that had been thrown overboard a few hours before. The length, from the snout to the extremity of the tail, was ten feet, and the circumference of the body proportionate. Three others of equal size were successively caught; in the last were found sixty-two living

young ones, a turkey, and a live hawk's-bill turtle, two feet six inches in length, and one foot nine inches broad; which, Immediately after its release, swam about in a tub of water, apparently not in the least injured by its confinement.

THIS memorable battle was fought in the year 1745, at a time when France was endeavouring to humble the House of Austria, by making a conquest of the Netherlands. The French monarch or dered a numerous army to march into this country, and gave the command of it to Mareschal Count de Saxe, and his majesty and the Dauphin joined it soon after. They invested the strong town of Tournay on the 24th day of April. The allied forces, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, resolved on relieving that place, though they were vasily inferior to the French army. On the 28th, the two armies were in sight of each other. Next day the allies were employed in driving the enemy from their advanced posts, and clearing the defles, through which they might advance to the attack, while the French compleated the batteries, and made the most formidable preparations for their reception.

The 1st of May, at two in the morning, the Confederate army marched forward in four columns, and came and drew up in order of battle on the plain, where a detachment sent there the preceding day was posted. The right wing composed of English, and the Hanoverians, who formed the centre under Major

General Laztrow, were to form in four lines, to the left; as far as the wood of Pierune, they were to march up in three columns; the first column, which was cavalry, to come up the road of Mons, along the village of Vezon; the second being infantry, to march through the village of Vezon, and the third to stretch into the plain between Fontenoy and Antoin. His Highness the Duke of Cumberland hav ing been informed that there was in front of the village of Vezon, a fort mounted with cannon, where 5 or 600 men might be lodged, or dered Brigadier-General Ingoldsby, with four battalions, and three six pounders, to attack the village sword in hand, whilst the Prince of Waldeck attacked the village of Fon tenoy, which he had undertaken to do. Lieutenant-General Sir James Campbell was ordered to cover the infantry of the right wing, which was commanded by LieutenantGeneral Sir John Ligonier, whilst it should be forming with fifteen squadrons, by extending himself along the plain from the wood, towards the village of Fontenoy: but Sir James Campbeli having lost his leg by a cannon shot, this disposition which had been entrusted to him, did not take effect. However Sir John Ligonier formed the two

lines

lines of infantry quite exposed, without any other interruption from the French than a brisk cannonade, which did great execution, 'till by order of his Royal Highness, he caused seven pieces of cannon to ad. vance, which soon silenced the moving batteries of the French. The cannonading began on both sides, about a quarter after four o'Clock, the fire was incessant, it occasioned a melancholy destruction, and among those of the French that fell in the first volley, was the Duke de Grammont, who had his thighs shot off, and died in an hour after. The cannonading continued with

out

any intermission, till nine o'clock, when the confederate army was formed in order of battle; immediately upon this, Sir John Ligonier acquainted the Duke of Cumberland, by an Aid-de-Camp, that he was ready, and if his high ness approved it, would begin the attack, as soon as the Prince of Waldeck should march to the Village of Fontenoy, as had been pre. viously agreed to between them. The fort near the wood should now have been attacked, which if it had been carried, would have greatly contributed to the success of the confederates; but Brigadier Ingoldsbey having received fresh orders for an alteration in his disposition, did not attack the fort though he advanced within 150 paces of it where he was exposed to a continual fire, and had the misfortune to be wounded. When the two British lines were drawn up with the cavalry behind them; the Duke of Cumberland put himself at their head, and gave orders to march directly to attack the left wing of the French, posted at Antoin. Prince Waldeck, with the Hanoverians, and twelve Dutch battalions, moved at the same time to attack Fontenoy, while the remainder of the left wing proceed KOR JULY, 1810,

