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lefs as the element that infpired them, and no lefs fubject to corruption in a small space of time; whereas the productions of a brain moderately warmed with nobler juices, like the children of lewdness, would prove ftrong, and vigorous, and furvive all the puny offsprings of a regular fobriety.

The merry bard, in the epiftle I have quoted, feems to defend his custom by what a modern might call an hereditary right to drink ing; which he thinks the poetical fraternity may claim from the father and founder of the art, though he fhews a little modefty in the point, and does not fupport his title by faying, as fome would have done, that Homer drank himself blind: however, like a true advocate for the cause, he proceeds, and if it be not plain, in the cafe of his Greek ancestor, his Latin one Ennius is a full and complete authority, and Horace, as a defcendant from him, afferts his right to the glafs as inconteftable. The first he leaves as a difputable cafe, not without a hint that it might be proved from his favourite character of Neftor, who had a particular kindness for old wine, and old ftories; or, as a modern fays,

The fage, who warm with wine
began to praise

from my very good lord TÏ' ; that play I am pofitive will last to pofterity, and be acted, when I and envy are friends with applaufe.

"Mem. The firft fpeech in my Cataline, fpoken by Sylla's ghost, was writ after I parted from my boys at the Devil-tavern; I had drank well that night, and had brave notions. There is one scene in that play which I think is flat; I refolve to mix no more water with my wine.

"Mem. Upon the zoth of May, the king, heaven reward him, fent me 100l. I went often to the Devil about that time, and wrote my Alchymift before I had spent 501. of it.

"Mem. At Chriftmas my lord B-took me with him into the country; there was great plenty of excellent Claret-wine, a new character offered itself to me here, upon which I wrote my Silent-Woman. My lord fmiled, and made me a noble prefent upon reading the first act to him, ordering at the fame time a good quantity of the wine to be fent to London with me when I went, and it lafted me till my work was finished.

"Mem. The Tale of a Tub, the Devil is an Afs, and fome others of low Comedy, were written by poor

His fellow-warriors, and his Ben Johnson. I remember that I

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CURIOUS REMARKS, in a LETTER from OSWEGO, dated.

SIR,

It is

August 6th, 1760.

T is natural enough to image out a paradife from a tranfient view of this country, where almost every thing appears with an air of majestic rudeness: tho' nothing can be more grotesque, ftill noting can be more unparadifaical; for here you fee mountains start out of rivers, forbidding a paffage along the fhore, and fwallowing up the meadows, if nature ever made any generally fpeaking, the northern fide allows an eafy declining shore; as if the diluvian waters tended towards the pole in the last retreat. I fhould be glad to have a rationale of this unremarked phænomenon. The caufe of it was certainly fome general law of nature. I have failed along, or crossed most of the principal rivers from Hudson's to Roanoke, and find it every where apparent. The northeaft fide of this and James's river, afford many rich and valuable tracts of land; it holds all along the northfide of Potowmac to the Blue Ridge, along the Big-valley to Conigogigo, and even beyond the Great Northern mountains: at the Old Siwiglio town, now Col. Criffafs's, it is remarkably fo, and beyond Fort Cumberland to the Allegany Ridge. The Delaware has a very low fhore all along the Jersey fide; the Newyork fide of Hudfon for forty miles on a stretch, is plantable, tho' fomewhat fteepy; this river is different from all others I have yet feen, in that the mountains begin to rife from its very mouth in fight of York, and continue like a battered wall in a strait courfe for fome miles,

with here and there a dashing caf cade, and intervening flopes for fliding down timber, &c. which veffels take in at the water's edge: where the craggy rock is mouldering, you may fee torrents of rolling ftones. The cataract of Toney's Nofe is above 500 foot high. A terrible tornado or water spout, lately fell near Albany, and did 10000 1. damage. Here you might fee Dutch extortion and knavery, practifed in its utmost extent. To avoid the falls or cohoars, which are worth obferving, we march by land to Senectada, a pretty town near the mouth of the Mohawk river, which waters one of the richest and pleasantest vales in North-America, tho' there is one rocky fall about midway, where we have a mile's postage. I vifited general Johnson's and Hendrick's palace, and metropolis of the Mohawks. The upper part of this ftream or vale, tho' very fertile, is ftill uninhabited, altho' patenteed by fome great engroffers of land; which fpirit of accumulating lordfhips is of very bad tendency, and ought to be reftrained by an Agrarian law. The Dutch clanning and retaining their own language and curftoms, can only make a divided people; and no one ought to enjoy any office, except he be thoroughly naturalized. Their infolence has been somewhat curbed by the army, and fo is that of the Indians. It is furprising we have no more miffionaries among them than Mr. Ogilby, who may be called the Antiftes of the North-tribes. The fociety throws money away in plant

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ting minifters in the lower parts of the country, which are as able to fupport them as most parts of Europe. For it is common to collect or fettle above 100 l. per annum, on a New Light, or Dutch minifter, befides purchafing for him a handfome house and glebe. I think the preaching in Dutch ought to be abolished for the reafons above. Except the nice and portage at Fort Stanwix, which unites the Atlantic with the lakes Ontario, Erie, and St. Lawrence, &c. nothing is worth remarking but the Oneida Lake, (about 35 miles long, and 5 broad) and the levelnefs and lowness of this middle region, which will be the principal key of the fur trade. Ofwego is indeed a pretty port, and a noble fituation for defence and commerce: our commodore

which failed this morning, is cal-
led the Onondaga Polly, with an
Indian warrior painted on her en
fign. The grenadiers and light-in-
fantry are imbarking in Row-gal-
leys and whale-boats, and all are
in readiness for attacking Ofwegat-
che, on which the fate of Montreal
much depends. The French have
reconnoitered us by water, but their
Indians drop their hatchets, and def-
pond. Ours are in good spirits, but
quite tired of the camp. Our ge-
neral is another Fabius.
SIR,

Your most affectionate
humble Servant,

J. T.

may affure them I still wear my fcalp. N. B. If you fee any of my friends, you

A Genealogical Account of DOUGLAS, Duke of DOVER.

T

THIS nobleman is defcended from James earl of Douglas, who by a charter granted to his fon, Sir William, the barony of Drumlanrig, Hawick, and Selkirk, about the year 1407. This earl Douglas was the fame nobleman who joined Hotspur against king Henry IV. and was taken prifoner at the battle of Shrewsbury. His fon Sir William was hoftage for his father at the court of England, where he afterwards appeared as amballador, to treat of the ranfom of his fovereign king James I. who by a writing under his own hand, confirmed him in poffeffion of the baronies fpecified above. He engaged in the wars of France against the English, and is fuppofed to have fallen in the battle of Agincourt. May, 1761.

His fon and fucceffor of the fame name diftinguished himself by his martial talents, in the wars between the Scots and English. His valour was inherited as well as his name, by his fon and grandfon, the latter being killed in the service of his fovereign James III. at the skirmish of Kirkonal, in Anandale. The family of Douglas is celebrated for loyalty and courage. This gentleman's great grandfon, Sir William Douglas, the feventh baron of Drumlanrig, being accufed of treafon by his own fon-in-law, Chartres of Aimsfield, and no other evidence appearing, he demanded the combat proof, which was granted; and both parties fought with equal courage and dexterity. Sir William was afterwards in high favour with queen

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