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faith in the truths of religion. At the commencement of all his scores, the following words are described In Nomine Domini, or Soli Deo gloria; and at the conclusion of all of them, is written-Laus Deo.

"When, in composing, he felt the ardour of his imagination decline, or was stopped by some insurmountable difficulty, he rose from the piano forte, and began to run over his rosary. He said, that he never found this method fail.

When I was employed upon the creation,' said he, I felt myself so penetrated with religious feeling, that, before I sat down to the piano-forte, I prayed to God with earnestness, that he would enable me to praise him worthily.' London Paper.

ROYAL LONGEVITY.

There are now living sixteen Sovereigns in Europe, who are of or above three-score years of age! The British king is the oldest, having almost completed his 79th year. The Duke of Anhault Dessau is 77 years old-the Pope 75the Elector of Hesse 74.-Henry XII. of Reuss 70; the King of Sweden 69; the Langrave of Hesse-Homburg 69; the King of Saxony 67; the King of the two Sicilies 66; the King of Sardinia 66; the King of France 62; the king of Bavaria 61; the Duke of Oldenburg 61; the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 60; the Grand Duke of Hesse 60; and the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar 60.

It may amuse the reader to learn the ages of the other Potentates of the world:

The King of Portugal is 50-years of age; the Emperor of Austria 49; the King of Denmark 49; the King of Prussia 47; the King of the Netherlands 45; the Emperor of Russia 40; the King of Wurtemberg 36; the King of Spain 33; the Sultan Mahomet 32; the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg 31; and the Dutchess of Parma (late Empress of France) 26. The latter has renounced her title of Empress. A proclamation before us begins" We, Maria Louisa, Imperial Princess and Archduchess of Austria, by the Grace of God, Duchess of Parma, Placentia, Guastella," &c. &c. London Paper.

GAS LIGHTS AND WHALE FISHERY. The Engineer of a Gas Light Company, has stated before a Committee of the house of Commons, that every mile of pipe, or conductor of the gas, costs the Company 20001.; that the Company at this time, consumes about 28 chaldrons of coal per day; that if they increased their capital by about 200,0001. their probable consumption will be about 30,000 chaldrons annually. A coal merchant who was examined, thought it would require 100 men to raise from the pits 30,000 chaldrons of coal in the year, and to put them on board the vessels; it would require about 40 horses, and 17 ships of 300 tons, to convey them to London; each ship to make eight voyages annually; there would be required also ten men for each vessel. That the Company burning annually 30,000 chaldrons of coals, they would pay annually to government 13,0001. duty per annum.

The Whale Fishery employs eleven thousand

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THE

AMERICAN MONTHLY MAGAZINE

AND

CRITICAL REVIEW,

No. III......VOL. II.

JAN. 1818.

1641

ART. 1. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

MESSRS. EDITors,

I have already called the attention of your readers to the story of Lady Harriet Ackland, as related by General Burgoyne in his "State of the Expedition from Canada," laid before the British House of Commons in 1780, and by General Wilkinson in his interesting "Memoirs of his own Times." A not less vivid nor less intimidating picture of the horrors of war is exhibited in the following extract from the Memoirs of the Baroness de Reidesel, for which we are again indebted to General Wilkinson. An apology may be due to him, for availing myself so largely of his labours; none I am sure will be required from me by your readers for the liberty I have taken. General Wilkinson's introductory remarks, I shall also borrow, as more appropriate than any thing I could

say.

