by the very fluent manner with which he fpeaks the French language.

At length, however, his enterprizing fpirit, unfortunately, brought him into a very difagreeable fituation. Being off Havre-de-Grace, April 18, 1796, he captured an armed veffel in the outer harbour; but the tide making ftrong up the Seine, fhe was driven by the force of the current near the forts. When night came on, Sir Sydney, who was determined not to lose his prize, manned and armed his fmall craft, and went with them to bring her off. He fucceeded in boarding her, and was towing her down the river, when an alarm was given, and several gun-boats proceeded to cut the veffel off. After an obftinate refiftance, Sir Sydney was at length taken, together with fixteen of his crew, and three of his officers.

The French were happy at having gained poffeffion of one who had been so great an eye-fore to them, and conveyed him to the capital, where he was kept in close confinement, without ever being fuffered to be at large upon his parole. The English government, defirous of his releafe, fent over Captain Bergeret, commander of La Virginie, in July following, to be exchanged for him; but the directory refufing to accede to the terms, the French captain returned, faying, "he preferred death to difl.onour." It was actually one time in contemplation to try Sir Sydney as a spy and incendiary, to which the directory were led in confequence of his conduct at Toulon !

After a long and moft rigid confinement, he at length effected his escape, April 24, 1798, from Paris, and arrived in London May 6th following. The manner in which this occurred, was reprefented in the papers as most extraordinary, and little fhort of miraculous. It was ftated, that as the officers were conveying him from one prifon to another, a crowd in the fireet occafioned the carriage to ftop, on which fome one opened the door, and drew Sir Sydney out, who paffed unmolested through the people, and

got

got into the fuburbs; whence, by a circuitous course, with an emigrant gentleman, he arrived on the fea-coaft, where they took to an open boat; and after being at fea for fome confiderable time, were taken up by a British frigate, which landed him and his companion in Old England. It is not unlikely that the French government took this curious method of releafing him; for it is hardly within the line of probability that fuch a man fhould have efcaped from hist keepers in one of the public ftreets of Paris, and that too in open day, without the connivance of perfons in power.

His being taken at first was the effect of his own imprudence, for certainly there were officers in his fhip competent enough to the fervice of boarding and bringing away a paltry privateer, without the neceffity of the captain's going in perfon. Sir Sydney has fince been appointed to the command of Le Tigre, a fhip of 80 guns, taken from the French; and in which he has just failed to the Mediter

ranean.

K. I.

THE REV. THOMAS HAWEIS, LL.D. AND M.D.

THIS gentleman is entitled to a place in our collection, as well on account of his respectability as a man of letters, as his being now at the head of that numerous and highly distinguished clafs of Chriftians, commonly called the Calviniftical Methodists.

Dr. Haweis is a native of Truro in Cornwall, and was educated at the free grammar-school in that town, where he had for his contemporary the celebrated Samuel Foote, commonly

P

commonly called the English Ariftophanes. After receiving a good claffical education, he was put apprentice to an eminent furgeon and apothecary in his native place, and fervd his time with great credit, on account of his fidelity and application.

Mr. Samuel Walker was at that time curate of Truro, and young Mr. Haweis was fo affected with the preaching and character of that exemplary man, that his whole mind became impreffed with the love of religion, and the defire of being a minifter of the gospel. His friends were not willing to cross his inclinations, and he was therefore permitted to go the University of Oxford, where he was entered of Magdalen-Hall, and in due courfe took his degree of LL.B.

Soon after his being admitted to holy orders, he became diftinguished as a popular preacher, particularly at Oxford, where he delivered a fet of difcourfes, which in 1760 he published, under the title of "Evangelical Sermons." Not long after he became affiftant to Mr. Madan, at the chapel of the Lock-hofpital, and about the fame time was appointed chaplain to the Countefs of Huntingdon.

While he officiated at the Lock chapel, a circumstance occurred which made a confiderable noise at the time, and brought upon our divine, as well as his friends, much unmerited odium. A gentleman, who ufually attended that place of worship, informed Mr. Madan, that he had a living in his gift, which he wished to bestow upon fome minifter of evangelical fentiments. Mr. Madan recommended Mr. Haweis, who was furprized at this generofity in a ftranger. Some time after his being inducted to the living of Aldwinkle, in Northamptonshire, and which he now holds, the patron thought proper to make a demand upon him for the presentation. The matter got into print, much was published on both sides, and those who were pre

judiced

judiced against the body of Chriftians to whom Mr. H. belonged, exclaimed vehemently against him for his conduct, as well as that of his collegue, Mr. Madan. Time, however has deftroyed this prejudice, and we believe there is no perfon fo uncandid, at prefent, as to admit a thought to his difadvantage, in confequence of this bufinefs.

About that period, he published a very useful and judicious commentary upon the fcriptures, entitled, "The Evangelical Expofitor," in 3 vols. folio.

Mr. H. continued to have the chief management of Lady Huntingdon's extenfive concerns until her death, when he found himself by her will one of the principal trustees of her various chapels in town and country. In 1795 the miffionary fociety commenced, formed upon a plan and scale certainly more adequate to the object, more promifing in its appearance, and, as far as it has yet gone, more profperous in its operation, than any other that can be mentioned. This inftitution equally admits churchmen and diffenters. It is marked, indeed, only by what are called the evangelical fentiments it pays no regard to differences of opinion on the inferior questions of church government, or the manner of public worship; but it admits no miffionaries except fuch as are firmly grounded in the effential doctrines of chriftianity, particularly the divinity of Chrift, and the atonement by his death.

At the first public meeting of this fociety, held at Spafields chapel, Mr. H. preached a very affecting and masterly fermon on the occafion; and at a fubfequent one, he read a memorial, in which he examined the fubject with the greatest precision and accuracy, and recommended ftrongly that the first miffion fhould be to the Friendly Islands, in the South-Sea, which measure was adopted. This fermon and memorial were printed in the collection of the fociety's papers.

In the fame year he obtained, from one of the Scotch universities, the degree of doctor of phyfic; and left his motives for fo doing fhould be misunderstood, it may be proper to fay, that he is one of the principal perfons concerned in the Samaritan fociety, the object of which is to vifit poor fick people at their own habitations. Now, as he was originally brought up to the practice of medicine, there was a propriety in his taking a doctor's degree in that faculty, to render him competent to give his advice, and to attend confultations, in the way of benevolence.

In 1797, the doctor publifhed the life of that eminent and popular divine, Mr. Romaine. This performance does great credit to his talents as a biographer.

The miffionary concerns feem to engross his principal attention; and, without doubt, that large and highly honourable fociety could not have a more able, indefatigable, or faithful perfon at its head than Dr. H. The accounts received from the missionaries at Sandwich-iflands are very flattering to those who have formed ftrong expectations respecting this new attempt to propagate chriftianity in heathen lands. We understand that the fociety is so opulent, in respect to finances, that it is about to enlarge its sphere of operation; and that endeavours will be made by it, to carry civilisation and religion into other dark and uncultivated regions.

Dr. H. is ftill an eloquent and powerful preacher. His ftyle is perfpicuous and elegant. He never defcends to that coarse method of illustration made ufe of by fome popular preachers, nor does he entertain his auditory with quaint witticifins and ridiculous anecdotes. He has a clear method of reafoning, and feldom launches into the wildnefs of declamation. As a writer, he poffeffes great merit, on account of an elegant flyle, which is at once pious and fervid.

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