The Sun.
London, England, 1809-01-02 00:00:00

pR.O6I.Et:Tu..J
4 A Saw PER !GOMA'. WORK, TO rati ENTITI.IIO
THE EDINBURGH ANNUAL REGISTER.
THE flourishing state of the Literature of Britain,
and its widely extended influence among her inha-
bitants, are blessiogs oat) inferior. to those of civil. peace and
personal liberty, with which they are so closely entwined.
On the Continerit, the voice of historic truth has been
silenced, . and her researches interditted. The progress of
despotistn has been u universal as rapid. Front the shores
or Holland to the Cimmerian regions of Tartary, light atter
light has been quenched, and Nation after Nation consigned
to the darkness and apathy dr.' ignorance. The States of
Switzerland anal Holland, the smaller Principalities and
Civic Republic* of Germany and Italy, have been torced to
I resign that independence, which had been spared by former
Conquerors, .ev-it when defended only by an ancient and
venerable name. Those tree Cities, wilier: encashed the
curly sparks of Religious Reformation, and the hardly less
bit,:red embers of .Classical_Learning. have, mi.; by one, beheld
their Press broken or fettered, their Academies new,.
modelled or dispersed, their Authors awed alto releme by
prescription anti military execution,• or more shainetuliy
~rinbeil to plead the cause of Foreign Tyranny; by went,
Gibbons, arid, pensioue. Nut toil.e,:lias the e ner; ..tweet et,
hhltr en'
irriientereepted'; but the lusher eninitiets of imorma-
tiou, those journals, . NeWsisapers, and °their periodical
Publications,whuse supplies, though 11th V ithial ly scanty, are
as essential as those ut 'nooks tea .river, have born altogether
edit oft; or polluted at their very Source. There is no voice
left upon the Comment to tell thee;-tole of universal_ sub-
jugation, or bequeetii to posterity alts legacy.. of fetribn.
lion.
In such emergency, it is fortunate, not for-England only,
but for the world, that there never Wili A petitAt of our. ilt4.-
tory, when kitowledge was so widely diffused,. learning so
highly honoured, and literary merit su much fostered
and caressed. We would willingly, in circulustairces so
honorable to Brice it, trace an olliell or the future political
regeneration of Europe, I 1 the love ut knowledge, .else.
where damped or extinguishetl, glows :wrong us with a
brilliance more dazzling as more condensed, let us trust that
it is preserved by the wisdom of Providerice for the future
exigencies of the universe. The Greeke, after the Persian
iuvation, decreed, that their household tires, polluted by the
Darbartaos should be rekindled by a !mann trout the altar of
Apollo. 'I t may not be too proud, or too presumptuous 4
hope, that our Island is destined; unis day to be the Delphos,
where Nations, whose colleges end shrines have been eon.
laminated by a yet Inure cruel, bruause a more systematic
tyranny, shall repair to obtain a spark of te-illuininatioia.
Where, indeed, Unless in . the 2rulats of ilritalit; can future
Histortans deeive materials lof the', history of this event,
NJ period ? It must not then be wondered at, that at
such A tints, and with such a prospect, each, even the
feeblest among us, should proffer tne exercise ut his ritleutS,
where likely to be attended wall the slightest advantage to
to the Cause of Britisti History i and it is under these im-
presions, that the Editor 'otters to the Public the present
r lap,couscious,that while his task is humble and unostenta-
Cirrus, the execution cannot be considered as useless or unim-
portant.
in assuming, for his periodical Work, trio title of The
EDINISUR.GIi ANNUAL REGISTER; the Editor is sen-
sible that he luaus himself with edditiotud testi...suability.
The Metropolis of Scotland has been long a mignty name in
the annals at Literature, though, penults, never more
universally honoured than in the present day. The Editor
dares not hope that his _el:Earn:can add to its tattle ; yet,
should he be able to carry into edict the Plan now sub-
mitted to the Public, he trusts Tins EDINBURGH AN-
NUAL' REGISTER will be no discredit to the City
where it is published, and whence-it derives its mune.
1. TheHl STO It YofEUIt 0 e E, tar the ystar aeli, will
far-citny the first General Division of the. propoiNt Register.
!flit Editor is aware of this peculiar diffkulttes.attending the
komposttion of such Annals; the entcherathin of which May
shew, that he has carefully considered the suojetl, and is pre.
pared to crainhat, it not to overcoLile them.
