rec

his wants-and, if possible, with I do better?' he very rationally the particular sort of viand which soliloquised; a nice kind, mothershe imagined him to have specifi- ly old lady!-gives capital feeds! ed, she looked up in his face with -never tasted such potted grave simplicity, and very serious-shrimps!-makes tea like an anly inquired- Pray, sir, what is gel!-won't be much in the wayprog? (not half so bad as a wife,)-and The question set him off in a must have somebody.' roar of laughter, and before the fit Very rational cogitations! for a had half subsided, Mrs. Betty's parson, but the young entrance undeceived him as to the tor was too politic and well-bred rank of the person he had been so to broach the subject abruptly to jocularly addressing; and then the his lady-like hostess; and having young man, who, though very un-informed himself of all particulars clerically disposed, was neither respecting her-of her respectabilunfeeling nor ill bred, became ity and perfect independence, that really confused and distressed at knowledge, though it confirmed the recollection of his absurd be- his desire to detain her at the rechavior, and endeavored to atone tory, made him aware that his for it by the most respectful apol- only chance of success would be gies. They were very placibly to ingratiate himself by respectful accepted, and a servant having attention, and, if possible, to inbeen summoned to show the new terest her kind feelings in his berector to a sitting-room, or to his half, before he ventured on the chamber-or, if it suited his con- grand proposal. It was by no venience, to take a brief survey of means difficult to effect the latter the mansion to which he came, object. Mrs. Helen's benevolence with a master's right. Mrs. Helen extended itself over every thing gave directions for the preparation that lived and breathed; and her of such refreshments as could be new inmate, besides that he seduserved up with the least delay; lously cultivated her good opinion, and her famished guest found them really possessed many amiable, so excellent in their way, that his and sterling qualities. Left in his respect for the hospitable enter-earliest infancy to the sole care of tainer increased with every a doating widowed mother-he mouthful; and it was magnified to absolute veneration by the time his repast was concluded.

A breakfast table, supplied with the finest Mocha coffee, the most perfect green imperial,' the most savoury potted meats, the richest orange marmalade, and the thickest cream he had ever regaled on, put the climax to his ecstatic admiration of the venerable hostess; and if that moment he did not actually conceive the idea of addressing her with matrimonial proposals, the possibility of detaining her as superintendant of his future establishment did certainly suggest itself,For, what could

had been a most affectionate and dutiful son, and tender recollections of his lost parent (whose death was yet recent) made him more feelingly alive to the maternal kindness of his new acquaintance. He was by no means viciously disposed, though the world, and the world's ways, had too much influence over a heart, of which the clerical profession was not the free disinterested choiceand though it was too probable that in many and material points he would fall far short of the late rector's amiable example, he showed an early and sincere intention to emulate it in benefi

cence at least, and only required household linen to be provided, to be directed in the distribution though, to be sure, if we were to of his bounty by Mrs. Helen's stay judgment and experience. He If Mrs. Betty had studied the could scarcely have urged a more art of oratory, she could not more efficient plea for the venerable happily have timed the pause polady's continuance at Broad Sum-litic. Her incomplete sentence merford; and, moreover, he suc-If we were to stay-left Mrs. ceeded in exciting her compassion Helen to ponder over all the real for his utter inexperience in house- good she might do, if she did stay keeping, and the management of and her secret enumeration went a family, and for the loneliness to farther, perhaps, and extended to which he should be condemned if nobler views, than were particushe persevered in her intention of larized in Mrs. Betty's catalogue. departure; and, by a masterstroke To do good,' was the most influof policy, he so craftily insinuated ential of all motives with one of himself into Mrs. Betty's good Mrs. Helen's truly christian chargraces, as to enlist all her influ-acter-and to bless had been the ence in his favor, so that the an- business of her life. cient hand-maiden lost no opporBut she had some thousands at tunity of observing to her lady, her sole disposal, and the tender that it would be almost a sin to solicitude with which her distant leave such an innocent, open- kindred had pressed her to reside hearted young gentleman, no more among them, was so far from suffit to keep house than the babe fering any abatement by 'hope unborn, to be preyed upon and deferred,' that it kindled into a devoured like a lamb among a glow of inexpressible impatience flock of wolves, by a pack of idle for her removal from Broad Sumrogues and hussies. And then,' merford, when they became aware said she, though to be sure he that the unexpected conduct of falls far short of what has been at the new rector had more than half the rectory, and can come never up reconciled her to continue there; to that, yet who knows ma'am, what so they zealously bestirred themwe might make of him in the end; selves in assisting her to arrange and, at any rate, you would not the affairs which still required her think of leaving him, just as the presence in England. Business pickling and preserving-time is that (as they had lately averred) coming on, and there is not so would require months to settle, much as a pot of black currant was now disposed of in as many jelly left, (and he told me he was days. Difficulties were smoothed, subject to bad sore throats,) and objections levelled, obstacles reall the tincture of rhuburb, and moved, (no such pioneer as interthe senna walnuts, are out, and ested zeal,) promises insisted on; Betty Hinks had the last of the pal- claims of blood, of affection, of sywater yesterday; and I am sure propriety, urged imperatively, alyou would not choose to leave him most reproachfully, till the obonly the bare shelves, poor young ject was effected; and the good gentleman, or without a handsome old lady, with her ancient Abstock of every thing good and igail, the said Cicely, and John comfortable. Besides, I've just Somers's grand nephew, [now adset Cicely about a set of new vanced to his uncle's office,] were shirts for him-(I got the cam-uprooted from their peaceful bric a bargain;) and there's all his home, and transported the weary

