reduced to the neceffity of becoming beggars or vagabonds, or, what may be confidered as a calamity little less confiderable, being obliged to inlift in foreign fervice in the countries through which they paffed.

The king has, however, revived the scheme with great vigour, and no lefs apparent effect; so that there feems now to be a fair prospect of its fucceeding to advantage. Befides taking the remains of the old fettlers, amounting now to about 600, under his immediate protection, and giving new animation and vigour to their induftry, he has made an importation of 500 Roman catholic Swifs families. Whether it proceeds from improvements, derived from experience, in the regulation, whether from habits of greater. industry in the Swifs, whether the climate is better fuited to their conftitutions than to the natives of northern Germany, or whether from the operation of all these, and perhaps other caufes, this colony proceeds much more profperously than the former. This fuccefs has fo much encouraged the king, that he is making farther and greater importations, and upon a ftill more improved plan, of Germans, French, and Swifs, to whom great advantages are held out; their farms being granted in perpetuity upon fome very eafy terms, proper ftock provided for them at prefent, and a competent quantity of land tilled and fown at his expence for each family the first year. The expence has been found very great, and has exceeded what even could have been imagined; but it is an expence truly royal, and worthy of a king.

Among other domeftic regulations, the king has abolished, or at leaft greatly circumfcribed and re

ftricted, the celebration of the bull feafts, which had for fo many centuries been the peculiar and favourite diverfion of Spain; a diverfion which foreigners had generally confidered or reprefented as a proof of the prefent barbarism, and an indication of the natural cruelty of the people: poftions which fhould be well weighed before they are in any degree admitted; and which, if at all juft, are fubject to much limitation. The English have been no lefs reproached for their bull-baiting, boxing matches, quarter-staff and cudgel playing, with their general difpofition to athletic exercifes, and eagerness to behold fierce combats, whether between their own fpecies or other animals.

Perhaps it is not always confidered, in paffing thefe cenfures, that man is born to a state of contention and warfare; that he is doomed to ftruggle with difficulties, and is at all times liable to be compelled to oppofe and to furmount dangers, or to perish in the encounter; and that these are circumstances from which no condition of fortune, or state of fociety, can at all times fecure him. It behoves him therefore not to indulge in the idea that he is always to flumber upon beds of rofes; but to ftrengthen his mind, and harden his body, for the reception of those hard conflicts, from which no humility of character, nor innocency of life, may poffibly afford him an exemption. As man has profited, in many inftances of art and domeftic œconomy, from the example of inferior animals, he need not think it beneath him to improve in the virtues of courage and fortitude from the example of the more generous and noble kinds, as that exhibited by the heroic part of his own species

can

can rarely come within his immediate knowledge: otherwife, by the indulgence of too refined a delicacy, and the affectation of a fentimental difpofition, which is neither fuited to our nature or condition, men may again fink into the deplorable fituation of the Sybarites, and neither be able to endure the fight of blood, nor to hear of danger, until they found themselves overwhelmed in both. The rough mafculine exercises, and hard perfonal conflicts of the common people, are preparatives to war; they inure men to refiftance, to place a confidence in their own powers and addrefs in action, to endure toils, blows, and danger, and to feel all the pride and triumph of victory. Need it be remembered, that the conflicts of fierce animals were fpectacles admired by the most celebrated, as well as the most elegant nations of antiquity: and we may add, that it is a gratification, no ways artificial and improper for a reasonable being, to behold any creature exerting the generous energies of his nature.

The king of Spain has, however, prohibited the celebration of bull feafts, excepting only in thofe cafes where the profits arifing from them have been already afligned to fome charitable, benevolent, or patriotic purpose, and that no other fund has yet been appropriated to fupply the deficiency. He has likewife prohibited, under heavy penalties, the use of more than two horfes or mules in gentlemen's carriages, within the limits of any of the towns of the kingdom. This injunction was attended with a circular letter to the foreign minifters, enclofing a copy of the edict, and acquainting them respectively, that his catholic maVOL. XXVIII.

jefty hoped they would fet an example of compliance to the public, by their own conformity to this new regulation. The motive affigned in the preamble to the edict for these prohibitions is, that the former practice occafioned a great deftruction of cattle, and the latter a great wafte of their time and labour, when they might be fo much more advantageously employed for the purposes of agriculture. The affigned motive does not feem at all to hold with refpect to the fuppreffion of the bull feafts, as the animals used in thefe fpectacles were actual wild bulls, taken with great difficulty, and in an abfolute state of nature, in the remotest forefts; and these are too fierce and untameable to admit almoft the poffibility of their being broken down to country fervice.

