like the hand of a clock, proceed fo flowly as to escape obfervation. A facility of drawing, like that of playing upon a mufical inftrument, cannot be acquired but by an infinite number of acts. I need not, therefore, inforce by many words the neceffity of continual application; nor tell you that the porte crayon ought to be for ever in your hands.'

But though the porte crayon is thus recommended as the ftudent's conftant companion, he is reminded, that the pencil is the inftrument by which he must hope to attain eminence. The advice therefore which the Prefident fays he wishes to imprefs, is that the ftudent, whenever an opportunity offers, fhould paint his ftudies, inftead of drawing them, which, he fays, will give fuch a facility in ufing colours, that in time they will, as it were, arrange them elves under the pencil, almoft without the attention of the hand that conducts it. This advice is enforced by the example of the Venetian and Flemish fchools, which have enriched the cabinets of the curious with very few drawings.

Industry is again forcibly recommended, with a confident promife of excellence as a certain reward. If you have talents, fays this great artift, induitry is neceffary to improve them; if you have but moderate abilities, induftry will fupply their deficiency. Nothing is denied to well-directed labour, and nothing is to be obtained without it. I will venture to affert, that affiduity, unabated by difficulty, and a difpofition eagerly directed to the object of its purfuit, will produce effects fimilar to thofe which fome call the refult of natural powers.'

To the vigilant and induftrious ftudent every object is a leffon. He regards all Nature with a view to his profetion; and combines her beauties, or corrects her defects. He examines the countenance of men under the influence of paffion; and often catches the most pleafing hints from fubjects of turbulence or deformity. Even bad pictures themfelves fupply him with ufeful documents; and, as Leonardo da Vinci has obferved, he improves upon the fanciful images that are fometimes feen in the fire, or are accidentally fketched upon a difcoloured wall.

The artist who has his mind thus filled with ideas, and his hand made expert by practice, works with eafe and readinefs; whilft he who would save you believe that he is waiting for the infpirations of Genius, is in reality at a lofs how to begin; and is at laft delivered of his monfters, with difficulty and pain.'

Such are the inftructions which the Prefident of the Royal Academy has delivered to the ftudents from his own experience; but as they differ widely from received opinions, he offers them with a diffidence that gives them yet more weight. When better are fuggefted, fays he, I fhall retract them without regret and REV. Apr. 1770. when

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when better are suggested, we shall recommend them with yet more zeal.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For APRIL, 1770.

EAST-INDIES.

Art. 11. The Importance of the British Dominion in India, compared with that in America. Small 8vo. I s. Almon.

chants trading to the East Indies, under the fanction of grants from the British crown, who have indeed of late, afpired to become the princes of thofe places, where at firft they fued for liberty to establish factories; but have thefe haughty pretentions acquired fuch ftability, as to juftify the title given to this fuperficial piece? And is the precarious eftablishment this company has made in a remote part of the world, which is maintained by the small annual expence of eight hundred, or at moft, one thoufand of native fubjects,' carried away to expire under their banners in Bengal; to be ftated in competition with our American colonies?

However, not to extend thefe general questions farther, it may be obferved that the glare of eastern riches has fo confufed this writer's fight, that he is rendered incapable of looking fteadily at any thing. Indeed, the amazing fortunes fpeedily brought home by a few individuals, whofe former fituation rendered fuch remote pursuits eligible, and which a happy conftitution, and an industry exercised we know not how, enabled them to accomplish; have fo dazzled the eyes of many, that they loofe fight of the multitudes of unfortunate emigrants we never hear of more, in the admiration of thefe blazing comets. But in inquiries of this important nature, it is not the fplendour of a fingle company, or the private fortunes acquired by their fervants, but the good that refults to the nation at large, that is the proper object of attention.

We fhall leave the benefits of the Eaft India trade without objection, fince if it is reciprocally advantageous, it will fubfift; only remarking that in this view, DOMINION is not neceffary to its existence on either fide, and this is a convertible plea.

