THE GENTLEMAN's and LONDON MAGAZINE, For APRIL, The evil Effects of exceffive drinking Spirituous Liquors, illustrated with a striking Exemplary Engraving. IF the antient Romans decreed a civic crown to him who faved the life of one fellow-citizen, what honours, what praifes are due to those who fave the lives of thou fands! Such are the Right Honourable and Worthy Gentlemen, who have lately ftood forth to fupprefs thofe deftroyers of health, Corruptors of morals, and incentives to every species of violence and depredation-the DRAM Shops. The evil effects of an exceffive ufe of fpirituous liquors, have been long known to every thinking man; have been long lamented by every friend to humanity-but alas! they have been known and lamented in vain. If the widow and orphans of the man murdered by robbers (who had drank themselves up to a pitch of lavage cruelty) cried out, in the bitterness of their hearts, against the DRAMSHOPS which furnished the baneful incentive, they cried in vain-the revenue mut be raised. If the perfon pil aged of proper ty, and cut and maimed by the midnight intoxicated ruffian, complained of his lofs, he complained in vain-the revenue mu be tailed. If the pining wife and famithing children, fought for a morfel to fatisfy the cravings of hanger, they fought in vain; the neceflary penny that would have purchased bread, was funk by the infatuated husband, in the DRAM SHOP, which was fuffered to intice him, because the revenue must be raifed. If the phyficians declared, that DRAMS were flow poifon, that they hindered population, or at beft only fuffered a debilitated puny race to be born; and that they induced nine tenths of the diforders which fill our hofpitals and infirmaries, and hollowed our church-yards with premature graves, the phyficians, alas! declared their fentiments in vain-the revenue must be Gent. Mag. April, 1788. raised. If the clergy preached against Dram drinking, as the bane of morality, as the infernal Lethean draught, that produced an oblivion of every duty to God, our neighhours, and ourselves, and ftifled the calls of humanity, the fenfe of charity and honesty, and the itings of confcience; and pioufly endeavoured to add to the fears of a temporal, that of an eternal death, not only the defruction of body but of foul: they alas! preached in vain; DRAM SHOPS were daily multiplied, for-the revenue must be raised. Thus for a long time paft, the infatiate maw of revenue fwallowed up the health, morals, religion, lives and fouls of the common people; and compleatly rendered the bulk of them not only ufelefs, but burthenfome, and even noxious members of fociety. However, at length the film feems to be dropping from the eyes of feveral members of the legiflature. A number of real patriots have examined accurately into the many evils arifing from the multitude of DRAM SHOPS they have juitly ftiled them an insufferable nuifance, and declared them to be the fource. of almost every public evil, and the certain obftruction to every patristic endeavour for promoting the improvement, the civilization, the industry and general projperity of the nation. They have applied to our Chief Governor, who, in his aufwer, adopts their declaration, and promifes his co-operation: hence we may reasonably hope, the evil is near its end; and that the wildom of Parliament will, at the next fellions, contrive fome other fource of revenue, than from the drunkenness, debauchery, and deftruction of mankind. The clergy have been requested to add their voices to this reprefentation of long-felt evils; and every haneft man, in every fta Y tion. tion, fhould throw in his mite for this laudable purpose. To aid the general with of all good fubjects, this Magazine hath chofen a method that may ftrike the eyes of its readers, and point out one circumftance, mere horrid than many could have imagined. Although dram drinking is univerfally known to be the great and main incentive to robbery and cruelty, yet moft would conceive, when the victims of offended juftice approached their execution, compunction and repentance would take place; and after expiating, infome measure, for their offences, by their deaths, their fouls might meet with that pardon hereafter, from an all merciful Judge, which juftice was compelled to deny to their bodies here. But, Ô dreadful to think! the vice that firft led them to the crimes for which they fuffer, accompanies them to the gibbet, hardens their hearts against the terrors of death, fhuts up the channels to repentance, and they expire, too frequently, in an intoxicated ftate, indifferent to their approaching fate, and regardless of eternity. A Song (See our Mag. for Feb.) that hath lately