much caution cannot be used, and we fcarcely know whom to truft; but your behaviour pleafes me: meet me again to-morrow evening, and we will talk further on the subject." Huffein perceived that he might now have an opportunity to discover fome decifive facts, which might clear up all his doubts relative to the conduct of his favourite, and place his character in a true light: he, therefore, was punctual to the appointment, and fuited his behaviour fo exactly to his purpofe, that Mafouf believed him to be precifely the perfon he had wifhed to find, and difclofed to him the fecret bufinefs in which he had been defirous to engage his affiftance. the laft moment. My life now depends on what I do; as does yours, fince you have been intrufted with the fecret." Huffein followed the directions of Mafouf. He applied to the attendants of the captive lady, who appeared to act more from fear than inchnation,-and was introduced to the imprisoned beauty, that he might apprise her of her intended immediate removal. He found her fitting on the ground, fupported by pillows, in an attitude of wretchednefs and defpair. She lifted her forrowful eyes; but how great was the aftonishment of the monarch when he perceived fhe was his fifter Nourshalem, who had lately disappeared from the feraglio, and who was fuppofed, from a variety of circumftances, to have eloped with a foreigner of eminence, a chriftian, with whom the was conjectured to be enamoured. The mystery was now completely understood by Shah Hufféin. He perceived the bafenefs of Amru, and entertained no doubt, but the circumftances which feemed to render it fo certain that his fifter had fled to Europe, intending to rendunce the religion of her fathers, were all contrived by his arts. "The great Amru, (faid Masouf) who fways the fceptre of the fublime Shah Huffein, and whofe will is a law, had conceived a violent paffion for a lady of exalted ftation; I my. felf am not intrufted with the fecret of her real rank. His highnefs, whofe arts are profound as the fathomlefs abyffes of the ocean, has devised the means to get her in his power: he has feparated her from all her connections, and confines her in fecret; but fhe refifts his proffered love with fcorn and hatred. The For a while he stood as one tranfbreaft of Amru appears agitated, as fixed by the thunderbolt of heaven; the waves of the fea, when they are but, prefently, recovering from his disturbed by the tempeft of the aftonishment, he rushed into the fouth. He, doubtlefs, fears detec- arms of his fifter, calling her by her tion; and I am ordered to procure name. He refumed his dignity, affiftance, and to remove her fome gave orders as fovereign, and was hundreds of miles from this place; obeyed with inftantaneous cheerfulwhere he may employ violence with- nefs by the attendants. The beauout alarm, and where the may never teous Nourfhalem was released, more be heard of. You fhall go and preferving her honour unfullied.prepare her, and her attendants, for Mafouf was pardoned on account the journey, according to the direc-of the fortunate termination of tions I fhall give you; for Amru the adventure: but the artful and must be obeyed. Of me the detefts wicked Amru was difgraced and caft the fight; and fo much have her into a dungeon, there to end his beauty, her innocence, and her fuf-days, ferings, moved me, that I will not make my appearance to her until Ac . ACCOUNT of ST. HELEN'S CON- fplendor almost unparalleled in those VENT, in the COUNTY of DUR-days, and rarely equalled in all refpects at the prefent day. HAM. "Shrines—where their vigils pale-ey'd HERE is at this time a fifterThood of twenty-five nums, at St. Helen's Auckland, in the county of Durham, occupying the venerable hall, formerly the feat of Francis Carr, efq. and his fucceffors, and of late years the property of Mr. Carr, of Cocken, in the fame county. The fituation and premises are in perfect confonance with religious retirement, and feem rather to have been originally intended for an establishment of this nature, than adopted through neceffity by a few perfecuted female refugees, driven from that spot to which fed "From the falfe world in early youth they Where awful arches make a noon-day night, The houfe at St. Helen's Auckland, the new receptacle of these late unfortunate women, is very fpacious, and contains a great number of apartments. It is furrounded by high walls, (of which it may now be faid, "Relentless walls! whofe ample round contains The space between these two fronts was formerly, a bowling-green, and is fenced with a neat parapetwall of about four feet in height. It is fomewhat fingular that the wing fronting the weft, which might have commanded a profpect of the whole village, was from the first entirely fhut up; the building, which is of hewn ftone, of a reddish colour, being ornamented with receffes, instead of windows. Although the gate which opens into the fpacious court of this manfion is within twenty yards of a public road, which paffes between it and the beautiful little Gothic edifice, the parochial chapel of St. Helen, yet the house itself is perfectly fequeftered; every view