cavalry in Europe, the Hanoverian body guards, and the mufketeers of France, not excepted. With thefe troops he went upon service to Germany, in the war before laft, and was with them in a variety of actions. At the battle of Dettingen he was wounded.

In this regiment he first bought the ranks of captain and major, and afterwards purchased the lieutenant-colonelcy from colonel Brewerton, who fucceeded to his uncle. On arriving at this rank he refigned his commiffion as an engineer, which he had enjoyed along with his other rank, and in which fervice he had been actually employed very much to the advantage of his country. He had received the inftructions of the famous engineer Bellidor, and made himself completely mafter of the icience of gunnery. Had he not fo difinterestedly refigned his rank in the engineer department, he would now, by regular progreffion, have been at the head of that corps, Soon after this, he was appointed aid-du-camp to king George II. and was already diftinguished for his military skill and difcipline.

In the year 1739, he quitted the fecond troop of horfe grenadier guards, being felected to raife, form, and difcipline the first regiment of light horfe, called after him Eliott's. As foon as they were raised and formed, he was appointed to the command of the cavalry, in the expedition on the coafts of France, with the rank of brigadier-general; and after this he passed into Germany, where he was employed on the ftaff, and greatly dif tinguished himself in a variety of movements, while his regiment difplayed a ftrictnefs of difcipline, an activity, and enterprize, which gained them fignal honour; and indeed they have been the pattern regiment, both in regard to difcipline and appointment, to the many light dragoon troops that have been fince raised in our fervice.

From Germany he was recalled for the purpose of being employed as fecond in command in the memorable expedition against the Havannah. It was impoffible to find an officer in the funshine of the court, to whom, under the patronage of a prince, the trappings of the chief command might be given; but an Eliott was wanted to act, as well as an Albemarle to fhine, and for him they were forced to go to the dufty plains of Germany. The circumftances of that conqueft are well known. It feems as if our brave veteran had always in his eye the gallant Lewis de Velafco, who maintained his ftation to the laft extremity; and when his garrifon were flying from his fide, or falling at his feet, difdained to retire, or call for quarter; but fell gloriously, exercifing his fword upon his conquerors.

Our readers will pardon us for the recital of a fhort anecdote which occurred immediately after the reduction; as it fhews, that in the very heat and outrages of war, the general was not unmindful of the rights of humanity. He was particularly eminent, among the conquerors of the Havannah, for his difinterested procedure, and for checking the horrors of indifcriminate plunder. To him, therefore, appeals were most frequently made. A Frenchman, who had fuffered greatly by the depredations of the foldiery, made application to him, and begged, in bad English, that he would interfere to have his property reftored. The petitioner's wife, who was prefent, a woman of great fpirit, was angry at the husband for the interceffion, and faid, Comment pouves vous demander de grace a un bomme qui vient vous depuiller? N'en efperez pas.-The husband persisting in his application, his wife grew more loud in the cenfure, and faid, Vous n'etes pas Francois !-The general, who was bufy writing at the time, turned to the woman, and said smiling, Madame ne vous echauffez pas, ce que votre mari demande lui fera accorde ! Ob faut-il pour furcroit de malheur, exclaimed the woman, que le barbare parle le Francois.-The general was fo much pleafed with the woman's fpirit, that he not only procured them their property again, but also took pains to accommodate them in every refpect.

This has been, through life, the manly characteristic of the general. If he would not fuffer his troops to extend, for the fake of plunder, the ravages of war, he never impoverished them by unjuft exactions. He would never confent that the quarter-mafter's place fhould be fold, "not only (fays he) becaufe I think it the reward of an honeft veteran foldier-but alfo because I could not fo directly exercise my authority in his difmiffion, should he behave ill."

On the peace, his gallant regiment was reviewed by his majefty in Hyde-park-when they prefented to the king the ftandards which they had taken from the enemy. The king, gratified with their high character, afked general Eliott what mark of his favour he could bestow on his regiment, equal to their merits? He answered, that his regiment would be proud if his majefty fhould think that by their fervices they were entitled to the diftinction of royals. It was accordingly made a royal regiment, with the flattering title; The 15th, or king's royal regiment of light dragoons. At the fame time the king expreffed a defire to confer a mark of his favour on the brave general; but he declared, that the honour and fatisfaction of his majesty's approbation of his fervices was his best reward.

During the peace he was not idle. His great talents in the curious branches of the military art, gave him ample employment; and, in the year 1775, he was appointed to fucceed general A'Court as commander in chief of the forces in Ireland. But he did not continue long on this ftation, not even long enough to unpack all his trunks; for, finding that interferences were made by petty authority, derogatory of his own, he refifted the practice with a becoming fpirit; and not chufing to disturb the government of the fifter kingdom, on a matter perfonal to himself, he folicited to be recalled, and accordingly was fo; when he was appointed to the command of Gibraltar, in a fortunate hour for the fafety of that important fortrefs. The fyftem of his life, as well as his education, peculiarly qualified him for this truft.

He is, perhaps, the most abftemious man of the age. His food is vegetables, and his drink water. He neither indulges himfelf in animal food nor wine. He never fleeps more than four hours at a time; fo that he is up later and earlier than moft other men. He has fo inured himself to habits of hardinefs, that the things which are difficult and painful to other men, are to him his daily practice, and are rendered pleasant by ufe. It could not be easy to starve such a man into a furrender, nor eafy to furprize him. His wants are easily supplied, and his watchfulness is beyond precedent.

