wherein there is a labeal; and when one endeavours to teach them to pronounce these words, they tell one, they think it ridiculous that they muft fhut their lips to speak. Their language abounds with gutturals and ftrong afpirations, these make it very fonorous and bold; and their fpeeches abound with metaphors, after the manner of the caftern nations. As to what religious notions they have, it is difficult to judge of them; because the Indians, that speak any English, and live near us, have learned many things of us, and it is not eafy to diftinguifh the notions they had originally among themfelves, from thofe they have learned of the Chriftians. It is certain they have no kind of public worship, and I am told that they have no radical word to exprefs God, but use a compound word, fignifying the preferver, fuftainer, or matter of the univerfe; neither could I ever learn what fentiments they have of a future exiftence. Their funeral rites feem to be formed upon a notion of fome kind of existence after death: they make a large round hole, in which the body can be placed upright, or upon its haunches, which after the body is placed in it, is covered with timber, to support the earth which they lay over, and thereby keep the body free from being preffed; they then raise the earth in a round hill over it. They always drefs the corps in all its finery, and put wampum and other things into the grave with it; and the relations fuffer no grafs or any weed to grow on the grave, and frequently vifit it with lamentations: but whether these things be done only as marks of refpect to the deceased, or from a notion of fome kind of exiflence after death, must be left to the judgment of the reader.

They are very fuperftitious in obferving omens and dreams; I have obferved them fhew a fuperftitious awe of the owl, and be highly displeased with some that mimicked the cry of that bird in the night. An officer of the regular troops has informed me alfo, that while he had the command of the garrifon at Ofwego, a boy of one of the far weftward nations died there; the parents made a regular pile of split wood, laid the corps upon it, and burnt it; while the pile was burning, they flood gravely, looking on, without any lamentation, but when it was burnt down, they gathered up the bones with many tears, put them into a box, and carried them away with them; and this inclination, which all ignorant people have to fuperftition and amufing ceremonies, gives the popish priests a great advantage in recommending their religion, beyond what the regularity of the proteftant doctrine allows of,

“I

THE OLD MAN AND HIS DOG.

A TALE. (BY M. MARMONTEL.)

WAS, faid Ariftus, in a village at the houfe of an amiable woman, who was uncommonly beautiful, though rather past her prime, and whofe unaffected politenefs attracted fociety like a magnet. The neighbourhood of Clarenton often made the bridge across the Marne the limits of our walks. There while refting ourlclves we turned

our eyes upon the various and changing picture of a high-road continually animated.

This rapid circulation of movements, all directed by self interest towards the general end of common utility; this perpetual exchange of labour and good offices, made us admire, in the organization of civil society, the wondrous works of neceffity. What an industrious coincidence of the innumerable wheels that compose the immenfe machine! what is the invincible connection that unites them? and what is the fpring that animates them all, and puts them in motion? one alone, reciprocal want. The moral view of nature is like the phyfical one; aftonishment ever follows meditation. In one a leaf, a blade of grafs, becomes a prodigy when attentively obferved; in the other, the husbandman driving his plough, the feaman on the deck of his veffel, and the waggoner carrying to town the productions of his country, are aftonishing men, when confidered as effential parts of focial mechanifm, and when in this fyftem we fee all the agents of the common subfistence, united, and put in motion by the fame law, attraction."

"I here give you a fpecimen of our converfations, that you may not take us for filly loiterers on the champagne road, employed about nothing, and whiling away our time with empty heads and vacant

minds."

"One evening when we were fitting at the foot of the bridge, a man of the lower order of people with gray hair, and a lame leg, and hardly able to get on with the help of a stick, paffed before us, followed by a young water spaniel, and faid to the women in whofe company I was: "Ladies will you buy my dog ?"—As each of them had her own, and as his was not of the kind women are fond of, they anfwered they did not want one."

"Then coming up to me, he faid in a more preffing tone of entreaty" Do, fir, buy my dog." I would have bought it inftantly," faid Juliet.

"This amiable movement ought, I must confefs, mifs, to have preceded reflection; but kindness is not fo active a fentiment in every heart as it is in yours. My firft word was a refufal, foftened however by all the refpect due to the unfortunate.

"The old man ftood for a moment motionlefs before me; he caft on me a look of sadness, and left me difcontented with myself.

