was the matter, but the noife of a cataract could not have been traced through the cries of such a multitude. The king and the queen, the princeffes and Don Pedro raised their hands, fans, and voices, as I could fee by the opening of their mouths, but it was a confiderable while before a word could be heard about the cause of so violent a commotion. Yet at last the impatience of univerfal curiofity was fatisfied, and a report went round that fome people, where the uproar began, had cried out earthquake, earthquake!

In a country where people have ftill fresh in their minds the effects of an earthquake, it is no wonder if fuch a cry, that came at once from feveral quarters, proved terrifying; and if thofe who heard it, without giving themselves an instant to reflect, sprung over the barriers into the area, to escape being crush'd by the fall of the edifice.

However, the fact is that not the leaft fhock of an earthquake had been felt by any body. The cry had been raised by a gang of pick pockets in order to throw the people into confufion, and gain an opportunity of ftealing. The scheme took to a wonder. Many men loft their handkerchiefs and many women their caps, not to speak of fwords and watches, necklaces and ear-rings.

To frame fuch a scheme and to carry it into execution fo undauntedly as it was carried, appears to me as valiant an atchievement as any of Orlando's. I used often in London to admire the boldnefs and intrepidity of the British pick-pockets, and thought them the very clevereft in the whole creation. But, away with them! They must not pretend to attempt competition with the heroical pick pockets of Lufitania.

It is needlefs to tell, that on being apprised of the true cause of that diforder, the whole affembly fat down again in quiet; that the greatest part, who had not been fufferers by it, laughed at the thievifh ingenuity; and that a new bull was let loose in the area,'

Mr. Baretti is as remarkably candid on some occafions as he is fevere on others; it is abfurd to imagine that tafte, and literature can be prevalent in Portugal, and Spain, in which countries people of all ranks flock to this brutal entertainment Polished minds may be guilty of cruelty, but they must have fom other motives for their cruelty, than to enjoy the fight of gafhes, and bloodshed. Their imaginations are too refined for fuch horrid fpectacles.-Cock fighting may be retorted upon the English; a cruel diverfion it is, and therefore a criminal one: but no man will affert that it is fo fhocking to the fenfes as the toros.

In the first volume he gives a circumftantial and affecting account of the dreadful earthquake at Lisbon. Two remarkable accidents which it occafioned we shall here infert.

As I was thus rambling over those ruins, an aged woman feized me by the hand with fome eagerness, and pointing to a place just by: here, ftranger (faid fhe) do you fee this cellar? It was only my cellar once; but now it is my habitation, because I have none else left! My houfe tumbled as I was in it, and in this cellar was I fhut by the ruins for nine whole days. I had perifhed with hunger, but for the grapes that I had hung to the cieling. At the end of nine days I heard people over my head, who were searching the rubbish. I cried as loud as I could; they removed the rubbish, and took me

out.

I asked her what were her thoughts in that dismal fituation; what her hopes, what her fears. Fears I had none, faid fhe. I implored the affiftance of St. Anthony who was my prote&or ever fince I was born. I expected my deliverance every moment, and was fure of it. But, alas! I did not know what I was praying for! It had been much better for me to die at once! I came out unhurt: but what fignifies living a fhort while longer in forrow and in want, and not a friend alive! My whole family perifhed! We were thirteen in all: and now-none but myself!

A gen

• Hear of another deliverance no lefs uncommon. tleman was going in his calash along a kind of terrace, raised on the brink of an eminence which commands the whole town. The frighten'd mules leap'd down that eminence at the first fhock. They and the rider were killed on the spot and the calash broken to pieces, and yet the gentleman got off unhurt.

But there would be no end of relating the ftrange accidents that befel many on that dreadful day. Every body you meet has twenty to tell.'

In the twenty-first letter we have a description of the pompous proceffion, when the king of Portugal went to Bellem to lay the foundation-stone of a church, which was erected there to the Virgin Mary on the spot where an attempt was made upon his life by the duke D'Aveiro, and the other affaffins. How oppofite often are the fentiments of the inftructors of mankind, and how shall we be able to distinguish betwixt wifdom and folly! John James Rouffeau makes it a test of philofophy to defpife magnificence; but Mr. Baretti is in the other extreme, and counts it the part of a philofopher to be delighted with feafts, cavalcades, and fplendour. Perhaps, if

we

To the first volume of this work a diftin&t and accurate map is prefixed of the British empire in North America, and the Weft-Indian islands.

This Hiftory has confiderable merit. Our author's ftile is perfpicuous and agreeable; he is a careful distinguisher of truth from falfhood; and while he makes us acquainted with the ftrength and intereft of our colonies, by an entertaining and inftructive defcription of American manners, he enlarges our knowledge of mankind.

V. A Difcourfe delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Diftribution of the Prizes, Dec. 14, 1770, by the Prefident. 4to. Is. 6d. T. Davies.

OUR

UR readers need not be informed that the king has established an academy for painting, granted falaries to the different profeffors in the various branches of the art, and given one of his palaces for their reception. Sir Joshua Reynolds, whom he has made prefident of this promifing institution, has hitherto given an annual Difcourfe, tending to animate the pupils in their career, and directing their method of study, He feems anxious to fhew that his pre-eminence has been justly obtained, and that it is not by accident he has learned to excel.

