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Being ignorant of the fate of the Count's" Declaration" and Proposals," and whether they ever came before the British miniftry, I must now turn to Mr. Nicholfon's well-written preface, where the Count's remaining tranfactions, together with his final catastrophe, are recorded. The fubftance of both is as follows:

The Count and his family, with fome affociates, arrived at Baltimore in Maryland, July 8th, 1784, in the Robert and Ann, Capt. McDougall, from London, with a cargo, fuited to the Madagascar market, worth near 4000/. fterling. This feems to have been fub. fcribed in London; for Mr. Nicholfon tells us, that the late celebrated Mr. Magellan, with a spirit of enterprize worthy of his name, contributed a very confiderable fum *. A refpe&table house in Baltimore furnished the Count with a fhip of 450 tons, carrying 20 guns and 12 fwivels; the fhip and stores amounting to above 4000/. fterl. exclufive of the goods brought from London. On the 25th of October 1784, the Count failed for Madagascar, leaving his family in America, on account of the pregnancy of Madame de Benyowfky. Every one on board was, by agreement or oath, fubject to his abfolute command; though the captain and fupercargo were to affist him, and to bring back the fhip. He did not put in at the C. of Good Hope, probably for the fame reafon which, as we fhall foon fee, induced Colonel Bolts alfo to pafs by it, namely, the fear of alarming the commercial jealoufy of the Dutch.

The Count first touched at Sofala, where he remained fome time for refreshment: and, on the 7th of July 1785, anchored in Antangara Bay, 10 leagues SW. of C. St. Sebaftian, in Madagascar, and the cargo having been landed there, the Count intending to go over land to Antongil Bay, whither the fhip was to proceed. It appears, by letters, that the Count's old friend, the King of the North, came to pay his refpects, and the chief of the Seclaves, his former enemy, with a body of men, encamped near the Count, who proposed to him the ufual oath, which the chief declined. The master's protest states that, on the night of the first of Auguft, a firing was heard and feen on fhore at the Count's encampment; that at day light neither white men nor effects were to be seen; that their own danger, and the probability that the Count and his party were cut off by the natives, compelled them to fet fail for the island of Joanna; and that at Oibo, on the oppofite continent, the fupercargo fold the ship.

A letter from a man on board ftates, that the writer and another perfon, though not convinced that the firing was from the natives, were forced to fign the proteft. A letter from an officer, brought prisoner to the I. de France, after the deftruction of the Count's party, confirms the preceding, "as far," fays Mr. Nicholfon," as relates to the deftruction of the Count and his party by the French." The writer mentions the firing in the night; but, contrary to the proteft, affirms that the fhip failed away in fight of thofe on fhore, who could not

* I have been told that Mr. Magellan was lineally defcended from the famous Portuguese navigator, who difcovered the Straits which bear his name.-The Count left with Mr. Magellan, the MSS. of which Mr. Nicholson formed the Memoirs. See Preface, p. 2.'

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overtake her in the country boats. From this letter, it appears, that the Count, at the head of a body of natives, commenced hoftilities against the French, by feizing their store-houfe at Angoutzi. Here he began to build a town in the country manner; and thence detached 100 men to feize their factory at Foul Point, who defifted, on feeing a frigate at anchor there. On being informed of thefe tranfactions, the government of the Ile de France fent a ship with 60 regulars, who landed and attacked the Count, on the 23d of May 1786, in a redoubt he had constructed, mounting two cannon, and where he, with two Europeans, and 30 natives waited their approach. The blacks fled, and Benyowfky receiving a ball in his breast, fell behind the parapet, whence he was dragged by the hair, and expired in a few minutes.

The laft mentioned letter, Mr. Nicholfon obferves, " in many refpects, feems to want explanation;" like the proteft and the other letters, relative to the Count's unhappy end. From fuch materials, it was impoffible even for the abilities of the editor, to extract a confiftent account; nor would the Court of France have derived much credit from a fair statement of a tranfaction which, I have good reason to believe, could not bear the light. The total concealment of deeds, of which the witneffes are neceffarily numerous, cannot be effected, even by an arbitrary miniftry; and, to their machinations, the deftruction of the brave Benyowfky, was univerfally attributed, when I was at Paris in 1787. But this did not fatisfy my curiofity refpe&ting the fate of fo diftinguifhed a friend to Africa. I made particular enquiry, and was affured that the miniftry ordered out a frigate to fecure the Count, alive or dead; but the particular minifter who iffued the order was not mentioned. This information I received from Monf. Hall, one of Europe's firft artists, a near relation of the commander of the frigate, who, of course, was obliged to execute, and, I have no doubt, did execute his orders. This was what I chiefly wished to know; and it would have been indelicate to trouble a gentleman, fo connected, with minute queftions. He faid, however, that the Count aimed at the fovereignty of Madagascar, independent of the French; but he was far from impeaching him, in other respects, and candidly admitted, that he poffeffed confummate bravery and ability.

