of the principal objects of M. Bouillé in publishing them was, to vindicate himself from the charges of rathnefs and inhumanity, in the affair of Nancy, which we, among other writers, preferred againft him in our British and Foreign Hiftory for the year 1791. In the reprefentation which we therein gave of that horrid business, we were guided by the best authorities we could then obtain, after our moft fedulous and careful enquiries, and by that ftrict regard to truth and impartiality which has invariably characterifed the conductors of the New Annual Register.

M. Bouillé's Memoirs, however, give a very different account of the affair: and we muft do him the juftice to add, that it is fupported by the moft fatisfactory documents. From this account it appears, that he did not wantonly imbrue his hands in the blood of his fellow-foldiers; and that the fanguinary engagement which took place before the infurgents were vanquished, was occafioned by the treachery of fome of that body, and of the armed inhabitants of Nancy, after a pacific arrangement had been formed by the marquis and a deputation from the town and foldiery. But M. Bouillé's Memoirs will not exonerate him from more than the fufpicion, of what plain and uncourtly minds will confider to be grofs duplicity, if not perfidy. Among other paffages which confirm this remark, the reader will find the following confidential declaration of the author to M. Emery, a diftinguished member of the national affembly: "I am a royalift, and conform to your conftitution, which I think deteftable, because my fovereign has accepted it; but fhould he refufe any longer to acknowledge it, I likewife will withdraw my obedience from it !"

The Private Memoirs relative to the laft Year of the Reign of Lewis XVI. late King of France by Ant. Fr. Bertrand de Moleville, Minifter of State at that Time, tranflated from the Original Manufcript of the Author," in 3 Vols. are alfo entitled to diftinguished notice among the materials for a hiftory of the French revolution. After making all neceffary allowances for the prejudices of the author as a royalist, and the colouring they have led him to give to particular facts and prominent characters in the feene, they will be found to contain numerous curious and interefting anecdotes, together with much original, authentic, and important information, refpecting the measures adopted by the court and revolution parties, and the perfonal conduct and character of the unfortunate Lewis. Among the particulars of fecret hiftory which they difcover, not very honourable either to the agents or their employers, are the methods purfued in order to influence the patriotic journalists, the members of the legiflature, the national guards, and the audience in the galleries of the national affembly, to which the immenfe civil lift granted to the crown was fcandalously proftituted. This work is ornamented with portraits of Lewis XVI. Antoinette, the dauphin, princess Elizabeth, and madame royale, from original pictures received as prefents from their late majefties.

The Secret Hiftory of the French Revolution, from the Convocation of the Notables in 1787 to the 1ft of November, 1796, &c. tranflated from the French of Francis Pagès," in 2 Vols. inftead of prefenting us with a vast number of particulars but little known, according to the pretenfions in the titlepage, confifts chiefly of details alR 2

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ready communicated to the world; together with extracts from the moft remarkable publications on the revolution, which have appeared in France, Germany, and England, accompanied with numerous reflections and obfervations of the author. These reflections and obfervations are lively and fpirited, and frequently judicious and valuable. They expofe, in animated ftrains, the exceffes and crimes committed by the different contending factions, whether in favour of royalty or republicanifm, and hold out falutary and ufeful leffons to legiflators and ftatefmen. The tranflator has executed his talk with fufficient fidelity. In our sketch of the Foreign Literature of the year 1795, we announced the appearance of M. Garat's valuable and interefting " Memoirs concerning the Revolution." The English reader has it now in his power to become acquainted with that author's narrative, and able apology for his own conduct in the public employments which he held, by a well executed verfion of thofe memoirs, in his native language, by R. Heron.

The Memoirs illuftrating the Hifiory of Jacobinifm," volumes I. and II. tranflated from the French of the abbé Barruel, are intended to prove, that a regularly organized fyftem of confpiracies has long exifted in Europe, for the ruin of religion, monarchy, and civil fociety; that the club of the Jacobins originated in a coalition of the adepts among the respective confpirators; and that all the events of the French revolution, even the atrocities connected with it, have fprung by a natural procefs, from the propagation of their principles. The first volume is entitled the Anti-chriftian Confpiracy, and confifts of a number of extracts from the writings of