"I shall conclude this chapter," says General Wilkinson, "with the following extract from a narrative published in the German language at Berlin, in 1800. It is from the pen of the amiable, the accomplished and dignified Baroness Reidesel, whose charming blue eyes I have more than once seen bedewed with tears at the recital of her sufferings. This lady, with two infant children, accompanied her husband Major-General the Baron Reidesel from Germany to England, from England to Canada, and from the last place to the termination of General Burgoyne's campaign, in which she suffered more than the horrors of the grave in their most frightful aspect; an imperfect translation does not render justice to the style of Madame Reidesel, but the artless interesting tale furnishes strong proof of its authenticity. I trust I shall be pardoned for presenting it to my fair readers, and whilst it serves to explain and wind up some of the distressing scenes which were passing in the enemy's camp, at and after the actions I VOL. II.-No. III.

have been describing, it 'furnishes a glimpse of the horrors of war. I trust it may warn my charming country women against the miseries to which the highly accomplished ausufferer, Lady Harriet Ackland, were so immithoress, and her interesting friend and fellow nently exposed. Would to heaven that it might produce another effect, which I consider vitally essential to the permanent tranquillity of these states; were my honoured countrywomen to consult patriot duty and personal happiness, they would avert their eyes from, and shut their ears to "The neighing steed and the loud trump, "The spirit stirring drum, and the shrill fife, "The royal banner, and all quality,

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Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious

war.

And then no more would exterior trappings and a flippant air seduce the heart from the contemplation of the social virtues, of imbility; robbed of their PRAISE and their PAproved understanding and refined sensiTRONAGE, the overwhelming thirst for military glory would be allayed, and excellence in the more solid and useful pursuits of civil life would excite the rivalry of the rising generation; and the great cause of morality and religion would be promoted to support the constitution of our country; and to the honour of the American fair it might be said, that they tamed

the spirit of wild war,
"That like a lion fostered up at hand,
"It may lie gently at the foot of peace."

Extract from the Baroness Reidesel's Narrative.

"As we had to march still further, I ordered a large calash to be built capable of holding my three children, myself, and two female servants; in this manner we moved with the army in the midst of the soldiery, who were very merry, singing songs and panting for action. We had to travel through almost impassable woods and a most picturesque

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and beautiful country, which was abandoned by its inhabitants who had repaired to the standard of General Gates; they added much to his strength, as they were all good marksmen, and fitted by habit for the species of warfare the contending parties were then engaged in-and the love of their country inspired them with more than ordinary courage. The army had shortly to encamp: I generally remained about an hour's march in the rear, where I received daily visits from my husband; the army was frequently engaged in small affairs, but nothing of importance took place; and as the season was getting cold, Major Williams of the artillery proposed to have a house built for me with a chimney, observing that it would not cost more than five or six guineas, and that the frequent change of quarters was very inconvenient to me it was accordingly built, and was called the Block house, from its square form, and the resemblance it bore to those buildings.

"On the 19th September an affair happened, which, although it turned out to our advantage, yet obliged us to halt at a place called Freeman's farm; I was an eye witness to the whole affair, and as my husband was engaged in it, I was full of anxiety, and trembled at every shot I heard; I saw a great number of the wounded, and what added to the distress of the scene, three of them were brought into the house in which I took shelter; one was a Major Harnage of the 62d British regiment, the husband of a lady of my acquaintance, another was a Lieuten ant married to a lady with whom I had the honour to be on terms of intimacy, and the third was an officer of the name of Young.

"

' In a short time afterwards I heard groans proceeding from a room near mine, and knew they must have been occasioned by the sufferings of the last mentioned officer, who Jay writhing in his wounds.

His mournful situation interested me much, and the more so, because the recollection of many polite attentions, received from a family of that name during my visit to England, was still forcibly impressed on my mind. I sent to him and begged him to accept my best services, and afterwards furnished him with food and refreshments; he expressed a great desire to see me, politely calling me his benefactress. I accordingly visited him, and found him lying on a little straw, as he had lost his equipage. He was a young man 18 or 19 years of age, and really the beloved nephew of the Mr. Young, the head of the family I have mentioned, and the only son of his parents. This last circumstance was what he lamented most, as to his pain he thought lightly of it. He had lost much blood, and it was thought necessary to amputate the leg, but this he would not consent to, and of course a mortification took place. I sent him cushions and coverings, and my female friends sent him a matress. I redoubled my attention to him, and visited him every day, for which I received a thousand wishes for my happiness. At last

his limb was amputated, but it was too late, and he died the following day. As he lay in the next room to me, and the partition was very thin, I distinctly heard his last sigh, when his immortal part quitted its frail tenement, and I trust, winged its way to the mansions of eternal bliss.

