impiety and prophaneness on the one hand, and of enthusiasm on the other, which were making such rapid advances among the people; and which he attributed in a great degree to the multiplicity of these publications. He declared that he would not have his fubjects corrupted either by fanatics or atheifts; nor madmen to enrich themselves and the bookfellers at the expence of religion. He likewife paffed a fevere law against duelling in all cafes whatever; and erected a court or tribunal of honour to take cognizance of those disputes or differences which might lead to that refort.

Upon the whole, every thing that has yet appeared ferves to indicate a happy and profperous reign to that kingdom; and as the monarchy is now thoroughly formed and established, if it fhould not prove fo fplendid as the foregoing, it will be fo much the better for the people.

So happy a tranquillity prevails in the other parts of Germany, that the perfecution of the freemafons by the elector palatine beThat came an object of notice.

prince, who feems in many refpects to have departed ftrangely from that conduct and character which gained him fo much applause during his refidence at Manheim, adopted, towards the clofe of the preceding year, a determination to exterminate free-masonry entirely from his dominions; nor could even the protection of the mufes fave the academy of sciences at Munich from this fpirit of barbarous perfecution.

The celebrated M. de Born of Vienna, one of the most diftinguished literary characters in Ger

many, was a refident member of that academy, and had a principal share in retrieving it from that state of degradation in which it had fallen, during that long night of ignorance and bigotry, which fo peculiarly overfpreads Bavaria. That gentleman was a known and avowed free-mafon; and the prefident was obliged to write to him, defiring peremptorily that he should within eight days declare, whether he would renounce and withdraw himself from the pernicious myf, teries of that fraternity. To this M. de Born returned an immediate answer, " That fo far from relin"quishing the principles, he should "ever glory in the name of free"mafon a name that should mark

every man that bears it with fu"perior probity; for its principles "enjoin a more vigilant discharge "of the duties we owe to our Crea

tor, a more ftri&t fidelity to the "fovereign, and a more enlarged "and active benevolence to our "fellow creatures, in fquaring our "conduct thereby, However, to "free myself at once from your 'jurifdiction, I herewith return you all my diplomas, and defire

you may strike out my name from "the lift of your academicians.” Thus has the acadamy loft its principal ornament and honour, and Bavaria may again enjoy its ufual darkness and proverbial ftupidity.

The two northern kingdoms have not prefented much matter of political obfervation in the course of the year of which we treat. The famine and other calamities which fo much afflicted the people in both kingdoms, were rather increased than diminished in this year; and though every where grievous, were in the more remote or detached [4] 4 provinces

provinces of either dreadful to contemplate. Even in those parts of Denmark, which were the best fituated for receiving foreign aid and fupply, and in the very feat of government, which afforded the best means for procuring it, the wants of the people were, notwithstanding, fo extreme, that it was eftimated, that above a thousand artificers emigrated from the city of Copenhagen only in the courfe of the year. And the emigration from other parts of the kingdom was fo great, that not less than feven or eight thousand of the most laborious and useful part of the people applied to the Ruffian minifter, within only the first three months of the year, for those encourage ments and means of transportation which were allotted to thofe who would proceed to people Cherfon, and other of the new colonies and fettlements in thofe quarters. If fuch was the condition in the heart of Denmark, how muft it have been in the remote provinces, and ftill more in thofe of Sweden, which are farther from relief, and more fhut in from the world?

The refufal of the cuftomary fupplies of grain from Livonia, which fo dreadfully and irremediably increafed the diftreffes of the people, could not but fink deeply into the mind of the court of Stockholm. A vifible coolness and jealoufy had for fome time been growing, and feemed much increafing, between Sweden and the court of Petersburgh, Befides any other caufes of coolnefs, jealoufy, or fufpicion, the king kept his army in better condition, and went greater lengths in improving and increafing his naval force, than could at all be pleafing to his great and ambitious neighbour. Indeed,

however, the may be supposed to confider abfolute power, when vested in her own hands, fhe was little fatisfied with that revolution which placed fo great a fhare of it in his; and however neceffary it was to conform outwardly to an evil which was not apprehended until it was too late for a remedy, it was not to be fuppofed that fo unthought of and eminent a display of dexterity and dangerous ambition, fhould at all ieffen her watchfulness of his future conduct, or in any degree difpofe her to regard him with the less jealous eye.

