he, with indignation):-my eternal | but, as if recollecting himself, he curfes light upon his memory."

"B pacified (faid I); nor load the memory of Severn with opprobrium:-or, at leaft, Mr. Rutland, condescend to inform me if you have had no fare in bringing on the forrows of your daughter." "Was not his want of wealth a fufficient reafon or my conduct?" "No, fir it aggravates your mifconduct, being the weakest reafon you could poffib y affign."

"Mrs. Merioneth, (faid he) all further conve: fation on this fubject is unneceffary--my refolution is unalterable I will never fee her more. Pas fhe not difgraced my name?-fullied the honour of her family? Do you think, madam, I could take a wanton to my heart?" "Is this the language of a father? (faid 1)-For heaven's fake, be not fo rafh in your refolves. See her but once more:-fpeak peace to her woe-worn heart; and, by your forgiveness, reconcile her to herself.-_— Mercy, Mr. Rutland, is doubly bleft. - blefleth them that give and them that take.'-Extend then its influence to my fuffering friend; and, by a deed of humanity, gild your own days with the funfhine of peace:--for peace you can never know, if Ellen dies unpardoned." "Let her die!-let her perifh! (faid he-for fhe has made me wretched."

faid, "lady Severn I mean:-though I am forry, for the lady's fake, to fay, that the marriage will not stand good in law."

"But it will ftand good (faid I) before that tribunal where ironhearted cruelty and fmooth-faced hypocrity will be equally rejected." I did not wait for his anfwer, but hurried to my carriage.

As my application to Mr. Rutland was fo little fatisfactory, I never named it to my friend.-On my return to London, I found her much altered.-From her fettled grief and fragile conftitution, I could hope but little.-Lady Severn watched over her with unceasing attention; but we did not think he could furvive the hour of trial, which was every moment exp. cted -As her rength decreased, her intellects improved; and he would frequently converfe calmly on her late forrows.

66

Weep not (fhe would fay) over my expected departure.-What can life be to one who has loft, except you, (looking affectionately on lady Severn and myfelf) all ties to the world?- My Henry is gone before me, my father d towns me,—my reputation is indelibly wounded,— and my conftitution broken by calamity.-las! life has no charms for Ellen.-Should my unfortunate infant furvive, to your care I bequeath it.-You (addreffing us both) will Again I attempted to plead, be joint guardians to its helpless but his anger overpowered my ef- years.-Exert, I conjure you, your forts, and talking to him was fruit-influence with my father for its adlefs. He paced the room a few minutes, and then abruptly left me. A ftranger, of genteel appearance, foon after entered, and told me my carriage waited. I had fat down, hoping Mr. Rutland would return. -I believe my looks teftified my furprife, when he told me his nanie was Monfon.-I did not anfwer him. He proceeded to make fome impertinent remarks on my vifit, -profeffed to pity mifs Rutland;

vantage.-Perhaps, when the grave inclofes Ellen, he may receive her child.-Take (faid the) thefe miniatures of its wretched parents (prefenting them to me).-Ah! they were drawn when happy profpects fmiled,-before the blight of dif appointment had deftroyed my fond eit hopes."

The dreaded' time arrived:-the event justified our fears -She lived but to prefs you to her heart, and

invoke

Italy, that he has formed an acquaintance with the prefent lord Severn.

Hefpeaks highly of him, and talks of introducing him, at his return, to our acquaintance.-Albert is a ftranger to the particulars of your

invoke a bleffing on your infant | head; then instantly funk on her pillow, and expired without a groan. -We difpatched a meflenger to Rutland houfe, with letters on this melancholy occafion; but Mr. Rutland did not condefcend to anfwerftory, fo can make no difcoveries; them -The remains of my friend were depofited by the fide of Severn. -Lady Severn retired into Kent, taking you and Mary with her. She frequently favoured me with letters filled with your praifes.-knowledge of your affinity to him;

You were the delight of her heart, and the darling of her age.

