only swallows up their new acquired revenues, but impedes and fhackles their trade in every instance, shape, and form in profecution of this war, the heads of their fervants abroad are turned and bewildered, and their mercantile bufinefs (which only can fupport the company in the end) muft fuffer under unavoidable neglects and abuses. The gentlemen at home in the direction of affairs, muft labor under heavy embarrassments in conducting the two branches of war and trade, either of which would fully employ their whole time and attention.

A trading and a fighting company, is a two headed monfter in nature that cannot exift long, as the expence and inexperience of the latter, muft exceed, confound, and deftroy every profit or advantage gained by the former; new temporary victories, ftimulate and pufh us on to grafp at new acquifitions of territory; these call for a large increafe of military force to defend them; and thus we fhall go on, grafping and expending, until we cram our hands fo full that they become cramped and numbed, and we shall be obliged to quit and relinquish, even that part which we might have held faft if bounds had been fet to our progrefs, which (upon the prefent fyftem) we now fee is utterly impoffible, therefore a total change in our politics becomes indifpenfably neceffary.

The gentlemen in the direction muft furely fee this fatal tendency of their affairs, and muft tremble at it—but where's the remedy? they will fay—it has been already pointed out, and no regard paid to it poffibly, though convinced, they' want the public fanction to a ftep they may think fo extraordinary-though every day they are taking steps more extraor dinary, in fupporting their fervants in a war against the Mogul, his Vice-Roys, and fubjects, which on the present plan muft unavoidably prove the ruin of the company.We have a confiderable concern in this flock, and therefore claim a right to speak when private remonftrances fail, public ones may acquire a due influence.

'Why we should wantonly perfift in a state of deftructive war, with a potentate whofe alliance is fo materially neceffary to us, when we have it fo much in our power to make a useful friend of him and his fucceffors, is a conduct that furpaffes human understanding; and yet that fuch has been our conduct for five years paft is moft certain.

• Let us have done with this ringing changes upon Soubahs, there's no end to it; let us boldly dare to be Soubah ourselves; our own terms have been more than once offered to us by the Emperor, why fhould we longer hefitate to accept them? We have not fcrupled to feize and poffefs part of his territory with violence; furely it would be more confcientious, and more confiftent with the laws of nature and nations to hold the whole of these provinces under him, by his own appointment

T 4

-that

that this would be readily affented to on his part, if a proper. overture came from us, is not to be doubted; the confideration of his own great and obvious advantages, and the neceffities of his fituation would leave him no room for choice.

We have already convinced him, we are able when we have a mind to fet our own ruin and the lives of our fellow fubjects at nought, to hold this part of his country from him, in fpite of his ftrongest efforts against us; nay, poffibly we might retain it under our fubjection for fome fhort time at leaft; but the confequence to him and us is obvious, a wanton expence of blood and treafure, while the object we are contending for is daily more and more defolated by this contention, and bye and bye will not be worth the poffeffion of either-for every movement that does not tend to a lafting and firm peace by advantaging both, is fruitlefs, and can have no permanent or falutary. effect; and moft fure it is, that the plan we have hitherto purfued, and arc ftill purfuing, cannot accomplish that defirable iffue,

It is true we have feen our forces in the Eaft, under the conduct of an able and active commander, drive the Mogul's Vice-Roys out of the provinces; it is alfo true, that we have feen a fpirited conduct and bravery in the Mogul's troops, that, ought juftly to ftrike us with apprehenfion of future confequences. The Ruffians when firft attacked by Sweden, did not poffefs a tenth part of the courage and difcipline that these our enemies have now acquired, and yet the event is known to the world. Let us reafon upon very probable fuppofitions, and not reft in a too great and flattering fecurity, at a time when we have the greateft caufe to be alarmed.

Suppofe the Mogul's Vice-Roys fhould from experience at Jaft evidently fee, that the only way to conquer us, and render our courage and difcipline of none effect, is to avoid ever coming to a general action with us; with the great fuperiority of numbers they will ever be able to bring into the field, they may by this precaution and dividing their army (which confifts chiefly of cavalry) into small bodies, cut off our provifions and forage, beat up our quarters, harrafs our handful of men without ceafing, and finally deftroy us without danger to themfelves—and is it improbable they fhould at laft adopt this conduct? we pronounce, no, it is moft probable they will as the only refource left for them.

Let us again fuppofe a rupture with France, whilst we are engaged in this war with the Mogul, our prefidency of Fort William, and our other factories in a manner deferted, and the chief ftrength of all our fettlements acting at the distance of eight or nine hundred miles from the center of our poffeffions.

We will not fuppofe a rupture with France near, but let it

come

come when it will, it fets at nought the article in the laft treaty of peace, which gave us an exclufive right to Bengal, and therefore ought to be attended to; for it is not to be imagin. ed, that they will neglect fo favourable an occafion of attacking a fettlement, that conftitutes in the Eaft the very effence of our being, when they find it left defenceless by the abfence of our troops.

In short, every confideration calls aloud for a period being put to this unprofitable, and precarious war, by fome other plan of operations, and we affert none is fo eligible, honourable or practicable, as that we have now hinted at.- We have nibbled at these provinces for eight years, and notwithstanding an immenfe acquifition of territory and revenue, what benefit has refulted from our fucceffes, to the company? are their dividends raised to the late standard of eight per cent? no-it is impoffible they fhould whilft this deftructive expenfive contest exists

and fhall we thus go on, nibbling and nibbling at the bait, until the trap falls and crushes us?But to come more immediately to the point,

66

Bermit us moft humbly to advise, that exprefs orders be fent without delay to your Prefident and Governor of Fort William, to make the following overture of peace to the Mogull; viz. "That on condition of his appointing and investing (to all intents and purposes) your Governor for the time being, Soubah of the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa, "you will engage on your part, that the ftipulated fum of one "khorore of rupees, fhall be annually paid into the royal trea"fury, free of all deductions."

