the expence of a gentleman, a marble was erected to his memory in the church-yard of St. Anne's, Weftminster,

Some anecdotes of the celebrated Thurot, taken from a pamphlet published by John Francis Durand, a clergyman of good character.

TH

HUROT 'was born at Boulogne, in France, his father and mother being both natives of that place; but his grandfather by his father's fide was a native of Ireland, and captain in the Irish army under king James the IId, with whom he went off when he quitted that kingdom.

During king James the IId's refidence at St. Germain's, captain Farrel was one of his houthold, and paid his addreffes to mademoiselle Thurot, whofe unele was a member of the parliament of Paris.

He married her, but fo great was the difpleasure of the young lady's friends, that none of them would look upon her; and three years after the death of his royal mafter, poor Farrel retired to Boulogne, in hopes that fome of his wife's relations there would have more compaffion than those he had left in the metropolis: but he was miftaken, for here he was obliged to fubfift wholly on a very small penfion, which queen Catherine allow ed to all the discharged fervants of the deceased king.

At Boulogne our Thurot's father was born, but not till three months after his own father's death: nor did mad. Farrel herself outlive her husband much above a year; fo that the boy being taken in by his mother's relations, went by their

name.

Old Thurot is now alive at Bou logne, and was originally bred to the law; he had three wives, the fecond of which was called Picard, a vintner's daughter; and this was the mother of Thurot.

She died in child-birth of him, and a remarkable accident happened at his chriftening, to which he in a great measure owed his late high fortune.

While his father held him at the font, his mother was receiving the laft office, that of fepulture, without in the church-yard; this had fuch an effect upon Thurot, who had been a tender husband, that the tears ftreamed from his eyes in great abundance.

It is the cuftom of Roman Catholic countries about Christmas, at which feafon of the year this happened, for the ladies of the first diftinction to go into churches, and offer themselves as fponfors, for whatever children are brought to be baptized.

Madam Tallard, a woman of great rank and fortune, was now ftanding for little Thurot, and obferving the extreme agony in which the father of the child appeared, enquired what was the cause of it, and the priest informed her. was fo touched, that the made him a handsome prefent, and defired, that if the boy fhould live till the returned again into those parts, he might be fent to her.

She

When he was about fifteen years of age, one Farrel came to Boulogne, who by fome means or other got acquainted with old Thurot, and, learning the origin of the family, claimed relationship.

This man was a commander of a veffel, and used to fmuggle goods; he affured old Thurot, that the

houte

houfe of the O'Farrels was ftill a flourishing houfe in Connaught, and offered, if he would let his young fon go over with him, to make his fortune to which he confented. Thurot was equipped at the expence of his Irith coufin, and fet out with him for Limerick, but ftopped at the Isle of Man upon fome business of the fmugglers. And here taking fome difguft, he refused to follow his coufin O'Farrel any farther.

After Farrel had failed away, it was fome time before a fhip bound to France came into the port, fo that Thurot was obliged to look about him for fupport: and being a handsome spirited lad, a gentleman of Anglefey took a fancy to him, and he entered into his fervice.

This perfon was old in the trade of running goods, and had feveral Imall veffels continually paffing between the Ifle of Man and Ireland, laden with contraband commodities; with these he frequently fent Thurot; and once lodged him, at Carlingford, near a year, with one of his factors, to manage fome bufinefs of confequence.

In this place he acquired his first knowledge of the English tongue, and at length determined, inftead of returning to the Ifle of Man, to go to Dublin, and fee whether he could not learn fome tidings of those relations about whom he had fo often heard. Accordingly he fet out for Dublin, with about eleven fhillings in his pocket.

Whether he ever met with any of his Irish relations is not known; but he was in Dublin reduced fo low that he was glad to enter into the family of lord B as his valet. Here he lived near two years,

by the name of Dauphine, and might perhaps

longer, but for a moft unhappy affair which happened in the family, and which made a great noise in the world. Thurot was in high favour with his mistress, and being fufpected to be her confidant, was difmiffed his lordship's fervice, as was at the fame time my lady's woman, with whom young Thurot. was on very good terms.

Lord B

having laid things to Thurot's charge, of which he knew himself innocent, he spoke his mind of his lordship fo freely, that Dublin became a very improper place for him to remain in. His friend, the waiting-woman, whose name was Lynch, was foon after her difmiffion from the family of

lord B received into that of the earl of A, who had a great eftate in the north of Ireland, and going down thither the following fummer, Thurot followed her.

