The houfe of commons was more referved; the late popular difpofition was ftill in a great degree prevalent in the reprefentative, after it had been made to change in the conflituent body. The principle of the grand alliance was not directly recognized in the refolution of the commons, nor the war announced, though they were well aware the alliance was formed for the war. However, compelled by the returning fenfe of the people, they went fo far as to fix the three great immoveable pillars of the fafety and greatness of England, as they were then, as they are now, and as they muft ever be to the end of time. They afferted in general terms the negeffity of fupporting Holland; of keeping united with our allies; and maintaining the liberty of Europe; though they restricted their vote to the fuccours ftipulated by actual treaty. But now they were fairly embarked; they were obliged to go with the course of the veffel; and the whole nation, fplit before into an hundred adverfe factions, with a king at its head evidently declining to his tomb, the whole nation, lords, commons, and people, proceeded as one body, informed by one foul. Under the British union, the union of Europe was confolidated; and it long held together with a degree of cohesion, firmness, and fidelity not known before or fince in any political combination of that extent. Juft as the laft hand was given to this immenfe and complicated machine, the mafter workman died: but the work was formed on true mechanical principles; and it was as truly wrought. Jt went by the impulfe it had received from the first mover. The man was dead: but the grand alliance furvived, in which king Willam lived and reigned. That heartlefs and difpi ited people, whom lord Somers had reprefented, about two years before, as dead in energy and operation, continued that war to which it was fuppofed they were unequal in mind, and in means, for near thirteen years. For what have I entered into all this detail? To what purpose have I recalled your view to the end of the laft century? It has been done to fhew that the British nation was then a great people-to point out how and by what means they came to be ex lted above the vulgar level, and to take that lead which they affumed among mankind. To qualify us for that pre-eminence, we had then an high mind, and a contancy unconquerable; we were then infpired with no flashy paffions; but fuch,as were durable as well as warm ; fuch as correfponded to the great interefts we had at ftake. This force of character was infpired, as all fuch fpirit muft ever be, from above. Government gave the impulfe. As well may we fancy, that, of itfelf the fea will fwell, and that without winds the billows will infult the adverfe fhore, as that the grofs mafs of the people will be moved, and elevated, and continue by a steady and permanent direction to bear upor. one point, without the influence of fuperior authority, or fuperior mind. An Oriental Apologue. orders to relate fome appofite anecdote to him daily, with a view to form the morals of the young prince. He, ac cordingly, among others, recounted the following, which is taken from the annals of Perfia. A magician prefented himself before king Zohak, and, in prefence of his court, performed feveral feats, with which the prince was equally furprifed and delighted. King of kings,' faid the enchanter, thefe are but the common tricks of my art, and scarcely deferving of your royal attention; but if you will permit me to blow twice into your facred ear, you will inftantly perceive fomething far more wonderful.' He had no fooner afked, and obtained what he wanted, than Zohak, after feeling an extraordinary motion within him, rather violent, however, than painful in its nature, beheld two ferpents' heads iffuing from the region of the heart. Perfidious wretch! exclaims his majefty, what have I done to thee? Why has thy impure breath produced within my bowels two monfters, now ready to devour them?' Be not afraid, prince,' replied the magician, and return me thanks for the precious gift which you thus indignantly refuse. These two ferpents are the fure pledge of the happiness of your life, and the glory of your reign. Every ting, however, depends on appeafing their hunger, by providing them with the only aliment they can enjoy. Select from time to time a certain number of your fubjects from amid the lower clafs, nourish with their flesh thefe divine animals, and folace their thirst with their blood. Above all things beware left you listen to a bafe and dangerous pity: recollect, that every thing that pleafes you is juft, and that to refrain from doing a little harm, when neceffary, is to abandon the character and functions of a king. Zohak was at firft