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State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THER MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from June 1ft to 30th, within one mile of the Castle of Edinburgh.

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THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR

LITERARY MISCELLANY,

FOR JUNE 1796.

ANECDOTES OF PERSONS CONNECTED WITH THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

TE

MARAT,

[FROM THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE.]

ERMED by Dumourier, the Medufa's head of the Revolution, and whofe brutal wishes, and barbarous actions, have been eminent ly differviceable to the cause of liberty, throughout Europe, was not, as is generally imagined, a Frenchman. He was born at Neufchatel, the fovereignty of which, ever fince the diet of 1707, has appertained to the houfe of Brandenburg. He was therefore a Pruffian.

It is well known, that he was a coward, who could fpeak daggers, but not use them," yet it is not of fuch general notoriety, that his

hideous countenance was the exact counterpart of his heart. His body was placed in the French pantheon; for under the monarchy of Robe fpierre, Marat was a god! It has fince been removed to a more obfcure fituation, and his character is now july odious in France. To the Royalists and Girondifts, this man was equally deteftable; and the former, as ufual, expreffed their joy, by means of puns, &c. immediately after his death.-Here follow two of them:

Le Ciel, dans fa Miféricorde,
Comme il le meritoit, vient de traiter
Marat;

Car quoique affaffine, ce lache fcelerat
Vit finir fes jours par LA CORDE.

Ci-git Marat, cet infigne affaffin,
Le chef ardent des Patriotes,
Qui reçut fa mort dans fon bain,
Et parlant, mourut Sans-Culottes.
MESDAMES,

The aunts of Louis XVI. were the first of the royal family that took the alarm, and emigrated from France. Belle Vue, the villa, or rather palace, in which they refided, was one of the most beautiful in the kingdom, being built by their father, Louis XV. for one of his many miftreffes. It is fituated on a rifing ground, between Seve and Meudon, near the great road leading from Paris to Verfailles; the river Seine winds along the bottom of the hill, and by its ferpentine courfe, feems as if defrous to linger in fo charming a neighbourhood. The building was erected by one of the most celebrated architects of that day; the marble bufts and bas-reliefs, were cut by the chiffel of Couflon; the ftatues, by Adam and Falconet; the paintings are by Vanloo; and as to the gardens, they were laid out by M. de Life, the Capability Brown of France.

It was here that Pompadour, re velling in the wealth of plundered provinces,

3 F 2

provinces, prefided over the revels of Comus, and endeavoured to vary the pleafures, and alfo to diffipate the fatiety of her royal lover. At one time, he would furprile him with a theatrical exhibition, in which fhe appeared as Venus, while he was the favoured Adonis of the drama: at another, by a kind of candle-light entertainment, on the recovery of his fon, in which an illuminated dolphin, by a happy pan, reprefented the heir apparent of the monarchy; certain fiery monsters, his late difeafe; and an Apollo, with a torch in his hand, the god of phyfic, by whofe intervention he was recovered.

On the acceffion of Louis XVI. the daughters of the former monarch were allowed to occupy this enchant ing fpot, formerly the refidence of a father's mistress, and the fcene of their expenfive gallantries. Unlike that father, in every thing but in good-nature, they were conftantly at the feet of their confeffor, or at their crucifix; and the fpot which had fo often blushed with the debauchery of its former, now edified the pious, by the devotion of the prefent owners.

At the approach of the form, they repaired to the centre of cathalicifm for fhelter, and now fhare at Rome the benedictions of the Pope, the prayers of the Abbé Maruy, lately made a bishop, by Pius VI. and the palace of Cardinal Bernis, heretofore ambaffador from France to the Holy See.

Good, charitable, pious, perhaps to excefs, they, in character, exhibit a clofe affinity to their amiable mother, the daughter of the unfortunate Staniflaus, king of Poland-there is a family likeness, even in their miffortunes!

