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make them more proud by fuffering them to learn English. The native Welshmen are very fond of their own language, and feem to lament the too general introduction of that of England. There are both English and Welth fchools in moft parts of Wales; and the clergy preach in both languages. A Welshman is cafily diftinguished by his local expreffions, when he ought to fay fe, he commonly fays hur; he alfo fubititutes him for it, &c.

November 20, went from Ellesmere to Wrexham, in Denbighshire, North Wales, 12 miles — A pretty level country, and good road; the foil rather strong, and produces tolerable crops of grafs and corn. A great deal of wood grows in the hedges, principally oak. This diftrict is pleafant, and particularly near the river Dee, which the road crofles. That river here, by its rapid motion, refembles most of thofe in Cumberland and Westmoreland; its banks, in this part, are high and woody, and the vale below, level and remarkably fertile. Wrexham is a little market town, not unpleafantly fituated: the lead mines and iron-works in the neighbourhood belonging to Mr. Wilkinfon and Co. cmploy many of the inhabitants. Farms are worth from 20l. to 300l. a year, and rent of land about 25s. per acre on an average. Here I found myfelf much obliged to the kindness and attention of Mr. Wilkinson above mentioned.

November 22. Wrexham to Chefter, 11 miles. The country quite flat, road good, fields fmall, and divided by pretty growing hedges; the foil various, but generally fertile, and much of the land in grafs. Chefter appears from this road at 8 miles diftance, in the middle of an extenfive plain. The fate of the city is rather higher than the adjacent country; it is well built, and kept clean; the freets are generally airy and fpacious. The buildings in the older parts of the town are very curious; warehoufes and kitchens occupy the ground floor, fhops the fecond floor, and the higher ftories are for dining, lodging-rooms, &c. Before the tier of fhops on the fecond floor, there is a covered walk of confiderable breadth, fo that people may go through moft parts of the city quite dry and clean in the wettest weather. Chester is fituated on the great road to Ireland; it contains about 12,000 inhabitants, among 'whom are a number of people of fortune; but is not remarkable for trade nor manufacture. The walls are yet ftanding, and in good repair; buildings out at the

This city

gates have increased much.
contains 11 parishes: the cathedral looks.
very old; it has been built with a foft red
free-ftone, which moulders faft away
the city walls, and many of the houses,
are allo erected with that fort of stone.
The river Dee directs its courfe half
round this city, and then runs weftward
to the fea; but is navigable thus far for
fmall veffels. Formerly the tide came
clofe under the walls, and covered many
thousands of acres below the town. About
50 or 60 years fince, on account of the
frequent fhifting of the channel, which
rendered the navigation rather dangerous,
it was agreed to cut a new courfe for the
river along a fine marth on the fouth fide,
where the fea did not reach; this was
done, and a good bank (which now af-
fords an extremely pleafant walk) made
on the north fide, which had the defired
effect. No fooner was the river taken
from its old channel, than another good
confequence was likely to be the refult;
but which they, at that time, had little
idea of. As the fresh water now ceafed
to carry back to the fea fuch fediment as
the tide brought up, the fand rofe by
degrees, till, near Chester, it was almoft
out of the reach of the tide, and was ef-
fectually fecured by a bank of fand
This inclofed fand foon graffed over,
and now produces the most luxuriang
herbage. Since that time feveral tracts
more have rose high enough, and been
inclofed in like manner, and with the
fame effect. At prefent feveral thousands
of acres have been thus recovered; di-
vided into beautiful fields with fine thorn
hedges, windmills, farm-houses, &c.
built thereon, and let for from 178. to 31.
per acre. It is befides expected, that in
the courfe of a few years more, a still
greater conqueft may be had in this ufurp-
ed dominion of Neptune. This is a
fimple and fure means of reclaiming vaft
tracts from the fea, and practicable in
various parts of this kingdom. I have,
particularly noticed very extenfive dif
tricts on the coafts of Cumberland and
Lancashire, where it might be applied
with every probability of fuccefs-Land
thus acquired fhould not be much plough-
ed, it anfwers beft in grafs, and should
be manured on the sward.
A canal from
hence to Liverpool is just finished.
(To be continued.)

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your liberal and refpectable work, for the folution of fome of your learned readers, viz.—If a man be born in the Eaft Indies, or any of the fettlements under the British dominions, his father being an Englishman and his mother a native, (but not born in wedlock,) in what light is he viewed in this country?

Your's, &c. LIBER HOMO.

London, March 6, 1799.

For the Monthly Magazine. ON PERSONIFICATIONS IN POETRY. (Continued from page 114.)

F the more dignified pictures of Fancy, I find none to elegant and fpirited, as that of Mr. Warton in his justly admired Ode to this imaginary being.