from it being confined either to its delightful gardens, or the rich adjoining meadows. These gardens, which comprehend between four and five acres, are inclofed by a brick wall about twenty feet in height, lined with an immenfe variety of the choiceft fruit trees, and the whole laid out in the most enchanting manner. In fhort, nothing can furpafs the luxuriance of the fituation, nor its fitnefs for the purpofe to which it has been lately applied.. The writer of this has not heard by what means these voluntary exiles from fociety were tranfported from their refidence in the environs of Douay, to the fweet and peaceful fhades of Auckland, and to a retirement every way fo exactly fuited to their habits, "Where penitence may plant its meek abode, Repentant fighs, and voluntary pains,") except the fouth front, (which is a very ancient structure, remarkably neat, and containing feveral fmail Gothic windows) and another adjoining edifice of Grecian architecture, fronting the weft, built about the beginning of the prefent century, by William Carr, efq. who was fome time member for Newcastle; a man of fine tafte, of unbounded hof-whelming progrefs of the French pitality, and who fupported the cha- arms; and it is added, that their racter of a country gentleman with a efcape was not effected till after a part And hermit contemplation meet its God." It is needless to say that they were forced from thence by the over of of the roof of their convent had been broken by the enemy's cannon. The fuperior, or lady abbefs, of this fifterhood (who alfo prefided in the fame capacity at their former refidence) is a Mrs. Houseman, a native of Cumwhitton in Cumber land. The drawing-room, which is in the wing built by William Carr, efq. (as above-defcribed) is converted into a chapel, very beautifully decorated, and furnished with a handsome altar, candlesticks, a lamp, feveral paintings, and all the ufual furniture of fuch places. The habit of the nuns is grey woollen, with a very black veil: their heads are fhaven, and bound very close with a white fillet: the lower part of their fhoes (which are all made by themfelves) is of leather, the upper part of platted or twifted cord: from the girdle is fufpended a rofary, and a crucifix from the neck, the appearance being altogether ftrikingly fingular in this country. Six or feven of them are English; the others Flemings: but the former only are generally fhown to ftrangers, to whom they are reported to be extremely courteous and communicative. They have a constant fucceffion of vifitors, and the neighbouring gentry are particularly attentive and kind to them; no perfon entering the convent without making fome prefent to the ladies. No one, acquainted with the character of the diocefan, will be surprised to learn that thefe votaries to a particular ftate, though without the pale of that church in which he fo illuftrioufly prefides, are neverthelefs within the verge of his beneficence: and probably, from the influence of example, the lot" of these weak and defencelefs females could not have "fallen upon a fairer ground." They all wear the habit of their order, except a mifs Dalton, niece to the lady-abbefs, whofe neceflary intercourfe with the people of the ANECDOTE of the ITALIAN POET, METASTASIO. AT a time when Metaftafio's cir cumstances were far from affluent, and he was only known at Vienna as an affiftant writer for the opera, under Apoftolo Zeno, a perfon with whom he had contracted a great intimacy and friendfhip, dying, left him his whole fortune, amounting to fifteen thousand pounds fterlingBut Metaftafio hearing that he had relations at Bologna, went thither in fearch of them; and, having found fuch as he thought beft entitled to thofe poffeffions, told them that though his deceased friend had be queathed to him his whole fortune, he could fuppofe it to be no other. wife than in truft, till he should find out the most deferving of his kin. dred, in order to divide it equally among them; which he immediate ly did, without the leaft referve in his own favour. SUP 1 Sufferings of the British Troops in Holland. SUFFERINGS of the BRITISH [From "An Accurate and Impartial THE * 345 to the mercy of furgeons' mates fur- the heights of Rhenen, at midnight HE fickness of the army increafed daily with the extreme feverity of the weather, and the total inattention to the comforts and convenience of our fuffering fellowcreatures, rendered their fituation pitiable in the extreme. Invalids were conftantly fent to the general hofpital at Rhenen, without any previous orders having been iffued to prepare for their reception, fo that no proper accommodations could poffibly be provided for them. They were ufually conveyed in bilanders along the Rhine from Arnheim, without even a fufficient fupply of provifions; and it is a notorious fact, time for the removal of the fick, The general orders iffued at this that, at one time, above five hundred miferable objects were embarked lefs helplefs and miferable objects. miferable objects were embarked proved a death-warrant to numberwith only a fingle hofpital mate to attend them, with fcarcely any cover-tailed