In this place he made himself acceptable to many gentlemen, and to the earl of A, by his kill in fporting; but his fituation being near the fea, and the oppofite coaft of Scotland favouring the trade of fmuggling, in which he was a much greater mafter than in cocking and hunting, he foon got into a gang of thefe people. And as he was generous in the highest degree, he made no fcruple of beftowing upon his favourites a piece of Indian stuff for a gown, a yard or two of muslin, or fome tea, which by degrees being known, he was applied to for fome of these things in the mercantile way.

Thurot ould not withstand the folicitation, and ufed frequently to fell tea, china, chocolate, India goods, and brandy, at an caly rate,

This

This trade continued fome months, till one of his customers, a lady, being more rapacious than the reft, laid out fifty pounds at once with him, by which means her house was made a warehoufe, and the excife people getting notice of it, came to fearch, found the goods, and feized them-Thurot was difcovered by the honeft trader; and three nights after, the officers having laid their scheme, fell in with fome boats laden with run goods, four of which fell into their hands, but the veffel in which was our captain, and which was lighter than the reft, had the good fortune to make the coaft of Scotland; the commodities in the boat were worth about two hundred pounds, but how to get them fold was the matter. Thurot with his accomplices depofited them in fafe places, and it was propofed that two of them, who were Scotchmen, fhould difpofe of them as pedars. The defign fucceeded; for in less than three months the whole cargo was fold off for near three hundred pounds, one hundred and fifty of which coming to Thurot's fhare, he made the beft of his way to Edinburgh, where having equipped himself like a gentleman, he was determined to make the best of his way to France.

But Mr. V-, a gentleman of French extraction in Edinburgh, who was a merchant, and used frequently to fend veffels from Edinburgh to London, wanted a mafter for one of his little floops, and having feen Thurot, who paffed for a fea-faring captain, and finding by his accent that he was a Frenchman, made him the offer of it.

Thurot did not hesitate a moment, and the following week the Anie of Edinburgh, Thurot mafter, bound with linen for London,

fet fail for the river Thames, where fhe was burnt, with many others, by fome pitch taking fire in a neighbouring warehouse. Thurot hav ing given an account of his truft to his employer's factor, fixed himself near London, taking lodgings in Paddington, where the author of thefe memoirs by mere accident got acquainted with him.

From 1748 to 1752, captain Thurot was going continually backward and forward between France and England, and went great part of his time in London by his real name. Part of this time he lodged in a court in Carey-street, Lincoln'sinn-fields, ând was then inftructed in the mathematics by one Mr. Donnelly, an Irish gentleman, famous for his knowlepge and abilit ties in the mathematical studies.

He used frequently to go to a club, which was held every Monday night fomewhere about the Se ven Dials, and confifted wholly of foreigners; chiefly of Frenchmen; fome of thefe gentlemen took it in their heads one evening moft groffly to abufe the English and Irish, calling them every contemptuous name which liquor and ill manners could fuggeft. Thurot liftened to them for fome time with a good deal of patience; till at length, finding they intended to fet no bounds to their infolence, he very calmly got up, and feizing the two which fat next to him, each by the nofe, without faying a fyllable he led them to the door, and put them out, and bolted it after them; then returning to his feat; Come, gentlemen, faid he, let us drink about, and call another fubject. He afterwards became commander of a ship bound from Dunkirk, and lodged in Shadwell.

In

In this place he lived with a woman who paffed for his wife, and rented a house three years, during which time he never failed of running over two or three times a year between London and Calais, Dunkirk, and other French ports. This woman was with him during all his late grand expedition.

After the year 1752, his chief place of refidence was at Boulogne, where he became king of the fmugglers, and during his reign did not export and import lefs then 20, 000 pounds worth of goods a year.

The fon of madam Tallard, his godmother, was prefident of the province; and it being well known that fmugglers infefted those parts, though the governmert could not point out the delinquents, he had orders to be very vigilant, and if poffible to put a stop to their malpractices. In confequence of which M. Tallard arrested feveral of the fmugglers, and among them was poor Thurot.

After being examined, he was fent to Dunkirk, and there confined in the common prifon; but Tallard having been his playfellow when a boy, and perfectly remembering the regard which his mother had for him, procured him his life.

