1 their true interefts, in renewing those treaties with England that give it fo pernicious a preponderance in the commercial affairs of Ruffia. He acknowledges, however, that there are natural impediments to the augmentation of the Ruffian maritime commerce, of the most serious and infuperable kind. The rigour of the climate is unconquerable. The rivers and feas are frozen fix or feven months of the year, during which the activity of man is in a ftate of fufpenfion. Fisheries, coafting trade, internal navigation are all at a ftand, and fhips and failors laid up every where. In fuch circumftances human induftry is debarred from action, and the principle of energy is loft: this fufficiently accounts for the inconfiderable progress hitherto made by the Ruffians, in eftablishing that extenfive fyftem of maritime improvements in their own country, which they have had fo long in view; but which perpetually recurring obftacles fo ftubbornly oppofe. The Ruffian navy in the Bal-. tic and on the Black Sea, amounted, in 1791, to sixty-seven fhips, from one hundred and ten to fixty-fix guns, thirty-fix frigates, from forty four to twenty-eight guns, and a great number of other veflels of all dimenfions, carrying from eight to nine thousand guns, and manned with twenty-one thousand feamen. The nineteenth Chapter relates to France. It was not till the ministry of the renowned Colbert, that France became a maritime power. The neceffity of a naval eftablishment had already been felt in the difputes with England, in the reigns of Charles the Firft and of Lewis the Thirteenth, and that neceffity produced the conftruction of twenty fhips of force, that did effential fervice, efpecially againft Spain, in the war between that power and France fhortly after the termination of the latter's difference with England. Colbert began his fuperintendance of the maritime affairs of France, by granting bounties to fhips built in French dock-yards, and to thofe French traders that fetched naval ftores from the Baltic, on condition of their returning full freighted. So rapid was the encrease of the French marine under his care, that in five years France had, on the ocean and the Mediterranean, fifty fail of the line and twenty frigates. The intent of this active minifter was to carry the navy of France to one hundred and twenty fail of the line, and feventy-four frigates, befides other veffels of inferior. fize. The plans adopted and recommended by him fucceeded fo effectually, that, in 1692, the year of the famous battle of La Hogue, the navy of France confifted, of one hundred and ten fhips of the line, and fix hundred and ninety frigates, and other veffels of all denominations, carrying fifteen thousand and manned with one hundred thousand feamen, two guns, thoufand thousand five hundred of whom were officers. But this brilliant marine, after the dreadful blow it received at La Hogue, yearly declined. In the war for the Spanish fucceffion, a mortal wound was given to it at the battle of Malaga, in 1704; after which it was totally unable to confront the navy of England, and was employed merely in annoying the British trade. That of France, at the demife of Lewis the Fourteenth, was reduced to feven hundred veffels in the European feas, one hundred in the West Indian trade, and a dozen or fifteen in the whole fisheries, on their own coafts. Fifteen years after, under the minister of marine, Maurepas, the foreign trade of France employed three thousand seven hundred and feven ships, and upwards of nineteen thousand feamen: the home or coafting trade, from twelve to thirteen hundred, and fix or feven thousand failors. The royal navy confifted of fitty fhips of the line, and large frigates, befides others of inferior force. In the war of forty-four, against England, France was not able to fend forth more than thirty fhips of the line. The defeat of the French fleet, in May 1746, and of the October fleet, in 1747, absolutely ruined the French marine. In the war of 1755, for the protection of the American colonies, the navy of France did not, at the commencement, amount to more than forty-five ships fit for actual fervice. In the courfe of this war, it loft thirtyfeven fale of the line, and fifty-fix frigates; eighteen of the former were captured by the English, and thirty-feven of the latter; the others were burned or funk. In the war between Great Britain and her colonies, in North America, the French navy amounted to eighty-four fhips of the line, befides frigates and other veffels. Citizen Arnould takes occafion, from the vigorous refiftance of the English, to observe, that without the affiftance of any continental power, they were able alone to face and to fruftrate the confederacy against them of the three greatest maritime powers in Europe, France, Spain, and Holland. He thence infers, that nothing less than the univerfal combination of all the European powers, is neceffary to oppofe them effectually, and to affert the freedom of the sea against their tyranny. On this ground he invites all nations to vow an eternal hatred to England. From the recognition of the American independence to the French Revolution, the author dates the greatest commercial activity of France. Upwards of one thousand veffels of two hundred and fifty tons each, upon an average, were employed in the Eaft and West India trade, and in the Newfoundland and whale fisheries, independently of the numerous branches of European commerce, and of that carried on coaft-wife. The navy, at the fame epocha, confifted of eighty-one fhips, from one hundred and eighteen to fixty-four guns, fixty-nine frigates, from forty to thirty guns; befides one hundred and forty veffels of inferior fize, carrying from thirteen to fourteen thoufand guns, and manned with feventy-eight thousand feamen. From this expofition of facts the author is compelled to acknowledge that the naval ftrength of France is inferior to what it was in the days of Lewis the Fourteenth. He confeffes further, that, in 1796, the total of the French force at fea did not exceed the half of what it amounted to a century ago: he thence infists on the inexpertnefs and want of zeal and activity in those ministries that have governed France during the prefent century, and ascribes to their negligence the fallen condition of the French navy. He concludes with warm exhortations to adopt the neceffary measures for repairing all thefe loffes and difgraces. The means which he afterwards points out, are to regenerate Paris, by rendering it the centre of the French Republic, and converting it into a species of maritime city, by opening large communi. cations with the fea. This would more effectually than ever intereft its inhabitants, and through them the whole nation in all those events that affect its honour and fafety, and thereby divert them from inteftine broils. To