It must be at a time when that throne of defpotifm is converted into a fun of liberty, the rays emanating from which have fpread through all France, already given it a new life, and will gradually change the face of the furrounding nations.

time to break thofe fetters which have fhackled the pens of philofophers, and to difclofe to the aftonifhed world, the turpitude of a place that exifted only among it a people who styled themselves the most humane and enlightened upon earth.'

Every thing that may tend to throw light on the hiftory of this place, enters into the plan of the editors, but they profefs to give no one article that is not fully authenticated, and depofit the original papers of which they make use, at the Lyceum, of which they are members, for public infpection. We can only fay, that they have an air of truth. The fecond number of the work gives an hiftorical account of the Baftille, built in 1370, under the reign of Charles V. It then confifted only of two feparate towers, one on each fide of the road leading into Paris, and intended to defend its entrance. Since that time it had received confiderable alterations: fix more towers were added, and united to each other by lofty walls. These were again furrounded by ramparts, and a wide and deep ditch. Horrible the prifon must have been, though its horrors have been exaggerated. Not the leaft trace of thofe cages of wood, covered with iron, was to be found, or of the oubliettest mentioned by feveral authors; though they both may perhaps have exifted formerly. Each of the towers confifted of five ftories. All, except the uppermoft, were irregular polygons of fixteen or feventeen feet diameter, and as many high. Some had feveral windows, but the walls were enormously thick. Thofe of the upper ftory were more than fix feet, and this increafed in proportion as they were nearer the ground. A kind of wooden caps were occafionally adapted to the windows to obftruct the view of the country. Each prison was closed with two doors, faftened each with three locks, and fome had wickets. The rooms of the upper ftory were the worst of all, except the dungeons. In winter exceffively cold, in fummer infupportably hot, they admitted no light, no air, but through a chink two or or three inches wide externally, where it was croffed by ftrong bars of iron. Almoft

*These gentlemen renounced their undertaking when they had published the third number: it has been continued, however, on the fame plan, by another hand. A committee of thirty of the reprefentatives of the people has been appointed to infpect all the papers of the Baftille that could be collected but they have not yet published any account of what they have done.

Dungeons concealed by trap-doors, into which perfons to be made away with fecretly were inade to fall, and there configned to oblivion,

all the apartments had two floors, one of fir, the other of oak. The dungeons were twenty feet below the level of the earth, and about five above that of the ditch: their only opening was a narrow barbican looking into this ditch. The wretch condemned to one of these could not live in it long, furrounded by rats and fpiders, plunged into a damp and noifome atmosphere, and in the midft of a mud filled with the fpawn of toads. Their fole furniture was a large ftone covered with ftraw for a bed. All the prifons, except thefe, had ftoves, or fire-places. The chimnies were very narrow, and closed at bottom, at top, and fometimes at intermediate fpaces with bars of iron. Their common furniture was a bedftead with curtains of green ferge, a paillasse [mattrass stuffed with ftraw, and mattrafs, one or two tables, two pitchers, a candlestick, a pewter fork, spoon, and cup, two or three chairs, a tinder-box, flint, and fteel, fometimes as a matter of favour, a fmall pair of tongs, and an old fire-fhovel, and two large ftones by way of dogs. After almost all the prifoners were deprived of the walk of the baftion, and that of the top of the tower was permitted to few, they were reduced to that of the court. This was about 110 feet by 77: the air in it, however, could be but little renewed, and it must have concentrated the heat exceffively in fummer, the buildings with which it was furrounded being near eighty feet high. Even this was not permitted to all; and to no one for more than an hour at a time, in order to make room for others, as no two were permitted to walk together. There was also a small niche in which the prifoner was obliged to fhut himfelf up, when informed by the fentinel, that any one was paffing. The food of the prifoners was in general scanty, and of the worst quality, though fome had fufficient influence to have their table well fupplied.

