flavery at Madrid, from whence he was fent to Naples, where he was exchanged, and returned to Conftantinople. His reputation for perfonal courage procured him the command of a galley, and afterward of a frigate. At the unfortunate battle of Chefhmè he had a fhip of the line under Jaffer, capudan pafha, who upon his difgrace died of chagrin, and was fucceeded by Haffan.

He was extremely whimfical, and kept a lion's whelp always on his fofa, which he had trained up to follow him, but which, having killed one of the domeftics, was afterward chained. He became vifier, and died at the age of more than feventy, in the camp against the Ruffians, not without fufpicion of poifon. So fingular was his bravery, and fo frequent his fucceffes, that he affumed the name of Ghazi, the victorious. Abdul-hamid was fearful, and confidered the fafety of the empire endangered by his abfence from Conftantinople.

Of his prevailing influence the following relation is a proof, and gives traits of fecret machinations practifed in the feraglio.

One of his flaves, named Yufùf, had fo recommended himself by fuperior talents, that he gave him liberty, and promotion to the most confiderable offices. At the time Yufùf returned from his government of the Morea, to take upon him the office of vifier, Mavroyeni, a Greek of a noble family, was the drogoman, or interpreter, to his patron Haffan. Petraki, another Greek, was mafter of the mint, and imperial banker, and had amaffed feven millions of piaftres.

This man being ambitious of becoming prince of Wallachia, he three times procured the appointment of Mavro-yeni to that high station, who had the intereft Haffan and the vifier to be fuperfeded. But they, impatient of the disappointment, reprefented to Abdulhamid, that the people demanded the life of Petraki in atonement of his peculation, who timidly confented to VOL. II.

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his execution, and he was inftantly imprifoned. On the very day of the high ceremony of Mavro-yeni's inveftiture, he was led to the gate of the feraglio to kifs his stirrop, and fue for pardon. At that inftant the executioner ftruck off his head, and Mavro-yeni had the fatisfaction of feeing his rival dead at his feet. Another Haffan pafha, who hated him, becoming visier, ordered him to be beheaded upon the charge of betray. ing Giurgevow, the firft Turkish fortrefs upon the Danube, to the Germans. He died a muffulman. Abdul-hamid, when informed of the laft-mentioned circumstance, was fo far convinced of his innocence, that in a few months the vindictive vifier fhared the fame fate.

V

DELEGATE PARKER.

ANITY fo often fpurs men onward to the commiffion of deeds, at which, when their ardour abates, cooler reflection shrinks, that we no longer wonder at the perpetration of high atrocities in the different genders of crime, for the avowed purpofe of obtaining a name celebrated in history, or with the hope of prefent renown among contemporaries. Even men of moderation are infecure from the tinctures of this mania, while the political hemifphere is agitated beyond precedent, and every day calls into action latent powers or creates new. It was this failing which incited the heads of revolt in France; vanity planted one conftitution on the ruins of another; vanity fuggefted to her generals that they were the Leonidas' of the age, or the Alexanders of modern times: fuccefs or disgrace, conqueft or defeat, ftamped their characters with contending politicians, and validated their claim to fame, or drove them from her portico. The fame virtuous love of fame (for who will diftinguifh a fynonyme?) old Barrington to excel in picking pockets, and pro

pelled

pelled Bampfylde-Moore-Carew from arctic to antarctic, en fugitif; and it whispered to Jack the Painter the glory of conflagration. The oftenfible motive widely differed; but the effect in all is the fame: A name given to futurity.

Such were the reflections produced by reading accounts of Richard Parker, inducing a belief that this unfortunate man was the decided enemy of the state, who fought for and worked her downfall; himself the tool of defigning men, and his efforts directed by them towards the fubverfion of order, and the establishment of a paradox-the rule of chaos! Thefe accounts have given to the arch-delegate at least as many places of birth as the fabulifts afcribe to old Homer; the qualities of his foul, and the acquirements of his understanding, have been reprefented equally various; though they are not fo humerous, because they admit not of fo many gradations, as his height, voice, or features.

