. 
SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER 
tro tHE FOURTEENTH VOLUME oF tHe 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
Vor. 14, No. 96.] January 25, 1803. 
[Price is. 6d, 
HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT 
HISTORY. 
es Ee Modern Hiftory of Hindof- 
tan, comprehending that of the 
Greek Empire of Baétria, and other 
Great Afiatic Kingdoms, bordering on its 
weftern Frontier ; commencing at the Pe- 
riod of the Death of Alexander, and in- 
tended to be brought down to the Clofe 
of the Eighteenth Century, Vol. 1, Part I. 
and IJ.” If Mr. Maurice had not 
given the mott irrefiagable evidence, that 
he enjoys an intelligent {pirit of refearch 
not to be intimidated by difficulties, and 
a ftock of induftry, not to be exhaufted by 
exertion, we might almoft have feared, left 
he fhould fink under the weight of fo vat 
an undertaking as the prefent. Of Mo- 
dern India we haveno regular hiftory : the 
materials for fuch a wilaigle are f{canty, and 
of no very-ealy accefs. Should Mr. Mau- 
rice fucceed in the completion of his ar- 
duous tafk—and of his fuccefs, if he enjoys 
health and eafe, there can be no doubt—he 
will prefent a valuable offering to the lite- 
rature of his country. ‘* From the death 
of Alexander till the commencement of 
the Hegira, or Mohammedan /Era, in the 
fixth century, the path of Indian Hiftory 
becomes gloomy, cheerlefs, treacherous, 
and unconnected. We are poffefled of 
few authentic documents to guide, and 
ftill fewer important incidents to vary, the 
_ uninterefting narrative.’ Dark, however, 
and barren, as this part of the work muft 
neceflarily- be, Mr. Maurice has endea- 
voured, from various fragments, as he in- 
forms us, relative to India, in the Hiftory 
of the Seleucide, and that of the Prolemies 
in Egypt; from the fcanty records of the 
Greek fovereigns of Baétria; the dynafty 
of the Arfacide, and other neighbouring 
nations ; and from the twilight glimmer- 
ing of information fcattered through the 
pages of the Roman Hittory, both of the 
Ealtern and Weftern Empire ;. to connect 
the chain of events, and. retain ynextin- 
~Monrtury Mac, No, 96: 
OF DOMESTIC LITERATURE. 
_ guifhed the fpirit that ought to animate 
every hiftorical compofition. The fir 
part of this work, which Mr. Maurice 
has connected with, his former volumes, 
by a brief retrofpeét of the events record- 
ed in the Ancient Hiftory, commences at 
the death of Alexander, and concludes 
with the death and charaéter of Mahmud. 
The 2d part clofes with the conclufion of 
the fourteenth century. ‘The 3d part, we 
are informed in the Preface, will bring the 
Hiftory down to the clofe of the feven= 
teenth century. ‘The fourth and lJaft pare 
will confequently be devoted to the com-~ 
plicated, and to us more interefting, 
events of the century which has juft pafled. 
away. Mr. Maurice has materially im~ 
proved himfeif in compofition.. In his 
early productions, a luxuriant. imagina 
tion was too little reftrained by the feve- 
rity of judgment ; and although, perhaps, 
his ftyle of writing may even yet be confi- 
dered as too epithetical for hiftory, it is 
altogether chaftened and improved: it is 
lefs diffufe, Jefs involved, and therefore 
much more vigorous. _ 
As a Supplement to his Memoirs of 
Sir Robert Walpole, Mr. Coxe has com- 
piled and publifhed, in one. quarto yo= 
lume, ** Memoirs of Horatio Lord Wal- 
pole, feleted from his Correfpondence and 
Papers, and connected with the Hiftery of 
the Times, from 1678 to 1757, iluftrated 
with Portraits.”” Mr. Coxe is fingularly 
fortunate in his. accefs to authentic docu- 
ments: with bis diligence the public ts 
already acquainted ; ; anu, on the pre efent 
occafion, it will not be diiappointed in its 
expeétation of an interefting and well- 
arranged hiftorical morgeau. Lord Wal. 
pole was engaged in a public capacity. at 
an early period of his life. He was am; 
baffador at Paris, and ambaffidor at the 
Hague ;. and, during the whole per iod of 
his brother’s adminifiration, was an abie 
and ufeful co-adjutor to him both in and 
% D out 
