cause of his country, and of the human race. He purfued the nobleft ends by the nobleft means: the dignity and happiness of mankind, by fublime genius and heroic courage.

The moft diftinguished characters, in many inftances, have been found to have derived the enthufiafm that prompted them to undertake and perfevere in the execution of great defigns from an admiration of other illuftrious cha racters, which infpired a defire of imitation. Achilles emulated Bacchus: Alexander, Achilles: Julius Cæfar, Alexander; and Frederick II. of Pruffia, with other heroes, Julius Cæfar. So too, Charles XII. of Sweden had Quintus Curtius, in his earlieft youth, always in his hands, and had learned his ftories of Alexander by heart. In like manner Guftavus III. the late king of Sweden, was inflamed with a love of glory, by contemplating the actions of both his paternal and maternal ancestors; particularly of Guftavus Vafa and Guftavus Adolphus, and of the renowned Pruffian monarch, who was his uncle. If general Washington was roufed to any grandeur of defign, or, in his publie conduct, political and military, had any model of imitation, it feems to have been king William III. prince of Orange, and king of England. The ground on which we hazard this conjecture is, his admiration frequently expreffed of that great prince, both in his letters and in private converfation, compared with the tenor of his own actions. The caules and circumfiances in which they were both engaged were fimilar: their conduct alfo fimilar. The prince main tained the independence of his countrymen, in oppofition to the

mighty power of France: the ge neral maintained the independence of his countrymen, in oppofition to that of England: both were remarkable for coolnefs and caution; but remarkable alfo for firmnefs and intrepidity, under every circumftance of danger, and every critical moment of action. They never fhunned a decifive engagement from any other motive than that of prudence: nor were they wifer in council than brave in the field; though their final fuccefs was more owing to judicious retreat, and renewed preparations for actions, than to daring impetuofity. The character given to the pretender, in 1745, and ap plied to general Washington in his familiar letters to general Mercer, may, with equal propriety, be applied both to king William and to himself. They were the most cautious men in the world, not to be cowards; and the braveft, not to be rafh. It may be added, that their fortitude, in the eye of true moral criticifm, fhone forth with greater fplendour, when veiled in the garb of caution, than when confeffed to the eyes of all, and covered with duft and blood in the field of battle.

In

There is an active fortitude, and their is a paffive fortitude: the latter not certainly lefs, but in fome refpects fuperior to the former. the conflict and agitation of danger, quickly to be over, or quickly to spend its utmoft fury, the mind of the patriot and hero is awakened by an excitement of his fpirits, and the attention and fympathy of all around him. In the calms of torpid filence, nay, and under the chilling blafts of reproach, whilft he ftill retains his unflaken purpose, the eclat of his virtue is lefs, but the proof of its conftancy greater: greater in

the

the inverfe ratio of the magnitude of the difficulties and dangers to be overcome, to the indifference with which they are regarded. It is the firmnefs of both the heroes that forms the fubject of this brief parallel, after their retreats under innumerable difadvantages and hardfhips, that, in the whole of their character, is the juft object of the greatest admiration.

There was allo a ftriking coincidence, not only between the circumftances and fituation and the public conduct of these great men, political and military, but allo, in fome points, between their natural tempers and difpofitions: particularly in an habitual taciturnity and referve. A degree of taciturnity is, indeed, infeparable from a mind intent on great and complicated defigns. Minds deeply occupied in the contemplation of great ends, and the means neceffary for their accomplishment, have as little leifure as inclination either to entertain others with their converfation, or to be entertained by them. Moft great men, when profoundly engaged in important affairs, are remarkably filent. Buonaparte, though naturally affable, in the midft of thofe circumftances of unprecedented novelty, complication, and alarm, in which it has been his deftiny to be placed, is, on the whole, referved and filent. Henry IV. of France, though naturally affable, humourous, and facetious, became thoughtful and filent, when he found himfelf involved in projects of great difficulty as well as importance.

