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sident of Munster, of Spanish succours, I do find no ways more confirmed than by the assured confidence this people hath thereof, out of which they are grown from the humblest begging of their peace, to exceeding pride; and the traitor himself so strong (Tyrone), believe me, Sir, he hath many more fighting men than we *." He says also, upon the news of Spanish succours, I know few Irish I can reckon ours +." In a letter of the 2d of October, 1601, he says, on the arrival of the Spaniards, "upon the first blow we shall receive (from the which I hope God will preserve us), I doubt there would fall out a general revolt t." From the noted treachery of the Irish Papists, Mountjoy recommends, that the chieftains, on their submitting and receiving pardon, should be disarmed, and that the mass of the people, when a peace is concluded, should be deprived of their arms §. It cannot be a matter of astonishment, that the Irish Papists should shew no regard to an oath of allegiance, taken to a Protestant state, as it is declared to be null and void by their general councils, which Mr. Plowden himself tells us, are 66 absolutely infallible, and not liable to deceit or error || ;" and therefore Mr. Spenser, the celebrated poet, who was secretary to Lord Grey, one of the Lord Deputies who preceded Lord Mountjoy, says, in his very excellent treatise on the state of Ireland, "as to an oath of allegiance, many of them are suspected to have taken another oath, privily, to some bad purposes, and thereupon to have received the sacrament, and to have been sworn to a priest, which, they think, bindeth them more than their allegiance to their Prince, or love to their country."

To be concluded in our next.)

The Asiatic Annual Register; or, View of the History of Hindustan, and of the Politics, Commerce, and Literature of Asia, for the Year 1804. By Lawrence Dundas Campbell, Esq. Large 8vo. PP. 896. Cadell and Davies. 1806.

TO this volume of the Asiatic Register our readers will perceive, that the learned and sensible editor has, for the first time, prefixed his name; and, unquestionably, the work will do no discredit to the name of any accomplished scholar. We are truly concerned, however, to find, as we do from the Preface, that Mr. Campbell has laboured under very great difficulties; and has met with very little assistance, and very inadequate encouragement, in the prosecution of his literary labours. At this intelligence, we confess our very great surprise; for surely, when we consider the population and extent of our Indian empire, its vast and increasing importance, as well in a political as in a commercial

+. Ibid. p. 121.'

Ibid. p. 137. Case stated, written by Mr. Plowden, p. 21.

Moryson, page 120. Ibid. p. 208.

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point of view; and the great number of persons who must take a deep interest in its prosperity; it is but natural to suppose, that one work, devoted exclusively to its political, military, commercial, and literary history, and conducted with impartiality, knowledge, and talent, would have a most extensive circulation. The better it is known, the greater, we are confident, will be its success. It was a work much wanted; for few persons have access to Indian publications, and every one is, more or less, anxious to have some knowledge of a country, highly interesting in so many respects.

1.rtly from some of the causes alluded to, and partly from the very large collection of state papers, the editor has been obliged to curtail the historical department of the work; which is certainly much to be regretted; though it could not be avoided, as the state papers form a most essential part of it; and those here given contain a variety of most important documents, relative to the origin, the principle, and the progress of the Mahratta war. In our opinion, a more satisfactory body of evidence, affording the fullest justification of the conduct of the Governor-General; and exhibiting the most decisive proofs of his wisdom, his energy, his firmness, and his moderation, was never laid before the public.-Truly does Mr. Campbell observe:

"The present condition of Europe, and the ambitious projects of France, point out the expediency of consolidating the resources of the British empire in India, and of fixing, on a broad, stable, and permanent foundation, a comprehensive, uniform, and vigorous system of policy, for the administration of its affairs, both in its foreign and domestic relations."

This is, indeed, a most important subject;-such consolidation must be the fruit of deep reflection and extensive experience; directed by the commanding genius of a statesman, and not regulated by the nar row conceptions of a counting-house politician. To us, it appears, that the commercial and territorial concerns of our Indian empire, should be kept totally separate and distinct;-that while the former should be entrusted to the management of a trading company, the latter should devolve, exclusively, upon the executive government of the country.

