Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

duty required in it, without fee or reward; that the nomination of thefe Officers being left to the Lord-Lieutenant of each county, it was fuch an acceffion to their power, as might enable them to make ufe of an undue influence in elections; that the preferences, unavoidable on these occafions, would excite heart-burnings, animofities, and feuds, and defroy what hofpitality and good-will was ftill left amongit us; that, as no body could be fuppofed to partial to Militias, as to believe, that with but one Officer of experience in a whole regiment (namely the Colonel) the commonwealth would be fafe in fuch keeping, without the affiftance of fome veteran, regular, and well-difciplined troops; fo it would unavoidably follow from the mixture of both, that as often as thefe regulars and the militia did duty together, the fubaltern men of fervice among the firft, would difdain to take orders from thofe of fuperior rank among the laft; or, if forced to fubmit, it would produce fuch difgufts and diffentions, as, in the end, might be of the moft fatal confequence. And, lailly, having touched on the lofs arifing to the country, upon the head of labour, by taking 70,000 men once a year from their feveral occupations, and giving them thereby a habit of idleness, he pronounces, it would be one step towards converting us from a trading to a military nation. Contending, nevertheless, for the expediency, and practibility of a Militia, and the regard due to the voice of the people, now crying aloud for it, he proceeds to fubjoin the plan of one, as often mentioned in his hearing, by the noble Author of it: which, he tells us, is liable to none of the objections brought against the other; and which, in a course of years, would accustom the whole nation to the use of firearms, and thereby anfwer all the purpofes defired.-For, prefuppofing, that we are always to have an army on foot, the Militia here recommended, is fo modelled as to ferve as a perpetual nursery of recruits for it: All between eighteen and forty, are to have leave to register themfelves in their feveral parishes, as Militiamen, if they will, (for compulfion, in the firft inftance, is left out of the queftion) but then as they are to be fupplied with arms from the Ordnance Stores, fo their names are to be also entered at the War-Office: a regimental coat, hat, cockade, and 26s. per annum, at the rate of 6d. per Sunday, are prefumed to be fufficient inducements to obtain a fufficient number of thefa half foldiers. A Sunday's exercife, after fervice, throughout the year, under the direction of a Chelsea-Hofpital Out-penfioner, is understood to convey military practice enough, to make them fuch. The ufe and application of all, is contained in the following article.

[ocr errors][merged small]

That, on any occafion, when the government want an increafe of the army, it shall be augmented in the manner following: The registered men shall be fummoned; and if any volunteer offer to lift, for any number of years, not lefs than four, they shall be lifted regularly for fuch term, and fent up as ⚫ recruits

[graphic]

recruits for the army. And if no volunteers, or not a fufficient number, offer, then thofe who do not offer, fhall draw lots in this manner: Suppofe the whole number of registered men to be 100,000, and the government want to raife 20,000, every fifth man fhall be obliged to ferve by lot. The men to whom the lots fhall fall, fhall again draw lots, one fifth fhall be obliged to lift for three years, another fifth for four years, another for five, and another for fix, and the remaining fifth for feven years. The men difcharged at the end of their refpective terms, fhall be replaced out of thofe who have not yet ferved, till the whole have thus taken their turn of fervice. The men who are thus lifted to replace the discharged men, fhall be lifted for five years certain; fo that after the firft three years, one fifth part will every year be new men, and a con ftant rotation of five years fervice, will take place regularly,' VI. A Letter to the Livery-Men of the City of London, on account of their late Choice of a Lord-Mayor. 4to. 4d. Robinfon.

This is a warm, and not altogether unjuft, invective, against a certain rafh, bufy, wrong-headed faction in the city, who, rather than not gratify their malignity, have chofen to expofe their folly, and impotence, by attempting what was not in their power to perform: and the Author has, at leaft, fhewn, that he knows how to make the proper ufe of a victory.

VII. Motives which have obliged his Majefty the King of Pruffia, to prevent the Defigns of the Court of Vienna. 4to. is. E. Owen.

This pamphlet is printed in both French and English. We need fay nothing more of it, as it hath been retailed in every 10 News-paper.