The Author obferves p. 15, &c. that it is by our permiffion that France trades in Bengal; that it is our intereft to allow this trade, as otherwife fhe has the power totally to debar her fubjects from ufing Indian commodities, which would hurt our trade: on the contrary, he urges, that was France poffeffed of dominion there, fhe would find it for her intereft to exclude Britain from a direct commerce thither; because Britain would not be able to reftrain her fubjects from the use of those commodities to which they have been accustomed, and muft hence obtain them through the hands of the French. We must confefs that we fee no force in this conclufion, or any thing which hinders the argument being inverted.

With regard to the ftability of the company's fovereignty over Bengal, the Author relies on the climate and effeminacy of the inhabitants for internal fecurity, and alfo for fafety from the contiguous Indian powers. But foreign dominion is generally odious, and a large country full of people, with powerful neighbours, now acquainted with European difcipline, are no fmall impediments to a few brave men in an unfavourable climate, fix or feven months diftaut from relief, if expected, with double that time, if to be fent for. It is not long fince Heyder Ally, a foldier of fortune only, fhewed us what an active genius could do to distract our fettlements; and if we have no better fecurity for conciliating the affections of the eastern Indians, than conducting ourselves toward them by the rules of Equity and difcretion; that reliance may be but hazardous, in any view.

But the only danger our Author admits, is from European oppofition, and particularly from France. In this refpect, the fecucurity of Bengal to us, is (p. 45.) its great distance from Europe! If the island of Ceylon was Great Britain, the Author might be allowed to allege the vaft diftance of the enemy; but unfortunately for his argument, Great Britain is rather farther off than France; fo that he is juftified in anticipating the furprize of the reader in this inftance; nor will the general fuperiority of our hips and failors help him out.

To conclude, we have only attended to a few points of what the writer fays of Bengal; for as to the parallel he draws between that province and America, even if it was confirmed to the crown of Britain as fecurely, as he takes for granted it is, we believe few readers will be fo mifled, as to liften to him. In fhort, Bengal is every thing, and America nothing: but he would not have hazarded this argument, had not fome late ill judged policy at home, produced difagreeable confequences with refpect to the latter. Bengal, we are to fuppofe, is fecure from bad policy here, from bad management there, and from violence on any fide.

Art. 12. The True Alarm. Small 8vo. 29. Almou. This is published as a fecond part of the preceding article: in that, the Author stated a romantic comparison, only to be accounted for, perhaps, from a bias contracted in the fervice at Bengal: in this part,. wherein he confines himself to the state of that country, under the administration of the East India Company, or more properly, of their fervants on the spot, he writes more confiftently, and to the purpose. He truly obferves, that this fovereignty cannot pofiibly form any part of the grant made by the nation in the Company's commercial chartér:' and a material objection against any fuch pretention is, the Company being itfelf a subject, depending on the government of that country where it refides, for its own protection and existence.'

After fhewing, from various reafons, the unfitnefs of a mercantile company to act in a fovereign capacity; he illuftrates his argument by giving a view of the prefent political ftate of Bengal; which ap pears natural enough to deferve credit, and is tyrannical enough to excite compaffion when we reflect on the cafe of the innocent, injured natives.

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Nor

Nor are the abufes in the prefent frame of the government of Bengal under a nabob, the meer creature of the Company's officers there, all that the poor Indians have to complain of. The fervants, by monopolizing the trade of falt, beetel-nut, tobacco, and cotton, have effectually it feems ravifhed all the inland commerce of the country from the hands of the natives: fo that, drained of a great revenue, and fhut out from trade, the only means of paying that revenue, the True Alarm is, that the country muft quickly be abfolutely impoverished. While, as the Author fays, these governors and other officers, when they have acquired princely fortunes, give place to needy and rapacious fucceffors, embark for their mother country, and fet the Company at defiance.

On account of thefe and other circumftances which threaten the ruin of this fine country, our Author would have the British government take the jurifdiction of the province under its immediate management, granting protection to the commercial interests of the Company, and affording the fame to the natural rights of the natives: and though he may rate the importance of Bengal, and its dependencies, to this nation too highly, yet motives of good policy, no less than thofe of humanity, call upon us to prevent the English name from being fcandalized by the bafe rapacity of thofe to whofe merciless bands thefe wretched Indians are refigned. Could the immediate complaints of this peaceable people reach Britain, the tale in all probability would be much more affecting than when it occafionally escapes from the pens of difgufted fervants of the Company..

