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-To Correfpondents.

The Gleaner, No. II. is come to hand, but unavoidably poftponed till

our next.

The Character of Dr. Henry Stuber came too late for infertion this month; it fhall have a place in the magazine for November.

The communication from Robert Y. is either bad poetry, or inaccurately copied from the original.

Union "rifes fo far 'bove fea or land," as to get quite beyond our comprehenfion.

The Narrative of the Sufferings of Dr. William Stabl, intended to have been continued this month, is reserved for our next.

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For the NEW-YORK MAGAZINE.

DESCRIPTION of the SEAT of the Honourable Judge STRONG.
[Illuftrated with an Engraving.].

HE Seat of the Hon. Judge STRONG, which the annexed Plate is defigned to reprefent, is fituated in the townfhip of Brookhaven, int the county of Suffolk, about fixty miles from New-York, and is called St. George's Manor. It is a peninsula within the harbour of Setauket, joined at the fouth-westermoft end by a very narrow isthmus to Long Island, with the harbour and bay between it and the town. The beach and straight which feparate it from the Sound, on the north, are both very narrow, and do not intercept the view of the Sound. It affords a very beautiful and picturesque profpect to travellers paffing through Setauket, and to voyagers failing up and down the Sound-To vifitors, it prefents a beautiful landfcape of the town, and the adjacent hills and woods.-Tho' its appearance has been greatly injured by the neglect of the former proprietor, and the influence of the late war, yet the prefent poffeffor is making fuch improvements as conduce to the real conveniencies of life.

The foil is very fertile, and natural to moft kinds of grain or grafs-In fhort, it is a farm calculated to employ the industrious husbandman, or fuitable for the man of independence and ease.

Τ

For the NEW-YORK MAGAZINE.
The DRON E.- -No. VIII.

O those who have taken the trouble to perufe the former rumbers of this work, they, doubtlefs, appear to have been written by different hands; this is in reality the cafe-the Drone is the production of feveral perfons, originally affociated with the intention of improving, by focial and rational conversation, part of that time which might otherwife have been wafted in infipid amufements, or confused by the effufions

of uproarious mirth. Our number is fmall; but from a long intimacy, confirmed by the motives which originally brought us together, and encouraged by the pleafure we have. found in our union, we have been enabled to spend much of our time with fatisfaction in each other's com pany.

Tho' we have been for fome time thus happily connected, it is but lately we have been induced to appear in

this public manner; but to explain the occafion of our first appearance in print, it will be neceffary to give a ketch of the character of one of our,

members, who holds a diftinguifhed rank amongst us, and to whom we are indebted for a great share of our focial entertainment.

It is fcarcely poffible, by mere de fcription, to convey a juft idea of the character of any perfon, and that of Mr. Martlet being mixed with fome peculiarities, renders the task in this cafe ftill more difficult: a general sketch, therefore, of his moft promi. nent features is all that can now be exhibited, and the likeness may here. after be completed by fome of those occafional anecdotical traits, which difcover more of the real man in a few fimple ftrokes, than the moft la boured efforts of defcription.

Mr. Martlet, in his youth, received what is here called a liberal educa. tion, that is, so much of the ancient languages as to be able to understand. their authors in the original, without, however, preferring them to a good English translation; a competent knowledge of mathematics and phi lofophy, and a general acquaintance with books. With thefe acquifitions, and a heart warmed by a romantic anticipation of the pleatures of focie ty, he entered into life: but, having been in the courfe of his education rather fecluded from the world, he contracted a timid backwardness, which, tho' extremely unfavourable to his intereft, he has never been able to fhake off. This mauvaise honte, together with a little academic pride, which he entertained rather as a member of the republic of letters than as an individual, has been the caufe of a number of difappointments' and vexations in his connection with the world, which have had an unkind effect upon a disposition naturally benevolent and turned to fociety. He has found himself circumvented in

bufinefs by the illiterate, eclipsed in company by the buffoon, and fruftrated in his hopes of female favour by the more

the cox combat qualifications of With the true fpirit of a book-taught philofopher, instead of laying the blame upon his own inexperience, and accommodating himfelf to the practice of the world, he declared war against the depravity of the times, withdrew from fociety as far as his intereft would permit, and particularly renounced all connection with the fair; devoting himself to folitude and felf; this was the first ofcillation of the pendulum-it carried him as far beyond the mark as he was before short of it: time and experience have, however, brought him to fome degree of moderation; and his character is now probably fixed

for life...

Tho' far from being advanced in years, he is what the ladies are pleased to term an old bachelor; and with his prefent difpofition he will not be foon induced to change his fituation; for he avoids all female fociety as much as poffible: yet, when he is in company with any of the sex, he appears. more agreeable than formerly, being no longer incommoded by that earneft defire to please, which is too apt to offend. His present habit of carelefs attention, derived from his indifference to the opinions of others with refpect to his conduct, tempered with his innate good nature, places him in a more advantageous point of light: but he is little inclined to profit by his prefent advantages: the recollection of his former mifadventures renders him uneafy in fuch fituations, and prompts him always to feize the firft fair opportunity to extricate himfelf."