"As he walked flowly up the bridge, I had time to discover the caufe of the confused reproach conveyed by his eyes, and repeated by my own heart. At the very fame initant I recollected that my friend the count de C had lost a dog he was very fond of: As I thought that the capacity of a water-fpaniel was not inferior to the fagacity of the Siberian dog my friend had loft, I determined he should have it, and called back the old man.

"What do you ask for your dog?" faid I.-" What you please," faid he. "Here mifs, it would be eafy to make myfelf appear liberal, by embellishing the truth; but I rather choose to confefs that I was not very generous. I was not rich, and a piece of fix livers was all I had about me at that moment. I offered it to him; he accepted it without any marks of repugnance, and faid when he received

it:"the dog is yours."-But," faid I," he will get away; I have no ftring to lead him by."-" It is however neceflary to have one," faid he, "for otherwife he would follow me,”—Then undoing his garter, he called his dog, took it in his arms, and set it upon the balluitrade of the bridge-" You make me fhudder," faid Juliet, "it fell into the water."-Don't be afraid, miss, the dog did not fail; it let its master put his garter round its neck, and I perceived that while tying it, the old man's hands trembled. This I attributed to age, for his countenance, which I obferved attentively, did not change. But when he had tyed the knot, I faw him let his head fall upon his dog, and hiding his forehead in its rough hair, and with his mouth glewed to its body, he hung over it for fome minutes mute and motionlefs.

66

But all

"I ftepped up to him." What is the matter, friend?” said I. "Nothing," faid he, lifting up his head; " it will foon be over.". And I faw his face all bathed in tears-" You seem to feel a great deal of regret at parting with your dog?"-Alas! yes, he is the only friend I had in the world. We never were afunder. It was he who guarded me when I was afleep on the road; and when he faw me fuffering and forfaken, the poor beaft pitied me, and comforted me with his careffes. He loved me fo much, that I can do no lefs than love him. this fignifies nothing, fir, the dog is yours."—And then he gave me the end of the garter he had tied round his neck-" You must fuppofe me to be very cruel, if you think me capable of depriving you of a faithful friend, and of the only one you have in the world." -He did not infit any longer; but he wanted to return me the miferable crown. I told him to keep the crown and the dog, and at laft got the better of his refiftance. Then I faw his knees bend.-" Oh ! iir, I owe you my life. It is hunger that has reduced me to this cruel extremity."

"From this moment, you will needs think that he had two friends inftead of one. I defired to know who he was, whence he came, and whither he was going, and what had brought him to fuch a state of infirmity."

Thank heaven," faid he, "I lived fifty years by the fweat of my brow, and yesterdy for the firft time, I fuffered the humiliation of afking charity. I was a carpenter in Lorrain, and my trade gave me bread; but an accident difabled me from ftanding up to work; a splinter of wood occafioned an incurable fore in my leg, I am going to Rouen to fee my daughter; fhe is an excellent fpinner and earns her livelihood in the cotton manufactories. When with her, I fhall want for nothing. But as I got on flowly on account of my fore leg, and came from far, the little money I had amaffed was not fufficient for my journey. I have been obliged to folicit alms; but as I do not look like a pauper, I met with little relief. I was fafting; my dog remained-" Thele words ftifled his voice.

"At your age, in the heat of fummer, and with a fore leg, I will never fuffer you," faid I, "to undertake a journey of thirty leagues by land, twice as much if you go by water: it would aggravate your dif cafe, and render it incurable, if it be not fo already. Come with me.

Providence

Providence offers you here an afylum, where you will find reft, remedies, and perhaps a cure." The old man, who looked at me with joyfnl aftonishment, untied his dog, and let me conduct him to the hofpital on the other fide of the bridge.

"I was not known there; but in these refpectable houses, indigence and infirmity recommend themselves. The prior liftened with emotion to the recital of our adventure, fent for the moft skilful furgeon in the hofpital, and made him examine the fore. I fhuddered at feeing to what a degree it was envenomed by the fummer heat, and the fatigue of the journey." There is no time to be loft," said the furgeon; "but it is not too late, and I will undertake to fave the leg.”. "He will be cured then?"-" Yes, fir, I anfwer for it."-This was the moment of my joy and happinefs." Gentlemen," faid I, "fpare nothing; I will do every thing that may be neceffary."-" All that is neceffary," faid the prior, with a look of modeft feverity, "is to leave the fick man to us, and to confide in our care."

