1804.] | 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
NCLOSED with this letter you will 
receive an account of fome very im- 
portant events in the life of the unfortu- 
nate Louis XV1l. King of France ; 
drawn up by me, from the informations 
of an eye-wituefs of the fcenes defcribed, 
et quarum pars magna fuil. 
’ This eye-witnels was M. le Comte de 
Mouttier, one of the gardes du corps who 
attended the King on his journey from 
Paris to Varennes, and who is repeatedly 
mentioned in the courfe of the narrative. 
M. de Mouttier came firft to England 
feveral years ago, from Switzerland, 
where he had been known, and much re- 
garded, by the late Earl of Northampton. 
Through the prefent Earl, then. Lord 
Compton, he was introduced to General 
Melville, under whofe hofpitable roof I 
then refided. 
In this way began my acquaintance 
with M. de Mouflier, whom it was im- 
pollible to know and not highly to value, 
as a man of the greatelt integrity and pri- 
vate worth. 
The journey to Varennes was a con- 
ftant fubjeét of his converfations with Ge- 
neral Melville, at which L took every op- 
portunity to be prefent. 
Independently of the usiverfal fympa- 
thy for the unfortunate Louis, General 
Melville was excited by (trong  perfonal 
motives to take a warm intereft in what- 
ever regarded him. 
The General had been employed for fe- 
veral months, inthe {pring aod fummer 
of 1783, atthe Court of Verfailies, on a 
miffion refpecting the iflind of ebago, 
which had been taken from us by the gai- 
lant Marquis de Bouillé, during the Ame- 
rican war, and been ceded to France by 
the preliminaries of the pace, without 
any ftipulations for many obje&ts of the 
highe importance to the Britith proprie- 
fors and inhabitants of the colony. 
In this fituation General Melville had 
the beft opporiunities, end he. failed not 
to afe them, for procuring information 
concerning the difpofitions and talents of 
the new foyereign of his countrymen in 
Tobago. 
Every day confirmed the opinion which 
he had early formed, that Louis was a 
man of genuine humaniry, and love of 
truth, juitice, and order; united with 
great application to, and found judgment 
in, bufinefs : and that this opinicn was 
well founded, was evinced beyond “all 
doubt, by the fingularly favourable terms 
granted to the General, for the coleny, 
- MONTHLY Mac, No. 114. 
Fourney of Louis XVI, from Paris to Varennes. 32 
of which he had been the founder, in the 
beginning of his government of all the 
iflands in the Weft: Indies, ceded by 
France to Great Britain by the peace of. 
M. de Mouftier had drawn up a very 
full Account of the Joarney to Varennes, 
parts of which he ufed frequently to read 
to General Melville and myfelf, 
The intereft naturally excited by.» the 
fubjeét, but greatly heightened by the 
firong indications of genuinenefs and truth 
difcovered in every part of thefe details, 
produced an ardent wifh that the whole 
fhould be given to’the- public by M. de 
Mouttier in his own name. 
To this propofal, however, he confant- 
ly refufed to agree; faying, that were he 
to do fo, he might be fufpected of being 
influenced by fome view of deriving pecu: 
niary advantage from the publication, (of 
which, by the bye, with his lady and 
young children to dupport, he ftood in 
great need,) rather than by a pure difin~ 
terefted zeal for vindicating the character 
of his beloved mafter from the atrocious 
calumnies induftrioufly circulated againft 
him in other countries as well as in 
France. 
In thefe circumftances, on the rith of 
December, 1800, I applied, by a letter, 
to M. de Moutticr, for fuch informations 
as might enable me to form a connected 
narrative of the journeys with a view to 
its beiog made public. 
This mede being liable to no objection 
on the part of M. de Mouttiey, he readily 
jurnihed mez with various and ample de- 
tails, from: which the following account 
has been drawn up; into which no cir. 
cumflance, however unimportant, . has 
been admitted, but fuch as was fupplied 
by M. de Mouttier; aud in which, as 
much, as was practicable, His own expre{= 
fions and manner have been ferupulouilly 
preferved.™ Dita 
Such notes as appeared to be wanting, 
for explanation’s fake, will be eafily dil- 
tinguifhed from thofe of M. de Mouttier. 
This gentleman left this country in the 
fummer of 1801 ; and, when I lait heard 
of him, was refiding with his family at 
Munich, in Bavaria; where, by the very 
extenfive circulation of your valuable 
Mitceilany, Mr. Editor, he will .foon 
Jearn, that his reftlefs anxiety to.vender 
juftice to the character of his unhappy So- 
vereign has not been without avail. 
- Ihave now only to add, that having 
lately applied to General Melville fur an 
authentication of what is here ttated re- 
fpecting the narrative, and the mode by 
Uu . which 
