Heu, terra ignota, canibus data præda latinis Jan. 26. I had this day the honour of dining with Captain Day, who was Governor of the place. Amongst the company was a native Prince, called Della Mooda, who is esteemed a friend of the Sierra Leone Company, and receives an annual pension from it. He was dressed in a blue short coat, turned up with red, and wore a sword and an epaulet upon each shoulder. He seemed to be goodhumoured, laughed much, and was gratified with the attentions that were paid to him; he told a number of stories at which he appeared to be more diverted than any body else. He dined next "What is the reason, Della Mooda," said a gentlemen present to him, "that you do not come to England?”—“ Because,” replied he, with a laugh, "in England a man is only allowed to have one wife, but in Africa he may have as many as he pleases." day on board and se med highly pleased with his reception. He admired in particular the modern improvement of firing the great guns by means of locks, and the facility with which the marines went through their manual exercise. His Highness enjoyed him. self like a true bon-vivant, did not spare the bottle, sung several native songs, and retired full of the inspiration of the jolly god. (To be concluded in our next.) LETTERS ON MYTHOLOGY. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF C. A. DEMOUSTIER. LETTER XX. (Continued from Page 179.) PERHAPS you expect, my Emilia, the genealogy of Hymen? Your expectations will be deceived; I have not a word to say upon the family of this God. The generality of authors make him the son of Venus and of Bacchus, and by consequence the eldest brother of Love. If this opinion were we founded, it would prove the truth of the ancient proverb, Concord is rare amongst brethren. That which is certain, is, that Hymen existed a long time before the son of Venus, since he united that Goddess to Vulcan. In general it is very difficult to establish the fraternity of Love and Hymen, without proving the theory in contradiction with experience. Let us proceed then, to the character and the figure of Hymen. He is naturally seri. ous, never thoughtless; this personage often varies the fashion of the dress in which he appears. In all ages he had access to all temples; meanwhile he had himself a temple, where he was adored with Love. This temple, which formerly existed at Cythera, is so completely destroyed, that there no longer remains even a vestige of its ancient glory. However, the fraternity of married folks have since recreated it at their own expence, towards the north pole. The e, in a dismal cavern, after a thousand windings, sometimes led astray by Fear, some. times seduced by Love, often attracted by Decep ion, sold and selling, but always deceived, mortals arrive at the black saloon, where Hymen and Plutus calculating at a given rate, intellect, youth, grace, sentiment, and virtue, make them swear before a notary, without either knowing, or being known to each other, to adore and to please mutually, agreeably to a fixed price. Beneath a dark vault of the antichamber, may be seen Suspicions and Disgusts (brothers of Mental Weariness) hovering amid the gloom, and shunning the light of day. Close at hand, under the mask of Love, stands the sad Indifference, breathing with icy coldness upon human hearts; a little beyond, see false Hope conducting them to the altar! It is thus that a mistaken crowd besiege the entrance of the gate, and implore the yoke of Hymen. The God, taking them by the hand under the veil of the sanctuary, with gilded iron, forges those links which enchain them to cach other. Princes, lawyers, financiers, are conducted there by conscience; true lovers by constancy; fine gentlemen by their creditors All these lovers make themselves very easy about the oath they are to take, provided it be but written in letters of gold. With love and esteem they dispense very easily; such couples make acquaintance at the altar, and at once promise to have the same character; to be a good husband, good wife, good father, good mother; to have but one heart and soul, to nourish mutually even unto death, the same flame which they thus light in a moment, and which burns at the word of command.