- Tim

What cut it

timber sufficient, for iure constricting of "20 sail of the line. Our West India “islands can be amply supplied from the "Brazils with provisions, lumber, and every article of necessity." ber for twenty sail of the line! was it cut down for? And who down? The event, which has now taken place, could not have been anticipated in the Brazils; and, if it had, whence were to come the hands to cut down the timber? The whole of the population does not surpass half a million of souls, scattered over an immense territory. The Europeans do not work, and the African slaves are employed in raising them provisions and in working the mines. It would require, I should think, one half of the working population to be employed for a whole year to cut down and rough-hew timber sufficient for twenty ships of the line, supposing a sufficiency of the various sorts of timber to be found in the country, which is not the case. And, if one half of the working population were employed in this way, is it not evident, that one half of the people must cease to eat ; or, that one half of the mines must cease to be worked? This assertion, therefore, respecting the timber cut down in the Brazils, is not less silly than false. Still, however, it is, as to both these qualities, far surpassed by the assertion respecting the capability of the Brazils to supply our West India colonies" with provisions, lumber, and every article of "necessity." The Morning Chronicle will say it is unfair if I suppose him to include amongst articles of necessity, the clothing and hardware requisite in the West Indies; and, therefore, I will suppose him to mean only the wood necessary for buildings and for cooperage, and the food necessary for the people to live upon: First, as to the wood, the inhabited part of the Brazils is at a distance from the centre of our West India colonies, five times as great as that which divides those colonies from the centre ports of the United States of America, or from Nova Scotia; so that, supposing there to be a spare population in the Brazils sufficient for the preparation of the several sorts of lumber; supposing there to be a sufficiency of saw-mills and of other conveniencies under the scorching suns of the Brazils; and supposing there to be iron and shipwrights in abundance in that country, the lumber must arrive in the West Indies at an expense which would soon cause the plantations to be deserted, English sugar necessarily being quite unable to bear a noment's competition with that raised by the

colonists of other nations. But, supposing all this to be overbalanced by the advantage of getting the lumber from a country other than the American States. Yet, what good is this grand event to us in this respect? We have another of our own, Nova Scotia, covered with all sorts of wood, from the pine to the hazel, and we have, nevertheless, found, that it is impossible thence to draw the lumber necessary for our West India colonies. The reason is, that we have not there a sufficiency of spare population to prepare the lumber for the West Indies, and we never shall have as long as the banks of the Hudson, the Delaware, the Potomack, the Ohio, and the Mississippi invite to the tilling of a climate more genial. By compelling the West India colonies to receive no lumber except from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, we should, doubtless, induce people to reside in the last countries; but, as their food would cost much more labour to raise it than it costs to raise food for the hewers of wood in the American States, the lumber would come at an increased price to the West India planters, English West India produce would be dearer than the produce of the West India colonies belonging to other nations, what we used of it in England we should be obliged to give more of the fruit of our labour for, and, as to foreign countries, there our planters would be undersold by the planters of every other nation. This is the reason why our West India islands have not been supplied with lumber from our own American colonies; and, leaving the difference in distance out of the question, the same reason exists with respect to the Brazils, where the population is short of half a million at the end of two hundred years; and, into which there have been imported from Africa, during that time, not less than two millions of negroes. The population of the Brazils is a forced population, a population kept up by importing men into the comtry, by purchasing men to live and work there; and I leave the reader to judge of the understanding (or learning) of the man who asserts, in the most unqualified manner, that our West India colonies can be supplied with lumber by a country, where each workman costs, upon an average, at the first purchase, two huudred guineas.But, if it be so grossly absurd to assert that the Brazils are capable of supplying our West India colonies with lumber, what shall we say of the other proposition of this writer, namely, that they are capable of supplying those colonies with provisions? -First, what are the sorts of provisions, with which the West India

