crifice him to their falfe deities, and afterwards make a feaft of his fleth; his imagination was always ftruck with the terrible fight of the feafts which thofe barbarians made of the flesh of their fatteft prisoners of war, which I cannot help thuddering at, whilft I relate it. He always expected to receive a blow with the club, as foon as he thould be fat. The Indians held a council, in which they refolved that it would be thameful and cowardly to kill aman, that did not come to them to do any harm, but to demand their hofpitality; in confequence of this refolution, he remained a flave of the widow. The first days of his flavery, though it was not a heavy one, were very difagreeable to him, because he was obliged to take care of the little children of thefe men-eaters, and to carry them on his thoulders, which was very troublesome to him; for he was naked like them, having no more cloaths than were fufficient to make his nakedness lefs indecent; but the widow above-mentioned, having taken him under her protection, he was better treated in the fequel.

As M. de Belle-ifle was young and ftrong, he acquitted himself very well of his functions as a flave, and even gained the good graces of his mistress to much, that the adopted him, and he was then fet at liberty, and looked upon as one belonging to the nation. He foon learnt the manner of converfing in pantomimes, and the art of uling the bow and arrows as well as they could do it. They took him into the wars, where he thewed them his dexterity, by killing one of their enemies, with an arrow in their prefence; he was then acknowledged a true warrior. Another Indian having killed a roebuck, they dried the fleth of the man and the roe, to make ufe of it as provifions on their expeditions. One day as they were walking, M. de Belle-Ife being hungry, asked for fomething to eat. An Indian gave him fome human flesh, faying it was of the roe-buck. M. de Belle-ifle eat of it without knowing the cheat; and the Indian afterwards faid to him Formerly thou didst make difficulty, but now thou canst eat man's flesh as well as ourselves at these words M. de Belle-Ifle threw up all he had eaten.

:

About two years after his captivity,

fome deputies arrived at the Attakapas, from a nation who fent them the calumet of peace. A kind providential care! This nation lived in New Mexico, and were the neighbours of the Natchitoches, where M. de Hucheros de Saint Denis commanded, who was beloved and refpected by the deputies of this nation, though they lived on Spanish ground. After attentively confidering M. de Belle-ifle, they told the Attakapas, that in the country from whence they came, there were white men like him: the Attakapas faid he was a dog, whom they had found towards the great lake, where his comrades were ftarved to death; that they had brought him to their habitations, where a woman had made him her flave; that they had taken him to war against a nation which they conquered in a battle, and that he had diffinguifhed himself on that occafion, and fhewed them his kill in fending an arrow, which killed one of their adverfaries; that they had for that reafon adopted him, and received him as a warrior.

This officer, who heard their converfation, did as if he took no notice of it; and immediately conceived the idea of returning to his country: he took one of the Indian deputies apart; and queftioned him much about the white men he had feen. M. de Belle-ifle had luckily preferved his commiffion in a box; he made fome ink with foot, and wrote with a crowquill the following words: "To the first chief of the white men. I am fuch and fuch a perfon, abandoned at the bay of St. Bernard; my comrades died of hunger and wretch ednefs before my face, and I am captive at the Attakapas." This unhappy officer gave his commiffion to the Indian, telling him it was fpeaking paper; that, by presenting it to the chief of the French in his country, he would be well received. The Indian believed, that this letter had fomething divine in it, because it was to speak for him to the French. His countrymen wanted to take it from him; but he efcaped by fwimming across a river; and left he should wet the letter, he held it up in the air. This Indian, after a journey of one hundred and fifty leagues, arrived at the Natchitoches, an Indian

nation.

nation. The French commander there at that time being M. Hucheros de St. Denis, an officer of diftinction, known for having made the firft journey over land from Louisiana to Mexico, where he married the Spanifa governor's niece. The Indian gave him M. de Belle-ifle's letter, and M. de S Denis received him very well, and made him many prefents; after which, this officer began to cry after the manner of the Indians, who afked what ailed him? He answered, he wept for his brother, who was a captive among the Attakapas. As M. de St. Denis was in great efteem with the nations about him, the Indian who brought the letter promifed to fetch M. de Belle-idle, and fome other In dians joined him..

M. de St. Denis gave them fome fhirts and a hat for M. de Belle-idle, and they fet out immediately, ten in number, on horfeback, and armed with guns; promifing to M. de St. Denis to return in two moons time with his brother upon a horfe, which they led with them.

On arriving at the Attakapas, they difcharged their fire-arms feveral times, the explosion of which the other Indians took to be thunder: they gave M. de Belle-ifle the letter

of M. de St. Denis, which mentioned, Indians, and that he rejoiced beforehand that he should fee him. The joy which this letter gave to the officer is inexpreffible: however he feared that the Attakapas would oppofe his departure. But the chief of the deputation made him get quickly on horfeback, and went off with his whole troop. The Attakapas, being frightened with the report of the mufkets, did not venture to fay any thing, and the woman who had adopted M. de Belle-ifle thed tears. Thus this officer escaped from a captivity, which might otherwife have lafted as long as his life.

6

The Indian who carried off M. de Belle-ifle was as proud as Hernando Cortez when he conquered Montezuma, the last emperor of Mexico. They arrived at the Natchitoches, but did not find M. de St. Denis there; for he was gone to Biloxis, which was then the chief place of Louisiana, New Orleans being not yet built.

