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32X

^ ^ i^/3&lMpgraphical, H

R A

AND

PRESENT

STATE

OF THE SEVERAL

KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD,

CONTAINING

I. The Figurer, Motions, and Diftances
of the Planets, according to the New-
tonian Syftem and the lateft Obfer-
vations.

II. A general View of the Earth con-
fidered as a Planet ; with feveral ufc-
tul Geographical Definitions and Pro-
l)Iems.

III. The grand Divifions of the Globe
into Land and Water, Continents and
Illands.

IV. The Situation and Extent of Em-
pires, Kingdoms, State?, Provinces,
and Colonies.

V. Their Climates Air^ Soil, vegetable
Produftions, Metals, Minerals, na-
tural Curiofities, Seas, Rivers, Bays,

vr. The Birds and Bcafts peculiar to
each Country.

VII. Obfervations on the Changes that
have been any where obfc-rved upon
the Face of Nature fince the moft
early Periods of Hiftory.

VIII. The Hiftory and Origin of Na-
tions; their Forms of Government,
Religion, Laws, Revenues, Taxes,
naval and military Strength.

IX. The Genius,- Manners, Cuftoms.
and Habits of the People.

X. Their Language, Learning.Arts, Sci-
ences, Manufadures, and Commerce,

XI. The chief Cities, Structures, Ruins,
and artificial Curiofities.

XII. The Longitude, Latitude, Bear-
ings and Diftances of principal Placei
from London,

;;^>

Capes, Promontories, and Lakes

TO WHICH ARE ADDED,

I. A Geographical Index, with the Names of Places alphabeti-
cally arranged. II. A Chronological Table of remarkable
Events from the Creation to the prefent Time. III. A Table of
the Coins of all Nations, and their Value in English Monet.

By WILLIAM GUTHRIE, Efq.

ILLUSTRATED WITH

A NEW AND COR{^ECT SET OF LARGE MAPS^
Engraved by Mr. K ITCH IN, Geographer.

A NEW EDITION, improved and enlarged;
The Astronomical Part by James Ffrguson, 1?. R. S.

VOLUME 1.

L O N D O N^

l*nntcd for J. Knox; and fold by E. and C. Dilly, irt

the Poultry J and G. Robinson, Pater Nofter Row.

M DCC LXXVI.

■'- •^■

ttOfpr'xy'A Soir Gufltrir a
-new Grogr aphicalGcannnaT

SanOiPoU

i
1

. ■» • i ,

t -

» -

1, i.

/f"

THE

PREFACE.

TO a man fincerely intercfted in the welfare of
fociety and of his country, it miiit be particu-
larly agreeable to reflect on the rapid progrefs,
and general diffufion of learning and civility, whicli,
within the prefent age, have taken place in Great-Bri-
tain. Whatever may be the cafe in fome other king^
doms of Europe, we, in this ifland, may boaft of our
fuperiority to thofe illiberal prejudices, which not only
cramp the genius, but four the temper of man,
and diiTiurb all the agreeable intercourfe of fociety.
Among us, learning is no longer confined within the
fchools of the philofophers, or the courts of the great j
but, like all the greatefl advantages which heaven has
bellowed on mankind, it is become as univerfU as it is
ufeful.

This general diffufion of knowledge is one cfTe^l of
that happy confticution of government, which, towards
the clofe of the laft century, was confirmed > us, and
which conftitutes the peculiar glory of this nation. In other
countries, the great body of the people poflefs little wealth,
have little power, and confequently meet with little refped ;
in Great-Britain the people are opulent,- have great in-
fluence, and claim, of courfe, a proper fharc of attention.
To their improvement, therefore, men of letters have late*
ly directed their ftudies ^ as tiie great body of the people,
no lefs than the dignified, the learned^ or the wealthy
few, have an acknowledged title to be amufed and
inftru6led. Books have been diverted of the terms qf
the fchools, reduced from that fize which fuited only the
purfes of the rich, and the avocations of the ftudious ;
and adapted to perfons of more ordinary fortunes, whofc
attachment to other purfuits admitted of little leifure

;

A z

for

r R E F A c f:.

for thofc of knowledge. It is t ) books of this kind,
more than to the works of our Bacons, our I^ockt'-.,
and our Newtons, that the gcncrarty ot our countrynu-n
ov/ethut fupcrior improveir.cnr, which dillinguilhcs thent
from tlie lower ranks of !ncn in all other countries. To
promote and advance this iin})rovcmcnt, is the princi-
pal dcri,;2;n of our |)ref.nt undcr;akin[v. No llibjcc^l ap-
pears more intereltiiij.^ than that we jjavc ciiolen, and
none feems capable of bi'ing handled in a Uianncr that
may renJc^r it more f>;eiierally ufeful.

I'he knowk-dnije of tiie world, and of its inhabitants,
thou^^h not the fublimen; pur]l:it of mankind, it mull
be ;.lljv/ed, is th.it v.iuih moll nearly intereJls them,
and to which their ablHiics are bell ad;i])tcd. And Books
of Gei.'.graphy, which delcribe the ficuatic^n, extent, li.iT,
and produdtlons oi' kinr;;doms-, the geniur,, manners, re-
ligion, government, commerce, fciences, antl arts of all
the in!iabitants upon c-rth, promile the bell aliillance
for attaining this knowledge.

The Compendium cf Geography, we nov/ offer to
the public, dilTers in many particulars from other books
on tiiut iubjccl. Kelides exliibiting an eafy, dillindl, and
fyflematic account of the rlieory and pracbice of what
may be called Natural Geograpliv, the Author has at-
tempted to render the following performance, an inltruc-
tive, though con.pendious detail of the general hillory
of the world. I'he char^'cler of nations depends on a
fuccelllonof a great many clrcumllances which recipro-
cally afred each other. There is a nearer connexion
between the learning, the commerce, the government,
^cc. of a fcate, than mcAi people feem to apprehend.
In a v/ork of this kind, whicii p.etends to include
moral, or political, as well as natural geography, no
one of thofe objefts fliould pals unnoticed. The omif-
fion of any one of them would, in reality, deprive us of
a branch of knowledge, not only interefting in itfelf, but
which is abfolutely neceiLry for enabling us to form an

adequate

P R E F A C K. -. V

Q'Jcquntf ami comprelicnfive nonoii of the fubjccl in jre-
ncral. Wchavc tlioiiglit it nccclVary, thcrdbre, to add a
new article to this work, which cofnprchcnds the hidory
and nrolcnt itate of learniiiir, in the firvcral countries we
defcribe, with the charadlers of iuch perfons as have
been moll eminent in the various departments of let-
ter:; and philolbphy. This fubjecl will, on a li'.tlc re-
flexion, appear altogether rcquifite, when v/e con-
fider the powerful influence of learnlnnr upon tlie man-
ners, government, and general character of nations.
'I'hefe ol))eds, indeed, till of late, feldom found a place
in geographical performances •, and, even where they have
been introduced, are by no means handled in an enter-
taining or inftrudive manner. Neither is this to be al-
togetiier imputed to the fault of geographical writers.
The greater part of travellers, adting folely under the in-
fluence of avarice, the paflion whicii firft induced rhem
to quit their native land, were at little pains, and were
indeed ill-qualified to colled fuch materials as are pro-
per for gratifying our curiofity, with regard to thefe par-
ticulars. The geograplier then, who could only employ
the materials put into his hands, was not enabled to give
us any important infjrmation upon fuch fubjects. In
the courfe of the prefent century, however, men have
begun to travel from different motives. A thirll for
knowledge, as well as for gold, has led many into dif-
tant lands. Thefe they have explored with a philcfophic
attention-, and by laying open the internal fprings of
a6tion, by which the inhabitants of different regions are
adluated, exhibit to us a natural and flriking picliire of
human manners, under the various ftages of barbarity
and refinement. Without manifeit impropriety, v/e could
not but avail ourfelvcs of their labours, by means of
which, we have been enabled to give a more copious,
and a more perfed detail of what is called Political
Geography, than has hitherto appeared. . ,

vi PREFACE

In confklcring the prcfent ftatc of nations, few cit^*
cumllanccs arc of more importance than their mutual
intercourfe. This is chiefly brought about by commerce,
the prime mover in the oeconomy of modern dates,
and of wliich therefore we have never loft fight in the pre-
lent undertaking.

We are fenfible that a reader could not examine tlie
prefcnt (late of nations with mucli entertainment or
inilruf^ion, unlefs he was alfo made acquainted with
their fituarion during the preceding ages, and of the vari-
ous revolutions and events, by the operation of which they
have afllimed their prcfent form and appearance. This
conftitutcs the hiftorical part of our Work i a department
which we have endeavoured to execute in a mannerenfirc-
ly new. Inllead of fatiguing the reader with a dry detail of
news-paper occurrences, occurrences no way conneded
with one another, or with the general plan of the whole^
we have mentioned only fuch fads as are interefting, either
in themil'lves, or from their relation to objeds of im*
portance. Inftead of a meagre index of incoherent in-*
cident?, we have drawn up a regular and connected
epitome of the hiftory of each country, fuch an epi-
tome as may be read with equal pleafure and advantage^
and which may be confidered as a proper introdudliorl
to more copious accounts.

Having, through the whole of the V/ork, mentioned
the antient names of countries, and in treating of their
particular hiltory fometimes carried our refearciies
beyond the limits of modern times, we have thought it
neceflary, for the fatisfadion of fuch readers as are un-
acquainted with claflical learning, to begin our hiitorical
Introduction with the remote ages of antiquity- By in-
Icrting an account of the antient world in a book of
geography, we afford an opportunity to tlie reader, of
comparing together not only the manners, government,
and arts of different nations, as they now appear, but

iiitiial
nerce,
dates,
eprc-

PREFACE. vH

a's they fubfifted in antient ages -, which exhibiting a
general map, as it were, of tlie hittory of mankind,
renders our work more complete than any geographical
trcatife extant.

In the execution of our defign, we have all along en-
dcavcLired to obferve order and perfpicuity. Elegance
we have facrificed to brevity. Happy to catch the
leading features which dillinguifh the characters of na-
tions, and by a few ftrokcs to hit ofl', though not com-
pletely to finifli, the pidlure of mankind in antient and
modern times.

What has enabled us to comprife (o many fubjcCls
within the narrow bounds of thi'^. work, is the omif-
fion of many immaterial circumllances, v/hich ate record-
ed in other performances of the fame kind, and of all
thofe fabulous accounts or defcriptions which, to the
difgrace of the human underilanding, fwell the works of
geographers; though the falfity of them, both from
their own nature and the concurring teftimony of the
mofl enlightened and beft-infonncd travellers and hifto-
rians, be long fmce detected.

As to particular parts of the work, we have been
more or lefs diffufe, according to their importance to U3
as men, and as fubjedls of Great-Britain. Our own
country, in both refpedls, deferved the greateft Ihare of
our attention. Great-Britain, though fhe cannot boaft
of a more luxuriant foil or happier climate than many
other countries, has advantages of another and fuperior
kind, which make her the delight, the envy, and the
miftrefs of the world : thefe are, the equity of her laws,
the freedom of her political conftitution, and the
moderation of her religious lyllem. With regard to
the Britilh empire we have therefore been fmgularly
copious.

, Next to Great-Britain, we have been moft particular
upon the other dates of Europe ; and always in propor-
tion as they prefent us with the larged field for ufeful

A 4 refie<Sioa»

vm PREFACE.

i\: ftc6tion. By comparing together our accounts of the
Liiropean nations, an important lyftem of prad:ical
kno\vie:loe is inculcated, and a thovifand aro-uments
will appear in l^ivour of a mild religion, a free
government, and an extended, unrellrained commerce.

Europe having occupied i'o large a part of our vo-
lume, A fia next claims our at ten don-, which, however., tho*
in ibme reipetSh. the moil famous quarter of the world,
offers, wiren con-.panxi to Europe, extremely little for
our entertainment or infiruction. In Afia, a ilrong
attachment to antient ciiflonis, and the weight of tyran-
nical power, bears dowa the aclive genius of tiie inha-
bitants, and prevents that variet}' in manners ami charac-
ter, which diilinguifhes the European nations. The ini-
menfe country of China alone, renowned for the wifdom
tef its laws and political conilitution, equally famous for
the fingularity of its language, literature, and phiiofo-
phy, delerves to be confidtred at fome length.

In Africa, the huinan mind feeins degraded below its
natural ftate. To dwell long upon the iiianners of this
country, a country imnurfed in rudenefs and bitrha-
rity, befides that it could afford little inftru<5i:ion, would
be difgufling to every Io^'•er of mankind. Add to this,
that the inhabitants of Africa, dtprived of all arts and
fciences, without which the human rnind remains torpid
and inaclive, dlfcover no great variety in manners or
c!iara6ter. A gloomy famimefs ahnofi: every where pre-
vails ; and the trifling diPdnClions whiih are difcovered
among them, feem rathei- zo ariie from an excels of bruta-
lity on tiieone iiand, than from any perceptible approaches
towards refinement on the other. But the' thefe quarters
of the globe are treated lefs extenfively than Europe,
there is no diilrict of them, however barren or favage,
intirclv omitted.

America, v/hcthcr confidered as an immenfe conti-

nt: t, inhabited by un endltfs variety of different people,

3^ 9^

mcnts
I free
prcc.
ir vo-
tho'

e for
Itrong

PREFACE, It

or as a country intimately connected with Europe by rii«
t;cs of commerce and govornmcnr^ defer ves very particular
atfcntion. The bold difcovcry, and barbarous conqueft
of this new Woiid, and the manners and prejudices of
the original inhabitants, are objedts, which, together
with the defcriprion of the country, defer vedly occupy
no fmnl) fhate of this performance.

hi trearjng of iuch a variety of fubjecls, fonic left ol>-
vious particulars, no doubt, muft efcape our notice. But
if our general plan ive good, and tlie outlines nnd chief
figures fetched with truth znd judgment, the candour
of the k^irncd, wc Jiope, will excufe imperfections wiiich
are ui^avoidabk in a work of this extenfive kind.

We cannot, without exceeding die bounds of a
Preface, ipSiii upon the other parts of our plan. TIic
Maps.^ which are bcw, and correded with care, will,
we hope, afford fatisfattion. The fcience <yf natural
geography^ for want of proper encouragement from
thofc who are alone capable of giving it, ftill remain*
in. z very imperfei^l- ilate •> and the exad divifions and ex-
tent of countries, for want of geometrical furveys, are
far from being well afcertained. This confideration has
induced us to adopt the moll unexceptiGriablc of Tern-
pieman's Tables ^, which, if they give not the exat^teii
account, afford at kaO: a general idea of this fubie6ri
which is all indeed we can attain, until the geographical
fcience arrives at greater perfc(^tion. They are, JDefides,
recomn^ended by their brevity, and the making ufe of "
them has enabled us to introduce fome fubjeds ipore
necefiary in this undertaking than the minute divifions
of countries, whofe boundaries and Ctuations we are
yet little acquainted with.

Thus

':,

i
■!

St PREFACE.

Thus far the original Preface, with rcfpedt to the dc-
fign and general plan of the work, which a few months
ago made its firft appearance in one very large o6lavo
volume, clofely but diftindly printed.

Tho* the book was chiefly intended for fchools, and
the more uninformed part of mankind, we have the
pleafure to find, by the rapidity of its falc, and the
univerfal approbation it has met with, that it has at-
tracted the notice of thofe who are beft able to judge of
the execution, and, contrary to the general fate of mo-
dern publications, has already found a place in the
libraries of the learned.

One advantage it certainly poflefles, which few hif-
torical productions can boall of— Throughout the whole,
the Author feems to have diverted himfclf of political,
religious, and national prejudices-, and where he difco-
vers any biafs, it is always in favour of civil and religious
liberty.

The fmallnefs of the type of the firft edition, tho'
extremely proper for fchools, and young people, has
however prevented many, who are more advanced in
life, from becoming purchafers. It was therefore judged
necefiary to give the public an edition on a larger type,
and confequently in two volumes, which enables us
to accommodate every clafs of readers.

The prefent edition likewife appears with feveral
other advantages. The fcientific part of the work
has been correded and improved throughout by
James Ferguson, F. R. S. The hiflorical and mifcella-
neous parts have gone through the hands of fome gen-
tlemen of diftinguifhed abilities, and the different arti-
cles, or heads, are more methodically arranged.

The fame attention has been given to tlie maps,
which are newly engraved at a very confiderable expence
by the firft artift in this kingdom, who, being chiefly em-
ployed in executing the lateft furveys, has availed himfclf
of many new difcoveries, and is thereby enabled to enrich
this Work with the moft corred Atlas hitherto publiflied.

«Nw

«rtr=i~:

INTRODUCTION.

PART I. ^

Of Astronomical Geography.

SECT. I.

THE fcience of Geography cannot be compleatly un-
dcrftood without confidi ring the earth as a planet, of
as a body moving round another at a confiderablc dif-
tance from it. But the fcience which treats of the planets,
and other heavenly bodies, is called Aftronomy. Hence the
nccefllty of beginning this work with an account of aftrono-
my, or of the heavenly bodies. Of thefe, the moft confpi-
cuous is that glorious luminary the Sun, the fountain of light
and heat to the feveral planets which move round it, ai.d
which, together with the fun, compofewhat aftronomcrs have
called the Solar Syflem. The way, of path, in which the
planets move rouna the fun, is called their Orbit ; and it is
now fully proved by aflronomers, that there are fx planets
which move round the fun, each in its own orbit. The
names of thefe, according to their nearncfs to the center, or
middle point of the fun, are as follow : Mercury, Venus, thft
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The two fuPi, becaufe
they move within the orbit of the earth (being nearer tiie fun)
are called inferior planets, or, perhaps more properly, inte-
rior or inner planets ; the tlircc laft, moving without the orbit
of the earth, are called fupcrior, or, perhaps more properly,
exterior or outer planets. If we can form a notion of the
manner in which any one of thefe planets, fuppofe our earth,
moves round the fun, we can eafi I y conceive the manner in
which all the reft do it. We fiiall only therefore particu-
larly confider the motion of the earth, or planet on which we
live, leaving that of the others to be collcdled from a table,
which we fliall fet down v/ith fuch explications as may render
it intelligible to the meaneft capacity.

The earth, upon which we live, was long confidered as one
large cxtcnfive plane. 'I'he heavens, above it, in which the
fun, moon, and ftars appeared to move daily from caft to v/eft,
were conceived to be at no great diftance from it, and to hs
only defigncd for the ufe or ornament of our earth : feveral
reafons, however, occurred, which rendered this opinion im-
probable y it h jiiedlcfs to mention them, becaufe wc have

novr

n INTRODUCTION.

now a fufficient proof of the figure of tlie earth, from ih^
voyages of many navigators who have actually failed round it }
as from that of Magellan's fhip, which was the firlt that fur-
rounded the globe, failing eall from a port in Europe in 1519^
and returning to the fiime, after a voyage of 1124 clays, with-
out apparently altering his direclion, any more than a ily
would appear to do in moving around a ball of wax.

The roundnefs of the carthbeing thoroughly ellablifhcd, proves

the way for the difcovery of its motion. For while it was con-

fidcred as a plane, mankind had an obfcure notion of its being

fupported, like a fcaffolding on pillars, though they could

not tell what fupported thcfe. But the figuie of a globe is

much better adapted to motion. This is confirmed by confi-

dering, that if the earth did not move round the fun, .not

only the fun, but all the ftars and planets muft move round

the earth. Now, as philofophcrs, by reckonings founded on

the fureft obfcrva:ions, have been able to guefs pretty nearly

at thediftanccs of the heavenly bodies from the earth, and from

each other, juft as every body that knows the firft elements

of mathematics can meafure the height of a flccple, or any

cbjckSl placed on it j it appeared, that if we conceived the

heavenly bodies to move rf)und the earth, we muft fuppofe

them endowed with a motion or velocity fo iinmcnfe as to

exceed all conception : whereas all the appearances in nature

may be as well explained by imagining the earth to move

round the fun in the fpace of a year, and to turn on its own

axis once in the 24 hours.

To form a conception of thcfe two motions of the earth,
we may imagine a ball moving on a billiard-table or bowl-
ing-green : the ball proceeds forwards upon the green or ta-
ble, not by Aiding along like a plane upon wood, or a fiate
upon ice, but by turnijig round its own axis, which is aa
■imaginary line drawn through the centre or middle of the
ball, and ending on its furfacc in two points called its poles,
X^onceiving the matter then in this way, and that the earth.
In the fpace of 24 hours, moves from weft to eaft, the inha-
bitants on the furface of it, like men on the deck of a fliip,
*vho are infcnfible of their own motion, and think that the
banks move from them in a contrary dircdtion, will conceive
that the fun and ftars mo\'e from eaft to weft in the fame time
cf 24 hours, in which they, aloiig v/ith the e;\'(.h, move fro.'n
weft to eaih This dtiilv or diurnal motion of ihc earth bei'i';!
once clearly conceived, will enable us ealily to form a notioa
of its annual or yearly motion round the fun. For as that
luminary fecms to have a daily motion round our e trth, which
is jeally Ciccafioncd by the d,iily motion of the earth lound its

axis*

i^\&^.

introduction:* 13

1i5{Is, fo in the courfc of a year, he feems to have an annual
motion in the heavens, and to rife and fet in different points
of them, which is really occafioncd by the daily motion of the
earth in its orbit or path round the fun, which it compleats
in the time of a year. Now as to the firft of thefe motions
Xve ov/e the difference of day and night, fo to the fecond we
{ire indebted for the difference in the length of the days ani
flights, and in the fcafons of the j^ear.

This much being faid with regard to the motion of the
tarth, which the finalleft reflection may lead us to apply to
the other planets, we muft obferve, before exhibiting our ta-
ble, that befide the fix planets already mentioned, which
move round the fun, there are other ten bodies which move
lound three of thcfe, in the fame manner as they do round the
fun ; and of thcfe our earth has one, called the moon j Jupi-
ter has four, and Saturn has five : thcfe are all called moons,
from their agreeing with our moon, which was firft attended
to ; and fomerimes they arc called fecondary planets, becaufe
they feem to be attendants of the Earth, Jupiter and Saturn,
jibout which they move, and which are called primary.

There are but two obfcrvationsmore ncceffaryfor underftand-
in? the following table. They are thcfe : we have already faid
that the annual niotion of the earth occafioncd the diverfity of
feafons, But this would not happen, were the axis of the
earth exactly parallel, or in a line with the axis of its orbit ;
becaufe then the fame parts of the earth would be turned to-
v/ards the fun in every diurnal revolution ; which would de-
prive mankind of the grateful viciflxtude of the feafons,
arifing from the difference in length of the days and
nights. This therefore is not the cafe — the axis of the earth
is inclined to the plane of the earth's orbit, which we may
conceive by fuppofin ■ a fpindle put through a ball, with one
end of it touching the ground ; if we move the ball direcStly
forwards, while one end of the fpindle continues to touch the
ground, and the other points towards fome quarter of the
heavens, we mav form a notion of the inclination of the
earth's axis to its orbit, from the inclination of the fpindl^
to the ground. The fame obfervation applies to fome of the
other planets, as may be feen from the table. The only thing
that now remains, is to confider what is meant by the mean
dillances of the planets from the fun. In order to under-
ftanu which, we muft learn that the orbit, or path v/hich $
•planet dcfcribcs, were it to be marked out, would not be
quite round or circular, but in the Ihape of a figure called
an cllipfe, which, though refcmbling a circle, is Ipnger than

broad.

U INTRODUCTION.

broad. Hence the fame planet is not always at the flime
ciiftance from the fun, and the mean diftance of it is that
which is exadly betwixt its greattit and Jealt diftance. Here
follows the table.

A TABLE of the Diameters, Periods, S:c, of the fcveral
Planets in the Solar Syilcm.

Names
rf the

Sv.n

Mi'icury
''eiius
Earth
Afoon
Mars
Jupner
Saturn

ooo.occ
3,coo

7>97c
2,180

Meandiflance
from the fun
js detcrniin'td
iVom oLllrva-
'.ions of the
tijnf:t c.{ Vt
mis in lyfii.

95,173,000

Annual

periods

rou'id tile

fun.

ditto.
5,400. 1 4 ^.o •4,148
94,cco 494,990,976
78,000] 907,956,130

y. d. h.
o S7 23

O 224 17

I 321 17
II 314 18
22 167 6

Diurnal

rota*ii>n

on its

axis.

knowi

; 11 n

24 8 o

I or,

29 12 44

o 24 4c

o 9 56

unknown.

S 3

F". 9-
• o

109,699
80,295

60,24-
22,290

55.-«7
29,083

22,I0i

•as

nown

,Si8
unk

43
1,042 ,

556

25,920
unknown

i? r

-1 3

inkn.

75° 0,
13" 29
a" 10'
0° p
o" c'
unkn.

The reader having oVtained an idea of the folar fyfteni
from this table, and the previous obfervations necefl'ary for
underftanding it, muft next turn his rcllcdlion to wh.it arc
called the fixed ftars, which comprehend the luminaries above
our heads that have not been explained. The fixed ftars arc
diftinguifhed by the naked rye from tlic planets, by being lefs
bright and luminous, and by continually exhibiting that ap-
pearance which we call the twinkling of the ftars. This
arifes from their being fo extremely Imall, that the intcrpofi-
tion of the leaft body, of which there are many conftantly
floating in the air, deprives us of the fight of them ; when the
interpofed body changes its place, we again fee the ftar, and
this fucccflion being perpetual, occafions the twinkling. But
a more remarkable property of the fixed ftars, and that from
which they have obtained their name, is their never changing
their fituation, with regard to each other, as the planets,
from what we have already faid, muft evidently be always
changing theirs. The ftars which are neareft to us fccm
largeft, and arc therefore called of the firft magnitude. Thofc
of the fecond magnitude appear lefs, being at a greater
diftance j and fo proceeding on to the fixth magnitude, which
include all the fixed ftars which are vifiblc without a te-
lefcope. As to their number, though in a clear winter's night
without mopnfiiine they feem to be innumerable, which

•■■j?

vays at the Came
ince of it is that
i\ diftance. Here

kc. of the fcvcral
n.

INTRODUCTION.

kin

a, 2!

to '-'

S 3

c 3

° 3

rt ■-••

kT.

•

?;•

• 3

3.S18

8" 0'

79,699

unknown

unkn.

>o,295

7S°

3 0,24-

1,042 ,

23° 29

12,290

a" 10'

553-^7

556

0° p'

29,085

25,920

o** c'

Z2,I0i

unknown

unkn.

)f the folar fyftem W^
:ions neceflary for ^
ctSlIon to wh.it arc Jfl
le luminaries above ^?
rhe fixed ftars arc %m
incts, by being lefs
xhibiting that ap-
r the flars. This
that the intcrpofi-
i many conftantly
Df them J when the
1 fee the flar, and
le twinkling. But
ars, and that from
leir never changing
:r, as the planets,
'idejitly be always
leareft to us fccm
nagnitude. Thpfe
eing at a greater;
magnitude, which
blc without a te-
:lear winter's night
lumerable, which
is

is owing to their ftrong fparkling, and our looking at them
in a confufed manner, yet when the whole firmament is di-
vided, as it has been done by the antients, into figns and con-
ftellations, the number that can be feen at a time by the bare
eye, is not above a thoufand. Since the introdudhon of te-
lefcopes indeed, the number of the fixed ftars has been juftly
confidered as immenfe ; bccaufe the greater pcrftftion we ar-
rive at in our glafles, the more ftars always appear to us. Mr.
Flamftead, royal aftronomer at Greenwich, has given us a
catalogue of about 3000 ftars, which is the moft coinpleat that
has hitherto appeared. The immenfe diftance of the fixed
ftars from our earth, and one another, is of all confiderations
the moft proper for raifing our ideas of the works of God.
For notwithftanding the great extent of the earth's orbit
or path (which is at leaft 162 millions of miles in diameter)
round the fun, the diftance of a fixed ftar is not fenfibly af-
fected by it J lb that the ftar does not appear to be any nearer
us when the earth is in that part of its orbit neareft the ftar,
than it feemed to be when the earth was at the moft dif-
tant part of its orbit, or 162 millions of miles further re-
moved from the fame ftar. The ftar neareft us, and confe-
quently the biggeft in appearance, is the dog-ftar, or Si-
rius. Modern difcoveries make it probable that each of thcfa
fixed ftars is a fun, having worlds revolving round it, as our
fun has the earth and other planets revolving round him. Now
the dog-ftar appears 27,000 times lefs than the fun, and ay
the diftance of the ftars muft be greater in proportion as they
feem lefs, mathematicians have computed the diftance of Si-
lius from us to be two billions and two hundred thoufand
millions of miles. The motion of light therefore, which
though fo quick as to be commonly thought inftantaneous,
takes up more time in travelling from the ftars to us, than
we do in making n Weft-India voyage, A found would not
arrive "to us from thence in 50,000 years ; which, next to light,
is confidered as the quickeft body we are acquainted with. And
a cannon ball flying at the rate of 480 miles an hour, would
not reach us in 700,000 years.

The ftars, being at fuch immenfe diftances from the fun,
cannot poflibly receive from him fo ftrong a light as they
feem to have j nor any brightnefs fufficient to make them vi-
fible to us. For the fun's rays muft be fo fcattercd and dif-
fipated before they reach fuch remote objecSts, that they caa
never be tranfmitted back to our eyes, fo as to render thefe
objeas vifible by reflexion. The ftars therefore fhine with
Jtheir own native and unborrowed luftre, as the fun doesj and
fiijce each partici|lar ftar, a^ well as the fun, is confined to a
^ pa^ticuliy:

.X.

INTR'ODUCTIOI^^,

particular portion of fpacc, it is plain that the l^ars arc of the
fame nature with the fun.

It is no ways probable that t?ic Aimtghtj-, who aJwayg
a^s with infinite wifcloni and docs notliiiiir in viiin, Hioul-i

create (o

fit for fo

Jes,

many nnportant pitr-
and pliLcc them at fuch diUiinccs from one another,
■without proper objesSls near enough to be bciicfued by thci.'.-
inffucnccs. Whoever imagines they v/crc created onlv to give
a faint jilimmciijig light to tl^* inhabitants of this globe, muik
have a very iifpcrHcial k.nowjedge of aftronoiny *, and a mtan
opinion of the Divine Wifdotn : fuicc, by an infinitely Icf;
exertion of creating; (xnver, the Deivv ch>uKI have given our
earth much n ore light by one fi2v.!;Ie additional m«»n,

Inftead then of one <bn and one world only in the univcnc,
as the unfkilful in artronoiny inia;i;ir>c, i/jiit feience difcovcrs
to us fuch an inconceivable inn:-! her of funs, fyilems, and
worlds, difpcrfcd through boundlcis fpacc, that if our fun,
with all the planets, moons, and comets belonging; to it,
were annihilated, they would be no more mifit'd, by an tyc
that could take in the whole creation, than a |^iain of faiui
from the fca-lhorc. The fpacc il-icj' {vjflefs being; compara-
tively fo fmrdl, thr.t it would fcavcc be a fenfible blank in the
wnlvcrfe, althouj^h Satun->, the cutcrn-ifjlt of our planets, re-
volves about the fun in ai> orbit of 4884 millions <)f miles in
circumference, and fome of our comets make cxcurlluns up-
wards of ten thoufand millions of miles hevond Saturn^s orbit ;
and yet, at that amazing diftancc, they are nicomparably nearer
to the fun than to any of the dars; as is evident from their
keeping clear of the attracting power of all the iiars, and rc-
turninsi periodicallv bv virtue of the Sun's attraction.

From what we know of oar ov/n {y'lcm, it may be rea-.
fonably concluded that all the reft are with equal wifdoni
contrived, fituatcd, and provided v/ith accommodations for
rational inhabitants. For akhoiitrh there is almoft an infinite
variety in the parts of tl;c creation which we have opportu-
nities of examining, yet there is a general analogy running
through and connccling ail the pr.rts into one fcheme, one
dcfign, one whole !

Since the fixed ftars arc prodigious fphercs of fire, like our
fun, and at inconceivable ditfances from one another, as well
as from us, it is reafonablc to conclude they are made for
the fame purpofcs that the fan is j each to beitow light, heat^

and

i !

* EfpcciaDy fincc many more flais i-L<;u;rc the rfTiftance of a good tclcfcopc tft
Und them out, th;in jri; vKiMe withnut th.it inftrument, n.id therefore ii.ftcid C^
giving light {0 thi; worldj they ca:i only bu fi.cp by a lew .'.ftronomerj.. ,

liars arc of the

r, who alv/aya
n vain, HioulJ
iuiportaijt pur-
n one another,
nested by their
icd oiilv to crlve
tills glt'bc, mu'ii

''*'', and a mtLaii

infinite J V ^^ii
\ave given our

in the isnivcnc,
-•icnce dircovcrs

, fyrf.cin.5, aiKJ
iiat if our fun,
iclongiiig; to it,
^vd^ by an tyc

n i^iain of faiui
hcing; compara-
ble blank in ihc
>iir phiucts, jc-
ions of miles in

cxcurituns wp-
1 Saturn^s orbit ;
I rnparably nearer
ident from their
ic iiars, and rc-
raction.

it ir.ay be rea-.
I equal wifdoiii
mmodations for
moft an infinite
: have opportu-
malogy running
■nc fcheme, one

of fire, like our
mother, as well
y are made for
tow light, heat,
and

f a good tclcf'copc tft
! therefore ir.flci(d of
r.omeri,.

I N T R O D U C T I O I^. if

tnd vegetation on a certain number of inhabited planets,
kept by gravitation within the fphere of its activity.

What an aiiguft ! what an amazing conception, if human
imagination can conceive it, does this give of the works o£
the Creator! Thoufands of thoufands of funs, multiplied
without end, and ranged all around us, at immcnfe diftanccs
from each other, attended by ten thoufand times ten thoufand
worlds, all in rapid motion, yet calm, regular, and harmo-
nious, invariably keeping the paths prefcribcd them ; and thcfe
worlds peopled with myriads of intelligent beings, formed for
cndlcfs progreffion in perfedion and felicity.

If fo much power, wifdom, goodncfs, and magnificence h
difplaycd in the material creation, which is the leafl confi-
dcrable part of the univerfe, how great, how wife, how good
muft HE be, who made and governs the whole !

The firft people who paid much attention to the fixed Itars^
were the fliepherds in the beautiful plains of Egypt and Baby-
lon ; who, partly from amufcmcnt, and partly with a viev/ to di-
rc6t them in their travelling during the night, obfervcd the fitu-
ation of thefe celeftial bodies. Endowed with a lively fancy, they
divided the ftars into different companies or conflcllations, each
of which they fuppofed to reprefent the image of fo:ne animal,
or other tcrref^iial objecf:. The peafants in our own country
do the fame thing, for they diftinguifh that great northern con-
ftellation which philofophers call the Urla Major, by the
name of the plough, thj figure of which it certainly may re-,
prefent with a very little help from the fancy. But the con-
jftellations in general have prefcrved the names which were
given them bythe antients ; an I they arc reckoned 21 northern,
and 12 fouthern : but the moderns have incrcafed the num-
ber of the northern to 34, and of the fouthern to 31.. Be-
Jide thcfe there are the 12 iigns or conftellations in the Zodiac,
as it is called from a Greek word fignifying an animal, be-
caufc each of thefe 12 reprefent fome animal. This is a great;
circle which divides the heavens into two equal parts, of which
we fhall fpcak hereafter. In the nican time, we (hall conclude
this fection with an account of the rife, progrefs, and revo-
lutions in affroncniy.

Mankind niuPc have made a very confidcrable improvement
in oblcrving the motions of the heavenly bodies, before they
could fo far dii'cngage themfeh'cs from the prejulices of fcnfe
and popular opinion, as co believe that the earth upon which
we live was not fixed and immoveable. We hnd accoj-dingly,
that Thales, the Milefian, who, about 600 years before Chrift,
firil taught aftronomy in Europe, had gone fo far in this
fubjc<St as to calculate eclipfcs, or interpofitions of the moon
betwixt the eaith »nd the fun, or of Uie siirth between the

Vov, I, U fiui

1 1

J 8

introduction;

fun and the moon (the nature of which may be eafily uncTer-
ftood, from what wc have already obfcrved.) Pythagoras, a
Greek philofophcr, flourifhcd about 50 years after Thales, and
was, no doubt, equally well acquainted with the motion of
the heaveniv bodies. This led Pythagoras to conceive an
idea, which there is no reafon to believe had ever been thought
of before, namely, that the earth itfelf was in motion, and
that the fun was at reft. He found that it was impoflible, in
any other way, to give a confiftent account of the heavenly
fnotions. This fyftem, however, was fo extremely oppoftte
to all the prejudices of fenfe and opinion, that it never made
great progrefs, or was widely difl'ufed in the antient world.
The philofophcrs of antiquity defpairing of being able to
overcome ignorance by reafon, fet thcmfelves to adapt the one
to the other, and to form a reconciliation between them. This
was the cafe with Ptolemy, an Egyptian philofopher, who
flourished 138 years before Chrift. He fuppofed, with the
vulgar, who meafure every thing by themfelves, that the earth
was fixed immovably in the ceiucr of the univerfe, and that
the feven planets, confidering the moon as one of the prima-
ries, were placed near to it ; above them was the firmament of
fixed ftars, then the chryftalline orbs, then the primum mo-
bile, and, laft of all, the coelum cmpyrium, or heaven of
heavens. All thcfe vaft orbs he fuppofed to move round the
earth once in 24 hours ; and bcfides that, in certain ftated or
periodical times. To account for thcfe motions, he was obliged
to conceive a number of circles called cxcentrics and epicycles,
crofling and interfering with one ajiother. This fyltem was
juniverfally maintained by the Peripatetic philorophers, who
were the moft confiderablc fedl in Europe, from the time of
Ftolemy to the revival of learning in the fixteenth century.
■ At length, Copernicus, a native of P(>land, a bold and origi-
nal genius, adopted the Pythagorean, or true fyftem of the uni-
verfe ; and publifhed it to the world in 1530. This doftrine
had been fo long in obfcurltv, that the rcftorcr of it was confi-
dered as the inv^entor ; and the fyftem obtained the name of the
Copernican philofophy, though only revived by that great man.
Europe, however, was ftill immcrfcd in fenfe and igno-
rance ; and the general ideas of the world were not able to
keep pace with thofe of a refined philofophy. This occafioned
Copernicus to have few abetters, but manv opponents. Tycho
Brache, in particular, a noble Dane, fcnfible of the defeats
of the Ptolemaic fyftem, but unwilling to acknowledge the
motion of the earth, endeavoured to eftablifti a new fvftem of
his ov/n, which was fti-l more perplexed and embarrafil'd than
that of Ptolemy. It allows a monthly motion to the moon
round the earth, as the center of its orbit j and it ni»kes the

ily unJcr-
lagoras, a
hales, and
motion of
nceive an
n thought
)tion, and
oflible, in
heavenly
^ oppoftte
ever made
nt world.
g able to
pt the one
em. This
)her, w^ho
with the
the earth
and that
he prima-
nament of
Tium mo-
leaven of
ound the
ftated or
as obliged
epicycles,
^Item was
ers, who
3 time of
sntury.
and origi-
f the uni-
5 dodlrine
vas confi-
,me of the
reat man.
,nd igno-
)t able to
(ccafioned
Tycho
le defedts-
ledjre the
fyltem of
aficd than
the moon
liukes the
fun

'*-,t

" "».

■m

■*^^.

INTRODUCTION. 19

fun to be the center of the orbits of Mn cury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn. The (un, however, with all the pla-
nets, is fuppofccl to be wh. ''d round fffP earth in a year, and
even once in the twenty-four hours. This fy (km however, ab-
furd as it was, met with its advocates. Longomontnnus and
others, fo far refined upon it, as to admit the diurnal motion
of the earth, though they infilled that it had no annual motion.
About this time, after a darknefs of a great many ages, the
firft dawi\ of learning and talte began to appear in Europe.
Learned men in different countries began to t iiltivate aftro-
nomy. (lalileo, a Florentine, about the year ibio, intro-
duced the ufe of telefcopes, which difcovered new arguments
in fupport of the motion of the earth, and confirmed the old
ones. The fury and bigotry of the clergy indeed had almoft
checked this flourifliing bud : Galileo was obliged to renounce
the Copernican fyftem, as a damnable herefy. The happy re-
formation in religion, however, placed the one half ofEuropi?
beyond the reach of the papal thunder. It taught mankind
that the fcriptures were not given forexplainijig fyfUnns of na-
tural pi ilofophy, but for a much nobler purpole, to make us
jult, virtuous, and humane : that inltead of oppofing the word
, of God, which in fpeaking of natural things fults itftlf to the
I prejudices of weak mortals, we employed our faculties in a
: manner highly agreeable to God himfelf, in tracing the nature
jof his works, which the more they are confidered, afi^ord u&
[the greater reafon to admire his glorious attributes of power,
wifdom, and goodnefs. From this time, therefore, noble
difcoveries were made in all the branches of aftronomy.
The motions of the heavenly bodies were not only clearly
[explained, but the general law of nature, according to which,
rthey moved, was difcovered and illuftrated by the immortal
iNewton. This law is called Gravity, or Attradlion, and is
Ithe fame by which any body falls to the ground, when difen-
.gaged from what fupported it. It has been demonftrated,
that this fame law which keeps the fea in its channel, and the
various bodies which cover the furfacc of this earth from fly-
ing off into the air, operates throughout the univerfe, keeps
the planets in their orbits, and prcfervcs the whole fabric ©f
lature from confufion and diforder.

SECT. II. ' ' '

Of the Doarine of the Sphere." *

'AVING, in the foregoing Seaion, treated of the unl-

. verfe in general, in which the earth has been confidered

is a planet, we now proceed to the Doarine of the Sphere,
■vhicii ought always to be premifed befois that of the globe

B 2 OS

CO INTRODUCTION;

or earth, as we fliall fee in the next Scdion. In handling this
fubjedt, wc Ihall conikler the earth r.s. at relt, and the heavenly
bodies, as performing their revolutions around it. This me-
thod cannot lead the reader into any miftakc, llnce we have
previoufly explained the true fyftom of the univcife, from
which it ajjpcars that it is the rtW motion of the earth, whicli
occafions the apparent motion of the heavenly bodies. It is
befidcs attendca with this advantage, th it it pcifcdtly agrees
with the information of our fenfts, which al-.vays lead us to
conceive the mutter in this way. The- imagination therefore
is not put on the llretch ; ihe idja is eafy anc familiar, and in
delivering the elements ol fcience, this objcd caniiol be too
much attended to. N. B. In order mor;; clearly u ccnpre-
hend what follows, the reader may occarionaIi\ turn bis eye
to the figure of the artificial fphcre, on the oppoliLo p:tgc.

The anticnts obfcrved that all the ilars tur^ied (in appear-
ance) round the earth, from cad: to weft, m > .■.cnt-, -four
hours : that the circles, which they defcribed in tSioi-' revo-
lutions, were parallel to each other, but not of the lame mag-
nitude ; thofe pairing over the middle of the earth, b:'i ig the
largeft of all, while the reft diminilh^d in proportion t.. their
diftance from it. They alfo obferved that there v/ere two points
in the heavens, v/hich aKvays prcferved the fame fituation.
Thefe pnints they termed celeftial poles, bccaufe the jMeavens
fecmed to turn round them. In order to imitate thefe nK)tions,
they invented what is called the Artificial Sphere, throut h the
center of which they drew a wire or iron rod, called an Axis,
whofc extremities were fixed to the immoveable points called
Poles. They farther obferved, tha": on the aoth of March,
and 23d of September, the circle defcribed by the fun, was at
an equal diltancc from both of the poles. This circle, there-
fore, mull divide the earth into tv/o equal parts, and on this
account was called the Equator or Equaller. It was alfo
called the Equino6lial Line, bccaufe the fun, when moving
in it, makes the days and nights of equal Icngt'i all ever the
world. Having alfo obferved that from rhc 2 lit of June', to the
22d of Dcccmiber, the fun advanced everyday towards a certain
point, and having arrived there, returned tovards tiiat from
whence he fct out from 2?.d of Dc-ceir her, to the 21^ of June ;
they fixed thefe points which they called Sulllices, becaufc the
(diretS motion of the fun was ftoppcd at th^ii' ; and ix-mcxnted
the bounds of the fun's motion, by two circles, vvh.ch they
named Tropicks, becaufe the fun no fooncr arrivd th-;e '■hzn.
he turned back. Aihonomers obfervin •• the mot' a *.' '.he
fun, found its quantity, at a mean rate, 10 be nearly a d':o;ice
(or the 36cth part) of a great circle in the henvens, every
J2^ hourt. This ^rvat cucle is called the Ev^liptic, ai;d it

puues

M«iiftWllii#*M*^Bq|ggJw

INTRODUCTION. 2f

pafles throui^h certain conl^ellations, diftinguifhed by the
names of animals, in a zone called the Zodiac. It touches
the tropic of Cancer on one fide, and that of Capricorn on
the other, and cuts the equator obliquely. To cxprels this
motion they fuppofed two points in the heavens, equally di-
llant from, and parallel to this circle, which they called the
Poles of the Zodiac, which, turning with the heavens, by
means of their axis, defcribe the two polar circles. In the arti-
ficial fphcre, the equinoaial, the two tropics, and two polar
circles, are cut at right angles, by two other circles called Co-
lures, which ferve to^mark the points of the folfticcs, equinoxes,
and poles of the zodiac. The ancients alfo obfeived that,
when the fun was in any point of his courfe, all the people
inhabiting directly north and fouth, as far as the poles, have
noon at the f une time. This gave occafion to imagine a circle
pafling through the poles of the world, which they called a
Meridian, and which is iminoveable in the artificial fpherc,
as well as the horizon j which is another circle reprcfcnting
the bounds betwixt the two hcmifpheres, or half fphcrcs, vizs.
that which is above it, and that which ia below it.

.vens, cvrj

SECT. III.

The Doctrine of the Glob e naturally follows that of

the S P H E R H.

BY the Doclrine of the Globe is meant the repr.^fentation
of the difterent places and countries, on the face of the
earth, upon an artificial globe or ball. Now the manner in
which geographers have rcprefcnted the fitualion of one place
upon this earth with regard to another, or with regard to the
earth in general, has been by transferring the circles of the
fphere to the artificial globe ; and this is the only method they
could employ. This will be abundantly obvious from an ex-
ample. After that circle in the heavens, which is called the
equator, was known to aftronomers, there was nothing more
cafy than to transfer it to the earth, by which the fituation of
places was detcrinined, according as they lay on one fide of the
equator or another. The fame may be oblerved of the other
circles of the fphcre above-meiiwioncd. The reader having
obtained an idea of the principle upon which the Doctrine of
the Globe \§ foiiiu!-. J, muy proceett ro ccnliJcr this docStrinc
itfelf, or in other words, the dcfcription of our earth, as re-
prefented by the artificial globe.

Figure of the ear th.J Though in fpeaking of the cnrtii,
along with the other planets, it was fu{Hcientl;o conudvr if

B 3 '.. a*

INTRODUCTION.

as a fpherical or globular body : yet it has been difcovered,

that this is not its true figure, and that the earth, though

nearly a fphcre or ball, is not perfectly fo. This matter occa-

fioned great difpute between the philofophers of the laft age,

among whom Sir Ifaac Newton and Caflini, a French aftrono-

mer, were the heads of two different parties. Sir Ifaac demon-

ftrated from mechanical principles, that the earth was an

oblate fphere, or that it was flatted at the poles or north and

fouth points, and jutted out towards the equator ; fo that a

line drawn through the center of the earth, and pafling thro*

the poles, which is called a Diameter, would not be fo long as

a line drawn thro' the fame center, and pafling thro' the eafl:

and weft points. The French philofophcr aflerted quite the

contrary. But the matter was put to a trial by the French

king in 1736, who fent out a company of philofophers towards

the jiorth pole, and likewife towards mc equator, in order to

meafure a degree, or the ihrce hundred and fixtieth part of a

great circle in thcfc difi-'ercnt parts j and from their report, the

opinion of Sir Ifaac Newton was confirmtd beyond difpute.

Since that time, therefore, the earth has always been confidered

as more flat towards the poles, tlian towards the equator. The

reafon of this figure may be cafily undctftood, if the reader

fully comprehends what wc formerly obfcrv^d, with regard to

the earth's motion. For if we fix a ball of chiy on a I'pindle,

and whirl it round, we Ihall find that it will jut out or project

towards the middle, and flatten towards the poles. Now this

5s exactly the cafe, with regard to our earth, only that its

axis, rcprcfented by the fpindle, is imaginary. But though

the earth be not perfetitly fpiicrical, the difierence from that

figure is fo fmall, that it may be rcprcfented by a globe or ball,

without any icnfible error.

Circumference and diameter of the earth.] In
the general tabic we have CAhibittd, page 14, the diameter of
the G:lobe is 'j-ivcn, accorclini'- to the belt obfervations : fo that its
circumference is 25,038 Englim miles. This circumference
is conceived, for the convcn'cncy of meafuring, to be divided
5nto three hundred and fixty parts or d^^grees, each degr e con-
tainii-ig fixty geographical iiules, or fixty-nine Englifli miles
and an half. 7 iiefe degrees are in the fame manner conceived
to be divided eat h into fixty minutes.

Axis and poles of the earth.] The Axis of the
Earth is that inia2;inary line palling through its center, on
"which it is fupnokd to turn round once in twenry-four
hoiTs. The ext erne points of this line are called the Poles
of the Earth ; one in the north, and the other in the fouth,
wh.ch are exactly und r the two points of the heavens called
the North and South Poles, The knowledge of thcfc poks

INTRODUCTION.

is of great ufc to the geographer, in determining the diftanc?
and fituation of places ; for the poles mark, as it were, the
ends of the earth, which is divided in the middle by the equa-
tor ; fo that the nearer one approaches to the poles, the farther
he removes from the equator, and contrariwife, in removing
from the poles you approach the equator.

Circles of the globe.] Thefe are commonly divided
into the greater and lefler. A great circle is that whofe plane
pafles through the center of the earth, and divides it into two
equal parts or hemifpheres. A Icflcr circle is that which^
being parallel to a greater, cannot pafs through the center of
the earth, nor divide it into two equal parts. The greater
circles are fix in number, the lefier only four.

Eqttator.] The firft great circle we fliall fpeak of is the
Equator, which we have had occafion to hint at already. It
is called fometimes the Equinodtial, the rcafon of which we
have explained; and by navigators it is alfo called the Line,
becaufc, according to their rude notion^-, they believed it to
be a great Line drawn upon the fca from eaft to weft, dividing
the earth into the northern and fouthern hemifpheres, and
which they were actually to pafs in failing from the one into
the other. The poles of this circle arc the fame with thofe
of the world. It pafles through the caft and weft points of the
world, and, as has been already mentioned, divides it into
the northern and fouthern hemifpheres. It is divided into threq
hundred and fixty degrees, the ufe of which will foon appear.

Horizon.] This great circle is reprefentcd by a broad cir-
cular piece of wood, cncompafTing the globe, and dividing it
into the upper and lower hemifpheres. Geographers very
properly diftinguifli the horizon into the fenfible and rational.
'J'he firft may be conceived to be made by any great plane on
the furface of tiie fca, which fccms to divide the heavens
into two hemifpheres, the one above, the other below the
level of the earth. This circle determines the rifing or fetting
of the fun and ftars, in any particular place ; for when they
begin to appear above the eaftcrn edge, we fay they rife, and
when they go beneath the weftern, we fay they are fet. It
appears then that each place has its own fenfible horizon. The
other horizon, called the rational, encompafles the globe,
exactly In the middle. Its poles (that i^ two points in Its axis,
each ninety degrees diftant from its plane, as thofc of all circles
are) are called the Zenith and Nadir; the firft exadjly above
our heads, and the other dirc^Iy under our feet. The broad
wooden circle, which rcprefents it on the globe, has feveral
circles drawn upon it : of thefe the innermoft is that exhi-
biting the number of degrees of the twelve figns of the Zodiac
(of which hereafter) viz, thirty to each fign. Next to this

^4 you

^4 INTRODUCTION,

you have the names of thcfe figns. Next to this the days of
the month according to the old ftile, and then according to the
new ftile, Bcfides thefe there is a circle, rcprclenting the
thirty-two rhumbs, or points of the mariner's compafs. Tht
life of all thefe will be explained afterwards.

Meridian.] This circle is reprcfented by the brafs ring»
on which the globe hangs and turns. It is divided into three
hundred and fixty degrees, and cuts the equator at right
angles j fo that counting from the equator each way to the
poles of the world, it contains four times ninety degrees, and
divides the earth into the eaftcrn and weftcrn hcmifpheres.
This circle is called the meridian, bccaufe when the fun comes
to thefouth part of it, it is then meridies or midday, and then the
Sun has its greatcft altitude for that day, which is therefore called
its meridian altitude. Now as the fun is never in it? meridian
altitude, at two places eaft or weft of one another, at the fame
time, each of thefe places muft have its own meridian. There;
are commonly marked on the globe twenty-four meridians,
one through every fifteen degrees of the equator.

Zodiac] The Zodiac is a broad circle, which cuts the
equator obliquely ; in which the twelve figns above-mentioned
are reprefented. In the middle of this circle is fuppofed ano-
ther called the Ecliptick, from which the fun never deviates
in his annual courfe, and in which he advances thirty degrees
every month. The twelve figns are,

5-
6.

Aries <r> -
Taurus «
Gemini u
Cancer as '
Leo a —

Virgo

March

April

May

June

July

Au<ruft

7-
8.

Libra ti
Scorpio rtx
9. Sagittarius

10. Capricorn

11. Aquarius z

12. Pifces X —

September

Oilober

Novembei^

December

January

February,

CoLURES.] If you imagine two great circles palling both
through the poles of the world, and one of them through the
equinoctial points Aries and Libra, and the other through the
iblftitial pomts Cancer and Capricorn, thefe are called the
Colures, the one the Equinoitial, the other the Solftitia^
Colure. Thefe divide the ecliptic into four equal j arts or
quarters, which are denominated according to the points
which thefe p;'fs through, viz. the four cardinal points, and
?ire the firft points of Aries, Libra, Ca,ncer and Capricorn j,
jmd thefe arc all the great circles.

Tropics.] If you iuppofe two circles drawn parallel to the
Cquinodlial, at twenty-three degrees thirty minutes diftance
from it, meafured on the brafcn meridian, and one towards
the north, the other towards the fouth, thcfe are called Tro-
pics, becaufe the fun appears, when in them, to turn back-
Wards from his foraier courfe. The one is called the Tropic

INTRODUCTION. a^

of Cancer, the other of Capricorn, becaufe they pafs
through thefe points.

Polar circles.] If two other circles are fuppofed to be
drawn at the like diftance of twenty-three degrees thirty
minutes, reckoned on the meridian from the polar pointSj^
thefe are called the Polar Circles. The northern is called the
Ardlick, becaufe the north pole is near the conftellation of the
Bear, the fouthern, the Antar«5tick, becaufe oppofite to thq
former. And thefe are the four lefler circles. Befide thefe
ten circles now defcribed, which are always drawn on th«
globe, there are feveral others, which are only fuppofed to b»
drawn on it. Thefe will be explained as they become necef-
fary, left the reader fiiould be difguftcd with too many defini-
tions at the fame time, without feeing the purpofe for which
they ferve. The main defisn then of all thefe circles being to
exhibit the refpedlivc fituation of places on the earth, we mall
proceed to confider more particularly how that is effected by
them, ft was found eafier to diftinguifli places by the quarter^
of the earth, in which they lay, than by their diftance from
any one point. Thus after it was difcovered, that the equator
divided the earth into two parts, called the Northern and
Southern hemifpheres, it was eafy to fee that all places on the
globe might be diftinguifhed according as they lay on the
north, or fouth fide of the equator. Befides, after the four
leficr circles we have mentioned came to be known, it was
found that the earth, by means of them, might be divided
into five portions, and confequently that the places on its .
furface might be diftinguifhed according as they lay in one or
other of thefe portions, which are called Zones or Belts, from
their partaking of bn^adth. That part of the earth between
the Tropics, was called by the anticnts the Torrid or Burnt
Zone, becaufe they conceived, that, being continually expofed
to the perpendicular or direft rays of the fun, it was rendered
uninhabitable, and contained nothing but parched and fandy
defarts. This notion however has long fince been refuted. It
is found that the long nights, great dews, regular rains and
breezes, which prevail ahnoft throughout the torrid zone,
render the earth not only habitable, but fo fruitful, that in
many places they have two harvefts in a year ; all forts of
fplces and drugs are almoft- folely produced there j and it
furniflies more perfect metals, precious ftones, and pearls, than,
all the rcfl of the earth together. In fliort, the countries of
Africa, Afia, and America, which lie under this zone, are in
all relpedls the moft fertile and luxuriant upon earth.

The two temperate zones are comprifed between the tropic*
gnd polar circles. They are called temperate, becaufe meeting
the rays of the fun abliijuely, they enjoy a moderate degree of

tieat«

26 INTRODUCTION.

heat. The two frigid zones lie between the polar circles and
the poles, or rather are inclofcd within the polar circles. They
are called the Frigid or frozen, becaufe nioft part of the year
it is extremely cold there, and every thing is frozen fo long as
the fun is under the horizon, or but a little above it. Hovv'-
cver thefe zones arc not quite uninhabitable, though much
lefs fit for living in than the torrid.

None of all thefe zones is thoroughly difcovercd by the
Europeans. Little is known to us oi" the fouthern temperate
zone, and though fomc iflands and fea coafts in the northern
frigid zone have come to our knowledge, we havr none at all
of the fouthcrn frigid zone. The northern temperate, and
torrid zones, are thofe we are bell acquainted with.

Climates.] But the divifions of the earth into hemifphercs
and zones, though it may be of advantage in letting us know
in what quarter of the earth any place lies, is not fufHeiently
minute for giving us a notion of the diftanccs between one
place and another. This hov/ever is ftill more neceflary ; be-
cauft: It is of more impoitance to mankind, to know the fitua-
tion of places, with regard to one another, than with regard
to the earth itfelf. The firft ftep taken for determining this
matter, was to divide the earth into what is called Climates,
It was obferved that the day was always twelve hours long on
the equator, and that the longeit day encreafed in proportion
as we advanced north or fouth on either fide of it. The an-
tients therefore determined how far any place was north or
fouLh of the equator, or what is called the Latitude of the
place, from the greateft: length of the day from that place.
This made them conceive a number of circles parallel to the
equator, which bounded the length of the day at different
diftances from the equator. And as they called the fpacc
contained between thefe circles. Climates, becaufe they de-
clined from the equator towards the pole, fo the circles them-
felves may be called Climatical Parallels. This therefore was
a new divifion of the earth, more minute than that of zones,
and ftill continues in ufe, though, as we fhall (liew, the de-
iign which firft introduced it, may be better anfwercd in ano-
ther way. There are 30 climates between the r-,. i;-jr and
either pole. In the firft 24, the days encrcafe by halt hours,
but in the remaining fix, between the polar circle and the
poles, the days encreafe by months. This the reader will be
convinced of, when he becomes acquainted with the ufe of
the globe; in the meantime we ftiall infert a table, which
will ferve to {hew in what climate any country lies, fuppofing
the length of the day, and the diftaiicc of the place from the
equator to be known.

-vi5i

INTRODUCTION,

(",

Latitude.
D. M.

Breadth.
D. M.

« 25
16 25

23 50

30 25

5; 36 2S

41 22

11: 56
12 58

»3' 59
14 bl

»7

23
24

I
27
28

<J3
64

64
65

65
66

67
69
73
78
84
90

45 29

49 01

52 00

37
29

5^
18

2;
23
06

49
zi

0()

20
28

31
21

37
30
05

8 25
8

7 25

6 30

6 8

4 54

3 32

2 57

2 29

2
I
I
I
I

52
29

7
57
44
43
32
22

H
8

J,un^. Day.
H. M.

12 30

13 30

H 30

15 30

»7

17
18

20
21
21

. '>

30
3©

30
30
30

Niimta oi countries ana rcrriuritable places tituated
I in pvtTv rlimnte nort 1 of the F.ijuat r.

I. V> .tr.,n the firlt V-1. male lie tue Uom unil .Sil.er
Coaft in Africa; Malacca, in the Eaft-lndies ;
Cayenne and .Surinam, in Terra Firma, .S. Amer.

II. Here lie Ahyllinia, in Africa; Slam, Madrafs,
aiid I'oiidicherry, in the Eaft-lndies ; Straits of
Daricii, between N. and S. America; Tobago, Gra-
nailer, St. Vincent, and BarbaJocs, in the W. InJ.

III. Contains Mecca, in Arabia ; Bombay, part of
Bengal, in the Eaft-lndies; Canton, in China;
Mexico, Cay of Campeachy, in N. America ;
|amaira, Hifpaniola, St. Chriftophers, Antego,
Martinico, and Guadalupe, in the Weft-Indies.

IV. I'-eypfj ^"'i lliii Canary Iflands, in Africa;
Delly, capital of the Mogul Empire, in Afia ;
Culph of Mexico, and Eaft Florida, in N. Ame-
rica ; the Havanna, in the Weft-Indies.

V. Gibraltar, in Spain; part of the Mediterranean
fea ; the Barbary coaft, in Africa; Jerufalcm ;
Ifp;han, capital of Perfia; Nankin, in China;
Cdlii'iirnia, New Mexico, Weft Florida, Georgia,
and the Carolinas, in N. America.

VI. Lilbon, in Portugal; Madrid in Spain; Mi-
norca, Sardinia, and part of Greece, in the Me-
diterranean ; Afia Minor ; part of the Cafpian Sea;
Samarkand, in Great Tartary ; Pckin, in China;
Corea and Japan; Willi amftjurgh, in Virginia;
Maryland, and Philadelphia, in N. America.

VII. Northern provinces of >pain; f.uthern ditto of
France; Turin, Genoa, and Rome, in Italy;
Conftantinople, and the Black Sea, in Turkey;
the Cafpian Sea, and part of Tartary; New York,
Bofton in New England, N.America.

VllI Paris, Vienna, cap. f Germany; New-Scot-
land, Newfoundland, and Canada, in N. Amer.

IX. Loi-.don, Flanders, Prague, Drefden ; Cracow,
in Poland; fouthcrn provinces of Ruflia ; part of
Tartary ; north part of Newfoundland.

X. Dublin, York, Holland, Hanover, and Tartary;
Labrador, and New South-Wales, in N. Amer.

XI. Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Mofcow,cap.of Ruffia.

XII. South part of Hudfon's Bay, in N. Anieriea.

XIII. Orkney Iflcs, Stcckholm, capital of Sweden.

XIV. Bergen, in Norway ; Pcterftiurg, in Ruflia.

XV. Hudfon's ftraits, N. America.

XVI. Siberia, and the fouth part of W. Greenland.

XVII. Drunthjim, in Norway.

XVIII. Part of Finland, in Ruflia.

XIX. Archangel, on the White Sea, Ruflia.

XX. Hcda, in Iceland.

XXI. Northern parts of Ruflia and Siberia.

XXII. New North V/alcs, in N. America.

XXIII. Davis's ftraits, in ditto,

XXIV. Samoieda.

1 Month XXV. South part of Lapland,

2 Monthr, XXVI. Weft-Greenland.

3 Months XXVII. Zcmbla Auftralis.

4 Months XX VIII. Zembla Borealis.

5 Month.', XXIX. Spitzbergen or Eafl: Greenland.

6 Month; kxX. Unknown.

a»

INTRODUCTION.

i <

The diftance of places from the equator, or what is called
their Latitude, is eafily meafurcd on the globe, by means of
the meridian above dcfcribed. For we have only to bring the
place, whofe latitude vvc would know, to the meridian, where
the degree of latitude is marked, and will be cxaiStly over the
place. Now this is the manner alluded to, by which the dif-
tance of places from the equator, is moft properly diftin-
guifhed ; but it could not be adopted, until the figure and
circumference of the earth were known, after v.'hich it was
eafy to determine the number of miles in each 360th part or
degree of this circumference, and confeqiienily know the lati-
tude of places. As latitude is reckoned from the equator
towards the poles, it is either northern or fouthern, and the
fiearer the poles the greater the latitude ; and no place can
have more than 90 degrees of latitude, becaufe the poles, where
they terminate, are at that dillance from the equator.

Parallels of latitude.] Through every degree of la-
titude, or more properly through every piuticniar place on the
tarth, geographers fuppofe a circle to be drawn, which they
call a parallel of latitude. The interfe£tion of this circle, v/ith
the meridian of any place, fhews the true fituation of that
place.

Longitude.] The longitude of a place is its fituatiort
with regard to its meridian, and confequently reckoned towards
the eaft or weft ; in reckoning the longitude there is no parti-
cular fpot from which we ought to fet out preferably to ano-
ther, but for the advantage of a general rule, the meridian of
Ferro, the moft wefterly of the Canary IflanJa, was confi-
dered as the firft meridian in moft of the globeis and maps, and
the longitude of places was reckoned to be fo many degrees.
taft or weft of the meridian of Ferro. Thefe degrees are
marked on the equator. No place can have more than 180
degrees of longitude, becaufe the circumference of the globe
being 360 degrees, no place can be moved from another above
half that diftance ; but many foreign geographers very impro-
perly reckon the longitude quite round the globe. The de-
grees of longitude are not equal like thofe of latitude, but
diminifli in proportion as the meridians incline, or their dif-
tance contrails in approaching the pole. Hence in 60 de-
grees of latitude, a degree of longitude is but half the quan-
tity of a degree on the equator, and fo of the reft. The num-
ber of miles contained in a degree of longitude, in each pa-
rallel of latitude, are fet down in the following^table.

<jii^Mmmm

t . wm ' it wm r^' vu- ^ '^*'

rat is called
y^y nicans of

f'Jian, where
^ly over the
lich the clif-

figure and

\hkh it was

E>oth part or

|ow the Jati-

the equator

|rn, and the

place caxi
oits, where
or.

egree of la-
lace on the
vhich they
circle, v/ith
ion of that

ts fituatioii
ed towards
s no parti-
'ly to ano-
icridian of
iV'i'i confi-
'naps, and
ly degrees
-grees are

than 180
the globe
her above
'■y impro-

Tlie dc-
■ude, but
their dif-
1 60 de-

introduction:

«9

quan-

henum-
-ach pa-
e.

iS.I:.:J

:l f

SHEWING

The Number of Miles contained in a Degree of Longitude,
in each Parallel of Latitude from the Equator.

I
2

7
8

II
12

17
18

23
24

25
26

5«

57
57
57
56
56
56
55
55
54
54
54
53
53

29 52

3Q I 51

C\J

1-1 o

94
92

77
67

56
40
20
08
89
68
46
22
00
60

30
04

73
38

23
81

44
00

48
96

Ui 4-1

31
32

33
34
35
36
37
38

41
42

45
4b

47
48

49
50

51
52

53
54
55
56

57
58

45
44
43

39
38
37
37
36
35
34
33
32

o '^

O <*H

I 1-1 o

50
50

49
49
48

47
46

46 I 00

43
88

54
92

V*m »i mn! iiMMM^ I

95
88

43
68

73
00

79
90

30 00

---»-:r'— \5 ' ' up '*ieiw

61
62

65
66

67
68
69
70

71
72

75
76

79
80

87
88

29
28
27
26

22
21

19
18

17
16

13
12

99
"08

05
04

03
02

c3 o

Oh rS

M O

^2
36

45
48

51
52
54
55

5° .
48

45
,42
^38

23
18

14
09

30 introduction; '

Longitude and latitude found.] To fi/iJ the LoiU
gitudc and Latitude of any place, thcaforc, we need only
brinf^ that place to the brazen meridian, and wc fliall iind the
degree of longitude marked on tlic equator, and the degree
of latitude on the meridian. So that to find the difFercnce
between the latitude or longitude of two places, wc have only
to compare the degrees of either, thus found, with one ano-
ther, and the redudtion of thcfc degrees into miles, according
to the table above given, and remembering that every degree
of longitude at the equat')r, and every degree of latitude all
over the globe, is equal to 60 geographic miles, or 691-Englifli,
we (hall be able exadtly to determine the diftance between any
places on the globe.

Distance of places measured.] The Diftance of
Places which lie in an oblique direction, i. c. neither dirctStly
fouth, north, eaft, or welt, from one another, may He mca-
fured in a readier way, by extending the compafles fiom the
one to the other, and then applying thcin to the equator. For
inftance, extend thccompaiies from Guinea in Africa, to Bra-
zil in America, and then apply them to the ecjuator, and you
will find the diftance to be 25 degrees, wliich at 60 miles to
a degree, makes the diftance 1500 miles.

Quadrant of altitude.] In ordc • 10 fupply the place
of the compafl'es in this operation, there is commonly a pliant
narrow plate of brafs, fcrewed on the brazen meridian, which
contains 90 degrees, or one quarter of the circumference of
the globe, by means of which the diftanccs and bearings of
places are mcafured without the trouble of firft cxlendinf|
the compafles between them, and then applying the fame to
the equator. This plate is called the (^ladrant of Altitude.

Hour circle.] This is a fmall brafs circle tixcd on the
brazen meridian, divided into 24 hours, and having an index
moveable round the axis of the globe.

PROBLEMS PERFORMED LY THE GLOBE.

pROB. I. 7 Cr'HE (Uamcte)- of an artifidal globe being given ^
J -* to find its furf ace in fqucirc, and its folidiiy in
tuhic meafttre.

Multiply the diameter by the circumference, which is a
great circle dividing the globe into two equal parts, and the
product will give the firft : then multiply the faid produdl by
one fixth of the diameter, . and the produ(5l of that will give
the fecond. After the fame manner we may find the furface
and folidity of the natural globe, as alfo the v/holc body of the
atmofphere furrouuding the fame, prgvidwd it be always and
2 every

INTRODUCTION.

i»

tvcry where of the fame height ; for having found the perpen-
dicular height thereof, by that common experiment of the
afcent of Mercury at the foot and top of a mountain, double
the faid height, and add the fame to the diameter of the earth;
then multiply the whole, as a new diameter by its proper cir-
cumference, and from the produd fubtra«it the folidity of the
earth, it w"ill leave that of the atmofphcre.

Prob. 2. To rcil'ify the globe.

The globe being fet upon a true plane, raife the pole accord-
ing to the given latitude; thai fix the quadrant of altitude ia
the zenith, and if there be any mariner's compafs upon the
pcdeftal, let the globe be fo fituaie, as that the brazen meridian
may ihuid due fouth and north, according to the two extre-
mities of the needle, allowing their variation.

Prob. 3. To find the longitude and latitude of any place.
For this, fee the preceding page.

Prob. 4. The longitude and latitude of any place Icing given^
io find that place on the globe.

Bring the degree of longitude to the brazen meridian ;
reckon upon the fame meridian the degree of latitude, whether
fouth or north, and make a mark with chalk where the
reckoning endsj the point cxadlly under the chalk is the
place defired.

Prob. 5. The latitude of any place being given^ to find all
ihofe places that have the fame latitude.

The globe being redlified (r?) according to tlie
latitude of the given place, and that place being («) Prob. 2.
brought to the brazen meridian, make a mark
exadUy above the fame, and turning the globe round, all thofe
places pafling under the faid mark have the fame latitude with
the given place,

Prob. 6. To find the Sun's place in the Ecliptic at any time.

The month and day being given, look for the fame upon the
wooden horizon; and over-againft the day you will find the
particular fign and degree in which the Sun is at that time,
which fign and degree being noted in the ecliptic, the fame is
the Sun's place, or nearly, at the time defired. '^ •^,:./

Prob. 7. The month and day being given, as alfo the parti-
cular time of that day, to find thofc places of the globe to which the
Sun is in the meridian at that particular time.

The pole being elevated according to the latitude of the
given place, brijii^ the fiiid place to the brazen meridian, and

letting

.'.Si''

^t INTRODUCTION.

letting the index of the horary circle at the hour of tlic day, m
the given place, turn the globe till the index points at the
upper figure of XII. which done, fix the globe in that fitua-
tion, and obferve what places arc exactly under the upper
hemifphere of the brazen meridian, for thofe «;^ the place*
dcnred.

Prob. 8. To knoiv the length of the da^ and night in any placs
§f the earth at any time.

Elevate the pole [a) according to the latitude
(a) Prob. 2. of the given pU;cc ; find the Sun's place in the
(A) Prob. 6. ecliptic (/') at that time, which being brought
to the call fide of the horizon, fct the index
of the horary circle at noon, or the upper figure XII. and
turning the globe about till the aforcfaid place of tlv' ccliptio
touch the weltern fide of the horizon, look, upon the horary
circle, and whcrcfoever the index pointcth, reckon the num-
ber of hours between the fame and the upper figure of 12,
for that is the length of the day, the complement whereof to
24 hours is the length of the night.

Prob. 9. To knoiu zvhat a clock it is hy the globe in any part
§f the world, and at any time, provided you know the hour of thi
ttay where you are at the fame time.

Bring the place in which you arc to the bra-
(f) Prob. 3. zcn meridian, the pole being railed (f) accord-
ing to the latitude thereof, and fct the index of
the horary circle to the hour of the day at that time. Then
bring the defired place to the brazen meridian, and the index
will point out the prefcnt hour at that place wherever it is.

Prob. 10. A place being given in the Torrid. T^one, to find
thofe tivo days of the year in which the Sun Jljall he vertical to the
fame.

Bring the given place to the brazen meridian, and ma-k
v/hat degree of latitude is exadlly above it. Move the globe
routid, and obferve the two points of the ecliptic that paf»
through the faid degree of latitude. Search upon the wooden
horizon (or by proper tables of the Sun's annual motion) on
what days he pafleth through the aforcfaid points of the eclip-
tic, for thofe are the days required in which the Sun is ver-
tical to the given place.

Prob. ii. The month and day being given, to find by the
globe thofe places of the North Frigid Zonej when thg Sun bcgin-

n^t^

INTftODUCTION.

mth then to Jhinf ton/fantfy without fitting ; as alfo thop places of
the South Fri'^id Zone, vjhere he then begins to be totally abfent.

The day gwen, (which muft always be one of thofe cither
between the vernal equinox and the fummer folftice, or be-
tween the autumnal equinox and winter folftice)
find {a) the Sun's place in the ecliptic, and [a) Prob. 6,
marking the fame, bring it to the brazen meri-
dian, and reckon the like number of degrees from the north
pole towards the equator, as there is between the equator and
the Sun's place in the ecliptic, fetting a mark with chalk
where the reckoning ends. This done, turn the globe round,
and all the places paffine under the faid chalk are thofe in
which the Sun begins to mine conftantly without fetting upon
the given day. For folution of the latter part of the problem,
fet ofF the fame di (lance from the fouth pole upon the brazen
meridian towards the equator, as was formerly fet off from the
north; then marking with chalk, and turning the globe
round, all places pafling under the mark are thofe where the
Sun begins his total difappcarance from the given day. ^

Prob. ii. A place being given in the North Frig' d Zone, ta
find by the globe what number of days the Sun doth conjlantly Jhitu
upon the faid place, and what days he is ahfent, as alfo thefirfi and,
lajl day of his appearance^

Bring the given place to the brazen meri-
dian, and obferving its latitude [b) elevate [b) Prob. 2,
the globe accordingly j coun: the fame num-
ber of degrees upon the meridian from each fide of the equator
as the place is diftant from the pole j and making marlc" where
the reckonings end, turn the globe, and carefully obferve what
Jtwo degrees of the ecliptic pafs exactly under the two pouits
marked in the meridian j firft for the northern arch of the
circle, namely that comprehended between the two dfegrees
[remarked, being reduced to time, will give the nymber of
(days that the Sun doth conftantly fhine above the horizon of
the given place; and theoppofite arch of the faid circle will in
[like manner give the number of days in which he is totally
I abfent, and alfo wjll point out which days thofe are. And in
the interval he will rife and fet. ..

Prob. i 3. The month and day being given, to find thofe placis
Ion the globe, to which the Sun, when on the meridian, fiall be
] vertical on that day* .

Vol. t

Thfi

•J4

INTRODUCTION,

The Sun's place in the ecliptic being [a)
(n) pROB. 6. found, bring the fame to the brazen meridian,
in which make a fmall mark v/ith chalk, exactly
"bbovc the Sun*s place. Which done, turn the globe, and
thcfe places which have the Sun vertical in the meridian, will
fucceflively pafs under the faid mark.

pROB. 14. 7'he month and day being given^ to find upon ivhat
point of the compafs the Sun then rifeth andfettetb in any place.

Elevate the pole according to the latitude of thcdcfired place,
and finding the Sun's place in the ecLptic at the given time,
bring the fame to the eaftern fide of the horizon, and you may
there clearly fee the point of the compafs upon which he then
rifeth. By turning the globe about till his place coincide with
the wcftern fide of the horizon, you may alfo fee upon the faid
circle the exaft point of his fetting.

Prob. 15. To know by the globe the length of the longejl and
"Jhortejl days and nights in any part of the ivorld.

Elevate the pole according to the latitude of the given place,
and bring the firft degree of Cancer, if in the northern, or Ca-
pricorn if in the fouthern hemifphere, to the eafl fide of the
horizon ; and fetting the index of the horary circle at noon,
turn the elobe about till the fi^-n of Cancer touch the weftern
fide of the horizon, and then obfcrve upon the horary circle
the number of hours between the index and the upper figure
of XII. reckoning them according to the motion of the index,
for that is the length of the longell day, the complement
whereof is the extent of the fliorteft night. As for the fliorteft
day and longeft night, they arc only the reverfe of the former.

Prob. 16. T e hour of the day being given in any place^ to
fr.d thofe places cf the earth luhcre it is either noon or midnight y or
any other particular hour at the fame time.

■ Bring the given place to the brazen meridian, and fet the
index of the horary circle r,t the hour of the day in that place.
Then turn about the globe till the index point at the upper
figure of XII. and obfcrve what places are exactly under the
upper fcmicircle of the brazen meridian, for in them it is
midday at the time given. Which done, turn the globe about
till the index point at the lower figure of XII. and what places
arc then in the lower fcmicircle of the meridian, in them it is
jnidnight at the given time. After the fame manner we may
jiinj tliofc plages that have any other particular hour at the
' • time

iptic being («}
razen meridian,
h chalk, exactly
the globe, and
: meridian, will

'0 find upon tvhat
' in any place.

:hc defined place,
the given time,
II, and you may
which he then
ce coincide with
tc upon the faid

f the kngejl and

' the given place,
northern, or Ca-
; eafl fide of the
circle at noon,
)uch the weftcrn
the horary circle
the upper figure
ion of the index,
the complement
,s for the fliorteft
■fe of the former.

n in any place, to
on or midnighty or

lian, and fet the
lay in that place,
►int at the upper
xa<^tly under the
3r in them it is
n the globe about

and what places
an, in them it is

manner we may
:ular hgur at the
tinic

INTRO DtTCTIOK.

■^

|?r

time given, by moving the globe till the index point at the
hour defired, and obferving the places that are then under thd
brazen meridian.

Prob. 17. The day and hour being given, to find by the globe
that particular place of the earth to which the Sun is vertical at
that very time.

The Sun's place in the ecliptic (a) being {a) Prob. 6«
found and brought to the bra/.en meridian,
make a mark above the fame with chalk j then
(/>) find thofe places of the earth in whofe [b) Prob. i6,
meridian the Sun is at that inftant, and bring
them to the brazen meridian ; which done,obferve narrowly that
individual part of the earth which falls exaiflly under the fore*
faid mark in the brazen meridian ; for that is the particular place
to which the Sun is vertical at that very time.

Prob. 18. The day and hour at ajiy place being given, to find
all thofe places where the Sun is then rifing, or fetting^ or on the
7neridian j confcquently^ all thofe places which are eyilightened at
that ii/ne, ajid thofe which are in the dark.

This problem cannot be folved by any globe fitted up in thtf
common way, with the hour circle fixed upon the brafs meri-^
dian ; unlefs the Sun be on or near fome of the tropics on the
given day. But by a globe fitted up according to Mr. Jofepli
Harris's invention, where the hour-circle lies on the furfaee
of the globe, below the meridian, it may be folved for any
day in the year, according to his method j which is as
follows.

Having found the place to which the Sun is vertical at th?
given hour, if the place be in the northern hemifphcre, elevate
the north pole as many degrees above the horizon, as are equal
to the latitude of that place ; if the place be in the foutheni
hemifphere, elevate the fouth pole accordingly ; and bring the
faid place to the brazen meridian. Then, all thofe places
which are in the wefl:ern femicircle of the horizon, have the
Sun rifing to them at that time ; and thofe in the eaftern femi-
circle have it fetdn^ : to thofe under the upper femicircle of
the brafs meridian, it is noon ; and to thofe under the lower
femicircle, it is midnight. All thofe places which are above
the horizon, are enlightened by the Sun, and have the Su.i
jiift as many degrees above them, as tiicy themfelves arc above
the horizon ; and this height may be known, by fixing the
quadrant of altitude on the brazen meridian over the place to
which the Sun is vertical j and then, laying it gver any other

C 2 place.

in-iriiwniMiiiiii

j,iaa

36 INTRODUCTION^

place, obferve what number of degrees on the quadrant are
intercepted between the faid place and the horizon. In all
thofe places that are 18 degrees below the weftern femicircle
of the horizon, the morning twilight is juft beginning j in all
thofe places that are 1 8 degrees below the caftern femicircle of
the horizon, the evening twilight is ending ; and all thofs
places that are lower than 18 degrees, have dark, night.

If any place be brought to the upper femicircle of the bra-
zen meridian, and the hour index be fet to the upper XII or
noon, and then the globe be turned round eaftward on its
axis ; when the place comes to the weftern femicircle of the
horizon, the index will fhew the time of fun-rifmg at that
place ; and when the fame place comes to the eaftern femi-
circle of the horizon, the index will (hew the time of fun-fet.

To thofe places which do not go under the horizon, the
fun fets not on that day : and to thofe which do not conic,
above it, the Sun does not rife.

Prob. 19. The month and day being given, with the place of
the Moon In the zodiac and her true latitude^ to find thereby the
exa£2 hour when Jhe Jball rife and fet, together with her fouthing^
§r coming to the meridian of the place.

The Moon's place in the zodiac may be found readily
enough at any time by an ordinary almanac ; and her latitude,
which is her diftance from the ecliptic, by applying the femi-
circle of pofition to her place in the zodkc. For
(«)Prob. 2. the folution of the problem («), elevate the
pole according to the latitude of the given place,
and the Sun's place in the ecliptic at that time
(^) PROB. 6. being (/») found and marked with chalk, as
alfo the Moon's place at the fame time, bring
the Sun*^s place to the brazen meridian, and fet the index of
the horary circle at noon, then turn the globe till the Moon's
place fuccefllvely meet with the eaftern and weftern fide of the
horizon, as alfo the brazen meridian, and the index will point
at thofe various times the particular hours of her rifing, fet-
ting and (buthing.

pROB. 20. Two places being given an the globe, to find the
true dljlance between them.

Lay the graduated edge of the quadrant of altitude over
both the places, and the number of degrees intercepted be-
tween them will be their true diftance from each other, reck-
oning every degree to be 69! Englifti miles.

Prob. 21. A place being glvni on the globe, and Its true
diftance from afecond place^ to find thereby all other places of tht
earth that are of the fame dljlance from the given place*

INTRODUCTION. 37

Bring the given place to the brazen meridian, and elevate
the pole according to the latitude of the faid place ; then fix
the quadrant of altitude in the zenith, and reckon, upon the
iaid quadrant, the given diftance between the firft and fecond
place, provided the Came be under 90 degrees, otherwife you
muft ufe the femicircle of pofition, and making a mark where
the reckoning ends, and moving the faid quadrant or femi-
circle quite round upon the furface of the globe, all places
pafling under that mark, are thofe defired.

GEOGRAPHICAL OBSERVATIONS.

1. The latitude of any place is equal to the elevation of the
pole above the horizon of that place, and the elevation of the
equator is equal to the complement of the latitude, that is, to
what the latitude w;:nts of 90 degrees.

2. Thofe places which lie on the equator, have no latitude,
it being there that the latitude begins ; and thofe places which
lie on the firft meridian have no longitude, it being there that
the longitude begins. Confequently, that particular place of
the earth where the firft meridian interfeds the equator, has
neither longitude nor latitude.

3. All places of the earth do equally enjoy the benefit of
the fun, in refpcd of time, and are equally deprived of

4. All places upr I the equator have their days and nights
equally long, that is, 12 hours each, at all times of the year.
For although the fun declines alternately, from the equator
towards the north and towards the fouth, yet, as the horizon
of the equator cuts all the parallels of latitude and declination
in halves, tbe fun muft always continue above the horizon
for one half a diurnal revolution about the earth, and for the
other half below it. . ' '

5. In all places of the earth between the equator and poles,
the days and nights are equally long, viz. 12 hours each,
when the fun Is in the equinodlial : for, in all elevations of
the pole, fliort of 90 degrees (which is the greateft) one half
of the equator or equinodial will be above the horizon, and
the other half below it.

6. The days and nights are never of an equal length at any
place between the equator and polar circles, but when the
fun enters the figns v Aries and ^ Libra. For in every other
P^" .. Z!'^ ecliptic, the circle of the fun's daily motion
is divided mto two unequal parts by the horizon.

, 7- The nearer that any place is to the equator, the lefs is,
the difference between the length of the days and nights in
that place ; and the more remote, the contrary. The circjes
Which the fuij defcnbcs in the heaven every 24 hours

^ 3 being

INTRODUCTION.

»*

being cut more ner.rly equal in the former cafe, and more un^
equally in the latter.

8. In all places lying upon any given parallel of latitude,
however long or fhort the day and nij^^ht be at any one of thcfe
places, at any time of the year, it is then of the fame length
at all the reft; for in turning the globe round its axis (v/hen
rectified according to the fun's declination) all thefe places will
Jceep equally long above or below the horizon.

9. Hie fun is vertical twice a year to every place between
the tropics ; to thofc under the tropics, once a year, but never
any where elfc. For, there can be no place between the tro-.
pics, but that there will be two points in the ecliptic, whofe
declination from the equator is equal to the latitude of that
place ; and but one point of the ecliptic which has a decli-
nation equal to the latitude of places on the tropic which that
point of the ecliptic touches ; and as the fun never goes with-
out the tropics, he can never be vertical to any place that lies
without them.

10. In all places lying exaftly under the polar circles, the
fun, when he is in the neareft tropic, continues 24 hours,
above the horizon without fetting ; becaufe no part of that
tropic is below their horizon. And when the fun is in the
fartheft tropic, he is for the fame length of time without rifing ;
becaufe no part of that tropic is above their horizon. I^ut, at
all other times of the year, he rifes and fets there, as in other
places i becaufe all the circles that can be dra^yn parallel to.
the equator, between the tropics, are more or lefs cut by the
horizon, as they are farther from, or nearer to, that tropic
which is all above the horizon : and when the fun is not in
either of the tropics, his diurnal courfc muft be in one or other
I3f thefe circles.

J I. To all places in the northern hemifphere, from the
equator to the polar circle, the longcft day and fhorteft night
js when the fun is in the northern tropic j and the fhorteft day
.and longeft night is when the fun is in the fouthern tropic ;
^ecaufe no circle of the fun's daily motion is fo much above
the horizon, and fb little below it, as the northern tropic ;
and none fo little above it, and fo much below it, as the
Southern. In the fouthern hemifphere, the contrary.

J 2. In all places between the polar ciiclcs and poles, the
•JFun appears for fome number of days (or rather diurnal revolu-
tions) without fetting; and at the oppofitc time of the year
without rifing ; befcaufe fome part of the ecliptic never fcts in
the former, cafe, and as much of the oppofite part never rifes
^n the latter. And the nearer unto, or the more remote from
the pole, thefe places are, the longer or fliorter is the fun's
f^tjtiii'uing prcfence or abfence.

and more un^

re, as in other

INTRODUCTION. ^i

13. If a Ihip fets out from any port, and fails round the
earth e^ftward to the fame port again, let her take what tin>e
j(he will to do it in, the people in that (hip, in reckoning their
time, will gain one complcat day at their return, or count on^
day more than thcfe who refide at the fame port ; bec-uifc, \>y
going contrary to the fua's diurnal motion, and being forwarder
<2very evening than they were in the morning, their horizon
will get fo much the fooner aboye the fetting fun, than if they
had kept for a whole day at any particular place. And thus,
by cutting off a part proportior.able to their own motion, from
the length of every day, they will gain acompleat day of that?
fort at their return ; without gaining one moment of abfolute
time more than is elapfed during their courfe, to the people at
the port. If they fail weftward they will reckon one day lef?
than the people do who refide at the (liid port, becaufe by gra-r
dually following the apparent diurnal motion of the fun, they
will icccp him each particular day fo much longer above their
horizon, as anfwers to that day's courfe ; and by that means,
they cut oiF a whole day in reckoning, at thqir return, with-
out lofing one moment of abfolute time.

Hence, if two (hips (liould fot out at the fame time from any
pont, and fail round the globe, one eallward and the other weft-
ward, fo as to meet at the fame poit on any day whatever ^
they will differ two days in reckoning their time, at their re-
turn. If they fail twice round the earth, they will differ four
«lays i if thiic?, then fix, ^^c, ... .

•-.•v*)

OF THE NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE EARTH..

T'' H 5) conflituent parts of the Earth are two, the land and
water. The parts of the land are continents, iflands^
pcninfulas, jfthmus's, promontories, capes, coafts, mount
tains, &c. This land is divided into two great continent?^
(befides the iflands) viz. the eaftern and weftcrn continent.
The eaftern is fubdivided into three parts, viz. Europe, on
the north-weft J Afia, on the north-caft ; and Africa, (whicl^
is joined to Afia by the ifthmus of Suez, 60 miles over) oi>
the fouth. The weftern continent confifts of No th and'Squth
America, joined by the ifthmus of Daiien, 60 or 70 mil??
broad.

A continent Is a large portion of land, containing feverat
countries or kingdoms, without any entire feparatipn of its
parts by water, as Europe. An iHand is a fmallcr part of land,
quite furrounded by water, as Grcat^Britain. A peninfula is
a tradt of land every where furrounded by water, except at one
narrow neck, by which it joins the neighbouring continent ^
as the Morea in Greece : and that neck of land which fo

C 4 joins

'A^

INTRODUCTION.

joins it, is called an ifthmus ; as the ifthmus of Suez, which
joins Africa to Afia j the ifthmus of Daricn, which joins
North and South America. A promontory is a hill, or point
of land, ftretching itfelf into the fea, the end of which is
called a capej as the cape of Good-Hope. A coaft or fhore is
that part of a country which borders on the fea-fide. Moun-
tains, vallies, woods, defcrts, plains, &c. need no defcription.
The moft remarkable are taken notice of, and defcribed in the
body of this work.

The parts of the water are oceans, feas, lakes, ftraits,
gulphs, bays, or creeks, rivers, &c. The waters are divided
into three extenfive oceans (befides lefTer fcas, which are only
branches of thefe) viz. the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the
Indian Ocean. The Atlantic or Weftern Ocean, divides the
caftern and weftern continents, and is 3000 miles «vidc. The
Pacific, divides America from Afia, and is io»ooo miles over.
The Indian Ocean lies between the Eaft Indies and Africa,
being 3000 miles wide.

The ocean is a great and fpacious colleilion of water, with-
out any entire feparation of its parts by land ; as the Atlantic
Ocean. The fea is a fmaller colledtion of water, which com-
municates with the ocean, confined by the land j as the Medi-r
terranean and the Red Sea. A lake is a large colledlion of
water, entirely furrounded by land ; as the lake of Geneva,
and the lakes in Canada. A ftrait is a narrow part of the fea,
xeftrained or lying between two fhores, and opening a paflage
out of one fea into another j as the ftrait of Gibraltar, or that
of Magellan. This is fometimes called a found j as the ftrait
into the Baltic. A gulph is a part of the fea running up into the
land, and furrounded by it, except at the paflage where-
by it is communicated with the fea or ocean. If a gulph
be very large, it is called an inland fea j as the Medi-
terranean : if it do not go far into the land, it is called a bay ;
as the Bay of Bifcay : if it be very fmall, a creek, haven,
ftation, or road for Ihips ; as Mil ford Haven. Rivers, canals,
brooks, &c, need no defcription, for thefe lefler divifions of
water, like thofe of land, are to be met with in moft coun-
tries, and every one has a clear idea of what is meant by them.
But in order to ftrengthen the remembrance of the great parts of
Jand and water we have defcribed, it may be proper to obfefve,
<!hat there is a ftrong analogy or refemblance between them.
■ The defcription of a continent refembles that of an
ocean, an ifland encompafled with water refembles a lake en-
compaffed with land. A peninfula of land is like a gulph or
inland fea. A promontory, or cape of land, is like a bay or
creejc of fea ; and an ifthmus, whereby two lands are joined^
> rdcmbles.

The

Seas

'■■

The

Eun

Afia

Afri

Ani(

Pcif

Ron

Run

Chir

Cre;

Turl

Prcf.

<^ —

INTRODUCTION, 41

refemblcs a ftrait, which unites one fea to another. To this
defcription of the divifions of the earth, rather than add an
enumeration of the various parts of land and water, which cor-
rcfpond to them, and which the reader will find in the body of
the work, we fhall fubjoin a table, exhibiting the fuperficial
content of the whole globe in fquare miles, fixty to a degree,
and alfo of the feas and unknown parts, the habitable earth,
the four quarters or continents ; likewife of the great empires
and principal iflands, which fhall be placed as they are fubor-
dinate to one another in magnitude. >.-..; ..^

rbe Globe —

Seas and u;iknown Parts —
The Habitable World » —
Europe .. i . » —— .

Afia —

Africa — ■■ ■ .

America — —

Pcrfian Empire under Darius
Roman Emp. in jts utmoft height

Ruffian —

Chinefe ■ ■ ■ — .
Great Mogul — — .

Turkifh ■ .

Prefent Perfian .- ■

Square
Miles.

"Borneo
JVIadagafcar
Sumatra
Japan

Great Britain
Celebes
Manila
IccKind
Torr.1 del
Mindinao
Cuba
Java

z z

ucgo

i99>S'2,595

160,522,026

38,990,569

4,456,065

10,768,823

9,654,807

14,110,874'

1,650,000

1,610,000

3> 30 31485

1,749,00c

1,116,000

960,057

800,000

228,000

168,000

129,000

1 1 8,000

72,926

68,400

58,500

46,000

42*075
59,200
38,400

Iflands.

Hil'paniula
Newfoundland
Ceylon —
Ireland •—
Formofa —
Anian
Gilolo —
Sicily —
Timor —
Sardinia —
Cyprus —
Jamaica —
Flores —
Ceram —
Briton «—
Socatra
Candia —
Porto Rico —
Corfica —
/Seland — -'

Majorca •

St. Jago —
Negropont -
TenerifF .
Gotland —-
Madeira ■
St. Michael

Square
Mil(;s.

36,000

3S>500
27,730

27.457

17,000

11,900

10,400

94«o

7800

6600

6300

6vioo

6000

5400
40C0
360c

3220
3200
2520

1935
1400

1400
1300
1272
1000
950
97,0

Iflands.

Skye

Lewis

Funen

Vvica

Minorca

Rhodes

Cephalonia —

Amboyna — —

Orkney Pomona

Scio

Marti nice —

Lemnos

Corfu

Providence —

Man —

Bornholm

Wight

Malta —

flarbadoes

Zant

Antigua ■
St.Chriftopher';
■>t. Helena —
Guernfey ■ i

Jerfey

Bermudas — —
Rhode —

Squ.

Mis.

900
880
76S
625
520
480
420
400

3*4

300

260

220

194

168

160

150

140

120

100

WiNJ.s AND TIDES.] Wc Cannot finifli the doarine of
the earth, without confidering Winds and Tides, from which
the changes that happen on its furface principally arife.

Wind''.] The earth on which we live is every wh^re fur-
rounded by a fine invifible fluid, which extends to feveral
miles above jts furface, and is called Air. It is found by

experiments.

• The numlcr of inhabitants computed 1 r

at prefent to be in the knr;wn world at a f S

medium, taken from the bfft calculations. C i

jire itbwi 953TOimt.a$, J t

Europe containSi
Afia — — ..
Africa — —
America — —

153 Millions
500

ISO
ISO

To^ 953 Millions

'42 INTRODUCTION.

experiments, that a fmall quantity of air is capable of being
expanded, fo as to fill a very large (pace, or to be coinprcfled
into a much fmaller compafs than it occupied before. The
general caufe of the expanfion of air i^ heat, the general caufe
of its comprefTion is cold. Hence if any part of the air or
atmofphcre receive a greater degree of cold or heat than it had
before, its parts v/ill be put in motion, and expanded or com-
prclled. But when air is put in motion, we call it wind in
-general; and a breeze, gulc, or ftorm, according to the
ijuicknd's or vt-Iocity of that motion. Winds therefore, which
are con.mojily confiJcrcd as things extremely variable and un-
certain, depend on a general caufe, and ail with more or lefs
uniformity in pro<iortion as theadion of this caufe is more or
lefs conftant. It is found by obiervations made at fca, that
from thirty degrees north latitude, to thirty degrees fouth,
there is a conft.;nt eafi-wind throughout the year, blowing on
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and called the Trade Wind,
This is occafioned by the aclion of the fun, which in moving
from eaft to weft heats, and confequcntly expands the air im-
mediately under him ; by which means a ftream, or tide of
air, always accompanies him in his courfe, and occafions a
perpetual eaft-wind within thefe limits. This general caufe
however is modified by a number of particulars, the explica-
tion of which would be too tedious and complicated for our
prefcnt plan : which is to mention fails rather than theories.
It is likewife found, that in fome parts of the Indian
ocean, which are not more than two hundred leagues from
land, there are periodical winds, called Monfoons, which
blow half the year one way, and half the year another way,
^t the changing of thefe monfoons, which always happen at
the equinoxes, there are terrible ftorms of thunder, lightning,
wind and rain. It is difcovcred alfo, that in the fame lati-
tudes, there is another kind of periodical winds, which blov/s
from the land in the night and good part of the morning, and
from the fea about noon, till midnight ; thefe however do not
extend above two or three leagues from fliore. Near the coaft
of Guinea in Africa, the wind blows always from the weft,
fouth-weft, or fouth. On the coaft of Peru in South Ame-
rica, the winds blow conftantly from the fouth-weft. Beyond
the latitude of thirty north and fouth, the winds, as we daily
perceive in Great-Britain, are more variable, though they
blow oftener from the weft than any other point. Between
the fourth and tenth degrees of north latitude, and between
the longitude of Cape Verd and the eafternmoft of the Cape
Verd iflands, there is a tradt of fea condemned to perpetual
5 calmsj

apable of being
I be comprcfled
1 before. The
le general caufe
t of the air or
lieat than it had
panded or com-
call it wind in
wording to the
licrcforc, which
/ariablc and un-
ith more or lefs
caufe is more or
ade at fca, that

degrees fouth,
car, blowing; on
\e Trade Wind,
/hich in moving
nnds the air im-
eam, or tide of
and occafions a
is general caufe
irs, the explica-
iplicated for our
;r than theories.

of the Indian
red leagues from
onfoons, which
ir another way,
ways happen at
nder, lightning,
n the fame lati-
ds, which blov.'s

le morning,

and

however do not
Near the coaft
s from the weli,
1 in South Ame-
h-weft. Beyond
nds, as we daily
le, though they
point. Between
le, and between
loft of the Cape
ned to perpetual
calmS)

INTRODUCTION. 4j

calms, attended v/ith terrible thunder and lightning, and fuch
rains, that this fea has acquired the name of the Rains.

Tides.] By the tides is meant that regular motion of the
fca, according to v/hich it ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four
hours. The dodlrine of the Tides remained in obfcurity till
the immortal Sir Ifaac Newton explained it by his great prin-
ciple of gravity or attraaion. For having demonftrated that
there is a principle in all bodies, within the folar fyftem, by
which they mutually draw or attraft one another, in propor-
tion to their diftance, it follows, that thofe parts of the fea
which are immediately below the moon, muft be drawn to-
wards it, and confequcntly wherever the moon is nearly ver-»
tical, thefeawillberaifed, which occafions the flowing of the
tide there. A fimilar reafon occafions the flowing of the tide
likewife in thofe places where the moon is in the nadir, and
which muft be diametrically oppofite to the former ; for in
the hemifphere fartheft from the moon, the parts in the nadir
being lefs attracted by her than the other parts which are nearer
to her, gravitate lefs towards the earth's center, and confe-
qucntly muit be higher than the reft. Thofe parts of the
earth, on the contrary, where the moon appears on the hori-
zon, or ninety degrees diftant from the zenith and nadir, will
have low water ; for as the waters in the zenith and nadir rife
at the fame time, the waters in their neighbourhood will preft
towards thofe places to maintain the equilibrium ; to fupply
the places of thcfe, others will move the fame way, and fo on
to the places ninety degrees diftant from the zenith and nadir,
where the water will be loweft. By combining this dodrine
with thediurn.il motion of the earth, above explained, we fhall
be fcnfible of the reafon why the tides ebb and flow, twice in
twenty-four hours, in every place on this globe.

The tides are higher than ordinary, twice every month, that
is about the times of new and full moon, and are called Spring
Tides ; for at thefc times the adlions of both the fun and moon
are united, and draw in the fame ftraight line, and confequently
the fea muft be more elevated : at the conjunction, or when the
fun and moon are on the fame fide of the earth, they both con-,
fpire to raife the waters in the Zenith, and confequently in the
Nadir ; and at the oppofition, or when the earth is between the
fun and moon, while one occafions high water in the Zenith and
Nadir, the other does the fame. The tides are lefs than ordinary
twice every month, about the firft and laft quarters of the moon,
and are called Neap Tides j for in the quarters the fun raifes the
waters where the moon deprefles them, and deprefles where the
nioon raifes them ; fo that the tides are only occafioned by the
^ifterence by which the a^jion of the moon, which is uearcfl:

'44

INTRODUCTION.

us, prevails over that of the fun. Thcfc things would happen
\jniformly, were the whole furface of the earth covered with
water; butfince there arc a multitude of iflands, and continents,
which interrupt the natural courfe of the water, a variety of
appearances are to he met with in different places, which cannot
be explained without regarding the fituation of fhores, ftraits,
and other objeds, which have a fhare in producing them.

There are frequently ftreams or currents in the Ocean,
which fct fliips a great way beyond their intended courfe.
There is a current betwecnFlorida and the Bahama Iflands, which
always runs from north to fouth. A current runs conftantly
from the Atlantic, through the ftraits of Gibraltar into the
Mediterranean. A current fets out of the Baltic fea, through
the Sound or ftrait between Sweden and Denmark, into the
Britifh channel, fo that there are no tides in the Baltic,
About fmall iflands and head lands in the middle of the ocean,-
the tides rife very little, but in fome bays, and about the mouths
of rivers, they rife from 12 to 50 feet.

Maps.] A map is the reprefentation of the earth, or a part
thereof, on a plane furface. Maps differ from the Globe in the
fame manner as a piiSlure does from a ftatue. The Globe truly
reprefents the earth, but a map no more than a plane furface
can reprefent one that is fpherical. But although the earth can
never be exhibited exadlly by one map, yet, by means of fev6ral
of them, each containing about ten or twenty degrees of latitude,
the reprefentation will not fall very much (hort of the globe for
exaftnefs ; becaufe fuch maps, if joined together, would form
a fpherical convex nearly as round as the globe itfelf.

Cardinal Points.] The jiorth is confidered as the upper
part of the map ; the fouth is at the bottom, oppofite to the
north ; the eaft is on the right hand, the face being turned to
the north ; and the weft on the left hand, oppofite to the eaft.
From the top to the bottom are drawn meridians, or lines of
longitude ; and from fide to fide, parallels of latitude. The
outermoft of the meridians and parallels are marked with de-
grees of latitude and longitude, by means of which, and the
fcale of miles commonly placed in the corner of the map, the
fituation, diftances, &c. of places, may be found, as on the
artificial globe. Thus to find the diftance of two places, fup-
pofe London and Paris, by the map, we have only to mcafure
the fpace between them with the compaffcs or a bit of thread,
and to apply this diftance to the fcale of miles, which fhews
that London is 210 miles diftant from Paris. If the places lie
diredlly north or fouth, eaft or weft from one another, we
have only to obferve the degrees on the meridians and parallels,
and by turning thefe into miles, we obtain the diftance without
^ „ Z meafurinjj.

;s would happffi
h covered with

and continents,
tcr, a variety of
s, which cannot
f fhorcs, ftraits,
cing them.

n the Ocean,
ntended courfe.
iialflandsjwhich
runs conftantly
braltar into the
tic fea, through
mark, into the

in the Baltic.
Ic of the ocean,
bout the mouths

earth, or a part
the Globe in the
"he Globe truly
1 a plane furfacc
;h the earth can
means of fevCral
^rees of latitude,
t of the globe for
ler, would form
Jitfelf.

red as the upper
oppofite to the
being turned to
ofite to the eaft.
ans, or lines of
latitude. The
larked with de-
ivhich, and the
)f the map, the
und, as on the
ivo places, lup-
only to meafure
a bit of thread,
i, which fhews
[f the places lie
ne another, we
IS and parallels,
iftance without
. meafurinj.

INTRODUCTION. 45

mcafuring. Rivers are defcribed in maps by black lines, and
are wider towards the mouth than towards the head or fpring.
Mountains are fketched on maps as on a picture. Forefts and
woods are reprefented by a kind of fhrub ; bogs amd morafles,
by fhades; fands and fhallows are defcribed by fmalldots ; and
roads ufually by double lines. Near harbours, the depth of
the water is exprefled by figures reprefenting fathoms.

Length of miles in dif- ) There is fcarce a greater
FERENT countries.] J variety in any thing than
this fort of meafurcs ; not only thofc of fcparate countries
diftcr, as the French from the Lnglifli, but thofe of the fame
country vary, in the dificrcnt provinces, and all commonly
from the ft.indard. Thus the common Englifli mile differs
from the ftatute mile, and the French have three forts of
leagues. Wc (hall here give the miles of levcral countries
compared with the Englifti by Dr. Hilley.

The Englifh ftatute mile confifts of 5280 feet, 1760 yards,
or 8 furlongs.

The Ruffian voift is little more than \ Englifh.

The Turkifh, Italian, and old Roman leflcr mile is nearly
I Englifh.

The Arabian, antient and modern, is about i i Englifli.

The Scotch and Irifli Mile is about i j Englifli.

The Indian is aJmoft 3 Englifh. -vtU

The Dutch, Spanifh, and Polifh, is about 3 f Englifh.

The German is more than 4 Englifli.

The Swedifh, Danifh, and Hungarian, is from 5 to 6 Englifh.

The French common League is near 3 Englifh, and

The Englifh marine League is 3 Englifh miles. . "r

PART II.

OF THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS, LAWS,
GOVERNMENT, AND COMMERCE.

HAVING, in the following wotk, mentioned the antient
names of countries, and even fometimes, in fpeaking
of thefc countries, carried our hiftorical refearches beyond
modern times j it was thought necefTary, in order to prepare
the reader for entering upon the particular hiflory of each
country we defcribc, to place before his eye a general view
of the hiflory of mankind, from the firft ages of the world, to
the reformation m religion during the i6th century. By a
hiftory of the world, we do not mean a mere lift of dates,
which, when taken by itfelf, is a thing extremely infignificant';
but an account of the moit iaterefling and importaat events

whick

Before Ch.
3044.

^ jNTRODUCTIOlSr.

which have happened among mankind ; with the caufcs which
have produced, and the effects which have followed from them.
This we judge to be a matter of high importance in itielf, and
indifpenfibly requifitc to the underltanding of the prefcnt flat*
of commerce, government, arts, and manners, in any parti-
cular country; which may be called commercial and jwlitical
geography, and which, undoubtedly, conllitutcs the mofl: ufe-
ful branch of that fcience.

It appears in general, from the firft chapters of Gencfis^
that the world, before the flood, was extremely populous, that]
mankind had made confiderablc improvement in the arts, and
were become highly licentious in their morals and behaviour,
Their irregularity gave occafion to a memorable cataftrophe,
by which the whole hur.ian race, except Noah and
his family, were fwept from off the face of the earth*
The deluge produced a very confiderable change on j
the foil and atmofphcrc of this globe, and gave them a form
Icfs friendly to the frame and texture of the human body.
Hence the abridgment of the life of man, and that formidable
train of difcafes which hath ever fincc made fuch havock in
the world. A curious pat of hiftory follows that of the de-
luge, the repeopling of the world, and the rifing of a new ge-
neration from the ruins of the former. The memory of the!
three fons of Noah, the firft founders of nations, was long
prcferved among their fevcral defcendants. Japhet continued \
famous among the wcftern nations under the celebrated name j
of Japetus ; the Hebrews paid an equal veneration to Shem,
who was the founder of their race ; and among the Euyp-
tians. Ham was long revered as a divinity, under the name
of Jupitcr-Hammon. It appears that hunting was the prin-
cipal occupation fome centuries after the deluge. The world
teemed with wild beafts, and the great heroifm of thole times
confifted in deftroying them. Hence Nimrod acquired immor-
tal renown ; and by the admiration w^hich his courage and dex-
terity univerfally excited, wns en:ibled to acquire an authority
over his fellow creatures, and to found at Babylon the firft
a64o. Tio^'ift-'hy, whofe origin is particularly mentioned in
hiftory. Not long after the foundation of Nineveh was!
laid by Aflur ; and in Egypt, the four governments of Thebes,
Theri, Memphis, and I'anis, began to afiume fome appear-
ance of form and regularity. That thcfc events fhould have
happened fo foon after the deluge, whatever furprize it may
have occafioned to the learned ibme centuries ago, need not
in the fmalleft degree excite the wonder of the prefent age*
We have feen, from many inftanccs, the powerful eftcils of
the principles of populution, and how fpeedily mankind en-

creafe

I N T R O D U C T I O K. 47

rrcafc when the generative faculty lies under no rcftraint.
'i'hc kingdoms of Mexico and Peru were incomparably more
extcnlivc than thofe of Babylon, Niucvxh and Egypt, during
this early agcj and yet thcfc kingdoms arc not fuppofcd to
have cxiltcd four centuries before the difcovery of America by
Columbus. As mankind continued to muliiply on the earth,
and to feparate from each uther, the tradition concerning the
true God, was obliterated or obfcured. Tiiis occafumed the
calling of Abraham to be the father of a chofcn people, ^^^g^
From this prriod the Iiiftory of antient nations begins a
little to expnnd itLlf; and we learn fevcral particulars of
verv confidcrable iir.portniu'e.

Mankind had not long been united into focieties before they
fet themfclvcs toopprefiand dellroy one another. Chnderlaomcr,
king of theElamites, or Poriians, was already become a robber
and a conqueror. His force, however, mult not have been
very conliderablc, fincc, in one of tliefe expeditions, Abraham,
afTiited only by his hculhold, fet upon him in his retreat, and
after a fierce engac;emcnt, recovered all the fpoil that had been
taken. Abraham was foon after obliged, by a famine^' to
leave Canaan, the country where Qod had commanded him to
fettle, and to go into Egypt. This journey gives occafion to
Mofes to mention fome particulars with regard to the Egyp-
tians, and every ftroke difcovers the characters of an improved
and powerful nation. The court of the Egyptian monarch
is defcribed in the moft brilliant colours. He is fur rounded
with a crowd of courtiers, folely occupied in gratifying his
pallions. The particular governments into which this country
was divided, arc now united under one powerful prince ; and
Ham, who led the colony into Egypt, is become the founder
of a mighty empire. We arc nor, however, to imaguic that
all the laws which took place in Egypt, and wiiich have been
fo juftlv admired for their wifdom, were the work of this early
age. Diodorus Siciilus, a Greek v/rit;'r, mentions many fuc-
ceflive princes, v/ho laboured for their cllablillin^.ent and per-
fedtion. liut in the time of Jacob, the lirlt prin<iples ^g
of civil order and regular governments fccin to h.ive
been tolerably undcrftood among the Egyptians. The country
was divided into fevcral diftricts or fcparaic departments ;
councils, compofed of experienced and fele::;! peribn«, were
eftabliflied for the rranagCTicnt of public afrairs ; granaries
for preferving corn were erected ; and, in fine, the Egyptians
in this age, enjoyed a commerce far from iiiconliderable.
Thefe fads, though of an ancient dale, dc;rerve our parti-
cular attention. It is from the Egy[-tians, that many of the
arts, both of elegance and utility, have bicn handed dowii

INTRODUCTION.

■ \

V f

in an uninterrupted chain to the modern nations of Europe,
Tlie Egyptians communicated their arts to the Greeks j the
Greeks taught the Romans many improvements both in the .
arts of peace and war; and to the Romans, the prefent inha-
bitants of Europe arc indebted for their civility and refine* .
ment. The kingdoms of Babylon and Nineveh remained fe-
parate for feveral centuries ; but we know not even the names v
of the kings who governed them, till the time of Ninus, king
of Nineveh, who, by the fplendour of his aitions, reflects
light on this dark hiuory. Fired by the fpirit of conqueft,
he extends the bounds of his kingdom, adds Babylon to his
dominion, and lays the foundation of that monarchy which,
under the name of the Aflyrian empire, kept Afia under the
yoke for many ages.

The hiftory of Europe now begins to dawn. Javan, fon of
Japhet, and grandfon of Noah, is the ftock from whom all the
people known by the name of Greeks are defcended. Javan
eilablilhed himfelf in the iflands in the weftern coaft of Afia
Minor, from whence it was impoflible that fome wanderers
fhould not pafs over into Europe. To thcfe firft inhabitants
fucceeded a colony from Egypt, who, about the time of Abra-
ham, penetrated into Greece, and, under the name of
*o*S* Titans, endeavoured to eftablifli monarchy in this coun-
try, and to introduce into it the laws and civil policy of the
Egyptians. But the empire of the Titans foon fell afunder ;
and the antient Greeks, who were at this time the moft rude
and barbarous people in the world, again fell back into their
lawlefs and favage manner of life. Several colonics, however,
foon after pafled over from Afia into Greece, and by remain-
ing in that country, produced a more confidcrable alteration
on the manners of its inhabitants. The moft antient of thefe
were the colonies of Inachus and Ogyges ; of whom the former
fettled in Argos, and the latter in Attica. We know ex-
tremely little of Ogyges or his fuccefTors. Thofe of Inachus
endeavoured to unite the difperfed and wandering Greeks ;
and their endeavours for this purpofe were not altogether un-
fuccefsful.

But the hiflory of God's chofen people, is the only one
with which we are much acquainted during thofe ages. The
train of curious events which occafioned the fettling of Jacob
and his family in that part t)f Egypt of which Tanis was the
capital, are univerfally known. That patriarch died, according
,_- to the Septuagint verfion, 1794 years before Chrifl.
This is a pretty remarkable sera with refpeft to the na-
tions of heathen antiquity, and concludes that period of tin-e
which the Greeks conlidercd as altogether unknown, and which

thc\p

ations of Europe,

the Greeks i the

nents both in the

the prefent inha^

I'iJity and refine*

veh remained fe,

)t even the names

le of Ninus, king

adtions, reflects

)irit of conqueft,

Babylon to his

nonarchy which,

Afia under the

Javan, fon of
rom whom all the
•fcended. Javan
era coaft of Afia

fome wanderers
5 firft inhabitants
he time of Abra-
der the name of
:hy in this coun-
ivil policy of the
on fell afunder ;
ne the moft rude
1 back into their
Ionics, however,

and by remain-
lerable alteration

antient of thefe
kvhom the former

We know cx-
hofe of Inachus
idering Greeks ;
t altogether un-

is the only one
lofe ages. The
fettling of Jacob
I Tanis was the
died, according
i before Chrift.
'pe£i to the na-
: period oftin^e
own, and which
thcyj

INTRaDUCTION; 49

S they Have hardly disfigured by their fabulous narrations. Let
us view this period then in another point of view, and confider
what we can learh from the facred writings, with refpeft to
the arts, manners and laws of antient nations.

It is a common error among writers on this fubjeft, to con-
fider all the nations of antiquity as being on the fame footing
with regard to thofe matters. They find fome nations extremely
rude and barbarous, and hence they conclude that all were in
that fituation. They diicover others acquainted with many
arts, and hence they infer the wifdom of the firft ages. There
appears, however, to have been as much difference between the
inhabitants of the antient world, in points of art and refinement j
as between the civiiifcd kingdoms of modern Europe and the
Indians in America or Negroes on the coaft of Africa. Noah
was, undoubtedlv, acquainted with all the arts of the antedi-
luvian world ; thefe he would communicate to his children,
and they agairt ^vould hand them down to their pofterity. Thole
nations therefore who fettled ncarelt the ori'>:inal feat oF man-
kind, and who had the bert opportunities to avail thcmi'clves of
the knowledge which their great ancefror was pofieficd of,
early formed themfeives into regular focicties, and made confi-
derable improvements in the arts which are moft fubfervient to
human life. Agriculture^ppcars to ha\e been known in the firft:
ages of the world. Noah cultivated the vine ; in the time of
Jacob, the fio-.tree and the almond were well known in the
land of Canaan ; and the inftruments of hufbandry, long be-
fore the difcovery of them in Greece, are often mentioned ia
the facred vv'ritings. It is hardly to be fuppofed that the an-
tient cities, both in Afia and Egypt, whofe foundation as
we have already mentioned, afcends to the remoteft antiquity,
could have been built, unlels the culture of the ground had
been prad:ifed at that time. Nations who live by hunting or
pafturage only, lead a wandering lite, and leklom fix their re-
fidcnce in cities. Commerce naturally follows agriculture j
and though wc cannot trace the fteps by which it was intro-
duced among the antient nations, we may, from detached paf-
iages in facred writ, afcertain the progrefs which had been
made in it during the patriarchal times. We knov/, from the
hiftory of civil fociety, that the commercial intercourfe between
men muft b^r pretty confiderable, before the metals come to be
confidered as the medium of trade ; and yet this was the cafe
even in the days of Abraham. It appears, however, from the
relations which eftablifli this fact, that the ufc of money had
not been of an antient date ; it had no mark to afcertain its
weight or finenefs : and in a contra<ft for a burying-place, in
exchange for which Abram gave filver, the metal is weighed in
VoJ.. I. P prefenca

^6 INTRODUCTION/

picfencc of all the people. But as commerce improved, ind
bargains of this fort became more common, this praftice wem
into difufc, and the quantity of filver was a'ccrtained by a
partivMilar mark, which faved the trouble of weighing it. But
this does not appear to have taken place till the time of Jacob,
the fecund from Abram, The rclilah, of which we read in
his time, was a piece of money, ftamped with the figure of a
lamb, and of a precife and ftatcd value. It appears, from the
hiftory of Jofcph, that the commerce between dift'erent nations
was by this time regularly carried on. The Ifmaclites and Ij .
Median ites, who bought him of his brethren, were travelling I'
merchants, refembling the modern caravans, who carried fpices,
perfumes, and other rich commodities, from their own country
into Egypt. The fame obfervations nay be made from the
book of Job, who, according to the bed: chronology, was t
native of Arabia Felix, and cotemporary with Jacob. He
fpeaks of the roads of Thema and Sabj, i, e. of the caravans
who fet out from thofe cities of Arabia. If wc reflect that the
commodities of this country were rather the luxuries than the
conveniences of life, we (hall have reafon to conclude, that the i
countries into which they were fent for fale, and particularly
Egypt, were confulerably improved in arts and refinement j for
few people think of luxuries untii the ufcful arts have made . .
high advancements among them.

In fpeaking of commerce, we ought carefully to diftinguifh kf
between the fpecies of it which is carried on by land, or inland
commerce, and that which is carried on by fea j which laft. j^
kind of trafiic is both later in its ori;iin, and flower in its f
progrefs. 'Had the dcfccndants of Noah been left to their own .
ingenuity, and received no tincture t)f the antediluvian know-
ledge from their wife anceftors, it is improbable they fliould
have ventured on navigatiiig the open fcas fo foon as we find
they did. That branch of h.is poftcriiy who fettled on the
coafts jf Pakftine, were the firft people of the world among
whom navigation was made fubfervient to commerce ; they
were diftinguiftied by a word which in the Hii^brew tongue
signifies merchants, and are tiu- fame nation afterwards known
to the Greeks by the name of Phcnicians. Inhabiting a barren
and ungrateful foil, they fet thcmfelvcs to better their fituation
by cultivating the arts. Commerce was their capital ohjedl ;
and with all the writers of pa[j;an antiquity, they pafi. for th€
inventors of whatever is fubfervient to it. At the time of
Abraham they were regarded as a powerful nation ; their ma-
ritime commerce is mentioned by Jacob in his laft words to
his clMldren ; and if wc mav believe Herodotus in a ma.ter of
inch lemote anti4uity, the Pheuitians had by this time navi-
gated

ce improved, dud
this pradtice wen^
5 a'ccrtained by j I
iveighing it. But
he time of Jacob,
vhich we read in
th the figure of a
appears, from the
n different nations
he Ifmaclites and
1, were travelling
ivho carried fpices,
:heir own country
>e made from the
lironology, was t
\hh Jacob. He
'. of the caravans
we reflect that the
luxuries than the
conclude, that the
f and particularly
d refinement ; for
d\ arts have made

ully to diftinguifh 'i/f
by land, or inland
y fca -J which laft
and flower in its
1 left to their own
uediluvian Icnow-
jable they fhould
3 foon as we find
ho fettled on the
the world among
commerce ; they
i Hcrbrew toneuc
afterw.irds known
habiting a barren
:tcr their fituation
ir capital objedt ;
they pafs for th€
At the time of
ntion ; their ma-
his laft words to
us in a ma.ter of
y this time navi-
gated

i N T ii o D u c f 1 o rf . '^j

gated the coafts of Greece, and carried off the daughter of
Inachus.

The arts of agricu'tui-e, comnffci?, and navigation, fuppofe*
the knowledge of feveral others ; aftronoiiy, for inftance, of
a knowledge of the fituation and revolutions of the heavenly
bodies, is ncceffary both to agriculture .nd navigation ; tliat
of working metals, to comtr.irrcs ; and to of othjr am. In
fad, we find that before the death of Jacob, feveral nations
were fo well acquainted with the revolut.ons of the moon, as to
meafure by them the duration of their year. It had been aii
Univerfai Cuftom among all the nations uf untlquity, as wsil as
the Jewsi to divide time into the poition of a week, or kvcii
days : this undoubtedly arofe "rem tin: trad i don with ng-^rd to
the origin of the world. It was natuial Tcr tiiof^ natiori.- who
led A paftoral life, or who lived under a fcrene iky, to cnf,Tve
that the various appearances of the moon w re onipleaccd
nearly in four weeks : hence the divifion of a month. Thofe
peo;tle again who lived by agriculture, and w'ho had got among
the^i the divifion of the month, would naturally remark, that
t\v ■ . 'f thefe brought back the fame temperature of the air^
or rl.; lame feafons : hence the origin of what is called the
lunar yearj which has every where taken place in the infancy
tof fcience. This, together with the obk*rvatio!i of the fixed
ftarsj which, as we learn from the book of Job, muft have
been vefy antient, naturally paved the way for the difcovcry of
the folar year, which at that time would be thought an im-
hienfe improvement in ailronomy. But with regard to thofe
branches of knowledge which we have mentioned, it is to be
temembered that they were peculiar to the Egj'ptiahs and a fevv
nations of Afia. Europe offers a frightful fpc^table during this
period. Who could believe that the Greeks, who in later ages
became the patterns of politenefs and every elegant art, were
defcended from a favage race of mvn, traverfing the wdods and
ivilds, inhabiting the rocks arid caveins, a wretched prey to
wild animalsi arid fometimcs to one another. Thisj however^
is no more than what was to be expe£led. Tne defcendants
of Noahj who removed at a great uiflancc from the plains of
Bcnnaar^ loft all connedtion with rhe civiliP.'d p:irt of mankind.
Their pofterity became ftiil more ignomnt ; and the human mind
Was at length funk into an abyfs of mifery and wie chcdncfs.

We might naturally expe^ thatj from the death of Jacob,
and as we advance forward in time, the hiftory of the great
empires of Egypt and Affyria would emerge from their ob-
fcUrity : this, however, is far from being the cafe j we only
get a glimpfe of them, arid tiiey.difappe.ir intirely for many
ages. After the reign of Ninius", who iucceeded Ninus
in the Alfyrian throne, we find an aftonifliing blank in ""'

D 2 " the

760.

3582.

52 INTRODUCTION.

the hiftory of this empire for no Icfs than eight hundred years*.
The filence of antient hiftory on this fubjeft is commonly at-
tributed to the foftncfs and effeminacy of the fucceflbrs of
Ninus, whofe lives afforded no events worthy of narration*
Wars and commotions arc the groat themes of the hiftorian,
while the gentle and happy reigns of a wife prince pafs unob-
ferved and unrecorded. Sefoftris, a prince of wonder-
*2**' ful abilities, is fuppofed about this time to have mounted
the throne of Egypt. By his afliduity and attention, the civil
and military eftablifhments of the Egyptians received very con-
fiderable improvements. Egypt, in the time of Sefoftris and
his immediate fucceflbrs, was in all probability the moft power-^
ful kingdom upon earth, and according to the beft calculation
is fuppofed to have contained twcnty-fevcn millions of in-
habitants. But antient hiftory often excites, without grati-
fying our curiofity ; for from the reign of Sefoftris to that
of Boccharis, we know not even the names of the inter-
mediate princes. If we judge, however, from collateral cir-
cumftances, the country muft ftill have continued in a very
flourifiiing condition, for Egypt continued to pour forth her
colonies into diftant nations. Athens, that feat of learning;
and politenefs, that fchool for all who afpirc after wil-
dom, owes its foundation to Cccrops, who landed in
Greece, with an Egyptian colony, and endeavoured to civilife
the rousrh manners of the original inhabitants. From the
inftitutions which Cecrops eftabliflicd among the Athenians, it
is eafy to infer in whr.t fituations they muft have lived before his
arrival. The laws of marriage, which few nations are fo bar-
barous as to be altogether unacquainted with, were not known
in Greece. Mankind, like the beafts of the field, were pro-
pagated by accidental rencounters, and without all knowledge
of thofe to whom -they owed their generation. Cranaus,
who fucceeded Cecrops in the kingdom of Attica, pur-
fued the fame beneficial plan, and endeavoured, by wife infti-
tutions, to bridle the keen paffions of a rude people.

Whilft thefe princes ufcd their endeavours for civilifing this
corner of Greece, the other kingdoms, into which this country,
by the natural boundaries of rocks, mountains, and rivers, is
divided, and which had been already peopled by colonies from
Egypt and the Eaft, began to aflume fonie appearance of form
J and regularity. "J'his engaged Aiiiphiction, oneofthofc

uncommon ger.iudes who appear in the world for the
benefit of the ac;e in which thcv live and the admiration of
poftenty, to think of fome expedient by which he might unite
in one plan of politicks the fe\'cral independent kingdoms of
Greece, aiid thereby deliver them from thofc inleftiiie divifions

whick

•earancc of form

INTRODUCTION. 53

which mufl render them a prey to one another, or to the firft
enemy who might think proper to invade them. Thefe re-
flexions he communicated to the kings or leaders of the different
territories, and by his eloquence and addrefs engaged twelve
cities to unite together for their mutual prefervat:on. Two
deputies from each of thefe cities ailembled twice a year at
Thermopylae, and formed what, after the name of its founder,
was called the Amphidionic Council. In this aflembly,
whatever related to the general intcreft of the confederacy was
difcuiled and finally determined. Amphiction likewife, fen-
fible that thofe political conncvStions are the mofl lading which
are ftrcngthcncd by religion, committed to the Amphi»Slions
the care of the temple at Delphi, and of the riches which,
from the dedications of thofe wiio confulted the oracle, had
been amalVcd in it. This aflembly, conitituted on fuch folid
foundations, was the great fpring of action in Greece, while
that country prefcrved its indc;pendence ; and by the union
which it infpired among the Greeks, enabled them to defend
their liberties againft all the force of the Pcrfian empire.

Confidering the circumilances of the age in which it was
inftituted, the Amphictionic council is perhaps the moft re-
markable political eftablidiment wliich e\er tof)k place among
mankind. The Greek ftatcs, who formerly had no conne£lioii
with one another, except by mutual inroads and hoftilities,
foon began to a6l with concert, and to undertake diftant expe-
ditions for the general intercll of the community. The firft of
thefe was the obfcure expedition of the Argonauts, in
which all Greece appears to have been concerned. The
©bjecSt of the Argonaut.s was to open tiic commerce of the Eu-
xine Sea, and to ellabliih c lonies in the adjacent country of
Colchis. The fliip Argo, which wa'j the admiral of the fleet, is
the only one particularly taken notice of; though we learn from
Homer, -md other aiiticnt writers, that fevcral fail were em-
ployed in this expedition. The fleer of the Argonauts was,
from the ignorance of thofe who condudted it, long tofled
about upon ditferent coails. The rocks, at fome diftancc
from the mouth of tiie Kuxlne fca, occafioned great labour ;
they fent fonvard a light veficl, wliicli palll-d through, but re-
turned with the lofs of her rudder. This is cxprefled in the
fabulous language of antiquity, by their fending out a bird
which returned with the lofs of its t:n'!, and may give us an
idea of the allegorical obfcurity in which the other events of
this expedition are involved. The fleet, however, at length
arrived at vEon, the capital of Colchis, after performing a
voyage, which, confidering the mean condition of the naval
iirt during this age, was not lefs confiderablc than the circum-

D 3 navigation

^4 INTRODUCTION.

i;avigation of' the world bv our modern difcovcrers, Frorn
this expedition, to that a^aipft Troy, which was undcrtakeij
3.j3 to recover t'le t"a;r He!i la, a queen of Sparta, who had
been carried oft by Pans, fon of the Trojan king, the
Greeks mult have inade a uondtrfitl piogrefs in power and
opvilencc : I'o Ids than tvs'clve hundred veiiels were employed
in rjis voy;'.gc, e-ich of which, at a medium, contained up-
wards of a hundred men. Thife veriel.^, however, were but
half decked; and ii does rot appear ihat iron entered at all
into their conltrudlion. if v/e add to thele circumftances,
that the Gre- ks had not the ufe of the faw, an inllryment fo
necefTary to the carpenter, a modern nmll form bi^t a mean
notion of the flrength or elegance of this fleet.

H;:.ving thus considered the Hate of Grce.e as a whole, le|
Vs examine the circumffances of the partici.dar countries into
which it was divided. This is of great importance to our pre-
fcnt un^'crtaking, becaufe it is in this country only that wc
fan tnice the origin and progrefs pf government, arts, and
manners, which comppfc fo great a part of our prefent work.
There appears originally to have been a very reminkable re-
5260, ^^•'nblancc between the political fituarion of the different
kingdoms of Greece. 7'hey were gcverncQ each by a
king, or rather a chieftain, who was their leader in time of
war, their judge in time of peace, i^nd who prefided in the ad-
itiiniftration of their religious ceremonies. This prince, how-
ever, was far from being abfolutc. In each fociety there were
a number of other leaders, whofe jnfluenoe over their particular
clans or tribes was not lefs confilerable than that of the king
pver his immediate followers. Tbeic captains were oftvn at
war with one another, and fometimes with their foveieign.
Such a fituation was in all rcfpet^s extremely unfavoura^ble :
^ach particular ftate was in mi.iiature what the whole country
had been before the time of Amphiclion. They required the
hand of another delicate painter to fhade the oppofite coIou:s,
and to enable them to produce one powerful eifetSl, The
hiftory of Athens affords us an example of the T.anner it\
which thefe ftates, which, for want of union, were wealc
-iid infignificant, became, by being cemented together, im-
portant and powerful. Th?feus, kingof Atnra, had acquired
1257. * flouri/hing reputation by his exploits of valour and
ability. Hi- faw the inconven'encifs to which his coun-
try, from b-ing divided into twelve diftriols, was expofcd, an(J
he conceived that by means of the influence whiph hi? perfonaj
f:hara6ler, united to the roval authority with which he was in-
yefted, had univer/nllv piocured him, he might be able to re-
fpove ^hpm. For this purpofe he endeavoured to maintain, an4

evei^

1, were weaJc

INTRODUCTION. 5S

even to encreafc his popularity among the peafants and artifans :
he detached, as much as pofTible, the difFcrent tribes from
the leaders who commanded them : he abolifhcd the court*
which had been eftablifticd in different parts of Attica, and ap-
pointed one council-hall common to all the Athenians. The-
feus, however, did not truft folely to the force of political
regulations. He called to his aid all the power of religious
prejudices ; by eftablifliing common rites of religion to be per-
formed in Athens, and by inviting thither ftrangers from all
quarters, by the profpedl of protection and privileges, he
raifcd this city from an inconfiderable village to a powerful
metropolis. 'I'hc fplcndor of Athens and Thefeus now totally
cclipfed that of the other villages and their particular leaders.
All the power of the ftate Wivs united in one c;ty, and under
one fovercign. The petty chieftains, who hud formerly occa-
fioned fo much confufion, by being diverted of all influence
and confideration, became humble and fubmiffive ; and Attica
remained under the peaceable government of a monarch.

This is a rude fkctch of the origin of the firft monarchy,
of which we have a diftin6t account, and may, without much
variation, be applied to the other Hates of Greece. This
country, however, was not deftined to continue long under
the government of kings. A new influence arofe, which in a
iliort time proved too powerful both for the king and the
nobles. Thefeus had divided the Athenians into three dfftindl
clafles ; the nobles, the artifans, and the hufbandinen. In
order to abridge the exorbit^mt power of the nobles, he had
beftowcd many privileges on the two other ranks of jjerfons.
This plan of politicks was followed by his fucceflfors ; and the
Jowcr ranks of the Athenians, partly from the countenance
of their fovereign, and partly from the progrefs of arts and
manufactures, which gave them an opportunity of acquiring
property, became confiderable and independent. Thefe
circumftances were attended with a remarkable effetSt.
Upon the death of Codrus, a prince of preat merit, the Athe-
nians, become weary of the regal authority, under pretence of
finding no one worthy of filling the throne of that monarch,
who had devoted himfelf to death for the fafety of his people,
abolifhed the regal power, and proclaimed that none but Ju-
piter fliould be king of Athens. This revolution in favour of
liberty was fo much the more remarkable, as it happened
almoil: at the fame time that the Jews became unwilling

11 *^ *^ 1070.

to remam under the government of the true God, and
defired a mortal fovereign, that they mi^ht be like unto other
nations.

The government of Thebes, another of the Grecian ftates,
much about the fame time, affumcd the republican form.

D 4 Near

mi . I

INTRODUCTION.

Near a century before thcTrojan war, Cadmus, withacolony
from Phenicia, had founded this city, which from that time
had been governed by kings. But the lafl- fovcrcign being
overcome in finglc combat, by a neighbouring prince, the
Thebans aboliflicd the regal power. Till the days, however,
of Pelopidas andEparninondas, a period of fcvcn hundred years,
the Thebans performed nothing worthy of the rcpublicart
fpirit. Other cities of Greece, after the examples of Thebes
and Athens, erected thcmfclvcs into republics. But the revo-
lutions of Athens and Sparta, two rival ftates, which by means
of the fuperiority they acquired, gave the tone to the manners,
genius, and politicks of the Greeks, defcrvc our principal
attention. Wc have fccn a tender fhoot of liberty fpring up
in the city of Athens, upon the deceafe of Codrus, its laft
fovcreign. This fhoot gradually improved into a vigorous
plant ; and it cannot but be plcafant to obferve its progrefs.
The Athenians, by abolilhing the name of king, did not in-
tirely fubvert the legal authority : they cftablifhed a perpetual
^^gg magiftratc, who, under the name of Archon, was in-
vefted with almoft the fame rights which their kings had
enjoyed. The Athenians, however, in time, became fenfible
that the archonic office was too lively an image of royalty for
a free ftate. After it had continued therefore three hundred
and thirty-one years in the family of Codrus, they^endcavoured
to lefTen its dignity, not by abridging its power, but by fliort-
ening its duration. The firft period afligned for the con-
tinuance of the archonfliip in the fame hands, was three
years. But the defire of the Athenians for a more perfect
fyllem of freedom than had hitherto been cftablifhed, increafcd
, in proportion to the liberty they enjoyed. They again

( called out for a frefh redu(Stion of the power of their

archons; and it was at length determined that nine annual
magiftratcs fhould be appointed for this office. Thefc magi-
flrates were not only chofen by the people, but accountable to
them for their condutit at the expiration of their ollice. Thefe
alterations were too violent not to be attended with fome dan-
gerous confcqucnccs. The Athenians, intoxicated with their
freedom, broke out into the moft unruly and licentious beha-
viour. No written laws had been as yet enabled in Athens, and
it was impoflible that the antient cuiloms of the realm, which
were naturally fuppofed to he in part abolilhcd, by the fuc-
ceffive changes in the government, lliould fufficicntly reftrain
the tumultuary fpirits of the Athenians, in the firft flutter of
their independance. This engaged the wifer part of the ftate,
ivho began to prefer any fyftcm of government to their prefent
anarchy and confufion, to caft their eyes on Diacoj a man of

^1}

s, with a colony
from that time
fovcrcign bein*
ng prince, the
days, however,
1 hundred years,
the republican
iplos of Thebes

Kut the rcvo-
which by means
to the manners,
: our principal
berty fpring up
Codrui, its laft
Into a vigorous
ve its progrefs.
ng, did not in-
hed a perj etua[
irchon, was in-
their kings had
became fcnfible
i;e of royalty for
e three hundred
ley^ endeavoured
•, but by fliort-
d for the con-
ids, was three
a more perfect
iflied, increafcd
1. They again
power of their
at nine annual

Thefc niagi-
: accountable to
• oliice. Thefe
with fome dan-
rated with their
iccntious bcha-
in Athens, and
c realm, which
ed, by the fuc-
iciently reftraiii
: firfl 'flutter of
art of the ftatc,
to their prefenc
facoj a man of

tk . t ■-

INTRODUCTION. 57

a^i audere but virtuous difpofition, as the fittcft pcrfon for com-
pofmg a fyllcm of law, to bridle the furious and unruly man-
ners of their countrymen. Draco undertook the office, but
executed it with fo much rigour, that in the words of an
ajicicnt hiftorian, *' His laws were written with blood, and
not with ink." Death was the indifcriminate punifhment of
every ofttMice, and the laws of Draco were found to be a reme-
dy worfe than the difeafe. Allairs again returned into con-
fufion and diforder, and remained io till the time of ^^^^
Solon. The gentle manners, difintcrcftcd virtue, and
wifdom more than human, by which this (age was diftin-
guiilicd, pointed him out as the only character adapted to the
molt important of all olHces, the giving lav/s to a free people.
Solon, though this employment was aligned him by the una-
nimous voice of his country, long deliberated whether he
fliould undertake it. At length, however, the motives of
public utility overcame all conliderations of private eafe, fafc-
ty, and reputation, and determined him to enter on an ocean
pregnant with a thouiand dangers. The firft ftep of his legif-
lation was to abolUh all the laws of Draco, except thofe re-
lating to murder. The punifhment of this crime could not
be too great ; but to confider other offences as equally cri-
minal, war. to confound all notions of right and wrong, and
to render the law inel}ectual, by means of its feverity. Solon
next proceeded to new model the political law ; and his efta-
bliflimcnts on this head, remained among the Athenians,
while they preferred their libt'rtiLii. He feems to have fet out
with this principle, that a perfect republic, In which each citi-
zen /hould have an equal political importance, was a fyllem of
government, beautiful indeed in theory, but not reducible into
practice. He divided the citizens therefore into four clafles,
according to the wealth which thev pofleiVed, and the pooreft
clafs he rendered altogether uncapable of any public office.
They had a voice however in the general council of the nation,
in which all matters of principal concern were determined in
gthe laft refort. But left this aflembly, which was compofed
[of all the citizens, ihould in the words of Wutarch, like a (hip
;wiih too many fails, be expoled to the guft of folly, tumult,
?nd diforder, he provided for its fafety by the two anchors of
th3 Senate and Areopagus. The firil of thefe aourts confifted
cf four hundred pcrfons, a hundred out of each tribe of the
Athenians, who prepared all important bills that came before
the aflembly of the people ; the fccond, though but a court
of juftice, gained a prodigious afcendant in the republic, by
the wifdom and gr;;vity oi" its members, who were not chofen,
j/iit after the frriiteft fcrutiuy, and tnoft lerious deliberation.

Such

priirr

1072.

5» INTRODUCTION.

• Such was the fyftem of government eftabliflied by Solon,
which, the nearer we examine it, will afford the more matter
for our admiration. Upon the fame plan moft of the other
antient republicks were eftabliflied. To infift on all of them,
therefore, would neither be entertaining nor inftriidtivc. But
the government of Sparta, or Lacedcmon, had fomething in
it fo peculiar, that the great lines of it at Icaft ought not to be
omitted even in a delineation of this fort. Sp rta, like the
other ttatcs of Greece, was originally divided into a number
of petty principalities, of which each was under the jurif-
<liction of its own immediate chieftain. At length, the two
brothers Eurifthenes and Proiles, getting poUl'iTion of
this country, became conjunct in the royalty j and what
is extremely fmgular, their polkrity, in the dircdt line, con-
tinued to rule conjunctly for nine hundred years. The Spar.
tan government, however, did not take that fingular form
J ^ which renders it fo remarkable, until the time of Lycur-
gus, the celebrated legiflator. The plan of policy devifej
by Lycurgus, agreed with that already delcribed, in compre-
hending a fenate and affembly of the people, and in general in
all thofe eftablifliments which are deemed moft requlnte for the
iecurity of political independancc. It differed from that of
Athens, and indeed from all other governments, in having
two kings, whofe office was hereditary, though their power
was fufficiently circumfcribed by proper checks and rcftrainis,
But the great chara»Sleriftic of the Spartan conftitution arofe
from this, that in all his laws, Lycurgus had at leaft as much
refpedl to war, as to political liberty. With this view, all
ibr:s of luxury, all arts of elegance or entertainment, every
thing, in ihort, which had the fmalleft tendency to foften the
minds of the Spartans, was abfolutcly profcribed. They were
forbid the ufe of money, they lived at public tables on the
coarfeft fare, the younger were taught to pay the utmoft reve-
rence to the more advanced in years, and all ranks capable to
^ar arms, were daily accuftomed to the moft painful cxercifes,
To the Spartans alone war was a relaxation, rather than 4
hardlhip, and they behaved in it with a fpirit of which none
but a Spartan could even form a conception. In order to fee
the efFeft of thefe principles, and to conneft under one point
of view the hiftory of the different quarters of the globe, we
muft caft our eye on Afia> ^nd obferve the events which hap-
pened in thofe great empires, of which we have fo long loft
fight. We have already mentioned in what obfcurity
the hiftory of Egypt is involved, until the reign of Bac-
charis. From this period, to the difTolution of their
goveinmcnt, the Egyptians arc more celebrated for the wif-^

dom

76*

liflied by Solon,
the more matter
aft of the other

on all of them,
idrndtivc. But
id fomcthing in

ought not to be

Sp rta, like the

into a number
under the jiirif-

length, the two
ng poireiTion of
yahy ; and what

ircdt line, con-
irs. The Spar.
It fingular form

time of Lycur-
of policy dcvifej
bed, in comprc-
md in general in
t requifite for the
ed from that of
lents, in having
)ugh their power
cs and rcftrainis,
;onftitution arol'e
I at leaft as much
th this view, all
irtainment, every
;ncy to foften the
bed. They were
lie tables on the

the utmoft reve-

ranks capable tn
painful cxercifes,
1, rather than 4
t of which none

In order to fee
t under one point
of the globe, W9
/ents which hap-
have fo long loft
n what obfcurlty
the reign of Bac-
ffolution of their
rated for the wif-^
dom

INTRODUCTION. 59

liom of their laws, and political inftitutions, than for the
power of their anus. Several of thcfc fccm to have been dic-
tated by the truer fpirit of civil wifdqm, and were admirably
calculated for preierving order and good government in an ex-
tenfive kingdom. The great empire of Aflyria likewife, which
had fo long d I fappcared, becomes again an object of attention,
and affc'.vls rhc tirft inftance we meet with in hiftory, of a
kin-'doin which fell rounder by its own weight, and the efFe-
miivite Ww-akjvfs of its fovereigns. Sardanapulus, the ^g^^
Jaft emperor cf A lyria, neglecting the adminiftration pf
affairs, and iliutting himfelf up in nis palace with his women
and eunucns, fell into contempt with his fubjeas. The gover-
nors of his provinces;, to whom, like a weak and indolent
prince, he had entirely committed the command of his armies,
did not fail to hiy hold of this opportunity of raifing their own
fortune on the ruins of tlicir mailer's pov/er. Arbaces, gover-
nor of Mv.i :i, and B^lefis, governor of Babylon, confpire
Iga'nfl- thfir fovc.cign, fet fire to his capital, and divide be-
fjfween them ^'s extc.ifive uomin'ons. IneL- two kingdoms,
ifometimes united under one prince, and fometimes governed
sach '-iv a partxuLir f')vereign, mainiained the chief fway in
[Afia, til Cyrj; the Great kduced this quarter of the ^^g^
Uvorld uiui.r the Perfian yoke. The manners of this
[pcojile as brave, hardy, and independent, as well as the go-
iVernment nf Cyrus, in all its various departments, are ele-
Igantlv dcfcri'i^cd by Xenoplion, a Qrecian philofopher and
Jhiftorian. It is not neccffary, however, that we fliould enter
Lpn the fme detail upon this fubjccSl, as with regard to the
[affairs of tlie (jrecks. We have, in modern times, fufficient
examples of monarchicjl government; but how few are our
jrcpublics ? But the .-era qT C^rus is in one refpeil extremely
Remarkable, becaufe with it th;: hillory of the great nations of
mtiquity, which has hitherto engaged our attention, maybe
Ijfuppofed to llniOi. Let us coniid-r then the genius of the
lAiTviians, B.ibylonians, and Egyptians, in arts and fciences,
IfinJ if poHiblc difcoyer whi't progrefs they had made in thofe
icquiremcnts, which are moft fuufervient to the interefts of
Tociety.

The tafte fpr the great and magnificent, feems to have been

Uhe prevailing character of thefe nations j and they principally

[difplayed it in their works of architedure. There are no ve-

jitiges, how<"ver, now remaining, which confirm the teftimony

of ancient writers, with regard to the great works, which

adorned Babylon and Nineveh : neither is it clearly determined

|n what year they were begun or finifhed. There are three

pyramids ftill remaining in Egypt, at fom^ leagues diftance

from

iff

'^ INTRODUCTIO N.

from Cairo, which arc fuppofcd to have been the buryinj
•jilaccs of the aiiticiit Egyptian Icings. The largeft is five
"IiundrcJ feet in height, aiul two thoufaiid fix hundred and
forty broad each way at bottom. It was a fiipcrftition among
this people, derived from the earlieft times, that even after
<lcath, the foul continued in the body as lonp; as it remained
Amcorrupted. Mcncc proceeded the cullom of cmbahiiing, or
of throwing into the dead body, fuch vegetables as experience
had dil'covcred to be the grcatefl prefcrvatives againlt putrc-
faclioii. The pyramids were eredted with the f:iMie view. In
them the bodies of the Kcyptian kings were concealed. This
c;xpcdicnt, toL'ether with embalming, as thefe fuperftitious
monnrchs conceived, would inevitably fecure a fafe, and com-
fortable '•ctrc;;r fo; their fouls .iftcr dc.ith. Kiom what we read
v( tiie walls of B.ibvlon, the temple of Belus, and other works
of the call:, and from whit travellers have recorded of the
pyran-iids, it appears that indeed they were fuperb and magni-
iicent ftrudtuies, but totally devoid of elegance. The orders
cf architecture were not yet known, nor even the conftrudting
of vaults, 'i'hc arts, in which thele nations, next to archi-
tecture, principally excelled, were fculpture and embroidery.
As to the fcienccs, they had all along continued to beltow their
principal attention on aftronomy. It does not appear, how-
ever, that they made great progrefs in explaining che caufes of
the phenomena of the univerfe, or indeed in any fpecies of
rational and found philofophy. To demonftrate this to an
intelligent reader, it i;; fufHcient to obferve, that according to
the tcitimony of facred and profane writers, the abfurd reveries
of magic and aftrology, which always dccreafe in proportion
, to the advancement of true fcience, were in high ertecm
among them, during the lateft periods of their government.
The countries which they occupied, were extremely fruitful,
and afforded without much labour all the necell'aries, and even
luxuries'of life. They had long been accuftomed to a civilized
and poliflied life in great cities. Thefe circumftanccs had
tainted their manners with clieminacy and corruption, and
rendered them an eafy prey to the Perfians, a nation juft emerg-
ing from barbarity, and of confequence, brave and warlike.
This was flill more eafy in the infancy of the military art :
when f^rcngth and courage were the only circumftanccs which
gave the advantage to one nation over another, when, properly
fpeaking, there wer« no fortified placjs, which in modern
times have been difcovered to be fo ufeful in ftopping the pro-
grefs of a viftorious enemy, and when the event pf a battle
commonly decided the fate of an empire. But wc muft now
turn ouf attention to other objcds. -

... a tih!

INTRODUCTION*:

es, and even

I-

The hiftory of Pcrfia, after the reign of Cyrus, ofters little,
wlicn conficlcrcd in itfclf, that merits our res'^arJ : but when
combined with that of Greece, it becomes particularly in-
terefling. The monarch:* who fuccecdcd Cyrus, g:ive an op-
portunity to the (Jreelcs to excrcifc thefe virtues, which the
freedom of their [>-overnmcnt h:id created and confirmed.
Sparta remained under the influence cfLycurgus's infUtutions :
Athens had jult recovered from the tyranny ot the Fihlhatidje,
a family who had trampled on the laws of oolon, an I ufurped
the fupremc power. Such was their fituation, when the luit of
univerfal empire, which nev< r fails to torment the brcalt
of tyrants, led Darius to fend forth his numerous armies
into Circece. liutthe Perfians were no lonivr thofe invincible
foldicrs, who under Cyrus had conquered Alia. Th.ir minds
were enervated by lu.\ury and fervitudc. Athenii, on the
contrary, teemed v. th great men, whofe ninds were nobly
animated by the late recovery of their freedom. Miltiades,
in the plains of Marathon, with ten thoufand Athenians,
overcame the Perfiun army of a hundred tiioufand foot, and
ten thoufand cavalry. His countiymen, Themiitocles and
Ariftiides, the fult celebrated for his abilities, the fecond for
his virtue, gained the next honours to the general. It does
not, however, fall within our plan to mention the events of
this war, which, as the nobleft monuments of virtue over
force, of courage over numbers, of liberty over fcrvitude, Je-
fcrve to be read at length in antient writers.

Xerxes, the fon of Darius, came in perfon into
Greece, with two million one hundrc 1 thoufand men,
and being every where defeated by fca and land, efcaped to
Afia in a fifliing boat. Such was the fpirit of the Greeks, fo
well did they know that " wanting virtue, life is pain and
*' woe, that wanting liberty, even virtue mourns, and looks
*' around for ha}:>piiicfs in vain." Though the Perfian ,
war concluded glorioufiy for the Greeks, it is, in a ^
great meafure, to this war, that the fubfcquent misfortunes
of that nation arc to be attributed. It was not the battks ia
which they fuftered the lofs of fo many brave men, but thofe
in which they acquired an immcnfity of Perfian gold j it was
not their enduring fo many harulhips in the courlc of the war,
but their conne,ition with the Perfians, after the conclufion of
it, which fubverted the Grecian eitabliilmKnts, and ruined the
moft virtuous confederacy that ever exited upon earth. The
Greeks became haughty after their vidtories : delivered from
the common enemy, they began to quarrel with one another :
their quarrels were fomented by Perfian gold, of which they had
acquired cnout^h to make thtm defirous" of more. Hence pro.

ceeded

€i

tNTRODtrctioN.

cceded the famous Peloponnefian war, in which t\ii
*3'' Athenians and Lacedemonians adted as principals, and
drew after them the other ftates of Greece. They continued
to weaken themfelvcs by thefe inteftine divifions, till Philip^
king of Maccdon, (a country till his time little known, but
which, by the aftive and crafty genius of this prince, became
important and powerful) rendered himfelf the abfolute mailer
g of Greece, by the battle of Cheronjea; But this conqueft
is one of the firft we meet in hiftory, which did not de-
pend on the event of a battle. Philip had laid his fchcmes (o
deep, and by bribery^ promifes and intrigues^ gained over
fuch a number of confiderable perfonS in the feveral ftates of
Greece to his intcreft, that another day would have put in his

{»ofleflion what Cheronasa had denied him. The Greeks had
oft that virtue, which was the bafis of their confederacy.
Their popular governments fcrved only to give a fan<5tion to
their licentioufnefs and corruption. The principal oratorSj
in moft of their ftates, were bribed into the fervice of Philip ;
and all the eloquence of a Dcmofthenes, aflifted by truth and
virtue, was unequal to the mean, but more fcdu«5iive arts of
his opponents, who, by flattering the people, ufed the fureft
method of winning their affections.

Philip had propofed to extend the boundaries of his empire
beyond the narrow limits of Greece. But he did not long
furvive the battle of Cheronsea. Upon his deceafe, his fon
Alexander was chofen general againft the Pcrfuins^ by all the
Grecian ftates, except the Athenians and Th -bans. Thefe
made 9 feeble effort for expiring liberty. But they were
obliged to yield to fuperior force. Secure o.i the fide of
Greece, Alexander fct out on his Perrt.m expedition, at
the head of thirty thoufand foot, and five thouiand horfe.
The fuccefs of this army in conquering the whole force of
Darius, in three pitched battles, in ovcrrunnin:!; and fub-
duing not only the countric:* ti^cn known lo .he Gie^'ks, but
many parts of India, the very names of which had never
reached an European car, has been defcrib.d by miiny authors
both anticnt and modern, and conftitutes a fuij^uiar part of thei
^, hiftory of the world. Soon after this rapid career oi* victory
and fuccefs, Alexander died at Babylon. His c?.pt insj
afier facrificing all his family to their ambitio:i, (iividec! ainong
them his dominions. This eivcs rife to a number of ;vras and
events, too complicated for our prcfent purpofe, and even too
uninicrefting. After confidcring therefore the ftatc of arts and
fcicnces in Greece, we flial; pit's over to the Ron':.n affairs^
where the hiftorical deduction is more Ample, and aU'o more
impoitant.

3 Th«

fu:

INTRODUCTIOK. Cj

The bare names of illuftrious men, who flourifhed in Greece,
from the time of Cyrus to that of Alexander, would fill a large
volume. During this period, all the arts were carried to the
higheft pitch of perfeaion ; and the improvements we have
hitherto mentioned, were but the dawnings of this glorious
day. Though the eaftern nations had raifed magnificent and
ftup'endous llruaures, the Greeks were the firft people in
the world, who in their works of architeaure^ added beauty
to magnificence, and elegance to grandeur. The temples of
Jupiter Olympus, and theEphefian Diana, are the firft monu-
ments of good tufte. They were ereded by the Grecian colo-»
iiics, who fettled in Afia Minor, before the reign of ^^
Cyrus. Phidias, the Athenian, is the firft Iculptor
vvhofe works have been immortal. Zeuxis Parrhafius and
Timantheus, during fhe fame age, firft diftovered the power
of the pencil, and all the magic of painting. Compofitiun,
in all its various branches, reached a degree of perfeaion in
the Greek lanp-uage, of which a modern reader can hardly
form an idea. ""After Homer, the tragic poets y^fchylus, So-
phocles, and Euripides, were the firft confiderablc improvers
of poetry. Herodotus gave fimplicity and elegance to pro-
faic writin.!;. Ifocrates gave it cadence and harmony, but it
was left to Thucydides and Demofthenes, to difcover the full
force of the Greek tongue. It was not however in the finer
arts alone that the Greeks excelled. Every fpecies of philo-*
fophy was cultivated among them with the utir.oft fuccefs.
Not to mention the divine Socrates, whofe charaaer has hr.d
the honour to be compared with that of the great founder of
our religion ; his three difciples, Plato, Ariftotle, and Xeno-
phon, may for ftrength of realoning, juftnefs of fentimcnt,
and propriety of exprcflion, be put on a fooling with the
writers of any age or country. Experience, indeed, in a long
coiufc of vcars, has taught us many fccrets in nature, with.
which thefc philolbphers were unacquainted, and which no
Ihcngth of genius could divine. But whatever fome vain em-
pirics in learning may pretend, the moft learned and ingenious
men, both in France and in England, have acknowledged the
fuperirrity of the Greek piiilolbphers, and have reckoned
themiblves happy in catching tiieir turn of thinking, and man-
ner of cxpreflion. But the Greeks were not Icfs diftin2;uifhed
for their aaive than for their fpeculative talents. It would be
endlefs to recount the names of their famous ftatcfmen and
warriors, and it is impofUble to mention a few without doing
injuftice to a greater number. War was firlt reduced into a
fcicnce by the Greeks. Their foldiers fought from an afiec-
tiyu to their country, and an arJor for glory, and not from a

dread

-n

WMm

<4 INTRODUCTION.

dread of their fuperiors. We have lecn theeftect of this m?!!-.
tary virtue in their wars againll the Perfians : the caufc of i*
was the wife laws which Amphidtion, Solon, and Lycurgusy
had eftablifhed in Greece. But we mull now leave this na-
tion, whofe hiftory, both civil and philofophical, is as impor-
tant, as their territory was inconfiderablc, and turn our at-
tention to the Roman affairs, which are Hill more intcreiting,*
both on their own account, and from the relation iii which
they ftand to thofe of modern Europe.

The character of Romulus, the founder of the
Roman ftate, when we view him as the leader of a
few lawlefs and wandering banditti, is an objedt of extreme
infignificancc^ But when we confider him as the founder of
an empire as extenfive as the world, and whofe progrcfs and
decline have occafioned the two grcatclt revolutions, that ever
happened in Europe, wc cannot help being intcreited in his
conduft. His difpofition was extremely martial ; and the
political ftate of Italy, divided into a number of fmail, but
independent dilhicts, afforded a noble field for the diiplay of
military talent';. Romulus was continually embroiled with
one or other of his neighbours, and war was the only employ-
ment by which he and his companions cxpedted iKJt only to
aggrandize themfclvcs, but even to fuljfiff. In the conduct of
his wars with the neighbouring people, wc may obferve the
fame maxims by which the Romans afterwards became malteis
of the world. Inftcad of dcftroying the nations he had fub-
je6ted, he united them to the Roman Itate, whereby Rome
acquired a new acceffion of Itrcngth from everv war flic
undertook, and became powerful and populous from that
very circumflarce which ruins and depopulates other
kingdoms. If the enemies, with which he contended, had,
by means of the art or arms they employed, any confiderabie
advantage, Romulus immediately adopted that practice, or the
ufe of that weapon, and improved the military fyrtem of the
Romans, by the united experience of all their enemies. We
have an example of both thele maxims, by means of which
the Roman Itatc arrived at fuch a pitch of grandeur, in the
war with the Sabincs. Romulus having conquered that na-
tion, not only united them to the Romans, but finding their
buckler preferable to the Roman, inllantly threw afide the
latter, and made ufe of the Sabine buckler in fighting againll
other ftates. Romulus, though principally attached to war, did
ii(;>t altogether negleit the civil policy of his infant kingdom.
He inllituted what was called the Senate, a court originally
compofed of a hundred perions, diftinguiflied for their wifdom
and experience. He cnacled laws for the adminiftiation of

jultiwc.

4(-'

1^^:

of this rnTlI-
e caufc of i*
d Lycurgus,'
nve this iia-
is as iinpor-
:urn our at-
; intcreltino;,'
on in which

ider of the
: leader of a
t of extreme
e founder of

progrcfs and
ns, that ever
irelted in his
al ; and the
)f fmall, but
Lhc difplay of

broiled with
only cmploy-
d not only to
he conducl of
y obfcrve the
:cumc maltcis
; he had i'ub-
hcrcby Rome
vcrv war flic
us fiom that
oulates other
itcnded, had,
Y confiderable
acticc, or the
f}ik-iTi of the
neniies. We
ans of which
mdcur, in the
crcd that na-

finding their
rew afide the
;ihtin'2; ajrainll
ed to war, did
fant kingdom,
iurt originally
• tiicir wifdom
liniftration of
jultite,

INTRODUCTION; 6$

juftlce, arid for bridling the fierce and unruly pafllons of his
Vollowers : and after a long reign fpent in promoting the civil
vr military interefts of his country, was, according to the befl
cpnjc<aure, treacheronfly put to death by the members ^^^^
of that fenate, which hehimfelf had inftuutcd.

The fucccflbrs of Romulus v/ere all very extraordinary per-
fonages. Numa, who came next to him, eftablilhed the
religious ceremonies of the Romans, and infpired them witl*
that veneration for an oath, which was ever after the foul of
their military difcipline. Tullus Hoitilius, Ancus Martins,
Tarquinius Prifcus, Servlus Tullius, laboured each during
his reign, for the grandeur of Rome. But Tarquinius Su-
pcrbus, the feventh and lali king, having obtained the crown
by the execrable murder of his father-in-law Servius, con-
tinued to fupport it by the moft cruel and infanious tyranny.
This, together with the infolence of his fon Sextus I'arqui*
nius, who, by dilhonouring Lucretia, a Roman lady, affront-
ed the whole nation, occafioned the expulfion of the
Tarquin family, and with it the dillblution of the regal
government. As the Romans however were continually en«
gaged in war, they found it necellary to have fomc officer in-
vclted with fupreme authority, who might conducl thein to
the field, and regulate their military enterprizcs. In the rooin
of the kings therefore they appoint<;d two annual mao;i Urates
called Confuls, who, without cicating the fame jealoulv, fuc~
cceded to all the power of their fovereigns. This revolutior*
was extremely favourable to the Roman grandeur. 'l"hecon-
luls, who enjoyed but a temporary pov/cr, were defirous of
fignali7.ing their reign by fome great action : c:ich vied withi
thofe who had gone before him, and the Romans were daily
led out jigalnH lome new enemy. V/hcn we add to this, that
the people, naturally warlike, were infpired to deeds of valour
bv every confideration which could excite them : that the
citizens of Rome were all foldicr., and fought for their lands^
their children, ana their liberties, we need not be furprized,
that they fliould, in the courfc of fome centuries, extend . ,
their power all over Italy. * ^*

The Romans, now fecurc at heme, and finding no enemy
to contend with, turn their eyes abroad, and in^eet with a
powerful rival in the Carthaginians. This Hate had beea
foundedon the co^il of the Med i terra r>.ean in Africa, fome
time before Rorae, by a colony of I'henicians, and, according
to the pr.icticc of their mother country, they had cultivatedl
commerce an.d naval greatncfs.

Carthage, in rhi.s defign, had proved wonderfully fuccefsfuK
She now conimandcd both fidps of the M<;ditcrrane;in. Befides

Vol, L E that

€6

INTRODUCTION.

■>' *'

that of Africa, which fhc almoft entirely poficflcd, fhc had
extended herfdf on the Spanifli fiile, through the ftreights.
Thus miftrefs of the fca, and of commence, flie had fcizcd on
the iflands of Corfica and Sardinia. Sicily had difficulty to
defend itfclf ; and the Romans were too nearly threatened not
g to take up arms. Hence a fucceffion of hoflilities be-
tween thcfe rival ftatcs, known in hiftory by the name
of Punic wars, in which the Carthaginians, with all their
vrealth and power, were an unequal match for the Romans.
Carthage was a powerful republic, when Rome was a truckling
ftate ; but (he was now become corrupt and effeminate, while
Rome was in the vigour of her political conftitution. Car-
thage employed mercenaries to carry on her wars ; Rome, as
vc have already mentioned, was compofed of foldiers. The
Jirft war with Carthage taught the Romans the art of fighting
4)n the fea, with which they had been hitherto unacquainted,
A. Carthaginian veflel was wrecked on their ccai\ j they ufed
g^ it for a model, in three months fitted out a fleet, and the
conful Duilius, who fought their firft naval battle, was
ridlorious. It is not to our purpofe to mention all the tranf-
a6lions of thefe wars. The behaviour of Regulus, the Ro-
man general, may give us an idea of the fpirit which then
animated this people. Jking taken prifoncr in Africa, he is
ient back on his parole to negotiate a change of prifoners.
He maintains in the fenatc, the propriety of tJiat law, which
^,, cut off from thofe who fullered then'.l'ehes to be
tiiken, all hopes of being i'ix\xd^ and returns to a cer-
tain death.

