for its enemies. In 1762 whilft the French, in their march against the United States of the Netherlands, were approaching towards Ghent, which they meant ΤΟ reduce; as they paffed along, the ice began to thaw, which rendered all their attempts abortive. In order to escape the inun dation, they were forced to file off by the way of Bodegrave, towards Leyden; and, in their retreat, many of them perished in the waters.

great time or difficulty. While the Emperor is flowly marching to the Nether Jands vast bodies of troops, in different divifions, with all the neceflary train of artillery and waggons laden with provifions; while he must allow confiderable fpaces of time to intervene betwixt the marching of one divifion and that of another, that the countries' through which they pafs may be able to repair the certain wafte of provisions occasioned by one column, before another fucceeds; the Dutch may pour their troops into the Auftrian Netherlands. Thus it is evident that as the Dutch enjoy a mighty ad vantage in the compactness of their small territories, fo, on the other hand, the Emperor labours under a great difadvan tage in the divided fituation of his extenfive dominions. But fecondly, to ballance this difadvantage, and to make up for the expedition and eafe with which the Dutch may invade his territories in Flanders, the Emperor has the command of an army much fuperior to that of the United States both in number and dif

Rivers, canals and inlets of the fea, have formed the territories of the United States into one extenfive fortification.Their country, even now when it has exhausted all the refources of industry and art, is far from being delicious; but originally it was fcarcely habitable. It is, However, in such spots as are fhunned by profperous and by effeminate nations that the oppreffed find refuge, and that liberty erects her standard. Nor is the genius of the Hollanders wanting to the natural defence which climate, foil, and fituation have beftowed upon them. The character of nations, like the complexion of individuals, depends chiefly on the circumcipline. As predatory wars are now une ftances of their conception and earliest for mation. Never, in the emphatical language of Sir William Temple, never was a people born with harder throws than that to which we now allude, or nurfed with harder fare. The neceflity of conftantly watching and repelling the invafions of the Austrians to whatever they held moft dear and facred, bred a vigour and stubbornness of character in the original founders of the Re public, not unlike the fullen obftinacy, to carry on the expreffive metaphor of Tem ple, of an high-fpirited boy mal-treated by an harth ttep-mother. The character of the frit affertors of the liberties of Holland has defcended to their latest posterity. The British failors under the command of Parker bore witness to the truth of this affertion, and confeffed that they had to contend with an enemy not unworthy of their well known dexterity and valour,

It may be expected therefore that, should the mediation of neighbouring states fail to bring about a reconciliation, the Emperor would be vigorously oppofed by the Dutch Republick. On the fuppofition that these parties fhall be left to fettle the matter in difpute between them, it might be an interesting and curious fubject of fpeculation to estimate their respective force. And firft, from the reflections that have jutt occurred, we are naturally led to remark, that whilst the United Provinces are fo well adapted both by natural and moral caufes, for defenfive war, an irruption on their part into the Austrian Netherlands would be a matter of no

known in Europe, it is not to be imagined that the Dutch will ever entertain an idea of over-running any of the Auftrian provinces for the fake of plunder; and should they be able to furprize one or more of the garrifoned towns, their domeftic defence would be weakened by garrifoning their conquefts, which, after all, would infallibly be reduced by the Superior arms of Auftria. An attack on the Austrian territories would indeed divert the war from the United Provinces, but then, in fuch circumstances, the Republick could not contend with fo great advantages as they would poffefs in their own territories. On the very first glance, therefore, of this subject, it appears that the Dutch have judged wifely in abitaining from carrying the war, as they might have done, into Flanders, and that independently of all regards to negociation and peace, and merely on the ground of military conduct. If they thould featter their forces into different places, they would voluntarily fubject themfelves to fimilar diladvantages to those in which the course of human events has involved the Auftrians: and thus by a facrifice of almoft the only advantage they poffefs over their antagonist, yield themfelves up an eafy prey to the great fuperiority of his arms. Fourthly, as there are particular reafons why the Dutch, in a conteft with the Emperor, ought to content themfelves with acting defenfively; fo there is a general juftification of the fame conduct in the prefent ftate of military improvements

