prefent, to become our good cuftomers, and to take our manufactures in return for those injuries and op. preffions which they had fuffered from us: I fay injuries and oppreffons; becaule the colonies would moft undoubtedly give no fofter an appellation to this conqueft, though perhaps it would be no other in itself, than a juft chastisement for the manifold offences, they had committed. Moreover, as the Americans are endeavouring even at prefent to fet up all forts of mechanic trades in order to rival us, or at least to fuperfede the use of our manufactures in their country, can any man fuppofe that their ardor for fetting up manufactures would be abated by their being forced to deal at the one only European fhop, which they most detested?

"But what is Gill worse, if poffible, though the British troops might over-run the great continent of North-America at first, it doth by no means follow, that they could be able to maintain a fuperiority in it afterwards for any length of time; and my reason is, becaufe the governing of a country after a peace, is a much more arduous task, in certain circumftances, than the conquering it during a war. Thus, for example, when a peace enfues (and furely it is not intended that we thail be for ever in a state of war) then a civil conftitution of fome kind or other must neceffarily be established, and in the cafe before us, there feems to be no other alternative, but either the permitting the colonies to enjoy once more thole ad vantages of English liberty, and of an English conftitution, which they had forfeited; or elfe a refolution to govern them for the future by arbitrary fway and defpotic power. If the latter fhould be the plan -adopted, I then humbly fubinit it to be duly weighed and confidered, what a baleful influence this govern

ment a la Pruffe would have on every other part of the British Empire. England free, and America in chains! And how foon would the enslaved part of the conftitution, and perhaps the greater, contaminate the free and the leffer? Nay, as America was found to encrease in ftrength and numbers, an army of Englishborn foldiers (for no other could be trufted) first af 50,000, and afterwards perhaps of 100,000, would scarcely be fufficient to keep these turbulent fpirits in awe, and to prevent thein, at fuch a prodigious distance from the centre of government, from breaking out into infurrections and rebellions at every favourable opportunity. But if the former were to prevail, and a return of English liberties was again to take place, it muft alfo follow, that the fyttein of trials by juries must return with them: and then, when America fhall grow stronger and ftronger every day, and England proportionally weaker, how is an infurrection to be quelled in America? And what English officer, civil or military, would dare to do it? Nay, I afk further, granting that he was fo brave, or rather fo fool-hardy as to attempt to do his duty, who is to protect him in the execution of his office? Or how is he to be preferved, by due forms of law, against the determination of an American jury? A tumult is excited; the military is called forth; the foldiers are infulted; many perhaps wounded, and fome even killed. The patience of the officers worn out, and in their own defence, they are obliged to give the word of command to fire. The relations of those who fell. by this fire, bring on an appeal of blood. The American jury find the officers who commanded, and perhaps the whole corps who fired, guilty of murder; and then all the power of the crown, legally exerted, is not able to fave

the

the lives of thefe poor innocent men. Pitiable fure is fuch a cafe; and yet it is a cafe which would,

S

On the Rife and Utility OME fifty or fixty years ago, when turnpike roads were not fo general, and the conveyance from place to place was far more difficult than at prefent. people were obliged to put up with many very great inconveniencies, and to confine their wants within a narrow compaís. They had no encouragement, and, in fome cafes, fcarcely a poffibility to extend their connections, and contented themfelves, therefore, with fuch immediate neceffaries as their little neighhourhood afforded. They had no: then any great inclination for reading, nor were the polite arts fo generally attended to as they now are. Domestic induftry employed their time, and left them little leisure for other amufements. Such was the state of our forefathers, when the inteftine broils of the kingdom raised their attention, and called them from their villages to affift their king and country. The youths, who had hitherto affifted their fathers in the cultivation of their lands, now chearfully enlifted under the banner of their fovereign, and boldly went to fight against their enemies, who threatened fuch depredations on their native kingdom. Hence the parents became, anxious to know the state of these their young adventurers; they caught with eagerness the public papers, and read impatiently an account of every battle, while fear foreboded that their fons had fallen.

