berty) to repell all encroachments, and to confine all the members of the community within the limits of their offices. This truth, though not deemed capable of demonftration, has been admitted in theory by all political writers; thofe excepted, who have avowed their attachment to defpotifm. I am not a fhamed to decline all conteft with the advocates of defpotifm. If the happiness of the world had nothing to apprehend but their arguments, it would be well. The most dangerous enemies of Liberty are of its own houthold. Every witling, from Solon to the declamatory retainer of an English faction, pretends to diftinguish between theory and practice. It has ever been the expedient of knaves and blockheads. If in geometry, all clear and accurate demonstrations are reducible to practice, why not in politics ?Thefe gentlemen cannot tell but they will have the affurance to affirm the abfurdity. The reafon is obvious. The feience of metry is understood by its profeffors: the fcience of politics is not; nor can it be expected to be underflood by legiflators and magiftrates. geo It may be said, who are likely to understand this feience, if thofe do not who are daily occupied by public bufinefs? Their daily occupation may be among the reafons of their ignorance. It is the bufinefs of the legiflator merely to form laws for certain occafions: it is that of the fupreme magiftrate to have them executed it is not by any means neceffary, it is not even useful, that the legiflator or the magiftrate fhould be a politician, further than to be aware of the limits which every free conftitution has fixed to his occupation. Men of fcience, as I have already obferved; men, who are in the habit of combining caufes, and difintangling their operations; thefe alone are politicians and no man of real fcience will prefume to fay, that what is true in theory is falfe in practice; or that a theory formed on certain data, and calculatéd for utility and the happiness of mankind, is impracticable. That particular men may be incapable or unwilling to reduce the best theory to practice, I will allow. That an English parliament may fee the nation verging on ruin, and not know the great and immediate caufe: that a delegated executive power, in the hands of a family recently and highly honoured with it, may drag one immenfe mafs of the empire to opprefs the other, and to defolate the whole; is a fact which aftonishes the world, who had been taught by romances on our conftitution, that Englishmen were free; made laws and granted fupplies by delegates; and limited the Crown to certain duties for the good of the state. Englishmen had learnt their political creeds from these romances copied into political breviaries *; until Despair, as the opened her arms to receive them, maliciously pointed out the lofs of their political liberty. Nothing was heard but the confused cries of orators and patriots, for the majesty and power of the people: but no fuch power, no traces of fuch majefty were to be found. * See Blackstone's Introduction copied from Montefquieu; and De Lolme's Constitution of England copied from both. Influence and venality in a pitiful court and an intriguing arif tocracy, had been occupied ever fince the Revolution in building an edifice on the fand; in conftructing a free conftitution, without political liberty; which is its foundation. While the letters before us evidently discover that the Author is a proficient in the fcience of policy and government, they are written with impartiality. Though they refer to the prefent times, they inculcate not the views, nor prefs the measures of any particular faction or party. The Author is ferious and difpaffionate; and it is probable that if Mr. Dawes had not announced his name in his remarks on the former impreffion of this performance, it would have remained in concealment from the public. For Mr. Williams might very juftly have apprehended, that a hoftility to his religious fentiments muft have detracted from the usefulnefs of his political doctrines. At prefent we avoid to enter into the general argument of these letters, as we fhall probably have an early opportunity of examining a large work, which, it is faid, the Author has undertaken upon the fame fubject. It is, however, our duty to obferve, that Dr. Jebb has done him the honour to adopt fome of his opinions; but without any proper acknowledgement; although he had the candour to confefs much smaller obligations to the Duke of Richmond and other popular names. It was the fate of this performance to be more attended to in France than in England. The publication of a French traflation of it gave an immediate alarm to the French government. The copies of it were feized, and ordered to be burnt by the hands of the common executioner. If we know at all the character of Mr. Williams, we should conceive that this notice of his opinions muft have been highly acceptable to him. And we truft that the political fentiments of every honeft Englishman will conftantly give offence to the flavish abettors of oppreffion and tyranny. ART. VIII. The Beauties of Fox, North and Burke, felected from their Speeches, from the paffing of the Quebec Act, in the Year 1774, down to the prefent Time, with a copious Index to the whole, and an Addrefs to the Public. