forwardness, as thofe of the confpirators. He was alfo in full right to form alliances for that purpose: as was the King of Pruffia to en. ter into a league with him, to enable him to fulfil any moral obliga tion and the execution of every initially just treaty is fuch. "Thefe treaties were in terms equal; as preferving to each fove. reign the honourable appearance of being feated with an equal ftability on his throne, In effect they bound France to the support of the Hanoverian family; at firft certainly not firinly eftablished here, and at that particular juncture in much additional hazard: and Britain to the fupport of the crown of France; feemingly in the firmeft fecurity. This obligation, as undertaken fpontaneoully, was almost a nudum pactum and conventional only upon the latter whereas on the fide of Britain, it is conventional and moral. And this nation thereby came under a moral obligation, to give to the Prince reigning in France the fame support the King of Great Britain had received, the circumftances being the fame; that is to aid him againft all rebels, during the time of peace, For it is dormant from its nature in every war, and revives on its termination.* It was therefore in force in the year 1792, when Louis was depofed; and not having been discharged to him, is yet due to his heirs." Having then fhewn that our pofitive obligations to fupport the Houfe of Bourbon were ftrengthened by the ties of gratitude, Mr. B. proceeds to fhew that Mr. Fox is deeply implicated in this difcuffion. That gentleman is known, during the war, to have ftrenuously endeavoured to procure a declaration from the House of Commons, that this country ought not to pursue the war for the fake of the House of Bourbonan exprefs recognition of the principle that this country was not bound to affift the House of Bourbon, in fpite of the renewal and confirmation" in the best form" of the triple and quadruple alliances abovementioned, by the laft definitive treaty with France in 1783; a treaty concluded when Mr. Fox was in power. Mr. B. obferves, that "the articles of no "treaty ever underwent a more thorough parliamentary exa"mination;" and that in the House of Commons Mr. Fox spoke in favour of the preliminary articles collectively, though before he came into office he difapproved of them. The following obfervations on this fubject are deserving of his most ferious attention, as well as that of his countrymen. * "During a war the affiftance of a hoftile power cannot be called in to aid a King against his rebels. The obligation by compact is alfo dormant in war, otherwise there would be no neceffity that it fhould be renewed' at the conclufion of peace, as it was by the treaty of 1783, Art. 2." ❝ Grant "Grant that the violation of treaties is common: that is, has been fo frequent as to have been one of the most terrible fcourges to human kind does Mr. Fox contend that there fhould be one more added to the numbe? In the mouth of any man, the fcorn of that important part of the code of morals, which binds nation to nation, would have covered him with disgrace; but fuch a man's offence will not nearly approach the rankness of his; it exhibits a contempt of honeft political reputation, of which there are few parallels indeed in the hiftory of this kingdom. "For the reciprocal guarantee being now confidered as one of the articles which he regarded as difadvantageous at the fignature of the treaty; it must be further asked, did he not come forward and tell the body of the nation, through their representatives, that there were bad articles in the treaty, but that the public faith was pledged upon them; and if worfe had been infifted on, that faith was fo committed, it must have been definitively given even to thofe? But Mr. Fox was in office when the definitive treaty was concluded: he is therefore pledged perfonally, to endeavour to the utmoft, that its letter and fpirit should be carried into effect and he was not only in office, but he tells us it was concluded by himself. It was then BY HIS COUNCIL that the faith and fignature of his fovereign were given to it: and now he feeks, and has all along fought, to make ufe of the force of parliament as an engine to offer violence to the confcience of his king, rightly or wrongly implicated by his own advice. Reprefenting alfo the preliminaries as difadvantageous, he caufed the whole nation by a fingular refolution to engage its faith to the performance of them even as fuch, by their reprefentatives; and now he calls upon us in the fame mode, gratuitously to declare, we will break that very faith he recommend ed us to engage, and which the hiftory of the day informs us was unanimously given. Did he know or did he not know the guarantee he brought the nation into, by renewing the