When we confider a fellow creature, deprived of liberty, at a tyrant's nod, condemned to folitude in fuch a place, and kept in the profoundeft ignorance of his fate, and of the fituation of thofe moft dear to him, perhaps for years, we cannot but execrate his oppreffor. How much then must our indignation rife, when we find that his fole crime was the having dared to fatyrize the flagrant vices of fome petty minifter, or fome courtier's miftrefs, who, though not ashamed to act them in the face of day, yet would not permit them to be talked of! nay, perhaps, even this he had not done; he was condemned to a punishment fufficiently fevere for the most atrocious crime, on the lighteft fufpicion. On looking over the long lift of victims of defpotifin, (about 2000 are faid to have been confined in a feries of only 46 years) few appear to have been really guilty of crimes, and far the greater part fuch as were fufpećted of having written or published accounts

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of the diffolute lives of men in power, or discovered to have done fo, by the most base and infidious means. To detect the writers of fuch pieces, or fupprefs their publication, no expence was fpared, and no artifice that the vileft treachery could fuggeft unemployed. The grand fpy of Mr. Lenoir, in this department, Jaquet de la Douai, confeffed, that he annually coft the government 30,000liv. [12501.] and made it expend 100,000liv. [4,1661. 13s. 4d.] One or two thoufand guineas would be fquandered in kidnapping an author, who had taken refuge in England or Holland, whilft a few pounds were denied to furnish conveniencies for the prifoners, and while the governor of the Bastille pocketed twopence-halfpenny a day out of the fifteen pence allowed a foldier, fhut up with a prifoner as a guard, or rather as a fpy, though under the pretext of attending and confoling him. If any thing could heighten the nefarioufnels of thofe who thus wantonly and arbitrarily punished men for actions that claimed applause, it would be, that the fame inftrument was employed to protect the guilty from the hand of juftice. Not to mention thofe who procured themfelves in the Baitille an afylum to fecure them from the demands of their creditors, Jean Claude Fini, calling himself Hypolite Chamoran, and Mary Barbara Mackay, ftyling herfelf his wife, were conducted to this prison, under pretence of being concerned in libels, but in fact to evade giving them up to our government by which they were claimed, in order that they might be delivered over to juftice for that atrocious villainy perpetrated on Mr. Mackay, in a lone houfe at Newington, in the year 1785, which our readers must no doubt well remember. Thefe wretches were fet at liberty, as foon as the affair was fuppofed to be blown over. If a minister of fome foreign power were offended, the cafe was different. An officer, in the fervice of the king of Sardinia, of the name of Caffe, had a quarrel with the minifter at war, whom he accufed of having done him an injuftice. Full of refentment, he came to France, threatening to avenge himfelf, by publifhing the minifter's conduct. No fooner were his departure and menaces known at Turin, than the Sardinian amballador was directed to folicit an order for his being arrested. This was eafily obtained: Caffe was conveyed to the Baftille: all his papers were feized, and put into a bag, without any inventory of them being taken: and a month afterwards he was fent under a ftrong guard to a town on the confines of Savoy, where he was delivered to a Sardinian officer, who with twenty dragoons, escorted him to the caftle of Miolans, the Baftille of that country. His papers, however valuable they might have been, packed carelessly in a bag much too large, were torn to pieces by the length of the journey. Let us here obferve, that every king in Europe, except the king of England, has a Baftille, the gates of which open and fhut at his nod, at the

nod

nod of his minifters, their fecretaries, his miftreffes, or any nobleman, or female, who has acquired a certain influence, either by place, or intrigue, whilft juftice looks on unconcerned.' Another inftance of French juftice we must mention. An abbé, in concert with a girl of the town, having stabbed his brother as he was embracing him, cut the body in pieces, and fled to Venice. There this fratricide was arrefted, on an accufation of having murdered his miftrefs and accomplice. He was claimed by the court of France.-To inflict an exemplary punifhinent on him, no doubt.-No. He was related to fome magiftrate, and in confequence was only confined at Pierre-en-Cize.

The following anecdotes of fome who have taken up their abode in this den of defpotifm may tend farther to disclose the fecrets of the place.

