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condemned to drag a painful life in all the horrors of agonizing defpair. A defire to procure them liberty, to bring them away with me, employed all my thoughts, and deafened me to every obftacle, making me impatient to join the affembled colonifts."

well calculated for the inftruction of thofe for whom it is intended.

As a fpecimen of this ufeful publication, we have extracted the following fhort character of the prefent Queen, taken from the Hiftory of England.

"This amiable and diftinguished perfonage was the princefs Charlotte, of Mecklenburgh-Strelitz, the youngest fifter of Adolphus-Frederic, the fourth, duke of Mecklenburgh. She was born May 19, 1744.

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Here, for want of room, we are under the neceffity of poftponing, till our next, fome other extracts from this en tertaining book of M. Vaillant, whofe merit is much greater than that of his tranflator; who, being a woman, profelles to have foftened some of her author's expreffions, and to have omitted others, because they would not appear with modeft propriety from the pen of a female. How far the Public ought to be fatisfied with fuch an apology, let the Public determine: que think, that whoever undertakes to 'tranflate an author of reputation-though the ༦ Arriving in England under the fubject should be natural hiftory-efcort of the earl of Harcourt and lord ought implicitly to follow the original.

THE HISTORICAL POCKET LIBRARY.
IN 6 VOLUMES. RILEY. 12S.

THIS work treats of Mythology, Ancient Hiftory, Roman Hiftory, Hif tory of England, Geography, and Natural History, in a compendious manner. The volume of MYTHOLOGY is divefted of all the immorality and indecency with which the school Mythologies are difgraced.

The ANCIENT HISTORY flightly traces the origin of each nation, details the fucceffion and dates of the different dynastics, and briefly notices the memorable actions or revolutions which diftinguished their governments.

The ROMAN HISTORY traces the revolutions of the government with all that perfpicuity which the limits will admit; and the characters are impartially drawn in a biographical manner.

The ENGLISH HISTORY felects the most striking events in each reign, from

Being a princefs of every amiable virtue and eftimable endowment, and having defcended from a line of anceftors who had evinced their attachment to the Proteftant religion, and to the Brunfwick family, he was honoured with the choice of our prefent gracious king of Great Britain, George III. as his queen and confort.

Anfon, he was received on the 7th of September 1761, in a moft honourable and affectionate manner by her intended royal fpoufe and fovereign. At nine o'clock the fame evening, he had the happinefs of feeing herself the bride of England's monarch. Fifteen days after, the royal pair were crowned with that splendour and magnificence worthy the royalty of fo diftinguished an empire.

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Being thus poffeffed of every honour and happiness the king and his country could beftow, the gained the affections of all by her affable demeanour, prudent conduct, condescending manners, and elegant accompliments. Every heart glowed with love, and every tongue refounded the praife of her diftinguished character. In her, the diftreffed, helpless orphan found an the afylum *.-In her, unfortuyoung * The following is copied from an infcription in the chapel of the Afylum: "The firft ftone of this chapel was laid

May 2, 1763, by George Heney, ear!

nate deluded female, when reclaimed, found a patronefs.

"When female delicacy, for which the English ladies had been fo juftly celebrated, was made the general facrifice of mistaken apprehenfions in the married fair, queen Charlotte evinced her native modefty by her eminent example in the choice of a female attendant on the birth of her illuftrious offfpring.

"Her humanity was next exerted in favour of the unhappy culprit fentenced to be fhot for deferting the fervice of his king and country, to whom he had devoted himself. Convinced that the

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punishment was too cruel and dif graceful, the exerted her interceffron, and obtained an alleviation of his punishment.

"We are forry the limits of this work will not permit us to particularize more of the innumerable inftances of her great prudence, liberality, humanity, and goodness. Suffice it, that our queen has, by her conjugal affection, her natural tendernefs, her extenfive benevolence, her patronage of genius, and her regal demeanour, rendered herfelf an exemplary pattern for every queen, wife, mother, and female to imitate."