The example of the commander in chief, in a befieged garrifon, has a moft perfuafive efficacy in forming the manners of the foldiery. Like him, his brave followers came to regulate their lives by the moft ftrict rules of difcipline, before there arofe a neceffity for fo doing; and fevere exercise, with fhort diet, became habitual to them by their own choice. The military fyftem of difcipline which he introduced, and the preparations which he made for his defence, were contrived with fo much judgement, and executed with fo much addrefs, that he has been able, with a handful of men, to preferve his post against an attack; the constancy of which, even without the vigour, has been fufficient to exhauft any common fet of men. Collected within himself, he has in no inftance deftroyed, by premature attacks, the labours which would cost the enemy time, patience, and expence to complete; he has deliberately obferved their approaches, and feized on the proper moment, with the keenest perfpection, in which to make his attack with fuccefs. He has never spent his ammunition in ufelefs parade, or in unimportant attacks. He has never relaxed from his difcipline by the appearance of fecurity, nor hazarded the lives of his garrifon by wild experiments. By a cool and temperate demeanour, he has maintained

maintained his station for three years of constant investment, in which all the powers of Spain were employed.

It would be an infult to the reader, to fuppofe him ignorant of the event of this important conteft, fo replete with glory to his country, to general Eliott, and to his brave garrifon; and fo mortifying to the combined force of the houfe of Bourbon. We fhail, therefore, only add, that the British parliament have wifely thought the merits of this diftinguished officer, and his noble garrifon, worthy of their unanimous thanks.

The general married a fifter of the prefent Sir Francis Drake, and by her has had a fon and a daughter.The fon is now lieutenant colonel of the Inniskilling regiment of dragoons: and the daughter is married to Mr. Fuller, of Bayly-park, in Suffex. His lady died about thirteen years ago, and her lofs the general has not yet ceafed to lament. The general is now about his fixty-fourth year, but his temperate living has preferved to him his looks with great freshness. He is healthy; but, without exercise, would incline to corpulency.

CURIOUS ACCOUNT of the ART of making SALT. By Mr. PENNANT.

TH

HE art of making falt was known in very early times to the Gauls and Germans: it is not, therefore, likely that the Britons, who had, in feveral places, plenty of falt fprings, fhould be ignorant of it. The way of making it was very fimple, but very dirty; for they did no more than fing the water on burning wood: the water evaporated by the heat, and left the falt adhering to the afhes, or charcoal.

It is very probable that the Britons ufed the fpring of Nantwich, in Chefhire, for this purpofe, numbers of pieces of half burnt wood being frequently dug up in this neighbourhood. Sallhis was a place not far from hence, one of the wiches; but I am uncertain which. The Romans made ufe of the fprings, and made falt by much the fame procefs as we do at prefent. The falt produced was white. It ftruck the natives, who ftiled this place, perhaps the firft place where they faw falt of this kind, Heledd Wen, or the White Brine Pits, to diftinguish them from the springs which they used in fo flovenly a fashion.

The Romans were acquainted with rock-falt, but had not difcovered it within the limits of Italy. There were mountains of falt in India. Spain afforded the tranfparent colourless rockfalt, and Cappadocia the deep yellow. The Romans were con

verfant

verfant in the methods of producing this useful article from the brine, which they practifed in our island, and communicated their inftructions to the natives.

Salt was an early import into Britain, but it was only to the Caffiterides, and the neighbouring parts, which were remote from the falt-fprings.-Thefe advantages are but fparingly fcattered over Great Britain: Scotland and Ireland are totally def titute of them. In England there are several, but few that contain falt fufficient to be worked. Thus, there are fome which rife out of the middle of the Were, in the bishopric of Durham; others in Yorkshire, Cumberland, Lancashire, and Oxfordshire all thofe are neglected, either on account of their weakness, or, in fome places, by reason of the dearnefs of fuel. Thofe in Cheshire, and thofe at Droitwich in Worcestershire, with the small works at Wefton in Staffordshire, are the only places where any bufinefs is done. Droitwich, and those in Cheshire, were worked by the Romans, and had the common name of Salinæ.

From that period to the prefent, they have been fucceffively in ufe. The Saxons, according to their idea of liberty, divided them between the king, the great people, and the freemen. Thus, at Nantwich was one brine-pit, which gave employ to numbers of falinæ, or works. Eight of them were between the king and earl Edwin, of which the king had two shares of the profits, the earl one. Edwin had likewife a work near his manor of Aghton, out of which was made falt fufficient for the an nual confumption of his household; but if any was fold, the king had a tax of two-pence, and the earl of one penny.

In this place were likewife numbers of works belonging to the people of the neighbourhood, which had this ufage: from Afcenfion-day, to the feaft of St. Martin, they might carry home what falt they pleafed; but if they fold any on the fpot, or any where in the county, they were to pay a tax to the king and the earl but after the feast of St. Martin, whofoever took the falt home, whether his own, or purchased from other works, was to pay toll, except the before-mentioned work of the earl, which enjoyed exemption, according to antient ufage.

It appears that the king and earl farmed out their eight: works; for they were obliged to give, on the Friday of the weeks in which they were worked, fixteen boilings, of which! fifteen made one fum of falt. This is a measure, which, according to Spelman, amounts to a horfe-load, or eight bushels. The pans of other people, from Afcenfion-day to that of St. Martin, were not fubject to this farm on the Friday; but from

St.