On the death of her fon, the title had devolved to a diftant branch of the family, entirely unknown to her ladyship. You must recollect the lofs you sustained in her death; for you were at that period eight years old.-At her earnest request, I made a journey into Kent, and arrived

and fhould he vifit us at the re-
turn of my fon, I think it will be
prudent to keep this little tale a fecret
from him; for there could be no
advantage arifing to you from his

and it might, perhaps, be productive
of much mortification to you.
(To be continued.)

Hindoo Rajah.]

URING the period of infancy,

time enough to affure her that I [From Mifs Hamilton's Letters of a would endeavour to fupply her place, and guard, with tenderness, your inexperienced youth.-She was made happy by thefe affurances; and, foon after, departed this frail exiftence.Mary had before paid the debt of

nature.

Lady Severn's income was confined; but he had, by strict economy, referved two thoufand pounds. -This, with your mother's jewels, and fome valuables of her own, was placed in my hands.---Her steward was left executor, and fettled all her other affairs.-I brought you home to my own children, and fhortly after you were placed with Julia at M****.

I have nothing more to relate, but that I have frequently written to Mr. Rutland, yet never obtained any anfwer. He is ftill alive, and is thought immenfely rich.- Should chance ever throw you in his way, your perfon muft awaken his remorfe; for you appear the very being that twenty years ago was his daughter.

I find, by my fon's letters from

D

thefe Chriftian females (whofe fouls are, in the erring mind of Zarmilla, deemed fo precious) are permitted to receive their firft ideas from mercenary attendants, always ignorant, and frequently vicious. When the rifing plant puts forth the tendrils of curiofity, which may at pleafure be directed to the tree of knowledge, or fuffered to twine round the hollow bamboo of prejudice and folly, at that period, left from the converfation of fathers or brothers, thefe young females might, peradventure, acquire fome degree of information, they are removed from the poffibility of fuch deplorable confequences, and placed where fcience, reafon, and common-fenfe, dare not to intrude. In these feminaries, far from being treated as

beings, whofe intellectual faculties are capable of progreffive improvement through the ages of eternity," their time is folely employed in learning a few tricks, fuch as a mon

key

key might very foon acquire:-and cafe of defeat, to employ them in thefe are call. d accomplishments! procuring terms of peace, which Judge how ridiculous it would be from the remarkable complaifance to make creatures, believed to be of their adverfaries to the female accountable to their Creator for the fex, it might be fuppofed, would be employment of their talents and the negotiated by the bibbys with pe improvement of their virtues, fpend culiar advantage to their country. the moft precious years of life, in I was, however, forced to give up nning their fingers over certain this conclufion, on being affured, bits of wood, which are fo contrived that after years spent in the study of as to make a jingling fort of noife, the language, as it is taught at these pleafant enough when one is a little excellent feminaries, few are capable accustomed to it, but which, in the of reading, and ftill fewer of converfmanner executed by them, verying, with any degree of fluency in feldom equals what is every day to this tongue; and that the only real be heard from the itinerant mu-adyantage refulting from it was, that, ficians that practife in the fireets! by what they knew of it, they were Another ingenious contrivance enabled to understand the peculiar for filling up that portion of time terms belonging to the articles of which the friend of Maandäära fup- drefs imported from that country, pofes to be employed in the acquifi- which had an acknowledged right of tion of ufeful knowledge, is, by the impofing its fafhions, on the other affiftance of a mafter (whofe attend-nations of Europe. ance is paid for at a aft expenfe) making wretched imitations of trees, and flowers: and this is called learning to paint! It appears as if great care was taken, to avoid the poffibility of the female pupils ever arriving at any degree of perfection in the art, as 1 am well-informed, that not one in five hundred is ever capable of copying from nature, or of doing any thing, when left to herself, that is not many degrees inferior to the little pictures which may be pur-improvement, exactly in the manner chafed for the value of a rupee.

Another indifpenfable part in the education of females of every caft, of every rank, and in every fituation, is the knowledge of the language fpoken in their neighbouring nation. I was for fome time at a great lofs to know what reafon could be affigned for fo ftrange a cuftom; and after many conjectures, I refted in the belief, that, as the French nation was frequently at war with the EngJih, it might either be customary to fend the women as hircarrahs*, into the camp of the enemy, or, in

* Spics.

