nearly at par, I am by no means defirous of complimenting their skill at the expence of their better qualities, nor of having it thought that I am an amateur, or a dealer in the articles I have enumerated. I fee daily a number of curious and ingenious articles in fhops, which I think fuperfluous, and the manufacture of which feenis not Jefs a waste of time, than the purchafe of them is a waste of money. Exactly fo is it with me in refpect to the articles I have treated of above. So far am I from glorying in our proficiency, in our fuccessful rivalfhip, and in the great fhow we are enabled to make in this Vanity-fair, as honeft John Bunyan calls it, that I mott fervently with we had been obliged to import every one of them from foreign countries, and at a price, or faddled with duties, that would have amounted to a prohibition and I fhould, whatever other people may think, efteem myself the firft of PROJECTORS, could I invent a a code of laws that would effectually prevent the ufe of them; for I have been long of opinion, that one principal fource of happinefs, whatever air of a negative it may have, is to be CONTENT with the UNAVOIDABLE mifèries of human life. This fubject often em ploys my meditations, but fo limited are the human faculties, that I do not expect to be able to do more than throw out occafional hints in the courfe of thefe my lucubratious. : Mr. URBAN, April 8. Mr. Edmund Mafon favours your A readers with an epigram (vol. LXXI. p. 591), which we are told was written by Mr. Gray, and further that it is a very mafierly imitation of Martial." From his giving his opinion fo decidedly, any one would inia gine that Mr. M. had findied all the little niceties and peculiarities of the Roman poets with great eafe and attention, and that he could accurately define the diftinguishing characteristics of each of them, Notwithflanding this, Mr. Urban, I am apt to think that few of your readers will be of this opinion, if they will take the trouble to turn to Catullus 84, which they will find to be the very fame epigram, that your The proper names are chanced in Mr. M's copy, and two fmall words are left pat, the omiffion of one of which materially takes away from the clegance of the pallage, learned correfpondent calls " mafterly imitation of Martial." a very Another correfpondent is ftill more forgetful. (But you know, Mr. Ur ban, great wits have short memories.) This gentleman has entirely forgotten that he ever read an ode of Mason's "addreffed to a Friend;" for he has fent you fome verfes taken from that poem, which he firmly believes to be the offfpring of his own brain. So thoroughly is he perfuaded of this, that he has actually put his name to them. I hope Mr. Nofillam will not think this hint unfeafonable, for I began to fear that, if he were not apprized of his miftake, he might perhaps take it into his head to indulge the world with one of Horace's odes, under the idea that it was his own compofition. Mr. Nofillam may perhaps mifunder ftand me here, and imagine that I am begging him to gratify the readers of the Gentleman's Magazine with fome of his own productions; I therefore take the liberty of affuring him, that, if he is determined to be a contributor to your poetical department, I cannot but think that most of them will join with me in requefling him to fend an ode of Mafon's rather than one of his own, Yours, &c. P. O. Mr. URBAN, THE Feb. 20. HE following notes, written by late gallant Admiral whilft at Mocha, may perhaps be thought deferving of a place in your Mifcellany. Yours, &c, AN OFFICER. ARABIA. Regard, efteem, and at. tachment, have no place in their union, Women and children, from their natural levity arifing from the weak. nefs of their frame, are easily affected and agitated by the afflictions of life; but thefe emotions do not laft long, and are very foon effaced. Men are not fo cafily affected, but the impref fion is more latting. The great perfpiration to which they gre fubject in fuch violent heats weakens the body very much, and deprives it of vigour and activity. There is no ardour of inclination; they are merely paffive; and a languor prevails that equally affects both the body and the mind. If the hours of devotion, acis fuch as prayer and bathing, are excepted, the Arabs have no other mode of amufement or paffing away their time. Whatever tends to increafe heat, tends likewife to increase languor and a fenfe of of weakness, of courfe inaction and repofe are naturally desired. They have no embellishments of my thology, no materials of fancy, nor no field for poetic allufion. Many of the comparifons, or fimilies, ufed in their poetry, however much admired by the learned in Oriental poetry, have no beauties in my apprehenfion. That the temples of a beautiful woman