ed to an eminence, from whence they cannonaded the French, but never attempted to attack their right wing. During the time the confederates were marching to the respective attacks, the French kept a most terrible fire of cannon, making whole lanes through the ranks of the confederates, particu larly the English, who nevertheless advanced with the most amazing intrepidity, and reserved their discharge, at the distance of thirty paces before they fired. The Bri tish infantry, which had been drawn up very thick, broke at the second charge the brigade of the French guards, who fell back on a part of the Irish Brigades. The French cavalry, who immediately advanced towards them, was not able to stand the dreadful fire of that line of infantry, so that for about an hour they had a very visible advantage over the left wing of the French. Though several of their squadrons rallied, they were again obliged to give ground, by the prodigious fire of the British infantry, who thus unsupported by their cavalry, had a fair prospect of a complete victory, bearing down all before them, and after driving the left of the French army 300 paces beyond the Village of Fontenoy, they found themselves masters of the field of battle as far as their camp. The left wing of the French army, after retiring to so great a distance to avoid a close engagement, at length stopt, and uncovered two batteries of great guns, charged with cartridges and small shot which made so terrible a fire in front and flank, that all the valour of the British column could not bear up against it. During this engagement Prince Waldeck attempted two attacks successively upon the village of Fontenoy, but scarce was he arrived at the head of the first in. trenchment, before he was taken in S &

flank

flank by a battery of twenty-five pieces of large cannon, which were planted behind a wood, and made such a dismal havock in discharging chain shot and cartridges, that the foremost troops were obliged to fall back upon those who were advancing to sustain them; upon which M. de la Vauguyon, who commanded in the village of Fontenoy, vigorously redoubled his fire, and obliged the prince to recede, which, together with the misfortune of Brigadier Ingoldsby's not succeeding in the attack on the fort of Vezon, brought the British troops into a miserable situation, who now found themselves between cross fires of small arms and cannon, and likewise exposed to that of their front; so that the British Generals found it necessary to retire to the height of Fontenoy and the fort near the wood, from whence also there was a continued fire which occasioned much confusion, but by the attention of the Duke of Cumberland and Marshal Konigsegg it was soon prevented, and the troops again put into order. It was now about twelve o'clock, and the confederate Generals resolved to make a second trial, the British troops were to endeavour to carry the redoubt in the wood, while Prince Waldeck re-attacked the village of Fontenoy. The British animated with their late success, and encouraged by their Generals, re-commenced the attack with all imaginable spirit and bravery, driving the French to their camp with considerable loss, great part of their infantry was broke, several of their squadrons gave way, and the French monarch shuddered for the fate of the day; but Marechal Saxe perceiving the confusion of his 'men, commanded the houshold troops to advance, ordering these to be followed by the foot, who in the first disposition sustained the

left, with some pieces of cannot to silence the confederate artillery, which greatly annoyed the houshold troops

This new disposition made an immediate alteration, checked the violence of the British infantry, and gave leisure to the Irish Brigade and that of Vaisseaux to form themselves. Such was the furious bravery of the British infantry, that Mareschal Saxe was now reduced to his last, sole and principal effort to retrieve the honor of the day; this was in bringing up the Irish Brigade, a corps on whose courage and behaviour he entirely depended, for a favourable decision of so great, so dubious, and so well contested a battle. The Irish Brigade, consisting of the Regiments of Clare, Lally, Dillon, Berwick, Ruth and Buckley, with the horse of Fitz-James, being drawn up, were sustained by the Regiments of Normandy and Vaisseaux, marched up to the British line without firing; the British ranks were now prodigiously thinned, the men wea ried, and wherever they trod, obliged to fight over the mangled carcasses of their dying countrymen ; while their new and bravest opponents were fresh, and prepared for the rough, the savage encounter, an encounter like that on the plains of Pharsalia, where brothers might embrace their hands in fraternal blood*, relations sluice out the tide of consangunity, friends murder friends, country men murder coun trymen, and where every dreadful

the British troops, the attack of the Irish Brigade so vigorous, the fury of the French artillery so perpetually brisk, that being now also charged by the houshold troops and attacked in flank by the Carabineers, they began to stagger. nor could they support the violence of so rude a shock; and about one o'clock were again obliged to y in the geatest confusion.

