the restoration of peace with France will increase our intercourse with that country, let us beware lest our moral sensibility be impaired by a familiarity with evil; lest we become tainted with the licentiousness and infidelity, which, it is feared, have made so great a progress among our French neighbours. Let us rather endeavour to impart to them of our best blessings, the lights of religious and moral truth with which Providence has favoured us, and instead of imbibing from them their religious and moral poison, communicate to them our religious and moral soundness and salubrity. And if we really mean thus to endeavour to lead them to the knowledge of those truths which can alone produce comfort here, and happiness hereafter, let us studiously endeavour to soften their prejudices, and conciliate their good-will, by our manifest kindness, disinterestedness, and moderation. Let us thus represent to them, in a favourable light, the religion we profess, discouraging in others, and forbearing from ourselves, that violence which irritates, that haughty assumption of superiority which offends and disgusts, that "wrath of man which worketh not the righteousness of God." But let us remember, that we have received from our forefathers, as a sacred deposit entrusted to them from above, our Christian sabbath, the sanctity of our marriage vows, and all those laws, habits, and institutions, by which practical religion and morals have been so long upheld among us, and the domestic and social happiness of millions has been secured; and let us see to it, that we guard them from farther violation and disparagement, and endeavour rather to transmit them to our children, together with the principles by which they are to be maintained and confirm ed, in renovated strength.

Lastly, as of late, in a season of war, we were called on to exercise the virtues of adversity, and to resist that despondency and dismay which the exigence of affairs might tend to produce in us, so let us now guard against the still more formidable dangers of prosperity, and be diligent in practising the virtues for which it calls. Let us be humble and sober-minded, thankful for the blessings we enjoy, and conscious

how little we have deserved them. Let us beware of the too ordinary effects of increasing wealth and luxury, in producing a haughty, profane, inconsiderate spirit, in the highest degree hateful to that God, "who scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts." Let the words of the prophet, addressed to what was once a great, rich, and flourishing city, be kept in our rememberance: "O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come." "Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee." Again, "Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the midst of the seas. Because by thy great wisdom, and by the traffic thou hast increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches," &c. &c. "Thou hast defiled my sanctuaries with the iniquity of thy traffic; they have filled the midst of thee with violence: I will bring strangers upon thee; the terrible of the nations; and they shall bring thee down into the pit; I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; all they that know thee shall be astonished at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." The same Almighty Being, who pronounced against Tyre these dreadful threatenings, has neither changed his nature, nor abdicated his power. Still he looks down with anger on the proud, the dissipated, and the luxurious, who boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, in whose hearts their prosperity produces proud self-dependence, instead of grateful humility; who are not careful to use the wealth, power, and influence with which they are favoured, for relieving the distressed, supplying the indigent, and promoting the happiness and improvement of mankind.

Surely, in the very midst of our national joy on the return of peace, we have received, in the imminent danger of a renewed naval mutiny, a memorable warning against that security, exultation, and pride of heart, to which the mind of man in prosperity is too naturally prone; and a memento that he, by whom "the hearts of men are turned as the rivers of water," can, by the mere operation of natural causes and

ers,

consequences, in a moment turn our strength into weakness, and render that to which we have been accustomed to look for the sure means of cur safety, the very instrument of our destruction. Let true Christians abound in pray"for kings and all that are in authority;" and prove by their orderly, industrious, and contented conduct, that they remember the object, for the attainment of which the apostle directed those prayers to be offered, "that they may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty." Let them shun dissipation; let them avoid ostentation and display; let them not seek to attract notice, but rather to avoid it; not to excite the admiration and envy of the worldly-minded, by the elegance of their equipage, or the splendour of their retinue; or if in lower life, by endeavouring, in their lesser scale,

to gratify vanity and ostentation, but let them rather exhibit a degree of Christian sobriety in the enjoyment of the good things of life; and while they use the bounties of heaven with grateful moderation, let them manifest that their hearts are not set on them, and that they exercise economy and self-denial, the better to enable them to succour the indigent and comfort the wretched. Thus, by their zeal and piety, by their moderation and sobriety, by their gentleness and humility, by their self-denial and liberality, by their civil, social, and domestic virtues, they will shew that true Christians are the best citizens also; and that the religion by which they are governed tends to the production of peace and happiness on earth, as well as of everlasting joy, and undecaying glory in the heavenly world.

