of Richmond by Louisa de Querouaille.---And a daughter, married to lord Radcliffe, by Mrs. Davis.

JAMES THE SECOND was born in 1633, and succeeded his brother in 1685. ---He married first, in 1660, Anne daughter of Edward earl of Clarendon, by whom he had the two princesses Mary and Anne, the chevalier James, and other children who died young.---His queen dying in 1671, he married in 1673 M. Beatrix d'Este, daughter of the duke of Modena, by whom he had no child.--James was dethroned in 1688, and died in 1701.

The princess Mary was born in 1662, and was married in 1677 to William prince of Orange.---In 1689 she was declared joint sovereign with her husband. She died in 1694 without child.

The princess Anne was born in 1665; married prince George, son of Frederic the Third of Denmark, in 1683; and succeeded to the throne on the death of William the Third in 1702.---Her eldest son, William duke of Glocester, was born in 1689 and died in 1700. She had several other children who died in their infancy.---The queen died in 1714.

James Francis Edward Stuart, known by the appellation of the Chevalier de Saint George, was born in 1688. In 1719 he married Mary Clementina, daughter of James, and grand-daughter of the celebrated John Sobieski king of Poland, who died in 1735. By her he had Charles Edward, and Henry Benedict, afterwards cardinal of York born 1725. The Chevalier died in 1766.

Charles Edward, called the Young Chevalier, was born in 1720. In 1772 he married a princess of the house of Stolberg, by whom he had no child.---He died in 1788.

James Fitz-James, duke of Berwick, was the natural son of James the Second by Arabella Churchill, sister of the duke of Marlbrough. He was born in 1671, and was killed before Philipsburg in 1734.

Those who have leisure and inclination to advert, even cursorily, to these genealogical sketches, if they are disposed to reflect on the fortunes of the exalted personages whose lineages are here traced, cannot but remark the calamities which many of them have encountered, and the mournful exits

which

which some of them have made from the stage; of life. In some of their distresses we may, indeed, be said to have participated: and every man of the present day may say, in the words of our favourite dramatic poet, who conveys the sublimest thoughts and most instructive lessons in the simple language of nature,

Sweet are the uses of adversity,

which, like the toad, ugly and venemous,

wears yet a precious jewel in his head. *i

That jewel several of the European powers have obtained at a high price; and, therefore, if they are prudent, they will make the most advantageous application of it: when such lessons are taught them by past events, those sovereigns whose systems will not bear the inspection of an enlightened age, will no longer fondly cherish their prejudices, but endeavour the establishment of their governments by conforming their principles to the existing state of the public mind.

The same general maxims are applicable to all. In an age of investigation it concerns every man, of whatever rank or profession, to be prepared to vindicate his principles and maintain the ground which he stands upon by proving himself useful.-It may be observed as one of the excellencies of the English constitution, that it has provided functions and duties for men of rank, as well as those in the subordmate stations, by an attention. to which they have it in their power to contribute to its stability, at the same time that they evince the utility of their order and secure the national respect and esteem. And, at such a crisis as the present, it must afford a sensible satisfaction to those who feel themselves interested in the public welfare, to observe so general a disposition to forward the ends of government by a correspondent conduct.

An idea of the necessity of complying with the spirit of the constitution in this particular seems to pervade every order of men; and it will, we

66

may

Johnson, in his comment on this passage, says, "that it was the current opinion in Shakspeare's time, that in the head of an old toad was to be found a stone, or a pearl, to "which great virtues were ascribed."-As You like It. Act 2. Scene 1.

As You like It. Act 2. Scene 1.1

may presume, enter more into the system of education. Whilst a proper attention is shewn to literary attainments and elegant accomplishments, the rising generation will be impressed with a sense of the importance of their qualifying themselves in all respects for the stations which they will be called upon to fill.*

