tions, and connected the great families in Scotland with thofe of England by the ties of confanguinity and political interefts. LONDON, not EDINBURGH, is now confidered as the capital of his country by every Scotchman of family and of adventure: it is at St. JAMES's, not HOLY-RGOD-HOUSE, that he courts preferment, and is ambitious of diftinction. IRELAND.

The moderate restraint which the Irish Parliament has impofed on the prefs is fully juftified by the profligate extremes to which it was carried, and exhibits to the friends of freedom a firiking proof how careful they ought to be, not to use their liberty as a cloak to licentioufnefs. We are forry, farther to remark, that the ideas of affaffination which polluted the Dublin news papers, are an evidence that the Irish nation in general, whatever exceptions ought in truth, to be made in favour of the higher ranks, is behind most other countries in Europe in refpect to civilization. Such fentiments of barbarity and ferocity of difpofition did not difgrace the civil broils of Poland. We have still farther to remark that the late conduct of the Irith, as well as of the British Parliament, illuftrates and confirms the progreffive nature of ambition, and fhews how much great bodies of men are governed, in the fame circumstances, by the fame paffions. The Irith parliament having fuccefsfully withitood the clamours and parade of military affociation, took even a bolder ftep, and dared to curb the licentioufnels of the prefs. It was just in a fimilar manner, though on lefs juftifiable, grounds, that the long parliament, having defeated the royal power, proceeded alfo by infringing the liberty of the prefs, to fubvert the rights of the people. Although thefe two cafes were indeed different, the conduct of the paffions in both was the fame.

On this fubject it may alfo be recollected that the Parliament in the reign of Charles I. having began their encroachments on the executive power, voted their own power and privileges perpetual. It was in this manner that the late Houfe of Commons too, having attempted to feize the executive government of India, endeavoured by a repetition of remonftrances, to intimidate the Crown from diffolving the Parliament.

HOLLAND.

There is a remarkable fimilarity between the prefent fituations of Great Britain and Holland. In the former the king and the people; in the latter the ftadtholder and the people, are united against powerful aristocratical factions. It is fortunate for Holland that it is fituated in the neighbourhood of the dominions of the antient friends and allies of the republic, the Houfe of Brandenbourg.

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

The following facts which we have intermixed, and made the foundation of our reflections, were tranfmitted to us by a correfpondent at Conftantinople, in a letter dated the 10th of March.

Where the minifter for Scotland used to hold his levees.

The

The grand event of the confirmation and prolongation of peace took place here about the beginning of January. By this treaty the Emprefs of Ruffia has obtained, what her predeceffors as well as herself had made fo many ineffectual efforts to acquire, the valuable peninfula of the Crimea; and that without the lofs of one drop of blood. The Emperor, not being a principal in the late mifunderstanding, but only an affiftant to Ruffia in cafe of hoftilities, has acquired no new addition of territory, but has got the limits and boundaries of both empires more clearly and diftinctly fettled than formerly. This circumflance has given rife here to a very falfe report, that Ruffia and the Porte have outwitted the Emperor in the late negociation. It may naturally be asked whether this late acquifition by the Ruffians is in confequence of the ambitious views and policy of that government? Politicians who form fyftems, and who afcribe every revolution to fome cause that is adequate to the event, will anfwer in the affirmative, but the fact hap pens to be otherwife. Ruffia till very lately had no view or idea of getting poffeffion of this Peninfula. The whole originated in Sahim Gheria, the Chan himself, who naturally of a feeble mind, and debilitated by disease, was terrified into a renunciation of his dominions, by the idea of a rival fecretly fupported by the Porte. It is a fact, that the Ruffian Refident in the Crimea did every thing in his power to perfuade the Chan from his purpose of a refignation. The confequences of this revolution time alone can difcover, though in the mean time it affords a great field for political fpeculation. Ruffa being now entitled freely to navigate the Black Sea, and poffeffed of fo confiderable a territory on the banks of it, fo nobly provided with the materials of ship building, and with ports for the fecurity of navigation, may now create a navy fuited to her ambition and abilities. She can pour forth fleets from the fouth and from the north, encircle Europe, and lay in her claim for a fhare of the Empire of the ocean. In point of commerce what may not be expected? The immenfe, productive provinces watered by thofe great rivers, which terminate in the Black Sea, as yet but little known, will all be laid open to the merchant, who will meet with every allurement and encouragement from the Imperial Court, already well convinced that the power and greatnefs of every government must really and permanently depend on the united labour, industry, and commerce of individuals. The propofed canal for opening a communication between the Don and the Wolga, a diftance only of twenty miles, will foon be put in execution. By this means Great Britain may have another opportunity of re-establish ing her Cafpian trade, which was formerly attempted, which promised much, but which from certain obftacles, together with unfortunate accidents, was relinquished. The former obftacles exist no more, and a repetition of the former temporary misfortunes cannot be expected. The principal object of this commerce is the introduction of British commodities in to the northern parts of Perfia, and to receive in return from their provinces a part of the rich raw filks which they produce, and which are fo effentially neceffary to fome of the most confiderable manufactures of our country. A circumstance greatly in favour of

