• Brandies themselves acquire their colour; for till we have made this discovery it will be in vain to attempt an imitation; because if we should be able to imitate exactly the colour, which is, indeed, no difficult task, the spirit will not ftand the teft of different experiments, unless the colour in both be « produced from the fame ingredient.

This being undeniably the cafe, let us try if we cannot difcover this mighty fecret; the ingredient from whence the French Brandy acquires its colour.

We have already obferved, that this colour is only found in fuch Brandies as have acquired a mellow ripeness by age; it is therefore not given it by the Distiller, but has gained it by lying long in the cafk. Confequently the ingredient from whence this colour is extracted is no other than the wood of the cafk, and the Brandy is in reality become a dilute tincture ⚫ of oak.

The common experiment used to prove the genuineness of French Brandy, proves that this opinion is well founded. The experiment is this: they pour into a glafs of Brandy a few drops of a solution of calcined vitriol of iron, in a diluted fpirit of fulphur, or any other mineral acid, and the whole turns of a blue colour; in the fame manner as we make ink of a tincture of galls and vitriol,'

Having thus difcovered the true ingredient from whence the French Brandy obtains its colour, the Author proceeds to fhew the method of extracting a tincture from oak, and mixing it with the spirit, in order to give it the colour defired.

In this manner the Author has conducted his proceffes; and there is reafon to believe, if his hints are put in practice, that the art of Diftillation will receive confiderable improvements."

But the third part of this treatife will be generally reckoned the most valuable, Mr. Cooper having there given Recipes for making not only all the English Compound Waters and Cordials, but also thofe which are imported, at fuch a prodigious expence, from France and Italy; and plainly fhewn, that they may be made to as great perfection in England as in foreign countries, by which means they may be fold prodigiously cheaper, and at the fame time the money circulated in our own ifland, But as this part confifts entirely of Recipes, it will be improper for us to make any extract, and therefore we must refer the Reader to the treatife itfelf; only obferving, that all the ingredients mentioned in the feveral Recipes, are accurately defcribed, and proper directions given for chufing the beft of each kind,

FO

FOREIGN ARTICLE.

From our Correfpondent at Paris.

GENTLEMEN,

Nothing, at prefent, more engages the attention of all ranks here, than the account, published by authority, of DAMIEN's affair. The work is thus entitled ;'

"Pieces Originales et Procedures du Procés fait a Robert-Fran"çois D'Amien's, &c. Original Acts and Proceedings on "the Trial of Robert-Francis D'Amien's, &c. 4 vols. The first volume contains, befides the Introduc❝tion, 283 pages; fecond, 528; third, 451; fourth, 552. Paris. Printed by Authority, for Peter-William "Simon, Printer to the Parliament of Paris, 1757."

The above-mentioned four volumes contain a thorough and exact account of this most important Trial, which has been at length permitted to be printed, for the fatisfaction of the public. But as this Trial appears in fo voluminous a form, from the whole of the judicial acts and procedures be⚫ing therein comprehended, as might be tedious to run through, ' it may not unreasonably be pronounced, that a compendium, ⚫ or abstract, of the whole of that tranfaction, and of the criminal's life, in which nothing material fhould be omitted, would be equally fufficient to gratify the curiofity of your Readers. I am, Gentlemen!

R

• Your most humble fervant,

X*****

Obert-Francis Damiens was born January 9, 1715, in a Hamlet of Artois called Tieuloy, about a league and a half from St. Pol. His father's name was Peter-Joseph Damiens, a plain laboring man. His mother's maiden name was Guillemant. The marriage of this couple produced ten children, all of whom died before the year 1753, except four, viz. Anthony-Jofeph Damiens, wool-comber, who married and fettled at St. Ömers; Robert-Francis Damiens, the criminal; Lewis Damiens, a fervant at Paris; and a girl called Mary-Catherine, who married Charles Collet, a carpenter of St. Omers,

Robert-Francis Damiens having loft his mother, was placed out to service, at one Petit's in the faid village of Tieuloy; where he ftaid but a fhort time. His great-uncle by the mother's fide, called James-Lewis Guillemant, who kept a public-house at Bethune, was fo kind as to take charge of him. He

might then be about fixteen. From his tendereft youth he had always fhewed himself incorrigible, and was nick-named in the country, for his diabolical temper, Robert the Devil.

His uncle Guillemant had him taught reading and writing; but his difregard to his learning engaged his uncle to put him prentice to one Beauvante, a locksmith, in Bethune. There he ftaid but a fhort time, and lifting himself for a foldier, his uncle had the charity to procure his discharge for 400 livres*.

This new mark of his uncle's goodness did not render Damiens more tractable. He foon after left his uncle, who never faw him afterwards, and who died in 1747.

After leaving Bethune, Damiens came to Arras. There, as he faid, he ftaid fometime, at the abby of St. Vaft, to learn cookery. However, he certainly towards the year 1733, entered into the fervice of Monf. Dubas, a Swifs Officer, with whom he made a campaign at the fiege of Philipfburgh. From thence he paffed directly into the fervice of the Count of Raymond, with whom he went a journey to Bavaria; and on his return, not caring to go with the Count to his eftate in Angoulême, he entered fervant to the Refectory of the Jefuit's college of Lewis-le-grand at Paris, on the recommendation of John-Francis Neveu, a very diftant relation of his, at that time fteward of the college. He ftaid there about fifteen months; at the end of which, for non-fubmiffion to a punishment he had incurred, he was turned off. After this he went into feveral places, for the space of about a year, when he prefented himfelf to the college, and defired to be taken in again. He was fo, and obtained the permiffion of ferving fome particular chambers of boarders.