Neither was Carthage, thou'jh corrupted, deficient in great
men. Of all the enemies tlie Romans ever had to contend
with, Hannibal the Carthaginian, was the moil inflexible and
dangerous. His father H;uniicar had iiiihibed an extreme ha-
tred againll the Romans, and having fettled the inteftine trou-
bles of his country, he took an early opportunity to infpire
his fon, though hut nine \cnrs old, with his own fcnt'ments.
For this purpofe lie ordered a r(>Iemn facrihce to be ofi-'ered to
Jupiter, and leadiiig his fon to the altar, afked him whether
he was willing to attend him in his expedition againft the
Kom.ans ; the i:oura^>eous bov, not only confentcd to go, but
't:onjured hi;; fatiier by the gt-ds prefcnt, to form him to vic-
tory, and teach him the art of conqueriiig. I'hat I will joy-
fully do, leplied Hamilcar, and with all the care of a father
who loves you, if you will fwcar upon the altars, to be an I
eternal enemy to the Romnns. Haniiibal readily complied, I
and the folemnity of the ceremony, and the facrednefs of the
eath, nikdc fucii wi i«ip;dUva upon bis miiid, as nothing

aftcrWiuJf

INTRODUCTION. 67

afterwards could ever efflicc. Being appointed general ^^^^
at twenty-five years of age, he croflcs the Ebro, the Py-
renees, and the Alps, and in a moment falls down upon
Italy. The lofs of four battles threatens the fall of Rome.
Sicily fides with the conqueror. Hicronymus, king of ^^^
iJyracufe, declares againft the Romans, and almoft all
Italy abandons them. In this extremity Rome owed its pre-
i'crvation to three great men. Fabius Maximus, dcfpifiiig po-
pular clamour, and the military ardour of his countrymen, de-
clines coming to an cngagemejit. The ftrcngth of Rome has
time to recover. Marcellus raifes the fiege of Nola, takes
Syracufe, and revives the drooping fpirits of his troops. The
Romans admired the character of thefc great men, but faw
fomethijig more divine in the young Scipio. The fucccfs of
this young hero confumed the popular opinion, that he was of
divine extraiStion, and held converfcwith the gods. At
the age of four and twenty, he flies into Spain, where
Loth his father and uncle had loft their lives, attacks New
Carthage, and carries it at the firll aflault. Upon his arrival
in Africa, kings liibmit to him, Carthage trembles in her
turn, and fees her armies defeated. Haujiibal, fixtcen years,
victorious, is in vain called home to defend his coun-
try. Carthage is rendered tributary, gives hoftagcs,
and engages never to enter upon a war, but with the confent
of the Roman people. After the conqucft of Carthaire, Rome
liad inconfiderable wars but great victories ; before this time
its wars were great, and its vii'tories inconfidcrable. At this
time the world was divided, as it were, into two parts ; in tha
one fought the Romans and Carthaginians ; the other was
agitated by thofe quarrels which had lafted fince the death of
Alexander the Great. Their fcene of adion was Greece,
Egypt, and the Eaft. The ftates of Greece had once more
dilengaged themfelves from a foreign yoke. They were di-
vided into three confederacies, the Etolians, Acheans, and
Beotians ; each of thefe was an aflbciation of free cities, which
had aflemblies and magiftrates in common. Of them all the
Etolians were the moft confiderable. The kings of Maccdoii
nuiintained that fuperiority, which, in ancient times, when
the balance of power was little attended to, a great prince
naturally poflcfled over his lefs powerful neighbours. Philip,
the prefcnt monarch, liad rendered himiclf odious to the
Greeks, by fome unpopular and tyrannical fteps ; the Eto-
lians were molt irritated ; anil hearing the fame of the Roman
arms, called them into Greece, and overcame Philip by tiieir
alTiftance. The vic'tory, however, chiefly redounded to the
advantage of the Roniaus. The Macedonian garrifons were

E 2 obliged

68 INTRODUCTION..

oblisjcd to evacuate Greece ; the cities were all declared free-
but Philip became a tributary to the Romans, and the llatcj
of Greece became their dependants. The Etolians, difco-
vering their firft error, endeavoured to remedy it by another
ftill more dangerous to themfelves, and more advantageous to
the Romans. As they had called the Romans into Greece to
•defend them againft Philip, they now called in Antiochus,
king of Syria, to defend them againft the Romans. The*
famous Hannibal too had recourfe to the fanif* prince,lfend
ivho was at this time the moft powerful moivirch in the Eaflr,
and the fucccllbr to the dominions of Alexander in Afia. But
Antiochus did not follow his advice fo much, as that of the
Etolians ; for inftead of renewing the war in Italy, where
Hannibal, from experience, judged the Romans to be moft
vulnerable, he landed in Greece with a fmall body of troops,
and being overcome without difficulty, fled over into Afia. In
this war the Romans made ufe of Philip, for conquering An-
tiochus, as they had before done of the Etolians for conqiicring
Philip. They now purfue Antiochus, the laft object of their
182. '■efentment, into Afia, and havinj; vanquifhed him by fea
and land, compel him to fubmit to an iniamous treaty.

In thefe conquefts the Romans ftill allowed the ancient
inhabitants to pofTefs their territory ; they did not even
change the forih of government ; the conquered nations bpcamc
the allies of the Roman people, which however, under a fpeciouj
name, concealed the moft fervilc of all conditions, and in-
ferred, that they iliould fubmit to whatever was required of
them. When we refledl on thcfe eafy conqv.efts, we have
reafon to be aftoniftied at the refiftancc which ihe Romans
met with from a barbarous prince, Mi:hrIJat^s king of Pon-
tus. This monarch however had great refources. His king-
dom, bordering on the inacceffible mountains of Caucafus,
abounded in a race of men, whofe minus were not enervated
by pleafure, and whofe bodies were firm and vigorous.

The different ftates of Greece and Afia, who now began
to feel the weight of their yoke, but had not fpirit to ftiakc it
off, were tranfported at finding a prince, who dared to fhciv
himfelf an enemy to the Romans, and chf^arfully Cnbmitted to
his protedtion. Mithridates, however, WiK com pel led to yitid
to the fuperior ftar of the Romans. VanquiflKvl fucceiJivcly
€?. by Sylla and LucuUus, he was at length fubdin 1 Ky
Pompey, and ftrippcd of his dominioi.s atui of his i^fe.
In Africa the Roman arms met with equal fuccefs. Marius,
jQ in conquering Jugurtha, made all fecuie in that qu/rur.
Even the barbarous nations beyond the Alps, b i;aii to
feel the weight of the Roman arma, Gallia Narboncniis 'jd

been

I declared free ;

and the llatci
itolians, difco-

it by another
uivantageous to

into Greece to

in Antiochus,
Romans. The*
nif- prince,lfend
:h in the Eaft, |:

in Afia. But |

as that of the
n Italy, where '/
nns to be moft
body of troops,
r into Afia. In ;-
onqucring An-

for conquering
t obje(!:l of therr
fhed him by fea
amous treaty,
cd the ancient

t^id not even
i nations became
unJer a fpeciuus
iitions, and in-
ivas required of
^v!efts, we liavc
ich the Romans •*'■
fs king of Pon- i '
ces. His king- t,^
IS of Caucafus,
e not enervated
igorous.

vho now beean
[pint to (hake it .>
o dared to ihcvv 4. 1
illy Atbniitted to !|J ■'
m pel led to vittd *
1k\1 CucceiJivcJy .•'
[Tth fubdin : by J.

and of his i.fe. ^ "■■'

ccefs. Marius,

in that qu.-.n jr.

Alps, b' !;aii to

'Jarbonenlis 'jd \

bccu

I-

INTRODUCTION.

III.

102.

been reduced into a province. The Cimbri, Teutones,
and othi-T northern nations of Europe, broke into this
part of the empire. 'I'he fame Marius, whofe name was fo
terrible in Africa, made the north of Europe to tremble.
'I'he Barbarians retired to their wilds and defcrts, lefs
formidable than the Roman legions. But while Rome con-
quered the world, there fubfiited an internal war within her
walls. This war had fubfifted from the firft periods of the
government. Rome, after the expulfion of her kings, en-
joyed but a nominal liberty. The dcfcendents of the fenators,
who were diftinguiflied by the name of Patricians, were in-
verted with fo many odious privileges, that the people felt
their dependancc, and becan.e determined to fhake it off. A
thoufand difputes on this fubjcdl arofe betwixt them and the
Patricians, which always terminated in favour of liberty.

Thefc difputes, however, while the Romans preferved their
virtue, were not attended with any dangerous confequencea.
The Patricians, who loved their country, chearfully parted
with fome of their privileges to fatisfy the people ; and the
people, on the other hand, though they obtained laws, by
which they might be admitted to enjoy the firft offices of the
/late, and though they had the power of nomination, always
named Patricians. But when the Romans, by the conqueft of
foreign nations, became acquainted with all their luxuries and
refinements ; when they became tainted with the effeminacy
and corruption of the callern courts, and fported with every
thing juft and honourable, in order to obtain them, the ftate,
torn by the faiSrions between its members, and without virtue
on either fide, to keep it together, became a prey to its own
children. Hence the bloody feditions of the Gracchi, which
paved the way for an inextinguifhable hatred between the no-
bles and commons, and made it eafy for any turbulent dema-»
gogue, to put them in adion againft each other. The love of
iheir country was now no more than a fpecious name j the bet-
ter fort weic too wcaltliy and effeminate to fubmit to thg
rigours of military difcipline, and the foldiers, compofed
of the dregsof therepiiMic, were no longer citizens. They
knew none but their commander ; undf:r his banner they
fought and conquered and plundered, and for him they were
ready to die. He might comniand them to embrue their
hands in the blood of their country. They who knew no coun-
try but the camp, and no authority but that of their general,
were eve: ready to obey him, The multiplicity of the Ro,
man conquefts, however, which required their keeping on foor
feveral armies at the lame time, retarded the fubverhon of the
republic. Thefc ■milk'i were fo many cjiecks upon each other.

E 3 Haa

INTRODUCTION.

Hiid it not been for the foldicrs of Sylla, Rome woulJ have
furrcndcrcd its liberty to the army of Marius.
• Julius Coefar at length appears. By fubduing the Gauls,
g he n;ained his country the mod ufcfulconquelt it ever made*
Pompey, his only rival, is overcome in the plains of Phar-
^^ falia. Cfcfar \ iclorious appears in a moment all over
the world, in'Egvpt, in Alia, in Mauritania, in Spain,
in Gaul, and in Britain : conqueror on all lides, he is ac-
knowledged mafler at Rome, and in the whole empire. Bru-
tus and Ca/Tius think to give Rome her liberty, by
flabbing him iji the fcnate lioufe. But they only fub-
JC(5^ her to tyrants, who, without his clemency or abilities,
were not inferior in ambition. The republic falls into the
,^^ hands of Mark Anthony ; young C;rf.:r Oclavianus,
nephew to Julius Cafar, wrcfts it from him by the fca-
iight at Adtium ; there is no Brutus nor Callius, to put aii
end to his life. The friends of liberty have killed thcmfelvcs
m defpair, and Odlavius, under the name of Auguftus, and
title of emperor, remains the ujidifturbed maflcr of the empire.
During thefe civil commc tions, the Romans Hill prefcrved the
glory of their arms among diflant nations, and while it was
unVnown who fliould be mafter at Rome, the Romans were
tvithout difpute the mafters of the world ; their military difci-
pline and valour abolilhed all the remains of the Carthaginian,
the Perfian, the Greek, the Aflyrian, and Macedonian glory,
and they were now only a name. No fooner therefore was
Oitavius cftablifhed on the throne, than embalTadors from all
quarters of the known world, crowd to make their fubmifllons.
JEthiopia fucs for peace, the Parthians, who had been a moft
formidable enemy, court his friendfliip, the Indies feek hisal-
24, liance, Pannonia acl^nowledges him, Germany dreads
3<. him, and the Wcfer receives his laws. Vi<ftorious by
7" fea and Ian 1, he fhuts t'lc temple of Janus. The
whole earth lives in peace under his power, and Jefus Chriil
comes into the world.

Having thus traced the progrefs of the Roman government,
ivhile it remained a republic, our plan obliges us to fay a few
words with regard to the arts, fciejices, and manners of that
people. During the firfl ages of the republic, the Romans
lived in a total nccleiSl, or rather contempt of all the elegant
iniprovements of life. War, politicks, and agriculture were
the only arts they ftudicd, becaufe they were the only arts
they clteemed. B-it upon the downfal of Carthage, the Ro-
mans, having no enemy to dread fiom abroad, began to tallc
the fweets of fecurity, and to cultivate the arts. I'heir pro-
grefs however was not gradual as in the other countries we

Jiavti

nc would have

ng the Gauls,

;lt it ever made,

plains of Phar-

cimcnt all over

mia, in Spain,

dcs, he is ac-

cmpirc. 13 ru-

cr lihcrrv, by

they onlv fub-

cy or abilities,

l.ills into the

r Odaviajius,

him by the fca-

ius, to put an

lied thcmfelvcs

Auguftus, and

of the empire.

11 prcfervcd the

d while it was

Romafis were

military difci-

Carthaginian,

ccdoniaii glory,

r therefore was

ilTadors from all

icir fubmifllons.

ad been a moft

dies feck his al-

rermany dreads

Victorious by

Janus. The

id Jefus Chrift

;\n government,

us to lay a few

lanncrs of that

:, the Romans

all the elegant

griculture were

the only arts

hagc, the Ro-

, be^an to taftc

. Their pro-

r countries we

iiave

INTRODUCTION. *ji

Jiavc dcfcribcd. The conqucft of Greece at once put them in
poH'eflion of every thing moll rare, curious or elegant. Afia,
which was the next victim, offered all its ftores, and the Ro-
mans, from the moft fimplc people, fpecdily became ac-
tjuainted with the arts, the luxuries, and refinements of the
whole earth. Eloquence they had always cu'tivated as the
high road to eminence and preferment. The orations of
Cicero are only inferior to thole of Demofthenes, which, ac*
cording to all our ideas, are jierfedt produ£tions. In poetry
Vir!i;il yields only to Homer, whofe verfc, like the profcof De-
molthcncs, is perfect and inimitable. Horace however, in his
fatires and cpiillos, had no moucl ..mong the Greeks, and
Itands to tliis day unrivalled in that fpccies of writing. In
hiflory the Romans can boaft of Livy, who poflefTes all tha
iiatural eal'e of Herodotiis, and is more defcriptivc, more
eloquent, and feniimental. Tacitus indeed did not flourijfh in
the Auguflan age, but hi; works do himfelf the greateft ho-
nour, while they difgracc his country and human nature, whofo
corruption and vices he p;unt;; in the moil ftriking colours. In
philofophy, if wc except the works of Cicero, and the fyftem
of the (.jireek philofophcr Kpicuru^, dofcribed in the nervous
poetry of Lucretius, the Romans, during the time of the re-
public, made not the Icaft attempt. In tragedy, they never
produced any thl^ig excellent ; and 'Terence, though remark-
able for purity of ftylc, wants that comica vis, or lively vein
of humour, which diltinguiflicd the Greek comedians, and
which diftinguiflics (.ur Shakelpeare.

Wc now return to our hiftdry, and are arrived at an rera,
which prefcnts us wi.h a fet u\ mongers, under the name of
emperors, whofe hilhiries, a few excepted, difgrace human
nature. They did nr.t indeed ;:boli{h the fv)i-ns of the Roman
republic, though they extin'^uifhed iis liberties, and while
they were pradifing the molt unwarrantal.le cruelties upon
their fubjcdts, they theinfelves were the flavcs of their foldiers.
They madj the world tremble, while they in th( ir turn trem-
bled at the army. Roii,e, from the time of Auguftus, be-
came the moft defpotic empire that ever iubfifted in Europe.
To form an idev of their government, we need only rccal to
our mind the fituation of Turkey at prefcnt. It is of no im-
portance therefore to confuier the thiraot'T of the emperors,
fmcc they h.id no power but what arofc from a r er< cnary
ftanding army, nor to enter into a d t.'.il with regard to .iie
tranfaciions of the court, v.:.,ch wcr- directed by tlu: cipricc,
and cruelty and corruption, which univcrfally pr vail under a
defpotic government. When it is laid that the R^min re-
public conquered the world, it is only meant of the clvilizid
• ^' 4 part

i 1

1 H

■Hli

INTRODUCTION.

-Ill

part of It, chicflv in Greece, Carthnge, and Afia. A tv.ute
<JitKcult tafk liill remained, for the emperors to fubduc the
Larbarous natior.s of Europe ; the Germans, the Gauls, the
Britons, and even the remote corner of Scoiland ; for though
thefe countries had been difcovercd, tluy were not cifedtually
iVibducd by the Roman generals. Thefe natioiis, though rude
and ignorant, were brave and independent. It was rather from
the fuperiority of tlieir difcipline than of their courage, that
the Romans gained any advantage over them, 'i'he Roman
wars, with the Germans, aic deferib.d by Tacitus, and from
his accounts, thougli a Roirian, it is cal'y to difcovcr with
what bravery they fought, and with what reludhmce they fidi-
mitted to a foreign yoke. From the obltinatc refinance of the
Germans, v.-e may judge of the difficulties the Romans met
with in fubduing the other nations, of Europe. 'I'hc conulU
were on both fides bloody ; the countries of Europe were fuc-
cefli\'ely laid waflc, the inhabitants perllhcd in the iickl, many
were carried into flavery, and but a feeble remnant fubmittcd
to the Roman power. This iituation of afl'airs was extremely
unfavourable to the happineis of mankind. The baibarous
nations, indeed, from their intcrcourfc with the Romans, ac-
quired fometafte for the arts, fciences, language, and manners,
of their new maders. Thefe however were but miferable con-
Jblations for the lofs of liberty, for being deprived of the uf:^
of their arms, for being over-awed by mercenary foldiers kept
in pay to reftrain them, and for being delivered over to rapa-
cious governors, who jilundered them without mercy. The
finly circumltancc which could fupport tlum under thefe com-
plicated calamities, was the hope of feeijig better days.
• The Roman empire, now iiretcheJ out to fuch an extent,
had loft its fpring and force, it contained within itfelf the
feeds of diffolution ; and the violent irruption of the Goths
and Vandals, and other Barbarians, hnflened its deftruction.
'j'hcfe fierce tribes, who came U) laKe \eng(.anceon the empire,
cither inhabited the varic-uh provinces of Gtrn any, which had
never been fubdued by the iiomans, or were fcattered over the
vail countries of the north of Europe, and north-weft of
Afia, which are now inhabited by the Danes, the Swedes,
the Poles, the fubjecls of the Rullian empire, and the Tar-
tars. They were drawn from their native countrv, by that
reftlefsntfs which actuates the minds of Uaibarians, and
makes them rove from home in queft of plunder, or new fet-
tlemcnts. The firft invaders met with a powerful refiftance
from the fuperior difcipline of the Roman legions ; but this,
inftcad of daunting men of a llrong and impetuous temper^

only

I:-

introduction; ^

only roufcd them to vengeance. They return to their com-
panions, acquaint them v/ith the unknown convenicncics and
Iiixuricsthat abounded in countries better cultivated, or blcfled
with a milder climate than their own ; they acquaint them
with the battles they had fought, of the friends they had
loft, and warm them with rcfentment againft their opponents.
Great bodies of armed men, (fays an elegant hiftorian, in de-
fcribin<' this fccne of defolation) with their wives and chil-
dren, and flaves and flocks, iflucd forth, like regular cole--
iiics, in quell of new fettlcmcnts. New adventurers followed
ihem. The lands which they def?rted were occupied by more
remote tribes of Barbarians. Thefe, in their turn, pullied
forward into more fertile countries, and like a torrent conti^
luially incrcafing, rolled on, and fwept every thinLj before
them. Wherever the B.irbarians marched, their rout was
marked with blood. They ravaged or dellroyed all around
them. Thc-y made no diftindtion between what was lucred,
and what was profane. They refpected no a^-e, or fex, or rank.
If a man was called upon to fix upon the period, in the hiitory
cf the world, during which, the condition of the human race
was moft calamitous and afRidted, he would, without hefita-
lioii, name that which elapfcd froiTi the death of Theodofius
the Great, A. D. 395, to the eftabliiliment of the Lombards
iji Italy, A.J). 571. The contemporary authors, v%'ho be*
licld that fccne of defolation, labour, and are at a loi's for cx-
prcfiions to dcfcribe tiie horror of it. T/.>c fcourgc of Cjody the
ijr/h-oyer of riiitt'ons^ are the dreadful epithets by wiiich they
dill'nfiuifil the moft noted of the barbarous leaders.

Conflantino, who was emperor about the beginning of the
fourth century, and who had embr.\ced Chridianity, cliangcd
the feat of empire from Rome to Conftantinople. This oc-.
cafioiied a prodigious alt.:rat:on. The weflern and eaflcrii
provinces were feparated from each other, and governed by
dil-Vcrcnt fovercigns. The withdrawing the Roman legions from
the Rhine and the Danube to the eafl, tiuvvv down the wcfteni
barriers of the empire, and laid it open to the invaders,

Rome (now known by the name of the Wellcrn Empire,
in contradiilinction to Conftantinople, which, from its fitua-
tion, was called the Eaflern Empire) weakened by thisdivifion,
becomes a prey to the barbarous nations. Its antient glory,
vainly deemed immortal, iscflaced, and Adoaces, a Barbarian
chieftain, fits down on tl.c throne of the C^-fars. Thefc ir-
iuptions into the empire, were gradual and fuccefiive. The
immcnfe fabric of the Roman empire was the work of many
aL7-'.'i, and feveral centuries were employed in dcmolilhing it.
'Ihe autieiit difciplinp pi the Romuns, in military affairs.

74 INTRODUCTION.

was (o efficacious, that the remains of It tlefLCDdcil to their
fucccflojs, and muft [i;ivc proved an over-match for all their
cnciiiies, had it not been for the vices of their emperors, and
the uiiivcrral corruption oi' manners arnonr;; the people. Sa-
tiated with the luxuries of tlv* known world, liic emperors were
Tit a Uii's to fmd new provocatives. The nioii diliant rc^^ions
tverc explored, the ingenuity of mankind was c^ercifed, and
the tribute of provinces expended upon one f.vour tedifli.Thc
tyranny, and the univerfal depravation of manners that pre-
vailed unde. the emperors, en- as tiny are callul Cclars, could
only be cquallL. by the barbarity of thofe nntions, who ovcr-
•came them.

■ TiAvaido il.c clofc (,r tl.e i;/.:!- r^-nttiry, the Saxons, a Oer-
inan nation, were maflers of the fouth^rn, .... .<r_' fertile
provinces of Britain ; the I'rr.nk^-, nnntlier tribe of CJeri'^-iiiS,
of Gaul ; the Goths, of Spain ; the Cjoths and Lombards, of
Italy, and the adjacent provinces. Scarce any vellitc of the
Roman pclic), juiilprudcnce, arts or literature renained. New
forms of government, new laws, new inai-.ner.s, new drcd'es,
new languages, and new names of men and countiies, v/crc
everywhere introduced.

From this period till the i6th century, Furopc exhibited a
picture of moll melancholy Gothic b.ubnrity. Liteiature,
Science, tafte, were words fcaree in ule duiiuL^ ihefe ages,
Perfons of the hiphcil rank, ajid iji the moit eminent Nations,
could not read or write. Many of the clergy did not under-
iland the breviary which thev were obli^'ied daily to recite;
ibme of them could fcaree read it. The human mind neg-
IciSted, uncultivated, and dcpreflcd, funk into the mod pro-
found ignorance. The fuperior geniu,, of Charlemagne, who,
about the beginning of thcQih centurv, governed France, Cier-
many, with part of Italy; and Alfred the Great in Fn'j!;land,
endeavoured to difpcl thi.-. darknefs, and gave their fubjecb a
Ihort glimpfe of light. But the ignorance of the age was too
powerful for their efforts and inftitutions. 'Fhc darknefs re-
turned, and fettled over Europe more thick and heavy than
formerly.

A new divifion of property gradually Introduced a new
fpecics of government formerly unknown ; which fmgular iii-
ftitution is now diftinguiflied by the name of the Feudal Syftem.
The king or general, who led the Barbarians to conqucU,
parcelled out the lands of the vanquifhcd among his chief
^officers, binding thofe on whom they were bcftowcd, to follow
his ftandard with a number of men, and to bear arms in his
defence. The chief officers imitated the example of the fovc-
reign, and in diilributing portions of their lands among thck

dependants^

■4

ndcd to their
I; for all their
Miipcrors, and

•coplc. Sa-
(inpcrors were
iliant rci'ions

ticiCccI, and
11 tcdifli.Thc
ncrs that prc-
C clars, could
MS, who ovcr-

iNons, a Gcr-
. v)re fertile

Lombards, of

vtit.LC of the

itiv.aincd. New

n, new drcd'es,

duntiics, v/crc

ape exhibited a

Lite I at lire,

iuL^ thcfc ages.

uincnt ihitions,

iWd not under-
daily to recite;
"lan mind ncg-
) the nioft pro-
rlcniagnc, who,
.\1 Kiance, (Jer-
:at in Knirland,

their fuhjccls i
the age was too
"he darkncfs re-
tUid hca\y than

roduccd a new
lich fingiilar in-
; Feudal Syftem.
lis to conquel^,
imong his chief
owed, to follow
bear arms in his
ipie of the fove-
ads among thctr
dependants^

TNTRODUCTION.

> ♦

dopondant", annexed the fame condition to the grant. Hut
though this fvllem feemed to be adniirably calculated for dc-
firice againd a foreign enemy, it degenerated into a fyftem of

fli

M)reinon

The ufurpation of the nobles became unbounded and into-
lerable, 'liiey reduced the ^Mcat body <if tlie people into a
Ibte of adtu.il fervitude. They were deprived of the natural
and moft unalienable r-ghts of humanity. They were ilavea
fixed to the foil, which they .culii'.atcd, and together with it

" )r by

jferred fi

:tor

)iher, bv fah

were ti

convcvance. r.vcry oitcnueu naion, orcmettain, duckicu on
his armour, and fought redrcfs at the head of his v.-^flals. His
adverf.irics n'.et hijn in like hoftile array. The kindred aiu!
dependants of the aggrcllbr, as well as of the defi lulcr, wer«
involved in the ciuarrel. They had Jiot even the liberty of re-
maining neuter *.

The monarchs of Kuropc perceived the encroachments of
their noblej witli iti.patiencc. They declared, that as all iiica
were by nature free born, they dctciniined it fhould be fo in
reality as well as in name. Jii (jrder to create foine power,
that might counterbalance thf)i'e potent vallals, who, while
they enflaved the people, controukd or gave law to the crown,
a plan was adojited of confening new privileges on tov/ns,
Thefe privileges ab.'Iifhed all mari.s of fervitude, and foimej
thein into corpor.tions, or bodie;- politic, to be !;nverned by a
council and ma'^iiirates of theii < vvn nominaiion.

The acqulfiiion of liberty iinie fuch a happy change in
the condition of n-.aiikiiul, as ro-.d them from thar flupidity
and inaction ir.to which they hiui l-.cn funk by the wictchcd-
ncfs of their former ihite. A fi)irit of induftry revived ; com-
merce became an objeot of attention, and began to (lourifh.

Various cntifes contrihuti-'il to revive this fpirit of commerce,
and to renew the iiucrcoui ic btvvecn diftercnt nation'?. Con-
Itantinople, the capital of the eaftcrn, or Greek empire, had
efcaped the ravages of the Cloths and Vandals, who overthrew
that of the wclK In this city, foiv.c remains of literature and
fciencc were preferved : this too, for many ages, was the great
emporium of tra Je, and where Wmvj rclifli tor the precious com-
modities and ruriotis manufachires of India was retained.
They co;r.munirated fome !:nowledge of ihefc to their neigh-
bours in Italy; and the crufades, wliich were begun by "rh(j

Chriftiaii

» . 7'"s Cothic iy(l.!m ftill prevails in I'olami : n remnant of U continued in thtf
Hif^l'iiifl' ol Scctlaiid fo latu ;is liic year 1748. AnJ even in EnELr.d, a country
rfii..-,uicd f<,rnv,l .>».! rcHtjious Ubwt)-, lowciclickfi of Uicic GoUuc iijdliuiions arc

pti-ui.ubluatlijis d.iy.

INTRODUCTION.

ill

\ :

:, !,

Chriftian powers of Europe vviih a view to drive the Turks
from Jcruf'alcm, opened a communication between Europe
and the Eaft. Conftantinople was the general place of ren-
dezvous for the Chrillian arniios, in their way t» Palcfline or
on their return from thence. Though the object of thcfe cx-
jicditions was conqueft and not commerce, and though the illuc
of them proved unfortunate, th..ir commercial eft'etSt:> were
both bencHcial and permanent.

Soon after the ciofe of the holy war, the mariners compafs
\vas invented, which frcilitated the communication between
remote nations, and brought them nearer to each other. 'Ihe
Italian ffatcs, particularly thofc of Venice and Genoa, began
to eftablifh a regular commerce with the Eaft, and the ports
of Egypt, and drew from thence all the rich production:; of
India. Thcfe commodities they difpofed of to great advan-
tage among the other nations of Europe, who began to ac-
quire fome tafte of elegance, unknown to their prcdcceliorE,
or defpifed by them. During tlie 12th and 13th centuries,
the comnicrce of Europe was aimoll: in the hands of the Ita-
lians, more commo.dy known in thofe ages by the name of
Lombards. Companies or focieties of Lombard merchants
fettled in every different kingdom ; they became the carrieis, the
manufidhircrs, and the bankers of Euroiu-. One of tlicfc com-
panies fculed in London; hence the nanic of Loir.bard Street.

While the Italians in the fouth of Europe cultivated trade
witii fuch induftry and fuccefi, the connnercial fpirit av/akcned
in the North towards the niiddle of the thirteenth century.
As the Danes, Swedes, and other nations around the Haltic,
were at that time extrtnulv barbarous, and infelted that fea
with their piraties, this obliged the cities of I^ubec and Ham-
burgh, fo; n after they had began to open fome trade with the
Italians, to enter into a league of mutual di fence. They de-
rived fuch advantages from this union, tliat other towns
acceded to their confederacy ; and, in a fliort time, eighty of
the moft confidorable cities, feattered through thofe valt coun-
tries of Cjermany and Flanders which ftretch from the bottom
of the Baltic to Cologne on tliC Rhine, j(jined in an alliance,
called the Hanfeatic League ; v/hich became fo formidable,
that its allianc • was ccurted, and its enmity was dreaded by
the greateft monarchs. 'I'he members of this poweriul aflo-
fiation formed the firft fyflcmatic plan of commerce known in
the middle ages, and condu(£led it by common laws enaif^ed in
their general afl'emblies. 'J'hey fupplitd the reft of Europe
with naval ft ores j and pitched on different towns, the moft
eminent of v/hich was Bruges, in Flanders, where they cfta-
bliflied ftapl:?, in which their commerce was regularly carried
5 o:u

INTRODUCTION.

en. Thither the Lombards brought the produ<5tions of India»
totrcthcr with the manutadturcs of Italy, and exchanged them
for the more bulky, but not lefs ufeful commodities of the North.
As Bruges became the center of communication between
the Lombards and Hanfeatic merchants, the Flemings traded
with both in that city to fuch extent as well as advantage, as
fpiritcd among them a general habit of induftry, which long
rendered Flanders and the adjacent provinces the moft opu-
lent, the moft populous, and heft cultivated countries in Europe.
Struck with the flourifliing ftate of thefe provinces, of
which he difcovcrcd the true caufc, Edward III. of England,
endeavoured to excite a fpirit of induftry among his own fub-
je6ls, who, blind to the advantages of their fituation, and
ignorant of the fource froin which opulence was dcftined to
flow into their country, totally negletStcd commerce, and did
not even attempt thole manufactures, the materials of which
they furnifticd to foreigners. By alluring Fleniifli artifans to
fettle in his dominions, as well as by many wife laws for the
encouragement and regulation of trade, he gave a beginning
to the woollen manufactures of England j and firft turned the
active and enterprizing genius of his people towards thofe arts
which have railed the Englifli to the firft rank arnong ton\-
mcrcial nations.

The Chrii^ian prince?, after their great lofles in the cru»
fades, endeavoured to cultivate the friendfliip of the great
khans of 'I'artary, whole fame in arms had reached the moft
remote coi ners of Etirone and Afia, that they might be fome
check upon the I'urks, who had been fuch enemies to the
Chriftian name ; and who, from a contemptible handful of
w ndcrcrs, 1j. ving occafionally in the armies of contcndin'^
princes, had hcj^uu to extend their rv.vages over the fnuljt
countries of Afia.

The Chriftian embaHics were managed chiefly by nnonks, a
wandering i^ulelnon of men, who, impelled by -/cal. and
undaiMUed by difticulties and <I..nger, found their Wi.y to the
tcmote couit.i of thcfe infideli,. 'The Englifh philofophcr,
Roger Bacon, wai fo induftrious as to collcil from their
rtlutions, or tr.iditions, many particulars of the Tartars,
which arc to be found in Purehas's Pilgrims, and other book*
of travels. The fnft regular travcller^of the monkifti kind,
Who comniitted his difcoveries to writing, was John du Plant;
Carpii'., who, with fom. of his brethren', about the year 1246,
earned a letkr from poj^c Innocent to (he great khan of Tar-
tary, in tavour of the Ch.iltian liihj^Cts in that prince's extea-
jjye dominions. Soon after thi;;, a fpirit of travelling into
lartary and India became -cneiul i and it would be no diffi-
cult

78 INTRODUCTION.

cult matter tc prove that many Europeans, about the end of
the fourtccnch century, fcrved in the armies of TamcrhuK',
one of the greutcft princes of Tartary, whofc conqucfts reached
to the molt remote corners of India ; and that they introduced
into Europe the ufe of gunpowder and artillery ; the difcovcry
made by a Cicrmanchymift bc'ngonly partial and accidental.

After the deatli of I'amerlane, who, jealous of tlie rifing
power of the Turks, had checked their progrcfs, the Chiiftian
adventurers, upon their return, magnifying the vail rich'^s of
the Eaft Ijidics, inlpired their countrvmen with a fpirit of
adventure and difcoverv, and were the firll that rendered i
pafl'age thither by fea probable and practicable. '1 he Portu-
guefe had been always famous for their application to mari-
time affairs ; and to their difcovery of the Cape of Good-Hope,
Great-Britain is at this day indebted for her Indian connneiec.

At firfl they contented themfelvcs with (liort voyages, creep-
ing along the coalt of AlVica, difcoveri.ng cape after capcj
but by making a gradual progrefy fouthward, they, in the year
1497, were fo fortunate as to fail beyond the cape, which
opened a paffage by fea to the cadern ocean, and all thofc
countries known by the names of India, China and Japan.

While the Portuguefc were intent upon a paifage to India
by the eaft, Columbus, a native of Genoa, conceived a pro-
ject of failing thither by the welt. His propolal being con-
demned by his countrymen, as chimerical and ;'.bfurd, he laid
his fcheme fucceflively before the courts of France, England,
and Portugal, where he had no better fuccel's. Such repeated
difappointments would have broken the fp rit of any man but
Columbus. The expedition required expcnce, and he had
nothing to defray it. Spain was now his -jnly refourcc, and
there, after eight years attendance, he fucceeded, th.'ough the
intereft of queen Il'abella, v.ho raited money upon her jev.'cls to
defray the expcnccs of his expedition, and to do honour to
her fex.

Columbus now (<:t fail, ani'.o 1^92, v/ich a fl r'; c)f tlircc
Ihips, upon the mod ad\'enturous attempts ever undertaken by
man, and in the fate ci wl'ich the inlial>itants of two worldi
were intereftcd.

In this voyage he had a tlioufi.nd diuicultlcs to cont^'ud
with, and his failure, always dil'contcnte.l, beuan t«.; inlid
upon his return, thrcatcmn;;'^, in cafe of refuial, to throw him
overboard ; but the tirmiuis of the cf)nn-nander, and the dif-
covery of land, after a pallage of 3^ dau^ put ;:n en 1 to the
commotion. From tlie a|)pearan(.(:of the natives, he f)und to
his furpri/,r, that tin's cnild not be tlie Indies lie w;'.s ui quclt
of, and whigli he fgun difct^vcitd l>^ be; a jicw world ; of which

2 tlie

INTRODUCTION. 79

the reader will find a more circumftantial account in that part
of the following work which treats of America.

Europe now bc2;an to emerge out of that ilarlcnefs into which
ihc had been funic fincc the iubvcrfion of the Roman empire,
Thcfc difcoveries, from which fuch wealth was deftined to
flow to the commercial nations of Europe, were fuccceded by
others of unfpeakabic benefit to mankind. The invention of
printing, the revival of learning, arts, and fcienccs ; and,^
laftly, the happy reformation in religion, all diftinguifli the
15th and 1 6th century as the firll a;ra of modern hiftory. *' It
was in thcfe ages that the powers of Europe were formed intc»
one great political fyllem, in which each took a ilation, wherein
it has fince remained, with Icfs viuriation than could have been
cxpeded, after tlic fliocks occufioncd by fo many internal re-
volutions, and fo many foreign wars, of which wc have given
fome account in rhc hiltory of each particiihir flate in the fol-
lowing fheet.'^. 'I lie great events which happened then have:
not hitherto fpcnr their force. The political principles and
maxims then eitabliflicd, ftill continue to operate ; and the
jdeas concerning the balance of power then introduced, or ren-
dered general, Hill influence the councils of European iiations."

From all which it fecms extremely cerf.'in, that the con-
rurrencc of fo many rival priiiccs will always prevent any
one of them from gaining the empire over Europe. Hut
it is no lei's certain, that in contending for it, they muli
weaken their own force, and may at length render tht.njfeive.i
uncapable of defejiding even their jult polleiliotis. The par-
tial conquefts they may make are extremely illufive; inltead.
of promoting, they rather oppofe their defigns ; the more
any kingdom is extended, it becomes thi' weaker, and great
projects have not beeji fo often executed bv ilow reiterated
efforts, as in the courl'c of a few years, and fometimes bv a
fniglc expedition. A prince may form a deliberate plan of dc-
Itroying the rights of his fubjeits ; he may proceed by rtow de-
grees in the execution of it, and if he die before it is com-
pleated, his fucceffor may purfue the fame rteps, and avaii
himfelf of what was done before him. liut external conquefh
cannot be concealed ; they generally occafion more fear than,
hurt, and arealmolt always lefs folid than brilliant. Hence the
alarms they excite, the confederacies they give occafion to, by
which the prince, who, by misfortune, has been a conqueror,
is commonly reduced to the lait extremities. This d(Ktrine,
however contrary to the prejudices of a powerful and victorious
nation, i.^ ojie of the bed elhibliftied in the fciencc of politicks.
It is confirmed by examples both ancient and modem. The
itutes of (Jiccce, in particular, delivered t'lvm the terror of

the

INTRODUCTION.

i:^:

the Perfian invafions, exhibit the fame truth in a grp: * vmctf.
of lights. There was not one of the moft confiderable of
thcfe little focieties, but in its turn imb;bed the frenzy of con-
queft, and in its turn too was reduced by this frenzy to the;
utmoft mifcry and diftrefs *. The modern examples are fo
well known, that it is almoft unneceifary to mention them.
Vv'ho does not know that the houfe of Auftria excited the
terror of all Europe, before it excited the pity of Orc-at Rri-
tain ! Had that family never been the objed^ of fear, the cu.
prefs queen would never have become the objetSt of compaf-
ilon. France affords an example no lefs ftriking. The nerves
of that kingdom were drained fo far beyond their ftrength^
by an ambitious monarch, that it is impoflible they (hould ac-
quire their natural tone in the courfe of this century. The.
debility of their late effort^;, prove the greatnefs of the evil, and
the inefRcacy of any remedy which is not flow and gradual.

Great Britain is at prefent that kinn;dom in Kuropc^
which enjoys the grcatcft profperity and glory. She cu:/ht to
be the more attentive therefore to preferve fo brilliant an ex-
iftencc. The fpirit of conqueil neither fuits with her phyfi-
cal fituation, nor with her political conftitution. Every at-
tempt to extend her dominion, muft be attended with tv/o in-
fallible confequcnces. The firlt, to alarm her neighbours ; thir
if'econd, to augment her armies. We have faid enough to fhtw
the danger of the one; the other well defcrves to be ti.iccd thro*
all its cfte«5ls. The tncreafe of taxes, the decay of manuf.ic-
tures, that fpccies of commerce which alone is not [-.iccaiious,
are objects which need only to be hinted at. — But ilie aug-
mentation of armies muft, in fonic future period, be atteiuiec!
with a confequcnce of another kind, that is, the cftahlifhment
of abfolute monarchy in Great-Britain. The futher our
conquefts are removed from home, this danger bef'omes the
greater. Britifti fubjc. Is of confideraiion or property will, in
time, grow weary of tranfporting themfelves into climates
i'corched by heat, or frozen by cold. Our fjicign armies
aiuft, of courfe, be compofed of men, who, having no m«ral
tie to attach them to their native country, will (ocjn, by living
in a diftant clime, lofe all natural aftlxtion for the laud in
•which they were born. This confequence feiins to tfcapu
fome of our raoJ ;rn ftatefmen, guided more perhaps by fen-
tlment than by rcafon, and who, by fpeeches extrenuly
feduiSUve to human pride or ambition, would inadveitentijf
lead this country into a courfe of public meafurci. that natu-
rally tends lO defpotifm.

• The reader who would fee this ful'ieA fully illuftiitJd, m;;y look tt
Jfocrites' OraUoi\ on the I'mcc ; ore of tlu- moi! flriihcd nv JcL ol aiilicnt do-
%itcn^.e j and whLkh kontMiDi a r; h titnd ot j>oUuul kiH>\^lv<i^.

» •

) •:

INTRODUCTION.
PART III.

OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF
,. • . RELIGJON.

DEITY is an awful objc6l, and has ever roufed the
attention of mankind. But incapable of elevating their ■
ideas to all the fublimity of his perfections, they have toaJ|!
often bi ought down his perfections to the* level of their own ;
ideas. This is more particularly true with regard to thofc *
nations whofe religion had no other foundation hut the na-
tural feelings, and more often the irregular paflions of tha
human heart, and who had received no light from heaven
rcfpeiSling this important objecSV. In ueducing the hiitory of
religion, thercfoie, we mull make the f.imc diftincb'on which
wc h.'.vc hitherto obfervcd in tracing the progrefs of arts,
fcicnces, and of civilization among mankind. We mull
feparate what is human from what is divine, what had its
origin from particular revelations from what is the efFecl
of general laws, and of the unaffilled operations of the human,
mind.

Agreeably to this dIftin'Slion we find that in the firft ages
of the world, the religion or t!ic eallern nations was pure and
Juttiinous. it arofc iiom a divine fource, and was not thca
disfigured by human fmcics or caprice, in time, however,
thcfe began to have th-jir influence ; the ray of tradition was
ebl'cured, and among thafe tribes winch feparatcd ..t the greatefl
dilhincc, and in the fmaijeft numbers, from the more improved
/beitiies of nif^n, i.. was altogether obliterated.

In this fituation a particular people were felec"led by God
himfclf, to be the depofitones t ^ his laws and worfliip ; but the
reft of mankind were left to for. hypothcfc ; upon thcfe fub-
jcifls, which were more or lefs pen. 't according to nn infinity
<jf circumlKmce.i, v.'h' \i cannot properly be re.uccd under
any g cncral heads.

The moit common religion of antiquity, tliat which pre-
vailed the long':ft, and extended tiic widett, was Polytheifm^ .
or the doclrincof a plurality of Gods. The raoe of fyftemj
the ambitioji of reducing ail th<; plixno:nena of the moral
world to a few gi'ncral principle:*, h.;; occ::fioncd many im-
perfect accounts, both of the origi.-i and nature of this Ipccies
of worfhip. For without entering into a minute detail, it is
impoiTible to give an adequate idea of the fLihjei.'t ; and what
k laid upon it in ^tiv.al, mull always be liable to a great
many exceptions.

yoL. I. ■ • F One

INTRODUCTION.

One thing however may be obferved, that the polytheifni
of the antients fecms neither to have been the fruit of phi.
lofophical fpcculations, nor of disfigured traditions, concern-
ing the nature of the divinity. It feems to have arifen during
the rudcfl ages of focicty, while the rational powers were
feeble, and while mankind were under the tyranny of imagi.
nation and paflion. h was built therefore folely upon fenti-
ment ; as each tribe of men had their hcroes,^ fo likewife they
had their gods. Thofe heroes who led them forth to the com-
bat, who preild'^d in their councils, whofe image was engraved
on their fancy, whofe exploits were imprinted on their me-
mory, even af.er death enjoyed an exiftence in the imagi-
nation of their followers. The force of blood, of friendfhip,
of affecHiion, among rude nations, is what we cannot eafily
conceive ; but the power of imagination over the fenfes is
what all men have in fnme degree experienced. Combine thefe
two caufes, and it will not appear ftrange, that the image of
departed heroes fhould have been fccn by their companions,
animating the battle, taking vengeance on their enemies, and
performing, in a word, the fame functions which they per-
formed when alive. An appearance fo unnatural would not
excite terror among men unacquainted with evil fpirits, and
who had not learned to fear any thijig but their enemies.
On the contrary, it confirmed their courage, flattered their
vanity, and the teftimony of thofe who had feen it, fup-
ported by the extreme credulity and romantic caft of thofe
who had not, gained an universal afTent among all the mem-
bers of their fociety. A final 1 degree of refledlion however
would be fufficient to convince them, that as their own heroej
exifted after death, it might likewife be the cafe of thofe
of their enemies. Two orders of gods, therefore, would be I
eftablifhed, the propitious and the hoftilc ; the gods who
were to be loved, and thofe who were to b. feared. But
time which wears oft the imprcflions of tradition, the fre-
quent invafions by which the nations of antiquity were ra-
vaged, defolated or tranfplantcd, made them lofe the names,!
and confound the chara(5ters of tho<c two orders of divinities,;
and form various fyftems of rfJip/ion, which, tho' warped by
a thoufund particular circumfban:cs, give nt) final 1 indications
of their firfl texture and original materials. For in general
the gods of the antients gave a! indant pi oof of human in-
firmity. They were fubjedt to al) the pafTions of men ; they
partook even of their partial afFctfiions, and in many inftanceJ
tlifcovcred their preference of one race or nation to all others.
They did not eat and drink the fame fubliances with men;[
they lived on iie>^tar ;md ambiofia j they had a particular plea-
3. furcj

•ik|: !,

•e. flattered their

introduction; ^

furc in fmelling the ftcam of the facrlficcs, and they made
love with a ferocity unlcnown in northern climates. The
rites by which they were worfhippcd, naturally rcfulted from
their chara(5ler.

It muft be obfcrved, however, that the religion of the
ancients was not much conneftcd cither with ihcir private
behaviour, or with their political arrangement-;. If we ex-
cept a few fanatical focicties, whofc principles do not fall
within our plan, the greater part of mankind were extremely
tolerant in their principles. They had their own gods who
watched over t'\em ; their neighbours, they imagined, alfo
had theirs j and ihere was room enough in the univerfe for
both to live together in good fcllowfhip, without interfering
or jofMing with one another.

The introduction of Chriflianity, by inculcating the unity
of God, by nnnouncing the purity of his chara(5ter, by ex-
plaining the fervice he required of men, produced a total al-
teration on their religious fentimcnts and belief. But this is
not the place for handling this fublime fubjedl. It is fufficient
to obfervc here, that a religion, which was founded on the
unity of the Deity, which admitted of no afl'ociation with
falfc gods, muft citncr be altogether dcftroyed, or become
the prevailing belief of mankind. 'I'hc latter was the cafe.
Chriltianity made its way among the civilized part of man-
kind, by the fublimity of its dodhincs and precepts; and
before it was fupportcd by the arm of power, fuftained itfelf
by the voice of wifdom.

The management of whatever related to the chrrch, being
naturally conferred on thofc who had cfiabliftied it, firft oc-
cafioncd the elevation of the clergy, and afterwards of the
bifhop of Rome, over all the mcnihers of the Chriftian world.
It is impoflible to defcribe within our narrow limits all the
concomitant caufcs, fomc of which were extremely delicate,
by which this fpccics of univerfal monarchy was eftablifhed.
The bifhops of Rome, by being removed from the controul
of the Roman emperors, then rcfiding in Conftantinoplc; by
borrowing, with little variation, the religious ceremonies and
rites eftabliflicd among the heathen world, anil otherwife work-
ing on the credulous minds of Barbarians, by whom that em-
pire began to be difmembered ; and by availing themfelves of
every circumftance which Fortune threw in their way, flowiy
created the fabric of their power, at firlt an objed of vene-
ration, and afterwards of terror, to all temporal princes. The
caufes of its happy difTolution are more palpable, and operated
with greater activity. The moft efficacious was the rapid
improvement of arts, government and commerce, which after

F 2 piany

§4 INTRODUCTION.

many aces of barbarity, made its way into Europe. The fcan*
daloiis lives of thofe who called thcmrdvcs the minifters of
Jefus Chrift, their ignorance and tyranny, the defire natural
to fovercigns of delivering thcmftlves from a foreign yoke, the
opportunity of applying to national ohjeits, tiie inimcnfe wealth
which had been diverted to the Ibrvice of the church in every
kingdom of Europe, confpired with the ardour of the firft
reformers, and hauened the progrcfs of reformation. The ab-
furd mummeries eflabliiliL'd by the Romifti clergy in order to
elevate their power, and augment their riches, were hap-
pily turned into ridicule by men of lettii.s, who, on that
account, deferve to be held iji evcrlarting efteem, as they
contributed, in a very eminent degree, to that aftonifhing
event, fo favourable to the civil as well as to the religious
liberties of mankind.

^ \Vc fliall now proceed to the main part of our work, be-
ginning with Europe.

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[ 85 ]

E U R a P E.

EUROPE, though the leaft extenfive quarter of the
globe, is in many refpe<5ls that which moft deferves our
attention. It is in Europe that the human mind has
made the greateft progrefs towards its improvement ; and where
the arts, whether of utility or ornament, the fciences both mi-
litary and civil, have been carried to the greateft height and
perfeftion. If we except the earlieft ages of the world, it is
in Europe we find the greateft variety of character, govern-
ment and manners, and from whence we draw the greateft'
number of fafts and memorials either for our enterta,inment or
inftruftion.

Geography difcovers to us two circunjilances with regard ta
Europe, which perhaps have had a corifiderable tendency in,
giving it the fuperiority over the reft of the world. Firft,
the happy temperature of its climate, no part of it lying within
the torrid zone ; and fecondly, the great variety of its fur-
face. The eft'edt of a moderate climate, both on plants an(l
animals, is well known from experience. The immenfe num-
ber of mountains, rivers, feas, &c. which divide the difterent
countries of Europe from one another, is likewife extremely
commodious for its inhabitants.. Thefe natural boundaries
check the progrei's of conqueft or defpotifm, which has always
been fo rapid in the extenfive plains of Africa and the Eaft j
the feas and rivers facilitate the intercourfe and commerce be-
tween different nations j and even the barren rocks ami
mountains are more favourable for exciting human induftry
and invention, than the natural unfolicited luxuriancy of more
fertile foils. There is no part of Europe fo diverfified in it?
furface, fo interrupted by natural boundaries or divifions, as
Greece; we have feen that it was in Greece the human mind
began to know and to avail itfelf of its ftrcngth, and that
many of the arts fubfervient to utility or pleafure, were in*
vented, or at leaft greatly improved. Wh:it Greece there-
fore is with regard to Europe, Europe itfelf is with regard to"
the reft of the globe. The analogy may even be carried fur-
ther, and it is worth while to attend to it. As antient Greece
(for we do not fpeak of Greece, at prefent imder the un-
natural tyranny of Barbarians) was diftinguifhed above all
tjie reft of Europe, for the equity of its laws, and the free-
dom of its political ponftitution, fo l^as Europe in general beeii

f 3 remarkable

-4

^fil

Si**

. v'T-i*-

,^-.

EUROPE.

remarkable for fmaller deviations, at leaft from the laws of
nature and equality, than have been admitted in other quar-
ters of the world. Though moft of the European govern-
ments are monarchical, w^e may difcover, on due examination,
that there are a thoufand little fprings, which check the
force, and foften the rigour of monarchy in Europe, which
do not exift any where elfe. In proportion to the number
and force of thefc checks, the monarchies of Europe, fuch
as Ruffia, France, Spain and Denmark, differ from one ano-
ther. Befides monarchies, in which one man bears the chief
fway, there are in Europe, ariftocracies or governments of
the nobles, and democracies or governments of the people.
Venice is an example of the former j Holland, and fome dates
of Italy and Switzerland, afford examples of the latter. There
are likewife mixed governments, which cannot be afligned to
any one clafs. Great Britain, which partakes of all the three,
is the molt Angular inftance of this kind we are acquainted
with. The other mixed governments in Europe, are com-
pofed only of two of the fimple forms, fuch as Poland, Swe-
den, feveral ftates of Italy, &c. all which (hall be explained
at length in their proper places.

The Chriftian religion is eftablifhed throughout every part
of Europe, except Turkey ; but from the various capacities
of the human mind, and the different lights in which fpecu-
lative opinions are apt to appear, when viewed by perfons of
different educations and pafTions, that religion is divided into
a number of different fedfs, but which may be comprehended
under three general denominations j ift, The Greek church ;
ad. Popery ; and 3d, Proteltantifm : which lafl is again divided
into Lutheranifm, and Calvinifm, fo called from Luther and
Calvin, the two diflinguifhed reformers of the i6th century.

The languages of Europe are derived from the fix following.
The Greek, Latin, Teutonic or old German, the Celtic,
Sclavonic, and Gothic.

Grand Divisions of EUROPE.

THIS grand divifion of the earth is fituated between the
lOth degree weft, and the 65th degree eaft long, from
London j and between the 36th and 7 2d degree of north lat.
It is bounded on the north, by the Frozen Ocean > on the
eaft, by Afia ; on the fouth, by the Mediterranean Sea, which
divides it from Africa; and on the weft, by the Atlantic
Ocean, which feparates it from America : being 3000 miles
long, and 2500 broad, It contains the following kingdoms
and ftates.

EUROPE.

XingdomJ.

Length.

Breadth.

Chief City.

Dift. & Bearing Diff. o^Time
from London, from London.

Religions. 1

England
Scotland
Ireland

360
300
285

300 London
150 Edinburgh
160 Dublin

Miles.

« * *

400 N,
270 N. W.

H. M.

• * *

12 aft.
26 aft.

Lutherans
Calvinifts
Luth.Cal.andPap.

Norway
Denmark

ICOO

240

300
180

Bergen
Copenhagen

540 N.
500 N. E.

24 bef.
50 bef.

Lutherans
Lutherans

Sweden

800

500

Stackhoim

750 N. E.

I 10 bef.

Lutherans

Ruffia 1500

IICO

Pcterlburg

1 140 N. E.

2 4 bef.

Greek Chu/ch

I'Dlaiid i 700

680

Warfaw

760 E.

I 24 bet.

Pap. Luth.&Calv.

K.ofPru. I
Domin. S

uncertain

Berlin

540 E.

59 bef.

Luth. & Calv.

Germany

600

500

Vienna

600 E.

I 5 bef.

Pap. Luth.&Calv.

lioheinia

",00

zso

Prague

600 E.

I 4 l.ef.

Papifts

Holland

150

100

2C0

Amfterdam

180 E.

'S bfi.

Calvinifts

Flanders

200

Bruflels

180 S. E.

Ifa IJCI.

Papifts

France

600

700
300

SCO

Pans

200 S. £.

9 bef.

Papifts

Spain

500

Madrid

800 S.

17 alt.

Papifts

Portugal

100

Li{\wn

85c s. w.

3.S .ift.

Papifts

Switzerland

260

100

Bern

420 S. E.

2« bet

Calvin. & Papifts. |

Several 7 Piedmont, Montierrat, Milan, Parma, Modena, Mantua, Venice, Genoa, Tufcany, Sec.
fmall ft.ites 5 Turin, Cafal, Milan, Parma, Modena, Mantu.,, Veuici;, Genoa, Floren ce.

Popedom 1 240

120

Rome

820 S. E.

52 bef.

Paputs

Naples

280

120

Naples

S70 S. E.

I bef.

Papifts

Hungary

JOO

200

Buda

780 S. E.

I 17 bei".

Papifts

Danubian 7
Provinces ^
Lit. Tartary
Greece

600

380
4.00

420

24.0
240

C Conltan-
i tinoplc

CafFa

Athens

1320 S. E.

1500 E.
1360 S. E.

1 5S bef.

2 24 bef.
I 37 bef.

Mahometans, and
Greek Church.

..> f;;

Exclufive of the Britifh ifles, mentioned above, Europe
contains the following principal iflands :

Iceland, in the Northern Seas, fubjeft to Denmark. -^ ,'.•►

IN THE BALTIC SEA. . • J /:;

J Zeeland, Funen, Alfen, Femeren, 7 /. 1 • fv -rv 1 - -■

' { Laland, Falfter, Mona, Bornholm. | ^"^J^"^ ^° Denmark, -v

2. Gothland, Aland, Rugcn, — fubjeft to Sweden.

3. Ofel, Dagho, — — fubje6t to Ruffia.

4. Ufedom, Wollin, — — fubjeft to Pruflia.

IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

1. Ivica, fubjeft to Spain.

2. Majorca, ditto.

3. Minorca, fubjeft to Great Britain.

4. Corfica, formerly fubjeft to Genoa, now to France.

5. Sardinia, fubjedl to the king of Sardinia. "

6. Sicily, fubjeft to the king of Naples.

7. Archipelago iflands, fubjeft to Turkey, with the iflandof Candi«',

IN THE ADRIATIC AND IONIAN SEA,

•I. Liefiena. 2. Corfu. 3. Cepha- 7 ri- « Tr •
Ionia. 4. Zant, - *^ _ | fubjeft to Venice. .

5. Leucadia, fubje^ to the Turks.

.►V-

[ 88 ] ,
: DENMARK. „

I Shall, according to my plan, begin this accquiit of hi:?
Danifli majefty's dominions with the mod: northerly fitua-
tions, and divide them into four parts : ift. Eaft' and Weft
Greenland, Iceland, and the iflands in the Atlantic Ocean ;
ad. Norway j 3d. Denmark proper i and 4th. his German
territories.

The dimenfions of thefe countries ;nay be fecn in the following

table. - ' '

.It.,

.«

— ... Denmark.

Square
miles.

u>
a.

•

Chief cities;

Jutland,

9,600

155

Wyburg,

. . Sklwick,

2>JIS

Slefwick,

•S ["Zealand,

i>935

Cop KN HAG EN,

S F""en,
\, Falfter and
-e J Laland,
.S ] Femeren,

768

Odenfee,

> aao

Nikoping,
Naxkaw,

Borge,

.S i Alfen,

Sonderborge,

S Mona,

Stege,

S LBornholm,

160

Rottombv,

In the Nor. feas, Iceland,

46,000

435

185

Skalholt,'

Norway,

71,400

750

170

Bergen,

Danifh Lapland,

28,400

28s

172

Wardhuyj,

Weftphalia, Oldenburg,

1260

Oldenburg,

Lower Saxony, Stromar,

Total-

1000

Gluckftat.

163,001

i;|

The reader may perceive, that in the above table no cal-
culation is made of the dimenfions of Eaft and Weft Green-
land; becaufe, in fadt, they are not yet known, or known
very imperfectly : we fhall, however, proceed to give the late^
accounts of chem, and from the beft authorities that have come
to our hands.

•«.

^AST AND WEST GREENLAND!, ICELAND,

AND THE iSLANDS IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

>? EAST GREENLAND. ' ^l^"

'Tp H E moft northerly part of his Danifh majefty's domi-
•*• nions ; or, a^ others call it, Nevir Greenland, and the
country of Spitzbergen, lies between ip and ii deg. E. long^
and 76 and 8q deg. N. lat. Though it Is nov^r claimed by
Denmark, it certainly was difcovered by Sir Hugh Willoughby,
in 1553 i and is fuppofed to be a continuation of Old Green-
land*

WEST GREENLAND.

UnA. It obtained the name of Spitzbergen, fron\ the height
and raggednefs of its rocks. There is a whale-fiihery, chiefly
profccuted by the Dutch and fome Britiih veflels, on its coafts.
It likewife contains two harbours j one called South Haven,
and the other Maurice-Bay ; but the inland parts are unin-
liabitcd.

WEST GREENLAND. "^'^ "' ' ",

LIES between the meridian of London, and 50 deg. W.
long, and between 60 and 73 deg. N. lat.

Inhabitants.] By the lateft accounts from the mifliona-
lies, employed for the converfion of the Greenlanders, their
whole number does not amount to above 957 ftated inha-
bitants: Mr. Crantz, however, thinks that the roving fouth-
landers of Greenland may amount to about 7000. There is a
great refemblance between the afpeft, manners, and drefs of
rfiofe native's, and the Efquimaux Americans, from whom they
naturally differ but little, even after all the pains which the
Danifli and German miflionaries have taken to convert and
civilize them. They live in huts during their winter, which
is incredibly fevere ; but Mr. Crantz, who has given ufi the
lateft and beft accounts of this country, fays, that in their
longeft fummer days it is (o hot that the inhabitants are obliged
to throw ofr their fummer garments. They have no trade, tho*
they have a moft improveable fifliery upon their coafts ; but they
employ all the year either in fifliing or hunting, in which they
are very dextrous.

Curiosities.] The taking of Whales in the feas of Green-
land, among the fields of ice that have been increafing for
ages, is one of the greateft curiofities in nature. Thefe fields^
or pieces of ice, are, frequently, more than a mile in length,
and upwards of 1 00 feet in thicknefs ; and when they are put
in motion by a ftorm, nothing can be more terrible ; the
Dutch had 13 Ihips crulhed to pieces by them in onefeafon.

There are fcveral kinds of whales in Greenland ; fome white,
and others black. The black fort, the grand bay whale, is in moft
efteem, on account of his bulk, and the great quantity of fat
or blubber he affords, which turns to oil. His tongue is about
18 f^et long, inclofed in long pieces of what we call whalebone,
which are covered with a kind of hair like horfe-hair ; and oa
each fide of his tongue are 250 piecas of this whalebone. A»
to the bones of his body, they are as hard as an ox's bones,
and of no ufe. There are no teeth in his mouth ; and ha
in ufually bctvvcm 60 and 80 feet long ; very thick about tho
head, but grows Icfs from thence to the tail,

When-

90 1 C -E L A N D. #

When the feamen fee a whale fpout, the word is immedi-
ately gi /en, /«//, fall, when €very one haftens from tHe fhip
to his boat ; fix or eight men being appointed to a boat, and
four or five boats ufually belong to one fhip.

When they come near the whale, the harpooner ftrlkcs him
with his harpoon (a barbed dart) and the monfter finding
himfelf wounded, runs fwiftly down into the deep, and would
carry the boat along with him, if they did not give him line
faft enough ; and to prevent the wood of the boat taking fire by
the violent rubbing of the rope on the fide of it, one wets it
conltantly with a mop. After the whale has run fome lOO
fathoms deep, he is forced to come up for air, when he makes
iuch a terrible noife with his fpouting, that fome have com-
pared it to the firing of cannon. So foon as he appears on
the furface of the water, fome of the harpooners fix another
harpoon in him, whereupon he plunges again into the deep;
and when he comes up a fecond time, they pierce him with
fpears in the vital parts, till he fpouts out ftreams of blood in-
ilead of water, beating the waves with his tail and fins, till the
fea is all in a foam, the boats continuing to follow him fome
leagues, till he has loft his ftrength ; and when he is dying,
he turns himfelf upon his back, and is drawn on fliore, or to
the (hip, if they be at a diftance from the land. There they
cut him in pieces, and by boiling the blubber, extract the
oil, if they have conveniencics on fhorc ; othcrwife they barrel
up the pieces, and bring them home ; but nothing can fmcll
ftronger than thefe fliips do. Every fifti is computed to yield
between 60 and ico barrels of oil, of the value of 3 1, or 4I.
a barrel. Though the Danes claim this country of Eaft
Greenland, where thefe whales are taken, the Dutch have in
a manner monopolized this fifhcry.

ICELAND.

T lES between 63 and 68 dcg. N. lat. and between 10 and
-M 26 deg. W. long, from the meridian of London ; extend-
ing from caft to weft about 720 miles.

Inhabitants.] The inhabitants are fuppofed to be about
80,000 J though it is thought that they were formerly far more
numerous, till the country was depopulated by the fmall-pox,
and peftilential difeafes. They are fubjed to the crown of
Denmark, and conform to the religion and laws of Norway.
His Danifh majefty names their governor, called Staffs-ampt-
maud J but he appoints a deputy-governor, called Amptmaud,
who refides in Iceland, at the king's palace of Reflefted, on a
falary of 400 rixdollars ; and he has magiftrates under him,
both in civil and fpiritual cafes. The people are naturally

hardy.

NORWAY. 91

hardy, honeflr, and induftrious. They aqiufe themfelves with
chefs and finging. In fome things tlicy difFcr little from the
Danes and Norwegians j though they have many cuftoms pecu-
liar to themfelves.

Trade.] The commerce of this ifland is monopolized by a
Danifh company. Its exports confifl of dried iifli, faltcd mut-
ton and lamb, beef, butter, tallow, train-oil, coarfe woollen
cloth, ftockings, gloves, raw wool, fhcep-fkins, Jamb-fkins,
fox-furs of various colours, eider-down, and feathers. Their im-
ports confift of timber, fifhing-lincs and hooks, tobacco, bread,
horfe-fhoes, brandy, wine, fait, linen, and a little filk j exclu-
iive of fome neceflaries and fuperfluitics for the more wci^lthy. ,,

Strength and revenue.] As Iceland affords no bait for
avarice or ambition, the inhabitants depend entirely upon his
Panifh majefty's proLc£lion ; and the revenue he draws from
the country, amounts to about 30,000 crowns a year.

f. THE FARO ISLANDS. ' ., V

SO called from their lying in a clufter, and the inhabitants
ferrying from one ifland to another. They are about 24 in
number, and lie between 61 and 63 dcg. W. long, fiom London.
The fpace of this duller extends about 6a miles in length, and
40 in breadth, to the weftward of Norway ; having Shetland
and the Orkneys on the fouth-eaft, and Greenland and Iceland
upon the north and north-weft. The trade and income of the
inhabitants, who may be abc. j. 3000 or 4000, add little or
nothing to the revenues of I)cnmc,rk.

NORWAY. ,;'■■'-■■" ' '

Name, boundaries, 7 ^TT^ HE natural fignification of
AND EXTENT. J X Norway is, the Northern-
way. It is bounded on the fouth by the entrance into the
Baltic, called the Scaggcrac, or Categate ; on the weft and
north, by the northern ocean ; and on the eaft, it is divided
from Sweden by a long ridge of mountains, called at different
parts by different names ; as Fillefield, Dofrefield, Rundfield,
and Dourfield. The reader may confult the table of dimen-
fions in Denmark for its extent ; but it is a country fo little
known to the reft of Europe, that it is difficult to fix its dimcnT
fions with precifion. '

Climate.]" *The climate of Norway varies according to
its extent, and its expofiture towards the fea. At Bergen, the
winter is moderate, and the fea is practicable. The caftern
parts of Norway are commonly covered with fnow ; and the
cold generally fets in about the middle of October, with in-
•- • fc tenfe

*«

N O R W A Y.

;

tcnfe fcverity, to the middle o( April ; the water, being alf
that while frozen to a confidcrable thicknefs. In 1719, 7000
Swedes, who were on their march to attack Drontheim, pc-
rifhcd in the fnow, on the mountains which feparatc Sweden
from Norway ; and their bodies were found in dift'crent po-
ftures. But even froft and fnow have their conveniencies, as
they facilitate the conveyance of goods by land. As to the
more northerly parts of tliis country, called Finmark, the cold
is fo intenfe, that they are but little known. At Bergen, the
longeft day confifts of about 19 hours, and the (hortcft about
fix. In fummer, the inhabitants can read and write at mid-
night, by the light of the fky ; and in the moft northerly parts,
ftbout midfummer, the fun is continually in view. In thofe
parts, however, in the middle of winter, there is only a faint
glimmt ring of light at noon, for about an hour and ;a half;
owing to the refled^ion of the fun's rays on the mountains.
Nature, notwithftanding, has been fo kind to the N'brwegians,
that in the midft of their darknefs, the fkyisfo ferene, and the
jnocn atKl the aurora borcalis fo bright, that they can carry on
their fiflicry, and work :it their fcveral trades in open air.

The air is fo pure in fome of the inland parts, that the inha-
bitants live fo long as to be tired of life; and caufe thcm-
folves to be t!anf-:orted toa lefs falubrious air. Sudden thaws,
and fnow-falls, have, l^.owever, fometimcs dreadful eftcj^s,
^nd deftroy whole vlliafi;cs,

. Mountains.! Norway is reckoned one of the moft moun-
tainous countries in the world ; for it contains a chain of
unequal mountains running from fouih to north : to pafs that
of Hardanger, a man muit travel about feventy Englifh miles ;
and to pafs others, upwards' of fifty. Dofreficld is counted
the higheft mountain, perhaps, in Europe. The rivers and
cataracts which interfedl thofe dreadful precipices, and are
pafTable only by flight tottering wooden bridges, render tra-
velling in this country very terrible and dangerous ; though
the government is at the expence of providing, at different
ftages, houfes accommodated with fire, light, and kitchen
furniture. Detached frojn this vafl chain, other immenfc
mountains prefent themfelves all over Norv/ay ; fome of thcra,
with refervoirs of water on the top; and the whole forming a-
moft furprizing landfcape. The activity of the natives, in
recovering their fheep and goats, when penned up, through a
falfe flep, in one of thofe rocks, is wonderful. The owner
diredls himfelf to be lowered down from the top of the moun-
tain, fitting on a crofs ftick, tied to the end of a long rope ;
and when he arrives at the place where the creature ftands, he,
faftens it to the fame cord, and it is drawn up with himfelf^

ThQ

7000
, pc-

po-
-s, as

N O 1> W A Y. 9j

The caverns that arc to be met with in thofe mountains, arc
more wonderful than thofe, perhaps, in any other part of th«
world, though lefs liable to obfervation. One of them, called
Dolftcen, was, in 1750, vifitcd by two clergymen; who re-
ported, that they proceeded in it till they heard the feadafliing
over their heads ; that the pafl'age was as wide and high as an
ordinary church, the fides perpendicular, and the roof vaulted :
that they defcendcd a flight of natural flairs j but when they
arrived at another, they durft not venture to proceed, but
returned ; and that they coniumed two candles going and
returning.

Forests.] The chief wealth of Norway lies in its forefts,
which furnifh foreigners with niufls, beams, planks, and
boards ; and ferve befide for all domeftic ufes ; particularly the
conftru6tion of houfes, bridges, fliips, and for charcoal to the
founderies. The chief timber growing here are fir and pine,
elm, afh, yew, benreed, (a very curious wood) birch, beech,
oak, eel, or alder, juniper, the afpin-tree, the comel, or floe-
tree, haicl, elder, and even ebony j (under the mountains of
Kolen) lyme and willows. The fums which Norway receives
for timber, are very confiderable ; but the induflry of the inha-
bitants is greatly aflTifted by the courfe of their rivers, and th«
fituation of their lakes ; which affords them not only the con-
veniency already mentioned, of floating down their timber,
but that of eredting faw-mills, for dividing their large beams
into planks and deals. A tenth of all fawcd timber belongs
to his Danifh majefty, and forms no inconfiderable part of his
revenue.

Stones, metals, 7 Norway contains quarries ofexcel-
AND MINERALS. J lent marble, as well as many other
kinds of ftones ; and the magnet is found in the iron mines.
The amianthus, or afbellos, which when its delicate fibres are
wove into cloth, are cleaned by the fire, is likewife found here j
as are cryftals, granates, amethyfts, agute, thunder- ftones,
and eagle-ftones. Gold found in Norway, has been coined
into ducats. His Danifii majefty is now working, to great
advantage, a filver mine at Koningibcrg ; other filver mines
have been found in different parts of the country ; and one of
the many filver mafi'es that have been difcovered, weighing
560 pounds, is to be {ctn at the Royal Mufeum at Copen-
hagen. The lead, copper, and iron mines, are commoa in
this country : one of the copper-mines at Roraas, is thought
to be the richeft in Europe. Nor\^ay likewife produces ,q,uick-
filver, fulphur, fait, and coal mines ; vitriol, allum, and va-
rious kinds of loam j the different manufactures of which
bring in a large revenue to the crown.

RiVERg

{ I

N O R W A V;

^1^

RiVKRS ANDLAKFS.] Thc rivcTs anil frc(h-watcr lakes in
this country, arc well Itockrd with fifli ; and navigable for
vcficls of confidjrablo burdc i, Thc niofl: extraordinary cir-
cumftancf attending thc lakes is, that fome of them contain
floating iflands, formed by the chcfion of roots of trees and
Ihrubs ; and tlioiigh torn from the main land, bear herbage
and trees. So late as thc year 1702, thc noble family feat of
Borge, near Frcdciicftadt, fuddenly funk, with all its towers
and battlements, into an abyfs a hundred fathom in depilu;
and its fite was inllantly filled with a piece of water, which
formed a lake 300 ells iu length, and about half as broad.
This melancholy accident, by which 14 people and 200 head
of cattle peri i^hcd, was occafioncd by the foundation being un-
dermined by thc waters of a river.

Uncommon animals, 7 All the animals that are natives
FOWLS AND FISHES. 3 of Denmark, arc to be found in
Norway, with an addition of many more. The wild beafts
peculiar to Norway, arc thc elk, the rcin-dccr, the hares, the
rabbit, the bear, the wolf, thc lynx, the fox, the glutton,
the leming, the ermine, thc martin and the beaver. The elk
is a tall afh-coloured animal, its fliape partaking at once of
the horfe and thc flag ; it is harmlefs, and, in the winter,
focial ; and their flefh taftcs like venifon. The rein-deer is a
fpecies of ftag ; but we fliall have occafion to mention him
more particularly afterwards. The hares are fmall j and are
faid to live upon mice in the winter time, and to change
their colour from brown to white. The Norwegian bears are
ftrong and fagacious : they are remarkable for not hurting
children j but their other qualities are in common with the
reft of their fpecies in northern countries ; nor can we much
credit the very extraordinary fpccimens of their fagacity, re-
corded by the natives : they are hunted by little dogs ; and
fome prefer bear hams to thofc of Weftphalia. The Norwe-
gian wolves, though fierce, arc fhy even of a cow or a goat,
tinlefs impelled by hunger : the natives are dextrous in dig-
ging traps for them, in which they are taken or killed. The
lynx, by fome called thc goupes, is fmaller than a wolf, but
as dangerous : they are of the cat-kind, and have claws like
tygers j they dig under ground, and often undermine fheep-
folds, -where they make dreadful havock. The fkin of the
fyn* is beautiful and valuable ; as is that of the black fox.
White and red foxes are likewife found in Norway, and par-
fake of the nature of that wily animal in other countries j
they have a particular way of drawing crabs afhore, by dip-
ping their tails in the water, which the crab lays hold of.

• Thc

NORWAY. 95

The glutton, otherwife called thtf erven, or viclfras, re-
fembles a turn-fpit dog ; with a long body, thick Icgs^ fharp
claws and teeth ; his hir, which is variegated, is fo precious,
that he is fhot with blunt arrows, to prcferve the fkin un-
hurt : he is bold, and fo ravenous, that it is faid he will de-
vour a carcafe larger than himfelf, and unburthens his fto-
mach by fijueezing himfelf between two clofe-ftanding trees:
when taken, he has been even known to cat ftone and mor-
tv. The ermine is a little creature, remarkflble for its Ihy-
nefs and cleanlinefs ; and few of our readers need to be told,
that their fur forms a principal part even of royal magnifi-
cence. There is little difference between the martin and z
large brown foreft cat, only its head and fnout are (harper j
It is very fierce, and its bite dangerous. I fliall have occafioA
to mention the beaver in treating of North America.

No coimtry produces a greater variety of birds than Nor-
way. The alks build upon rocks ; their numbers often darken
the air, and the noife of their wings refembles a ftorm ; their
fize is the bignefs of a large duck : they arc an aquatic fowl,
and their flcfli is much efteemed. No fewer than 30 different
kinds of thruflies refide in Norway ; with various kinds of
pigeons, and feveral forti? of beautiful wild ducks. The Nor-
wegian cock-of-thc-wood, is of a black or dark-grey colour,
his eye refembling that of a pheafant ; and he is faid to be the
largeft of all eatable birds. Norway produces two kinds of
eagles, the land and the fea; tiie former is fo ftrong, that
he has been known to carry off a child of two years old : the
fea, or fifh-eagle, is larger than the other ; he fubfifts on aqua-
tic food ; and fometimes darts on large fifties with fuch force,
that being unable to free his talons from their bodies, he is
dragged into the water and drowned.

Nature fecms to have adapted thefe aerial inhabitants for the
coaft of Norway ; and induftry has produced a fpecies of
mankind peculiarly fitted for making them ferviceable to the
human race : thefc are the birdmen, or climbers, who are
amazingly dexterous in mounting the fteepeft rocks, and
bringing away the birds and their eggs : the latter are nu-
tritive food, and are fometimes parboiled in vinegar ; the flefti
is eaten by the peafants, who generally relifli it ; while the
feathers and down form a profitable commodity. Even the
dogs of the farmers in the northern diltri6ts, are trained up
to be afliftants to thofe bird-men in feizing their prey.

The Scandinavian lakes and feas are aftonifhingly fruitful ii\
all fifli that are found on the fea-coafts of Europe, which need
not here be enumerated. Some fifties in thofe feas, however,
havif their peculiarities. The haac-moeren> is a fpecies of

fliark
.■^ ■ . ,

9«

N O R W A Y.

ihark ten fathoms in length, and its live yields three czfks of
train-oil. The tuello-flynder is an exceflive large turbot,
which has been known to cover a man who had fallen over-
board, to keep him from rifmg. The feafon for herring-fifhing
is announced to the fiftiermen by the fjpouting of water fromth*
whales (of which feven different fpecies arc mentioned) in fol-
lowino- the herring fhoals. The large wh^le refembles a cod,
with <mall eyes, a dark marbled fkin, and white belly : they
fpout out the water, which they take in by inlpiration, through
two holes or openings in the head, 'i'hcy copulate like land-
animals, ftanding upright in the fea. A young whale, when
jfirft produced, is about nine or ten feet long ; and the female
fometimes brings forth two at a birth. The whale devours
iuch an incredible number of fmall fifli, that his belly is often
ready to burft j in v/hich cafe he makes a moft tremendous noife
iiom pain. The fmaller fifh have their revenge j fome of
them faften on his back, and incellantly beat him ; others,
with fliarp horns, or rather bones, on their beaks, fwim under
his belly, and fometimes rip it up ; fome are provided with
long fharp teeth, and tear his flefli. Even the aquatic birds of
prey declare war againft him when he comes near the furface of
the water ; and he has been known to be fo tortured, that he
has beat himfelf to death on the rocks. Tlie coafts of Norway
may be faid to be the native country of herrings. Innumerable
are the fhoals that come from under the ice at the north-pole ;
and about the latitude of Iceland divide thcmfelves into three
bodies : one of thefc fupply the Weftern Illes and coafts of Scot-
land, another directs its courfe round the eaftern part of Great-
Britain down the Channel, and the third enters the Baltic
through the Sound. They form great part of the food of the
fommon people ; and the cod, ling, kabeliau, and torfk-lifhes,
follow them, and feed upon their fpawn ; and are taken in
prodigious numbers in 50 or 60 fathoms water : thefe, efpecially
their roes, and the oil extradled from their livers, are exported
and fold to great advantage ; and above j{ 50,000 people are
maintained by the herring and other filhing on the coaft of
Norway. The fea-devil is about fix feet in length, and is fo
called from its monftrous appearance and voracity. The fca-
fcorpion is lilcewife of a hideous form, its head being larger
than its whole body, which is about four feet in length j and.
its bite is faid to be poifonous.

The jtnoft feemingly fabulous accounts of the ancients, con-
cerning fea-monfters, are rendered credible by the productions of
the Norwegian leas ; and the fea-fnalcc, or ferpent of the ocean,
is no longer counted a chimera. In 1756, one of than was fhot
by a matter of a Ihip ; its head refemblcd that of a horfe ; th6

^ mouthf

> .

::iii i .'iE i t-.

NORWAY.

are

.ft of

is fo

Iba-

njouth was large and black, as were the eyes, a white mane
hanging from its neck : it floated on the furface of the water,
and held its head at leaft two feet out of the fea : between the
head and neck were feven or eight folds, which were very
thick ; and the length of this fnake was more than a hundred
yards, fome fay fathoms. They have a remarkable averfion to
the fmell of caftor j for which rpafon, fliip, boat, and bark
mailers, provide themfelves with quantities of that drug, to
prevent being overfet j the ferpent's olfadlory nerves being
remarkably exquifite. The particularities recounted of this
animal would be incredible, were they not attefted upon oath,
Egede (a very creditable author) fays, that on the 6th day of
July, 1734, a large and frightful fea-monfter raifed itfelf Co
high out of the water, that its head reached above the main-
top-maft of the Ihip ; that it had a long fharp fnout, broad
paws, and fpouted water like a whale ; that the body feemed
to be covered with fcales j the flcin was uneven and wrinkled,
and the lower part was formed like a fnake. The body of this
monfter is faid to be as thick as a hogfhead j his (kin is varie-
gated like a tortoife-fhell ; and his excrement, which floats
upon the furface of the water, is corrofive, and blifters the
hands of the feamen if they handle it.

I fhould be under great difficulty in mentioning the kraken,
or korven, were not its exiftence proved fo ftrongly, as feem to
put it out of all doubt. Its bulk is faid to be a mile and a half
in circumference ; and when part of it appears above the
water, it refembles a number of fmall iflands and fand-banks,
on which filhes difport themfelves, and feaweeds grow : upon
a farther emergement, a number of pellucid antennae, each
about the height, form, and fize of a moderate maft, appear j
and by their a6tion and re-adtion he gathers his food, confift-
ing of fmall Hfhes. When he finks, which he does gradually,
a dangerous fwell of the fea fucceeds, and a kind of whirlpool
is naturally formed in the water. In 1680, a young kraken
perifhed among the rocks and cliffs of the parifli of AUtahong i
and his death was attended by fuch a flench, that the channel
where it died was impaflable. Without entering into any ro-
mantic theories, we may fafely fay, that the exiftence of this
fifli being proved, accounts for many of thofe pha?nomena of
floating iflands, and tranfitory appearances in the fea, that have
hitherto been held as fabulous by tlie learned, who could have
no idea of fuch an animal.

The mermen and mer- women, hold their refidence in the
Norwegian feas ; but I cannot give credit to all that is related
concerning then) by the natives. The merman is about eight
ipans long, and, undoubtedly, has as much refemblance as ah

Vol. 1. G ap«

.V>,.i.<

Uk-

i .

; ,1

ir i-

98 ' NORWAY.

ape has to the human fpecics ; a high forehead, little eyes, a
fiat nofc, and large mouth, vvithouL chin or cars, characlcrize
its head ; its arms are Ihort, but without joints or elbcvvs,
and they terminate, in mer.ber-; rcfcmbliag a hum^n hand,
but of the paw kind, and the fingers conncdted by a mcm-
'^ branc : the parts of generation indicate their fexcs ; though
their under part , which remain in the water, terminate lite
thofe of fifiics. The females have brcafts, at which they
fuckle their young or.es. It would far exceed the bounds
allotted to this article, to follow the Norwegian adventurers
throu'^h all the diiiercnt defcriptions which they have given us
of tiieir fifhes 5 but they are fo well authenticated, that I make
fio doubt, a new and very fuiprizing theory of aquatic animals
may in time be formed.

Curiosities.] ^llo^e of Norway are orJy natural. On
the coafl-, latitude 67, ij that dre d,ai vertex, or whirlpool,
tailed by navigators, the navel of U;i lla, and by fonie Male-
llrom, or Moflcoeftrom. The I'...mi I^^'loHcue, fi^m whence
this ftream dcriv. s its name, lie,; bciv/vc-: the muuntain Hc-
fleggen in Lofo.l.n, and tlie iilauJ Vei, v;l:*ch .ire about one
Icap-ue diifant ; aiid between tlic iflard ind ccafl 0:1 each fide.

the ilrcam makes iis wav. iJe.-vveen .Moll'.t

d Lofoden, it

is near 4C0 fathoms deep j but bci;v.'een ]\j()fi-:;oe aiul Ver, It is
fo fliallow, as not to afford parage for a fniall fjiin. When
it is food, the Ih'eam runs up the country between Lofoden
and Moftcoe with a boKlerous rapidi.\ ; aiid when it is ebb,
returns to the fea with a violence and noife, unequalled by the
loudcu catara6ts. It is heard at the uiftance of many leagues,
and forms a \'ortex or whirlpool of great depth c-.v.d extent ; fo
violent, that if a ihip comes near ic, it is ;nimediately drawn
iiTefirtib'y into the whirl and tlicrc difippcars ; being abforbed
and carried dov/n to the bottom in a niom.ent, where it is
dafhed to pieces againfc the locks j and jult at the turn of ebb
and flood, when the vv^ater becom.es Jiii! for abcut a quancr
of an hour, it rifes again in Icattcred fragments, fcarcely to be
knov.'!i for the parts of a fl:;ip. Wlicn it s agitated by a ftorm,
it has reached vcflcls at the diitar.ce of more than a Norway
mile, where the crews have thought thcmfelvcs in perfeiSt
fecurity. Perhaps >'t is hardiy in th.- pov/er of fancy to conceive
a fituaiion of more horror, than of being thus driven forward
by the fudden violence of an impetuous torrent, to the vortex of
a whirlpool, of which the noife and turbulence flUl increaling
as it is approached, are an earned; of quick and inevitable de-
ll-ru(51:lon ; while the wretched vict-nis, in an agony of defpair
and terror, cry out for that help which they know to be im-
jjolKble J and k\i before them the dreadful abyfs, in which they

c:^i - _:• r ^y ' • ■ :•• ;1 ..\ .

S [

eyes, a
aclcrize
elbcws,
I hand,
I mem- •

thovigh
ate I'lK-c
ch they

bounds
venturers
given us
,tl hiakc
; animalii

raL On

Whirlpool,
iie Male-
[\ whence
Ltain He-
about one
each fide,
jfo^lcii. It
Vcr, it is
,. When
1 Lofodcii
it is ebb,
ed by the
y leagues,
•xtent ; lb
cly drawn
abforbed
/h.re it is
in of ebb
a quarter
rccly to be
)y a ftorm,
a Norway
in perfect
o conceive
m forward
2 vortex of
incrcafnig
ivitable dt-
of dcfpair
to be im-
ivhich they

have
t Tre-
nt
u all

N O Rr^W A Y; 9$

Aie about to be plunged and dalhed among the rocks at the bot-
tom.

Even animals which have come too near the vortex,
cxprefl'ed the utmolt terror, when thty find the ftr^ an'
fiftible. Whales are frequently carried away, and the n^
they feel the force of the water, they ilruggle againft it v/
their mioht, howlino; and bellowinj; in a fr)^h*-ful manner.
The like happens frequently to bears, who attempt to fwirn to
the ifland to prey upon the (hecp.

It is the opinion of Kirch jr, that the P,^Iale{lrom is a f:a
vortex, which attracts th^^ fiooa under tlie fljore of Norway,
and difchar;i'.s it again in the guiph of Bothnia : hut this opin.on.
is now knowji to be erroneous, by th" return o: the fliatt red
fragments of whatever happens ta be fucked down i>y it. The
large items of firs and pines rife again fo fhivered and fplintcred,
that the pieces look as if covered with bril'cles. Th whole
phsenomena ;'.re the eftevSls of the violence of the dally ebb and
flood, occa oned by the contraction of the rtream in its courfe
between the rocks.

People, language, religion, 7 The Norwegians are a
AND CUSTOMS OF NoRWAV. J middling kind of people,
between the fimplicity of the Greenlandors and Icelanders,
and the more polifhcd manners of theDanes. Their religion is
Lutheran ; and they have bifliops, as thofe of Denmark,
without temporal jurifdiftion. Their viceroy, like his mafter,
is abfolute ; but v/e may eafily conceive that he makes no bar-
barous ufe of his power, bccaufe we know of few or no repre-
fentations or ijifurrections of the people againft it.

The Norwegiajis in general, are Itrong, robuft, and brave j
but quick in refenting real or fuppofed injuries. The womea
are handfome and courteous ; and the Norwegian forms, both
of living, and enjoying property, are mild, and greatly refem-
bling the Saxon ancertors of the prefent Englifli. Every in- •
habitant is an artizan, and fupplies his family in all its necef-
faries with is own manufactures ; fo that in Norway, there are
few, by profeflion, who are hatters, fhoc-makcrs, taylors,
tanners, weavers, carpenters, fmiths, and joiners. The loweft
Norwegian peafant is an artilt and a gentleman, and even a
poet. They often mix with oatmeal the bark of the fir, m^ade
into a kind of flower ; and they are reduced to very extraordi-
nary flilfts for fupplying the place of bread, or farinaceous
food. The manners of the middling Norwegians, form a pro-
per fubjeiSl of contemplation even to a philoiopher, as they lead
tVat kind of life which we may fay is furniilied with plenty ;
but they arc neither fond of luxury, nor dreading penury :
this middle llate prolongs their ages furprizingly. Though

G 2 their

100

NORWAY.

their drefs is accommodated to their climate, yet, by cuftom,'
inftead of guarding againft the inclemency of the weather,
they outbrave it ; for they cxpofe themfelvcs to cold, without
any coverture upon their breafts or necks. A Norwegian of a
hundred years of age, is not accounted paft his labour : and in
^^733* f*^^"* couples were married, and danced before his
Danifh majefty at Frcdericfliall, whofe ages, when Joined,
exceeded 800 years.

The funeral ceremonies of the Norwegians contain veftiges
of their former paganifm : they play on the violin at the head
of the coffin, and while the corpfe is carried to the church,
which is often done in a boat. In fome places the mourners afk
the dead perfon why he died ; whether his wife and neighbours
were kind to him, and other fuch queftions j frequently kneel-
ing down and afking forgivenefs, if ever they had offended
the deceafed.

Commerce.] We have little to add to this head, different
from what ihall be obferved in our account of Denmark. The
duties on their exports, moft of which have been already re-
counted, amount to about 100,000 rixdollars a year.

Strength and revenue.] By the befbcalculations, Nor-
way can furnifh out 14,000 excellent feamen, and above 30,000
brave foldiers, for the ufe of their king, without hurting either
trade or agriculture. The royal annual revenue from Norway
amounts to about 200,000 1. and till his prefent majefty's
acceffion, the army, inftead of being expenfive, added con-
fiderably to his majefty's income, by the fubfidies it ^brought
him in from foreign princes.

History.] We muft refer to Denmark likewife for this
-'ihead. The antient Norwegians certainly were a very brave
and powerful people, and the hardieft feamen in the world. If
we are to believe their hiftories, they were no ftrangers to
America long before it was difcovered by Columbus. Many
cuftoms of their anceftors are yet difcernible in Ireland and the
north of Scotland, where they made frequent defcents, and
fome fettlements, which are generally confounded with thofc
of the Danes. From their being the moft turbulent, they arc
become now the moft loyal fubjedls in Europe ; which wc can
eafily account for, from the barbarity and tyranny of their
kings, when a feparate people. Since the union of Calmar,
which united Norway to Denmark, their hiftory, as well as
interefts, are the fame with that of Denmark,

yr cuftom,'
weather,
without
gian of a
: and in
)efore his
n joined,

n veftiges
: the head
church,
Lirners afk
eighbours
ly kneel-
ofFended

different
•k. The
Iready re-
r.

)ns, Nor-
ve 30,000
:ing either
[i Norway
majefty's
Ided con-
t .brought

I for this
;ry brave
rorld. If
angers to
. Many
d and the
ents, and
nth thofe

they arc
h wc can
' of their

Calmar,
I well us

DENMARK ProI'er.

Extent AND SITUATION. ' •*

Miles.
Length 2401 u-tween I 8 and 13 Eaft longitude.
Breadth 180}°"^^^" I 54 and 58 North latitude.

Boundaries and I TT is divided on the north from

DIVISIONS. 3 X Norway by the Scaggerac fea,

and from Sweden on the Ccift by the Sound ; on the fouth by

Germany and, the Baltic ; and the German fea divides it from

Great-Britain on the weft.

Denmark Proper is divided into two parts ; Jutland, and
the iflands at the entrance of the Baltic fea.

Mountains, forests, lakes, 7 Jutland confifts chiefly
RIVERS, CLIMATE, AND SOIL. \ of barren mountains, but
fome corn grows in the vallies. The face of the country pre-
fents a number of large forelts ; but there is fcarcely in Den-
mark a river navigable to a fhip of burden. Some lakes, which
contain delicious fiilies, are found in the inland parts of the
country. The climate is more temperate here, on account of
the vapours from the furrounding fea, than it is in many more
foutherly parts of Europe. Spring and autumn are feafons
fcarcely known in Denmark, where winter, and fultry heats
during June, July, and Auguft, poflefs the air. The foil is
more recommendable for its pafturage, than for its common
vegetable productions. The vallies are in general fruitful ;
but the foil is fandy in the iflands, and requires plentiful
fhowers to raife even a crop of hay.

Animals.] Denmark produces an excellent breed of
horfes, both for the faddle and carriage ; and numbers of black
cattle, fheep, and hogs, befides game j and its fea-coafts are
generally well fupplied with fifh.

Population, manners 7 By an a£lual numeration,
AND customs. j made in 1759, of his Danifh

majefty's fubje£ls, in his dominions of D.nmark, Norway,
Holftein, the iflands in the Baltic, and the counties of Olden-
burg and Delmenhorft, in Weftphalia j they amounted to
2,444,000 fouls, exclufive of the Icelanders and Greenlanders.
However difproportioned this number may feem, to the extent
of his Danifli majefty's dominions, yet, every thing con-
fidered, it is far greater than could have been expedted from
the uncultivated ttate of his pofleflions ; and it is more than
fufficient for all the purpbfes of commerce. As population
generally keeps pace with plenty, efpecially in northern coun-
tries, there can be no doubt that the number of his Danifh
majefty's fubjefts, in a few years, will be vaftly cncreafed, by

G 3 the

;

102 DENMARK.

the improvements introduced among them in agriculture and
other arts.

The nnlile uifpofition of his Danifli majefty for improving
his countrv, renders it very difficult to fpeak with any cer-
tainty concernin'r the manners and cuftom.s, the police and
manufac'jrcs of his dominions. Commerce, undoubtedly, is
he reviving; hand in Denmark ; and fince the kings there

have been rendered abfolute, particular titles of honour, fuch
as thofe of count and baron, have been introduced into the
Icino-dom ; but the adventuring, warlike fpirit, fcems to be
loft among their nobility, whofe civil powers are indeed anni-
hilated, but they are tyrants over their inferiors ?.i\d tenants,
who, as to property, are ftill in a flate of vafialage. It is more
than probable, however, that his prefent Danifli majefty will,
in that and all other rcfpeiSls, give a new face to the police of
his country ; and he has already taken feme efteilual mcafures
for that purpofe, by meliorating the ftate of the pcafants j the
only fpur to induftry.

The Danes, like other northern nations, are given to in-
temperance in drinking, and convivial entertainments ; but
their nobil ty, v/ho now begin to vifit the other courts of
Europe, are refining from their provincial habits and vices.

Religion.] The religion is Lutheran ; and the kingdom
is divided into fix diocefcs ; one in Zealand, one in Funen,
and four in Jutland : thcfc diocefes are governed by bifliops,
whofe profcflion is entirely to fupcrintend the other clergy ;
nor have they any other mark of pre-eminency than a diftinc-
tion of their ecclefiaftical drefs, for they have neither cathe-
drals nor ecclefiaftical courts, nor the fmalleft concern with
civil affairs : their morals, however, are fo good, that they are
irevered by the people.

Language and learnln,c.] The language of Den-
mark is a dialedt of the Teutonic ; but High Dutch and French
are fpoken at court j and the nobil ily have lately made great
advances in the Englifh, which is now publickly taught at
Copenhagen as a neceflary part of education. A company of
Englifh comedians occafionally yifit that capital, where they
find tolerable encouragement.

The univerfity of Copenhagen is faid now to be encouraged
by the government j but the Danes in general make no great
figure in literature j though aftronomy and medicine are highly
indebted to Tycho Brahe, Borrichius, and the Bartholincs ;
jK)t to mention that the Danes begin now to make fome prc-
piifing attempts in hiftory, poetry, and the drama.

Cities and CHIEF BUILDINGS.] Copenhagen, which is

ituate4 on the fine ifland of Zealand, makes a magnificent

» J ■ ■ appearance

ulture and

improving
any cer-
)o]ice and
btedly, is
ings there
our, fucli
1 into the
ms to be
Iced anni-
1 tenants.
It is more
efty will,
; police of
mcafures
"ants J the

^n to in-
nts ; but
cou rts of
vices.

kingdom
n Funcn,
)' bifliops,
:r clergy';
a diflinc-
er cathe-
:ern with
t they are

of Dcn-
d French

ade great
taught at
npany of
here they

couraged
no great
re highly
:hoIincs ;
)me prc-

vhich is
gnificcnt
pearanc'e

Denmark: to^

appearance at a di fiance. It is very ftrong, and defended by
four royal callles or forts. It contains ten parifli church'^s,
bcfides nine others, belonging to Calvinifts and other per-
fuafions, and fome hofpitals. Copenhagen is adorned by fome
public and private palaces, as tliov are ciiiled. Its {h'ccts are
J 86 m number j and its inhabitants air.ount to ioo,ooo. The
houfes in the principal ftreets are built of brick, and thofe in
their lanes chiefly of timber. Its univerffty has been already
mentioned. But the chief glofy of Copenhagen is its harbour,
which admits indec^d of only one fliip to enter at a time, but is
capable of containing 500. Several of the ftreets have canals,
and quays for fhips to lie clofe to the houfes ; and its naval
arfcnal is frUI far to exceed that of V^enicc.

1'i\e fincil palace belonging to his Danifh majefty, lies about
20 Engiifh miles from Copenhagen, and is called Fredericf-
burg. It is a moil: ma<jnificcnt houfe, and built in the mo-
dern tafle ; but ill contrived, and worfe fituated ; being in a
moid unherilthy Ibil. While the kings of Denmark refide,
as- they often do, at this palace, they lay afide great part of
their ihitc, and rningh.' with their fubjetSls in their diverfions
both of the court iukI ih:; ficVl.

Jagcn'burg, is a park which contains a royal country feat,
called the Hermitage ; which is remarkable for the difpofition
of its apartments, and the quaintnefs of its furniture ; parti-
cidarly a machine, wiii'^h conveys the diflies to and from the
king's table in the fccoid ilory. The chief ecclefiaftical build-
ing in Denmark, is iivi cathedral of Rofchild, where the
kings and queens of Denmark were formerly buried, and their
monuments ilill remain. Joining to this cathedral, by a co-
vered pafliige, is a royal palace, built in 1733.

CoMMKRCE.J 1 fliali, uiuier this head, include the com-
modities and manuf tctures imported to and exported from the
country. Fir, and other timber, black cattle, horfes, butter,
ftock-hfli, tallow, hides, train-oil, t.tr, pitch, and iron, are
the natural product of theDanifli dominions ; and confequcntly
are ranked under the head of exports. To thefe we may add
furs i but the exportation of oats is forbid. The imports are,
i'alt, wine, brandy and filk from France, Portugal, and It.ily.
(3f late the Danes have had a great intcrcourfe with England,
from whence they import broad-cloths, clocks, cabinet, lock-r
work, and all other manufatSlurcs carried on in the great trad-
ing tov/ns of England. But ti-^thing Oiews the commercial
fpirit of the Danes in a (Ironger light, than their eilablifhmcnts
in the Eaft and VVcil-Ind.es.

In 1612, ChrilriernlV. of Denmark, e'labliflicd an Ead-In-
Uia company at Copenhagen i and, fgon after, four i'l\ips (ailed

fiOW^

vll

104 DENMARK.

from thence to the E ft-Indies. The hint of this trade was
given to his Danifh majefty by James I. of England, who mar-
ried aprincefs of Denmark; and in 1617 they built and for-
tified a cuftle and lov/n at Tranqucbar, on the coaft of Coro-
mandel. The fecurity which many of the Indians found under
the cannon of this fori, invited numbers of them to fettle here j
fo that the Danifli Eaft-India company were foon rich enough
to pay to their king a yearly tribute of 10,000 rix-dollars. The
company, however, willing to become rich all of a fudden,
in 1620, endeavoured to poflefs themfelves of the fpice- trade
at Ceylon j but were defeated by the Portuguefe. The truth
is, they foon embroiled themfelves with the native Indians on
all hands ; and had it not been for the generous affiftance
given them by Mr. Pit, an Englifli Eaft-India governor, the
fcttlement at Tranqucbar rruft have been taken by the rajah
of Tanjour. Upon the clufe of the wars of Europe, after the
death of Charles XII. of Sweden, the Danifli Eaft-India com-
pany found themfelves fo much in debt, that they publifhed
propofals for a new fubfcription, for enlarging their ancient
capital ftock, and for fitting out fhips to Tranqucbar, Ben-
gal, and China. Two years after, his Danifh majefty granted
a new charter to his Eaft-India company, with vaft privileges ;
and for fome time its commerce was carried on with great
vigour. I fliall juft mention, that the Danes likcwife polfefs
the iflands of St. Thomas and St. Croix, in the Weft-Indies ;
which are free ports, and celebrated for fmuggling ; alfo the
fort of Chriftianburg, on the coaft of Guinea; and carry on
a conftderable commerce with the Mediterranean.

Curiosities, natural 7 Denmark Proper, affords fewer
AND ARTIFICIAL. J of thcfc than the other parts of
his Danifli majcfty's dominions, if we except the contents of
the Royal Mufeum at Copenhagen, which confifts of a nu-
merous colledion of both. Befides artificial fkeletons, ivory
carvings, models, clock-work, and a beautiful cabinet of
ivory and ebony, made by a Danifli artift who was blind,
here are to be feen two famous antique drinking vefTels ; the
one of gold, the other of filver, and both in the form of a
hunting horn : that of gold feems to be of pagan manufacture;
and from the raifed hu 'oglyphical figures on its outfide, it
probably was made ufe of in religious ceremonies : it is about
two feet nine inches long, weighs 102 ounces, contains two
Englifh pints and a halfj and was found in the diocefe of
Ripen, in the year 1639. The other, of filver, weighs about
four pounds, and is termed Cornu Oldenburgicum ; which, they
fay, was prefented to Otho I. duke of Oldenburg, by a
Ghoft. Some, however, are of opinion, that this veffel was

oiade

th
an
wi
tic

DENMARK. 105

made by order of Chriftiern I. king of Denmark, the firft of
the Oldenburg race, who reigned in 1448. I ftiall juft men-
tion in this place, that fevcral vellels of different metals, and
the fame form, Have been found in the north of England,
and are probably of Danifh original. This mufeum is like-
wife furnifhed with a prodigious number of aftronomical, op-
tical, and mathematical inftruments j fome Indian curiollties,
and a fet of medals antient and modern. Many curious aftro-
nomical inftruments are likewife placed in the round tower at
Copenhagen; which is fo contrived, that a coach may drive
to its top. The village of Anglen, lying between Flenfburg
and Slefwic, is alfo cftcemed a curiofity, as giving its name to
the Angles, or Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of Great-Britain,
and the anceftors of the bulk of the modern Englilh.

The greateft rarities in his Danifli majefty's dominions are
omitted, however, by geographers j I mean thofe antient
infcriptions upon rocks, that are mentioned by antiquaries and
hiftorians ; and are generally thought to be the old and ori-
ginal manner of writing, before the ufe of paper of any kind,
and waxen tables, was known. Thefc characters are Runic,
and fo imperfectly undcrftood by the learned themfelves, that
their meaning is very uncertain ; but they are imagined to be
hiftorical, Stephanus, in his notes upon Saxo Grammaticus,
has exhibited fpecimcns of feveral of thofe infcriptions.

Civil constitution, govern- 7 The civil conftitution
MENT and laws. jof Denmark, in its prc-

fent dcfpotic ftate, arifes out of the ruins of the ariftocratic
powers which the nobility exercifed over their inferiors with
moft intolerable tyranny. Formerly their kings were elective,
and might be depofed by the convention of eftatcs, which
included the reprefentatives of the peafants. The king's
royalty gave him pre-eminence in the field and the courts of,
juftice, but no revenues were attached to it j and unlefs he
had a great eftate of his own, he was obliged to live like a pri- .
vate nobleman, in procefs of time, however, the regal dig-
nity became hereditary ; or rather, the ftates tacitly acquiefced
in that mode of government, to prevent the horrible ravages
which they had experienced from civil wars and difputed fuc-
ceffions. Their kings of the race of Oldenburg, the prefent
royal family, though fome of them were brave and fpirited
princes, did not chufe to abridge the nobility of their powers |
and a feries of unfuccefsful wars rendered the nation in general
fo miferable, that the public had not money for paying off" the
army. The difpute came to a fliort queftion, which was,
that the nobles fliould fubmit to taxes, from which they
pleaded an exemption. The inferior people then, as ufual, -

threw

io6 DENMARK.

threw their eyes towards the king, for relief and prntctHion
from the oppreflions of the intcrnudiatc order of nobility : in
this they were encouraged by the clcr^:y. Jn a meeting of the
ftates, it was propofcd that the nobles flioiild bear their fliare
in the common burden. Upf;n this ""^ ^^ff^ Craeg put the
people in mind that the commons were no more than Haves to
the lords.

This was the watch-word, which had been concerted be-
tween the leaders of the commons, the clergv, and even the
court iMc?lf. Nanlbri, the fpcakcr of the commons, catc! eJ
hold of the feim Shvery, the aflen.bly broke up in a ferment ;
and the commons, with the clergy, withdrew to a houfc of
their own, wberc they refohcd to make the king a iolemn ten-
der of their liberties and fcrvices ; and formally to eltablifli in
his family the hereditary fucceflion to their crown. This
refolution was executed the next day. The biihop of Copen-
hagen officiated as fpeakcr for the clergy and commons. The
king accepted of their tender, promifing them relief and pro-
tedion. The gates of Copenhagen were fliut j and the nobi-
lity, finding the nerves of their power thus cut, fubmiticd v/ith
the beft grace they could, to confirm what had been done.

It is happy for the Danes, that ever ftnce the year i66c,
when this great revolution took place, few or no inllances
have happened, of abufing the dcfpotic powers thusveited in
the kings, which arc at prefent perhaps n-.ore extenfive than
thofe of any crowned head in Europe. On the contrary, the
adminiflration of civil juftice in Denmark is confidcred by
many as a model for other nations ; and fome princes, his
Pruffian m;'jefty particularly, have adtually adopted great part
of it. The code of the Danifn laws, is a quarto volume,
drawn up in the language of the country, in fo plain and per-
fpicuous a manner, and upon fuch fimple principles of juftice,
that the moft ignorant may learn it ; and every man may
plead his own caufe : and no fuit is to hang in fufpence be-
yond one year and a month. Bur the king hath privilege to
ixplain, f?ay, to alter and change the fame as he J})all think good.
In Denmark there arc two inferior courts, from which appeals
lie to a High Right court in Copenhagen, where the king pre-
fides, pffifted by his chief nobility. Judges arc punilhed in
cafesofmifbehaviour or corruption. Other tribui;a!s are in-
ftituted for the affairs of the revenue, army, commerce, ad-
miralty, and criminal matters. In fhort, it is allowed on all
hands, that the civil policy of Denmark, and its executive
powers, produce wonderful eftcds for the fafcty of the people
as well as of the government. * '

^ ' -^i^^' * -'iWi^MAA':/'.:- ' ' .

D E N M

Political and nati

URAL 1

:ark. \

A R K. T07

Since the acccfllon of his
INTERESTS OF Denmark. J prcfent mnjefty, his court
fcc^ms to have altered its maxims. His father, it is true, ob-
fcrvcd a mofl rcfpcdlahlc neutrality during the late war -, but
never could vet rid of French influence, notwithftandinq: his
connedlions with Great-Britain. The fubfidics he received
maintained his army ; but his family-difputcs with Ruflia,
concerning Holftcin, and th? afcendcncy which the French
had obtained over the Swedes, not to mention many other
matters, did not fuft'cr him to a£t that dccifive part in the
.affairs of Europe, to which he was invited by his fituation ;
cfpccially about the time the treaty of Cloftcr-feven was con-
cluded. His prcfent l^anifh niajeily's plan, fccms to be that
of forming; his dominions into a Itate of independency, by
availing himfclf of their natural advantages. His friendfliip
with Great-Britain, and the prcfent divided defpicable con-
dition of the Sv/cdcs, togrthcr v/ith the pacific difpofition of
the princes of the cmjiirc, leave him at full leifur^j to profe-
cute the ^rcat plans he has formed. The improvements his
lubje<Sis have made f.nce the reign of Frederic IV. who died
in 1730, in manufaclures and the mechanical arts, are afto-
rifliing j and the wile fumptuary law:>, efpecially thofc againft
imports of foreign manufaCLures, keep immenfe fums in the
kingdom.

With regard to the external intcrcfts of Denmark, they are
certainly bell fccurcd by cultivating a friendfliip with the ma-
ritime powers. The prelcnt condition of her navy, renders
her fecure by fca from Sweden and RufHa, whofe marine,
when united, falls fhort of that of Denmark ; for though the
Ruffians maintain a largi? num.ber of fhips, yet they are fo
poorly navigated, that RuiTia cannot be confidered as a mari-
time power. The exports of Denmark enables her to carry
on a very profitable trade with France, Spain, and the Medi-
terranean ; and flie is particularly courted by the Mahometan
flates, on account of her flilp-building ftores. His prcfent
majcfty, like his father and grandfather, makes ftrong efforts
for drawing the trade of Hamburgh towards the favourite town
of Altcna; but hitherto with little apparent fuccefs. This
rivalfhip, however, never can embroil her with any European
power, provided his Danifli majefty is fo wife as to make no
attempt upon the city of Hamburgh itfelf. " '

The prefent imperial family of Ruffia has indeed many
claims Upon Denmark, on account of Holftein j but as her
pofreilions were guaranteed by his Britannic majefty, there is
but fmall appearance of her being engaged in a war on that
account. Were the Swedes to regain their military charatSler,
5 ' . ; . ; • anj

■ k '>

-yf

io8

DENMARK.

and to be commanded by fo entcrprifing and dcfpotic a prince
as CharUr. Xil, they probably would endeavour to rcpoflcfs
thcniitivt.s, by iirais, of the fine provinces torn from them by
Denmark ; but of this there is at piefent very fmall like-
lihood 1 and, whatever the rrts of France may attempt, the
Danes will always look with a jcdous eye upon every mcafurc
taken for abolifliing the prefcnt forms of tiie Swedifli confli-
tution. The greateft danger that can ariie to Denmark from
a foreign power is, when the Baltic a"? Ca li s h pj.ened more
than onee) is fo fro/zn ov. r, Jts to beat not only men, but
heavy artill'^ry j in wh.ch c.sfe the Swedes iin\ »^ bcci kiiown
to niaicJi over great armies, and to threaten tlic coiujudl of
the kiii?i^iIo:n.

Rr\ iiNUES.] His Danifh mtjpfl-y's revenues h.r < (Im' j
fources : the impofit oiis he lays upon his own f .b,e<its, '.'\Ci
duties paid by foreigners; and his own demcfne lands, in-
cluding confifcations. Wine, f.ilr, tobacco, and provifuins of
all knuls, arc n^odcratrly ta;;c(l. .Marriages, pa, er, cc«rpo-
rations, land, houfcs, and poll-money, raifc a confidei ble
fum. The cxpences of fortifications are borne by the people :
and when the king's daughter i;; married, they pay about
100,000 rix-dollars towards her portion. The reader is to
obfeive, that the internal taxes of Denmark arc very uncer-
tain, becaufe they may be abated or raifed at the king's will,
Cuftoms, and tolls upcn exports and imports, are more
certain. The tolls paid by ftrangers, arife chiefly from foreign
ibips that pafs through the Sound into the fialtic, through the
narrow ftrait between Schoncn and the ifland of Zealand.
Thefe tolls are in proportion to the fizc of the fhip and value
of the cargo, exhibited in bills of lading. This tax, which
forms a capital part of his Danlfli majefty's revenue, has more
than once thrown the northern parts of Europe into a flame.
It was often difputed by the Engli/h and Dutch ; and the
Swedes, who command the oppofite fide of the pafs, for fome
time, refufed to pay it; but in the treaty of 1720, between
Sweden and Denmark, under the guarantee of his Britannic
majefty, George I. the Swedes agreed to pay the fame rates as
are paid by the fubje£ls of Great-Britain and the Netherlands.
The toll is paid at Elfenore, a town feated on the Sound, at
the entrance of the Baltic fea, and about 18 miles diflant from
Copenhagen. No eftimate can be made of its produce, nor
of the grofs revenue of Denmark; though it is generally
thought to amount at prefent to about 700,000 1. a year ; a
fum which, in that country, goes far, and maintains a fplen-
did court, and powerful armaments both by fea and land.

Army and navy.] The three laft kings of Denmark,
jiotwithftanding the degeneracy of their people in martial af-

Z fairs.

DENMARK. ,09

fairs, were very refpe<^3He princes, by the number and dif-
ciplinc of their troops, which they have kept up with vaft care,
The prcfcnt army of Dcnmarlc confifts of 40,000 men, ca-
valry and infantry ; moft of whom are officered by foreigners.
Though this army is burdenfome to the nation, yet it cofts
Jittle to the crown : great part of the infantry lie in Norway,
where they live upon the boors at free quarter ; and in Den-
mark, the peafantry are obliged to maintain the cavalry in
victuals and lodging, and even to furnifh them with money.
His prcfent majcfty feems determined to re-eftablifh the naval
force of his kingdom, and to rank himfelf as a maritime power.
It mull be acknowledged that he has great invitation to fuch a
conduct ; his fubjctSts in general are excellent feamen ; Co-
penhagen has a noble capacious fqa-port ; and the prefent
naval force of Denmark is faid toconfift of 30 fhips of the line.
Orders OF KNIGHTHOOD 7 Thefe are two; that of the
IN Denmark. j Elephant, and that of Dane-

burg : the former was inftitutcd by Chriftiern I. and is deemer!
the moft honourable j its badge is an elephant furmounted with
a calHe, (et in diamonds, and fufpended to a fky-colourcd
watered ribbon ; worn like the George in England : the num-
ber of its members, befides the fovereign, are thirty. The
badges of the D;'.neburg order, which is faid to be of the higheft
antiquity, confift of a white ribbon with red edges, worn over
the left fhoulder ; from which depends a fmall crofs of dia-
monds, and an embroidered Itar on the bread of the coat, fur-
rounded with the motto, P'lctate tff juflitia.

History.] We owe the chief hiftory of Denmark, to a
very extraordinary phaenomenon ; I mean, the revival of the
purity of the Latin language in Scandinavia, in the perfon of
Saxo Grammaticus, at a time (the 12th century) when it was
loft over all other parts of the European continent. Saxo, like
the other hiftorians of his age, has adopted, and at the fame
time ennobled by his ftyle, the moft ridiculous abfurdities of
remote antiquity. We can, however, collc*ft enough from
him to conclude, that the antient Danes, like the Gauls, the
Scots, the Irilh, and other northern nations, had their bards ;
^yho recounted the military atchievements of their heroes ; and
that their firft hiftories were written in verfe. There can be
no doubt that the Scandinavians (the inhabitants of Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden) were Scythians by their original ; but
how far the trails of land, called either Scythia * or Gaul,
formerly reached, is uncertain.

Even

• * By Scythirt may be undirftood all thofe northern countries of Europe and Afi»,
how inhnhitej by the Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, RUflians, koA Tarttrs. See tlie

JntroduftiKn. —

no DENMARK.

Even the name of the firft Cliriftian Danifli Icing is uncer-i
tain ; and thofe of the people whom they commanded were fo
blended together, that it is impoflible for the reader to conceive
a precife idea of the old Scandinavian hiftory. This, undoubt-
edly, was owing- to the remains of their Scythian cuftoms,
particularly that of removing from one country to another ;
and of feveral nations or fepts joining together in expeditions
by fea or land ; and the adventurers being denominated after
their chief leaders. Thus the terms Danes, Saxons, Jutes or
Goths, Germans, nnd Normans, were promifcuoudy ufed long
after the time of Charlemagne. E\ en the fhort revival of lite-
rature under that prince, throws very litile light upon the Da-
nifh hiftory. All we know is, that the inhabitants of Scan-
dinavia, in their maritime expeditions, went generally under
the name of Saxons with foreigners ; that they were bold ad-
venturers ; that fo far back as the year of Chrift 500, they in-
fulted all the fea coafts of Europe ; th:'.t they fettled in Irehmd,
wheie they built ftone houfes ; and that they became mafters of
England, and fome part of Scotland ; boih which kingdoms
ftill retain proofs of their barbarity. When we read the hiftory
of Denm:-.rk and that of England, imdtr the Danifli princes
who reigned over both countries, we meet with but a faint
refemblance of events ; but the Danes, as conquerors, always
give thcmfelves the fuperiorir.y over the Englifli.

Few very intereftmg events in Denmark preceded the year
1387, when Margai'tt mounted that throne ; and partly by her
addrefs, and partly by hereditary rig: it, Ihc formed the union
of Calmar ; by which file was acknovvicd^.cd iovercign of Swe-
den, Denmark, and Norway. She held h-.r dignity with fuch
firmnefs and courage, that flie was juftly IfiL'd the Semiramis
of the North. Her fucceiTors being dcflitutc of her great
qualifications, the unioii of Criliiuir fell to nothing ; but Nor-
way ftill continued annc.-.cd to D-nmark. About the year 1448,
the crov/n of Denmark rell to Chriftiern, count oi Oldenburg,
from whom the prefent royal familv of Denmark is Jcfccnded.

In 1513, Chriftiern I[. king of Denmark, one of the moft
complete tyrants that modern times iiave produced, mounted
the throne of Denmark ; and having married the fifter of the
emperor Charles V. he gave a full loofe to his innate cruelty.
Being driven out of Sweden, for the Moody mallacres he com-
mitted there, the Danes rebelled againft him likewife ; and he
fled, with his wife and children, into the Netherlands. About
the year 1536, the protefhant religion was etiabliflicd in Den-
mark, by that wife and politic prince Chriftiern III.
■ Chriftiern IV". of Dcimnrk, in 1629, was chofen for the
head of the proteftant league, foimed iigainft the houfe of

Auftriai

D E N M A R K. n?

Auftria ; but, though brave in his own pcrfon, he was in
thuigcr oflofing his clotniiiions ; when he was fucceeded in that
command by GuRavu.-. Ac'.olphus. The Dutch having obliged
Chriftiern, who died in 164S, to lower the* duties of the Sound,
his Ion, Frederic ill. coniented to accept of an annuity of
150,000 floriiii for the whole. The Dutch, after this, pur-
luaded him to declare war againft Charles Guftavus, king of
Sweden j which had almo;t coft him his crown in 1657.
Charles llormed the fortrefs of Fredericftadt j and in the fuc-
ceeding winter, he marched his army over the ice to the ifland
of Funen, where he furprifcJ the i3anilh troojis, toolcOdenfe*
and Nyburg ; and marched o\'er the Great 13elt, to befiege Co-
peniiagcn itfelf. Cromwell, the Englifh ufurper, interpofed ;
and Frederic defended his capit-il.with great magnanimity, till
the peace of Rofchild ; by whicli Frederic ceded the provinces
of HallanJ, Blekin^, and Sconia, the ifiaiid of Bornholm»
and Bahus and Drontheim, in Norv/ay, to the Swedes. Fre-
deric fought to elude thofe fevere terms ; but Charles took
Cronenburg, and once more befieged Copenhagen by P^a and
land. The fteady intrepid conduct of Fi*ederic under thefa
misfortunes, endeared him to his fubjedls j and the citizens of
Copenhagen made an admirable defence, till a Dutch Meet ar-
rived in the Baltic, and beat the Swedilh fleet. The fortune
of war was now entirely changed in favour of Frederic ; who
fhevved on every occafion 2;reat abilities, both civil and military j
and having forced Charles to raife the liege of Copenhagen,
might have carried the war into Sweden, had not the Englifh
fleer, under Montague, appeared in the Baltic. Tiiis enabled
Charles to bcfiege Copenhagen a third time ; but P'rance and
England oftering their mediation, a peace was concluded in
tliac capital ; by which the ifland of Bornholrn returned to the
Danes ; but the iiland of Rugen, JBleking, Hailand, wid
Schonen, remained with the Swedes.

7^hough this peace did not refiore to Denmark all flie had

loft.

the

magnaniinons beliaviour of Frederic, under the

molt imminent dangers, and his attention to the lafeiy of his
fubjec^s, even preferably to his own, indearcd him fo much in
their eyes, that ihey rendered him abfolute, in the manner
and for the reafons I have already mentioned. Frederic was
Succeeded, in 1670, by his fon, Chriftierji V. who obliged
tlie dulie of Holltein (jottorp to renounce all the advantages
he had gained by the treaty of Rofchild. He thcii recovered a
number of places in Schonen ; but his army was defeated in
the blcody lattle of Lundcn, by Charles XJ. of Sweden.
This defeat did not put an end to the war ; which Chrifliern
obitiuately CQUtinucd, till he waa defeated entirely ut ihe ba;tl*?

112 DENMARK.

of Landfcroon : and he had almoft exhaufted his dominions in
his military operations, till he was in a manner abandoned by
all his allies, and forced to fign a treaty on the terms prefcribed
by France, in 1679. Chriftiern, however, did not defift from
his military attempts ; and at laft he became the ally and fub-
lidiary of Lewis XIV. who was then threatning Europe with
chains. Chriftiern, after a vaft variety of treating and fight-
ing with the Holfteiners, Hamburghers, and other northern
powers, died in 1699. He was fscceeded by Frederic IV.
who, like his predeceflbrs, maintained his pretenfions upon
Holftein ; and probably muft have become mafter of that
dutchy, had not the Englifh and Dutch fleets raifed the fiege
of Tonningen ; while the young king of Sweden, Charles
XII. who was no more than nxteen years of age, landed with-
in eight miles of Copenhagen, to aflift his brother-in-law, the
duke of Holftein. Charles, probably, would have made him-
felf mafter of Copenhagen, had not his Danifh majefty agreed
to the peace of Travendahl, which was entirely in the duke's
favour. By another treaty concluded with the States General,
Charles obliged himfelf to furnifh a body of troops, who were
to be paid by the confederates ; and who afterwards did great
fervice againft the French.

Notwithftanding this peace, Frederic was perpetually ea-
gaged in wars with the Swedes ; and while Charles was an exile
at Bender, he made a defcent upon the Swedifh Pomerania ;
and another, in the year 17 12, upon Bremen, and took the
city of Stade. His troops, however, were totally defeated by
the Swedes at Gadeft)ufch, who laid his favourite city of Altena
in alhes. Frederic revenged himfelf, by feizing great part of
the ducal Holftein, and forcing the Swedifh general, count
3teinbock, to furrender himfelf prifoner, with all his troops.
In the year 17 16, the fuccefles of Frederic were fo great, by
taking Tonningen and Stralfund, by driving the Swedes out
of Norway, and reducing Wifmar, in Pomerania, that his
allies began to fufpe6t he was aiming at the fovereignty of all
Scandinavia. Upon the leturn of Charles of Sweden from
his exile, he renewed the war againft Denmark, with a moft
embittered fpirit ; but on the death of that prince, who was
killed at the fiege of Fredericfhal, Fredi^ric durft not refufe the
offer of his Britannic majefty's mediation between him and the
crown of Sweden ; in confequence of which, a peace was
concluded at Stockholm, which left him in pofleffion of the
dutchy of Slefwic. Frederic died hi the year 1730, after
having, two years before, {een his capital reduced to afhes,
by an accidental fire. His fon and fucceflbr, Chriftiern Fre-
deric, made no other ufe of his power, and the advantages

with

DENMARK.

113

Vith which he mounted the throne, than to cultivate peace
with all his neighbours, and to promote the happincfs of hi*
fubjcdts ; whom he cafed of many opprcHivc taxes.

In 1734, after guarantying the Pragmatic Sanction, * Chri-
iftiern fcnt 6000 men to the afRftance of the emperor, during
the difputsof the fuccefTion to the crown of Poland. Though
he was pacific, yet he was jealous of his rights, efpeciully
over Hamburgh, He obliged the Hamburghcrs to call in the
mediation of Pruflia, to abolifli their bank, to admit the coin
of Denmark as current, and to pay him a million of filver
niarks. He had^ two years after, viz. 1738, a difputc v. itli
his Britannic majefly, about the little lorcilhip of Sicii.horll:,
which had been mortgaged to the latter by a duke <■ f Hrlfleii*
Lawenburg, and which Chriftiern faid belonged to him. S(;me
blood was I'pilt during the conteft ; in which Chiittiern, it is
thought, never was in carncil:. It brought on, however, a
treaty, in which he availed hinifclf of his Britannic majc-fty's
predilcdlion for his German dominions j for he agreed 10 pay
Chriftiern a fublldy of 70,000 1. fterling a year, on conduioii
of keeping in realinefs 7000 troops for the protection of Ha-
nover : this was a gainful bargain for Denmark, And two
years after, he fcized fome Dutch {hips, for trading, without
liis leave, to Iceland j but the dift'ercuce v/as made up by the
mediation of Sweden. Chriftiern had i'o great a party in that
kingdom, that it was generally thought he would revive the
union of Calmar, by procuring his fon to be declared fucceflbr
to h^ then Swedifii majefty. Some fteps for that purpofe
were certainly taken : but whatever Chriftiern's views might
have been, the defign v/as fruftrated by the jealoufy of othec
powers, who could not bear the thoughts of feeing all Scan-
dinavia fubjedl to one family. Chriftiern died in 1746, with;
the character of being the father of his people.

His fon and fucceftbr, Frederic V. had, in 1743, married
the princcfs Louifa, daughter to his Britannic niajeftv. He
improved upon his father's plan, for the happinefs of his
people ; but took no concern, except that of a mediator, in the
German war. For it was by his intervention, that the treaty
of Clofter-feven was concluded between his royal highnefs the
late duke of Cumberland, and the French general Richlicu,
Upon the death of his firft queen, who was mother to his
prefent Danifli majefty, he married a daughter of the duke
of Brunfwic-Wclfenbuttel ; and died in 1766. His fon.

Vol. I. H Chriftiern

■ ' — i I - I - —

* An agreeinant by which thr^ princes of Europe engaged to fuoport tlic HouHs
of A'll^ria in favour of the a[uev'ii of Hungary, Ji»uj;hlci of the wmpaor CharkiVI.
who had \w in.>k iiluc.

114 DENMARK.

Chriftlern VI. was born the 29th of January, 1749; an4
married his Britannic majefty's youngell fifter, the princef*
Carolina-Matilda. I have already mentioned the many fair
profpeds which this prince's reign has already opened for the
good of his people j and can only add, from the fpecimens h«
has given the public of his virtues, that he bids fair to be the-
greateft king that ever filled the throne of Denmark,

His Danish Majesty's GERMAN DOMINIONS.

THOSE dominions are mentioned in a feparate article
chiefly for the fake of order, as the inhabitants differ
little or nothing from other Germans ; we fhall therefore be
more general in defcribing them. The duchy of Slefwic,
V^hich fome fay properly belongs to Denmark, is bounded by
Jutland, the Baltic, the duchy of Holftcin, and the v. erman
ocean. It is well watered, and produces plenty of corn ; but
the capital city of Slcfwic, which ftands upon a fmall arm of
the fea, called the Sley, is much decayed both in trade and
population. Gottorp Ihnds likewife upon the Sley ; and was
once famous for the magnificent palace of its dukes, and for
being the refidence of the celebrated aftronomcr Tycho Brahe ;
fome of his planetary machines and globes Hill remaining in
©ne of the fummer-houfes of the palace.

Holftein belongs partly to Denmark and partly to Ruflia,
The capital of the Danifh Holftein is Gluckftadt, a well-built
town and fortrefs, in a marlhy fituation, on the right of the
Elbe 'y in which is a Lutheran, a Calvinift, a Romilh church,
and a Jews fynagogue j and has fome foreign commerce.
Keyl is the capital of the Ducal Holftein, and is well built,
has a harbour, and neat public edifices.

The famous city of Hamburgh lies, in a geographical fenfe,
ill Holftein, but is now an imperial, free, and Han featic city,
lying on the verge of that part of Holftcin called Stormar : it
^as the fovereignty of a fmall diftridl round it, of about tea
miles circuit : it is one of the moft flouriftiing commercial towns
in Europe ; and though the kings of Denmark ftill lay claim
to certain privileges within its walls, it may be confidered as a«>
well-regulated commonwealth. The number of its inhabi-
tants are faid to amount to 180,000 ; and it is furnifhed with,
a vaft variety of noble edifices, both public and private : itt
has two fpacious harbours, formed by the river Elbe, whicK
runs through the town, and 84 bridges are thrown over its
canals. Hamburgh has the good fortune of having been pecu-
liarly fiivouicd in its commerce by Great-Britain^ with whom

[749* ^"^
te princefs

many fair

led for the

cimens h«

r to be thC'

^lONS.

rate article
tants differ
lerefore be
)f Slefwic,
ounded by
le C erman
corn 'y but
lall arm of
1 trade and
r ; and was
es, and for
cho Brahc ;
jmaining in

y to Ruflla.
a well-built
right of the
lilh church,
commerce,
s well builty

phlcal fenfe,
mfeatic city,
Stormar : it
>f about tea
lereial towns
:ill lay clain*
infidered as a^
• its inhabi-
rniflied with
i private : it
Elbe, which,
own over its
g been pecu-
, with whom.

LAPLAND* 115

It ftill carries on a great trade, The Hamburghers maintain
twelve companies of foot, and one troop of dragoons, befides
an artillery company*

In Weftphalia, the king of Denmark has the counties of
Oldenburg and Delmenhorft ; they lie near the fouth fide of
the Wefer j their capitals, of the fame name, are both regu-
larly fortified : and Oldenburg gave a title to the firft royal
anceftor of his prefent Danim majefty.

•wit

LAPLAND.

THE northern fituation of Lapland, and the divifion of
its property, require, before I proceed farther, that I
treat of it under a diftinft head, and in the fame method that I
obferve in other countries.
Situation, extent, 7 The whole country of Lapland
DIVISION AND NAME. 3 extends, fo far as it is known,
from the North Cape in 71 30 N. lat, to the White-Sea,
Under the ar<Stic circle. Part of Lapland belongs to the Danes,
and is included in the government of Wardhuys j part to the
Swedes, which is by far the moft valuable ; and fome partsj
in the eaft, to the Mufcovites. It would be little better than
wafting the reader's time, to pretend to point out the fuppofed
dimenfions of each. That belonging to the Swedes, may be
feen in the table of dimenfions given in the account of Sweden :
but other accounts fay, that it is abou^ 100 German miles in
length, and 90 in breadth ; it comprehends all the country
from the Baltic, to the mountains that feparate Norway fron»
Sweden. The Mufcovite part lies towards the eaft, between
the lake Enarak and the White-Sea, Thofe parts, notwith-
ftanding the rudenefs of the country, are divided into fmaller
diftridls ; generally taking their names from rivers : but, unlef|
in the Swedifti part, which is fubje6l to a prefect, the Lap-
landers can be faid to be under no regular government. The
Swedifli Lapland therefore is the objed confidered by authors
in defcribing this country. It has been generally thought,
that the Laplanders are the defcendants of Finlanders driven
out of their own country, and that they take their name from
LappeSy which fignifies exiles. The reader, from what has
been faid in the Introduction, may eafily conceive that in Lap-
land, for fome months in the fummer, the fun never fets ;
and during winter, it never rifes : but the inhabitants are fo
well aflifted by the twilight and the aurora borealis, that they
never difcontinue their work through darkncfe.

ii6 LAP LAN D.

Climate.] In winter, it is no unufual thing for their lipa
to be frozen to the cup iji attempting to drink ; and in fome
thermometers, fpirits of wine arc concreted into ice : the limbs
of the inhabitants very often mortify with cold : drifts of
fnow threaten to bury the traveller, and cover the ground four
or five feet deep. A thaw fometimcs takes place, and then
the frofl: that fuccceds, prefents the Laplander with a fmooth
level of ice, over which he travels in his fledge with incon-
ceivable fwiftncfs. The heats of fummer are exceflivc for a
fhort time ; and the cataracSVs which dafti from the mountains,
often prcfent to the eye the moft picturcfquc appearances.

Mountains, rivers, 7 The reader mult form in his
• LAKES, AND FORESTS. 3 mind, 3 vaft mafs of mountains
irregularly crowded together, to give him au idea of Lapland :
they are, however, in feme intcriticcs, fepariVtcd by rivers and
lakes, which contain an incredible number of iflands, fome
of which form delightful habitations j and are believed by the
liativcs to be the tcrreflrial Paradife : even rofcs and flowers
grow wild on their borders in the fummer ; but this is but a
inort gleam of temperature j for the climate in general is ex-
celilvely fevere. Dufky forefts, and noifome, unhealthy mo-
rafles, cover great part of the flat country ; fo that nothing
cnn be more uncomfortable than the ftatc of the inhabitants.

Metals AND MINERALS.] Silver and gold mines, as well
as thoic of copper and lead, have been difcovcred and worked
in Lapland : beautiful chryflals are found here, as are fome
amethvfts and topazes ; alfo various forts of mineral ftoncs,
furprizingly poliftied by the hand of nature ; valuable pearls
have been fomctimes found in rivers, but never in the feas.

Animals, quadrupeds, birds, 1 We muft refer to
FISHES, AND INSECTS. I our accounts of Den-

rhark and Norway for great part of this article, as its contents
are in common v/ith all the three countries. The zibelin, a
creature refembling the marten, is a native of Lapland ; and
its fkin, whether black or white, is fo much efteemed, that
it is frequently given as preftnts c > loyal and diftinguifhed
pcrfonagcs. The Lapland hares grow white in the winter ;
and the country produces a large black cat, which attends the
natives in hunting. By far the moft remarkable, however,
of the Lapland animals, is the rein-deer ; which nature feems
to have provided to folace tlic Laplanders for the privation of
the other comforts of life. This animal, the moft ufcful per-
haps of any in the creation, refembles the flag, only it fome-
what droops the head, and the horns project forward, la
fummer, the rein-deer provide thcmfelvcs with leaves and
grafs, and in the winter they live upon the mo/s already de-

5v fcribcd;

Lapland.

r their lipa
in fome
the limbs
drifts of
round four
and then
a fmooth
ith incoji-
eflivc for a
nountains,
anccs.
rm in his
mountains
Lapland :
rivers and
nds, fome
ved by the
nd flowers
s is but a
eral is ex-
;althy mo-
lt nothing
abitants.
;s, as well
nd worked
s are fome
ral ftoncs,
ible pearls
he feas.
ft refer to
ts of Den-
is contents
zibclin
[aiid
:med, that
linguifhcd
le winter ;
Lttends the
however,
turc fcems
rivation of
ifeful per-
y it fome-
ward. In
caves and
[ready de-
fcribed :

and

fcrlbed : they have a wonderful fagacity at finding it out, and
when found, they fcrape away the (how, that covers it, with
their feet. The fcantinefs of their fare is inconceivable, as is
the length of the journeys which they can perform without
any other fupport. I'hey fix the rein-deer to a kind of Hedge,
ihapcd like a fmall boat, in which the traveller, well fccuiod
from cold, is laced down, with the reins in one hand, and a
kind of bludgeon in the other, to keep the carriage clear of ice
and fnow. The deer, whofc harnciTing is very fimplc, fcts
out, and continues the journey with prodigious i'pecd ; and is
io Aifc and tradable, that the driver is at little or no trouble
in directing him. At night they look out for their own pro-
vender ; and their milk often helps to fupport their matter.
Their inftindt in chufing their road and directing ihcir cuurfe,
can only be accounted for, by their being well aci]uainted
with the country during the fummcr n.onths, when they live
in woods. Their flefh is a well-tailed food, whether frelh {)r
dried : their fkin forms excellent clouthing both for the bed
and the body : their milk and cheefe are nutritive and pleafant j
and their inteftiites and tendons fupply their mailers with,
thread and cordage. When they run about wild in the fields,
they may be fliot at as other game. But it is faid, that if
one is killed in a flock, the furvivors will gore and trample
him to pieces ; therefore fingle Itragglers are generally pitched
upon. Were 1 to recount every circumftance, related by the
credulous, of this animal, the whole would appear fabulous.
It is fufficient to obferve further, that the number of tame
rein-deers pofllfled by a Lajdandcr, forms the chief part of his
riches. With all their excellent qualities, however, the rein-
deer have their inconveniences.

It is difficult in fummcr to keep them from ftragglingj they
are fomctimes buried in the fnow; and thcv frequently grov/
reftive, to the great danger of the driver and his carriage. His.
furprizing fpeed (for they are faid to run at the rate of 200
miles a day) feems to be owing to his impatience to get rid of
his incumbrance. None but a Laplander could bear the un*
cafy pofture, when he is confined in one of thofe carriages Or
pulkhqs ; or believe that by whiipering the rein-deer \n the
car, they know the place of their dellination. But after all
thofe abatements, the natives would have diiHculty to fubfifl
without their rein-deer, which ferves them for more purpofcs
than I have room to mention^

People, customs, and manners.] The language of

the Laplanders is barbarous, but it feems radically to have

come from Finland. Learning has made no pro^rcfs aniong>

them i aud they praclife fuch arts only as fupply thwia with the

,, . H 3 Bie.uis

ti8 LAPLAND.

means of living. Miflionarics from the chriftianized parts of
Scandinavia, introduced among them the Chriftian religion ;
but they cannot" be faid even yet to be Chriftians, though they
have among them fome religious feminaries, inftitutcd by thr
king of Denmark. Upon the whole, the majority of the
Laplanders pradtife as grofs fupcrftitions and idolatries, as
are to be found among the moft uninftrudlcd pagans ; and fo
abfurd, that they fcarccly defcrve to be mentioned, were it
not that the number and oddities of their fuperftitions, have
induced the northern traders to believe that they are fkilful in
magic and divination. For this purpofe their magicians, who
are a peculiar fet of men, make ufe of what they call a drum,
made of the hollowed trunk of a fir, pine, or birch-tree, one
end of which is covered with a fkin j on this they draw,
with a kind of red colour, the figures of their own gods, as
well as of Jefus Chrift, the apoftles, the fun, moon, ftars,
birds, and rivers ; on thefe they place one or two brafs rings,
which, when the drum is beaten with a little hammer, dance
over the figures ; and according to their progrefs, the forcerer
prognofticates. Thofe frantic operations are generally per-
formed for gain ; and the northern Ihip-mafters are fuch dupes
to the arts of the impoftors, that they often buy from them a
magic cord, which contains a number of knots, by opening
cf which, according to the magician's direction, they gain
what wind they want. This is a very common traffic on the
banks of the Red- Sea, and is managed with great addrefs on
the part of the forcerer, who keeps up the price of his knotted
talifman. The Laplanders ftill retain the worfhip of many of
the Teutonic gods, but have among them great remains of
the druidical inftitutions. They believe the tranfmigration of
the foul ; and have feftivals fet apart for the worfhip of certain
genii, called Jeuhles, who they think inhabit the air, and
have great power over human adlionsj but being without form
or fubflance, they afTign to them neither images nor fliatucs.

Lapland is but poorly peopled, owing to the general bar-
rennefs of its foil. The whole number of its inhabitants may
;imount to about 6o,ooo. Both men and women are in ge^
neral fhorter by the head than more fouthcrn Europeans. Mau-
pertuis meafured a woman, who was fuckling her own child,
vrhofe height did not exceed four feet two inches and about
a half} they make, however, a more human appearance than
the men, who are ill-fliaped and ugly, and their heads too
large for their bodies.

When a Laplander intends to marry a female, he, or his
friends, court her father with brandy ; when, with fome dif-
ficulty, he gains admittance to his fair one, he offers her a

beavcr*8

parts of
religion ;
3ugh they
:d by tho
ty of the
Uries, as
and fo
were it
pns, have
fkilful in
ans, who
1 a drum,
tree, one
ey draw,
gods, as
Ml, ftars,
afs rings,
:r, dance
z forcerer
ally per-
ch dupes
n them a
opening
hey gain
ic on the
drefs on
J knotted
many of
mains of
^ration of
•f certain
air, and
out form
atucs.
:ral bar-
mts may
e in ge-i
s. Mau-
n child,
id about
ice than
eads too

, or his
>me dif-
5 her a
beavcr*8

SWEDEN. ri9

beaver's tong«e, or fome other eatable ; which fhe rejefts be-
fore company, but accepts of in private. Cohabitation often
precedes marriage; but every admittance to the fair one is
purchafed from her father by the lover with a bottle of brandy^
and this prolongs the courtfhipfometimes for three years. The
priett of the parifh at laft celebrates the nuptials j but the bride-
groom is obliged to ferve his father-in-law for fodr years after.
He then carries his wife and her fortune home.

Commerce.] Little can be faid of the commerce of the
Laplanders. Their exports confift of fifli, rein-deer, fursj
baflcets, and toys j with fome dried pikes, and checfes made
of rein-deer milk. They receive for thefe, rixdollars, woollen
cloths, linen, copper, tin, flour, oil, hides, needles, knives,
fpirituous liquors, tobacco, and other neceflaries. Their mines are
generally worked by foreigners, and produce no inconfiderable
profit. The Laplanders travel in a kind of caravan, with their
families, to the Finland and Norway fairs. And the reader
may make fome eftimate of the medium of commerce among
them, when he is told, that fifty fquirrel flcins, or one fox-
ikin, and a pair of Lapland ftioes, produce one rixdollar ;
but no computation can be made of the public revenue, the
greateft part of which is allotted for the maintenance of the
clergy. With regard to the fecurity of their property, few
difputes happen j and their judges have no military to enforce
their decrees, the people having a remarkable averfion to war ;
and fo far as we know, never employed in any army. The
Above is the lateft and beft account that has been received of
this extraordinary people. As to the other particulars relating
to them, they are in common with their neighbourj the Danes,
Norwegians, Swedes, and Ruffians.

SWEDEN.

between

C 56 and 69 north latitude.
t i<

Extent and situation.
Miles.
Length 800
Breadth 500 o^cwecn ^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ longitude.

Boundaries and") fX^HIS country is bounded by the
DIVISIONS. 3 J^ Baltic Sea, the Sound, and the
Categate, or Scaggerac, on the fouth j by the impaflable moun-
tains of Norway, on the weft ; by Danifh or Norwegian Lap-
land, on the north j and by Mufcovy on the eaft. It is di*
vided into feven provinces : i. Sweden Proper. 2. Goth-
land. 3. Livonia. 4. Ingria. (Thofe two provinces belong

H 4 aov.

tio

5 W R r> F, N.

1 '

now, however, to the Ruirtar.s, liavln^ been conquered by
iV'tcf the Great, and ceded by pudciior treaties.) 5. Fin-
land. 0. Swcdifh Lapland : and 7. The Swcdifh illands.
Grc.it abaLcinents niuit be made for the hikes, and unimproved
parts of Sweden; whit, h arc io cxtenlive, that the habitable,
p:ut is confnii'd to nanow bounds. The t'ollowing arc the
dimcnfions given us of this kin^'idom.

ujunii; 1

Sum

1 5r ! :? 1

Sweden.

iiulc;;. total. | ,S

f«

Cni.lt.il Cliks.

7(i,>^2_^l

2?$,7t!;i S- 1

"■'

Swid.n i'ropcr

iT^g*^"

142

S T C K II n T. M

N. L. 50 30.
E. L. 19 15.

Or'tliLmd *~

'•5,07 5

'^51

if,o

Cilniir

Schoncn —

igCio

7M35

'/7

Lundcii

Lniil.ind, iiiid

}

76,000

420

340

Tornc
Uma

p'inl.'.nd, nnd

Abo

li. Bnthnia • —

73,000

395

225

Cnjenburg

Cothlnnd I. -

ICCC

Witty

Urland 1.

560

B.jrkholra

150,560

Upper 7 ''""icnni.!.

'.'''

Stralfund

Saxony 5 RuL'cn !•

I'^o

Bergen

1,320

The face of Svv'cdon is pretty funilar to thofe of its neigh-
bouring countfricsj only it has the advantage of navigable
jivers. ^ ' ' . .

. Climate and seasons,") The fame may be faid with
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. J rcg.u'd to this article. Sum-
mer burli:s from winter J and vegetation is more fpeedy than in
ibuthern climates ; for the fun is here fo hot, as fometimcs
to fet forcfti or. fire. Stoves and warm furs mitigate the cold
iof winter, -vvhich is fo intenfc, that the nofes and extremitlc^i
tof the inhabitants are fometinics mortified ; and in fuch cafes,
ihc bcft remedy that has been found out, is rubbing the aficcled
part with fnovv. The Swedes, fincc the days of Charles XII.
"have been at incredible pains to correct the native barrciincfs
of their country, by ereJling colleges of agriculture, and jn
ifomc places with great fuccefs. The foil is much the fame
nvith that of Denmark and fome parts of Norway, generally
•very bad, but in fome vallies furprizingly fertile. The Swedes,
<till of late years, had not induftry fufficient to remedy the one,
nor improve the other. The peafants now follow the agricul-
ture of France and England ; and fome late accounts fay, that
tliey rear almoft as much grain as maintains the natives. Goth-
land produces wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas and beans ; and
in cafe of deficiency, the people are fupplied from Livonia

■an4

S W K D E N.

121

knd the Baltic' provinces. In fun^mcr, the Udds are verdant,
nnd covered with Powers, ;nd produce fhawbirrics, raflierricx,
currants, and other lirall tVuits. '1 he coninu)n people knov,',
as yet, little of the culiivation of apricots, peaches, r.ci^ta-
rincs, pine-apples, and the like high-flavouicd fruits ; but
jijelons arc brought to great pcrfcciioii in dry ieafons.

MiNKRALS AND MiiTALs.] Swcdeji produces chrydnls,
flniethyds, topazes, porphyry, lapis-Ia'/uli, rf ate, cornelian,
liiarblo, and other foflils. T. he chief wealth oi Sweden, how-
ever, arifcs from her miiics of filvcr, copper, lend, and iron.
The laft mentioned metal employs no fewer than 450 forge;;,
hi:mmerin2;-niills, and Imeltinjj: houfcs. A kind of a gohi
mine hab lik.wife been diicovcred in Sweden, but fo inconfi-
derablc, thr.t from the year 1741 to 1747, it produced only
2,398 gold ducats, each valued at gs. 41!. ftcrlmg. 'J'hefiiH:
gallery of t;nc filvcr mine is ico fathoms below the furfacc ot"
the earth; the roof is fupported by prodigious oaken beams j
snd from thence the miners defccnd about 40 fathoms to the
lowed: vein. This mine is faid to produce 20,000 crowiis a'
year., 'I'hc produdlof the copper-mines is uncertain; but the?
yvhole is loaded with valt taxes and reductions to the govern-
ment, which has no other rclburccs for the exigencies of ftate.
Titofe iubterraneous manflons are aflonilhingly fpacious, and
at the iiijiic time comrnodioua lor their inhabitants, fo that tlicy
leem to form a hidden world. The water-fails in Sweden
afford excellent convenicncy for turning mills for forges; and
ior fomc year'--, the exports of Sweden for iron, brought iiv
^00,oool. fterling. Dr. Bufehing thinks that they conllituted
two-thirds of the national revcj)uc. It mull, however, be
obfcrved, that the extortions of the Swcdifli government,
and the importation of Air.erican bar-iron into Europe, and
ibme other caufcs, have greatly diminiflied this manufadlure
m Sv/edcn ; ib that the Swedes very foon mult apply them-:
felves to other branches of trade and improvements, efpecialljf
in agriculture.

Antiquities and curiosities, 7 A few leagues from
NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL. \ Gottcnburg, there is
a hideous precipice, down which a dreadful cataract pf water
rulhes with fuch impctuofity, from the height into fo deep a
bed pf water, that large uialls, and other bodies of timber,'
that are prccipitiiteddown it, difappear, fonic for half iin hour,'
and others for an hour, before they are recovered : tliC bottom
of this bed has never been found, though founded by lines of
Icvcral hundred fathoms. A remarkable filmy lake, which
fm^cs things put into it, has been found in the fouthern part
^f GothUuid : and fevcral parts of Sweden contain a flone,
» . . ♦ wliich

yj.

:.H'

the Catcgatc lea, and the Sound, a
over, which divides Sweden from

rt« SWEDE N".

which heinp of a yellow colour, intermixed with fevcral'
ftreaks of white, as if compofcd of gold and filvcr, aftbrdt
both fulphur, vitriol, allum, and minium. The Swedes pre-
tend to have a manufcript copy of a tranflation of the Gof-
|>el8 into Gothic, done by a bifhop 1300 years ago.

Seas.] Their fcas are the Baltic, and the guTphs of Both-
nia and Finland, which are arms of the Baltic ; and on
the weft of Sweden arc
irait about four miles
Denmark,

Thefc fcss have no tides, and arc frozen up ufually four
tnonths in the year; nor iire they fo Axlt as the ocean, never
mixing with it, becaufe a current fets always out of the Bal-
tic fea into the ocean.

Animals, quadrlteds,) Thcfc differ little from thofc
BIRDS, and fishes. J already deftribed in Norway
and Denmark, to which I muft refer ; only the Swedifh horfet
are known to be more fcrviccable in war than the German,
The Swedifh hawks, when carried to France, have been known
to revifit their native country ; as appears from one that was
killed in Finland, with an infcription on a fmall gold plate,
fignifying that he belonged to the French king. The Rfhet
found in the rivers and lakes of Sweden, are the fame with
thofe in other northern countries, and taken in fuch quanti-
ties, that their pikes (particularly) are falted and pickled for
exportation. The train-oil of the Teals, taken in thegulphof
Ji'inland, is a confidcrable article of exportation.
. Inhabitants, manners, | There is a great diverfity of
AND CUSTOMS. j charaftcrs among the people

cf Sweden ; and what is peculiarly remarkable among them»
they have been known to have different charaders in different
ages. At prefcnt, their peafants feem to be a heavy plodding
race of men, ftrong and hardy ; but without any other ambi-
tion than that of fubfifting themfelves and their families as
well as they can : the mercantile claffcs arc much of the fame
caftj but great application and perfeverance isdifcovered among
them all. One could form no idea that the modern Sweden
are the defcendents of thofe, who, under Guftavus Adolphus
and Qharles XII. carried terror in their names through the
tnoft diftant countries, and fliook the foundations of the greateft
empires. The intrigues of their fenators dragged them to take
part in the late war againft Pruffia; yet their behaviour was
fpiritlefs, and their courage contemptible. The principal no-
bility and gentry of Sweden are naturally brave, polite, and
hofpitable j they have high and warm notions of honour, and
^c jealous of their national intcrefts. The drcf$, exercifes.

SWEDEN.

Hhd diverfions of the common people, arc almoft the fame with
thofe of Denmark : the better fort are infatuated with French
modes and fafhions. They are not fond of marrying their
daughters when young, as they have little to fpare in their
own life-time. The women go to plough, thrcfli out the corn,
row upon the water, ferve the bricklayers, carry burthens, and
do all the common drudgeries in husbandry.

Religion.] Chriftianity was introduced here in the 9th
century. Their religion is Lutheran, which was propagated
among them by Gultavus Vafa, about the year 1523. The
Swedes are furprizingly uniform and unremitting in religious
matters ; and have fuch an averfion to popery, that caftration
is the fate of every Roman-catholic prieft difcovcred in their
country. The archbifliop of Upfal has a revenue of about
400I. a year ; and has under him 13 fuffragans, bcfides fuper-
iiitcndents, with moderate Aipcnds. No clergyman has the
Jeaft direction in the affairs of ftate; but their morals, and the
Ihndity of their lives, endear them fo much to the people,
that the government would repent making them its enemies.
Their churches are neat, and often ornamented. A body of
ccclcfiaflical laws and canons direct their religious oeconomy.
A convcrfion to popery, or a long continuance under excom-
munication, which cannot pafs without the king's permiflion,
is puniihed by imprifonment and exile.

Language, learning, 7 The Swedifh language is »
AND LEARNED MEN. J dialciSt of the Teutonic, and
rcfemblcs that of Denmark. The Swedifh nobility and gen-»
try are, in general, more converfant in polite literature than
thofe of many other more flourifhing ftates. They have of
late exhibited fome noble fpecimens of their munincence for
the improvement of literature; witnefs their fending, at the
expence of private perfons, that excellent and candid natural
philofopherHafelquift, into the eaftern countries for difcoveries,
where he died. This noble fpirit is eminently encouraged by
the royal family ; and her Swedifh majefty purchafed, at no
jnconfiderable expence for that country, all Hafelquifl's col-
le<Slion of curiofities. That able civilian, ftatefman, and hif-
torian, PufFendorfF, was a natiye of Sweden j and fo is the
prcfent Linnaeus, who has carried natural philofophy, in fome
branches at leaft, to the higheft pitch. The paffion of the fa-
mous queen Chriftina for literature, is well known to the
public i -and fhe may be accounted a genius in many branches
of knowledge. Even in the midll: of t!ie prefent diftraftions o**
Sweden, the fine arts, particularly drawing, fculpture, and
architecture, are encouraged and protected. Agricultural

learning, both in theory a;id pradtice^, is npvtr

carried to »
great

i<l

124 ' SWEDEN;

frreat height in that kingdom j and the character given K^
iornc writers, that the Swedes arc a dull heavy people, fitted
only for bodily labour, is in a great mcafure owing to their
having no opportunity of exerting their talents.

Universities.] Thefc are the univerfitics of Upfal, in-
flrituted near 400 years ago, and patronized by feveral fuc-
ccffivc monarchs, particularly by the great Guilavus Adol-
phusj and his daughter queen Chriftina. There is another
at Abo, in Finland, but not fo well endowed nor fo flourifii-
jng: and there was a thiid at Lunden, in Schoncn, which
3S now fallen into decay. Every diocefe is provided with a
free-fchool, in which boys arc qualified for the univerfity.

Manufactures, trade, com- } The Swedifli com.

}

MERGE, AND CHIEF TOWNS. 3 mounltv fubfifi: by a-
griculture, mining, grazing, hunting, and fiihing. Their
materials for traffic, are the bulky and ufcful commodities of
tnafts, beams, deal-boards, and oiher forts of timber for fliip-
ping •, tar, pitch, bark of trees, pot-afh, wooden utcnfils,
hides, flax, hemp, peltry, furs, copper, lead, iron, cordage,
and fiih. Even the manufa(^iuring of iron was introduced into
Sweden fo late as the i6th century ; for till that time they fold
their own crude ore to the Hanfe towns, and bought it back again
manufadiured into utenfils. About the middle of the 17th
century, by the aififtance of the Dutch and Flemings, they
fet up fome manufactures of glafs, ftarch, tin, woollen, filk,
foap, leather-drcfiing, and faw-mills. Book-felling was at
that time a trade unknown in Sv/cden. They have fincc had
fugar-baking, tobacco-plantations, and manufadlures of fail-
cloth, cotton, fuftian, and other fluffs; of linen, allum, brim-
ftone, paper-mills, and gunpowder-mills; vaft quantities of
copper, brafs, flee), ;ind iron, are now wrought in Sweden,
They have alfo foundcries for cannon, forgeries for fire-arms
p.nd anchors, armories, wire and flatting-mills ; mills alfo for
fulling, and for boring, and itamping; and of late they have
built many fhips for fale.

Certain towns in Sw^eden, being 24 in number, are called
Staple-towns, where the merchants are allowed to import
and export commodities in their own fhips. Thofe towns
which have no foreign commerce, though lying near the fea,
are called land-towns. A third kind are termed mine-towns,
as belonging to mine diftrifts. The Swedes, about the year
1752, had greatly cncreafed their exports, and diminiflied
their imports, moll part of which arrive, or are fent oft' in
Swedifh fliips; the Swedes having; now a kind of navigation-
a(5t, like that of the Englilh. I'hofe promifing appearances
were, however, blalled, by the madncfa and jealouilcs of thq

Swcdilh

S' W E D E N.

12^

ies of

Swedifh government ; the form of which fhall be hereafter cle-
fcribcd ; and the people are now fo oppreft with taxes, that
fomc important revolution is daily cxpc6tcd in that kingdom,

Stockholm is a ftaplc-town, and the capital of ih^i king-
dom ; it ftands about 790 miles north eaft from London, upon
iix contiguous iflands, and built upon piles. The caf-
tle, thouii,h commodious, and covered with copper, has nei-
ther ftrength nor beauty; but accommodates the royal court,
and the national courts and colleges. The number of houfe-
keepcrs who pay taxes, are 60,000. The harbour is fpacious
and convenient, though difficult of accefs, and this city is fur-
niflicd with all the exterior marks of magniSccncc, and erec-
tions for manufadures and commeice (particularly a national
bank, the capital of which is 466,666!. 13s. 4d. Ikrling) that
are common to other great Europ an cities.

Government.] The government of Sv/cdcn, by whicfl
I mean its political conftitutions, is of )tfv.ir a (ludy, occafioned
by the checks which each order has upon atiother. The
Swedes, like the Danes, were originally free ; but after various
revolutions, which will be hereafter mentioned, Charles XII.
who was killed in 1718, became defpotic. He was fucceeded
by his fiftcr, Ulrica ; who confntcd to the abolition of de-
fpotifm, and reftoied the Itates to their former liberties j and
they, in return, allociated her hufbaud, the landgrave of
Heffe-Caflel, with her in the government. A new model of
the conftitution w s then drawn up, by which the roval power
was brought, perhaps, too low ; for the king of Sweden can
fcarcely be called by that name, being limited in every excr-
cife of government, and even in the cduiation of his own chil-
dren. The diet of the ftates appointed tiie great officers of tiie
kingdom; and all employnieius of ajiy v.ilue, ecclefiaftical,
civil, or military, are conferred by the king only with the ap-
probation of the fenate. The citatcs arc formed of deputies
from the four orders, nobilitv, clergy, burghers and pca-
lants. The reprefeiuatives of the nubility, \\'hich includes
the gentry, amount to above 1000, ihofe of the clergy to
200, the burghers to about 150, and the pcafants to -250.
Each order fits in its own hoiife, and has its ov/n fpeakerj
and each chufcs a fccret com.mitiec fur the difpatch of bufi-
nefs. The fl.atcs are to be convoked once in tlircc years, in
the month of January; and their collccfivc body have greater
powers than the parliameiit of Great-Britain ; becaufe, as it
has been obllrvcd, the king's prerogative is far more bounded.

When ii:o llatcs are not iittiug, the affairs of the public are
mana^ied by the khvz and th(; ll-iutc, which ;irc no other tliari

a com-

i-26

SWEDEN.

a committee of the jftates, but chofen in a particulaf manttcf j
the nobility, or upper houfe, appoint 24 deputies, the clergy
12, and the burghers I2; thefe chufe three perfons, who are
to be prefented to the king, that he may nominate one out
of the three for each vacancy. The peafants have no vote
in ele«5ting a fenator. Almoft all the executive ^ power is
lodged in the fenate, which confifts of 14 members, befides
the chief governors of the provinces, the prefident of the
chancery, and the grand marfhal. Thofe ienators, during
the recefs of the ftates, form the king's privy-counciJ ; but
he has no more than a cafting vote in their deliberations. Ap-
peals lie to them from different courts of judicature; but each
ienator is accountable for his conduct to the ftates. Thus,
upon the whole, the government of Sweden may be called re-
publican, for the king's power is not fo great as a ftadtholder*
The fenate has even a power of impofing upon the king a
fub-committce of their number, who is to attend upon hia
perfon, and to be a check upon all his proceedings, down to
the very management of his family. It would be endlefs ta
recount the numerous fubordinate courts, boards, commiflionsj
and tribunals, which the jealoufy of the Swedes have intro-
duced into the adminiftration of civil, military, commercial,^
and other departments; it is fufficient to fay, that though
nothing can be more plaufible, yet nothing is lefs prailicable
than the whole plan of their diftributive powers. Their offi-
cers and minifters, under the notion of making them checks
upon one another, arc multiplied to an inconvenient degree ;
many of their courts have little or nothing to do ; and every
operation of government is retarded or rendered incfFedlual,
by the tedious forms through which it muft pafs. This is
ieen in the prefent deplorable ftate of Sweden, where its whole
fyftem of government was lately in danger of annihilation j
•which muft ftill be the confequence, if fomc material altera-
tions are not introduced into it by the ftates; for the king and
people equally complain of the fenate.

Political interests 7 The Swedes of late have been
OF Sweden. 3 little better than penfioners to

France. Through a ftrange medley of affairs, and views of
intereft, that crown has vaft influence in all the deliberations
of their fenate; though it is evident, that the great fcheme of
the French is, to enlarge the royal powers foas that the king,
who muft depend upon them for fupport, may have it in his -
power to controul the refolutions of the fenate. The impru-
dence of the majority of that body, by reducing the royal
power into too narrow a compafs, and, at the fame time, op-
prefling the people, aft'ord them a fair pr^fpe^^ gf fugcefs. It

SWEDEN.

127

Is, however, to be hoped, that his Swedifli majeftjr, the mo*
ment he is extricated from the prefent difficulties of his govern-
ment, v/\\\ apply himfelf to the true interefts of his country^
and be contented, under the guaranty of Great-Britain, to
obferve a ftrift neutrality with regard both to Denmark and
Ruflla. T.he intereft of Sweden even reaches as far as Tur-
key; for that empire found its account in balancing tha
power of Ruffia by that of Charles XII. At prefent, Swqdea
is crippled in every operation ; and fucb Are the public diftrac-
tions, that her fubjedls are even difablcd from availing them-
felves of the natural produce of their country in manufa<fturea
and exports.

Revenue AND COIN'.] The revenue of Sweden, fincetha
unfortunate wars of Charles XII. has been greatly reduced.
Her gold and filver fpecie, in the late reign, arofe chiefly
from the king's German dominions. Formerly, the crown-
lands, poll-money, tithes, mines, and other articles,' are faid
to have produced a million fterling. The payments that are
made in copper, which is here the chief medium of commerce^
is extremely inconvenient; fome of thofe pieces being as large
as tiles j and a cart or wheelbarrow is often required to carry
home a moderate fum. The Swedes, however, have gold
ducats, and eight-mark pieces of filver, valued each at 5s. 2d,
ar» 1 the fubfidies paid them by France helps to encreafe their
currency.

Strength and forces.] I have already hinted, that
no country in the world has produced greater heroes, or braver
troops, than the Swedes ; and yet they cannot be faid to main-
tain a ftanding army, as their forces confift of a regulated mi-
litia. The cavalry is cloathed, armed, and maintained, by a
rate raifed upon the nobility and gentry, according to their
eftates ; and the inflmtry by the peafants. Each province is
obliged to find its proportion of foldiers, according to the
number of farms it contains; every farm of 60 or 70 1. per
annum, is charged with a foot-foldier, furnifliing him with
diet, lodging, and ordinary cloaths, and about 20 s. a year
in money ; or elfe a little wooden houfe is built him by tho
farmer, who allows him hay and pafturage for a cow, and
ploughs and fows land enough to fuppiy him with bread. When
embodied, they are fubjcd: to military law, but otherwife to
the civil law of the country, it may therefore literally be
faid, that every Swedifli foldier has a property in the country
he defends. This national army is thought to amount to
above 40,000 men ; and Sweden formerly could have fitted
•ut forty iliips of the line.