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Stockdale. HOWE OWEVER the hearers of these three great politicians, Fox, North, and Burke, may be fafcinated into a belief of their doctrines, language with us, in the clo * Compare these letters, p. 93, 96, with Dr. Jebb's Letters to the volunteers of Ireland, p. 4, 10. fat fet, has not fo far loft its proper meaning as that we are not able to diftinguish between light and darknefs. The coalition we always confidered as a measure for the attainment of place and power, and the arguments by which it was attempted to be proved a good measure for the nation, we always confidered as nugatory in the highest degree. Memory of what has been had not deferted us, and no temptation had blinded our eyes to what now is. But if there remained any mode to convince men of the infamy of that coalition, we must give the Author of this book, the merit of having found out fuch a mode. but as The partizans and even the members of the coalition, pretend that the American war was the only caufe of difference between Meffrs. North, Fox, and Burke. To difprove this affertion our Author has felected from the speeches of Mcffrs. Fox and Burke fuch paffages as plainly demonftrate that they oppofed Lord North not only as a minifter a man, deftitute of candour, and confcience, as treacherous, false, negligent, incapable, rafh, a blundering pilot, à tory, an enemy to freedom, a breaker of promifes, fafpected of bribery, infolent, contemptuous, &c. &c. &c. &c. with an hundred epithets containing a character of the blackeft dye, And this is the Man, Mr. Fox has chosen to be his COADJUTOR in the SALVATION of BRITAIN. Without farther commenting on a conduct fo difgraceful, we fhall give a fpecimen or two which concern the India bufinefs, which has of late agitated the minds of men. We need not copy the newspapers of the last two months in order to remind our readers of Mr. Fox's bill, and the arguments by which he fupported his opinions. Let our Readers compare thefe opinions with the following from the fame mouth. March 21, 1780, Lord North having moved, "That notice be given that the capital stock or debt of 4,200,000 1. and all arrears of annuity due and payable in refpect thereof, from the pub lic, to the United Company of Merchants trading to the Eaft Indies, be paid on the fifth of April, 1783, agreeable to the power of redemption in the faid act.". 'Mr. Fox rofe to give a negative to the motion. He asked whether the noble Lord was not content with having loft Ame rica, or was he bent on not quitting the fituation in which he then ftood, till he had reduced the British empire to the confines of Great Britain? What good could the prefent motion be attended with? Or rather, what evil might it not produce? The motion was a threat, and the idleft of all poffible menaces, because it was made at a time when the noble Lord knew in his own mind, that he neither intended, nor was capable of carrying it into execution. Why then throw it out unless the noble LORD WISHED TO RUIN THE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S POSSESSIONS IN G 3 1 INDIA, AND TO DEPRIVE THIS COUNTRY OF THE AMPLE RE VENUE SHE RECEIVED THROUGH THE COMMERCE AND TRADE OF THAT COUNTRY? Was that the noble Lord's gratitude to THESE TO WHOM HIS COUNTRY WAS SO HIGHLY OBLIGED?' We recommend this pamphlet to politicians of all denominations, and particularly to members of parliament, who may learn one ufeful leffon, viz, that as political opinions and fituations are variable and precarious, a degree of moderation and diffidence is abfolutely neceffary in order to avoid the extremes of abfurdity and infincerity, and particularly in order to avoid the difagreeable light in which every man who reads these speeches, muft confider the coalition. As for Mr. Burke, were it not that his fame is on the decline, the fpecimens here given are fully fufficient to damn it." A day of reckoning," faid he, "would come, and whenever that day came, he