Observations, Anecdotes and Characters of Books and Men. By the Rev. Joseph Spence. London 1820. 8vo. p. 302.

This is an amusing collection of scraps. The following extracts will suffice for a specimen.

A little after Dr. Young had published his Universal Passion, the Duke of Wharton made him a present of 2000l. for it. When a friend of the duke's, who was surprised at the largeness of the present, cried out, What! two thousand pounds for a poem!' The duke smiled, and said it was the best bargain he ever made in his life, for it was fairly four thousand.-Mr. Rawlinson.

When the Doctor was very deeply engaged in writing one of his tragedies, that nobleman made him a very different present. He procured a human skull, and fixed a candle in it, and gave it to the Doctor, as the most proper lamp for him to write tragedy by.-The same.

Sir Isaac Newton, a little before he died, said, 'I don't know what I may seem to the world; but as to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.'-Ramsay.

"Tis not at all improbable that Sir Isaac Newton, though so great a man, might have had a hankering after the French prophets. There was a time, I can assure you, when he was possessed with the old fooleries of astrology, and another when he was so far gone in chymistry as to be upon the hunt after the philosopher's stone.-Lockier.

When the Bishop of Rochester was in the tower, upon its being said in the drawing-room, What shall we do with the man?'-Lord Codogan answered, Fling him to the lions.' The Bishop was told of

Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Čommerce. (From an English Newspaper.)

The distribution of the rewards of this Society took place yesterday, for the first time, at the Argyll Rooms, and, perhaps, never since the Institution has been extant, was the cere. mony graced with so much rank, fashion, and beauty.-It has almost become a hacknied source of pride, that the benevolence of this country excells all others; and while we contemplate the many proofs which corroborate the fact, in the variety of establishments for serviceable purposes, we acknowledge none which more effectually contributes to the public good than this, and most sincerely do we annually hail the result of the exertions of its members, who have, for a series of nearly seventy years, strengthened a chain, the first link of which came from the fostering hand of Mr. William Shipley-a name which will ever be recorded in the page of science with respect and gratitude.-He was the founder of the institution, and to him especially are the most important improvements, within the various branches which the Society recognizes, to be attributed.

Soon after twelve o'clock, his royal highness the duke of Sussex, president, entered the room, and though the company seemed absorbed in the contemplation of the dif

ferent performances of the candidates in Polite Arts, which were appended to the walls, and those of mechanics, which covered the table, a universal expression of joy beamed in the countenances of all. His royal highness, whose urbanity of disposition cannot be too highly estimated, most gracefully-we may say, benignantly bowed to the company as he passed to his chair, and the business of the day now commenced.

Mr. Aikin, the secretary, here read a most classical and highly interesting exordium on the rise and progress of the institution, very particularly referring to its commencement, and occasionally energetically adverting to the great advantages which society had not only already received by its exertions, but which would be continued, and he trusted enhanced in their value, by the labours of the day.

The premiums were then presented in the order inserted in THE MORNING HERALD of yesterday.

His royal highness, on several occasions, observed the exertions of the candidates, and was particularly complimentary to those (and we observed several) who had been before him on former occasions in the same characters.

To Mr. J. Perkins, who was honoured with three of the society's medals, for inventions of the first consequence, he was more than usually happy. The candidate alluded to, is a most ingenious American, and his royal highness observed, that as president of the society, he highly participated in the national liberality which had evinced itself on the occasion; that the reward here bestowed, proved, that men of science were happy to recognize and encourage the same qualification, be it from what country it might.

To Mr. Wm. Harley, another ingenious mechanic, previous to handing him the premium, he observed he felt the highest gratification in

meeting him there, and he knew him to be one of the most clever and honest workmen in the world.

His royal highness eulogized the company for their attendance, felicitously observing, that the society had gained a great point, if the distribution had ensured the smiles of ladies, as those gentlemen, in all probability, who were not already members, would serve the institution by becoming so, in compliment to their feelings.

