expatiating on chemistry, and critising books, with all the pertinacity of students, and the confidence of authors! "What has been gained in knowledge, it is to be feared, has been lost in character; and that (with some eminent exceptions) female brilliancy has subtracted somewhat from female excellency." Oakwood Hall; a Novel, in Three Vols. 12mo. London. BLEE. truly edifying to the public, by leaving room for literary intelligence, temperate discussion, and useful suggestions. Your Magazine has long borne the stamp of eminence in those criteria of solid merit and intellectual superiority. I am therefore convinced you will insert a few remarks upon a subject of the highest importance. Admitting that the recent shocks to public credit have been chiefly occasioned by too extensive manufacturing speculations, it is also generally felt that an extreme de THIS work, under the title of Oakwood House, was given, in different portions, in our former Series of LA BELLE ASSEM-pression in the price of grain has sadly It is now presented to the public and farmers have suffered immense loss by aggravated the evil. Landed proprietors with a very slight change in the original the failure of corn factors, consequently the title, some additions, and we are sorry to home consumption of fabrics from our perceive a few curtailments-in either case looms has been greatly reduced; and the we cannot say that we find it much improved. The description of the lakes of inability of so large a proportion of our communities to promote these demands has Cumberland and Westmoreland, &c. is added fatally to the stagnation in trade, good; but we are of that number of readers, who do not greatly admire the de- resulting from the wholesale dealers finding no encouragement to purchase for foreign scriptive in novels, where it takes from the markets. Au equilibrium in the price of main story: this was the great fault of aliments seems to be the grand desideratum Mrs. Ratcliffe, in her otherwise inimitable for establishing the credit and prosperity of a people upon a firm basis; and this invaluable attainment may reward experiments to ascertain the cheapest and most efficacious method to preserve wheat, barley, and oats, that the superabundance of luxuriant crops shall supply a deficiency in less fertile returns for agricultural labour. If a certain ratio of the vast quantities of corn now hastening to putrefaction had been preserved and secured immediately after taking it from the field, the farmer could have a reasonable remuneration for his toil by the sale of the rest, and his wholesome stores might relieve the public and prevent extravagant prices for bread at no remote period. No chemical experiment can hold out a promise of more gratifying success to the benevolent or the worldly wise. romances. We find also in Oakwood Hall too many pages devoted to provincial dialect-interesting only to those who have sojourned in those provinces, and difficult to be understood by the general reader. Yet with these slight defects, these three volumes will ever be read with interest, and are well worthy a place in every modern library, among the best works of fiction. As many of our pages are filled with the most interesting passages of the work before us, it is needless to insert any ex tracts. WORKS IN THE PRESS. SHORTLY will be published, in one volume, foolscap octavo, Rosamond, Memory's Musings, and other poems; by Wm. Proctor. The Emigrant's Directory to the Western States of North America; including a Voyage out from Liverpool. TO THE EDITOR OF LA BELLE SIR-In times of profound peace, when the mighty interests of nations excite less anxiety, periodical works become more B. G.* * We beg leave to rectify an oversight in the insertion of an article from this same valued author, published in No. 123, of this work, page 207, entitled A Substitute for Beauty—instead of merely the quotation at the commencement being given to Marmontel, the manner in which it was printed (by too closely, however, adhering to the manner it was written by B. G.) made it appear as if the whole tale, purely original, had been imitated from the French writer. 11. Never tell the affairs of the family you belong to, for that is a sort of treachery, and often makes mischief; but keep their secrets, and have none of your own. 12. Above all things avoid drunkenness; RULES FOR SERVANTS. AMONGST the various plans for radical reform in that class of society who are born to eat the bread of industry, there perhaps never was any institution more calculated for ameliorating the situation, or improving || for that is an inlet to vice, the ruin of your the moral system, than that valuable insti- character, and the destruction of your contution the CENTRAL MART. How many stitution. females have been thereby rescued from want, and its too often concomitant-infamy: and how many of the opposite sex have, in the hour of distress, been provided with good places, and proved themselves faithful servants, shewing that such are certainly not amongst the least valuable members of the community? The following instructions, written by an eminent literary character the latter end of last century, are not unworthy the consideration of servants of the present period: 1. A good character is valuable to every one, but especially to servants, for it is their bread, and without it they cannot be admitted into any creditable family; and happy it is that the best of characters is in every one's power to deserve. 