peace of Aix la Chapelle for herself, feemed determined, in 1748, to enjoy the tranquillity fhe alone had obtained. The court of Vienna then fought her alliance, and Kaunitz, the prefent minifter, who was at that time ambaffador to France, offered the Auftrian Low Countries, in return for her affiftance to regain Silefia. This feducing offer was refufed, and the empress then engaged the czarina's affiftance, with the fame views. The other negociations preceding the feven years war, we have often had occation to mention; and our readers must remember the circumstances, which, at that period, connected Pruffia with England, and ultimately united France with Austria. One bad confequence which foon enfued, was an unconquerable distrust of France at the Porte, for the minifter had not even excepted, in his offenfive alliance, the cafe of a war between Vienna and Turkey. Ruffia infifted, that it fhould be declared the alliance was to continue, even if this event fhould happen, and the minifter weakly agreed to it, under the feal of fecrecy, which was nor preferved inviolate. In the next place, M. Peyffonel criticifes the treaty, which Louis XV. concluded with Maria Teresa, at the end of the year 1758, which was highly advantageous to the house of Auftria, without any equivalent, and the duration of the treaty was unlimited. Why was not the favourable occafion of the peace, in 1762, feized to break it, when France had learned how far thefe unnatural alliances might carry her?' The difagreement of Frederic with England was neglected; in the affairs of Poland, France, thought he did enough in allowing the confederates 60,000 livres a month, money fquandered ufelessly, because it was too little to be of any service.' At last, in 1771, Auftria concluded an offenfive alliance with the Porte, merely, as our author obferves, to obtain a large fubfidy from Turkey, though the confequence was the peace between Ruffia and that power. Soon after the peace, the emperor fent the baron Thugut to France, to negotiate a new treaty, whofe object was to defend Turkey from the farther encroachments of the Ruffians by their joint powers. The French miniftry was too weak to engage in an object of this importance, and the prefent alliance between Ruffia and Auftria was the confequence. The only step which France feems to have taken wifely, in our author's opinion, is refufing affistance to the emperor in the Bavarian war, though the refufed it on a weak and infufficient pretext. In the month of October 1780, the elector Palatine enquired of the court of Vienna, if it ought to give the title of excellency to the French minister at Munich, as well as to the Imperial ambaffador, to which prince Kaunitz replies, in the fol lowing terms, Do not allow of the title of excellency : multiply the humiliating circumstances towards that court, which aims at having an influence in the empire. To fuffer it would be injuring its conftitution and its tranquillity." The fecond volume contains an abridged view of the political powers powers of the different kingdoms with which France has any connection. It is in general very correct: we fhall extract, as most new, what is faid of Hanover. The population, he obferves, is estimated at a million, including the military esta blishment of 24,000 men, which may be occationally increased to 40,000. The revenue is 12 millions (500,000l.) The government is different from that of the other states of Germany, and approaches nearest to that of England; the baillages are confined to the nobility, and the price is not raifed, that they may be able to fupport their dignity. The volume is concluded by a memoir, entitled, Views and Explanations of the Advantages which the Family Compact gives France and Spain for the Reeftablishment of the Marine, and of Maritime Commerce.' It was written in 1765, and its arguments have, in the present fituation, little force. We perceive, at Liege, an important publication, we mean important in the prefent era, intitled The Patriotic Journal,' fubfervient to the hiftory of the revolutions of Liege and the Low Countries, by a fociety of citizens. A number, confift ing of thirty-two pages, is published weekly; and the fifty-two numbers of the year make four volumes large octavo. The fubfcription, for the whole year, is eighteen livres (fifteen fillings), and the two first volumes, at Liege, fell tor 7 livres, 10 fous (6s. 3d.) This is faid not to be one of thofe periodical ephemere, which the prefent circumstances, and the avidity of bookfellers, are always increafing. It is the continuation of a journal, already known and favourably received, compiled by citizens, actuated only by patriotism, and eager to be useful to their country by their talents and acquisitions. They first confined this journal to the revolution at Liege, and the two first volumes contain the history of it down to the end of the last year. The caufes of this revolution, its beginning, its progrefs, the conduct of the regency, and the