Retrospest of French Literature—H. story. 
de Luz, were taken and plundered 
by the Spaniards in 1636, who at the 
game time, seized on fourteen large ves- 
sels laden with blubber, &c. After this 
facal event, which annihilated the fishery 
of the Basques, a number of their best 
sailors found it necessary to expatriate 
themselves, and carry their talents and 
tudustry elsewhere. 
“ Tt belongs to the pencil of history, 
to depict in their true colours, the dis- 
putes that took place among the rival 
companies which arose im Holland, 
France, and England, and built their 
prosperity on the ruin ofeach other. In 
the course of only two hundred years, 
they thinned, or rather entirely deprived, 
the North sea of its whales; for Ander- 
son has calculated, that between 1721 
and 1765, the Hollanders alone caught 
no less than 32,927.* 
“ ] have thus collected and stated 
such facts as seem t9 ensure an incon- 
testable priority on behalf of the fisher- 
men of the North, ia respect of this 
branch of maritime industry, If the 
Basques did not equal these, another 
species of glory at least is reserved for 
the latter, and this is, by the boldness 
of their navigation, to have afforded a 
grand example tu the other nations of 
Europe ; they having pierced nearly as 
far as the pole, in order to establish a 
species of floating manufacture there. 
“ Neither the Basques nor the Dutch 
can however be justly considered as the 
first whale-fishers ; as the most ancient 
records possessed by the latter ascend no 
higher than the year 1415.¢ Besides, 1 
find by the proceedings of the states-ge- 
neral of the United Provinces in 1614, 
that the Hollanders were at that period 
so little acquainted with the whale. 
fishery, that they invited: a great number 
of Basque fishermen from France, in or- 
der that they might teach them their me- 
thod. 
« Tet results then from the whole, that 
we are but little informed relative to the 
origin, the infancy, and the progress of 
this branth of maritime economy, both 
# J have discovered by a work translated 
from the Dutch, that between 1669 and 
1778, inclusive, the Dutch alone caught on 
the coast of Greenland, no fewer than. 
57,589 whales ; and between 1719 and 1778, 
inclusive, they took 7,586 of these fish in 
Davis’ Strait, which forms a grand total of 
65,175 whales. : ; 
+ Diplome de Guitlaume, Conte de Bavicre’ 
et de Hollande, en faveur des pécheurs @’ ¥pel- 
sloet, : 
4. 
693 
among ourselves and qur neighbours. 
Commerce has obtained a Fischer for an 
historian in Germany, and an Anderson 
in England. A third is yet wanting for 
France, 1m order to compile a complete 
work relative to the infancy, the yeuth, 
and the more advanced progress of aul. 
titude of useful arts, in respect to the 
invention aud practice of which we per- 
haps are entitled ta the preference. In 
fine, it still remains a desideratum, to ine 
dicate the epochs at wluich we have gra- 
dually obtained perfection in our ruval, 
commercial, and maritime economy.” 
This work abounds with curious facts, 
but is evident that it has been produced 
by Gallic vanity ; for the author labours 
to attribute all the glory of the deep-sea 
fishery to his countrymen, the Basques 
and Normans. It is noterious, however, 
that the Dutch and English were. their 
precursors, and that the French at no one 
period were able to rival either of these 
nations in the pursuit and capture of 
the whale. 
“ Tableau de Georgie, &c.” An hista- 
rical, political, ecclesiastical, and literarg 
Account of Georgia, by Eugenius, fAt- 
chimnandrite of the Convent of St. Alex- 
ander Newsky. 
The insular situation of Great Britain, 
in the opinion of many of her inhabitants, 
happily exempts her from any cares 
relative to other countries. Our com- 
merce, our manufactures, our agriculture, 
and our navigation, according to.them, 
are the sole objects that ought te be 
considered; and,with av exception to our 
colonial possessions in the West Lndies, 
and our eastern dominions in Asia, that 
English interests alone should emplog 
our attention, and engross our specu- 
lations. 
[t will readily occur, however, te men 
of discernment, thata great naypn, such 
as ours, is deeply affected by the fail or 
agorandizement of me rermotest state in 
Europe, or perhaps even in Asia. And 
this argament does not.embrace political 
relations alone; for qur commercial prose 
perity is in.some measure involved in it, 
as our manufactures, more especially 
during peace, extend, in some way or 
other, to, almost every régian of the ha- 
bitable world. 
Russia, with which we are at: present 
at war, after having lately emerged from 
barbarism, has made inroads on all the 
neighbouring ‘countries, and- increased 
her empire to a most formidable size, 
Among her recent conquests is the country 
which is the subject of the present work; 
for 
