174 
Thus ended this fingular expedition. 
Tt is very natural to afk, what could heve 
been its objet > It was too fall a force 
to make any ferious imprefiion on. the 
country; and it appears too large to 
throw away for nothing. It, has been 
told, that it was expected, the coun- 
try would jointhem. ‘This expectation 
was furely very abfurd! Had the body — 
of the people been fo inclined, this force 
was much too fmall to encourage them. 
The Dire@cry might,have known, yea, 
muft have known, that none but perfons 
in aétual infurrection already, or mad- 
men, anxious to throw away their lives, 
would have joined fo feeble a body. 
It has been again afferted, that they 
were robbers, galley-flaves, and the 
{weepings of the gaols. Perhaps this is 
the faét ; but there were five or fix hun- 
dred of them, as fine men as were ever 
‘embodied in a regiment ; and it is cer- 
tain, that the commander declared, that 
he had 600 of the beft foldiers of France, 
who had difcipline, courage, and confti- 
tutions, equal to any undertaking ; who 
had been in conftant fervice, without ly- 
ing ina regular houfe-bed for fome 
years. Had they been galley-flaves, or, 
as has alfo been faid, fome of the roy- 
alifts of La Vendée, who had enlifted in 
the republican armies, but were not to 
be trufted at home, it might be fuppofed, 
that the Dire€tory could not have pro- 
mifed itfelf any advantage from fuch per- 
fons, equal to the-value of the arms, and 
the immenfe quantities of ammunition, 
rifked in the undertaking *. 
That it was not intended as a diver- 
fion in favour of a more important at- 
tack elfewhere,. is now evident, fromthe 
certainty that no fuch attack was made 
about that time. 
It is, again, very natural to afk, how 
came they to furrender, without ftriking 
a blow? It has been anfwered, that the 
officers had loft their authority, that the 
foldiers were become mutinous, and bent 
upon plunder. In proof of this, a faét 
is related, that a country-gentleman, 
after having been robbed, entered their 
lines, and complained to the commander, 
who condemned the thief to be fhot; 
but a general cry of Grace! Grace! 
from all all parts; determined him to 
pardon the culprit. But if the officers 

* There were feventy cart-loads of powder and 
ball, with a quantity of hand-grenades. The 
seport of their having 5000 ftands ot arms con- 
céaled ia the cliffs, is not founded in truth, 
St. Paul not the Author of the Book of Hetieiis, | [ March, 
had loft their command, how were they 
able to bring ali their men, in perfeér 
order, to lay down their arms, a meafure 
which moft of them difliked ? sibs 
It has been by others fuppofed, that 
when the fhips left them, and all hopes 
of retreat were cut off, they were panic- 
ftruck, and that they believed our force 
to have been much greater than it was. 
But the officers muft have known, that 
the veflels were to leave them, and that 
it would have been madnefs for them to 
flay long in thar fituation. As<for our 
ferce, perfons are now in cuftody, on-a 
ftrong fufpicion: of having given’ them 
very exaét information. 
The commander himfelf in his letter, 
afcribes his conduét to the circumfiances 
under which he was landed at thar place, 
and to certain principles of bumanity, 
which inclined him to avoid bloodfbed and 
pillage. As to. the circumflances, we 
know nothing of them but as for prin= 
ciples of humanity, it is more than proba- 
ble, that thofe who poffefs them in fuch 
a degree, as to turn with difpuft from 
bloodfhed and pillage, are nor fo fit for 
War,.as to have fuch expeditions as this 
entrufted to them. 
After all, the defign, the conduét, and 
the fate of the expedition, are enveloped 
ina myftery. In this country, there 
are as many opinions as heads, and a 
thoufand different conjeétures are afloat 
every day. The only circumftance in 
which we all agree, is, afcribing our pte- 
fervation to DIVINE PRovIDENCE. — 
Haverjordweff, March 11. 
_ 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
OUR correfpondent, Mr. Tuomas 
TayLor, has Properly correéted 
the erroneous verfion of the Epifile to 
the Hebrews, cap. xi. 13 which pafiage 
cannot be well explained otherwife than 
on the doétrine of the Gnoftics, They 
taught, that Jefus Chrift was the Jo- 
gos; or word; the primary zon, ema- 
nating from God himfelf; and the 
producer of the other wons, or arche. 
types of things in the yifible world. 
Thefe ideas, though fomewhat obfcured 
by tranflations, are, however, exprefied 
under the precife terms wfed by the 
Gnoftic philofophers, in the original 
Greek: Hebrews, cap. i. I—3, where 
Jefus Chrift, the fon of God, is defcribed 
as an “ emanation of his’ glory, the 
ftamp, or impreilion of his fubltance, and 
tli~ 

