TO THE READER.

SINCE the foregoing pages were sent to press, the following Detached Pieces, not in dear Frederic's "Diary," have been deemed worthy of a place in this volume, and it is hoped, they will prove interesting to his juvenile friends. Besides his scholastic exercises, which are of no small magnitude, he employed part of his leisure time in writing, or compiling, a number of small books, in which he has touched, with considerable discernment, the various subjects which at different periods engaged his attention.

These little books he dignified with the title of volumes, and has playfully imitated the usual form of title-page of published treatises. Some of the subjects appear to be finished: the remainder, which were in progress, he did not complete. It will be perceived that these juvenile performances of the dear departed youth, manifest much industry and research into literary subjects, and the developement of a sound and wellregulated, but, alas! too ardent mind. These little works are too numerous to be all inserted at length in this volume. The title-pages only of several of them

are given, with some of the prefaces, and a very brief outline of the subjects, just to shew the method in which this indefatigable boy frequently occupied his hours of recreation, and how rapidly the mind was progressing to maturity. Before entering upon the series of these little works, we may just notice here, his Book of Accounts, which he commenced before he was six years of age: it is headed with a motto, "Waste not, want not". "Remember time;" and contains the receipts of his pocket-money (threepence per week), with other occasional presents from his friends, and the way in which his little income was expended: amongst these items we find no charge for toys or sweetmeats. As before mentioned in the Memoir, there is also an account of small subscriptions which he had obtained as a juvenile collector for the Temperance Society, the receipt of which, since his decease, has been kindly remarked upon by the committee in their Magazine, Vol. III., No. 30. Another little book contains a reference to his box of paints; a figure of each square of paint is marked out in its size and proper colour, with a number (1-18) corresponding with a list of their several names. There is also an index to his microscopic objects, and another to his entomological cabinet; in both which the several specimens of minute natural history, are attempted to be described scientifically. A few notes from these latter are given in the following pages, in illustration of his plan.- EDItor.

DETACHED PIECES.

[ÆT. VI.]

A CATALOGUE

OF

THE BOOKS PREFERRED

BY

FREDERIC JAMES POST:

CONTAINING

POEMS, LIVES, HISTORY,

AND MANY OTHER THINGS.

1825,

NOTE. Then follows a list of thirty-eight volumes of his own selection, from his father's library, commencing with "Pilgrim's Progress." At the beginning of this, his first book, are several pages of a still earlier date, before he had the proper use of his pen. They appear to be original characters, which cannot now be

deciphered; but it is believed that they corresponded at the time with the ideas which were then floating in his infant mind.-- ED.

ET. VII.] 1826, 11 mo. 14th.-This day father gave me a set of drawing instruments. Inside the box I found this motto:

"Keep within compass, and thou shalt be sure

To avoid many troubles which others endure."

ÆT. IX.-1829, 1 mo. 7th.-Went with father to see an automaton; a mechanical image in the dress and likeness of a very little boy. Being told that he was a scholar, we requested a specimen of his handwriting; upon which he wrote with a pen on a piece of paper the following lines, which I brought away with me as a curiosity. They were written slowly, very accurately, and the writing good, and finished with a flourish in an ellipse. In this way, clever answers were given to questions put by the company present on subjects of science, or in the learned languages. — F. J. P.

-

NOTE. Then follow the lines in the author's