His opinion of mankind is formed upon the true milanthropic plan:While he confiders the world as continually guided by felf-intereft or caprice, and affects to ridicule every

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idea of friendfip, fenfibility, and the
gentle paffions, as foft nonfenfe, the
offspring of credulity and affectation;
while he looks upon himself as a re-
formed fool, and upon all other men
as incorrigible knaves,, he has been
infenfibly induced to enter into en
gagements of the moft cordial friend
fhip with a few who have had judge.
ment enough to difcern the good qua.
lities of his heart thro' the fombre
cloud of his external manner, and
would probably be drawn into fome
more tender connection with the
other fex, were he not fo firmly pre-
judiced against every word that con-
veys a feminine idea; fuch as ladies,
love, courtship, &c. which he never
hears without manifeft figns of un-
eafness; but his friends imagine that
if he could only conquer his averfion
to these obnoxious words, he would
be irrefiftibly led, by his natural dif-
pofition, not only to love, but even
to matrimony.

tions, tho' not very eafily convinced. In the midst of converfation, he has a habit of fometimes indulging his own thoughts in filent meditation, during which periods it is impoffible to extract a direct answer from him, or even a word to the purposes tho' when the interval is over, he appears to have perfectly attended to what was paffing, and at the fame time to have combined it with fome of his own thoughts in his own manner, by which he makes ample amends for his filence,

In the world, he is looked upon as a felf-conceited gloomy cynica, this character pleases him, as he does not wifh to hold a better place in the cftimation of those whofe difapprobation he profeffes to confider as an honour: yet, among his friends, he is entertaining, communicative, and defirous to pleafe-Our little fociety is never fo happy as when he is prefent, and notwithstanding his profeffions of apathy, he feems to be drawn into our meetings by a more generous motive than that felf-intereft, which he alferts to be the principle of every action.

These are the principal traits in the character of Mr. Martlet; a character which, having been accustomed to contemplate with pleasure, I have been detained to defcribe at some length,

As he has declared independence with refpect to the world in general, he takes the liberty of forming his connections with individuals upon his awn terms. I have often heard him fay, that he courted not the friendship. of any, and that those who could not approve of a few peculiarities in his. behaviour, in which he was accuf. tomed to please himself, and injured no one, were equally at liberty to reign his acquaintance, as they had. The rest of us have nothing pecubeen to affume it, Thefe peculiari. liar to diftinguish us from others, exties, however, are neither numerous. cept that we are more particularly nor offenfive; they are the fermenta, affimilated by our connection, and tions of a difpofition naturally good, partial to our own method of fpendbut foured by difappointment,-ing the time we enjoy as a relaxation firengthened by the confcioufnefs of from our ufual pursuits. having deferved better treatment, and, fixed by reflection..

His little, regard to the opinions of others has produced a degree of pofitiveness in his own, which are at times rather paradoxical; but he is patient of contradictions and objec

*

At one of our meetings, the difcourfe turning upon the prefent fafhionable amufements, and the use which ought to be made of fuch pleafures in general, Mr. Martlet feemed particularly pleafed; and having affifted in fuppurting the converfation

* See Drone-No. I.

with

"their whole attention to laborious "occupations the reafon is clear"the drones are at the end of the fea“fon turned out with difgrace by "fuperior force; and as the unfor"tunate are ufually the objects of "blame, they are supposed to deferve "ill treatment because they receive "it. Now, I fuppofe them, on the "contrary, to be the fpeculative phi

66

an opportunity to furvey and ex"amine the actions of others at a "distance, and perhaps by their ob. "servations contribute to that admi"rable order and regularity fo appa"rent in the hive. I was forming "an agreeable imaginary picture of "the confultations of the affembly of “drones, directed by independent ex"perience, and applying the refult "of their difcoveries to the benefit of "fociety-thefe, I confefs, are only "conjectures; but what convinces "me, at leaft, of their probability, is, "that when the operations of the "feafon are completed, the treasures

with a peculiar degree of fpirit, at length propofed, that, in order to perpetuate our fatisfaction, our ob. fervations on this fubject fhould be collected and published in the New York Magazine, and periodically fuc. ceeded by effays produced in the fame manner. This propofal was received with univerfal approbation, and we proceeded to deliberate upon a proper title for the new work-lofophers of the hive, who have During this debate, feveral being propoled, and rejected for different reafons, our friend was filent, and appeared plunged in one of his reveries, which is often the cafe with him after being particularly cheerful: his opinion being afked with refpect to a title, he replied, after a long pause, and a repetition of the question, "the Drone”—and immediately relapfed into his former taciturnity and apparent inattention. We were amazed at this ftrange reply; but knowing he never advanced any thing without having fome reason for it, we waited in filence for his explanation, expecting, as ufual, fomething curious in fupport of this propofal; but we waited for fome time in vain, and began to make our own reflections" upon it, without finding any fatiffactory reafon why the Drone fhould be affumed as the title of a literary eliay at length one of the company, inpatient at his long filence, intimated that perhaps Mr. Martlet was in love, and asked if he was not compofing a fonnet on his mistress? A queftion of this kind never fails to roufe him: he started fuddenly from his trance, and peevishly answered "No"-but looking round, and perceiving himself among his old friends, he proceeded in a fofter tone: -"I was reflecting upon the injuf"tice of mankind in fuppofing the drones to be the most ufclefs and unprofitable members of the com"munity of bees, because they do "not work with the reft, nor apply

laid up, and the drones incapable "of being any longer useful, their "former fervices are forgotten, they are infulted, abused, and expofed to "the mercy of chance and the wea"ther. This is the treatment merit

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generally receives when it can be "no longer of advantage-'tis jaf "the fashion—and affords fufficient "proof that the drones are perfons of "merit and abilities in the hive; fo "that our publications will not be difgraced by bearing their name."

66

This fpeech was received with applaufe, as well for its justnefs, as its eccentric ingenuity; and, another confideration being added, that by affuming this title, we should fearcely be liable to the charge of imitation, it was unanimously refolved that the effays produced at thefe our meetings fhould be published under the title of the Drone.

Our method is, at the beginning

of

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