Voltaire, Frederic II. D'Alembert, Diderot, &c.; from which no other information can be deduced than what was before fufficiently notorious, that thofe authors were fyftematic enemies to Chriftianity, and that they were zealous even to bigotry, artful and infidious in propagating their own infidel notions. What the abbé Barruel has advanced more than this, is almoft wholly the production of a warm and irritated imagination. The fecond volume is entitled Anti-monarchical Confpiracy, and is divided into two parts. The firft part is chiefly made up of extracts from the works of D'Argenfon, Montesquieu, Rouffeau, &c. with an expofition of their principles, and reflections on them; in which the author's attachment to abfolute monarchy is abundantly exemplified, and the enmity of thofe writers to defpotifm proved, but no anti-monarchical confpiracy detected. The fecond part of this volume is employed in hewing, that the free-mafons had a confiderable thare in producing the French revolution. That in the numerous lodges which exifted in France, there were many friends to the principles of liberty and equality we can easily believe; and think it exceedingly probable, that, as they enjoyed no freedom of the prefs or of fpeech, they would take advantage of the nature of foch inftitutions for the propagation of their principles, without incurring any perfonal rifk. But not being in the number of the initiated, we can neither affent to, nor oppofe, his declaration that thofe principles conftitute the grand fecret of imafonry. Be that, however, as it may, we want much more evidence than the author has been pleased to afford us, before we can admit the improbable tales refpecting the ad、

epts,

epts, and their occult doctrine, which he has inferted in this part of his memoirs, or be convinced that the plot after which he is hunting, is any thing more than ideal. In the work before us, the abbé Barruel difplays the fame love of the wonderful, as in his Hiftory of the Clergy during the French Revolution, noticed in our Regifter for the year 1794, and the fame horror at the men who dare to exercife the right of enquiry, or to attempt any innovations in religion or politics.

Profeffor Robifon's treatise entitled "Proofs of a Confpiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe, carried on in the fecret Meetings of Free Mafons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies, &c." affords abundant evidence of the author's extreme political terror, excited by a very imperfect and contracted view of the caufes of the French revolution; of his credulity an admitting the crude and inconfiftent allegations of German and French writers, and the moft fufpicious authorities, if they feem in the leaft to favour the hypothefis which his imagination has formed; and of a want of candour and liberality, in the infinuations and calumnies thrown out by him on those who differ from his own theological and political standard, which is deferving of the feverett cenfure. But in vain will the unprejudiced reader examine it for "proofs of a conspiracy against all the religions and governments of Europe." Were he indeed difpofed to turn the tables on the author, and to adopt his latitude of fufpicion and conftruction, he might accufe him of being leagued in a confpiracy against the liberties of mankind, and in fupport of corruption and political profligacy. For Mr. Robifon

contends, that "we fhould difcourage all fecret affemblies which afford opportunities to the difaffected, and all converfations which fofter any notions of political perfection, and create hankerings after unattainable happinefs;" that "minifterial corruption, with all the dismal tale of placemen, penfioners, and rotten boroughs, &c. &c. is the inevitable confequence of the liberty and fe curity which we enjoy ;" and that "if a fyftematic oppofition be confidered as a neceflary part of a prac tical conftitution," bribery by mi nifters is almoft indifpenfable.

Mr. Malham's "Naval Gazetteer, or Seaman's complete Guide, containing a full and accurate Account, alphabetically arranged, of the feveral Coafts of all the Countries and Inlands in the known World, fhewing their Latitude, Longitude, Soundings, and Stations for Anchorage, &c. &c. illuftrated with a correct Set of Charts, from the latest and best Surveys," in two volumes, is executed on a more extenfive plan than any preceding work of the fame nature, and with more than "a tolerable degree of accuracy and correctnefs." It affords ample evidence of the author's induftry in collecting his materials, and of his ability and judgment in combining and arranging them; and will prove an useful prefent not only to navigators, but to the mercantile world, and to readers in general.

The "Hiftory of Inventions and Difcoveries, by John Beckmann, public Profeffor of Economy in the Univerfity of Gottingen, tranflated from the German, by William Johnfton," in three volumes, is the result of arduous and extenfive enquiry, and has afforded much gratification to our curiofity, at the fame time that it has confiderably increated

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our stock of entertaining and ufeful knowledge. The contents of these volumes, as may be fuppofed, are very mif ellaneous: and although they do not embrace every invention and difcovery connected with fcience and the arts they prefent the reader with a confiderable variety, and many of them of importance, throwing "much light on many curious circumftances hitherto buried in oblivion," if the author has "not been able to clear up every doubt refpecting the objects on which he treats." We think, however, that Mr. Beckmann's moderate title of "Collections towards a Hiftory of Inventions," would have been more appropriate than that which the tranilator has given to them. Mr. Johnston has performed his talk with apparent fidelity and accuracy.

