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◄er for him to write his name, that it might be compared with his hand writting in the office of the fecretary at war which he offered to carry over with him. Governor W- ftill preffed him to take him into cuftody, the meffenger more strongly declined it, by informing him that he was the bearer of dif patches of great importance to his court, that he muft immediately crofs the Channel, and fhould haz ard a paffage, although the weather looked lowering, in an open boat, as no packets had arrived, and that confequently it was altogether impoffible to take him over, but again requested him to write his name, for the purpose already mentioned; the governor confented, pens and paper were brought, but the« hand of the murderer fhook fo dreadfully, that he could not write, and in an agony of mind, bordering upon frenzy, he rushed out of the room, and immediately left the town.

The meffenger entered the boat, and fet fail; a ftorm quickly followed, the boat funk in fight of the pier, and all on board but one of the watermen perished ! ! !

The great difpofer of human deftiny, in vindication of his eternal justice, refcued the life of this infatuated delinquent from the waves, and from a fudden death, to refign him to the public and merited doom of the laws.

CHAPTER VII.

Filial Piety-St. Catharine's Mount.-Madame Phillope.-General Ruffin's Trumpet.—Generosity.— Love Infectious-Mafons and Gardners.

I HAVE before had occafion to mention the hu mane conduct of Madame G towards the perfecuted abbè; fhe foon afterwards, with the principal ladies of the city, fell under the difpleasure of Robefpierre, and his agents. Their only crime was wealth, honorably acquired. A committee, compofed of the most worthlefs people of Rouen, was formed, who, in the name of, and for the use of the nation, feized upon the valuable stock of Meffrs. G who were natives of France. In one night, by torchlight, their extenfive ware houses were facked, and all their stores were forcibly fold in the public market place to the best bidder: the plundered merchants were paid the amount of the fale in affignats, in a paper currency which then bore an enormous difcount, and fhortly afterwards retained only the value of the paper upon which the national note was written. In fhort, in a few hours an honorable family, nobly allied, were defpoiled of a property to the amount of 25,000/. fterling. Other merchants fhared the fame fate. This act of robbery was followed by an act of cruelty. Madame G, the mother, who was born in England, and who married a French gentle

man of large fortune, whom the furvived, of a delicate frame and advanced in years, was committed to prifon, where, with many other female fufferers, fhe was clofely confined for eleven months, during which time she was compelled to endure all forts of priva tions. After the committee of rapine had fettled their black account, and had remitted the guilty balance to their employers, the latter, in a letter of friendly collufion, and fraudulent familiarity," after paffing a few revolutionary jokes upon what had occurred, obferved that the Gs feemed to bleed very freely, and that as it was likely they must have credit with many persons to a large amount, directed their obedient and active banditti to order thefe devoted gentlemen to draw, and to deliver to them, their draughts upon all fuch perfons who food indebted to their extenfive concern. In the words of a celebrated orator,* «Though they had shaken the

tree till nothing remained upon the leafless branch"es yet a new flight was on the wing, to watch the "first buddings of its profperity, and to nip every "hope of future foliage and fruit."

The Gs expected this vifit, and, by an ingenious, and juftified expedient, prevented their perdition from becoming decifive.

* Vide Sheridan's cration against Haftings upon the Begum charge,

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Soon after the gates of the prifon were closed upon Madame G, her eldeft fon, a man of commanding perfon, and eloquent addrefs, in defiance of every friendly, and of every affectionate entreaty, flew to Paris.

It was in the evening of laft winter which beheld its (nows crimsoned with revolutionary carnage, when he prefented himself, undifmayed, before that committee, whofe horrible nature will be better defcribed by merely relating the names of its members,. then fitting, than by the most animated and elaborate. delineations of all its deadly deeds of rapine and of blood. At a table covered with green cloth, fhabbily lighted, in one of the committee rooms of the national affembly, were feated Robespierre, Collot, d'Herbois, Carnot, and David. They were occupied in filling up the lifts for the permanent guillotine, ereed very near them, in la Place de la Revolution, which the executioners were then clearing of its gore, and preparing for the next day's butchery. In this devoted capital more blood had, during that day, ftreamed upon the fcaffold, than on any one day dur ing the revolution.

The terrified inhabitants, in darkness, in remote receffes of their defolate houfes, were filently offer-"" ing up a prayer to the great God of Mercy to releafe them, in a way moft fuitable to his wifdom, from fuch scenes of deep difmay, and remorfelefs flaugh..

ter.

Robefpierre, as ufual, was dreffed with great neatnefs and gaiety, the favage was generally Scented, whilft his affociates were habited, en Jacobin, in the fqualid, filthy fashion of that era of the revolution, in the drefs of blackguards.

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Mr. Gbowed, and addreffed them very refpectfully. "I am come, citizens, before you," faid this amiable fon, " to implore the release of my moe "ther; he is pining in the prisons of Rouen, with

out having committed any offence; fhe is in years. "and if her confinement continues, her children "whofe fortunes have been placed at the difpofal of "the national exigencies, will have to lament her "death; grant the prayer of her fon, restore, I con"jure you, by all the rights of nature, reftore her to "her afflicted family." Robespierre looked ob liquely at him, and with his accustomed sharpness, interrupted him from proceeding further, by exclaiming, "what right have you to appear before us, mif "creant? you are an agent of Pitt and Cobourg (the "then common phrase of reproach) you fhall be fent "to the guillotine-Why are you not at the fron"tiers?" Monfieur G, unappalled, replied,

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give me my mother, and I will be there tc-mor"row, I am ready inftantly to spill my blood, if it

must be the price of her difcharge." Robespierre, whofe favage foul was occafionally moved by fights of heroic virtue, feemed impreffed by this brave and unufual addrefs. He paufed, and after whispering a

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