Art. 13. An Effay on the East India Trade, and its Importance to this Kingdom; with a comparative View of the Dutch, French, and English East India Companies, and the Privileges and Support that have been granted to each, by its refpective State; alfo the Rights of the East India Company to the Revenues they are possessed of in India, impartially confidered. 8vo. I s. Payne,

According to this Writer, one half of the increase of national wealth, and the rife of the value of land, fince the first establishment of the East India Company, is to be attributed to the Eaft Indiac commerce; and the customs and excife on East Indian goods, togethet with the annual payment made by the Company to the crown, are computed to discharge the intereft of 63 millions of the national debt! As to the fovereignty exercised by the Company over Bengal, which has fometimes been reprefented in very pompous terms, this Author, a profeffed advocate for the company, foftens it away into a meer tenancy or farm of the revenues, held under the Mogul, the lawful

owner.

Refpecting the comparifon of the Dutch, French, and English companies, the deduction he draws may be very juft if applied to a company confining its views to trade; but may admit of fome doubt when referred to an united company of eaftern potentates, under British protection.

The French East India trade, he obferves, has been repeatedly ruined, by fome of the greatcft of their minifters interfering too much in it; for though a minitter who guides the helm of a state, nay naturally conclude himfelf capable of conducting any other bufi

nefs

nefs in it; yet there ever has been found fomething too delicate, or perhaps too free, in the nature of trade and commerce, to bear the reftraint or controul of any minißer.'

According to the foregoing True Alarm, the Company's prefent purfuits do not appear to be of fo very tender and delicate a nature as is here infinuated. Nor when the time of chuing directors approaches, do the candidates, who have fome pretenfions to knowing what is going forward, treat each other in the public papers, as fuch very delicate gentlemen.

POLITICAL.

Art. 14. A Difcourfe addreffed to the Minority. By a primitive Ebrew. 8vo. I S. Fell.

It is a shame that fo many of our Patriots and Wilkes's-men, as are known to be out of their fenfes, fhould be fuffered to run about the streets as they do, inftead of being confined and treated as other madfolk are. The mifchief they may perpetrate is horrible to think of. It is already begun, and no man knows where it may end. Here, now, is an unfortunate fojourner among us, an Ebrew of the Ebrews, who hath certainly been bitten by one of thofe political maniacs; and lo! being difordered in his mind, he writeth a pamphlet, and the contents thereof are equally wonderful and deplorable, for the ftyle refembleth the ftyle of Jacob Henriques, and is both difmal and comical too; as the Reader will right well difcern from his concluding prayer, which we fhall put forth as a fpecimen :

Almighty Creator, Refine Sovereigns, Remove Such Thoughts As Will Caufe Horrible Shame: Blefs Nations That Come Prepared Te Accept Bounty In Thy Formidable Kingdom. Pour, Mingle Heaven's Balm, To Replenish Lords Fix'd Cowardly; For Every Bleffing Must Come Authorized And Manifefted *.'

Verily this requireth the expounding of the Expounder! Art. 15. A Middlefex North-Briten: Being a Copy of Verfes upon reading the glorious Parliamentary Remonftrance of the House of Commons to their Sovereign Charles I. in the Year 1641. Written upon a Tour on the Sea Coat at Dover, as long fince as the Year 1700. With an Epiftle in Verfe to Mr. Wilkes: A moral Ode upon Liberty: A Letter and Copy of Verfes, addrefjed to Mr. Trevanion: And a final Adieu to L- Hthe reputed Defaulter of Millions!

c.

8vo. I S. Law, &c. This Writer's genius feems to be as various as the contents of his pamphlet, in which there is a furprizing mixture of fenfe andfomething elfe.-Whether or not the Author's intellects have received too violent a fhock from the political electricity of the times, we leave our Readers to determine, if they can, from the following paffages:

Pref. p. 5. Our very corruption is vitiated: this is a flight beyond the critic's ken.

We have exactly followed the method of printing, as in the original.

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P. 6.