titioner's offspring in this particular the more grievous, is, that the time is hardly known when any one of them, thus clandeftinely and illegally transported, did return to his native country.

That an immoderate Affection to this British Progeny has particularly appeared in a certain northern Province, where fuch Beauties, till of late years, had never been seen; and that the Turks are not more fond of the children of Circaffians and Georgians, than the Hns of mine: for which reafon fome eminent Perfons make it their chief study to run them thither, where indeed they are always kindly received-But,

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That the Rareness of their company in England thence enfuing, efpecially to fome perfons, is fo remarkable, that the faid perfons, whenever they meet one of my Sons or Daughters, falute them by no other name than that of Stranger.

That it is not however doubted at the prefent, but that fome Millions of them may be as yet remaining, who keep together in large Societies, under lock and key, and feldom walk abroad, except fingly, or in fmall Parties very privately: a fpecies of phantoms, furnamed Notes and Bills, having ufurped the chief offices of my children, and introduced an immaginary kind of worth, which they call Paper Credit.

That my offspring being thus unemployed, it is greatly apprehended that a general confpiracy is forming against them, in defiance of the law beforementioned, to treat them as ufelefs, and banish them to places where they may be of more Service: which your petitioner conceives would not only be unjuft, but upon the whole imprudent, the credit of Paper fubfifting on the fuppofed Existence and Prefence of my faid children and no longer.

And to fhew that these apprehenfions are not vain and ground

lefs, your petitioner begs leave to obferve, that within a few years paft, another Generation, known by the name of the Johns, the Double Johns, and the Moidores, all of foreign extraction, did join with your faid petitioner's children in promoting the Conveniencies of life throughout this kingdom: But that the faid foreigners, except a very few, are all now diminished or exported, though not to their own country, under pretence of other conveniences, which have not been fatisfactorily explained.

That as thefe foreigners, tho' not invefted with equal privileges as the iffue of your petitioner were yet exceeding helpful to them on large occafions, being indeed a more bulky and weighty fpecies than themselves. your petitioner fears that the fame Connivance, or ill Judgment, which fuffered the privation of this Afliftance, may fuffer the fame violence to be put upon Natives, who will then have only the honour of being laft fent into exile.

All these matters confidered, your petitioner humbly hopes he thail find protection for himself and his family that your honours will more effectually provide for their fecurity, in their native country, and for the exemplary punishment of all who fhall contravene the known laws in this cafe provided that enquiry be made after past offenders, as well as provifion against future offences ; and that encouragement be again given to the importation of John's, Double Johns, and Moidores; that the bufinefs of his majefty's fubjects may be the more freely expedited, and the dignity of your petitioners offspring may the more eminently appear.

And your Petitioner, as in duty bound, fhall ever propagate.

То

To the Proprietors of the MAGAZINE of MAGAZINES.

GENTLEMEN,

As you have already given us a fuccind Account of the late terrible Earthquake at Lisbon, I prefume you will not think the following Obfervations on the Confequences that will in all Probability refult from it, unworthy a Place in your ufeful Magazine. They are extracted from a Pamphlet, lately publifbed, intitled, A fecond Letter from a Merchant at Lisbon to his Friend in London, &c.

L

Your's, &c. D. R.

ISBON has more than once fuffered by earthquakes. In the year 1309, this unfortunate city was deftroyed by one of those terrible concuffions, and by another at the beginning of the year 1531; fo that this of November laft is the third by which the metropolis of Portugal has been overthrown, at the diftance of two hundred and twenty odd years from each other.

But, on this terrible occafion, I muft obferve, that, if numbers of people unhappily loft their lives by the earthquake, an immenfely greater proportion, of all ranks, and of feveral nations, have unfortunately been ruined by the fire that fucceeded it. Of which misfortune a confiderable fhare might probably have been prevented, as even the wifett of the Portuguese themselves confefs, had there but luckily been an English man of war or two, at that time, in the harbour. For after terror had once feized the minds of the Portuguese, few of them attended to any thing but prayers, proceffions, and other more fuperftitious acts of devotion, crying out inceffantly for mercy, and even clamouring for help from above, while they were neglecting to ufe fuch means, as Providence placed in their hands, either for faving their own fortunes, or lending affiftance to others: So wretched, fo helplefs does the blindness of enthusiasm make de

