its exiftence on a perhaps, and on the poffi bility of real good refulting from apparent evil. No, Sir! I thank my father for his earneft attentions to my well being; but I can moft folemnly affure him"- Here Mr. B-, who had been walking impatiently about the room, stopped, and fixed his eyes on his daughter, who continued, "what you, Sir, I believe, can also affure him, that he has totally mistaken the nature of the agent he has unfortunately felected on this occafion, who, to my certain knowledge is totally deflitute of”"Come, come," exclaimed Mr. B "no abuse of thofe that love you beft, Mary; and don't think me fuch a fool as not to know mankind as well as a chitty-faced girl, who has feen nothing of life, and judges of people only by their outward fhew"" Nay, Sir," refumed Mils B -,"were I to be fo. influenced, I am fure I could not have the slightest objection to an immediate compliance with your requeft. I do not prefume to put my know ledge of characters in competition with that of my father: but if I formed my judgment from outward fhow, and my father suppofes that what is called a handfome man, and vaft finery could at all captivate me, he could not more happily have met my wishes. But, Sir," turning herfelf to Mr. B, "this is the very kind of connexion that I with to avoid; and I am confident, that a little time will convince you, that, when I fay fuch a connexion as that propofed would be productive of unhappincis, I am not miftaken; and I have no doubt, Sir, but the time will speedily arrive, when, you will not only cease to cenfure, but will commend a conduct which now itrikes you as an enormity.". I'll tell you what, Madam," faid Mr. B, fpeaking to Mrs. Bickerft ffe, this is all mere cant of the girl's to get more time: I want her to be happy directly, and the perverfely wishes to poft

virs. Bickeritaffe," if the young lady only wifhes for tinie, it were but fit to indulge her: you may be certain that it is not whim or caprice that has driven her to take this ftep if it is, he will foon renounce it. A little time will foon difcover the reafon of her averfion, or fomething may induce her to alter her opinion: it would, therefore, be cruel to be peremptory, when a fhort time may make you all agree in fentiment; for, Sir, if hereafter the young lady fhould find herfelf unhappy, and incapable of removing the caule of her mifery, it would afford but fmal comfort to you, that you wifhed her happiness, whenever you recollected her prior fentiments; and though I have the higheft veneration for parental authority, I have no great opinion of the comfort to be derived from the fenfe of having obeyed the dictates

of a rigid and, perhaps, miftaken parent, when every future hour of life is to be paffed in bitter and unavailing forrow. And though, Sir, young people have often mifftaken ideas of worldly felicity, it is but reafonable to hear their objection to any given ftate, and, if those objections are fuch as can at all affect their happiness, I cannot but think it a fort of criminality to overrule them, and thus leaving, in any degree, the felicity or mifery of a child to fomething worfe than mere chance. When one confiders, Sir, that by a little time”—« Well, well," faid Mr. B. interrupting the fair fpeaker, if a little time is all that Mary wants, the fhall have it. So prepare, Mifs, to go along with us."-" Pardon me, Sir," faid Mrs. Bickerflaffe," we cannot fo foon part with our charming friend; befides, the is by no means recovered from her indifpofition the evening is too far advanced for you to think of going hence to night; and Mr. Bickerftaffe, I am fure, will be happy to pafs an evening with the father of Mifs B and his friend."

After fome apologies, Mr. B—— affent ed, and he and Mr. H rejoined Mr. Bickerstaffe and Dr. Rhubarb, whilst the ladies retired to the apartment of Mifs B. , who no fooner found herself relieved from the prefence of Mr. Hthan the relieved her felf by tears, faying, that it went to her heart to fpeak thus to her father, whom the fo dearly loved, and fhe never could have fupported the interview with a spirit fo apparently disobedient, had not the author of all the contufion been prefent."-Mrs. Bickerftaffe, whofe confolations, fpringing from the heart, were always efficacious, foothed the forrows of her ami able gueft, and, in the end, prevailed upon her to grace the table at fupper.

Fine Specimen of Indian Eloquence.

R.

