with regard to the intereft to be taken from eftates in money; and to take more is an odious and punishable ufury: I wonder no legislature has ever thought of regulations to reftrain this more unconfcionable and pernicious avarice, of exorbitant rent from lands. No race of mankind in fociety deferves better of the public, or are more entitled to the favour and protection of every civil government, than those who, by their la bour and induftry, produce from the culture of the ground all the neceffaries and comforts of life for the reft of mankind. Beneficence to tenants is the best privilege of landed property. The late Duke of Athol faid, (like a man truly noble), that if there was no law to punifh highway-robbery, he would think the commiffion of it as innocent as to rack his tenants rents, by artifices well known and too often practifed. A gentleman in company afked his Grace, What his opinion was in regard to the practife of expofing leafes of land by roup to the highest bidder? and another method, very prevailing, of advertifing them, with affurances, that the offers fhall be concealed? and in this cafe, the fly manager pretends that certain offers have been made, to bring on the candidates. His Grace's anfwer was in thefe words: "If I were in that fituation, that I muft neceffarily have money either by fuch practices, or by going to the highway, I again declare, that tho' the laft is the most dangerous, I would prefer it as least dishonourable and hurtful to fociety." But your fettlements are fecure against every tyranny; if ever you meet with a felfish, ungenerous landlord, you are in condition, by your own induttry, to live and to thrive independent of his power. You may, like free men, defpife and hold him in contempt; and I neartily with you may do fo. [To be continued.] LONDON. Mifcellaneous. A ftate of the expedition from Canada, as laid before the Houfe of Commons, by LtGen. Burgoyne, and verified by evidence; with a collection of authentic documents, and an addition of many circumstances which were prevented from appearing before the Houfe by the prorogation of parliament. Written and collected by HIMSELF: and dedicated to the officers of the army he com manded. 4to. 125. boards. Almon. [61.] This is a publication of very confiderable importance, abounding, as the title truly affirms, with" authentic documents," and affording a clear and comprehenfive view of whatever relates to the General's conduct throughout the whole of that memorable and unfortunate expedition, which is the fubject of the large collection of evi dence now before us. General Burgoyne writes well; and we have only to lament, victorious in the field, as he is upon paper. as Englishmen, that he was not, finally, as His very interefting story is, indeed, told in a masterly manner; and the materials of which it is compofed, will be held in great eftimation by the hiftorians who fhall record the events of the unhappy war to which they owe their birth. The work is enriched with a variety of large and expenfive engravings, proper for the illuftration of the military manoenvres, &c. &c. M. Authentic minutes of the debate in the Irish Houfe of Commons, Dec. 20. 1779, on receiving the refolutions of the British Houfe trade. To which are added, the speeches of of Commons for granting to Ireland a free fome Noble Lords, fpoken on the fame occafion, the day following. 8vo. I s. 6 d. H. Payne.It will give pleasure to the English reader, to obferve how gratefully and handfomely the gentlemen of the Irish fenate expreffed themfelves, on the conciliatory difpofition manifefted toward them by the British parliament.-Although thefe fpecimens of Hibernian oratory are handed to us on unknown authority, we have no fufpicion of their authenticity: and we hope they contain the true and general fenfe of that nation, in regard to the fubject of BR1TANNIA's late fifterly tokens of affection. Some of our brethren on the other fide the channel may, however, have their own peculiar method of expreffing their fatisfaction: like Mr Parnell (for instance), one of the members of their Houfe of Commons, who begin his fpeech, on the occafion here alleded to, in the following blunt and honeft terms: "The highest compliment I can pay to the English government, is to fay, that their prefent conduct is the reverse of their former." M. EDINBURGH. Synopfis nofologiæ methodicæ, exhibens Sauvagefii, Linnæi, Vogelii, et Sagari, fystemata nofologica. Edidit, fuumque proprium fyftema nofologicum adjecit, Gulielmus Cullen. M. D. &c. Edit. 3. emendata, et plurimum aucta. Duobus tomis. 8vo. 12 s. bound. Creech. Free thoughts on the toleration of Popery, deduced from a review of its principles and hiftory, with refpect to liberty, and the interefts of princes and nations. By Calvinus Minor, Scoto-Britannus. 8vo. 4 s. or fine paper 5 s. Donaldson, Elliot, Gray, &c. VERSES Wits, Politicians, Sceptics bend their ear. Go on, diftinguifh'd teacher : all attend; Evert thy talents, and the world fhall mend. Th'important truths which dignify thy page Command th' attention of a thoughtless age. Here heaven-defcended Piety, ferene, Leads on the Virtues as their native queen: Truth in her heart, and Candor in her eyes, Her voice, "I point to an immortal prize." Vice droops her creft :-if moral truth prevails, Her empire totters, and her magic fails. While Superstition, growling in her cell, Sees love, and peace, and harmony prevail. Refome the pen. In eafy copious flow Pour wisdom forth. To thee 'tis given to fow The precious feed; may Heaven th' increase bestow! Let winding Sophifts boast their tinfel blaze, Thy plain good-meaning is thy highest praise. Youths emulous to tread the uphill-way, And point the paths which lead to future day, Like his thy life, and like his doctrines thine, The oftener read, we value it the more, [fore. 