regard and affection as if he had been indebted to him for his patronage.

In the year 1789 he was invited to folicit a vacant place in the French academy. Several times already, through modefty and prudence, he had rejected propofitions of the kind, but he now yielded to the preffing intreaties of his friends, and the defire alfo of all the academicians, who were conscious of his merit and of the celebrity of his eminent work, The Travels of Anacharfis the younger, which he had published the preceding year, 1788. Barthelemy ac cordingly was elected member of the French Academy in 1789.

In the following year Mr de St Priest, then minifter for the home department, offered to Barthelemy the honourable post of Librarian to the king, which was become vacant by the refignation of Mr Le Noir. The Abbé, though very thankful, declined accepting the offer, plead ing, that being accustomed to literary labours of a free and independent nature, he thought himself unfit for the minute and neceffary details attending this office.

Circumfcribed by inclination and modefty to the care of the cabinet of medals, he devoted himself almoft entirely and with fresh ardor to the arduous task, with the affiftance of his nephew, Barthelemy de Courcay, who had been appointed his colleague fome years fince, and is now become keeper of the cabinet.

The cabinet of medals had been confiderably augmented and embellifhed under the direction of Barthelemy. He paid little attention, however, to the modern medals, which feldom teach us more than what we may be informed of by other means; but the ancient being more interefting, these he made it his chief ftudy to procure. He had found twenty thousand antique medals in the collection, and he left

forty thoufand: I have heard him fay that in the courfe of his holding the place he had examined about four hundred thousand,

Barthelemy, urged by the combined motives of patriotic and perfonal intereft, determined to end his career by publishing an accurate methodical description of the treafures which were committed to his charge. A work of this kind muft have been very expenfive, on account of the prodigious number of engravings requifite; and of course it could not be undertaken without the confent and fupport of government. Barthelemy having obtained the approbation of the minifter in the year 1787 thought he had nothing more to wifh for: but the condefcenfion of Mr de Breteuil, fecretary of state, was oppofed by divers imperious circumftances. The prevailing disorder of the French finances at that calamitous period, was the occafion of the meeting of the Notables, which brought on the States General, which produced a new order of things.

His wafted powers and progreffive decay were but too obvious in 1792, and at the beginning of the following year, he was often fubject to faintings which would laft for a whole hour. Owing to his natural fpirits and tranquillity of mind, he was regardless of thofe occafional accidents, but his difconfolate friends could easily forefee the impending danger.

Barthelemy was now feventy-eight years of age, when on the 30th of August 1793, an information of ariftocracy was lodged against him. His nephew, and five or fix more who belonged to the library, were arrefted at the fame time: Barthelemy was arrested at Madame de Choifeul's hotel, where he happened to be on a vifit. He took a hasty leave of his patronefs, who received his adieu with an emotion from which he himself was not ex

empt,

empt, although he had fortitude enough to reprefs it. He was carried to the prifon, where he found his ne phew Courcay, who had apprized his unfortunate fellow prifohers of his uncle's fpeedy arrival. The victim foon made his appearance, and of fered himself to be facrificed with undaunted ferenity. His foul, equal, ly guiltlefs, elevated, and modeft, enjoyed that tranquillity which is the refult of an unblemished life. He was, however, conscious of the danger of his fituation, and was fenfible, that on account of his great age and infirmities he could not withftand beyond a few days the inconveniences of a prifon, where the medical affittance which his ftate of health required could not be ob tained. The keeper, whofe name was Vanbertrand, deserves our high eft eleem for his kind treatment of M. Barthelemy, and his particular attention to make him as comfort able as circumftances would permit. He placed him in a fmalt private room with his dear nephew. There Madame de Choifeul came to visit him in the evening. That delicate woman, whofe exceffive fenfibility abated her powers, but whom friendfhip ever fupplied with fresh vigour, had not loft a moment to inform the government of the palpable mistake which alone muft have caufed the venerable old man to be arrested. The committee, who knew the age, reputation, and irreproachable conduct of Barthelemy, had never intended to have him included amongst the officers belonging to the library who had been ordered to prifon: he had confequently been arrefted through a mistake, which was fpeedily rectified. All the clerks fhewed great eagerness to fill up the order for his difcharge: with which they went to awake him at eleven o'clock, and at midnight he was brought back to the houfe of his kind and conftant patronefs, from whom he

had been torn away in the fore noon.

The Abbé, however, within a very fhort time, had a fecond proof of that happy influence and afcen dency which diftinguished merit and acknowledged virtue will inevitably gain for in the following month of October, the honourable office of chief librarian becoming vacant by the death of Corra and the refignation of Chamfort, Barthelemy was offered the place in the most flattering manner, but he refused, alledging as an excufe, his advanced age and infirmities Moft unfortunately this excufe was by no means á frivolous one, for in the course of the following year, 1794, his decay came on very rapidly. He was approaching the end of his career, yet he alone was not fenfible of it; though his frequent faintings might have warn ed him that the principles of life were gradually decaying: his friends had reafon to be alarmed; but as he loft the use of his fenfes whenever thofe fits returned, he retained no remembrance of them, but as foon as he recovered would follow his ufual courfe. He divided his time between his friends and literature:: ever engaged in study, ever affectionate, ever grateful. His friends attended him very regularly. His ne-~ phew, unceasingly upon the watch, endeavoured to divine and anticipate his wifhes, fo as not to leave him time to form any. The old man did not fuffer any pain, but he was infenfibly wafting away.