O nymph with loosely-flowing hair,
With bufkin'd leg, and bofom bare,
Thy wait with myrtle-girdle bound,
Thy brows with Indian feathers crown'd,
Waving in thy fnowy hand
An all-commanding magic wand,
Of power to bid fresh gardens blow
'Mid cheerlefs Lapland's barren fnow,
Whofe rapid wings thy flight convey
Thro' air, and over earth and fea,
While the vast various landscape lies
Confpicuous to thy piercing eyes;
O lover of the defart, hail!

This is a portrait not lefs characteriftical, than beautiful; the elegance, fimplicity, and exalted power of this ideal nymph, all correfpond with that vivid glow of the imagination, that taste for the charms of nature, which are effential to poetical genius. Accordingly, the poet has not fcrupled to confer on Fancy the title of "Parent of the Mufes, and Queen of Numbers", and invokes her as the fole infpirer of genuine fong. That this is a deviation from the original import of the term, will appear from the preceding quotations but it is a natural one, and has the fanction of great authority. Whether fuch an innovation in the eftablished mythology of poetry, may not shock fome rigid adherents to claffical doctrine, I fhall not prefume to determine.

Another Ode to Fancy of confiderable merit, by Mr. Merrick (Dodfley's Coll. iv.) is formed upon the fame general notion of the character, though with a larger mixture of the wild and fantastic. She is made the daughter of Melancholy by Hermes; and is laid in her appearance at times to resemble cach parent. The objects with which the impreffes the mind, are chiefly of the preternatural class; fuch

as fpectres, faires, and the like fhadowy beings. Thus a diftinction is established between the fuggeftions of fancy, and the ordinary motions of a lively imagination; which perhaps is a more juft, though lefs enlarged, conception of this faculty, than that of Warton's Ode.

Gray gives a reprefentation of Fancy that feems quite original. Hark! his hands the lyre explore! Bright-eyed Fancy hovering o'er Scatters from her pictur'd urn Thoughts, that breathe, and words, that burn Progr. of Poefy

There is fomething bold and ftriking in this imagery, but it is not correct. It has a mixture of metaphor and common and thoughts, but an urn cannot contain language. Fancy may fuggeft words them. The painted vafe is a happy inftrument or bearing for this fictitious perfonage; but the fhould scatter from it material forms, not founds and ideas.

Nor,

LOVE, or the Cupid of the poets, is always an emblematical perfonage; for I know not of any inftance, in which this paffion is perfonified under the character of one impreffed with its influence. indeed, except in the fable of Pfyche, is he made the object of defire. He is rather the type of the paffion itself, abstractedly confidered. His ufual figure, and the interpretation of it, cannot be better illuftrated, than by a quotation from Propertius.

Quicunque ille fuit, puerum qui pinxit Amorem,

Nonne putas miras hunc habuiffe manus ? Is primum vidit fine fenfu vivere amantes, Et levibus curis magna perire bona. Idem non fruftra ventofas addidit alas,

Fecit et humano corde volare Deum. Scilicet alterna quoniam jactamur in unda, Noftraque non ullis permanet aura locis. Et merito hamatis manus eft armata fagittis,

Et pharetra ex humero Gnofia utroque jacet, Ante ferit quoniam, tuti quan cernimus hoftem,

Nec quifquam ex illo vulnere fanus abit. In me tela manent, manet et puerilis imago; Sed certe pennas perdidit ille fuas.

Eleg. ii. How rare the fkill his hand poffefs't That love in childish figure dress't! He firft perceived how lovers wear Their wafted time in trifling care; The god with airy wings he drew And with a hunian heart he flew, How justly too! for we, alas! Our lives in ceafelefs tempefts pafs ; ̈ Toft by alternate gufts we fail Nor e'er enjoy a conftant gale. His hand a barbed shaft extends ; A quiver from his back depends:

Nor

A quiver from his back depends,
Nor vainly-fince he ftrikes the blow
E'er heedlefs men difcern the foe
Nor ever may the wretch depart
Uninjured by his cruel dart.—
In me remain his form, his ftings,
But fure the child has loft his wings.

In addition to this imagery, he is fometimes defcribed as bearing a torch; and his arrows are faid to be burning. Fire and flame have from all times been metaphors for the amorous paffion. Another emblematical circumftance is, his being blind, or rather hood-winked; in allufion to the want of difcernment fo notorious in lovers. But this fymbol, though of itfelf fufficiently appropriate, is manifeftly incompatible with his allegorical character of an archer, and fo skillful an one, that Apollo himself acknowledges him to be the better marksman.

Certa quidem noftra eft; noftrâ tamen una

fagitta

Certior, in vacuo quæ vulnera pectore fecit. Metam. i. 519.

My shaft is fure; but that's a furer dart With which love pierced my yet unwounded

heart.

