4% ANNUAL REGISTER, 7767: 
public mind every remaining at- 
tachment to Chriftianity. Among 
the principal fupporters of thefe 
deftruGtive fyftems, Mr. Howard 
points out the names of Buffon and 
Bailly; the tendency of whofe cof- 
mogonical writings appear fuffici- 
ently to fubftantiate his charge. 
With a zeal worthy of his caufe, he 
dete&s the fallacies of thefe cele- 
brated men, and moft ably employs 
both diftinguifked talents and erudi- 
tion in proving the compatibility of 
the fcriptural narrative with the 
principles of modern philofophy, 
and in cafting additional light on 
the obfeure fraces of ancient chro- 
nology. ‘Each letter is followed 
by explanatory notes; in which he 
brings forward the proofs neceflary 
fer him, ‘either‘to conftite the ar- 
guments of his opponents, or to fup- 
port his own, Thefe' difpiay pro- 
found learning and great ingennity. 
Te make extracts from a work of 
of this nature, is fearcely pofiible, 
within the compafs of thefe pages : 
we mutt therefore take our ieave of 
Ahis powerful advocate for the {crip- 
tural account of the creation of the 
world, with the following fpirited 
account of the rife, progrefs, and 
confequences of the frighiful com- 
bination formed by the'Encyclope- 
difts againft all religion. 
“Mr. Bailly was not only zn aftro- 
nemer of great celebrity, but a very 
eléesant writer. Re was the diftin- 
“guifhied diiciple of ‘Mr. de Buffon, 
‘who, in conjunéhon with Voltaire, 
‘d'Alembert, Condorcet, and others, 
‘was at the head of the whole philo- 
fophic fectand men of wit in France, 
“by whom réal plot had’ been form- 
‘ed, and Was carried ‘on for ferty 
‘years, to root cut‘Chriffiznity. Re- 
ligion of any kind, it feems, fhack- 
led both their inclinations and their 
genius. ‘Each agreed, in his fepa- 
rate department, to contribtite fo 
theglorious work. For many years, 
in France, to be a man of fcience 
or letters was a diftinét profeifion, 
anid a diftinguifhed title, which in- 
troduced the affumer to the fafhion- 
abie circles of profligate nobility, 
and to the tables of ignorant and 
ftill more profligate publicans, fat-' 
tened on the fpoils of the people. 
The ‘luxurious repafts of the rich: 
were not complete without the pre- 
fence of fome of thefe fons of Epi- 
curts. There, amidft their admir- 
ing auditors, dnd a crowd of saping 
valets, they expounded in fallies of 
wit and farcafms on religion, their 
fernicious déétrines, mterlarding 
them with fentimental phrafes of 
philanthropy and humanity. How 
much of thefe was ‘in their hearts, 
they Have fince fully fhewn during 
the fatal reign of ‘their philofophy. 
At 'the houfes of every tadly, young 
or old, whofe ambition it was to be 
celebrated for wit, they held their - 
conventicles; where they ftill more 
freely difcuffed their philofophical 
principles, and ‘expafiated on ‘the 
abufes of religion and governments, 
Whoever coincided not with them 
was, by univerfal acclamation, held 
up as a man devoid of fenfe or wit. 
The effect of this general cry is 
fearcely to be conceived : — with 
youth it was all-powerful, and with © 
the more advanced in age it requir- 
ed very folid principles to be with- — 
ftood. They had a€tually by de- 
‘grees excluded from all’ the acade- 
mies whoever dared not to be of 
their opinion. Though co-operat- 
ing with thefe confpirators againft 
religion, Mr. Bailly was diftingnifh- 
ed as-a man of benevolence, of mo- 
deft and placid’manners. He has 
been lately ftill better known to all 
Europe as the firft mayor of Paris 
in 1789, ‘The fpirit of party -pro- 
bably 
