LEST # speak with perfect clearness on these subjects the introduction of his offensive philosophy. We admit the occasional obscurity, sometimes amounting to unintelligibility, of his expression; but we do say, that, in despite of these faults, and we fully admit their magnitude, Prometheus Unbound is a production of magnificent poetical power. Did our limits permit us to give extracts, we would place this on indisputable ground. The length, however, to which this paper has already run, obliges us to content ourselves with referring our readers to the poem. Nor does Mr. Shelley want sweetness and tenderness when he chooses to display them. The Sensitive Plant is as beautiful a specimen of playful yet melancholy fancy as we remember to have seen. If Mr. Shelley would write a poem in which he would introduce more tenderness and less gloom; never permit his subtlety of thought to run into obscurity; and, above all, totally omit all allusion to his philosophical opinions, we are very sure that it would become universally and deservedly popular. This, to be sure, is asking him to cure himself of all his faults; but where they are those of commission not of omission-where they arise from misapplication of genius, not from want of it-we always look upon it to be within the power of volition to get rid of them-at least, in. a very great degree. The causes of Mr. HUNT's want of popularity as a poet are not so apparent, for some of his poetry is beyond measure beautiful. We take the secret of it to be that his imitation of ancient phraseology and versification has occasionally run him into affected modes of speech which have given a strong hold to ridicule; and people are afraid to admire that which, justly or not, has been laughed at. There is, in our view, nothing more contemptible and absurd than this; for there is, we will venture to assert, no work that ever was produced by human genius that could not be pulled to pieces in this way. With a certain degree of wit, and a suficient proportion of malice, the Iliad, or Paradise Lost-Macbeth, or the School for Scandal-Childe Harold, or Waverley; could be made to appear perfectly ridiculous and contemptible to those who had seen nothing more concerning them than a critique written in this spirit. These are the causes by which we account for the neglect into which the Story of Rimini has fallen, for it is intrinsically a production of exquisite beauty. That it is obscured by affectations we are far from denying-like the image of Babouk, it is formed of precious stones mingled with base earth; but who would look only to the unsightly clay, and shut their eyes to the multitude of beautiful gems by which it is embellished and outshone. The opening of the poem-the procession-the whole of the third canto-and the death of Francesca, are all scenes which any poet, be he who he may, would be proud to have written, and which no one, with a poet's feeling, can read without delight. We do not know that we have ever seen so great a tone of real poetry of almost every kind, in the compass of a small volume, as is to be found in this work. Mr. MATURIN is another poet whose fame does not equal his deserts. His Bertram had, indeed, splendid success; but it has now very much failen into neglect. That we think this neglect undeserved will be sufficiently apparent, when we say that we consider Bertram to be one of the finest tragedies in our language. There is a blemish in the conduct of the story, which will probably prevent its ever becoming a frequently acted play notwithstanding the great run which it had on its first appearance-but in the closet, it must, we think, always administer the utmost delight to | all lovers of poetry and the drama. Imagine's story, as she tells it to her attendant, we look on as one of the finest passages that we remember in dramatic poetry. It has all the condiments which render poetry beautiful-energy, pathos, and the most exquisite imagery and diction. It has been the fashion, lately, to run down Mr. Maturin, because the vigour of his genius has occasionally hurried him into extravagance. We would recommend to those who have been led misled-by the unfair criticism of which he has been the subject, to read The family of Walberg,' in Melmoth; and those parts of Women' which relate more immediately to Eva. We think they will allow that if he be occasionally overwrought and extravagant, he is also, when he curbs himself, an equal master of pure and pathetic writing. As an instance, and a strong one, of the degree in which the unjust decrying of his merit has had weight, we may mention that we once quoted some of his verses to a person who entered strongly into that opinion concerning him. They were, as well they might be, considered exquisitely beautiful, and excited the highest praise. Our friend was surprised in no slight degree, when we told him that they were written by the abused, and under-rated Maturin. VARIETIES. The Duke of Newcastle being once complimented by a friend on the great wisdom of his wife, answered, "Sir, a very wise woman, is a very foolish thing." MILTON'S EVE. Milton had not lived long with his first wife, before a difference arose, which ended in a separation; the lady returned to the house of her father, and Milton published his work, on the Doctrine and Discipline of Divorces, with the intention, it is said, of marrying another wife. In this, however, he was prevented, by a singular reconciliation with the lady from whom he had separated. One day when he was visiting a friend, his wife, who had been planted in the adjoining room, burst suddenly upon him, and he was surprised to find one whom he thought never to have seen again, making submission, and begging pardon on her knees before him. His own generous nature, and the intercession of friends, soon effected a reconciliation, and they lived happily together for the remainder of her life. It is said that