they ought now to perceive the neceffity of placing no farther confidence in that perfidious confederate, of which the fole object has always been to render them inftrumental to its own aggrandifement. It was chiefly to accomplish this end, that among other methods, that of converting the Republic into a real, though not a nominal, monarchy, was adopted, by rendering the dignity of Stadtholder hereditary, and vefting it with prerogatives inconfiftent with the principles of a commonwealth. Such is the undeniable refult of all that he has faid upon this fubject.

He concludes this chapter by defcribing the present situation of Holland, as perilous in the highest degree. Threatened by the greatest continental powers on the one hand, and by the greatest maritime power on the other, the chances are, that crushed to pieces by the contending violence of these formidable rivals, that country will revert to its primitive condition, and be once more buried in the marshes from which it arofe. Citizen Arnould might here, with great propriety, be reminded, that, in such case, no people will have more effectually contributed to fo fad a catastrophe than his own countrymen. The naval forces of the Dutch, at the time of the French Revolution, confifted of forty-four ships, from seventy-four to fifty-fix guns, forty-three frigates, from forty to twenty-four, and about one hundred veffels of all fizes, carrying altogether two thousand three hundred guns, and manned with fifteen thousand seamen.

The twelfth Chapter profeffes to examine the maritime politics of the House of Auftria; but contains only the dif putes occafioned by its creation of an Eaft India company, at Oftend, which the great maritime powers prevailed upon it to suppress, and the endeavours of the late Emperor, Jofeph, to open the navigation of the Scheldt, for his fubjects in the Netherlands, which were also frustrated in a similar manner.

In the Thirteenth Chapter the author treats of the once famous and powerful affociation of thofe commercial cities ftiled Anfeatic; but as their number is now reduced from eightyfour to three, they poffefs not fufficient importance to intereft the attention of the public. Dantzic was lately one of that affociation; but its fate is too well known to require notice. The only three that remain are Hamburgh, Lubeck, and Bremen. The first of these is, after Amfterdam, the most confiderable of the commercial cities on the Continent of Europe: they are all three free and independent, and are confidered on that footing by the European powers, with which they have contracted and still maintain fome very beneficial treaties that have long contributed to render them, efpecially the firft, extremely rich and flourishing.

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In the fourteenth Chapter the efforts made by the House of Brandenburgh to become a commercial power are reviewed: they were begun by the Great Elector, Frederic William, in the last century; but produced nothing very folid till the acceffion of the late Frederic, King of Pruffia, furnamed alfo the Great. In his reign a variety of regulations took place, for the improvement of the commerce, the navigation, and the feaports of his dominions. The Houfe of Brandenburgh poffeffes, at prefent, an extent of fea coaft of fourfcore German miles, reaching from the western extremity of Pomerania, to the eaftern extremity of Pruffia, and containing fome spacious and excellent harbours. The productions of the territories, ont this extensive line of coaft, are numerous, and confift of articles eminently faleable, being principally the neceffaries of life, or articles of the firft utility. So much attention has been paid to the improvement and encreafe of the Pruffian trade, that it is now computed to employ upwards of twelve hundred veffels, manned by near twelve thousand feamen.

In the fifteenth Chapter the maritime fyftem of Denmark is examined this kingdom/poffeffed a confiderable number of flout fhips in the fixteenth century, for which it found full employment in its frequent wars with Sweden. In the courfe of the seventeenth, its marine received great augmentations, and continued to difpute the dominion of the Baltic with Sweden. It was, during this period, that it procured a recognition, from the European powers, of its right to exact a toll from all veffels paffing through the found: this right was recognized at laft by Sweden itself, at the peace it concluded with Denmark, after the death of Charles the Twelfth. The induftry of the Danes, fince that epocha, affifted by a judicious government, has procured them three-fourths of the Baltic trade, which enables them to carry on a very lucrative commerce in the Mediterranean, and in the Eaft and West Indies, in addition to the beneficial one they enjoy with every part of Europe. The Danith government has long been remarkably attentive and vigilant in protecting the trade of its fubjects. It firft conceived the idea of the famous armed neutrality during the American war, to which all the Nothern powers fo readily acceded. The commercial enterprizes of the Danes have acquired a great activity fince the extinction of feveral monopolies, of which experience taught them the pernicious tendency. Thefe exclufive priviJeges granted to the few, to the detriment of the many, were long prevalent in Denmark, and proved, as they generally do every where, a material obftruction to the encreafe and the profperity of the national commerce. The government of Den mark has lately fignalized itself by that edict, in 1792, which fixes the abolition of its flave trade in the third year of the next