As this fum near doubles the ftipulation made by the ufurper Aliverdi Khan, with the Vizir Munfoor Ali Khan, Anno 1750, (a tythe of which by the bye was never paid) and we venture to fay, redoubles in one year, any advantages the Emperors have received from the revenues of thefe provinces, for the fpace of forty years laft paft; we cannot entertain a doubt of his moft readily acceding to the terms propofed, as thereby he would alfo fecure a powerful ally, who could be occafionally of fervice to him on any emergency, in his government.

When we are invefted with, and empowered to display the Mogul's royal ftandard, the provinces will be easily governed and kept in fubjection, at a less annual expence and force, than the Company are now from neceffity loaded with but fuppofe it double, the flake is amply fufficient, as we shall presently demonftrate..

Some narrow minds, ftrangers to the nature of the country and government, will start, and make the greatnefs of the.object a bugbear to their hopes and wishes was it poffible, that the Company could unmolefted enjoy what they have got, and pur

fue

fue their trade without interruption; we fhould be amongst the firft that might juftly exclaim against their extending their views; -but, that this was impracticable, we have long foreseen and publicly declared; and if we think at all, we must now be convinced there is no medium, or alternative, but this, that can be adopted with any femblance of fecurity or permanency-aut Soubah, aut nullus, muft now be our motto.'

The aut Soubah, aut nullus, naturally reminds us of Lord Clive; and our Author likewife recollects him on this occasion. We cannot, fays he, enough applaud the seasonable measure of fending out his Lordfhip; the weight of whofe reputation, and experience in thofe parts, will moft effentially promote this our new plan. He, adds Mr. H. is the best qualified to negociate it, the fitteft to be firft invested with that high power, and the moft capable of fixing and leaving it upon a folid bafis.—We heartily concur with our Author, both in his project and in his choice of an ENGLISH NABOB: and Lord Clive may fafely depend on the votes and interefts of the Monthly Reviewers, even without the expence of a dinner at the King's Arms.

G.

The Principles of the English Language digefted; or English Grammar reduced to Analogy. By James Elphinfton. 2 vol. 12mo. 8 s. Vaillant, &c.

T is earnestly to be wished that the rifing generation may profit by the many attempts which have been lately made to improve the grammar of our language; and that we may be no longer exposed to the ridicule of foreigners, and even of each other, on account of the amazing uncertainty and diver fity of our colloquial jargon. There is one reafon, indeed, to fear that fo difagreeable an effect may not fpeedily take place; and this is, that most of those attempts have been fo crude and injudicious, that they have fhewn the mafters to want inftruction as much as their pupils. In a matter of fuch allowed importance as that of teaching our language with elegance and pu rity, it is furprizing that hardly any qualification is thought requifite, except a little knowledge of the Latin: to which tongue the English hath lefs affinity than moft others in Europe. With regard to pronunciation, fuch knowledge is totally ufelefs; but indeed this part of grammar is cultivated by few; the ftate of our orthoepy being generally given up as defperate. If we enquire, however, into the caufe of its diforder, the effects of fuch enquiry will very naturally lead to a remedy. It is to the different modes of fpeaking in the pretended mafters of our lairguage, that the diverfity and confufion we daily experience

arife.

arife. It may, perhaps, be impoffible ever to eftablish an univerfal mode of pronunciation in different provinces; but if fchool-mafters were to throw off all provinciality of dialect in their teaching, it would go a great way toward establishing a very general one. Mr. Elphinston gives a very curious reason why foreigners and provincials are better qualified to teach the language than the natives; the former, fays he, being under the neceffity of ftudying for thofe things which are familiar and obvious to the latter; and therefore discovering thofe difficulties to which the latter would pay lefs attention. Now, we do readily admit, if the neceffity of ftudying be a proof of our hav ing studied, that our Author's reafon is good; but as people do not always know, merely because they ought to know, we look upon this circumftance in a very different light. Not that we mean to pay any compliment to the school-masters of the metropolis or its environs, at the expence of thofe in the country, of even those numerous labourers in this vineyard that visit us from North-Britain. A polished English school-master will doubtiefs smile at being told, in a British grammar, that we fhould pronounce fire as if it were written faweer, and defire as if it were written defaweer: but how juftly might be retorted on him the equal imperfections and abfurdities of our own popular schoolbooks! The Londoners are laughed at, for faying weal and wile, inftead of veal and vile; but if we look into the fpelling-books moft in use, we thall find, in the lift of words of the fame found but different meanings, veal and wheel specified as words of the fame found, as alfo vile and wile. Can any provincial barba rifms equal thefe!

In respect particularly to the work before us; it is by no means the best or the worst of this kind of performances; one general defect of which is evidently owing to the incapacity of their authors to diftinguish between real idiom and habitual jargon; between thofe things which are reducible to rule, and thofe which all rule fhould exclude. It is a matter of great importance alfo in all didactic performances, that the Reader's attention fhould be engaged only by objects of confequence; that he fhould not be perplexed with a multiplicity of words, or be alarmed at a parade about trifles. There are many particulars refpecting languages that are to be acquired only by reading and converfation; while there are many others of which the very attempt to teach them by book, is fufficient to disgust the learner with the whole ftudy. We are forry to find Mr. Elphinfton hath eked out many pages of his two volumes with fuch kind of exceptionable matter.- Specimen. Treating of the plurality of nouns, our Author fays, Nor are original fubftantives only pluralifable: any other part of fpeech may be adopted a fubftantive, and form a plural as fuch: thus one forty, two forties; a nothing, nothings; "a bluster, blusters; an out,

outs;

.