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the ruftling of embroidered filks, and gracefully holding in his hand, a cap of foft and showy plumes, to address himself to alabafter ftatues, glittering luftres, Grecian chairs, feftoons of drapery, and an audience of beings tricked out as fine as himfelf, were he to be fuddenly tranfported into a poor and paltry room, meanly lighted, badly ventilated, and inconveniently arranged, and to be told that, in that fpot, the reprefentative of the firft nation in the world, legiflated for her fubjects? What would he fay, were he to fee and hear in the mean attire of jockies and mechanics, fuch orators as Greece and Rome never faw or heard in the days of their most exalted glory; unfolding with the penetration of a fubordinate Providence, the machinations of a dark and deep confpiracy, erecting elaborate laws to fhelter the good, against the enemies of repofe, or hurling the thunder of their. eloquence against the common foes of their country. The aftonifhed Frenchman would very likely fay, "I "always thought that the English were a ftrange fet "of beings, but they now exceed the powers of my "comprehenfion, they can elicit wit in the midst of "gloom, and can fay fuch things in a plain unbrufh"ed coat of blue cloth, as all the robes, plumes, and "finery of the republic, in her gaudy halls of delib eration, cannot infpire,"

From the legislative affembly I went to pay my ref pects to the gallant Capt. Bergeret, to whom I had letters of introduction. It will be immediately remember ed, that this diftinguished hero, in the Virginie, dif

played the most undaunted courage, when the was engaged by Sir Edward Pellew, in the Indefatigable, to whofe fuperior prowefs and naval knowledge, he was obliged to strike the tricolor flag. His bravery and integrity have juftly entitled him to the admira tion and dafting friendship of his noble conqueror, and to the efteem of the British nation. When Sir Sidney Smith was confined in the Temple, and captain Bergeret a prisoner in England, the latter was fent to France upon his parole, to endeavor to effect the exchange of Sir Sidney. The French government, which was then under the direction of fome of the basest and meanest of her tyrants, refused to listen to the propofal; and at the fame time refifted the return of their own countryman.

The gallant Bergeret was refolved to preferve his word of honor unfullied, or to perish in the attempt. Finding all his efforts to obtain the liberation of the illustrious captive unavailing, menaced with death if he departed, and invited by promifed command and promotion if he remained, he contrived to quit his own country by stealth, and returned a voluntary exile to his generous and confiding conquerors.

From captain B's hotel I went to the Temple fo celebrated in the gloomy hiftory of the revolution. It stands in the Rue du Temple, in the Fauxbourg of that name. The entrance is håndfome, and does not much imprefs the idea of the approach to a place of fuch confinement. Over the gates is a pole, fupport--

ing a dirty and tattered bonnet rouge, of which pe cies of republican decoration there are very few now to be feen in Paris. The door was opened to me by the principal goaler, whofe predeceffor had been dif miffed on account of his imputed connivance in the escape of Sir Sidney Smith. His appearance feemed fully to qualify him for his favage office, and to infure his fuperiors against all future apprehenfion, of a remiffion of duty by any act of humanity, feeling, or commiferation. He told me, that he could not permit me to advance beyond the lodge, on account of à peremptory order which he had juft received from government. From this place I had a full command of the walk and prifon, the latter of which is fituated in the centre of the walls. He pointed out to me the window of the room in which the royal fufferers languished. As the ftory of Sir Sidney Smith's ef

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cape from this prifon has been involved in fome ambiguity, a fhort recital of it will, perhaps, not prove uninterefting.

After feveral months had rolled away, fince the gates of his prifon had firft clofed upon the British hero, he observed that a lady who lived in an upper apartment on the oppofite fide of the ftreet feemed frequently to look towards that part of the prifon in which he was confined. As often as he cbferved her, he played fome tender air upon his flute, by which, and by imitating every motion which fhe made, he at length fucceeded in fixing her attention upon him, and had

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the happiness of remarking that the occafionally obs ferved him with a glafs. One morning when he faw that he was looking attentively upon him in this manner, he tore a blank leaf from an old mafs book which was lying in his cell, and with the foot of the chimney, contrived, by his finger, to describe upon it, in a large character, the letter A, which he held to the window to be viewed by his fair fympathizing obferver. After gazing upon it, for fome little time fhe nodded, to fhow that the understood what he meant, Sir Sidney then touched the top of the first bar of the grating of his window, which he wished her to confider as the reprefentative of the letter A, the fecond B, and fo on, until he had formed, from the top of the bars, a correfponding number of letters; and by touching the middle, and bottom parts of them, upon a line with each other, he eafily, after having inculcated the firft impreffion of his wishes, completed a telegraphic alphabet. The process of communication was from its nature, very flow, but Sir Sidney had the happiness of obferving, upon. forming the first word, that this excellent being, who beamed before him like a guardian angel, feemed completely to comprehend it, which the expreffed by an affenting movement of the head. Frequently obliged to defift from this tacit and tedious intercourfe, from the dread of exciting the curiofity of the goalers, or his fellow prifoners, who were permitted to walk before his window, Sir Sidney occupied fev- · eral days in communicating to his unknown friend,

his name and quality, and imploring her to procure fome unfufpected royalift of confequence and addrefs sufficient for the undertaking, to effect his escape; in the achievment. of which he affured her, upon his word of honor, that whatever coft might be incurred, would be amply reimbursed, and that the bounty and gratitude of his country would nobly remunerate thofe who had the talent, and bravery to accomplish it. By the fame means he enabled her to draw confidential and accredited bills, for confiderable fums of money, for the promotion of the fcheme, which the applied with the most perfect integrity. Colonel Phelipeaux was at this time at Paris; a military man of rank, and a fecret royalift, most devoutly attached to the fortunes of the exiled family of France, and to thofe who fupported their caufe. He had been long endeavoring to bring to maturity, a plan for facilitating their refto ration, but which the loyal adherent, from a series of untoward and uncontrollable circumftances, began to defpair of accomplishing. The lovely deliverer of Sir Sidney, applied to this distinguished character, to whom she was known, and ftated the fingular corre pondence which had taken place between herself and the heroic captive in the temple. Phelipeaux, who was acquainted with the fame of Sir Sidney, and cha grined at the failure of his former favorite scheme, embraced the prefent project with a fort of prophetic enthufiafm, by which he hoped, to reftore, to the British nation, one of her greatest heroes, who, by his ikill and valor, might once more imprefs the common

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