that the court of Admiralty decides for a release. Why should this trade be interrupted? 1. It destroys both the French and the Spanish nursery for sailors. While the colonial intercourse was carried on, as in former wars, under hostile flags, protected occasionally by convoys, French sailors and Spanish sailors were employed in every voyage to and fro. Now, all the sailors employed are Americans. 2. It provides a nursery for British sailors. At the breaking out of a war the English government presses from the merchant service the men requisite to man the navy: the merchants immediately raise their wages, and this tempts Danes and Americans to come and assist in navigating the merchantmen. Whatever increases the number of Danish sailors, assists in manning the merchantmen of the Eastern coast; whatever increases the number of American sailors, assists in manning the merchant-men of the Western coast. During the American war there was much fraudulent neutralization, which the Danes covered, and which they repaid by furnishing our merchantmen with sailors: during the present war there is much fraudulent neutralization, which the Americans cover; and which they would repay in like manner, if we were now distressed for sailors. 3. A large share of the profits of this neutral trade centres in Great Britain. The voyages are, almost without exception, insured at Lloyd's; and the property is there so well known to be often enemy's property, that written engagements are exacted of the insurer, that he will not, in case of loss, dispute the neutrality of the property. In this form a per centage of five or six in the hundred, is levied on all the property so brought to Europe. Of the vessels employed a great number have joint owners in Great Britain. When the consignments are really purchased by the American merchant, who, in this case, often buys on half-account with an English house, they come consigned to London, with a liberty in the connected house here to change their destination, for Cadiz, Bourdeaux, Hamburg, according to the prices of each market. The cargoes thus circumstanced leave not only a commission, and various charges to the British merchant, but half the clear gain besides. Every branch of this trade yields a tribute to British prosperity. But, it is contended, this neutral transportation, on account of the cheap insur ance, carries the produce of the French and Spanish West Indies cheaper to Antwerp and Hamburg, than English transportation. The continent buys, consequently, in preference of the French and Spanish settlements; whose agriculture now thrives faster than that of the English islands. The answer is :-Open the ports of the British islands to the same commerce: break up that suicidal monopoly, which retards, in all our islands, the settlement of merchants, the progress of agriculture, the increase of reciprocal consumption, the demand for our manufac tures, the variation of productions and occupations, and the growth of every form of prosperity; a monopoly, which ignorance devised, and tyranny perpetuates. In order to find a pretence for destroying a useful branch of trade, very profitable to this country, and conducted in all the acknowledged forms of licit intercourse, our author is obliged to quit the law of nations, which, as we have shewn, sanctions this trade, and to recur to what may be called British cosmopolitical law; to those public rules which the British courts of justice prescribe for our conduct toward other countries. These rules are versatile as our administrations; for the Crown claims and exercises a dispensing power, (and a most mischievous prerogative it is,) which, with the advice and concurrence of the privy council, can at any time, and frequently does, vary its directions to our admirals and cruizers, concerning the description of vessels liable to seizure. These orders become, in the court of Admiralty, rules of adjucation: indeed they emanate from a power to which an appeal lies from the court of Admiralty: and thus our cosmopolitical law, or rule of intercourse with the rest of the world, escapes the proclamation of parliamentary discussion, and the check of independant tribunals. It is only in this sort of law, if law it may be called, arbitrary and despotic by its nature, given perhaps by caprice, perhaps by ignorance, never, we trust, by veñalitythat something like a pretence can be found for invading the security of this neutral American shipping. In the war of 1756, all the neutral ships which took in cargoes in the French colonies were detained, and the cargoes condemned as enemy's property. The fact of receiving a loading in a colonial port which was, during peace, shut to neutral commerce, was held sufficient evidence of the cargo being hostile property. A neutral, it was plausibly contended, has no right to deliver a belligerent from the pressure of his enemy's hostilities, by trading with his colonies in time of war, in a way that was prohibited En time of peace. It is admitted, however, even under Faglish cosmopolitical law, that