6

faithful creature, under various frivolous pretences, it was soon afterwards contrived to remove from about her the two other attached servants, who had followed her fortunes from Summerford.

way by sea and land, to that which had been provided for them under the roof of the maiden sisters, whose capacious and commodious dwelling had obtained for them the warmly contested privilege of receiving, or rather making prize. What need of two?' they said, 'what

of their dear cousin.'

was

need of one?

To follow in a house, where twice so

many

Have a command to tend you?

*

*

*

I prithee, Lady! being weak, seem so, All's not offence that indiscretion finds,

But the mild nature so heartlessly agrieved took no offencecomplained of no injuries-resisted no indignities. Unhappily, perhaps, she was too silent--too passive; for a word of appeal from herself would have brought friends, and firm ones, to her rescue. But she was timid by nature, and her mental energies gave way at the first shock of unkindness. Her life was protracted to an unusual extent, but for many years before her death, repeated, though slight paralytic seizures had partially deprived her of use of speech. Partially only; for though unable to express her wants and wishes in explicit language, or to utter a sentence in common conversation, she could recite the Pslams-the whole book of Pslams, with unfail

I wish I could tell you-I wish I could persuade myself, that the remaining years of my dear old friend found a happy and serene asylum in that which she rather compelled than persuaded And dotage terms so' to accept. At best, the contrast between the latter home, and the one she had so long inhabited, must have been felt painfully. But I fear, I fear, all was not done that might have been done, to render the change less striking-that when the removal was finally effected-and the dear cousin' safely deposited within a ringfence of kindred surveillance, that love grew cold-and zeal relaxed -and respect abated of its observances; and as the meek spirit bowed down with the declining frame, advantage was taken of those affecting circumstances; and she, who, under the fostering care of watchful affection, or even in the quiet independence of her own free home, might still have supported her honored part in society, and tasted the sweets of social intercourse, sunk into a very cy-ing accuracy, and unfaltering arpher, obviously treated as such, ticulation; and whose sacred songs in an establishment, of which, became her language, adopted and though spoken of as a household applied to all such subjects as she partnership, she bore the entire was inclined to notice, with an charges. And when, about two aptness and promptitude which years after the removal from Sum- bespoke an inspired, rather than a merford, it pleased God [by a sud- disordered intellect. And hers den stroke] to deprive her of her was not disordered. The fearfaithful friend and servant, whose ful spirit sunk under oppresindignant spirit, and honest zeal, sion and neglect; but the believing had in some measure stemmed soul took refuge with its Godthe tide of encroachments on the communed continually with him in independence of her more gentle the sublimest of all strains; and it and passive mistress, when it pleas-is not presumptuous to believe, ed God to take away from her this that when the faltering tongue

1

breathed out that pathetic appeal Leave me not in the time of mine old age--neither forsake me when my strength faileth me'-it is not too much to believe that an anwer was immediately vouchsafed, and that the inward ears were blessed with the sound of that gracious assurance-I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' To the last (for such sublime colloquy) her utterance, and her intellect, failed not. From that period that those divine songs had become her sole language, she had continually recited them in the accents of her mother tongue, and one who stood beside her deathbed told me, that the moment before her departure, she slowly and audibly articulated-

'Mon ame, retourne en ton repos, car l'Eternel t'a fait du bien. Je marcherai en la presence de Eternel, dans la terre des vivans'

FOR THE BOWER OF TASTE.

ESSAY

ON SELF KNOWLEDGE.

