education, a small sum is charged to the parents-twenty-five cents per quarter. Some parents pay three cents per week. The receipts on this account, since the 1st of October, have been twenty-two dollars.

About twenty of the childrer mostly those whose parents live at a distance from the school, bring their dinners, and remain from the hour of opening the school in the morning till the dismissal in the evening.

There is a large yard attached to the school, in which the children are allowed to relax themselves by various amusements, for which purpose the managers have provided blocks and other articles.

REMINISCENCES.

"Laudator temporis acti."

It has been generally assumed, and perhaps frequently with truth, that men advanced in years become soured with the objects around them, which they are incapable of enjoying.Looking back through the long vista of time to the scenes and objects to which they were attached in their early days, and wholly losing sight of their own past vices, follies and imprudences, and those of their contemporaries,-comparing the objects by which they are surrounded with those of which the concomitant disadvantages and drawbacks have faded from their recollection, they regard the world as degenerating to an extreme degree, and become, in the words of the poet, panegyrists" temporis acti."

How other old men may feel on this subject, I know not. But with whatever others of the vices and imperfections of old age, I may be affected, from this foible, at least, I claim an exemption. Approaching very near to the lengthened period of threescore and ten, and being thus enabled to make long retrospections, I may perhaps be justified in forming comparisons; and, viewing" the whole ground," I dissent from the doctrine,. believing that the present age is decidedly superior to the past in almost every particular.

I shall for the present confine myself to the case of temperOther points of comparison may be taken up at a future

ance.

day. An idea has too generally prevailed, that in this respect we have degenerated; that the consumption of spirituous liquors has greatly increased: and that drunkenness is far more prevalent than it was thirty or forty years ago. What is the real state of the case with the labouring part of our population, I know not-nor have I any means of acquiring information on this point. But be this as it may, I can enumerate several important aspects under which, in the middle and upper classes of society, great improvement, so far as regards habits of intemperance, has taken place, which must be evident to the most cursory observer.

Dinner companies were far more prevalent thirty or forty years since, than they are at present. They were too frequently far remote from "the feast of reason and the flow of soul."They were often little more than bacchanalian assemblages, in which there was scarcely any rational conversation. It was confined almost entirely to the quality of the wines-the character of the different kinds of food-and the manner of dressing them. Cookery appeared with many, to be the engrossing and the only unfailing topic. The dinner was generally served about three or four o'clock, and the company rarely broke up before ten, eleven, or twelve. Some few, however, might depart at seven, eight or nine. A number of bumper toasts, as they were called, were given—often five or six. A savage and barbarous custom prevailed, worthy of Creeks or Cherokees; which imposed upon every man the necessity to fill his glass full, and to drain it, for each of these toasts. If he attempted to flinch, however weak his head might be, and however unable to bear much wine, his delinquency was pointed out, and a clamour raised to force him to finish his glass. Sometimes the doors of the dining room were locked, to prevent the escape of the guests, till a late hour in the evening, when many of them were intoxicated. These absurd practices were, after a number of years, abandoned, and a semi-barbarous state of things took place, by which, though guests might "fill as they pleased,” they were constrained to "drink as they filled." But for some years past we have been at the ne plus ultra of politeness on this point. Every man may at present not only "fill as he pleases," but "drink as he pleases."

Dinner companies at present generally begin to retire in two or three hours after they take their seats at the table, and in another hour or two, they are all gone. Instances of persons

being affected with drink at those parties, never occur at present.

Thirty or forty years ago, a bottle of wine per man was a pretty general average for a dinner company.. It is now reduced to half, and often to a third of that quantity.

To the multitude of dinner parties, which, I repeat, are far less fashionable or common than formerly, evening parties of both sexes have succeeded, which are calculated, by rational conversation, to improve the head and purify the heart. That manners and social enjoyments have gained by the change, cannot be doubted.

Public dinners, thirty or forty years ago, generally commenced about half past three or four o'clock, and generally some, often many, remained guzzling wine, or grog, or toddy, till one or two o'clock in the morning. No small portion of the long sitters became more than "half seas over" before they separated. At present, after such dinners the rooms are usually cleared about seven, eight or nine o'clock.

