970 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



punctuation of the characters, or 

 in the language itself, no one could 

 be found capable of rendering it 

 into English. This statement, 

 however unaccountable it ma)' ap- 

 pear to many, was afterwards far- 

 ther confirmed, by passports and 

 other papers in African Arabic be- 

 ing sent to me for translations, the 

 want of which had detained vessels 

 in our ports, and caused merchants 

 in London to suffer from a loss of 

 markets.'' 



An academy of commerce was 

 instituted by tiie emperor Joseph 

 II. at Vienna ; at which academy 

 the pupils were instructed in a va- 

 riety of foreign languages, and in 

 the art of drawing. Such an aca- 

 demy might be founded by the 

 British government, without im- 

 posing any burthen on the public, 

 at Malta. The whole property in 

 this islands, formerly belonging to 

 the knights of St. John, has de- 

 volved to the crown of Great Bri- 

 tain. This property might be 

 converted into a fund for the sup- 

 port of proper mastds, who could 

 be procured from the islands and 

 coasts of the Mediterranean, and a 

 certain number of scholars. In 

 this seminary young men might be 

 trained up to act in the capacities 

 of consuls, commercial interpreters, 

 and agents, and as travellers under 

 the patronage of literary and libe- 

 ral individuals or societies, for the 

 exjiloration of unknown regions, 

 and the improvement of both natu- 

 ral and civil history. From the 

 islands and tlie countries on the 

 Mediterranean, as well as from 

 Great Britain and Ireland, young 



men, besides those on the founda' 

 tion, might be attracted to the 

 college of iMalta, so finely situated 

 for such a rendevous, and the ac- 

 quisition of the living languages 

 facilitated by social conversearaong 

 ingenious youths of different na- 

 tions. If this project of a college 

 at Malta should come under the 

 eye, and meet with the approbation 

 of Mr. Jackson, it would be well 

 if he would take it up. There is 

 no one we know of belter quali- 

 fied to point out its advantages, 

 and the arrangements proper for 

 carrying it into execution. 



State (if the Foreign Affairs of 

 Great Britain Jor the Year 

 1 S09. By Gould Francis Leckie, 

 Esq. 



The grand political measure of 

 opposing a kind of maritime em- 

 pire to the overgrown, and still 

 growing empire, of France, on tlie 

 continent of Europe, touched on 

 in our last article, is so ingeniously 

 and ably recommended to the 

 British government in the writings 

 of Mr. Leckie, that we do not he- 

 sitate to give this small pamphlet a 

 place among the books we have se- 

 lected as favourable specimens of 

 1809. It exhibits a happy and 

 rare union of patriotism, learning, 

 genius, comprehensive views, and 

 solid sense.* The spirit and ten- 

 dency of the pamphlet is briefly 

 stated in the conclusion : 



" From all that we have hitherto 

 experienced of the views of Buona- 

 parte, from his undertaking and 

 accomplishing 



• See also our account of his " Historical Sm-vey of the Foreign Affairs of 

 Great Britain, with a view to explain the Causes of 'the Disasters of the late and 

 present Wars," ia our AccotxT oi Books, Vol. L. p. 26T. 



