deavour to drum a nation into a religious tone, after the genuine fpirit of enthufiafm is loft. In England, and other countries, the higher and middling ranks, perceiving, at laft, the connection between a reverence for religion and the prefervation of rights and properties, became very regular attenders at church. But it was only a ceremonious and cold bufinefs. The motive of their attendance was obvious to every one. To men of difcernment this conftrained refpect, for the exteriors of religion, appeared ludicrous, and, to people fincerely pious, impious. With reguard to morality, it has already been obferved, that there feems to be a tendency in most of the fyftems of morals, fince Shaftbury and Huchinfon, to nurfe up the amiable, even at the expenfe of what we fall on the prefent occafion, for the fake of contra-diftinétion, call the refpectable and fevere virtues. What fhare that amiable philofophy may have had in foftening and harmonizing the world, cannot be afcertained. In fact, it is not probably very great. Moral appeals to men themfclves, to the conftitution of their nature, and to the grace and beauty, and propriety of virtue, what do they amount to? Little more than this, that men ought to be morally good, if they pleaje. It is the authority and fanétion of the Supreme Ruler alone, that can give vital efficacy to any moral fyftem. It is an ingenious amufement to metaphyficans to analyfe our moral fentiments, and inquire what is the principle on which, independently of all authority, and all punishments or rewards, we conceive ourselves (as we all do, even fometimes in fpite of ourfelves) bound to follow

one course of action rather than the contrary. But, as to the practical influence of this on fociety, it is in truth, as we apprehend, but very trilling. Nothing has yet been done, or can be done, for humanizing and foftening the human heart, fo much as the Chriftian religion. The mo rality of that divine difpenfation is the moft pure and fublime that can be conceived, and it is recommended and enforced by every confideration that can imprefs the understanding or captivate the affections. It is divinely benevolent and impreffive beyond the limits of all human rule or art. The morality of the Chriftian religion, however, was the fame in the laft and fome preceding conturies, when individuals were more harth in their private intercourfes, and the laws more rigorous and fevere in many relpects than at prefent. The Chriftian religion was more firmly believed in, when lord Ruthven, having imprifoned, in one of his caftles, the young king James VI. of Scotland, faid, when the captive boy cried, "Better that bairns fhould greet than bearded men. There was more faith in the world, when men, convicted of feditious practices, or other crimes, not only flood on the pillory, but loft their ears: when philofophers and ftatefmen, and thole of even large and patriotic views advifed, in times of dreadful fcarcity, that the neceffitous and helpiefs fhould fell themfelves and children, as bondfmen and bondfwomen, to rich capitalifts. The prefent age, in refpect of former times, may be called the age of humanity. Whence this happy change? Not from the pro.. greffive effects of moral difquifitions and lectures: not even from the progreflive effects of preaching, trim

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med up by the artifices of compofition, taught by profeffors of rhetoric; but from the progreffive intercourfes of men with men, and minds with minds of navigation, commerce, arts, and fciences.

Solitary, barbarous, and rude nations, have few restraints on their appetites and paffions. Multiplied relations, and attentions to propriety, grace, and decorum, and the opinions of mankind, in a ftate of cultivated and polite fociety, mingle, modify, and reduce, as it were, the corrofive fublimate of the felfifli and angry paffions of men, into a gentle fympathy with all around them.

The fciences arreft prejudice and paffion, and teach men to think fairly and candidly on the fituations of other men, and other individuals, as well as on themselves. Still more immediately is the caufe of humanity promoted by the arts: in all of which, we principally contemplate and fympathize with human nature, placed in various attitudes and fituations. In poetry, painting, fculpture, mufic, and architecture, it is ftill human nature, feen or fancied, that gives the principal charm: human paffions, feelings, emotions, and

conveniences.

-Didiciffe fideliter artes, Emollit mores nec finit effe feros.

HORAT.

Of the progress and fate of the arts, in the eighteenth century, we have little to obferve, that can be confidered as characteristical of that period. The epic poem, which depends on machinery and fable, after fome refpectable efforts by Voltaire, Glover, and Wilkie, has, at laft, died a kind of natural death; having pined away under the too powerful rays of the fun of fcience. The only fpecies of poetry that has

flourished, for a long time, is the defcriptive. The mufes that now animate poetry, are the sciences: the fciences that can give dignity to all things, by combining them with the general laws of moral and phyfical nature.

In painting, gardening, and architecture, there has been a happy retreat from too much drapery, ornament, and various nick-nackery, and an approach to the fimple, lovely, and majeftic form of nature. In mufic, there has been much improvement in harmony and contrapunto: but none of the mathematico-mufical compofitions of our mufical doctors, for real effect on the imagination and heart, are to be compared with fome of thofe fimple melodies that have been formed by a mere imitation, or rather, indeed, participation of human fert.timent and paffion.

