to escape him ; and fome facetious barristers have prétended to obferve an oath quivering on his lips, while fitting at Lincoln's Inn; but the unmannerly stranger has never been allowed to efcape, though his unwilling retention was, doubtlefs, a painful emotion.

His lordship was never married, but he has feveral naš tural children.

Although he rents a house, and maintains a regular establishment, in St. James's-fquare, yet he never fleeps in town; but retires inftantly from the Houfe of Peers to his refidence, near Dulwich, in Surrey.

THE MARQUIS CORNWALLIS.

THE fubject of this memoir has acted with fuccefs in the character of a ftatefman as well as a foldier, Like the Roman

liex illud quafi pignus quoddam videtur ? annon fenatus illo, tanquam Atlante cœlum, innititur?

"Ferunt profecto Novium in fumma feritate effe verfatiffimum, promtúmque ingenio ultra Barbarum." Quod fi demfetis illi aut a podpórta quanta in Bruto fuit, aut πικρότητα veré Menippcam aut προσωπεί σκυθρότητα propriam et fuam, facile eidem juris nodos legúmque ænigmata ad solven, dum permiferis.

Fervido quodam et petulanti genere dicendi utitur, eodémque, nec valdè nitenti, nec planè horrido, Solutos irridentium cachinnos ita commovet, ut lepores ejus, fcurriles et prorfus, veteratorios diceres. Omnia loquitur verborum fanè bonorum curfu quodam inicitato, itemque voce qua ne fubfellia quidem ipfa defiderant pleniorem et grandirem. In adverfariis autem lacerandis ita caufidicorum figuras jaculatur, ita callida et malitiofa juris interpretatione utitur, ita furere et bacchari folet, ut fæpe mi rere tam alias res agere optimates, ut fit penè infano inter difertos locus.

Fuit ei, perinad atque aliis, fortuna pro virtutibus. Didicit autem à Muciano, fatis clarum effe apud timentem, quifquis timeatur. Corpore ipfe nigens, animi immodicus, verbis magnificus, et fpecie inanium magis quam fapientia validus, ftudia ad fe Optimatium illexit, eámque adeptus eft auctoritatem, quæ homini novo pro facundia effe poflet. Scilicet, quæ bonis Titio, Seioque turpiffima forent, Novium noftrum maxime decent, fiquidem è fubfellis elapfus de Tribunali nunci pronuntiet, et ex Pracone aionum factus fit inftitor eloquentiæ fenatoria. Quam igitur in civitate gratiam dicendi facultate Q Varius confecutus ett, vaftus homo atque fœdus, eandem Novius intelligit, illa ipfa facultate, quamcunque habet, ses efle in Senatu confecutum

"Ellum, confidens, catus:

Cum faciem videas, videtur effe quantivis preti:

Tritis feveritas ineft in voltu, atque in verbis fides."

Of that orator, who carries menace and terror in his brow, we think the eloquence Thrafonic, and defpife its loudest thunders; whofe afpect, like the younger Novius, repels all underlings and petitioners," &c. W.

Roman confuls of old, he has received and dispatched ambaffadors; he has declared war, and granted peace. He fought for the preservation of an empire in Americas he retained and enlarged the British dominions in Adia; and in Europe, he has humbled the enemies of his country, and, by his energy and humane policy, has crushed a civil war in the bud.

·Marquis Cornwallis, whofe family is very ancient and honourable, was born December 31st, 1738, and seems to have been intended from his cradle for the army. He accordingly entered into the fervice at a very early age; and we find him in 1758, when only twenty years old, and at a period when promotions were lefs rapid than at prefent, a Captain in Colonel Craufurd's light infantry, under the title of Lord Brooms. Three years after this, he accompanied the Marquis of Granby to the continent, in the honourable and confidential capacity of one of his Aids-decamp, and was of course attendant on the perfon of that gallant nobleman during the campaign. It was thus, in the fields of Germany, and under the moft skilful and celebrated generals of the day, that Lord Broome acquired the rudiments of the art of war, and prepared himself to command others, by first learning to obey.

In 1761, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenantcolonel of the twelfth regiment of foot; and we then find him difcharging his civil as well military duties, by hitting as a reprefentative in parliament for the Borough of Rye. Ou the death of his father, who was the fifth peer of his family, in 1762, he of course vacated his feat in the Houfe of Commons, and appeared to the House of Peers, under the title of Lord Cornwallis. In 1765, he was nominated one of the lords of the bedchamber; and about the fame · time, was honoured with the appointment of Aid-de-camp to his prefent Majefty, which was tantamount to a proniotion in the ar my.

His fpirit, however, was manly and independent. The

favours

favours of the crown did not make him forget the duties of the peerage; for he voted frequently against the minifter, and sometimes adopted what is called the popular fide of the queftion, in particular, when the memorable bill for fecuring the legislative power of Great Britain over the American colonies was iutroduced into the upper house, Lord Cornwallis was one of the five who refused their confent. This feeble, but refpectable oppofition, was headed by the venerable Earl Camden*. He also, on another remarkable occafion, entered his protest against the question to vote away privilege in matters of libel.

