in the afternoon, the company escort the governor to the Common, where he receives the insignia of the officers for the past year, and confers them on those who have been elected to their places. A short speech is made on giving and receiving these commissions. This company is now on a respectable footing, but perhaps more might be made of it. Their anniversary, however, affords one of the prettiest fêtes we have. It is called the Artillery Election, and takes place in the month of June, and on this occasion, eight or ten thousand people are collected, to see the ceremonies in the Common. In this, as in many other cases, the spectators themselves afford the most pleasing spectacle.

The annual visitation of the schools is another ceremony that is worthy of notice. The care of the public schools is given to a few gentlemen, annually elected, who are called the school committee; they, with the selectmen, have the charge o. all that relates to public instruction. There is a yearly visitation of all these schools by the school committee and selectmen, accompanied by the clergy, some of the principal citizens, strangers of distinction, &c. who are invited on this occasion. After the examination is gone through, all the boys who have distinguished themselves in the different schools, with their masters, join the procession, and the whole company partake of a handsome dinner in Faneuil Hall. The appearance of this company is peculiar ;-these children, their countenances glowing with the distinction they

have acquired, are here seated at a public feast, with the most venerable and dignified citizens of the town. They are here introduced, for the first time, into the hall, where their fathers maintained the rights of their country, and which they may hereafter be called upon to support. After the cloth is removed, the children place themselves as they please, and are scattered about the hall for some time in various groupes; while the company are listening to songs, and drinking toasts, enjoying, with a moderate hilarity, a festival, in which all the finest feelings of the parent and the citizen are deeply interested. After a while the masters assemble them, a march is played, they make the tour of the Hall in regular files; the company all rise and stand till they leave the room when a burst of applause breaks out, which vibrate on the ears and hearts of the boys as they depart. This mixture of infancy and age, this public honour paid to education, this stimulating reward to childish merit, the sparkling pleasure of the young, and the mild satisfaction of the aged,-the introduction of these boys into the public forum, where they are hereafter to discharge their duty as citizens, presents, altogether, one of the most pleasing, and certainly the most republican festival, I ever witnessed.

most numerous.

The town is not deficient in the means of amusement. Those of a quiet, intellectual kind, are the Libraries and reading-rooms are of this description. There are one or two of the latter near the Exchange, where all the principal newspapers of the continent are filed, and where all

commercial intelligence is regularly entered. There are book-stores, well supplied with a miscellaneous collection, and places of call for literary loungers. There are several public libraries, which, though not extensive, are the foundations that may support goodly superstructures; each of the professions, law, medicine, and divinity, have one. But the chief establishment is the Athenaeum. This is already a considerable institution, and wants little now, except a suitable building, to develope its utility. It has a library of about 12,000 volumes, many of them elegant and valuable books; these are not allowed to be taken away, but the room is always open for their perusal. An apartment below contains the chief periodical works of the United States and of Great Britain; the principal newspapers of both countries, and most of the pamphlets and new books of our own country. Occasionally there are some German and French journals, but they are not received regularly.-In the same rooms are very complete series of all the American periodical works, and also of some French and English journals, from their first establishment. A good building, and a small increase of funds for the purchase of new publications, and the principal periodical works of the continent of Europe, would make it very perfect. Persons of a literary taste have, from time to time, an opportunity of hearing public lectures. There are also several literary clubs, where the chief pleasure is conversation, though some written dissertation is

the duty of each member in turn: a stranger, with suitable introduction, may easily have access to all these places.

There is a theatre open three times a week, from October to May, in which the performances, taken generally, are equal, if not superior, to the best English provincial theatres. There is a circus for equestrian performances, singing, &c.-We have public balls, and public concerts, at intervals; they were formerly kept up regularly, but as the society grew larger, they were attended with inconveniences. You may recollect an impromptu of a celebrated Scotch wit, Harry Erskine, to the Dutchess of Gordon, who told him, "that she would not go "to the races; she thought they would be dull, and "there would be nothing worth seeing:

"Not go, that is, as if the sun should say,

"It's a cold cloudy morn; I will not rise to-day."

Well, so it was here; those who formed the sunshine of these parties shrunk back, and the clouds would not assemble, unless they were illuminated. We now have these public parties only on particular occasions; but the private ones are the more numerous in consequence.

A stranger who comes properly introduced, (and the error here is on the side of facility, rather than strictness,) may pass his time very pleasantly. He must not look, however, for the licentious pleasures of great capitals; our resources in this way are fortunately inferior, to what may be found in many cities of the same size. But if he has a robust con

stitution, and can bear the good dinners and excellent wines that will be offered him; if he has a taste for easy, social intercourse, great simplicity of manners, to the almost entire exclusion of what is mere étiquette; if he is fond of cards, and can be satisfied with a party at whist without high play; if he has a taste for literary or scientific discussion ; in short, if he is fond of rational and moderate enjoyments, and a pervading domestic tone of life, he may certainly be gratified.

Our population is very little mixed; it is native of the spot, or transferred from various parts of the eastern states, whose origin was similar. It has grown so gradually, that the inhabitants are more known to each other; and aided by the peculiar form of government, their mutual dependence is more intimately felt, than in most towns. This prevents the wealthy from being arrogant, and the poor from being turbulent. There is hardly any such thing as mere populace in the town. It is not a manufacturing town, and is therefore without the kinds of crowds that such towns exhibit. It is, however, a great depot for manufactures, produced in its vicinity, and the sale of these, and an extensive foreign and domestic trade, furnish the chief employment to the inhabitants. It is an orderly, quiet place, which effect is produced more by the character of the people, than by the vigour of the police, of which there is very little. There are two or three festival days in the course of the year, when there are military parades, and a great con