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ham's Sermons, vol. ii. 8vo. 10s. 6d.-Petersdorff on the Law of Bail, 8vo. 11. 1s.

In little more than a century, the population of Liverpool has increased from less than 5000 to 130,000. In the time of Queen Elizabeth, her coasting and Irish trade (the only trade she had) was carried on in half-a-dozen barques. At this day, the vessels belonging to and visiting her port exceed 9500. In a word, her foreign trade exceeds, by many times over and over again, the entire trade of England, when

Bristol received her grant to become a county, by reason of her trade, in the time of Edward. III.

A stratum of coal, of considerable thickness, has been discovered in Syria, a few miles inland from the coast, and a pit or mine has been opened, from whence the Pacha of Egypt is preparing to draw supplies for the steam-boats which he is intending to employ on the Nile and bran

ches.

(New Mon.)

THE RETURN OF THE INDIANS TO NIAGARA.

MY faithful love, we'll onward roam,
And seek together our forest home,
No more the stranger's roof to see,-
In our woods, on our rivers, we are free!
He cannot lure the Indian to stay
From his woods and his rivers long away.
The stranger's halls may yield him bliss,
But can they compare to a sky like this?
The stranger may feast in his gaudy bowers,
But his banquet is not so sweet as ours;
And gold and jewels may round him shine,
But can they compare with riches like mine?
My wide domains of mountain and grove,
My joys with thee of freedom and love!

Lake Erie is near, and the Rapids* clear
Will guide us on our way,

Until they rush with sparkling gush

Where wild Ontario's waters play. The ravens are hovering for their food, For fatal to the finny brood

Is the dash of the Rapids' spray:

They lie on the shore, and their colours bright
Flash for awhile in the sunny light,
Then fade in death away.

The evening sun its parting glance
Is shedding on plain and tree,
And lo the shadowy mists advance,
And they move-how rapidly!

What murmur rises on my ear-
Now louder, deeper, and more near?-
Ha! 'tis not evening's misty dew

That spreads in clouds on high.'
Those wreaths of snowy foam defy
The might of time, of earth and sky,
The stately Falls burst on my view
In all their majesty!

Now down the dizzy steep we go
Where the stunning waters flow,
Over rocks, whose heads are seen
The overwhelming waves between.
Scarcely the eye may mark the height
From whence they pour with reinless might. †
Let us fly from the deafening sound-
Its thunder shakes the trembling ground:
Midst the terror of the ceaseless din,
Is there no spot to shelter in?

Methinks through the roar so wild and high,
Silver voices in whispers sigh;

And across the foam of that rushing tide
Shadowless forms appear to glide,
There, where the rainbow loves to play
In vanishing hues along the spray,
Their glittering wings the spirits wave,
And beckon us to their watery cave:
They know from the Stranger's land we come,
And they hasten to welcome the Indians home!

STANZAS.

On returning some Old Letters to a Friend.

Yes, take again these gifts of love,
That came the messengers of joy;
Yes, take again these gifts of love,
Of purest love without alloy.
Sighs of grief they've lulled to rest,
Tedious hours beguiled and blest:

Wearied thoughts have turned to gladness,
Smoothed the care-worn brow of sadness.
Take them then as valued treasures,
Which your friendly hand hath penn'd;
Take them then the source of pleasures,
Which with life shall only end. A. E. X.

* We crossed the Rapids about three miles below Lake Erie. These Rapids form a very considerable river, being at this place nearly one mile over, and conveying a vast body of water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. I observed a number of large fish that were thrown on shore, round which many ravens were hovering or devouring them. Clouds of mist are seen rising from the Falls, and the concussion occasioned by the descent of so large a body of water is such that in a still summer's evening a constant tremor of the earth is perceptible.

Immediately below the cataract the river is confined between two steep rocks that form a deep winding valley, through which the waters flow in their course towards Lake Ontario. This valley is terminated by a perpendicular rock of fifty-three yards in height, over which the vast body of water precipitates itself with astonishing rapidity, and with a noise so tremendous that it cannot be described. Travels in North America.

