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way, you may do worse than take a view of it, and a leave of me. It may be now justly told me, tempus est abire tibi; yet I find that I have not been quite useless in the creation, of which I can give a strong instance. I once got some seeds from the famous old cedars of Mount Libanus, and on one of the trees sprung from them, a wood pigeon is now hatching her young, and I am very careful that she may not be disturbed in that pious office. This careful mother is probably the first that ever took up her domicil on a Scottish cedar. The tree is situated near the rudest part well sketched in a line that lately met my

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of my banks,

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Too sweetly wild for chance, too greatly bold for art. To view rural scenes, Ascanius, and to refer to descriptions of their peculiarities in the best writers, adds a new beauty to the fields, and obviates the satiety of pofsefsion, or of frequent enjoyment.

"Methinks I know, charm'd with the scenes I love,
"Each tree a nymph, a god in every grove."

Farewell!

INDEX INDICATORIUS.

Continued from p. 152.

7. B. sends a few lines intended as an enlargement of verse 2d of psalm cxxi. Perhaps nothing has tended so much to weaken the general respect for the sublime beauties of the Holy Scriptures as poetical versions of them. The Psalms, in particular, have certainly suffered very much in this way. To a pious mind every thing that conveys sentiments of piety will appear beautiful; but when a publication is to be submitted to readers of such various descriptions as this Miscellany, perhaps no kind of writings should be scrutinized with so much care as those of a pious tendency, lest they should occasionally give rise to jests and scoffing at holy things, among those

who are in search of things of that sort. The verses, if on another subject, would have had a much better chance of passing with us.

Entbusius is much dissatisfied with the Editor, for not having inserted a letter he took the trouble to send for the Bee, supposed to have Been written from a schoolmaster to his mistrefs, of which the follow ing is a fhort extract as a specimen :

"DEAR MADAM,

If there be yet no proposition towards a conjunction with you, be plea sed to accept of this interjection of my pretences; for I do pronouns, adverbum, that I desire to be adjective to you in all cases;" and so on. It is hoped the above will be deemed a long enough specimen of this very witty letter.

A thinks many improvements might be made in regard to taxes. He asks, "If it would not be an improvement not to give any share of the seizure to the officers of customs and excise; but for the whole to go to government; and the revenue officers who were active, to be promoted, after a stated time, to a higher office?" Might it not in this case be asked, What person in high office would keep an exact list of the feats of activity of the different officers, so as to reward them in exact proportion to that activity? fees fhould be abolished, and higher salaries given."

He thinks" the
This has been in

part done; but who can judge of the value of an unauthorised fee so well as the person who is to pay it? and what law can prevent such fees from being given and received? He proposes that a tax should be laid upon dogs. He does not think the tax upon windows unreasonable, since its amount is in general in proportion to the wealth of the occupier. This will be disputed. He refers the author of "Conjectures on Taxation on the Subject of Stamps," to Blackstone, who observes, "That though in some instances it may be heavily felt; yet it is, in other cases, of use; particularly in preventing and detecting forgeries." On the subject of taxation many objects require to be very carefully examined, before any rational decision can be made.

Rob the Ranter sends a letter consisting of phrases borrowed from the names of popular ballads, strung together so as to have some appearance of what some would account wit. It is of great length. Our readers will probably be satisfied with the following specimen of this performance:

"DEAR SANDY,
Having determined to pay
Knows," in company with the Rakes of Malo," and "the Lads of
Dunse;" and in our way paid a visit to our old friend," Muirland

Bonny Dundee, Tuesday in the Morning.
a visit to "the Broom of the Cowden

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66

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Willie," who insisted on our staying a week. John o' Badenyon," himself, could not have entertained us better:-not a day but we had. the "Roast Beef of Old England," ""Mutton Pies," 66 Brose and Butter," "Pease upon a Trencher," a Basket of Oysters," and Bannocks o' Barley Meal;" after which his constant charge to us was to Fill every glass!" "Push about the Jorum!" "Let the toast pass!” but by no means to drink "Hooly and fairly!"- -The rest of the letter is of a piece with this specimen, which we dare not venture to transcribe farther.

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Regulus sends the following verses to the memory of Mr Thomson, which are given without any comment.

"The flowing Yarrow, full with briny tears,
In ev'ry season mourns thy bygone years;
As long as spring enlivens earth and men,
As long as summer chears the sportive swain, `
While autumn loaded all her bounty brings,
While howling winter from his fireside rings,
So long shall Ednam hill admired be,

Because, great Thomson! it can boast of thee."

