ledged fovereigns of the fea, fo much of it at leaft, as is the object of the controverfy. 4 Inftit. 142. Selden: Mare Claufum. c. 27. For I apprehend the warmest advocates for exclufive privilege thereon, never attempted to extend it either to the Atlantic, or the Southern Ocean. Thus king Edgar is faid quatuor maria vindicare, and fir J. Burroughs cites a record in the Tower, having for its title "Of the Sovereignty of the English Seas, and the Office of Admiral thereon." Sovereignty of the British Seas afferted, p. 7. and Edward III. calls himself and his prede ceffors, Domini Maris Anglicani circumquaque et etiam Defenfores," Selden, notes on Fortefc. c. 32. The extent of this dominion was particularly afcertained by a treaty at Westm. Feb. 9, 1673-4, to be from Cape Finifterre, to the middle point of the land Van Staten in Norway.'

The prefent maritime law of England is an heterogeneous compound of diffimilar materials. It is quite confonant to the principles of equity, but adapted to fituations more various and complicated than the ancient world probably ever knew. The laws of Oleron are still its basis; and indeed Richard wants only an able biographer to establish his character as a warrior and a legislator, as an accomplished knight in the tournament, and an elegant poet in the palace. Some additions are made from the Rhodian and the Roman laws; limitations are added from peculiar customs and privileges; modifications and corrections from different fituations, or particular emergencies; and the whole code does not difgrace the English fyftem of jurisprudence.

The first cafe in our law, extant, relative to marine jurifdiction, occurs in the reign of Edward I. and is preferved in an old record in the Tower, which fpeaks of the king's fovereignty on the feas, and the jurisdiction of his deputy, the admiral, as being, even then, du temps dont il ny a de memoire.'

As in this first inftance, the fovereignty is traced to a period beyond the reach of memory, we will hope that the termination, on the other hand, may be beyond the reach of prophecy. It is this attention to our marine that must establish our political confequence; and its profperity can only be increased by the increase of commerce. The extent it will admit of is indeterminate: reafon and imagination are equally unable to ascertain the fize to which the bubble may be blown experience is yet deficient, for it has only informed. us, that it adds to the riches as well as power of a flate; and that its extenfion has hitherto been accompanied by the proportional extenfion of each.

The

The Letters of Charlotte, during her Connexion with Werter. Small 8vo. 5. fewed. Cadell.

2 Vols.

'I Am happy that in prefenting the following Letters to the public, I am not exhibiting fcenes, or communicating opinions, that can wound delicacy, or pervert fentiment. And though I too well know, that to avoid licentious defcription, and to reject fashionable ideas, is to wander far from the road that leads to wealth and fame in the literary world, yet I am not willing to acquire either one or the other at the expence of my reader's happiness. If amufement only is to be found in the Letters of Charlotte, it will at least be innocent amusement. If opinions are advanced which may appear uncommon, they will not be found to militate against the precepts of religion. If the mind of the reader is not expanded by additional knowledge, it will not be contracted by the fubtelties of Scepticism.'

The editor introduces himself with fo much good fenfe, fuch grace and decorum, that we were unwilling even to announce him, till he had explained his own pretenfions. We fhall only add, that he has very faithfully performed his promife. The author, we beg pardon, we mean the editor, for we would not rudely pull afide the mask which he has chosen to wear the editor, then, enlarges on the pernicious tendency of the Sorrows of Werter,' in elegant language, and expofes the injury which the untutored mind may receive from fophiftry fo guarded, with great force of reafon. We think this preface should be re-printed with that dangerous work, which conveys poifon under a gilded and feducing outfide. The Letters themselves defcribe the feelings of Charlotte; the dif. ferent incidents are frequently those of Werter, with the variations, arifing from the mind which perceives, and the pen which defcribes them. Charlotte appears, in these volumes, to have loved Werter; and it should be a leffon to both fexes, not to indulge that ardent friendship, which may fo foon slide into a more embarrassing, perhaps a guilty paffion. The little adventures of Charlotte's friends are introduced to fill up the landscape.

