1800.] 
fied from all prejudices, either with re- 
{pect to religion or any thing elfe. His 
manners are polifhed; only the vivacity of 
his perception gives a harfhnefs. to his 
manner of uttering his {entiments, and a 
want of pliability proportionate to his con- 
viction of the truth of what he fays, He 
is as little capable of receding from opi- 
nions refting on grounds which he has put 
to the proof, as of fleeing from the enemy 
in battle. Often have I bebeld with plea- 
fure, the lofty expreffion in his ardent eye, 
who in delivering his arguments he fur. - 
veyed the aflembly, or with confcious 
fuperiority looked. down upon them, when 
he had with feverity commented on their 
errors, 
Acquainted with the faults of the new 
conititution, with the errors and failings 
of his fellow-citizens, and with the im. 
portant relation in which the republic 
ftands with regard to the refi of Europe, 
he is well qualified to become a member of 
. the future direftory, and to raife his coun- 
try to that degree of power and glory of 
which it is capable. But, I much doubt, 
whether they wiil fo rationally confult the 
interefts of the republic, as to place fuch 
men.as Von Hooff at the helm of tne ex- 
ecutive power. Rich ariftocrats already 
firetch forth theiy hands to feize it; and am- 
bitious demagogues are paving their way 
to it, by managing and flattering the peo- 
ple; and this with the view, if, to the ex- 
clufion of the true patriots, they fhall at- 
tain the moft important places, of throw- 
ing every thing into confufion. 

LEIDEN VON WEST BARENDRECHT 
Is minifter, or fecretary, for foreign af- 
fairs. He is an obliging, ingenuous, 
and agreeable man; and, with great natu- 
» yal talents and acquired abilities, is free 
from all the failings which are ufually at- 
tributed to men in his ftation. Unwea- 
ried, and wholly devoted to the bufinefs 
of his office, the republic could not poflibly 
have chofen a man better qualified to fill it. 
His- principles are in concord with the 
wants of his country. He has juft ideas 
of the weight of the Batavian Republic in 
the political balance of Europe. I liftened 
to him with pleafure, at his fire fide, 
where I ventured to give vent to fome re- 
proaches againft the Diplomatic Commit- 
tee, which does fo little that is worthy of 
the dignity of the Batavian Republic; 
and the minifter explained to me its politi- 
calrelations, with refpe& to the other ftates 
of Europe. His letters are written ina 
good flyle, witha condenfed brevity, and a 
delicacy of expreffion, that are well worthy 
‘pf imitation, His jusgment is found, and 
Anecdotes of eminent Perfons. 
979 
feldom errs. But, unluckily, in republics 
the miniftcrs of every department have in 
general their hands tied down from a@- 
ing, as every thing muft be done according 
to the decrees of the national affembly, or 
of the different committees. This, how-~ 
ever, does not prevent their having a great 
indire&t influence, as they are the central 
point for all affairs and negociations. 
ae ae 
BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF SAMUEL 
L. MITCHILL, ESQ. AUTHOR OF THE 
NEW DOCTRINE CF PESTILENTIAL 
FLUIDS,NOW PREVALENT IN NORTH 
AMERICA. 
Samuel Latham Mitchill was born in 
the townfhip of Hempftead, in Queen’s 
County, in the Province of New York, 
‘in America,. near the beginning of the 
year 1765. His father was defcended 
from a family in Cornwall, in the Welk 
of England; and was the cultivator 
of his own efiate.. His mother was like. 
wile of Englith extraction, from a family 
of the name of Latham in the County of 
Middlefex. It is remarkable of him, that, 
during feveral of the firit years of his life, 
he was of a very fingular white or pale 
complexion of the whole body, as if there 
were no bicod within him, which condition 
of his {kin was afcribed to an extraordina= 
ry effect wrought upon his mother’s mind 
by the fight of a molt beautiful waxen fi- 
gure of Jeflus Chrif, brought from the 
Havannah, which had not long before been 
captured by the Britihh, and exhibited for 
-a fhow in the place where the dwelt. At 8 
years of age he was fent to a common 
{chool ; at eleven, he commenced claffical 
ftudies, under the inftru€tion of the Rev. 
Leonard Cutting, then the parfon of the 
parifh. At the fame place, Mr. Hentz 
gave him his firit leffons of the French 
tongue. : 
In the year 1781, he was removed from 
the County to the City of New York, 
with a view of applying to the profeffion of 
phyic: and as the City was then a garri- 
fon for Britifh troops, there were many op- 
portunities of feeing medical and chirurgi- 
cal practice in the military hofpitals there. 
After the clofe of the war, he determined 
to vifit Europe; and failed, in 1784, to 
France. He landed at the old town of 
Croyfic, in the Bay of Bifcay, and travel- 
led up to Paris. Having pafled fome time 
there, he pafled over to London; and, after 
tarrying a little while, he took his depar- 
ture by land for Edinburgh. Here he at- 
tended the clafles asa regular ftudent of 
medicine; and frequented the feveral fo- 
cieties eftablifhed there for the improve- 
ment of young men at the univerfity. 
Among 
