giving audience to printer's devils in Harley-ftrees, and it is then afked what elfe can we think of him, but that he is an impoftor unworthy of the alms he has obtained, and of the compaffion he implores? The following is a ftatement of Mr. Burke's three penfi ons, for three lives each, the last two of which are here faid to have been already fold for the fum of thirty-feven thousand pounds.

1200l. per ann. chargeable on the civil lift for the lives of

Edmund Burke, efq. and his wife, and the furvivor of them, by warrant dated Sept. 24, 1795, and to continue from Jan. 5, 1793. Edmund Burke, efq. 1160l. per ann. lord Royfton, and Anpayable out ofchitel Grey, efq. and the 4 per cent.the furvivor of them duties, for the by patent, dated Oct. lives of 24, 1795, to commence July 24, 1793. The princeis Amelia, 13401, per lord Althorpe, and ann. out of the William Cavendish, 4 per cent. duefq. by patent, dated for the Oct. 24, 1795, tocommence from July 24, 1793.❜

ties, lives of

The author juftifies his feverity by the example of Mr. Burke; he has however acted very candidly and humanely in fuppreffing fome fevere remarks relative to his fon.

Account of "A Reply to the Letter of Edmund Burke, Efq. to a Noble Lord."" By Gilbert Wakefield, B. A.

MR. W. feems to have been heretofore one of Mr. Burke's warmeft admirers, for he was ftruck with horror when the degenerate fon of Chatham, and his puny affeffors on the treasury bench, were accuftomed in all the plenitude of official infolence, fublimed by all the acrimony of baffled malice, to receive with groans and hiffes the rapturous eloquence of Edmund Burke-an eloquence that would have charmed the bacchanals of Thrace to gentleness and humanity. He now abhors his venality and apoftacy, but yet candidly acknowledges his fplendid

diction, his profufion of living imagery, his vigour of conception, and his magnificence of compofition :

"Thoughts that breathe, and words that burn."

According to him:

"A fairer perfon loft not heaven: he ftem'd

For dignity compos'd, and high exploit:

But all was falfe and hollow; though his tongue

Dropt manna, and could make the worfe appear

The better reafon."

It is thus that he repels Mr. Burke's charge of affaffination' on the French.

A populous and powerful nation refolve on a new modification of their government, and limit the regal powerby certain reftrictions deemed favourable, in the opinion of the nation at large, to the liberties and happinefs of the fubject. This monarch, fo conftituted, becomes unfaithful to engagements, accepted with all the formalities of public affent in prefence of the people. He is depri ved of his office for this breach of honour and of honefty. Now whether this fovereign were wrongfully difplaced, or with juftice; whether this people conducted their proceedings with rigorous propriety and from pure motives, or with a violence and fierceness of ufurpation reprehenfible in any fuppofeable degree you please; is it poffi ble for any man, not cankered by the vileft peculation, not giddy with ambitious projects, not frantic with intemperance of paffion; to maintain by fober argument a right of interference with the internal economy of the coun→ try, on the part of any foreign potentate whatever? Are then, indeed, the French juftly termed affains, if they repel by force the fanguinary plunderers and invaders of their territory, who threaten themfelves with flavery, their leaders with deftruction, and their capital with the lawlefs vengeance of a ruffian toldiery? Nay, are thefe people not rather authorifed (1fpeak after the manner of

men,

men, and upon the profeffed theories of national politics in the prefent profligacy of human governments) to treat thofe fpoilers, as an individual would treat the murderer, who broke into his houfe to butcher himself and family, and to fpoil his goods? "May he that taketh up the fword perish by the fword !" I never could contemplate, I freely acknowledge, for myself, the conduct of the confederated league in any other point of view, than that prefented in this ftatement; and had thefe bloody Tavagers,

If a finish plebian,' adds he, in another place, may be allowed to perfonate Herod the King, for a finge moment, "this is Paul unregenerate, breathing out threatenings and laughter, rifen from the dead." What a frightful contraft have we here, between J Jus of Nazareth, and Edmund Burke! When Chrift came into the world, peace was fung: when he left the world, peac

mankind,"

been themselves cut off root and branch, without commiferation, by the enraged fwords off the republicans; I fhould have pronounced over their baptifm of death the fentence of the Jewish cap tain, "Your blood be upon your own head! they are guiltless!"

neque enim lex æquior ulla Quam necis artifices arte perire fuâ.

