of the Weft, to whom was granted the whole province of Loui fiana, or the country on the river Miffifippi; from which laft circumftance, its fubfequent proceedings came to be included under the general name of the Miffifippi Syftem. Of this company 200,000 actions (or fhares) were created, rated at 500 livres each; and the fubfcription for them was ordered to be paid in billets d'etat, at that time fo much difcredited, by reason of the bad payment of their intereft, that 500 livres nominal value in them would not have fold upon 'change for more than 150 or 160 livres. In the fubfcription they were taken at the full value, fo this was effectually a loan from the company to the king of 100 millions. The intereft of that fum, to be paid by his majefty to the company, was fixed at the rate of 4 per cent, the first year's intereft to be employed for commercial purposes, and the annual-rents of the following years to be allotted for paying regularly the dividend on the actions, which was fixed at 20 livres per annum on each, exclufive of the profits of the trade. Of this Company of the Weft, Mr. Law (who had now ad vanced fo high in the regent's favour, that the whole minifterial power was reckoned to be divided betwixt him, the Abba du Bois, minifter of foreign affairs, and M. D'Argenfon, keeper of the feals), was named director general. The actions were eagerly fought after, Louifiana having been reprefented as a region abounding in gold and filver, of a fertile foil, capable of every fort of cultivation. The unimproved parts of that country were fold for 30,000 livres the fquare league, at which rate many purchafed to the extent of 600,000 livres ; and vigorous preparations were made for fitting out veffels to transport thither labourers and workmen of every kind. The demand for billets d'etat, for the purchase of actions, occafioned their immediately rifing to their full nominal value,' Our limits will not permit us to enter more at length into the curious and particular details given by the author, on this fingular and interefting fubject. Suffice it to obferve, that the farm of tobacco, the Eaft Indian trade, the mint, and the great farms, were foon after concentered in this company; which thus became the managers of the whole foreign trade and poffeflions of France, and the collectors of all the royal revenues, The following anecdotes may amufe the reader after thefe dry numerical narrations, The unexampled rife of the price of actions afforded an opportunity to many obfcure and low individuals to acquire at once princely fortunes. A widow at Namur, called Madame de Chaumont, who followed the trade of supplying the army with tents and other neceffaries, gained no less than 127 millions of livres ; one --- one M. de Vernie made 28 millions; a M. de Farges 20 millions; and Meffrs. Le Blanc and de la Faye 17 millions each, in the Miffifippi. Such rapid revolutions were productive of many laughable occurrences. A footman had gained fo much that he got himfelf a carriage, and the first day it came to the door, he, inftead of stepping into the vehicle, mounted up to his old place. behind. Mr. Law's coachman had alfo made fo great a fortune, that he asked a difmiffion from his fervice, which was readily granted, on condition of procuring another as good as himself. The man thereupon brought two coachmen, told his mafter they were both excellent drivers, and defired him to make choice of one, at the fame time faving, he would take the other for his own carriage. One night at the opera, a Mademoiselle de Begond obferving a lady enter, magnificently dreffed, and covered with diamonds, jogged her mother and faid, I am much mistaken if this fine lady is not Mary our cook. The report spread through the theatre until it came to the ears of the lady, who, going up to Madame de Begond, faid, I am indeed Mary your cook, I. have gained a great fum in the Rue Quinquempoix, I love fine clothes and fine jewels, and am accordingly apparel'd, I have paid. for every thing, am in debt to nobody, and pray who here can fay more? At another time, fome perfons of quality beholding: a gorgeous figure alighting from a moft fplendid equipage, and enquiring what great lady that was, one of her lacqueys fell a laughing and faid, fhe is one who has fallen from the garret story into a chariot.' The fituation of France was fo much improved, in 1719, as to appear incredible to thofe who had witneffed the depreffion of the finances of that kingdom in 1715. In 1720 Law was declared comptroller-general, and was univerfally adored in France. Such apprehenfions were raised in the other European kingdoms, when they beheld the prosperity of France, that every art was exerted to undermine Law's credit with the regent: and in thefe arts cardinal du Bois, one of the most profligate of men, and the other minifters, eagerly joined. It was artfully ftated to the regent that it was become absolutely neceffary to form an equal proportion between the paper currency and the coin, the former now doubling the latter. On the 2 ft of May 1720, the fatal arret, wrested by infidious art from the carelefs ignorance of the regent, was iffued, by which a diminished value was impofed by the wanton hand of governmentupon the fhares of the company, and upon the bank-notes. The ftep was decifive. The fabric fell at once with hideous ruin. Law was thus hurled by the ignorance, obftinacy, and in juftice of others, from the fummit of power, wealth, and po pularity, pularity, to a comparatively indigent and abject ftate; exhibiting, fays our author, a fad example of the infecurity of all property in an abfolute monarchy. As - To this circumftance is perhaps in a great measure owing, that most of the French writers who have had occafion to treat of the history of thefe times, have ufed the liberty generally taken with the unfuccefsful, of grofsly calumniating the reputation of this great man, ftigmatizing him as an unprincipled knave, and tributing the downfall of the fyftem to his machinations. As fo the last accufation, they either must have had pofitive evidence, evidence of which in all my researches I have been unable to find, the smallest trace, of his advifing the publication of the fatal apret, by which all was ruined, or they must have wilfully chofen to overlook his oppofition to that infamous decree, which I hope has been fufficiently established in the preceding narrative. to the charge of knavery, a very ftrong proof of the uprightnes of his intentions arifes from the circumftance of vetting his whole acquifitions in landed property in France, and not