fhould be like a piece of pomegranate, her eyes like fish-pools, and her nofe like the tower of Lebanon, may be allegorical beauties, that, for want of talte, I confefs are not understood by me This is fuppofed to arife from the Juxuriance of imagination, and the excels of fertile invention, which, fcorning all reftraint, occafions a boldnefs of compariton, the energy of thofe colder difpofitions cannot comprehend. We must feek the caufe of this immutability of cuftom in feveral cafes. The regularity of the climate itfelf, which ‣ makes the mode of living more uniform, and produces a laziness or indolence, a liftnefs of mind and body, which requires fome effort to overcome, fo that after the mind has been long used to one impreffion is difficult to overcome. As their customs feem only mere regulations for their common practice, the exclufion of women from any influence on fociety is an affifting caufe. The prefervation of liberty, either civil or political, requires natural vigour and exertion to fupport thofe privifeges to which we claim a right; it requires a conftant and unremitted attention to preferve a free conflitution from the encroachment of power. But the indolence of these people is fuch, that they fubmit to oppreffion ra ther than be at the trouble of redrefting themfelves. The fimplicity of a defpotic government is agreeable to a people of this difpofition. Liberty requires a hamber of forms in the decifion of a difpute, that no punishment be inflict ed, or property difpofed of, without certain ceremonics of juice. Here the law is not a fcience; no books are confulted. The judge tries, condenius, and orders the punishment himfelf. Nothing but pofitive want, or the The hog is fearce in Arabia and Egypt from there being few or no woods, and of confequence no proper nourishment for them; they never ar rive at perfection, and are always in a difeafed ftate. Arabia has maintained its political independence from the nature of the country; it affords neither provifion nor water, nor any fhelter from the ardent. rays of the fun, fo that in fuch a country it is impoffible to carry provifions and other neceffaries for any length of time. This has proved their prefervation from the earliest times. In that dry coun try," fays Diodorus Siculus," they have wells funk in convenient fituations, which are unknown to ftrangers, but which are fufficient for the ufe of the natives. But ftrangers who were to invade their country would either perish in the deferts for want of water, or be obliged to retreat to their own country. So that the Allyrians in early times, nor the Medes and Ma cedonians in more modern, could never attack with large armies, nor bring their enterprifes to any profperous con clufion." Diod. Sic. lib. 2. Dion Caffius led an army into Ara bia Felix; and, although he met little refiftance, the greater part of his army perished from diflrefs and want of water. In fuch a barren country, the pof fellion of each individual is little more than fufficient for his bare fuftenance; which affords lefs temptation to an in vader, where he can take nothing but life, and not even that but at the has zard of his own. It is probable that the polygamy which prevails through the Eat is affection between parents and chilone powerful caufe of the want of dren; the different connections and mutual jealousy of the different parts of the family tends to deftroy that re gard. reclines fluggifhly in his couch, or fits He has no object to roufe him, he for hours in one pofiure, his eyes fixed to one point, and his fenfes feem lott gives the caft of his countenance a fad in an immeaning, fullen reverie; this ielancholy air in the Arab. B. Mr. URBAN, Ipfwich, April 12. HAVING been much gratified by the report of the proceedings in the Houfe of Commons in your last, p. 202, on the fubject of LIFE BOATS; I was induced, a few days fince, on a vifit to a friend in London, to accompany him to the anniverfary fermon and dinne of the Royal Humane Society. At the former it is fufficient to fav that Dr. Valpy preached; the fublime pleafure attendant on the latter it would be fuperfluous to point out to your readers. The proceffion of the refufcitated perfons must be feen to this, Mr. Urban, is foreign to the purport of my letter; which was, to exprefs my a greeable furprize, at finding by their "Annual Report" that the Society had gi ven to Mr. Greatheadtheir valuable medal, with an appropriate infcription, CIVES SERVA TOS." A modeft letter from the worthy in ventor of the Life Boat to Capt. Reed acknowledgesthe diftinguifhed honour; and concludes by ftating "that it will be his carneft endeavour to promote theknowledge of them wherever they may be ftationed." As this ufe ful invention cannot be too widely circulated. I fend