This Manaffch, on his arrival in England, prefented an Addrefs to the Lord Protector, recognizing his authority, and foliciting his protection: "For our people, (fays he,) "did in their own minds prefage, that the kingly government being now changed into that of a com"monwealth, the ancient hatred to"ward them, would also be changed "into good-will: that thofe rigour"ous laws, if any there be yet extant "made under the kings, against so "innocent a people, would happily "be repealed." He also prefented, printed, and difperfed, a declaration to the commonwealth, and a treatife containing feveral arguments for toleration, addreffed to the juftice of the principled, to the prudence of the reflecting, and to the prejudices of the multitude *. On the 4th of December, 1655, Cromwell fummoned a convention, meeting, or privy council, confisting of two lawyers, seven citizens, and fourteen noted preachers, to confult upon this requeft of the Jews. Among the latter, Mr Goodwin and Mr Peters, (whofe works were burned along with thofe of Milton at the Reftoration,) and Mr Nye, (of celebrated beard,) particularly exerted themfelves in favour of putting the Jews upon the like footing with other fects. So many fymptoms of preju dice and intolerance efcaped from o thers, that, after a conference of four days, Cromwell began to think the measure would not be introduced to the people from the pulpits, in a manner to affift its popularity; and therefore difmiffed the meeting, faying, they had rendered the matter more doubtful to him than it was before. On the Ift of April, he took leave of Manaffeh, by a polite, but evafive answer. Whilst this affair

was pending, the Rabbee Jacob Ben Azahel profeffed to entertain fufpicions that Cromwell was the expected Meffiah; an opinion propagated, no doubt, for the purpose of attract ing a vaft concourfe of the lower claffes of Jews into England, in cafe the political equality, for which Manaffah petitioned, could have been obtained. Some few muft, from this period, have fettled in London by connivance, fince, in 1663, their regifter of births contained twelve names and during the whole reign of Charles II. who introduced the fale of patents of denization, their numbers increased.

In 1684, James the Second, (who loft the affections of the bigotted people, as much by his difpofition to tolerate both Catholics and Diffenters, as by his political intolerance to the adherents of Monmouth,) remitted the alien duty upon all goods exported, in favour of the Jews.This was univerfally refented by the English merchants, who were appre henfive, that the fame duties would alfo be remitted upon all imported goods. Petitions from the Hamburgh company, from the Eaft-land company, from fifty-feven of the leading merchants in the city, from the weft, and from the north, were offered to the king against this equitable regulation. Thefe illiberal beings were glad, under any pretext, to defraud fome of their neighbours of the privilege to trade upon the fame terms with themfelves: remember, ing the homely proverb, "the fewer "the better cheer," they were naturally very glad to fee the number of candidates leffened for the advan tanges they were themselves ftriving to obtain. After the revolution, this order was fuperfeded, to the great joy of the Chriftian merchants.

In

In the first year of Queen Anne, a deteftable ftatute was paffed, to encourage the converfion of young Jews, by emancipating fuch converts from all dependence upon their pa rents. And in the fixth year of Geo. II. Reafons were offered to the Lord Mayor and court of Aldermen, for applying to Parliament for the fup

preffion of Jew-brokers. No pub lic proceeding, however, enfued: e, quity for once overpowered selfishnefs: it feemed the dawn of rifing liberality; but, like the twilight of a winter's morn with the arctic-circle, was to be fucceeded by no effectual fun-fhine.

[To be concluded in our next.]

1

HE great exertions of France in military preparations, have excited apprehenfions, that, as, according to Mr Burke, the country "had been blotted out of the map of Europe," it had alfo no longer any place in the Republic of letters. But the cruelties of the reign of terror are over all the men of fcience and genius are not deftroyed'; and thofe who have furvived the wreck, feem to be infpired with tenfold ardour, to fupply the loffes their country has fuftained. The executive govern ment co-operates with them, and from the united efforts of genius and power, whatever may be the political refults of the prefent ftate of Europe, literature and fcience feem likely to be more foftered in France, in this, than in any former period.

