438 
to the National Convention a Deputy from 
the Department of the War. He was one 
of the members who voted for the death of 
Louis XVI. In October, 1793, he was sent 
to the South, in conjunction with Ricord 
and Freron ; and, in the violence of his mea-~ 
sures, he fell not short of his colleagues. He 
was at Toulon when that place was deli- 
vered to the English. With difficulty he 
escaped ; and, after fighting his way through 
the party which attacked his carriage at 
Pignan, he embarked at St. Tropez, and 
arrived in the night at Nice. There, in the 
midst of his army, he arrested General 
Brunet, who was accused of having been the 
secret author of the surrender of Toulon. 
Through the precipitate abandonment of the 
place by the British troops, (December 9th, 
1793) the Republicans again obtained pos- 
session of Toulon. The cruelties which 
were exercised towards those of the inhabit- 
ants who had, or were supposed to have par- 
ticipated in delivering the city to the Bri- 
tish, will not soon be forgotten. In those 
eruelties Barras had his full share. In an- 
nouncing the recovery of the city to the 
Convention, he thus expressed himself.— 
“‘ The only honest men I found at Toulon 
were the galley slaves; and,’ he added, 
“ every foreigner is a prisoner, every French- 
man is shot.” 
Robespierre found Barras a sturdy oppo- 
nent; thence he attempted to have him 
arrested, but without effect, for Barras op- 
posed force to force. Robespierre was, at 
that time, meditating a grand proscription. 
Barras united with the members of the 
Committee, who, to avoid the impending 
storm, made a great effort of counteraction. 
By these means he became one of the prin- 
cipal actors in the memorable scenes of the 
27th of July, 1794. He was then named 
Commandant of the armed force, which 
repulsed the troops of Henriot, and seized 
Robespierre. On the following morning he 
resigned the command, and, in a few days 
after, was elected Secretary. On the 23d 
of September he denounced Moyse Bayle, 
and Granet, as the authors of the troubles 
in the South; and he farther accused them 
of being the enemies of Marat. Barras was 
inculpated in his turn, by Granet and Escu- 
dier, as a dilapidator, but was cleared by 
a decree of the Convention. 
On the Ist of April, 1795, the Conven- 
tion was besieged by the people of the sub- 
utbs, vociferating for bread, and the consti- 
tution of 1793. Paris was declared in a 
state of siege, and the command of the 
troops was given to Pichegru. Repeatedly 
in the course of the year Barras was again 
entrusted with the command of the national 
troops ; and it was upon one of those occa- 
sions, that he invited Buonaparte, then a 
young artillery officer, to his aid, and en- 
trusted him with the charge of keeping the 
Parisians in order. In his report, Barras 
ascribed all the honours of his success to 
Buonaparte, and obtained for him the com- 
mand of the Army of the Interior. Buona- 
Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 
LArrit, 
parte, it will be remembered, afterwards 
married Madame Beauharnois,. the mistress 
of Barras. 
For his numerous services, Barras was 
named one of the Five Directors, and thus 
became one of the chiefs of the government. 
By his firmness and spirit, he maintained an 
ascendancy over his colleagues. On the 
2lst of January, 1727, as President of the 
Executive Power, he pronounced, in the 
church of Notre Dame, a discourse on the 
decapitation of Louis XVI. By the 18th 
of Fructidor, he became almost absolute 
master in the Directory ; but, in 1799, find- 
ing that his power had become precarious, 
he entered into a negociation, the object of 
which was to restore the Bourbon dynasty. 
Buonaparte at that time suddenly returned 
from Egypt, and appeared in Paris. In 
that ambitious military adventure, Barras 
found not the steady friend he expected. 
Buonaparte had views of his own; those 
views were hostile to the interests of Barras ; 
and, by the triumph of Buonaparte, the 
Director was hurled from the summit of 
power. 
Barras soon afterwards retired to Brussels, 
where, for many years, he lived in a splen- 
did mansion, and maintained a consider- 
able retinue. In 1805 he obtained permis- 
sion to remove to the South of France ; but, 
being implicated in a plot, in conjunction 
with the English government, to reinstate 
the Bourbons, he was exiled to Rome. 
In 1814, he returned to Paris ; and soon 
afterwards he shewed his attachment to the 
monarchy, by imparting to the Count de 
Blaccas some hints respecting the manceuyres 
of Buonaparte in the Isle of Elba. He also 
made a tender of his services to proceed to 
Naples for the purpose of inducing Murat, 
over whom he considered himself to possess 
some influence, to resign the crown. Louis 
XVIII. deemed it expedient tosend a courier 
previously to the 20th of March, 1818, to 
Barrras, to hasten his arrival in Paris, but 
Buonaparte made so rapid a progress in his 
journey, that he intercepted. the despatch. 
Barras, however, reached Paris in the month ~ 
of May following.. Not accepting any office 
under Buonaparte, he was not rendered ob- 
noxious to the decrees of exile issued on the 
final restoration of the Bourbons ; and, con- 
sequently, he continued to reside in the 
capital until the time of his death, which 
occurred at the latter end of January last. 
Barras’ mind was active and ambitious 5 
and he possessed a boldness of character, 
which, on great occasions, frequently sup- 
plies the want of talents, and a natural wit, 
which as frequently covers the defects of 
education. 
MR. SHIELD. 
William Shield, one of the most cele- 
brated of English composers, was born at 
Swalwell, in the county of Durham, in the 
year 1754. His father, an eminent singing 
master, removed to South Shields soon after 
his birth ; and such was his musical repute, 
