'favourable refolution of the 22d of October; an honour which he receives with true reverence and gratitude, not without confufion, at his own finall defervings, while he views with exultation the univerfal public fpirit difperfed through an united people; and the matchlefs intrepidity of the British failors and foldiers, con'ducted by officers, justly famed through all the quarters of the world; to this concurrence of national virtue, graciously protected by the throne, all the national profperities (under the favour of heaven) have been owing: and it will ever be remembered to the glory of the city of London, that through the whole course of this arduous war, the great feat of commerce has generoully fet the illuftrious example of fleady zeal for the dignity of the crown, and of unfhaken firmnefs and magna'nimity.'

Mr. Pitt received more addreffes on this occafion from Dublin, York, Bath, and other places.

neceffarily kindling a new war in Europe. But, it is with concern, I acquaint you, that, fince your recefs, I have found myfelf indifpenfably obliged to declare war against Spain. The canfes are fet forth in my public declaration on this occafion; and therefore I fhall not detain you with the repetition of them. My own conduct, fince my acceffion to the throne, as well as that of the late king, my royal grandfather, towards Spain, has been fo full of good-will and friendship; fo averfe to the laying hold of feveral juft grounds of complaint, which might have been alledged ; and fo attentive to the advantages of the Catholic king, and his family; that it was matter of the greateft furprize to me, to find, that engagements had, in this conjuncture, been entered into between that crown and France; and a treaty made to unite all the branches of the houfe of Bourbon, in the most ambitious and dangerous defigns, againft the commerce and independency of the rest of Europe; and particularly of my kingdoms.

Whatever colours may be endeavoured to be put upon thefe injurious proceedings of the court of Madrid, I have nothing to reproach myfelf with: and, though I have left nothing untried, that could have prevented this rupture, I have thought it neceffary to prepare againft every event. I therefore rely on the divine blefling on the juftice of my caufe; the zealous, and powerful affiftance of my faithful fubjects; and the concurrence of my alliés, who must find themselves involved in the pernicious and extenfive projects of my enemies.

I leave thefe confiderations with you,

THERE is nothing that man is found to take more pleasure in than variety; and of all the varieties he is capable of contemplating, those observable in his own species, especially the noblest part of it, the soul or mind, are the most entertaining, as they certainly are the most interesting. It was for this reason we resolved to begin that part of this work (calculated equally for amusement and instruction) which is not merely historical, with the most strikingcharacterswe could procure, not only of individuals, but ofnations andother considerable bodies of men

In pursuance of this plan we gave in our last volume the character of a famous nation improved, if we may say so, by one, stiled a Philosopher, into brutes. In the present, we shall lay before our readers as a suitable companion to it, that of a considerable number of men transformed by necessity into downright savages. We mean the Buccaneers of America, in that their original situation from whence they derived their name. Some amusement, and even utility, must, we presume, accrue from a comparison of such surprising effects of art and nature.

they were refolved that no others fhould do it for them; and therefore made a moft cruel war on all thofe of any other nation, who attempted to fettle in any of the Antiles or Carribee Iflands. The French, however, were at last lucky enough to acquire fome footing in the island of St. Chriftopher's; but by the time they began to fubfide into a regular form of government, the Spaniards found means to diflodge them. Upon this the wretched fugitives, confidering at how great a diftance they were from their mother country, and how near to the island of Hifpaniola or St. Domingo, the northern parts of which were then uninhabited, and full of fwine and black cattle, they imme diately refolved to take poffeffion of that country, in conjunction with feveral other adventurers of their own and the English nation; efpecially as the Dutch, who now began to appear in thefe feas, promited to fupply them plentifully with all kinds of neceffaries they might procure, in exchange for the hides and tallow by hunting.

Thefe new fettlers obtained the name of Buccaneers from their cuftom of buccanning their beef and pork in order to keep it for fale, or for their own confumption, the method of which will be prefently defcribed. But fome of them foon grew tired of this new way of life, and took to planting, while many more chofe to turn pirates, trufting to find, among thofe who remained on fhore, a quick fale for all the plunder they

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could make at fea. This new body of adventurers were called Freebooters, from their making free prey or booty of whatever came in their way.

The colony now began to thrive at a great rate, by the cheap and eafy manner in which the Freebooters acquired the greateft riches, and the profufion with which they dittributed them among their old companions the Buccaneers and Planters for the mereft tribes. This brought numbers of fettlers from Old France in quality of indented fervants, tho' they toiled rather like flaves during the three years for which they generally bound themfelves.

Thus the colony confifted of four claffes; Buccaneers, Freebooters, Planters, and Indented Servants, who generally remained with the Buccaneers, or Planters. And thefe four orders compofed what they now began to call the body of Adventurers. Thefe people lived together in a perfect harmony under a kind of democracy; every freeman had a defpotic authority over his own family, and every captain was a fovereign in his own fhip, though liable to be difcarded at the difcretion of the crew.