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century. The naval ftrength of the Danish marine amounted, at the era of the French Revolution, to thirty-eight fhips, from ninety to fifty guns, twenty frigates, from forty to twenty, and about fixty other vefiels of different fizes, carrying three thousand guns, and manned with twelve thoufand feamen.

In the fixteenth Chapter the maritime fyftem of Sweden is investigated, a country advantageoufly fituated for both domeftic and foreign trade, through its extent of coaft, the goodness of its harbours, the immenfe lakes that interfect it, and which may be confidered as fo many inland feas: its commodities are of fuch a nature as to enfure a ready vent, being chiefly the produce of mines and naval ftores, wanted by all the Southern nations. From their many encounters on the Baltic with the Danes, it appears that they must have poffeffed fhips of force in the latter part of the fixteenth century, when feveral furious fea fights took place between them and that nation. They did not, however, figure as a maritime power till the reign of the celebrated Guftavus Adolphus, who first animated them to naval exertions, and laid the foundation of their foreign trade. Charles the Eleventh, a prince of great capacity, encouraged it by a variety of excellent regulations, and conftructed a number of capital fhips, with which he effectually maintained against the pretenfions of Denmark, the independence of Sweden in the Baltic. The military phrenzy of his fon, the famous Charles the Twelfth, entirely ruined the marine and commerce of Sweden: three merchant fhips were the fole remains of the commercial navigation of Sweden, at that Prince's death. Great efforts were. neceffary to remedy the evils occafioned by his imprudence and bad government: but the principal mean was an edict framed shortly after the decease of that Monarch, by which no foreign fhips were allowed to import into Sweden any other productions than thofe of their own country, nor even to transport these coaft wife, from one part of Sweden to another. These endeavours to recover from the calamities of that unhappy reign, were interrupted by an ill-advised war with Ruffia that terminated with lofs to Sweden. When peace was concluded, the pacific operations that had already proved highly beneficial, were refumed with fresh alacrity: an event happened at the fame time that feconded them powerfully. Shoals of herrings re-appeared on the Swedish coaft, which they had quitted for a number of years, and afforded a moft ample and profitable fishery. Encouraged by success, the Swedes renewed their former commerce to the Mediterranean and the Levant: they enlarged it confiderably and fecured it by treaties with the Turks and the ftates of Barbary: they alfo extended it to the Weft Indies, and fhortly after to

the

the Eaft, particularly to China, whither they dispatched, in 1778, no less than twenty fhips. In confequence of thefe exertions, the commerce of Sweden had risen to fo profperous a fituation, that previoufly to the late war with Ruffia, out of feven hundred and fixty-fix merchant men employed in the trade of that kingdom, fix hundred and feventy-five were Swedish. Throughout thefe various tranfactions, Sweden has been particularly folicitous to maintain a refpectable neutrality between belligerent powers. For that purpose it acceded to the armed neutrality during the American war, and united with Denmark during the prefent conteft between France and the coalefced powers. The maritime ftrength of Sweden at the time of the French Revolution, confifted of twenty-feven fhips, from feventy-four to fifty guns, twelve frigates, from thirty-eight to twenty, and forty gallies, befides a number of fmaller veffels, carrying altogether three thousand guns, and manned with about eighteen thousand feamen.

