attack: but the mode of it, we conceive, is not such as merits very respectful attention.

Of the Appendix to these Letters, which contains remarks more immediately relating to the history of Winchester, we cannot take any notice in an article already extended far beyond our intention.

Including also

ART. IV. The Annual Necrology, for 1797-8. various Articles of neglected Biography. 8vo. pp. 660. 10s. 6d. Boards. R. Phillips. 1800.

OMITTING any trite panegyric on the subject of the volume

before us, we shall only observe, what every biographical tract obtrudes on the attention, that there is no proportion. between the utility of this kind of composition and the facility of the execution; or the kind of talents and the frame of mind which are necessary to render it excellent. The present age has abounded in biographical works, and they yet continue to increase but, unfortunately for the public, they have generally been formed from very scanty materials; and they too often treat of men not only unimportant in themselves, but whose lives afford little variety of instruction to the reader; or finally, each article is the panegyric of a friend, or the invective of an enemy. In fact, impediments stand in the way of any great advances to excellence in biography, which are nearly, if not altogether, insurmountable: since the materials. necessary for composing an instructive and authentic account of any person are generally to be collected only from the individual himself;-and he who relates the facts of his own life will seldom be a faithful and impartial narrator. On the other hand, if we confine ourselves to what may be called the public incidents in the life of the individual, (those circumstances which, from their publicity, may be with certainty known,) the recital of them must be jejune and unimportant;-because, undoubtedly, the most interesting part of every man's history is that which lies only within his own knowlege, or can least have been communicated to others; that part which led to the great changes by which the epochs of his life are marked; which comprehends the motives, the feelings, and the impulses that gave birth to his plans, and suggested those projects that have ended in defeat, or those which have been crowned by eventual success. Perhaps, therefore, it ought rather to be attributed to the nature of the undertaking, than to any fault in the compiler of the volume before us, that we here find sometimes but a faint outline of an im

portant life, and sometimes a detail of minute and petty cir

cumstances,

Το

cumstances, evidently collected by partial friendship. avoid both of these extremes is, probably, a task which we shall seldom see executed. We must therefore be contented with biography such as we generally find it, subject to these imperfections; and, as we cannot frequently expect authentic, full, and impartial narratives, we must learn to be satisfied with those which are least doubtful, least scanty, and least prejudiced.

In the volume before us, we have accounts of thirty-four characters, each of whom has in some respect attracted, or des rved to attract, the notice of mankind. Among these we find the names of the Abbé Barthelemy, M. Bailly, M. Lavoisier, r. Bakewell, Dr. Kippis, Count Hertzberg, Mr. Burke, Catherine II., Dr. Farmer, General Hoche, Theodore late King of Corsica, his son Colonel Frederic; Mr. Wilkes, Miss Wollstonecraft, Condorcet, &c. &c. As these sketches have been drawn by a number of hands, much inequality in the execution may be pre-supposed: but the reader will find that the aggregate of the work is intitled to a considerable degree of praise, for the general merit of style, for judicious observation, and for entertaining anecdote.

In the variety of articles of which the volume consists, there is scarcely one which our limits will suffer us to transcribe as a specimen: but, rather than deny our readers any of the entertainment which it affords, we shall give the substance of what we here find respecting the late unfortunate Colonel Frederic.

The following account, which he was accustomed to give of himself, affords some insight respecting the place of his birth:"I am the child of misfortune. Theodore king of Corsica was my father; after a variety of adventures, he repaired to the court of Spain; obtained the rank of colonel in that service; and married lady Sarsfield, of the noble house of Lucan in the kingdom of Ireland, who had been appointed maid of honour to the queen, in consequence of the misfortunes of her father, and his attachment to the house of Stuart.

I am the fruit of that union, My father, after spending a great deal of money, and getting into debt, left us; and, in consequence of various changes of fortune, both acquired and lost the crown of Corsica; he then repaired to England, where I his son followed him, in order to share his misfortunes, and administer to his necessities."