HISTORY OF THE THEATRE.

MAY.

T this period of the winter fea

Aon, the lovers of the drama can have little to expect, on the fcore of novelty. Drury Lane furnishes nothing; but Covent Garden, a tragedy, on the 5th, entitled the WIDOW of MALABAR, tranflated from the French, for the benefit of Mifs Brunton. The plot of this piece is founded on the well known cuftom of the east, that of widows facrificing themfelves on the funeral pile of their husbands. It is not wholly deftitute of intereft, nor of 'merit; but poffeffes too little of either to enfure it further notice.-And on

the 8th, an opera, called the CRUSADE. The fable of this piece being taken in part, from hiftorical facts, we conceive ourfelves warranted in giving the outlines.

The Saracens had, from time to time, flaughtered and captured the Pilgrims who travelled from Europe, to pay their devotion in the Holy Land. All Chriftendom refolved to punish the barbarians, and take poffeffion of Palestine-Godfrey and Raymond were the leaders of the Crufade; but the life of the army was Conftantia, the daughter of William the Conqueror; fhe and half the Chriftian forces were fhipwrecked, and taken prisoners by the Saracens.

The opera opens with the ftorm. Raymond efcapes the ftorm, and is releafed from the Saracens by Bantam, a captain in the Infidel army, whofe wife

had been formerly faved by Raymond in Normandy: the Crufaders under Godfrey, hearing of the captivity of

Conftantia, become depreffed; to release her is the firft enterprise of Raymond.

The Saracens in the mean time refolve to marry Conftantia to a Tartar prince. Sir Troubadour, a knighterrant, difguised as a woman, by accident gets into the tent where the prince is fleeping-puts on his cloaths, and paffing for the prince, takes away Conftantia from prifon. The Saracens, however, detect the impofition; and Conftantia is again taken prifoner. To refcue her, Godfrey and all the Crusaders are feen before the ramparts of Jerufalem: Raymond and fir Troubadour join them; a parley is founded from the ramparts, and the Saracens produce Conftantia, threatening to deftroy her, unless the Chriftians give up the fiege.

At the moment they are going to flaughter her, Bantam (who has long before been attached to the Chriftians) drops the draw-bridge, and the Crufaders enter the city in triumph. Skir mishes enfue, and victory is shouted in favour of the Chriftians. The Pilgrims, Crufaders &c. walk in proceffion from the city, and the Christian banner is feen waving on the walls of Jerufalem.

The dialogue being written to the fcenes-not the fcenes adapted to the dialogue-the author, Mr. Reynolds, defervedly ftands excufed, for those improprieties with which the piece

abounds.

abounds. Some of the views, however, are grand, particularly that of Paleftine: and the mufic-which, at the prefent day, is fuperior to dialogue or congruity-compiled from Handel, Cluck, and Arne, and partly compofed by Mr.

Shield, received that applause which its merit demanded. The principal performers were, Meff. Bannister, Powel, Darley, Quick, Blanchard, Cubitt, Johnstone, Edwin, Davies; Mrs. Martyr, and Mrs. Billington.

REMARKABLE DOMESTIC EVENTS.

WAR.

MAY

HAT exemption from a state of THAT exemption from a ftate of

tractions of almost all the European powers, which we had, for fome time past, good reafon to expect, vanished the beginning of this month; when a general and fpirited imprefs of feamen took place in all the ports of the king dom; and still continues. Wednesday, the 5th, his majesty thought proper to communicate the cause which gave rife to the measure, in a meffage to the Houfes of Parliament: of which the following is, in part, a copy.

"GEORGE, REX.

"His majefty has received information, that two vessels belonging to his majefty's fubjects, and navigated under the British flag; and two others, of which the defcription is not hitherto fufficiently afcertained; have been captured at Nootka Sound, on the north western coast of America, by an officer commanding two Spanish fhips of war: that the cargoes of the British veffels have been feized, and that their officers and crews have been fent as prifoners to a Spanish port.

