Spanish Guard in the Advanced Works

One company of militia grena

diers

he wounded, and by whom he was in chief of the Spanish camp, and may wounded in turn. The foldier fell up- be relied upon as authentic. on the top of the battery, and when the troops were ordered to retire, the flames fpread with fuch rapidity to where he lay, that it was impoffible to fave him. It is to be regretted that the name of this gallant foldier cannot be afcertained. It is worthy of being tranfmitted with honour to pofterity, as an incitement tɔ others in a fimilar fituation to act with a heroiẩm that would well adorn a higher rank.

One ditto of Walloon guards
Three companies of artillery, of
70 men each

ICO

100

210

Total 410

Although the enemy muft have "That the Spaniards never enterbeen early alarmed, not the fmalleft tained the fmalleft apprehenfion of a effort was made to fave, or to avenge Sortie from the garrifon, was evident the destruction of their works. The from the circumftances in which they fugitives feemed to have communicated were found; for even four hundred men a panic to the whole; for their army, were but a weak guard for works of though drawn out under arms in the fuch importance and extent. The chief front of their camp, remained filent commandant of the Spanish camp, too and inactive fpectators of the confla- was fleeping that night at St. Roque, gration. Inftead of materially annoy- two miles diftant from his poft; and in ing the British detachment from the one of the fplinter proofs of the batteflanking forts, which might have been ries was found the report of the comdone with very great effect, they di- manding officer, which, when the guard rected the fire from their lines chiefly was relieved, was to have been fent to towards the town and upper batteries, the Spanifh general. The report exfrom whence a warm and well ferved preffed, that nothing extraordinary difcharge of round fhot was returned had happened,' which clearly evinces upon their forts and barrier. To the the unmilitary ftate of fecurity in which latter, indeed, the fire from the garrifon the Spaniards conceived themfelves to was chiefly directed, to prevent the be. camp from detaching any troops to the fupport of the party in the advanced

[To be concluded in our next.]

Temper.

works, which would have been thus On the Government and Correction of the rendered a fervice of very peculiar danger.

"With refpect to the number of the enemy in their advanced batteries at the time of the Sortie, different ftatements have been made. It was a generally received opinion in the garrifon at the time, that the Spanish guard confifted only of one captain, three fubalterns, and feventy-four privates, including the artillery. Though even this fmall force in fuch ftrong works, might have kept any numbers at bay, till a reinforcement had been fent from the lines, yet for the glory of the enterprize, it becomes fatisfactory to ftate, from the beft authority, that the enemy's force was much more confiderable. The following return was communicated some time after wards by a relation to the commander Hib. Mag. Sept. 1792.

He that ruleth his Spirit, is greater than he that taketh a City.

SOLOMON.

On the Ideal Pleafures of Infanity.
An Effay.

Fall the maladies to which humani

nity is liable, there is none, perhaps, of which the nature and caufes are fo little understood as that which we denominate infanity. This, however, is not at all furprifing, fince the difeafe having in its operations fo much the appearance of being entirely mental, it cannot be expected that we should be much acquainted with the diftem pers and derangements of a principle, with whofe very nature we are perfectly unacquainted, and even whofe healthy operations mock all the efforts of our art to trace.

f

vifible in every mind. And it is this it cannot be) I believe much good might diffimilarity, general and particular, be done, without expence to our own which is the phyfical caufe of all dif- peace, difcompofure of our mind, or ne agreement and want of amity among glect of our duty. By this mode, patience men, as the circumftance of its concor- might be ftrengthened, virtue encreased, dance, is of agreement and harmony. duty effected, and refpect preferved: Every temperament varioufly predomi- thus might we withstand evil, fo as to nant, will produce its natural effect, or gain our brother! peculiar turn or temper of mind, and notes a each of thefe is agreeable or difagreeable to that of another perfon, in unity or difcord with it. Hence arife the fimilarity or diffimilarity between perfons of kindred, or of oppofite minds and tempers, in a vaft variety of proportions and combinations. And, perhaps, the moft ferious differences among men arife, not from phyfical but from moral caufes. Too great partiality to our own, and too much feverity againft, the peculiar tempers of others, is, I believe, among the moft powerful. I fhall, however, not to philofophize too deeply, come to the more practical part of a fubject worthy of cool reflection; and enquire, How may fo complex, fo common, and fo ftubborn an evil be remedied 'I anfwer to this, that the cure is fimple, but not eafy. It involves in it no difficulty, yet is not obtained without many combats, and much conflict. The fecret confifts in the grand principle of ftoic philofophy, or rather of Chriftian morality To Bear and Forbear. I am perfuaded, that if we were to receive the various caufes of affront and excitement to anger and refentment, with calmnefs and temper, we should preferve much peace of mind and prevent much evil. It is our pride, or fome unamiable difpofition of mind or temper of heart, that is hurt by thefe provocations. Paffion never eradicates paffion; nor is one evil temper cured by another. I humbly conceive, without fuffering impropriety of conduct to go unrebuked, or impofition to remain unchecked, this evil difeafe might be effectually relieved. If at the time of excitement, fome filent admonition be given, teftifying difaprobation, and in an after, more cool, and proper feafon -calm, friendly, and pointed animadverfion, be added, when it will be received, attended to, and may be reflect

on, (which in the moment of paffion

I

But whatever be the nature and caufes this disease, I am well perfuaded there are fome degrees of it, which are by no means fo calamitous to the perfons dileafed, as the imaginations of the inexperienced are apt to reprefent: nay, perhaps, in fome inftances, the whole of the calamity is confined to the relatives and connections of the fufferer; many people having been obliged to behold the realities of the world in fuch a point of view, as to be bleft in any delufion, by which they can efcape from the painful profpect.