And, indeed, neither Propertius in the paffage above quoted, nor Anacreon, Mofchus, Ovid, Virgil, Horace, or any other of the first poets of antiquity, reprefents love as blind; and I fufpect this conception originated rather with the philofophers than the poets. He is likewife painted naked; becaufe, fay the jocular critics, it is the property of love to ftrip people. I rather imagine, however, that this circumftance was meant to correfpond with his childish form; and, that it denoted artlefsnefs and fimplicity; or, perhaps, the impoffibility of concealing a violent paffion.

Among the innumerable defcriptions

of love by the poets of fo many ages, I find fcarcely any variation from the preceding portrait; though in the action, and fome external accompanyments of this deity, a degree of invention has been difplayed. There is a defcription of the cruel and imperious Cupid by Spenfer, drawn with much strength, and even fublimity. It is in the mafque fo often referred to; where, after a long train of allegorical perfonages, reprefenting different mental affections, clofed by the difimal figure of a lady, whofe heart is cut out of her breast, and borne before her in triumph; the poet fays,

Next after her, the winged god himself Came riding on a lion ravenous, MONTHLY MAG. No. XLIV.

Taught to obey the manage of that elf,
That man and beast with power imperious
Subdueth to his kingdom tyrannous:
His blindfold eyes he bade awhile unbind,
That his proud fpoil of that fame dolorous
Fair dame he might behold in perfect kind;
Which feen, he much rejoiced in his cruel
mind.

Of which, full proud, himself uprearing
high,

He looked round about with stern difdain,
And did furvey his goodly company,
With that, the darts which his right hand
And marshalling the evil-order'd train;
did strain,

Full dreadfully he shook, that all did quake,
And clapt on high his coloured wingès twain,
That all his many it afraid did make :
Then blinding him again, his way he forth

did take.

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SIR,

AS you have occafionally permitted

other correfpondents to make mifcellaneous remarks and obfervations upon various writers, or fubjects, in your truly valuable Magazine, I hope you will oblige me with the fame indulgence.

Although Mr. HAYLEY, in his life of "Milton, "has anticipated several of the remarks of Mr. WAKEFIELD in your laft Magazine, yet this latter gentleman, by his fuperior penetration of mind, and unrivaled claffical knowledge, has furnithed the admirers of Milton with fome new and strong arguments against their bigotted opponents. I do not recollect that any other writer has given fuch an ingenious and adequate explanation" of the latter diftich of the elegy in quef

PP

tica.

tion. The extra& too, from GARDINER'S letter to CHEKE, is next to decifive proof in favour of Milton. It would be amufing to trace the descent of this idle calumny from bigot to bigot till it reached Dr. Johnton; to whom it must have been peculiarly acceptable, on account of his fuperftitious tura of mind, and innate diflike to the caule and to the affertors of liberty.-As to the clergy, they had no other means in their power to retaliate upon a man, who in feveral of his profe works had expofed their frauds, and given them to fevere a flagellation. Their refentment must therefore be confidered as a matter of course; and as thefe gentlemen, considered as a collective body, are not very remarkable for their placability and forgiving disposition, no won der that this idle story has been handed down from generation to generation, like their other idle ftories about Cromwell, and the bloody murderers of St. Charles!

A gentleman of Mr. WAKEFIELD'S tafte, and extensive reading, can fcarcely have overlooked a fpirited defence of Milton, prefixed to the fecond volume of the memoirs of the late patriotic Thomas Hollis? I shall only add upon this fubjea, that to thofe old-fashioned Englishmen, who venerate the genuine principles of our free conftitution, the perufal, and perhaps the re-publication of Milton's "Areopagitica," would at this fingularly alarming criùs, be a very useful employment.

Page 181. The queries of Dr. WATKINS', respecting the late very learned James Pierce of Exeter, will be partly

answered, if he will please to confult the Proteftant Diffenters Magazine, vol. 2d, page 441, in which fome brief account of the birth-place, education, minifterial, or literary labours, perfecution and death of that good man are recorded. In these memoirs too, there is an extract from one of Mr. P's. publications, well deferving the notice of fuch of your readers as are interested in the repeal of the Teft act, as it fets the controverfial artifice, and deliberate mifreprefentation of Dean Sherlock in a clear point of view. The pallage is too long to be tranfcribed; but as the writer of the above memoirs juftly obferves, it is very remarkable that the ingenious editor of the late abridged edition of Bishop Hoadley's reply to Sherlock fhould have overlooked it, and permitted his fuppofed right reverend antagonist once more to retaliate the calumny without reprehension.

I join with Dr. WATKINS in wifhing to fee fome memoirs of the learned Hallett.

It would also give me great pleasure to have an account of the late excellent Dr. John Taylor of Norwich.