THE DIRECTOR CARNOT. On the refignation of the Abbé Sieyes, who, on that occafion, gave an unequivocal teflimony of his dif

interestedness, Carnot was elected almost unanimously, to a feat in the directory.

He was, originally, an officer; and having enjoyed a good education, and being attached to mathematical purfuits, he entered into the corps of engineers, in which, however, he never attained any high rank.

The Revolution, by fubftituting genius in the room of birth and intrigue, gave full fcope to the talents of Carnot; and he has effentially ferved his country, under all the forms of government, and all the ebullitions of party, to which it has been fubjected; in this inftance, perhaps, following the opinion of a great English Admiral, who acted both under Cromwell and the commonwealth, and was accustomed to fay, that it was the chief business of a good citizen," to keep foreigners from fooling us."

On the execution of Robespierre, and the profcription of his party, when the convention, after giving orders to arrest feveral of its members, who were Jacobins, came to him, they all exclaimed, "He has organized victory, let him perfevere in his exertions in favour of his native country!" This, at fuch a moment, was the greatest of all poffible com pliments.

To the exertions of this individual, the conqueft of Holland and Auftrian Flanders, the victories in Spain, and the almoft uninterrupted feries of fucceffes in Italy, have been attributed. The late brilliant, but deftructive paffage of the Rhine, occurred at a period when he was out of favour; on refuming his power and popularity, he repaired the mifcarriages of lefs enterprising men and fuch feem to have been either

his powers, or his good fortune, that he has, in a manner, chained victory to the chariot wheel of France.

Under him, Pichegru and Jourdan were little better than mere

agents.

Anecdotes of Perfons connected with the French Revolution. 411 ·

agents. They, indeed, executed vaft plans, but they were firft conceived by Carnot; who, fitting in a committee at Paris, with the elder Rochambeau and a few more able inen, directed the movements in the Palatinate, the United Provinces, and Flanders, Louvois attempted to do the fame thing, during the reign of Louis XVI. and failed. It is the property of fuperior talents, undifmayed by inefficient examples, to fucceed.

Carnot is a man of a good family; but yet he detefts the claims built upon pedigree. When he entered into the engineers, thofe of noble defcent only were eligible, He has lived to fee different times, and to patronize one of the greatest generals France ever poffeffed, whom he drew from a fubordinate fituation, to carry his theories into practice.

He voted for the death of Louis XVI. as did all the prefent directory, one only excepted; who, however, tranfmitted a letter of adhesion to the fentence, and lamented that his miffion prevented him from giving it vi

va voce.

Madame la Fayette,

This lady, the wife of a man, whofe history is blended with two important revolutions, was a Marchionefs before the late changes in France; the family name of her husband was alfo both spelled and pronounced differently, being then De la Fayette; but the de being a mark of nobility, as having a feudal allufion, (the French term it a momme de terre,) it was, of courfe, omitted on the extinction of titles.

Madame la Fayette is an eminent inftance of the inftability of greatnefs, the mutability of fortune, and the inefficacy of wealth. Defcended from an ancient lineage, united to an amiable and illuftrious hufband, who poffeffed eftates in Europe, A.

erica, and the West Indies; fhe,

nevertheless, has not been exempted from the most bitter calamities that can afflict fuffering humanity.

When la Fayette refifted the commands of the fole remaining legiti mate power in France, his "widowed wife" was arrested. Under the defpotifm of Robespierre, fhe escaped death only by a miracle, (part of her family was actually immolated to his vengeance,) but what to fome will appear more terrible, fhe experienced an unremitting captivity of fifteen months, during which, the suf. fered all the horrors of a close confinement, being immurred within four walls, fubjected to a fcanty and precarious diet, fecluded from her children, and prohibited even from the light of heaven.

On the death of the tyrant, the voice of humanity was once more heard, and she was liberated, and reftored to the arms of her afflicted daughters. But he was a wife as well as a mother! and her beloved hufband was ftill in bondage; for he who had endeavoured to avert the execution of Louis XVI. (fuch is the gratitude of courts,) was Ianguishing in an Austrian prifon!

