can rarely come within his immediate knowledge: otherwife, by the indulgence of too refined a delicacy, and the affectation of a fentimertal difpofition, which is neither fuited to our nature or condition, men may again fink into the deplorable fituation of the Sybarites, and neither be able to endure the fight of blood, nor to hear of danger, until they found themfelves overwhelmed in both. The rough mafculine exercises, and hard perfonal conflicts of the common people, are preparatives to war; they inure men to refiftance, to place a confidence in their own powers and addrefs in action, to endure toils, blows, and danger, and to feel all the pride and triumph of victory. Need it be remembered, that the conflicts of fierce animals were fpectacles admired by the most celebrated, as well as the most elegant nations of antiquity? and we may add, that it is a gratification, no ways artificial and improper for a reasonable being, to behold any creature exerting the generous energies of his nature.

The king of Spain has, however, prohibited the celebration of bull feafts, excepting only in thofe cafes where the profits arifing from them have been already afligned to fome charitable, benevolent, or patriotic purpose, and that no other fund has yet been appropriated to fupply the deficiency. He has likewife prohibited, under heavy penalties, the ufe of more than two horfes or mules in gentlemen's carriages, within the limits of any of the towns of the kingdom. This injunction was attended with a circular letter to the foreign minifters, enclofing a copy of the edict, and acquainting them refpectively, that his catholic maVOL. XXVIII.

jefty hoped they would fet an exam-' ple of compliance to the public, by their own conformity to this new regulation. The motive affigned in the preamble to the edict for thefe prohibitions is, that the former practice occafioned a great deftruction of cattle, and the latter a great waste of their time aud labour, when they might be fo much more advantageoutly employed for the purpofes of agriculture. The affigned motive does not feem at all to hold with respect to the fuppreffion of the bull feats, as the animals ufed in thefe fpectacles were actual wild bulls, taken with great difficulty, and in an abfolute ftate of nature, in the remotest forests; and these are too fierce and untimeable to admit almoft the poffibility of their be ing broken down to country fervice.

The liberal difpofition to improvement, at prefent prevalent in the court of Madrid, is not, however, confined to rural or domeftic matters; it feems to reach to every thing, and to every part of their extenfive dominions. The king, reflecting upon the number of hips and lives, both foreign and domes tic, which were every year loft upon the coafts of the kingdom, through the want of an accurate knowledge of them, and the imperfection of the old charts, which inttead of being the guides to fafety, frequently led the unwary navigator into error and ruin, generously and humanely determined to remedy this evil. For the execution of this important purpofa, Don Vincent Tofinode, a man of icience, and who prefides in the marine academies, has ever fince the conclufion of the peace with England, accompanied by able atliftants, been alliduoufly and fucceff fully employed in furveying and [C]

delineat

delineating the coafts of the kingdom. This is faid to have been done with unexampled care and accuracy, taking in the whole coaft from Cape Saint Vincent to the Streights of Gibraltar, and from thence to the Cape de Creux, on the coaft of Catalonia, and including the oppofite Barbary fhores. There has not yet been time to publish the charts, but it is expected that they will be found a great nautical improvement, and prove a treasure to mariners.

In the fame fpirit, the king determined that the various accounts of the Streights of Magellan, which have been given by the navigators of different nations, fhould be ex'amined and corrected. For this purpofe a frigate was difpatched from Cadiz, under the conduct of Don Antonio Cordova of Lafo, who was fo fortunate as in a few months fully to execute his commiffion. This officer brought home an accurate chart of the ftreights, in which all the capes, bays, promontories, and other remarkable objects on the oppofite coafts, are diftinctly laid down, with their longitudes, latitudes, and respective diftances, afcertained by aftronomical obfervation. With all the delays incident to this material fervice, and to the unequalled turbulence of that boifterous climate, they arrived in little more than five weeks from their entering the freights at Port St. Jofeph, the moft fouthern of the continent. From thence Don Antonio went in his barge to explore the channel of St. Barbe, which lies three leagues from that port, on the coaft of the Terra del Fuego, where he found the paffage which had been long conjectured, but never before afcerained, that leads into the South

Seas. After examining the wefters parts of the ftreight to the Capes Lunes and Providence, which they found to be eleven leagues diftant from thofe called the Pillars and Victoria, he returned to Port St. Jofeph. From thence the frigate returned home through the ftreights, having loft but two men in the courfe of three months which they fpent in that region of eternal winter, tempefts, and defolation, which had fo long been the terror of mariners. It is probable that this fhip was indebted for her unusual healthinefs

to the admirable and fuccessful meafures adopted and publifhed by captain Cook for the prefervation of his feamen.