"But severer trials awaited us, and on the 7th October our misfortunes began; I was at breakfast with my husband. and heard that something was intended. On the same day I expected Generals Burgoyne, Phillips. and Fraser to dine with us. I saw a great movement among the troops; my husband told me it was merely a reconnoisance, which gave me no concern, as it often happened. I walked out of the house and met several Indians in their war dresses, with guns in their hands. When I asked them where they were going, they cried out War! War! (meaning that they were going to battle.) This filled me with apprehension, and I had scarcely got home before I heard reports of cannon and musketry, which grew louder by degrees, till at last the noise became exces sive. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, instead of the guests whom I expected, Gen. eral Fraser was brought on a litter mortally wounded. The table, which was already set, was instantly removed, and a bed placed in its stead for the wounded general. I sat trembling in a corner; the noise grew louder, and the alarm increased; the thought that my husband might perhaps be brought in, wounded in the same manner, was terri ble to me, and distressed me exceedingly. General Fraser said to the surgeon, " tell me if my wound is mortal, do not flatter me." The ball had passed through his body, and unhappily for the General, he had eaten a very hearty breakfast, by which the stomach was distended, and the ball, as the surgeon said, had passed through it. I heard him often exclaim with a sigh, OH FATAL AMBITION POOR GENERAL BURGOYNE! OH MY POOR WIFE He was asked if he had any request to make, to which he replied, that 64 IF GENERAL BURGOYNE would perMIT IT, HE SHOULD LIKE TO BE BURIED AT 6 O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING, ON THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN, IN A REDOUBT WHICH HAD BEEN BUILT THERE." I did not know which way to turn, all the other rooms were full of sick. Towards evening I saw my husband coming, then I forgot all my sorrows, and thanked God that he was spared to me. He ate in great haste with me, and his aid-de-camp be hind the house. We had been told that we had the advantage of the enemy, but the sorrowful faces I beheld told a different tale, and before my husband went away he took me on one side, and said every thing was going very bad, that I must keep myself in readiness to leave the place, but not to men. tion it to any one. I made the pretence that I would move the next morning into my new house, and had every thing packed up ready.

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Lady H. Ackland had a tent not far from our house, in this she slept, and the rest of

the day she was in the camp. All of a sudden a man came to tell her that her husband was mortally wounded and taken prisoner; on hearing this she became very miserable, we comforted her by telling her that the wound was only slight, and at the same time advised her to go over to her husband, to do which she would certainly obtain permission, and then she could attend him herself; she was a charming woman, and very fond of him. I spent much of the night in comfort ing her, and then went again to my children, whom I had put to bed. I could not go to sleep, as I had General Fraser and all the other wounded gentlemen in my room, and I was sadly afraid my children would awake, and by their crying disturb the dying man in his last moments, who often addressed me and apologised "for the trouble he gave me.' About 3 o'clock in the morning I was told he could not hold out much longer; I had desired to be informed of the near approach of this sad crisis, and I then wrapped up my children in their clothes, and went with them into the room below. About 8 o'clock in the morning he died. After he was laid out and his corpse wrapped up in a sheet we came again into the room, and had this sorrowful sight before us the whole day, and to add to the melancholy scene, almost every moment some officer of my acquaintance was brought in wounded. The cannonade commenced again; a retreat was spoken of, but not the smallest motion was made towards it. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon I saw the house which had just been built for me in flames, and the enemy was now not far off. We knew that General Burgoyne would not refuse the last request of General Fraser, though by his acceding to it, an unnecessary delay was occasioned, by which the inconvenience of the army was much increased. At 6 o'clock the corpse was brought out. and we saw all the Generals attend it to the mountain; the chaplain, Mr. Brudenell, performed the funeral service, rendered unusually solemn and awful from its being accompanied by constant peals from the enemy's artillery. Many cannon balls flew close by me, but I had my eyes directed towards the mountain, where my husband was standing, amidst the fire of the enemy, and of course, I could not think of my own danger.