Few tears of pity trickled down, few fighs of compaffion were breathed out, while Phalaris was bellowing the pangs of death in his own bull.

Upon the whole, nothing now remains but for my lord Grenville, this fnake among ftatefmen, this Lucifer among the twinkling drops of the political hemifphere, to prepare earthly fmiles and phrafes of benignity for a fraternal embrace of an ambaffador from thofe execrable regicides, whom he has reviled with every fpecies of contumelious calumny, "foaming out its own fhame," in a ftyle of the coarfeft poflible vulgarity that could be raked from the finks of Billingfgate. For my felf, who have exulted in the fucceffes of the French, and the difgraces of their infolent and odious foes, with a keen nefs of transport not to be defcribed, I have been long prepared to hail the triumphant entry of a republican reprefentative; and thall exclaim with equal fincerity and rapture,

vage, unrelenting, exterminating wa:,

-horrid king! befmeared with blood

Of human facrifice, and parent's team

is the frantic cry, the uniform procla mation of this infatuated, queftionable prophet of ariftocracy:

War firft, war laft, war midft, and without end..

A peace with regicides! What would Mr. Burke have thought, had he been a Frenchman, of a peace with homicides? If a man were compelled to make his horrid choice, would he not prefer for himfelf the fingle decapitation of poor unhappy Louis, to fwelling with his war-whoop that terrific yell, which was the prelude to the maffacte, perhaps, of no lefs than two millions of human beings, many of them, in their individual capacity, of more worth than all the kings in Chriftendom; and to whom life was as fweet and valuable as to the proudeft monarch on a throne. Surely, furely, Mr. Burke! it is better that one axe should be uncafed for a few folitary victims of royal birth, than that myriads of fwords fhould leap from their fcabbards for the affaffination of fuch multitudes of men.

Pæon!

b.

In the evening a card of invitation was brought from a family at Maple Mount, requesting our company at a rural ball, the next evening. The invitation was accepted, and we have been the greater part of this day preparing for our appearance: for the prefent I muft refign my pen.

On fetting out for our vifit, there arofe a difficulty on the means of our conveyance; the coach had been ordered; but Merioneth declared it was his intention to fport his phaeton, and vow ed he would have two ladies to his own fhare. Lord and lady Derwent, and aunt Merioneth, were already feated in the coach. Mrs Maynard, without much difficulty, fuffered Albert to conduct her to the phaeton. He advanced to

me.

"May I hope

Not to perfuade me to mount that phaeton, I affure you." He bowed, and paffed on to Ellen; hoped the would condefcend to accompany him. "Indeed, my lord," said the," my fears of that fashionable vehicle are unconquerable."

Difperfe thofe needlefs fears, my dear Ellen," cried he; " I will drive with the greatest caution; for by heaven there does not live a being more interefted than I am in your fafety."

Here was a pretty difcovery! I do not know whether lady Derwent heard his declaration; but the inftantly called from the carriage, bade us be fpeedy in our determination, and told Albert it was extremely filly of him to with any lady mounted in that ridiculous phaeton.

"Come," cried Mrs. Maynard laughing, "never mind them; come, Clifford, come and help to take care of me; for it is plain I am in great peril; but never mind, I am not of much ufe, and I have made my will."

Clifford afcended, and they drove off. Lord Severn and Sir John went on horseback, and we three poor damfels were crammed into the coach.

They muft pofitively come down, Rachel," faid he, " for my dog-kenne are to be erected there."