a neutral as a right to carry on his accustomed rade to the utmost extent of which that customed trade is capable: Sir W. ott so argues. Now it is notorious that e French have been progressively rexing their colonial monopoly ever since 778, when the disturbances in North merica became objects of their patronage. Thus in 1781 we seized and released the ger and Copenhagen, neutrals trading to e French West Indies. This relaxation monopolous policy has been so rapidly ad systematically progressive, that, bere the antijacobin war, the colonial as mbly of Guadaloupe, and soon after chagne, the governor of the windward unds, opened indiscriminately the ports these French colonies to the American mmerce. The troubles of St. Domingo oduced, less formally perhaps, the same fect. The Americans have ever since joyed this branch of traffic: so that, e on the principles of English cosmotical law, it is a trade they have a preptive right to pursue. In the treaty made between his Britanmajesty and the emperor of Russia on 17th June, 1801, the third article dees what property shall be considered as utral in these words: "That the effects barked on board neutral ships shall be e, with the exception of contraband of rand of enemy's property; and it is Feed not to comprise, under the denonation of the latter, the merchandise of produce, growth, or manufacture of Countries at war, which should have en acquired by the subjects of the neupower, and should be transported for ir account, which merchandise cannot any case be excepted from the freedom nted to the flag of the said power." Here is a positive convention with Rus sia in support of the American practice; now the Americans are entitled by treaty to be put on the footing of the most favoured nation. If, therefore, these con cessions do impair the rule of the war 1756, (a rule never acceded to on the continent, for France* protested in 1758 at Petersburg against it) the author is not justified in asserting that this country has never relinquished the principle. A very absurd relinquishment, we grant, because the nature of the rule of the war 1756 required that to load in a colonial port, shut during peace, should in a neutral be suf ficient evidence of the shipment of enemy's property. But ministers, during the last thirty years, seem never to have taken the trouble of thinking over the operation of a general principle: and now they propose to break their agreements because they find out they have made them ill. We trust that the present ministers of his majesty are actuated by principles more libéral, and more consistent, than those which have so often oppressed commerce under their unfortunate predecessors; that they will place public justice' and cosmopolitical virtue in the destruc'tion of monopolies; in the repeal of the navigation laws; in the facilitation of commerce to the numerous rather than to the incorporated orders of tradesmen ; and that in their future treaties they will propose to abjure, on both sides, the right of capturing merchant ships, and thus reconcile a perpetual commercial peace with military, and even with naval hostility. The separation of the American half of the English nation from the British empire ought no longer to be viewed with displeasure, but with approbation. It is thus enabled to preserve neutrality during the warfare of the belligerent half; and to lend the convenient aid of its flag and its privileges to conduct a common commerce, which is thus rendered independant of the caprice of cabinets, and the pi racy of naval adventurers. * It was this protest which laid the foundation of the armed neutrality, CHAPTER IV. ANCIENT CLASSICS, CLASSICAL ANTIQUITIES, MYTHOLOGY, &c. CLASSICAL Literature, though much studied in England, and illustrated by a few works of great and acknowledged eminence, yet is not a province in which English editors and writers have often chosen to exercise their talents. Hence our catalogue of domestic publications under this head is as usual scanty, while our me tropolis and universities continue to furnish an ample opening for the reception of the never-failing productions of German industry and learning. Among these an edition of the poems, bearing the name of Orpheus, by Herman, is distinguished by erudition, industry, and boldness sometimes approaching to temerity. In our own country, Mr. Walpole has edited some elegant specimens from the fragments of the ancient Greek comic writers. He has also afforded us another proof of his industry, by a volume, consisting partly of translations from the classics, by ol and neglected authors, and partly of various copies of verses, the productions of his own pen, both original and translated from various languages. Mr. Good, his translation of Lucretius, has given a faithful and spirited representation of that great, and almost unrivalled, didactic poet, accompanied with a commentary display ing a cultivated taste, and uncommon variety of learning. ART. I.-Orphica, cum Notis II. STEPHANI, A. CHR. ESCHENBACHII, T. M. GESNERI, TH. TYRWHITTI. Recensuit Godofredus Hermunnus. Lipsia, 1805. 