thirty horfes, while he does not labour above fix or eight acres of land. Thiefe pafture at large among the hills; and are only caught at the particular times when their labour is required.' 'P. 128.

In general, horfes were preferred.becaufe. they could bear the feverity of the winter's cold, provide for themfelves in the hills, and were more eafily recruited in fpring. Even at prefent, except in large corn farms, they are ftill preferable.

The effay on watering offers nothing new to the English agriculturist; though Dr. Smith's recommendation of plantations may be read with advantage by every patriotic fpeculator, His advice and directions are indeed peculiarly appropriated to the Highlands, which certainly once abounded with wood, but whofe growing profperity will be greatly checked by the prefent want of it. Even arable land of an inferior quality fhould, as he remarks, be facrificed to its cultivation. This author's obfervations on the fpecies of crops best adapted to the Highlands are equally valuable.

Mr. Williamfon's judicious advice for promoting the fisheries and preferving the woods merit high commendation. Various other communications on this fubject are of great local importance. What relates to fuel is equally fo; but not fufficiently intercfting to the general reader to detain us. Captain Smith's remarks on the corruptions of the Gaelic would not be intelligible to many; but we fhall felect his concluding obfervations.

The Gaelic language offers an interefting ftudy to the Scottish antiquarian; as the fureft guide to a knowledge of the customs, manners, and arts, of the ancient Caledonians. Thus, faigkder (the word fignifying a foldier) leads us back to the most ancient state of the military art in this country, when bows and arrows were the only weapons; and biorlinn (which fignifies a boat) points out the origin of navigation in a very remote period of fociety, when the ingenuity of man had proceeded no farther than to hollow out a piece of wood, in which he could barely venture to cross over the unruffled pool of a narrow river.

If the Gaelic antiquary join to the knowledge of his mother tongue an acquaintance with other ancient and original languages, his curiofity will derive an agreeable gratification from difcovering their general refemblance. And he will be enabled, by comparing the fame words, when occurring under different acceptations, to throw light on thofe dark ages of the world, to which the fong of the bard and the record of the hiftorian, however ancient, are but very imperfect guides. Creich, in the Gaelic, denotes the cattle carried off from a neighbouring territory, whether by force or fraud. The fame word, in the German, fignifies war. Hence, then, we difcover the origin of war, in predatory excurfions, the only object of which was the gratification of hunger, an appetite whofe operation

muft have been very extenfive, before industry had, as yet, provided a fupply for the wants and neceffities of mankind.

The traditional tales (fgeulachdan) of the Highlands contain many curious particulars, tending to illuftrate the cuftom and ufages of chivalry, and the peculiar caft of manners which that fingular inftitution produced in the nations of Europe.It is to be wifhed that thofe precious, but mutilated relics, of antiquity, were rescued from that tide of oblivion which is advancing towards them with rapidity, and, in a fhort time, must cover and conceal them from our view for ever." P. 342.

What relates to the canal in the latter effays we have already noticed, in our review of Dr. Garnett's Travels. We cannot conclude without expreffing our higheft approbation of the fpirit and good intentions of this fociety, and truû that their very ufeful activity will not be remitted.

The Hiftory of the Helvetic Confederacy. Continued from Vol. XXIX. New Arr. p. 249.)

THE fecond volume of this interefting work opens with an account of the Burgundian war, which was followed by those against Suabia and Milan. The origin and progress of the Reformation occupy two chapters, to which fucceeds a ftatiftical view of the cantons, bailiwicks, and allies. The fuc ceffive difturbances at Geneva in the eighteenth century form the fubject of the ninth chapter, and the tenth and lat nar rates the diffolution of the confederacy by the invafion of the French, who in a few weeks fubdued a country formerly esteemed invincible; thus adding a prodigious force of opinion to the power of their arms, though at the expenfe of equity, and perhaps of justice.