• It would appear then, that he was born in Spain; but the particulars of his infancy are wholly unknown. He is said, however, to have been brought up at Rome, and to have received his education, which was certainly a liberal one, in that city. Indeed, from many circumstances observable to those who have conversed with him, it. was pretty plain that his early youth had been spent in a college, and he himself committed to the care of the priesthood. He was accustomed

ustomed to assert, that he had been placed for some time under the tuition of professor Lobcowitz, a man of some celebrity, and whọ had attained considerable eminence by a treatise on astronomy, written, according to the fashion of that day, in the Latin tongue.

The only account we have of his youth is gathered from one of his own publications; in which he says he was bred a military man, and "had made several campaigns under the most experienced generals of the age." He further remarks, that when the brave Corsicans n ade so gallant a stand in defence of their liberties," he himself, with Buttafuoco and Colonna, two Corsican gentlemen, who had served with distinction in the regiment, composed of their country men, in the service of France, offered to join Paoli in so glorious cause, but he rejected the offer.".

He is also reported to have occupied a literary department in the cabinet of Frederick II. of Prussia.

But whatever might have been his profession, or situation in life, certain it is that he united a knowledge of military tactics to great skill in the civil and canon law, and attained an uncommon facility in all the languages of Europe. He spoke French, German, Italian, and Spanish, with great fluency; and he acquired a considerable degree of perfection even in English, which is allowed to be extremely difficult to a foreigner, and more especially to a native of the south of Europe. He, however, conversed in it with considerable ease, and was particularly attentive to the grammatical construction; but it was soon perceived, by his accent, that it had not been familiar to him from his birth.

On his first arrival from the continent, about the year 1754, he betook himself to the teaching of Italian, and subsisted for several years by that means. At this period of his life he got acquainted with many men of considerable celebrity, and Macklin and Garrick are said to have been his scholars. By the latter he was promised great things; the former he introduced to Mr. Wedderburne, the present lord chancellor, who at that time wished to get rid of his northern accent, in which he has most effectually succeeded. He himself was also his lordship's instructor.

During the confinement of Theodore he visited him frequently, and is said to have shared his scanty pittance with that unfortunate monarch in a manner that would have done credit to the most affectionate son.

By a German lady whom he married abroad he had two`children: the one a son, the other a daughter. The first perished at the battle of German town, the other is still alive. I have been repeatedly assured by himself, that he had more than once tasted the bounty of the late princess dowager of Wales, who compassionated his misfortunes and those of his family. There is also some reason to believe that her Royal Highness was partly induced, from certain political motives, to patronize him; for it was rumoured at that time, that the Duke of York, brother of his present Majesty, had conceived the idea of becoming king of Corsica; and although this was treated as a vague report, in a tract published at that period, yet it appears

evident

evident that colonel Frederick had drawn up a manuscript account of the island, for the inspection of his Royal Highness.

• After an absence of a few months on the continent, Frederick returned to London with a ribband in his hat. He also occasionally appeared in a green uniform, richly laced with silver, and long German epaulets; and, as he was said to have obtained the brevet rank of colonel from the late duke of Wurtemburgh, and also the croix de merite, he was ever after recognised by that appellation. Although not formally acknowledged as his serene highness's agent in this country, it is well known, however, that he transacted business of a diplomatic nature in his name; and helped him to dispose of a regiment of his subjects to the English East India Company. Towards the latter end of the American war, the colonel also tendered the service of a body of Wurtemburgers, ready disciplined and accoutred; and he was accustomed to assert, that the premier having cheerfully acceded to the proposition, the troops were actually put in motion, and considerable expences incurred. On being countermanded, soon after this, by an order from Great Britain, the colorfel preferred a claim for bat and forage money, pay and subsistence, amounting to many thousand florins; and his pretensions were backed by repeated memorials, addressed to all the different administrations that have succeeded each other since that period until 1797.

