BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY, OF 3000 COTEMPORARY PUBLIC BRITISH AND FOREIGN, OF ALL RANKS AND PROFESSIONS. SECOND EDITION. VOL. III. PART II. LONDON: PRINTED FOR GEO. B. WHITTAKER, AVE-MARIA LANE. M. RUFFIN 301 WAS educated in the Jesuits-college at Paris, as a king'sscholar, and, previously to the revolution, was employed in the royal library, and as interpreter of the oriental languages by the minister for the foreign department. In 1797 he accompanied the French ambassador to Constantinople, as counsellor-of-embassy, and was left in that capital as chargé d'affaires. When the French invaded Egypt he was imprisoned in the Seven Towers. He continued to act as chargé d'affaires, during the whole of the time that the imperial government existed, was replaced when Louis was restored, but again resumed his functions on the return of Napoleon from Elba. Since the second restoration of the Bourbons, he has been recalled, but has been granted a considerable pension, and the title of honorary secretary-of-embassy. His son was chancellor of the French consulate at St. Petersburgh, and is now consul at Varna. CARDINAL RUFFO WAS born at Naples, on the 16th of September, 1744. Having been appointed treasurer-general to Pope Pius VI. he obtained, by various measures of his administration, the approbation of the whole Roman states. debted for the law which gives a premium to the proprietors To him they were inof land who should plant olives. The policy of this measure has been followed by the most happy results. undertook the bold but romantic enterprize to re-conquer In 1799 he Naples from the French; and extravagant as the hope seemed, he succeeded. He landed at Reggio, in Calabria, with three men only. As soon as he had assembled one hundred men, he marched with this small escort, and excited so much enthusiasm, that he encamped with twenty-five thousand men before Naples. On his march, and after the capitulation of that city, he committed acts of perfidy and cruelty which súllied the bravery of his enterprize. The political results of this expedition were the recapture of Naples, and the evacuation of the Roman States and of Tuscany. Shortly after this, Cardinal Ruffo had an open quarrel with the English forces in that quarter, whom he accused of having violated the terms of a capitulation. In 1801 he was appointed minister-plenipotentiary of the King of Naples to the court of Rome, and at that time entered insensibly into the tumult of public affairs. After VOL. III. DD |