Thefe qualities fhine confpicuous in every page of the Count's hiftory; which alío exhibits marks of other virtues, more to be regarded than the vague affertions of perfons who have obvious reasons for wifhing him to be thought the tyrant and the robber. But a very different character appeared, in his earnest and fuccefsful endeavours to induce fome tribes of the natives to abandon their criminal practice of facrificing deformed children, and thofe born on unlucky days-a reform, however, of which Madame de Benyowfky ought to share the praife. The deteftation with which he speaks (p. 352) of the avidity, injuftice and oppreffion of the ufurpers and tyrants," who conducted former attempts in (or rather on) Madagascar, and his refigning, rather than violate a treaty, by attacking the liberties of the natives-if thefe circumftances account, as they partly do, for the number of his enemies, his friends may also infift on them, as marks

of

of a noble, humane, and generous difpofition. They may infift, ftill more strongly, on the attachment of his officers and men ("my poor fellows," p. 201) in the most trying conjunctures, and even when he appeared to be dying of a tedious illness (p. 283) and when nothing but an ardent affection to their leader, not to fay an admiration of his virtues, could have kept them within the limits of difcipline.-In fhort, Mr. Nicholson, who had all the letters and documents before him, declares, that he has "not yet feen any thing against the Count, which will not bear two interpretations, or which has not been written by men who contradict each other, and had an intereft in traducing him."-I mult add, that, for aught I ever heard to the contrary, the Count de Benyowsky deserved a better fate. Nay, I am clearly of opinion, that his conduct in Madagascar, deferves no fmall portion of admiration, and even of refpect and, all things duly confidered, I fee no reason, why a monument might not be erected to his memory, infcribed MAGNIS TAMEN EXČIDIT AUSIS.'

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We look forwards with intereft to the continuation of this work; which is elegantly printed, and furnished with the requifite engravings.

Tay

ART. III. Difcourfes on the Evidences of Revealed Religion. By Jofeph
Priestley, LL. D. F. R. S. &c. 8vo. PP. 420. 6s. Boards.
Johnson. 1794•

Ho OWMUCHSOEVER fome Chriftians may difapprove of Dr. Priestley as an expofitor of fcripture doctrine, all muft allow him to be a firm believer in, and a ftrenuous advocate for, the existence of divine revelation. On the establishment of this great poftulate, the importance of the fcriptures, as a test of truth, must reft; and therefore all who make their appeal to them, for decifion in controversy, are alike concerned in its demonftration. Should we allow the idea of a divine communication to be abfurd, and the doctrine itself altogether incapable of proof, thofe books which are fuppofed to contain God's revealed will muft lofe their value, and the creed of every fect that builds on its authority muft fall to the ground. So far, therefore, Dr. P. deferves the thanks of all Chriftians, that he has repeatedly stepped forwards to defend the common cause against not only the open attacks, but the moft artful infinuations of Deifm; and, by ftating the neceffity, reasonableness, and evidences, of revealed religion, he has incited an inquiry that muft eventually prove both honourable and advantageous to Chriftianity. Publications in defence of revelation were never more neceflary than at the prefent period;-we mean, publications by able and learned advocates; and fuch we cannot but have great pleasure in announcing. The present volume, however, does not altogether fatisfy us, as we think that the Doctor proves, or rather attempts to prove, more than

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is neceffary in one place, and lefs than he might have done in another: yet he certainly has a juft conception of the extent of his fubject, and has offered many remarks which highly deserve the ferious confideration of infidels.

