offences might be punished with a greater and a better effect. And if he who preferves the life of a citizen is intitled to a civic crown, greater honours would be due to that law-er, who, in the midst of punishAGRICOLA. ment, preferves the life, and improves the morals, of the offender Execution of Robert Keon, Efq; for the Mur- Wel, where there is the beft Mu WAS in the road betwixt Nifmes and Lunel, bye belongs to the honest canons of Montcatto wine in all France, and which by the pellier and foul befall the man who has drank it at their table, who grudges a drop of it. The was had done their A terfuge, and every poble bluence work, the nymphs had tied up their hair of power, this unfortunate man made a public expiation of life on a temporary feaffold, fupported by pullies from the upper window of the New Prifon, in Dublin, on Tuesday the 12th ultimo. From a principle, of compaffion, his two brothers, charged as accomplices, and not yet tried, were removed in a coach and four, on the Saturday previous, to the county jail; from whence, the next day, they continued their journey to the aflizes of Carrick-on-Shannon; where they are to answer to their country for the fame offence. About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the window in the front of the prifon was open, the platform or fcaffold drawn up, and a rope faftened to a pulley, fufpended by a circular iron, horizontally placed above the window. The 'nooze at the oppofite end of the rope was continued to the infide of the building, and therein put the criminal's neck, who, in a few minutes, appeared pale, fwoln, and emaciated; and yet, notwithstanding all his accumulated. wretchedness, fo frong was his reluctance, or fear of death, that the executioners were obliged to force him out by violence on the board. A more miferable fpectacle never was exhibited. After pulling down his cap over his face, the executioners inftantly retired, and as inftantly the board falling from under him, he was fufpended at least 80 feet from the ground. As his diffolution depended intirely on his own weight, and without any other affiftance, he was a long time dying; and appeared to fuffer extraordinary pain for at least 20 minutes. After hanging the ufual time, the body was let down, and the remainder of the fentence executed, by drawing a knife across the neck and four quarters, &c.-and in the evening it was conveyed, in a hearfe drawn by fix borfes, to the family burial place in the Eountry. But what rendered this execution moft extraordinary was, that the lady of the deceased Reynolds hired an apartment, at the price of four guineas, in a houfe iminediately oppofite, within a few feet of the fcaffold, where the and fome of her friends fat during the whole transaction. The wife of the unfortunate Keon did not *Cove him until the night before he fuffered; afresh-and the fwains were preparing for a A fun burnt daughter of Labour rose up from the groupe to meet me, as I advanced towards them; her hair which was a dark chefnut, approaching rather to a black, was tied up in a knot, all but a single trefs. We want a chevalier, faid fhe, holding out both her hands, as if to offer themAnd a chevalier ye fhall have; faid I, taking hold of both of them. Hadft thou, Nannette, heen arrayed like a dutchess ! -But that curfed flit in thy petticoat! We could not have done without you, faid the, letting go one hand, with felf taught politenefs, leading me up with the other. A lame youth, whom Apollo had recomperfed with a pipe, and to which he had added a tabourin of his own accord, ran fweetly over the prelude, as he fat upon the bank Tie me up this trefs intly-It taught me to forget I was a ftranger-The whole knot fell down- -We had been seven years acquainted. The youth ftruck the note upon the tabourin-his pipe followed, and off we bounded the deuce take that flit !” The fifter of the youth who had ftolen her voice from heaven, fung alternately with her brother- -'twas a Galcoigue roundelay. VIVE LA JOļa! FIDON LA TRISTESSA! The nymphs joined in unifon, and their Α of p public fold, windo Tuefd of co in a c next d are to noon, crimina obliged tired, a under h from t pended withou time dy dinary hangin down, execute and for it was horfes, Country most e decease the pri diately fcaffold fat duri I would have given a crown to have it fewed up-Nannette would not have given a fous-Viva la joia! was in her lips Viva la joia! was in her eyes. A tranfient spark of amity fhot across the space betwixt us She looked amiable Why could I not live and end my days thus? Juft difpofer of our forrows, cried I, why could not a man fit down in the lap of content here and dance, and fing, and fay his prayers, and go to heaven with this nut brown maid? capriciously did the