turn me from my purpose. If I live, I will faithfully perform, in its utmoft extent, my engagements to the fociety; and if I perish in the attempt, my honour will ftill be fafe, for death cancels all bonds."

Such was the language of this extraordinary man: A language that will be deemed infanity by the bulk of mankind: It will be deemed madness even by those who are the most eager to avail themselves of the difcoveries that fuch men have made-Yet, if happiness be the only defirable object in this life, it might perhaps admit of a doubt, if this very man did not enjoy a greater share of it, than thofe infipid characters who languish in the lap of eafe, and whofe fouls are devoured with anxiety, when furrounded by all the alluring objects that affluence can procure.

In one of his letters from Egypt, he fays, "Money! it is a vile slave !-I have at prefent an economy of a more exalted kind to obferve. I have the eyes of fome of the first men of the first kingdom on earth turned upon me. I am engaged by thofe very men, in the most important object that any private individual can be engaged in: I have their approbation to acquire, or to lofe; and their efteem alfo, which I prize beyond every thing, except the independent idea of ferving mankind. Should rafhnefs or defperation carry me through, whatever fame the vain and injudicious might bestow, I should not accept it; it is the good and great I look to: Fame from them bestowed is altogether different, and is closely allied to a 66 WELL DONE" from God but rafhnefs will not be like through, any more than timid caution. neceffary medium of conduct; to vary and apply it to contingencies, is the economy I allude to; and if I fucceed by fuch means, men of fenfe, in any fucceeding epoch, will not blush to follow me, and perfect those discoveries I have only abilities to trace out roughly, or a difpofition to attempt."

VOL. I.

to carry me To find the

C

With what contempt will those who think that wif dom confists alone in the acquifition of wealth and in power, dominion and authority over others; with what contempt for the intellectual powers of our traveller, will fuch perfons read the following paragraph. "A Turkish fopha, fays Ledyard, has no charms for me: If it had, I could foon obtain one here. I could tomorrow take the command of the best armament of Ishmael Bey. I fhould be fure of fuccefs, and its confequential honours. Believe me, a fingle WELL DONE from your affociation, has more worth in it to me, than all the trappings of the east; and what is still more precious, is, the pleasure I have in the juftification of my own conduct at the tribunal of MY OWN HEART." Yet, it was fentiments, fuch as these, that produced a Columbus, a Wolfe, and a Cooke, whofe fame shall remain, a fubject for admiration to future ages, when the names of miriads who have indulged in a life of affluent infipidity, shall be deservedly lost in perpetual oblivion.

Among other advantages that the world derives from the existence of fuch men as Ledyard, is a knowledge of human nature. It is to men in trying fituations alone, that the human heart appears in its own native colours-No hope perverts; no fear alarms; and it is at liberty to discover its native emotions with the most unbiaffed freedom. The following character of the fair fex, drawn by a man who had had occafion thus to view them in their native purity, will therefore, I truft, be deemed not lefs beautiful than juft. It is pleafing to contemplate the univerfal beneficence of that being who conferred upon man this tender companion through life, as a folace for his cares, and a fweetener of every enjoyment. What a reproach is it to this lord of the creation, that a being fo naturally amiable as woman, should in self defence be in fo many cafes compelled to become the scourge of her tormentor. "I have always remarked, fays this careful obferver of manners, that women in all countries, are civil,

obliging, tender, and humane: that they are inclined to be gay and cheerful, timorous and modeft; and that they do not hesitate, like men, to perform a generous action. Not haughty, not arrogant, not fupercilious, they are full of courtefy, and fond of fociety: more liable, in general, to err than man; but in general, alfo, more virtuous, and performing more good actions than he. To a woman, whether civilized or favage, I never addreffed myself in the language of decency and friendship, without receiving a decent and friendly anfwer. With man it has often been otherwise.

