EPILOGUE to the CHILD of NATURE, Written by MILES PETER ANDREWS, Elq; Spoken by Mrs MATTOCKS. MEN are frange things-'twere happy could we icout 'em, Make up our minds, and fairly do without 'em. For her no prattling race, in sweet employ, Wow. Thefe are delights fuperior far to mine: Ah! how could I to fuch a fwain incline? A ftrange, capricious, wild, eccentric rover, Who felt no paffion till my flame was over; Sued for my hatred as his best reward, And dreading nothing but his wife's regard! Take courage, bachelor, your fears fufpend, Few modifh wives will ever fo offend: Trace the gay circles, and you'll rarely prove That wedlock fuffers from immoderate love. "Loch!" fays Miss Dolly Drylips, an old maid, "I wonder the young flirts are not afraid-The Child of Nature fuppofe that means To have two lovers ere he's in her teensI'm out of mine-but yet may wedlock feize me! If any nafty man has dar'd to teize me!"4 What does the creature mean?" cries Widow Waddle, By flirts, and nasty men, and fiddie-faddle ? We're born to love and cherish great and fmall; I've had five husbands, and I lov'd them all- The Child of Nature was, in days of yore, What, much I fear, we fhall behold no more; The fimple drefs, the bloom that art would hame, The frank avowal, and the gen'rous flame; The native note, which, sweetly warbling wild, Told the foft forrows of the charming child.→ Turn'd to a modern Mifs, whofe feather'd brow Speaks the light furface of the foil below, Whofe little nofe its due concealment keeps, And o'er a muslin mountain barely peeps, Taught by Signor to fquall fhe knows not what · Thumping the harpsichord, is all she's at. Papa, a true John Bull, cries, " Nancy, fingGive us my fav'rite tune, 'God fave the King,' Mifs, fimp'ring, says, “Pa, now I'm grown How WOW long fhall hapless Colin moura The cold regard of Delia's eye? The heart, whofe only crime is love, Can Delia's foftnefs doom to die? Sweet is thy name to Colin's ear! Thy beauties, O divinely bright! I tafte whole ages of delight! My tongue forbore its fondest tale, And few the flocks thofe vales that rove! Yet fhould the virgin yield her hand, The following Translation from AN ACREON was made by PETER PINDAR, Efq; and Lent with the adjoining Stanza to a Lady. ODE. AIN would I ftrike the harp to Kings, FAI And give to WAR the founding strings, But lo! the chords rebellious prove, And tremble with the notes of Loy E. In vain I quarrel with my lyre, In vain I change the rebel wire; Bold I ftrike to War again, But Love prevails through all the strain. Oh! fince not mafter of the fhell, Ye Kings and Sons of War, farewell; And fince the loves the fong require, To Venus I refign the lyre 'Twas thus, (O! Nymph), with Attic tongue, Of yore the gay Anacreon fung, A Bard belov'd by me; MA MALADIE DU PAIS. Written in BENGAL. OULD I invoke but Waller's muse, A fimeness lengthens out the year, Sullen and fad each Farmer ploughs What! tho' a verdure clothe the fields, No hand the hapless peasant shields, The loaded cart creeps flowly on, The fields, fill white with their remains, In filence mourn the dead." Ye charming Belles-and airy Beaux, For foon as virtue warms the heart, For gold why should I break my reft? I afk no founding name; Ye Gods, give me a feeling breast, I envy not fatiric skill To lafh the faults of men ; And may I never have the will May Shenftone's genius guide my lay, Of which I could not safely fay In heaven that it was mine. Heedless what forms thofe fouls inspire, No fultry fun the fummer's pride Had I but just enough to keep A cottage fnug and warm, A horfe and cow, with fome few sheep, To stock a little farm, I would not leave my pipe and crook No bait should lure me from my book, HISTORICAL AFFAIRS. TURKY. The Ruffians, the flowness of whofe motions at the beginning had given fome difpleasure to the Emperor, juft closed the campaign on the borders of the Black Sea with the most important atchievement of the war. On the fudden change of weather, the diftrefs of the army became fo intolerable, that the cavalry be. fore Oczakow had actually abandoned the fiege; and the infantry, grown defperate, had represented to their General, Prince Potemkin, that it were better to die by the hand of the enemy than to perifh with cold: the Prince, taking advantage of the lucky moment, gave orders to bombard the place with red-hot balls, one of which falling upon the grand powder-magazine, blew it up, and with it a large portion of the wall, which opened a breach for the Ruffians to enter. This they did fword in hand. The Turks made a gallant defence; but nothing could refift the bravery of the Mufcovites, who took the place by ftorm on the 17th of December, with the lofs of 1000 men killed, and about 4000 wounded. The Turks had rcco men fabered in Oczakow, and 25,000 were made prifoners. The above is the first hafty account published in the Vienna Gazette; foon after which the following appeared in the fame paper. Oczakow was carried by affault on the 17th of December. The number of the befiegers were 14.000 men; that of the garrifon 12,000. There were 7400 killed on the fpot, without reckoning those fabered in the houses. There were found in the place 300 trefsles, cannon, and mortars. The grand maga zine blew up; but a great quantity of ammunition of every fpecies was taken. The number of inhabitants was 25,000, among whom were 4000 very fine women. The Ruffians have loft 2000 men, including 180 officers. The Pacha who commanded the fortress has been made prifoner with the garrifon; but the Aga who had the troops was cut to pieces, as he refused to furrender. The London Gazette makes the lofs of the Turks 6000 killed, and 3000 made prifoners. The lofs of the Ruffians 4030. [vol. 50. p.652.] POLAND. The following note, dated Warfaw, Nov. 19. 