AS 4. 
Mirza, eldeft fon of the king of Delhi, to 
his prefent majefty of Great Britain, 
written in the year 1785. A relation, 
the moft pathetic and inftructive, of the 
fufferings of Shah Aulum concludes.this 
valuable hiftory: the eyes of the unfor- 
funate king of Delhi were extruded, (to 
ufe an expreflion of Dr. Johnfon’s, on a 
fimilar occafion *), by the barbarous or- 
der of Gholaum Caudir, whofe inhu- 
-manity was afterwards reterted on him 
“by Schindiah, with circumftances of ag- 
gravated cruelty. The whole of this ago- 
nizing tale is related in a manner which 
doés honour to the feelings of Captain 
FRANCKLIN. Perhaps we cannot arrange 
more properly than in the clafs of hif- 
torical works, Sir RICHARD CLAYTON’s 
‘€ranflation of Mr. Tenhove’s ** Memoirs 
of the Houfe of Medici, from its Origin to 
the death of Francefco, the fecond, Grand 
Duke of Tufcany.’ Every one who has 
read Mr. Rofcoe’s life of Lorenzo, will 
remember the very handfome compliment 
there paid to the tafte and abilities of 
Mr. Tenhove: fpeaking of the prefent 
work and its author, Mr. Rofcee fays, 
«< the fertility of his genius, and the ex- 
tent of his information, have enabled him 
to interfperfe his narrative with a variety 
ef interefting digreffions and brilliant ob- 
fervations: and the moft engaging work 
- that perhaps ever appeared, on a fubjet 
of literary hiftory, is written by a native 
ef one country, in the language of an- 
other, on the affairs of a third.¢’” The 
whole of his defign, Mr. Tenhove did 
not live to complete; his work was writ- 
ten_at various times, and printed piece- 
meal, as it was compofed. Mr. T. 
“© committed to the flames all the copies 
of thefe memoirs, excepting thofe which 
he had diftributed to his particular friends 
in feparate parts, as they came from the 
prefs.” From one of thoie few printed 
copies, this tranflation took its rife: and 
though, from the circumftance of its in- 
completion, it abounds with abrupt di- 
greflion, and the chain of hiftorical nar- 
ration is often broken; it is a work o 
much value; it contains almoft an hii- 
tory of the rife and reign of the fine arts, 
and many interefting anecdotes are inter- 
woven of painters, {culptors, engravers, 
archite&ts, &c. &c. Sir Richard’s-tranf- 
lation is {pirited and eafy ; his notes and 
obfervations difplay confiderable learning, 
and much good fenfe. ‘The laft work of 
* See his note at the conclufton of king Lear. 
+ Mr. Tenhove was a Dutchman, and his 
memoirs are written ia French. 
Half-yearly Retrofpet? of Domeftic Literature. 
an hiftorical nature, which has come un- 
der our obfervation’ is, a fimall oétavo vo- 
‘lume, of confiderable curiofity, by Ge- 
neral VALLANCY; it isentitled, ‘* Tfe 
Ancient Hiftovy of Ireland proved from the 
anferit books of the Bramins of India.” 
Thefe venerable fages are well known to 
have taken an unlimited range in their to- 
pographical and hiftorical refearches; we 
learn, from the prefent publication, that, 
in one of the ancient Puranas, the faered 
volumes of the Hindts, a particular de- 
{cription has been found of the Britith 
ifles! The paflage in queftion, is given 
in the original Sanfcrit charaéter, and is 
employed by the General to corroborate 
fome affertions and conje€tures, which he 
hazarded many years ago in his Vindica- 
tion of the Hiftory of Ireland.» 
FINANCE. 
As a work of great merit and import- 
ance, we cannot avoid mentioning the 
Earl of LAUDERDALE’S .** Letter on the 
prefent Meafure of Finance; but as-its 
direct application is te a period now paft, 
we forbear to enlarge on its contents; no 
man, of common fenfe and obfervation), 
will queftion for a moment the completion 
of the noble earl’s portentous prophecy, 
that the minifter’s eftimate for the prefent 
year, 1798, will fall far fhort ofhis ex- 
travagant expenditure. The “ propofal 
for liquidating £.66,666,6662 of the 
three per cents, by converting the land- 
tax into, a permanent annuity,’’ has met 
with that attention by both houfes of par- 
liament, which every plan to raife money 
is fure to be honoured with; a random 
equalization, however, of the old land- 
tax, would obvioufly be an iniquitous 
meaiure: A and B own two eftates, each 
fubje& to a land-tax, the fermer of four 
fhillings, the latter of four-pence in the 
pound. B fells his eftate to C, who pur- 
chafes ata high price, exprefsly on con- 
fideration of the lownefs of the Jand-tax ; 
what could exceed the injuttice of raifing 
C’s land-tax to equal that of D, whe 
purchated the eftate of A at an inferior 
value, becaufe it was burdened with a 
heavy one? In an oftavo volume, is 
brought down to the sth of Jan. 1797, 
6 The State of the Nation with Refpe to its 
Public Funded Debt, Revenue, Difburfe- 
ment,” &c. &c. from which it appears, 
that the. debt actually contracted at that 
time, Was 394,000,0001! Since that time; 
. it has increafed with an incalculable, but 
moft ominous celerity : 
——Malum, quo non aliud velocins ullum 3 
Mebilitate viget, virefque acquirit eungo. ©, 
“Jt 
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