this interview left such impressions on Milton's imagination, as contributed very materially to his writing that beautifully pathetic scene in Paradise Lost, in which Eve addresses Adam for pardon and peace. The passage will indeed be seen to be strikingly applicable: "He added not, and from her turn'd; but Eve, Forsake me not thus, Adam! witness heav'n I beg, and clasp thy knees; bereave me not THE CUDWORth mss. The history of these MSS. is somewhat curious. Having been left by Dr. Cudworth to the care of his daughter, Lady Masham, they for a long time quietly reposed in the library at Oates, in Essex. But, about the year 1762, when the late Lord Masham married his At a con second lady, his lordship thoughit proper to remove a number of volumes of ancient learning, which had been bequeathed to the family by Mr. Locke, and the manuscripts of Dr. Cudworth, to make room for books of polite amusement. For this purpose he sold either the whole or a considerable part of them, to Mr. Robert Davis, then a bookseller in Piccadilly. Mr. Davis being told, or having concluded, that the manuscripts were the production of Mr. Locke, it became an object of consideration with him, how to convert them, as a tradesman, to the best advantage. They contained, among other things, sundry notes on seripture. About the same time a number of manuscript scriptural notes, by Dr. Waterland, came into the possession of the such celebrated names as Mr. Locke and Dr. Waterland, booksellers. It was therefore projected, by the aid of to fabricate a new Bible with aunotations. sultation, however, it was suggested, that though these names were very important, it would be necessary for the complete success of the design, to join with them some popular living character. The unfortunate Dr. Dodd was then in the height of his reputation as a preacher, and was fixed upon to carry on the undertaking. This was the origin of Dr. Dodd's Bible; and part of the materials put into his hands, the doctor made use of in the "Christian Magazine." When the manuscripts were returned to Mr. Davis, he carried them down to Barnes in Surrey, which was his country retirement, and threw them into a garret, where they lay exposed to the danger of such a situation. About the beginning of the year 1777, a gentleman who had a veneration for the name of Mr. Locke, and was concerned to hear that any of his writings were in danger of being lost, went down to Barnes, to see these manuscripts; and being positively assured by Mr. Davis, that they were the real compositions of that eminent man, he immediately purchased them for forty guineas. He was, however, soon convinced, after an examination of them, that the authority of the bookseller was fallacious; and having remonstrated against the deception, the vender condescended to take them again, upon being paid ten guineas for his disappointment in the negociation. In the investigation of the manuscripts, the gentleman having discovered, by many incontestible proofs, that they were the writings of Dr. Cudworth, be recommended them to the curators of the British Museum, by whom they were purchased; and thus at last, after many perits and mutations, they are safely lodged in that noble repository. MATHEMATICS. Solution of No. 44, by Mathematicus. The weight of the cone will be 971932.5 oz. and the weight of sea water is 134827 oz... the weight of the cone when immersed will be 837105.5 oz. Then by the nature of the lever 837105-54209276-375 oz. the weight to be sustained by the buoyancy of the globe. Put x diam. of the globe, a = .5236, b = 1030, 2bax3 c925, the globe's solidity is ax3, and = weight 3 of water when immersed; also car3 weight of the quantity of water displaced by the globe alone; consequently cax3 209276-375; whence we find a = 11.88 feet, the diameter required. Solutions were received from Mr. John Hill, Amicus, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Rickards. 2bax3 3 Question No. 46, by the Editor. A liquor-merchant had, in a 12 gallon cask, 8 gallons of gin, valued at 10 shillings per gallon; and, in order to fill up the 12 gallon cask, he turned on, from a pipe, which ran uniformly at the rate of one gallon in 8 ininutes, an inferior kind of gin, valued at 6 shillings per gallon. The pipe, being neglected, ran one hour before it was closed. If we, then, suppose the inferior gin to be uniformly diffused and the mixture complete, at every instant of time, what is the value of the mixture left in the 12 gallon cask, and the value of the mixture ran over? BENEATH the chancel's hallow'd stone, The living eye hath never known, Those windows on the Sabbath day; Of prayer, and thanks, and bended knees; And lips and hearts to God are given, And souls enjoy oblivion sweet Of earthly hills, in thoughts of Heaven; What voice of calm and solemn tone Is heard above thy burial stone? What form in priestly meek array Beside the altar kneels to pray? And if a voice could reach the dead, Those tones would reach thee, though the worm, It is not long since thou wert wont These stones which now thy dust conceal, Those scenes, the heart can ne'er forget! But thou wert snatch'd, my brother, hence, For childish faults forgiveness crave- I felt not what my parents felt, The doubt-the terror-the distress- My soul was spar'd that wretchedness. With boyhood's joy, at length was beaming, Of beating hearts and beaming eyes, I lov'd my home-but trembled now I enter'd-all was desolate- In A tear stood in my father's eye; The Sabbath came-with mournful pace I sought my brother's burial place That shrine, which when I last had view'd, In vigour by my side he stood. I gaz'd around, with fearful eye All things reposed in sanctity. I reach'd the chancel-nought was chang'd The altar decently arrang'd The pure white cloth above the shrine The consecrated bread and wine All was the same-I found no trace My father's eye has lost its gloom; But not more pure than