England in November, 1791; that, in a few weeks after this I solicited and obtained my discharge from the then Major, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, at whose subsequent conduct no man was more surprised, and whose fate no one more deeply lamented than myself, having been, when abroad, frequently honoured with his conversation, always having witnessed in him the most ardent peal for the service, and always having heard from his lips sentiments of patriotism and of loyalty the most exalted. To these, the then virtues of this unfortunate gentleman, I have always borne witness; and, I have profited of the occasion of so doing in the presence of Mr. Pitt himself, though no one, I believe, can hold in greater horror than I do, the deeds to the perpetration of which his ardent mind was finally wrought up.- After my discharge, which was granted expressly in consideration of my "constant good behaviour and the great "services I had rendered the regiment" (and more important services, accompained with greater zeal, diligence, and fidelity, I will venture to say, that no man, in such a capacity, ever rendered), I was married, remained in England a few weeks, went to France in the spring of 1792, and thence to the United States of Ama ca in the autumn of the same year. The means of my performing this and of rendering myself tolera bly perfect in the French language, consisted of about 140 guineas, saved while I was in the army, and derived solely from my pay and from my earnings with my pen, while for four years together I never tasted a morsel of fresh meat, never drank, any thing stronger then spruce-bear, and while, in short, I gave to the private soldiers of the regiment a perfect example of sobriety, economy, and of patient endurance of hardship of every sort, from my due proportion of which I would, upon no account, ever be exempted. Such was my conduct during the time that I had the honor (and I shall always think it a high honour) to wear a red coat, and such was the character, with which that coat was laid by. But, here, in the printed account of my life, there is a small chasm. When I published that account I was in the midst of the revilers of England, and particularly of the English army; or, I should have then stated, that the primary cause of my leaving the army, that the circumstance which first disgusted me, and that finally made me resolve to tear myself from a service, to which my whole mind and heart were devoted, was, the abuses, the shocking abuses as to money matters, the peculation, in short, which I

had witnessed in it, and which I had, in vain, endeavoured to correct. What these abuses were, by whom they were committed, and how, after I quitted the army, I failed in obtaining redress, it would not now, after many of the parties are dead, be proper for me to state; but, if the Society of Gentlemen" have, as it is more than probable they have, access to the records of the War-offices, and can obtain leave to publish the correspondence upon the subject, the public will then see, that I have all my life, and in all situations, been the enemy of peculation. It is, however, incumbent upon me to state, that, I have good reason to believe, that my failure upon that occasion was, in no way, to be ascribed to Mr. Pitt, who, as far as a person in so obscure, and perfectly friendless a situation as I then was, could judge, was, as to the matter in question, the friend of fair inquiry and of justice. -During the interval of any discharge and of my departure for France, a proposition, preceded by a speech of the Secretary at War, was made, in parliament, to augment the pay of the army. Some parts of the speech contained matter which a person, with whom I was quainted, and to whom I had communicated my information upon such subjects, thought worthy of remark in print. Hence arose a little pamphlet, entitled the " Sol

diers Friend." Of this pamphlet I was not the author; I had nothing to do either with the printing or, the publishing of it; and I never had in my possession, or ordered to be sent to any person, or to any place, three copies of it in my life; and, I do not believe, that five hundred copies, in the whole, ever went from the bookseller's shop; a fact, however, that may easily be ascertained by application to Mr. Ridgeway, who was the publisher of it. As to the matter of the pamphlet, I cannot now speak in very positive terms, not having read it these fifteen years; but, I can say, that, then, I most heartily approved of every word of it, and that, as well as my recollection will enable me to speak, there are some parts of it, of the publication of which I should greatly disapprove now. But, the reader will have the justice to recollect, that this pamphlet made its appearance in 1791, or, perhaps, early in 1792; a time when the principles of demolishing governments were little known and little dreaded, and he will easily judge of the sincerity, with which the

Society of Gentlemen" assert, that the "Soldier's Friend" was a considerable source of the naval mutiny at the Nore," especially as he must know, that this pam

