ingly, above half of the firft volume is occupied with the life of a M. Grondel, the oldeft foldier in France; and it is only in digreffions from this digreflion, that we find a few unconnected remarks upon Louisiana.

Nothing can be more calamitous than a biographer like M. Baudry, to a plain, refpectable man, fuch as we perceive General Grondel to be, notwithstanding the ridicule in which he is unceafingly involved, by his friend's efforts to immortalize him. Through the whole of this narrative, we are unable to discover any thing peculiar in the deeds of the General, unless that he commanded an out-poft in Louisiana, made feveral narrow escapes from the Indians, had a quarrel with the governor, and, from having lately been out of employment, has avoided being killed. Yet every trifling occurrence of this very fanple life, is magnified into heroifm; and the biography of fuch a man is a matter of firftrate importance becaufe, had his valour been exerted in Europe, he might probably have rifen to the higheft ftations in the republican fervice. It is frightful to think of the confequences which would follow, from the extenfion of this principle: we fhould have nearly as many lives written, as there are fpent. Nor is General Grondel the only fubject of cloge in this narrative. Our author's manner is, as he fays himfelf (vol. I. p. 6.), fauter avec promptitude d'un fujet à un autre. In conformity with this principle, he gives a laboured eloge of the grenadier Regniffe, who carried M. Grondel away on his fhoulders from a skirmish in which he was wounded. Glory for ever (fays our eloquent author) be to that incomparable Regniffe; that faviour of a young man truly interefting; that hero fo worthy the title of grenadier May his name be handed down to the fateft pofterity, and become the rallying word,' &c. &c. (p. 47. vol. I.) He is, of courfe, compared to the grenadier who faved the life of the Firit Conful. M. Grondel's father is alfo introduced, and praifed for his addrefs in deceiving the Indians. Many feats of this kind are recited; as, how he made them believe, he could burn the Miffiffippi, by flipping fome brandy into a glafs; how he cheated them with a wig (a refinement of art, of which they had no idea') and thus faved his fcalp; how he practifed the old ftra- " tagem of the burning-glafs, &c. Happy afcendant of genius and fcience (exclaims M. Baudry), it is by your means that mankind are led!' Our author having in the outfet warned us not to be furprifed at feeing him fouvent caufer avec moi-même,' seems indeed refolved not to let the preparative be loft. The difcuffions which he holds are very curious; they breathe that pure love of truifm, which animates fo many French reafoners. Thus the life of General Grondel is interfperfed with acute arguments, to prove fuch

fuch pofitions as the following: That a fhoemaker should not make patés; and that every man fhould keep in his place, in order to avoid confufion (p. 93.): that a lawfuit is a terrible thing, (p. 146.): that M. Baudry is no philofopher; and that the poetry in p. 374. is written by himself. Sometimes these truifms are delivered without the domonftrations; but preceded by a voilà, the French fignal for important difcovery. Thus, voilà how a well placed firmness produces happy effects (p. 41.): voilà how small things may lead to great dangers (p. 39.) General Grondel haviug been prefented at the Tuileries, we have a long hofannah raised to the First Conful, the immortal defcendant of heaven, &c. &c. This narrative concludes with a kind of furprife to the reader. We are told, that, after all, General Grondel is not a hero. Why? because the Deity is the only hero in the univerfe! (p. 181.) The General, however, we are informed, is, like old Silenus, full of gaiety; can repeat whole plays; excites the appetite of his friends, by his own hearty ftomach; and fhews incredible addrefs in amufing the ladies by tricks.

The only good paffage which we have met with in this fingular piece of biography, is the following accurate defcription of the French character. It displays a greater degree of impartiality and calm fenfe, than our readers might be apt to expect from the author of the frippery we have been defcribing.

