1789. On the Galley Slaves of France. tive than pofitive qualities, and, surprising as it may feem, on what a man or woman bave not, rather on what they have. When we examine into the cause of this, we fhall be obliged to have recourse to dear buman nature, that is, in other words, sweet felf, which inclines us to wish that our friends wanted the perfections or qualities we poffefs, that there may be the greater field for us to difplay in. Á talkative man, for inftance, thinks another talkative man the most disagreeable creature on earth, while he prefers one who contents himself with hearing, or liftening. Hence I have often found that many people have acquired the fame of being agreeable, merely by never fpeaking unlefs when spoken to, and by never taking any active part in the converfation. It is plain that this character must have been beflowed on them by perfons who loved to hear themfelves talk, and to whom a filent companion muft of course be agreeable. Lady D, with a great fhare of beauty, and a greater fhare of good underftand. ing, is remarked to felect the ugliest and of any woman in moft, tupid companied her give the charac ter of dilagreeable to certain ladies, who, to my knowledge, had no other fault than that of being as handsome and as fenfible as herself. -Here is dear human nature again! and I give you warning, fair reader, that you must expect to meet with fuch characters often. It is impoffible, therefore, to be agreeable on the whimsical terms which whimfical people are apt to impofe. I truft that no agreeable lady of my readers would, to render herself more agreeable, part with her fhare of beauty, understanding, or good temper, her accomplishments, or her fortune, merely that the might be a foil to thofe who poffeffed fuch qualities. We muft not therefore, in ftudying to be agreeable, fludy to pleafe whimsical and felf-conceited people, fince they require an abfolute fubmiffion to their fuperiority, which is inconfiftent with our own ideas of independence. To be agreeable, is, in fome degree, to please ourselves-not to please our eyes when they are fixed on a mirror, for that is a flatterer we ought not to truft-but to please ourfelves when, in fome moment of retirement and meditation (and from fuch moments who are free?) we examine our conduct and find it confiftent with our beft notions of rectitude, delicacy, and propriety. -Without this confcioufnefs of internal worth, all outward advantage of birth, beauty, fortune, or whatever fafcinates the eyes of men, are of no avail to fecure us from the contempt of the good and the remorfe of reflection; but as Shakespeare fays, ❝ where virtue is, these are moft virtuous.' The chief thing to be avoided in our en deavours to please is affectation; if all the 599 foibles of which the fair-fex are accused were to be brought into one view, I am convinced they would either centre in, or be traced to affectation. It is the more remarkable that fo many perfons practise the arts of affectation, because there is no fpecies of pride fo caly detected, so eally feen through, as affectation. It may be obferved that the proud never can be truly well-bred. Feeling haughty fuperiority over their company, they cannot behave to them with eale and refpect, and unable to conceal this fuperiority, it is impoffible they fhould be respected by their company. All vices may be concealed but pride. The very attempt to conceal it, difcovers it the more. Exactly thus it is with affectation. Of all moments in the year, the affected perfon appears most affected, when by fome pretty finiffe of eyes, or fpeech, the would have you believe the defpifes all affectation. On ike Galley Slaves of France. By the Abbé Dupaly. C which the Vice Legate, who y 20 juff the extraordinary power then promoted to the office of candle bearer in the Pope's chapel, poffeffes in the adminiftration of criminal Justice, the Abbe obferves, I faw a man yesterday, who has come out of the Gallies, to which this Candle Bearer had very unjuftly and very ridiculously condemned him for five years-as convicted for murder. This unhappy man, named Lorenzo, has fuffered his punishment, notwithstanding all the endeavours of the Intendant of Toulon to procure his release, and every remon ftrance in his favour. His innocence appeared in the following extraordinary manner: As he was going along, one day, in the arfenal of Toulon, another galley flave faid to one of his comrades-“There is a wretch I can't bear the fight of."-" Why fo!" replied the other." That man is here for having murdered fuch a one, and it was I who committed the crime."- Lorenzo overheard him-what muft he not have felt! He went up to the Galley Slave, entreating and conjuring him to reveal, and properly atteft, as foon as puffible, the fecret of his innocence. But the foul of the wretch was already fhut to pity, and awake only to terror. Lorenzo, with the permiffion of his fuperiors, had the patience and refolution to attach himself, for two years fucceffively, to this man, from whom he hoped the proofs of his innocence. He obtained leave to be faftenedto the fame chain. He accompanied him to the hofpital. What perfuafions did he not ufe to move him both night and day, and every 1 600 On Pugilifm, or the Art of Boxing. every day?