fame time, we fear, that it is too abftrafe for the generality of ftudents, while thofe who are capable of comprehending it will hardly find leifure for the acquifition of knowledge which is rather curious than useful. POLITICS. ART. 19. The British Expofé; or Comparative Views of the Political State of Great Britain and the European Continent, A. D. 1810. By Menaceus. 8vo. 31 pp. 25. Chapple. 1810. An expofition of the comparative ftate of Great Britain and the Continent is undoubtedly (as this Author obferves) the best antidote to that poifon which it is ftill the object of fome perfons to infufe into the minds of our countrymen; and forms the most complete detection of thofe artifices by which they would reconcile us to a yoke the most oppreffive, perhaps, that ever yet was endured by civilized nations. The very nature of fuch a government as that of France, the character of him who wields it, and thofe notorious acts, which it is impoffible to deny and fhameless to palliate, we should have fuppofed, would have deprived our enemy of all apologifts or abettors in this free and happy country. But (ftrange to relate!) there are ftill found thofe who are dazzled by his fucceffes and blinded to the confequences refulting from them, who' cherish thofe principlés of anarchy which have paved the way to his military defpotifm. Againft fuch evil defigns, or fuch deplorable infatuation, it is neceffary to guard our country men by frequent warnings. We therefore fincerely applaud the inten tions of this Writer; intentions which are executed with con. fiderable energy and effect. It is juftly remarked by him, that in the early stages of their Revolution, the tribe of French fophifts prepared the way for their armies, in countries which might have proved invulnerable by the ordinary modes of warfare. That fuch is the fyftemn pursued by the prefent revolutionary Chief, no one can doubt who perufes the journals and other publications on the Continent, now univerfally fubjected to his controul or in fluence. His means indeed are fomewhat varied, but the ob ject and end is the fame, namely, to palliate or difguife his own tyranny, and render all the former established governments odiou and contemptible to the people. The pains taken to drown the cries of the injured and oppreffed in the notes of military prepara tion, the fyftem of espionage by which the freedom of speech, and aimoft of thought, is fuppreffed, and all confidence and friendship annihilated, are ftrikingly contrafted by this Author with the real freedom and happinefs of Britain. "I never hear," fays he, "a man with a fmile on his coun 8 tenance, tenance, extol the talents, enumerate the fucceffes, or praise the government of Bonaparte, without confidering him, if a British fubject, as an enemy to his country; and if a foreigner, an enemy to the happiness and profperity of Britain, and unworthy of its protection. Thofe who once fupported the prin ciples and doctrines of Paine, are ftill the fame beings, with this difference only: formerly, they publicly declared that all governments were oppreffive, and contrary to the rights of man; now, they privately diffeminate that Britons have nothing worth fighting for; that the Napoleon Code of laws, and the Imperial Government of France are monuments of the most stupendous human wisdom; and that the people are much happier under fuch government than thofe who enjoy the bleffings of the ad mirable and enviable British conftitution. Such Perfons are more numerous than is generally fuppofed; and they are the more dangerous, because they act in the dark. It is therefore the duty of the real patriot to endeavour to counteract fuch infernal machi nations, and to convince deluded people of their errors, by divefting fome of the actors in the political drama, which has been performing in Europe ever fince the year 1789, of their tinfel decorations, and expofing them in that ftate which Nature intended, when the ushered them into the world." P. 7. The Author proceeds to notice, with fome severity, the clamours of the difaffected in this country, and efpecially their mifrepresentation of facts and perverfion of language. Of the latter he gives a very appofite inftance in their abufe of the term emancipation, applying it to the claim of the Roman Catholics, who have long been in the full enjoyment of freedom, but are not to be fatisfied without power and commanding influence. In the course of these remarks he takes occafion to cenfure the conduct of the late Administration, and efpecially their treatment of their Sovereign, (a topic which has already been fufficiently difcuffed,) and he contrafts the miferies of the continent with the enviable fituation of this country. On the whole we can recommend this little work to thofe who may not have leifure for the perufal of more laboured pub. lications, as equally juft in its arguments and public spirited in its motives. ART. 20. A Letter to Samuel Whitbread, Efq. M. P. upon the Military Conduct of Lord Wellington. With Some Remarks upon the Marquis Wellesley's Government in India, and the Fatal Effects of Party Spirit. By Britannicus. 