"General Gates afterwards said, that if he had known it had been a funeral he would not have permitted it to be fired on.

"As soon as the funeral service was finished, and the grave of General Fraser was closed, an order was issued that the army should retreat. My calash was prepared, but I would not consent to go before the troops. Major Harnage, although suffering from his wounds, crept from his bed, as he did not wish to remain in the hospital, which was Jeft with a flag of truce. When General

The height occupied by Burgoyne on the 18th, which ran parallel with the river until it approached General Gates's camp.

Reidesel saw me in the midst of danger, he ordered my women and children to be brought into the calash, and intimated to me to depart without delay. I still prayed to remain, but my husband knowing my weak side, said, "well then your children must go, that at least they may be safe from danger." I then agreed to enter the calash with them, and we set off at eight o'clock.

"The retreat was ordered to be conducted with the greatest silence, many fires were lighted, and several tents left standing; we travelled continually during the night. At six o'clock in the morning we halted, which excited the surprise of all; General Burgoyne had the cannon ranged and counted; this delay seemed to displease every body, for if we could only have made another good march we should have been in safety. My husband, quite exhausted with fatigue, came into my calash and slept for three hours; during that time Captain Willoe brought me a bag full of bank notes, and Captain Geismar his elegant watch, a ring, and a purse full of money, which they requested me to take care of, and which I promised to do to the utmost of my power. We again marched, but bad scarcely proceeded an hour before we halted, as the enemy was in sight; it proved to be only a reconnoitering party of two hundred men, who might easily have been made prisoners, if General Burgoyne had given proper orders on the occasion.

The Indians had now lost their courage, and were departing for their homes; these people appeared to droop much under adversity, and especially when they had no prospect of plunder. One of my waiting women was in a state of despair which approached to madness; she cursed and tore her hair, and when I attempted to reason with her and to pacify her, she asked me if I was not grieved at our situation, and upon my saying "I was," she tore her cap off her head and let her hair drop over her face, say. ing to me, "it is very easy for you to be composed and talk, you have your husband with you, I have none, and what remains to me but the prospect of perishing or losing all I have ;" I again bade her to take comfort, and assured her I would make good whatever she might happen to lose, and I made the same promise to Ellen, my other waiting woman, who, though filled with apprehensions, made no complaints.

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About evening we arrived at Saratoga; my dress was wet through and through with rain, and in that state I had to remain the whole night, having (no place to change it; I however got close to a large fire, and at last lay down on some straw. At this moment General Phillips came up to me, and I asked him why we had not continued our retreat, as my husband had promised to cover it and bring the army through? Poor dear woman," said he, "I wonder how, drenched as you are, you have the courage still to persevere and venture further in this kind of weather; I wish," continued he, "you was our commanding general, General Burgoyne is

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tired, and means to halt here to-night and give us our supper."

