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touched upon the better, and the more regularly the other goes on, the more it will advance and be improved.

Secondly, An equal reprefentation. The conftitution defigned that all bodies fhould be reprefented; the towns that are not, have fprung up into affluence fince the conftitution was formed, or were too poor to fuftain the original mode of maintaining their members; but these are represented by the county members, have as free access to the house of commons as any part of the kingdom, and on no occafion excluded the liberty of petitioning and remonflrating*.

"Thirdly, The exclufion of placemen and penfioners has been Spoken to in the former part of this work."

Not very particularly, and yet very peculiarly; for inftance. "That the crown should have an influence over its fervants, is natural and just; but it is no confequence that it should use that influence to the public injury-Nay, it appears that the crown fets little value on the influence extended in that line, for I know many of her fervants, who do not draw with adminiftration, but publicly oppose their meafures, and arrange themselves amongit the virtuous few."

Hey day! what an advocate, for adminiftration, have we here! He knows many of the fervants of the crown, that oppose the measures of adminiftration, and arrange themselves amongst the virtuous few The friends of adminiftration must, of course, be the vicious many.-A blunder this which puts us in mind of an electioneering anecdote of fimilar purport. An intimate of one of the candidates, at a contefted election, but of the oppofite party, having made his way through the crowd, to the huftings, was afked by his friend the candidate, how he effected it. "Did not our mob afk you, which fide you were of ?"-" Yes,” replied he, " and 1 told them I was of the honeft fide."-" The devil you did!" exclaimed the candidate," 'tis a miracle you were not knock'd o' the head!"

To conclude with our answerer's concife fummary of his argument.

"The first of the above propofitions would be exceedingly prejudicial to the community-the fecond unneceffary-and the third an infringement on the constitutional prerogative of the crown.

To carry your plan into execution, you would add fifty-two members to the landed intereft, to communicate the fenfe of the nation; Cannot two in each county reprefent to the house of commons the grievances or defires of the people as well as one? Is it not as natural for two men of fortune and reputation to attend minutely to their property and characters as one? But the fecret is, you would have one county dictator, chofen not to confider the propriety, but purposely to carry these points into execution, and fifty-two to throw into the minority. Suppofing your plan could be admitted, and you fucceeded in your wish to overturn the prefent administration, what would accrue to

Fine talking truly! Rev.

the

the nation from changing its fervants, and permitting a body of men to fall upon the vitals of the conflitution? The only viable confequence is a breach between the and people, civil difcord and deftruction." From which vifible confequence may the invisible hand of Providence defend us! pray the London Reviewers.

W.

An Unconnected Whig's Addrefs to the Public; upon the prefent Civil War, the State of Public Affairs, and the real Cause of all the National Calamities. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Kearfly.

After the many judicious and excellent tracts, that have ap. peared on the fubject of the prefent civil war with Ainerica, it is with a bad grace this unconnected whig takes up the pen fo late in a difpute, whofe decifion has long fince been referred to the fword.

"Unqualified," fays he," as I am to addrefs you, I cannot longer, in filence, fee you made the bubble of the grofleft fraud and impoiture, nor conceal the melancholy reflections by which I am oppreted and as I offer these to you in the humble language of truth, I intreat your patient attention to them. Bc affured that I am not inlitted under any of the banners of party. I am not to be found in any of the divifions of oppofition under Lord Chatham, Lord Rockingham, or Lord Shelburne. I do not poffefs the eloquence of Mr. Burke, the force of Colonel Barré, the fubtilty of Mr. Dunning, or the brilliancy of Mr. Fox; but in the fincerity of my heart I make a common cause with you, my fellow citizens, and I appeal to you with plainnefs and fimplicity."

We do admit that this writer really wants the feveral qualifications, poffeffed by the celebrated perfonages he mentions. But we are by no means fatisfied that they are to be fupplied by mere plainnefs and fimplicity. The members of adminiftration are many of them fimple enough, God knows; fo that if fimplicity alone would do their bufinefs they would not have inade To many blunders.-One advantage, indeed, the Tories poffefs over the Whigs; which is that of being more connected. It is this very circumftance, the difunion of the leading members of the oppofition, that has rendered them incapable of preventing thofe violent measures; of which they feparately complain. But of what avail is the folitary complaint of unconnected individuals? It is as the voice of one crying in a wilderness, unnoticed and neglected. Nay, fo defperate is the cafe now grown, that, though Wifdom herfelf fhould cry aloud in the streets, no man would regard her.-Little good can therefore be expected from the moft public addrefs of a writer fo confelfedly unqualified as the prefent." I confefs myfelf," fays

he," one of thofe men, whofe plain underftandings value one experiment in the art of government, as in every other matter of human concern, infinitely more than all the fpeculations and refinements of the moft exalted genius." It is the fure mark of a dunce to undervalue genius; as it is of a man's having no understanding at all, who values himself on the plainnefs of it. "I defire," fays this man of understanding, "no other proof, of good policy in the adininiftration of government than fuccets."-Other men of underftanding have faid,

'Tis not in mortals to command fuccefs,

Though they may do ftill more, deferve it.