—Alas! the black troop of Spirits meet such couples at their first step from the altar, and accompany them even to their own residence. No sooner was Hymen come to the court of Heaven, thau Jupiter gave Morpheus leave to absent himself for that night, and ordered him to shower his poppies over Venus and her lover. He then profited by these calm hours, to regulate with Hymen the conditions of the projected alliance. Vulcan bound himself to furnish and to keep up the celestial artillery, and Jupiter gave Venus in exchange. Hymen himself concluded this bargain. Night had hardly performed two-thirds of her course, when Jupiter charged Mercury with wakening Venus. At the same time he sent by him an order for Mars to depart the Text morning without taking leave, under pretence of sending him to combat some partizans whom the Titans and been trying to assemble together. Venus was at this very moment troubled by a cruel dream. She believed that she saw herself in the midst of the celestial court. Jupiter presented to her the God of Lemnos, and ordered her to take him for a husband. It is said that Cupid is never seen to enter this temple, except by a concealed door; when Pleasure opens it in secret to eager and faithful lovers. Hymen discreetly unites them, and cuts the wings of Pleasure, who might fly away with Time and Youth, and in place of Tenderness, leave Repentance. In dissipated cities conjugal happiness ister, which she bathed with her tears. She rarely seen; indeed they who find the peace of the heart in the bosom of wedded faith, may pass for possessors of the philosopher's She repulsed with trembling the hand of Vulcan, and threw herself at the feet of Jupi called him her protector, her father, and conjured him not to sacrifice her, or at least to defer the sacrifice. Jupiter relented, and heard her prayer; but Destiny, more powerful than the Gods, pronounced the sentence of Venus. Mercury conducted her to Vulcan, and Hymen united them in his chains at the foot of the altar. Such was the dream of Cypria when Mercury awaked her. The unfortunate halfopened her eyes, dim with tears and weighed down with poppies, and confounding the illusion with reality, exclaimed:-"Let us go! since inflexible Destiny ordains, I obey." At these words she followed Mercury, astonished at her resignation. "My daughter," said Jupiter to her," you know" "I know all that is ex"Yes," replied she; acted from me. I do not accuse you of my surrow, I accuse Destiny alone. But since it must be " She suffered her hand to fall, Vuican seized it, and the fatal oath was prououuced. Meanwhile Mars, in despair at the unfore 238 was amiable, he was a conquest worth making; he came from the country, therefore the seen exile which would break off his amorous projects, flew to Venus to take leave of her; but Venus is absent-absent before day-conquest would be easy. Others might dislight! Mars is alarmed; he suspects, he runs, he inquires, and discovers at last what it distracts bim to know. Too well instructed in his misfortune, Mars cursed the Destinies; he cursed Jupiter, Vulcan, nay, Venus herself. After these extravagancies he departed; and in my opinion he could not do better; for when a lover sees his mistress married to another, if he assists at the wedding-feast, he must find himself a little awkward in his compliments. At the rising of Aurora, she beheld Venus with compassion! Venus, whom for the first time she found weeping! The other Goddesses yet slept. At their awaking, the immortals learned two pieces of news which were equally agreeable to them; the marriage of Venus, and the recal of Apollo. These two events occupied the rapid hours of the toilet, and gave birth to a double project. Venus raised herself before dawn; she had wept, her eyes were swollen, and her cheeks pale; but a little art might hide this. Apollo pute him; it was necessary then to arm accordingly.-Occasion invited; the King of Heaven had just issued orders for a ball. At that word, Emilia, do you not anticipate attacks, surprises, rapid conquests? And do you not recal the brilliant night in which I beheld you for the first time ! The next day, ere morning dawned, placing my hand upon my eyes, I found there the bandage of Love under the mask of light pleasure; I strove in vain to tear it away; Cupid had tied it by such a divine knot, as was tied by the hand of Nature when she bound the zone of Beauty round your matchless bosom. On my brow this charming fillet is not a false disguise; I am blind, I swear it to you? Oh! who is not blind in loving you? Blinded by your brightness to their own deficiency? Nevertheless, I manage to see two, beautiful eyes, features noble and sweet, a candour innocent and pure, a refined mind, a seducing charm, a tender melancholy —I am blind, Emilia, blind to all the world but you! (To be continued.) OAKWOOD HOUSE.-AN ORIGINAL NOVEL. LETTER XVIII. TO MISS FREEMAN. (Continued from Page 296.) Keswick, June 28, 1807. AMBLESIDE is a poor little town, in a recess of the mountains, at the head of Winander Mere. We climbed about half a mile above the inn, to see a water-fall, which, after the rain, well repaid our pains. The road to it is a path, not made with hands, but feet; the latter part hanging over the torrent, and The more appropriate than commodious. the inn, who gave the road a dreadful charac ter; though they said they had dragged a postchaise over it with four horses. 