states of the country, memoirs of facts refpecting the conftitution at Liege, and a narrative of all the events relating to the late occurrences are contained in these two volumes. They are faid to be written with impartiality, dignity, decency, energy, and a courage, ready to fupport the caufe of liberty against calumny and def potifm. As we are furnished with fome extracts, we will transfate a fpecimen or two in the manner of the original. The 18th of August 1789! Let this memorable day be ever held facred in our annals; this day, when, awakening from their lethargy, refuming their former energy, the Liegois have reclaimed their rights, have felt their own power; again ob tained their liberty, and fhowed themfelves worthy of it! This day, when the victory of patriotifm, not tinged with blood, or ftained by revenge, has drawn only tears of extacy, of happinefs, of gratitude; and at the expence to the infamous partizans of defpotifin, of grief alone choaked with an impotent paffion. On our churches, on our feats of juftice, on our miVOL. LXIX. May, 1790. RI litary, litary enfigns; let us engrave every where, in indelible charac ters, the 18th of Auguft, 179-Let them bring to the remem brance of the nation, its power; of the citizen, his rights; of the chiefs, their duty. And, if ever these chiefs, yielding to the feducing influence of power and ambition, again dare to wander, and o'erleap the bounds preferibed to them, let us inceffantly display to their eyes, and thunder in their ears,—the 18th of August, 1789.'-In truth this is neither the language of impartiality, dignity, or decorum. If it be liberty, it is li berty in the moment of intoxication, and in the garb of licentioufnefs.-Again, • Inconceivable blindness! the princes themselves have drawn down the storm, which grumbles over their heads; they have kindled the flame, whofe explofion menaces Europe: when the favages of Louisiana want fruit, they cut the tree down to obtain it: this have our rulers done. I ask the question, confining it to our corner of the globe; I afk, I fay, if it were not for the odious fyftem of oppreffion and corruption, adopted by the perverse counsellors, who have for fome years reigned, under the name of a mifguided prince; the revolting violence of fubaltern tyrants; the formidable injuftice of which a fociety, greedy of gold, rendered it felt the inftrument, fhould we have been axious to break our chains? Should we not rather have continued in the tranquil apathy of a peaceable flavery? The count de Mirabeau, it is faid, in one of his flashes of original eloquence, in the national affembly, exclaimed-Ah! gentlemen, the deficit of France is the treasure of the ftate. Can we not fay the ordinance of 1684 has restored our liberty, or, if we may be allowed to approach fo near the confines of the ridiculous-the bank of Pharao has faved the country *.' This is rather a more favourable fpecimen of their impartiality' and decorum.' Perhaps, in the future volumes, where the editors are not fo deeply interested, these qualities may be more confpicuous: it is defigned to follow liberty in her tour over the globe;' and, if the deficit occafioned by war is the parent of revolutions, a year or two may lead our authors to Spain. We perceive that nine volumes of a collection of placarts, Revolutions, (the editor furely cannot mean revolutions) and other authentic pieces, relating to the important events which happened in the United Provinces, in the month of September, &c. are published at Campen; but we are not informed of the particulars which they contain, An index of events and names is added we find to the last volume. The last work which we shall mention of this kind is a very important one, lately published at Paris- The Hiftory of the Vacancy in the Imperial Throne, drawn from authentic Me This alludes to the gaming-table at Spa, under the auspices of the prince bihop, having been occafionally the cause of the disturbances at Liege. moirs." moirs. In the prefent circumftances, it is very interefting, and may be more fo, if the project of the king of Hungary and Bohemia to fix his fecond fon in the duchy of Tufany thould be fuccefsful, while he occupies the imperial throne. The infant prince of Parma, and the king of Sardinia have fufficient employment in this arduous negotiation, without taking any fhare in the wild attempts of Spin + but, to return. Our hiftorian gives fome very useful advice to the confederation of the empire, and points out the abufes and the ufurpations which may become fatal to the liberties of Germany. It is enough to mention the imperial aulic council, which, in reality, has no power beyond the hereditary dominions of the prince, invetted with the imperial dignity, and yet has very recently engaged in the affairs of the empire. Our author, in oppofition to this new ufurpation, proposes to restore the full authority of the diet, by re-establishing the imperial chamber, which is the parliament of the empire, in the complete exercife of its powers. The imperial dignity, become in fome measure hereditary in the house of Auftria, has put Germany more than once in fear for its liberties. Thefe apprehenfions were greatly increased under the late emperor, and must receive new force, as M. Peyfonel, in his late work, has well obferved, from the connection of the two imperial courts. The author propofes three remedies for the evil. 1. To preferve the liberty of elections, by re eftabliling the law, which prevents taking three emperors from the fame family. 