The Planters fettled chiefly in the little illand of Tortuga on the northern coat of Hifpaniola; but it was not long before fome of them going to the great ifland to hunt with the Buccaneers, the reft were furprised by the Spaniards, and all, even thofe who had furrendered at difcretion in hopes of mercy, were put to the fword, or hanged.

- The next care of the Spaniards was to rid the great ifland of the Buccaneers, and for this reafon they ailembled a body of 5000 lancemen, who, by their feldom going.

fewer than fifty in company, ob tained the name of The Fifties, from their enemies, whofe manners and cuftoms we thall now enter upon.

The Buccaneers lived in little huts built on fome fpots of cleared ground juft large enough to dry their fkins on, and contain their buccanning houses. Thefe fpats they called Boucans, and the huts they dwelt in Ajoupas, a word which they borrowed from the Spaniards, and the Spaniards from the natives. Though thefe Ajou pas lay open on all fides, they were very agreeable to the hardy inhabitants, in a climate where wind and air are fo yery defirable things, As the Buccaneers had neither wife nor child, they affociated by pains, and mutually rendered each other all the fervices a mafter could reafonably expect from a fervant, living together in fo perfect a community, that the furvivor always fucceeded his deceafed partner. This kind of union or fellowship they called Semateloter (infailoring], and each other Matelot [failor, whence is derived the custom of, giving, at leatt in fome parts of the French Antilles, the name Matelotage, [failorage,] to any kind of fociety formed by private perfons for their mutual advantage. They behaved to each other with the greatest juf tice and openness of heart; it would have been a crime to keep any thing. under lock and key, but on the other hand the leaft pilfering was unpardonable, and punished with. expulfion from the community And indeed there could be no great temptation to ftcal, when it was reckoned a point of honour never 19 refufe a neighbour what he wanted; and where there was fo little property, it was impoffible there, should be inany difputes. If any happen

ed, the Common friends of the parties at variance interpofed, and foon put an end to the difference.

As to laws, the Buccaneers acknowledged none but an odd jumble of conventions made between themfelves, which, however, they regarded as the fovereign rule. They filenced all objections by coolly answering, that it was not the euftom of the coaft, and grounded their right of acting in this manner, on their baptifm under the tropic, which freed them, in their opinion, from all obligations antecedent to fiat marine ceremony: The governor of Tortuga, when that ifland was again fettled, though appointed by the French court, had very little authority over them; they contented themfelves with rendering him from time to time fome flight homage. They had in a manner entirely fhaken off the yoke of religion, and thought they did a great deal in not wholly forgetting the God of their Fathers. We are furprifed to meet with nations, among whom it is a difficult matter to difcover any traces of a religious worfhip; And yet it is certain, that had the Buccaneers of St. Domingo been perpetuated on the fame footing they fubfifted at the time we are fpeaking of, the third or fourth generation of them would have as little religion as the Caffres and Hottentots of Africa, or the Topinambous and Canibals of America.

They even laid afide their furnames, and affumed nicknames, or martial names, moft of which have continued in their families to this day. Many, however, on their marrying, which feldom happened till they turned planters, took care to have their real furnames inferted in the marriage contract; and this practice gave occafion to a proverb,

ftill current in the French Antilles, A man is not to be known till he takes a wife.

Their drefs confifted of a filthy greafy fhirt, dyed with the blood of the animals they killed, a pair of troufers ftill more nafty, a thong of leather by way of belt, to which they hung a cafe containing fome Dutch knives, and a kind of very fhort fabre called Manchette, a hat with, out any brim, except a little flap on the front to take hold of it by, and fhocs of hogfkin all of a piece. Their guns were four feet and a half in the barrel and of a bore to carry balls of an ounce. Every man had his contract fervants, more or fewer according to his abilities, befides a pack of twenty or thirty dogs, among which there was always a couple of beagles. Their chief employment at first was ox-hunting, and, if at any time they chafed a wild hog, it was rather for paftime, or to make provifion for a feaft, than for any other advantage. But, in process of time, fome of them betook themfelves entitely to hunting of hogs, whofe fleft they buccanned in the following manner:

First, they cut the flesh into long pieces, an inch and a half thick, and fprinkled them with falt, which they rubbed off after twenty-four hours. Then they chied thefe pieces in ftoves over a fire made of the fkin and bones of the beat, till they grew as hard as a board, and affumed a deep brown colour. Pork prepared in this manner will keep in cafks a twelvemonth and longer, and when steeped but a little while in luke warm water, become plump and rofy, and yield moreover a molt grateful finell, either broiled or boiled, or otherwife dreffed, enough to tempt the moft languid appetite, and pleate the moft delicate palate.

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