which we should confider as perfect, we cannot reply in the affirmative. Though much trifling matter is omitted, many unneceffary circumstances remain: the errors of Sydenham are not always pointed out; the connection of his practice with that of the more modern phyficians must often be fupplied by the reader. If a young practitioner, with little other affiftance than these volumes, should bleed, use violent emetics, and the draftic purgatives of Sydenham, he would foon find that the conftitution of the fevers and his patients was very much changed. We think, indeed, that these voJumes will compenfate with advantage for the deficiency of Dr. Swan's tranflation; but we could have wished for a work of more importance, which, while it pointed out the character of Sydenham, fhould have given a clear fyftematic view of the prefent practice, Though fuch may have been our wishes, we ought not to impute to Dr. Wallis, as a fault, the omiffion of what made no part of his defign.

Memoirs of the Countess de Valois de la Motte: Containing a Juftification of her Conduct relative to the Diamond Necklace; aljo the Correfpondence between the Queen of France and the Cardinal de Roban. Tranflated from the French, written by Herfelf. 10s. 6d. ferved. Ridgway.

THI

HIS detail of myfterious iniquity contains a feries of political and amorous intrigues of the most unprincipled and difgufting nature. We fear, to the difgrace of humanity, that it contains too much truth. But implicitly to believe all the glaring improbabilities that are here advanced on the mere affertion of the fair author, requires more gallantry, or ftronger faith, than we can boaft of. Our fcepticism is not founded merely on the nature of the facts reported; but the reporter confeffes fhe has fo frequently facrificed her veracity, and been a partaker in the guilt fhe wishes to expofe, that the whole narration has fomewhat of the air of one party turning king's evidence before the tribunal of the public. This me morialist fays, that the was the vehicle of the correfpondence given in the Appendix; that he was accustomed to open the letters committed to her, and take copies of them. Thus our readers will perceive the nature of their authenticity.

The principal fubject of these Memoirs is the famous diamond necklace; relative to which, the royal perfonage in queftion has denied having any knowledge or concern whatever. The following is the very different account which the

writer

writer of these Memoirs gives of the matter.-She states that the queen talking about the purchafe and of the cardinal, faid,

"He is perhaps ignorant of it, but I tell it to you, that I have contracted with the king a formal engagement, not to fet my name to any thing without first communicating it to him; the thing is therefore impracticable. See between you, what can be done, or let us give up the idea of a purchase.-It appears to me, that the writing being only a matter of form; that thofe people being unacquainted with my hand-writing-you will confider of it; but, once more, I cannot fet my name to it. However, let the matter end which way it will, tell the cardinal, that the first time I fee him, I will communicate the nature of those arrangements I mean to make with him."

To draw as an inference from this conversation, that the queen fhould have advised me to commit a forgery, might seem a kind of facrilege. Poffibly fhe did not form a more exact idea of what the nature of a forgery was, than I myself did, before I was made fenfible of the confequences; it is likewife poffible, that the obfervation fhe made of the jewellers being unacquainted with her hand-writing, did not mean that another might be fubftituted in its ftead; for, upon farther reflection, I found it might have quite another meaning; though the fact is, that I then affixed that meaning to thofe expreffions.

I did not diffemble when I took up my pen to commence thefe Memoirs. I confeffed I had committed many imprudencies this was one of the most grievous. I can fcarce plead ignorance to affift me in my juflification, though it was in fact the real principle of my fault. Unaccustomed to reflect, hurried away in the vortex of courtly compliance; plunged into that kind of delirium which the fpirit of intrigue diffufed in every thing about me; corrupted, in fhort, by the bad example inceffantly before my eyes, and habituated to treat too lightly all that is connected with moral duties, I faw nothing more in fuch a tranfaction, than one of thofe ordinary impofitions which people allow themselves in the world, when thy are confcious within themfelves, that in reality they mean no injurious deception. "In reality what matters it, (faid I to myfelf) whether the jewellers fee the queen's writing or that of any other hand, fince they are to fee it but for an inftant; that it will not remain in their hands, that it is immaterial to their fecurity, fince they have the cardinal's bond, and that in cafe the cardinal should not be able exactly to make good his payments at the different inftalments, the queen, who means to keep the affair a secret, would, of neceffity, fulfil the private engagements which the affures me he will enter into with him.' Secretly arguing thus, and not arguing long, not being accuftomed to very deep reflection: I determined, that for form's fake, fomething mult be fhewn to the jewellers, which they might take for the queen's approbation;

approbation; that the cardinal must not be confulted about this meafure, which he would perhaps think himself bound to reject, but which he would be pleafed with me for putting in practice after it had produced its effect; befides, (continuing my reverie) I am fo much the lefs in danger of expoling myfelf, as, in fact, if the queen did not precisely fuggeft the idea of my figning her name, the left to my option the choice of the

means.'

This memorialift proceeds, and brings the fplendid bauble, worth about fixty thousand pounds fterling, into the poffeffion of her royal miftrefs, when it feems it was to undergo fome fmall alteration, that it might not be noticed by the king. The following is the account this writer gives of the munificent prefent, the queen made her, as the fays, of fome of the conftituent parts of this magnificent jewel:

From that period, to the time when the charge was made against me, of having purloined that unfortunate jewel, there gradually arofe clouds which could not fail fenfibly to alarm me. The appointments between the queen and the cardinal became less frequent-her majefty appeared gloomy, her temper was visibly foured, and I had much to fuffer perfonally from that change of difpofition. I faw clearly that she fought, without wishing to appear active, to punish me for the fhare I had in bringing her and the cardinal on a more intimate footing; he feeming, daily to grow more infupportable to her: I have faid, to punifhit is no exaggeration. She, no longerfpoke to me of the cardinal, It was, no doubt, to practice those petry cruelties, till fhe could get rid of me, for I cannot queftion but fhe had already formed that idea, when the refumed that of undoing the cardinal. It was probably, I fay, with both thofe views, that one day after beflowing on me fome of her fweet looks; the faid, prefenting me with a box, “Here; its a long while fince I have given you any thing; but don't tell the Cardinal that I have made you this prefent, nor even that you have feen me; - do you hear? do not talk to him of me."

