FREDERICK WILLIAM, DUKE OF BRUNSWICK-LUNEBURG, OELS, AND BERNSTADT. AMONG the gallant heroes, who fell on the sangui- ously displayed by him on all occasions. Sometimes, indeed, his buoyant sense of youthful energy, which banished every idea of personal danger, impelled him beyond the bounds of prudence. On the 27th of No of his life in a skirmish which took place in the village of Etch, near Wurbel. He there received two wounds, and it was a considerable time before he recovered from their effects. nary field of Waterloo, the Duke of Brunswick-Oels claims a prominent place, both on account of his elevated rank as a sovereign-prince, and his near alliance to some of the most illustrious houses in Europe. Des-vember, 1792, he incurred the most imminent danger cended from a line of heroes, he closed his career in a manner worthy of their glory, and of the high character which he had previously acquired. This heroic prince was the fourth and youngest son of Charles William Ferdinand, the late reigning Duke of BrunswickLuneburg, who died November 10, 1806, at Ottensen, near Altona, in consequence of a wound which he received at the unfortunate battle of Jena. He was doubly allied to the illustrious house which sways the British sceptre; his mother being the sister of our beloved monarch, and his sister the wife of the Prince Regent. The treaty concluded at Basle, in April, 1795, again gave repose to the Prussian army. Prince Frederick William, after being for some time commander of the regiment of Thadden, at Halle, and afterwards of Kleist's regiment, at Prenzlau, was, in 1800, promoted to the rank of major-general. The latter regiment had long distinguished itself in the Prussian army, and, under the conduct of the prince, who bestowed on it the most assiduous attention, confirmed the character and reputation which it had previously acquired. In 1802, he married the Princess Mary Elizabeth Wilhel mina, the grand-daughter of the Grand Duke of Baden;-a circumstance which diffused new satisfaction and joy over his whole house. The prince and his consort seemed to have been created expressly for each other; and their mutual felicity was augmented by the birth of two sons, Oct. 30, 1804, and April 25, 1806, both of whom are still living. He was born Oct. 6, 1771, and received the same education as his brothers, till the military profession, for which he was destined, required a course of instruction particularly adapted to that object. By his father the young prince was beloved with the greatest tenderness. In 1785, he was nominated successor to his uncle, Frederick Augustus, Duke of Oels and Bernstadt, in case he should die without issue ;-an arrangement which was confirmed by his Prussian majesty. After a residence of about two years in Switzerland, the prince commenced his military career. He was appointed captain in the regiment of infantry then in garrison at Magdeburg, commanded by Lieutenant-Oels and Bernstadt. The following year was marked general Langefeld, governor of that place ;-a regiment which previously had for its chief the prince's great uncle, the hero of Crevelt and Minden. On the demise of his uncle, Frederick Augustus, on the 8th of October, 1806, he succeeded to the duchy of by the breaking out of the long-expected war, the issue of which is so well known. The Duke was attached to the corps commanded by General Blucher, which, after the most astonishing exertions and the most obstinate resistance, was obliged to submit to the law of necessity. His highness, who devoted himself with the greatest zeal and assiduity to the duties of his profession, was rapidly promoted; and, at the early age of nineteen, he was invested with the grand order of the Black Eagle. In the war with France, which commenced in 1792, the prince accompanied the Prussian army. He gained experience; and the military talents and intrepidity which he gradually developed, were conspicu-Prussian service. The capitulation of Lubeck put an end to the duke's military career for this war; and the circumstances of the times, with the peculiar relations resulting from them, induced him to solicit his dismission from the The unexpected decease of his eldest brother, the hereditary prince, in the month of September of the same year, and the agreement concluded by him with his two next brothers, called him, on the decease of his father, to the government of the patrimonial dominions; which, however, he held but for a short time, Brunswick being, by the treaty of Tilsit, incorporated with the kingdom of Westphalia. After this event, the Duke resided chiefly at Bruchsal, in Baden; and there he was doomed to experience a misfortune that afflicted him still more severely. On the 20th of April, 1808, he lost his amiable consort, before she had attained her twenty-sixth year. scribed as completely annihilated; the inhabitants of Leipsic were, therefore, not a little surprised, when, in the morning of the 26th of July, after a smart action before the inner gates, he entered that city with nineteen hundred men, of whom seven hundred were cavalry. It is not unlikely that the duke had reason to be dissatisfied with something which had occurred during his former occupation of this city; for a contribution, though a very moderate one, amounting to no more than fifteen thousand dollars, was imposed: and this was the only requisition of the kind made by the duke during his whole march. His troops also exercised the right of retaliation on several persons who Early in 1809, when a rupture between France and had given them offence during and after