' captures off Martinique. 
1804. ] 
tions, and although its violent attacks 
are generally occafioned by circumitances 
immediat:ly preceding that weaken or 
exhauft, exhibit fymptoms of morbid 
energy, much greater than the patient 
would have been capable of difplaying in 
‘the flate of her mott perfect health and 
vigour, 
Mental difeafes are well illuftrated by 
thofe of the bedy. The paroxyfms of 
State of Public Affairs in February 1804. 
181 
mania are convulfions of the mind, thofe 
of melancholia its paralyfis. It is a vul- 
gar, but ill founded, notion, that madnel{s, 
in any of its gestions! arifes in general 
from an excefs of intalieeeaal vigour; it 
is not, in every cafe, but in moft cafes i¢ 
is, a fymptom of radical imbecility or of 
gradual decay. , 
Southampton-row, 
J. Reip. 
February 23, 1804. 
STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 
In February, 1804. 
paratively but little goes, in the end, to. 
enrich the Britifh captors. 
From the Eaft, the accounts are lefs 
BRITISH EMPIRE. 
i the courfe of February, the blockade 
of the French and Dutch ports, has 
been continued with vigilance, though 
not without fome difficulty, at times, 
from the ftate of the weather. The 
preparations of the French for a defcent 
upon this country, ftill proceed, and are 
now more nearly complete than at any 
formerperiod. But, no confiderable force 
has yet been able to efcape out of their 
ports, to fea ; and it becomes, every day, 
more and more improbable, that, with. 
out fome very extraordinary concurrence 
of accidents in their favour, they fhould 
be able to elude our iquadrons, or break 
through them. 
Difpatches from Commodore Hood, 
enumerate between forty and fifty fhips 
2s taken from the enemy, or at leaft de- 
tained by our fquadron off Martinique, 
fince the date of his laft preceding dif- 
patches, and previoufly to the 26th of 
November laf. Ata moderate eftimate, 
the value of thefe fhips with their car- 
goes, may exceed a million fterling. 
Accounts from Sir J. T. Duckworth, 
mention 44 captures to have been made, 
by the fquadron on the Jamaica ftation, 
between the date of his laft previous dif- 
patches and the 26th of Otober. Thefe 
appear to be not lefs valuable than the 
The average 
' value of what the enemy have been lately 
I:fing to us, at fea, in the Welt Indies, 
may be, therefore, taken at a million 
fterling, a month. Perhaps the fum of 
their loffes at fea in the other parts of the 
world, may be of equal amount. Four 
and twenty millions a year, in Jofles at— 
fea, exclufively of the other wafte and 
expenditure of the war, are a confump- 
tion which might, in time, even imp.v- 
erifh ali France. It is true, that much 
_ of this is entirely wafted; and that com- 
MontTHiy Mac, No. 112. 
favourable. The furrender of Pondi- 
cherry to Linois’s fquadron, was pru- 
dently denied. The whole fquadron 
might have been eafily detained, if the 
Britith Commanders on that tation, had 
received timely notice of the renewal of 
the war. But, while the Englifh re- 
mained without knowledge of this 
change ; a faft-failing French thip broughe 
information of it to Admiral Linois; 
and he failed, inftantly, for the Mauri- 
tius. 
The Mahrattas have, for many years, 
been, next after the Britifh, the chief 
Power in Hindooftan. Lately, they have 
been much divided among themfelves. 
Bajerow, the Peifhwa, or according to 
their ancient conftitution, Chief-magif- 
trate of the State, is in defenfive alliance 
with the Britifh Government in India, 
to which he has recently ceded a very 
extenfive territory. Dowlut Row Scin- 
dia, and feveral other Mahratta Chiefs, 
have, fince, fet. themfelves in oppofition 
to the Peifhwa ;‘and are now, with a great 
force, in arms againft him. To proteét 
their ally the Britifh have declared war 
on the difobedient-Chiefs.. All Hindoof- 
tan is thus about to be afflicted with 
new hoftilities. The Company may, of 
courfe, expe&t another feafon dunng 
which it fhall be impoffible for their trade 
to advance in profperity, for their debts 
to be diminifhed, for their long promifed 
contribution to oe paid towards leflening 
the general debts of thé nation, or for 
any increale to be made in the dividends 
on the fhares of the Proprietors. 
The mof unpleafing news have been 
received from the ifland of Ceylon. In 
the war which broke out there, fome 
time fince, the king of Candy was at 
Bb fir fk 
