Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Charles Rivington, of St. Paul's Church Yard, bookfeller, maketh oath and falth, that he hath known the above-named Defendant, Peter Stuart, for several years laft paft, during which time this deponent hath had frequent intercourie with the faid Peter Stuart, in the way of bufinefs; and, in all his tranfactions with the faid Peter Stuart, hath found him a man of liberal principles and unimpeachable character. That this deponent hath been in the conftant habit of reading the newspaper called The Oracle and The Daily Advertiser, of which he underftands the faid Peter Stuart is the conductor and proprietor; and deems it no more than an act of justice to the faid Peter Stuart to exprefs the pleasure he has experienced in obferving the fteady and warm attachment to the Conftitution in Church and State, which he has evinced on all occafions, as well as a due regard to the peace and order of the community at large. This deponent is alfo convinced, from his knowledge of the faid Peter Stuart, that, in the capacity of conductor of the faid newfpaper, he would not willingly act with malevolence towards, or wound the feelings of any man. And if, in the hurry of bafinefs, or from inadvertency, any thing offenfive to the feelings, or injurious to the character, of any individual fhould appear, he, the faid Peter Stuart, would be anxious to make all the reparation in his power for the fame.

May 31, 1799.

CHARLES RIVINGTON.

George Nicol, of Pall Mall, (bookfeller to his Majefty,) maketh oath and faith, that he has known the above-named Defendant, Peter Stuart, for feveral years laft paft, during which time the deponent hath found him a man of the moft honourable principles and unimpeachable character. That this deponent hath been in the conftant habits of reading the newspaper called The Oracle and the Daily Advertifer, of which he understands the faid Peter Stuart is the conductor and proprietor; which paper he has always read with fingular approbation and pleasure, on account of its zealous loyalty-its ardent and unfhaken attachment to the Conftitution, in the worst and most dangerous times-and of the exemplary moderation, decency, and propriety, with which public affairs and private characters have been treated in it. And from his knowledge of the faid Peter Stuart, and his experience of the condu& of his paper, he verily believes, that it is impoffible for any newspaper to be in the hands of a man more averfe to injure the interests of the public, wound the feelings of private individuals, or to violate the rules of morality and good manners.

Pall Mall, May 31, 1799.

GEORGE NICOL

LITERARY

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

An enlarged edition of a feafonable work, entitled, "The Libertine led to Reflection," of which an epitome or brief sketch was recommended four years ago, is printed, and will be published before the end of autumn. This work is intended to furnish young Clergymen, not only with a complete body of Argument, by which they may fuccefsfully combat the fophifms of Papifts, Heretics, and Unbelievers of every defcription, but likewife to inftruct them in the mode most advifeable, and the opportunity most favourable, for urging their arguments with advantage. It comes from the wellknown pen of the Rev. JOHN DUNCAN, D. D. Rector of South Warnbro', Hants, Author of the Effay on Happiness, Editor of Baxter on Immortality, &c. &c.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The letter faid to have been fent to the Sun Office, refpecting "The Monthly Reviewers' account of Barruel's Memoirs of Jacobinifm," we have not been able to procure. Of the work itself we shall foon give a more complete, and, we truft, a more correct and impartial Review, than has yet appeared. The importance of the queftion which it involves renders the task of analysis a very laborious tafk, and one, the performance of which confequently requires a confiderable portion of time.

Margaretfon's letter was received too late for infertion this month.

The communications from Chefter have been received, and will be duly noticed.

Our other correfpondents will find attention paid to their favours in the prefent number,

ANTI-JACOBIN

Review and Magazine;

&c. &c. &c.

FOR JULY, 1799.

Equidem is fum, qui iftos plaufus, cum a popularibus civibus tribuerentur, femper contempferim; idemq; cum a fummis, mediis, infimis, cum deniq; ab univerfis hoc idem fit; cumq; ii, qui ante fequi populi populi confenfum folebant, fugiunt; non plaufum illum, fed judicium puto.-CIC. IN ANTON.

[ocr errors]

ORIGINAL CRITICISM.

ART. 1. An authentic Account of the Embassy of the Dutch Eaft India Company, to the Court of the Emperor of China, in the Years 1794 and 1795; Subsequent to that of the Earl of Macartney ;) containing a Defcription of Several Parts of the Chinese Empire, unknown to Europeans. Taken from the Journal of André Everard Van Braam, Chief of the Direction of that Company, and fecond in the Embaffy. Tranflated from the original of M. L. E. Moreau de Saint-Mery. With a correct Chart of the Route. 2 Vols. 8vo. Pp. 630. Price 14s. Phillips, London. 1798.