VIII. A full and particular Anfwer to all the Calummies, Mifreprefentations, and Falfhoods, contained in a Pamphlet called, A Fourth Letter to the People of England. 8vo. Iss Harris:

As it was the cuftom of the famous Daniel de Foe, to write Answers to his own pamphlets, in order to raife, or keep up, their fale; fo the worthy Author of the Letters to the People &c. has thought fit to imitate the practice of his great predeceffor, and has begun with publishing his Anfwer to his own Fourth Letboter. If this attempt fucceeds, we may, in time, be entertained To with mock Replies to the other three; and, perhaps, into the bargain, with Acknowlegements, and a Retractation, of all the Calumnies, and Scurrility contained in his Marriage-Act. Lydia, and Defence of Popery: i. e. fictitious Letters of a Jefuit, under the name of Angeloni.

Tho' the ftile of our modern De Foe, on the prefent occafion, I is ironical, he feems, however, in one place, to have been, tho REV. Oct. 1756.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

44

2.

6

but for a moment, seriously touched w with Remorfe, and an inclination to pull off his mafk in good earneft. Speaking of the prefumption of low, ignorant, would-be-politicians, he thus, honeftly, for once, ftands forth, felf-detected, and felf condemned. We frequently,' fays he, (p. 2fee a* Tradesman fally from behind his counter, and excel, or think he does, Plato and Aristotle, in legislative knowlege, and with as much judgment as Lord Bolingbroke has exhibited in his Idea of a patriot King, criticife, and canvas the whole fyftem of the Adin, confident as if the whole Clue of the Cabinet had been delivered into his hands, and the destination of fleets and armies had been entrusted to the knowlege and direction of his brain only.

1

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

1 el bazalfbana 2nd Duo, „Sim

S-bb-e, himfelf, was bred a Tradefman.log

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

IX. The School-Boy in Politics. 8vo. 6d. Hooper. This initiatory difcourfe is founded on the old plan, of a Political Catechifm; and as it refers chiefly, if not wholly, to the prefent fyftem of public affairs, may not improperly be called, The Leffon for the Day. The hand that holds the fefcue, like that in the frontifpiece of Mr. Dodfley's OEconomy of Human Life, is, nevertheless in the clouds; and, confequently, it is not eafy to afcertain the body it belongs to. The queftions put in it, as, What is Pruffia about? What alliance do you recommend to Britain? What do you judge on the report of 40,000 Pruffians to be taken into British pay? &c. are manifeftly intended to be fuch as will befpeak the moft ftriking anfwers: and which, tho' malevolent enough to thofe in power, are not overfavourable to thofe in oppofition; mock patriotifm being as feverely handled in them, as feeble and corrupt adminiftration.

X. A Ray of Truth darting through the thick Clouds of Falfhood: or, the Lion, the Foxes, the Monkey, and the Game-Cock. A Fable. Folio. 6d. Pamphlet-fhops.

The Lion, is Britain; the Foxes, our My; the Monkey, France; the Game-cock, Ad-1 B-g. The Monkey invades the Lion's territories; the Foxes, being corrupted by a prefent of delicious fowls, fend out the Game-cock to oppose him but, in order to favour the enemy, they file off the claws, and clip the wings of the courageous Chanticlear, and thereby render him inferior to the Monkey. The latter prevailing, in confequence of this treachery, the Foxes lay all the blame on the unhappy Cock, and refolve to facrifice him, in order to cover, and expiate, their own bafenefs.-This defpicable pamphlet is one of the many pieces daily iffuing from the prefs, in behalf of Mr. B. none of which, however, touch the main point; his not fighting with all the force he was fent out with. There is fomething very abfurd in a complaint of weaknefs, when, at the fame time, the complainant has double the ftrength he chufes to exert.'

XI. A Letter to a Member of Parliament in the Country, from his Friend in London; relative to the cafe of Admiral Byng with fome original papers and letters, which paffed during the expedition. 8vo. 6d. Cooke,

[ocr errors]

7

[ocr errors]

So much bad, been writ, faid, and believed, against this unforArtunate gentleman, that it was high time for his friends to fet id forth what palliatives they had to fet forth, in cafe they entertained any hope of fuccefs from them; and that this expurgastory letter could come from no other quarter, is palpable; not only because none but his friends would chufe to expose themhfelves, by taking part in his quarrel, but because the materials it is founded upon, are fuch as none but thofe in the fecret of his cafe, could have communicated to the public; unlefs we can fuppofe, what is impoffible, that the admiralty would play booty with itself. Thefe materials are, certain paffages in the Admiral's account of the action, not inferted in the Gazette; his letter of intelligence, of May 4, from Gibraltar-bay; the order of the admiralty-board for fuperfeding him; the Admiral's anfwer; ri land lifts of the English and French fquadrons at the time of the engagement, calculated to fhew the fuperior force of the latter, Stand expofe thofe lifts inferted in the Gazette.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

