and erecting themselves, into a provifionary executive power, fummoned all the officers of the Dutch troops before them; who, entering entirely into their views, took the new oath of allegiance propofed; and general Daendals, at the head of a strong military force, loft no time in furrounding both the Directory and the legislative body, as well as in fecuring the perfon of the ambaffador de la Croix. Two of the directors had given in their timely refignation; two others effected their efcape; Van Langen, the fifth, was put under arrest: De la Croix received his difmiffion, and returned to Paris. The primary affemblies being convoked, elected apparently, without any restraint, the new legislative body, to whom the provisional adminiftration, on its meeting, furrendered their powers. In the month of Auguft the Executive Directory were nominated, and the new directorial government completely organized; and all thefe events paffed not only without any oppofition from the French Directory, but with their evident implicit concurrence, In the month of May, this year (1798), a futile and illconcerted attempt was made by the English government to interrupt the internal navigation between Holland, Flanders, and France, by destroying the bafin, gates, and fluices, of the Bruges' Canal. The command of the expedition being entrusted to general Coote and commodore Popham, both officers of diftinguished merit. By five o'clock in the morning of the 19th, the troops were difembarked with their artillery, miners, petards, &c. and foon after ten the works were blown up with a violent explosion. But the furf now unfortunately run fo high that it was impoffible to re-imbark. As a feint, according to general Coote's official account, a peremptory fummons was fent to the governor of Oftend to furrender that important place, but the answer received was, "that this would not be done till the garrifon were buried under the ruins." The English, to the number of 1,200 men, now endeavoured to entrench them selves on the fand-hills near the shore, where they were early the next morning attacked by a very fuperior force, moving in different columns. After a fhort but gallant conteft, in which they were completely over-powered, their front being broken, and their flanks turned, general Coote himfelf being feverely wounded, they were compelled to furrender to the enemy, by whom both men and officers were treated with the greatest attention and generofity; and the damage done to the fluices was in a few weeks perfectly repaired. Towards the close of the year, the island of Minorca was attacked apparently by furprise, and captured, after a refiftance fo feeble as to occafion a fufpicion of treachery, without the lofs of a man ;-the garrison, confifting of near 4,000 men, under a pufillanimous governor, Don Juan de Quefada, furrendering prifoners of war to the British commander, general Stuart. In the course of the year, the town of Port-au-Prince in St. Domingo, with the fettlement of St. Marc and its dependencies, were evacuated by the British forces, and immediately taken poffeffion of by the French general Touiffant de l'Ouverture, a native of the island, and one of the gens-de-couleur-a man of great talents and humanity, who, by acquiring the confidence of the inhabitants, had, in a very great degree, fucceeded in reftoring order and harmony in that long-distracted country. And thus ended those dreams of conquest which had led to fuch fatally-disastrous and impracticable attempts!—The dependence of general Touiffant upon the French directorial government was manifeftly little more than nominal; and it yet remains a problem, whether France will ever recover her former civil and political authority over this great and profperous colony. The interior tranquillity of Great Britain was this year (1798), undisturbed by any memorable incident; and the public attention was wholly engroffed by reviews, encampments, and military evolutions and manoeuvres-almost every man being now a foldier, and enrolled in the national conscription. On the 9th of May his majefty, calling in council for the council-book, was pleased to ftrike out the name of Mr. Fox from the lift of privy counsellors ;-pofterity will decide how wifely and how well. It has been the juft boast of Mr. Fox, that never, in confequence of his counfels, has an extra-guinea been expended, or a fingle life been facrificed. By the counfels of others, whose names are till infcribed in the fatal roll, has the prefent reign been rendered an almoft perpetual spectacle of blood and horror of corruption, extortion, disgrace, and calamity. In confequence of the numerous profecutions instituted fince the proclamation of 1792, at the fuit of the crown, for real or pretended libels against the government, the liberty of the prefs was virtually annihilated, and scarcely would any author write, or any printer publifh, any tract in oppofition to the measures of administration. In the fpring of this year, the bishop of Landaff, once the