arts had been cultivated with redoubled zeal; trade and manufactures were reviving from a ftate of languor; and a better profpect began to open in every direction. Such were the statements, views, and predictions, of the three counsellors of ftate (Regnier, Najac, and Gouvion St. Cyr), who were ordered to give an account of the fituation of the republic.

On the expiration of the truce, the court of Vienna protefting against a feparate treaty with France, the war was renewed with apparent alacrity. The troops under Augereau had a conflict with thofe of Mentz at Afchaffenburg, on the 24th of November; and, on the 29th, Moreau, to whofe exertions the French chiefly trufted for the humiliation of his imperial majefty, re-commenced hoftilities near the river Inn. The works of Wafferburg were quickly forced by his men; but, on the 1ft of December, he was lefs fuccefsful in a battle with the archduke John, who advanced with three columns to attack him near Haag. The action was obftinate, and the Auftrians were repeatedly driven back; but the French were at length defeated. In an engagement at Rofenheim, on the fame day, the corps of the prince de Condé acquired reputation by a difplay of courage and firmnefs; and, on this occafion, the prince's fon and the duke d'Angoulême exerted themselves with confiderable effect in repelling the enemy. Encouraged by this fuccefs, the archduke foon rifqued another conflict. On the 3d, he affaulted the poft of Hohenlinden, memorable for the fignature of the lait convention. A heavy fall of fnow and fleet had fo retarded his march, that only the central column had arrived at the place of deftination at a time when all the divifions ought to have been ready to act; and the left, under general Rifch, loft its way. One divifion of the French, conducted by Richepanfe, pierced between the left and the centre, reached the great road behind the centre, and affaulted the left flank and rear of that column, at a time when it had formed in front, and had commenced an attack. The Auitrians fought for feveral hours with alertnefs and gallantry; but, their centre being repelled by the impetuofity of the republicans, great confufion enfued. Their left wing was alfo defeated; and the battle feemed to be completely decided in favour of the French, when a vigorous attempt was made by the right wing to wreft from them the honours of victory. Grenier fuftained this unexpected charge with firmnefs; and, being well fupported, threw his adverfaries into the utmost diforder. The baffled troops retired towards the heights of Ramfau, with very heavy lofs; and general Kienmayer, being attacked on his march by a corps from Aerding, likewife fuffered feverely in that retreat, to which he was driven by intelligence of the difafter that had befallen the main army. Above 10,000 of the Auftrians, on this unfortunate day,

are fuppofed to have been killed or made prifoners: of the French about 3000 loft their lives or were wounded. Klenau and the other Auftrian generals are accufed of having imprudently extended their lines, so as to give Moreau a decifive advantage. The victorious republicans purfued the fugitives with little intermiffion, and, after fome conflicts which we need not fpecify, took poffeffion of the city of Saltzburg. Prifoners, artillery, and various ftores, daily accrued to them; and their progrefs menaced the emperor with the conqueft of his capital.

Three other armies (the Gallo-Batavian army, that of the Grifons, and that of Italy) were in the mean time employed, though with lefs brilliant fuccefs, in promoting the caufe of the republic. Augereau gained an important advantage near Bamberg, on the day which was diftinguished by the battle of Hohenlinden; and, in other engagements, he prevailed over the imperial forces. Macdonald, defying the obftacies which an Alpine winter prefented, paffed from the country of the Grifons into the Valteline, drove the enemy before him, and opened a communication with the army of Italy. A part of the laft-mentioned force, under Dupont, defeated the Auftrians at Mafcaria; and, on the 26th of December, the republicans paffed the Mincio after an obftinate conteft, though on the preceding day they had loft many men in fruitlefs efforts for that purpose. Lieutenant-general Delmas, in attempting to pafs near Monzanbano, was expofed to a fevere attack; but he foon baffled his adverfaries, and crofled the fiream. Dupont, when he had effected a paffage near Molino, was haraffed by a charge fo vigorous, that he would probably have been obliged to retire, if he had not been powerfully aided by Gazan with a fresh divifion. On the following day, new advantages were obtained; and, in thefe conflicts, above 7000 Auftrians were captured.