1 am very cautious in believing what people say of their own roads. I have uniformly found them worse than the description. To a man who goes often to a place, the shortest way is the best: custom smooths its ruggedness, and lessens its difficulties. But I would no more take such a mau for my guide, than I would follow a banker's clerk through the city of cascade is composed of two separate falls, Loudon, and drive into every ally which pointBursting through trees, and seen throughed to my mark, regardless of dirt, darkness, . trees; uniting in one, and rushing into a deep and ill smells. Though I am slow in believing.. rocky channel I had an inclination to cross the mountains immediately above Ambleside, at the pass called Kirkstone. I consulted the people at the good, I did not doubt the bad report; but I determined to judge for myself. We rode up three quarters of a mile of very steep road; we relieved the poor animal that drew us, by walking; we then rode about half a mile. By this time we were come to a hollow in the mountain, and saw the last steep, winding before us to the top of the pass. "They who make so much of Kirkstone," said I to Millichamp, "have not travelled in Wales." I found it, however, more than it seemed; a regular steep ascent of about a mile. I walked the whole, and then boasted I was at top of Kirkstone. We calculated the distance from Ambleside to be three miles, though it is there called four, and four and a half. The top of Kirkstone is flat; but mountains still rose above us on each side. It is exactly what in Wales is called a bwlch; but higher than any I ever crossed in that country. Before we descended, the view opened into Patterdale,|| which, I confess, did not answer my expectation. The descent was horrible. In steepness and ruggedness far exceeding any thing I ever saw, except the old road from Pont Aber Glaslyn to Tany Bwlch, in Caernarvonshire, which it did not equal, though it was much longer than any one descent there. It wound among rocks, and looked down upon a torrent, newly started from the side of the mountain; but the worst of its qualities was the distance to the bottom; at least two miles. As I had walked more than two thirds up for the sake of the horse, I walked the whole way down for my own; but when I arrived at the bottom, I was too weary to boast I had got over Kirkstone. The high end of Patterdale, which we now entered, is broken rocky ground, such as frequently grows at the foot of mountains. It affords pasturage. As we advance, the small Jake of Broader water fills the vale; after which it expands into beautiful meadows, till it ends in Ullswater. The head of Ullswater is ten miles from Ambleside; the larger half of which, for surely I cannot say the better, is over Kirkstone. We stopped at Dobson's, a small inn in Patterdale, a little short of the lake, and from a rock behind the house, had a fine view of the upper reach. From a steep rock, called Stybray Crag, we had afterwards a view of the middle reach, which I think the finest part of the water. Ullswater occupies the whole of the vale; Place fell and other lofty mountains forming the southern boundary, and woods and craggy rocks the northern. We travelled eight miles and three quarters by its side, which is the whole length of Ullswater. Along the two first reaches the road never deviated from the lake. It sometimes ran close to its margin; at others, climbed over rocky promontories, which shoot into it, and then passed through woods on its border. We found the woods tenanted by myriads of flies, which, as they are seldom disturbed by man, considered us as invaders, and tormented us accordingly. The lower reach of the lake approaches the open country, and its boundaries are not so grand on one side, or so romantic on the other. From the end of Ullswater we accompanied its outlet, the river Emont, through a rich country of corn and grass, with a chain of mountains in the back ground. At Dalemain, the seat of Mr. Hassal, God has given all that man can desire. At Penrith we slept. It appeared a handsome, lively town; but I was so fatigued I did not go out of my way to see it. Next morning we came back two miles of our road, and turned to the right for Keswick, seventeen miles and a half distant from Penrith. We passed the villages of Stainton and Penruddock, and came to a high, uninclosed country, like downs. We now approached the mountains. At eight miles, a lofty, lonely, green mountain, called Meli fell, rose on the left; and, a little farther, Souther fell, on the right. Here we entered a defile, and rode along the foot of the huge and rugged Saddieback. At fourteen miles, still at the foot of Saddleback, is the village of Threlkeld, and an inu, which afforded us some refreshment. Wa