phlet has never been mentioned before in connection with that, or any other, sign of disaffection. Again, giving the authorship to me, and even the circulation, if they will; but, let it be considered, that I had just arrived in England; that I was a perfect novice in politics, never having, to my recollection, read even a newspaper while abroad, where my time and my mind where wholly occu-pied with matters entirely military; and, let it be considered, too, that I took up the book of Faine (just then published) with my mind full of indignation at the abuses which I myself had witnessed, and which, as little things are great to little men," were, in my sight, of a magnitude much greater than they were when contemplated by men of more extensive information. Under such circumstances, it would have argued not only a want of zeal, but a want of sincerity, and even a want of honesty, not to have entertained sentiments like those expressed in the "Soldier's Friend." But, after all, and, admitting, in their full extent, the assertions of these "Gentlemen," with regard to the authorship and circulation of the pamphlet in question, what is there new in their statement? I myself, ten years ago, and at a time when I had not the most distant thought of ever returning to England, having then acquired no property, and beset as. I was with democrats on one side and the yellow fever on the other; at that time, as will be seen by a reference to the work, I explicitly stated, that, previous to my leaving England for France, previous to my seing what republicanism was, I had not only imbibed its principles, I had not only been a republican, but an admirer of the writings of PAINE. The fault, therefore, if there was any, was in the head, and not in the heart; and, I do not think, that even the head will be much blamed by those who duly reflect, that I was, when I took up PAINE'S book, a novice in politics, that I was boiling with indignation at the abuses I had witnessed, and that, as to the powers of the book itself, it required first a proclamation, then a law, and next the suspension of the habeas corpus act, to counteract them. Instead of blame, I am not without hope, that the reader will find something to commend, in a person, who, under such circumstances, having imbibed erroneous opinions, was so soon taught, by experience, to correct them, and who, so earnestly employed all the means in his power, to prevent the like errors in others.As to the insinuation, that I fled to America, it is impossible to conceive any thing more false. From the moment, that I resolved to quit

the array, I also resolved to go to the United States of America, the fascinating and delusive description of which I had read in the works of Raynal. To France I went for the purpose of learning to speak the French language, having, because it was the language of the military art, studied it by book in America. To see fortified towns was another object; and how natural this was to a young man who had been studying fortification, and who had been laying down, LISLE and BRISAC upon paper, need not be explained to those who have burnt with the desire of beholding in practice that with which they have been enamoured in theory. These were the causes, and the only causes, of my again leaving England; and, after having, in my absence, exerted myself so much, so successfully, and so disinterestedly, in the cause of my country and my Sovereign; after having been so despitefully treated, so grossly calumniated, and so maliciously persecuted in America, merely on account of those exertions; after all this, what must be the character, what the disposition, of this Society of Gentlemen," and what must be the cause, in support of which an accusation like that here preferred, is resorted to? It must, however, be confessed, that this base acc.tion is no more than a repetition of what was preferred by HERIOT, the late proprietor of the Treasury prints, the TRUE BRITON and the SUN, who inserted, in his papers of the 6th of August, 1803, the following article, the consequence of which insertion the public will not have forgotten: "Mr. Windham professes him"self to be the Soldier's Friend. We can"not suppose, however, that his attach"ment to a certain American Scribbler arises "from his being the writer of a work at "the beginning of the French revolution,.

for my exertions in America 1 deserved a statue of gold. HERIOT, in a subsequent publication, and after he had been duly and justly treated for the one above-quoted, represented me as a common libeller, and stated that I had been obliged to flee from that country, to avoid the vengeance of the law. This statement from him I should have regarded as unworthy of notice; but, the no

bels" in America have been alluded to with an effect, perhaps, that I ought to endeavour to counteract.I was twice proceeded against, in America, on a charge of libel. The first time by way of indictment, and, in order, I suppose, to convince me, that I was undervaluing the blessings of republican government, particularly that of the United States, an indictment was preferred against me in the courts of the general government of the Union, and another in the courts of the particular State in which I lived, at one and the same time, for the same publications, and in behalf of the same person; with this difference only, that, the two Attorney Generals having met, one took one part of the paragraph, and the other took the other! The subject of these libels, was an exposure of the conduct of the court of Spain, (acting under the influence of France) with regard to her measures towards the United States, and of the conduct of the Spanish ambassador in sending a spy into Canada to prepare for the execution of a plot, one part of which plot was the poisoning of the garrison of Quebec. This fact had been proved upon oath, and by the confession of the criminal; and, if I had gone beyond the bounds of the law in communicating it to the people of the United States, and had thereby incurred the penalties awarded against a libeller, this was not, I think, the instance, which the Treasury prints in England should have selected for reproaching me with being a libeller. The fact is, however, that, though the petty black-hearted despot, like the murdering nutes, had two holds of his cord, the grand juries threw out the bills; and, thus, it was decided, that, in this instance, at least, I had been guilty of no libel. The other pretended libel consisted of certain publications en DR. RUSH of Philadelphia, whom, en account of his destructive treatment of the Yellow Fever, I had called SANGRADO, and, by the almost entire destruction of whose practice, I had saved the lives of hundreds, perhaps, thousands of my neighbours. This was an action for the recovery of damages; and, if it had been tried when first brought, pot a penny would have been recovered;