While extreme confternation prevailed at Vienna, the archduke Charles repaired to the camp, to animate the troops to fresh exertions: but, inftead of attacking the enemy, a due fenfe of the inutility of further conteft induced him to propofe an armistice, which was concluded at Steyer on the 25th of December. Though the French had acted difhonourably in difmantling the towns which had been delivered to them merely as pledges by the convention of Hohenlinden, the emperor now confented to the furrender of many other pofts, relying on the promise of reftitu tion. Indeed, he was fo humbled by the fuccefs of the foe, that he declared himself ready to detach himself from his allies, and recede from his former determination of agreeing to no other than a general peace. The British court, in confideration of the perilous predicament in which he flood, releafed him from his engagements; and it is probable that a treaty between him and the French will Toon be adjusted at Luneville.

At this critical period, while the emperor was in danger of lofing his territories, his formidable adverfary, the chief conful, incurred the rifque of a lofs of life. On the 24th of December, when he was on his way to a place of thea trical amufement, a fudden explosion broke the windows of his carriage, killed feveral perfons, and wounded others. This mifchief was occafioned by a barrel, in which were combustibles and a kind of mufquet, placed on a small carriage that was fo difpofed as to obstruct the paffage through the street. In all governments, plots are fometimes fabricated to dupe the people; but that this was a real confpiracy is generally believed, and the Jacobins are fuppofed to have contrived it. Many individuals were apprehended on fufpicion of being concerned in the plot; and fome, after a judicial procefs, have been condemned to death: but we have not yet been informed of the execution of the fentence.

GERMANY.

Our communication with this country was fuppofed to be endangered when the king of Pruha, in the month of November, took poffeflion of the bailiwic of Ritzebuttel, on pretence of an invafion of the rights of neutrality in the capture of an Embden fhip by the English, by whom it had been carried into Cuxhaven, a port belonging to the Hamburghers. The fenate, alarmed at the menaces of that prince, endeavoured to pacify him by procuring a reftitution of the veffel; but he perfifted in his intention of garrifoning Cuxhaven, though he promised to pay due refpect to the trade and interefts of the inhabitants. This prince is faid to have promoted the late northern confederacy; but he difavows all views of hoftility against Great-Britain. The fincerity of his declarations may perhaps be questioned by thofe who reflect on his friendly intercourfe with our enemies.

RUSSIA.

Infligated by French counfels, impelled by caprice, or ftimulated by ambition, the northern emperor demanded the island of Malta from the English, as he enjoyed the title of grand master of the knightly order. They refufed to admit his pretenfions; and their oppofition to his will fo inflamed his refentment, that he not only ordered an embargo to be laid (in November laft) on all British ships in his harbours, but fubjected the feamen to imprisonment and other feverities of treatment.

Our court in vain remonttrated against thefe arbitrary proceedings: Paul declared that the embargo fhould be continued, and menaced his late allies with further marks of his difpleafure. Taking advantage of the difguft of the courts of Copenhagen and Stockholm at our exercise of the right of naval fearch, he urged them to accede to an armed neutrality, into which they were too eafily drawn. Having received intelligence of this league, his Britannic majesty

ordered, on the 14th of January, 1801, that all the ships of the three nations, which were already in his ports or fhould afterwards arrive, fhould be ftrictly detained. To reprefs the eventual hoftilities of the confederates, great exertions are neceffary; but we may truft to our naval strength, and difregard their efforts.

ITALY.

