Bdrofpect of Domejlic Literature— Politics y Uc. 623 



our navy is rcprefentcd in a finall dc- 

 f^i-ce to have declined ; aldiough at ihc 

 clofe of George II. 's roign, (a jjcnod of 

 war, indeed,) the <ivois mirnljer <»f Uiips 

 in employ ainouined to 412 : 127 of 

 thefc were of the line, and 28o of fifty 

 puns and under. From the ablhaft of 

 the navy, as it ftood on the lil of Octo- 

 ber, 1805, the following Ihips and vef- 

 fels, according to JNIr. Derrick, are ftated 

 to iiave Ijccn in comniiflion : 

 *' Of the line, and to .'SI- guns inclufive 124 

 52 to 44 gun ihips, anJ frigates - - 158 

 Sloops, &c. including hired armed ihips 

 and vefl'els -------- 416 



Total 



693" 



The rife and progrefs of the navy is 

 thus fliewn. liy a feries of accounts, which 

 we have endea^'oured to cornprel's. — ]Mr. 

 Derrick's Memoirs are not only iiitereft- 

 ing and elaborate a< a compilation, but 

 his fburces of intelligence are to be re- 

 lied on as authentic. ^Vc have no doubt 

 but that the merit of the work will eu- 

 furc to it fuccefs. 



POLITICS AND POLITICAL ECOKOMY. 



In a former retrofpett we olFerrd to 

 our readers a funimary view of Lord Sel- 

 kirk's " Obfervations on ths piefent 

 State of the Highlands." Neither Mr. 

 Buown's " Strirfunx," however, nor the 

 " Eight Letters" by Amicus, arc fo well 

 entitled to an extended notice. As wri- 

 ters and reafoners, the authors of them 

 ftand at a great diftance from the noble 

 perfon on whofe fentiuients and conduct 

 they animadvert. The facts they have 

 brought forward differ widely fi-om Lord 

 Selkirk's ; and in fonie inltances, they 

 feem rather to contradict than dilprore 

 liis ftatenicnts. This, however, fecms 

 very clear, that they are both wcU-willicrs 

 to their country. 



Mr. Rose's " Brief Evamination info 

 the Increafc of the Jlevtnue, Commerce, 

 vnd Navigation of Great Britain, dur- 

 ing Mr. Pitt's Adininijbation" was (irii 

 publiflied in 1799; and had for a princi- 

 pal object, to deuiontlrate that the mca- 

 furcs adopted to preferve the credit of 

 the country during a war unprecedented 

 ♦or the importance of the events which 

 lia)),">eHcd, as well as for the inunenlity 

 of t.ic expence incurred in it, not only 

 caai)lod provifion to be made for all the 

 c-xigencies of the conteft, but were at- 

 tended by a rapid increufe of our manu- 

 faftures, our commerce, and navigation ; 

 and that, notwiili(i:.liding a very large 

 additiou uf new Lurtheus, tlte old taKCS 



continued to improve in their receipt. 

 In thib edition the tables of revenue, Ike, 

 are continued to the jirefent time, in 

 order to fliew the Hill farther improved 

 itate of the country at the lateli: period 

 to which they can be made up. Another 

 motive for its republication was to refcue 

 the character of Mr. Pitt from party ca- 

 lumny ; and to refute the latter part of 

 the alfertion, that that Aatcfnian found 

 his country l?1arifliing, aiid left it ruined. 



Mr. Bowi,F~'s " Difpuffionute Enguiri/ 

 into the bt'ft Meam of National Safetj/," 

 is written in the fame warm fpirit which 

 runs through all his publications. It ex- 

 hibits, in fume inltances, more zeal than 

 judgment; and is lb far from anUvering 

 to its title, that it is pujjioiuitt in the 

 extreme. 



The pamphlet entitled " A Defence of 

 the Principle of ]\Jonojij/ij" is not writ- 

 ten with a temper that meets our appro- 

 bation; nor (ip we like its realbning 

 better. It converts meafures, which, un- 

 der particular circumliances, are found 

 to have a good tendency, into general 

 and univcrfal principles. In fcufons of 

 fcarcity, fays Dr. Adam Smith, laono- 

 pi;ly operates beneficially for the public, 

 by railing the price of the article, and 

 thus forcing perfoub to put themfelves on 

 fliort allowance. But to icalbn in the 

 fame way when the motive for the fliort 

 allowance is removed, falls little iliort of 

 abfurdity. 



In thisclaf^ too, we place the " Let- 

 ter to Lord Jorchefler, on the prejhit 

 Degraded State of the Englijh Clergi/ ;" 

 chieily relating to their esclulion from 

 the lioufe of Commcjiis. 



Mr. FosTr.r.'s " Fffui/ on the Princi' 

 pics of Commercial Es^hcnigcs, and more 

 particuliirlij of the Exchange between 

 Great Britain and Lxland," has added 

 but little to the illuftrations we were be- 

 fore in pofleflion of from the writings of 

 Lord King and Dr. Smith. It is a work, 

 however, which occalionally dilplays ta- 

 lents; and, amid a great deal of fpecu- 

 lation of a dubious character, affords 

 many intcrefting facts. 



" 'TUe Political Picture of Evrope," 

 which, we are informed in the jireface, 

 was publiflied at Petcrlburgh, is intended 

 tojuftify the coudutt of CJreat Britain, 

 anil to expofe the ambition of I'rancc. 

 It defends onr continental coaliticjns. 



The " Dialogue letiveen Bonaparte 

 and Tallei/rand," has been fuperfeded by 

 the clofiiig of the Lite ncgociation. 



But tlxe moil important work wo liave 



'to notice, and which we fliulilittk moru 



4 K !j tiiun 



