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To this liberality, and their constant hospitality and utility to travellers, may in part be attributed their partial escape from the force of that revolutionary whirlwind, which proved the destruction of so many religious houses in Switzerland; and their conduct towards Bonaparte and his army, who were all regaled with brandy and bread, on their march to the battle of Marengo, may also have contributed to their preservation in gratitude for which, they have erected a fine monument in the chapel to the memory of Dessaix.

The mules are very much addicted to run along close to the edge of the road, instead of keeping the middle; and we passed, both in going and

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LETTER FIRST.

Lausanne, August 25, 1817. YOU ask me to speak of Madame de Staël. On what other subject could I write to you? During a period of twenty-five years her friendship was the charm of my existence: my opinions and my feelings indeed grew up with her's. Regret for her loss is now all I can offer to her memory, and I have no other consolation but in my recollection of her who is departed..

Madame de Staël was distinguished, even in her childhood, by the brilliancy of her imagination, and the liveliness of her repartees. She learnt or guessed every thing. It was even necessary to restrain her application, which injured her health. Idleness was prescribed for her, but nothing could arrest the progress of a mind like her's, which fed upon itself, and which was even more affected by solitude than by society.

The temper of Madame de Staël was in all respects the opposite of that of her mother; of course there was not much confidence between them. This was unfortunate, as both had greatness of mind enough to comprehend and appreciate each other.

To make up for this, however, Ma3H ATHENEUM, vol. 4.

dame de Staël was the delight of her father, who indeed was much more alive than could have been supposed to the influence of natural affection and gracefulness of mind. He delighted in the enthusiastic affection shewn him by his daughter; and with her alone he let down the gravity of his manners to bring himself more into unison with her. I have never seen any thing so charming as their intimacy. She was witty, affectionate, and endearing. Years only added to their mutual affection, and Death, which alone could separate, has again united them.

Mr. Necker was especially delighted at seeing his daughter unite so much goodness with so much wit; for from infancy she had shown herself noble and distinguished in every thing. To this even her enemies have borne testimony. While yet in early youth, she was nev er intimidated by deference to established reputation, from engaging in what she conceived to be the defence of justice or innocence. Thus at the age of eighteen she wrote the Letters on Rousseau,because Rousseau was in his grave, and could no longer defend himself.

Nobody ever resented oppression and bad faith with more indignation than

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was her character, that even experience could never habituate her to tolerate the slightest act of injustice. On this account she was generally disposed to range herself on the side opposed to authority, because the abuse of power is more generally on the side of authority than on the other.

She never submitted to bad faith, but when she herself was made the object of it, apparently because the part of the oppressed was not disagreeable to her; neither did she ever notice the satirical effusions to which her works were exposed. This did not proceed from affected disdain (for she was neither insensible to praise nor to censure), but from a sense of her own dignity.

Her talent for discriminating truth was the most powerful trait in the genius of Madame de Staël. She discerned it, as it were instinctively, with incredible quickness, and it was almost impossible to deceive her. I never saw a man succeed for five minutes in passing himself off before her for a person of greater wit or sensibility than nature had made him. Ca this account, the best manner to adopt before her was that of truth and nature.

From society she carried this tact into the studies and into the analysis of our age. Indeed to it she owed her success, genius being in reality nothing more than the intuitive perception of truth.

The first time I saw Madame de Staël was in Switzerland, in the year 1798. She had just quitted France, all her friends having abandoned that unfortunate country, or perished in it. She beheld with despair the bloody march of the Revolution-of that Revolution which she had loved, because it had appeared to be in unison with her character, but the nature of which she had not foreseen: because nobody had been gifted with such extraordinary foresight. She called to remembrance the time when she had seen the Revolution commence with such noble enthusiasm, and the day in which the people conducted her father in triumph from Paris to Versailles. Could she

umph, the more glorious because not in unison with our customs? Could she see any thing in it but the presage of a happy future for France, since it was her father whom France had charged with its destiny? We must recal these days and these scenes which so many others have effaced, in order to perceive all the interest which Madame de Staël felt for the events of our age,

Soon, however, neither liberty nor triumph were thought of. Life and death were alone the subject of question. Nobody thought of any thing but the safety of one party and the proscription of another. Every thing between these extremes was of no consequence. The lesser passions were extinguished. Every one was great either in crime or in virtue; and hence it has resulted, that there is still to be observed something more decided in those characters which were formed during the reign of terror than in any others.