8vo. 101 pp. 4s. Chapple. 1810. The object of this Letter is to prove (fo far as the fubje& admits of proof) the military skill and confummate ability dif played by Lord Wellington in his various campaigns, and particularly in the laft, which has been fo much criticized by a party at at home. It is impoffible, within our limits, to follow the Wri ter through his very detailed and (in our opinion) convincing statements, or to do justice to the arguments by which he vindicates the fame of this diftinguished General; and it appears the lefs neceffary, becaufe, with the exception of a few democratic Orators, and fome prejudiced retainers of Party, we believe the talents and fervices of this Commander are generally acknowledg ed and admired by his countrymen. On almoft the only quef tionable measure, (that of advancing fo far into Spain) the Author has done much towards repelling the charge of rafhness and inconsideration, so industriously thrown on that brave Officer whom he defends. In order to prove the military talents of Lord Wellington this writer follows him through his campaigns in India, apparently with confiderable local knowledge and intelligence: he then defcribes the campaign in Portugal, which terminated by the battle of Vimiera, declaring that had his propofal of following up that victory been acceded to, the capture or deftruction of Junot's army would have been the certain confequence, and the Conven tion of Cintra would never have taken place. In the late campaign, the paffage of the Douro is described as having evinced great talents in the Commander; by whom Marshal Soult (one of the ableft of the French Generals) is said to have been completely. furprised. But the Author employs his chief attention in explaining and vindicating the motives which induced Lord Wellington to advance against the French armies in Spain. That meafure, he ftates was undertaken at the earneft defire of the fupreme Junta; it promifed the most complete fuccefs against the corps of Viétor; the defeat of which would probably have decided the fate of the campaign; fince the French armies would then have been engaged feparately, and beaten in detail. This fplendid fuccefs was prevented by the obftinate folly, or the treachery of the Spanish General; who might alfo have rendered the victory of Talavera complete by the almoft entire deftruction of the French army en gaged. The Writer alfo accounts for the untoward circumstances which occafioned the fubfequent retreat of the British army; a retreat which he defcribes as the moft judicious and masterly; by which our General was ftill enabled to affect a confiderable diverfion of the enemy's force in Spain, and to protect the kingdom of Portugal. In the courfe of this defence, he animadverts with juft feverity on the harangues of the City Orator, Waithman; who, without the leaft acquaintance with the art of war, or (probably) any local knowledge of the scene of action, and certainly without a knowledge of all the circumstances which occurred, took upon himfelf to depreciate the talents and condemn the measures of an experienced and diftinguifhed General. Nor is he lefs fevere on the Writers in the Edinburgh Review, who flippantly and most uncandidly reprefented Lord Wellington as having marched into Spain for no object but "to fee the country and get near the "French;" "French;" as if the junction with the principal Spanish force, the deftruction of Victor's army (of which there was fo fair a profpectf and the diverfion of fo large a French force from the South of Spain, were no objects; as if the earneft requeft of the Spanish government did not merit attention. Lastly, the Author adverts to and repels fome of the calumnies thrown out against the Marquis Wellesley for his conduct in India. On the whole he appears a well-informed and candid Writer; and his ftatements (which we believe to be accurate) Thould make the afperfers of one of our ableft Generals blush for their ill-founded cenfures. ART. 21. The object of this little tract is to convince thofe who wish well in general to the prefent