ness necessary to turn away from its young aspirations, would scarcely be thawed by the fires of its perfected excellence. That the MICROCOSM is embodied in this edition, upon the principle of its own positive merits, and as a successful follower in the steps of its accomplished prototypes, without any reference to the age of the producing parties, is by no means affirmed. It cannot be expected that boys at sixteen should write like men at thirty; but when boys at sixteen erect for themselves a monument like the MICROCOSM, though the fabric here and there betray the inexperience of the architects, it is no less the duty, than it is the interest of the country, to take care both of the building and the builders.

In 1786 an association was formed at Eton College, by five individuals, most distinguished for their literary enthusiam and attainments, to undertake something

Insigne, recens- -adhuc

Indictum ore alio:

at least, in the annals of that foundation. They projected and put forth the MICROCOSM. The first number made its appearance on Monday the 6th of November; and it was thenceforward published regularly once a week, until Monday, July 30, 1787. GREGORY GRIFFIN, Esq. its editor, who closes his periodical labours by a fictitious death, leaves behind him a last will and testament, in which are humorously introduced-as his legatees the names of the five associates, and their respective contributions allotted to each for his inheritance.

The papers designated by the letter A. were

furnished by Mr. JOHN SMITH, afterwards of King's College, Cambridge; those that were marked B. are appropriated to GEORGE CANNING; C. was the signature of Mr. ROBERT SMITH; D. of Mr. JOHN FRERE, and M. of Mr. JOSEPH MELLISH.

Mr. B. WAY contributed Musidorus, and Mr. LITTLEHALES Cemeterius. The letter and poem of Ironiculus, and also the letter of Zopos Πολυφάγος, were from the pen of Lord HENRY SPENCER. But upon the authors, distinguished by the first four letters of the alphabet, rested the entire conduct and responsibility of the work.

From these, for a very short biographical sketch, we shall select GEORGE CANNING only; not that his colleagues are unworthy of a like attention, but because the time for publication presses, and the necessary materials and data are not at hand.

The Right Honourable GEORGE CANNING, who is descended from a very ancient Irish family, was born in London, in the Spring of 1771. His father, the late GEORGE CANNING, Esq. came over at an early period to push his fortunes in England, and never afterwards recrossed the channel. He had offended his parents by marrying a dowerless beauty, but gifted with many graces and accomplishments; and whose ample share of the dos magna parentium, sufficiently compensated for her want of portion. Upon a very restricted allowance, the effect of this displeasure, Mr. CANNING had to fight his way through the world. . He did this honourably and successfully; and he is yet remembered, as a poet of no mean reputa

tion in his day. He was a barrister, and member of the society of benchers of the Middle Temple; and throughout his able and useful career he frequently distinguished himself, alike forensically and through the press, by his patriotic advocacy of public liberty. Mr. CANNING died on the 11th of April, 1771, soon after the subject of our present memoir was born.

The care of young CANNING's education now devolved upon his paternal uncle, a merchant of great respectability in London. It is immaterial to know at what precise period he was sent to Eton, but of his early ambition and pre-eminence, the MICROCOSM is at once an evidence and a date. In the papers which are distinguished by his mark, the promise that has been since matured is discoverable in every page. Pungent raillery and keen ridicule, irony, sarcasm, and satire,

All the edge tools of eloquence and wit

-such as he brandishes now with equal power and playfulness, were to be augured from these productions.

Mr. CANNING's papers in the MICROCOSM, are Nos. 2, 7, 11, 12, 18, 22, 26, 30, 32, 39, and part of 40. At the end of No. 5, also, he contributed a poem, entitled The Slavery of Greece, which at this moment, and from such a pen, is interesting in no common degree. The love of freedom which breathes throughout this generous effusion, and the passionate recollection with which he dwells on the ancient glories of that fallen empire, do equal honour to his understanding and his heart: but he looks through the vista of years dejectedly

for Greece, and without hope; for the dawn of her RENOVATION-which, events were even then accelerating, had not yet burst upon the young eye of our sorrowing enthusiast.

In 1788, on his removal from. Eton, Mr. CANNING was entered of Christ Church, Oxford, where he completed his necessary residence, and graduated. At the university he acquired great fame for the elegance of his Latin poetry, and was much admired for the beauty and brilliancy of his declamations. Admitted to his bachelor's degree, Mr. CANNING, like his father, began his career in the law; and was associated, also, like him, of the honourable society of the Middle Temple. But he was shortly to make his entrance upon a yet more important theatre; for in 1793, he was returned to parliament for Newton, in the Isle of Wight. Mr. CANNING made his political début under the auspices of Mr. PITT; and so great were the expectations entertained from his eloquence and his abilities, that Sir RICHARD WORSLEY, at the solicitation of the minister, vacated his seat, to make room for the new acceder.

At this era, we stop short in our imperfect biography. Our business has been with the essayist, and is not with the politician. We have followed Mr. CANNING to his brilliant starting point, and there we take our leave. While we do this, however, we cannot but be struck with some strong coincidental resemblances, in the lives of ADDISON and CANNING. They have both pursued the double career of letters and of politics, and the helm of government has been confided to the guidance of each. As an essayist, there can obviously

be no comparison between the first essor of a writer yet in his tyrocinium, and the productions of an accomplished and travelled scholar. As a poet, judging from the scanty specimens which have gone abroad, the palm of a happier taste, and superior powers, both imaginatively and in execution, might be plausibly disputed for CANNING; though, during his nolition to ente: the lists, the scales of excellence must preponderate on the side of Cato. But as an orator and a statesman, the modern ADDISON immeasurably transcends his prototype. His speeches in the house have long stood alone for their purity of language, and bursts of extemporaneous energy; while his prodigal command of metaphor, never inappropriately nor ineffectively introduced, has frequently confounded all parties in one common admiration.

Mr. CANNING's accession to power at this eventful crisis, constitutes an era in the history of our foreign politics; and the unrivalled elegance of his state papers, will cause them to be referred to, in after times, as models of literary composition.

It is impossible to close this memoir, without inserting one paragraph from a powerful political writer, too descriptive to be resisted; particularly, as the deforming genius of party-spirit has not entered once, throughout the whole passage, to mar a portrait touched off with unparalleled fidelity and happiness.

In the year 1799, Mr. CANNING married a Miss SCOTT, whose sister, about the same time, was married to the then Marquis of TITCHFIELD, now Duke of PORTLAND. These ladies, who had very large fortunes, were the daughters of a