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fhare in the last war, have loft more than they are aware of, in cafe, what is more than probable, Europe fhall again become the theatre of war, before the other nations fhall have loft, by repofe and tranquillity, the incalculable fuperiority they have received. This obfervation the accuracy of which is proved by every day's experience, confirmed me in my fixed refolution never to expofe myself to an important defeat by affembling too great bodies together, and to fpare the lives of men who, although at first timid, and perhaps, even on a fecond occafion not much at their eafe, would fooner or later become excellent foldiers. On this account, I had at firft introduced the custom of difperfing, if victory did not very foon declare itself in our favour. All the roads and by-paths were known to our troops; the enemy, who were ignorant of them, found it impoffible to purfue; and the inhabitants of the country either gave them falfe information, or conducted them into ambufcades. When the enemy was broken, that circumftance operated against them. Their defeats were followed with flaughter. Thofe of the Royalists did not coft them the life of a man,' vol. II. p. 416.

From other paffages which occur in thefe Memoirs, thefe remarks must be understood with confiderable limitations, and as applying only to the mechanical or inftinctive influence of fear. M. Puiffaye feems fully aware of the powerful effect of moral motives upon the conduct of men, in enabling them to act with fuperior courage and energy. In the course of these Memoirs, he frequently celebrates the heroic qualities of his country women. Upon moft occafions he employed them to reconnoitre the enemy, and to procure intelligence, and they executed their truft with great intrepidity and addrefs.

The tyranny of the Convention, and the cruelties exercifed by the Jacobins, greatly augmented the numbers of M. Puiffaye's partizans. The frequent executions which took place, while they awed the inhabitants of the towns, roufed the inhabitants of the country to revolt. The victims were by no means felected from the higher ranks of the people: the lowest claffes fuffered equally. After the decree which was paffed against what were called the enemies of the people, perfons of all deferiptions were involved in the maffacres which took place. The first perfon who was condemned in confequence of this decree, was a hackney-coachman, accufed of having formed a confpiracy against the people. M. Puiffaye affures us, (vol. II. p. 491.), that belides the regulations which carried away men of thefe claffes from their wives and children, and the blood they fhed in order to raife a few of their pretended friends to fituations in which they infulted their mifery, nine tenths of the victims who perifhed on the revolutionary fcaffolds, in noyades and fufillades, were compofed of the loweft claffes of the people. Amidst the many melancholy reflections to which the perufal of these state

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ments must naturally give rife, the mind is fomewhat relieved by the many inftances which are related of humanity, fidelity, and heroifm upon the part of the lower ranks. At a time when the tyranny exercifed by the Jacobins was fuch, that the difcovery of any article of drefs of a finer texture, a fhirt or a piece of fine linen, was fufficient ground for condemning the inhabitants of the houses, M. Puiffaye met with kindness, fidelity, and protection. In all the plans which he afterwards formed, the great caufe of his fuccefs was the tyranny of the Jacobins; and the most formidable obftacles he encountered, arofe from the imprudence of the emigrants, and the conduct of the allied powers. Political information was now widely diffufed through all ranks of the people. They required fome affurance that the threats originally held out by the Royalifts fhould not be realized, and that the abufes of the old government fhould not be reftored. M. Puiffaye obferves, that the French Princes have been ftrangely deceived when they were told (p. 395.) that a word or an order was fufficient to put all the Royalifts in France in motion. This was not language to be held, when they were not able to afford protection or offer rewards, and had not a gun or a piece of money to bestow. M. Puiffaye obferves, that

attachment to principles, love of your country and your king, and devotion to the caufe of religion and of the laws, are affuredly refpectable and powerful principles; but it is chimerical to fuppofe that they are fufficient, if they are not fupported by the feeling of individual intereft, which is ennobled by thefe motives. That feeling is neceffary to bind together a mass compofed of fuch various and unequal materials. I have feen few Royalists who have not fuffered more or lefs from the effects of the Revolution. I have not feen one of the partizans of that party who did not expect to gain more or lefs by declaring in favour of it. '

There appears a great deal of truth in thefe obfervations, though it will not be easy to perfuade princes of their justice.

M. Puiffaye fteadily adhered to his plan of organizing a large force, and avoiding any great enterprize, until he fhould have a reasonable profpect of fuccefs. In order to complete his arrangements, he left the departments of Ile and Vilaine, in which he had chiefly refided, and traverfed that of Morbihan. After having acquired the neceffary information, he fet out, on the 15th of September 1794, for England, in order to concert meafures for a cooperation upon the part of that power.

Thefe interefting Memoirs here terminate where they become most important; and it is with fome anxiety we look for the continuation of them which is promifed, and which will include an account of the events which led to the peace of Prevalaye, and the fate of the expedition to Quiberon.

It would be premature to offer any obfervations upon M. Puiffaye's conduct, before we are poffeffed of the fubfequent part of his Memoirs. It is in that part we expect to find an anfwer to the most important charges which have been brought against him. We have no hesitation in recommending thefe two volumes to our readers as the work of a man of very fuperior talents. The occafion upon which they are written, and the fituation in which they were compofed, are a fufficient excufe for many defects which a little care and attention might have removed. We cannot help, however, expreffing our regret that an author who is able to write fo well, fhould have fo frequently fallen into that diffuse and declamatory ftyle which has for many years been too prevalent among French writers.

The political reflections which are made in the course of these Memoirs, are a fufficient proof that the author is poffeffed of an acute and penetrating understanding, which has been carefully cultivated; and we are anxious for the continuation of a work from which we expect to derive much interefting and curious information.