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PART of this volume, "A Day in Autumn," &c. and many other shorter pieces which have appeared in various periodical publications, have already received our tribute of applause; and the original poems which are now added to them are not such as to induce us to withdraw our meed of praise. There is a good feeling, a tone of sensibility, a degree of nature, which at once come from and appeal to the heart. But pray thee, friend Bernard, be not wroth when we say there is a degree of samenets, of quiet almost degenerating into insipidity, in some of thy writings; and this we entirely ascribe to thy not being in love. A poet without a mistress! why, it is a cook without a kitchen, a lord mayor without a coach, a doctor without a fee, a sailor without a ship, a quadrille without music, a dish without a dinner, or any other without that may seem the most terrible. A brisk flirtation, Mr. Barton, would be of infinite service; but, la belle passion, why, it would do wonders,-it would add at once the tenth string to your lyre. Is there no pretty Friend, whose drab and bright eyes; or, to make your case more poetical, could you not contrive to let your eyes wander beyond the pale of your creed-pit love against duty, the heart against the conscience, gros de Naples versus broad-cloth ? Really a good fit of love would be of the same service to you as a fit of the gout to an alderman. It would carry so many rhymes, so much alliteration, such a sight of similes,-you might sigh in a sonnet, smile in stanzas, swear in ATHENEUM VOL. 1. 2d series.

52

song, do a bit of the desperate in an ode! Our Gazette to any two-penny trifler of the day, that in the course of a few poems you would become the Petrarch of the Society. We have no doubt but that this our excellent advice will be taken. In the mean time we shall quote one or two of the poems with which we have been particularly struck:

THE BUTTERFLY.

Beautiful creature! I have been

Moments uncounted watching thee, Now Altting round the foliage green Of yonder dark, embow'ring tree; And now again, in frolic glee,

Hov'ring round those opening flowers, Happy as nature's child should be,

Born to enjoy her loveliest bowers. And I have gazed upon thy flight, Till feelings I can scarce define, Awaken'd by so fair a sight,

With desultory thoughts combine Not to induce me to repine,

Or envy thee thy happiness; But from a lot so bright as thine

To borrow musings born to bless.

For unto him whose spirit reads

Creation with a Christian's eye, Each happy living creature pleads

The cause of Him who reigns on high; Who spann'd the earth, and arch'd the sky, Gave life to every thing that lives, And still delighteth to supply

With happiness the life He gives. This truth may boast but little worth,

Enforc'd by rhet'ric's frigid powers;But when it has its quiet birth

In contemplation's silent hours; When Summer's brightly peopled bowers Bring home its teachings to the heart, Then birds and insects, shrubs and flowers, Its touching eloquence impart.

Then thou, delightful creature, who

Wert yesterday a sightless worm, Becom'st a symbol fair and true

Of hopes that own no mortal term; In thy proud change we see the germ Of Man's sublimer destiny,^ Whilst holiest oracles confirm The type of immortality!

A change more glorious far than thine, E'en I, thy fellow-worm, may know, When this exhausted frame of mine

Down to its kindred dust shall go: When the anxiety and woe

Of being's embryo state shall seem Like phantoms flitting to and fro

In some confus'd and feverish dream.

For thee, who flittest gaily now,

With all thy nature asks-supplied, A few brief summer days, and thou No more amid these haunts shall glide,

As hope's fair herald-in thy pride

The sylph-like genius of the scene, But, sunk in dark oblivion's tide,

Shalt be-as thou hadst never been!

While Man's immortal part, when Time
Shall set the chainless spirit free,
May seek a brighter, happier clime

Than Fancy e'er could feign for thee:
Though bright her fairy bowers may be,
Yet brief as bright their beauties fade,
And sad Experience mourns to see
Each gourd Hope trusted in-decay'd.

But in those regions, calm and pure,
To which our holiest wishes cling,
Joys, that eternally endure,

Shall bloom in everlasting Spring:
There seraph harps, of golden string,
Are vocal to the great I AM,

And souls redeem'd their anthems sing

Of grateful praises to the Lumb!

Shall they who here anticipate,

Through Faith's strong vision, eagle-eyed,
Those joys immortal that await

Angelic spirits purified,

Shall such, however deeply tried,

E'er cast their glorious hopes away?

Oh! be those hopes their heaven-ward guide,
Their stedfast anchor, and their stay.

