THE ANTI-JACOBIN REVIEW AND MAGAZINE, Monthly Political and Literary Censor, FROM DECEMBER TO APRIL (INCLUSIVE,} -1804-- WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING AN AMPLE REVIEW OF FOREIGN LITERATURE. PRODESSE ET DELECTARE. VOL. XVII. LONDON: Printed, for the Proprietors, by J HALES, at the Anti-Jacobin Prefs, AND PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-JACOBIN OFFICE, NO. 22, OLD BOSWELL-COURT, STRAND, 1803. IN concluding the Seventeenth Volume of our work, at a period marked by peculiar circumstances in the political world, exhibiting an union of principles the most opposite, an amalgamation of particles the most heterogeneous, it is with particular satisfaction we look back upon our past labours, since the retrospect enables us, with confidence, to challenge the most ingenious of our opponents, to select a single instance in which we have departed from the principles which we originally professed; and, consequently, encourages us to expect a continuance of that patronage, which was liberally granted to us on account of our promised support of these principles. Attached to no party, our political animadversions have, we are bold to say, invariably borne the stamp of independence; and whenever they shall cease to be so distinguished, let them and us be consigned to merited. contempt. We now proceed to fulfil the promise which we recently made to our readers, and to enter on a concise VIEW OF THE POLITICAL STATE OF EUROPE. FRANCE naturally presents herself in the foreground of this picture, extending her colossal arms from the northern to the southern hemisphere, and, true to her principles, and steady in her plans, grasping at UNIVERSAL EMPIRE. Wild and romantic as this scheme of ambition formerly appeared, the wonderful events of the last twelve years, baffling the calculations of experience, and defeating the projects of wisdom, have robbed it of its distinguishing characteristics, and have almost reduced it to the level of probable occurrences. Supine, dormant, and inert, the powers of the Continent seemed, till very recently, disposed to submit to every spe cies of aggression, insult, and degradation, rather than attempt to oppose that revolutionary torrent, whose destructive impetus had been severely felt by some, and whose progressive force had been deemed utterly resistless by others. Various causes thus combined to perpetuate this supineness; terror, weakness, and mistrust, respectively, contributed to cherish and to maintain it; and had the artifice and cunning of Buonaparté borne any kind of proportion to his rapacious b ness |