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HISTORY.

Journal, ou Témoignage de l'Adjutant-General Ramel," &c. Journal, or Teftimony, of Adjutant-General Ramel, Commanding-Officer of the Guard of the Legiflative Body of the French Republic, and one of thofe tranfported to Guiana, after the 18th Fructidor (4th Sept. 1797;) containing alfo a Variety of Facts relative to that Day, and the paffage to, ftay at, and escape of fome of the Exiles from the Colony. With a Chart of Guiana, Leipfick, 1799; 1 vol. 8vo. We are told by Ramel, that he occupied the poft of adjutant-general of the army of the Rhine, when orders were received by him, from the directory, to repair to Paris, and take upon him the command of the guard of the legislative body; a fituation to which he had been invited, in confequence of a vote of the two councils. His corps, which was at first compofed of 800, had been lately divided into two batallions, of 600 men each; and the author no fooner found himself initiated in his new office, than he commenced a reform, as a great number of the foldiers had ferved the convention in the fame capacity. His conduct on this, and many other occafions, gave great diguft to the Jacobins, and even to the directory, who, however, made him an offer of another poft, and even an advancement in rank, provided he would give in his refignation.

1

A few days before the grand catastrophe, an unusual degree of vigilance was made ufe of by thofe employed to guard the legiflative body. A fatal fecurity, however, prevailed among the members themfelves; and, even on the morning before their expulfion, Emery, Dumas, Vanblanc, Tronçonducoudray, and Thibaudau, although forming part of the oppofition, protefied loudly against the fufpicions that had taken place, and the terror that had feized on the public mind. Their fecurity was fo great, that they retired before midnight; but, within an hour after this, Ramel received orders to repair to the minifter at war, and learned, at the fame time, that feveral columns of troops had entered Paris, and that the officer to whom the charge of the cavalry was confided had withdrawn his corps, and two pieces of cannon, in confequence of orders from General Angerau.

At three o'clock Ramel was fummoned, "in the name of the directory," to allow 1500 men to pass the bridge," as they were entrusted with executing the orders

of government." He was at the fame time affured, by an officer who had formerly ferved along with him, that his grenadiers were already furrounded by 12,000 men, and 40 pieces of cannon.

On this he inftantly repaired to the Thuilleries, and found the generals Pichegru and Villot in the apartment deftined for the commiffion of inspectors. He now difpatched meffengers to Laffon Ladebat, prefident of the Council of Ancients, and Simeon, prefident of the Council of Five Hundred, and renewed his injunctions to the officers on the advanced pofts not to withdraw without an order in writing, figned by his own hand. A few minutes after this, he received intimation that the iron gate of the bridge had been forced; that the divifions of Angerau and Lemoine had effected a junction; that all the pofts were turned and overawed by a superior force; and that a battery of cannon was directed against the hall of the Council of Ancients. Being now reduced to fo critical a fituation, and perceiving that there was only one poft leading to the Council of Five Hundred that held out, the adjutant-general demanded orders to relieve the referve of grenadiers, and repulfe force by force. The deputies. however, refused their affent, obferving, "that all refiftance was ufelefs," and prohibited him from firing a fingle mufket. At half past four o'clock, general Verdiere fignified to the legiflators, that he had orders to oblige them to leave the hall, and carry the keys to the directory. This produced a long altercation; but, as the officer intrufted with this commiffion obferved" that he did not come there to deliberate," all oppofition was in vain.

At half an hour after five in the morning, Ramel received a written order from general Angerau, commanding him to retire with his guard to the quai d'Orfay', but he refufed to obey; and not being any longer able to keep up a communica tion with the committees, which were blocked up by the directorial troops, he waited for the orders of the two councils.

His troops, until this period, had remained faithful; but a captain now exclaimed, "that they were not Swifs!" and a lieutenant obferved, "that he had been wounded on the 13th Vendemaire, while fighting against Louis XVIII. and would not now draw his twod in his caufe." A third cried aloud, "The councils are labouring in behalf of the king; they 6U 2

are

are rogues, and ought to be exterminated!" Even the fecond in command proposed tolay down their arms; and, in a few minutes 'after, Angerau appeared at the head of four hundred officers, exclaiming, "Vive la republique !" Thefe were accompanied by fome of the moft noted revolutionists, fuch as Santerre, Roffignol, Pache, &c.; and Ramel was arrefted, without the leaft interference on the part of his corps, as he laboured under the fufpicion of being a royalist.

After being treated with great harshnefs, the adjutant-general was committed to the Temple, where he found the reprefentatives Pichegru, Villot, D' Auchy, Jarri, Lamettrie, La Rue, Bourdon, and Dumas. Several others arrived foon after: and, at midnight, the minifter of the police brought Barthelemy, the director, thither alfo.

