representations, to depreciate the talents and characters of our teachers. He expatiated upon his own attainments and energies; and dwelt upon the ignorance and inability of others. And he descanted on the origin and progress of grammar, and on the perfection of language at the beginning of the world, in a manner that admirably illustrated the words of Seneca, "plus sonat, quam valet."

He then proceeded to develope his plan of tuition, and to give the persons present a lesson on his system. This I considered exceedingly fair, as it would enable the company to judge whether or not he could, as he had professed, teach a thousand words in an hour. But mark the result! At the expiration of the lesson, which lasted above half an hour, instead of having taught five hundred words, he had only read, and caused to be repeated, the diminutive number of forty. of-forty. There was something so barefaced in this proceeding, and the greater part of the meeting seemed so insensible of it, that I rose at the conclusion of the lecture for the purpose of endeavouring to remove so confirmed a mental opthalmia. Mr. H. endeavoured to oppose my being heard, but the resolution of a great majority of the company, overcame his opposition. My address was brief, as my sole intention in rising was to excite a spirit of enquiry in the good-natured people present. I

thought it charitable to do so; for it was rather distressing to behold five or six hundred persons applauding a man whose talents were evidently of a very ordinary kind, and who had decidedly failed in the purpose for which he had called them together. I wished merely to convince them that in what they had heard that evening, there was something for reflection, and that notwithstanding the applause they had bestowed upon Mr. Hamilton, it was possible on re-consideration they would perceive the fallacy and absurdity of his representations.

On the 29th of March, he gave a Lecture at the Green Man, on Blackheath, which I likewise attended for the purpose of exposing his insufferable arrogance, and of cautioning the Meeting against the pretensions of a man whose effrontery was a veil to the impuissance of his intellect.

I was however pleasingly surprised to find there was little necessity for carrying my intentions into effect, as Mr. Corney, a gentleman of very considerable information, presented himself to the notice of the Meeting at an early part of the evening, and exposed the deceptive nature of a certain part of Mr. Hamilton's proceedings. A very warm discussion ensued, in which several gentlemen joined, and for which they were honored by Mr. Hamilton with the appellation of fools, and other equally gentlemanly terms, the very essence of the learned linguist's technical vocabulary.

A silence at length ensued, as deep as that which followed the memorable combat between the valiant Jan Risingh and the renowned Peter Stuyvesant,-Mr. Hamilton became less feverish and proceeded with his lecture. At its conclusion, Mr. Corney made a very forcible and eloquent appeal to the Meeting on the subject of Mr. Hamilton's pretensions. He charged him "I. With holding forth deceptive promises as to the acquisition of languages. II. With gross injustice towards those engaged in the instruction of youth. And, III. With having but a superficial knowledge of the principles of composition."

I fully intended to second this appeal, but was prevented from doing so by a claim upon my attentions from a party whom it was far more agreeable to me to wait upon, than to remain and expose the absurdities of a person, who I had the satisfaction of knowing, was already in the care of a gentleman quite capable of giving him every requisite attention.

It may be supposed from what I have just stated, that I am naturally a very peaceable individual; that I am as easily forced by circumstances out of a tumult as I am forced by them into it. Quite the contrary; I am in most cases absolutely inflexible: hard words or hard blows have no terrors for me: but who, I ask, could have resisted the circumstances which drew me from the Green Man on the evening in question?

I defy Barlow himself, to devise means for counteracting such a powerful local attraction.

After the occurrences of this memorable evening, the world sailed on in its orbit pretty quietly until the evening of the 12th instant, when Mr. Hamilton again gave a Lecture at the City of London Tavern, and at which I was again present. He commenced with the grossest invectives against me; he termed me "a person of no education, an ignorant fellow, and no gentleman;" and he stated, that having heard it was my intention to address the persons assembled to hear him that evening, he had provided against such an accident by securing the attendance of the police. This was certainly rather a novel proceeding in a London Lecture.

It is, I am sure, quite unnecessary to make any remarks on Mr. Hamilton's silly vituperation; it is vain to talk of vindicating myself against the aspersions of a man who does not himself possess the attributes in which he says I am deficient; who has not, I believe, the slightest knowledge of who, or what I am; and who, I am confident, would equally calumniate any man in existence who might venture to oppose him. To acquit myself of the charge of ignorance is an attempt which I cannot be expected to make; and to endeavour to remove the imputation of being devoid of the feelings of a gentleman is needless, as I have very cogent reasons for believing Mr.

Hamilton has no notion of the meaning of the word.

At the conclusion of Mr. Hamilton's Lecture I rose to address the Meeting; and the support which I received from nearly the whole of the persons present; was such as must, and would have, obtained for me a hearing, had it not been for the interposition of the police. And I am confident, from the strong desire expressed by hundreds around me that I should still proceed to address them, that if I had chosen to remain in the room, the official power brought against me would have availed nothing. But perceiving that a determination to remain, would probably create a riot, and endanger the property of the house, I consented, ultimately to leave the Meeting. The public, however, will know how to appreciate the integrity, and estimate the intentions of a man, who is obliged to trust to the arm of power for the support of his statements.

I understand, that as soon as I had quitted the room, Mr. H. rose to re-address the company, and that he ventured to renew his invectives against me. The burst of disapprobation which I am told followed, must have convinced him, that in England an individual's character is a part of the property of the nation, and that every true Englishman feels it a duty to arrest the progress of the spoiler. A few more such evenings,

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