thee be died. And that dear home, which saw your birth, My boyish days are nearly gone, And lov'd and link'd my heart with others; But who with mine his spirit blends, As mine was blended with my brother's! When years of rapture glided by, The spring of life's unclouded weather, My brother, grew in love together. SONG. I saw that eye when it was bright I saw that smile when it was warm I heard that eloquence of heart, And deemed its sweetness all my own. That eye is dim-that smile is cold, On many a prospect unfulfill'd. The vigils of worn hearts are mine : But bending low at Memory's shrine CORRESPONDENCE. SHORT-HAND PUBLICATIONS. TO THE EDITOR, M. R. C. SIR, Short-hand is now regarded as a branch of a liberal education. There is, therefore, hardly a respectable seminary in which it is not taught. It formerly was very rare to meet with a person who understood the art: but it is, in the present day, very generally practiced. A person, with whom I have some acquaintance, once made a short-band prayer-book, which he sold for a considerable sum. It has occurred to me, that if a person were to write a neat copy of the prayer book, or of any other work of the kind, and get a few hundreds struck off at the lithographic press, he would find the specula tion not unprofitable. I have no doubt but that, in the lapse of a few years, we shall have stenographic editions of some of our best writers. The lithographic printing has afforded singular facility for such undertakings: and the short-hand publi cations which I have suggested, will form a novel and interesting class of works. A SHORT-HAND WRITER Manchester, 10th Sept. 1822, PRESTON GUILD FANCY BALL. September 6, 1822. The Ball was held at the New Exchange, in the large suite of rooms, the whole being brilliantly fitted up and illuminated. From six to seven hundred persons attended, including noble and wealthy families from all parts of the county. The company were more than two hours in being set down from their carriages. At eleven o'clock the rooms were crowded, and presented a most animated and delightful scene. Kings and courtiers, peers aud peasants, fairies and philosophers, queens and quakers, ladies and legislators, barons and barristers, soldiers and senators, ministers and magicians, Turks and tyrants, Shylocks and shepherdesses, knights and knaves, sages and savages, merrymen and misers, all in admirable costume, promenading, dancing, and conversing. It was all the world at "bigh change;" it was not the grandeur of a court and the manners of a people, which by much travelling and expense we might become acquainted with; it was all the courts of every country, assembled, as if on special embassy, to the gay court of the Guild Mayor. It is not likely, that, in the midst of such a scene, although masks were not worn, we could recognise any great number of persons, and accurately ascertain the characters they assumed; we will, however, mention those which we recollect, as specimens of the multitude around us. The Countess of Derby appeared in an elegant crimson and white dress, which had been woven in the grand procession. It was highly ornamented. (The Earl of Derby was present, but not in fancy dress.) The Earl of Wilton wore the splendid dress of a Greek Prince, loaded with jewels, worth £7,000. The Countess of Wilton was the Lady Chief of a Highland Clan, and was much admired. The Lady Mayoress's representative, Mrs Atkinson, was elegantly dressed in white, adorned with silver and pearls, and a Spanish hat. The Mayor was present, in his usual full dress. Miss Jupp was a lovely Shepherdess. Mr. Bootle Wilbraham appeared as a Baron of the Cinque Ports, in the same dress that he wore when holding the canopy over his Majesty at the coronation. The two Miss Wilbrahams, as Russian Peasants. Mr. Townley Parker, as an Albanian Officer, with elegant dirk, &c. richly wrought in silver. Sir R. Brooke was an American. Lord Stanley personated a Neapolitan Peasant most admirably. His two sons were Tyrolese Peasants. Colonel Plumbe was in the uniform of the Lancashire Militia of 1760. Mrs. Plumbe and Mr. Thomas Plumbe were an old English Lady and Gentleman. Mr. Waterton, of Walton-hall, Yorkshire, was an attractive character: he personated, in the true costume of a South American Indian Chief, the illustrious Montezuma: his only dress was a sinall scarf of silk net, several beautifully-formed bands of the richest and smallest feathers we ever saw, which he had himself brought from the interior of South America, and an unrivalled headdress of feathers; he held in his hand the short, squareformed club used in that country as a defence against wild beasts; and he exhibited the most surprising muscular strength, by giving and repeating the savage dance of the Indians. Lady Jane Grey interested every one as the representative of her own well-known namesake. Mr. Edmund Grimshaw was a fine old English Gentleman. Mr. Samuel Grimshaw was splendidly attired in the regal costume of Richard III. Mr. R. Pilkington was an old English Baron; and Mr. W. O. Pilkington, the Undersheriff, was a Spanish Forester. Mr. Baines, of Leeds, most accurately personated the printer and patriot of America, Dr. Franklin. Mr. Trafford was remarkably dressed in his own crest; a Clown, in party-coloured clothes, a flail in his hand, and a motto, "now thus." Mr. Westmacott, of London, was a well-dressed, crescented Turk. Mr. Hulton was in a rich court suit, and his lady in a handsome fancy dress. Mr. Kershaw, of Manchester, was an Admiral of the Blue. Of those who came from Liverpool or the neighbourhood, and who may be intimately known to our readers, We recollect the following: the Mayor of Liverpool, Mr. Drinkwater, and two or three others appeared in their asual dresses. Mr. Samuel Gregson was a prominent character, a Rajah of British India, exquisitely dressed, smoking a hookah of about four yards in length, curling along