The exertions of Spain for the improvement and increafe of her naval power, have not only been unremittingly continued, but carried on with freth vigour, and in a more extenfive degree, fince the conclufion of the war. This fyftem will probably continue, fo long as the French influence predominates at the court of Madrid, and the family compact retains its full vigour. This, however, ought not to caufe any great alarm to those who duly weigh the temporary effect and fhort duration of any influence, and the fragil nature of family and all other political compacts. Money may enable princes to build or purchase great fleets, but that alone will be found very unequal to the rendering them effective, or really formidable. Bold and able feamen, with gallant and experienced officers, are treafures not to be purchased. Moft of the ftates of Europe poffefs a confiderable number of large and well-looking ships of war, and these exhibit a formidable appearance of artillery: yet, what figure have they

ever

ever made, or would they now make, in action?

This being, however, the era of reform and improvement in Spain, the is paying an unufual degree of attention to her foreign commerce and to her colonies, (much furer and more permanent fources of naval ftrength) as well as to the other parts of her political economy, Among the inftances of this attention, an Eaft India company, under the name of the Royal Philippine, was established in the beginning of the year 1785. The capital of this company was fixed at 30 millions of livres, being fomething about £1,300,000 fterling; of which the old Caraccas company, now united with the new, furnished nine millions, the king five, the bank of Madrid, and the inhabitants of the Philippine islands, three each; the remaining ten millions were allotted into fhares of a thousand livres each, and fubfcribed for by the public at large. The company is charged with the equipment of the merchant fhips deftined for Spanish America, which they are to fupply with European merchandize, and to receive the products of thofe countries in return. A difcretionary number of ships are to proceed yearly from Acapulco to the Philippines, with coined filver, corn, fruits, and fuch other products or commodities of Europe or America as were found to fuit the market; and with thefe they were to purchase the goods of India and China, for the supply both of the mother country and her colonies. The company are to have a council of adminiftration at Acapulco, another at Manilla, and a fupreme one at Madrid, which is to receive the correspondence and to controul the conduct of the other

two. The king has likewife opened the ports of the Philippine iilands to all nations.

This last measure seems to give fome countenance to a report which has been currently spread, that the Spanish adminiftration have for fome time paft had it in ferious contemplation to break through that narrow fyftem of policy, which has been fo long and fo unremittingly purfued, of reftricting the commerce of Spanifh America entirely to the mother country; and that now adopting more liberal ideas, and taking a more clear and icientifical view of the nature both of trade and of colonies, they were actually digefting plans for opening a trade with foreign nations on the western coast of South America, by the conftituting of three free ports in the latter; and that this defign had been fo far advanced, that the ports of Baldivia in Chili, of Bonaventura in New Granada, and of Cinalea in New Mexico, were thofe propofed for the purpofe, and would probably be fixed upon. The time which has elapfed fince the circulation of this report, does not ferve entirely to overthrow its credibility, nor even afford any abfolute demonftration that the project is now abandoned, if its former exiftence be admitted; as a measure of fo much novelty and importance, involved in fuch a multitude of complicated confequences, of collateral connections and circumftances, could not but require much nicety of enquiry, as well as much previous and mature confideration.

Though the Spaniards have at all times endeavoured to cover, with a veil of impenetrable obfcurity and fecrecy, the ftate, circumftances, and tranfactions of their colonies in [C] 2 Southern

as much as it was in human power, to feclude them from all intercourfe and correfpondence with the reft of mankind, yet neither the penalties of laws, the induftry and vigilance of power, nor the immenfity of feas and defarts, can at all times prevent "the fecrets of the prifon houfe" from efcaping. Moft of the public prints throughout Europe have for fome years abounded with accounts of dangerous rebellions, and even expected revolutions, in Peru, Chili, and other parts of South America, It has even been pretended, that a defcendant of the Incas was at the head of a numerous Indian army, and making fuccefsful efforts to recover the throne, and to re-establish the empire of his ancestors.