bend her head on one fide, and dance up infidious Then 'tis time to dance off, quoth I; fo changing only partners and tunes, I danced it away from Eunel to Montpellier from thence to Pefenas, Beziers -I danced it along through Narbonne, Carcaflon, and Caftle Naudairy, till at laft I danced myself into Pedrillo's pavillion, where pulling a paper of black lines, that I might go on ftraight forward, without digreffion or parenthefis, in my uncle Toby's amours I begun thus. late fince the promulgation of the laws of Brimha, whofe Shafter contains the ordinances of their faith, and the pandects of their jurifprudence. Thefe inftitutes have withflood the ravages of time, the irruption of invaders, and the revoly to which, in all recorded perinds, the countries have been exposed. The wisdom of the Moorth conquerors of Indoftan failed not to preferve this ancient fabric of Indian adoration. În fact, the Mahometan governments apparently reverence the rites of the Gentoos, who ftill conftitute the mass of subjects on the peninfula. Under the Moors, they are liable to oppreffions incident to all arbitrary governments; yet their tyrants have mingled policy with force: and as the Goths adopted the manners of thofe nations whom they have conquered, fo the Muffulmen have affimilated with the cuftoms of their Indian fubjects. They encourage them in hufbandry and manufac ture-employ thein in their armies-entruft them with their finance--and, above all, preferve to the purity of their Cafts, the fanctity of their Bramins, and the pomp of Prefent fate of the English Settlements in the their religion. So fully do the Moorish prin YOU have heard much, my lord, and India. There have been declamations with out end on the peculations of the Company's fervants, and acts without number to retrieve, if poffible, the Company's affairs: but these declamations have only tended to afcertain the rhetorical estimation due to the perfon who delivered them,-and those acts have too frequently confirmed the evils they were meant to remedy. In treating of this fubject it should never be forgotten, that the leading principle of all Eaftern inflitutions is permanency; but the principle, or at leaft the practice, of all Eng. lith politics in India, has been productive of the moft pernicious inftability. By the firft, laws, manners, rites and regulations are handed down from age to age undiminished and unaltered-by the fecond, the general order and arrangements of the country are torn asunder with capricious innovation and to enforce a fyftem fo deftructive of the deareft tenets of the natives, the continued operation of violence is required. The diftribution of the Gentoos into Talyngas, Malabars, Marattas, Canaras, and Malcallums, as well as into the different fects of Bramins, Rajahpoots, Nyars, and into many fuperior fubdivifions of merchants, la bourers, and artificers, has remained invio ces feel the neceffity of treating with respect moft timid of Gentoos would facrifice his life, thofe cuftoms and opinions, for which the that Hyder Ally never failed to make large endowments to the chief temples or pagodas. In 1781, when his army invested Tritchinopoly, he waited in perfon on the Bramins of ledgment to Viftnou, the tutelar deity of that fanctuary. By thefe means, in addition to fuperior talents in war, and a vigorous administration in peace, the Moors have extended their dominions over the richest parts of the peninfula. The Portuguefe, on the other hand, whofe arm and enterprise obtained a geographical extent of territory greater than the circuit of the Roman empire in the days of Auguftus, blindly zealous to propagate the Chriftian faith, found it easier to conquer kingdoms than to fubvert established doctrines. By violating the tenets of their subjects, they have ceafed to be accounted among the powers of India. Happily for the English interefts, intolerance in matters of religion has not mingled with our Indian policy. But in our civil and military conduct, intolerance has united with inftability, to violate the moft revered inftitutions, and to force pacific powers into measures for our extermination. So fully are thefe affertions verified by every circum ftance attending the origin and growth of our power in India, that on a conviction of our reftlefs and unstable views, was founded the policy of the Mogul, the Nizam, the Mahrattas, and other ftates of India, who late ly affociated to accomplish our deftruc tion. It is not neceffary for me at prefent to enumerate the various transformations by which the private merchant grew into a powerful fovereign,with formidable armies, large revenues, rich maufactures, induftrious fubjects, and territors more extenfive, populous, and productive than the moft Bourish ing kingdoms of