PRINCE OF WALES.

Thofe who are advocates for the expediency of a single regent, it is to be prefumed, will propofe for this office the Prince of Wales, who, being heir-apparent to the crown, and of a legal age for the administration of government, seems to have the most natural right to exercife the regal power during any indifpofition of the fovereign.

OF A SINGLE REGENT.

Againft this propofal, however plaufible, arguments of great weight may be advanced, both by interested, and difinterefted members of the national affembly. It may be urged with equal, if not fuperior justness, that, though the Prince of Wales, by his near relation to the crown, appears to have the best claim to the vicarious poffeffion of a power, to the exercife of which, in cafe of the demife of his royal father, he would immediately fucceed; and though he has paffed the legal age which confers the capacity of political adminiftration; yet it would be a dangerous experiment, and unworthy the wifdom of the legislature, to entrust to a youthful regent that executive power which might, by imprudent conduct, be perverted to the detriment of the nation, and which to exercise for the good of the public, requires abilities matured by time, and improved by political obfervation. That his prefent majefty, it must be acknowledged, at an earlier age, fwayed the fceptre with honour to himself and happiness to his people; but that no rational argument can be founded upon an inftance which was only a fortu→ nate contingency: the will of God and the laws of the country determined the fucceffion to power at the former crifis; but, on the prefent occafion, both heaven and the conftitution refign us to the freedom of choice; and all the laws of prudence oppofe the precipitate refolution which would place the reins of government folely in the hands of a young and inexperienced regent, untutored, perhaps, in the arduous fcience of politics, and, though generous in his nature, not wholly exempted from the fufpicion of partialities unfavourable to the fuccefsful difcharge of fo important an office: that the dignity of the Prince of Wales can fuffer no diminution from others being joined with him in the Regency; that the appearance of a precarious ftability of government might prove, particularly at the prefent crifis, of the most pernicious confequence to our own interefts, as well as to those of other nations with which we are united by alliance; and, in fine, that from being the arbiters of Europe, we might fink into a ftate of declenfion, as much reduced in importance by future mifconduct as we have already, from a fimilar caufe, been circumfcribed in the bounds of our empire.

OF

OF A DECIDED REGENCY.

Thefe are a few of the arguments which may be urged on this interefting occafion. But there is a Charybdis, as well as a Scylla, to be avoided; and while the wisdom of the legiflature may reprobate the opinion which would favour the nomination of a fingle regent only, it may likewife equally difapprove of fuch a number as would produce the inconve niencies of divided authority, and obftruct, instead of giving immediate efficiency, to the operations of the executive government. In deliberating on this fubject, it ought ever to be remembered, that the utmoft attention is due, towards fecuring a perfeverance in thofe falutary meafures of government which have been pursued by his prefent majesty; as, in the event of a happy recovery, which may God in his mercy foon effect! the vexation which he would inevitably experience, from a difregard to his political principles, might, and most probably, would, produce a fatal relapfe of his diforder.

BELLIGERENT AND OTHER POWERS.

At a time when the folicitude of the nation is engroffed by domeftic concerns, it happens that few occurrences, of an important nature, have arifen on the continent. An armistice, to the 15th of May, has taken place between Sweden and Denmark, and will probably terminate in a peace; but though Ruffia has withdrawn a part of her force from Finland, there is yet no appearance of an entire ceffation of hostilities between her and the Swedish monarch. The Porte, and his enemies remain nearly in the fame fituation as last month; but a flame feems to be kindling in Poland, which, under the active direction of the King of Pruffia, is likely to produce effects no lefs favourable to the Ottoman intereft than prejudicial to the Imperial allies. But these measures are not yet fufficiently advanced to become the fubject of political fpeculation.

Communications for THE ENGLISH REVIEW are requefied to be fent to Mr. MURRAY, No. 32, Fleet-ftreet, London; where Sub fcribers for this Monthly Performance are refpectfully defired to give in their Names.

THE

ENGLISH REVIEW,

For

DECEMBER 1788.

ART. I. A concife Account of the Climate, Produce, Trade, Government, Manners, and Customs, of the Kingdom of Pegu; interfperfed with Remarks moral and political. With an Appendix, containing, 1. An Inquiry into the Caufe of the Variety obfervable in the Fleeces of Sheep in different Climates. 2. Defcription of fome Caves at Elephanta, Ambola, and Canara. The whale being the Refult of Obfervations made on a Voyage performed by Order of the Hon. Eaft-India Company, By W. Hunter, A. M. Surgeon. Calcutta, Hay; reprinted by Sewell. Foolfcap 8vo. 2s. 6d fewed. London, 1788.

THE three great causes that have enlarged our knowledge of the human fpecies, and introduced to our acquaintance the remoter regions of the globe, are military ambition, the spirit of commerce, and zeal for propagating religion. Ambition, or the rage of conqueft, was certainly the earlieft motive of vifiting foreign countries; and nations, feparated by mountains and feas, were firft brought together in order to cut one anothers throats. Ninus, Semiramis, Sefoftris, and Alexander the Great, were the inventors or improvers of geography, and traced with the fword the map of the ancient world. This, however, was not the fole fource of geographical discoveries. The celebrated witticifin of Montefquieu*, Countries are now difcovered by voyages on the fea, but formerly the fea was

*Efprit de Loix, lib. xxi. cap. 27.