the floor, and the end raised upon a pedestal. He was attended by a native slave, brought by him from Calatta. The perfume from the hookah pervaded the whole Coom for a short time. Mr. Richard Ward was an old English Gentleman; Mr. G. Duncan, a South Sea Islander well dressed; Mr. Richard Harrison, the parent of the Liverpool Fancy Balls, was in a Spanish dress; Mr. Joseph Hornby was a Dalmatian Peasant; Mr. Barton was a Spanish Grandee, as was also Mr. Roger Leigh, jun.; Captain Ingram was a superb Persian Prince; Mr. John Smith was in the full costume of a Roman Senator; Coun sellor Raincock was a Spanish Nobleman; Mr. Bird a Staff Officer; Mr. Thistleton an Hussar; Miss Thistleton a Peasant; Mr Brooke was an admirable Prospero, with his magical book, wand, and time-glass; none of his friends recognised him until he spoke to them; Mr. Clay, of Bold-street, was Sir rancis Wronghead; Mr. Marsden, a Turk; Mr. Mainwaring, of Brombro, was Gil Blas; Mr. Anthony Swainson's character we forget; Mr. Charles Lorrimer was a Courtier; Mr. Myers, a British Officer; and Mr. Richard Smith, as a Teutonic Knight, gave his address on satin cards as follows: Albrecht Margraf von Brandenburg Hochmeister der Teutonic Ritters Marienburg. The Parisian merchant, who, during a long life of commercial industry, had never before had such a commission, read over and over this singular order, which put the future spouse of his friend on the same footing as the bales of goods he had to send him. He endeavoured, however, to execute his trust as faithfully as he could; and after many enquiries, he thought he had found a lady who possessed the necessary qualifications, in a young woman of reputable family, but without fortune, good education, and tolerably handsome. He made the proposal to her, as his friend had directed; and the young gentlewoman, who had no subsistence but from a cross old aunt, who gave her a great deal of uneasiness, accepted it. A ship bound for the island was then fitting at Rochelle; the gentlewoman went on board it, together with the bales of goods, being well provided with all necessaries, and particularly, with a certificate in due form, and endorsed by the correspondent. She was also included in the invoice, the last article of which ran thus : "Item-A young gentlewoman of twenty-five years of age, of the quality and shape and conditioned as per order, as appears by the affidavits and certificates she has to produce." The writings which were thought necessary for so exact a man as her future husband, were, an extract from the parish register; a certificate of her character, signed by the curate; an attestation of her neighbours, setting forth that she had, for the space of three years, lived with an old aunt, who was intolerably peevish, and yet she had not, during the whole of that time, given her the least cause of complaint; and lastly, the goodness of her constitution was certified by four physicians of The remainder of our notices must be very brief. Mrs. Peter Horrocks appeared in a fancy Spanish dress; Counsellor Fell, as a Spanish Grandee; Mr. Palmer, Town Clerk of Preston, in his official Robes; the Earl of Stam. ford, as Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire; Hon. H. Grey, in the Montem dress; Mr. John Morland, as Hamlet; Sir Thomas Hesketh, in military uniform; Lord Grey, as a Captain of Cheshire militia; Mr. Rishton, in a crimson and gold Spanish dress; Mr. W. D. Sneyd, as the Earl of Essex; Sir Win Burdett, in a court suit ; Mr. Hornby, M. P. ditto. Captain Langton, of Kirkham, a Turkish officer; Lord Lindsay, a Chinese officer; Mr. S. Shuttleworth, as the Dey of Algiers; Mr. Monkhouse, as Corio-eminence. Janus; Gen. Lord Aylmer, in military uniform; Lady Hoghton, as a native of the Island of Naxos; Major Bund, as Rob Roy; and the Honourable Thomas Powis, a highland chieftain. These, of course, are but a small portion of the assembled characters; and such was the spirit and beauty of the whole, that several persons present who had seen the best displays in London, Liverpool, Paris, Venice, aud Florence, declared it was unparalleled. Of the hired dresses, the principal part was supplied from the immense wardrobe formed by the late Mrs. Lee, of Charles-street, Covent-garden; Mr. Lee having brought it down from London, and joined with Messrs. Green and Son, of Preston, for the occasion. The wardrobes of Mr. Féntum and Mr. Solomon, also from London, had their share of patronage; but private ingenuity had been successfully exerted for much of the characteristic drapery and appointments. Country dances and quadrilles were kept up with great spirit, and the company did not wholly withdraw until four o'clock.Kal. MATRIMONIAL ADVENTURE. in one of the French West India Islands, when somewhat A native of Paris, who had acquired a large fortune advanced in life, resolved to share his fortune with a woman of merit; but not meeting with one to please him, he determined to apply to a personal friend and commercial correspondent in Paris. Bred up exclusively to commerce, he knew no other style than tha he used in trade, and treated of the affairs of love as he did those of business. He wrote to his friend, and among a number of commissions, wis the following: "Item.