2. Engage yourself cautiously, but stay long in your place, for long service shews worth, as quitting a good place through passion, is a folly which is always lamented of too late. 3. Never undertake any place you are not qualified for; for pretending to what you do not understand exposes yourself, and, what is still worse, deceives them whom you serve. 4. Preserve your fidelity, for a faithful servant is a jewel for whom no encouragement can be too great. 5. Adhere to truth, for falsehood is detestable, and he that tells one lie must tell twenty more to conceal it. 6. Be strictly honest, for it is shameful to be thought unworthy of trust. 7. Be modest in your behaviour, it be comes your station, and is pleasing to your superiors. 8. Avoid pert answers, for civil language is cheap, and impertinence provoking. 9. Be clean in your business, for those who are slovens and sluts are disrespectful servants. 10. Live friendly with your fellow servants, for the contrary destroys the peace of the house. 13. Prefer a peaceable life with moderate gains, to great advantages with irregularity. 14. Save your money, for that will be a friend to you in your old age. Be not expensive in dress. 15. Be careful of your master's property, for wastefulness is a sin. 16. Never swear, for that is a crime without excuse, as there is no pleasure in it. 17. Be always ready to assist a fellowservant, for good-nature gains the love of every one. 18. Never stay when sent on a message, for waiting long is painful to your master, and a quick return shews diligence. 19. Rise early, for it is difficult to recover lost time. 20. The servant that often changes his place works only to be poor, for "the rolling stone gathers no moss." 21. Be not fond of increasing your acquaintances, for visiting leads you out of your business, robs your master of your time, and often puts you to an expence you cannot afford. And, above all things, take care with whom you are acquainted, for persons are generally the better or the worse for the company they keep. 22. When out of place, be cautious where you lodge, for living in a disreputable house puts you upon a footing with those that keep it, however you are yourself. 23. Never go out on your own business without the knowledge of the family, lest in your absence you should be wanted, for "leave is light," and returning punctually at the time you promise, shews obedience, and is a proof of sobriety. 24. If you are dissatisfied with your place mention your objections modestly to your master or mistress, and give a fair warning, and do not neglect your business nor behave ill, in order to provoke them to turn you away, for this will be a blemish in your character, which you must always have from the last place you served in. Whoever pays a due regard to the above precepts, will be happy in themselves, will never want friends, and will always meet with the assistance, protection, and encouragement of the wealthy, the worthy, and the wise. ROYAL CHINESE POESY. with golden odorous efflorescence and tall as the orange tree;, the pe-he-tong, or red of a hundred days, typical of that wise moderation which prolongs the sincerest delectation even to old age; contemplating the six crimson petals, with their pale yellow interior, supported by a slender whitish stalk, forget not the lesson of temperance nature unfolds in each lovely stage of the production. All these, and many more, are glorious productious of the great empire of China; but their united properties do not equal the transcendant teha! the cordial of cordials, the supreme source of commerce, which replenisheth the public treasury, and enricheth the sons of industry." to describe the state of repose produced by this exhilarating soothing beverage; every harsh, inordinate, and harassing passion is calmed to gentle voluptuous tranquillity or oblivious slumbers. When awoke by transporting dreams, repair to the tepid bath in a grove of oo-tchong-tchu, with large bushy leaves, loaded with flowers that exTHE late Emperor of China, Kien-Long, clude the scorching heats of noon. There was esteemed the first of modern poets: also let the yu-lan rear its stately stem aud one of his most celebrated lyrics is in praise long branches, covered with a profusion of of teha, or tea. Thus runs the imperial lilies that, like the resplendent joys of eulogy:pleasure, subsist but a brief span; the "About the smiling dawn, or serene de-moo-lan, a gift for imperial approbation, cline of day, seek thy pavilion near a lake, embosomed by trees, and where the lienwha, floating upon its silvery bosom, expands its petals like tulips half blown, inviting the meditative soul to value this emblem of creative influence, this prime ingredient in the liquor of immortality. Delight thine eyes admiring the blossoms red, white or rose-colour, or the richest royal yellow, surrounded by green leaves, broad, thick, and fibrous, which at sunset fold themselves up like an umbrella. In the shallows behold the water-chesnut