H́nh ảnh trang
PDF
ePub

independent nations are nothing in his view whilst they stand in the way of his ambitious schemes. Meantime the means of mutual retaliation adopted by the two great belligerents have given causes of complaint to the United States of America which seem to have tried their patience to the ut most, and to have brought them to such a temper that, if persevered in, they can scarcely fail of bringing on hostilities with one or both of these powers. It seems, in the present year, to have been a leading object in the policy of the French emperor to establish a marine force capable in time. of contending with the navy of Great Britain, which he feels to be the principal remaining obstacle to his gigantic plans of aggrandizement. For this purpose, he has endeavoured to provide a large body of sailors by a maritime conscription; and has annexed to his empire all the sea-ports which lay within his grasp, and employed every resource for obtaining supplies of naval stores by inland communications. He has thus been enabled to fit out a fleet which in number and equipment makes a formidable show, but which has not hitherto exhibited any of that confidence in courage and discipline which is requisite for the arduous task of contending with the masters of the ocean. In no year of the war has the French navy been less adventurous, or, in the few actions that have occurred, has proved less a match for its antagonist.

[ocr errors][merged small]

wIt may be proper to point out to the reader some slight variations between the present volume and those which have preceded. The title of the historical part, which has hitherto been The History of Europe, has been changed for that of General History, the state of the world being now such, that information would be materially defective, were it to neglect the occurrences passing in the other quarters of the globe. Alterations have been made in the arrangement of some of the other heads. The account of persons deceased, which, in imitation of the magazines, had been given in a new article styled Obituary, has been referred to its original head of Deaths. That of Characters has been confined to persons, and a new division has been made of Manners and Customs of Nations and People the two things being, in fact, essentially different. One article has been entirely discarded as unmeaning or superfluous-that of Accounts of Books. After the copious extracts inserted under specific heads from several of the most interesting publications of the year, it seemed perfectly useless to select two or three of them for a particular account. If this were done with a view of giving the Annual Register somewhat of the character of Review, nothing could be more frivolous and illusory. Whatever might have been the case at the commencement of this work, the present multiplicity, both of publications and reviews, has taken

પા

CHAP. VI.

CHAP. VII.

CHAP. VIII.

CHAP. XI.

[merged small][ocr errors]

CHAP. XII.

dagascar;

[ocr errors][ocr errors]
[ocr errors][merged small]
« TrướcTiếp tục »