This is the third Difcourfe which he has published fince he has been placed at the head of this inftitution. In the firft of thefe, we could not help obferving fome inaccuracies in the expreffion, and we were willing to wait, without giving any character of the fecond, until we received more light refpect ing the author's aims and abilities. To deal candidly, we were naturally difpofed to check every thing that looked like vanity, and to treat with feverity what we thought would certainly end in oftentation. But in this we were very much deceived'; and, instead of finding our prefident expatiating, in a gaudy manner, upon the fplendors of painting, we find him, like a man of genius and learning, entering into the depths of his art, and pointing out thofe methods by which he himself has beCome eminent. Unlike a French academician, who is fatisfied with praising his patron and himself, he aims only at improving his audience, and not complimenting the inftitution.

The Difcourfe of the last year was employed in pointing out the proper methods of study, in exhorting to diligence, and tracing precifely the limits between natural and acquired accomplishments in the art. He grants more to labour than is ufually allowed to it; and feems to think that unwearied ap

plication

the neighbourhood of Lifbon; he gives us likewise a very amufing defcription of the Cork convent on the top of the Rock of Lisbon. It is, however, too long to be extracted.

ment.

Europe has long been of opinion, that the Jefuits are a learned body of men; and that they are artful, and adventurous politicians. This opinion is combated by Mr. Baretti; in our humble judgment, with more pofitiveness than arguHe treats the Jesuits as a weak, illiterate, pufillanimous fociety. What fort of men the Italian Jesuits are, he ought to know better than we: but we are well convinced by the literary labours of the Jefuits, (we fpeak of them collectively) that Mr. Baretti cannot point out one order of men in all Italy fo eminent as they have been for letters and for genius. With regard to their turn for politicks, he seems to contradict himself. He allows that they have been very affiduous and active in the different courts of Europe; a conceffion which but ill agrees with his infifting, that they are unafpiring, weak, and feminine; not artful, bold, and enterprising.

The firft volume concludes with a comparison betwixt England and Portugal, in which he does not do our country the honour which it deferves from him.-By his account of England, one would imagine, that the English were always chafed, and heated with politicks and party. That politicks must often be the topic of a free people, we fhall readily grant; but this topic is difcuffed by the reputable people of England with coolness and reason; not to gratify oppofition and animofity, but to pafs a vacant hour: political anxiety and heat are confined to the virulence of party, to the venal, and the fanatick, of whom, we hope, the majority of our island is not compofed. Mr. Baretti might have formed a jufter idea of the English nation, by marking the characters of thofe with whom he has the honour to converfe.

He doubts whether the English or the Portuguese are the happier people. If the English are not happier than the Portuguese, they are the most stupid and perverse people under the fun. For is not liberty, knowledge, and rational religion, more favourable to happiness than defpotism, ignorance, and fuperftition?

We shall temper this grave difcuffion with exhibiting to our readers a merry fcene which our author enjoyed at the inn of Elvas in Portugal: the extract is made from Chap. XXXVII. towards the beginning of the fecond volume.

I was fhewn up stairs into a kind of gallery, which opened into several rooms full of people. This gallery was fpread with men who flept wrapped up in their cloaks. As I advanced among them I felt the floor fhaking and as my head

has

has been filled with earthquakes ever fince I reached Portugal, it occurred on a fudden that the ground was shaking; but presently was fenfible that the concuffion was caused by my moving along that ill constructed floor.

As I was walking and waiting for my fupper, fome young muleteers came out of the fide-rooms. One of them began to tickle his guittar, and another produced a fong to the tune. They had scarcely gone on three minutes with their performance, when the fleepers started up, while more than thirty people came out of thofe fide-rooms; and a dance was begun. A man cut a caper by way of reverence to a woman, and the woman advanced immediately to dance the Fandango with him. There is no poffibility of conveying to you any juft idea of their hilarity, nimbleness, and elafticity. There were four Spanish and fix Portuguese females. Out of the ten I took only notice of three. One was a brownish girl called Terefuela, whom I foon found to be the beft finger of them all. The other two were fifters; the younger fo renowned in the towns around for a beauty, that the der the appellation of la bella Catalina. The eldest is not fo handsome, but has fuch eyes! What a pity the comparison of the ftars is no more in fashion!

goes un

The dreffes of these women were all gaudy, especially the Spanish, who are come from Badajoz with fome male friends to fee Elvas-fair. I must repeat it, that I have feen various dances from Parenzo in Iftria to Derby in England; but none of them is comparable to what I faw here to-night. It is true that their geftures and attitudes are fometimes not fo compofed as one could with: yet, if I was poffeffed of the abilities of Martial, instead of running down the Fandango and the Seguedilla, which I suppose were the dances he fatyrized, I would write a thousand epigrams in praise of them, of Terefuela, of Catalina, and moft particularly of Paolita, who has thofe eyes I mentioned! Oh this Paolita !

Both the Fandango and the Seguedilla are danced either at the found of the guittar alone, or the guittar accompanied by the voice, which is an advantageous addition when the guit tarift happens to have a good voice. Both men and women, while dancing, give a double clap with their thumbs and middle-fingers at every cadence, and both dances (the Fandango especially) are rather made up with graceful motions and quick ftriking of their heels and toes on the ground, than with equal and continued steps. They dance close to each other, then wheel about, then approach each other with fond eagerness, then quickly retire, then quickly approach again, the man looking the woman fteadily in the face, while fhe keeps her head down,