819 



EVREMOND. 



EXMOUTH, VISCOUNT. 



860 



tantinople, of a character which seems to entitle Evliya to the appel- 

 ation which he tells us one of his ancestors rejoiced in, " the Turk 

 of Turks." The most childish credulity and superstition are apparent 

 in every page : with some powers of observation and memory there 

 is a total lack of judgment. A detailed statement of the distances 

 round Constantinople, which Evliya walked round for the purpose in 

 1031 as careful and circumstantial a narrative as Dr. Birch's of his 

 similar walk round London is followed by a lengthy enumeration of 

 the different talismans by which the city was protected by the ancient 

 Greeks, a striking testimony of the ignorant awe with which the 

 savage conquerors looked up to the superior civilisation they had 

 subdued. There is no work now extant in a European language, 

 from which a correct idea of the Turkish mind may be so easily 

 formed, as from the travels of Evliya. 



EVKEMOND. CHARLES DE ST. DENTS, SEIONEDB DE ST. EVRE- 

 MOND, was born April 1, 1613, at St.-Denys-le-Guast, near Coutanoes 

 in Normandy. He entered the army early, and by his literary talents 

 and sprightly wit, as well as bravery, acquired the friendship of 

 Turenne, Condd, and other of the most distinguished men of that 

 brilliant epoch. Conde" made him lieutenant of his guards, for the 

 sake of his society ; and he fought with that great commander at the 

 battles of Rocroi and Nordlingen. But the prince, though fond of 

 raillery at the expense of others, could not bear it levelled against 

 himself ; and St. Evremond, by an imprudent exercise of his satiric 

 humour, lost his patron and his lieutenancy in 164S. In the wars of 

 the Fronde he espoused the royal cause, and was rewarded with pro- 

 motion and a pension. He incurred a three months' imprisonment in 

 the Bastile by making too free with Cardinal Mazarin ; but found 

 means to reinstate himself in the minister's favour. Another indis- 

 cretion in ridiculing the treaty of the Pyrenees (unless, as has been 

 said, there was some secret cause for his disgrace, and this was only 

 a pretext), led to a second order for his arrest in 1661. He received 

 timely notice, and fled, first to Holland, then to England, in which 

 two countries the rest of his long life was spent. Louis XIV., though 

 solicited by his most favourite courtiers to pardon St. Evremond, 

 remained inflexible till 1689, when be granted the exile a tardy per- 

 mission to return. But it was then too late for St. Evremond again 

 to change the scene ; and though in banishment, his life had all that 

 he required for happiness. He was a favourite with Charles II., who 

 gave him a pension of 3002., and his society was courted by the most 

 distinguished wits aud beauties of that reign ; nor was he less 

 fortunate in possessing the regard of William III., who had known 

 him in Holland, and took much pleasure in his company. Devoted 

 to the enjoyment of the present, and availing himself moderately of 

 every source of social pleasure, he retained his faculties, mental and 

 bodily, to the last, and died in his ninety-first year, September 20, 1703. 



St. Evremond was one of those who, aiming chiefly at success in 

 society, leave no memorials sufficient to sustain the reputation which 

 they have enjoyed in life. He possessed however extensive reading 

 and an independent and acute judgment, as well as wit. His verses 

 are deservedly forgotten ; and bis treatises on Roman literature and 

 on the modern drama, though ranked among his best works, are 

 probably seldom read. His letters are among the most brilliant 

 specimens of that style of composition in which the French have 

 excelled. He appears to have been a disbeliever in revealed religion, 

 but he was not a scoffer, and he checked wanton insult to religion in 

 others. He never authorised the publication of his works, so that the 

 earlier editions, which were all pirated, contain much that was foisted 

 in by the booksellers to profit by his popularity. The first correct 

 edition is that of Des Maizeaux, 3 vols. 4to, Loud., 1705, with a life 

 prefixed, from manuscripts revised by the author and editor jointly, 

 shortly before the death of the former. Dea Maizeaux also translated 

 the whole into English. 



* EWART, WILLIAM, M.P., the son of a merchant and broker at 

 Liverpool, was bora in 1793. He was educated at Eton and at Christ- 

 church, Oxford, where he gained the Newdegute prize for English 

 Verse in 1819. He subsequently was called to the bar at the Middle 

 Temple. He was chosen member for Bletchingley in 1828 ; sat for 

 Liverpool from 1830 to 1837, and for Wigan from 1839 to 1841; 

 since which time he has represented Dumfries. Mr. Ewart has 

 distinguished himself in Parliament not only for his constant motions 

 for the abolition of capital punishment, but also for having proposed 

 ami carried by steady perseverance several bills for the establishment 

 of public libraries and museums and schools of design. He is one of 

 those individuals who have contributed most largely in a variety of 

 ways towards the spread of national secular education and the repeal 

 of taxes on knowledge. 



EXCELMANS, KEMI-JOSEPH-ISIDORE, BAIION, Marshal, was 

 a native of Bar-le-Duc, where he was born November 13, 1775. He 

 entered the army very young, and first drew attention to his services, 

 in 17U'J, whilst under General Oudiuot, during the campaign which 

 terminated in the conquest of Naples. In 1800 he became aide-de- 

 camp t.) General Brouseier; but exchanged that for the same post 

 under Murat. At the combat of Wertingeu, on the Danube, October 8, 

 1805, he had three horses killed under him ; and being commissioned to 

 lay the numerous flag* taken from the enemy at the feet of Napoleon I., 

 he received from the hands of the emperor the decoration of officer 

 of the Legion of Honour. 