ART. VIII. Specimens of Britifb Minerals, fele&ed from the Cabinet of Philip Rafhleigh, of Menabilly, Efq. M. P. F. R. S. & F. A. Š. London, Part 1. 1797. Part 11. 18oz. Quarto.

THEY

HEY are truly wife who, when poffeffed of the rarer products of nature or of art, are liberal enough to gratify public curiofity. Gold has no value in the ftrong-box; it is only when put into circulation that it repays the toils of acquifition; and rarities are only valuable to moft collectors, in proportion to the current coin of admiration for which the fight of them can be exchanged; and this fpecies of barter is fo agreeable and advantageous to both parties, that no means fhould be neglected to encourage and extend it.

The remote fituation of Menabilly prevents many mineralogifts from availing themfelves of the liberality with which Mr Rafhleigh exhibits his collection of minerals. With a highly laudable difpofition to diffufe information, he has publifhed this work, decorated by delineations of select specimens, and illuftrated by short defcriptions of the minerals, and indications of their localities. He modeftly disclaims an intimate acquaintance with the refinements of modern mineralogy and chemistry; and, contented with a fimple statement of facts, leaves to his readers the amusement of accommodating them to their favourite hypothefis.

We need not beftow any particular confideration on the text, which is obviously introduced merely to render the plates intelligible.

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gible. The few explanatory obfervations are fo unobtrusive and unpretending, that they afford little room for remark; and though we regret that they leave us with only limited information. of the objects they mention, we cannot justly complain of that being only imperfeally done, the performance of which we had no reafon to expect. Though the modern changes in chemical nomenclature may not be familiar to the writer, yet we may obferve, that as his work is chiefly intended for the amusement and inftruction of those who are remote from Cornwall, he hould not have ufed the technical provincialisms without explanation. We fear that to the inhabitants of the greater part of Britain, lodes and elvans will found rather unintelligible.

The plates form the most important part of this work; and upon them we fhall venture fome obfervations. There is no department of natural hiftory which has not been made the fubject of painting; but all its branches are not equally capable of being illuftrated by the imitative art. Generally fpeaking, there is no vifible object, of which painting cannot communicate a more or lefs perfect idea; but the important application of fuch reprefentations to fcientific purposes, muft depend on the facility and precifion with which the effential characteristics of the object can be expreffed. The three great divifions of natural objects are very varioufly fufceptible of illuftration from painting. Of animals it affords the moft correct and intelligible defcription; for nearly all their characteristics are easily and diftinctly reprefented; and fo trifling are the differences between thole of the fame kind, that a fpecies is easily recognised from the portrait of an individual. The diverfities of vegetables of the fame fpecies being greater than thofe of animals, and the effential characteristics being lodged in the parts of fructification, which are often fo minute as not to be expreffed by the pencil with proper diftin&nefs, render their delineation a lefs perfect defcription. In vegetables, however, as well as animals, the effentials are always apparent; and the application of painting to their description is only regulated by the facility of the reprefentation. Bur in minerals, the effential characteristic feldom refides in the vifible external characters, except in cafes of accurate cryftallization. The hardness, the fpecific gravity, the tenacity, muft all be known; the fracture remains for painting, but even that cannot be expreffed with any correct refemblance of the natural appearance. Colour may indeed be approximated; but in minerals, it is of all characters the moft unimportant, and the peculiarities of luftre, which are of more confequence, are proportionably difficult to reprefent. It is not enough that a generai fimilitude be attained. Place the object itself at a small

diftance,

diftance, and no mineralogift can afcertain its fpecies. It may be cinnabar, or red copper, or iron ore, or red jafper, or a piece of brick. A near and minute examination of texture, colour, and luftre, may reveal what the fubftance is; but, let the painter attempt to transfer thefe peculiarities to his canvas, and the patience of a Moris or a Gerrard David will fink in the attempt. Delineation can only be effentially advantageous to mineralogy, by tracing cryftalline forms with precifion; but, for that purpofe, the ruler and compaffes are wanted-away with the pencil and

colours.

The fplendid volumes before us afford a ftriking illustration of thefe remarks. Almost every one of the highly coloured ́ plates which it contains, bears a ftrong general refemblance to the delineated object. To the fuperficial obferver, this may appear quite enough; and to thofe who merely look at minerals as children do at pictures, to regale their eyes with vivid colours, this work will be a treasure. Surely it was not for their ufe only that it was defigned; and yet we fear few others will find it profitable.

We cannot attribute this failure (for fuch we must confider it) to any neglect on the part of Mr Rafhleigh to give his book. every perfection of which it was fufceptible. The ftyle in which the plates are executed, proves him to have employed an artift of confiderable ability, who has only failed, in not being able to extend the empire of painting over a province which we fear will ever refufe her fway. He has, however, given us many brilliant and beautiful, if not characteristic and inftructive engravings; and the delineations of two organic bodies, a foffil bivalve thell and an echinus, ferve to illuftrate his own fkill, and define the boundaries of his art.

He feems very naturally to have fhrunk from the difficulties. of his undertaking, and to have preferred a general felicity of effect, to an accuracy which, however defirable, prodigious labour might have failed in attaining; to have dafhed out groups of crystals with daring indiftinctnefs, and to have trufted to the outline of a detached cryftal, magnified, for conveying a more correct idea of the object intended to be reprefented. Even thefe detached figures are inaccurately drawn; and the artist feems to have depended more on delicate tints, than on the correctnefs of his forms.

Though the colours that adorn fome minerals are fuperb, it muft not be imagined that every fpecimen glows with the prifmatic hues, though this is an opinion which the greater number of thefe prints is calculated to diffeminate. Yet fome allowance must be made for the inaccuracy of the inferior artists who are

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