colouies require to be supplied? Flour, salt pork and beef, and butter. I will say nothing of the live-stock, which are carried thither from the American States, and which, if they could possibly be found in sufficient number in the Brazils, would, doubtless, greatly relish, and thrive exceedingly during, a voyage of from six to ten weeks, and sometimes of three months.-The flour, supposing the mills and all constructed ready, must, after such a voyage, come very cheap to our planters, especially when we consider that the agricultural labourers are brought from Africa at the price of two banured guineas each. Besides these objections, which apply to corn and flour, there are others with regard to the salt meat and butter. I should suppose, that the very coolest days ever known in the Brazils, almost the whole territory of which lies between the tropics, exceed in heat the very hottest days ever known in England. Now, it is well known, that no sort of meat will take salt, unless the weather, speaking in our language, be cold; how then, is it possible to preserve meat in the Brazils, much less to put it up in a state fit to be kept for a twelvemonth? And, I should think, that even the smoke-dried tenants of the city, many of whom never saw the morning dew in their lives, would require but very little to convince them, that the potting down of butter under a vertical sun must be delightful sport, surpassing even that of eating hasty-pudding with an awl.-One would really suppose, that this writer of the Morning Chronicle never thought. That his words dropped out from his pen at random. And, yet, he sometimes sports a word or two of Latin at the close of a paragraph, in order, I suppose, to shew, that he is "a gentleman of education," a man of "classical learning." The truth is, he has no time for thinking about any thing but what will serve the purposes of his faction. Upon party squabbles it is admirable what dexterity he shows; how he stickles and quibbles and shuffles, and with what charming grace he unsays to day what he said yesterday; but, upon all matters, wherein the public look for, and need information, it is truly surprising to see what ignorance he discovers; though it must be confessed, that he is fully equalled, even in this respect, by a great majority of his brethren.- -Never

theless, I dare say, that it is, by this time, pretty generally believed, that the Brazils are tapable of supplying our West India colonies with lumber and provisions; and that John Bull begins to hug himself in the idea, that he has found out a population of half a mil

lion of people, who, with the surplus of their produce, are able to feed a million of people in another country. He will, too, I dare say, perceive, that, supposing the Brazilians to be able to send forth so much subsistence, it will be mightily advantageous to them to receive in exchange, sugar, coffee, indigo, and tobacco, all of which they grow abundantly in their own country. John can swallow a pretty good dose, and should not be so free with his jokes upon those who place reliance upon the virtues of holy-water. His priests (I mean the London news-editors) are much greater impostors than those who taught his forefathers to perform pilgrimages to the shrine of that famous scoundrel "Saint "Thomas a Becket," and who exhibited the blood of a duck for that of Jesus Christ. John may laugh, and shake his fat jowls, at being gravely told of the Virgin Mary's house taking a flight from Palestine to Italy; but, in revenge, the Italians have nothing to do but to remind him of his building a monument in honour of the memory of Pitt, in consequence of the national services of that minister; or, of his rejoicing at the emigration of the Portuguese Government, as an event auspicious to England. John is an honest, industrious, unsuspicious fellow; but, it becomes not him, above all others, to laugh at those who suffer themselves to be amused and cheated by quacks and impostors.The above examination into the abilities of the Brazils may serve to enable us to judge of the probability of the new government ever being capable of supporting itself, and maintaining the independance of the country. It appears to me quite impossible, that it should be able to keep up either a fleet, or an army, without recruits from England, and without grants of English money; and, then, what will the Brazils, be, but another accursed colony, another mill-stone about our necks, another East Indies? I think, however, that the likely thing is, that, when we come to make peace, Napoleon will insist, that the Brazils shall belong to Portugal; and, in that case, what are we to do? Shall we continue the war, "eternal war," rather than give up our hold upon the Brazils, especially when that important country, Hanover, which is "s as "dear to us as Hampshire," may be offered to us in exchange? Ah, poor Prince Regent! dismal as you will find the Brazils, you will not, I am afraid, upon your landing there, have seen half the mortifications that are in store, for you.- What we have to consider, at present, however, is the expence that this new government will be to us; the quantity of labour we shall have to