. •, ROYAI,.

S Vf t D E N'.

I !

Royal STILE.] The king's ftile is, King of the Gotlii
iind Vandals, great prince of Finland, duke of Schoncn, Po-
meran, 5cc.

History of sweIjen.] The Goths, the ancient inhabi-
tants of this country, joined by the Normans, Danes, Saxons,
Vandals, &c. have had the reputation of fubduing the Roman
empire, and all the fouthcrn nations of Europe. I fhall not
here follow the wild romances of Swcdifli historians through
the early ages. It is fufHcient to fa)', that Sweden has as good
a claim to be an ancient monarchy, as any we know of. Nor
fliall I difputc her being the paramount ftate of Scandinavia
^Sweden, Denmark, and Norway) and that Ihe borrowed her
name from one of her princes. The in'.roduiiion of Chrillia-
nity, ' however, by Anr;^arii!s, bilhop of Bremen, in 829,
fccms to prefcnt the firtt certain period of the Swcdifli hiftory.

The hiftory of Sweilcn, and indeed of all the northern na-
tions, even during the ilili: ages of Chril'danity, is con-
fufcd and unintcrelling, and olien doubtful ; but fuflicicnt-
ly replete with murders, maflacres, and ravages. '^Iliat of
Sweden is void of conriPi.enr\-, till -about the middle of
the fointeentli century, wlien it ajlumcs an appearance
more rc<i-ular and conrdlcnt ; and altords wherewith to re-
CO', pence the attention of thofe v/ho choofe to make it an ob-
jcHi of their fi:udies. At this time, however, the government
of the Swedes was far from being clearly afccrtained, or uni-
formly adminiftcred. The crown w.s elective, though in this
election the rif>-hts of blood were not alto'iether difretrarded.
'I'he great lords poueiled the mofl confiderable part of the
wealth of the kingdom, which conrilled chiefly in land j com-
merce beint!; unknown or n.f:l;:Ctcd, and even ac»-riculture
itfelf in a very rude and imperfedl: fiate. I'he clergy,
particularly thofe of a dignified rank, from the great re-
1'pe(51: paid to their charai;;ter, among the inhabitants of the
north, had acquired an immcnfe influence \n all public affairs,
and had obtained pollc-lHons of what lands had been left un-
occupied by the nobility. Thcfe two ranks of men, enjoying
all the property of the ftate, formed a council called the
Senate, which was mailer of all public deliberations. This
fyftcm of government was extremely unfavourable to the na-
tional profpcrity. The Swedes perifhed in the diffentions
between their prelates and lay-barons, or between thofe aiid
their fovereign ; they were draii^ed of the little riches they
pollcffed, to fupport the indolent »pomp of a few magnificent
bifhops'; and what was ftill more fatal, the unlucky fituatiou

,' of their internal aftain', c^^pofcd thcin to the inroads and op-

|_ preiliou of a foreign enemy. Thefe were the DaneS, who, by
^'^ their

Gothi
;n, Po-

inhabi-
axons,
Roman
all not
hroiigh
as good
f. Nor
lidinavia
Iweil her
^hriflia-
829,
hiftory.
cm na-

is C0!1-

iflicicnt-
I'Jiat of
idcllc of
pearancc
1 to re-
it an ob-
^crnmcnt
or uni-
xh in this
rco;ardcu.
t of the
d J coni-
riculture
clergy,
great re-
s of the
c affairs,
left un-
erijoying
died the
;. This
the na-
ffentions
lofe aiid
dies they
gftificent
fituatiou
ar,d op-
wlio, by
their

S W E D E N. . 129

their neighbourhood and power, were always able to avail them-
lelves of the difl'entions in Sweden, and to fubje<St under a fo-
reign yoke, a country weakened and exhaufted by its domellic
broils. In this deplorable fituation Sweden remained for more
than two centuries j fometimes under their nominal fubjedtion
of its own princes, fometimes united to the kingdom of Den-
mark, and in either cafe equally opprelTed and infulted.

Towards the year 1374, Margaret, daughter of Valde-
rar, king of Denmark, and widow of Huguin, king of Nor-
way, reigned in both thefe kingdoms. That princefs, to
the ordinary ambition of her fex, added a penetration and en-
largement of mind, which rendered her capable of conducing
the greateft and moft complicated defigns. She has been called
the Semiramis of the north, becaufe, like Semiramis, flie found
means to reduce by arms or by intrigue, an immcnfe extent of
territory ; and became queen of Denmark, Norway and Swe-
den. She projected the union of Calmar, fo famous in the
north, by which thefe kingdoms were for the future to remain
under one fovereign, eledled by each kingdom in its turn, and
who fliould divide his refidence between them all. Chriftiern
II. the laft king of Denmark, who, by virtue of this agree-
ment, was alfo king of Sweden, had an ambition to become
abfolute. The barbarous policy, by which he attempted to
effedluate this defign no lefs barbarous, proved the deftru<3:ioji
of himfejf, and afforded an opportunity for changing the face
of affairs in Sweden. In order to eftablifli his authority ia
that kingdom, he laid a plot for maffacring the principal no-
bility. This horrid defign was adlually carried into execu-
tion, Novembers, 1510. Of all thofe who could oppofe the
defpotic purpofes of Chriftiern, no one remained in Sweden,
but Guftav.us Vafa, a young prince, *defcended of the ancient
kings of that country, and who had already fignalized his
arms againft the king of Denmark. An immcnfe price was
iaid on his head. The Danifli foldiers were fent in purfuit of
him ; but by his dexterity and addrefs, he eluded all their at-
tempts, and efcaped under the difguife of a pcafant, to the
mountains of Dalicarlia. This is not the place to relate his
dangers and fatigues, how to prevent his difcovery he wrought
in the brafs-mines, how he was betrayed by thofe in whom he
repofed his confidence, and in fine, furmounting a thoufand
obftacles, engaged the favage but warlike inhabitants of Dali-
carlia, to undertake his caufc, to oppofe, and to conquer his
tyrannical oppreffor. Sweden, by his means, again acquired
independence. The antient nobility were moftly deftroycd,
Guftavus was at the head of a vidtorious army, who admired
his vailour, and were attached to his perfon, He was created,

VoL.,Ir i tiKrefore,

1^0 SWEDE N.

therefore, firft adminiftrator, and afterwards kin* of Sweden,
by the univcrfal confent, and with the fhouts of the whole na-
tion. His circumftances were much more favourable than thofe
of any former prince, who had poflefled this dignity. The maf-
facre of the nobles, had rid him of thofe proud and haughty
enemies, who had fo long been the bane of all regular govern-
ment in Sweden. The clergy, indeed, were no lefs powerful
and dangerous; but the opinions of Luther, which began at
this time to prevail in the north, the force with which they
were fupported, and the credit which they had acquired among
the Swedes, gave him an opportunity of changing the reli-
gious fyftem of that country, and the exercife of the Roman
catholic religion was prohibited, undt^r the fevercft penalties,
(which have never yet been relaxed) in the year 1544. Inftead
of a Gothic ariftocracy, the moft turbulent of all governments,
and when cmpoifoned by religious tyranny, of all governments
the moft wretched, Sweden, in this manner, became a regular
monarchy : the happy efteds of this change were foon vifible.
Arts and manufadturcs were eftablifhed and improved; navi-
gation and commerce began to flourifh ; letters and civility
were introduced ; and a kingdom, known only by name to the
reft of Europe, began to be known by its arms, and to have a
certain weight in all public treaties or deliberations.

Guftavus, after a glorious reign, died in 1559 > while his
fldeft fon, Eric, was preparing to embark for England, to
marry queen Elizabeth.

Under Eric, who fucceded his father, Guftavus Vafa, the
titles of count and baron were introduced into Sweden, and
made hereditary. Eric's mil'erable and caufelcfs jealoufy of
his brothers, forced them to take up arms ; and the fenate fiding
with them, he was depofed in 1566. His brother John fuc-
ceeded him, and entered into a ruinous war with Ruflia.
John attempted, by the advice of his queen, to re-eftablifli thq
catholic religion in Sweden j but, though he made ftrong
fefForts for that purpofe, and even reconciled himfelf to the
pope, he was oppofed by his brother Charles, and the fcheme
proved inefFedlual. John's fon, Sigifmund, was, however,
chofen king of Poland in 1587, upon which he endeavoured
again to reftore the Roman-catholic religion in his dominions,
but he died in 1592.

Charles, brother to king John, was chofen adminiftrator of
Sweden ; and being a ftrenuous proteftant, his nephew, Si-
gifmund, endeavoured to drive him frum the adminiftrator-
fliip, but without effed ; till at lail, he and his family were
excluded from the fucceflion to the crown, which was con-
ferred upon Chiirks. The reign of Charles, through the
t ^radices

SWEDEN.

Sweden,
vhole na-
han thofe
rhe maf-
I haughty
r govern-
powerful
began at
lich they
;d among
the reli-
e Roman
penalties,
. Inflead
rnments,
ernments
a regular
n vilible.
di navi-
1 civility
ne to the
to have a

vhile his
;land, to

^afa, the

en, and

oufy of

te Tiding

)hn fuc-

Ruffia.

yV\{\\ th^

ftrong

to the

fchenie

owever,

avoured

linions,

rator of
:w, Si-
ftrator-
ly were
IS con-
gh the
radices

pi^^irces of Siglfmund, who was himfelf a powei-ful prince,
and at the head of a great party both in Sweden and Ruflia,
Ivas turbulent; which gave the Danes encouragement to
invade Sweden. Their condudl was checked by the great
Guftavus Adolphus, though then a minor, and heir apparent
to Sweden. Upon the death of his father, which happened
in 1611, he was declared of age by the ftates, though then
only in his eighteenth year. Guftavus, foon after his accef-
ilon, found himfelf, through the power and intrigues of the
Poles, Ruffians, and Danes, engaged in a war with all his
neighbours^ under infinite difadvantages 5 all which ho fur-
tnounted; He narrowly milled being mafter of Rufli.i j but
the Ruffians were fo tenacious of their independency, that his
fcheme was baffled. In 16 17, he made a peace, under the
mediation of James I. of England, by which he recovered
Livonia, and four toWns in the prefecture of Nipvogorod, with
a fum of money befides.

The ideas of Guftavus began now to extend. He had
feen a vaft deal of military fervice^ and he was affifted by
the counfels of La Gardie, one of the beft generals and
wifeft ftatefmen of his age. His troops, by perpetual war^ ,
had become the beft difciplined and moft warlike in Europe j
and he carried his ambition farther than hiftorians are willing
to acknowledge. The princes of the houfe of Auftria were>
it is certain, early jealous of his enterprizlng fpirit, and fup-
ported his antient implacable enemy Sigifmund, whom Gufta*
vus defeated} and in 1627, he formed the fiege of Dantzic^
in which he was unfuccefsful j but the attempt, which was
defeated only by the fudden rife of the Viftula, added fo much
to his military charadler, that the proteftant caufe placed hini
at the head of the confederacy for reducing the houfe of Au-
ftria. His life, from that time, was a continued chain of the
moft rapid and wonderful fuccefies : even the mention of
each would exceed our bounds. It is fufficient to fay, that
after taking Riga, iand overrunning Livoniaj he entered Po-
land, where he was victorious ; and from thence, in 1630^
he landed in Pomerania, drove the Germans out of Mecklen-
burgh, defeated the famous count Tilly, the Auftrian |ene-i
ral, who was till then thought invincible j and over-ran t ran4
conia. Upon the defeat and death of Tilly, Wallenflrei:^^
another Auftrian general, of equal reputation, was appointed
to command againft Guftavus^ who was killed upon thd
plain of Lutzen, after gaining a battle ; which had he fur-*-
vived, would probably have put a period to the Auftrian
greatnefsi

I 2 . . . , l"hi

!"■

t3« SWEDEN.

The amazing abilities of Guftavus Adolphus, both in the
cabinet and the field, never appeared (o fully as after his death.
He left behind him a fet of generals, trained by himfelf, who
maintained the glory of the Swedilh army with moft aftonifli-
incr valour and fucccfs. The names of duke Bernard, Ban-
iiicr, Torflenfon, Wrangcl, and others, and their prodigious
adions in war, never can be forgotten in the annals of Europe,
It is uncertain what courfe Guftavus would have purfued, had
his life been prolonged, and his fuccelles continued ; but there
is the ftrongeft rcafons to believe that he had in his eye fome-
what more than the relief of the proteitants, and the reftoratioa
of the Palatine fLunily. His chancellor, Oxenfticrn, was as
confummate a politician as he was a warrior ; and during the
minority of his daughter Chriftina, he managed the affairs of
Sweden with fuch fucccfs, that flie in a manner dictated the
peace of Weftphalia, which threw the affairs of Europe into
a new lyflem.

Chriftina" was but fix years of age when her father was killed.
She received a noble education ; but her fine genius took an
uncommon, and indeed romantic turn. She invited to her
court Defcartes, Salmafius, and other learned men ; to whom
ihe was not, however, extremely liberal. She exprefled a
value for Grotius ; and (he was an excellent judge of the
polite arts : but illiberal, and indelicate in the choice of her
private favourites. She at the fame time difcharged all the
duties of her high ftation ; and though her generals were bafely
betrayed by France, fhe continued to fupport the honour of
|ier crown. Being refolvcd not to marry, (he refigned her
crown to her coufin, Charles Guftavus, fon to the duke of
Deux-Points, in 1654.

Charles had great fuccefs agalnft the Poles : he drove their
king, John Cafimir, into Silcfia ; and received from them an
oath of allegiance, which, with their ufual inconftancy, they
broke. His progrcfs upon the ice againft Denmark, has been
already mentioned ; and he died of a fever in 1660. His fon
and fucceflbr, Charles XI, was not five years of age at his
father's death ; and this rendered it neceflary for his guardians
to conclude a peace with their neighbours, by which the Swedes
gave up the ifland of Bornholm, and Drontheim, in Norway,
All differences were accommodated at the fame time with Ruflia
and Holland ; and Sweden continued to make a very refpedlable
figure in the aff^xirs of Europe. When Charles came to be of
age, he received a fubfidy from the French king, Lewis XIV,
but perceiving ihc liberties of P^urope to be in danger from
tlut monarch's ambition, he entered into the alliance with
^n;jiand and HvllHud agaiiift hijtn. He afterwards joined with

Ffancc

SWEDE N. 13}

France againft the houfe of Auflria j but being beaten in
Germany at Fclcm-Bcllin, a powerful confederacy was formed
againft him. The elcdtor of Brandenburg made himfelf mafter
of the Swedifli Pomcrania ; the bifliop of Munftcr overran
Bremen and Verdcn, and the Danes tooic Wifmar, and fevcral
places in Schonen. They were aftcrv/arJs beaten ; and Charles,
by the treaty of St. Gcrmains, which followed that of Nime-
guen, recovered all he had lofl, except fome places in Ger-
many. He then married Ulrica Leonora, the king of Den-
mark's fifter : but made a very bad ufe of the tranquillity he
had regained ; for he cnflaved and begi;arcd his people, that ho
might render his power dcfpotic, and his army formidable.
The ftates loft all their power ; and Sweden was reduced to
the condition of Denmark. He ordered the brave Patkul,
who was at the head of the Livonian deputies, to lofe his
head and his right hand, for the boldnefs of his remonftrance
in favour of his countrymen, but he faved himfelf by flight ;
and Charles became fo confiderable a power, that the con-
ferences for a general peace at Ryfvvic were opened under his
mediation.

Charles XI. died in 1697, and was fucceeded by his minor
ion, the famous Charles XII. The hiftory of no prince it
better known than that of this hero. His father's will had
fixed the age of his majority to eighteen, but it was fet afide
for an earlier date by the management of count Piper ; who
became thereby his hrft minifter. Soon after his acceflion,
the kings of Denmark and Poland, and the czar of Mufcovy,
formed a powerful confederacy againlt him, encouraged by the
mean opinion they had of his youth and abilities. He made
head againft them all ; and beficging Copenhagen, he diftated
the peace of Travcndahl to his Danifli majcfty, by which the
duke of Holftein was re-eftablifhed in his dominions. The
czar Peter was at this time ravaging Ingria, at the head of
80,000 men, and had beficged Narva. 'J he army of Charles
did not exceed 20,000 men ; but fuch was his impatience,
that he advanced at the head of 8000, entirely routed the main
body of the Ruffians, and raifed the fiegc. Such were his fuc-
ceflics, and fo numerous his prifoners, that the Ruffians atw
tributed his actions to necromancy. Charles from thence
marched into Saxony, where his warlike atchievements eijual-
Icd, if they did not excel, thofe of Guftavus Adolphus. Hf
dethroned Auguftus king of Poland : but he ftained all his
laurels, hy putting the brave count Patkul to a death equally
painful and ignominious. He raifed Stanillaus to the crown
of Poland ; and his name carried with it fuch terror, that he
was courted by all the powers of Europe j and among others,

I 3 fay

IS t

is '

«!'>

134 SWEDEN.

by the duke of Marlborouo-h, in the name of queen Ani^e^
amidft the full career of herTucccflcs againft France. His ftub-
bornnefs and implrcable difpofition, however, was fuch, that
he can rot be conftdercd in a better light than that of an
illuftrious madman ; for he loft, in the battle of Pultowt,
Which he fuught in his march to dethrone the czar, more than
all he had gained by his vidories. His brave army was ruined,
and he was forced to take refuge among the Turlcs at Bender.
His adlions there, in attempting to defend himfclf >yith 300
Swedes againft 30,000 Turks, prove hini to have been worfe
than frantic. The Turks found it, however, convenient for
their affairs, to fet him at liberty. But his misfortunes did
not cure his military ina'nefs j and after his return to his do-
minions, he profecuted his revenge againft Denmark, i\\\ he
was killed by a cannon-fhot, at the ficge of Fredericflial, in
Norway, belonging to the Danes, in 1718, when he was no
more than thirty-fix years of age.

Charles XII. was fucceedcd, as I have already mentioned,
by his fiftcr, the princefs Ulrica Eleonora, >vife to the here-
ditary prince of Hefle. We have already feen in what man-
ner the Swedes recovered their liberties j and given the fub-
llance of the capitulation figncd by the queen and her hulband,
when they entered upon the exercife of government. Theiif
iirft care was to make a peace with Great-Britain ; which thi
late king intended to have invaded. The S>vedes then, to
prevent their farther lofles by the progrefs of the RufTian, the
Daniih, the Saxpn, and other arms, made many gre.t facri-
•fices to obtain peace from thofe powers. The French, how-
ever, about the year 1738, formed a dangerous party in the
kingdom, under the name of the Hats j which not only broke
the internal quiet of the kingdom, but led it into a ruinous
war with Ruffia. ' Their Swedifli majefties having no children,
it was neceifary to fettle the fucGeflion ; efpecially ais the duke
of Holfkin was defcended from the qifeen's eldeft After, and
was, at the fapie ti^e, the prefumptive heir to the empire of
Huflia. Four competitors appeared ; the duke of Holftein
Oottorp ; prince Frederic of Hcfle-Caflel, nephew to the king j
the prince of Denmark, and the duke of Deux-Points. The
duke of Holfttin would have carried "the election, had he not
embraced the Greek religion, that he might mount the throne
of Ruffia. The czarina iriterpofed, and offered to reftore all
the icoriquefts flie had made from Sweden, excepting a fmall
diftridl m Finland, if the Swedes would receive the duke of
Holftein's uncle, the biftiop of Lubec, as their hereditary
prince, and fucceflbr to their cfown. This was agreed to;
and ^ peace was concluded at Abo, under the n^ediation of his
>' Britannic

RUSSIA.

»?5

Britannic majefty. This peace was fo firmly adhered to by
the czarina, that his Danifh majefty thought proper to drop
all theeftedts of his refentmcnt, and the indignity done his fon.
The prince fucceffor married the princcfs Ulrica, filter to the
king of Pruflia ; and entered into the pollenion of his new dig-
nity, which has proved to him a crown of thorns, in 1751.
The reader, from what has been already prcniifcd, can be at
no lofs to know the fcquel of the Swedifli hiftoiy to this prc-
fent time.

GREAT RUSSIA, or MUSCOVY, in Europe.

Situation and extent.
Miles. Degrees.

Length 1500 7 Y,Qtvfccn S ^3 and 65 eafllong.
Breadth iioo j , i 47 and 72 north lat.

Divisions 7 A CCORDING to the moft authentic ac-
AND NAME. 3 ,/"^ counts of this mighty empire, it con-
fifts of fifteen (Mr. Voltaire fays fixtcen) provinces, or go-
vernments ; befides part of Carclia, Elthonia, Ingria, and
J^ivonia, which were conquered from Sweden.

The following arc the dimenfions of it, given us by

Templcman.

•

Ruflia.

Square
miles.

1 160

03
S.
&

1050

Chief cities.

r Ruf. or Muf.

784,650

Mofcow,

J Belnorod,

72,900

47'!

28 s

Waronctr,

Creek Church

"S DonCoflacks,

57,00c

400

280

Panchina,

1 Uk. Coflacks,

45,oco

-^-^o

205

Kiow,

V Laplandj

72,000

405

270

Kola,

Cnnquered

r Finland,

41,310

-520

180

Petersburg,

from Sweden

< Livonia,

ai>5*S

Z18

Riga, •

flnce J700.

i Ingria,

9,100

»7S

Nottcburg.

Total-

-11 0:5,485

The reader, however, is to obferve, that the knowledge
the public has of this empire, is but lately acquired j and is
ftill fo doubtful, that it is very difficult to fix even the limits
between the European and Afiatic Ruflia. As to the names
of Ruflia and Mufcovy, by which this empire is arbitrarily
called, they probably are owing to the antient inhabitants,
the Rufli, or Borufli, and the river Mofca, upon which th«?
antient capital Mofcow was built y but of this w« know no--
^ing certain.

I 4 Clirsate,

II 1'

If! I

136 R

Climate, soil,

u s s I a;

In the fouthern parts of Ruflia,

Climate, SOIL, pro-1 In thcfouthern partsof Rufna,
RUCTIONS, VEGETAHLES, >or Mufcovy, the lougcft day docs

MINES, AND MINERALS. J MOt CXCCcd fittCCll houfS and 9.

halfj whereas in the nioft northern, the fun is fccn in fummer
two months above the horizon. The reader from this will
naturally conclude, that there is in Mufcovy a vart divcrfity
of foil as well as climate, and that the extremes of both arc
to be fcen and felt in this vafl: empire. The quiclcnefs of
vegetation here, is pretty much the fame as has been dcfcribed
in Scandina\ i.i. The fnow is the natural manure of Ruflia,
where grain j.Mow;i in plenty, near Poland, and in the warmer
provinces. The bulk of the people, ho\ve\er, arc miferably
fed ; the foil produces a vaft number of mufhrooms for their
fubfiltcnce ; and in fomc places, bcfidcs oaks and firs, Ruflia
yields rhubarb, flax, hemp, palture for cattle, wax, honey,
rice, and melons. The boors are particularly caieful in the
cultivation of honey, which yields them plenty of methcglin,
their ordinary drink 5 they likewife extract a fpirit from rye,
which they prefer to brandy.

That a great part of Ruflia was populous in formcf days, is
not to be difputcd ; though it is equally certain, that the
inhabitants, till lately, were but little acquainted with agri-
culture; and fupplird the place of bread, as the inhabitants
of Scandinavia do now, with a kind of faw-dull and a pre-
paration of fifli-boncs. Peter the Great, and his fucccflbrs,
down to the prefent cmprcfs, have been at incredible pains to
introduce agriculture into their dominions ; and though the
foil is not every where proper for corn, yet its vail fertility
in fomc provinces, bids fair to make grain as common in
..Jluflia as it is in the fouthcrn countries of Europe. The vaft
communications, by means of rivers, which the inland parts
of that empire have with each other, ferve to fupply one pro-
vince with thofe produiSts of the earth in which another may
.be deficient. As to mines and minerals, they are as plentiful
in Ruflia as in Scandinavia ; and the people arc cjaily improv-
ing in working them.

Mountains, RIVERS, forests,") ThcZimnopoiasmoun-
AND FACE OF THE COUNTRY, j tains, which Hc in this
empire, are thought to be the famous Monies Riphiei of the
;.ntients. The moft confidcrable rivers arc the Wolga, which,
after travcrfing the greatefl: part of Mufcovy, and winding a
courfc of above 2000 Englifh miles, difchargcs itfelf into the
Cafpian fea : it is not only reckoned the largeft, but one of
the mofl: fertile rivers of Europe : it produces all kinds of fifli ;
and fertili7xs all the lands on each fide with the richi fl trees,
fruits, and vegetablt';. The Don, or Tana;?, vfhkh civides

th«

the

tov
ha(
by
fea
fiv
Pa
frol

RUSSIA; 1^7

(he mofl caftcrn part of Ruflia from Afia ; and in its courfe
towards the cafl:, comes fo near the VVolga, that the late czar •
had undertaken to have cut a communication between them
by means of a canal : this grand projedt, however, was de-
feated by the irruptions of the Tartars. This river, cxclu-
five of its turnings and windings, difcharges itfelf into the
Palus Maiotis, or fea of Afoph, about four hundred miles
from its rife. The Borifthents, or Dnieper, which is like-
wife one of the largeft rivers in Kurope, runs through Lithu-
ania, the country of the Zaporog Coll'acks, and that of the
Nagaifch Tartar.-, which falls into the Euxinc, or Black-fea,
near Oczakow j it has thirteen cataradts within a fmall
diftance.

As to forefts, they abound in this extenfive country ; and
the northern and north-eallern provinces, are in a manner
defart; nor can the few inhabitants they contain be called
Chriftians rather than Pagans. Upon the whole, Mufcovy is
in general a flat level country.

Animals, quadrupeds, birds, 7 Thefe do not differ
FiSHiis, AND insects. J greatly from thofe de-

fcribed in the Scandinavian provinces j to which we muft
refer the reader. The lynx, flimous for its piercing eye, is a
native of this empire; and makes prey of every creature
it can maftcr : they are faid to be produced chiefly in the
fir-tree forcfts. Tht hyaenas, bears, wolves, foxes, and
other creatures already defcribed, aliord their furs for cloath-
ing the inhabitants ; but the furs of the black foxes, and
ermine, are more valuable in Ruflia than elfewhere. The
dromedary and camel were formerly almoft the only beafU
of burden known in many parts of Ruflia. Czar Peter en-
couraged a breed of large horfes for war and carriages ; but
thofe employed in the ordinary purpofes of life are but fiiiall ;
as are their cows and fheep, which they fait for their win-
ter provifions.

We know of few or no birds in Ruflia, that have not been
already defcribed. The fame may be faid of fiflies ; only the
Ruflians arc better provided than their neighbours are with
fturgeon, cod, falmon, and belagas : the latter refemble a
fturgeon, and is from twelve to fifteen feet in length ; its flefh
is white and delicious. Of the roe of the flursjeon and the
belaga, the Ruflians make the famous cavear j fo much
efteemed for its richnefs and flavour, that it is often fent in
prefents to crowned heads.

Population, MANNERS I Nothing can be more inju-

AND CUSTOMS. J dicious, or remote from truth,

than the accounts wc have from authors, of the population of

this

IH ,

13S RUSSIA;

this vaft empire ; the whole of which, they think, does not
exceed, at moft, feven millions. It is furprizing that fuch a
miitake Ihould have continued-fo long, when we confider the
immcnfe armies brought into the field by the fovereigns of
Ruflii, and the bloody wars they maintained in Afia and
Europe. Mr. Voltaire is, perhaps, the firft author who has
attempted to undeceive the public in this refpev'l: ; and has
iJone it upon very authentic grounds, by producing a lift,
taken in 1747, of all the males who paid the capitation, or
poU-tjx, and which amount to fix million, fix hundred and
forty-fix thoufand, three hundred and ninety. In this num-
ber are included boys and old men j but girls and women arc
not reckoned, nor boys born between the making of one regi-
fter of the lands and another. Now, if we only reckon triple
tlie number of heads fubjedl to be taxed, including women and
girls, we fliall find near twenty millioni of fouls. To this
account may be added three hundred and fifty thoufand fol-
diers, and two hundred thoufand nobility and clergy j
and foreii^ners of all kinds, who are likewife exempted from
the poll-tax ; as alfo (fays Mr. Voltaire) the inhabitants of
the conquered countries, namely, Livonia, Efthonia, Ingria,
Carelia, and a part of Finland ; the Ukraine, and the Don
Coflacs, the Calmucs, and other Tartars ; the Samojedes,
the Laplanders, the Oftiacs, and all the idolatrous people of
Siberia, a country of greater extent than China, are not in-
cluded in this lift. Upon the whole, this writer does not
exaggerate, when he affirms, that the inhabitants of Ruflia
do not amount to fewer than twenty-four millions.

As her imperial majefty of all the Ruflias pofleffes many of
the countries from whence the prodigious fwarms of barbar
rians who overthrew the Roman empire iflued, there is the
ftrongeft reafon to believe, that her dominions muft have been
better peopled fqrmerly than they are at prefent ; twenty-four
millions being but a thin population for the immenfe tradts of
country ftie ppflefles. As the like decreafe of inhabitants is
obfervable in many other parts of the globe, we are to look
for the reafon in natural caufes, which we cannot difcufs here.
Perhaps the introdudlion of the fmall-pox and the venereal
difeafe, may have aflifted in the depopulation ; and it is likely,,
that the prodigious quantity of ftrong and fpirituous liquors,
confumed by the inhabitants of the nprth, is unfriendly tQ
generation.

The Ruffians, properly fo called, are in general a per-
fonable people, hardy, vigorous, and patient of labour, efpe-
cially in the field, to an incredible degree. Their complexions
differ little from thofe of the Englifh or Scots j but the wo-

nen arc

R u s s I a: 139

in€n tl)ink that an addition of red heigiitens their beauty.
Their eye-fight feems to be defe^live^ occafioned, probably,
by the fnow, which for fo long a time of the year is con-
tinually prefent jto their eyes. Their officers and foldiers
ialways pofTefled a large fha*6 of paffive valour ; but in the
late war with the king of Pruffia, they proved as aftive as any
troops in Europe. They are implicitly fubmiffive to difci-
pline, let it be ever fo fevere ; and on fuch occafions they ap-
pear to be vQ/id of the fenfations to which other people are fub-
jeft, efpecially in the ineannefs of their repafts, and hardnefe
of their fare.

Before the days of Peter the Great, the Ruffians were bar-
barous, ignorant, mean, and much addifted to drunkennefs ;
no fewer than 4000 brandy-fhops have been reckoned in Mof-
cow. Not only the common people, but many of the boyars,
lived in a continued ilate of idlenefs and intoxication ; and
the moft complete objedts of mifery and barbarity prcfentcd
themfelves upon the ftreets, while the court of Mofcow was
by far the moft fplendid of any upon the globe. The czar
and the grandees drefled after the moft fuperb Afiatic manner ;
and their magnificence exceeded every idea that can be con-
ceived from modern examples. The earl of Carlille, in the
account of his embafly, fays that he could fee nothing but
gold and precious ftones in the robes of the czar and his cour-
tiers. The manufadlures, however, of thofe, and all other
luxuries, were carried on by Italians, Germans, and other
foreigners. Peter faw the bulk of his fubjedls, at his accef-
fion to the throne, little better than beafts of burden to fup-
port the pomp of the court. He forced his great men to lay
afide their long robes, and drefs in the European manner;
and he even obliged the laity to cut off their beards. The
other improvements, in learning and the arts, which hr
made, fliall he mentioned elfewhere. The Ruffians, before:
Lis days, had not a fhip upon their coafts. They had no con-
venicncies for travelling, no pavements in their ftreets, no
places of public diverfion ; and they entertained a fovereiga
contempt for all improvements of the mind. At prefent, a
French or Engliffi gentlemap may make a fliift to live as com-
fortably and fociably in Ruflia, as in any other part of Eu-
rope. Their ftoves which they make ufe of, diftufe a more
equal and genial warmth than our grates and chimnies. Their
polite affemblies have, fince the acceffion of the prefent em-
prefs, been put uhd^ proper regulations ; and few of the an-
tient ufages remain, Irut fuch as are of public utility, and
adapted to the nature of their cpuntry. It is, however, to be
obfervedj that notwithftanding the fcverity of Peter, and the
.'. ' ■ prudence

140 R U S S I A.

prudence or fucceeding governments, drunlcennefs ftill con-
tinues among all ranks j nor are even priefts or ladies alhamcd
of it on holidays.

It is commonly thought that the Ruffian ladies are as fub-
tniffive to their hufbands in their families, as the latter are to
their fuperiors in the field ; and that they think thcmfelvcs ill
treated if they are not often reminded of their duty by the dif-
cipline of a whip, manufad^ured by themfelves, which they
prefent to their hufbands on the day of their marri.ige. Their
nuptial ceremonies are peculiar to themfelves ; and formerly
confided of fome very whimfical rites, many of which arc now
difufed. When the parents are agreed upon a match, though
the parties perhaps have never (cti\ each other, the bride is
examined ftark naked by a certain number of females, who are
to correal, if poffible, any defeats they find in her perfon.
On her wedding day fhe is crowned with a garland of worm-
wood ; and after the prieft has tied the nuptial knot, his clerk
or fcxton throws a handful of hops upon the head of the bride,
wifhing that flie may prove as fruitful as that plant. She is
then led home, with abundance of coarfe, and indeed indecent
ceremonies, which are now wearing ofi:' even by the lowed
ranks ; and the barbarous treatment of wives by their hufbands,
which extended even to fcourging or broiling them to death,
is either guarded againft by the laws of the country, or by
particular ftipulations in the marriage contract.

Funerals.] The Ruffians entertain many fiintaftlc no-
tions with regard to the llate of departed fouls. After the
dead body is dreft, a prieft is hired to pray for his foul, to pu-
rify it with incenfe, and to fprinkle it with holy water, while
it remains above ground, which, among the better fort, it
generally does for eight or ten days. When the body is car-
ried to the grave, which is done with many gefticulations of
forrow, the priefl produces a ticket, figned by the bifhop and
lanother clergyman, as the deceafed's palfport to heaven. When
this is put into the coffin, the company returns to the de-
ceafed's houfe, where they drown their forrow in intoxication;
which lafts, among the better fort, with a few intervals, for
forty days. During that time, a prieft every day fi^ys prayers
over the grave of the deceafed ; for though the Ruffians do
not believe in purgatory, yet they imagine that their departed
friend may be affifted by prayer, in his long journey, to the
place of his deftination after this life.

Punishments.] The Ruffiais are remarkable for the
fcverity and variety of their punishments, which are both in-
fii6ted and endured with a wonderful inienfihility. Peter the
Great ufcd to fufpend the robbers upon the Wolga, ajid other

parts

R U S S I A. 141

of his dominions, by iron hooks fixed to their ribs, on

gibbets> whcfe they writhed themfelves to death, hundreds,
nay, thoufands at a time. The fingle and double knoute were
lately infli«5led upon ladies, as well as men of quality. Both
of them are excruciating ; but in the double knoute, the hands
are bound behind the prifoner's back, and the cord being fixed
to a pulley, lifts him from the ground, with the diflocation of
both his Ihouldcrs ; and then his back is in a manner fcarified
by the executioner, with a hard thong, cut from a wild afs's
(kin. This punifhment has been fo often fatal, that a furgeon
generally attends the patient, to pronounce the moment that
it fhould ceafe. The boring and cutting out the tongue, are
likewife pra<Sifed in RulTia ; and even the late emprcls Eliza-
beth, though fhe prohibited capital punifhments, was forced
to give v/ay to the neceflity of ihofe tortures. From thefe par-
ticulars, many have concluded that the feelings of the Ruflians
are different from thofe of mankind in general.

Travelling.] Among the many conveniencies intro-
duced of late into Ruffia, that of travelling is extremely
remarkable, and the expence very trifling. Nothing ftrikes,
either a reader or a ftranger, more than the facility with
which the Ruffians perform the longefl and mofl uncom-
fortable journies. Like their Scandinavian neighbours, al-
ready defcribed, they travel in fledges drawn by rein-deer,
when the fnow is frozen hard enough to bear them. In the
internal parts of Ruffia, horfcs draw their fledges ; and the
fledge-way, towards February, becomes fo well beaten, that
they ercdt a kind of coach upon the fledges, in which they
travel night and day ; fo that they often perform a journey of
about 400 miles, fuch as that between Peterfburg and Mof-
cow, in three days and three nights. Her imperial majefty,
in her journies, is drawn in a houfe which contains a bed, a
table, chairs, and other conveniencies for four people, by 24
port-horfes ; and the houfe itfelf is fixed on a fledge.

CossACs, AND OTHER NA- } As the prefent fiibjed^^
TioNS SUBJECT TO RussiA. 3 of the Ruffian empire, in
its molt extenfivKJ fcnfe, are the defcendants of many difi'erent
people, and inhabit prodigious tracts of country, fo we find
among them a vafl variety of chara»5ler and manners j and
the great reformations introduced of late years, as well as
the difcovcries made, render former accounts to be but
little depended upon. Many of the Tartars, who inhabit
large portions of the Ruffian dominions, now live in fixed
houfes and villages, cultivate the land, and pay tribute like
other fubjccts. Till lately, they were not admitted into
the Ruffian armies j but they now make excellent fol-
dicjrs. OtUcr RwfliiiUi TiwUis retain their old wandering

55 lives.

i ■ ''

■ ■:

I'll

iJi

142 RUSSIA;

Jives. Both fides of the Wolga are inhabited by the Zere-
mifles and Morduars ; a peaceable induftrious people. The
Bafkirs are likewife fixed inhabitants of the tradt that reaches
from Cafan to the frontiers of Siberia ; and have certain privi-
leges, of which they are tenacious. The wandering Calmucs
toccupy the reft of this trad to Aftracan and the frontiers of the
Ulbecs ; and in confideration of certain prefents they receive
from her imperial maiefty, they ferve in her armies without
pay, but are apt to plunder equally friends as foeS.

As the Coflacs make now a figure in the military hiftory of
Europe, fome account of them may not be unacceptable.
They were originally Polifli peafants, and ferved in theUkrain
as a militia againft the Tartars. Being opprefTed by their un-
feeling lords, a part of them removed to the uncultivated banks
of the Don, or Tanais, and there eftablifhed a colony. They
were foon after joined, in 1637, by two other detachments of
their countrymen j and they reduced Afoph, which they were
obliged to abandon to the Turks, after laying it in afhes.
They next put themfelves under the prote(3-ion of the Ruf-
fians, built Circafliy, on an ifland in the Don ; and their
polTeflions, which confifted of thirty-nine towns on both fides
that river, reached from Ribna to Afoph. They there lived
in a fruitful country, which they took care to cultivate j and
they were fo wedded to theii" original cuftoms, that they were
little better than nominal fubjedts of the czars, till the time of
Peter the Great. They profefled the Greek religion ; their
inclinations were warlike, and occafionally ferved againft the
Tartars and Turks on the Palus Mseotis.

The internal government of the Coffacs approaches very
near to the idea we form of that of the antient Germans, as
defcribed by Tacitus. The captains and officers of the nation
chufe a chief, whom they call Hctman, and he refides at Cir-
cafka ; but this choice is confirmed by the czar ; and the het*
man holds his authority during life. He adts as a fuperior
over the other towns of the nation, each of which is formed
into a feparate commonwealth, governed by its own hetman,
who is chofen annually. They fcrvc in war,* in confideration
of their enjoying their laws and liberties. They indeed have
feveral times rebelled, for which they fufFered fevtrely under
Peter the Great. But the Ruffian yoke was fo much eafier
than that of the Poles, that in 1654, the Coflacs of the Ukrain
put themfelves likewife under the protcdlion of Ruffia. They
complained, however, that their liberties had been invaded j
and in the war between Charles XII. and Peter, their hetman,
Maveppa, joined the former ; but he found himfelf unable to
fulfil ihc magnificent promifes he had made to Charles. He

brought

he Zere-
e. The
t reaches
ain privi-
Calmucff
ers of the
y receive
without

liftory of

rceptable.

le Ukrain

their un-

ted banks

They

iments of

they were

in afhes.

the Ruf.

and their

both fides

here lived

Mte } and

they were

he time of

ion ; their

igainft the

iches very
;rmans, as
the nation
les at Cir-
id the het-
a fuperior
is formed
1 hetman,
ifideratioii
idecd have
rely under
uch eafier
he Ukrain
la. They

invaded ^
ir hetman,

unable to

jrles. He

brought

RUSSIA. 145

•broight over, however, fome of the Zaparovlan Coflacs, who
are fettled about the falls of the river Nieper, but moft of
them were cut in pieces.

The Ruffians were formerly noted for fo ftrong an attach-
ment to their native foil, that they feldom vifited foreign parts.
This, however, was only the confequence of their pride and
ignorance ; for Rufllan nobility, befides thofe who are in a
public chara<5ler, are now found at every court in Europe.
Her imperial majefty even interefts herfclf in the education of
young men of quality, in the knowledge of the world, and
foreign fervices, particularly that of the Britilh fleet. No peo-
ple have fhewn a greater adventuring fpirit than the Ruffians 5
witnefs the difcovery of Kamtfchatka, a country fo little
known, that it is doubtful to what quarter of the globe it
pertains j but it certainly bids the faireft of any country in the
world, to lie contiguous to America : and perhaps it may
foon appear, that the Kamtfchadales and the Americans are
the fame.

The beft account we have of Kamtfchatka is from Mr.
Steller and Mr. Kraflieninicoff, the latter of whom publiflied
their difcoveries, under the fan<Sion of the Peterfburgh acade-
my. The Kamtfchadales, from being a people as wild as
their country, are now in a fair way of becoming good Chri-
ftians. They travel in fmall carriages drawn by dogs j and a
complete Kamtfchadalian equipage, dogs, harnefs and all,
colls in that country 4I. 10 s. or near twenty rubles. The
Kamtfchadales believed the immortality of the foul, before
they were Chriftians. They are fuperftitious to extravagance ;
and extremely fingular and capricious in the different enjoy-
ments of life, particularly their convivial entertainments.
They feem to be of Tartar original ; and before they were
humanized, their appearance and manners partook ftrongly of
thofc of the Efquimaux in North America.

The Siberians are another nation of Ruffia, whofe ufages
deferve to be mentioned ; but we know lefs of them, than we
do of the Kamtfchadales. Many of them, as has been already
hinted, are ftill grofs pagans j and their manners v^ere fo bar-
barous, that Peter the Great thought he could not inflitSt a
greater punifhment upon his capital enemies the Sv/cdes, than
by banilhing them to Siberia. The effeft was, that the Swe-
difh officers and foldiers introduced European ufages and manu-
fatStures into the country, and thereby acquired a comfortable
living. The Mahommetan Tartars form a confiderable part of
the natives : and according to the lateft accounts, nature has
been fokind to the country, that an exile to Siberia will here-
after be but a ver}^ fight punilliment,

c Religion'.

144 R U S S I A.

Religion.] The eftabliilied religion of Ru/Tia is that of
the Greek church, the tenets of which are by far too nume-
rous and complicated to be difcufled here. It is fufficient to
fay, that they deny the pope's fupremacy ; aftd though they
difclaim image-worftiip, they retain many idolatrous and fuper-
llitlous cuftoms. Their churches are full of piftures of faints
whom they confidcr as mediators. They obfervc a number of
fafts and lents, fo that they live half the year very abftemioufly ;
an inftitution which is extremely convenient for their foil and
climate. They have many peculiar notions with regard to
the facraments and Trinity. They oblige thei blfhops, but
not their priefts, to celibacy. Peter the Great fhewed his
profound knowledge of government in nothing more, than the
reformation of his church. He broke the dangerous powers
of the patriarch, and the great clergy. He declared him-
felf the head of the church ; and preferved the fubordina-
tlons of metropolitans, archbifhops, and bifhops. Their
priefts have no fixed income, but depend for fubfiftence
upon the benevolence of their flocks and hearers. Peter,
after eftabliftiing this great political reformation, left his
clergy In full pofleflion of all their idle ceremonies ; nor did
he cut ofF the beards of his dergy ; that impolitic attempt
was referved for the late emperor, and greatly contributed to
his fatal cataftrophe. Before his days, an incredible number
of both fexes were {hut up in convents ; nor has it been found
prudent entirely to abolifh thofe focicties. The abufes of
them, however, are in a great mcafure removed ; for no male
can become a monk till he Is turned of thirty : and no female,
or nun, till flic is fifty ; and even then not A^ithout the ex-
prefs permiflion of their fuperlors.

The conquered provinces, as I have already'' obferved, re-
tain the exercife of their own religion ; but fuch is the extent
of the Ruflian empire, that many of its fubje<Sls arc Mahom-
metans, and more of them no better than pagans, in Siberia
and the uncultivated countries. Man^ ill-judged attempts
have been made to convert them by force, which have only
tended to confirm them in their infidelity.

Language.] The common language of Ruflia, is a mix-
ture of the Polifhand Sclavonian ; their priefts, however, and
the moft learned of their clergy, make ufe of what is called
modern Greek ; and they who know that language In Its pu-
rity, are at no lofs for underftanding it in its corrupted ftate.
The Ruffians have thirty-fix letters, the forms of which have
a ftrong refemblance to the old Greek alphabet.

Learning and learned men.] The Ruffians, hitherto,
have made but aii inconfidgrable appeajrancc in the republic of

letters i

RUSSIA:

letters J but the great encouragement given by their fovereio-ns
of late, in the inftitution of academies, and other literary
boards, has produced fufficient proofl;, that they are no way
deficient as to intelledlual abilities. The papers exhibited by
them, at their academical meetings, have been favourably
received all over Europe ; efpecially thofe that relate to aftro-
iiomy, the mathematics, and natural philofophy. The fpeeches
pronounced by the bifhop of Turer, the metropolitan of No-
vogorod, the vice-chancellor, and the marfhal at the late open-
ing of the commiflion for a new code of laws, are elegant and
claffical ; and the progrefs which learning has made in that
empire fmce the beginning of this century, is an evidence,
that the Ruffians are as capable as any of their neighbours to
fhine in the arts and fciences.

Universities.] Three colleges were founded by Peter
the Great at Mofcow ; one for claflical learning and philofo-
phy, the fecond for mathematics, and the third for navigation
and aftronomy. To thefe he added a difpenfary, which is a
magnificent building, and under the care of fome able Ger-
man chemifts and apothecaries j who furnifh medicines not
only to the army, but all over the kingdom. And within
theie few years, Mr. dc Shorealow, high chamberlain to the
emprefs Elizabeth, daughter to Peter the Great, has founded
an univerfity in this city.

Cities, towns, palaces, 7 Peterfburgh naturally takes
AND other buildings. J the lead in this divifion. It
lies at the jun6lion of the Neva with the lake Ladoga, already
mentioned, in latitude 6o; but the reader may have a bet-
ter idea of its fituation, by being informed that it ftands on both
fides the river Neva, between that lake and the bottom of the
Finland gulph. In the year 1703, this city confifted of two
fmall fifhing huts, on a fpot fo wateriih and fwampy, that
the ground was formed info nine iflands ; by which, according
to Voltaire, its principal quarters are ftill divided. Without
entering into too minute a defcription of this wonderful city,
it is fufficient to fay, that it extends about fix miles every
way ; and contains every ftru6lure for magnificence, the
improvement of the arts, revenue, navigation, war, com-
merce, and the like, that are to be found in the moft celebra-
ted cities in Europe. It may appear furprizing, that the lateft
authors who treat of that country, differ widely as to the po-
pulation of Peterfburgh,, Voltaire tells us, that it is faid to
contain at prefent 4CO,cmo fouls. This feems to be an over-
rate, even admitting tH| imperial troops, attendants, and
officers of ftatc to be included. Bufching, whom I am rather
inclined to follow, thinks that Peterfburgh confifls of about

Vol. L K 8000

146 RUSSIA;

8000 houfes, and contains about 100,000 inhabitants: a
number, however, that woulJ ilcni to be difproportioncd to
that of the houfes, did we noi: rcfledl on the great number of
fcrvants maintained by the RufTi.m nobility and merchants.
The new lunimer palace is reckoned one of the fined: pieces of
nrchiteclure in Europe. In the middle of the city (which
has neither gates nor walls) is a rtron:^, beautiful fortj and
the admiralty and doclc-yards ore likcwii'e well t^rtined.

As Petcriburg is the emporium of Ruflia, the number of
foreign fliips trading to it in the fummer ti.ne is lutprirmg.
In winter, 3000 one-horfe fledges are employed for pa'fengers
in theftreets. It contains twent; RufTian, and four Lutheran
churches, befidcs thofe of the Calvinills and Roman-Catho-
lics ; and is the feat of a univerfity, and feveral academies.
Peterlburgh is the capital of the province of Ingria, one of
Peter the Great's conquers from the Swedes.

The city of Mofcow was formerly the glory of this great
empire, and it ftill continues confiderable enough to figure
among the capitals of Europe. It ftands, as has been already
mentioned, on the river from wi>ence it takes its name, in lat.
55 4<j, about 1 41 4 miles north-eaft of Lt)ndon j and though its
ftreets are not regular, it prefeius a very piclurcfquc appear-
ance, for it contains fuch a number of gardens, groves, lawns,
and ftreams, that it fcems rather to be a cultivated country
than a city. The antient magnificence of this city would be
incredible, were it not attelted by the moft unqueliionablc
authors : but we are to make ^reat allowances for the uncuU
tivatcd itate of the adjacent provinces, which miglit have
made it appear with a greater luftre in a traveller's eyes.
Neither Voltaire nor Bufching gives us any latisfaclory ac-
count of this canital ; and little credit is to be given to tli?
authors who divide it into regular quarters, and each quarter
inhabited by a different order or profciTion. Bufching fpcaks
of it as the largeft ciiy in Europe j but that ran be only
meant as to the ground it flands on. It is generally agreed,
that Mofcow contains 1600 churches and convents, and forty-
three places or fquares. Bufching makes the merchants ex-
change to contain about 6000 line Ihops, which difplay a
I'aft parade of commerce, cfpecially to and from China. No
city difplays a greater contraft than Mol'cow, of magni-
ficence and meannefs in building. The houfes of the inha-
bitants in general arc miferable timber booths ; but their pa-
laces, churches, convents, and other public edifices, are
fpacious and lofty. The Krimlin, or grand imperial palace,
is mentioned as one of the mofl: fuperb ftru6tures in the world ;
it lies in the interior circle of the city, and contains the old
5 imperial

R U S S I Ai

imperial palace, plcafurc-houfc, and ftables, a vl£^ualling-.
houfc, the palace which formerly belonged to the patriarch,
nine cathedrals, five convents, lour parilh churches, the arfc-
nal, with the public colleges, and other ofliccs. All the
churches in the Krimlin have beautiful fpircs, moft of them
^ilt, or covered with filver : the architc<Slure is in the Gothic
tafte J but the infides of the churches arc lichly ornamented}
and the piiSlures of the faints arc decorated v/ith gold, filvcr,
and precious ftoncs. Mention is made of the cathedral, which,
has no fewer thnn nine towers, covered with copper double
gilt, and contains a filver branch vvitli forty-eight lights, faid
to weigh 2800 pounds. A volume would fcarccly fuffice tp
recoujit the other particulars of this city's magnificence. Its
funiptiious monuments of the great dukes and czars, the ma-
gazine, <he patriarchal palace, the exchequer, and chancery,*
are noble ih-udturcs. 'I'he public is no Ihanger to the bar-
barous anecdote, that the czar Jolin Bafilides ordered the
architce^l of the church of Jcrufalem to be deprived of his eye-
figlit, that he mi^rht never contrive its equal. The ftory is
improbable, and toolc its rif^ from the arbitrary difpofition o£
that great prince. I (hall have occanon hereafter to mention*
the great bell of Mofcow ; where the inhabitants are fo di-
iiradtedly fond of bells, that they are always tinkling in everji
quarter. The jewels and ornaments of an image of the virgin,
Mary, in the Krimlin church, and its other furniture, cara
be only equalled by what is feeti at tlie famous Holy Houfc o£
Loretto in Italy. Mr. Volta're fays, that Peter, who was
attentive to every tiling, did not neglect IVfofcow at the time
he was building Pcterlburpji j for he caufeJ it to be pavcJ,
adorned it with noble edifices, and Ciirichcd it v/ith manu-i
fau'turcs.

Nothing cnn be faid with certainty z\i to the population o£
Mofc(Av. Whuii lord Ciu-iiile w^:-' the Englifli amballador
there, in the reigil of Ciiiarlcs j.l. this city v.ms 12 miles in.
compafs, ami the number of houfes were computed at 40,000.
Voltaire fays, that Mofcow v/as then twenty miles in circum-
ference, and that its inhabitaiits amounted to 500,000 ; but
it is almoft impoflibie to make an eftimatc of its prefent popu-
lation.

Curiosities.] This articla affords no great entertain-
ment, as Ruflla has but lately been admitted into the rank, of
civilised nations. She can, however, produce many ftupen-
dous monuments of the public fpirit of her fovereigns ; par-
ticularly the canals made by Peter the Great, for the bcnef t
uf commerce. I have already hinted at the palilon the Rui-
fians have f©r bcll-rin:\in'j: j and wc arc told, th»t the great

K 2 bell

14^

R U S S I A.

I!!

K'U

i!)i

bell of Mofcow, the largcft in the world, weighs 443,772
pounds wti<j;ht ; and was caft 1ji the reign of the emprefs
Anne ; but the beam on which it hung being burnt, it fell,
and a large piece is broke out of it ; fo that it lately lay in a
manner ufelefs. The building of Peteriburgh, and raifing it
of a fudden from a few fiftiing-huts to be a populous and richt
city, is perhaps a curiofity hardly to be paralleled fince the
eredtion of the Egyptian pyramids. The fame may be faid of
the fortrefs of Kronftadt, in the neighbourhood of Petcrfburgh,
which is alnioft impregnable. This fortrefs and city imployed,
for fome years, 300,000 men, in laying its foundations, and
driving piles, night and day; a work which no monarch in
Europe (Peter excepted) could have executed. The whole
plan, with a very little afliftance from fome German engineers,
was drawn by his own hand. Equally wonderful was the
navy which he raifed to his people, at the time when they
could not be faid to have pofTcfTed a fhip in any part of the
globe. What is more wonderful than all, he wrought in per-
fon in all thofe amazing works, with the fame affiduity as if
he had been a common labourer.

Commerce and poli- 7 1 have joined thefe two articles
TiCAL INTERESTS. J Under one head, becaufe fuch is
the fituation and flrcngth of Ruflia, that fhe has nothing
either to hope or to fear but from commerce. It is true, her
territories are accefliblc on the fide of Poland, and therefore it
is her intereft to preferve a ftrong party in that country ; but
even this policy has commerce chiefly for its object, becaufe
the greateft part of the Diflidents of Poland are the only traders
in that great country ; and three-fourths of them being of the
Greek church, confider her imperial majefty as their patronefs
and proteiSlor.

in treating of the Ruffian commerce, former accounts are of
little fervicc at this time, becaufe of its great improvements
and variations. By the bell and furcft information, the an-
nual exports of Ruflia at prefent amount to four millions of
rubles ; and her imports do not exceed three millions ; fo that
the balance of trade is yearly 225000 1. Itcrling in her favour.
This calculation, however, is fubjcift to fuch uncertainties as
time alone can remove, ariilng from Ruffia's coitimercial con-
nections with Great-Britain, from whom, about fourteen
years ago, (lie gained the greateft part of that balance. Great-
Britain, however, has, within tliat time, given fuch encou-
ragement to her American colonies, and to the Scotch and
Irilh linen manufacture, that her imports from Ruflia arc
greatly diminifticd. On the other hand, the vaft advantages
which by later U'eaties between England and Ruflia, her im-

pCii.li

RUSSIA. 149

pcrlal majefly has been enabled to acquire upon the Cafpian
fca, and in the inland parts of Afia, will probably more than
counterbalance all the diminution which the RuiUan exports to
Great-Dritain may have fuftcrcd.

RufTia's produ(5tions and exports, in general, are many, and
very valuable, viz. furs and peltry of various kinds, red leather,
linen and thread, iron, copper, fail-cloth, hemp and flax,
pitch and tar, wax, honey, tallow, ifing-glafs, linfeed-oil,
pot-afh, foap, feathers, train-oil, hof^s briftlcs, mufk, rhu-
barb, and other drugii ; timber, and alio raw-filk from China
and Pcrfia.

Her foreign commerce is much encrcafcd fincc her conquefts
from Swc'den, cfpecially of Livonia and Ingria; and fincc the
eftablifhing of her new cniporiuin of Pctcrlburgh ; whereby
her naval intercourfe with Europe is made much more fhort
and cafy.

• Ruflia carries on a commerce over land, by caravans, to
China, chiefly in furs: and thcv bring back from thence, tea,
filks, cotton, gold, &c. To Bochara, near the river Oxus,
in Tartary, Ruflia fends her own merchandi/e, in return for
Indian filks, curled lamb-lTcins, and ready money ; and alfo
from the annual fair at Samarcand : (lie likcwife trades to
Perfia, by Aitracan, crofs the Cafpian fca, for raw and
wrought filk.

Before the time of Peter the Great, Archangel, which lies
upon the White-Sea, was the only port of navc.! communica-
tioji which Ruflia had with the ie{\ of Europe ; but it was
fubjedl to a long and tempeftuous voya^^e. This town is about
three Englifli miles in length, and one in breadth : built all of
wood, excepting the exchange, which is of I'cone. Notwith-
ftanding the decreafe of the trade of Archangel, by building
Peterfburgh, it ftill exports a confiderable quantity of mer-
chandize.

The late and prefcnt em-prcfics of Ruflia, were fo fenfibleof
the benefits arifin^ to commerce through pjacc, th;.t ihwy feem
to have poflpon? J otiicr valuable intciCils ;o that coniid ora-
tion J witnefs the facrificcs made bv t!ic cniprei's Elizabeth, to
prefervc ihc tranquillity of the north, ia Icliling tlte 1- .. difh
fucceflion ; and t:ic mode; ition whlcn her prefcnt iw..|Clly
obferved in her fon's claims upon Dinmark for tae ducliy of
Holftein when her hufbaml died. This difrereiu, :, hov. e\er,
if not prudently prevented, rn.iy, fome tin c o; oiucr, kindle a
general flame in the north, if not all ovi.r Europe.

Constitution, lav/s, and 1 The cor'' 'at'On :nd

DISTINCTIONS OF RANK. S lawt cf Ru.Ua, iikc tijofc

cf other arbitrary goveriimcnts, rAl in the bre;;ll: of the i'c c-

K 3 rjigu.

h56

RUSSIA.

yi '

reign. The fubjctily, however, h:ul fome gcncml rules to guide
them, both in eriminal aiid civil matters, which always took,
place, when no interpolition of government happened to fet
them afide. The czar Alexis, who mounted the throne »u
1645, drew up an imperfect code of laws ; but he never could
fufficiently enforce them, beiiVj; perpetually cnga<;;ed in war,
cither foreign or doniellic ; fo that ihcy became in a manner
tifelefs or unknown. Kven Peter the Great never could
brinfi- his fubjccts into that ftatc of civilization as to truft them
with any law but his own will. In matters of ifhportance,
fuch as the trying and condcii.ning his fon to death, he gene-
rally appointed a commiffion, with fome perfon of diltinc'tioii
at its head, for trying them ; but this was only to fave the ap-
pearance of defpotifm ; for the commidioners always pro-
nounced judgment according to what they knew to be his fen-
timents. The l.ite cmprcfs, Elizabeth, made a law, but it
only bound herl'elf, that fhe would fuller no capital punifh-
ments to be inflicted in her reign. Were not the- h^i un-
doubted, pollerity could not believe, that one of the molt
cxtenfive governments in tiie world could fubfilt in peace and
tranquillity within itfeli', under fuch an exception of juilice.
The truth is, the dreadful puniflimc.its incurred by delin-
cjuents, though not capital, were fufficient to deter them.
XJpon the whole, the virtues of the Ruflian fovcreigns, lince
Peter's time, havefupplied the deficiency of their laws.

The Ruflian monarchy is hereditary, but after a particular
mode i for the fenate and the great lords make thcmfelves
judges of the proximity cf blood in their fovcreigns j as may
be feen in their hiftory. The prefetit ei:«nrefs was raifed to
the throne, by being wile to the emperor, and mother of his
fon J and fhe has fufiitiently j unified the partiality that has
been fhewed her, by the wildom, patriotilm, and vigour of
her government ; but in MOthin<r fo much a;> in her care to
give *her fubje*Sts a new code of lav/s. With this view, in
1768, flie aflcmbled deputies from all the diflricts and pro-
vinces of her dominions, fo as to form, in eflecl, a Ruflian
parliament. When they were m.et, they were prtfentcd with
inftructions, which contained her ideas of diilributive juftice ;
and which do the highcll honour to her political ajid perfonal
virtues. The code which has been drawn up, h.as not yet
been made public, at leaft to the reft of Europe; but there
can be no doubt that it is highly worthy of its imperial
patronefs.

' The diftindicns of rank, form a confiderable part of the
Ruffian conftitution. The late cmprclies took the title of
Autocwtrix, which implies, that they ov^'cd their dignity to

n u s s I a:

»5x

t" guide
ays took
■d to fet
Inouc la
cr coulil
ill war,
I manner
-r could
iirt them
■)ortance,
k; gcnc-
iHnt'tion
the ap-
|ays pio-
his Icn-
, but it
punlHi-
fatFt vn~
he moft
face and
t' jultice.
y dclin-
;r tliem.
IS, fince

articular
icmfclvcs
; as may
rai fed to
r of his
I hat has
iLjoiir oi"
care to
.'icw, in
nd pro-

RuHian
x'd with
jiilticc;
pcrlonal

not yet-
Lit there
mpcrial

of the

title of
nity to

119

no earthly power. Their anticnt nobility were divided into
kiic/es or knazeys, boyars, and vaivnds. The knc/es were
fovereif^ns up<»n their own efhitcs, till they were reduced by
the czar ; but they llill retain the name. The boyais were
nobilitv under tiie knc/.es ; and the vaivods were ('overnors of
provinces. Th vfe tith.s, how.ver, fo (A\c\\ revived the idea;
of their antient power, that theprefent and late emprefTes have
i^t^odllccd amon[/ their fubjeits the titles of counts and princes,
and the other dillin^^tions of nobility that arc common to the
rell of Ku*K)pe.

A fenate, compofed of the moft rcrpcv*^table members of th«
empire, iiill I'ul. lilts in Rufha ; but thoLi(>;h the emprefs treat*
th- inRitution with the hiu;heil: re-ard and deference, and fub-
mlts the (i;reatell concerns of her empire to their deliberation,
yet they arc no better than hci- p, ivv council ; and they fel-
doiTi Hi nevi;r fiivc her any advice, but fucli as in conformable
to her pleafure.

Rkveituf. and FXPF.Kcns.] Nc^thincrccrtriincanbe Taidcon-
cerninj the revcnivL-s of thi". miohty empire ; but they are, un-
doubtedly, at prcfent, fVr fupeiior to what they were in former
times, even iin<ler Peter the Cireat. The vail exertions for
promotin'r indulby, made bv his fucccflbr.s,efpccially her prefent
jmjK-rial majeily, mud: have greatly added to their income,
which can J'eareilv be reckoned at lei's than four millions fter-
lini:; annuiiliy. When the reader confulers tiiis fum relatively,
that is, accordinti; to the high value of money in that empire,
compared to its low value in Great-lJritain, he will find it a
very confulerable revenue. Tiiat it is fo, appears from the
vail armies maintained and paid by the late and prefent emprefs,
in Germany, Poland, and ellliwhere, when no part of the
money returned to Ruffia; nor do I find that they received
any conTiderable lahlidy from the houfes of Bourbon and Au-
itria, who, intleed, were in no condition to grant them any.
I\lr. V'olt.;ire favs, that in 1 7 35, reckoning the tribute paid by
the Tartars, with all taxes and duties in money, the fum total
amounted to thirteen millions of rubles (each ruble amounting
to about 4s. 6d. iteiling.) This income was at that time
fufHcient to maintain 339,500, as well fea as land forces. 'I'he
other expcnces, bcfidLS the nayment of the army and navy of
her prefent majeliy, the number and difciplinc of which are at
Icaft equal to thole of her gicatell: predeceliors, is very conf.-
derable. Her court ir> elegant and magnificent ; her guarc.
a:id attendants fplendid ; atid the encouragement flic gives to
learning, the improvement of the arts, and ufeful difeoveric; ,
cofts her Y'lit f^ims, exclufivc of her ordinary expcnccs of iVate,

K ^ Souxflf

152 R u s s I A;

vSome of the RufHan revenues arife from monopolies ; which
arc (jccn ncceflfary in the infancy of commerce. The moft
hazLi/LM.'us enterprize undertaken by Peter the Gre; t, was his
imitating the condudt of Henry VIII. of Engl md, in feizing
the revenues of the church. He found, perhaps, that policy
and ncccliii) rcquiixd tlut the grcatcil: parr of them fiiould be
refcored, whi'vU was .ucordingly doiie ; His great aim being to
deprive the patriarcii cf his excelTive power. The clergy, how-
ever, are taxed in RufTia : but the pecuniary revenues of the
crown arife from taxes upon eltates, bagnios, bees, mills, fiftie-
ries, and other particulars.

The Ruffian armies are raifcd at little or no cxpencc *, and,
while in their own country, fubfifled chiefly on provifions fur-
nifhed them by the country people, according to their internal
valuation.

History.] It is evident, buth from ancient hiftory and
modern difcovcrics, that fomc of the moft neglected parts
of the Ruffian empire at prcfcnt, were formerly 'rich and
populous. The reader who throws his eyes on a general map
of Europe and Afia, may fee the advantages of their fituation,
and their communication by rivers with the Black Sea, and the
richeft provinces in the Roman and Greek empires. In later
times, the AfiaticpartofRuffia b-rdercdwithSamarcandjinTar-
tary, once the capital, under Jcnghis khan and Tamerlane,
of a far more rich and powerful empiic, than any mentioned
by hiilory; and nothing is more ccitain, than that the con-
qucft of Ruffia was among the hilt attt.i.ptsmadc by the former
of thofe princes. We cannot, with the fmalleit degree of
probability, carry our conj-cturc?, with regard to the hiftory
of Ruffia, higher than the intniciuciion of Chriftianity, which
happened about the tenth cer.Miry; when a princefs of this
country, called OIha, is fiid to have been bajjtized at Con-
ftantinople, and refufcd the hand of the Cjrcek emperor, John
Zimifces, in mnrriagc. This accounts for the Ruffians adopt-
ing the Greek religion, and part of their alphabet. Photius,

the

* On my retuin (fays a Lite tiavclkr tlirouph RiifTi.t) fiom Tobol/ky to Sr. I'e-
terlbiir^h, f i,.g into i Ivuifi- where I wj'. U) IoiI^l', 1 foun.l a fjthtr chained to a
poftir. Uk- n.lJiile of hi . fainily ; b) hi? (tIcs, and the little rc-i;,.irJ his chiKircn paid
to h'm, I im.igincd l.j w.r mad ; but iIms v\a5 by do means the cale. I:i I^uiha,
people, wiiO arc f ai to raile rcoiiiits, go throucli ail the vilijgc, and pittli upon
the men i'p-,'cr (.a- tht; (ervicc, a? bun hers, in ai! other parf;, go into the fold;, to
mark the flicep. Tliis man's fon had been I'elecled for liic fcrvicc, and m:ide liis
tfcape, without the f ilier s knowledge ; the taiher was in.ide a jirifoner in liis own
Jioufe; his crilUrcn were Uis [^..loler'', and he was in daily expectation of rceeiving
Ills fcnteiicf, 1 V ,rj fo m;:ih (hacked with this account, and vith the lu-nc I be-
held, that 1 was torv.cd to feck anollier Icdijing immediately. Happy En^jlanJ 1

which
he moft
was his
1 i'eizing

policy
lould be
being to
y, how-
s of the
S fiihe-

*, and,
oiis fur-
internal

ory and
d parts
ich and
ral map
tuation,
and the
In later
JjiTar-
nerlane,
.ntioned
he con-
e former
.'grec of
hiftory
, which
of this
It Con-
1 » John
adopt-
'hotius,
the

o Sr. Pe-

lined to a
Jrcn paid
■1 Ruifia,
till iijion
:; fold;, to
n:ide his
liis own
x'l-civing
no I be-

RUSSIA: 153

the famous Greek patriarch, fent priefts to baptize the Ruf-
fians, who were for fome time fubje6l to the fee of Conftanti-
nople ; but the Greek patriarchs afterwards refigned all their
authority over the Ruffian church ; and its biihops erected
thcmfelves into patriarchs, who were in a manner indepen-
dent of the civil power. It is certain, that till the year 1450,
the princes of Ruffia were but very little confidered, being
chiefly fubjedled by the Tartars. It was about this time, that
John, or Iwan BalUides, conquered the Tartars, aud, among
others, the duke of Great Novogorod j from whom he is faid
to have carried 300 cart loads of gold and filver.

His grandfon, the famous John Bafilowitz II. having clear-
ed his country of the intruding Tartars, fubducd the king-
doms of Cafan and Aftracan Tartary, in Afia, and annexed
them to the Ruffian dominions. By his cruelty, however,
he obliged the inhabitants of fome of his finell provinces, par-
ticularly Livonia ar.d Efthonia, to throw thcmfelves under the
protedtion of the Poles and Swedes. Before the time of this
John II. the i'overeign of Ruffia took the title of Welike
Knez, i. e. great prince, great lord, or great chief j which
the Chriflian nations afterwards rendered by that of great duke.
The title of Tzar, or as we call it, czar, was added to that
of the Ruffian fovereigns, but it fccms to have been of Per-
fian or Afiatic original ; becauf?, at firft, it was applied only
to Cafan, Aftracan, and the Afian Siberia. Upon the death
of John Bafilowitz, the Ruffian fucceffion was filled up by a
fct of weak cruel princes, and their territories were torn in
pieces by civil wars. In 1597, Boris Godonow, according
to Voltaire, whofe information I prefer, as it fecms to be the
moft authentic, aflaffinated Demetri, or Demetrius, the law-
ful heir, and ufurped the throne. A younii; monk took the
name of Demetrius, pretending to be that prince, who had
efcaped from his murderers; and with the affiftance of the
Poles, and a confidcrable party (which every tyrant has againfl:
him) he drove out the ufurper, and fcized the crown himfelf.
The impofture was difcovered as foon as he came to the fo-
vereignty, bccaufe the people were not plcafed with him, and
he was murdered. Three other falfe Deinctrius's ftartcd up
one after another.

Thcfe impoftures prove the defpicable ftate of ignorance in
which the Ruffians were immergcd. Their country became
by turns a prey to the Poles and the Swedes; but was at length
delivered by the good fenfe of the boyars, impelled by their
defpair, fo late as the year 161 3. The independency of Ruffia
was then on the point of being cxtinguiflicd. Udiflaus, fon

Y54- u u s s I a:

to Sigifmrnid II. of Pohitid, had been declared czar; but the
tyranny of the Pok-s was fuch, that it produccil a 'general re-
bellion of the RufTians, who drovi.; the l^)k's out of Mofrow,
where they had for fonie linic dcl'cndLvl tlicn-itclvcs with untx-
amplcd courage. Philaretc;, archbifliop of Rollow, whofc
wife was defccndcd of tlie anticnt lovcrcigns of Ruflia, had
been font ambafl'ador to Poland by Dcnii.triiis, one of the Ruf-
fian tyrants ; and there he was detained prifoncr, under pre-
tence, that his countrymen had nheihd againft UladifiaUvS,
The boyars met in a body; and futh was their veneration for
Philaretcs and hi'< wife, whom the txrant had fliut up in a
nunncrv, that they elc(^cd their Ion, Alichatl, a youth of 15
'years of a?e,. to hn their fovcrcign. Tiie father being cx-
changc;d for fo.TJC Polifli prifoners, retained to Ruflia ; and
being created patriarch by his ion, he reigned in the young
man's right with !;;reat priuloncc and fuccefs. He defeated the
attcn;p'.s of the Poles to replace Uladiilau"^ upon the throne,
and liicewillL; the claims of a brother of Guihivus Adolphus,
"^ but fubmittcd to vo;inn- Michael witiunit anv terms. The claims

of the Swedes and Poles upon RulUa, oce;irioned a war be-
^ - • twccn thofe two people, which gave Michael a kind of a
"-»-.^ breathing-time; and he made ufc of it for the benefit of his

fubjecl-s. I find, that foon after the clet^ticn of Michael,
James !. of England fent, at his invitation. Sir John Mey-r
rJck, as h;-; ambaiihdorto Ruliia, upon feme coinmerciai afFairs,
and to rcclai r a certaii turn of nvMVjy which James had ad-
vance 1 to >.'lich;'.'jl or his prcdecci'o;s. The Knglifh conrt,
however, v/as fo ignoant of the affairs of that country, tho'
a RuiTian company had been then cllabli/hjd at London, that
famcj was actually unacauaintcd with the czar's name and
title, for he fia\'e him no other denomination than that of
G:cat duke and lord of Ruflia. Three year, after, James and
Mich'.cd became much better ac(]uair.tcd ; and the latter con-
cluded a commercial treaty with En dand, which fliews him
to have been not only well acquainted with the intcrelb of his
own fubject.s, but the laws and ufage. of nations. Before wc
take leave of Michael, who furvi\'ed his father, I am to men-
tion th.c modes of the czar's nuptials, which I could not in-
troduce into the milcelhmeous culloms of their fubjects, and
which areas follow. His czariih majcfl-y's intention to marry
being known, the mofl celebrated beauties of his dominions
were fent for to court, and theie entertainul. They were \i-
ftted by the czar, and the moft magnificent nuptial prepara-
tions were made, before the happy lady was declared, by fend-
ing her m;'gnificent jewels, and a weddiivi robe. The reft of
the candid^itcs were then dii.nilll-d to their feveral homes, with

fuitablu

RUSSIA. 155

fditiiblc prefent'?. The nninc of the lady's father who pleafod
Michael, was S.rcfchneii ; ami he w:i.s ploiighiii!; his own farm,
when it was announctd co him, that 1 c was father-in-law to
the C7 ar.

Alexis fuccccclcd his father Michael, and wa^ married in ths
fjmc manner. He iipjjears to have been a prince of mcnt ge-
nius. He recfjvered Sinolenfko, Kiovv, and tlic Ukraine ; but
was unfortunate iji the wars with the Swedes. When thy
grand ftgnior, Mahoir.et IV. haughtily demanded fome poli'ef-
ilons from liim in the Ukraine, his anlwer v/as, ** that he
fcorned to fubmit to a Mahometan do..r, and that his fcvmitar
was as good as the grand fignior's fahre." He attempted to
draw uj> a code of laws for the civil governmejit of his fub-
jecls, which is faid to be ftlll in being. He cultivated a polite
correfpondence with the other powers of Europe ; and even
with the court of Rome, though he ordered his amb;'.il;)''ors
not to kifs the pope's toe. He fuhdued a chief of the Don
CoP'.cs, named Stenko Rafln, who endeavoured to n:ake liim-
felf king of Adracan ; and tiie rebel, with 12,000 of his ad-
herents, were h:-nged on the high rouls. He introduced linn
and iUk ;-;nnufactines into his dominions : and initead of put-
tinii to death or cnOavinfj; his Lithuania!!, Polilh, and 'i'artar
priioncrs, he fent them to people the banks of the Wolgn and
the Kan.a. He died fuddenly, at the age of 46, in tf'.e be-
jnnninr^- of the vcar 167 s? after ihewin'.'- hinifelf worthy of beinnf
Lither 10 Peter the Great.

Alexis left behind him three fons and a daui^hter, who was
a woman of great intrigue and fpirit. The names of the fons
v/ere ThvoJore.^ Ivv.m or John, and Peter, who was by a fe-
cond marriage. 'I'heodore mounted the throne, and ihewed
excellent dilp; Titions for the improvement of his fubjects j but
his bodily iniirmities prevented him from carrying them into
execution. Fie liied without any iflue. His brother Iv/an,
tie"n<j; almofl Mind and dumb, and othcrwife diiiempcred,
Tlvjwdore, before his death, niuiied his younger brother, Peter,
to tlic fovereignty ; though then only 10 years of age. This
dedination was ilifpleafmg to the ambitious princcls Sophia;
and ihe tound means to excite a horrible (edition among the
StreJit7es, who then formed the Handing army of Ru-Tiu.
Ti"::!r excefies furp-.dled all defcriptioii ; but Soohia, by her
rianrgement, replaci^d iier brotlier iwan in his birthright; and
exereifed the goveinmcnt herfelf, with the grcatelt fevcrity and
jniunr.aaity ; for all the Ruflian grandees who were related to
Peter, or whom li'.c luppoled to favour him, were put to cruel
deaths, ihe iuHanees gi\ en by Voltaire, of her inhuman adini-
n llrraioi), aic Ihockuig to huiiumity. At l«iiiii'-h, ia 16^2, the

t*vo

1^6

RUSSIA.

n-.

J^Hfl^H

'! ■

^^^^H

■iri

■

III ' i

^ i

Liii

two princes, Iwan and Peter, were declared joint fovcrelgns,
and their fifter their aflbciatc and co-regent. Her adminilrra-
tion was bloody and tumultuous ; nor durfl: fhc venture to check
the fury of the Strclitzcs, and other infurgcnts. Poinding
this debility in her own pcrfon, flic intended to have married
prince Bafil Cialitzin, who is laid to have been a man of fenfe
"and fpirit, and feme learning. Being placed at the head of the
army by Sophia, he marched into Crim Tartary ; but Pct^r
was now about 17 years of age, and aflerted his right to the
throne. Sophia and Iwan were then at Mofcow j and upon
Peter's publifhing aloud, that a confpiracy had been formed by
his fifter to murder him, he was joined by the Strelitzcs, who
defeated or deitroycd Sophia's party, and forced hcrfelf to re-
tire to a monaftery. Galitzin's life was fpared, but his great
eftate was confifcatcd ; and the following curious fcntcnce was
pronounced as his punifliment, " Thou art commanded by the
moll clement czar, to repair to Karga, a town under the pole,
and there to continue the remainder of thy days. His ma-
jefty, out of his extreme goodnefs, allows thee three pence
per day for thy fubfiikncc." Upon the death of Iwan, which
happened in 1696, Peter reigned alone.

It far exceeds the bounds prefcribed to this work, to give
even a fummary detail of this great prince's atflions. They
may be collected front the hiftories of the northern nations,
Poland, Germany, and other countries ; fomc of v/hich I
have already exhibited, as I intend to do the reft. All there-
fore tint is neccfliiry in this place, is to give a general view of
his power, and the vaft reformation he introduced into his do-
minions.

Peter, towards the end of the laft century, though he had
been but very indifferently educated, through the jealoufy of
his fifter, allociated himfelf with Germans and Dutch ; the
former for the fake of their manufactures, which he early in-
troduced into his dominions ; and the latter, for their fkill in
navigation, which he pradifed himfelf. His incH nations for
the arts were encouraged by his favourite Le Fort, a Piedmon-
tefe; and general Gordon, a Scotchman, difciplined the czar's
own regiment, confifting of 5000 foreigners ; while Le Fort
railed a regiment of 12,000, among whom he introduced the
French and German exercifes of arms, with a view of em-
ploying them in curbing the infolences of the Strelitzcs. Peter,
after this, began his travels ; leaving his military aflairs in the
hands of Gordon. He fet out as an attendant upon his own
ambafladors j and his adventures in Holland and England, and
other courts, are too numerous, and too well known, to be
infcrtcd here. By workijig as a common fliip-carpcnter at
Z Deptford

RUSSIA; 157

Deptford and Sardam, he completed hlmfclf in fiiip-building
and navigation ; and through the excellent difcipline introduced
amonu; his troops by the foreigners, he not only over-awed or
crufhed all civil inlurrev^ions, but all his enemies on this fide
ofAfia; and at lall he even exterminated, all but two feeble
regiments, the whole body of the Strelitzcs. He rofe gradu-
ally through every rank and fcrvice both by fea and land ; and
the many defeats which he received, efpecially by Charles XII.
at Narva, fecmcd only to enlarge his ambition, and extend his
ideas. The battles he loft rendered him a conqueror upon the
whole, bv adding experience to his courage : and the generous
fricndlhip he flieweti to Auguftus, king of Poland, both before
and after he wis dethroned by the king of Sweden, redounds
greatly to his honour. He had no regard for rank, diftindt
from merit ; and he at laft married, by the name of Catharine,
a young Lithuanian woman, who had been betrothed to a
Swedifti foldier ; bccaufe, after long cohabitation, he found her
poflefled of a foul formed to execute his plans, and to afftll his
counfels. Catharine was fo much a ftrano-er to her owji coun-
try, that her hufband afterwards difcovered her brother, v»'ho
fervcd as a common foldier in his armies. But niilitarv and
naval triumphs, which fucceeded one another after the battle of
Pultowa with Charles XIL were not the chief glories of Peter's
reign. He applied himfelf with equal afliduity, as I have al-
ready mentioned, to the cultivation of commerce, arts, and
fciences : and, upon the whole, he made fuch acquifitioiis of
dominion, even in P^iirope itfelf, that he may be faid at the
time of his death, which happened in 1725, to have been the
moft powerful prince of his age.

Peter the Great is unfortunate in his eldcft fon, who was
called the czarewitz, and who marrying without his confent,
euteu-d, as his father allcdged, into fome dangerous pradtices
againft his perfon and government ; for which he was tried and
condemned to death. Under a fovorcign fo defpotic as Peter
was, we can fav nothing as to the julHcc of the charge. It
was, undoubtedly, his will, that the young prince fliould be
foui d guilty ; but he died, as is faid, of a fever, before his
fentence was put into execution, in 172?.. Peter then or-
dered his wife Catharine to be crowned, with the fame mag-
nificent ceremonies as if fhe had been a Greek emprcfs, s.nd
to be recognized as his fuccellor j which fhc accord ngly was,
and mounted the Ruffian throne. She died, after a glorious
reign, in 1727, and was fucceeded by Peter II. a minor, fon
to the czarewitz. Many domeftic revolutions happened in
RufTia during the fhort reign of this prince ; but none was more
reiparkablc than the difgracc and exile of pi ince Mcn-zikofF,

the

J58

RUSSIA;

the favourite general in the two late reigns, and cflccmcd th^
richcft fubjcdt in Europe. Peter died of" the fmall-pox in 1730.

Notwithdanding the deCpotit'm of Peter and his wife, thr
Ruffian fenate and nobility, upon the death of Peter II. ven-
ture;! to fet afide the order of fucceflion which they had efta-
bliflied. 'Die male ifl'uc of Peter was now cxtinguiflied ; and
the duke of Holfkin, ion to his eldeft daughter, was, by the
dcftination of the late emprefs, entitled to the crown : but the
Ruffians, for political reafons, iilled theii- throjK- with Anne,
duchefs of Courland, fecond daughter to Iwan, Peter's eldeft
brother ; though her eldelt lilLr, the duchefs of Mecklen-
buigh, was alive. ITcr reign w;is profperou' and glorious ; for
though file accepted of the crown under limitations that were
derogatory to her dignity, yet Die broke them all, allerted the
prerogative of her aneeliors, and punifhcd the aipiring Dolgo-
ruki familv, v/ho had impofed upon her the limitations, that
th.cy thcniivl\c3 mi:ht govern. She ralfed her f'.vourite, j^iron,
to the duchy of Courland ; and was obliged to gi\e way to
many Icvctc executions on his account. Upon her death, in
1740, John, the fon of her hiccc, the princefs of Mecklen-
burgji, bv Anthonv L'lric, cf Brunfwic Wolfenbuttel, was,
by her Viill, entitled to the fucceflion : but beijig no more than
two y( p.ts old, iJiron w.is appointed to be adminiihator of the
empire durijig his noiiagc. 'J'his deftinatir.iv was difagreeablc
to the princels of JVIeckknburgh and her hnfband, and unpo-
pular among the Rufli'.ms. Count Munich was tmjdoycd by
the princels of iVicrklen'ungh to aiA-li jJiron-, who v/as tried,
and condemned to die, but was fcnt in exile to Siberia.

The adniinlliniLion oi the jMincels Anne of Mecklenburgh
and her hulband, was, upon ma-uy accou';ts, but particularly
that of their (jcrman coimcctions, difagreeablc, not only to
the RufMans, but to other powers of Europe ; and notwith-
Handing a profperous war tliey carried on with the Swedes, the
princels Elizabeth, daughter, by Catharine, to Peter the
Great, formed fuch a party, that in one night's lime fhe was
declared and proclaimed emprefs of the Rufiias -, and the
princefs of Mecklenburgh, Ucr hufband, and fon, were made
prifoncrs.

Elizabeth's reign m'ay be faid to have been more glorious
than that of any of her predecefl'ors, her father excepted. She
aboliflicd, as has been already hinted, capital punifhments j
and introduced into all civil and military proceedings a mode-
ration till her time unknown in Ruflia : but at the lame time
ihe punifhcd the counts Munich and Ofterman, who had the
chief management of affairs during the late adniiniftration,
■with pxile. She made peace with bwcdtn j and fettled, as we

have

RUSSIA.

159

have already Teen, the fucccflioii to tliat crown, as well p.s to
her own dominions, upon the mo(l ctjuitabic foundation. Hav-
ing uloricHilly Rnllhed a war, which had been ftirred up againlt
her, with Sweden, fhe replaced the natural order of fucccflion
in her own family, by uL-clarinn: the duicc of HoHlcin-Got-
torp, who was defccndtd from licr elder filler, to be her heir.
She gave him the title of grand duke of Ruflia ; and foon after
her accefHon to the throne, flic called him to her court ; where he
renounced the fucccflion to the crown of Sweden, which un-
ilouhtedlv beK>nged to him, embraced the Greek religion, and
married a princefs ol Anhalt-Zerbll, by whom he liad a fon,
who is now heir to the RuHIan empire.

Few princes have had a more uninterrupted career of glory
than Eli'/.abetli. She was completely viilorious over the
Swedes. Her ;dliancc was courted by Great-Britain, at the
expencc of a large luhfuly ; but many political, and fome, as
is laid, private realons, determined her to take part with the
houfe of Aulh'ia againlt the king of Pruflia in 1756. Her
a!)iis alone gave a turn to the fuceefs of the war, which was in
tlisuivour ol' Prullia, notwithltanclint!; that monarch's amazJn":
abilities both in the field and cabiitet. Her conquefts were
fiich, at; portended tiic entire dcfrruction of the Prufiian power,
which was faved only by her critical death, on January 5, 1762.

ElIzabcLli was fucctcdcd by Peter ill. grand prince of
Rullia, aiid duke of Holl.cin : a pri/.rc whofc conduct has
been varioufiy reprefcnced. He mounted the ihronc pollefled
<jf an tnthuii'.iili. .klmiration of h's PruiTian nra;clty's virtues;
to whom he gave peace, and whofe j^rinciples and practices he
feems to have a^l^^pted as t!i;i diret^tories of his future reign.
He might huve funnr anted the c^Feft:s eve!i of thole pecufia-
ritics, unpopular as they rh-.'n were in R'.ifiia ; but it is faid,
that be aimed at rclonTuuions In iiis uomiiilons, which even
I'ttcr t!ie Great durlt not attempt ; and tli.ii; he even ventured
to cut oft" tlie beards of his clergy. His nicmory has been
liiccv/ife accufcd cf c'."rt:-.ln domeft'.c infidelities, v.'hich were toi>
provoking for a Ipirited princefs io bear. Whatever there
may lie ii thofe fugj^eltions, it is certain that an univerfal con-
fpiracv was formed againit him, and that he fcarccly knew an
inierval be: ween tlie iols 01 his crt'vvn and his lite, of which
he v/as deprived wiiilc under an ignuminic)us confinement.
Thai his CGir.luci: with i<,:,ard to I^ruilia, was not the folecaufc
of his depoliiion, I'eems pretty evident from the meafures of
his fuceeiioi', who was his •. \\n w:h\ :'.r.d now reis-ns by the
title of C.itiiarine 111. That princefs, ^vilh regard to PruiTia,
trod in her huiband's flops, and now AjUows the plan he
chalked out. Thy- mo^t rciDUikaMc doir.cltic occunence of

*. her

i6o

ISLES OF SCOTLAND.

her reign hitherto, is the death of prince Iwan, fon to the
princefs of Mccklcnburgh, and, while he was in his cradle,
emperor of Ruflia. liiat prince lolt his life in an ill-con-
certed confpiracy, which hud been formed by fome private ofli-
cers, to raife him to the throne.

As the internal tranquillity of Poland is a capital obje£l with
Ruflia, her prefent imperial majefty took a great concern in
raifing that king to the throne, and in fecuring the rights which
the treaty of Oliva had given to the Greek and proteftant fub-
jedls of the Polifli republic. The umbrage which her armies
gave to the Roman-catholic Poles, by their refidencc in Poland,
produced firft a civil war, and then confederacies againft all
that had been done during the late ele(5lion ; which rendered
Poland a fcene of blood and confufion. The Ottoman court,
who had been long waiting for fuch an opportunity, availed
jtfelf of the occafion ; t1\ey imprifoncd, contrary to the law of
nations, the Ruffian minifkr at Conftantinoplc, declared war
againft Ruflia, and ma/ched 500,000 troops to the confines of
Poland and Ruflia.

Hoftilities arc now begun between thefc rival and mighty
empires. The Ruflian arms have been vidlorious by fea and
land, and the Turkifli greainefs has received a (hock which
feems to threaten an abridgment, if not the total difl'olution of
their power in Europe. In this quarrel the other nations of Eu-
rope have remained neutral. How far the rifmg greatnefs of the
Rufllans may be confiftent with the commercial intereft of Eng-
land, and theballanceof power eftabliihcd at the expcnce of fo
much blood and treafurc, is a qucftion which wc fliall leave to
the fpeculation of politicians.

SCOTLAND, AND ITS adjacent ISLES.

ISLES OF SCOTLAND.

T Shall, according to the general plan I have laid down, treat
•*■ of the iflands belonging to Scotland, before I proceed to
the defcrlption of that antient kingdom ; and, to avoid pro-
lixity, I fhall comprehend under one head, thofe of Shetland,
Orkney, and the Hebrides, or Vv^'ftcrn ifles.

Situation and extent.] The iflands of Shetland lie
north-eaft of the Orcades, between 60 and 61 degrees of north
latitude ; and are part of the fhire of Orkney.

The Orcades, or Orkney iflands, lie north of Dungfl)y-
head, between 59 and 60 degrees of north latitude j divided
from the continent by Pcntland Firth,

The

tSLES OP SCOTLAND. t6i

The weftern iflcs are very numerous, and fomc of them large;
fituatc between 55 and 59 degrees of north latitude.

Climate.] There is very little difFcrcncc in the climate
ofthofe iflands, the air being keen, piercing-, und falubrious ;
fo that many of the natives live to a great age. In the Shet-
land and Orkney iflands they fee to read at miJnight .1 June
and July j and during four of the fummcr months, they have
frequent communications, both for buHncfs and curiofity,
with each other, and with the continent : the reft of the year,
however, they are almoft inacceflihle, through fogs, darknefs,
and ftorms. It is a certain fail, thiit a Scotch filhcrman was
imprifoned in May, for publifhing the account of the prince
and princcfs of Orange being raifcd to the throne of England
the preceding November ; and, probably, would have been
hanged, had not the news been confirmed by the arrival of
a fliip.

Chief islands and towns.] The largcft of the Shet-
land iflands, which arc forty-fix in number, (though many
of them are uninhabited) is Mainland, which is 60 miles in
length, and 20 in breadth. Its principal town is Larwick,
which contains 300 families ; the whole number of families
in the idand not exceeding 5C0. Skalloway is another town^
where the remains of a caltle are ftill to be fccn, and is the
feat of a prefbytery. On this ifland the Dutch begirt to fifli
for herrings at Midfummer, and their filhing feafon lafts fix
months.

The largeft of the Orkney iflands, v/hich arc about thirty
in number, (though fcveral of them are unpeopled) is called
Pomona. Its length is twcnty-A^ur niiks, and its breadth^
in fome places, nine. It contains nine parifh churches, and
four excellent harbours.

The ifle of Mull, in the Hebrides, is twenty-four miles
long, and, in fome places, almoft as bro:d. It contains two
pariihes, and a raftle, callcv! Duart, which is the chief place
in the ifland. The other principal v.'eftcrn iflands are, Lewis,
or Harries, (for they both form but one ifland) which belongs
to the fhire of Rofs, and is 100 miles in length, and 13 or 14
in breadth. Sky, belonging to the fliire of Invcrnefs, is 40
miles long, and, in fomc places, 30 broad ; fruitful, and
well peopled. Bute, which is about lo miles long, and 3 or
4 broad, is famous for containing i^hecaftle of Rothfay, which
R;avc the title of duke to the eldeft fons of the kings of Scot-
land ; as it now does to the prince of Wales. Rothfay is
Vikewife a royal burgh ; and the iflands of Bute and Arran,
form th-; (hire of Bute. The ifles of Ila and Jura, are part of
Argylcfhire, but they have no tov/ns worthy notice. North
Vol. I. L Wift

i» I mmI'J

''f!

1^2 ISLES OF SCOTLAND,

Wift contains an cxccllait harl.our, iiillcil Lochm.iddy, fu-
moub for herriM<'--fini'm'^, I HkiII omit the nvntion of' many
pthcr of the HchriJc illancls, wliicli ar<* at prtfcnt of finall
importance, cither to ti)c public or the proprietors ; thouoli,
pnibaMy, they may, in future rimes, be of great confecjucnoc
to both, by the very improv'eabie fiflierios upon their roafls.
I cannot, however, avoid mentioning tlie famous ifle of lona^
once the feat and fauifluary of wertern learning, and the bury-
ing-placc of many kings of Scotland, Ireland, and Norvv'ay.
'It is ffill famous, for its reliqucs of fani^limonious antiquity,
as fhali be hcnaftcr mentioned. Some authors have been at
great pains to defer ])e the ifland of St. Kilda, or Hirt, for no
other reafon, that I cai> difcover, butbecaufe it is the remoteft
of all the north-weft iflands, and very difHeult of acccfs ; for
it does not contain above thirty-five families, all of which arc
protcftant, and know very little of the value ct money.

iNHAIJiTANTS, CUSTOMS, I'OPULA- 7 It is not to be inu-
TiON, LANGUAGE AND Ri'LKJioN. 3 gincd, that the in-
habitants of the idands bclonuiiu'' to Scotland, can be fo mi-
nutcly dcfcribcd here, as they have been by f(jme other authors ;
not fo much on account of their iniportanec, a. thciri.uiiofity.
Thofe of Shetland and Orkney were formcrlv fubjeiSt to tiie
crown of Denmark, who pledged them, and in the reign of
Tames III. conveyed them in property to the crown of Scot-
land. The iflcs of Shetland and Orkney form a llewarty, or
/hire, which fends a member to pr.rllaineiit. At prcfent, the
people in general difler little from the Lowlanders of Scotland,
only, perhaps, they arc more honelt and religious. AKn of
fortune there, have improved their eflates woiu'erfully of l.itc
years ; and have introduced into their f uiubcs all the luxuries
and elegancies that are to be found at the tables of their Knglifli
and Scotch neighbours. They buiM their dwelling, and other
houfes, in the moft f ifliionable taitc ; and are remarkable for
the fincncfs of their linen. As to the common people, they
live upon butter, chccrr, fifli, fca and land fowl (o which they
have great plenty) particularly geefe ; and their chief drink is
whey, which they have the art to ferment, fo as to give it a
vinous quality. In fome of the northern iHands, the Nor-
wegian, which is c.dled the Narfc language, is Hill fpoken.
Their vaft intcrcourfe with the Dutch, during the fifl;ing fca-
ibn, renders that language corijnion in the Shetl.nd and Ork-
jicy iflands. The ) eop!c there are as expert as the Norwegians,
elready dcfcribcd, in fcizing the nells of fea-fowls, who build
in the mofl frightful precipices and rocks. The peopk\ tem-
perance prefervcs them from many diibafes known to luxury,
They CMfQ t,}\Q (curvy a;id the jaundice, to which tbey are fub-

idtly, fu-

of many

of rrn.ill

thduoli,

nfi.i|uciK-c

cir roads.

c of lona^

the bury-

Norway.

iiitiquity,
/e been at

It, for no
e icniotfft
:c(-fs } for

which arc

to be imn-
Kit the in-
bf fo mi-
r authors ;
ri^uriofity.
cct to the
i; reign of
n of Scot-
::warty, or
cfent, the
Scntlatitl,
Men of
illy of Lite
le luxuries
•ir Englifli
and other
uk.'iblc fur
o;:lc, they
vhich tlicy
ef drink is
give it a
the Kur-
il fpokcn»
fl-iing fca-
and Ork-
jrwcgians,
who build
pk'-^ tcin-
lo luxury,
:y arc fub-

ISLES OF SCOTLAND.

[63

\eS\, with the puwdor of fn lil-fhells and fcujvy-giafs, of
which thev have plenty. Their religion is protcflant, ac-
cording to the difclplme of the chineh of Scotland ; ;iiul their
civil inflitutions are much the ianic wiih thofc of the country to
which they belong.

Nothing certain can be mentioned as to the papulation of
thofe three divifions of iflands. We lunc the nioft undoubted

evidences or hiirory, tnat about 400 years ago, they were
much more populous than they are now ; for vlie Hebrides
thcnifelvcs were known often to fend 10,000 fighting men into
the field, without prejudice to their agriculture. At prefcnt,
their numbers arc fa-d not to exceed 48,000. The people of
the Hebrides are cioathed, and live like the Scotch High-
laiulers, who Ihall hereafter bedeferibcd. They are fimilar in
perfons, conftitutions, cullonis, and prejudices ; but with this
dirierence, that as the more polifiied n-.anncrs of the Lowlanders
are every day gainijig ground in the Hi|_hlands, perhaps the
defeendents of the anticnt Caledonians, in a lev/ years, will
be difcernible only in the Hebrides.

Thofe iflands alone retain the antient ufagcs of the Celts,
as defcribed by the oldeft and bell: authors j but with a (Irong
tintfture of the feudal conllitution. Their ihanachies or {hay-
tellers fupply the place of the antient bards, lb famous in
hillory ; and are the hiftorians, or rather the gcneal(<giils, av
well as poets, of the nation ajid family. The chief is like-
wife attended, when he appears abroad, with his nuifician,
who is generally a bagpiper, and dreft in the manner, but
more fumptuoufly than the Kiigliih minftrelo of former times *.
Notwithlianchng the contempt into which that mufic is fallen,
it is almofl incredible with what care and attention it was cul-
tivated among thole illar.dcr.'^, fo late us the beginning of the
prefcnt century. 'I'iiey had regular coliegts and j rofe'icrs,
and the iludejits took degrees according to their profiriency.
Many of the Celtic rites, fomc of which were too barbarous
to be retained, or cvcji mentioned, are now abolifhcd, ']'])«
inhabitants, however, Hill prellrve the n;oft prof'iund rcfpcct
and aft*e«i:tion for their levcjal chieftains, notwiUill-anding ail
the pains that have been taken by the Uritifli Ivpliatiire to break
thole connetSlions, which experience has fhcwn to be fo dan-
gerous to government. l"he common people are but little
better lodged than the Norv/egiuns anu Laplanders, already
defcribed 5 though they certainly f:\re better, for tiiey have
oatmeal, plenty of liiii and fowl, checle, butter-milk, and

L 2 whey j

Se$ I'crcy'i Rclif^ucs «f antient Erjjliih Pcitr;.', in 3 vj:.

JMI

164 ISLES OF SCOTLAND.

whey; and, when they chufc it, plenty of mutton, beef, goaf^
kid, and vcnifon. They indulge thcnirdves, like their fore-
fathers, in a romantic poetical turn, which is an enemy to in-
duftry, and indeed to domeftic and pcrfonal tlcanlinefs. The
agility of hoth llxcs in the cxcreifcs of the field, and in dan-
cing to their favourite nuilic, is reniarkablc.

The reader would not pardon an author, who, in treating
of this fuhject, fhoulil omit that remarkable mantology, or
gift of prophecy, which dillinguifhes the inl:abitants of the
Hebrides under the name of the fecond fight. It would be
equally abfiird to attempt to difprove the reality of the inftanccs
cf this kind that have been brought by creditable authors, as
to admit all that has been faid upon the fubjecl. The adepts
of the fecond -fight pretend that they have certain revelations,
or rather prei'cutations, either really or typically, which fwim
before their eye:,, of certain events that are to happen in the
compafs of 24 or 48 hours. 1 do not, however, from the belt
information, obfervc that any two of thofe adepts agree as to
the manner and forms of thofe revelations, or that they have
imy fixed method for interpreting their typical appearances.
The truth fcems to be, that thofe illanders, by indulging them-
fclves in lazy habits, actjuirc vifionary ideas, and over-heat
their imaginations, till they are prefcnted with thofe phan-
lafms, which they miftake for fatidical manifeftations. They
inftantly begin to prophecy ; and it would be abfurd to fup-
pofe, that amidll many thoufands of predi<5lions, fomc did not
happen to be fulfilled ; and thefe being well attcfled, gave a
iandtion to the whole.

Many learned men have been of opinion, that the Hebrides
being the moft wefterly iflands where the Celts fettled, their
language muft remain there in its greateft purity. This opi-
nion, though ,ery plaufiblc, has failed in experience. Many
Celtic words, it is true, as well as cuftoms, are there found ;
but a vaft intercourfe which the Hebrides had with the Danes,
the Norwegians, and other northern people, whofe language is
mixed with the Sclavonian and Teutonic, which laft has no
affinity with the Celtic, has rendered their language a com-
pound ; fo that it approaches in no degree to the purity of the
Celtic, commonly called Erfc, which was fpoken by their
neighbours in Lochaber and theoppofitecoafts of Scotland, the
undoubted defcendcntsof the Celts, among "'•horn their language
remains more unmixed.

The religion profeflcd in the Hebrides, is chiefly prefbyte-

rian, as eftablilhed in the church of Scotland ; but poj)cry and

ignorance IHll prevail among fonie of thg illanders, whilil fu-

5 pcrllitious

I*'..

ISLES OF SCOTLAND. 1^5

pcrflitious practices and cudoms fccm to be alinod: grafted in
their nature.

Soil, mines and qijarries.] Though it is not in the
power of natural philofophy to account for the reafon, yet it
is certain tliat the foil both of the northern ai<d wellcrn iflands
belonging to Scotland, has fuft'ercd an amazing alteration. It
is evident to the eye-fight, that many of thoi'e iflands have
been the habitations of the Druids, whofe temples are ftill vi-
ftble in mod of them ; and thofe temples were furrounded by
groves, though little or no timber now grows in the neigh-
bourhood. The flumps of former trees, however, arc dif-
cernible, as are many veftiges of grandeur, cvtnfincc the .idmiflion
of the Chriftian religion j which prove the dccreafe of the
riches, power, ar.d population, of the inhabitants. Experi-
ence daily fhews, that if the foil of the northern and weftern
iflands till of late were barren, cold, and "jncomfortable, it
was owing to their want of culture ; for fuch fpots of them
as are now cultivated, produce <;orn, vegetables, and garden-
ftufl", more than fufficient for the iidiabitants j and even fruit-
trees are now brought to maturity. Tin, lead, and filver
mines ; marl, flate, free-ftone, and even quarries of marble,
have been found upon thofe iflands. They are not deflitute
of i'mc frefh water ; and lakes, and rivulets that abound with
excellent trout. At the fame time it mufl: be owned, that the
prefcnt face of the foil is bare, and unornamcnted with trees,
excepting a few that arc reared in gardens.

Trade and manufactures.] Thefc arc all in their in-
fancy in thofe iflands. The reader can cafily fuppofe, that
their Itaple commodities confift of fifli, efpecially herrings,
which are the beft in the world, and, when properly cured,
are equal even to thofe of the Dutch. 'They carry on like-
wife a confidcrable trade in down and feathers ; and their fheep
afibrds them wool, which they mnnufaifturc into coarfe cloths;
and even the linen manufacture makes no fmall progrefs in
thofe iflands. They carry their black cattle alive to the adja-
cent parts of Scotland, where they arc difpofed of in fale or
barter J as are lar:j;e quantities of their mutton, which they
fait in the hide. Upon the whole, application and induflry,
with fome portion of public encouragement, are only wanting
to render thofe iflands at once ornamental and beneficial to
their mother country, as well as to their inhabitants, ■

Beasts, birds, anp fishks.J Little can be faid on this
head, that is peculiar to thofe iflands. In the countries al-
ready delcribed, mention has been made of mort of the birdi
and fifties that have been difcovered here j only it is thought
that they contain a fpecies of falcon or hawk, of a more noble

h 3 and

1^6

ISLES OF SCOTLAND.

and docile nature than any that are to be found elfewhere. The
Shetland iflcs are fimous for a fmall breed of horfes, which are
incredibly a6live, iirong, and hardy, and frequently fecn in
the flrects of I/ondon, yoked to fljp fplendid carriages of the
curious or wealthy. The coafts of thofe iflands, till within
thefe 20 years, fcemcd, however, to have been created not for
the inhabitants, but for ftrangers. The latter furnifli the
former with wines, ftrong liquors, fpice, and luxuries of all
kinds, for their native con:modities, at the gnin of above loo
per cent. But it is to be hoped that this pernici<Mis traffic now
draws to an end. Three thouland bullls have been known to
be employed in one yi ar by the Dutcii in the herring lifliery,
befides thofc fitted out by the Haniburghers, Brenieners, and
ether northern ports.

Thofc iilands exhibitmany

Raritik^i and curio.<^!ttf.', 7 Thofc ilia
■* ARTIFICIAL AND NATL'RAi. 3 prco;nnnt proofs, in their
churches, the vtlti.ies of old forts, and other buildings both
iacred and civil, of wh:it I have alrcadv obferved, that thev
were form<?rly more popiilou'i than they are now. The ufc and
ci^nflrutft'On of fome of tlmfe w^rks are not eafily accounted
for at prefent. In a gloomy vnlley belonging to Hoy, one of
the weficrn iflands, is a kind of a hermitage, cut out of a
ftonc called a dw.rf-flone, 36 feet long, 18 broad, and nine
thick ; in which is a fqunrc hole, about two feet high, for an
entrance, with a (lone of the fame fi/.e for a door. Within
this entrance is the jeftmblance of a bed, with a pillow cut
out of the (lone, big enough for two men to lie on : at the
other end is a couch, and in the middle a hearth, with a hole
cut out above for a chimney. It would be endlefs to recount
the various veftiges of the dmidical temples remaining in thofe
iflands, fome of which have required prodigious labour, and
are Ihipendous eredlions, of the fame nature as the famous
Stoncheng;e near Salifturv, which I fhiill have occafion to de-
fcribe : others fcem to be memorials of particular perfons, or
actions, confining of one large Hone fl:anding upright ; fome
of them have been fculptmed, and others have ferved as fepul-
chrcs, and arc co-rpofrd of fiones cemented together. Bar-
rows, as they arc called in P'.nalnnd, arc frequent in thofu
iflands ; and the monuments of Danifli and Norwegian forti-
fications might employ an able antiquary to dcfcribe. The
gigantic bones fotmd in many burial places here, give room to
believe, that the former inhabitants were of far larger fize than
the prefent. It is likewife probable, from fome ancient remains,
particularly catacombs, and nine filver fibulae or ciafps, found'
at Stcnnis, one of the Orkneys, that the Romans were well
acquainted with thofe parts,

' ,,i ii

ISLES OP SCOTLAND.

i5>

The cathedral of Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkneys, \i
a fine Gothic biiiMiii'.';, dcJicatccl to St. Magnus, but now
converted into a paiiili church. Its roof is fupportcd by 14
pilhirs on each fide, and its fteeple, in which is a go(]d ring
of bciii, by four large pillars, 'i'hc three gates of the church
arc chequered with red and white poliliicd (lones, cmbofled,
and elegantly flowered.

The Hclirides are Hill more diilinguifhed than the Orkney
or Siietland ifles for their ren^ains of antiquity ; and it would
far exceed the bounds ailcjtted to this head, were w« even tc»
mention every noted monument found upon them, dedicated to
civil, rcligiou-^, or warlik.r purpot'e^, \Vc ca/rnot, however^
avoid taking particular notice vi the celebrated iflc of Jona^
called St. CoUinib -Kill. \Vc IhaU not enter into the hiftcry
or origin of the religious ercii:iions upon this iOand ; it is ftif-
ficient to fay, that it feeiv.s to have lervcd as a fandtuary for
St. ColuMibi, and (.tiiir h^ly men of learnaiig, while Ireland,
England, and Sv.oilaiui, were dclolated by barbarifr It ap-
pears that the nortliern pagans often landed iverc, aiiu paid ncf
regard to the lanctity of tiie place. Tiie church of St. Alary,
which is built \:\ the fonn of a cathedral, is a beautiful fabric,
it contains the bodies of Ibme Scotch, Jnih, and Norwcgraii
kings, with fonie Cia;elic infcrijniuMf. The tornb of Cohimba,
who lies buried here, is uuinf'jrihed. 'J'lie Itecple i^- large, the
cupola 21 feet fquare, the doors and windows are citnoufiy
carved, and the altar is of the iinclt marble. Innumerable are
the inr::riptions of ancient cuiloms and ceremonies that are
difcerniblc upon this ifland, and give co«ntei>ancc Jo thcwclJ-
known obiervation, that when learning was extinit in thecon«
tinent of Europe, it found a refuge in Scotland, oi' rather iii
thofe iflands.

The iflands bclon2;ine to Scotland, contain likewifc fomi
natural curiofities peculiiu- to thcn^felves; the phaTeoIi, w Mo-
lucca beans, ha\e beei\ found in the Orkneys, driven, as is
fuppofcd, from the Welt-indics, by the wefterly winds, which
often .orce af) ore many curimis fliells and marine produdlionsy
highly eftccmed by naturaliils. In the parifli of HiU^n, u large
piece of ftag's-horn was found very deep in the earth, by tlie
inhabitants, who were dijiL'^ino; for marl : and certain bitumi-
nous effluvia produce furprizing phenomena, which the natives?
believe to be fupernatural.

Learning, learned men, 7 g Scotlaijdr

AND HISTORY. \

!-♦

[ i68 ]

SCOTLAND.

Mil

A., i^t;

cs.

JOO

r.engtli
Breadth 150

Name.]

Extent and situation.

Degrees.
, 5 54 and 59 North latitude,

between i ^ .^^^j ^ ^^^^ lon-itudc.

> between j

HERE can be little doubt th.it the Scots

were not the original in.iabitunts of this

Jcingdom, which they invaded about the beginning of the
fourth century, and having conquered the Picls, the territo-
ries of both were cdled Scotland ; and that the word Scot, is
no other than a corruption of Scuyth, or Scythian ; being
originally from that immenfe country, called Scythia by the
ancients. It is termed, by the Italians, Scotia; by the Spa-
niards, Ef-otia ; b)' the French, Efcoile j by the Scots, Ger-
mans, and EngliHi, Scotland. »

Boundaries.] Scotland, which contains nn area of
27,794 miles, ib bounded on the fouth by England ; and on
the north, eaft, and weft, by the Deucalcdonian, German,
and Irifh fens, or more properly, the Atlantic Ocean.

Divisions and .sunuivisioNS.] Scotland is divided into
the counties fouth of the Firth of Forth ; the capital of which,
and of all the kingdom, is Edinburgh ; and thofe to the north
of the fame river, where the chief, town is Aberdeen. This
war. the anticnt national divifion ; but fome modern writers,
with Icfs geographical accuracy, have divided it into High-
lands and Lov'lands, on account of the differAit habits, man-
ners, and curtoms of the inhabiian.s of each.

Eightee;) counties, or Ihircs, arc allotted to the fouthcrn
divifi.^n, and 15 to the northern ; and thofe counties are fub-
divided into Iheiifdoms, 'lewarties, and bailiwicks, according
to the antient tenures and privileges of the landholders.

Shirei.

Counties and other
fubdivifions.

Chief Towns.

1. Edhiburf^h — < Mid-Loth

2. HadJin-non 'i Eaft-Lothian

■{

H Edinburgh, W. lor
N. lat. c6. Mil
I. T -.1

Dalkeith.

Dunbar, Haddington,
and North-Berwick.

3. Mcrfo, antirnt- ? riic Merches, and 1 S ^^ it 1

i„ r .... :,.i. » -S T ) J 1 r "J Duns, and Lauder.

iy hcrwKk • ( Laud rdalc — 3 (

* Berwick, nn tl.c north fulc. of the Tweed, bcloniicd formerly io Scotland, and
pave numo (o a couniy in that kinj^dom; but it is now formed into a town and
county ../ itfcif, ill a poHUt.U Icnfc dilUnd from E;i^l.inJ and Stolland, h.iving it«
•wn privileges,

■:W'

titudc. ■''
;itiidc.

It the Scots
::nts of this
ling of the
tlie tcrrito-
ord Scot, is
liiiii J being
thill bv the
by the Spa-
Scots, Gcr-

in area of
id ; and on
I, German,
an.

Jividcd into
il of which,
o the north
;en. This
rn writers,
nto High-
bits, inan-

; fouthcrn
s are fub-
accordijv
s.

Towns,

, W. Ion. n.
6. Mii/Tel.
ciUi, and

aJdlngton,
h-Jk-rwiclv.

Lauder.

itlanJ, And

a fowii atiil

hiving itc

Ir-

!■

^ HIi

IH^H^H 'H

l^m^B^

^^hI ^B ^'

c.Hini, ..ntfclf, in a poliucai i,-,..

S C O T L A N

•Shires.

D. ^6q

Cliief Towns.

^. Roxborough -J

Counties and other
fubdivifjons.
Tiviotdale, Lulfdale, 1 CJedburgh, Kelfo, an^
lificdalc and iiuldalc \ \ Mclrofs.

5. Selkirk —

6. Peebles —

J, Lanerk —

S. Dumfries —

9. Wigtown

JO. Kirkcud-
bright —

11. Air —

12. Dumbarton

13. Duie and

14. Catlinefs

15. Renfrew

16. Stirling

17. Linlithgow

{

Rttrick Fortll
'I'wccdalc

Clydfdalc

Selkirk.
Peebles.

Nithfdale, Annandale Dumfries, Annand.

{Galloway, wen Par. } | ^^'^^'0™!"""' *

I Galloway, Eall Part I | Kirkudbright

(tCvIc Cnrrick ^,,j 7 C Air, Kilmarnock, Ir--

\X)c, <.amcl<, and/ 1 vvin.Mavbole.Stew-

I Lunningliam — f J ' ' j o i. ..

(^ ° 3 t 'irton, and baltcots.

I-cnox —

Dumbarton.

\ Bute, Arran, and / \ ,//. ] '^^J, , ^ „

1 Cathnefs — O ^^^"^'^ ^•^''- 5^"4°>

I Ren

frcw

Stirling

Weft Lc.-ian

Renfrcw,Paiflcy, Gree-
nock, Sc Port-GIaf-
j»ow.

Stirling and Falkirk.

Linlithgow, liur-
rougliUonncfs, autl
Queenbferry.

iS. Ar^7lc

'gyle, Cowal, Knap-"^ f" ,

dale, Kintirc, and j j '

Lorn, with Part of i , r\ a iv

the Wellcrn IHes, I J ^"^fr.^y'^""'^''*^^^'
^.rM...i.riv in. ri Killmimer, ana

ura, iviuii, vviit, r
^erif. Col, and Lif-
lorc — — J ^

19. Perth —

20. Kincardin —

21. Aberdeen

particularly Ifla,
I ura. Mull, Wift,

Perth, Athol, Gowr)',
jJroadalbin, Mon-
teith, Strathern,
Glendiield, and
Raynork — ~

Merns — — —

Mar, Buchan, Garioch i j
and Sirathbogic f— (

Campblctown.

Perth, Scone, Dum-
blane, Dlair, and
Dunkeld.

Bervie, Stonhive and
Kinkardin.

"Old Aberdeen, W.lon.
1-40. N. lat. 57-22,
New Aberdeen, Fra-
ferfburgh, Peterhead,
Kintore, Inverurie,
Strathbogie, and
Old Meldrum.

!;•

S C O T 1. A N

Sh)r:s.

22. Invernefs —

*3-
24.

25-

Nnirnc
Cronurt

Fife

and I
ie— '^

Counties a>id other
fubdixifums.
Aird, Strath^lals, >Skv,
Hams, Badenoch,
I Lorhabcr, & Glen
^_ nioiiian —
Wcftern Part ot* Mur-
ray and Cromaitic

Fife

Chief TowM.

s6. Forfar — < Forfar,

Angu:

Bamfi'

28. Sutherland

29,
30

3»'

Clacmanan &
Kinrofs

Rofs —

f Bp.mft", StT,ithdo\'crn,
J Boyne, l',i!/y, B.d-
I vcny, vStrathnwin,
(_ nnd pPiTt of lUican
( Strathnavcr and Su-
\ thcrland —

^ J Fife Part —

fEaaerandWcftcrRofs,^ f

Invernefs, Inverlochy,
Fort Augullus, Boi-
Icau.

Nairne, Cromartie.

St. Andrews, Couper,
Falkland, Kirkaldy.
Iiinrkythtn, Ely,
Burnt-ifland, Diim-
fennlin.nyfarr, An-
llriithcr iind Aber-
doiir.

Montn^fc,Fnrfar,Dun.
dec, Arbroth, and
Bicchin

Baniff and Cwllen.

J- < vSc/arhy and Dornoch.

I j Culms, Clacmanan,
Aloway and Kinrofs.

32. Elgin ■—

Ille of Lewis, Loch
brocm, Loclicanan,
Ardmeanach, Red-
calllc, Fcrrintofli,
StrathpefFcr, and
Fcrrindonald —
Murray & Strathfpey

j ) Taine, Dinf^wall,
W Fortrole, ilolcmnr-
kic, and NcwKtdfo.

33. Orkney —

Ifles of Orkney
Slietlapd —

and

Kle;in and Forres.
Kirkwall, W. Ion.

N. hit. 59 45.
Skalloway, near the
Meridian of Lon-
don, N. lat. 61.
In all, thirty-three fliires, which chufe thirty npicfentatives to fit
in the parliament of Great-Britain ; Bute and Cithncfs chufing
alternately, as do Nairnc and Cromartie, and Clacmanan and
Kinrofs.

The royal Boroughs whic
Edinburgh — — — I
Kirkwall, Wick, Dornoch, 7

Dingwall, andTayne J
Fortrofe, Invernefs, Nairnc, 7

and Forres — — j"
Elgin, Cullen, Bamft", In

vcrury, and Kintore
Aberdeen, Bervie,Moniirofe,

Abcrbrothe, and Brechin

I
}

1 chufe reprcfentatives are,
Forfar, Perth, Dundee, Cow- )

per, and St. Andrews J
Crail, Kilrennv, Anlhuthcr

Fail and W<

tcnweem
Dy fen, Kirkaldy, Kinghorne, I

I. rtllUlCWS J

iv, Anlhuthcr 1
Ved, and Pit- ^

and Burnt Ifland
Innerkythen, Dumfermlin,
, Qi-ccasfcny, Culrofs, and Stciling

}

SCOTLAND.

Ill

' CuJ/en.

d Dornoch.

I'Jcmanan,
^niiKinrois.

'<oicninr.

orres.

^- Ion. J,

near the
of I.on-
at. 6i.
»'es to /it
' chufing
lan and

icr 1

Clafffow, Renfrew, Ruthcr- 1

glen, and Dumbarton

Haddington, Dunbar, North- J

Berwick, Lawder, and Jed- V

hunWi — — — \

}

Selkirk, Peebles, Linlithi;ow,
and Lanei k — —

Climate, soil, air, f

AND WATER. I

Dumfries, Sanquchar, An-

17 &

umfrics, Sanquchar, An- 1

nan, I,ochmaban, and >

Kirkcudbright — \

VVigto\\n, New Galloway, >

Sit.inra\viT, and Whitchora | '

Air, Irwin, Rothfay, Camp- 1
beltown, and luverary — y

'J'hc ( limatc all t)vcT Scotland
i:;, from the variety of its hills,
^'alleys, rivers, and lakes, for the moft part, agreeable aiKl
healthy, exempted from the inconveniences tliat attend the
northern countries already deferibed, and even thofc of a more
foutherly fituation. Tlie air is, in general, moill and tem-
perate j but in the ncii;libourho()d ot fomc high mountains,
which arc covereil with eternal fnow, it is keen and piercing
for iiboiit nine months in the year. In the northern parts day-
]ij!^ht, at iMidfiimnier, h.fls 18 lioiirs and 5 miiuites j and the-
(lay ar.d night in winter, are in the fame pioportion. Late ex-
perience has pro\ed, that indullry, and (kihul agriculture, can
rciiiler the ibil of Scotland, in fundry parts, as fruitful as that
«>f England ; though, perhaps, many of its vegetable and hor-
tuIaiK' productions may not come fo foon to maturity. 'I'hc
inequality of the foil of Scotland is i'urpri/Ingj and cannot be
accounted for by r..;tural ov appa.ent caules ; Ibmc of the northeri|i
provinces being more fruitful and more early in their products J.
than the fouthern : but thofc inenualities feem to be in common
to all countries. 'I'lie water of Scotland is pure, light, and
e.afy to the lloinach ; and fome mineral waters have been dif-
tovcred.

Mountains.] The principal mountains in Scotland artf
the Grampian-hills, which run from ealt to welt, from near
Aberdeen to Cowal in ArgvleHiirt.-, almoil the whole breadth
of the kinLidom. AiioiIm-t chain of mountains, called the »
Pentland-Ilills, runs thr(;iigh Lothian and join thoie of Twee-
dale. A third, called Lammer-Muir, rifes near the eaftern
coait, and runs weltward through the Merfe, Ik'lidcs thofc
continued rhaim", anuuig which wc may reckon the Cheviot
or Teviot-Hills, on the borders of England, Scotland con-
tains many detached mountains, which, from their conical
figure, fometimcs go by the Celtic word Laws. Many of thcm^
;^rc flupcpdoufly high, and of beautiful forms ; but too nume-
xous to be particularized here.

Rivers, lakis, and forests.] The Iar2;c{t river in
Scotland is the Forth, which rifes in Monteith near C;Jlcn-
(Jar, and pafling by Stirling, after ilefcribiiig a number of
beautiful meanders, difch-.irifos itfelf ncai' Edinbuivh inio that

arm

!1i

ti% 55 C O T L A N D!

?u"m of the German fca to wlii( h it gives the name of Firtfj
of Forth. Second to ihi: l'\»rth is the Fay, whi( h iliues out
of Loch Tay, in Broadalbiii, and, lunnin;; foulh calf, paUbs
the town of Perth, ai\d fa!h into the fca at Dundee. The
Spey, which is tailed the nr^ft rapid river in Scotland, ifl'ues
Irom a lake of the fame name in Hadeimch, and, running
from fouth-wcll to noi th-eu(l, fills into the fea near KIgin ;
Jts do the rivers Dec nnd Don, which run from welt to caft,
ind difembogue thcmfclves :it Aberdeen. The Tweed rifes
on the borders of Lan'TkOiirc, and, after many beautiful fer-
l^cntinc turnings, dilcharucs itlclf into the fca at Berwick,
where it fcrves as a boundary between Scotland and England,
On the eaftern fide. '^I'he C lyde is a large river on the welt of
Scotland, has its rife in AnnaiuUilc, runs north-welt through
the valley of that name, »nd, after paffing by L;inerk, Ha-
milton, the city f>f (^lahjow, Renfrew, Dumbarton, and
Greenock, falls into thi- Finh of Liuie, oppofite to the iflo
of Bute. Befides thofe capital rivers, Scotland contains many
of an inferior fort, well pro\ idetl with falnion, trout, and other
iifhcs, which equally eniieh and beautily iheiouiitry. Several
of thofe rivers go by the name of \\\k^ which is the old Celtic
name for water. 'J'liC [jreatcft iniprc/vement for inland navi-
gation that has been attempted in Great- Britain, is now (1771)
carrying on at a vcr}' coniiderableex; ence, by a iociety of public-
fpiritcd gentlunen, ior joining the iiver>. r'orth and Clyde to-
gether j by which a con)munie.ition will K- opened between the
caft and weft fe:;s, to the iiviii.enf- advantage of the whole
kingdom, as muft be evident to every perfon who ihall throw
his eye upon the m.ip of Scotland.

The lakes of Scotland (there called Lochs) are too many to
be particularK defcribed. Th^fe called Loch 'I'av, Loch Lo-
mond, Loehnefs, Lech Au, and fine or two more, prefent us
with fuch pidturcfijue feenes as are not matched in Europe, if
U'e except Ireland. Several of thofe lakes are beautifully fringed
with woods, and contain plenty of frefh-water fiH). 'I'he Scots
fometimcs give the name of a loch to an arm of the fea, for
example, Loch Fyii, v/hieh is 60 miles long, and four broad,
and is famous for its excellent herrings : the Loch of Spinie,
near Elgin, is remarkable for its numbt.r of Iwans and cyg-
nets, which often darken the air with their flights ; owing, as
fomc think, to the plant olorina, which grows in its waters,
with a ftrait ftalk and a cluftcr of feeds at the top. Near Loch-
nefs is a hill almoft two mile= perpendicular, on the top of
which is a lake of cold frtfli water, about 30 fathoms in length,
too deep ever yet to be fathomed, and never freezes ; whereas,
but 17 miles from thence, the lake Loclianwyn, or (ircen
• Lake^

S C O T L A N D.

i7i

Jl,ake, is covciccl with ice all the year round. The ancient
province of lyothabcr, icccivts that name from being th«
mouth of tlie lochs, by means of which the antient CaU\lonians,
the (genuine clefcendcnts of the Celts, wore probably enabled to
prtlcrve themfelvi s independent upon, and unmixed with, th<
I^owlandcrs. lii iules thefe rivers and lochs, and others too nu-
merous to puiition, Uie coalfs of Scotlatul are in many part|
indented with hu-ge, bold, and navijjahlc bays or arms of tho
fea ; as tlic bay of Cileuluce and \Vi|i,toun Uay j fomctimes
jhcy are called Firths, as the Solway Kirth, which fcparatc}
i)cotland from Kn::land on the well ; tJic Firth of Forth, Mur<*
ray Firth, .uul thole of C'roniiwty and IJornoch.

The face of Scotland, even where it is moft uninviting, pre*
fonts us with the molt uncontrovertible evidences of its having
been formerly over-run with timber. The dcencfl: moflcs, or
morafl'es, contain large logs of wood ; and their waters being
imprc;.;nateci with turpentine have a preferving quality, as ap-
pears by the humrin bodies which have been difcovered in thofa
mofl'es. The Sylva Caledonia, or Caled(}nian Forefl', the re-
mains of which are now tlio.ght to be Etrick Wood, in the
fouth of Scotland, famous in antiquity for its being the harbour
of the Caledonian wild boars ; but I'uch an animal is not
now to be (ccn in Scotland. Several woods, however, itili
remain in that ccnintry ; and many attempts have been made
for reducing them into charcoal, for the ufo of furnaces ani
foundcrie; ; but lying at a great diltance froni water-carriage,
though the work fuccecded perfectly in the execution, they
were found inipjactieable to be conti:iticd. Fir-trees grow in
great perfection almol]' all over Scothmd, and form beauiiful
pl;uUatioJis. The Scotch oak is excellent in the Highlands,
vhcrc fonie woods rjach 20 or 30 miles in length, and four or
five in breadth, but, through the inconveniency already men-
tioned, without bein;-; of much emolument to the proprietors,

Metals anp Mir.ERALS.] 'Fhough Scotland does not at
prcfcnt boall of its goKl mines, yer, it is certain, that it con-
tains fuch, or at leall that Scotland aft'orded a confidcrable
quantity of that metal for its coinage. James V. and his fa-
ther contraded with certain Germans for working the mmes
of Crawford-Moc)f ; and it i-i an \iiidoubted fa»St, that when
James V. married the French king's daughter, a number of
covered difhes, filled with coins of Scotch gold, were pre-
fented to the gutlts by way of deflcrt. The civil wars and
troubles which follov.'cd, under his daughter and in tlie mi-
nority of his grandiVn, drove tliofe foreigners, the chief of
whom was called CoriKlius, from their works, which, llncc
that time, have Jievcr been recovered. Some fmaj) pieces of
• .. . gold

'ill

if I?

^'h^

'->.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

1.1

150

m Mm

1^ m

1.8

1.25 III 1.4 i.6

4 6"

►

Photographic

Sdences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716)672-4503

i-.'.

574 SCOTLAND.

gold have been found in thofe parts wallied down by the
floods. It likewlfe appears by the public records, that thofc
beautiful coins ftrucic by James V. called bonnet-pieces, were
fabricated of gold found in Scotland, as were other medals of
the fame metal.

Several landholders in Scotland derive a large profit from
their lead mines, which are fiiid to be very rich, and to pro-
duce large quantities of filver j but we know of no filvcr-mines
that are worked at prefent. Some copper-mines have been
found near Edinburgh ; and many parts of Scotland, in the
eaft, well, and northern counties, produce excellent coal of
various kinds, large quantities of which are exported, to the
vaft emolument of the public. Lime-ftone is here in great
plenty, as is free-ftone ; fo. that the houfcs of the better fort
are conftruited of the moft beautiful materials. The indolence
of the inhabitants of many places in Scotland, where no coal
is found, prevented them from fupplying that ilcfcd: by plan-
tations of wood ; and the peat-moUcs being in many parts, of
the north efpecially, almoit exhaufted, the inhabitants are put
to great difficulties for fuel ; however the tafte for plantations,
of all kinds, that now prevails, will foon remedy that incon-
veniency.

Lapis lazuli is faidto be dug up in Lanerkfhirej allum-mines
have been found in BamfFfhire ; chryftal, variegated pebbles,
and other tranfparent ftones, which admit of the fineft polifh
for feals, are found in many parts of Scotland j as are talc,
flint, fea-fliells, potters-clay, and fullers earth. The ftones
which the country people call elf- arrow- heads, and to which
they aflign a fupernatural origin and ufe, were probably the
flint-heads of arrows made ufe of by the Caledonians and an-
cient Scots. No country produces greater plenty of iron ore,
both in mines and ftones, than Scotland ; of which the pro-
prietors now begin to talte the fweets, in their founderies and
«ther metalline manufactures.

Vegetable and animal pro- ") I have already obferved
DUCTI0NS,BY SEA ANDLAND. J that the foil of Scot-
land may be rendered in many parts as f'-uitful as that of Eng-
land. Some large tracts of the low countries at prefent exceed
in value Englifh eftates of the fame extent, becaufe they are
far lefs exhaufted, and worn out than thofe of the fouthern
parts of the ifland ; and agriculture is now perhaps as well un-
derftood, both in theory and practice, among many of the
Scotch landlords and farmers, as it is in any part of Europe.

Such is the mutability of things, and the influence of com-
merce, that a very conhdcrable part of the landed property has
lately (perhaps happily for the publjc) fallen into new hands.

The

$ CO T LAN D..

^75

um-mine3

iron ore.

Tlie merchants of Glafgow, who are the life and foul of that part
of the kingdom, while .they are daily introducing new branches
of commerce, are no lefs attentive to the progrefs of agricul-
ture, by which they do their country in particular, and the
xvhole ifland in general, the moft eflcntial fcfvice. The adive
genius of thefe people ext,ends even to moors, rocks, and
marflies, which being hitherto reckoned ufelefs, vv^ere confe-
quently neglected, but are now brought to produce certain
fpecies of grain or timber, for which the foil is beft adapted.

But the fruits of fkill and induflry are chiefly perceiveablfr-
in the counties lying upon the river Forth, called the; Lo-
thians, where agriculture is thoroughly underflood, and the
farmers, who generally rent from 3 to 500I. per ann. are well
fed, well clothed, and comfortably lodged. The reverfe, how-
ever, may be obferved, of a very confiderable part of Scot-
land, which ftill remains in a ikte of nature, and where the
landlords, ignorant of their real interell, rcfufc to grant fuch
leafes as would encourage the tenant to impiove his own farm.
In fuch places, the hufoandmen barely exift upon the glean-
ings of a fcanty farm, feldom exceeding 20 or 30 1. per ann.
the cattle are lean and iinall, the houfes mean beyond ex-
preffion, and the face of the country exhibits the moft de-
plorable marks of poverty and opprefTion. Indeed, from a
miftaken notion of the landed people in general, the greateft
part of the kingdom lies naked and expofed, for want of fuch
hedge-rows, and planting, as adorn the country of England,
They confider hedges as ufelefs and cumbcrfome, as occupying
more room than what they call ftone inclofures, which except
in the Lothians already mentioned, are generally no other than
low paultry walls, huddled up of loofe ftones, without lime
or mortar, which yields a bleak and mean appearance.

The foil in general produces wheat, rye, barley, oats, hemp,
flax, hay, and pafturage. In the fouthern counties the fineft
garden fruits, particularly apricots, nectarines, and peaches,
fall little, if at all, fliort of thofe in England ; and the fame
may be faid of the common fruits. The uncultivated parts
of the Higlilands abound in various kinds of falubrious and
pleafant-tafted berries ; though it muft be owned, that many
extcnfive trails are covered with a ftrong heath. The fea-ccait
produces the alga-marina, dulfe, or duliih, a molt wholefom.e
nutritive weed, in great quantities, and other marine plants.

The fiflies on the coalt of Scotland are much the fame with
thofe of the iflands and counties already dcfcribcd j but the
Scots have improved in their fiflieries as much as they have in
the^r manufadures wid agriculture, for fociuties have been

' formed

mr n. I

mm ■

,1 " -r

175 S C 6 ft A N br

- ■ \

formed, which have carried that branch of national wealth (6
a perfection that never was before known in that country j and
bids fair to eniulate, if not to excel, the Dutch themfelves, in
curing, as well as catching, their fifh. In former times, the
Scots feldom ventured to fifti above a league's diftance
from the land, but they now ply in the deep waters as boldly
and fuccefsfully as any of their neighbours. Their falmons,
which they can fend more early, when prepared, to the Le-
vant and fouthcrn markets than the Englifh or Irifli can, are'
of great fervice to the nation, as the returns are generally
hiadc in fpccie, or beneficial commodities. '.

This country contains few or no kinds either of wild or do-
meftic animals that are not common with their neighbours. The
fed-deer and the roe-buck are found in the Highlands, but
their flefh is not comparable to Englilh venifon. Hares, and
all other animals for game, are here plentiful ; as are the
groufe and heathcock, which is a moft delicious bird, as like-
wife are the capperkaily, and the tarmacan, which is of the
pheafant kind ; but thofe birds are fcarcc even in the Highlands,
and when difcovered are very fliy. The numbers of black
cattle that cover the hills of Scotland towards the Highlands,
and fheep that are fed upon the beautiful mountains of Twee-
dale, and other parts of the fouth, are almofl incredible, and
formerly brought large fums into the country ; the black cattle
efpecially, which, when fattened on the fouthern paftures, are
Reckoned fuperior to Englilh beef. It is to be hoped, however,
that this trade is now on its decline, by the vaft incrcafe of nia-
nufaiSturers, whofe demands for butchers meat mud: Icfien the
exportation of cattle into England. Some are of opinion, that
a fufficient ftock, by proper methods, may be raifcd to fupply
both markets, to the great emolument of the nation.

Formerly the kings of Scotland were at infinite pains to
mend the breed of the Scotch horfes, by importing a larger
and more generous kind from the continent ; but the truth is,
notwithftanding all the care that was taken, it was found that
the climate and foil of Scotland were unfavourable to that noble
animal, for they diminiflied both in fi7.e and fpirit ; fo that
about the time of the union, few horfes, natives of Scotland,
were of much value. Great efforts have been made of late to
introduce the Englifli and foreign breeds, and much pains
have been taken for providing them with proper foods and ma-
nagement, but with what fucccfs time alone can difcover.

Population, iNHAniTANTs,

MANNERS,

about a million

7 The population of Scot-
j land is jrenerallv fixed at

AND CUSTOMS.

and a half of fouls. This calculation refts
merely upon vague conjecture, as I know of no attempt that

has

■"■•^-'•■■- ■•'" fi

SCOTLAND.

"^n

Has been made to fupport even its probability. If we form an
eftimatc upon any known principle, the inhabitants of Scot-
land are far more numerous. It is to be regretted that fome
public encouragement has not been given to bring this matter
nearer to a certainty, which might be done by the returns of
the clergy from their feveral parifhes. The only records at
prefent that can be appealed to, are thofe of the army ; and,
by the beft information, they maicc the number of foldiers
furniHied by Scotland in the late war, which began in 1755,
to amount to 80,000 men. We are, however, to obferve^
that above 60,000 of thefe were raifed in the iflands and Highr
lands, which form by far the leaft populous part of Scotland.
It belongs, therefore, to political calculation to compute v/he*
ther the population of Scotland does not exceed two million^
and a half, as no country in the world, exclufive of the army,
ftnds abroad more of its inhabitants. If we confult the moft
ancient and creditable hiftories, the population of Scotland,
in the thirteenth century, muft have been exceflive, as it af*
forded fo many thoufands to fall by the fwords of the Englifh,
without any fcnnble decreafe (fo far as I can find) of the
inhabitants.

The people of Scotland' are generally raw-boned; and a
kind of a chara6ierlftical feature, that of high cheek bones,
reigns in their faces ; lean, but clean limbed, and can enlurs
incredible fatigues. Their adventuring fpirit was chiefly
owing to their laws of fucceffion, which invefted the elder
brother as head of the family with the inheritance, and left
but a very fcanty portion for the other fons. This obliged
the latter to fcek their fortunes abroad, though no people have
more affe<5lion for theii native foil than the Scots have in
general. It is true, this difparity of fortune among the fons
of one family prevails in England likewife j but the refources
which younger brothers have in England are numerous, com-
pared to thole of a country fo narrow, and fo little improved,
cither by commerce or agriculture, as Scotland was formerly.

An intelligent reader may cafily perceive, that the ridiculous
family pride which is perhaps not yet entirely extinguifiied in
Scotland, was owing to the feudal inftitutions which reigned
there in all their horrors of blood and barbarity. Their family
differences, efpecially the Highlanders, familiarized them to
blood and flaughter ; and the death of an enemy, however
effedted, was always a matter of triumph. Thefe pafiions did
not live in the breajh- of the common people only, for they
were authorifed and cherifhed by their chieftains, many of
whom were men who had feen the world, were con ver fan t in
fhe courts of Europe, mailers of polite literature, and amiable

Vol. 1. M ia

•7«

S C O T L A N Di

in all the duties of civil and focial life. Their kings, cxcepli»
ing fome of them who were endued with extraordinary virtueSj
were confidered in little other light than commanders of theic
army in time of war, for in tinie of peace their civil authority
was fo little felt, that every clan, or family, even in the moil
civilized parts of Scothind, looked upon its own chieftain as
the fovereign. Thofe ideas were confirmed even by the laws^
•which gave thofe petty tyrants a povsrer of life and death upon
their own eftates, and they generally executed in four and
twenty hours after the party was apprehended. The pride
l^rhich thofe chieftains had of out-vying each other, in th»
numbers of their followers, created perpetual animofities^
which feldom or never ended without bloodllied ; fo that the
Com»T^on people, whofe beft qualification was a blind devotion
to the will of their mafter, and the aggrandifement of his
name, lived in a ftatc of continual hoftility.

The late Archibald, dukeof Argyle, was the firft chieftain we
have heard of, who had thepatriotifmto attempt to reform hisde*
pendents, and tobanifhfrom them thofe barbarous ideas. His ex-
ample has been followed by others ; and there fcarcecanbea doubt,
that a very few years will reconcile the Highlanders to all the
milder habits of fociety.

Some Scotch gentlemen, who at this day pique themfelves
Vipon their family, or the antiquity of their defcent, are the
inoft dangerous as well as difagreeable animals upon earth ; be-
jcaufe, forgetting all the virtues of their anceftors, they imitate
them only in their capricious vanity and revenge. Thofe who
go abroad, and endeavour by induftry to raife the lownefs of
their circumftances, excel in all the focial, civil, commercial,
and military duties. There is a kind of fimilarity in their per^-
fonsl chara6lers, and by feeing one Scotchman who acquires a
fortune abroad, you fee the whole. They are hofpitable, open,
commuaica:i"e, and chai 'table. They aflimilatc to the man-
ners of the people with whom they live, with more eafe and
freedom than the natives of inoft other countries ; and they have
a furprizing faciKty in acquiring languages, particularly the
French.

It remains perhaps a queltion, whether that lottered education,
for which the Scots were noted by the Jicighbourin^ nations,
\vas not of prcjutlic'.' to their country, while it was of the.
utmoft fervice to manv of its natives. Their iiteratuie, how-
fever flight, rendered them acceptable and agreeable among fo-
rei(rners -, but at the fame time, it drained their nation of that
order of men, who are the belt fitted for forming and exc-
cuttng the great plans of commerce and agriculture for the
fiublic umoiumcnt.

With

^fff,^if»^iix%smi^nm''\:^fiin

exceplk
virtues,
of thelc
Luthority
the moft
eftain as
he laws^
ath upon
four and
he pride
, in th»
imofities^
that the
devotion
nt of hi&

ieftain we
rm his de*
is. His ex-
be a doubt,
to all the

themfelves
it, are the
:arth; be-
ley imitate
hofe who
ownefs of
»mmercial,
their per^
acquires a
ale, open,
the man-
eafe and
they have
ular'lv the

education,
nations,
^as of the.
ure, ho\\--
among fo-
on of that
and exc-
[re tor the

Witk

SCOTLAND. 17^

With regard to gentlemen who live at home, upon eftates of
300 1. a year, and upwards, they differ little or nothing, in
their manners, - ajid ftile of living, from their English neigh-
bours of the like fortunes.

From what has been faid, it appears that the antient modes
of living among the Scotch nobility and gentry are as far from
being applicable to the prefent time, as the forms of a Romait
fenate are to that of a conclave ; and no nation, perhaps, ever
underwent fo quick and fo fuddcn a tranfition of manners.
The danger is, that it has been rather too rapid in a contrary
extreme, before the refources of the luxuries and conveniencies
of life have been fully eftablifhed.

The peafantry have their peculiarities ; their ideas are con-
fined ; but no people can conform their tempers better than
they do to their ftations. They are taught from their infancy
to bridle their paffions, to behave fubmiffively to their fupe-
riors, and live within the bounds of the moft rigid ceconomy.
Hence they fave their money and their conftitutions, and few
inftances of murder, perjury, robbery, and other atrocious vices
occur at prefent in Scotland. They feldom enter fingly upon
any daring enterprize ; but when they ztt m concert, the
fecrecy, fagacity and refolution. with which they carry on
any defperate undertaking, is not to be paralleled ; and their
fidelity to one another, under the ftrongeft temptations, ari-
fing from their poverty, is ftill more extraordinary. Their
mobs are managed with all the caution of confpiracics, witnefs
that which put Porteus to death, in 1735, in open defiance of
law and government, and in the midft of 20,000 people ; and,
though the agents were well known, and fome of them tried,
with a reward of 500 I. aiznexed to their conviiStion, yet no
evidence could be found fufficient to bring them to punifhment.
The fidelity of the Highlanders, of both fexcs, under a ftill
greater temptation, to the young Pretender, after his defeat at
Culloden, could fcarcely be believed were it not well attefted.

They affect a fondnefs for the memory and language of
their forefathers beyond, perhaps, any people in the world ;
but this attachment is feldom or never carried into any thing
that is indecent or difguftful, though they retain it abroad a»
well as at home. They are fond of the antient Scotch difties,
fuch as the hoggice, the fliecp's-hcad finged, the fifh in fauce,
the chicken broth, and minced collops. Thefe difties, in
their original drefling, were favoury and nutritive for keen
appetites ; but the modern improvements that have been made
in the Scotch cookery, have rendered them agreeable to the
moft delicate palates. The common ufe of oatmeal, undoubt-
edly, gave a hardnef* to the features of the vulgar of both fexes,

M 2 befides

i8o SCOTLAND.

befidcs fome other difagrrcablc confequenccs it wns attended
with ; but thefe unfavourable charadlcriftics will wear out, by
the inirodudUon of whcatt.n bread, which now abounds in
Scotland. The exccfllve ufe of oat-meal accounts for the
common obfcrvation, that the faces of the lower women in
Scotland arc comnonly very coarfc ; but it was owned at the
fame time, that am< jig the higher rank of females, beiiutywas
found in its utmoft perfection. The reverfe has been re-
marked of a neighbouring'; nation.

The inhabitants of thofe parts of Scotland, who livechieflv
by pafture, h;!ve a natural vein for poetry ; and the beautiful
fnnplicity of the Scotch tunes is rtlilncd by all true judges of
nature. Love \s generally the fubjcit, and many of t e airs
have been brought upon the Englifli ftage with variations,
uniicr new names, but with this difad vantage, that thoup-h
rendered more conformable to the rules of ni'ific, they are
moftly altered for the worfe, being ftrippcd of th it original
fimplicity, which however irregular, 'S their moft cfilntlal
charadleriftic which is fo agreeable- to the ear, and has fuch
powers over the human breall. Thofe of a more lively and
merry ftrain have had better fortune, being introduced in;o the
army in their native drefs, by the fifes, an inllrument for
which they are remarkably well fuited. It has been ridicu-
loufly fuppofed that Rizzio, the unhappy Italian fecretary of
Mary quan of Scots, reformed the Scotch mufic. This is a
fnlfhood invented by his countrymen in envy to the Scots.
Their fineft tunes exiftcd long before Rizzio's arrival, in their
church mufic ; nor dots it appear that Rizzio, who was en-
tirely employed by his miftrefs in foreign difpatches, ever com-
pofed an air during the fliort time he lived in Scotland ; but,
were there no other evidences to confute this report, the ori-
ginal character of the mufic itfelf is fufHcient.

The lower people in Scotland are not fo much accuftomed
as the Englifli are to clubs, dinners, and other convivial en-
tertainments ; but when they parta e of them, for that very
;reafon, they fceni to enjoy them n ore completely. One infti-
tution there is, at once focial and charitable, and that is, the
contributions ra'fed for celebrating the weddings of people of
an inferior rank. Thofe feftivities partake of the antient
Saturnalia ; but though the company confifts promifcuoufly of
.the high and the low, the entertainment is as decent as it is
jovial. Each gueft pays according to his inclination or ability,
but fcidom under a fliillinga ead, for which they have a wed-
ding dinner and dancing. When the parties- happen to be fer-
-vants in refpeiStable families, the contributions are fo liberal,
that they oficji eftablifh the young couple in the wodd.
;•- .. The

of a tap
the hi
The

jame.

SCOTLAND.

i8i

The common people of Scotland retain the folemn decent
manner of their anceltors at burials. When a relation dies in
a town, the pari(h beadle is fcnt round with a paffinr!; bell ;
but he (tops at certain places, and with a How melancholy
tone, announces the name of the party deccafed, and the time
of his interment, to which he invites all his fellow country-
men. At the hour appointed, if the deceafcd was beloved in
the place, vaft numbers attend. The proceiTion is fometimes
preceded by the magiltrates and their officers, and the deceafed
is carried in his coffin, covered by a velvet pall, with chair
poles, to the grave, where it is interred witlu^ut any farther
ceremony than the nearefl: relation thankino; the company for
their attendance. The funerals of the nobility and gentry are
pcrf jrmcd in much the fame manner as in England, but with-
out the burial fervicc. The highland funerals were generally
preceded by bagpipes, which played certain dirges, called co-
ronachs, and were accompanied by the voices of the atten-
dants of both fexes.

Dancing is a favourite amufement in this country, but little
regard is paid to art or gracefulnefs ; the whole confifts in
agility, and in keeping time to their own tunes, which they
do with great exaclnefs. One of the peculiar diverfions prac-
tifed by tlie gentlemen, is the Goff, which requires an equal
degree of art antl ftrength : it is played by a bat and a ball ;
the latter is fmaller and harder than a c'-'cet ball ; the bat is
of a taper conftrudHon, till it terminates in che part that ftrikes
the ball j which ^s loaded with lead, and faced with horn.
The diverfion itfelf refemblcs that of the Mall, which was
common in England in the middle of the laft century. An
expert player will fend the ball an amazing diftance at one
ftroke J and each party follows his ball upon an open heath,
and he who ftrikcs it in fewcft ftrokes into a hole, wins the
game. The diverfion of Curling is likewifc, I believe, pecu-
liar to the Scots. It is performed upon ice, with large flat
ftones, often from twenty to two hundred pounds weight
each, which they hurl from a common ftand, to a mark at a
certain dillance ; and whoever is neareft the mark is the
victor. Thefe two may be called the ftanding fummer and
winter diverfions of Scotland. The natives are expert ar all
the other diverfions common in Engl.ind, the cricket excepted,
of which they have no notion ; the gentlemen look upon it as
too athletic and mechanicah

Language and dress.] I place thole two articles under
the fame head, becaufe they had formerly an intimate relation
to each other, both of them being evidently Celtic. The
Highland plaid is compofed of a woollen fluff, fometimes very

M 3 fine.

:';

J 82

SCOTLAND.

fine, called tartan. This ftiiff confirts of various colnurj,
forming ftripcs which crofs each other at right angles ; and the
natives value themfelves upon the judicious arrangement, or
what they call fets, of thofe ftripes and colours, which where
IkilfuUy managed, produce a wonderfully pleafing efFeft to the
eye. Above the fhirt, the Highlanders wear a waiftcoat of the
fame compofition with the plaid, which commonly confifts of
twelve yards in width, and which they throw over the (boulder
into very near the form of a Roman toga, as reprefented in
antient ftatues : fometim.es it is faftened round the middle with
a leather belt, fo that part of the plaid hangs down before and
behind like a petticoat, and fupply the want of breeches. This
they call being drefl'ed in a phelig, but which the Lowlandcrs
call a kilt, and I make no doubt is the fame word with Celt,
Sometimes they wear a kind of petticoat of the fame variegated
iluft', buckled round the waift, and this they term the philiheg,
which feems to be of Milefian extraftion. Their ftockings
were likewife of tartan, tied below the knee with tartan garters
formed into tartbls. The poorer people v/ear upon their feet,
brogues made of untanncd or undrcfled leather ; for their heads
a blue flat cap is ufed, called a bonnet, of a particular woollen
manufai^ure. From the belt of the philibeg hung generally
their knives, and a dagger, which they called a dirk, and art
iron plftol, fometimes of fine workmanfliip, and curioufly in-
laid with filver. The introdu6lion of the broad fword of
Andrea Ferrara, a Spaniard (which was always part of the
Highland drefs) feems to be no earlier than the reign of
James III. who invited that excellent workman to Scotland.
A large leathern purfe, richly adorned with filver, hanging
before them, was always part of a Highland chieftain's drefs.

The drefs of the Highland women confided of a petticoat
fcnd jerkin, with ftrait fleeves, trimmed or not trimmed, ac-
cording to the quality of the wearer ; over this they wore a
plaid, which they either held clofe under their chins with the
hand, or faftened with a buckle of a particular fafhion. On
the head they wore a kerchief of fine linen of different forms.
The women's plaid has been but lately difufcd in Scotland by
the ladies, who wore it in a graceful manner, the drapery fall-
ing towards the feet in large folds. A curious virtuofo may
find a ftrong rcfemblance between the varicgtcd and fimbriated
«lrapcrics of the anticnts, and thofe of the Tufcans, (who were
unqueftionably of Celtic original) as they arc to be ieen in the
monuments of antiquity.

The attachment of the Highlanders to this drefs, rendered it

■ft bond of unigii, which often proved dangerous to the govern-

' '■ ■ . .-.; - nicnl,.

SCOTLAND. iSj

m«nt. Many efforts had been made by the legiilaturc, after
the rebellion in 17 15, to difarm them, and oblige them to con-
form to the Low-coujitry drelles. The di farming fclicme wa«
the moft fuccefsful, for when the rebellion in 1745 broke out,
the common peo|)le had fcarcely ajiy other arms than thofa
which they took from the king's troops. Their overthrow at
Culloden, rendered it no difficult mutter for the legiflaturc to
force them into a total change of their drefs. Its conveniency^
however, for the purpofes of the field, is fo great, that fomc of
the Highland regime. its ftill retain it. Kvcn the common
people have of late refumed the ufe of it ; and for its lightnef*
and difcumbrance, ma«y of the Highland gentlemen wear it iu
the funimer time.

The drefs of the higher and middling ranks in the Low-.
Country, differ little or nothing from the Englifli ; but many
of the peafaiitry ftill retain the bonnet, for tlie cheapnefs and
lightncfs of the wear. I'he drefs of the women of all ranks ar«
much the fame in both kingdoms.

I have already mentioned the language of the Highlanders^
efpecially towards Lochaber and Badenoch, to be radicallj^
Celtic. The Englifli fpoken by the Scots, notwithftanding.
its provincial articulations, which are as frequent there as in
the more fouthern counties, is written in the fame manner in.
both kingdoms. At prefent, the pronunciation of a Scotch-
man does not differ fo much from a Londoner, as that of a
Londoner does from an inhabitant of Somcrfelflii re, and fomc
parts of Worceftcrfhire.

PuNisHMENT,s.] Thcfc arc pretty much the fame in Scot-
land as in England, only that of beheading is performed by art
inftrument called the Maiden : the model of which, it is welt
known, was brought from Hallifax in England to Scotland^
by the regent earl of Morton, and it was hanfeUed by his own
execution.

Religion.] Antient Scottifii hiftorians, Bede, and other
writers, generally agree that Chriitianity was firft taught in
Scotland by fome of the difciples of St. John the apoftle, who
fled to this northern corner to avoid the perfecution of Domi-
tian, the Roman emperor; though it was not publicly pro-
feffed till the beginning of the third century, when a prince,
whom Scotch hiftorians call Donald the Firft, his queen, and
feveral of his nobles, were folemnly baptized. It was further
confirmed by emigrations from South Britain, during the per-
fecutions of Aurelius and Dioclefian, when it became the
eftabliftied religion of Scotland, under the management of cer-
tain learned and pious men, named Culdees, who feem to have
*een the firft regular clergy in Scotlaad, aad wctc^ governed

M 4, b|

1^4

SCOTLAND.

by ovcrfccrs or bifhops chofjii by thcmfelves, from amoiv; therr
own body, but who had no prc-cmiiuncc or rank over the reft
of their brethren.

Thus indepcndant of the church of Rome, Chriftianity fecms
to h;ive been tau;j,ht, planteii, and finally confirmed as a na-
tional church, where it flouriihed in its native Hmplicity, till
the arrival of Palladius, a pricll: fent by the bifliop of Rome in
the fifth century, who found means to introduce the modus and
ceremonies of the Romilh church, which at lalt prevailed, and
Scotland became involved in that darkncfs wliich for many ages
overfpread Europe; thou!!;h their dependance upon the pope
was very flender, when compared to the blind fubjeition of
many other nations.

The Culdces, however, long retained their oriQ;inal man-
ners, and remained a diltindt order, notwithltanding the op-
preflion of the Romifli clergy, fo late as the age of Robert
Bruce, in the 14th centurv, v, hen they difappcarcd. l^utitis
worthy of obfervation, that the oppofition to popery in this
idand, though it ceafcd in Scotland upon the extinction of
the Culdces, was in the fame a'^e revived in England by John
Wickllfle, a man of parts and learning, who was the forerun-
ner, in the wok of rcforn-.ation, to John Hufs, and Jerome
of Prague, as the latter were to IMartin Luther, and John Cal-
\in. But though the doctrines of WicLliffe were nearly the
fame with thofe propagated by tiie Reformers in the r6th
century, and the age fcemed flrongly difpofed to receive them,
affairs were not yet fully ripe for this great revolution ; and
the flnifliing blov/ to popery in England, was rcferved to the
age of Henry VIII.

Soon after that important event took place in England, when
learning, arts and fciences began to revive in Europe, the ab-
furdities of the church of Rome, as well as the profligate lives
of her clergy, did not efcape the notice of a free and enquiring
people, and gave rife to the Reformation in Scotland ; which
began in the reign of James V. made great progrefs under that
of his daughter Mary, and was at length compleated through
the preaching of John Knox, who had adopted the dodirine of
Calvin, and was become the apofUe of Scotland. It M'as na-
tural for his brethren to imagine, that, upon the abolition of
the Roman Catholic religion, they were to fucceed to the
revenues of that clergy. The great nobility, who had par-
celled out thefe pofTeflions for themfelvcs, did not at firil dif-
courage this notion ; but no fooner had Knox fucceeded in his
defij ns, which, through the fury of the mob, deftroyed fome
of the fineft ecclefiaflical buildings in the world, than the par-
liament, or rather the nobility, monopolized all.. the church

. * livings.

SCOTLAND.

185

livings, and moft fcandaloufly left the reformed clcrjry to live
almolt ill a ftate of beggary j nor could all their cflorts pro-
duce any ftrugglc in their favour.

The nobility and great landholders, left the dol'^lrine and
difciplinc of the church to be nK<delled by the preachers, and
they were confirmed by parliament. Succeeding times ren-
dered the prcfl)ytcrian clergy of vaft importance to the flatc ;
.nnd their revenues have been fo much meiuled, that thougii no
ftipcnd there exceeds 150I. a year, few fall fhortof 60I. and
none of 50 1. If the prefcnt expenfivc mode of living con-
tinues in Scotland, the ellablifhed clergy will have m:iny uu-.
anfvvcrablc reafons to urge for the incrcafc of their revenues.

The b(junds of this work do nt-t admit of entcrini'- at lar<rc
upon the dodbinal and economical part of the churcli of Scot-
land. It ia fufticlent to fay, that its firll principle Is a parity
of ecclcfialHcal authority among all its pnfbyters; that it
at'rc:s in its ccnfures with the reformed churches abroad in the
chief heads of oppofttion to popery ; but that it is modelled
piincipally after the Calviniftical plan cfiabliflicd at Geneva.
This cll.l'iliflimcnt, at various periods, proved fo tyrannical
over the laity, by having the power of the greater and leifcr
excommunication, which were attended by a forfeiture of
eftatc, and fometimes of life, that the kirk feflions, ajid other
bodies, have been abridged of all their dangerous powers over
the laity, who are extremely jealous of their being revived.
It is faid, that even that relic of popery, the obliging forni-
cators of both fexes to fit upon what they call a rcpent^ng-ftool,
in the church, and in full view of the congregation, begins to
wear out ; it having been found, that the Scotch women, on
account of that penance, were the grcatell infanticides in the
world. In fliort, the ppwer of the Scotch clergy is at prefcnt
very moderate, or at leaft very moderately exercifed; nor are
they accountable for the extravagancies of their predccefTors.
They have been, ever fince the Revolution, firm adherents to
civil liberty, and the houfc of Hanover; and a6led with
remarkable intrepidity during the rebellion in 1745. They
drcfs without clerical robc-s ; but feme ot them appear in the
pulpit in gowns, after the Geneva form, -and bands. They
m.ike no ufe of fet forms in worfiiip, but are not prohibited
that of the Lord's Prayer. The rents of theblfliops, fince the
abolition of cpifcopacy, are paid to the king, who commonly
appropriates them to pious pur|-)ofcs. A tioufand pounds a
year is always fent by his majelly for the ufe of the protellant
fchcols ereiSfed by aft of parliament in North-Britain, and the
Wcflern Ifies j and the Scotch ckrgy, of late, have planned

4. out

tt6

SCOTLAND.

out funds for the fupport of their widows and orphans. The
mimber of pariflics in Scotland are eight hundred and ninety,
whereof thirty -one are collegiate churches, that is, where the
cure is ferved by more than one minif^er.

The highcft ccclefiaftical authority in Scotland is the gene-
ral aflembly, which we may call the ccclefiaftical parliament of
Scotland. It confifts of commiflioners, fome of which arc
laymen, under the title of ruling elders, from prefbyteries,
Toyal burghs, and univerfities. A prefbytery, confifting of
under twelve minifters, fends two minifters and one ruling
elder: if it contains between twelve and eighteen minifters,
it fends three, and one ruling elder: if it contains between
eighteen and twenty-four minifters, it fends four minifters
and two ruling elders : but if the prefbytery has twenty-four
minifters, it fends five minifters and two ruling elders. Every
royal burgh fends one ruling elder, and Edinburgh two ;
whofe eledtion muft be attefted by the refpeclive kirk-feflions
of their own burghs. Every univerfity fends one commiflioner,
ufually a minifter of their own body. The commiflioners are
chofen yearly, fix weeks before the meeting of the aftcmbly.
The ruling elders are often of the firft quality of the country. ,

The king prcfides by his commiflioner (who is always a
nobleman) in this ciflcinbly, which meets once a year : but he
lias no voice in their deliberations. The order of their pro-
ceedings is regular, though the number of members often
create a confulion j which the moderator, who is chofei^ by
them to be as it were fpeaker of the houfe, has not fuflicient
authority to prevent. Appeals arc brought from all the other
ecclcfiaftical courts in Scotland to the general aflembly ; and
110 appeal lies from its determinations in religious matters,

Pixxvincial fynods are next in authority to the general aflem-
bly. They are compofed of a number of the adjacent preft>y-
teries, over whom they have a power j and there are fifteen of
them in Scotland j but their ac^s are revcrfiblc by the general
affembly.

Subordinate to the fynods, are preflsyteries, fixty-nine of
■which arc in Scotland, each confifting of a number of con-
tiguous parifhes. The minifters of thefe parifties, with one
ruling elder, chofen half-yearly out of every kirk-felTion, com-
pofe a prefl^ytery. Thefe prefbyteries meet in the head town
of that divifion j but have no jurifdidiOn beyond their own
bounds, thoTigh within thefe they have cognizance of all eccle-
fiaftical caufes and matters. A chief part of their bufinefs is
the ordination of candidates for livings, in which they are re-
;gular and folenin. The patron of a living is bound to nomi-

2 Kate

SCOTLAND: itf

rate or prefent in fix months after a vacancy, othenvife the
prefbytery fills the plzce jure devoltito ; but that privilege doe*
not hold in royal burghs.

A kirlc-feflion is the loweft ecclefiaftical judicatory in Scot-
land, and its authority does not extend beyond its own parifh.
The members confift of the minifter, elders, and deacons. The
deacons are laymen, and it6t pretty much as church-wardens
do in England, by having the fuperintendency of the poor^
and taking care of other parochial affairs. The elder, or, as
he is called, the ruling elder, is a place of great parochial
truft, and he is generally a lay perfon of quality or intereft in
the parifh. They are fuppofed to a6t in a kind of co-ordi-
nancy with the minifter, and to be affifting to him in many of
his clerical duties, particularly in catechifing, vifiting the (idc»
and at the communion-table.

The office of minifters, or preaching prefbyters, includes
the offices of deacons and ruling-elders ; they alone can preach,
adminifter the facraments, catechife, pronounce church cen-
fures, ordain deacons and ruling elders, affift at the impofition
of hands \ipon other minifters, and moderate or prefide in all
ecclefiaftical judicatories.

It has already been obferved, that the eftabliflied religion in
Scotland is preft)yterian : that it was formerly of a rigid nature,
and partook of all the aufterities of Calvinifin, and intolerance
of popery, by its perfecuting fpirit ; but at prefent it is mild
and gentle, and the moft rational Chriftian may accommodate
himfelf to the do6lrine and worfhip of the national church.
It is to be wiflied, however, that this moderation was not too
often interrupted by the fanaticifm not only of lay feceders,
but of regular minifters. Thefe are induftrious to fix upon
the abfurdities (and what church is without them) of former
divines and vifionaries, and ecclefiaftical ordinances and difci-
pline, which were found to be incompatible with the nature
of government. A vaft number of aiefe feceding congrega-
tions are to be found in the Lowlands. They maintain their
own preachers ; though fcarcely any two congregations agree
either in principle or praftice with each other. We do not,
however, find that they fly in the face of the civil power, or
at leaft the inftances are rare and inconfiderable.