The Letter-writer affects the character of a convert; and as if, like St. Pauk fome new light from Heaven had tranfformed him from a perfecutor to an advocate, he fays, No one was more clamorous in their exclamations against the cowardice of the Admiral; no one exalted more in the flames of his effigy. But this is a mask he affumes, to give his plea an air sof impartiality, and befpeak the more credit to his arguments. The bias of a man more than ordinarily interested for his client, appears in every paragraph he delivers; and it follows, that proper

under Ought to be made for his prejudices accordingly:

per

caution, we fhall venture to fubjoin the Admiral's letter to the board, on his being fuperfeded, with the writer's comupon it, as a fpecimen of the whole thing, which is at once both a fmart and a flight performance.

ment

[ocr errors]

rr

"Gibraltar-bay, July 4, 1756.

By Sir Edward Hawke I have received their Lordship's orders, and your letter of the 8th of June, which I have im"mediately complied with, and have only to exprefs my furprize at being fo ignominioufly difmiffed from my employ ment, in the fight of the fleet I had commanded, in fight of "the garrifon, and in fight of Spain, at fuch a time, in fuch a manner, and after fuch conduct, as I hope shall shortly appear to the whole world. It is not now for me to expoftulate I flatter myself, that Mr. Weft and I fhall make evident the injury done to our characters, which I know of nothing in the 66 power of any Being whatever that can attone for; fo high an Ee 2 opinion

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

66

66

;

opinion I have of that, which was ever unfullied before, and "which I hope to make appear has been moft injuriously and "wrongfully attacked now, on the grounds of a falfe gafconade "of an open enemy to our King and country, and which would

have evidently appeared, had the poffible time been allowed *** for my own exprefs's arrival, in which there was nothing false, "nothing vaunting, nothing fhameful, nor any thing which could have prevented our receiving his Majesty's royal approbation, for having, with a much inferior force, fought, met, "attacked, and beat the enemy: of this it is needlefs for me to fay more at prefent, than that I am forry to find Mr. West, "with the captains, lieutenants, and officers of the ships we had our flags on board of, are to be fufferers for what I alone, as Commander in chief, am anfwerable: but it is fo much of a piece with the whole unheard of treatment I have met with, "that neither they, the fleet, or myself, can be more astonished at that particular than at the whole.

[ocr errors]

والمنت

“I am, SIR,

To the Hon. Jn Cd, Efq;

[ocr errors]

Your very humble Servant,
J. B.

The Comment.

You, Sir, who are fo difcerning a judge of human nature, will find no difficulty to difcover, whether this is an unaffected, unstudied remonstrance, or a disguised artifice in the author: the time, the occafion, and the circumftances under which it was wrote, muft manifeft them to be the expoftulations of a man, rather confcious of injury than guilt; the dictates of a heart jealous of honour, not of a head ftudious of fecurity; and tho' it does not amount to a pofitive exculpation of guilt, * must afford every unprejudiced perfon a prefumptive evidence of innocence; yet by a peculiar fatality attending the Admiral, this very letter was to draw on him an accumulation of vengeance; its martnefs (to ufe the phrafe of his adverfaries) was deemed a kind of treason against their dignity; and a modest vindication of his own conduct, was construed into an infolent impeachment of theirs; nor, indeed, do they feem to be much out in this conftruction; fince fuch is the alternative, that what tends to exculpate the one, will be no very favourable article towards the juflification of the other; and to this CRITICAL ALTERNATIVE, I fear, it is, we may impute the whole unheard of treatment Mr. Byng complains to have met with.

XII. An Appeal to the People: containing the genuine and entire letters of Admiral Byng to the Secr. of the Ad―――y: obfervations on thofe parts of it, which were omitted by the writers of the Gazette and what might be the reasons for fuch omiffions. Part the firft. 8vo. Is. Morgan.

« AnteriorContinuar »