remitting any part thereof to foreign countries, which could have been done with the utmost facility. If to this we add the active part he took to prevent the alteration in the tenor of the bank notes, and confider that the whole operation of the fyftem were conducted publicly, the fabrication of notes, the creation of actions, and every, grant and alienation made to the India Company being done by public acts of the king and council, it appears to be adding cruelty to injuftice to afperfe, in the manner thefe gentlemen have done, the character of Mr. Law. The injuftice of this conduct is aggravated by its ingratitude, fince if he had not been over ruled by the regent and his counsellors, and if the operations of the fyftem had been conducted agreeably to his advice, France, from being reduced to beggary by the late king's wars, was in a fair way of becoming the richest, moft powerful, and moft flourishing flate in Europe; in which cafe the name of Law might have ranked next to that of Bourbon. Whatever love he might once have felt for his native country, he had transferred all his affections to France; of which, when he was prime minifter, his conftant difcourfe was, that he would raise the nation fo high that every kingdom in the world would fend ambaffadors to Paris, while his moft Chriftian majefty would only difpatch couriers to the other courts in return." The other adventures of Law are briefly detailed. From France he fled to Bruffels, whence he went to Rome; and then migrated north to Copenhagen: from thence he proceeded to London, and in Octcher 1721 was prefented to George 1. He afterwards went to Venice, where he died in March 1729, aged fifty-eight. In perfon he was tall and well proportioned; his mien befpoke importance, his face was oval, his forehead high, fine' eyes, a mild afpect, aquiline nofe. • His external appearance was uncommonly engaging, few equalling him in perfonal graces, and his mental powers were every way answerable. Thefe qualifications united to diftinguished politeness, and the fweeteft and most infinuating manners, could not fail to attract the regard of those who knew him. The duches of Orleans relates, that confidering he was a foreigner, he did not fpeak the French language ill; and fhe highly commends his polite, yet fpirited behaviour, when he first came into power.' Mr. Law's French tracts on finance were collected into an octavo volume, publifhed at Paris in 1791. The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. A new Tranflation from the Greek Original; with a Life, Notes, &c. By R. Graves, M. A. 8vo. 6s. boards. Robinfons. 1792. Philofophy has fo feldom been cultivated on a throne, that the few inftances which occur of that phenomenon have met with general admiration; and among thefe, none is more defervedly celebrated than the work now before us. The Meditations of the Roman emperor are not only interesting on account of the author's high rank, but their own intrinfic merit. They prefent us with a series of virtuous precepts and refolutions for the conduct of life, that often approaches, in purity of doctrine, to the ftandard of moral perfection. But the philofophy of Antoninus, though it reftrained the paffions, and strongly inculcated the exercife of the social duties, was ftill deficient in a point of the utmost importance: that life which it ftudied to render ufeful and happy, it inconfiftently admitted, in fome cafes, the horrible expedient of throwing away. By the light of nature, the ancient fages made, doubtlefs, great advancement in moral fpeculation; but nothing less than revealed religion could totally eradicate the principles of human ignorance and error. Marcus Aurelius was born about the year 121 of the Chrif tian æra; soon after the emperor Hadrian's acceflion to the throne. He was of an illuftrious family, both by the father's and mother's fide; being the fon of Annius Verus and Domitia Calvilla Lucilla; both whofe fathers were of confular dignity. He was first called Annius Verus; but on being adopted into the Aurelian family by Antoninus Pius, he took the name of of Aurelius, to which, on coming to the empire, he added that of Antoninus. This event happened in the year 161; and we are told it was with difficulty he was prevailed on to take the reins of government. In conformity to the intention of Hadrian, he immediately affumed Lucius Verus, as his partner in the empire: to whom alfo he contracted his daught er Lucilla. M. Aurelius had married the younger Fauftina, his first coufin, being the daughter of Antoninus Pius, by the elder Fauftina, fifter to M. Aurelius's own father. This excellent emperor died, after a fhort illness, in his fifty-ninth year, at Vindebonum, now Vienna, in his laft expedition against the northern nations. We have extracted these few memoirs from the life of M. Aurelius, prefixed to the Meditations by the tranflator; who has likewife given, in the preface, a fhort account of the Stoic philofophy; the fyftem approved by Antoninus. The Meditations are divided into twelve books; but thefe differ not from each other with regard to the nature of the fubjects. Some of them appear to have been written during military expeditions. That they never had received the emperor's corrections, feems evident from the repetitions with which they abound: and it may be inferred with equal probability, that they were not intended for publication. It is fortunate, however, that the defign of the imperial author has been, in this refpect, fruftrated; for M. Cafaubon has, in our opinion, not over-rated the merit of the work, when he 'pronounces it to be one of the most excellent of antiquity. The emperor begins, as Mr. Graves obferves, with great modefty and fimplicity, by gratefully recollecting those on whofe model and inftructions he had formed his moral character. The following is part of the exordium. 1. From the example of my grandfather Verus, I acquired a virtuous difpofition of mind, and an habitual command over my temper. 2. From the character which I have heard and from what I myself remember of my own father, I have learned to behave with modefty, yet with a manly firmnefs, on all occafions. 3d. My mother I have imitated in her piety and in her generous temper, and have been taught not only to abftain from, doing any wicked action, but from indulging a thought of that kind. By her alfo I was habituated to a fimple and abftemious way of life; very far from the luxury of a fumptuous table. * 4. To my great-grandfather I am obliged, both for permitting me to attend the publick recitals and declamations in the Rhe |