FOREIGN Вooks, continued from page 257

Annales Politiques, de feu Monfieur Charles Irenée Caftel, Aube de St. Pierre, de l'Academie François. Londres 1757, Tom. I. pag. 338. Tom. II. pag. 340. 8vo. That is,

The Political Annals of the late Abbé de St. Pierre, of the French Academy.

TH

HIS worthy person, who died at Paris, April 29, 1743, was a voluminous Writer, and a warm fpeculative Politician. He had confiderable talents, extenfive knowlege, and was justly esteemed, in point of expreffion, a very able and el gant Writer. He was also a man of great integrity, of a moft benevolent difpofition, commonly in the right, but whether he was fo or not, inflexibly wedded to his own opinion. He all his life long affumed to himself a liberty of thinking, fpeaking, and writing, upon fubjects of the most delicate nature, which would not have been very well relished under many other governments; but which were leaft of all acceptable under fuch a government as fubfifts in France. But to the Abbé St. Pierre it was the fame thing, acceptable or not acceptable; he wrote on, printed what he could, and what he could not print, he kept by him. Of these pofthumous works, that which is now before us, is one.

He tells us, in his preface, that the lives of illuftrious men, written by Plutarch, was one of the works which he most admired; more especially becaufe it fet the true principles or morals in the fairest light, and rendered them more eafily reducible to practice, by reafoning from facts. He from thence formed a refolution of trying what might be done, by the fame method, in regard to politics. His fcheme therefore, is to fet down the principal events that happened in his own lifetime, to explain the manner in which they were brought about, and to illustrate his own political maxims, by reflections upon thele events, and upon the confequences that attended them.

The fame fpirit of intrepid fingularity, which diftinguishes all his other works, is fufficiently visible in this. It contains not the history of, but historical reflections upon, fourfcore and one years; that is, from the year 1653, in which the Abbe de St. Pierre was born, to 1739. It is intermixed with his thoughts upon a variety of fubjects, that one could hardly have imagined would have found room in a piece written on fuch a plan. If we may judge from thofe points of hiftory with which we are belt acquainted, he was not always fo well informed as he imagined, but was fometimes deceived like other men. On the

Cc 4

whole,

whole, however, it will be found curious, inftructive, and entertaining, efpecially by Readers of the fame caft with the Writer, who delight in political reveries, and feel a pleasure in that kind of fpeculative curiofity, which enables them to review the actions, and to cenfure the conduct of the Great. A difpofition not at all uncommon in the prefent age, and by far more laudable than a spirit of fervile adulation, or undiftinguishing in

difference.

Hiftoire de la Ville d'Amiens, depuis fon origine, jusqu' a' present. Ouvrage enrichi de cartes, de plans, & de differentes gravures. Par le R. P. Daire Celestin. A Paris, 2 vol. in 4to. 1757(i. e.)

The Hiftory of the City of Amiens, from its origin to the prefent time, &c.

This work must have coft the Author incredible labour, and cannot but be exceedingly acceptable to the inhabitants of that diftrict to which it relates. The first volume contains, properly fpeaking, two parts. In the five fift books, we have a defcription of the city and its territory, which is very fertile in corn and in flax; a diftinct view of its antient and modern government, civil, military, and commercial; and, in regard to this laft, a very curious and circumftantial account of the manufactures eftablished there, in the reign of Lewis XIV. by the direction, and under the patronage, of the famous Mr. Colbert, for the making a vaft variety of woollen goods, and fome flight ftuffs, compofed of filk and woollen. The perfons thus employed in the city, and its adjacencies, are faid to be forty thoufand at leaft, diftinguifhed into fixty different companies. A confular juridiction was established here in 1667.

The remaining part of this volume contains the civil hiftory of Amiens, digefted regularly into annals, in which the Author has fhewn himfelf equally induftrious and impartial, as appears chiefly in the account he gives of the tranfactions in the time of the Holy League, when that furious bigotry which laid wafle France, flamed higher in this city than almoft.in any other, except the capital. He concludes with an account of the academy, first erected here, in 1702, and, after many alterations and revolutions, at length fully and finally eftablifhed, by letters patents, dated in the month of June, 1750.

The fecond volume comprehends the ecclefiaftical hiftory, the fucceffion of Bifhops, the erection and endowments of convents, and other religious communities; with every thing elfe of that nature. It is to be regretted, that a book, in fo many other re

fpects

fpects curious, inftructive, and valuable, should be so incorrectly printed.

L'Europe Ridicule; ou Reflections politiques fur la Guerre present. Cologne 1757, 8vo. That is,

Europe ridiculous, or, political Reflections on the prefent War.

This is one of thofe curious and extraordinary pieces that have been penned under the direction of the French Ambassador at the Hague; and are faid to have done fuch furprizing fervice, that the Miniftry of Verfailles are thought to have availed themfelves more in the prefent war of their emiffàries pens, than of their foldiers' fwords. But it may be very truly doubted, whether the advantages gained by either will be of long continuance, or, in their confequences, of any great advantage. This new scheme of fupporting political measures by libels instead of manifeftoes, may, for a time, have an effect on weak minds; but, in the end, muft prove very prejudicial: and, indeed, might at any time be turned against them, if the Minifters of other Monarchs would defcend to fuch unworthy methods, or would even countenance their master's fubjects, in vindicating the juftice of their respective caufes, by publishing indecent truths.