Memiltelefon a gentleman of great

eminence in America, both in politics and literature, has remarked, that to form a juft eftimate of the genius and mental powers of the Indians, more facts are wanting, and great allowance is to be made for thofe circumftances of their fituation which call for a difplay of particular talents only. This done, we fhail probably find that the American Indians are formed, in mind as well as in body, on the fame model with the homo fapiens Europeus. The principles of their fociety forbidding all compulfion, they are to be held to duty and to enterprife by perfonal influence and perfuafion. Hence eloquence in council, brayery and addrefs in war, become the foundations of all confequence with them. To thefe acquirements all their faculties are direc ted. Of their bravery and address in war we

have

have multiplied proofs, because we have been the fubjects on which they were exercifed. Of their eminence in oratory we have fewer examples, becaufe it is difplayed chiefly in their own councils. Some, however, we have, of very fuperior luftre. We may challenge the whole orations of Demofthenes and Cicero, and of any more eminent ora; tors, if Europe has furnished more eminent, to produce a fingle paffage fuperior to the fpeech of Logan, a Mingo chief, to lord Dunmore, when governor of Virginia. The flory is as follows; of which, and of the fpeech, the authenticity is unqueftionable. In the Spring of 1774, a robbery and murder were committed on an inhabitant of the frontiers of Virginia by two Indians of the Shawanee tribe. The neighbouring whites, according to their cuftom, under took to punish this outrage in a fummary way. Colonel Crefap, a man infamous for the many murders he had committed on thofe much injured people, collected a party, and proceeded down the Kanhaway in queft of vengeance. Unfortunately a canoe of women and children, with one man only, was feen coming from the oppofite fhore, unarmed, and unfufpecting any hot tile attack from the whites. Crefap and his party concealed themfelves on the bank of the river; and the moment the canoe reached the fhore, fingled out their objects, and at one fire killed every perfon in it. This hap pened to be the family of Logan, who had long been diftinguished as a friend to the whites. This unworthy return provoked his vengeance. He accordingly fignalized himself in the war which entued. In the autumn of the fame year a decifive battle was fought at the mouth of the Great Kanhaway, between the collected forces of the Shawanees, Mingoes, and Delawares, and a detachment of the Virginia militia. The Indians were defeated, and fued for peace. Logan, how ever, difdained to be feen among the fuppliants; but, left the fincerity of a treaty fhould be diftrufted from which fo diftinguished a chief absented himself, he fent by a meflenger the following fpeech, to be delivered to lord Dunmore:- I appeal to any white man to fay if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the course of the laft long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my Countrymen pointed as they paffed, and faid, Logan is the friend of white men. I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Crefap, the laft fpring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, ot fparing even my women and chilgren. There runs not a drop of my blood

in the veins of any living creature. This called on me for revenge.' I have fought it; I have killed many; I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace; but do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to fave his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.'

To the preceding anecdote in favour of the American character, may be added the following by Dr. Benjamin Franklin. The Indian men, when young, are hunters and warriors: when old, counfellors; for all their government is by the council or advice of the fages. Hence they ftudy oratory; the beft fpeaker having the moft influence. The Indian women till the ground, dress the food, nurse and bring up the children, and preferve and hand down to pofterity the memory of public tranfactions. Thefe employments of men and women are accounted natural and honourable. Having few artificial wants, they have abundance of leifure for improvement by conversation. Our laborious manner of life, compared with theirs, they efteern flavish and hafe; and the learning on which we value ourselves, they regard as frivolous and useless.

Having frequent occafions to hold public councils, they have acquired great order and decency in conducting them The old men fit in the foremost ranks, the warriors in the next, and the women and children in the hindmoft. The bufinefs of the women is to take notice of what paffes, imprint it in their memories, (for they have no writing,) and communicate it to their children. They are the records of the council, and they preferve tradition of the ftipulations in treaties a hundred years back; which, when we compare with our writings, we always find exact. He that would fpeak rifes. The reft obferve a profound filence. When he has finished, and fits down, they leave him five or fix minutes to recollect, that if he has omitted any thing he intended to say, or has any thing to add, he may rise again and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in common converfation, is reckoned highly indecent.

