1801. ] 
fometimes they are reprefented to be: if 
they do not alleviate diftrefs, in géneral it 
is becaufe they do not /ee it. 
Let a perfon, however little diftinguith- 
ed he may be for his kindnefs or huma- 
nity, accompany a phyfician in his melan- 
choly round, among the fick poor, and he 
will feel his heart yearn for their mifery, 
and will find his hand open for their relief. 
It is neceffary to remark, that in con- 
fequence of wanting the fupport of whole- 
fome food, and the other unhappy cir- 
cumftances of their condition, the poor in 
London are too frequently induced to feek 
a temporary relicf from the ftimulating 
operation of the worft of {pirits.* Seldom 
* Such reflections as thefe, awakened 
by late’ fubjeéts of aaual obfervation, 
may recal perhaps ta the men:ory of the 
literary readers fome melancholy paf- 
fages in the Hiftory, and inthe Letters 
of the Poétical Peafant of Scotland, both 
of which have been lately prefented to 
the public, by the hand of a writer, 
whofe {plendid and folid talents, with 

Stata of Public Affairs, in December 1800. 
55 
polleffing refolution of mind enough for 
the more fpeedy modes of felf-deftrucion, 
they in general are driven to the flower 
fuicide of habitual inebriety. By the more 
eafy and opulent, thefe miferable beings 
may fometimes be accufed of a criminal 
improvidence with regard to the future ; 
but is it unnatural, or even is it unwife for 
‘thofe not to look forward to the future, 
to whom the future prefents nothing but 
an unmixed profpect of daily increafing 
mifery and defperation ? WwW. Ww. 
Red Lion-fquare, Pee: 
fr E  ES Ia DPULUO BAC NV cc GT 
equal fuccefs, have been employed, in 
reftoring the health of ‘the living, and 
in embalming the memory of the dead. 
By fome, Dr. Currie, in writing the 
~life, may be fufpeéted of having thrown 
an undue luftre on the chara&ter of the 
deceafed Burns; but genius recently de- 
parted may be compared to the fun, 
which never is obferved to thine fo 
beautifully as juft after it has funk bes 
low the herizon. 
STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 
In December 1800. 

O every benevolent mind it would 
be a fincere triumph could we in- 
troduce the new century with happy 
omens of peace and plenty. Our hopes of 
the former are for the prefent unhappily 
fufpended. ‘The parties it now appears 
cannot truft each other. ‘The Chief Con- 
ful, irritated perhaps by the truly uncivil 
and imprndent reception of his firft pacific 
offer, rendered fuspicious by the infincere 
conduct of fome of the continental pow- 
ers, and the rafh declaration of our mi- 
nifter relative to the negociation of Lifle, 
has evidently requiredafubftantial pledge, 
before he could enter on the preliminaries 
of a treaty. 
Of the ftate of affairs on the continent 
the following faummary of facts will afford 
a competent idea. In the mean time we 
are itil] not deftitute of hope, that, though 
peace is deferred) {till from the actual fitu- 
ation of affairs it cannot be far diftant. 
FRANCE. 
At length all doubts about. the recom- 
mencement of hoftilities have vanithed; 
end a blow has been ftruck which muft 
either compel a continental peace, or re= 
new with ten-fold horrors the fury of war. 
On the 24th of November the com- 
mandant of a detachment of Angereau’s 
army, confifting of Batavian levies, hav- 
ing fummoned the Mentz troops to eva- 
euate Afchaffenburg; the latter refufed, 
attacked the Batavians immediately, and 
yepulled them with the lof (as the French 
acknowledge) of 250 men: on the 2sth 
however, the French, having been rein- 
forced, took poffeflién of Atchaffenburg 
by capitulation. This affair was fucceed. 
ed by feveral fharp. fkirmithes on the 
26th and'27th; and on the 28th a divifion 
of the French army entered Wurtzburg. 
Being thus in poffeffion of both banks of 
the Main, Angereau fixed his head quar 
ters at Schweinfurt, evidently intending 
to prefs as expeditioufly as poffible on the 
frontiers of Bohemia, for the purpofe of 
occupying the attention of the Archduke 
Charles and his new levies, while Mo-. 
reau advanced into Auftria by the route 
of Bayaria ; and while Lecourbe, affifted 
by the army of the Grifons, endeavoured 
to drive the Imperialifts from the T yrol, 
and thereby cut off the communication 
etween the Imperial forces in Germany 
and Italy. , 
Intelligence hasalfo been received from 
his Royal Highnefs the Archduke John, 
dated Haun, December rft, 1800, intimat~ 
ing that he advanced that morning with | 
three columns, in order to attack the ene- 
my. He found them advantageouily 
pofted on a rifing ground; and they de- 
fended themfelves with the greateft ob- 
ftinacy. His attacks were repeatedly res 
pulfed; at length, however, his brave 
troops remained victorious after ten hours" 
refiftance on the part of the enemy, who 
ditputed the ground inch by inch, but 
who were at laft compelled to abandonit, 
leaving 
