From the above account of the memoirs contained in this volume, taken in connection with thofe before published *, we leave our readers to form their own eftimate of the labours of this learned fociety. The inquiries of the philofopher are unavoidably influenced by the nature of the country which he inhabits, and by the fcenes with which he is converfant; it is therefore reasonable to expect that the members of this academy should bestow the chief of their attention on that part of natural hiftory, which, from the circumftances of their fituation, they have the most favourable opportunities of cultivating. We cannot, however, avoid obferving, that there are other branches of fcience not lefs worthy of their notice, and the purfuit of which would afford more interefting information than the hypothetical conjectures and dry details of the mineralogift.

Sow.

ART. II. Lettres Originales de MIRABEAU, &c. i. e. The Original Letters of MIRABEAU, written from the Prison of Vincennes, during the Years 1777. 1778, 1779, and 1780; containing the Particulars of his private Life, his Misfortunes, and his Amours with Sophia Ruffei, Marquife de Monnier. Collected by P. Manuel, Citizen. 8vo. 4 Vols. Paris. 1792. Im. ported by De Boffe, London.

WE

E cannot help confidering the pofthumous publication of letters which were never intended for the prefs, as a grofs injury to the deceafed; and when this is done by one who calls himfelf a friend, it is a breach of confidence which renders him unworthy of the title. Perhaps M. MANUEL may think himself vindicated from this imputation, by alledging that MIRABEAU knew that he poffeffed these papers, and had only defired that the publication of them might be deferred till after his death: but, had he been infpired with that delicate and ftrict fenfe of honour, to which none but the man of confiftent virtue can pretend, he would have difdained the paltry pecuniary advantage that might refult from complying with the corrupt and vicious tafte of his countrymen, and would not have been tempted to expose fentiments and actions, which cannot but be injurious to the reputation of his departed friend, and unfavourable to the general interefts of morality. As friends to the virtue and happinefs of mankind, the fame principles that infpire us with an abhorrence of licentioufnefs and anarchy, animate us with a love of liberty, and with a warm approba tion of those who endeavour to deliver their fellow-citizens

See Review, New Series, vol. iii. p. 545.

13

from

from oppreffion, and to obtain for them the bleffings of a free conftitution of government. These fentiments are never fo highly gratified, as when we fee the virtues of private united with thofe of public life, and the generous efforts of the patriot fanctified by his exemplary attention to moral and religious obligation in every part of his conduct :-but, alas! fo inconfiftent are many in their principles and practice, that their private and public characters are not only very different, but even oppofite to each other. Many inftances may be adduced of men, who, though licentious in their private conduct, have displayed great fortitude and integrity, as well as abilities, in their public and political capacity, who, by performing effential fervices to their country, and vindicating the rights of their fellow-fubjects, have acquired a juft title to their gratitude. There are but too many, on the other hand, who, though ftrict in the performance of private duties, are chargeable with the utmoft venality and fervility in their political character; and who confider the trust repofed in them by the public as of little value, except as it enables them to gratify the mean fuggeftions of vanity, or the fordid views of perfonal and family intereft. This clafs of men is far more numerous than the former; fome of them are not afhamed to avow and vindicate, under the fpecious pretence of prudence, their felfifh, difhoneft principles, which feem to become fashionably prevalent, and, if not checked by examples of a contrary conduct, will extinguifh every fpark of public fpirit in the rifing generation. This degeneracy of the age enhances the value of examples of difinterefted patriotifm; and, when a man has deferved well of his fellow-citizens, and of mankind, by his efforts to oppofe tyranny and to establish freedom, we deteft alike that malignant curiofity, which pries into the secrets of private life, in order to tarnish the luftre of a public character, and that unblufhing depravity, which holds forth licentious principles and manners as the objects of applaufe, because they are fanctioned by the dangerous example of fome whofe abilities were great, and whofe political conduct commanded the admiration, or entitled them to the grateful affections, of their fellow-fubjects.

Of this depravity of fentiment, fo common among a certain clafs of French writers, M. MANUEL exhibits ftriking characters in the declamatory preface with which thefe letters are introduced this curious performance not only infpires us with a very poor opinion of his moral principles, but convinces us of the fhallownefs of his judgment, and of the meanness of his abilities as a writer; it is, in fhort, a compofition of which a fchool-boy ought to be afhamed, and in which an affected

pertnefs

qo a chounges, and Carbunity & practiceriicon: kactiefvice was that beectious guiades when, a lance, kas neg teen countenanced by the example of the court and b the conduét of the polity; among whom mamma va come dered as the reflit of convenience, racter that of afecten, and com, .qu inffelity in both fexes was to common and rizic, that it was foarsely reckoned salt Ama mis guera depravity of manner, it is by no means Sarpriting that a young min of frong paffions fhould become audified to come nos, which he Law were fanétioned by the practice of al around kim, and by the example of his own fatter:-ir meritftanding the fpecious title of L'Ari in Homas, which de od Marquis de Mirabeau affumed in tis writings, is character is here reprefented as odious and deteftable. He is fui to have fquandered away two millions of livres belonging to his wife and children; to have injured her health repeatedly in cocle. quence of his infamous amours; and, though she had brought him an annual income of fifty thousand livres, and had been the mother of eleven children, he turned her out of his boute, and confined her in a convent, because the would not facrifice the remainder of her property to his rapacity. He forced his eldeft daughter to take the veil, and was a cruel and arbitrary tyrant to the rest of his children, except one daughter, who had gained his favour by her fervility to his miftreis. Thefe circumftances are folemnly afferted to be facts: but, without infifting farther on them, we muft observe, that nothing could juftify his exceffive feverity to the writer of these letters; who tells us, that his having taken his mother's part, and having written fome memorials for her, which expofed the cruelty of his father's conduct, were the real causes of that refentment, for which his own youthful irregularities afforded a specious pretext.