It is from this æra, that we may date the univerfality of news-papers in this kingdom. They were at firft the vehicles of political information only; difciofing the fecrets of minifterial councils, and prefaging to the public a future war of peace;

and muft frequently then, happen in the natural courfe of things, according to our legal constitution."

of NEWS PAPERS,

but their plan has fince been materially altered and improved; and they are now become the vehicles of general information From the number of hands into which they were diftributed, it was foon difcovered, that these were the best and most convenient channels for making known our own nceffities, or for offering a fupply for thofe of others. Travelling, too, became more easy, by degrees, and diftance no longer a hindrance to their circulation.

A man need only be at the expence of a few fhillings for an advertisement, and his wants were immediately made known to many thousand of perfons, in a fhorter space of time than could be done by any other method. If a horfe was stolen, a house broke open, or a robbery committed, the printers of news papers were inftantly applied to, and fuch was their fuccefs in thus publifhing the villainy, that the offender has often by this means only been apprehended, and brought to the punishment his crime entitled hin to. A landlord, who wants to let an empty houfe, or a few acres of his land, has nothing now to do but to advertife, and he is soon provided with a tenant; and the man of enterprizing genius, who is deterred from following his pursuits by want of money, advertises only good fecurity, and he is immediately fopplied to the extent of his demands. In fort, there is fcarcely any article in life, of which we ftand in need, but what an advertisement will more cafily procure than any other means we can advife. Men are now thoroughly fenfible of this advantage, and hence it is that advertisements are fo numerous in all

our news-papers. They form a confiderable part of their contents, and to men of business are certainly the most valuable.

Politicks are now little more than a farce; the rage of party has in a great measure fubfided; and Peace having fixed her ftandard amongst as, we are no longer troubled with the long accounts of battles between Contending armies. Our news-papers are now devoted to a more agreeable purpofe. They yield us à more amusing variety of matter, as they are either employed in the politer services of literature, or in eftablishing more extenfive connexiéns amongft mankind.

Perfons of all ages and occupations agrec in encouraging their circufation. The old and feeble cit, whose infirmities confine him from the busy world, is still defirous of feeing how affairs go on, and therefore reads the news; while his huge, unwieldly lady, whom even prodigy of bulk cannot reftrain from fashionable diverfions, tells her maid to bring the morning paper with the tea, that he may fee when the Pantheon opens. The city mifs, on her part, has a world of entertainment in reading the news-paper.

She there reads of trips to Scotland with a father's footman, or a genteel hair-dreffer. She pities, from her foul, the many victims to neglected love, who have closed their miferable lives by fudden means, and rejoices to find that Rofamond's pond is no longer in the way, to tempt them to destroy themfelves. The progrefs of fashion, too, the traces, in the papers, through its different changes, and knows who appeared moft brilliant at court or manfion-houfe. The merchant, by means of the public papers, knows the departure, voyages and arrivals of his veffels; the fluctuation of the flocks is there also exactly minuted, together with the state of our foreign concerns. The sportsman is prefented with an account of Newmarket and other races; the fales of horses, and their various pedigrees; and whatever else it may be his intereft to know. The farmer fees the ftate of the harveft through the kingdom; the average price of corn in every county, and reads of the various improvements made in hufbandry. And the tradesman bas an endless variety of information, which at once both pleases and inAtructs him.