"On the morning of the 7th, at ten o'clock, General Burgoyne ordered the retreat to be continued, and caused the handsome houses and mills of General Schuyler to be burnt; we marched however but a short distance, and then halted. The greatest misery at this time prevailed in the army, and more than thirty officers came to me, for whom tea and coffee was prepared, and with whom shared all my provisions, with which my calash was in general well supplied; for I had a cook who was an excellent caterer, and who often in the night crossed small rivers and foraged on the inhabitants, bringing in with him sheep, small pigs, and poultry, for which he very often forgot to pay, though he received good pay from me as long as I had any, and was ultimately handsomely rewarded. Our provisions now failed us for want of proper conduct in the commissary's department, and I began to despair. About two o'clock in the afternoon we again heard a firing of cannon and small arms; instantly all was alarm, and every thing in motion. My husband told me to go to a house not far off; I immediately seated myself in my calash with my children, and drove off; but scarcely had we reached it before I discovered five or six armed men on the other side of the Hudson; instinctively I threw my children down in the calash, and then concealed myself with them; at that moment the fellows fired and wounded an already wounded English soldier, who was behind me; poor fellow, I pitied him exceedingly, but at that moment had no means or power to relieve him. A terrible cannonade was commenced by the enemy, which was directed against the house in which I sought to obtain shelter for myself and children, under the mistaken idea that all the Generals were in it. Alas! it contained none but wounded and women; we were at last obliged to resort to the cellar for refuge, and in one corner of this I remained the whole day, my children sleeping on the earth with their heads in my lap; and in the same situation I passed a sleepless night.— Eleven cannon balls passed through the house, and we could distinctly hear them roll away. One poor soldier who was lying on a table, for the purpose of having his leg amputated, was struck by a shot which carried away his other: his comrades had left him, and when we went to his assistance we found him in a corner of the room, into which he had crept more dead than alive, scarcely breathing. My reflections on the danger to which my husband was exposed now agonized me exceedingly, and the thoughts of my children and the necessity of struggling for their preservation alone sustained me.

"The ladies of the army who were with me were, Mrs. Harnage, a Mrs. Kennels, the widow of a lieutenant who was killed, and the lady of the commissary. Major Harnage, bis wife, and Mrs. Kennels, made a little room in a corner with curtains to it, and wished to do the same for me, but I pre

ferred being near the door, in case of fire. Not far off my women slept, and opposite to us three English officers, who, though wound. ed, were determined not to be left behind; one of them was Captain Green, an aid-decamp to Major-General Phillips, a very valuable officer and most agreeable man. They each made me a most sacred promise not to leave me behind, and in case of a sudden retreat, that they would each of them take one of my children on his horse, and for myself, one of my husband's was in constant readi ness.

'Our cook, whom I have before mentioned, procured us our meals, but we were in want of water, and I was often obliged to drink wine and to give it to my children. It was the only thing my husband took, which made our faithful hunter (Rockel) express one day his apprehensions, that "the General was weary of his life, or fearful of being taken, as he drank so much wine." The constant danger which my husband was in kept me in a state of wretchedness, and I asked myself if it was possible I should be the only happy one, and have my husband spared to me unhurt, exposed as he was to so many perils. He never entered his tent, but laid down whole nights by the watch fires; this alone was enough to have killed him, the cold was so intense.

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The want of water distressed us much: at length we found a soldier's wife who had courage enough to fetch us some from the river, an office nobody else would undertake, as the Americans shot at every person who approached it, but out of respect for her sex they never molested her.

"I now occupied myself through the day in attending the wounded; I made them tea and coffee, and often shared my dinner with them, for which they offered me a thousand expressions of gratitude. One day a Canadian officer came to our cellar, who had scarcely the power of holding himself upright, and we concluded he was dying for want of nourishment; I was happy in offer ing him my dinner, which strengthened him, and procured me his friendship. I now undertook the care of Major Bloomfield,* another aid-de-camp of General Phillips, he had received a musket ball through both cheeks, which in its course had knocked out several of his teeth, and cut his tongue, he could hold nothing in his mouth, the matter which ran from his wound almost choaked him, and he was not able to take any nourishment except a little soup, or something liquid; we had some Rhenish wine, and in the hope that the acidity of it would cleanse his wound, I gave him a bottle of it, he took a little now and then, and with such effect, that his cure soon followed; thus I added another to my stock of friends, and derived a satisfaction which, in the midst of suffer ings, served to tranquilize me and diminish their acuteness.

general in the army, lieutenant-colonel of the royal *Now member of Parliament for Plymouth, majorartillery, chief equerry and clerk martial to the king.

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