Thirty or forty years ago, when stages were stopped to water the horses, which was done every six or seven or eight miles, almost always some, and not unfrequently all the male passengers called for liquor; and it often occurred, per force of tippling in this way, that some of the passengers became elevated and boisterous before the end of the journey.

The case is now entirely altered. Stages full of passengers frequently travel a whole day without liquor of any kind being used, which decent persons never call for. In fact, the commonest persons rarely indulge in tippling on the road in their travels.

Passengers formerly treated the drivers when they drank themselves, and often when they did not; the consequence was, that a large proportion of the drivers between New York and Washington, were worthless, ill clad, and worse behaved. They now rarely get drink from the passengers, and are generally decent and civil, and comfortably clothed.

Formerly at the tables d'hote in the large hotels, where sixty or seventy persons sat down to dinner, five-sixths of them drank grog or toddy, and one-half, or one-third, probably bad wine. At present it often happens at such places, that not above one in five or six, partakes of any other beverage than water; and this often occurs in hotels and steamboats, where no charge is made for liquor at dinner. This proves that the abstinence is

not the consequence of economy or parsimony, but results from habits of temperance and abhorrence of the use of ardent spirits.

Thirty or forty years ago, when visiters called at a friend's house, at eleven, twelve, or one o'clock, he was regarded as a miserable churl, who did not exhibit on his side-board liquors of different kinds, generally brandy and gin. Individuals fond of drinking, often went about at those hours spunging on their friends, tippling in each place, and thus laid the foundation of their ruin. The master of the house was wont to drink with each successive set, and thus, force de boire, often became a confirmed sot.

This pernicious practice is at present almost universally discarded-or, at least, it does not prevail to any great extentnot one-tenth of what it did formerly.

Most of these reforms, it is to be observed, took place before the establishment of temperance societies.

I am but little acquainted in the country, and cannot therefore pretend to pronounce an opinion on the subject, as regards that quarter; but a gentleman who is extensively acquainted through the state, assures me that a great reformation is perceptible.

The increase of temperance societies has produced a powerful effect. There are great numbers of them throughout the United States, the members whereof wholly abstain from the use of ardent spirits; and their example has a decided influence on the community where they are located. Numerous storekeepers who formerly dealt very extensively in ardent spirits, have wholly ceased to buy or sell them. There are entire villages in different parts of New England, where ardent spirits are neither bought nor sold.

These are all important items under the head of reform.

Philadelphia, Sept. 10, 1829.

Emigration from Ireland, and Immigration into the United States.

The distressed situation of the Irish nation, particularly the working classes, from the redundance of population, and the want of adequate employment for them, even at the lowest possible rate to support existence, is well known, and has excited the sympathy of the humane and benevolent in this country.* Potatoes, one of the most abundant productions of the fruits of the earth, and perhaps the cheapest article of food, constitute three-fourths of the sustenance of nine-tenths of the labouring classes in Ireland. Thousands of them do not partake of animal food more than once a year.t A failure of the crop of potatoes produces famine-famine produces a species of pestilence-and this sometimes carries off its thousands and tens of thousands, who perish in the most deplorable state of destitution. 150,000 have been tenants of hospitals in one year.

On the other hand, the public works of the United States suffer great disadvantage from a deficiency of labourers, of whom 30,000 would be able to procure immediate employment in this country, and wages, to which they could never, in the wildest range of their imagination, have dared to aspire in their own country.

There is, moreover a great scarcity of hands for country labour, so many of the persons usually employed in that department, being employed on canals and turnpikes. The harvest has suffered in various places in consequence of this scarcity.

This deficiency of labourers has greatly increased the rate of wages; a dollar, and a dollar and a half per day, with board, have been given to country labourers of late in this state. Were this, however, the only difficulty or disadvantage, it would not be much to be regretted-as the best state of society is that in which labour is so well rewarded, as to afford a fair chance to the industrious and frugal, to rise gradually in the scale. This only diminishes the inordinate profits of capitalists, to add to the comforts of the thousands that depend on

* "The applicants for labour being so much above the demand, that they earn almost nothing, not even sixpence a day." British Report on Emigra tion, 1827, page 111.

"The lower orders are in general very poor. Their usual food is pota toes and milk." Mason's Statistical Survey of Ireland. Vol. ii. page 96.