PRUSSIA,

from a dukedom, has risen to a kingdom, and to one of the first rank among the powers of Europe: though neither its riches, its size, nor its inland situation, naturally promoted its rise; but the genius of one of the greatest men that ever lived in any age, together with the divisions of its neighbours, have effected this wonderful phenomenon : and there are men now in existence, who are older than the kingdom of Prussia, to whose sovereign some of the powers on the continent seem to look up for their future destiny.

THE GERMAN EMPIRE, out of whose side Prussia was taken, seems to be tumbling to pieces.

THE OTTOMAN, also formidable at the commencement of the last century, is certainly nodding to its fall.

THE PAPAL POWER,

declining through the whole of the last, and the preceding century, is now so very near annihilation, as only to exist upon sufferance.

THE ITALIAN STATES, a formidable enemy to the Turks and the French at the commencement of the last century; and who have suc

cessfully resisted the most powerful monarchs, have finally experienced the fatal truth of the ancient maxim, "Divide and Conquer." Whilst

SAVOY,

which neither participated in the crimes, nor in the enervation and duplicity of Southern Italy, has shared the same fate, through the feebleness of a weak but virtuous Prince; and it, like other states, lies prostrate at the feet of France.

THE SWISS CANTONS,

peopled with a hardy race of uncorrupted inhabitants, amongst whom liberty spread its first rays in modern times, have in defiance of every means used to preserve their independence and neutrality, fallen also prostrate, a slave at the foot of the French government. France indeed may lose its superiority and sway in those countries as rapidly as she has acquired it: but can the ancient purity of manners and of principles be restored? Can parties be reconciled, and injuries forgiven? No. Peace, plenty, contentment, and undesigning innocence must long remain distant from every country where the French Tree of Liberty has once been planted. The changes effected on those happy countries are not like the mere havock made in ordinary wars, by the passage over or temporary residence of an armed force. The former resembles the poisonous bite of the serpent, the latter the sting of the ant or the bee; all indeed are accompanied with pain, but the one is deadly, the others in comparison entirely innocent.

SPAIN.

Though its decline, both in wealth and power, has been going on constantly for more than two centuries, yet it is during the last that it has fallen into a species of political palsy. Two centuries and a half are scarcely passed over since Spain was the wonder and the terror of the nations of the world; now none so mean to do it reverence. Spain has fallen, by bad conduct and bad councils, as rapidly as Russia and Prussia have risen; and the masters of the mines of Potosi and the sources of the precious metals, sunk in importance be. fore those who make iron, and can handle steel.

PORTUGAL,

leaning only upon England, is in its

fate not much unlike its neighbour, Spain. Similar to it in situation and natural productions, it was once great, and owed its greatness to similar causes, possessions in the Indies-and, like Spain, it has lost of its importance; for what are gold, spices, and all the aromatics of the Indies, unless the men who possess them have industry, courage, and conduct? Without these, wealth is but a bird of passage, which only settles where they are to be found.

HOLLAND,

which was at its zenith, both in wealth, power, and liberty, in the beginning of the last century, has fallen to decay. Its commerce is ruined, its possessions abroad lost, and its liberties invaded; it has only, at present, the name of a nation, and is in fact a subjugated province of France.

FLANDERS, and the Country called

BELGIUM, once so warlike, and since so commer

cial and free, under Spain and Austria, formerly cultivated like a garden, but now wretched and miserable; the taxes imposed on the soil are too heavy to bear, and many fine estates are left barren, to avoid the cruel contributions imposed by those who insult their proprietors with oppression, under the name of liberty.

FRANCE.