provements. Defensive war has derived the greatest advantages from the invention of gunpowder, and the application of mathematical principles in fortifications and in projectiles. There, with the actual poffeflion of a country open to the admiffion of foreign fuccours, render conquest dificult, and final fobjection alm‹ it impoffible. It is pleafing to reflect that the art of war, which, in the bands of ambition, has fo often been made the inftrument of flavery and deftruc tion, has more energy, in thote of patriotifm, for the liberty and fecurity of nations.——— Bot, fifthly, as the course of war once begun, is various, and the accidents to which it gives birth, innumerable; that party, in the prefent period of art and refinement, always prevails, which pof feffes the greater power of wearying out the caprice, and reparing the difafters of fortune. The grant question of courfe, on the prefent fubject, is, what are the refources of the Dutch, and what of the Emperor ?

The gradual and imperceptible progrefs of human affairs produces actual and important changes in the world, be fore it operates any change in the ideas and opinions of men. Revolutions in the things even preclude revolutions in the fentiments of mankind concerning them. As the poor and oppreffed United Provinces had acquired a vigour of conltitution long before that vigour was apparent to the molt penetrating political eye; fo, on the other hand, the High and Mighty States had begun to decline before their declination was perceived by the other ftates and princes of Europe.

which you have conducted the difpute against me, on fo interefting a subject as that of miracles. Any little fymptoms of vehe.. mence, of which I formerly used the freedom to complain, when you favoured me with a fight of the manufcript, are either removed or explained away, or atoned for by civilities which are far beyond what I have any title to pretend to. It will be natural for you to imagine that I will fall upon fome hift to evade the force of your arguments, and to retain my former opinion in the point controverted between us; but it is impoffi-" ble for me not to fee the ingenuity of your performance, and the great learning which you bwe difplayed against me.

"I confider myself as very much honoured in being thought worthy of an answer by a perfon of fo much merit; and as I find that the public does you juftice with regard to the ingenuity and good compofition of your piece, I hope you will have no reason to re pent engaging with an antagonist, whom perhaps in ftrictnefs you might have ventured to neglect. I own to you that I never felt fo violent an inclination to defend myfelf as at prefent, when I am thus fairly challenged by you, and I think I could find fomething fpecious at leaft to urge in my defence; but as I had fixed a refolution, in the beginning of my life, always to leave the public to judge between my adverfaries and me, without making any reply, I must adhere inviolably to this refolution, otherways my fitence' on any future occafion would be conftrued an inability to antwer, and would be matter of triumph against me.

It may perhaps amufe you to learn the fift hint which fuggefted to me that argument which you have fo ftrenuoufly attacked. I was walking in the cloysters of the Jefuits College of La Fleeke, a town in which I paffed two years, of my youth, and engaged in a converfation with a Jefuit of fome parts and learning, who was relating to me, and urging, fome nonfenfical miracle performed in their convent, when I was tempted to difpute against him; and as my head was full of the topicks of my treatife of human nature, which I was at this time compofing, this argument immediately occurred to me, and I thought it very much gravelled my companion; but at last he observed to me, that it was impoffible for that argument to have any folidity, because it operated equally against the Gospel as the Catholic miracles, which obfervation I thought proper to admit as a fufficient anfwer. I believe you will allow that the freedom at least of this reafoning makes it fomewhat extraordinary tó have been the produce of a convent of Jefuits, though perhaps you may think the fophiftry of it favours plainly of the place of itsbirth. D. H."

Vials, No. 6,728.; 15 3-5th per hundred
Glat-Ware, val. 4,4071 198 id; 101 10s per 100!
value

neareft

Sugar, candy, 16 e 1 gr 14lb; 11 168 gdh. per cwt do Haries, No. 213; 3d each, and 5 per cent of fame do Linen Cambriok, 1,074 do

Tabling, 76 do; Silefia 9d per yard, and 5 per cent. and more, as in breadth

Oakum, cwt q. No. 1,667 21; 55 3d per cwt
Olives, gallons, 50 1-4th; 3d per gallon, nearest
Onion, barrels, 4d 1-5th per barrel

Gent. Mag. April, 1785.

Rock, tuns 21,553 3-4ths; 15 3-5ths per tun
White, buth. 577.953; 3d 4-5ths per bush.

do Saltpetre, cwtlb 1,441 1 21; 45 2d 2-5ths per cwt

Bb