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in the world, because they are "merry." The finging and dancing, to which the negroes in the Weft-Indies are fo much addicted, are the effects of mirth, and not of happiness.

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Mirth, and a heavy heart, I believe often feet together; and hence the propriety of Solomon's obfervation, that in the midit of laughter, the heart is fad." In the last war but two between Great Britain and France, a Britifh tranfport was accidentally fet on fire the neighbouring transports in vain attempted to relieve her : fome of the crew faved themselves by the long boat, while a few of them perifh ed in the ocean in attempting to fwim to the hip that lay within fight of them. The remaining part of the crew for a while filled the air with their cries for mercy and help. Suddenly there was a ceffation of thefe cries, and nothing was heard on board the veffel but a merry tune on a violin, to which the crew danced with uncommon fpi

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rit for half an hour, when the cataf trophe ended, and the ship and crew difappeared for ever. This curious fact was communicated to me by the fon of an old lieutenant of a British fhip of war, who was an eye-witnefs of the melancholy fcene, and who often mentioned to his children, and in company, the dying mirth of the crew, as one of the most fingular and wonderful things he had ever feen or heard of in the courfe of his life. From the facts that have been mentioned, instead of confidering the fongs and dances of the ncgroes in the Weft-Indies as marks of their happiness, I have long confidered them as phyfical fymptoms of melancholy or madness, and therefore as certain proofs of their misery.

I have taken no notice of the leprofy nor yaws in this account of the dif eases of the negroes, inafmuch as they are both common in Africa, and therefore do not ftand chargeable upon fla very.

WOLKM A R†

E' quanto a dir qual era, e cofa dura,
Quefta Silva felvaggia ed efpra e forte
"Che net penfer rinnuova la paura.---
Tanto e amara, che pocco e piu mèrte ;
Ma per trattar del ben, ch'i vi trovai,
Diro del altre cofe, ch'i 'bo feorte.

DANTE,

The place I know not, where I chanc'd to rove;
It was a wood fo wild, it wounds me fore
But to remember with what ills I ftrove;
Such ftill my dread, that death is little more..
But I will tell the good which there I found:
High things "twas there my fortune to explore.

HAYLEY.

their fummits, and at intervals was Twas evening, when Wolkmar with fhrubs that hung feathering from

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Iand is fatigue, defcended one of the mountains in Switzerland; the fun was dilated in the horizon, and threw a tint of rich crimfon over the waters of a neighbouring lake; on each fide rocks of varied form, their green heads glowing in the beam, were fwarded

heard the rushing of a troubled ftream.

Amid this fcenery, our traveller, far from any habitation, wearied, and uncertain of the road, fought for fome excavation in the rock, wherein he might repofe himself, and having at

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length difcovered fuch a fituation, fell fat alleep upon fome withered leaves. His dog fat watching at his feet, a fmall bundle of linen and a ftaff were placed befide him, and the red rays of the declining fun, having pierced through the fhrubs that concealed the retreat, gleamed on the languid features of his beloved maf.

ter.

And long be thy reft, O Wolkmar! may fleep fit pleafant on thy fou!! Un happy man! war hath efranged thee from thy native village; war, unnatural war fnatched thee from thy Faoay and her infant, Where artthou,best of wives? thy Wolkmar lives! 'twas error fprd his death. Thou fled'ft; thy beauty caught the eye of power; thou fled'ft with thy infant and thy aged father. Unhappy woman! thy hufband feeketh thee over the wilds of Switzerland. Long be thy reft, O Wolkmar! may fleep fit pleafant on thy foul!

Yet not long did Wolkmar reft; ftarting, he beheld the dog, who, feizing his coat, had fhook it with violence; and having thoroughly awakened him, "whining licked his face, and sprang through the thicket. Wolkmar, eagerly following, difcerned at fome distance a man gently walking down the declivity of the oppolite hill, and his own dog running with full fpeed towards him. The fun yet threw athwart the vale rays of a blood-red hue, the sky was overcaft, and a few big round drops ruffled through the dropping leaves. Wolkmar fat him down, the dog now fawned upon the man, then bounding ran before him. The curiofity of Wolkmar was roufed, he rofe to meet the ftranger, who, as he drew near, appeared old, very old, his fteps fcarce fupporting with a staff; a blue mantle. was wrapped around him, and his hair and beard, white as fnow, and waving to the breeze of the hill, received from beneath a dark cloud, the laft deep crimson of the fetting fun.

The dog now ran wagging his tail,

firft to his mafter, and then to the ftranger, leaping upon each with marks of the utmoft rapture, till too rudely expreffing his joy, the old man, tottering, fell at the foot of a blafted beech, that ftood at the bottom of the hill. Wolkmar haftened to his relief, and had juft reached the spot, when starting back, he exclaimed, "My father, O my father!" Gothre, for, fo the old man was called, faw and knew his fon, a fmile of extacy lighted up his features, a hectic flushed his check, his eyes beamed taniport through the waters that fuffufed them, and stretching forth his arms, he faintly uttered, "My beloved fon!" Nature could no more: the bloom upon his withered cheek fled faft away, the dewy luftre of his eye grew dim, the throb bing of his heart oppreffed him, and ftraining Wolkmar with convulfive energy, the laft long breath of aged Gothre fled cold acrofs the cheek of his fon..