The portion of the volume allotted to the history of India is small indeed. The historical narrative is confined to the relative situation of the Dutch and English East India Companies, in the years 1619 and 1620, the unprincipled conduct of the former to the latter, and the infamous massacre of our countrymen by the Dutch at Amboyna. No people, certainly, knew better how to profit by the indulgences granted, and the power acquired, in the East, than the Dutch; their mode of governing their India possessions appears to have been wise and efficient; they studied the humours and the genius, as they conformed to the manners and the customs, of the natives. To their Governor-General was delegated the most extensive authority, which he exercised in a way, generally speaking, which shewed that he knew the people, whom it was his interest either to awe or to conci

liate.

liate." Those extensive powers were supported with an authority, and embellished with a splendour, which partook of the dignity and magnificence of regal state." He knew, full well, that the natives of India were accustomed to such a display of magnificence; and that it was essentially necessary both to inspire respect, and to command obedience. All calculators and economists as the Dutch merchants were, they never were fools enough to make the politic splendour, the wise pomp of their Governor-General a subject of complaint against him. No; such suicidal'ignorance was reserved for the more illuminated æra of the nineteenth century, when a few mechanical traders, with views contracted as the minds which engendered them, but inflated with self-conceit, presume to arraign the conduct of the most enlightened statesman, and to proclaim themselves the only competent governors of an immense empire!

It is curious to observe the different success which attended the first efforts of the rival companies of Holland and England; and certainly, if success were the criterion of merit (as has been sometimes most strangely contended), the English Company must sink very low indeed in the scale of comparison, when opposed to the Dutch.

"The capital stock with which the chartered company (of Dutch) commenced their trade, in 1602, was 600,000l. sterling, a sum which appears small, when considered in the proportion that it bears to the great wealth of the individual merchants of whom the company was composed : but trading on a small capital was suitable to the prudential maxims of their commercial policy, which regulated, without restraining, their spirit of adventure, and of which the efficacy was abundantly proved by the large and frequent dividends that they made. So great and rapid was the success of this company, that, in the course of the first seventeen. years, they made nine dividends on their capital stock. After the return of their first fleet from India, they divided 15 per cent.; in two years more (1605), they again divided 15 per cent.; and in 1606, their returns were so immense as to enable them to make a dividend of 75 per cent. ; so that the original subscribers were reimbursed 90 per cent. of their subscription, exclusive of the first dividend of 15 per cent. which arose not from the regular profits of trade, but the accidental circumstance of prizes captured from the Portuguese. In the next year, 1607, they di vided 25 per cent.; in 1608, 40 per cent. ; and in 1609, 20 per cent.; and in this last year, the institution of the Bank of Amsterdam, as it fa cilitated the general operations of commerce, greatly contributed to augment and strengthen the resources and power of the company. In the fo!lowing year they divided 50 per cent.; in 1613, 37 per cent.; and in 1616, 621 per cent."

Very different was the result of the commercial operations of the English:

"The profits of the company's trade were greatly disproportioned, both to the zeal and industry with which it was carried on, and to the capital employed in it. In the year 1612, when the individual shares of the proprietors were formed into one general capital, or joint stock, the

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sum amounted to 1,500,000l. which exceeded by 900,000l. the joint stock of the Dutch Company. Yet, in the course of fifteen years, from 1617 to 1632, the profits of the English Company amounted only to 12 per cent. on their capital; so that, at the time of which we are now treating (1619), seven years after the formation of their joint stock, they could not have divided more than 6 per cent. The comparison of these profits with those of the Dutch in the same period of time, fter making an adequate abatement for the difference between the capitals of the rival companies, shews a striking disparity in the progress of their mercantile prosperity."

Still, however, notwithstanding this vast, disparity, the English carried on a profitable trade, and had a considerable balance in their favour.

The Indian history is followed by a succinct account of the war in Ceylon, from its origin to the end of 1834-The remainder of the volume is filled with the stat. papers, and other usual articles of intelligence. From the Miscellaneous Tracts, we shall extract one article, containing a curious account of a hunting party in the East, which will make our Easter hunters of the metropolis (we mean no pun) stare, and our regular sportsinen smile:

"A Letter to a Friend, giving an Account of a Hunting Party of the late NAWAB, ASUF-UD-DOWLAH.

"Lucknow, Jan. 20, 1794.