May 1786.

Whether it proceeded from an apprehenfion of any approaching foreign danger, from the diftreffes of the people, or from a complication of these with other caufes, is uncertain, but a diet was this year held at Stockholm, being the firft that had taken place fince that which confirmed the late revolution in the government eight years before. The greateft apparent cordiality prevailed between the king and the ftates at this meeting. In his fpeech to them fome oblique hints were thrown out, in treating of the ftate of the army and navy, of the propriety and neceffity of being in fuch a ftate of preparation and defence, as would afford fecurity against any finifter events that might occur, which could only be understood as alluding to one of his neighbours, the greatest harmony having been already declared to fubfift with Denmark.

The ftates were not, however, fo compliant as might have been expected; and it was not a little pleafing to fee, that the fpirit of liberty which so much distinguished their antient conftitution was not

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yet entirely extinct, for as where that fpirit is wanting no fyftem of laws or conftitution of polity, however excellent, will make a nation free, fo while it fubfifts with any vigour, no form or power of government can at all times be able to withstand its fuccefsful exertion; especially if the former, according to the nature of abfolute or ill-restrained fovereignty, fhould, under a weak or profligate prince, degenerate into tyranny. The ftates at this time feemed to recall and recover their conftitutional importance, by refufing abfolutely to comply with fome of the not numerous proposals which the king made to them, and on which he had particularly fixed his mind. These were for the establishment of fome funds, the nature of which we are not informed of, and confequently can give no opinion of the propriety of the refufal, but merely give the fact as an inftance of the power or spirit which the ftates of Sweden ftill retain. The fmalleft diffatisfaction was not, however, vifible on either fide; and the king and the ftates parted, after a very fhort feffion, with as much apparent cordiality as they had fhewn at their first meeting.

To the numerous inftances of improvements in legiflation, or the administration of juftice in different parts of the western world, which we have already had the fatisfaction of taking notice, and which will fo happily diftinguish the prefent from all former ages, the king of Sweden has added another, by totally abolishing within his dominions that inhuman relick of antient barbarity and cruelty, the punishment by torture; or, what was ftill worse, its horrible and fruitless application for

the difcovery of truth, by compelling fufpected delinquents, through an extremity of pain, which human nature is not capable of withftanding to condemn themselves, by the acknowledgment of a guilt of which they have frequently been entirely innocent. The king, in his edict, affigns motives pretty much of this nature for its abolishment; and to fupply the fuppofed neceffity for putting the question, as it was called, he ordains, that the confeffion of guilt in a malefactor shall not at all be deemed neceffary for his punishment, where the legal proofs of his guilt are fufficiently established.

The repeated failures, or diftreffes approaching closely to what is understood by mercantile failure, which the European companies trading to the Eaft Indies have of late years fo particularly experienced, feem to bear a doubtful if not ominous afpect with refpect to the future existence of that commerce, which has fo long been the great object of avidity to trading communities, and of rivalship and contention among ftates; and which has likewife afforded the means of producing the moft deplorable calamities among the remoteft nations in the world, and with whom Europe feemed to have the leaft poffible concern. The thocks which the English company had received, notwithstanding the greatness of its territorial poffeffions and revenues, are too well known to require obfervation. The Dutch Eaft India Company, which had for ages held unexampled wealth and power, and feemed rather a great independent fovereign, than a member of a small republic, has now of late been more than once reduced

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to the very extremity of diftrefs, and has only been held together by the great loans which the ftate has advanced to fave it from abfolute and impending ruin. France has already, in the fhort interval fince the peace, twice or thrice altered her plan for conducting that commerce, and does not yet feem by any means fixed in her fyftem. The Danish company, being entirely commercial, and conducting its affairs upon a narrower fcale, feemed free from many of thofe dangers to which the more potent and adventurous companies were neceffarily expofed. Yet neither the prudence of their conduct, nor the moderation of their purfuits, could preferve them from the common fatality; and they found their affairs this year in fo untoward a ftate, that they were under a neceffity of furrendering their charter, privileges, and ftock, into the hands of the king, who they requested to accept of them on fuch terms as he fhould prefcribe. The king has accordingly complied with their requeft, and agreed to purchase their refpective fhares of flock at a given price, and in a ftipulated manner.

