ninety-nine had died before my arrival in the Isle of France. But it must be observed, that we loft but few people in the course of our voyage, and that the dreadful mortality which we experienced was owing to our long stay in the island of Jav." Labillardiere's Voyage. The motive which had influenced thofe, at whose instigation this voyage was undertaken, was of fuch a nature that every man must lament that it completely failed. The commander of the expedition, on his arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, received intelligence from the Ifle of France, that a Dutch veffel having on board Commodore Hunter, of the Sirius English frigate, together with his fhip's company, difcovered near the Admiralty Islands, in the South Sea, feveral perfons clothed in European manufactures, fome of which, in particular, appeared to be French uniforms. Hence it was concluded that M. de Péroufe had been fhipwrecked in the vicinity of those islands. But the information proved erroneous; and every attempt to discover any figns, or to obtain any intelligence, which could tend to afcertain the fate of that gallant officer was fruitless. We fhall not attempt to follow Citizen Labillardiere through his difficult and dangerous voyage, his account of which can only prove interesting to navigators and naturalifts. Indeed, the proper title of the work would have been "The Journal of a Naturalist." For, on no other fubject than Natural History is any information afforded, that can either intereft or inftruct the reader. All the places which the author vifited, with very few exceptions, have been described, more fully and more accurately, by other writers. In his obfervations on the different countries, and the manners and cuftoms of their inhabitants, there is nothing that indicates either acutenefs of penetration, foundness of judgment, or knowledge of human nature. His defcriptions are vapid, his details are dry, and his egotifm is disgusting. He is out of humour with all around him, ever prone to cenfure his fuperiors, and ftrongly difpofed, on all occafions, to magnify his own confequence. There is a tiresome fameness in his remarks, which are frequently trifling, and not seldom illiberal. In short, ftrange as it may appear, we have toiled through this ponderous volume, with exemplary patience, and have not found a fingle paffage worthy of quotation. In November, 1793, the two veffels arrived at Java, where, fome time after, on the reception of news from Europe of the abolition of Monarchy in France, the officers declared in favour of their Sovereign, hoifted the White Flag, put them felves under the protection of the Dutch, and configned the Citizen Citizen Naturalifts, and Sçavans to fafe cuftody. Labillardiere and his affociates returned to their native country in the Spring of 1796, fo terminating a voyage undertaken from the best of views, but productive of nothing but difappointment. ART. VII. La Foi Couronnée, &c. i. e. Faith Crowned, or the Maffacre of the Catholic Paftors who have died for the Caufe of Jefus Chrift, during the French Revolution. A Poem, in five Cantos, accompanied with Notes, hiftorical and theological. 12mo. PP. 350. Dulau. London. 1799. THE HE motive which accelerated the publication of this poem, if it did not inftigate the author to compofe it, is thus explained in the preface. "A new work against the Chriftian religion, or rather against all the religions in the world, has juft appeared, under this title The War of the Gods;" and the author of it, who might have been fuppofed to be an immoral man, but not an Atheist, has furpaffed Voltaire and all the grand mafters of Atheism. Never had the eye beheld, the ear heard, the human, or rather infernal, mind conceived a production more fcandalous, defcriptions more horrible, impiety more revolting, or blafphemy more abominable; than is exhibited in this poem. From a relic of modesty, inconceivable in such a man, the poet has concealed his name; probably he was fearful of configning it to perpetual infamy by prefixing it to fuch a work; but, unfortunately, he is but too well known; and I fhall now publish his name, not with a view to dishonour him, for that is no longer poffible, but in the hope of bringing him back to a fenfe of fhame by the means of public reprobation, to repentance by fhame, to retractation by repentance, and even to the voluntary and fpontaneous fuppreffion of his difgraceful work; this author is the CHEVALIER DE PARNY. 66 Having been fuffered to remain tranquil and safe, at Paris, during the revolution, in confequence of his intimate connec tion with the triumphant enemies of the altar and the throne, he may poffibly have cherished and brought to perfection the noxious plant of Atheism, the feed of which was previously fown in his mind. He faw the reign of anarchy begin, the fceptre broken, Louis the Sixteenth murdered, his moft faithful fubjects perfecuted, plundered, and facrificed; and he exclaimed with Danton, Roberfpierre, and Marat, We have no longer a King. He afterwards witneffed the triumph of impiety, the abolition of all religious worship, the destruction of the altars, APPENDIX, VOL. VI. Na the the captivity of the head of the Church, the profcription and maffacre of the Catholic Paftors; and, like the wicked man, he faid, in the bottom of his heart, with Gobet and La Reveillére Lepaux, "there is no God." The author then expatiates on the folly as well as the wickedness of any attempt to abolish that religion, to overthrow that church, againft which we have divine authority for afferting-the gates of hell will never prevail. "Let him remember how many useless efforts