P A O L J. 
349 
figure in the revolution of his own country, ferved at this 
period againft the Coriicans, with the rank of adjutant- 
general ; and, in his own Memoirs, publifhed a few years 
(ince, he pays very high compliments both to the people 
of the ifland and their chief; “ It is aftoniftiing,” he fays, 
“ that this handful of iflanders, deftitute of artillery, 
fortifications, magazines, and money, fhould have kept 
France at bay during two campaigns, although (lie had 
no other enemy to cope with. But liberty doubles the va¬ 
lour and ftrength of man.” 
The cafe of the opprefled Corficans had excited much 
intereft in this country; and, although the government 
had not thought it prudent to interpofe in their favour, a 
fubfcription had been railed by fome private perfons for 
their aid. Paoli was introduced at court; and the duke 
of Grafton, then prime minifter, obtained for him a pen- 
lion of izool. a-year. This was afilnence to one of his 
economical habits ; and he liberally (hared it with his com¬ 
panions in exile. From this time the ex-general lived a 
retired life, devoting himfelf chiefly to the cultivation of 
literature. During his retirement, which lafted more than 
twenty years, lie was introduced to Dr, Johnfon by Mr. 
Bofwell, who had vifited the general in 1765, while he 
was in Corfica ; and who fpeaks of the interview with 
pleafure, flying, “The general fpoke Italian, and Dr. 
Johnfon Englifti, and underftood one another very well, 
with a little aid of interpretation from me, in which I 
compared myfelf to an ifthmus, that joins two great con¬ 
tinents.” 
At length the revolution, that promifed to raife France 
to the rank of a free (late, extended its influence to Cor¬ 
fica ; and the national convention pafled a decree by which 
that ifland was numbered among the departments of 
France, and entitled to all the privileges of the new con- 
ftitution. The return of Paoli to the dignified ftation of 
its chief, was the firft wilh of his liberated countrymen ; 
and Paoli could not refill tlieir entreaties, which were en¬ 
forced by the felicitations of the French aflembly. He 
resigned his penfion from the Engiifli court, took a grate¬ 
ful leave of the country in which he had been fo hofpita- 
bly entertained, and in the month of April, 1790, pre¬ 
ferred himfelf at the bar of the national aflembly at Paris, 
together with the Corfican deputies. Ke was greeted 
with the enthufiafm which then attended upon every per¬ 
ron and event conne&ed with the caufe of liberty ; and, 
having taken the oaths as a fubjeft of the great nation, 
repaired to Corfica to execute the high charge to which 
he was fo honourably called. 
The political horizon, however, foon became darkened. 
The violent and fanguinary factions which fucceffively 
ruled in the centre of France, fpvead tumult and,, difor- 
der over the whole circumference, and loofened all the 
bands of fociety. Parties arofe in the different diftricts 
of Corfica ; and a difpofition was foon manifefted of 
breaking oft all connexion with France, and declaring 
for independence. After due deliberation, Paoli thought 
proper to concur in this defign, of which the clergy, in 
particular, were ardent promoters. He put himfelf at 
the head of the infurgents, and drove from the field the 
French troops and their adherents. He was then rein- 
vefted with his former dignities of prefident of the con- 
fulta, and commander-in-chief of the ifland, and took 
rneafures to complete the counter-revolution. The na¬ 
tional aflembly, highly exafperated at this condufl, pro¬ 
claimed him a rebel, and fet a price on his head ; but he 
was protected by the attachment of his countrymen. Sen- 
fible, however, that it would be impoflible for a fmall 
ifland permanently to withftand the power of France 
without foreign fupport, he refoived upon an expedient, 
which, whilft it was a renunciation of independence, pro¬ 
mifed to fecure all the advantages of real liberty. This 
was an union of Corfica with the crown of Great Britain, 
under a conftitution fimilar to that of the latter country. 
An affembly of deputies, to confider of'this projeCt, met 
in June 1794, which, with great unanimity, after voting 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1248. 
thanks to Paoli, made a declaration of the feparation of 
Corfica from France, and its union with the Britilh crown. 