fpread through this city, has been thought by many to tend to increafe this criminal indifference of futurity. To thofe who view it folely in a ludicrous light, it may indeed have fometimes that effect; but if confidered seriously, it is a juft picture of what too frequently precedes an execution. It depicts a fet of robbers vifiting a condemed comrade the night before he was to fuffer death; it fhews the horrid infenfibility of the culprit, raifed and kept up by dram drinking, to fuch a degree, as to flight the admonition of the clergy, to declare his infidelity, and even to play at cards on his very coffin. The reading this fong, muft ftrike every perfon with horror, who is not too far gone to be reclaimed. The Negro Makandal, an authentic Hiftory. [From the French of the Mercure de France.] 17 T is not above twenty-five years ago, that the ifland of St. Domingo trembled at the fingle name of Makandal. Born in Africa, in one of the countries at the foot of Mount Atlas, he was unquestionably of high rank; for his education had been attended to with an affiduity not common among the negroes. He could read and write the Arabic Language; nor was he the only negro, fallen by chance into flavery, and conveyed to our colonies, that could boaft of this talent. Makandal, moreover, had a fine tafte for mufic, painting, and sculpture; and although he was no more than twelve years of age when he was fent to the Weft Indies, he had great knowledge of the medicinę of his country, and of the virtue of fimples; a know ledge fo useful, and often fo dangerous, in the burning zone that extends between the tropics. Makandal was fold to a planter in the vicinity of Cape François. He not only gave great fatisfaction to his mafter, by his uncommon understanding and affiduity; but he was beloved and revered by all the flaves, on account of the care he took to contribute to their amufement, by multiplying their holidays; and by curing their difeafes, when the white phyficians had given them over. He foon became the foul of all their dancing affemblies, of which the negroes are paffionately fond; and from one end of the island to the other, the fick that were given over invoked the name of Makandal, and fent to him, to intreat some leaf of an herb, or some root, which almoft conftantly restored them to health. At this period, young Makandał was diftinguifhed for beneficence, and a paffionate fondnefs for pleafure. Happy, indeed, had he made no other ufe of fuch extraordinary talents. But they proved, in the fequel, to be fources of the moft enormous crimes. At fifteen or fixteen years of age, love difplayed its influence in his foul with the moft aftonifhing impetuofity. Inftead of an exclufive inclination for a fingle female, alt tho that poffeffed more than ordinary`attractions, participated in his homage, and inflamed his defires. His paffion acquired greater energy and activity, in proportion as the objects that infpired it became more numerous. From every quarter he selected his miftreffes. It is well known, that, among the negroes, defire is foon fucceeded by enjoyment, and that enjoyment is commonly followed by indifference and fatiety. Makandal, on the contrary, feemed conftantly more charmed with the woman that contributed to his happiness; and an uncommon fierceness of jealousy defended the empire of his love. which Makandal was a flave, was fmitten The white overfeer of the plantation in with a young woman, with whom Makandal alfo fell in love. We may imagine how much the poor girl muft have been embarraffed to choose between a defpotic and fevere mafter, and the moft diftinguished of all the negroes; but, at last, her heart voted for her equal, and the overfeer was refused. that Makandal was the caufe of it, and reEnraged at this indignity, he difcovered folved to be revenged. Makandal, notwithftanding his nocturnal courses, and the attention he devoted to pleasure, performed his duty, as a flave, with fo much zeal and punctuality, that he had never been exposed to the flightest punishment;, a very aftonithing circumftance in a country where the whip inceffantly tears the bodies of the wretched negroes, negroes, and excites terror' and compaffion in the breast of an European, not rendered callous by barbarous habit, to the horror of fuch a fight. The overfeer, impatient to surprise Makandal in some fault, redoubled his vigilance, but in vain: the flave was uniformly irreproachable. His enemy, not finding any reafon to punifh him, determined to form fome pretext; and, one day, in the midft of a new plantation of fugar-canes, he ordered him to lie down on the ground, and receive fifty lafhes. The high-fpirited Makandal appeared fhocked