8vo. pp. 1020, THE fabrications, which bear the name of Orpheus, collected in this ponderous volume, are in themselves little interesting to the reader of taste, and of little importance to the cause of sound literature. We have, however, been induced to select them from the mass of German publications to which the late, like preceding years, has given birth, by the celebrity of the editor under whose name they appear, and the curious nature and original matter of the ample dissertation which he has appended to them. The pieces commonly denominated Orphic, and which, as they pass under that title, though they seem to possess no other species of connection, have usually been published in conjunction with each other, are, 1st, a tedious poem of nearly fourteen hundred verses on the subject of the argonautic expedition: 2ndly, 2 collection of mystic hymns, perhaps of different ages, and some of them probably of considerable antiquity: and, 3dly, a poem on genis, and their fabulous properties, medical and magical. The last of these poems includes no mention of Orpheus, and no evidence that the writer of it intended to ascribe it to that poet. Editions of these writings have already appeared in numbers sufficiently adequate to their merit. The first is that of Flo rence, published by Junta in 1500, a work of great rarity, containing the argonautics and the hymns. These were republished by Aldus, at Venice, in 1517, along with the poem on the loves of Hero and Lean der, and with the addition of the lithics. To these succeeded several other editions, none of which it is necessary to mention, except that of Gesner, comprising the collected works, with the notes of preceding editors, and his own; and those of the lithics and argonautics separately, by Tyrwhitt and Schneider. The editions of Gesner and Tyrwhitt, with the exception of the Latin versions, are embodied in this publication. Many notes are also added by the present editor, which display his ingenuity, and his very extensive, and commonly accurate, knowledge of the Greek language, not without some infusion of his customary bile. The version of the argonautics, by Cribellus, is retained (as being made from a valuable manuscript, which we suppose is at present either not extant, or not accessible), along with the curious translation of the hymns by Scaliger. The various readings have been collected by the collation of several MSS. (the most valuable are stated to be those of Vossius, Ruhnkenius, and Vienna), and some ancient editions. These pieces, like most of the other minor Greek poems, have descended to us in a very corrupt state. The editor has, therefore, taken considerable liberties in reforming them by conjectural emendation. "Textum argonauticorum, hyme norum, et lithicorum," says he, "ita ut corrigendus mihi videbatur, refinxi. In argonauticis quidem, corrupto opere, si quid fortasse audacius mutatum videatur, aqui lectores, non modo multitudinem vitiorum et magnitudinem reputabunt, sed illud etiam recordabuntur, haud paullo difficilius esse malum, quam bonum scriptorem emendare." Many of his conjectures are certainly ingenious; but we doubt the propriety of inserting them constantly, however violent, into the text. We cannot but prefer the modesty of Tyrwhitt, who has made his notes the vehicles of many most ingenious emendations, but has cautiously abstained from introducing them, however probable, into the text of his author. On the argonautics and hymns we shall not dwell; as a minute enumeration of the various readings, by which they are justified or defended, would perhaps be tedious to our readers. With respect to the former we shall only observe, that the editor appears to us to have introduced, with much too great frequency, his favourite expletive it, for which, indeed, he seems to have sought a place wherever it was possible that it should exist. As we are indebted for the best edition of the lithics to a very ingenious and learned scholar of our own country, that poem is likely to have received in England a greater share of attention than the others by which it is usually accompanied. We shall, therefore, proceed to give a faithful account of the various readings of a considerable portion of the text before us, collated with that of Mr. Tyrwhitt. The only advantage of authority which the present editor appears to have possess◄ ed above his learned predecessor, is an inedited exegesis of Tzetzes on the Iliad of Homer, preserved in a public library at Leipsic, containing several verses of the lithics, which are corrupt in the common editions, in a correct state, and confirming the previous conjectures of Tyrwhitt and other critics. Ver.5. T:161 for vi is adopted from the note of Tyrwhitt. 7. αγαλλόμενες from the conjecture of the same critic. 11. The order of the words Kpovifys Tavzov is changed, to remedy the short syllable in cæsurâ. 14. For yaperras is substituted, from the emendation of Ruhnkenius, pores. 17. On account of the preceding os xev, for awy, is read away by conjecture. 