the fhade of his own fig tree, and eating the fruit of his own vine; the wolf and the lamb playing together, and the innocent child putting his hand in safety into the cockatrice den; for it is in that happy country alone, that phenomena of this sort are ever experienced. The ancient Scandinavians too seem to have been well acquainted with it, which they have clearly described under the name of FLATH-INNIS. Plato also paid this delightful country a visit, under the name of the FORTUNATE ISLANDS. The garden of the Hesperides too is but a faint description of the same; from which Homer borrowed some of the traits in his description of the gardens of Alcinuous. These notices will I hope convince both you and your readers, that what I am about to describe of this happy country, and the mode of getting accefs to it, is no fiction of my own; but a true and genuine account of a place which has existed in a state of perpetual felicity, for upwards of two thousand years, during which time it has been occasionally visited by many of the prophets, philosophers, and poets, in ancient and in modern times.

I was first made acquainted with the proper mode of travelling to this country, and of obtaining accefs to it by means of a Highland Seer, a native of the island of lona, on whom I had conferred some favours that he valued highly; in return for which he communicated the secret in confidence, and made me a present on his death bed of a cap of much more value than either the red cap of liberty, or the white cap of royalty. It is a tartan cap of curious

texture, made, as the Seer afsured me, by the hands of the Weird Sisters themselves, the manufacture of which ladies Gray has celebrated with infinite energy.

This cap, the work of such superior artists, is pofsefsed of the enviable power of rendering the weaHe conferred upon me at

rer of it invisible.

chair, of such curious

the same time an elbow structure that whoever sits in it, after performing certain magical rites, in which he was very expert, and took great pains to instruct me, can be transported into the kingdom of UTOPIA when he pleases. Pofsefsed of these treasures you can easily conceive that I have the command of a vast fund of enjoyment, in which I so frequently indulge as tends to keep me in an habitual state of good humour that I never could have otherwise attained.

Having been, however, not a little chagrined by some crofs accidents I met with on the 20th day of the third month of the present year, vulgarly called March, I retired to my chamber at six o'clock in the evening, and feeling myself vexed, I resolved immediately to have recoure to the usual panacea. Materials having been provided for performing the sacred rites, and the cap put upon my head, the smoking liquor, after having been warmed before

"

the fire, was first poured from the bottle into the flowing goblet, whose brownish froth rose full an inch above the brim; and while it stood to subside a little, such volumes of ethereal vapours ascended from the calumet or incense tube, as quickly filled the room; then by alternately quaffing large draughts of the nectareous liquor, and making fresh offerings of incense, by degrees the perturbed spirits were soothed, and all the senses lulled to repose.

When I awoke from my trance, I found myself in the council chamber of the emperor of Germany, who was sitting at the council board himself, with about a dozen of his most confidential counsellors around him. I soon learnt from the purport of the speech of an elderly little gentleman who was at that time delivering his opinion, that the affairs of the Netherlands occupied their most serious deliberation. This gentleman spoke with great warmth and acrimony. His countenance was lively, his eye fharp and penetrating, but his brow was clouded with a dark gloom; and an air of keen severity pervaded all his features.-"Nothing, (said he,) but the strictest discipline, and the most exemplary acts of justice, will ever bring back these people to their duty; and it is only losing time to no purpose to think of lenient measures. If your imperial majesty hopes ever to derive any benefit from these provinces, that turbulent spirit which has so long pervaded all ranks of people there, must be entirely subdued. You have seen what bad effects have resulted from the lenient measures pursued by your illustrious'

father and uncle. The power of doing exemplary justice is now in your hand.-Make such a use of that power, as to imprefs every living soul there with a deep sense of the danger of overstepping in the smallest degree the bounds of their allegiance. Thus will they be taught, from dread, to pay that homage, which no beneficent measures will ever be capable to insure."

.

The emperor was attentive to this discourse; but I could see on his countenance, towards the close of it, an emotion something like that of horror which he could not fully conceal. The little man seemed to pofsefs great authority at the board; for all sat silent for some time, and it was long before any one would venture to oppose a doctrine, which I could easily perceive none of them could fully approve. Another elderly gentleman, of a corpuleht habit of body, and more placid countenance, at length ventured to offer some hints of the danger that might pofsibly result from acts of great severity, which in some cases, it was well known, drove men to seek for resources in despair; and therefore he wished that such a conduct could be adopted as might avoid the danger of this great evil, while it fhould at the same time repress that spirit of turbulence, which he owned had too much pervaded all ranks of persons in the Netherlands.

These observations encouraged a young man of a modest and ingenuous appearance to make a motion as if he wished to speak. He half rose from his seat, as if impelled by a keen sensation before he was aware; but suddenly, as if recollecting himself,

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he blushed, and with an air of infinite modesty and diffidence sunk back again into his chair, the half formed word seeming to die away upon his tongue, His appearance attracted the notice of the emperor, who with great sweetnefs encouraged him to proceed; and the complacent looks of all the company seemed to invite him to go on. He slowly rose, and with a modest and diffident air, not venturing to raise his eyes, uttered in some faint and broken accents a feeble apology for his presuming to attempt to speak in presence of men of such superior abilities, and so much greater reach of experience than himself. Nothing, (continued he,) but the deepest conviction of the great importance of the present question to the peace and tranquillity of the state, and the happiness of his imperial majesty, could have induced me to obtrude my opinion on this august afsembly. I do it with the diffidence natural to one. of so little experience as myself; and crave the indulgence of your imperial majesty, and the respectable council, while I attempt, as well as I can, briefly to state some circumstances, which have made so deep an impression on my own mind, as to have emboldened me to get over those natural restraints which a short while ago I considered to be insurmountable.". Here he paused for a short time, and having in some measure recovered himself he thus proceeded:

"I feel in my own bosom such an irresistible repugnance to submit to harfh severity, as convinces me that no permanent security can be obtained from fear, nor any national tranquillity be insured which rests upon the basis of cruel compulsion. It is those