A well selected band of music occasionally relieved the ceremony, and those gentlemen who officiated as managers, did every thing to contribute to the gratification of the day.

Reflexions Politiques sur quelques Ouvrages et Journeaux Francois concernant Hayti, par Monsieur le Baron de Vastey, Secretaire du Roy,

&c. &c.

It is above thirty years since the finest feelings of this nation were roused to indignation, at the injustice and cruelty perpetrated by the slave-traders on the negro-race. The politician declared, that inattention to the cultivation of Africa was neglect of our own commercial interests; and the philanthropist, that our apathy, with respect to the civilization of its inhabitants, was a positive neglect of the precepts of our divine religion. The British parliament, in consequence, passed some acts to ameliorate the condition of the wretched blacks, in their horrid passage to our colonies; and our colonial legislatures enacted regulations, for their better treatment in slavery.

After twenty years consideration we abolished the Slave Trade, and most of the civilized nations in the world have followed the example, except Spain and Portugal, which, resisting every moral, religious, and humane appeal, still continue this execrable traffic.

However, we purchased from

those relentless governments, at an expense of nearly a million of pounds, treaties to restrict their merciless subjects from that Slave Trade north of the equator. We have also expended, in the last ten years, on ill executed schemes, for civilizing and instructing the captured negroes, another million of pounds; and we have lavished on visionary and useless expeditions to explore the interior of Africa, in the last five years, at least half a million of pounds more, without the slightest calamitous disasters attended their progress, and prospect of success; complete has been their termination; but the plan was so injudiciously concerted, that its fate was evident from the commencement, except to those who were partakers of the expenditures; in addition to all this, we lavish on ill-judged, unhealthy, and unprofitable settlements on the western coast of Africa, above two hundred thousand pounds a-year, independent of the expense contributed by the visionary plans for creating settlements at the Cape of Good Hope; but we are instructed from high authority, that these expenditures must be estimated benevolent prospects of speculative humanity.' Now we shall only presume to hint how profitably some of these immense sums might be employed on projects of real humanity at home, without discussing the inability of this nation to continue such an unprofitable and profligate waste of her treasure; but we fervently hope, that no fur ther expenditure of this sort will be suffered, particularly as we know from the best authenticated documents, and the most uncontradicted statements, that the number of slaves carried from the coast of Africa is more extensive than ever--that the miseries these unfortunate beings endure are greatly increased-that the cultivation of the African soil is very little extended-that the civi. lization of the inhabitants is not in the least improved-and that the

profits attending the Slave Trade are so largely augmented that there is no chance of a diminution of the calamity, nor a hope of extending the benevolent intentions of Great Britain to Africa, until Portugal shall be obliged totally to abandon the trade, by the whole civilized world constituting every species of traffic in slaves, piracy; and that every person taken in the trade, or convicted in aiding and abetting the traffic in any way, shall be visited with all the pains and penalties attached to pirates.—Month. Mag.

New Works, announced. At Columbia, S. C. Reports of Cases argued and determined in the Constitutional court of South Carolina, by H. J. Nott and D. L. M'Cord, Counsellors at Law.

M. Carey and Son, Philadelphia; are about to publish a new edition of the Reports of Vezey, jr. and Vezey and Beames, with references to American decisions, by E. D. Ingraham, Esq. in 21 vols. Also a new edition of Chapman's Elements of Therapeutics and Materia Medica. And a second American edition of Lavoine's Atlas.

A new Medical and Philosophical Journal is projected under the editorship of professors Chapman and Patterson of the University of Pennsylvania.

The 7th No. of the Sketch Book is in press, and will be published about the middle of the present month, by Haly and Thomas, New York, and M. Thomas, Philadelphia.

They have likewise in press the third volume of Salmagundi, which will complete the second series.

J. Maxwell has in press the 2d vol. of Otis' Translation of Botta's History of the American Revolution, which will be published in October.