two-thirds of the Senators to vote him guilty) was of the same stamp with the jury, the decision was, that I should pay five thousand dollars to the Doctor to make up for the loss of his practice. This, then; it is on this amount alone, that the vile slaves of the Pitt and Melville ministry represent me as a common, an incorrigible libeller. That the decision was, in America, regarded as unjust, and that I was regarded as a person most grossly injured, was fully proved by the offer that was made me at New York, to pay the damages in my stead. This offer I did not accept of, a similar offer having been before made by some of my own countrymen in Canada and the United States, of which offer I had accepted. And, in order to convince the reader, that these my friends in America' saw the case in its true light, I shall here quote, from a treatise published last year by DR. ROWLEY, an account of Dr. Rush and his fatal practice, concluding with a remark as to the part which I took in putting a stop to it. The quotation is somewhat long, but I must request the reader to recollect, that I am, after long silence upon the subject, after long bearing loads of the basest misrepresentation, engaged in defending myself against the charge of being a general and incorrigible libeller. DR. ROWLEY says: "The

celebrated professor of singularities, Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, after a variety of "projects to cure the malignant yellow pu"trid fever, in which there seems but few "proofs, either of scientific principles, or "consistency, but a versatile imagination "let loose without any solid judgment; at "last, bleeding repeatedly, to 100 or 150

oances, even when purple or black pe"techiæ, or spots, were present, was adopt"ed, and giving calanci and jalap, in large "doses. This doctrine was practised vehe

mently by ignorant enthusiasts, under "that physician's direction, by unguarded inexperienced pupils, black methe late 1 parsons, an auctioneer, and oth is; for "the inventor of these extravaganci z "found, that moderate and 2 ore learn! physicians of experience, couden,god soch "irrational 'conceits. Lle declared that girls or boys, of fourteen, light be taught

he whole treatment in a few hours, and "that the salvation of the citizens depended

on the adoption of these sagacious novel"ties, or rather old destructive treatment "revived.After boasting in the papers "of these valuable discoveries, and informing the public of the shops that vended "the medicines; and, in conjunction with "his sagacious noviciates, running through

the city by day and night, inculcating "these grand receipts until he was hoarse. "The dead fist, or bills of mortality, to the

disgrace of the new adventurers, in"creased from the daily number of 23, to "the enormous number of 119; that was "from September the 11th, when the prac"tice commenced, the fatality daily increased, to October the 11th; so that notwithstanding the wonderful remedies "of bleeding to exhaustion, and purging "with calomel and jalap, without mercy,

death, cruel death, no respecter of doc"" tors, and their wild chimeras, increased "the deaths to five times the daily num

66

bers, in the period of one month. San66 grado like, these evident prejudices were "obliged, apparently, to be defended, and "actions, at law, were threatened and

appearance of earnest solicitude for the "welfare of society, under these calamitous "dreadful circumstances, bore down, like a

torrent, every caution, or warning that "the feeble mild voice of reason, expe"rience, and truth could utter. The field "of slaughter, therefore, was left to the fu"rions ventesectionists, jalapists, and calo"melists, with little or no oppositio 1, and "the havoc, of course,, was dreadful; but "when the patients died, a prompt subterfuge was ready, namely, that the were not bled nor purged enough, or that the "infallible remedies were rapplied too late

-The faculty, and

to be serviceable!most reasoning philosop! e-s, will not be "surprised when they are informed; that "besides these fancies: 1. That the pa"tients were wrapped up in blankets first dipped in vinegar. 2. That the expiring "had buckets of cold water throwed over "them. 3. That,mercurial ointment was rubbed on the right side, ridiculous idea,

દર

to excite an action on the vessels of the "liver. 4. That the reason given for those

66

enormous bleedings was, that great "hæmorrhages happened in these fevers, "&c. This circumstance, the merest Tyro "in the profession knows, that in putrid? diseases, it arises from the broken down "and putrefactive crasis of the blood, almost reduced to a dissolved state, and is suing from the mouth, gums, nose, and even through the intestines, &c. and event passes through the exhalents on the sur"face of the skin, with a horrid putrid

66

stench. 5. That the same doctor bied "freely in dropsy, and in the agur. 6. That "he conceived, the best mode of curing a

consumption, was to sail on the sea, work "before the mast, live on salt beef and bis"cuit, or coarse sea food, be exposed to wet "and cold, or work hard, and follow the * ! plough, &c. Such is the cure for ulcé"rated lungs, pulmonic hæmorrhages, &c.