M. d'Orvilliers, who commanded at the Natchitoches in M. St. Denis's abfence, fent M. de Belle-ifle and his efcort to M. de Bienville, then governor of Louifiana. That general embraced him, being happy to fee him, and liberally rewarded his deliverers, Every one complimented him on his efcape from this captivity; M. de Bienville gave him a fuit of cloaths.

This officer has fince been very ufeful to the governor, by his know. ledge of the customs of the Attaka pas, whom the Spaniards of New Mexico could never fubdue, as they have done with the other nations of their empire,

M. de Bienville fent a prefent to the Attakapas, and another to the widow who had adopted and proteûted M. de Belle-ifle.

Thefe people, who did not expect this generofity from the governor, fent ambaffadors to him to thank him, and to make an alliance with the French. M. de Belle-ifle's mistress attended in perfon; fince this period the French have always been humanely treated by the Attakapas, who have at their defire left off the bar. barous custom of eating human flesh.

CORSICAN ANECDOTE.

WHATSOEVER does honour to nation. What Briton can refufe his applaufe to the following example?

Two grenadiers of the regiment of Flanders, in garrifon at Ajaccio, deferted, and penetrating into the country, inland, fought fhelter from pur. fuit. Chance had brought their colonel, who happened to be out a hunting, into the track of the two grena. diers, who, feeing him, ran into a fwamp among fome bushes. A fhepherd had obferved them, and with lis finger pointed out their hiding place. The Colonel, who did not comprehend the fign he was making, afked him what he meant. The thepherd obitinately kept filence, but continued to direct him, with eyes and finger, to the bushes. At length, the people with him went to the place fo pointed out, and difcovered the heads of the deferters, who were up to the neck in the mud. Thefe unfortunate men were inftantly feized, carried to Ajac cio, tried by a court-martial, and con

demned

demned to be fhot the next day. The fentence was executed. The fhepherd to whom the Colonel had given a gratuity of four louifdores, could not for joy keep it fecret, and divulged his adventure. The shepherd's own family heard of it, and fhuddered with horror. All his relations affembled, and decided that fuch a monster was not fit to live, as had dishonoured his country and family by receiving the price of the blood of two men, innocent, at least, as to him. They fought him out, feized him, and led him to just under the walls of Ajaccio. There, having provided him a priest to confefs him, they fhot him, without farther ceremony, much in the fame manner, and about the fame time, as the French had hot their two deferters. After the execution they put the four louifdores into the hands of the priest, whom they commiffioned to return them to the Colonel. "Tell him, said they, we should think we polluted our hands and fouls were we to keep thefe wages of iniquity. None of our nation will touch this money."

Some Anecdotes of Mr. Eyre, the celebra

ted Paper-fealer.

E was put apprentice, and ferv

Hed his time with Mr. Shuckburgh, bookfeller in Fleet-treet. Up on the death of his father, who left him an affluent fortune, he commenced gentleman, took lodgings in Salif bury-court, Fleet-ftreet, and either married, or feemed to be married, to a young woman, by whom he had feveral children. Soon after this connection, an aunt of his died in Somerfetfhire, to whom he was heir at law. She had been attended, during a long and tedious illness, by a phyfician in the neighbourhood, who, from his friendship and regard for her, not only promoted her recovery (fome years before her death) but would not accept of any fee for his long attendance on her. His kind efs and affiduity fo highly ingratiated him into her esteem, that the made a will, whereby the bequeathed him all her fortune, which was very confiderable; and when he waited upon her one day, the presented him with it, faying, "Pray, Doctor, read that paper at your leifure;" he accordingly took it with him: but,

upon feeing her again, represented to her in the most forcible terms, that he had a fufficient competency to live eafily and contentedly, that he had no higher ambition than to attend his patients, ferve them, and merit their good opinion; but, that if he were to accept the bequeft the proposed, he might forfeit their efteem, in diverting the channel of fucceffion in her family. In fine, he perfuaded her to make a new will, in which the bequeathed the Doctor only a thousand pounds, appointing him one of her executors. Upon the demise of the good old lady, the Doctor wrote to her nephew in London, informing him that he had fucceeded to his aunt's fortune, and defiring Mr. Eyre to come down to give the neceffary orders for her funeral. Mr. Eyre accordingly went down into Somersetfhire, and, upon his arrival at his aunt's, was met by the Doctor, who informed him there was a will made in his favour, in her bureau, directing him to the drawer in which it was. Mr. Eyre went up ftairs, and finding his aunt's teftament, with the item in favour of the Doctor, immediately burnt it. The Doctor, upon feeing Mr. Eyre again, alked him if he had found the will. Eyre, at firft, denied

having met with any one; but being hard preffed, at length acknowledged that he had deftroyed it, faying, there was no occafion for a will, as he was by law heir to the whole eftate. "Yes, (fays a friend of the Doctor's who was prefent) but there was a legacy of a thousand pounds in behalf of the Doctor-do you intend to pay that?" I know nothing of any legacy, replied Eyre, and fhall pay none. This fo enraged the Doctor, though he defpifed the money, that he immediately faid, "If that's the cafe, you have deftroyed the will, and have no one to fhew:-let me tell you I have one," and immediately produced the will in his poffeffion, whereby he became fucceffor to a fortune of near twelve thoufand pounds.

Thus we find Mr. Eyre's infamous thirft of gain has always been his foe, and the late inftance of expofing him-, felf to transportation for a few quires of paper, feems to fum up his wretch-. ed character in a thort compaís.

'' MILBROOK