Rusticus complains of the tendency which prevails; among too marry landlords of raising their rents with injudicious severity, and deplores the evil consequences that result from it. "If men, (says he,) are to avail themselves of the talent for enterprise, they must be placed in circumstances of convenience and plenty. Poverty breaks the strength of the mind, and by a number of urgent claims, prevents the execution of any great and generous enterprise. What avails the conception of the most elevated design, if it must quickly pass away, and leave its place to be occupied by a crowd of distressing cares? When a man's industry is plentifully rewarded,-when he enjoys in quiet the fruits of his labour, energy is then given to his mind, he has leisure for observation and reflection, and emulation fharpens his talent for invention and judicious conduct. This is a state of mind necefsary for carrying on the progress of cultivation; but it is a state of mind, which, if the system of rent-raising continue to prevail with the same rigour which has been employed for some time past, will fall to the share of few among the clafs of farmers,"

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"It would be a wise measure, were the proprietors of land to give pre... › miums to the farmers distinguished for their industry and taste; hence the progress of improvement and opulence would be quickened; and, in the possession of a full stock of wealth, the tenant would be able to yield a certain and liberal yearly profit to the proprietor of the land.” There is certainly much truth in what Rusticus here afserts; for no

April 3 thing can be more injudicious, than for a proprietor of land to grasp at an immoderate rise of rents. He will certainly banish the only tenants he ought to covet, men of wealth and independence of mind; and get his estate occupied by needy men, who are glad to accept of any conditions rather than be thrown quite destitute. As to premiums, it is an unfortunately circumstanced estate, which stands in need of these. The only premium a spirited farmer will ever require, is liberty to exercise his talents, and security to enjoy the wealth his industry fhall 'enable him to attain.

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The COUNTRY POST, by John Gray junior, contains some humour, which if a little more chastened, might have proved not a little entertaining. The plan seems to be excellent; and the execution, in point of stile, is much abové mediocrity. The news here are FROM THE great pond at the end of the garden;-from the barn door,-from the byre, from the farmer's hall,-from the kitchen,—from the church,— which last we shall give entire as a specimen.

“Though it cannot be expected that any thing new or interesting can be dated from this place, yet we think it but doing justice to the reverend pastor, to communicate the excellent and pious scheme which he has lately put in practice, with a view to advance the interests of religion in this contracted corner of the vineyard. After having for several years rung the changes upon heaven, hell, death, life, joy, torment, &c. &c.; and observing to his great grief, that they did not produce the desired effect; that his little flock was not only grow ing thinner every week, but that even those who attended for the sake of news, &c. often preferred the sweetness of sleep to the most sublime and pathetic touches of his discourse, he resolved to entertain them with something out of the ordinary stile; something which fhould at least have novelty to recommend it.

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Accordingly, in pursuance of this admirable plan, he has, with great judgement, selected such pafsages of scripture, as mention any thing of conception, delivery, birth, generation, circumcision, marriage, &c. &c.; and from these he very artfully introduces the most masterly lectures on anatomy. Not on dry bones either. From his method of handling the subject, they might with greater propriety be termed lectures on midwifery.

"The consequences of this are such as might have been expected.` The neighbouring churches are almost quite deserted, while ours is crowded beyond belief. They flock hither from every quarter; each rustic seems to swallow the discourse of this our truly original preach

er; and (wonderful to be told!) the females no longer employ themselves in ogling the country beaux; with sober attention they sit their eyes, like their hearts, fixed on the venerable figure of their spiritual instructor. Such is the admirable plan adopted by our parson, ever anxious for the welfare of his flock. Let the beneficial consequences which are likely to attend it, stand up as irresistible proofs of the goodness of that heart, and the soundness of that head, which first devised the pious scheme. May all those parsons who are not troubled with too crowded an audience, take the hint, and follow the example of our reverend brother, Let them leave the dry tract of morality, and the mortifying paths of the gospel, and give lectures upon the more useful, the more interesting subject, midwifery,”

From this specimen, our readers will not dispute the abilities of this correspondent; though we must regret he has prevented us from be ing able to avail ourselves of these talents; for this is the least excep tionable passage of his paper. How many an author has been driven, from a kind of necefsity, to adopt plans of a similar nature to that which is here so ludicrously exposed, and have thus become panders of iniquity.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

In reply to the letter from Investigator, which is written rather in a harfher strain than seemed to be necessary, the Editor begs leave to observe, that he has been the more slow in executing that part of his original plan which respected the decisions of the courts of law, because he has not found that his correspondents in general seemed to be very anxious about it. The letter here referred to is, he thinks, only the third he has received since the commencement of his work, which has mentioned that subject; and the two former were only gentle hints. To comply with the wishes of Investigator, notices of a few decisions that appear to be interesting to the public, or in some respects remarkable, shall be given; and as they shall appear to give ́ satisfaction to our readers, or be little relished, they shall be either continued or discontinued. The following case, as it appeared to be' of a very extraordinary tendency, was drawn up for publication some time ago, but allowed to lie bye, for the reasons afsigned above.

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