As the events of the first part of this volume are pretty ge nerally known, we shall pass them rather curforily, in order to referve more space for the recent incidents which are sometimes referred to; materials not generally known, and become the more interefting, in confequence of their affuming the clear and concife form of concatenated history. The clofe connexion cemented between Swifferland and France in the fifteenth century we should have expected to have feen more fully illuftrated; nor does the author difplay much critica! skill in his felection of facts and events; a conduct which conftitutes the very effence of claffical hiftory, Trifles are often in, termingled with important affairs, equally to the embarrassment of the narrative and of the reader. Excellent hiftories have indeed appeared of various kinds and deferiptions, but principally of two alone; firft, thofe in which the author,

anxious to illuftrate an obfcure or neglected period, collects every authentic fact, even though he fometimes appear hereby tédiously minute, merely in order that no particle of existent truth may perish, and that complete and veritable materials may supply any future general hiftorian with the means of felection and combination, fo as to prefent a history at once authentic and elegant. In fuch a work, refinement, and what the painters call difpofition of parts, must often be facrificed to the labour of antiquarian refearch, and to the anxious defire of preferving all the fum total of authentic information, The fecond general claffification of history selects only the more grand and striking circumstances that occur, with their caufes and confequences, which the genius of the author arranges in the most eloquent and interefting manner, so as to afford the reader a perpetual recurrence of entertainment and delight. Among ancient examples, the Hiftory of Dionyfius Halicarnaffæus may be alleged as a specimen of the former divifion, and that of Livy of the latter. It is evident from the plan and manner of Mr. Planta's work, that he has attempted the fecond of these two orders of hiftory; and though genius cannot be imparted, yet he ought either to have followed its rules of graceful felection and combination, or have given his work the more humble title of annals.

The fpirited defence of the Swifs against the power of the Houfe of Burgundy conftitutes one of the brightest periods of their history. We shall not repeat the battles of Granfon and of Morat, but tranfcribe the decifive contract of Nancy.

In the first days of the following year he returned with a body of upwards of fifteen thousand men, and refolved to attempt the deliverance of Nancy. Charles was advised to desist voluntarily from the fiege, and to wait for the return of fpring; but his own impetuous temper, and the infidious councils of the Condottiere de Campobaffo, who commanded the Neapolitans in his army, induced him to reject this falutary advice, and on the morning of the fifth of January (the last day of his eventful life) he marched his army, pe rifhing with cold and hunger, to meet the approaching enemy. He took poft about two miles from Nancy, in a hollow near a stream, and placed thirty cannon to defend the only pafs through which an attack might be apprehended. His infantry ftood in clofe array, covered at each wing by the cavalry, commanded on the right by the perfidious Campobaffo, and on the left by Joffe de Lalain. Two Swifs adventurers, who on account of fome misdemeanor had been banished their country, and were now ferving in the army of Charles, went over, and offered, on condition of being restored to their na tive privileges, not only to impart to their countrymen the order of battle of the duke, but also to conduct them, along secret paths, to the most vulnerable part of his array. This offer, which at Mor

garten would probably have been rejected, was now readily accepted: a large body of duke René's army was led round the fortified pafs, through the half frozen ftream; and, dividing into two columns, the one commanded by the duke, and the other by the brave William Herter, fell unawares upon the flank and rear of the Burgundians. No fooner did these hear the found of the Swiss bugle horn, and perceive the intention to furround them, but they crowded ftill clofer, and turned their cannon towards the approaching enemy. They foon found, however, that it was impoffible for them to use their artillery without evident danger to themselves. The confederates began the attack with their ufual impetuofity, and made a deep impreffion on the disordered ranks. Charles fent to Lalain to hasten to their relief; but his men feeing the carnage that already overfpread the field, betook themselves to flight, and difperfed among the mountains. The duke upon this refolved to engage in person. He rushed among the combatants with the fury of a lion, and flew many with his own hand; but most of his people, especially the cavalry, having now forfaken him, and feeing himself entirely abandoned, he determined to 'confult his own fafety, and rode full speed towards the road that leads to Metz. Being hard preffed by his purfuers, he attempted to leap over a ditch; but his weary horfe being unable to clear it, they both fell into the trench, and here Charles met his fate from hands unconfcious of the importance of the life they were abridging. After having been fome time miffing, his body was found among other dead in the ditch, and conveyed to Nancy. His head is faid to have been cloven asunder, and he had two other wounds, each of which was mortal. He was interred with folemn pomp at Nancy; but feventy-three years after, his remains were transferred to Bruges, to be deposited in the fame tomb with those of his daughter Mary. Moft of the Burgundian nobility, who had not fallen at Granfon or Morat, were here either killed or taken; and a third Burgundian camp became the prey of the victorious enemy. Vol. ii. P. 38.