In wandering through the barren plains of inhofpitable Denmark, through boneft Sweden aud frozen Lapland, rude and churlish Findland, unprincipled Ruffia, and the wide spread regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or fick, the women have ever been friendly to me, and uniformly fo; and to add to this virtue, (fo worthy the appellation of benevolence) their actions have been performed in fo free, and fo kind a manner, that if I was dry, I drank the fweetest draught, and if hungry, I ate the coarse morfal with a double relish.”

What a beautiful eulogium and how juftly due. Thefe friendly offices were performed to our fuffering ftranger, without the fmalleft prospect of any return from him: But I ought to add, they were performed to one who felt their value, and who revered the mildnefs of that tender hand which adminiftred them and who no doubt expreffed in those native tones and geftures, which conftitutes an univerfal language among all mankind, the sense he entertained of it, with irrefiftible propriety. To the haughty, the fupercilious or the vain, fuch tenderness could not have been exerted. Half the ills that man fuffers from his fellow creatures, are owing to himself; and it is his own mind alone that can fuperadd the balm of beneficence, to the tenderness of kindness.

To be continued

a

On Poetry.

AMONG the many hints for perfecting this work, with which the editor has been favoured fince the first publication of the profpectus of it, are the two following te..

My firft correfpondent fays, "The only thing I pre"fume to fuggeft, at prefent, as a fault in your pro"fpectus, is offering a premium for poetical effays; "and that you feem not to be infenfible of yourself. "We have four times more poetry, both in our own "and other languages, than any wife man, whatever "be his ftation or circumstances, ought to read; and "therefore, to tempt vain or inconfiderate men to add "to the mass, feems to me injuricus both to them"felves and the public. I have known many for near "half a century, who were deemed by no inconfide"rable critics, to poffefs a good degree of poetical "merit, though few of their performances reached the

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public eye, except under fictitious names; but not "one of the whole (a northern profeffor excepted) "who did not become bankrupts in reputation and "trade. They might fometimes, perhaps, afford an "acquaintance an opportunity of fpending, or rather

killing an idle hour agreeably, by reading a manu"fcript fally of imagination; but that acquaintance "must have poffeffed a dull invention, if he could not "have spent the hour more usefully, and even as agree"ably. Could you turn the thoughts of your coun

trymen to the best method of abolishing feudal max"ims and ideas; to confider in a true light the natural " rights of man; to devife the cheapest, and most speedy "mode of obtaining justice at the different courts; to "class society properly, and from thence felect jury"men, fo that juftice may be fairly diftributed without "refpect of perfons: I fay, could you do all these

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things, you would deferve better of your country, than "if you produced a poem containing the united beau"ties of the Iliad, the Æneid, Paradife loft, and Fin"gal."

Now, though it is moft readily admitted, that the objects pointed out by this very judicious correfpondent, are of the higheft utility, and that there is perhaps ten times as much poetry written as any wife man would choose to read; yet, it by no means follows from hence, that poetry fhould be actually profcribed from this work. If it be right to cherish the fineft feelings of the heart; if hilarity of difpofition promotes the pleasurable intercourses of civil fociety; if innocent recreation tends to divert the mind from hurtful purfuits; and if the happiness of man be augmented by indulging thofe tender propenfities which fpring from the contemplating acts of beneficence and difinterested bounty; if pious exercises tend to elevate the foul to praise-worthy exertions; then fhall we be forced to allow that poetry, which, if judicioufly felected, tends to promote all these good ends, fo far from being hurtful, ought to be admitted as a very useful part of this mifcellany. For these and other obvious reasons, though it fhall be our ftudy never to forget the useful pursuits here pointed out, we shall alfo make it our business to fearch for fuch pieces of poetry, ancient or modern, as appear to be deferving the attention of the public.

Poetry is indeed fo congenial to the human mind, that it has been, among all nations, the firft fpecies of compofition that has attracted the univerfal attention of the people; and it is in the language of poetry, that a spirit of devotion has naturally been expreffed. Among the most favage tribes, its charms have been recognized; and it is only after refinement has weakened the natural tones of the human mind, that its influence comes to be difputed. The poetry of nations therefore, affords perhaps the best and the moft univerfal key for tracing the progrefs of civil fociety; for though the natural