201 memoirs of brigadier Resen. April ii, 



ding talents so much attended to of late hy your 

 learned Britifh biographers ; not a single line of lisp- 

 ing poetry could be found in the haunts of his youth, 

 no engaging prattle of happy infancy, no sage re- 

 marks on chace hoop and whip top, no juvenile 

 sallies of promising wit ; nay, I must confefs, 

 that I have not even the consolation of edifying the 

 world with the moral precepts of my dying hero ; 

 but if you will take all I know about him, it is 

 much at your service. 



The subject of this paper is the Rufsian naval bri- 

 gadier Resen, (a rank in this service equivalent, I 

 believe, to a three years post-captain, or commodore 

 in the Britifh,) however, let that be as it may, the 

 last is the title I used to give him, and nothing could 

 be more applicable, as he was the commodore Trunnion 

 of Rufsia, and died here a few years ago at the advan- 

 ced age of one hundred and seven, probably the only 

 seaman who survived till 1787 the famous battle of 

 la Hogue, between Rufsel and Tourville, in the year 

 92 of last century. But what makes the commo- 

 dore's history more interesting, is his having been 

 cast away, (at least in the land sense of the phrase,) 

 In the midst of this city, and lost for a quarter of a 

 oentury, till discovered on the following occasion. 



In 1782 the noble equestrian statue of Peter the 

 Great, executed by the celebiated French artist Fal- 

 conet was uncovered, and exposed to public view 

 with great ceremony and pomp, atiiving lO gain the 

 summit of the huge rock on which it stands, so em- 

 blematic of the labours and situation of the great 

 man it represents. The instant the statue was vi- 



i 