At the beginning of the 18th century the French adored their Monarch, even to meanness; before the end of it, they persecuted and detested monarchy,even to savage cruelty and injustice, and to an exess, the horror of which was only diminished by its being extravagantly ridiculous. At the beginning of the century, the French had some piety towards God, and were polite to their neighbours; but at the end of it, impiety and insolence were their boast and their pride! What has been must astonish all; what is to be is beyond conjecture; but if one were to be hazarded on this occasion, it would be, that the French nation will retract part of their conduct, and become less extravagantly wild; though the tree of French liberty leaves a bad seed in every field where it has been planted, that will long be remembered with grief and dismay.

During that so famous a century,

GREAT BRITAIN

It

has also undergone a great change. already had too much power and importance to admit of a rise like Russia or Prussia, and it was going in a positively different direction from Spain and Portugal, so that it can be compared to no other nation during the last century. Blest with a free government, established in the end of the 17th century, and under laws well administered, this nation has increased in wealth and importance.-Its manufactures, in particular, are the wonder of the world; for never before was the labour of man so abbreviated and rendered so productive as it is in this country by the help of machines, and the contrivances which ingenuity has brought to its aid.

Our commerce has increased in proportion as our manufactures have been brought to perfection, and our wealth in proportion to both, so that we are enabled to give a length of credit to strangers that was hitherto unknown in the annals of commerce. This unex ampled wealth enabled England to establish, protect, and raise to importance that large portion of America, now the

UNITED STATES,

which a variety of causes, but chiefly the envy of other nations, incited to throw off its dependance on this country, when our enemies said we were ruined, and waited for our fall; but to their surprise and disappointment, the British Islands have prospered more

than ever.

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

As the beginning of the last century saw an Union between England and Scotland, so the commencement of the present is marked with another, which we hope will not be less auspicious. And if it be urged that England lost an empire, in the last century, which she nurtured, it is answered, that in losing America, though England lost so great a province, yet she had planted a colony which will for these several centuries to come be an increasing

customer for her manufactures, and therefore will amply repay her for the trouble and expense that have been incurred in forming that great establishment.

Prosperity so unexampled as that of England, has, indeed, been attended with heavy national expenses, from the envy it has excited; but though these expenses are great, they have not produced the bad effects that calculators have predicted, and the present burdens are considerably greater than they otherwise would be, on account of the great efforts now made to pay them off.

By exertions, proportioned to our wealth, power, and national bravery, we have, since the revolution broke out on the continent, resisted its effects. Our efforts by sea have been crowned, by Divine Providence, with a brilliancy of success beyond all example. While we have almost annihilated the fleets of our enemies, we have greatly increased our own; while we have wrested from them most of their foreign possessions, we have increased our own; and even our commerce has increased faster than ever, while that of our enemies has been reduced to the lowest pitch.

It is not improbable that the envy of fresh enemies is now preparing for us fresh triumphs, and for them defeat; but we neither invade nor provoke any one, and we must, under, the blessing of God, protect our rights, otherwise our ruin is inevitable.

Whilst the last century has produced all these changes, we do not say (though knowledge has extended) that wisdom and good sense have increased; nor, though riches and wealth have multiplied, do we presume to decide as to real happiness; and we are sorry to sce a general disposition to despise what is ancient, and to shew a contempt for the wisdom of our ancestors, which leads to wild and vain theories, and Conducts men to those experiments, which end in unhappiness and confusion.

JANUARY.

1. THE Commencement of a century, an epoch in human existence equally interesting and awful! In a political view it was highly

important to the British nation, as the era of an union between this country and Ireland, pregnant with the most beneficial consequences to both portions of the empire. This day

a proclamation was issued by his Majesty, declaring his pleasure concerning the royal stile and title appertaining to the imperial crown of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and its dependencies, and also the ensigns armorial, flags, and bannars thereof.

2. A sixth report from the committee of the House of Commons appointed to consider of the high price of provisions was published. 3. A proclamation was issued for a general fast.

6. An account was received, by the way of Paris, of an armistice having been signed at Steyer, on the 25th of the preceding month, between Gen.Moreau, commanding the French Army, and the Archduke Charles, commanding that of Austria, and by which the latter agreed to deliver into the hands of the French certain fortresses, giving them the complete command of the country.