eloquent and accomplished advocate of liberty, having publifhed a candid and courtly pamphlet, tending very artfully to reconcile the minds of men to the existing fyftem and all its concomitant abominations, a moft fpirited answer to it immediately appeared from the pen of Mr. Gilbert Wakefield, a name known in the first ranks of literature, and honored for his extraordinary attainments in claffical erudition, by the learned in every country throughout Europe. In fpeaking of the war tax, ftyled "the Triple Affeffment," which grafped at the tenth of every man's income, and of which the bishop of Landaff had expressed his entire approbation, as a just and wife meafure of finance, this spirited and patriotic writer indignantly fays "This meafure was not adopted by Mr. Pitt either for its wisdom or its juftice, but because the funding system can be pursued no longer.-In truth, ministers begin to feel that our expenditure is that millstone which will infallibly fink them and their fyftem together in perdition; and it is very doubtful whether their profligacy and infanity have left political falvation practicable to all the united wisdom and virtue of the country."-The power of the ministers he justly states to be irrefiftible, notwithstanding the palpable inability, and the acknowledged inefficiency, of their measures: For I almost question," thus he boldly expreffes himself, "whether a dozen men at all diftinguished for intellect, and virtue, and political difquifition, who are at this hour the advocates of the prefent miniftry, can found in Britain, from old Belerium to the northern main,' not connected in fact or expectancy, by themselves or their relatives, with fome who depend on the emoluments of the established system." He goes on to give his opinion," that could the French make an effective landing in England, the kingdom would be loft for ever. The fame cause which has facilitated the progrefs of the republicans on the continent would operate as powerfully for them in this country also-namely, a degree of poverty and wretchedness in the lower orders of the community, which, especially in their present state of depravity and ignorance, will render the chances, even from confufion, of any change defirable. My life and my books," fays this philofophical politician," are all the perfonalities that I value, and neither of them, for I have not tafted lotus, fhall be hazarded in defence of the prefent administration. If the French come, they shall find me at my post, a watchful centinel in my proper box-my ftudy, among the venerable dead; fometimes investigating the origin of man and primæval hiftory, by turning the dark lanthorn of heathen records, or trimming the everlasting lamp of Moses; sometimes musing with the divine profeffors of the tuneful art on fubjects of taste and fancy; and fometimes meditating with the men of Galilee on mortality and immortality. No fyftems of the many made for one, no zeal in fupport of frontlefs corruption corruption and every evil work fhall dip my hands in the blood of men! Non res Romanæ, perituraque regna Let thofe who have brought us to this most alarming crisis step forward in the day of danger, and fight the battles of their Baal and their Mammon."-Three of the publishers of this pamphlet, Jordan, Cuthell, and Johnson, were immediately profecuted by the attorney-general for this offence, and, being convicted, were fentenced to different degrees of punishment. And, in the fequel, the learned and eminent author himself underwent the fame fate; being condemned to pay a fine of one hundred pounds, and to fuffer two years' imprisonment. In order, no doubt, to hide this tranfaction from the garish eye of day, he was, after a fhort interval, removed from the King's Bench to the common gaol of Dorchester.* The war between France and Austria being now to appearance terminated, and the invafion of England given up as an hopeless and impracticable attempt, it was become a queftion of great importance, and of no little embarraffment, what fhould be done with the immenfe armies actually on foot? Of the generals employed by the Directory, Buonaparte had been the most uniformly fuccessful, poffeffed the most commanding talents, and incomparably the largest share of popularity. His ardent and active genius, not fatisfied with the glory already acquired, and the victories already won, grasped at something yet greater and higher and the fubverfion of the British empire in the East ftruck his mind as an enterprise which would raise his name How pleasing must be the reflections of the bishop of Landaff on recollecting the complete victory which, by the affiftance of his new friends, the prefent minifters, he has been able to obtain over all his enemiesWakefield, Williams, Jordan, Johnson, Cuthell, and Flower! How convincing are the arguments of fine and imprisonment! How fatisfactory the refutation of a verdict of conviction! Certainly the learned prelate may plume himself henceforth upon being an unanswerable writer, |