imparting, may perhaps be sufficiently obvious from the hints already thrown out. The advertisements in a newspaper present us with a view of human life similar to that which we obtain of the labours and pursuits of the industrious bee, by surveying them through a glass hive. When we look over a large collection of advertisements, we are in much the same situation as if, by the possession of some supernatural power, we were enabled, at a glance, to see every thing going forward in society; or if our fellow-creatures were placed in a transparent sphere, and we had the power of turning it about in the same manner as a common globe, and seeing what were their different occupations and employments. Indeed, from the advertisements of a Newspaper, we may even collect more than we could from ocular observation; because, in them, many things are disclosed relative to the mental ability, the moral feeling, the designs and inclinations of individuals, which the mere knowledge of their external conduct never could impart.

Those passages of a Newspaper which are taken from that interesting, but ominous, publication, called "The London Gazette," demand our next attention. Whatever other pe-t culiarities may belong to human life, this part of a paper is amply sufficient to shew its changes and its uncertainty. The extracts from the Gazette seldom relate to any thing but public appointments, changes in the army and navy, dissolutions of partnerships, and bankruptcies. Dry and uninteresting these official catalogues certainly appear; but weigh them in the balance of reflection, and they will not be found wanting in utility both the heart and the understanding may be improved by a due consideration of those mutations which are here recorded.

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Some promotions take place in consequence of death. Is it unreasonable to suppose, that of those whom the King of Terrors has removed from their station in life, there are some who, if spared, might have been honours to their country, but whose early loss has overwhelmed with affliction those near connections, who, in the eagerness of hope, looked forward to their advancement, but the blossom of whose expectations is blighted almost as soon as formed? Should it be our misfortune to sustain a similar loss, let us be comforted by the reflection, that we suffer not alone; should we have escaped all such calamity, let us rejoice, that our lot is happier; and if, in the intercourse of life, we should be acquainted with those, on whose heads the hand of adversity has been laid, let us sympathize with their sorrows, and pour the balm of consolation into those wounds, which, but for the unmerited bounty of Providence, we might have had to mourn upon our own

account.

Viewing such events, however, with regard rather to public interest, than to private feeling, it is possible, that, in some cases, those who obtain promotion in consequence of the deaths of others, would never, but for such an event, have been able to emerge from the cloud of obscurity, or to exert their talents for the public good. So true it is, that, in the extensive dispensations of Providence, what individuals mourn as a misfortune, is productive of the general benefit; and that what short-sighted man is prone to regard as an evil, is frequently a blessing in disguise.

The dissolutions of partnerships may frequently be viewed as a record of human disagreements; though such arrangements, no doubt, sometimes take place from causes of a different nature. But, as human life certainly has its bitters as well as its sweets, we may not unfairly presume, that when the connections which individuals have deliberately formed, are broken asunder, there is generally some circumstance of an unpleasant nature, to which the separation may be attributed. From the number of dissolutions, which are continually advertised, we may perhaps be also warranted in making this observation, that, where there is a power of separation, there will always exist more causes of difference, than where separation is impossible; because, in the latter case, it is the obvious interest of the parties to agree; and that, for this very reason, those laws may be regarded as founded in wisdom, which have declared marriage to be indissoluble; for there can be little doubt, that, if marriages could be dissolved as easily as partnerships in trade, the dissolutions would be by far too numerous for any newspaper to copy from the Gazette, unless a daily supplement were published for the sole purpose.

In one point of view, at least, the bankrupt intelligence clearly shews the uncertainty of human life; for, as creditors are generally aware, when a man happens to fail, it is very uncertain what the dividend will be! But, looking at the matter seriously, the list of bankrupts, dividends, and certificates, is really a very instructive register. We here see many, who entered upon life with the finest prospects, plunged into the abyss of ruin, either through extravagance, imprudence, bad connections, misplaced confidence, or some similar cause. Others again may be observed, who have begun business without a shilling of their own, rising from their bankruptcy like a Phoenix from the ashes, and flourishing upon the plunder of the credulous. Here we see the mischiefs which arise from the devotion paid by this commercial nation to the idol Credit; and here we may also see the benevolence of the British heart, in the readiness with which creditors sign the certificates of their debtors before one farthing of their

debts has been discharged; a readiness which the Chancellor has actually found it necessary to check by an express restriction. But is it any wonder, that the transactions of human life should be attended with uncertainty, when their security depends on the success of individual speculation, or on the strength of individual integrity? Certainly not; for, while the heart of man is open to temptation,-while his judgment is liable to err, and while, whatever may be either his honesty or his talent, his schemes are liable to failure from causes over which he has no control,-so long may we expect to see a list of bankrupts, and so long may that list serve to remind us of one kind of uncertainty in human life, as well as of the effects which result from it, and the causes by which it is produced.

