1810.] Sketches 
I leave it to Christians of a greater li- 
berality than those of the established 
church, to characterize such an observati- 
onas the following: ‘ Robinson wore no 
shackles ; and loaves and fishes could not 
seduce him.” 
It would be attended with more trou- 
ble than Iam willing to bestow, were I 
to criticize the uncouth language of ‘this 
writer. One ungrammatical perversion 
of an author’s meaning is too glaring to 
omit, as it is very cha aracteristic, and i 1S 
meant to introduce a sarcastic insinuati« 
on of the most discusting illiberality.— 
* The eulogist of Dr. Porteus mentions 
a singular circumstance, as matter of 
praise. {le tells us, that, ‘ fully persua- 
ded himself of the truth of those doc- 
trines so earnestly recommended by 
him, he more easily’ (that is, by being 
himself fully persuaded of their truth, ) 
succeeded in persuading others.” —Here 
was an opportunity not to be overlooked, 
though Priscian had been at his elbow, 
“* More easily than who?” your corres- 
pondent continues, * surely he duth not 
anean other bishops, In the idea ofa 
bishop, we include that of a Christian, 
and must nope, that there are no such 
hypocrites as deists upon that bench.” 
The clergy of the established church, 
will, no doubt, feél highly obliged by the 
following gratuitous “advice: How 
such more honourable would it be to 
those clergymen,who disbelieve the'lrini- 
tarian articles, to withdraw, as Mr. Lind. 
sey, and some oilier honest men have 
done! Would all ef this description 
openly avow themselves, and honestly 
withdraw, they would form no small 
phalanx to oppose orthodox absurdity.” 
So much for the principles and tenets of 
Mr. Robinson’s advocate. It was the 
sensible prayer of a heathen, ‘* God de- 
fend we from my friends, I will defend 
inyself from my enemies YT leave it to 
your correspondent to decide, which of 
the two isimost to be deprecated—a con- 
siderate enemy, or an inconsiderate 
friend, 
But, I fear, Mr. Editor, that I have 
trespassed already too far upon the limits 
of your useful miscellany. Ishall, there- 
fore, reserve any other remarks, which I 
could make on this subject, to another 
opportunity ; if { tind it necessary to ad. 
vert again to this indecent, ard unpro- 
yoked, attack upon the established 
church. Your's, &c. 
Great Marlow, A.B. E. 
dug. 18th. 
“ships ; 
of Malia. 564 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
“SKETCHES Of MALTA.—No. I. 
HIEN we reflect on the geogra- 
phical position of this celebrated 
Island, we can hardly conceive that it 
should not be the seat of a perpetually- 
thriving commerce. Lying as it does in 
the very centre of the Mediterranean, 
within sight of Sicily on the north, and 
a short distance from the African Coast 
on the south, half-way between the Le- 
vant and the Straits of Gibraltar, and 
equidistant from the Adriatic, and Tus- 
can seas, with a safe and commodious 
harbour, and a separate Bay and Island, 
for the purposes of quarantine; how 
many inducements does it hold out to 
mercantile resort! And yet in the time 
of the Knights, Malta possessed but one 
single square-rigged merchant vessel! 
A clear proof, that im matters of this 
kind, the benefits of nature are of far 
less consequence than the regulations of 
policy. At that period, the little, incon- 
venient, aud ill-placed port of Ragusa, 
could boast nearly a thousand merchant 
the whole wisdom of its govern- 
ment was directed to the support and 
increase of a commercial marine; and 
its flag, being alike respected by Chris- 
tian and Mahometan belligerents, was 
seen in every port of the Mediterranean ; 
nay, sometimes in the Baltic, and even ia 
the West Indies. 
How greatly are the circumstances. 
altered! Malta has now some hun- 
dreds of merchanitmen, while Ragusa, 
plundered, and almost razed to the 
vround, has scarcely a few skiffs left, 
which run fearfully along the coast with 
articles of the most indispensable neces-. 
sity.. It must be owned, that the inha-. 
bitants of this wretched state have some 
consolation in the midst of their misery : 
they have been adopted into the family 
of the great Napoleon, and have received 
one of his illustrious generals as their 
duke ! ! 
Commerce depends, i in a very great 
measure, (as [ have already said,) on 
political institutions and regulations; 
but its dependence is of a negative kind: 
it thrives best when most freed from the 
incumbrances which politicians, in ge- 
neral, are too ready to lay upon it. The 
Knights, who derived the chief part of 
their revenues from other countries, 
were little anxious to increase their 
wealth by commercial means; and on 
the other hand, they viewed every 
thing, which tended to the PaAastaca 
o 