Ut patriæ sit idoneus, utilis agris, utilis et bellorum, et pacis rebus agendis.*

i

ARTICLE

* The sentiments of Blackstone upon this subject are well deserving the attention of every young man of rank and fortune." And first," says he, "to demonstrate the utility of some acquaintance with the laws of the land, let us only reflect a moment on the singular frame and "polity of that land, which is governed by this system of laws. A land, perhaps the only one "in the universe in which political or civil liberty is the very end and scope of the constitution. "This liberty, rightly understood, consists in the power of doing whatever the laws permit; "which is only to be effected by a general conformity of all orders and degrees to those equi"table rules of action, by which the meanest individual is protected from the insults and "oppression of the greatest. As therefore every subject is interested in the preservation of "the laws, it is incumbent upon every man to be acquainted with those at least, with which "he is immediately concerned; lest he incur the censure, as well as inconvenience, of living in "society without knowing the obligations which it lays him under. And thus much may suffice "for persons of inferior condition, who have neither time nor capacity to enlarge their views "beyond that contracted sphere in which they are appointed to move, But those, on whom "nature and fortune have bestowed more abilities and greater leisure, cannot be so easily excused. "These advantages are given them, not for the benefit of themselves only, but also of the public: "and they cannot, in any scene of life, discharge properly their duty either to the public or "themselves, without some degree of knowledge in the laws."—After adverting to other capacities in which men of rank and fortune are called upon to act, he earnestly admonishes them to qualify themselves, by previous study, for the most important capacity of legislators, or guardians of the English constitution, of makers, repealers, and interpreters of the English laws. -Blackstone's Commentaries. 1. 6. and 9.

Juvenal. Sat. 14. 65.

ARTICLE III.

COINS, PRICES. &c.

with the State of Agriculture, Commerce, and Manners
in different Ages.

THOUGH the following account of the several instruments of exchange which have been employed in different ages, and of the price of labour and of different articles of subsistence in different periods, be not particularly connected with the history of this period, yet as it shews the progress of society, and as the facts here adverted to may lead the reader to reflect on some subjects of importance to the community, it will not, the writer thinks, be deemed uninteresting or improperly introduced.

It is the general opinion that commerce in the earliest ages consisted only in what is more particularly called barter; or the exchange which a person makes of an article in which he abounds for one which he stands in need of. The first expedient to facilitate commerce appears to have been the choosing, by a kind of general consent, some one or more articles which might serve as an instrument of exchange. One of the first of these Mr. Smith supposes to have been cattle; which were probably chosen as being of general use and easily transferred. In proof of this he cites a passage from Homer; where the armour of Diomede is said to have cost nine oxen, and that of Glaucus an hundred.---Different kinds of metal were afterwards made use of as the instruments of trade. And these were preferred, we may suppose, on account of their durable, divisible, and portable nature. But even here an inconvenience was felt, as trade advanced, from the necessity and trouble of weighing it. In order therefore

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fore to remove this embarrassment, another step was taken in this branch of the commercial system by giving to pieces of metal of a certain weight a stamp and correspondent denomination. But though the use of these was adopted in Great Britain long before the conquest, yet large sums continued to be paid by weight after that era, as appears from Speed and other writers.---And here it is to be observed that there have been various denominations used in accounts, which either never were coins or have long since ceased to be such. Of this number is the English pound sterling. When therefore we say that such a denomination contains so many shillings or pence, it is only meant that it answers to so much in accounts.

The last step taken in the system of exchange was the substituting bills of exchange for money.---These are said by Mr. Rymer to have been introduced as early as the year 1307; and to have been used for the purpose of making remittances of revenue to the pope, in consequence of an injunction of Edward the First, “That neither the English coin, nor silver "in mass, nor in bullion, shall be carried out of the kingdom to the pope; "but that the sums so raised shall be delivered to merchants in England, "to be remitted to the pope by way of exchange"--per viam cambii. This, says Mr. Anderson, who gives this account in his History of Commerce, could mean nothing else than bills of exchange.

Paper currency in various forms has since been adopted, as commerce extended, with a view of increasing the circulation and facilitating remittances: and thus the system of exchange has been gradually completed by the introduction of various instruments of exchange, which, from their divisible and portable nature, answer every purpose of trade.---Whether paper currency may not be extended too far; whether what was introduced to facilitate commerce and has been necessarily extended with its enlargement, may not, in the excess, be detrimental to it; whether it has not a tendency, by depreciating the value of money, to raise the price of labour and consequently the price of our manufactures, and whether, if paper currency be not adopted or not carried to the same extent by our commercial rivals, it will not be eventually prejudicial to our foreign trade, are questions left to the determination of those who are conversant in such matters.---Having recommended this subject to their consideration, the

b Anderson. 1. 274.

writer