-Seeing that I have taken a resolution to marry, and that I do not find a suitable match for me here, do not fail to send, by next ship bound hither, a young woman of the qualifications and form following: family, between twenty and twenty-five years of age, of As for a portion, I demand none. Let her be of an honest a middle stature and well-proportioned, her face agreeable, her temper mild, her character blameless, her health good, and her constitution strong enough to bear the change of the climate, that there may be no occasion to look out for a second through lack of the first soon after she come to hand, which must be provided against as much as possible, considering the great distance and the dangers of the sea. If she arrives here, conditioned as above said, with the present letter endorsed by you, or at least an attested copy thereof, that there may be no mistake or imposition, I hereby oblige and engage myself to satisfy the said letter, by marrying the bearer at fifteen days sight. In witness whereof, I subscribe this, &c. Previous to her departure on so singular an errand, the Parisian merchant sent letters of advice by other ships, to his friend, announcing that by such a ship he should send a young woman, describing her age, character, and appearance. The letters of advice, the bales, and the lady, all arrived safe in port; and the expectant merchant, who was one of the foremost on the pier, when she landed, was gratified to see in a handsome young woman, that his wishes had been attended to. The lady being introduced, presented him with his correspondent's letter, endorsed, "The bearer of this is the spouse you ordered me to send you." A few days were devoted to courtship, and to ascertaining each other's disposition, when the nuptial ceremony took place with great magnificence, and Martinique did not boast a happier couple than the one thus singularly united. THE DRAMA. MANCHESTER DRAMATIC REGISTER. Saturday, August 17th.-The Heir at Law; with Frighten'd to Death. Saturday, 24th.-The School for Scandal: with The Spectre Bridegroom. Saturday, 31st.-The Clandestine Marriage: with The two Pages of Frederick the Great. CLARA FISHER. We understand that this interesting little performer has obtained an engagement at Drury-lane, on the very extraordinary terms of five hundred pounds, and a halfbenefit (about £200 or £300 more) for four months' performances annually. The engagement is, for three years. We likewise understand that a Drury-lane engagement has been offered to Mr. Vandenhoff; of the result we are ignorant. LITERARY NOTICES. The Maid's Revenge. A Summer's Evening Tale, and other Poems. By John Villiers. A Series of Plates illustrative of Recent Discoveries and Remains of a Roman Town, near Peterborough. By Mr. Artis. Dendrologia Britannica (trees and shrubs that will live in the open air of Britain). By Mr. P. Watson, of Hull. Illustrated with voloured Plates. An Encyclopædia of Agriculture on the Plan of Loudon's Gardening. The Aphorisms of Hippocrates, with a Translation into Latin and English. By Mr. T. Coar. Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots. By Miss Benger. WEEKLY DIARY. SEPTEMBER. REMARKABLE DAYS. TUESDAY 17-Saint Lambert. Lambert was Bishop of Utrecht, in the time of King Pepin I; but, reproving the king's grandson for his irregularities, he was cruelly murdered at the instigation of an abandoned woman. Being canonized, he obtained, at first, only a simple commemoration in the calendar; but Robert Bishop of Leeds, in a general chapter of the Cistercian order, procured a solemn feast to his honour in the church in 1240. SATURDAY 21.-Saint Matthew. In the year 64 or 65, Matthew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek. After many labours and miracles, he closed his life at Nadabar in Ethiopia, probably by martyrdom. On this day the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, and governors of the several Royal Hospitals in London, attend divine service and hear a sermon preached at Christ Church, Newgatestreet; they then repair to the Great Hall in Christ's Hospital, where two orations are delivered, one in Latin, and the other in English, by the two senior scholars of the Grammar School; and afterwards partake of an elegant dinner. The Jews observe this day as a kind of festival, on account of the death of the Spies that brought an evil report of the Holy Land; the history of which is to be found in Numbers xiii. BIOGRAPHY. here he was lost in the general crowd of candi- didates for the organist's situation. A day was During Mr. Wainwright's performance, Dr. Miller, the friend of Herschel, inquired of him what chance he had of following him? I don't know,' said Herschel, but I am sure fingers will not do.' When it came to his turn, Herschel ascended the organ-loft, and produced so uncommon a richness, such a volume of slow harmony, as astonished all present; and, after this extempore effusion, he finished with the old hundredth psalm, which he played better than his opponent. Ay, aye,' cries old Snetzler, it ish very goot, very goot inteet; I will luf tis man, for he gives my pipes room to shpeak.' Herschel being asked by what means he produced so astonishing an effect, replied, I told you fingers would not do;' and, producing two pieces of lead from his waistcoat-pocket, said, One of these I laid on the lowest key of the organ, and the other upon the SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL, L. L. D. F. R. S. octave above. Thus, by accommodating the har Astronomer Royal, &c. &c. &c. THOUGH England cannot claim the honour of Dr. Herschel's birth, yet he was a native of a portion of the British dominions; and his extraordinary talents have been brought into action, matured, and properly directed, under the auspices of the British sovereign. mony, I produced the effect of four hands instead This triumph of skill obtained Herschel the Gregorian telescope, he felt so much pleasure, that he became anxious to possess a complete set of astronomical instruments. His first object was to get a large telescope, and being ignorant of the price at which such instruments are usually charged, he desired a friend in London to buy one for him; but the price appeared so exorbitant, that he declined purchasing until he had informed mer's astonishment was equal to that of his friend; Mr. Herschel of the circumstance. Our astronobut, instead of dropping his pursuit, he formed what many would have regarded as a most romantic resolution, that of making a telescope for himself. He did not content himself with a he could gather