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down at breakfast, and reading it to us, and my impression is, that she had then just composed it. "

On this evidence-Miss M. does not hesitate to restore the poem to Miss F., and thereupon repeats it, as follows:

A RIDDLE.

'Twas in heaven pronounced, and 'twas muttered in hell,
And echo caught faintly the sound as it fell;

On the confines of earth 'twas permitted to rest,
And the depths of the ocean its presence confess'd;
'Twill be found in the sphere when 'tis riven asunder,
Be seen in the lightning and heard in the thunder.
'Twas allotted to man with his earliest breath,
Attends him at birth, and awaits him in death,
Presides o'er his happiness, honor and health,
Is the prop of his house, and the end of his wealth.
In the heaps of the miser 'tis hoarded with care,
But is sure to be lost on his prodigal heir.

It begins every hope, every wish it must bound,

With the husbandman toils, and with monarchs is crowned.
Without it the soldier, the seaman may roam,

But woe to the wretch who expels it from home.

In the whispers of conscience its voice will be found,

Nor e'en in the whirlwind of passion be drowned.

'Twill not soften the heart; but though deaf be the ear, It will make it acutely and instantly hear.

Yet in shade let it rest, like a delicate flower,

Ah! breathe on it softly-it dies in an hour.

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All this is certainly beautiful, and whether written by a lord or a lady, does great credit to the author. This copy of it, however, we find has some variations from that in our memory, and not, we think, so good. Thus instead of the first couplet as Miss M. gives it:

'Twas in heaven pronounced, and 'twas muttered in hell, And echo caught faintly the sound as it fell;

That which we read, as we still remember it, ran thus:

'Twas whispered in heaven; twas muttered in hell;
And echo caught softly the sonnd as it fell;

certainly much better. There were also, we believe, some other slight differences; but we cannot specify them just now.

CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD.

"The old maxim," says Capt. Basil Hall," that you are to do in Rome as the Romans do," seduces many worthy persons to forget what they owe to themselves, in consideration of what they affect to fancy they owe the Romans, but what, in truth, they merely find agreeable to themselves at the moment."

STANZAS.

"I would not live alway."-Job.

I would not live forever here,

For something whispers in my breast,
This earth is not my spirit's sphere,
And cannot be my place of rest.

The highest happiness attained
Still leaves a void it cannot fill;
And when my dearest wish is gained
I sigh for something dearer still.

My soul, a Bird of Paradise,

Is always on her airy wings;
She cannot rest beneath the skies,

She cannot live on earthly things.*

*The Bird of Paradise, (according to the fabulous account of it,) has no legs, of course never lights, but is always flying about in the air, and lives entirely upon the dew of Heaven.See Goldsmith.

LINES TO A LADY.

Sent with a small pair of Scissars.

I heed not the saw of old wives,
How scissars, they say, will cut love;
For ours shall last all our lives,
And longer-in heaven above.

No, even the scissars of Fate

Cannot sever our spirits, my dear;
And these which you see are not great,
I may give you, I think, without fear.

P.

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[The defeat of General Braddock on the banks of the Monongahela, in 1755, is one of the most memorable events in the annals of our American Colonies; and we may add, that the account of it belongs, in some respects, more particularly, to the history of our own State than to that of any other; as the expedition which led to it began its march from our territory, and was composed partly of our native forces; and as it was almost the first event that brought the gallantry and good conduct of our great general that was to be—the future leader of our revolutionary contest-into bright and prominent view. We submit, therefore, with great pleasure, the following illustrations of it, which we take, for the most part, from a magazine entitled the Olden Time;" edited by Neville B. Craig, Esq., (Vol. 1, p. 64, &c.,) and which we think our readers will find highly interesting.