Though many a flower that sweetly deck'd
Life's early path, but bloom'd to fade;
Though sorrow, poverty, neglect-

Now seem to wrap their souls in shade;—
Let those look upward, undismay'd,
From thorny paths, in anguish trod
To regions where-in light array'd,

Still dwells their Saviour, and their God.

Sport on, then, lovely Summer fly,

With whom began my votive strain :-
Yet purer joys their hopes supply,

Who, by Faith's alchemy, obtain
Comfort in sorrow, bliss in pain,

Freedom in bondage, light in gloom,
Through earthly losses heavenly gain,

And Life immortal through the tomb.

It is impossible not to admire, nay more, not to feel, the sentiment and harmony of writing like this. We have from his first appearances in the literary world been staunch admirers of the quaker poet; and we doubt not his yet adding to his laurels, if he will but mind our farewell advice: Bernard Barton, fall desperately in love!

(Blackwood's Edin. Mag.)

SPECULATIONS OF A TRAVELLER, CONCERNING THE PEOPLE OF NORTH AMERICA AND GREAT BRITAIN.

SUBSTANTIAL information is what the people of this empire, and, in fact, those of all Europe, now want, respecting the institutions, political and moral, of North America. We find, on looking into the journals and books of the day, that the subject is one of growing interest; and we have taken some pains to arrange what information we happen to have gleaned from personal knowledge, or from those who have no interest in deceiving us on such points, as we believe likely to interest the general reader.

A thousand mischievous, idle, unhappy, and exasperating prejudices, have existed between the people of

America, and those of Great Britain; but they are rapidly disappearing ;and, we have no doubt, after a little time, will be remembered only as we now remember the stories of witchcraft, and the prejudices of childhood.

The truth is-and the sooner it is generally known the better-that the rational and good men of both countries have always been friendly to a hearty, unreserved, kind, and free intercourse between the two nations, ever since the independence of that was acknowledged by this; and that the very multitude of both countries in proportion as they have come to know one another truly, and to under

stand the real opinion that each entertain of the other, have always been, and are, at this moment, absolutely cordial. It should be remembered, that the specimens of English character, which the Americans usually meet with in their country, are very unfavourable. I have heard a sober American say, that he had never seen but one or two English gentlemen in America; and, we know, that our English gentlemen upon the continent are strangely unlike our English gentlemen at home. Nor is.it common for Englishmen to meet with favourable specimens of the Ame

rican character.

Our men of leisure, education, science, fortune, or fashion, go to the continent-through all Europe, Asia, Africa-anywhere but to America. Men of desperate fortunes, or desperate characters; the factious and discontented; those who have been ship-wrecked in some political convulsion, or hazardous commercial enterprize; the ignorant and abused, who dream of America as wiser men do of the Indies; with now and then, but very rarely, a substantial tradesman, husbandman, or mechanic; and, yet more rarely, a man of talent and education, who hurries through a part only of a few States in that confederacy of nations, are those whom the Americans are accustomed to see among them; and those to whom we are chiefly indebted for all our information concerning the country of the Americans.

Nor is our situation very different from that of our brethren-the people of the United States-in this particular. Their representation to this country is quite as little to be depended upon, if we would form a fair estimate of their national character. They are of three classes-1st, Young men of fortune, who visit London, Paris, and Rome, because it is the fashion. 2dly, Young men, who come here to complete their education at our medical schools; and, 3lly, Mere men of business. Besides these, we occasionally meet with an ar

tist, (chiefly in the department of painting, where the Americans have done more than in any other of the fine arts ;) a literary man ; an invalid; or a political representative of their country.

But who would ground his estimate of national character, upon his knowledge of such people?-Young men of fortune are pretty much the same all over the world. Students, for the sake of their own comfort, when they are with a strange people, soon learn to throw off, or conceal, their national peculiarities, and adopt those of the multitude with whom they are continually associated; men of business, however well they may have been educated, are very apt to think lightly of every thing that has not an immediate relationship with pecuniary matters; the painter will only be known by the general manifestation of his talent; seldom or never, though he be an American,by any thing of especial reference to his own country-her scenery, history, or peculiarities; the literary man would be likely to hazard as little as possible

his opinions would be loose and popular, calculated to do neither harm nor good-aiming chiefly at amusement, and most carefully avoiding, in his whole deportment, whatever might of fend the prejudices of them who are to sit in judgment upon him, he would be likely to become, after a little time,any thing but a sound specimen of national and peculiar character; and, from the political representative of any country, we cannot reasonably expect any other than a kind of diplomatic deportment, which, like high breeding, is likely to confound all national distinction.