per

this idea is the treaty which has been made this very year between Ruffia and the Court of Perfia. By it all former articles are strictly renewed, and the Ruffians have obtained liberty to conftru& several forts for the protection of their navigation on the Cafpian. It has been the good fortune of the Mahometan fuperstition, never to have been fubordinate to any other. By this late revolution an unufual phænomenon appears, the Greek church fo long kept in bafe fubjection, affumes at once a fuperiority over the Mahometan in one district, and the latter cultivate their fuperftition by the miflion of their ecclefiaftical opponents. Though many of thefe bigots have on this account left that country, and more will fill follow their example, yet the Ruffian government will endeavour by every means to entice them to remain. In this fubordinate fituation they will be lefs obftinate in adhering to their old habits, and become gradually more fufceptible of improvement in arts and knowledge. More enlightened than their brethren in Turkey, they may communicate to them infenfibly the fame improvements: more fecure and free than they, they may allure to their city thofe per-fons and other governers of provinces, who having amafied a fortune by extortion, and dreading the vengeance of their fuperiors, fecure their lives and property by flight: a vaft lucrative object this to the Ruffian government. Though this peace is now happily established, yet the commencement of hoftilities was just on the point of taking place. A weeks longer delay on the part of the Porte would have been fufficient for that purpofe. The extremely pacific difpofition of the Sultan and the unprepared ftate of the empire, got the better of every obftacle. The particular circumftances attending the conclufion of this treaty, fhew that peace however neceffary, is procured on terms very humiliating to this empire. The Vizier confidering that the Sultan is an old man, and that his fucceffor might justly challenge him for agreeing to a peace fo difhonourable, refused to fign the treaty, and the affair has been abfolutely fettled without his concurrence. At the fame time, however that he kept himself clear in this tranfaction, he has, very ably procured every poffible fecurity for the others who have concurred. First he directed the Sultan to confult the Mufti, and to get his fetrah of approbation. In confequence of this, his highnefs iffued an order figned by his own hand, commanding the treaty to be figned. This is a written record, which will be tranfinitted to pofterity, in juftification of the tranfaction. Thefe previous fteps being taken, the treaty was at laft figned by the Capitan Pashaw, re prefenting the military, by the Reis Effendi, reprefenting the civil department, and by one of the Uierma reprefenting the law and the church. It is to be hoped that the peace now established will be permanent. Further conqueft is not the object of Ruffia. It is her prefent intention to cultivate and improve the extenfive territories which the already pofleffes. It is not likely that foreign nations will quietly allow the Ruffians to make further progrefs in this neighbourhood.

You have read in the news papers of the French having taken poffeffion of Candia. The ftory is falfe, though it is not altogether without foundation. When there was a great

pro

probability of war taking place, the Porte had agreed to make a temporary cetion of that ifland to the French, who were to have fent troops of the defence of it against any attack from the Ruffians, but then it was to revert again to this government. The prefent adminiftration of affairs in this empire is placed in the ableft hands that ever were employed by the Ottoman monarchs. The grand Vizier and Capitan Pafha are both very able men, and have their eyes fully open on all the defects and weakneffes of this empire, and are both inclined to rectify them fo far as can be done with fafety among fo ignorant and brutal a people. The Vizier has given or ders lately for the establishment of a printing office, which has been frequently attempted, but hitherto proved unfortunate to the promoters of fuch an inftitution. The Capitan Pafhaw is one of the many inftances in this empire of individuals, who rife from the very lowest origin to the highest honour in the ftate. He is different however from the generality of thofe fons of fortune, because his merit and his abilities are every way fuited to his high command. He has at his own expence built a large houfe, which cost upwards of 50,000l. which he has made a prefent of to the Emperor. The object of it is of high political importance to this government, because there are lodged in it all the marines belonging to the hips of war, to the number of 10,000; thefe fellows difperfed up and down, were continually in riots: collected together, they are immediately under, his eye and kept in the ftricteft difcipline. They are a kind of naval janifarics, who may be employed against the others of that name, who have occafionally fubverted the government and dethroned their Sovereign. There are great preparations making in the arfenal at prefent, and nineteen fhips of war, great and small, are going to fail immediately on a cruize to the Mediterranean.

*Communications for THE ENGLISH REVIEW are requefied to be Jent to Mr. MURRAY, No. 32, Fleet-ftreet, London.

1

THE

ENGLISH

REVIEW.

For MA Y, 1784.

ART. 1. The Origin and Progrefs of Writing, as avell Hieroglyphic as Elementary, Illuftrated by Engravings taken from Marbles, Ma nufcripts, and Charters, Ancient and Modern: Alfo fome Account of the Origin and Progrefs of Printing. By Thomas Aftle, Efq. F. R. S. F. S. A. and Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London. 4to. il. vis. 6d. boards. Payne and Son.

T

HE chief importance of this learned and useful volume has a reference to the diplomatic fcience, which has been too little attended to in Great Britain. It is by this fcience that we are enabled to judge of the age and authenticity of charters, records, and antient hiftorical monuments. It calls our attention to the archives of a nation; and these include the writings or deeds which illuftrate the power of fovereigns, the conventions of ftates, the general privileges of a nation, the exclufive rights of nobility and incorporated bodies, the authority and prerogatives of national affemblies, genealogies, atchievements, and alliances.

In order to treat his fubject with advantage, the author has exerted himfelf to view it upon every fide; and it must be allowed that he exhibits it in a very comprehenfive furvey. In his first and fecond chapters he enters into details concerning fpeech; furnishes a history of hieroglyphics which he holds to be common to all uncivilized nations; and having attempted to fhow that alphabetic writing was not first communicated by Mofes, he examines the progrefs of the human mind towards the invention of an alphabet, and treats of the compofition and notation of language. Upon thefe topics which are curious as well as learned, the author is inftructive without being diffufe. He fupports his opinions with facts, and enters into deductions from the hiftories of different nations.