"I felt that I had injured the delicacy of the good father, and made him an apology.— "But would it not,' "faid I, "be impofing upon your goodness, if I requested that his faithful friend"-" Yes, fir, his friend, his dog fhall bear him company: we also know how to value the inftinct of friendship."

"Those words of the reverend father, this reception, this ready care, this tranquil piety, this ferviceable humanity, this habit of doing good at every hour and at every moment, without feeming to be conscious of any merit, made a deep impreffion upon me. What, faid I to myfelf, for my pitiful crown, and a few fteps in the fervice of an unfortunate man, I am tranfported with joy, and contented with myself beyond meafure! and thefe religious, who pafs their days and nights in nurfing, attending, and relieving the poor, and who do more good in a day, than I fhall ever do in my life, do not even deign to think of it. This indeed is meritorious and fublime.

"Before I left the old man, I took his daughter's address, that I might fend her an account of her father, and went to join the ladies, who were waiting for me on the other fide of the bridge. I could not avoid telling them what had paffed; and my forry prefent mingled a little ridicule with the pathos of my recital; but I defied them to be more generous, and told them till the old man fhould be cured, I was his treasurer.

"Our fociety in the country often changed, and whenever a new face arrived, I was defired to repeat my tale. I never failed to mention the offer of my crown, and this excefs of liberality never failed to draw upon me ironical admiration.”. "A crown," faid they," a crown to the good old man for fo invaluable a dog !"—" And you, fit,” faid I, “and you, madam, how much would you have given?-Every one named á fmaller or greater fum, according as his fenfibility had been worked upon by my narrative." Well!" faid I, "the old man is not far off, and every one may do what he would have done in my place. They vied one with another in generofity, and I for my hare, thanked heaven for having given me, inftead of riches, the talent of moving the rich. At length I announced the wifhed for day when my old man would come

with his dog to return thanks to his benefactors. The houfe was full. I went to the hofpital to fetch him; and after having expreffed my heart-felt gratitude to the good fathers, and my veneration for fo facred an institution, and for functions fo pioufly fulfilled, I brought him with me almoft as active, and as joyous as his fpaniel.

"They were both received with joyful exclamations; but the dog was taken the most notice of. Never in his life did he receive fo many careffes. He was at firft confused, but he foon returned them, with a look that seemed to fay, he knew why he was so well treated. "The good old man dined with us, and his dog befide him. They flept together, and the following morning, at the dawn of day, came to take leave of me. The honeit man's little treasure was delivered to him. I told him in vain that I had contributed but little." I am indebted to you for all," faid he, " and I will never forget it." On faying these words he wanted to throw himself at my feet; but I held him up, and, finding ourselves in one another's arms, we took leave as affectionately as two old friends would have done.

"Sir," faid he, at length, " I am going away loaded with your favours; but will you permit me to beg one more?-You have embraced me; pray deign to kifs my dog. I wish to tell my daughter that you kiled my dog. Come here, Sprightly," faid he, "Come, the gentleman will be good enough to do you that honour."-Sprightly stood up on his hind legs, and I ftooped towards him, when all at once the image of the old man hanging, like me, over his dog, and thinking he was kiffing him for the lait time, rufhed into my mind, and I could not refrain from tears." Ah! you neglect him," faid the old man, "keep him, he is fill yours."" No, my friend, no; go and be happy. I am more fo myself than I have deserved to he; and your image, and that of your dog, will long fuffice to make me fo in idea."

THE

Yout

PHILOSOPHIC

EPHEMERON.

Letter from Dr. FRANKLIN to a Lady in France.

OU may remember, my dear friend, that when we lately spent that happy day in the delightful garden and fweet fociety of the Moulin Joly, I ftopt a little in one of our walks, and itaid fome time behind the company. We had been fhewn numberless fkeletons of a little fly, called an ephemera; whofe fucceflive generations, we were told, were bred and expired within the day. I happened to see a living company of them, on a leaf, who appeared to be engaged in converfation; you know I understand all the inferior animal tongues: my too great application to the ftudy of them, is the best reafon I can give, for the little progrefs in your charming language. I liftened through curiofity to the difcourfe of the little creatures; but as they in their national vivacity, fpoke three or four together, I could make hut little of their converfation: I found, however, by fome broken expreffions, that I heard now and then, that they were difputing warmly on the merit of two foreign musicians; one a coufin, the other a muscheto; in which difpute, they spent their time, feemingly as regardlefs of the

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