precious metals, in interior commerce, and to employ the latter in exterior commerce, to which the other cannot be applied. This is an expedient which has been practifed to a great extent in feveral commercial countries, during the prefent century; but the repeated inftances of extraordinary failures arifing from the abuse of paper credit, must render it adviseable to afcertain previously the real foundations upon which fuch credit is established.

The authors afterwards proceed to make an application of their general principles to the reciprocal commerce of France and the United States. They endeavour to shew that France has every means of procuring a great commerce, and those which muft infure it to her in the United States; that her productions are proper for them; and that her particular interior circumftances oblige her to engage in this commerce.

With the purpose of proving these affertions, they take a view of the productions of France, her industry, and her geographical and natural position. They next point out the wants of the United States, and the productions of France which correfpond to them; these are wines, brandies, cloths, linens, filks, ribbons, filk ftockings, gold and filver laces, &c. With regard to the two laft of thefe articles in particular, the authors seem to meafure the wants of the United States by the standard of French luxury. Gold and filver laces neither fuit the genius of republican frugality, nor the present opulence of the Americans. But the French, it is evident, will endeavour to corrupt their principles for the fake of commercial advantage.

The articles which America may furnish, in return for importations from France, are afterwards enumerated; and the authors endeavour to perfuade the people of America that her pofition fhould difpofe her to agriculture. This is a method of policy by no means peculiar to the exigences of the UnitedStates; it is neceffary to all nations that would encourage population and induftry. But it is not to be expected that the Americans will confine their efforts entirely to the province of agriculture. They will doubtlefs, as foon as poffible, endeavour to cultivate manufactures for internal consumption at least ; and, in proportion as these increase, their importations from France will decline.

In our account of this work we have, in conformity to what is. announced in the title-page, confidered it as the joint production of Meffrs. Etienne Claviere, and J. P. Briffot de Warville; but we are not perfectly satisfied that it has been written by these authors in conjunction; for the Confiderations are every where presented in the first person fingular. But as it is arguments; and not authorities, that we regard, the discussion

of

of this point is a matter of little importance to the fubject. After all the pains and interested zeal discovered in this work, it may juftly be deemed, in a great measure, a fuperfluous production; for, where a freedom of trade is established, the mutual wants of the different nations will always be found the best, and indeed the only certain ftandard for the regulation of their traffic, both in importations and exports.

ART. III. The Life of Frederick, Baron Trenck. Written by himfelf, and tranflated from the German. 12mo. 2 vols. 5s. fewed. Murray. London, 1788.

TH

'HE life of this nobleman, if what he relates be authentic, and, from a number of collateral circumstances, a confiderable fhare of credit feems due to the narrative, discovers fuch a wonderful intrepidity, during a series of hardships for years, as to border upon romance. He was defcended from an ancient family in Pruffia, and entered very early into the service of his fovereign, the late King of Pruffia, with whom his talents foon made him a favourite. But his career was of short date; imprudence and mistaken pride, aided by the envy and jealoufy of others, occafioned his downfall, and the calamities he afterwards fuffered. His crime at this time seems to have been the carrying on an intrigue with a lady of very high rank at the Pruffian court; that intrigue, and the wealth he was by that means fupplied with, drew upon him the envy of the other officers, and feems firft to have given occafion to his difpleasing the king. He was, for fome trifling fault, put under an arreft; and when advised by a nobleman of the court to afk pardon of his fovereign, obftinately refused. This circumftance, however, paffed off, and he feems again to have been reftored to the favour and confidence of his mafter. Unfortunately for him, he had a near relation who was a very famous partizan in the fervice of the house of Auftria, with whom the King of Pruffia was then at war. This man, who was of a deep, designing difpofition, was immenfely rich. He advised Trenck's mother that he intended making her fon his heir. This letter Trenck, notwithstanding the favours heaped on him by the King of Pruffia, not only answered with profeffions of thanks, but with a request of a prefent of fome Hungarian horfes. Shortly after, fome of his horfes being taken by the huffars of this fubtle partifan, were fent back, with a note that the Auftrian Trenck was not at war with the Pruffian Trenck. Thefe, Trenck accepted, at which the king manifested his dif pleasure, by receiving him coolly, and taking from him a very·

fine

fine horfe he had just before given to him. This injudicious step, however, the king feems likewife shortly to have forgot.

Some time after, the baron received a letter mentioning having fent back his horfes; if he wanted fome Hungarian ones to try and carry them off; but, if he would come and join the Auftrian Trenck, he fhould be received with open arms like a fon. Of this letter Trenck made a kind of fecret, fhewing it only to two or three perfons; and fhortly after, his misfortunes commenced. It is neceffary to observe, that an idea seems to have gone through the army that the money which was fo liberally furnished him from his female favourite at Berlin, fo as to enable him to outvie in fplendour the other officers, came from this partifan. Without any reason affigned, he was fuddenly after fent under an arreft to a fortrefs on the frontiers of Silefia; when, after in vain demanding a court-martial of the king, he used every stratagem which force, art, and bribery could devife, to make his escape, and which he at last effected with a Lieutenant Schell, who was on guard over him. In this officer's company he travelled between fix and feven hundred miles to the northern part of Pruffia, all along the frontiers, without money, and continually in danger of being taken hold of by the Pruffians. When arrived at his mother's, who fupplied him with money, he was advised to go to his relation at Vienna, which he did. Here fortune was again adverfe to him, for his relation, the partisan, was under confinement, and he could get no preferment nor affiftance. That court he fhortly left, and went to Petersburgh, where he was made captain of dragoons. In his way thither he had very near been entrapped at Dantzick, by fome Pruffian emiflaries, who were on the watch for him. Another deep plot was afterwards laid for apprehending him at Petersburgh, which he narrowly escaped by the affiftance of the English ambaffador. Soon after, his relation, the partifan, died, and left him his whole fortune. Trenck then quitted Ruffia, and went a fecond time to Vienna, where he was engaged in the labyrinth of the law, and not able to get his inheritance out of the hands of the executors. The death of his mother led him a fecond time to Dantzick, where he was feized by the magiftrates, and delivered up to the Pruffians, having been reprefented as come there to make an attempt on the life of the King of Pruffia, who was shortly to pass that way. He was conveyed to Magdeburgh, where, without any trial, he was loaded with chains, confined in a dungeon, kept on bread and water, and no perfon fuffered to converfe with him for nearly the space of ten years. The many furprising attempts he made to escape, and the severities exercifed upon him in confequence of thefe efforts, compofe a great

