them and their pofterity all the political influence and public offices, together with a confiderable fhare of the landed property, that had been forfeited by their anceftors.

Infurrections and the spirit of revolution became at length fo outrageous and extenfive, as to occafion a most serious alarm in the mind of every one, who poffeffed any thing valuable under the conftitution, or wished to preserve the general peace of the empire---and it was univerfally admitted, that the crifis of a new and perilous diforder, which hitherto had been only checked, and not radically cured, called aloud for extraordinary deliberations and new remedies.---Accordingly many perfons eminent in character, and juftly entitled to public confidence, clearly perceiving that a feparation of the two kingdoms, at a time especially when the com

mon

mon enemy might take immediate advan tage of it, would be extremely injurious or perhaps, fatal to both, fuggefted it that there should be a formal and full difcuf fion of the subject in the great council of each, in order to enable them, with united wisdom and equity, to devife and establish fuch a fyftem of connexion and regulation, as might avert the impending evils, and prevent a return of them.

The Author of the Narrative, not many days before he died, writ a letter to →→→→→→→ at Naples; in which he congratulated him on the profpect, that the internal affairs of the empire of his Afiatic Sovereign would in all probability be foon adjusted and finally fettled by an ENTIRE and PERFECT UNION of the two kingdoms, as well under one GREAT COUNCIL OF LEGISLATIVE BODY, confifting of members fummoned or returned from the feveral parts of them, as

under

ünder ONE MONARCH, ---to which he added, that a well-founded expectation prevailed among numerous claffes of the people, that fuch a measure would be a powerful means of removing difcontents and jealoufies, and of giving ftrength and unat mity to every part of his BELOVED SOVEREIGN's widely-extended dominions.

We may hope therefore that the business will be happily concluded; and that some FAIR REASONER and REAL FRIEND to the RIGHTS OF MAN will foon gratify us with an account of the most arduous affairs of a GREAT NATION conducted with MILDNESS, WISDOM and JUSTICE.

An HISTORICAL VIEW of MANKIND acting on fuch principles in one quarter of the world, may be brought into a striking and inftructive CONTRAST with their proceedings in another; where ASSASSINA

TION is become the direct and beaten road to SOVEREIGNTY, and the TYRANTS for the DAY (fo very fudden and rapid have they been in fucceffion) having destroyed all fe curity and comfort both public and private, daringly infult even the SUPREME BEING by relinquishing or formally reject ing the BELIEF of his EXISTENCE and OVER-RULING POWER.

(D.)

The following words are written in fuch a manner on the margins of a few pages of the manufcript-copy of this letter, that it is difficult to determine, whether they are the words of the writer of it, or of the Author of the Narrative---viz.

They, who by difobedience have provoked the juftice of the Supreme Being, muft naturally wish to become objects of

his

his mercy and happy it is for those, who are fo circumstanced and in such a state of mind, that the CHRISTIAN REVELATION, supplying the defects, without depreciating the authority of the RELIGION of Nature or REASON, confirms in this and other instances equally important all the rational withes and hopes, that are fuggefted by nature, and renders them powerful and permanent principles and motives of moral conduct.

REASON Viewing the works of the creation, informs us with certainty, that there exists and hath exifted, from all eternity a FIRST CAUSE or Supreme BEING, who is infinitely powerful, and wife, and holy, and juft; and that by acting against his will, manifested to us by the light of nature and the dictates of confcience, we have incurred his displeasure, but reafon does not,