in Great Britain; that whilft thefe different fubjects of com plaint were under difcuffion, fhe had actually declared war against us; that the war, in fact, grew out of the revolution; that the object of France was to extend her power, and her principles, over the whole world; that if any of the powers of Europe had been able to remain in a state of neutrality, with her, it was becaufe it could not be the intereft of France to engage herfelf in hoftilities with all the world at once; but that if the fucceeded in crushing thofe powers, with E 2 whom

whom he was actually at war, fhe would then turn her arms again fuch as had remained in peace.'

"We have now the conduct of France for a courfe of fix years before our eyes. Which of thefe opinions does a fair review of it go to confirm? Is it in the treatment of conquered countries, that her MODERATION is to be found? Appeal only to the wretched inhabitants of the provinces fhe has fubdued. Is it in her negociations? Look to the conferences at Lifle, and the correfpondence at Raftadt. Is it in her deportment towards neutral powers? Enquire of Genoa, of Venice, of Switzerland, of America, and of Turkey. Every one of thefe powers had either preferved the ftricteft neutrality from the beginning of the war, or had even fhewn a decided partiality, in fome inftances a degrading fubmiffion, to France. By them, therefore, the oppofition must admit that the character of the French Government has been tried, and let them decide the question.” P. 10-13.

The connection between the Irish and English traitors fhould never be loft fight of. It is with a view to keep this circumstance fresh in the minds of our readers, that we extract the following paffage:

"It appears by the Appendix to the Report of the Committee of the Houfe of Commons of Ireland, that Binns, a very active member of the Correfponding Society of London, was fent to Dublin in the courfe of laft winter, with an Addrefs from the United Britons to the United Irifhmen; that he was introduced to a Society of United Irishmen by a perfon named Quoigley. The brother of this Binns, a member likewife of the Corresponding Society, was afterwards detected in endeavouring to efcape from Great Britain to France, in company with O'Connor and the fame Quoigley at the very time that there was found in the pocket of the latter an Address to the French Directory, urging then to invade this country; and it appears by the Report likewife, that Lord Edward Fitzgerald, about the fame time, confeffed to a friend, who was an United Irish. man, that he had received letters from London, which informed him that the difaffected who would rife there on a common emergency amounted to feventeen thousand, but that many more would come forward in cafe of actual invafion."

This tract is written in plain language; the ftyle is pure; the reafoning juft; the fentiments correct; and the object praife-worthy,

ART.

29

ART. VII. A Short Account of the Principal Proceedings of Congrefs, in the late Seffion, and a Sketch of the State of Affairs between the United States and France, in July 1798. In a Letter from Robert Goodloe Harper, Efq. of South Carolina, to one of his Conftituents. 8vo. Pp. 25. Price 18. Philadelphia printed. Re-printed for Wright, London.

R. Harper is well known, as one of the most able and ftrenuous defenders of the rights, laws, and liberties of his country, against the daring ufurpations of foreign tyrants, and the more dangerous confpiracies of domeftic traitors. The prefent letter was, apparently, written with a view to reconcile his countrymen to thofe new burdens, which the aggreffive conduct of the French had rendered indifpenfibly. neceffary, He ftates the military force of the United States, fince the late augmentations, to amount to 13,000 men, in addition to which, the Prefident has been authorized, in cafe of a declaration of war on the part of the French, or of imminent danger of invafion, to raise a farther body of L0,000, to be called "The Provifional Army," and to accept the fervice of any Volunteer Companies who may offer themselves as part of the army (Many of thefe offers have been already made.) Of the naval force Mr. H. fays—

"When the armament now ordered is complete, we shall have at fea nine large frigates, twelve floops of war, of from twenty to twenty-four guns, fix of from fixteen to eighteen, about ten cutters of from eight to fourteen, and ten gallies; making in the whole forty-eight thips of war: no inconfiderable force for the first effort of a nation which, three months ago, had not an armed vessel afloat, except fome three fmall cutters," P. 7.

But, notwithstanding thefe formidable preparations, and the patriotic spirit which has difplayed itself throughout the United States, we cannot but think that the temporifing policy of the government is highly injurious to the real interefts of the country. Half-meafures never yet have fucceeded, and, we think, never will. Congrefs has contented itself with ordering the capture of all armed French veffels on the high feas-with declaring the ceffation of all treaties between the two countries; with putting a ftop to all commercial intercourfe; and with the fufpenfion of all the French Confuls in' America; but, though the French had feized an immenfe number of their merchant fhips, the Americans do not permit the merchant fhips of France to be taken, nor the French

pofleflions

poffeffions to be attacked. In fhort, they feem to us to have placed themfelves in a fituation in which they must experience all the inconveniencies of war without any of its contingent advantages; a fituation, we fear, more formidable to themfelves than to their enemy. It feems there was a difference of opinion on this point in America.—

"Thus far have we gone defenfively. We take French armed fhips, which cruize for the purpofe of annoying our trade, and we prepare with vigour for repelling their attacks by fea and land: but we do not attack her unarmed fhips, or make reprifals for the inju. ries fhe has done us. Many perfons were of opinion that we ought to go the laft lengths, and declare war; which they deemed the moit manly and honourable courfe, as well as the fafeft: but others thought it best to confine oarfelves to defence and preparation, and leave the French either to difcontinue their attacks, or to declare war, as they. might think beft. This courfe was finally adopted." r. 9.

Of the artful endeavours of the French government to retain Mr. Gerry at Paris, after his two affociates had left the country, Mr. H. makes the following juft obfervation:

"To refufe to treat with two commiffioners of characters fo highly refpectable, and retain the third in hopes of wheedling him into con ditions dishonourable and ruinous to his country, is very conformable to French policy and French fyitems; but it is highly infulting to this country, and leads to confequences, which, if not refifted, muft prove wholly deftructive of its independence. It amounts to faying, when you have a difpute to fettle with us, you fhall not choose the negociators, but we will choofe them; they shall not be fuch perfons. as you can trust, but fuch as we like, fuch as we may think the most manageable.' When a nation fubmits to conduct like this, its independence is a mere shadow; the substance is gone.” P. 20.

The author moft truly ftates the government of France to be a government which openly profeffes every fpecies of profligacy, fubfifts by univerfal pillage, and maintains its power by perpetual acts of the moft atrocious defpotifm." His concluding remarks, on the prefe.it ftate of that country, are too juft to be omitted here.

"As to the internal fituation of France we know but little, all the preffes being held under the most flavish controul by the Directory, and permitted to publish nothing at which it can take umbrage. It has appeared, however, that the late elections were very tumultuous, and that the Directory influenced them by the moft open and violent means. Some perfons difagreeable to it were, notwithstanding, returned; but they were excluded from their feats, to the number of about eighty, without the leaft ceremony, or any other proof than a melfage from the Directory.

Thus we fee that the conftitution is completely fubverted, the legislature perfectly enflaved, the right of election wholly annihilated,

and