system to cultivate the head and neglect the heart, the minds of our youth, without the smallest regard to their respective tendencies, are all thrown together into the same classical mould; years are devoted to the drudgery of the dead languages, that is to say, to the acquisition of sounds instead of the expansion of ideas—to the making of linguists instead of thinkers; the leaves of the tree of knowledge are more considered than its fruit; models are set before the students, that they may be servilely and uninquiringly copied ;-to resemble their predecessors, and thus render the general literature of the country stationary, is the great object of their ambition; and the result of all this elaborate fettering of the free intellect is the diffusion of a uniform, perhaps a graceful learning, of which, however, the invariable characteristics are monotony, tameness, imitation. Were our minds allowed to shoot out according to their natural propensities; were we encouraged to think more for ourselves, and trust less to the thoughts of others; to prefer sense to sound; to learn our lessons by head rather than by rote; we should doubtless witness much extravagance and error; but there would be infinitely more of character, of originality, of genius. We should have a natural landscape, in short, the more beautiful because wild and unpruned, instead of clipped hedges, uniform parterres, correspondent alleys, and trim gardens, where "half the platform just reflects the other."

Of the benefits to be derived from self-instruction, conducted by a powerful and inquiring mind, Henry, as he grew up, imbibed his full portion, while he did not by any means escape the disadvantages conséquent upon a want of comparison and collision with other and more experienced intellects. Weeds had sprung up with the flowers in the progress of his isolated education. An innate impulse directed him more earnestly towards the useful branches of knowledge, especially where they could be rendered conducive to the melioration of his fellow-creatures. He might be termed a natural utilitarian, whose laudable aspirations for human improvement led him to undervalue such literature as was merely ornamental, and to think meanly of all pursuits that were not contributary to his own philanthropie views, although these were frequently superficial or mistaken, and sometimes incapable of execution. Owing to his utter exclusion from society, he was totally deficient in tact. Such, indeed, was his reverence for the majesty of truth, that

no earthly consideration would prompt him to compromise it; even its suppression seemed to him to make so near an approach to its violation, that he rarely concealed his thoughts; but in the sincerity of his honest heart, gave vent at times to the most startling and heterodox propositions, totally regardless what prejudices or feelings he might wound, what hearers he might astound and horrify. Of a naturally sedate temperament, his own cheerless lot, his sense of the miseries of his fellow-creatures, and his intense conviction that by a little better management among ourselves they might be materially alleviated, had combined to invest his character with a seriousness and a reflective turn, seldom seen in youth. Hence he was rather intolerant of bantering and levity--it conduced to no useful purpose-it seemed out of keeping with the real state of the worldand an idle joke seldom failed to make him look grave. He was a strict grammarian, because he thought it of importance that men should be accurate in the conveyance of their ideas; and so acutely sensitive was he to errors, or even vulgarisms of speech, that he scrupled not to correct them upon the spot, whenever they proceeded from individuals whose rank and education ought to have secured them against such lapses, although he passed them over in the lower classes without notice, deeming their ignorance a misfortune, not a fault. Conversant with books rather than with men, and accustomed to condense his thoughts into a logical form, his own conversation was apt to assume a syllogistic or laconic phraseology, which might well be mistaken for affectation, though it was quite unpremeditated, and he himself was utterly unconscious that his discourse was liable to any such imputation.

To confess the truth, we have a vehement suspicion, that as our history proceeds, the reader will be occasionally prone to apostrophize Henry Melcomb as a prig, a pedant, a pragmatical fellow, and perhaps to bestow upon him still more derogatory epithets, not duly considering how fairly his little oddities and peculiarities, and even his more startling and indefensible opinions, may be attributed to the circumstances of his birth and education. Should our young friend be visited with any such petulant rebukes, we must submit to the infliction, cheering ourselves with the reflection, that we never meant to delineate a faultless monster, but to adhere as scrupulously to the truth as Henry himself

would have done, had he been called upon to portray his own character. Whatever intermediate judgment may be passed upon his little failings, we trust that we shall ultimately insinuate him into the good graces of all parties. His cup of life, even in his childhood, had been filled with moral bitters, which in their tonic effect had surprisingly fortified and corroborated his mind. Ignorant who were his parents, he had of course no known relations; his only friend was snatched from him at an early age; he was of a temperament unusually affectionate, and in the want of more immediate objects for its reception, his love might be said to overflow upon the community at large, although directed in an especial manner towards the poor and the lower orders, who seemed in more urgent need of his good offices. By substituting for the sordid and grasping selfishness which is now so carefully instilled into our minds, a more expansive system of benevolence and mutual assistance, he believed that the state of human society might be very materially improved, and if in developing his undigested notions, he sometimes indulged in visionary or dangerous reveries, he never recommended to others what he would not have cheerfully performed himself; and none could refuse him the praise of being a most amiable and disinterested enthusiast, though it might sometimes be truly asserted that he

was a mistaken one.