In the year 1791 an affair which promised to be of some service to his finances occurred. The prince of Wales, and some of the younger branches of the royal family, had conceived the idea of obtaining a considerable loan on the continent, by means of their joint security; and colonel Frederick was actually sent to Antwerp to negociate the business. His majesty, however, dishking the scheme, openly interposed by means of his agents; and prevailed not only on a respectable banking-house abroad to withdraw its countenance, but also prevented the subscribers from advancing the money according to agreement. On the failure of this unprosperous affair he returned to England, much chagrined and disappointed; and never mentioned the subject without a considerable degree of emotion. Soon after this he drew up a statement of the case, which death alone prevented him from publishing.

His finances, during many years, were in a deranged state; and, for some time before his demise, he had been occasionally supplied with little sums from various friends. Being a great economist, his expences were small; but, notwithstanding this, he had contracted several trifling debts, and one in particular to an amount which subjects a man's body to the rigours of a jail. In short, he was in daily danger of being arrested; and thus became prevented from frequenting those places and persons rendered dear to him by custom.

Another object, of no small concern to a feeling mind, occupied and agitated his thoughts. This was the situation of his daughter, Mrs. Clarke, a lady who had also her full share of misfortunes. His amiable grand-daughters too were grown up, but remained wholly unprovided for. It had been the colonel's custom to visit them fre

quently

quently, and on all occasions, when it suited his convenience, he was sure to make little presents to the family. Unable to administer to their relief, he had not repaired to their residence, in St. Mary-leBone, for a considerable time previously to the melancholy catastrophe that soon after ensued; and he sent word, "that he would never see them again, until he could do it in a satisfactory manner."

As it now became dangerous to remain any longer at his lodgings in Northumberland-street, in the Strand, where he had resided during many years, he repaired to Waghorn's coffee-house, under the house of lords, and communicated his fears to Mrs. Seagoe, who permitted him, during that night, to sleep in another house belonging to her in the neighhourhood. In the morning he repaired to the attorney of the plaintiff, who had sued out a writ against him, to solicit a little delay, but he was refused this in a brutal manner. He then asked a friend for the loan of twenty pounds; but receiving an equivocal answer, became distracted at his situation. His misfortunes now multiplied every hour, and his calamities became, at length, so great, that he determined to put an immediate period to his existence. It was at this critical period that he is supposed to have written the following melancholy note, on a slip of paper:

"All the curses in the tragedies are fallen upon me; without a house, without a country, without a friend; having for enemies even those men whom I have obliged. Incumbered with debts, and so poor that I live only from day to day, and sometimes I have nothing to live. "To these I have opposed magnanimity to distress, nature to law, and reason to the troubles of the soul."

6

On this awful occasion (his purpose being at length fixed) his conduct afforded a singular specimen of calm intrepidity; and there is perhaps no instance on record, in which suicide has ever been committed with more cool determination. Indeed he seems, on this occasion, to have resolved the long agitated problem, whether selfdestruction be not always produced by insanity?

Having procured and loaded a pistol, and being no longer apprehensive of the myrmidons of the law, whose power he could now set at defiance, he arose at the usual hour in the morning of Wednesday February 1, 1796, and walked out in his customary manner, without exhibiting any signs of agitation, or betraying any symptons of his dreadful purpose, to those whom he accosted.

Towards the afternoon he proceded to Storey's-gate coffee-house, Westminster, a place often frequented by him, where he dined. He then called for his half pint of port, a quantity he rarely exceeded; looked over the morning papers; asked for and perused an evening one; and departed at eight o'clock, with his accustomed serenity. Having then repaired straight to the gate of Westminster-abbey, which is in the immediate vicinage, he pulled out the instrument of destruction from his pocket, and applying it to his temple, drew the fatal trigger, and in a moment ceased to exist.'

6

This work, we are told by the editor, is to be continued annually. It will certainly be no common industry that will enable him to furnish yearly such a volume as the present.

ART.