"He was not a desperate adventurer, whose embarrassed affairs at home deprived him of the means of enjoying life, and therefore was willing to risk all under a selfish hope of bettering his own private condition. He was born to a princely fortune. He was surrounded by relatives and friends, and had been blessed even thus early in life with conjugal love. He bid adieu to his native land, to relatives and friends, and to the tender and interesting partner of his bosom; to all the pleasures and amusements which were presented to him in the gay regions and vine-covered hills of France," to join in the glorious contest for liberty in the colonies of America. He offered us his money and his blood to aid us.He expended at one time $10,000 for clothing our naked and suffering troops.*

66

"He served without compensation."

The foregoing memoirs of Lafayette contain only some of the principal events of his life. To many readers the following incidents in his career of glory may be perused with satisfaction.

They are transcribed, and abridged from the Biographie des Hommes Vivants.-The work is not one remarkable for its partiality to men of liberal principles, yet the article is, we think, the most satisfactory of any biographic al notice of him we have seen. The parts of the article which we have not translated, are in general the reflections of the author, which are not very material, and are omitted merely to shorten the article.

"MARIE-PAUL-JOSEPH-ROCH-YVES-GILBERT-MOTTIERS DE LAFAYETTE, was born in Auvergne, September 6th, 1757, of one of the most ancient families of that province.-He married in 1774 Mademoiselle de Noailles, daughter of the Duke d'Ayen, Captain of the body guard. At that time he was in possession of a considerable fortune.

*At a fire, which happened in Boston on the 24th of April 1784, which consumed one hundred buildings--among which was the meeting house in Hollis Street, the General gave for the relief of the sufferers 1554 dollars.

Before the intention which had been formed by Louis XVI. to assist the Americans, was known, Lafayette privately equipped a vessel, which was filled with arms, and escaping the vigilance which watched him, sailed to America. There he served, first merely as a volunteer in the revolutionary army, without any design except that of gaining distinction as a soldier. Rochambeau, who was despatched to that country at the head of a body of French auxiliaries, having observed his courage and activity, gave him the command of a corps of volunteers, who joining themselves to the inhabitants, contributed much to the success of the American revolution.

During this struggle the young Lafayette signalized himself in so brilliant a manner that he became the friend of the illustrious Washington. Independence being established, he returned to France with the office of Field-Marshal, loaded with testimonials of gratitude from the Americans, and filled with sentiments of liberty which the success of that people, and their republican deliberations had given rise to in his mind. He was received at Paris with a sort of enthusiasm. Nothing was talked of but Lafayette, his glory was every where sounded, and his portrait was every where to be seen. At the convocation of the States General he was chosen deputy to that assembly, without opposition, by the nobility of Auvergne, and he came there supported by the public opinion. At that time a constitution was called for on all sides. M. de Lafayette, who afterwards placed himself in the first rank in constitutional enterprises, did not speak on this occasion. He continued to sit with the majority of the nobility in their own chamber, until the 27th of June, when the King, alarmed by the boldness of the revolutionists, commanded that order to unite to the two others. Lafayette protested with the majority of his order, July 3d, 1789, against every thing which was done contrary to the principles of the monarchy, and the individual rights of the orders-and he even demanded that an act should be passed by the chamber as

well as his colleagues of the Auvergne nobility, declaring that they had done all in their power to support the system of voting by orders. It is certain that it was not until all these efforts had proved fruitless, that he determined to join the National Assembly. As its mandates were imperative, he would not take part in its deliberations until he had obtained from his constituents new powers in which this clause was not stipulated.He demanded leave of absence in order to solicit this, and it was not until his return that he 'began his revolutionary career.