Dr. WATKINS, in his well written account of the late Mr. Madan, fays, no fain was ever fixed upon him, except what he incurred by his publication of a work, entitled "Thelyphthora, &c. Without meaning to offend the living, or to fay any thing ill of the dead, I would venture to alk Dr. W. if he has never heard of the affair at Aldwincle? Mr. M. might not deferve the cenfure then pretty freely caft upon him; yet his conduc was thought a little fingular, as will appear by infpecting the pamphlets publifhed upon the occafion, or the 37th vol. of the Monthly Review, p. 382, where a judicious, candid summary of the whole bufiness may be found.

In the Monthly Magazine for February, p. 28. W. H. enquires after prefident Bradshawe? If he has not already obtained the information he wants, I beg leave to refer him to the various volumes of the Gentleman's Magazine, from 1778 to 1788, where he will meet with many curious anecdotes well deferving his notice. It is next to certain that the prefident was of a Chefhire or Derbyshire family, and fome of his descendants by the female fide were living not many years ago in the above named counties. Yours,

A Lover of Biography.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine,

SIR,

Na work published about two feari.

fince, entitled, "Anecdotes, Hiftorical and Literary," I met with the following paffage: Granger, who was a remarkable ugly man, contended that he was the handfomeft thing in the world." P. 353. The writer then states, what he calls a fpecimen of logical perverfion; and which, he pretends, Granger urged in fupport of his favourable reprefentation of his own perfon. I was perfonally acquainted with Mr. Granger; and know that he was not an ugly man, but his face and perfon were agreeable. A print of him, drawn and engraved by William Wynne Ryland, is prefixed to the fecond edition of his Biographical Hiftory of England; and any man, who examines this, will be convinced, that if the print bears the most diftant refemblance to him, he could not be au ugly man. He was far otherwise. I fuppofe, that the whole ftory is without any foundation; for Mr. Granger was not a vain man. But if at any

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To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

THA

HAT the redemption of the land-tax will be attended with beneficial effects, both to the public and to individuals must be very obvious if a fair and accurate investigation is made of the fubject. As to the public I fhall only obferve that the quantity of stock which must be bought up for the redemption or purchafe of the land-tax, muft neceffarily keep up the price of the funds, and the good effects of this measure are already apparent. Without dwelling on the falutary purposes of this fcheme of finance to the public, I beg leave to direct your attention to the advantages individuals will experience by redeeming their land-tax.

And in the first place it is to be observed that every county or diftrict is affeffed not only for the land-tax, but alio for the expence of collecting that branch of revenue. Individuals therefore who redeem their land-tax, purchase no more than that part of their affeffment which is paid to government, for the proportion which they contributed towards defraying the expence of collecting ceases. This will be beft illustrated by an example. In the fmall divifion of the kingdom where I refide*, the land-tax amounts to gool. 1s. 8d. per annum, and the expence of collecting is nearly 1351. Therefore every person whose affeffment amounts to 1151. pays only 100l. of land-tax, the remaining 151. being his proportion of the collector's falary. In order to redeem 100l. of land-tax, a landholder must transfer 36661. 13s. 4d. of the three per cents. This quantity of ftock will yield him an income of 110l. he is therefore a gainer of 51. per annum or 1661. 138. 4d. of stock by the tranfaction.

Secondly, I beg leave to give another view of this fubject.

Eftates always fell in proportion to the free rent or net income, and in this part of the kingdom often at 40 years purchase; landholders therefore by redeeming their land-tax will greatly augment their capital. Thus, 1151. of yearly income from land is worth at least 25 years purchase, or 28751. In order to redeem 1151. as already ftated, 36661. 13s. 4d. stock muft Renfrewshire.

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SIR,

THE

HE infertion of the following queries, in an early number of your mifcellany, will oblige,

Yours, &c. I. C. Are there any villages that are yer without a Sunday school? if so, what are the impediments?

Would not a small circulating library be of ufe in country villages? If fo, what would be the best plan for its conductor to purfue?

What fchools" or "houfes of induftry" are there throughout the kingdom? of what length of time have they been? what number of old or young poor in each ? what work are they employed in? and what is the probable faving per annum?

Are there any jails in England where manufactories are introduced? If so, how are they conducted? If upon the plan of Philadelphia ?

Has the inoculation of the children of the poor been attended to throughout England--and if not, what are the names of thofe places that have not adopted fo efficacious a method? it is much to be wished that the answer (if any) to the laft queftion may be made public, that we may know where the bills of mortality have fwelled by voluntary negligence.

In what towns are triendly focieties established for the relief of the poor? Are there any libraries in churches of the establishment? or in the chapels and meeting houses of diffenters? are they completely open? or under any reftrictions? Are there any towns that have reading-rooms established for young men to refort to, in preference of going to taverns, &c. after fhop hours?

Some friends of humanity even to the inferior animals are forming here, what may be called a "Bee Society," in which the prefervation of the lives of thofe ufeful animals will be particularly attended to-but they with for the advice of your correfpondents on that fubject.

Newcastle, February 7, 1799.

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