Shortly after this, he was commanded up to Paris, to make difcoveries that might prevent the robberies of the fmugglers for the future. He remained there in prifon feveral months, but during his examination convinced fome people in power, that fhould the war break out with England, which was at that time contriving, and in the form of an invafion too, M. Thurot might be rendered a ferviceable man.

This confideration, together with

M. Tallard's intereft, not only procured him his liberty, but the command of one of the king's floops; but finding in the beginning of the war that his loop was not likely to be much employed, and that the thoughts of invading England was laid afide, he defired permiflion to go on board a Dunkirk privateer, in which he commanded till the beginning of the fummer of the memorable year 1759, when he was advanced to command his laft expedition.

Nothing can exhibit fo juft a viero of a character, as a perfon's ori letter; effecially when written or an interefting and critical occafion. The letter which we now lay before the reader, reprefents in the Strongest manner the conduct and fentiments of one of the most vir tuous of men, in one of the most try ing exigencies incident to humanity. The bishop of Marseilles's letter to the bishop of Soiffons, Sept. 27, 1720. N. L. when the plague raged at Marseilles.

With, my I

lord, I were as elo

quent, as you are full of zeal and charity, to teftify my grateful acknowledgment of your liberality, and the charities you have procured us; but in our prefent confterna tion, we are not in a condition to exprefs any other fentiment than that of grief. Your alms came at a very feafonable time, for I was reduced almoft to the last penny. I am labouring to get money for two bills for 1000 livers, which the bifhop of Frejus was pleased to fend us, and fix more of M. Fountanieu; though juft upon the decay of the bills of 1000 livers, they are not

very

very current; yet I hope I shall fucceed. You, my lord, have prevented thefe difficulties, and we are doubly obliged to you for it. Might I prefume to beg the favour of you to thank, in my name, cardinal de Rohan, M. and madam de Daugean, and the curate of St. Sulpice, for their charities.

It is juft I fhould now give you fome account of a defolate town you was pleased to fuccour. Never was defolation greater, nor ever was any like this. There have been many cruel plagues, but none was ever more cruel to be fick and dead was almoft the fame thing. As foon as the distemper gets into a house, it never leaves it till it has swept away all the inhabitants one after another. The fright and confternation are fo extremely great, that the fick are abandoned by their own relations, and caft out of their houfes into the streets, upon quilts or ftraw beds, amongst the dead bodies which lie there for want of people to inter them. What a melancholy fpectacie have we on all fides! We go into the streets full of dead bodies half rotten, through which we pafs to come to a dying body to excite him to an act of contrition, and give him abfolution. For above forty days together the bleffed facrament was carried every where to all the fick, and the extreme unction was given them with a zeal of which we have few examples. But the churches being infected with the ftench of the dead flung, at the doors, we were obliged to leave off, and be content with confeffing the poor people. At prefent I have no more confeffors; the pretended corrupters of the morality of Jefus Chrift, (thejefuits) without any obligation, have facrificed themfelves,and given

their lives for their brethren; whilft the gentlemen of the fevere morality (the janfenifts) are all flown, and have fecured themselves, notwithstanding the obligations their benefices impofed on them; and nothing can recal them, nor ferret them out of their houfes. The two communities of the jefuits are quite difabled, to the referve of one old man of 74 years, who ftill goes about night and day, and vifits the hofpitals. One more is just come from Lyons purpofely to hear the confeffions of the infected, whose zeal does not favour much of the pretended laxity. I have had twenty-four capuchins dead, and fourteen fick, but I am in expectation of more. Seven recollects, as many cordeliers, five or fix carms, and feveral minims are dead, and all the beft of the clergy, both fecular and regular; which grievously afflicts me. I ftand in need of prayers, to enable me to fupport all the croffes that almoft fupprefs me. Atlast the plague has got into my palace, and within feven days I loft my fteward, who accompanied me in the ftreets, two fervants, two chairmen, and my confeffor. My fecretary and another lie fick, fo that they have obliged me to quit my palace, and retire to the firft prefident who was fo kind as to lend me his house. We are destitute of all fuccour; we have no meat; and whatfoever I could do, going all about the town, I could not meet with any that would undertake to distribute broth to the poor that were in want. The doctors of Montpelier, who came hither three or four days ago, are frightened at the horrid ftench of the ftreets and refufe to vifit the fick till the dead bodies are removed, and the streets cleanfed. They had

been