1788. was delivered by the Pruffian ambassador to the diet at War faw, and read at their 20th meeting. "The undersigned envoy extraordinary of his Prussian Majesty, having fent the King, his mafter, the answer which his Majefty the King of Poland, and the confederated States of the Diet, communicated on the 20th of October, in the declaration of the 12th of the fame month, he has given him exprefs orders to teftify to the Illuftrious States of the Diet of Poland, the strongest satisfaction which his Majefty feels in obferving, by this anfwer, that they fecond his favourable fentiments for maintaining the privileges of the Republic, and which also affures him, that the project of an alli ance between Ruffia and Poland (which his Majefty the King of Poland, and his minifter at the court, had made a propofition of) had not been in any manner an a& of the present Confederated Diet, who were folely occupied in the augmentation of the army and revenues of the State. At the fame time that the King finds in this anfwer an agreeable and convincing proof of the wifdom which directs all the refolutions of the prefent Diet, he learns with an equal fatisfaction, that the Illuftrious States, faithful to their conftitution, have in their session of the 3d of November, by a public sanction, and invefted with all conftitutional formalities, regulated the command of their military force in fuch a manner as to affure to the Republic its independence, and remove from it the poffibility of abufe of power, of defpotism, and of all foreign influence, which every other regulation made it fufceptible of. His Majesty thought himself secure in the known prudence and firmnefs of the States of the Diet, who would never permit any thing to prevent a regulation which does fo much honour to their wife forefight; by the confideration of a particular guarantee to the former conftitution, as if the Republic fhould not have power to amend the form of its govern ment in the new fituation of circumftances in which it abfolutely is at prefent; a guarantee, which is not conformable to the treaty of 1773, on which only the guarantees are founded, and which was figned in the Diet of 1775 by one power only, who contradicted it foon after. The King continues firmly refolved to fulfil his promifes towards the Illuftrious Republic, of an alliance and general guarantee, especially to fecure its independ ence, without ever intermeddling in its interior interior affairs, or wishing to trouble the freedom of its deliberations and refolutions, which, on the contrary, he will fupport with all his efforts. His Majefty is flattered, that the Illuftrious States of the prefent Diet are convinced of the uprightness and purity of thefe affurances, and of his friendly fentiments for the Republic, without fuffering any finifter infinuations to prevail upon them by thofe who only feek to propagate a spirit of party under the cloke of patriotism, and who in reality have no other defign than to take off the Republic from the Court of Pruffia, its most ancient ally. The King, by his declaration of Oct. 12. [vol. 50. p. 561.] and by the prefent, which has been transmitted to the Ruffian minister at Berlin, could not think of expreffing in an equivocal manner his fentiments for the fafety and welfare of the Republic, which no confideration whatever fhall divert him from. His Majefty hopes alfo that the Confederated States of the Republic will give to this new declaration all the attention and confideration which it merits, from their pureft and moft fincere fentiments of friendship and good neighbourhood, and from their unequivocal wishes for the profperity of the Republic. LOUIS DE BUCKHOLTZ. After reading the above, the debates grew more violent than ever; but in the end the Pruffian party prevailed; and on Jan. 9. the Marfhal of the Diet opened the 32d feffion, by a discourse, in which, after reminding his Majefty of his promife to name the minifters in the foreign courts, he read the names of the perfons whom the nation defigned to fill those places, and his Majesty accepted them. The States gave a reply to his laft declaration, dated Dec. 8. They declare, "That if their past refolutions in deciding for a feparate commiflion of the war-department have met with the good wishes of the King of Pruffia, they hope their fubfequent deliberations on the fame fubject will enfure them in future. It is by fuch a con duct that the Republic wishes to affure the King, how much they efteem his wifdom and approbation, as well as eftablifh the fafety of the Republic, which, his Majefty fo kindly fays, is fuperior to other important confiderations. "The King of Pruffia having declared himfelf ready to fulfil his engagements of VOL. LI. alliance and guarantee with the States, the nation accepts it with a reciprocal defire and gratitude. His Majefty, in offering fuch generous and friendly terms, eftablishes for ever that high opinion which the Polish nation entertains of his magnanimity and character. STANISLAUS MALACHOWSKI. From the above, it appears how dependent the States of Poland are become on the pleasure of the King of Pruffia. In difcuffing the conduct of the two Imperial Courts, thofe of Ruffia and Germany, a member of the fenate obferved, that the Court of Vienna