At the beginning of 1795 death was feen to advance towards him with hafty ftrides. He had juft entered the eightieth year of his life, which had been wholly confecrated to labours, which demanding uninterrupted application must have impaired the vital powers, although they do not attack the bodily organs when the conftitution proves to be good, and fuch was Barthelemy's.

It

It appeared as if nature had been willing to fuit his features and deportment to his morals and occupa. tions. He feemed to have fomething of the antique in his counte nance, and his buft, if properly placed, must stand between thofe of Pla to and Ariftotle.

The exceffive rigour of the win ter, in all probability, haftened his diffolution, although he did not feem to notice it. His literary occupations, and reading, filled up all the hours which he did not fpend in vi fiting his friends. He might in imi tation of Maynard, have written over his door :

C'ett ici que j'attends la mort, "Sans la defirer, ni la craindre Death indeed had threatened him long fince, and at laft ftruck the fatal blow. On the 6th of Florial (April the 25th) though for fome days paft he had fuffered much from violent cholics and pain in the ftomach, he went to dine with Madame de Choifeul. The weather was ftill fevere, and he very probably caught cold on his return home: fuch at

least was the opinion of Mr Poiffonnier Defperriéres, his phyfician and friend. The patient spent the evening as ufual with three or four friends, whole converfation was ever interesting to him: but in the night he probably was feized with a fit, which deprived him of the power of pulling the bell, for he would never fuffer any one to fleep in his apartment. Comtois, his faithful valet, entered his room the next morning at eight o'clock, being very uneafy that the

Abbé, who was an early rifer, had not yet called him down, and found his mafter fenfelefs, with his feet in the bed and his head lying on the floor. He put him into bed again. The Abbé recovered the ufe of his feufes, but the raging fever did not fubfide. A violent cough enfued, and the expectoration grew very painful; the cheft at laft was filled with matter and that excellent man, without pain, and, perhaps, without being aware of his actual diffolution was plunged into the eternal lep of the righteous, yet he preferved his fenfes to the laft.

This fatal lofs to his friends and to literature took place the 11th Florial (April 30th) at three o'clock in the afternoon. At one o'clock Barthe-" lemy was ftill engaged in reading Horace, but his cold hands could no longer hold the book, and it dropped down. He reclined his head as if fleeping, and those about him thought he really was afleep; as did his ne phew, who had continued by his fide, and was only convinced of his error at the expiration of two hours, when he difcovered that he no longer heard his uncle breathe

Thus died, with the tranquillity and peace that had fignalized his, whole life, a man who had been one of the ornaments of his age leaving to every one of his relations to bewail a father, and to each of his friends to mourn an irreparable lofs; to the learned of all nations an example to follow, and to man. kind at large a perfect model to imitate.

Robertfon of Strowan, the poet, was their chief; a man, at that time, near eighty years of age, his body hale and ftrong, and his mind in vi

1

gour.

too may be restored, and placed on the prefent Strowan's gate, which ornament the poet's portal.

Not half a mile below Mount A. lexander, is the famous fall of the Tunel river; its noife is heard at a great distance; and it is a ftop to the falmon, it being far too high for them to leap. It must be full forty feet high.

There is a very curious well at Mount Alexander, called the Silver Well, from the bright fand in it; and which is inexhauftible; for the well has frequently been cleared to a confiderable depth; notwithstanding which it filled, and rofe to the ufual height, in a fhort time. Between Mount Alexander and the bridge of Rynachan, on the fouth fide of the river Tumel, are veftiges of a tempo. rary habitation, which, from its Ĝa lic name, muft have been built for King Robert Bruce, when his affeirs being at the lowett ebb, he was re ceived in Rannoch by Duncan of Atholl, ancestor to the Robertfons of Strowan. The exploits of that Duncan, in the wars of those times, are great fubjects of the traditional ftories of the inhabitants of that country. Robert of Strowan, Duncan's defcendant, from whom the name of Robertfon is derived, did great fervice to the crown, by feizing the confpirators of the murder of King James the Firft of Scotland, when they were about to place one of themselves on the throne, to the exclufion of the infant king. In the rebellion in Charles the Firft's time, the then chief of the Robertsons was of infinite fervice; and thofe fervices were acknowledged by Charles

chief. Robert of Strowan was, for his fervices, offered an Earldom, but declined it; alledging, a title could add nothing to his confequence in his own part of the country, where titles of ceremony were neither understood nor relished.

The prefent chief has a rock cryf tal globe, about two inches and a quarter in diameter, which defcende from chief to chief. The legend attributes great virtues to it; and the Robertfons preferve it with care. It is faid to have the virtue of curing difeafes in the human frame, and in cattle, particularly when elf hot; and at this day, it is fometimes requefted by the fuperftitious Highland men, to be permitted to dip this globe in water; alledging, that water thus charmed cures the dif eales of their cattle. This ftone was found in a very fingular manner. The beforementioned Duncan, ftyled of Atholl, a fon of Angus, Lord of the Ifles, who was at all times a fteady adherent to King Robert Bruce, having gone in purfuit of Macdougal of Lorn, who had made his escape from his confinement on one of the iflands (belonging to Duncan) in Loch Rannoch, was obliged to halt, with his followers, at a place near Loch Ericht, and to pass the night there. Next morning, when the ftandard bearer drew out the ftaff from the fpot where it had been fixed in the ground, it brought up a great deal of earth and fmall ftones, amongst which the cryftal in queftion was found; and was then called the Stone of the Standard, or Collous, in the Galic language, which name it fill retains.

Dd

the