We have faid that the Letters are elegant; they are also amufing; and trace, with accuracy, the intricate windings of the human mind, the labyrinth of the heart. As a fpecimen, we shall select the fourteenth Letter.

It feldom happens that the language of panegyric is juft; yet fo excellent is your judgment, that I cannot with-hold my affent to the character you have drawn of Werter; but, give me leave to tell you, the picture is not finifhed, and that another dafh of the pencil-a dark shaḍe-is wanting to perfect the likeness.

You have seen Werter only with others. Notwithstanding his philofophic reafonings, and the apparent complacency of his difpofition, he is the very flave of a temper naturally impetuous, and, if I may fo exprefs it, rarified by irritability of nerves, and extreme delicacy, or, at least, peculiarity of taste.

You will, perhaps, fmile at my idea, that extreme delicacy of tafte is injurious to the temper; and you will tell me, that true taste not only refines the understanding, but meliorates the difpofition. Much certainly depends on the natural tendency of the temper; and extreme delicacy of taste in one of a cynical turn, will by no means diminish a propensity to querulous faftidity: on the contrary, it will add fuel to the flame of intellectual difcontent, in proportion as the tafte is offended, and the feelings are hurt, by the obtrufions of incongruity,' and the abfurdities of ignorance.

I cannot call Werter a cynic; but his infirmity of temper is augmented by his delicacy of tafte, and the most trifling Occurrences make lafting impreffions on his mind. He has little command over himself; and whilft his natural temper thus overpowers him, how will he ftem the torrent of paffion? like the exuberance of his imagination, it will know no bounds: as the one is the fource of his moft exalted pleasures, fo the other, I fear, will prove the cause of his feverest afflictions."

The defcriptive powers of the author are confiderable: we often admire them; and his pathos melts and amends the heart. In the following Letter they are combined, and this circumftance has induced us to extract it.

The evening was ferene: there was that kind of ftillness in the air, which infpires melancholy mufings, and fills the mind with philofophic tranquillity. The moon was rifing, and by her wan luftre, difcovered the grey mifts flowly afcending from the lakes on my right hand; whilft the woody mountains on my left, were charmingly diverfified with innumerable lights and fhades." This fcene," I faid to myself, "this fcene, dearest of mothers! is facred to thee: under the fhade of these elms, how often have I been bleffed with thy bleffing!-how often received the inftructions of true wifdom!"-The remembrance of thofe endearing moments filled my eyes with tears: lifting them towards heaven, I could not help uttering aloud one of thofe fpontaneous ejaculations of the heart which draw down bleffings, and diffipate diftrefs. My tears relieved me, and the recollection of having obeyed her facred, her last commands, reftored to my mind a melancholy tranquillity.

Turning my eyes towards the mountains, I difcovered a man approaching me in great hafte. His head was uncovered, and he had the dry ftalk of a weed in his hand; the moon fhone on his face, and I faw it was the unfortunate Henry, whose paffion for me had deprived him of reafon. I was extremely terrified; and he came with fo much precipitation, that it was

impoffible for me to efcape, for I was at the upper end of the avenue.-I, therefore, ftood still.-Poor wretch! I had no occafion to be alarmed; he knew me not; but, looking earnestly in my face, asked me, where his Charlotte was?" She is not at home," I said." I know that," replied he, "I looked all over the hills for her, and the is not there.-She was with me laft night, and then I fhewed her the moon, and played upon this pipe-her eyes danced-it was on the high hill, and we talked to the moon. When the States pay me, I fhall buy the golden ftars for my Charlotte."-He fmiled as he uttered this.