With refpect to other matters, nothing of any confequence has taken place in the affairs of Denmark. The prince royal retains his popularity, and feems to deferve it; and the people (which is the best of all tefts) appear to be fatisfied with their government. The prince feems much difpofed to confult their inclinations in his conduct; and lately rejected a proposal that was made to him for laying fome new reftraints on the prefs; obferving, that as it was impoffible to prevent men from thinking, fo, in defiance of all reftrictions and laws, they would ever

find fome means of communicating their fentiments, and the more publicly that was done, the lefs pernicious or dangerous would be the ef, fect. The prince had the fatisfaction this year of feeing his fifter, the princefs royal, married at an earry age to the prince of Slefwic Holtein.

The hereditary prejudices and animofities which have fo long operated, with all the force of a natural antipathy, upon the people and even the fovereigns of the northern kingdoms, feems to be wearing faft away. Indeed, as a clearer view of their mutual and refpective interefts, as well as of their common danger, takes place, these preju dices, which had been formed upon a totally different fcale of things, and under caufes and impreffions which no longer exift, muft of neceffity decline. The greatest harmony accordingly fubfifts, and if true policy prevails muft continue. and increase, between the northern crowns and kingdoms.

We omitted in its proper place to take notice of a great and royal work executed in Denmark, being no less than the forming of a short and direct junction between the Baltic and the German ocean. This was done by drawing a navigable canal from west to east across the peninfula of Jutland, the ancient Cimbrian Cherfonefe. This canal was opened in the month of May 1785, and accompanied with an edict, by which a paffage through it was granted to all nations (on the payment of certain fpecified tolls or duties) for fix years; a limitation as to time for which we do not pretend to fee the motive. Neither can we, as we have feen no scale of this canal, nor any account of its dimenfions

dimenfions with respect to breadth or depth, form any accurate efti mate of its probable utility; which, from its nature, fhould be great indeed.

The new treaty of navigation and commerce between France and England, which was concluded at Verfailles on the zoth of September 1786, may be justly confidered among the most important political events of the prefent year. It feemed almoft fingular, that this treaty was far from affording general fatisfaction to the people on either fide of the water; and that each nation appeared to think that it had granted too much to the other, or had even been overreached by it in fome parts of the compact, and particularly in the rating and adjustment of the equivalents: a circumitance, however, which may be confidered as affording no flight indication of its being founded on liberal and equitable principles, efpecially taking the numerous and deeply rooted prejudices which it had on both fides to encounter into the estimate.

of the subject, or involved in the apprehenfion of the manner in which it might affect their own peculiar interests.

It is to be obferved, that this was not a novel idea with either of the parties; and that the general principles of the prefent treaty were the fame with those of a former one which had been rejected by the English parliament in the year 1713. The courts of London and Versailles had then abfolutely agreed upon the conditions; it was a part of the fyftem of the tory miniftry who concluded the peace; and it only wanted the fanction of parliament for its final completion. But all the weight and influence of the court, with that of the frong party which then predominated, notwithstanding their utmost exertions to carry it through, were foiled in the attempt. It fhould, however, be remembered, that the violent prejudices which were then entertained by the ftrongest partifans of the revolution against France, againft the peace, againft the queen herfelf, and against her minifters, who they confidered as the open betrayers of their country to her greatest enemy, and as harbouring defigns directly fubverfive of the conftitution, could not but operate greatly to the rejection of this treaty, independently of its real merits

Without attempting at this time to enter into any particular difcuffion of thofe which may be difcovered in the prefent, we fhall only obferve in general, that an apparent fairness, a defire to bury an cient animofities, to cure national prejudices, and to remove the partialities incident to jarring interests,

feem