APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 62r> 



forces in that island. It may safely 

 be asserted, that few men were su- 

 perior to gen. Villettes in the qua- 

 lities from which such a conduct 

 originates. His judgment was so 

 good, that, though he seldom stood 

 in need of advice, yet, on every 

 proper occasion, he was ready to 

 listen to it; to adopt it with can- 

 dour, if he judged it to be right ; 

 or to adhere to his own opinion, if 

 he saw no just grounds for aban- 

 doning it. His firmness in pursu- 

 ing the line of conduct, which he 

 thought it his duty to adopt, was 

 equally remarkable; and to these 

 quahties were united a temper the 

 least irritable, and manners the 

 most conciliatory, that can be well 

 imagined. The fiwourite maxim 

 of " Suaviter in modo, Fortiter in 

 re" has perhaps seldom been more 

 perfectly exemplified. Many in- 

 stances occurred during his com- 

 mand in Malta, in which these 

 qualities were exerted, and execut- 

 ed with the very best effects. When 

 Tomasi, the French-elected Grand 

 Master, laid claim to the island ; 

 when a French agent sought an oc- 

 casion of quarrel, and endeavour- 

 ed to raise a disturbance in the the- 

 atre, as had been done successfully 

 at Rome, Naples, and elsewhere, 

 when a most alarming mutiny took 

 place among the foreign troops in 

 Fort Ricosoli ; on all these, and on 

 many other occasions, the firm, 

 temperate, and judicious conduct 

 of gen. Villettes was successfully 

 employed. — In the year 1807, the 

 personal and professional merit of 

 this officer, his perfect knowledge 

 of most of the European languages, 

 and his long acquaintance with the 

 military systems of the continental 

 powers, pointed him out to his ma- 

 jesty's government as a proper per- 

 VoL. LI. 



son to command the foreign troops 

 who were to form a part of the 

 army intended to be sent to the 

 Baltic, under lord Catlicart. Gen. 

 Villettes was accordingly re-called 

 from Malta; but, though he obey- 

 ed the summons with the utmost 

 promptitude, it was found impossi- 

 ble for him to arrive in England 

 in time to take any share in the 

 northern expedition. That expe- 

 dition was accordingly dispatched 

 under other commanders, and gen. 

 Villettes was, soon after his arrival, 

 appointed to a situation still more 

 honourable, but eventually fatal to 

 him. It was in the month of Sep- 

 tember, 1807, that this officer, now 

 a lieut.-gen., returned to England, 

 a country in which he had passed 

 so small a portion of his life, as to 

 be much less known in it than his 

 worth deserved. He was soon af- 

 ter appointed colonel of the 64<th 

 regiment of infantry ; and his ta- 

 lents were not suffered to remain 

 long unemployed. A proper per- 

 son was wanted to be commander 

 of the forces, and lieut.-governor 

 of Jamaica. Many circumstances 

 in the situation of that island ren- 

 dered it necessary to be particularly 

 careful in the appointment of a ge- 

 neral officer suited to that impor- 

 tant trust. Gen. Villettes was se- 

 lected for this purpose ; and it 

 would, perhaps, have been difficult 

 to have found a man more capable 

 of fulfilling the duties of the sta- 

 tion to the satisfaction of govern- 

 ment, and for the benefit of the co- 

 lony. He was accordingly appoint- 

 ed lieut.-governor and commander 

 of the forces in Jamaica, with the 

 rank of a general in that island, in 

 the latter end of the year 1807. 

 Highly honourable as this appoint- 

 Villettes would wil- 

 lingly 



ment was, 

 2 S 



gen 



