the Corficans should not be able to refift on account of the flowness of the fuccours.

But after the king's fleet had obtained confiderable advantages over the French, and had reduced them to fuch a condition, that they were unable to difpute the empire of the Mediterranean, they thought no longer about the acquifition of Corfica; whether it were from an opinion that England had no longer any occafion for that island; or from an unwillingness to give umbrage to Spain, who had guarantied it to the Republic of Genoa,

I then defifted to importune the minifters, but without lofing fight of my object. I applied to the king for the reimbursement of the expences I had been at to fupport the Corficans, after I had received your approbation. They had been very confiderable, and above my abilities, which had reduced me to the neceffity of having recourfe to credit. After a long application I obtained a fum very insufficient for my purpose, and even then I should not have obtained that without your interpofition, of which I shall always retain a grateful remembrance.

Imagining that my project was fuch, that it would be refumed fome other time, I thought that I should in the mean time, open a way to the Corficans, to fupport themselves against the attempts of their enemies. In confequence of which, I treated with fome merchants to establish a trade between England and Corfica, and to barter the products of that island for utenfils, and warlike ftores, of which they stood. in need. As England, at a very high rate, procured the fame commodities from other parts of Italy, which he might draw with lefs expence, from Corfica; this had fuch an effect, that my project was immediately approved of by mefirs. William Lewis, and George Jeon, merchants at London. On this account, they petitioned the king for permiffion to open a correfpondence with the Corficans, and to furnish them with arms--but they were refused.

It was objected that the island, in question, was not fo fertile, as I had represented it, and that the merchants could get nothing by it.

To expofe this abfurdity, I determined to depart for Corfica, where, upon my arrival, I freighted a veffel with the products of that country, and I fet fail for England, flattering myself, that by thefe inconteftible proofs, I could demonftrate the fertility of that island to the English, in the fame manner as the Ifraelites convinced Mofes of that of Canaan-by the fruits, which they brought from it.

But

*

But at my return to England, my creditors feized on the cargo. As it was not fufficient to discharge all the debts, that I had contracted on account of the Corficans, they arrested me likewife. I am indebted, for this misfortune, tơ the envoy of Genoa, who was always induftrious to scatter his poifon for my deftruction, and by ways fo fecret, and fo fubtle, that it was impoffible for me to guard against

them.

Every one knows, my lord, that this man, who was poffeffed and made ufe of fraud and fervility, inftead of wisdom and honour, had gained the favour of the chief clerk of one of the fecretaries of ftate, and ingratiated himself very much into his confidence. By this channel, he propagated a thousand falfities at my expence; he charged me with defigns, which I never had, and never fhall have, and forgot nothing to render me odious to the miniftry; who were too wife to be unjust, and to question my integrity, which has always been the chief motive of my actions; but nevertheless, being. feduced by calumniating fuggeftions, fell into the fnare, which malice had placed for innocence. Without examining things to the bottom, without letting me know what I was wanting in; even without leaving me any means to justify myself, they became my perfecutors, they hindered me from the execution of defigns, the moft glorious for the British nation, and the most interesting to humanity; in a word, they expofed me, without pity, to all the outrages of fortune; fo that, the public, who could not penetrate into the true motives of my difgrace, feeing me ufed ill even by thofe, who ought to have been my defenders, looked upon me as a problem, which every one might folve according to his own fancy.

In spite of these disappointments, which I endured with that tranquility of foul, common to thofe, who have no thing to reproach themfelves with; I abated nothing in my zeal for the good of England. This kingdom has the jufteft title to be called the country of mankind. For my part, I have always regarded it as my own country, from the first moment of my arrival, and especially fince I have there tasted the fweets of liberty.-Likewife when Spain had joined with France against England, which was almost exhaufted of foldiers and failors, by her very victories, I renewed my offers with refpect to Corfica, where every one, the noble, the gentleman, the tradefman and the farmer, is formed a foldier by a long habit of bearing arms. The Corficans, my lord, are, indeed, little acquainted with military fcience, feldom ac customed to encampments, to form themselves in battle array, and to defend or lay fiege to a place in form: but yet they

are

re invincible for courage, for patience in fatigues, for habitually bearing poverty, and the inconftancy of seasons, for the vigour of their attacks, and above all for a bravery, which bad fuccefs itself cannot abate.

1

But my weak voice was not heard by lord Egremont, whom you ordered me to apply to, That nobleman, astonished to find me afcribing heroic qualities to a people, whom he took for Hottentots, looked upon all the truths I advanced upon that topic, as fo many dreams, and by a fatal blindness rewarded the purity of my intentions, by a thousand hard, fhips, entirely inconfiftent with equity and decency.

As for the Corficans, they, at laft were not better rewarded for their advantageous proffers, than I had been myself, For after the conclufion of the peace, the English, instead of fhewing them any marks of friendship, and co-operating for their deliverance, concerted measures with the Genoese for their deftruction. They published a proclamation dated Jan.. ift, 1763, in which they prohibited the fending any fuccour to thofe iflanders, and by that means hazarded their falling into flavery again.