have been made, within these last ten years, to annihilate this holy religion, and his poem will certainly not be more efficacious than thofe; how many tardy, but fignal, converfions it has produced in its greatest enemies; how many proud fophifts, and even apoftates, have returned into its bofom after having perfecuted it; how glorious a triumph it obtained over philofophy, in the perfon of the celebrated La Harpe: let him imitate bis candour; bis integrity; bis courage: let him partake of his happiness and his virtues, after having partaken of his errors; and let him cease the vain attempt to rob Heaven of its worshippers; the Creator of the homage of his creatures; man of his best hope; the wicked man of his moft falutary check; the juft man of his happiness here below; the poor man of his tweeteft confolation; the rich man of the vehicle of his benefi cence and charity; the people of their bond of obedience; governments of their neceffary fupport; and monarchs of their power, and of the fidelity of their fubjects." The author fpeaks with becoming diffidence of his own production. "I prefume to oppofe my verfes to thofe of the Chevalier de Parny, and to dispute with him, not the frivolous palm of poetry, nor the infipid praifes of a few impious literati, but the efteem of virtuous minds, the triumph of truth, and the empire of integrity. Without foliciting the indulgence of my readers, I.acknowledge that the publication of my work has been accelerated by the appearance of his; and, imperfe&t as it is, and determined as I was to referve it for other times, and other countries, this circumstance has altered my intentions; I conceived the object of my poem to be ufeful; the opportunity for publifhing it favourable; and the facrifice of my vanity neceffary; and, accordingly, I committed it to the prefs, for the glory of religion and perfecuted virtue; happy if, in fpite of the bitter cenfure, the farcafm, and all the combined efforts of philofophical impiety and licentious immorality, God crown my labours with any portion of fuccefs, the Church with fome approbation, the feeling heart with a few tears, and the virtuous man with his applaufe!" Unquestionably the author merits commendation for his defign, whatever defects may be found in the execution. The object of his poem is to difplay the horrid perfecutions experienced by the French clergy, from the commencement of the revolution until the maffacre of fome hundreds of them in September, September, 1792. In fhort, the author attempts in verfe, with fome additions, what the Abbé Barruel had before accomplished in profe. But the fubject is not favourable for a regular poem; and the mixture of fiction with fact neceffarily destroys that impreffion which the relation of such horrid tranfactions ought to leave on the mind of the reader. We can make allowances for the zeal of a rigid Catholic, and therefore forbear to point out several paffages to which we, as Proteftants, must trongly object, and the weakness and fallacy of which we could eafily expofe; but we muft admonifh the author, who is à very young man, that a little lefs decifion and much more caution would become him, on points refpecting which he ought to know a great difference of opinion prevails, particu larly in the country in which he now refides. The notes contain many curious anecdotes, highly honourable to the French clergy, and moft difgraceful to their impious perfecutors. We give the author credit for having duly afcertained the truth of the facts which they exhibit. The poetry, though it never rifes into fublimity, never finks below mediocrity. We felect, as a fair fpecimen, the following paffage, in the first canto, containing the portraits of fome of the leading orators in the conftituent affembly. "Bientôt à l'éloquence un champ vaste eft ouvert. Nn 2 EA Eft éloquent fans art, et pompeux fans enflure, ART. VIII. Ueber den Gang, &c. On the political Events which occurred in Switzerland, during the Spring of 1798. By Leonhard Meifter. 8vo. Pp. 136. Tandably commented upon in the prefent work, is nearly HE series of revolutionary events, which are represented the following: On the 27th of February, 1798, the ultimatum of the con ference between the deputies from the cantons of Zurich and Berne, and the French general in chief, Brune, was given in by the latter, against which the regency of Berne remonftrated, in order to procure a delay. Brune, confequently, refolved to adopt coercive measures, and the Bernese came to the determi nation of repelling force by force, a refolution in which they were particularly fupported by the canton of Lucerne. In the night of the first of March, the Bernese attacked the French, which was the commencement of the fhort, and on the part of the Bernefe, moft unfortunate, war. The ruinous confequences of this tumultuous proceeding, are, for the moft part, to be attributed to the feeble and irrefolute conduct of the Bernese government. On the fifth of March the French entered Berne on the 6th, the landed proprietors affembled at Zurich, to make their demands; and, on the 9th, the militia arrived to garrison the town; the Senate was willing to cede its power to the commiffioners from the country, and concluded with them an agreement, in which, however, many of the points relative to the executive power were not properly afcertained. The late regency having left the place in confufion, the deputies from the country endeavoured to adopt proper means for reftoring internal tranquillity. Meanwhile, fome of the other cantons took up arms against the new Swiss conftitution; and counter addreffes were alfo fent to General Burne, |