The Count DE MIRABEAU afferts, that from obedience to paternal authority, rather than from motives of affection, be married a young lady of fortune and family, by whom he had a fon; that after this, he became embarrassed in his circumftances, in confequence of his father's violating his word, and refufing to fulfil the pecuniary engagements to which he had bound himself. This marriage was unhappy; and the Count

charges

charges his lady with repeated infidelity to his bed but his refentment of this injury does not feem to be fo implacable as we should have fuppofed; and her behaviour to him appears much more unfriendly than his conduct to her. A profecution, in which he was fentenced to pay confiderable damages, for having caned a young nobleman who had infulted his fifter, gave his father an opportunity of obtaining an order for his being confined to a frontier garrifon, and a pretence for foliciting lettres de cachet against him, in order to fcreen him from his creditors and profecutors. While thus a prifoner at large, he became acquainted with Madame De Monnier, who, at the age of twenty, had been forced by her parents to marry a man of feventy, of a moft unamiable character. It is natural to fuppofe that this young lady fhould prefer MIRABEAU to the difgufting object to whofe arms fhe had been condemned; and that compaffion for her unhappy circumftances fhould infpire him with affection for her :-yet he affures his father, that he ftruggled long with this paffion before he yielded to it; that he wrote to his wife, who had alienated herself from him, entreated her to return, and offered to retire with her into Switzerland, there to fupply the fmallness of their income by his labours as an author. This generous offer being rejected with difdain, he no longer refifted his paffion for Sophia; whofe husband then folicited an order from the miniftry for her confinement. She fled to Dijon, where he was joined by her lover, and went with him to Amfterdam. In this city they lived for fome months in great privacy, and fubfifted on what the Count could earn by his pen. Their retreat was, however, discovered by the French miniftry, who fent officers in purfuit of them; and the Dutch government fuffered them to be arrested in Amfterdam, and carried away to France, where he was confined in the prifon of Vincennes, in confequence of a lettre de cachet which his father had folicited, and the lady was fhut up in a penitentiary houfe; whence, after being delivered of adaughter, fhe was fent to the monaftery of St. Clair at Gien *

*This is not the only inftance in which the Dutch government has delivered up prifoners of state on the requifition of the French miniftry. The unfortunate Mafers de la Tude, who had efcaped from the Bastile, in which he was confined thirty-five years, for having, when a youth, offended Madame De Pompadour, fled to Amfterdam, where he was feized and given up to the inftruments of Gallic tyranny. We cannot help lamenting that they who call themselves the governors of a free country, fhould thus betray the wretched victims of oppreffion, when they flee to them for pretection-but the views and actions of politicians are not always confiftent either with juftice or humanity.

In this prifon, the Count DE MIRABEAU languished for nearly four years; during which time his inhuman father fcarcely allowed him the common neceffaries of life, and absolutely refufed him thofe accommodations, with which his ill health, occafioned by his confinement, ought to have been indulged. In fhort, it is impoffible to perufe his account of his fituation without feeling the utmost compaffion for him and deteftation of his father, or without congratulating mankind on the fubverfion of that tyrannical government, which countenanced and committed fuch atrocities. Here he composed his excellent book Des lettres de cachet, et des prifons d'état, and wrote feveral fmaller works, fome of which do him no great honour. The Lieutenant de police, M. Le Noir, allowed him the use of books, and permitted him to correfpond with Madame De Monnier, and with fome other friends, on condition. that all the letters fhould be infpected by one of his officers, and be returned to him after they had been perused by thofe to whom they were addrefled. After the revolution, they fell into the hands of the editor; though by what means he has not informed us.

We have no doubt of the authenticity of thefe letters; for the ftyle of MIRABEAU is not easily imitated. Moft of them are addrefled to Madame De Monnier; and, however improper we may think his connection with her, we cannot help being pleafed with the manly and tender affection which runs through them; though we wonder at his being so unreserved in mentioning his former amours to her, and in profeffing his contempt for the fex in general. The letters to M. Le Noir and to his father are well written, and difplay great firmness of mind. In circumftances, which one might think would deprefs the boldeft fpirit, he appears undifmayed, and difdains to make any conceffions unworthy of his character: when the mifery of his fituation, aggravated by nephritic pains, and the fears of approaching blindnefs, forces complaints from him, there is nothing unmanly in his expreffions; and, in most of his epiftles, we are aftonished at his cheerfulness and vivacity. Thofe in particular which he wrote to Sophia, to his father, mother, and brother, with the intent that they fhould be delivered to them after his death, are fome of the most eloquent and affecting which we have ever feen. In fhort, with all his faults, MIRABEAU appears to have had many good as well as great qualities; and it is certain that his death was one of the deepest misfortunes which at that time could happen to his country. A proper felection made from his papers might have been an entertaining and interefting publication: but, from a want of diverfity in the fubjects, as well as from a number of minute

details,