414 = Bisgraphical Account of the late Major-general Greene. [Dee. 1, 
confiderably fhort of the expeétation of 
thole who had been before highly prepof- 
{effed in favour of the author. 
M. Galiani died in 1789, having near- 
ly attained the 7oth year of his age. He 
was very fhort in ftature, extremely viva- 
cious, remarkable for an uncommon fhare 
of wit and humour, which frequently be- 
came {atirical, and for feafonable boxsmots, 
and {mart repartees, in familiar converfa- 
tion. He was highly admired by their 
Sicilian Majeities, and kept a conftant cor- 
-refpondence with many European princes, 
and efpecially with the Landgrave of Hefle 
Caffel. “The late Emprefs of Ruffia 
did him the honour to place his portrait 
in the Imperial Gallery at Peterfburg, by 
the fide of Voltaire’s. On account of his 
well known wit and vivacity, the late Mr. 
Gibbon uled to call him—That Laughing 
Philofopher, the Abbé Galiani. ; 
Truth and impartiality oblige us, how- 
ever, to remark here, that the literary fame 
of M. Galiani has been very much conteft- 
“ed fince his*death. If fome latent anec- 
dofes recently brought to light are to be 
credited, by the influence of bis birth, 
dignity, and power, he borrowed his beft’ 
works from other perfons. It is believed 
by very great numbers of the Italians, 
that his witty collection of fongs in ho- 
nour of the deceafed executioner Jannac- 
cone, was really the preduction of M. 
Carcani, an eminent literary character of 
that time; that bis Treatife on Money 
fhould be afcribed to M. Intieri, a Floren- 
tine economift; his Effay on the Commerce 
oi Corn, to the iliuftrious Diderot; and, 
laltly, his Hiftory of the Italian Dialeét, 
to M. Meola, a learned man in Naples, 
who lived in great poverty and diftre(s. 
Tt may be further obferved, that fuch as 
have intimately converfed with M. Gali- 
ani fhrewdly fufpeéted fome artifices of this 
kind, even during his life-time. For, 
fetting apart his witty and humorous 
fallies, and reducing his method of dif- 
courfing and arguing to the {cale of fen- 
fible and rational ideas, he frequently be- 
trayed deficiency which indicated a nar- 
-¥ow mind and fuperficial information. 
When, moreover, we call to mind the high 
escomiums beftowed on his ‘genius yet 
adolefcent, by the Profeffors of the univer- 
fity, and other eminent literary charafters, 
who may weil be thought caterers for the 
patronage of the Great Almoner, his un- 
cle; we cannot help recolleéting, at the 
fame time, the brilliant pleafantry of Vol- 
taire on the celebrated Pafchal—A¢ twelve, 
ke was an inventor of news theorems; at 
thirty, he Was @ mediocre geometer. 
. BIOGRAPHICAL accounT of the late 
MAJOR-GENERAL ~~ GREENE, 6f the 
AMERICAN ARMY. 
ATHANIEL GREENE, was 
/ born in the town of Warwick, and 
county of Keat, in the ftate af Rhode- 
Tfland, in or about the year 1742 ; and 
was the fecond fon of a refpectable per- 
fon of the fame name, who was defcend= 
ed from fome of the firft: fettlers of that 
fertile country. His father was exten- 
fively concerned in very lucrative iren- 
works, which he left to his children 
at his death, prior to the American . 
war. . 
Nathaniel was endowed with an un- 
common degree of penetration and judg- 
ment, which, with a benevolent mind and 
affable deportment, acquired him nume= 
rous and. refpeétable friends 5; in. confe- 
quence of which, he was, at a very early 
period of life, chofen a Member of the 
Legiflature of the (then) Colony of Rhode 
Ifland.- he manner‘in which he acquit- 
ted this truft, which was to the entire 
fatisfaction of his conftituents, procured 
him 2 permanent intereft, and enfured him 
a feat in the Legiflature, till, and at, the 
period of oppofition to Great Britain, — 
After the commencement of hoilities 
at Lexington and Concord, the fpirit of 
refiftarice becarne general throughout the — 
colonies ; and Rhode Ifland was not defi- 
cient in her contributions. . She raifed 
three regiments of militia, the command — 
of which was conferred on Mr. Greene, 
who was nominated Brigadier-general 5 
and he refigned the pacific principles of 
Quakerifm, ip which he had been bred, to 
take upon him a military command. 
He led thele troops to Cambridge, and 
there beheld three times as many troops as 
the Englifh had fuppofed equal to a total 
conqueit of the whole country, -under the 
neceility of evacuating the city of Bofton,’ 
where they had firft landed! | et 
The General’s merit and abilities were 
foon noticed by the difcriminating eye of 
General Wafhington ; who repofed in hi 
the utmoft confidence, and paid a parti- 
cular deference to his advice and opinion, 
on ail occafions of doubt and difficulty. 
This circumftance had its accuftomed- 
tendency to excite jealoufly in the breafts — 
of officers of older ftanding and higher 
rank, who ufed fome degree of induftry 
to fupplant him with the Commander in. 
Chief. His worth was, however, too 
“well known, and he ‘himfelf too much 
efteemed by General Wafhington, to be. 
_ ally fupplanted by his adveriaries. Ina 
thort - 
v 
