which, to true Frenchmen, who are fo ufed to diet upon vanity, he affected to think enough.

M. de Guerchy, however, feems to infinuate, that he was prodigal and expenfive in the fupport of the Embaffy, after the departure of the Duke de Nivernois; while, on the other hand, M. D'Eon accufes the former of meannefs and avarice. Hence the various articles of recrimination, and the reafon for publifhing the feveral Accounts contained in thefe extraordinary Memoirs. Among these accounts are thofe of the minuteft expences attending the houshold of the Embaffy; to which are added, the fums given away, lent, and expended, on various fervices; fome of them fingular enough, witness the following: Paid for a little black bitch, for the Duke de

Praflin, To Mr. O'Gorman, for his journey to Paris, to carry Mrs. Stephens's medicines, with a treatife thereon, for Madam Victoire; in purfuance of exprefs orders from the Duke de Pralin, Paid to the Poet des Cazeau, Chevalier of the Nine Mufes, for celebrating the arrival of Count de Guerchy,

For a Port Folio, containing a collection of minia:ure pictures of the finest women in England, for the ufe of Duke de Praflin,

For a cane broken over the fhoulders of a French footman, who came to defire a character of me, after being civilly difmiffed, for taking the 'impreffion of a key of a cabinet of state-papers,

£.300

60

60 0 0

2 2 0

15 0 0

300 To these we fhall add a very serious one to this nation, and with that difmifs the article of Accounts:

Advanced to feveral English artificers, of both fexes, belonging to the manufacturies of printed linens, inveiled away from London, and parts adjacent, by M. Lefcallier, in order to enable them to go abroad,

195 0 0

We forbear making any reflections on this article, as the confequences of fuch a feduction of our Manufacturers is obvious: how far it may be deemed confiftent with propriety, in the Secretary of a French Ambaffador, at fuch a juncture, to be guilty of fuch a feduction, or his Court to countenance it, we pretend not to fay. That it must have been done, however, by order, or permiffion, of the French Court, feems pretty evident; as M. D'Eon appears to be otherwife too much a man of

Ff2

hon

honour, to disburfe cafh on fuch injurious schemes; at least we have reason to think fo, from two letters in this collection, written to Count de Guerchy, before his departure from France, relative to the defrauding the English cuftoms, under cover of the entry of his Excellency's effects. We muft do our Author the juftice to fay, that, on this occafion, he gives his Excel- . lency the advice of a Gentleman, and a man of honour; fo that if he did not take it, as M. D'Eon afferts, it was not the fault of his disinterested advifer.

Among the various letters contained in this work, we find two or three that paffed between the Dukes de Praflin, Nivernois, and M. D'Eon, relative to the eftablishment of a French Literary Gazette; an object that, amidst all the important bu finefs of the Peace, was thought of confequence enough to engage the attention of the French Miniftry, who prefented a plan of this kind to the King, and tranfmitted it to his Minifters at foreign Courts, charging them with an attention to every thing that might promote fo useful and national a defign, as that of univerfally propagating the arts and sciences, and with them the knowlege and ufe of the French language.

But we must here take our leave of this work, for the prefent; how foon M. D'Eon may call upon us again, we know not; as he threatens the public, in an advertisement, with the appearance of a quarto volume every three months; fo that, if he lives long, which he may do, as he is but young, and continues in the fame mind, he will add a little library to that of the Corps diplomatique, already published. Nevertheless, the fuppreffion of the prefent collection, by authority, may poffibly prove a fufficient difcouragement to the noble Chevalier; and effectually , prevent the execution of his very communicative plan.

Which happened within a few weeks after its publication; and according to the news-papers, a profecution was commenced against the Author, Printer, and Publisher.

Examen des Lettres, Memoires, et Negotiations, &c. Or, An Examination into the Letters, Memoirs, and Negociations of the Chevalier D'Eon. 4to. 5s. Becket and De Hondt.

T

HIS is a critical, but by no means a candid, Examination of M. D'Eon's Letters. The Author is evident's his enemy, and endeavours to depreciate his former chara and fervices, which, as he himself afterwards confeffes, have nothing to do with M. D'Eon's prefent behaviour, or his di

pare with M. de Goerchy. If M. DEca is a roung man, When a train of furnace cream faces he speedily rallied to a degree of eminence, which this Examiner is, bith turned bis tra; is auth the work for the poor Chevalier, as at this cris, probang, komuna berielf bath all turned her back upon him. be to however, a k my, M. DE n is certains a man of atuites, as a Mader; and, by all accounts, of approved courage, as an Offer. If he hath difcharged no duty in the fever Jervices he hath been engaged in, it was not his fault that they were not more amerius, or more important. Whe he was in the Secretary's chce, he could not be in the feld, nor fighting the facader he was writing parches in his office. This Water Sam, kleel, the M. DEch red no more hand in the Peace than the Doge of Venice; the Duxe de Nivernois managing the wade budines, wie the poor Crevaller alte only as an Amaron appears, however, from the Duke's own letters, m M D'En was pertice at utful to moa that occaliota are can any teftimony be grever in favour of the Coll T. fccity, oraines, this what is gen by that clering About

