when she had it not in her power, eitherto enforce her pleasure by violent means, or to effect it by the machinations of her party within the realm. The king of Pruffia, with a well appointed army, was at hand to vindicate their rights against the one in the field; and his party was in fuch full poffeffion of power, as effectually to drown the voice of the other in the fenate. This must have proved a mortifying circumftance to the Emprefs of Ruffia; and fome attempts have been fince made by her, in conjunction with the prefent Emperor, to obtain an influence in Poland. How far they. will fucceed, time only will difcover. In the mean while, the new Emperor feems to feel that he has a very delicate part to act, between the Empress of Ruffia on the one hand, and the king of Pruffia on the other; neither of whom, he fees, it is his intereft at present to break with. Hitherto he has acted, in this trying fituation, with fuch addrefs, as gives a favourable prefage of his political fagacity.

Some overtures have been made of late for a change of the conftitution of Poland; but whether thefe will be effected at all, or, if it be, whether that will be carried into effect by calmnefs or violence, cannot at present be foreseen. Nor is it poffible, till the modifications they shall adopt be fully known, to form an idea of the tendency which this change will be naturally fitted to produce. Time alone can bring these things to light.

Turkey.

It is impoffible for any liberal minded perfon, to cast an eye over the map of the Turkish dominions, and not to feel a kind of melancholy regret, at contemplating the fad changes that a barbarous and defpotic government has produced on the finest countries in the world. Ruin and defolation mark the boundaries of her dominion. Thofe countries, which the claffic page has rendered dear to every man of letters, and which were remarkable for the extent of their commerce, the judiciousness of their legislators, the wisdom of their philofophers, the elegance of their arts, and the power of their arms, are now, by the chilling influence of defpotifm, reduced to one undistinguished mass of rude barbarifm and indolence. The cities in ruins, the harbours choaked up, the people difpirited, and their once fertile fields converted into moraffes or extentive defarts. It is impoffible to contemplate these things, without feeling an

ardent wish, that the dread power, which produces thefe baneful effects, were totally annihilated: And the first fenfation that occurs, when a war with Turkey is mentioned, is a wifh, that the enemies of that illiterate people may finally prevail against them. But, when we think of the change that would probably take place, in confequence of one barbarous government being overturned by another; of the havock that muft enfue among the people, and of the numberlefs evils that would unavoidably refult from a change of government, where ignorance univerfally prevails; it is inpoffible for the human mind not to fhrink back with horror from the frightful idea of it. On this principle, the philanthro pift will look upon the combination, that was lately formed for overturning the Ottoman empire, with averfion, and commend the humanity, as well as the policy of those European powers, which endeavour to fruftrate the aims of the aggref fors. That fuch incidents may occur, as to humble and humanize that imperious court, and gradually to enlighten and civilize that barbarous people, is devoutly to be wished; and that this may be in fome measure the consequence of their prefent humiliation, is highly probable. May the time foon arrive, when the principles of equity fhall there exert their beneficent influence, in improving their government, and protecting the people, fo as to bring back that country to its former power, and restore to it that influence among nations, which the fertility of the foil, and its fingu lar advantages for trade, ought naturally to enfure!

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From the beginning of the prefent contest between the Porte and the confederated imperial powers, the Turkish Divan seems to have been impreffed with a serious sense of danger, and to have left no means of defence unattempted, that the fate of knowledge they poffefs, and the nature of their government, admitted. Their beft generals were ap pointed to command; their inftructions feem to have been peremptory to defend every thing as long as poffible; their troops have been excited to ardour by the allurements of a religious enthusiasm, and they have fought with a defperas tion that has few examples in modern times. They have been beaten, it is true; but every victory has been purchafed at fuch an expence of blood and treasure, as to leave the conquerors little room to boast of their fuccefs.:

The PORTE not only prepared herself for defence by every means within her own power, but also, imitating the policy of European ftates, she tried to weaken her enemies by exciting a powerful diverfion from another quarter. The king of Sweden, allured by the temptation of a high fubfidy from them, made that rapid irruption in Ruffian Finland, above deferibed; and by cutting out employment for the Ruffian fleet in the Baltic, prevented the Emprefs from attempting any naval expedition of confequence into the Mediterranean, which, had it been permitted, would have dif treffed the Turk more than any other mode of attack. Fortunately for them, Ruffia had behaved to Britain with fuch a haughty and infidious policy, when the had it in her power to annoy it, as made that court look with a jealous eye on any measure that tended to aggrandize her; fo that it is probable, had Sweden remained quiet, the Ruffian fleet, in confequence of the coolness of Britain, and the present state of the other maritime powers in Europe, would have found it a difficult matter to do any thing effectual in the Medi-. terranean. And now even when Sweden has withdrawn, there feems to be reason to expect that Ruffia will still experience other checks to retard the progrefs of her arms by fea, which will ultimately compel her to accede to terms of pacification little fuited to the hope, she entertained at the commencement of hoftilities. Nothing can be more foolish than war in modern times: If fuccefs attends the exertions of any potentate, new enemies fpring up in confequence of every victory, so as to compel the moft powerful to accept of peace at last, on terms little proportioned to the vigour of her exertions.

For many centuries, the Turk was the terror of Chriftendom: but these days are long paft; and fhe will now, it is hoped, begin, from neceflity, to court the alliance of other nations, and with that view will be obliged to think and to a in fuch a manner as to fecure their favour. Should that happen, commercial freedom and fecurity must first be: granted to the subjects of these friendly powers; and this kind of fecurity will be gradually extended to the fubjects. themfelves of the ftate. A police capable of discovering and punishing the guilty, and of protecting the innocent, will be found neceflary. The benefits that will by this

means accrue to the revenue, will come to be felt; and it will be perceived, that fiscal wealth refults from the profperity of the people, and the confequent increase of trade. The effects of a naval force will be perceived in regard to national defence; and this, it will be found, can only be kept up by encouraging private trading veffels. A more general intercourfe with foreign nations must enfue: knowledge with this must increase; and that religious bigotry which tends fo ftrongly to excite enmity between different nations, fubfide; and thus, by degrees, without any violent revolution, an empire may be established at Conftantinople, which fhall be as friendly, as that which has hitherto prevailed there has been hurtful to the industry of mankind. When that time fhall arrive, what a glorious fpectacle will this exhibit to admiring nations! The Phoenix rifing from her ashes, in all the ardour of youth, with renovated luftre, one would think, had been devised as a type of that happy reformation.

A Catalogue of New Publications.

Thoughts on the present scheme of extenfive taxation London, Stockdale, Is.

Letters to the Right Honourable Mr. Burke, occafioned by his reflections on the Revolution in France, 2s. 6d.

A Syftem of Anatomy and Phyfiology, with the comparative Anatomy of Animals, 3 vols, 8vo. Robinsons, 1ļ. 18. boards.

Medical Commentaries for the year 1790, by Andrew Duncan, M. D. Robinsons, 8vo. 6s.

Questions to be refolved; or a New Method of exercifing the attention of young people. Tranflated from the French of Madame de la Fite. Murray, 12mo. 2s. 6d.

A treatise on the Extraction of the Cataract, by D. Auguftus Gottlib Richter. Tranflated from the German, Murray, 8vo. 4s.

Sacred Biography; or the Hiftory of the Patriarchs, by Henry Hunter, D. D. vol. 5. Murray, 6s. Remarks on the Advertisement Abolition of the-Slave Trade.

of the Committee on the Egerton, 8vo.

Curfory Hints and Anecdotes of the late Doctor WILLIAM CULLEN of Edinburgh, continued from page 56.

THAT Doctor Cullen poffeffed genius, no man will deny. The univerfal reputation he obtained, feems to be a demonftrative proof of this: But when this is admitted, it conveys no definité idea of the talents of Cullen. There are many men, who have equally obtained the name of men of genius, who could never perceive the nature of that charm by which he enchanted fo many perfons in fuch an extraordinary degree. They perceived not in him thofe wonderful talents that others complimented him with; and they were ready to afcribe the enthufiafm they faw, to a kind of fafcination.

The truth, however, is, that our language is by far too imperfect to admit expreffions on this fubject fuihciently diftinctive. The indefinite term GENIUS is indifcriminately applied to denote a fuperior degree of mental faculties, of whatever kind or denomination they may be. It is a wonder then, that among this diver

VOL. I.