STUDY VU. 117 



Excellency M. de Villebois *, Grand Mafter of Ar- 

 tillery, and General of the corps of engineers to 

 which I belonged. I obferved that there was 



every 



* Nicolas de Villeboh was a native of Finland, hut defcended 

 from a French family originally from Brittany. In the battle 

 of Francfort, he turned the tide of vi6lory decidedly in favour 

 of Ruflia, by charging the Pruffians at the head of a regiment of 

 fufileersof the artillery, of which he was then Colonel. This 

 aftion, joined to his perfonal merit, procured him the blue rib- 

 bon of St. Andrew, and foon after the place of Grand Mafler 

 of the Ordnance, which he held at the time of my arrival in 

 Rulfia. Though his credit was then on the decline, he procured 

 me an admiflion into the fervice of her Imperial Majefty Ca- 

 tharine II. and did me the honour of prefenting me to her as 

 one of the officers of his corps of engineers. He was making 

 arrangements, in concert with General Daniel de Bofquet, Com- 

 mander in Chief of the corps of engineers, for my farther pro- 

 motion in it. They both employed all their.powersof perfuafion 

 to retain me in that fervice, and endeavoured to render it agree- 

 able by every affecfVionate and polite attention, and by alfurances 

 of an honourable and advantageous eftablifliment. But the love 

 which I bare to my country, in whofe fervice I had previoufly 

 engaged, and to which I Hill wiflied to devote my fervices, a 

 fond wifli, fed with vain hopes, by men of very high character, 

 induced me to perfift in demanding my difmiffion, which I ob- 

 tained, with Captain's rank, in 1765. 



On leaving Ruffia, I made an elFort to ferve my country, at 

 my own expence, by joining that party in Poland which France 

 had efpoufed. There I was expofed to very great rifKS, hav- 

 ing been made prifoner by the Polonefe-Ruffian party. On 

 my return to Paris, I prefentcd memorials refpeftincf tb.e ftate 

 of things in the North, to the Minifter for Foreign Aftairs, in 

 I 3 which 



