surely have been in his heart, but it was not in his system. The sum of eight hundred pounds was raised among the gentlemen of the bar, for Mrs. Bicknel and her sons. This excellent woman lived many years with Dr. Burney of Greenwich as his housekeeper and assistant in the cares of his academy; she was treat ed by him and his friends with eve1y mark of esteem and respect due to a gentlewoman, and one whose virtues entitled her to universal approbation.

lonies of North America, induced him to refuse them all credit for the patriotic virtue of that resistance to new and unconstitutional claims, which threatened their liberties. In 178+ he published a "Fragment of a letter on the slavery of the negroes:" This had been written some years before at the instigation of an American gentleman, but the publication had been suspended during the war. Its tenor may be inferred from the following passage; "If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independence with one hand, and with the other bran dishing a whip over his affrighted slaves."

Mr. Day's residence after marriage was first in Essex, and afterwards in Surry, where he occupied a considerable farm, in the experimental processes of which he large ly employed the neighbouring poor. From extensive knowledge, ready eloquence, and undaunted spirit, he was well calculated to take a part in political life; but he was void of ambition. The national circum stances, however, called him out in 1780, to make a public opposition to the American war, which he had execrated at its commencement; he joined with this object that of parlia mentary reform, which, indeed, he considered as the basis of every other political reformation. He join ed his friend Mr. Bicknel in writ ing the Dying Negro," a poem intended to interest the feelings against slavery. His strain of poetry was nervous and animated; his imagery striking, and versification correct. He painted the horrors of war very strongly in his poem entitled 66 The desolation of America." In 1782, he published a pamphlet on the state of England and the independence of America, strongly recommending the termination of the dispute. We must pardon his phi lippic against the Americans, when we consider that generous indigna tion at the slave trade practiced without remorse in the southern co

"6

Another kind of writing by which Mr. Day displayed his zeal for the good of mankind, was the composition of books for children. His "Sandford and Merton," of which the first volume appeared in 1783, and the third in 1789, proved one of the most popular in this class, and is by wise parents put into every youthful hand. It powerfully inculcates all the manly virtues of courage, activity, temperance, independence and generosity, and contains many useful instructions in the principles of science. Perhaps "Sandford and Merton" errs in proposing a mode of education too little accommoda. ted to the actual state of manners, and which shows that Thomas Day was rather a speculator in this point than a practitioner. He never had children of his own, or he would most likely have found theory and practice widely different.

Mr. Day's constitutional fault like the amiable Cowper's, seemed that of looking with severe and disgusted eyes on those errors in his species, which are mutually tolerated by mankind. This stain of misanthropy was extremely deepened by his commerce with the world, restrain

ed as that commerce had ever been. Sarcastic and discerning, it was not easy to deceive him; yet in a few instances, he was deceived by the appearance of virtues congenial to

his own.

"For neither man nor angel can discern Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks Invisible, except to God alone."

About eight or ten years after his marriage, the life of this singular being became, in its meridian, a victim to one of his uncommon systems. He thought highly of the gratitude, generosity and sensibility of horses; and that whenever they were disobedient, unruly, or vicious, it was owing to previous ill-usage from men. He had reared, fed, and tamed a favourite foal; when it was time it should become serviceable, disdaining to employ a horse-breaker, he would use it to the bit and burthen himself. He was not a good horseman.

The

animal disliking his new situation, heeded not the soothing voice to which he had been accustomed: he plunged, threw his master, and then, with his heels, struck him on the head, an instantly fatal blow. Thus he died a victim to his enthusiastic ideas of humanity, in his 42d year. It was said that Mrs. Day never afterwards saw the sun; that she lay in bed, into the curtains of which no light was admitted during the day, and she only rose to stray alone through her garden, when night gave her sorrows conge nial gloom. She survived this adored husband two years, and then died, broken-hearted, for his loss. Mrs. Bicknel's name was not mentioned in Mr. Day's will, but Mrs Day con tinued the allowance he had made her, and bequeathed its continuance from her own fortune, during Mrs. Bicknel's life.

BMPLOYMENT OF A WOMAN IN CONSTANTINOPLE.

From Olivier's Travels.

TO please her husband, to detain him in the harem as long as his affairs permit, to take care of her children, to occupy herself with her dress, and very little with her family, to pray at the hours prescribed by religion, and to pass a part of the day without doing any thing, another in smoking, drinking coffee, receiving female friends, relations, or women under her protection; such are the duties and pleasures of a Turkish woman. She seldom can read, and scarcely ever write; she has learnt to sew and embroider, prepare comfits and dain ties, and make sherbet; but she

finds it more pleasant to do nothing, to remain quiet on her sofa, and roll between her fingers a chaplet of coral or agate. She considers it as a delightful employment to hold, from time to time, a dish of coffee in one hand, a pipe in the other, and to carry them alternately to her mouth, at the same time inhaling the vapour of the one, and retaining as long as possible that of the other; what afterwards gratifies her the most, is to have it in her power to display to the eyes of the women whom she receives, some rich triakets, and a robe of great value.

"A mussulman is very poor if he have not several slaves to wait on his wife, and the latter is very unskilful if she do not soon convert in

to dresses and trinkets the greatest part of the husband's fortune."