out of a few treatises on optics, speculative idea, but, from the scanty instructions actually commenced this arduous undertaking. Disappointment succeeded disappointment, but this only acted as a stimulus to his ardent mind; and at length his perseverance was so far crowned with success, that in 1774, he enjoyed the exquisite satisfaction of beholding the heavens through a five feet Newtonian reflector, of his own workmanship. The modern Galileo did not rest at this attainment, great as it was; but, with a laudable ambition, set about making instruments of a greater magnitude than had hitherto been known. After constructing those of seven, and even ten feet, he thought of forming one not less than double the latter size. So great was his patience, and so determined his perseverance, that in perfecting the parabolical figure of a seven feet telescope, he did not make less than two hundred specula before he obtained one that would bear any power that was applied to it. While he was thus laboriously employed in his mathematical pursuits, he did not neglect the immediate duties of his profession. Yet, so much did his new studies occupy his mind, that he has frequently stolen from the theatre or the concert room, to look at the stars, and then return again in time to bear his part ainong the musical performers. This constancy to the science was at length most bountifully rewarded, by the discovery of a new planet in our system, to which, in compliment to the king, he gave the name of Georgium Sidus. This important discovery was made in the night of the 13th of March, 1781. It was by no means a mere accidental circumstance which favoured Dr. Herschel with the view of this planet, but the result of a regular, patient, and scientific chain of observations. Dr. Herschel was the son of a musician, and was born at Hanover, Nov. 15, 1738. He was at first bred to the profession of his father, who, having a large family, could only give his children In these pursuits Mr. Herschel was entirely a scanty education; but William, the second son, self-taught; but it was not to the dead and living When he first saw it, he was not quite certain and subject of this memoir, displaying a lively languages only that he bent his ardent and reso- that it belonged to our system, as a planet, but and inquisitive genius beyond what appeared in lute mind. He attempted to gain a knowledge of rather as a comet; however, a closer inquiry the other sons, had the benefit of a French masthe most abstruse sciences. His first effort was enabled him to ascertain with exactness its planeter allowed him, under whom he made rapid to make himself master of the theory of harmo-tary disk as well as its motion. This discovery progress. Fortunately the tutor had a metaphy-nies, and then to study the other branches of was, in the course of the same year, communisical head, and directed the attention of his pupil mathematical learning. Algebra, Euclid, and cated to the Royal Society; and, in consequence, to other pursuits than merely acquiring a know- then Fluxions he mastered. Mr. Herschel was unanimously elected a member, ledge of the French language; and from this and had the gold medal presented to him for his worthy man young Herschel gained a tolerable services in this branch of science. In the year knowledge of logic, ethics, and metaphysics, following, his Majesty took him under his imwhich excited in his mind an insatiable thirst for mediate protection; and he quitted Bath and bis learning and a determined resolution to exert himmusical profession and went to live at Slough, self to the utmost to improve his stock of knownear Windsor, in a house assigned to him by his ledge. royal patron, who constituted him his own private astronomical observer, with a handsome pension, Herschel's intellectual attainments were his sole inheritance, except a musical instrument and some manuscript music; and with this store, unpromising as it was, he bade adieu to his native country, while the flames of war were spreading around it, and arrived in London in the year 1759. He then filled the humble capacity of one of the band of a German regiment, and played on the hautboy. He did not continue long in this situation, but endeavoured to get employent in London as a musical performer; but In 1766, Herschel left Halifax, and was elected organist to the Octagon Chapel at Bath. Here he entered at once upon a great round of professional business; performing at the rooms, oratorios, theatre, and public and private concerts, besides instructing a number of pupils in music. In such active employment and in the immediate circle of luxury and amusement, very few men of Mr. Herschel's age and profession would have found time to pursue a study so seemingly unprofitable as that of mathematics. So far, however, from relaxing in his scientific studies, he pursued them with increasing ardour, and, after a day of hard labour, commonly retired, at night, to his mathematical studies. About this time, Mr. Herschel first began to direct his attention to optics and astronomy. Having viewed the heavens through a two feet Here he was enabled to carry ou his projects with vigour, and to bring to perfection those which had hitherto failed of success. While at Bath, he had formed the bold scheme of constructing a telescope of thirty feet, and actually made several trials to carry his object into effect; but though he failed there, he afterwards so far exceeded his original design as to complete an instrument of no less than forty feet, and of the most extraordinary powers. Lalande, in his History of Astronomy for the year 1806,' has attempted to depreciate the merits of Dr. Herschel's large telescope, and says. It has not furnished the extraordinary results that were expected from it.' What this flippant Frenchman expected we know not, but there is the evidence of facts to prove that its results have not only been