their retreat. Austria appeared probable, his highness concluded On the 27th, the Duke arrived at Halle, and, with a convention with the latter power, by which he en- unparalleled celerity, pursued his route by way of gaged to raise a corps of two thousand men, half infan- Eisleben to Halberstadt, which place Count Wellingetry and half cavalry, at his own expense; and, notwith- | rode, grand-marshal of the palace to the King of Weststanding the difficulties thrown in his way by Prussia, phalia, entered, with the fifth regiment of foot, on the he succeeded in collecting the stipulated number in a forenoon of the 30th. The same evening the duke's very short time. Hostilities soon commenced, and the corps appeared before the gates with six pieces of canduke began his new military career by making an in- non. The enemy, though destitute of cavalry and arcursion into the kingdom of Saxony, in conjunction tillery, made an obstinate resistance, but was at length with a corps of Austrian troops. They were, however, overpowered, after a sanguinary conflict, which was obliged to evacuate Leipsic and Dresden, on the ap- continued for some time in the streets of Halberstadt, proach of a considerable force, composed of Dutch and during which the duke fought in the ranks of his and Westphalians. The duke and General Am Ende black hussars. retired from Dresden in a western direction, towards Franconia, into which the Austrians had penetrated from Bohemia with a considerable force. The armistice concluded at Znaim terminated the contest in that country also, and deprived the Duke of the co-operation of the Austrian troops. They evacuated Dresden, which they had a second time occupied, and withdrew beyond the frontiers of Bohemia. He now directed his course towards his native city. Late in the evening of the 31st of July, he entered Brunswick, on whose ramparts, wrapped in a cloak, he passed the night. And here it has been justly asked by a writer of great respectability, "What must have been the feelings of the prince, when he beheld the palace, once the residence of his illustrious ancestors, his own cradle, and the theatre of his juvenile years; when he traversed the streets in which his parent had so often been seen, attended by crowds of happy mortals, who awaited the father of his people, to pay him the tribute of grateful tears; when he encountered the anxious and timid looks of those who once hoped to see the prosperity and the glory of their country augmented by him, whom alone, from among his three sons, his father had deemed worthy to be his successor? These were, perhaps, the most painful moments experienced by this high-spirited prince, since the sable genius of Auerstadt eclipsed the splendour of the The difficulties which opposed the execution of this house of the Welfs. Fate seemed to shew him once undertaking were innumerable. It was not till he had more the happy land, to which he was the rightful heir, traversed a space of nearly three hundred miles, that to make him more keenly sensible of his loss. He, he could hope to reach the German Ocean; and his nevertheless, retained sufficient strength of mind to route lay through countries not wholly destitute of hos- conduct himself with exemplary moderation. If he tile troops. could not confer happiness, neither would he involve The corps of the Duke of Brunswick had been de- others in his own calamity: but, in a proclamation, The Duke of Brunswick, in the mean time, had likewise evacuated some of the places of which he had taken possession, but still remained in the Erzgeberge, without being pursued either by the Saxons or Westphalians. For some time he appeared undecided, whether he should join the Austrians in Bareuth, or adopt a different plan. He at length determined to quit Germany, where fortune did not seem to smile on the cause which he had espoused, and to conduct his corps to the English, who were then preparing for an expedition to the Continent. magnanimously recommended to his countrymen to be | East Friesland, with a view to embark on the coast of obedient to their present rulers." that province. This opinion, however, proved erro years at Elsfleth. In these vessels he embarked his men in the night of the 6th, and by force procured a sufficient number of hands to navigate them; the surrounding district being chiefly inhabited by sea-faring people. On the morning of the 7th, the duke hoisted the British flag, set sail, and the following day reached Heligoland with part of his corps. That island he quitted on the 11th, and with his faithful followers proceeded to England, where they and their brave commander were received into the British service. The duke found it impossible to remain at Bruns-neous; for, crossing the Hunte, a small stream which wick, as he was closely pressed on all sides. The discharges itself into the Weser at Huntebruck, he Westphalian general, Reubel, concentrated four thou-seized the corn-ships which had been lying inactive for sand men of his division at Ohoff'; General Gratien had set out with a Dutch division from Erfurt, and was approaching the coasts of the German Ocean; while General Ewald, with a corps of Danish troops, crossed from Gluckstadt over the Elbe into the Hanoverian territory, to cover the banks of that river. General Reubel was nearest to the duke, who, in his rapid retreat, had daily actions with the advanced guard of the Westphalian troops. That which was fought in the afternoon of the 1st of August, at Oelper, near Brunswick, and in which the duke's horse was killed by a cannon-ball, was the eleventh