Dou NG, as Bishop Butler obferves, is a fpecies of belief: it is faith ftruggling with objections; and though it may be eafieft for a mind in this ftate to betake itself to Deifm, it is not the most commendable refuge. Before revelation be renounced and its hopes relinquifhed, the weight of every objection, as it affects either a part or the whole of the great question, ought to be confidered. This is what Dr. P. evidently wishes; and the prefent work, which is the laft volume that he published previously to his embarking for America, is calculated to affift this examination. Having publifhed feveral works on the Evidences of Revealed Religion, fome of the statements and reasoning to be found in them will neceffarily occur in the prefent:-but it is not a mere recapitulation of his former arguments. The ground which he has here taken is in fome respects new, and his range is more extended.

It is ufual with divines, in their views of revelation, to take little notice of the Old Teftament, while they are diffuse in defending and illuftrating the New. This conduct, whether arifing from ignorance or timidity, is highly favourable to Deifm. It seems at leaft to abandon a great part of fcripture to the full force of its objections. Probably this is not intended by them: but they ought to confider that, by fuch ómiffion, their works are unfatisfactory, and ill fuited to the inveftigating genius of the age. Dr. P. is an exception. He confiders the fcriptures as containing a history, more or less detailed, of a series of divine difpenfations or communications, and he examines the divine miflion of Mofes and the Prophets, as well as that of Jefus; meeting and difcuffing the principal objections which have been urged against the O.T. narrative.

As Chriftianity arofe out of Judaifm, and its evidences are blended with thofe of the Old Teftament, its defence neceffarily requires an examination of the facred books of the Jews. It is not furprifing that, as antient records, they fhould abound with difficulties: but the friend of truth will not be startled at them. Dr. P. advances to meet them without fear; perfuaded that, as rational inquiry and fcriptural knowlege proceed, they will gradually disappear. There is a pleasure in following a man who writes under fuch a conviction; yet his fincerity muft not induce us to fufpend our judgment. An honeft writer ought to have an honeft critic. He who is in purfuit of truth will wish to have his path enlightened by all the scintillations which iffue from the collifion of inquiring minds. While,

therefore,

therefore, we praife the good fenfe and found argument which abound in this work, we fhall not hesitate to make objections to fuch parts as appear to be ill calculated to produce conviction. The object of this publication Dr. P. ftates in the following words:

It now more than ever behoves all the friends of religion to fhew that they are not chargeable with a blind implicit faith, believing what their fathers, mothers, or nurfes, believed before them, merely because they believed it; but that their faith is the offspring of reafon : that Chriftianity is no cunningly devifed fable, but that the evidence of the facts on which it is built is the fame with that of any other facts of antient date; fo that we must abandon all faith in hiftory, and all human teftimony, before we can difbelieve them.

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The great problem to be folved is, how to account for present appearances, and fuch facts in antient history as no perfon ever did, or can deny, viz. the actual existence of Chriftianity, and the ftate of it in the age immediately following that of Christ and the apoftles. Unbelievers must think that they can account for the facts without admitting the truth of the gospel hiftory. On the other hand, the Chriftian fays that, if this history be not admitted, the well-known ftate of things in the age immediately fucceeding muft imply more miracles, and those without any rational object, than that hiftory fuppofes. The like, he says, must be the cafe with refpect to the hiftory of the Jews in the Old Teftament. If the Mofaic hiftory be admitted, that of the Jews in that age, and from that time to the prefent, is natural; but on any other fuppofition moft unaccountable; that whole nation thinking and acting as no human beings ever did, or poffibly could, think and act. Whereas, it must be taken for granted, that Jews are, and ever have been, men, as well as ourselves. This is the state of the argument between believers and unbelievers in revelation, that I have frequently held out, and no person can say that it is an unfair one. Leaft of all it is fuch as a man who wishes to be governed by reason, and who would account for all appearances in the most natural manner, can object to.'

Two difcourfes on the Importance of Religion to enlarge the Mind of Man, and on Revelation the only Remedy for Idolatry and Superftition, precede his remarks on the hiftory and evidences of Revealed Religion. These difcourfes clearly evince the tendency of its great doctrines to ftrengthen, expand, refine, and exalt the mind.

After having confidered the nature of man, and the fund of great principles with which religion fupplies him, the Doctor deduces the fuperiority of the Chriftian over the scholar: obferving that, compared with the momentous truths of revelation, all other knowlege is a trifle. That fundamental position of Deifm, the fufficiency of reafon to discover all useful truths, Dr. P. not only denies, but he pronounces it the offspring of a concert of the powers of the human intellect, derived from that very revelation which they confider as unnecessary. He deems

it

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