had first broken its treaties with the Republic by its former divifions of Poland; by a late violation on its territories in the Siege of Choczim; by the neceffity imposed on the Poles, poffeffing lands in Gallicia, to refide half the year in the Imperial States; and, laftly, by the monopoly of fait, cftablished by the Court of Vienna. The applaufe with which this laft speech was received, has given rife to a report, that a Pruffian war will terminate the contest. Dantzick, Fan. 2. During laft year we reckon 410 fhips have entered our port, and 419 failed from it, and 54 wintered here. Amongst the fhips which entered, there were 63 Dutch, 82 English, 23 Danish, 43 Swedish, 38 Pruflian, and 108 of our own. UNITED PROVINCES & GERMANY. Utrecht, Jan. 14. Eight hundred and ninety-eight perfons died here last year, which exceeds the number in 1787 by 14. There were 1339 births, and 330 marriages. At Hamburgh 3008 perfons have died, and 2784 children have been baptifed. and 9co marriages. At Koningsbergen there have been 352 marriages, 2090 births, and 2160 deaths. Berlin, Jan. 3. In the year 1788, we reckon in this city 1118 marriages, 5108 births, 2659 of which were boys, and 2449 girls; 4952 deaths, of which 1323 were men, 1210 women, 1311 boys, and 1108 girls. Amongit the births 299 were ftill-born. FRANCE. The King and council have adopted M. Neckar's report on the restoration of the ftate; and on Dec. 27. the following refolution was published. "The King, having confidered the report prefented to his council by his mi G nifter 46 1. That the number of deputies fhall be at least one thousand. 2. That this number fhall be formed, as far as poffible, on a compound proportion of the population and the contributions of each bailliage. 3. That the deputies of the Third Eftate shall be equal in number to those of the two other orders united. 4. That thefe preliminaries fhall conftitute the basis of the proceedings neceffary for preparing without delay the writs of convocation, as well as the other regulations which ought to accompany them. 5. That the report prefented to his Majefty fhall be printed at the end of this refolution.' An arret of the King has been juft iffued at Paris, offering a bounty of 15 fols per quintal to all importers of wheat, 12 fols per quintal for rye, and 20 fols per quintal for flour, to take place from the 15th of February next to the 15th of June following; and all fhips whatever, without any diftinction, who import either of the above into any of the ports of France, are to be exempt from the payment of the freight-duties. SPAIN. The ambaffadors and other foreign minifters had the honour of waiting upon their Catholic Majefties on the 21ft of December, for the first time fince their acceffion. They have begun their reign with the fufpenfion of fome general duties that affect the poor. His Majefty has iffued two decrees, by one of which it is declared, that all debts contracted by the late King are to be confidered as debts of the crown, and discharged as speedily as the urgencies of government, the ftate of the revenues, and the qualities of the debts, will allow; and by the fecond, his Majefty extends his beneficence to the debts of his royal predeceffors Ferdinand VI. and Philip V. under certain modifications and reftrictions. PORTUGAL. Portugal, and England. The number of ships which arrived at Lisbon in the course of laft year is as follows: Portuguefe 283, English 351, French 174, Dutch 89, Danish 57, Swedifh 34, Spanish 31, American 59, Venetian 11, Ragufans 6, Hamburghers 5, Imperial 3, Bremeners 3, Pruffian 1, Vol. 51. Ruffian 1, Dantzicker 1. Total 1109. Jan. 6. A draught of 1000l. was refed in the following letter from the Prince ceived in the Chamber of London, incloChamberlain of London, at his office, of Wales's Treasurer, addreffed to the Guildhall: "Sir, His Royal Highnefs the Prince the city of London might fuftain fome of Wales, apprehending that the poor of hardship and inconvenience in this inclement season, from the delay of the King's annual bounty, arifing from the present unfortunate state of his Majefty's health, has commanded me to pay 100ol. into the Chamber of London, to be applied to the relief of the poor, in the fame manner been. I have the honour to be, &c. that his Majefty's bounty has usually HENRY LYTE." 13th, unanimously voted their thanks to The court of common council, on the the Prince for his well-timed munificence. gon with a ton of coals from LoughboJan. 10. Thirteen men brought a wagrough, in Leicestershire, to Carletonhouse, as a present to his Royal Highthey were emptied into the cellar, Mr nefs the Prince of Wales. As foon as Weltjie, clerk of the cellars, gave them four guineas, and as foon as the Prince them 20 guineas, and ordered them a pot was informed of it, his Highness fent of beer each man. They performed their journey, which is 111 miles, in 11 days, and drew it all the way without any relief. Jan. 20. The feffions ended at the judgement of death, one was ordered to Old Bailey, when 18 convicts received be transported, nine to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour in the house of correction, eight to be whipped, and 25 discharged by proclamation.—Jan. 30. at the adjourned feffions, 27 received fentence of transportation, and two were ordered to the house of correction. the Admiralty board, of the state of the The following is the annual return to Navy at the close of the year 1788. IN ORDINARY.-At Plymouth,- of 90, nineteen of 74, nineteen of 64, three |