Go thy ways home, Henry," I said.-He burst into tears, and I was afraid he recollected me." No," faid he, with a heavy figh, and a faint voice, "I am no Henry." Folding his hands together, and again looking ftedfaftly in my face, whilft the tears ran down his own, he faid, "There is no HenryHenry died when the wind whiftled in the great tree, and the white clouds took Charlotte to the ftars."-He turned his eyes towards the fky, and never faw I fo true a picture of fettled melancholy there was a wonderful expreffion of fadness in his countenance.- "Alas, poor youth!" I faid, " go home to thy mother." He again looked at me with great earnestness, and, in a kind of half whisper, faid, "Thele things must not be known to the princefs; fhe will be angry when she knows Henry is dead, and there are no flowers-huh!-the moon whifpers to Charlotte;-I muft go" Then, putting the forefinger of each hand to his lips, he stepped flowly away, as one walks across a room where others are asleep.

:

I faw him at a confiderable diftance, going in the fame manner, till he entered the wood. The air grew cold, and the wind began to rife. I returned home with a mind full of melancholy reflections.-Poor youth! may he-who alone is able -reltore thee to thyfelf, and give thee that fweet peace which forms the fovereign balm to all afflicted minds!'

We have enlarged the space we ufually allow for extracts, to give a proper fpecimen of the variety to be found in these Letters, which we think contain the feducing tenderness of Werter, without its danger; which raise the feelings in a whirlwind, without hurrying the judgment along with them, and driving the reader, perhaps fmarting from recent, from fimilar difappointments, into the fame destructive abyfs.

Efay III. On the Nature and Principles of Public Credit. 8vo. 25. White.

WE reviewed the First Effay of our able and attentive author, in the Fifty-feventh Volume, page 107; and the Second in the Fifty-ninth, page 268. We did not follow Mr. Gales' Effays very minutely, because the reasoning is so close, and the language fo concife, that they would not readily ad

mit of an abridgement. The third is more of a practical kind, and we shall give a fhort analysis of it.

The firft fection is of little confequence to us. It relates to fome difference in opinion between our author and the Monthly Reviewers. The fecond fection is on the Nature and State of the Public Debts of this Kingdom, and includes our author's plan for their gradual payment. Mr. Gale mentions the regular effect of a finking fund, applied at proper intervals, in diminishing the debt: its power would neceffarily increase in a geometrical progreffion, because it must be calculated at compound intereft. But, from the effect of payment in raising the value of the ftocks, the ratio will be greatly leffened; and to avoid this lofs, our author advises that a plan be adopted, which fhall, from its nature, fix the price to be paid for redemption, and leave at the fame time a free and and fecure capacity for the ftocks, appertaining to the creditors, to rife in value. It seems to be his meaning, to increase the annuity in proportion to the number of years required; and, at the end of that time, that the interest should cease: in short, that a certain proportion of the ftocks be converted into annuities for a limited term of years. We think this plan more effectual than that at present adopted, for the reasons stated in our review of the Second Effay, in the Fifty-ninth Volume. The author adds many arguments for his scheme, and varies the view of the fubject, fo as to render it more easily understood. The third fection is a more particular account of the plan, of which we fhall infert the author's own analyfis.

First. To convert the public debts into a 5 per cent. ftock, by offering to the creditors, a certain proportion of fuch five per cent. ftock, in exchange for their prefent ftocks and annuities.

Secondly. To fecure the new flock from a reduction of the intereft; by making it liable only to a periodical tender for its redemption, equal to the annuity.

Thirdly. To provide for the conveniencies of those to whom the periodical redemption might be inconvenient; by allowing a fufpenfion of the tender on certain fixed principles.

Fourthly. To provide for the conveniencies of thofe whofe fituations and circumstances might be fuch as to require temporary annuities, for lives or years; by allowing a tranfcription of the redeemable ftock into fuch temporary annuities, on certain fixed principles, according to their respective values.

Fifthly, 'To give a farther general encouragement for the converfion of the debt; by granting a preference, in all fu ture loans, to the holders or proprietors of the new stock.'

We