We are often surprized at the relations of travellers, while conduct almost entirely similar passes unobserved among ourselves.

Might not an attentive observer, who joined a turn for sarcasm, with acute observation, find at home some who wasted their time in the apparent employment, but real idleness, of embroidery and ornamental needle work, who if they read, deal only in novels and light reading, and carry a large portion of their husband's property to public places in jewels, or waste it at card tables? Turkish women are not the only triflers.

WORLDLY PRUDENCE OF ARCHBISHOP USHER.

Many great characters have striking blemishes. Cranmer recanted through fear, and if the following account can be implicitly relied on, Usher suppressed his real sentiments, through the temporizing motives of worldy prudence:

“Mr. Bernard, of Batcombe, Somerset, was a presbyterian divine of some note. He is said by Ludlow, [8vo. 1. 104.] to have been an acquaintance of Archbishop Usher's, and that when the said Mr B. earnestly pressed him "to deal faithfully with the king, in the controversy which was between him and the parliament concerning espiscopacy, according to his own judgment in that manner, which he knew to be against it, representing to him the great and important service he would thereby do to the church of God." The archbishop answered, that if he should do as Mr. B. proposed, he should ruin himself and family, having a child and many debts. Of this story, Ludlow was assured by one who had his information from Mr. Bernard himself. Ludlow's application of the anec

BELFAST MAG. NO. XXXIV.

dote reads a very serious lecture to all such mala fide churchmen, who, if the allusion were not too homely, might be compared to boatmen looking one way, and rowing another. Ludlow was a brave suldier, and an honest man, even in the judgment of his enemies. The royalists desired his political conversion, and hoped that a conference with Archbishop Usher might effect it. The conference was declined by Ludlow. "For this reason," says he, "because those arguments which could not prevail with me, wh, n used by others, were not likely to be of more efficacy from him, who, in a business of such concernment, had been diverted from the discharge of his duty, by such low and sordid considerations."

MAN DIFFERS FROM HIMSELF AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF HIS LIFE.

Thomas More in his Utophia wrote well and liberally. He declared himself freely and fully against putting thieves to death. Yet this same man suffered himself to be influenced by bigotry, and a spirit of persecution. "But he was a notable tyrant," said old Luther, indignantly, and justly. "He was one of the bitterest enemies," says Burnet, "of the new preachers, not without great cruelty when he came into power, though he was otherwise a very good-natured man;" and though in the opinion of Dr. Jortin "he had once been free from that bigotry which grew upon him afterwards in life." Yes, the philosophy, the sagacity, the piety, the benevolence of More, did not preserve him from the reigning prejudices of his day against the crime of heresy; and they who will consult Mr. Lyson's excellent work on the environs of London, will be led to many serious'reflections upon human infirmity, when they read the wanton cruelties which in More's presence, or even by his

Eee

PRONENESS TO SUPERSTITION.

Mons. de Fontenelle, a writer justly celebrated for his admirable parts and learning, speaking of the origin and progress of popular superstitions, says, "Give me but half a dozen persons, whom I can persuade, that it is not the sun which makes our day light, and I should not despair of drawing whole nations to embrace the same belief. For how ridiculous soever the opinion be, let it be supported only for a certain time, and the business is done: for when it once becomes ancient, it is sufficiently proved."

What would Fontenelle have said to the following note in the sermon of the venerable and learned Bishop Jewel, preached before Queen Elizabeth? "It may please your Grace to understand, that this kind of people, I mean witches, and sorcerers, within these few years are marvellously increased, within your Grace's realm, These eyes have seen most manifest marks of their wickedness.

"Your Grace's subjects pine away,

even unto death; heir colour fadeth ; their flesh rotteth; their speech is benumbed; their senses bereft. Wherefore your poor subject's humble petition to your Highness is, that the laws touching such malefactors, may be put in due execution. For the shoal of them is great, their doings horrible, their malice intolerable, their examples most miserable: and I pray God they never practice farther than upon the subject." GEOGRAPHY TAUGHT IN HALF AN

HOUR.

No part of education, excepting that of natural philosophy, is more important in the point of instruction, than geography. They sometimes ask me, when should we begin it. I have given my answer, in a little almanack, the first lesson of a course of geography. Complain as you will of abridgments, they are necessary. This is the reason I begin with the shortest of all abridgments-The whole of geography taught in half an hour.

I take a globe of the earth, and I say to my pupil, Let us make the tour of the world with General Bougainville, or Captain Cook. Let us set sail from Brest. We will shortly on our voyage meet with Madeira, a place famous for its wines, Then we will gain the coasts of South A ..erica, which furnishes gold, and silver, and chocolate, and Peruvian-bark. And then we will take a peep at the great Patagonians. We then enter into a great sea of 2000 leagues in extent. There we will find Robinson Crusoe's Island, Otaheitte, New-Zealand, where Captain Martin was devoured by the Savages, with all his officers Beyond this, the Moluccas, where they get the mercede. China, which furnishes us with porcelain. India, which gives muslin, canella, pearls and diamonds. We will return by the coast of Africa, from whence we