7. Another extravagant idea of this hypo"thetist, is, that the black colour of negroes "is owing to the leprosy, and that when "they may be purged of that disorder, they " will become as white as snow. After "such specimens of versatility of heated imagination and exuberance of fancy, the discerning, learned, and intelligent, will "be at no loss, for any extraordinary con→ "ceptions, or contradictions, that may per"vade the soul of this extraordinary man,

66

this chimerical professor of singularities! "It may be observed that the great GENERAL WASHINGTON, according to the opinion of the learned Dr. Brickell, fell a "victim to this vehement bleeding practice; "for at the age of 69, he was bled three "times, freely, in the course of a very few hours, and immediately expired, without a groan! Perhaps, it might be imagined that more has been said on the Philadelphian practice of Dr. Rush, tlran it merited; "but when it be considered, or known, that many young inexperienced medical prac"titioners, from a servid fancy, have fol.. lowed, and are following the same fatal treatment in different parts of the world, "it cannot be too publicly, or spiritedly, "reprobated, that innocent, unsuspicious

practices, or opinions, that have been condemned by all experienced and learned "men in the profession, and particularly by "all the eminent practitioners in London, "for half a century. -MR. COBBETT was "fined 5000 dollars, for exposing this prac"tice. It seems the jury afterwards were "concerned for their verdict. He deserved a crown of gold for his spirited opposition "to the wild Republican, who ought to have "been expelled the city for his practice, if "the disorders were actually putrid." Now, here is a very eminent physician, after a full consideration of the subject, declaring that I merited reward, instead of punishment, for the writings, which the perjured jurors in Philadelphia assessed me in five thousand dollars for publishing. But, their conduct is excusable when compared to that of HERIOT and the "SOCIETY OF CENTLEMEN" HERIOT, having been written to by me, while in Philadelphia, to order his paper to be sent out, wrote me an answer upon the business, and, in his letter, added the following expressions of approbation and respect. "Permit me now, Sir, to return "you my best acknowledgments for the "Numbers of your Political Work, which you did me the favour to transinit. Of "the great merits of PETER PORCUPINE," [the authoring name which I had assumed] "I was not before ignorant. I "had read some of his political works with very high satisfaction. I shall be, at all "times, happy, Sir, through the medium "of my papers, (for I am proprietor of two), "to recommend writings so deserving to the "notice of a British Public, and you will, perhaps, admit I can do this with some success, when I inform you, that the "circulation of my two papers extends to "nearly 6000 per day. I had an opportu

"

"

nity fately of making some inquiries re"specting you of a gentleman in office here,

66

and who formerly held a high diplomatic "mission in America. He seemed to know you well, and spoke very highly both of your probity and talents. I have only to repeat, Sir, that I shall think myself "highly honoured by your correspondence, and you may, at all times, rely upon the "best wishes and services of, Sir, your most "obedient humble servant, JoH HERIOT.", The mirth that would naturally be excited by the circumlocutive pomposity, and the sort of diplomatic reserve, of this vender of Treasury paragraphs, is checked by the contemplation of his baseness. The first proof that he gave me of his best "wishes and services" was, at the time of the peace, to represent me as an American, to induce the rabble

to believe, that I refused to illuminate for the peace, because my country profited by the continuation of the war; a belief most admirably calculated to produce the destruction of myself as well as of my property. The next signal proof of his best wishes " and services," was, the publication of the above-quoted false and malignant accusation; and, I put it to the reader, whether, taking the real state of the case together with the above professions of friendship and admiration into view, he thinks that there ever was an instance of baseness equal to that of this devoted tool of the Melvilles and the Pitts. "An American Scribbler!” This was the offensive phrase. To think that I, who had said and done and borne and lost so much for my country, who had maintained the name and reputation of England at such risks, who bad, by a whole nation, been called THE ENGLISHMAN;" to think, that I should at last come home, to be nosed under the very eaves of my native thatch, and to be denied an entrance by a reptile, who had crawled up all the way from Scotland upon his helly, was what I could not brook, and for harping upon which I must be excused. But, HERIOT is no sin gular instance. I know not one writer or publisher, amongst the partizans of the Pitts and Melvilles, who is not of the same description.

66

I should now beseech the attention of my reader to another, and far more important, part of the subject; but, I have already gone as far as, at present, I have time for, and can only add, that I hope it will be recollected, that it is for the sake of the cause, and not for my own sake, that I have entered upon this long, and, I am afraid, irksome explanation.

Botley, Thursday, 2d Oct. 1805.

PUBLIC PAPERS. Declaration, delivered at Vienna, by the Russian Ambassador, Count Rasomowsky, on the 31st of August, 1805.

It would be superfluous to revert here to the motives which have induced his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, to recall the plenipotentiary whom he had sent, in concert with Britannic Majesty, to negotiate with the the French government on the subject of peace.These grounds are too just and obvious not merit the attention of all Europe. They are contained in the note which was transmitted to the ministers of his Prussian Majesty, by M. Novosiltzoff, on the 28th June (July 10), and the conclusion to which they have given rise, is a consequence of those very senti