perform to raise the taxes that will be required of us for its support. But, if I am not greatly deceived, we shall not be left long in doubt upon this subject; that meeting of parliament, for which the Morning Chronicle is so anxious, will, I am pretty certain, enable the world to judge of the understandings of those, who bid us rejoice at this event.In taking my leave of this subject, for the present, I cannot forbear pressing upon the memory of the reader, that it appears from the official dispatches published by the ministers, that the Prince Regent would not have emigrated, had he not been assured, that Napoleon would have shown him no quarter; that, while emigration was talked of in England, rather than the Prince would join the foes of England, the Prince was issuing a proclamation by which he joined the foes of England; and that, therefore, those persons were right, who, with me, laughed at the idea of an emigration to the Brazils, under the circumstances then represented to exist. I am desirous, that the reader should bear in mind, that the emigration, which has now taken place, is an event very different from that which was, at first, talked of, and expected; that the emigration talked of embraced a large number of the people, voluntarily leaving their country rather than live under French rule; that it was, in short, a dignified transfer of the seat of government that was then expected; that the emigration which has now taken place is to be considered as, indeed, the newspapers call it, "an escape;" and that none of us, who ridiculed the idea of an emigration of the state, ever supposed it unlikely, that many persons in Portugal, if implacably pursued by the French, would do their best to escape-Just as I was laying by this article, the following paragraph catched my eye.- "Notice was yesterday given at "the Post-Office, that bags of letters would "be made up and forwarded to Rio de "Janeiro; a circumstance which induces a "belief, that a commercial negociation be"tween that country and England will "shortly be opened. Yesterday a few of

our merchants waited on the Portuguese "Ambassador. His excellency received "them with much complaisance and affa

ravening wolves. The Ambassador must have thought them mad. Besides, what commerce do these gentlemen expect to carry on to Brazil? They may carry some of the port wine that we have in England; but I know not any thing else that they can carry more than we used to supply the Brazils with before. If, however, it be true, that post-office packets are to be sent to that country, our expenses, on account of this "glorious event," have already actually commenced. We may prepare to sweat; for these expences will make no little figure in our annual disbursements from the treasury.——I cannot forbear taking one more paragraph from the Morning Chronicle. "While every one is justly overjoyed at the

prospect of extended commerce which "the Brazils hold out to this country, as "well as the lucky escape which our ancient "ally has made from destruction, by an ac"cident equally unforeseen and extraordinary, it is natural for us to feel some degree of anxiety with respect to the policy "which such ministers as the present may adopt in so delicate and important a juneture, towards our transplanted ally. "Never was there an occasion upon which more depended on the judgment-the "soundness of views which our rulers may

possess. The first shaping of our con"nexions with the new empire will be infinitely important to the continuance of our intercourse with it, in all time coming; "and when we consider what set of men are now at the head of affairs, it is impossible not to feel extreme apprehensions as to the plans they may adopt, and the persons they may depute to execute "then. Lord Bathurst and his commercial "board; Lord Mulgrave, Mr. Robert "Ward, and their maritime views; the "solid talent of Lord Hawkesbury; the weight of Lord Camden; the wit of Mr. Canning, and his deep knowledge of the "ancients, who knew not that Brazil exist"ed; the tolerant, liberal spirit of Mr. "Perceval; the slave-trading views of "Lord Westmoreland, and indeed of almost "the whole junto-all this may do well "enough in ordinary times-and the in"terest of the country may in any com

66

mon juncture escape total ruin, in spite "of it.". -The plain English of which, is,

pray, good people, do make a clamour that the no popery ministers may be put out of their places, and that I and my patrons may get into theni." But, the people will not clamour. They know, that those who are now in the places are just exactly as good as your patrons, with this difference