at this injuftice. Far from humbling himself, and imploring the interceffion of the other flaves, who were all aftonished and affected, he fiercely threw bis working tools at his rival's feet, and told him that this inhuman order was now the fignal of liberty. At the fame time, he fled towards the mountains, and efcaped, notwithftanding the fury of the overfeer, and the feigned pursuits of the negroes, who had no inclination to take him. From that moment, he was in the number of the runaway negroes, and continued to be fo for twelve years before he could be apprehended. He conftantly lived, however, in the midft of his comrades. There was not an entertainment of any confequence at which he was not the head. How, indeed, could any one of the negroes be induced to betray their friend, their comforter, and their prophet? For he had the dexterity, at laft, to perfuade them, that he was poffeffed of fupernatural virtues, and favoured with di vine revelations. He had curiously engraved, at the head of an orange flick, a fmall human figure, which, when it was touched a little below the head, moved its eyes and lips, and feem ed to be animated. He pretended, that this fetiche Sanfwered all his queftions as an oracle; and when he thought fit to predict the death of any one, it is certain that he was never miftaken. From the great knowledge which Makan dal had of fimples, he was enabled to difcover, at St. Domingo, many poisonous plants; and it was by this that he acquired fuch extenfive credit. Without explaining the means that he employed, he would declare that fuch a negro, whether male or female, who lived fometimes fifty leagues from the place where he uttered the prediction, would die the fame day, or the day after; and thofe who heard him foon learned, with terror, that the prediction was accomplished. NOT E. Fetiche is a name given in Guinea to their divinities; one of whom is fuppofed to prefide over a whole province, and one over every family. This idol is a tree, the head of an ape, a bird, or any fuch thing as their fancy may fuggeft. It is now proper to explain the means tha he employed in the commiffion of crimes, that were not conceived to be fuch, till they had been carried to an extreme of enormity, The negroes, in general, have a great propenfity to commerce. Numbers of them act as hawkers and pedlars, in difperfing the European goods about the country; and, in the French colonies, they are called pacotilleurs. It was among thefe that Makandal had his difciples, and moft confidential partizans; and thefe, in particular, he employed in all the good he did, or all the evil of which he was the author. Another custom, moreover, among the negroes, is to exercise the virtues of hospitality with a religious attention, and to take a repaft together on feeing each other again. after the smallest abfence. Now, whenever Makandal had determined that any particu lar perfon fhould perifh, he dispatched one of thefe pedlars that were his friends, to prefent to the devoted perfon fome fruit that he gave him, declaring, at the fame time, that it contained the death of the person who was to eat it. The pedlar, inftead of fuppofing that Makandal had poisoned the fruit, trembled at the power of his fetiche, executed the command of the pretended prophet, without daring to mention it to any one: the victim expired; and, at a distance from the tragical fcene, the prefcience of Makandal was the fubject of admiration. His friends ever found in him a formidable avenger; and his rivals, his inconftant miftreffes, and those in particular that refused his folicitations, never efcaped from his cruelty. But, at laft, love, which had fo much favoured him; love, for which he had committed innumerable crimes; love hurried him to deftruction. Makandal had two accomplices, or licutenants, blindly devoted to his will. The one was named Teyffelo, and the other Mayombo; and it is probable, that they alone were partly in the fecret of the means which he employed to eftablish his dominion. In the day time, he retired with these two chiefs, and a confiderable number of other runaway negroes, to the almoft inacceffible heights of the mountains, where they kept their wives and children, with well-cultivated plantations. Bands of armed robbers fometimes defcended thence, at the command of Makandal, to spread terror and devastation in the habitations of the adjacent plains, or to exterminate those who had disobeyed the prophet. He feemed, moreover, to be attached to many young negroes, who gave him an account of whatever paffed in the plantations where they were flaves. Among these was one named Zami, about eighteen years old, Y 2 beautif 172 beautiful