566 Retrofpect of Demeftic Literature—Hiftory. 
of the reader, however, and whatever be 
his politics, we may venture to infure him 
entertainment in the perufal of thefe let- 
ters, which were written, we are informed 
in the preface, at different periods during 
the courfe of the laft two years: they re- 
late in general to the events of the day, 
and the difcuffions, opinions, and fenti- 
ments to which they gave rife, and may 
therefore be confidered as fketches of man- 
ners, charaéters, and incidents in the 
French Revolution towards the clofe of 
the eighteenth’ century; and, ih fore 
fort, to ufe Mifs Williams’s ftriking ex- 
preffion, ‘* as forming notes to the moft 
ftupendous page in the volume of human 
hiftory.”” The letters are dated from 
Paris, and addreffed to a gentleman at 
Bafil :—fome of the firft of them relate to 
the Swifs Revolution, and here the author 
dete&ts with iridignant keennefs, and ex- 
pofes with juft feverity, many grofs mif- 
ftatements of fats on the part of M, 
Mallet du Pan, in his Hiftory of the De- 
ftruGtion of Helvetic liberty. Mufs Wil. 
liams has devoted many interefting letters 
to the Hiftory of the Revolution and 
Counter-yevolution of Naples: fome cir- 
cumftances in ‘connection with thefe 
events, deeply affecting the honour of the 
Britifh charaéter, are lefs known than they 
ought fo be: where the Hero of the Nile 
is reprefented as the creature, the mere 
jailor, of the Neapolitan tyrant, we cannot 
but 4ope, that ovr author’s information on 
this fubje&t is imcorreét.. When the French 
army retired from Naples, that city was 
immediately invefted by the counter-revo- 
lutioniits, different bands of which, fow- 
ing from the provinces, formed before the 
gates, and, aided by the Engitfh, Ruffian, 
and Turkifh fquadrons, completely block- 
aded it: the republican party fallied out 
to attack them; but, overpowered (ac- 
cording to Mifs Williams) by numbers 
‘twenty times fuperior to their own, they 
were compelled to retreat, and fhut them- 
felves up in the forts: that of Avigliano 
was firft attacked, when the patriots find- 
ing all means of refiftance ineffeétual, fet 
fire to the powder-magazine—the fort 
blew. up—the garrifon all perifhed but 
two, and about four hundred of the infur- 
gents were buried under the ruins! the 
day following evinced thata Neapolitan 
populace, in their holy ardor for religion, 
- and the prefervation of fecial order, enjoy _ 
as true a Leftrigonian tafte as any crew of 
Parifian Jacobins.—‘ Heads of patriots 
bathed in gore, were carried-on pikes in 
triumph through the ftreets ; their palpi- 
tating flefh was gnawed by thefe monfters 
of fanaticifm ; thofe who were {pared the 
maflacre, after feeing their friends murder- 
ed before their eyes, were dragged to pri- 
fon, but with circumftances of fuch 
ftrange inhumanity as never entered the. 
imagination of the moft abominable ty- 
rants. Every feeling of modefty was 
outraged with-fomewhat of ingenious fero- 
city. Menof the higheft rank, and wo- 
men refpectable for their virtues, were 
ftripped naked, and dragged through the 
ftreets, after having undergone the moft 
favage and horrible excefles which human® 
nature can commit or fuffer. The prifons 
and dungeons were, at the fame time,’ 
thronged with perfons who formed the 
pride and ornament of the Neapolitan na- 
tion.’’-—-The members of the Neapolitan 
government it feems had taken pofleffion 
of the two forts of the capital, called Caf- 
tel Nuovo and Caftel del’ Uovo, and of the 
Caftello a mare, fituated on the fea-fhore, 
at the diftance of about fix leagues from 
Naples; this latter fort capitulated with 
the commander of the Englifh fquadron, 
Commodore Foote, who, in executing on 
his part the terms of the capitulation, did 
no more than the honour and duty ofa 
Britifh officer required. The Caftel Nuovo 
likewifecapitulated, obtaining fecurityboth 
of the perfons and property of all who were 
in the two forts, and liberty toall, either to 
remain at Naples, or embark for France 
seat 
on board tranfports, which fhould be fur- 
nifhed, if neceffary, at the expence of the 
King of Napks, and equipped with every 
thing requifite for the paffage;. and, 
marching out of the garrifon from the 
refpective forts with the honours of war, 
they were to ground their arms on the 
fea-fhore at the moment of their embarka~- 
tion. This capitulation was ratified by 
Cardinal Ruffo, Vicar-general of the 
Kingdom of the two Sicilies, by Commo- 
dore Foote, and by the refpective Commo- 
dores of the Ruffian and Turkifh forces. 
While the two garrifons, to the amount of 
about 1500 men, who had declared their 
intention of emigrating, were waiting for 
the preparing and provifioning of the vef- 
fels which were to convey them to France, 
Lord Nelfon arrived with his whole fleet 
in the road of Naples, having on board 
his-fhip Sir William Hamilton and his 
lady. Onthe evening of June 26, the 
patriots embarked on board thetranfports 
prepared for their conveyance to France. 
—‘* The next day, the tranfports were 
moored, uuder the direGion of Englifh ofi- 
cers, along-fide the Englith fleet, which 
was ftretched acrofs the bay, as it were, 
in a ling gf wattle, where they remained - 
at 