A difterent fet of diflenters in Scotland, ccnfifts of the epif-
copalians, a few quakers and papifts, and other fe6laries, who
are denominated from their preachers. Epifcopacy, from the
Itime of the Reftoration in 1660, to that of the Revolution' in
1688, was the eftabliftied church of Scotland ; and would pro-
bably have continued fo, had not the bifbops, "who were rn

general

i88 S C or LAN D;

general very weak men, and creatures of the duke of York,
afterwards James VII. and II. rcfufed to recognize king Wil-
liam's title. The partizans of that unhappy prince retained
the epifcopal religion ; and king William's government was fo
impopular in Scotland, that in queen Anne's time, the cpif-
copal ians were more numerous in fome parts than the pre{by-
terians ; and their meetings, which they held under the aft of
Toleration, as well attended. A Scotch cpifcopift thus be-
coming another name for a Jacobite, they received fome checks
after the rebellion in 17 15; but they recovered themfelves fo
well, that at the breaking out of the rebellion in 1745, they
became again numerous ; after which the government found
means to invalidate the adls of their clerical order. Their
•meetings, however, ftill fubfift, but thinly ; and in a few
years they will, probably, be reduced to nothing. In the
mean while, the decline of the nonjurors is far from having
fupprcfTcd epifcopacy in Scotland : the Englifh bifiiops fupply
them v/l:h clergy qualified according to law, whofe chapels are
chiefly filled by the Engiifh, and fuch Scotch hearers of that
pcrfuafion ao ha\c places under the government.

The defcccion of fome great families from the caufe of po-
pery, and ttie extin<rc!on or" others, have rendered its votaries
very inconlidcrable in Scctland. If any lemain, they arc con-,
fined to the iiorthcii pans, and the inlands : but they appear
to be as quiet and iiiofiliifive as protelbint lubje£ls.

Scotland, during the t'tr.e of cpifc(»pacy, contained two
archbiihoprics, St. Andrew's and (.jlafgow ; and twelve bi-
fhopiics, wliicii are, Edinburgh, Dunkeld, Aberdeen, Mur-
ray, Brichiij, DL;mblain, Rofs, Caithncfs, Orkney, Gallo-
way, Aigyle, hiul the Iflts.

Learning and learned men.] For this article we may
refer to the literary hiflory of Europe for thefe 1400 years paft.
The v/eitern parts and iiles of Scotland produced St. Patric,
the celebrated apoltle of Ireland ^ and many others fmce, whofe
bare names would make a long article. The writings of A-
damnanus, and other authors, who lived before, and at the
time of the conqueft of England, which are come to our
hands, are fpeciniens of their learm'ng. Charles the Great,
or Charlemagne, moft unqueflionably held a correfpondcnce
by letters with the kings of Scotland, with whom he formed
a famous league ; and employed Scotchmen in planning, fet-
tling, and ruling his favourite univerfities, and other feminaries
of learning, in France, Italy, and Germany. It is an un-
doubted truth, tliough a feeming paradoxical fa6t, that Bar-
bour, a Scotch pOet, philofopher, and hiftorian, though prior
t '.-..' in

S C O T LAN D.

1S9

jn time to Chaucer, having flourifhed In the year 1368, wrote^
accoHing to the modern ideas, as pure Englifli as that bard,
and ius vcrfiHcation is perhaps more harmonious. The deftruc-'
tioa of the Scotch monuments of learning and antiquity, have
rendered their early annals lan.e, and often fabulous j but the
Latin ftile of Buchanan's liiftorv is to this day the moft clafli-
cai of all modern productions. The letters of the Scotch kings
to the neighbouring princes, are incomparably the fincft cotn-
pofitions of the times in w^hich they were written, and are free
from the barbarifms of thofe fent them in anfwer. This is at
leaft a manifeft proof that claflical learning was more culti-
vated at the court of Scotland, than at any: other in Europe.

The difcovcry of the, logarithms, a difcovery, which in
point both of ingenuity and utility, may vie with any that has
been made in modern times, is the indifputable right of
Napier of Merchjllon. And fmce his time, the mathe-
matical fciences have been cultivated in Scotland with
amazing fuccefs. Keil, in his phyfi co-mathematical works, to
the clearnefs of his reafoning, has added the colours of a poet,
which is the more remarkable, not only as the fubjedl is little
•fufceptible of ornament, but as he wrote in an ancient
language. Of all writers on aftronomy, Gregory is allowed to be
one of the mott perfeiif and elegant. Maclaurin, the compa-
nion and the friend of Sir Ifaac Newton, was endowed with
all that precifion and force of mind, which rendered him pe-
culiarly fitted for bringing down the ideas of that great man,
to the level of ordinary apprehenfions, and for diffufmg that
light thro' the world, which Newton had confined within
the fphere of the learned. His Treatife on Fluxions is re-
garded by the beft judges in Europe, as the cleareft account
of the moft refined and fubtile fpeculaiions on which the
human mind ever exerted itfclf witii fuccefs. While Maclau-
rin purfued this new career, a geomett^r no lefs famous, dif-
tinguifhed himfclf in the Aire, but almoft deferted traft of
antiquity. This was the late Dr. Sinipibn, fo well known
over Europe, for his illuftration of the ancient geometry.
His Elements of Euclid, and above all, his Conic Sections,
are fufficient of themielves to eftabliih the literary reputation
of his native country.

This, however, does not reft on the charadter of a few
mathematicians and allronomers. The fine arts have been
called fifters to denote their affinity. There is the fame connec-
tion between the fciences, particularly thofe which depend on
obfervation. Mathematicks, and phyficks, properly fo called,
were in Scotland accompanied by the other branches of ftudy

«90

SCOTLAND.

to which they are allied. In medicine particularly, the namw
of Pitcairn, Arbuthnot, Monro, Smellie and White, hold a
diftinguifhed place.

Nor have the Scots been unfuccefsful in cultivating the
JBellcs Lettres. Foreigners, who inhabit warmer cli-
mates, and conceive the northern nations incapable of tender-
nefs and feeling, are aftoniflied at the poetic genius, and
delicate fenfibility of Thomfon.

But of all literary purfuits, that of rendering mankind more
virtuous and happy, which is the proper obje6l of what is
called morals, ought to be regarded with peculiar honour and
refpe6t. The phiTofophy of Dr. Hutchcfon, not to mention
other works more fubtile and elegant, but Ids convincing and
lefs inftruftive, deferves to be read by all who would know
their duty, or who would wifli to pradlife it. Next to the
Eflay on the Human Underftanding, it is perhaps the beft dif-
fedlion of the human mind, that hath appeared in modern
times ; and it is likewife the moft ufeful fupplemcat to that
eflay.

It would be endlefs to mention all the individuals, who
have diflinguiflied thcmfelves in the various branches of li-
terature ; particularly as thofe who are alive (fome of them in
high efteem for hifl:orical compofition) difpute the merit with
the dead, and cover their country with laurels, which neither
envy can blaft, nor time can deftroy.

Universities.] The univerfities of Scotland are four,
viz. Thofe of St. Andrews, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Glaf-
gow.

Cities, towns, and other edi- 7 Edinburgh, the ca^
FiCES PUBLIC and PRIVATE. i pital of Scotland,
naturally takes the lead in this divifion, which the bounds <rf
our work oblige us to contrail. This caftle, before the ufe
of artillery, was deemed to be impregnable by force. It was
probably built by the Saxon king Edwin, whofe territories
reached to the Firth of Forth, and who gave his name to Edin-"
burgh, as it certainly did not fall into the hands of the Scots
till the reign of Indulphus, who lived in the year 953. The
town was built for the benefit of prote£tion from the caftle,
and a more inconvenient fituation for a capital can fcnrcely be
conceived j the high-ftrcet, which is on the ridge of a hill,
lyimg eaft and weft ; and the lanes running down its fides,
north and fouth. In former times the town was rurr(Hindcd
by water, excepting towards the eaft: ; fo that when the French
landed in Scotland, during the regency of Mary of Guife,
they gave it th? name of Liflebourg. This fituation fuggefted

the

^^■*"'''-*"****^^t^r '/rr

S C O T L A N D. 191

<he idea of building very lofty houfes divided into flories, each
of which contains a fuice of rooms, generally large and com-t
tnodious for the ufe of a family ; fo that the high flreet of
Edinburgh, which is chiefly of hewn ftonc, broad and well
paved, makes a moft auguft appearance, efpecially as it rifcs a
full mile in a dire6l line, and gradual afccnt from the palace of
Holyrood-houfe on the eatt, and is terminated on the weft by
the rude majelly of its caftle, built upon a lofty rock, inacccf-
fible on all fides, except where it joins to the city. The caftle
notonly overlooks the city, its environs, gardens, the new town,
and a fine rich neighbouring country, but commands amoftexten-
five profpeiSl: of the river P'orth, the {hipping, the oppofite coaft
of Fife, and even fome hills, at the diftance of 40 or 50 miles,
which border upon the Highlands. This crouded population,
however, was fo fhockingly inconvenient, that the Englilh,
who feldom went farther into the country, returned with the
deepeft impreflions of Scotch naftinels, which became prover-
bial. The caftle has fome good apartments, a tolerable train
of artillery, and has not only a large magazine of arms and
ammunition, but contains the regalia, which were depofited
here under the moft folemn legal inftruments of their never
being removed from thence. All that is known at prefent of
thofe regalia, is contained in the inftrument which was taken
at the time of their being depofited, where they are fully de-
fcribed.

Facing the caftle, as I have already obfcrved, at a mile's
diftance, ftands the abbey, or rather palace, of Holyrood-
houfe. The inner quadrangular of this palace, was begun
by James V.and finifhed by Charles I. is of magnificent
modern archite6lure, built according to the plan, and under
the diredtion of Sir William Bruce, a Scotch gentleman of
family, and undoubtedly one of the greateft architefts of that
age. Round the quadrangle runs an arcade, adorned with pi-
lafters ; and the infide contains magnificent apartments for the
duke of Hamilton, who is hereditary keeper of the palace,
and other noblemen. Its long gallery contains figures, fome
of which are from portraits, but all of them painted by moderrv
hands, of the kings of Scotland down to the time of the Re-
volution. James VII. when duke of York, intended to have
made great improvements Jibout thi:; palace ; for at prefent no-
•thing can be more uncomfortable than its fituation, at the bot-
tom of bleak unimproved craggs and mountains, with fcaice a
fmgle tree in its neighbourhood. The chapel belonging to the
palace, as itftood when repaired and ornamented by that prince,
is thought to have been a moft elegant piece of Gothic

architedture^

igi

Scotland:

architc«5lure. It had a very lofty roof, and two rooms of fton(l
galleries fupported by curious pillars. It was the conven-
tual church of the old abbey. .Its iiifide was dcmolifhed
and rifled of all its rich ornaments, by the fury of the mob at
the Revolution, which even broke into the repofitories of the
dead, and cliicovcrcd a vault, till that time unknown, which
contained the bodies of James V. his firft queen, and Henry
Darnley. The walls and roof of this anticnt chapel gave
way and fell down on the 2d and 3d of December, 1768,
occafioncd by the enormous weight of a new ftone roof, laid
over it fome years ago, which the walls were unable to fup-
port. ■ . • '

The hofpital, founded ' by George Herriot, goldfmith to
James VI. commonly called Herriot's work, ftands to the
fouth-weft of the caftle, in a noble fituation; It is the fincft
and moft regular fpccimcn which Inigo Jones, whom James VI.
of Scotland brought over from Denmark, has left us of his
Gothic manner, and far exceeding any thing of that kind to
be fccn in England. One Balquhanan, a divine, whom Her-
riot left his executor, is faid to have prevailed upon Jones to
admit fomc barbarous devices into the building, particularly
the windows, and to have infiited that the ornaments of each
{hould be fomewhat different from thofe of the others. It is',
xiotwithftanding, upon the whole, a delightful fabric, and
adorned with gardens, not inelegantly laid out. It was built
for the maintenance and education of poor children belonging
to the citizens and tradefmen of Edinburgh, and is under the
dire^ion of the city magiftrates.

Among the other public edifices of Edinburgh before the
Revolution, was the college, which claims the privileges of
an univerlity, founded by king James VI. and by him put
ynder the direction of the magiltrates, who have the power of
chancellor and vice-chancellor. Little can be faid of its build-
ings, which were calculated for the fober literary manners of
thofe days ; they are, however, improvcable, and may be ren-
dered elegant. What is of far more importance, it is fup-
plied with excellent profelTors in the feveral branches of learn-
ing; and its fchools for every part of the medical art arc
reckoned equal to any in Europe. This college is provided
with a library, founded by one Clement Little, which is faid
to have been of late greatly augmented ; and a mufeum be*
longing to it was given by Sir Andrew Balfour, a phyfician.
It cctntains feveral natural, and fome literary curiofities, which
one would litde expedl to find at Edinburgh.

The Parliament-Square, or, as it is thcie called, Clofe, was
fornterly the mofl ornamental part of this city j it is formed

into

•SCO T L A N 6. .193

into a very noble quadrangle, part of which confifts of lofty
buildings; and in the middle is a very fine equeftrian ftatue of t
Charles II. The room built by Charles I. for the parliament-
houfe, though not fo large, is better proportioned than Weft-
minfter-hall i and its roof, though executed in the fame man-
ner, is by many great judges held to be fuperior. It is nov/
converted into a court of law, where a fingle judge, called the
lord ordinary, prefidcs by rotation ; in a. room near it, fit the
other judges; and adjoining are the public offices of the law,
exchequer, chancery, Iherivalty, and magiftracy of Edinburgh;
and the lawyers valuable library. This equals any thing of
the like kind to be found in England, cr perhaps in any part
of Europe, being at firft entirely founded and furniflied by
lawyers. . The number of printed books it contiuns is amazing;
and the collection has been made with cxquifitetafte and judg-
ment. It contains likewife the moft valuable manufcript re- ■
mainT? of the Scotch hiftory, chartularies, and other papers of
antiquity, with a feries of medals. Adjoining to the library,
is the room where the public records are kept j but both it,
and that which contains the library, though lofty in the roof,
are miferably dark and difmal. It is faid that preparations are
now carrying on, for lodging both the books and the papers in
rooms far better fuited to their importance and value.

The High Church of Edinburgh, called that of St. Giles,
is now divided into two or three churches, and a room where
jhc general aflcm»bly fits. It is a large Gothic building, and
its ftccplc is furmounted by arches formed into an imperial
crown, which has a good eft'edl: to the eye. The churches,
and other edifices of the city, erefted before the Union, con-
tain little but what is common to fuch buildings ; but the
excellent pavement of the city, which was begun tv/o centu-
ries ago by one Merlin, a Frenchman, deferves particular at-
tention.

The modern edifices in and near Edinburgh, fuch as the *
Exchange, its hofpitals, bridges, and the like, demonftrate
the vaft improvement of the tafte of the Scots in their public
works. On the north fide of the city, upon a rifing ground,
the nobility, gentry, and principal citizens, have begun to
build what is to be called the New Town, upon a plan which
does honour to the prefent age. The ftreets and fquares are
laid out with the utmoft regularity, and the houfes to be built
offtone, of an equal height, in the moft elegant tafte, with
iill the conveniences that render thofe of England fo delightful
and commodious. The fronts of many already finifheJ, are
of afhler work, but fuch is the avarice of fome individuals,
that here and thcr^this beautiful place is already difgraced with.

Vol. I.

buildings.

\V I

194 SCOTLAND.

buildings, raifed up of rough unfinifhed ftone, though thi
difference of expence in that country is very inconfiderable.

Edinburgh may be confidered, notwithftanding its caftle,
jrnd an open wall which enclofes it on the fouth fide, of a very
modern fabric but in the Roman manner, as an open town •
{o that in fadt, it would have been impradicable for its inha-
bitants to have defended it againft the rebels, who took pofTef-
fion of it in 1745. A certain clafs of readers would perhapi
think it unpardonable, fhould I omit mentioning that Edin-
i)urgh contains a playhoufe, which has now the fandlion of an
a£l of parliament ; and that concerts, aflemblies, balls, mufic-
meetings, and other polite amufements, are as frequent and
brilliant here, as in any part of his majefty's dominions, Lon-
don and Bath excepted.

Edinburgh is governed by a lord provoft, four bailiffs, a
dean of guild, and a treafurer, annually chofen from the com-
incn council. Every company, or incorporated trade, choofes
its own deacon; and here are 14; namely, furgeons, gold-
fmiths, Ikinners, furriers, hammer-men, wrights or carpen-
ters, mafons, taylors, bakers, butchers, cordwainers, weavers,
fullers, and bonnet- makers. The lord provoft is colonel of
the town-guard, a military inftitution to be found in no part
pf his majefty's dominions, but at Edinburgh : they ferve for
the city watch, and patrole the ftreets, are ufeful in fuppref-
(ing fmall commotions, and attend the execution of fentences
upon delinquents : they are divided into three companies, and
ivear an uniform ; they are immediately commanded by three
officers, under the name of cnptains. Befides this guard,
Edinburgh raifes 16 companies of trained bands, which ferve
as militia. The revenues of the city confift chiefly of that
t&x which is now common in moft of the bodies corporate of
Scotland, of two Scotch pennies, amounting in the whole to
two thirds of a farthing, laid upon every Scotch pint of ale
(containing two Englifh quarts) confumed within the precinfts
of the city. This is a moft judicious impoft, as it renders the
pooreft people infenfible of the burden. Its product, however,
lias been fufficient to defray the expence of fupplying the city
with excellent water, brought in leaden pipes at the diftance
of four miles j of creeling rcfervoirs, enlarging the harbour of
l#eith, and compleating other public works of great expence
and utility.

Leith, though near two miles diftant, may be properly called
the harbour of Edinburgh, being under the fame jurifdidion.
It contains nothing remarkable, but the remains of two cita-
dels (if they arc not the fame) fortified, and bravely defended
by the Frijogh agaiuft the Englifli, uadei Mary of Guife, and

afterwards

though thf
ifiderable.
; its caftle,
le, of a very
jpen town;
for its inha-
took pofTef.
)uld perhapi
; that Edin-
n£lion of an
5alls, mufic-
requent and
nions, Lon-

ir bailiffs, a
•m the com-
ade, choofes
fcons, gold-

or carpen-
Ts, weavers,
s colonel of
I in no part
ley ferve for

in fuppref-
of fentences
ipanies, and
cd by three
this guard,
which ferve
efly of that
corporate of
he whole to

pint of ale
he precinfts

renders the
!t, however,
ing the city
:he diftance
: harbour of
cat expence

perly called
iurifdi(Stion.
f two citar
ly defended
Guife, and
afterwards

SCOTLAND. 195

jfterwards repaired by Cromwell. The neighbourhood of
Edinburgh is adorned with noble feats, which are daily en-
creafing ; fome of them yield to few in England ; but they
are too numerous to be particularized here. I cannot how-
ever avoid mentioning the earl of Abercorn's, a fhort way from
the city, the duke of Buccleugh's houfe at Dalkeith, that of
the marquis of Lothian at Newbottle, and Hopton-houfe, fo
called from the earl its owner. About four miles from Edin-
burgh is Roflin, noted for a ftatcly Gothic chapel, counted
one of the moft curious pieces of workmanfliip in Europe;
founded in the year 1440, by William St. Clair, prince of
Orkney and duke of Oldenburgh.

Glafgow, in the {hire of Lanerk, fituated on a gentle decli-
vity floping towards the river Clyde, 44 miles weft of Edin-
burgh, is for population, commerce, and riches, the fecond
city of Scotland, and, confidering its fize, the firft in Great-
firitain, and perhaps in Europe, as to elegance, regularity,
and the beautiful materials of its buildings. The ftreets crofs
each other at right angles, and are broad, ftrait, well paved,
and confequently clean. Their houfes make a grand appear-
ance, and are in general four or five ftories high, and many
of them towards the center of the city arc fupported by ar-
cades, which form piazzas, and give the whole an air of mag-
nificence. Some of the modern built churches are in the fineft
ftile of architedlure, and the cathedral is a flupendous Gothic
building, hardly to be parallelled in that kind of architedture.
It contains three churches, one of which ftands above ano-
ther, and is furnifhed with a very fine fpire fpringing from a
tower ; the whole being reckoned a mafterly and a matchlefs
fabric. It was dedicated to St. Mungo or Kentigern, who was
bifhop of Glafgow, in the 6th century. The cathedral is
upwards of 600 years old, and was prefervcd from the fury of
the Reformers by the refolution of the citizens. The town-
Jioufe is a lofty building, and has v6ry noble apartments for the
magiftrates. The univerfity is eftecmed the moft fpacious and
beft built of any in Scotland, and is at prefent in a thriving
ftate. In this city are feveral well endowed hofpitals j and it
is particularly well fupplied with large and convenient inns,
proper for the accommodation of the moft illuftrious ftranger.
They are now building a handfome bridge acrofs the river
Clyde, and a large piece of ground is purchafed near the crofs,
where they intend to ered: a magnificent Exchange j but our
bounds do not allow us to particularize that, and the other
public-fpirited undertakings of this city carrying on by the in-
habitants, who do honour to the benefits arifing from their vaft
^omnQerce, both foreign and internal j which they carry on

N 2 with

196 SCOTLAND.

with amazing fuccefs. In Glafgow are feven churches, ami
eight or ten meeiing-houfes for fc^laries of various denomina-
tions. The number of its inhabitants have been eftimatcd at

50,000. ■ '"':■

Aberdeen bids fair to be the third tov/n in Scothmd for im-
provement and population. It is the capital of a iliire, to which
it gives its name, and contains two towns, New and Old A-
berdccn. The former is the fhire town, and cvidi-nily built
for the purpofe of commeree. It is a largi, well built cif/, and
has a good quay or tide-hiirbour : in it are three churches and
fevcral cpifcopal meeting-hcnifcs, a confiderable dogne of fo-
reign commerce and much (hipping, a well frequented univer-
sity, and above 12,000 inhabitants. Old Aberdeen, near a
mile diftant, tliough almolt joined to the new by means of a
long vill: ^e, has no dcpendnnce on the other ; it is a mode-
rately large market-iown, but has no haven. In each of ihefe
two places there is a well endowed .ollege, both together be-
ing termed the univerfity of Aberdeen, although quite inde-
pendent of each other. Ptrth, the capital town of Perthfhire,
lying on the river Tay, trades to Norway and the Baltic: it
is finely fituated, has an improving linen manufactory, and
lies in the neighl-fourhood of one of tlie moft fertile fpots in
Great-Britain, called the carfe of Gowry. Dundee, by the
general computation, contains about 10,000 inhabitants : it
lies near the mouth of the river Tay : it is a town of confider-
able trade, exporting much linen, grain, herrings .md peltry,
to fundry foreign parts : it has three churches. Montrole,
Aberbrothick, and Brechin, lie in the fame county ot Angus:
the firft has a great and flourilhing foreign trade, and the ma-
nufactures of the other two are upon the thriving hand.

It may be necelfary again to put the reader in mind, that I
write with great uncertainty with regard to Scotland, on ac-
count of its improving ftate. I have rather under than over-
rated the number of inhabitants in the towns I have men-
tioned. Edinburgh certainly contains more than 60,000 fouls,
which is the common computation, to which I 11 along con-
form myfelf; but the influx of people, and the increafe of
: matrimony in proportion to that of property, niuft create great
alterations for the better, and lew for the worff, becaufe the
inhabitants who are difpofed to induftry '"nay alv/ays find em-
ployment. This uncertainty is the reafon why I omit a par-
ticular defcription of Duinfr.es, Air, Greenock, Paifley, Ster-
ling, and al)out 50 other burghs and towns of very confider-
able trade in Scotlano.

The antient Scots valued themfelves upon their trufting-to

their own valour, and not to fortifications, for the defence of

:- 3 . ■ their

SCOTLAND.

197

Tchcs, am!
dcnomina-
ftimatcd at

nil for im-
<-', to which
nd Old A-

J^-mly built
i't city, and
lurches and
'gn e of fe-
ted univer-
en, near a
means of a
is ii niode-
iich of ihefe
o^.';cther be-
quiie inde-
Pcrth/hire,
c Baltic: it
i6i:ory, and
ile fpots in
lee, by the
ibitants : it
if confider-
•Mid peltry,
Moiitroie,
' ot Angus:
ind the ma-
land. '
ijid, that I
rid, on ac-
than over-
hi'.ve men-
>,ooo fouls,
along con-
incrcafe of
r rente great
becaufe the
's find em-
Mnit a par-
ifley, Ster-
f confider-

trufting to

defence of

their

their country : this was a maxim more heroical perhaps than
prudent, as they have often experienced ; and indeed to this
day their forts would maice but a forry figure, if regularly at-
tacked. The caftles of Edinburgh, Sterling, and Dumbar-
ton, formerly thought places of great ftrength, could not hold
out 48 hours, if befieged by 6000 regular troops, with proper
artillery. P'ort William, which lies in the weft Highlands,
is fufficicnt to bridle the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, as
are Fort George and Fort Auguftus, in the north and north-
weft ; but none of them can be confidered as defences againft a
foreign enemy.

I fliall not pretend to enter upon a defcriptlon of the noble
edifices that have, within the courfe of this and the laft cen-
tury, been eredl:ed by private perfons in Scotland, becaufe they
are fo numerous, that to particularize them exceeds the bounds
of my plan. It is fufficient to fay, that many of them arc
equal to the moft fuperb buildings in England and foreign
countries : and the reader's furprize at this will ceafe, when he
is informed that the genius of no people in the world is more
devoted to architc£lure than that of the nobility and gentry of
Scotland j and that th.re is no country in Europe, on account
of the cheapnefs of materials, where it can be gratified at fo
moderate an expence. This may likewife account for the ftu-
pendous Gothic cathedrals, and other religious edifices which
antiently abounded in Scotland ; but at the time of the Refor-
mation were moftly demolifhed to the ground, by a furious and
tumultuous mob,, who, in thefe practices, received too much
countenance from the reforming clergy.
ANTiqiiiTiES AND CURIOSITIES, ) Thc Roman, and other
NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL. J antiquities found in
Scotland, have of themfelves furnifhed matter for large vo-
lumes. The ftations of the Roman legions, their caftellas,
their pretentures or walls, reaching acrofs the ifland, have
been traced with great precifion by antiquaries and hiftorians j
fo that, without fome frefli difcoveries, an account of then%
could afford no inftrudlion to thc learned, and but little
amufement to the ignorant ; becaufe at prefent they can be
^ifcQvercd only by critical eyes. Some mention of thc chief
may, however, be proper. The courfe of the Roman wall,
(or, as it is called by the country people, Grahani's Dyke,
from a tradition that a Scottifh v/arrior of that name firft broke
over it) between the Clyde and Forth, which was firft marked
out by Agricola, and compleated by Antoninus Pius, is ftill
difcernible, as are feveral Roman camps in the neighbourhood,
Agricola's camp, at the bottom of thc Grampian hills, is a
(Iriking remain of Roman antiquity, It is fituatcdat Ardoch,
Vol. I. N 3 i«

'^W*

I9B S^ O T L A N D.

in Perthfhirc, and is generally thought to have been the camp
ccciipicd by A;;rirola before he fought the bloody battle, fo
well recorded by Tacifus, with th' Caledonian king Galga-
cus, vviio was dcfcarcd. Sonic writeis think, that this re-
main of antiquity at Ardoch wa", 0:1 account o-" the numerous
Roman coins and infcription- found nc:ir it, a Roman caftd-
lum or fort. Be that as it will, it certainly i.^ the nioft entire
and hd\ prcfcrv.-d of any Rv, an antiquity of tliat kitnl jn
Brit.iin, h:u'ii)^:; no lefs than five rows of ditches and fix ram-
part!? on tlic Ibuth fide; and of the four [^ati's which lead into
the area, three of then, arc v cry dilliinSt and plain, viz. the
pr-toria, decumana, anddotra: the pra?toriuiu is the place
where the general's tent flood.

'I'he Roman temple, or building in the form of the Parir
tbcon at Rome, or the dome of St. Paul's at London, flood
upon the banks of the river C.rron, in Sterlin^iiliire, but has
been lati ly b:M-baroufly demoliflied, by a juighboui ing Goth, for
the purpofe of nicnfli;ig a mill-pond. Its height was twenty-
two feet, and its external circumrcrcncc at the bafi* was eighty-
eight feet; fo that upon the wh^de. It was one of the nioC:
compleat Roman antic|uities in the WMiJd. Jt is thought to
have been built l^y Agricola, or fomeof his fucceilors, as a tem-
ple to the god Terminus, as it flood near the pr.tenture which
bounded the Roman empire in Britain to the north. Near it
are fome artificial conical mounts of earth, which flill retain
the name of Duni-pace, or Duni-pacis; which ferve to evi-
dence, that there was a kind of folcmn comprotviifc betwL'cn
the Romans and Caledonians, that the former fhould not ex-
tend their empire farther to the r.crtiiwards.

Innumerable arc the coins, urns utcnfils, mfcriptions, and
other remains of the Romans, that have been found in dif-
ferent parts of Scotland ; fome of them to the north of the
wall, where, however, it does not appear that they made any
eflablifliment. By the infcriptions found near the wall, the
names of the legions that built it, and how far they carried it
on, may be learned. I'he remains of Roman highways are
frequent in the fouthern parts.

Danifh camjis and fortifications are eafdy difcernible In fc-
veral northern counties, and are known by their fquare figures
and difHcult fituations. Some houfes of ftiinendous fabrics re-
main in Rofs-ihirc, but wl;cthcr they arc Danifh, Pidtifli, or
Scotifh, does not appear. The elevations of two of them are
to be feen in Gordon's Itinerarium Septentrionale. I am of
opinion thnt they are Norwegian or Scandinavian ftrudlures,
and built about the fifth century, to faypui the defcents of that

people unon thofe coufts,

:cntury.

Two

'1 the camp
y I'^'ttle, fo

«it thi;, ,c,
' numerous
Ti'Wi caftcl-
niuf] entire
at kin. I in
It' fix ram-.
I» lead into
» viz. the
s the place

tlic Panr
tjon, (tood
'» but has
Gorh, tor
IS twenty,
'.'as eighty-
f" the ntof^
thought to
i, as a tem-
ture which
Near it
^till retain
\'V'^ to evi-
b between
Id not cx-

tinns, and

nd iji dif-

th of the

made any

wall, the

carried it

hways are

ble in fc-
ire figures
"abrics re-
idtifli, or
them are
I am cf
Tudlures,
ts of that

Two

SCOTLAND. 199

Pi£tifli moHumcnts, as they are thought to be, of a

very extraordinary conftrU(5tion, were lately landing in Scot-
land, one of them at Abernethy in Perthfhirc, the other at
Brechin in Angus : both of them are columns, hollow in the
infide, and without a ftair-cafo ; that of Brechin is the moft
entir*.', being covered at the top with a fpiral roof of (tone,
with three or four windows above the cornice : it confids of
fixty regular courfcs of hewn free ftonc, laid circularly and
regularly, and tapering towards the top. If thofe column*
arc really PiJlIfh, that people muft have had among them
architects that far exceeded thofe of any coeval monuments to
be found in Europe, as they have all the appearance of an
order ; and the building is neat, and in the Roman taftc of
architc6lure. It is, however, difficult to aflign them to any
but the Picls, as they (land in their dominions j and fome
fculpturcs upon that at Krcchin, denote it to be of Chriftian
original. It is not indeed impoffiblc thiit thofe fculptures arc
of a later date. Befides thofe two pillars, many other Pivftilh
buildings are found in Scotland, but not in the fame tafte.

The vcfligcs of ereftions by the anticnt Scots themfelves,
are not only curious but inflrudtive, as they regard many im-
portant events of their hiftory. That people had amongft
them a rude notion of fculpture, in which they tranfmitted
the actions of their kings and heroes. At a jdace called Aber-
lemno, near Brechin, four or five antient obelifks are ftill to
be fecn, called the Daijifh ftones of Aberlemno. They were
erefted as commemorations of the Scotch vidories over that
people ; and are adorned with bafs-reliefs of men on horfe-
back, and many emblematical figures and hieroglyphics, not
intelligible at this day, but minutely defcribed by Mr. Cor-
don. Many other hiftorical monuments of the Scots may be
difcovered on the like occafions ; but it mull be acknowledged,
that the obfcurity of their fculpturcs have encouraged a field of
boundlefs and frivolous conjedlurcs, fo that the interpre-
tations of many of them are often fanciful. It would, how-
ever, be unpardonable if I Hiould negledt to mention the
ftone near the town of Forrefs or Fortrofe, in Murray, which
far furpafles all the others in magnificence and grandeur,
" and is (fays Mr. Gordon) perhaps, one of the moft ftately
monuments of that kind in Europe. It rifes about 23 f^ct iix
height, above ground, and is, as I am credibly info rncd, 'no
lefs than 12 or 15 feet below ; fo that the whole Hei'jiht It; at
leaft 35 fee;, and its breadth near five. It is all aw, i'.nglvJ
and entire ftonc ; great variety of figures in relievo are carved
thereon, fome of them ftill diftindl and vifiblc j but the injmjr
of the weather has ipbfcured thofe towards the upper part/*

s f

'€

20O S C O T L A N D.

Though this monument has been generally looked upon ag
])anifli, yet I have little doubt of its being Scotch, and that
it was ereded in commemoration of the final expulfion of the
Danes out of Murray, where they held their laft fettlcmcnt iu
Scotland, after the defeat they received from Malcolm a few
years before the conqucft of England by the Normans.

Befidcs thcfe remains of Roman, Pi(3:i(h, Dahifli, and
Scotch antiquities, many druidical monuments and temples
are difcernible in the northern parts of Scotland, as wtll as in
th? ifles, where we may fuppofe that paganifm took its laft
refuge. They are eafily perceived by their circular forms ;
but though they are equally regular, yet none of them are fo
ftupendous as the druidical eredlions in South-Britain. There
is in Pcrthfhire a barrow which feems to be a Britifli erection,
and the moft beautiful of the kind perhaps in the world ; it
exaftly refembles the figure of a fliip with the keel uppermoft.
The common people call it Ternay, which fome interpret to
be terra; navis, the (hip of earth. It feems to be of the moft
remote antiquity, and perhaps was ereded to the memory of
fome Britifh prince, who ;i6i:ed as auxiliary to the Romans ;
for it lies near Authterarder, not many miles diftant from th^
great fcene of Agricola's operations.

Scotland affords few natural curiofities but thofe we have
already mentioned in defcribing the lakes, rivers, and moun-
tains. Mention is made of a heap of white ftones, moft of
them clear like chryftal, together with great plenty of oyfter
and other fea-fhells, that are found on the top of a mountain
called Skorna Lappich, in Rofsfliire^ twenty miles diftant
from the fea. Slains, in AbL-rdeenfhire, is faid to be remark-
able for a petrifying cave, called the Dropping-cave, where
water oozing tlirough a fpungy porous rock on the top, doth
quickly confolidate after it drops to the bottom.. Other natu-
ral curiofities belonging to Scotland have taken pofTeflion of its
defcriptions and hiitories, bur. they generally ovve their extra-
ordinary qualities to the credulity of the vulgar, and vanifti
when they are {kilfully examined. Some caverns that are to
be found in Fifcfliire, and are probably natural, are of extra-
ordinary dimenfions', and have been the fcenes of inhuman
cruelties.

Commerce and manufactures.] Scptland may hither-
to be juftly looked upon as a non-dcfcribed country. All the
Hvriters, till within tht-fe few years, who have treated of that
nat on, reprefent it as being in the very fame ftate as a century
ago. In this they a:e not to blame, becaufe the alteration
which the people and country have undergone, has been in-
conceivably fuddcn. Without entering into the difputed point,

ho\v

ed upon as
:h, and that
Ifion of the
ettlcmcnt iii
ilcolm a lew
lans.

)ahifli, and

and temples

s well as in

:ook its laft

:ular forms ;

them are fo

ain. There

ifli ere<51ion,

s world ; it

1 uppermofl-.

interpret to

of the moft

? memory of

le Romans ;

nt from thq

ofe we have
^nd moun-
les, moft of
ity of oyfter
a moujitain
nilcs diftant
» be remark-
cave, where
e top, doth
Other natu-
re/Tion of its
their cxtra-
and vanifh
that are to
^rc of extra-
)f inhuman

may hither-
y. All the
ited of that
us a century
e alteration
s been in-
)uted point,
how

* SCOTLAND 2or

Jiov/ far Scotland was benefited by its union with England,
it h certain that the expedition of the Scots to take pofleffion
of Darien, and to carry on an Eaft and Weft-India trade, was
founded upon true principles of comqierce, and (fo far as it
went) executed v/ith a noble fpirit of enterprize. The mif-.
carriage of that fcheme, after receiving the higheft and iTioft
folemn fancSlions, is a difgracc to the annals of that reign in
which it happened ; as the Scots had then a free, independent,
and unconnedled parliament. We are to account for the long
languor of the Scottifh commerce, and many other misfor-
tunes which that country fuftained, to the difguft the inhabi-
tants conceived on that account, and fonie invaflons of their
rights, which they th -ught inconfiftent with the articles of
union. The intails and narrow fettlements of family eftatcs,
and fome remains of the feudal inftitut.ons, might contribute
to the fame caule.

Mr. Pelhum, wlicn at the head of the adminiflration in
l^ngland, after the extindlionof the rebellion in 1745, was the
iirlt minirter who difcovered the true value of Scotland, which
then became a more confidcrable objeft of governmental en-
quiry tho.n ever. All the benefits received by that country, fo^
the relief of the people from their feudal tyranny, were efFeft-
cJ by tl^at great man. The bounties and encouragements
grr.ntcd to the Scots, for the benefit of trade and manufac-
tures, during his adminiftration, made them fenfiblc of their
own importance ; and had he been a Scotchman, muft have
ruined his miniftry. Mr. Pitt, a fuccecding minifter, purfu'd
Mr. Pelham's wife plan : and juftly boafted in parliament,
that he availed himfJf of the courage, good fenfe, and fpirit
of the Scots, in carrying on the moft extonfive war that Great
Britain ever was en'2;a2;ed in. Let me add, to the honour of
the Britifh governniout, that whatever indecent and mean re-
fentments have been exprclTed by the refufc of the Englilh
nation againft the Scots, the latter have boen fuffcred to avail
thcmfelvcs of all the benefits of commerce and manufactures
they can claim, either in right of their fornier independency,
the treaty of union, or poftcrior adts of parliament.

This ij manifcft in the extenfive trade they carry on with
jhe Britifh fettlements in America and the Weft-Indies, and
with all the nations to which the Englifli thcmfelves trade j fo
that tlic incrcafe of their fliipplng within thefe 25 years paft.
Las been very confiderable. The exports of thole fliips arc
compofed chiefiy of Scotch manufiictures, fabricated from the
produce of the foil, and the induf^ry of its inhabitants. In
exchange for thofe, they import tobacco, ripe, cotton, fugar,
*" > t„ . and.

202 SCOTLAND.

and rum, from the Britifh plantations ; and from other coun-
tries, their prodmSls, to the immenfc faving of their nation.

The fiflieries of Scotland are not confined to their own
coafts, for they have a vaft concern in the whale fifhery carried
on upon the coaft of Spitibergen ; and their returns are valu-
able, as the government allows them a bounty of 40 s. for every
ton of fhipping employed in that article. The late improve-
hient of their fifhcries, which I have already mentioned, and
which are daily encreafing, open inexhauflible funds of wealth j
their cured fifh being by foreigners, and the Englilh planters
in America, preferred to thofe of Newfoundland. The bene-
fits of thofe fiflieries are perhaps equalled by other manufac-
tures carrying on at land, particularly that of iron at Carron,
in Sterlingfhire. Their linen manufadlory, notwithftanding
a ihong rivalfhip from Ireland, fupported underhand by fome
Englifli, is in a fluurifliing ftate. The thread manufacture of
Scotland is equal, if not fuperior, to any in the world ; and
the lace fabric.xted from it, has been deemed worthy of royal
wear and r.pprobation. It has been faid fome years ago, that
the exports from Scotland to England, and the Britifli planta-
tion;^, in linen, cambrics, checks, Ofnaburgs, inkle, and
the like comsnoditics, amounted annually to 400,000!. cxclu-
five of their home coiifumption j and there is reafon lo bs-lievc
that the fum is confidcrably larger :it prefent. The Scots are
likev/ite making very promifing efforts for eft^-blifhing wo(dlen
Jtianufaclures; and their exports of cans, ftockings, mittens,
and other articles of their own wool, begin to be very confi-
clcrable. The Scots, it is true, cannot pretend to rival the
Englifh in their finer cloths ; but they make at prefent fome
broad cloth proper for the wear of people of fafhion in an un-
drefs, and in quality and finenefs equal to what is commonly
called Yorkfhire cloth. Among the other late improvements
of the Scots, we are not to forget the vaft progrcfs they have
made in working the mines, and fmelting the ores of their
country. Their coal trade to England is well known ; and of
- late they have turned even their ftones to account, by their
contrafts for paving the ftrects of London. If the great trade
in cattle, which the Scots carried on of late with the Englifh^
is now diminifhec', it is owing to the beft of national caufes,
that of an encreafe of home confumption.

The trade carried on by the Scots with England, is chiefly
from Leith, and the eaftern ports of the nation j but Glaf-
gow is the great emporium for the American commerce. I
bave alrcadv mentioned the great projcdl now executing for
joining the t'orth to the Clyde, which will render the benefits
of trade of mutual advantage to both parts of Scotland. la

fliort.

Ihort,

and

appea

dome
W
of th
emplf
cular
able
kind,
The
fome

ther coufl.
nation,
their own
cry carried
are valu-
for every
improve-
oned, and
>f wealth i
Ji plajiters
^he bene-
manufac-
it Carron,
:hftanding
1 by fome
iacture of
orld; and
y of royal
:go, that
ill plnnta-
^klc, and
)i. cxclu-
"o believe
Scots are
g woollen
I mittens,
^ry confi-
rival the
fcnt fome
in an un-
ommonly
ovements
;hcy have
of their
1 ; and of
by their
eat trade
Engli/hi
I caufes,

s chiefly
it Glaf-
erce. I
ting for
benefits
id. la
/hort.

SCOTLAND. 205

(hort, the more that the feas, the fituation, the foil, harbours,
and rivers of this country are known, the better adapted it
appears for all the purpofes of commerce, both foreign and
domeftic.

With regard to other manufa6lures, not mentioned, fome
of them are yet in their infancy. The town of Paifley itfelf
employs an incredible number of hands, in fabricating a parti-
cular kind of flowered and ftriped lawns, which are a reafon-
able and elegant wear. Sugar-houfes, glafs works of every
kind, delf houfes, and paper-mills are eredled every where.
The Scotch carpeting make neat and lafting furniture ; and
fome efliiys have been lately made, with no inconfiderable de-
gree of fuccefs, to carry that branch of manufadture to as
great perfeftion as is found in any part of Europe. Even the
Bne arts begin to make fome progrefs. An academy of paint-
ing, engraving, and flatuary, is eftabliflied at Glafgow, under
the patronage of feveral noblemen, gentlemen, and principal
merchants. After all that has been faid, many years will be
required before the trade and improvements of Scotland can be
brought to maturity. In any event, they never can give um-
brage to the Englifh, as the intcrefts of the two people are, or
ought to be the fame.

Having faid thus much, I cannot avoid obferving the prodi-
gious difadvantages under which both the commercial and land-
ed intereft of Scotland lies, "from her nobility and great land-
holders having too fond an attachment for England, and foreign
countries, where they fpend their ready money. This is one

of the evils

arilmg

to Scotland from the union, which re-

moved the feat of her legiflature to London ; but it is great-
ly augmented by the refort of volunteer abfentees to that ca-
pital. While this partiality fubfiils, the Scots muft always be
diftreft for a currency of fpecic. How far paper can fupply
that defc«5^, depends upon an attention to the balance of trade;
and the evil may, perhaps, be fomewhat prevented, by money
remitted from England for carrying on the vaft manufactures
and works now fet on foot in Scotland. The gentlemen who
refide in Scotland, have wifely abandoned French claret, (tho'
too much of it is ftill made ufc of in the country) and brandy,
for rum, and the liquors produced in the Britifh plantations ;
and their own malt liquors are now come to as great perfedion
as thofc of England ; and it has been faid, that of late they
export large quiint'ties of their ale to London, Dublin, and
the plantations.

Revenues.] See England.

Coins.] In the reign of Edward II. of England, the
falue and dcnominatioiis cf coins were the fame in Scotland

204 S C O T L A N D.

as in England. Towards the reign of James II. a Scotch
fhilling anfwered to about an Engllfli fixpence ; and about the
reign of queen Mary of Scotland, it was not more than an
liriglifh groat. It continued diminifliing in this manner till
after the Union of the two crowns, under her fon James VI.
when the vaft refort of the Scotch nobility and gentry to the
Englilh court, occafioned fuch a drain of fpixie from Scot-
land, that by degrees a Scotch {hilling fell to the value of one
twelfth of an Englifh fliilling, and their pennies in proportion.
A Scotch penny is now very rarely to be found ; and they
were fucceeded by bodies, which was double the value of a
Scotch penny, and are flill current, but are daily wearing out.
A Scotch halfpenny was called a babic j fome fay, becaufe it
was firft ftamped with the head of James III. when he was a
babe or baby ; but perhaps it is only the corruption of two
French words, bas plece^ fignifying a low piece of money. The
dame obfervation we have made of the Scotch fhilling, holds
pf their pounds and marks ; whicli are not coins, but denomi-
nation of fums. In all other refpedts, the currency of n oney
in Scotland an;i England is the fame ; as very few people now
j:eckon by ihc Scotch computation.

Order of the thistle.] This is a military order, in-
ftituted, as the Scotch writers aflert, by their king Achaius,
in the ninth century, upon his making r.n offenfive and defen-
five league with Charlemagne, king of France. It has been
frequently neglected and as often rcfumed. It confifts of the
fovereign, and 12 companions, who are called Knights of the
ThilLk, and have on their cnfign this fignificant motto, Nemo
me impwic laccjfit. None {hall fafely provoke me.

Laws and constitution.] No government in Europe
was better fitted for the ejijoyment of liberty, than that of
Scotland was by its original conftitution ; and if it was repre-
henfible in any refpccl, it was that it left more freedom to the
lubjei'^t than is confident with civil fubordination.

The ancient kings of Scotland, at their coronation, took
the following oath, containing three promifes, viz.

" In the name of Chrifl, I promife thefe three things to the
Chriltian people tny fubjedts : P'irft, that I fhall give order,
and employ my force and afliftance, that the church of God,
and the Chriltian people, may enjoy true peace during our
time, under our goveinmait. Secondly, I Ihall prohibit and
hinder all perfons, of whatever degree, from violence and in-
juftice. Thirdly, in all judgments I fliall follow the prefcrip-
tions of juftice and mercy, to the end that our clement and
merciful God, may {}iew mercy to me, and to you."

. The

^i»it«iay>JL»aiif%«>ifrifai#fe,,,, ,,«.>'>

S GOTLAND.

ioi

The parliament of Scotland antiently confifted of all who
held any portion of land, however fmall, of the crown, by
military ftrvice. This parliament appointed the times of its
own meeting and adjournment, and committees to fuperintend
the admin illration during the intervals of parliament j it had
a commanding power in all matters of government ; it appro-
priated the public money, ordered the keeping of it, and called
for the accounts ; it arined the people, and appointed com-
manders ; it named and commiffioned ambafladors, it granted
and limited pardons ; it appointed judges and coiirts of judica-
ture ; it named officers of ftate and privy-counfellors ; it an-
nexed and alienated the revenues of the crown, and reftrained
grants by the king. The king cf Scotland had no negative
voice in parliament; nor could he declare war, make peace, or
conclude any other public buHnefs cf importance, without the
advice and approbation of parliament. The prerogative of
the kin^ was fo bounded, that he was not even entrufted with
the executive part of the governmeiit. And fo late as the mi-
nority of James IV. wiio was cotemporary with and fon-in-
lavv to Henry VII. of England, the parliament pointed out to
him his duty, as the fui\ fervant of his people ; as appears by
the acSts ftill extant. In fliort, the conftitution was rather
ariftocratical than monarchical. The abufe of thefe arillocra-
tical powers, by the chieftains and gre:it landholders, gave th.?
king, however, a very coiifiderable intcrcft among the lower
ranks ; and a prince who had fenfe and addrefs to retain the
atfeitlons of his people, was generally able to humble the moil
overgrown of his fubjc£ls : when, en the other hand, a king
of Scotland, like James III. fhewed a dlfrefpeil to his parlia-
ment, the event was convir.only fatal to the crown. The
kings of Sco::land, nntwithlhuiding this paramount power in
the p'irlinm.cp.t, found mean'j to weaken and elude its force ;
and in this they wert" ariiiied by their clergy, whofe revenues
were imnitnfe, and who had vci y little dependence upon the
pope, imd wen- p.lwa) s j'-alouo of the powerful nobility. This
was done bv civ.iblifiiin^- a i' lecl body of members, who were
cplled ihg lords of the (irticlcs. Thefe were chofen out of the
clergy, n(;bili<:y, kniq;hts, and burgelTes. The blfliops, for
inlhaice, ciiore eii.'hi peers, ajiJ tlic peers eight bifliops ; and
thot'e Axtcen joindy chofe eight baions ; (or knight.s of the
fhirc) 'tnd eight commiifKjners for burghs ; and to all thofe
were added el ;ht crcat olliccrs of ftutc, the chancellor beinsj
preiider.t c-f the wliole.

Their Luiinefs wa:i to prepare all queftions and bills, and
other matters 'nought into parliament ; fo that in fadV, though
t\\Q king could give no negative, yet belnj by his clergy, and

the

io6

SCOTLAND.

the places he had tobeftow, always fure of the lords of articles,
nothing could come into parliament that could call for his ne-
gative. It mull: be acknowledged, that this inflitution feems
to have prevailed by ftcalth ; nor was it ever brought into any
regular fyftem : even its modes varied ; and the greatcft law-
yers are ignorant when it took place. The Scots, however,
liever loft fight of their original principles : and tho' Charles I.
wanted to form thefe lords of the articles into regular machines
for his own defpotic purpofes, he found it impradicabie j
and the melancholy confequences are well known. At the
Revolution, the Scots gave a frelh inftance how much better
they underftood the principles of liberty than the Englifti did,
by omitting all pedantic debates about abdication, and the like
terms, and voting king James at once to have forfeited his
crown i which they gave to the prince and princefs of
Prange.

. This fpirit of refiftance was the more remarkable, as the
people had groaned under the moft infupportable minifterial
tyranny ever fince the Reftoration. It is afked. Why did
they fubmit to that tyranny ? The anfwer is. In order to pre-
ierve that independency upon England, which Cromwell and
his parliament endeavoured to deftroy, by uniting them with
England : they therefore chofe to fubmit to a temporal evil j
but they took the iirft opportunity to get rid of their op-
preflbrs.

Scotland, When it was a feparate kingdom, cannot be fald
to have had any peers^ in the Englifh fenfe of the word.
The nobility, who were dukes, marquifies, earls, and lords,
were by the king made hereditary barons of parliament j but
they formed no diftin^l houfe, for they fat in the lame room
with the commons, who had the fame deliberative and decifive
vote with them in all public matters. A baron, though not
a baron of parliament, might fit upon a lord's aflize in matters
of life and death j nor was it ncceilary forthe aflizers, or jury,
to be unanimous in their verdict. 7'he feudal cuftoms, even
at the time of the Reftoration, w r; \o prevalent, the refcue
of a great criminal was commonly fo much apprehended, that
feldom above two days pafled between the fentcnce and the
execution.

Great uncertainty occurs in the Scotch hiftory, by con-
founding parliaments with conventions j the diflx-rcnce was,
that a parliament could enad laws as well as lay on taxes :
a convention, or meeting of the ftates, only met for the pur-
pofes of taxation. Before the Union, the kings of Scotland
had four great and four lefler officers of ftate ; the great, were
the lord high chancellor, high trgalur^r, privy-feal, and fecre-
2 tary :

!??■

of articles,
for his ne-
ition feema
It into any
eateft law-
however,
Charles I.
ir machines
radicable j
1. At the
luch better
)nglifti did,
nd the like
Drfeited his
)rincefs of

ble, as the

minifterial

Why did

rder to pre-

)mwell and

them with

poral evil j

f their op-

inot be faid

the word.

, and lords,

iment j but

fame room

and decifive

though not

: in matters

rs, or jury,

[loms, even

the refcue

ended, that

ce and the

y, by con-
rrcnce was,
V on taxes :
or the pur-
jf Scotland
great, were
, and fecre-
tary :

S C O T L A N D; ao7

tary : the four lefler were, the lords reglfter, advocate, trea-
furer-depute, and juftice-clerk. Since the Union none of
thefe continue, excepting the lords privy-feal, regifter, ad-
vocate, and juftice-clerk ; a third fecretary of ftate has occa^
(lonally been nominated by the king for Scottifli affairs, but
under the fame denomination as the other two fecretaries.
The above officers of ftate fat in the Scotch parliament by
virtue of their offices.

The officers of the crown were, the high-chamberlain, con-.
ftable, admiral, and marlhal. The officers of conftable and
marihal were hereditary. A nobleman has ftill a pcnfi»n as
admiral ; and the office of marlhal is exercifed by a knight
inarflial.

The office of chancellor of Scotland differed little from the
fame in England. The fame may be fiiid of the lords trea-
furer, piivy-feal, and fecretary. The lord-regifter was head
clerk to the parliament, convention, trcafury, exchequer,
and feifion, and keeper of all public records. Though his
office was only during the king's pleafure, yet it was very
lucrative, by difpofing of his deputation, which lafted during
life. He a^led as teller to the parliament j and it was dan-
gerous for any member to difpute his report of the numbers
upon a divifion. The lord-advocate's office refembles that of
the attorney-general in England, only his powers are far more
extenfive ; bccaufe, by the Scotch laws, he is the profecutor
of all capital crimes before the jufticiary, andlikcwifc concurs
in all purfuits before fovereign courts for breaches of the peace ;
and alfo in all matters civil, wherein the king, or his donator,
has intereft. Two follicitors are named by his majefty, by
way of affiftants to the lord-advocate. The office of juftice-
clerk, entitles the poflefTor to prefide in the criminal court of
jufUce, while the juftice-general, an office I fliall defcribe here-
after, is abfent.

The ancient conftitution of Scotland admitted of many other
offices both of the crown and ftate ; but they are either now
extinft or too inconfiderable to be- defcribed here. That of
Lyon king at arms, or the rex faeciallum, or grand herald of
Scotland, is ftill in being, and it was formerly an office of
great fplendour and importance, infomuch that the fcience of
heraldry was preferved there in greater purity than in any other
country in Europe. He was even crowned folemnly in parlia-
ment with a golden circle j and his authority, which is not
the cafe in England, in all armorial afrairs might be cafiricd
into execution by the civil law.

The privy-council of Scotland before the revolution, had,
or afTum^d inquifitorial powers, even that of torture ; but it is

now

208 SCOTLAND.

now funk in the parliament and privy-council of Great-Bri-
tain, and the civil and criminal caufes there are chiefly cog-
nizable by two courts of judicature.

The firft is that of the college of juftice, which was infli-
tuted by James V. after the model of the French parliament,
to fupply an ambulatory committee of parliament, who took to
themfelves the names of the lords of council and fcflion, which
the prefent members of the college of jultlce dill retain.
This court confifts of a prefident and fourteen ordinary mem-
bers, befides extraordinary ones named by the king, who may
fit and vote, but have nofalaries, and arc not bound to attend-
ance. This court may be called a ftanding jury in all matters
of property that lie before them*. Their forms of proceeding
do not lie within my plan, neither does any enquiry hov/ far
fuch an inftitution, in fo narrow a country as Scotland, is
compatible with the fecurity of private property. The civil
law is their diretSlory in all matters that come not within the
municipal laws of the kingdom. It has been often matter of
lurprize, that the Scots were fo tenacious of the forms of their
courts and the eflence of their laws, as to refcrve them by the
articles of the union. This, however, can be cafily account-
ed for, becaiifc thofc laws and forms were efiential to the
pofleflion of eftates and lands, which in Scotland are often
held by modes incompatible with the laws of England. I
(liall jull: add, that the lords of council and fciTion adt likcvvlfc
as a court of equity j but their decrees are fomctimes (fortu-
nately perhaps for the fubjedt) reverfible by the Britilh parlia-
ment, to which an appeal lies.

The jullice court is the higheft criminal tribunal in Scot-
land ; but in its preftnt form it was inflitutcd fo late as the
year 1672, when a lord juftice general, removeable at the
king's pleafurc, was appointed. Tills lucrative office ilill
exills in the perfon of one of the chief nobility ; but the ordi-
nary members of the court, are the juftice-clcrk and five other
judges, who are always nominated from the lords of fcflion.
In this court the verdiil of a jury condemns or acquits, but,
as I have already hinted, without any neccfTity of their being
unanimous.

Befides thofe two great courts of law, the Scots, ly the
articles of the Union, have a court of exchequer. This
court has the fame power, authority, privilege, and jurifdic-
tion, over the revenue of Scotland, as the court of exchequer in
England has over the revenues there ; and all matters and things
competent to the court of exchequer of England relating
thtreto, are likewife competent to the exchequer of Scotland,
The judges of the excheciuer in Scotland exeicjfe certain powers

which

Grcnt-Rrl-

hiefly cog-

> was infti-
parl lament,
vho took to
ion, which
^ill retain,
nary niem-
, wllo may
I to attend-
all matters
proceeding
ry hov/ far
! Gotland, is
The civil
within the
1 matter of
rins of their
hem hy the
ly account-
itial to the
d are often
.neland. I
adt lilccvvlfc
mes (fortu-
itilh parlia-

al in Scot-
late as the
:able at the
office itill
ut the ordi-
(.1 five other
g of feflion.
rquits, but,
their being

:ots, by the
[uer. This
nd jurifdic-
xchequer in
s and things
nd relating
f Scotland,
rtain powers
which

SCOTLAND. 209

which formerly belonged to the trcafury, and are flill veft^d in
that of England.

The court of admiralty in Scotland, was, In the reign of
Charles II. by act of purliamcnt, declared to be a fiiprcmc
court, in all caufes competent to its own jurifdi6Uon ; and the
lord high admiral is declared to be the king's lieutenant and
jufticc-gcneral upon the leas, and in all port:;, harbours, and
creeks of the fame ; and upon fivfji waters and jru'i^.ble rivers,
below the iSii' bridg'-', or within ilood-mark ; fo that nothing
competw'nt to hir. jurlfdicii(;n can be meddled with, in the firit
inftance, but by the lord high admiral and thc^ judges of his
court. Sentences pafitd in all inferior courts of admiralty,
may be brought agiin before his court ; but no advocation lies
from it to the lords of the feflion, or any other judicatory,
unlefs in cafes not maritime. Caufes are tried in this court
by the civil law, which, in fuch cafes, is llkewife the common
law of Scotland, as well as by the laws of Oleron, Wifby,
and the Hanfctowns, and other maritime pra<Slice3 and dccifions
common upon the continent. The place of lord admiral of
Scotland is little more than nominal, but the falary annexed
to it is reckoned worth icoo 1. a year ; and the judge of the
admiralty is commonly a lawyer ot" didintStion, with confider-
able perquifites pertaining to his olHce.

The college or faculty of advocates, which anfwers to the
Englifh inns of court, may be called the feminary of Scotch
lawyers. They are within themfelves an orderly court, and
their forms require great precifion and examination to qualify
its candidates for admiflion. Subordinate to them is a body
of inferior lawyers, or, as they may be called, attorneys, who
call themfelves writers to the fignet, becaufe they alone can
fubfcribe the writs that pafs the fignet ; they likewife have a
bye government for their own regulation. Such are the dif-
ferent law-courts that arc held in the capital of Scotland j we
ftiall pafs to thofe that are inferior.

The government of the counties in Scotland was formerly
vefted in Iheriffs and ftewards, courts of regality, baron courts,
commiflaries, juftices of the peace, and coroners.

Formerly flieriftdoms were generally, though moft abfurdly,
hereditable ; but, by a late adl of parliament, they are now
all vefted in the crown ; it being there enabled. That all high- .
(herifFs, or ftewards, fhall, for the future, be nominated and ap-
pointed annually by his majefty, his heirs, and fucceflbrs. In
regard to the fherifF-deputes, and ftewart-deputes, it is enabled.
That there fhall only be one in each county, or ftewartry,
who muft be an advocate, of three years ftanding at leaft. .
For the fpace of feven years, thefe deputies arc to be nominated

Vol. I. O ky

410 SCOTLAND.

by the king, with fuch cotitinuance as his majcfty fliall thinK
fit ; after which they are to enjoy their offices advi'am aut cul-
pam^ that is, for life, unlcis guilty of fome offence. S«me
other regulations have been likcwifc introduced, highly for the
credit of the fheriffs courts.

Stevvartries were formerly part of the ancient royal domain ;
and the ftcwarts had much the fame power in them, as the
(herift' had in his countv.

Courts of regality of" old, were held by virtue of a royal
jurifdiclion vcftcd in the lord, with particular immunities and
privileges ; but thefe were fo dang.Tous, and fo extravagant,
that all the Scotch regalities are no v diflblved by an a6t of
parliament.

Baron courts belonn; to every pcrfon who holds a barony of
the king. In civil m.ittcrs, they extend to caules not exceed-
ing forty (hillings Itcrling ; and in criminal cafes, to petty
actions of ailault and b.ittery ; but the punifliment is not to
exceed twenty ihillings fttirling, or fetting the delinquent in
the ftocks for three hours, in the day tiir.c. Thefe courts,
however petty, were, in "« rmer days, inveftcd with the power
of life and death, which they have now loft.

The courts of commifiaries in Scotland, anfwer to thofe of
the Knglifti dioccfan chancellors, the higheft or which is kept at
Edinburgh ; wherein, before four judges, a<Slions are pleaded
concerning matters relating to wills and teftaments ; the right
of patronage to ecclefuiftical benefices, tithes, divorces, and
caufes of that nature ; but in almoft all other parts of tht
kingdom, there fits but one judge on thefe caufes.

According to the prcfent inftitution, juftices of the peace in
Scotland cxercife pretty much the fame powers as thofc in
England. In former times, their office, though of very old
ftanding, was infignificant, being cramped by the powers of
the great feudal tyrants, who obtained an a6t of parliament,
that they were not to take cognizance of riots till fifxen days
after the fa-fl.

The inftitution of coroners is as old as the reign of Malcolm
II. the great Icgiflntor of Scotland, who lived before the Nor-
man conqueft of England. They took cognizance of all
breaches of the king's peace ; and they were required to have
clerks to rcgifter dcpofitions and matters of fail, as well as
vcrdi(^s of jurors : the office, however, is at prefent much
difufcd in Scotland.

From the above ihort view of the Scot :h laws and infti-
tutions, it is plain that they were radically the fame with thofc
of the Englifh. 7''he latter alledge indeed, that the Scots
borrowed the c/ntents of their Repam Majejiattniy their oldeft

Jaw-

refent much

SCOTLAND; an

)aw-book, from the work of Glanvlllc, who was a judge unrler
Henry II. of England. The Scots, on the other hand, with
much hcttcr reafon, and far j^^^rcatcr appearance of truth, fay,
that Glanville's wo:!fvv;is copied from th-Sw Rr^iam Majejla'cm^
even with the peculinririii of the la'tcr, wiiich do not now,
and never did, cxift in the laws cf England.

The royal burghs in Scotland form, aa it wcfc, a commer-
cial parliament, which meets once a year at Edinburgh, con-
fifting of a reprefetitativc f.oai each burgh, to conlult upon
the cnnuion g^od of the whole. Their powers are pretty
extenfive, and h-forc the Union they made laws rd-.ting to
Shipping, to maflcrs and owners of fliips, to mariners and
mcrchaniP, by whom the/ were freighted ; to manufnElurers,
fuch ny plaiding, lin/n, and yarn ; to the curing and packing
offidj, falmon, aivJ herrings ; to the importing and export-
ing ft'vrral con miodi ties : the trade between Scotland and
the Nctherlr.nds is ilibjciSl to their regulation ; they fix the
Itaple-port, which was formerly at J3ort, and is nov/ ac
Camphere. Tiicir confervator is ijideed nominated by the
crown, but then their convention regulates his power, ap-
provcu his deputies-, and appoints hii; filary : fo that, in truth,
the whole ftaple trude is fubjecled to their managementt
Upon the whole, this is a very fmgular inftitution, and fuffi-^
cientjy proves the vr;fl: rittenlion v/hich the government of
Scothnd formerly p:'id to trade. It took its prefent form in
the reign of Ja.r.es III. 1487, and had excellent confequcnces
for the beneht of commerce.

Such are the laws and conftitution of Scotland, as theyexiil
at prefent, in their general view ; but our bounds do not per-*
mitus to defcend to farther p;irticulars, which are various and
complicated. The conformity between the praiiice of the civil
law of Scotland, and that in England, . is remarkable. The
Englifh law reports are of the fame nature with the Scotch
praticks ; and tncir acts of federunt, anfwer to the Englifh
rules of court ; the Scottifh wadfets and reverfions, to the
Englifli mortgages and defeazances : their ponding of woods,
after letters of horning, is much the fame as the Englifh exe-
cutions upon outlawries : and an appeal againll the king's par-
don, in cafes of murder, by the next of kin to the deceafed, is
admitted in Scotland as well as in England. Many other ufages
are the fame in both kingdoms. I cannot, however, difmifa
this head without one obfervation, which proves the fimilarity
between the Englifli and Scotch conflitutions, which I believe
has been mentioned by no author. In old times, all the free-
holders in Scotland met together in prefence of the king, wh*
was featcd qo Uic top of a hillock, which, in the old Scotch

Q 2 conflitutions^

tit SCOTLAND.

conftitutions, is called the Moot, or Mute-hill ; all national
affairs were here tranfadlcd; judgern^'iiis given, and differcnccj
ended. 'I'his Moot-hill I apprehend to be of the lame nature
as the Saxon Folc-motc, and to lignify no uore thiui the hill
of meeting;.

History.] Though the writers of ajvcunt Scotch hiftory
are toofond of fyitem and fable, yet it is eafy to collcit, from
the Roman authors, and other evidences, that Scoilnnd wa»
formerly inhabited by difterent people. 'I'he Caledonians
were, probably, the firft: inhabitants j the Picts, undoubtedly,
were the Britons, who were forced northwards by the liLlgjc
Gauls, above fourfcore years before the defcent of Julius
C-tfar ; and who, fettlin;.!; in Scotland, were joined by great
numbers of their count ly men, who were driven northwards by
the Romans. The Scots, moil probably, were a nation of
adventurers from the anlient Scythia, who had ferved in the
armies on the contijient, and, as has been already hinted,
after conquering the other inhubiiants, gave their own name
to the country. The tract lying fouthw; rd of the Forth ap-
pears to have been inhabited by the Saxons, and by the Bri-
tons, who formed the kingdoi'.i of Alcuith, the capital of
which was Dumbarton: but all thefe people, in procefs of
time, were fubdued by tl'C Scots.

Havin;.j preiriifcd thus much, it is unneceflary for me to
inveI♦•?at^; the conftiiuticn of Scotland fipm its fabulous, or
evi-n its early ages. It is fufficicnt to add to what I have al-
ready faid npoii that heaJ, tliat they fee;n to have been as for-
ward as any of their fouthciu neighbours in the arts of war
and government.

It does not appear that the Caledonians, the antient Celtic
inhabitants of Scotland, wcreatL.-Lckcd by any of the Roman ge-
nerals before Agricola, anno 79. 'I'he name of the prince he
fought with was Galdus, by Tacicus named Galgacus ; and the
hiftory of chat war is not only tranfmitted with great precifion,
but corroborated by the rer:iaia. of the Roman encampments
and forts, raifed by y\(;rii-oia in bin march towards Dunlceld,
the capt'v-I of th^ Caledonians. The brave ftand made by Gal-
dus againil that great general, does honour to the valour of
both people ; and the ientiments of the Caledonian, concern-
ing the freedom and independency of his country, appear to
have v.'armed the noble hiflorian with the fame generous paf-
fiou. It is plain, however, that Tacitus thought it for the
honotu' of Agricola to conceal ibme part of this war ; for
though he makes his countrymen vidtorions, yet they cer-
tainly returned fouthvviird, to the province of the Horefli,

which

SCOTLAND. tif

whk I was the county of Fife, without improving their ad^

vantage.

Galdus, otherwife called Corbrcd, was, according to the
Scotch hiitorians, the twcnty-firO; in a lineal deCcent from
FcrtjuH I. the founder of tir ir mo;..archy ; and though this
genealogy has of late been (iiiputcd, yet nothing can be more
certain, from the Roman hiirories, than that the Calt;?: nians,
or Scots, were governed by a ('iicccl]ion of brave nnd wife
princes, diJring tJjc abode of the Rouians in Britain. Their
valiant refdhmce obliged Aj>;iiu)la him I. If, and after hin the
emperorii Adrian and Scvcrus, to build the two tVanous prc-
tentures or walls, which will be delcr.bcd in our account of
England, to defend the Romanii from the Caledoni;.ns and S Jots;
and that the independence of the latter was never fubdu d.

Chrilli.iiiity Was introduced into Scotland about tiie year
201 of the Chriltinn x^r;i, by Donald L The Picts, wlio,
as before mention-jd, were the detccndrntij of the anticnt Bri-
tons, who had been forced northwards by the Romans, had
at this time gained a f ■•otiii?); in Scotland ; and being ottcii
defeated by the antiejit inhabitants, they joined with the Ro-
mans againft the Scots ani Caledonian^s, who v/cre of the
fame original, and confidercd thcnifelves as one people j fo
that the Scots monarchy fullered a fhort cclipfe : but it broke
out with more lurtre than ever under Fcro_us iL who recovered
his crown ; and his lucceflbrs gave many fevcre overthrows to
the Romans and Biitons.

When the Romans left Brita'n in 448, the Scots, as ap-
pears by Gildas, a Britidi hillorian, wen; 1 powerful nation,
and, in conjundiion with the T^'ittiy invaded the Britons j
and having forc^'d the Roman walls, drove them to the very
fea; fo that the Britons aj)plied to the Romans for relief; and
in the famous letter, which they called their groans, they tell
them, that they had no choice kft, but that of being iwal-
lowed up by the fea, or perifhinp; by the fwords of the barba-
rians ; for fo ail nations were called who were not Roman ot
under the Roman prote6lion. ' • '

Dongard was then king of Scotland ; and it appears from
the oldeft hiftories, and thofe that aie leaft favourable to mo-
narchy, that the fucceffion to the crown of Scotland ftill con-
tinued in the family of Fergus, but generally defcendcd col-
laterally ; till the inconveniencies of that mode of fucceiTion
were fo much felt, that by degrees it fell into difufe, and it
was at laft fettled in the right line.

About the year 796, the Scots were governed by Achaius,
a prince fo much refpedled, that his friendlhip was courted by
Charlemagncj and a league was concluded between them,
> . O 3 wbich

' ' 1

ti4 SCOTLAND.

which continued inviolate while the monarchy of Scotland
had an cxiltenct". No fiidl of equal antiquity is better at-
tefled than this league, together with the great fervice per-
formed by ihe learned aien of Scotland, in civilizing the vaft
dominions of that great conqueror, as has been already ob-
fcrved under the ar:icle of learning. The Pitfts ftill remained
in Scotland as a feparate nation, and were powerful enough to
make war upon the Scots ; wi\o, about the year 843, when
Kenneth Mac Alpin was king of Scotland, finally lubdued
them, but not in the favaL;e manner mentioned by fome hifto-
rians, by extermination. For lie obliged t^pm to incorporate
thcmfelvcs with their conquercrs, by taking their name and
adopt np; their laws. The fucceflcrs of Kenneth Mac Alpin
maintained almoll perpetual wars wiih the Saxons on the
fouthward, and the D.UiCs and other barbarous nations to-
wards the caft ; v/ho being mailers of tlic fea, harrafled the
Scots by powerful invaf.ons. The latter, however, were
more fortunate than t!)e E^ngliTn, for while the Danes were
erecting a m.onarcby in Englancl, they were every where over-
thrown in Scotland by bloody battles, and at laft driven out of
the kingdom. The S.ixon and Danilh monArchs, who then
governed England, were not more fuccefsful againft the Scots;
who maintained their freedom rnd independency, not only
againft foreigners, but againlt their own kings, when they
thouo;ht them endanpcied. The feudal law was introduced
among them by Malcolm IT.

Ivlalcolm III. commonly called Malcolm Canmorc, from
two Gaellic words which ftgnify a large head, but moft pro-,
bably his great capacity, was the eighty-fixth king of Scot-
land, from Fergus I. the fuppofed founder of the monarchy}
the forty-feventh from its refiorer, Fergus II. and the twenty-
fecond from Kenneth III. who conquered the kingdom of the
Pi£ls. Every reader who is acquainted with the tragedy of
• Macbeth, as written by the inimitable Shakefpear, who keeps
clofe to the fa6ls delivered by hilforians, can be no flranger to
the fate of Malcolm's father, and his own hiftory previous to
his mounting the throne in the year 1057. ^^ ^"^^ * ^''^
and magnanimous prince, and in no refpeft inferior to his
contemporary the IS'onran conqueror, with whom he was
often at war. He married Margaret, daughter to Edward,
fur-named the Outlaw, Ton to Edward Tronfide, king of Eng-
land. By the death of her brother, Edgar Etheling, the
Saxon right to the crown of England devolved upon the pofte-
rity of that princely, who was one of the wifefl and worthieft
women of the age ; and her daughter, Maud, was accord-
4ngly married to Henry I, of England. Malqolm, after a

glorious

SCOTLAND.

215

wever, were

glorious reign, was killed, with his fon, treacheroufly, as it
is laid, at the ficgeof Alnwic, by the befiegtd.

Malcolm 111. was fucceeded by his brother, Donald Vll.
and he was dethroned by Duncan II. whofe legitiniacy was
difputed. They were fucceeded by Edgar, the Ion of Mal-
colm III. who was a wife and valiant prince ; and upon his
death, David I. mounted the throne.

Notwithftanding the endeavours of fome hiftorians to con-
ceal what they cannot deny, I mean the glories of this reign,
yet David was, perhaps, the greatcfl: prince of his age, whe-
ther we regard him as a man, a warrior, or a legillator. The
noble actions he performed in the fcrvice of his niece, the em-
prefs Maud, in her competition with king Stephen for th«
Englifh crowJi, give us ihe higheft idea of h s virtues, as they
could be the refult only of duty and principle. To him Henry
II. the mightiert prince of his age, owed his crown ; and
his pofTeflions in England, joined to the kingdom of Scotland,
placed David's power on an equality with that of England,
when confined to this ifiand. His adtions and adventures, and
the refources he always found in his own courage, prove him
to have been a hero ot" the fnik. rank. If he appeared to be too
lavifli to churchmen, and in his religious endowments, we arc
to confider, thefe were the only means by which he could then
civilize his kingdom : and the code of laws I have already
mentioned to have been drawn up by him, do his memory im-
mortal honour. They arc faid to have been compiled under
his infpedtion by learned men, whom he afiembled from all
parts of Europe in his magnificent abbey of Melrofs. He was
fucceeded by his grandfon, Malcolm IV. and he, by William,
fur-named, froiii his valour, the Lyon. William's fon, Alex-
ander II. was fucceeded, in 1249, ^7 Alexander III. who
was a good king. He married, firll, Miirgarer, daughter to
Henry III. of England, by whom he had Alexander, the
prince, who married the earl of Flanders's daughter ; David and
Margaret, who married Hangowan, or, as fome call him, Eric,
fon to Magnus IV. kin;; of Norway, who bare to him a
daughter, named Margaret, c(»mmonly called the Maiden of
Norway ; in whom king William's whole poftcrity failed, and
the crown of Scotland returned to the defccndants of David,
earl of Huntij^.gdon, brother to king Malcolm IV. and king
William.

I have been the more particular in this detail, becaufe it wai
produjflivc of great evtiits. Upon the death of Alexander III.
John Baliol, who wa.- grt-at-grandfon to David carl of Hunt-
ingdon, by his elder daughter, Margaret, and Robert Bruce
(grandfather to the great king Robert Bruce) ;^randfon to the

O 4 fame

iiS S C O T L A N D.*

fame carl of Huntingdon, by his younger daughter likbel, be-
came competitors for the crown of Scotland. The laws of
fucceflion, which were not then fo well cilablifhed in Europe
as they are at prefent, rendered the cafe very difficult. Both
parties were almoft equally matched in intcreft ; but after a
confiifed interre<_j;num of fome years, the great nobility agreed
in referring the decifion to Edward I. of England, the moft
politic, ambitiou:; prince of his ao;e. He accepted the office
of arbiter: but having long hr.d an eye to the crown of Scot-
land, he revived fome obfolcte abfurd claims of its dependency
tipon thit of England ; and fnding tliat Baliol was difpofed to
hold it by that difgraceful tenure, Edward awarded it to himj
but nfu-rwards dethroned him, and treated him as a Have, with-
out Baliol's refcntintr it.

After this, Edward ufed many bloody endeavours to annex
their crov/n to iiis own ; but tlio' they were often defeated, the
inJepci.dcnt Scots never were cotHjUcred. They were indeed
but few, con pared to thofe in the iniereft of Edward and Ba-
liol, which w:'.3 tlse fame ; and for fo ric time were obliged to
tem.pnilze. Edv.'aid availed hinifelf of their weaicnifs and his
6wn pov/tr. H':^ accepted of a formal furrender of the crown
from Baliol, to vt^h-nn he allowed a penfion, but detained him
in Engl nd ; rnd feat every nobleman in Scotland, whom he
m the ie;>ft fufper.led, to difterent prifons in or near London.
He then forced tiie Scots to fign inftruments of their fubjedion
to nini ; and moft barbaiouily carried off, or dertroyed, all
the monuments of their hiftory, and the evidences of their in-
dependency ; and particularly the famous fatidical itone,,
which is Hill to be feen in Weftminder- Abbey.

Thofe fevcre proceedings, Vv'hile they rendered the Scots fen*
fible of their flavery, revived in them the ideas of their free-
dom ; and Edv/ard, finding their fpirits were not to be fubducd,
endm'oured lo carefs them, and affcdted to treat them on the
footing (-fan equality with his own fubjcc^s, by projecting an
union, the chief ai tides of which have fince t:.kcn place, be-
twe.n the two icingdoms. The Scotch patriots treated this
prcjccl wltli .'ifdain ; and united un>.:er the biave William
\VaJlace, the trueit hero of his age, to expel the Englifli.
Wi.llace pcifonncd actions that entitle him to eternal renown,
in executing this fchcmc. Being, h.owovcr, no more than a
priv.te ;:%MUlcrnan, and his popul/rity daily increafing, the
Scotch nobil'iy, among whom was Robert Bruce, the fon of
th:- firft comp .titor, bei/an to fufpeft that he had an eye upon
the c.ov/n, cfp.'cialiv afir he had defeated the earl of Surry,
Edward's viceroy of S(:'tl.;nd, in the batil;.- of Stirling, and
|j»ad rcdugcd the garhfcns uf Berwick and Roxburgh, and was

d<?claj:e4

'*iA<

Ilkbel, be-
ie laws of
in Europe
uit. Both
but after a
ility agreed
the moft
tlie office
vn of Scot-
dependency
difpofed to
it to him J
ave, with-

s to annex
fcated, the
ivere indeed
Eird andBa-.
e obliged to
Kfs and his
the crown
iJtaincd him
, whom he
;ar London,
r fubjedion
;rtroyed, all
of their in-
lical Itone,.

e Scots fen-

thcir free-

be fubducd,

hem on the

ejecting an

place, be-

trcatcd this

'c William

le Englifli.

lal renown,

rtore than a

;afin.^, the

the ion of

n eye iiport

I of Surry,

irling, and

h, and was

d<?clarec|

SCOTLAND. 217

declared by the ftates of Scotland their protedor. Their jea-
loufy operated fo far, that they formed violent cabals againft
the brave Wallace. Edward, upon this, once more invaded
Scotland, at the head of the moft numerous and beft difciplined
army England had ever feen, for it confifted of 80,000 foot,
3000 horl'cmen completely armed, and 4000 light armgd j and
was attended by a fleet to fupply it with provifions. Thefc,
befides the troops who joined him in Scotland, formeu an ir-
refiftible body ; fo that Edward was obliged to divide it, re-
ferving the command of 40,000 of his belt troops to himfelf.
With thefe he attacked the Scotch army under Wallace at
Falkirk, while their difputes ran fo high, that the brave regent
was defer ted by Gumming, the molt powerful nobleman in
Scotland, and at the head of the beft divifion of his country-
men. Wallace, whofe troops did not exceed 30,000, being
thus betrayed, was defeated with vaft lofs, but made an orderly
retreat ; during which he found means to have a conference
with Bruce, and to convince him of his error in joining with
Edv/ard. Wallace flill continued in arms, and performed
many gallant adions againft the Englifli ; but was betrayed
into the hands of Edward, who moft ungeneroufly put him to
death at London as a traitor ; but he died himfelf, as he, was
preparing to renew his invafion of Scotland with a flill more
defoladng Tpirit of ambition, after having deftroyed, according
to the beft hiftorians, 100,000 of her inhabitants.

Bruce died foon after the battle of Falkirk j but not before
he had infpired his fon, who was a prifoner at large about the
Englifli court, with the glorious refolution of vindicating his
own rights, and his country's independency. He efcaped from
London, and with his own hand killed Gumming, for his at-
tachment to Edwaid ; and after colleiting a i'cw patriots,
among whom were his own four brothers, he afilimed the
crown ; but was defeated by the Englifli (who had a great
army in Scotland) at the battle atMethven. After this defeat^
he fled, with one or two friends, to the Wefteri^ Ifles, and
parts of Scotland, where his fatigues and fuftcrings were as in-
expreflible, as the courage with which he and his few friends
(the lord Douglas cfpccially) bore them v/as incredible. Tho'
his wife and daughter were fentpri (oners to England, where the
heft of his friends, and two of his brothers, were put to death,
yet, fuchwashis pcrfevering fpirit, that he recovered all Scot-
land, excepting the caftle of Sterling, and improved every ad-
vantage that was gi\cn him by the diflipated condudt of Ed-
ward IL who raifcd an army more numerous and better
appointed ftill than that of his fiither, to make a toval conquefl:
pf Scotland, It is faid thAl it coijfiiled of 300,000, but this

mult

2lS

SCOTLAND;

fl!

muft be underftood as including the foreigners attending thd
camp, which in thofe days were very numerous ; but it is ad-
tnittcd on all hands, that it did not confift of fo few as 100,000
fighting men, while that of Bruce did not exceed 30,000 ;
but all of them heroes who had been bred up in adcteftation of
tyranny. '-f

Edward, who was not deficient in point of courage, led this
mighty hoft towards Sterling, then befieged by Bruce ; who
Jiad chofen, with the greateft judgment, a camp near Ban-
nock-burn. Tile chief officers under Edward were, the earls
of Glouceftcr, Hereford, Pembroke, and Sir Giles Argenton,
Thofe under Bruce were, his own brother Sir Edward, who,
next to himfelf, was reckoned to be the beft knight in Scot-
land ; his nephew, Randolf, carl of Murray, iuid the young
lord Walter, high-ftev/ard of Scotland. Edward's attack of
the Scotch army was furious beyond diipute, and required all
the courage and firmnefs of Bruce and his friends to refill it,
which they did fo effeiSlually, that they gained one of the moft
complete vitStories that is recorded in hiftory. The great lofs
of the Englifh fell upon the braveft part of their troops, who
were led on by Edward in perfon a;:;ainfl: Bruce himfelf. The
Scotch writers make the lofs oi' the Englifti to amount to
50,000 men. Be that as it will, there certainly never was a
more total <iefeat, though the conquerors loft 4000. The
flower ol the Englifli nobility were either killed or taken pri-
foners. Their camp, which was immcnfely rich, and cal-
culated for the purpofe rather of a triumph than a campaign,
fell into the hands of the Scots : and Edward himfelf, with a
few followers, favoured by the goodnefs of their horfes, were
purfued by Douglas to the gates of Berwick, from whence he
efcaped in a fifhing-boat. This great and dccifive battle hap-
pened in the year 13 14 *.

The r. mainder of Robert's reign was a feries of the moft
glorious fuccefl'es ; and fowell did his nobility underftand the
principles of civil liberty, and fo unfettered they were by reli-
gious confiderations, that in a letter they fent to the pope,
they acknowledged that they had fet afide Baliol, for debafing
the crown by holding it of England i and that they would do

the

• That the Scots of rhofe days were better acquainte<i with Mar? than the Mnfe',
i»3v he I'een from a fcolBng ballad, made on this memor.>blc vidtory, which begin*
'4s follows.

Maydcns of England fire may ye mourn,

For /our Icmmons (Uymtns) znu have loft at Bannockbtun.

With hcvc a low ! •

What ho ! ween'd the king of England,
5o fooRto kave wok all Scoilaad.

With a rumby low !

Scotland. 419,

tfie fame by Robert if he fhould make the like attempt. Ro-
bert having thus delivered Scotland, fent his brother Edward
to Ireland, at the head of an army, with which he conquered
the greateft part of that kingdom, and was proclaimed its king j
but by expofmg himftlf too much, he was killed. Robert^
before his dtath, which happened in 1328, made an advan-
tageous peace with England ; and when he died, he was
acknowledged to be indifputably the greateft hero of his age.

7'hc glory of the Scots may be faid to have been in its ze-
nith under Robert I. who was fucceeded by his fon, David II-
He was a virtuous prince, but his abilities, both in war and
peace, were eclipfcd by his brother-in-law, and enemy, Ed-
ward III. of England, whofe filler he married. Edward,
who was as keen as any of his piedcceflbrs upon the conqueft
of Scotland, efpoufcd the caufe of Bah'ol, fon to Baliol, the
original competitor. His progrefs was at firft amazingly
rapid ; and he and Edward defeated the royal party in many
bloody battles ; but Baliol was at laft driven out of hia
ufurped kingdom by the Scotch patriots. David had the mif-
fortunc to be taken prifoner. by the Englifli at the battle of
Durham ; and after continuing above eleven years in cap-
tivity, he paid 100,000 marks for his ranfomj and died in
peace, without ifiue, in the year 137 1. . . :

The crown of Scotland then devolved upon the family of
Stuart, by its head having been married to the daughter of
Robert I. The firft king of that name was Robert II. a wife
and brave prince. He was fucceeded by his fon, Robert HI.
whofe age and infirmities difqualified him from reigning ; fo
that he was forced to truft the government to his worthlef»
relations. Robert, upon this, attempted to fend his fecond
fon to France, but he was moft ungeneroufly intercepted by
Henry IV. of England; and after fuffering a long captivity,
he was obliged to pay an exorbitant ranfom. During the im-
prifonment of James in England, the military glory of the
Scots was carried to its greateft height in France, where they
fupported that tottering monarchy againft England, and their
generals obtained fome of the firft titles of the kingdom.

James, the firft of that name, upon his return to Scotland,
difcovered great talents for government, enafted many wife
Jaws, and was beloved by the people. He had received an ex-
cellent education in England during the reigns of Henry IV.
and V. where he faw the feudal fyftem refined from many of
the imperfedlions which ftill adhered to it, in his own king-
dom ; he determined therefore to abridge the overgrown
power of the nobles, and to recover fuch lands as had been
imjuftly wreiled from the crown during liis minority and the

pre-

i'lf

fc20 S C O T L A N D.

preceding reigns j but the execution of thefe defigns coft lilni
his life, being murthcred in his btd by feme of the chief nobi-
lity, in 1437, ^^^^ '^" 44^^ y^^'" of his age.

A long minority fuccccdtd ; but James il, would proba-
bly have equalled the greaull of his anccftors both in warlike
and civil virtues, had he not been fuducnly killed by the acci-
dental burftiiig of a caniioji, in the tl\irticth year of his age,
as he was bcficging the caftle of Roxburgh, which was de-
fended by the Englilh.

Sufpicion, indolence, immoderate attachment to favourites,
and many of the errors of a feeble mind, are vifiblc in the
conduct of James III. and his turbulent reign was cloftd
by a rebellion of his fubji.ch, being ilrui in battle in 1488,
aged thirty-live.

His foil, James IV. was the mod accompliflied prince of
the age : he was naturally gcnerou:j and biuvej he loved mag-
niiieence, he delighted in war, and was eager to obtain fame.
He encouraged and protected the commerce of his fubje6ts, fo
that they rivalled the Englilh in riches ; and the court of
James, at the time of his irinrriagc with Henry V'll's daughter,
was fplendid and refpcctable. Even this alliance could not
cure him of his family diilempcr, a predilection for the French,
in v.hofe caufe he rafhiy entered, and was killed, with the
fiower of his nobility, by the EngliHi, in the battle of Flod-
den, anno 1513, and the fortieth year of his age.

The minority of his fon, James V. was long and turbu-
lent : and when he grew up, he married two French ladies ;
the firft being daughter to the king of France, and the latter
of the houfe of Guiife. He inftituted the court of feffion,
cnadled many falutary laws, and greatly promoted the trade of
Scotland, particularly the working of the mines. At this
time the ballance of power was fo equally poifed between the
contending princes of Europe, that James's friendlhip was
courted by the pope, the emperor, the king of France, and
his uncle Henry VIII. of England, from all whom he received
magnificent prefents. But James took no fhare in foreign af-
fairs J he feemed rather to imitate his predecefTors in their at-
tempts to humble the nobility; and the doctrines of the refor-
mation beginning to be propagated in Scotland, he gave way,
at the inftigation of the clergy, to a religious perfecution, tho'
it is generally believed that, had he lived, he would have feized
lall the church revenues in imitation of Henry j but he died in
the thirty-firft year of his age, anno 1542, of grief, for an
affront which his arms had fuftained iii an ill-judged expedi-
tion againft the Englifli.

His daughter and fucceflbr, Mary, was but a few hours
cjd at the time of her father's death. Her beauty, and

her

SCOTLAND. 221

her misfortunes, are alike famous in hiftory. It is fu/ficicnt
here to fay, thot during her minority, and while flie was wife
to Francis II. of France, the reformation advanced in Scot-
land : that being called to the throne of her anceftors while a
widow, flie married her own coufin-gcrmaii, the lord Darn-
ley, whofe untimely death has given rife to much controvcrfy,
and the refult of which is highly in favour of her memory.
The confcquence of her hufband's death was a rebellion, by
which fhe was driven into England, where fhe was bafely
detained a prifoncr for eighteen years, and afterwards be-
headed by order of queen Elizabeth in 1586-7, and the forty-
lixth year of her age.

Mary's fon, James VI. of Scotland, fucceeded in right of
his blood from Henry VII. upon the death of queen Eliza-
beth, to the Englilh crown, after fliewing great abilities in
the government of Scotland. This union of the two crowns,
in fadl, deftroycd the independency, as it impoveriflicd the
people of Scotland ; for the feat of government being removed
to England, their trade was checked, their agriculture ne^-
leded, and their gentry obliged ♦^o fcek for bread in other
countries. James, after a fplendid, but troublcfome reign
over his three kingdoms, left them, in 1625, to his fon, the
unfortunate Charles I. It is well knovv^n, that the defpotic
principles of that prince received the firft check from the Scots ;
and that, had it not been for them, he would eafily have fub-
dued his Englifli rebels, who implored the aHiftance of the
Scots ; but afterwards, againlt all the ties of honour and hu-
manity, brought him to the block in 1648.

The Scots faw their error when it was too late ; and made
feveral bloody, but unfortunate attempts, to fave the father,
and to reftore his fon, Charles 11. That prince was finally
defeated by Cromwell, at the battle of Worcefter ; after
which, to the time of his reftoration, the ufurper gave law
to Scotland. I have, in another place, touched upon the
moft material parts of Charles's reign, and that of his de-
luded brother, James VII. of Scotland, and II. of England,
as well as of king William, who was fo far from being a friend
to Scotland, that, relying on his royal word to her parlia-
ment, flie was brought to the brink of ruin.

The ftate of parties in England, at the accefilon of queen
Anne, was fuch, that the Whigs, once more, had recourfe
to the Scots, and offered them their own terms, if they would
agree to the incorporate Union as it now ftands. It was long
before the majority of the Scotch parliament would liitcn to
the propofal ; but at lafl, partly from convidion, and partly
through the force of money diflributed among the needy nobi-
lity, it was agreed toj fince which event, the hiHorygf Scot-
land becomes the fame with that of England,

. [ 222 )

ENGLAND.

Extent and situation.

MIlcs.
Length 360 1
Breadth 300 3

between

C 50 and 56 north latitude.

I 2 eaft and 6-20 weft longitude.

Climate and 7 '"T^ HE longeft day. in the northern
BOUNDARIES. 3 X parts, contains 17 hours 30 mi-
nutes; and the fliorteft, in tiic I'oiithern, near 8 hours. It is
bounded on the north, by that part of the ifland c;illcd Scot-
land ; on the caft, by the German Ocean ; on the weft, by
St. George's Channel ; and on the fouth, by the Englim
Channel, wiiich parts it from P' ranee.

This htuation, by the fea waftiing it on three fides, ren-
ders England liable to a great uncertainty of weather, fo that
the inhabitants on the fea coafts are often vifited by agues and
fevers. On the other hand, it prevents the extremes of heat
and cold, to which other places, lying in the fame degrees of
latitude, are fubjeil ; and it is, on that account, friendly to
the longevity of the inhabitants in general, efpecially thofe
who live on a dry foil. To this fituation likewife we are to
afcribe that perpetual verdure for v/hich England is admired
and envied all over the world, occafioned by the refreftiing
(bowers and the warm vapours of the fea.

Name and divisions, 7 Antiquaries are divided with
ancient and modern. 3 regard to the etymology of the
word England \ fome derive it from a Celtic word, lignifying
a level country ; but I prefer the common etymology, of its being
derived, as 1 have already mentioned, from Angkn, a province
now fubje<5t to his Danifli majefty, which turnifticd a great
part of the original Saxon adventurers into this iiland. In the
time of the Romans, the whole ifland went by the name of
Britannia. The word Biit^ according to Mr. Camden, fig-
nified painted or ftained ; the antient inhabitants b ing fa-
mous for painting their bodies : other antiquaries, however,
do not agree in this etymology. The weftcrn trail of Eng-
land, which is almoft feparated from the reft by the rivers
Severn and Dee, is called Wales, or the land of ftrangers,
becaufe inhabited by the Belgic Gauls, who were driven thi-
ther by the Remans, and were ftrangers to the old natives.

When the Romans provinciated England (for they never
4lid Scotland) they divided it into,

I. Britannia Prima, which contained the fouthern parts of
the kingdom.
'4 %. Bri-

ENGLAND. 2^

2. Britannia Sccunda, containing the weftern parts, com-
prehending Wales ; and,

3. Maxima Ciefaricnfis, which reached from the Trent as
far northward as the wall of Scverus, between Newcaftl*
and Carlifle, and rometimes as far as that of Adrian in
Scotland, bctv/een the Forth and Clyde.

To thefe divifions fome add, the Flavia Csefarienfis, which
they fuppofc to contain the midland counties.

When the Saxon invafion took place, about the year 450, and
when they were eftablifhcd in the year 582, their chief leaders
appropriated to themfelves, after the manner of the other
northern conquerors, the countries which each had been th«
moft inftrumental in conquering ; and the whole formed a
heptarchy, or political republic, confifting of feven kingdoms;
but in time of war, a chief was chofen out of the feven kings;
for which reafon I call it a political republic, its conftitution
greatly refembling that of ancient Greece.

Kingdoms erefted by

Kingdoms.
I. Kent, founded by f
Hengift in 475, and-^

the Saxon", ufually
Heptarchy.

Counties.

filled the Saxoa

Kent

ij Sii
1 1 Su

fTex
urry

ended in 823.

2. South Saxons,
founded by Ella in ^
491, and ended in
600.

3. Eaft- Angles, f Norfolk
founded by Ufta inj Suffolk —
575, and ended in) Cambridge —
■^^^. LWiththelfleofEly

P Cornwall —

Chief Towni.

< Canterbury

HChichcfter
Southwark.

"1 r Norwich
/ 1 BurySt.Edmond»
11 Cambridge

. Weft-Saxons,
founded by Cerdic
in 512, and ended
in ic6o.

Northumberland,
founded by Ida, in
574, and ended in
792.

Devon

Dorfet

Sumcrfet

Wilts

Hants

Berks

Lancafter

rYork

I Durham
'. /--> ? 1

- 1

Cumberland —
J Wellmoreland —
> Northumberland,
\ and Scotland to
I the Firth of
l^ Edinburgh —

_ Ely.

rLaunceftoa

j Exeter

I Dorcheilcr
y^ Bath
Salilbury
Winchefter

^Abingdon.
Lancafter.

pYork
Durham
Carlifle
Appleby
Newcallle^

J I

E N

Kingdoms.
6. Eaft-Saxons,
founded by Erclie
win in 527, and
ended in 746

!5.,>.?

{

G L A

Counties.

N n.

,U:

Chief Towns.

EflTtx ~

Middlefcv, and part W London
of Hertford J I .

rGlouceder

y. Mercia, founded by
Cridda in 582, and-<
ended in 874.

tr-

Glouceflcr — —

Hereford —

Worccfl:er

Wr.rwicic • ■■ ■■ •

Leiceller ■

Rutland

Northampton

Lincoln •

Huntingdon - " ■

Bedford

Buckingham —-

Oxford

StatTord ■

Derby ■

Salop

Nottingham

Chcficr

And the other part of

^Hertford .

Hereford

Worccfler

Warwick

Leicefter

Oakham

Northampton

Lincoln p"

Huntingdon

lfor(r

Aylefbury

O.vford

Stafford

Derby

Shrewfbury

Nottingham

Chellcr

Hertford. .

1 have been the more follicitous to prcfervc thofe divifions,
as they account for different local cuilcms, and many very
eflential modes of inheritance, which, to this day, prevail in
England, and which took their rife from different inltitutions
linder the Saxons. Since the Norman conqucft, England has
been divided into counties, a certain number of which, except-
ing Middlefex and Chcfliue, are comprehended in fix circuits,
or annual progrcfles of the judges for adminiftering jufticc to
the fubjefts who aro at a diftancc from the capital. Thefe
circuits are ;

Ciicuits.

Counties.
rEffex "^

I. Home
Circuit.

Chief Towns. '
"Chelmsford, Colcheltcr, Harwich,
Maiden, Saffron-Walden, Bock-
inp;, Braintreti and Stratford.
Hertford Hertford, St. Alban':-, Royflon,Ware,

Hitchin, Baldock, Bifliops-Stort-
ford, Berkhamlled, Hemfted, and
}"{ Barnet.
Kent — Maidltone, Canterbury, Chatham,

Rochelter, Greenwich, Woolwich,
Dover, Deal, Deptford, Fever-
fham, Dartford, Romney, Sand-
wich, Sheernefs, Tunbridse, Mar-
gate, Gravefend, and Milton.

fi N (i L A 1^ b.

i25

1, Home

Circuit

continued.

;%'A: i ,' 1

SufTex —

'Bucks —

Bedford —
Huntingdon

>■

Norf(.lk

Circuit.

«*^

Cambridge

SufFolk ■—

Circuits. Counties. Chief Towns.

Surry — | | Southwark, Kingfton, Guildford,
Croydon, Eplom, Richmond,
Wanfworth, B.itterfea, Putney,
F.irnham, Godalmin, Baglhot,
^ i Egham, and Dafking.
' ' Chichclkr, Lcwcs, Rye, Ead-Orin-
ftcad, Hallings, Horfliam, Mid-
hurt^, Shoreham, Arundel, Wlu-
chclffa, I'attel, Briglithclmftone,
and Pttvvorth.

'Aylefbury, Buckingham, High-
Wickham, Crt-Mt-Marlow, wtony
Stratford, and Kewport-Pagnel.

Bedford, Ampthill, Vv'ooburn, Dun-
flable, Luton, and Bipglefwade.

Huntingdon, St. Ives, Kinibolton,
Godmancheftcr, St. ]Neot's, Ram-
fcy, and Yaxley. < - « r

Cambridge, Ely, Newmarkcti Rby-
Ij lion, and VVilbich.

Bury, Ipfwichi Sudbury, LcoftofF,
part of Ncv/market, Aldborough,
Bun{;av, Soiuliwold, Brandon,
Halefvvv^rth, Miklcnhall, Beccles,
FiauijJIngiiara, Stow- market,
W oodbiidgc, Lavenham, Hadley,
Long-Mel'ord, Straiford, and
Eafterbergholt.

Norwich, Thetford, Lynn, and Yar-
mouth.

pOxford, Banbury, Chippingnortoni
Henley, Burford, Whitney, Bbtv,
chefter, Woodftock, and Tame. "
Berks -^ Abingdon, Windfor, Reading, Wal-

lingford, Newbury, Hungerford,
l . - k Maidenhead, Farrington, Wan-

tage, and Oakingham.
Glouceftcr Gloucefte; j Tewklbury, Cirencefterj

part of Briilol, Campden, Stow;
Berkley, Durfley, Leechdale, Tet-
hury, Sudbury, Wotton, and
Marfhfield.
Worcefter Worcefter, Evclham, Droitwich,

Bewdley, Stourbridge, Kiddermin-
iter, and Perlliore.
Monmouth I Monmoath, Chcpftcw, Aljergaven-

j ny,' Cacrleon, and Newport.
Hereford I Hereford, Lemiler, Weobley, Led-

I bury, Kyneton, and Rofs.
Vou. L :\: - p

Norfolk

"J L

-Oxon — "I

Oxford
Circuit.

' il

♦ .It

IM^.

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ft 1

pi^

iw i

K I

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li:',.

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ill

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ill

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liM'

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llNffi''-

226
Cireulti.

3. Oxford

Ciauit
continued.

ENGLAND;

4. Midland
Circuit.

Counties.
Salop —

Stafford —
'War\vick

Leiceiler

Derby —
Nottingham

Lincoln

Rutland —
Northampt.

r Hants — 1

5. Weftem
Circuit.

Wilts —

Dorfet —

Somerfct —

ChicfTowns.

Shrewfbary, Ludlow, Bridgnortll^
Wcnlock, Bifhop's-calllc, Witl
church, Ofwcllry, Wcm, and
^ J Newport.
j Stafford, Litchfield, NcwcaftU under

J J Line, Woolverhanipton, Rugelty,
V. Burton, Utoxcter, and Stone.
'Warwick, Coventry, Birmingham,
Stratford upon Avon, Tamworth,
Aulccftcr, Nuneaton, and Athcr-
ton.

Lcicefter, Mclton-Mowbray, Afhby
de la Zouch, Bofworth, and Har-
borough.

Derby, Chefterfield, Workfworth,
Bakcwel, and Balfover.

Nottingham, Southwell, Newark,
Eaft and Weft Redford, Manf-
field, Tuxford, Workfop, and
Blithe.

Lincoln, Stamford, Bofton, Gran-
tham, Croyland, Spalding, New
Sleaford, Great Grimlby, Gainf-
borough, Louth, and Horncaftle.

Oakham and Uppingham.

Northampton, Peterborough, Da-
ventry, Higham- Ferrers, Brack-
j Icy, Oundle, Wellingborough,
I Thorpfton, Towcefter, Rocking-
L ham, Kettering, and Rothwell.
'Winchefler, Southampton, Portf-
mouth, Andover^ Bafmgftokc,
ChriftchurchjPetersfield, Lyming-
ton, Ringwood, Rumfey, Aries-
ford ; and Newport, Yarmouth,
and Cowes, in the Ifle of Wight.

Salilbury, Devizes, Marlborough,
Malmfbury, Wilton, Chippenham,
Calne, Cricklade, Trowbridge,
Bradford, and Warminftcr.
^ J Dorchefter, Lyme, Sherborn, Sbafts-
■ ' bury. Pool, Blandford, Bridport,
Weymouth, Mclcombe,. Warehara,
and Winburn.

Bath, Wells, Briftol in part, Taun-
ton, Bridgwater, Ilchefter, Mine-
head, Milbourn-Port, Glaften-
bury, Wellington, Dulverton,
Dunfter, Watchet, Yeovil, So-
merton, Axbridge, Chard, Bruton,
Shepton-Mallet, CrofcQjmb, and
Froone.

Circuits.

E N

Counties.
Devon —

G L A ^f d; 227

Chief Towns.
I I Exeter, Plymouth, Barnrtnple, BiJ-

f. Weftcrn I
Circuit ^
continued.

I I

deford, Tiverton, Dartmouth,
Tavi flock, 'I'opfham, Okehamp-
ton, Afhhurton, Credccon, Moul-
ton, Torrington, Totnefs Axmin-
ilcr, Plympton, Honiton, and
llfracomb.
Cornwall — Launccfton, Falmouth, Trufo, Sal-
talh, Bodmyn, St. Ivps, Padftow,
Tregony, i'owey, Pcnryn, KcU
lingion, LeflcardjLeftwithicl, Hel-
fton, Penzance, and Redruth.
pYork — "I fYork, Uedi, Wakefield, Halifax,

Rippon, Pontcfrad, Hull, Rich-
mond, Scarborough, Borough-
bridge, Malton, Sheffield, Don-
cafter, Whitby, Beverly, North-
allerton, Burlington, Knarefljo-
rough, Barnelley, Sherborn, Brad-
ford, Tadcafter, Skipton, Wether-
by, Ripley, Heydon, Howden,
Thirfke, Gifborough, Pickering,
and Varum.
Durham — Durham, Stockton, Sunderland,

Stanhope, Barnard-CalUe, Dar-
l J lington, Hartlepool, and Awk-
^^ land.
Northumb. Newcaftlc,Tinmouth,North-Shield',

Morpeth, Alnwick, and Hexham,
Lancafter Lancaller, Manchefter, Prellon, Li-

verpoole, Wiggan, Warrington,
Rochdale, Bury, Ormlkirk,
Hawkihead, and Newton.
Wellmorel. Appleby, Kendal, Lonfdale, Kirk-

I « by-Stephcn, Orton, Amblefide,
Burton, and Milthorpe.
Cumberland Carlifle, Penrith, Cockermouth,
Whitehaven, Ravenglafs, Egre-
mont, Kefwick, Workington, and
Jerby.

Middlefex is not comprehended ; and Chefhire is left out of thefc
circuits, becaufe, being a county palatine, it enjoys municipal laws
and privileges. The iame may be faid of Wales, which is divided
into four circuits.

(. Northern .
Circuit. "*

fMiddlcfex ^

Counties cx

dufiveofihe-^

Circuits.

[

Chefter —

London, firft meridian, N. Lat.
51-30. Weftminfter, Uxbridge,
Brentford, Chelfea, Highgate,
Hampftead, Kenfington, Hack-
ney, and Hampton-Court.

Chefter, Nantwich, Macclesfield,
Malpas, Northwich, Middlewich,
Sandbach, Congleton, Knotsford,

. Frodjiham, and Haul ton,

•lii

228

EN G LAN D.

Circuits of WAj.ES.

.4-

r Flint — 1 r Flint, St. Al.ii
North-Eaft ) Denbigh — M Denbigh, Wit-
Circuit. I IVIontgomery f"! IVIo'.itgomery, ]
L J L pool-

Flint, St. Al.iph, and Holywell,
•exham, and Ruthen.
Llanvylin, and Welch-

Anglcfey
Caernarvon

Merioneth

Rndnor —
Brecon —
Glamorgan

p Pembroke
I

South-Weft ; Cardigan

North-Weil
Circuit.

South-Eart
Circuit.

Circuit.

I
I

Ca.rniarih.

Beaumaris, Holyhead, and New-
burgh.

Bangor, Conwav, Caernarvon, and
Pullilly.

Delgclly, Ijala, and Harlegh.

R'.idnor, Preikan, and Knighton.
Drccknock, Built, and Hay.
LlandafF, CardifF, Covvbridge,
Neath, and Swanfey.

pSt. David's, Haverfordweft, Pem-
I bro' ^, Tenby, Filcard, and Mil-
I fcrdhavcn.
I 1 Cn.digan, Abcriftwith, and Llan-
' > bad;irn-va\vr.

Caermarthcn, Kidwelly, Lanimdo-
vory, Llandilovawr, Langharn,
w and Lanelthy.

In ENGLAND.

40 Counties, which fend up to parliament — 80 knights.

25 Cities (Ely none, London four) — >— 50 citizens.

167 Boroughs, two each — — — 334 burgefles.

5 Boroughs, (/\bingdon, Banbury, B''wd- "7

ley, Highham-Ferrars, and Min- > 5 burgefles.

mouth) one each 3

2 Univerfities 4 reprefcntatives.

/ 8 Cinque ports, (Haftings, Dover, S;.ndwich, "J

Rom nev, Hvthe, and their tliree depcn- I ^ ,

- ' - - - '^ *-iO barons.

dents, Pwye, Winchelfea, and Seaford) i
two each . J

WALES.

Counties

i 2 Boroughs (Pembroke two, Merioneth none)

one each

SCOTLAND.

3 Shires

Ciiics and Boroughs

12 knights.
^ 12 burgcflfes.

30 knights.
15 burgefTcs.

► ^I, M -

Total 558

Soil,

ENGLAND. 229

All?, SEASONS, 7 The foil of England and Wales
AND WATER. .( differ in each county, not fo much

from the nature of the ground, though that muft be admitted
to occafion a very confidcrable alteration, ns from the progrefs
which the inhabitants of each county has made in the cultiva-
tion of land and garden, the draining of marfhes, and many
other local improvements, which are here carried to a mucrr
areatcr degree of perfcilion than they are perhaps in any other
part of the w^orld, if we except China. To enter upon par-
ticular fpccimcns and proofs of thefe improvements, would re-
quire a large volume of itfclf. All that can be faid therefore
is in general, tliat if no unkindly feafons happen, England
produces corn not only fufficient to maintain her own inhabi-
tants, but to bring imnicnfe fums of ready money for her ex-
ports. The benefit, however, from thofe exports have fome-
times tempted the inhabitants to carry out of the kingdom more
grain ihran could be conveniently fpared, and have liid the poor
under diftrefy. ; for which roafon exportations have been fome--
times checked by government. No nation in the world ex-
ceeds England in the producUonsof the garden, which havecome
to fuch perfection, that the rareft of foreign fruits have been
cultivated there, and that with fuccefs. If any farther proof
of this fhould be required, let it be remembered, that Lojidon,
and its neighbourhood, though peopled by about i,ooo,ooQ
inhabitants, is plentifully fupplied with all kinds of roots,
fruits, and kitchen-ftufF from grounds within 12 miles dif-
lance.

The foil of England feems to be particularly adapted for
rearing timber, and the plantations of trees round the houfes
of noblemen and gentlemen, and even of peafants, are de- a
li^htful and aftoniihin"; at the fame time. Some have ob-
ferved a decay of that oak timber which anciently formed the
vaft fleets that England put to fea ; but as no public com-
plaints of that kind have been heard, it maybe fuppofcd that
great ftorcs are Hill in refcrve; unlefs it may be thought that
our Ihip-yards are partly fupplied from America or the Baltic.

As to air, I can add but little to what I have already faid
concerning the climate. In many places it is certainly loaded '
with vapours w;ift:ed from the Atlantic Ocean by wefterljr
winds, but they are ventilated by winds and florms, fo that
in this reipcdt England is to foreigners, and people of deli-
cate conftitutions, more difagreeable than unfalubrious. It
cannot, however, be denied, that in England the weather is
i{) cxceifively capricious, and unfavourable to certain conftitu-
tions, that many of the inhabitants are obliged to fly to foreign
countries, for a renovation of their health. Many, efpecially

P 3 foreigners.

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k'''I

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^H-'ll

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lHW* M

■w^ 1

230 ENGLAND:

foreigners, have attributed that remarkable fclf-diflatlsfacklon
of the Englilh, which too often proceeds to ads of fuicide,
to their air and climate ; but however thefe may operate, the
evil probably lies in the people's manner of living, which '\\
more giofs and luxurious, than that of any other nation.

After what we have obferved in the Englilh air, the reader
may form fome idea of its feafons, which are fo uncertain,
that they admit of no defcription. Spring, fummer, autumn,
and winter, fucceed each other, but in what month their dif-
ferent appearances take place, is very undetermined. The
fpring begins fometimej in February, and fometimes in April.
In May the face of the country is as often covered with hoary
froft as with bloflbms. The beginning of June is often as
cold as the rriiddle of December, yet fometimes the thermo-
meter rifcs in that month as high as it does in Italy. Even
Augufl has its viciflitudes of heat and cold, and upon an ave-
rage September, and next to it 06lober, bid very fair to be
the two moft agreeable months in the year. The native?
fometimes experience all the four feafons within the compaf
of one day, cold, temperate, hot, and mild weather. After
faying thus much, it would be in vain to attempt any farther
defcription of the Englifh feafons. Their inconftancy, how-
ever, are not attended with the efFe<fils that may be naturally
apprehended. A fortnight, very fcldom three weeks, gene-
rally make up the difltcrence with regard to the maturity of
the fruits of the earth : and it is generally obferved, that the
inhabitants feldom fuffer bv a hot lummer. Even the greateft
irregularity, and the moll unfavourable appearances of the
feafons, is not, as in other countries, attended with famine,
and very feldom with fcarcity. Perhaps this, in a. great mea-
* jfurc, may be owing to the vaft improvements of agriculture,
for when fcarcity itfelf has been complained of, it generally,
if not always, proceeded from the cxceflive exportations of
grain, on account of the drawback, and the profit of the re-
turns.

In fpeaking of water, I do not intend to include rivers,
brooks, or lakes j I mean waters for the common convenicncies
of life, and thofe that have mineral qualities. The champaiu
parts of England are generally fupplitd with excellent fprings
and fountains, though a difccrning palate may perceive, that
they commonly cont in fome mineral in pregnation. In many
high lying parts of the country, the inhabitants are greatly
diftrelt for water, and fupply thcrnfelvcs by trenches, or dig-
ging deep wells. The conftitutions of the Englifh, and the
various difeafes to which they are liable, have rendered them
extremely incjuifitivc after faluLiious waters, for the recovery and

prcfervation

ENGLAND. i3i

prcfervation of their health, fo that England contains as many
mineral wells, of known efficacy, as perhaps any country in the
world. The moft celebrated are the hot baths of Bath and
Briftol, in Somerfetfliire, and of Buxton, in Derbyfhijre ; the
niineral waters of Tunbridge, Epfom, Dulwich, A£ton, Har-
row^ate, and Scarborough. Sea Water is iifed as commonly a»
any "other for medicinal purpofes, and fo delicate are the tones
of the Englilh fibres, that the patients can perceive both in
drinking and bathing, a difference between the fea-water of
one coaft, and that of another.

Face of the country 7 The induftry of the EngTiffa
AND MOUNTAINS. J is, and has been fuch as to fup-
ilythe abfence of thofe favours which nature has fo lavi/hly
cftowed upon fome foreign climates, attd in many refpe^ls
even to exceed them. No nation in the world can equal the
cultivated parts of England in beautiful fcenes. The variety
of high-lands and low-lands, the former gently fwelling» and
both of them forming profpefts equal to the moft luxuriant
imagination, the corn and meadow ground, the intermixtures
of enclofures and plantations, the noble feats, comfortable
houfes, chearful villages, and well-ftocked farms, often rifing
in the neighbourhood of populous towns and cities, deco-
rated with the moft vivid colours of nature, are inexpreffible.
The moft barren fpots are not without their verdure, but no-
thing can give us a higher idea of the Englifh induftry, than
by obferving that fome of the moft beautiful counties in the
kingdom, are naturally the moft barren, but rendered fruitful
by labour. Upon the whole, it may be fafely affirmed, that
no country in Europe equals England in the beauty of its
profpe6ts, or the opulence of its inhabitants.

Though England is full of delightful rifing grounds, and
the moft enchanting flopes, yet it contains few mountains.
The moft noted are the Peak in Derbyftjire, the Endle in
Lancaftiire, the Wolds in Yorkftiire, the Cheviot-hills on the
borders of Scotland, the Chiltcrn in Bucks, Malvern in Wor-
cefterfliire, Cotfwold in Gloucefterfliire, the Wrekin in Shrop-
fhire ; with thofe of Plinlimmon and Snowden in Wales. In
general, however, Wales, and the northern parts, may be
termed mountainous.

Rivers and lakes.] The rivers in England add greatly
to its beauty, as well as its opulence ; the Thames, the no-
bleft perhaps in the world, rifes on the confluence of Gloucef-
terfliire, and after receiving the many tributary ftreams of other
rivers, it pafles to Oxford, then by Wallingford, Reading,
Marlow, and Windfor. From thence to Kingfton, where
formerly it met the tide, which, fmcc the building of Weft--^

P 4 . • minftoc

?32

ENGLAND.

li i

'!» ( 1 '

minfter bridge, is faid to flow no higher than Richmond ; from
whence it flows to London, and after dividing the counties of
Kent and Eficx, it widens in its progrcfs, till it falls into the
f^a at the Nore, from whence it is navigable for large Ihips to
London bridge j but for a more particular dcfcription the
reader mufl: confult the map. It was formerly a matter of re-
proach to England, among foreigners, that i'o capital a river
ihould have C) few bridges j thofc of London and Kingfton
(which is of wood) being the only two it had from the Nore,
to the laft mentioned place, for many ages* This inconve-
liicncy was in fome meafure owing to the dearnefs of mate-
rials for building flone bridges j but perhaps more to the
fondnefs which the Englifh, in former days, had for water
carriage, and the encouragement of navigation. The vaft
increafc of riches, commerce, and inland trade, are now mul-.
tiplying bridges, and fome think the world cannot parallel for
commodioufnefs, architecture, and workmanfhip, thofe lately
ereftdd at Weflminfler, and Black Friars. Putney, Kcw, and
Hampton-court, have now bridges likewife over the Thames,
and others are projecting by public fpirited proprietors of the
grounds on both fides.

The river Medway, which rifes near Tunbridgc, falls into
the mouth of the Thames at Shecrnefs, and is navigable for
the largeft fliips as far as Chatham, where the men of war are
laid up. The Severn, reckoned the fecond river for impor-
tance in England, and the finl for rapidity, rifcs at Plinlimmon-
hill in iiorth Wales ; becomes navigable at Welch -Pool ; runs
eaft to Shrewfbury ; then turning fouth, vifits Bridgenorth,
Worcefter, and Tewkefbury, where it receives the Upper
Avon ; after having pafied Gloucefter, it takes a fouth-weft
direction ; is near its mouth increafed by the Wye and Uttre,
and difcharges itfelf into the Briflol-channel, near King-road;
and there the great fhips, which cannot get up to Briflol, lie.
The Trent riies in the Moorlands of StafFordfhire, and run-
ning fouth-caft by Newcaftle-under-line, divides that county
into two parts'; then turning north-eaft on the confines of
Derbyfliire, vifits Nottingham, running the whole length of
^hat county to Lincolnfliire, and being joined by the Oufe,
and fcvcral other rivers tov/ards the mouth, obtains the nuine
of the Kumber, filling into the fca fouth^eafl of Hull.

The other principal rivers in England, are the Oufe (which
is a Gaelic word fignifying v/atcr in general) which falls into
the Humber, after receiving the water of many other rivers.
Another Oufe rifis in Bucks, and falls into the fca near Lynn
in Norfolk. The 'I'iiie runs from welt to ealt throua;h Nor-
thumbcrland, and falls into ihe Gcrmuii fea at Tinmouth be-

ENGLAND. 233

low Newcaflle. The Tees runs from weft to eaft, dividing
Purham from Yorkfhirc, and falls into the German fea below
Stockton. The Tweed runs from weft to eaft on the borders
of Scotland, and falls into the German fca at Berwick. The
Eden runs from fouth to north through Weftmorcland and
Cumberland, and pafling by Carlifie, falls into Solway Frith
below that city. The Lower Avon runs weft through Wilt-
fhire to Bath, and then dividing Somcrfetlhire from Glou-
cefterHiire, runs to Briftol, falling into the mouth of the Se-
vern below that city. The Derwent, which runs from eaft
to weft through Cumberland, and pafling by Cockermouth,
falls into the Irifti fea a little below. 'I'hc Ribble, which runs
from eaft to weft through Lancafhire, and pafling by Prefton,
difchiirgcs itfclf into tlie Irifli fea. The Merfcy, which runs
from the fouth-eaft to the north-weft through Chefhirc, and
then dividing Chefliiie from Lancafhire, pafles by Liverpool,
and falls into the Irifti fca a little below that town ; and the
Dee rifes in Wi.l't:, and divides Flintfliire from Chefliire, fall-
ing into the Irii'ji cliaiinel below Chefter.

The lakes of England arc but few, though it is plain from
hiftory and antiquity, and indeed, in fome places from thp
face of the country, that meres and fens have been very fre-
quent in England, till drained and converted into arable land
by induftry. The chief lakes now renjaining, are Soham
mere, Wittlefca mere, and Ramfay mere, in the ifle of Ely,
in Cambridgdhire. All thefc meres in a rainy feafon are
overflowed, and form a lake of 40 or 50 miles in circum-
ference. Winander mere lies in VVeftmoreland, and fome
finall lakes in Lancafnire, go by the name of Derwent waters.

Forests.] The firft Norman kings of England, partly
for political purpofcs, that they might the more effeftually en-
Have their new fubjcdts, and partly from the wantonnefs of
power, converted ia.menfe tratits of ground into forefts, for
the benefit of hunting, and thefe were governed by laws pe-
culiar to themfelves, fo that it was neceftary about the time
of pafling the Magna Charta, to form them into a fort of a
code, called the forcft-laws ; and juftices in Eyre, fo called
from their fitting in the open air, were appointed to fee them
obfcrved. By degrees thofe vaft tracts were disforefted, and
the chief foiefts, properly fo called, remaining out of no fewer
than 69, are thofe of Windfor, New Foreft, the Foreft of
Dean, and Sherwood Foreft. Thofe forefts produced forme.ly
great quantities of excellent oak, elm, afli, and beech, be-
lidcs walnut-trees, poplar, maple, and other kinds of wood.
In ancient times England contained large woods, if not forefts,
of chefnut-tiees, v/hich exceeded all other kinds of timber,

for

234

ENGLAND.

for the pnrpofcs of building, as appears from many great houfcs
ftill ftanding, in which the chcfnut beams and roofs remain
llill frefh, ajid undecaycd, though fomc of them above 600
years old.

Metals and minerals.] Among the minerals, the tin
mines of Cc; nwali defcrvedly take the lead. They were known
to the Greeks and Piienicians, the latter efpccially, fome ages
teforc thai of the Chriftian ^raj and fince the Englifh have
found the method of manufacturing their tin into plates, and
white iron, they are of immenfe benefit to the nation. An
ore called Mundic is found in the beds of'iin, which was very
little regarded, till about 60 years ago, Sir Gilbert Clark dif-
covered the art of manufacturing it, and it is faid now to bring
in 150,0001. a year, and to equal in goodncfs the beft Spaniih
copper, yielding a proportionable quantity of lapis caliminaris
for making brafs. Thofe tin-works are under peculiar regu-
lations, by what are called the ftannary laws, and the miners
have pnrliaments and privileges of their own, which are in
force at this time. The number of Cornifii miners alone are
faid to amount to 100,000. Some gold has likewifc been dif-
CGvered in Cornwall, and the Englifh lead is impregnated
with filver. The Englifli coined filvcr is particularly known
ty rofes, and tha^ of Wales by that prince's cap of feathers,
Devonfhire, and other counties of England, produces marble,
but the bed kind, which refcmblcs Egyptian granite, isexcef-
ilvely hard to work. Quarries of freeftone are found in many
places. Northumberland and Chefliire yields allum and fait
pits. The Englifh fullers earth is of fuch infinite confequencc
to the cloathing trade, that its exportation is prohibited under
the fevereft penalties. Pit and fea coal is found in many coun-
ties of England, but the city of London, to encourage the
nurfery of feamen, is chiefly fupplied from thf pits of Nor-
thumberland, and the bifhopric of Durham. The cargoes arc
fliipped at Newcaftle and Sunderland, and the exportation of
coals to other countries, is a valuable anicle.

Vegetable and animal pro- 1 This is fo copious an
DUCTiONS BY SEA AND LAND. 3 article, and fuch im-
provements have been made in gardening and agriculture, ever
fince the beft printed accounts we have had of both, that much
muft be left to the reader's own obfervation and experience.
I have already touched, in treating on the foil, upon the corn
trade of England, but nothing can be faid with any certainty
concerning the quantities of wheat, barley, rye, peas, beans,
vetches, oats, and other horfe grain growing in the kingdom.
Excellent inftitutions for the improvement of agriculture, are
fiow'common in England, and their members are fo public

fpirited

fpirlted
experin
gardeni
Jerfea
are nat
the mo
lent fn
neftari

prod

methe

cyder.

ENGLAND.

«35

fpirlted as to print periodical accounts of their difcoveries and
experiments, which ferve to (hew that both agriculture and
irardening can admit to be carried to a much higher ftate of
perfedion, than they are in at prefcnt. Honey and faffroii
are natives of England. It is almoft needlefs to mention to
the moft uninformed reader, in what plenty the moft excel-
lent fruits, apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, •
neftarines, currants, goofeberries, rafbcrries, and other hortulane
produftions, grow here, and what vaft quantitiesof cyder, perry,
metheglin, and the like liquors, are made in fome counties. The
cyder, when kept, and made of proper apples, and in a parti-
cular manner, is often preferred, by judicious palates, to French
white wine. It is not enough to mention thofe improvements,
did we not obferve that the natives of England have made the
different fruits of all the world their own, fometimes by fimple
culture, but often by hot beds, and other means of forcing
nature. The Englifli pine-apples are delicious, and now plen-
tiful. The fame may be faid of other natives of the Eaft and
Weft Indies, Perfia and Turkey. The Englifh grapes are
pleafmg to the tafte, but their flavour is not exalted enough
for making of wine, and indeed wet weather injures the flavour
of all the other fine fruits raifed here. Our kitchen gardens
abound with all forts of greens, roots, and fallads, in perfec-
tion, fuch as artichokes, afparagus, cauliflowers, cabbage,
coleworts, brocoli, peas, beans, kidney beans, fpinage, beets,
lettuce, cellary, endive, turnips, carrots, potatoes, mufli-
rooms, leeks, onions and fhallots.

Woad for dying is cultivated in Bucks and Bedfordfhire, as
hemp and flax is in other counties. In nothing, however,
have the Englifh been more fuccefsful, than in the cultivation
of clover, cinquefoil, trefoil, faintfoin, lucern, and other me-
liorating grafles for the foil. It belongs to a botanift to re-
count the various kinds of ufeful and falutary herbs, fhrubs
?nd roots, that grow in difi:ei-ent parts of England. The
foil of Kent, Elfex, Surry, and Hampfliire, is moft favour-
able to the difllicult and tender culture of hops, which is now
become a very confiderablc article of trade.

With regard to animal productions, I fhall begin with the
quadrupeds. The Englifli oxen are large and fat, but fome
prefer for the table the fmaller breed of the Scotch, and the
Welch cattle, after grazing in Engliflli paftures. The Eng-
lifli horfes, upon the whole, are the beft of any in the world,
whether we regard their fpirit ftrength, fwiftnefs, or docility.
Incredible have been the pains taken by all ranks, from the
monarch down to the peafaiit, for improving the breed of this
^ favourite

i^l

236 E N G L A N D;

invourite and noble animal, and the fuccefs has been an-
iwerablc, for they now unite all the qualities and beauties of
Indian, Pcrfian, Arabian, Spanifli, and other foreign horfes,
It is no uncommon thing for an Englifli horfe, mare, or geld-
ing, though not of (he race kind, to run above 20 mikj
vvithin the hour, ;uk1 they have bceji known to do it in a
carriage. 'Dje irrtfiflible ipirit and weis^ht of the Englifti ca-
valry, renders ihcFii the bcil in the world in war: and an
Kjiglifli hunter will pcrf(.im incredible things in a fox or ftag-
chace. 'Ihofe wl.ich draw equipages on the ftrccts of Lcn-
d(^n, are particularly beautiful, and a fet often cofts locol. a
ilronger and a hcuvier breed is employed for other draughts. I
niuR not omit that (he exportation of horfes to France, and
other countries, where they fell for large prices, has of late
become a confiderablc article of commerce. It is hard to fay
how far this traffic with our natural enmiies is allowable, but
there is certainly lefs danger attending it, as the animals are
commonly geldaj. The breed of aflls and mules begin like-
wife to be improved and encouraged in England.

The Engiiili fluep are of two kinds, thofe that are valu-
able for their fleece, and thofe that are proper for the tab.le.
The former are very large, and their fleeces conftitute the ori-
ginal llaplc commodity of England. I have been credibly in-
formed, that in fome counties the inhabitants are as curious
in their breed of rams, as in thofe of their horfes and dogs,
and that in Lincolnfhirc, particularly, it is no uncommon
thing for one of thofe animals to fell for 30I. It muft, how-
ever, be owned, that thofe largo fatflieep are very rank eating.
It is thought that in England twelve millions of fleeces are
ihorn annuail)-, which, at a medium of 2.s. a fleece, makes
1, 200,000 1. It is fuppofcd, however, that by the fall of the
value of (he fleeces, a fourth part of this fum ought to be
deducted at pref-iit. The other kind of flieep, which are kd
upon the dowjis, fuch as thofe of Banftead, Bagfhot-heath,
and Devonfhirc, where they have, what the farmers call, a.
Ihort bite, is little, if at all, inferior in flavour and fweetnefs,
to venifon.

The Englifli maflifTs and bulldogs, are the ftrongeft and
fierceft of the canine fpecies in the woild, but cither from the
change of foil, or feeding, they degenerate in foreign climates,
James I. of Ei)gland, by way of experiment, turiled out two
Englifh bulldogs, upon one of his moft terrible lions in the
Tower, and they laid him on his back. The maftifl^, how-
ever, is the preferable creature, having all the courage of the
bulldog, without its ferocity, and he is particularly diliirr-
guifiicd for liis fidelity and docility. All the diftercnt fpecies

eece, makes

ENGLAND. 237

of dogs, which abound in other countries (and are needlcfs
to be enumerated here) for the field, as well as domcftic ufes,
are to be found in England.

What I have obfervcd of the degeneracy of th • Englifli dogs
in foreign countries, is applicable to the Englifti game cocks,
which aftord much barbarous di\ eriion to our fportfmcn. The
courage and ferocity of thofe bird'j is allonifhing, and one of
the true breed never leaves the pit alive without victory. The
proprietors and feeders of this generous animal, are iikewife
extremely curious as to his blood and pedigree.

Tame fowls are pretty much the lame in England, as in
other countries ; turkics, peacocks, common poultry, fuch as
cocks, pullets, and capons, geefe, fwans, ducks, and tame
pigeons. The wild fort arc buftards, wild gecfe, wild ducks,
teal, wigeon, plover, phcafants, partridges, woodcocks, in
the feafon, growfe, quail, landrail, fnipc, wood-pigeons,
hawks of diftcrcnt kinds, kites, owls, h rons, crows, rooks,
ravens, magpies, jackdaws and jays, blackbirds, thriiflies,
nightingales, gold-finches, linnets, larks, and a great variety
offmall birds, particularly canary birds, which breed in Eng-
land. The wheat-car is by many preferred to the ortolan, for
the delicacy of its flefh and flavour, and is peculiar to England.

Few countries are better fupplied than Kjigland with river
and fea-fi(h. Her rivers and ponds contain plenty of falmon,
trout, eels, pike, perch, fmelts, carp, tench, barbie, gud-
geons, roach, dace, mullet, bream, plaice, flounders, and craw-
filh, befides a delicate lake fifh, called char, which is found in
fomc frefh water lakes of Wales and Cumberland, and as
fome fay no where clfe. The fea-fifh arc cod, mackarel, had-
dock, whiting, herrings, pilchards, fkaite, folcs. The John
Dory, found towards the weftern coaft, is reckoned a great
delicacy, as is the red mullet. Several other fifli are found on
the fame coafts. As to fliell-fifli, they are chiefly oyfters, the
propagation «f which, upon their proper banks, requires a pe-
culiar culture. Lohfters, crabs, and flirimps, and efcallops,
one of the mofb delicious of fhell-fiflies, cockles, wilks, or
pcriv/inkles, and mufcles, with many other fmall fliell-flfli,
abound in the Englifli feas. The whales chiefly vifit the
northern coaft, but great numbers of porpufl'es and feals ap-
pear in the channel. After all, the Englifli have been, per-
haps, with great juftice, accufed of not paying proper atten-
tion to their fifheries, which are confined to a few inconfider-
able towns in the weft of England. The bcfl: fifh that comes
to the tables of the Q;rcat in London, are fold by the Dutch tO'
i-nglifii boats, and that induftrious people even take them up-
on the Engliila coaft. Great attention, it is true, has been

paid

'I I

238 ^-^ E N G L A N D;

paid within theie 30 years paft, by the Englifh, to this impor-*
tant concern. Many public fpirited noblemen, and gentle-
men, formed themftlves into a company for carrying on a Bri-
tifb fifhery. Large fums were fubfcribed, and paid with un-
bounded gcnerofity. Bufics and other veflels were built, and
the moft pleaftng profpecfts of fuccefs prcfented thcmfelvcs to
the public. They were, however, unaccountably difappoint-
ed, though it is hard to fay from what caufe, unlcfs it was,
that the price of En^^lifli labour was too dear for bringing the
commodity to the market, upon the fame terms as the Dutch,
whofe herrings were actually furpafibd in the curing by the
Britifli.

With regard to reptiles, fuch as adders, vipers, fnakcs, and
worms, and infects, fuch as ants, gnats, wafps, and flies,
England is pretty much upon a par with the left of Europe,
and the difference, if any, becomes more proper for natural
hiftory, than geography.

Population, inhaijitants, man-

ners, CUSTOMS, AND DIVERSIONS

The exemption
of the Englifli
conftitution, from the defpotic powers cxercifed in foreign na-
tions, not excepting republics, is one great reafon why it is
very difficult to afcertain the number of inhabitants in Eng-
land, and yet it is certain that this might occafionally be done,
by parliament, without any violation of public liberty. With
regard to political calculations, they muft be very fallible, when
applied to England. The prodigious influx of foreigners, v^rho
fettle in the nation, the evacuations of inhabitants to America,
their return from thence, the vaft numbers of hands employed
in (hipping, and the late demand of men for the Eaft Indies,
and for fettling our new conquefts, are all of them matters
that render any calculation extremely precarious. Upon the
whole, I am apt to think that England is more populous, than
the eftimators of her inhabitants are willing to allow. The
late war, which broke out with France and Spain, annually
employed above 200,000 Englifhmen, exclufive of Scotch and
Irifh, by fea and land, and in its progrefs carried off, by va-
rious means, very near that number. The decay of popula-
tion was indeed icnfibly felt, but not in comparifon to what it
was during the wars in queen Anne's reign, though not half
of the numbers were then employed in the fca and land fervice,
Great-Britain indeed was obliged to furniih large contingents
of men to the confederate army, yet not above half of them
were her own fubjeds. I mention thofe conjectures, partly on
the ftrength of the public accounts, and partly from undil'puted
fa£ls, which fome now alive may remember, as the nobility,
and even miniftcrs of Hate, often had their fer vants piefled from
, behind

ENGLAND. 25^

khiiit) their coaches, to fupply the fca and land-fcrvice, au cx-
pctlitnt to which we were not reduced in the late war.

At the lame time I am not of opinion, that England is at
prcfent naturally more populous, than it was in the reign «.>f
Charles I. though flie is accidentally fo. The Enij;lilh, of
former ages, were ftrangers to the cxctflive ufc of fpirituous
liquors, and other modes of living, that are dcfl:ru(Uive of pro-
pagation. On the other hand, the vaft quantities of cultivated
lands in England, fincc thofe times, undoubtedly mult h;ive
been favourable to mankind, though upon an Jiverage, per-
haps, a married couple has not fuch a numerous progeny now,
as formerly. I will take the liberty to make another obferva-
tion, which falls within the cognizance of ahnoil every man,
and that is the iucredible cncreafc of foreign names upon ©ur
pariih books, and public lifts, compared to what they wero
even in the reign of George I.

After what has been premifed, it would be prefumptuous t»
pretend to afcertain the number of inhabitants in England
and Wales, but in my own private opinion, there cannot be
fewer than fevcn millions, and that they are daily cncreafing.
The fallibility of political calculations, apjKiars in a v£rjf
ftriking light in thofe of the population of London, becaulc
it is impoflible to fix it upon any of the known rules or pro-
portions of births ajid burials. Calculators have been not
only miftaken in applying thofe rules to London, and, as they
are called, the bills of mortality, but even in topical matters,
becaufe about 100,000 inhabitants, at the very gates of Lon-
don, do not lie within the bills of mortality.

Englifhmen, iu their perfons, are generally well-fized, re-
gularly featured, commonly fair, rather than otherwife, and
florid in their complexions. It is, however, to be prefumed,
that the vaft numbers of foreigners that are intermingled and
intermarried with the natives, have given a caft to their per-
fons and complexions, different from thofe of their anceftors,
150 years ago. The women, in their fliapes, features, and
complexion, appear fo graceful and lovely, that England may
be termed the native country of female beauty ; and it has
been alfo obfcrved, that the women of Lancafliire and fomc
other counties, difplay a manifcft fuperiority in thefc refpeds.
But hefides the external graces fo peculiar to the women iu
England, they are ftill more to be valued for their prudent
behaviour, thorough cleanlinefs, and a tender affedion for their
hufbands and children. Of all people in the world the Eng-
lifli keep themfelves the moft cleanly. Their nerves are fa
delicate, that people of both fexes are fometimes forcibly, nay
mortally affeC^^d by imagination, i^fprnuch, that before the

3, pradicc

240 ENGLAND.

pra£Vicc of inoculation for the fmall-pox took place. It wal
thought iinprcpcr to mciuion that loathibmc difcalc, by its true
name, in any polite company.

This over ri'Mfibiiity is one of the fourccs of thofc oilditics,
which fo ftron^Iy charadterize the KiiL!;iifh nation. An ap-
prchenfion of (iyinii; a bci^gar, often kills them in the niidft of
plenty and profperity. They magnify the flightelk appearances
into realities, and brini!; the molt diltant dangers in-.mcdiatcly
home tothemfelves ; and yet when real danger approaches, no
people face it with greater refolution, or conftancy of mind.
A groundlefs paragraph, in a news-paper, has been known to
iiii'c^l the Itocks, and eonfequently piiblii- credit, to a confi-
derable degree, and their credulity goes fo far, that England
rtiay be termed the paradife of quacks and empirics, in all
arts and profellions. In Ihort, the Lnglilh t'eel, as if it really
cxiftcd, every evil in mind, body, and eftt'.te, which they iorni
it\ their imagination. At particular intervals, they are fenfible
of this abfurdity, and run into a contrary extremity, ilriving
to banidi it by dillipation, riot, intempeiancc, and diverfions.
They are fond, for the fame reafon, of clubs, and convivial
ailociatii)ns, and vvheii thefe arc kept within the bounds of
temperance and moderation, they prove the bcfl cures for thofe
mental evils, which arc fo peculia. to the En^^lifh, that fo-
reigners have pronounced them to be national.

The fame obfervations hold with regard to the higher orders
of life, which muft be acknowled;'ed to have unden'one a re-
ir.arkable change nncc the acccfiion of the Houfe of Hanover,
efpccially of late yeiirs. The Engliflj nobility and gentry, of
great fortunes, now afTimilate their manners to thofe of fo-
reigners, with whom they cultivate a more frequent inter-
coiirfe than their forefathers did. They do not now travel
only as pupils, to bring home the vices of the countries they
vifit, under the tuition, perhaps, of a defpicablc pedant, or
family dependant. They travel for the purpofes of liaciety,
and at the more advanced ages of life, while their judgments
are mature, and their paflions regulated. This has enlarged
fociety in England, which foreigners now vifit as commonly
as Eno-liflimeti vifited them, and the ef^ecls of the intercourfa
become daily more vifible, efpecially as it is not now, as for-
mer! v, confined to one fex.

Such of the Englifh noblemen and gentlemen, as do not
ftrike into thofe hiwh walks of life, affed rather what we call
a fnug, than a fplendid way of living. They ftudy and un-
derrtand better than any people in the world, conveniency in
their houfcs, gardens, equipnges, and efl-ates, and tliey fpare
no coft to purchafe it. It has, however, been obfervcd, that
.. this

>ir:c^. in al

as commoiuv

ENGLAND. 241

th'ii< ti"'^ renders them Icfs communicative than they oujiht to
be but, on the other hand, the few conn'-'itions they formj
arc finccrc, chearful, and indiflbluble. The like habits Je-
iViMul pretty far into the lower ranks, and are often difccrnible
iimono; tradefmen. This love of fniignefs and convenicncy,
may be called the rulinp; palTion of the Englifli people, and is
the ultimate end of all their application, labours and f.iti^vue?,
which are incredible. A good cx-conoTiift, with a brifk run
of trade, is gcnera'ly, when turned of 50, in a condition to
retire from bufmcfs, that is, either to purchafc an efhitc, or
to fettle his money in the funds. He then commonly refides
in a comfortable houfe in the country, often his native county,
buys a good geldinj];, wears a laced hat, and cxpcdts to be
treated on the footing- of a gentleman ; his flilc of living,
hnwcvcr, being always jiidicioufly fuitcd to his circun\ftances.

Few people in the world know better than tradefmen, and
men of bufinefs, in England, how to pay their court to their
Luftonicrs, and employers, nay even by bribes, and fomctimcs
becoming tributary to their fcrvanis. Thofc arts they con-
fider only as the means of acquiring that independence, the
pride of which too commonly leads them into a contrary
extreme, even that of thinking themfclves under no obliga-
tion from the rules of decency, duty ;ind fubordination. This
carries them to that pctiilarice, which is {o offenfive to ftran-
gcrs, and though encouraged through the want of education,
has its root in the nobleft of principles, badly iinderflood, I
mean that right which the laws of England give to every man
over his own property. The fame laws, at the fame time,
take no cognizance of the abufe of liberty, if not carried into
an aitual breach of the peace, fo that every Englifhman has
a copious range for unpuniflied ill-manners, and unprovoked
infolcnce. This licentioufnefs, or abufe of freedom, is car-
ried in England to an aflonifhing height, and fccms to be epi-
demical. It is the only public evil, that inftcad of lofina, ga-
thers strength, and what is to be lamented, its violence is al-
ways in proportion to the mildncfs of the government, and its
cautions execution of the laws, fo that it may be properly
confidered as a mode of that riotous diflipation I have already
mentioned.

The over fenfibility of the Englifh, is difcovcred in nothing
more than in the vaft fubfcriptions for public charities, raifed
by all degrees of both fexes. An Englifhman feels all the
pains which a fellow creature fufFcrs, land poor and miferable
objeifls are relieved in England with a liberality that fome
time or other may prove injurious to induftry, bccaufe it takes
from the lov/er ranks the ufual motives of labour, that they

V^6i.. I. • Q_ . may

: ,1

*.,.:"*'■

242

E N G L A N !>.

! 1'

f"i

may favc fomewhat for themfelves and families, ag:'.inft thg
days of piiin or ficknefs. Thi; very people who contribute
to thofe colIe<^l!ons, are nfllfiltl in proportion to their property

for their parochial poor, who have a legal demand for a

in Eng-

beggar

mamtcnance, infomuch that there can be no
land but through choice or indolence ; and upwards of three
millions fteriing is faid to be colledlcd yearly in this country
for charitable purpofes. The inftitutions however of extra-
parochial infirmaries, hofpitals, and the like, are in fome cafes
reprehenfible. The vaft fums beftowcd in building them, the
contradis made by their governors, and even the eleclion of
phyficians, who thereby acquire credit, which is the fame as
profit, very often begets heats and cabals, which arc very dif-
ferent from the purpofes of difinterelted charity, owing to the
violent attachments and prcpolfeffions of friends, and too often
even to party confiderations.

Notwithftanding thofe nublo pjovifions which would banifh
poverty from any other country, the ftrccts of London, and
the highways of England, abound with objcvS^s of diftrefs,
who beg in defiance of the laws which render the practice fe-
vcrely punifhable. This is owing to the manner in which the
common people live, who confider the food to be uneatable
jvhich in other countries would be thou*-' iu: rious.

The tnglifh, though irafciblc, are the uio^ placable people
in the world, and will often facrifice part of their intereft ra-
ther than proceed to extremity. They are eafily prevailed upon
to forgive by fubmifTion, and they carry this lenity too far, by
accepting of profeflions of forrow publilhed in advertifements
by thofe who ofiend them, and who feldom are fincere ; nay,
often laugh at the eafinefs of their profecutors, for difmiffing
them fo gently. The unfufpcding nature of the Englifli, and
their honelt open manners, efpecially of thofe in the mercan-
tile way, render them dupes in feveral refpe»5ls. They attend
to projectors, and no fcheme is fo ridiculous that will not IukI
abettors in England. They 11 fie n to the voice of misfortunes
jn trade, whether real or pretended, deferved or accidental, and
generoufly contribute to the lellef of the parties even by re-
placing them, often in a more creditable condition than ever.
The loweft bred of the Englifh, are capable of thofe and the
like generous actions, but they often make an oflentatious dif-
play of their own merits, which diminifhes their value. There
is among the Englifli of all ranks, a mofl: unpardonable pre-
ference given to wealth, over all other confiderations. Riches,
both in public and private, compenfate for the abfence of every
good quality. This offenfive failing arifes partly from the
democratical pai"t of their conftitution, which makes the poflcf-

ilon

ENGLAND. 543

(ion of property h qualification for the Icgiflature, and almoft
every other fpecics of magiftracy, government, honours, and
<liftin6tions.

Thj lame attention to property operates in many other fliapes
among the lower clafles, who think it gives them a right to
^e rude and difregardful of all about them, nor are the higher
orders exempt from the fame failing. The fr.me principle often
influences their exterior appearances. Noblemen of the firft
rank have been often feen laying bets with butchers and cob-
lers at horfe-races and boxing-matches. Gentlemen and mer-
chants of vaft property are not to be diftinguiflied either by
their drefs or converfation from the meaneft of their fervants,
and a wager offered to be flaked in ready money againft a pen-
nylefs antagonifl:, is generally a decinve argunicui in public
company.

An Englifhman of thorough educalion and readings is the
Jhofl accomplifhed gentleman in the world, and underfland^
arts and fciences the befl. He is however fhy and retentive in
his communications even to difgufl, and a man may be in com-
paiy with him for months without difcovering that he knows
any thing beyond the verge of a farm yard, or above the capa-
city of a horfe jockey. This unamiable coldnefs is fo far from
being aftcdted .hat it is a part of their natural conflitution.
Living learning and genius meets with very little regard, even
from the firfl rate of Englifhmen : and it is uot unufual for them
to throw afide the beft productions of literature, if they are
not acquainted with the author. While the ftate diflir.i'lion
of Whig and Tory fubfiflcd, the heads of each party aii.^ted
to patronize men of literary abilities, but the pecuniary encou-
ragements given them were- but very moderate, and the very
few who met v/ith preferment in the ftato, might have earned
them by a competent knowledge of bufinefs, atid thai pliability
which the dependents in office generally polVelV. We fcarce
have an inflance even in the munificent reign of queen Anne,
or of her predeccflbrs, who owed fo much to the prefs, of a
man of genius being, as fuch, made eafy in his circumflances.
Mr. Addifon had about 300 1. a year of the public money to
affirt him in his travels, and Mr. Pope though a Roman catho-
lic was offered, but did not accept of, the like penfion from
Mr. Craggs, the whig fecretary of flate, when it was remarked
that his tory friend and companion the earl of Oxford, when
fole minifler, did notiiing for him, but bewail his misfortune
in being a papilh This reproach upon governmental munifi-
cence is now wearing off under the patronage of his majefty
und his minift^rs.

r,<

't'

'' TTIlHilfTi

W ll

iIiIBmIw

ill

Mil m

244

ENGLAND.

The uncvenncfs of the Englifh in their converfation Is ven'
remarkaMe : I'omctinics it is delicate, rpri[.';htly, and replete
with true wit ; i'o.uctitnts it is Ulii!, iji^cnious and argumen-
tative ; fometiincs it is cold uiul phlrjrinatic, and borders upon
difgun., :.uid ail in the fame pcrlon. In their convivial meet-
ings thev arc trcu' rally noilV, :\nd th-ir wit is often oft'enfive,
wliile the hnidcil arc th ^ nioil: applauded. Courage is a quality
thi.t fccnis to he conc'cnial to the Lng!i(h nation. Boys, before
thcv c;in Ipeak, due )ver that they know the proper gu.ads in
boxing with th triiiis ; a quality that perhaps is pecu!!;:r to the
Erurliih, and is Ccconded by a ilrcnpth of urn; f h .t few other peo-
ple ciui exert. 'Ihi.'. gives the Eneiiih ibidicrs an innnite fupe-
riority in all battles thac arc to he dc>\ded by <hc bayonet fcrevv-
cd upon the nufjut. Tne Kno'liih coura>'e h;i;; likewife the
prop-Tty, unr.er able cominaiulcrf;, of b, in'^ cqur.ily pafiivc as
active. Their foldlcrs will keep up thcJr ^irc in ihc nunithof
daiifrer, I ut v^hen tliev dclncr it, it has a nioH: drcvdt^i eft"e<Ft
upon their cnen^.ier. ; and in naval cnfj;.'^'en"»tpts they are un-
cquall'.d. The Kn;,lifli are not icnaiK.able f')r invention,
though tluy are tor their iniprovemenls upt)n the inventions of
others, and in the mechanical arts, they excel' all iia ions in
the worlil. 'i'he iiitenfc appjicat:on wliich an Eiiglirnman
gi\'es to fa\'otuite luidy is incrvdlh". •, and, as ''■were, abforbs
all his other id''a;. This creates the nun-.rrous inilances of
mental abfences that are to be found ii< the nation.

All I hnve faid cor.cerning the i-.njiilh, is to be undcrflood
of them in general as tiiey are at piefeut, i.ir it is not to be
dillinihlcd that e\ ery day produces Itrcng indications of great
'alterations in their manners. The vart fortunes made during
the late and the preceding wars, the imnienic acquifitions of
territory by peicc, and above all the : nia/.ing encreaie <,f ter-
ritorial as well as commercial { .ope'iy in the Ealt Indies, have
introduced a Ipccies of people among the Engiilh, who have
become rich witliout uiUullry, and by diminUhng the value of
gold and hlver have created a new i'ylfcni of finances in the
ration. Time alone can ihew the event : Hithertf) the con-
fequciKcs feen) to have biea unf.'.voirahie, as it has introduced
among the commercial ranks a (pirlt of luxury and g..niing
that is attep.ded wiih the moll fatal e'Fti51:;i, and an emulation
among mere hants atul traders of all kinds, to equal, or lurpafs
the nobility and tiie courtiers. The pla n frugal manners of
men of bunnefs which prevaih-d l"o lately a^ the acceflion of the
preient family to the cronn, vac now dii":'gardcd for taitelefs
extravagance in drefs and equ page, and the molt expenftvc
amufements anil di\eifions, not only In the capital but all over

tlic tradin<^ towiu. of the kingdom.

Even

ENGLAND; 245

Even the cuftoms of the Eugliili have, fuice the beginning
of this century, undvrgoni: an ulnioft total alteration. Their
anticnt hofpitality fiufids but in few places in the country, or
is revived only upon cledVionc .rinii; cccafions. Alany of their
favourite divcrfions iuc now dilufcd. Thufe remaining are
operas, dramatic exhibitions, riJ.ottos, and fometinies maf-
tjucrades in or near London ; 1 ut concerts ofmufic, and card
and dancing afieniWies arc con mon a'l over the kingdom. I
have already nu"nti'.)ne\I ll.ig and fox iiunting and horfe-races.
Of which the Kngliai of all dcnoniuiationi arc fciJ, even to
infatuation. Sonicxluif however may be orV:.'red by way of
apology for thofe divcrfioiv; : The intenfe application which
the Englilh give to bufiaefs, their fedcntary li\es, and luxu-
rious diet require cxcrcifc, and (ome t link: tli.it their excellent
hrced of horfes is eJiv-ruaCcd and improved by tliofe amufemcnts.
1*he Engl ill 1 are •■•e:narkai)ly Cvool, both in lohr.g and winning
ar play, but: the f)rmer is often attended with acls of fuicide.
An Englilhman will r.nhcr ni'irdcr hindllf than bring aiharper,
v/ho iie kni'Vv's has ileeced hirn, to comiign puailhment, even
though warranted by lav/. Next to horfe-raclng, and hunting,
cock-iighring, to the repr^ich of the nation, is a favourite di-
vtrfion, among the gre.:t, a^ well as the vulgar. I\lultitudcs
of both afiembJe round the pit, at one of thofe matches, and
cnjov tlie pangs and death of ihe generous animal, every fpcc-
taior being concerned iji a bet, fometinies of high fuins. The
athletic diverfuin of cricket is (lill kept up in tlic fouthern and
wtilern p;'rts of England, and is fometimes practiied by people
of the highelt rank. It i^ pe;forrjed by a pe:fon v/ho with a
chii.ify wooden bat, defends a wicket railed of two flen;iei'
IHcks, with one acrofs, which is attacked by another perfon,
who entleavours to beat it down, with a hard leather ball, from
a CI rt;iin itaml. The farther the diftance is to which the ball
is driven, the i.ftcner the defender is able to run between the
wicket and tlidhuid. 'J'his is called gaining fo many notches,
and he who gets tiie molt is the vidtor. Many other paftimcs
are common in England, fomc of them of avery robuft nature,
fiieh as cudgelling, wrtftling, bowls, fklttlcs, quoits, and
prilbn-bafe ; not to mention duck-hunting, foot, and afs-raccs,
dancing, puppet-ilicws. May garlands, and above all, ringing
of bells, a ipccies ofmufic, which the Englifh boaft they have
brought into an art. The barbarous divcrfions of boxing
and prize-fighiing, wfiich were as frequent in England, and
equally inhuman, as the Ihews of gladiators in Rome, are now
prohibited, and all places of public divcrfions, excepting the
royal theatres, arc under regulations by a«St of parliament.
Other divcrfions, which arc common to other countries, fuch

0,3 "

i4S

ENGLAND.

iia

■•I'ij '■:

r- :,t

'•I

as tennis, fives, billiards, cards, fwimming, anglinp:, fowl-
ing, courfing, and the like, are familiar to the Englift.
Two kinds, a-'.d thofe highly laud:;blc, are perhaps peculiar
to them, and thcfe arc- rowing and failing. The latter, if not
introduced, was patronized and encouraged, by his prefent
majefty's father, the late prince of W;iles, :\vd may be con-
iidered as a national improyemcht. The Engllfli are exceffively
fond of fkaiting, in which, however, they arc not very expert,
but they are adventurous in it often to the danger and lofs of
their lives. The game a6ls have taken from the common
people a great fund of diverfion, though without anfweringth^
J)urpofes of the rich, for the farmers, and the country people
deftroy the game in their nets, which they dare not kill with
the gun. This monopoly of game, among fo free a people as
the Englifh, has been confidered in various lights.

Dress.] In the drefs of both fexes, before the prefent reign
of George III. they followed the French ; but that of the
military officers partook of the German, in compliment to his
late majefty. The Englifh, at prefent, bid fair to be the
di^iators of drefs to the P'rench thcmfclves, at leafl with re-
gard to elegance, n.atnef';, and richnefs of attire. People of
quality and fortune, of both fexes, appear on high occafions,
in cloth of gold and filvcr, the richeft brocades, fattins, filks,
and velvets, both flowered and plain, and it is to the honour
of the court, that the foreign manufadhires of all thofe are dif-
Couraged. Some of thofe rich llnffs are faid ■ ^ be brought to
as great perfection in England, as thty are in France, or any
other nation. The quantities of jcAvels that appear on pub-
lic occafions are incredible, efpecially fince the vafl acijvifi-
tions of the Engl fh in the E.ifl-Indies. The fame nobility,
and perfons of dillinftion, on ordinary occafions, drefs like
creditably citizens, that is, neat, clean, and plain, in the fineft
cloth, and the belt of linen. The full drefs of a clergyman
confifls of his gown, cafTock, fcarf, beaver-hat and rofe, all
of black ; his undrefs is a dark grey frock, and plain linen,
The phyfici.uis, the formality of whofc drefs, in large tic pe-
tukes, and fwords, was formerly remarkable, if not ridiculous,
begin now to drefs like other gentlemen, and men of bufinefs,
that is, to wear a plain iuit of fuperfine cloth, excellent linen
and wigs, that fuit their complesitions, and the form of their
faces. Few Englifhmen, tradefmen, merchants and lawyers,
as well as men of landed property, are without fome pafTion
for the fports of the field, on which occafions they drefs with
tcmarkablc propriety, in a light frock, narrow brimmed hat,
ii fhort bob wig, jbckey boots, and buckfkin, or fhag breeches,
^he people of England love rather to be neat Uian fine in

their

•.'.m

glin^, fowl-
he Engli/h.
!ips peculiar
after, if not

his prefent
lay be con-
c excefliveJy
very expert,

and lofs of
he common
nfwering th?
mtry people
ot kill with

a people as

jrefent reign
that of the
ment to his
r to be the
:aft with rc-
Pcople of
!;h occafions,
"attijLs, filb,
' the honour
hole are dif-
brought to
ncc, or any
icar on pub-
vaft acjjuifi-
nie nobility,
s, drefs like
in the fineft
a clergyman
nd rofe, all
plain linen,
large tic pe-
t ridiculous,
of bufmefs,
:ellcnt linen
^rm of their
md lawyers,
fome paflion
f drefs with
immed hat,
aa: breeches,
ban fine in
their

ENGLAND. t^f

their apparel ; but fince the acceflion of his prefent majeily,
the drefll's at court, on folemn occafions, arc fupcrb beyond
dcfcription. Few even of the lowcft: tradcfmcn, on Sundays,
carry about them lefs than lo 1. in cloathing, comprehending
hat, wig, ftockings, fhoes and linen, and even many beggars
in the ftreet appear decent in their drels. In fhort, none
but the mort abandoned of both fexcs are other wife ; and the
appearance of a man in holiday times, is commonly an indi-
cation of his iiidultry and morals.

Religiom.] Eufcbius and other antient writers, pofitiveljr
afTcrt, that Chriftianity was fiiR preacheil in South Britain by
the aportles and their dil'ciplcc. It is unneceflary to rej^eat
what has been faid in the Introdu6lion refpetiling the rife and
fiill of the church of Rome in Europe. I Ihall only obferve in
this place, that John Wicklifte, an Englifhman, educated at
Oxford in the reign of Edward III. has the honour of being
the firft pcrfon in Europe who publicly called in queftion,
and boiuly refuted thofc dodrines which had pafl'ed for cer-
tain during fo many ages ; and that the cltablifhcd religion
in England, which had its rife under Henry VIII. is reformed
from the errors of popery, and approaches nearer to the pri*
niitive chriftianity, being cqu.dly. removed from fuperftition
^nd indelicacy in its woriliip, and as void of bigotry, as
ot licentio'ifnefs, in its practice. The conftitutioii of the
chiirch is cpifcopal, and is gover:ted by bifhops, whofe bene-
iices were converted, by the Norman conqueror, into tem-
poral baronies, in right of which, every bifliop has a feat
and vote in the houfe of peers. I'hc benefices of the infe-
rior clergy, are now freehold, but in many places their
tithes arc impropriated in favour of the laity. The ceco-
liomy of the church of England, has been accufed for the
inequality of its livings ; fome of them, efpecially in Wales,
being too fmall to maintain a clergyman, efpecially if he has a
family, with any tolerable decency ; but this, perhaps, is
unavoidable, and very probably never can be entirely remedied,
though the crown, as well as private pcrfons, has done great
things towards the augmentacion of poor livings.

The dignitaries of the church of England, fuch as dean?,
prebends, and the like, have gcnerallv large incomes ; fomc
of them exceeding in value thoib of biihoprics, for which rea-
ibn the revenues of a rich deanery, or other living, is often an-
nexed to a poor bifhopric. At prefent, the clergy of the church
of England, as to temporal matters, are in a moft floMriftiing
fituation, becaufe the value of their tithes encreafcs with the
improvements of lands, which of late has been amazino: m
England. The fovercigns of Englaud> ever Uace t^

Q.4>

eign of

248^

ENGLAND.

■ ,

Henry VIII. have been called in pii!ilic writs, the fuprcmc
heads of the church ; but this title conveys no fpiritual mean-
ing, as it only dciif.^tes the regal power, to prevent any cc-
clefiaflical di.fercnce;;, or in other v/ords, to fubftituto the
king in place of the pope, b.fore the reformation, with regard
to temporalities, and the internal oeconomy of the church.
'J'hc IcinfTs of Kn";land never intermeddle in ecclefiaftical dif-
putcs, and are contented to give a fan^tion to the legal rights
of the clergy.

The church of England, under this defcription, of the
monarchical power over it, is governed by two archbilhops,
and twenty-four bifhops, befidcs the bifliop of Sodor and iVkn,
who not being pofTeflcd of an Englifh barony, does not fit in
the houfe of pecj;,*. The two archbilTiop"?, are thofc of Can-
terbury and York, who are both dignified with the addrefs of
' your grace.' I'he former is the firit p^cr of the realm, as
well as metrojKiiitan of the Kni.-lifli church. He takes prece-
dence next to the rov;d famih', of all dukes iind officers of flatc.
He is enabled to hold eecleiiailical courts \ipon all affairs th;;t
were fcniTierly ccvmi/.abl.' in the court of Rome, wlien not
rcp-ignant to the law of God, or the king's prerogative. • He
has the privilege confcquently of granting, in certain cafes,
licenfes and diip-enf^.t'ons, together with the probate of wills,
when the party dying is worth i.'pwards of hve pounds. Kc-
fides h's own diocefe, he has under him the billiops of Loii-
don, Winchelter, Ely, Lincoln, Rochcder, Litchfield and
Coventry, Hereford, Worcelur, B.ith and Wells, Salifbury,

Exeter,

• To the fu'llowin^ lift, I have lulrrineJ the rum cadi Clc is (harncii i
king's Ix^ik^ ; fvr Uwu^'. ihat luni is Lr In ni !;ini.; ihn icil annual value o
f.-i-, yit it ;u1ifh in t' rining i comparative cfliniut: btli.vL\;n ihu revenues of
loe witii tlioi'e of another.

n the
t ihe
each

Canterbury, — ^iGSz

ARCHBISHOI'RICS,
12 : a I York, — — jT 1610
BISHOTRICS,

LonJi^n, — — icro :

Chi.h.-rter, —

—

C77

; r

D' rhain, — 1S21 :

1 :

St. Afaph,

—

187

: 1 1

: 8

Wiiith ftcr .-- 2S73 :

Salilbiuy, —

—

1385

: S

:. 9

Tlit'.e ihree hirti'. pries take

prcceJ

:ncy

Han^iT. —

— .

'3'

: 10

(if all 'tilers n F.ni'l.nc

, aii.l

ti,.-

Nor-.sicli, —

—

834

: 1 1

ot'icts .Hrnidiiin to the

leniuri

.y of

G!c;iici-(icr, —

—

3'S

•• 7

tlicir tonrotraiions.

l.aii.IatV, —

«»-

'<;+

: 14

: 2

Ely, — — n-4 ••

1;;

Mr.csiln, —

—

804

: i3

Pi;h and Wells, 573 :

l?ii(!.|, -.

—

7.94

: II

HfreiVn!, — 76l>

C-.i-!i!lc, —

—

S"?'

! 4

Kochcft.r, — IS*^ ••

4 :

Exev:r, —

—

500

•Xiu-hliclJ Sz Coventry ^^9 5

»7 =

r(.tcrb:)i0Uj;.h,

—

414

' 17

Chcttcr, _ — 4ao :

T !

O.doi.1, —

381

: II

yuricllcr, — . — 'J29 :

'3 ••

iit. Dav. J"t, —

. -••.

4^6

•

E N G L A N D.

[the fujircinc

"itual mvzn.

