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with such minute and unsparing in dustry: to throw no flowers over his unhappy remains, and leave all his faults in the glare of their nakedness! The moral lesson might have been better consulted by a contrary course. His fame cannot expire as long as the page of English History lasts: his vices, being private, might, but for this exposure, have been forgotten!

This severe commentator seems willing enough to allow the full credit to Sheridan's Dramatic talents. To that praise there are none among his political competitors who make pretensions; yet this perhaps is in truth the weakest of his claims. I suspect that much of the attraction of The School for Scandal lies in stage artifice and management. When he is called the first Poet of the day in right of two or three pretty songs, and a few pleasing and classical elegiac couplets, which scarce even reach beyond an elegant and harmonious polish, it excites a smile at the illplaced extravagance of panegyrick!

Much more might have been said on this subject if the compass of a letter would have permitted it.

Tour through various Parts of FLANDERS, GERMANY, and HOLLAND, in the year 1815.

THE

(Continued from p. 8.)

HE close of my last letter left me at Lille, spending an evening with a very agreeable mixed party of French and English. Our conversation turned a good deal upon the British constitution, compared with the other forms of government in Europe, and especially with that which France had obtained since the restoration of the Bourbons. The

he was a foreigner, who had passed
the greatest part of his life out of
England. The author of such a work,
said the French gentleman, ought to
have been remunerated by the English
government with a handsome pension.
I answered that I had never heard of
his having had any other remunera-
tion in England than what he had de-*
rived from the sale of his book, which
certainly deserved a pension. A con-
versation took place in regard to the
best writings on the theory of civil
government. One of the party strong-
ly recommended a treatise on this
subject by Professor Noodt, of Ley-
den, who had in a very masterly
manner deduced, from the immutable
principles of reason and justice, the
mutual rights and obligations of go.
vernors and people. I asked him if
he had ever read Locke on Civit
Government: he answered that be
was acquainted with Locke only as
a metaphysician: to which I replied,
"Give me leave to recommend him to
your acquaintance as a political philo-
sopher in his celebrated Treatise on
Government he appears to ine to have
developed the genuine principles of
civil society, and to have fixed the
rights of man upon their true basis;
insomuch that I scruple not to apply
to Locke, compared with all other
writers on that subject, mutatis mu-
tandis, the praise thus lavished by the
Duke of Buckingham upon Homer:
'Read Homer once, and then you'll read
no more,
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For all books else appear so mean, so Verse will seem prose ;-but still persist to read, [need.' And Homer will be all the books you "Yes, Sir," subjoined a warm-hearted Englishman, who had been bred in the school of Old Whiggism, addressresult was, an unanimous acknowing himself to the Frenchman," the ledgment of the decided superiority of political writings of Mr. Locke furnish the best antidote against the tuthe English government. I concurred multuous anarchy of a democracy, with the French gentleman who was introduced at the close of my last and the opposite, but not less danJetter, in his eulogy on Montesquieu archy. The principles of civil assogerous extreme of an arbitrary moand De Lolme, who had so ably ciation which have been established sketched the outlines of our constitu- by that immortal writer are the only tion both in theory and practice. bad always considered the Spirit of sive theories of your pure Republieffectual safeguard against the delu Laws as a chef-d'œuvre of philosophicans (as they call themselves) on the cal jurisprudence, and the Constituone hand, and the slavish maxims of tion of England, by De Lolme, as a work reflecting the highest credit upon the author, more especially as

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* A Translation of this Treatise into English was published by Dilly, in 1781.

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“Oh, Sir,” replied the Frenchman, "I wish our Constituent Assembly at the commencement of the Revolution had been wise enough to form their plan exactly upon the model of the English government." To which the Englishman replied, and I think with great justice, that such an attempt would have proved completely abortive, unless the French nation had been previously cast in an English mould. The Constitution of England has been the result of a fortunate concurrence of many happy events, which must be transferred into other countries before they can ever expect to transplant our noble form of government with all its peculiar advantages, a form of government which, in its grand distinguishing features, had presented itself to the sagacious eye of Cicero as the perfection of political wisdom, and which Tacitus, the prince of Philosophical Historians, considered as more easily to be admired than reduced to practice." "You cannot, Sir," rejoined the Frenchman, be more enthusiastic in the admiration of your excellent political system than I am; and I envy you the rare felicity of living in a country where, to borrow the words of Tacitus, sentire quæ velis, et quæ senties dicere licet.' There is nothing, Sir," added he, which I so much admire in your happy constitution, as your equal and impartial administration of justice. When, fired with the ardour which the writings of Montesquieu and De Lolme had excited, I first visited England, I cannot express to you the emotions I felt in attending your Courts of justice; and upon those occasions I often said to myself, This is the favoured region where Astrea hath taken up her abode, for here I find that the person and property of the meanest subject are equally sacred as those of the highest lord in the realm." "True, Sir," said a blunt honest Englishman, and ours, I believe, is the only country in Europe where a Nobleman dare not shake his fist with impunity at the humblest menial in his service." I

