WE truft we are warranted in taking every occafion to bring into view the belt information we can procure repecting the officers, either of the navy or army, who have diftinguished themfelves in the prefent important fruggle. In execution of this deugn, we have already produced feveral characters eminently worthy of their country's particular regard; and for this month we have obtained permiffion to copy a miniature of a young officer of whom we fall fay nothing more than what comes from the authority of the London Gazette, altho' we could have wished to have had other particulars to communicate.

The language of the Commander in Chief fully authorizes us to place Captains Towry and Middleton among thofe whom we are defirous to hand down to pofterity; and we shall be happy if, at a future period, we could gain further information of either.

They are both now employed under that moft vigilant and gallant Commander Sir John Jervis; and we have no doubt that they will, upon every occafion where an opportunity is afforded them, fupport the character they have already gained.

ADMIRALTY-OFFICE, AUG. 4, 1795

A DISPATCH, of which the following is a copy, was yesterday received from Admiral Hotham, Commander in Chief of his Majesty's fhips and vellels in the Mediterranean.

Britannia, Myrtillo Bay, June 30, 1795.

mit to you, for their Lordships' informa tion, the inclosed Letter, which I received this evening by the Fox cutter from Captain Towry, of his Majesty's fhip the Dido, giving an account of a most gallant and ipirited action, which took place on the 24th instant between that frigate, in company with the Loweftoffe, Captain Middleton, on their way to reconnoitre off the Hieres Iflands, and the two French frigates named in the margin, the termination of which conteft by the capture of La Minerve, when the great superiority of the enemy's force is confidered, reflects the highest honour on the Captains, Officers, and crews of the Dido and Lowestoffe. I am, &c.

WM. HOTHAM. Evan Nepean, F.

Dido, Port Mabon, June 27, 1795.

SIR,

I THIS day difpatch the Fox cutter to communicate to you, that, in the execution of your inftructions of the 22d inftant, with his Majefty's fhip the Loweftoffe under my orders, being, at daylight of the 24th, in latitude 41 deg. 8 min. and longitude 5 deg. 30 min. E. we discovered and chafed two French frigates. After fome manoeuvring they stood towards us, and, at a quarter before nine A. M. the Dido, leading down, commenced a close action with the headmost of the enemy's fhips, which falling twice on board, was at an early pericd much difabled from the lofs of her bowsprit, foremaft and main-topmaft; our mizenmaft being shot away, fore and main top. L'Artemife, B 2

fails

entertainment to the numerous body of daily workmen who have been, and will long be, employed on this edifice, or on the grounds and plantations where it is fituated.

On Friday, Jan. 6, being Twelfth Day, the feaft was given without doors; but fo far was it from being confined to the workmen juft mentioned, who amount to upwards of three hundred, that the poor in general of the two Fonthills, of the town of Hindon, and many other poor perfons of the neighbourhood, all together near one thousand, received tickets to partake of it; not to mention that bread and ftrong beer were provided for ten thousand of the multitude of ftrangers, who were admitted into the park as fpectators of the entertainment. The dinner, to the perfons invited, confifted of an ox, and ten fheep,roafted whole. A very large fquare tent, or booth, coved in the roof, and covered with canvafs, having feven long parallel tables, each receiving one hundred perfons, was erected on the lawn, before the North front of the houfe, for the purpofe of the dinner. At a proper diftance, on one fide of this capacious booth, a confiderable length of brick wall, to fupport the neceffary iron ranges, was reared for the occafion. Eleven great fires which fapplied them, partly for the purpofe of roafting the meat, and partly that of warming the air, may be imagined to have had a striking effect in the coup d'oeil, On the oppofite fide of the booth, and in front of the house, a portion of ground was fenced out, within which was pitched a Turkish tent, for the reception of Mr. Beckford, and a large company of ladies and gentlemen. În the area, between this and the dinnertent, two bonfires were lighted, and, at due distances from each, were placed two femicircular tables, to receive a number of children at dinner, chiefly belonging to the perfons feated in the grand booth. Betwixt the bonfires fufficient space was left for the exhibition of feveral of the sural fports with which the company were entertained both before and after dinner. Prizes were given to the best wrestlers, runners, players at single stick, and those who excelled in various other performances. The game of foot-ball, en an open part of the lawn betwixt the fcene already defcribed and the lake, afforded admirable diverfion. This engaged not only the two parties concerned in the match, but put ten thousand fpectators, chiefly confifting of the peafantry of both fexes, in motion, all in high glee