"nt any cc-
[bftituto the

with regard
tlic chinch,
ffiaflical diT-

J^'gal ri-hts

ion, of the
irchbifhops,
T and Alan,
s not fit in
oi'c of Can-
c addrcfs of
e rcahi), as
takes prccc-
rcra of flate.
affairs th;;t
wlicii not
;ativc. ■ He
rtaiii cafes,
ite of Wilis,
)iinds. Bc-
>ps of Loii-
:ch field and
, SalilLury,
Exeter,

t harped in the
lal v;iiuc ot ihe
/tnucs of each

I
1 1

S
/O
1 1

H
1 3
II

4
o

J7
I f

1
8

• 9
3

7
■?

2
I
O

8
o
I

Exeter, Chichefter, Norwich, Glouccfter, Oxford, Pcter-
horough, Rriftol ; and, in Wales, St. David's, LandafF, St.
Afaph and B.ingor.

I'hc aichbifhop of Canterbury has, by the conflitiition and
laws of England, fiich extcnfive powers, that ever fmcc the
death of aichbifhop Laud (whofe charader will be hereafter
pi\cn) the gr.vcrnnic-nt of Knpland has thouL^ht proper to raife
to that di^^nity, none but men of very moderate principles,
and of very inoUcnfivc abilities. This practice has been at-
tended with excellent efFeCls, with re^\ard to the public tran-
quillity of the church, and confei'nenily of tho ftate.
• The archbiflinp of York takes place of all diikcs, not of the
blood roy:il, and of al] oIiicLis of ifatc*, the lord chancellor ex-
cepted. He has in his province, beiides his own diocefe, the
billioprics of Durham, Carlifle, Cheflcr, and Sodnr and Man.
In Northumberland, he has the power of a palatine, and
jurifdiccion in all crimijial proceedings.

The biihops arc addrefted Your lordfliips, filled Right
rc\erend fathc rs in God, and precede as barons on all public
occafions. They have ail the privileges of peers, and thjs
biflioprics of London, Winchcftcr, Durham, Salifbury, Ely
and Lincoln, require no additional revenues to fupport their
prelates in the rnnk of noblemen. Englifh bifhops are to exa-
mine and ordain priclls and deacons, to confecrate churches
and burytne-places, and to adminifter the rite of confirmation,
7'hcir jurilUiction relates to the probation of wills; to grant
a 'miniflration of j^oods of fuch as die intcftate ; to take care
of perifhable goods when no one will adminiilicr ; to collate
to benefices ; to grant inflitutions to livin'^s ; to defend the
liberties of the church ; and to Vifit their own diocefcs once in
three years.

Deans and prebends of cathedrals, have been already men-
tioned, but it would perhaps be difficult to aflign their utility
in the church, farther than to add to the pomp of worftiip,
:uid to make provifion for clerirvmcn of eminence and merit.
Kngland contains about fixty archdeacons, whofe office is to
vilit the chu chcs twice or thrico every year, but their offices
arc Icfs lucrative thin they arc honourable. Subordinate to
them are thj rural deans, formerly Ailed arch prefbytcrs, who
lignify the bifhop's pleafure to his clergy, the lower clafs of
which confifls of priefls and duicons.

The ecckfiaftical government of England Is, properly fpeak-
ing, lodged in the convocation, which is a national reprefen-
tativc or fynod, and anfwers pretty near to the ideas we have
of a parliament. They arc convoked at the fame time with
every p;irliamenr, and tlicir bufiacL is to confider of the ftate
4 Qi'

2.50

E N G LAN D:

of the church, and to call thofe to an account who have ad^
vanccd new opinions, inconfiftent with the dodlrines of the
church of England. Some high Hying clergymen, during the
reign of queen Ann, and in the beginning of that of George I,
xaifcd the powers of the convocation to a height that was in-
confillent with the principles of religious tolcrancy, and indeed
of civil liberty ; lb that the crown was obliged to exert its pre-
rogative of calling the members together, and of dillulving
them, and ever lince they have not bceji permitted to fit for any
time, in which they could do bufniefs.

The court of arches is the moll ancient Cwnfiltoiy of the
prtnince rf Canterbury, and all appeals in church matters,
from the judgment of the inferior courts, are directed to thisi
The precedes run in the name of the judge, who is called deaii
lof the arches ; and the advocates, who plead in this court,
muft be dodtors of the civil law. The court of audience hai
the fame authority with this, to which the archbifhop's chan-
cery w.as formerly joined. The prerogative court is that
wherein wills are proved, and ad mini ft rat ions taken out. The
court of peculiars, relating to certain parifhcs, have a jurif-
di6lion among themfelvcs, for the probate of wills, and arc
therefore exempt from the bifl)op's courts. The fee of Can-
terbury has no lefs than fifteen of thefc peculiars. The court
of delegates receives its name from its confiding of commif-
fioners delegated or appointed by the royal commiflion ; but it
is no ftanding court. Every bifliop has alfo a court of his own,
called the confiftory court. Dvcry archdeacon has likcwife his
court, as well as the dean and chapter of every cathedral.

Tile church of England is, beyond any other church,
tolerant in its principles. Moderation is its governing cha-
ra£ler, and it excludes no fedt of Chriftians from the excrcifc
of their refpective religious worfhip. Without entering upon
the motives of Its reformation under Henry VIII. it is certain,
that epifcopai government, excepting under the time of ufur-
pation, has ever fince prevailed in England. The wiidom of
acknowledging the king the head of the church, is confpicuous
in difcouraging all religious perfecution and intolcrancy, and
|f religious fediaries have multiplied in England, it is from the
iame prmciple that civil lincentioufnefs has prevailed ; I mean
a tendernefs in matters that can affect either conscience or liber-
ty. The bias which the clergy had towards popery, in the
reign of Henry VIII. and his fon, and even fo late as that
of Elizabeth, occafioned an intcrpofition of the civil power,
for a farther reformation. Thence arofc the puritans, fo called
from their aftedting a fingular purity of life and manners.
Many of Ihem were worthy pious men, and Tome of them good
..J ... ' patriot*.

ENGLAND.

ohavc ad^
iiies of the
during the
i George I.
at Was in-
ane! indeed
^crt its pre-
di/lolvinrt-
fit for any

™y of the
-h matters,
ted to this.
caJJed dcaii
this court,
diejics hai
if>p's chan-
"■t la thac
om. The
vc a jurif-
s, and arc
c of Can-
The court
>f coin mi f-
on ; but it
)f his own,
ikcwife hi$
edral.
■r church,
ning cha-
^e excrcifc
■ring upaii
is certain,
2 of ufiir-
^ifdom of
nfpicuous
incy, and
i from the
} I mean
sorJibcr-
', in the
L" as that
1 power,
fo called
Tianncrs,
lem good
patriots'.

45 »

fcatriots. Their dcfccndants arc the modern prefbytcriana,
wlio retain the fame character, and have true principles of civil
and religious liberty, only with fome differences as to church
difcipline, and the modes of worfliip. Their do<f!lrine, like
the church of Scotland, was originallv derive ' from the Ge-
neva plan, inftitutcd by Calvin, and tended to an abolition of
epifcopacv, and to verting the government of the church in a
parity of prctbyters. The prefbytcrians, however, are now
confidered as being diflenters. The baptifts fornj another fe6t
of diflcntcrs. Thei'c do not believe that infants are proper ob-
jects of baptifm, and in the baptifm of adults, they pratSlife
immerfion into water. Blended with thefe are the indepen-
dents, but it is hard to fay what are the particular tenets of
thofe fedts, fo much have they deviated from their original
principles, and fo preatly do their profeflbrs differ from each
other. The moderate clergy of the church of England, treat
the prefbyterians with affedtion and friendfhip i and though the
hierarchy of their church, and the character of bifliops, are
capital points in their religion, they confider their differences
with the prefbyterians, and even with the baptifts, as not be-
ing very material to falvation, nor indeed do many of the
eftabliflied church think that they ^re ftridtly and confcien-
rioufly bound to believe the doctrinal parts of the thirty-nine,
articles, which they are obliged to fubfcribe before they cfta
enter into holy orders. Some of them have of late contended,
in writings, that all fubfcriptions to religious fyftems are re-
pugnant to the fpirit of Chriftianity, and to reformation.

The methodifts are a fecSl of a late inftitution, and their
founder is generally looked upon to be Mr. George Whitefield,
a divine of the church of England, but it is difficult to de-
fcribc the tenets of this numerous fedt. All we know is, that
they pretend to great fervour and devotion, that their founder,
who died lately, thought that the form of ecclefiaftical wor-
fliip, and prayers, whether taken from a common prayer book»
or poured forth extempore, was a matter of indifierence, and
he accordingly made ufe of both forms. His followers are
rigid obftrvers of the thirty-nine articles, and many of them
profcfs themfelvcs to be calvinifts. But even this feiSt is fplit
among themfclves, fome of them acknowledging Mr.Whitefield,
and others Mr. Wcfley, for their leader ; not to mention a
variety of fubordinate fedts (fome of whom are from Scotland),
who have their feparate followers, both at London, and in the
country of England. I am to obferve, that there feems at pre-
fent to be among thofe fedtaries, and diffenters, a vaft relaxa-
tion of ecclefiaftical difcipline, which is chiefly owing to dif-
union among themfelves, and in fome meafure to the principle

hi' i^im

!
'1

n- ? i

V'it

■

252 E N G L A N D.

of rrcc-thinkiii^r, the profcflors of which arc prclT>yteiian^ or
independents, and confuler all fs'llcms of religious govcrninciu,
and tefts of faith, jij fo many fetters upon rtafon and con-
i'cience.

The qUakcrs form a niimcron"^ f(.'dt of rlinentcrs in Enp;larid,
and perhaps if their piofel^ principles were to under'^jo a very
ftridl examination, llu v would appear to be foumUd in frce-
thinltinij, thoiic^h they pr^-tciui to he guided hy inteiiul
revelation, diihited by t!ic fpiiit of (jod. 'I'hat revtlaiion,
and that fpirit, however, arc jull what they picafe to make
them, .nnd if they mtiin any thing, it is an abltraction
from all fenfual ide^'^, in treatiiiL?; of the Chrillian religion,
and its myfteries, for they .utr:iipt to allegorize all the taints
in the golpel. They diliiaiin iul religious creeds made ulc
of by other Chriilians, and all the modes (.f v/orHiip practifed in
other churches. Thev difre[i;ard the authority of the clergy, and
refufe to pay tirhcs unh'fs they are coinpciled by law. They
neither ufe baptilm, nor partaice of the Lord's Supper. They
afFe(5t a peculiar plainue'is of dreis, both as to the form and the
colours of their cloaihs, and iney publi'-kiy declaim a^_;ainic re-
liance, and the legal ii-/ of going to war on any account.
With rco-ard to the relVirrcition of t!ie body, anJ the dcctrines
of rewards and punifhments hereafter, and many other capital
points of Chriliiuiuty, they have not yet explained themfelves
authentically.

Were all rhc rihor peculiarities of this fecil to be defcrlb'-d,
a reader, s.ot-iijvj i./uU'id vith ir, wc;ui'l lu- apt to thir.k. it iin-
poflible, thai it J'iiould aiioci; :.• v.'.ta oiher vJiiritu'as, No-
thing hovever s more eer.'.i.i. ciinn that the tjua!:e.s arc nvift
exceiUn: riiiTibeis ofth.i coinn\iin''iy. The ihiClnei",-. of their
morality 'TKike.s a:, e ids lor the oduiucs of tiicir principles, and
the fmiplicify of th^. :r living, ft.r ti c wiluiuls or tl'.eir ;ipi;i!oiis.
Their cccoiv.>niy is acirairabie, f(;r ihougli none o; (heni pretend
to any coercive power, vt their cenlures are fubniuted 10 as im-
plicitiv, as if thev w. I'e Ronn/li bigots under an incjuifition.
The h glieil p 'iiifii!riiit is a kind ot excorrununicaiiou, which
I fliall I'.ot preteiMl to defcribe, but \vhich is taken oil" ui>on
repentance and aireU'lmeni, and the party is readinitlcJ into
all the privileges «)f their bcdy. '1 heir government is truly
republican, and admirably well adapted to thur principles.
They have .\n annual meeting, v.hich is gemrally held at
London, in the n'.i.nth of May, and this is n A'rted to by
deputies from all parts of Greal-i^ritain, Ireland, Holland,
Germany, and the Britifh jilantations. In this n;eeting is
examined tlie proceedings of lluir other meetings, which arc
monthly and ouart^rlv. Indecencies of every kind are cen-

iurcu,

ENGLAND. 25^

furcd, contributions are received, accounts arc examined, and
dircourl'cs, exhortations, aiul (crnions arc delivered fmtable to
the exiL!;ency of the times, and their prevailing vices and im-
moralities. The good I'jnle tor which t!iis I'ect is remarkable,
rtiulcrs their leaders more rcrj.'ecl;'hlc, than tiiole which royalty
or powir appoint o\er other communities. This, with the
mililncfs (jf their behaviour, i'obritty, and jireat induftry, have
railed ti;em high in theefteim ot the icgiri.iture, which has
even indulged tliem by admitting; ot" their arfirmation, inllead of
an o.ith in tlie courts of jiillic;;.

I Ihail n . here enter into their political hiflory, or in what
manner one of their number, VVilliam Pcnn, formed that
admiinble '.llabliflmient of theirordcr, which iWW fubfirts in
Peiiiyivania. It is fiiiliricnt to cbierve, that it was found by
experience, during the two lail wars with France, that their
principles were incompatibie, with either civil or military
government ; and confequently, ih^t, unki's tiieir enemies had
been qu ilcers likewife, they muil have been mailers of, their
country. This created great trouble with the iv.othcr country,
and it unfortunately happened, that the quakers were as tena-
cious of their property, as of their principles. Neceffity aiiil
danger, however, at lall compelled them to contribute for their
own defence, by their pu fcs, though we do not llnd that thojr
did it in their perfons ; from all which it ai»)pcars that it would
be inipradLicabie to form cjuakers into a civil goveiimient of any
ki.'ui.

'i'he ignorance of Fox, and the firlt leaders of this fedl, led
the(]uakers into a thoufjiid extravagancies, by a^'itations and
convuliions of the bodv, v.'hic'f they termed t e workings of
the Ipirit. Barclay, KciLh, and iiime other nierapii}rical heads,
defended the dodtrinc, thouirh they dropt liie lingularities of
the profcflion. This foftened the ridicule of the public, and
Barclay's fuccefibrs have omitted in tlieir hehav iour and ap-
pearance many of thofc unmeaning {i;V;';'-iinrities. 'I'he quakers,
it is true, in general, Itill rerain t'le appellation of Friend,
inilead of Sir, and make u(c of Thou and Thee in difcourfc ;
neither are they very ready to pull cfl' their h.ats, by way of
civility or refjiciSt. '1 hey know, however, how to accommodate
themfelves to the common ufagci; of lile, upon pirticuiar
emergencies, and the fingularitieb of a quaker of addrels are ne^w
but jult cifcernible, and cau give no oilence to pe>htenefs, unlef:;
they arc rlfeclcd.

It is inij.ofUblc to fay any thing with certalntv concerning
the number of (juakeis in England, hi the bcginnitrx of tiie
latereiijii they were eUimat'.d at 50,000 ; anJ i am .pi to be-
lieve.

a54

ENGLAND.

i, I,

lievc, they are encrcafed, though that cncrcalc is not percep-
tible, by their Jaying afidc molt of their fingularitits. The
fcgularity of their meetings is furprizing, and the admonitions
which they give to their brethren, by circular letters, from their
yearly meetings, are worthy imitation by the moft civilized
governmcjit. The payment of tithes is a kind of a Itandiiig
grievance, becaufc it is renewed every year. They ar*; how-
ever fteady in their oppofition lo it. J 'hey who pay them vo-
.luntarily, are always cenfured. The books relating to their
religion, which they print, muft be licenfed by a committee
before they are difperfcd.

Many families in England ft ill profefs the Roman catholic
religion, and its exercifc is under very mild and gentle reftric-
tions. Though the penal laws againft papift:s in England ap-

{)ear at firlt to be feverc, yet they arc executed with fo mud^
enity, that a Roman catholic feels himfelf under few hard-
ships. Legal cvaftons are found out for their double taxes,
upon their landed property, and, as they are fubjedt to none
of the expences and troubles (unlcfs voluntary) attending pub-
lic offices, parliamentary eledions, and the lik.c burdens, the
Englifh Roman catholics are in general in good circumftances,
as to their private fortunes. The truth is, they know that a
change of government, inftcad of bettering, would hurt their
fituation, becaufe it would cncrcafe the jealoufy of the legifla-
ture, which would undoubtedly expofe them daily to greater
burdens, and heavier penalties. This fenfible confuleration has
of late rendered the Roman catholics as dutiful and zealous
iubje6ts as any his majcfty has, and their intcrcft in election ef
members of parliament, which is confiderable, has for thefc 30
years paft, commonly gone for the court. Scarcely any Eng-
lish Rxunan catholic, excepting thofc who were bred, or had
»ferved abroad, were engaged in the rebellion of the year 1745,
and though thofe at home were moft carefully obfervcd, few or
none of them were found guilty of difloyal practices.

I fhould here take my leave of the ftate of religion in Eng-
iUnd, were it not necelFary to mention thofc who profefs no re-
ligion at all, and yet have a vaft influence upon the circum-
ftances and ftate of the eftabliflied church. Thcfe go under
the name of Free-thinkers, and they are divided into as many
fcfts as Chriftianity itfelf. Arians and Socinians, words well
known to imply a diflDclief of the dofSlriues of the church ot
England, with regard to the Trinity, flielter themfelves under
the name of Free-thinkers. The Deift fhakes himfelf loofe
of all religious inftitutions, by pleading Free-thinking. The
Futalift, Who is a branch of deifm, and in fad figniiies the fame
. • . as

ENGLAND.

2^5

s not perccp-
aritics. The
2 iulmonitioiis
rs, from their
loft civilized
if a Itandiiig
hey ai\; how-
pay til cm vo-
ting to their
a committee

)man catholic
gentle reftric-
England ap-
vith fo miidi
er few hard-
double taxes,
)jt'dt to none
lending pub-
burdens, the
ircumftances,
know that a
ild hurt their
)f the legifla-
lily to greater
fuleration has
and zealous
in cledion ef
IS for thefc 30
ely any Eng-
bred, or had
le year 1745,
ferved, few or

CCS.

gion in Eng-
profefs no re-
\ the circum-
icfe go under
into as many
1, words well
he church ot
nfelves under
himfelf loofe
liking. The
lifies the fame

t$ a delfl, docs the like, and what is fl-ill worfe, free-living is
often the confequence of free-thinking, as is I'ecn in the un-
bounded diflipation, debauchery and mipii ty of its profeflbrs.
What the effects of this irrtligion iray prove, k hard to fay,
but it fccms not to be fo general at profent as in any one reign
fincc the revolution. This is in a great nio:trurc owing to the
difcouragtment it meets with from the royal example, which
has brought an attendance upon religious ordinances into credit,
at the court and capital. Another circumftancc, in favour of
religion, is the noble provifion, which the rnjoyment of &
bifhopric, or a dignified flation in the church makes, for the
younger fons of roble families. '^I'hc bench of bifliops has,
at no time fince the reformation, been pofTeffcd by fo many
men of birth and quality ; nor has it ever been known that k>
many young perfons of rank and family, have been educated to
the church, as at prcfent.

Languagk.] The Englifh language is known to be «
compound of almoft every other langu.gc in Europe, parti-
cularly the Saxon, the p'rcnch, and the Celtic. The Saxon,
however, predominates, and the words that are borrowed from
the French, being radically Latin, arc common to other na-
tions, particularly the Spaniards .ind the Italians. To de-
fcribe it abftradtedly, would be fuperfluous to an Englifh
reader, but relatively it enjoys all the properties, without
many of the defeats of other European languages. It is more
energic, manly, and cxpreflive, than either the French, or
the Italian ; more copious than the Spanifli, and more elo-
quent than the German, or the other northern tongues. It
is fubjeiSl, however, to great provincialities in its accent, for
the people of one county cm icarcely underftand thofe of an-
other; but this happens in other countries. People of fortune
and education in England, of both fexes, commonly either
fpeak, or underftand the French, and many of them, the
Italian and Spanifh j but it has been obferved, that foreign
nations have great difficulty in underftand ing the few Englifh
who talk Latin, which is perhaps the reafon why that lan-
guage is difufed in England, even by the learned profeflions.

Learning and learned men.] England may be looked
upon as another word for the feat of learning and the Mufes.
Her great Alfred cultivated both in the time of the Saxons,
when barbarifm and ignorance ovcrfpread the reft of Europe,
nor has there fince his time been wanting a continual fuccef-
fion of learned men, who have diftinguifhed thcmfelvcs by
their w^ritings or ftudies. Thefe arc fo numerous, that a bare
catalogue of their names, dowii t<? this day, v/ould form a
moderate volume.

a - - The

ir-'

>■ i!

51'™

::;

■ Mr

i * «

H|r

(J '

t Jk ^

''n

1^ \

•I, i

I \

lis

256 ENGLAND.

The Englifli inftitutlons, for the benefit of fluJv, partake
of the character of their learning. They are folid and fub-
flantial, and provide for the cafe, the direncumbrance, the
peace, the plenty, and tlie convcnicncy of its profclTors;
witnefs the two Uiiiverfities of Oxford and Cambridge, inftj-
tutions that are not to be matched in the world, a;id v/liich
were refpec.ted even aniidfl: the barbarous rage of civil wur.
The induihious LJ.uul, who was himfclf a moving library,
was the lirit" wh;) maJe a fhort collection of the lives aiiii
charadlcrs of tnofe learned pcrfons, who preceded t!ie reign
of his maftcr Henry VIII. ainuiig whom he has inferred fcvc-
ral offhebldod roy.d of both le\cs, particularly a fon and
<hiu<^jhter of the groat All'rcJ, Editha, tiie quccu of Edward
the Confeffor, and other Sa,\on prmces, f)ineof whom were
tquallv devoted to Mars as the Aluics.

In fpeal; ingot" the dark age"?, it would be 11 n pardonable, if
I (I Quld omit the mention of that prodigv of learn ing, an>i
natural philolophy, Roger lj.xoji, wlio was tlx- fcrcrur.nrr in
fcience lo tiic great Bacon, lord Verula.n, as the latfcr was
to Sirlfaac Newton. Ainoiig the other curiou.-; v orlcs afcribetl
in him by i<eland, we find treatifc;; u,on the flux and reflux oi'
the l^ntiJb fca, upon mct;illurgv, upon aflrojiomy, cfnogra-
phy, and upon the ir.peilimtnts of knowledgi-. Me lived
under lUnry UF. and ilied a( Oxioid in 1248. The honour-
able Mr. Vv'.ilp.dc has prcfervcd the- memory of fome noble and
roval KniMilli auihorr, who havi.* done hon'nir to learning and
.the Mules, and to fiiy woik I nuift rtftr. Since the Rrforma-
tion, EniMatid rel. mbb's a galaxy of literature *, nnd it is hut
doing iultice to the memory of canlinal VVolfey, though other-
wife a d.tiigcious ami profligate miniiler, to acknowledge that
both his example ;::id enc;)uragcment, laid the foundation ot
the polite arti, and th." revival oi" olallical learning in England.
As niany of the En^Iifli clergy haddifiVrffnt fentjmeius in reli-
gious matters, at tli^; time of tlie reformation, encouragement
was given to learned foreigners, to fettle in England. Edward
Vi. during his fliort life, did a great deal for tlie eiuouragc-
nient of thefe foreigner.s, and ihewed difpofitions for cultivating
the moft ufwiul parrs of learning, had he lived. Learning, as
well as liberty, fuftered an almoiT; total eclipfo in England,
during the bloody bigotted reign of queen Mary. Elizabeth,
her iJlKr, was herfelf a learned princei's. She adviuioed many
pel funs ot coiifummate abilities, to higti ratiks, bo h in church
and fhite, but flie fjeins to have confidered tlieir literary
accompdifliments lo have been 'only f^condary to their civil.

Ill

aj;d

* Sec the iJiograpliia BriuiUiira-.

ENGLAND.

^57

idvy partake

id and fub-

nbrance, the

s profcfTors;

ridge, Infti-

aiid which

>f civil war.

ving library,

le lives aiul

e<I the reign

iilcrtcd il'vc-

a Ion and

I of Edward

whoni were

irdcna

:iic, if

•arnini.';, an;i
["crcrunner in
:\\c latrcr was

i)r!cs afcribd

and rcflnx oi'

y, ccHnogra-

Hc lived

rhi^ lionour-
imc noble and

learning and
the Rcforma-
, and it is but
thoiKjrh other-
lowle lo;e that
fuundation ot
g in England,
iinents in reli-
ncoura'iement
[iu\. Edward
!i(* ciuouragc-
for cultivating

Learning, as

in England,

'. Elizabeth,

dvanced many

10. h in church

their literary

to their civil,
III

In this (he IhcweJ hcrfelf a great politician, but fhe would
have been a more amiable queen, had flic raifcd genius from
obfeiirity ; for though flic was no llranger to Spencer's Muf.',
{he lufFered herfelf to be lb ni'jch impofed upon, by rn unieel-
iu" miniilcr, that the poet languifli.d to death in obfcurity.
Tlioiijj^h fhe taflcd the beauties of the divine Shakcfpear, yet wc
knuv.' iK'i ih-it they were; c'iftinguifhed by any particular txS.'i
of her munificence, but her paifimony was nobly fupplicd by
her favourite the carl of EiU::, the politeft fcTiolar of his age,
and his friend the earl of S'juthampton, who were patrons of

feiiuis.

J'hc cncoura:^emcnt of learned forci'j-ncrs in En<j:land, con-,
tiniicd to the reign of James I. who was vaM'v munificent to
Cafaubon, and other foreign authors of dillindtion, even of
different [)r;nciplcs. lie wu'^ hinifelf no great author, but his
example had a wonderiul cfledt: upon liis fubjedl^, for in his
leigii were fcjrnicd thofe great mailers of pol inic divinity,
\vh(dV woi'ics arc altnoH: incxhauftible mines i* knowledge.
Nor mull: it be forget, that the fccond Bacon, whom I have
already iv.eniioncd, was by !iim created vifcount Vcrulam, and
Ion! high chajiccllor i^f England. He v/as likewife the patron
(ii'Cnmden, and other hijloiians, as well as antiquaries, whofe
works are to this day llani^trds in thofe iKulies. Upon the
whole, therefore, it cannot be denied, that Englifli learning
ib uiid r great obligations to James I.

His fon Charles L had a talle for the polite arts, efpccially
iculptuie, painting, and architeclurc. Ho was the pi.tron of
Ruben.', Vandyke, J.nigo To'-ics. and other eminent arlifls, fo
that had it not been for ihc civil vv.j's, he wcruld probably have
converted his court v.wA capital, into :i fecond Athens, and the
c;)]i?ciioa;. he made for that purpoie, confid-rijig hi-: pecuniary
d.fnculties, were Itupendous. His favourite, the duke of Buck-
ingham, imitated him in th.iL relpeci, and laid out the amazing
lum of 4co,ccol, Ifcrlin;', i.pon his cabinet of paintings and
ci'riofitie^.. 'I'he earl of Arundel wa.s, i.oweve;, the great
i^.la'cen.is C'f that age, and by the immenfe acqi;iriiions he
made of aiuiuuities, efpccially his famous marble inlcriptions,
may Hand upon a footing, as to the encouragement and utility
ot literature, wi'h the greated of the Medicean priiiccs. Ctiarles,
Mii his court, had liirle *.'r no rtlifli for poLtry. But fuch
waj. his geiu-iofity in cjicourjiglnnr genius and merit of every
kinJ, that he increaud the falary of his poet i-'. treat, the fa-
mous Be.) Joiiufon, f.cm I no marko to iccl. per annum,
"lal a tierce of Spanilh vviriC ; which falary ii continued to
tiu.> day.

Vol. f. R The

1 11

258

ENGLAND.

The puhlic encouragement of leatnin;>;, and the arts, fuf-
fered indeed an ccliple, diirin'T the time of the civil wars, and
the fjicceeding ufurpation. Many very learned men, however^
found their fituations under Cromwell, though he was no
itmngcr to their political fentimcnts, fo cafy, that they follow-
ed their ftudies, to the vaft benefit of every branch of learn-
ing, and many works of vaft literary merit, appeared even in
thofc times of diftra(5tion. Uflier, iVillis, Harrington, Wil-
kins, and a prodigious number of other great names, were
unmoleftcd by that uiurper, and he would e\'en have filled the
iiniverfities with literary merit, could he have done it with any
degree of fafety to his government.

The reign of Charles II. was chiefly difttnguiflied by the
great proficiencv to which it carried natural knowledge, efpe-
ciaily by the inilitution of the royal fociety. The king him-
fclf was an excellent judge of thofe ftudies, and though irre-
ligious himfelf, England never .nbouiidod more with learned
and able divines, than in his reign. He loved painting and
poetry, but was far more munificent to the former than the
latter. The incomparabk- Paradife Lolf by Milton, waspub-
liftied in his reign, but fo little read, that the imprcflion did
not pay the cxpence of 15 I. given bv the bookfcller for the
copy. The reign of Charles II. notwithitanding the bad tafte
of his court in feveral of the polite arts, bv fome is reckoned
the Augullan age in ICngland, :\m\ is dignified with the names
of Boyle, Hallev, Mook, S)'denham, Harvey, Temple, TiU
lotfon, Butler, Cowley, Waller, Dryden, Wycherley, and
Otway. The pulpit iiumied more majtllv, a better ftile,
and truer energy, than it ever had known before. Claffic li-
terature recovered manv of it-; native giaces, and tliough Eng-
land could vr.t under him boalt of a Jones, and a Vandyke,
yet Sir Chriftophcr Wren introdu cd a more general regula-
rity, than ever had been known before in architecture, and
many excellent Englifh painters (for Lely and Kneller were
foreigners) flourifhed in this reign.

That of James II. thoutih lie likewifc had a tafte for the
ftne arts, is chiefly diftinguiftied in the province of literature,
by thofe rompofitions that were publilhed bv the Englifli di-
vines againft popery, and which, for ftrengtli of reafoning,
and depth of erudition, never were equalled in any age or
country.

■ The names of Newton and Locke a lorned the reign of
William III. a prince, who neither uaderfioud, nor loved
learning, or genius in any fliape. Itflouiifhed, however, in
his ro'^iiy luticly bv the txcelleney of the fuil, iii which it

2 h;nl

ENGLAND. 259

had been planted. It has been obfc^rvcd, that metaphy-
fical rcafoning, and a fqucamifti fccpticifm in religious
matters, prevailed too much, and this has been generally at-
tributed to his indifference as to facrcd fubjed^s. Argumen-
tation, however, thereby acquired, and has ftill preferved a
far more rational tone in every province of literature, than it
had before, cfpecially in religion and philofophy.

The mod uninformed readers are not unacquainted with the
improvements which learning, and all the polite arts, received
under the aufpices of queen Anne, and wnich put her court
at Icaft on a footing with that of Lewis XIV. in its moft
fplendid days. Many of the great men, who had figured in
the reigns of the Stuarts and William, were ftill alive, and
in the full cxercifc of their faculties, when a new race fprung
up, in the republic of learning and the arts. Addifon, Prior,
Pope, Swift, lord Bolingbroke, lord Shaftelbury, Arbuthnot,
Congrcve, Steele, Rowe, and many other excellent writers,
both in verfc and profe, need but be mentioned to be ad-
mired, and the Englifh were as triumphant in literature as
in war. Natural and moral philofophy kept pace with
the polite arts, and even religious and political difpi'.tes con-
tributed to the advancement of Icarninof, by the unbounded
liberty which the laws of England allow in fpcculative mat-
ters.

The miniftcrs of George I. were the patrons of erudition,
.nnd feme of them were no mean proficients themfclves. I
have already obfcrved, that in this reign a poet held the pen
of firll fccrctary of Hate, though iMr. Addifon's talents were
very inadequate to the port, and his temper ftill more.

Though George 11. was himfclf no Mecaenas, yet his reign,
yielded to none of the preceding, in the numbers of learned
and ingeraous men it produced. The bench of bifhops was
never known to be fo well provided with able prplates, as it
was in the early years of his reign, a full proof that his nobi-
lity and niinifters were judges of literary qualifications. In
other department:; of erudition, the favour of the public ge-
nerally fupplicd the coldncfs of the court. After the rebellion
in the year 1745, when Mr. Pelham was confidered as being
flrft minifter, this forecn between government and literature,
was in a great moaiurc removed, and men of genius began
then to taflc the roy.d bounty.

The reign of his grand fon pronufes to renew a golden age
to learning and all the arts. The noble inltitution of a royal
academy, and his majcfly's generous munificence to men of
merit, in cvi;ry fludy, have already thrown an illuftrious re-

R 2 fulgcnce

1' !^

• ^

'.*■ r'

j6o

E N G

AND.

i m ! >

fulgence round his court, which niufl cndt ar his mcmorv to
future gcneiatioiis.

Uefidcs Karning, and the fine arts in ^ci.tra', the Eno-Iifh
excel, in what wc ca!l, the liiiii.ed jnoinjiuiii. Their courti
of jullicc are adorned with gu<tur ;*bilitif^ .:n'.l virtues, per-
haps, than thofc which .:n) other couiiiry ca*! loaff of. ;\
rcMViaik.'.blc inllancc of v. hii li, occurs in uv. a,^pc. uuiients for
the Jait 200 yearii of th.ir ! >-.d chM:^ce"ilors, wnw hold ihc
higheit ana the ir.cii; uncojirroulah'c judicial feat in the- Iviiig-
dom, and yet it is acknov/Icd^od by all parties, that dii.ing
that time, tiv.-ir bench i.as rcjiiuintd unpellutcd by C'^rrupticii,
or partial L'ticciions. The few iuiiaiKi-s rhat niay be dhdi^cd
to the contrary, fix r.o ii:iputation of wiitui jf; iit npon the
parties. Tlu; g.cat lord chuic.lK'r iJactui w.\s cenfuicd indeed
for corri;pt piadiiccr., but e. aUv^/Itncc itfclf doe« not lay tiiat
he uas s^uiiiv any farther than in too much indiil icncc to hi;;
lervants. 'i'iic cafe of one of hii; fuccefr<jr'; i* itiil more fa-
vourable to his memory, as his cer.fure rehv. is difirrace only
upon his enemies, and his loiJ/liip was, in t.ie eyes of every
man of candour and confeience, acquitted, not c^nly of aci^ual
but intentional guilt. l,\'<^i\ J^Heries, infern.d as he was in
his politics, never was accafed of paiti.dity in the caufes that
came before him ab chanci-li .r.

It nuifi be acknowledjM'd, that neither pulpit, nor bar-elo-
fjurncc, has b^en much iludied in Ln^land ; lait this is owing
t(i the genius of tiie neoplc, and theii" iaws. 'i"hc fermons of
their diviiies are oiten learned, and always ioiind as to the
practical and doclrinal part, but the n.any rebgious fccts in
England, require to be ojipul'ed rather by real'oning than elo-
quence. An unaecountabie nouon h^s !un\ ever pn vailed even
aniony; th>; clergy ihemlelvcs, that the latter is incon.patiblc
with the former, as if the arguments of Cicero arid l^cmoft-
henes were weakened by thole powers of language, with which
tliey are adoincd. A Il)(;rt time, perhapo, may remove this
prepolU-fiion, ana convince tiie cleri^y, as well as iaity, iliat
true ckv'uoncc is tlie lirit and fairell hajid-maid of ari^umen-
taton. The readei-, however, is not to imagine that I am
ifu'inuatin;--, that the preachers of the Englifli church are dc-
flitute of thegiaces of elcjcutifln, fo tar trom tliat, no clergy
in the vvtjrid c:!n ei;ual them, in the purity and jHrfjiicuity of
laiiPiiauc, thoiwh 1 think tliat if ti:iev confultcd more than
they do the powers of elocution, they would preach with more
citccl. If the fcmblance of thofc powers, coming from the
mouths of ignorant enthufialis, are attended with the ama/ing
eH"ccts we daiiy fee, what mult not be the coiifequcnce, if

they

IS mcniorv to

the Englifh

Their courts

■viitm-.s, per-

' oj(f of. J\

111 men ts for

HU- iiulJ !hc

11 thv. IviU'r-

1 I "^

lili'.t UlMlio-

/ corruption,

y be \llcd;^i,d

it upon the

\i\jtci\ indeed

not lay that

;cncc to hi;;

It ill iiiore fa-

tlii^^racc only

i-}c.s of every

lily uf adual

as he v»as in

ic Caufcs that

nor br.r-clo-
this i;; owintj
he ilTmons oi*
nd as to the
;ious feds in
ii;i tiian clo-
)ri vailed even
incon.patibic
aiid IDcmoft-
, with which
• rcino\c this
IS liiity, that
of aryiimcn-
le that I am
urch arc de-
it, no clergy
Krljiicuity of
d more than
:h with more
ng- from thq
the uiii;iiung
ifcqucncc, if
they

ENGLAND.

26]

ihcv were exerted in rcah'ty, and fupported with fpirit and

learning.

The laws of England are of fo peculiar a caf}, that the
f'veral pleadings at the bar, do not admit, or but very fpa-
riiirrly, of the flowers of fpecch, and I am apt to think that a
pleading in the Cic ronian manner, would nirrkc a ridiculous
appearance in Wtllminfter-hall. TheEn<;!ini huvycrs, how-
ever, th :)Ugh they deal little in eloquence, are well vcrfed in
rhetoric and reafoning.

Parliamentary fpcaking not being bound dnv/n to that pre-
cedent which is required in the courts of l.-.w, no natifjn in
the v.orld cnn produce fo many exan-.ph's of true eloquence,
as the Englifh fenaic in its two hnulbs, witnels the line fpeeches
made by bo h parties, in parliament, in the r?ign of Charles I.
and thofc that have been printed fincc the aeccfiion of the prc-
fent family.

jMedicinc and furg^ry, botany, anatomy, and all the arts or
fludics for preferving life, iiave been carried into great perfec-
tion by the Englifh, iw'^d evciy number of the medical profef-
fion, is fure of an impartial hearing at the bar of the public.
The fame may be fa'J of niufic, and theatrical exhibitions.
Even r.gricuhure and mechanifm, are now reduced in England
to fciences, and that too without any public encouragement,
but that given by pri\'ate noblemen and gentlemen, who ){U}-
ciatc themfelves for •^hat purpofc. In fliip-building, clock
wcrk, and the \ arious branches of cutlcrv, thcv (land unri-
vailed.

Universities.] I have already mentioned the cwo uni-
verfities of Cambridge and Oxford, which have been the fe-
minarics of more learned men tb.'ji any in Europe, and fome
have vent "cd to fay, than all other literary inllitutions. It
is certain th. ♦■ their magnificent buildings, which of late years>
in fplendour aud architecture, rival the moll fupcrb royal edi-
lices, the rich endowments, the liberal cafe ajid tranquillity cn-r
joyed by tliofe who inhabit them, furpafs all the ideas which
foreigners, who vifit them, conceive of literary focieties. So
refpcdhUile are they in their foundations, that each univerfity
fends tv.'o members to the Britifh parliamcjit, and their chan-
teilors and ofHccrs ha\'e ever a civ il jurifdidlion over their ftu-
dents, t\w hvxv r to ll-cu-.e their independency. Their col-
leges, in their revenues and buildings, exceed thofc of ir'any
other univcrfities. Ta Oxford thcru are 20, befides f ve li.dlsj
that are n';t cndov,"'d, uid where the fludents maintain ihem-
fei\cs. The colleges of O .ford are Univerfity, founded as
fome fay by Alfred the Great. Baliol, founded by John Ba-
liol, Iving of Scots, in 1262. Mcrton, founded by Walitr of

R 3 Merton,

2^2

ENGLAND.

I i

Merton, biftiop of Rocheftcr, and high chancellor of Eng-
land, in 1267. Exeter, founded in 1316, by Walter Sta-
plcton, bifhop of Excicr, and lord treafurer of England. Oriel,
founded by Edward II. in the year 1324. Queen's, founded
by Robert Eglcsfield, chaplain to queen Philippa, confort to
Edward III. in her honour. New college, founded in 1386,
by William of Wiclcham, bifhop of Winchcfter, but finiihcd
by Thomas do Rothcram, archbifliop of York, and lord high
chancellor, in the year 1475. All Souls, founded by Henry
Chichcley, archbimop of Canterbury, in 1437. Mnodalcn,
was founded by William Patten, alias Wainflcet, bi/hop of
M'inchcfter, and lord chancellor, in the 3 -?ar 1458. IJrazen
Nofe, foujulal in 15C9, by William Smith, bifhop of I.in-
coln. Corpus Chrifti, founded in 15 16, by Richard Fox,
bifliop of W^inchefler. Chrifl Church, founded by car-
dinal Wolfcv, in 1515, but complcatcd by othcrii, and is
now the cathedral of the diocefe. Trinity, founded by
Sir Thomas Pope, foon after the reformation. St. John
Baptift was founded in 1555, by Sir Thomas White, lord
mayor of London. Jefus, was begun by Hugh Price, prc-
bcju'ary of Rochcfter, and appropriated to the Welch.
Wadham, fo called fiom its founder Nicholas Waiiham,
of Somcrfctfliirc, Efq. It was begun by him in the year
1609, but finifhcd after his death, by his lady, in 1613.
Pembroke, fo called in honour of the e.irl of Pembroke, then
lord high chancellor, was founded ly Thomas Tcftiale, Efq;
Richard Wri::htwick, B. D. in 1624.. Worcclkr, was crcdlcd
into a college, by Sir Thomas C-jokc of Aftley, in Worcef-
tcrfhirc.

To thefc iq may be added Hertford college, formerly Hart-
Hall i but a patent having pafled the great feal in the year
1740, for ereding it into a c« liege, that dcfign is now carry-
ing into execution.

The five halls are thefe following : Alban hall, Edmund hall,
St. Mary's hall, New inn hall, and St. Mary Magdalen hall.

The colleges of Cambriflge are Peter- houfe, founded by
Hugh Balfhum, prior of Ely, in 1257, who was afterwards
bifhop of that ffc. Clare hall, founded in 1340, by u bene-
faction of lady Elizabeth Clare, countcfs of Alllor. Pem-
broke hall, fou ■ ed feven years after, by a countcfs of Pem-
broke. St. IJennet's, or Corpus Chrifti, founded about the
fimc time, by t..e united guilds, or fraternities of Corpus
Chrifli, and the Bleiled Virgin, 'i'rinity h;ill, founded by
Battman, bifhop of Norwich, about the year 1548. (jonvil
and Caius, founded by Edmund de Gonvil in 1348, coniphted
by bifliop Battman, and additionally endowed 200 years after,

coUcl;
was
and
Ci

lior of En»,
Walter Stl
gland. Orie],
'n's, founded
con fort to
'^ed '" 1386,
but fmifhcd
•nd lord high
ed hy Henry
Mnodalcn,
-t, bi/hoj) of
;B. Jira/en
hop of Lii,.
Richard Fox,
dcd by car-
ii-'io, and is
founded by
St. John
^Vhite, lord
Price, prc-
thc Welch,
s Wadham,
in the year
'» ill 1 613.
broke, then
ffdale, Efq;
was credcd
in Worccf-

mcrly Hart-
m the year
now carry.

dmundhall,
.dalcn hall,
oundcd by

afterwards
by u bcnc-
or. Pem-
("s of Pem-

about the
jf Corpus
Jiiiuli'd by
(joinil
completed
cars after,
by

England;

26^

ky John Caius, a phyfician. King's college, founded b)
Henry VI. and completed by his fiicccflbrs. Queen's college,
was founded by the fame king's con fort, butfinifhed by Elizabeth,
wife to Edward IV. Catharine hall, founded by Richard
Woodlark in 1475. Jefus college, founded by John Al-
cock, bifhop of Ely, in the rei^n of Henry VH. Chrift col-
leijc was founded about the I'-Anw time, bv that king's mother,
Margaret, countcfs of Richmond. St. John's college was
founded by the fame lady. Magdalen college was founded by
Thomas Audley, baron of Walden, \i^ the reign of Henry
VIII. 'f'liiiity college was founded by Henry VIII. Emanuel
college, by Sir Walter MiUlir.ay, in 15S4. Sidney college
was founded by Thomas RateliH^", earl of Suffex, in 1588,
and had its name from his wife Fiances Sidney.

Cities, towns, forts, am> o ther 1 This head is fo
EDiFicKS, I'L'iJMc ANU PRIVATE. S vcry cxtcnfivc,
that I can onlv touch upon objects that can afTift in giving the
reader fomc idea of its importani e, grandeur, or utility.

* Loiulon, the metropolis of the Hritifli empire, naturally
takes the lead in this divilion'; it appears to have been founded
between the reigns of Julius CaMar and Nero, but by whom
is uncertain ; for we arc told by Tacitus, that it was a place
of great trade in Nero's time, and foon after became the ca-
pital of the ifland. It was firll walled about with hewn
floncs, and Britifli bricks, by Conllantine the Great, and the
walls formed an oblong quare, in compafs about three miles,
with i'tvcn principal gates, 'Fhe fame emperor made it a
bifliop's fee ; for it appears that the bifliop of London was at
the council of Aries, in the year 314 : he alfo fettled a mint
in it, as i> plain from fome of his coin''.

London, in its large fenfe, including Weftminfter, Sonth-
wark, and part of Middlefex, is a city of a vcry furprizing
extent, of prodigious v/ealth, and of the molt extenfive trade.
This city» when confulcred with all its advantages, is now
what ancient Rome once was ; the feat of liberty, the en-
couragcr of arts, and the admiration of the whole world. Lon-
don is the centre of trade ; it has an intimate connection with all
the countries in the kingdom ; it is the grand niart of the na-
tion, to which every part fend their commodities, from whence

R 4 they

* London 15 fituated In 51° -ji' north latitude, 400 n\ilcs Lulh of Edinburgjj,
and 170 iuuili-i-aft of Uulil'm ; iSo milo; well of Amfkrd.im, 210 noith-wi;(l oC
I'.iris, 500 fouth-wcll of Copcni\.i^cn, 600 noith-wcft of Vicnii.i, 790 loiith-wcft
of Stockholm, Soo nonh-cuft of Madrid, Szo nonh-vsofl of Rome, 850 noith-caft
of Liibon, 1360 nortli-wert of ConftjiuiiiopL', And 1414 f^>u'ih-wcft of Molcow.

III

2^4

E N G I. A N D.

m\'

:iti i

[afe'

they again arc fent back into c\cry town in the nation, and to
every piirt of the world. From hence innumerable carriao;cs,
by land and water, are conitantly cnipW^yed ; and from hence
arifcs that circulation in the national body, which renders
every part hcalthlul, vi^^-^orous, and in a prolperous condition;
a circulation that is equally beneficial to tlie head, and (he;
moit dillant nicn'.bcrs. Merchants arc jiere as rich as ni^bk'-
nicn ; witnel's their incredible loans to government ; and there
is no place in the world where the (hops of tradcfmen make
fuch a nolde and elegant appearance, or are better ll'ocked.

It is fituated on the banks of tiie Thames, a river, which,
thou'jh not the larneil-, is the richeO: and niofl conuModioiis
for commerce of any in the world, it being continually fdk'J
with fleets, failing; to or from the moll diltant climates ; and
its banks being from London-bridge to Blackwall, ahnoU one
contin.ied great inag;iy,ine of naval ilores, containiivr thrco
larre wet docks, 32 dry dock;;, and 33 yarils for the biiildinj
of lliips, for the ule of the merchants, befide the plac^ s al-
lotted for the building of boats and lighters ; and the king's
yards lower down the river for the building men of war. As
this city is about 60 n-iiles diliar.t from the fea, it cnjovs, by
me.ms of this beauti'ul river, ail the benefits of navigation,
without the danger of being furpri/.ed by foreign fleets, or of
being annoyed by the moilt vapours of the fea. It riles regri-
l.irl) from the watcr-fide, and extending itfelf on both fides
along its banks, rc.ches a prodigious length from call to weft
in a kind of amphitheatre towards the north, and is conti-
nued for I'.ear 20 miles on all fides, in a fucceffion of magni-
iicent villas, and populous village?, the country feats of gen-
tlemen and tradefn en •, whither the latter retire for the benefit
of the ficlh air, and to relax their minds from tlie hurrv of
bufmefs. 'i'he reuard paid by the legiflature to the j>roperty of
the fubje^l, has h.itherto prevented any bounds being llxed for
its cxtenfion.

The irre^rular form of thir, citv makes it difficult to afccrtain
its cxt.nt. However, its length fiom call: to well, is gene-
rally allowed to be above fe\en miicL. from Hyde-paik corner
to i'oplar, and its breailtii, in fome places, three, in other
two J and in other again not much above half a mile. Hence
the circuiiif^rence of the whole is almoll- 18 miles. But it is
much earier to fi'tm an idea of the 1. rge extent of a city fo ir-
regularly bi'.ilt, by the nun.ber of the people, who are com-
puted to be near ;. miliicn ; and from the number of edifices
devoted to the ieivice of religion.

Of thcfv, befule St. PiMiTs cathe'ral, and the collegiate
church at Weltn^inder, there arc 102 parifii churches, and

69 cha-

ENGLAND.

4^^

'f'"", and to
pic carrijifjcs
' from hence

I'lich renders

's condirioM;

J-'^fl, and (Ik;

pi ns Uohl:
; and there
•imeii make
fbckcd.

jver, which,

Iconiinodioiis
fnually filled
ll'nafv.s ; j,nd
;diiioU one
aiiiin'r thrco

tlif building
It' pl;!Cf s al!

I tin- kini^'s
of war. Aj

i-'iijoys, by

n-vi_Lration,
fleets, or of
t riCus R-gii-
' both fides
cail to weft
id is c(/nti-
1 of niagni-

-Mt3 of (rc;i.

■ the htjie/it
It-' Jiiirry of
]M-ojKTty of
iig iixed for

to afccrrain
!^j is gene-
"i.Tik corner
', in other
e. Hence
But it is
city fo ir-
> arc com-
of edifices

collegiate

ches, and

69 cha-

69 chapels of the cftablifhcd religion ; 21 French proteflant
chapels ; 1 1 chapels bclf)iiging to the Germans, Dutch, Danes,
^c. 33 baptilt meetings ; 26 independent meetings ; 28 pref-
bytenan meetinc^s; 19 popifh chapels, and meeting-hourcs for
the life of forciirn ambarthdors, and people of various feds ;
and 3 Jews fynagoguc^. So that there are 326 places devoted
to religious worfhip, in the compafs of this vaft pile of build-
ings, withfxtt reckoning!; the 21 out-parillics, ufually included
within the bills of mortality.

There arc alfo in and near this city lOO alms-houfes, about
20 hofpiials and inlinr.arics, 3 colleges, 10 public prifons, 15
flefli-markcts ; i market for live cattle, 2 other markets more
particularly for herbs ; and 23 other markets for corn, coals,
hay, &c. 15 inns of court, 27 public fquares, bcfide thole
within any iingic buildings, as the Temple, 5ic. 3 bridges,
49 halls for companies, 8 public fchools, called free-fchools j
and 131 charity-fchools, which provide education for 5034
poor children-, 207 inns, 447 taverns, 551 coftee-houfes, 5975
rlchoufcs ; 8co hackney coaches ; 400 ditto chairs ; 7000
ftrccts, lanes, court;^, and alleys, and 130,000 dwelling-houfes,
tontaining, as lias been already obferved, about 1,000,000 in-
liahitanis, who, according to a late cfHmate, confumc annually
the following articles of provifions.

Black cattle — —

Sheep and lambs — —

Calves — — —

Swine — —

p;gs - _ ~ -

Poultry, and wild fowl innumerable
Mackarel fold at Hillinglgate —

Oyfters, bufliels —

Sniall boats with cod, haddock, whiting, &c
over and above thofe Drought by land-carriage
and great quantities of river and falt-fifli
Butter, pounds weight, about —

Chccfc, ditto, .about •— —

Gidlons of milk ^-^ li^i.

Barrels of ftrong beer —

Barrels of fm.-'Il beer — —

Tons of foreign wines —

Gallons of rum, brandy, and other diftilled

waters, above — —

Pounds weight cf candles, above

■\

98,244
711,123
194,760
186,932

52,000

14,740,000

Iftilled 1

i>398

16,000,000

20,000,000

7,000,000

1,172,494

79^)495
30,044

11,000,000

I/oiidon

mi:i

«■: t

/ 1

>11 '

'■ ' ... ■ il

;V'*''. ,ff

tf't

a66 E N G L A N D.

London biiilgc Wiis firU built of (lone in the reign of Hen-
ry II. about the year 1 1O3, by a tax laid upon wool, which in
courfc of time gave lifc to the notion that it was built upon
wool-packs ; tVom that time it has undergone many alterations
and improvements, particularly fincc the year 1756, when
the houfcs were takt-n down, and thr whole rendered more
convenient and beautiful. The pafl'age for carriages is 31
feet bread, and 7 feet on each fide for foot palltngcrs. It
crolles the Thames, win re it is ^15 feet broad, and has at
prcfent iq arches of about 20 feet wide each, but the centre
ojio is confiderably larger.

VV"( (hninller-b)idge is reckoned one of the moft complcat
and elegant llrueHuies of (he kind in the known world. It is
built entirely of flono, ami extended over the river at a place
where it is 1,2:''^ feet broad ; which is above 3C0 feet broader
than at Londrn-brid^e. On each fide is a fine balluHr.ide of
ilone, with places ot ihelter iVom the rain. The width of
the bridge is 44 feci, ha\ ing on each fide a fine foot way for
paircngcrs. It conliils of 14 piers, and 13 large, and two
fn.all arches, all femi-circular, that in tlic center being 76 feet
wide, and the refl: decrealing four feet each from the other ; fo
that the two Kail arches of the 13 great oner., are each 52 feet.
It is computed that the \alue of 40,000 1. in itone, and other
materials is always under water. This nvav,nificcnt ftrudurc
was begun in 173^, and finiflied in 175c, at the expcnce of
389,000 I. defrayed by the parliament.

Bhick-friars-bridge falls nothing fliort of that of Weftmiri-
fter, either in magnificence or workmanfhip ; but the fituation
of the ground on the two fliore.s, f)bliged the architee't to cm-
ploy elliptical arches ; which, however, have a very fine ef-
fect: J and many unqecllionable judges, prefer it to VVeflminficr-
bridge. This bridge was begun in 17(10, and finifhed in 1770,
at the cxpencc of 120,000 1, to be difcharged by a toll upon
the paflengers. It is fituated almoft at an equal difiancc be-
tween thofe of Weftminftcr and London, commands a view
of the Thames from the latter to Whitehall, and difcovers
the majefty of St. Paul's in a very flriking manner.

The cathedral of St. Paul's is the moft capacious, magnifi-
cent, and regular Protellant church in the world. Thelenjth
within is 500 feet ; and its height, from the marble pavement
to the crois,on the top of thecupola, is 340. It is built of Port-
landftone, accordingtothcGreek and Roman orders, in the form
of a crofs, after the model of St. Peter's at Rome, to which in
fome refpedls it is fupc.inr. St. Paul's church is the principal
work of Sir Chriftophcr Wren, and undoubtedly the only
fifch-k of the fame magnitude, that ever was compleated by one
man. He lived to a great age, and finifhed the building 37

years

tlu

|g» ^f Hcn-

^'» which in

l^u'it upon

a'tcrations
75^» whi-n
Jdcrcd more
[i'lgcs is 3,
Kngcrs. it
P"d has at
^'»c centre

'^ conipleat
oil J. Jt i^

I ;it a place
^ct broader
llnftiailc of
wiJth of
>ot way for
, and two
■''ig 76 feet
other ; (o
icli 52 feet,
iind other
>t /Iruclurc
cxpence of

Weftmin-
i^ fituation
ct^t to cni-
■y fine ef-
'fiminUer-
J'» 1770,
toll iijjon
ftancc be-
ds a view

di fee vers

magnifi-
hclcHL'th
)avcinent
of Port-
the form
tvhich in
Jrincipal
:hc only
I by one

years

ENGLAND. 267

ttars after he himfelf laid the firft flonc. It takes up fix acres
of ground, though the whole length of this church mcafiires
no more than the width of St. Peter's. The cxpence of re-
building it after the fire of London, was defrayed by a duty
on coals, and is computed at a million fterling.

Weltminftcr abbey, or the collegiate tliurch of Weftmin-

ftcr,

1.; a venerable pile of building, in the Gothic talle.

It llr

was firfl built by Edward the Conftfl'or ; king Henry III. re-
built it from the ground, and Henry VII. added a fine chapel to
the eafl end of it ; this is the rcpoiitory of the deceufed Britifli
kinr^s and nobility ; and here arc alfo monuments credkd to
the memory of many gre t and illuftrious perfonages, com-
inandtTs by fea .ind land, philofophcrs, poets, &c. In the
rrign of queen Anne, 4000I. a year, out of the coal duty,
was grantal by parliament for keeping it in repair.

The infide of the church of St. Stephen's Walbrook, is ad-
mired for its lightncfs and elegance, and does honour to the
mtmory of Sir Chriftopher Wren. The fame may be faid of
the fleeples of St. Mary-lc-Bow, and St. Bride's, which are
fuppofcd to be the mofl: complete in their kind of any in Eu-
rope, though architetiture has laid down no rules for fuch erec-
tions. Few churches in or about London are without fomc
beauty. The fimplicity of the portico in Covent-GarJen is
worthy the purcU ages of antient architeihture. That of St.
Martin's in the Fields would be noble and ftriking, could it
be i'een from a proper point of view. Several of the new
churches are built in an elegant taflc, and even fome of the
chapels have graccfulnefs and proportion to recommend them.
The Banqueting-houfe at Whitehall, is but a very fmall part
of a noble palace, defigned by Inigo Jones, for the royal refi-
dcnce, and as it now itands, under all its difadvantages, its
fymmetry, and ornaments, are in the higheft fHlc and execu-
tion of architecture.

Wcftminder-hall, though on the outfide it makes a mean,
and no very advantageous appearance, is a noble Gothic build-
ing, and is faid to be the largcft room in the world, it being
220 feet long, and 70 broad, its roof is the finell of its kind
that can be fecn. Here are held the coronation feafts o( our
kings and (juccns ; alio the courts of chancery, king's-bench,
and common-pleas, and above Hairs, tliat of the exchequer.

'I'hat beautiful column, callcil the Monument, eredtcd at
the charge of the city, to perpetuate the memory of its being
deftroyed by fire, is juflly worthy of notice. This column,
which is of the Doric order, exceeds all the obelifks and pil-
lars of the antients, it being 202 feet high, with a ftair-cafe
in the middle to alcend to the b;.'lcony, which is about 30 feet
ftort of the top, frcm whence there arc other fteps, made for

perfons

ru,

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

L^y^ 125

Itt 1^ |2.2

1^ 1^ 12.0

1.8

1-25 1 1.4 1 1.6

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716) 872-4503

■s$

^^^

"^A^
^^^

t/.

26i

ENGLAND.

perfons to look out at the top of all, which is fafliioned like
an urn, With a flame ifluing from it. On the bafe of the Mo-
hUment, next the ftreet, the deftruilion of the city, and the
relief given to the fufferers by Charles II. and his brother, is
emblematically reprefented in bas relief. The north and fouth
fides of the bafe have each a Latin infcription, the one dc-
fcribing its dreadful dcfolation *, and the other its fplcndid re-
furrciSion ; and on the eaft fiJe is an infcription, fhewing
when the pillar was beguh and finilhed. The charge of ereft-
ing this monument, which was begun by Sir Chriftophet
Wren in 1671, and finiflicd by him in 1677, amounted to up-
ward of 13,0001,

The Royal Exchrnge is a large noble building, and is faid
to have coft above 80,000 1.

We might here give a defcription of the Tower f. Bank of
England, the New-treafury,the Admiralty-office, and the Horfe-

guards

. • Which may be thus rendered : " Inthe yeavofChrlil,i666, Sept. z, eaftward from
hence, at the diftance of 202 feet (the height of this column) a terrible fire broke
out about midnight ; whicli driven on by a high wind, not only wafted the adjacent
parts, but alf) very remote places, wish incredible crarklint; and fury. It conlumed
S9 churches, the dry-gales, Guildhall, many public liru£turcs,--hofpitals, fchocls,
libraries, a vaft number of ftatcly edifices, 13,000 d-Acllinf-houfj';, and 400 ftrects.
Of the 26 wr.rds it utterly deftroyed 1 5, and left eijht others ihattertid and hnlf
burnt. The ruins of the city were 436 acres, from the Tower by the Thames fide
to the Temple church 5 and fr,)m the noith-caft along the w..U to Hylborn-b;idj^.e,
To the cft..tc5 and fortunes of the city it was mercilcf-, but to their lives very fa-
vourable, that it mipht in ?.ll things reiemble the lad conflagration of the world. The
«lcftru£lion was fuuden; for in a fmall fpace of lime the city was fcen moll (Icurifh-
inp, and reduced to nothing. Three days after, when this fatal fire had baflled all
human counfelsand endeavour* ; in the opinion of all, it ftopped, as it were by a
command from heaven, and was on evciy fide exlinpuiflied."

•j- In examining the curiufities of the Tower of London, it will be proper to begin
with thofe on tlie outfide the principal gate j the firfi: thing a ftranger ufually goes
to vifit is the wild bcafts ; which, from their fituation, firft prefcnt themfelvcs : for
having entered the outer gate, and pafled what is called the fpur-guard, the keeper's
houfe prcfvT.ts itfclf befon- you, which is known by a painted lion on the wall, and
r.nothcr over the door which leads to their dens. By r-nging a bell, and paying fix-
pcnce each perfon, you may eafily gain admittance.

. The next place worthy of obfervation is the Mint, which comprehends near one-
third of the .Tower, and contains houfes for all the officers belonging to the coinage.
On pafling the principal gate you fee the White Tower, built by V/illiam the Con-
PjUeror. Tiiis s a large, fquare, irregular flone buildinij, fituated almoft in the cen-
ter, no one fide anfwi -ing to another, nor any of its watch towers, of which there
are four at the top, built alike. One of thefc towers is new converted into an ob-
fervstory. In tiie firft ftory are two noble roomn, one of which is a fmall armoury
for the fea-fcrvice, it having various forts of arms, very curioufiy laid up, for above
io,cco feamen. In tiie other room are many clofcti and prcHes, all filled with
warlilie engines and inftruments of death. Over this are two other floors, one
principally filled with arms; the other with arms and other warlike inftruments,
as fpadcs, fhovcli, pick-axes, and clieveaux de frize. In the upper ftory, Arc kept
match, fl;ccp-fkins, tanned hides, &c. and in a little-room, called Julius Ca:far's
chapel, are flepofited fome records, containing perhaps the antient ufajies and cuf-
toms of the place. In this building are alfo preferved the models of the ncw-in-
ventcd engines of deftruftion, that have from time to time been prefentcJ to the go-
vernment. Near the louthwcll angle of the Wliitc-Towcr, is the Spanifh armoury,

E N G L A N D. 2^9

guarJs at White-hall, the Mews, where the klng*s hqxfes are

kept ; the Manfion-houfe of the lord-mayor, the Cuftom-

• ' . i - houfe,

111 \*hkh arc dcpofitcd the fpoils of what was vainly called the Invincible Armada;
in Older to perpetuate to iatelt pofterity, the memory of that fignal vi£lory, ©buined-
bythi; EngluT) over ihe whole naval power of Spain, in the reign of Phijip II.

You now come to the grand ftore-boule, a noble building, to the northwaid of
the White Tdvver, that extends 245 feet in length, and 60 in breadth. }t wa? be-
gun by king James II. who built it to the firft floor ; but it was finifhed by king
Wilham 111. who erected that magnificent room called the New, or Srnall Armoury,
in which that prime, with queen Mary, hisconfort, dined in great form, having
all the warrant workmen and labourers to attend them, drefied in white glov.es, ai)d
aprons, the ufual badjes of the order of mafonry. To this noble roon> you arc led
by a folding door, adjoining to the eaft end of the Tower chapel, which leads to k
grand ftaircafe of 50 eafy fteps. On the kit fide of the vippcrmoft landing-pUce ii
the v.ork-fhop, in which are conftainly employed about 14 furbifhers, in cleaning,
repairinjf, and new-pla:ing the arms. On entering the armoury, you fee what they
call a wildernefs cf arms, fo artfully difpofcd, that at one view you behold armi
for near 8o,ogo men, all bright, and fit for fervicc : a fight which it js impo0ib|f
to behold without aftonifiiment ; and hefidc thofe expofed to view, there were, be-
fore the late war, 16 chcf.s fhut up, each cheft holding about i,2Co muflgsts.
The arms were originally difpofed by Mr. Harris, who contrived to place them la
this beautifnl order, both here and in the guard chamber of Hampton-cogrt. He
was a common gun-fmith ; but after he had performed this work, which is the ad-
miration of people of all nations, he was allowed a penfion from the crown for hiy
ingenuity.

Upon the ground floor under the fmall armoury, is a large room of equal dinaen-'
fions with that, fupported by 20 pillars, all hung round with irnplements of war.'
This rcom, which is 24 feet hi^li, h;;s a palfage in the middle 16 feet wide. At'
the fight t)f fuch a variety of the moft dreadful engines of deftruftion, before whofe
thunderthe moft fuperb edifices, the nobleft works of art, and number of tlie hu-
man fpecics, fall together in one jOinrnon and undiltinguirticd ruin j one cannot help
wifbing that thofe horrible inventions had ftlll lain, like a falfc conception} in the'
womb of nature, never to have been ripened into birth.

The horfe armoury is a phin brick building, a little to the eaftward of the White
Towcr^ aj (• is an edifice rat^hcr convenient than elci^ant, where the fpeftator iseh»
tertaiiK'd wi't) a repn-fi:ntation of thofe kings and heroes of our own nation, with
who<l' gallant adlions it 13 to be fuppofcd he is well acquainted; fome of them
equipped and futing on horfcback, in the f:ime bright and flnning armour they were
ufcd to wear w hen they periormed thofe glorious adtlons thai give them a diftin-
guifhed plr.ce in the Rritifli aniials.

You new come to tiie line of king?;, which your conductor begins by reverfingthe
order of chronology; fo that in following them v.e muft place the laft flrO.

In a dark, ftrong, ftone room, about 20 yards to the eaftward of the grand ftorc-'
houfe, or new armoury, the crown jewels arc depofitcd. 1. The imperial crown,
with which it is pretended that all the kings of England have been crowned f.nce'
Edward the Confeflor, in 1042. It is of gold, enriched with diamonds, rubie?, eme-
ralds", faphives and pearls ; the cap within is of purple velvet, lined with white
latfety, turned up with three rows of ermine. Thty are however miftakcn in
flievw'ing this as the ancient imperial diadem of St. Edward ; for that, vvith the
other n;oft ancient regalia of this kingdom, was kept in the arched room in the
doifters in Weftminfter Abbey, till the grand rebellion; when in i/\-\, Harry
Martin, by order of the parliament, broke open the iron chcft in which it was fe-
cuud, look it thence, and fild it, together with the rnbc?, fword, and fceptcr, of
St. Edward. However, alter the reftoration, king Charles 11. had one made iu
imitation of it, which is that now fticwn. II. The golden orb or globe, put into
the king's right hand before he is crowned; and borne in his left hand with the
ftepire in his right, upon his return into Weftminfter-Hall after he is crowned. It
is abi)iit fix inches in diameter, edged with pearl, and enriched with pii;>;iou:» i^.ones.
On the top is an amethyft, of a violet tolour, near an inch and an half in hefght,
fct with a rich crofs of gold, adorned vuth diamonds, pciirl', and precious ftonet.

The

270 ENGLAND.

houfe, Indla-houfc, and a vaft number of other public build-
ings i befide the magnificent edifices raifed by our nobility ; as

Charlton-

The whole height of the ball and cup is 1 1 inches. III. The golden fcepter, with
its crofs fet upon a Ir.rge amethyd of great value, garniflied round with table dia-
monds. The handle of the fceptei is plain } but the pummel is fet round with ru-
bies, emeralds and fmall diamonds. The top rifes into a fleur de Ih of fix leaves,
all enriched with precious ftones, from whence Kfues a mound or ball, made of the
amethyft already mentioned. The crofs is quite covered with precious ftones.
IV. The fcepter v/ith the dove, the emblem of peace, perched on the top of a
fmall Jerufalem crofs, finely ornamented with table diamonds and jewels of great
value. This emblem was firft ufed by Edward the Confeffor, as appears by his
feal ; but the ancient fcepter and dove was fold with the reft of the regalia, and this
now in the Tower was made after the rcftoration. V. St. Edv/ard's ftafl-', four
feet feven inches and a half in length, and three inches three quarters in cir-
cumfprence, all of beaten gold, which is carried before the king at his coronation.
VI. The rich crown of ftate, worn by his majefty in parliament j in which is a
large emerald feven inches round j a pearl cfteemed the fined in the world, and
a ruby of ineftimable value. VII. The crown belonging to his royal highnefs the
prince of Wales. The king wears his crown on his head while he fits upon the
throne ; but that of the prince of Wales is placed before him, to ilicw that he is
not yet come to it. VIII. The late queen Mary's crown, globe, and fcepter, with
the diadem flie wore at her coronation with her confcrt king William III. IX,
An ivory fcepter, with a dove on the top, made for king James 11. 's queen, whofe
garniture is gold, and the dove on the top gold, enamelled with white. X. The
curtana, or fvvord of mercy, which has a blade thirty-two inches long, and near
two broad, is without a point, and is borne naked before the king at his corona-
tion, between the two fwords of juflice, fpiritual and temporal. XI. The golden
fpurs, and the armillas, which are bracelets for the wriils. Thefe, though very
antique, are worn at the coronation. XII. The aivpulla, or eagle of gold, iintly
engraved, which holds the holy oil the kings and queens of England are anointed
with 5 and the golden fpoon that the bifhop pours the oil into. 'Ihcfe are two
pieces of great antiquity. The golden eagle, including the pedellal, is about nine
inches high, and the wings expand about feven inches. The whole weighs about
ten ounces. The head of the eagle fcrews oft' about the middle of the neck, which
is made hollow, for holding the holy oil; and when the king is anointed by the
bifliop, the oil is poured into the fpoon out of the bird's bill. Xlll. A rich Ijlt-
feller of ftate, in form like the fquare White Tower, and fo exquiiitely wroujiht,
that the workmanfhip of modern times is in no degree equal to it. It is of gold,
and ufed only on the king's table at the coronation. XIV. A noble filver ^jjit,
double gilt, and elegantly wrought, in which the royal family arc Chriftcned. XV.
A large filver fountEin, prefented to king Charles II. by the town of I'lymouth,
very curioufly wrought j but much inferior in beauty to the above. Befides thefe,
which are commonly fhewn, there are in the jewel office, all the crown jewels worn
by the prince and princelles at coronations, and a great variety of curious old plate.
The Record Office confifts of three rooms, one above another, and a large round
room, where the rolls arcN kept. Thefe are all handfomely wainfcotcd, the wain-
fcot being framed into prefles round each room, within which are flieUes, and re-
pofitories for the records ; and for the caficr finding of them, the year of each reign
is infcribed on the infidc of thefe preflis, and the records placed accordingly.
Within thefe prefles, which amount to 56 in number, are depofited all the rolls,
from the firft year of the reign of king John, to the beginning oif the reign of
Richard III. but thofe after this laft period are kept in the rolls chapel. The
rccorde in the Tower, among other things, contain, the foundation of abbics,
and other religious houfes ; the ancient tenures of all the lands in England, with
a furvey of the manors ; the original of laws and ftatutes ; proceedings of the
courts of common law and equity ; the rights of England to the dominion of the
Eritifh feas ; leagues and treaties with foreign princes; the atchicvements of Eng-
land in foreign wars) the fettlemcnt of Ireland, as to law and dominion; the

forms

ENGLAND.

nobility ; as
Cliarlton-

Icicn fcepter, with
i with (able dia.
t round with ru-
Je lis of fix Jeaves,
iail, m:!de of the
precious ftones.
on the top of j
id jewels of great
'S appears by his
"■•^galia, and thij
'••ard's ftaft; four
quarters in cir-
It his coronation,
't J in which is a
> the uoild, and
>yal highnefs the
he fits upon the
' ^ii;w tliut he is
md fcepter, with
illiam III. IX.
•'s queen, whofe
white. X. The
2s lone, and near
ig 'It his corona.
XI. The golden
tfe, though very
- of gold, finely
ind are anointed
1 hcfe are two
iJj is about nine
^le weighs about
lie neck, which
anointed by t!ie
III. A rich faiu
lilitely wrought,
It is of gold,
able filver !mx,
riftened. XV.
1 of I'lymoulh,
Befides thefe,
wn jewels wora
ious old plate,
d a large round
ted, the wain-
leUes, and re-
ir of each reign
I accordingly,
all the rolls,
>f" the reign of
chapel. The
ion of abbicf,
•ngland, with
;dings of the
ninion of the
icnts of Eng-
5minion; the

271

forms

Charlton-houfc, Marlborough-houfe, and Buckingham-houfe,
in St. James's park ; the duke of Montague's, and the duke
of Richmond's, in the Privy-garden ; the earl of Chefterfield's
houfe, near Hyde-park i the duke of Dcvonfhire's, and the
late earl of Bath's, in Piccadilly j lord Shelburne's, in Berke-
ley-Square j Northumberland-houfe, in the Strand j the houfes
of the dukes of Newcaftle and Queenfberry ; of lord Bateman;
of general Wade in Saville-rovir ; the carl of Granville's, Mr.
Pelham's, the duke of Bedford's, and Montague houfe *, in
Bloomfbury j with a great number of others of the nobility
and gentry j but thefe would be fufficient to fill a large vo-
lume.

This great city is happily fupplied with abundance of frefti
water from the Thames and the New River ; which is not only
of inconceivable fervice to every family, but by means of fire-
plugs every where difperfed, the keys of which are depofited
with the parifh officers, the city is, in a great meafure, fecured

from

forms of fubmifllon of fome Scottlfli kings, for territories held in England ; an-
cient grants of our kings to their fubjefts j privileges and immunities granted
to cities and corporations during the period above-mentioned; enrollments of
charters and deeds made before the conqueft ; the bounds of all the forefts in Eng-
land, with the feveral refpcftive rights of the inhabitants to common pafture, and
many other important records, all regularly difpofed, and referred to in near a thou-
fand folio indexes. This office is kept open, and attendance conftantly given, fron»
feven o'clock till one, except in the months of December, January and February,
when it is open only from eight to one, Sundays and holidays excepted. A fearch
here is half a guinea, for which you may perufe any one fubjeft a year.

* The Britifli Mufeum is depofited in Montague houfe. Sir Hans Sloanc,
bart. (who died in 1753) may not improperly be called the founder of the Eriti(h
Mufeum; for its being eftahlifhed by parliament, v.'ns only in confequence of his
leaving by will his noble coUeftion of natural hiftory, his large library, and his
numerous curiofities, which coft him 50,000!. to the ufe of the publicon conditioa
that the parliament would pay 20,000 1. to his executors. To this colleiftion were
added the Cottonian library, the Harleian manufcripts, collected by the Oxford fa-
mily, and purchafed likewife by the parliament, and a colledion of books given
by the late major Edwards. His late mnjcfty, in confideration of its great uicful-
nefs, was gracioufly pleafed to add thereto, the royal libraries of books and manu»
fcripts collected by the feveral kings of England.

The Sloanian colleftion confifts of an amazing number of curiofities ; among
which are, the library, including books cf drawings, manufcripts, and prints,
amounting to about 50,000 volumes. Medals, and coins, ancient and modernj
23,000. Came:)S and intaglios, about 700. Seals 268. Veffels, &c. of agate,
jafper, &c. 542. Antiquities, 1,125. Precious (tones, agates, jufper, &c. -2,256.
Metals," minerals, ores, &c. 2,725. Cryftals, fpars, &c. 1,864. Foflils, flints,
ftones, 1,275. Earths, funds, falts, 1,035. Bitumens, fulphurs, ambers, Sec.
399. Talcs, mica?, &c. 388. Corals," fpungcs, !<c. 1,421. Teftacea, or (hells,
&c. 5,843. Echini, echinitae, &c. 659. A(teria;i trochi, entrochi, &c. 341.
Cruftacere, crabs, lob(ters, &c. 363. SccIIjp, marina, (lar-(iihc3, &c. 173. Filh,
and their parts, &c. 1,555. Birds, and theii; parts, egg<:, and ncfts, of different
fpecies, 1,172. Qiadrupeds, &c. i,886. Vipers, ferpents, &c, 521. Infects, &c.
5,439. Vegetables^ 12,506. Hortus, ficcu'^, or volumes of dried plants, 334,
Humani, as calculi, anatomical preparation?, 756. Mifccllaneous things, natur.il,
3,098. Mathematical inftrumcnts, 55. A catt<logue of all tb? above is written i(i
a number of large volumes>

272

ENGLAND.

from the fpreadingof firej for thefe plugs are no fooncr opcng^
than there is vaft quantities of water to /uppiy the engines.

This plenty of water has been attended with another ad*,
vantage, it has given rife to fevcral conipajiies, who infure
houfes and goods, from fire j an advantage that is not to be
met with in any other nation on earth : the premium is fmaJl *,
and the recovery, in cafe of lofs, is eafy and certain. Every
one of thefe offices, keep a fct of men in ] ay, who are ready
at all hours to give their afliftance in cafe of fire ; and who
are on all occalions extremely bold, dexterous, and diligent;
but though all their labours (hould prove unfucccfsful, the
pcrfon who fuft'crs by this devouring element, has the comfort
that mull arile from a certainty of being paid the value (upon
oath) of what he has infured.

If the ufe and advantage of public magnificence is confi-
^ered as a national concern, it will be found to be of the utmoft
^onfequence, in promoting the welfare of mankind, as that at-
tention to it, v/hich encouragement will produce, muft necef-
farily iHmulate the pov/ers of invention and ingenuity, and of
courfe create employment for great numbers of artifts, who,
cxclufive of the reward of their abilities, cannot fail of Itriking
out many things which will do honour to thcmfclves, and to
their country. This cpnfideration alone, is without doubt
highly worthy of a commercial people ; it is this which gives
the preference to one country, incompa:ifon with another,
and it is this which diftinguifties the genius of a people, in the
moCi: flrilcing manner.

London, before the conflagration in 1666, wlien that great
city (which like moft others had arifen from fmall beginnings)
was totally inelegant, inconvenient, and unhealthy, of which
latter misfortune, many melancholy proofs are authenticated

*■ The terms of infiuancc arc as follows, viz. every perfon infuring, flinll 7
pay for eveiy ico 1. intured on goods, inclofed in brick or flone — 5
If half hazardous, as to fituation, or kind of goods —

if hazardous — — — . -_ _

If hazardous, and lialf hazardous _— _ >_

If ha?arilou;, and hazardous — . — , — ,

For fvery lOo 1. infured <'n goods, inciofcd in part brick, and part timber
If half hazardous, as to fjtuation, or kind of goods — — .

If hazardous — — — . — —

If hazirdoiis, and half hazardous ^- — »_

if ha7ardous and hazardous — — —

For every icol. infarct on goods, inciofcd in timber —

If half hazardous, as to fituation, or kind of goods — —

If hazardous — — — — .

If h.>zardous, and half hazardous > — . •— . —

b' haiardoiis, and hazardous — — — ■

'I he premium is double upon any Ami between one and two thoufand, a:
l^iweea two aod three thoufund pounds.

J.
o
o

o
o
6

7 6

9 o

J tve'jlc

ENGLAND;

273

and, unJ uehlfi

U hiftory, anJ which, without doubt, proceeded from the
narrownefs of the ftrects, and the unaccountable projeflioiis
of the buildings, that confined the putrid air, and joined
with other circumftances, fuch as the want of water, rendered
the city fcarce ever free from peftilcntial devaftation. The fire
which coufumed the greatdt part of the city, dreadful as it
was to the inhabitants at that time, was produ(Stive of confc-
quenccs, which made ample amends for the lofies fuftained by
individuals ; a new city arofc on the ruins of the old, but, tho'
more regular, open, convenient, and healthful than the former^
vet by no means anfwered to the charadlers of magnificence or
elegance, in fome particulars, as fhall be hereafter mentioned,
and Lt isc\*ier to be lamented (fuch was the infatuation of thofe
times) that the magnificent, elegant and ufeful plan of the
great Sir Chriftopher Wren, was totally difregarded and fa-
crificcd to the mean and felfifh views of private property j
viev/s which did irreparable injury to the citizens themfelvesj
and to the nation in general j for had that great architect's
jilan been followed, what has often been aflertcd, muft have
been the rcfult, the metropolis of this kingdom would incon-
teftably have been the moft magnificent and elegant city in
the univerfe, and of confequence mult from the prodigious
refort of foreigners of diftindtion, and tafte, who would have
Vifited it, have become an inexhaaftible fund of riches to this
nation. But as the deplorable blindnefs of that age, has de-
prived us of fo valuable an acquifition, it is become abfo-
Jiitely neceflary, that fome efforts ihould be made to render the
prefent plan in a greater degree anfvvorable to the character of
the richeft and moll powerful people in the world.

The plan of London in its prefent Itate, will in many in-
flances appear, to very moderate judges, to be as injudicious a
(iifpofitlon, as can poffibly be conceived for a city of trade
and commerce, on the borders of fo noble a river as the Thames*
The wharfs and quays on its banks are defpicable and inconve-
nient beyond conception. Let any one who has a tolerable
taile, and fome idea of public magnificence, give himfelf the
trouble of confidering the itate of the buildings, quays, and
Vvharfs, on both fides tlie river Thames, from Chelfea to
Blackwall, on the one hand, and from Battetfea to Greenwich
on the other ; and he will be immediately convinced that
there is not one convenient, well-regulated fpot (as the build-
ings thereon are at prefent difpofed) either for bufinefs or ele-
gance, in that whole extent. After he has Confidered th^
«ate of the banks of the river, he may continue his obfervatioii
upon the interior parts of the town, and naturally turn his
c^'es upon th9fe uleful placjs to the trading part of the world,

•yoi-. 1. S Wapping,

I
i

274 ENGLAND.

Wapping, Rotherhithe, and Southwark, all contiguous t&
the Thames, and all entirely deftitutc of that ufeful regularity^
convenience, and utility, 16 very defirable in commercial ci-
ties. The obfervcr may from hence diredt his view to Tower-
hill, the Cuftom-houfe, Thames-ftreet, Watling-ftreet, and the
paiTages to London-bridge ; thence to the miferably contrived
avenues into Spitalficlds, Whitechapel, and Moorfields. He may
confider thefituation of St. Paul's, and other churches, that of
the Monument, the Companies halls, and other public build-
ings, that are thruft up in corners, and placed in fuch a man-
ner as mult tempt every foreigner to believe that they were
defigncd to be concealed. The obfervcr may next take in all
thofe wretched parts which he will find on both fides the
Fleet-market ; neceffity will oblige him to proceed into Smith-
field, for the fake of breathing a frefher ;iir ; and when he has
confidered a fpot, capable of the greateft advantages, but dc-
ftitute of any, he may plunge into the deplorable avenues and
horrid paflages in that neighbourhood. He may thence proceed
to Baldwin's Gardens, through the ruins of which if he
efcapes without hurt, he may reach Gray's-Inn lane j which,
though one of the principal avenues to this metropolis, is
defpicable beyond conception. From thence he may travel
into Holborn, where the firft object that prefents itfelf to view,
is Middle-row, a nuifunce univerfally detefted, but fufFered to
remain a public difgrace to the fineft ftreet in London. He
may hobble on with fome fatisfadlion, until he arrives at Broad
St. Giles's, where, if he can bear to fee a fine fituation co-
vered with ruinous buildings, and inhabited by the moft de-
plorable obje«Ss that human nature can furnifh, he may vifit
the environs. From hence he may proceed along Oxford-
road, and ftriking into the town on which hand he pleafes, he
will obferve the fineft fituation covered with a profufion of de-
formity, that has been obtruded on the public, for want of a.
general, well regulated, limited plan, which (hould have been
enforced by commiflioners appointed by authority, men of
found judgment, tafte, and adivity ; had that happily been
the cafe, all the glaring abfurdities, which are perpetually,
ilaring in the faces, and infulting the underftandings of per-
fons of fcience and tafte, would never have had exiftence.
But private property, and pitiful, mean underftandings, fuited
to the capacities of the projeiflors, have taken place of that regu-
larity and elegance, which a general plan would have produced ;
and nothing feems to have been confidered for 20 years paft,
but the intereft of a few taftelefs builders, who have entered
into a combination, with no other view than fleecing the pub-
lic, and of extending and Uiftorting the town» till they have

rendered

'^>*

ENGLAND. 275

tendered it completely ridiculous. From hence the obferver,
in his road to the city of Weftminfter, may have a peep at
St. James's, the refidence of the moft powerful and refpeftable
monarch in the univerfe : a prince, who is himfelf a lover of
the arts, and under whofe happy aufpices artifts of real me-
rit and ingenuity can never doubt of obtaining patronage and
encouragement. The obferver will not be better fatisfied
when he has reached Weftminfter, when he confiders what
might have been done, and how little has been done, when fo
fine an opportunity prefented itfelf. From Weftminfter-bridge
he may conduit himfelf into- St. George's Fields ; one of the
few fpots about London which has not yet fallen a facrifice to
the depraved tafte of modern builders ; here he may indulge
himfelf with the contemplation of what advantageous things
may yet be done for this hitherto negledled metropolis.

From what has been faid of the cities of London and
Weftminfter, there cannot remain the leaft doubt but that their
ftate, with regard to magnificence, elegance, or conveniency,
is in fuch places very defpicable; but we have the pleafure to
find, that the necelfity of rendering them otherwife is now
become a matter of ferious concern to perfons^in power ; and
that fome general plan is likely to be formed and obferved for
their improvement. In the cities of Paris, Edinburgh, Rot-
terdam, and other places, the government takes cognizance of
all public buildings, both ufeful and ornamental.

We might iu this place take notice of the very elegant, ufe-
ful, and necelTaiy improvement, by the prefent method of
paving and enlightning the ftreets, upon the plan of the High-
ftreet of Edinburgh j an improvement which is felt in the moft:
fenfible manner by all ranks and degrees of people. The roads
are continued for feveral miles round upon the fame plan ;
and, exclufive of lamps regularly placed on each fide, at ftiort
diftances, are rendered more fafe by watchmen placed within
a call of each other, who are protected from the weather by
proper boxes. Nothing can appear more brilliant than thofe
lights when viewed at a diftance, efpecially where the roads
run acrofs ; and even the principal ftreets, fuch as Pall-Mall,
New Bond-ftreet, &c. convey an idea of elegance and mag-
nificence ; upon the whole, there never was, in any age or
country, a public fchcme adopted which refledts more glory
upon government, or does greater honour to the perfon who
originally propofed and fupported it.

The embanking the river, and many other improvements
now in agitation, as well as the tafte and public fpirit of fome
ruling men, give reafon to hope, that this hitherto neglected
metropolis will become, in point of beauty, conveniency, an4

S 2 elegance,

176 E N G LAN D.

c leg.iiicc, what it is in wealth and commerce, the glory of
the idaiid, the aJmiratioii ot" every llranger, and the firft city
on earth.

VVindibr caftic is the only fabric that dcfervcs the name of
a royal p ,Iacc in England ; and that chiefly through its beau-
tiful and commanding fituation ; which, with the form of
its conitrudlion, rendered it, before the introdudlion of artil-
lery, impregnable. Hamfton Court v/as the favourite refi-'
dence of king William. It is built in the Dutch taftc, and
. has fome good apartments, and liice Windfor lies near the
Thames. Hoth thefe places have fome good pitSlures ; but no-
thing equal to the magnificent coUedion made by Charles I.
and diflipated in the tinie of the civil wars. I'hc cartoons of
Raphae', which, for dcfign and cxpreflionj arc reckoned the
niafter-pieces of painting, have by his prcfcnt majcfty beef>
removed from the gallery built for them at Hampton-Court,
to the queen's palace, formerly Buckingham-houfe, in Sti
James's Park. 'J 'he palace of St. James's is commodious,
but has the air of a convent ; and that of Kenfmgton, which
was purchafed from the Finch family by king William, is
remarkable only for its gardens, v/hich are laid out in a grand
tafte. Other houfcs, though belonging to the king, arc far
from dcl'erving the name of royal. f

Foreigners have been puzzled to account how it happens
that the monarchs of the richcft nation in Europe fhould be
fo indirierently lodged, efpecially as Charles I. whofc finances
were but low, compared to fome of his fuccefibrs, had he
lived undillurbed, would more than probably have completed
the auguil: plan which Inigo Jones drew for a royal palace,
and which would have been every way fuitable to an Englifh
monarch's dignity. The truth is, his fon Charles II. though
he had a fine tafte for architecture, diflipated his revenues
upon his pleafurcs. The reign of his brother was too fhort for
fuch an undertaking. Perpetual wars during the reigns of
king William and queen Ann, left the parliament no money
to ipare for a palace. The two fucceeding monarchs were
indifFcreut as to fuch a piece of grandeur in England ; and
though feveral fchcmes were drawn up for that purpofe, yet
, • they came to nothing, efpecially as three millions of money
were neceflary "for carrying it into execution. We have,
however, every thing to expe6l during the prefent reign, when
architecture and magnificence fhine out in their full luftre.

It would be needlefs, and, indeed, endlefc, to attempt even

a catalogue of the houfes of the nobility and gentry in the

neighbourhood of Londqii, and all over the kingdom. They

. aic by fur Uiorc fuperb and elegant than the fubjeds of any

^ . 4 other

ENGLAND;

277

other nation can difplay ; witnefs thofc of the duke of Dcvoi\-
ihire, the countcfs of Leiccrter, lord Scarf ale, the earl Tem-
ple, and carl Pembroke, where more remains of antiquity are
to be found than are in the polVcfnon of any fubjed in the
world; Sir Gregory Page, the earl of Tilncy, and hundreds
of others equally graml and fumptuous. Hut thofe capital
houfes of the Englifli nobility and gentry have an excellency
difliaiSl from what is to^be met with in any other part of the
globe, which is, that all of them are complete without and
within, all the apartments and members being fuitable to each
other, both in conftru«Slion and furniture, and all kept in the
hi "heft prefervation. It often happens, that the houfc, how-
«vcr elegant and coftly, is not the principal objecl of the feat,
which confifts in its hortulane and rural decorations. Viftas,
opening landfcapcs, temples, all of them the rcfult of that
enchanting art of imitating nature, and uniting beauty with
magnificence.

it cannot be expcfted that I fhould here enter into a detail
of the chief towns of England j which, to fay the truth, have
little befides their commerce, and the convenicncy of their
fituation, to recommend them, though fome of them have
noble public buildings and bridges. Briftol is thought to be
the largelt city in the Britifh dominions, after London and
Dublin, and to contain about 100,000 inhabitants. No na-
tion in the world can fliew fuch dock-yards, and all conve-
niencies for the conftrudlion and repairs of the royal navy, as
Portfmouth (the moft regular fortification in England) Ply-
jnouth, Chatham, Woolwich, and Deptford, The royal
hofpital at Greenwich for fuperannuated feamcn, is fcarccly
exceeded by any royal palace for its magnificence and expence.
In {hort, every town in England is noted for fome particular
produdion or manufacture, to which its building and ap-
pearance are generally fitted j and though England contains
many excellent and commodious fea-ports, yet all of them
have an immediate conne£lion with London, which is the
common centre of national commerce.

Antiquities AND CURIOSITIES i The antiquities of
NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL, j England arc either Bri-
tilh, Roman, Saxon, or Danifh, and Anglo-Normannic ;
but thefe, excepting the Roman, throw no great light upon
antient hiftory. The chief Britifli antiquities, are thofe cir-
cles of ftones, particularly that called Stonehenge, in Wilt-
Ihire, which probably were places of facred worfhip in the
times of the Druids. Stonehenge is, by Inigo Jones, Dr.
Stukeley, and others, defer! bed as a regular circular ftruclurc.
The body of the work confifts of two circles, and two ovals,
u , S3 which

i78 ENGLAND.

which are thus compofcd. The upright ftoiies are placed at
three feet and a half diftancc from each other, and joined at
top by over-thwart Itones, with tennons fitted to the mortifes
in the uprights, for keeping them in their due pofition. Some
of thefe ftoncs are vaftly large, meafuring two yards in
breadth, one in thicknefs, and above fcvcn in height j others
are lefs in proportion. The uprights arc wrought a little with
a chiflel, and fomcthing tapered ; but the tranfomcs, or over-
thwart ftoncs, are quite plain. The outfide circle is near one
hundred and eighty feet in diameter ; between which, and the
next circle, there is a walk of three hundred feet in circum-
ference, which has a furprizing and awful effcd: on the
beholders. After all the defcriptions of, and dillertations
upon, this celebrated antiquity, by ingenious writers, it is
not to be denied, that it has given rife to many extravagant
ridiculous conjedturcs, from the time of Lclan.l, who has
been very particular on the fubjedl:, down to Stukeley, who,
on a favourite point of antiquity, fometimes formed the moft
enthufiaftic conjcdlures. The barrows that aic near this
monument, were certainly graves of perfons ol both foxes,
eminent in peace or war ; forne of them having been opened,
and bones, arms, and antient trinkets, found within them.

Monuments of the fame kind as that of Stonehenge, are to
be met with in Cumberland, Oxfordfliire, Cornwall, Devon-
Ihire, and many other parts of England, as well as in Scot-
land, and the ifles, which have been already mentioned.

The Roman antiquities in England, confift chiefly of altars,
and monumental infcriptions, which inftruft us as to the legio-
nary ftations of the Romans in Britain, and the names of forne
of their commanders. The Roman military ways give us the
higheft idea of the civil as well as military policy of thofe con-
querors. Their veftiges are numerous j one is mentioned
by Leland, as beginning at Dover, and paffing through Kent
to London, from thence to St. Alban's, Dunftable, Strat-
ford, Towcefter, Littleburn, St. Gilbert's hill near Shrewf-
bury, then by Stratton, and fo through the middle of Wales
to Cardigan. The great Via Militaris called Hermen-ftreet,
pafTed from London through Lincoln, where a branch of it,
from Pomfret to Doncatter, ftrikes out to the wcftward,
paffing through Tadcafter to York, and from thence to Aid-
by, where it again joined Hermen-ftreet. There would,
however, be no end of defcribing the veftiges of the Roman
roads in England, many of which ferve as foundations to our
prefent highways. The great earl of Arundel, the celebrated
Englifti antiquary, had formed a noble plan for defcribing
thofc which pafs through Suffex and Surry towards London ;

but

.k:-

|are placed at
md joined at
the mortifes
)fition. Some
fwo yards jn
-ight } others
|t a little with
les, or ovcr-
jle is near one
ihich, and the
pet in circum-
iffcd: on the

diflertations
writers, it is

y extravagant
■n.!, who has
ukeley, who,
uicd the moft
't near this
r boiii fexes,
been opened,
ithin them,
henge, are to
wall, Devon-
d\ as in Scot-
ntioned.
liefly of altars,
IS to the legio-
tiames of fonje
ys give us the
of thofe con-
is mentioned
through Kent
tftable, Strat-
near Shrewf-
Idle of Wales
[ermen-ftreet,
branch of it,
^e wcftward,
lence to Ald-
^here would,
f the Roman
lations to our
he celebrated
)r defcribing
rds London -,
but

ENGLAND. 27^

tut the civil war breaking out, put an end to the undertaking.
The remains of many Roman camps arc difccrniblc all over
England. Their fituations arc generally fo well chofen, and
their fortifications appear to have been fo complete, that there
is fome reafon to believe, that they were the conftant habi-
tations of the Roman foldiers in England, though it is certain
from the baths and teflcrated pavements, that have been found
in different parts, that their chief officers and magiftratcs,
lived in towns or villas. Roman walls have likewife been
found in England j and, perhaps, upon the borders of Wales,
many remains of their fortifications and cables, are blended
with thofe of a later date j and it is difficult for the moft
expert architect to pronounce that fome halls and courts are
not entirely Roman. The private cabinets of noblemen and
gentlemen, as well as the public repofitaries, contain a vaft
number of Roman arms, coins, fibulae, trinkets, and the like,
that have been found in England; but the moft amazing
monument of the Roman power in England, is the praeten-
ture, or wall of Severus, commonly called the PiiSis wall,
running through Northumberland and Cumberland, begin-
ning at Tinmouth, and ending at Solway Firth, being about
eighty miles in length. The wall at firft confifted only of
flakes and turf, with a ditch, but Severus built it with ftone
forts, and turrets, at proper diftances, fo that each might
have a fpcedy communication with the other, and it was
attended all along by a deep ditch, or vallum, to the north,
and a military high way to the fouih. This prodigious work,
however, was better calculated to ftrike the Scots and Pi(Sts
with terror, than to give any real fecurity to the Roman pof-
feflions. In fome places, the wall, the vallum, and the road,
are plainly difcerniblc, and the latter ferves as a foundation
for a modern work of the fame kind, carried on at the public
expence. A critical account of the Roman antiquities in
England, is among the defiderata of hiftory, but perhaps it is
too great a defign for any one man to execute, as it cannot be
done without vifiting every place, and every objeft in perfon.

The Saxon antiquities in England coniift chiefly in eccle-
fiaftical edifices, and places of Itrength. At Winchefter is
fliewn the round table of king Arthur, with the names of his
knights. The antiquity of this table has been difputed by
Cambdcn, and later writers, perhaps with reafon ; but if it is
not Britifh, it certainly is Saxon. The cathedral of Win-
chefter, fcrved as the burying place of feveral Saxon kings,
whofe bones were collefted together by bifhop Fox, Li fix
large wooden chefts. Many monuments of S;ixon antiquity,
prefent themfelvcs all over the kingdom, though they are

S 4 often

III
1 1

. -~ii-^:^jmm

j^iiSBiWKO

280

ENGLAND,

%-0
♦if

ill's

often not to be difcerned from the Normannic ; and the Britifh
Mufcum contains feveral ftriking original fpecimens of theif
learning. Many Saxon charters figned by the king, and his
nobles, with a plain crofs inftead of their names, are ftill to be
inet with. The writing is neat and legible, and was always
performed by a clergyman, who affixed the name and quality
of every donor, or wltnefs, to his refpeftive crofs. The
Panifli ercdtions in England, are hardly difcernible from the
3axon. The form of their camps are round, and generally
built upon eminences, but their forts are fquare.

All England is full of Anglo Normannic monuments, which
I chufe to call fo, becaufe, though the princes, under whoin
they were raifed, were of Norman original, yet the expenc?
was defrayed by Engliflimen, with Englifh money. Yorlc-
minftcr, and Weftminfter-hall, and abbey, arc perhaps the
finefl: fpecimens to be found in Europe, of that Gothic man^
iier, which prevailed in building, before the recovery of thq
Greek and Roman architecture. All the cathedrals, and old
churches in the kingdom, are more or lefs in the fame tafte,
if we except St. Paul's. In fliort, thofe erections arc fp
common, that they fcarcely ucferve the name of curiofities,
It is uncertain, whether the artificial excavations, found in
i'oir.e parts of England, are Britifli, Saxon, or Norman.
That under the old caftlc of Ryegate in Surry, is very re-
markable, and fecms to have been defigned for fccrcting the
cattle and effects of the natives, in times of war and invafion.
It contains an oblong fquare hall, round which runs a bench,
cut out of the fame rock, for fitting upon ; and tradition fays,
that it was the room in which the barons of England met,
during their wars with king John. The rock itfelf is foft,
and very practicable ; but it is hard to fay, where the exca-
vation, which is continued in a fquare pafiage, about fix feet
high, and four wide, terminates, becaufe the work is fallen
in in fome places.

The natural curiofities of England are fo various, that I
can touch upon them only in general j as there is no end of
defcribing the feveral medicinal waters and fprings, which are
to be found in every part of the country. They have been
analyfed with great accuracy and care, by feveral l,earned natu-
.ralifts, who, as their intcreits, or inclinations led them, have
not been fparing in recommending their falubrious q,ualities.
England, however, is not fingular in its medicinal waters,
though in i'omc countries the uilcovering and examining theqi
is fcarce worth while. In England, a much frequented well
f)r fpring, is a certa n cftatc to its. proprietor. The mo|t
rem;irkable of thefc wells have been divided into thofe for

bathing^

ENGLAND;

a8t

ments, which
under whon^
the expencQ
'"ey. Yorlc-
peihaps the
Gothic man-
covcry of thp
JraJs, and old
he fame tafte,
ctions arc fp
of curiofities,
WIS, found in
or Norman.
y-t is very re-
fccrcting the
and invafion.
runs a bench,
tradition fays,
England met,
itfelf is foft,
sre the cxca-
■bout fix feet
ork is falkn

rious, that I
is no end of
s> which are
-y have been
sarned natu-

theni, have
JS (Sj^ualities.
inai waters,
lining them
uented well

The mo|t

• thofe for

bathing^

bathing, and thofe for purging. The chief of the former lie
in Somerfetfliire; and the Bath waters are famous through all
the world, both for drinking :;nd bathing. Spaws of the
fame kind are found at Scarborough, and other parts of York-
fliire; at Tunbridge in Kent; Epfom and Dulwich in Surry;
A<Son and Iflington in Middlefex. Here alfo are many re-
markable fprines ; whereof fome are impregnated either with
ifalt, as that at Droitwich in Worcefter ; or fulphur, as the
famous well of Wigan in Lancafhire j or bituminous matter,
as that at Pitchford in^Shroplhire. Others have a petrifying
quality, as that near Lutterworth in Leicefterlhire ; and a
dropping well in the weft riding of Yorkfhire. And finally,
feme ebb and flow, as thofe of the Peak in Derbyfhire, and
Laywell near Torhay, whofe waters rife and fall feveral times
in an hour. To thefe we may add that remarkable fountain
near Richard's caftle in Herefordfhire, commonly called Bone-
well, which is generally full of fmall bones, like thofe of
frogs or fifh, though often cleared out. At AnclifF, near
Wigan in Lancafhire, is the famous burning well; the water
is cold, neither has it any fmell ; yet there is fo ftrong a
vapour of fulphur ifl'uing out with the ftream, that upon ap-
plying a light to it, the top of the water is covered with a
flame, like that of burning fpirits, which lafl-s feveral hours,
and emits fo fierce a heat that meat may be boiled over it. The
fluid itfelf will nqt burn when taken out of the well.

Derbyfhire is celebrated for many natural curiofities. The
Mam Tor, or Mother Tower, is faid to be continually moul-
dering away, but never diniiniflies. The Elden Hole, about
four miles from the fame place : this is a chafm in the fide
of a mountain, near fevcn yards wide, and fourteen long,
diminifhing in extent within the rock, but of what depth is
not known. A plummet once drew 884 yards of line after it,
whereof the laft 80 were wet, without finding a bottom. The
entrance of Poole's hole near Buxton, for feveral paces,
is very low. but foon opens into a very lofty vault, like the
infide of a Gothic cathedral. The height is certainly very
great, yet much fhort of v/hat fome have aflerted, who reckon
it a quarter of a mile perpendicular, though in length it
exceeds that dimenfton : a current of water, which runs
along the middle, adds, by its founding Itream, re-ecehoed on
all fides, very much to the aftonilhment of all who vifit this
yafl concave. The drops of w:ater which hang from the roof,
and on the fides, have an amufing efieft ; for they not only
reflcd: numbcrlcl's rays from the candles carried by the guides,
but as they are of a petrifying quality, they harden in feveral
j^hc^s into various foyms, which, with the help of a ftrong

imagination.

^tt

ENGLAND.

imagination, may pafs for Hons, fonts, organs, and the Iike«
The entrance into that natural wonder, which is from its
hideoufnefs, named the Devil's Arfe, is wide at firft, and up-
wards of thirty feet perpendicular. Several cottagers dwell
under it, who feem in a great meafure to fubfift by guiding
ftrangers into the cavern, which is crofled by four ftreams of
water, and then is thought impafTable. The vault, in feveral
places, makes a noble appearance, which is particularly beau-
tiful, by being chequered by various coloured ftones. Thefc
are the mcft celebrated natural excavations in England, where
they are beheld with great wonder, but are nothing com-
parable to thofe that exift in Germany, and other parts, both
of Europe and Afia.

Some fpots of England are faid to have a petrifying quality.
We are told, that near Whitby in Yorkfliire, are found cer-
tain ftones, refembling the folds and wreaths of a ferpent;
alfo other ftones of icveral fizes, and fo exactly round, as if
artificially made for cannon balls, which being broke, do
commonly contain the form and likenefs of ferpents, wreathed
in circles, but generally without heads. In fome parts of
Gloucefterfliire, ftones are found, refembling cockles, oifters,
and other teftaceous marine animals. Thofe curiofities, how-
ever, in other countries, would, as fuch, make but a poor
appearance, and even in England they are often magnified by
ignorance and credulity.

Commerce and manufactures.] This article is fo
copious, and has been fo well difcuft*ed in former publications,
many of which are mafter-pieces in their kind, that the reader,
I hope, will not expe6l that I enter into minutije. It is well

J:nown that commerce and manufactures have raifed the Eng-
ifh to be at this day the firft and moft powerful people in the
world. Hiftorical reviews, on this head, would be tedious.
It is fufficient then to fay, that it was not till the reign of
Elizabeth, that England began to feel her true weight in the
fcale of commerce. She planned fome fettlements in America,
Virginia particularly, but left the expence attending them to
be defrayed by her fubjeCts ; and indeed flie Was too parfimo-
fiious to carry her own notions of trade into execution.
James I. entered upon great and beneficial fchemes for the
Englifli trade. The Eaft-India company owes to him their
fuccefs and exiftence, and the Britifh America faw her moft
fiourifhing colonies rife under him and his family. The
fpirit of commerce went hand in hand with that of liberty,
and their gradations have terminated in the prefent glo-
rious ftateof the nation. It is not within my defign to follow
commerce through all her fluctuations and ftates. This

would

'X-

ying quality.

re found cer-

f a ferpentj
' round, as if

g broke, do
tits, wreathed
)me parts of
:lclcs, oifters,
ofities, how-
' but a poor
magnified by

article is fo
publications,
lat the reader,
e. It is well
ifed the Eng-
people in the
I be tedious,
the reign of
veight in the
in America,
ing them to
too parfimo-
> execution,
nies for the
to him their
iw her moft
niJy. The
of liberty,
)refent glo-
;n to follow
ites. This
would

ENGLAND. aSj

would be an idle attempt, and it has already taken up large
volumes. The nature of a geographical work, requires only
a reprefentation of the prefent ftate of commerce in every
country y and in this light I flatter myfelf that I fliall be able
to treat of it with more precifion, than former writers upon the
fame fubjeft.

The prefent fyftem of Englifli politics may properly be faid
to have taken rife in the reign of queen Elizabeth. At this
time the Proteftant religion was eftablifhed, which naturally
allied us to the reformed ftates, and made all the Poplin
powers our enemies. ^

We began in the fame reign to extend our trade, by which
it became neceflary for us alfo to watch the commercial pro-
grefs of our neighbours j and, if not to incommode and ob-
ftrudl their traffic, to hinder them from impairing ours.

We then likewife fettled colonies in America, which was
become the great fcene of European ambition ; for, feeing
with what treafures the Spaniards were annually enriched from
Mexico and Peru, every nation imagined, that an American
conqueft or plantation would certainly fill the mother country
with gold and filver.

The difcoveries of new regions, which were then every day
made, the profit of remote traffic, and the neceffity of long
voyages, produced, in a few years, a great multiplication of
fhipping. The fea was confidered as the wealthy element ;
and, by degrees, a new kind of fovereignty arofe, called naval
dominion. ' ..

As the chief trade of Europe, fo the chief maritime power
was at firfl in the hands of the Portuguefe and Spaniards, who,
by a compa6^, to which the confent of other princes was not
afked, had divided the newlv difcovered countries between
them J but the crown of Portugul having fallen to the king of
Spain, or being feized by him, he was mafter of the fliips of
the two nations, with which he kept all the coafts of Europe
in alarm, till the Armada, he had raifed at a vaft expence for
the conqueft of England, was deflroj'ed j which put a ftop,
and almoft an end, to the naval power of the Spaniards.

At this time the Dutch, who were opprefled by the Spa-
niards, and feared yet greater evils than they felt, refolved no
longer to endure the inlolence of their matters j they therefore
revolted j and after a ftruggle, in which they were affifted by
the money and forces of Elizabeth, eredled an independant
and powerful common-wealth.

When the inhabitants of the Low Countries had formed
their fyftem of government, and fome remiflion of the war
gave them leifure to form fchemes of future proi'ijerity j they

eafily

.'tt^.JiJi'JiB^'aa^.i'i'iii'-^^-^^^^^

2S4

ENGLAND.

•11

liN^

rafily perceived that, as their territories were narrow, and
their numbers fmall, they could prcferve themfelves only by
that power, which is the confequence of wealth ; and that
by a people whofe country produced only the neceflaries of
life, wealth was not to he acquired, but from foreign domi-
nions, and by the tranfportation of the products of one coun-
try into another.

From this necelfity, thus juflly eftimated, arofe a plan of
commerce, which was for many years profecuted with an
induftry and fuccefs, perhaps never feen in the world before ;
flnd by which the poor tenants of mud- walled viltages and im-
paifible bogs, eredted themfelves into high and mighty ftates,
who fet the greateft monarchs at dciiancc, whofe alliance was
courted by the proudeft, and whofe power was dreaded by the
fierceft nations. By the eltablifliment of this ftate, there
arofc to England a new ally, and a new rival.

At this time, which feems to be the period deftined for the
change of the face of Europe, France began firft to rife into
power, and from defending her own provinces with difficulty
and fludluating fuccefs, to threaten her neighbours with in-
croachments and devaflations. Henry IV. having, after a
long ftruggle, obtained the crown, found it eafy to govern
nobles, exhaufted and wearied by a long civil war ; and hav-
ing compofcd the difputes between the Proteftants and Papiits,
i'o as to obtain, at Icafi:, a truce for both parties, was at
leifure to accumulate treafure, and raife forces which he pro-
pofed to have employed in a defign of fettling for ever the
balance of Europe. Of this great fcheme he lived not to fee
the vanity, or feel the difappointment j for he was murdered in
the midft of his mighty preparations.

The French, however, were in this reign taught to know
their own power ; and the great dcfigns of a king, whofe
wifdom they had fo long experienced, even though they were
not brought to actual experiment, difpofed them to confider
themfelves as maiters of the dcftiny of their neighbours ; and
ffom that time he that fhall nicely examine their fchemes and
condudt, will find that they began to take qn air of fuperiority,
to which they had never pretended before ; and that they have
been always employed more or lefs openly, upon fchemes of
dominion, though with frequent interruptions from domeltic
troubles,

When queen Elizabeth entered upon the government, the
cuftoms produced only 36,0001. a year; at the reftoration,
they were let to farm for 400,0001. and produced confiderably
above double that fum before the revolution. The people of
J^ondop, before we had any plantations, and but very little

tradc^

E N G L A N D. ifl^

trade, were computed at about 100,000 ; at the death of
queen Elizabeth, they were increafed to 150,000, and are
now above fix times that number. In thofe days, we had
not only our naval ftores, but our fliips from our neigh-
bours. Germany furnifhed us with all things made of
metal, even to nails; wine, paper, linen, and a thoufawd
other things came from France. Portugal furnifhed us with
fugars; all the produce of America was poured upon us froni
Spain ; and the Venetians and Genoefe retailed to us the
commodities of the Eall-Indics at their own price. In (hort,
the legal intereft of money was 12 per cent, and the common
price of our land 10 or 12 years purchafc. We may add,
that our manufadures were few, and thofe but indifferent ;
the number of Englifh merchants very fmall, and our (hip—
ping much inferior to what now belong to our American
colonics.

Such was the llate of our trade when this great princefs
came to the throne ; but, as we have already obferved, the
limits of our undertaking do not permit us to give a detail of
the gradual progrefs of commerce fmce that reign, we flatter
ourfelves that the Britifli reader will not be difpleafcd with
the following view of our extenfive trade, at prefent carried
on through the various nations of the globe.

Great-Britain is, of all other countries, the moft proper
for trade J as well from its fituation, as an ifland, as from the
freedom and excellency of its conftitution, and from its natu-
ral produdls, and confiderable manufactures. For expor-
tation : our country produces many of the moft fubftantial
and neceflary commodities, as butter, cheefe, con, cattle,
wool, iron, lead, tin, copper, leather, copperas, pitcoal,
alum, faffron, Sec. Our corn fometimes prefcrves other coun-
tries from ftarving. Our horfes are the n.oft ferviceable in
the world, and highly valued by all nations, for their hardi-
nefs, beauty, and ftrength. With beef, mutton, pork, poul-
try, bifcuit, we victual not only our own fleets, but many
foreigners that come and go. Our iron we export manu-
faftured in great guns, carcafes, bombs, &c. Prodigious,
and almoft incredible, is the value likewife of other oroods frofn
hence exported ; viz. hops, flax, hemp, hats, fhocs, houf-
hold-ftufl, ale, beer, red-herrings, pilchards, falmon, oyfters,
faffron, liquorice, watches, ribbands, toys, ^c.

There is fcarce a manufacture in Europe, but what is
brought to great perfetTtion in England ; and therefore it is
perfocUy unncctffary to enumerate them. all. The woollen
manufaiSlure is the moft confiderable, and exceeds in goodnef'*
and (Quantity that of any other nation. Hard-ware is another
. ...^ . . . * t--^~- ■ . . .* • , capital

2S6

ENGLAND.

f:.H

capital article ; locks, edge-tools, guns, fwords,
arms, exceed any thing of the
brafs, iron, and pewter, alfo

and other

kind J houfliold utenfils of

arc very great articles j our

clocks and watches are in very great efteem. There are but
few manufadures we are defective in. In thofe of lace and
paper we do not feem to excel ; but we import much more
than we fhould, if the duty on Britifh paper were taken off.
As to foreign traffic, the woollen manufadure is ftill the great
foundation and fupport of it.

Our American colonies are the objects that naturally firft
prefent themfelves for our difcuflion, and they may be divided
into two clafles, our poiTeffions on the continent, and thofe
in the iflands, which go under the name of the Weft-
Indies.

I fhall rank the Englifli pofleffions in North-America,
under the heads of the following colonies, viz. Hudfon's
Bay, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada, Nova-Scotia, New-
England, Rhode-Ifland, Connecticut, and New-Hampfliire,
(the three laft forming one colony) New York, Penfylvania,
and Maryland, (originally but one colony) North-Carolina,
South-Carolina, Gtorgia, Eatt and "Weft Florida. The chief
commodities exported from Great-Britain to thofe colonies, are
wrought iron, fteel, copper, pewter, lead, and brafs, cor-
dage, hemp, fail-cloth, fhip-chandlery, painter's colours,
millinery, hofiery, haberdafhery, gloves, hats, broad cloths,
AufFs, flannels, Colchefter bays, long ell filks, gold and fil-
vtrlace, Manchefter goods, Britifh, foreign, and Irifh linens,
earthen wares, grind-ftones, Birmingham and Sheffield wares,
Ipys, fadlery, cabinet wares, feeds, cheefe, ftrong beer, fmoak-
ing pipes, fnufFs, wines, fpirits, and drugs, Eaft-India goods,
)}Ooks, paper, leather, befides many other articles, according
tfr the different wants and exigencies of the different colonies,
impoffible to be enumerated here.

The commodities exported from America to Great Britain,
and other markets, are tobacco, rice, flour, bifcuit, wheat,
beans, peas, oats, Indian corn, and other grain ; honey, apples,
cyder, and onions ; falt-beef, pork, hams, bacon, venil'on,
tongues, butter and cheefe, prodigious quantities of cod, mack-
arel, and other fifh, and fifti oil ; furs and fkins of wild beafts,
"fuch as bear, beaver, otter, fox, deer, and racoon j horfes, and
liveftock ; timber planks, mafts, boards, ftaves, (hingles, pitch,
tar, and turpentine ; fliips built for fale j flax, flax-feed, and
cotton ; indigo, pot-afh, bees-wax, tallow, copper ore, and
iron in bars and in pigs ; befides many other commodities pe-
culiar to the climes ind foil of different provinces. As to thofe,
which have been acquired by the laft general peace, they are
certainly v?ry improveable, nw can we form any judgment of

them.

es, accord ii

ENGLAND. 287

ihem, in their prefent infantine unfettled ftate. It does not en-
ter with in my defign, nor indeed does it fall within my fubjefi,
to recapitulate the differences that unhappily fubfift at prefent
between thofe colonies, and their mother country. It is fuffi-
cient if I exhibit a ftate of the trade between them, as it exifted
when thofe differences todc place, marking at the fame time
the commercial ftrength and ihipping of the colonies, v. .

}

Colonies.

Hudfon's Bay

Labrador, Ameri-
can veflels 120

Newfoundland
(3000 boats)

Canada

Nova Scotia

New England

Rhode Ifland, J
Conneflicut, and >
New Hampihire J

New York

Penfylvania

Virginia and Ma> 7
ryland S

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

£aft Florida

Weft ditto

Ships.
4

380
46

30
J5

330

140

24
10

Seamen,
130

20,560

40S

7»

5S»

33»
390

3>9fio

40S

j,68o

240

120

Exports from

Great Britain.

L. 16,000

273,400

105,000

26,500

395,000

I2;000

531,000

611,000

265,000

18,000

365,000

49,000

7,coo

97,000

Exports from
the Colonies.
L. 29,340

49,050

34S,coa

105,500

38,000

370,500

114,500

• 526,000
705,500

1,040,000

68,350

, 395,666

74,zoo

63,000

1,078 28,910

3,370,900

3,924,606-

The principal iflands belonging to the Englifh, in the
Weft Indies, are the Bermudas, or Summer iflands ; the
Bahama, or Lucayan iflands ; Jamaica, Anguilla, Berbuda,
St. Chriftopher's, Nevis, Antigua, Montferrat, Dominica,^
St. Vincent, Barbados, Tobago, and Oranada, and the Gre-
nadines, or Grenadillos. Of thefe, Dominica, St. Vincent,
Tobago, and Granada, were ceded by France to Great-Bri-
tain, by the definitive treaty of 1763.

The Englifli trade with, their Weft India iflands, confifts
chiefly in fugars, rum, cotton, logwood, cocoa, coffee, pimento,
ginger, indigo, materials for dyers, mahogany, and manchineel
planks, drugs and preferves ; for thefe the exports from England
are ofnaburgs, a coarfe kind of linen, with which the Weft-
Indians now clothe their flaves j linen of all forts, with broad-
cloth, and kerfies, for the planters, their overfeers and fami-
lies ; filks and ftuffs for their ladies and houihold fcrvants ;
red caps for their flaves of both fexes j ftockings and fhoes of
all forts ; gloves and hats j millinery ware, and perukes ;
laces for linen, woollen, and filks j ftrong beer, pale beer,
pickles, candles, butter, and cheeie ; iron ware, as faws,
tyies, axes, hatchets, chiffels, adses, hoes, mattocks, gouges,

planes.

■f!

uc^jsjism

ftS8

ENGLAND;

planes, augres, nails ; lead, powder, and (hot ; brafs and
copper wares ; toys, coals, and pantiles ; cabinet wares, Iniifts^
and in general whatever is raifed or maniifadiired in Great Bri-
tain ; alfo negroes from Africa, and all I'orts of India goods.
formerly the P^nglifh Weft India ifland^, fent home lar^e
quantities of money in fpecie, which they got upon the ba-
lance of trade with the French, Spaniards, and Portuguefe^
We cannot, however, fpeak with any prccifion, as to tlic
. particulars of the trade between the Eniriifli VVeft Indies,
flnd the mother country, though undoubtedly it is highly
for the benefit of the latter, bccaufe of the ccffions mads
of new iflands there by the late peace, which, when fully
peop'ed, muft have a very fcjifiblc influence upon the former
lyRem of commerce in thofc parts, as I fliall have oecafion td
^ cbferve in its proper place.

The trade of England to the Eafl Indies conflitutes one of
the mofl: ftuptndous, political, as well as commercial nict-
chines, that is to be met with in hiftory. The trade itfelf Is
cxclufivc, and lodged in a company, which has a temporary
monopoly of it, in confideration of money advanced to the

fovcrnment. Without entering into the hiltory of the Eaft
ndia- trade, v/ithin thefe twenty years paft, and the com-
pany's Concerns in that country, it is fufficicnt to fay, that
befides their fcttlements on the coaft of India, which thejr
<enjoy under proper jeftridlions, by act of parliament, they
have, through the various internal revolutions which have
happened at Indoflan, acquired fuch territorial pofTefllons, as
renders them the moft formidable commercial republic (fc/r
fo it may be called in its prefcnt fituation) that has been
known in the world fmce the demolition of Carthage. Their
revenues arc only known, and that but imperfedtly, to the
^ire£tors of the company, who are chofcn annually by the
proprietors of the ftock ; but it has been publicly affirmed,
that it amounts annually to above three millions and a half
fterlinn;. The exfiences of the company in forts, fleets, and
?irmief5, for maintaining thofc acquifitions, are certainly very
great ; but after thefc are defrayed, the company not only
clears a vafl fum, but is able to pay to the government four
hundred thoufand pounds yearly, for a certain time, partly
by way of indemnification, for the expenccs of the public in
protefting the company, and partly as a tacit tribute for thofe
polieflions that are territorial and not commercial. This
republic therefore cannot be faid to be independent, and it is
hard to fay what form it niay take when the term of the bar-
gain with the government is expired.

This company exports to the Eaft Indies all kinds of

woollen manufa6ture, all forts of hard-ware, lead, bullion,

' - and

ENGLAND.

289

and quickfilver. Their imports confift of gold, diamonds, raw-
ftllc, drugs, tea, pepper, arrack, porcelain, or China ware, falt-
petrc for home confumption j and of wrought filks, muflins,
cauicoes, cottons, and all the woven manu failures of India,
for exportation to foreign countries. I fhall now proceed to
a concife view of the Englifh trade toother countries, accord-
ing to the lateft, a^id moft authentic accounts.

To Turkey Enfrland fends, in her own bottoms, woollen
cloths, tin, lead, and iron, hard-ware, iron utenfils, clocks,^
watches, verdegris, fpices, cochineel, and logwood. She im-
ports from thence raw-filks, carpets, fkins, dying drugs,
cotton, fruits, medicinal drugs, coffee, and fome other arti-
cles. Formerly the balance of this trade was about 500,000].
annually, in favour of England. The Englifh trade was
afterwards diminifhed through the practices of the French :
but the Turkey trade at prefent is at a very low ebb with the
French as well as the Englifh. It is to be prefumed, if the
Ruffians arc fufFered to drive the Turks out of Europe, that
Great-Britain will fecure to herfelf a port in one of the nume-
rous fine illands of the Levant.

England exports to Italy, woollen goods of various kinds,
peltry, leather, lead, tin, fifh, and Eafl India goods j and
brings back raw and thrown filk, wines, oil, foap, olives,
oranges, lemons, pomegranates, dried fruits, colours, an-
chovies, and other articles of luxury : the balance of this
trade in favour of England, is annually about 200,000 1.

To Spain, England fends all kinds of woollen goods, lea-
ther, tin, lead, fifh, corn, iron and brafs manufatSlures j
haberdafhery wares, aflbrtments of linen from Germany, and
elfewhere, for her American colonies : and receives in return,
wines, oils, dried fruits, oranges, lemons, olives, wools,
indico, cochineal, and other dying drugs, colours, gold an4
filver coin.

Portugal, till of late, was, upon commercial accounts, the
favourite ally of England, whofe fleets and armies have more
than once faved her from deflrudlion. Of late her miniflry
have changed their fyftem, and have fallen in with the views
of the houfe of Bourbon. They have eilablifhed courts,
which are inconfiflent with the treaties between Portugal and
England, and defraud the Englifli merchants of great parts of
their capitals, which they find it impoffible to recover. They
have likewife erefted two Brazil companies j the one for Ma-
ranham, and Gran Para, the other for Perambuco, greatly to
the detriment of the Englifh rights. The court of London
is, at this time, by its minifters, making the flrongeft efforts
for redrefs, and it is to be hoped they will be attended with.

Vol, I. T (uccefs.

> ftff 'J '

IM''

290 ENGLAND.'

fuccefs, as Portugal itdlf cannot cxift even as a kingdom,
but by the protcdUon of the Englifh. Before thcfe mifunder-
ftandings happened, the Englifli trade to Portugal was highly
beneficial for both nations. England fent to that country
almoft the fame kind of nKrchandi/es as to Spain, and they
received in return vafl; quantities of wines, with oils, fait,
dried and moid fruits, dying drugs, and gold coins.

To France, England fends much tobacco, lead, tin, flan-
nels, horns, and iometimcs corn ; and always much money
at the long run ; and brings home, in a fmuggling way,
A much greater value in wines, brandies, linen, cambrics,
lace, velvets, and many other prohibited fo:)peri''s, and bro-
cades ; always very confiderably to England's difadvantage.
But as there is no commercial treaty fubfilting between
England and France, not even in time of peace, England's
juft lofs cannot be afc;rtained.

England fends to Flanders, fergcs, flannels, tin, lead,
fiigars, and tobacco ; and receives in return, laces, linen,
cambrics, and other articles of luxury, by which England
lofes upon the balance 250,000 I. fl"erling yearly. To (Ger-
many, England fends cloths and (tufFs, tin, pevv'tcr, fugars,
tobacco, and Eafl: India merchandize : and brings thence vaft
quantities of linen, thread, goat-fldns, tinned plates, timbers
for all ufcs, wines, and many other articles. Before the late
VC'ar, the balance of this trade was tliought to be 500,000!.
annually, to the prejudice of England, but that fum is now
greatly reduced, as moft of the German princes now find it
their intereft to clothe their arm.ies in Englifli manufidlures.
I have already mentioned the trade with Denmark, Norway,
Sweden, and Ruflia, which formerly was againll England,
but the balance is now vaflly diminilhcd by the great improve-
ments of her American coloni-s, in raifmg hemp, flax, mak-
ing pot-afhes, iron-works, and tallow, all which ufed to be
furnifhcd to her by the northern powers.

'I'o Holland, England fends an immenfc quantity of many
forts of merchandize ; fuch as all kinds of woollen goods,
hides, corn, coals, Eaft India and Turkey merchandize,
tobacco, tar, fugar, rice, ginger, and other American pro-
du<fl:ions; and makes returns in fine linen, lace, cambrics,
thread, tapes, 4^ncle, madder, boards, drugs, wlialclonc,
train-oil, toys, and many other things; and the balar.jc is
ufually fuppofed to be much in favour of England. I Ihall
forbear to mention the trade between Eng-land and Ireland,
till I come to tre?.t of the latter kingdom.

The acquifitions which the Englifh have made upon the

eoaft of Guinea, particularly their fettlement at Senegal, have

'-■ ■ •* opened

ENGLAND.

as a kingdom,
hcfc niifumler-
igal was highly
> that country
>aiii, and they
-vith oils, fah,
oins.

cad, tin, flan-
much money
niiggling way,
icn, cambrics,
nies, and bro-
I dillidvantage.
ifting between
ICC, England's

Is, tin, lead,

laces, linen,
'•liich Enirland
ly. To (Jer-
levv'tcr, fugars,
i<i;s thence vaft
plates, timbers
Before the late
I be 500,0001.
at fum is now
es now find it

maiiuf.KSures.

Ilk, Norway,
liiill England,
2;rcat improve-

p, flax, mak-
ch ufed to be

itity of many
.'oollcn goods,
merchandize,
American pro-
ice, cambrics,
wlialelunc,
the bala;;:c is
land. I (hall
I and Ireland,

ade upon the

Senegal, have

opened

291

opened new fources of commerce with Africa. The French,
when in poflcflion of Senegal, traded there for gold, flaves,
hides, oftrich feathers, bees-wax, millet, ambergris, and,
above all, for that ufcful commodity, gum Senegal, which
was monopolized by them and the Dutch. At prefent Eng-
land fends to the coaft of Guinea, fundry forts of coarfe wool-
len and linen, iron, pewter, brafs and hardware manufac-
tures, lead-fhot, fwords, knives, fire-arms, gunpowder, and
glafs manufadurcs. And, befidcs its drawing no money out
of the kingdom, it fupplies her American colonics with
negro flavcs, amounting in number to above 100,000 an-
nually. The other returns are in gold duft, gum, dying and
other drugs, red wood, Guinea grains, and ivory.

To Arabia, Perfia, China, and other parts of Afia, Eng-
land fends much foreign filver coin and bullion, and fundry
Englifli manufactures of woollen goods, and of lead, iron,
and brafs ; and brings home from thofc remote regions, muflins
and cottons of many various kinds, callicocs, raw and wrought
fdic, chints ; tea?, porcelain, gold duft, cofFee, falt-petre,
and many other drugs. And lb great a quantity of thofe va-
rious merchandize are re-exported to foreign European nations,
as more than abundantly compenfates for all the filver bullion
which England carries out.

During the infancy of commerce with foreign parts, it was
judged expedient to grant cxclufive charters to particular
bodies or corporations of men ; hence the Eaft-India, South-
Sea, Hudfon's-Bay, Turkey, Ruflia, and Royal African
companies ; but the trade to Turkey, Rufiia, and Africa, is
now laid open, though the merchant who propofes to trade
thither, muft become a member of the company, be fubjefl to
their laws and regulations, and advance a fmall funi at ad-
minion, for the purpofes of fupporting confuls, forts, &c.

With regard to the general account of England's foreign
balance, the exports have been computed at feven millions
fterling, and its imports at five, of which above one million
is re-exported; fo that if this calculation is true, England
gains, annually, three millions fterling in trade ; but this is
a point upon which the moft experienced merchants, and
ableft calculators, differ. After all that has been faid, it muft
be acknowledged, that many exceptions lie to particular efti-
mates. The vaft improvements at home, in iron, filk, linen,
and other manufadlures, and the grov/ing imports from Ame-
rica, muft greatly diminifli the Englifti imports from abroad.
On the other hand, fome of the other European nations are
making vigorous efforts for rivalling the Englifh manufactures.
With what fuccefs they may be attended, time alone can

T 2

determine

*»f

292 ENGLAND.

determine ; but hitherto, the appearances on their fide are not
very promifinjf.

Yet our foreign trade docs not amount to one fixth part of
the inland ; the annual produce of the natural products and
manufactures of England amounting to above forty-two mil-
lions. The gold and filver of England is received from Por-
tugal, Spain, Jamaica, the American colonics, and Africa j
but great part of this gold and filvcr we again export to Hol-
land, and the Eaft Indies ; and it is fuppofed that two-thirds
of all the foreign traffic of England is carried on in the port
of London.

We fhall conclude this account of our trade, with the fol-
lowing comparative view of fliipping, whith, till a better
table can be formed, may have its ufes.

If the fhipping of Europe be divided into twenty parts, the%

Great Britain, &c. is computed to have — — 6

The United Provinces — — — 6

Denmark, Sweden, and RufTia — — 2

The trading cities of Germany, and the Aullrian

Netherlands " — — ... ... i

France — — — — — 2

Spain and Portugal — — — — 2

Italy, and the reft of Europe — — . j

My bounds will not afford room to enter into a particular
detail of the places where thofe Englifti manufactures, which
are mentioned in the above account, are fabricated ; a few
general ftridures, however, may be proper.

Cornwall and Devonfliire fupply tin and lead, and woollea
inanufadures are common to almoft all the weftern counties,
Dorietftiire manufactures cordage for the navy, feeds an in-
credible number of fheep, and has large lace manufactures.
Somerfetfliire, befides furnifhing lead, copper, and lapis cala-
minaris, has large manufactures of bone lace, ftockings and
caps. Briftol, which is both a city and county, is faid by
fome to employ 2000 maritime vefiels of all fizes, coaftersas
well as fhips employed in foreign voyages : it has many very
important manufactures ; its glafs-bottle and drinking-glafs
one alone occupying fifteen large houfes : its brafs-wire ma-
nufactures are alfo very confidcrable. Vaft manufactures of
all kinds, glafs in particular, are carried on in London and its
neighbourhood ; the gold and filver manufactures of London
and Spitalfields, through the encouragement given them by the
court and the nobility, already equal, if they do not exceed,
ihofe of any country in Europe. Colchefter is famous for
iu mar^ufaaures of bays and fer^esj and Norwich for it&

excellent

itkt

cir fide are not

ic fixth part o(
il products and
furty-two mil-
iivcd from Por-
s, and Africa J
export to Hol-
that two- thirds
oi\ in the port

:, with the fol-
1, till a better

into a particular
ifadlures, which
bricated ; a few

ad, and woollea
A^cftern counties.
/y, feeds an in-
:e manufactures,
, and lapis cala-
;, {lockings and
mty, is faid by
fizes, coaftersas
has many very
d drinking-glals
brafs-wire ma-
man ufadtures of
n London and its
tares of London
iven them by the
y do not exceed,
er is fanaous for
Norwich for iti
excellent

ENGLAND. 29^

excellent: ftuffs, camblcts, druggets, and (dockings. Birming-
ham, though no corporation, is one of the largift and moll
populous towns in England, and carries on an .un.t/,ing trade,
in excellent and ingenious hard-ware manufactures, p-f>rticu-
larly fnufF and tobacco-boxes, buttons, fhoe-buckles, etwees,
and many other forts of fteel and brafs wares : it is here, and
in Sheffield, which is famous for cutlery, that the true genius
of Englifh art and indnftry is to be fccn ; for fuch are their
excellent invcntiojis for fabricating hard wares, that they can
afford ihem for the fourth part of the price at which other
nations can furnilh tho fame or an inferior kind : the cheap-
nefs of coals, and all ncccfl'arics, and the convc/iiency of fitu-
ation, no doubt, contribute greatly to this.

The northern counties of England carry on a prodigious
trade in the coarfer rnd flighter woollen manufactures ; witnefs
thofe of Hallifax, Leeds, Wakefield and Richmond, > and,
above all, Manchcllcr ; which, by its variety of beautiful cot-
tons, dimities, tickcns, checks, and the like ftufTs, is become
a large and populous place, th ;ugh it is only a village, and
its higheft magiftrate a conftable. I might mention Co-
ventry, Nottingham, Lciceltcr, Derby, Kendal, and many
other manufacturing towns and places of England, eacli
of which is noted for fomc particular commodity, but the
detail would become too bulky. I muft not, however, dif-
mifs this head, without obferving the beautiful porcelane and
earthen ware that has of late years been manufiiCtured in
different places of England, particularly in Worccfterfhire and
StafFordfhire. The Englifh carpets, particularly thofe of
Wilton and Kidderminfter, thoug i but a late manufacture,
greatly exceed in beauty any imported from Turkey, and are
extremely durable; and confequently, is a vaft faving to the
nation. Paper, which till very lately, was imported in vaft
quantities from France and Holland, is now made in every
corner of the kingdom, and is a mofl necefTary as weli as "bene-
ficial manufacture. The parliament, of late, has given en-
couragement for reviving the manufacture of falt-petre, which
was firft attempted in England by Sir Walter Raleigh, but
was drqpt afterwards In favour of the Eaft-India company :
the fuccefs of fuch an undertaking would be of immenfe bene-
fitj as well as fecurity to the nation.

After all that has been faid on this head, the feats of manu-
factures, and confequently of trade, in England, arefluiStuat-
ing; they will always follow thofe places where living is cheap,
and taxes are eafv : for this rcafon, they have been obferved
oflate to move towards the northern counties, where provifions
are in plenty, and the land-tax very low ; add to this, that
probably, in ^ few years, the inland navigations which are

T 3 opening

•I

* *

294 E N G L A N D;^"

opening in many parts of England, will make vaft alterations
as to its internal ftate.

Many fenfible but fpcculative Englifhmen, daily exprefs
their apprchenfions, left the weight of taxes and dearnefs of
living in England, fhould enable other nations to ruin the
Englifli trade at foreign markets, by underworking them.
This obje£lion is of a long ftanding, and would have great
weight, did not experience prove that it is not founded in h{\.
An Englifli workman, it is true, lives much better than a
foreigner, but then he will do double, if not triple the work,
in the fame time i and other nations are taxed deeply as well
as England.

Ajhort view of the Stocks, or public Funds In England^ with an
hljiorlcal account of the Eaji-lndia^ the Bank, and South-Siu
Companies,

As there are few fubje£ls of converfation more general than
the value of ftocks, and hardly any thing fo little underftood,
nothino; can be more ufeful than a Ihort account of them,
which we fhall here give in as clear and concife a manner as
poffible ; prefenting our readers with the rationale of the ftocks,
and a fliort hiftory of the feveral compames, dcfcribing the
nature of their fcparate funds, the ufes to which they are ap-
plied, and the various purpofcs they anfwer, both Vv^ith refpecl
to the government, the companies themfelves, and the com-
munity in general.

In order to give a clear idea of the money tranfa£lionsofthe
feveral companies, it is proper we fliould fay fomething of mo-
ney in general, and particularly of paper money, and the dif-
ference between that and the current fpecie. Money is the
ftandard of the value of all the necefTaries and accommodations
©f life, and paper-money is the rcprefentative of that ftandard
to fuch a degree, as to fupply its place, and to anfwer all the
purpofes of gold and filver coin. Nothing is necefTary to make
this reprefentativc of money fupply the place of fpecie, but the
credit of that office or company, who delivers it j which credit
confifts in its always being ready to turn it into fpecie when-
ever required. This is exactly the cafe of the Bank of Eng-
land ; the notes of this company are of the fame value as the
current coin, as they may be turned into it whenever the pof-
feflbr plcafes. From hence, as notes are a kind of money,
the counterfeiting them is puniflied with death, as well as
coining.

The method of depofiting money in the Bank, and ex-
changing it for notes (though they bear no intereft) is attended
with many coaveniencies j as they are not only fafer than
\ - ..- money

ires, and the com-

ENGLAND. 495

money in the hands of the owner himfelf j but as the notes are
more portable, and capable of a much more eafy conveyance :
fince a bank note for a very large fum, may be fent by the
poft, and to prevent the defigns of robbers, may, without
damage, be cut in two, and fent at two feveral times. Or
bills, called Bank poft-bills, may be had by application at the
Bank, which are particularly calculated to prevent lofles by
robberies, they being made payable to the order of the perfon
who takes them out, at a certain number of days after light j
which gives an opportunity to ftop bills at the Bank, if they
(hould be loft, and prevents their being fo eafily negociated by
ftrangers as common Bank notes are : and whoever confiders
the hazard, the expence and trouble, there would be in
fending large fums of gold and filver to and from diftant places,
muft alfo confider this as a very fingular advantage. Befides
which, another benefit attends them ; for if they are deftroyed
by time, or other accident, the Bank will, on oath being made
of fuch accident, and fecurity being ^iveii, pay the money to
the perfon who was in poflcfTion of them.

Bank notes differ from all kinds of ftock in thefe three
particulars; i. They are always of the fame value. 2. They
are paid ofF without being transferred ; and, 3. They bear
no intereft ; while ftocks are a fhare in a company's funds,
bought without any condition of having the principal returned.
India bonds indeed (by fome pcrfons, though erroneoufly,
denominated ftock) are to be excepted, they being made pay-
able at fix months notice, either on the fide of the company or
of the pofTeflbr.

By the word Stock was originally meant, a particular fum
of money contributed to the ettablifhing a fund to enable a
company to carry on a certain trade, by means of which thfe
perfon became a partner in that trade, and received a fhare in
the profit made thereby, in proportion to the money employed.
But this term has beew extended farther, though improperly,
to fignify any fum of money which has been lent to the go-
vernment, on condition of receiving a certain intereft till the
money is repaid, and which makes a part of the national debt.
As the fecurity both of the government and of the public com-
panies is efteemed preferable to that of any private perfon, as
the ftocks are negotiable and may be fold at any time, and as
the intereft is always pun£lually paid when due, fo they are
thereby enabled to borrow money on a lower intereft than
what might be obtained from lending it to private perfons,
where there is often fome danger of lofing, both principal and
intereft.

T 4 But

2g6

ENGLAND.

But as every capital ftock or fund of a company is ralfed
for a particular purpofe, and limited by parliament to a certain
fum, it neceffarily follows, that when that fund is compleated,
no ftock can be bought of the company ; though fhares
already purchafed, may be transferred from one perfon to
another. This being the cafe, there is frequently a great
difproportion between the original value of the fliares, and
what is given for them when transferred ; for if there are more
buyers than fellers, a perfon who is indifferent about felling,
will not part with his fliare without a confiderable profit to
himfelf J and on the contrary, if many are difpofed to fell, and
few inclined to buy, the value of fuch fliares will naturally
fall, in proportion to the impatience of thofe who want to
turn their flock into fpecie.

Thefe obfervations may ferve to give our readers fome idea
of the nature of that unjuflifiable and diftioneft practice called
Stock-jobbing, the myflery of which confifts in nothing more
than this : the perfons concerned in that pradlice, who are
denominated Stock-jobbers, make contracts to buy or fell, at
a certain diflant time, a certain quantity of fome particular
ftock, againft which time they endeavour, according as their
contra^ is, either to raife or lower fuch ftock, by railing
rumours and fpreading fidvlitious ftories, in order to induce
people either to fell out in a hurry, and confequently cheap,
if they are to deliver ftock ; or to become unwilling to fell,
and confequently to make it dearer, if they are to receive
ftock.

The perfons who make thefe contrails are not in general
pofTelTed of any real ftock, and when the time comes that
they are to receive or deliver the quantity they have contrafted
for, they only pay fuch a fum of money as makes the difference
between the price the ftock was at when they made the con-
traft, and the price it happens to be at when the contraft is
fulfilled ; and it is no uncommon thing for perfons not worth
100 1. to make contradts for the buying or felling 100,000 1.
ftock. In the language of Exchange-Alley, the buyer in
this cafe is called the Bull, and the feller the Bear.

Befides thefe, there are another fet of men, who though of
a higher rank, may properly enough come under the fame
denomination. Thefe are the great monied men, who are
dealers in ftock, and contractors with the government when-
ever any new money is to be borrowed. Thefe indeed are not
fidlitious, but real buyers and fellers of ftock ; but by raifmg
falfe hopes, or creating groundlefs fears, by pretending to buy
or fell large quantities of ftock on a fudden, by ufing the fore-
mentioned fet of men as their inftruments, and other likeprac-
. ' . tices^

England:^

npany is ralfed

lent to a certain

i is com pleated,

though fhares

one pcrfon to

quently a great

the fliares, and

f there are more

It about felling,

lerable profit to

lofed to fell, and

IS will naturally

fe who want to

aders fome idea
pra(^ice called
in nothing more
a6lice, who are
3 buy or fell, at

fome particular
rcording as their
lock, by railing
order to induce
fequently cheap,
inwilling to fell,
y are to receive

3 not in general
ime comes that
have contrafted
:es the difference
y made the con-
i the contrad is
?rfons not worth
lling 100,000 1.
'', the buyer in
Bear.

who though of
under the fame
I men, who are
'ernment when-
"e indeed are not
; but by raifing
■etcnding to buy
/• ufing the fore-
other like prac-

297

tices

tices, are enabled to raife or fall the ftocks one or two per
cent, at pleafure.

However, the real value of one ftock above another, oit
account of its being more profitable to the proprietors, or any
thing that will really, or only in imagination, afFedt the credit
of a company, or endanger the government, by which that
credit is fecured, muft naturally have a confiderable eiFeft on
the ftocks. Thus, with refpe»Sl to the intereft of the pro-
prietors, a (hare in the ftock of a trading companj which
produces 5 1. or 6 1. per cent, per ann. muft be more valuable
than an annuity with government fecurity, that prolues no
more than 3I. or 4I. per cent, per annum ; and confequently
fuch ftock muft fell at a higher price than fuch an ainuity.
Though it muft be obferved, that a fhare in the ftock of a
trading company producing 5 1. or 6 1. per cent, per innum,
will not fetch fo much money at market as a government
annuity producing the fame fum, becaufe the fecurity of the
company is not reckoned equal to that of the governmert, and
the continuance of their paying fo much per annum, is more
precarious, as their dividend is, or ought to be, alwiys in
proportion to the profits of their trade.

As the ftocks of the Eaft-India, the Bank, and South-Sea
companies, are diftinguifhed by different denominations, and
are of a very different nature, v/e fhall give a fhort hiftory of
each of them, together with an account of the different ilocks
each is poffeffed of, beginning with the Eaft-India company,
as the firft eftabliflied.

Public trading companies.] Of thefe the Eaft-India
company takes the lead j and I have already given fome account
of it, as being the capital commercial objedt in England.
The firft idea of it was formed in queen Elizabeth's time, but
it has fincc admitted of vaft alterations. Its fhares, or fup-
fcriptions, were originally only 50 1. fterling ; and its capital
only 369,891 1. 5 s. but the directors having a confiderable
dividend to make in 1676, it was agreed to join the profits to
the capital, by which the ftiares were doubled, and, confe-
quently, each became of 100 1. value, and the capital 739,782 I.
10 s. to which capital, if 963,639 1. the profits of the com-
pany to the year 1685, be added, the whole ftock will be
found to be 1,703,402 1. Though the eftablifhment of this
company was vindicated in the cleareft manner by Sir Jofiah
Child, and other able advocates, yet the partiality which the
duke of York, afterwards James II. had for his favourite
African trade, the lofl'es it fuftained in wars with the Dutch,
and the revolutions which had happened in the affairs of In-
doftan, damped the ardour of the public to fupport it j fo that

U|MH

iji n

WB^Mm

|j Bu

^nBlH^H

K HI

^Kflffi

1 H

Millliliy )')!||B^^B

1 H

ip9

iii;

t9S E N G L A N D,

at the time of the Revolution, when the war broke out with
France, it was in a very indifferent fituation. This was in
a great mepAire owing to its having no parliamentary fanftion,

^; whereby i^s flock often fold for one half hCs than it was really
worth ; snd it was refolved that a new company fhould be
creeled, under the authority of parliament.

The oppofition given to all the public fpirited meafures of
king William by faction, rendered this propofal a matter of
vafl dificulty ; but at lafl, after many parliamentary enquiries,
the nev fubfcription prevailed j and the fubfcribers, upon
advanc ng two millions to the public at 8 per cent, obtained
an a6^ of parliament in their favour. The old company,

, howev-T, retained a vaft intercfl both in the parliament and

' nation j and the adl: being found in fome refpeils defedive, fo
violen; a flruggle between the two companies arofe, that in
the year 1702, they were united by an indenture tripartite. In
the year 1708, the yearly fund of 8 per cent, for two millions,
was nduced to 5 per cent, by a loan of 1,200,000 1, to the
public, without any additional intereft ; for which confidera-
tion the company obtained a prolongation of its exclufive
privileges ; and a new charter was granted to them, under
the title of The United Company of Merchants trading to the
Eaft Indies. Its exclufive right of trade was prolonged from
time to time j and a farther fum was lent by the company
in 1730, by which, though the comp:iny's privileges were
extended for thirty-three years, yet tlie intereft of their capi-
tal, which then amounted to 3,200,000 1. was reduced to
three per cent, and called the India 3 per cent, annuities.

Thofe annuities arc different from the trading i1:ock of the
company, the proprietors of which, inftead of receiving a
regular annuity, have, according to their different fliarcs, a
dividend of the profits arifing from the company's trade ; and
that dividend rifes or falls according to the circumftances of
the company, cither real, or, as is too often the cafe, pre-

■ tended. A proprietor of Itock to the amount of 500 1.
whether man or woman, native or foreigner, has a right to
he ^ manager, and to give a vote in the general council.
Tw^ thoiifand pounds is the qualification for a dire(f^or : the
directors are twenty-four in number, including the chairman
and deputy-chairman, who may be re-ele61ed for four years
fuccefTively. The chairman has a falary of 200 1. a year,
and each of the directors 150 1. The meetings, or court of
dircdlors, are to be held at leaft once a week j but are com-
monly oftencr, being fummoned as occafion requires. Out of
the body of dirc6lors are chofen fcveral committees, who have
the peculiar inrpedion of certain branches of the company's

: bufinefs;

ENGLAND. 29^

bufinefs ; as the committee of correfpondence, a committee of
buying, a committee of treafury, a houfe committee, a com-
mittee of warehoufes, a committee of (hipping, a committee of
accounts, a committee of law-fuits, and a committee to prevent
the growth of private trade ; who have under them a fecretary,
cafliier, clerks, and warehoufe-keepers.

Theamazing territorial acquifitions of this company, which
are attended with a proportionable encreafe of trade, joined to
the diflentions among its managers both at home and abroad,
have of late engaged the attention of the legiflature fo much,
that a reftridtion has been laid for their dividends for a certain
time, not to exceed 12 and a half per cent. As to the vaft
fortunes acquired by their governors and officers abroad, the
ftate in which they live, and their other economical regula-
tions, they are foreign to this head.

Other officers of the company are governors and faftors
abroad, fome of whom have guards of foldiers, and live in all
the ftate of fovereign princes.

Bank of England.] The company of the Bank was
incorporated by parliament, in the 5th and 6th years of king
William and queen Mary, by the name of the Governors and
Company of the Bank of England ; in confideration of the
loan of 1,200,000 1. granted to the government ; for which the
fubfcribers received almoft 8 per cent. By this charter, the
company are not to borrow under their common feal, unlefs
by a6l of parliament ; they are not to trade, or fufFer any per-
fon in truft for them, to trade in any goods, or merchandize ;
but they may deal in bills of exchange, in buying or felling
bullion, and foreign gold and filver coin, &c.

By an aft of parliament paffed in the 8th and 9th year of
Will. III. they were impowered to enlarge their capital ftock
to 2,201,171 1. los. It was then alfo enacted, that bank
ftock fhould he a perfonal, and not a real eftate ; that no con-
tradt either in word or writing, for buying or felling Bank
ftock, fhould be good in law, unlefs regiftered in the books of
the Bank within feven days ; and the ftock transferred in four-
teen days, and that it (hould be felony, without benefit of
clergy, to counterfeit the common feal of the Bank, or any
fealed Bank bill, or any Bank note, or to alter or erafe fuch
bills or notes.

By another aft pafTed in the yth of queen Anne, the com-
pany were impowered to augment their capital to 4,402,343 1.
and they then advanced 400,000 1. more to the government j
and in 17 14, they advanced another loan of 1,500,000 I.

In the third year of the reign of king George I. the intereft
of their capital ftock was reduced to 5 per cent, when the

Bank

300

ENGLAND.

Bank agreed to deliver up as many Exchequer bills as amounted
to 2,000,000 1. and to accept an annuity of 100,000 1. and it
was declared lawful for the Bank to call from their members,
in proportion to their interefts in the capital flock, fuch fums
n|s of money as in a general court Hiould be found neccflary. If

1 1 any member fhould neglcdl to pay his fliare of the monies fo

called fori at the time appointed by notice in the London
Gazette, and fixed upon the Royal Exchange, it fliould be
lawful for the liank, not only to ftop the dividend of fuch
member, and to apply it toward payment of the money in
queftion ; but alfo to ftop the transfers of the fliare of fuch
defaulter, and to charge him with an intereft of 5 per cent,
per aniTum, for the money fo omitted to be paid : and if the
principal and intereft ftiould be three months unoaid, the
Baiik ftiould then have power to fell fo much of the ftock
belonging to the defaulter as would fatisfy the fame.

After this, the Bank reduced the intereft of the 2,000,000 1.
lent to the government, from 5 to 4 per cent, and purchafed
feveral other annuities, which were afterwards redeemed by the
government, and the national debt due to the Bank, reduced
to 1,600,000 1. But in 1742, the company engaged to fupply
the government with 1,600,000 1. at 3 per cent, which is now
called the 3 per cent, annuities j fo that the government was
now indebted to the company 3,200,000 1. the one half car-
rying 4, and the other 3 per cent.

In the year 1746, the company agreed that the fum of
986,800!. due to them in the Exchequer bills unfatisficd, on
the duties for licences to fell fpirituous liquors by retail, fhould
be cancelled, and in lieu thereof to accept of an annuity of
39,442 1. the intereft of that fum at 4 per cent. The company
alfo agreed to advance the further (um of 1,000,000 1. into
the Exchequer, upon the credit of the duties arifing by the
malt and land-tax, at 4 per cent, for Exchequer bills to be
ifTued for th3«- -purpofe j in confideration of which, the com-
pany were ^nnbled to augment their capital with 986,800 1.
the intereft of which, as well as that of the other annuities,
was reduced to 3 and a half per cent, till the 25th of Decem-
fcer 1757, and from that time to carry only 3 per cent.

And in order to enable them to circulate the faid Exche-
quer bills, they eftablifhed what is now called Bank circu-
lation. The nature of which not being well underftood,
we fhall take the liberty to be a little more particular in its
explanation than we have been with regard to the other
flocks.

The company of the Bank are obliged to keep cafh fufEcient

to anfwer not only the common, but alfo any extraordinary

Z demand

E N G L A N D.

goi

demand that may be made upon them ; and whatever money
they have by them, over and above the fum fuppofed neceflary
for thefe purpofcs, they employ in what may be called the trade
of the company ; that is to fay, in difcounting bills of ex-
change, in buying of gold and filver, and in government fecu-
rities, &c. But when the Bank entered into the above-men-
tioned contract, as they did not keep unemployed a larger funx
of money than what they deemed neceflary to anfwer their
ordinary and extraordinary demands, they could not con-
veniently take out of their current cafl\ fo large a fum as a
million, with which they were obliged to furniih the govern-
ment, without either leflening that fum they employed in dif-
coiuiting, buying gold and filver, &c. (which would have
been very difadvantageous to them) or inventing fome method
that ftiould anfwer all the purpofes of keeping the million in
cafh. The method which they chofe, and which fully anfwers
their end, was as follows.

They opened a fubfcription, which they renew annually,
for a million of money j wherein the fubfcribers advance lo per
cent, and enter into a contraft to pay the remainder, or any
part thereof, whenever the Bank fhall call upon them, under
the penalty of forfeiting the lo per cent, fo advanced j in con-
fideration of which, the Bank pays the fubfcribers 4 per cent,
intereft for the money paid in, and one fourth per cent, for the
whole fum they agree to furnifti j and in cafe a call fhould be
made upon them for the whole, or any part thereof, the Bank
farther agrees to pay them at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum
for fuch fum till they repay it, which they are under an obli-
gation to do at the end of the year. By this means the Bank
obtains all the purpofes of keeping a million of money by them ;
and though the fubfcribers, if no call is made upon them
(which is in general the cafe) receive 6 and a half per cent, for
the money they advance, yet the company gains the fum of
23,5001. per annum by the contra<ft i as will appear by the
following account.

The Bank receives from the government for the £.
advance of a million — — — 30,000

The Bank pays to the fubfcribers who advance 1

100.000 1. and engage to pay (when called for) >• 6,500>
900,0001. more — — j

The clear gain to the Bank therefore is — — ' 23,500^

This is the ftate of the cafe, provided the company (hould
make no call on the fubfcribers,. which they will be very un-
t . willing

:{!;■:

'li

:':

joi ENGLAND.

willing to do, bccaiife it would not only leflen their profit, but
aifeft the public credit in general.

Bank (lock may not improperly be called a trading' ftock,
fince with this they deal very largely in foreign gold and filver,
in difcounting bills of exchange, &c. Befides which, they are
allowed by the government very confiderable fums annually for
the management of the annuities paid at their office. All which
advantages, render a fliare in their ftock very valuable ; though
it is not equal in value to the Eaft-India ftock. The com-
pany make dividends of the profits half yearly, of which notice
is publicly given ; when thofe who have occafion for their
money, may readily receive it : but private perfons, if they
judge convenient, are permitted to continue their funds, and
to have their intercft added to the principal.

This company is under the direction of a governor, deputy-
governor, and twenty-four directors, who are annually eledted
by the general court, in the fame manner as in the Eaft-India
company. Thirteen, or more, compofe a court of diredors
for managing the affairs of the company.

The officers of this company are very numerous.

SouTH-SEA COMPANY.] During the long war with France,
in the reign of queen Anne, the payment of the failors of the
royal navy being negleded, and they receiving tickets inftead
of money, were frequently obliged, by their neceffities, to
(1:11 thefe tickets to avaritious men at a difcount of 40 1. and
fometimcs 50 1. per cent. By this, and other means, the
debts of the nation unprovided for by parliament, and which
amounted to 9,471,321 1. fell into the hands of thefe ufurers.
On which Mr. Harley, at that time chancellor of the Exche-
quer, and afterwards earl of Oxford, propofed a fcheme to
allow the proprietors of thefe debts and deficiencies 6 1. per
cent, per annum, and to incorporate them, in order to their
carrying on a trade to the South-fea ; and they were accord-
ingly incorporated under the title of the Governor and Com-
pany of Merchants of Great-Britain, trading to the South-
Seas, and other parts of America, and for encouraging the
Fifliery, &c.

Though this company feem formed for the fake of commerce,
it is certain the miniftry never thought fcrioufly, during the
courfe of the war, about making any fcttlements on the coaft
of South A:T:erica, which was what flattered the expectations
of the people ; nor was it indeed ever carried into execution,
or any trade ever undertaken by this company, except the
Affiento, in purfua^ce of the treaty of Utrecht, for furnifhing
the Spaniards with negroes ; of which this company was
deprived upon receiving 100,000 1. in lieu of all claims upon
4 Spain,

E N G L A tr D. 30J

Spain, by a convention between the courts of Greav. Britain and
Spain, foon after the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, \i\iy^S,

Some other fums were lent to the government n the reign
of queen Anne, at 6 percent. In the third of Gcege I. the
interefl: of the whole was reduced to 5 per cent, am they ad-
vanced two millions more to the government at he fame
intcreft. By the ftatue of the 6th of George I. it was teclarcd,
that this company might redeem all or any of the redemablc
national debts j in confideration of which, the compair were
empowered to augment their capital according to th' fums
they fhould difcharge : and for enabling the company t raife
fuch fums for jTurchafing annuities, exchanging forready
money new Exchequer bills, carrying on their tradv &c.
the conipany might, by fuch means as they (liould think ^
proper, raife fuch fums of money as in a general court »f the
conipany fhould be judged nccefTary. The company wee aifo
empowered to raife money on the contrads, bonds, orobii-
gations under their comrr^onfeal, on the credit of their apital
ftock. But if the fub-governor, deputy-governor, or other
members of the company, fliould purchafe lands or revnues
of the crown, upon account of the corporation, orlendroney
by loan or anticipation, on any branch of the revenue, other
than fuch part only on which a credit of loan was granfcd by
parliament, fuch fub-governor, or other member of the :om-
pany, Ihould forfeit treble the value of the money fo lent

The fatal South-Sea fcheme, tranfa£led in the year [720,
was executed upon the laft-mentioned ftatutc. The conpany
had at firft fet out with good fuccefs, and the value ol their
ftock, for the firft five years, had rifen fafter thnn that «f any
other company, and his majefty, after purch;;fing lopoo I.
ftock, had condefcended to be their governor. Things were
in this fituation, when taking advantage of the above ihtute,
the South-Sea bubble was projesSled. The pretended iefigii
of which was to raife a fund for carrying on a trade :o the
South-Sea, and purchafing annuities, &c. paid to the other
companies : and propofals were printed and diftributed, fliew-
ing the advantages of the defign, and inviting perfons into it.
The fum neceliary for carrying it on, together with the
profits that were to arife from it, were divided into a certain
number of fliares, or fubfcriptions, to be purchafed by perfons
dii'pofcd to adventure therein. And the better to carry on the
deception, the dir^dlors engaged to make very large dividends;
and aftually declared that every 100 1. original ftock would
yield 50 1. per annum : which occafioned fo great a rife of
their ftock, that a fliare of 100 1. was fold for upwards of
800 1. This was in the month of July j but before the end

^HHi^HS- J

.xJh ^^ \

■ ^K1

304

E 1^ G L A N D.

of Septembe, It feW to 150 1. by which multitudes were ili!ncd,
and fuch acenc ofdiftreisoccafioned, as is fcarcely to be con-
ceived. Kit the confcquences of this infamous fchemcarc too
well knovn. Wc fhall pafs over all the other tran factions of
this comJiny in the reign of king George I. as not material to
our prefht purpofe.

By statute of the 6th of George II. it was enabled, that
from nd after the 24th of June, 1733* the capital ftock
of thi^ompany, which amounted to 14,651,1031. 8s. id.
and tfc fl^ares of the refpeilive proprietors, fhould he divided
into 3ur equal parts, three-fourths of which fhould be con-
vcrtet into a joint ftock, attended with annuities, after the
rate c" 4 pei cent, until redemption by parliament, and fliould
be caed, the new South-Sea annuities ; and the other fourth
part tiould remain in the company as a trading capital ftock,
attcned with the rcfidue of the annuities or funds payable at
the exchequer to the company for their whole capital, till
rederption ; and attended with the fame fums allowed for the
charp of management, and with all cfte«Sls, profits of trade,
debts privileges, and advantages, belonging to the South-Sea
compny. That the accomptant of the company fliould,
twic< every year, at Chriftmas and Midfummer, or within one
monh after, ftate an account of the company's affairs, which
IhouH be laid before the next general court, in order to their
declaing a dividend : and all dividends Ihould be made out of
the cear profits, and fhould not exceed what the company
mighi rei\fonably divide, without incurring any farther debt;
proviced that the company fhould not at any time divide more
than J. per cent, per annum, until their debts were difcharged;
and tiat the South-Sea company, and their trading ftock,
ihoulc, exclufively from the new joint ftock of annuities, be
liable to all the debts and incumbrances of the company ; and
that tie company fhould caufe to be kept, within the city of
London, an office and books, in which all transfers of the
new annuities fhould be entered, and figned by the party mak-
ing fuch transfer, or his attorney ; and the perfon to whom
fuch transfer ihould be made, or his attorney, fhould under-
write his acceptance ; and no bther method of transferring the
annuities fhould be good in law.

The annuities of this company, as well as the other, arc
now reduced to 3 1. per cent.

This company is under the dire6lion of a governor, fub-
governor, deputy-governor, and twenty-one directors j but
no perfon is qualified to be governor, his majefty excepted,
unlefs fuch governor has in his own name and right, 5000 1.
in the trading ftock j the fub-governor is tQ have 4000 I. tha

deputy

4 E N G L A N D.

305

IS the other, arc

2 directors ; but

tlcjMity 3000 1. and a dirci5lor 2000 1. in the Hime {lock. In
every {(tncral court, every mcniber, having in his own name
ami right, 500 1. in trading (tock, has one vote; if 2000 1.
two votes ; if 3000 1. three votes, and if 5000 1. four votes.

The Enll-India company, the Bank of KiiLland, and the
South-Sea company, are the only incorporated bodies to which
the government is indebted, except the Million-Bank, whole
capital is only one millioji, conftituted to purchafe the rever-
fion of the long Exchequer orders.

The intcreft of all the debts owing by the government, is
how reduced to 3 per cent, excepting only the annuities for
the years 1756, and 1758, the life annuities, and the Exche-
quer orders : but the South-Sea company dill continues to
divide 4 per celit. on their prefent capital llock ; which they
are enaiiled to do from the profits they make on the fums
allowed to them for management of the annuities paid at their
office, and from the intereit of annuities which arc not claimed
by the proprietors.

As the prices of the difFercnt ftocks arc continually flu«fluat-
ing above and below par, fo when a perfon who is not ac-
quainted v/ith tranfadtions of that nature, re.uls in the papers
the prices of Itocks, where Bank (lock is marked perhaps 127J
Iiuiia ditto 134 a 134I, South-Sea ditto 97'-, &c. he is to
under/land, that lOO I. of thofe refpcclivc Itocks fell at fuch 4
time for tliofe fcveral fums.

In comparino; the prices of the difFercnt (locks one with
another, it mull be remcinbcrcd, that the intcrcft due on therrt
from the time of the iaft payment, is taken into the current
price, and the feller never receives any feparatc conflderatioli
for it, except in the cafe of India bonds, where the intereft
due is calculated to the day of the fale, and paid by the pur-
chafcr, over and above the premium agreed for. But as ther
interelt on the different ftocks is paid at different times, this,
if not rightly underdood, would lead a perfon, not well ac-
quainted with them, into confiderable miftakes in his com-
putation of their value; fome always having a quarter's intcrcft
due on them more than others, which makes an appearance of
a confiderable difference In the price, when, in reality, there-
in" none at all. Thus, for inflance, old South-Sea annuities
fell at prefent for ^. 85 j, or ^. 85 10 s. v/hilc new South-
Sea annuities fetch only/. 84 |, or ^^ 84 15 s. though each
of them produce the iiimc annual fum of 3 percent, but the
old annuities have a quarter's interelt more due on them than
the new annuities, which amount to 15 s. the exad: difference.
There is, however, one or two caufes that will always make
one fpecies of amuiities fell fomewhat lower than another.