"The capture of one of thefe veffels had before been notified by the ambaffador of the Catholic king, by order of his court; who at the fame time defired that meafures might be taken for preventing his majesty's fubjects from frequenting thofe coafts which were alleged to have been previously occupied and frequented by the fubjects of Spain: complaints were alfo made of the fisheries carried on by his majesty's fubjects in the feas adjoining to the Spanish continent, as being contrary to the rights of the crown of Spain. In confequence of this line of communication, a demand was imme

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"By the answer from the court of Spain, it appears that this veffel and her crew had been fet at liberty by the viceroy of Mexico; but this is reprefented to have been done by him, on the fuppofition that nothing but the ignorance of the rights of Spain had nations to come to thofe coafts for the encouraged the individuals of other purpose of making establishments for carrying on trade, and in conformity to his previous inftructions, requiring him to fhew all poffible regard to the British nation.

"No fatisfaction is made or offered, and a direct claim is afferted by the court of Spain to the exclusive rights of fovereignty, navigation, and commerce, in the territories, coafts, and feas, in that part of the world.

"His majefty has now directed his minifter at Madrid to make a fresh reprefentation on this fubject, and to claim fuch full and adequate fatisfaction, as the nature of the cafe evidently requires; and, under these circumftances, his majesty having alfo received information that confiderable armaments are carrying on in the ports of Spain, has judged it indifpenfibly neceffary to give orders to make fuch preparations as may put it in his majefty's power to act with vigour and effect in fupport of the honour of his crown, and the interefts of his people, And his majesty recommends it to his faithful commons, on whofe zeal and public fpirit he has the most perfect reliance, to enable him to take fuch meafures, and to make fuch augmentation of his foices, as may be eventually neceffary for this purpose."

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As we profefs to reject all speculative furiifes, and to adhere only to facts, we fhall defer the hiftorical detail of this difpute till the conclufion of our volume; by which time the clouds of uncertainty that obfcure the political hemifphere, will most probably be difpelled.

SHIPWRECK.

The account given in our laft, page 104, of the lofs of the Guardian, was happily contradicted the first of this month; though the conclusion of her having funk was, at one time, highly probable. The prefervation of this hip was principally owing to the intrepid conduct, and Chriftian patience, of Jieutenant Riou. A few extracts taken from the journal kept at this melancholy period will probably be acceptable.

"Dec. 24. Very foggy weather; at about four P. M. the wind increafed, and fog began to clear away a little; at five, faw an ifland of ice, about three miles to the fouthward and weftward, and bore away for it; from noon to this time, the fhip had been fteering S. E. at the rate of fix miles an hour; at fix the was brought to, a quarter of a mile to windward of the ice, the cutter and jolly boats were then hoifted out, and fent with a petty officer and boat's crew in each, to gather up the broken pieces of ice, which were floating at a distance from the main body.

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This mountain appeared nearly as high again as our main-top-gallantmaft-head, of a confiderable circumference, and feemed very dangerous to approach near, on account of its great cavity, formed by the breaking of the fea against it; to windward it formed a kind of ray, having another large column, nearly as high as our main maft, hung on it by the ice under water, and receiving the feud of the fea between them, raised it to a very great height; foon after we brought to, a large piece of ice broke from the top of the higheft column, and fell with great force into the fea, caufing an extraordinary commotion in the water, and thick fimoke all round it; the officers in the boat were ordered to keep at a good distance off from it; during the time they were abfent, the hip oc

cafionally made fhort tacks to windward, and then lay to.

"At feven the boats returned along fide loaded, were cleared and hoisted in, fail was then, made to the northward. We found the great emiffion of fog from this mountain of ice darken the hemifphere to leeward of it, and even draw gradually to windward. On the furface of the water, the horizon became cloudy all round, and in less than a quarter of an hour we were again shut up in a thick, clofe, general mift, and fcarce able to fee the ship's length before us. From this it was apprehended there were many more fuch iflands of ice floating in the feas, which appeared very dangerous.