The liberal difpofition to improvement, at prefent prevalent in the court of Madrid, is not, however, confined to rural or domeftic matters; it seems to reach to every thing, and to every part of their extenfive dominions. The king, reflecting upon the number of fhips and lives, both foreign and domestic, which were every year loft upon the coafts of the kingdom, through the want of an accurate knowledge of them, and the imperfection of the old charts, which instead of being the guides to fafety, frequently led the unwary navigator into error and ruin, generously and humanely determined to remedy this evil. For the execution of this important purpofe, Don Vincent Tofinode, a man of fcience, and who prefides in the marine academies, has ever fince the conclufion of the peace with England, accompanied by able affiftants, been affiduously and fuccefffully employed in furveying and [C]

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delineating the coafts of the kingdom. This is faid to have been done with unexampled care and accuracy, taking in the whole coaft from Cape Saint Vincent to the Streights of Gibraltar, and from thence to the Cape de Creux, on the coaft of Cotalonia, and including the oppofite Barbary fhores. There has not yet been time to publish the charts, but it is expected that they will be found a great nautical improvement, and prove a treasure to mariners.

In the fame fpirit, the king de termined that the various accounts of the Streights of Magellan, which have been given by the navigators of different nations, fhould be examined and corrected. For this purpose a frigate was dispatched from Cadiz, under the conduct of Don Antonio Cordova of Lafo, who was fo fortunate as in a few months fully to execute his commiffion. This officer brought home an accurate chart of the freights, in which all the capes, bays, promontories, and other remarkable objects on the oppofite coafts, are diftinctly laid down, with their longitudes, latitudes, and refpective diftances, afcertained by aftronomical obfervation. With all the delays incident to this material fervice, and to the unequalled turbulence of that boifterous climate, they arrived in little more than five weeks from their entering the ftreights at Port St. Jofeph, the moft fouthern of the continent. From thence Don Antonio went in his barge to explore the channel of St. Barbe, which lies three leagues from that port, on the coaft of the Terra del Fuego, where he found the paffage which had been long conjectured, but never before afcertained, that leads into the South

Seas. After examining the wellern parts of the ftreight to the Capes Lunes and Providence, which they found to be eleven leagues diftant from thofe called the Pillars and Victoria, he returned to Port St. Jofeph. From thence the frigate returned home through the freights, having loft bat two men in the courfe of three months which they spent in that region of eternal winter, tempefts, and defolation, which had fo long been the terror of mariners. It is probable that this fhip was indebted for her unufual healthiness to the admirable and fuccefsful meafures adopted and published by captain Cook for the preservation of his feamen,

The exertions of Spain for the improvement and, increase of her naval power, have not only been unremittingly continued, but carried on with fresh vigour, and in a more extenfive degree, fince the conclufion of the war. This fyftem will probably continue, fo long as the French influence predominates at the court of Madrid, and the family compact retains its full vigour. This, however, ought not to caufe any great alarm to thofe who duly weigh the temporary effect and fhort du→ ration of any influence, and the fragil nature of family and all other political compacts. Money may enable princes to build or purchase great fleets, but that alone will be found very unequal to the rendering them effective, or really formidable. Bold and able feamen, with gallant and experienced officers, are treasures not to be purchased. Moft of the ftates of Europe poffefs a confiderable number of large and well-looking fhips of war, and thefe exhibit a formidable appearance of artillery: yet, what figure have they

ever made, or would they now make, in action ?

This being, however, the era of reform and improvement in Spain, fhe is paying an unusual degree of attention to her foreign commerce and to her colonies, (much furer and more permanent fources of naval ftrength) as well as to the other parts of her political economy. Among the inftances of this attention, an East India company, under the name of the Royal Philippine, was established in the beginning of the year 1785. The capital of this company was fixed at 30 millions of livres, being fomething about L. 1,300,000 fterling; of which the old Caraccas company, now united with the new, furnished nine millions, the king five, the bank of Madrid, and the inhabitants of the Philippine islands, three each; the remaining ten millions were allotted into fhares of a thoufand livres each, and subscribed for by the public at large. The company is charged with the equipment of the merchant fhips deftined for Spanish America, which they are to fupply with European merchandize, and to receive the products of thofe countries in return. A difcretionary number of fhips are to proceed yearly from Acapulco to the Philippines, with coined filver, corn, fruits, and fuch other products or commodities of Europe or America as were found to fuit the market; and with thefe they were to purchafe the goods of India and China, for the fupply both of the mother country and her colonies. The company are to have a council of adminiftration at Acapulco, another at Manilla, and a fupreme one at Madrid, which is to receive the correfpondence and to controul the conduct of the other

two. The king has likewife opened the ports of the Philippine islands to all nations.

