first meeting. The governor returned a prefent for every belt he had received; and Couture, who understood the Indian language, harangued the chiefs in a grave continued fpeech, fuch as became the interpreter of the governor of Quebec. When he had finished his fpeech, a famous Algonquin chief, called Piefkaret, renowned for his extraordinary valour, rofe up, and having made his prefent to the deputies, There (faid he) is a ftoue, which I lay upon the grave of thofe who were flain in the courfe of the war, that nobody may disturb their afhes, or ever think of revenging their deaths. Then Negabamat, chief of the Mountaineers, prefented an elk's fkin, to make shoes for the Iroquois deputies, that they might not hurt their feet in their return to their own home. * The conference' was concluded with firing three cannon, which the governor faid would give notice that the peace was re-established. The fuperior of the Jefuits entertained the deputies with a fump WIN tuous feaft; and they were so pleased with the good chear, that they made abundance of proteftations, in which however those people are not always fincere. Next day the deputies fet out on their return to their own country, accompanied by two Frenchmen, two Hurons, and two Algonquins ; but they left three Iroquois, as hoftages for the performance of articles. The treaty was ratified by the canton of Agnier, the only tribe which had declared and carried on an open war; and the fix perfons who accompanied the ambaffadors were fent back, with intreaties, that miffionaries fhould be employed to convert them to Chriftianity. Father Breffani, who had juft arrived at Quebec, earneftly defired that he might be again fent on this mission; and even carried on a quest for the benefit of his old tormentors, to fhew them in what manner the religion of Chrift teaches his followers to revenge injuries: but this fublime doctrine was not at all fuited to the difpofition of such barbarians. [To be continued.] 1 A CONTEMPLATION upon WINTER. INTER, attended with winds and tempefts, has long disturbed the repofe of mortals: its outrages have already deprived the earth of all its beauty, and all its attractions. What melancholy images does the gloominefs which it brings, imprefs upon the mind! Alas! the meadows deftitute of flowers, the trees ftripped of their leaves, the frozen ftreams, and the comfortless face of nature, too plainly prove, that time will make the fame devaftation amongst mortals! Like the earth, we preserve, till the midft of autumn, the vigour which we receive in the fpring of life! when winter comes, we lofe it! Power, riches, grandeur, exempt none from the decay to which human nature is fubjected! We vainly endeavour to hide from ourselves thefe melancholy truths! Thofe terrors and infirmities which accompany old age, have the fame effect upon us, that winter, froft, and fnow have upon the fields. Indeed, if, as winter deprives the forefts of their verdure, age could deliver us from thofe cruel paffions, which it is harder to fubdue than to ftill the boisterous waves of the fea, we might then enjoy that tranquillity and repose, which we can never hope for amidft the tumult of unruly paffions. But though we daily fee the most sobust state of health, and the brightest beauty, blafted by the irrefiftible force of time, we always retain our errors and our weakneffes. The ambitious man, though finking under the weight of years, ftill liftens to the flattering voice of fortune. The miser, at the hour of GENTLEMEN, You death, feels lefs regret at parting with life than with his ufelefs treasures: and he who in youth has devoted himfelf to love, languishes for a mistress when he has one foot in the grave. The mind always retains a tafte for pleasure, almoft as feducing as actual enjoyment. In order to obtain true felicity, we fhould endeavour to fet bounds to our defires. In youth, we fhould arm ourselves against the vain inquietudes of love a in manhood, against the turbulence of ambition; and in old age, against avarice and the dread of death. To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. YOU will, no doubt, think the following ftory fcarcely credible; tho', I affure you, it is almost literally fact. Mr. John B. and Mr. Frederic H. were very intimate friends, and had adjoining eftates, washed by a large river, very liable to overflow its banks, which they were obliged therefore to heighten, and keep in conftant repair. Mr. B.'s eftate was worth 10,000l. a year, and Mr. H.'s worth 1000/. and both of them lived nearly up to their incomes. Mr. H. having neglected the banks on his eftate, fuffered the river to break in; and having spent all his ready cafh in endeavouring to ftop the breach, applied to his friend to help him in his need. Mr. B. freely gave him all the ready money he was in poffeffion of; yet Frederic, not contented, still demanded more; and even prevailed on Mr. B. to raise a fum in his behalf, by mortgaging part of his lands, to fave him from mortgaging any of his own eftate. Mr. B. in the mean time, neglecting the repairs of his own banks, from his alliduity in ferving his friend, was 1 foon obliged to fpend large fums in repairing a breach on his own eftate; yet Mr. H. ftill continued to demandfresh fums from him, which Mr. B. was fo generous as to part with, tho, in order to raise them, he was obliged to burden his eftate with new mort gages. When both breaches were at length fully repaired, Mr. H.'s eftate was as intire as before the breaking in of the river, exclufive of the devaltation which the overflowing had made; but the generous Mr. B. found himself burdened with a mortgage of more than one third of his whole revenue. Many of your readers will doubt. lefs cenfure Mr. B. from an opinion that fuch an inftance of imprudent conduct cannot be paralleled in all hiftory; but their cenfures will fall ultimately upon them'elves; for mutato nomine de illis fabula narratur. In what other light can the conduct of this nation be looked upon, in regard to our foreign allies, for these seventy years paft? Which of them, either antient or modern, in confequence of the wars they have been engaged in, conjunely with us, have mortgaged 1 32 State of the Cafe between Mr. J. B. and Mr. F. H. gaged their revenues fo deeply as we have mortgaged ours, though the alliances they have entered into with us have chiefly refpected their own particular interefts? The fubjects of the house of Auftria, it will perhaps be faid, are not fo rich as the inhabitants of this ifland: but is a perfon of 10,000l. a year, who is obliged to borrow annually, richer than another of 1000l. a year, who conducts his affairs with fuch addrefs as to have no occafion for borrowing at all. If the queen of Hungary, or the king of Pruffia, had not found us fo goodnatured and complying, they would have been obliged either to have fheathed their fwords, or to have had recourfe to the expedient of borrow ing upon their own funds; and, if they were as forward to mortgage their provinces as we are to mortgage our taxes, they no doubt might raife large fums of money on that fecurity. If we could once teach our foreign allies not to expect pecuniary fubfidies from us beyond what our annual taxes could afford, we would thereby free ourselves from a double burden, by having no connection with the money-lenders; for thefe good friends of the government are the deareft allies we have had during this war. Our domeftic, like our foreign allies, feem to have raised their demands as they found the generofity of the nation increase; and, this winter, have fold their friendship at fuch an extravagant rate, that one would be almoft tempted to think, that the house of c-had been asleep when the bargain was concluded. Our moneyed men have engaged to lend the government 11,400,000l. for which they are to have 3 per cent. befides an annuity of 1 for 99 years British If for every 100%. Now it is allowed, I am yours, c. J. G. ΤΗΣ |