of their poignant fufferings, A defcription circumftantially deing, and with a very fcanty allow. ance of ftraw. They had not one of them been at that time expected, and there was confequently no room for them in the hofpital. A gentleman, who was daily an eye-witnefs of those heart-rending fcenes exhibited at Rhenen previous to the removal of the fuffering invalids, declared that he himself one morning counted two and forty dead bodies on the banks of the river, of men who had perifhed on board the bilanders, where they had been left, becaufe, as he was told repeatedly, there were then no quarters to be met with for them in the town. Abufes, unheard of in any former war, existed in almoft every department; and our helpless countrymen were given up Small veffels with two mafts, ufually employed upon the Rhine, to convey forage, baggage, &c. VOL. XXVII. during the retreat to Deventer, would form a tale, "whofe lightest word would harrow up the foul," and make the blood run cold with horror. Conftantly removed in open waggons, expofed to the intenfe feverity of the weather, to drifting fnow, and heavy falls of fleet and rain,-frequently without and then but fcantily provided, any victuals, till the army halted, littered down in cold churches, upon a fhort allowance of dirty ftraw, and few of them enjoying the comforts of even a fingle blanket, to repel the rigorous attacks of the night air,-it is no wonder *During the campaign of 1794. + When a foldier fell fick, and was orexclaim, "Ah, poor fellow, we fhall fee dered to the hofpital, his comrades would thee no more, for thou art under orders for they they expired, by hundreds, martyrsing the dreadful confequences of to the most infamous and unpar- the preceding night's march: the donable neglect. diftreffing account is therefore given, in his own words. "On the morning of the 17th, I was fent upon a particular duty, to trace out a road over the common, by which the army and artillery might fafely proceed to Loonen. When the party marched it was The 16th was a day more peculiarly marked by diftreffing fcenes, than any other during the retreat. The troops were on that morning put in motion at day-break, with a view of reaching Loonen, a village diftant about twenty-three miles from their pofition, near Scav.fcarcely light; and as day broke in penzael. Owing to the uncommon upon us, the horrible scenes that it feverity of the weather, and the revealed, afforded a flocking proof fnow, which lying deep upon the of the miferies of a winter's camground, was drifted in the faces paign. On the common, about of the men by a ftrong easterly half a mile off the high road, we wind, they were fo. worn down by difcovered a baggage-cart, with a fatigue, that it was thought advife- team of five horfes, apparently in able and neceffary to halt fome of diftrefs; I galloped towards the the regiments at two neighbouring fpot, and found the poor animals villages, about nine miles fhort of were stiff, but not dead; the hoar their place of deftination." The froft on their manes plainly fhow. whole of the British could not, how-ing they had been there the whole ever, be poffibly accommodated; night. Not perceiving any driver and it was left to the difcretion of with them, I ftruck my fword rethe commanding officers of corps, peatedly upon the canvass tilt, into continue their march to Loonen, quiring at the fame time if there was or to take up fuch fituations as any perfon in the cart. At length, they could meet with in the ham- a very feeble voice anfwered me, lets on the road. Some of the re- and fome one underneath the cangiments proceeded, even after fun- vafs appeared to be making an fet, with their baggage and field effort to arife. A pair of naked pieces, and confequently were en- froft-nipt legs were then advanced, tirely difperfed, as it was then im- and the moft miferable object I poffible to trace out any path-way ever beheld funk, heavily upon the over the dreary common. Great ground,-the whole of his cloathnumbers of men, unable to bear uping fo ragged and worn, that I can against the fatigue they had undergone, and feveral women and children, were frozen to death, in their attempts to difcover the road their battalions had purfued. The whole of the eighty-eighth regiment was fo fcattered, that no return what-preceding night, had lost its road; ever could be given in of its ftrength the next morning; and the few fraggling parties that joined, gave a very melancholy account of the main body. fcarcely fay that he was covered. So ftiff and frozen was this miferable wretch, that he was by no means capable of moving; he informed me that his regiment, the fiftyfourth, which he was following the and in turning into another, he found his horfes incapable of clearing the cart from the ruts, and that himself and his two comrades were left behind to proceed in the An officer of the guards, who beft manner they could: the two was ordered to reconnoitre the next men he spoke of were then lying morning, had more opportunities dead in the cart, having all three than any other perfon, of witnelf-endeavoured to communicate to one another |