232 
channel fleet of France ride in fecurity, 
within a gigantic mafs of ftone, encir- 
cled, and {upported by means of immenfe 
wooden ribs, and mafly iron cramps. 
The feheme in part failed; but it was 
grand and fublime, and France at the 
peace, will undoubtedly complete the 
original outline. 
‘The duke was a great favourite at the 
court of Louis XVI, and poffeffed the 
confidence of that monarch. Being a 
man of great knowledge, and attached to 
literature, his majefty, with the queen’s 
confent (for he never dd any thing with- 
out confulting her) appointed him go- 
vernor to the dauphin. He was lucky 
enough to efcape, with his whole family, 
at the beginning of the troubles, and has 
remained in England ever fince. 
Tue DucuHess DE POLIGNAC. 
Gabrielle—Y ellande—Martine de Pa- 
laftron, afterwards fo celebrated as duchefs 
de Polignac, and confidante to the queen, 
was one of the moft beautiful women in 
France. Marie Antoinette loaded her 
own and hufband’s family with honours, 
penfions, places, &c. and when in her 
company, her majefty was accuftomed to 
exclaim ¢ Fe ne fuis plus la reine, je fuis moi L 
This beautirul woman, whofe large 
blue eyes, exprefiive features, elegant 
perfon, and refined wit, formed a central 
point, around which ail thofe who wifhed 
to rife at court (and this included the 
whole body of the nobility, and all the 
ignif rallied, as toa common 
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What terrible difafer could occafion this 
cataftrocphe ? It was the retreat of the 
Pruiiians from Champagne; a retreat 
which faved her native country from fub- 
jegation and difmemberment ! 
A mezzotinto print of this unfortunate 
lady was publithed in 1792. ‘The like- 
nefs is not badly hic off, but it is not flat- 
tering. What artift could delineate the 
moft iovely and charming woman of the 
age? 
NM. MiranbA 
was born in Mexico; for his colleague, 
Dumourier, commits an error when he 
terms hima Peruvian! Notwithfanding 
the jealoufy with which the Spaniards 
were accuftomed to treat the native 
Americans, this gentleman found means 
to obtain a colonel’s commitfflien, and was 
employed by the gevernor of Guatimala, 
in {everal confidential fituations. He 1s 
thought very early in life to have enter- 
tained the genercus refclution cf eman- 
cipating his countrymen from thraidom, 
and to this is attributed his precipitate 
retreat from New Spain. Since that time, 
Original Anecdotes.—The Duchefs de Poliznac, Se. 
[April 
he has been, until of Jate, literalya wane 
DERER. In the cou: fe of his travels, he 
has viiited evéry paft of Europe, and 
been more than once ia England. Being 
poffefied of tafte, learniig, and a claffical 
ftyles he was enabled tu ecllef, and to 
narrate a variety of anecdotes and cbfer- 
vations relative fo the manners, poricy, 
laws, learning, and above all, tne military 
eftablifhments, of every nation. 
No foofier had the French Revolution 
taken place, and a foreign war become 
inevitable, than he repaired to Paris 
from St. Peter*urg, where he was in 
great favour with the emarefs, who en=- 
deavoured, but in vain, to attach him to 
her perfon and fervices. By means of 
Petion, he obtained the rank of major= 
general, and very ably and effectually 
feconded the efforts of Dumourier in 
Belgium. Being an excellent engineer, he 
difpiaved great military fcience in the art 
of attack ; in fhort, he foon became res 
{pected in the army, and popular in the 
capital. When the hero of Femappe pe- 
netrated into Holland, he was appointed 
to the important command of the army 
deftined to attack Maeftrieht; the at- 
tempt indeed proved abortive, but as this 
evidently proceeded from the negligence 
of the general at the head of the covering . 
army, his laurels were not blighted by the 
event. . 
The conduét of Dumourier, as foon as 
he began to experience a reverfe of for- 
tune, became fufpicious, and his frequent 
conferences with the Auftrian general, 
which ended at length in his entire de- 
fe€tion, rendered all the patriots in the 
army jealous of him. Miranda inftantly 
communicated his fears to his friend 
Petion, at that ume a member of the 
committee of public fafety, and orders 
were foon after iffued-to arreft the com- 
mander in chief. This circumftance 
faved the life of Miranda, for Dumou=- 
rier attributed the lofs of the battle of 
Nerwinden to him, and ftill blames him 
in his hiftory. To this the other has 
made a reply, equally able and animated. 
No fooner had the party of the Gironde 
been overwhelmed by the energy of the 
Mountain, an energy which, although of-. 
ten unjuftly direted, muft be acknow- 
ledged to have faved France, than Mi- 
randa was imprifoned. He was liberated 
at the general gao/-dlvery on the exe- 
cution of Robefpierre ; he took an aétive 
part againft the fe€tions of Paris, during 
the ia% infurreétion, and he has once more 
been put under arreft by order of the 
Directory. 
[To be continued. 
ORIGINAL 
