1 fift the cold, that they will at length fuffer no detriment from it :but I may obferve that the fig, the laurel, the pomegranate, the olive, by being always expofed, are yet not fo well inured to the cold as not to perifh in Lombardy in certain rigorous feafons, and much more readily in the fertile plains; and I can discover no reason why vines fhould become better accustomed to it. I fhall here take the liberty of deviating from the limits of the question, by fuggefting that the only expedient for recovering vines, which have been much injured by the froft, is to cut them down to the trunk, in the fame manner as when they have perished by the bail. It is vain to expect a strong and fruitful plant from the mere relics of an ill-difpofed vegetation, when the injured limbs are preserved. The deceitful hope of reaping fome product in the very fame year, and of fooner restoring the vine by preferving its branches, bas too often deluded our unwary and greedy farmers; while those who have cut down their vines to the quick have foon had them fpring up again fruitful and thriving. I readily admit, however, that, for a flight freezing in winter or fpring, when an untimely hoar-froft will fometimes chill the moving bud and the ftill herbaceous germs of the vines, it is fufficient to prune clofer, and to cut off a few more shoots than ufual: but this rule is not to be extended to the case of a ftrong froft, which has done material injury. In the first cafe, the matter-bud and the tender extremities alone commonly fuffer. The counter-bud, more tardy, and often contributing nothing to the happy product of the mafter, fupplies its place when that is loft. In the fecond cafe, it is either itself injured, or fubfifts on limbs become unfit for properly nourishing the product. A remainder of life, feconded by the mild influence of the fpring, may indeed promote the germination of the buds but the germs, being fituated on unfound and difeafed wood, will be weak and fteril, and will often perifh by the death of the branch from which they proceed.' Since the fymptoms of froft in trees proceed from the flightest to the most important, by minute degrees, the danger of an erroneous judgment will always be great; nevertheless, if, on cutting across a fhoot in the fpring the natural colour between the wood and bark appears manifeftly altered, and if in the trunk and branches of the vine deep cracks fhew themselves, the author is of opinion that it ought, without hesitation, to be cut down to the ftem. These two marks he confiders as figns of a difeafe that is, for the most part, irreparable. ART. IV. Sejour de Dix-Mois en France, &c. i.e. Ten Months' Refidence in France, by an Emigrant who could not get away from Toulon in December 1793, and who did not efcape from France till the Prisoners confined in Paris were enlarged in August 1794. By the Comte DE C***. 8vo. Parts 1. and II. 25. each De Boffe, London. ΤΗ HIS little performance feems to belong to that clafs of ferious romances in which, though truth may be the founda Ai. tion, the embellishments and episodes appear to be fupplied by fiction. The hero of the piece, like other heroes of romance, gives an account of his family, education, and firft love. Having been bred to the naval fervice of his country, he was at Toulon when that city opened her port to the British fleet, and put herself under its protection. His description of the evacuation of that place by the allies is as impreffive and affecting, as his picture of the barbarities committed by the victorious French on entering Toulon is fhocking. He escaped the general carnage by mixing with and having been taken for one of the galley flaves, the only body of men who experienced mercy from the conquerors. He fays that 200 of the inhabitants, who were the warmest partifans of the Convention, went out to congratulate their friends on the expulfion of the English, and the return of Toulon to the dominion of France: but Toulon had been declared infamous; and therefore its inhabitants, whether friends or foes, muft not expect any quarter. Accordingly, thefe 200 men were put to death, and the foldiers, having cut off their ears, fixed them in their hats over their cockades, and thus made their entrance into the town. During three days, they glutted themselves with the blood of the Toulonefe, and fraternized only with the galley flaves. Having mixed with the flaves, the Count pretended that he was a Swifs, who had been fentenced to the gallies for fmuggling; he was immediately liberated, and obtained a paffport and fome money to return to his own country. He departed with that view: but an obftacle occurred near the frontier, which made him change his mind, and bend