was asked which of our writers had given the best detail of the practice of our constitution. I replied without hesitation "Blackstone, whose celeEngland contained all that need be brated Commentaries on the Laws of known upon that subject; and whoever wished to become acquainted with our municipal institutions, should be told to dedicate his days and nights. to Blackstone,nocturna versate manu, versate diurna." We had a conversation on the erection of the new kingdom of the Netherlands, an event which I said had given me great satisfaction. It was observed by one of the French gentlemen, that he believed the Belgians would much rather have been incorporated with France than Holland; and represented the Dutch and Belgians as bitterly hating each other. I expressed my hopes that the union of the two countries would ere long be productive of such political and commercial benefits to both, as to remove the prejudices which he represented as subsisting between them at present. Prejudices full as strong, I believed, if not stronger, had existed between the English and Scots at the period of their Union, which kept gradually subsiding till at length they happily vanished. I added, moreover, that I hoped I should not offend his national pride, if I expressed a wish for the annexation of French Flanders to the new kingdom of the Netherlands, and for the re-union of all the Low Countries under one head, as they had been at the death of Charles the Bold, the last Prince of the House of Burgundy. "You know, Sir," said he, that Charles had designed his only daughter, the heiress of those fine Provinces, to be given in marriage to the Dauphin of France, which scheme was counteracted by the folly and caprice of his father Louis XI.; and the Netherlands, by the marriage of Mary of Burgundy with the Emperor Maximilian, devolved to the House of Austria; whereas, if she had been married to the Dauphin, they would in all probability have been for ever united to France, and many bloody wars been thereby prevented. But you may rest assured, Sir, that France will never hear of giving up her acquisi tions in Flanders, of which she has remained in full possession for so long

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a period of time:" to which he subjomed, in a warin tone, "The annexation of French Flanders to the new kingdom of the Netherlands ! We might as well talk to the Euglish Government of the annexation of the Hebrides to Norway!" I alluded to

the injustice by which Louis XIV. had made himself master of that country. "As to that," he replied, "if all the acquisitions made by conquest were to be weighed in the balance of justice, with what face could England pretend to cast a stone at France?" Perceiving I had touched upon a sore point, and wishing to avoid altercation, I gave a turn to the conversation, and we began to talk about Lille. I was asked by a smart French lady, who was fond of reading, whether I had read the Memoirs of the Baron de Pollnitz. I said I recollected having read the book many years ago, and thought it an entertaining collection of travels, history, and biography; “And you might have added,” said she, "of love adventures, and of court pursuits and amusements. I think it a delightful melange. The Baron was a volunteer under the Duke of Marlborough at the siege of Lille in 1708, of which he gives an interesting account in his Memoirs; and if you can pick him up in the course of your tour, you will find him a very agreeable companion in a postchaise." In consequence of the lady's recommendation, I have since renewed my acquaintance with the Baron, whom I feel no inclination to recommend to the acquaintance of my fair country women.

The following couplet of Pope is the best commentary upon the Memoirs of De Pollnitz:

"Adieu to Virtue, if you're once a slave: Send her to court, you send her to her

grave."

The last memorable event that took place in the military history of Lille, was the siege under the command of Duke Albert of Saxe Teschen, in the autumn of 1792, which was raised by the approach of Dumourier's army, after the discomfiture of the Duke of Brunswick. The people of Lille will tell you that the siege was carried on in a manner that reflected but little credit upon the Austrians on the score of humanity. However that might be, there is no doubt that the city was defended both by the gar-,