"I am just returned from a four-month's excursion with his Excellency the Nawab, and as a sketch of our ramble may afford you some amusement, I shall detail a few of the most agreeable and interesting circumstances which occurred. We left Lucknow on the 4th of October last, and directed our course towards Paraech; our kafela, or party, consisted of about, 40,000 men, and 20,000 beasts; composed of 10,000 soldiers, 1,000 cavalry, and near 150 pieces of cannon; 1,500 el phants, 3,000 carts, or hackeries, and an innumerable train of cam is, horses, and bullocks, great numbers of rutts, or covered carriages for women, drawn by` oxen, which were filled with the Nawab's ladies; many large and small boats, carried on carts drawn by 50, 40, and 30 oxen each; tigers, leopards and hawks, fighting cocks, fighting quails, and nightingales; pigeons; dancing women and boys, singers, players, buffoons, and mountebanks. In short, his Excellency had every thing, every object which could please or surprise, attract admiration, fix with wonder, or convulse with laughter. About 500 coolers, or porters, were employed to carry his shooting apparatus, guns, powder, shot, and etceteras: he had above 1,000 double-barrel guns, the finest that Manton and Nock could make; single-barrels, pistols, swords and spears innumerable. Religion constrained him to remain some days at Baraech, to pay homage at the tomb of a celebrated saint, named Salar Ghazee. All good men who are able, resort to worship this holy anchorite once a year, generally in the month of May; his bones were discovered about 400 years ago, and manifested their sanctity by some miraculous marks: the witty and unbelieving say they were the skeleton of an ass, without thinking of the impiety in imagining there is any resemblance between an ass and a

saint,

saint, whether dead or alive. From Baraech we proceeded towards Nanpara, a small town in the first range of mountains, commonly called the Common Hills, which extend from the eastern extremity of Bootan to Hurdwar, and divide Hindustan from Tibet and Nypaul. Game of all sorts were destroyed every morning and evening, without number or distinction. His Excellency is one of the best marksmen I ever saw; it would be strange if he was not, as one day with another he fires above 100 shots at every species of birds and animals. The first tiger we saw and killed was in the mountains; we went to attack him about noon; he was in a narrow valley, which the Nawab surrounded with above 200 elephants; we heard him growl horribly in a thick bush in the middle of the valley; being accustomed to the sport, and very eager, I pushed in my elephant; the fierce beast charged me immediately; the elephant, a timid animal, as they generally are, turned tail, and deprived me of the opportunity to fire; I ventured again, attended by two or three other elephants; the tiger made a spring, and nearly reached the back of one of the elephants, on which were three or four men; the elephant shook himself so forcibly as to throw these men off his back; they tumbled into the bush; I gave them up for lost, but was agreeably surprised to see them creep out unhurt. His Excellency was all this time on a rising ground near the thicket, looking on calmly, and beckoning to me to drive the tiger towards him. I made another attempt, and with more success; he darted out towards me on my approach, roaring furiously, and lashing his side with his tail; I luckily got a shot at him; he retreated into the bush, and ten or twelve elephants just then pushed into the thicket, alarmed the tiger, and obliged him to run out towards the Nawab, who instantly gave him a warm reception, and with the assistance of some of his omras, or lords, laid the tiger sprawling on his side; a loud shout of wha! wha! proclaimed the victory. On elephants there is no danger in encountering these savage beasts, which you know from repeated trials. I have been at the killing of above 30 tigers, and seldom saw any one hurt. If you recollect, I was once thrown off my elephant on a tiger, and escaped with a bruise. The next sport we had of any magnitude, was the attack on a wild elephant, which we met a few days after the battle with the tiger; we espied him in a large plain overgrown with grass; the Nawab, eager for such diversions, immediately formed a semicircle with 400 elephants, who were directed to advance and encircle him: this was the first wild elephant I had ever seen attacked; and confess I did not feel very easy; however, I kept alongside of his Excellency, determined to take my chance. When the semicircle of elephants got within 300 yards of the wild one, he looked amazed, but not frightened; two large must elephants of the Nawab's were ordered to advance against him; when they approached within twenty yards he charged them; the shock was dreadful; however, the wild one conquered, and drove the must elephants before him; as he passed us; the Nawab ordered some of the strongest female elephants with thick ropes, to go alongside of him; and endeavour to entangle him with nooses and running knots; the attempt was vain, as he snapped every rope, and none of the tame elephants could stop his progress; the Nawab perceiving it impossible to catch him, ordered his death, and immediately a volley of above 100 shots were fired; many of the balls hit him, but he seemed unconcerned,