"them. The solution of these two ques"tions depends on some local knowledge, "which is not very common.The first "and important thing is, that merchandize may be embarked at Brzesc on the Bug, "and may, without touching land, or changing its vessel, arrive at Bremer"Forden, within three posts of Bremen, "by means of the canals of Bromberg and "Havel. This way may therefore be made. use of even for the most bulky objects; and we doubt not that it would have been "used, but for the toll-duties in Germany,

in their favour, that they have never promised the people to do them any good. But, the best of this paragraph, is, the sneer at Mr. Canning for his deep knowledge of the ancients, who knew not that Brazil existed. Not much more did the ancients know about the situation and motions of the sun, the earth, or the planets; not much more did they know about navigation; not much more did they know about chemistry or electricity; not much more did they know about many of the sciences now of the utmost importance in the affairs of mankind. This is a furious, though side-winded, blow at the "learned languages;" and, I would have the Morning Chronicle beware how he draws off the envenomed Doctors from me to himself; for, it is quite clear, either that the "learned languages" ́are useless to a statesman, or that Mr. Canning, who was

сар"tain of Eton," has one qualification, at least, which a statesman ought to possess; and, it is precisely this qualification, which the Morning Chronicle has thought proper

to ridicule.

RUSSIA. It will be remembered, that, sometime ago, in speaking upon the conse quences, to us, of the total conquest of the continent of Europe by Napoleon, I gave it as my opinion, that we ought now explicitly to proclaim, that we had, and would maintain, a complete sovereignty of the sea; and, that, when we came to make peace, we should as explicitly assert, and exercise in peace, that sovereignty. I then endeavoured to shew, that there were many countries, which we should be able greatly to embarrass by cutting off all maritime communication between them; or, at least, by causing them to purchase all the goods they received from without at a price augmented tenfold. This article has been commented upon by the editor of a foreign newspaper, entitled the Courier di Nord," a translation of whose comments, as given in the Times newspaper, I here insert, because, supposing the writer to be a man well-informed, that is to say, learned, upon the subject, I think his comments will go very far towards convincing the reader, that my opinion was correct, and that, as far as Russia could be injured by the loss of commerce with foreign nations, it is in the power of England to injure her.————“ Without going to the bot"tom of the question, we think it becomes

་ན་

us, as Russians, to examine these points, "viz. whether England has the power of "raising the price of foreign merchandize "tenfold; and how far the nations of the globe could communicate with each other "if the paths of the ocean were forbidden

which are a bar against all continental "circulation.But, let us suppose this "obstacle removed, and considering Am"sterdam as the emporium of continental " merchandize, let us see what a Dutch "merchant will do who is desirous of sending cloth into Asia Minor, and of receiv"ing cotton in return. He will certainly "be able to embark his cloths upon the "Zuyder Zee, and, always protected by "the Isles, will carry them into the Weser, "where he will have to transport them three

posts by land, which will bring him to "Bremer-Forden, whence, in the way "above-mentioned, he will carry his cloths "to Brzesc, ever on streams as easy to as"scend as to descend.At Brzesc he "will find a canal begun, and, for the pre

sent, a short passage by land, which will bring the wares into the Prypęc, and "from thence into the Dnieper. If the

Dutch merchant wishes that his cargoes of "cloth should avoid the passage of the cataracts, he will have a further land-car

riage of some leagues: then the cloth "will have only to traverse the Black Sea, "and go to Trebisonde. The return of "cotton may be made in the same way; or, "should the Dutch merchant prefer it, he " will find at Odessa waggons belonging to "the peasants of the Ukraine, which re"turn empty, which will perhaps cost less "than the vessels, and which will carry his " merchandize to Brzesc. Should the

same Dutch merchant be desirous to trans"port his cloth into Persia, and join to it "the opium of Asia Minor, he will cause

it to ascend the Don up to Zarizyn: there "he will find a land-carriage much employ"ed, which will cost his goods not more "than at the rate of three kopecks each "poud. He will go into the Volga, and "thence into the Caspian Sea. Mr. "Cobbett says, "We hold the keys of

66

China;" but this expression is not true "in respect to Russia, Russia not only has "commerce with China, but this commerce "would be susceptible of a great extension,