This laft measure seems to give fome countenance to a report which has been currently spread, that the Spanish administration have for fome time paft had it in ferious contemplation to break through that narrow fyftem of policy, which has been fo long and fo unremittingly purfued, of reftricting the commerce of Spanish America entirely to the mother country; and that now adopting more liberal ideas, and tak ing a more clear and fcientifical view of the nature both of trade and of colonies, they were actually digefting plans for opening a trade with foreign nations on the western coaft of South America, by the conftituting of three free ports in the latter; and that this defign had been fo far advanced, that the ports of Baldivia in Chili, of Bonaventura in New Granada, and of Cinalea in New Mexico, were thofe propofed for the purpofe, and would probably be fixed upon. The time which has elapfed fince the circulation of this report, does not ferve entirely to overthrow its credibility, nor even afford any abfolute demonstration that the project is now abandoned, if its former existence be admitted; as a measure of fo much novelty and importance, involved in fuch a multitude of complicated confequences, of collateral connections and cir cumftances, could not but require much nicety of enquiry, as well as much previous and mature confide\ration.

Though the Spaniards have at all times endeavoured to cover, with a veil of impenetrable obfcurity and fecrecy, the ftate, circumftances, and tranfactions of their colonies in Southern

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Southern America, endeavouring, as much as it was in human power, to feclude them from all intercourfe and correspondence with the reft of mankind, yet neither the penalties of laws, the industry and vigilance of power, nor the immenfity of feas and defarts, can at all times prevent "the fecrets of the prifon house from escaping. Most of the public prints throughout Europe have for fome years abounded with accounts of dangerous rebellions, and even expected revolutions, in Peru, Chili, and other parts of South America. It has even been pretended, that a defcendant of the Incas was at the head of a numerous Indian army, and making fuccefsful efforts to recover the throne, and to re-establish the empire of his ancestors.

Although the extravagance of thefe accounts was fufficient to deftroy their credibility, even in those things that were poffibly true, yet it may be gathered upon the whole, from the concurrence of circumftances which did not admit of doubt, that the Spanish dominion in South America has for fome years been confiderably disturbed by commotions of fome fort or other. It would feem, however, in fpeculation (the dim lights afforded us not admitting of any clear view) that these disturbances could not have proceeded entirely, if at all, from the Indians: for, excepting the brave and unconquered nations of Chili (who are not, however, capable of carrying on a diftant or regular war) we hold the Indians to be involved in too great a multitude of moral, phyfical, and political incapacities, to admit of their acting with that vigour and union, which could alone afford the most diftant profpect of recovering their liber

ties; and that they are too much debilitated, and have been too long broken down to the yoke, to be capable of becoming even the principals in any confiderable commotion.

It is well known, that the old Spanish fettlers and natives of that vaft continent, have from time immemorial been exceedingly discontented with many circumstances in the government and internal adminiftration of those countries. That, in particular, the conftant difpofal of all places of truft and emolument to Europeans, has long been regarded by them with the greatest jealoufy and refentment, and confidered as a badge of the most intolerable flavery. That the infupportable arrogance of these new comers, the haughty difdain they difplay, and the contemptuous infolence with which, upon every occafion, they treat the natives, would alone be fufficient to render them odious in the extreme: but when with these are reckoned their numberlefs other ill qualities and vices; the avarice and oppreffion with which they rapidly collect immenfe fortunes; and their hafty conveyance of them out of the country, as if its plunder had been the only object of their mission; it is not to be wondered at that fuch a fyftem of oppreffion, rapacity, and irritation, fhould beget a mortal averfion to the native Spaniards, and no fmall diflike to the government by which fuch enormities were admitted.

These general caufes, concurring perhaps with other local and particular ones, have undoubtedly laid the foundations of fome confiderable diforders and commotions in Spanish America, although the means of information are too imperfect to ad