It is not by a multiplicity of words and common-place compliments that men attain an afcendency over the minds of other men; but by the weight of their character and the

foundnefs of their judgement, which readily difcerns certain common interefts' and paflions, that tend to unite men in common fympathies and common purfaits. It was a common and friking trait in the characters of both king William II. and general Washington, that they both poffcffed the happy art of reconciling and uniting various difcordant parties in the profecution of common objects.

But every parallel is foon terminated, by the wonderful diverfity which characterizes every individual of the human race. Washington had no favourites, but was warm in his affections to his own family and near relatives: William was not a little addicted to favouritifm; but cold and indifferent to the fincere attachment and devotion of his queen: a princefs, by whofe right he was raifed to a throne, and a partner worthy any fovereign prince, for every accomplishment of mind and perfon. The calm, deliberate, and folid character of general Wathington did not exclude a turn to contrivance and invention. He was judicious, not dull; ingenious, not chimerical. In this refpect, his talents and turn, like his virtues, were carried to the line beyond which they would have ceafed to be talents and virtues, and no farther. He knew how to diftinguish difficulties from impoffibilities, and what was within the bounds of human power, in given fituations, from the extravagancies of a heated and bold imagination. He was neither terrified by danger, nor feduced by repofe, from embracing the proper moment for action. He was mo deft, without diffidence; fenfible to the voice of fame, without vanity; independent and dignified, without

pride.

pride. He was a friend to liberty, not licentiounefs: not to the abfractions of philofophers, but to thofe ideas of well-regulated freedom, which the ancestors of the Americans had carried with them from England, and confirmed by the revolution towards the end of the eighteen century. On thofe principles he fought and conquered; conquered—but not for himfelf. He was a Hannibal, as well as Fabius; a Cromwell, without his ambition; a Sylla, without his crimes.

As the children of men, in youth or the vigour of manhood, are more healthful and vigourous than thofe in the decline of life, to general Washington defcended and formed, by the fpirit of England, in the pureft and most flourishing period of English freedom, poffelled a jufter and higher fpirit of liberty than what might, probably, have been bred by an emigration in the prefent times. When we reflect on the conteft between monarchial power, on the one hand, and the fpirit of infubordination, on the other,which, at the prefent moment, divide Europe, we fhall find reafon to congratulate mankind, that the example of a happy medium between both has been fet, and is likely to be more and more enforced, by the growing profperity of America. In this view, general Washington appears in the light of another Noah; the pilot, who, failing in the middle, between the dangers of Sylla and Charybdis, guided the ark that faved the human race from ruin.

The French agents, Adet, Fauchet, Genet, and Dupont, had been fent out, to the American ftates, in the

character of envoys; but, in reality, as firebrands of difcord and fedition. The grand object of their miffion was, that the French republic' should acquire fuch an influence and afcendency in North America, as she already poffeffed in Venice, Genoa, and the Swifs cantons: to divide the North Americans into two great political parties, or rather governments; to play the nothern states, where the French intereft preponderated, against the fouthern; to weaken, and fo to obtain an influence and authority over the whole. As the patriotifm, prudence, and firmnefs of general Washington had contributed fo largely to fnatch his country from the grafp of the British legitlature, fo now they contributed equally to fave it from a connection and fubordination, ftill more to be dreaded, with the French republic.

The magnitude of the danger, from which general Washington, before his refignation of the prefidency, faved his country, will fufficiently appear from the mention of one circumftance, that Mr. John Adams, the vice-prefident of the congrefs, the intimate and confidential friend of general Washington, and, in every refpect, worthy of fo great an honour, was chofen his fucceffor, by a majority of only three votes above the number that appeared for Mr. Jefferies, who, was at the head of the French party: which paffed on the 8th of February, 1797. It may also be obferved, to the fame end, that the treaty for an amicable and commercial intercourfe between Great Britain and North America, was ratified only by the prefident's cafting vote.

CHRONICLE.

4th. Dublin.

JANUARY.