fhould be able by IMPEACHMENT, to bring upon the heads of the authors of our calamities, the PUNISHMENT THEY DESERVED, And that punishment-what is it? Did ever Mr. Burke foresee that the punishment was to be the place of Secretary of State, a fevere punishment indeed! The noble Lord's crimes feem to have been very great to deferve fo condign. a punishment!The Author of this pamphlet, ought to have contrafted the fpeeches before and after the coalition in order to heighten the ridicule; and ridicule, we apprehend is the main intention of the work. ART. IX. The Hiftory of the Cafle, Town, and Forest of Knaref brough, with Harrogate, and its Medicinal Waters. Including an Account of the most remarkable Places in the Neighbourhood; the curious Remains of Antiquity; elegant Buildings; ornamented Grounds; and other fingular Productions of Nature and Art. The third Edition. By E. Hargrove. 12mo. Is. 6d. York, Blanchard. TH HIS performance is the work not only of a laborious, but of a judicious collector. His notices are numerous and are generally important. And if every caftle, town, and diftrict in England were described with an equal exactness, many new and interefting particulars would rife up to obfervation; and a new and strong light be thrown upon many dark and controverted parts of our hiftory. While the materials of this publication deferve praife, it is alfo our duty to commend the manner and expreffion of the writer. They are fimple and precife. But, it is perhaps, from a fpecimen that our Readers will difcern moft eafily the nature and merit of this little volume. Under the article of the river Nidd, we find the following particulars. 'The The river Nidd* which runs clofe by this town, takes its rife at the upper end of Nidd's-Dale, or Netherdale, about thirty miles North West of this place, and after running a confiderable way from its fountain, again enters the earth by a wide and rocky cavern; then taking a fubterraneous courfe of fome miles, agar emerges to the light by two iffues, whofe waters are foon after united; and palling by RAMSGILL, PATELEY-BRIDGE, HAMPSTHWAITE, KILLINGHALL, RIPLEY, KNARESBROUGH, RIESTON, WALSHFORD, COWTHORP, HUNSINGORE, CATTLE, and MOORMONKTON, lofes itself in the OUSE near NAN-MONKTON, after a courfe of upwards of fifty miles through a deep rocky channel, often hid in the depth and obfcurity of woods, Salmon are frequently found in different parts of this river, fome of which have weighed thirty-fix pounds. Pike alfo are found in most parts of it, but particularly about RIBSTON, where one of thefe fifh was caught that weighed near twenty pounds. The perch are from half a pound to three pounds each. Trout are found in all parts of the river, but chiefly in the vale of SCOTTON, from half a pound to three pounds weight each, Here are alfo finelts, chub, dace, willow-blade, eels, barbel, ombre, gudgeons, &c. 6 It appears by Pat. 18. Edw. II. A. D. 1325, that this river either was made navigable from its junction with the Ouse to Knaresbrough, or that it was intended, as the above patent recites certain customs to be taken for all goods brought here by water. 'Whether this navigation was ever compleated, does not fully appear, but certain it is, that fuch an improvement in these days would be attended with numerous advantages to the public in general. An act of Parliament was obtained fome years ago for the better fupplying this town with river water, which on account of its elevated fituation rendered the common method of conveying that neceffary article difficult and expenfive. After many unforeseen delays, this ufeful improvement is fo far compleated as to raise the water into a large refervoir on the top of the hill near the castle, from whence it is conveyed in casks fixed upon wheels for that purpofe all over the town. • Annexed to the water works is a paper mill erected, where that bufinefs is carried on with fuccefs by Mr. John Lomas. The Jews formerly had a fynagogue here, fituated near the Market-place, where fome old buildings ftill retain the name. Great numbers of this people were in England during the reign of Edward the Confeffor. William the Conqueror and his fon Rufus granted them feveral privileges; Henry II. allowed them a burial place on the outside of every city, before which they were obliged to carry their dead from every part of the kingdom to the only place of interment allowed them near London. Thus en couraged, The Jews fettled in every city and trading town throughout England, till at length growing by trade and ufury exceeding *The word Nidd, among the Celta, fignified under, below, or covered, rich |