adminiftration, ot (at leaft) who do not wish to be governed by the party now in oppofition, that by joining in the cenfure of fome particular meafures, fuch as the Walcheren Expedition, or objecting to the feceffion of fome late Members, (for inftance of Mr. Canning) they are, uninten tionally indeed, but effectually, playing the game of their adver faries; of thofe whofe return to power they still fincerely depre cate. There is much of truth in this obfervation; and probably that confideration had its weight in the deliberations of Parliament, the refult of which has fuftained the prefent Minifters in power. The Author alfo juftly diftinguishes the parties that compofe the prefent, and indeed moft former Oppofitions, confifting of the partizans of certain leaders, who only with for a change of Minifters, and the Reformers or Revolutionists; the object, or at leaft the tendency, of whofe measures is the overthrow of all government. This fhould, in our opinion, be feriously con Gidered by all the refpectable part of the oppofition; fince, by lending theinfelves to the views of the popular Demagogues, and combining with them to inflame the minds of the people, they may produce a crifis which might end in the deftruction not only of their adverfaries, but of all their own hopes, and ultimately of the conftitution itself. ART. 22. A Letter to the Right Honourable Spencer Perceval, First Lord of the Treafury, &c. &c. &c. upon his reported Correfpondence with Lord Vifcount Melville, in Reference to the Return of that noble Lord to Power. By A Country Gentleman. 8vo. 43 PP. 2s. 6d. Chapple. 1810. The cenfure which this Letter endeavours to fix on the prefent Minifter for his fuppofed correfpondence with Lord Viscount Melville, refts wholly on the accuracy of all the circumftances, Tt BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXV. JUNE, 1810. as as well as the language, of that correfpondence, as ftated by the Author. The report, he informs us, was repeated in Mr. P.'s prefence in the opening debate of the Seffion, and "having been permitted to remain undenied and unqualified, he (the Author) feels himfelf at full liberty to difcufs the merits of the proceed. ing as an undoubted and admitted matter of fact." Now, we conceive, that this is by no means a fair or conclufive inference from the omiffion of a Minifter to notice a loofe and unauthenticated report of a private tranfaction by no means effentially connected with his official duties, and the truth or falfhood of which was not likely, in the leaft degree, to influence the event of that debate. Surely, on that occafion, the new Minifler had attacks enough to repel, and charges fuf. ficiently weighty, if not juft, to arrest his attention, in the reply he had to make to a host of adverfaries, without being obliged to contradiét every rumour diffeminated, and correct every misftatement refpecting tranfactions of a private nature, Were it otherwife, yet, in our opinion, motives of delicacy would forbid any notice of the report faid to have been repeated on that occafion. Had no negotiation of the kind taken place, the vehement denial of it might have appeared difrefpectful to the other party in queftion, and have implied a difavowal of any with for his affiftance and fupport; or, ad. mitting (which feems probable) that fome intercourfe had taken place, but that the object and language of it was inaccurately tated, it was fcarcely poffible to correct that inaccuracy with. out the indelicacy of publishing all the circumftances of a tranfaction the molt confidential and private, We therefore ob. ject to the ground and foundation of this cenfure. Admitting, however, the Author to be well grounded, and even minutely accurate in his facts, we fee no advantage that can now be derived from the difcuffion. Certainly we are among thofe who would rejoice to fee the abilities of the noble Vifcount again employed in the fervice of his country : bat we do not conceive the way to attain that object is to publifh and aggravate any mifunderstanding that may poffibly have arifen between him and His Majefty's prefent Minifters. The Author alfo animadverts on the attempt of Mr. P. to conciliate the leaders of oppofition, às feeming to betray weakness. But the defire of unanimity appears to have prompted that attempt, and this fentiment may not (now that the attempt has failed) dif. qualify him who made it from a reasonable reliance on his own abilities, and the independent fupport of the country. INDIA, ART. 23. A Statement of Facts delivered to the Right Hon. Lord Minte, Governor General of India, c, c. on bis late |