In our Register for the year 1794, we introduced to our readers the Ift volume of "the Hiftory of the Puritans, &c. by Daniel Neal, M. A. a new Edition, revifed, corrected, and enlarged, by Joshua Toulmin, A. M." now D. D. During the prefent year that diligent, able, and impartial editor has completed his undertaking, which confifts in the whole of five volumes; in which he appears attentively and faithfully to have followed the plan which he prefcribed to himself, and which we have already noticed. Befides numerous notes interspersed throughout the different volumes, abound ing in information and entertainment, Dr. Toulmin has introduced into the fourth volume, well written fupplements, comprifing the hiftory of the English baptifts, and of the quakers, two denominations which in the last century were treated neither with equity nor humanity; and to the laft volume he has added judicious and liberal reflections

on the revolution, and the act of toleration, and a number of curious papers and documents, which will be interefting to the ecclefiscal hiftorian.

In Biography, we are prefented with "Memoirs of the House of Medici, from its Origin to the Death of Francefco, the fecond Grand Duke of Tuscany, and of the great Men who flourished in Tufcany within that Period, from the French of Mr. Tenhove, with Notes and Obfervations, by Sir Richard Clayton, Bart." in two volumes. Mr. Tenhove, who was a branch of one of the moft refpectable families in the United Provinces, was diftinguithed by an early tafte for claffical knowledge, modern languages, and the fine arts; and, poflefling an easy fortune, was rendered" capable of deriving fig nal advantages from his travels in Italy and Sicily, where he observed the fublime and elegant productions of nature and art, with the tafte and enthufiafim of an enlightened connoiffeur. The Memoirs of the Houfe of Medici were compofed at his cafe-from time to time — and were printed piece-meal as they were compofed. In the form he left them they have rather the afpect of interefting materials for a great work than that of a regular edifice. As he did not live to complete his defign, he committed to the flames all the copies of these Memoirs, excepting those which he had diftributed to his particular friends in feparate parts as they came from the prefs." From one of thofe copies the tranflation before us took its rife. Notwithstanding that, from the circumstances above ftated, thefe Memoirs are not fo regular and complete as were defirable, they form, nevertheless,

a work

a work of very confiderable merit, containing a valuable treasure of hiftorical and biographical facts, curious details and learned inveftigations, found criticifius, and juft reflections. And as they relate to one of the moft interefting periods in the hiftory of the arts and feiences, of letters and philofophy, the English reader will acknowledge himfelf greatly indebted to the tranflator, for prefenting him with the fentiments of the original, "with fidelity and freedom." Mr. Tenhove's text confifted of twenty-fix books, which have been judiciously thrown by Sir Richard Clayton into thirteen chapters, on the plan of Mr. Rofcoe's valuable Life of Lorenzo de' Medici. Of the multifarious contents of these chapters, which comprise the annals of more than three hundred years, it is not poffible to convey any adequate idea within the limits to which we are neceffarily confined. We can affure the reader, however, that they will fupply him with much information and entertainment, not only on the fubjects expreffed in the title-page, but on numerous incidental, or collateral topics particularly thofe of the revival of literature in Florence; the account of the Greek exiles, who took refuge in Italy after the capture of Conftantinople by the Turks; the genius and taite of the ancient Etrufcans; the origin of the reformation; the progrefs of architecture, painting and poetry in Italy; and the memoirs of Catherine de' Medici, with a fhetch of her character.

Mr. Noble's" Memoirs of the illuftrious House of Medici, from Giovanni, the Founder of their greatnefs, who died, in the Year 1428, to the Death of Giovanni Gafton, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 1727, illuftrated with

feveral Genealogical Tables," appear, chiefly, to have been compiled from the literary productions of English travellers; not without occafional aid derived from foreign hiftorians and the perufal of fome manufcripts. As far as they relate to the genealogical and medallic hiftory of that houfe, they contain interefting, and we believe accurate information; but as a hiftory of character and manners, and of the progrefs of civilization, literature, and feience in the period which they comprehend, we cannot pronounce them entitled to any high thare of commendation. Of Mr. Noble's ftyle and language our readers may form a judgment from his life of pope Leo X. inferted among our Biographical Anecdotes and Characters.

"The Life of Bianca Capello, Wife of Francefco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, tranflated from the German Original of J. P. Siebenkees, by C. Ludger,” is a plain and unadorned narrative of the facts relating to that extraordinary woman, which, the author was able to collect during his refidence at Venice, from the archives of that city, and afterwards at Florence, from the interefting and authentic documents of the grand ducal library. It difplays great indufiry of refearch, and uniform impartiality, and moft probably comprifes as much truth as can now be obtained refpecting the character and conduct of Bianca. Mr. Siebenkees differs from Mr. Noble in many material circumstances; concerning which the public muft form their judgment by a comparifon of the arguments and authorities of the refpective biographers.

The "Account of the Life of Muley Leizit, late Emperor of Morocco, written by a Spanith Agent Ꭱ Ꭺ

at