Than fuch narratives, nothing can be more defamatory, nothing wider from the truth, or productive of more baneful effect on the public mind. Parker is neither athirst for a name, allied with fecret nor our open foes; it was equally heinous to couple his name with the enemies of focial order, and the outcafts of civil fociety. We are not defirous of becoming the advocates of a man whofe errors or whofe crimes render him fufpected, without fufficient caufe; we are less so, to acquit any one by the teftimony of intentions, where actions are on record irreconcileable with the commonwealth. Yet, can we fhut our eyes, our ears, our sense of perception, the difcrimination of right and wrong? Is the groundless fear of a traitorous flect fo lately vanished from our imagination, that we cannot difcern? Yes we can affert again, that whatever direction the

*The reader is defired to keep in mind, that the first fections were written before the late catastrophe. EDITOR.

late affair might have taken, no preconcerted plan of proceeding appears upon evidence, no fcheme of aggrandizement, nor a fingle intention inimical to the general intereft, further than irregular and daring demands, incompatible perhaps with armed subordination, but not fo inconfiftent with equity; nor meanly valued, or flightly understood by the dictators of the ocean. Inconfiderate tars! in whom the endurance of peril and fatigue had fuperfeded juftnefs of reflection, overstepping the bounds which parliament, in its wifdom, thought equitable, afking they had not digested what, and complaining they had not well confidered why. A fet of vitiated journalists, the hirelings of a day, the rank scions of a free prefs! feize the happy occafion, and, at a lofs for a name whereon to wreak their perfonalities, "the forte of all the venomed tribe," they exalt into celebrity, or hold up to infamy, the name of Richard Parker, who in their details is made to affume more fhapes than Prometheus himself.

Unbiaffed by public rumour, unfnared in the goadings of venality, unentangled in the Machiavelian cry of state-neceffity, or minifterial contradiction, in common with the compaffionate (and it is hoped difcerning part of the nation) we viewed with regret * the overwhelming efforts against the prefident of a committee, whofe affociates had asked for a removal of grievances confeffed, and were treated with contempt; who had complained, and were answered with filence; who refolutely threatened, and were dreaded, foothed, and half-redreffed. A conduct more likely to court fresh demands than the weakness of our nature could

*For two reafons; the chiefeft humanity; the other arifing from an intimate acquaintance with the characteristic of feamen, which attaches them together in peril, creates even love for the hip, though no living foul remain on board with whom he has failed-and a thorough conviction of the policy of a well-timed act of grace.

have advised. This man, whofe actions have been racked, his words diftorted, and his death accelerated, with one bold ftroke of the pen put to flight all the courage of a horde, and with another of moderation, determined his own fate, whilst he allayed the dubious fears of pretended patriots, and felf-convicted fycophants. The page of history already faulters at the recital; and twenty years may not elapfe ere a new Smollet will effay to vindicate another Byng.

The purposes of biography vary according to the fubject on which it dilates. The pious and good man is held up to our veneration, the moralift to inftruct us, the man of science to fpur our imitative powers, and the example of genius excites emulation. The exit of a defperado forms an awful anti-climax to the narration of his wicked courfes; while he who finks under oppreffion, chicane, or misfortune, claims in filence our commiferation, and every link of humanity would fly to his aid, even though the mild precepts of chriftianity did not command our obfervance of this fecond law of nature. But, if the different fpecies of biography are thus diftinctively marked, there is one point which fhould concentrate the whole: that is, in doing justice to its fubject; a genera of the ars fcribendi, not over numerous. This quality is indifpenfibly requifite, where the public opinion has been goaded into an excefs of deteftation, or the contrary, and this will (as it ought) pervade the prefent Memoirs of

RICHARD PARKER.

The parish of St. Mary Major, in the City of Exeter, gave birth to Richard Parker, in the year 1763. His father (of the fame name) had three children

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*This brave seaman had been executed so LONG before any reputable writer prefumed to think him innocent. one now doubts, that he was facrificed to party.

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1. John,