"Well, but furely you will find fome other fpot on which you can run updwellings for Jenkinson and Mary.”

"I do not intend doing any fuch thing, for I am certain they will be much better off at the poor's houfe than they are out of it."

"I am forry," lord Derwent, replied my aunt, that you speak fo lightly of thefe poor people's diftrefs; it used to be the boat of our excellent father, that he had always ftudied to reward merit, and to fave honefty from indigence. He built thefe cottages, and fixed these people in them. To oblige me, fufpend, your intentions, till time removes the old people out of your way."

"Pho!" cried he peevifhly, "time may remove me firft; befides old Jenkinfon is a faucy ftubborn fellow."

"I am forry," faid Mrs. Merioneth "that he has incurred your difpleasure, but I am certain he did not mean to offend you."

Aye," faid he, "I heard you had been among the beggars, and concluded that I fhould be teized with their ridiculous petitions.-But once for all, my dear Rachel, I muft tell you that I can, on no account, depart from my plan. I expect, in the courfe of another feafon, a great deal of the beft company; I intend making a vaft many improvements. What would my friends think of my tafte, if they faw fuch poor hovels as thefe abfolutely in fight of my park-gates, and inhabited by fuch miferable objects too?"

"Prevent thofe objects from being fo miferable, and the dwellings will be a credit to you," faid my aunt.

"My dear fifter, you have the most antiquated notions that ever entered the head of a reasonable being; you imbibed them, I believe, from your father and your brother. They had neither of them the leaft ideas of magnifi

cence."

Atlength we arrived at Maple Mount, fpent a very agreeable evening, had Mrs. Maynard's chaife in addition to our carriages, and returned much more comfortable, than we went.. I am interrupted for the prefent, Farewell,

Yours, &c.
LAURA MERIONETH.

P. S. I am half inclined to think they have brought me here to be wooed; but I do not think I fhall be won, at least not by Albert.

LETTER IV.

Mifs Lumly to Lady Laura.

Lumly Houfe, July 20, 179

I Rejoice in the opportunity of congratulating my friend on the late family reconciliation, and truft it will be productive of much felicity to all parties. I am certain had you even found the family of your uncle lefs deferving of your friendship than they really are, you would yet have derived a great fource of fatisfaction from obliging Mrs. Merioneth, whofe fondeft hopes were placed in feeing you all united. Pray make my kindeft remembrance to her, and tell her I fincerely participate in the happiness the muft feel on this occafion.

I muft frankly confefs to you that we are not much pleafed with lord Derwent's character; it has an uncomfortable appearance when a man's own family are afraid of him. His meanness I can, by no means pardon, and am happy that you have the power as well as the inclination, to relieve those diftreffes he fo unfeelingly derides. But I much fear his fentiments are, in the, great world, too generally adopted. Strangers themselves to the preffure of want, the rich and great think lightly of thofe diftreffes which the feverity of the times imposes on the great maf of fociety.

But

And fo you take the liberty of fuppofing that my heart may be in danger from the attractions of Danville. How could fuch a thought enter your head? What! a ftranger! a foreigner! Who knows but he may be already married, and obliged to leave the wretched, partner of his heart behind him? At least it is hardly probable that Danville, handfame and accomplished as he is; fhould have paffed his life without giving and receiving impreffions. pray, talking of hearts, have you no fear for your own?-Take notice that I expect a more minute account of your party, and, pofitively, muft have a defcription of mifs Rutland, that I may be able to form an opinion whether fhe ftands any chance of gaining the heart of Merioneth, which you feem to think he is actually in poffeffion of, when you are oppofed to her. Adieu,

Yours Sincerely, JANE LUMLY. Government and Character of Catharine II. (“From Letters from Scand. inavia, &c.")

N general, the Adminiftration of

Catharine II. has been milder than that of her immediate predeceffor. It has exhibited very few triking inftances of feverity. Thofe miferable beings with whom the mines of Siberia are Hhh