extraordinary, but that they have exceeded the anticipation of its author. Had M. Lalande searched the Transactions of the Royal Society, he would have found that scarcely a single year has elapsed from the time that the forty feet telescope was constructed to the period when he wrote, in which there was not some important contribution to science resulting from its use. In the Philosophical Transactions' for 1800, there is an interesting memoir by Dr. Herseifel on the power of telescopes to penetrate into space, that is to render sensible very distant and very faint objects, which by their want of light, would be imperceptible without the aid of instruments. It appears to him that the greatest amplification cannot exceed that produced by a telescope of from twenty to twenty five feet. In 1802 Dr. Herschel laid before the Royal Society a catalogue of five thousand new nebulæ, nebulous stars, planetary nebula, and clusters of stars, which he had discovered. This catalogue was prefaced by an enlarged view of the sideral bodies composing the universe, in which he enumerated twelve species of stars of great diversity which enter into the construction of the heavens. In 1783, Dr. Herschel discovered a volcanic mountain in the moon, and in 1787 he made further obscrvations on that planet, and found two other volcanoes therein, which emitted fire from their summits; and, in prosecuting his inquiries respecting his own planet, he has discovered it to be surrounded with rings, and to have six satel lites. In consequence of this important addition to the stock of national knowledge, our astronomer had the honour of receiving from the university of Oxford, the degree of Doctor of Laws, which is the more creditable, as that learned body is very sparing of its academic honours to persons who have not been educated within its walls. His late Majesty, under whose patronage Dr. Herschel was enabled to make so many discoveries, constituted him Astronomer Royal, and conferred on him the dignity of knighthood. This distinguished astronomer, after passing a long life of usefulness, and contributing more, perhaps, than any individual of his time, towards enlarging the boundaries of science, died at his house at Slough, on the 26th of August, in the 84th year of his age. In his astronomical pursuits, Dr. Herschel was materially assisted by his sister, Miss Caroline Herschell, who has distinguished herself greatly by her application to this sublime study, and has communicated to the Royal Society some very ingenious reports of observations made by her upon the starry orbs. Dr. Herschel was a man of unassuming manners, free, open, and communicative, and always ready to gratify the curiosity of any stranger, who, in passing Windsor, might wish to see the extraordinary apparatus of the astronomer Royal, at Slough. Among the lower classes, the name of Dr. Herschel was as celebrated as that of Friar Bacon and his brazen head, and many were the occasions on which the doctor was consulted, particularly as to the weather; an instance of this, which is well authenticated, is worth relating. One morning, a countryman knocked at the doctor's door at Slough, and requested the favour of a few words with him. The doctor went out 66 to the hall, when the countryman said to him, I ask pardon, doctor, for disturbing you, but I am quite in a quandary, as the saying is, and so I made free to call and ask your advice; you must know, my meadows are a great deal too long for cutting, but before. I begin I should like to know whether you think the weather will soon take up?' First look round,' said the doctor, and tell me what you see.' 'See,' repeated the countryman, why, hay that is not worth the saving; what dunderhead owns it, that Ives so near you, and cuts it without asking your advice?' I am the dunderhead,' said the doctor, and had it cut the very day before the rain came on.'-Lit. Chron. RHYME AND REASON. "Nou eadem est ætas, non mens."-HORACE. HE whose life has not been one continued monotony; he who has been susceptible of different passions, opposite in their origins and effects, needs not to be told, that the same objects, the same scenes, the same incidents, strike us in a variety of lights, according to the temper and inclination with which we survey them. To borrow an illustration from external senses,---if we are situated in the centre of a shady valley, our view is confined and our prospect bounded; but if we ascend the topmost heights of the mountain by which that valley is overshadowed, the eye wanders luxuriantly over a perpetual succession of beautiful objects, until the mental faculties sight; we breathe a purer air, and are inspired with purer appear to catch new freedom from the extension of the emotions. Thus it is with men who differ from each other in their tastes, their studies or their professions. They look on the same external objects with a different internal perception; and the view which they take of surrounding scenes is beautified or distorted, according to their prodominant pursuit, or their prevailing inclination. We were led into this train of ideas by a visit which we lately paid to an old friend, who, from a strong taste for agricultural pursuits, has abandoned the splendor and absurdity of a town life, and devoted to the cultivation of England, all the advantages of a strong judgment and a a large farming establishment, in a picturesque part of good education. His brother, on the contrary, who was a resident at the farm during our visit, has less of sound understanding than of ardent genius, and is more remarkable for the warmth of his beart than the soundness of his head. In short, to describe them in a word, Jonathan sees with the eye of a merchant, and Charles with that of an enthusiast; Jonathan is a man of business, and Charles is a poet. The contrast between their tempers is frequently the theme of conversation at the social meetings of