bears its cooling medicinal fruit, and the drier soil nourishes the hibiscus, the lilac, the memosa, with varieties of balsams, asters, and the malva, the amaranthus, and the Ceylon rose. Every barren spot is beautified by the flos aeris, which without earth or water vegetates and flourishes, vying with the regions of fertility that yield the celesia, the jessamine, rosa-sinica, tube-rose, and magnolia. Having wandered an hour amidst those sweets retire to thy pavilion. Let thy obsequious attendant set upon a chafing dish a tripod whose colour and texture declare its long use: let him fill this vessel with clear snow-water: let him boil it so long as would turn to a pure white the finny inhabitant of a lake, river, or ocean; or turn to red the luscious crayfish. Throw this lucid element upon a handful of choice teha, in a cup of the finest Yooe porcelain let it remain so long as the vapour rises in a cloud and only a thin mist floats on the surface. At your ease sip this precious decoction, which hath efficacy to dispel the five causes of sorrow as the foliage of autumn is scattered by a northern gale. We can taste and feel, but never shall we find poignancy of language ROYAL DRESS BALL. B. G. On Thursday night, July 15th, CarltonHouse exhibibited the microcosm of rank, beauty, and fashion. Within its walls was presented every thing that imagination could contemplate with pleasure and delight. The splendour of the spectacle was unequalled in the tout ensemble, and from the variety and richness of the costume of the company, there was a display of elegance and taste surpassing any preceding royal fête. Dancing commenced at eleven o'clock; and after the company rose from supper, the spirited muse of Terpsichore recommenced, and continued until half-past four o'clock the following morning. Throughout the whole of the evening the Prince Regent appeared in high spirits; and the condescension of his Royal Highness towards every individual of the distinguished party diffused one undivided sentiment of gratification. The Prince Regent did not leave the brilliant assemblage till after four o'clock. The number of distinguished individuals present exceeded 11000. In a preceding page we have given a description of several of the dresses worn on the occasion. SPECIMEN OF ORIGINALITY OF STYLE IN A MODERN FRENCH JOURNAL. "THE figure of Prussia and that of Austria are the most striking. The first resembles a great water snake, the icy tail of which is lost in the Russian seas; while its head, turned towards Mayence, is lifted up to the tombs of the Roman legions, and seems about to seize France by the heel. As for Austria, she is like to a huge Isis, with numerous breasts, and her two legs closely confined in the boot of Italy. The Pope seems already to have instituted the order of The Spur, to use it some time or other against his master." FRIENDSHIP. rich friends, he would be deemed non compos. If a man would long preserve his friendships (those imperfect friendships which are generally contracted in this country), he should be particularly careful to have no money concerns with his friends, at least to owe them no great obligations on that account. Most of the branches of friendship, as likewise the family feuds which are now subsisting in England, are to be ascribed to this cause. The latter, indeed, are not always to be avoided, but the first always may. SHAKESPEARE. THE room which is shewn at Stratford, as that in which the bard was born, is covered in every part with the names of visitors, written by themselves, in pencil, &c. The surface is whitewash, laid ou perhaps about twenty years; and in the interior, the ceiling, the sides of the projecting chimney, and every portion of the surface, have been written on. A list of the names would exhibit all the character and genius of the age, and of itself would be a curiosity. Among the names are those of their Royal Highnesses the Prince Regent and Duke of Clarence, of the half of both houses of parliament, and of many distinguished foreigners, among whom are Lucien Bonaparte, and the Russian and Austrian Princes. Even the tomb of Shakespeare, and his bust, are in like manner covered with names, proud of an association with his: and on the very scroll under the effigy is inscribed the name of Wellesley by the illustrious Marquis, and by Lucien Bonaparte the following lines:The eye of Genius glistens to admire, How Memory hails the sound of Shakespeare's lyre: A PERFECT friendship, as it is described by the ancients, can only be contracted between men of the greatest virtue, generosity, truth, and honour. Such a friendship requires that all things should be in common: and that one friend should not only venture, but be ready to lay down his life for the other. According to this definition of friendship, Cicero observes that all the his. tories, from the earliest ages down to his time, had not recorded more than two or three pair of friends; and it is a doubt whether at this day we could add two or three pair more to the number. In our country, which is governed by money, and where every man is in pursuit of his own interest, it would be in vain to look for a real friendship. Our companions, and our common acquaintance, those