In 1806 he was made colonel of the first regiment of Chasseurs, 

 and was mainly instrumental in the capture of Posen, in Poland. He 

 was afterwards engaged at the doubtful battle of Eylau, and for his 

 conduct in that action (1807) he was appointed to command a brigade, 

 and placed on the staff of Prince Murat, whom he afterwards accom- 

 panied to Spain. It was General Excelmans who was commissioned 

 to head the escort by which King Charles was attended to Bayonae, 

 after he had been induced to abdicate in favour of his son. A few 

 weeks after this special service, Excelmans was arrested with other 

 officers, and sent to England, where he remained a prisoner until 

 1811. On his release he again joined his former general, who had 

 ascended the throne of Naples. Sent to Russia in 1812, in Juuot's 

 corps, as second in command, he was several times wounded, and was 

 created a general of division, September 8, 1812. Savary, in his 

 'Memoirs,' ascribes entirely to Excelmans the merit of saving the 

 remnant of this corps, which returned home after that arduous 

 campaign. 



In 1813 his division was placed under the orders of Marshal 

 Jlacdonald ; he took an active part in the operations in Saxony and 

 Silesia, and was rewarded with the cordon of great officer of the 

 Legion of Honour. In 1814 he commanded the cavalry of the Impe- 

 rial Guard, and was present in most of the battles fought by Napoleon 

 to defend the French territory. After the return from Elba, General 

 Excelmans was called to the Chamber of Peers, June 2, 1815 ; and 

 despatched to join the army of the north. He was not present at 

 Waterloo, but he had the merit of bringing back his division to the 

 walls of Paris, in time to defend the capital, and to check the advance 

 of the Prussians, whom he defeated at Versailles in the last action of 

 the war. Excelmans was included in the decree of July 24, 1815, 

 aud banished from France with many other generals, who had served 

 the emperor during the hundred days. It was not until 1819 that 

 he was permitted to return to France, during the ministry of Marshal 

 Gouvion Saint-Cyr; in 1831 Louis Philippe restored to him his title 

 and rank in the Chamber of Peers. 



Louis Napoleon raised him to the dignity of Marshal of France in 

 the early part of 1849, and nominated him Chancellor of the Legion 

 of Honour in August of the same year. On the 2nd of December 

 1851, Marshal Excelmaus powerfully assisted in securing to the 

 government of Napoleon the faithful adherence of the army. On 

 the 21st of July 1852, the marshal was on his way to the house of 

 the Princesso Mathilde, in company with one of his sous, when he was 

 suddenly jerked from his horse, and fell ou the road, not far from the 

 bridge of Sevres. He never spoke afterwards, and expired at two 

 o'clock the next morning. 



(Rabbe; Savary, Memoirs; Biagr. des Contemp. ; Dictionnairc <le 

 Conversation.) 



EXMOUTH, EDWARD PELLEW, VISCOUNT, a distinguished 

 naval commander, was born April 19, 1757, at Dover, where his 

 father was captain of a government packet. Edward Pellew entered 

 the navy in 1770, and iu that year sailed with Captain Stott when ho 

 was sent out to retake possession of Port Egmont, oil the island of 

 West Falkland, which had been captured and restored by the Spaniards. 

 He was afterwards in the Mediterranean, and was in the Blondo 

 frigate, employed in the relief of Quebec, lie first distinguished 

 himself in the battle ou Laka Champlain, October 11, 177(3. After 

 his return to England, ho was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 

 1779, aud in 1782 obtained his commission as post-captain. From 

 1786 to 1789 he was stationed off the coast of Newfoundland. In 

 1793, having been appointed to the command of the Nymphe, 

 frigate, 36 guns, he fell in with La Cleopatra, French frigate, 

 36 guns. The French ship was fought with skill and bravery, but 

 after a desperate battle struck her colours. His gallantry on this 

 occasiou was rewarded with the honour of knighthood. Sir Edward 

 Pellew was soon afterwards appointed to the command of the 

 Arethusa, frigate, 44 guns, and was engaged in several actions off 

 Jersey and other parts of the French coast, in which some frigates 

 and numerous smaller vessels were captured or destroyed. Ho was 

 afterwards transferred to the Indefatigable, 49 guns. In 1796, after 

 a chase of fifteen hours he came up with La Virginie, French frigate, 

 and captured her. On the 13th of January 1797, the Indefatigable 

 and Amazon having engaged a large French ship in foggy weather, 

 after an action of five hours the Indefatigable was obliged to sheer 

 off to secure her masts. Early in the morning breakers were seen, 

 and the skill and energy of Sir Edward Pellew saved ,the Inde- 

 fatigable, but the Amazon and the French ship were wrecked 

 together. The French ship proved to be a two-decker of 80 guns, 

 and had on board, including soldiers, 1700 persons, of whom 1350 

 perished. 



In the early part of 1799 Sir Edward Pellow was appointed to the 

 command of the Impeiueux, 78 guns, and was actively employed 

 iu various services on the French coast. In 1802 he was nominated 

 Colonel of Marines, and in the same year was elected M.P. for the 

 borough of Barnstaple, in Devonshire. On the renewal of the war 

 after the peace of Amiens Sir Edward was appointed to the Tonuaut, 

 84 guns, and on the 23rd of April 1801, was promoted to the rank of 

 Rear-Admiral of the Red, and made commander in the East Indies, in 

 consequence of which he resigned his scat in the House of Commons, 

 July 26, 1804. On the 28th of April 1808, he was advanced to the 



