From authentic documents he fhows the fituation of America, both from the increase of her fhipping and exports, to have been fuch,.as would have rendered a war of commercial reftrictions, or of arms in which it would probably have terminated a folly of no ordinary magnitude. Mr. S. maintains likewife, that the contest must have terminated in favour of Great Britain; becaufe, by the derangement of the trade of France, America could not have received that vaft fupply of manufactures now neceffary to he: that the commerce between thofe countries, being about one fixth part of that of Great Britain, but exceeding one half of that of America *; and the refolution and perfeverance of both being taken to be equal, the latter muft fooneft give up the conteft. Nor is the injuftice of this meafure, which he admits to be in unifon with their paffions, here paffed over: "If (fay's he) receiving a pofitively better treatment from one than the other, we deal most harfhly toward that power which treats us beft; will it be an evidence either of juftice or moderation? Will it not be a proof either of caprice, or of a hatred and averfion, of a nature to over-rule the confiderations both of equity and prudence?" We diffent from Mr. S. in the argument contained in the laft paragraph of the 66th page; but our limits do not allow us to be more particular. The following errors in language occur in this tract: " we should be likely to fuffer greater inconvenience than her (fhe, Great Britain)-Thofe who advocate the fyftem of contention; it fhould have been written, who are advocates for.

ART. XI. A View of the relative Situation of Great Britain, and the United States of North America. By a Merchant. 41 PP. IS. Debrett. 1794.

8vo.

WE

fubjoin this to the preceding article, because the fubject is the fame; though we cannot but obferve, that no party-writer ever laboured to promote a favourite measure of his friends, with more fidelity, than this merchant to fecond the plan of the American fecretary of state. He exhorts

*We prefer a different procefs for deducing this proportion to that followed by Mr. Smith, for which fee the following article: but thereby his conclufion follows a fortiori.

us

us❝to run a race with France for the favour of" America. Mr. Smith, as it appears in the preceding article, has fhown that we had done greatly more to obtain it; and in the commercial world, France must long be only a name. Our merchant advises us to extend the great and exclusive discriminations made in our own islands, in favour of the Americans, gratuitoufly for fo we understand him when he fays, that

America wishes for a participation in the trade between her, (America) and our Weft-India iflands." We instantly do this writer the juftice to say, that no other fentence fo confused is to be found in his pamphlet ; for we cannot fuppose him to be ignorant, that the Americans already participate in that trade; but that he estimates their present share as of minute importance to them; or what may be taken as a meer nullity.

If the war of commercial reftrictions, which the Report of Mr. Jefferfon tended to kindle, had taken place; this merchant informs us, that it would have been the feverest check the commerce of Great Britain ever fuffered. In the last article of the Appendix, he gives us a paper, whereby we may calculate, in conjunction with fimilar accounts, the magnitude of this check, upon as good evidence as the matter admits of.

Hence five-eighths of the American capital of foreign trade, is employed in that with this country: and if fuch a rupture had taken place, one-eighth of that of Great-Britain only, would have been forced into a new channel: in this warfare the Americans were not our equals. At this period commerce is extinct for a long term in France; and temporarily at least in Holland. The trade of America is useful to us, to them of abfolute neceflity: and, if the Congrefs had adopted the plan of their Secretary of State, it would have been to that nation, an act of political fuicide.

* Brief Examination of the Revenue, Commerce, &c. of Great Britain. 4th edition. Stockdale. 1793,

ART.

ART. XII. A Sketch of the Campaign of 1793. A Poem in two Parts; in Letters from an Officer of the Guards on the Continent to a Friend in Devonfire. 4to. 4s. Cadell. 1795.

THIS

HIS is a lively and entertaining performance, in which the reader, at the fame time that he is affured of the authenticity of the facts which are defcribed, will be greatly pleafed by much unaffected facetioufnefs and good-humour. The author attends the Guards from the moment of their first embarkation at Greenwich, where, among other droll incidents, he defcribes the following to have happened:

A grenadier drunk from the centre rank reel'd,
And hiccuping, up to his Majefty wheel'd;

"Never mind all thefe Jacobins, Ge, but be quiet,
We'll quell them as quick as we'd quell you a riot."

At their arrival at Helvoetfluys, they proceeded to Dort, Tournay, &c. The engagement in the wood of St. Amand is reprefented with a great deal of vigour. We cannot give a better fpecimen of the ftyle of this performance than the beginning of the fixth letter, where the British are defcribed as joining the grand army of Prince Cobourg before Valenciennes. "After firing, (and furely we could not do lefs),

A brifk feu de joie*, for our brilliant fuccefs!
We march'd thro' Rocour, and encamp'd near Baiffieux,
With Cobourg's grand army, the foe to purfue.
That Prince with his Staff and attendants we found,
To fee us drawn up as we march'd to our ground.
He was pleas'd with our men as they pafs'd in review,
And his looks faid "I'll foon give them fomething to do.”
On the left of his army our camp had been trac'd,
And we found ourfelves clofe to the Kiezaarlaickst plac'd.
Their martial appearance fili'd all with delight,
By fevent years of practice inur'd to the fight.
Well fed, and fine fellows, above fix feet high,
Bewhisker'd each vifage, befabred each thigh;

* Some Auftrian regiments marched to the affiftance of the Pruffians, and the enemy were defeated, and completely driven from the neighbourhood of St. Amand, on the 9th and 10th of May. On which account a feu de joie was fired on the 12th..