But this writer is plainly one of thofe experiment-mongers, whofe forefight is bounded by their noles, and whofe fpeculations never furpass their finger's ends. And yet, contracted as is his fphere of knowledge, he ventures to predict the final and irreparable lofs of America, unless we generously and magnanimoufly withdraw our troops, repeal our acts, and give the Americans fatisfaction for what is paft, and fue for their future friendship. He fhould have reflected, however, in his own plain way, that the experiment of the reduction of America is not yet made. Haud Roma in una die conditur : and, tho' delenda eft Carthago, neither was Rome built nor Carthage deftroyed in a day. Bofton may, neverthelefs, be, at this prefent writing, for aught he knows, laid in afhies: and tho' the fate of Ticonderago, as he infinuates, may not have decided that of America, the fate of Philadelphia may.-But mark what weighty reafons this profound politician gives for his predictions." Do you, my countrymen, believe that America can be conquered? Take into your hands, I conjure you, a map of that country. See the extent of it, and compare it with your own." Such was the wife counfel given by the Spani courtiers to Philip II. Lock, faid they, on the map of the Netherlands, and fee how eafily they are to be conquered.Pretty politicians truly, who draw conclufions by looking at a map! What if we should compare the extent of the fingle province of South Holland, at this time a-day, with that of the refractory Colonies in America. Ought we to judge refpectively of their ftrength by their extent of territory? when the former, a province not bigger than Yorkshire, contains almoft double the number of inhabitants that are to be found in all the united colonies. But, continues this writer," contider attentively their immenfe diftance from you, and their great refources." Neither is the one immenfe, nor are the other very great. Think of the unanim ty, the progreffive increase of the inhabitants. Recollect that they are bone of your bone VOL, VI.

Ff

and

and flesh of your flesh, and fo jealous loving of their liberty, that they will not fuffer the finalleft infringement upon it."2 Nay, if America be a jealous wife, and is fo fond herself of liberty, it is high time fhe fhould be either divorced or laid under a proper reftraint.-Serioufly we are extremely forry for the Americans, whofe caufe cannot fail of being hurt with the fenfible part of mankind by the crude arguments of fuch injudicious defenders.

T.

Thoughts in Prifon: in Five Parts, viz. The Imprisonment. The Retrofpect. Publick Punishment. The Trial. Futurity. By the Rev. William Dodd, LL. D. To which are added, His laft Prayer, written in the Night before his Death: and other Mifcellaneous Pieces. 8vo. 4s. Dilly.

To this publication is prefixed the following advertisement. "The following work, as the dates of the refpective parts evince, was begun by its unhappy author in his apartments at Newgate, on the evening of the day fubfequent to his trial and conviction at Justice-hall; and was finished, amidit various neceflary interruptions, in little more than the space of two months.

"Prefixed to the manufcript is the enfuing note:

"April 23, 1777.

"I began thefe Thoughts merely from the impreffion of my mind, "without plan, purpose, or motive, more than the fituation and state "of my Soul I continued them on a thoughtful and regular plan: "and I have been enabled wonderfully-in a ftate, which in better

days I fhould have fuppofed would have destroyed all power of Re"flection—to bring them nearly to a conclufion. I dedicate them to "GOD, and to the reflecting Serious amongst my Fellow-Creatures;

and I blefs the Almighty for the ability to go through them, amidit "the Terrors of this dire Place, and the bitter anguish of my difcon"folate Mind!

"The Thinking will eafily pardon all inaccuracies, as I am neither "able nor willing to read over thefe melancholy lines with a curious or "critical eye! They are imperfect, but the Language of the Heart;

and, had Ii e and inclination, might and should be improved."

Our readers, we are perfuaded, will not expect us to criticife a performance, pnn.d under the circumftances of the unhappy writer: their curiofity, however, will no doubt require

* For which, indeed, it appears too poetical, if Mr. Tickell fays true: What mourner ever felt poetic fires!

Sad is the verse which real woe infpires:
Grief unaffected fuits but ill with art,
Or flowing numbers with a bleeding heart.

of

of us a fpecimen of a work, produced under fo critical and depreffing a fituation. Thefe thoughts commence on the fubject of Imprisonment.

"MY Friends are gone! Harfh on its fullen hinge
Grates the dread door: the maffy bolts refpond
Tremendous to the furly Keeper's touch.

The dire keys clang: with movement dull and flow
While their beheft the ponderous locks perform:
And, fastened firm, the object of their care
Is left to Solitude,to Sorrow left!

But wherefore fastened? Oh still stronger bonds
Than bolts, or locks, or doors of molten brass,
To Solitude and Sorrow would confign

His anguifh'd Soul, and prifon him, though free!
For, whither should he fly, or where produce
In open day, and to the golden Sun,
His hapless head! whence every laurel
torn,
On his bald brow fits grinning Infamy;
And all in fportive triumph twines around
The keen, the ftinging Adders of Difgrace!
Yet what's Difgrace with Man? or all the stings
Of pointed Scorn? What the tumultuous voice
Of erring Multitudes? Or what the shafts
Of keenest Malice, levell'd from the bow
Of human Inquifition?-if the GOD

Who knows the heart, looks with complacence down
Upon the struggling victim; and beholds
Repentance buriting from the earth-bent eye,
And Faith's red crofs held clofely to the breast!
Oh Author of my being! of my bliss
Beneficent Difpenfer! wondrous Power,

Whofe eye, all-fearching, through this dreary gloom
Difcerns the deepest fecrets of the Soul;

Affift me!-With thy ray of light divine

Illumine my dark thoughts: upraife my low;
And give me Wiidom's guidance, while I strive
Impartially to state the dread account,

And call MYSELF TO TRIAL! Trial far

Than That more fearful-though how fearful That
Which trembling late I prov'd! Oh aid my hand
To hold the balance equal, and allow

The few fad moments of remaining life
To Retrofpection ufeful! Make my End,

As my firit with (thou know'it the heart) has been,
To make my whole of Being to my Friends,
My fellow-pilgrims through this world of woe,
Inftructive?-Oh could I conduct but one,
One only with ine, to our Canaan's reft;
How could I meet my fate, nor think it hard!

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