1773; went by York and Durham to Newcastle, where he stayed fome days, vifited the Duke of Northumberland at Alnwick-Caftle, arrived at Edinburgh on Saturday the 14th, from whence he fet out on Wednesday the 18th, accompanied by James Bofwell, Efq. crofled the Firth of Forth from Leith to Kinghorn, but by the way landed on the little inland called Inch-Keith, on which there is a fort built by Mary Queen of Scots: travelled a

trofe, Aberdeen, Slains-Castle, the feat of the earl of Errol, Banff, Cullen, Elgin, Forres, Nairn, Fort George, Inverness, Fort Auguftus, and through the wilds of Glenmarfton and Glenthiel, to Bernera. From thence he failed to the Isle of Sky, on which he landed, on Wednesday the first of September, traversed the greatest part of that ifland, and made an excursion to the island of Rafay, which is not far diftant from Sky. The weather proved untuckily

worfe

worfe than usual, even in that region, fo that they were detained on the point of Slate a confiderable time before they could get clear from Sky, in their courfe to the iland of Mull, beyond which lies Icolmkill, which was a capital object of their curiofity; and when they had failed, at laft the wind turned against them before they could reach Mull, drove them to the Ifland of Coll, where they were kept by ftorm for a fortnight: at length they got loose, and arrived in Mull, over a good part of which they, travelled by land. They were in the ifles of Ulva and Inchkenneth, but could not get to Staffa, tho' near it, the furges were fo high. They got a good paffage to Icolukill, and viewed the ancient buildings there with minute attention. They returned through Mull, croffed over to the main land of Argylefhire, and then proceeded to Inverary, and by Lochlomond and Dunbarton-Cattle to Glasgow. From whence they went to Ayrshire, and returned to Edinburgh on Tuesday the ninth of November.

In which city and its neighbourhood he remained till Monday the 22d of that month, and got fafely back to London on Friday the 26th, after an absence of one hundred and twelve days.

In the courfe of this progrefs, Dr. Johnson faw the four univerfity towns, many of the nobleft religious ruins, the most rude and the best cultivated part of Scotland, ilands of different kinds, caves, caf cades, and other natural curiosities, with a variety of manners and cuf toms altogether new to one who has spent his life in the fouth of England, and chiefly in London. Wherever he went he was received with much attention and politeness by the great and the learned.

Being afked how he liked his entertainment in the Highlands, he faid, "the fauce to every thing was

the benevolence of the inhabitants, which cannot be too much commended: I love the people better than their country."

He was a week at the feat of the laird of M'Leod in the Isle of Sky. This young chieftain is not yet one and twenty, but is an honour to his country by his generous regard for his people: he ftops their emigrating to America, by which, while he preferves the confequence of his own family, he does an effential fervice to the state, by keeping fo many brave men at home for its defence. Mr. Johnson said, "he never met with a man, who, at his age, had advanced his understanding so much, who had more defire to learn, or who had learnt more."

In the inland of Rafay, he found the laird of that island a most agreeable and hofpitable gentleman, with a family of three fons, and ten daughters, all by one lady. He faid, that he here saw a patriarchal fcene, just what he had come to fee.

When he was at St. Andrews, fumebody happened to afk where John Knox was buried? Mr. Johnfon, whofe high-church principles are well known, and who never difguifes them, faid, "I hope in the highway. I have been seeing fome of the effects of his reformation."

He went to fee Hawthornden, where his namefake, Ben. Johnton, vifited the ingenious Mr. Drummond. He faw the place by moonlight, and the caves by candle light.

When in the ifle of Sky, he paid a vifit to the celebrated lady, to wel known by the name of Mifs Flora Macdonald, whofe heroick adventures in 1745 have rendered her faure immortal with the generous of all parties. She is now the wife of Mr. Macdonald of Kingburg, at whofe houfe Mr. Johnlon ftaid a night.

He was at great pains to inquire

into the authenticity of the poems, published to the world as the works of Offiin, an ancient Highland bard but it is faid, that he is confirmed in his disbelief.

Thefe few notes we have offered

to our readers as a whet, before the inftructive and entertaining account of this extraordinary expedition of Mr. Johnfon, which is impatiently expected from that admirable writer.

Receiver general

Comptroller

Five fecretary's clerks, one

One

50

rations in the country, each 100

Infpector of ditto in town

Three receiver-general's clerks