affrighted at this execrable counfel; but as his happinefs feemed connected with it, he did not long hesitate: nay, in a fhort time, the inhuman prince even felicitated himself on the occafion! The hunger of these two monsters, which were now incorporated with, and formed part of himself, became his own, and they never were gorged but he fancied that he felt a delicious fenfation. He reckoned for nothing the cries and the tears, the blood and the lives, of the unhappy Perlians. In fhort, he no longer confidered his pecple but as a vile herd, defined to be immolated to fatisfy his flighteft caprice. The Perfians, on the other hand, began to look on Zohak as a monfter eager to devour them; and fuch were their fufferings, that they at laft actually ceafed to dread him. They accordingly rofe against the tyrant, drove him from the throne which he profaned, and shut him up in the frightful-cavern in the mountain of Damavend. There, left alone with his two ferpents, and no longer able to fatisfy their voracity, the body of the pitilefs Zohak at length became food for them!' • What a horrible ftory!' cries the young prince, for heaven's fake tell me another which I can liften to without fhuddering. Mot willingly! replied Saheb; here is one very fimple and very short.' A young fultan bestowed his confidence on an artful and corrupt eunuch: this wretch infufed into his mind falfe ideas refpecting the glory and happinefs of kings. He accordingly foon excited in his heart pride and floth, the father and mother of all crimes. Abandoned over to these two paffions, the young monarch facrificed his people to them; he placed is glory in defpifing mankind, and his happiness in rendering them miferable. What was the end of all this? He lost his crown, his treasures, and his flatterers; nothing remained but his pride and floth; and, being unable any longer to fatisfy them, he died from mere fhame and rage.' . The prince of Carizme did not feem' diffatisfied with the latter ftory: 'I like i better than the former,' faid he, for it is far leis difguiling and atrocious.' Alas! prince,' replied his inftructor, it is nevertheless one and the fame !' REMARKS on the State of the AIR, VEGETATION, &c. Nov. 1796. 21. A THICK and dark fog most of the morning.-22. Elms have shed all their leaves.-30. A bright atmosphere, and froft all the day; the thermometer never higher than 31 degrees.-This month, though fine and dry for the most part, in the neighbouring villages, has been too cold for vegetation, and caufed garden-fuff to be fcarce and dear. ΤΗ Rain I inch 63 hundredths. OBSERVATIONS on the DISEASES in November 1796. HE fever of last month became more frequent, ftill continuing to attack, more particularly, thofe who were debilitated by intemperance, a fedentary life, or intenfe ftudy after the fourth day an exceffive torpor in general took place, an unwillingness to open the eyes, or fpeak, and a ftrong propenfity to fleep, though the patient was not often confcious of it; the tongue was rarely very dry or brown, excepting where wine and heating cordials were adminiftered, which always appeared to do much harm; the urine was pale and in a fparing quantity, the kin not very hot, and the pulfe weak but not very frequent; deafnefs in a greater or lefs degree was almoft a confant fymptom; the difeafe was of long duration, producing great debility, but not often proving fatal: it was neceffary to keep up the ftrength by nutritious focd; and blifters, and decoction of Peruvian bark proved the best remedies, occafionally adminiftering rhubarb as a purgative to obviate coftivenefs. Smallpox and meafles fill continued rare; rheumatism now and then occurred; and, at the end of the month, afthma, and other affections of the lungs, became prevalent. Curious PARTICULARS of the CUSTOMS and MANNERS of the NORTHERN INDIANS on the Borders of Hudson's Bay: Concluded from Page 179. THE HE girls are always betrothed when children, but never to thofe of equal age; which is, doubt lefs, found policy with people in their fituation, where the existence of a family depends entirely on the abilities and industry of a fingle man. Children, as they juftly obferve, ar e fo liable to alter in their manners and difpofition, that it is impoflible to judge from the actions of early youth what abilities they may poffefs when they arrive at puberty. For this reafon, the girls are often to disproportionably matched for age, that it is very 'common to fee men of 35 or 40 years old have young girls of 10 or 12, and fometimes much younger. From the early age of eight or nine years, they are prohibited by cuftom from joining in the molt innocent amusements with children of the oppolite fex; fo that when fitting in their