+ The Emperor is fuppofed to be defcended from the Cæfars; and the Auftrians are therefore called Kiezaar-Laicks, which means Cæfar's men.

The Emperor and the Turks were at war feven years.

Grenadiers

1

Grenadiers from Bohemia, Hungarians and Croats,
Created on purpose to cut Frenchmens' throats;
Curaffiers with hats fhot thro', and covered with fears,
With Hulans, Tirolians, Pandours, and Huffars.
The leaft of them feem'd to be able to cat

Six French at a breakfast, and think it a treat.
'Twas fix'd, on Famars we should make an attack,
As plann'd by that great engineer Colonel Mack:
And orders were giv'n to the troops the next day,
To be ready to march in a moment away.
In different columns the army was then

Told off, each confiling of ten thousand* men.
We filent advanc'd under cover of night,
Our approach to conceal from the enemy's fight.
Each column purfuing a different way,
Arriv'd at its flation before break of day.
A fog fpread around us, fo murky and denfe,
We delay'd for fome time the attach to commence.
Like a curtain, to rife by degrees it appear'd,
Aurora peep'd forth, and all nature was cheer'd.
On the conflict Apollo was cager to gaze,
And enliven'd the fields with his earlief rays.
So glorious a fpectacle then we perceiv'd,
As, paffing defcriptiont, could fcarce be believ'd.
The eye fought relief from huge columns of men,
That cover'd the valley, and wound thro' the glen.
The fun on their arms play'd refulgently bright,
And they proudly reflected him back his own light!
We advanc'd with well clos'd and compact steady ranks,
Our cavalry potted in force on our flanks.
Some Carmagnol huffars appear'd on the plain,
But wheeling, mott wifely retreated again.
The Auftrian artillery then fet on fire

A villaget, from whence they were loth to retire:
Our brigade near an eminence forming, we view'd
The gen'ral attack, which foon after enfued.

* At least that was about the ftrength of the column, commanded by his Royal Highnefs the Duke of York: confifting of the British Cavalry, Brigade of Guards, and of the Line; with Heffian and Hanoverian horfe and foot.

+ All the officers of the army declared, they had never before witneffed fo beautiful a fcene. The allies had been marching great part of the night of the 22d of May, and each column reached its flation near Queinoi before day break. A thick fog prevented our difcerning the furrounding objects, until a beautiful morning broke through and difperfed it; exhibiting the troops of different nations, to the amount of above 80,000 men, advancing in order of battle,

Village of Virefpol.

The

The bus'nefs commenc'd by a brisk cannonade,
And fome batt'ries were storm'd by our fecond brigade*.
Thefe gain'd, which for fome time had kept us at bay,
We advanc'd, and perceiv'd them on all fides give way.
Tho' retreating before them, the Kiezaarlaicks+ found,
At times, they with firmnefs difputed the ground.
Our column then crofs'd the Ronelle, at Marfché,
To turn their right flank; but I'm happy to say,
They fav'd us all trouble, by running away.
Here join'd by a fquadron of Austrian huffarst,
We advanc'd on a wood between that and Famars.
And march'd up in line, but when we drew near,
Perceiv'd it entirely abandon'd and clear.

They still from fome very ftrong works, near Artré,
Cannonaded us briskly the rest of the day.
Rejoic'd fo completely our point to have gain'd,
In that ftrong pofition fome hours we remain'd.
Then were order'd to move, and fome batteries storm,
Whence the firing continued tremendously warm.
Our force infufficient to take them was found,

And we foon countermarch'd to take up our late ground.
Determin'd next morning §, before break of day,
Coute qui coute, from thofe batt'ries, to drive them away.
But prudent, or probably feiz'd with a fright,
Avec vrai politeffe, they retir'd in the night.
From their camp at Famars too they fcudded away
To Cambrai and Bouchain, Arras and Douai.
A place of more ftrength, we shall scarce ever fee;
Than the camp we have gain'd, a moft perfect Glacis.
Chains of batt'ries commanding each other we found,
And 'twas thought, had they bravely difputed their ground,
"Twould have coft the Allies, to have driven them out,
Four thoufand brave fellows, beyond any doubt.
Mack, beforehand, had made an exact calculation,
(Legs and arms not included in this computation.)
Of the peafantry here, how diftreffing the fate!
The treatment they met with, I blush to relate.
The Heffians and Auftrians to rapine inur'd,
And others, by baneful example allur'd,

Exceffes

*Confifting of the 14th, 53d, and flank companies of the 37th regt. of British Infantry."

The Auftrians loft many men on the 23d and 24th of May, though the French made no ftand, except in order to favour their retreat. Huffars of Efterhazé.

§ 24th of May.

After we had gained the heights, I went with a brother officer to the village of Famars; we found it completely pillaged; the miferable inhabitants, deprived of their whole property, and their very clothes

torn