The only incidents of which we have occafion to take notice under this head, relate to Tufcany. After the battle of Marengo, the French had acquiefced in the neutrality of the duchy, without infifting on the diffolution of that armed corps which the inhabitants had formed for the defence of the country. But, being defirous of re-poffefling that territory, they pretended that frequent outrages and depredations had been committed in the adjoining districts by the Tufcan brigands or robbers (as they flyled the armed corps above-mentioned), and defired Sommariva, who acted as commander, to difarm and difmifs them without delay. This infolent requifition not being followed by prompt compliance, general Brune fent a detachment under Dupont to take poffeffion of the duchy. This officer entered Florence on the 15th of October, the Tufcans not venturing to obstruct his march. Brigadier Clement, foon after, perfuaded the Austrian troops at Leghorn to furrender that town to him, on his affenting to a convention for the continuance of the Tufcan government, and the fecurity of privileges and of property; but this agreement was not fcrupulously obferved, though the British merchants were fortunate in preferving the greater part of their effects, by the convenience of the hips in the harbour. Strong parties were now fent out against the armed Tufcans at Arezzo and other places; and, as fome refiftance was made by the latter, they were not fubdued or difperfed without bloodshed.

GREECE.

It is not the leaft remarkable circumftance in the politics of the times, that two emperors, Paul and Selim, have concurred in the establishment of a republic, confifting of Corfu, Cephalonia, and other iflands near the Grecian. coaft. It is ftyled the Ionian republic, and will enjoy a nominal independence under the protection of thofe poten

tates.

EGYPT.

The French general Menou appears to be very actively and zealously employed in fortifying the chief Egyptian towns, in regulating both the civil and military departments, and improving the ftate of the country. The grand vizir and fir Sidney Smith have endeavoured, without effect, to draw him into an agreement for the evacuation of the territory. Unwilling to abandon a province which he confiders as a fcene of French glory, but which many will

juftly denominate a scene of French barbarity, he provides for its retention with as much folicitude as if he had been the conqueror of the country. In a letter of the 1ft of November, addreffed to the chief conful, he speaks in high terms of his proceedings and regulations; but we must make allowance for the gafconade and oftentation for which his countrymen are notorious.

The troops that landed near Ferrol and threatened Cadiz, are faid to be deftined for Egypt; and we hope that they will be more effectively employed than they were in the expedition to Spain. Without their aid, the Turks are unequal to the task of diflodging the poffeffors of Grand-Cairo and Alexandria. If Egypt thould be fubdued, our ally the grand fignor may perhaps be induced to refign his pretenhons to the English, under whofe foltering care it would foon become a very valuable province.

NORTH-AMERICA.

After a long courfe of difpute not abfolutely hoftile, the United States and the French republic have concluded a treaty of peace and commerce. The trade of both nations will be conducted on terms of equality; and it is particularly provided, that, if one of the two parties fhould be at war, and the other at peace, there fhall be no visitation or fearch of the fhips of the neutral ftate, when they fail under convoy. In this inftance, they mutually relinquifh a claim without denying the exiftence of the right; but, in the official report of the affairs of France, prepared by Regnier and his affociates, it is infinuated that no fuch right exifts.

Having thus brought down the public affairs of the world in general, and of Great-Britain in particular, to the close of the eighteenth century, we are inclined to offer fome retrofpective as well as profpective remarks which_have_occurred to us in the courfe of momentary reflexion. The century which has recently expired was distinguished by a variety of memorable events in the earlier part of its progrefs; and, in the last ten years, it exhibited perhaps a more ftupendous fcene than the world ever before witnessed. One circumftance has attended it through the greater part of its courfe; it began with war, and it terminated with war. Hence arifes a melancholy reflexion, that a practice which, it might be fuppofed, could only exift in the abfence of civilifation, has been found to prevail in an age of refinement, when the arts and fciences have been improved, when morality has been purified and fublimated, and religion has been in a great meafure divefted of bigotry and fuperftition. If we were not witneffes of this ftrange degradation of the human understanding, we fhould not be difpofed to give credit to an abfurdity fa extravagant and fo