Cependant l'on fe réfroidit aifément fur le mérite des hommes. En France, furtout, où l'admiration va jusqu'à l'enthoufiafme, on oublie bientôt l'utilité d'un homme précieux; on s'y accoutume à tout, on s'y lae promptement de tout, et l'on y traite les matières les plus féricufes, avec cette légèreté qui fait le caractère national. C'est l'empire où il y a le plus d'efprit, et le moins de reconnaiffances. Le befoin du changement occafionné par un fond naturel d'inconftance, fait qu'on y donne au mérite, l'éclat éphémère d'un goût paffager, et qu'il y fubit les lois verfatiles de la mode journalière.

M. Baudry alfo deferves commendation for his conftant deteftation of that falfe philofophy which prefided over the formation of the French republic. It is fomething novel to hear fuch language from a commis of that government; and, indeed, the cordial fupport which he gives to the prefent order of things in France, is frequently at variance with the more wholefome principles which he appears to hold upon political fubjects. There is no great confiftency in a writer who praifes both Bonaparte and Louis XVI.; weeps over the horrors of the second year, and adores the atrocities of the confular government; cants against the encyclopedifts, and bends before the national inftitute.

Upon the fubject of religion, we meet with the fame inconfifl

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ency.

ency. It is extolled, indeed, with the loudest praises; but evidently from its political tendency. The atheists are abused, after the ufual doubts refpecting their exiftence; and yet, the propriety of keeping the negroes in a state of idolatry, is strongly inculcated, because it diminishes the waste of animal food on the flave coaft. The propagation of the gospel is confounded with philofophifme,' while the chriftian religion is recommended as ufeful to the colonies. In fhort, M. Baudry, when he touches upon the general queftions either of liberty or of religion, is, like the greater part of his countrymen fince the Revolution, obliged to use a language quite new in France; and he perpetually falls into the old irreligious dialect. We actually meet with the following curious exclamation, in a panegyric upon a man's chriftianity.

Ainfi, qu' importe aujourd'hui à M. de St Laurent qui eft mort, que la terre fe ferme fur fes depouilles, que l'eternité et l'oubli le pref, fent de tout leur poids? Du filence de la vie il eft paffé au filence de la mort; mais fon âme vit, et elle plane au milieu des delices fur le vide des chofes humaines. '

This mixture of creeds can by no means be imputed to fome of our author's effufions upon the fubject of liberty. In thefe we meet with far more open and unqualified admiration of defpotifm than any courtier of the Bourbons ever found it worth his while to difplay. Such transitions from the principles of late fo popular in France, form, we imagine, a peculiar feature in the character of that fickle nation. After mentioning the new calendar, our author exclaims,

What do words fignify, provided one is a good Frenchman, and loves the government? The philofophers may do what they please, the people will never be enlightened. It will remain always a dangerous mafs, prone to change its lights into conflagration; and our proteffors of the fecond year ought to be content with their experience. Too much light blinds and fatigues the class condemned by nature to live in darknes, &c. Vol. 1. p. 88.

Language like this, a few years ago, would have fecured for the hiftoriographer to the colonies, a station in Cayenne. A wife man would find it difficult to pronounce, whether the tenets of that day, or of the prefent, are farthest removed from truth. The extremes of opinion, between which we have feen the French people vibrate, are perhaps alike erroneous, though not productive of dangers equally immediate.

That part of 31. Baudry's work which relates to colonial affairs, bears conftant marks of the prejudices natural to a planter ruined by the negro infurrections; and the incongruity of these prejudices is often as remarkable as their number and obduracy. The

negroes

negroes are a race of inferior beings, doomed by nature to a state of flavery. Such is M. Baudry's fundamental principle; and yet he complains of the regular correfpondence which the infurgents of St Domingo maintain with their brethren in Paris; inveighs against the fumptuous pride with which thefe men appear in the capital; and denounces them as dangerous, both by their numbers and their machinations, to the mother country. With all the horrors of the negro character before his eyes in the most exaggerated proportions, he propofes new fchemes for increafing the lave traffic. While he acknowledges the impoflibility of restoring tranquillity to the revolted ifland, without an extended fyftem of military operations; and pretends, that, at any time, a few factious whites have it in their power to raife whole colonies of negroes in rebellion; he is propofing schemes for increasing the black population, and extending the flave fyftem to the new fettlements. Truly, we affent to one propofition of our author, (p. 279): Je fuis homme, et je fuis, comme les autres, etampé de la foibleffe humaine.'