18. ECEASEшLEY, from Tzetzes. 22. For axis, axixus, which form is also substituted in another instance, 140. 28. For avrixpus, áνti×pu. 35. For χρυσειον επί λέχος αιεν, is read exos aIEN ETTI XCUTEIDY, to give a better support to the short syllable in cæsurâ. 39. ax', necessary both to the sense and the metre, is inserted from the conjecture of Tyrwhitt. 42. The final is added to the word reci, to sustain the short syllable. We mention this merely to denote the canon of prosody, which is adopted on this subject by the professor, the application of which occurs in several other instances. 43. In compliance with the epic form, for axe Seλyoi, T., aix' edenoi, H. 53. For έκασα, Τ., έκαστην, H. Neither the common nor the new reading is free from difficulty: xxsw can scarcely be used for cuiquam, in which sense alone it affords any meaning; and Exa57, is perfectly unnecessary. 57. For açıxηrai, from the conjecture of Tyrwhitt, spintai; for is r', from the rules of the language, is x'. 60. For aside, aoids, a plausible conjecture. 62. In a verse indubitably corrupt, the conjecture of Hermann, inserted in his text, is perhaps the best which has been offered. λa ce, пpecßa dazuoclry. 67. Difficulties of prosody and gram. in our opinion, it is not wholly inadmis mar are avoided by reading Secus ETTOTIEREV sible. αιεν εύντας. 68. For avopwv, pw-the conjecture of Ruhnkenius. 70-72. The ingenious conjectures of Tyrwhitt are deservedly adopted, with the addition of a necessary grammatical alteration, raw for Tave. We shall not, perhaps, be considered as digressing too far from the subject, if we take this opportunity of mentioning a corrupt reading, which maintains its place in all the recent editions of Homer, Od. vi. 262; αυταρ επην πόλιος επιβήσομεν. This reading is vicious, as giving an intransitive sense to a transitive verb, and as placing a future indicative where an aorist subjunctive is required, in this connection, by the preceding Ty, though, by the grammatical figure called systole, sißou indeed be considered as the subjunctive aorist. The valuable Harleian MS., 5674, in this passage reads, without doubt justly, ETIB, which appears also in the Florentine edition of 1488, and the Juntine of 1519, and probably in most MSS., and in most printed editions previous to the publication of Eustathius, in whom the common reading is found. In Od. K. 334, the common editions, by the same error, read Bous, the Florentine and Juntine, επιβημεν. may 73. auspss, the conjecture of Tyrwhitt, is adopted. 77. Φαεσίμβροτε, the conjecture of Gesner. 78. Saquaro, from Tyrwhitt. 82. For εμ' ὑπισχνομαι, εμέθεν σεύμαι, the former word from ed. Ald., and cod. Par.; the latter from conjecture, to replace a word not usual in the epic writers. Homer, however, uses mal in the same sense. The conjecture we think not necessary, and its admission into the text not warranted; it is, however, in it-self not improbable. 84. digua, from the conjecture of Tyrwhitt, whose note has been by some accident omitted. 85. x, from Gesner, to preserve the uniformity of the mood. 85. epɛɛvy, for the same reason. 89. For avarvates, certainly corrupt, acuaiores by conjecture, the former word being considered as a gloss for the latter. Yet the authoritics adduced in the index of Tyrwhitt, induce us to prefer aiva Toveyres, the conjecture of Portus. 90. For ', uv, to avoid the hiatus, in a situation of the verse in which, however, 107. TEWS-80 Musgrave. 108. optauevo de doxɛuras; a good conjecture of Portus, which we wonder that Tyrwhitt did not receive into his text. 110. The editor successfully vindicates the common reading ze against the conjecture of Tyrwhitt. This power of though not uncommon, has not been much noticed except by modern grammarians. 111. a8715, according to the orthography of the epic writers. 113. opovres, from Tyrwhitt. 116. For Aw, is well read ha77. 118. For αλαληντο, λελίηντο. Though the common reading is doubtful, the conjecture is too hazardous to be inserted in the text. 119. DELVOY. 120. Xaputai, from the conjecture of Bernard. 123. οἴσσατε. 130. ap for av. 141. e' apa, from Tyrwhitt. 145. χω μεν επέσσυτο, from the same. 147. Xaev, from the conjecture of the editor, the reason for the preference of which to that of Gesner, received by Tyrwhitt, we do not discern. Either of them is admissible, and one of them necessary. 149. ao. Tyr. and Musg. 149. evittytas. T. and M. 159. Xasiais, from Ruhnkenius. 172. a, by a probable conjecture. : 173. παρα. 182. Taλayevaas, from Tyrwhitt's con jecture. 183. Choyas, from the same. 192. ανακτίτην. 195. apa, an indubitable emendation. 200. r, from Aldus. 207. REPμUXYwvra. In the preceding line should probably be read apar 5 (Il. xvii. 30.), as depending on 277. 209. xxxvуawy, a conjecture preterable to that of Tyrwhitt. 213. έρχευ for ερχέ. 214. καρποφορῳ, Τyr. 217. vi, Gesner's conjecture, accommodated to the measure. 218. Ery, from Schneider. 226. This verse is silently, but justly, corrected by reading vow. 227. επ' αρχων. Τyr. 238. Where a conjecture is necessary, |