On the 7th of last December, The New Academy of Arts and Sciences, founded on a decree of the new conRitution, was opened with proper ceremonies. Benezech, the minifter for the home department, attended the meeting. The decrees were read, and preliminary fpeeches made."

The decree was to the following purport:

perfection of which they are capable' It is to notice every new attempt, and all new discoveries, and to keep up a correfpondence with all foreign literary focieties. And by the par-. ticular orders of the executive directory, its firft ftudies are to be directed to thofe fubjects, which more immediately tend to the reputation and advantage of the French repub. lie."

The Academy is to confift of 288 members, half of whom are to refide in Paris, the other half in the departments; and to them is to be added a certain number of foreigners, as ho norary members, confined at present to twenty-four."

The Academy is divided into three claffes, each clafs into fections, each fection to contain twelve members.

Ift clafs.-Mathematics and na, tural philofophy. This clafs is divided into ten fections. 1. Mathematics. 2. Mechanical arts. 3. Aftronomy, 4. Experimental philofophy. 5. Che miftry. 6. Natural hiftory, 7. Botany. 8. Anatomy and animal hiftory. 9. Medicine and furgery. 10. Animal economy, and the veterinary fcience.

1.

2d clafs. Morality and politics. This clafs confifts of fix fections. Analyfis of fenfations and ideas. 2, Morals, 3. Legislature. 4. Poli

flative body, of the progrefs made in that year in the arts and fciences. The prizes given yearly by each clafs are to be publicly notified at certain times. The fums requifite for the fupport of the inftitution are to be decreed yearly by the legiflative body, upon a requifition made by the executive directory.

The first forty-eight members were chofen by the executive directory, to whom the choice of the remaining members was confided. To the members, refidentiary in Paris, is referved the choice both of the department and the foreign members. On a vacancy in any clafs, three candidates are named by the clafs for the choice of the body at large,

Each clafs is to have, at its place of meeting, a collection of the products, both of nature and art, and a library, according to its particular

wants.

The regulations of the inftitution, with refpect to the times of meeting, and its employments, are to be drawn up by the body at large, and laid before the legislative affembly.

On the first of December, the College Royal was again opened, under the name of the College of France, As many of the former profeffors have disappeared, the remaining members are to fill up their places, with the approbation of the executive directory. At the opening of the college, Bouchaud, formerly member of the Academy of Inferiptions, read, as Profeffor of the law of nations, the plan of his future lectures, Portal gave an account of the epidemic fever in the Vendée, and of the opening of the body of Lalande's nephew, who loft his life by this disease. Lalande gave his hiftory of Aftronomy, for the year 1795, the plan of the new board of longitude, and a sketch of the plan to measure a meridional line from Dunkirk to Barcelona. Riviere, Profeffor of Hebrew, explain

ed many places in Homer, which he efteemed as Hebraifras. Cauffin, Profeffor of Arabic, read a tranflation of a little Arabic poem, of the fixth century; and feveral other Profeffors read their effays on the parts of knowledge or literature in their refpective branches.

Two great national inftitutions The Museum of Paintings, or Confervatory of the Arts, and The Library, promise to be eminently beneficial to the world. Each of them has been greatly enriched by the acquifitions of the republic. The first, by a vaft collection of paintings from Holland and the Low Countries, and continual contributions, promifes to draw to Paris (as Italy formerly did) the artists of all nations. Several changes have been made in the national library. It is now under the direction of a committee of fix per. fons, with equal powers. De Praet has the care of the printed books, Langles the eastern manufcripts. Dutheil, the Greek and Latin manufcripts. Le Grand d'Auffy, the manufcripts in modern languages. Barthelemy, the medals and antiques; and Joly the copper-plates.

From the decree of the legislative body, and the preparations in confequence of it, the French begin to flatter themselves, that they fhall foon make a confiderable progrefs in the eastern languages. According to this decree, a Public School is to be erected in the national library, for the learning of Eaftern Languages, particularly of thofe which may be useful in political or commercial fpeculations. This fchool is to have the following masters: one for the ancient and modern Arabic; one for the Turkish and Tartarian; and another for Perfian and Malayan. The teachers are to inftruct their fcholars, not only in the languages, but in the political and commercial

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