Dan. Doumere, commiffioned to furnish corn on account of the king, entered, May 5, 1775, fet at liberty June 20. The law of 1764, rendering the exportation of corn free, occafioned a scarcity. Without revoking the law, it was thought fit to import corn from abroad. Mr. Turgot, fufpecting Mers. Sorin and Deumere, who were partners, of inproper conduct, ordered them to be conducted to the Baftille. Mr. D. was thirteen days without a change of linen, or permiffion to fhave himfelt. His wife, then fuckling her firft child, was fo much affected, that both the and her infant nearly loft their lives. Mr. D.'s accounts, which had already been examined and paffed, were demanded of him. Nothing that could juftify his detention appearing, he and Mr. S. were fet at liberty. A committee was appointed to infpect. their accounts, which declared, that they were near 400,000liv. [16,6661. in advance, and at the fame time patied an encomium on their conduct. At this time two different opinions prevailed on the subject of the corn-trade. Mr. Turgot was for its being totally free. He was fupported by abbê Morellet, abbé Beaudeau, and Mr. de Condorcet, who fucceffively published anfwers to Mr. Necker's work on legiflation and the corn-trade. This work, which advanced oppofite principles, occafioned its author many vexations. Mr. T. then comptroller general, fearful of the propagation of a doctrine fo oppofite to his own, applied to the lieutenant of police to prevent its publication. Unable to obtain any thing. from him, he went to the cenfor, Mr. Cadet de Sainville, requesting him to refufe his approbation. Mr. de S. defired an order to this purpofe in writing. Mr. T. not complying with this, he gave his approbation in the following terms. I have read, &c. Though the principles contained in it appear to me different from thofe announced by government, yet the author having confined himself fimply to a difcuffion

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of his fubject without perfonalities or declamation, and as I conceive, that the truth cannot but gain by the investigation of fo important a question, I think the publication of this work must be advantageous."

Mr. de la Tour, jun. This young gentleman, who has vifited almost all the prifons and houfes of confinement in France, the fon of the first prefident of the parliament of Aix, and related to feveral other perfons of diftinction, came to the Baftille ftrongly recommended to the governor. Mr. de Launey paid the greatest respect to his illuftrious prifoner, who was a diffipated youth fent to the Baftille, to be reclaimed, by his friends. A few days after his arrival he was introduced to Mde. de L. whom he afterwards vifited daily. He was called by the name of St. Julien, that he might be prefent even when there was company. When the governor and his wife were abfent, he was mafter of their houfe. On these occafions he made love to the waiting maid, who was by no means cruel. This being foon known to de L. he faid to him one day: You are young, you have paffions like other men, I will bring you acquainted with a charming little woman, with whom you will be enchanted; you all marry her, but without a parfon or attorney: you understand me.' De L. had a mistress, one Mde. Teffier, to whom he would have been generous, but he was fordidly avaricious. De la T. was rich, and thus he thought he might conciliate his two oppofite propenfities. The fame evening he led his prifoner to the house of Mde. T. There he left him, whilft he paid fome vifits in town, and returned at night to conduct him to his apartment in the Baftille. Mde. T. now removed to a more elegant habitation. The greater part of every day was spent by de la T. at her houfe, and he was always ready to return when called for in the evening. Unfortunately the governor found a letter from the young gentleman to his miltrels, in which he was painted not altogether to his liking. The next day poor de la T. found all his enjoyments at an end. The doors of his dungeon were no longer open to him. He was not even permitted to breath the air of the court. Hitherto de

L. had given a favourable report of his conduct to his friends, but it was now quite the reverfe. His reformation was despaired of, and he was fent to another prifon, laden with irons. Thence, however, he found means to escape: but he did not abufe his liberty. He employed it in attempting to procure a reconciliation with his friends, which he obtained by the promifes he made of amendment, promifes that he appears to have kept. De L. was mean enough on this occation to refuse payment for goods furnifhed Mde. T. by his orders, and one tradefman was not paid till fix years afterwards, though de L. had received the money from de la T. at the

delivery