654 Retrospect of Domestic Literature—History, Chronology. 
s bordinate branch of the political and 
commercial history of -England, and 
unfold the rise and progress of the - 
greatest commercial association, which 
has appeared in any country, or inany. 
age. 
“The evidence upon which this re. 
view of their affairs has proceeded, has 
been drawn from documents preserved 
among his Maiesty’s archives in the 
State Paper Office, and from the re- 
cords of the Cow pany, in the Indian 
Register Office. in a preliminary dis- 
sertation, Mr. Bruce has traced the 
rise and progress of the intercourse of 
the European waritime nations with 
the East Indies, including the bistory 
of the Portuguese and Dutch estab- 
lishmenis —. 
The work is divided into three chap- 
ters; each occupying a volume. The 
first, comprehends the rise and pro- 
gress of the London East India Com- 
pany, from the year 1600, to the re- 
storation of their charter by King 
Charles II. in 1661. The second de- 
tails ihe commercial relations of Eng- 
land, from the restoration to the revo- 
lution in 1688, with the events affect. 
ing the Indian sovereignties in the 
countries in which the London East 
India Company had established facto- 
ries or seats of trade. ‘* Chapter III. 
after referring to the political and ~ 
commercial relations to England, from 
1688—89 to 1707—§. discovers the 
sources and characters of the succes- 
sive speculations for an open, and for 
a separate trade, which terminaied in 
the establishment of a second, or the 
English -East India Company; and 
brings under notice the facts which 
satisfied the Legislature and the pub- 
lic, of the necessity of entrusting the 
Fast India trade, to the exclusive ma- 
nagement of the united company of 
merchants of England, trading to the 
East Indies.” 
To the annals of each of these 
periods the author has subjoined re- 
‘sults, affording in a short compass, 
from authentic evidence, the progres- 
sive aspects ofthe Coimpany’s rights. 
Here also we have to anounce the 
third, fourth, and fifth volumes of 
6¢ British Family Antiquety, illustrative 
of the Origin and Progress, of the Rank, 
Honours, and Personal Merit of the No- 
bility of ihe United Kingdom, accom- 
panied with an elegant Set of Chrono- 
logical Charls.” By Wituiam PLayrarr, 
Esq. 
3 
- The third volume contains the peer- 
age of Scotland. The fourth and fifth 
volumes, the peerage ef Ireland. At the 
end of the two Peerages are ‘‘ Conelu- 
sions.” One, containing an appeal to 
facts that in ancient times the Scich 
acted right in leaguing with France 
against England; and right also, at 
another period, in-sacrificing their own 
importance to the good of their coun- 
try. The other, reciting a short out- 
line of “the oppressed state of Tre- 
Jand from the conquest by Henry I. 
till the reign of George II.” and en- 
deavouring to prove ‘‘ that nothing 
short ofa unioz of Parliaments could 
afford true relief to Ireland.” 
The removal of the Portuguese go- 
vernment from Lisbon to South Ame- 
rica gives the first part of ‘“‘ 7he History 
of Brazil,’ by Roserr Sourngy, a 
livelier interest than it might possibly 
have had in times of greater quiet. In 
the preface the author assures us that 
something more is comprised in the 
present work than the title promises, 
“ jt relates the foundation and pro-- 
gress of the adjacent Spanish provinces, ~ 
the affairs of which are in latter times 
inseparably connected with those of 
Brazil. The subject may therefore be 
considered as including the whole 
iract of country between the rivers 
Pjata, Paraguay, and Orellana, (or the 
Amazons,) and eastward towards 
Peru, as far as the Portuguese have 
extended their settlements or their 
d'scoveries. 
‘¢ The onlygeneral, history of Bra- ~ 
zil,”? he adds, ** is the America Portu- 
gueza of Sebast. da Rocha Pitta, a 
meagre and inaccurate work, which 
has been accounted valuable, merely 
because there was no other. There 
are many copious and good accounts 
of the Dutch wars. Earlier informa- 
tion is to be gleaned from books where 
it occurs rather incidentally than by © 
design, Authorities are still scarcer 
for the subsequent period, and for the 
greater part of the last century printed 
documents almost entirely fail. A col- 
lection of MSS. notless extensive than 
curious; and which is not to be equal 
led in England, enables me to supply 
ihis chasm in history. The collection 
was formed during a residence of inore 
than thirty years in Portugal, by the 
friend and relation,’”’ (the Rev. Her, 
bert Hill;) ** to whom this work is in- 
scribed. Without the assistance which 
I have received from him, it would 
have 