the neighbourhood; and it is always found that boyish enthusiasm of Charles; while the young and the the old and the grave shake their heads at the almost imprudent indulge in severe sarcasms at the mercenary and uninspired moderation of his brother. All parties however concur in admiring the uninterrupted cordiality which subsists between them, and in laughing goodhumouredly at the various whims and foibles of these opposite characters, who are known throughout the conntry by the titles of Rhyme" and " Reason." We arrived at the farm as Jonathan was sitting down to his substantial breakfast. We were delighted to see our old friend, now in the decline of life, answering so exactly the description of Cowper, "An honest man, close-button'd to the chin, We felt an inward satisfaction in contemplating his frieze cont, whose debut we remember to have witnessed five years ago, and in speculating upon the snows which five additional winters had left upon his head since our last interview. It was sometime before we recovered sufficiently from our reverie to inquire after the well-being of our younger companion, who had not yet made his appearance at the board.---" Oh!" said Jonathan, "Charles is in his heyday years; we must indulge him for the present: we can't expect such regul rity from five-and-twenty as a loud holloo sounded as the avant-courier of Charles's from six-and-fifty." He had hardly done speaking when approach, and in less than a minute he presented himself before us.---"Ten thousand pardons !" he cried. "One's enough," said his Brother. "I've seen the finest sun-rise,” said Charles. "You're wet through," said Jonathan. · I'm'all'over rapture," said Rhyme. “You're all over dirt," said reason. for the re-adjustment of his dress, while the old man conWith some difficulty Charles was persuaded to retire tinued his meal with a composure which proved he was fellow. By the time he had got through his beef-steak, not unused to the morning excursions of his volatile yokeand three columns of the Courier, Charles ré-entered, and despatched the business of eating with a rapidity in which mány a modern half-starved rhymer would be glad to emulate him. A walk was immediately proposed; but the one had scarcely reached an umbrella, and the other prepared his manuscript book, when a slight shower of rain prevented our design.---" Provoking," said Rhyme. Good for the crop," said Reason. The shower, however, soon ceased, and a fine clear sun encouraged us to resume our intentions, without fear of a second disappointment. As we walked over the estate, we were struck with the improvements made by our friend, both as regarded the comfort and the value of the property; while now and then we could not suppress a smile on observing the rustic harbour which Charles had designed, or the verses which he had inscribed on our favourite old oak. It was determined that we should ascend a neighbouring hill, which was dear to us, from its having been the principal scene of our boyhood's amusements. "We must make baste," said Charles, "or we shall miss the view." "We must make haste," said Jonathan, "or we shall catch cold on our return.' Their actions seemed different. We observed a tenant of our friend ploughing always to amalgamate, though their motives were always a small field, and stopped a short time to regard the contented appearance of the man, and the cheerful whistle with which he called to his cattle. "Beatus ille qui procul negotiis," said the poet; "A poor term, though," said his brother. Our attention was next excited by a level meadow, whose green hue, set off by the mixture of the white fleeces of a beautiful flock of sheep, was, to the observer of nature, a more enviable sight than the most studied landscape of Gainsborough's pencil. Lovely colours!" ejaculated Charles ;---"Fine Mutton," observed Jonathan, Delightful scene for a rustic hop!" cried the enthusiast ;---“ I am thinking of planting hops," said the farmer. We reached the summit of the hill, and remained for some moments in silent admiration of one of the most variegated prospects that ever the country presented to the contemplation of its most ardent admirer. The mellow verdure of the meadows, intermingled here and there with the sombre appearance of ploughed land, the cattle reclining in the shade, the cottage of the rustic peeping from behind the screen of a luxuriant edge, formed a tout ensemble which every eye must admire, but which few pens can describe: "A delightful landscape!" said Charles; "A rich soil," said Jonathan. "What scope for description!" cried the first; "What scope for improvement!" returned the second. As we returned, we passed the cottage of the peasant, whom we had seen at his plough in the morning. The family were basily engaged in their several domestic Occupations. One little chubby-faced rogue was conducting Dobbin to his stable, another was helping his sister to coop up the poultry, and a third was incarcerating the swine, who made a vigorous resistance against their youthful antagonist. "Tender!" cried Rhyme;--hewas listening to the nightingale. "Very tender!" replied Reason;---he was looking at the pigs. As we drew near home, we met an old gentleman walking with his daughter, between whom and Chailes a reciprocal attachment was said to exist. The lateness of the evening prevented much conversation, but the few words which were spoken again brought into contrast the opposite tempers of my friends. "A fine evening, Madam," said the man of sense, and bowed;---" I shall see you to-morrow, Mary!" said the lover, and pressed her band. We looked back upon her as she left us. After a pause," She is an angel!" sighed Charles;"She is an heiress," observed Jonathan. thousand pounds," said Reason. thousand perfections!" cried Rhyme;—"She has ten "She has ten We left them the next morning, and spent some days in speculations on the canses which enabled such union |