The converfation continued refpecting this appearance of ice, and it had but the moment before been remarked, how much more dreadful it would be to be fhipwrecked against an inland of ice than among rocks; when the noife reached the cabin, and gave the fatal fignal of danger, lieutenant Riou ran directly upon deck, where all was a fcene of horror and danger.

"The fore part of the fhip feemed already fhut in under the mountain of ice, and it made over the mast-heads, nearly as high again as our main-topgallant-maft. In such a situation, we could not reasonably expect another moment of calm thought to afk mercy on our fouls, and far lefs any occafion to inform our friends of the melancholy event. The fcene appeared dif mal beyond expreffion; and we were apt to think the fad change would have deranged our minds. Fortunately, however, lieutenant Riou, even in this moft dreadful fituation, difcovered great ftrength and prefence of mind, which he retained to the last moment. When, he got on deck, the ship was going almolt ftern on, at the rate of about fix knots an hour; he immediately ordered the helm to be put down, and thus faved us from inftant diffolution; but the mifchief was not to be entirely avoided, nor the final fhipwreck efcaped; he had nearly come to the wind, when the firuck on a piece of the ice, which projected out from the main body under water, and by the force of the blow which the then received under the lee

bow

flux of the water, was again dafhed with great force on the latent projection of the ice, and by the violence of the ftroke, had her rudder carried away, the tiller broke in two pieces, the after beam of the upper gun-deck in the middle, three of the planks raised about a foot higher than the deck, and the fhip fhook from stern to stern in so violent a manner, we expected her to part in every joint, or that the fhock would bring the over hanging of the ice down on our heads, and at once bury us in its ruins.

The hip, for a time, hung faft on, the body of ice under her; the concavity of this mountain appeared very confiderable, rofe to a greater height above the water, and appeared more feparated than the former island. The fummit of the island of ice was fufficiently tremendous to alarm us at a diftance, and the violent beating of the fhip against it ftill increafed the apprehenfion of danger. Happily, however, the captain and all the officers retained great prefence of mind, and a full flow of fpirits, during the whole time of our unfortunate trials, and by the example of vigorous exertion and diligence, as much as the influence of authority and command, led the people to their duty, and the hopes of the fafety of themfelves and the fhip; but it was with the utmost difficulty they were prevailed on to overcome the first panic, and lend their affiftance to fill and trim the fails. This being at last effected, the addition of the fore-top-gallant-fail and ftayfails between the fore and the mainmafts, were fet on the fhip; the then began to forge off, and the fame inftant ftruck with greater force, if poffible, than before, nearly a-breaft of the main chains, kept crafhing for fome time along the ice under her, and at

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in embryo.

"From the commencement of thefe misfortunes to this fhort interval of better hope includes about the space of half an hour, and the cheering profpect again vanifhed as a flash of lightning."

Though the greatest exertion, from this time, had been made in working the pumps-and the ship had been lightened by throwing many neceffaries, with all the cattle overboard-" at midnight, the water had increased to fix feet, and it was then blowing a very strong gale of wind, and an immenfe high fea running. The hip at this time fteered N. N. W. to N. W. by W. the wind at N. E. to N. N. E. At day-break a few hands were fet about filling one of the lower ftudding fails with oakum, by fewing it up to the fail in rolls. At five A. M. the water was five feet and a half in the hold, and the off-watch were ordered to get the fail under the fhip's bottom, which was found to be extremely difficult. The leak, however, gained upon us near a foot water during this application. By unwearied labour at the pumps, however, it became reduced, and continued diminishing till near eleven o'clock, when the water was reduced to only nineteen inches.

"At five o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, the water increased to four feet, and at midnight, to four feet and a half. At this time the starboard pump became disabled from the wrench breaking, and the leak from that time gained on us very fast. At four A. M. the water was reported to have increafed to fix feet, and at fix, to feven feet. About this time, the people began to break off occafionally from the pumps, and to fecret themselves away from the officers, who had fome difficulty in finding them out, and

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