She accordingly repaired to Hamburgh, accompanied by her children only, for fhe had not wealth fufficient to hire a fingle domeftic, and fhe poffeffes a lofty fenfe of independence, which taught her to reject pecuniary affiftance, even from her few remaining friends. As foon as her health was a little restored, fhe pofted to Vienna, and proftrated herself at the feet of the Emperor.

Francis III. is in the flower of his youth. The chilling hand of age has not yet rendered him morofe; and furely victory cannot have blunted his feelings, and made him at once haughty and infenfible! No! no! there is not a prince of this house, from the obfcure Count de Hapfburg, of a former period, to the late powerful tenant of the Imperial diadem, who

has

has had more occafion to End and to ftrophe that enfued, this officer re. feel that he is a man.

Weeping beauty did not fupplicate, in vain, the German monarch raifed her from her lowly posture, and promised better days. With his permiffion the flew on the wings of affection, and ftrengthened by conju. gal love, knocked at the gate of the fortress that confined her dearly beloved husband, whofe fpeedy deliverance (vain idea!) the hoped inftant ly to announce.

The maffive bolts of the dungeon give way, the grating hinges of the iron doors pierce the ears; the and her virgin daughters are eyed, fearch, ed, rifled, by an odious and horrible goaler; and thofe, who but a moment before, deemed themselves da liverers, now find themselves captives!

Reclining in the bottom of thy dungeon, these tears cannot be feen, thefe fighs cannot be heard, nor can the quick decay of youth and beauty, cankered in the bloom, and dif. folving amidst the horrors of a German prifon, be contemplated. But the heart of fympathy throbs for you, ye lovely mourners; the indignation of mankind is aroufed; the prefent age hudders at your unmerited fuf. ferings; and pofterity will thed a generous tear at their recital. Anguish may not yet rend the bofoms of your perfecutors, but a dreadful futurity awaits them, and, were it poffible to efcape the fcourge of offended heaven, they will yet experience all the vengeance of indignant hiftory!

The ci-devant Count de

This nobleman was one of Louis XVI's. Aids-de-camp, and remained in the Thuilleries during the attack of the palace, converted into a fortrefs by that part of the nobleffe which had not emigrated, but remained rmly attached to what they deemed their intereft, and, perhaps, their duty. After the melancholy cata.

paired to England, where he expected to be received with open arms; but he now execrates the day that he left his native country. When all his Louis d'ors were expended, he endeavoured to procure fubfiftence by means of his pen; but failed, as he was entirely ignorant of our venacular tongue, and his own is not fo generally understood in this country, as to reward a French author for his labours.

I met him one day, merry as usual, and to the full as jocular as ever, refpecting his own misfortunes; but yet there was an air of chagrin in his countenance,a fqualidness in his looks, and a degree of negligence, if not mifery, in his dress, that betokened indigence. After a few minutes converfation, I learned, that my furmifes were but too true; for he told me frankly, that being reduced in point of circumftances, and having a turn for mechanics from his early youth, he was determined to convert his former attachment into a trade, and gain his livelihood by the faw and the plane. On expreffing my furprife, he affured me that he did not blush at fuch a fituation, but, on the contrary, took credit to himself for his refolution of living independent of his friends, "But by what means are you to fecure this independence?" Loyalement, comme un charpentier !" And on faying fo, he folicited to be employed by me. I refpect the misfortunes of a man whom I efteem, while I differ with him in opinion; the forrows, even of an enemy, ought to be held facred; and I poffefs too much delicacy, ta mention the name of a nobleman, who has become the victim of a blind attachment to royalty.

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The Count de is not the only perfon of rank and family who has been reduced to the most humiliating fituation, in confequence of a fimilar partiality. A ci-devant duke

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