all its vigour, and that the face of the country is covered with mills, manu factories, and populous towns. The mind of man finds its strength increase in proportion to the difficulties opposed to its progress. In Europe, forests are not destined to fall unprofitably by fire; the axe of the ship-builder shapes them into vessels destined to navigate the seas. Sciences, arts agreeable and useful, and particularly those tending to the augmentation of political power, such as navigation and tactics, are cultivated with the greatest success. To what else than to progressive knowledge is this comparatively small part of the world indebted for the preponderance which it has acquired over the rest? It has subjugated America, established impregnable fortresses in Asia and Africa; and is the only part of the world where separate powers connect themselves by treaty, and seem all to be members of a single family. Happy, did not her intolerant laws, and particularly the ambitious despotism of her people, arm them but too frequently one against the other, and create divisions which political treaties are unable to reconcile. It is in Europe that women have displayed an influence that has conduced to the relinquishment of old habits, and has substituted the reign of politeness for that of barbarism. The laws of the ancient Celts delivered a female to her husband as a slave; the Christian religion presents her as his companion." (Vol. III. p. 55.)

The work concludes with the Astronomical harmonies, which are treated at considerable length: but in this part of the treatise we consider St. Pierre as more unfortunate than in most of the others. Here, in particular, he trusts too much to imagination, and manifests a more than usual disregard for the opinion of his predecessors. This is scarcely pardonable in one, who, on these subjects, has generally dealt in fanciful conjectures, and has seldom succeeded in substantiating any important fact.

We here close our remarks upon these very diversified volumes, by which M. St. Pierre, if he has not much augmented the stock of real knowledge, has at least provided a fund of harmless amusement for a very numerous class of readers, Long and profound study had qualified him for a task which, perhaps, notwithstanding all its faults, no other man could have executed so well. He had himself dwelt on the charms of nature with unceasing transport, and he has, in many instances, been successful in inspiring others with a kindred feeling. Many, no doubt, will smile at his enthusiasm, and some will consider it a sufficient reason for condemning his book altogether. Some, perhaps, will have other reasons also for objecting to the writings of St. Pierre, There are men whose spleen is excited by the view of another's happiness, and whose gloomy minds, overlooking the boundless means of enjoyment that Providence has provided, dwell continually upon physical and moral evils; such as pestilence, war, volcanoes, and death. Shew such men a

flower, and they will point out the worm which consumes its bosom. We are not insensible to the defects of the work; but let it be remembered, that it is a posthumous publication. Had the author's life been prolonged, no doubt it would have been revised with the severe eye of the critic. He would then, doubtless, have rejected many of these ridiculous fancies, which are too puerile to require refutation, and of which a man, enlightened as St. Pierre was, ought not to have been guilty.

In M. Aimé Martin, our author seems to have found a diligent and faithful editor. We are aware, that, to transfuse with any success into a foreign language the peculiarities of this author's style and manner, is no easy matter; accordingly, there is an awkwardness, and a recurrence of French phraseology, in various parts of the present translation. But, upon the whole, Mr. Meeston has performed his task very creditably.

ART. XIII. Fare-thee-Well, and a Sketch from Private Life; Poems. 8vo. By the Right Hon. LORD BYRON. London. Hone; Underwood, &c. Fleet Street. 1816. We are by no means so much surprised at learning that Lady Byron has quitted the house of her husband, as we were on being first told that she had bestowed her hand on him. Of the cause of the separation of the poetic pair, we pretend to know nothing. But, if it be the consequence (which we wish it were not) of criminal conversation, the impropriety of publishing these verses will be much increased. Lord Byron is supposed not to be very prudent-few poets indeed ever were so: and his companions, who have not always been select, and his eulogists on whom he has often set an undue value, begin to say that his temper is not at all times a happy one. But these are matters that concern his lordship chiefly; and we shall keep within our province, by only making a very few remarks on the compositions before us, which we think may be considered as the last dying words of Lord Byron-as a poet. We wish he may enjoy himself to his heart's content in those more congenial regions, "where "all but the spirit of man is divine."