T

Thefe reflections were fuggefted to my mind, a few days ago, by a vilt I paid to one of thofe houfes in the outfkirts of the town, where thofe who have either too keen, or too confuled an intellect, are prevented from being troublefome to their friends; and where a once intimate acquaintance of mine has for fometime had the misfortune (if bis prefent appearance will, permit one to call it fuch) to be confined.

I must own, as I approached the building, together with the friend who accompanied me, I felt an awful terror creeping

perfon, which was no otherwife neglect
ed than had been always ufual with him;
and the moft ftriking appendage of which
was a great bundle of papers, fo closely
written, as to leave fcarcely any traces
of their original whiteners, which were
iticking out of his waistcoat pocket."
With thefe writings, I was not permit
ted to remain long in this ftate of diftant
acquaintance; for fcarcely were we feat
ed, when he began to inform me that he
had the very day before written a letter
to my friend Humanicus, in which he
had taken the liberty to make use of my
name; for that he had hit upon a fcheme
for the advantage of mankind, juft the
very fame as that which Humanicus had
executed Juft the very identical
thing, faid he, clapping the back of one
hand, in which he held a pinch of fnuff
into the hollow palm of the other, only
that the object is different! they hit to
gether as exact as can be. But here it
is,' continued he, rummaging over bis If this be madness, yet there's me.
papers, and giving me two fheets of an' thod in it, as Polonius obferves. And
old copy book, written as clofe as pof- indeed, the whole of his deportment was
fible between the lines,"" you fhall fee fuch, as to furnish me with an addition-
what an excellent difcovery it is.
alargument in favour of the ingenious
Mr. Morgan's opinion, that Shake-
fpeare's Hamlet, (mistaken by players
and commentators) is a delineation of
real, not of affumed madness*.

the prefent fituation of his mind, he
feemed to have conceived a very riveted
idea. Your benevolence," fays he;"
will readily perceive that there are but
three reasons, why a man in my fituati -
on of mind ought to be confined-The-
firft is, when he endeavours to commit
any trage upon the lives or perfons
of his fellow creatures; the fecond, when
by diforderly converfation he difturbs the
peace, and hurts the feelings of fociety;
and the third, when he is apt to commit
any injury on the furniture of a houfe
and you will I dare fay even admit that
the laft of thefe, is no fufficient reafon
for depriving a man of the most invalua-
ble blefling, liberty: alluding most evi-
dently in this refervation, to the remem-
brance of an outrage, which he himself
had committed about five years ago,- (ina-
the firft paroxyfm of his infanity) upon
a mahogany table then standing in his
roominila Kiyaon yeditac

a

As I was inclined to humour a difpo fition, which I could not discover any probable advantage in oppofing; or, to Ipeak fincerely, as I had a curiofity to indulge by tracing the eccentric operati-While my attention was thus engroffons of a difordered mind, I perufed his ed, and that of my companion was long epiftle, in which he avowed his dif- equally engaged with a poem, and a covery of a new machine, for the pre French letter, (the correctnefs of the fervation of the lives of perfons endan latter of which, confidering how many gered by fire, with confiderable attenti years it was fince he had enjoyed any on; and though I was fometimes induc opportunities of exercifing himself in ed to mile at the eccentric ideas occafi- the language, was an additional object onally interfperfed, there was nevertherof furprile) a thin, pale-looking man, lefs fo much regular reasoning in fome in black, with the moft compofed parts of his difcourfe, and fo great and and contented countenance, came faunappearance of plaufibility and invention in his fcheme, that I could not help reflecting, that from his vifionary fpecu-" lations, an ingenious mechanic might have collected hints for executing, in a confiderable degree, the benevolent purpofes his frenzy had in view.

This opinion of Mr. Morgan has never been published to the world, nor I believe any otherwife broached than in private converfation; but the ingenious The object to which he was perpetu- defence of the character of Falstaff, ally digreffing, however, and which from the general charge of cowardice, feemed to him the moft effential requi- muft render every lover of the higher fite for the due execution of his fcheme, order of criticilm, defirous of further pie elucidations of our most admired author

This is another of the acquifitions which my friend, had obtained, by way of compenfation, for that proportion of reafon he had loft; and which was never of any other fervice to him, than to fink him in the uncomfortable gloom of univerfal fcepticism, and plunge him in the midft of profound meditations, which the plummet of his intellect could never found.

We now took our leave, though not till after he had afked us when we would come again, and enjoined us not to promifea, time which we could not keep; as he always found that when he dwelt upon any particular expectation, and was difappointed, it hurt his mind, and did him material injury.