especially with whom we live in any degree of familiarity, DETACHED THOUGHTS FROM THE we call our friends; and we are always ready to give them such marks of our friend One tear I'll shed to form a crystal shrine WORKS OF A VERY ANCIENT DRA- fools. ship as will not put us to any great incon-hearts of all, but hatched by none but PRIDE is the serpent's egg, laid in the venience, or subject us to any great expence. If an Englishman, like the Greek philosopher, were to bequeath his wife and children to be maintained by one of his The map of Italy resembles a boot. Conscience is an intellectual caul that covers the heart, upon which all the faculties sport in terror, like boys that dance upon the ice. Of all happiness, that is most sweet that is the nearest to us; riches lie in the purse, love in the heart; never marry for honour or title, fame is always at a distance, the man I love is near. BIRTHS. The Princess Bernard of Saxe Weimar, of a Princess. In Grosvenor-square, Viscountess Ebrington, of a son. At Reigate-Priory, Lady C. Cocks, of a son. At Edinburgh, the Right Hon. the Countess of Airiy, of a daughter. At Milton, Scotland, Lady Hunter Blair, of a son. At Hutton-Hall, in the county of Essex, the Lady of Lieut.-Colonel C. Bruce, of a son. MARRIED. At St. George's, Hanover-square, the Hon. W. Cust, M. P. to Sophia, daughter of the late T. Newnham Esq. In Baker-street, by special license, I. R. G. Graham, Esq. M. P. eldest son of Sir James Graham, Bart. of Notherby, to Fanny Callander, youngest daughter of James Campbell, Esq. of Ardkinglas. At Marylebone Church, W. Y. Peel, Esq. M. P. to the Right Hon. Lady Jane Moore, second daughter of the Earl of Mount Cashell. Mr. J. Knill, of Botolph-Jane, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Gabriel Stuart, Esq. of Thames-street. J. F. Crewe, Esq. nephew to Lord Crewe, to the Hon. H. Smith, daughter of Lord Carrington. At St. George's, Hanover-square, Mr. E. Jacobs, of Clarges-street, to Sophia, eldest daughter of Mr. Thomas Pettis, of Downs-street, Piccadilly. DIED. Mrs. Masters, sister to Lord Sherborne, in the 70th year of her age. In Paris, of the wound he received in a duel with an Englishman, Major J. Kelly, brother of Mr. Kelly of Drury-Lane Theatre. In Paris, J. Robinson, Esq. M. P. of Denston Hall, Suffolk. He was a Lieut.-General in the army, Colonel of the 60th foot, and brother-inlaw of Earl Powis. At Zurich, in the 53d year of his age, Mr. H. ognomist of that name. Lavater, physician, son of the celebrated physi Anne Sophia Shipley, daughter of W. Green, Esq. of Stanway Hall, near Colchester, aged 17; and in the evening of the same day, her twin sister, Hariet Mary Frances. At Linz, aged 93 years, the celebrated Austrian General, Count Beaulieu. He retained the possession of his faculties to the hour of his death. Of a dropsy, at Lemberg, the celebrated Austrian General, Baron Von Hiller. At Hursley Park, in Hampshire, Sir William Heathcote, Bart. aged 73: he represented the county of Southampton in three successive parliaments, but retired from public life in 1806, on account of ill health. In Hans-place, aged 74, Sir J. Morris, Bart. of Clasemont, Glamorganshire. At Bath, Captain P. Dumaresq. R. N. Of an apoplectic fit, T. P. Lamb, Esq. M. P. of Mountsfield Lodge, Rye, Sussex. In Nottingham, aged 20, Mr. W. Cooper, a young gentleman, pupil to a surgeon in that town. Three weeks before his death he assisted in examining the body of a person who had died of a most virulent disease, and a slight scratch on his finger came in contact with some of the virus; the effect produced was disregarded by him, until the alarming violence of the symptom indicated that some morbific matter was absorbed into the system. Every effort to obviate the fatal consequences proved ineffectual. Lately as Mr. G. Crapper, cloth finisher, of Halifax, was in conversation with his sweetheart, At Inglis Maldie, Kincardinshire, Julietta, he sunk in her arms and instantly expired. Countess of Kintore. At her apartments in Kensington Palace, Lady Porten, relict of the late Sir Stanier Porten, Knt. in her 82d year. At his seat at Newlands, in the county of Southampton, the Hon. Admiral Sir W. Cornwallis, G. C. B. Vice-Admiral of England. An awful instance of mortality and family affliction has lately occurred in Essex. On the 28th of February last was buried at Stondon Massey, near Chipping Ongar, Henry Madle, church-clerk, aged 70, leaving a widow confined to her bed by a cancerous affection in her legs, and a daughter married and resident in London. | The daughter's husband died of an ulcer in the The Right Hon. R. Dundas, of Arniston, late Lord Chief Baron of the Scotch Court of Ex-throat, after a few days' illness, aged 44, and was chequer. In Park-street, Mary, Baroness Mordaunt, of Turvey, aged 82. By her death this old peerage descends to the Duke of Gordon. At the Abbey, in Gloucestershire, the Hon. interred at Stondon on the 27th June. The wife, who attended her husband's funeral, was herself followed as a corpse on the 6th of July; and on the 9th, their two only children, aged sixteen and seven, were deposited in the same grave! London: Printed by and for JOHN BELL, Proprietor of this MAGAZINE, and of the WEEKLY MESSENGER. |