9. The details were received from Paris, of the operations of the French army, which led to the dilemma in which the Austrians were obliged to sue to the French general for an armistice. By these details it appears that the French were as ready to grant, as the Austrians to request, a cessation of hostilities, as their centre was much endangered by having pushed too far beyond their wings. How limited is the perception of man, and upon what trivial circumstances does sometimes the fate of empires depend! Had the Austrians attacked the French centre, how different might have been the circumstances of Europe! 14. An order of council was this day issued for the detention of all Russian, Danish, and Swedish vessels in British ports. This measure was rendered necessary by a coalition entered into by those powers to resist, by force, the right of search, by the ships of Great Britain.

15. An account received from Paris, of the French army in Italy, under General Brune, having crossed the Adige, on the 1st instant, and of the evacuation of Verona, and the block

ade of Mantua.

17. The Gazette contained a letter from Capt. Rowley Bulteel, dated from Rio Janeiro, containing an account of the capture of two French frigates, viz.-La Concorde, of 44 guns, and 440 men, and La Medée, of 36 gans, and 315 men.

22. The Imperial Parliament met for the first time. It was opened by a Commission from his Majesty. The Commons having attended at the bar of the House of Lords, they were directed to proceed forthwith to the election of a Speaker. The Commons having returned to their own house, proceeded to such election, and the Right Hon. Henry Addington was unanimously elected.

23. The new Speaker of the House of Commons was presented at the bar of the House of Lords.

25. An instance of the extravagance of the Emperor Paul, if not a decisive proof of his actual derangement of intellect, was this day received in an article contained in the Petersturg Court Gazette, in which that sovereign proposed that all the belligerent potentates of Christ. Observ. No. 1.

Europe should meet at an appointed place, attended by their prime ministers, and terminatę their differences by single combat.

28. In the Court of King's Bench, Mr. Waddington received sentence as a forestaller. The judgment was, that he should, in addition to the imprisonment he had before undergone, be imprisoned in the King's Bench Prison for one month, that he should pay a fine of 5001. and be imprisoned until the fine was paid.

31. An account received through France of an armistice having been concluded in Italy on the 16th, at Treviso.

FEBRUARY.

2. This day his Majesty went in his usual state to the House of Peers, and addressed for the first time, the Imperial Parliament, in a most gracious speech from the throne.-Motions for addresses to his Majesty were moved in both houses of parliament, and amendments in both proposed, but the original motions were carried, in the House of Peers by a majority of 56, on a division, and in the House of Commons, of 182.

6. An account received of the sailing of the French squadron, under the command of Admiral Gantheaume.

7. This day Mr. Pitt, Mr. Dundas, Lord Grenville, and Lord Spencer, sent in their resignations to the King.--Mr. Addington was named as the successor of Mr. Pitt, a man who had long filled a high and arduous office with universal approbation; whose integrity was undoubted, and whose acknowledged principles afforded the best security for the maintenance and prosecution of those measures, upon which the safety of our constitution depends.

9. Mr. Pitt sent notice to the Bank that he should continue to transact public business as Chancellor of the Exchequer, until after the important business of the budget should be completed.-A treaty of peace concluded at Luneville, between the Emperor of Germany and the Chief Consul of France.

10. This day the Right Hon. Henry Addington resigned his office as Speaker of the House of Commons.-The Gazette contained an account of the taking of the Dedaigneuse of 36 guns and 300 men.

11. Sir John Mitford chosen Speaker of the House of Commons in the room of Mr. Addington.

14. The arrangement of a part of the new administration was made public.

16. A loan contracted for, to the amount of 28,000,000Z.

18. An armistice concluded between the French General Murat, and the King of Naples, at Toligno.-Mr. Pitt opened the budget in the House of Commons.

21. Lord St. Vincent, Lord Hawkesbury, Lord Hobart, and some other of the new Ministers, kissed his Majesty's hand on their respective appointments.

22. War declared by Spain against Portugal.-His Majesty had for some days beer afflicted with a bad cold. This day, to satisfy the public anxiety respecting the health of

K