since the commencement of his retreat in Saxony. " The next morning he quitted his native city, and the movement which he now made caused it to be generally supposed that he was proceeding to Zell. Thither the troops under Reubel, and others, accordingly directed their course. The duke, however, suddenly made his appearance at Hanover, which he entered on the morning of the 3d of August; and, in the afternoon, pursued his route, by way of Neustadt, to Nienburg, where he arrived the following day. Here he crossed the Weser. He broke down the bridges behind him, and reached Hoya on the 4th. In this manner he hastened along the left bank of the Weser, while part of his corps, in order to make a false demonstration, turned off to Bremen. On the evening of the 5th, this detachment possessed itself of the gates of the city, and hastily departed the next day to rejoin On the fortunate turn taken by the affairs of Europe early in 1814, his highness quitted England, to take possession of his patrimony, recovered from the rapacious fangs of Buonaparte; and was devoting his attention to those plans of internal improvement by which his father rendered himself beloved and adored by his subjects, when the perfidious conduct of the French once more summoned him to assist in the task of humbling that nation. How heartily he espoused the cause of legitimate right and social order, may be conceived from this fact, that, though the contingent required of him was no more than four thousand men, he actually joined the immortal Wellington with fourteen thousand, whom he clothed in black, vowing, that he with them would wear no other colour till he had witnessed the complete overthrow of the monster who had basely insulted his dying father. Providence, however, did not permit him to enjoy that gratification,, nor to see the glorious results of the victory to which his own valour and that of his brave followers contributed. He was killed on the spot, whilst gallantly fighting at the head of his faithful troops, as we have already related. His body was conveyed to Brunswick, to be interred in the burial-place of his illustrious ancestors. ALEXANDER THE FIRST, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA. THOUGH not personally engaged in the memorable, mestic virtues of a Penelope, he is very far from having battle of Waterloo, Alexander demands a prominent place in these biographical sketches, on account of the distinguished part which he bore in the first overthrow of the Corsican usurper, and the determination which he evinced, in concert with his illustrious allies, to render abortive the renewed attempts of that monster to enslave the world. Alexander was born on the 23d of December, 1777; and, on the 9th of October, 1793, he was married to Maria Louisa Elizabeth Alexiena, of Baden. In his person he is tall, lusty, and well-proportioned; his face is full and very fair; his eyes are blue, and expressive of that beneficent mildness, which is one of the prominent features of his character; and his whole deportment is marked with mingled dignity and condescension. In the discharge of his public duties, Alexander displays great activity and acuteness, but without show or any bustle. In fact, he is so averse to parade, that he drives about Petersburgh in a plain chariot, of a dark olive colour, drawn by four horses, driven by a bearded coachman, and a common postilion, and at- | tended by a single footman. He is greatly attached to the English, numbers of whom have formed, under the auspices of his government, a sort of colony in his empire; and he has often been heard to say, that the man within whose reach Heaven has placed the greatest materials for making life happy, was, in his opinion, an English country-gentleman." The following remarks on his private character are extracted from a work published during the reign of the Emperor Paul, entitled, "Secret Memoirs of the Court of Russia." had an Ulysses for his father, or a Mentor for his tutor, He may be reproached, too, with the same defects which Fenelon has allowed in his imaginary pupil: but these are, perhaps, not so much failings, as the absence of certain qualities not yet developed in him, or which have been stifled in his heart by the companions that have been assigned him. He inherits from Catherine an elevation of sentiment, and an unalterable equality of temper; a mind just and penetrating, and an uncommon discretion; but a reserve and circumspection unsuitable to his age, and which might be taken for dissimulation, did it not evidently proceed rather from the delicate situation in which he was placed between his father and grandmother, than from his heart, which is naturally frank and ingenuous. He inherits his mother's stature and beauty, as well as her mildness and benevolence: while in none of his features does he resemble his father; and he must certainly dread him, more than love him. Paul, conjecturing the intentions of Catherine in favour of this son, has always behaved coldly towards him; since he discovered in him no resemblance of character, and no conformity of taste, with himself: for Alexander appears to do what his father requires of him, from a principle of filial duty, rather than compliance with his own inclinations. His humanity has acquired him the hearts of the soldiers; his good sense, the admiration of the officers. He is the constant mediator between the autocrat and those unhappy persons, who, by some trifling neglect, may have provoked imperial wrath and vengeance. This pupil of La Harpe requires not the dignity of grandduke of