After a fhort imprisonment, they were conducted, to the number of fixteen, to Rochelle, in four carriages, fortified by bars of iron; and treated with the utmost rigour during the journey, being often obliged to fleep on ftraw in the jails. In the courfe of their paffage to Cayenne they experienced the molt mortifying contempt, and the moft indignant treatment, having been fed with horse-beans and hard bifcuits, the latter of which was full of infects,while the former was ufually covered with hair and filth, and ferved up in a bucket!

On their arrival at Cayenne they were at firft received with confiderable kindness; but they foon experienced great cruelty on the part of the governor, and were fent to Sinamary, one of the most unhealthy fpots on the American continent, where they were lodged in huts, fimilar to thofe of the negroes.

At length the death of fome of their companions, and the tyranny of their oppreffors, determined them to make their efcape to the nearest Durch fettlement. The members of the Council of Ancients, how ever, refufed to leave the colony, as they would thus expofe their eftates to confifcation, and deprive their families of all means of fuccour. Ramel, Pichegru, Barthelemy, Villot, &c. determined, at all events, to make an effort for their liberation; and, accordingly, by means of a fmall fishing boar, and the affittance of an American failor, they at length found means to reach Surinam, the governor of which treated them with the utmost hofpitality. After a variety of adventures, they arrived at one of the English fettlements, whence they were fent home

in the Weft-India fleet, and anchored at Deal on the 21ft of September, precisely the anniversary of their departure from Rochefort.

Having repaired to Sheerness, in a cutter, general Pichegru, who was extremely ill, fet out for London that fame day, and his companions foon followed him thither. After a fhort refidence in this capital, they expreffed a wish to return to the continent, and were accordingly furnished with proper paffports by our government.

It is evident from this, as well as the fucceeding work, that the party tranfported from France was compofed of royalifts. This, however, cannot apologife for banishment without conviction, for unneceffary cruelty during the passage, and for barbarous treatment on their arrival in a peftilential climate.

"Anecdotes Secrètes fur la Revolution du 18 Fructidor," &c. Secret Anecdotes relative to the Revolution of the 18th Fructidor, and new Memoirs of thofe banished to Cayenne; written by themfelves: containing Letters from General Murinais, Barthelemy, Tronçon du Coudray, Laffond Ladebat, La Rue, &c. We are Here told, that a few days before the 18th Fructidor (September 4), at a meeting of the deputies in oppofition, it was propofed by one of the infpectors "to attack the directory, and place three of the members, viz. Barras, Rewbell, and La Reveillère Lepaux, in a ftate of accufation." The majority, however, being compofed of temporifers, oppofed the project. One member faid, "The conftitution will be fufficient for our defence." To this general Villot replied: "the conftitution will be of no avail against cannon; and it is with thefe that they will oppofe your decrees.”

"The foldiers will not be on their fide!"

"The foldiers will be on the fide of thofe who command them. If you do not decide, you are undone."

"The attack of the directory is too perilous an enterprife!" cries another. "There is not a fingle redoubt to be taken," rejoins Villot," and I will undertake it." Pichegru and La Rue alfo declared for violent meafures; but they were out-voted, and nothing was at tempted. On the preceding day, two members of the Council of Five Hundred repaired to Carnot, with an intention to perfuade him to take part against his colleagues; but he observed, "that he faw the royalifts behind the curtain ;"

and

and added, with much generofity," the moment you attack any one member of the directory, I fhall inftantly join myfelf to him.'

In the mean time, notice was brought to the infpectors of the two councils, that the Directory was preparing to feize them. On this, Bourdon de l'Oife, who had formerly been a decided republican, and was well acquainted with revolutionary movements, exclaimed, with indignation, "You will never be able to repel bayonets with a cuirafs of paper! I know but one way that promifes fuccefs, and that is, to march firaight to the Luxembourg, and bring away the heads of the confpirators."

"He is drunk!" cried a member, very cooly and inftantly refumed a differtation on the merits and efficacy of the conftitutional act.

At ten o'clock at night, a deputy of the Council of Five Hundred went to confult Barthelemy. "I am certain," obferved he, "that three of my colleagues are preparing a plot; but they are not yet ready, and will be unable to do any thing for four or five days to come."

This affurance completed the triumph of the party of the endormeurs, and they inftantly retired to their beds.

Before the alarm gun was fired, the triumvirate gave orders to arreft the two directors, Barthelemy and Carnot: this critical and delicate bufinefs was not confided to any Frenchman, but to a German, who held the rank of adjutant-general in the fervice of the republic. The firft of thefe, who had retired to reft after playing a game at cards, was feized without any difficulty; but the latter was more fortunate; for he efcaped through the fidelity of a fervant; and, notwithstanding the reports to the contrary, is fuppofed to be ftill alive.

