626 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



lingly have declined it. His con- 

 stitution, whicli was never very 

 strong, had been much impaired by 

 bilious complaints; and having been 

 absent from England during almost 

 the whole of the last fourteen years, 

 he would gladly have remained 

 some time in this country. The 

 last day before he embarked at 

 Spithead, was spent at the house of 

 the earliest friend of his youth, to 

 whom, in confidential conversation, 

 he expressed his belief, that the cli- 

 mate of Jamaica would not agree 

 with him; " but," he added, " I 

 would not object to going there on 

 that account ; for if 1 were ordered 

 to march up to a battery, I should 

 do it, though I might be of opini- 

 on that I should be killed before 

 my troops could carry it ; and, in 

 like manner, I think I ought not 

 to hesitate as to going to Jamaica, 

 if his majesty's service requires it, 

 though I may be of opinion that I 

 shall fall a victim to the climate.'' 

 But little is known in England of 

 what happened in Jamaica during 

 the short period that gen. Villettes 

 lived after his arrival in that island. 

 It is, however, well known, that his 

 amiable disposition, and that firm, 

 but conciliatory conduct, which al- 

 ways formed so remarkable a part 

 of his character, soon engaged the 

 confidence and esteem of the whole 

 cnmmunit}'. In the month of July, 

 1808, he undertook a military tour 

 of inspection through the island. 

 Neither the bad state of his health, 

 nor the unfavourable weather, could 

 induce him to postpone doing what 

 he considered to be his duty. Gen. 

 Villettes left Kingston on the 3rd of 

 July, and proceeded as far as Port 

 Antonio, where he inspected some 

 of the troops. He set out from 

 thence on the 11th, to go to Butf 



Bay, in the parish of St. George,, 

 to inspect a battalion of the 60th, 

 which was stationed there ; but in 

 this journey he tvas seized with a 

 fever, which, on the third day, put 

 a period to his life. He died on the 

 13th of July, at Mrs. Brown's 

 estate, named Union ; retaining in 

 his last moments the same serenity 

 of mind for which his whole life 

 had been so remarkably distinguish- 

 ed. The regret expressed on this 

 occasion by all descriptions of per- 

 sons in Jamaica, far exceeded what 

 could have been supposed possible, 

 when the short period that general 

 Villettes had resided among them is 

 taken into consideration. His body 

 was interred near Kingston, in the 

 parish of Half-way-Tree, in which 

 he resided. The funeral was at- 

 tended by the duke of Manchester 

 (the governor of the island), as 

 chief mourner, and was conducted 

 with all the military honours so just- 

 ly due to the rank and merit of the 

 deceased. Few men have possess- 

 ed, in a degree superior to general 

 Villettes, the talent of acquiring 

 the good will of almost all, the ill 

 will of scarcely any, who knew 

 him. The chief reason was, that 

 he felt good will towards all, and 

 his conduct was suitable to his feel- 

 ings. His friendship, though by 

 no means restricted to a few, was 

 far from being indiscriminate ; but 

 any person who once really enjoy- 

 ed it, was sure that it would never 

 be withdrawn. On the application 

 of three friends of the late lieut.- 

 gcneral Villettes, the dean and 

 ciiapter of Westminster have con- 

 sented that a monument should 

 be placed to the memory of that 

 much lamented officer, near the 

 monument of his late friend, the 

 hon. sir C. Stuart. Mr. Westma- 



cot 



