vention of Stade, and the rifing glories of the King of Pruffia, obliterated the glorious Duke of Cumberland as effectually as his Royal Highness, and the battle of Culloden, had effaced the figure, the memory, and the renown of Admiralt Vernon.

The Duke was fo totally difplaced by his Pruffian majefty, that I have fome doubts whether he met with fair play. One circumftance,. indeed, was much against him; his figure being marked by a hat with the Kevenhuller cock, a military uniform, and a fierce look, a very flight touch of the painter converted him into the King of Pruffia; but what crowned the fuccefs of his Pruffian majefty, was the title beftowed upon him by the brothers of the brush, "The glorious Proteftant hero;" words which added splendor to every sign-post, and which no British fubject could read, without peculiar fenfations of veneration and of thirst.

For two years the glorious Proteftant hero was unrivalled; but the French being beat at Minden upon the rft of August 1759, by the army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunfwic, the King of Pruffia began to give place a little to two popular favourites, who ftarted at the fame time, I mean Prince Ferdinand, and the Marquis of Granby. Prince Ferdinand was fupported altogether by his good conduct at Minden, and

his high reputation over Europe as a general;— the Marquis of Granby behaved with spirit and perfonal courage every where; but his fuccefs in the fign-pofts of England was much owing to a comparison generally made between him and another British general of higher rank, but who was fuppofed not to have behaved fo. well. Perhaps too, he was a good deal indebted to another circumftance, to wit, the baldness of his head.

The next who figured in the fign-post way was the celebrated John Wilkes, Efq;-This public honour conferred on him was alfo an effufion of gratitude; for he was fuppofed to. have written the Earl of Bute, who was both a Scotfman and a favourite, out of power, and to have refifted and explained the illegality of general warrants. Befides, he fought a bloodlefs duel with E. Talbot, and was fhot in the: cause of liberty by Mr. Martin of the treasury.. All these were great weights in the scale of popularity; and, though Mr. Wilkes never attained the glory either of Admiral Vernon or the; Duke of Cumberland, yet his vifage has filled. many a fign-poft, and much ale and gin 'has been fold under his aufpices..

These are the last whom the people of Great Britain have thought worthy of being fo ho-. noured; and though the thing itself may seem

ludicrous,

ludicrous, yet the tale has a moral, by no means flattering to the well-wishers of this country.We have been now for five years employed in attempting to reduce our rebellious colonies; we have been two years at war with France, and one with Spain; many troops have been raised,. many millions have been expended, expeditions without number have been planned and fupported, and the moft powerful fleets have been fitted out that the coafts and dock-yards of England ever beheld; yet, during this long period, with fo many opportunities, and fo much force, we have not an admiral whofe head would fell a fingle can of flip, nor a general whofe full length would procure cuftom for an additional pot of porter...

That this expreffion of public gratitude may be fometimes mifplaced, I will by no means deny; but still this tribute paid by the people is more likely, than any other circumftance, to be a fure. proof of real merit. The Sovereign may be mifinformed as to the defervings of those whom he is pleased to honour; and although, in the present reign, no fubstantial mark of unmerited favour has been conferred, yet every body remembers the late General Blakeney, who gave up Minorca, made a Lord for defending it, merely to fupport a finking administration. What reliance can be had on the thanks of parliament as a proof of public merit, may be learned from the answer of a gallant

a gallant fea-officer (not an admiral), who, upon being told that the House of Commons meant to give him thanks for his intrepid and fuccessful conduct on the coast of France, fwore, if they did, he would inftantly refign his commiffion.

Perhaps, at that time, fome recent inftance of party-injustice and partiality had brought the thanks of parliament into disrepute; but, be that as it may, I fhall never think our affairs, either by fea or land, in a profperous condition, till I fee the fign-pofts of England filled with fresh figures of generals and admirals. When that happens, it will be a fure proof, that our affairs have taken a favourable turn, and that fome of our commanders have, at last, acted in a manner fuitable to the troops and treasure with which, from the beginning of this war, they have all been fo liberally supplied.

N° 83.

TUESDAY, February 22, 1780.

Na paper published at Edinburgh, it would

IN

be improper to enter into any comparison of the writers of this country with those on the other fide of the Tweed: but, whatever be the comparative rank of Scottish and English authors, it must furely be allowed, that, of late, there have been writers in this country, upon different fubjects, who are poffeffed of very confiderable merit. In one fpecies of writing, however, in works and compositions of humour, there can be no fort of doubt that the English ftand perfectly unrivalled by their northern neighbours. The English excel in comedy; several of their romances are replete with the moft humourous representations of life and character, and many of their other works are full of excellent ridicule. But, in Scotland, we have hardly any book which aims at humour, and, of the very few which do, ftill fewer have any degree of merit. Though we have tragedies written by Scots authors, we have no comedy, excepting Ramfay's Gentle Shepherd; and though we have tender novels, we have none of humour, excepting thofe of Smollet, who, from his

long