L

AST night, the houfe of Caleb Harman, efq. in the county of Longford, was attacked by a numerous party of Defenders, who demanded a furrender of all the arms in the house; but, on Mr. Harman's refufing to comply with this demand, they determined to carry their purpose by affault, and with fome difficulty forced open the doors. Mr. Har-, man at the head of his domeftics, endeavouring to repel the affailants, was fired upon and received the contents of a blunderbufs loaded with flugs in his abdomen, and in confequence of his wounds, died, this morning. Several of the domeftics were also feverely wound-, ed; and the defenders having effectually fucceeded in obtaining all the arms in the house, retreated in triumph. Eleven out of the twelve ruffians who affaffinated Mr. Harman have been taken, and are in Longford gaol; in the number is the perfon who was wounded by Mr. Harman's piftol.

Leith. His royal highness the 6th. count d'Artois, with his fuite, landed here from on board his majefty's frigate Jafon, on the frigate's coming to anchor in the roads, his VOL. XXXVIII.

royal highness was faluted with 21 guns from Leith battery, and with the like number on his landing at Leith, where he was received from the boat by lord Adam Gordon and a part of his fuite, and conducted in his lordship's carriage to an apartment in his majefty's palace of Holyrood-house, fitted up in hafte for his reception; and, as he entered the palace, his royal highnefs was faluted with 21 guns from Edinburgh Caftle. The Wind for Foretters and Hopetoun Fencibles were in readinefs to line the approach to the palace, but, his royal highness chufing to land in a private manner, and with as little ceremony as poffible, that was difpenfed with. The noblemen in his royal highness's fuite followed in carriages provided for that purpose, and were conducted from the outer gate of the palace, by the commander in chief, to their apartments. His royal highnefs and fuite, confifting of a number of French noblemen and gentlemen, dined with lord Adam Gordon.

Between eight and nine 14th. o'clock this day, the pow der mills belonging to Mr. Hill, at Hounflow, owing to the wheels of the mill not being properly fupplied with oil, took fire, and blew up with a dreadful explofion, which not only terrified the inhabitants of the place but alarmed the cities of London and Weftminfter, and the houfes of the people feveral miles round the metropolis experienced the effects of its powerful concuffion; three men who were at work in the manufactory, have loft their lives, and the flames from the mill communicating to a punt in the mill river, in which were 30 barrels of gun. powder, fet fire to the whole, and blew up with a terrible explosion; the man who had the care of the veffel being thattered to pieces, and the boat being blown out of the water. Not a veftige of the mill is left ftanding, and Hounflow heath is covered with bricks and tiles, and the mangled limbs of the unfortunate fufferers. The houfes in Hounflow, fleworth, and even Brentford, have fuffered confiderably; the Crown Inn at Hounflow, and the King's Head at Brentford, have not a whole pane of glafs in the windows; and the inhabitants were fo terrified near the fpot, that they not only forfook

their dwellings, but a number of women, with their children, through fear, appeared half naked in the. ftreets, expecting every moment that their houfes would fall and bury them in the ruins. The feattered limbs of the unfortunate victims, who for the moft part have left large families to lament their lofs by this unforeseen event, were, by order of the magiftrates, collected together and depofited in the church-yard. The lofs of this va luable manufactory is estimated at near 20,000l. The fhock was felt as far north of London as the extre mities of Enfield parith, and South beyond Croydon. A fimilar difafter happened to the fame concern about 20 years ago.

16th.

Vienna. The princess royal of France, Maria Therefa, arrived here on the 9th, a little after fix o'clock in the evening, amidft the loudeft acclamations of crowds of people, who accompanied her carriage as far as the Burg, where his Imperial majefty had caufed a refidence to be prepared for her. Count Colloredo, cabinet minister to the emperor, accompanied her to the place of her refidence from Burkerfdorff, whither he went to welcome her, in the name of his Imperial majefty, as foou as information of her arrival was received. Prince Stahremberg, the principal lord of the bedchamber, on the 10th, went to the reidence of the princefs, and prefented to prince Gavre all the future houfehold fervants, &c. deftined for her ufe. The first who received the French princess royal of France in this capital, were the archdukes and archducheffes. The emperor and emprefs honoured her with a vifit foon after her arrival,

and