This requisites demtuided fur the composition of gene' ral and
of periodical History, do sot, perhaps, greatly Oilier. A sacred
veneretion•fur truth; a patient research through dubious and
inutradictory authorities; a lucid arrangement of the materials
so peitittiliy collected ; a judicious selection, generalizing de-
tails, yet 'retaining every cireuitistaoce 0%41,4i:41'61re of the
ACturs and of the age ; a style, emirbabe and dignified in the
'narration of iaiportant events, conose in the less iiiterrsthkg
pessages, but ilatural, clear, and untitheicti throngli the
whole; these requisites are its peremptority demanded from
him who compiles the Annals or a Year, as from the Hist°-
, ri.in ut a Hundred Centuries. Ur, if tome abdernent be made
in favcaur of the humbler Labourer, it will liardly.be found
to counterbalance his disadvantages. The Materials or the
Historian maj, indeed beoot difficult access, ordulniutsautlio.
rity, meagre in amount, obscure in purport, 411(1 irteconcile..
able wan each other. But there are subbtatoteS tor thew. de.
fieietteice. Tiind to wheel, to systematize, tocoilater and to
arrange his materials, is at the Writer's command ; minl,..
where industry is totally unsuccesslul, he poSseeses, or at
least often claims, the right of exerentint; ingenuity and con.
jecture, The scantiness of Facts may be la wi ti i. y supplied
oy Hypothesis, provided the Author can make tbusti winch
he possessee hang together, and depend upon each other. If
que. yoi ulna *triities him with the Comineneenwrit of a War,
and another Authority with its Terulalatiou, the space be-
tween may besafely tilled with conjettures, which cannot be
easily refuted, if acconimodated to the admitted events. Tile
Historian may thus throW an arch over a gap is ftli A uthuri.
tics, tor he Itas Fiala 00 Which to 14414 tee Abutments at
eirett extremity. But the Annalist has no such heelless. His
conjectures rather resemble the bridge in the Vision of „Mir..
la ; one end, indeed, fixed and vistule, but the other lost in
the c.outis and darkness of futurity. Even while he writes,
the passing hour may give the lie to his theury ere it is illy
upon the tuner ; and, should he venture, at propnecy, lie will
do well previously to insure the MIL of iiiviraltoll. Of the
quantity of. his Materials, the Annalist has IfltiCed tittle lea-
liOti, to coutplaio ; bur, in value, they are la Ulterior to those
el the Histurian. Authentic; Documents, and original State
Papers.,:Catt only be recovered tater the lapse of pilerathlili,"
And their place is but poorly supplied oy contemporaneous
reports grounded *A frequently oft wilful taiselioottlin popular
view :whoa. Tito superabundance of such eptlcineral and
apocryphal Materials chemises the Dinh:tithes 41'44100w
totitt.htietury A titi,,r ilr.-i, ah,l it,hibles chow liceithar to the
.4i 16,1/4. frosts the sihothyss ot that:. fistioittcd for itelett_oii„
cotiativii, anti arrant,-::incht. It were to be weeder.! that ,41;q
evil stopped frea-e. nut, although the HiStOriiitt liiiftelfrititht
to beware tiow he yields to the seduetion of Theory, or of
Prejudice, the dangeritiorn Stich Ptcpusessioni ii Ctiliatti!ett in
a more iterate...ink: tie,eree to him, whose narriastvesompre.
Unite only the passuig events of Itie own times, The Pre.
.lielices of the locitter ate those of a winery sitotiat, Peculiar
to himself, and whic.ii caller the Counsel of friends, or the
VA:Le at candid Criticism, nay enable him to correct, lint
the Coinaeion of Party .teelieg is Out colltliied to Mc .min.
ilst'it own ,rouht; it is above, about, tined at-maid hint ;he
tiVathcs itt an 11114t0 irtillOspbere ; find IS weer Woe* to
111 S, erre, s, s..4acely mote by the factious applause ut fil,
I, (tends, wait by We no less-tedious oppositioreot his *leer.
*4:14,
YIA these various disadvantages, though formidable; are
need
,npereble; they may be las:Anted, it not totally' over..
riot-:: bcitilloilit° sitteutione and the :Issas tati‘e of
,juritinutis
541d.1 Il.informed f riends, May eienale the 'z rinahlit to vitt
has eittrial,-anal to digest them itt an order, which though i.c.ziot loirdi) u,.; es petted to exhiou the i'hilosuptrifOr lint-
wet, rosy p,,,:11r. in a I:unite:led awl systematized tentative,
the leas, win, li balk been given to the Public-in insulated
altoshridua A l iti.ulattty. "I'lw advantage of such content-
114— citteou.; ilistory 'will he h.....istily appreciated,. welch .raj at.
tolpt, wittitA,“ its assistance, to recall. to IllerigOry the 1, yews •
cis` our own nine. Such aihl so tapici leas been their twist-
Hon, and so frequently hive the inmortaiit NeVis of Yester.;
day been lost and merged ut the yet more MOllleittoti3 I ttrel It:
Once of Vo-ilaY, diet' the ttonfwed, dark, and indistinct int-
pre6lilott 'iq'as s Wiwi tots' as the cloud that has drifted to he. ward a tier discliargirik its, fintri.le rs, To this may be added;
that, irciii tee abrupt titoOtio %villa Esti el ligence is cOrrlrrloa,
niefc(f through Ili,: c.teaolliffs ~,r Ga4ctles land NCWltikaptrs',
irtfi OUCII ‘iAtf,:ult, or ilittpoUitfie, to trace Events to their.
otitteet!iittCauses. Thallbstorice; part or 'Elec. I'4 Ice fst sa
wall at ot,ti have the advantage tit recalling the *vents ni the
Past Fear to tilt: Aietlioiy, aria (Stittat:we their Progress, hear-
iiit,i, aiia vele‘uulicieli. "So edger. shrill be vxrett tovocor.
a, .