his course towards the interior part of France. He arrived at Lyons, where he remained during the fiege. This event he describes in the style of a mafter; and he fhews that the Convention at Paris might well have trembled for itself, for there were assembled, at one dinner given at Lyons, deputies from 52 out of the 83 departments of France, making a majority of 21, confederated for the purpose of refifting the authority of the new rulers of the Convention. He tells us that there were alfo deputies from 14 cities and towns, and from 400 furrounding villages. On the point of efcaping from Lyons after it was taken by the troops of the Convention, the Count was stopped by a whimfical accident; he was carried, difguifed as a female, before a police magistrate; and, juft as he was going to be difmiffed, was difcovered to be a man, and a royalist; as fuch he was condemned to death: but by fome unknown influence he was fuffered to escape from prifon. He travelled through Lower Languedoc, Gevaudan, and the Cevennes, as a drover in the fervice of a dealer in cattle. He afterward became acquainted quainted with a fociety of determined royalifts under the mask of the most decided republicans. In the accounts which he gives of their plans, their views, and their intentions, he takes occafion to express his own opinions of the internal state of France, and would have his readers believe that, in the midft of those who bellow loudeft for a republic, the moft zealous champions for monarchy are to be found. No doubt of this! Is not every public caufe, good or bad, liable to dangers attending the treachery of pretended friends, whole employment is to deceive and betray? In the fecond part of this work, we have the fequel of the Count's adventures. He tells us that he at length reached the army of royalifts commanded by Charette, with whom he had previously lived in the strictest friendship, and under whose banners he engaged to fight. Here he takes an opportunity of giving a hiftory of the war in la Vendée, both before and after his arrival. The country known, fince the revolution, by the name of la Vendée, lies on the fouth of the Loire, in the province which was formerly called Poitou, and which was united to the crown of England by the marriage of our Henry II. with Eleanor of Acquitaine. It is an uneven country, full of natural faftneffes, covered with thick forefts, and interperfed with bogs or fwamps. It is remarkable that its appearance has undergone little or no change fince the days of Julius Cæfar; who, in his Commentaries, acknowleges that it was a diftri&t which, on account of the obftacles opposed to him by nature and the obftinate refiftance of the inhabitants, he never could completely fubdue. This may be confidered as an apology for the republican generals lately fent against it, and for the leaders of the Convention, who propofed an amnesty as means much more effectual than arms, to reclaim the people of that country. The name of la Vendée, which it received from the Constituent Affembly, when it was made one of the 83 departments of France, was taken from a muddy little river till then scarcely known beyond its own marshy banks. The firft who raised the standard of royalty in that quarter was Charette, a young gentleman only 28 years of age, who, on the roth of March 1792, at Machecould in the neighbourhood of Nantz, his native place, proclaimed Louis XVII. He was originally brought up to the fea, and, at the time of the revolution, was a lieutenant in the royal navy. His example was foon followed by Stofflet, who had been a private in the Swifs guards; and about the fame time Catineau, the facriftan of the church of Beaupreau, appeared at the head of a third body of royalifts, and declared for the fame caufe. The last two foon fubmitted to be commanded by men of higher rank, fuch as Monf. D'Elbée, an experienced general, whom all acknow leged leged as commander in chief, Bonchamp, Lefcure, Fleuriot, and La Roche-Jacquelin: but these having fince fallen in battle, it appears that Stofflet became again the leader of his party. When the forces of the royalifts were organized, they were divided into three armies: one aflembled in the weft to make head against Nantz and Olonne : the fecond was formed in the fouth to keep in check Lucon and Fontenay-le-Comte; while the third, which was the most numerous of the whole, and had the greatest number of enemies to combat, was ftationed to the east to watch the motions of the people of Saumur and its environs. The author fays that the first was the weakest of the three, that it acted diftinaly and separately from the other two, and was always commanded by Charette. The Loire was the bulwark of la Vendée to the