HESE volumes are published by the modeft Mr. Phillips,

in an English tranflation, who here "ventures to affirm, without hesitation," that he has employed a gentleman, on this occafion, that "is incapable of blundering;" yet, in the first page of the dedication, we find General Washington congratulated for his "conqueft of liberty," which an Englishman would fuppofe conveyed the idea of the fubjugation of a nation to tyranny, if it convey any idea at all. Mr. Phillips afferts alfo "an exclufive claim to the favour of the public on this occafion, because he has taken much pains to procure a CORRECT CHART OF THE ROUTE," when we obferve, in R

NO. XII. VOL. III.

this

this very correct chart, that the geographer makes no diftinction in the proportion of a degree of longitude in the latitudes of 200 and 410, or, in other words, that 65 miles and 52 miles are equal to each other. But had Mr. Phillips's edition poffeffed all the merit he affumes, yet a tranflation is of little value, if the original be contemptible or fpurious, which, from internal evidence, appears very probable in the prefent inftance. Mr. Van Braam is represented as being born at Utrecht in 1739; he first ferved his country in the Dutch navy, but at the age of nineteen, in 1758; went in quality of "fupercargo of the Dutch East India Company to Macao and Canton, where he refided till 1773, except during two very fhort voyages to Europe." Now, thefe two very fort voyages must have taken up feven years, for his effective refidence, according to the advertisement of the editor, was only eight years. He afterwards fettled in Guilderland till 1783, then became a cultivator of rice in South Carolina, and was a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1784; but, in confequence of the lofs of his children, and a propofal from the Dutch Eaft India Company, he undertook the management of their affairs at Canton, in quality of chief of the factory. In the year 1794 he was appointed fecond in the Dutch embaffy, and in 1796 he quitted Canton, with a view to pass the reft of his days in America. This journal, confequently, is a tranfatlantic. production, and is ftated to have been tranflated into French, under the infpection of Mr. Van Braam. Before we proceed farther, we will affign fome ftrong reasons, and exhibit fome glaring proofs, to fhew that thefe volumes are entitled to little credit, and little to be relied upon for their veracity. If contradictions invalidate the authority or authenticity of a work, we will give fome few glaring fpecimens, which will tend to invalidate the authority or authenticity of the work before us. In VOL. I. P. 265, we have the fubfequent ftatement:

"This court is then the only one, even in Afia, where the chief of the nation is not furrounded and protected by a formidable military guard. The confidential guards of the Emperor of China are cuauchs, who alone are charged with the protection and police of the interior of the palace; of that place where he is really domefticated with his wives and children.”

In VOL. 11. P. 31, fpeaking of fome Mandarins that executed a ferious dance, he obferves

Thefe Mandarins were all dreffed in the fame manner. The buttons on their capes were oval, hexagonal, and of different colours, blue, white, and coraline. The caps had a thick covering of very fine raw ûlk; and from the hind part a kind of flap or hood fell

back

back upon their fhoulders. Round their necks they wore feveral rows of large beads, hanging down to the breaft. I asked of what rank they were, and here follows what I was able to collect :

"They are called Chiouais, and are a body folely compofed of the fons of the principal Mandarins of the Empire, fuch as the Tongtous, the Tay-toys, the Fou-yuens, and others of the firft rank. They are taught the military art, and ought to understand the use of the bow and arrow to perfection. The first clafs is the Yuchin-Chiouais, who guard the doors of the exterior of the palace, and always remain near the Emperor's perfon: their button is of red coral. The fecond clafs confifts of the Tinchin-Chiouais, to whofe care the external gates of the palace are entrusted: their button is dark blue. Laft comes the third clafs, or common Chiouais, who are armed with bows and arrows, and accompany the Emperor's palanquin, either on foot or horseback, whenever he makes a long excurfion. Their button is of a dull and milky white."

So that Mandarins of the first rank always remain near the King's perfon, yet guard the exterior doors, (we presume a blunder for interior,) of the palace, yet eunuchs alone are charged with the protection and police of the interior of the - palace.-Contradiction first.

In P. 199, fpeaking of an annual exhibition of skaters before the Emperor, Mr. Van Braam obferves, "it appears it is the only day on which fkates are used; for neither before nor after did I ever see a single skater in China." At a fubfequent period, (P. 270,) “we perceived a few skaters upon the ice."-Contradiction fecond.

In the report of January 31, 1795, "the driver of a little cart overturned Mr. Van Braam in a ditch, but fortunately, as the ice was thick, he received no injury, (VOL. 11. P. 1,) but on the fame day, (P. 5,) "upon coming to a little pool that was entirely thawed, the Ministers stopped to make us remark a number of gold fish of an extraordinary fize."-Contradiction third.

In VOL. M. P. 93, this writer ftates, "we proceeded along a Small and wide road;" how a road can be wide, yet SMALL, is to us incomprehenfible; for fmall cannot here have the fignification of fhort, fince the embaffy is represented to have paffed through eleven villages and hamlets on it.-Contradiction fourth.

In VOL. II. P. 188, Mr. Van Braam ftates "that he had never heard that the practice of burning the dead and collecting their ashes had been customary in China," in the thirtyfix years he had been perfonally acquainted with the country, when his effective refidence, according to his own statements, was only eight years.—Contradiction fifth.

R 2

This

« ZurückWeiter »