Madame de Staël lived retired in Switzerland, surrounded by emigrants, some of whom had owed their lives to her care: for she had been so fortunate as to succeed in effecting their escape from France by her proximity to its frontiers. She had contrived to send guides to meet them on whose fidelity she could depend. These guides entered by the passes of the Jura, and going into certain places, were recognised by conventional signs, after which they returned into Switzerland through the woods. Indeed, she laboured to save them with astonishing industry, of which I myself have been a witness, and which I can never forget.

After the emigrants were in safety, Madame de Staël did every thing in her power to lessen the hardships of their condition. If all of them have not been equally grateful, it is not that the weight of the obligation has not been felt, but that gratitude has been stifled by party spirit. She herself had a soul superior to ingratitude. even pardoned the injustice of which she had been the object, the moment its author was in misfortune. No one suffered more persecution from Bona

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parte, and no one judged him with more impartiality. Those whom we have seen so long prostrate before this Colossus, have poured out more maledictions on his tomb than this woman, who suffered ten long years of almost solitary exile, but who, notwithstanding, was able to maintain the dignity of the weak against the oppression of the strong.

Madame de Staël passed the first years of the Revolution in her father's house at Coppet. I was then much in their society, where I had the satisfaction of frequently listening to those conversations of which every thing conducive to the happiness of mankind was the general theme.

In these discussions, Madame de Staël had a decided advantage, as her eloquence had no need of any previous reflection. Mr. Necker proceeded

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more slowly, and his daughter occasionally stopped till he came up with her-and she shewed him this filial attention with perfect grace, yet free from all affectation. Mr. Necker, would recover his distance, and this mutual exchange of affection and eloquence would frequently last whole hours.

With so much nobleness of mind, Madame de Staël had the merit of never depressing those around her by any intentional display of her own powers. These she employed but to protect the weak, who lived in peace around her. She was formidable to those only who wished to make an ostentatious display of their mediocrity.

[The continuation of these interesting Letters, written by an intimate and dear friend of Madame de Stael, will be given in our next.]

From the Literary Gazette. CONSECRATION OF THE CHURCH AT GUTZKOW.

WHEN Bishop Otto introduced Christianity into Pomerania, and among other towns visited Gützkow, he found there a magnificent heathen temple; he had it pulled down, and a Christian church erected. When the new Church was to be consecrated, Count Mitzlaff, the lord of the town and district, appear ed at the ceremony. The Bishop spoke to him, saying, "O, Sir! this consecration is nothing, unless thou and thy whole people consecrate yourselves to God." The Count replied, What shall I do more? I have been baptized at Usedom. What do you require farther of me?' Otto spoke: "See! thou hast many prisoners, taken in war, whom thou detainest for their ransom, and there are Christians among them. Release them, and rejoice them this day in honour of Christ, and the consecration of this Church." Hereupon Mitzlaff, ordered all the Christians among the prisoners to be brought forth and set at liberty. Then the Bishop took courage and continued: "The Hea

thens, too, are our brethren; release them also at my entreaty; I will baptize them, and lead them to our Saviour." Then the Count ordered the Heathens also to be brought, and the Bishop baptized them, and every eye was bedewed with tears.

When it was now thought that all the prisoners were released, and they were going to proceed with the consecration of the Church, the servants were to bring salt, wine, and ashes, which were wanted for the ceremony. But there were no ashes, they having been forgotten. So some of the servants ran to fetch ashes. They went into the first, and into the second house in the neighbourhood, and found nothing. While they were seeking in the third house, they heard under ground a man lamenting and groaning; and on asking, learned that it was a Dane of high rank, who was kept as a hostage for 500 marks of silver, which his father owed to the Count, for injury done him. They informed the Bishop, who would willingly have begged for him, but dared not, on account of the magnitude of the injury. How could he still farther trouble the noble Count!