In confequence, fir Gilbert Elliot (earl of Minto) was 
Cent to take pofleflion of the government, as viceroy of 
the king of England; and Paoli, refigning his official 
dignities, became a private citizen. How it happened 
that he was not appointed to fome diftinguifhed office 
under the Britifli government, can only be conjectured ; 
(nor is it now of much confequence to inquire, fince we 
•kept pofleflion of the ifland only two years :) but the 
well-earned reputation of his earlier years for honour and 
true patriotifm, affords a folid ground for fuppofing that 
headed as confidently as the very difficult circumftances 
in which he was placed would permit. He foon after re¬ 
turned to England; and, having unfortunately loft the 
bulk of his property through the failure of a houfe of 
Leghorn to which it was entrusted, he pafled fome time 
in great privacy. When his neceffities, however, were 
known, there is reafon to believe that they were promptly 
relieved, and that his penfion was refiored, and continued 
to the laft. He died near London, February 5, 1807, in 
the 81 ft year of his age. 
Few foreigners, however diftinguifhed, have been fo 
much carefled in England as general Pafcal Paoli. By 
living in habits of familiarity with men of letters, his 
name and exploits acquired freffi celebrity ; and Bofwell, 
Goldfmith, Johnfon, Macnuley, and lord Littleton, al¬ 
though differing inalmoft every thing elfe, molt cordially 
united in his praife. Abroad too, his reputation was 
greatly refpeCted ; and the eulogiums of fuch a man as 
Roufieau, then in the zenith of his reputation, was alone 
fufficient to enfure reputation throughout the reft of Eu¬ 
rope. While his laurels/were dill green, it was ufual to 
compare him to Timoleon and Epaminondas ; and it was 
appofitely remarked by an Englifti minifter, that the fame 
thing might have been faid of him as had been formerly 
uttered by the cardinal de Retz in refpeCt to the famous 
Montrofe, “that he was one of thofe men, who are no 
longer to be found any where but in the Lives of Plu¬ 
tarch.” 
That the Corfican chief was a great man, cannot well 
be denied ; but it is the opinion of thofe, who have en¬ 
joyed an opportunity of ftudying his character, that he 
was a politician rather than a foldier; and that he (hone 
in council more than in arms. And to this effeCt, Du- 
mourier, whofe Memoirs we have already quoted, ob- 
ferves, “ Fie difplayed great genius, and a noble con- 
fiftency ; had he been endowed with military talents, had 
he known how to have inftruCted his countrymen in that 
fpecies of hoftility bed: fuited to the natural bent of their 
genius, he would have deftroyed our little army in 1768, 
and doneus much moreharm than we experienced in 1769.” 
Among his countrymen he was adored ; and, to fupport 
his fuperiority, lie made life of thofe arts which have 
ufually pafled under the name of pious frauds. Thefe, 
perhaps, appeared indifpenfably neceffary (or the govern¬ 
ment of barbarians. Accordingly, like Numa, he pre¬ 
tended to a direCt communication with the Deity ; and 
alfo afteCred, on all occafions, after the manner of the he¬ 
roes of old, to be furrounded by dogs of a particular 
breed, which were indeed neceffary to preferve him from 
affaffination. 
It is not a little remarkable, that Corfica, an ifland 
which feems to have been equally defpifed both by the 
ancients and moderns, (hould have produced two men ; 
one of whom engaged the attention of all Europe to¬ 
wards the middle of the laft century; and the other was, 
unhappily for the repofe of mankind, deftined to regulate 
its fate at the beginning of the preient. We have only 
to add, that Corfica remains in the pofleflion of France 
by the peace of 1814. Monthly Mag-, 1807. Bofwe.ll's Ac¬ 
count of Corfica and Life of Johnfon. Athenaeum, vol. i. 
Gent. Mag. 1768. 
PAO'LO, f. A fmall filver coin at Florence, Rome, and 
other places in Italy. 
4U 
PAO'LO 