The feventeenth Chapter details the means pursued by the Ruffian government, in order to become a maritime power. The famous Czar, Peter the Great, was the first who ftrove effectually to establish a maritime commerce in Ruffia, together with a marine. A paffage had been opened by fea to Archangel, by the English, in the middle of the fixteeenth century, and great commercial privileges were granted to them, by means of which they carried on a large and profitable trade with Ruffia for many years. Alexis, the father of Peter, conceived the project of conftructing fleets upon the black and the Cafpian fea; but left it to be executed by his fucceffor. The firft naval effay of Peter was with the Turks, from whom he took Afoph, where he propofed to make a large and commodious harbour for the reception of a powerful navy, with which he intended to profecute an extenfive plan of hoftilities against the Turks. The laborious career of this extraordinary and indefatigable Prince is fufficiently known. His travels to HolJand and England procured him a number of expert hipbuilders and mariners, through whofe affiftance he greatly forwarded his naval fchemes. He had the fatisfaction of seeing Petersburgh, which he had founded in 1704, become, in the courfe of fixteen years, a city of the first confequence, full of fhips, of trade, and of manufactures. It was, to ufe the words. of the ingenious Algarotti, the window through which Ruffia enjoyed the profpect of Europe. This enterprifing Prince was not, however, fo fortunate in his maritime attempts on the Cafpian sea, where he had equipped a large fleet of gallies and transports, deftined against Perfia. He was, from various caufes, obliged to abandon the expedition, after lofing one

third of his army, and a great part of his fhipping. The maritime fyftem he had founded was carefully purfued by his fucceffors, particularly during the reign of his daughter Elizabeth. In her time, and through her partiality, according to the infinuations of Citizen Arnould, the English were favoured with the renewal of those monopolifing privileges they had heretofore enjoyed in the Ruffian dominions. Thefe ambitious islanders, as he ftiles them, would have availed themselves of these aufpicious circumftances, to obtain a commercial intercourse with Perfia, through Ruffia, and the Cafpian Sea: but the connections they had formed with the Perfians, fubjecting them to fufpicion, their project mifcarried. In the mean time that plan of maritime aggrandifement, which included the reduction of the Ottoman Empire, was not neglected; but it proved extremely ruinous to Ruffia; exclufive of the dreadful lofs of men incurred at land, twelve thousand feamen perifhed in the sea of Afoph, a misfortune which it required a long time to repair: this happened during the reign of the Emprefs Anne. At the acceffion of the late celebrated Catharine, in 1762, these projects occupied the ideas of the ruling individuals in the Ruffian Empire. The conqueft of Turkey was a favourite object, and had been fuch ever fince the days of Peter. The war to which they gave rife, and which was terminated by the treaty of Kainardgi, in 1774, produced the maritime part of the plan. A free navigation to Ruffia on the Black Sea; two other wars, and two other treaties extended the advantages gained by Ruffia. To the ceffion of the Crimea, in 1783, to this victorious power was fuperadded, in 1792, a farther extenfion of its navigation in the Turkish feas. But thefe fucceffes were dearly purchased by Ruffia. The free navigation of the Black Sea has colt her, in the space of these laft twenty years, thirteen hundred thoufand men a prodigious diminution of people in a country, which, notwithstanding its vaft extent, did not contain previoufly to thefe destructive wars with Turkey, more than fifteen millions of inhabitants. It is remarkable, that, with all these exertions and fucceffes, the commercial marine of Ruffia has fo little benefitted, that, in 1784, it amounted to no more than eighty merchant men, the property of the Ruffians.

The author has not forgotten, in his ufual strain of antipathy to the English, to reprefent them as the great obftructors to the encrease of the commercial marine of the Ruffians, through the injudicious favours they have obtained from the court of Petersburgh, and by which they are enabled to overwhelm all competition in trade, on the part of the natives themselves, as well as of foreigners. He complains that known hatred to the principles of the French Revolution has led the Ruffians aftray from