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it will be found that, by abolishing the infamous slave-trade, the commerce will be enlarged and settled on the most exemplary integrity and reciprocal philanthropy. Such are the principles of Count Schimmelman, whose large estates in the Danish West-India Islands give him less concern than the sufferings of the negroes. However, this salutary business is brought about in such a manner, as cannot fail to meet with the most cordial approbation of every planter who has his own interest at heart. As to the Prince Royal, you know from facts that he is a good son, a good husband, (I wish I could say a good father,) and a true patriot, who sacrifices with alacrity his own views and wishes to the will of his citizens at large. Of all this you, my dear friend, have seen many proofs. Let me but add one anecdote, which particularly characterises the prince's heart. Shortly after his Royal Highness had suffered the loss of his new-born son, a gentleman in the army happened to be deprived of his son, a hopeful youth, who, while attending at the evolutions of the Artillery School, of which he was a member, was killed by the bursting of a shell. The prince, receiving the first account of that mournful catastrophe from the disconsolate father, addressed him thus-" Sir, I condole with you, and sincerely grieve at your loss, a loss which afflicts me the more, as I, rejoicing at being a father, have of late experienced the sorrow of losing my son;" and, when the gentleman expressed the difference between the heir-apparent of two kingdoms and a subject, the prince added, "And I

myself am truly sensible of this difference; your son had already shown what you and our native country might expect from him; mine, on the contrary, (here nature dropt a tear,) departed sooner than that I could have any thing beyond the hope, by which I and others could rest upon in ascertaining how my son would answer to that hope."

In the fifth letter of my Sketches, I mentioned a scheme for paying off the national debt in Denmark that scheme succeeds beyond the fondest hope. One million has already been discharged; and the beginning is made with the disbursing of another.

So much of public affairs: now a little of my own. I am extremely concerned at my Lord Orford's not having as yet received the royal acknowledgments. At the same time I cannot fully satisfy my own duty for your good offices on this account. Nothing indeed hurts me more; nor can I be at ease till this matter be brought in order. His excellency the Danish ambassador is my witness that the fault does not fall to my charge. As soon as the navigation shall begin, you will most certainly receive the Scriptores under the care of our friend, Mr. Nicol, to whom I beg you will remember me most kindly. In the mean time I hope to see a line from you, filled with many literary commands, which will be punctually executed.

So heaven bless you all, and grant I may soon be favored with glad tidings of your health, and that of Mrs. Pinkerton and your charming family. My best respect and wishes attend you all.

MR. A. STUART TO MR. ASTLE.

London, March 16th, 1792.

In consequence of your letter desiring information concerning Sinclair's History of Scotland, I have examined various memorandums taken by me while abroad, and find that, when I was last at Paris in 1789, the Principal of the Scots College showed to me the manuscript history kept there, written by William Sinclair, which consists of about 1000 pages: it begins about the year 1437; but I do not find in my memorandums any mention of the time when it ends. Mention is made of this manuscript History of Sinclair in the Scottish Historical Library, by Bishop Nicolson, page 55, where he says that it was brought from Italy to the Scotch College at Paris.

I do not recollect to have seen at the Scotch College other histories of Scotland wrote after that of Sinclair.

I am glad to learn from your letter, that there will soon appear a curious collection of seals of the kings and magnates of Scotland with your historical remarks; these I shall be very impatient to peruse, and likewise to see the drawings of the seals.

I have delayed for a few days sending this answer to your letter, because I have from day to day intended to make a morning excursion to

* Andrew Stuart Esq., M.P. for Weymouth, was author of a Genealogical History of the Stuarts, &c. &c.

your villa, for the purpose of having the pleasure of a little conversation with you, but have so often been disappointed by various interruptions that I could not think of longer delaying to write to

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It is a rule with me never to thank any one, unless when I feel myself obliged to them. thank you sincerely for your judicious remarks on the plan for the repository of printed papers. The circumstance you mention had escaped me: and it would have been a great omission. I so much detest every kind of fraud, that I too hastily considered anonymous publications as too nearly allied to things of that class. I now see they may occasionally serve to support the liberty of the press; and, though this privilege may, and must occasionally be abused, yet it is much better to tolerate that abuse, than to lose the great benefit it brings. The freedom of the press is indeed the great palladium of liberty, without which all other devices to preserve it are idle chimeras. It is, with regard to the body politic, exactly the same as health is with regard to the natural body. The vigour that each of these bestows is naturally productive of abuses; but without them there could be no vigour or energy of any sort. Let authors, then, let printers also, conceal them

selves, if they please; but let them do it at their peril. Let a receiving-place be made at every office, like that at the post-office now, into which may be dropped the copy required. In this case the printer cannot have the security of a receipt ; but, if the work should been tered in the register, he will be safe from the penalty, should it even be afterwards discovered that he had been the printer. This, properly expressed, would altogether remove the difficulty..

Lord Buchan told me yesterday you wish to have some papers copied from the Advocates' Library-wishing me to find a person for transcribing them, which I shall take care to have done. I have it little in my power to assist literary persons in any way, which I regret; but wherever I can do it I do it with pleasure; where I cannot I never undertake it at all. This is exactly what I wish from others: you may therefore freely let me know any thing of the sort you wish for here. It shall either be done, or you shall be frankly told it cannot.

I thank you for your wish to forward my literary journal. I now begin to tread with somewhat more firmness than I did; but I only begin. There is nothing I would have such a desire for as to have the rummaging of the porte-feuille of some men who had grown old in the practice of writing; for in such a repository many good things would be found, that otherwise run a risk of being lost. Such a person as Daines Barrington; but he publishes rather fast, and sometimes things that are crude enough; so that not so much could

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