'Tis read where fermons ne'er were read be Abbots Inch. F. D. [A fecond volume is lately published.] + Mr John Farquhar, a clergyman in the prefbytery of Aberdeen, who died early in life; the au ther of two small volumes of excellent fermons, publifeed after his death by Dr Campbell and Dr Gerard. O DE S. Sung in commemoration of the inftitution of the Ocial Virtue's liberal plan Snatch'd from Vice's horrid train, For the SCOTS MAGAZINE. A RIDDLE. Front from poverty defcended, Rom kings, and lords, and titles fpendid, Harth treatment am I doom'd to feel Tortur'd and fqueez'd, till frail and thin, But, doom'd to fuffer greater evils, Yet mark, with ardor in each eye, I come They croud, they prefs to use me; Yet fome commend and fome abufe me : But foon my short-liv'd triumph ends, But foon, too foon, the lives to fee Yet fometimes am I pleas'd to find As if they thought I could difpenfe Various my life's uncertain date, 'Tis thus my fuff'rings I proclaim, MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTION Of Lady Lucy DOUGLAS, She had no relish for that mode of living She found the duties of a wife, Reader! Think not her death premature; Wife and juft is the will of Heaven!- That he who feeth in feeret, fay, "Let others do likewife; Daughter of the Duke of Montrofe, and wife of Archibald Douglas of Douglas, Efq HI HISTORICAL AFFAIR S. road or in port have sustained any da DENMARK. "Copenhagen, Feb. 29. The firing of three cannon from the harbour, and a few minutes after a cry of diftrefs, greatly alarmed the inhabitants of this capital the evening before laft; when they were foon informed, that a ship belonging to the Afiatic company, Le Bon Deffein, had taken fire. This fhip, which was kept is by the ice, had completed her cargo, and was bound for Tranquebar. The fire broke out in the place where the merchandife was ftored; and was fo viokat that it was impoffible to extinguifh it. As it was known, that, befides, rum, arrack, and other fpirituous liquors, there were thirty barrels of gunpowder on board, no one dared approach the fhip; and on this account, and to pre vent any farther mifchief, it was deter mined to fink her. For this purpose, another ship belonging to the company, and the Bornholm frigate, kept up an inceffant fire upon her the whole night; and the next morning they fired the guns from the caftle: but all their endeavours were fruitless; for the fhip drawing fit teen feet of water, and the harbour not being above feventeen deep, it was impoffible to fink her fufficiently. The day after a report was spread, that the water had reached the powder; which falfe Tumour drew a croud of curious perfons on the ice, who approached fo near the hip that they were almost within reach of her balls: but at ten o'clock in the morning, when it was leaft expected, the fire fpread as far as St Barbe, and the hip blew up with a dreadful explofon. The shattered pieces crushed feveral to death, and wounded a much greater number; among the latter is Mr Boge, one of the King's harbingers, who has both his legs broken. Ten of the Wounded have been carried to the hofatal, most of whom are mortally wound ed. But the violence of the explosion having broke the ice, the greatest number fell into the water, and were drown ed. It is impoffible to afcertain how many perfons have fuffered for their curiofity concerning this fatal accident. The lofs of the ship is rated at 300,000 rxdollars, half of which was the King's. They had infured it for the third part of its value, for which they were to pay 30,000 rixdollars in Holland. It is a great happiness that none of the veffels in the VOL. XLII. mage. UNITED PROVINCES. A memorial prefented by the British Ambas fador to the States-General on the 21st of March. "High and Mighty Lords, THE King, my mafter, has ever cultivated the friendship of your High Mightineffes, and has always regarded the alliance which has fo long fubfifted between the two nations, as founded upon the jufteft principles, and effential to their mutual welfare. The principal objects of this alliance, which form the immoveable bafis of a common intereft, are, the safety and prosperity of the two ftates, the prefervation of public tranquillity, and the maintenance of that juft equilibrium which has been so often difturbed by the ambitious policy of the House of Bourbon. When the court of Versailles, in direct violation of public faith, and the common rights of all fovereigns, had broken the peace, by making a league with his Majetty's rebellious fubjects, which was formally announced by the Marquis de Noailles [40. 