triple and quadruple alliances? If he was informed of it, was there ever a more frontlefs dereliction of principle, and of a principle he himself has talked fo highly of, than is contained in his recent declarations, and thofe he has been making ever fince the war? If he really was ignorant of it, was there ever a more criminal neglect of public care and duty in a minister? In neither cafe can fuch a man be elevated to power again, without extreme danger and dishonour to the kingdom. And this elevation is the declared object of his party, for exciting the movements which at this diftempered time agitate the nation." We have been induced, by reasons, the force of which, we truft, our readers will feel, to be fo copious in our extracts "See P. 35. 1. 5, extract of his fpeech." "I have not heard that the Conful has infifted, previous to entering into a negociation with us, that the parliament fhall declare, that this nation ought not to aid the Houfe of Bourbon if the war fhould continue, according to the guarantee," from from this important part of the publication before us, that we pafs over the remainder with only obferving, that it contains fome very just and pertinent obfervations on the instability of the government, and the atrocity of the character and conduct of the Corfican ufurper, who tyrannizes over France, and who feeks to domineer over the world. ART. VI. A Hiftorical and Philofophical Sketch of the Difcoveries and Settlements of the Europeans in Northern and Western Africa at the Clofe of the Eighteenth Century. 12mo. PP. 442. 5s. Vernor and Hood. London. 1799. IN N the language of the preface to this compilation, we observe, that "Africa, in the earliest ages, during the brilliant æras of Egypt, Cyrene, and Carthage, the theatre of fplendid and important tranf'actions; the terror of Europe in the dark ages; the object of her ambition and avarice, after the difcoveries of the Portugueze in the fifteenth century,--has lately acquired additional celebrity by attracting the attention of the friends of religion and fcience. The clofe of the eighteenth century, therefore, forms an æra in its history, when the refearches and tranfactions of Europeans in that country began to be directed by juftice, benevolence, and the desire of knowledge, instead of avarice and ambition.” In the sketch prefented before us in this work, we think that confiderable praife is due to the anonymous compiler for compreffing, within the moderate compafs of one fmall pocket volume, the fubftance of the modern difcoveries and books of travels in Africa. To him who wants fufficient leifure to perufe the large quarto volumes of feveral of our African travellers, and yet wishes for a general knowledge of the difcoveries which have been attempted, and made of late years, in this quarter of the world, we know not where we could recommend a more judicious abridgement, and clear, entertaining account, than is to be met with in this publication. The compiler has, with confiderable judgement, narrated the hiftory of the African Affociation, and of the Sierra Leone Company, from their commencement to the prefent period; and has given us the substance of the various accounts of those travellers whom they employed, Meffrs. Ledyard, Lucas, Watt, Winterbottom, Houghton, Park, Hornemann; as well as of Meff. Browne, Vaillant, Wadftrom, &c. It is thus that we have here exhibited in one view the progrefs of the difcoveries which have been made within the last twenty years, particularly in North and Weft Africa; whilft the publisher has combined with a detail of the adventures of the travellers travellers by whom these researches were accomplished, a delineation of the appearance of the countries through which they paffed, an account of their native productions, and a defcription of the peculiar manners of the various African tribes. In the plan adopted in this work, the author acknowledges that he has excluded the history of ancient and modern Egypt, of ancient and modern Abyffinia, of Caffraria, and of the Portugueze and Dutch fettlements, &c. As all could not be included within the prefcribed compafs, we think that the reasons he affigns for thefe omiffions, as well as for the method he has purfued, are fufficiently fatisfactory. But in a work of this nature, there is one omiffion, for which no apology is made, we mean a good map or chart of the routs purfued, and countries difcovered by these travellers. For want of this, the reader will frequently find himself bewildered with regard to the relative geographical pofitions of the various tribes of whom frequent mention is made. In tracing the features of the Moorish character, the writer gives us the following good defcription, as connected with the influence of defpotilm on the human