An extraordinary mode of punishment! The enemies of this lady fay, that he, by fome means, got poffeffion of and fold the whole necklace. Her account is, that what the queen gave her, was not worth more (according to the cardinal's eftimation) than twelve thoufand pounds fterling.-Thefe Memoirs contain likewise a long detail of the count de la Motte's adventures in Great Britain, and of his negociations with diamond-dealers of the metropolis.

Upon the whole, though this production may appear cu rious and interefting, owing to the dignity of the perfonages brought upon the carpet, viz. the emperor, the king, the

queen,

queen, the cardinal, &c. a regard to truth obliges us to fay, that we confider it as the hiflory of an intriguing woman caught in her own wiles.

Thoughts on the Difqualification of the eldest Sons of the Peers of Scotland, to fit from that Country in Parliament. With Obfervations on the Civil Polity of the Kingdom. The fecond Edition. By Alexander Lord Saltoun, Advocate and F. S. S. A. 8vo. 45. Cadell.

IN

N the parliaments of Scotland, which were put an end to by the union of the two kingdoms, the lords and commons formed but one houfe, confifting of one hundred and fiftythree peers, ninety commiffioners from thires, and fixty-feven from burghs. The king had in that country no negative on the proceedings of parliament, previous to the acceffion of James the Sixth to the crown of England, when his increased dominion enabled him to extend his prerogative. In 1661 an act was paffed in Scotland relative to the election of the reprefentatives of the commons, confining the right of voting and of being elected to all freeholders of the king, to a certain extent, excepting always and excluding from this right all noblemen and their vafals. The author before us labours hard to prove, that it was not meant by this law to preclude the eldeft fons of noblemen. However that be, it is certain that the Scottish parliament came to a refolution in 1685, and again in 1689, exprefly declaring that the eldest fons of peers had no right to fit in parliament as reprefentatives of any burgh or fhire, obviously to counteract the great power and influence of fome families in that country, Lord Saltoun attacks the justice and legality of thefe decifions. We shall only obferve, that however anneceffary or unjuft they might be, the parlia ment had certainly a legal power of forming fuch a regulation, even fuppofing it had never existed before.—But to go on. This question feems to have lain dormant, till it was again brought before the Scottish parliament on the occafion of the Union. A motion was then made, that no peer, or the eldest fon of any peer, fhould fit for Scotland in the British houfe of commons. This motion was negatived, and another propofed and accepted, feemingly defigned to evade the quef-) tion, declaring the right of electing and being elected to reprefent Scotland in the British houfe of commons, fhould be in thofe only who were entitled to elect or be elected members of the Scottish parliament. This was likewife confirmed by the 5th Anne cap. 8.

In 1708, after the union, two eldest fons of peers were returned from Scotland to fit in the British houfe of commons; but a petition was lodged against them, on the ground that they would not have been elected members of the Scottish parliament. They were accordingly declared ineligible to the British house of commons, as well as incapable of voting at elections. Thus the law has flood ever fince, and many inftances have occurred of new writs being iffued out apon the event of members of our lower house having become eldeft fons of peers of Scotland. The laft inftance, it seems, was that of lord Elcho in 1787, who vacated a district of Scotch burghs, in confequence of his father's fucceffion to the peerage of Wemyfs, which has given rife to the prefent publication. The author feems to be perfectly master of his fubject, and we think he has fucceeded in his attempt to show the hardship and abfurdity of the eldest fons of Scottish peers being excluded at this time from reprefenting in the house of commons any place in Scotland; though they may fit in that of England or Ireland as members for any county or borough in either of thofe kingdoms. We shall give the following short fpecimen of his lordship's reafoning, which is in his best manner:

Injured by a deprivation of thofe equalities, they (peer's eldeft fons) may inconteftibly demand to be restored to ther undoubted privilege and right. But not only are the eldest fons of the peers of Scotland injured in respect to thofe equalities, and that mutual participation of privileges provided by the fourth article of the Union to the inhabitants of both kingdoms; they are alfo marked out as a diftinct and feparate body of fubjects, to whom alone the rights and privileges of Britons are refused. If they are charged with a crime, they are tried by commoners. They cannot even demand a jury compofed of the eldest fons of peers, being in every refpect, during the lives of their fathers, in the eye of law, commoners; for the British conftirution knows no diftinction of fubjects between peers and commons. They are, at the fame time, the only body of British subjects who, without either holding public offices or lying under any difqualifying fentence by ftatute, are politively incapacitated from electing or being elected to parliament from the place of their nativity; from that part of the united kingdom in which their property is fituated, and with whofe local interefts they are beft acquainted. The immediate heirs of great landed cftates. and parliamentary importance, and who may one day become members of the fupreme judicatory of the empire, are in Scotland debarred from the bett opportunities of acquiring a knowledge of the British conftitution. In their native country, they are no more than fpectators of the first and most valuable privi leges of Britons. No legal poffeffion of property to any extent, can entitle them to the rights of their fellow-citizens. There is

no