then quitted this vale and came in sight of the celebrated vale of St. John, about which more has been said than it appeared to me to deserve. I got out to view the Druid temple, on the hill above Keswick; a circle of upright stones, in a field, on the left of the road. The vale of Keswick, the lake of Derwentwater, and the mountains which surrounded them, now burst at once upon our view. But here too, expectation had gone before me. So much has been said on these subjects, that it is difficult for reality to keep pace with imagination. (To be continued.) SPANISH HERMITAGES AND CONVENT, AT MONTSERRAT. FROM MEMOIRS OF CAPTAIN CARLETON. MONTSERRAT is a rising lofty bill, in the very middle of a spacious plain, in the principality of Catalonia, about seven leagues distant from Barcelona to the westward, somewhat inclining to the north. At the very firs: sight its singularity of figure promises something extraordinary; and even at that distance the prospect makes somewhat of a grand appearance; hundreds of aspiring pyramids presenting themselves all at once to the eye, look, if I may be allowed to speak, like a little petrified forest, or rather, like the awful ruins of some capacious structure, the labour of venerable antiquity. The nearer you approach the more it affects; but, till you are very near, you can hardly form in your mind any thing like what you find it when you come close to it. Till just upon it, you would imagine it a perfect hill of steeples; but so intermingled with trees of magnitude as well as beauty, that your admiration can never be tired, or your curiosity surfeited. Such I found it on my approach, yet much less than what I found it was when I entered upon the very premises. Now that stupendous cluster of pyramids affected me different from all before; and I found it so finely grouped with verdant groves, and interspersed with aspiring but solitary trees, that it no way lessened my admiration, while it increased my delight. These trees, which I call solitary, as standing single, in opposition to the numerous groves, which are close and thick (as I observed when I ascended to take a view of the several cells), rise out of the very cliffs of the main rock, with nothing, to appearance, but a soil or bed of stone for their nurture. But though some few naturalists may assert, that the nitre in the stone may afford a due proportion of nourishment to trees and vegetables, these, in my opinion, were all too beautiful, their bark, leaf, and flowers, carried too fair a face of health, to allow them even to be foster children of rock and stone only. Upon this hill, or, if you please, grove of rocks, are thirteen hermits' cells, the last of which lies near the very summit. You gradually advance to every one, from bottom to top, by a winding ascent; which to do otherwise would be impossible, by reason of the steepness. But though there is a winding ascent to every cell, as I have said, I would yet set at defiance the most observant, if a stranger, to find it feasible to visit them in order, if not precautioned to follow the poor borigo, or old ass, that, with panniers hanging on each side of him, mounts regu ||larly and daily up to every particular cell. The manner is as follows:- In the panniers there are thirteen partitions; one for every cell. At the hour ap. pointed, the servant having placed the panniers on his back, the ass, of himself, goes to the door of the convent at the foot of the hill, where every partition is supplied with their several allowances of victuals and wine; which, as soon as he has received, without any further attendance, or any guide, he mounts and takes the cells gradually in their due course, till he reaches the very uppermost; where, having discharged his duty, he descends the same way, lighter by the load he carried up. This the poor stupid drudge fails not to do, day and night, at the stated hours. Two gentlemen who had joined me on the road, alike led by curiosity, seemed alike delighted, that the end of it was so well answered. I could easily discover in their countenances a satisfaction, which, if it did not give a sanction to my own, much confirmed it, while they seemed to allow with me, that these reverend solitaries were truly happy men: I then thought them such; and a thousand times since, reflecting within myself, have wished, bating their errors and superstitions, myself as happily stationed. For what can be wanting to a happy life, where all things necessary are provided without care; where the days, without anxiety or troubles, may be gratefully passed away, with an innocent variety of diverting and pleasing objects, and where their sleeps and slumbers are never interrupted with any thing more offensive than murmuring springs, natural cascades, or the various songs of birds. |