mind. "Among rude nations, while property is infecure or undivided, the fame degree of turpitude is not attached to the fame crimes as in civilized ftates; but there is generally a franknefs and fincerity of character which is not found in a declining ftate, in the fame degree of ignorance. Friendship and fidelity are produced by oppreffion, which at first unites men more firmly for their mutual defence: but when defpondence feizes the general mafs, the character of man embitters with the pain he endures; every virtue, even humanity itself, is destroyed, and fociety is as really diffolved as among thofe tribes who acknowledge no ruler. Thus, among the Moors of Barbary, depreffed from their former glory by inveterate oppreffion, diftrust, and malevolence have eradicated the natural fenfe of right and wrong; the opinion of general perfidy prevails; all wish to oppress and plunder, as they have been oppreffed and plundered, and contider detection as the only misfortune. A difmal uncertainty broods over life, which impairs the greateft energy of the mind, and ftiles every voluntary exertion. Men dread to give fcope to their natural feelings, becaufe they feel nothing but pain; influenced by fome obfcure hopes of happinefs, like their flocks, they are driven along through life, without any fixed intention or object, and, like thefe, attempt to fnatch a little enjoyment as they pafs. Thus we may perceive how naturally defpotifm by the fame procefs produces a ferocity and a voluptuoufnefs of character; how it equally chills the heart and palfies the underftanding, caufing an apathy as well as an abfence of thought, which foon fubfide in the dejection of meannefs, and the debility of vice. But defpotifm is as weak as it is violent; it never poffeffes more than half the power which it pretends to exercife; its motions are irregular and and convulfive, which exhauft their power by their own violence; and are only useful for deftruction; now all is fpafmodic energy, now all is inaction and death. In this itate of fociety, it is fortunate that fomething like religion fhould prevail to stop the violence of bloody and rapacious tyranny, to difarm private vengeance, and reduce to mortal ftrength the iron arm of power. The veneration paid to the Marabouts among the Moors, is only useful in this view, for the intolerance and the irrationality of the Mahometan religion not only check the progrefs of truth, but, by fanctioning the feclufion of females, deprives man of his dearest happiness, and fupplants the most powerful fupport of focial order, the free and innocent intercourfe of the fexes. The apparent imbecility of understanding, which is venerated as a kind of inspiration, destroys in a great measure the utility of the Marabouts, though it increases their licentioufnefs. The mutual diftruft in which the Moors live, increases their natural fa. gacity in penetrating the defigns and characters of each other, as well as the low cunning which they difplay in all their tranfactions. But this exceffive diftruft renders them as capricious as deceitful; for when fufpicion agitates the mind, its refolutions will vary with every change of circumftances, and temporary shifts are fubftituted readily, in the stead of the best arranged measures." We were also pleased with the juft and fenfible obfervations. on the ufurped claim which has been rafhly made and wantonly exercised by various European ftates, in confequence of their difcoveries of uncivilized countries, to a right over the territories, the perfons, and property of the indigenous and inoffenfive inhabitants. And how lamentable is the reflection, that a claim, founded on fuch palpable injustice, should have been fo frequently converted into an engine of cruelty and oppreffion! We forbear to extract any of the travels of Mr. Park, or of our other modern adventurers, as they will be found in the original review of their works; but it may, perhaps, be entertaining as well as novel to many of our readers, to perufe the following account of two curious affociations which are found to exift in Africa. "In this (kingdom of Quoja)- and the adjacent kingdoms, two curious affociations fubfift, which resemble masonic fraternities in myfticism and mummery, of which the one is appropriate to men, and the other to women. The first, of which the king is the visible fuperior, is termed THE SOCIETY OF the BELLI, under the direction of an awful mysterious being, denominated the BELLI, which changes its form according to the pleasure of the high prieft. The uninitiated are excluded from all public offices of truft and profit, and the unfkilful are objects of public fcorn, and jeered by the women as having wafted their time in eating rice. The meetings of the fociety do not always continue, |