vou this fketch of the Boat as it highly meritorious employment; and fhall fubjoin its history. "The building of a boat for the faving of lives, from thips Idriven on the Shores of this kingdom, kingdom, was originally fuggefted by the fabicribers to the News-room, at the Law-houfe, South Shields, in March 1789, who, from fituation, were the more immediate fpectators of the deftruction inevitably attending veffels and their crews com.ng on the fand, at the South entrance of Tynemouth haven. "The first boat for that purpofe, with a houfe for her prefervation (which ferves as a depot for fhips' materials faved), were built at the expence of the hip owners of the port; and on the 30th of January, 1790, her utility was first experienced,, when the exceeded the mott fanguine expectations: fo much fo, that the cork jackets, then bought for the perfons going off in her, are now never ufed. "Since that time, the Duke of Northumberland built another Life-boat, to be kept at North Shields, and which. for distinction's fake, is called the Northumberland. By thefe two boats, fome hundre's of valuable lives have been faved at Shields dyring the lafi 11 years; and the landable example is now generally. following: Mr. H. Greathead, of South Shields, the builder, Having executed feveral orders, not only for different parts of this kingdom, but for foreign ports; and it is hoped, the entrance of every harbour, and every road-Read, on the fhores of the United Kingdom, will fhortly be provided with a fimilar boat. "The boat is about 30 feet long over all, and 10 feet broad, bosit in a Hunching and the cut, manner, represented in decked at the floor heads, rows twelve Qars fixed with grummets ou iron pins; is fteered by one, and covered with cork on the outfide two or three strokes down from the gunwale; will carry 30 people well, and live in a moft tremendous brokenhead fe." Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, a NAUTICUS. HE following circular letter from Committe of the Corporation of London cannot but be acceptable to the majority of your country readers. Yours, &c. M. GREEN. "Town Clerk's Office, London, March 1, 1802. SIR, Th: astenu of the Corporation of London having been repeatedly engaged upon the fubject of the ex rava, ntly high pice of provifions that has exiled for feveral years paft, they have prefented à Petition to the honourable Houfe of Commos, praying Parlament to direct a furvey to be made of all corn, grain, &c. and have referred it to a Committee to profecute the faid petition in Parliament, in fuch manner as they thall be advited; and for that purpose they have inftructed the faid Committee to correfpond with the magistrates of the feveral cities, towns, and boroughs, throughout the kingdom, in order to obtain a co-operation by fimilar petitions being presented to strengthen and fupport the attainment of this defired end, and to folicit every information likely to facilitate this national object. “1 am, therefore, directed by the Commitee to flate to you that many plans have been projected and maturely considered, but that no one has appeared fo eligible as, that Government fhould be put in poffeffon, twice in every year, of the flock of bread corn, and flour, on hand throughout the kingdom, as well as the number of acres of land fown with the different kinds of grain from which bread is made. "With this view the petition has been prefented; and, upon confultation with fome of the largest farmers and corndealers, it has been allowed to be the general opinion, that fuch furvey may be made without impediment or injury to the grower or forkholder, and without any expence being incurred, by merely filling up the blanks agreeably to the annexed plan. "The Committee are well aware that fuch a meature will not be generaly compled with, uriefs through the medium of a parliamentary inte: ference; hat, to prevent any fuppofed injury, the returns thould be figned and tranfmitted, fealed up, to a board of commiffioners in London, to be appointed hy Government to receive the fame; and who should be enjoined to inviolable fecrecy as to the returns of every individul, the fole object being to afgertain the quantities really in the country, with the profp.