Europe. My intention is, to convince your lordship that, notwithflanding the enterprise and talents by which va rious fubjects of this country have fignalized themselves during the courfe of Indian operations, no individual efforts can prevent the fuperftructure from tottering, while the ground-work is fo infecure. In the earliest periods of our aggrandifement Lord Clive exerted his utmoft efforts to correct the vices of our Eaftern fyftem. His letters to the Court of Directors recommended an economical detail in the departments of public expenditure, a regulated watchfulness over the defenfive preparations of the country they had acquired, a conftant attention to the commercial purposes of their inftitution, a rigid juftice and inviolable fecurity to their fubjects, and a liberal encouragement of industry and cultivation. Above all, fays he, you must support a permanent fyftem of conciliatory mealures towards the country powers; for while a doubt exifts refpecting your pacific inclinations, their fears will incite them to form machinations to effect your ruin. Although the current inftructions from home to the different l'residencies have been in unifon with these admonitions, our Ealtern governors avowedly have disobeyed all orders; they heve commenced hoftility, negotiated for peace, and renewed the war, jult as fuited their convenience. I will not carry you farther back, my Lord, than 1767. when the Government of Madras, after flagrantly offending the Nizam, by occupying the Circars under the pretence of a firmaun or charter from their then dependant the Mogul, fent a deputation, to fubmit their claim to the difcuffion of the very nizam who was the injured party in the queftion; and, without fatisfying him for the violation, farther than by a huddled compromife to pay him a tribute for the Northern Circars, entered into engage ments with him to act conjunctly against Hyder Ally, then invaded by the Mahrattas. No fooner was this union formed, than it was diffolved; and the Nizam feparating from the English army uuder General Smith, immediately joined Hyder, and continued in hoftility agaift us; but after fe O Ο T E. * See General Sarith's Letter to Lord Clive. veral unsuccessful engagements, he became weary of the contest, and returned with his army to Hyderabad. The after narrative of that difgraceful warfare, as expreffed in general Smith's letter to Lord Clive, exhibits the moft flriking picture of our Eastern councils. There we may learn, by what inverted policy it is poffible to defeat the beft-founded expectations; to render abortive the exertions of the ableft general, and braveft army; how an enemy may be reduced, by repeated 'lofs in battle, to propose the most favourable terms of accommodation; and yet thus weakened and exhaufted, how he may be enabled to triumph over every difafter. My reference to these facts is only meant. to evince, that the contempt which Hyder Ally entertained for our councils, and his enmity towards our establishment, however ruinous to our interefts, originated in our aggreffions. We had hardly breathed after the war with Hyder, when confternation was excited by unprovoked hoftility with the Mahratta ftates, against whom, whatever might be the oftenfible pretext, I know not of any fubject of complaint, excepting that they held poffeffions on the Malabar coaft, extending from the northward of Surat to the Vicinity of Goa; while our Prefidency of Bombay, exclufive of their ifland, were cireumfcribed within the narrow limits of a factory at Surat, and another at Telickery. Your Lordship has no doubt obferved in the printed and official communications respecting that contest, a mafs of incidents, compared with which, the indignitics incurred by the Madras Government in the preceding war of 1767 with Hyder, almoft cease to appear difreputa ble. Hoftilities at faft commencing between the English and French, the English were again involved in war with Hyder Ally. Under thefe circumftances, it became neceflary to confider of a pacification with the Mahrattas. Negociations were opened; but as we had fought without concert, so we treated without communication. The General negotiates, the Government of Bombay negotiates, the fupreme Board negotiates, the Reprefentative of a higher Power negociates all differ, all counteract each other; and the Mahratta Government found it fo impoffible to reconcile their contradictory propofitions, that they continued the war as the only means of fecurity with fuch unexplicable adverfaries. Long aftewards however, on the eve of our diffolution, as the fine qua non of our existence in India, they forced us to purchase peace from them, and refiore all the poffeffions of which we had robbed them, excepting Salcet: having firft wafted |