not approved of by some, who, in the odour of diabolical antiquarianism, adore the rust of chains that are ancient, and are careless of those things that are of universal utility, and general, concern, and competent to all men.

5. But a light has begun now to shine out of darkness, which, though it makes the eyes of the darkling to blink, and seems like a bright. and airy meteor that is destined to perish,, will, in the end, be chosen rather than darkness, if our deeds are not evil, and will shine more and more towards the perfect day of political perfection.

It is for this reason that I prefer the communication of scientific, moral, and political knowledge, in a pamphlet or a magazine, to fifty volumes in folio of the fathers, or of the commentary of Aristotle; and that I have -thought my time well bestowed in conveying to the people at large, through the channel of this miscellany, the imperfect essay of its well-wisher and reader.

dud gr A. B.

SOME time ago I had a letter from an acquaintance of mine, who has been long resident at a distance from the metropolis, in the quiet retirement of the country, and mixing but little in the busy bustling haunts of pleasure or ambition in the capital.

This letter is so full of the effects of that taste and discernment which I have endeavoured to explain and promote, that I cannot refuse myself the gratification of at least at tempting to find a place for it in your elegant miscellany. I am, Sir, your humble Servant, B. A.

MY DEAR SIR,

London, Sept. 1. 1792.

You will be surprised to receive a letter from me dated at this place, which is now a desart, from the general emigration of the beau monde to Bath, Buxton, Tunbridge, Cheltenham, Harrowgate, Scarborough, Weymouth,

Brightelmstone, Margate, and every supposible place of amusement in the kingdom, except to the truly useful and interesting places of their rural abode.

For my own part, I have been here but for a few days, to sell some stock in the three per cents, to invest in the country, and shall soon turn my back upon sin and sea coal, and taste again, as soon as possible, the chaste and delightful emotions that accompany the mihi me reddentis. It is really astonishing to observe the fatuity of people of landed estate, who, as if they were universally planet-struck, under the sign of the waterman, seem to have no other idea of summer amusement, but in water-bibbing at these scenes of nastiness and dissipation. I can easily divine, indeed, the cause of some men flying with their families. from London, like hunted stags, that they may escape their followers, by plunging into the deep, like dolphins in the wake of sinking mariners: but by what witchcraft families of reputation, and independent fortune, are induced to forsake the delightful and profitable scenes of their rural residence, I should have been altogether unable even to guess, had I not myself experienced, in the beginning of my life, the cause of this miserable perversion of sense and sentiment, in the want of a system of rational pursuit. Having been origin. ally educated on the automaton plan of fashionable life, I was forced (though an excellent repeater, and even provided with an ex

tensive barrel of the most excellent chimes,) to go every now and then to a watering place, to get myself wound up, and made to go till my paces were run down again; a dependance which at length grew intolerable to me, and put me at last upon trying fairly to wind up myself, which, by God's blessing, and the strength of my understanding, I was at last enabled to accomplish.

Now, in the midst of so many notable discoveries, relating to machinery, that are daily published for the gratification of the public, and the benefit of trade and manufactures, it may be no ungrateful communication for me to make to you, as my friend, that I have ascertained the primum mobile of a man of fashion to be fire, and not water.

These falls of water, at the various places of public resort, which I have mentioned, make men and women go, but they cannot wind them up, which I found to my fatal experience; but after a certain desiccation of the human frame, after having been drenched in mineral waters, with the constant dissipation which goes on after the humefaction, a coldness ensues, which probably arises from the effects of evaporation. But action and reaction, being equal and contrary, as has been observed by the great Sir Isaac Newton, a hot fit succeeds, and if no water, or redundancy of any liquid whatsoever, takes place, then, and in that case, an elastic flame is kindled, and the regular paces are resumed, and return

into their due situations; which was the thing to be demonstrated...

Among your multifarious communications directed towards the improvement of your country, I should be sorry to deny you the advantage of this accidental, but important discovery, of your old and faithful friend; and I give you my free permission to make it generally known to the people, in whatever method you shall think most persuasive and effectual.

I have now the heartfelt satisfaction of seeing my wife and children going regularly and profitably by fire, and not by water; and though the original discoverer of this astonishing ressort interieur, for moving the human mind, I am so far from thinking of applying for a patent to secure the profit of the invention to myself and family, that I shall put this letter into the post-office, without a pang of regret at having let the secret out of my possession. I cannot help, however, expecting that the parliament of England, who have given my old acquaintance and eleve, William Forsyth, three thousand pounds, for a mixture of cow-dung and old rubbish, to restore fruit-trees to their bearing, may be induced, on a proper application, to give me a reward for a mixture of common sense and dear bought experience, to restore country places, and country gentlemen, to their proper bearing, without any ablaqulation, incision, or disturbance whatsoever.