2. To restore to the diet of the empire its former authority, allowing the emperor every mark of refpect, as the reprefentative of the fovereignty. 3. Immediately after the death of an emperor, a committee to be nominated by the diet, confift ing of fome electors and princes, to receive complaints against the conduct of the deceased, and after a ferious examination of his actions, to report the refult to the diet, that it may revoke every thing which the late emperor had done beyond his powers, and prevent his fucceffor from fimilar attempts. A part of the volume is filled with papers in fupport of what is advanced. What remains of the limits ufually allowed to this depart ment of our work we fhall fill with fome claffical information, and fome works defigned to illuftrate the antiquities of Rome: the last part we perceive to be the moft copious. To preferve in fome measure the ufual order, we fhall mention M. Mathias's critical obfervations on the Greek tragic writers, on Homer, Apollonius, Pindar, &c. published at Gottingen. This is a young author, fon to a former profeffor of the fame name, and his remarks are faid to difplay much learning and great acutenefs in amending the corrupted texts. Of a fimilar kind is the epiftle addreffed to M. Heyne, by M. F. Jacobs, profeffor at Written May 14, at the moment of the report of the alliance between Spain, Sardinia, Ruffia, and the states of Venice, Rrz Gotha, Gotha. The author feems to have avoided the usual dryness of the fubject (the title is Emendations of ancient Authors, both Greek and Latin'), by chufing many different works, by selecting fome happy, natural, interesting conjectures, and by turns of thought and language, which are marks of a claffical tafte. It appears rather a work of genius than of labour, and the emendations appear fpontaneously to arise from that kind of intuitive knowledge, which, though apparently accidental, is the effect of reading and experience. A fmall part only of his remarks relate to the Latin authors, and this is chiefly directed to the leffer pieces of poetry. The Greek authors claim his chief attention, and Euripides and Sophocles feem to have been the principal gainers by his researches. The Antigone of Sophocles from the text of Brunk, and with fome felect notes of this critic and of Camerarius, has been lately published at Gottingen, by M. Meinecke. It is chiefly defigned for the ufe of fchools, and illuftrated with a Græco-Latin index, fome neceffary explanations for the younger scholars, and a dictionary fufficiently minute for beginners. The best edition of Diogenes Laertius is undoubtedly that of Meibomius, publifhed at Amfterdam in 1692; but it is not without effential faults in the text and the interpretation. The abbé Roffi, whofe biblical criticifins have been fo highly and defervedly commended, has with equal care and fuccefs illuftrated this author. In one octavo volume published at Rome, he has explained the moft obfcure paffages and refuted many interpretations and corrections of other critics. The first voJume of Schweighaeufer's Polybius is published, containing the firft, fecond, and third books of that author; and for internal merit and the excellence of the printing, (we now copy from a German journal) it is faid to be equal to the productions of any prefs in Europe. The merit of the text may be estimated by the manufcripts collated. Thefe are, 1. The Codex Bavaricus, employed, though not with fufficient attention, by Cafaubon, probably the fame ufed by Obfopoeus when he published the Editio Princeps of the first five books. The variations in the margin were not conjectural, but are found in this MS. in the margin, or interlined: it is fuppofed by the editor to be a work of the fourteenth century. 2. Codex Auguftanus, of the fame æra, on filk, with more important readings: it contains the first five books, with fragments of the fifth and tenth in the fame hand. 3. The Codex Regius, No 1668 of the Paris library, on paper: it has the first five books probably written by Strategus, and copied from the former manufcript. 4. The Codex Vaticanus, on vellum, called by Montfaucon Antiquiffimus,' and written by a monk called Ephraim, probably of the tenth century: in thefe MSS. are fome deficiencies fupplied by -the others. 5. Adparatus Codd. Florentin. 6. Cod. Urbino Vaticanus of the twelfth century. 7. Codex Urfini: this was certainly the Vatican, or a fimilar manufcript. 8. Suidas, who probably |