the most famous In Europe, by means of the great Vauban, by whom it was conducted. Here it was that the foundation was laid of that knowledge of tactics in all its branches, and particularly in the arts of engineering and fortification, which has fince fo greatly diftinguifhed this officer. He completed his military course on the continent by a tour, for the purpose of feeing in practice what he had ftudied in theory. Pruffia was the model for difcipline, and he continued fome time as a volunteer in that fervice. Such were the fteps taken by the young men of fashion in that day, to accomplish themfelves for the fervice of their country.

Mr Eliott returned in the feventeenth year of his age to his native country, Scotland; and was the fame year, 1735, introduced by his father, Sir Gilbert, to LieutenantColonel Peers of the 23d regiment of foot, then lying at Edinburgh, as a youth anxious to bear arms for his king and country. He was accordingly entered as a volunteer in that regiment, and continued for a year or more. At this time he gave prelude of his future military talents, and fhowed that he was at leaft a foldier au cœur. From the 23d he went into the engineer corps at Woolwich, and made great progrefs in that ftudy, until his uncle, Colonel Elliot, brought him in as adjutant in the fecond troop of horse grenadiers. In this fituation he conducted himself with the most exemplary attention, and laid the foundation of that difcipline which has rendered these two troops the finest corps of heavy cavalry in Europe: with thefe troops he went upon fervice to Germany in the war before laft, and was with them in a variety of actions. At the battle of Dettengen

he was wounded. In this corps he first bought the rank of Captain

and Major, and afterwards purchas fed the Lieutenant-Colonelcy from Colonel Brewerton, who fucceeded to his uncle. On arriving at this rank he refigned his commiffion as an engineer, which he had enjoyed along with his other rank, and in which fervice he had been actively employed, very much to the advantage of his country. He had received the inftructions of the famous Engineer Beltidor, and made himfelf completely master of the fcience of gunnery. Had he not difintereftedly refigned his rank in the engineer department, he would now, by regular progreffion, have been at the head of that corps. Soon after this he was appointed Aid-de-Camp to King George II. and was already diftinguished for his military skill and difcipline. In the year 1759, he quitted the fecond troop of horse grenadier guards, being felected to raife, form, and difcipline the first regiment of light horse, called after him, Elliot's. As foon as they were raised and formed, he was appointed to the command of the cavalry in the expedition on the coafts of France, with the rank of Brigadier-General. After this he paffed into Germany, where he was employed on the Staff, and greatly diftinguished himself in a variety of movements, while his regiment difplayed a ftrictness of difcipline, an activity, and enterprize, which gained them fignal honour.From Germany he was recalled, for the purpose of being employed aa fecond in command in the memor able expedition against the Havannah. It was poffible to find an offi cer in the funshine of the court, to whom, under the patronage of a prince, the trappings of the chief command might be given; but an Eliott was wanted to act, as wel las an Albemarle to fhine, and for him they were obliged to go to the duty plains of Germany. The circum

itances

ftances of that conqueft are well known. It seems as if our brave veteran had always in his eye the gallant Lewis de Velasco, who maintained his ftation to the laft extremity, and, when his garrison were flying from his fide or falling at his feet, difdained to call for quarter, but fell gloriously-exercifing his fword upon his conquerors.

The reader will pardon the recital of a short anecdote, which occurred immediately after the reduction of that fortress, as it shows, that in the very heat and outrage of war, that General was not unmindful of the rights of humanity. He was particularly eminent among the conquerors of the Havannah for his difinterefted procedure, and for his checking the horrors of indifcriminate plunder. To him therefore appeals were most frequently made. A Frenchman, who had fuffered greatly by the depredations of the foldiery, made application to him, and begged, in bad English, that he would interfere to have his property restored. The petitioner's wife, who was prefent, a woman of great spirit, was angry at her husband for his interceffion, and faid, Comment pouvez vous demander du grace a un homme qui vient vous depouiller? N'en esperez pas *.' The husband perfifting in his application, his wife grew more loud in the cenfure, and faid, Vous n'etes pas Françoist The General, who was bufy writing at the time, turned to the woman, and faid, fmiling, Madame, ne vous echauffez pas; ce que votre mari demande lui fera acordé - Oh, faut-il pour furcroit de malheur,' exclaimed the woman, que le bar. bare parle le François §.' The General was so very much pleased with

271

the woman's fpirit, that he not only procured them their property again, but also took pains to accommodate them in every respect. This has been through life the manly character of the General. If he would not suffer his foldiers, for the fake of plunder, to extend the ravages of war, he never impoverished them by unjuft exactions. He would not confent that his quarter-mafter's place fhould be fold; not only,' fays he,

because I think it the reward of an honeft veteran; but also because I could not exercife my authority in his dismission should he behave ill.