ITALY

IN the month of October last, a fresh search was made for antiquities in the ruins of the ancient Pompeii, by order of their Neapolitan majesties. On this occasion, the CHEVALIER ARDITI, superintendant of the Royal Museum, presented several pieces of ancient pitch, a vessel full of wheat, a piece of coral, several beautiful paintings. and a lamp of baked earth in the form of a leaf, and bearing a La. tin inscription. This lamp was covered with a very fine varnish, or vitrification, which gave it a silvery or pearly appearance. It seems therefore that those authors are mistaken, who assert that this virification was not invented till the fifteenth century, by a Florentine sculptor. Their majesties having expressed a desire to have some of the ruins dug up under their own inspection, the workmen had the good fortune to find several pieces of money of various denominations; a number of bronzes, among which was a very fine vase, and an urn of some articles formed of bones; a great quantity of glasses, Farious shapes and sizes; and in particular, several vases improper by denominated Etruscan, with Lain inscriptions. They also discowered various works in marble, some

wine ;

comic masks, a few small but ele gant altars, adorned with basso relievos and weights, marked on the upper side with cyphers. Hitherto only a single subterraneous habitation, erroneausly called a cantino, but which ought rather to have been named cryptoportico, had been found at Pompeii. In the recent excavations, another, consisting of several stories, was discovered. It is remarkable, for having in one corner, a pipe or tube of stucco, intended for the convey. ance of smoke. This discovery seems to set at rest a question long agitated by the learned, whether the ancients were acquainted with the use of vents or chimnies for carrying off smoke. In the same apartmen's were found several pieces of marble and alabaster, valuable on account of the basso-relievos and inscriptions with which they are adorned. Their majesties then proceeded to a triclinium, or diningapartment, recently discovered. The walls are covered with paintings in the best taste, representing fishes, birds, and game of all kinds. Here are three couches of masonry, in perfect preservation, upon which the ancients reclined during their. meals; and near them is still to be seen a marble foot, which must: have served to support the table,

$ s 2

MEXICO

MEXICO.

Few parts of North America have been the subjects of mineralogical research in so great a degree as this country. The mines with which it abounds, have been explored by the Spaniards with much care: the goverment has encouraged scientific chemists to analyse the ores, and has established a seminary of mineralogy at Mexico. The Mineralogical Tables of M. KARSTEN, Superintendant of mines to the king of Prussia, have been translated into Spanish by don ANDROS MANUEL DEL R10, and printed at Mexico, with an addition of peculiar value, adapting them to the state of the science in that country. The first four columns of the tables contain the classes, orders, genera, and species, of the minerals, and the sixth, the ingredients of which they are composed, according to the latest investigations. In the fifth column, don Andros has given a capital example of mineralogical topography, by indicating the particular places in the district of Mexico, in which the minerals described by European writers have been discovered; leaving blank those articles which

have not come within his observavation. to give an opportunity to students and others of supplying these deficiencies. By these means we may venture to hope that in the course of a few years we shall possess knowledge not only of all the minerals of Mexico but likewise of the spots in which they are found. Don Andros has besides given in his edition of these tables, many original particulars concern. ing the four classes of earths, stones, salts, and metals: he has also added to the value of his work, which is printed in small folio, by an account of the fossils that have been lately described by M. HAUY in his Mineralogy; and has made use of information which he has de rived from M. HUMBOLDT, the celebrated traveller.

DON ANDROS DEL RIO has also published at Mexico, the second part of the Elements of Oryctology, arranged according to the system of M. WERNER. This work, which was composed expressly for the use of the royal school of mineralogy, is embellished with three geological engravings, designed from the opinions of Humboldt on the structure of the earth.

Now, before I suffer the press to resume the Series of the Letters, written during my stay in France; and, as I have had occasion to bring Mr. Emmet's name before the public, there is one fact respecting him which I feel it as a duty

to state.

He, with the other leaders of the United Irishmen, has been charged with encouraging the crime of assassination, and reference has been made to an anonymous publication,

called the "UNION STAR," which was circulated clandestinely, from time to time, and thrown into the areas, or pushed under the doors in the night. One or two num bers of it came to my hands. The reasoning they contained, upon the subject of retaliation, was uncommonly pervous and daring. They imputed, not to virtue, but to cowardice or weakness, that principle, which they maintained had no other operation than to ar

rest