arrives with a meflage from the nameless general, for as he does not make his appearance during the whole piece, except to be killed, the author has not thought proper to be at the expence of finding him a name. He only tells us, that he may be certain he is not of English birth, for that Humanity adorns the English foldier; And adds that he was formerly a Norwegian pirate. The meflage is in the following words: Attend! (reads aloud.) Complaints have reach'd me from my court, as if Or elfe your fons fhall rue your ftubbornness : From whence your crowding arrows gall us moft; While Sir Alexander fends for anfwer, that he is refolved to do his duty, and Ethelberta reproaches him with more of bitternefs in the words, than real paffion in the manner. they are talking, to their great furprize, and probably that of the audience, the fons return, but for no other reafon that we can learn, than to fay that one of them must go back again to meet his fate. This produces a conflict of generosity, which concludes with their determining both to facrifice themfelves, and they march off hand in hand like the two kings of Brent ford. Archibald. Agreed-We'll haften to our mutual doom, Co-equals at the hallow'd fhrine of danger. Valentine. Will not the fpirits of our valiant ancestry Leon from their golden thrones on high, well pleas'd While thus (Encircling his brother.) we march undaunted to our fate. One heartArchibald. One caufe • Valentine. One ruin, and one fame!' When Ethelberta, in the beginning of the third act, finds out that they are gone, the propofes to her confidant, which confidant, according to laudable cuftom, has no other business in existence than to hear what her mistress has to fay, to con fult a forceress concerning the fate of her fons, but, recollecting herself, fhe expreffes her fcruples upon applying to this witch, who muft certainly come at her knowledge by dealing with the devil, on which the faid confidant very wifely ob ferves: This deep reflection will avert Your anxious mind from its new-formed purpose.' It does avert her purpose, however, and the reader must be content to know nothing more of this witch, than that he fits in a church yard, upon a feat of ebony, Spread with fkulls. Ethelberta then refolves to go to the camp to endeavour to foften the enemy, and the reprefentation of the dangers of her project, anfwers by the following fimile, which we give becaufe it is really beautiful : Talk not to me of dangers, I defpife them. Dash with her throbbing breaft the waves afunder, Ethelberta, however, receives no favour from the general, but a repetition of the permiffion to take back with her one of her fons; but the likewife, very abfurdly, and unnaturally in our opinion, prefers the lofs of them both to the invidious office of making a choice; and the third act concludes with leaving them tied to the pillars. In the fourth act, which is alfo the laft, the truce expires, the archers are commanded to fhoot, and fir Alexander fallying forth, repulfes the troops and kills the general. The parents then advance to the pillars, expecting to find their fons flain, they are not there, but foon enter unhurt with a party of their own troops; to the question how they efcaped, they answer: • Beneath the spreading canopy of danger Still did we remain untouch'd.' As this is a fingular canopy to afford fhelter, Ethelberta explains it by faying, Some hovering angel with benignant hand, Such is the plot of the play, a very meagre one, and anfwerable enough to the tamenefs of the execution. The ver fification alfo is extremely defective, which must proceed merely from negligence, as Mr. Jerningham.certainly under ftands ftands better the ftructure of our blank verfe, than to fuppofe fuch lines as the following are not faulty: • That would distract her-'tis my duty, my • Could I but raife my finking mind to the • Your commands have been attended to, and Numbers-The wide northern gate recoiling.' If this is verfe, a man might speak it all his life-time, as Mr. Jourdain did profe, without knowing the difference. That we may not conclude with what is fo unpleafant as cenfure, we prefent our readers with a fimile, which is equally apt and elegant, and, we believe, new: • Alexander. Alas! I fear, good father, The rugged tafk; and like the water plant, A Gazetteer of the Netherlands. Containing a full Account of all the Cities, Towns, and Villages, in the Seventeen Provinces, and the Bishoprick of Liege; with the relative Distance of the Cities and great Towns from each other, and from Paris; and the Distances of each Village from the nearest City or Town in their refpe&tive Provinces. Embellished with two new Maps, neatly coloured; one of the Seven United Provinces ; the other of the Catholic Netherlands. 8vo. 4s. Boards. Robinfons. 1794. IT IT is a fufficient commendation of this work to obferve, that it appears to be executed with the fame accuracy and fidelity as the Gazetteer of France, which was lately published by the fame author, and the character of which is now completely established. It has the further merit of being particularly feafonable at this period, as it is fcarcely poffibie to read and understand a common newspaper, at prefent, without fome fuch help at our elbow. As a fpecimen of the manner in which this little volume is executed, we fhall felect our author's account of one of the most important places, which offer themfelves as fubjects of converfation in the present state of affairs. Amfterdam, the capital of Helland, and indeed of all the United States, is fituated on the river Amftel, at its conflux with the river Ye, or Wye, which forms a port capable of receiving a thou fand fand large veffels, about two leagues from the Zuyder Sea. It takes its name from Amiel and Dam, being, as it were, the dam or dike of the Amftel. In the beginning of the thirteenth century, it was the refidence only of a few fifhermen; but foon after growing populous, the earls of