Your periodical Reviewers are nothing to this military critic, who feems inclined to give no quarter; at leaft it does not appear that he has afforded any to Col. Tarleton.

Lieut. M. we find, by the details here given, was perfonally Concerned, as well as the gallant officer on whom he animadverts, in fome of the moft confiderable actions recorded in Col. T.'s book, particularly the famous affair at the Cow-pens, in which the troops at that time under Col. T.'s command received a most severe check from the Americans, and in which their adventurous leader was faid to have loft all the laurels he had gained by his former fucceffes; though neither in this, nor in any other engagement, was there even the smalleft ground for calling in queftion his perfonal bravery. His general failing, indeed, according to our inadequate apprehenfion, feems to have been of a contrary caft-too much ardour and precipitancy, the common fault of a young and high-fpirited commander.His defeat at the Cow-pens, however, was confidered by the Americans as "the first link in a grand chain of causes, which finally drew down ruin, both in North and South Carolina, on the Royal interest * !"

Of this difaftrous transaction our prefent Author has favoured the Public with his own account, in oppofition to that of Col. T. whom he charges with a grofs mifreprefentation of the affair, in a variety of important circumstances. He likewife examines the conduct of Mr. T. as the leader of this very confrderable, but unfortunate detachment; and cenfures him for feveral errors and overfights, in point of generalfhip, which were of fatal confequence, on that occafion.

If we mistake not, our Author's principal view in publishing this critique on Col. T.'s Journal, is to vindicate the fame of Lord Cornwallis, late Commander in Chief of the British forces in America, from the invidious glances of the Lieutenant Colonel, who more than infinuates blame, and implied cenfure on the military conduct of his Lordship,-who is now, and was when the Colonel published his hiftory, at a distance + that places him beyond all poffibility of defending himself.-This wears the appearance of great generofity, on the part of Lieut. M. whofe friendly zeal, and able exertion of his abilities, or this occafion, will no doubt meet the warm approbation of the well-wifhers of Lord C.; and few men, we believe, have a greater number.

Our Author hath, indeed, taken the utmost care, and most effectual means, to invalidate the teftimony of Col. T. in regard

* Vide Dr. Ramfay's Hiftory of the Revolution in South Caro-lina, Vol. II. p. 200. Of this valuable work we fhall foon give an account in our Review.

+ Governor-general in the East Indies.

to

to almost every tranfaction of importance in the campaigns of 1780 and 1781, by reprefenting his Hiftory, throughout, as highly impeachable for its partiality and incorrectness.' Some facts,' fays he, have been withheld, and fome mutilated, while others are raifed to a pitch of importance, to which, if hiftorical juftice had been the Author's object, they are by no means entitled. Prejudice and party spirit are alfo fome of its most prominent features.'

Speaking elsewhere of Col. Tarleton's qualifications as a military hiftorian, he reprefents him as deftitute of many effential requifites; adding, 'To fupply thefe material defects, he appears to fubftitute a profeffional experience, fo limited, as fcarcely to exceed the duration of a butterfly's existence *.'

As far as we can pretend to judge, who know no more of what paffed in the two campaigns here alluded to, than we have learned from the public prints, of both parties, Mr. M. appears to be very well qualified for the task he hath undertaken, of defending the military character of Lord C. and of expofing the imperfections which, according to his reprefentations, may be found in Col. T.'s performance. He writes like a man of confiderable reading, adequate experience, and found judgment; in addition to which, he may be credited for his perfonal knowledge of the transactions which are the subjects of his investigation.

Befide the ftrictures on Col. T.'s Hiftory, Mr. M. has given to the Public, not only his own account of the action at Cowpens, but a curious journal of the fiege of Fort Ninety fix †, in which a handful of English troops, not above 550 men, sustained a month's fiege, and finally prevailed, against an army of 4000 Americans under General Green. He has alfo drawn up an excellent eulogium on Colonel Ferguson, who commanded a detachment of the British army, and feil, overpowered in an un

* Another ftroke of this kind may be given, as a farther fpecimen. The longer I have continued to examine it (Col. T.'s History), the stronger is my conviction, that it is an incorrect and partial journal of military events, in which the Author himself, directly or indirectly, has always fome concern. But its claim to being efteemed an hiftory of the campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the fouthern provinces of N. America, is more truly ridiculous, than that to an his tory of the world, if, according to a certain author, he had defined the world to be a circle of a given diameter, him felf the centre; and if, not entirely taken up with the contemplation of his own excellencies, he had really given an impartial and accurate detail of all the actions of all the beings who moved, for a certain time, around his orbit.'