189.]; whilft by the immenfe preparations the was making, France fufficiently manifested her defign of deftroying the maritime power of England; the King could not but fuppofe, that your High Mightineffes, being too difcerning not to perceive that the fafety of the republic was clofely connected with that of Great Britain, would haften to his affiftance. One of his Majefty's firft cares was, to inform your High Mightineffes of all the circumftances of this unjuft war; and in the critical fituation in which his Majefty found himself, he did not forget the intereft of his old allies, but, on the contrary, difcovered the most fincere defire of favouring the commerce and free navigation of the republic, as much as was confiftent with the fafety of his people. He even for a long time refrained from claiming the ftipulated fuccours, fulfilling his own engagements without demanding the performance of thofe of your High Mightineffes. His claim was not made till after the united forces of France and Spain fhewed them. felves in readiness to rush upon England, and to attempt a defcent by the affiftance of a formidable fleet. Though fruftrated in this enterprife, the King's U enemics enemies ftill meditate this project; and it is by his Majefty's exprefs orders, that the underligned here renews, in the moft formal manner, the demand of the fuccours stipulated by different treaties, and enumerated in that of the year 1716. Your High Mightineffes have till now obferved a total filence on tais effential article, whilst you have infifted upon a forced interpretation wrested from the treaty of commerce of the year 1674, againft the abuse of which Great Britain has at all times protefted. This interpretation cannot be reconciled with the clear and precife ftipulations agreed upon in the fecret article of the treaty of peace of the fame year. An article in a treaty of commerce cannot annul fo material an article in a treaty of peace; and each of these are exprefsly comprifed in the principal treaty of alliance in 1678, by the terms of which your High Mightineffes are obliged to furnish his Majefty with the fuccours which he claims. You are too juft, and too wife, not to feel and understand, that all the engagements between powers ought to be mutually and reciprocally obferved, and, though contracted at different periods, are equally binding upon the contracting parties. This principle, in itself incontrovertible, ap. plies here with the greatest force; inafmuch as the treaty of 1716 renews all the anterior engagements between the crown of England and the republic, and incorporates them, if I may use the expreffion, into one. The underfigned was moreover ordered to declare to your High Mightineffes, that he was ready to enter into any conference with you for the amicable regulation of every thing which might be neceffary for avoiding misunderstandings, for preventing every disagreeable contingency, and for concerting meafures the most equitable and advantageous for the refpective fubjects of each ftate. This amicable overture has been rejected, in a manner the most unheard of and extraordinary, and entirely unusual with states in amity. Without paying any kind of attention to the repeated representations, as well public as private, which were made on the fubject of the convoys; your High Mightineffes have not only agreed to the granting fuch convoys for the protection of veffels laden with different fpecies of naval ftores, but also iffued exprefs orders, that a number of fhips of war thould hold themfelves in readiness to convoy, in their fuite, all these variou kinds of ftores, which were deftined for the ports of France, and that too at time when the subjects of the republic enjoyed, by the help of the treaties, degree of liberty, and an extent of com merce and navigation, much above tha which the general law of nations ufuall allows to neutral powers. This refolution, and the order enjoin ed to Rear-Admiral the Comte de Byland to refufe to let our fhips examine th merchant-veffels under his convoy, hav given rife to an incident which the friend fhip of his Majefty induced him to hav wished not to have taken place; but it notorious, that this Admiral, in conf quence of his inftructions, fired firft u on the floops which bore the Engli flag, and which were fent to perform t neceffary fcrutiny into the veffels und his convoy, as prefcribed by the trea in 1674. This then was a manifeft greffion, a direct and palpable violati of that treaty which your High Might neffes seem to look upon as the most i cred of all others, between us. F Majefty had made beforehand repeat reprefentations to you upon the neceffi and juftice of fuch a fcrutiny, as a thi invariably practised in all fimilar circur ftances, and fully authorised by the tre ty. They had been informed at Londo that there were feveral veffels in the Te el laden with naval ftores, to wit, ma and other woods for fhipbuilding, rea to fet fail for France, in the fuite, under the convoy of a Dutch fleet. T event has entirely proved the truth thefe informations, as fome of th veffels were actually found under t very fame convoy: the greatest part h escaped, and have carried to France v useful fupplies, and of which the t ftood in great need.-Whilft your H Mightineffes thus affifted the King's e mies by favouring the conveyance thofe fuccours, you have impofed a vere fine on the subjects of the repu to deter them from conveying provif to Gibraltar, though that place is in ded in the general protection of the Br poffeffions in Europe, and though that very moment the commerce of republic was interrupted by Spain a moft outrageous and unprecede manner. It is not only in thefe inftances the conduct of your High Mightin towards the King, and towards his |