as the Apolo of Belvedere, and diftinguifhed by courage and underfanding. One Sunday, Zami had repaired to a dance, about three leagues from his mailer's houle. The whole affembly, with tranfports of admiration and pleafure, encircled a negro girl called Samba, who danced with an inchanting grace, and who, to a tender and woluptuous air, united the moft timid modefty. Her fhape was elegant, eafy, and like thofe pliant reeds that are balanced by the winds. Her eyes beamed inexpreffible luftre. Her teeth eclipfed the whitenefs of fnow; and her complexion, as black as ebony, added fafcination to her charms. The Negro Makandal, an authentic Hiftory. Zami beheld this uncommon beauty, and, for the first time, felt the tender fenfation. Samba, at the fame inftant, fixed her fine eyes, by chance, on Zami, and was ftruck with the fame dart that had pierced the young negro. After the dance was over, à converfation took place between the two lovers; their mutual flame was avowed; and they became infeparable for that day. When it was neceffary to part, they promised to fee each other as often as poflible. In the day-time, each was occupied in labour; but when the fun vanished from the horizon, they repaired to a private rendezvous. There, in a grove of odoriferous orange trees, they repeated the ardent expreffions of mutual paffion; confoling each other by the tendereft careffes, for that reftraint in their fituation, which obliged them to feparate as foon as the fun arofe to gild the azure kies. Their happinefs lafted about fix months, when Samba perceived that the was to be a mother. She communicated this discovery to Zami, whofe transports on the occafion were inexpreffible. He was ftill in all the intoxication of his joy, when, on quitting his beloved Samba, at break of day, and entering his hut, he found Makandal waiting for him. Makandal, who was unacquainted with Zami's paffion and good fortune, thus addressed him!/ "Zami, thou knoweft the dreadful pow. er of my fetiche. Rejoice, therefore, that thou haft found favour in his fight, and merit his confidence. Go, and find out Samba, the negro woman, who has hitherto rejected the folicitations of all her admirers, and who, for a year past, has even irritated my pride, by her obftinate refufal. Demand hofpitality of her; and when the is about to eat, dexteroufly put this powder into her mefs. it will be her death." At the fame time, he gave him a piece of the banana leaf, which contained the fatal powder. Thefe words ftruck Zami like a clap of thunder: he threw himself at Makandal's feet, and burfling into tears, thus addreffed Nimi April, to facrifice to thy vengeance the most perfect "Oh, Makandal, canft thou require me beauty, the pureft foul that ever did honour to our country? Know that I adore Samba ; I am tenderly beloved by her; and the will foon give the title of father to the unfortunate Zami." the knees of the ferocious Makandal, who, While he was thus fpeaking, he embraced enraged to fee a favoured rival, drew his cutlafe, and was doubtlefs going to facrifice him on the fpot, if the voices of the white men, who were calling the flaves to work, had not been heard. Makandal had but just confiderately left the poisonous powder in thê time to escape with precipitation; and he inhands of Zami. cover the whole to the white overseers; but The latter was determined, at first, to difhe ftill dreaded Makandal; he dreaded, particularly, his fetiche; and he kept the fecret. long. He was overwhelmed with inexprefThe day appeared to him infupportably fible grief and anxiety; and, at laft, when the hour of reft was come, he repaired, with impatience, to the wonted rendezvous. waited for her with unfpeakable anxiety. Samba was not yet arrived. Her lover Agitated alternately by hope and fear, every moment he thought he heard her coming. The leaft noife, the flighteft trembling of the trees, augmented the illufion. But perceiving that the hour of rendezvous was paft, his mind was filled with the moft gloomy apprehenfions; and he loft, at length, all hopes of fuddenly fprung forward, and flew towards feing her when midnight came. He then the dwelling of Samba, impatient to know what could have happened. Imagine the confternation, the grief, the by her fide. He was conveyed out of the den deaths was then fufpected. The danger to to defpair of fuccefs, when Zami undertook to take him. He armed himself with a small club, made of the Indian pear-tree; and he placed himself in ambuscade in one of the defiles of the mountain to which Makandal bad retired. There he patiently waited for him five days. At last, on the fixth, before break of day, he heard him walking with two other runaway