+ So called from its being that number of miles from the Indian town of Keowee, in the Cherokee country.

equal

equal conflict with the Americans, in the back fettlements, weftward of the Allegany mountains. Our Author has likewife fubjoined a detail of the recapture of New Providence (then poffeffed by the Spaniards) by the gallant Col. Devaux, a young American Loyalift, who planned and executed the expedition at his own private expence. Mr. Mackenzie fpeaks of this well-conducted enterprise, as being perhaps, without a parallel in the modern hiftory of war.'

ART. VI. The Life of Voltaire; with Notes illuftrative and explanatory. Tranflated from the French. By G. P. Monke, Lieutenant in the Navy. 8vo. 6s. Boards. Becket. 1787.

TH

HIS publication is faid to come from the pen of the Marquis de Villette *, who married Mademoiselle de Varicourt, the adopted daughter of M. de Voltaire, and whom he diftinguished by the appellation of Belle et bonne.

That thefe Memoirs were really written by the Marquis de Villette, is, however, fomewhat to be questioned. He may, indeed, have furnished materials for the work, but no man, we think, could fpeak of himfelf in the following words: He (M. de Voltaire) felt for this young lady (Mademoiselle de Varicourt), who had been brought up under him, all the tendernefs of a father. As to the Marquis de Villette, it is well known that Voltaire loved him: he was a man who, in his opinion, excelled others in the charts of chit-chat: he found in his converfation that refined and ready wit which reminded him of the company of La Fare and Chaulieu' But, whoever is the author of the prefent performance, he is evidently the pupil of Voltaire. He has imbibed the doctrines and opinions of his mafter;-doctrines which he particularly venerates, as will be feen by the following extract:

• Voltaire has indeed formed no fect, as, in their lives, Defcartes, Mallebranche, Calvin, Luther, and others did, who in their time have enjoyed more fame than they really deferved; but he has created a new generation of men, and, what is of till greater advantage, the ideas of this generation will be perpetuated from age to because they are fupported by ufeful truths, and not by idle

age,

opinions.

*From the repeated and confidential affertions, that the prefent work was written by a nobleman, who, from his marriage with a part of Voltaire's family, in whofe welfare he highly interefted himfelf, it was natural to expect that the materials were obtained from the most genuine fource, and would not only be given with all that regard for truth, which others, lefs informed, mult have undoubtedly deviated from, but in the lively and vivacious manner for which the reputed writer has been fo juftly celebrated."

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE, • Defcartes,

Defcartes, to whom Europe is ftill more indebted than to Newton, fpent his life in fabricating fyftems, and combating chimeras. Voltaire confumed his in eradicating fome great errors which were corrupting morality. It is to the knowledge he has diffufed, that in in a great meafure is owing the good which is now taking place, from the fources of the Oby to the mouth of the Garonne, and which will in due time take place from this river to the mouth of the Tagus, and of the ancient Boetis.-The law of nature, which prompts all men to be just and indulgent, was his fole gofpel. He fpent his life in thinking and faying, that the freer men are from prejudices, the more focial virtues they poffefs; and that the more men are given to toleration, mildness, and affability, the more agreeable is the world to live in. From his earliest infancy he piqued himfelf on being a philofopher, for no other reafon than because philofophy has never failed to benefit mankind, and has always endeavoured to hinder them from murdering each other, whereas theology has often caufed them to fhed torrents of blood.'