66

We believe we might leave these papers to speak for themselves, and to tell their own tale, as they do indeed with sufficient spirit, and with a particularity of detail which puts us, as it were, on the scene, and in sight of the whole drama; but it may perhaps be better to introduce them with a more condensed account of the affair which we find in Marshall's History of the American Colonies, (p. 285, &c.,) and which runs as follows:]

The establishment of the post on the Ohio, and the action at the Little Meadows. being considered by the British government as the commencement of war in America, the resolution to send a few regiments to that country was immediately taken; and early in the year, general Braddock embarked at Cork, at the head of a respectable body of troops destined for the colonies. An active offensive campaign being meditated, general Braddock convened the governors of the several provinces, on the 14th of April, in Virginia, who resolved to carry on three expe

ditions.

The first, and most important, was against fort Du Quêsne. This was to be conducted by General Braddock in person at the head of the British troops, with such aids as could be drawn from Maryland and Virginia.

The second against Niagara and fort Frontignac, was to be conducted by governor Shirley. The American regulars, consisting of Shirley and Pepperel's regiments, constituted the principal force destined for the reduction of these places.

The third was against Crown Point. This originated with Massachusetts; and was to be prosecuted entirely with colonial troops, to be raised by the provinces of New England, and by New York. It was to be commanded by colonel William Johnson of the latter province.

As soon as the convention of governors had separated, general Braddock proceeded from Alexandria to a fort at Wills' creek, afterwards called fort Cumberland, at that time the most western post in Virginia or Maryland; from which place the army destined against fort Du Quêsne was to commence its march. The difficulties of obtaining wagons, and other necessary supplies for the expedition, and delays occasioned by opening a road through an excessively rough country, excited apprehensions that time would be afforded the enemy to collect in such force at Fort Du Quêsne, as to put the success of the enterprise into some hazard.

Under the influence of this consideration, it was determined to select twelve hundred men, who should be led by the general in person to the point of destination. The residue of the army, under the command of colonel Dunbar, was to follow, with the baggage, by slow and easy marches.

This disposition being made, Braddock pressed forward to his object, in the confidence that he could find no enemy capable of opposing him; and reached the Monongahela on the eighth of July.

As the army approached fort Du Quêsne, the general was cautioned of the danger to which the character of his enemy, and the face of the country, exposed him; and was advised to

advance the provincial companies in his front, for the purpose of scouring the woods, and discovering ambuscades. But he held both his enemy and the provincials in too much contempt, to follow this salutary counsel. Three hundred British troops, comprehending the grenadiers and light infantry, commanded by colonel Gage, composed his van; and he followed, at some distance, with the artillery, and the main body of the army, divided into small columns.

Within seven miles of fort Du Quêsne, immediately after crossing the Monongahela the second time, in an open wood, thick set with high grass, as he was pressing forward without fear of danger, his front received an unexpected fire from an invisible enemy. The van was thrown into some confusion; but the general having ordered up the main body, and the commanding officer of the enemy having fallen, the attack was suspended, and the assailants were supposed to be dispersed. This delusion was soon dissipated. The attack was renewed with increased fury; the van fell back on the main body; and the whole army was thrown into utter confusion.

The general possessed personal courage in an eminent degree; but was without experience in that species of war, in which he was engaged; and seems not to have been endowed with that rare fertility of genius which adapts itself to the existing state of things, and invents expedients fitted to the emergency. In the impending crisis, he was peculiarly unfortunate in his choice of measures. Neither advancing nor retreating, he exerted his utmost powers to form his broken troops, under an incessant and galling fire, on the very ground where they had been attacked. In his fruitless efforts to restore order, every officer on horseback except Mr. Washington, one of his aidsde-camp, was killed or wounded. At length, after losing three horses, the general himself received a mortal wound; upon which his regulars fled in terror and confusion. Fortunately the Indian enemy was arrested by the plunder found on the field, and the pursuit was soon given over. The provincials exhibited an unexpected degree of courage, and were among the last to leave the field.

The defeated troops fled precipitately to the camp of Dunbar, where Braddock expired of his wounds. Their panic was communicated to the residue of the army. As if affairs had become dsperate, all the stores, except those necessary for imme. diate use, were destroyed; and the British troops were marched to Philadelphia, where they went into quarters. The Western parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, were left exposed to the incursions of the savages; the frontier settlements were generally broken up; and the inhabitants were driven into the interior. So excessive was the alarm, that even the

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