Luckily for the nation, his political did not interfere with his military career; for, in 1766, he was promoted to the command of the thirty-third regiment of foot, which he still holds; and two years afterwards, married Mifs Jemima Tulikens Jones, daughter of James Jones, Efq. whofe fingular fucceffion to a large fortune is related at large in the memoirs of the facetious Tate Wilkinson. With this lady, who brought him two children (a son and a daughter), he enjoyed every felicity the connubial ftate is capable of yielding, until he was called on to embark with his regiment for America, On this occafion, Lady Cornwallis, inconfolable at the idea of parting from him, after urging every plea that affection could fuggeft, applied to his uncle, then Archbishop of Canterbury, who, at her request, procured the king's leave of abfence. But, notwithstanding all the fondness of the husband, duty prevailed over affection, and a nice sense of honour urged her dearly-beloved lord to forfake her. The feparation was, however, too much for her weak nerves to bear; fhe literally fell a prey to love, funk beneath the weight of her grief, and died; thus affording a moft fingular and romantic inftance of conjugal affection!

Shortly

* Lord Mansfield rallied his Lordship on this occafion, on account of the youth of his affociates. "Poor Camden!" faid the Chief Justice, "Could you only get four boys to fupport you!"

Shortly after his arrival in America, we find his lordship ferving under Sir William Howe, with the rank of Majorgeneral, and acting as an able and indefatigable partifan. Having landed, in November, 1786, on the Jersey shore, at the head of a detached corps, and found Fort Lee evacuated, he inftantly penetrated into the country, and took poffeffion of the province. At the end of the campaign, he repaired to New York, with a view to embark for Great Britain; but having received advice of the difaftrous affair of Trentown, with the unpremeditated gallantry of a foldier, he deferred his voyage, and returned to the Jerseys.

His lordship's firft enterprize in 1777, was an attempt to furprize an American post in his neighbourhood, in which he in part fucceeded. Soon after this, he received orders from General Howe to abandon the Jerseys, and in July he embarked with the English commander-in-chief in the expedition to the Chesapeak,

This was not a conteft in which large armies contended with each other, and in which the fate of a battle was to decide the lot of an empire. On the contrary, it was what the French term a petite guerre; a war of pofts and of skirmifhes, of night marches and furprifes, in which the climate and the sword cut off thousands, without putting a peoriod to hoftilities. It is in vain, therefore, to expect any very splendid achievements on fo narrow a field of enterprize, when it is recollected that both armies would have scarcely conftituted an advanced guard to a continental general, in the conflicts we have so recently witnessed.

In feveral of the fubfequent events, his lordship took a very active part. He commanded a confiderable body of troops at the paffage of the Brandy-wine, and after driving the enemy before him, entered and took poffeffion of Philadelphia, on the 24th of September, 1777. This was then confidered a very important acquifition: but it was foon difcovered, that a country might be over-run without be

• ¡ng fubjugated, and that the poffeffion even of a province, does not always depend on fecuring the capital.

From that period until 1779, when he embarked as a lieutenant-general with Sir Henry Clinton for the fiege of Charlestown, he feems to have had few opportunities of fignalizing himself. On the furrender of the place the command of South Carolina, with about 4000 troops, devolved upon him. On hearing this, General Gates, who had rendered himfelf fo famous by the capture of Burgoyne and his army at Saratoga, took poft near Camden,, where he had collected about 3,600 men. Lord Cornwallis, instead of being daunted at this event, advanced with an inferior force; and on the morning of the 16th of October, a fevere action took place, which was foon decided by the spirit of the Britifh troops, who, after a finart fire, had recourfe to their bayonet; and the Americans having at length given way, were purfued nearly twenty miles. Seven pieces of cannon, the greater part of the baggage, and a thousand prifoners, conAtituted the trophies of this day.

Early in 1781, General Arnold, who had now relinquisbed both the causfe and the service of his native country, had -landed in the Chesapeak, where he did confiderable mischief -to his former aflociates. Lord Cornwallis, on hearing of this, determined to effect a junction with him, in order to .overwhelm the Marquis La Fayette, fince fo much celebrated for his patriotifin and fufferings during the French -revolution, as commander-in-chief of the national guards.

Accordingly, having dispatched the gallant Colonel (now the patriot General) Tarleton with the cavalry, and Colonel Simcoe having been fent forward by Arnold, with the Queen's rangers, they took poffeffion of the fords on the Nottoway and the Meherrin, the only rivers that intervened; and a junction accordingly took place between the two armies, at Petersburgh, on the 20th of May. Immediately after this, the British army croffed James-river, at Wefto