& of the coming crop," order that Government may be prepared against apparent fearsity. The Comm tree will, therefore, feel themie'ves Lighly obliged by your early communications on the tubject of this plan, and your co-operation in promoting the fame. I have the hoor to be, Sir, your obe. dient humble fervant, H. WooD THORPE." a vifit from the village tavlor, a young man, who a fhort time before had fallen among the Methodifts; and, as upon fach occations the phrafe is, was converted. "In the courte of our converfation upon the ftate of religion, he afferted that all perfous who went to church were believers. I told him that this fee:ned to me a bold alertion. He faid, it might pollibly appear fo; but that of his own knowledge not one that went to our (meaning the village) church was a believer, for he had tried. them. them. I afted him what touchfione he made use of in thefe cafes. He replied, that he asked them whether they were certain that their fins were forgiven? and, if they did not answer immediately and without hefitation in the affirmative, he knew that they were unbelievers. Whether Dr. Rennell is in pofleflion of any fuch infallible touchtione, I know not; but cer tain I am, that, haul ire well weighed and confidered the very firft fentence in the book of one of his mott celebrated predeceffors at the Temple, he would, at least, have hefitated before he had brought his accufation of " a refolute, fyftematio, and contemptuous, neglect of religious education" against the public fchools of this kingdom. But this, Mr. Urban, feems to be the age of bold affertion and indiferiminate accufation, from the ignorant fanatic up (I am forry there should be even one infiance of it) to the learned dignitary of our own church. Mr. Godwin tells us (fee his Polit. Juft.) that "it is impoflible there fhould be an honeft law yer;" and that "the clergy, from the archbishops to the lowelt curate, are all hypocrites." Malkin condemns national eftablishments in religion, as "utterly inconfiftent with true civilization." Macleod (Examination of Watfon's Apology) tells us, that all the evils which have been exhibited in modern Europe proceeded from the Bible." And the author of a letter to the Bishop of Landaff deferibes Chriftianity as the caufe of poverty, diftrefs, and flavery." If any credit is to be given to fuch affertions, if the frequenters of the Established Church are unbelievers, if there are no honeft lawyers, if all the clergy are hypocrites, &c. moft certainly Dr. Rennel has found out the fource from which all thefe evils are derived: for, indeed, Mr. Urbau, no good can be expected if in our public fchools "revealed religion is treated with a refolute, fyftematic, and contemptuous neglect ;" and we muth fay with him, "there is no evil which we have not to fear from a Pagan education.” What the Doctor means by “a Pagan education," I do not clearly comprehend; bad it come from the mouth of my honeft friend the taylor, or any of his finatical brethren, the meaning would ave been clear enough; but it can rdly be imagined that fuch a man as r. Reuuell could polfibly intend to infinuate that a claffical and a Pagan education were fynonymous terms. But, whatever was intended, the expreffion is general, and well calculated to anfwer the purpose of our modern reformers, who will be as ready as the Doctor himself could be to expofe "the refolute, fyftematic, and con temptuous neglect" that he fpeaks of; to lament, with the bishop of Meath, "the fad degeneracy of our publie fchools ;" and to exert their "zeal and eloquence in calling the public attention to this portentous evil." But, Mr. Urban, the trumpet of alarm has been fo often founded, and the public attention of late years fo often called to the confideration of portentous evils, that the judgenient of the publick, it is hoped, will, in this cafe, be fufpended until fomething more than bare affertion is brought to fix upon the matters of our public fchools, clergymen of the Eftablifhed Church, full as learned, and, for any thing that ever appeared to the contrary, as "zealous and eloquent" in the cause of " Revealed Religion" as Dr. Rennell himself; the charge of "a refolute, fyttematic, and contemptuous, neglect of religious education." For my own part, I can truly fay, that during a progrefs of almost ten years through a public fchool, I neither faw nor heard of any thing that had the leaft tendency to fuch a neglect; neither had I the leaft fufpicion that I was receiving "a Pagan educa◄ tion." If it is generally allowed that the mode of education in our public fchools was marked out by, or under the approbation of, the pious founders, it will be incumbent on Dr. Rennell, and the Bishop of Meath, to point out wherein the mafters have deviated from the line preferibed; and how it could poflibly happen, that in an age faid to be fo far enlightened beyond that in which any one of thefe fchools wa9 founded, fo "fad and univerfal a degeneracy" (for the Bifhop makes no ex ception) fhould have prevailed. In the mean time, I beg leave to recommend the paflage above alluded to, and which, for the fake of fuck of your readers as may not have the book at hand to refer to, I here transcribe: "He that goeth about to perfuade a multitude that they are not fo well governed as they ought to be, shall never |