at the different turns of the game, and yet without riot, or any other diforder than a lively and continual change of place. This diverfion formed to thofe who beheld it from high ground at fome diftance, taking in the occafional fcenery, combined with the views of the house, its furrounding hills,woods and water,a fpectacle altogether of fingular intereft, and, indeed, of curiofity. The bonfires and all the others, which remained burning all night, with their flames and long-wreathed columns of differently coloured finoke' rifing among the lofty firs and unleaved oaks in the neighbourhood of the tent, ftill crouded by a fhouting multitude, dimly feen dancing round them, difplayed to fpectators in the houfe an effect equally pictureique and uncommon. Many gentlemen of the county, the Mayor, the Corporation, and other gentlemen of the city of Salisbury, having expreffed a defire to pay their respects to Mr. Beckford on this occafion, a fuperb dinner, in the old ftile of baronial hofpitality, was ferved in the Grecian hall, which, with the colonades and paffages leading to it, was beautifully illuminated. A chofen band of vocal and inftrumental mufic entertained the company during the whole evening, and the greatest good-humour and hilarity prevailed beyond the earliest hours of the morning. The collection of fongs, catches, and glees, prepared by Mr. Corfe, and printed for the occafion, that books might be distributed to the whole company, was judiciously made, and the execution of them did equal credit to his taste and that of the Salisbury choir. The effect of fome of the choruffes, particularly that of God fave the King, accompanied as they were by the organ, and the full band of military inftruments, and these joined by hundreds of voices in the hall, and in the apartments contiguous, with those of perfons who filled the colonades and furrounded the houfe, was inconceivably grand, and excited in the minds of many of the company a lively recollection of the first performances of Westminster Abbey.

The fubfequent toafts and fentiments, among many others, were given, and fol. lowed by mufic, or by repeated cheers: Chair. ift. The King. God fave the King.

2d. The Queen and Prin

Mayor of Salisbury.

Chair.

Mr. Still. Chair.

5th. The Navy of England.

Rule Britannia. 6th. Mr.Beckford-and may his noble benevolence be as generally known and imitated in the world, as it is cordially felt by thousands this day at Fonthill. 7th. The Mayor, Corporation and City of Salif. bury. 8th. The County of Wilts. 9th. The Archduke, and his army of heroes.

10th. The Prince of Brazil, and his hundred and eighty thousand brave defenders of Portugal and of the cominon caufe of the Allies.

Chair. 11th. The People of England, and may they never forget the value of order and good go.

vernment.

Mr. Weft. 12th. Profperity to Fonthill and the fine arts. Mr.Wyatt. 13th. May the great works

Chair.

at Fonthill be fuccefsfully accomplished, and long enjoyed, by the prefent owner. 14th. Christmas-Twelfthday-old times and oid names for ever-and may the ears of John Bull never be infulted by the gipfey jargon of France.

On the fame day, Mr. Beckford's tradesmen, tenants, and feveral other parties, dined in different apartments of the houfe; and the whole number entertained within doors, including his own family, amounted, at least, to four hundred perfens. The whole entertainment on Twelfth-day (not to notice thofe which commenced with Christmas) was characterited by that good order, picturefque anagement, hofpitality, and magnifi

IT

SIR,

cence, which have on feveral occafions been witnessed at Fonthill.