rison and the inhabitants with heroic and persevering bravery. The women, with Amazonian courage and fortitude, were foremost in every danger; they were always at hand to nurse and soothe the wounded;" and shewed their contempt of danger by dancing upon the batteries in the very face of the enemy. The bombardment, which lasted eight days, proved very destructive to the town; and seldom, I believe, has a besieging army on its retreat been more generally followed by the execrations of the inhabitants than were the Austrians on retiring from Lille. I now take my leave of Lille; from whence I set out in the diligence for Tournay, in company with the English party whom I mentioned in my last letter. After travelling a few miles over a rich and beautiful country, we got to the extremity of French Flanders; and upon our arrival at the very point. where Terminus had fixed his station, we were given to understand that our baggage must undergo a search before we could set foot on the territory of the King of the Netherlands. However, upon a significant hint from the conducteur of the diligence, we each of us slipped a douceur into his hands, as a testimony of our sense of the politeness of the douanier, to whom we begged him to present our très bons complimens. We passed through a delightful and well-cultivated country until we came to the city of Tournay, with which I was highly gratified. Tournay is a large and elegant town, pleasantly situated upon the Scheldt. It abounds with churches, several of which are very splendid, particularly the Cathedral, a truly magnificent edifice. I recollected that Cardinal Wolsey had been Bishop of this See during the time that Tournay was possessed by the English in the reign of Henry VIII. Through the intrigues of Wolsey Tournay was restored to France in 1519; soon after which, it was taken by the Spaniards, in whose hands it remained near a century and a half, when it was conquered by Louis XIV. who was told by a famous political Ecclesiastic, namely, the Cardinal Polignac, that he must regard Lille and Tournay as the two eyes of France. In 1709 Tournay, after a long siege, surren dered to the Duke of Marlborough, in the face of a grand army under the

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command of the celebrated Villars. The Duke, on taking possession of the city, ordered a pompous inscription on one of the half-moons, declaring it to be impregnable, to be effaced. By the peace of Utrecht, in 1713, Tournay was secured to the Dutch as one of their barrier towns; but the sovereignty remained with the House of Austria; nor could the States-General have had a more important barrier in that quarter, inasmuch as it commanded the Scheldt, and 'covered Oudenard and Ghent. The French have always coveted this place as the key of Flanders, and when Louis XV. had set his heart on the entire con

quest of the Austrian Netherlands, he

sent Count Saxe, at the head of near 20,000 men, in the spring of 1745, to attack Tournay. Louis was so bent on the acquisition of this fortress, that he appeared in person during the siege, accompanied by his only son, the Dauphin. The allied army, under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, though inferior in number to the French by no less than 23,000 men, made the bold attempt of raising the siege of Tournay, which led to the fatal battle of Fontenoy,fatal, not through any want of skill or valour on the part of the English, who had never covered themselves with more glory than in this battle, but through the bad conduct of our allies, and more especially through the base treachery and cowardice of the Dutch. I reserve further particulars of Tournay, and my visit to the plains of Fontenoy till my next letter. CLERICUS LEICESTRIENSIS.

Mr. URBAN,

Aug. 14.
N Lysons's Environs of London

there is an account of Richard Warner, Esq. who resided at Woodford-row, in an old house called Hearts, said to be now the property of Jervoise Clerk Jervoise, Esq. who married Mr. Warner's niece. Mr. Warner planted a Botanical-garden at Woodford, and founded an exhibition

for a Botanical Student, at Wadham College, Oxford. He translated the Comedies of Plautus, and made collections for a Glossary to the Plays of Shakespeare, and for an edition of his Works, but desisted from his intention of publishing it on the appearance of Mr. Steevens's Proposals.

I remember to have seen some inquiries in the Gentleman's Magazine

respecting Mr. Warner's papers, a few years ago, but I do not recollect with what view the inquiries were made. I am now, however, enabled to state to you, Mr. Urban, that the Translation from Plautus, and the Glossary, are in the bands of a lady, to whose husband they were beqeathed by Mr. Warner, and who is desirous they should not be lost to the publick.

T. R.

**The Editor of the Gent. Mag. is enabled to answer any particular inquiries that may be made respecting the papers.

Mr. URBAN,

Aug. 17. which you gave of the History HE very favourable account * of Richmond, in Yorkshire, induces me to inform you that a second Edition of that book is in great forwardness, and will soon be published, in 8vo. The rapid sale of the first edition has given the Editor an opportunity of making some alterations, and enlarging his plan by extending the subjects almost under every head, which in the first edition had been abbreviated, in order to suit the duodecimo size in which it was published. Lists of the Archdeacous of Richmond, Members of Parliament, Rectors, &c. will be introduced; likewise it will be further enriched with some more etchings, engravings, and an excellent plan of the town. Though Dr. Whitaker's grand plan of Yorkshire quite overpowers so small a publication, yet, from the talent and industry of the Author of the History of Richmond, we may expect a very excellent account of that part of the County, and a work which will be a great addition to the library of every lover of Topography. Yours, &c.

RICHMONDIENSIS.

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