proceeded without hesitation to Dublin. By dint of great pains, and considerable prudence, he maintained the authority of his station in a higher degree than he last received it; but his designs were thwarted, his resources were inadequate, and the superiority of England was highly precarious. At length Charles the II. died, and his brother James succeeded to the crown: Ormond proclaimed the new monarch at his seat of government, and then resigned his office. Being now stricken with years, and surfeited with politics, he retired to his seat at Kingston Hall, in Dorsetshire, and, after lingering under repeated attacks of the gout for two years, expired at the age of seventy-eight, in July, 1688. His body was removed with becoming solemnity to Westminster Abbey, and honourably interred beneath a vault under the entrance to Henry the Seventh's chapel, which is still distinguished by the title of the Ormond vault. James Butler, Duke of Ormond, has deservedly received an admirable character from all historians. He was a man of grave, rather than shining talents; possessing sound opinions, and great practical knowledge. It has been truly observed, that for fine honour as a courtier, and pure integrity as a statesman, no one of his cotemporaries can be compared with him. The constancy with which he adhered to the cause of Charles, not only through all the oppressive hardships of banishment, but also through the bitter mortifications of party vicissitudes, and ministerial defeats, establishes an example of firm loyalty, such as it were not easy to match in history. He was an ardent friend to the prerogative of the crown; but, at the same time, a staunch advocate for the unbiassed administration of the law. The moderation of his conduct, and the excellence of his views in the government of Ireland, far exceeded any displayed by his predecessors. Had the judicious measures which he recommended for that unfortunate island been pursued, either during his lifetime, or after his death, it is almost indescribable what misery might have been avoided, and what prosperity secured. 734 PASCAL DE PAOLI. IN the great south aisle of Westminster Abbey is a handsome bust and tablet, executed by Flaxman, to the memory of this once popular general. The bust has been much praised for the resemblance it is said to bear to the deceased; and the inscription, which seems to have been penned by an English courtier, and is not rigidly true in all its statements, presents itself to the eye the following order : D. O. M. To the Memory of One of the most eminent and most illustrious characters in He was born at Rostino, in Corsica, April the 5th, 1725, was universally chosen, at the age of thirty, supreme head of that Island, and died in this Metropolis, February the 5th, 1807, The earlier and better part of his life he devoted to Nobly maintaining it against the usurpation by his many and splendid achievements, his useful and benevolent institutions, his patriotic and public zeal manifested upon every occasion. He, amongst the few who have merited so glorious a title, most justly deserves to be hailed The Father of his Country. Being obliged by the superior force of his enemies he sought refuge in this land of liberty, (amidst the general applause of a magnanimous nation) into the protection of his Majesty, King George the Third, by whose fostering hand and munificence he not only obtained a safe and honourable asylum, He expressed to the last moment of his life the most Grateful sense of his Majesty's paternal goodness towards him, Praying for the preservation of his sacred person and the prosperity of his dominions. The foreigner who became thus distinguished amongst us was the second son of Hiacinte Paoli, an officer, who was created a Marquis, and appointed Grand Treasurer, and Marshal-general of the Island, during the transitory reign of the unfortunate Theodore the First, King of Corsica. Upon the interference of the French with the affairs of his country, the Marquis sought a retreat in Naples, and there devoted almost all his cares to the instruction of young Pascal, whose talents displayed themselves with firm precocity. He was educated by the Jesuits, who prophesied the celebrity of his career; and after being introduced at Court, received a commission in the Neapolitan service. When he left Corsica, he was a mere boy, but was even then taught to cherish a strong love for his native isle, to acquire a just sense of her wrongs, and a hatred of her oppressors. Thus prepared, he caught a vivid air at school from all those passages in the antient classics, which breathe a spirit of liberty; and from his very youth projected the enfranchisement of his fellow-countrymen. Fourteen years of expatriation were thus spent, during which the experience of time, and the judgment of his father, gradually trained his actions to the practice of virtue, and fortified his mind with the principles of heroism. While his character was slowly developed to the admiration of his friends, the views he had long planned for the good of his country ripened with consideration. The dominion of republican Genoa over that devoted island grew more sanguinary the longer it lasted; every character obnoxious to the ruling tyrants, whom the process of the law could not reach, was darkly removed by the dagger of the assassin; the patience of the people by degrees had sunk exhausted, and then at last despair arose from her form. The Corsicans conspired, and looked around for a leader in the work of deliverance; strong entreaties and warm invitations were addressed to all who could co-operate in the labour; and amongst others, Paoli revisited the land of his birth for the avowed purpose of emancipating it from a foreign yoke. Upon his first arrival, he undertook the post of secretary to a kinsman, named Caffori, who practised as a physician, and had been chosen one of the insurgent leaders. This man, however, was soon after assassinated, and then Paoli advanced a claim to the vacant place. He was opposed by a Signor Matra; and so violently did the spirit of party rage amongst the friends of liberty, that a sort of battle was fought between the supporters of the rival candidates, in which the Paolists were beaten, and compelled to fly. Matra, therefore, succeeded in his election; but, ere long, shared the miserable fate of Caffori, and then Paoli again solicited the suffrages of the people, for the honours of a chieftainry. He succeeded, and even acquired a power far more ample than he either expected, or seems at first to have desired. A general assembly was constituted, consisting of the generals, and chosen representatives from the different towns and parishes, who came to a unanimous vote, that the election of one political and general chief was indispensably necessary to their common safety, and that the virtues and ability of General Paoli made him alone worthy of the choice. So far the tide of events ran smooth and prosperous: a different course of things, however now set in. Paoli found himself elected chief without any opposition whatever, but also without any means to support the power, save those he derived from the resources of his own ingenuity; for there was no money in the treasury, and no arms in the arsenal. In this predicament his first care was to satisfy the people that he had no vile ambition to arrogate to himself an uncontrolled or matchless authority: he therefore took pains to render all his acts and ordinances, as strictly as possible, conformable to the ancient customs and manners of the country. Thus it was that in the management of the public affairs, which he undertook with some reluctance, he insisted upon the aid of two counsellors of state, and à representative from one of the provinces, who was changed every month. The first effort he had to make was to expel the enemy from the bosom of the island, who held in many places a fast and dangerous hold. This design being in a great measure accomplished by a series of bold plans, bravely enforced; his next care was to correct and improve the condition of the people, who had sunk into a state of almost brutal depravity under the lengthened pressure of their miserable thraldom. With this view he opened a University at Corte, and issued directions for the establishment of popular schools throughout every town and village under his jurisdiction. Meanwhile, the plan of hostilities was carried on with variable success; the open country was cleared of the Genoese, but the fortified towns were still in their hands, and offered the prospect of no vain resistance to the untrained and ill armed natives. Such a state of things could only be overthrown by desperate measures; and with a deep resolution of expelling the tyrants, and securing the prosperity of the island, Paoli led his little army to the siege of the Castle of San Fiorenzo. It was composed of brave men, and trusty; each and all of them. far better prepared to 'de or die,' than instructed how to effect the one object, or economise the other; they had no idea of the modes of tactical approach, and systematic attack, and were, moreover, unprotected by a single cannon of any description. The injury they could inflict upon a place regularly fortified and defended, was therefore but trifling; but they persevered, and the republic of Genoa became seriously alarmed. That machine of despotic power was now tottering on the verge of a decay, which was only superinduced by its own excesses; it made an effort, however, to support its possessions, and sent forward a reinforcement of 500 men to Corsica, while, by a negociation with the King of France, it politically sought to lighten the burden of the contest. The result of these measures was such as might naturally be expected from a power so successful in intrigue, and ambitious |