The fortunate escape of feveral of the prifoners from Guiana to Surinam has been ftated above. No fooner was this event known to the commandant of Sinamaray than he treated the exiles who remained with ftill greater rigour than before. It happened, however, very fortunately for them, that Jeannet, the governor of Cayenne, had about this time received in fructions to behave to thein with more humanity, &c.; he accordingly complied, in part, with the orders of the directory. Their fituation, indeed, although far from being comfortable, was much better than that of one hundred and ninety-three fresh exiles, who arrived in the Decade. Among

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Of the fixteen tranfported by the corvette la Vaillante, the particulars of whose treatment are to be found in the former work published by Ramel, eight remained at Sinamary, of whom the fix following ended their days there:

"Murinais, 27 Frimaire, 6th year.
Tronçon de Coudray, 4th Mefidur.
Bourdon de l'Oife, 4th Meffidor.
La Villeheurnois, 10th Thermidor.
Rouere, 25th Fructidor; and
Brothier, 26th Fructidor."

Of thofe that ftill furvive, viz. Marbois and Laffond Ladebat, the former was lately attacked with a fever, which lafted eighteen days. Thus, the mortality among the exiles, in the course of one year, is to their number as 7 to 8, or as 72 to 80; in other words, according to this reckoning, a fingle perfon will not have remained alive in the courfe of fourteen months.

It mult afford great fatisfaction to every humane mind, that the furviving exiles are to be permitted to return to France; and it is to be hoped, that, after fuffering fuch a variety of hardships, they will be allowed to end their days in peace. Effai fur l'Hiftoire, Geographique, Politique, et Naturelle," &c. An Effay on the Geographical, Natural, and Political Hiftory of the Kingdom of Sardinia, by D. A. AZUNI; I vel. 8vo. Second Edition.

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.-M. Azuni, who is himself a native of Sardinia, feems particularly anxious to make the importance of his native island known to the public. He accordingly divides his work into five chapters, under the following heads:

ift. Geographical defcription of Sardnia. 2d.

2d. Of Cape Cagliari.
3d. Of Cape Saffari.,

4th. Of the ifles adjacent to Sardinia. sth. Of the origin of the Sardinians, and a general sketch of their government. 6th. Of the Spanish government, while the island appertained to Spain.

7th. Of The Piedmontefe government. 8th. Natural productions. 9th. Vegetable kingdom. 1oth. Animal kingdom. 11th. Mineral kingdom. 12th. Maritime productions; and 13th. The prefent state of commerce. We have already noticed a former edition of this work.

"Recherches Hiftoriques et Politiques fur Malthe," &c. Hiftorical and Political Researches relative to Malta, adorned with Engravings, reprefenting Ancient Medals, and a Map of the Ifland, by C. CAPITAINE; 1 vol. 8vo. This work contains a fummary of the hiftory of Malta, and a defcription of every thing interefting in that island. It is written with the view of demonftrating the numerous advantages which the French may derive from the poffeffion of it.

"Hiftoire Generale et Impartiale des Erreurs, des Fautes," &c. A general and impartial Hiftory of the Errors, the Faults, and the Crimes committed during the French Revolution, by PRUDHOMME; 6 vols. 8vo. The two firft volumes of this work were published in 1797; but the late government prohibited the fale of the four laft, and they were only circulated by ftealth. It is to be hoped, for the honour of humanity, that Prudhomme has exaggerated the crimes committed by his countrymen, as it is impoffible to look over the lifts of profcription here prefented to the public without fhuddering.

By way of a fpecimen, we fhall prefent the reader with an account of the victims who fell during the proconfulate of Carrier:

The number put to death at Nantes,

500

drowned

1500

women fhot

264

drowned

500

priests fhot

300

drowned

460

1400

5300

8000

Effay on the Caufes which produced a Republican Form of Government in England in 1649; the Means wanting to confolidate it, and the Circumstances that produced its Overthrow. By BOULAY DE LA MEURTHE, a Reprefentative of the People. Second Edition.

Whether we confider the time that this pamphlet was published, or the perfon by whom it is written, it must be allowed to be a curious production; and it has not become lefs interefting in confequence of the revolution fo recently effected by Buonaparte.

Were it not for the name prefixed to the title-page, this would undoubtedly be confidered as the production of a royalift, who, under the affumed veil of candour, is zealous for the re-establishment of monarchy. The author allows that the republican form of government is the most beautiful and excellent of all others; but he contemplates it as an abstract theory, a kind of vifion that can never be realifed, and confiders the words liberty and equality as very charming, but very dangerous expreffions.