The foregoing obfervations will, no doubt, be difpleafing to those readers whofe religious fentiments are more confined than thofe of our Biographer. But let us not too haftily yield up fuch a man as the Marquis de Villette to the Unbelievers. Their triumph would then, perhaps, be more than what they are honeftly entitled to.-We mean not, however, to fay a word in defence of the tenets of the Philofopher of Ferney, with respect to articles of faith. We have faid that the Writer of the work before us is the pupil of M de Voltaire. That the Public may determine for themselves on the matter of our Author's orthodoxy, we will transcribe a few more paffages, including his detail of Voltaire's behaviour in his laft moments; which, as it differs materially from any preceding account, will confequently be the more acceptable to the curious and inquifitive Reader:

Voltaire, though very much indifpofed, received the actors. and actreffes who were to reprefent the tragedy of Irene. At one of the rehearsals of it, Voltaire breaks a blood-veffel in his breast. The fpitting of blood, which immediately followed, made people apprehenfive for his life. Upon the report of this event, the young Abbé de Terfac, Curate of St. Sulpice, haftens to catechife the old Philofopher. He is not admitted to fee him. The next day he calle again, and orders had been given to let him in.

Nevertheless, the great forwardness of the Curate fhewed that his exceffive zeal might be troublesome, and it was to be before-hand with him, that Voltaire received an Abbé Gautier, who comes and offers himself to hear his confeffion. This Monfieur Gautier began his office by kneeling to the philofopher; it was a homage that he paid to the great man: Voltaire politely raifes him up again, and proposes to make a public confeffion, as had been practifed in the early ages of the church.

The Abbé Gautier refuses to hear this public confeffion, under pretence that it would bring him into trouble: he even requires a REV, Feb. 1788.

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previous

previous declaration of his fentiments; and when the Philofopher had made that declaration, which was the profeffion of faith of a true Roman Catholic, the Abbé Gautier ftill wished to confer on the matter with the Archbishop.

The Philofopher confented to this ftep; his declaration was found infufficient: the Archbishop required one to be drawn up by a notary, a model of which he gave, and which began thus: I confefs I bave maliciously blafphemed the divinity of Jefus Chrift. On reading this preamble, Voltaire ftarts back with horror, and difmiffes the Abbé Gautier, faying, That's enough for to day; let us have no bloody fcene. These words were an allufion to his fpitting of blood.

Every thing paffed in private between the Philofopher and the Abbé Gautier; yet Voltaire was not forry that the public thought he had confeffed himself. He even replied to those who spoke to him on this fubject, If I were upon the banks of the Ganges, I must of courge die with a cow's tail in my hand.

He was already at the point of death, when he is told that the Count de Lally Tolendal has obtained the repeal of the arret by which General Lally, his father, loft his life on the fcaffold. This news revives him for a moment from his lethargy, and he answers Monf. de Tolendal by a note, of which this is the fubftance: I fee that the King is juft; O! I die contented. This note is the last he dictated.

:

Drowfinefs hung upon him without any intermiffion he no longer fpoke, and feemed to hear nothing. The Curate of St. Sulpice, and the Abbé Gautier, his fuppofed confeffor, being both informed of his dangerous fituation, were admitted to fee him, in the prefence of his niece, his nephews, and his friends.

The Curate approaches his bed-fide, and afks him if he believes in the divinity of Jefus Chrift? The Philofopher did not hear him, or if he did hear him, did not deign to make any reply. The Curate takes advantage of this filence to justify himself to his relations and friends then prefent, for afking fuch a question: "As," fays he, "the divinity of Jefus Chrift is violently attacked in those works which are attributed to him, I think it my duty to fatisfy myself on this point of belief."

They then tell him that the Curate is come: the dying man holds out his hand to him, takes hold of the Curate's, and half raites himself up to embrace him. Did not this gefture, this attitude, this carefs, and every thing elfe, feem to fay, "Don't teaze me, Sir, but let me die in peace?" But the Curate afks him again, and in a tammering voice," Sir, do you acknowledge the divinity of Jefus Chrift?" Upon this the expiring Philofopher, opening his hand, and ftretching out his arms, as if to push away the Paftor, exclaims in a strong and loud voice: In the name of GOD, Sir, do not mention that man's name to me. Thefe were Voltaire's last words: I had them from the very perions who were prefent: they evidently contain the profeffion of faith of a downright Deift, who confines his belief to one God alone.

The Curate of St. Sulpice, undoubtedly terrified at the Philofopher's anfwer, withdraws, and goes to inform the clergy of his diftrist that Voltaire is dying as he had lived; that he will not bury