Now, fuppofing that tranquillity is reftored to the French iflands, our author details, at a moft fatiguing length, his views with refpect to their improvement. The neceflity of ameliorating the ftructure of fociety in thofe fettlements, he cannot deny; and from his verbofe declamation in favour of certain general plans, we collect, that he confiders the chief defideratum to be good magiftrates, more efpecially in the judicial department. But, inftead of pointing out any means by which this important want may be fupplied, he gives a differtation against men folicit ing for places which they are incapable of filling; and exhorts all thofe who look towards preferment, to imitate his example, in refraining from the pursuit of places above their capacity. After good magiftrates fhall have been procured in confequence of thefe hints, he proposes that a picture of the Persian monarch flaying the unjust judge, be placed in a confpicuous part of every court of judicature. He is decidedly an enemy to Juries in the colonies, and argues upon this point with fome acuteness. But it does not at all appear how the fear of being forced to attend upon Jury trials would operate fo ftrongly in deterring planters from refidence, as the manifold benefits of the inftitution would operate in rendering the colonies an agreeable abode. The example of the English fettlements may ferve to prove, that no ferious inconvenience is likely to refult, even to the most induftrious planters, from attendance to judicial duties. M. Baudry conceives, that mulattoes and negroes fhould be prevented from poffelling plantations in great culture, and fhould be forced to refide in the neighbourhood of great towns, or other places of strength. He

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He thinks, that all free negroes, and free people of colour, fhould, if not poffeffed of fome property, be reduced to the state of daylabourers or foldiers; and propofes, that no mulatto nearer the negro than child of a quarteroon, fhould be allowed to learn reading and writing. All thefe plans of reftriction appear to us utterly inconfiftent with the idea of free negroes and mulattoes: nor can we imagine the poffibility of ameliorating the state of fociety in thofe parts, without keeping the gradual abolition of flavery, and amalgamation of colours in view. If the free people of colour are to be oppreffed by such regulations, while they are feparated both from the whites and the flaves, the colonial government must expect a renewal of the fcenes which firft arose from this very quarter.

The plan of prohibiting taverns, at leaft for the flaves, feems liable to no objection. The evils of intoxication are certainly augmented by thofe places of refort; and when we are confidering the remedies for abufes in a fyftem of flavery, fuch an argument as this may be deemed fufficient of itself. It would, however, be difficult to fupprefs taverns for flaves, without alfo fuppreffing thofe for the free orders; and this unquestionably leads to many complicated difcuffions, the very existence of which M. Baudry feems not to have fufpected.

The neceflity of attending to the ftate of the highways is enforced with fome ftrength. It is farther propofed, that these fhould be planted with fruit-trees for the refreshment of the paffenger, who would be prevented from abufing this indulgence, by the conftant fear of the patroles. Our author's whole policy, indeed, is a ftrange mixture of liberty and reftraint, derived apparently from the unnatural ftate of fociety in thofe flave colonies where he has refided. His ideas of commerce are fometimes fingularly unfortunate. He is for the Legiflature interfering with what he calls the morality of trade; alleging that he has obferved avarice prevail very generally, both among the merchants and the hopkeepers of the colonics. In another part, he ferioufly propofes, that the number of printers fhould be limited by law, in order to render them lefs needy, and prevent them from being fuch bloodfuckers to poor authors. We have here, at leaft, one inftance of the reftraints of the mercantile fyftem, fupported by thofe whofe interefts they attack; for the raifer of the commodity is actually abfurd enough to defire that his market thould be contracted, and his fales fubjected to a monopoly. In one of his three fets of notes (poflerieures, ulterieures, and paralipomenes), our author attacks Bryan Edwards with great vehemence for his imputations upon Citizens Ailhaud and St Leger. He appears to have fucceeded in freeing the former of thefe men from the hafty allegations