On the 11th of July 1789, he proposed a declaration of rights, which was much applauded. It was in moving this declaration that he made the remark, that when tyranny is at its height, insurrection becomes the most holy of duties. The sitting of July 11, drew the public attention still more upon Lafayette, and from this day may be dated the immense power which he acquired.— At this period the Court was making military prepara

tions which seemed to announce the intention of dissolving the Assembly by force. The evening of July 12, a violent insurrection broke out in the capital, which had for pretence the dismissal of M. Necker. The 13th, Lally Tolendale and Mourrier passed a decree that the public debt was put under the guardianship of the honor and loyalty of the French. Lafayette obtained an addition to this decision, that the ministers who are to be appointed by the king were, as well as all civil and military agents, responsible for any undertaking contrary to the rights of the nation, and the decrees of the na tional assembly. After this deliberation, which was had very late, the assembly continued to sit all night, M. Lafayette presiding over over it, in the place of M. Le Franc-de-Pampignan, Archbishop of Vienne, who on account of his extreme age could not fill an office so fatiguing. July 15th, he was chosen by the Comn une of Paris, Commander of the Parisian Militia, which was almost immediately after called the National

guard. The young general accepted this nomination, and drawing his sword, made a vow to sacrifice his life to the preservation of that precious liberty the defence of which they had entrusted to him. Every thing was then in trouble and confusion; not only those who had nothing to lose, but those who had much, helped to keep the state of disorder.

up

Cries of

Notwithstanding his extreme popularity, he was not able to save Foulon, whom he had taken under his protection. October 5, a new insurrection having broken out, the French Guards appeared again in the front of it, and summoned their general to lead them to Versailles, not to ask for bread, like the women by whom they were surrounded, but to revenge themselves, as they said, for the insults which had been offered to the cockade and to the national colors. M. Lafayette endeavored in vain to turn them from their project. He repaired to the square, mounted his horse, placed himself at their head and harangued them, but without success. to Versailles, to Versailles, interrupted him, he could not make himself heard. At last he told them that being only head of the armed force, he could not act without orders from the representatives of the commune. The latter immediately sent an order for him to go to Versailles. The populace no sooner learned this decision than they set forward, and began the disorders at Versailles before the national guard could be re-assembled. This body arrived about eleven in the evening, commanded by Lafayette, who ordered all the posts to be occupied. Thinking there was nothing to fear, he went to take some repose, having assured the king and queen that tranquillity was restored. But at six in the morning, the castle was attacked by the mob, who had introduced themselves through the gardens. Three body guards were murdered, and the queen, forced to fly half dressed, was near being assassinated in her bed. Lafayette, awoke by the general noise, and the cries of the multitude, arrived at last, placed himself at the head of the grenadiers, and expelled from the castle the ruffians

who had introduced themselves into it. Fifteen of the body guard, whom they were about to murder, were saved. But this was the day, when Louis XVI. yielding to the cries of the populace, went to Paris with his family-and from that time his power ceased.

A few days after, Lafayette, in a very animated conference which he had with the Duke of Orleans, gave him to understand that his name formed the pretext for all the disorder, and that it was necessary he should leave the kingdom for some time. A pretended mission was given to this prince, and he went to England. From this period, to the departure of the king, no great crimes were committed in Paris, although the agitation was extreme. One individual had been seized by the mob, and they had already suspended him to a lamp post, when the commandant general hastened to the spot, and himself cut the cord, and saved the unhappy man.

But M.

Lafayette's greatest triumph is the period of the federa tion, July 14, 1790. It was on that day that he received the general command of the national guard of France. All these national guards and the troops of the line, met by deputation in the Champ de Mars, and swore in presence of the king and the assembly to maintain a constitution, which did not yet exist. The eyes of all France were turned on the commandant general of the national guard. Surrounded with the homage of the whole army, he was really the master of the kingdom, and his power was immense. The minds of the people were then in the greatest agitation; every where insurrections were ready to break out, which caused the apprehension that a general overturn would take place. M. Lafayette succeeded for a long time in restraining them. The active service in which he was engaged prevented his sharing in many of the deliberations, but he voted for all the important innovations, such as trial by jury, the civil and political rights of people of color, although not for the immediate abolition of slavery, as some biographers have asserted. He wished, with Mirabeau, whose life