Vol. I. ' ' U thougU

mm ■■ ^^■■~

306 R N G L A N D.

though of the fame real value j one of which .Ay the annuities
making but a I'mall c;ipit;il, and there not being, for that rca-
f<Mi, fo Qiaiiy people at all times rciidy to buy into it, as into
others, where tkc quantity is larger; necaufe it Is apprehended
that whenever die- goveniioent pays oft* die national debt, they
will begin with that particular Ipccies uf annuity, the capital
of which is the fnialleif .

A ftock may likewife be afFeiiled by the court of Chancery ;
for if that covnt fhould order the money which is under their
ilirCiSlion, to be laid out in any particular ilock, that flock,
by having more purchalbrs, will be raifed to a higher price
than any otber of the like value.

By what has been fiiid, the reader will j^erccivc how much
the credit and the intereft of the nation depends on the fupport
©f the public funds. — While the annuities, and interclt for
money advanced, is there regularly paid, and the principal
infured by both prince and people, (a fecurity not to be had
in other nations) forciuners will lend us their property, and
all Europe be interefttjd in our wcllarc j the paper of the com-
panies will l>e converted into money and merchandize, and
Great-Britain can never want caib to carry her fchemcs into
execution.

In other nations, credit is founded on the word of the
nrince, if a monarchy ; or that of the people, if a republic ;
but here it is eftahlilhcd on the intereiis of both prince and
people, which is the rtron;!;eft fecuiity : for however lovely and
engaging honefty may he in other rcfpei^s, intercll in money.
matters will always obtain c<^ifidcncc ; bccaufe many people
pay great regard tu their intcrcli, who have but little vcncra*
l^oa far virtue.

ENGLAND.

307

ceivc how much
s oil the fupport
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id the principal
r not to be had
:ir property, and
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E N G L A N D.

'•

CoN'STiTUTioK AND LAW.s.] TacItus, in dcfcribing fiicii
a ccnftituticn as that of i^inglru.'l, {'ccnis to tliiiik, that how-
ever hcaiitiful it ma/ be in theory, it will be ff)und imprac-
tic.iblc in the execution. Experiej ce has proved his miitake
for by certain checks, that operate mutually, and which did
jiot fall witliin his ideas, the Englifh conllitution has conti-
nued in its fu'l vigour for abo\ e 500 years, it mull, j^t the
fame time, be admitted, tlut it has received, during that time,
many amendments, and fomc interruptions, but its principles
arc the fiime, with thofe defcribcd by the above-mentioned
hiltorian, as belonging to the Germans, and th'.. other northern
anccdors of ihe Engliih nation, and which are very impro-
perly blended under the name of Gothic. On the firft inva-
sion of En!:l;'.nd by the Saxons, who came froni Germany,
and the neigb.bouring countries, their laws and manners we're
pretty mucn the fame, as thofe mentioned by Tacitus. The
people had a leader in time of war. 'Ehe conquered lands, in pro-
portion to the merits of his followers, ajul their abilities to ferve
him, were di{{:ributcd aniong them, and the whole was con-
fiderei! as the common propeitv which thev v/ere to unite in
defending againll all invaders. Frefli adventurers coming over,
under fe(nu-ate K;aders, the old inhabitants were driven into
Wale?, a"d thole leaders, at lall, alfumed the title of kings over
the fe\'eral diftricls they had conquered. 'Ehis change of ap-
pellation made them more rcfpechible among the Britons, and
their neichboiirs the Scots and PieTis, but did not encreafe their
power, tl'.e operations of which continued to be confined to
military affairs.

All ci\ il !i:atters were propofcd in a general ailembly of the
chief oiBc r;, and the people, till, bv degrees, fhcrilFs, and other
civil officers, were appointed. T'he country was divided into
wapentakes, and hundreds, nair.es that Hill fubfiit in Eng-
lajid, and ovcrfeers wcvc chofen to direcl: them for the good of
the whole. The flieriff was tlic judge of all civil and cri-
mind mart^:rs, within the countv, and to him, after theintro-
dudtion of Chriilianitv, was added the biihop. In procefs of
time, as bufmefs multiplied, itinerant, and other judges, were
ni)p?)intcd ; but bv theearlieli records, it appears, that all civil
matters weie d.cided bv 12 or 16 men, livinu; in the neiLi;h-
1-iourhood of t'le place v»'here thcdifpute lav, and here vve have
the original of Engliili juries.

J-jetore the introduction of Chriflianitv, we know not
wb.ether the Saxons admitted of juries in criminal matters,
but we arc certain that there was no action- fo criminal, as
not to be compenfatcd for by money*. A mulct was impofcd

- in

♦ Called by ihc Saxom G u el 'i', and tfiencc the woiJ gnUy iiu: imiiial uiils.

ENGLAND.

.^09

in proportion to the guilt, even if it was the murder of the
kiiT^, upon the malcfa^Slor, and by paying it, he purchafcd
his pardon. ^Fhofe barbarous ufagcs feem to h:'.ve ccafed foon
after the Saxons were converted to ChriRianity, and cafes of
murder and felony were then tried, even in the king's court,
by a jury.

' Royalty, among the Saxons, was not, ftriclly fpcaking,
hereditary, though in fadt it came to be rendered fo tlirough
the affection which the people bore for the blood of their
kings ^"'^ ^'^" prefcrving the regularity of govcrnn-:ent. Even
eftates and honours were not flrictly hereditary, till they were
made fo by William tlie Conqueror.

'J'hat prince new modelled the Englifli conflitution. Ke
divided the conquered lands among his iollowcrs, as had been
a-^rced before the time of t!ie invafion, in ]icrpc*tual property.
He partitioned out the lands into knight's fees, an indeiermined
number of which formed a barony, and tliofe baronies were
ijiven to the great noblemen, who compofcd what is called
the King's Court, or Court of Peers, from every baron being
a peer, or equal to anotlicr. In this court all civil as well
as military matters, and the proportions of krnights and men,
which each baron was to raifc for the king's fervice, were
fettled. Even bifhoprics Avere converted into lay baronies,
and were obliged, as others, to furnifli their quotas. In other
refpects, the Conqueror, and the firft princes of the Norman
line, did all they could to efface from the minds of the peo-
ple, the remembrance of the Saxon conrtitution, but the at-
tempt was to no purj^ofe, '^i'he nobility, as well as the peo-
ple, had their complaints ag;\infl: the crown, and after much
war and blood-fiicd, the famous cliartcr of Englifli liberties,
fo well known by the name of Magna Charta, was forcibly,
in a manner, obtained from king John, and confirmed by his
fon Henry III. who fucceeded to the crown in 1216. It
do.s not appear, th.it till this reign, and after a great deal of
blood had been fpiit, the commons of England were rcpre-
fented in parliament, or the great council of the nation ; fo
entirely had the barons engrolied to themfelves the difpofal of
property.

'Ihc precife year, when the houfe of commons was formed,
is nf)t known, but we are certain, that it began in the reign
of Hcmy III. though we fliall not enter into any difputes
about* their fpccific powers. Weflial! tiierefore proceed to de-
feribe the conllitution, as it (lands at prefent.

in all fhites there is an abfolutc fupremc pov.'cr, to which
thj rio-ht of legillatiun belongs ; and which, by the lingular

U 3 ■ conftitutioii

l*^ iiuiimliiiil uiuls.

510 ENGLAND.

conftitution of thefe kingdoms, is here vefted in the king, lords,
ajid commons.

Of the king.] The fuprcme executive power of Great
Brirain and Ireland, is vefted by our conftitution in a fingle
fcrft n, king, or cjup* n j for it is indifferent to which fex the
crown defcends ; the peilbn entitled to it, v/hether male or fe-
male, is immediately intruftf^d with all the enfignsj rights^
and prerogatives of lovci^i/n power.

The grand fundamental maxim upon which the right of fuc-
reflirn to the throne of thefe kingdoms depends, is : " that
the crown, by common law and conftitutional cuftom, is he-
fcditary ; and this in a manner peculiar to itfelf : but that the
right of inheritance m.ay from time to time be changed cr
limited by act of parliament : under which limitations the
crown ftill continues hereditary."

That the reader may enter more clearly into the deduflion
cf tlie following royal fucceflion, by its being tranferred from
the houfe of Tudor, to that of Stuart, it may be proper to
inform h!ro that on the death of queen Elizabeth, without
ilTue, it became neceflary to recur to the other iflue of her
grandfather Henry VII. by Elizabeth of York his queen:
whofe eldeft daughter Margaret, having married Js" ics IV.
Icing of Scotland, king James the Sixth of Scotland, and of
England the FIrft, was the; lineal dcfccndant from that alliance.
So that in his pcrfon, as clearly as in ricnry Vlli. centered
all the claims of the different competitors, from the Norman
conquelt downward ; he being indifputably the lineal heir of
the conqueror. And, what is flill more remarkable, in his
perfon alfo cmtered tlic right of the Saxon monarchs, which
had been fufpcndcd from the conqueft till his accelTton. For
Margaret, the fifter of Ed^-ar Athelinti:, the dau;:hter of Ed-
ward the Outlaw, and granddaughter of king Edmund Iron-
fidc, was the perfon in whom the hereditary right of the Saxon
kings, fuppofmg it not aboliflied by the conqueft, rcfidcd.
She married Malcolm HI. king of Scotland; and Henry II.
by a defcent from Matilda their daughter, is generally called
(he reftorcr of the Savon line. But it m.uft be ren)embered,
that Malcolm, by his Sr.xon queen, had fons ns well as dau{',h"
tcrs ; and that the royal f;;mily of Scotland, from that time
downward, were the offspring of Malcolm and Margaret. Of
this royal family king James I. was the direct lineal dcfccn-
dant ; and therefore united in his perfon every poftible cl iir.,
by hereditary right, to the Englifti as well as Scottifh throne,
being the heir both of Egbert, and William the Conqueror.

At the revolution in 1688, the convention of elates, or repje-
fcntatlve body of the nation, dccl.-u-ed, that the inifcpndudt of

kiiig

narkable, in his

ENGLAND. ^it

TcifTT James II. amounted to an abdication of the government,
ajid that the throne was thereby vacant.

In confcquence of this vacancy, and from a regard to the
ancient line, the convention appointed the next Proteftant heirs
of the blood royal of king Charles I. to fill the vacant throne,
in the old order of fucceifion ; with .1 temporary exception,
or preference, to the perfon of king William III.

On the impending failure of the Proteftant line of king
Charles 1. (whereby the throne nii^ht agviin have become va-
cant) the king and parliament extended the fcttlcment of the
crown to the Proteftant line of king James I. viz. to the
princefs Sophia of Hanover, and the heirs of her body, being
proteftants : and (lie is now the common ftock, from whom
the heirs of the crown muft defccnd *.

The

• A Chtonft^opv of P.nglifb K j n «t s , frnm the time Xhat this rr>njn!f y Wm'nj^ unhei!

under one moii;irch, in the pcifjii ni' Kgbv'rt, \v?«o Juti.VuetJ t\n: fl her princes of
the Siixon heptarchy, and pa^e the vta-n,: ot .A nsjlt;- iaciiS to this jMtt iii i'ctc ifljndj
the Saxons and Angli.'? h^v'uw^ alxniV fdur cen^urits htff'Wv, i»v>ic>3 r^i fuShiucd
the ancient Britons, whom they drove iwlo Wales and CuruwiSK

Began to

reign.

800 Echert

838 EthoJwuff

857 Ethclbnld

«6o Ethclbrrn

866 Ethch-cd

871 Alfred the Great

901 Edward the iiidcr

9x5 Athe'irtan

941 Edmund

946 Edri-d

955 Edwy

959 ^•^g'"'

975 Edwi)rd tlie M*rtyr

978 Ethehcd 11. •

1016 Edmtind II. J

1017 Canute, king of Denmark ■>
J035 Hni-oW I Dsmih.
IC39 Hardicnnute ■*

1041 Eduard the Confcflbr 7 j.^^^^

1065 Harold, Ufurpcr ^"

1066 William I. <

(CommorJy c.'lial the Conquc or, Tr-v-.n !i*s f <»nqu«flfig Efigiuxl)
duke of NL)r;n;uiJy, :\ province? U!^.iu.'. ttit- luulU ui" F.jjglmd,
now an.xx.ed t j the Fvench monirdiy.
1087 William II. 7 5^^^ ^f jj,,_ Conqueror.
1100 Henry !• S
!I35 Stephen, grandfon to the Con(jiui.'rnr, I'y his fi.irtb «^»lletl^^fr Adds.

CfPlantagcHti'igrandfon >•>? W'in-v U l-v his ■tfjhtwthietnprCU
1 154 Henry U. ^ j^.^ j^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^.^^^ h'^Jbiud G£am-<.r i'iAirtiicact.

1.89 Richard I. 7 s^^^^f„il,

1 199 John 5 '

iil6 Henry III. fori of John.

117^ Edward I. fon of H<;ury HI. _..,

U4 »r7^<>

if'

312 ENGLAND.

The true ground and principle, upon which the revolution
proceeded, w.ns vn entirely new cafe in politics, which had
never before happened in our hiUory ; the abdication oF the
leij^nin^r monarch, and the vacancy of the throne thereupon.
It Vvas not a dcfeazance of the right of fuccefTion, and a new
limitation of the crown, by the king and both houfes of par-
liament : it was the ai5t of the nation alone, upon a conviction
that there was no king in being. For in a full alien dijy of the
lords r;nd commoiis, mot in coiu'ention upon ihe fiippofition
of rhis vacancy, both houfes came to this rcfoiution; " that
kino; T'^rn^s II. having endeavoured to fubvcrt the conliirution
of the kingdom, by breaking the original contract between
king and people; and bv the advice of jcfuits, and other
wicked pcrlons, Ijaving violated the fundamental law.s; and

haviiis:

Ergjn to

rcjf;n.
T307 Edward II. Ton of Reward I.
1317 rdward HI. fon of 3'M\v.n-d IT.
1377 Riti'.aiJ 11. r.ran-lfo., ot Edward III. l-y his eldi-ft fon, the black prince.

1 399 Henry IV

•on t,

■uin

t, duke of LanciitcT,

4;h l.:n to Edward III.

Moufc of Lancafler.

HoufeofYork,

J.}^i3 Hi'nry V. fon ^f I-uniy IV.

1422 Pieiny V'l. fon of ficnry V. J

1461 F,dw;'rd iV. dcfccndcd tVom Edw. III. by Lionel his 3d fon ■%
14S3 Ei.ward V. f n of Edward IV. [

14S:; Kich.ird 111. brother rf Edward IV. J

(Ti'dor) fon f.f tlie coun-
^485 Henry VII. ^ tc!'; (,f Richmond, of JHoufc of Tudor^ in whom were

unitc-d the houfes of Eancaltcr
and York, by Henry VII'g mar-
riage with Elizabeth, daughter
of Edw.'.rd IV.

the Houfe i-f Eancaltcr

1509 HcnrvVIII. fon of Hcnrv Vll.
J 547 EdwiidVI. fon of Henry VllI

^DaiKihters of Henrv VIII.

{

Great grandlim of James IV. king nf Scotland, by \fargatct,
danuliterof Hc;iry VII. and firll of the Stuart family in England.

1 5153 Mary
1558 Elizabeth

1C03 James I

162:; Charles I. fun of James I
Vfinpation by commonwealth and Cromwell.
1649 Charles 11,
1685 J

i688

II.

Sons of Charles I,

1702

William III. ncplicw and fon-in-law of J:imcj 11.

nnd Niary ? Daiigluers of ja^nes II. in whom ended the Proteftant line of
Anne 5 Charles I. for fames II. upon his abdicating the throne, tar-
ried \,hh W.m iiis infant fon (the late pretender) who was ex-
cluded by adt of parliament, wliith fettled the fucceflion in
the next I'roteflant heir? of Jaines I. The furviving iflueof
James, at the time of his death, were a fon and a daughter,
viz. diaries, whofueceedcd him, and the princefs Eliza-
beth, wb.o married the ckdlor palatine, who took the title
of king of Bohemia, and left' a daughter, the princefs So-
phia, vvl'o married the duke of Bnmfwick Lunenburg, by
V^'hom fhe had George, eleflor of Hanover, who afeended the
throne, by ad of parliament, exprclsly made in favour of
hi:, mother.

1714 Ocorf^c I.

17*7 Geoige 11. i^ri '•( Ceorgc I.

i;6o G

eorgi Hi. grancivn of Cieo.-jc

Houfc of Hanover,

ENGLAND.

313

he conititution
utracl: between
its, ami other
[ital Jaw;;; aiid

c black priiicf.

having withdrawn himfelf out of this kingdom, has abdicated
the government, and that the throne is thereby vacant." Thus
ended at once, by this Aiddcn and unexpedled vacancy of the,
throne, the old line of fuccellion : which from the conquest
had lafted above 600 years, and from the union of the Saxoij
heptarchy in king Egbert, almolt goo.

'rhoUj?;h in fomc points (owing to the peculiar circuni-
ftaiices of things and perfons) the revolution was not altoge-
ther fo perfect as might have been wifhcd ; yet from thence a
jiew rera commenced, in which the bounds of prerogative and
liberty have been better defined, the principles of go\ernment
more thoroughly examined and undcrftood, and the rights of
the fubje<Sl more explicitly guarded by legal provifions, than in
any other period of the Englifh hiftory. In particular, it is
worthy obfcrvation, that the convention, in this their jud'.>;-
mcnt, avoided with great wifdom the wildcxtreams into which
the vifionary theories of fome zealous republicans would have
led them. They held that this mifconduil of king James
amounted to an endeavour to fubvcrt the conftitution, and iu>t
to an a6hial fubverfion, or total difTolution of the government.
They therefore very prudently voted it to amount to no more'
thin an abdication of the government, and a confcquent va-
cancy of the throne ; whereby the government was allowed to
fubfiit, though the executive magiftrate was gone : and the
kingly ofnce to remain, though king James was no longer
king. And thus the conftitution was kept intirej which, upon
every found principle of government, muft otherwife have fallen '
to pieces, had fo principal and conftitucnt a part as the royal
authority been abolifhed, or even fufpendcd. *

Hence it is eafy to colledl:, that the title to the crown is at
prcfent hereditary, tho' not quite foabfolutely hereditary as for-
merly; and the common llock oranceftor, from whom the de-
ftcnt muft be derived, is alfo dift'ercnt. P'ormerly the common"
ilock was king Egbert ; then William the Conqueror ; after- •
ward, in James l.'s time, the two common ftocks united,
and fo continued till the vacancy of the throne in 1688:
now it is the princefs Sophia, in whom the inheritance was
veiled by the new king and parliament. Formerly the defcent
was abfolute, and the crown went to the next heir without
any reftriction ; but now, upon the new fcttlcment, the inhe- •
ritance is conditional ; being limited to fuch heirs only, of thC'
body of the princefs Sophia, as arc Proteftant members of
the church of England, and are married to none but Pro-
tfcllants.

And in this due medium confifts the true conftitutional no-
tion of the right of fucccilion to the imperial crown of thefc

kingdoms.

■pjTi

314 ENGLAND.

kingdoms. The extremes, between which it fteers, arc each ef
them equally dcftru6tive of thofc ends for which focieties wcro
ibrmed, and are kept on foot. Where the magiftrate, upon
every fucceffion, is elected by the people, and may by the ex-
prcfs provifion of the law^i be depofcd (if not punifhed) by hi»
iubjc<Sls, this may found like the perfeiTtion of liberty, and
look well enough when delineated on paper ; but in practice
will be ever produ6live of tumult, contention, and anarchy.
And, on the other hand, divine indefeafible hereditary right,
when coupled with the dod:rine of unlimited paflive obedience,
is furely of all conftitutions the moll: thoroughly flavifh and
dreadful. But when fuch an hereditary right, as our laws
have created and veiteti in the royal ftock, is clofely inter-
Woven with thofe liberties, which are equally the inheritance
of the fubie£l; this union v/ill form a conftitution, in theory
the moft beautiful of any, in practice the mod approved, and,
in all probability, will prove in duration the molt permanent.
This conftitution, it is the duty of every Briton to undcr-
ftand, to revere, and to defend.

The principal duties of the king are exprefled in his oath
at the coronation, which is adminiftered by one of the arch-
bifliops, or biihops of the realm, in the prefence of all the
people ; who, on their parts, do reciprocally take the oath of
allegiance to the crown. This coronation oath is conceived
in the following terms :

*' The archhijhopy or bijhcp^ Jhall fa^^ Will you folcmnly
promife and fwear, to govern the people of this kingdom of
England, and the dominions thereunto belonging, according
to the ftatutes in parliament agreed on, and the laws and cuf-
toms of the fame ? — The king or queen Jhall fay ^ I folcmnly pro-
mife fo to do.

ArchUJhop or bijhopi Will you to you ' power caufe law
and juftice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?
^T'King or queen. I will.

Archhijhop or h'tjhop. Will you to the utmoft of your power
maintain the laws of God, the true profefTion of the gofpel.
End the Proteftant reformed religion eftabiiflied by the law ?
And will you preferve unto the biihops and clergy of this realm,
and to the churches committed to their charge, all fuch rights
and privileges as by the law do or fhall appertain unto thtm,
or any of them I— King or queen. All this I promife to do.

After this the king or queen, laying his or her hand upon the
%oly gofpels, Jhall fay^ The things which I have here before-
promifed, I will perform and keep : fo help me God. And
thmfball kit's the book^:*

i Thi$

ENGLAND.

3^5

This is the form of the coronation oath, as it is now pre-
{cribed by our laws : and we may obferve, that in the king's
part in this original contraft, are expreffed all the duties that
a monarch can owe to his people j viz. to govern according
to law : to execute judgment in mercy : and to maintain the
eftabliflied religion. With rcfpcft to the latter of thcfc three
branches, we may farther remark, that by the acl of union,
5 Ann. c. 8. two preceding ftatutes are recited and confirmed;
the one of the parliament of Scotland, the other of the par-
liament of England : which enad> j the former, that every
king at his fucccflion fliall take and fubfcribe an oath, to pre-
fervethe Proteftant religion, and Prciliyterian church govern-
ment in Scotland : the latter, that at his coronation, he fliall
take and fubfcribe a fimilar oath, to preferve the fcttlement of
the church of England within England, Ireland, Wales, and
Berwick, ajid the territories thereunto belonging.

The king of Great Britain, notwithftanding the limita-
tions of the power of the crown, already mentioned, is one
of the ^reateft monarchs reigning over a free people. Kis
perfon is facred in the eye of the law, which makes it high
treafon fo much as to imagine or intend his death ; neither
can he, in himfelf, be deemed guilty of any crime, the law
taking no cognizance of his actions, but only in the perfons of
his minifiers, if they infringe the laws of the land. As to
his power, it has no bounds (except where it breaks in upon
the liberty and property of his fubjeds, as in making new laws,
or raifmg new taxes) for i\c can make war or peace ; fend and
receive ambafiadors ; make treaties of league and commerce ;
levy armies, fit out fleets, employ them as he thinks proper ;
grant commiflions to his officers both by fea and land, or rc-
vokethem atplcafure ; difpofeof all magazines, caftles. Sue. fum-
nion the parliament to meet, and, when met, adjourn, pro-
rogue, or diffolve it at pleafure ; refufe his afient to any bill, tho*
it hath pafl'ed both houfes ; which, confequently, by fuch a re-
fufal, has no more force than if it had never been moved. Kc
poflefieth the right of chufing his own council j of nomi-
nating all the great officers of ftate, of the houfliold, and the
church J and, in fine, is the fountain of honour, from v/honi
all degrees of nobility and knightbiod are derived. Such is the
dignity and power of a king of Great Britain.

Of the parliament.] Parliaments, in foine fliape, arc,
as has been obf.'rved, of as high antiquity as the Saxon go-
vernment in this ifiand ; and have fubillleu, in their prcfent
fprm, at lead 500 years.

Tfie pailiamept is aflcmbled by the king's writs, and its

fitting muft not be intermitted above three years. Its confti-

tMcnt pfirts are, the king fitting there in his royal political ca-

' ' ' ' ' - ■ pacity,

tt*-*i

^i6 ENGLAND.

jvacifv, niul the three cftatcs of the realm ; the lords fplrltuni,
the IdrIs temporal, (who fit to^i-thcr with the king, in one
houll;) and the commons, who fit by thcmfelves in another.
'I'he kinp; and thefe three cftates, tOL-iethcr, form the great
corporation or body politic of the kingdom, of which the kinw
is laid to be aifn/t, /» iui/J>//o/i^ ft finis. For upon their coming
tojnther the kmg nnxts them, cither in perfon, or by r prc-
fentati(>n ; without which there can be nobeiriiniing of a par-
lianiei-it ; ;ind he alio has alone the power oi dillolving them.

it ii; hiL^hly nccefiary for preferving the balance of the coa-
{)^itntit>n, that the executive power Ihoiild be a bratich, tho'
not the whole, of the legiflatme. The crown cannot be<:in
of itfclf anv alleiations in the prefcnt eflabliflied law; but
it may approve f)r difar.prove of the alterations fuggeiled and
confentcd to by the tv/o houfcs. 'J'hi' lrgillali\e therefore can-
not abridge the executive power of any rights which it now
has by law, without its own confcnt : fincc the law mull pcr-
pctuallv fland as it nov/ docs, uiilefs all the powers will agree
to alter it. And herein indeed crnfiils the true txcellciiee
of the Engli/h goveiranent, that all the parts of it form .n
nnitual chcci: upon each other. Jn the legiflnturc, the people
arc a check upon the nobilitv, and the nobility a check upon
the people ; by the mutual privilege of rejecting what the other
J)as rcfolvid : while the kin;": is a check upr-n both, which prc-
ilrves the executive power from encroacimienis.

The lords fpiritual confi{l of two iirchbifhops and 24 bi-
fliops. 'Ihc lords temporid conliil of all the peers of the
realm, the bifhops not being in Ibiclnefs held to be fuch, but
r.icrelv lords of parliament. Some of the peers fit by defcent,
as do all antient peers ; foine by creation, v.s do all the new-
n>adc ones : others, fince the union with Scotland, by elec-
tion, which is the cafe of the 16 peers, who reprefent the
body of the Scots nobilitv. 'i'he number of peers is indefi-
nite, and may be increafed at will by the power of the crown.

A body of nobility is more pcciiliarly nccefiary in our mixed
tind compounded conrtitution, in order to fupport the rights of
both the crown and the pi'0|de ; by forming a barrier to with-
itandlhc encroachments of both, it creates and preferves that
gradual fcale of dignity, which proceeds from the peafant to
the prince ; rifing like a pyramid from a broad foundation,
and diminiihincr to a point as it riies. 'I'he nobility therefore
are tlic pillars, which are reared from among the people, more
immeuiatel V to fupport the throne : and if that falls, they niidl:
alfo be buried under its ruin^. Acc(*rdingly, when in the lalt
century the commons had determined t«> extirpate monarchy,
they alfo voted the houfeof lords to be ufelefs and dar- Jie.rous.
4 1 ho

^;ing, in one

ENGLAND. '-^r;

The commons confift of all fuch men of any property In tli«
kini'tlom, as h'.we not ic:its in the houl'e of lords; every one of
V. hich has a voice in parliament, cither perfon;il]v> or by his
rc'prcfcntativcs. In a tree (Kite, every man, wh(i is fuppofed
a tVcc agent, oupht to be, in Ibmc nicafure, his owji governor ;
and ihircfore a branch at Icait of the Icgiflativc power ihould
rcfldc in the wliole body of the people, in fo larLrc a Itate as
o\n^, it is \cry wil'ely contrived, that the people ilioulJ do
that by their rcprcrcntati\'es, which it is impracticable toper-
form in porion : reiMTfentatives, chol'on by a number of mi-
nute and feparatc dilhii-fs, wherein all the voters are, or c;'.(ilv
may he, dill-inguiflied. The counties are therefore repj-e-
fentixi b\' knights, eledted by the proprietors of l.mds : the
cities ijul borou'jhs are reprel'ented by citi'/ens and burL>;ellc:s%
cholcn by the mercantile pair, or fuppolld trading in'.eieil- of
the nr.tion. 'Vhc number oi Kngliih reprelentatives is 513,
r.nd of Scots 45 ; in all 558. And every member, thouoli ,
chiifcn by one ji;iit:cuhir diilric^, when elected and returned,
i'crves for the whole realm. For the end of his coming thither
is jiot particular, but gejieral ; not barely to advaiuage his
cojifHtuents, but the common wealth, and to adviil- his ma-
jedv, as appears from the writ of fummons. 1

Thefe are the coiidituent parts of a parliament, the king,
the lords fjiiritual and temporal, and the coninKJUs. Parts, of
which each is i'o necellarv, that the conlent of all three is
recjuired to niake any new law that Ihould bind the iiibie.:t.
Whatever is enacted for law by one, or by two only, of the
three, is i\o (latute ; and to it no regard is due, unlcfs in nu'.t-
ters relating to their own privileges.

The power and juiifdidtion of parliament, fays Sir F.dvvard
Coke, is fo tranlcendent and abfblute, that it cannot be con-
fined, either for caufes or pcrfons, within any bounds. It
hath fovercign .and nncontrolable authority in making, con-
fmning, enlarging, reitraining, abrogating, repealing, re-
viving, and expounding of laws, conccrniiig riiatters of all
poiliblc dejioniinations, ecclefi.'.ltieal, or temporal, civil, niili-
tary, maritime, or criminal : this being the place where that
abfolute defpotic power, which nnilt in all governments refide
fomcwhere, is entrufted by the conititutiou of thefe king-
doms. All mifchiefs and grievances, operations and remedies,
that tranfcend the ordinary courfe of the laws, are within the
reach of tliis extraordinary tribunal. It can regulate or new
modjl the luccellion to the crown ; as was done in the reigti
of Henry VJil. and William III. It can alter the eltablifhed
religion of the land ; as was done in a variety of inltanccs, irt
the rcignj of king Henry Vlli. and his three children. Itcait
. .. chan-re

r '

ENGLAND.

lil

l;.r

change and create afrefti even the conftitution of the kingdom^
and of pailiamcnts themlVlvcs; as was done by the adl of
unioi'., and the ieveral ftatutcs for triennial and feptcnnial
eleilions. It can, in fliort, do every tiling that is not natural-
ly impoiliblc ; and therefore fomc have not fcrupled to call its
power, by a figure raihcr too bold, the omnipotence of par-
liament. True it is, that what the ])ailiament doth, no au-
thority upon earth can undo. So that it is a matter moft
eHential to the liberties of this kingdom, that fuch members
be delegated to this important trui\, as are moil eminent for
their probity, their fortitude, and their knowledge ; for it was
a known apothegm of the great lord trealurer Burleigh, " that
England could never be ruiiied but by a parliament :" and, as
Sir Matthew Hale obfcrvcs, this being the higheit and grcateft
court, over which none other can have jurifdiciion in the
Jcirigdom, if by any means a mifgovcrnmcnt fliould any way
fall upon it, the fubjedts of this kingdom are left without all
manner of remedy.

In order to prevent the mifchiefs that might arife, by placing
this extenfive authority in hands that are cither incapable, or
el fe improper, to manage it, it is provided that no one fhnll
fit or vote in cither houfe of parliament, unlefs he be twenty-
one years of ngc. To prevent innovations in religion and go-
vernment, it is enacfted, that no member fliall vote or fit in
either houfe, till he hath, in the prefence of the houfe, taken
the oaths of allegiance, fupremacy, and abjuration ; and fub-
fcribed and repeated the declaration againft tranfubftantiation,
the invocation of faints, and the facrifice of the mafs. To
prevent dangers that may arife to the kingdom from foreign
attachments, connexions, or dependencies, it is enaftcd, that
110 alien, born out of the dominions of the crown of Great-
Britain, even though he be naturalized, fhall be capable of
being a member of either houfe of parliament.

Some of the more notorious privileges of the members of
either houfe are, privilege of fpeech, of perfon, of their do-
meftics, and of their lands and goods. As to the firft, privi-
lege of fpeech, it is declared by the ftatute of i W & M. ft. 2.
c. 2. as one of the liberties of the people, " that the freedom
of fpeech, and debates, and proceedings in parliament, ought
not to be impeached or queftioned in any court or place out
of parliament." And this freedom of fpeech is particularly
demanded of the king in perfon, by the fpeaker of the houfe
of commons, at the opening of every new parliament. So
likewife are the other privileges, of perfon, fervants, lands
and goods. This includes not only privilege from illegal
violence, but aJfo from legal arrefts, and feifures by procefs

fcQtil

ENGLAND. • 319

from the courts of law. To alUiult by violence a mcml)cr U*
cither houfe, or his incniul fv-rvants, la jl high cunten»pt of par-
liament, and thcru" punilhcd with the utmoll Icvcrity. Neithtr
can any member of either houfe be anefted and taken int«
cuftody, nor fcrved with any procefs of the courts of law j
nor can his menial fervants be ;irrcikd ; nor can any entry be
made on his lands ; nor can his gcods be dillrained or Icized,
without a breach of the- privilege of parliament *.

The houfe of lords have a right to be attended, and con-
fcquently are, by the judges of the court of Icinjj's bench and
common-pleas, and luch of the barons o{ the exchequer, as
arc of the degree; of the coif, or have been n\. d<'. ferjeants at
law; as likewife by the maimers of the court of chancery j for
their advice in point of law, and for the greater diii^nity ot
their proceedings.

The fpealcer of the houfe of lords is generally the lord
chancellor, or lord-keeper of the great fcal, which dignities
are commonly vefted in the fame pcrfon.

Each peer has a right, by leave of the houfe, as being his
own reprefcntativc, when a vote partes contrary to his lenti-
ments, to enter his dilTcnt on the journals of the houfe, with
the reafons for iuch dillcnt ; which is ufually filled his pro-
teft. Upon particular occafions, however, thefe protefts have
been fo bold as to give offence to the majority of the houfe,
and have therefore been expunged from the journals.

The houfe of commons may be properly (tiled the grand
inqueft of Great Britain, impowered to enquire into all
national grievances, in order to fee them redrefled.

The peculiar laws and cuftoms of the houfe of commons
relate principally to the raifing of taxes, and the ele<Stions of
members to ferve in parliament.

With regard to taxes : it is the antient indifputable privi-
lege and right of the houfe of commons, that all grants of
fubfidies, or parliamentary aids, do begin in their houfe, and
are firft btftowed by them; although their grants are not
efr'ii^lual to all intents and purpofes, until they have the afl'ent
of the other two branches of the Icgiflature. The general reafon
given for this exclufive privilege of the houfe of commons, is,
that the fupplies are raifed upon the body of the people, and
therefore it is proper that they alone fiiould have the right of
taxing themfelves. And fo reafonably jealous are the com-
mons

* This exemption from arrefts for lawful debts, was always confidcred by the
public as a grievance. The lords nnd commons therefcre generoufiy relinqmnied
their privilege by aft of parlistiuent 1770; »oi jpswfcws «! botit Wuf«» m»f M*
hi i\iii like ethei: dtf^tefs.

Hi'i

||||f

if '$

I ^

;;2o ENGLAND.

iTions of this privilc[>;c, that herein they will not fufiVr the
other hoiife to exeit anv power but that ot" rcjc(5linn; ; they
will not permit the leaft- alteration or amendment to be made
bv the lords to the modi; oftaxino; the people by a money bill.
Under this appdhition arc inrhukd all hills, by whieh monejr
is dirc'lK-d to be r.'.ifed upon the fubjc^^t, for any purpof'e, or in
any ihapi- whatfocn'er ; either for the exigencies of govern-
nit-nt, and eollectcd from the kini'dom in ;;eneral, as the laud
tax ; or for prisate benclit, and eolkciled in any particular
Uilhict, a.s by turnpikes, parifh rates, and the like.

The mctivid of makiiiL!; laws is tnuch the fame in both
lioul'cs. In each houl'c the adt of' the majority binds the
whole ; aiul this majority is declared hv votes openly and pub-
licly ^iven ; not as at Venice, and many other fenatorial
allemhlies, privately, or by ballot. 'I'hii latter method may
bo i'erviceable, to prevent inti'igues and unconflitutional coui-
binations, but is impoilible to be pracUfed with us, at leaft iii
the houle of comir.ons, where every member's coiuluiSt is fub-
jeOl: to the futuie tenfure of his conflituents, and therefore
ihouKl be ojiejily fubmitted to their infpecHon.

'I'o bring a bill into the houfc of commons, if the relief
fouirfit by it is of a private nature, it is i\vi[ necelliiry to pre-
fer a petition ; wliieh mull: be prefented by a meniber, and
iifuailv trts forth the (nievance defned to be remedied. This
petition (when founded on faits that m;iv be in their I'aturc
d'fputod) is reftrred to a committee of members, who examine
the uKittvr allei^ed, and accordingly n port it to the houi'e; and
theji (or, oilurwife, iqion the mecr petition) leave is rrivcn
to brijiij; in the bill. In public nKitters, the bill is brought in
upon motion made to the houfe, without any petition. (Irt
the h(uife of lords, if the bill be:.';ins there, it is, when of a
piivatc jiature, refrrred to two of the judges, to examine and
rejiort the ihite of the facts a'lcdged, to iee that all necelfary
parties confcnt, and to fettle all points of technical propriety.)
'J'liis is read a fufi: time, and, at a convenient diftance, H
fecond time ; and after each reading, the fpeaker opens to the
houfc the fubilancc (jf the bill, and puts the quellion, whether
it fliall pioceed any farther. The introduction of the bill may
be originally oppoll-d, as the bill itfelf may at either of the

rcadinjs ; and, if the oppofition fucceeds, the bill muft hd
dropt for that I'ellion ; as it mult alfo, if oppofed with fuccefx
in ain' of the fublequcnt itagcs.

Alter tile fecond reading, it is cojnmitted, that is, referred
to a connnittee ; which is either fclet'ted by the houfe in
matters of fmall importance, or eH'e, if the bill is a matter of
great, or lutiujial confequeneej the lioufe refolves itfelf into a

committee'

England. 321

tommittcc of the whole houfc. A con (feu of the wtiole
houlc is compofed of every member ; ana, to iorm it, the
fpc.ikcr quits the chair, (another mcmbt r hrmg appointed
chairman) and may fit and dchatc as a private mcmbor. In
thele committcCvS, the bill is debated claull- bv claufc, amtnd-
tnents made, the blanks filled up, and fomctimcs the bill en-
tirely new mcMlelled. After it has gone through the com-
mittee, the chairman reports it to the houfe, with fucb amcnd-
mrnts as the committee have mad'j; and then the home recon-
fidcr the whole bill again, and the qucflion is repeatcilly put
upon every claufe and amendment. When the houfc have
agreed or difagrecd to the amendments of the committee, and
fometimes added new amendments of their own, the bill is
then ordered to be engrofled, or written in a ftrong grofs hand,
on one or more long rolls of parchments fewcd together.
When this is finifhed, it is read a third time, and amend-
ments are fometimes then made to it ; and, if a new claufe be
adiled, it is done by tacking a fcpar.'tc piece of parchment oii
the bill, which is called a rider. The fpcakcr then again
opens the contents ; and, hoklinij; it up in his hands, puts
the quefUon, whether the bill fliail pafs. If this is agreed to,
the title to it is then fettled. After this, one of the members
is directed to carry it to the lords, and defire their concur-
rence ; who, attended by fcvcral more, carries it to the bar of
the houfe of peers, and there delivers it to their fpeakcr, who
comes down from his woolfack to receive it. It there pafles
through the forms, as in the other houfe, (except engroifing,
which is already done) and, if reje«Sled, no more notice h
taken, but it pzfft's fub fi/entio, to prevent unbecoming alter-
cations. But if it is agreed to, the lords fend a mellageby two
mafters in chancery (or, fometimes in matters of high impor-
tance, by two of the judges) that they have agreed to the fame :
and the bill remains with the lords, if they have made no
amendment to it. But if any amendments are made, fucli
amendments are fent down with the bill to receive the concur-
rence of the commons. If the commons difagree to the amend-
ments, a conference ufually follows between members deputed
from each houfe j who, for the moft pait, fettle and adjuit
the difference : but, if both houfes remain inflexible, the bill
is dropped. If the commons agree to the amendments, the bill
is fent back to the lords by one of the members, with a meflage
to acquaint them therewith. The fame forms are obferved,
mutatis mutandis, when the bill begins in the houfe of lords.
But, when an a^Sl of grace or pardon is palTed, it is firft figned
by his majefty, and then read once only in each of the houfesi,
without any new engroffing or ameadniejit. And when both
Vol., I. • X houfe*.

."i-

•

322

ENGLAND.

houfcs have done with any bill, it always is dcpofited in tht
houfe of peers, to wait the royal aflent ; except in the cafe of
a money-bill, which, after receiving the concurrence of the
lords, is fent back to the houfe of commons. It may be
neccflary here to acquaint. the reader, that both in the houfes
and in their committees, the fiii;hto:(1: expreflion, or moft mi-
nute alteration, does not pafs, till the fpeaker, or the chair-
man, puts the quellion ; which, in the houfe of commons, is
anfwercd by o'jc or m\ and, in the houfe of peers, by content
or vot content.

The giving the royal afient to bills, is a matter of great
form. When the king is to pafs bills in perfon, lie appears
on his throne in the houfe of peers, in his royal robes, with
the crown on his head, and attended by his great officers of
flate and 'xTalds. A ieat on the right hand of the throne,
where the prince:, of Scotland, when pccis of England, for-
merly fate, is refjrveu fcT the prince of Wales. The other
princes of the blood fit on the kft hand of the king ; and the
chancellor on a clofe bench reniovL-d a little backwards. The
vifcoiints and temporal barons, or lords, face the throne, on
benches, or v/ool-packs, covered with red cloth or baize.
The bench of biihojis runs along the houfe to the bar -op the
right hand of the throne j as the dukes and earls do on the
left. The chancellor and judges, on ordinary days, fit upon
wool-packs bctv/een the barons and the tlnone. 'i'he com-
mon opinion i.;, that the houfe fittinr on wool is fvmbolical
of wool being formerly the Ihiple commodity of the kingdom.
Many of the peers, on foleir.n occadons, appear in their par-
liamentary robes. None of the commons have any robes,
excepting i\\i fpeaker, who wears a long black filic gown;
and when he appears before the king, it is trimmed with
gold.

The roval afient may be given two ways : i. In perfon.

When the king fends for the houfe of commons to the houfe

•of peers, the fpeaker carries up the money-bili or bills in his

hand ; and, in delivering them, he addrelles his maiefly in a

Iblemn ipeech, in which he feldom fails :o e.vtol the genereiity

and loyalty of the commons, and to tell his ni.'.jefty h( .■«■/ ne-

ceilarv it is to be frugal of the public money, it is upon this

occafioii, that the commons of Great-Jji itain appear \\\ tiieir

higheii luftre. The titles of all bills that have palfed both

houfes arc read ; and the king's aafwer is declared by the

clerk of the parliament m Norman- French : a badiie, it niuft

. be owned, (now the only one remaining) ofconqueii:; and

■which one could wifh to fee fail into total oblivioJi ; unlcis

it be refervcd as a folemn momentQ to remind. ps that our liber-

* . * . . • ■ . . . . tics

ENGLAND. 323

ties arc mortal, having once been deftroycd by a foreign force.
If the kingconfents to a public bill, the clerk ufually declares,
leroy leveut, *' the king wills it fo to be;" if to a private bill,
foitfciit come il eji dcfive^ " be it as it is dcfired." If the king
refufes his afl'ent, it is in the gentle language of A' roy s' avifera,.
" the king will advife upon it." When a m.Qney-bill iu
pafl'cd, it is carried up and prcfented to the king by the fpcakcr
nf the houfe of commons, and the royal afllnt is thus ex-
preflcd, /e roy remercie fes loyal fuhje£is^ accept c lour benEVokncCy
£t aujfi Ic vcut, " the king thanks his loyal fubjecls, accepts
their benevolence, and wills it fo to be." In cafe of an a<5l of
grace, which originally proceeds from the crown, and has the
ruval afl'ent in the lirfl ftagc of it, the clerk of the parliament
thus pronounces the gratitude of the fubjecl ; les prelats^ fi'S'
neursy ct commons^ en ce prcfcnt parliament ajjcmhlics^ au nom de
touts vous autrci JnljcfAi^ ramrcient ires humule7nent voire mnjcjle^ •
et prJent a Dieu vous doiiner en Jayiie lone ■vie et longue ; " thtj
prelates, lords and commons, in this prefci.t parliament af-
fcmbled, in the name of ail your orhcr fubjecls, mofl: humbly
thank your majefty, and pray to Go(1 to grant you in health anci
wealth long to live." 2. By the llatute 33 Hen. VIII. c. 2i,»
the king may give his afl'ent by letters patent under his great
fcal, figncd with his hand, and notified, in his abfence, to
both houfes aflembled together in the hi;j;h houfe, by com-
miflioners coniifling of certain peers, named in the letters.
And, when the bill has received the royal aflent in cither of
thefe ways, it is then, and not before, a ftatute or acl of
parliament. •

This fl:atute or a(^ Is placed among the records of the king-
dom; there needing no formal pro i.ulgation to give it th«
force of a law, as was ncccflary by the civil law with regard
to the emperor's cdi6ts j becaufe every man in England is-,
in judgment of law, party to the making of an act of parlia-
ment, being prefent thereat by his reprefentatives. However,
copies thereof are ul'uaily printed at the king's prefs, for tlis
information of the whole land.

An a6t of parliament, thus made, is the cxercife of the
highert authoiity that this kingdom a^ knowledges up;-n earth.
It hath power to bind every fubjeil in the land, and the
dominions thereunto belonging; nav, even the king himfelf,
if particularly named therein. And it cannot be altered,
amended, difpenfeil with, fufpended, cr repealed, but in the
fame forms, and by the fame authority of parliament : for it
is a maxim in law, that it requires the fame flrcngth to dif-
folve, as to create an obligation.

X 2 ' , f ' Such

,.«1

324 ENGLAND..

Such is the parliament of Great-Britain; the {burce anc?
guardian of our liberties and properties, the ftrong cement
which binds the foundation and fuperftru^lure of our govern-
ment, and the wifely concerted balance maintaining an equal
poife, that no one part of the three eftates overpower or
diftrefs either of the other.

From the above general view of the Englifh conftituti(Hi, it
appears that no fecurity for its permanency, which the wit of
man can devife, is wanting. If it fhould be objected, that
parliaments may become fo corrupted, as to give up or betray
the liberties of the people, the anfwer is, that parliaments, as
every other body politic, are fuppofed to watch over their poli-
tical exiftence, as a private perfon docs his natural life. If a
parliarnent was to a6t in that manner, it mult become felo de
fey an evil that no human provifions mn guiird againft. But
there are ftill fuch rcfources of lib; " h". England, that no
fuch fatal effc6t is now to be appre:. ; i \ and though the
conftitution has been even ovcrturne*. , u.d fometimes dan-
geroufly wounded, yet, its own innate powers have recovered
and ftill prcferve it. Monf. Mczcray, the famous hiftorian,
faid to a countryman of ours, in the clofe of the laft century,
** We had once in France the f.ime happinefs and the fame
privileges which you ha\'e ; our laws were then made by repre-
feniatives cf 0\)R own chuftng, therefore our money was not
taken from us \ but granted by us. Our kings were then fub-
je<Sl to the rules of law and reafon — now, alas ! we are mife-
rable, and all is loft. Think nothing. Sir, too dear to main-
tain thefe precious advantages ; if ever there fiiould be occa-
lion, venture your life and eftate rather then bafely and
fooliftily fubmit to that abjeiSl condition to which you fee
us reduced." — '

The king of England, befides his high court of parliament,
has fubordinatc officers and minifters to aflift him, and
who are rcfponfible for their advice and conduft. They are
made by the king's nomination, without either patent or
grant; and on taking the necefTary oaths, they become im-
mediately privy-counfcllors, during the life of the king that
thoofes them ; but fubjeit to removal at his dirc6lion.

The duty of a privy-counfeHor appears from the oath of
office, which confifts of feven articles : i. To iidvife the king
according to the beft of his cunning and difcretion. 2. To
advif; for the king's honour and good of the public, without
partiality through afictiUon, love, meed, doubt or dread. 3.
To keep the king's counfel fecret, 4. To avoid corruption.
5. To help and ftrcn^^then the execution of what fliall be
iherfe refolved. 6. I'o withftand all pcrfons who would

auempc

ENGLAND.

325

attempt the contrary. And, laitly, in general, 7. To obfcrve,
keep, and do all that a good and true counfellor ovight to do
to his fovereign lord.

As no government can be fo complete as to be provided with
laws that may anfwer every unforefeen emergency, the privy-
council, in fuch cafes, can fupply the deficiency. It has
even been known, that upon great and urgent occalions, fuch
as that of a famine, they can fuperfede tiie operation of the
law, if the parliament is not fitting ; but this is confidered as
illegal, and an act of parliament muft pafs for the pardon and
indemnification of thofe concerned.

Among the privy-counfellors, the two fccretaries of ftat#
are more officially fo t -an the others, as they are entrufted
with the king's fignet, and are fuppoftd to advife him in afts
of government that may not be proper to be communicated
even to a privy-counfellor ; fuch as giving orders for fecret
expeditions, correfpondence with fpies or other agents, fecur-
ing traitors, and the like. The fecretaryfhip of flate is now
held by two noblemen or gentlemen ; formerly the king nomi-
nated three, but the office was not then of that confequence
which it is now. Since the acceffion of the family of Hano-
ver, we have likewife known three principal fecrctaries of
ftate ; but one of them was fuppofed to tranfaft the affairs of
Scotland, which are now committed to other minifters. Upon
the vaft increafe of the Britifh colonies, a new board of trade
was erefted, and the firft commiffioner a<Sls as fccrctary for the
American affairs, but without that title. Till this eredion
took, place, all American difpatches came firft to the hands of
a principal fecretary of ftate, who correfponded with the Ame-
rican governors, and fent them directions in his majefty's
name. The office itfelf is at prcfent divided into a fouthern
and a northern department. The fouthern contains France^
Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Swifs Cantons, Conftantinople,
and, in fliort, all the Itates in the fouthern parts. The northern
comprehends the different flates of Germany, PrulTia, Poland^
RuiTia, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Flanders, and the
Hanfcatlc towns. .;

With regard to the capital a6is of government, which were
formerly entrufted with the fecrctaries of ftate, a committee of
the privy-council, commonly called a cabinet-council, are
chiefly entrufted. This cabinet generally confifts of a fcle£l:
number of minifters and noblemen, according to the king's
opinion of their integrity and abilities ; but though its opera-
tions are powerful and extenfive, a cabinet-council is not
efTential to the conftitution of England.

X 3 This

' il

Ill

326 E N G L A N D;

This obfervation naturally leads me to mention the perfon
who is fo well known by the name of the fiilt minifter ; a
term unknown to the Engiifh conititution, though the office,
in eftccl, is perhaps neceiiary. The constitution points out
the lord high chancellor as minillcr, but the afiairs of his own
_^„. courts give him fufficicnt emplovincnt. When the office of
flp firft lord ' f the treaCury is united with that of chancellor of the
^^ exchequer (offices which I am to explain hereafter) in the
fame perfon, he is confideri-d as fiift minifter. 'I'he truth is,
his mr.jclfy may make any of his fervants his hid minifter.
But though it is no office, yet thL-rc is a rcfponfibility an-
nexed to the name and common repute, that renders it a poft
of difficulty and danger. I IJiall now take a fliort review of
the nine great officers of the crown, who by their pufts take
place next to the priricec of the royal family and the two pri-
mates.

The firft is the lord high fteward of England. This is an
office fo great, that it is now exercifed only occafionally, that
is, at a coronation, or to lit judge on a peer or pecrefs, when
tried for a capital crime. In coronations, it is held, for that
day only, by fome high noblen\;in. In cafes of trials, it is
exercifed generally by the lord chancellor, or lord keeper ;
whofc commiffion, as h gh fteward, ends v.'ith the triul, by
breaking his white rod, the badge of his office.

The lord high chancellor preiides in the couit of chancery,
to moderate the feverities of the law, in all cafi-s where the
property of the fubjecl: is concerned ; and he proceeds accord-
ing to the dictates of equity and reafon.

• The pott of lord high treafurer has of late been vefted in a
commiliion, confifting of five perfons, who are called lords of
the treafury ; but the firft commiifiinier is fuppofcd to poifefs
the power of lord high treafurer. lie has the m.)nagement and
charge of all the revenues of the crov/n kept in the Exche-
quer; as alfo the lct:ing of the Icafes of all ciown lands, and
the <'-ift of all places belon^mr to the cufto:ns in the ieveral
ports of the kingdom. From tlas fhort view of his office, its
importance may be er.lily underi'ood ; as he has, in fact, the
public finances in his hands,, bclidcs the difpofal of fo great a
number of lucrative places, both in England and Anierica,
that the bare catalooue of tliv-m would exceed the bounds we
allot to a long article.

The lord preiidcnt of the council, was an officer formerly of
great power : his duty is to propofe all the builnels tranfaCted
at the council- board, and to report to the king, when his
majefty is not prel.nt, ail its debates and proceedings. It is a
place of great dignity as well aj difficulty, on accouiit of the

vaft

n the perfon
It minifter ; a
i;;h the office,
)n points out
irs of his own

the office of
mccllor of the
.'after) in the
Ihc truth is,
hilt minifter.
3iirtbility an-
ders it a poll
lort review of
leir puits taice

the two pri-

This is an
fionally, that
Dccrels, when
K'hl, for that
f trials, it is

lord keeper ;

the trial, by

of chancery,
Us where the
icccds accord-

■n vefted in a
:alled lords of
fed to poifefs
n:i<2;cnient and
ttie Kxche-
/i\ hinds, and
in the leveral
his office, its
, in fact, the
of io [Treat a
and America,
le bounds we

:r formerly of
els tranfaCted
'^y when his
ings. It is a
:count of the
vaft

ENGLAND. 327

vaft number of American and Weft-Indian caufes, captures,
and the like affairs, that come before the board ; all which
may be abridged to the vaft convenicncy of the fubject by an
able prefidcnt.

The office of lord privy feal, confifts in his piilting the king's
feal to all charter?, grants, and the like, which are figncd by
the king, in order to their paffing the great feal. The lord
privy feal has likewife under his cognizance feveral other
affairs, which do not require the gre:tt feal. He is to take
care that the crown is not impofcd upon in any tranfaclion
(pafling through his hands ; and he is refponhble if he (hould
apply the privy feal to any thing againft the law of the land.

The office of lord great chamberlain of England is heredi-
tary in the duke of Ancafter's family. He attends the king's
perfon, on his coronation, to drels him: he has likewife
charge of the houfe of lords during the fitting of parliament ;
of fitting up Weitminftcr-hall for coronations, or trials of peers.

The office of lord high conftablc has been difufed fmce the
year 1521, but is occalionally revived for a coronation. If
,was formerly a place of the higheft truft, as it commanded all
the king's forts and garrifons, and took place of all officers in
the field.

The duke of Norfolk is hereditary earl marfhal of England.
Before England became fo commercial a country, as it has
been for a hundred years paft, this office required great abili-
ties, learning, and knowledge of the Englifh hiftory for its
diicharge. In war time, he was judge of army caufes, and
decided according to the principles of the civil law. If the
caufe did not admit of fuch decifion, it was left to a perfonal
combat, which was attended with a vaft variety of ceremo-
nies, the arrangement of which, even to the fmalleft trifle,
fell within the marfhal's province. To this day, he, or his
deputy, regulates all points of precedency according to the
archives kept in the herald's office, which is entirely within
his jurifdid^ion. He diredls ail folcmn proccffions, corona-
tions, proclamations, funerals, gen:ral-mourni;igs, and the
like. He is lu;'pofed to be jud2;'- "f the IV'Iarfhalfea-court ;
and in thofe reigns where proclamations had the force of law,
he had a cenforial power in all cafes of usurping fiilfe names,
defignations, armorial bearings, and the like ; but this power
is now difputed, and reduced to a c()nformiiy with the com-
mon law. As his grace is difqualihcd by his religion from
the extrcife of many parts of his office, fome nobleman, gene-
rally one of his own friends or family, is deputed to act for
him ; and he wears, as his badge, a gold baton tipped with
ebony.

X 4 • The

■1W

3^8

ENGLAND.

The office of lord high admiral of England is * now, like,
vife held by commiirion, and is equal in its importance to any
of the preceding, efpec-ially fnice the growth of the Britifh
naval power. The Eiiglifh admiralty is a board of diredioq
as well as execution, and is in its proceedings independent of
the crown iti'clf. All trials lipcn life and death, in maritime
affairs, arc appointed and held under a commiflion immediately
iiTuing from that board j and the members muft lign even the
death warrants for execution : but it may be eafily conceived,
that as they arc remo\ cable at pleafure, they do nothing that
can clafh with the prerogative of the crown, and conform
thcmfelves to the diredions they receive from his majeity.
The board of admiralty regulates the whole naval force of the
SMk realm, and namts all its officers, or confirms them when
^^^ named j fo that its jiirifdidtion is very extenhve. They ap-
point vice-admirals under them ; but an appeal from them lies
to the high court of admiralty, which is of a civil nature:
London is the place where it is held ; and all its procciVcs and
proceedings run in the lord high admiral's name, or thofe of
the commiilioners, and not in that of the king. The jutlge of
this court is commonly a dodtor of the civil law ; but all cri-
minal matters, relating to pirac.es, and other capital oficnces
committed at fea, are tried and determined according to the
laws of England, by witnelfes anJ a jury, ever fince the reign
of Henry Vlll. It now remums to treat of the courts of law
in England.

Courts of law.] The court of Chancery, which is a
court of equity, is next in dignity to the high court of par-
liament, and is defij^ned to relieve the fubject againft fr^iuds,
breaches of rruft, and other opprclTions ; and to mitigate the
rigour of the law. The lord high chancellor fits as folc
judge, and in his abfencc the mailer of the Rolls. The form
of proceeding is by bills, anfwers, and decrees, the witnelfes
being examined in private : however, the decrees of this
court are only binding to the perfons of thofe concerned in
them, for they do not affedt their lands and goods ; I'.nd con-
fequently, if a man rcfufes to comply with the terms, they
can do nothing more than fend him to the prifon of the fleet.
This court is always open ; and if a man be fent to prifon,
the lord chancellor, in any vacation, can, if he fees rcafon
for it, grant a habeas corpus.

The clerk of the crown likewife belongs to this court, he,
or by his deputy, being obliged always to attend on the lord

chancellor

• The laft Lord High Admiral was George, prince of Denmark, and huibani
■•f ^ueco Anne.

lark, and huib>>ni

ENGLAND.

32f

chancellor as often as he fits for the difpatch of bufinefs 5
through his hands pafs all writs for fummoning the parliament
or chufing of members j commiflions of the peace, par-
dons, &c.

The King's Bench, fo called either from the kings of Eng-
land fometimes fitting there in perfon, or becaufe all matters
determinable by common law between the king and his fub-
jedts, are here tried ; except fuch affairs as properly belong
to the court of Exchequer. This court is, likewife, a kind
of cheque upon all the inferior courts, their judges, and
juftices of the peace. Here prefide four judges, the firft of
whom is ftiled lord chief juftice of the King's bench, or, by
way of eminence, lord chief jultice of England, to exprefs
the great extent of his jurifdidtion over the kingdom : for this
court can grant prohibitions in any caufc depending either in
fpiritual or tcinporal courts ; and the houfe of peers does often
dircft the lord chief juftice to iflue out his warrant for appre-
hending perfons under fufpicion of high crimes. The other
three judges are called juftices, or judgt.s, of the king's
bench.

The court of Common Pleas takes cognizance of all pleas
dcbatcable between fubject and fubjeft ; and in it, befide all
real actions, fines and recoveries are tranfadled, and prohi-
bitions are likcwile iflued out of it, as well as from the King's
Bench. The i-irft judge of this court is ftiled lord chief juftice
of the common pleas, or common bench ; b"fide whom there
are likewife three other judges, or juftices, of this court.
l^onc but ferjeants at law are allowed to pli:ad here.

The court of Exchequer v/as inftituttd for manajring the
revenues < f the crown, and has a power of judging both ac-
cording to law and according to equity. In the proceedings
according to law, the lord chief baron of the Exchequer, and
three other bruons, prefide as judges. They are ftiled barons,
becaufe formerly none but barons of the realm were allowed to
be judges in this court. Befide thcfe, there is a fifth, called
curfitor baron, who has not. a judicial capacity, but Is only
employed in adminiftring the oath to ftieriffs and their offi'. c s,
and alfo to feveral of the officers of the cuftom-houfe.— I-ut
when this court proceeds according to equity, then di' 1 rd
treafurer and the chancellor of the Exchequer prefide, .1 ; ted
by t^'e other barons. All matters touching the Icing's tre:.:ury,
revenue, cuftoms, and fines, are here tried and determine! —•
Befide the officers already mentioned, there belong to the Ex-
chequer, the king's rtmembrancer, who takes and ftaies all
accounts of the revenue, cuftoms, excife, parliamenMry aids
and fubfidies, ^'c. except the accounts of tiie iherifts and their

officers.

-i

;4.

S^o ENGLAND.

officers. • The lorJ trcafurcr's remembrancer, whofe bufinefs
it is to make out proccflbs againil Ih rift's, receivers of the
revenue, and other ofticers. ,,

% For putting the laws effectually in execution, an blgh-
flierifF is annually appointed for evtry county (except Wcft-
" moreland and Middlclex) by the king ; whofe office is both
miniftcrial and judicial. He is toexccutc the king's mandates,
and all writs directed to him out of the king's courts of juilicc j
to impanncl juries, to bring caufes and malefactors to trial, to
{lc tlic fcntcnccs, both in civil and criminal aft'airs, executed.

X And at the aflize to attend the judge:;, and guard them all
the time they are in his county. It is alfo part of his office
to collccl all public fines, diitreflbs, and amerciaments, into
the Exchequer, or where the king fliall appoint, and to
make fuch payments out of them as his majefty fhall think
proper.

, As his office Is judicial, he keeps a court, called the county

court, which is held by the ilurirf', or his under-flicriffs, to
hear and decermine all civil caufes in the county under forty
fhillings; this, however, ir no court of r. cord •, but the court,
formerly called the fnerilFs turn, was one ; aiie. the king's
lect, through all tlic county : for in this court, enc,uiry-was
made into r.ll criniinal offences aL'aijiil the common law, where
by the itc'.tute law there was no reftraint. This court, how-
ever, has been lon^. fmce aboliiiied.

Under the iherifFare various '-fficcrs, as the under-flieriff,
clerks, ftewarts of courts, bailiffs, (in London called fcrjeants)
conftables, gaolers, beadles, &c.

7'he next officer to the fiicriff, is the ;i!llici,' of peace, fevcral
of whom are coannlffioneJ lor each county : and to them is
entrufted the power of putting great part of the ftatute law in
execution, in relation to the highways, the poor, vagrants,
treafons, felonies, riots, the prefervation of the game, &c.
^c. and they examine and commit to prifon all who break or
difturb the peace, and difquiet ilie king's fubjcds. In order
to punifh the offenders, they meet every quarter at the coun-
ty-town, when a jury of twelve men, called the grand inquelt

'^ of the county, is fummoned to appear. This jury, upon
oath, is to inquire into the cafes of all delinquents, and to
prefent them by bill guilty of the indictment, or not guilty :
thcjuftices commit the former to gaol for their trial at the
next aflizes, and the latter are acquitted. This is called the
quarter-feflions for the county. Thejuftice of peace ought
to be a perfon of great good fenfe, fagacity, and integrity,

* and to be not v/ithout fome knowledtre of the law : for as

much power is lodged in his hands, and as nothing is lo m-

... ^ toxicating,

ENGLAND. J31

toxicating, without thcfe qualifications lie will be apt to make
miftakes, and to ftep beyond his authority, for which he
is liable to be called to an account at the court of king's,
bench.

Each county contains two coroners, who are to enquire,
by a jury of neighbours, how and by whom any perfon came
by a violent death, and to enter it on record as a plea of the
crown.

The civil government of cities is a kind of fmall indepen-
dent policy of itfclf ; for c\cry city hath, by charter from the
king, a jurifdidion within itii-'lf, to judge in all matters civil
and criminal ; with this reflraint only, that all civil caufes
may be removed from their courts to the higher courts at Well-
niiiiller ; and all <;i}"c-nces that are capital, are committed to
the judge of the aflize. The government of cities differs
according to their diftlrcnt charters, immunities, and conlH-
tiitions. They are conftitutcd v/ith a mayor, aldermen, and bur-
gefll's, wiio together make the corporation of the city, and hold
a court of judicature, where the mayor prefidcs as judge. Some
cities are counties, and chufe their own IherifFs, and all of
them have a power of making bye-laws, for their own govern-
ment. Some have thou;';ht the government of cities, by
mayor, aldermen, aiul common-council, is an epitome of the
Englilh government, by king, lords, and commons.

The government of incorporated boroughs is much after
the fame manner : in fom. there is a mayor, and in others
two bailiffs. All which, dia-ing their inayoralty, or magi-
ftracy, arejufticei; of the peace within their liberties, and con-
fequcntly efquirts.

The Cinque-ports are five havens, that lie on the eaff part
of England towards France, and were endowed with particu-
lar privileges by our antient kings, upon condition that they
Ihould provide u certain number of Ihips at their own charge,
to ferve in the wars for forty days, as often as they were
wanted. See the table of divifions and counties.

For the better government of villages, the lords of the foil,
or manor (who were formerly called barons) have generally a
power to hold court , called courts-leet, and courts-baron,
where their tenants are obliged to attend and receive jultice.
The bufmefs of courts-leet is chiefly to prefent and punifli
nuifances ; and at courts-baron, the conveyances and aliena-
tions of the copyhold tenants are enrolled, and they are ad-
mitted to their effates on a delcent or purchafe.

A conftable is a very antient and refp'jclable office of the
peace, under the Englifn conftitution. Every hundred has a
high conllable, and every parifh in that hundred a conftable,
antl they arc to attend the high conflable upon occafions.

They

1 f Ifl

;•«.

>if

!i9:

l"?*

ENGLAND.

They arc afllflied by another anticnt officer, called the tythfn^-
maii, who tormerly riiperintcnded the tenth part of a hundred,
Of ten free burgs, as they were called in the time of the
Saxons, and each free burg confining of ten families. Th«
bufincfs of a conftablc is to keep the peace in all cafes of quar-
rels and riots. He can imprifon ofVciidcrs till they are brouL'ht
before a julHce of pe:icc ; and it is his duty to execute, within
his dillridl, every warrant that is directed to him from that
magiftratr, or a bench of jurtices. The ncglei't of the olj
Saxon courts, both for the predrvntion of the ponce, and the
more eafy recovery of fmall debts, has been regretted by many
eminent lawyers, and it has of late been found neceirary to
revive (bmc of them, and to appoint others of a funilar
natmc.

Bt.Ttdc') thefe, there are cotirtr. of confcicncc fettled in many
pnrts of England Uyc the re'ief of the poor, in the recovery
or payment of Ihiall debts, not exceediiig i'urty (hillings.

I'hcre neither is, nor ever was, any conltitution provided
V/ith fo many fences, as that of England is, for the I'ecurity
of perfonal liberty. Every nifln imprifoned has a right to
bring a writ before a judge in Weftminlter-liall, called his
Habeas Corpus.

If that judge, after confidcring the caufc of commitment,
fhall find that the oftenct; is bailable, the party is immediately
admitted to bail, till he i.i condemned, or acquitted, in a pro-
per court of juftice.

The rights of individuals arc lb attentively confidered, that
the fubjecit may, withf>ut the leait dnnijc;-, fiie his fovercign,
or thofe who ad in his name, and under his authority j he
may do this in open court, where the king may be call, and
be obliged to pay damages to his fubjedt. He cannot take
away the liberty of the leafl individual, unlefs he has, by feme
illegal aft, accufed or fufpedled upon oath, to have forfeited
his right to liberty, or except when the Itatc is in danger,
and the reprefentatives of the people think the public fafety
makes it necefi'ary that he fhould have the power of confining
perfons, on a fufpicion of guilt : fuch as that of an a£t of
rebellion within the kingdom, the legiflature has thought pro-
per to pafs a temporary fufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus Aft ;
but this never has been done but with great difficulty and cau-
tion, and when the national fafety abfolutely required it. The
king has a right to pardon, but neither he nor the judges, to
whom he delegates his authority, can condemn a man as a
criminal, except he be firft found guilty, by twelve men, who
muft be his peers or his equals. That the judges may not be in-
fluenced by the king, or his minifters, to mifreprefent the cafe

ENGLAND. j^j

(oth«jury» they have tholr falarics for life, and not tlunnjr
the pleafure of their fovcreij^ii. Ni.ithcr can the king trike
away, nor endanger the life of any lubjcit, wirhcnit trial,
aiici th'-' pcrfons being fiiil ch;u^e.iblc with a capital crinu*, as
treafons, murder, felony, or fonie other ^61 injurious to fo-
ciety : nor can any fubjcct be dtj)rivcd of his liberty, for the
bigheft crime, till Ionic proof i>t liis guilt be <'ivcn upon oailv
before a maL';iftratc ; and he has rlicn a riplit to iiihit upon his
beiiv brought, the firll opportunity, ,to a fair trial, or to be
rcftoVcd to liberty on giving bail (or his appearance. If a
man is charged with a capital offence, he nnirt not undergo
the ignominy of being tried for his life, till the evidences of
his guilt are laid before the grand jury of the town or county
in which the i\it\ is allcdged to be conimittcd, and not with-
out twelve of them agreeing to a billoi indit^tnicnt againll him.
If they do this, he is to lland a ficond trial bcfoic twelve
other men, wliofe opinion is defniitivc. In fomc cafes, the
man (who is always iuppofcd innocent till there is fufficient
proof of his guilt) is allowed a copy of his indictment, in
order to help him to make his defence. He is alfo furnilhed
with the pannel, or lirt of the jury, who are his true and pro-
per judges, that he may learn their characters, and difcover
whether they want abilities, or whether they are prejudiced
againft him. He may in open court peremptorily object to
twenty of the number *, and to as many more as he can give
reafon for their not being admitted as his judges ; till at laft
twelve unexceptionable men, the neighbours of the party ac-
cufed, or living near the place where the fuppofed fadl wa«
committed, are approved of, who take the following oath that
they J}mII well and truly try^ and true deliverance make^ between
the king and the prifoners whom they fl)all have in charge^ ac^
mding to the evidence. By challenging the jury, the pri-
foner prevents all poflibility of bribery, or the influence of
any fuperior power : by their living near the place where the
fad was committed, they are fuppofed to be men who knew
the prifoner's courfe of life, and the credit of the evidence,
Theie only are the judge-, from whofe fentence the prifoner
is to expe«Sl life or death, and upon their integrity and un-
derftanding, the lives of all that are brought in danger ulti-
mately depend ; and from their judgment there lies no ap-,
l)eal : they are therefore to be all of one mind, and after
they have fully heard the evidence, are to be confined without
meat, drink, or candle, till they are unani^mousin acquitting,
or condemning the prifoner. Every juryman is therefore in-
vefted with a folemn ajid awful truft : if he without evidence

fubmits

• The party njay chulk)i(;i; thiiiy-five in t.(l« t-t' ueMfi/n,

„,„««»—. 'jii

334

ENGLAND.

1^: !'

I •

fubinits his opinion to t!.at of any of the other jiirj', or yields
in compI.iiliuic(; to ih(> opinion of the jiul!!;e ; if he neglects
to examine with the utnujlt c;irc ; if he quellions the veratity
of ihe witnrllos, wjio may he of an infamous characfcr ; or
after the molt impartial hearing h.as the leait doubt upon his
minil, anti yi-t joins in condemninii; tlic perfon aeeuied ; he
will Wf)und his own conlVience, and bring upon hiinlclt the
complicated guilt of perjiny and murder. The freedom of
Englifhmen confiils in it.-, being out of the power of the judge
0!i the bench to iniure them, for dechuiivi; a man innocent,
whom he wiflies to be bicuu!;ht in L!;uiliy. Were not this the
cafe, juries would be ufelefs ; fo far fiom being jud^^cs tlum-
i'elves, they wr»uld only be the tools of another, whofc
provinec it is not to guide, but to give a fan£tion to their de-
termination. Tyranny might triumph over the lives and
liberties of the fubject, uiul the judge on the bench be the
miniller of the prince'., vengeance.

'['hcfe are the glorious, privileges which we enjoy above anv
other nation upon eartli. Juries haxe always been confidercii
a;> giving the moil efilctual check to tyranny ; for in a nation
like this, where a king can do nothing againft law, they arc
a fccurity that he (hall never make the laws, by a bad ad-
miniiiiatjon, the inftrumcnts of cruelty and opprellion. Were it
not for juries, the advice given by father Paul, in his maxims
of the republic of V^enice, might take effect in its fuUeft lati-
tude. *' When the ofi'encc is ( ommitted by a nobleman
agiiind a fubj>.(^t, fays he, let all ways be tried to jultify him;
and if that is not pc.ffiblc to be done, Ut him be chaftifedwith
greater noifc than dai^agc. If it be a fubjec^.tthat has affronted
'ft nobleman, let him be punifhed with the utmoff feverity,
that the fubjei^ may not get too great a cuftom of laying their
hands on the patrician order." In fhort, was it not forjuries,
a corrupt nobleman might, whenever he pleafed, a<St the ty-
rant, while the judge would have that power which is now
denied to our kings. But by our happy conftitution, which
breathes nothing but liberty and equity, all imaginary indul-
gence is allowed to the mcanclt, as well as the greateft.
When a prifoner is brought to take his trial, he is freed from
all bonds ; and though the judges arc fuppofed to be counfel
for the prifoner, yet, as he may be incapable of vindicating
his own caufe, other counfel are allowed him ; he may try the
validity and Icgalit- of t.he indicStment, and may fet it afide,
if it be contrary to law. Nothing is wanting to clear up the
caufe of innocence^ and to prevent the iufferer fiom fmking
ujider the power of corrupt judges, and the opprefiion of the
great. Uhe racks and tortures that arc cruelly made ufe of
■ ^" , -. . ift

ENGLAND. ^35

in other parts of Europe, to make a man accufc himfclf, are
here unkr.own, ni;d noiK* puiilfhed without conviction, but he

who rcfiii' s to i-;lt.ail in his own defence.

A.'j the iri.il of nuilefackor:; in KiuJand is very different fron>
that of other nations, the followiii;^ account thereof may he
uli fill to foreigners and other;;, v\ho have not feen thofc pD-
cecdings.

The cf)urt hcin^ met, and the prifoncr called to the bar,
th<.' clerk CHiunaiiu:, liini to hold up his hand, then charges him
with the crime of which he \:, accufed, and afks him whether
he is guiJiy or not guilty. If tlie prifoncr anfwers guiltyy his
trial is at an end ; but if he anfwert. not guilty^ the court pro-
ceeds on the trial, even though he may before have confcfied
the fad : Jor the hiw of England takeo no notice of fuch con-
feflion ; and uidefs the witneffes, who are upon oath, prove
him guilty of the crime, the jury muft acquit him, for they
arc directed to bring in their verditSf according to the evidence
given in comt. I'l the prifoncr refufe,-, to plead, that is, if he
Will not fay in couit, whether he i^ guilty or net guilty^ he is
by the law of Enrrland to be prell'ed to death. .vtv.oi»

When the wiiiicile.s ha\c given in their evidence, and the
prifoner has, by himfelf or his counfcl, crofs examined them,
the judge rteites totlie jury the fubllance of the evidence given
againfl: the priioner, and bids thfmdlfcharge their confciencc;
when, if the matter be very clear, they commonly give their
-verdiiSt without foing out of court ; and the foreman, for
himfelf ;-';i(l the ufl:, dv:clares the prisoner ^«/7/y, or 7iot guilty ,
as it niay ii:ippen to be. iiut if any doubt arifes among the
jury, and the matter requires debate, they all withdraw into
a room with a copy of rhc indiclment, where they are locked
up, 1 11 they are uni:nimoudy agreed on the verdidt ; and if
any one of the jury Ihould die during this their confinement,
the priibncv will be acquitted.

VVhen the jury have agreed on the vcrdidl, they inform the
couri thereof by an ofTicer v/ho waits without, and the prifoner
is a^ain lijt to the bar, io hear his verdict. This is unalterable,
.except in fome doubtful cafes, when the verdict is brougiit in
fpccial, and i^; therefore to be determined by r.hu tudvc judges
of En^'land.

If the prifoner is found guilty, he is th«T. afked wiat reafon
,hc can give why fentcnce of death Ihould :ic-t be pafied upon
hiir. ? There is now iio btueiit of clerg/ — it is changed to
.trajifportation, or burning in the hand. Upon a capital con-
viction the lentencc of death, after a fummarv account of the
trial, is pronounced on the prifoner^ in thcie words; ; The laiv

■^i

i\ !

;l'; \'

3f36 ENGLAND..

is, 'That thou /halt return to the place from ivhcnce thou camell
and from thence be carried to the place of exccuilon^ xvhere thou
Jhalt hang by the neck, till thy body be dead^ and the Lord have
mercy on thy foul : whereupon the flicriff is charged with the
execution.

All the prifoners found not guilty by the jury, arc imme-
diately acquitted and dilchargcd, and in feme cafes obtain a
copy of their indicftment from the court to proceed at law
againft their profccutors.

Of punishments.] Though the la.vs of England are
efteemed more merciful, with refpedl to offenders, than thofe
which at prefent fubfift in any other part of the known world ;
yet the punifhmcnt of fuch who at their trial refufe to plead
guilty or not guilty, is here very cruel. In this cafe the pri-
foner is laid upon his back, and his arms and legs being
ftretched out with cords, and a confiderable weight laid upon
his breaft, he is allowed only three morfels of barley bread,
which is given him the next day without drink, after which
he is allowed nothing but foul water till he expires. This,
however, is a punifhment which is fcarcely inflicted once in
an age j but fome offenders have chofe it to preferve their
cftates for their children. IMiofe guilty of this crime are not
now fuffered to undergo fuch a length of torture, but have fo
great a weight placed upon them, that they foon expire. In
cafe of high treafon, though the criminal Itands mute, judg-
ment is given againft him, as if he had been convicted, and
his eftate is confifcatcd.

The law of England includes all capital crimes under high
treafon, petty treafon, and felony. The Hrit confifts in plot-
ting, confpiring, or rifing up in arms againll: the fovereign, or
in counterfeiting the coin. The traitor is puniflied by being
drawn on a fledge to the place of execution, when, after being
hanged upon a gallows for fome minutes, the body is cut down
alive, the heart taken out and expofed to public view, and the
entrails burnt : the head is then cut off, and the body quar-
tered, after which the head is ufually Hxcd on fome confpi-
cuous place. All the criminal's lands anvl goods arc forfeited,
his wife lofes her dowry, and his children boih their eftates
and nobility.

But though coining of money is adjudged high treafon, the
criminal is only drawn upon a fledge to the place of execution,
and there hanged.

Though the fentence paffed upon all traitors is the fame,
yet with refped to perfons of quality, the punifhment is gene-
rally altered to beheading ; a fcaffold is ere«^kd for that purpofe,

a : ^ on

ENGLAND.

ury, are imme-

luk, after which

lire, but have fo

337

on which the criminal placing his head upon "a block, it is
ftruck off with an axe f.

The punifhmcnt for mifprifion of high treafon, that is, for
negledting or concealing it, is imprifonment for life, the for-
feiture of all the ofFender's goods, and the profits arifing from
his lands.

Petty treafon is when a child kills his father, a wife her
hufband, a clergyman his bifhop, or a fervant his mafter or
miftrefs. This crime is punilhed by being drawn in a fledge
to. the place of execution, and there hanged upon a gallows
till the criminal is dead. Women guilty both of this ciime,
and of high treafon, are fentenced to be burnt alive, but
inftead of fuft'ering the full rigour of the law, they are
ftrangled at the ftake before the fire takes hold of them.

Felony includes murders, robberies, forging notes, bonds,
deeds, &c. Thefe are all puniflied by hanging, only * mur-
derers are to be executed foon after fentcncei.s pafTed; and then
delivered to the furgeons in order to be publicly difledled.
Perfons guilty of robbery, when there are fome alleviating cir-
cumftances, are fometimes traniported for a term of years to
his majelty's plantations. And in all fuch felonies where the
benefit of the clergy is allowed, as it is in many, the criminal
is burnt in the hand with a hot iron.

Other crimes puniflied by the laws are,

Manflaughtcr, which is the unlawful killing of a perfon
without premeditated malice, but with a prefent intent to kill ;
as when two who formerly meant no harm to each other, quar-
rel, and the one kills the other ; in this cafe, the criminal is
allowed the benefit of his clergy for the firft time, and only
burnt in the hand.

Chance-medley, is the accidental killing of a man without
an evil intent, for which the ofi^ender is alfo to be burnt in
the hand ; unlefs the offender was doing an unlawful aft,
which lalt circumftancc makes the punifliment death.

Shop-lifting^and receiving goods knowing them to be ftolen,
arc puniflied with tranfportation to his majefty's colonies, or
burning in the hand.

Perjury, or keeping diforderly houfes, are puniflied with the
pillory and imprifonment.

•f- This is not to be fonfidcreil as a difTerent punirtiment; but as a rein'fiTion of
all the parts of the fentcncc mentioned before, excepting the article of beheading.

* By a late n<^, rnurderers are to be executed within twonty-f uir buurs after
fcntencc is pronounced; but as Sunday is not reckoned a day, they v.v: gcntiailjr
Wisd on a Saturday, fv that they obtain ■\ refpite till Monday,

Vol. I.

Petty

33^

E N G I. A N D.

Petty-larceny, or fmall theft, under the value of twclvc-
pcncc, is punifhcJ by whipping.

Libelling, ufmg falfc weights and mcafurcs, and foreftall-
ing the market, are commonly punifhcd with ftanding on the
pillory, or whipping.

For ftriking. To as to draw blood, in the king's court, the
criminal is punifhed with lofmg his right hand.

For ftriking inWeftminftcr-hall, wiiile the courts of jufticc
are fitting, is imprifonmeut for life, and forfeiture of all the
offender's eftate.

DrunLirds, vagabonds, and loofc, idle, difordcrly per-
fons, arc punifhed by being fet in the flocks, or by paying a
fine.

Of husband and wife.] The firft private relation of
pcrfons is that of marriage, which includes the reciprocal
rights and duties of huil-iand and wife-, or, as moft of our
elder law books call them, I^arou and y,»is. The liolincfs of
the matrimonial ftate is left cntirrly to the ccclefiafUcal law ;
the puniftunent therefore, or annuJIiiv.r, of incelfuous, or
other unfcripiurai marriages, is the province of fpiritual
courts.

The firil legal difability h a prior maiTiagc, or having
another hufband or wife living ; in which cafe, bchccs the
penalties confccjuent upon it as a felony, the fecond marriage
is to all intents and purpofcs void : polvgamy bcinj: con-
demned both by the law of the New 'J'cilamcnt, and the
policy of uU prudent ftatcs, cr})ccially in thefe northern cli-
mates, 'Vh-^ fecond local difabilitv is want of iiac. This is
fufKcicnt tu avoiL) all other contracts, on account of the im-
becillity of judgment in the parties cojitraviting. Tlicrcforc if
a boy under fourteen, or a girl under twelve years of age,
manies, this ms.riage is impei feet ; and, when either of them
comes to the age of confcjit aforefaid, they may difagrcc, and
declare the matriagc void, without ajiy di\orce or fciuence in
the fpiritual court. This is founded on the ei\ il law. Bat
the canon law pays a greater regard to the conlUtution, than
the age of the parties : for if they ari- htdnhs {id //latrimav'um^
it is a g(X)d marriage, whatever their a^-e may be. And in
our law it is fo far a marria:J-c, that il at the ay-o of cojii^ijt
they agree to continue together, tluy need not be mar.'ieu
again, if the hufband be of yea:rs of difcreiioji, and the wite
under twelve, when Ihe comes to years of difcretion, he may
dil'agree as well as (he may ; lor in conrraci, the obligation
mu.tt he mutual ; both muff be bon)id, or neither ; and fo k
i.s, ':'.',v ivr/ty, when the wife L uf ycara of difciulion, arid thi
hulbaiid Uiuler.

. Anyi)!t;r

ENGLAND.

Lie of twclvc-

and foreftall-
aiiding on the

r's court, the

oiiitsof juftice
ire of all the

li formerly per-
)r by paying a

ate relation of
the reciprocal
IS nioft of our
'he holincfs of
lefiaftical law ;
incell-uous, or
cc of fiii ritual

339

3S^»

or having

ale, bchcles the
fccoiid marriage
Tiy being coa-
lmen t, and the
fc northern cli-
This is
>unT of the im-
'rhcrcforc if
e years of age,
n either of them
ly clifagrcc, and
;' or fcntcncc in
civil law. But
nllitution, than
^d f/iatrimoniumy
ly be. And in

ugc of CO)lP?Ut
not be married
)ji, iind the wite
cretion, he mny
, the obligatioii
ithcr •, and fo it
ciclion, and th»

. Anyt)!t;r

A.nDthcr incapacity arifes from want of confent of guar-
dians. By the common law, if the parties themfelves were of
age of confent, there wanted no other concurrence to mak«
the marriage valid : and this was agreeable to the canon law.
But by feveral ftatutes, penalties of lool. are laid on every
clergyman, who marries a couple either without publication
of banns (which may give notice to parents or guardians) or
without a licence, to obtain which the confent of parents or
guardians muft be fworn to. And it has been lately thought
proper to enadl, that all marriages celebrated by licence (for
banns fuppofe notice) where either of the parties is under
twenty-one (not being a widow, or widower, who are fup-
pofed free) without the confent of the father, or, if he be
not living, of the mother or guardians, fhall be abfolutely
void. A provifion is made, as in the civil law, when the
mother or guardian is non compos, beyond the fea, or unrea-
fonably froward, to difpcnfe with fuch confent at the difcre-
tion of the lord chancellor j but no proviiion is made, in cafe
the ftither ihould labour under any mental, or other incapacity.
Much may be, and much has been faid, both for and againft
this innovation upon our ancient laws and conftitution. On
the one hand, it prevents the clandcftinc marriage of minors,
which are often a terrible inconvenience to thofe private fami-
lies wherein they happen. On the other hand, reltraints upon
marriages, efpecially among the lower clafs, are evidently
detrimental to the public, by hinder ng the increafeof people ;
and to religion and morality, by encouraging licentioufnefs
and debauchery, among the linL:,le of both fexes j and thereby
deftroying one end of fociety and govenmient.

A fourth in apacity is want of rcafon ; without a competent
(hare of which, as no other, fo neither can the matrimonial
contrail, be valid.

Laftly, the parties niuft not only be willing', and able
to contradl, but atSlually mult contradt theinfi:h'es in due
form of law, to make it a good civil marriage. Verbal con-
trads are now of no force, to compel a future marriage.
Neither is any marriage at prefent valid, that is not celebrated
in fomc parifh church, or public chapel, unleb by difpenfation
from the archbifliop of Canterbury. It muftalfo be proceded
hy publication of banns, or by licence from the fpiritual judge.
It is held to be alfo cflential to marriage, that it be performed
by a perfon in orders : though in the times of the grand rebel-
lion, all marriages were performed by the jultices of the peace j
and thefe marriages were declared valid in the iucc^eding reign.
But, as the law now flands, we may upon the whole collect,
^liat 110 marriage by the temporal law is void, that is cele-

Y z brated

ilH

340

E N G L A N D.

i?(

bratctl by a pcrfon in orders, — in a pari/h church, or pablic
chapel (or elfcwherc, by difpenfation) — in purfuance of banns
or a licence, — between fingle pcrfons,— conl'enting, — of found
mind, — and of the age of twenty-one years ; — or of the age of
fourteen in male, and twelve in female, with confcnt of
parents or guardians, or without it, in cafe of widowhood.

There are two Icinds of divorce, the one total, the other
partial. The total divorce niuft be for fomc of the canonical
caufes of impediment, and thofc exifting before the marriage;
as confanguinity, affinity, or corporal imbecility. The ifluc
of fuch marria<;e, as is thus entirely diiTolved, are baftards.

The other kind of divorce is when the marriage is juft and
lawful, and therefore the law is tender of diifolving it ; but,
for fome fupervenient caufe, it becomes improper, or impofli-
ble, for the parties to live together : as in the cafe of intole-
rable ill temper, or adultery, in either of the parties. In this
cafe the Jaw allows alimony to the wife (except when for
adaitep;, the parliament grants a total divorce, as has hap-
pened frcqucntlyof late years) which is that allowance, which
as made to a wom;ni, for her fupport, out of the hulband's
cftate; being fettled at the difcretionof the ecclel'iaftical pidge,
«n confidcration of all the circumllanccs of the cafe, and the
rank and quality of the parties.

Having thus mtwn how marriages may be made, or diiTolved,
I come now, lalHy, to fpcak of the legal conlbquenccs of fuch
making, or dilTolution.

By marriage, the hufband and wife are one perfon in law;
that is, the very being, or legal exillence of the woman, is
iufpcnded during the marriage, or at lealt is incorporated and
confolidated into that of the hufband : under whofe wing,
protcc^lion, i;nd cover, fhe performs every thing, and is there-
fore called in our law French, a feme- covert y under the pro-
te£lion and influence of her hufbajid, her baron, or lord ; and
her condition, during her marriage, is called her coverture.
Upon this principle, of an union of perfon in hufband and
wife, depend wlmott all the legal rights, duties, and difabili-
tics, that either of them acquire by the marriage. I fpeak
liot at prcfent oi the rights of property, but of fuch as are
merely perfonai. For this reafon a man cannot grant any
thing to his wife, or enter into covenant with her ; for the
grant would be to fuppofe her feparate exillence j and the co-
venant with her would be only to covenant with himfelf ; and
therefore it is generally true, that all compadts made between,
hulband and wife, when fingle, are voided by the intermar-
riage. A woman indeed may be attorney for hur hulband \ tor
thut implies no feparaUwa fA'ym> but is ruthvi' «i reprefenta-

ii9»

ith her ; fur the

ENGLAND. 541

tlon of her lord. And a hufb»nd may alfo bequeath any
thing to his wife by will ; for that cannot take effect ti!l the
coverture is determined by his death. The hulband is bound
.to provide his wife with necefl'aries by law, as much as him-
felf ; and if fl^e contracts debts for them, he is obliged to pay
them j but, for any thing, bcfides neceflarics, he is not charge-
able. Alfo if a wife elopes, and lives with another man, the
hufband is not chargeable even for neceflaries ; at Icaft, if the
pcrfon who furniflies tl»cm, is fufficiently apprized of her
elopement. If the wife be indebted before marriage, the huf-
band is bound afterwards to pay the debt ; for he has adopted
her and her circumftances together. If the wife be injured
in her pcrfon or property, fhe can bring no action forredrefs
without her hufband's concurrence, and iu his name as wdl
as her own ; neither can flic be fucd, without making the huf-
banJ a defendant ; except when the hufband has abjured the
realm, or is baniflied ; for then he is dead in law. In crimi-
nal profecutions, it is true, the wife may be indi<3ed, and
punifhed feparately ; for the union is only a civil union. But,
in trials of any fort, they arc not allowed to be cvidcncxs for,
or againft, each other ; partly bccaufc it is impofiib/e their
tcftimony fliould be indifferent ; but principally h',x-:mic of the
union of pcrfon. But where the offence is direcvly at^iinft
the perfon of the wife, this rule has been ufually cUfpenred
with ; and, therefore, in cafe a womat^ be forcibly r;ikeji away,
and married, fhe may be a witnefs againft fuch her hufband,
in order to convidl him of fe'on.y.

In the civil law, the hufbanc' and the wife arc confldered as
two diftinft jKrfons ; and may have feparate eftr.t.es, contrucls,
debts, and injuries ; and, therefore, in our ecclen.afuc.il courts,
a woman may fue, and be fued, without her hufband.

But, though our law in genera' oonfiders man and wife as
one pcrfon, yet there arc fome in'lances in which Ihe is fepa-
rately confldered, as inferior to him, and a61:inp^ by his com-
pulfion. And therefore all d^eds executed, and acts done, by
her, during her coverture, are v-id ; except i'; be a fine, or
the like matter of record, in wlilch caie fhe )v.uih be folr.Iy and
fecretly examined, to lenrn if h^r act be voluntary. She can-
not by will dcvife land to her hufjand, unlefs undcv fpecial
circumftances -, for at the time c makinri; ir, ftie is fuppofed
to be under his coercion. And in fome ftlonics, and other
inferior crimes, committed by her, throuj^h conftraint of her
hufoand, the law excufes her : but this extends jiot to treafoii
or minder.

The hufliand alfo (by the old, and likcwife by the civil
Jaw) might give his wife moderate correction. For, as he is
t© anfwer for her miibehaviour, the lav/ thought it reafanablc

n'Mm^

342

ENGLAND.

:',)

t-,

I,'

to entruft him, with this power of reflrainlng her, by domeftic
chaftifemcnt, in the lame moderation that a man is allowed to
correal his fervants or children ; for whom the malter or pa-
rent is alfo liable in fome cafes to anfwer. But in the politer
reign of Charles II. this power of corre£lion began to be
doubted ; and a wife may now have fecurity of the peace
againlt her hufband ; or, in return, a hufband againft his wife:
yet the lower rank of pioplc, who were always fo<'.d cf the
old common law, IHll claim and exert their antient ^jrivilcge;
and the courts of law will ftill permit a hufband to rcftrain a
wife of her liberty, in cafe of any grofs mifbehaviour.

Thefc arc the chief legal effedl? of marriage durinjj, the co-
verture ; upon which we may obfcrvc, that even the difabili-
ties, which the wife lies under, are for the moft part imend-
ed for her protcclion and benciit. So great a favourite is the
female fex with the laws of England.

Revenues of the Bri-7 The king's ecckfiaftical rc-
TiSH GOVERNMENT. J venuc conlili-s in, I. The ciif-
tody of the temporalities of vacant bifhoprics; from which he
receives littl.? or no advantage. 2. Corodies and penfioiis,
formerly arifing from allowances of meat, drink, and cloath-
ing, due to tiicking from an abbey or monallery, and which
he j;;encrr.lly bellowed upon favourite fervants ; but now, I
believe, (iiiuled. 7^. Extra-parochial titlies. 4. The firtt
fruits and ti nths of benefices. At prefent, fuch has been the
bounty of tlic crown to the church, that tnofe four branches
afford little or no revenue.

The kin^,'s oniinary temporal revenue confifts in, i. The
demefiie lanvls of the crown. 2. The hereditary cxcife ; be-
ing part of the conlideration for the purchafe of his feodal
profits, and the prerogatives of purveyance and pre-emption,
3. An annual fum iifunig from the duty on wine licences;
being the refidue of the lame confideration. 4. His forcfts.

His courts of jufl-ice, Sec.

The extraordinary grants are ufually called by the fynoni-
mous names of aids, iiibfidies, and fupplies ; and are granted,
as has been before liinted, by the commons of Great-Britain,
jn parlii'.incnt afiVmbled : who, wjien they have voted a fup-
ply to his inaj f;y, and fettl;d the quantum o^ that fupp.y,
uiually relinve themfelves into wliat is called a committee of
ways and mens, to c(>nfidcr of the ways and means of raifing
the fupply fo votCvl. And in this committee every member
(though ir i:; looked upon as the peculiar provi^iec of the
chancellor of the exchequer) may p'-f pofe fuch fcheniQ of
taxation as he thinks will h'^ leji;!' detrimental to the public.
The refolutions of this connr.utee (when approved by a vote
pf the houfe) arc in general citecmttd to be (as it were) iin;i|

and

'E N G I, A N D. 345

afld condufivc. For, though the fupply cnnnot he actually
raifed upon the fuhjtcft till (iire(S{ed by «n ;i6t ot the whole
pjirJiamcnt, yet no nionied man will fcniplc to advance to the
government any quantity of reatly calh, oi\ the credit of a
bare vote of the houfc of commons, tho' no law be yet pafled
to eftablifh it.

The annual tnxc? are, i. The land tax, or the ancient fub-
fidy raifcd upon a new afrcftineiit. 2. '1' he malt tax, being aji
annual cxciic on malt, rnum, cvticr, and perry.

The perpctua' taxes are, i. The cuftoms, or tonnapc and
poundage of all mcrchandi'/.e exported or imported. 2. The ex-
clfe duty, or inland impofition, on a great \artety of commo-
dities. 3. The fait duly. 4. The * poft uflice, or duty for
the carriage of letters. 5. 'l"he l{an;p duty on paper, parch-
ment, kc. 6. The duty on houfcs and windows. 7. Tl»e
diitv on licences for hackney coaches and chairs. S. The duty
on otHces and penfions.

The clear iicat produce n( thcfe fcvera! branches of the re-
venue, after all charges of collc^tting and management paid,
amounts annually to about li^iven millions and three quarters
ftcrling ; befides two millions and a quarter raifcd annually, at
an average, by the land and malt tax. How thcfe immcnfe
funis are appropriated, is next to be confidered. And this is,
firrt and principally, to the payment of the intereft of the na-
tional debt.

In order to take a clear and comprchcnfivc view of the na-
ture of this national debt, it muit be firfl j)rcmifed, that after
the revolution, when our i\ew coimedions with Europe intro-
duced a new fyftem of foreign ptdif'cs ; the expences of the
nation, not only in fettling the new eft.iblifhmcnt, but in main-
taining lon;^ wars, as principals, on the continent, for the fe-
curity of the Dutch barrier, reducing the French monarchy,
fettling the Spanilh fuccefhon, iupporting the houfe of Aullria,
maintaining the liberties of the Ciermanaic body, and other
purpofes, "incrcafed to an unufual degree : infomuch that it
was not thought adv:feable to raife all the expcnces of any
one year by taxes to be levied within that year, left the unac-
cuftomed weight of them fhould create munnurr. among the
people. It was therefoie the policy of the times, to antici-
pate the revenues of their pollority, by borrowing immcnfe
funis for the currctit f^rvice of the itatc, ajid to lay no more
taxes upon the fiibjccl th:,n would fuffice lo pay the annua!
intercft of the fuiViS fo borrowed: by thi;> m.c.'ins con*, erring
the principal debt into a new fpecies of property, transferable

Y 4 from

• From the year iti^io 176.,) t^e ar.niuil aJliQUJit of frankcJ IcUera guJuallf
incrcalcJ from 13,000 1. to 170,700 1,

544

ENGLAND.

from one mnn to another, at any time- and in any quantity.
A fyftctn which fcems to have had its original in the ftate of
Florence, A. D. 1344: which government then owed about
60,000 1. fterling : and, being iinahle to pay it, formed the
principal into an aggregate lum, ca'led metaphorically amount
or bank; the fliares v.'hcrcof wrc 'ransf( ruble like our ftocks.
This laid the foundation of what is called the national debt :
for a few \on<j, annuities en ited in the reign of Charles II,
will hardly deferve that n. nic. And the example then fet has
been fo cloilly followed, during the long wars in the reign of
cjueen Anne, and fincc ; that tiic cap al v*' the national dibt
(funded and unfunded) amou; led, ' January 2765, to up-
ward of 145,000,000 1. to pay ihe inareft t f vvhich, and the
clarges for nninagcn:eiit, amounting annually to about four
n'.illions and three quarters, the extraordinary revenues juft
now enumcr.itcd (cxcvptin'r only the land-tax and annual
malt-tax) arc iii the firft place m-i i^^arf^l, and made perpetual
by pnr!:''mcnt ; but ftill redeemable by tlic fame au;hority that
impofed ther-n : which, if it at any time can pay ofF the ca-
pita!, will abolifti thofe taxes which are railed to difcharge the
intcreft.

It is indifputably certain, that the prefent magnitude of our
national incumbrances very far exceeds all calculations of com-
mercial benefit, and is produdtive of the greateft inconvenien-
cies. For, Hrft-, the cnonrious taxes that are raifcd upon the
jiccefi'arics of life, for the payment of the intereft of this debt,
are a hurt both to trade and manufafturcs ; by raifing the
price, as well of the artificer's fubfiftcnce, as of the raw mate-
rial ; and of courfe, in a much greater proportion, the price
of the commodity itfelf. Secondly, if part of this debt be
owing to foreigners, either they draw out of the kingdom an-
nually a confiderable quantity of fpecie for the intereft ; or
elfe it is made an argument to gn.nt them unreafonable privi-
leges, in order to induce them to refide here. Thirdly, if
the whole be owing to fubjedts only, it is then charging the
adtive and induftrions fubjeft, who pays his fharc of the taxes,
to maintain the indolent and idle creditor who receives them.
Laflly, and principally, it weakens the internal ftrcngth of
a ftate, by anticipating thofe refources which fliould be re-
fervcd to defend it in caf- of necefiity. The intereft we now
pay for cur debts would be nearly fufficicnt to maintain any
war, that any national motives could acquire. And if ouran-
ceftors in King William's time had annually paid, fo long as
their e.xigen'-ies lafted, even a Icfs fum than we now annually
raife upon their accoujito, they would, in time of war, have
borne no greater burdcr.s than they have bequeathed to, and
fettled upon, their pofterity in time of peace j and might h^ve
Tseen eafcd the inftant the exigence was over.

ENGLAND.,

I any quantity.
I'n the ftate of
III owed about
[t, formed the
really a mount
Ike our ftocks.
Inational debt :
pt' Charles II.'
Ic then fct has
in the reign of
national debt
: 765, to up-
'hich, and the
to about four
revenues juft
IX and annual
nade perpetual
au:hority that
ay off the ca-

difcharge the

gnitudc of our
:'.tions of coni-
t inconvenien-
aifcd upon the
ft of this debt,
by raifing the
the raw mate-
tion, the price

this debt be
- kingdom an-
e intereft ; or
ifonable privi-

Thirdly, if

charging the

; of the raxes,

•eccivcs them.

1 ftrcjigrh of
liould be re-
ireft wc now
maintain any
vd if our an-
i, fo Jong as
ow annually
>f war, have
bed to, and

might have

345

The produce of the fevcral taxes before-mentioned were
orif^inally feparate and diftindt funds j being fccurities for the
fums advanced on each (evcral tax, and for them only. But
at laft it became rccellliry, in order to avoid confufion, as
they multiplied yearly, vo reduce the number of thefe feparate
funds, by uniting and blending them together j fuperadding
the faith of parliament for the general fecurity of the whole.
So that there are now only three capital funds of any account :
the aggregate fund, and the general fund, fo called from fucli
union and addition ; and the South Sea fund, being the pro-
duce of the taxes appropriated to pay the intereft of fuch part
of the national debt as was advanced by that company and it»
annuitants. V/hereby the feparate funds, which were thus
united, arc become mutual fccurities for each other ; and the
whole produce of them, thus aggregated, liable to pay fuch
intereft or annuities as were formerly charged upon each dif-
tincl fund; the faith of the legiflature being moreover engaged
to fupply any cafual deficiencies.

The cuftoms, excifcs, and other taxes, which are to fup-
port thefe funds, depending on contingencies, upon exports,
imports, and confumplions, muft necelTarily be of a very un-
cc'.tain amount : but they have always been confideralily more
than fufficient to anfwer the charge upon them. The fur-
phifl'cs therefore of the three great national funds, the aggre-
gate, general, and South-Sea funds, over and above the in-
tereft and annuities charged upon them, are direchl-cd by fta-
tutc 3 Geo. i. c. 7. to be carried together, and to attend the
difpofition of parliament ; and are ufually denominated the
finking fund, becaufe originally deftined to fink and lower the
national debt. To this have been fince added many other
intire duties, granted in fubfequcnt years ; and the annual in-
tereft of the fums borrowed on their refpe(5live credits, is
charged on, and payable out of the produce of the finking
fund. However the neat furpluftes and favings, after all de-
ductions paid, amount annually to a very confiderabk; fum ;
particularly in the year ending at Chriftmas 1764, to about
two million J and a quarter. For, as the intereft on the na-
tional debt has been at fevcral times reduced, (by the confent
of the proprietors, who had th;. ir option cither t« lower their
intereft, or be paid their principal) the favings from the ap-
propriated revenues muft needs be extremely large. This
finking fund is the l;ift refort of the nation ; its ojily domeftic
refourcc, on which inuft chiefly depend all the hopes we can
cnt'Mtain of ever difcharging or moderating our incumbrances.
And therefore the prudcjit application of the large fums, now
arifing from this fund, is a point of t!ic utmoit importance,
and well worthy the fcrious attention of parliament; which
2 was

iiiiM

~J?f~V^ 'jcmw^

346 E N G L AND.

was thereby cnabftd, in the year 1765, to reduce abmc tw»
millions Itcrling of the public debt.

liut, before any part of the aggregate fund f the Hirplufics
whereof are one of the chief inijicdictits that form the fink-
ing fund) can be applied to diininiih thi; ()rinclpal of the pub-
lic debt, it ftands mortgaged by parliament to raifc an annual
fum for the maintenance of the kiag'b hovilhold antl the civil
lift. For this purpofc, in the Inte r>.Mgns the produce of
certain branches of the cxcifc and cuftoms, the poft-office,
the duty on wine-licences, the revenues of the remaining crown
lands, the profits arifing from courts of jufMcc, (which arti-
cles include all the hereditary revenues of the crown) atul alfo
a clear annuity of 1 20,000 1. in money, were fettled on the
king fi^r life, for the fupport of his malclly's houfliold, and
the honour and dignity of the crown. And, as the amount
of thefe fevcral branches was uncertain, (though in the lait
reign they were computed to have foinetimes railed almolt a
million) if they did not arife annually to8oo,ocol. the parlia-
ment engaged to make up the deficiency. But his. prvfctit
majefty having, foon after his acceiTion, fpontancoully fi^ni-
lied his confent, that his own hereditary revenues mi^fht be fo
difpofcd of, as might belt conduce to the utility and fatisfac-
tion of the public ; and bavin'; gracioufly accepted the limited
fum of 800,000 1. per annum, for the (upport of his civil liR,
(and that alfo charged with three life annuities, to the princcfs
of Wales, the duke of CumberlaiuU 'T^d prineels Amelia, to
the amount of 77,000!.) the faid hereditary, and other re-
venues, are now c.irried inlo, and made a part of, the aggre-
gate fund ; and the aggregate fut\d is charged with the pay-
ment of the whole annuity to the crown of 800,000 1. per
annum. Hereby the revenues thcmfelves, being put under the
fame care and management as the other branches of the pub-
lic patrimony, will produce n\ore, and be better collected than
heretofore ; and the public is a gainer of upward of ioo,00cl.
per annum, by this difintercftcd bciujily of his m jefty. The
civil lift, thus liquidated, together with the four millions and
three quarters, intcrcll of the national debt, and the two mil-
lions and a quarter produced from the finking fund, make up
the feven millions and three quarters per annum, neat money,
which was before ftatcd to be the annual produce of our perpe-
tual taxes : befidc the immenfe, though uncertain fums, arifing
from the annual taxes on land and malt, but which, at an
average, may be calcul.ated at more than two millions and a
quarter j and which, added to the preceding fum, make the
clear produce of the taxes, exclufive of the charge of collecl-
ijag, which are raifcd yearly on the people of this country,

amount

[uce above tw^

(the ri,fi)i„{rc,5

'orm the fink-
»a' fjf the pul,,
a'<^* "11 annuRl
•uxJ the civif
'c produce of
pic port-office,
naininrr crown
(which arti-
fwn) and a] lb
t-ttlcd on the
ouflioJd, and
fhe amount
gh in the /uit
'''<^J ahnolf- a
^- tlic parha-
it hi>; prvlnit
ncoufly fiani.

« tniirUt be fo
ami Tatisfac-

^1 the hmitcj
fi'^ fiiil m^

" tlic princefs

s Anieha, to

ind other rc-

f» the a<Tgrc-

''ith the pay-

50,000 I. per

ut under the

of the piib-

^llcaed than

i 00,000 1.

^%. 'i'he
iiillionsand
^L' two niiJ-
'> niakc up
cat money,

ourpcrp'e-
ms, arifinfr
'til, at an
^ns :ind a
make the
>f col led -

country,
amount

E N G I, A N D. H7

amount to upward of ten million fieri inp; ; to which may be
further added, the lum of 400,0001. which the Eall: India
company have agreed to pay to the public for a certain time.

The expences defrayed by the civil lilt, arc thofe that in
any flmpe relate to civil govi rnment ; as the expences of the
houfliold, all falaiics to oflictrs of Ihite, to the judges, and
every one of the king's fervants; the; appointments to forei«rn
amhafladors, the maintenance of the queen and royal family,
the king's private expences, or privy purfc, and other very
nuinercus out!i;oii'!g3 ; as fecrct fervice-money, penfions, and
other bounties. 'I'liefc loniclim-s have lb far exceeded the re-
venues api)oinled for that pi:rpc<le, that application has been
made to parliament, to uifehargc the debts contracted on the
civil lilt; as particularly in 1724, when one million wa«
granted for that purpofe by the ftatute 1 1 Geo. I. c. 17.

'I'hc civil lilt is indcLd properly the whole of the king's re-
venue in his own diitinct capacity ; the reft being rather the
revenue of the public, or its creditors, though collected, and
(iiltriiuitcd again, in the name, and by the ofticeis of the
cro;vn j it now Itanding in the fame p)ac^% as the hereditary
income did formerlv ; and, as tiiat has gradually diminilhed,
the parliamentary appointments ha\e enciealed.

Military and marine strength i The military ftate

OF Great Britain. j includes the whole

of the foldierv ; or, fueh perfons as are peculiarly appointed

ranong the reft oi" the people, fur the lafc-guard and defence

or' the realm.

In a land of liberty it is extremely dangerous to make a
(liliin^it order of the profefllon of arms. In fuch, no man
fliould take up arms, but with a vicv/ to defend his country
and its laws : he puts not oft" the citizen when he enters the
c:>.mp ; but it i;; beeaufe he is a citizen and would wifli to con-
tinue fo, that he nv.ikcs himfelf for a while a loldier. The
laws, therefore, and conltitution of thefe kingdoms know no
fuch itatc, as that of a perpetu;il ftanding foldier, bred up to
no other profefllon than that of war : and it was not till the
rii-rn of Henry Vll. that the kin^s of En-j-land had lb much
as a guard about tluir perfons.

It feems univerfally agreed by all hiltorians, that king Al-
fred firft fettled a national militia in this kingdom, and by his
prudent difciplinc made all the ful">jc£ts of his dominions foldiers.

In the mean time we arc not to imagine that the kingdom was
left wholly without defence, in cafe of domeftic inlurreflions,
or the profpe£t of foreign invafions. Bcfides thofe, who by their
military tenures were bound to perform 40 d.ays fervice in th^
field, the ftatute of Wincheftcr obliged every man, accordi'r:''*
to his cltatc and degree, to provide a determinate quant'-''^' ' i

I i

34*

ENGLAND.

<■

»^'

fuch arms as were then In ufc, in order to keep the peace:
and conftablcs were appointed in all hundreds, ti> fee that fucli
»rms were provided. Thcfc weapons were changed by the
ftatute 4 and 5 Ph. and M. c. 2. into others of more modern
fervicc ; but both this and the former provifion were repealed
in the reicrn of James I. While thefc continued in force, it
was ufual from time to time, for our princes to ifliic commif-
fions of array, and fend into every county ofliccrs in whom
ihey could confide, to muftcr and array (or fet in military
order) the inhabitants of every diflrid ; and the form of the
eomniiflion of arrav was fct in parliament in ilie 5 Henry IV.
But at the fame time it was provided, that no nir.n fliould be
compelled to go out of the kingdom at any rate; nor out of
his fliire, but in cafes of urgent ncccflity ; nor fnould provide
foKlicrs unlcfs by confent of |iarliament. About the reign of
king F-{enry VIII. and his children, lord liculcnani' began to be
introduced, as {landing rcprefentatives of thci crown, to keep
the counties in mililarv order ; for wc find them mentioned as
known officers in the rtatute 4 and 5 Ph. and M. c. 3. the'
they had not been then long in ufe j for Camden fpeaks of
them in the time of queen Kli/abcth, as extraordinary magif-
trates, eoiillitntcd only in times of difficulty and danger.

Soon after the reltoration of king Charles II. when the
military tenures wcreaboJi/lied, it was thoujiht proper to afccr-
tain the pov/er of the militia, to recognizee ihe fole right of
the ciovvn to govern and command them, and to put the whole
into a more leguli.r method of militr.ry fubordination : and the
order in whicii the militia now ilands by law, is principally
built upon the ftatutes which were then enadted. It is true,
the two laft of the vi are apparently repealed ; but many of their
provifions are rc-cnaded, with the addition of fomc new re-
gulations, by the prefent militia-laws ; the general fcheme of
which is to difcipline a certain number of the inhabi-
tants of every county, chofen by lot for three years, and
officered by the lord lieutenant, the deputy lieutejiants, and
other principal landholders, under a commiffion from the
crown. They are not compellable to march out of their
counties, unlefs in cafe of invafion, or a£lual rebellion, nor in
any cafe compellable to march out of the kingdom. They are
to be exercifed at ftated times ; and their difcipline in general
is liberal and eafy ; but, when drawn out into adual fcrvice,
they are fubjcvS: to the rigours of martial law, as neceflary to
keep them in order. This is thcconftitutional fecurity which
eur laws have provided for the public peace, and for protect-
ing the realm againft foreign or domeftic violence ; and which
the flatutes declare, is cffentially neceflary to the fafety and
profpcrity of the kingdom.

But,

rP the peace:
^;» ^^'e that t'uch
•.'langcd by the
"lore modern
, Y^'^' repealed
cd in force, it
. '^"c commif,
l^'^^rs in whom
'«-f HI military
k- form of the
F 5 ^^'-•'irylV.
^': n fljould be
tc; nor out of
P^'^dd provide
^ the reign of
"'began to be
"wn, to keep
1 mentioned as
p- c. 3. tho'
^ficn fpeaks of

iinary macif-

do
anger.

n. when the

"l^cr toafcer-

p foJe right of

put the whole

^t'on : and the

is principally

• Jt is true,

[Tiany of their

bmc new re-

al fchcme of

the inhabi-

' years, and

tt'Jiants, and

>ii from the

5ut of their

lion, nor in

They are

- in general

ual fervice,

lecefTary to

'rity which

ur protet^-

and which

fafety and

But,

ENGLAND. 349

But, as the fafliion of keeping (landing armies hns univcr-
fjilly prevailed over all Europe of late years (though fume of
its potentates, being unable themfelves to mainiaiii them, ans
obliged to have refourc; to richer powers, and receive fubfi-
diary penfions for that purpofc) it has alio for matiy years part:
been annually judj^ed nccelfarv by our legiflature, for the (Afcty
of the kingdom, the defence of the poll'elHons of the crown of
Great-Britain, and the prefervation of the balance of power
in Europe, to maintain, even in time of peace, a ftanding
body of troops, under the command of the crown ; who are,
however, il)Jo fath^ dilbanded at the expiration of every ycar»
unlcfs contuiued by parliament. The land forces * of thcfc

king-

0-- -n

M M M 14

W> N H H t> t*

0^ CTn ^s ^ O^ CT*

03 53

r> -^ 0^^0 U> u> V.1

0> 00 a^ O o^

M M M

•fk ^ 4. Lo o>^ >N 1^ CO a\

0^ c^

O C> 0\ Cn

I M ^ O

r><

c> ij\

c
t>

O
c

M M M

M M M
bJ -^ 4> 4> CM<i A Ul --1 -t*

ffl

M eo

i;t>

c^ 00 ^/-j 00 00

M *^ M

^4 ^ ^^ '-^i ^k W4 ^' ^4 »^ w4 ;/^

•>«

On9»

M t9

•> V< 9> 3\

o
c

5'S

_ 3 "

a 2. s"

(I J

S^ _ 3 3 D* ""

r» ,S 1 "^ O -N

"• 3 c -», ^. a

« " ri =r(r> ^i

"■ 2- °-,

£.5

S,, r» >- O. ft> "^

w £ iji a. 3

H -• td "J^ "i
a •-• a iw •"»

o. o> r, ?> 2
£- ' o. 2 ■*»

3 „. ^ <*

2 3" ??• 2

'» ►-►v "r* -1 »

.. _ ^ C^'J»

h- .^■•^•^

•J ^ 3- ;:: *"
' ij" 7 o »t

'• ■-' *H !*••

n J., 00 a.

»«:'-> ^,
s -, ti =»

n K•i-
*■* a>t^»
*" g- aa
{/^ >% c/O w

o < I a<

4?' '. l-i -

3 >*

2 - ?=S

mi<

^i;

''1..,

.. il

.^ass^}

350

ENGLAND.

a%Hi

kingJoms, in time of peace, amount to about 40,000 men,
including troops and garrlfons in Ireland, Gibraltar, Minorca,
and America j but in time of war, there have been in Britifli
pay, natives and foreigners, above 150,000. The regiftcrod
militia in England coiififts of near 200,000. lo keep this
body of troops in order, an annual adl of parliament paflls,
" to punifli mutiny and d».fcrtion, and for the better payment
of the army and tiieir quarters." T'his regulates the manner
in which they arc to be difpcrfed among the fcvcral inn-
keepers and vi(5tualkrs tluoughout the kingdom ; and elta-
blifhes a law martial for their government. By this, among
other things, it is enadtcd, that if any officer and foldicr fhall
excite, or join any mutiny, or, knowing of it, fliall not give
notice to the commanding officer ; or fhall defert, or lilt in
any other regiment, or fleep upon his poll, or leave it before
he is relieved, or hold correfpondence with a rebel or enemy,
orftrikeor ufe violence to his fuperior officer, 01 fhall difobey
his lawful command ; fuch offender fliall fuffer fuch puniffi-
ment as a court martial fliall inflict, though it extend ta
death itfelf.

Officers and foldiers that have been in the king's fcrvicc, arc
by feveral ftatutes, enackd, at the clofe of feveral wars, at
liberty to ufe any trade or occupation they are fit for, in ;!ny
town of the kingdom (except the two in\iverfities) notvvith-
ftanding any flatute, cuilom, or charter to the contrary. And
foldiers in adlual military fervice, may n-.ake viiba! wills, and
difpofe of their goods, wages, and other perfoinl chattels,
without thofe forms, folcnnuties, and expcnccs, which llie iuv/
requires in other cafes.

The maritime ftate is nearly related to the former ; tliongh
much more agreeable to tl.e prir.ciples of our free confHtuii(.n,
The royal navy of I'liigland luttii ever been its grcatcfl defence
and ornament; it is its ancient aial natural flrength j the float-
ing bulwark of the illand ; an army, from which, however
ftrong and powerful, no danger can ever be apprelKMided ^o
liberty: and accordingly it has been ufliduoufly cultivated,
even from the earlicit ages. To f > mueb peif.tition was our
naval reputation arrived in the twelfth century, that the code
of maririire l.iws, which arc ca'lcd the laws of Olcron, and
are received by all nations in Europe, a^ (he ground and fub-
ftruftion of all tl.c marine conllitution-,, was cor/eiievijy com-
piled by our ki:-ig Richard J. at the iflc of Oleroa, on the
coaft of France, tlicii part of the pofl'effionr, of tlie crown of
ilngland. And yet, fo vaflly inferior were our anceftors in this
point, to the prefent age, that even in th: maritime reign uf
queen Elizabeth, Sir Edw»ud Coke lliinkfc it niatur of boaf^,
4 thai

F 40*000 men,
Ffar, Minorca

l';-:^^" in B, itifl;

i he rcgiftcrd
,,.^" H^ this
h'anunt pa/res,
pcttcr pa)'nicnt
p t'lCinajincr

^'" ; and cita.
\y fhis, amon^
lid foldicr /haJl

/Iiall not aive
fcrt, or Jiil i,j
IJcave it before
-bel or enemy
' ftall difobey

f"t:h pu/if/]i.

't extend ta

era I
for.

"^c, arc
u-ars, nt

in any
les) notvvith-
'"^rarv. And
vd Wills, and
"''i' chattels,
''Jiich the Jaw

'i-rj tlioi.'-h
conffitunon.
atcit dcfc-ncc
1 i the rioat-
■h, however

■<^hjl !,!(.• J t,y

:>n \va,s our
't the code
'''-''•^>ii, and
^1 -Tiid Tub.
lediy coni-
^''> on the

crown of
"^"•^' in this
- >«'i/.':M of

of boa/},
that

ENGLAND. 351

that the roya! navy of England then confiftcd of 33 fliips. 'I'hc
pivrej't condition of our marine is in great meafure owing t<*
the falutary provifions of the flatutes, called the navigation
acts; whereby the conftant incrcafe of Englifli fliipping and
fciunen, was not only encouraged, but rendered unavoidably
ncccllary. The nioft bencHcial ftatutc for the trade and com-
jiiercc of fhcfe kingdoms, is that navigation-a<fl, the rudi-
iiient'i of which were firrt: framed in 1650, with a narrow
partial view : being intended to mortify the fugar iflands,
uhiv-'h were difafl'eck'd to the parliament, and ftill held out
for Charles II. by Ikipping the gainful trade which they then
carried on with the Dutch ; and at the fame time to clip the
wings of thofe our opulent and afpiring neighbours. This
prohibited all fliips of foreign nations from trading with any
Enghfli plantation • without lieencc from the council of flate.
In 165 J, the prohibition was extended alio tf) the mother coun-
try j and no goods were fuffercdtobe imported into England, or
any of its dependencies, in any other than Englifli bottoms;
or i;i the fliips of that Europeaii nation, of which the mer-
cbandixe imported was the genuine growth or manufaclure.
At the reftoration, the form.cr provifions were continued, by
flotute 12 Car. i'. c. 18. with this very material unprove-
ment, that the n\nrter, and three fourths of the mariners iTiall
alio be Englifli v^iibjcds.

The complenient of feamcn, in time of pence, ufually
amounts to 12 or 15,000. In time of war, they have amount-
ed to no lefs than 8c,0C0 m.cn.

This navy is eommojdv divided Into three fquadrons, name-
ly, the red, white, and blue, which r.re fo termed from the
differences of their colours. P^ach fquadion has its admiral ;
but the admiral of the red fquadron lui.i the principal com-^
mund of the whole, aiid is ftiled vice-admiral of Great Bri-
tain. Subjc<ft to each admiral is alfo a vice and a rear-adnuial.
But the fujjrcme c /mmand of our naval forc^; i:;, next to the
king, in the lords conunillioners of the admiralty. Notwith-
flanding our favourable htuation tor a maritime power, it was
not until the vail armament ient to lubdue this nation by
Spain, in 1588, that the nation, by a vigorous eflbrt, bceame
fully fLnfibie of its true iiitcreil aihJ natural ilrengtli, whieU
it has llnce fo )iapj)i]y cultivated.

V/e may venture to aflirm that the Britifli navy, dating tlve
late wai, was able to cope with all the ( ther fleets in Europe.
Ii the Cvjurle lA' a few years h entirely vanquished the v/hule
r. id power of i'rancc, difablcd SpJn, ar.J kept the Dutili
£jv^ .tiler power J in awi^'.

Eor

';| ,'

i:;,!>f;; I

352 ENGLAND.

For the protection of the Britifh empire, and the annov-
ance of our enemies, it was then divided into feveral powerful
fquadrons, fo judicioufly ftationcd, as at once to appear in
every quarter of the globe, and while fome rieets were hum-
bling the pi ide of Spain in Afia and America, ethers were- em-
ployed in frulh'ating the defigns of France, and cfcorting home
the riches of the eallcrn and wedcrn worlds.

Many laws have been made foi" the fupply of the royal navy
with fcamen ; for their regulation when dn board ; and to
confer privileges and rewards on them, during, and after their
lervice.

I. For their fupply. The power of imprefling men, for
the fea-fervice, by the king's commifllon, has been a matter
of fome difpute, and fubmitted to with great reluctance; tho'
it hath very clearly and learnedly been fhewn by Sir Michael
Foftcr, that the praClice of imprcHing, and granting powers to
the admiralty for that purpofe, is of very antient date, and hath
been uniformly contiinied by a regular feries of j)recedents to
the prcfent time; whence he concludes it to be a pait of the
common law. The difficulty arifes from hence, that no fta-
tute, or ait of parliament, has exprefsly declared this power
to be in the crown, though many of them very ftrongly im-

Befides thi? method of imprefling (which is only defenfible
from public ncceflity, fuch as an actual iebellion or invafion
of the kingdom, to which all private conliderations mui\ give
way) the principal trading cities, and fometimes the govern-
ment, offer bounty money to feamen who enter voluntarily
into his r;iajeffy's fervice j and every foreign feaman, who,
during a war, mall icrvc two years in any man of war, mer-
chantman, or privateer, is natundi/.ed ipp faclo.

But as imprciruig is generally confidered as a grofs violation
of the natural rights of mankind, ib has the bounty money,
which fcldom exceeds 40s. proved incfteiStual. The wa;;es of
feamen en board of merchantmen, in time of war, is ulually
50s. or unwardsj per month ; on board of the royal navy, they
only receive 22 s. They arc flattered indeed with the hopes
of prize nioncy, which, if divided in a more equal and equi-
table manner, would produce tho happiett cflev!:ls to th s na-
tion. There would then be lefs occafioii ibr bounty money or
preffing ; our fleets would be fpeeuily manned, and regularly
iupplied with experienced and able feamen. Since under Pro-
vidence, not only the very exiltcncc of this nation, its com-
merce and foreign fettlcnents ; but the libc'ties of Europe,
and fecurity of the Protcltant rdi'jion, fol.ly depend on the

ftrength wid fu^gtfij vf the Briuih nnvy, wUich is th^' f^"'/

moJc

u L.

Pnj the annov.

I^^'vcral powerful
f e to appear in
"ms wcix- hum.
|ctlici-s were cm-
crcortiii. home

p the royal navy
board ; and to
and after their

kflin
be

g men, for
^■ii a matter
eluchincc; tho'
by ^h- Michael
nting powers to
t date, and hath
>f j)rcccdcnts to
c a pai c of the
■c, that no fta-
ired this power
•y ftrongly im.

only defenfible
ion or invailon
tions mil ft o;ive
ics the govern-
itcr voluntarily
leaman, who,
> of war, incr-
?.

grofs violation
>ounty n^oncy,
The wa-rcs of
'ar, is ulually
'al navy, they
ith the hopes
|ual and cqui-
ts to this na-
nty money or
iiul regularly
:e under Pro-
ton, its com-
' of Europe,
•pcnd on the
I is the only
moJc

ENGLAND. 353

mod.' of warwc ought ever to engage in ; it has been matter
1)1' furprize to every thinking, difinterefted fubjedl of thef«
kiirni'iins, that neither the above-meiitioned regulation, nor
any oihcr fatisfaitory fclu-me has yet taken place. Tiiat to
ciiricli a few fuperior oiHccrs, we ihould deprive thofe very
men of their rights and libertv, to whofe valour and intrepi-
dity alone, in the day of public danger, we look for prefcr-
vation.

2. 'I'he method of ordering feamcn in. the royal fleet, and
keeping up a regular diicipline there, is dircck-d by certain
exprefii rules, articles, and orders, firft cna<5ted by the autho-
rity of parliament, foon after the reftoration ; but fince new
M!o L'lled and altered, after tlie peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, to
remedy fomc detects which were of fatal confequcnce in con-
ducting the preceding war. In thefc; articles of the navy, al-
mult every |K)fnble offence is fet down, and the punifhment
thereof annexed, in wliich refpedl the feamen have much
the advantage over their brethren iji the land fervice ; whofe
nrtiele-; of war are not enacl-eJ by parliainent, hut framed
from time to time at the pleafure of the crown.

■^. AV'ith regard to the privileges conferred on failors, they
are pretty much the fame with thofe conferred on foldiers j
with regard to relief, when maimed or wounded, or fuperan-
juMied, either by county rates, or the royal hofpital at Green-
wich ; with regard alfo t.) the cxercife of trades, and the power
of making teflaments ; and, farther, no ieaman aboard his
niajeliy's fhijis can bearrellcd for any debt, unlcfs the fame be
(worn to amount to at leaft 2D pound;; ; though by the annual
nratiny 3'-'^, a foldier may be arreflcd for a debt which extends
to h;ilf that \.;lue, but not ro lefs amount.

i lliall clofe this account of the military and marltiine ftrength
of Krvvb.nd, or rather of Cjtcat Britain, by ohferving, that
tb.ough fea officers and failors, are fubjeel to a perpetual act of
))ar!iaaient, which anfwers tiic annual military ac>, which is
p.ilied foi the government of the aimy, yet neither of thofe bor
die:: are exemped from legal iurifdivfl-ion in civil or criminal
cafe^, but in a few inilances of no great irioment, Tiie foldiers,
pu'ticularly, rr.ay be calLd upon by a civil magiitrate, to enable
liitn to preferve the peace, aij;amft all attempts to break it.
The military oiTicer, who commands the foldiers on thofe oc-
calions, is to take his direclions fiotn the magiftrate, and both
he and they, if their proceedings are regular, are indemnified
ijj iiri'.l all c'Jiifequcnces, be thev ever lb latal. The civil ma-
' V.L. i. Z yiilrate,

1^^

iMr

354

ENGLAND.

giftratc, however, > extremely cautious ia calling for the ml-
litary on thefc occaiions, upon any commotion, whatever *.

Coins.]

• The Royal Hivy of Great Brit. mh, as itftcod at the clofc of the Year 1762.
A^. B. Thofc in Ifalut were taken from the French or Si^aniards.

First Rates.

Guns.

300 Britannia
100 Royal George
300 R. Sovereign

Skcond Rates.

50 Blenheim

QO Duke

90 St. George

90 Namur

go Neptune

«^o Ocean

<)0 Prince

50 Princel's Rr.yal

S4 RoYil William

90 Sandwicii

^o Uiuon

Third Rates.

64 Africa

64. A!>.':de

74 Arroj<ant

64 Bcdfottl

64 JhHiqsicux

11/^ Bellona

€4 Bclki'.le

164 Jiien/.iifant

70 Biicldi)fi'njnx

70 But ford

^o Cambriil^^e

i>4 Ciptaiii

^4 Centaur

*jo Chiii;he!{er

74 Cornkvall

^4 Culkidcni

134 Defi.iriLf;

^6 Devon ihirs

^o DinfKtfl.ire

5:4. Drifon

••74 Dublin

64 Eliz;:}--ili

<)4 ElTcx

74 Fame

Jj I'sudryant

7 J Griftiin

154 Hanij'ijii-Cjurt

"4 Hfi-cuJ#i

74 iktn

Gun?.
74 Kent
74 Lenox
'4 Mr.g'iiir.'irr.e
08 Marlborough
74 M:irs

64 ;!fu.',y.v

64 Monmoutii

64 Nadau

Sc Newark

74 Norfolk

70 NortJuimbcrland

70 O:t"oi-a

64 Pr. Frcdorick

So Princcl':. Amelia

60 I'tincelii Mary

64 Revenge

74 Shri'wibury

70 Snrrcrk't

74 Stcrlins-C:-.il!c

""4 FlipCri

70 Swifniire
74. TcwfrrArc
70 Ttm;'lc
-4 'IVrTlhle
74 Thundi.rer
74 Tot!-.,iv
64 'ViJ.r.t
J74 Vali.int
(70 \'.>rij'iiard
J7+ Warlpighi

IfoiTR'. K Rate*.
60 Achilles
fC.j Amci'iia
\bo An! )n

Kjo An* elope

50 Affjibntc

50 Cfiutirion

CO Chath.im
J50 Chtlhr
j Drv.-.dnoughr
150 D<-pttoril

Oo l>unkirk
|()0 E<ig:ir
{50 Falkland
150 F:.ln\«ul!i

60 Fini!^
iCo rioiift'iKi

,^0 Haintilhiic

Gun?.

60 Intrr'/tile
50 ///j
60 Lion

60 Meilw.iy
60 M 'ntn;:iic
50 Ncrwidi
60 Ni)Uini;kam

60 P.iiitlier

60 PLmbroke

<;o Pcrtl.md

50 i'ruAcii

60 Prir.ceot'Ora

60 Rippon

50 Ri.irnev

50 R.i.-!,.,iti;r

50 .Sali(l)!iry

e^o Siith^rkind

60 Wcytnoiiih

t;o V.'i;'-,rht-ft,'r

60 \'>'injror

60 York

Fifth Rati.'

;a Adventurer

;a Alarm

\1 J-] r ;■;>■•. Ja

\z /Moiui'

Ii.h^'.

32 Bolton
3i DkrJe
•56 Brilli.int

.32 C-cf^i'.:

1 32 Dhuui
■44 Df".i;r
hi ht;:iUi!J
'44 luitcrprij;
I'ji' F IS, III
'44 Goipurt
,-2 June.
IVJt J>ark

44 Lauii^eltun

•;0 Looc-

(.N -.11

Mrljs'-.fr

MiT.rva

{•52 .V;e<-/-
l^ii i'al).i3
j44 Pcnj:*iit,c

';ii

Guns.
44 Pliqemx
44 Prince Edw.
32 Quebec
44 Rainhoto
36 Renorvn
3Z Repuljc
32 Richmond
32 Saphire
32 Sodthamptaa
32 Stagg
32 Thames
32 Thfih
n^c 30 Torringtofi
32 Tweed
36 Venus

32 Vvjhl

44 Woolwich

Sixth Ratis.
2S A&xan

?.o /Mdborough
r.. ^ yimaz,on
.IS Aqu\hn
7.8 .'Vrpo

24 Arundel

25 PiL'reas
z% Cciiierus
24 Coventry
|2o Dcal-Caftic
■24 Dolphin
I24 K.,..
J20 l-lamborough
(24 Fowcy
1 24 G.irljiid
(20 Gibrnliar

20 ClahAOv/
J2vj Gvcyhoimd
124 Hind
J24 Kcnnint;:oii

.-'.S Levant

24. Liv.'ly

:.i I.ivcipooJ

28 Lizard

24 LuiUov.-Cai:k

z% MaidftoiM
Mervuiy
MilOid

114
-4

Nisiluin^a!?

[24 Poiimajiuii

-4 ^•,-

ENGLAND.

355

Coins.] In Great Britain money is computed by pounds,
fhillings, and pence, twelve pence making a (hilling, and
twenty ftiillings one pound, which is only an imaginary coin.

The

Guns.
«4 Rye

20 Scarborougl*
20 Scaford
40 Scahorfe
2% Shannon
J4 Sherrncfs
24 Solcbay
20 ^yren
24 Surprize
»8 Tartar
24 ^erpftchore
28 Trent
28 Valcur
28 Unicorn
14 Wager

Sloops.

14 Albany
10 Alderney
]o Antigua
12 ri.idgcr
16 Baltimore
10 Barbadoes
10 Bonettd
8 Cni--;r
18 Cygnet
JO Diligence

Guns.

J4 Difpatch
lo Druirt
14 Efcorte
16 Favourite
18 Ferret

8 F/amiivi Prize

8 Fly
14 Fortune
14 Grampus
10 Granado

8 Gorcc

8 Happy

8 Hazard
14 Hornet
14 Hound
10 Hunter
14 Jamaica
10 King's Fiflicr

8 Laurel

6 Lurcher
«8 Merlin
16 Mortar
18 Nautilus

8 Fcggy
10 Pomona
10 Otter
14 Pclicin
14 Porcupine

Guns.

18 Poflillion

8 Ranger

Racehorfe
14 Saltafli

8 Savage
14 Senegal
14 Sardome

8 Speedwell
10 Spy
14 Swallow
14 Swift
14 Swan
16 Tamer
Terror
10 Thunder
14 Trial
14 Vulture

8 Wafp
16 Weazle

8 Wolf
10 Zcpbir

Bomb Vefll'l<i.

Baniiflc
Blaft
C:'.rcafs
I iredrake

Furrmce
Infernal

Fire-Sb, no Guns.

^tna

Cormorant

Grampus

Lightning

Pluto

Raven

Roman Empermr

F'rofcrpine

Salamander

Strombolo

Vk^'avius

Yachts.

Guns..
10 iJorfet

8 Fubbs

8 Katharine
Augufta

STOREiHIPS.

so Crown

Z4 South Sea Caflle.

I It (

Rates. Guns.

74
64
60

2 go
Ditto, a

3 ?o

4 50
6 24

3
4
3
4

74
60

7+
50
74
24
60

64
60

Ships

Names.

Albion

Afia

Augufla

Anglefea

Aurora

Earffiir

new (hip

Boyn«

BriAol

Blandford

Blenheim

Hofpital-ftiip

Canada

Canterbury

Courageux

Colchefter

Defiance

Experiment

Eagle

Edinburgh

£xeter

out of CommilTion and Buildinc;.

Rates. Guns.

5
5
3
4
5
6

5
5

3
4
3

5
t

44
44
80

44
s8

44
44
30
90

50
80
60
60

44
90

zoo

Names.

Eltham

F'xpedition

Formidabk

Gloucsder

Glory

Guadalupe

Haftings

Hedlor

Jafon

London

Mary Galley

Martin Sloop

Mary Yacht

Monarch

Nonfuch

Pr. Carolina

Pr. Louifa

Plymouth

Poole

Queen

Royal Anne

Rates.

3
4
6

4
5
4

Guns,
84
64
60
50

64
60

74
28

ICO

Namfs.

Ramillies

Royal Oak

Rupert

Ruby

R. Charlotte

Yacht
Suftollc
St. Alban's
Sphinx
Triumph
Vengeance
Viper
Viftory
Vulture Sloop
Warwick
Winchclfea
Worccftcr
William and

Mary Yacht
Yarmouth

Gobi.

a.'%

',';o;;i

!;i

(

rn '

mil
PI
m

<^r,6 ENGLAND.

The gold piece; confill only of guineas, halves, and qu.ir-
tcrs : the fiivcT, of rrovvi^.s, half-crowns, fliiilings, fixpcnccs,
groats, and cvcji down to a I'llvcr penny; and the copper mo-
nt"\', only t/f halr-iii.i-.ce, ;'nd f;uthin;'s. Iji a country like
Kngland, where tlic ir.trii.Px value of the iilver is very near
ciiual, and in fime coins, crown pieces pariiculaily, fupcrior
to .he noiTiinal, tue coina:'e of f 'ver nioney is a matter of
great confitjucnce ; and ye^ ihc prcfent ftate of the national
currencN', f'tnir- todcinanil a new coinage of f]iillin.j;s and lix-
pences, the in rinilc v;due rf the Itlar being many of them
worn dowii ti) hall' tln-ir nondn.il xalr.o. This can only be
d nie b ■ ar. act of parliauK nt, ar,^ hv the puhl c lofint;- the
diii'iien'. e between tiie bu]li<,n of *\\c ne\,' ;i:id tiie old money,
l>efui(.s the coii;.. 'hea 'y mei\iione'', jn e .iiid two guinea pieces
are co'ned at tlie Tov\cr of LoiiJon, but thi-y are not gejie-
rallv cun-«:!it, n:)r is anv iiiwi' ci)in that is lower than lix-
pence. i'lu" ct>i:i- of tlK ianuuis Sir.ion, in the ti:ne of Crom-
well, a;ul in ihe lie:,inn:ng of Ch.iilei, ll.'s rei^n, .i;e remaric-
able for thcii bea'.ilv.

Roya:. Ti';'Li:s, arms,^ The tiil.- of the king of Eng-

AND o^inj.i^i. ^ Ian!, is, Ky il\? Grace of Ciod,

of CjicaL-Britain, Fratice, and irelaiu!, King, Dcfetu't r of

the Faith. The d.''.:;! ition of the kin^s of En^lanJ was

formcily, his or her Ciuce, or ilighncfr., till Henry Vill. to

put

C():i,p!om:iit 'm' Men, and Wcif'it of Metal, it» tlu Roy.il Mavy.

Sliip;- or" thicj Dc.ks.
Guns, Mt:). X'l.'ial.

ico 8^0 42 ^4 !.',

9^ ri-T 3- »^ »2

80 60 3-18 9

Ships ot two iJtcUs.

Sb 74 6<o

fii'j lJ)it'.i)
6a ^i'^o

I-'
3^

9
9

Mi'ii.

4^(9

40
3 ^

44 40 2,0

M..-..-.\.

14 li

9
9

2 A
24

2 J

I'lij'.ater vi or.
-: ,.j 12

221 12

2f J 9

i;o

6
6
6
6
6

!)cck.

4
4

Wli.-i a .hip (ii'w.n Ijuiomcs i;!d or unfit for ri.Tv'.rc, tl\s f.imc nunc istran5ft;rrc(l
ti-> .lu .t',1 r> vhiv-T. is liiiil:, h.^ it ir. calli.J, upon hor b(>tt-iri. VV.ll- a (in^lc l^'anj^Dl
tlic oil ili:[) remains, ilic ii.iinc c naot bo ■ l;ai".jievl unkls by atl uf p.irruincr.t.

Ihe Pa\ of the CfH.crs of the P.oyal N.ivy in i-arh Rate. I'i.ac. Otk;

the Cai-tains to ri.iu":.
Ad niral", nnd ConJ'.nanilurs in (Jhicr of Uii." i'k.-t —

Ar\ Admiial __.____._

Vac Aa.uiial — — — — -

Kirar Admiral — — • ■

Firft CajUain to the Cor.i.iiandcr in Chi^-f —

Si.o.nd diun, md 'Cantain to other AJmirah — -

— t(i V. Auini.alii ^ if" firlt or ri:L</RU Rati .., to J

— -iw R. Admirals ^ liu\c the p.iy uf fui-h i\..ik;'i 2 — —

cr.RS,
per day.

:; 10

2 10

o
13

and

E N G^ L A N D.

%S1

and qu.ir-
fixpciiccs,
[copper mo.
toiiiury like
|is very near
' '-, Superior
matter of
the national
|i ;s and fix-
Miy ui them
^w only be
lofino- the
'old money,
[uinea pieces
not gene-
<-•!• than fix-
e of Croin-
i.t" remark-

"i: oF Kno-.
ice ofCiod,
)v!en,'( I- cf
"glanj was
ly ViJI. to
put

>avy.

fetal.

■ Deck.

is transferred

^n^I.

liiMIB^Df

■'i.iinLM:t.

■

—

•f : c z

RS,

per d ly

i*;-

p\!t himfelf on a footing with the emperor Charles V. af-
fumed that of Majefty, but the old delignati' i was not abo-
li/hcd, till towards the end of queen Eliz iheih's reign.

Since the acceflion of the prcient royal family of Grcat-
Hritain, anno 1714, the royal atchievcinent is ma-fhailed as
follows : quarterly, in the HrR graml quarts', Mars^ three
^otis f(^JJ(HJt guardunt, in palc^ So/y the imperial enfigns of
Pinghmd, impaled, with the royal arms of Scotland, which
arc, Soly a lion rampant ivifhin a d'AtLL' trr/Juri' flciUired n>:d
counterjioiuercdy with firun-dc-Us^ AJiirs. Tlie fecoiid quarter
is the royal arms of Fraiic^', vi/.. Jnpitrr^ three p\i:rs-de-Iis,
iW. The third, the cnligns of Ireland ; which is, 'jiipitrry

'/.I an

F r 1 C E R s.

I'
!.

i>rt.
i.d.

>c«</.

JHnl. j /•

:/.'< .'

;/>/

.SixrI.

S.J.

t
1 .

^.H.'r.

'■■

Captain fey tliy

13 6'o

J,icuti:i\ajU/(/- lUy

5 t

-3

3 <-|0

4 0,0

, 1

M.iili;r ytr month

2 c

S c7

6 c'6

lA nvifti-r & pildts of

yacIitscMcli 3/ lo;

•

Mafti.'r's ni.ilc

1621

7 '°'z

MidfliipiiKiii

S '^

17 Cli

ICJ

StlioojiiiaAcr

17 6li

Captain's ckrl:

17 6 I

Q£.irliT-m;'ltf.r

IS c.

15 CI

12 o'l

(^ar, Tiaflcr's mate

10 c

•

1C3 I

S o'l

ol,

Iloj .lin

10 C

002

0'-

BoatAvair.'s mate

15 <

12 I

Ojl

oil

Yeoman of the (htcts

\z CI

10 <■

°,i

°>

Coxf-.vain

12 o'l

10 C

Mailer L;!m,'.!cer

M, I

I? I

oil

•Sail maker's nia:c

)i C I

i- c

8 cii

o't

Sail maker's i.icvv

5 -ji

5 ^|i

0',

• Gunner

Ol'j

10 c

oil

012

0,2

Gunner's mate

If, I

15 oil

12 o'l

ol,

ojl

Yeo. (if powder room

15 01

15 I

12 I

Ojl

Quarter gunner *

6 CI

6 I

5 01

o'l

Armourer

5 "\^

17 6t

9 I

Armi'urer'G mate

10 01

10 C I

8 01

i'Minl'mith

5 oil

S c-

Carpenter

10 c,l

c 2

Carpcfitcr'f mste

0; I

lO 1

Carpenter's crew

6 c

I'uiler —

l: c.

Steward —

5 01

5 c

4 I

8 1

Steward's mate

S I

■^1

Cook —

5 '-,1

5 <^

^., i>

Surgeon -j-

c|5

°.5

Suty,eoirs firft mate

003

— — fecoHil mate

10 Ui2

— — third mate

002

1, tilth and fifth

10 0,1

10 c

Chaplain ;{;

19 c

f 1^

\ '\ '. ♦ One tc every four gur.s. f Bcfidei %d, a month from cac'u men,

J DeJiiU's 4</. a vur.th from met iwn.

lit

I ;

358 ENGLAND.

an harp, Sol, Jirinpd Luna. And the fourth grand quarter is
bis preicnt majcity's own coat, viz. Mars, two lions pajfant
guardant, Sol, for Brunfwick, impaled with Lunenburg, which
is, Sol, feme of hearts, proper, a lion rampant, "Jupiter, hav-
ing anticnt Saxony, viz. Alars, an horfe currant Luna ente {or
grafted) in bafc \ and, in a Jlneld furtout. Mars, the diad,m,
cr crown of Charlemagne ; the whole, within a garter, as I'o-
vtreign of that moft noble order of knighthood.

The motto of Dieu et mon Droit, that is, (jod and my Right, is
asold as the reign of Richard I. who aflumcd it to fhew his inde-
pendency upon all earthly powers. Jtwas afterwards revived by
Edward III. when he laid claim to the crown of France. Almoft
every king of England had a particular badge or cognizance :
fometimcj a white hart, fomctimes a fetlock with a falcon, by
which it is faid Edward IV. alluded to the infidelity of one of
hi'j miftrcfll-'s, and fomctimes a portcullis, which wns that of
the houfc of Lancailcr ; many of the princes of which were
born in the caftlc of Beaufort. The white rofc was the bear-
ing of the houfc of York j and that of Lancaftcr, by way of
contra-dillini^lion, adopted the red. The ihiftlc, which is now
part of the royal armorial bearings, belonged to Scotland, ;ind
was very fignificant when joined to its motto, Nemo me im-
pune lacejjit . None fhall faiely provoke mc.

The titles of the king's cldeft fon, are, Prince of Wales,
duke of Cornwall and Rothfay, <arl of Chcfter, electoral prince
of Brunfwick and Lunenburg, carl of Carrick, baron of
Renfrew, lord of the ifles, great fteward of Scotland, and cap-
tain general of the artillery company.

The order of the garter, the moft honourable of any in the
world, was inftitutcd by Edward III. It confifts of the fo-
vereign, who is always the king or queen of England, of 25
companions, called ICnights of the Garter, who wear a medal
of St. George killing the dragon, fuppofed to be the tutelar
faint of England, commonly cjiamelled on gold, fufpcndcd
from a blue ribband, which was formerly worn about their
nccki, but now erodes their bodies from the fliouldcr. The
garter, however, which is buckled under the left knee, gives
the name to the order, and on it was embroidered the words,
JHonifoit qui tnal y penfe. Evil to him who evil thinks. Au-
thors are divided as to the original of that motto, but it cer-
tainly alluded to the bad faith of the French kin:^ J' hn, Ed-
ward's contemporary. This order is fo refpedtablc, that it
has a prelate, who is the bifliop of Winchelier, and a chan-
cellor, who is the bifliop of Saliibury, for the time being. It
has likcwife a regifter, who is dean of Windfor, and a prin-
cipal king at arm?, called garter, whofe oihcc is to marfliaj

pel

ant
tht
pc
nv

quarter is

I'ONs pafont
[urg, which
\piter^ hav-
yna etite (or

f t'^r, as ib-

whis indc-
revived by
cc. AJmoft
gniznnco :
^;ilcon, by
y of one oi
vns that of
vhich Wire
s the bcar-
hy wny of
Jch is now
>tland, ;ind
mo me im-

of Wales,
oral prince
> baron of
J and cap-
any in the
of the fo-
'id, of 25
ir a medal
he tutelar
i^ufpendcd
lout their
-r. The
^'^5 gives
le words,
:s. Au-
it it cer-
bn, Ed-
. that it
a chan-
ing. It
a prin-
mar/haj
51 n(/

ENGLAND. 359

and manage the folcmnities at the litdHllation, and fearts of
the knights. The phice of inftallation is Edward III.'s cha-
pel, at Windfor, on which occafion the knights appear ia
magnificent robes, appropriated to their order, and in their
collars of SS.

Knights of the Bath, fo called from their bathing at the
time of their creation, 'arc fuppofed to be inftituted by Henry
IV. about the year 1399, but the order fecms to be more an-
cient. For many reigns they were created at the coronation
of a king or queen, or other folemn occafions, and they wear
a fcarlet ribband hanL;ing from the left flioukier, with an ena-
melled medal of three crowns, and the motto, Tr'ict junSla in
mum. Three joined in one. This order being difcontinued,
was revived by king George I. on the 17th of June, 1725,
when 18 noblemen, and as many commoners of the firfl: rank,
were initalled knights of t'nc order, with great ceremony, at -
Weilminiter, where the place of inflallrr.'^nl Is Henry Vll.'s
chapel. Their robes are fplendid and fliewy, and the number
of the knights is undetermined. The bifhop of Rochcftcr is
perpetual dean of the order, which has likcwifc a regifter and
other officers.

The order of the Thiftle, as belonging to Scotland, is men-
tioned in the account of that kingdom.

The origin of the Knglilli peerage, or nobility, has been
already mentioned. Their titles, and order of dignity, are
dukci, marquifes, earls, vifcounts, and lords or barons.

Baronets can fcarcc be faid to belong to an order, having
no otlier badge than a bloody hand in a field, argent, in their
arms. 'I'hey ar.- the only hereditary honour under the peerage,
and would take place even of the knights of the garter, were
it not that the latter arc always privy counfellors, there being
no intermediate honour between them and the parliamentary
barons of En:2;land. They vvcie inftituted bv Tames I. about
the year 16 15. Their number war. then two hundred, and
each paid about icool. on pretence of reJucing and planting
the province of Uliler in Ireland : but, at prefent, the number
of thefc knights amount to 700.

A knight is a term ufcd almoll in every nation in Europe,
and in general fignifies a foldier ferving on horfeback, a rank
of no mean eftimation in antieiit armies, and entitling the
party himfelf to the appellation of Sir. In the common laws
they are called milites or foldiers, and they are made by the
king laying a fword upon their fhouldcrs, and dcfiring them
to rife by the title of Sir. Jt is a mark of perfonal regard
from the crown, and therefore the title does not defccnd to
jpoftenty. Other knighthoods formerly took place in Eng-

Z 4 land.

t ij

I'l'-f!

360 E N G I. A N D.

1;.ik1, fuch as ihofc of bannerets, baichclors, knights of the
carpet, and the like, but thev arc nnvv diliired.

Jt i'j lunicwhat difficult lo accomii tor the original of the
vvoid tfquir*.', which formerly iigiiilicd a perfon bearing the
arms of a nobleman or kni;z;ht, and ih.C) were therefore called
arinigtri. This tiile denoted any peri"< n, who, by his birth
or property, Wiis entitled to bear aims ; but it is at prihiit ap-
plied p;oMiifcuoiifly to any man, who can atfonl to 1 vc in the
< harvcttr of a ^ 'Htlonjan without trade, and even a tradef-
nian, if he is a jiiliicc of peace, demands the appellation.
Thib degiee, fo late as in the |•ei^n (»f Henry IV. was an or-
ticr, and confeired by the kinjr, bv putiinsj; about the party's
neclc, a cellar of SS. and givin-j; ium a pair of filwr I'purr..
(iuwer, tliC poet, ajipears trom his tfligies on his tomb in
Southv/ark, to have been an efqiiire by creation. Scrjcants-at-
law, and other ferjean's belonging to tjic king's houfhold,
julHces of the pe.ce, ih^clors \n diviniiv, law and phylic,
take place of ether efcpiires, and it is renr.irkabL', that all the
il.vs of dukes, nianiuifes, earls, \ ifcoimts, and barons, arc
in the eye of rlie law no more than efquires, though com-
monly derii.nc'd 1 y noble titles. 'J'he aj)pellat!on ol* gentleman,
tho' now conf:.)unded vvi:h the mean r.mks of people, is the
root of all Knglilli hi'nour, for every noblen:an is prefumetl to
be a gentleman, though every gentleman is not a nobleman.

IIisTOi'Y.] It is generally agreed, tlu.t the liril inhabl-
t.'.nts of Ijritain were a tribe ol' the (jauls, or Celtic, tliat Ict-
tled <^n the opp(<r:te fht)ie : a fuppofitioii fouiuied uj'on the
evident conlormity iii their language, majinei?, government,
religion, and complexion.

In the account I have <riven of the laws and conflitutioi:,
iT:ay be found great piirt of the hiliory of England, which I
lliall not here repeat, but confine mylelf to the dill' rent gra-
dations of events, in a chronolonical order, co.iueclcd with
the improvement of arts, fciencis, commerce, and manu-
factures, at their prcjper per oils, and that in a nianner fuitablc
to the propofcd brevity of this work.

When Julius C;rfar, about f.ftv-two yrar^ before the birth
of Chrill, meditated a compieit of Britain, the natives, un-
doubtedly, had great connections with the Gauls, ai^d other
people ot the continent, in government, religion, and ccm-
inerce, rude ;s the latieiw.is. C;efar wrote the hiliory of
liis two expeditions, which he pretended were accompanied with
vaft difficulfijs, and attended by fuch advantaircs over the
iHanJers, that they agreed t > pay tribute. It plainly appears,
however, from gontemporary, and other author^;, as well as C:c-
lar's own marr.jive, that hij vifLOjies wctv iiicor.iplete and ir\-

decifive j

Itnights of the

Drigin;il of the
'11 bearing the
hi-rcfoic callcl
S I'y liis birUi

at pirlt lit ;i|)^
I to 1 vc i;i the
-VL-ii a tradd-
)c apiKJIation.
V . wa.s an or-
)ut the party's
)f filwr rpiirs.
I his tomb in

iicMJcants-ar-
i;fs hoiifliohl,
' Jiiul pliylic,
-S that all the
1 barons, arc
ilu)ii;;h cnm-
offrcMiicman,
u'cplc, is the
;> picriinicii lo
I nobleman.

liril ijiliabi-
lt;i-, that fet-
ed upon the

government,

cojiflitiitioij,
lul, which I
'I IF rent gra-
in>i;lcd with
anJ munii-
lUKT liiitabic

Die the birth
natives, iin-
s, and otl-.tr
and ccm-
hiilory of
ipaiiied with
.s over the
ily ajipears,
well as C:c-
Ictc and ir^-
decifivc ;

ENGLAND.

361

drrilivc ; nor did the Romans receive the Icaft advantage from
his c-vpedition, but a better knowledge of the ifland than they

hiui

re. The Hritons, at the lime of Cxfar's dc'cent.

wc j^overned, in time of war, by a politieal confederacy, of
which Callibclan, whofc territories 1 ly in Hertfurdlliire, anj
joineof the adjacent counties, was the head ; and this form of
govuiimcnt continued among them tor fume ti!ne.

Ill their manner of life, as defcnbed by (Ja.f.;r, and the heft
authors, they dilVe red little from the- Aide ^inhabitants of the
northern climates that have been alieady inenti. ned ; but ihey
certainly fowed corn, though, perhap;, they chji lly fub-
iiilcd upon anim;il fcod and milic. Then' cloathini"; was
(kins, and thrir fortifications beams of wood. Th' y were
ilcxterous in the nnu)a;;e(v,cnt of their chariots beyond credibi-
lity, and tlicy (ought with lances, daiis, and iwo; Is. VVo-
ni'.ii fometimes led iluir armies to the tii-ld, and v. .re recog-
nized as foverei;^ns of their particular diltricts. i .icy fa-
voured a iirimo;.'cniturc, or feniority, in their fuccel:;Oi» to
rn\altv, but let it alidc on the fmalUl^ inconveniencv attend-
iivj, it, '1 hey painted their boilies with woad, which r;;ne
tluin a bluifh or [ireenilh call •, and they are laid to liavo had
figures of aiiinuils, and heavenly bodies on (heir Ikiny. In
their marriages they were not very delicate, for they fortnetl
thcrr.fchcs into what we may call niatrimoni.il clubs. Twelve
or fourteen men marrictl as manv vvi'.c.,, anil each wife was iu
common to thein all, but her childien belonged to the origi-
n.il hiiiband.

'Ihe Britons li\cd, durintr the lonrc rei^n of Aiiciuftus C;r-
fiU, rather as the allies than the tributaries oi' the Romans j
but tlie communications between Rome and Cii'cat-ijriiain
being then extended, the emperor Claudius Cu-i'ar, about
forty-two years after the birth of Chrill:, undertook an expe-
dition in perfon, in which he fcems to have been fuccef-iful
.itrainll Britain. His conqueffs, however, were imperfeii;
Caractacus, and Boadicia, though a woman, made noble
llaiidj againlt the Romans. The former was taken pril'oner,
nftcr a dcfperatc battle, and carried to Rome, where his un-
daunted behaviour belore Clauilius gaineil him the admiration
nt the victors, and is celebrated in the hiilories of the times.
Boadicia being opprelled in a manner that diigraccs the Ro-
man name, and defeated, difdaincd to furvivc the Jibcrtics of
her country ; and Agricola, general to Domitian, after lub-
duiiig South- Britain, carried his arms, as has been already
Jen in the !nlh)ry of Scotland, northwards, into Caledonia,
where his Aicceilors had no realbn to bo.;ll of tiieir progrcGi,
every inch of ground bci^jg bravyly defended. During the

time

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

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362 E N G L A N D.

time the Romans remained in this ifland, they erected thofe
walls 1 have fo often mentioned, to protedl the Britons from
the invaflons of the Caledonians, Scots, and Pidts j and we
arc told, that the Roman language, learning, and cuftoms,
tecame familiar in Britain. There feems, however, to be
no great foundation for this aflertion ; and it is more pro-
bable, that the Romans confidercd Britain chiefly as a nurfery
for their armies abroad, on account of the fuperior ftrcngth of
oody and courage of th^inhabitants, when difciplined. That
this was the cafe, appears plainly enough from the defencelefs
ftate of the Britons, when the government of Rome recalled
her forces from that ifland. I have already taken notice, that
durrng the abode of the Romans in Britain, they introduced
into it all the luxuries of Italy ; but it is certain, that under
them the South Britons became the moft abje6l flaves, and
that the genius of liberty retreated northwards, where the
natives had made a brave refdbncc againft the tyrants of the
world. For though the Britons were unqueftionably very brave,
when incorporated with the Roman legions abroad, yet we
know of no ftruggle they made, in later times, for their inde-
pendency at home, notwithftanding the many favourable
opportunities that prc^^nted themfelves. The Roman empe-
rors and generals, while in this ifland, aflifl:ed by the Britons,
were entirely employed in repelling the attacks of the
Caledonians and Pi«5ls (the latter are thought to have been the
fouthern Britons retired northwards) and they appeared to
have been in no pain about the fouthern provinces.

Upon the mighty inundations of thofe barbarous nations,
which, under the names of Goths and Vandah, invaded the
Roman empire, with infinite numbers, fury, and danger to
Rome itfelf *, the Roman legions were withdrawn out of
Britain, with the flower of the Britilh youth, for the defence
of the capital and center of the empire. As the Roman forces
decrcafed in Britain, the Scots and Pifts, who had always
oppofed the progrefs of the Romans in this ifland, advanced
the njore boldly into the fouthern parts, carrying terror and
defolation over the whole country. The effeminated Britons
were fo habituated to flavery, and accuftomed to have recourfe
to the Romans for defence, that they again and again im-
plored the return of the Romans, who as often drove back the
invaders to their mountains and antient limits beyond the
walls. But thefe enterprifes ferved only to protradl the mife-
ries of the Britons j and the Romans, now reduced to extre-
mities

* Sw the Introduftion.

E N (i L A N D.

5^5

'idts : and we

Is, invaded the

Jnltles W home, and fatigued with thefe diftant expeditions,
acquainted the Britons, that they muft no longer looic to
them for protection, exhorted them to arm in their own de-
fence J and, that they might leave the ifland with a good
grace, they aflifted the Britons in rebuilding with ftone the
wall of Severus, between Newcaftle and Carlifle, which they
lined with forts and watch towers ; and having done this good
office, took their laft farewell of Britain, about the year 448,
after having been mafters of the mofl- fertile parts of it, if we
reckon from the invafion of Julius Cxfar, 500 years.

The Scots and Pifts, finding the whole ifland finally de-
ferted by the Roman legions, now regarded the whole as their
prize, attacked Severus's wall with redoubled forces, ravaged
fA\ before them with a rage and fury peculiar to northern
nations in thofe ages, and which a remembrance of former
injuries could not fail to infpire. The poor Britons, like a
helplefs family, deprived of their parent and protestor, already
fubdued by their own fears, had again recourfe to Rome, and
fent over their miferable epiftle for relief (ftill upon record)
which was addrefled in thefe words : To Jetius, thrice conful :
The groans of the Britons \ and told them, after other lamen-
table complaints. That the barbarians drove them to the fea^ and
the [ea hack to the barbarians ; and they had only the hard choice
left ofperijhing by the fword or by the waves. But having no
hopes given them by the Roman general, of any fucpours from
that fide, they began to confider what other nation they
might call over to their relief: and we have from Gildas,
who was himfelf a Briton (and defcribes the degeneracy of his
countrymen in lamentable ftrains) but very dark confufed
hints of their officers, and the names of fome of their kings,
particularly one Vortigern, who ftruck a bargain with two
Saxon chiefs, Hcngift and Horfa, to protect them from the
Scots and Pids. The Saxons were in thofe days mafters of
what is now called the Englifh channel, and their rative
(countries, comprehending Scandinavia, and the northern parts
of Germany, being overftocked with inhabitants, they readily
accepted the invitation of the Britons ; whom they relieved by
checking the progrefs of the Scots and Pitls ; and had the
ifland of Thanet allowed them for their refidence. But their
own country was (o populous and barren, and the fertile lands
of Britain fo agreeable and alluring, that in a very little time,
Hengift and Horfa began to meditate a fettlement for them-
felves ; and frefh fupplies of their countrymen arriving daily,
the Saxons foon became formidable to the Britons, whom,
after a violent ftruggle of near 150 years, they fubdued^
2 • ' ' ■ 9t

§64 E N G L A N D;

or ilrove into Wales, where their language and dcfccndartts
lliJI remain.