-But all without effect. At length, at the end of two years, by dint of prayers and tears, he fucceeded so far as to foften once more the villain's heart, and, by awakening remorse, draw from him a fecond time the important fecret. Witnesses were tationed for the purpose. A narrative was drawn up, and carried to the Intendant, who inftantly threw the criminal into a dungeon -a feverity highly imprudent, as the guilty man immediately retracted. The five years are at length expired, and Lorenzo is released. On what ground then, had he been condemned? On a circumftance! On the very flightest circumftance! The murdered man had nine louis in his pocket; three men, of which number was Lorenzo, were taken up; on each of whom were found three louis. "Here," faid the judge," are nine louis, and confequently three murderers :" and thefe three men were fentenced to the Gallies. Two of them died there !. -It is the hiftory of l'Anglade; the hiftory of circumftantial proof; the hiftory of all criminal tribunals, except thofe of England. The laws of England are cautious of condemning; the laws of France fearful of acquitting. This unhappy man is going to Rome to throw himfelf at the feet of the Pope, to obtain a revifion for his trial. The Pope is faid to be humane! On Pugilifm, or the Art of Boxing. HE elegant acquifition of Pugilifm, cul higher ranks of life, claffes with the reft of the fine arts, and rates its practitioners with men of fcience: nor do we find gentlemenperformers lefs anxious to dilplay their talents in a boxing duet than in a mufical one, or any other refined application of the corporeal and mental powers: nay, fo partial are they to the exercife, and fo much more eager to exhibit their abilities in this fashionable art, than any other, that they are perfectly indifferent as to the quality of the perfon they engage with, and have as much fatisfaction with a coal-heaver or hackneycoachman for a partner, as with one of their own rank; fo that this noble attainment not only improves personal strength and agility, but at the fame time liberates and expands the mind to a generous fenfe of natural equality, and difcovers to the artift, that, in fome inftances, a gentleman is no more than upon a level with a duftman, and that a baronet and a potatoe-man may be very good companions. For thefe, and other ch inclined to encourage Nov We cannot but obferve, that to raise and great art to perfection, it has always been found necessary to place it under royal public patronage; and that by regular feminaries, and periodical rewards, many a dormant genius, is ftimulated to action, whofe powers, without fome fuch impulfe, would have been configned to obfcurity. Hence fo many fhining characters in letters and the fine arts; and was boxing cultivated at Ox ford and Cambridge, and a Royal Academy inftituted in London, for pugilifts as well as for painters, we do not hesitate to affert, that the pupils of the above great men would reflect an equal luftre on their country with any other great men whatever: therefore it is that we are forry to fee the pugiliftic art practifed and ftudied in the loofe and defultory way now adopted; and cannot commend the great chief, Mendoza, in terms of fufficient praife, for the eftablishing his prefent academy and for his judgment in felecting fo fuperb and noble a room as the Lyceum in the frand; a room which, for the purpofe, could not be improved, nor, certainly, more properly employed: and it is our fincere with that this example may produce many emulators; that in time every principal freet in the great city of London may be ornamented with a similar feininary; and that inftead of the irregular mode of pitched battles now in ufe, it will fettle into diurnal, weekly, or monthly exhibitions: of which defirable circumftances, I muft confefs, I conceived a near prospect laft winter, a ad introduced Meffrs. Humphries and Co. on his ftage; and could not but entertain confidera ble hopes, that the good fenfe of the Drury Lane manager would have followed fo dramatical and claffical an example. However, it fill enjoys the fupport of ftage re commendation at the Royal Circus, which will. without doubt, be reaffumed in the courfe of the feafon at Covent Garden, and no real genius of the fift be in want of an opportunity of displaying his pretenfions to public favour. Then Science will begin to rear her head ftill higher; the natural magnanimity of Britons will be improved; haberdashers and men-milliners will be able to defend themfelves against an affronting female cuftomer; and even the city train-bands affume courage: yes, all thefe, and many other good and wholefome effects, will refult from the encouragement of the cuffing art: wherefore I hope to fee it on a better footing than it now ftands; to fee it in univerfal practice, as well as general efteem; to fee profeffioEma better provided for by 1789. İrifb Parliamentary Intelligence. Irish Parliamentary İntelligence. (Continued from Page 550.) HOUSE BUT OF COMMONS. OUT why fhould we wonder at it, for what crime has not had the mercy of a pious and religious King wafted upon it in this adminiftration of oeconomy and mercy? has not fape? has not murder? has not forgery? Let it not be fuppofed, faid he, that I mention these things, merely to bear hard upon