luded mortals? And, in particular, of fuch a difattention to useful fervice the lofs of the Palace and Customhoufe, on this fatal occafion, were certainly moft fhameful and crying inftances; for, from the advantages of their fituations, both of them might eafily have been faved, had but the leaft portions of zeal and activity been exerted for their prefervation. The fire, I have been well affured, catched in the Palace by fome fparks flying from the neighbouring streets againft the fteeple of the royal chapel, which fet in a blaze fome tar put at the end of a large beam, on which the great bell hung, to facilitate its motion in ringing. From the tar the beam itself took fire, and communicated the flames to the buildings about it. In short, from an accident fo eafily to be prevented, or fo readily to have been cured (for the Palace stood almost separate from other buildings, and on the edge of the river) did the King of Portugal fuffer the lofs of that vaft and ftately edifice, all the coftly furniture and immenfe riches that were in it; the famous new opera-house, Royal shipyard, India-houfe, with two China cargoes in it, and feveral other places of confequence adjoining.

The custom-house was in a fituation ftill more favourable for its prefervation, being that of a small island of buildings detached from all others, and confifting chiefly of public offices; the two faces of which ftood to two open fquares: One end of it was built even to the river, and, at the other, there was a pretty broad ftreet, which divided the island from the rett of the city; and, moreover, a-crols it ran the public corn-market, which it would have been an easy matter to have ftripped and deftroyed; and thereby have made it a-new, and, indeed, an effectual barrier to the Cuf tom-houfe, and other public offices, against the fire. But all wife means for that purpose were neglected ta fo amazing a degree, that, fix and

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and fome other kinds of provifions, to be held in the places anciently alloted for thofe purposes, amidit the rubbish and ruins of the city; where thofe markets are not only at an immoderate distance from the prefent habitations of the people, but their very lives are endangered, in going to them, from the many formidable fragments of buildings that ftill ftand in every part of the old city, and in every avenue leading to it: So that many perfons, who want fuch provifions, and would buy them, if they could get at them, are forced to remedy themselves otherwise, either for want of the conveniencies or courage to fetch them; while at the fame time, the proveditors and fellers of them find as cruel a check on their industry, from feeing their commodities perifh in their hands, when they know buyers would infallibly offer, were it not for the impolitic (I had almost faid inhuman) reftrictions they fuffer in the manner, or rather the places prescribed for their vending of them.

As ftrange a refolution has been that of erecting a Cuftom-houfe at a place where they pofitively refufe all proper means of accommodations to the merchants; and thereby render it difficult, nay, almost impoffible, to carry on the branches of trade which are abfolutely neceffary, not only for the well-doing, but even for the very existence of the kingdom. And fo very wanton have they been, in many regulations relating to commerce, that no merchant, either native or foreigner, has been able to lay any fecure plans for undertakings himfelf, or to give certain and fatisfactory accounts to others.

The King of Portugal, likewife, iffued out a decree, that all goods which could be fayed from under the water of fuch Custom-house warehoufes as fell into the river, or from under the rubbish of thofe that were burnt, fhould be delivered to the owners of them duty-free; affigning

however, for the payment of the workmen, all fuch as had loft the neceffary marks for discovering whofe property they were. The decree was certainly very clear and express, and it cannot be doubted that his Majesty's intention was very juft and gracious. But, to fhew how foon fome perfons, after a great fright, can get over the qualms of a troubled confcience, I must here obferve, that the Officers employed, in a great degree, defeated their Sovereign's generous intention, by tearing off, from as many pieces as they could, the feals, tickets, and other fuch diftingguifhing badges, as might obstruct their being thrown into the heap that was for themselves; and the righteous proveditor, at the fame time, prevented ftill more the lavish bounty, as he might think it, of his King, by obliging all merchants, who recovered any goods by thefe means, to fign an obligation, under pain of not receiving their petithing effects, to be anfwerable for the du ties on them, if ever they should be demanded. By which means, the accounts of people are kept unfettled; and agents, in particular, are liable to be great fufferers, from a villainous ftrain of the authority of office, without any prescribed or reasonable grounds.

From fuch mismanagements, as well as misfortunes, has the metropolis of Portugal been reduced to mountains of rubbish and frightful fragments of buildings; mountains of devaftation, and fpectacles of horror to behold! And even from fubfequent mifconduct the mifchief feems deftined to be perpetuated, perhaps even to the endangering of the very kingdom, particularly from the lofs of its people, who, for want of proper care and fhelter, are at this very time faid to be dying at a prodigious rate, notwithstanding the winter has hitherto proved remarkably mild: A wet fpring may fill deftroy many thousands of them, and a hot fummer a ftill greater

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