tents, or even when travelling, they are watched and guarded with fuch an unremitting attention as cannot be exceeded by the moft rigid discipline of an English boarding-fchool. Cullom, however, and conftant exaniple, make fuch uncommon reítraint and confinement fit light and eafy even on children, whofe tender ages feem better adapted to innocent and cheerful amufements, than to be cooped up by the fide of old women, and conftantly employed in fcraping fkins, mending fhoes, and learning other domeftic duties neceflary in the care of a family. Notwithstanding these uncommonrestraints on the young girls, the conduct of their parents is by no means uniform or confiftent with this plan; as they fet no bounds to their converfation, but talk before them, and even to them, on the most indelicate fubjects. As their ears are accustomed to fuch language from their earliest youth, this has by no means the fame effect on them, it would have on girls born and educated in a civilized country, where every care is taken to prevent their morals from being contaminated by obfcene converfation. The Southern Indians are still lefs delicate in converfation, in the prefence of their children. Divorces are pretty common among the Northern Indians; fometimes for incontinency, but more frequently for want of what they deem neceffary accomplishments, or for bad behaviour. This ceremony, in either cafe, confifts of neither more nor lefs than a good drubbing, and turning the woman out of doors; telling her to go to her paramour, or relations, according to the nature of her crime. Providence is very kind in caufing thefe people to be lefs prolific than the inhabitants of civilized nations. It is very uncommon to fee one woman have more than five or fix children; and these are always born at fuch a distance from one another, that the youngest is generally two or three years old before another is brought into the world. They make no ufe of cradles, like the Southern Indians, but only tie a lump of mofs between their legs; and always carry their children at their backs, next the skin, till they are able to walk. Though their method of treating young children is in this refpect the most uncouth and awkward I ever faw, there are few among them that can be called deformed, and not one in fifty who is bow-legged. There are certain periods, at which they never permit the women to abide in the fame tent with their husbands. At fuch times they are obliged to make a small hovel for themselves at fome diftance from the other tents. As this is an univerfal cuftom among all the tribes, it is alfo a piece of policy with the women, upon any difference with their husbands, to make that an excufe for a temporary fepa ration, when, without any ceremony, they creep out (as is their ufual custom on thofe occafions) under the eves of that fide of the tent at which they happen to be fitting; for at those times they are not permitted to go in or out through the door. This cuftom is fo generally prevalent among the women, that I have frequently known fome of the fulky dames leave their hufbands and tents for four or five days at a time, and repeat the farce twice or thrice in a month, while the poor men have never fufpected the deceit, or if they have, delicacy on their part has not permitted them to enquire into the matter. I have known Matonabbee's handfome wife, who eloped from him in May 1771, live thun-nardy, as they call it, (that is, alone) for feveral weeks together under this pretence; but as a proof he had fome fufpicion, fhe was always carefully watched, to prevent her from giving her company to any other man. The Southern Indians are alfo very delicate in this point; for though they do not force their wives to build a feparate tent, they never lie under the fame clothes during this period. It is, however, equally true, that the young girls, when those symptoms make their first appearance, generally go a little distance from the other tents for four or five days, and at their return wear a kind of veil or curtain, made of beads, for fome time after, as a mark of modefty; as they are then confidered marriageable, and of courfe are called women, tho' fome at these periods are not more than thirteen, while others at the age of fifteen or fixteen have been reckoned as children, though apparently arrived at nearly their full growth. On thofe occafions a remarkable piece of fuperftition prevails among them; women in this fituation are never permitted to walk on the ice of rivers or lakes, or near the part where the men are hunting beaver, or where a fishing-net is fet, for fear of averting their fuccefs. They are alfo prohi bited at thofe times from partaking of the head of any animal, and even from |