Is it wonderful, then, that so many erroneous, mischievous, and, in some cases, very ridiculous notions, continue to be reciprocally entertained by the British and Americans, of each other?

*

Most of these are owing to political writers, newspapers, and books of travels, often hastily written, and too frequently by those who have gone from one country to the other, without

federal party in however honest

* Three or four very able, and several respectable editors in America, are Irishmen. The writers are almost to a man exceedingly rancorous against this country; and of course against the America, who are the friends of this country. They have done a great deal of mischief, may have been their intentions, or however much they may deserve to be excused, in consequence of what they consider their sufferings at home, before their escape to America.

a proper degree of inquiry and preparation.

ance than of reality. It was political, rather than moral, and could hardly be There was never, perhaps, a more called the feeling of the multitude. It favourable moment than the present was in its virulence only that of a few for crushing these prejudices; and if bad, ignorant men, who knew how to every one would contribute his mite, play upon the passions or prejudices of the business would be speedily and ef- a multitude, but it was never so virufectually accomplished. Whoever will lent nor so universal as people in this go to a public meeting in London, it country supposed, and is now dying matters little of what kind, or for what away of itself, under the more kindly purpose it may have been called, will and charitable influence of association. meet with continual and delightful eviA part was hereditary, having been dence of this. At one time he will see transmitted to the present race by the a whole audience, assembled for the chief sufferers in the Revolution; a very purpose of laughing at the genu- part grew naturally out of a state of ine sentiments of brother Jonathan, warfare, when the federal party, concompletely electrified by a timely allu- stituting a minority of sufficient power sion to their brethren over the Atlan- to divide the confederacy into two tic; and at another, he will hear of equal parts, were denounced as Enga nobleman of high rank and com- lishmen, Tories, and enemies to their manding influence, bursting into gener- own country, because they assembled" ous and indignant rebuke of that paltry together, stood up with a front as forjealousy, which set two such countries midable as that of their fathers, in the as Great Britain and America in array war of independence-with whom that against each other; countries which war, by the way, originated-and proare better fitted than any other two up- tested against the last war with Great on the earth for perpetual friendship Britain, as unholy, unwise, and most and alliance. But whether this takes unnatural; and the rest may be attrib place at a theatrical entertainment, uted to the superabundance of zeal abounding in the most absurd and without knowledge, which is common laughable misrepresentation, or at a to those who have gone from one sort meeting of the African Society, in fur- of extreme to another, whether in relitherance of the most magnificent un- gion or politics. dertaking that was ever attempted by man; whether it be the expedient of a player or of a politician, a comedian or a statesman; whether the Marquis of Lansdowne or Mr. Mathews be sincere or not, (and of their sincerity who can entertain a doubt ?)—the fact is established beyond all dispute, that it is good policy in England for an Englishman to appear friendly to America.

And this is what the Americans want to know. They must know it, and they shall know it.

There is a party, to be sure, in the United States, whose hostility to another party in this country has long been misunderstood for the hostility of the whole American people to the whole British people. That party is now in power: they are the majority of the whole population, and are called Republicans or Democrats.

But their feeling of bitterness and hatred has been rather one of appear

Bigots become atheists in the day of revolution; and the subjects of an arbitrary government, such fierce and orthodox republicans, that they cannot endure any thing which smacks of mo narchy.

Perhaps a word or two on that part of the subject may help to allay a good deal of misapprehension here among a powerful party, who certainly do not appear to understand the real difference between the political institutions of this country and America.

They hear, for example, about universal suffrage in America. They are told that there are no game laws, no standing army, no national debt, co taxes, no aristocracy, no titles, no national church.

They are altogether mistaken. There is no such thing as universal suffrage in America. A property qualification, residence, and, of course, citizenship, are all required there. But what will

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