A.

by the songs of the Muses; others are hurried away to the field of battle, by the maddening sound of the trumpet, and the clangor of arms-while but a few retire to the peaceful seclusion, and there listen to the monitory voice, know thyself.' By far, the greater part of mankind, place their happiness more on the surrounding objects, than in communing with themselves-and live so much from home, that they know little of the operations of their own minds. A person may embark in schemes of enterprize and spend a whole life in the pursuit of wealth and fame, and at last, with all his blushing honors thick upon him,' die utterly ignorant of himself. He may have traversed continents, and examined minutely all their curiosities, interpreting the half oblitered characters on their monuments; and all the while neglect to trace the characteristics of a mind more lasting than marble. He may have pentrated into the bowels of the earth, and explored many a cavern, and yet may have left undetected a darker recess in his own heart.

To one who considers the extensive range of the mind, an attempt to explain this phenomen on by referring it to any want of intellectual power will appear vain. The intellect engages in the pursuit of remote truths, with an accuracy and ardor, which are truly astonishing. The objects presented to it, are revived in all their relations, and these relations are examined with scrutiny the most minute. It is not then to any incapacity in the

To increase in knowledge, is one of the grand objects of human pursuit, and from nothing do we more assuredly infer the true disposition of the mind, than from the particular kind of knowledge after which it aspires. It is natural to conclude, that men differ as much in their tastes and dispositions as in their outward appearance. What constitutes the pleasure of one, is little regarded by another; and the condition exactly fitted to one taste, would be intolerable to a man of opposite desires and habits. Some delight in the pursuits of science and ex-mind, that we are to ascribe its tensive research, while others are aversion, to contemplate its own content with observing the varie- propensities and feelings. Nor is ties of human life, and bending to our mental constitution such as the manners of the world. Some necessarily to confine our atten are allured to the vale of Tempe, tion to the passing scene, to the

us what is our character, and what it is likely to be. The smallest thing appears worthy of regard, if it is known to be the

In this way, he may attain selfknowledge and self-governmentmay rise to the true dignity of his nature, and by studying his own will, learn the disposition and character of others:-and

find

That virtue only makes our bliss 'below,

exclusion of all solicitude, for our future interest-so far from this, the present in a great measure borrows its completion from the prospect of what is to succeed-begining of what is advancing to and we are ever either harrassed magnificence. The little streamby fear, or hope is directing us to let hurrying down the rugged dea period when our joys if not per- clivity, or gently winding through fect, shall leave us little to want; the vale, is an interesting object when the fever of desire for sublu- to an observer, when he is told nary objects, shall have died away, that it is one of the sources of the and our sky shall wear a brighter largest river in the world. So the aspect. In whatever light this man of wisdom reflects with deep subject may be viewed, and with solicitude on every disposition and whatever ingenuity we may seek secret working of his mind, when to color it, the fact still remains he considers the endless progress --inexplicable perhaps, except on on which he has entered, and the the supposition that there exists a august destinies which are before moral cause, universal in its ex- him. tent, and most operative in its nature. The philosopher teaches us that the wisdom of the world is folly, and therefore the study of the world tends more to vitiate, than to improve. The moralist assures us, that crowds and scenes of amusement are not fit places for cool and mature deliberation; that ambition, avarice and a love of pleasure incessantly mislead us; that there passions produced a scenic representation of the world, THIS day, (March 5th) the large while in retirement and at home, ship Camillus, Capt. Peck, leaves man is himself. the port of Greenock, for New In life, there are a great varie-York, taking along with her about ty of parts in which all are com- 150 Emigrants from different quarpelled to appear-but there are ters in Scotland and Ireland, the seasons also, when the world with greater number of whom are opeall its varied scenes, may be shut rative weavers and cotton spinout from the view, and the whole ners, who have been chiefly inducattention divided to the more no-ed, by the persuasion of friends ble part of man; and this would already settled at New York and more frequently be the case, were the neighborhood, to go out thithit not that the heart is preoccupier with a view of bettering their ed with the trifles of earth, which condition in life. Many of the most emphatically perish with the intending passengers went down. using. The current of the soul the Clyde on Monday by the moves in a contrary direction-steamboats to join the Camillus, the passions have fastened them- and some affecting, though in one selves around other objects. There or two instances, rather ludicrous are a thousand feelings, each of which if arrested and made the subject of reflection, would show

And all our knowledge is, ourselves

know.'

EMIGRANTS.

R. L. P

scenes, were exhibited on the quay, at the parting of old friends and acquaintances, who were per