Russia to inspire sentiments of love and interest; Nature has richly endowed him with the most amiable qualities; and his character of heir to the greatest empire in the world cannot render them indifferent to humanity. Heaven may perhaps have destined him to render thirty millions of people more free than they are at present, and more worthy of being so." The following instance of Alexander's humanity, in restoring to life, by his own personal exertion, a Polish peasant, who had been accidentally drowned in the river Willia, in Lithuania, was communicated to the Royal Humane Society of London, by James Grange, Esq. in the following letter: "Dear Sir, "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Alexander, in one of his journeys through Poland, by his own personal exertion and perseverance, restored to life a peasant of that country, who had been drowned a considerable time. This highly interesting occurrence came to my knowledge during my stay at St. Petersburgh; and took place between Koyna and Wilna, in Lithuania, on the banks of the little river Willia, from which the last-mentioned town derives its name. | had not the slightest hope of being more successful in this than in former attempts, proceeded to obey the injunctions of his imperial majesty; when the noblemen making a last effort in rubbing, &c., the emperor had, at length, the inexpressible satisfaction of seeing blood make its appearance, accompanied by a slight groan. "The emotions of his imperial majesty on this occasion are not to be described; and, in the fulness of his joy, he exclaimed in French, Good God! this is the brightest day of my life!' and the tears which instantaneously glistened in his eyes, indicated that these words came from his heart. "The accompanying snuff-box, on which this interesting event is faithfully though roughly delineated, (the poor inhabitants of that part of Poland being no great artists,) was sketched at a neighbouring town, for the purpose of commemorating this restoration; and is one of the four presented, on the occasion, to the principal actors in it; namely, his imperial majesty, and the three gentlemen above mentioned, who are (though not very correctly) represented on it. 66 Requesting you to excuse the hasty and imperfect manner in which I have endeavoured to narrate this very affecting transaction, to which I feel myself incompetent to do adequate justice, allow me to assure "The emperor, from some cause immaterial to the present subject, had considerably advanced his attendants; and, being led by the winding of the road within a short distance of the above-mentioned river, and perceiving several persons assembled near the edge of the water, out of which they appeared to be dragging something, he instantly alighted, and, approaching the spot, found it to be the body of a man apparently lifeless. Prompted by humanity alone, and without any other assistance than that of the peasants around him, to whom he was no otherwise known, than that his uni-you, sir, of the sentiments of respect and esteem with form indicated an officer of rank, he had him conveyed which I beg leave to subscribe myself, to the side of a bank, and immediately proceeded with "Dear sir, his own hands to assist in taking off the wet clothes from the apparent corpse, and to rub his temples, wrists, &c. which his imperial majesty continued for a considerable time, using all other means (though destitute of any medical assistance) that appeared most likely to restore animation: but without effect. "In the midst of this occupation, the emperor was joined by the gentlemen of his suite, among whom were Prince Wolkousky, Count Liewen, and Dr. Weilly, his majesty's head-surgeon, who always travels with, and indeed never quits, the emperor. "The exertions of these persons were immediately added to those of the emperor; and, on the doctor's attempting to bleed the patient, his majesty held and rubbed his arm, and gave every other assistance in his power. This, however, and all other means they could devise, proved so ineffectual, that, after more than three hours fruitless attempts to recover him, the doctor declared, to the extreme chagrin of the emperor, that the spark of life was quite extinct, and that it was useless proceeding any further. "Fatigued as he was by such continued exertion, the emperor could not, however, rest satisfied, without entreating Dr. Weilly to persevere, and to make a fresh attempt to bleed him. The doctor, although he "Your's, most faithfully, "JAMES GRANGE." Upon the morning after the death of the Emperor Paul, on the 11th of March, 1801, (O. S.) his son Alexander, then in the twenty-fourth year of his age, was announced as his successor in the chapel of the Winter Palace, at St. Petersburgh, where he received the homage of the principal nobility; and, notwithstanding the catastrophe which had just occurred, the prospect which opened to them, by the accession of their favourite to the throne, diffused throughout all ranks an universal joy. The measures which were immediately adopted to remedy the mischiefs of the former bad government, and to conciliate all ranks of people in favour of the new one, evince a degree of ability and strength of mind greater than was to be expected from the mildness of the new emperor's disposition. The first public act was the following proclamation: "We, by the grace of God, Alexander the First, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, &c., declare to all our faithful subjects: It has pleased the decrees of the Almighty to shorten the life of our beloved pa |