He ftaid about fourteen or fifteen months in this place, dur'ing which time it was remarked that he fpoke little, was rather paffionate, and very much disposed to be refractory towards his fuperiors.

Towards the year 1738 he got acquainted with Elizabeth .Molerienne, a native of Metz, then in the fervice of the Countefs of Crufol, at Paris. This woman he married, about the beginning of the year 1739, and had by her two children, the one a boy, who died young; the other a girl called Mary-Elizabeth, who was brought up by her mother, and latterly gained her livelyhood by coloring images.

This marriage obliged Damiens to quit his fervice at the callege, when he took a lodging for his wife in St. Stephen's cloif

About 161.

ters,

ters, where the lived till September 1756; and then the went into fervice, as a cook. As to her husband, he ran through a number of services. His natural inconftancy, and violence of temper, occafioned thefe frequent changes. It would be needlefs to particularize all the places in which he lived. It is enough to observe, that he fucceffively ferved mafters of all ranks and conditions. According to fundry depofitions on his trial, it appears, that he could, if he pleased, be a good fervant; that he was fhy of the company of his comrades, full of vanity, defirous of fignalizing himself; a keen news-monger, of a fediti-ous turn, yet generally speaking preferved his character for taciturnity, except when he gave way to his itch of commenting upon the public news; for this we have teftimony of one Def vaux, (vol. II. page 264.) who reprefents him as a great prater on that fubject. He would often talk to himself, and mutter inwardly; was obftinate in the purfuit of whatever he had projected, and daring in the execution of it; impudent; addicted to lying; fenfible himself of the effervefcence of his blood, and occafionally feeking to calm it. His figure was fomething anfwerable to his character: he was of a tallifh ftature, his face fomewhat long, his look bold and piercing, his nofe rather hooked like a parrot's bill, or aquiline, than what is understood by the Roman nofe; his mouth funk in, and had contracted a quivering motion, from his habit of talking to himself.

July 4, 1756, Damiens, under the name of Flamand, went into fervice to one Monf. Michel, a Ruffian Merchant, then at Paris. On the 6th of the faid month, Mr. Michel, on going out about his affairs, left Damiens at his lodgings, with orders to wait for him; but on his return, he found that his new fervant was gone. This created a fufpicion, which was foon confirmed by miffing two hundred and fifty Louis d'ores. Mr. Michel immediately concluding that the robbery muft have been committed by his fervant, made his complaint to the Commiffary Laurencin; but, on the evening of the day of the robbery, Damiens took poft from Paris to Arras; where refting fome hours at an inn, he repaired to the village of Hermanville; lay there two nights, and from thence he went to two of his aunts, who were married to Albert and Lewis Platel.

July 8, he returned to Arras, and prefented a petition against his relations by his mother's fide, with whom he had some dif putes about family concerns. The evening of the fame day he left Arras again, juft touched at Bethune, and the 9th came to Coeurjoyeux near St. Omers.

July 10, he came early in the morning to St. Omers, and went to enquire for his brother, Jofeph-Anthony Damiens,

with whom he defigned to lodge; but not finding the house commodious, or well enough furnished, he went to his fifter Collet's, where he fixed his abode.

The 11th he went to Arcq near St. Omers, where his father was porter to the Provoftfhip dependent on the abbey of St. Berrin, and returned the fame day to St. Omers. The 12th and 13th he employed himself in making different purchases: he gave his fifter fifty-four livres (about two guineas) towards keeping a better table. To his brother Jofeph-Anthony he gave three hundred livres, to buy him wool, for carrying on his trade. The 14th, Jofeph-Anthony received from Paris a letter from his brother Lewis, acquainting him with the robbery committed on Mr. Michel, by their brother Robert-Francis Damiens, and of the pursuits of justice on this account.

Jofeph-Anthony, without delay, apprifed Damiens of this news; at which he fell into the greatest fury, and it was with difficulty that they could calm it ;-he grew fick, and, doubtless through a fit of defpair, he fwallowed a confiderable over-dofe of an emetic, which had a moft violent effect, but which however was got over, by proper remedies.

It was then that Jofeph-Anthony, who has the character of being an honeft man, exhorted him to restore what he had taken from his late Mafter; and tried to prevail on him to put himself under the direction of the Sieur Fenès, a Curate of St. Omers. To this, Damiens never would confent; and laughed both at his brother's devotion, and at the offer of a fpiritual guide.

During his ftay at St. Omers he converfed only with his own family; went rarely to mass on Sundays and Holidays, and openly ridiculed his brothers and fifter, for ftaying too long, according to his notions, at church.

Being thoroughly recovered, and expreffing a defire to go to Dunkirk, his brother Anthony, and fifter Collet, were kind enough to accompany him thither, to watch him, left he should do himself any mifchief. They arrived at Dunkirk, on the 22d of July, and took up their refidence with a relation of the widow Collet's.-The 24th, Jofeph-Anthony returned to St. Omers, to fetch a coat that had been bought by Damiens, who ftaid behind with his fifter; and both together went to Fort Mardyke, where they paffed the day with the fluice-keeper. The next day they returned to Dunkirk; and on the 26th Jofeph-Anthony returned to St. Omers, with an air of confufion and perplexity, and acquainted Damiens, that a wargreat rant was certainly come from Paris to take him up. On this

the