Literature at this time in England was fo rude, that we
know but little of its hiftory. The Saxons were igiiorant of let-
ters, and public tranfadions among the Britoiis were recorded
only by their bards and poets, a fpccies of men whom they held
in great veneration. Nennius, who feems to have been contem-
porary with Gildas, mentions, indeed, a few fa6ls, but nothing
that c.ui be relied on, or that can form a connected hiftory. We
can, therefore, only mention the names of Merlin, a reputed
prince and prophet ; Pendragon, the celebrated Arthur, and
Thalieflin, whofc works are faid to be extant, with others of
Icfs note. All we know upon the whole is, that after repeated
bloody wars, in which the Britons were fometimes the ene-
mies, and fometimes the allies of the Scots and Pidts, the
Saxons became mailers of all England, to thefouth of Adrian's,
or rather, Scverus's wall ; but the Scots and Pitls fcein to
have been mafters of all the territory to the north of that,
though they fuffered the Britons, who had been driven north-
wards, to be governed by t'lcir own tributary kings ; an inter-
mixture that has created great doubts and confufions in hillory,
■which I fhall not here pretend to unravel.

I have already given a fketch of the conftitution and govern-
ment which the Saxons inipoit' d into England, and which
form by far the moft valuable part of their antient hiftory.

Wc have no account of their converfion to Chriftianity but
from Popifli v/ritcrs, who generally endeavour to magnify the
merits of their fupsriors. According to them, Ethelbert,
king of Kent, who claimed pre-eminence in the heptarchy,
as bcinc: defcencLu from Heno"ift', married the kin.q; of France's
daughter, and flie being a Chriftian, Pope Ciregory the Great
feized that opportunity to enforce the converfion of her huf-
band to Chriftianity, or rather to Popery. For that purpofe,
about the year 596, he fent over to England the famous Auftin,
the monk, who probaidy found no great difficulty in convert-
ing the king and his people ; and alfo Scbert, king of the Eaft
Saxons, who was baptized, and founded the cathedral of St,
Paul in London. The monk then, by his mafter's order,
attempted to bring the churches of the Britons in Wales to a
conformity with that of Rome, particularly as to the cele-
bration of Eafter ; but finding a ftout refiftance on the part of
the biftiops and clergy, he perfuaded his Chriftian converts to
maflacre them, which they did to the number of I2C0 priefts
and monks, and reduced the Britons, who were found in the
heptarchy, to a ftatc of flavery, which fome think gave rife tp
the antient villeiiage in England. Auftin is accounted the firft

archbiftiop

nd dcfccudaitts

K* N G L A N D. '^$^

avclibifhop of Canterbury, and died ia 605, as his convert
Ethelbert did foon attcr.

It docs not fall within my defign to relate the feparate hiftory
of every particular nation that formed the heptarchy. It is
fufficicnt to fay, that the pope, in Auftin's time, fupplied
England with about 400 monks, and that the popifh c'.ergy
took care to keep their kings and laity under the moft deplo-
rable ignorance, but always magnifying the power and faudtity
of his holinefs. Hence it was, that the Anglo-Saxons, dur-
ing their heptarchy, were governed by priefts and monks ;
and as they faw convenient, perfuaded their kings either to
fhut themfches up in cloifters, or to undertake pilgrimages to
Rome, where they linifhed their days ; no lefs than thirty
Anglo-Saxon kings, during the heptarchy, refigned their
crowns in that manner, and among them was Ina, king of
the Weft Saxons, though in other refpefts he was a wife and
brave prince. The bounty of thofe Anglo-Saxon kings to
the fee of Rome, was therefore unlimited ; and Etheiwald,
king of Mercia, whom T have already mentioned, impofed an
annual tax of a penny upon every houfe, which was after-
wards known by the name of Peter s pence.

The Anglo-Saxon kings, during the heptarchy, com-
nnonly chofe one who was to be the head of their political con-
federacy, for regulating their concerns, but without any
jurifdidlion in the dominions of others. The clergy, we may
eafily fuppofe, had great influence on thofe occafions ; and
the hiftory of the Saxon heptarchy is little more than that of
crimes, treafons, and murders, committed by the inftigations
of pr'efts and monks. Even their criminal law, as 1 have
already inferred, admitted of a pecuniary compenfation for
murder, and regicide itfelf.

Under all thofe difadvantages of bigotry and barbarity, the
Anglo-Saxons were happy in comparifon of the nations 011
the continent ; becaufe they v/erc free from the Saracens, or
fuccelTors of Mahomet, who had eretited an empire in the
Eaft, ui>on the ruins of the Roman, and began to extend their
r.ivages over Spain and Italy. London was then a place of
very confiderable trade ; and, if we are to believe the Saxon
chronicles, quoted by Tyrrel, Withred, king of Kent, paid
at one time to Ina, king.of Weflcx, a fum in fdver equal to
9O5O00 1. ftcrling, in the year 694. England, therefor-", we
may fuppofe to have been about this time a refuge for the
people of the continent The venerable Beds then compofed
his chui;;h hiftory of Britain. The Saxon Chronicle is one
of the oldcft and inoft authentic monimients of hiftory that any
nation can produce. An architci^lure, fuch as it was, with

ftone

S66

E N G L A N t).

ftone and glafs working, was introduced into England ; ffnd
we read, in 709, of a Northumbrian prelate who was fervcd
in filver plate. It mult, however, be owned, that the Saxon
coins, which are generally of copper, arc many of them ille-
gible, and all of them mean. Ale and alehoufes are men-
tioned in the laws of Ina, about the year 728 ; and in this
Hate was the Saxon heptarchy in England, when, about the
year 800, the Anglo-Saxons, tired out with the tyranny of
their petty kings, united in calling to the government of the
heptarchy, Egbert, wiio was the eldeft remaining branch of
the race of Ccrdic, one of the Saxon chiefs who firft arrived
in Britain.

Charles the Great, otherwife Charlema'o;ne, v/as then king
of France, andemperor of Germany ; and I have, in a former
part of this work, mentioned the commercial treaty between
him and OfFa, king of Mercia, to whom he fent in a prcfent,
a Hungarian fwoid, a belt, and two filkcn vclb. Egbert had
been obliged, by ftate jcaloufics, to fly to the court of Charles
for protection from the pcrfccuti^ria of Eadburga, daughter of
Offa, wife to Brithric, king of the Weil: Saxons. Egbert
acquired at the court of Charles, the arts both of war and go-
vernment, and foon united the Saxon heptarchy in his own
perfon, but without fubduing Wales. He changed the name
of his kingdom into that of Engle-lond, or England ; but
there is reafon to believe that fome part of England continued
•ftill to be governed by independent princes of the blood of
Cerdic, though they paid, perhaps, a fmall tribute to Egbert.
His profperity excited the envy of the northern nations, who,
under the name of Danes, then infefted the feas, and were no
ftrangers to the courts of England , for about the year 832
they made defcents upon Kent and Dorfctfhire, where they
defeated Egbert in perfon, and carried off abundance of booty
to their fliips. About two years after they landed in Cornwall,
and, though they were joined by the Cornifli Britons, they
were driven out of England by Egbert, who died in the year
838, at Winchefter, his chief refi den cc.

Egbert was fucceeded by his fon Ethelwolf, who divided
his power with his eldeft fon Athelftan. By this time Eng-
land had become a fcene of blood and ravages, through the
renewal of the Danifli invafions j and Ethelwolf, after fome
time bravely oppofing them, retired in a fit of devotion tg
Kome, to which he carried with him his youngcft fon, after-
wards the famou"? Alfred, the father of the Englifli conftitu-
tion. The gifts which Ethelwolf made to the clergy on this
occafion (copies of which are ftill remaining;) are (o prodigious,
that they Ihcw his brain to hiwe been tQutlicd by his devotion.

Upon

«jj„

England; mid
who was fervcd
that the Saxon
y of them ille-
oufes are men-
I ; and in this
hen, about the
the tyranny of
vcrnment of the
ning branch of
vho firft arrived

v/as then king
ive, in a former

treaty between

'nt in a prcfent,

Ls. Egbert had

court of Charles

■ga, daughter of

iaxons. Egbert

I of war and go-

chy in his own

lanpcd the name

• England j but

gland continued

:)f the blood of

ribute to Eo-bert.

•n nations, who,
;as, and were no
ut the year 832
lire, where they
ndancc of booty
led in Cornwall,
li Britons, they
died in the year

If, who divided
this time Eng-
jes, through the
volf, after fome
t of devotion tg
igcft fon, after-
nglifti conftitu-
ic clergy on this
re {o prodigious,
by his devotion.
Upon

ENGLAND. 367

Upon his death, after his return from Ronie, he divided his
dominions between two of his fons (Athelftan being then dead)
Ethelbald and Ethelbcrt, but we know of no patrimony that was
Jeft to young Alfred. Ethelberc, who was the furviving fon,
left his kingdom, in 866, to his brother Ethelred ; in whofc
time, notwithftanding the courage and condudt of Alfred,
the Danes became mafters of the f.'a-coafts, and the finelt
counties in England. Ethelred being killed, his brother
Alfred mounted the throne in 871. He was one of the greateft
princes, both in peace and war, mentioned in hiflory. He
fought (even battles with the Danes, with various fuccefs,
and when defeated, he found refources that rendered him as
terrible as before. He was, however, at one time, reduced
to an uncommon ftate of mifery, being forced to live in the
difguife of a cowherd. He ftill, however, kept up a fecret
correfpondence with his brave friends, whom he collccl:ed
together, and by their affiftance he gave the Danes many fignal
overthrows, till at laft he recovered the kingdom of England,
and obliged the Danes, who had been fettled in it, to fwear
obedience to his government: even part of Wales courted
his prote<Slion ; fo that he is thought to have been the moft
powerful monarch that before his time ever reigned in Eng-
land.

Among the other

glories

of Alfred*t> reign, was that of

raifing a maritime power in England, by which he fecured her
coafts from future invafions. He rebuilt the city of London,
which had been burnt down by the Danes, and founded the
univerfity of Oxford about the year 895 : He divided England
into counties, hundreds and tythings j or rather he revived
thofe divifions, and the ufe of juries, which had fallen into
defuetude by the ravages of the Danes. Having been educated
at Rome, he was himfelf not only a fcholar, but an author,
and he tells us himfelf, that upon his acceflion to the throne
he had fcarcely a lay fubjeft who could read Englifh, or an
ecclefiaftic who underftood Latin. He introduced ftone and
brick buildings to general ufe in palaces as well as churches,
though it is certain that his fubje£ls for many years after his
<ieath were fond of timber buildings. His encouragement of
commerce and navigation may fecm mcredible to modern times,
but he had merchants who tradcul in Eaft-Lidia jewels ; and
William of Malmfbury fays, that fome of their gems were
jepofited in the church of Sherborne in his time. He received
from one 061her, about the year 890, a full difcovery of the
coafts of Norway and Lapland, as tar as Rulfia ; and he tells
the king, in his memorial printed by Hakluyt, " that he failed
along the Ngsrway coaft, fo far north as commonly the

" whale

«(

§68 E N G L A N D.

•' whale hunters ufc to travel." He invited numbers of learncit
men inio his dominions, and found faithful and ufeful allies in
the two Scotch kings his contemporaries, Gregory and Donald,
againft the Danes. He is faid to have fought no lefs than fifty-
fix pitched battles with thofc barbarians. He was inexorable
againft his corrupt judges, whom he ufed to hauij!; up on public
highways, as a terror to evil doers. He died in the year 901,
nud his character is fo completely amiable and heroic, that he
is julHy dignified with the epithet of the Great. 1 have been
the more difiufe on the hiftory of Alfred's reign, as it is the
mofl: glorious of any in the Englifii annals, though it did not
extend to foreign conqucfls.

Alfred was fucceeded by his fon Edward the Elder, under
whom, i'lcnigh a brave prince, the Danes renewed their bar-
barities and invafions. He died in the year 925, and was
^^ liicceeded by his cldelt fon Athelftan. This prince was fuch
^ an encouragcr of commerce as to make a law, that every

iiiei chant who made three voyages, on his own account, td
the Mediterranean, fhcnild be put upon a footing with a thane,
or ncjbleman of the firit rank. He encouraged coinage, and
we h)Kl by his laws that archbifliops, bifhops, and even ah-
tots, had then the privilege of minting money. His dominions
appear, however, to have been confined towards the north by
the Danes, although his vafl'als ftill kept a footing in thole
counties. He was engaged in perpetual wars with his neigh-
bours, fhi; Scots in particular, and died in 941. The reigns
of his fucceflor?, Edmund, Ed/ed, and Edwy, were weak
and inglorious, being cither engaged in wars with the ]3anes,
cr difgraced by the infiuencc of priefts. Edg r, who mounted
the throiie about the year 959, revived the naval glory of Eng-
land, but, like his prcdeceiibrs, he was the flave of priefts,
particularly St. Dunftan. His reign, however, was pacific
and glorious, though he was obliged to cede to the Scots all
the territory to the north of the Tine. He was fucceeded, in
975, by his eldcft fon Edward, who was barbaroufly murdered
by his itcp-mother, whofe fon Ethelred mounted the throne
in 978. The Englifh nation, at that time, by the help of
pricfls, w IS over-run with barbarians, and the Danes by de-
jfrces became pofTcfied of the fineft part of the country, while
their counrrymen made fometimes dreadful defcents in the
weftern parts. In the year 1002 they had made fuch fettle-
men:s in England, that Ethelred was obliged to give way to
a general ma facre of them by the Englifii, but it is impro-
bable that it v.'as ever put into execution. Some attempts of
that kind, however, were undoubtedly ma-'e in particular
counties, but they ferved only to enrage the Danifli king,
4 Sv^ein,

ll-,..:

ibersof iearncit
ufcful allies in
•y and Donald,
Id's than fifty-
was incxurublo
C up on jiublic

the year 901,
croic, that he

I have been
n, as it is the
piigh it did not

Elder, undcf
vcd their bar-
025, and was
ince was fiich
w, that every
rn account, to
r with a thane,
d coinage, and

and even ab-
His dominions
Is the north by
otino; in thofe
vith his neifTh-
The reicrns
'y, were weak
Mth the Danes,

who mounted
I glory of Eng-
ave of priefts,

er, was pac

fie

the Scots all
s fuccecded, in
oufly murdered
ted the throne
y the help of
Danes by de-
country, while
lefcents in the
:le fuch fettle-
to give way to
It it is impro-
ne attempts of

in particular

Danifli king,

Swein,

ENGLAND. sh

Swein, who, in 1013, drove Ethelred, his queen, and two
fons, out of England into Normandy, a province of Erance».
facing the fouth-eaft coaft of England, at that time governed
by its own princes, ftiled the dukes of Normandy. Swein
being killed, was fucceeded by his fon Canute the Great,
whom I have already mentioned, but Ethelred returning tp
England, forced Canute to retire to Denmark, from whence
he invaded England with a vaft army, and obliged Edmun4
Ironfide, Ethelred's fon, to divide wiih him the kingdom.
Upon Edmund's being aflaffinated, Canute fucceeded to the
undivided kingdom; and dying in 1035, his fon, Harold Hare-
foot, did nothing memorable, and his fucceffor, Hurdicanute,
was fo degenerate a prince that the Danifh royalty ended with
him in England.

I'he family of Ethelred was now called to the throne ; an(J
Edward, who is commonly called the Confeflbr, mounted it,
though Edgar Etheling, by being defcended trom an elder
branch, had the lineal right, and was alive. Edward the
Confeflbr was a foft, good-natured prince, a great benefactor
to the church, and exceffively fond of the Normans, with,
whom he had refidcd. He was governed by his minifter, earl
(jodwin, and his fons, the eldeft of whom was Harold. H?
durft not rcfent, though he felt, their ignominious treatment j
and perceiving his kinfman Edgar Etheling to be of a foft
difpofition, neither '." nor the Englifli paid much regard to
Etheling's hereditary ri lit i fo that the Confeflbr, as is faid,
devifed the fuccefEon of his crown upon his death to William
duke of Normandy. Be that as it will, it is certain, that
upon the death of the Confeflbr, in the year io66, Harold,
fon to Godwin earl of Kent, mounted the throne of Eng-
land.

William duke of Normandy, though a baftard, was therx
in the unrivalled poflelllon of that great dutchy, and refolved
to afi'ert his right to the crown of England. For that purpofc
he invited the neighbouring princes, as well as his own vafials,
to join him, and by way of anticipation, he parcelled out the
territory of England to each in proportion to the number of
mch he brought into the field, making it thereby their intereft
to aflift him efFeftually. By thefe means he colleded 40,000
of the braveft and mofl; regular troops 'in Europe, and while
Harold v/;is embgrrafled with frcfh invafions from the Danes,
William landed jn England without oppofition. Harold
returning from the north, encountered William at Haftings
in SuiTex, v/ith a fuperior army, but Harold being killed^
the crown of England devolved upon William, in the year
jg66.

Vtti. I. ■ A a I can.

370 ENGLAND.

I cannot find any gicat improvements, either in arts or
arms, which the Saxons had made in England fince the firit
invnfion of the Danes. Thofe barbarians feem to have car-
ried off" with them almoft all the bullion and ready money of
the Anglo-Saxons, for I perceive that Alfred the Great left
no more to his two daughters for their portions than loo 1,
«ach. The return of the Danes to England, and the vidto-
ries which had been gained over them, had undoubtedly
brought back great part of the money and buUion they had
carried off; for we are told that Harold, in his laft vidtory
over the Danes, regained as much treafure as twelve lufty
men could carry oft. We have, indeed, very particular ac-
counts of the value of provifioiis and manufactures in thofe-
ilays ; a palfrey coft lo s. an acre of land (according to bifho(>
Fleetwood in his Chrcnicon Pretiofum) i s. and a hide of
land, containing 120 acres, 100 s. but there is great diffi-
culty in forming the proportion of value which thofe (hillings
bore to the prefent rtandard of money, though many ingenious
treatifes have been written on that head. A fheep was efti-
jjiated at i s. an ox was computed at 6 s. a cow at 4 s. a man
at 3 1. The board wages of a child, the firft year, was 8 s.
The tenants of Shireburne were obliged at their choice to pay
either 6 d. or four hens. Silk and cotton were quite unknown.
Linen was not much ufed. In the Saxon times, land was
divided among all the male children of the deceafed. Entails
were fometimes practifed in thofe times.

With regard to the manners of the Anglo-Saxons, we can
fay little, but that they were in general a rude, uncultivated
people, ignorant of letters, unfkilful in the mechanical arts,
untamed to fubmiffion under law and government, addidled to
imtemperance, riot, and diforder. Even fo low as the reign
of Canute, they fold their children and kindred into foreign
parts. Their beft quality was their military courage, which
yet was not fupported by difcipline or condudl. Even the
Kormaa hiftorians, notwithftanding th£ low ftate of the arts
in their own country, fpeak of them as barbarians, when they
mention the invafion made upon them by the duke of Nor-
mandy. Conquell: put the people in a fituation of receiving
flowly from abroad the rudiments of fcience and cultivation,
and of correcting thtir rough and licentious manners. Their
uncultivated Itatc might be owing to the clergy, who always
tijfcouraged manufactures.

We are, however, to didineuifli between the fecular
clergy, and the resrulars
ariiong the An<;lo-Saxons

«xctlluu uia^illraUi. 'I'hc latter depended upon the fee of

Rome,

or iTionks. Many of the former,
. were men of exemplary lives, and

ENGLAND. 371

Rome, and directed the confcicnccs of the king and the great
men, and were generally ignorant, and often a bloody fet.
A great deal of the Saxon barbarifin was likcwife owing to
their continual intercourfe with the continent : and the Da-
nifh invafions, which left little room for civil or literary im-

f>rovements. Amidft all thofc defeats, public and perfonal
ibcrty were well undcrftood and guarded by the Saxon infti-
tutions ; and we owe to them, at this day, the moft valuable
privileges of Englilh fubje<Sts.

The lofs which both fides fufFered at the battle of Haftings
is uncertain. Anglo-Saxon authors fay, that Harold was i'o
impatient to fight, that he attacked William with half of hi»
army, fo that the advantage of numbers was on the fide of the
Norman j and, indeed, the death of Harold fcems to have
decided the day ; and William, with very litrk further dif-
ficulty, took polTcflion of the throne, and partly new mo^
delled the whole conftitution of England in the manner I have
already defcribcd, by converting all the lands into knights
fees *, which arc faid to have amounted to 62,000, which
were held of the Norman and other great perfons who had
affifted him in his conqueft, and who were bound to attend
him with their knights and their followers in his wars. He
gave, for inftance, to one of his barons, the whole county of
Chefter, which he eredcd into a palatinnte, an I rendered by
his grant almoft indcpendant of the crown : and here, accord-
ing to fome hiltorians, we have the rife of the feudal law in
England. William found it no eafy matter to keep pofl'cffio^
of his crown. Edgar Etheling, and his fifter, the next An-
glo-Saxon heirs, were afleitlonately received in Scotland, and
many of the Saxon lords took arms jind formed confpiracies in
England. William got the better of all difiiculties, efpccially
after he had made a peace with Malcolm, king of Scotland,
who married Etheling's lifter ; but not without exercifing hor-
rible cruelties upon the Anglo-Saxons, whom he obliged to
put out their candles and fires every evening at eight o'clock,
upon the ringing of a bell, called the conrfeu. He introduced
Norman laws and language. He built the ftone fquare tower
at London, commonly called the White Tower ; and bridled
the country with forts, and difarmed the old inhabitants i in
Ihort, he attempted every thing poflible to obliterate ^vtx-j
trace of the Anglo-Saxon conftitution.

He caufed a general furvey of all the lands of England to be
made, or rather to be compleated, (for it was begun in Edward

A a 2 the

* Four hides of land made one knight's-fce; a barony was twelve times grearcr
than that of a knight's-fee : and when Dovmfday-b»»k was AraniH ^^ naifUf
•f great baxQ/is aqkO)int«d to yoOt

372 E N G L A N D.

the Cotifcfl(>r's tiir.c) and an account to be taken of the vil-
lains, n.ivcs, and live iloclc upon each cftatc j all which were
recorded in a book called Doonilllay-book, which is now
kept in the Exchequer. ]Jut the rcpofc of this fortunate and
victorious king was difluvhcd in his old age, by the icLillion
of liir. cldcll: jbii Robert, who had been appointed governor of
Nori-..;;i'idy, but now alVimied the government as T'ovcreign of
that province, in which he was favoured by the king of France,
And hcie w<. have the life of the wars between England and
Frrncc ; which have continucil longer, drawn more noble
blood, and been attended with more n'.^rnorable atchievcmcnts,
than any other n;iional cpiarrel we read of in antient or mo-
dern hillory. William i'eeing a war inevitable, entered upon
it with his ufual vigour, and, with incredible celerity, tranf-
poiting a brave Eni^lifli army, invaded France, where he was
every v/licrc vicloiious, but died before he had finifhed the war,
in the year 1C87, the lixty-fiill of his age, and twenty-firft of
his reign in England, and was buried in his own abbey at
Caen in Normiuidv. '

The abo\c aie the moft material tranfac^ions of William's
reign ; and it may be further obferved, that by the Norman
conqutH, England not only lolt the tiue line of her nntient
Saxon kings, but alfo her princip:^l nobility, v/ho either fell
in battle in der«.nce of their country and liberties, or fled to
foreign countries, particularly Scotland, where being kindly
rectivcil by king Malcolm, they efh'blillied them fi'lve? ; and
what is vcrv rcmarlvabU-, introduced the Saxon or Englifh,
which has been the prevailing language in the Lowlands of
Scctland to this day. i

On the other hand, England, by virtue of the conqueft,
became much greater, both in dom.inion and power, by the
acccflion of fo much territory upon the continent. For though
the Normans, l)y the conqucll: of England, gained much of
the Englifa lands and riches, yet England gained the large
and fertile dukedom of Normandy, which bccan.c a province
to thi'i crown. England likewiie gained much by the great
incrcafe of naval power, and multitude of fliips, vv herein Nor-
mandy then abounded. This, with the perpetual intercourfe
between England and the continent, gave us an incrcifj of
trade and commerce, and of treafure to the crown a:.d king-
dom, as appeared foon afterwards. England, by he coii-
cjueif, gained likewife a natural right to the dominion oi' the
Channel, which had been before acquired only by the great
jiaval power of Edgar, and other Saxon kings, Bui the domi-
nion <' f the narrow feas fecms natuniUy to belong, like chut of
rij/ers, to jLhofe who pofl'efs the banks or coafts on both fides ;

ENGLAND.

373

and Co to have ftrengthcncd the former tide, by fo long a coalt
as that of Normajidy on one fide, and of Enfjand on the
other fide of the Channel. Tliis dominion of the Channel,
though we have lonp; an;o loll all our pon'clHons in France,
wc continue to dofiiid and maintain by the br.ivery of our
fcamen, and the fupcrior itrength of our navy to any other
power.

. The fucceflion t j the crown of England was difputed be-
tween the Conquer(3r's fons Robert and William, (commonly
called Rufijs) and was carried in favour of the latter. He was a
brave and intrepid prince, but no friend to the clergy, who have,
therefore, been unfavourable to his memory. He was liicewife
hated by the Normans, who loved his cKkr brother, and con-
feiiuently was engaged in perpetual wars v/ith his brothers,
and rebellious people. About this time the crufadcs to the
Holy Land began, and Robert, who waj among the firft tp
engage, accommc:dated matters with William for a fum of
money, which he levied from the clergy. William behaved
with great generofity towards Edgar Ethcling and the court of
Scotland, noLwithfhuuiing all the provocations he had re-
ceived from that quarter, but was accidentally killed as he was
hunting in New Forell, in the year iioo, and the forty-fourth
year of his age. He is chiefly accufed of rapacioufnefs and
oppreflion ; but the circum.ftances of his reign had great de-
mands for money, which he had no other means of raifmg
but from a luxurious, over-grown clergy, who had engrofl'ed
all the ricKcs of the kinfiidom.

This prince built Weftminlter-hall as it now ftands, and
added feveral works to the Tower, which he furrounded
with a wall and ditch. In the year iioo happened that inun-
dation of the fea, which overflowed great part of carl God-
win's eftate in Kent, and formed thofe (hallows in the Downs,
now called the (roodwin Sands.

He was fucceeded by his brother Henry I. furnamed Beau-
clerc, on account of his learning, though his brother Robert
was returning from the Holy Land. Henry may be laid to
have purchafed the throne, firft by his brother's treafures,
which he feized at Wincheller ; and, fecondly, by a charter,
in which he reftored his fubjedts to the rights and privileges
they had enjoyed under the Anglo-Saxon kings : thirdly, by
his marriage with Matilda, daughtff of Malcolm 111, king
of Scotland, and niece to Edgar Athding, of the antient
Saxon line. His reign in a great meafure reftored the clergy
to their influence in the ftate, and they formed as it were a
feparatc body dependent upon the pope, which afterwards
created great coiivulfions in England. Henry, partly by

A a 3 t'oigc,

I *"' ^-"-

374^ E N G t A N D.

force, and partly by ftratagem, made himfelf mafter of hir
brother Robert's perfon, and dutcliy of Normandy ; and,,
with a moft ungenerous meannefs, detained him a prifoner for
twenty-eight years, till the time of his death j and in the
mean while Henry quieted his cor^fcience by fouHiiing ai^
abbey. He was afterwards engaged in a bloody but fiiccefsful
war with France ; and before his death he fettled the fucceffioi^
upon his daughter the emprefs Matilda, widow to Henry IV,
emperor of Germany, and her fon Henry, by her fecond huf-
band Geoffrey Plantagenet, earl of Anjou. Henry died of a
furfeit, in the feventy-cighth year of his age. In 1135.

Notwithftanding the late fettlement of fucceflion, the crown
of England was claimed, and feized by Stephen, earl of Blois,,
the fon of Adela, fourth daughter to William the Conqueror,
Matilda and her fon were then abroad ; and Stephen was
affifted in his ufurpation by his brother the bifhop of Win-
chefter, and the other great prelates, that he might hold his
crown dependent as it were upon them. Matilda, however,
found a generous protestor in her uncle, David, king of Scot-
land, and a worthy fubjeil in her natural brother- Robert,^
earl of Gloucefter, who headed her party before her fon grew
wp. A long and bloody war enfued, the clergy having ab-
folvcd Stephen and all his friends from their guilt of breaking
the adt of fucceflion ; but at length the baions, who dreaded
the power of the clergy, inclined towards Matilda ; and Ste-
phen, who depended chiefly on foreign mercenaries, having,
been abandoned by the clergy, was defeated and taken pri-
soner in 1 141 ; and being carried before Matilda, ihe inipo-
^ently upbraided him, and ordered him to be put in chains.

Matilda was proud and weak j the clergy were bold and amr
bitious ; and when joined with the nobility, who were fa<Stious
and turbulent, they were an overmatch for the crown. Being
jiow matters of the foil of England, they forget the principles of
their Normannic conftituti6n, becaufe it rendered them depen-
dent upon the crown. They demanded to be governed by the
Saxon laws, according to the charter that had been granted by
Henry I. upon his acceifion ; and finding Matilda refra^ory, they
^rove her out of England in 1142. Stephen having been ex-
changed for the earl of Gloucefter, who had been taken prifoner
likewife, upon his obtaining his liberty, found that his clergy and
mobility had, in faft, excluded him from the government, by
building iioo caftles (though they owed all their rights to the
king) where each owner lived as an independent prince. We|
do riot, however, find that this alleviated the feudal fubjedtion
©f the inferior ranks. Stephen was ill enough advifed tq
Attempt to force them into a compliance with his will, by ie-
<^laring his fon Euftace heir apparci^t to the kingdom ; ^nd
■ ' ^xafperatedj

E N G L A N D, 375

exafpcrated the clergy fo much, that they invited over young
Henry of Anjou, who had been acknowledged duke of Nor-
mandy, and was fon to the emprefsj and he accordingly
landed in England with an army of foreigners.

This meafure divided the clergy from the barons, who
were apprehenfive of a fecond conqutft j and the earl of Arun-
del, with the heads of the lay ariftocracy, propofed an accom-
modation, to which both parties agreed. Stephen, who about
that time loft his fon Euftace, was to retain the name and
office of king j but Henry, who was in fd£t invcftcd with the
chief executive power, was acknowledged his fuccelTor. Tho*
this accommodation was only precarious and impcrfedl, yet it
was received by the Englifh, who had bled at every pore
during the late civil wars, with raptures of joy ; and Stephen
dying very opportunely, Henry mounted the throne without
a rival in 1154. . . ,? jt

Henry II. furnamed Plantagenet, was by far the greateft
prince of his time. It is true, he owed his crown to the
arms and valour of his grand uncle, David king of Scotland,
and the virtues and wifciom of the carl of Gloucefter ; but
Henry, as hfe grew up, difcovered amazing abilities for govern-
ment, having performed, in the fixteenth year of his age,
actions that would have dignified the moft experienced war-
riors. At his acceilion to the throne, he found the condition
of the Englifh boroughs greatly bettered by the privileges
granted them in the ftruggles between their late kings and the
nobility. Henry perceived the good policy of this, and
brought the boroughs to fuch a height, that if a bondman or
fervant remained in a borough a year and a day, he was by
fuch refidence made free. He eredled Wallingford, Win-
chefter, and Oxford, into free boroughs, for the fervices the in*
habitants had done to his mother and himfelf ; by difcharging
them from every jurden, excepting the fixed fee-farm rent of
fuch town } and this throughout all England, excepting Lon-
don. This gave a vaft acceflion of power to the crown^
becaufe the crown alone could fupport the boroughs againft
their feudal tyrants, and enabled Henry to reduce his over-
grown nobility.

Without being very fcrupulous in adhering to his former
engagements, he refumed the exceffive grants of crown land»
by Stephen, on pretence of his being an ufurper. He dcmo-
liftied the rebellious caftles that had been built j but when he
came to touch the clergy, he found their ufurpations not to be
Ihaken. He perceived that the root of all their enormous
diforders lay in Rome, where the popes had exempted church-
men, not only from lay courts, but civil taxes. The bloody
cjruelties and diforders, occafioncd by thofe exeaip^ons> all

A a 4 over.

i«ia.'«&'ju*<#v

37^ ENGLAND.

over the kingdom, would be incredible, were they not at-
tefted by the mod unexceptionable evidences. Unfortunately
for Henry, the he^id of the Englifh church, and chancellor of
the kingdom, was the celebrated Thomas Beckct. Thi*
man, powerful from his offices, and IHII more fo by his popu-
larity, arifingfrom a pretended fan£lity, was violent, intrepid,
and a determined enemy to temporal power of every kind,
but withal, cool and politic. The king aflembled his nobi-
lity at Clarendon, the name of which place is ftill famous for
the conftitutions there enacted J which, in fadl, abolifhed the-
authority of the Romifh fee over the Englifh clergy. Bccket
finding it in vain to refift the ftrcam, figned thofe conftitutions,
till they could be ratified by the pope; who, as he forefaw,
tejefted them. Henry, though a prince of the moft deter-
mined fpirit of any of his time, was then embroiled with all
his neighbours ; and the fee of Rome was at the fame time iiv
its meridian grandeur. Beckct having been arraigned and
conviflcd of robbing the public, while he was chancellor, fled
to France, where the pope and the French king efpoufed his
i^uarrel. The effe6t was, that all the Engjifli clergy who
were on the king's fide were excommunicated, and the fubjeiis
abfolved from their allegiance. This difconcerted Henry fo
much, that he fubmitted to treat, and even to be infulted by
his rebel prelate, who returned triumphantly through the
ftreets of London In iiyo. His return fwelled his pride, and
tncreafed his infolence, till both became infupportable to
Henry, who was then in Normandy. Finding that he was
in fa6t only the firft fubjeft of his own dominions, he was
heard to fay, in the anguifti of his heart, " Is there ncnc who
will revenge his monarch's caufe upon this audacious pricft ?"
Thcfe words reached the ears of four knights, Hugh Norvil,
William Tracy, Hugh Brito, and Richard Fitzwife ; and,
without acquainting Henry of their intentions, they went
over to En^iland, where they beat out Becket's brains before
the altar of his own church at Canterbury. Henry was in
no condition to fecond the blind obedience of his Icnights^
and the public refentment rofe fo high, on the fuppcfition
that he was privy to the murder, that he fubmitted to be
fcourged by monks at the tomb of the pretended martyr.

Henry, in confcquence of his well known maxim, endea-
voured to cancel all the grunts which had been made by Ste-
phen to the royal family of Scotland, and actually refumed
their moft valuable poHeffions in the north of England. This
occafioned a war between the two kingdoms, in which Wil-
liam king of Scotland was taken prifoner, and forced to pay
for his ranfom 100,000 1. As tliQ money and coins of Scot-

ENGLAND.' 377

land were at that time of the fame intrinfic vahie with thofeo(
England, and as one half of the ranfom was paid in ready mo-
ney, and the other at a time appointed, it has been obferved by
bifhop Nicholfon, and other very accurate authors, that, con-
fidcring the vaft difficulties which England, in the next reign,
had to pay the ranfom of king Richard, Scotland miift have then
poiTefied more ready money than England, a facl, which tho'
undoubted, is not eafily accounted for upon any hiftorical
fyftem hitherto formed.

Henry likewife dillinguiflied his reign by the conqueft of
Ireland, which I fhall have occafion to mention when I treat
of that ifland j and by marrying Eleanor, the divorced queen
of France, but the heirefs of Guienne and Poictou, he be-
came almoft as powerful as the French king himfelf in his
own dominions, and the greateft prince in Chriflendom.
Henry, however, in his old age was far from being fortunate.
He had a turn for pleafure, and embarralled himfelf in in-
trigues with women, particularly the fair Rofamond, which
were refented by his queen Eleanor, by her feducing her fons,
Henry, (whom his father had unadvifedly caufed to be crowned
in his own life-time) Richard and John, into repeated rebel-
lions, which at laft broke the old man's fpirit, and he died
obfcurely at Chinou, in France, in the year 1189, and 58th
of his age. The fum he left in ready money, at his death,,
has, perhaps, been exaggerated, but the molt moderate ac-.
counts maice it amount to 200,000 1. of our money. : g

During the reign of Henry, corporation charters wcr«
eftablifhed all over England, by which, as I have already
hinted, the power of the barons was greatly reduced. Thole,
corporations encouraged trade j but manufmSlurcs, cfpecially
thofe of lilk, feem Itill to have been confined to Spain and
Italy ; for the filk coronation robes, n^de ufe of by young
Henry and his queen, coft 87 1. 10 s. \6. in thelheriiFof
London's account, printed by Mr. Madox ; a vaft fum iu
thofe days. Henry introduced the ufe of glafs in window*
into England, and ftone arches in building. Malmtbury, and
other hiitorians who lived under him, are remarkable for their
Latin Itile, which in fome places is both pure and elegant.

In this reign, and in thofe barbarous ages, it was a cuftom
in Loudon for great numbers, to the amount of a hundred or
more, of the fons and relations of eminent citizens, to form
themlelves into a licentious confederacy, to break into rich
houfes, and plunder them, to rob and naAtrder pafil'ngers, and
to commit with impunity all forts of diforders.
'2.^ Henry fo far abolifhed the barbarous and abfurd practice of
forfeiting fhips, which had been wrecked on the coaft, that if
tne man or aniuul were aJive in the ihip, the veilcl and

gogds'

■•11' r,'',

57^

K N G L A N 0:

}

l^oorfs were rcftorcd to the owners. This prince was alio
the firft who levied a tax on the moveable or perfonal eftatcs
of his fubjefls, nobles as well as people. Their zeal for the
holy wars made them fubmit to this innovation j and a pre-
cedent being once obtained, this taxation became, in fol-
lowing reigns, the ufiial method of fupplying the ncceflitica
of the crown. It was a ufual pra»5lice of the kings of Eng--
land to repeat the ceremony o\ their coronation thrice a year^
©n afTembling the ftatcs at the three great fcftivalsv Henry,
after the firft years of his reign, never renewed tiiis ceremony,
which was found to be very cxpenfive and verv ufclefs. None
©f his fucceffors ever revived it. Since we are here collecting
fome detached inftances, which fliow the genius of thefe agcs^
tt may not be improper to mention the quarrel between Rogcr^
archbifliop of York, and Richard, archbilhop of Canterbury;
We may judge of the violence of military men and laymen,
when ecclefiaftics could proceed to fuch extremities. The
pope's legate having funuxioned an afTembly of the clergy at
London ; and as both the archbifhops pretended to fit on his
right hand, this queftion of precedency begot a controverfy
/between them. The monks and retainers of archbiftiop Richard
fell upon Roger in the pfefence of the cardinal and of the fynod,
threw him on the ground, trampled him under foot, and fo
bruifed him with blows, that he was taken up half dead»
aful his life was with difficulty faved from their violence.

Richard I. funiamed Coeur de Lion, was the third, but
eldeft furviving fon of Henry H. The clergy had found
means to gain him over, and for their own ends they perfuaded
hira to make a moft magnificent ruinous crufade to the Holy
Land, where he took Afcalon, and performed actions of valour
that give countenance even to the fables of antiquity. After
feveral glorious^ h^f fruitlcfs campaigns, he made a truce of
three years with Saladin, emperor of the Saracens ; and in his
return to England he was treacheroufly fiirprized by the duke
of Auftria j who, m 1193, fent him prifoner to the emperor
Henry VL His ranfom was fixed by the fordid emperor at
150,000 marks, about 300,000 \. of our prefent money. Ac-
cording; to contemporary authors^ the raifing of this ranfom
proved to be a matter of fo much difficulty, that all the church
plate was melted down, and a tax was laid on all perfons,
both ecclefiaftical and fecular, of one fourth part of their
incoitie, for one yearj and twenty fhillings on every knight's-r
fee J. alfo one year's wool borrowed of the Ciftercians, befides
money raifed upon the clergy of the king's French dominions ;
and 2000 marks, which were furnifhed by William king of
^ptland, in gratitude (<x Richard's generous behs^viour to

j.-i ;.' i- ,.. .: .._,.' him

ENGLAND. 37^

him before his departure. Though all thofe Aims are \yell;
authenticated, yet it is not eafy to reconcile them with certain
other money tranfadlions of this reign, but by fuppoilng that
Richard carried off" with him, and expended abroad* all the
vifible fpecie in the kingdom ; and that the people had leierved
vaft hoards, which they afterwards produced, when cpmmerc^
took a brifker turn. ,

Upop Richard's return from his captivity, he held a parlia-n
ment at Nottingham ; whither William king of Scotland;
came, and demanded the bounties of Northumberland, Cutn«^
berland, Weftmoreland, and Lancafter, as his predeceilbry
had enjoyed the fame. Richard put him off for the preieiit
with fair words, yet by advice of his council he granted Wil-*
liam, by charter, the following honours and benefits for him
and his fucccffors, viz. ** That whenever a king of Scotland
was to be fummoned to the court of England, to do homagcf
for the lands he held in England, he (hould be, at the river
Tweed, received by the biihop of Durham, and the flierifF
of Northumberland, and they fhould condu6l him to the rivef
Tees, where the archbifliop and flierifF of York fhould receive
him ; and fo in like fort the bifhop, and fherifFs of the othet
fhires, till he arrived at court. On his journey he had loq
/hillings (15 1. of our money) per day, allowed him for
charges. At court thirty fhiljings per day ; twelve waflels,
and twelve fimnels of the king's, (two forts of fine bread in
ufe then) four quarts of the king's beft wine j fix quarts of
ordinary wine ; two pound weight of pepper j and four pound
weight of cinnamon : four wax lights : forty great long
perches of the king's beft candles ; and twenty-four of thq
ordinary ones. And on his return he was to be condu<H:ed af
jjefore, with the fame allowances."

Whilfl the Scottifh kings enjoyed their lands in England^
they found it their intereft, once generally in every king's
reign, to perform the faid homage ; but when they were
deprived of their faid lands, they paid no more homage.

Woollen broad-cloths were made in England at this time.
An ox fold for three fhilUngs, which anfwers to nine fhillingt
of our money, and a flieep at four pence, or one fliilling.
Richard, upon his return, found his dominions in great difi
order, through the practices of his brother John, whom h*
however pardoned j and by the invafions of the French, whom
he repelled, but was flain in befieging the caftle of Chalons,
in the year 1199, the 42d of his age and loth of his reign.

The reign of his brother John, who fucceeded him, ia
infamous in the Englifh hiflory. fie is faid to have put to
ileath Arthur, the eldeft fon of his brother Geoffrey, who had
|l}e h^r^ditary right to the cfovyrn. The youpg prince's mo*

3«o

ENGLAND.

■t

ther, Conftancc, complained to Philip, the kingof France, who,
upon John's non-appearance at his court, as a vafial, deprived
him of Normandy. John notwithllanding in his wnrs with .
the French, Scotch^ and Irifli, gave many proofs of perfonal
vajour, but became at laft fo apprehenfive of a French invafion,
that he rendered himfelf a tributary to the pope, and laid his
crown and regalia at the foot of the legate Pandulph, who
kept them for iivc days. The great barons refented his mean-
nefs by taking arms, but he repeated his fhanicful fubmifiions
to the pope, and after experiencing various fortunes of war,
John was at laft brought fo low, that the barons obliged him,
in 1 216, to fign the great deed, fo well known by the name
of Magna Charta. Though this charter is deemed the foun-
dation of Englifh liberty, yet it is in fact no other than a
renewal of thofe immunities which the barons and their fol-
lowers had pofTefled under the Saxon princes, and which they
claimed by the charter of Henry I. As the principles of
liberty, however, came to be more enlarged, and property to
be better fccurcd ; this charter, by various^ fubfequent acts
and explanations, came to be applicable to every Englifli fub-
jei^l, as well as to the barons, knights, and burgefles. John
had fcarce figncd it, when ho retraced, and called upon the
pope for protection, whtn the barons withdrew their alle-
giance from John, and transferred it to Lewis, the eldeft fon
of Philip Auguftus, king of France. T'his gave umbrage to
the pope, and the barons being apprehenfive of their country
becoming a province to France, they returned to John's alle-
giance, but he was unable to protect them, till the pope refufed
to confirm the title of Lewis. John died in 1216, and the
40th year of his reign, juft as he had a glimpfc of refuming
his authority. Without difputing what hiftorians have faid
of his arbitrary, inconf^ant, and cruel difpofition, it is evi-
dent, from the fame relations, that he had great provocations
from the clergy and the barons, Vvfho in their turns attempted
to annihilate the regal prcrogaiivc. It is undeniable, at the
fame time, that under John the commons of England laid the
foundation of all the wealth and privileges they now enjoy;.
and the commerce of England received a moft furprizing
•encreafe. He may be called the father of the privileges of
free boroughs, which he eftablifhed, and endowed all over
his kingdom j and it was under him that the ftone bridge, as
it ftood fome years ago, was creeled crofs the Thames at Lon-
don. The city of London owes her privileges to him. The
Oifice of mayor, before his reign, was for life ; but he gave
them a charter to chufe a mayor out of their own body, an-
nually, and to elect their iheriffs and common-council an-
jBually, as at pFcfent, • • . . . .

■ 4 " " England

:'^ . " 73e^^''*¥ft'«£-"

ENGLAND. 3^1

England was in a deplorable fituation when her crown deJ
yolved upon Henry III. the late king's fon, who was but nine
years of age. The earl of Pembroke was chofen his guardian j
and the pope taking part with the young prince, the' French
were defeated, and driven out of the kingdom, and their king;
obliged to renounce all claims upon the crown, df England.
The regent carl of Pembroke, who had thus retrieved .the in-
dependency of his country, died in 1219, and the regency
devolved upon the bifhop of Wincheftcr. The French king
all this time kept pofTcflion of Normandy j but at home the
pope was now become king of England, and fent no fewer
than 300 of his rapacious clergy at one time to take poiTeflion
of its beft bencficts, and to load the people with taxes. This
evil was cncre^ifed, by Henry marrying the daughter of th©
king of Provence, a needy prince, whofe poor relations en-
grofled the beft eftates and places in the kingdom. The kin^jp
was of a foft, pliable difpofition, and had been perfuaded to
violate the Great Charter. An aflbciation of the barons was
formed agaiiift him and his government, and a civil war break-
ing out, Henry fcemcd to be abandoned by all but his Gafcons,
and focign mercen-iries. His profufion brought him into
inexprefiible difficulties, and the famous Stephen Montfort
being chofen general of the afibciation, the king i;nd his two
fons were defeated, and taken prifoners, at the battle of Lewes.
A difference happening between Montfort, and the earl of
Gloucelter, a nobleman of great authority, prince Edward,
Henry's eldeft fon, obtained his liberty, and affembling as
many as he could of his father's fubjefts, who were jealous of
Montfort, and weary of the tyranny of the barons, he gav«
battle to the rebels, whom he defeated at Everfham, and killed
Montfort. The reprcfentatives of the commons of 1 ngland,
both knights and burgefTcs, formed now part of the Englifh
legiflature, in a feparatc houfe, and this gave the firft blow ta
feudal tenures in England, but hiftorians are not agreed in
what manner the commons, before this time, formed any part
of the Englifh parliaments, or great councils. Prince Ed-
ward being n^terv/ards engaged in a crufade, Henry, during
his abfence, died in 1272, the 64th year of his age and 56th
of hi.s roio;n, which was uncomfortable and inrrlorious. Dur-
ing hh reign, the principal cufioms arofe from the import-ation
of French and RhejiiOi wines, the Englifli being as yet ftran-
gers to thofe of Spain^ Portugal rnd Italy. Interelt had in
that age mounted to an enormous height, as might be expccled
from the barbarifin of the times, and mens ignorance of com-
merce, which was ftill very low, though it leems rather ta
have encrealed fincc the conqudt. There are inftances of 50 1.

per

/&■

uw.fflW*«»««ift»««>^'-

I I

Z^t

ENGLAND.

per cent, paid for money, which tempted the Jews to rerhalit
in England, notwithftanding the grievous oppreiTions they
laboured under, from the bigotry of the age, and Henry's ex-
tortions. In 1255 Henry made a frcih demand of 8000 marks
from the Jews, and threatened to hang them, if they refufed
compliance. They now loft all patience, and defired leave to
retire with their effedls out of the kingdom. But the king
replied, *' How can I remedy the oppreffion you complain of?
I am myfelf a beggar j I am defpoiled ; I am ftripped of all
jny revenues ; I owe above 200,000 marks ; and if I had faid
300,000, 1 fhould not exceed the truth ; I am obliged to pay
my fon, prince Edward, 15,000 marks a year ; I have not a
farthing } and I muft have money from any hand, from any
quarter, or by any means." King John, his father, once de-
manded 10,000 marks from a Jew of Briftol : and on his
refufal, ordered one of his teeth to be drawn every day till he
Ihould confent. The Jew loft feven teeth, and then paid the
fum required of him.

' Edward returning to England, on the news of his father's
(cleath, invited all who held of his crown in capite, to his coro-
nation dinner, which confifted (that the reader may have fome
idea of the luxury of the times) of 278 bacon hogs, 450 hogs,
440 oxen, 430 fheep, 22,600 hens and capons, and 1 3 fat
goats ; (fee Rymer's Foedera).

Edward was a brave and a politic prince, and being perfe£lly
"well acquainted with the laws, interefts, and conllitution of
his kingdom, his regulations and reformations of his laws,
have iuftly given him the title of the Englifh Juftinian. He
pafTea the famous mortmain acl, whereby all perfons were re-
ilrained from giving, by will or otherwife, their cftates to thofc
Jb called^ religious purpofes, and the focieties that never die,
without a licenfe from the crown." He granted certain pri-
vileges to the cinque-ports, which, though now very incon-
liderable, were then obliged to attend the king when he went
beyond fea, with fifty-feven ftiips, each having twenty armed
foldiers on board, and to maintain them at their own cofts for
the fpace of fifteen days. He reduced the Welch to pay him
tribute, and annexed its principality to his crown, and was
the firft who gave the title of prince of Wales to his eldeft
fon. Though he encouraged foreigners to trade with England,
yet the aggregate body of every particular nation refiding here,
became anfwerable for the mifdmeanors of every individual per-
fon of their number. He regulated the forms of parli.nnent,
and their manner of giving aids towards the nation's defence,
as they now ftand, with very little variation. Perceiving that
the indolence pfhis fubjetits rendered the in a prey to the Jcwi-,

wh«

E N G LAND.

s to remnirt
rcilions they
Henry's ex-
[f 8000 marks
they refufed
■fired leave ta
ut the king
[complain of?
ripped of all
if 1 had faid
'bJigcd to pay
I have not a
id, from any
icr, once de-
and on his
ry day till he
then paid the

f his father's
to his coro-
ay have fome
450 hogs,
, and 13 fat

;ing perfeaiy
nrtitution of
of his laws,
ftinian. He
bns were re-
ntes to thofc
t never die,
certain pri-
very incon-
len he went
'enty armed
wn cofts for
to pay him
1, and was
^ his eldeft
th England,
fiding here,
ividual per-
parli.iment,
's defence,
civing that
> the Jcwi-,
wh«

3«J

who were the great ufurcrs and money dealers of the time*, "he
expelled them out of England, and icizcd all their immoveable
cfCatcs. 1 have in the article of Scotland mentioned the %ii>-
juftifiable manner in which he aboliflicd the independency of
that kingdom j but, on the other hand, it muft be acknowledged
that he held the balance of power in Europe, and employoi
the vaft funis he raifcd from his fubjedts, for the aggrandizement
of his crown and people. He had frequent wars abroad, ef-
pecially with France, in which he was not very fuccefsful,
and would willingly have abridged the power of tJie barons, and
great nobility, had they not been fu ftrong.

His vaft connections with the continent were productive of
many benefits to his fubje^ts, particularly by the introduction
of reading glaffes and fpedtacles, though tlicy are faid to have
been invented in the late reign, by the f.iinous friar Baoon,
whom I have already mentioned. Windmills were erctStcd in
England, about the fame time, and the reguiaiion of gokl and
filver workmanlhip was afcertained by an iifiay, and mark of
the goldfmiths company. After ali, Edward's continental
wars were unfortuixite both to himfelf and the Engliih, by-
draining them of their wealth, and it is thought that he too
much neglei3:ed the woollen manufaiStuies of his kingdom.
He was often embroiled with the pope, efjjecially upon the
affairs of Scotland, and he died in 1307, the 69th year of hit
age and 35th of his reign, while he was upon a fr^cfh expe-
dition to exterminate that people.

His fon and fucceflbr Edward II. >(hcwed early difpofitions
for encouraging favourites, but Gavclton, his chief minion,
being baniOied by his father Edward, he mounted the throne,
with vaft advantages, both political and perfonal, all which he,
foon forfeited by his own imprudence. He recalled Gavefton,
and loaded him with honours, and married Ifabella, daughter
to the French king, who reftored to him part of the territories,
which Edward I. had loft in France. The knights templars
were fupprelT-d in his reign, and the barons obliged him ones
more to banifh his favourite, and to confirm the great charter,
while king Robert Bruce recovered all Scotland, ex<ceptingthc
caftle of Stirling, near to which, Bannockburn, Edward in per-
son received the greateft defeat that England ever fufFered, ta
1 314. Gavefton being beheaded by the barons,, Edward fixed
upon young Hugh Spencer for his favourite, but he was banilh-
ed, together with his father, an aged nobleman of great honour
and courage. His queen, a furious ambitious woman, per-
suaded her huiband to recall the Spencers, while the common
people, from their hatred to the barons, joined the king's ftand-
ard, and after defeating them, reftored him to the exej-cifg o.f

J fi. ■

mmtms^\: w.'^t.^ tf^.^

■ ■

'•

584 'ENGLAND.

all his prerogatives. A cruel ufc wis made of thofe fiiccenti*
and many noble patriots, with their eftatcs, fell vi<^,tinis to the
queen's revenge, but at hift Oic became enamoured with Rn^er
Mortimer, who was hir prifoncr, and had been one of tlie nioft
ad^iveof the antiroyahft lords. A breach between her and tho
Spencers foon followed, and going over to France with her
lover, flie found meajis to form fuch a party in England, that
rctiu'ning with fome Frcnrh troops, {he put the eldell Spencer
to an ignominious death, made her huiband prifoner, and for-
ced him to abilicate his crown, in favour of his fon Edward III.
then fifteen years of a'j;e. Norhin-i; now but the death of Ed-
ward II. was wantiiiL' to complete hrr guilt, and he was molt
barbaroufly murdered in Ikrkclcy-catflc, by ruffians, fuppofcd
to be employed by her and her paramour A'lortinicr, in the
year 1327. '

The fate of Edward IT. was in fomc meafure as unjuft as
it was cruel. His chief misfortune lay in not being a match
for Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, the greatcft military and
political genius of his age, by which the Englifh loft that
kingdom. It cannot, at the fame time, be denied, that he was
loo much engroflcd by favourites, who led him into fangui-
nary meafurts. In other refpedts he was a far better friend
than his father had been to public liberty. He even voluntarily
limited his own prerogative, in a parliament held at London in
1324, and he fecurcd the tenants of great barons, from being
opprefTed by their lords. None of his predcceflbrs equalled
him in his encouragement of commerce, and he protedied his
trading fubjects with great fpirit againfl: the Hanfeatic league,
and the neighbouring [owers. Upon an average, the difference
©f living then and now feems to be nearly as 5 or 6 is to i,
always remembering that their monry contained thrice as much
iilvcr as our money or coin of the fame denomination does.
Thus, for example, if a goofe then coft 2 d. |, that is yd. *•
of our money, or according to the p'-oportion of 6 to i, it
would now coft 3 s. 9 d.

Edward III. mounted the throne in 1327. He was then
under the tuition of his mother, who cohabited with Mortimer,
and they endeavoured to keep pofl'ellion of their pov/er, by
executing many popular mealures, and putting an end to all
national differences with Scotland. Edward, young as he was,
was foon fcnfible of their defigns. He furprized them in per-
fon at the head of a few chofen friends in the caftle of Notting-
ham. Mortimer was ignominioufly put to a public death,
and the quren herfelf was fnut up in confinement. It was not
long before Edward found means to quarrel v/ith David, king
f|f Scotland, who had married hi« fiikr, and who was driven

t(i>

nfc fiicceflci^
ii-tinis to the

I with Rfi^cr
c of the nioft

II her iind tho
cc with hir
nghnci, that
Idelt Spencer
ncr, and for-
I Edward III.
death of Ed-
he was mort

ms, fuppofcd
timer, in the

as iinjufl: as
cing a match

military and
lifh loft that
, that he was

into fangui-

better friend
m voluntarily

at London in
i, from being
Tors equalled

protedied his
ifeatic league,
the difference
J or 6 is to I,
iricc as much
ination docs,
that is 7 d. A
of 6 to I, it

He was then
th Mortimer,
ir pov/cr, by
an end to all
n2 as he was,
them in per-
i of Nottiug-
lublic death,
. It was not
David, king
3 was driven

b N G L A N D. 38;

to France by Edward Baliol, who a(5led as Edward's tributary
king of Scotland, and general. Soon after, upon the death
of Charles the Fair, king of France (without iffue) who had
iucceeded by virtue of the Salic law, which the French pre-
tended cut off all female fucceflion to that croWn, Philip of
Valois claimed it, as being the next heir male by fucceflion,
but he was oppofcd by Edward, as being the fon of Ifabcllai
Who was fifter to the three laft mentioned kings of France,
and firft in the female fucccffion. The former was preferredi
but the cafe being doubtful, Edward purfued his claim, and
invaded France with a powerful army.

On this occafion, the vaft difference between the feudal
conftitutions of France, which were then in full force, and the
government of England, more favourable to public liberty^
appeared. The French officers knew no fubord ination. They
and their men were equally undifciplincd, and difobedient^
though far more numerous than their en'jmies in the field;
The Englilh freemen, on the other hand, having now vaft
property to fight for, which they could call their own, inde-
pendent of a feudal law, knew its value, and had learned to
defend it by providing Lhemfclves with proper armour, and
fubmitting to military exercifes, and proper fubordination in
the field. The war, on the part of Edward, was therefore
a continued fcene of fuccefs and victory. At Creffy, in 1346,
above ;oo,ooo French were defeated, chiefly by the valour of
the prince of Wales, who was but fixtecn years of age (his
father being no more than thirty-four) though the Englifh did
not exceed 30,000. The lofs of the French far exceeded the
number of the Englifli army, whofe lofs confill^ed of no more
than three knights, and one efquire, and about fifty private
men. The battle of Poidliers was fou^rht in 1356, between
the prince of Wales, and the French king John, but with
fuperior advantages of numbers on the part of the French,
who were totally defeated, and their king and his favourite fon
Philip taken prifoners. It is thought that the number of
French killed in this battle, was double that of all the Englifh
army, but the modefty and politenefs with which the prince
treated his royal prifoners, formed the brighteft wreath in his
garland.

Edward's glories were not confined to France. Having
left his queen Philippa daughter to the earl of Hainault, regent
of England, fhe had the good fortune to take priioncr David,
king of Scotland, who had ventured xo invade England,
about fix weeks after the battle of Creffy was fought. Thus
Edward, on his return, had the glory to fee two crowned
heads his captives at London. Both kings were afterward?

Vol. I. B fc ranibmcd,

,i^6 'ENGLAND.

raiifoma!, hut John returned to En^IanJ, and died at (!ic
palace ol the Savoy. Aft r the tivaty of JJiet gni, into whith
KJward III# is fiiJ to have hccn iVighttiud hv a i:rcadhil (lorni,
hi', foi tutu... dc'liiied. Me had religned 1.1;- I'rench di-ininioiis
cntiri'Iy lo ihe piirce cf WaLb, and hj (un!: in the ellei.in of
his fjhjccls at home, nn acenunt of Ids attadnnent to his
millrefs, oiie Alice Pieib. 'J lie jirince of Wales, connnonly
called tiie Bhick Prince, while h;.' was n\iking n glorious carn-
p.Uf^n in S[nun, where he rcinllaLcd Peii^r trie Cruel on that
tliruiu', wa.i f-'iz-i-d wilh a confuiuptive difiMdcr, which cair.cd
him off in the year 1372. Hii< father dul not long furvive him,
i'or he died diljiii'ited, and ohlcure, at Shi'nc, in Surry, in the
ye;;r 1377, the 65th <'d" hi:, ai^c and 51ft of his reign.

No piiiKC c\(.r underiiocd t!;c b.d.'.iu'!.- .jul intrrci\s of Ku-
ropc hc'tter than Kuwaid did. Iluvin'i fet I-is heait on the con-
(;ue(i c f i''raMve, he gratihcd the n.oie ri'adlly his pcoi)le in
their d,mands f . r pioiedion, and fei..uilty tothcli liberties and
prop-.rties, but lie flurebvexhaulUd his re^:,al donnniojis; nei-
ther wab his fuccelloi', wli. n he ni>>initLd the throne, lb powcr-
I'u] a prince as lie was, in the bc-iiniini!; of his reign. lie has
the glory cf elhiWiihing the woollen nianufat5lure among the
Engliih, who, till his time, ["generally exported ihc; unvvrought
com!nodi:^'. 'I'he rate of living in his reign, fteins lo have
been n-.ucii the fdWiC as in the late reign, and lew of tiiv En-
glifii fhip' , c\'en of war, exceeded forty or fifty tons. But
Jiotwiihihuiiling liie ^a(t cneieaf.: of pi;'peity in England,
villainage iiill continued in the royal, cpit'copal, and baronial
manors. Ilillorians are not agivcd, wiuther Edward n:adc
ule of artillery, in his llril: invi.iion of France, hi;t it certainly
was WvU known b'*rbre his death. The nia^nifucnt caftle of
Windfor, was built by ji^dward 111. and his metiiod of con-
ducting th.;t woric may f.rve as a fpecimen of the condition of
the people in that age. Inftcad of aH.iring workmen by con-
tracts and wages, he atrcfled every county in England to fend
him lo many mafons, tilers, ant! carpenters, as if he had been
levying an army. SoldiiTj were cnlilled only for a fliort time;
they ii\ed idle all the red of the }ear, and conunoidy ail the
reft of tri^dr lives ; on.; fuccefsful campaign, by pay and plun-
der, ;i!id tile ranioni of prifoners, was fujipolld to be a fmall
fortune to a man : vvhicli was a <j;re u allurement to enter into
the lervicc. "ih^ wages of a ,;. alter carpenter was limited
througli the whole year to threc-penee a day, a comnK)n car-
penter to two peace, moiuy of that a'!;e. J(din Wicjclitre,
a fecnlar pried, educated at Oxford, began, in the hitter end
of rhis reign, to fpiead ilie do<.lrines of reformation by his
diicoLifles, ierinons, and vvritings j and he made many difciples

• ■ of

ilied at i\\c

ijito whlih
•.uUiiI Itoriu,

ilt'ininiotis
lie cllccm of
mnt to his

CDniiuonly
lU'ious cain-
iitl on that
•liich cairicd
fiirvive him,
jrry, in thu

•!Ci\s of Kn-
oll ihc con-
s people ill
liberties and
luioiis; nei-
e, lb power-
gn. He has
e anioiiff the

;; unvvro'.ight
enis lo have
/ of tii'j Kn-
tons. liut
in KnghinJ,
and b.'. 10:11^1
/J ward made
;t it certainly
.ent caftle of
:Mod oi con-
condition of
men by con-
Janci to fend
■ he had been
a iliort ii;-.!C;
lonly all the
ay and plun-
-) be a final I
to enter into
v/as limited
f)innK)n car-
;i Wicjclilre,
he latter end
lation by his
lany difciples
of

ENGLAND.

5^7

•f all rankfl ^nd ftations. He fectns to have been a man of
pal 'J -'lid learning \ i\nd has tlu' honour of belnt;; the full per-
fon in i'nroiM.', who puHickly call tl in cpielHon thofe doc-
trines, which had univeil'ally paliui for certain and undifputed,
durini!; fo many agc§,

'i'he dowlrines of Wicklifi'e, bciig derived trom his fearch infO
(he I'criptitr' s, and into ecclefialHeal antiquity, were nearly
ihc fame wilii thofe propagated by the reformerti in the fix-
teentli century. IJut thoii|j;h the a{.';e feemed ilroivly difpofeJ
to r.ct-ive them, afVairs were not yet fully ripe for this great
rtvoluti'Mi, which was refervcd f(jr a more free an 1 enquiring
pciiiHl, th.at gave the flnifliijig blow to Romifti fnprrilitioii
in thi.s and many other kingdoms of Europe. His difciplei
were dlllinjMiiriied by the name of Wickliffites or Lollards.

Richard IT. was no more than eleven years of age, when hf
mounted the throne, TheEngliHi arms were then unfuccef:,*
fill, both in France and Scotland. The doctrines of Wick-
liffe had taken root under John of Gaunt, duke of Lanealler,
the king's uncle, and one of his guardians, and gave enlarged
notions of liberty to the villains, and lower ranks of people.
The truth is, agriculture was then in fo flourifhing a Itatc,
that corn, and other victuals, were fuftcrcd to be tranfiiorted,.
and the Englifli had fallen upon a way of manufaJluring foff
exportation, likewifc their leather, horns, and other native
commodities, and with regard to tlie woollen manufaihires,
they feem from records to have been exceeded by none in E-u-
rope. John of (jaunt's forc-ign connecHons with the crown3
of Portugal and Spain, were of prejudice to England, and
fo many iiien were employed in iiniUccefsful wars, that the
commons of Enghmd, like powder receiving a fpark of fire, all
at once flamed out into rebellion, under the condud of Ball,
A prii.ft, Wat Tyler, and others, the fcum of the people.
Tlieir profeft principles were thofe of levelling, but it foon
appeared, that their real intention was to have murdered the
king, and feixed upon the giAcrnmcnt.

Richard was not then above fixteen, but he acl:cd with
great fpirit and wiidom. He faced the florm of the infurgents,
at the head of the Londoners, while Walworth the mayor, and
Philpot an alderman, had the courage to put Tyler, the arch,
traitor, to death, in the niidft of his rabble. This, with
the fcafonabic behaviour of Richard, quelled the infurredlioa
for that time, but it broke out with the moft bloody effedls in
other parrs of England, and though it was fupprelTed by
making many examples of fcverity and jufticc among the infur-
gents, yet the comnion people never after that loll fight of
their own importance, till by degrees they obtained thofe pri-

B b 2 vile^«s

-i-Ai\^tini^:js^sii':

ENGLAND^,

3«8

vileges which they now enjoy. Had Richard been a prince of
real abilities, he might, after the fuppreflion of thofe infur-
gents, have eft;iblil})ed the tranquillity of his dominions on a
iure foundation, but he delivered himfelf up to worthlefs
favourites, particularly Sir Michael dc la Pole, whom he
created lord chancellor, judge Trefilian, and above all, Ro-
bert de Vere, earl of Oxford, whom he created duke of Ire-
land. They were obnoxious both to the parliament and
people, and Richard flooped to the mod ignoble meafures to-
fave them ; but he found that it was not in his power. They
were attainted and condemned to fufi'cr as traitors ; but Pole,
and the duke of Ireland cfcaped abroad, where they died in
obfcurity. Richard alibciated to himfelf a new fet of fiivourites..
His people, and great lords, again took arms, and being
headed by the duke of Gloucefter, the king's uncle, they
forced Richard once more into their terms ; but being infin-
cere in all his compliances, he was upon the point of becom-
ing more defpotic than any king of England ever had been^
when he loft his crown and life by a fudden cataftrophe.

A quarrel happened between the duke of Hereford, fon to
the duke of Lancufter,. and the 'Juke of Norfolk, and Richard
banifhed them both, with particular marks of injurticc to the
former, who now became duke of Lancafter by his father's
death. Richard carrying over a great army to quell a rebel-
lion in Ireland, a ftrong party was formed in England, who
offered the duke of Lancaiter the crown. He landed at Ra-
venfpur in Yorkfhire, and was foon at the head of 60,000
men, all of them Englifli. Richard hurried back to England,
ivhere his troops refufing to fight, he was made prifoner, with
no more than twenty attendants, and being carried to London,
he was depofed in full parliament, upon a formal charge of
niifcondu6t, and foon after he was ftarved to death in prifon,.
in the year 1399, the 34th of his age, and the 23d of his
reign.

Though the nobility 01 Eiii;]and were pofTefled of great
power at the time of tlii;. revolution, yet we do not find that
it abated the influence of the cc^nnnony. They had the cou-
rage to rcmonftiate boldly in parliament againft the ufury,
which was but too much praitifcd in England, and other
abufcs of both clcfjjv and laity, and thv; deflruclion of the
feudal powers foon followed.

Henrv the fourth, * fon of John of Gaunt, duke of Lan-
Caftcr, fourth Ton of Edward III. bein'^ fettled in the throne

* The throne being now vac.iat, the dukcof I/ujcader (k-opeJ forth, and having

W!>Hgjl.hi.'nMf «a hit :i>k1k:.iJ, :ui v» luj br:a!t, iiui cmUcJ uj'vn thv n''»in<^ <'*

" ' Chri/h

n a prince of

thofe infur-

iiinions on a

to worthlefs

J, whom he

ove all, Ro-

duke of Ire-

rl lament and

mealurcs to-

)wcr. They

; but Pole,

they died in

of fiivourites..

, and being

uncle, they

beino; infin-

It of becom-

v.cr had been^

ftrophe..

•eford, fon to

and Richard

urticc to the

)y his father's

[ucU a rebel-

.ngland, who

mded at Ra-

ad of 60,000

c to England,

prifoner, with

ed to London,

mal charge of

ath in prifon,.

; 23d of his

ifled of great
not find that
had the cou-
\ii the ufury,
id, and other
uclion of the

luke of Lan-

in the throne

lorth, and having

pvn tijv name of

ChrJrt,

ENGLAND.

S8^

ni England, in prejudice to the elder branches of Edward
Ill's family, the great nobility were in hopes that this glaring
defeft of his title would render him dependent upon them.
At firft fome confpiracies were formed againft him among his
great men, but he crufhed them by his adtivity and fteadinefs,
and laid a plan for reducing their overgrown powers. This
was underftood by the Piercy family, the greateft in the north
of England, who complained of Henry having deprived them
of fome Scotch prifoners, whom they had taken in battle,
and a dangerous rebellion broke out under the old earl of
Northumberland, and his Ion, the famous Henry Piercy, fur-
named the Hotfpur, but it ended in the defeat of the rebels,
chiefly by the valour of the prince of Wales. With equal
good fortune Henry fuppreflcd the infurredtions of the Welch,
under Owen Glendovver ; and by his prudent conceflions to
iiis parliament, to the commons particularly, he at laft con-
quered all oppofition, while, to (alve the aefedl of his title,
the parliament entailed the crown upon him, and the heiPB
male of his body, lawfully begoiten, thereby fhutting out all
female fucceflion. The young duke of Rothfay, heir to the
crown of Scotland, (afterwards James I. of that kingdom^
■falling a prifoner into Henry's hands about this time, was of
infinite fervicetohis government; and before his death, which
•happened in 141 3, in the 46th year of his age, and 13th of
his reign, he had the fatisfaction to fee his fon, and fucceffor,-
the prince of Waks, difengage himfelf from many youthful
follies, which had till then difgraced his conduA.

The Englifli marine was now l"o greatly eiicreafcd, that we
Und an Englifli veflel of 200 tons in the Baltic, and many
other fhips of equal burden, carrying on an immenfe trade all
over Europe, but with the Hanfc towns in particular. With
regard to public liberty, Henry IV. as I have already hinted,
was the firft prince who gave the different orders in parliament,
efpecially that of the commons, their due weight. It is how-
ever a little furprizing, that learning was at this time at »
much lower pafs in England, and all over Europe, than it
had been 200 years before. Biftiops, when teftifying fynodai
afts, were often forced to do it by proxy in the following

B b 3 terms.

■Chrift, he pronounced thefe words, which I rtiall give in the original langua^Cj
becaufe of tlieir fingularity.

/« ihc name of Fadha; Son, and IJcIf Ghojl, I Henry of Lancajkr, cballengs thit
■rnume of Ynglande, and the croun, with all the tnembres, and the appurteiiancti \ ah I
-that am defcendit by right line of the blode (meaning a claim in right of his mother^
coming fro the gride king Henry thtrdc, and throgc that right that God of his grace hatb
fent we, ivith helpt of hyn, and of viy fricndes, t'i recover it \ the luhich rcwtfeXMiif
foynt tohetndvne hy dejaut oj govcrtiano^ jvM andofwgof Ux gadt Umei%

390 E N G L A N D.

terms, viz. *' As I car^not read niyfclf, N. N. hath i'uhlcrlbed
for me ; or, As niy lord bifhop cannot write hi.nfclf, at his
lequeft 1 have fubfcribcd." <

The balance of trade with foreign parts was againft Eng-
land, at the acccfiion of Henry V. in 141 3, fo greatly had
iuxury cncrcaied. The LoUards, or the followers of Wick-
lifF, were exccilively numerous, and had chofcn Sir John
Oldcafilc for their head, but Henry difperfed them, and exe-
cuted their leader. Henry next turned his eyes towards
France, which he had manv incitements for invadinn;. He
demanded a rcftitution of Normnn^ly, and other provinces
that had been ravifiied from England in the preceding reigns;
alfo the payment of certain arrears due for king John's ran-
fom fince the reiy-n of Edward HI. and availino- himfelf of
the diitradlcd il:atc of that kingdom, he invaded it, where he
fir{t took Harfleur, and then defeated the French in the battle
of Agincourt, v/hich equalled thofe of Crcfly and Poifticrs in
glory to the Englifh, but exceeded them in its confequenees,
On account of the vail number oi'P'rench princes of the blood,
and otiier great ncb.em.cn, who were there killed. Henry-,
"who was as great a politician as a warrior, made fuch alliances,
and divided the French among themfelves fo efFedually, that
he forced the queen of Fiance, whofe hufband Charles VI.
was a lunatic, to agree to his marrying her daughter, the
princcfs Catharine, to difuiherit the dauphin, and to declare
Henry regent of France during her huiband's life, and him
raid his iflue fucceffors to the French monarchy, which muft
at this time have been exterminated, had not the Scots (tho*
their king Hill continued Henry's captive) furniflied the dau-
phin with vaft iupplies, and prefervcd the French crown for
his head. Henry, however, made a triumphal entry into
Paris, where the dauphin was profcribcd ; and after receiving
the feahy of the French nobility, he returned to England to
levy a force that might crufli the dauphin and his Scotch
auxiliaries. He probably would have been fllccef^fld, had he
not died of a pleuritic diforder, in 1422, the 34th year of his
age, and the loth or his reign.

Henry V's vaft fuccelles in France revived the trade of
England, and at tiie fame time encr^afed and eftabliined the
privileges and liberties of the Englifh commonalty. As he
died when he was only thirty-four years of age, it is hard to
iay, if he had lived, whether he might not have given the law
to all the contijient of Europe, which was then greatly di-
flracled by the diviiions among its princes : but whether this
would have been of fervice or prejudice to the growing liberties
of his Ea^liib fabjedd y/c cannot dctuTniae,

th iubfcribed
iiifcll:', at his

igainft Eng-

greatly had

rs of Wick-

:n Sir John

nn, and exe-

yes towards

vadinn;. He

icr provinces

ding reirns ;

John's run-

(2; himfclf of

, where he

in the battle

d Poiifticrs iu

ronfcqiiences,

of the blood,

lied. Henry-,

uch alliances,

cdlually, that

^ Charles VI.

daughter, thg

ud to declare

life, and him

, which ir.uft

e Scots (tho*

Qied the dau-

ich crown for

il entry into

ifter receiving

England to
d his Scotch
:'r^fiil, had he
-th year of his

the trade of

:ftabliilied the

alty. As he

it is hard to

given the law

1 greatly di-
whcther this

kvino; liberties

Bj"

ENGLAND. 391

By an authentic and exai^ account of the ordinaiy revenues
of t c crown during this reign, it appears that they amounted
only to 55,714!. a year, which is nearly t'ne fame v/ith the
revenues in Henry ni's time, and the kings oi' England had
neither become much richer nor poorer in the courfe of 200
years. The ordinary expences of the government amoimted
to 52,507 I. fo that the king had of furplus onlv 3,207 1. for
the fupport of his houlhold, for his wardrobe, for t.e cxpencc
ofemballies, and other articles. This fum was no.vife fuf-
ficient even in time of peace ; and to carry on his wars, this
great conqueror was reduced to m-.ny jnifcr.ible Ihifts : he
borrowed from all quuters 5 he pawned his jewels, and fonie-
times the crown Itfelf ; he ran in an ears to his army ; and he
was often obliged to ilop in the midll' of his career of viftorv,
and to grant truce to the enemy. 1 mention thcfc particulnrs,
that the reader may judge of the fimplicity and temperance of
our predecesTors three centuries ago, when the cxpences of tlie
grcateft king in Europe were not fo high as the penfion of a
I'uperannuated courtier of the prefent age.

It required a prince equally able as Henry IV. and V. to
confirm the title of the Lancauer houlc to the throne of Ena;-
land. Henry VI. furnamed of Windfor, was no more than
nine months old, when in confequencc of the treaty of
Troves, concluded by his fatlier with the French court, he
was proclaimed king of France, as well as of England. He
was under the tuition of his two uncles, the dukes of Bedford
and (jlouceller, both of them princes of great accomplifh-
me:,ts, virtues, and courage, but unable to preferve their
brother's conquefls. Up n the death of Ch.;rlcs VI. the
affetltions of the French for his family re ■i'^cd in the perfon
of his fon and fucceflbr, Charles VII. The duke of Bed-
ford, who was regent of France, performed many glorious
adions, and at lalfc laid fiege to Orleans, which, if taken,
would have completed the conqueft of France. Tiie fiege
was raifcd by the valour and good condu(Sl: of the Maid of
Orleans, a phenomenon hardly to be paralleled in hiftory, .
beii^.g born of the lowei't extradlion, and bred a cow-keeper,
and fometimes a helper in ftables at public inns. She muft,
notwithitanding, have poileiied an ama/ing fund of fagacity
as well as valour. After an unparalleled train of glorious
actions, and placing the crown upon her fovereign's head, fhe
was accidentally taken prifoner by the Engliih, who burnt
her alive for being a witch and a heretic.

Tile death of the duke of Bedford, and the agreement of the
duke of Burgundy, the great ally of theEnglilh, with Charles
VII. contributed to the entire ruin of the Englifh intereft in

B b 4 France,

'?-

59? E N G L A N D,

f'rancc, and the lofs of all their fine provinces in that kipi
dom, notwithftanding the amazing courage of Talbot, the
iirft earl of Shrewfbury, and their other officers. The capital
misfortune of England, at this time, was its difunion af
home. The duke of Gloucefter loft his authority in the
government, and the Icing married Margaret, daughter to the
needy king of Sicily ; a woman of a high fpirit, but an im-
placable difppfition ; while the cardinal of Winchefter, who
was the richeft fubjccS: in England, if not in Europe, prefided
at the head of the treafury, and by his avarice ruined th?
jfjtercfl of England, both at hojne and abroad. Next to the
cardinal, the duke of York, who was lord lieutenant of Ire-
land, was the moft powerful fubje«St in England. He was;
oefcended by the mother's fide from Lionel, an elder fon of
Edward III. and prior in claim to the reigning king, whq
was defccnded from John of Gaunt, Edward's youngett fon,
and he afte(5lcd to keep up the diftindlion of a white rofe, that
of the houfe of Lancafter being red. It is certain, be paid
no regard to the parliamentary entail of the crown upon the
jeigning family, and he loft no opportunity of forming a
party to affert his right, but aded at firft with z moft pro-
found difllmulation. The duke of Suffolk was a favourite of
the queen, who wa$ a profeft enemy to the duke of York,
but being impeached in parliament, he was banifhed for five
years, and had his head ftruck off on board a ihip by a com-
mon failor. This was followed by an infurreiSlion of 20,ooot
Kentifhmen, headed by one Jack Cade, a man of low con-
dition, \vho fent to the court a lift of grievances, but was
fupprefTed by the valour of the citizens of London, and the
queen feemed to be perfedlly fecure againft the duke of York,
The inglorious rn^riagement of the Engliih affairs in France
befriended him, end upon his arrival in England froca Ire-
land, he found a ftrong party of the nobility his friends, but
being confidered as the fomenter of Cade's rebellion, he pro-
feft the moft profound reverence to Henry.

The perfons^n high power and reputation in England,
next to the duke of York, were the fearl of SaHft)ury, and his
fon the earl of Warwick. The latter had the greateft land
^ftate of any fubjccS: in England, and his vaft abilities, joined
to fome virtues, rendered him equally popular. Both father
and fon were fecretly on the fide of York j and during a fit of
illnefs of the king, that duke was made protestor of the realm.
Both fides now prepared for arms, and the king recovering,
the queen, with wonderful adlivity, affembling an army, the
royalifts were defeated in the firft battle of St. Alban's, and
^e kin^ himfelf v/as taken prifoner. The duke of York was

ENGLAND. 393

pnce more declared protedlor of the kingdom, but it was not
long before the queen rcfumed all her influence in the govern-
ment, and the king, though his weaknefs became every day
more and more vifible, recovered all his authority.

The duke of York upon this threw ofF the malk, and in
1459, he openly claimed the crown, and the queen was agaia
(defeated by the earl of Warwick, who was now called the
King-maker. A parliament upon this being affembled, it was
enadted, that Henry Ihould poffefs the throne for life, but
that the duke of York fhould fucceed him, to the exclufion of
all Henry's iflue. All, excepting the magnanimous queen^
agreed to this compromife. She retreated northwards, and the
king being ftill a prifoner, fhe pleaded his caufe fo well, that
aflembling a frefh army, (lie fought the battle of Wakefield,
where the duke of York was defeated and flain in 1460.

It is pretty extraordinary, that though the duke of York,
and his party, openly aflerted his claim to the crown, they
ftill profefTed allegiance to Henry j but the duke of York*»
fon, afterwards Edward IV. prepared to revenge his father's
death, and obtained feveral vidtories over the royalifts. The
queen, however, advanced towards London, and defeating
the earl of Warwick, in the fecond battle of St. Alban's,
fhe delivered her hufband j but the diforders committed by her
northern troops difgufted the Londoners fo much, that {he
durft not enter London, where the duke of York was received
on the 28th of February, 1461, while the queen and her huf-
band were obliged to retreat northwards. She foon raifed an-
other army, and fought the battle of Towton, the moft bloody
perhaps that ever happened in any civil war. After prodigies
of valour had been performed on both fides, the vidlory re-
mained with young king Edward, and near 40,000 men lay
dead on the field of battle. Margaret and her hufband were
pnce more obliged to fly to Scotland, where they met with a
generous protection.

It may be proper to obfcrve, that this civil war was carried
on with greater animofity, than any perhaps ever known. Mar-
garet was as blood thirlty 2s her opponents, and when pri-
foners of either fide were made, their deaths, efpeclally if
they were of any rank, were deferred only for a few hours.

Margaret, by the conceflions fhe made to the Scots, foon
raifed a frefh army there, and in the north of England, but
met with defeat upon defeat, till at laft her hufband, the un-
fortunate Henry, was carried prifoner to London.

The duke of York, now Edward IV. being crowned on

the 29th of June, fell in love with, and privately married

Elij^beth, the widow pf Sir John Gray, though he had fome

'■ ' ' ■■ " ' ' ' tiine

,si.V.ik.*iii>i.'Ki-

394. E N G I. AND.

time before fcnt the carl of Warwick to demand the kins; of
France's fifter in marriage, in which embady he was Aiccefs-
ful, and nothing remained but the bringing over the princcfs
into England. When the fecret of Edward's marriage broke
out, the haughty carl, deeming himfeh* affronted, returned to
England, inflamed with rage and indignation ; and from being
Edward's beft friend became his molt formidable enemy, and
gaining over the duke of Clarence, Edward was made pri-
soner, but efcaping from his confincmcrit, the carl of Warwick,
and the French kinir Lewis XI. declared for the reftoration
af Henry, who was replaced on the throne, and Edward nar-
rowly cfcaped to Holland. Returning from thence, he ad-
vanced to London, under pretence of claiming his dukedom
of York, but being received into the capital, he refumcd the
cxercife of royal authority, made king JHenrv once more his
prifoner, and defeated and killed Warwick, in the battle of
Uarnet. A few days after he defeated a frefh army of Lanca-
ftrians, and mad: queen Margaret prifoner, together with her
fon, prince Edward, whom Edward's brother, the duke of
Glouceftcr, murdered in cold blood, as he is faid (but with
no great fnew of probability) to have done his father Henry
VL then a prifoner in the Tower of London, a few days
after, in the year 147 1. Edward being now fettled on t;e
throne, v/as guilty of the utmoft cruelty to all the Lancaftrian
party, whom he put to death, whenever he could iind them,
io that they were threatened with utter extermination.

The great object of his vengeance was H-nry, carl of Rich-
mond. He was dcfcended from John Beaufort, the eldcit fon
of the earl of Somerfet, who was the eldeft fon of John of
Gaunt, by his laft wife Catharine Swineford, but born in
adultery, during her huiband's life-time. This difability,
however, was afterwards removed, both by the pope and by
the parliament, and the defcendants of John of Gaunt, by
that lady, as far as could be done, were declared legitimate.
iThe laft lord, John, di -c /.>i Somcrfet, left a daughter, Mar-
gnret, who was married to Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond,
and their fon was Henry, earl of Richmond (afterwards Hen-
ry Vn.) who, at the time I treat of, lived in France, to
fecure himfelf from the cruelty of Edward. The reader may
fee, from the detail of this important genealogy, that the
young earl of Richmond had not the fmalleft claim in blood
(even fuppofing the illegitimacy of his anceftors had been re-
moved) to the crown of England.

The kingdom of England was, in 1474, in a deplorable

fjtuation. The kijig was immerfcd in expcnfivc and crin.inal

4 luxuries,

the king of

^vas fiicce/s-

|the princefs

[rriage biokc

I't'turncd to

from bcino-

(s made pij.
k" Warwick,
refloration
-dwaid 11 nr-
|nce, he ad-
is dukedom
lefumed the
c more his
he battle of
7 of Lanca-
ler with her
he duke of
(but with

at her Henry

1 f<^w days

tied on t e

Lancaflrian
iind them,

tion.

-r\ of Rich-
ie Qh\-c{\ Ton

of John of

ut born \n
difability,

^pc and by

Gaunt, by

iegitimaie,

^•ter, Mar-

R.ichmond,

'ards Hen-

!*Vancc, to

cader may
that the

1 in blood

I been re-

icplorable

I crin.inal

Juxurie*,

ENGLAND.

395

lu-<uncs, in which he was imitated by his great men, who,
to fupport their extravagancies, became penfioners to the
French king. The parliament fecmed to a£t only as the exe-
cutioners of Edward's bloody mandates. The beft blood in
England was fhcd on fcaffblds, and even the duke of Clarence
fell a vidtim to his brother's jealoufy. Edward, partly to
amufc the public, and partly to fupply the vaft expence of his
court, pretended fometimes to quarrel, and fomettmes to treat,
with France, but his irregularities brought him to his death
(1483) in the twenty-third year of his reign, and forty-fecond
of his age.

Notwithftanding the turbulence of the times, the trade and
manufaftures of England encreafcd during the reigns of Henry
VI. and Edward IV. So early as 1440, a navigation a£t was
thought of, by the Englifh, as the only means to preferve to
thcmfclves the benefit of being the fole carriers of their own
merchandize, but foreign influence prevented Henry's pafling
the bill for that purpofe. The invention of printing, which
v/as imported into England by William Caxton, and received
fome countenance from Edward, is the chief glory of h«s
reign, but learning in general was then in a poor ftate in
England. Ilie lord Tiptoft was its great patron, and feemg
to have been the fir'^ Englifh nobleman, who cultivated what
are now called the belles lettres. The books printed by Cax-
ton, are moftly re-tranflations or compilations from thePVench,
or Monkifh Latin ; but it muft be acknowledged, at the fame
time, that literature, after this period, made a more rapid and
general progrefs among the Englifh, than it did in any other
European nation.

Edward IV. left two fons by his queen, who had cxerclfcd
her power with no great prudence, by having nobilitated many
of her obfcurc relations. Her eldefl fon, Edward V. was
about thirteen, and his uncle, the duke of Gloucefter, taking
advantage of the quven's unpopularity among the great men,
found means to baflardize her ilTue, by act of parliament,
under the fcandalous pretext of a pre~contra(5l between their
father and another lady. The duke, at the fame time, was
declared guardian of the kingdom, and, at lafl, accepted of
the crown, which was offered him by the Londoners, having
fu-ft put to death all the nobility and great men, whom he
thought to be well affected to the late king's family. Whether
tiie king, and his brother, were murdered in the Tower, by
his diredion, is douluful. The inofl probable opinion is,
that they were clandeflincly fent abroad by his orders, and that
the elder died, but that the younger furvived, and was the
fame who was iiftcrwards well kaown by the name of Pcrkhi

Warb^ck,

(;***.''».■. "*.'*.9-'.'

^9^ ENGLAND,

Warbcck. Be this as it vrill, the Englifh were pfcpofleflcd:
fo ftrongly againft Richard, as being the murderer of hi»
nephews^ that the earl ©f Richmond, who ftill remained in
France, carried on a fecret correfpondence with the remains of
Edward IV *s friends, and by offering to marry his eldeft
^ugbter^ be was encouraged to invade England, at the head of
about 2000 foreign troops, but they were ibon joined by 7000
Englifh and Welch, A battle between him and Richard,
who was at the head of 15,000 men, enfued at Bofworth-field,
in. which Richard, after difplaying moft aftonifhing adls of
ferfonal valour, was killed, having been firft abandoned by
i main divifion of his army, under lord Stanley, and his
Snrother in the year 1485.

There can fcarcely be a doubt, that the crimes of Richard
have been, exaggerated by hiftorians. He was exemplary in
his diflributive juitice. He kept a watchful eye over the great
^rons, whofe oppreffions he aboliihed, and was a father to
the common people. He founded the fociety of heralds, an
iraftitutionv which, in his time, was found ncceflary to prevent
difputes among great families. During his reign, fliort as it
was,, we have repeated inftances of his relieving cities and
corporations that had gone into decay. He was remarkable
for thfi encouragement of the hardware manufa<Slures of all
kiinds, ajid for preventing their being imported into England,
Bio £ew«K than iiventy-two different kinds being prohibited
KTjportatiott by one a6l. He was the firft Englilh king who
appointed 2 conful for the fuperintendency of Englifli com-
mcEce abroad, onc^ Strozzi being nominated for Pila, with an
income of the fourth part of one per cent. 021 all goods of
EJxgliflimen imported to or exported from thcaice. I mall not
ertter iijito the fubje£t of the concern he had in the fuppofed
mu!rd«irof his two nephews, but only obfervc, that the tem-
porizing parliament, by bartardi zing them, cut them off from,
the fucceilion to the crown.

Though the fame ail of baftardy affeiSlcd the daughters,
;fe well as the fons of the late king, yet no difputes were
Faifed npoa the legitimacy of the princefs Elizabeth, eldelt
daughter to Edward IV. and who, as had been before con-
certed, married Henry of Lancafter, earl of Richmond,
theceby uniting both houfes, which happily put an end to the
long and bloody wars between the contending houfes of York
and Lancafter. Henry, however, refted his right upon con-
^aeft, and feemed to pay no regard to the advantages of his
marriage. He was the moft fagacious monarch that ever had
feigned in England ; but, at the fame time, the moft jealous
»f his power, for he (hut up the eajrl of Warwick, fon to the

dijkc

, prcpo/re/rc<e
r<i*irer of h\^

J remained in
[he remains of

jy ^is elded
" the head of
[ned by 7000
f^ Richard,
lAvorth -field,
ping ads of
kndont'd by
py, and hi«

of Richard
xempJary in
^^r the great
a father to
heralds, an
ry to prevent
fliort as it
cities and
femarkabJe
ures of all

'to England,

; prohibited

h king who

igJifli com-

fa, with ail

^J goods of
I mall not

le fuppofed

t the tem-

m off from

t^''iughters,
'utes were
eth, eldeft
efore con-
^ichmond,
■nd to the
' of York
ipon con-
;es of his
ever had
^ jealous
m to the
duke

ENGLAND. 3^^

«fuVc of Clarence, brother to Edward IV, a clofe prifoner in
the Tower, though he was but a boy, and though nothing
was allcdged againft him hut his propinquity to the houfe of
York. He was the firft who inltituted that guard called Yoo-
5nen, which ftill fubfifts, and in imitation of his predeceflbr,
he gave an irrecoverable blow to the dangerous privileges
afTumcd by the barons, in abolifhing liveries, iind retainers,
by which every malefadtor could fhclter himfvlf from the law^
by afluming a nobleman's livery, and attending b-is peribiu
Some rebellions happened in the beginning of his reign, but
they were eafily fupprelled, as was the importure of JLambert
Simnel, who pretended to be the imprifoned earl of War-
wick. The delpotic court of ftar cliamber, awed its original
to Henry, but, at the fame time, it mult be acknowledged,
that he paflcd many ads, cfpecially for trade and navigation,
that were highly for the benefit of his fubjedts. They ex-
prefTed their gratitude, by the great fupplics and bencvolcncefi
they afforded him, and as a finifliing ftroke to the feudal
tenures, an a6l pafTea by which the barons and gentlemen of
landed interefl were at liberty to i'ell and mortgage their lands,
without fines or licences for the alienation.

This, if we regard its confequenccs, is perhaps the moft
important a6t that ever pafied in an Englifh parliament, tho*
its tendency feems only to have been known to the politic
king. Luxury, by the increafe of trade, and the difcovery of
America, had broken with irrefiflible force into England, and
monied property being chiefly in the hands of the commons,
the eftates of the barons became theirs, but without any of
their dangerous privileges, and thus the baronial powers were
foon cxtinguifhed in England.

Henry, after encountering and furmounting many difficul-
ties both in France and Ireland, was attacked in the poUeflion
of his throne, by a young rnan, one Perkin Warbeck, who
pretended to be the duke of York, fccond fon to Edward IV.
and was acknowledged as fuch by the duchels of Burgundy,
Edward's fifter. We fliall not follow the adventures of this
young man, which were various and uncommon, but it is
certain that many of the Englifh, with the courts of France
and Scotland, believed him to be what he pretended. Henry
endeavoured to prove the death of Edward V. and his brother,
but never did it to the public fatisfailion ; and though Jame^
IV. of Scotland difmiffed Perkin out of his dominions, being
engaged in a treaty of marriage with Henry's eldeft daughtejy
yet by the kind manner in which he entertained and difmifi(;d
him, it is plain that he believed him to be the re4 duke of
York, cfpecially as he r^fuicd to^ deliver up hiiperfon, which

J9»

ENGLAND.

he might have done with honour, h:ul he tho>in;ht him an im-
poilor. Pcjkin, after various unrorlunntc juiventures, tell
into Henry's hands, and was fhur up in the Tower of Lon-
don, from whence he cndcavf>iirc(l to efcape along with the in-
nocent earl of Warwicic, for vvliith I'erlcin was hanged, and
the carl beheaded. It is f.iid, tii.it Perkin made a confeOion
of his impolfors before his death, but if lie diil, it might have
bjjen extorted from him, either upon the hope of pardon, or
the fear of torture. In 1.199, Henry's eldelt fon, Arthur,
prince of 'Wale;'., was married to the princcfs Catharine, ot
Arra^on, dau;.diter to tiie king and queen of Spain, and hr
dving io'iw after, fuch ^vas Henrv's reluciance to refund her
great dowry, that he conb uted to iier being married again to
his fecond foji, then prince of Wales, on pretence that the
iirft match had not been confurnniated. Soon after, Heni"\\s'
cldcft daughter, the princcf; Margaret, was fent with a moli
magnificent train to Scotland, where j'he was married to James
IV. Henry, at the time of his death, which happened in
1509, the 52d year of his af.>;e, ami 24th of his leign, was
poli'elfed of i.8oo,cool. itcrling, which is equivalent to fi\e
millions at jnei.nt, fo that he may be fuppofed to have been
mailer of niore ready money than all the Icings in Plurope be-
lldcs polleJled, the mines of Peru irnd Mexico being then only
beginning to be worked.

1 have already mentioned the vafl: alteration which happened
in the conititution of En^lamL durinp Henrv VU's rciu-n.
His cxccffive love of money was the probable reafon why he
did not become mailer of the Wefl-Indics, he having the firit
orter of the difcovery from Columbus, whofe propoials being
reje*5lcd by Henry, that great man applied to the court of
Spain, and he fct out upon the difcovery of a new world, ia
the year 1492, which he efleclcd after a pafl'age of 33 days,
and took pofibflion of the countiy in the name of the king
and queen of Spain. Henry however made amends by encou-
raging Cabot, who difcovered the main land of North Ame-
rica, in 1498, and we may obfervc, to the praife of this king^
that fometimcs, in order to promote commerce, he lent to
merchants fums of money, without intereft, when he knew,
that their flock was not fufficient for thole enterprizes, which
they had in viev/. From the proportional prices of living
pioduced by Madox, Fleetwood, and other writers, agricul-
ture and breeding of cattle muil have been prodigioufly ad-
vanced, before Henry's death ; an inlTance of this is given in
the cafe of lady Anne, fifler to Hciiry's queen, wlio had an
allovi'ancc of 20s. per week, f.r her exhibition, fufleniation,
and convenient diet of meat and drink j alfo, for two gentle-
women.

liitTi an im^
i-ntiiics, fell
■vcT of Lon-
vvith the in-
Jianged, and
a confcnjo/i
|t nilght have
f pardon, or
on, Arthur,
patharine, of
[ain, and he
refund hcr
■icd agr-in U)
nee that the
Iter, Henr\'«
with a mo)^
icd to JanK\s
luippened in
s Ji-'ign, was
alcnt to five
"> have been
1 Kurope be-
iig then only

rh happened
Vll's reign.
ion why he
t'iiig the' firit
ipolals hvinir
he court of
V world, in
of 33 (hiys,
of the king,
s by cncou-
forih Ame-
f t-his kijig,
he ]ent to
1 he knew,
zes, which
5 of living
s, agricul-
gioufly ad-
is given in
lio h.id an
uC'nUiiion,
vo gf-ntlc-
vvonicii.

ENGLAND. ^.^1

Womcn» one woman child, one gentleman, one yeoman, 4nd
three grooms (in all eiglit pcrl'ons) 51 1, lis. 8 d. per an-
junn, lor their wages, diet, and cloathing j and for the main-
tenance of fe\en horfes yearly, 16 1. 9s. ^.d. i. f. for each
horfe 2I. 7s. od. J^ yearly, money being flill i -^ times as
weighty as our modern filver coin. Wheat was that year no
niore than 3.S. 4d. a quarter, which anfwers to 5s. of our^
money, conlequeiitly it w:is about feven times as cheap as at
prefent ; fo that had all other i^ecelVaries been equally cheap,
Ihe could liave lived as well as on 1260 1. los. 6d.,of our
modern money, or ten times as cheap as at prefent. ,

The fine aits were as far advanced in Kn<:land at the ar-
ceflion of Hejiry Vlll. 1509, as in any European country, if
we except. Italy, and perhaps no prince ever entered with
greater advantages thitn he did on the exercife of royalty;
Young, vigorous, and rich, withcut any rival, he held the
balance of power in Europe, but it is certain, that he neg-
lected thefe advantages in commerce, with which his father
became too lately acquainted. Imagining he could not (land
in need of a I'uppiy, he did not improve Cabot's difcoveries,
and he fuf^'ered the Eaft and Well: Indies to be cngrofled by
Portugal and Spain. His vanity engaged him too much in
the artaiis of tlie eontinenl, and his flatterers encouraged him
to make preparations for the conqueft of all France. Theli:
projects, and his ertablifhing what is properly called a navy
royal, for the permanent defence of the nation (a molt excel-
lent niciifure) led him into incredible exjjcnces. He was on
all occafions the dupe of tlic emperor Maximilian, the poorelt
prince in Europe, and early in his reign he gave himfelf al-
moft entirely up to the guidance of the celebratcJ cardinal
Wolfev. While involved in a war with France, his lieute-
nant, the earl of Surry, conquered and killed James IV. of
Scotland, who h.id invaded L'-nglnnd, and he became a candi-
date for the German empire, during its vacancy, but foou
refigncd his pretejifions to Francis I. of France, and
Charles of Auliria, king of Spain, who w.:s elect;.d in 1519.
H( nry's conduct, in tlie long and bloody wars between thol'c.
princes, was directed by Wolfey's views upoji the popedom,;
which he hoped to gain by the interelt of Charles, but find-,
ing himfelf twice deceived, he perfuadcd his maftcr to declare
himl'elf fur Fr;incis, who had been taken priroi:er ac the battle
of Pavia. Henry, however, continued to be the dupe of ail
parties, and to pay great part of their expencts, till at lau he
was forced to Irv valt burdens upon his fubje>:ls. . ,

\\^:\\\)' contmued all this tinic the great enemy of tlie re-
formation, and the champion of the popci, a;;d the; Romifh

church.

'400 ENGLAND.

church. He wrote a book agamft Luther, about the yea*
I521, for which the pope gave him the title of Defender of
* the Faith, which his fucccllbrs retain to this day ; but about
the year 1527, he began to have (bine fcruplcs with rcGjard to
the validity of his marriage with his brother's widow. I
ihall not fay, how far on this oc;:afion he might be influenced
fcy the charms of the famous Anne Bullcn, maid of honour to
the queen, whom he married, before he had obtained from
Kome the proper bulls of divorce from the pone. The diffi-
culties he met with in thi-; {)rocefs, ruined Wolfey, who died
of heart-break, after beinf^ flript of his immcnfe power and
pofleflions ; and had introduced into the king's favour Cranmcr,
^ho was afterwards archbifliop of Canterbury.

A pcrplexmg, though nice conjuncture of affairs, it is v/ell
known, induced Henry at laft to throw olt all relation to or
dependence upon the church of Rome, and to bring about a
jeformation, in which, however, many of the Romifli errors
and fuperftitions were retained. Henry never could have ef-
fected this mighty mcafure, had it not been for his defpotic
clifpofition, which broke out on every occafion. Upon a
tflight fufpicion of his queen's inconftancy, and after a Iham
trial, he cut off her head, and put to death fome of her neareft
relations, and he was declared arbitrary by repeated acts of
parliament, which affcmblcd only as a board to execute his
pleafures. The diffolution of the religious houfcs, and the
jmmenfe wealth that came to Henry, by feizing all the cccle-
iialtical property in his kingdom, enabled him to give full
icope to his fanguinary difpoution, fo that the beft and moft
innocent blool of England was daily fhed on fcaffolds, and
ilew days pafled that were not marked with fome illuftrious
victim of his tyranny. Among others was the aged countcfs
of Salifbury, defcended immediately from Edward IV. and
mother to the cardinal Pole, the marquis of Exeter, the lord
Montague, and others of the blood royal, for holding a cor-
refpondence with that cardinal.

His third wife was Jane Seymour, daughter to a c!;cntloman
of fortune and family i but me died in bringini; Edward VI.
into the world. His fourth wife was Anne, filter to the duke
of Cleves. He diflikcd her fo much, that he fcarce bedded
with her, and obtaining a divorce, he fufFcrcd her to rcfiie in
^England, on a penfron of 300:) 1. a year. His fifth wife v.as
Catharine Howard, niece to the duke of Norfolk, whofe hcid
he cut off for ante-nuptial incontincncy. His lalt wile was
queen Catherine Par, in whofc poficflion he died, after nar-
rowly efcaping being brought to the Itakc for her religious
opinions^ which favoujred the reformatio]!. Henry's cruelty

ciicreafetl

ut the yca^

Defender vf

; nut about

th regard to

widow. I

c influenced

if honour to

aincd from

TliL- diffi-

, who died

power and

ur Cranmcr,

, it is w;.'ll

atic'ii to or

iig about a

omifli errors

lid have ef-

his defpotic

I. Upon a

ftcr a fhain

»r her nearc'ft

a ted acts of

execute his

and the

ill the ccclc-

to give full

:ft and moft

:aftblds, and

le illullrious

ged countcfs

ird IV. and

fer, the lord

Id;ng a cor-

a gentleman
Edward VJ.

to the duke
:arce bedded
■ to rcfiJc in
fth wife v.-as

whofe he, id
lit wiic was
1, after nar-
ler rcliivious
ry's cruelty
ciicreafai

ENGLAND.

401

cncrcafcd with his years, and was now cxcrcifcd promircnouflj'
on Frotcftants and Catholics. He put the brave enri of Surry to
death without a crime being proved againft him ; and his fa-
ther, the duke of Norfolk, mult have fuftcrcd neXt day, haA
he not been favcd by Henry's own death, in the year 1547,
in the 56th year of his age, and the 38th of his reign.

'I'he ftatc of England, during the reign of Hrnry VUI.
is, by the helj) of printing, too well known to be enlarged
upon here, rlis attention to the naval feciirity of England
is highly commendable ; and it is certain that he employed
the defpotic power he was pofTeilisd (>f, in many rcfpcdls for
the glory and intcrcft of his fiibj els. Without enquiring;
into his religious motives, it mult be candi»!ly confellcd, that
had the reformation gone through all the forms prefcribed by
the laws, and the courts of julticc, it probably never could
have taken place, or at Icaft not for many years ; and what-
ever Henry's perfonal crimes or failings might haVe befp, the
partition he made of the church's property among his cour-
tiers and favourites, and thereby refcuing it from dead h inds,
undoubtedly promoted the prelent greatncfs of England. With
regard to learn. ng i.nd the arts, Henry was a generous en-
couragcr of loth. He gave a penfion to Erafmusj which is
another name for learning itfelf. He brought to England, en-
couraged, ai>d protected Hans Holbein, that excellent painter
and architc<ft ; and in his rei;;n noblemen's houfes began to
have the air of Italian magnificence and regularity. He was
a conftant and generous friend to Cranmcr : and though he
was, upon the whole, rr'iher whimfical than fettled in his
own principles of religion, he advanced and encouraged many
who became afterwards the inltruments of a more pure re-
formation.

In this reign the Bible was ordered to be printed in Englifh.
Wales Was united and incorporated with England. Ireland
was created into a kingdom, and Henry took the title of king
of Ireland.

Edward VI. was but nine years of age at the time of hi«
father's death ; and after fome difputes were over, the regency
ivas fettled in the perfon of his uncle the earl of Hertford, af-
terwards the prote<ftor and duke of Somcrfet, a declared friend
and patron of the reformation, and a bitter enemy to the fee
of Rome. Much of the popifti leaven, however, ft ill re-
tiiained in the council, which was embroiled at once with
Ffance and Scotland. The protestor marched with an army
into Scotland, to force that people to give their young queeil
Mary, only child of James V< iii marriage to Edward, with «
view to unite the two kingdoms, a meafurc which the late king
had recommended with his dying breath to his executors. The

V01-. I, C C pr*-

rj ■

'402 ENGLAND.

prote£lor defeated the Scots at PInkey, but the match never took
place; andthefa6tionsnowfonningagainfttheprote6lor, obliged
him to return with his army to England. His own brother, who
had married the queen dowager, was at the head of his ene-
mies, and (he dying, he made his addrefles to the princefs
Elizabeth, afterwards queen. '^J'his gave a handle to the pro-
tedtor to bring his brother, who was lord admiral, to the block,
where he lolt his head.

The reader is to obferve in general, that the reformation
was not eft'eded without many public difturbances. The com-
mon people, during the reign of Henry and Edward, being
deprived of the vaft relief they had from abbeys and religious
houfes, and being ejedled from their fmall corn-growing farms,
had often taken arms, but had been as often fupprefled by the
government ; and feveral of thefe infurreftions were crufhed
in this reign. A war, which was not very happily managed,
broke out with Scotland ; and the protedlor, who was, upon
the whole, a weak, but confcientious man, was fo intent upon
religion, that he was iirft driven from the helm of flate, and
then loft his head upon a fcaffold, by a fadlion formed equally
of papifts and pretended proteftants. Dudley, who was cre-
ated duke of Northumberland, then took the lead in the go-
vernmint, and drove Edward, who, though young, meant
extremely well, and was a fincere proteftant, into many im-
politic acts, fo that upon the whole England never made a
poorer figure than it did in this reign.

The reformation, however, went on rapidly, through the
zeal of Cranmer, and other, fome of them foreign, divines.
In fome cafes, particularly with regard to the princefs Mary,
they loft fight of that moderation, which the reformers had before
fo ftrongly recommended ; and fome cruel fanguinary execu-
tions, on account of religion, took place. Edward's youth
excufes him from blame, and his charitable endowments,
which ftill exift and flourifh, fliew the goodnefs of his heart.
He died of a deep confumption in 1553, An the i6th year of
his age, and the 7th of his reign.

Edward, on his death bed, from his zeal for religion, had
made a very unconftitutional will, for he fet afide his fifter
Mary from the fucceffion, which was claimed by lady Jane
Grey, daughter to the duchefs of Suffolk, younger fifter to
Henry VHI. This lady, though fhe had fcarcely reached her
17th year, was a prodigy of learning and virtue ; but the bulk
of the Englifh nation recognized the claim of the princefs
Mary, who cut off lady Jane's head, and that of her huf-
band lord Guilford Dudley, fon to the duke of Northumber-
land, who fuffered in the fame manner,

Mary

ENGLAND.

4oj

Mary being thus fettled on the throne, fupprefled an infur-
reftion under Wyat, and proceeded like a female fury to re-
eflablifh popery, which fhe did all over England. She re-
called cardinal Pole from banifhment, made him the principal
inftrument of her cruelties, and lighted up the flames of per-
fecution, in which archbifhop Cranmer, the bifhops Ridley,
Hooper, and Latimer, and many other illuftrious confefl'ors of
the Englifh reformed church, were confumed ; not to mention
a vaft number of other facrificcs of both fexes, and all ranks,
that fufFered through every quarter of the kingdom. Bonner,
bifhop of London, and Gardiner bifhop of Winchefter, were,
under Pole, the chief executioners of her bloody mandates ;
and had fhe lived, fhe would have endeavoured to exterminate
all her proteftant fubjeils.

Mary was married to Philip IL king of Spain, who, like
herfelf, was an unfeeling bigot to popery ; and the chief praife
of her reign is, that by the marriage articles provifion was
made for the independency of the Englifh crown. By the af-
fiflance of troops, which fhe furnifhed to her hufband, he
gained the important battle of St. Quintin j but that victory
was fo ill improved, that the French, under the duke of Guife,
foon after took Calais, the only place then remaining to the
Englifh in France. This lofs, which was chiefly owing to
cardinal Pole's fecret connexions with the French court, is
faid to have broken Mary's heart, who died in 1558, in the
42d year of her life, and 6th of her reign. '* In the heat of
her perfecuting flames, (fays a contemporary writer of credit)
were burnt to afhes, 5 bifhops, 21 divines, 8 gentlemen, 84
artificers, and 100 hufbandmen, fervants, and labourers, 26
wives, 20 widows, 9 virgins, 2 boys, and 2 infants ; one of
them whipped to death by Bonner, and the other, fpringing
out of the mother's womb from the flake as flie burned, thrown
again into the fire."

Elizabeth, daughter to Henry VIIL by Anne Bullen,
mounted the throne under the mofl difcouraging circum-
flances, both at home and abroad. Popery was the eflablifhed
religion of England j her title to the crown, on account of
the circumflances attending her mother's marriage and death,
was difputed by Mary queen of Scots, grand-child to Henry
VH's eldefl daughter, and wife to the dauphin of France ;
and the only ally fhe had on the continent was Philip king of
Spain, who was the life and foul of the popifh caufe, both
abroad and in England. Elizabeth was no more than 25 years
of age, at the time of her inauguration, but her fufferings
under her bigotted fifler, joined to the fuperiorlty of her ge-
nius, had taught her caution and policy, and fhe foon con-
quered all difficulties, Even to mention every glorious aflion

C c 2 of

404 E N G L A N D.

of her reign, would far exceed my bounds, I (hall therefore
here only touch on the great lines of her government.

In matters of religion flie fucceeded with furprizing facilitj',
for in her firft parliament, in 1559, ^^^ \^\'vs eftablifhing po-
pery were repealed, her fuprcmacy was reftdred, and an a£t
of uniformity palled foon after. With regard to her title, (he
took advantage of the divided ftate of Scotland, and formed
a paitytheie, by which A'lary, noW become the widow of
J'rancis II. of France, was obliged to renounce, or rather
to fufpend her claim. Elizabeth, not contented with this,
fent troops and money. Which fupported the Scotch rtlftle-
contents, till Mary's unhappy marriage, and her other mis-
fortunes dro\e her to take refuge in Elizabeth ^s dominions,
where fhc had been often promifed a fafe and an honourable
afylum. It is well known how unfaithful Elizabeth was to
this profelTion of fricndfhip, and that (he detained the un-
happy prifoncr 18 years In England, then brought her to
a flium trial, pretending that Mary aimed at the crown, and,
without the Icaft proof of guilt, cut ofF her head, an action
which muft ha\e tarnlflied all the glories of her reign had it
been a thoufand times more fplendid than it was.

As to Elizabeth's affairs with Spain, which formed, in
fail, the main bufmefs of her government, they exhibit dif-
ferent fcenes of wonderful events, partly arifing from her
own mafterly condutt, partly from the fagacity of her ftatef-
men^ and partly from the intrepidity of her forces by fea and
land*

The fame Philip, who had been the hufband of her late
fifter, upon Elizabeth's acceflion to the throne, offered to
marry her, but (he dextroufly avoided his addre(res ; and by a
train of fkilful ncji;ociations between her court and that of
France, flie kept the balance of Europe fo undetermined, that
(he had Icifure to ujiite her people at home, and to eftablKh
nn excellent internal policy in her dominions. She fometimes
fupported the proteftants of France ; and (he fometimcs gave
the dukes of Anjou and Alenzon the ftrongeft afluranccs that
one or other of them (hould be her hufband ; by which (he
kept th.-it court, who dreaded Spain, at the fame time in fo
good humour with her government, that it (lieWed no refent-
tnent when (he cut oft queen Mary's head.

When Philip was no longer to be impofed upon by Eliza-
beth's arts, which had amufcd and baffled him in every quarter;
It is well known that he made ufc of the immenfc fums which
he drew iiom Peru and Mexico, in equipping the moil formi-
dable armament thnt perhaps ever had been put to fea, and a
numerous army of veterans, under the prince of Parma, thfi

bell

•/;

ENGLAND. 405

beft captain of that age ; and that he procured a papal bull for
abfolving Elizabeth's fubje<^s from their allegiance. No
reader fan be fo uninformed as to be ignorant of the confe-
quence$, that the largencfs of the Spanifli (hips proved difad-
vantageous to them on the feas where they engaged ; that the
lord admiral Howard, and the brave fea-officers under him,
engaged, beat, and chafed the Spanifli fleet for feveral days,
and that the feas and tempefts finifhcd the dcftrii£tion which
the Englifli arms had t|cgun, and that few of the Spanifli fhips
recovered their ports. Nc;^t to the admiral lord Howard of
EfHngham, Sir Francis Drake, captain Hawkins, and captain
Forbiflier, diftinguiflied themfelves againft this formidable in-
vafion, in which the Spaniards are faid to have loft 8i Ihips of
war, large and fmall, and 13,500 men.

Elizabeth hud for fome time fupported the revolt of the Hol-
landers from Philip, and had fent them her f;ivourite, the earl
of Leicefter, who a<fled as her viceroy and g^eral in the Low
Countries,. Though Leicefter behaved ill, yet her meafures
were fo wife, that the Dutch eftabliflied their independency
upon Spain, and then flic fent fordi her fleets under Drake,
Raleigh, the earl of Cumberland, and other gallant naval
oificers, into the Eaft and Weft Indies, from whence they
brought prodigious treafures taken from the Spaniards into
England,

After the death of the earl of Lei.efter, the young earl of
Efl'ex became Elizabeth's chief favourite, and commanded the
land forces in a joint expedition with the lord admiral Howard,
in which they took and plundered the city of Cadiz in Spain,
deftroyed the fliips in the harbour, and did other damage to the
Spaniards, to the amount of twenty millions of ducats.

Eii'^abeth in her old a^e grew diftruftful, peevifli, and jea-t
lous. Though (lie undoubtedly loved the earl of Efl"ex, fh?
teize4 liim hy her capricioufnefs into the madnefs of taking
arms, and then cut oflF his head. She complained that ftie had
been betrayed into this fanguinary n^eafure, and this occafioned
a fuiking of her fpirits, which brought her to her grave in
1603, the 70th year of her age, and 45th of her reign, hav-
ing previouUy named her kinfman James VI. king of Scot-
land, and fon to Mary, for her fucceflbr.

The above, as I have already hinted, form the great lines of
Elizabeth's reign, and from them may be traced, either im-
mediately or remotely, every a^t of her government. She fup-^
ported tluc proteftants in Germany agaiijft the houfe of Au-
Uriav of which Philip, king of Spain, was the head. She
crushed the papiils in her ow;i dotniiiions for the fame rcafon,
and made a further reformation in the church of England, in

C c 3 \\'\ik\i

ihi

4o6 E N G L A N D;

which ftate it has remained ever fince. In 1600 the ^nglifh Eaft-
India company received its firft formation, that trade being
then in the hands of the Portuguefe (in confequence of their
having firft difcovered the paflage to India by the cape of Good
Hope) who at that time vi^ere fubjeds to Spain ; and fadories
were eftablifhed in China, Japan, India, Amboyna, Java,
and Sumatra.

Before queen Elizabeth's reign, the kings of England had
ufually recourfe to the city of Antwerp for voluntary loans ;
and rheir credit was fo low, that, befides the exorbitant in-
tereft of 10 or 12 per cent, they were obliged to make the city
of London join in the fecurity. The trade to Turkey was
begun about 1583 ; and that commerce was immediately con-
fined to a company by queen Elizabeth. Before that time,
the Grand Signior had always conceived England to be a de-
pendant provmce of France. About 1590 there were in Lon-
don four pcrfons only rated in the fubfidy book fo high as 400 1.
In 1567 there were found on enquiry to be 4851 flrangers of
all nations in London, of whom 3838 were Flemings, and
only 58 Scots.

As to Elizabeth's internal government, the fuccefies of her
reign ha\e difguifed it, for (he was far from being a friend to
perional liberty, and flie was guilty of many ftretches of power
againft the moll facred rights of Englifhmen. Before I clofe
this Ihort account of her reign, I am to obferve, that through
the practices of the Spaniards with the Irifli Roman catholics,
fhe found great difficulty to keep that ifland in fubjedion,
and at the time of her death her government there had gone
into great diforder.

We can fcarce require a ftronger proof that the Englifh
began to be tired of Elizabeth, than the joy teftified by all
ranks at the accefTion of her fuccelTor, notwithflanding the
long inveterate animofities between the two kingdoms. James
was far from being deflitute of natural abilities for govern-
ment, but he had received wrong impreffions of the regal of-
fice, and too high an opinion of his own dignity, learning,
and political talents. It was his misfortune that he mounted
the Englifh throne under a full convi(5lion that he was enti-
tled to all the unconflitutional powers that had been exer-
cifed by Elizabeth, and the houfe of Tudor ; nnd while he
was boafting of an almofl unlimited prerogative, therp; was
not fo much as a fmgle regiment in England to maintain his
extenfive claim ; a fufficient proof that he fincerely believed
his pretenfions to be well grounded. He made no allowance
for the glories of Elizabeth ; which, as I have obfervpd, dif-
guifed b?r moft arbitrary adts j and none for the free, liberal
<■■ ' ' jfcntimcntj;

ENGLAND. 407

fentiments which the improvement of knowledge and learning
had difFufed through England. It is needlefs, perhaps, to
point out the vaft encreafe of property through trade and na-
vigation, which enabled the Englilh at the fame time to defend
their liberties. James's firft attempt of great confequence wap
to effedt an union between England and Scotland ; but though
Jie failed in this through the averfion of the Englifli to that
meafure, he fliewed no violent refentment at the difappoint-
ment. It was an advantage to him at the beginning of his
jeign that the courts of Rome and Spain were thought to be his
enemies ; and this opinion was increafed by the difcovery and
defeat of the gun-powder treafon *.

I have taken notice, in feveral preceding parts of this work,
of the vaft obligations which commerce and colonization
owed to this prince ; and, in fLi6t, he laid the foundations of
all the advantages which the Englifli have reaped from either.
That his pedantry was ridiculous cannot be denied j .and it is
certain that he had no juft ideas of the Englifh conftitutioii
and liberties. This led him into many abi'urd difputes with
his parliament, and has thrown a moft difagiecable lliade upon
his memory. Without enquiring from what motive his love
of peace proceeded, I may venture to affirm that it was pro-
.duftive of many bleffings to England ; and though his per-
petual negociations have given rife to much fatire againft his
.perfon and government, yet they were lefs expenfive and de-

C c 4 ftruftive

* This was a fcheme of the Roman catholics to cut oft' at one blow the king*
lords, and commons, at the maeting of parliament, when it was alfo expefted that
the queen, and prince of Wales, would be prefent. The manner of enlifting any
new confpirator was by oath, and adminiftriiig the facrament ; and this dreadful fe-
cret, after being religioufly kept near 18 months, was happily difcovered in the
following manner: about ten days before the lung wifhcd for meeting of parlia-
ment, a Roman catholic peer received a letter, which had been delivered to his
fervant by an unknown hand, earncftly advifing him. to fliift off his attendance on
parliament at that time, but which contained no kind of explanation. The nobleman,
though he confidered the letter as a foolifli attempt to frighten and ridicule him,

/thought proper to la/ it before the king, who ftiidying the contents with more atten-
tion, began to fufpeft fomc dangerous contrivance by gun-powder ; and it was judged
advifable to infpeft all the vaults below the houfcs of parliament, but the fcarch was
purpofely delayed till the night immediately preceding the meeting, when a juftice of
peace was fent with proper attendants, and before the di)or of the vault under the upper
lioufe, finding one Fawkes, who had juft finiilicd all his preparations, he imme-
diately feized him, and at the fame time difcovered in the vault 36 barrels of
powder, which had been carefully concealed under faggots and piles of wood. The
match, with every thing proper for fetting fire to the train, were found in Fawkcs's
pocket, whofe countenance bcfpoke his favagc difpofition, and who, after regretting
that he had loft the opportunity of deftroying fo many heretics, made a full difco-
very ; and the confpirators, who never exceeded 80 in number, being f;ized by the
country people, confeflcd their guilt, and were executed in different parts of Lon-

■ im. Notwithftanding this horrid crime, the bigotted catholics were fo devoted to.
Carnct, a jefuit, one of the confpirators, that they fancied miratlci tw bc wrought
by his blood, and in .Spain he was conliJcred as a martyr.

)mM

408

ENGLAND.

itru6tivc to his people th;in any wars he could havd entered
into. He reftored to the Dutch their cautionary towr.s, upon
difcharging part of* the inortga/:>,e that was upon them ; but he
procure! from Sp in at the fame time an acknowledgment of
their 'ndepend ncy.

James p.avc his daughter the p'incefs Elizabeth in marriage
to the cletf^or pah.tine, the moft powerful pnteftant prince in
Germany, and he focn after aiTumed the crown of Bohemia.
'The memory of Jamts has b-cn much abuP d for his tame be-
1iavio.tr after that prince had 1 'ft his k'n;^ 'om and elec^. orate
by the imperial arms ; but it is to be obferved that he always
oppofcd his fpn-in-law's afliiming the crown of Bohemia ; that
had he kindled a war to reinftate him in that ajul his electo-
rate, he probably would have ftood fingle in the fame, except-
jnp; the feeble and uncertain afllftance he miuht have received
from the elector's dependents and friends in Germany. No-
thing, however, is more certain than that James furnifhed the
deiftor with large fums of money to retrieve them, and that he
actually raifed a regiment of 2200 men, under Sir Horace
Vere, who carried them over to Germany, where the Ger-
mans, under the marquis of Anfpach, rcfufed to fccond them
againft Spinola the Spanifh general, and that the eleiSlor hurt
his own caufe by not giving the brave count Mansfield the
<Eommand of his tropps inftead of Anfpach.

James has been greatly and juftly blamed for his partiality
f.o favourites. His firft was Robert Car, a private Scotch gen-
tleman, who was raifed to be firft minifter and earl of Somer-
fet. He married the countefs of EiTex, who had obtained a
jliyorce from her hufband, and was with her found guilty of
poifoning Sir Thomas Overbury in theTowcrj but James, con-
trary as is faid to a folemn oath he made, pardoned them both,
His next favourite was George Villiers, apriyateEngli Ti gentle-
man, who, upon Somerfet's difgrace, was admitted to an
linufual ftiare of favour and familiarity with his fovereign.
James had at that time formed a fyftem of policy for at-
tsiching himfelf intimately to the court of Spain, that it might
afl^ft hjm in recovering the palatinate ; and to this fyftem he
had facrificed the brave Sir Walter Raleigh, on g ciiarge of
having committed boftilities againft the Spanifti fettlements in
the Weft-Indies. James ha'ing loft his eldeft fon Henry,
prince of Wales, who had an invincibli; antipathy to a popifli
match, threw his eyes upon the infanta of Spain, as a proper
wife for his fon Charles, who had fucccedcd to that principa-
lity^ Buckingham, who was equally a favourite with the fon
^ with the father, fell in with the prince's romantic humour,
and againft the king's will they travelled in difguife to Spain,

ENGLAND. 409

where a moft folemn farce of courtfliip was played, but the
prince returned without his bride, and, had it not been for the
royal ptrtiality in his favour, the earl of Briftol, who wa?
then ambaflador in Spain, would probably have brought Buck-
ingham to the block.

James was all this while perpetually jarring with his parlia-
ment, whom he could not perfuade to furnim money equal to
his demands ; and at laft he agreed to his fon's marrying the
princefs Henrietta Maria, fifter to Lewis XIII. and daughter
to Henry the Great of France. James died before the com-
pletion of this match, and it is thought that had he lived, he
would have difcarded Buckingham. His death happened in
1625, in the 59th year of his age, after a reign over England
of 22 years. As to the progrcfs of the arts and learning under
his reign, it has been already defcribed. James encouraged
and employed that excellent painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens, as
well as Inigo Jones, who reftored the pure tafte j»f architec-
ture in England. His was the golden reign for theological
learning; and under him poetical genius, though not much
encouraged at court, arrived at its vertical point.

Charles I. was unfortunate in his marriage with the princefs
Henrietta Maria. He feems to have been but a cold lover,
and he quarrelled with and fent Hack her favourite attendants
a few days after her arrival in England. On the other hand
fhe had a high fpirit, difdained and difliked every thing that
was incompatible in government with her Italian and arbitrary
education, and was a difagrccable wife, notwithftanding her
hufband's fubmiflion and tendernefs. The fpirit of the people
had forced the late king into a breach with Spain* and Charles
early gave fuch indications of his partiality for Buckingham,
and his own defpotic temper, that the parliament was remifs in
furnifliing him with money for carrying on the war. In a
fliort time Buckingham perfuaded Charles to take the part of
the French Hugonots, in their quarrel with that crown. They
were fo ill fupported, though Charles was fmcere in ferving
them, that Rochelle was reduced to extremity, by which the
proteftant intereft received an irrecoverable blow in France.
l"he blame of all the public mifcarriagcs and difgraces was
throv/n by, the almoft, unanimous voice both of the parlia-
ment and people upon the favourite j but he fheltered himfelf
from their vengeance under the royal protcdlion till he was
murdered by one Felton, a fubaltern officer, as he was ready
to embark for the relief of Rochelje, which foon after furreji-
/dered to cardinal Richlieu.

The death of the duke of Buckingham, which happened in
f 628, did not deter Charles from his arbitrary proceeding;;,

which

■J f

•410 E N G L A N D.

which the Englifli patriots in that enhghteiicd age confidered
as fo many ads of tyranny. He, without authority of parlia-
ment, laid arbitrary impofitions upon trade, which were rc-
tufcd to be paid by many of the merchants and members of
the houfc of commons. Some of them were imprifoned, and
the judges were checked for admitting them to bail. The
houfe of commons refentcd thofe proceedings by drawing up
a protefl-, and denying admittance to the gcntleman-ufher of
the black rod, who came to adjourn them, till it was finifhed.
I'his ferved only to widen the breach, and the king diflblved
the parliament, after which he exhibited informations againft
nine of the moft eminent members, among whom was the great
Mr. Selden. They objected to the jurifdiilion of the court,
but their plea was over-ruled, and they were fent to prifon
during the king's pleafure.

Every thing now operated towards the deftruiSlion of Charles.
The commons had voted him no money even for the mainte-
nance of his houfhold, and prefuming on what had been prac-
ticed in reigns when the principles of liberty v/cre imperfectly,
or not at all underrtood, he levied money upon" monopolies of
fait, foap, and fuch necefl'aries, and other obfolcte claims, par-
ticularly for knighthood. His government becoming every day
more and more unpopular. Burton, a divine, Prynne, a law-
yer, and Boftwick, a phyfician, all of them men of mean
parts, but defperately refolute and fiery, founded the trumpet
of fedition, and their punifhments were fo fevere that they
encreafed the unpopularity of the government. Unfortunately
for Charles, he put his confcience into the hands of Laud,
archbifhop of Canterbury, who was as great a bigot as him-
felfy both in church and ftate. Laud advifed him to perfecute
the puritans, and to introduce the religion of the church of
Eriigland into Scotland. The Scots upon this formed fecret
connexions with the difcontented Englifh, and invaded Eng-
land, where Charles was fo ill-ferved by his officers and his
army, that he was forced to agrqe to an inglorious peace with
the Scots ; but neither party being fincere in obferving the
terms, and Charles difcovering that fome of their great men
had offered to throw themfelves under the protection of the
French king, he raifed a frcfli army by virtue of his preroga-
tive^ All his preparations, however, were baffled by the Scots,
who made themfelves matters of Newcaftlc and Durham, and
being now openly befriended by the houfe of commons, they
©bliged the king to comply with their demands.

Charles did this with fo bad a grace, though he took a
>ourney to Scotland for that purpofe, that it did him no fer-
^'ice j on the coiiiU*ary it eflcouraged the commons to rife in

tlicir

E N G L A N D; 4ti

their demands. He had made Wentworth earl of StrafFord, a
man of great abilities, preftdent of the council of the north,
and lord lieutenant of Ireland j and he was generally believed
to be thefirft minifter of ftate. Strafford had been at the head
of the oppofition, and by changing his party he became fo
much the object of public dctcftation, that they forced Charles
in an illegal and imperious manner to confent to the cutting
off his head ; and Laud loft his foon after in like manner. ^

Charles, upon various occafions, faw the neceffity of mode-
ration, and fought to recover the affections of his people, firft
by paffing the Petition of Right, and afterwards agreeing to other
popular demands made by the commons, Thefe compliances did
him no fcrvice. A rebellion broke out in Ireland, where the pro-
teftants were maflacred by thepapifts, and great pains were taken
to perfuadc the public that Charles fecretly favoured them out
of hatred to his Englifli fubjedts. The bifhops were expelled
the houfe of peers, and the leaders of the Englifh houfe of com-
mons ftill kept up a correfpondence with the difcontented Scots.
Charles was ill enough advifed to go in perfon to the houfe of
commons, and demanded that lord Kimbolton, Mr. Pym, Mr.
Hampden, Mr. Hollis, Sir Arthur Hafelrig, and Mr. Stroud,
Ihould be apprehended, but they previoufly had made their
efcapc. This a£l of Charles was rcfented as high treafon
againft his people, and the commons rejedled all the offers of
fatisfa£tion he could make them. The city of London took
the alarm, and the accufed members into its protection. The
train-bands were raifed, and the mobs were fo unruly, that
Charles removed from Whitehall to Hampton-court, and from
thence into Yorklhire, where he raifed an army to face that
which the parliament, or rather the houfe of commons, had
raifed in and about London.

That the nation in general did not think their liberties in
danger, or that the king was a tyrant, appears from the ala-
crity and numbers with which he was ferved, and which was
compofed of three-fourths of the landed property of England.
The parliament, however, took upon themfelves the executive
power, and were favoured by many of the trading towns and
corporations, but its great refource lay in London. The
Icing's general was the earl of Lindfey, a brave, but not an
cnterprizing commander, but he had great dependence on his
nephews the princes Rupert and Maurice, fons to the eledtor
palatine, by his fifter the princefs Elizabeth. Li the beginning
of the war the fenfe of honour which prevailed among the
king's officers was too ftrong for the principles on which the

SVliament forces fought, but a fpirit of ciithufiafm catching
le latter, it becan;e too powerful for honour. The earl of

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W^B

412

ENGLAND.

tflbx was made general under the parliament, and the fnft
battle was fought at Edge-hill in Warwickihire, in O»flobcr
1642 ; but both parties claimed the victory, though the ad-
vaiUage lay with Charles, for the parliament was fo much dif-
trtfliid, that they iii\ited the Scots to come to their affiftance,
and they accordingly invaded England anew, with about 20,000
horfe and foot. Charles atteinpled to remove the parliament
to Oxford, where many members of both houfes met ; but his
enemies continued Hill fitting at Weftminlter, where they
proftcuted their animofitics againft the royalifts with great
fury. The independent party, which had fcarcely before been
thought of, bvgan now to unnvafk themfelves and to figure at
Wcftir.inllev. 'I'hey equally hated the picfbyterians, who till
then had c nducted the rebellion, as they did the royalifts,
and fuch was their n-iiuvigcmei-.t, under the dircdtion of the
famous Oliver Cromv/ell, that a plan was formed, for difmif-
fnig the carls of Ellcx, and Manchefter, and the heads of the
prclbytcriany, from the parliament's fervice, and for intro-
ducing Fairfax, who was an excellent (officer, but more ma-
nageable, though a prefbvterian, and fomc independent oflicers.
In the mean while, the vvar went on v/ith unremitting fury on
both fides. Two battles were fought at Newbury, in which
the advantage inclined to the king. He had likewife many
other fuccelfes, and having d( feated Sir William Waller, he
purfued the earl of Eilex, who remained itill in command, into
Cornwall, fioni wlience he was obliged to efcape by fea, bat
his infantry furrendered th^'mfelves prifoncrs to the royalifts,
though his cavalry delivered themfelves by thvir valour.

The firft fatal blow the king's army received, was at Mar-
fton-moor, where, through the imprudence of prince Rupert,
the carl of Manchclier defeated the royal army, of which 4000
were killed, and 1500 takeii prifoners. This vidlory was ow-
ing chiefly to the courage and conduct of Cromwell, and tho*
it might have been retrieved by the fucceffes of Charles in thu
weft, yet his whole conduiSl w.is a ftring of miftakes, till at
iaft, his affairs became irretrievable. It is true, many trea-
ties of peace, particularly one at Uxbridge, were fet on foot
during the war, and the heads of the prcfliyterian party would
have agreed to terms, that would have bounded the kinsc's
prerogative. They were outwitted, betrayed, and overruled,
by the independents, who were aflifted by the ftift'ncfs, and
unamiable behaviour of Charles hin^felf In fliort, the inde-t
pendents at Iaft fucccedcd, in perfuading the members at Weft »
mi niter, that Charles was not to be trufted, whatever his con-
ceiiions miijht be. From that moment the aftairs of the rova-
lifts ruftied into ruin. Sir Thomas Fairfax, whofe father, lord

Fairfax,

ENGLAND.

4V1

mnand, into

Fairfax, remained in the north, was at the head of the army,
which was now new modol'cd, lb that Charles by piecemeal
loll all his towns and forts, and was defeated by t'airfax and
Cromwell, at the dccinve battle of Nafcby, owing partly a«
iiAial to the mifcondiikit of prince Rupert. This battle was
followed by frcfh misfortunes to Charles, who retired to Ox-
ford, the only place where he thought he could be fafc.

'['he Scots were then befieging Newark, and no good un-
dcrftanding i'ubfifted between them and the Englifh parliamen-
tarians, but the belt and molt loyal friends Charles had,
thought it prudent to make their pe cc. In this melancholy
fituation of his nflair*-, he eicaped in difgnifc from Oxford to
this Scotch armv before Newark, upon a promifc of protcdlion.
The Scors, however, were fo intimidated, by the relbhitions
of the parliament at Wcftminltcr, that they put the perfon of
Charles into the hands of the parliament's coniminioncrs, not
fufpeiting the fat.il confequcnces.

The prefbytcrians now faw, more than ever, the ncceffityof
ftiaking peace with the king, but they were no longer matters,
being forced to rt'ctivc laws from the army, and tlie imlcpcn-
dents. The latter now avowed their intentions. They firft
by force took Chnrlcs out of the hands of the commiflioners in
June 1647, and thrn dreading that a treaty might ftill taki
place with the king, they imprifoned 41 of the prefbyterian
members, voted the houfe of peers to be ufelcfs, and that of
the commons was reduced to 150 independents, and moft of
them officers of the army. In the mean while Charles, who
unhappily promifcd himfcif relief from thofe diflentions, was
carried from prifon to prifon, and fometin\es cajoled by the
independents, with hopes of deliverance, but always narrowly
watched. Several treaties were let on foot, but all mifcarricd,
and he had been imprudent enough, after his efte6ting ait
tfcape, to put hiinfelf into colonel Hammond's hands, the par-
liament's governor of the iflc of Wight. A frefh negociarion
was begun and aimoft finifhed, when the independents, dread-
ing the gen: ral difpofition of the people for peace, once more
fcized upon the king's perfon, brought him a prifoncr to Lon-
don, carried him before a mock court of juftice, of their own
ere6tlng, and after a fham trial, his head was cut oft', before
his own palace at Whiteh ill, an the 30th of January, 1648-9,
being the 49th year of his age, and the 24th of his reign.

Charles is allowed to have had many virtues, and there is
rcafon to believe, that affliflion had faujrht him fo much wif-
dom and moderation, that had he been reftorcd to his throne,
he would have become a molt excellent prince. This un-
doubtedly was the fcnfc of his people, at the time of his

murder.

i:|

ril

i\l

f.-iV't f

414

ENGLAND.

murder, as It was iinivcrfallydctcftccl by all but the parricides,
who brought him to the block, and were heated by enthufiafm.
Many, in the courfe of the rebellion, who had been his
great opponents in parliament, became fmcere converts to his
caufe, in which they loft their lives and fortunes, and never
did any prince die more generally lamented, than he did, by
his people. We cannot refledt upon the great lofs of lives, to
the amount at leaft of 100,000 fighting men, during the fix
years of the civil war, without being inclined to think that
£ngla.id was more populous then, than it is now. Though
the hi'.Wy of that period has been minutely related, by writers
of uil parties, who had the very belt opportunities to know
the true ftate of the nation, yet we do not find that the lol's of
men had any influence upon agriculture or commerce, or the
excrcifc of the common arts of life, and provifions rather
funk than rofe in their value, 'l^he furviving children of
Charles, were Charles and James, who were fuccellively kings
of England, Henry, duke of (jiouceiter, who died foon after
his brother's rcftoration ; the princels Mary, married to the
prince of Orange, and mother to William, prince of Orange,
who was afterwards king of England, and the princafs Hen-
rietta Maria, who was married to the duke of Orleans, and
whofe daughter was married to Vit^lor Amadcus, duke of Sa-
voy, and king of Sardinia.

They who brought Charles to the block, were men of dif-
ferent perfuafions and principles, but many of them poflefied
moft amazing abilities for government. They omitted no
meafurc that could give a perpetual exclufion to kingly power
in England, and it cannot be denied, that after they credcd
themfelves into a commonwealth, they did prodigious things,
for retrieving the glory of England by fea. They were joined
by many of the prefbyterians, and both factions hated Crom-
well and Ireton, though they were forced to employ them in
the reduction of Jrehuul, and afterwards againlt the Scots,
who had received Charles II. as their king. By cutting
down the timber upon the royal domains, they produced, as it
were by magic, all at once, a fleet fupci ior to any that had
ever been feen in Europe. Their general, Cromwell, in-
vaded Scotland, and though he was there reduced to great dif-
ficulties, he totally defeated the Scots, at the battles of Dun-
bar and Worceftcr. The fame commonwealth pafl'ed an adt
of navigation, and declaring war againlt the Dutch, who were
thought till then invincible at fea, they efiedtually humbled
thofc republicans in repeated engagements.

By this time Cromwell, who hated the republic, had the

addrefs to get himfdf declared commander in chief of the

2 ■ Enjilifli

ENGLAND. 415

Englifli army. Admiral Blake, and the other F.i^iifh ad-
mirals, carried the terror of the Englifh name by n a, tv> all
quarters of the globe ; and Cromwell having now uut little
employment, began to be afraid that his fervices vould be
forgotten, for which rcafon he went without any ccicnnuny,
with a flic of niufqiietcers, diflblvcd the parliament, and op-
probrioufly drove all the members out of their houfe. He next
annihilated the coujicil of ftate, with whom the executive
power was lodged, and transferred the adminiflration of go-
vernment to about 140 pcrfons, whom he fummoncd to White-
hail, on the 4th of July, 1653.

The war with Holland, in which the Englifh were again
vldtorious, (till continued. Seven Moody engagements by lea,
were fought in little more than the compafs of one year, and
in the laft, whicii was decilive in lavour of England, the
Dutch loft their brave admiral Van fromp. Cromwell all
this while wanted to be declared kinir, but he perceived that
he muft encounter unfurmountable difficulties from Fleet-
wood, and his other friends, if he fhould pcifift in. his relb-
lution. He was however declared lord protector of the com-
mon wealth of England, a title, under which he cxcrcifed all
the power that had been formerly annexed to therej^al dignity.
He next proceeded to new model the government, and various
were the fchemes that were propofed, eftabliflied, and proved
abortive. Thofc fchemes, however, were temporary, and
fuited to each jundture, nor have we any high idea of Crom-
well's political capacity, but in his management of the army,
by which he did every thing. He was openly or fecretly
thwarted by people of property all over England, and how-
ever dazzled hiftorians have been with his amazing fortune and
power, it appears, from the beft evidences, that during the
continuance of his prote<5lorate, he was perpetually diftrelt for
money, to keep the wheels of his government going.

His wants at laft led him into the fatal error of taking part
with France againft Spain, in hopes that the rich Spanifli
prizes would fupply him with ready money. He lent the
French court 6000 men, and Dunkirk being taken by their
affiftance from the Spaniards, he took podelTion of it. Find-
ing that his ufurpation gave as much difcontent to his own
party, as terror to the royalifts, he had thoughts of renewing
the model of the conftitution, and at^lually ercded a houfe of
lords out of his own creatures. No king ever a<5ted either in
England, or Scotland, more defpotlcally than he did, yet no
tyrant ever had fewer real friends, and even thofe few threa-
tened to oppofe him, if he fliould take upon him the title of
kina;. Hiftorians, in drawing a chara^flcr of Cromwell, have

tecfli

416 ENGLAND.

been impofed upon by his amazing fuccefs, and dazzled by
the luftie of his fortune j but when we confult Thurloe's, and
other ftate papers, the impofition in a great meafure vanifhes.
After a moft uncomfortable ufurpation of four years, eight
months, and thirteen days, he died furrounded by enthufialh,
on the 3d of September, 1658, in the 60th year of his age.

It is not to be denied that England acquired much more rc-
fpc(5l from foreign powers, between the death of Charles I.
and that of Cromwell, than (he had been treated with fmcc
the death of Elizabeth. This was owing to the great men
who formed the republic, which Cromwell aboliflicd, and who
«s it were inllantaneoufly called forth the naval ftrcngth of the
kingdom. Neither they nor Cromwell had formed any fixed
plan of Icgillation, and his fafety was owing to the different
i'cntiments of government, that prevailed among the heads of
the republic. h\ the /ear 1656, the charge of the public
amounted to one million, three hundred thoufand pounds, of
which a million went to the fupport of the navy and army,
and the remainder to that of the civil goverimient. In the
fame year, Cromwell aboliflicd all tenures in capite^ by knight's
I'ervice, and foccage in chief, and likewife the courts of wards
and liveries. Several other orrievances that had been com-
plained of, during the late reigns, were Jikewife removed.
Next year the total charge, or public expence of England,
amounted to two millions, three hundred twenty fix thoufand,
nine hundred and eighty-nine pounds. The collections by
aircll'ments, excife, and cuftom?, paid into the Exchequer,
amounted to two millions, three hundred and fixty-two thou-
fand pounds, four fliillings.

Upon the whole it appears, that England, from the year
1648, to the year 1658, was improved equally in riches
as in power. The legal intereft of money was reduced
from 8 to 6 per cent, a fure fymptom of encreafing commerce.
The navigation adi, that palladium of the Englifh trade, was
planned and eftablifhed, though afterwards confirmed under
Charles II. Monopolies of all kinds were aboliflicd, and li-
berty of confcience to all fe6ts was granted to the vaft ad-
vantage of population and manufactures, which had fuffered
greatly by Laud's intolerant fchemes having driven numbers of
handicrafts to America, and foreign countries. To the above
rational meliorations, wc may add the modefty and frugality,
introduced among the common people, and the citizens in
particular, by which they were enabled to increafe their capi-
tals. It appears however that Cromwell, had he lived, and
been firmly fettled in the government, would have broken vhro'
the fober maxims of the republicans i for, fomc time before
4 hi9

E N G L A N t>;

4t^

his death, he afre6):ed great magnificence in his perfori, courts
and attendants. We know of no art, or fcience, that was
patronized by the ufurper, and yet he had the good fortune to
meet in the perfon of Cooper, an excellent miniature painter^
and his coins done by Simons, exceed in beauty and work-
itianfhip any of that age. He is likewife faid to have paid
fame regard to men of learning, and particularly to thofe en-
trufted with the care of youth at the univerfities.

The fate of Richard Cromwell, who fucceeded his father
©liver, as protedor, fufficiently proves the little forecaft,
which the latter had in matters of government, and his being
almoft totally unbefriended. Richard was placed in his dignity
by thofe who wanted to make him the tool of their own govern-
ment, and he was foon after driven without the Icaft ftruggle or
oppofition into contempt and obfcurity. it is in vain for
hiftorians of any party to afcribe the reftoration of Charles II.
(who with his mother and brothers, during the ufurpation,
had lived abroad on a very precarious fubfiftence) to tiie merits
of any particular perfons. It was efFefted by the general con-
currence of the people, who found by experience, that nei-
ther peace nor protection were to be obtained, but by reftoring
the ancient conftitution of monarchy. General Monk, a man
of military abilities, but of no principles, excepting fuch as
ferved his ambition or intereft, had the fagacity toobferve this,
and after temporizing in various fhapes, being at the head of
the army, he made the principal figure in reftoring Charles II.
For this he was created duke of Albemarle, confirmed in th«
command of the army, and loaded with honours and richest

Charles II. being reftored in 1660, in the firft year of his
reign, feemed to be under no influence, but that of his peo-
ple's happinefs. Upon his confirming the abolition of all the
feudal tenures, he received from the parliament a gift of the ex-
cife for life, and in this atSt, coffee and tea are firft mentioned.
By his long refidence, and that of his friends abroad, he im-
ported into England, the culture of many elegant vegetables^
fuch as that of afparagus, artichokes, cauliflowers, and feve-
ral kinds of beans, peas, and fallads. Under him, Jamaica,
which had been conquered, but negl'cted, by the EngliHi^
during the late ufurpation, was improved, and made a fugar
colony. The Royal Society was inftituted, and many popular
adh refpe£ting trade and colonization were paflfed. In fhort,
Charles knew, and cultivated the true interefts of his king-'
dom, till he was warped by pleafure, and funk in indolence,
failings that had the fame confequeftces as defpotifm itfelf. He
took ♦. paternal concern in, the fufferings of his citizens, when
London was burnt down un 1666, andits being rebuilt with

Vol. I, P d greater

Si .i -,

l^H

*4i8 E N G L A N D.

greater luftre and conveniences, is a proof of the encreafe of
her trade ; but there was no bound of Charles's love of plea-
iure, which led him into the moft extravagant cxpences. He
has been feverelv, but perhaps unjuitly cenfurcd, for felling
Dunkirk to the French king, to fupplyhis neceflities, after he
had fquandered th6 immenfe fums <;;ranted him by parliament.
The pHce was about 250,000 1. llcrling. In this he is more
defcjifible, than he was with his fecret connexions with France.
Thcfe arc fuppofed to have brought on a v/ar with the l^utch,
but their behaviour and ingratitude to England, merited the
fevereft challifemcnt.

The firfl fyinptoms of his dcn;cneracy ns a king, appeared
in his giving way to the popularclamour againll tlie lord Cla-
rejidon, one of the wifcfl and mofl: difinterellcd Itatcl-
mcn, that ever England could boafl of, and facrificing him to
the fycophants of his pleafurablc hours, 'i'hc firit Dutch war,
which began in 1665, was carried on, with r eat rcfolution
and fpirit, inuler the duke of York, but th;; '■; Charles's
mifapplication of the public money, which h .. i granted

for the war, the Dutch, while a treaty of peacv. vvas depend-
ing at Bredit, found means to infult the royal navy of Eng-
land, by failing u.p the Medv/ay, as far as Chatham, and de-
rtroyed feveral capital fliips of war. Soon after this a peace
was concluded at Breda, between Great Britain, and the Stat.s
general, for the prefervation of the Spanifli Netherlands, and
ISwcden ha\ ing acceded to the treaty, it was called the triple
Jilliatice.

If we look into the hiftory of thofe times, we {liall find that
the humbling the power of Frar.CJ, was the rulinij: pailion of
iilmoft all the reft of Europe ; but at the fam.c time every Ibtc
at enmity with her, had particular views of its own, which
defeated every plan of confederacy againfl the French power.
The fituation of Charles, in this refpedl, was delicate. The
infults and rivalfliip of the Dutch, were intolerable to the
trading part of his people, but his parliament thought that all
confukrations ought to give way to the humiliation of the
French king. Charles found luch oppofition from his parlia-
ment, and f.ich difficulties in raifmg money, that he was per-
fuaded by his Frciich miftrefs, the duchefs of Portfmouth, t»
throw himfelf into the arms of the French king, who pro-
milc;d to l'u}>ply him with money, fufficient to enable him to
rule without a pa.liament. This has always been a capital
charge againlt Charles II. and it had, I am apt to think, too
great a weight with his parliament, whofe conduct, in fome
particul;u-s, i* not to be vindicuttd.

the encreafe of
's love of plea-
expences. He
■ed, for felling
flitics, after he
by parliament,
this he is more
MS with France,
ith the Dutch,
id, merited the

fing, appeared
I the lord Cla-
tercfkd Itatcf-
rificing: him to
r it Dutch war,
rient rcfolntion
■(.• h Charles's
I granted
::v. vvas depend-
I navy of Knr-
ithani, and de-
er this a peace
J, and the Stats
etherlands, and
called the triple

e /liall find that
J ling paHioii of
time every ftatc
:s own, which
French power,
delicate, 'i'hc
olciable to the
hought that all
niliation of the
rom his parlia-
lat he was per-
i^ortl'mouth, t*
ing, who pro-
enable him to
been a capital
to think, too
iduct, in fomc

E N G L A N D, ifts*

In 1671, Charles was fo ill advifed, as to feize upon the
money of the bankers, which had been lent him at 81. per
cent, and to fhut up the Exchequer. This was an indefen-
fible ftep, and Charles pretended to juftify it by the neceffity
of his affairs, being then on the eve of a frefh war with Hol-
land. This was declared in 1672, and had almoft proved fatal
to that republic. In this war the Englifh fleet, and army,
a6led in conjunction with thofe of France. The duke of
York commanded the Englifh fleet, and difplayed great gal-
lantry in that ftation. The duke of Monmouth, the eldeft
and favourite natural fon of Charles, commanded 6000 En^-
lilh forces, who joined the P'rench in the Low Countries, and
all Holland muft have fallen into the hands of the French, had
it not been for the vanity of their monarch, Lewis XIV. who
was in a hurry to enjoy his triumph in his capital, and fomc
very unforefeen circumftanccs.

All confidence was now loft between Charles and his par-
liament, notwithftanding the glory which the Englifh fleet ob-
tained by fea agalnft the Dutch. The popular clamour at lad
obliged Charles to give peace to that republic, in confideration
of 200,000 1. which was paid him ; but in fome things Charles
a»Sted very defpotically. He complained of the freedom taken
with his prerogative in coflee-houfes, and ordered them to be
fliut up, but in a few days after to be opened. His parlia-
ment addrcfl'ed him, but in vain, to make war with France, in
the year 1677, ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ entirely devoted to that crown, and
regularly received its money as a penfioner. It is not however
to be denied, that the trade of England was now incredibly
cncrcafed, and Charles entered into many vigorous meafures
for its protection and fupport.

This gave him no merit in the eyes of his parliament, which
grew every day more and more furious, and untraCtable, againft
the French and the Papifts ; at the head of whom v/as the
king's eldeft brother, and prefumptive heir of the crown, the
duke of York. Charles, notwithftanding the oppofition he
met with in parliament, knew that he had the affeiStions of his
people, but was too indolent to take advantage of that circum-
Itance. He dreaded the profpect of a civil war, and oftered
any conceffions to avoid it. The conduct of his parliament
on this occafion is indefenfible. Manv of the members were
bent upon fuch a revolution as afterwards took place, and were
fecretly determined, that the duke of York never fhould reign.
In 1678, the famous Titus Oaces, and fome other mifcreants,
forged a plot, charging the papifts with a defign to murder the
king, and to introduce popery by means of Jeluits in England,
and from St. Omer's. Though nothing could be more ridicu-

D d 2 i . i^y^^

!iii:;

m \

wl m

1. :i|

**>

'42*

E 1^ G LAN D;

,(■, '»

lous, and more felf-contradi£lory, than the whole of this for-
gery, yet it was fupported by even a frantic zeal, on the part
of the parliament. The aged and innocent lord Stafford, Cole-
man, fecrctary to the duke of York, with many Jefuits, and
other papifts, were publickly executed on perjured evidences.
The queen herfclf efcaped with difficulty : the duke of York
was obliged to retire into foreign parts, and Charles, though
convinced that the whole was an infamous impofturc, yielded to
Ihe torrent. At laft it fpent its force. The earl of Shaftef-
bury, who was at the head of the oppofition, pdfhed on the
total exclufion of the duke of York from the throne. He was
feconded by the ill advifed duke of Monmouth, and the bill,
after pafling the commons, mifcarricd in the houfc of peers.
All England was again in a flame, but the king, by a well-.
timed adjournment of the parliament to Oxford, recovered the
affedtions of his people, to an almoft incredible degree.

The duke of York, and his party, made a fcandalous ufc
•f their vit^ory. They trumped up on their fide a plot of the
proteftants for killing or feizing the king, and altering the go-
'Ternment. This plot was as falfe as that which had been
forged againlt the papifts. The excellent lord Ruflel, who
had been remarkable in his oppofition to the popifh fucceffion,
Algernon Sidney, and feveral diftinguiflied proteftants> were
tried, condemned, and fufFercd death, and the king fet his
foot upon the neck of oppofition. Even the city of London
was intimidated into the meafures of the court, as were almoft
all the corporations in the kingdom. The duke of Mon-
mouth, and the earl of Shaftefbury, were obliged to fly, and
the duke of York returned in triumph to Whitehall. It was
thought, however, that Charles intended to have recalled the
duke of Monmouth, and to have executed fome meafures for
the future quiet of his reign, when he died in February,
3684-5, in the 55th year of his age, and 25th of his reign.
He had married Catharine, infanta of Portugal, by whom he
received a large fortune in ready money, bcfides the town and
fortrefs of Tangier in Africa, but he left behind him no law-
ful iflue. The dcfcendcnts of hi^ natural ions and daughters,
are now among the moft diftinguifticd of ihc Britifti nobility.

In recounting the principal events o; this reign, I have been
fufficiently explicit as to the principles, both of the king and
the oppofition to his government. The heads of the latter were
prefbytcrians, and had been greatly inftrumcntal in the civil
tvar againft the late king, and the ufurpations that followed.
They had been raifed and preferred by Charles, in hopci> of
their being ufeful in bringing their party into his meafures,
9tu\ he would prpbably have luccccdgd, had not tiic remains of

the

ENGLAND. 4^

the old royalifts, and the difllpated part of the court, fallen
in with the king's foible for plcafure. The prcfbyterians, how-
ever, availed themfelves of their credit, in the early part of
his reign, when the fervour of loyalty was abated, to bring
into parliament fuch a number of their friends, as rendered
the reign of Charles very uneafy, and it was owing, perhaps,
to them, that civil liberty, and proteftantifm, now exift in the
Englifh government. On the ohcr hand, they fecm to havp
carried their jcaloufy of a popifli fuccefl'or too far, and the
people, without doors, certainly thought that the parliament
ought to have been fatisfied with the legal rcftraints and difa-
bilities, which Charles offered to impofc upon his fucceflbr.
This gave fuch fi turn to the afte^tions of the people, as left
Charles, and his brother, at the time of his death, mafters of
the laws and liberties of England.

The reign of Charles has been celebrated for wit and ga-
lantry, but both were coaiTe and indelicate. The court
was the narfery of vice, and the llages exhibited fcenes of
impurity. Some readers, however, were found, who could
admire Milton, as well as Dryden, and never perhaps were
the pulpits of England fo well fupplicd with preachers, as in
this reign. Our language was harmonized, refined, and ren-
dered natural, witnefs the ftile of their fermons ; and the days
of Charles may be called the Auguftan age of mathematics, an4
natural philolophy. Charles loved, patronized and underftooi
the arts, more than he encouraged, or rew^arded them, efpeci-
ally thofe of Englifti growth, but this ncgle^l: proceeded not
from narrow-mindcdnefs but indolence, and want of reflec-
tion. If the memory of Charles II. has been traduced for
being the firft Englifh prince, who formed a body of Handing
forces, as guards to his perfon, it ought to be remembered, at
the fame time, that he carried the art of fliip-building to the
higheft perfeitioni and that the royal navy of England, at this
day, owes its fineft improvements to his, and his brother's
complete knowledge of naval affairs and architefture.

All the oppofition which, during the late reign, had Hiakeii
the throne, feems to have vaniihed, at the accefliou of James II,
The popular affedlion towards him was encreafed by the early
declaration he made in favour of the church of England, which,
during the late reign, had formally pronounced all refiftance
to the reigning king to be unlawful. This dodlrine proved
fatal to James, and almoft ruined proteftantifm. The army
and people fupported him, in crufhing an ill-formed and in-
deed wicked rebellion of the duke of Monmouth, who pre-
tended to be the lawful fon of Chailcs II. and, as fuch, had
ajlumed tlie title of kuig. That duke's bead being cut off

P d ^ Jameta

422 ENGLAND.

James dcfpcrately refolved to try how far the pra(5>ice of the'
church of Enghnd would rgrcc with her doctrine of non-rc-
fiflance. The experiment tailed him. He made the molt
pro\'oking ftcps to render popery the cfhibliflied religion of his
dominions. He pretended to a power of difpenfing with the
knov/n laws ; he inflituted an illegal ccclciialHcal court, he
openly received and admitted into his privy-council, the pope's
emiflarics, and gave them more refpedt than was due to the
minifters of a fovercign prince. The encroachmcntr; he made

' upon both the civil and religious liberties of his people, are al-
moft bevc)nd defcription, and were difapproved of by the pope
himfelf, and all fober Roman catholics. His fending to prifon,
and prolecuting for a libel, feven bifhops, for prefenting a pe-
tition againft reading his declaration, and their acquittal upon
a legal trial, alarmed his beft proteftant friends.

In this extremity, many great men in England and Scot-
land, though they wiflied well to James, applied for relief to
William, prince of Orange, in Holland, a prince of great
abilities, and the in\eteratc enemy of Lewis XIV. who then
threatened Europe with chains. The prince of Orange was
the nephew and fon-in-law of James, having married the
princefs Mary, that king's cldcft daughter, and he embarked
with a fleet of 500 fail for England, on pretence of reftoring
church and ftate to their due rights. Upon his arrival in Eng-
land, he was joined not only by the "Wh'gs, but many whom
James had confidered as his beft friends ; and even his daughter
the princefs Anne, and her hufl^and, George, prince of Den-
mark, left him and joined the prince of Orange, who foon
difcovercd that he expedted the crown. James might ftill
have reigned, but he v/as furrounded with French emid'aries,
and iLinorant Jefuits, who wifhec! him not to reign rather than
not rcilorc popery. They fccrctly perfuaded him to fend his
queen and Ion, then but fix months old, to France, and to
follow them in pcrfon, wliich he did ; and thus in 1688, ended
his reign in England, which event in Engliih hiitory is termed
the revolution.

' This fliort reign affords little matter for the natiojial pro-
crefs in its true intercfts. James is allowed, on all hands,
to have undcrltood them, and that had it not been for his bi-
gotry, he would have been a molt excellent king of England.
The writings of the Englifh divines againll popery, in this
rcitrn, are eltcerT;ied to be the moll mafterly pieces of contro-

"vcrfy that ever were publiilied on that fubje^l.

Had it not been for the baleful influence of the Jcfuits over

.'Ti'-mes, the prince (jf Orange might have found his views upon
the crown fruftrated. The condud: of James gave him ad-

'. ♦ - - vantage:-,

ENGLAND.!

42.?

i(5Hce of iht
c of non-rc-
de the mod
■ligion of his
iii^^ with the
al court, he
il, the pope's
IS due to the
ents he made
eople, are al-
by the pope
ing to prifon,
;fenting a pe-
cquittal upon

nd and Scot-
i for relief to
ince of great
V. who then

Orange was
; married the

he embarked
e of reftoring
-rival in En[r-
t many whom
;i his daughter
rince of Den-
^e, who foon
es might ftill
ch emiHaricR,
rn rather than
n to fend his
■ancc, and to
n 1688, ended
tory is termed

national pro-
on all hands,
en for his bi-
5 of England.
»pcry, in this
:es of contro-

le Jefuits over
lis views upon
gave him ad-
vantages,

vantages, he could not have hoped for. Few were in the
prince's fecret, and when a convention of the ftatcs was call-
ed, it was plain, that h:.d not James abdicated his throne, it
would not have been filled by the prince and princcfs of
()ranL';e. Even that was not done without long debates. It
is well known that king William's chief objedt, was to hum-
ble the power of France, and his reign was fpent in an al-
luoft uninterrupted courfe of hoftilities with that power, which
were fupported by England, at an cxpencc fhe had never known
before. The nation had grown cautious, through the expe-
rience of the two laft reigns, and he gave his confent to the
h//l of rights^ which contained all the people could claim,
for the prefervation of their liberties. The two lart kings had
mule a verv bad ufe of tiie whole national revemic, which was
put into their hands, and v/hich was found to be I'ufficient to
raife and maintain a {landing army. 1'he revenue was there-
fore divided, part was allotted for the current national fervicc
of the year, and was to be accounted for to parliament, and
part, which is ilill called the civil lift money, was given to
the king, for the fupport of his houfe and dignity.

It was the juft fenfe the people had of their civil and reli-
gious rights alone, that could provoke the people of England
to agree to the late revolution, for they never in other refpedts
had been at fo high a pitch of wealth and profpcrity, as • in
the year 1688. 'Fhe tonage of their merchant /hips, as ap-
pears from Dr. Davenant, was, that year, near double to what
it had been in 1666 ; and the tonage of the royal navy, which
in 1660, was only 62,594. tons, was in 1688 encreafed to
101,032 tons. 'Fhe ejicreafe of the cuftoms, and the annual
rental of England, was in the fame proportion. It was there-
fore no wonder, i; altrong party, both in the parliament and
nation, was formed againft the government, which was hourly
encreafed by the king's predilection for the Dutch. 'Fhe war
with France, which, on the king's part, was far from beinj^
fuccefbful, required an enormous expence, and the Irifli con-
tinued in general, faithful to king James. Many Englifh,
who wifhed well to the Stuart family, dreaded their being re-
llored by conqueft, and ti)c parliament enabled the king to
reduce Ireland, and to gain the battle of the Boyn againft
James, who there loft all the military honour he had acquired
before. 'Fhe marine of France, howe\'er, proved fuperior to
that of Engl ^d, in the beginning of the war ; but in the year
160/., that of France received an irrecoverable blow in the
defeat at La Hogue, which the French feel to this d.iy.

Invafions vcere threatened, and confpiracies difcoverod every
day againll the government, and the fupply of the continental

D d 4 war

w'-m

■it

424

ENGLAND.

war forced the parliament to open new refourccs for money,
A land-tax was impofed, and every fubje6t's lands were taxed,
according to their valuations given in by the feveral counties.
Thofc who were the moft loyal, were the heavieft taxed, and
this prepofterous burthen Itill continues ; but the greatelt and
boldeft operation in finances, that ever took place, was efta-.
blifhed in this reign, which was carrying on the war by bor-
rowing money upon parliamentary fecurities, which form what
are now called the public funds. The chief projeftor of thi^
fcheme, is faid to have been Charles Montague, afterwards
lord Halifax, His chief argument for fuch a projedl was, that
it would oblige the moneyed part of the nation to befriend the
revolution interelV, becaufc after lending their money, they
could have no hopes of being repaid, but by fupporting that
intereft, and that the weight of taxes would oblige the com-
mercial people to be more induftrious. How well thofe views
Jiave been anfwcrcd, is needlefs to obferve, as I have already
mentioned the prefent ftate of public credit.