There is another branch of Newspaper intelligence, which, in the daily journals, is usually scattered up and down in different parts, but which most of the weekly papers collect together, under the head of " Accidents, Offences, &c." This is a part of the paper, which is often called the Ladies' part; and certain it is, that it frequently attracts the attention of the fair sex more than any other. If one might be permitted to account for this, it would not be difficult to do so, upon principles extremely honourable to the better part of the creation : in the first place, much of the happiness of human life arises from that compassionate disposition of which the breast of woman is the native and peculiar seat; and under the influence of this feeling, whatever calamity may befal, or whatever infirmity may beset, the unfortunate of the human species, is sure to attract their attention, as it is to call forth their pity; in the next place, politics, law, the funds, and the markets, being topics by no means of a feminine description, are, from a delicate sense of propriety, not included among the ordinary objects of female pursuit; and, lastly, these records of "Accidents, Offences, &c." are peculiarly illustrative of the distinguishing characteristics of human life. From such accounts we plainly see, how uncertain is the tenure by which we hold the possessions that we prize most highly. By an infinite variety of means we may be deprived of our property, our limbs, our sight, our lives; in a thousand ways we are open to temptation ourselves, as well as exposed to the effect of crimes, into the commission of which others may be led.

But the ordinary compass of an essay is insufficient, even for the hints which are suggested by so extensive and diversified a subject. Suffice it, then, to glance briefly at a few remaining topics of the most prominent kind.

In the Foreign News, we see that nations are exposed to calamities similar to those which befal individuals, and are equally susceptible of prosperity and decay; that monarchs

are the sport of fortune, like men of inferior rank, and that a throne is no protection either against external danger, or individual failing; that a battle may be lost, as well as a debtor fail, and that, as the latter event may be the ruin of a man in trade, so may the former be the overthrow of a sovereign or a nation; that peace may sometimes be as necessary for a state, as a composition-deed for an insolvent man; that in large communities and in public affairs, as well as with private individuals, there are the same disagreements, the same uncertainty, the same necessity for honourable principle, and the same evils attendant on its neglect. In short, we see, that, whether on a large or a small scale, human life is, at all times and in every place, substantially the same, though its modes may differ, or its form be changed.

The Parliamentary Debates present us with a new scene of things, but the actors are influenced by the same principles as prevail in the world at large. Here are the same objects in view pursued by different means. Self-love actuates the breast of the senator as well as that of the peasant, and we must not expect to find the one a purely disinterested being any more than the other. Even while the affairs of nations are undergoing investigation, friendship and interest, the desire of wealth and the love of fame, are not deprived of their ordinary sway. So much for the speakers: the matter of discussion is more important. The necessity of particular laws, the reasons for and against them, the enactments they contain, the applications often made to parliament on various occasions, the fate of such applications, and many other matters to which the attention of our legislative assemblies is called, exhibit human life in a new dress; but it is human life still, equally uncertain, and equally affected by the dispositions or the conduct of individuals.

The Stock Table may be regarded as the barometer of the political world, and is, at all events, in its incessant fluctuations, a striking picture of human life in general; and did we but know thoroughly the operations of those by whose manœuvres the table is affected, the picture would be more expressive still.

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The Legal Intelligence forms that part of a Newspaper in which much of human life is fully and accurately exhibited. There we see the actions and inclinations of men laid open correct detail, their attempts and their failures, their hopes and their disappointments. There we find men ruined by success, and dissatisfied with victory. There we may observe, that, in legal disputes, no man is sure of any thing but loss, and that nothing is more uncertain than the attainment of justice. From this department of information, we learn the

VOL. I. PART 1.

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sufferings to which men are exposed, and the crimes which they are capable of committing; the inutility of laws when men are honest, and their inefficacy when they are otherwise. It is here that the character of man is proved to be that of an animal, in whom it is dangerous to place confidence, and yet from whom it is not possible, and if it were possible, would be miserable, to withhold it. If any one wish to see human life and human nature in their true light, let him examine the proceedings in Courts of Justice, let him trace the slow progress of "the law's delay," the dishonesty of parties, the falsehood of witnesses, the obscurity of the laws, the prejudice and fallibility even of the wisest Judges; and, with all this, what can scarcely fail to follow, the utter uncertainty of the ultimate issue, and a correct representation will be seen of what takes place in the world at large.

But notwithstanding all the uncertainty which attends human life, and all the calamities which belong to it, from the exhibition given of it in newspapers, it is clear, that amusements of some sort occupy a considerable class. On this head, we need only advert to the Sporting Intelligence, the Fashionable News, and the Theatres. One part of society, at any rate, seems to be as busily occupied in amusing themselves, as other parts are in assisting them. The aim of all is happiness: this is the object of general desire; human life is consumed in the pursuit, and infinitely various are the means employed to attain success. Some pursue business; some, pleasure; some are desirous of active life; others, of ease and rest; some are seeking a subsistence, while others can scarcely tell what to do with their wealth; some are endeavouring to sell, and others wish to purchase. Such are the various, and often conflicting, pursuits of human life; and, after all, when the value of it is examined, to what does it amount? Taking away all but what is good, small is the remainder.

The record of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, is a compendium of human life, in which its shortness and uncertainty are equally conspicuous. Here many births are registered, at which the parents' hearts have leaped for joy. But a short time elapses, and their joy is turned to grief; the welcome present is snatched away by death. Take an instance in which this is not the case. Suppose the child to reach maturity, and swell the joyful list of nuptials. The parents, on this occasion, may again rejoice, and may perchance see themselves represented in a second generation. The bride and mother both gives and shares the bliss, and all are happy as the day is long. But "man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards," and, in the increase of her family, the hapless mother yields her valued life. Here are all plunged in affliction by the un