Although the extravagance of these accounts was fufficient to deftroy their credibility, even in thofe things that were poffibly true, yet it may be gathered upon the whole, from the concurrence of circumftances which did not admit of doubt, that the Spanish dominion in South America has for fome years been confiderably disturbed by commotions of fome fort or other. It would feem, however, in fpeculation (the dim lights afforded us not admitting of any clear view) that thefe difturbances could not have proceeded entirely, if at all, from the Indians: for, excepting the brave and unconquered nations of Chili (who are not, however, capable of carrying on a diftant or regular war) we hold the Indians to be involved in too great a multitude of moral, phyfical, and political incapacities, to admit of their acting with that vigour and union, which could alone afford the moft diftant profpect of recovering their liber

debilitated, and have been too long broken down to the yoke, to be capable of becoming even the principals in any confiderable commotion.

It is well known, that the old Spanish fettlers and natives of that vaft continent, have from time immemorial been exceedingly difcontented with many circumftances in the government and internal adminiftration of thofe countries. That, in particular, the conftant difpofal of all places of truft and emolument to Europeans, has long been regarded by them with the greatest jealoufy and refentment, and confidered as a badge of the most intolerable flavery. That the infupportable arrogance of thefe new comers, the haughty difdain they difplay, and the contemptuous infolence with which, upon every occafion, they treat the natives, would alone be sufficient to render them odious in the extreme: but when with these are reckoned their numberless other ill qualities and vices; the avarice and oppreffion with which they rapidly collect immenfe fortunes; and their hafty conveyance of them out of the, country, as if its plunder had been the only object of their miflion; it is not to be wondered at that such a fyftem of oppreflion, rapacity, and irritation, thould beget a mortal averfion to the native Spaniards, and no fmall diflike to the government by which fuch enormities were admitted.

Thefe general caufes, concurring perhaps with other local and particular ones, have undoubtedly laid the foundations of fome confiderable diforders and commotions in Spanish America, although the means of information are too imperfect to ad

mit any exact knowledge of their nature and extent. The refiftance of the British colonies, and the extraordinary revolution which it occafioned, were events, which no powers of government could prevent from coming to the knowledge of the Spanish colonifts; and nobody will hold any doubt of the effects which fo fuccefsful and recent an example, and coming fo directly to the point with refpect to themselves, was liable to produce among a difcontented people. It is, however, to be obferved, efpecially as the fact is not generally known, that fome years before this example was fet, the difcontents in thofe countries ran fo high, that the moft tempting offers were made to the court of London for procuring her fupport and protection. The integrity, juftice, and good neighbourhood which the difplayed in rejecting that propofal, has fince been fhamefully returned by Spain: although fome cynic at the court of Madrid might poffibly deny the motive, and instead of afcribing it to honour or justice, hold out, that England was fo much occupied in the scheme of changing the government of her own colonies, that the had not leisure to engage in other projects, and of all things was leaft difpofed to encourage ideas of refiftance in thofe of any nation.

Thefe difcontents or difturbances have, however, produced no fmall apparent effect upon the Spanith government with refpect to the adminiftration of their colonies; and it is faid that the meatures purfued upon this occafion have been no lefs judicious than vigorous. While large reinforcements of the beft and moft veteran troops of Spain have been fent out under chofen

commanders to that continent, while old fortifications have been repaired and armed, and new ones conftructed, the greatest care is faid to have been taken, not only in the appointment of men of the firft ability to the refpective governments, but that they fhould likewife be men of a lenient and conciliating difpofition, as well as of the most difinterested character. This new fyftem of colonial government muft undoubtedly produce the happieft effects, if con tinued; but, notwithftanding its excellency in other respects, is faid to be fo expenfive, particularly by the augmentation of the forces upon that establishment, as to trench deeply upon the royal revenues a rifing from them; a circumftance too likely to abridge its duration.

We have heretofore had occafion to take notice of the connexion and friendship which was growing up between Spain and the Porte. M. de Boligny was accordingly fent minifter from the court of Madrid to Conftantinople, towards the close of the year 1784, where he was received and treated with peculiar marks of diftinction. Among other grand or curious prefents which he delivered from the catholic king at his first audience, was a field tent of fingular greatnefs and magniticence, which derived luftre from its former service, as well as veneration from its antiquity. It had been constructed for and used by Ferdinand the Catholic, in the pride of conqueft and victory, at the camp of Occanna; it was lined with crimfon velvet, richly trimmed. with gold taffels and lace, and containing fuch numerous and fpacious apart ments as had been fufficient to en tertain a large court: the whole furrounded with a fpacious gallery. [C] 3

It