| Retrofped of Dameftic Literature. — Hiftorys 
riment! But, as if the hiftory of Mr. 
Pitt ought to be recorded in Hudibraftic 
verfe only, the man who can boat of hav- 
ing, by the impolicy of his meafures, 
reared a power whofe ftupendous firength 
mutt foon crufh the thrones of the Eu- 
ropean potentates, isto have a ftatue creét- 
ed to immortalize his deferts! Let it be 
engraven on its pedeltal, that the Britith 
Annals, fince the time that a Stuart occu- 
pied the throne, afford not an in‘tance of 
imbecility in the cabinet and the field, or 
an ignominious refult equal to thefe in 
the war againft the independence of the 
French nation, and the liberties of man- 
kind.’ The preceding extraét affords a 
fpeciinen of the ftyle, as well as of the 
tone and temper in which thefe Memoirs 
are penned. 
“¢ Fifiory of the French Confulate under 
Napoleon Buonaparte; being an authentic 
Narrative of his Adminiftratian, tuclud- 
ing a Sketch of bis Life, interfperfed with 
‘curlous Anecdotes, and a faithful State- 
ment of interefting Tranfadiions; by W. 
Barre.” 
Mr. Barré is a French Proteftant, who 
writes a Hifiory of the Confulate in 
broken Engl fh. Every thing that can 
throw difgiace on the charaéter of Buona- 
parte is {craped up with the utmoft affi- 
duity, and whatever has told to his credit 
@S a man, as a general, or a ftatef{man, is 
hurried over in a flovenly manner. If 
Mr. Barré intended to compofe an ad- 
drefs ad populum, he has fucceeded ; if he 
intended his work to ferve as memoirs 
for the future hiftorian, he will, in all 
probability, be difappoinied. 
Mr. Hay has publifhed a ** Hiffory of 
the Infurreétiou of the County of Wexford 
2 1798, including an Account of Tranfac- 
tions preceding that Event.” 
_ It con ains a body of faéts which, for 
the honour of the Britith government, we 
could with to fee difputed and difproved. 
But the narrative, however horrible, is al- 
together fo cicumftantial, fo plain, and 
unvarnifhed, that we fear the {tain is in- 
delible. 
A third volume has been tranflated 
from the French, of “ Secret Memoirs of 
the Court of Peterfourg, particularly to- 
wards the Clofe of the Reign of Cathe- 
rine II. and the Commencement of that of' 
~Paul I. containing a Number of Anecdotes 
and hiflorical Faéts refpecting the Perfian 
War, the March of the Ruffian Armies 
egainfi France, the Difgrace and Death 
of Suvaroff, Ge.” 
The author preferves the fame tem- 
perate fentiments on political fubjects, 
which diftinguifhed his former volumes. 
635 
It was impoffible, however, to record the 
various horrors and calamities produced 
by the tyrannous adminiftration of the 
two laft def{pots of Roffia, without feeling 
indignant that man fliould thus Jord it 
over his fellow man, and without making 
fome very ferious reflections on the de- 
gradation and mifery to which fubjedis 
are reduced, when abfolute power is con- 
centrated in the hands of an individual. 
Gencrally fpeak ng, the compiler of thefe 
Memoirs has invettigated with care and 
employed with fidelity the various docu- 
ments which could afford him any infor- 
mation ; his narrative is eafy and fluent, 
his matter is abundant, and the hiftory 
altogether very interefting and inftrutive. 
It is, however, impoffible not to be im- 
prelied with indignation and difguft at 
the foul, atrocious, and calumnious charge 
which he has brought againft this coun- 
try, of being acceilary to the murder of 
the French minifters at Raftadt 5 a public 
outrage, as it is jultly defcribed, more 
horrible than any that has yet been com~ 
mitted in Europe fince it has been civi- 
lized. Thefe are the terms in which the 
charge is adduced: ‘* The murder is 
even fo revolting that one feels a repug- 
nance jn attributing it to the direét or- 
Gers of the cabinet of Vienna, though 
that cabinet is famous in hiltory for its 
want of faith. But it 1s equally abfurd 
(continues our author) and atrocious, to 
charge the Directory with this unheard-of 
and ufelefs crime. Such an idea can only 
have arifen in minds capable of the moft 
daftardly wickednefs, and could only have 
been propagated in a fociety familiarized 
with the crimes and the vindictive acts of 
the revolution. Oh! lafting fhame to 
France and Paris! -{t is there, it is 
among the French that this unworthy ac- 
cuiation,has been able to obtain belict ! 
Time will, no doubt, unveil to us one 
day, that the genius of dibion—that genivs 
which for ten years has contrived ail the 
plots that difrosour politics and offend 
humanity, was alfo the foul of this, as it 
has, with its impure breath, juft lighted 
the match of that infernal machine, et 
which France is ftill terrified and amaz- 
ed!" A charge cf this nature thrown 
out at random, and unfubftantiated by the 
fainteft thadow of proof, is dif{graceful to 
the author of it. But the DireGlory, it 
feems, were fufpected of the crime by 
their own countrymen.—Oh! but their 
own countrymen were ‘¢ familiarized with 
the crimes and vindiétive atis of the Re- 
volution,’” or they would not for a mo-~ 
ment have believed it. And were the Di- 
rectory altogether innocent and immacu- 
40 2 late 5 