On the peace his gallant regiment was reviewed by the King, when they prefented to his Majesty the ftandards which they had taken from the enemy. Gratified with their fine difcipline and high character, the King afked General Elliot what mark of his favour he could bestow on his regiment equal to their merit? He anfwered, that his regiment would be proud, if his Majefty fhould think, that, by their fervices, they were intitled to the diftinction of Royals. It was accordingly made a royal regiment, with this flattering title,

The 15th, or King's Royal Regi ment of Light Dragoons.' At the fame time the King expreffed a defire to confer fome honour on the General himfelf; but he declared, that the honour and fatisfaction of his Majefty's approbation of his fervices was his best reward.

During the peace he was not idle. His great talents in the curious branches of the military art gave him ample employment. In the year 1775, he was appointed to fucceed General A'Court, as Commander in Chief of the forces in Ireland; but did not continue long in this ftation; not

even

even fo long as fully to unpack all his trunks: for, finding that interferences were made by authority derogatory of his own, he refifted the practice with becoming fpirit; and, not choofing to difturb the government of that kingdom on a matter perfonal to himself, he folicited to be recalled, and accordingly was fo, when he was appointed to the command of Gibraltar, in a fortunate hour for the fafety of that important fortrefs.

The gallant defence made by the General against the united forces of France and Spain, during a blockade and fiege for upwards of three years, is not equalled in the annals of Britain. The fyftem of his life, as well as his education. peculiarly qualified him for this important truft. He is perhaps the most abftemious man of the age. His food vegetables, and his drink water; feldom or never indulging himself in animal food nor wine. He never fleeps more than four hours at a time. So inured to habits of hardiness, that what is painful to other men, is natural and eafy to him. His wants eafily fupplied, and his watchfulness beyond precedent. His example had a moft perfuafive efficacy on the brave troops in the garrifon. Like him, they regulated their lives by the ftricteft rules of difcipline; and fevere exercife with fhort diet became habitual to them by their own choice. The preparations which he made for his defence, were contrived with so much judgment, and executed with fo much addrefs, that, with a handful of men, he defended that garrifon against an attack which would have been fufficient to exhauft any common fet of men. Collected within himself, he never fpent his ammunition in ufelefs parade or unimportant attacks. The cool intrepidity he difcovered, on the ever-memorable 13th of September 1782, when the

3

grand attack was made by the enc. my, with thirty-four fail of the line, ten battering fhips, five bombketches; feveral gun and mortar boats, a large floating-battery, a number of armed veffels, and near three hundred boats conftructed for carrying troops, their land-batteries mounted with above one hundred pieces of cannon, and an equal number of mortars and howitzers, with an army of near forty thousand men, procured him the approbation of every individual of his gallant troops, who were eye-witneffes of his conduct, and who fhared with him in the dangers and glory of the day: And the new-invented method by which he brought deftruction on that formidable force, and terminated the afpiring hopes of the enemy, will be recorded to the la teft generations, to the immortal honour of the British arms, and the lafting glory of the intrepid Elliot.

Soon after this memorable event, both houfes of Parliament voted an unanimous addrefs of thanks to the General; and his Majefty conferred on him the honour of Knight of the Bath, with a penfion of L. 1500 per· annum, during his own life and that of his fou.

The General continues Governor of Gibraltar; where it is thought he will remain till the works now going forward, under his direction, tending to ftrengthen that fortress, are com pleted.

Though he is now in the fixtyeighth year of his age, and has spent a great part of his life in fevere difa cipline in fultry climates, and in hard ftruggles for the honour of his king and country, his temperate living has procured him a good state of health, and preferved his looks with great freshness.

General Elliot married a fifter of the prefent Sir Francis Drake; by

whom

273

whom he has a fon, at prefent Lieutenant-Colonel in the Inifkilling Dragoons; and a daughter, mar

ried to Mr Fuller of Bayley park in Suffex. His Lady died about seventeen years ago.

DE

ESCENDED of poor parents, and educated in an obfcure village in the duchy of Modena, Corregio enjoyed none of thofe advantages which contributed to form the other great painters of that illuftrious age. He faw none of the ftatues of ancient Greece or Rome; nor any of the works of the established fchools of Rome and Venice. But Nature was his guide; and Corregio was one of her favourite pupils. To exprefs the facility with which he painted, he ufed to fay, that he always had his thoughts ready at the end of his pencil.