north. Their first movements were almost irrefiftible: they took Fontenay, Thouars, and Saumur. The capture of this laft city was the confequence of a bloody battle and a decifive victory. At Thouars 4000 regulars were made prifoners by the royalifts. When they laid fiege to Saumur they were 50,000. ftrong: but they could mufter no more than 18,000 when they marched to befiege Nantz, great numbers of the peasantry having returned home to get in their harvest. In the fight at Vrine bridge, 5000 royalifts put 25,000 republicans to flight with dreadful flaughter. Some few days afterward they did more for with 6000 men they had the boldness to attack 40,000, and defeated them, taking a part of their artillery and baggage this was at the famous battle of Coron. Soon afterward, fortune began to change fides; the republicans made themselves mafters of Mortagne, (the place which, if we mistake not, gave the title of Earl to our King John before he came to the crown,) Chollet, Tiffauge, and Beaupreau, recovered their cannon and prifoners, deftroyed the magazines collected by the royalifts, and penetrated at laft to the borders of the woods and marshes of la Vendée. Thus 90,000 men were left without homes, and almoft without food or ammunition, on the banks of the Loire; while, to complete their misfortunes, D'Elbée, Bonchamp, and Lefcure were fo badly wounded, that they could no longer take any part in the operations of the armies. Thus fituated, fome one propofed that the troops fhould crofs the Loire, and march to meet the fuccours expected from England: the propofition was adopted, and thus the main army was feparated by that river from the relt of the Vendeans. This measure was the ruin of the royalifts, and would not have been executed, if the three generals above mentioned had not been difabled from acting or advifing; and if La Roche-Jacquelin had not been abfent at the time, ferving with a detachment. It was the departure of this army army that enabled the commiffioners to affure the Convention that the war of la Vendée was at an end. It was at an end for that time in la Vendée, but it was raging with greater violence. in Normandy and Brittany. The royalists who croffed the Loire divided themfelves into two bodies; one of which marched into Normandy and laid fiege to Grandeville; while the other entered Brittany, and, keeping the thick forefts of Fougères and Viere in their rear, blockaded St. Maloes, and endeavoured to penetrate towards Concale. In this pofition, they waited for intelligence from England, but not a fail appeared on the coaft. In the mean time, fome gun-boats from St. Maloes forced them to retire: before this event took place, a fingle English frigate would have compelled those boats to keep in port, and, trifling as fuch a fuccour may appear, it might have given a turn to the affairs of Europe. The royalifts, repulfed at Grandeville, formed a junction with those who had blockaded St. Maloes: but they carried with them disappointment and difcomfiture; and, all being in want of provifions, defpair became general, and all was loft. Bonchamp and Lefcure could not restore confidence to their friends, for they had died of their wounds; and D'Elbée had been carried for the benefit of his health to Noirmoutier, which had fallen into the hands of Charette. Upwards of 30,000 men had joined the royal army after it had crofled the Loire: but they had not the docility of the firft who declared for that party, and infifted on quitting a part of the country in which they had experienced nothing but difafters. In vain did the commanders oppofe fuch a measure; the troops began their march without orders and leaders; the officers were obliged to give way to a torrent which they could not refift; and, unfortunately for their caufe, this retrograde movement had fcarcely taken place when the English appeared on the coaft: fo that had the royalifts remained a little longer, nothing could have prevented them from receiving Lord Moira in their camp, with the fuccours and fupplies which he was carrying to them. The Vendeans, having re-croffed the Loire, over-ran the provinces of Maine and Anjou: the conventionalifts were alarmed, and the tocfin was kept ringing in every parish as far as Orleans. The republicans kept themfeives ftrongly entrenched to the south and the eaft behind the Loire and other rivers, while the Convention was fending to their aid, in carriages, 30,000 men from Flanders, to reinforce the army of Cherbourg, which was advancing from the North: while the army of Breft, confifting of 80,000 men, was approaching to furround them on the weft. In this fituation of affairs, an emiffary difpatched by Lord Moira had the good fortune to 8 reach |