ENG. REV. VOL. XII. DEC. 1788.

cap. 27. difcovered

1

difcovered by the conqueft of countries, like many of his bolitical witticifms, ought to be received with much limitation. The knowledge which the Phoenicians had acquired of the three continents of the globe, and their commercial intercourfe with foreign nations, from India to Britain, are perhaps more truly aftonifhing, when we confider the imperfect ftate of ancient navigation, than the fubfequent difcoveries of Columbus and Cooke, when the powers of the magnet were understood, and the art of building thips, as well as conducting them through the ocean, was carried to perfection.

None of thofe caufes have hitherto been fo effectual in their operation as to produce a full and fatisfactory account of the kingdom of Pegu. No European power has made it an object of conqueft. The few miflionaries who migrated thither never gained a firm or refpectable footing in the country. The trade to this kingdom has never been an object of much attention, although it may be extended on a large fcale, and productive of national advantage.

The author of the tract before us vifited the country which The defcribes, and collected many of the facts which he records from actual obfervation. With regard to others, he was instructed by the natives, who are extremely communicative, and by foreigners of different nations, who had fettled in that country for many years.

The first chapter contains an account of the fituation and extent of Pegu, and of the revolutions in its government; and gives a defcription of the capital, the coaft, the face of the country, and the climate.

This country was formerly fubject to an independent prince of its own; but about forty years ago a revolution took place, by which it was reduced to be a province of the kingdom of Ava, and has fince been governed by deputies fent from thence, who may be removed at the pleasure of their fovereign. The whole country is low and flat, and the land can only be feen at a fmall diftance from fea. The water is fo fhallow, even a great way off from the coaft, that navigators get into three or four fathoms before they are within fight of the fhore. The country, however, is far from being unhealthy. The natives are the most robuft and mufcular race of men to be met with in India; they are seldom attacked by diseases; and Europeans, who have lived there for many years, enjoy uninterrupted good health. Even during the rains, which all over India occafion the most disagreeable and fickly period of the year, the air of Pegu is temperate, and has an elafticity unknown at the correfponding feason in any other part of India.

In the fecond chapter Mr. Hunter defcribes the inhabitants of Pegu, with regard to their perfons, drefs, manners, and military character. As every thing that enlarges the boundary of hiftory, and adds to the chapter of man, is worthy of attention, the following extract may not be unacceptable to our readers:

The inhabitants, as I have obferved, are of a mufcular make; their ftature is about the middle fize, and their limbs, in general, well proportioned. The complexion is fwarthy, being a medium between that of the Chinese and of the inhabitants of Bengal. In feature they resemble the Malays; their face is broad, their eyes large and black, the nofe flat, the cheek-bones prominent, and the mouth extremely wide. They wear on the chin a tuft of hair, of unequal lengths; and fhave the rest of the face. Their teeth are always of a jet black, which, however difgufting it may be to an European eye, s, among them, esteemed a great ornament; and accordingly they are at very great pains to accomplish it.

They wear various ornaments in their ears, many of them in common with other eastern nations; but one that appears to be peculiar to this people is a thin plate of gold, rolled up in the form of a quill, about the thickness of a finger, which is thrust into a hole made in the ufual part of the ear, large enough to receive it. The foregoing defcription is chiefly applicable to the Birmahs; that is, the natives of Ava, or their defcendants, who are now very numerous here, as the government is entirely in their hands. The original inhabitants of Pegu have faces more nearly approaching to the oval form; their features are fofter, more regular, and feem to exprefs greater fenfe and acuteness than thofe of the Birmahs, with whom, in other respects, they nearly agree. The Birmahs, however, who pique themselves on being defcended from the conquerors, and wish to be diftinguished from the nation they fubdued, ufe a badge for that purpofe, which we must conclude they value very highly, from the fufferings they undergo to obtain it. The thigh of every Birmah, including the hip and knee, is of a jet black, which has a very fingular appearance; and this mark they receive in their childhood. It is made by the repeated application of an inftrument with a great number of fharp points, placed clofe together, fomething like that used in carding wool, till the part is entirely covered with drops of blood. After this they apply a liquid, of which galls is a principal ingredient. This excites a confiderable degree of fever; and it is computed, by the natives themfelves, that about two children out of five perifh in confequence of the operation. Some perfons of a higher rank have, inftead of this, their thighs covered with the reprefentations of tigers, and other wild beafts, imprinted by a procefs fimilar to the former.

The men have long black hair, tied on the top of the head, over which fome wear a white handkerchief, in form of a turban; others go with their heads bare, and decorated with flowers. They wear about their loins a piece of party-coloured filk, or cotton cloth, which is afterwards paffed over the fhoulder, and goes round the body. Those of higher rank have this cloth fo long as to hang Cc 2 down