We may also be allowed to felect from the fourth chapter an inftance of democratic injuftice.

A tragical incident, which happened foon after at Zuric, while it afforded a memorable inftance of the inftability of human affairs, might also have served as an early caution against the pernicious tendency of the foreign connections which began now to prevail, and the fatal confequences of a people interfering in the administration of justice. John Waldman, whom we have seen at the head of the main body of the confederate army at Morat, was a native of a small village near Zug, and came in his early youth to Zuric, where, being wholly deftitute, he engaged to learn the trade of a tanner. The vigour of his mind, as well as the comeliness of his perfon, however, foon raifed him from this lowly condition, and enabled him to diftinguish himself in the military career, in the fer

vices both of his country and of foreign princes. He was knighted at the battle of Moat, and fince that had rifen gradually at Zuric even to the high ftation of burgomafter. His influence throughout the confederacy became fo great, that all foreign kings, princes, and ftates, who had any object to pursue with the cantons, had recourfe to him; and according to the practice now prevalent, fecured his intereft, and that of his fubordinate agents, by ample pensions and gratuities. This unexpected rife, and the fupport he experienced from abroad, foon produced the effects which fo uncommon an aggrandizement feldom fails to operate; great arrogance and pertinacity, and an haughty deportment in the afpiring magistrate; and much envy and malevolence on the part of the ancient families, who bore with impatience the fupremacy of one whom they had formerly feen in one of the lowest ftations.

Pretences were not long wanting for giving a full scope to the adverfe paffions which the fortunate burgomafter had excited. The fenate of Zuric, alarmed at the progrefs luxury had evidently made, fince the influx of riches brought from the Burgundian war, had iffued various fumptuary decrees, which the more diftinguished citizens, and especially their wives and daughters, the clergy, whole morals had yielded to the contagion of the times, and the profligate of all claffes, thought oppreffive and derogatory. To these were foon after added other regulations concerning the monopoly of falt, the right of hewing timber, and even a prohibition to keep dogs în the farms, because they had in fome inftances injured the vineyards and molefted the game: all which alarmed the lower claffes, and the latter, particularly the peafantry, and excited them againft the burgomafter, to whom all thefe innovations were gratuitoufly afcribed. The peasants were the first who openly refifted the exe cution of the decrees; and when, through the interpofition of fome of the most difcreet among the magiftrates, they were nearly paci fied, Waldman incautiously revived their indignation, by declaring to them that, being all vaffals, or rather predial flaves, purchased by the city, they had no right to arraign the orders of the magiftrates, or any ways to impede their execution, Secure in the prevalency and firmness of his power, he repaired with some friends to Baden, to partake of the amufements of that gay city; and there, in his unguarded moments, held a language refpecting the affairs of his canton, which even thofe beft inclined in his favour knew not how to juftify. His numerous enemies at Zuric did not fail to avail themselves of his abfence, and of these indifcretions, to excite an odium against him, which all ranks were now well disposed to admit; and their fuccefs was fuch, that when Waldman, 'being ap❤ prized of the clamours raifed againft him, returned privately into the city, he found a defection which he was ill prepared to encounter. A general infurrection foon broke out among both the citizens and peasants, which neither the burgomafter, nor several de, puties from the confederated ftates, who had been fent on the oc cafion, knew how to allay,