the name of a Lord Lieutenant-if they are reproaches, I cannot change their nature; I mention them as un-, controvertible arguments, that no Governor without a molt dangerous degree of unconftitutional influence, could purfue fuch a fyftem. He then went into obfervations on the bill pro pofed-he defended the power of parliament to correct abules in elections. Every election law was an exercife of that power-England had paffed exactly such a law. But it was faid, England had done fo upon evidence of an offence commit ted. That was not the principle. To punish a body of men for the delinquency of a few would be abfurd; England did not fo; it was not an ex poft facto law of punishment; it was a law of prevention! But did gentlemen look for offence?What do they fay of a cavalcade of upwards one hundred voters collecting from eveFy corner of the nation, and taking poffeflion of boroughs on the eve of an election? A right hon. member had stated that fact as a neceffary retaliation. But the very juftification, he faid, admitted the fact; and what a picture, he said, many gentlemen anticipate of the marches of these revenue troops, when they shall be put in motion on the next general election? A fimple man will be apt to afk, if thefe cart-loads of vagrants are in their way to the fea fide, to be transported for their offences? No, they are cart-loads of the raw material of members of parliament ! I am forry; continued he, to find that fuch a picture can excite a laugh. I cannot laugh, when I confider that it is not at Swords, or Irishtown, or Dungarvah, only that these trolling companies of conftituents will be called upon to set. No, there is not a borough, nor a county in Ireland, where you will not fee a temporary stage erected, in which the comedians of the fifc fhall hold the mirror up to the conftitution of the land. But at this time, faid he, it is peculiarly neflary. You have a Governor now, whofe conduct towards you has been treated as it merited the ftigma you have imprinted is indelible; fo is his resentment-be never will forgive what he has drawn on himself. He feels his government deferted by the body of the nobles by the body of the people. This corrupt influence is his only refource; and you fee his confidence in it. An open contempt of the reprobation of both houfes an open diftruft of the proudeft of your nobles and gentry, and a difmiffal from their offices; and who fucceed them? his countrymen, his creatures. His clerks and runners are preferred to the rank, the virtue, the talents, and the refponfibility of their country. Hib. Mag. Nov. 1789. Yes, continued he, the fairest and the tallett trees in the foreft are overshadowed by the luxuriance of exotics-exotics of the worft kind, that would not grow in their native mould-hungry and barren, they drain the foil-they bear no bloffom, yield no fruit-while you are stunted and fhorn, to make room for the fantaftic wreathings of their fterile exuberance. He did not he faid make thefe remarks from any wish to mortify the gentlemen to whom he tupposed to allude. To tome of them this nation was bound by the tenderest ties of neceffities on one fide, and liberality on the other. He could not regard with partiality any gentleman whom he had been accustomed to fee a gleaner in the field, fharing the feanty ftraw that tell from the binder with the birds of Heaven, though he should be put at the head of the reapers. On the contrary, he pitied the awkwardness of his fituation; for why, faid he, are the fages of the law brought in in the arms of their nurfes? Why do the Burleighs of the day escape from the aufterer labours of the toilet to unbead in the government of a great nation? It is plan of vengeance; it is not merely the wanton defire of advancing his dependants, or making them ridiculous by promotion, it is to ftigmatile you in his turn; and effectually will he fucceed, if he can hold you up to the eyes of England and of Europe as fubmitting to fuch a rule. You may read your refolution, and talk of the authority of your houfes; he will exhibit his runners and clerks as an answer; and it will be more than a refutation. In truth, if he shall fucceed in this curious project, he will probably by next feffion think it a pity to have fuch rare ta lents wafted upon you; and fhould fend to Taviftock-street for a cabinet of milliners to manage the affairs of Ireland.After fome other obfervations on the neceffity of the bill, Mr. Carrad concluded with declaring, that he should deem himself an enemy to the honour of the country and the independence of parliament, if he did not vote for the committal. Mr. J. Toler fpoke a few words against the committal of the bill. Tellers for noes, Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Copinger. Mr. Mafon then moved that the bill be rejested, and on the queftion be put, it was agreed to without any divifion. Adjourned at twelve o'clock. POLICE ESTABLISHMENT. 25.] Sir H. Cavendish brought up the report from the committee appointed to examine the accounts of the Comm fioners of Police. Which, amongst other things ftates, that the Police establishment has coft the citizens of Dublin fince its inflitution, which is now (wo years and an half, the eno mous fum of $1,000). that the annual charge for the police watch, is ៩. |