-oil. J 



eldest survivingf son of the late Rev, Wil- 

 liam Vidler. This gentleman possessed 

 uncommon strength of mind, not of that 

 description which requires great occasions 

 to call it forth, but uniformly at command 

 and in perpetual action. The same re- 

 marks are equally applicable to his 

 moral qualifications; he was not good 

 by mere starts, hia virtues never sought 

 to render themselves the objects of at- 

 tention, and never were under eclipse. 

 To do rightly in all things, trivial as well 

 as great, was the grand object he kept in 

 view. An undeviating attention to those 

 duties which he considered he owed to 

 others, rendered him too regardless 

 of the preservation of that health which 

 was so inestimable to his family and 

 friends. 



CHRISTOPHE, EMPEROR of HAYTI. 



A more singular character than thi^ 

 mulatto emperor has not appeared in the 

 political world for many centuries. Born a 

 slave on the English island of St. Christo- 

 pher's about the year 17C6 ; he was, on 

 the capture of that island by the French 

 carried to Cape Franyois, and there sold 

 as a slave. His master destined him for 

 his cook, and he was brought up accord- 

 ingly, and is said to have excelled so 

 much in his art, as to have been head 

 cook at one of (he most celebrated taverns 

 at the Cape. The revolution of France, 

 extending- to St. Domingo, Christophe, like 

 his brother blacks, attained his liberty; 

 and, being of an active disposition and 

 cnterprizing spirit, he became a leader, 

 and discovered some military talent, when 

 acting under the celebrated Touissant. 

 The principles of morality were no guides 

 to him, he had a command under general 

 Le Clerc, and betrayed him. He acted 

 under Dessalines, and on his death seized 

 the supreme power, and styled himself 

 Henry, king of Hayti. Had he shewn the 

 same moderation as Petion and Bazed, he 

 might have ruled with honour, and died 

 like the former, universally lamented. 

 But his ferocious disposition caused him 

 to be dreaded, and in the end to perish by 

 his own hand. Like Bonaparte, every thing 

 must be military with him ; he had been 

 well instructed in tactics by the European 

 officers under whom he had served, and 

 the military paths he has established, shew 

 his great judgment. Ou the plains of the 

 Cape he built a delightful retreat, which 

 he called Hans Souci, and a town round 

 it, fortified by bulwarks aud redoubts, 

 which shew he was conscious of the in- 

 stability of his power. 



Yet if any thing could compensate in a 

 king for cruelty, Christophe may be re- 

 garded a-i a sovereign who attended to 



Deaths, and Biographical Remarks, 



93 



the welfare of his subjects. He placed 

 schools on the system of Mr. Lancaster 

 in every town, where male children were 

 taught the French aud English languages, 

 and arithmetic. He administered justice 

 by some excellent regulations, and esta- 

 blished an appeal to his state council. 

 But the great amount of his army shew 

 his military penchant. He kept on foot 

 twenty regiments of infantry, two of ca- 

 valry, a large body of guards most splen- 

 didly accoutred, and a reg-iment of women, 

 called the Amazons, of which his queen 

 was colonel. His court was gay, or rather 

 tawdry. Although possessed of so much 

 power, and so many of the blessings of 

 life, he was conscious that his cruelty had 

 gained him the hatred of many of his 

 subjects, and he began to prepare to en- 

 counter the danger. He kept his army 

 full, and amassed great treasure ; but his 

 repeated acts cf tyranny caused a con- 

 spiracy to be formed against him. On the 

 6th of October the insurrection took place, 

 and he then found that a tyrant cannot 

 depend even on his own army : they de- 

 serted him; he retired to Sans Souci, 

 where, to avoid falling into the hands of 

 his enemies, he did justice on himself. 

 When Bonaparte assumed the title of em- 

 peror, he did the same, and seems to have 

 attempted to imitate him in many other 

 respects. 



The late viscount kirkwell. 



The right honourable John Fitzmaurice, 

 Viscount Kirkwell, was descended by the 

 father's side, from the celebrated Sir W. 

 Petty, being son of the hon. Thomas Fitz- 

 maurice, and brother of the right hon. 

 William, first marquis of Lansdowne ; aud 

 by the mother, from the earls of Orkney, 

 his father having married ftlary Obrien, 

 daughter of Murraugh, marquis of Thomas ; 

 and of Anne, countess of Orkney, in her 

 own right. His lordship, although he has 

 sat in parliament, never took any active 

 part in politics, but usually voted with the 

 administration. His taste was in music, 

 and for him the first apollonicon was built ; 

 the improvements on which instrument 

 has given just fame to the ingenuity of 

 Messrs. Flight and Robson. His lordship 

 married in 1802 Anna Maria Blaquiere, 

 eldest daughter of the first lord Blaquiere, 

 and has issue by her Thomas John Ha 

 milton Fitzniaurice, now lord Kirkwell, 

 and another son. He died Nov. 13, 1820, 

 after a short illness, and at the early ago 

 of 42. 



At Bath, the hon. Agnes York, in the 

 eighty-first year of her age, and after a 

 short illness. She was the second daughter 

 of and co-heiress of Henry Johnson, of 

 Berkhampstead, Esq., and was married to 

 the bon. Charles York, second son of 



Philip 