The night grew dark and unlovely, the moon ftruggled to appear, and by fits her pale light ftreamed across the lake, a filence deep and terrible prevailed, unbroken but by a cold fhriek, that at intervals died along the valley. Wolkmar lay entranced upon the dead body of his father, the dog ftood motionlefs by his fide; but at last alarmed, he licked their faces, and pulled his mafter by the coat, till having in vain endeavoured to awaken them, he ran hawling dreadfully along the valley; the demon of the night trembled on his hill of ftorms, and the rocks returned a deepening echo.

Wolkmar at last awoke, a cold fweat trickled over his forehead, every muscle shook with horror, and, kneeling by the body of Gothre, he wept, aloud. "Where is my Fanny," he exclaimed, "Where fhall I find her? oh! that thou had't told me the yet lived, good old man! if alive, my God, he must be near the night is dark, thefe mountains are unknown to me." As he fpeke, the illumined

edge

edge of a cloud fhone on the face of Gothre, a fmile yet dwelt on his features. Smileft thou, my father," faid Wolkmar, "I feel it at my heart; all thall yet be well." The night again grew dark, and Wolkmar, retiring a few paces from his father, threw himself on the ground.

He had not continued many minutes in this fituation, before the diftant found of voices ftruck his ear; they feemed to iffae from different parts of the valley, and two or three evidently approached the spot where Gothre lay; the name of Gothre! Gothre! mournfully ran from rock to rock. Wolkmar, ftarting from the ground, fighed with anxiety and apprehenfion; leaning forward he liftened with fearful apprehenfion but the beating of his heart appalled him. The dog who, at firft alarmed, had crept to his mafter's feet, began now to bark with vehemence; fuddenly the voices ceafed, and Wolkmar thought he heard the foft and quick tread of people fait approaching. At this moment, the moon burft from behind a dark cloud, and fhone full on the dead body of Gothre. A thrill fkriek pierced the air, and a young woman rufhing forward fell on the boly of Gothre. Oh, my Billy," The exclaimed to a little boy, who ran up to her out of breath, "fee your beloved Gothre! he is gone for ever, gone to heaven and left us. O my poor child! (clafping the boy, who cried moft bitterly,) what fhall we do without him, what will become of us,

we will die alfo, my Billy! Gothre is gone to your own dear father, and they are both happy yonder, my Billy," pointing to the moon.

Wolkmar, in the mean time, flood enveloped with fhade, his arms stretched out, motionless, and fixed in filent aftonishment; his tongue clove to the roof of his mouth, and he faintly and with difficulty uttered, "My Fanny, my child!" His accents reached her ear, fhe fprang wildly from the ground, "It is my Wolkmar's fpirit," the exclaimed. The ky inftantly cleared all around, and Wolkmar burft upon her fight. They rufhed together, the fated. "God of mercies !" cried Wolkmar,

if thou wilt not drive me mad, restore her to life: the breathes, I thank thee, O my God, The breathes! the wife of Wolkmar!” Fanny recovering, felt the warm embraces of her beloved husband: "Dear, dear Wolkmar," fhe faintly whifpered, "Thy Fanny-I cannot fpeak; my Wolkmar, I am too happy; fee our Billy" The boy had crept clofe to his father, and was clasping him round the knees. The tide of affection rushed impetuoufly through the bofom of Wolkmar," it preffes on my heart," he faid, "I cannot bear it." The domeftics, whom Fanny had brought with her, crouded round: "Let us kneel," faid Wolkmar," round the body of aged Gothre:" they knelt around, the moon fhone fweetly on the earth, and the fpirit of Gothre paffed by, he faw his children and was hap py.

On the Gothic Superftition.

There would he dream of graves, and corfes pale;
And ghofts, that to the charnel dungeon throng,
And drag a length of clanking chain, and wail,
Tili filenc'd by the owl's terrific fong,

Or blaft that thricks by fits the fhuddering ifles along.

BEATTIE

OF

F the various kinds of fuperfti- fluenced the human mind, none aption which have in any age in- pear to have operated with fo much effect

From the fame.

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effect as what has been termed the of Shakspeare, yet are they equally folemn and striking. The abrupt

Gothic. Even in the prefeat polished period of fociety, there are thoufands who are alive to all the horrors of witchcraft, to all the folemn and terrible graces of the appalling fpectre. The moft enlightened mind, the mind, free from all taint of fuperftition involuntarily acknowledges the power of Gothic agency; and the late favourable reception which two or three publications in this ftyle have met with, is a convincing proof of the affertion. The enchanted foreft of Taf fo, the spectre of Camoens, and the apparitions of Shakspeare, are to this, day highly pleafing, ftriking, and fublime features in thefe delightful compofitions.