Every one of probity, honour, and good fenfe, as well as the true patriots in England, murmured greatly against this proclamation; they looked upon it as degrading the majefty of the throne, as tarnishing the glory of the English nation, and as fharpening the fword against its owner; because, by these means, they openly violated the facred laws of humanity and juftice, as well as thofe of found policy, in hindering thereby a people, who groaned with oppreffion, to hake off their yoke. A people, who in the midst of a hundred fervile nations, dared to fight for liberty, for two hundred and fifty years by themfelves, and without any support. A people, who had not been conquered by the Republic of Genoa, but, deceived by vain promifes, had furrendered themfelves to her upon conditions, which were never performed,

This Republic has pushed her authority beyond the bounds of reafon. She pretends to reign over the Corficans in a manner entirely defpotic. She thinks herself above the covenants, and the fundamental laws of the ftate, and would have her will received as the only law. Under the delufive fhew of liberty, which may be read every where in capitals, even upon the prifon doors, and upon the fetters of the gally flaves, they exercife there the moit frightful tyranny. She has never teftified the least regard for thofe iflanders, who are very willing to become fubjects, but never could endure to be treated like flaves. She has always treated the nobles ill, infulted the clergy, deprived the towns of their privileges, and reduced the people to extreme defpair, by numberleis and a

bominable

bominable vexations. She has never admitted them to the management of the affairs of their own country. All pofts and dignities, civil, military, and ecclefiaftic, have always been conferred upon the Genoefe. She never would establish public schools there, for the inftruction of the youth, who are both rude and ignorant, looking upon ignorance as the ftrongest support of tyranny; and by a policy equally barbarous, he has difcouraged husbandry, and annihilated all kind of traffic, for fear of weakening defpotifm by a free commerce, which always is attended with political liberty. In a word, to render their misfortune complete, the has continually loaded them with exorbitant customs and taxes, which the calls of the ftate did not demand, but calculated folely to glut the infatiableness of the Genoefe, who like devouring vermin, are continually preying upon these wretched iflanders.

Their lives and properties are at the mercy of the commiffary general of the Republic, who prefides over the island with fovereign authority. He makes decrees upon the spot; he there exercises, under the favour of the laws, the moft horrible cruelties, punishing corporally, and condemning to death the poor innocents upon mere fufpicion, and without any form of juftice; at the fame time authorifing rapine, fire, facrilege, and maffacres. So that a Corfican is never fure of his life in his own country. A facrifice to the avarice, and caprice of the Genoefe government, he has no other exiftence, but what the fhall condefcend to grant.

The complaints and tears of this unhappy people, though fufficient to melt the most obdurate hearts, have never been able to affect the Genoefe fenate, to which they have so often reprefented their grievances. On the contrary they look on their remonstrances as fo many crimes, and incroachments, or outrages against the fovereign power; fo that finding tbemselves in fo violent a crifis, and forefeeing no end or mitigation of their mifery, they obeyed the call of nature, which all mankind feels, and attempted to break their chains. This was the only means, which remained to prevent the entire ruin of their country, and to procure for themselves the pleasures of an honourable, and folid tranquility. The fafety of a state is the chief law.

If this be granted, can we blame the Corficans, and stigmatize them with the name of rebels, for revolting after fo many fufferings, against the crying tyranny of a Republic, who publicly makes a mock of all laws, divine and human who has abufed the fovereign power, in a thousand inftances, of which he is no more than the depofitary or fteward, and has profined the fanctity of the contract folemnly ftipuated by both parties; a contract which was the only founda

tion

tion for their fubjection, upon which account, the Corficans maintained obftinately, that the Republic of Genoa being guilty of the crime of lefe majesty [or treason] against the state, had forfeited all the right of the crown of that island; and confequently that they were freed from their oath of fidelity and obedience; and entering again into their primitive state, they could lawfully offer themselves as fubjects to whomsoever they pleased. Upon this principle they had recourse to Great Britain; they made use of me as an inftrument to notify their inclinations; they offered to fubmit themselves to its wife laws, to turn their forces against the enemies of that power, and fhed their blood generously for her.

What an humiliating fpectacle must it be to human reason, to fee the English nation, that is to say, the most enlightened nation in the world, which includes in its independance the feed of every heroic virtue, and which has always been efteemed the warmeft protectress of liberty; to fee her, I fay, favouring at this time the deteftable cause of tyranny, and feconding the black projects of a fanguinary Republic, which is become the horror, and the terror of all the good.

But it must be a fpectacle far more aftonishing to fee the fame nation, which appeared to have no other view, but thất of establishing its empire every where, to floop to measures evidently contrary to its true intereft; measures which aggrandifed the Republic of Genoa, (whofe ruin Great Britain ought evidently to have meditated) who were for extirpating the Corficans, its only, and fureft fupport in the Mediterranean; and disturbing its trade, the only pillar of its power. The great prejudice it had received from that Republic, as well as from its allies, by their attachment to Spain, and France; the lofs of Minorca owing to the affiftance of Genoefe failors, which were fent exprefly to the enemy to equip the fleet at Toulon, deftined to invade that island, and the mischief which the Genoefe might do it for the future, when fuftained and fet on by those two powers, fhould have determined England to act accordingly, and to crush that ftate, rather than to aggrandife it.

No one fhould be ignorant, my lord, that the Republic, I am fpeaking of, being entirely dependant upon the boufe of Bourbon, cannot refufe taking part against the English, and doing them all the mischief in their power. So that England, in favouring this Republic, cherishes in its bofom a venomous viper, ready to give it a mortal wound. We ought neither to be ignorant, that this houfe, the implacable enemy of Great Britain, looking upon its late misfortunes as a lion does upon his wounds, is only more exasperated at the fight, D. VOL II.

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