f

yourfelves; they are yours, and not mine.' We cannot call upon the regent; for he is a ftill more contemptible pageant than the minifter. Measures will originate in the very hands in which the power of control is vefted. Parliament will adminifter, and will be refponfible only to itself, and our government, from the noble fpectacle it now exhibits, will dwindle into an aristocracy more defpotic than that of Venice.

If the project be to continue the prefent adminiftration, let the project be avowed. Parliament has a conftitutional power of addreffing in favour of administration; and they may now recommend the continuation of the prefent fyftem; not only because it is excellent in itself, but because it is inexpedient to introduce a violent change, which may foon be fucceeded by another equally violent. Let it not be faid that this proceeding is invidious; let every man afk his own heart whether it be lefs invidious to demand a thing openly, or to extort it by indirect, impolitic, and unconftitutional limitations? By fuch limitations a particular cabinet may triumph, but the price will be-the constitution of England.

BELLIGERENT POWERS.

The severity of the feafon has at length put a stop to the mili tary operations of all parties; but it is at prefent impoffible to predict with certainty whether the fufpenfion of hoftilities will terminate in peace, or a vigorous revival of the war. If the lateft accounts from the continent be well-founded, the Imperial allies, when deftitute of all hopes of fuccefs, discover the most pacific difpofition. In thefe circumftances, however, the terms of the Port are not likely to be fuch as will meet with the approbation of h enemies. But, after the great difappointment they have alexperienced, it will not be furprifing to behold them facritheir ambition to neceffity.

re

fi

To the EDITOR of the ENGLISH REVIEW.

SIR,

N your continuation of the Strictures on Mr. Gibbon's

you attack

writer gives of a small tribe of Vandals who inhabit part of Lufatia, and chiefly that part which is fubject to the Elector of Saxony. Whatever may be Mr. Gibbon's mistakes in other refpects, in this he is right enough. I will not answer for the truth of their ferving ftill the defcendant of their an

cient kings;' at least the circumftance is unknown to me; and I have never heard it mentioned by any one of that little nation, of which I once knew many individuals. The people certainly exift, and are called in Saxony Wenden, i. e. Wendts, or Vandals, or Wendifh. They are chiefly peasants; uncouth and uncivilifed, and extremely tenacious of their language,

their

their ancient cuftoms, and manners. Their language is equally different from the German, and from any language derived from the Latin; in fhort, it is a branch of the Sclavonian. Many of them are entirely ignorant of the German, and confequently debarred from all fources of information. They have, in their own language, fome books of devotion, and a New Teftament; but I do not recollect whether they have the Old Teftament. They fend conftantly a certain number of young men to the univerfity of Leipfic, many of whom I have known. Thefe, when among themselves, always fpoke their native language; and every Saturday one of them preaches, in Wendifh, a fermon in the univerfity church, by way of practifing his future deftination.

The existence of these Vandals is by no means unknown in this country. Some years ago I was afked about them by a gentleman in the neighbourhood of Eton, who is known for his researches into various languages. I procured him a certain number of radical verbs, fome paffages of the New Teftament, and the Lord's Prayer; and he inftantly declared (what I knew very well) the language to be a branch of the Sclavonian.

If you fhould think it worth your while, Sir, to_infert this into your Review, I will add here part of the Lord's Prayer, which is very different indeed from that of the Germans, by whom they are furrounded on every

fide:

Neisch wotze kizszy ty we ne bessach fzweczene bycz broje me no isschindz knam fwoje kralen stwo: twoja wola fzo sfain kesiz na nebiu tak feisch na femo.'

Pardon me, Sir, for troubling you with this letter, which, as it tends to information, I thought would not be difagreeable to you from

Dec. 3d, 1788.

A Reader of the English Review.

To CORRESPONDENTS.

We thank Anti-Plagiarist for his communication, but hope, as we agree with him in part, his candour will also permit us to lay that the article to which he refers has been firictly examined; and it is found that the author has not confulted the tranflation which Anti-Plagiarist mentions; that he has used no other freedom, even with the originals, though he has evidently read them, than to adopt fome of their thoughts; and that, upon the whole, he is not fo much indebted to Saurin, as Saurin is to Tillotson, and the famous Mallilon to Whichcote and Baxter. Who does not know that most of our modern preacher's are anticipated by their predecessors, whofe labours are just as free to them as the inventions of former ages to the world at large.

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

Arguments of counsel in the cause of In. Cafpian, memoirs of a map of, 205.

Cromwell, a review of the memoirs of the Hamilton's duties of a regimental fur-

Europe, an epitome of the hiftory of, 308. Irish Royal Academy, tranfactions of, 358.

Letter to the author of thoughts on the Penitent prostitute, 465.

Letter from a gentleman at Bengal, 156.
Letter from the committee of common-
council, 392.

Letters, familiar, 72.
Letters, a feries of, 96.

Letters, original, of the late Mr. Sterne,