And although this kind of fupertition be able to arreft every faculty of the human mind, and to shake, as it were, all nature with horror, yet does it alfo delight in the most fportive and elegant imagery. The traditionary tales of elves and fairies ftill convey to a warm imagination an inexhaufted fource of invention, fupplying all thofe wild, romantic, and varied ideas with which a wayward fancy loves to fport. The Provencal bards, and the neglected Chaucer and Spenfer, are the originals from whence this exquifite mythology has been drawn, improved, and applied with fo much inventive elegance by Shakspeare. The flower and the leaf of Chaucer is replete with the moft luxuriant defcription of these præternatural beings.

Next to the Gothic in point of fublimity and imagination comes the Celtic, which, if the fuperftition of the Lowlands be efteemed a part of it, may, with equal propriety be divided into the terrible and the fportive; the former, as difplayed in the fongs and ballads of the Low Country. Offian has opened a new field for invention, he has coloured a fet of beings unknown to Gothic fiction; his ghofts are not the ghofts 3 H VOL. XII. NO 72.

and rapid fervor of imagination, the vivid touches of enthufiafm, mark his compofition, and his fpectres rufh upon the eye with all the ftupendous vigour of wild and momentary creation. So deep and uniform a melancholy pervades the poetry of this author, that, whether from natural difpofition, or the preffure of misfortune, from the face of the country which he inhabited, or the infulated ftate of fociety, he seems ever to have avoided imagery of a light and airy kind; oth.rwife, from the originality of his genius, much in this way might have been expected. As to the fuperftition of the Lowlands, it differs fo little from the lighter Gothic, that I know not whether I am warranted in drawing any diftinction between them. It is not, however, peculiar to this diftrict of Scotland, the Highlanders in many parts, efpecially in their beautiful little vales, being ftill enthusiastic in their belief of it.

These are then the two fpecies of fuperftition which feem molt capable of invigorating the powers of imagination: how feeble, cold, and infipid are the mythological fables of the claffic bard, compared to the bold and daring fictions of the Gothic Mufe.

It has been, however, too much the fashion among critical writers, to condemn the introduction of this kind of imagery, as puerile and abfurd; but, whilft it is thus formed to infuence mankind, to furprize, elevate, and delight, with a willing admiration, every faculty of the human mind, how fhall criticifm with impunity dare to expunge it? Genius has ever had a predilection for it, and been the favourite fuperftition of the poets. I may venture, I think, to predict, that if at any time this fpecies of fabling be totally laid afide, our national poetry will degenerate

: has ever

into

into mere morality, criticifm, and of Mr Hole's Arthur, or the Nor

faire; and that the fublime and terrible, and fanciful in poetry, will no longer exift. The recent publication

thern Enchantment, will again call
the attention of the public to thofe
fertile fources of invention, for it is

In fcenes like thefe, which, daring to depart
From fober truth, are ftill to nature true,
And call forth fresh delight to Fancy's view,
Th' heroic mufe employ'd her Taffo's art!
How have I fat, when pip'd the penfive wind,
To hear his harp, by British Fairfax strung,
Prevailing poet, whofe undoubting mind

Believ'd the magic wonders which he sung!
Hence at each found imagination glows;
Hence his warm lay with fofteft fweetness flows;

Melting, it flows, pure, num'rous, strong and clear,

And fills th' impaffion'd heart, and wins th' harmonious ear.

The poet from whofe, works the above quotation has been taken, pofseffed all that fervor of enthusiasm, all that warmth of imagination characteriftic of true genius; and although ignorance and bad tafte have not un

COLLINS.

frequently claffed him with a Tickell and a Hammond, yet with the dif cerning few will he ever hold an exalted rank in the regions of pathos and invention.

By fairy hands his knell is rung;
By forms unfeen his dirge is fung;
Oft "Fancy" comes "at twilight" gray,
To blefs the turf that wraps his clay;
And "Pity" fhall a while repair
To dwell a weeping “Votress” there.

But to return to our subject.-Al- Barbauld, under the title of Sir Berthough fo great a difparity evidently rand, the tranfition is inmediately obtains between the two fpecies of Go- from the deep Gothic to the Arabic thic fuperftition, the terrible and the or Saracenic fuperftition; which alfportive; yet no author, that I am though calculated to furprize, would acquainted with, has availed himself have given more pleasure, and would of this circumftance, and thrown have rendered the preceding scenes them into immediate contraft. In a of horror more ftriking, had it been fragment lately published by Mrs of a light and contrafted kind..

Review of New Publications.

A deferiptive Account of the Island of Jamaica: By William Beckford, Efq; Author of Remarks on the Situation of Negroes in Jamaica. In Two Vo lumes. 8vo. Vol. I. pp. 464. Vol. II. pp. 405. 125. Boards. Egn tons. 1790.

A

GENTLEMAN, refident for feveral concerned in its plantations and trafyears in Jamaica, and largely fic, must be able to afford the public

a jutt

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