Retrofpeet of Domeftic Literature—Hificry. 
at anchor,.each under the cannon of an 
Englifh veffel!”’—On the day following, 
the members of the executive and legifla- 
tive commiffion, all the officers who had 
occupied the firft ranks in the Republic, 
and others who had been marked out by 
the court of Sicily, were hauled out of 
the tranfports on board the Britifh Admi- 
ral’s fhip,—‘** bound hand and foot, like 
the vileft criminals,’ —for the amufement 
and meditation of Sir William and Lady 
Hamilton: the viétims, after this review, 
were diftributed in the other fhips of the 
fleet. The capitulation being thus fa- 
vagely infracted, with refpect to the per- 
fons on board the tranfports, thofe, we 
are informed, who remained in the forts, 
and on the faith of the treaty were confi- 
dent of returning to their homes, were all 
made prifoners on the entrance of ‘the 
Englith troops, and fhut up in the dun- 
geons of the ref{peftive caftles. The pa- 
triots on board the tranfports, wearied by 
the cruelties they fuffered, fent a petition 
to Admiral Nelfon, reminding him that 
they had capitulated, and requefting him 
to execute the capitulation, which had 
been made through the intervention of an 
Englifh commander.—** The admiral re- 
ceived their petition and remonftrance, 
and returned it to them, with an anfwer 
written in his own hand at the bottom of 
the page,’— that he had fhewn their 
paper to their gracious king, who mujft be the 
Left and only judge of the merits and demerits 
of his fubjedts!’’—The foul and bloody 
profcription which followed this firt a& 
of treachery is too notorious and too -me- 
Jancholy to be infified on: fuffice it to 
fay, that; eager to throw off the infamy of 
this tranfaction, the exiftence of this capi. 
tulation has been denied by fome perfons ; 
Mifs. Williams, however, having been 
intrufted with the original ‘paper, figned 
by the refpetive parties, has been enabled 
to clear up the -bufinefs.—*‘* There are - 
two copies (fays our author) of this capi- 
tulation extant, one in Italian and the 
other in French; the [talian copy is in 
Italy; the French one is in Paris, and 
was confided to me by the Bifhop of Ca- 
nofa, Monfeigneur Forges Di Avanzati, 
who was a member of the legiflative body 
of the Neapolitan Republic; and by M. 
Ricciardi, commiffary in chief forthe or- 
ganifation of the Neapolitan -provinces. 
Thefe refpetable patriots, who were in 
the number that capitulated, and who, 
particularly marked for vengeance, efcap- 
ed, as it were, by miracle, trom the hands 
ef the affaffins, have certified to me the 
truth of the original, which I here lite- 
} 
4 
567 
rally tranfcribe; fince the events which 
followed might otherwile leave a doubt, 
efpecially in the minds of Englifhmen, 
whether fuch a capitulation could ever 
have exifted.””. The capitulation is ac- 
cordingly given in an appendix, which 
contains fome curious hiftorical docu- 
ments. We are forry that Mifs Wil- 
liams has not informed us of the fate of 
the four hoftages who were placed in the 
hands of the commander of the fortrefs of 
St. Elmo until fuch as were to emigrate 
into France arrived at the port of Toulon. 
Matcotm LaineG, efq. a gentleman 
of high rank in the literary worid, and to | 
whom the public is indebted for the addi- 
tion of two able chapters to Dr. Henry’s 
Hiftory, has publifhed in two oétavo vo- 
lumes “* The Hiftory of Scotland, from 
the Union of the Crowns, on the acceffion 
of James VI. to the throne of England, 
to the Union of the Kingdoms in the 
reign of Queen Anne.”” Mr. Laing feems 
to enjoy, in no inconfiderable degree, all 
the requifites of an hiftorian—tafte, judg- 
ment, induftry in refearch, and*impar- 
tiality in narrative. The author derived 
his manufcript materials for the prefent 
hiftory, chiefly from the Library of the © 
Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh, to 
which he enjoyed profefficnal accefs: Cal- 
derwood’s manufcript, Matthew Craw- 
ford’s, and the manufcript hiftories were 
procured from the records of the Church 
of Scotland: the Records alfo of the Jutti- 
ciary Court and of the Privy Council were 
fubmitted totheexamination of Mr. Laing, 
who acknowledges his obligation for many 
valuable materials to the private repofi- 
tories of fevera] gentlemen who were wil- 
ling to impart whatever affiftance it was 
in their power to lend. In confequence 
of thefe copious aids much new and cu- 
rious matter is advanced, and the reader 
will find many events placed in a new and 
different light from that in which he may 
probably have been accuftomed to view 
them. Mr. Laing has added to this 
work two differtations, hiftorical and cri- 
tical, one on the Gowrie confpiracy, for 
which he is indebted to Mr. Pinkerton ; 
wherein it is contended, that Alexander, 
Ruthwen, a favourite of Queen Anne - 
of Denmark, was the fole author of the 
attempt on James, ‘in itfelf (fays the 
writer) foolifh and weakly conducted, but 
defigned to accomplifh fome object which 
both had in view, moft probably an ab- 
dication of the government.by James, 
and the Queen’s appointment to “the Re- 
. Ss 
gency.” The fubjeét of the other difer- 
tation is the authenticity of- Ofiian’s 
4 D2 Poems, 