William, notwithftanding the vaft fervicc he had done to
the nation, and the public benefits which took place under his
aufpicps, particularly in the eftablifhment of the bank of
England, and the recoining the filver money, met with fo
many mortifications from his parliament, that he aftually re-
solved upon an abdication, and had- drawn up a fpeech for that
purpofe, which he was prevailed upon to fupprefs. He long
bore the affronts he met with in hopes of being fupported in
his war with France, but at laft, in 1697, he was forced to
(Conclude the peace of Ryfwick with the French king, who
acknowledged his title to the crowi? of England. By this
time William had loft his queen, but the government was
continued in his perfon. After peace was reftored, the com-
mons obliged him to difband his army, all but an inconfider-
able number, and to difmifs his favourite Dutch guards. To-
wards the end of his reign his fears of feeing the whole Spa-
nifh monarchy in pofleffion of France at the death of the ca-
tholic king Charles II. which was every day expe<Slcd, led him
into a very impolitic mcafure, which was the Partition treaty
with France, by which that monarchy was to be divided be-
tween the houfes of Bourbon and Auftria. This treaty was
|»ighly rcfentcd by the parliament, and fome of his miniftry
were impeached for advifing it. It is thought that William
faw his error when it was too late. His minifters were ac-
quitted from their impeachment, and the death of king Jameji
difcovered the infincerity of the French court, which imme-j
diatcly proci%mcd his fon king of Great Britain,

This

for money,
were taxed,
al counties,
taxed, and
greatelt and
J, was efta-p
war by bor-
1 form what
:ftor of this
» afterwards
£1 was, that;
befriend the
noney, they
porting that
re the com-
thofe views
have already

had done to
ice under his
the banic of
met with fo
aftually rcr
eech for that
s. He long
fupported in
vns forced to
1 king, who
d. By this
ernment was
;d, the com-
1 inconfider-
Tuards. To-
; whole Spa-
h of the ca-
icd, led him
■tition treaty
J divided be-
is treaty was
his miniftry
lat William
rs were ac-
king James
^rhich immci

This

ENGLAND. 4^5

This perfidy rendered William again popular in England.
The two houfes palFed the bill of abjuration, and an addrefs
for a war with France. The laft and moft glorious aft^ of
William's reign was his paffing the bill for fettling the fuccef-
fion to the crown in the houfe of Hanover, on the twelfth of
June, 1 701. His death was haflened by a fall he had from hi»
horfe, foon after he had renewed the grand alliance againfl
France, on the eighth of March, 1702, the 52d year of his
age, and the 14th of his reign in England. This prince was
not made by nature for popularity. His manners were cold
and forbidding. His notions of national government inclined
towards defpotifm ; and it was obferved, that though he owed
his royalty to the wiiigs, yet he favoured the tories, as ofteii
as he could do it with fafety. The refcue and prefervatioii
of religion and public liberty were the chief glories of Wil-
liam's reign, for England under him fulFered feverely both by
fca and land, and the public debt, at the time of his death,
amounted to the then unheard of fum of 14,000,000. 1 have
nothing to add after this, as to the general ftate of England
in the beginning of the i8th century.

Anne, princefs of Denmark, being the next proteftant heic
to her father James H. fuccecded king William in the throne.
As (he had been ill treated by the late king, it was thoughc
Ihe would have deviated frorh his meafures, but the behaviour
of the French in acknowledging the title of her brother, who
has fince been well known by the name of the pretender, left
her no choice, and fhe refolved to fulfil all William's engage-
ments with his allies, and to employ the earl of Marlborough,
who had been imprifoned. in the late reign on a fufpicion of
Jacobitifm, and whofe wife was her favourite, as her general^
She could not have made a better choice of a general and a
ftatefman, for that earl excelled in both. No fooner was he
placed at the head of the Englilh army abroad, than his ge-
nius and a«Stivity gave a new turn to the war, and he became
as much the favourite of the Dutch as his wife was of th«
queen.

Charles H. of Spain, in confequence of the intrigues of
France, and at the fame time refenting the Partition treaty,
in which his confent had not been afked, left his whole domi-
nions by will to Philip, duke of Anjou, grandfon of Lewis
XIV. and Philip was immediately proclaimed king of Spain,
which laid the foundation of the family alliance, that ftill
fubfifls, between France and that nation. Philip's fucceflion
was however difputed by the fecond fon of the emperor of
Germany, who took upon himfelf the title of Charles III.
ijnd hi§ 9aufe w^? favoured by the gmpire, England, Hol-

4^6

R N G L A N I).

)ancJ» anJ oilier powers who joined in n confederacy flgainf!:
fhe honie of Bourbon, now become more dangerous than ever
by the acquifirion of the whole Spnnilli dominions.

The capital meafurc of continuing the war againft France
being fixed, ihr queen found no great difficulry in forming her
minifhy, who were for the moft p;irt tories, and the earl of
Gotlolphin, who (though afterwards a leading whig) was
thought all his life to have a prtdilecHon for the late king
James and his queen, was placed at thr head of the trealury.
His foil had married the earl of Marlboroii^jj's cldcjl: daughter,
and the carl could trull no other with tliat important depart-
mtnt.

' I fhall hereafter have occafion to mention the glorious vic-
tories obtained by the earl, who was foon made duke of Marl-
borough. 'I'holc of Blenheim and Runili'S gave the firit
ctteitlual chec<s to the French pow_r. ]]y that of Blenheim,
the empire of Germany was fwcd from imm diate deftrudi:if)n.
'J'hough prince Eugene was that day joined in command with
the duke, yet the glory of the d;iy was confelledly owing to
the hnter. The French generd Tallard was t\k'.n prifoner,
dnd fent to England ; and 20,000 French and Bavarians were
killed, wounded, or drowned in the Danube, behdes about
13,000 who were taken, and a proportionable number of can-
non, artillery, and trophies of war. About the fune time,
the Knglifli admir.il, Sir George Rook, reduced (jihraltar,
which llill remains in our pofieillon. The battle of Ramilies
was fought and gained under the duke of Marlborough aloi>e.
The lois of the enemy there has hcen varioudy reported ;it is
generally fuppofed to have been 8000 killed or wounded, and
feooo taken prifoncrs; but the conllquences fhewed its im-
por'ance.

After the battle of Ramilie?, the ftatcs of Flanders afiem-
bled at Cfhcnt, and reco'/nized Charles for their fovcreign,
while th^ confederates took poO'cfrion of Louvain, BrulTels,
IMechlin, Ghent, Oudenarde, Bruges, and Antwerp ; and
icve.al oth.a coufidcrable places in Flanders and Brab uit, and
acknowledged the title of kinii Charles. 'I'he next c-reat battle
gained over the French was at Oudenarde, where they loft
3000 on the Held, and about 7000 wtre taken prifoners ; and
the year after, September i J, 1709, the allies forced the
French lines ac Malplaquct, near Mons, with the lofs of
about 20,000 men. Thus far 1 have recounted the flattering
fuccelles of the Knglifli, but they were attended with many
pc'tions of bitrcr alloy.

• 'Ihe queen had f.Mit a very fine armv to afTift Charles III.
ill Spdn, ufidur the cominaud of loid Galway j but in ij^'/j

after

ENGLAND.

427

^cy agnlnd:
s than ever

nft France
orming her
the curl of
wtiii.',) was
e late king
h<; trcarury.
11 d.uighl.er,
tant ilcpart-

jorlous vic-
Ike of Marl-
ivc the firit
t" Blenheim,
; deftrutition.
>mnian(.l with
ily owinj^ to
c'.n prifoncr,
avarians were
bchdcs about
mber of can-
e fame time,
•d (}ibraltar,
e of Rami lies
)rough alone,
eported ; it is
voundcd, and
lewcd its im-

anders affem-
e»r fovcreign,

ain, Brnffcls,
\n twerp ; and

Brabuit, and
cxt great battle
where they loft
prifoners ; and
les forced the

th the lo<s of
:d the flattering
led with many

ft Charles III.
J but in ll^lt

after he had been joined by the Portugticfe, the KnglKh wcr«
defeated in the plains of Almanza, chiefly thrc-ugh the cowar-
dice of their allies. Though fome advantages were obtained
^t fca, yet that war in general was carried on to the dctriinent
if not to the diffrracc of P^ni^land. Prince GcoriTC of Den-
mark, hufband to the queen, was then lord high admiral, but
lie had fruited the affairs of that board to underlings, who
were cither corrupted or ignorant, and complaints coming
from every quarter, with regard to that department, the houlc
of commons were put in very bad humour, nor did things feem
to be much better managed after the prince's death. The
immcnfe fums railed for the current fcrvice of the year being
feverely felt, and but indillerently accounted for, it appeared
that Lnsrland had borne the chief burden of the war : that
neither the Auftrians, Germans, nor Dutch, had furnilhed
their ftipulatcd quotas, and that they truited to the Englifli
parliament for making them good. A noble defign, which
had been planned at the court, and was to have been executed
by the aflillance of the fleet of England, for taking Toulon,
at a vaft cxpcnce, mifcarried through the felfiflincfs of the
court of Vienna, whofe chief object of attention was their
own war in Naples. At the fame time Enjland felt feverely
the fcarcity of hajids in carrying on her trade and manufac-
tures, and the French king, the haughty Lewis XIV. now
prof; fled his readinels to agree to almolt any terms the Englifli
fliould prefcribe.

' ' Thefe and many other internal difputes about the preroga-
tive, the fucceflion, religion, and other public matters, had
created great ferments in the nation and parliament. The
queen ftuck dole to the duke of Marlborough and his friends,
who finding that the tories inclined to treat with France, put
themfelves at the head of the whigs, who were for continuing
the war, from which the duke and his dependents- received
immenfe emoluments. The failures of the Germans and
Dutch could not however be longer difrembk-d, and the per-
ianal intereft of the duchefs of Marlborough with the queen
began to be fhaken by her own infolence. < ■« - . '• i

The whigs at laft were forced to give way to a treaty, and
the conferences were held at Gertruydcnburg. They were
managed on the part of England by the duke of Marlborough
and the lord Townfhend, and by the marquis de Torcy for the
French. It foon appeared that the Englifli plenipotentiaries
were not in carneft, and that the Dutch were entirely guided
by the duke of Marlborough. The French king was gradually
brought to comply with all the demands of the allies, except-
ing that of employing his own troops againll the duke of

Anjou,

429 ENGLAND.

Anjou, in Spain, where the fortune of war contlnuod (Ifll
doubtful. All his offers were reje«5>ed by the duke and hii
ftllbciate, and the war was continued.

The unreafonabU haughtinefs of the Engli(h plenipoten-
tiaries at Gertruydcnburg faved France, and aft'airs from that
day took a turn in their favour. Means were found to con-
viiKe the queen, who was not dcftitutc of Icnfc, and faithfully
attached to the church of England, that the war in the end,
if continued, mud prove ruinous to her and her people, and
that the whigs were no friends to the national religion. The
general cry of the people was that the church was in danger,
which, though groundlcfs, had great elTedls. One Sachevcrel,
nn ignorant, worthlcfs preacher, had cfpoiifed this clamour
in one of his fermons, with the ridiculous, impradticablc
dodrines of paflive obedience and non-rcfiftancc. It was, as
it were, agreed by both parties to try their ftrength in this
man's cafe. He was impeached by the commons, and found
guilty by the lords, who ventured to pafs upon him only a
very fmall cenfure. After this trial the queen's affedtions
were entirely alienated from the duchcfs of Marlborough, and
the whig adrainiftratioii. Her friends loft tiicir places, which
ivere fupplied by tories, and even the command of the army
was taken from the duke of Marlborough, and given to the
duke of Ormond, who produced orders for a ccfTation of
arms ; but they were difrcgarded by the queen's allies in the
Britifh pay.

Conferences were opened for a peace at Utrecht, to which the
queen and the French king fent plenipotentiaries, and the
allies being defeated at Denain, they grew fcnfible that they
were no match for the French, now that they were abandoned
by theEnglifh. In fliort, the terms were agreed upon between
France and England. The reader needs not be informed of
the particular ceflions made by the French, efpecially that of
Dunkirk ; hut after all, the peace would have been indefen-
fible had it not been Tor the death of the emperor Jofeph, by
which his brother Charles III. for whom the war was chiefly
undertaken, became emperor of Germany, as well as king of
Spain, and the bad faith of the Englifli allies, in not fulfilling
their engagements, and throwing upon the Britifh parliament
almofl the whole weight of (he war, not to mention the
cxhaufled flatc of the kingdom. Mr. Harley, who was crea-
ted earl of Oxford, and lord high treafurer of England, was
then confldered as the queen's firfl minifler, but the negocia-
tions for the peace went through the hands of Mr. Harley and
lord Bolingbroke, one of the principal fecretaries of ftate.
The miniftry endeavoured to ftiflc the complaints of the whigs,

9n4

ENGLAND.

42$

Inued ftftl
le and hit

(lenipotcn-

from that
r»d to con-
d faithfully
in the end,
jcoplc, and
rion. The
; in danger,

Sachevcrcl,
lis clamour
npra£licablc

It was, as
igth in this
,, and found
I him only a
,'s affeftions
>orough, and
laces, which

of the army
given to the

ccflation of
s allies in the

to which the
ries, and the
ble that they
ere abandoned
upon between
,e informed of
(cciall)^ that of
been indefen-
or Jofeph, by
■ar was chiefly
jvell as king of
n not fulfilling
ifh parliament
> mention the
who was crea-
England, was
_it the negocia-
^r. Harley and
taries of itate.
UofthewWgs.

Sid the rcmonftrances of prince Eugene, who arrived in Eng-
land on the part of the allies, by falling upon the contrad^orti,
forag«rs, and other agents of the fleet and army, whom they
acculied of corrupt pradiccs.

The queen was at this time in a critical fituation. Tht
whigs, without attempting to anfwer the arguments of the
tories for peace, condemned it as fliameful. The majority of
the houfe of lords was of that party, but that of the houfe of
commons were tories. The queen was afraid that the pccri
would reject the peace, and by an unprecedented exercifc of
her prerogative fhe created twelve peers at one time, which
fccured the approbation of the parliament for the peace. Such
was the ftate of affairs at this critical period ; and I am apt ta
think from their complexion that the queen had by fome fccret
influence, which never has yet been difcovered, and was cvcii
concealed from her minillcrs, inclined to call her brother to
the fuccertion. The reft of the queen's life was rendered
vneafy by the jarring of parties. The whigs demanded a writ
for the ele(ftoral prince of Hanover, as duke of Cambridge,
to come to England, and fhe was obliged to difmifs her ior<l
treafurer, when fhe fell into a lethargic diforder, which carried
her off the firft of Auguft 17 14, in the fiftieth year of her
age, and the thirteenth of her reign*. I have nothing to add
to what I have already faid of her character, but that though
Ihe was a favourite with neither party in her parliament till
towards the end of her reign, when the tories afte^led to idolize
her, yet her people dignified her with the name of the Good
queen Anne. Notwithftanding all I have faid of the exhaufted
ftate of England before the peace of Utrecht was concluded,
yet the public credit w;is little or nothing aft'e6led by her
death, though the national debt then amounted to about fifty
millions, fo firm was the dependence of the people upon the
fecurity of parliament.

Anne had no ftrength of mind, by herfelf, to carry any
important refolve into execution ; and fhe left public meafures
in fo indecifive a ftate, that upon her death the fucceflion took;
place in terms of the a£l of fettlcment, and George I. eledtor
of Hanover, was proclaimed king of Great Britain, his mo-
ther, who would have been next in fuccefllion, having dLd h'l':
3L few days before. He came over to England with ft' onv prc-
pofleflions againft the tory miniftry, molt of who;r. he dis-
placed ; but this did not make any great alteration to *:■. nrt;-
judice in England ; while the Scots were driven into rebellion
in 1715, which was happily fupprelFed the begimiing of the next

year

* And with her ended the Houfe of Stewart, which from the acceflion of James f .
anno 1603, had fwayed tlie fceptre of England in yews, anJ th?t of ScotJanrf
343 y^"h iJ^^i^ ti'^' acccflivA of Robert li, apno 1371.

430 ENGLAND.

year. Some deluded noblemen and gentlemen in the nofth of
England joined a party of the Scotch rebels, but they were
furrounded at Prefton, where they delivered up their arma, and
their leaders were lent prifoncrs to London, where fonic of.
them fuffercd. The tories and Jacobites, however, raifed
mobs and commotions at London, Oxford, and other parts
of England, but they were loon fupprefl'ed by making their
ringleaders examples of juftice. Lord Oxford was imprifoned
for three years, but the capital profecution of him by the whigs
for the hand he had in the peace of Utrecht, was fecretly dif-
approved of by the king, and dropped.

After all, the nation was in ft;ch adifpofition that thcm'ni-
ftry durit not venture to call a new parliament, and the mem-
bers of that which was fitting voted a continuance of their
duration from th;ee to fevcn years, which is thought to have
been the greateit llretcii of parliamentary power ever known.
Several other extraordinary meafures took place about the lame
time. Mr. Shippen, an excellent fpeaker, and member of
parliament, was fent to the Tower for faying that the king's
fpeech was calculated for the meridian of Hanover rather than
of London ; and one Matthews, a youngjourneyman printer,
was hanged for compofing a filly pamphlet, that in later times
would not have been thought worthy of animadverfion. The
truth is, the whig miniftry were cxccfTively jealous of every
thing that feemed to atieel their mailer's title, and George I.
though a fagacious, moderate prince, undoubtedly rendered
Kndand too fubfervient to his continental connections, which
were various and complicated. He quarrelled with the czar of
Mufcovy about their German concerns, and had not Charles
XIL king of Sweden been killed fo critically as he was, Great
Britain probably would have been invaded by thofe northern
conquerors, great preparations being made for that purpofc.

In 1718 he quarrelled with Sjain on account of the qua-
druple alliance, that had been formed by Great Britain,
Fiance, Germany, and the Hates general ; and his admiral,
Sir George Byng, by his orders, dcftroyed the Spaniih fleet
near S\racufe. A trifling war with Spain then commenced,
but it was foon ended by the Spaniards delivering up Sardinia
and Sicily, the former to the duke of Savoy and the latter to
tlu- emperor.

A national puniHiment dift^'erent from plague, peftilencc,
and fmiinc, overtook England in the year 1720, by the fudden
rile of the South-Sea Stock, one of the trading companies.
'I Ills company was but of late eredion, and was owing to a
kheme of carrying oii an cxclufive trade, and making a fet-
tlenicnt in the South-Seas, which had been formed in 171 1.
in 1720 the company olnaincJ ati act to cnercafc their capital
4 ' . ... ^^"^^

le nofth of

they were

arm», and
re fomc of.
;ver, raifcd

other parts
aking their
; imprifoned
,iy the whig*

ibcretly dil-

lat thcm'ni-

id the mem-

ii.ce of their

vmht to have

ever known.

tbout the lame

d member of

hat the king's

rer rather than

eyman printer,

t in later tunes

Ivcrfion. 'n^«

■alous of every

and Gorge 1.

>tedly rendered

leaions, which

with the cxar ot

,ad not Charles

.shewas, Orcat

r thofe northern

that purpolc.

unt of the qua-

^Grcat Britani,

md his aamual,

the Spanilh fleet

Kn commenced,

:rins up Sardinia

and the latter to

■^ague, peftilencc,
,ot hy the ludden
fading companies.
1\ was ownrg to a
fnd making a t^^'
ixmned in 171^!
Ircafc their capital

itoCK-

t N G 1L X ^ 1). 4^f

ftock by redceminp: the public debts ; and was then inverted
with the aflTient* of negroes, which had been rtipulated between
Great Britain and Spain. In (hort, it became i'o favourite a
company, that by the twentieth of June this year, their ftock
rofc to 890 per cent, and afterwards to 1000 j but before the
end of September it fell to 150, by which thoufands were
involved in ruin. Though this might be owing to the incon-
siderate avarice of the fubfcribers, yet the public imagined that
the miniflry had contributed to the calamity ; and fome of the
dircdlors inftnuated as if the minifters and their friends had
been the chief gainers. The latter, however, had the addrefa
to efcape without cenfure, but the parliament pafled a bill
which ccnfifc.ted the eftates of the directors, with an allow-
ance for their maintenance j a poor reparation for the public
injuries. ... - ■. ' • ,

The Jacobites thought to avail themfelves of the national
difcontcnt of the South-Sea fcheme, and England's conne£lions
with the continent, which every day encreafed. One Layer,
a hiwyer, was tried and executed for high-trcafon. Several
peribns of great quality and diflinftion were apprehended on
iufpicion,. but the ftorm fell chiefly on Francis Atterbury,
lord bifhop of Rochefler, who was deprived of his fee and icat
in parliament, and baniihcd for life. This mull have bcea
at bcft an idle plot, and the reality of it has never been dil-
covcred, fo that the juftice of the bilhop's cenfure has been
qucftioned. After the ferment of this plot had fubfided, the
miniftry, who were all in the intereft of Hanover, ventured
upon feveral bold meafures, in fome of which the national
intereft if not honour was evidently facriiiced to that elciStorate.
The crown of Great Britain was engaged in every continental
difpute, however remote it was from her intereft ; and a dit-
fercnce ftill fubfiitiny; between the courts of Madrid and
Vienna, it was agreed that it fliould be determined by a con-
grefs to be held at Cambray, under the aufpices of France,
This congrei's proved abortive, and England was involved in
frcfli difficulties on account of Hanover. So flut'^uating was
the ftate of Europe at this time, that in September 1725, a
h'efli treaty was concluded at Hanover between the kings of
Great Britain, France, and Pruffia, to counterbalance an
alliance that had been formed between the courts of Vienna
and Aladrid. A fquadron was fent to the Baltic, another ta
the Mediterranean, and a third, under iidmiral Hoficr, to the
Weft Indies to watch the Spanifli plate fleets. This luft was
a fatal as well as an inglorious expedition. The admiral and*^
moft of his men periflied by epidemical difeafes, and the hulks
•f his fliips rotted (• as torend^?r them unfit for fervice. 'i'he

nuuui^.'-i)HUt

,;';i

432

ENGLAND.

ananagcment of the Spaniards was little better. They loft
jiear 10,000 men in the fiege of Gibraltar, which they were
obliged to raife. The king, in his fpeech to the parliament,
publicly accufed the emperor of a defign to place the pretender
upon the throne of Great Britain, but this was ftrenuoufly
denied by baron Palmer, the imperial refident at London,
who was therefore ordered to leave the kingdom.

A quarrel with the imperor was the moft dangerous ta
Hanover of any that could happen ; but though an oppofition
in the houfe of commons was formed by SirWilliamWyndham
and Mr. Pulteney, the parliament continued to be more and
fnore lavifh in granting money, and raifing enormous fubfidies
for the protection of Hanover, to the kings of Denmark and
Sweden, and the landgrave of Hefl'c Caflel. Such was the
ftate of affairs in Europe, when George I. fuddenly died on
the eleventh of June 1727, at Ofnaburgh, in the fixty-eighth
year of his age, and the thirteenth of his reign. This period
is too late to offer any thing new by way of obfcrvation on
national improvements. The reign of George I. is remarkable
for the incredible number of bubbles and cheating projeds, to
which it gave rife, and for the great alteration of the fyflem
of Europe, by the concern which the Englifli took in the
affairs of the continent. The inftitution of the finking fund
for diminifliing the national debt, is likewifc owing to this
period. The value of the northern parts of the kingdom
began now to be better underflood than formerly, and the flate
of manufadlures began to fhift. This was chiefly owing to
the unequal dirtribution of the land tax, which rendered it
difficult for the poor to fubfiil in certain counties, which had
been forward in giving in the true value of their cflates when
that tax took place.

Sir Robert Walpole was confidered as firfl minifter of Eng-
land when George I. died, and fame differences having hap-
pened between him and the prince of Wales, it was generally
thought upon the acceflion of the latter to the crown that Sir
Robert would be difplaced. That might have been the cafe
could another perfon have been found equally capable, as he
was, to manage the houfe of commons, and to gratify that
predilection for Hanover which George II. inherited from his
father. No minifler ever underflood better the temper of the
people of England, and none perhaps ever tried it more. Hi
Tilled all places of power, trufl, and profit, and almort the
houfe of commons itfelf, with his own creatures j but peac©
was his darling objeft, bccaufe he thought that war muft be
fatal to his power. The times are too recent for me to enter
upon particulars. It is fufiicient to (Jiy, th»t during his long

admiuiilration

E N G L A N ft:

431

igerous to

oppofition
iWyndham
: more and
lus fubfidies
•nmark and
ch was the
lily died on
fixty-eighth
This period
fcrvation on
s remarkable

projed\s, to
f the fyftera

took in the
finking fund
jwing to this
the kingdom

and the ftate
fly owing to
h rendered it
s, which had
r eftatcs when

nifter of Eng-
; having hap-
was generally
:rown that Sir
been the cafe
apable, as he
o gratify that
erited from his
temper of the
it more. H«
nd almort the
es i but peace-
: war mult be
'or me to enter
uring his long
adminiftratioft

admihiftratlon he never loft a queftion that he was in earneft
to carry. The excife fcheme was the firft meafure that gave a
ihock to hii power, and even that he could have carried, had
he not been afraid of the fpirit of the people without doors,
which mignt have either produced an infurre(Slion, or endan-
gered his intcreft in the next general elctSlion. Having com-
promifed all differences with Spain, he filled all the courts of
Europe with emballies and negociations, and the new parlia-
ment gratified him with the means of performing his engage-
ments. He continued and enlarged the fubfidies paid to the
German princes for the fecurity of Hanover, and had even the
addrefs to obtain from time to time votes of credit for fulfilling
his intermediate engagements, and in the mean while, to amuie
the public, he fuff^ered enquiries into the ftate of the jails,
■and other matters that did not afFe6l his own power, to
proceed.

His pacific fyftem brought him, however, into inconvenien-
cics both at home and abroad. He encouraged the Spaniards
to continue their depredations upon the Britifti ftiipping in the
American feas, and the French to treat the Englifli court widi
infolence and ntglc(!K At home, many of the great peers
thli^ught themfelvcs flighted, and they intercftcd themfelves
more than ever they had done in elections. This, together
with the difguft of the people at the propofed excife fcheme,
about the year 1736 and 1737, encreafed the minority in tlie
houfe of commons to 130, iome of whom were as able men
and as good fpeakcrs as ever had fat in a parliament, and taking
advantage of the encr afmg com; laints againft the Spaniards,
they gave the minifter great uncafmefs. Having thus (hewn
Walpole's adminiftration in the unfavourable, it is but jufi;
we turn to tlie moft advantageous light it will admit of.

He filled the courts of juftice with able and upright judges,
nor was he ever known to attempt any perverfion of the known
laws of the kingdom. He was fo far from checking the free-
dom of debate, that lie bore with equanimity the moft fcurrilouu
abufe that was thrown out to his face. He gave way to one
or two profccutions for libels, in complaifance to his friends,
who thought themfelvcs affedted by them, and it cannot be
denied that the prefs of England never was more open or free
than during his adminiftration. If he man;>.ged the majority
of parliament by corruption, which is the main charge againft
him, it is not to be denied that his enemies were often influ-
enced by no very laudable motives, and that the attempt they
mad'.', without Specifying any charge, to remove him from his
majefty's councils and prtfcnce for ever, was illegal and un-
jult. As to his pacific fyftem, it certainly more than repaid

Vol. I. E c »•

!, ;i

ill

434

E N G L A N D.

to the nntion all that was required to fupport it, by the en-
creafe of her trade and the improvement of her manufadures.

With regard to the king's own pcrfonal concern in public
matters, Walpolc was rather his minifter than his favourite,
and his majefty often hinted to him, as Walpole himfelf has
been heard to acknowledge, that he was refponfiblc for all the
meafurcs of government. The debates concerning the Spanifli
depredations in the Weft Indies, and the proofs that were
brought to fupport the complaints of the merchants, made at
laft an impreffion even upon many of Wal pole's friends. The
heads of the oppofition in both houfes of parliament accufed
the minifter of having by the treaty of Seville, and other nego-
tiations, introduced a branch of the houfe of Bourbon into
Italy, and depreflcd the houfe of Auftria, the antient and
natural ally of England. They expofed, with invincible force
of eloquence and reafoning, the injuftice and difgracc as well
as lofs arifing from the Spanifh depredations, and the neceffity
of repelling force by force. Sir Robert adhered to his pacific
fyftem, and concluded a fhameful and indefenfiblecompromife,
Mnder the title of a convention, with the court of Spain, which
produced a war with that nation,

Qiieen Caroline, confort to George II. had been alwayji a
firm friend to the minifter, but flic died when a variance iub-
fifted between the king and his fon the prince of Wales. The
latter complained, that through Walpolc's influence he was
deprived not only of the power but the provifion to which his
birth entitled him, and he put himfelf at the head of the oppo-
fition with fo much firmncfs, that it was generally forefecii
that Walpole's power was drawing to a crifis. Admiral Ver-
jion, who hated the minifter, was fent with a fquadron of fix
Hiips to the Weft Indies, where he took and dcmolilhed Porto
Bello ; but being a hot, impra«Sticable man, he mifcarried in
his other attempts, efpccially that upon Carthagcna, in which
many thoufands of Britifti lives were wantonly thrown away.
The oppofition exulted in Vernon's fuccefs, and imputed his
mifcarriages to tiie mijiiftcr's Itarving the war, by with-hold-
ing the means for cirrrying it on. The general cjcctioii ap-
proaching, fo prevalent was the inteieft of the prince oF Wales
in England, and that of the duke of Argyle in Scotland, that
a majority was returned to parliament who were no friends to
the mijiiifer, and after a few trying divifions he retired from
the houfe, rcTigncd his cniploynieiUi;, and Ibme days after was
created earl of Orford.

George II. bore the lofs of his minifter with the greatcll-
equanimity, and even conferred titles of honour and poil> ot
diftiadliiun upyn ihu heads of the oppolitioii, i>v thi;» time,

the

ih(

ENGLAND; 435

the death of the emperor Charles VI. the danger of the prag-
matic fandtion (which meant the i'ucccflion of his daughter to
the Auftrian dominions) through the ambition of France,
who had filled all Germany with her armies, and many other
concurrent caufes, induced George to take the leading p^rt in
a continental war. He was encouraged to this by lord Car-
teret, afterwards earl of Granville, an able, but a hcadftrong
minifter, whom George had made his fccrctary of ftate, and,
indeed, by the voice of the nation in general. George accord-
ingly put himfclf at the head of his army, fought and gained
the battle of Dcttingen, and his not fuffering his general, the
carl of Stair, to improve the blow, was thought to proceed
from tendernefs for his electoral dominions. This partiality
created a univerfal flame in England, and the clamour raifed
againft his lord/hip's hieafures was encreafed by the duke of
Newcaftle and his brother, lord chancellor Hardwicke, thtt
lord Harrington, and other minifters, who refigned, or offered
to refign their places if lord Carteret ihould retain his influence
in the cabinet. His majefty was obliged to give way to what
he thought was the voice of his people, and he indulged them
with accepting the fervices of fome gentlemen who never had
been confidered as zealous friends to the houfe of Hanover.
After various removals, Mr. Pelham was placed at the head of
the treafury, and appointed chancellor of the exchequer, and
confequently was confidered as firft minifter^ or rather the
power of the premierfliip was divided between him and his
brother the duke of Newcaftle.

Great Britain was then engaged in a very expcnfive war
both againft the French and Spaniards, and her enemies
fought to avail themfelves of the general difcontent tiiat had
prevailed in England on account of Hanover, and which, even
in parliamentary debates, exceeded the bounds of duty. This
naturally fuggefted to them the idea of applying to the pre-
tender, who refided at Rome, and he agreed that his fon
Charles, who was a fprightly young man, ihould repair to
France, from whence he fet fail, and narrowly efcaped with a
few followers in a frigate to the weftern coafts of Scotland,
between the iflands of Mull and Skey, where he difcovercd
himfelfj afl!embled his followers, and publifhed a manifefto
exciting the nation to a rebellion. It is necefl'ary, before we
relate the unaccountable fuccefs of this enterprize, to make a
ihort retrofpedl to foreign parts.

The war of 1741 proved unfortunate in the Weft Indies,
through the fatal divifions between admiral Vernon and general
Wentworth, who commanded the land troops, and it was
thought that above 20,090 Britifh foldier$ and feamen perlHied

£ c 2 .in

81 i

;l'i

J^-J ENGLAND.

in the ImpriuHiicablc attempt of Carthagena, and the incJc-*
mcncy of the air and climate during other idle expt-ditions.
The year 1742 had been fpcnt in negociations with the courts
of Peterfburgh and Berlin, which, though expcnfivc, proved
of little or no fervice to Great Britain, lo that the vidtory of
Dcttlngen ki't the French troops in much the fame fituation
as before. A difference between the admirals Matthews and
Leftock had fuffcrcd the Spanifh and French fleets to efcapc
out of Toulon with but little lofs ; and foon after the French,
who had before adted ojily as allies to the Spaniards, declared
war againft Great Eritr.in, who, in her turn, declared war
asainlt the French. The Dutch, the natural allies of Fns-
land, during this war carried on a moft lucrative trade, nor
could they be brought to adl againft the PVench, till the peo-
ple entered into alTociations and infurredions againft the
government. Their marine was in a mif'iTable condition,
and when they at laft fcnt a body of troops to join the Britifli
and Auflri:^n armies, which, indeed, had been wretchedly
commanded for one or two campaigns, they did it with fo
bad a grace, that it was plain they did not intend to a6l in
carneft. When the duke of Cumberland took upon himfelf
the command of the army, the French, to the great reproach
of the all its, were almoit maftcrs of the barrier in the Nether-
lands, and were bcficging Tournay. The duke attempted to
raif<5 the fiegc, but by the coldncfs of the Auftrians, the cowar-
dice of the Dutch, whofe government all along held a fecrct
corrcfpondence with France, and mifconduct fomcwherc cjfe,
he loft the battle of Fontenoy, and 70CO of his beft men,
though it is generally allowed that his difpofitions were excel-
lent, and both he and his troops behaved with unexampled
intrepidity. To counterbalance fuch a train of misfortunes,
admiral Anfon returned this year to England, with an im-
menfe treafure, which he had taken from tlic Spaniards, in his
voyage round the world ; and the Englifli commodore War-
ren, with colonel Pcpperel, took from the French the impor-
tant town and fortrefs of Louiftiourg in the ifland of Cape
Breton.

Such was the ftate of affairs abroad in Auguft 1745, when
the pretender's eldeft fon, at the head of fomc Highland fol-
lowers, furprizcd and difarmcd a party of the king's troops
in the weftern Highl.mds, and advanced with great rapidity to
Perth. I fliall only add to v/hat I have already faid of the
progrefs and fupprelnon of this rtbillion, that it fpread too
great an alarm through England. The government never fo
thoroughly experienced, as it did at that time, the benefit of
the public debt for tho fupport of the revolution. The French
4 and

ds, declared

ENGLAND. 437

and tlie Jacobite party (for fuch there was at that time in
England ) had laid a deep fcheme for dilt^rclTing the Bank j
but common danger aboliftied all diftindions, and united
them in the defence of one intereft, which wa.s private pro-
perty. 'I'he merchants undertook, in their addrcfs to the
king, to fupport it, by receiving* bank-not?s in jiayment.
Thia fcalbnublc meafurc favcd public credit ; but the defeat of
the rebels by the duke of Cumherland at Ciilloden, and the
executions that followed, did not rellorc tranquillity to Eu-
rope. Though the prince of Oraiige, fon-in-iaw to his ma-
jefly George II. was, by the credit of his maitfty and the
fpirit of tht people of the United Provinces, railed to be their
Ibdtholder, the Dutch never could be brought to act heartily
in the war. The allies were defeated at Val, near Macftricht,
and the duke of Cumberland was in danger of being made
prifoner. Kergen-op-zoom was taken in a manner that has
never yet been accounted for. The allies fuftcrcd other dif-
graces on the continent ; and it now bee:!rr.e the general opi-
nion in England, that jjeace was necellary to fave the duke
and his army from total dclbudion. By tiiis time, however,
the French marine and commerce were in danger of being
annihilated by the Englifli at fea, under the commands of the
admirals Anfon, Warren, Hnwke, and other gallant officers ;
but the Englilh arms were not fo fuccefsful as could have been
wifhed under rear admiral Bofcawen in the Eafl-Indies. In
this ftate of affairs, the fucceiTes of the French and Englifli
during the war, may be faid to have been balanced, and both
miniltries turned their thoughts to peace. The queftion is
not yet decided which party had t he greatclt reafonto defire it,
the French and Spaniards for the immenfe loiies they had
fullained by fea, or the allies for the difgraces they had fuf-
fcred by land.

VVhate\er may be in this, preliminaries for peace were
figncd in April 1748, and a definitive treaty was concluded at
Aix-la-Chapelle, in October, the bafis of which was the
reltitution on both fides of all places tiiken during the war.
The nuiriber of prizes taken by the Englilli in tliis war, from
its commencement to the figning the priliminaries of peace,
was 3434; namely, 1249 from the Spaniards, and 21H5 from
the P'rench ; and that they loft during the war, 323S ; 1 360
being taken by the Spaniards, and 1878 by tiu- French. Seve-
ral of the ihips taken from the Spaniards were immcnlely rich;
fo that the balance upon the whole :unovnited to almoft two
millions, in favour of the En;>,lifli. Such is 1 he grofs calcu-
lation on both fides, but the confequcnces plainly proved that
the iofll's of the Frenc'i and Spaniards mult have been much

greater.

43«

ENGLAND,

greater. The vaft fortunes made by private perfons in Eng-
land all of a fudden, fufficiently flicwcd that immcnfe fums
had not been brought to the public account j but the greateft
proof was, that next year the intcreft of the national debt
was reduced from four to three and a half per cent, for fevei.
years, after which the whole was to (land reduced to three
per cent.

This was the boldcft ftrokc of financing that ever was
attempted perhaps in any country, confidently with public
faith ; for the creditors of the government, after a fmall in-
efi'c6iu\\ oppofition, continued their money in the funds, and
a few who fold out even made intereft to have it replaced on
the fame fecurity, or were paid ofF their principal fums out of
the finking fund. I'his was an sera of improvements j Mr,
Pclham's candour and reditude of adminiftration leaving him
fcv/ or no enemies in parliament, and he omitted no oppor-
tunity of carrying into execution every fcheme for the im-
provement of commerce, manufadlures, and the fiflieries ;
the benefits of which were felt during the fuccceding war, and
arc to this day. Every intelligent perfon, however, confi-
dered the peace of Aix-la-Chapclle as no better than an armed
ceflation of hoftilitics. The French employed thcmfelvcs in
recruiting and repairing their marine, and had laid a deep
fchcmc for poflcfTing thcmfclves of the Britifh back fettlements
in America, and for cutting off all communication between
the Englilh and the native Indians, in which cafe our colonics
muft have been reduced to a narrow flip on the coafls, without
the means of getting any fubfillance but from the mother
country. Fortunately for Great-Britain, they difclofed their
intention by entering upon hoftilitics before they had power to
fuppoit them.

In tht mean while, a new treaty of commerce was figncd
at Madrid, between (ireat-Britain and Spain, by which, in
confidcration of 100,000 1. the South-Sea company gave up
all their future claims to the afliento contract, by virtue of
, which, that company had fupplied the Spanifti Weft-Indies
with negroes. In March, 1750, died, univerfally lamented,
liis royal highnefs Frederic prince of Wales. In May 1751,
an ait pafild for regulating the commencement of the year,
by which the old ftile was abolifhed, and the new ftile efta-
blifticd, to the vaft convcnicncy of the fubjecl. This was
done by finking eleven days in September 1752, and thereafter
beginning the yeai on the firft of January. In 1753 the
famous aft paiitd for preventing clandeftinc marriages ; but
whether it is for the benefit of the fubjcd is a point that is
/lill very qucfticnable, The public of England about this

time

ENGLAND. 459

time Aiftained an immenfe lofs by the death of Mr. Pclham,
who was indifputably the honeltcft, wifult, the moft popular,
and therefore the niofl: fuccefsful miniitcr England hud ever
ken.

The barefaced encroachments of the French, v/ho had
built forts on our back fcttlements in America, and the difpo-
fttions they made for fending over vaft bodies of veteran troops
to fupport thofe encroachments, produced a wonderful fpirit
in England, efpecially after admiral Bofcawen was ordered
with eleven fhips of the line, befidcs a frigate and two regi-
ments, to fail to the banks of Newfoundland, where he came
up with and took two French men of war, the reft of their
fleet cfcaping up the river St. Lawrence, by the ftraits of
Belleifle. No fooner was it known that hoftilities were begun,
than the public of England poured their money into the go-
vernment's loan, and orders were ilfued for making general
reprifals in Europe as well as in America ; and that all the
French (hips, whether outward or homeward bound, fliould
be flopped and brought into Britiih ports. Thefe orders were
fo effediual, that before the end of the year 1755, above -500 of
the richcd French merchant (hips, and above 8000 of their
beft {;\ilors were brought into Britiih ports. This well-timed
meafure had fuch an efFe<5l, that the French had neither hands
to navigate their merchant-men, nor to man their fhips of
war, for about two years after near 30,000 French ft^men
were found to be prifoners in Encland.

In July 1755, general Braddock, who had been ir^'udi-
cioufly fent from England to attack the French and reduce the
forts on the Ohio, was defeated and killed, by falling into an
ambufcade of the French and Indians near Fort du Quefne ;
but major general Johnfon defeated a body of French near
Crown Poijit, of whom he killed about 1000.

The Englifli at this time could not be faid to have any firfl
minifler ; fome great men agreed in nothing but in oppofing
the meafures of the cabinet, which had been undertaken with-
out their confent. The Englifh navy in 1755 confiffed of
one fhip of no guns, five of 100 guns each, thirteen of 90,
eight of 80, five of 74, twenty-nine of 70, four of 66, one
of 64, thirty-three of 60, three of 54, twenty-eight, of 50,
four of 44, thirty-five of 40, and forty-two of 20 j four floops
of war of 18 guns each, two of 16, eleven of 14, thirteen of
12, and one of 10; befides a great number of bomb-ketches,
iirefhips, and tenders ; a force fufficient to oppofc the united
maritime ftrcngth of all the powers of Europe. Whillt that
of the French, even at the end of this ye;«r, and including the
ftiips then upon the ilgcks, amounted to no more than fix

ij e 4 fliips

14: i

44« ENGLAND,

fhips of 80 guns, twenty-one of 74, one of 72, four of 70,

thirty-one of 64, two of 60, lix of 50, and thirty-two

frigates.

In proportion as the fpirits of the puMic WPfc elevated by
thofe invincible armaments, thty were fiink\\ith an account,
that the French had landed li,ooo men in i\iii.(..ca, to attack
fort St. Philip there, that admiral Byng, who hud been fcnt
out with a fquadron at haft equal to lh;iL oi' the French, had
been bafHed if not defeated by their admiial Galiilonierc, and
that at laft Minorca was furrcnJ( red by gciieiai JJIakcrK'v.
The Englifli were tar more alarmed than they ought u- have
been at thofe events. The lofs of Minorca was 1: ore fliame-
ful than detrimental to the kingdom, but the pullic outcry
was fuch, th.it the king; ga\e up Byng to |,ublic juftice, and
he was fliot to deaih at Fortimouth for cowuidice.

It was about this time that Mr. Pitt was placed, as fccrc-
tary of ftate, at the head of the adminiftration. He had been
long known to be a bold fpeaker, and he foon piovcvl himiclf
to be as fpirited a minifter. The mifcarri:'ges in the Mediter-
ranean had no confequence but the lofb of f-^n St. Philip,
which Whs more than repaired by the v.ift I'ucccfs of the Eng-
lifli privateers, both in Europe and America. The fuccefl'es
of the Englifh in the Eaft-Indies, under colonel Clive, are
almoft incredible. He defeated Suraja Dowla, nahob of Ben-
gal, Bahar, and Orixa, and placed Jaffier Ally Cawn in the
anticnt feat of the nabobs of thofe provinces. Siiraja Dowla,
who was in the French intcicft, was a few days after his being
defeated taken by the new nabob Jaffier Ally Cawn's fon, and
put to death. This event laid the foundation of the prefent
amazing extent of riches and territory, which the Englifli
now poilefs in the Eaft Indies.

Mr. Pitt introilucecl into the cabinet a new fyftem of opera-
tions againft France, than which nothing could be better cal-
culated to rcftorc the fpirits of his countrymen, and to alarm
their enemies. Far from dreading an invafion, he planned an
expedition for carrying the arms of England into France itfclf,
^nd the defcent was to be made at Rochefort, under general
Sir John Mordaunt, who was to command the land troops.
Nothing could be more promifing than the difpofitions for
this expedition. It failed on the 8th' of September 1757, and
admiral Hawke brought both the fea and land forces back on
the 6th of Odober to St. Htlcn's, without the general mak-
ing an attempt to land on the coalt of France. He was tried
and acquitted without the public murmuring, fo great an
fpiuion had the people of the minifter, who, tod'j him juftice,

' • • d^

ENGLAND.

441

diJ not fuffcr a man or a Ihip belonging to the Englifharmy or
wavy to lie idle.

The French having attack'ed the eleiSloratc of Hanover with
a moft poweiTuI army, nierely becaule his Britannic majcfty
refufed to wink at their encroachments in America, the En-
glifh parliament, in gratitude, voted large fupplie.s of men and
money in defence of the elc*Storal dominions. The duke of
Cumberland had been ftnt thither to command an army of
obfervation, but he had been fo powerfully prefl'ed by a Aipc-
rior army, that he found himfelf obliged to lay down his arms,
and the Vrcnch, under the duke of Richelieu, took poffeflTion
of th-'t elec'^torate, and its capital. At this time, a fcarcity
nexi to a famine raged in England ; and the Heffian troops,
who, with the Hanoverians, had been fent to defend the
kingdom from an invafion intended by the French, remained
ftill in England. So many difficulties concurring, in 1758 a
treaty of mutual defence was agreed to between his majefly
and the king of PrufTia ; in confequence of which, the parlia-
ment voted 670,000 1. to his Pruffian majefty ; and alfo voted
large fums, amounting in the whole to near two millions
a year, for the payment of 50,000 of the troops of Hanover,
Hefle-Caflel, Saxe-Gotha, Wolfenbuttel, and Buckeburg.
This treaty, which proved afterwards fo burdenfome to Eng-
land, was intended to unite the proteftant intereft in Ger-
many.

George II. with the confent of his Pruffian majefty, pre-
tending that the French had violated the convention concluded
between them and the duke of Cumberland at Clofterfevcn,
ordered his Hanoverian fubjedts to rcfume their arms under
prince Ferdinand of Brunfwick, a Pruffian general, who in-
ftantly drove them out of Hanover ; and the duke of Marl-
borough, after the Engliih had repeatedly infulted the French
coafts, by dcftroying their ftores and fliipping at St. Malocs
and Cherbourg, marched into Germany, and joined princ6
Ferdinand with 12,000 Britifh troops, which were afterwards
encreafed to 25,000. A Iharp war enfued. The Englifh
every where performed wonders, and according to the accounts
publifhed in the London Gazette, they were every where
victorious, but nothing decifive followed, and the enemy
opened every campaign with advantage. Even the battle of
Minden, the moft glorious, perhaps, in the Englifh annals,
in which about 7000 Englifh defeated 80,000 of the French
regular troops in fair battle, contributed nothing to the con-
clufion of the war, or towards weakening the French in
Germany.

The

442 K N G L A N D.

The Enelini Iwrethe expencc of the war with cheat fulncfs,
and applauded Mr. Pitt's adminillration, bccauCc their glorious
fucccircs in every other part of the globe dcmoiiflrated that he
was in earned. Admiral Bofcawcn and general Amhcrft, in
Auguft 1758, reduced and demoliflicd Louifl)ourg, in North
America, which had bccn reftorcd to the Frencli by the treaty
©f Aix-la-Chapcllc, and was become the fcourge of the Britim
trade, and took five or fix French fliips of the line ; P'rontcnac
and Fort duQuefne, in tiic fame quarter, fell alfo into the hands
of the EngliiK : acquifitions that far overbalanced a check
which the Englifli received at Ticondcrago, and the Ids of
about 300 of the Englifh guards, as they were returning un-
der general Bligh from the coaft of F>ance.

The Engli(h affairs in the Eall Indies this year proved
equally fortunate, and the lords of the admiralty received
letters from thence, with an account that admiral Pocock
engaged the French fleet near Fort St. David's on the 29th of
March, in which engagement a French man of war, called
the Bicn Aimc, of 74 guns, was fo much damaged that they
run her on fhorc. I'hc French had Coo men killed and
wounded on this occafion, and the Englifh only 29 killed,
and 89 wounded. That on the third of Augufl follow-
ing, he engaged the French fleet a fetond time, near Pon-
dicherry; when, after a briflc firing often minute;;, the French
bore away with all the fail they could make, and got fafe into
the road of Pondicherry. The lofs of the French in this
engagement was 540 killed and wounded ; and that of the
Englifli <»nly 147 killed and wounded. And that on the 14th
of December following, general Lally, commander of the
French army in thofc parts, marched tobcfiege Madrafs, which
was defended by the Englifli colonels Laurence and Draper ;
and after abrifk cannonade, which lartcd till the i6th of Febru-
ary following, the Englifli having received a reinforcement of
600 men, general Lally thought proper to raifo the ficge and
retire with precipitation, leaving behind him forty pieces of
cannon.

The year 1759 was introduced by the taking of the ifland
of Gorce, on the coafl of Africa, by commodore Keppcl.
Three capital expeditions had been planned for this year
in America, and all of them proved fucccfsful. One of
them was againft the French ifiands in the Well Indies, where
Guadaloupe was reduced. The fecond expedition was againft
Quebec, the capital of the French Canada. The command
was given, by the miniflcr's advice, to general Wolfe, a
young officer of a truly military genius. Wolfe was oppofcj
>>rith far fupcrior forces by Moncalni, the belt and moft^fuc-

ccfsful

ENGLAND. 441

ccfsful general the French had. Though the fituation of the
country which Wolfe was to attack, and the works the French
threw up to prevent a defcent of the Englifh, were deemed
impregnable, yet Moncalm never relaxed in his vigilance,
Wolfe's courage and perfev erance, however, furmounting
incredible difficulties, he gained the heights of Abraham, near
Qiiebec, where he fought and defeated the French army, but
was himfclf killed ; and general Monckton, who was next in
command, being wounded, the completion of the French de-.
feat, and the glory of reducing Qiicbec, was refcrved for bri"*
gadier general (now lord vifcount) Townfhend.

General Amhcrft, who was the firft Englifh general on
Command in America, conduiSted the third expedition. His
orders were to reduce all Canada, and to join the army under
general Wolfe on the banks of the river St. Laurence. It is
to the honour of the minillcr that Mr. Amhcrft in this expe-
dition was fo well provided with every thing that could make
it fuccefsful, that there fcarccly appeared any chance for its
mifcarriagc, and thus the French empire in North America
became fubjcdt to Great Britain.

The aftairs of the French being now defperate, and their
credit ruined, they rcfolved upon an attempt to retrieve all by
an invafion of Great Britain : but, on the 18th of Auguft,
1759, admiral Bofcawen attacked the Toulon fquadron, com-
manded by M. dc la Clue, near the ftraits of Gibraltar, took
Le Ccntaure of 74, Lc Temerairc of 74, and Le Modefte of
74 guns ; and burnt L'Ocean of 80, and Le Redoubtable of
74 guns. The reft of the fleet, confifting of feven (hips of
the line, and three frigates, made their efcape in the night,
>Vnd on November 20, Sir Edward Hawke defeated the Brcft
fleet, commanded by admiral Conflans, off the ifland of Du-
mct, in the bay of Bifcay. The Formidable, a French man
of war of 80 guns, was taken j the 'Fhefee of 74, and the
Supcrbe of 70 gims, were funk ; and the Soleil Royal of 80,
and'thc Hcros of 74, were burnt. Seven or eight Frenchmen
pf war of the line got up the river Villainc, by throwing their
guns overboard ; and the reft of the fleet, confifting of five
ih'ips of the line, and three frigates, efcaped in the night.
The Englifh loft on this occafion, the Eflex of 64, and the
Refolution of 74 guns. After this engagement, the French gave
pvcr all thoughts of their intended invafion of Great-Britain.

In February 1760, Captain Thurot, a French marine ad-
venturer, who had with three floops of war alarmed the coafts
pf Scotland, and a^Slually made a defcent at Carrickfergus iri
Ireland, was, on his return from thence, met, defeated, and
(cilled by captain Elliot, wh« was the commodore of three

ihij)!»

444

ENGLAND.

fliips, inferior in force to the Frenchman's fquadron. Ever\'
riny's grtzftte added to the accounts of the fiiccefies of the
Fnglifh, and the utter ruin of the French finances, which
that government did not biufh publicly to avow. In Ihort,
Circat-Britain novi^ reigned as fole miftrcfs of the main, and
had fuccceded in every nu-afure that had been prfj-dted for her
own fafcty and advantage.

The war in Germany, however, contiinied ftill ps unde-
rifivc as it was expenftve, and many in England bcpan tb
confider it now as foreign to the int<frnal intcrcfts oi Grc^t-
Britain. The French a'jain and aQ;ain (hewed difpofitions for
treating, and tl;c charges of the war, v/hich began now to
amount to little 1 f; than eighteen millions fterling yearly, in-
clined the Britifli miniUry to liflt-n to their proprfals. A
negotiation was accordingly entered upon, which proved
a -ortive, ar. did many othc:r projedts for accommodation, but
on the 25th of October 1760, George II. died fuddcnly, full
of years and glory, in the yyth of his age and 33(1 of his reign,
and was fuccceded by his grandfon, now George HI. eldefl
Ion to the late prince of Wales.

The memory of George II. is ff^prthenfiblc on no head but
his predilcclioii for his electoral dominions. He never could
fop.-irate an idea that there war. any diit'crence between them
and his regal dominions, and he waj fometimcs ill enough
.-.dvifed to declare fo much in his fpccchcs to parliament. Wc
are, however, to remember, that his people gratified him in
this partiality, and that he never atHed by power or preroga-
tive. Me was juft rather ;han gcneroi.s, and in matters of
iieconomy, either in his llatc or his houfliold, he was willing
to connive at abufes, if they had the fanclion of law and
nudum. By this me;ins thofe mifmanagements about his
court were multiplied to an cnormoui degree, and even uiuler-
cleiks in offices ajnaft'ed fortunes ten times greater than their
legal falaries or perquifites could raifc. He was not very
.nccciTiblc to converfation, and thercff)rc it was no wonder that
having left Germany alter he had attained to man's cftate, he
iiill retained foreign notions both of men and things. In go-
\'ernmeMt he had no favourite, for he parted. with Sir Robert
Walpole's adminiflration with great indiiVerence, and Ihewcd
very little concern at tlie fublecucnt revolutions among his
fervants. This quality may be ciccmcd a virtue, as it con-
tributed greatly to the internal quiet of his reign, and {)re-
vrnted the people from loading the king v/itji the faults of his
nnniilcrs. In his perfonal difpof.tion he was paflionate, but
placable, fearlefs of danger, fond of military jiarade, and cn-
i>ved the memory of the campaii^nj in which he ferved when

young.

.dted for lier

ue, as it con-

ENGLAND. 445

young. His afFeftions, either public or private, were never
known to interfere with the ordinary courfe of juftice ; and
though his reign was diiha<5ted by party, the courts of jiiitic«
were never better filled than under him : this was a point in
which all factions were agreed.

The brighter the national glory was at the time of Georf»«
IPs death, the more arduous v/as the province of his fuccefl'or,
George III. iJorn and bred in England, he had no prepof-
feflions but for his native country, and an excellent education
gave him true notions of its interclts, therefore he was not to
be impofed upon by flattering appearances. He knew that
neither the finances, nor the population of England could
furnifh men and money for fupplying the necelhtics of th«
war, fuccefsful as it was, and yet he was obliged to continue
It, fo as to bring it to a happy period. He chofe for his firit
minifter the earl of Bute, whom he had known ever fince h«
began to know himfelf, and among the firfl: a<Sh of his reign
was to convince the public that the .eath of his prcdeceflbr
ihould not relax tlie operations of the war. Accordingly, in
1761, the ifland of Bellciflc, on the coaft of France, i'urren-
de:ed to his majelly's ih\^^s nnd forces under commodore K-p-
pel and general Hodgfoii ; as did the important fortrcfs of
Pondicherry in the Ealt Indies to colonel Cootc and admiral
Stevens, The operations againft the French Weft Indies dill
continued under general Monckton, lord Rollo, and Sir Janus
Dowghifs ; and in 1762, the ifland of Martinico, hitherto
dec::ied impregnable, with the iflands of Grenada, (jrcnadillas,
St. Vincent, and others of lefs note, were fubdued by the
Britifli arms, with inconceivable rapidity.

By this Lime the famous family compaft among all the
branches of the Bourbon family had been concluded, and it
was found necefl'ary to declare war againft Spain, who having
been hitherto no principals in the quarrel, had fcandaloufly
abufed their neutrality in favour of the French. A refpe«Stable
armament was fitted out under admiral Pocock, having ths
carl of Albemarle on board to command the land forces, and
the vitals of the Spanifli monarchy were ftruck at, by the
reduction of the Havannah, the ftrongeft and moft important
fort which his catholic majefty held in the Weft Indies. The
capture of the Hermionc, a large Spanifh regifter fhip, bound
from Lima to Cadiz, the cargo of which was valued at a mil-
lion fterling, preceded the birth of the prince of Wales, and
the treafure pafl'ed in triumph through Weftminfter to the
Bank, the very hour he was born. The lofs of the Havan-
nah, with the fliips and treafures there taken from the Spa-

niatd»,

446 ENGLAND.

niards, was fucceeded by the reduction of Manilla in the
Eaft Indies, by general Draper and admiral Cornidi, with the
capture of the Trinidad, rcciconcd worth three millions of
dollars. To counteract thofe dreadful blows given to the
family compaft, the French and Spaniards opened their hii
refource, which was to quarrel with and invade Portugal,
which had been always under the peculiar protedlion of the
Britifh arms. Whether this quRrrel was real or pretended is
not for me to decide. It certainly embarraflcd his Britannic
majefty, who was obliged to fend thither armaments both by
fca a!id land.

The negotiations for peace were now rcfumed, and the
ncceflity of concluding one was acknowledged by all his ma-
jefty's minifters and privy cour.fellors excepting two. Many
difficulties were funnountcd, but the romantic and ufe-
lefs war in Germany was continued between the French and
Englifti with greater fury than ever. The enemy, however,
at laft granted fuch terms as the Brilifh miniftry thought ad-
miffible and adequate to the occaiion. A celVation of arms
took place in Germany, and in all other quarters, and on the
lOth of February 1763, the definitive trc.ity of peace between
his Britannic majelly, the king of France, and the king
of Spain, was concluded at Paris, and acceded to by the king
of Portugal ; March 10, the ratifications were exchanged at
Paris. The 22d, the peace was folemnly proclaimed at the
ufual places in Weftminftcr and London ; and the treaty hav-
ing on the 1 8th been laid before the parliament, it met with
the approbation of a majority of both houfes.

By this treaty, t'le cxtcniivc province of Canada, with the
iflands of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and St. John, were
confirmed to Great Britain ; alfo the two Floridas, contain-
ing the whole of the continent of North America, on this
lide the Miflifippi, except the town of New Orleans, with a
fmall diftri(5t round it, was furrendcred to us by France and
Spain, in confideration of our relloring to Spain the ifland of
Cuba; and to France the iflands of M:utinico, GuaJaloupe,
Mariegalante, and Defirade ; and in confideration of our grant-
ing the French the two fmall illands oi St. Picric and Miquclon,
on the coal't of Newfoundland, and quitting our pretenfions to
the neutral ifland of St. Lucia, they yielded to us the iflands
of Grenada and the Gienadilles, and quieted their pretciifianj
to the neutral iflands of St. Vincent, Dominica, and 'I'obago.
In Africa we retained the fettlement of Senegal, by which we
engrofs the whole gum trade of tha*. country ; but we returned
Goree, a fmall ifland of little value. The article that relates
to the Eaft Indies, v/as dictated bv the dircitors of the En"1ifh

2 c<>n;i).niy.

ENGLAND.

44T

company, which rcftorcs to the French all the places they had
at the beginning of the war, on condition that they fhall maia-
tain neither forts nor forces in the province of Bengal. And
the city of Manilla was reflored to the Spaniards ; but they
granted to us the liberty of cutting logwood in the Bay of
Honduras in America. In Europe, likewife, the French
ixltortd to us the illand of IVlinorca, and we reflored to them
the ifland of llLlleifle. In Germany, after fix years fpent in
marches and countcr-marclies, numerous fkiimiflics and bloody
b.attlcs. Great Britain acquired much military fame, but, at
the cxpence of 30 millions fterling ! As to the objeits of that
war, it was agreed that a mutunl rcftitution and oblivion
fhould take place, and each party fit down at the end c^f tlwi
war in the f.unc fituation in which ihcy began it. And peace
was reflored between Portugal and Spain, both fides to bt
upon the fame footing as before the war.

Thus ended a v/ar (I'uch v/cre the cfFeJls of unanimity at
home) the mod brilliant in the Jiritifli annals. No na^ioniJ
prejudices, nor parrv difputes then cxilled. Tlic fame truly
Britifli fpirit by which the minifter was animated, firc<l th«
breaft of the foldier and fcaman. The nation had then arrived .it
a pitch of wealth unknown to former ages, and the monicd
man, pletifcd with the afpecft of the times, confiding in the
abilities of the minifter, and courage of the pcoplr, chcarfully
opened his purfe. The incredible fums of i8, 19, and 22
millions, raifcd by a few citizens of London, upon a fliorr
notice, for the fervice of the years 1759, 1760, and 1 761,
was no lefs ailonifhing to Kurcpe, than the fuccefs which
attended the Britifli fleets and armies in every quarter cjf die
globe.

Genealogical List or Tut Royal Family orCikiATBsirAiN.

George William T"raioric III. born June 4, 17 j3; prodalmtfJ kln;^ of CrcAt
Britain, France and IrtlanJ, and eicftor of Hanover, October 26, i-ho; and
married, Si.-(iteml)er 8, 1761, to the prim-cfs So;>iiia Charlotte, ot' M(:t.klcnbiir^ti
Strelitz, bviii May 16, 1744, crowned beptwniber 22, 1761, uiid iw.v bave
ill'uej

1. George Au[,uftn5 Frederick, prince of Wales, bjrn Auguft 12, 1762.

a. I'rince Frederick., born Au^jult 16, lybj, tlvdtsi bifhv^p oi Ohja-burg Fc
l»riiary 27, 1764.

3. I'rincc William Fkniy, born Aiipod 21, 1765.

4. I'rincel's Clurlntte, born Scf'tember 29, 17Gb.

5. Prince Edward, bi-rn Novmiber 2, 1767.

6. I'rincefs .'\ugiilla bojiLla, born November 8, ijGS.

7. Princclk Flizabelli, buui May 22, 1770.

Augufta, .aut'htcr to Frt-turic 11. duke of Saxu Gotiia, ntw fUficdi Jowi'SOf of
Wales, was born Novtnibei 30, I7i9.

Her iilue by tiie lato prince of Wiles:
Her roval higlinefs Augufta, born Auguit ii, 1737, marrijJ to the beied!t«ry

.. _._- ...,„. — ^ — ^ — , — jj -- __, -^

|irincec)f BrunKwik Ljuneaburjl!, January 16, I7i'4.
2. Hi!> ^Jiulcnt ii)<ijcfty,

3. Prince

r 448 J

WALES.

THOUGH this principality is politically inclucicj in Eng-
land, yet as it has diftindtions in language, and manners,
I have, in conformity with the common cultom, afligned it a
i'eparate article.

Name and language.] The Welch are dcfccndants,
accordmg to the belt antiquaries, of the Bclgic Gauls, who
made a fcttlement in England about fourfcorc years before the
hrR defcent of Julius C^far, and thereby obtained the name
of Galles or Walks (the G and W being proir.ilcuoufly ufed
by the anticnt Britons) that is. Strangers. Their language
has a ftrong affinity with the Celtic or Phcenician, and is
highly commended for its pathetic and defcriptive powers by
thofe who underftand it.

Situation, boundaries, 7 Wales was formerly of
AND EXTENT. I greater extent than it is at

prefcnt, being bounded only by the Severn and the Dec ;
but alter tlic Saxons had made ihcmfclves niaflLrs of all the
plain country, the Wcllh or antient Britons were Ihut up
within more narrow bounds, and obliged gradually to retreat
weflward. It does not, however, appear thai the Saxons
ever made any farther conquclls in their country, than Mon-
mouthJhirc and Hcreford(hirc, which arc now reckoned part
of England. This couiiiry is divided into four circuits. Sec
England.

Climate, soil, and water.] The feafons arc pretty
jnueh the fame as in Scotland and the northern part;^ of Eng-
land, and the air is lliarp but wholcfome. The foil of Wales,
tfpcciully towards the north, is mountainous, but contains
rich vallies, which produce crops of wheat, rye, and other
corn. Wales contains many quarries of frec-ltone and fia'e,
feveral mines of lead, and abundance of coal-pits. This
country is well fupplied with wholelomc fprings, and its chief
rivers are the Clywd, the Wheeler, the ])ee, the Severn, the
Elwy, and the AKn, which furnifh Elintftiire with gi^-at
quantities of fifli. Holywell contains an excellent mineral

water

3. Prince William Henry, dnkc of Gloucefter, born Novmbcr 25, 1743.

4. PrinvC Henry Frederic, duke ut'Cunibirland, born November 7, 1745.

5. Pruitcf!' Caroline Matilda, born July iz, 1751 ; married at St. James's 0(\. i,
1766, by proxy, to Cliriftian VII, king otlJenmark.

His late majefty's ill'ue by queen Caroline, now living:

1. Princefs Amelia Sophia, born June 10, 1711.

2. Princcfs Mary, born March <, 1723-4, married to the prince of HcflTe
Coficl, jily 19, 1740.

cicj in Eng-

iiid manners,

aHigued it a

dcfccndants,
Gauls, who
m before the
icJ the name
cuoufly ultd
eir hmguagc
cian, and is
i powers by

formerly of
than it is at
d the Dec ;

rs of all the
rcrc fhut up
ly to retreat

the Saxons
, than i\lon-
eckoned part
ircuits. Sec

IS arc jnetty

art^ of En<r-
o

3ll of Whiles,

but contains
;, and other
ic and i^WL'y
-pits Tills
and ito ciiitf
' Severn, the
: with guat
lent niincral
water

25. '743-
•7. «745-
:. Jamca's OH. 1,

ing:

prince of Hcffe

WALKS, 449

Water, the virtues of which are attributed by the comnioii
people to tht female martyr St. Winifred.

Mountain's.] It would be endlefs to particularize the
mountains of this country. Snowdon^ in Carnafvonfliire, and
Plijflinmion, which lies partly in Montgomery, and partly in
Cardiganfliire, are the moft famous ; and it was probably by
their mountainous fttuation that the natives made fo noble and
'ojig a flrugglc againft the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Nor-
itian powers.

Vegetable and animal pro- 1 In thefc particulars
AUCTIONS BY SEA AND LAND, j Walcs differs little
from England. Their horfes arc fmaller, but can endure vaft
fatigue, and their black cattle arc fmall likewife, but excellent
beef, and their cows arc remarkable for yielding la-gc quan-
tities of milk. Great numbers of goats feed on the mountains.
As for the other productions of Wales, fee England and Scot-
land. Some very promifing mines of filver, copper, icad,
and iron, have been difcovered in Wales. The Welch fiKcr
may be knowi; by its being damped with the oftrich feathers,
the badge of the prince of Wales.

Population, inhabitants, 7 The inhabitants of Walcs
MANNER b, and CUSTOMS. J are fuppofed to amount to
about 300,000, and though not in general wealthy, they art:
provided with all the necefTaries, and many of the comforts
ot life. The k. J-tax of Wales brought in fome years ago
about forty-three thoufand fevcn hundred ;uid fifty-two pounds
a year. The Welch are, if pofliblc, more jealous of their
liberties than the Englifli, and far more iraleiblc, but their
anger foon abates, and they are remarkable for fidelity and
attachment, efpecially to their own countrymen. They are
Vv "V fond of carrying back their pedigrees to the moft remote
anti uity, but wc have no criterion for the authenticity of
their i^iunuferipts, fome of which they pretend to be coeval
with the incarnation. It is however certain, that great part
of their anticnt hiflory, efpecially the coclefiaftical, is morff
antient, and better attefted than that of the Anglo-Saxons.
Walcs was formerly famous for it'i bards and poets, particu-
larly Thalic/Hn, who lived about ihe year 450, and whofe
works were certainly extant at the time of the reformation,
rnd clcnrly evinces that GeofFrcy of Monmouth was not the
inventor of the hiftory whicli makes the prcfent Welch the
defccndants of the antient Trojans. This poetical genius fccms
to have influenced the anticni Welch with an enthufiafm for
ijidependcncy, for which reafon Edward I. is faid to have
made a general maflacre of the bards, an inhumanity which
was chr.radtcrillical of that ambitious prince. The Welch

Vol. I. F f jnay

'4: i

450

WALES.

may be called an unmixed people, as may be proved by keep-
ing up their antient hofpitality, and a ftrift adherence to their
antient cuftoms and manners. This appears even among gen-
tlemen of fortune, who in other countries commonly follow
the ftreamof fafhion. "We arc not, however, to imagine that
many of the nobility and gentry of Wales do not comply
with the modes and manner of living in England and France.
All the better fort of the Welch fpcak the Englifh language,
though numbers of them uiukrftand the Welch.

Religion.] I have already mentioned the maflacre of the
Welch clergy by Auguftine, the popilh apoftle of England,
becaufe they would not conform to the Romifh ritual. Wales,
after that, fell under the dominion of petty princes, who
■were often weak and credulous. The Romifh clergy infmuated
themfelves into their favour, by their pretended power of ab-
folving them from crimes, and the Welch, when their antient
clergy were extin^^t, conformed themfelves to the religion of
Rome. The Welch clergy, in general, arc but poorly pro-
vided for, and in many of the country congregations they
preach both in Welch and Englifli. Their poverty was for-
merly a vaft difcouragemeni to religion and learning, but the
meafures taken by the focicty for propagating chriftian know-
ledge has eft'cclually removed the reproach of ignorance from
the poorer fort of the Welch. In the year 1749 a hundred
and forty-two fchoolmafter> were employed in removing from
place to place for the inftrukflion of the inhabitants, and their
fcholars amounted to 72,26 i.. No people have diftinguiflied
themfelves more, perhaps, than the Welch have done by a«Sls
of national munificence. Thty print at a vaft expencc bibles,
common-prayers, and (^ther religious books, and diftributc
them gratis to the poorer ii)rt. Few of their towns arc unpro-
vided with a free- I'cliool.

The eftablirticd relitrion in Wales is that of the church of

England, but their common people in many places arc fo
tenacious of their antient cuftunis, that they retain fevcral of
the RorniHi iuperftitions, and fome uiuicnt families among
them, arc ftill Roman catholiis. It is likewifc faid, that
Wales abounds with Romifh priells in dilguifc.

For 1. ijioHRics (See England.) \Vc arc however to
obfcivc, tb;»L in foiiner times Wales cuntaincd more biflioprics
than it doc» now, and about the time of the eun^iucft of Eng-
land, the religious foundations there, far cxeceJcd the wealth
of all the other parts of the principality.

Lkarsino and LTARNiiu MiiN.] Walc-i was the fear of
learninti when En''!and knew not the ulc: of Ltters. It i'.it-
f^ijfcd, as I hiivf ulie;n.Iy UiyuJ, an cciipfe,, by their rep-'uted

mai

iacrwt

W A L E S. • * 451

ImaJTacres of the clergy and bards. Wickliffifm took fhelter
in Wales, when it was perfccuted in England. The Welch
and Scotch difpiite about the nativity of certain learned men,
particularly four of the name of Gilda^. Giraldus Cam**
brenfis, whofe hiflory was publifhcd by Camden, is thought
to have been a Welchman, and Lcland mentions feveral
learned men of the fame country, who flourifhtd before the
reformation. The difcnvcry of the famous king Arthur's,
and his wife's burying place, was owing to fome lines of Tha-
liefTin, which were repeated before Henry II. of England, by
a Welch bard. Since the reformation, Wales has produced
feveral excellent antiquaries and divines. Among the latter
was Hugh Broughton and Hugh Holland, who was a Roman
catholic, and is mentioned by Fuller in his Worthies. Among
the former were feveral gentlemen of the name of Llhuyd,
particularly the author of that invaluaWc work the Archae-
ologia. Rowland, the learned author of the Mona Antiqua,
was likewife a Welchman, as was mat great itatel'man and
prelate, the lord keeper Williams, archbifliop of York, in the
time of king Charles I. After all, I muft be of opinion, that
the great merit of the Welch learning, in former times, lay
in the knowledge of the antiquity, language, and hirtory of
their own country. Wales, notwithfhinding all that Dr.
Hickes, and other antiquaries, have faid to the contrary,
furnifhcd the nglo-Saxons with an alphabet. This is clearly
demonftratcd by Mr. Llhuvd, in his Welch preface to hi»
Archa.*ologia, and is confirmed by various monumental infcrip-
tions of undoubted authority (See Rowland's Mona Antiqua.)
f niuft not however omit, the excellent hirtory of Henry Vill,
written by lord Herbert of Cherbury.

With regard to modern Welchmen of learning, they are C*»
numerous, that it would be unjult to pariicularifc any. It is
fufficient to fay that their clergy arc now excellent fcholars,
and the Welch make as good a figure in literature as any of
their neighbours. The Welch Pater-nofter is as follows.

EIn T^adf yr hwn wyt yn y riefoedd^ fanfteiddier dy emv \ deued
dy deyrnas ; hydded dy cnyllys ar y ddaear^ megis y nine yn y ri4i-
foedd : dyro i ni hcddyiv ein bat a ieunyddiol ■■, a madden i ni ein.
dyledion^ fcl y rnaddeuivn ni Pn dyledwyr ; ac fine arwa'in ni i
brofedigacth^ tithr gwared ni rhag drwg : canys eiddot ti yiuW
deyrnas, ar gallu, «'r gogoniant, yn ocs oefoedd. Amen.

Cities, towns, i-orts, andI Wales contains no cities

OTHER i;difices, PUBLIC S or towns that are re-

AND private. 3 markable, either for po-

puloufnefs or magnificence. Ikaumaris is the chief town of

An^lefey, ajid has a harbour for fliips. Brecknock trades in

E f 2 wJoathinj.

452 WALE S.

cloathing. Cardigan is a large populous town, and lies in the
neighbourhood of lead and ftlvcr mines. Cacrmarthcn has a
large bridge, and is governed by a mayor, two flicriffs and
aldermen, who wear fcarlct i^owns, and other cnfigns of rtate.
Pembroke is well inhabited by gentlemen ;ind tradefmen, and
part of the county is lb fertile, and plcalant, that it is called
Little England. As to the other towns of Wales, I fl\all not
mention them. 1 . m however to obfervc, that Wales, in
ancient times, wns a far more populous and wcalihN country,
than it is at prefent ; and though it contains no regular lor-,
tifications, yet many of its old calHcs are fo flrongly built,
and fo well fituated, that they might be turned into ftrong
forts, by a little cxpencc ; witnefs the vigorous defence which
many of them made in the civil wars, between Charles I. and
his |)arliament.

Antk^-MTIes and curiositifs, 1 Wales aboujuls in
NATURAL AND ARTIP'RIAL. J remains of antiquity.
Several of its caliUs are ituiK'iKloufly larjje ; and in fonie the
remains of Roman architet.liire are plainly difcernible. The
architectine of others are doubttul, and i()mc appear to be
partly Uritilh, and partly Roman. In Krccknockfliire arc
lomc rude I'culptures, upon a ftone fix feet high, called the
Maiden-Stone; but the remains of the druiilical iiilliiutions,
and places of worftiip, are chiefly difcernible in the ifle of
Anglefcy, the ancient Mona, mentioned by 'I'acitus, who
(Icfcribes it as being the chief feminary cf the druiclical rites
and religion. To give a defcripii 'n of the Romai. altars,
antiquit cs and utenfils, whiih hav; bcc ;; d:fcoverecl in Wales,
wouhl be eiulkfs ; but future antiquaries may make great dif-
coNcrics from them. Among the otlier artificial curiofities,
is king Otfa's dyke, which is faid to have been a boundary
between the Saxons, and tiie Welch or J3ritons. Cnerphilly-
c:\iUc in Glamorganlhire, is faid to have been the largeft in
(ireat-Brituin, excepting Windfor, and the lemalns of it ihew
it to have been a nioit beautiful fabric. One half of a round
tower has fallen quite down, but the other over-hangs ',:s bafis
more than nine feet, and is as great a cui.ofit^, as the leaning
t'lwer of Pila in Italy.

Some curious coins of Welch princes arc faid to b? foimd
in the cabinets of the curious, but 1 do not find that they
ha\e been very ferviceable in alcertaining the ancient hiltory
of the country.

The chief natural curiofitigs arc 2s follow. At a fmall
village, called Newton in (ilanorijanftiire, •" a remarkable
fpring nigh the fea, which ebbs and flows contrary to the fea.
in Aierionethlhirc li Kadcr Idris, a n;outttaiji rciiuirkable for

4 '^s

W A L E S. ♦^

^ 453

its height, which affords variety of Alpine plants. In Carnar-
vonfhire is the high mountain of Pcnmanmooer, acrofs the edge
of which the public road lies, and occafions no finall terror to
many travellers ; from one hand the impending rock feems
ready every minute to crufh them to pieces, and the great pre-
cipice below, which hangs over the fea, is fo hideous, and,
till very lately when a wall was raifcd on the fide of the
road, full of danger, that one falfe ftcp was of difmal confe-
qucncc. Snowdon hill is by triangular mcafurement 1240
yards perpendicular height.

Commerce and manufactures.] The Welch arc on
a footing as to their commerce and manufa«5lures, with many
of the wcftern and northern counties of England. Their
trade is moftly inland, or with England, into which they
import numbers of black cattle. Milfordhaven, which is
reckoned the fineft in Europe, lies in Pcmbrokefhire, but the
Welch have hitherto reaped no great benefit from it, though
of late confiderable fums have been granted by parliament for
its fortifications. It lies under two capital difadvantages.
The firft is, that by making it the rendezvous of all the Eng-
lifh marine, a bold attempt of an enemy might totally dcllroy
the fhipping, however ftrongly they may be defended by walls
and foits. The fame objei^tion however lies to every harbour
that contains fhips of war and merchantmen. The fecond,
and perhaps the chief uifadvantagc it lies under, is the ftrong
oppofition to rendering it the capital harbour of the kingdom,
that it mult meet with in parliament, from the numerous
Cornifh and Welt-ccnuitry members, the benefit of whofe
eftates muft be greatly lellened by the difufe of Plymouth and
Portfmouth, and other harbours. The town of Pembroke
employs near 200 merchant (hips, and its inhabitants carry on
an cxtcnfivc trade. In Brecknockfliire are feveral woollen
manufafturc?, and Wales in general carries on a great coal
trade with England and even Ireland.

Constitution and government.] Wales was united,
and incorporated with England, in the 27th of Henry VIII.
when, by a6l of parliament, the government of it was mo-
delled according to the Englifli form ; all laws, cuftoms, and ^
tenures, contrary to thofe of England, being abrogated, and
the inhabitants admitted to a participation of all the Englifli
liberties and privileges, particularly that of fending members to
parliament, viz. a knight for every fhirc, and a burgefs for
every fliire-town, except Merioneth. By the 34th and 35th of
the fame reign, there were ordained four feveral circuits, for
the adminiftration of jullice in the faid fhires, each of which
was to include three (hires ; I'o that the chief juftice of Cheftcr

F f 3 has

I >

m "

•454 WALE 5>.

has under hisjurifdi£lion the three fcvcral (hires of Flint, Den-
bifjh and Montiiomcry. The fliircs of Caernarvon, Merioneth,
•and AnrlcCcy, arc under the jufticcs of North Wales. Thofc
of Cacrmnrthen, Pcinbrokcfhire and Cardigan, have alfo their
juilice5, as ha\f lil;cwifc thofc of Radnor, ikecknock and
Glamorgan, liy the cii:htccnih of queen Elizabeth, one other
juflicc-ailifiant wa'; ordaintd to the former jufticcs; fo that
now every one of the faid four circuits has two jufticcj, viz.
one chief iui^icc, .iiul a f^cond jufticc-affillant.

REvrNUi.s.) As to the revenues, I have niready men-
tioned the land-tUA, and the crown lus a certain, thou-^h
fmall propi rtv, in the product of the filvcr and lead-mints ;
-but it is faid that the revenue accruing to the prince of Wales
for his principality, docs not exceed 7 or 8coo 1. a year.

Arms.] The arms of the prince of Wales differ from
thofe of Knglaiul, only by tliu addition ot a label of thr'C
points. His cap, or badge of ctlrich fc; thcrs, wa". occafioned by
a trophy of that kind, which i'.dward the Black Prince took from
the kinu; of iJohemia, when he was killed at the battle of Poic-
tiers, and the niotto is Ich du>i^ I fervc. St. David, com-
moiilv called St. Tafly, is the tutelar faint of the Welch,
anfl 'i . badge is a leek, which is wore on his day, the ilt of
Maren, .md for which various reafons have been ulligned.

History.] The;tncient hillory of Wales is uncert«in, on
account of the number of petty princes who governed it.
That they were fovcrcign and independent, appears from the
Englifh hiftory. It was formerly inhabited by three different
tribes of the Britons, the Silures, the Dimctae, and the
Ordovices. Thcfe people cut out fo much work for the Ro-
mans, that they do not aj^pear ever to have been entirely fub-
dued, though part of their counti-y, as appears from the ruins
of caftles, was bridled by garrifons. 'I'hough the Saxons,
as I have already (Aiferved, conquered the counties of Mon-
mouth and Hereford, yet they never penetrated farther, and
the Welch remained an indepemlcnt people, governed by their
own princes, and their own laws. About the year 870,
Roderic, kino; of Wales, divided his dominions amon;]: his
three ions ; and the names of thefe divifums were, Deemetia,
or Sou»:h Wales -, Povcfia, or Powis-Land ; and Vcncdotia,
or North Wales. This divifion gave a mortal blow to the
independency of W;des, About the year 11 12, Henry I. of
England planted a colony of Flemings on the frontiers of
Wales, to fcrve as a barrier to England, none of the Welch
princes being powerful enough to oppofe them. They made,
however, many vigojoi.s brave attempts againft the Norman
kings of England, to inaiutain their liberties, and even the
' ■ Englifh

WALES.

455

nviit, com-

Engli/h hlftorlans admit the injufticc of their claim«;. In 1237,
the crown of England was firft fupplicd with a handle for the
future conqufft of Wales J their old and ijifirm prince Llcwcl-
Jin, in order to be (;ifc from the perfccutions of his undutiful
fo Jriffyn, having put himfelf under fuhjc6tion and homage
to king Henry III.

Rut no capitulation could fntisfy the ambition of Edward I,
who refolved to annex Walcj to the cmwn of England ; and
Llcwcllin, prince of Wales, difdaining the fubjcilion to which
old I-lcwellin had fubmittcd, Edward raifcd an irrefiftible army
at a prodigious expence, with which he penetrated as far as
Flint, and taking pofltilion of the ifle of Anglcfcy, he drove
the Welch to the mountains of Snowdon, and obliged them
to fubmit to pay a tribute. The Welch however made fevera!
efforts undir young Llcwcllin, but at laft, in 12S5, he wa«
killed in battle. He v/as fuccccded by his brother David, the
laft independent prince of Wales, who, falling into Edward's
hands through tri'acherr, w.is by him iiiofl baibarouny and
unjuftly hanged, and Edward, from that time, pretended that
Wales was annexed to his crown of En'^Iipd. It was about
this time, probably, that Edward pcrpctraLi-'d the inb.uman
mafl'icre of the Welch bards. Perceiving that his cruelty was
not I'lifTicic nt to conplete his roiiqiicit, he ilnt hi;; queen to
be (X'livcred in Carnarvon eafiic, that the Welch, having 9
prince born among thcnifelves, might the more readily recog-
nize his authority. This prince was tlu' unh'.i;-py Edward II.
and from him the title otprinceof Wales has .tlways defccnded
to the cldcft: fons of the Englilh kings. The hiflo'y of Wales
and England becomes now the fame. It is proper, hov/ever,
to obferve, that the kinjjs of England have always found it
their intcreft to foothc the Welch, with particular marks of
their r-.'gard. Their cldcft fons not only held the titular dig-
nity, bat actually kept a court at Ludlow, and a rf gular
council with a prefidcnt was named by the crown, for the
adminiftration of all the affairs of the principality. Thif
was thought fo nceeirary a piece of policy, that when Henry
VUI. had no fon, hii daughter Mary was created princels ©j"
Wale*.

Ff4

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Sdences
Corporation

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO

(716) 873-4503

•SJ

' ^^ °.^ ^^

^.^^'

IRELAND.- -' ;

Situation, boundaries, and extent. '

HE ifland of Ireland is fituated on the weft fide of Eng-

land, between 6 and 10 degrees weft longitudej, and

between 51 and 55 degrees 20 minutes north latitude, pr be-
tween the middle parallel of the eighth clime, where the
longeft day is i6i: hours, and the 24th parallel, or the end of
the tenth clime, where the longeft day is 1 7 i hours.

The extent, or fuperficial content of this kingdom is, from
the neareft computation and furvey, found to be in length
285 miles from Fairhead north, to Miflenhcad fouth j and
from the ealt part of Down, to the weft part of Mayo, its
greateft breadth, 160 miles, and to contain 11,067,712 Irifh
plantation acres, which makes 17,927,864 acres of Englifli
ftatute meafure, and is held to bear proportion to England and
Wales as 1 8 to 30. Mi . Templeman, who makes the length
275, and the breadth 159 miles, gives it an area of 27,457
fquare miles. From the eaft part of Wexford to St. David's
in Wales, it is reckoned 45 miles, but the paflage between
Donaghadee and Portpatrick in Scotland is little more than
twenty miles.

Name and divisions, 1 More conjectures as to the
ancient and modern, y Latin (Hibernia) Irifti (Erin)
as well as the Englifli name of this ifland, have been formed
than the fubjeft deferves. It probably takes it rife from a
Phcenician or Gallic term, fignifying the fartheft habitation
weft ward.

It is pretty extraordinary, that even modern authors are not
agreed as to the divifions of Ireland ; fpme dividing it into five
circuits, and fonie into four provinces, thofe of Leinftcr, Ul-
fter, Connaught, and Munfter. I fliall follow the laft divi-
fion, as being the inoft common, and likewife the moft
^ntipnt.

Counties ^
rD^blin
Louth
W icklow
Wexford
Longford

r » /I ^. EaftMeath

t-cmftcr, 12 counties.^ ^^^ ^^^^^

King's County

^S'

Chief Towns.
Dublin
Drogheda
Wicklow
Wexford
Longford
Trim
Mullinger
Phillipftown
Qiieen's County Maryborough
Kilkenny Kilkenny

j Kildare Kildarc

[^Carlow Carlgw

'"A

^T.

Ide ofEng-i
gitudej, and
ude, qr be-
where the
r the end of
s.

)ni is, from
e in length
fouth } and
' Mayo, its
7,712 Iriih
of Englifli
England and
i the length
I of 27,457
3t. David's
ge between
more than

I as to the
rifli (Erin)
een formed
rife from a
habitation

lors are not
it into five
inftcr, Ul-
e laft divi-
the moft

hvns,

d •

own

ough

excepted)

^•4

**-»?

J Jtviitrare^

Ulfter, 9 Counties,

I R ELAN

• - Counties*

'Down
Armagh
Monaghan
Cavan
-{ Antrim
Londonderry
Tyrone
Fermanagh

^Doncgall

fLeitrim
Rofcommon

Connaught, 6 Count. < ot^^°

° I oJlgO

! Galway
LClarc

{Cork
Kerry
Limerick
Tipperary
Waterford

D-\ 457

Chief Towns*
- Down
Charlemont '
Monaghan
Cavan

Carrickfergui
Derry
Omagh
Ennifkillen
Donegall

Leitrim

Rofcommon

Ballinrobe

Sligo

Galway

Ennis

Cork

Tralee

Limerick • *

Clonmel

Waterford.

Climate, seasons, 7 The climate of Ireland differs
AND SOIL. 3 little from that of England, with

which it would almoft perfectly agree, were the foil equally
improved. Uncultivated fwamps, bogs, and forefts, and un-
inhabited banks of rivers, naturally produce fogs and an
unwholfome thicknefs of air, as is the cafe with fome parts of
England itfelf ; but upon the whole the air of the cultivated
part of Ireland is as mild and falubrious, and as friendly to
huiniir nature as that of England ; fome have thought that it
is even more fo.

The foil of Ireland in general is fruitful, perhaps beyond
that of England itfelf, when properly cultivated. Pafturage,
tillage, and meadow ground abound in this kingdom ; but till
of late tillage was too much difcountenanced, though the
ground is excellent for the culture of all grains ; and in fome
of the northern parts of the kingdom abundance of hemp and
flax are raifed, a cultivation of infinite advantage to the linen
manufadure. Ireland rears vaft numbers of black cattle and
ftieep. The Irifh wool is excellent, but many have thought
that the prohibition of exporting it to any other nation but
England, is of detriment to both kingdoms, becaufe it, encou-
rages the inhabitants to fmuggle it into France. The prodi-
gious, and, indeed, incredible fupplies of fait provifions (fifH

excepted)

458 IRELAND.

excepted) fhippcd at Cork, and carried to all parts of the
world, are proofs fcarccly to be exhibited in any other coun-
try, of the natural fertility of the Irifh foil. As to the feafons
of Ireland, they differ little from thofc of Great Britain, in
the fame latitude, I muft not here forget that Ireland is
remarkable for breeding and nourifliing no venomous crea-
tures.

Rivers, bays, harbours,! Nor has nature been lefs
AND LAKES. j favourable to Ireland in thc

numerous rivers, enchanting lakes, fpacious bays, commo-
dious havens, harbours and creeks, which enrich and beau-
tify this country. The Shannon ifliics from Lough Allen, in
the county of Leitrim, ferves as a boundary bctvi^een Con-
naught and the three other provinces, and after a courfe of
150 miles, forming in its progrefs many beautiful lakes, it
falls into the Atlantic ocean, between Kerry-point and Loop-
head, where it is nine miles broad. The navigation of this
river is interrupted by a ridge of 'rocks fpreading quite acroft
it, fouth of Killaloe, but this might be remedied by a ihort
canal, at the expence of 10, or 12,000 1. and communications
Viight alfo be made with other rivers, to the great benefit of
thc nation. The Ban fiills into the ocean near Colcrain, thc
Boyne falls into St. George's channel at Drogheda. as does
the Liffey at the bay of Dublin, and is only remarkable for
watering that capital, wl ere it forms a fpr;cious harbour. The
Barrow, the Noer, and the Suir, water the fouth part of the
kingdom, and after uniting their ftreams below Rofs, they
fall into the channel at Waterford haven.

But the bays, havens, harbours, and creeks, which every
where indent the coaflr, form the chief glory of Ireland, ana
render that country, beyond any other in Europe, the belt
fitted for foreign commerce. The molt confiderable are thofe
of Carrickfcrgus, Strangford, Dundrum, Carlingford, Dun-
dalk, Dublin, Waterford, Dungarvan, Cork, Kinfale, Bal-
timore, Glandore, Dunmanus, Bantry, Kilmare, Dingle,
Shannon-mouth, Gal way, Sligoe, Doncgall, Killebegs,
Jlrough-Swilly, and Lough-Foylc.

Ireland contains a vaft number of lakes, or, as they were
formerly called, loughs, particularly in the provinces of Ul-
fler and Connaught. Many of them produce large quantities
of fine filli ; and the great lake Neagh, between the counties
of Antrim, Pown and Armagh, is remarkable for its petri-
fying quality. Though thofe loughs in the main have but
few properties that are not in common with the like bodies of
water in other countries, yet they have given rife to many
traditionary accounts among the natives, which disfigure and

2 difgracc

IRELAND. 459

difgrace their true hiftory, and even modern geographers have
been more copious on that head than cither truth or the fub-
je(St can admit of. The Irifli are (o fond of loughs, that, like
the Scots, they often give that term to inlets of the fea.

Inland mavigation.] The inland navigation of Ireland
is very improveabie, as appears from the canals that have
lately been cut through iliflVrtnt parts of the kiiigdom, one iii
particular (See the Map) reaching an extent of 60 miles, be-
tween the Shannon and the Liftl:y at Dublin, which opens a
communication from the Channel to the Atlantic ocean.
In furveying the grounds for this canal, however, it was found
neccilary to carry it through a bog 24 miles over, which,
from the fpungy nature of that foil, bccarre a work of incre-
dible labour and expence, in ftrengthening the fides, and
other works, to prevent falling in.

Mountains.] 7^he Irifh language has been more happy
in diftinguifliing the fize of mountains than perhaps any other,
A knock fignines a lov/ hill, unconnedted with any other emi-
nence; a flieve marks a craggy high m.ountain, gradually af-
cending and continued in feveral ridges j a bcinn or bin figni-
iies a pinnacle or mountain of the hrlt magnitude, ending in
a fharp or abrupt precipice. The tv/o lalt are often fcen and
compounded together in one and the fsme range. Ireland,
however, when corr pared with fome other countries, is far
from being mount -.lus. The mountains of Mourne and
Ifeah, in the county f Down, are reckoned among fome of
the highcft in the kingdom, of which Slieu-Denard has been
calculated at a perpendicular heighth of 1056 yards. Many
other mountains are found in Ireland, but they contain little
or nothing particular, if we except the fabulous hiftories that
are annexed to fome of them. Some of thefe mountains
contain in their bowels beds of mines, minerals, coals,
quarries of ftone, flate and marble, with veins of iron, lead^
and copper.

Forests,] The chief forcfts in Ireland lie in Leinfler,
the King's and Qiieen's counties, and thofe of Wexford and
Carlow. In Ulftcr there are great forefts, and in the county
of Donegall and in the north part of Tyrone; alfo in the
county of Fermanagh, along Loughlin Earne, and in the
north part of the county of Down, wherein is fome good
timber, and the oak is eftccmcd as good as any of the Englifli
growth, and as fit for fliip-building.

Metals and minerals.] The mines of Ireland are late
difcoveries. Several contain filver and lead, and it is faid that
30 pounds of their lead ore produce a pound of filver ; but the
richeft filver mine is at Wicklow. A copper and lead mine

have

t. *

460 IRELAND.

have been difcovercd at Tipperary, as lilccwire Iron ore, and
excellent frec-ftone for building. Some of the Irifli marble
quarries contain a kind of porphyry, being red ftriped with
white. Quarries of fine flate are found in moft counties. The
coals that arc dug at Kilkenny emit very little fmoke, and it
contains a chriftalline ftrcam which has no fediment. Thofc
peculiarities, with the fcrenity of the air in that place, have
given rife to the well known proverb. That Kilkenny con^
tains fire without fmokc, water without mud, and air without
fog.

Vegetable AND animal produc- 7 There is little that
TioNS, BY SEA AND LAND. 5 falls undcf this head

that is peculiar to Ireland, her produdions being much the
fame as in England and Scotland. Ireland affords excellent
turf and mofs, which are of vafl fervicc for firing, where
wood and coals are fcarce. A few wolves were formerly
found in Ireland, but they are now alniof^ exterminated by
their wolf dogs, which are much larger than maftiffs, fhaped
like greyhounds, yet as gentle and governable as fpaniels.
What I have already obfervcd about the Irifh exportation of
fait provifions, fufficiently evinces the prodigious numbers of
hogs, fheep, as well as black cattle, bred in that kingdom.
Rabbits are faid to" be more plentiful there than in England.
The fifh that are caught upon thecoafls of Ireland are likewifc
in greater plenty than on thofe of England, and fomc of them
larger and more excellent in their kind.

Population, inhabitants, man- 7 Ireland is faid to
NERS, CUSTOMS, AND DIVERSIONS. J Contain two mil-
lions and a half of inhabitants; but I fufpeft that the calcu-
lation is over-charged by near half a million. As it is of
great confcqucnce to afcertain as near as poffible the numbers
of inhabitants of Ireland of both religions, we fhall give them
according to the befl accounts, as they flood in the four pro-
vinces in 1733.

Proteflant

families.

InUlfler —

62,620

Leinftcr —

25^238

Munfter —

I3'337

Connaught —

4>299

Total 105,494

Popifh families.

— 38,459

— 92,424

— 106,407

— 44,133

Total 281,423

Which, at five to each family In the country, and ten for
Dublin, and fevcn for Cork city, makes in all 2,015,229 fouls.
I am apt to think, whun we coufider the wafte of war by fea

" ' ■ and

I ore, and
ifli marble
ripcd with
ktics. 'I'hc
lice, and it
it. Thofc
ilace, have
tenny con"
air without

is little that
iei- this head

much the
is excellent
ring, where
re formerly
'minated by
liffs, Ihaped

as fpaniels.
:portation of

numbers of
at kingdom.

in England.
1 are likewifc
fomc of them

and is faid to
ain two mil-
,at the calcu-
As it is of
the numbers
lall give them
the four pro-

Dpifli families.

38^459
92,424.

106,407
44^133

otal 281,423

, and ten for
015,229 fouls.

of war by fea
■ and

IRELAND. 461

and land, and the vaft emigrations of the Irifli to Britain, the
Britifli colonies, and other nations ; that the above calculation
may nearly fcrve for the prcfent times, though the balance of
number is certainly greatly rifen on the fide of protcftantifm ;
and in fome late debates m the Irifh parliament it has been af-
ferted that the number of inhabitants of Ireland amount to
three millions.

The old Irifh, or, as they are termed by the proteftants, the
mere Iri/hy arc generally rcprcfented as an ignorant, uncivi-
lized, and blundering fort of people. Impatient of abufe,
and injury, they are implacable and violent in all their affec-
tion', but quick of apprehenfion, courteous to ftrangers, and
patient of hardfhips. Though in thcfe refpcv^s there is, per-
haps, little difference between them and the more uninformed
part of their neighbours, yet their barbarifms are moreeafy to
be accounted for from accidental than natural caufes. By far
the greatefl number of them are papifts, and it is the intcrcft
of tlicir priefts, who govern them with an abfolute fwav, to
keep them in the moft profound ignorance. They alfo lie
under many legal difabilitics, which in their own country dif-
courages the exertion both of their mental and bodily facul-
ties ; but when employed in the fervice of foreign princes,
they are diftinguifhed for intrepidity, courage, and fidelity.
Many of their furnames have an O, or Mac, placed before
them, which fignify grandfon and fon : formerly the was
ufed by their chiefs only, or fuch as piqued themfelves upon
the antiquity of their familFcs. Their mufic is the bag-
pipe, but their tunes are generally of a melancholy llrain ;
though fome of the latcll airs are lively, and when fung by an
Irifhman, extremely diverting. The old Irifh is generally
fpoken in,the interior parts of the kingdom, where fome of
the old uncouth cuftoms flill prevail, particularly their funeral
bowlings ; but this cuflom may be traced in many countries
of the continent. Their cuflom of placing a dead corpfe
before their doors, laid out upon tables, having a plate upon
the body to excite the charity of pufl'engers, is pradlifed even
in the fkirts of Dublin, which one could wifli to fee abolifhed.
And their convivial meetings on Sunday afternoon, dancing
to the bagpipe, but more often quarrelling among themfelves,
is ofFcnlive to every flranger. But, as we have already ob-
ferved, thcfe cuftoms arc chiefly confined to the more unpo-
lifhcd provinces of the kingdom, particularly Connaught ;
the common people there having the leaft fenfe of law and
government of any in Ireland, except their tyrannical land-
lords or leafeholders, who fqueeze the poor without mercy.
The common Irifh, in their manner of living, feeni iq refembla

the

461 I R E I. A N D.

the anticnt Britons, as defcribcd by Roman authors, or the
prefcnt Indian inhabitants of America. Mean huts or cabbing
built of clay and ftraw, partitioned in the middle by a wall of
the fame materials, fcrve the double purpolcs of accommodat-
ing the family, who live and flccp promifcuoufly, having
their fires of turf in the middle of the floor, with an opening
through the roof for a chimney ; the other being occupied by
a cow, or fuch pieces of furniture as are not in immediate
life.

Their wealth confifts of a cow, fomctimcs a horfe, fome
poultry, and a fpot for potatoes. Coarfc bread, potatoes,
eggs, milk, and fometimes fifh, conftitute their food. For
however plentifully the fields may be ftocked with cattle, thefc
poor natives feldom tafte butcher's meat of any kind. Their
children, plump, robuft, and hearty, fcarcely know the ufe
ofcloaths, and are not afliamed to gaze upon ftrangers, or
make their appearance upon the roads in that primitive manner.

In this idle and deplorable flatc, many thoufands are in
a manner loft to the community and to thcmfclves, who, if
they had an equal chance with their neighbours of being in-
ftru£ted in the real principles of Chriftianity, inured and
incouraged to induftry and labour, and obedience to their
fovereign, would add confidcrable ftrcngth to government.
The Spaniards and French, particularly the latter, have not
failed to avail themfelves of the uncomfortable fituation of the
Irifli at home, by alluring them to enter their fervice, and in
this they have hitherto been aflifted by prielb and jefuits,
whofe intereft it is to infufe into the minds of their credulous
difciples an averfion to the I3ritilh government ; but we have
now the pleafing profpetS of a ha})py reformation among thefe
people, from the numerous Englilh proteftant working fchools,
lately eftablifhed over the kingdom, which inftitution will
undoubtedly ftrike deeper at the root of popery than all the
endeavours of the Britifh monarchs to reduce them.

The defcendants of the Englifti and Scots, fince the con-
queft of Ireland by Henry II. though not the moll numerous,
form the wealthieft part of the nation. Of tliefe are moft of
the nobility, gentry, and principal traders, who inhabit the
caftern and northern coafts, where moit of the trade of Ire-
land is carried on, efpecially Belfaft, Londonderry, and other
parts of the province of Ulfter, which, though the pooreft
foil, is, next to Dublin, and its neighbourhood, by far the
beft cultivated ar.d moft flourifliing part of the kingdom.
Here a colony of Scots, in the reign of James I. and other
prefl-)yterians, who fled from pcrfccution in that country in
fucceedi;ig reigns, planted themfelves, and eftablilhcd th.it

great

I R E L A N a

465

great ftnplc of Irifli wealth tlic linen manufactory, which they
have fince canicd on and brought to the utmoft pcrfc«Slion.
From this {hort rtvicvv it appears that the prd'cnt inlubitants
are compofcd of three dillinit clafTt's of people j the old Iri/h,
poor, ignorant, and dcprcflcd, who inhabit, or rather ex'\i^
upon the interior and wcltem jnirts ; the dcfccndants of the
Englifti, who inhabit Dublin, "VVatcrford, and Cork, and
who gave a new appearance to the whole coaft facing Eng-
land, by the inirodu^iion of arts, commerce, fcieiicc, and
more liberal and cultivated ideas of the true Got! and primi-
tive Chriflianity. Thirdly, as I have already oblerved, eirii-
grants from Scotland in the northern provinces, who like th«
others arc fo zcaloufly attached to their own religion and man-
ner of living, that it will rcquiie fomc ages before the inha-
bitants of Ireland are fo thoroughly confohdattd and blended
as to become one people. The gentry and better fort of th«
Irifh nation in general difter little in language, drels, man-
ners and cuftoms, from thofe of the fame rank in Great Bri-
tain, whom they imitate. Their hofpitality is well known,
but in this they are fometimes fufpe<^ted of more oilentatiou
than real fricndmip.

Religion.) The eftablifhed religion and ccck/laftical
«lifcip!ine of Ireland is th»; fame with that of England. I have
already obferved, that among the bulk of the people, in the
moft uncultivated parts, popery, and that too of the moil
abfurd, illiberal kind, is prevalent. The Irilh papilts ftill
retain their nominal bifhops and dignitaries, who fubfift fMx
the voluntary contributions of their votaries. But even the
blind fubmiflion of the latter to their clergy, does not prevent
proteftantifm from making a very rapid progrefs there in towns
and communities. How f;ir it may be the intereit of England
that fome kind of balance between the two religions ihould be
kept up, I fhall not here enquire.

Ireland contains at leaft as many fedlaries as England, par-
ticularly prefbyterians, anabaptifts, quakers, and methodifts,
who are all of them connived at and tolerated. Great efforts
have been made ever fince the days of James I. in cre6iing
free-fchools for civilizing and converting the Irifh papifts to
proteftantifm. The inftitution of the incorporated fociety for
promoting Englilh proteftant working-fchools, though of no
older date than 1717, has been amazingly fucccfsful, as have,
many inftitutions of the fame kind, in introducing induftry
and knowledge among the Iri(h ; and no country in the world
can fliew greater public fpiritcd efforts than have been made by
tfae government of Ireland, fuic^ th^t time, for thefa nurpofes.

Arch-

464

IRELAND.

Archbishoprics and bishoprics.] The archbifhoprlcs
are four, Armagh, Cafliel, Dublin, and Tuam.

Thebifhops are eighteen, viz. Clogher, Clonfert, Cloynf^
Cork, Derry, Down, Drumore, Elphin, Kildare, Killaloe,
Lcighlin, Limeric, Meath, Oflbry, Raphoe, and Watei-ford.

Language.] The language of the Irifh is fundamentally
the fame with the Britifh and Welch, and a diale6l of the
Celtic, which is made ufe of by the Scotch Highlanders,
oppofitc the Irifh coarts. It is, however, in a great meafure
defaced by provincial alterations, but not fo altered as to rcn-
•der the Irifli, Welch, and Highlanders, unintelligible to each
other. The ufage of the Irifli language occallons among the
common people, who fpcak both that and the Englifh, a dif-
agrccable tone in fpeaking, which diffufes itfelf among the
vulgar in general, and even among the better fort who do not
underftand Irifli. It is probable, however, that a few ages
hence the latter will be accounted among the dead languages.

Learning and learned men.] If we are to believe the
fabulous accounts of Ireland, learning flouriflicd there while
ihe was dormant in all the other parts of the globe. The
truth is, that the Irifli writers, in feveral branches of learning,
arts, and fciences, are equal to thofe of their neighbours.
Archbifliop Ufiier does honour to literature itfelf. Dean
Swift, who was a native of Ireland, has perhaps never been
equalled in the walks of wit, humour, and fatire. The
fprightlinefs of Farquhar's wit is well known to all lovers of
the drama : and to particularize other Irifli writers of learning
and genius, many of whom are living at this day, would far
exceed my bounds.

Universities.] Ireland contains but one unlverfity (if a
college can be called fuch) which is that of Dublin, founded
by queen Elizabeth, under the title of the College of the holy
and undivided Trinity, near Dublin, with a power of con-
ferring degrees of batchelors, mafl:ers, and dodors, in all the
arts and faculties. At prefent it confifl:s of a provoft^, feveii
fenior, thirteen junior fellows, and feventy fcholars of the
houfe, who have maintenance upon the foundation. The
vifitors arc the chancellor or vice chancellor, and the arch-
bifliop of Dublin.

ANTiQLTiTiiis and CURIOSITIES, 7 I havc already mcn-
natural and ARTIFICIAL. J tioncd the wolf-dogs
in Ireland, and her exemption from all venomous anintals.
The Irifli gof-hawks and gerfalcons are celebrated for their
Ihape and beauty. The moofe-decr is thought to have been
formerly a native of this ifland, their horns being fometimes
du^ up of fo great a fize, that one pair has been found near

eleven

1 k £ L A N d; 4^5

eleven feet from this tip of the right horn to the tip of the left ;
but the greateft natural curiofity in Ireland is the Giant's
Caufeway in the county of Antrim, about eight miles from
Colerain, which is thus defcribed by Dr. Pococke, late bifliop
of Oflbry) a celebrated traveller and antiquary. He fays,
** that he meafured the moft wefterly point at high water, to
the diftance of 360 feet from the clift' j but was told, that at
low water it extended 60 feet further upon a defcent, till it
was loft in the fea. Upon meafuring the eaftern point, he
found it 540 feet from the clifF ; and faw as much more o(
it as of the other, where it winds to the eaft, and is like that
loft in the water.

** The caufeway is compofed of pillars nil of angular fliapes,
from three fides to eight. The eaftern point, where it joins
the rock, terminates in a perpendicular cliff", formed by the
upright fides of the pillars, fome of which are thirty^three
feet four inches high. Each pillar confifts of feverai joints
or ftones, lying one upon another, from fix inches to about a
foot in thicknefs ; and what is very furprizing, fome of thefe
joints are fo convex, that their prominences are nearly quar-
ters of fpheres, round each of which is a ledge, which holds
them together with the greateft firrnnefs, every ftone being
concave on the other fide, and fitting in the exa£left mannef
the convexity of the upper part of that beneath it. The pil-i
lars are from one to two feet in diameter, and generally confift
of about forty joints, moft of which feparate very eafily, and
one may walk along upon the tops of the prllars as far as ta
the edge of the water. '

" But this is not the moft fingular part of this extraordinary
curiofity, the cliffs themfelves being ftill more furprizing*.
From the bottom, which is of black ftone, to the height ot
about fixty feet, they are divided at equal diftances by ftripes
of a reddifh ftone, that refembles a cement about four inches
in thicknefs ; upon this there is another ftratum of the fame
black ftone, witii a ftratum five inches thick of the red. Over
this is another ftratum ten feet thick divided in the fame man-»
ner j then a ftratum of the red ftone twenty feet deep, and
above that a ftratum of upright pillars j above thefe pillars lies
another ftratum of black ftone, twenty feet high; and, above
this again, another ftratum of upright pillars, rifing in fome
places to the tops of the cliffs, in others not fo high, and iil
others again above it, where they are called the chimneys^
The face of thefe cliff^s extends about three Englifli miles/*

The cavities, the romantic profpedls, catarafta, and other
pleafing and uncommon natural objects to be met with in Ire-
land, are too numerous to be called rarities, and fevctal pam-
phlets have been employed in defcribing them. As to the
. Vol. I. G g artificial

'^m I R E L A N IT.

artificial rarities in Ireland, the chief are the round PharoSy
or ftone towers, found upon the coafts, and fuppofcd to be
built by the Danes and Norwegians, who made ufe of them
As fpy-towers or barbicans, light-houfes or beacons.

Cities, towns, forts, and other T Dubliny the ca-
EDiFiCES, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. 3 pital of Ireland,
is in magnitude and the number of inhabitants, the fecond
city in the Britifli dominions ; much about the fize of Stock-
jholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Marfeilles, and is fuppofed
to contain near 200,000 inhabitants. It is fituated 270 miles
north-weft of London, and fixty miles weft from Holyhead,
in North Wales, the ufual ftation of the paflage veflels between
Great Britain and Ireland. Dublin ftands about {c\tn mile*
irom. the fea, at the bottom of a large and fpacious bay, to
which it gaves name, upon the river Liffey, which divides it
almoft into two equal parts, and is banked in through the
whole length of the city, on both fides, which form fpacious
quays, where veffels below the firft bridge load and unload
before the merchants doors and warehoufes. A ftranger iipoa
entering the bay of Dublin, which is about feven miles broad,
amd in ftormy weather extremely dangerous, is agreeably fur-»
prized with the beautiful piofpccl on each fide, and the diftant
view of Wicklow mountains; but Dublin, from its low fitua-*
tion, makes no great appearance. The increafe of Dublin,,
within twenty years laft paft, is incredible,, and it is generally
fuppofed that 4000 houfes have been added to the city and
iiiburbs fmce the reign of queen Anne. This city in its ap-
pearance bears a near refemblancc to London. The houfes
are of brick ; the old ftreets are narrow and mean,, but the
new ftreets are more elegant and better planned than thofe of
the metropolis of Great Britain. Sackville ftreet, which is
Sometimes called the Mall, is particularly noble. The houfes
are elegant, lofty, and uniformly built, and a gravel walk
runs through the whole at an equal diftance from the fides.

The river LifFey, though navigable for fea vefi'els as far as
the cuftomhoufe, or centre of the city, is but fmall, when
compared to the Thames at London. Over it are two hand-
fome bridges, lately built of ftone, in imitation of that at
Weftminfter, and three others that have little to recommend
them. Hitherto the centre of Dublin towards the cuftom-
houfe "was crouded and inconvenient for commercial purpofes ;
but of late a new ftreet has been opened, leading from Eflex
bridge to the caftle, where the lord lieutenant refidcs. A
new exchange is building, the firft ftone of which was laid
by lord Townftiend, the then lord lieutenant, and feveral
other ufeful und^r(<ikin^s suid embelliflinicnts are in agita-
tioti.

. Tha

d PharoSy
fed to be
J of them

ly the ca-
f Ireland,
:he fecond
of Stock-
! fuppofed

270 miles
Holyhead,
Is betweea
even mile*
us bay, to

divides it
irough the
m fpacious
nd unload
mger iipoa
liles broad,
eeably fur-
the diftant

low fitua-»
d£ Dublin,.
s generally
e city and
Y in its ap-
fhe houfes
m,, but the
in thofe of
:, which is
The houfes
;ravel walk
be fides,
els as far as
mall, when
: two hand-

of that at
recommend
he cuftom-
il purpofes ;

from Elfex

refides. A
ch was laid
and feveral
ro iaagitai*

I R E L A N ti.

467

The barracks are pleafantly fituated on an eminence near
the river. They confift of four large courts, in which are gene-
rally quartered four battalions of foot, and one regiment of
horie J from hence the caftle and city guards are relieved daily.
They are faid to be the largeft and compleateft building of
the kind in Europe. •

The linen hail was erefted at the public expencc, and
opened in the year 1728, Cor the reception of fuch linen cloths
as were brought to Dublin for fale, for which there are con-
venient apartments. It is entirely under the diredlion of the
truftees for the encouragement of the linen manufactory of
Ireland, who are compofed of the lord chancellor^ the pri-
mate, the archbiftiop of Dublin, and the principal part of the
nobility and gentry. This national inftitution is produ<5live
of great advantages, by preventing many frauds which other-
wife would be committed in a capital branch of trade, by
which many thoufands are employed, and the kingdom greatly
enriched.

Steveiis Green is a moft extenfive fquare, being one mile
in circumference. It is partly laid out in gravel walks, like
St. James's park, with trees on each fide, in which may be
feen, in fine weather, a refort of as much beauty, gaiety, and
finery, as at any of the public places in England. Many of
the houfes round the green are very ftately, but a want of uni-
formity is obfervable throughout the whole. Ample amends
will be made for this defe«3: by another fpacious fquare near
Stevens Green, now laid out and partly built. The houfes
being lofty, uniform, and carried on with ftone as far as the
firft floor, will give the whole an air of magnificence, not
exceeded by any thing of the kind in Britain, if we except Bath*

The front of Trinity college, extending above 300 feet, is
built of Portland ftone in the iineft talle.

The parliament houfe was begun in 1729, and finiflied in
1739, at the expence of 40,0001. This fuperb pile is in
general of the Ionic order, and is at this day juftly accounted
one of the foremoft archite«^ural beauties. The portico in
particular Is, periiaps, without parallel ; the internal parts
have alfo many beauties, and the manner in which the build-
ing is lighted, has been much admired. But one of the
greateft and moft laudable undertakings that this age can boaft
of, is the building a ftone wall about the breadth of a mode-
rate ftreet, a proportionable height, and tliree miles in length,
to confine the channel of the bay, and to Iheltcr vefleis in
ftormy weather.

The civil government of Dublin is by a lord mayor^ &c.
the fame as in London, Every third year, the lord mayor,
and the 24 eompanifs* by virtue of an old ( harter, are obliged

Q g z to.

468

IRELAND.

to perambulate tlie city, and its liberties, which they call
riding the Franchifcs. Upon this occafion the citizens Vie
with each other, in Ihow and oftcntation, which is Ibmetinics
produftivc of diiagrceabl'j confequcnces to many of their fami-
lies. In Dublin are two large theatres, that arc generally
well filled, and which fcrve as a kind of nurfery to thofe in
Ivondon. In this city are i8 parifli churches, 8 chapels,
3 churches for French, and i for Dutch proteftants, y prd-
bytcrian mceting-houfes, i for method ids, 2 for quaiccrs, and
36 Roman catholic chapel . A royal hofpital, like that at
Chelfea, for invalids ; ^ lying-in hofpitaj^ with gardens,
built and laid out in the fineft taile j an hofpital f»r
lunatick?, built by the famous dean Swift, who himlclf
died a lunatic ; and fundry other hofpitals for patients of
every kind. Some of the churches have been lately rebuilt,
and others are rebiiildinn in a more e1e'>-ant manner. And in-
deed whatever way a il;ran<.^er turns himfelf in this city, he
will pcrci-ivc a Ipirit of elegance and ma^-nificencc ; and if
he extends his view over the whole kingdom, he will con-
clude that works of ornament and public utility in Ireland,
keep pace with thofe ereding, great as they are, over the dif-
ferent parts of Great Britain. For it muft be acknowledged
that no nation in Europe, comparatively fpeaking, has ex-
pended fuch fums as the grants of the Irifh parliament, which
has been, and continues to be, the life and foul of whatever is
carried on ; witnefs the many noble erections, churches,
hofpitals, bridges ; the forming of harbours, public roads,
canals, and other public and private undertakings.

It has, however, been irtatter of fiirprize, that with all this
■fpiiit of national improvement, few or no good inns are to be
■met with in Ireland. In the capital, which may be clafled
among the fecond order of cities of Europe, there is not one
inn that defetves that name. This may, in fome meafure, be
-accounted for by the long, and fometimes dangerous paflage
from Chefterand Holyhead to Ireland, which prevents the gen-
try of England, with their families, from vihting that ifland ;
but as it is now propofcd to make turnpike roads to Port-
patric in Scotland, from whence the padage is Ihort and fafe,
the roads of Ireland may by this means become more frc-
<}uentcd, efpecially v/hcn the rural beauties of that kingdom
.arc more generally known. For though in Entiland, France,
and Italy, a traV'cUcr meets with views the mofi: luxuriant and
rich, he is fwnctimes cloved with a famenefs that runs through
the whole : but in thofe countries of North Britain and Ire-
land., the rugged mountains, wliofe tops look down upon the
clouds, the extenfivc lakes, enriched with buJhy iflands, the
€aviti*'s, glens, cataradts, the iiU!ncrcu:i feathered creation,
4 I iiopping

:y call
;ns Vie
letinies
r farni-
nerally
lofe ill
:hapcls,
y prd-
rs, and
that at
rardens,
tal for
himt'cU'
icnts of
rebuilt.
And in-

city

and if
ill con-
Ireland,

the dif-
)wledfrcd

has ex-
t, which
latever is
:hurches,
,c roads,

h all this
are to be
>e clafled

not one
:afure, be
LIS paflage
3 the gen-
at ifland ;

to Port-

and fafe,
more frc-
; kingdom
1, France,
iriant and
IS through
n and Irc-

upon the
lands, the

cn.'utiojj,
hoi^pin'i

IRELAND. 4^9

hopping from clifF to clift', and other plcafing and uncommon
natural objeds, that frequently prcfent themiclves in various
forms and fliapcs, have a v/onderful eftcdt upon the imagina-
tion, and are plcafing to the fancy of every admirer of nature,
however rough or unadorned virith artificial beauties.

Cork is dcfervcdly reckoned the fecund city in Ireland, in
magnitude, riches, and commerce. It lies 129 miles fouth-
weft; of Dublin, and contains above 8100 houfcs, inhabited
chiefly by proteftants. . Its haven is deep, and well fheltcrcd
from all winds ; but fmall veffels only come up to its quay,
and ftand about fcven miles up the river Lee. Thi^ is the
chief port of merchants in the kingdom ; and there is, per-
haps, more beef, tallow, and butter fliippcd ofl" here, than in
all the other ports of Ireland put together. Hence there is a
great rcfort of fhips to this port, particularly of thofe bound
from Great Britain to Jamaica, Barbadoes, and all the Carib-
bee illands, which put in here to victual and complete their
Jading. Kinfale is a populous and ftrong town, with an ex-
cellent harbour, and confiderable commerce and fhipping :
and it is, moreover, occafionally a llaLion for the navy royal ;
for which end this port is furnilhcd with proper naval officers
and ftorekeepcrs. Waterford is reckoned next to Cork for
riches and fliipping. It is commanded by Duncannon Fort,
and on the weft fide of the town is a citadel. Limeric is a
handfomc, populous, commercial, Ihong city, and lies on
both fides the Shannon. .'•■'.'■"

Belfaft, a large feaport and trading town at the mouth of
the Lagen water, where it falls into Carrickfergus bay,
Downpatrick has a flourifhing linen manufadure. Carrick-
fergus (or Knockfcrgus) is by fome deemed the capital town
of the province, has a good harbour and calHe, but little
commerce. Dcrrv (or Londonderry, as it is moft ufually
called) (lands on Lough-Foyl, is a ftrong little city, having
fome linen manufa(R:urcs, with fome commerce and fhipping.
All this extreme north part of Ireland is fituated fo near to
Scotland, that they are in fight of each others coafls. Done-
gal, the county-tov.'n of the fame name (otherwife called the
county of Tyrconnel) is a place of fome trade j as is likewife
Enniikilling. All which laft mentioned places, and many
more (though lefs conficierable ones) are chiefly, and molt
induflrloufiy, employed in the manufai^uring of linen and
linen thread, to the great benefit of the whole kingdom,
which, by its vaft annual cxportations of linen into England,
is enabled to pay for the great annual importations from Eng-
)and into Ireland ; and likewife to render the money conftantly
drawn from Ireland Into England by her abfcntecs, lefs grie-
V9US to her.

Gg 3

Though

■i

470 I R E L A N p.

Though Ireland contains no ftrong places, according to tht
modern improvements in fortification, yet it has feveral forts
and garrifons, that ferve as comfortable finecures to military
officers. The chief are Londonderry and Culmore fort, Cork,
Limeric, Kinfale, Duncannon, Rofs-Caftle, Dublin, Char-
lemont, Galway, Carricfergus, Maryborough, and Athlonc,
Each of thefe forts is furnifhed with deputy governors, unde?"
various denominations, who have pecuniary proyifions from
the government.

It cannot be pretended that Ireland is as yet furniihed with
many public edifices, that can compare with thofe that are to
be found in countries where fovereigns and their courts refide,
but it has many elegant public buildings, which do honour to
the tafte and public fpirit of the inhabitants. The parliament
houfe, caftle, EfTex-bridgc, and feveral edifices about Dublin,
already mentioned, are magnificent, and elegant pieces of
architecture, and many noble Gothic churches, and other
buildings, are to be feen in Ireland. The Irifh nobility, and
gentry of fortune, now vie with thofe of England in the mag-
nificent ftru(?[ure of their houfes, and the elegance of their
ornaments j but it would be unjuft, where there are fo many
equal in tafte and magnificence, to particularize any. In
i^eaking of the public buildings of this kingdom, I muft not
forget the numerous barracks, where the foldiers are lodged,
equally to the eafe and convenicncy of the inhabitants.

Commerce and manufactures.] What I have faid
of England under this head, is in a great meafure applicable
to Ireland. Her chief exports confilt of linen-cloth, yarn,
|awrs, and cambrics, which are encouraged by the Englifh
government. Wool and bay yarn are by law allowed to \te
exported to England only, but great quantities of both are
Smuggled into other countries. The other exports are horfcs
and black cattle, beef, pork, green hides, feme tanned lea-
ther, calf (kins dried, tallow, butter, candles, cheefe, ox
and cow-horns, ox-hair, horfe-hair, lead, In no great pro^
portion, coppcr-orc, herrings, dried fifh, rabbit- (kins, and
furr, otter-fkins, goat-(kins, falmon, and a few other par-
ticulars.

The Irifh in general complain of the vaft difadvantages
Vnder which their country lies, from that prohibition which
^oes not fuft'er them to cultivate to the full their woollen and
iron manufa(5lures, or to make the beft of their natural fituation
and harbours. They even complain that the benefits of their
linen manufacture are now greatly abridged by the va0 pro-
grefs made in the fame by the Scots, and repeated attempts
have been made to prove that their conrtnercial difcouragc-
ments are detrimental to £rg;Iand herfclf, and beneficia} to

'her

IRELAND. 471

Iter natural enemies. Whatever truth may be in this com-
:plaint, it is certain that the Irifli have carried their inland
manufadures, even thofe of luxury, to an amazing height,
and that their lords lieutenants, and their court, have of late
encouraged them by their examples, and, while they are in
that government, making ufe of no other.

Public trading companies.] Of thefe I know none in
Ireland, as the bankers cannot be admitted as fuch ; neither
can the Dublin fociety for the encouragement of manufadtureg
and commerce, which was incorporated in 1750. The linen
hall, however, that is eredled at Dublin, is under as jufl and
nice regulations as any commercial houfe in Europe.

Constitution and government.] Ireland is ftill a
diftindt, though a dependent fubordinate kingdom. It was
only entitled the dominion or lordfhip of Ireland, and the
Icing's ftilc was no other than Dominus Hiberniae, Lord of
Ireland, till the 33d year of king Henry VIII. when he
aflumed the title of king, which is recognized by adl of par-
liament in the fame reign. But, as England and Scotland are
now one and the fame kingdom, and yet differ in their muni-
cipal laws ; fo England and Ireland are, on the other hand,
diftindt kingdoms, and yet in general agree in their laws.
Per after the conqueft of Ireland by king Henry II. the law^
of England were received and fworn to by the Irifli nation,
alFembled at the council of Lifmore. And as Ireland, thus
conquered, planted, and governed, ftill continues in a ftate of
dependence, it muft neceflarilv conform to, and be obliged by
fuch laws as the fuperior ftate \ hinks proper to prefcribe.

But this ftate of depei:den je being almoft forgotten, and
ready to be difputed by the Irifli nation, it became neceflary^
ibme years ago, to declare how that matter really flood : and,
therefore, by ftatute 6th of George 1. it is declared, that thd
kingdom of Ireland ought to be fubordinate to, and dependent'
upon, the imperial crown of Great Britain, as being infepa-
rably united thereto; and that the king's majefty, with the
confent of the lords and commons of Great Britain, in par-
liament, hath power to make laws to bind the people of Ireland*

The conftitution of the Irifli government, as it ftands at
prefent, with regard to diftributive juftice, is nearly the fame
with that ©f England. A chief governor, who generally goes
by the name of lord lieutenant, is fent over from England by
the king, whom he reprefents, but his power is in fome mea-
sure reffrained, and in others enlarged, according to the kingV
pleafure, or the exigency of the times. On his entering upon
this honourable ofiice, his letters patent are publickly read in
the council-chamber, and having taken the ufuai oaths before
ihe lord chanceUgr, thg fwcrd, which is to be carried before

G g 4 him.

'^mm^^

472 IRELAND.

him, is delivered into his hands, and he is fcated in the chair
ofltatc, attended by the lord chancellor, the members of the
privy-council, the peers and nobles, the king at arms, a fer-
geant at mace, and other officers of ftate ; and he never ap-
pears publickly vi'ithout being attended by a body of horfe-
guards. Hence, with refpedt to his authority, his train and
fplendor, there is no viceroy in chriftendom that comes nearer
to the grandeur and mnjcfty of a king. He has a council com-
pofed «f the great officers of the crown ; namely, the chan-.
cellor, treafurcr, and fuch of the archbifliops, earls, bifliops,
barons, judges, and gentlemen, as his majcfty is pleafcd to
appoint. I'he parliament here, as well as in England, is the
fuprtme court, which is convened by the king's writ ; and
generally fits once every fecond year. It confifh, as in Eng-
land, of a houfe of lords and commons. Of the former, many
are Englifli or Britifli peers or commons of Great Britain ;
a few are papifts, who cannot fit without being properly qua-
lified ; and the number of commons amount to about three
hundred. Since the acceffion of his prefcnt majclly, Irifh par-r
liaments have been rendered odenuial. The laws are made
by the houfe of lords and commons, after which they are fent
to England for the royal approbation; when, if approved of
by his majefty and council, they pafs the great feal of Eng^.
land, and are returned.

For the regular diftribution of juftice, there are alfo in Ire-
land four terms held annually for the dccifion of caufes ; and
four courts of juftice, the chancery, king's-bench, common-
picas, and exchequer. The high-fhcrifFs of the feveral coun-r
tics were formerly chofen by the people, but are now nomi-
nated by the lord lieutenant. From this general view it ap-
pears that the civil and ecclefiafticai inftitutions aye almoft the
fame in Ireland as in England.

Revenues.] In Ireland the public revenue arifes from
hereditary and temporary duties, of which the king is the
truftce, for applying it to particular purpofes ; but there is
beftdes this a private revenue arifmg from the ancient demefne
lands, from forfeitures for treafon and felony, prifage of wines,
light-houfc duties, and a fmall part of the cafual revenue, not
granted by parliament ; and in this the crown has the fame
unlimited property that a fubjedl has in his own freehold..
The extent ot that revenue is perhaps a fccrct to the public.

The revenue of Ircjand is fuppofed at prefent to exceed half a
million fterling, of which thelrifh complain greatly that aboul;
70,000 1. is granted in penfions, and a great part to abfcntees.
Very large fums are alfo granted by their ovv'n parliament for
more valuable purpofes, the improvement of their country and
civili^'iiig the people j fuch &s the uilai,id navigation, brid^^e.s,

highways.

from

IRELAND. 475

highways, churches, premiums, proteftant fchools, and other
particulars, which do honour to the wifdom and patriotifm of
tti^ parliament.

And it is alfo a happy circumftancc for the Irifh, that
the revenues necclTary for the fupport of their government,
and other purpofcs, arc railed with fo much eafc as to be
fcarccly felt by the people. Their lands are not faddled with
heavy taxes, nor their trade with foreign nations cramped by
innumerable duties. Hence proceed the amazing low prices
of almoft every article of general confumption. Good c^a^ct
wine is fold in the metropolis of the kingdom at two Shillings
a bottle, and other liquors proportionably cheap. Butcher's
meat, though now on the rife, is fold at two pence per pound;
turkies at twenty pence, and other poultry at a trifling ex-
pence. Soap and candles fo low as to tempt coafting vclTels
to fmugglc them into Britain. In the interior parts, but-
chers meat is fold at one penny farthing per pound; large
fwwls at three pence each. And that the taxation upon inland
trade fits cafy, appears from the cheapnefs of almoft every
article fabricated there. Newfpapers of a large fize are fold at
a halfpenny, and advcrtifements of a moderate length are in-
ferted for nxpence. Such was the happy fituation of Gi'cat
Britain before the commencement of that load of debt, con-
tracted in confequence of our foreign conne^lions, and fruit-
lefs campaigns in Germany and Flanders.

Coins.] The coins of Ireland are at prefent of the fame
denominations and the like fabric with thofe of England,
only an Englifh (hilling pafles in Ireland for thirteen pence.
What the antient coins of the Irifh were, is at prefent a mat-
ter of rricre curiofity and great uncertainty.

Military strength.] Ireland maintains and pays an
army of 16,000 men, who have been often of fingular fervicc
to England. The reader, from the (ketch I have already
given of the population of Ireland, may eafily form an efti-
mate of the numbtr of fighting men in the kingdom. Thofe
parts of Ireland that are moit uncultivated, contain numbers
of inhab tants that have very little fenfe either of divine or
human laws, and regular forces are abfolutely neccfiTary for
keeping thtm in order, witncfs the late infurre«5tions of the
Whittboys, and other Isanditti, who were inftigated by their
priefts. It docs not, however, appear that the bulk of the
Irifh catholics are fond of a revolution in government, as few
or none of them joined Thurot in his defcent upon Carrick-
fergus, or took any part with the pretender in the lail
rebellion. - ' " '

• History.] The Irifh monks have formed a more
pl^n of antient hiflory, for tlieir own country, thaa is to be

^if^

regu'ar

474

IRELAND.

met with in other countries^ and with fuch plaufibilify, fhtt
St has been adopted by men of confidcrablc learning. They
have carried up a fucceflion of ffrcat, wife, and learned kings,
almoft to the time of the flood, and they have made Ireland
iBoHrifti in all the arts and fcicnces, cfpccialiy thofe of govern-
ment, long before they were known in Egypt, or Greece.
Writers,, however, after the Auguftan age, have mentioned
the Irifh, as being no better than favagcs, and the mo{t cre-
dible of the modern hiftorians, fpeak of them as being, in the
beginning of the fifteenth century, a nation of Barbarians,
though it may lie admitted that before this p^'riod, fomc of
their monks and clergy, who had travelled into other parts of
Europe, were holy and learned men.

That the northern paits of Ireland v/crc peopled from the
well of Scotland, as being a far more inviting fcil, is more
thvLVi probable, and it is likely that emigrations from other
parts of Europe, might mingle with the aboriginal Irifh ; but
hiftory gives us no fure lights, as to thofe matters. Sir James
Ware, the heft of the Irifn antiquaries, and a m:m of great
learning and candour, fpeaks with high contempt of the Irifh,
fccfore they were converted to Chriftianity, by St. Patric, a
Scotchman, who died in 4.93. After this they were occafion-
ally invaded by the Saxon kings of England, but in the year
795 and 798 the Danes and Normans, or as they were called,
the Eaflerlings, invaded the coafls of Ireland, iuid were the
iirft who creiled ftone edifices in that kingdom. The habita-
tions of the Irifh, till that time, were of hurdles covered with
ilraw and rufhes, and a very few of folid timber. The natives,
however,, defended themfelves bravely againlt the Eafterlings,
who built Dublin,, Watcrford, Limerick, Wexford and Cork,
hut they refided chiefly at Dublin, or in its neighbourhood,
which, by the old Irifh, was called Fingal, or the Land of
Strangers. The natives, about the year 962, fecm to have
called to their afliflance the Anglo-Saxon king Edgar, who
Iiad then a confiderablc maritime power, and this might have
^iven occafion for his clergy to call him King of great part of
Ireland. It is certain, that Dublin was about that time a
floarifhing city, and that the native Irifh gave the Eaflcrlings
fevcral defeats, though fupported by their countrymen from the
continent, the Ifle of Man, and the Hebrides.

Though the ufe of letters had been by this time introduced
into Ireland, yet its hiflory is flill very confufed. We know,
however, that it was divided amonglt feveral petty princes,
and that Henry II. of England, provoked at their piracies,
and their aflifting his enemies, by the infligation of the Pope,
Jiad refolved to fubdue them. A fair pretext offered about the
year 1168. Dermot M*iC Murrough, king of Leinllerj and

IRELAND.

475

an oppreflive tyrant, quarrelled with all his neighbours, and
carried off the wife of a petty prince, O Roirk. A confe-
deracy being formed againll him, under Roderic O'Connor,
(who it feems was the paramount king of Ireland) he was
driven from his country, and took refuge at the court of Hen-
ry II. who promifcd to reftore him upon taking an oath of
fealty to the crown of England fur hinifelf, and all the petty
kings depending on him, who were very numerous. Henry,
who was then in France, recommended Mac Dermot*s caufe
to the Englifh barons, and particularly to Strongbow, earl of
Pembroke, Robert Fitz Stephen, and Maurice Fitz Gerald*
Thofe noblemen undertook the expedition upon much the fame
principles as the Norman and Breton lords did the conqueft of
England under William I. and Strongbow was to marry Mac
Dermot's daughter Eva. In 1169, the adventurers reduced
the towns of Wexford and Waterford ; and the next year
Strongbow arriving with a rtrong reinforcement, his marriage
was celebrated.

The defccndants of the Danes continued ftlll pofTcflcd of
Dublin, which, after fome ineffectual oppofition made by king
O'Connor, was taken and plundered by the Englifh foldiers,
but Mac Turkil the Danifh king efcaped to his (hipping.
Upon the death of Dermot, Henry II. became jealous of earl
Strongbow, feized upon his eftates in England and Wales,
and recalled his fubjefts from Ireland. The Iriih, about the
fame time, to the amount of about 60,000, befieged Dublin,
under king O'Connor j but though all Strongbow's Irifli
friends and allies had now left him, and the city was reduced
to great extremity, he forced the Irifli to raife the fiege with
great lofs, and going over to England he appeafed Henry by
fwearing fealty to him and his heirs, and refigning into his
hand all the Irifli cities and forts he held. During Sirong-
Ijow's abfence, Mac Turkil returning with a great fleet, at-
tempted to retake the city of Dublin, but was killed at the
fiege ; and in him ended the race of the Eafireriing princes in
Ireland.

In 1172, Henry II. attended by 400 knights, 4000 veteran
foldiers, and the flower of his Englifh nobility, landed near
Waterford ; and not only all the petty princes of Ireland,
excepting the king of Ijlfter, but the great king Roderic
O'Connor, fubmitted to Henry, who pretendjed that O'Con-
jior's fubmiflion included thatof Ulfter, and that tonfequently
he was the paramount fovereign of Ireland. Be that as it
will, he a{Fe<5led to keep a magnificent court, and held a par-
lianicnt at Dublin, where he parcelled out the eftates of Ire-
land, as William the Conqueror had done in England, to his
Englifh nobility, ije then fettled a civil adminiftration at
" ■■ ' Dublin,

47^ IRELAND.

Dublin, as near as poflible to that of England, to whith he
returned in 1173, having firft fettled an Kn|;lifh colony from
Briftol in Dublin, with all the liberties and free cuftoms, fays
their charters, which the citizens of liridol enjoyed. From
that time Dublin began to floiirifli. Thvis the conqutlt of
Ireland was cfPccled by the Fn;:lilh almoft with as much
cafe as tliat of Mexico was by the Spaniards, and for much
the fame rcalbni;, the rude, and unarmed ftate of the natives,
and ihediffcrencrs that prevailed ainonji; tliclr princes or leaders.

Henry gave the title of Lord of Irchind to his fon Johji,
vho, in 1 1 85, went over in perfon to Ireland-, but John and
his giddy Norman courtiers made a very ill ufe of their power,
and rendered thcmfelvcs hateful to the Irifh, who were other-
wife very well difpofed towards the Engllfli. Pvichard I. was
too mneh taken up with the crufadcs to pay much regard to
the affairs of Ireland, but king John, after his acceflion, made
Emends for hir, former beliaviour towards the l\\i\\. He enlar-
ged his father's pinn, of introducing into Ireland Englifh laws
and officers, and heeredlcd that part of the provinces of Lcin-
Iter and Munller which was within the Knglifli pale, into
twelve counties. I find, however, that the defcendants of
the antlent princes in other places paid him no more than a
nominal fiibjc<ih'on. Thcv governed by their old Brchon laws,
and excrcifcd all adls of foveteignty within their own ftatcs ;
and indeed this was pictty much the ak fo late as the reign
of James I. The unfettled reign of Henry HI. his wars, and
captivity, gave the Irifh a very mean opinion of the Englifh
government dnrirrg his reign j but they fccm to have continued
quiet under his fon Edward I. Gavcfton, the famous fiivourite
of Edward II. acquired great credit while he adled as lieu-
tenant of Ireland, but the fucccfles of the Scotch king, Ro-
bert Bruce, had almoft proved fataJ to the Englifh intcrefl ia
Ireland, and fuggcfted to the Irifh the idea of transf«rring their
allegiance from the kings of England to Edward Bruce, king
Robert's brother. That prince accordingly invaded Ireland,
where he gave repeated defeats to the Ei^glifh governors and
;irmies, an^ being fupported by his brother in peribn, he was
actually crowned king at Dundalk, and narrowly milled being
mafler of Dublin. The younger Bruce fcems to have been
Violent in the cxercife of his fovcrcignty, and he was at lafi:
defeated and killed by Bermingham the Englifh general. After
jhis Edward II. ruled Ireland with great moderation, and paf-
fed feveral excellent a£ls v/ith re^rd to that country.

But during the minority of Edward III. the cotnmotions
were again renewed in Ireland, and not fupprelVed without
great lofs and difgracc on the fide of the Engliih. In 1333 a
rebellion broke out, in which the En^lifli iuhAbitants had no

iucon*

.h he

from
, fiiys
From
left of
much
niuch
ativcs,
adcrs,
JoIdi,
n and
lower,
other-
was
ard to
made
cnlar-
h laws
Lcin-
'y into
mts of
than a
1 laws,
ftatcs ;
: reign
rs, ar,d

king

IRELAND. 477

{ticnnndcrablc (hare. A fuccc/Tion of vigorous, brave govern
nors, however, at laft quieted the infiiruents ; and al)Out the
year 1361, prince Lionel, fun to Edward lIK*im^/jg married
the heircfs of U liter, waii fent over to govrrn Ifdand, and, if
poHlble, to rrduce its inhabitants to an entiiS «;^j*iroifiyty with
the laws of England. In this he made a grcflt,.pr(;gic1s, but
did not entirely accompliih it. It appeais, at this time, that
the Irifh were in a very flourifliing condition, and that one oi"
the jjreatcit grievances they complained of wv, that the Eng-
lifh font over men of mean birth to govern them. In 1394*
Richard II. finding that the execution of his dcfpolic (Jchenics
in England mud be abortive without farther fupport, paflcd
over to Ireland with an army of 34,000 men wcj armed and
appointed. As he made no ufe of force, ibe Irilh looked
upon his prcfencc to be a high complinjcnt to their nation,
and admired the magnificence of his court. Richard, on the
other hand, courted them by all the arts he could employ, and
bellowed the honour of knighthood on their chiefs. In fhort,
he behaved fo as to entirely win their affedtions. In I39(),
Richard being then ticfpotic in England, undertook a trefli
expedition into Ireland to revenge the death of his lord lieu-
tenant, the carl of March, wno had been killed by the wild
Irifti. His army again ftruck the natives with conltcrnation,
and they threw themfelves upon his mercy. It was during this
expedition that the duke of Lancaftcr landed in England, and
Richard, upon his return, finding himfelf defcrted, and that
he could not depend upon the Iriih, furrcudercd his crown to
his rival.

The Irifh, after Richard's death, ftill retained a warm
affciftion for the houfe of York, and upon the revival of that
family's claim to the crown, embraced its caufe. Even the
accclTion of Henry VII. to the crown of England did not
reconcile them to his title, as duke of Lancalter, and tha
Irifli readily joined Lambert Simnel, who pretended to be the
eldcft fon of Edv/ard IV. but for this they paid dear, being
defeated in their attempt to invade England. This made them
fomewhat cautious at firft of joining Perkin Warbeck, not-
withftanding his plaufible pretences to be the duke of York,
fecond fon of Edward IV. He was, however, at laft recog-
nized as king by the Irifh, and in the preceding pages the
reader may learn the event of his hiftory. ' Henry behaved with
moderation towards his favourers, and was contented with re-
quiring the Irifli nobility to take a frefh oath of allegiance to
his governinent. This lenity had the defircd effect, during
the adminiftration of the two earls of Kijdare, the earl of
Surrv, and the earl of Ormond. Henry Vlil. governed Ire-
land by fupporting its chiefs againft «ach other, but they were

tampfied

IRELAND.

Chark

v..

t.-.
If-

■478

tampered with by the emperor Charles V. upon which Henry
made his natural fon, the duke of Richmond, his lord lieu-
tenant. This did not prevent the Irifli from breaking out into
rebellion in the year 1540, under Fitz Gerald, who had been
lord deputy, and who was won over by the emperor, but was
at lalt hanged at Tyburn. After this, the houfe of Auftria
found their account, in their quarrels with England, to form
a ftrong party among the Irifh.

About the year 1542 James V. king of Scotland, formed
ibme pretenfions on the crown of Ireland, and was favoured
by a ftrong party among the Irilh themfelves. It is hard to
fay, had he lived, what the confequence of his claim might
have been. Henry underftood that the Irifti had a mean
opinion of his dignity, as the kings of England had hitherto
afTumed no higher title than that of lords of Ireland. He
therefore took that of king of Ireland, which had a great
cfFeft with the native Irifh, who thought that allegiance was
not due to a lord ; and, to fpeak the truth, it was fomewhat
furprizing that this expedient was not thought of before. It
produced a more perfect fubmifHon of the native Irifh to
Henry's government than ever had been known, and even O
Neil, who pretended to be fucccfi'or to the laft paramount
Jcing of Ireland, fwore allegiance to Henry, who created him
^arl of Tyrone.

The Pope, however, andthe princes of the houfe of Auflria,
by remitting money, and fometimes fending over troops to the
Irifli, ftill kept up their intercfl in that kingdom, and drew
from them vaft numbers of men to their armies, where they
proved as good foldiers as any in Europe. This created ine:t-
prefliblc difHculties to the Englifh government, even in the
reign of Edward VI. but it is remarkable that the reformation
took place in the Englifh part of Ireland with little or no
oppofition. The Irifh feem to have been very quiet during
the reign of queen Mary, but they proved thorns in the fide
of queen Elizabeth. The perpetual difputes fhe had with
the Roman Catholics, both at home and abroad, gave her
great uneaftnefs, and the Pope, and the houfe of Auftria
always found new refources againit her in Ireland. The
Spaniards pofTefTed themfelves of Kinfale j and the rebellions
of Tyrone, who baffled and outwitted her favourite general
the earl of Efl'ex, are well known in the Englifh hiflory.

The lord-deputy Mountjoy, who fucceeded EfTex, was the
iirft Englifhman who gave a mortal blow to the praftices of
the Spaniards in Ireland, by defeating them and the Irifh before
Kinfale, and bringing Tyrone prifoner to England j where
he was pardoned by queen Elizabeth in 1602. This lenity,
ihewn |o fugh an 9ffender, is a prggf ©f the drejwiful apprchcn-

fioas

IRELAND,

47^

n which Henry
his lord lieu-
eaking out into
who had been
iperor, but was
oufe of Auftria
»gland, to form

cotland, formed
was favoured
It is hard to
lis claim might
had a mean
nd had hitherto
)f Ireland. He
;h had a great
t allegiance was
t was fomewhat
t of before. It
native Irifli to
vn, and even O
laft paramount
vho created him

loufe of Auftria,
/er troops to the
dom, and drew
lies, where they
lis created ine^t-
nt, even in the

the reformation
ith little or no
:ry quiet during
lorns in the fide
s fhe had with
)road, gave her
Dufe of Auftria

Ireland. The
I the rebellions
vouritc general
ifti hiftory.

Eflex, was the
the practices of
i the Irifli before
ngland j where
This lenity,
adful apprchcn-
fioiis

lions EH*al)eth had from the popiih interell in Ireland, Jam<»
I. confirmed the poiVelfions of the Irifh ; but fuch was the
Influence of tlie pope and the Spaniards, that tlie euris of Ty-
rone and Tyrconncl, iind their. party, planned a new rebellion,
and attempted to ieizc the caftic of Dublin ; but their plot
being difcovered, their chiefs fled beyond feas. They wer^
not idle abroad ; for in 1608, they inftigated Sir Calim
O'Dogharty to a frefti rebellion, by promifing him fpeedy iup-
plies of men and money from Spain. Sir Calim was killed
in the difpute, and his adherents were taken and executed.
The attainders of the Irifh rebels which pafled in the reigns
of James and Elizabeth, vefted in the crown 511,465 acres^
in the feveral counties of Donnegal, Tyrone, Colerain, Fer-
managh, Cavan, and Armagh ; and enabled the kiag to make
that proteftant plantation in the north of Ireland, which now,
from the raoft rebellious province of the kingdom, is the molt
quiet and reformed.

Thofe prodigious attainders, however juft aixl ncceflary they
might be, operated fatally for the Englifti in the feign of
Charles I. The Irifii Roman-catholict n generai, were in-
fluenced by their priefts to hope not only to rcpoflefs the lands
of their forefathers, but to reftore the popifli religion in Ireland.
They therefore entered into a deep and deteftable confpiracy
for maffacring all the Englifti proteftants in that kingdom.
In this they were encouraged by the unhappy difl'eiitions thatt
broke out between the king and his parliaments in England
aiid Scotland. Their bloody plan being difcovered by the
Englifti government at Dublin, prevented that city from fal-
ling into their bands. They however partly executed, ia
2641, their horrid fcheme of maflacre : but authors have noc
agreed as to the numbers who were murdered ; perhaps they
have been exaggerated by warm proteftant writcjs, fome<*f
whom have mounted the number of the lufler-crs to 40-,,ooc ;
other accounts fpeak of 10, 000 or 12,000, and fome have even
diminiflied that number. What followed in confequence of
this rebellion, and the reduction of Ireland by CroT.welly
who retaliated the cruelties of the Irifti papifts upon themfelves,
belongs to the hiftory of England. It is certain that th^
fmarted fo feverely, that they were quiet during the reign df
Charles II. His popifti fucceflbr and brother, even after the
Revolution took place, found an afylum in Ireland ; and was
encouraged to hope, that by the aiTiftancc of the natives there,
he might remount his throne ; but he was deceived, and his
own pufillanimity co-operated with his diiappointment. He
was driven out of Ireland by his fon-in-law, after the batde
of the Boyne, the only victory that William ever gained i:;
perfon. James, it h true, fought at the bt-ad vf an undifci-
Z plinei,

y -

'4^9 IRELAND.

plined rabble, but his French auxiliaries were far from behav-
ing as heroes. It mult be acknowledged, however, that he
left both the field and the kingdom too foon for a brave man.
The forfeitures that fell to the crown on account of the Irifl*
rebellions and the Revolution, arc almofl: incredible j and had
the ails of parliament which gave them away been ftridlly
enforced, Ireland muft have been peopled with Britifh inha-
bitants. But many political reafons occurred for not driving
the Irifh to defpair. The friends of the Revolution and the
proteftant religion were fufficiently gratified out of the for-
feited ertatcs. Too many of the Roman-catholics might have
been forced abroad ; and it was proper that a due balance
fliould be preferved between the Roman-catholic and the pro-
teftant interelr. . * a. .

It was therefore thought prudent to relax the reins of go-
vernment, and not to put the forfeitures too rigoroufly into
execution. The experience of half a century has confirmed
the wifdom of the above confiderations. The lenity of the
meafurcs purfued in regard to the Irilh Roman-catholics, and
the great pains taken for the inltrudtion of their children, with
the progrefs which knowledge and the arts have made in that
country, have diminifhed the popifh intereft fo much, that
the Irilh protcftants have of late difputed many points of their
dependency. The fpirit of induftry has enabled the Irifh to

know their own

ftrength

and importance, to which fome

accidental circumftances have concurred. All her ports are
now opened for the exportation of wool and woollen yarn to
any part of Great- Britain. And of late years a6ts of parlia-
ntent have been made occafionally for permitting the importa-
tion of fait beef, pork, butter, cattle and tallow, from Ireland
to Great-Britain.

How far the late zS: for rendering parliaments in Ireland
odlennial *" may operate to its benefit, is as yet impoflible to
be determined i in all appearance, it will create a very mate-
rial alteration in the civil policy of that kingdom, and will
prove to be by no means for the benefit o^ that independency
upon England which is fo much the idol of the Irifh patriots.
It is likewife to be apprehended, that the oftennial returns of
general eleclions, may have a fatal cfFed. upon the morals of
the labouring people, as is too often feen in England, where
induftry fiourifhes moft in thofe places (witnefs Manchefter,
Birmingham, and Sheffield) which fend no member to the
Britifh parliament.

• Before this a£l took place, member, once ch!»k'n, fat in 'he honfc of com-
iroiiS 'iurnig life J fo tliai thrvc were nu ii«w ^.'.uliamtjai, cxtepi upun the ;teccfliuii

ISLE OF MAN. 481

t might here conclude the geography and hiftory of Great-
Britain and Ireland, were it not that feveral fmaller iflands are
Under the allegiance of the crown of England, and having
local privileges and diltin<^ions, could not be comprehended
under a more general head; In treating of them therefore I
fliall deviate from my common method, but obferve brevity as
much as the fuhjcdt will permit.

ISLE OF MAN.

THIS is not the Moha mentioned by Tacitus. Some
think that it takes its name from the Saxon word Manz
(or among) b' caule lying in St. George's Channel, it is at an
equal dilhu'ic;; from the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and
Ireland ; but Mcna fccnis 10 have been a gcnerical name with
the ancients for :iny detached ifland. Its length from north to
fouth is about tbiity miles, its breadth from eight to fifteen ;
and the latitude of the middle of the ifland is fifty-four degrees,
fixtecn minutes, north. It is faid, that on a clear day, the
three Britannic kingdom.s may be fecn from this ifland. The
air here is wholcfome, and the climate, only making allowance
for the fituation, pretty much the fame as that in the north of
England, from which it does not differ much in other refpedts.
The hilly parts arc barren, and the champain fruitful in wheat,
barley, oats, rye, flax, hemp, roots, and pulfe. The ridge
of mountains which as it were divides the ifland, both protects
and fertilizes the vallies, where there is good pafturage. The
better fort of inhabitants have good fizeable horfes, and a fmall
kind, which is fvVift and hardy ; nor are they troubled with
any noxious animals. The coafl:s abound with fea-fowl ; and
the puffins, which breed in rabbit-holes, are almoft a lump of
fat, and efteemed very delicious. It is faid that this ifland
abounds with iron, lead, and copper mines, though unwrought,
ias are the quarries of marble, flate, and ftone.

The Ifle of Man contain^ feventeen parifhes and four towns
on the fea coafts. Caftlc-town is the metropolis of the ifland,
and the feat of its government ; Peele, which, of late years,
begins to flourifh j Douglas, which has the beft market and
befi: trade in the ifland, as well as the richeftand moft populous
town, on accoiMit of its excellent harbour, and its fine mole,
extending into the fea ; Ramfey has likewifc a confiderable
commerce, on account of its fpacious bay, in which fhips
may ride fafe frOm all winds excepting the north-er.ft. The
reader, by thTowing his eyes on the map, m.ay fee hov/
conveniently this ifland is lituatcd for being the {lorchiufc
of fmug2:lers, which it was till within thcfe few years, to

Vol.' I. Hh ' th^

4S2

ISLE OF MAN.

t -

the inexpreflible prejudice of his majefty's revenue ; and this
neceflarily leads me to touch upon the hiftory of the ifland.

During the time of the Scandinavian rovers on the feas
which I have before mentioned, this iiland was their rendezvous,
and their chief iorce was here collected, from whence they
annoyed the Hebrides, Great-Britain and Ireland. The kings
of Man are often mentioned in hiftory j and though wc have
■^no regular account of their fucccflion, and know but a few of
their names, yet they undoubtedly were for fome ages maitcrs
of thofe feas. About the year 1263, Alexander 11. king of
Scotland, a fpiritcd prince, havmg defeated the Danes, laid
claim to the fuperioiity of Man, and obliged Owen, or John,
its king, to acknowledge him as lord paramount. It feems to
have continued, either tributary or in propeity of the kings of
Scotland, till it Wus reduced by Edward I, and the kings of
England, from that time, exercifed the fupcriori y over the
ifland; though wc find it ftill poflcflld by ihe pofti rity of its
Danifh princes, in tlie reign of Edward III. who difpofTcflecl
the laft queen of the ifland, and beftowed it on his favourite,
Montague, earl of Salilbury. His family being forfeited,
Henry IV. beftowed Man, and the patronage of the billiopric,
firft upon the Northumberland family, and that being fo] feited,
Vipo'i Sir Jolin Stanley, whofc pofterity, the earls of Derby,
enjoyed it, till, by failure of heirs male, it devolved upon the
duke of Athol, who married the fifter of thi' laft lord Derby.
Reafons of ftate rendered it ncceftary for the crown of Great-
Britain to purchafe the cufto' 3 and the ifland from the Athol
family, and the bargain was completed by 70,000 1. being
paid to the duke in 1765. The du':e, however, retains his
territorial property in tiic ifland, though the form of its go-
vernment is altered, and the king has now the fame rights,
powers, and prerogatives, as the dukes formerly enjoyed. The
inhabitants, alfo, retain many of their antient conftitutions and
cuftoms.

The cftabliflied religion in R-lan is that of the church of
England. The king has now the nomination of the biftiop,
who is called bifiiop of Sodor and Man ; and he enjoys all the
fpiritual rights and pre-emiiuiices of orh.r bifliops, but does
not fit in the Britifli houfc of pe m-s, his fee never having been'
erected into an Englifli barony. The ecclefiaftical government
is well kept up in this ifland, and the livings are comfortable.
The language, which is called the Marks, and i ■ fpoken by
the common people, is radically Erfe, or Irifli, but with a
mixture of other lano-uages. The New Tefta'rent and Com-
mon Prayer Book have been tranflated into the Manks lan-
guage. The natives, who are faid to amount to above 20,000,
are inoftenfive, charitable, and hofpitable. The better fort

live

|c ; and this
Ithe ifland.
on the Teas
rendezvous,
Iwhence they
The kings
lugh wc have
hut a" few of
I ages maftcrs
il. king of
Danes, LiiJ
fn, or Johnj
It fcems to
the kings of
the kings of
i y over" the
fti rity of its
> difpofrefled
is favourite^
ig forfeited,
he bifliopric,
ing forfeited,
s of Derby,
/cd upon the
lord Derby,
vn of Great-
m ihe Achol
000 1. being
, retains his
n of its go-
fame rights,
ijoyed. The
itutions and

; church of
the bifliop,
njoys all the
s, but does
(laving beej>
government
onif ntable.
^ fpoken by
but \vith a
t and Com-
^lanks lan-

3VC 20,000,

better fort
live

ISLE OF MAN, JERSEY. 483

live in ftone houfcs, and the poorer in thatched ; and their
ordinary bread is made of oatmeal. Their produ6ts for expor-
tation confilt of v^ool, hides, and tallow ; w^hich they exchange
with foreign (hipping for commodities they may have occafion
for from other parts, Befor;^ the fouth promontory of Man,
is a little ifland called the Calf of Man : it is about three
miles in circuit, and feparated from Man by a channel about
two furlongs broad.

This ifland affords fomc curiofities which may amufe aa
■ antiquary. They confift chiefly of Runic f.pvilchral infcrip-
tions and monuments of antient brafs daggers, and other
weapons of ih.'.t metal, and partly of pure gold, which are
fometimes dug up^. and fecm to indicate the jplendor of its
antient poiVelfcr.:,

I forbear to mention in this place the iflcs of ANGLESEY
and WIGHT, the firft being annexed to Wales, and the
other to Hampfhire. Alfo the SCiLLY ISLES, or rather a
clufter of dan;^,erous rocks, to the number of 140, lying about
30 miles from, the Land's End in Cornwall, of which county
they are reckoned a part.

In the Engliil\ channel are four iflands fubjeft to England ;
thel'e are Jerlcy, Gucrnfey, Alderncy, and Sark j which,
though they lie much nearer to the coaft of Normandy than
to that of Engh.nri, are witnin the diocefe of Winchefter.
They lie in a duller in Mount St Michael's bay, between
Cape la Hogue in Normandy, and Cape Erebelle in Brittany.
The comiuted diltance between Jerfey and Sark is four
leagues; between that and Guernfey, feven leagues; and
between the fame and Alderney, nine leagues.

JERSEY was known to the Romans j and lies fartheft
within ihe bay, in forty-nine degrees feven minutes north lat.
and in the fecond degree twenty-fix minutes well longitude,
eighteen miles weft of Normandy. The north fide is inac-
ceflible through lofty cliffs, ihe fouth is almoft level with the
Waier ; the higher land in its midland part is well planted,
and abounds with orchards, from which is made an incredible
quantity of excellent cyder. The valiies are fruitful and well
cultivated, and contain plenty of cattle and ftieep. The
inhabitants negledt tillage too much, being intent upon the
culture of cyder, the improvement of commerce, and 'parti-
cularly the manufacture of ftockin^s. The honey in Jerfey is
remarkably fine ; and the ifland is well fupplied with fifli and
wild-fowl alnioft of every kind, lome of bothiseing peculiar
to the ifland, and very delicious.

The ifland is not above twelve miles in length, hut the air
is {o falubiious, that in Camden's time^ it was faid there was

J heie

mum^

484 GUERNSF.Y, ALDERNEY, and SARK.

here no bullncfs for a phyftcian. The inhabitants in number
arc about 20,000, and are divided into twelve pariflies. The
capital town is St. Hclicr, which contains above 400 houfes,
and makes a handfomc appearance. The property of this
iiland belonged tornierly to the Carterets, a Norman family,
who have bc-cn always attached to the royal iiiLcrcft, and gave
protection to Charles 11. both when king and prince of Wales,
at a time when no part of the Ikitifh dominions durft recog-
nize him. The language of the inhabitants is French, with
which mofl of them intermingle Englifli words. Knit (lock-
ings and taps form their ftaple commodity, but they carry
on a confiderable tr.ide in fifli with Newfoundland, and difpofe
of their cargoes in the Mediterranean. The governor is ap-
pointed by the crown of P^ngland, but the civil adminiftration
rells with a bailifi", affiited by twelve jurats. As this ifland is.
the principal remain of the duchy of Normandy depending
on the kings of England, it prtfcrvcs the old feudal forms^
and particularly the aflembly of flates, which is as it were a
miniature of the Britiih pailiament, as fettled in the time of
Edward I.

GUERNSEY is thirteen miles and a half from fouth-weft
to north- eaft, and tvvelve and a half, where broadeft, eaft and
weft J but has only ten parilhes, to which there are but eight
rniniftero, four of the parilhes bcinrr united, and Aldcrney
and Sark, v/hich arc appenda<;cs of Gucrnfey, having one
a-picre. T'hough this is a nvach ilncr ifland than that of
Jcrfcy, yet it hi f.r lefs valuable, becaufc it is not fo well cul-
tivated, lior is ;i fo populous. It abounds in cyder ; and the
inhabitants fpcak Frencli : but v» out bf f ring is the greateft
inconvciiieney that both ilLuuh; labour under. The only har-
bour hcic is at St. Peter Ic Port, which is guarded by two
forts, en* Ciilled the Old-C.'ilrle, the other Caftle-Cornct.
Guernfcy is likcwifc part of tiie anticiit Norman patrimony.

ALDEPvNKY is iibout eight miles in compafs, and is by
much the ncaicil of :ill thefe iflands to Normandy, from which
it is fcparated by a narrow flrr.it, called the Race of Aiderney,
which is a (h^jii'.crous ;iPiU'.j,cin iiormy v/eathcr, when ihe two
currents nici-'t, clhcrwife it is faff, and has depth of water for
the larc;c.il Ihip.-;. 'I'his ill.ind is healthy, and the foil is remark-
able for a line- breed of cows.

SARK is a fmall ifland dcpcr.ding upon Gucrnfey; the In-
, habitants arc Inng-livcd, :\nd enjoy iVom nature all the convc-
niencies of lift', 'i'hc inhabitants of the three lall mentioned
iflands ar: th-iUirht to be jboiit 20,oco. The religion of all
the
formt

lanos ar': r.iMUirnc 10 oc ^ooiit 20,000. 1 nc religion or an
le four ifiauls is that of the church of England, thougll
>rmcrly the Inhabitanr.s were Calvinifts, J^ ^^ jCt

End of ihe ITRST VOLUME.

-niK-

in numbef
les. The
30 houfes,
ty of this
an family,
, and gave
of Wales,
irft rccog-
nch, with
^nit ftock-
hey carry
md difpofc
lor is ap-
iniftration
is ifland is.
depending
lial forms^
it were a
le time of

•'i

buth-wcfir
, eaft and
; but eight
Aldcrncy
iving one
n that of
well cul-
; and the
le greatest
only har-
d by two
c-Cornct.
imony.

r.nd is by
om which
Aiclerney,
n ihe two
water for
s remark-

'; the In-
lie conve-
nentloned
on of all
I, thouf^h