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237 Broughton near Edinburgh, where he occupies a small piece of ground, that he feued from the late Mr Hunter merchant in Edinburgh; but I do not believe that either of these gardners lived with Mr Thomson; as I have reason to think they always prosecu ted their own businefs with afsiduity, and attention, on their own funds, so that if any such persons lived with Mr Thomson, it must have been somebody else, who, I fhould suppose, were not related at all to him.

Perhaps it may not be deemed superfluous to remark, that the above mentioned Mary, the last surviving sister of the poet, was buried at Edinburgh, September 22. 1790, her brother's birth-day; on that very day Thomson's birth was commemorated at Ednum, the place of his nativity, by the earl of Buchan, and a select party. The preses sat in the arm chair in which he used to sit when he wrote his Winter.. It is now in the pofsefsion of Mr Elliot of

On that day likewise, Thomson's anniversary was celebrated by a very numerous meeting of the Cape club, at Edinburgh, where Mr Woods the comedian recited a spirited ode, composed by himself for the occasion. But Mr Thomson's anniversary has been celebrated in Scotland by so many others since, that it would be impertinent to take farther notice of them. I am;

SIR,

A FRIEND TO THOMSON AND TO JUSTICE.

To this the editor begs leave to subjoin the following information respecting Mr Thomson, which he has been favoured with from another hand.

On Christmas day was opened at Richmond church, in Surrey, in the Christening Pew, a table monument in brafs, over the grave of James Thomson the poet, whereupon is engraved the following inscrip

tion.

IN THE EARTH BELOW THIS TABLET

are the Remains of

JAMES THOMSON,

AUTHOR OF THE BEAUTIFUL POEMS ENTITLED

THE SEASONS, CASTLE OF INDOLENCE, &'c.

Who died at Richmond the 27th of August,
And was buried here on the 29th 0. S. 1748.

The earl of Buchan, unwilling that so good a man and sweet a poet should be without a memorial, has denoted the place of his interment, for the satisfaction of his admirers, in the year of our Lord 1791.

Father of light and life! thou good supreme!

O teach me what is good! teach me thy self!

Save me from folly, vanity and vice,

From every low pursuit! and feed my soul
With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure,
Sacred, substantial, never-fading blifs!

N. B. Upon this occasion the vicar, the reverend Mr Wakefield, the vestry, and Mr Park at Richmond, conducted themselves most liberally and respectfully to the memory of the amiable Thomson.

THE WILL.

Col Johnes

HASSAN BEN-AIOUB, rich citizen of Balsora, a widower, and without children, saw himself attacked by an incurable disorder, and his end approaching. One day, as some of his friends were with him, he owned he had sent for the cadi, to make his will. Agib, one of them, made him many tender reproaches for so premature a resolution; but, however, added he, I see, my dear Hafsan, the motive which makes yow act thus -you think you cannot too soon consider what may become of those great riches, after your decease, which heaven has given you; you are afraid lest they fhould fall into hands undeserving of them, and the criminal use they may make of them fhould be imputed to you. Wise Hafsan! I have nothing to add in such a case. I will myself go for the officer you wish, and will bring him here immediately. Agib went out wiping his eyes that did not cry, and in lefs than half an hour, came back with the cadi. The sick man, drawing a sealed packet from under his bolster, said to the magistrate, Light of the law! these are the last requests of a dying man, I deposit them in your pure hands, which the gold of corruption has never dared to sully. As soon as the angel of death fhall have disengaged my soul from its prison, have the goodness to open this testament in the presence of my relations and friends, but above all, in the presence of my good friend Agib.

Hafsan died a few days afterwards; scarce were his lips closed, when Agib hastened to conduct to the cadi, all those whom the defunct had desired might attend. The mussulman judge, after he had fhewn the seal whole and intire, broke it himself, and gave the testament open to his secretary to read, who with a loud voice read as follows:

"In the name of a just and merciful God, before I quit the caravansera of this world, where I have passed a bad and fhort night, I Hafsan, son of Aioub, son of Abdalla, leave here this writing, by which I dispose of those pretended goods, which I fhall not carry with me. I threatened my nephews Daoud and Achmet, that I would make them repent of their conduct, which has sometimes displeased me; and I will keep my word with them, quite otherwise than they expect. They are young and a little giddy, but were they more so, they are the sons of a brother who loved me, and the grandchildren of my father. I bequeath them, then, all the fortune which my father left me, and that which through providence I have added by my care and œconomy: If they abuse my benefaction, the sin be on their own heads. I leave them, I say, all I possess, on condition, however, that they faithfully pay the under specified legacies. I bequeath nothing in favour of poor dervises; nothing even in favour of hospitals; my hands, thank heaven, were always open to pay indigence, the tribute they owed; but in dying I keep them fhut; it is for my heirs to open theirs. What merit fhould I have, to give to God, what he is going to take from me? With what eye does he see these

posthumous charities, which flatter the pride of the testator, and cost his avarice nothing?

I will, to count from the day of my decease, that all my slaves, without exception, enjoy absolutely and for ever their liberty. They deserve it so much the more because they do not desire it, but since they are afraid of losing me. I bequeath to those among them, whom age or infirmities render unable to work, an annuity in proportion to their wants; but none under fifty pieces of gold. With regard to the others, I love them too well to expose their virtues to the dangers of idlenefs. They will live as honest citizens by the trades I have had them taught, and I content myself with a legacy to each of them, of a hundred and fifty pieces of gold, once paid, which they will employ in forming their little establishments.

I bequeath to the emir Mansour my Arabian horse, with his authenticated pedigree, and his furniture ornamented with pearls of Bahrem.

I leave to the Molla Saheb my gold writing stand; and to the Iman his brother, an ancient Alcoran, written with gold letters on thick vellum ; the same, as it is said, which the caliph Omar read on the Fridays to the faithful afsembled in the great mosque.

This book excepted, I leave to the philosopher Amrou all the library which he had the trouble to collect for me himself. I know he loves books, and that it will be more easy for him to make good ones, than buy them. I leave him mine; but on this exprefs condition, that first of all he accepts a purse of a thousand pieces of gold, which for twenty years I VOL. vii.

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