1830.] 



Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



597 



in the arrangement of his African Travels ; 

 and, tracing the route of that gentleman 

 through each clay's journey, and comparing 

 his observations with those of other travel- 

 lers and geographers, he illustrated the work 

 by a most accurate and able map. 



The Major's next great performance his 

 greatest indeed was his Geographical Sys- 

 tem of Herodotus, a production the learn- 

 ing of which was equalled only by its utility. 

 Another work of extraordinary research, cu- 

 riosity, arid interest, was his *' Observations 

 on the Topography of the Plain of Troy." 



We have heard ascribed to Major Rennel 

 the detection of the impudent fraud of Dam- 

 berger's Travels into the Interior of Africa. 

 We happen to know, however, that the cre- 

 dit of that detection was due to Mr. John 

 Giffbrd, the editor of the Antijacobin Review, 

 author of the Life of Pitt, &c. The expo- 

 sure was made in an able and elaborate arti- 

 cle in the Review here mentioned. It is not 

 impossible, however, that Major Rennel and 

 Mr. Gifford might have simultaneously, and 

 without intercourse with each other, have 

 discovered the fraud. 



Major Rennel had several children by his 

 lady. Universally respected and beloved, 

 he, on the 29th of March last, terminated a 

 long and useful life, after many weeks of 

 severe suffering occasioned by the accidental 

 fracture of his thigh. This gentleman's 

 literary and geographical productions are so 

 valuable and important, that we conceive a 

 list of them will prove generally acceptable. 



A Chart of the Bank and Current of Cape 

 LaguUas, 1778 ; =a Bengal Atlas, 1781 ; 

 a Memoir of the Map of Hindostan, or the 

 Mogul's Empire, 1782 ; a Map of Hin- 

 dostan, with a new Memoir, 1788; Me- 

 moir on the Geography of Africa, with an 

 adjoined Map, 1790 ; on the Rate of Tra- 

 velling as performed by Camels, and its Ap- 

 plication, by a Scale, to the purposes of Geo- 

 metry, 1791; the Marches of the British 

 Armies in the Peninsula of India during the 

 Campaigns of 1790 and 1791 ; a Second 

 and Third Memoir on the Geography of 

 Africa, 1798; the Geographical System of 

 Herodotus explained, 1800 ; a Corrected 

 Sheet Map of the Peninsula of India, of the 

 Mysore Country, and the Cessions of 1798, 

 1799, and 1800 ; a Fourth Memoir on 

 African Geography, and a Map of Mr. 

 Horneman's Travels, for the African Asso- 

 ciation ; and Observations on the Topo- 

 graphy of the Plain of Troy. 



COUNT GOUVION ST. CYR. 



Gouvion St. Cyr was born at Toul, in 

 Lorraine, about the year 1760. He entered 

 the army as a volunteer, and soon became an 

 officer ; but in what particular service he 

 was engaged, in the early part of his life, 

 does not appear to be upon record. In 1793, 

 he served in the army of the Alps as Briga- 

 dier General. In that, and in the following 

 year, he attracted much notice by his bra- 



very and talents ; in 1797, he became Ge- 

 neral of Division, and held a command in 

 the army of Moreau; and, in 1798, he took 

 the command in Italy after Massena had 

 been compelled to retire in consequence of 

 an insurrection of the troops. In Italy Ge- 

 neral St. Cyr effected many important re- 

 forms. From what cause does not appear ; 

 but, by some means, he dissatisfied the Di- 

 rectory ; and, in 1799, he was dismissed 

 with other generals. His retirement was 

 but brief ; as, in 1801, he was placed in the 

 council of state ; in March, l03, he was 

 invested with the command of the French 

 army in Italy ; in 1804 he was made Colo- 

 nel General of the Cuirassiers, and Grand 

 Officer of the Legion of Honour; in 1805, 

 under Massena, he made prisoners of 6,000 

 Austrians, led by Jellachich and Rohan ; in 

 1806, he was ordered to take possession of 

 the kingdom of Naples ; and he afterwards 

 joined the grand army in Prussia, and was 

 made Governor of Warsaw. Serving in 

 Spain, he obtained considerable success in 

 Catalonia. In the Russian campaign, after 

 Marshal Oudinot was wounded, he led the 

 army of the centre ; for which service, and 

 for advantages gained over the enemy on va- 

 rious occasions, he was promoted to the rank 

 of Marshal. At the battle of Dresden he 

 bore a distinguished part ; and shortly after- 

 wards, he defeated Count Tolstoy at Plauen. 

 On the retreat of Buonaparte he was left in 

 Dresden, with a force of 16,000 men ; and, 

 after a time, was compelled to surrender. 



Such is a rapid sketch of the military ca- 

 reer of this officer, who is generally allowed 

 to have been one of the best tactitians in the 

 French army. On his return to France, 

 Louis XVIII. created him a peer, and made 

 him a Commander of the Order of Louis. 

 Evidently the King had a good opinion of 

 him, and the justness of that opinion was 

 verified by his subsequent conduct. Marshal 

 St. Cyr remained faithful to the cause of the 

 Bourbons, and narrowly escaped with his 

 life in an attempt to restrain his troops from 

 joining Buonaparte. Nor was Louis un- 

 grateful. When he returned from Ghent, 

 he made him temporary Minister of War, 

 and loaded him with honours. In 1817, he 

 was made Minister of the Naval Depart- 

 ment; and, shortly afterwards, he was re- 

 moved to the head of the War Department. 

 Marshal St. Cyr died at Kieres, in the month 

 of March. 



GENERAL SIR HUGH DALRYMl'LE. 



Sir Hugh Whiteford Dalrymple, Knight 

 and Baronet, of High Mark, in the county 

 of Wigtoun, was the son of John Dal- 

 rymple, Esq., by Mary, daughter of Alexan- 

 der Ross, of Bailkaik, Bart., of North Ber- 

 wick. He was born on the 3rd of Decem- 

 ber, 1750; he entered the military service 

 of his country as an Ensign in 1763; and, 

 after passing through the respective grada- 

 tions of rank, he obtained a Colonelcy, in 