Boulay maintains, that no nation was better calculated for a republican regi men than the English during the middle of the laft century, as no people has ever fo well underfood the theory of goVernment, the balance and diftribution of powers, and every thing appertaining to the reprefentative fyftem. In addition to this, the English republic was establifhed on a firmer foundation than the French, and rendered ftill more formidable in the eyes of other ftates. Now, in his opinion, the caufes that contributed to the overthrow of the English commonwealth exift in that of France, and that too in a greater degree. These may be reduced to the fix following

heads:

quainted with no other rule of government than that of terror. "If Cromwell was a tyrant," fays he, "what name fhall we affign to Robefpierre, to the convention and the directory?"

4th. The various attempts against the rights of the people, and the liberty of the national reprefentation. The profcription of the Girondifts under Robespierre; the 18th Fructidor, and the revolution produced by a re-action of the legiflative body against the directory: these are memorable inftances of the audacity with which they fport with the rights of the people, and of the established conftitution, in order to guarantee its exercise.

5th. The cunning and machiavelian conduct of those attached to a monarchical government. The royalifts of England, according to him, were active in procuring the death of Charles I. while he feems to intimate that thofe of France were defirous that Louis XVI. fhould perish!

6th. The oppreffion, difcontent, and evils, experienced in both countries.

"De la Condition des Femmes dans les Republiques," &c. Of the Condition of Women in Republics. By Citizen THEREMIN, Member of the Society of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, at Paris. This new champion of the fair fex treads in the fteps of the author of "the Rights of Woman," and is extremely anxious that the French ladies fhould be invefted with political franchises. He thinks that the female Parifians, in particular, might fit on juries, be employed in fecret and confidential miffions by government, &c.

&c.

NATURAL HISTORY.

"Hiftoire Naturelle de Buffon, claffée par Ordres," &c. Buffon's Natural Hiftory, claffed after the Syftem. of Linnæus, with the Generical Characters, and the Linnæan Nomenclature. By RENE RICHARD CASTEL, Author of the Poem of the Plants, and Profeffor at the Prytanée Françaife. This fplendid edition of the Natural History of the great Buffon poffeffes many advantages over the former. In the first place, all the errors of the author are fuppreffed, while the new discoveries, contained in the fupplements, are inferted in their proper places. In addition to thefe, upwards of twenty new plates are inferted; all of these are defigned by Defeve, to whom Buffon, a little before his death, communicated the changes and corrections which he wished to introduce.

The first volume is adorned with a fine portrait of Buffon, executed by Gaucher; and all the plates are most admirably engraved.

"Hiftoire des Infectes des Environs de Paris," &c. Hiftory of the Infects in the Neighbourhood of Paris; by GEOFFROY. A new edition, confiderably augmented with a fupplement, in 2 vols. 4to. The figures of this edition are finely coloured after nature.

"Lettres fur l'Hiftoire Phyfique de la Terre," &c. Letters on the Natural Hiftory of the Earth, addreffed to M. Blumenbach; containing fresh Geological and Hiftorical Proofs of the Miffion of Mofes by DELUC, 1 vol. 8vo. 530 pa. 7 fr. The preface to this work contains an interefting memoir on the primitive and univerfal principle of moral obligation, whence all the other duties may be deduced.

:

The first letter treats of the phenomena of the terrestial globe, and the origin of our continents.

The 2d contains an analysis of geological phenomena.

The 3d and 4th, the hiftory of the earth.

The 5th, of the continents.

The 6th and laft are intended as a phyfical commentary on the eleven first chapters of Genefis.

"Memoire fur un Fragment," &c. A Memoir relative to a Fragment of Volcanic Bafaltes, brought from Borghetto, in the Roman Territory; read before the Phyfico-Mathematical Academy of Rome; by U. P. SALMON, a Phyfician of the Military Department, and Member of the fame Academy. In the formation of this fpecimen, the au thor recognifes the fucceffive action of two different agents, fire and water, whence he deduces a new theory of the earth.

"Manuel pour fervir à l'Hiftoire Nouvelle," &c. A Manual calculated for a New Hiftory of Birds, Infects, and Plants, tranflated from the Latin of J. Reinhold Forster; by J. B. F. LEVELLE, &c.. 1 vol. 8vo. This tranflation from the pen of a phyfician of the French capital is intended as a guide to the different claffes of natural hiftory. The analysis of the methods of the most celebrated men is here prefented to the ftudent, who is alfo gratined with extracts from the works of Lacépede, Juffieu, Lamarck, Cuvier, &c. and a tranf lation of a memoir, by Murray, on conchology.

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