effect thefe purposes Belgium must be retained in order to place Paris in the midst of the common wealth. Through this central pofition and enlarged communication, combined with the influence attached to its example and importance, it will become, with additional energy, the animating agent in all public operations: fuch is the purport of Citizen Arnould's fpeculations. But this manner of reafoning is evidently fo fuppofititious, and for that reason inconclusive, that, if nothing better can be proposed, the calamities of France will long continue unremedied. ART. II. Schiller's Tragedy of Mary Stewart. SEVER EVERAL unsuccessful attempts have been made in English, to form the history of the unfortunate Queen of Scots into a piece for the theatre, and, if we are rightly informed, the prefent attempt of Schiller is neither likely to add much to the fame of its author nor to fupply the English ftage with any thing very interefting or lafting. On the 14th of June it was performed, at Weimar, for the first time, to a very crouded audience; but, on the 16th, the fecond representation was very thinly attended, and even the most enthufiaftic admirers of the author (fome who had sometime before expreffed the utmoft indignation when fome doubts were thrown out of Schil ler's ler's being able to do juftice to the fubject) openly avowed their disappointment. The following remarks of La Harpe, on the Tragedy of the Earl of Effex, by Thomas Corneille, may be very properly applied to the piece of Mary Stewart. "In the first place the hiftory is ftrangely disfigured; and as it refpects a neighbouring nation and a fact not very ancient, this liberty is not excufeable. It is not allowable when an event which paffed in England is reprefented on the theatre of Paris, to contradict the truth of hiftory, and the manners of the country, to such a degree as that an Englishman, who should happen to be present, fhould be unable to refrain from laughing--on the contrary, he ought, on feeing the different perfonages on the fcene, to believe himself to be in London: fuch is the duty of the dramatic poet. -In short, thus to violate history, is it not in effect to dishonour tragedy, which ought never to make use of it but in order to render the examples more ftriking and the leffons more useful?" The first act of Mary Stewart opens with the feizing of her papers, by Paulet and Drury, and afterwards exhibits Mary herself with her favourite attendant, Hannah Kennedy, in a fituation abundantly interefting, dreading the vengeance of Elizabeth, (whofe cruelty and hypocrify the juftly detefts) and cafting about in her mind how to efcape and avoid it. Drury is reprefented as harsh in the prefence of his unfortunate prifoner, but as feeling very feverely for her fituation. The fecond act prefents to us Queen Elizabeth in the prefence of her councilthe endeavours of the council to perfuade her to cut off her rival and her hypocritical difficulties. The Earl of Shrewfbury is reprefented as ufing every means in his power to diffuade the Queen from fhedding Mary's blood. In the third act an interview takes place between the two Queens at Fotheringay: this was contrived, in the fecond act, by the Earl of Leicester, who, at the fame time that he is the object of Elizabeth's love, is himself reprefented as violently in love with Mary, and as wishing to fave her in order to gratify his paffion. With this view he entered into a confpiracy with one Mortimer to effect her refcue, which being discovered was rendered abortive-on which Leicefter makes his peace with Elizabeth by treacherously revealing all he knew of Mortimer's plan, and by feizing his perfon, on which Mortimer ftabs himself. The fourth act exhibits Elizabeth's hypocrify and feelings in figning the warrant, and the eagernefs with which Burleigh went to put it in execution. The fifth act prefents Mary, in the midft of her attendants, comforting, and taking leave of them, preparing for death, and proceeding to execution, and finishes with a view of Elizabeth on receiving the news of her death of of her banishing Burleigh, Davifon, &c. and expreffing her defpair on hearing that Leicester, (who had been at Fotheringay during the execution) unable to bear the lofs of Mary, had fet off for France. In the course of the piece there are many interefting scenes and many pathetic fpeeches, which abundantly fhew the fervid pen of Schiller. The paffion, the envy, and hypocrify of Elizabeth are occafionally ftrikingly pourtrayed, and the con.. tending paffions in the breaft of the unfortunate Mary are alfo intereftingly exhibited. It is impoffible, if one were only to felect and join together the unadorned history of Mary Stuart, to produce a piece which should be devoid of interest; but it feems impoffible, or at least extremely difficult, to work it up into a perfect drama; and there are circumstances which feem to render Schiller peculiarly unfit for a task both difficult and delicate. Whether it is the effect of a corrupted imagination, or to gratify the corrupted tafte of the German public, we know not; but certain it is, that Schiller has, in all his pieces, prefented fome vice, and especially the want of chastity in women, under attracting colours. Elizabeth's guilt in putting Mary to death is as much leffened as poffible, and every circumftance brought forward that has the smallest tendency to excufe it: but though she could not then be under the dominion of youthful paffions, the is reprefented as entirely devoted to Leicester, not as a favourite but as a lover, and he returns her affection in the most familiar and expreffive manner. That Elizabeth was pure I will not pretend, but that she was culpable, in this particular, history feems not to have pofitively decided, and it certainly was not neceffary to exhibit on the ftage, in a SENSIBLE manner, unless it had been to excite blame or difguft, which feem not, however, to have entered into the views of the author. Mary is reprefented as a ftrumpet tolerably interesting, and the author has endeavoured, through the whole piece, to exhibit her as a good-natured frail one. Mortimer, who had entered into a confpiracy in order to deliver her, has a private interview with her, in which he avows the moft violent paffion for her, and declares (feizing her at the fame time in his arms, and embracing her in the rudest and most indecent manner) that he muft, as the reward of his labours, enjoy her perfon-on this occafion (by far too indecent to be reprefented on any ftage) Mary fhews neither indignation, nor the pride and dignity natural to her fex and to her rank. On the contrary, the feems to fubmit as willingly as if it had been her own choice, or as if he had been accuftomed, like the lowest and most abandoned of her fex, to the rude embraces of every one who prefented himfelf, Immediately |