=

As M. DEs declares, over and over again, in his letters, that his being made Mister Flenipotentur, did not turn his brain, we Cal not join with this Autor in fipp dag him to be out of mind. that he may have been in zia, Inleed, we admit, but we fil be well aware, and muf be latif fed in more than one latence, bobre we determine that a Frestim wrat ton call 2. It ba been more to Le credit of the Writer's andour allt, had be coined a greater impara and flet in midag ends from M. D`tion's bock There are poous pacliges enough in it at be, there was no need of a buong kiteter, and curtailing his expreffions, to make them appear the more extra-1-201 Yetult be done in a very cru, iritance, repetlig the Chevallar's manner of w reso dù mother; wat ze reprefents as info and Lic

Our Exam ber 6m, · Agra d'en étre pris aux Gronis, zux Duct. eta 11

s'on prend ju Ca propre fing.

only quote the paffage as we find it in M. D'Eon's book; by which the Reader will fee, that he hath wilfully omitted the feveral qualifying expreffions introducing the fcriptural phrases, which appear fo rude and exceptionable in his quotation. "fai reçu, ma chere mere, toutes les lettres lamentables et pitiables que vous avez pris la peine de m'ecrire: pourquoi pleurez vous, femme de peu de foi comme il eft dit dans l'ecriture. Souven. z. vous que notre Seigneur, dans la temple de Jerufalem, dit à sa mere, femme qu'y a-t-il de commun entre vous et moi?. Comme ce mot de femme, &c. a fait rire les Scribes, &c. je vous dirai plus tendrement, Ma Mere, qu'y a-t-il de commun entre vos affaires Tonneroifes et mes affairs politiques a Londres. Plantez donc, &c." In another part of this letter, he very generously offers to make over to her his penfion of two thousand livres per annum on the royal treafury; which is certainly no indication of a deficiency of parental refpect, whatever marks there may be, in the ftyle and manner of the whole, or want of temper and difcretion.

That the publication of M. D'Eon's papers will expose the French nation, and particularly the French Miniftry, to public ridicule, as this Writer laments, will in fome degree be true; unless fome of the letters he hath published are proved to be fictitious for this, and this only, is the way to evade the force of fuch ridicule, and not to pen fuch difingenuous and partial examinations of them.

Obfervations on Marriages, Baptifms, and Burials, as preferved in parochial Regifters. With fundry Specimens of the Entries of Marriages, Baptifms, &c. in foreign Countries. Interfperfed with divers Remarks, concerning proper Methods neceffary to preferve a Remembrance of the feveral Branches of Families, El By Ralph Bigland, Eiq; Somerfet Herald. 4to. 3 s. Dedley, &c.

Hough the fubject of this treatife may, to many, afford matter of ridicule, yet to men ufed to bufiness, or accuftomed to reflection, it will appear to deferve ferious confideration. If we confider the ufe of accurate Regifters, folely with a view to the fecurity of property, this alone is fufficient to evince the neceffity of fome better regulations in this refpe&t.

The Author of this tract, who appears to be very intelligent on the fubject, and has collected many curious particulars, fes out with obferving, from Camden, that Names, called in La

in NOMINA, quafi NOTAMINA, were firft impofed for the diftinction of perfons, which we now call Chriftian Names; after, for difference of families, which we call SURNAMES, and have been especially refpected, as whereon the glory and credit of men is grounded, and by which the fame is conveyed to the knowlege of pofterity, and that every perfon had in the beginning one only proper name, as Adam, Jofeph, &c.

Camden obferves, he never could find an hereditary furname in England before the conqueft: the furnames in Doomfday Book were brought in by the Normans, who not ong be fore had taken them; but they were mostly noted with a DE, as John de Babington, Walter de Hugget, Nicholas de Yateman, &c. or Ricardus filius Roberti, &c. and that they were not settled among the common people till about the reign of King Edward II. SURNAMES, not from SIRE, but because fuper added to the Chriftian Name. Places anciently gave names to perfons, and not the contrary: William fon of Roger Fitz Valerine, in the time of King Henry I. being born in the caftle of Howard in Wales, did from thence affume the name of the place of his birth, and tranfmitted the fame to his pofterity. Edward of Caernarvon, fo called from the place of his nativity; fo Thomas of Brotherton, from the village in Yorkshire wherein he was born; and John of Gaunt, from the city of Gaunt in Flanders, where he was born.'

Our Author obferves, that The cuftom of taking names from towns and villages in England, is a fufficient proof of the ancient defcents of thofe families who are ftill inhabitants of the fame places. Some, he continues, took their names from their offices; others from forefts; others fom woods; others from hills, dales, trees, &c. others from fifhes.'

He farther remarks, that from the alteration of names in early times it is, that at this day many families, who have neglected to keep up their pedigrees, are at a lofs to account for the fimilar bearing of arms, whole names are fo widely different, while yet they might all originally be defcended from one and the fame common ancestor. Little (for inftance) would any one think to look for the family and arms of Botteville, in the prefent Viscount Weymouth; and this only, because in the reign of Edward IV. John de Botteville refided at one of the Inns of Court, and from thence was named John of Th'Inne (Thynne); and as little would be fufpect that, that poor deferted and expofed infant at Newark upon Trent, commonly called Tem among us, fhould afterwards be metamorphofed into the great Dr. Thomas Magnus.

He then produces feveral curious examples of ancient Re

Ff4

gifters,