The joy, gratitude, and contentment, expreffed by repeated acclamations from fuch a multitude of the peasantry as af fembled on the lawn, their neat appearance, and, above all, their orderly conduct throughout the day, were circumstances, in these times, highly to their cedit, and ferve to fhew the vast influence which gentlemen of fortune and beneficent difpofitions, refiding on their eftates in the country, can still maintain, in oppofition to the effects of more modern habits and fashionable life, which, totally eftranging the higher from the lower ranks of fociety, tend to increase the hardfhips and difcontents of the latter, and, in their confequences, to haften that levelling and confusion of all orders, which the higher ranks are fo peculiarly interefted, by their beft exertions, to avert.

We cannot close this account without mentioning. what we have learnt on good authority, that the Chriftmas festivities of Fonthill, which appear to have been conducted with fuch extraordinary hofpita lity, were begun by acts of the most subftantial charity; Mr. Beckford having ordered two hundred blankets to be dif tributed among the poor families of both the Fonthills, with a load of fuel to each of them, befides confiderable fums of money to the indigent of his own and other neighbouring parishes.

As fome interefting circumftances relative to Fonthill, and the works which have been carrying on there for these last fixteen years, are little known to the public, much the finest parts of the place being never fhewn but to Mr. Beckford's particular friends, and the primary motives of thefe great projects being little understood, we hope to be able, in our next, to gratify our readers, through the fame channel by which we have procured the above account, with a communication of feme particulars, which will, perhaps, be thought more valuable, as they are of a leis temporary nature than thofe we have now prefented.

was with much concern that I obferved a fevere cenfure upon Archbishop Laud, in your Magazine for laft month, page 401, respecting his concern in regulating the government of Trinity College, Dublin. The language used to convey this cenfure is too

heavy and unjust to be paffed over in filence. A fort of apology, indeed, is made for the celebrated Prelate on the belief of the goodness of his intentions, and yet immediately after he is charged with overlooking both justice and the inserefs of learning, when oppofed to his

views of aggrandizing the Crown. I fhall request the exercife of your ufual impartiality in permitting me to vindi eate the memory of this long perfecuted Archbishop.

The state of Trinity College, Dublin, at that time will be found, to him who will give himfelf the trouble of making the neceffary inquiry, very wretched and contemptible indeed: It could fcarcely produce a fcholar fit to take upon him the charge of a country parith; and hence ArchbishopUfher, and the other Prelates of that Univerfity, in their letters to the English Divines, were always importunate with them to ufe their intereft in fending Ministers to Ireland. While the Church was in fuch a condition, it is not to be wondered at, that the old fuperftition fhould generally prevail. It is a matter that deferves fome confideration, whether the impoverishing of the Church by alienating its poffeffions to the laity, did not throw very powerful obftacles in the progrefs of the Reformation; and afterwards, when fome great men endeavoured to regain them, did not prove an advantage to those who were bent on destroying both Church and State? But to return to our immediate fubject, the Archbishop viewed the con. dition of the Irish Church with deep concern, and, therefore, fet about the necellary work of reformation; and to

fuccefsful was he therein, that in a few years the Proteftant Clergy were put upon a refpectable footing. Archbishop Usher, knowing the weight of his influ ence, and the strength of his zeal, procured him to be elected Chancellor of the Univerfity; but that fociety was always. in a state of diftraction, and was perpetually giving the Primate caufe of vexation. The election of a Provost never failed fetting the College in a flame, and therefore it was, that Archbishop Uher concurred with our prelate in the then falutary measure of removing the election out of the hands of the fellows. Befides there was another reafon for this ftep, and that was the great and predominating fway which the Roman Catholics had in Dublin, and the danger which thence threatened this Proteftant seminary."

Archbishop Laud had no other views in aggrandizing the monarch than to fecure thereby the interests of learning and religion. Simply to aggrandize his Sovereign was never his object; and in all the great and trying circumstances of his public life, no fupport will be found for this injudicious affertion. A fuller view of his life and character, however, will foon appear, from which, I trust, it will be feen that his zeal was difinterested, his motives upright, and his principles pure and conftitutional. I am, &c. London, Jan, 6, 1797. J.WATKINS,