Holland gave it the title and privileges of a city; and in the year 1490, it was furrounded by a wall of brick, by order of Mary of Burgundy, to defend it from the incurfions of the inhabitants of Utrecht, who had quarrelled with the Hollanders. It was nearly burned down by an accidental fire foon after it was walled. In 1512, it was befieged by the people of Guelderland, who fet fire to the veffels in the harbour, but failed in their defign of taking the city. In the year 1525, John of Leyden, the pretended king of Munfter, got into the city in the night-time, attacked the town-houte, and defeated those who made a refistance; at length, however, the inhabitants recovering from their confternation, in which they were at fir thrown, barricaded the avenues to the market-place with packs of wool and hops, which put a stop to their fary till day appeared; when the infurgents, to the amount of about fix hundred, retired to the town-house, and were there almoft to a man put to death. About ten years after there was another tu mult raifed by a parcel of fanatics, men and women, who ran about the threets naked, and attemped to make themfelves mafters of the town-house; their fhricks and how lings alarmed the inhabitants, who foon feized the greater part, and chafiffed them as they deferved. It was one of the laft cities that joined the confederacy, and embraced the reformed religion; and when it was befieged by the Hollanders in 1578, one article of the capitulation was, a free exercife of the Roman Catholic religion; but this was not obferved, for foon after the Proteftants drove away the popish clergy, monks and nuns, from the city, broke down the images, and deftroyed the altars. It has been frequently enlarged, particularly in the years 1593, 1595, 161, 1612, 1650, and 1675; at which laft date it was extended to its prefent fize, and furrounded by a wall, and a large ditch, eighty feet wide, full of running water; the walls were fortified with twenty-fix bastions: there are eight gates towards the land, and one towards the water. The city at prefent is fuppofed to contain 250.000 inhabitants; and is, without doubt, one of the richeft and most flourishing cities in the world: being fituated in a marfay country, the foundation of the whole is laid on piles of timber driven into the earth, clofe to each other, and clamped together with iron; the form is femicircular, the streets are in general weli paved. There are three prodigious fluices, and a great number of ftone bridges over the canals, which crofs the city in many parts, and render the streets clean and pleasant; the canals are deep, their fides are lined with hewn ftone, and have generally rows of trees planted on each fide. The finest canal is called the Ammarack, which is formed by the waters of the Amftel, into which the tide flows, and on on the fides are two large quays; this canal has feveral bridges; the principal is that next the fea, called Pont-Neuf, or New Bridge, fix hundred reet long, and feventy broad, with iron baluftrades on each fide; it has thirty-fix arches, and from it is an excellent profpect, both of the city, the port, and the Wye. The port is about a mile and a hif in iength, and above a thouíand paces in breadth, and always filled with a multitude of veffels; towards the fides of the haven, the city is inclofed by large piles driven into the ground, joined by beams placed horizontally; and lying low would be conftantly liable to inundations, if they had not fecured themselves by dikes and fluices. The ftadthoufe, where public bufinefs is conducted, is efteemed one of the finest fructures in the univerfe; it is a fquare building of free-frone, whofe front is 282 feet long, the depth of its fides 255 feet; go feet high in front, and 116 to the top of the cupola. On a marble pediment in the front, is carved in relievo, a woman holding the arms of the city, and fupported by two lions, with an olive-branch in her right hand; on each fide are four feanymphs, who prefent her with a crown of palm and laurel, and two others prefenting a variety of fruit; befides, there is a Neptune with his trident, accompanied with tritons, a fea-unicorn, and a seahorie. On the top are three ftatues in bronze, reprefenting Juftice, Fortitude, and Plenty; the tower, which rifes fifty feet above the roof, is adorned with ftatues, and a fine chime of bells. It has no handfome gate, but feven doors to anfwer the number of provinces. The great hall is particularly magnificent; on the floor are reprefented a celeftial and terreftrial globe, each twenty-two feet in diameter, made of black and white marble, inlaid with jafper and copper; there are three most beautiful pieces of feulpture in white marble, representing the judgment of Solomon between the harlots; Seleucus lofing one of his eyes to preferve one of his fon's, who had forfeited both for adultery; Brutus witneffing the death of his fons; thefe are the work of Artus Quellin of Antwerp; indeed all the chambers, in general, are adorned with beautiful fculptures by the beft mafters, and paintings by Rembrandt, Reubens, Vandyke, &c. Under the stadthoufe is an extenfive vault, wherein are kept the riches of the bank of Amfterdam, the doors of which are faid to be cannon-proof, and are never opened bat in the prefence of one of the burgomafters. At the bottom of the stadthoufe are the prifons, both for criminals and debtors; and the guard-room for the citizens, where the keys of the city are locked up every night. At the end of the great hall is the chamber of the echevins, or fchepens, where civil caufes are tried; besides thefe, are the burgomafter's chamber, the chamber of accounts, &c. In the second story is a large magazine of arms; and on the top of the building are fix large cnterns conftantly filled with water, that by means of pipes, can be conveyed into any room in the house, in cafe of fire; to prevent which the chimnies are lined with copper. This inumenfe fabric, |