The politenefs of thefe favages in converfation is, indeed, carried to excefs; fince it does not permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is afferted in their prefence. By this means they indeed avoid difputes; but then it becomes difficult to know their minds, or what impreffion you make upon them. The miffionaries who have attempted to convert them to Chriftianity, all complain of this as one of the great difficulties of their miffion. The Indians hear with patience the truths of the Gofpel explained to them, and give their usual toena D d d d 2

of affent and approbation; but this by no means implies conviction; it is mere civility. When any of them come into our towns, our people are apt to croud round them, gaze upon thein, and incommode them where they delire to be private; this they efleem great rudeness, and the effect of the want of inftruction in the rules of civility and good manners. We have,' fay they, 'as much curiofity as you; and when you come into our towns, we wish for opportunities of looking at you; but for this purpose we hide ouriclves behind bushes where you are to pals, and never intrude ourselves into your company.'

E

Dramatic Anocdote.

DWARD Alleyn, the Garrick of Shakespeare's time, and the celebrated founder of Dulwich college, had been on the most friendly footing with Shakespeare, as well as with Ben Johnson. They ufed frequently to spend their evenings together at the fign of the Globe, fomewhere near Black Friars, where the playhouse then was. The world need not be told that the convivial hours of fuchat riumvirate must be pleafing as well as profitable, and may truly be faid to be fuch pleasures as might bear the reflections of the morning. In confequence of one of these meetings, the following letter was written by G. Peele, a Fellow of Chrift-church college, Oxford, and a dramatic poet, who belonged to the club, to one Marle, an intimate of his :

Friend Marle,

'I must defyr that my syster hyr watch, and the cookerie book you promyfed, may be fente bye the man.-I never longed for thy company more than laft night: we were all very merrye at the Globe, when Ned Alleyn did not fcruple to affyrme pleafauntely to thy Friende Will, that he had stolen his fpeech about the Qualityes of an actor's excellencye in Hamlet hys Tragedye, from converfations many-fold whych had paffed betweene them, and opinyons given by Alleyn touchinge the fubjecte.-Shakespeare did not take this talke in good forte; but Johnfon put an end to the ftrife with wittylye remarkinge, This affaire needeth no Contentione; you ftole it from Ned, no doubte; do not marvel: have you not feen him act tymes out of number?--Believe me moft fyncerilie, yours, G. Peele.'

Characteriflic Memoirs of the Count de Maurepas, a late celebrated Minifler of France. (From the Annual Regifter for 1786.)

and of a very perilous and hard-fought fo reign war, which extended its action to every quarter of the world, the great and arduous office of prime minifter of France. This great man was not more admired for his abilities as a minifter, and talents as a fatef man, than he was revered and beloved for his humanity, benevolence, and other excellent qualities of the heart.

When, under the auspices of cardinal Fleury, and in his own happier days, his great and numerous offices feemed to render him at leaft the third, if not the fecond in adminiftration, he was one of the few minifters who introduced fcience and philofophy into the conduct of public affairs; but was at the fame time fo regulated in their indulgence, as entirely to reject their useless or frivolous parts, however splendid or pleasing; as if he difdained to apply the public money to any other purposes than thofe folid ones of public utility. Though confiderably cramped in many of his public defigns and exertions under the pacific and economical fyftem of the cardinal, yet he not only in a great measure recovered the French ma rine from that proftrate flate to which it had long feemed irretrievably condemned, but he laid the foundations for all that greatness to which it has fince arrived, or which it is ftill capable of attaining. To him France is particularly indebted for that fuperiority, which he is faid (and it is to be feared too evidently) to poffets in ship-building; efpecially in the conftruction of fhips of war: for he it was who first rescued naval architecture from mere mechanical hands, from the habitual and unexamined prejudices of vulgar error; and placing it in the rank which it deferved to hold, it foon rofe, under his influence and protection, to be confidered as a diftinct and profound feience; and was accordingly studied and reduced to practice upon thofe principles by men of the firft parts and learning. Such eminent and permanent national fervices, which in time diffuse themselves into common benefits to mankind, are frequently little thought of at the moment, and the ingenious author or inventor is foon forgotten; while he who applies his genius or invention, with a vainglorious fplendour, to the deftruction of his fellow-creatures, although not even the par tial benefits of his fuccels may furvive the year in which it takes place, fhall have his name handed down with applause and admiration to futurity.

Although cardinal Fleury poffeffed at the time the oftenfibie praife, it was to Maurepas only that fcience is indebted for that grand defign and arduous undertaking of afcertaining the real figure of the earth, by fending the French academicians and aftronomers to mealure degrees of the meridian

under