Drefs is, indeed, one fcience in which full fcope is given to the faculties of these females; and the love of it is, at the great fchools of the Chriftians, fo fuccefsfully inculcated, that it remains indelible to the latest period of life. Nor is the mode of education I fpeak of confined folely to the children of the higher cafts: it extends to all, even to the daughters of tradefmen and mechanics, who are employed, during the years of

I have defcribed. All the difference is, that at inferior schools, where inferior maiters are employed, the girls do not, perhaps, arrive at the art of running their fingers over the bits of wood, called keys of a harpchord, with an equal degree of velocity; they make rather more execrable copies of more wretched pictures; and the knowledge they ac quire of the French language does not, perhaps, enable them to run over the names of the new fafhions with an equal degree of volubility; but as to making any attempt at + Ladies.

inftructing

man as the help effness of mental im

inftructing the daughters of Chriftians in any thing ufeful to them-becillity; and even the women themfelves or fociety, the idea would be felves are fo well convinced of this, deemed equally ridiculous in femi- that they would confider it as an naries of every clafs. infult to be treated like rational

creatures. The love of independence is, therefore, a mafculine virtue; and though fome few females are unamiable enough to dare to enter upon fome employment for their fupport, this conduct is very much difcouraged, and not only properly difcountenanced by the men, but held in abhorrence by all women who entertain a proper fenfe of the amiableness of female weakness. The females who belong to the caft of people of Jtyle, are particularly zeal

female industry, and are careful to employ men only in all those branches, in which fortunelefs women have audaciously endeavoured to procure fubfiftence; for this reafon, when a family, by any of thofe misfortunes

So far all is right. We behold women moving in their proper fphere, learning no other art, fave that of adorning their perfons; and infpired with no other view, but that of rendering themfelves objects of pleafure to the eyes of men. But how fhall I aftonifh you, when I unfold the extreme inconfiftency of the foolish Europeans, and inform you that these uninftructed women are frequently fuffered to become entirely their own miftreffes; fometimes intrufted with the manage-ous in reprobating the exertions of ment of large estates, and left at liberty to act for themselves!-nay, that it is no uncommon thing for a man, who may, in other refpects, by no means be considered as a fool, to leave his children to the care of his widow; by which means I have fre-occurring in a commercial country, quently feen a little family caft upon the care, and depending for protection, on a poor, pretty, helplefs being, incapable of any idea, fave that of drefs, or of any duty, except the poojah of cards! How much wifer is the inftitution of Brahma, by which creatures, incapable of acting with propriety for themfelves, are effectually put out of the way of mifchief, by being burned with the bodies of their husbands!-Wife regulations! Laudable practice! by which the number of old women is fo effectually diminished!

From what I have formerly faid, you will obferve, that women do actually fometimes carry on certain branches of trade; but to infer from this, that they are generally esteemed capable of bufinefs, or receive fuch an education as to enable them, if left deftitute of the gifts of fortune, to enter into it, would be doing them great injuftice. No: in that country, as well as in this, all men allow that there is nothing fo amiable in a wo.

happens to be reduced to poverty, the daughters of the family are either left a prey to gaunt-eyed indigence, or doomed to eat the bitter bread of dependence, administered with fparing hand, and grudging heart, by fome cold relative! Equally ignorant, and equally helpleis, as the females of Hindoftan, their fituation is far more deftitute and pitiable. By the admirable inftitutions of our laws, it is ordained "that a woman fhall by no means be left to herself, but that, in cafe her nearest relations are incapable of taking care of her, that duty fhall devolve upon the magiftrate." But, among the Chriftians of England, they are as deftitute of protection as of inftruction.

The mifguider of the mind of Zäärmilla has, it must be confeffed, mixed fometruth with the abundance of his falfehoods. When he told him that it was customary in his country to teach women to read and write, he did not advance the thing which was not. It is true, that they are

actually