680 
author, and not only composed a work 
on the balance of power in the north of 
Europe, but also produced several plays. 
But the wars arising out of the French 
revolution, once more banished the 
muses, and have cast a baleful shade 
over literature. 
- The limits of our work will not per- 
mit further extracts. 
‘ & Histoire de UV Anarchie de Pologne, 
et du Démembrement de cette Republique ;” 
History of the Anarchy of Poland, and 
of the Dismemberment of that Repub- 
lic. By A. Rulhiere. 4 vols. 8yo. 
Paris, 1807. ; 
~The name of M. Rulhiere is well 
known on the continent, and at one 
eriod attained a high degree of cele- 
Brity: in France. He commenced his 
career.as a diplomatist, and was some- 
time secretary to the Baron de Breteuil, 
at. the court of St. Petersburgh. Le 
was there, indeed, during the -short, 
and celebrated convulsion, that deposed 
Peter ITI., and placed his Empress, Ca- 
tharine, on the throne. Undazzled by 
the exploits, and even the virtues, of this 
memorable female, he saw. something to 
pity in the character of the late sove~- 
rein, and much to condemn in the 
conduct of that consort, who deprived 
him of his throne, his liberty, and per- 
haps also, of his life. 
_ Accordingly, after his return to Paris, 
the drew up a minute account of all the 
circumstances that had occurred, but 
did not dare to publish this in a country 
where the freedom of the press was 
then, as now, unknown. It was cus- 
tomary,.at that period, however (1765, 
1766, 1767), to circulate writings of 
this description in manuscript, under an 
-imphed promise of secresy, and the 
swork of which we now treat, was ac- 
‘cordingly read id the first circles. The 
new empress, who was alive to every 
thing in which her fame happened to be 
concerned, soon obtained intelligence 
of what had occurred, and immediately 
‘employed the Baron Grimm, who dur- 
‘ng her whole reign, served in the ca- 
pacity of a literary agent, in order to 
‘obtain the suppression of a writing so 
Tittle conducive to her reputation, Part- 
‘Ty through his means, and partly by the 
.Interyention of the Russian ambassador 
‘dt the’ court’ of Versailles, a promise 
‘was'extracted, not to‘print or circulate 
‘the ‘narrative in question, until after the 
‘demise of thé sovereign who felt herself 
‘so deeply affected by its publication. — 
““ Meanwhile, thé Frerich court, which 
Retrospect of French Literature—History. 
had taken a lively interest in the affairs’ 
of Poland, determined to send an agent 
thither for the purpose of fementing the 
insurrection that had taken place, and 
producing a formidable resistahce to 
the partitioning powers. | Rulhiere was 
first selected on this occasion,’ but he 
was prevented from. prosecuting his 
journey, by the appearance of another 
and more successful candidate. This was _ 
the famous Dumouriez, whose exploits 
afterwards contributed nota little to the 
success of the French. revolution, and 
whose name will. be thus handed’*down 
to posterity, when the petty. wars in 
Poland have been long forgotten. He 
was then a field officer in the French 
service, replete with the spirit of enter- 
prise, and full-of youth and ardor. “It 
was accordingly supposed, that the ser- 
vices of an adventurer of this’ descrip- 
tion, who could unite in his own per- 
-son, the distinct qualities of a secret 
diplomatic agent, with those of a par- 
tisan acquainted with the operations of 
war, and capable of organizing a body 
of troops, would be best adapted for 
carrying into effect those operations 
suggested by the crafty, but feeble po- 
licy of Louis XV. , retiode et O00 i 
Thus disappointed: in his views, the 
author of the work now under consider- 
ation, was recompensed in some miea- 
sure by a pension, a ready admittance 
into the French Academy, and the office 
of secretary to one of the princes of the 
blood. His leisure enabled him’ to 
compose a philosophic poem, and hav- 
ing seen enough of arbitrary governments 
‘to detest them, it was replete with sen- 
timents hostile to despotism. This ob- 
tained for him the friendship of Voltaire, 
and he at the same time enjoyed the 
‘high honor of living in a certam degree 
-of intimacy with Montesquieu, Mably, 
and Rousseau, all of whom he survived. 
“As they dropped off,, he cultivated an 
intimacy with Neckar, ‘and their suc- 
‘cessors, and lived long enough to behold 
“a revolution in’France, but was so lucky 
“as to die before he ‘witnessed any of 
the horrors with which it was unfor- 
“pupately attended." a 
~~ His chief work, was “ PHistoire de 
‘PAnarchie de ‘Pologne,” written “no- 
“minally for the instruction of the dau- 
_ phin, whose immediate déscéndant be- 
“held ‘an insurrection of another sort, of 
‘which he became. the victim, and thus 
“suffered for the crimes and injustice’ of 
‘of his predecessors. “No historian in our 
“time, ‘has been furnished: with such yt 
 ®l 