There is something about Lord Byron which, notwithstanding his errors, real or imputed, makes one feel interested in his fortunes; and it is impossible not to regret any event which can make such a genius an exile from his country. In the worst of his productions "the master's hand and "prophet's fire" are obvious; and we really find some difficulty in persuading ourselves, that a man who describes tender emotions so well as we see them described in his Fare-theeWell, can himself be destitute of tender feelings; at the same time that it is equally-nay far more difficult to conceive how one who has felt as he would have us believe he has done, could thus make his thoughts known to the world-to the annoyance and discomfort of her whom he once idolized. If Fare-thee-Well was too good to be always withheld from the public, he ought at least to have waited till a fit time had arrived, for printing with it the charming sonnets which flowed so naturally and seasonably from his heart, about the period of his marriage. The Sketch from Private Life is discreditable to the writer's taste, and altogether unworthy the dignity of a man of rank. We forbear to quote the one, because its sentiments are irreconcileable to known circumstances; and we have thrown aside the other, because it manifests a degree of virulence that might induce readers to think more unfavourably of human nature than they ought to do. Besides, every body has seen both effusions. Satires are far more attractive than sermons.

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THREE objects, fraught with very important consequences, have occupied the thoughts of our countrymen in the course of the last twelve months-the subversion of the French Imperial throne, the creation of a new balance of power, and the adjustment of the British finances. Two of them, the high concern of many nations, have been completely accomplished, and are a brilliant example of the prowess of combined armies, and of the wisdom of associated governments; the other, the near concern of ourselves exclusively, has for some time been in train, and promises to bear witness to the virtue of our legislators;-not, however, of all our legisla tors. All did not meet and deliberate on the propriety of repealing the Income-Tax, although all were anxiously sought for. In the minds of some, there were strong doubts as to that propriety. Some who did not dislike the tax, dreaded the resentment of their constituents. Some, who did dislike it, were unwilling to give offence to ministers, who had not concealed their wishes; and others thought they had found a fine occasion for stamping an unusual importance on their votes, although the way to have rendered either their votes or themselves important, would have been to have appeared in their places, and to have acted like men whose opinions were as exempt from restraint as their persons.

If those who voted on the opposite sides, aimed at the same end, (the public good,) they at least seemed disposed to approach it by different paths; and hence the latitude which the tongue of party has taken in representing the motives by which they were actuated. The chief aim of one party is said to have been the embarrassment of its opponents; that of the other, the retention of official appointments. This, at least, is certain, that the one manifested the alacrity usual in persons engaged in an enterprise from which something considerable may be gained; the other, that reluctance which is not unusual where a good deal may be lost. All this, however, is of little moment to the public, if it be about to be materially benefited. But it is of the utmost moment to the contending parties; since the impression which the proceedings in the present session of parliament will make on the minds of the great body of electors, cannot possibly be effaced before the arrival of the time when they will have

an opportunity of pronouncing an emphatic opinion of what they have seen and heard. We accordingly mean to enquire, in our next number, not indeed what ministers have recently done-anticipated as they have been by the zeal of their opponents; nor yet what the opposition, who do not hold themselves accountable for the errors which they would force upon others, have alleged ought to have been done; but what ministers were likely to have done, had the opposition remained silent, and what the latter would probably have done, had they been in power. The subject is very interesting, and shall be treated seriously. For the present we merely express the satisfaction generally felt on seeing each party in what seems to be its proper station--ministers where. their Prince was pleased to place them, opposition where nature must have intended that they should remain, since she has endowed them with talents for ever-during vigilance and attack, far superior to any ever bestowed on any other set of men. We know not that the places of ministers could be adequately filled, were they excluded from them; they certainly could not, if they are capable of conducting affairs as well in peace as they did in war. No doubt, however, can exist as to the absolute impossibility of finding men qualified for the business of opposition, like those who now carry it on-men so inquisitive, so versatile-so well furnished with ingenious expedients, so full of sage experience in their calling.

The financial retrenchments that have taken place would have called forth a purer applause, had the accommodation of those who have lived at home in the enjoyment of peace, been deemed compatible with the comfort of such as have shed their blood in shortening the arm of the universal oppressor. The destitute condition of a great number of worthy men, about to be abruptly discharged from the pub-. lic offices, is a serious consideration; but the fate of some thousands of reduced officers will be so in a still higher de gree Of both classes we shall say something by and by; and, therefore, only observe, in passing, that if the casuists of the day find it difficult to determine to what party they should attribute the merit of what has lately been achieved in the House of Commons, so they will be puzzled to know on whom they ought to fix the culpability of having doomed so many worthy men to a state of comparative indigenceit being notorious that, if the opposition have been the busy prompters, ministers have been the immediate instruments of the ungracious work.

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