The fcheme of thefe political reflections is, to misreprefent the character of his Pruffian Majefty, and to stir up the hatred of the Dutch mob [their magiftrates will defpife fuch stuff] against the British nation. In order to effect the first, all imaginable pains are taken to represent the Pruffian monarchy as an upftart ftate, and to give the most odious colours to the means by which it has been raised from its antient obfcurity to its prefent fignificance, by the two laft Kings. It is afferted, that in the former reign, the people of all ranks, in all the Pruffian territories, amounted but to one million, fix hundred thousand fouls; and that the revenue did not rife higher than thirty-fix millions of French livres; of which ten millions were employed in the pay and fubfiftence of the troops; two were spent in the court; fomewhat more in defraying the civil government; fo that ten millions were conftantly laid up, by the late King, for carrying the vaft defigns he meditated into execution.

His préfent Majefty is represented as having been surrounded in his youth, by a fet of indigent men of letters, with whom, to escape his father's jealoufy, he was glad to converfe with familiarity, and to adopt their manner of fpending his time; and by whom he was flattered into an extravagant opinion of his own abilities. He is alfo faid to have collected from them, and from the perufal of the Authors they recommended, a turn of thinking, fingular in itfelf, and which renders him lefs practicable to

the

the foreign minifters refiding at his court, than any other Prince of his time; with an infinity of fuch like invidious infinuations: all calculated to poifon the mind of the Reader, and to prevent his feeing the plaineft facts in that light in which he must otherwife fee them. The addrefs, the capacity, the courage of Pruffia's victorious Monarch, are all to be converted into ill qualities, becaufe, at a certain period, he could not be made the dupe of the Marquis de Valori, or even of their more able negotiator, the Duke de Nivernois.

With this laudable view, he is defcribed as framing, at the beginning of his reign, a table of quarrels, which, according as circumftances directed, he was to pick with all his neighbours; and this once laid down, the colour of injustice is thrown on every future action, either in war or in peace. His invasion of Silefia, was an act of outrageous violence; his fupport of the Emperor Charles VII. felf-interested; his conjunction with France infincere; his feparate peace with the Queen of Hungary unjuftifiable; his breaking with that Princefs again, to fave the Emperor, another act of injuftice; his invafion of Saxony, by which he prevented his own country from being invaded, cruel in the highest degree; and the treaty of Drefden, made by him only with a view that it might become the fource of a new war. After fuch fuggeftions, the obligations France was under to that Monarch in the laft war confidered, no French Minifter certainly will have the affurance to fhew his face again at Berlin.

In respect to the British nation, they are charged with facrificing the commerce of the Dutch to their own, during the last grand alliance. In proof of this, it is faid, Sir George Rooke difcharged an Algerine Corfair that was brought into the grand flect, in the Mediterranean, because, though the Dutch were at war, we were at peace, with the Algerines. We made prize of Dutch veffels that in a time of war traded with France; though it is allowed we never traded ourselves, and therefore thought trade and war incompatible with the fame nation. Befides all this, Mr. Methuen made a treaty between Portugal and England, by which, in confideration of our taking their wines, they were to take our cloth; and this great politician fays, that if the Portuguefe did not buy ours, they would buy Dutch cloth. He very fairly admits, and, which is fingular enough, thinks to make his court to the Dutch by admitting, that they no longer make the figure they did; which he would have them believe is owing to our undermining their trade. It is, however, a felfevident truth, that while the republic was clofely attached to us, fhe made, indeed, a great figure, and fince her attachment to France, a ftrange one.

Our

Our Author is not more bitter in his fatire, than wonderful in his panegyric; the wisdom, fortitude, and uprightness of the measures of the court of Vienna, are fet in the fairest point of light. The political prudence of the States General is highly applauded but above all, the moderation, fagacity, and magnanimity of the King of Poland, are commended in the moft obliging terms. We fee from hence the ftupendous talents of French Writers, and how eafy it is for them to run down even the greateft characters, when that is neceffary to fupport the syftem of Versailles; and with how much facility likewise they cut out niches in the Temple of Fame, for every Prince who will attach himself, at the expence of his natural interests or dominions, to the plan of their Monarch, and his Ministers.

L'Hiftoire des Navigations aux Terres Auftrales, contenant ce que l'on fait des mœurs, & des productions, des contrées, découvertes jufqu'à ce jour; & où il eft traité de l'utilité d'y faire de plus amples découvertes, & des moyens d'y former un établissement. A Paris chez Durand, 1757. 4to. Tom. I. p. 463. Tom. II. P. 513. That is,

The Hiftory of the Voyages that have been made to the Countries lying near the South Pole; in which is contained an account of what we know as to the manners of the inhabitants, and as to the productions of these places; and in which the utility of making farther difcoveries is confidered; and the means of forming an establishment pointed out.

The defign of this large and curious work, is to examine methodically, and fet in its proper light, a subject hitherto treated with little precifion, at leaft in comparifon of its importance. The Author is the Prefident de Broffe, a magiftrate equally dif tinguished by his extenfive knowlege, and as extenfive a spirit of benevolence. He lays it down as the foundation of his enquiries, That beyond the most southern points of Africa, Afia, and America, that is, the Cape of Good Hope, the Molucca Ilands, and the Streights of Magellan; there must be a tract of country, part continent, and part iflands, containing between eight and ten millions of fquare miles, and making a third of our terraqueous globe, which he confiders as abfolutely neceflary to balance that vaft extent of country which compofes the northern part of Afia,

This foundation being laid, he next examines how far this fertiment may be confidered as fupported by facts; which for the fake of perfpicuity, obliges him to diftinguish these southern lands, into thofe which lie beyond Afia, to which he gives the name of Auftralafia; thofe bevond the Straits of Le Maire, which

he