negroes. Zami inftantly rushed upon them, and killed the two comrades of Makandal. The latter drew his cutlafs, which Zami, with one blow of his club, beat out of his hand, knocking him down at the fame time. He then tied his arms behind him with his long girdle, and brought him to the Cape. Among the accomplices of Makandal, Teyfielo and Mayombo were also taken; who, when tortured, confeffed the fecret of the poifons. But Makandal himself would make no confeffion. He preferved, even in the flames, his audacity and fanaticism; which led the crowd of ignorant negroes to believe that his fetiche would fave him; and for a moment, indeed, a fingular circumftance feemed to favour that opinion. Makandal was fastened to the stake by an iron collar. When the pile was kindled, his struggles were fo violent, that he tore up the ftake, and run ten or twelve steps in the midst of the crowd. All the negroes inftantly exclaimed, "A miracle! A miracle"-But a foldier, with a ftroke of his fabre, convinc ed them, that he was more powerful than the fetiche; and the inhuman Makandal was thrown into the flames. As for Zami, he had no fooner avenged his beloved Samba, than he put a period to his own existence, in the hopes of speedily rejoining ber, without whom his life was become an infupportable burthen. A new and correct Peerage of Ireland; come piled from the latest and befi authority. Gage, Viscount Gage. HE right hon. William Hall Gage, Tord Silcount Gage, of Cattle liland, baron of Caftlebar, and baronet, fucceeded his father Thomas, the late and first viscount, in December, 1754; and his majetty was pleafed to advance him to the peerage of Great Britain, Oct. 17, 1780, by the title of lord baron Gage of Firle, in the county of Suffex. He married, in Jan. 1757, Mifs Elizabeth Gideon, daughter of the late and fifter to the prefent Sir Sampfon Gideon, bart, and by her, who died 1st July, 1780, he has issue a fon, born in March 1779. This noble family is of Norman extraction, and derives its defcent from De Gaga, or Gage, who attended King William I. in his expedition to England, and after the conqueft thereof, was rewarded with large grants of lands in the foreft of Dean (which con tains about 50,000 acres) and county of Gloucefter; adjacent to which foreft he fixed his refidence, by building a feat at Clurewall, in the fame parish, where the fine feat of the lord Gage now ftands, and his pofterity remained in that county for many generations, in credit and efteem, one whereof was member of parliament for Taviftock, in the reign of Edward III. and from him defcended Sir John Gage who diftinguifhed himself in a very extraordinary manner, both in a military and civil capacity, and became one of the most famous men in the reigns of Henry VIII. and his children. He was fworn a privy councellor, made vice chainberlain, comptroller of the houthold, and knight of the garter, and died in 1556, leaving iffue by Philippa, daughter to Sir Richard Guldeforde, 4 fons and 4 daughters, viz Sir Edward, his fucceffor; James, feat ed at Bently, in SuTex; Robert, feated at Healing, in Surry; William, left no iffue; Alice, married to Sir Anthony Browne, knight of the garter; Anne, to John Thatcher, Efq; the other two were married, and had issue." Sir Edward, the eldeft fon, was a knight of the Bath, and married Elizabeth, daughter of John Parker, Efq; by whoin he had iffue feveral children. The eldest fon died without iffue; Thomas, the second son, left a fon John, which * (1ft Bart.) John fucceeded his uncle in his eftate, and was advanced to the degree of a Baronet of Great Britain, 26th March, 1622, and married Penelope, daughter to Sir George Trenchard, Knight, by whom he had 4 fons and 5 daughters, who all married. Of the sons, Sir Thomas was the fecond Baronet. John died without iffue. Sir Edward was created a Baronet of Great Britain, 15 July, 1662. Henry married a sister and coheir of Henry earl of Dover, and had illue. N O T E. She after became the fecond wife of Sir William Harvey, grandfather to John, cre ated earl of Bristol. When the was first left a widow, fhe was only 17 years of age, a very great beauty, and heiress to a very large fortune. We are told this odd circunftance concerning her marriages; that being courted by her three hufbands together, who quarrelled about her, fhe artfully put an end to their difpute, by threatening the firft aggreffor with her everlafting difpleafure; by which means, they not knowing whom the might chuse, laid the quarrel asleep; and she told them humouroufly, if they would keep the peace, and have patience, fhe would have them all in their turns; which happened accordingly, though fo unlikely to turn out, |