We fhall wind up this fetch of the eighteenth century, with an anecdote of fome mad philofophers, which, though ridiculous, may fervé perhaps to illuftrate our prefent fubject more than all that has been now faid. About the year 1790, the progrefs of difcovery, particularly in chymiftry and mineralogy, had become fo great, and the reign of art over nature fo extenfive, that fome of the fame philofophers, who fet up for political reformers, particularly thofe connected with a seminary of diffenters at Hackney, believed not only that the period was approaching, when men were to be governed by the purity of their own minds, and the moderation of their own defires, without any external coercion, but when the life of man might be prolonged, ad infinitum, and philofophers, if they chofe it, become immortal.

CHRONI

17th.

JANUARY.

AT

T ten at night the whole nave of Chelmsford church fell in with a great crafh: fortunately no perfon was paffing by at the time. The ruins feemed to threaten the chancel, by falling in it. An infeription, in white ftone Gothic letters, nine inches long, inlaid in flints and hard mortar, in relievo, on the outfide of the wall of the fouth aile, juft under the battlements, fets forth that this building was erected, by the contribution of the townfmen, in 1424. General Washington's funeral was celebrated, on the eighteenth of December, with every mark of honour and regret fo juftly due to his virtues. A great multitude of perfons affembled at mount Vernon, to pay their laft melancholy duty to this diftinguished man. His corple lay in ftate in the portico. On the ornament, at the head of the coffin, was infcribed Surge ad Judicium; about the middle of the coffin, Gloria Deo; and on the filver plate, General George Washington, departed this life on the fourteenth of December, '99, Et. 68."

marquis of Huntley, as a proof of his esteem, for the very gallant con、 duct of that young nobleman in Holland. There is an infcription on the lid, in Erfe, to the following purport: "The fon of the king, to his friend the fon of the duke of Gordon."

21ft. Between the hours of ten and eleven at night, a terrible fire broke out in Bramah's manufactory of engines and patent locks, in Eaton-ftreet, Pimlico, which, in a fhort time, deftroyed the whole building, being made of wood.

22d. Exeter. Between the evening of Saturday laft and the Monday morning following, a, moft daring robbery was committed on the city bank, fituated in the church-yard of this city, and conducted under the firm of Samuel Milford and Co. the circumftances of which are as follow: the bank was fhut at the ufual hour, on Saturday evening, and the cash, bank notes, drafts, &c. were depofited in an iron cheft, in an inner room of the bank; after which, the five keys were depofited at the dwelling-houfe of Samuel Milford, efq. one of the proprietors. On the Monday morning following, the clerks, having opened the bank as ufual, found every door, &c. locked, as it had been left; but were aflonished to perceive that all

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FEBRUARY.

11th. A fire broke out between fix and feven o'clock this evening, at Lingham's brandy and fugar warehouses, in Lower Thamesftreet. The flames extended with great fury to the furrounding houles, particularly the cuftomhoufe, which feemed to be in great danger It is computed to have deftroved property of above 300,0001. in value. Of this, a large proportion confifted in prize goods, depofited in the warehouse by government. The flames communicated to fome fmall houfes in Gloucefter-court, behind the ware houfe, and deftroyed four or five of them. The wind blew fresh from the eastward, and the fire raged tremendously for fome time. The weather-cock at the top of the cuf tom-houfe, which is on the other fide of the street, was twice on fire, as well as the frames of the windows; and two hips in the river; that lay off Bear-wharf, were damaged materially by the flames communicating to their rigging. Happily, however, about twelve at the night, the whole was got under, and no lives loft.

A bill, juft paffed into a law, for regulating the fale of bread, enacts, "That it fhall not be lawful for any baker or other perfon or perfons, refiding within the cities of London and Wefiminfter, and the bills of mortality, and within ten miles of the Royal Exchange, after the 26th day of February, 1800, or refiding in any part of Great Britain, after the 4th day of March, 1800, to fell, or offer to expofe to fale, any bread, until the fame fhall have been baked twenty-four hours at the leaft; and every baker, or

other perfon or perfons, who fhall act contrary hereto, or offend herein, fhall, for every offence, forfeit and pay the fum of 57. for every loaf of bread fo fold, offered, or expofed to fale."

On Saturday, February 8, the duke de Montpenfier and the count de Beaujolais, the younger brothers of the duke of Orleans, arrived at their refidence in Sackville-street, from Clifton, where one of them had been confined several days by illnefs. The duke of Orleans had arrived in town three days before; and his first visit was made to Monfieur, of whom he had requested an audience. On Thursday, the duke waited on his royal highnels, and being introduced into his clofet, he addreffed him by faying, "that he had come to afk forgiveness for all his faults, which he hoped would be forgotten. They were the effect of error, and were chiefly to be at tributed to the evil councils of an intriguing woman, (madame de Genlis) who had been intrusted with the care of his education." He added that he was ready to fhed the laft drop of his blood in the reparation of his errors, and in defence of the rights of his lawful fovereign. My brothers (continued he) whom I have left indifpofed at at Clifton, participate in my fentiments, and will haften to offer to your royal highnels the fame proteftations of repentance. Monfieur then embraced the duke and replied, " that he had no doubt of the fincerity of the profeffions he had just heard. He received them with pleature; but he recommended to the duke to repeat them to the king himfelf, and he fhould have great fatisfaction in forwarding his letters to Mittau." As foon as this conB 2 verfation