part

part of his life. At laft, through the interceffion of Prince Ferdinand and the Auftrian court, he obtained his release. His fufferings, however, were not yet at an end; he was escorted out of the Pruffian dominions, and delivered up to the governor of Prague, who fent him under a guard to Vienna; and there, but for our countryman General Dalton, who procured him his liberty, he had been shut up for life, as a madman, in an Auftrian fortrefs. He was; however, forced to execute a furrender of the greatest part of his relation's inheritance, and promife not to enter the capital of Auftria. On the demife of the late King of Pruffia, his prefent majefty gave him a paflport to re turn to Berlin, and restored him to his eftates which had been confifcated.

Such are the outlines which this extraordinary man gives us of his life. Annexed to it are two fhort ones of his rela tion Colonel Trenck the partifan, and of his friend Schell, who accompanied him from Glatz. The life of Colonel Trenck fhews what great achievements valour will perform, and what diabolical characters are to be met with in fociety; that of Schell, what miferies an inordinate love of play brings upon men, who, in other refpects, are worthy and amiable characters. This man, of a good family, and not deftitute of talents, after having had commiffions in different fervices, which his loffes at play obliged him to refign, finished his career of life as a paymafter-ferjeant. The letter which he left on the table for Baron Trenck at Aix la Chapelle, whom he had come from Italy on purpose to vifit, difcovers a noble mind meriting a better fate; and may teach military gentlemen, and all others, that the first virtue under heaven is prudence; and without it every thing elfe is of little avail.

Having now given a fketch of this performance, we fhall give extracts to enable the reader to judge of the ftyle and expreffion of this very fingular character, which feems throughout manly and nervous:

• No one ever paffed the first years of his youth,' fays he, in a more agreeable or more happy manner than I did mine at Berlin. I could fill a volume if I choie to relate all that happened to me, and all the ftate affairs in which I was concerned. But my own adventures will take up room enough without a mixture of any thing fʊreign to them; and it would ill become me to infert in the fad history of my life anecdotes worthy of a romance. It is my wish to fhew myfelf to all Europe fuch as I am. It is my wish to give a great example, and waken fenfibility by a recital of my misfortunes; and to fhew how my fatal deliny has deprived my children of an immenfe fortune.'

After he had escaped from the fortrefs of Glatz with his friend Schell, he proceeds:

. We

We had hardly advanced a hundred yards when we met the major with the adjutant. Schell ftarted back, ran up the rampart, and jumped into the ditch. I followed him, and came fafe to the ground, with only a few bruifes. But my poor friend was not fo fortunate; he diflocated his foot. Immediately he drew his fword, prefented it to me, and begged me to kill him, and then make my efcape; he was a very weakly little man. Far from complying with his request, I took him round the waift, threw him over the palifadoes, and then taking him on my back ran off, without very well knowing whither I was going.

• The fun had juft fet; when we took our flight a fhower of fleet was falling, and nobody chose to hazard the dangerous leap we had taken. However, we heard a terrible noife behind us, and we were known to every body; but before the people fent to pursue us had got out of the citadel, and paffed through the town, we were already half a league on our way. We were hardly at a hundred paces diftance when we heard the alarm guns fire. This frightened my poor friend very much, because he knew that in fuch cafes it was almoft impoffible for any one to escape from Glatz, unless he. had a start of at leaft two leagues. The paffages were at that time very strictly guarded, either by the peasants or the huffars.

On

When I had carried my friend about three hundred paces I laid him down, and looked round me; but fuch was the darkness of the night that I could fee neither town nor citadel. It was equally impoffible to fee us from thence. My prefence of mind did not forfake me an instant; and I was refolved to die or recover my liberty. Where are we, Schell? faid I; where is Bohemia? on which fide does the Neiffen run? We have been seen, said I, making for Bohemia; the frontiers are overrun with huffars, whom we fhould never be able to avoid; let us therefore take another road. faying this, I took him again on my back, and carried him straight to the Neiffen. We heard very plainly the alarm bells ringing in all the villages, and the peasants appointed to form the line to prevent desertion running every one to his poft. In the mean time I reached the Neiffen, that was then but little frozen; walked in with my friend on my back, and carried him as long as I found bottom;" when I loft footing, which was only for about the distance of fix yards, he took hold of my hair; and in this way we got fafe to the oppofite bank.

The following extract on the way in which he paffed his time, and the reflections he makes, we have given to counteract the idea which naturally arifes in the mind, that a man loaded with irons for a number of years, as he was, and chained to a wall, could have any thing human about him besides the mere form:

By infenfible degrees I became accustomed to my chains. I learned to comb my hair, and even to tie it. As I was never shaved, my beard gave me a frightful appearance; and I determined to pluck * out. I suffered much from this operation at first, especially from

the