The agreeable fmile, and the profufion of graces which he gave to his madonas, faints, and children, have been taxed with being fometimes unnatural; but ftill they are amiable and feducing: An eafy and flowing pencil, an union and harmony of colours, and a perfect intelligence of light and fhade, give an aftonishing relief to all his pictures, and have been the admiration both of his cotemporaries and his fucceffors. Annibal Caracci, who flourished fifty years after him, ftudied and adopted his manner in preference to that of any other master. In a letter to his coufin Louis, he expreffes with great warmth the impreffion which was made on him by the firft fight of Corregio's paintings: Every thing which I fee here, fays be, aftonishes me; particularly the colouring and the beauty of the children. They live-they breathe VOL. IV. No 22.

grace

They fmile with fo much and fo much reality, that it is impoffible to refrain from fmiling and partaking of their enjoyment. My heart is ready to break with grief when I think on the unhappy fate of poor Corregio-that fo wonderful a man (if he ought not rather to be called an angel) fhould finish his days fo miferably, in a country where his talents were never known!.

From want of curiofity or of refo lution, or from want of patronage, Corregio never vifited Rome, but remained his whole life at Parma, where the art of painting was little efteemed, and of confequence poorly rewarded. This concurrence of unfavourable circumftances occafioned at last his premature death at the age of forty. He was employed to paint the cupola of the cathedral at Parma; and having executed it in a manner that has long been the admiration of every perfon of good tafte, for the grandeur of defign, and especially for the boldness of the fore-fhortenings * (an art which he firft and at once brought to the utmoft perfection), he went to receive his payment. The canons of the church, either through ignorance or bafenefs, found fault with his work and although the price originally agreed upon had been very moderate, they alleged that it was far above the merit of the artist, and forced him to accept of the paultry fum of two hundred livres; which, to add to Mm

the

the indignity, they paid him in copper money. To carry home this unworthy load to his indigent wife and children, poor Corregio had to travel fix or eight miles from Par. ma. The weight of his burden, the heat of the weather, and his chagrin at this villanous treatment, immediately threw him into a pleurify, which in three days put an end to his life and his misfortunes.

For the preservation of this magnificent work, the world is indebted to Titian. As he paffed through Parma, in the fuite of Charles V. he run inftantly to fee the chief d'œuvre of Corregio. While he was attentively viewing it, one of the principal canons of the church told him that fuch a grotefque performance did not merit his notice, and that they intended foon to have the whole defaced. Have a care of what you do', replied the other; if I were not Titian, I would certainly wish to be Corregio.

Corregio's exclamation upon viewing a picture by Raphael is well known. Having long been accuftomed to hear the most unbounded applause bestowed on the works of that divine painter, he by degrees became lefs defirous than afraid of feeing any of them. One, however, he at laft had occafion to fee. He examined it attentively for fome minutes in profound filence; and then with an air of fatisfaction exclaimed, I am ftill a painter. Julio Romano, on feeing fome of Corregio's pictures at Parma, declared they were fuperior to any thing in paint ing he had yet beheld. One of thefe no doubt would be the famous Virgin and Child, with Mary Magdalene, and St Jerom: But whether our readers are to depend upon his opinion, or upon that of Lady Millar, who in her Letters from Italy gives a very unfavourable account of it, we fhall not prefume to determine*. This

Lady, however, fpeaks in a very different ftyle of the no lefs famous Notte, or Night of Corregio, of which fhe faw only a copy in the Duke's Palace at Modena, the original having been fold for a great fum of money to the King of Poland. It surprises me very much,' fays fhe, to fee how different the characters are in this picture from that which I already have described to you.' The subject is a Nativity; and the extraordinary beauty of this picture proceeds from the clair obcure: there are two different lights introduced, by means of which the perfonages are vifible; namely, the light proceeding from the body of the child, and the moon-light. Thefe two are preferved diftinct, and produce a most wonderful effect. The child's body is fo luminous, that the fuperficies is nearly tranfparent, and the rays of light emitted by it are verified in the effect they produce upon the furrounding objects. They are not rays diftinct and feparate, like those round the face of a fun that indicates an insuranceoffice; nor linear, like thofe proceeding from the man in the almanack; but of a dazzling brightness : by their light you fee clearly the face, neck, and hands, of the Virgin (the rest of the perfon being in ftrong fhadow, the faces of the paflori who crowd round the child, and particularly one woman, who holds her hand before her face, left her eyes fhould be fo dazzled as to prevent her from beholding the Infant. This is a beautiful natural action, and is moft ingenioufly introduced. The ftraw on which the child is laid appears gilt, from the light of his body fhining on it. The moon lights up the back-ground of the picture, which reprefents a landfcape. Every object is diftinct, as in a bright moon-light night; and there cannot be two lights in nature

more