Some years after the death of Captain Tenby, his widow, in order to be pear a relation, removed to an infant settlement in one of the American States, accompanied by Henry. Here a new, and, to his inquiring mind, a peculiarly interesting scene was opened to his observation. He attended the public-meetings for the regulation of the colony, took minutes of the proceedings, and in process of time acquired sufficient confidence in his own observations and reflections to suggest, both orally and in writing, several improvements, most of which were adopted, and procured for him the reputation of being a sound thinker, and a singularly promising young man. Although his advancement towards maturity rendered him independent of his mother, for such he respectfully termed her, however little she deserved the name, he continued to reside with her, subject to all the inflictions of her unconcealed dislike, which time seemed rather to aggravate than diminish. Frequently did he expostulate with her upon the unreasonableness of her aversion, in the

hope that he might conquer it by argument, though he had failed to conciliate her esteem by a long course of truly filial deference and attentions. From the expressions which escaped her upon these occasions, he discovered that the secret and insuperable cause of her animosity was the unqual distribution of her husband's property; an act of indignity and injustice to herself, which ever since his death had been rankling in her sordid mind. Beyond the bare means of subsistence, money was to Henry an object of supreme indifference, if not of contempt; and he therefore hesitated not to declare that the disposition of the will was an unfair one, since he had no legal or natural claim whatever upon the Captain's bounty; professing at the same time his fixed determination, so soon as he became of age, to take the widow's portion for his own share, which would be quite sufficient for all his wants, and to make over to her in perpetuity the larger income bequeathed to himself.

"What!" exclaimed one of his American acquaintance. when he stated this intention to him, "impoverish yourself for her, for the unfeeling, unnatural woman who has even hated you, ever maltreated you, ever been your persecutor and oppressor since the Captain's death, and who would previously have alienated him from you by her infamous aspersions!"

I will

in the measure I propose, and which shall certainly carry into effect," replied Henry, calmly, "I do not consider what is due to her, but what is due to myself, and to the memory of Captain Tenby. It is not right that his adopted son should be richer than his widow; nor am I the less grateful for his generous kindness when I refuse to avail myself of it. One of the Roman emperors said he would destroy all his enemies by making them his friends. endeavour to imitate his example, and with whom can I more properly or delightfully begin than with Mrs. Tenby? Money is of no use unless where it can confer happiness-but it confers no happiness upon me, therefore I am no loser in parting with it. Or let us place the syllogism thus-Money is of use where it confers happiness; it can produce this effect upon my father's widow, therefore it is desirable that she should have it."

The American turned round and walked away with a look of ineffable contempt, muttering to himself; "The boy's a pedant, I guess; a born fool, little better than a naitʼral¦'

Mrs. Tenby's feelings had been irritated and perverted by avarice, which was the ruling passion of her mind, but she was a shrewd and acute, and not originally an unprincipled woman. She knew that Henry never made a promise which he did not if possible perform; she had seen enough of his honest, straight-forward, generous character, to believe him capable of carrying the meditated exchange into effect, without even being conscious of the sacrifice he was volunteering; and the prospect of gratifying her darling propensity worked a sudden marvellous change in her conduct. Determined not to afford him the slightest pretext for retracting his pledge, even had he been so disposed, her demeanour now became as smooth, amicable, and insinuating as it had previously been churlish and morose. Henry, gratified even by the appearance of an affection to which he had so long been a stranger, was delighted beyond measure at the alteration, and thought it impossible that he could ever have made a happier disposition of his little fortune, than by thus employing it to convert an enemy into a friend.

The property was in the British funds. Henry, as he approached the expiration of his minority, signified his intention of residing in England, and Mrs. Tenby resolved to accompany him, assigning as a reason, her anxiety to visit a brother of her first husband, who was settled at Southampton, although the real motive was the fear of being separated from her nominal son, until the contemplated pecuniary arrangement in her favour should be legally completed. This had been effected some little time previous to the commencement of our history, and it is gratifying to record that the mother's mind, (for such we shall continue to call her,) thus set at ease upon the great object which was always nearest to her heart, was not again visited by any of those unamiable feelings which she had previously cherished. Of Henry's understanding, indeed, she formed an immeasurably lower estimate than before, for she had always thought him an intelligent young man ; but such was now her opinion of the goodness and generosity of his heart, that she became as inuch attached to him as the coldness of her own nature would allow. Perhaps it was rather compassion than regard that thus drew her towards him, for be lieving that he must be almost simplewitted and imbecile thus to bestow the greater part of his fortune upon one who Irad certainly not acquired any particular claim to his libe