by experience. The character which he had cer tainly gotten fome how among some of his intimates, has been of fervice both to them and tơ himself. They made a point of fecrefy, after they chose to difcover a want of it in him; and now he has made a point of it himself. My deareft fecret (you know what that is) fhould now fooner be trufted to him than to any of his former accufers. The loudeft of them, to my know ledge, was little calculated to judge; for though he might not abfolutely think him a coward, he certainly did not fufpe his friend of courage, till fufficient proof of it was given under his own eye. Now, in my opinion, true courage and refolution are this gentleman's marking characteristics. This is no great compliment; for, without them, I would not give a farthing for any man.

Such,in my judgment, is the young gentleman › about whom you wifhed me to enquire, and with whom I happen to have lived a good deal. Hist principal merit is, that my amiable friend (the mention of whofe wife juft jogged your jealousy) fincerely loves him. That worthy man feldom throws away his attachment where it is not deferved. Nor do I know any thing in the gentleman, whofe character I have been sketching, which gives me more pleafure, or which it

would

would give him more pleasure to have noticed, than the love and refpect which I am fure he feels for my friend; unless perhaps his affectionate fenfe of the obligations which I believe I have told you he lies under to a Mr. B.

So much for bufinefs. Now for an article of news. The latter end of last month, a lady and her fervant, as they were riding in Phoenix Park, were stopped by a man on foot, very genteelly dreffed in white cloaths, and a gold laced hat. He demanded the lady's money, which the gave him, amounting to 26 guineas. The perfon put the cash into one of his pockets, and took from the other a small diamond hoop ring, which he prefented to the lady, defiring her to wear it for the fake of an extraordinary robber, who made it a point of honour to take no more from a beautiful lady, than he could make a return for in value. He then, with great agility, vaulted over the wall, and disappeared.

This you may perhaps call an Irish way of robbing. There certainly was fomething original in it. The gentleman feems clearly to imagine, that an exchange is no robbery..

As to your threat, I will anfwer it in the fame ftyle-" Iwill love you-and if-!" But neither my answer, nor your threat, is original. Read

ing,

ing, this morning, a hiftory of this country, I found the following anecdote. In 1487, a dreadful war was carried on in Ulfter, between the Chieftain O'Neal, and the neighbouring Chieftain of Tirconnel. This war had nothing more confiderable for its immediate caufe, than the pride of O'Neal, who demanded that his enemy fhould recognize his authority by paying tribute. The laconic ftyle, in which the demand was made and rejected, would not have disgrac'd a nobler conteft. "Send me tribute-or else!"

was the meffage of O'Neal. To which was returned, with the fame princely brevity,-" I "owe you none-and if-!"-But I talk nonfense. This does not prove your threat to have been borrowed; for I dare fay, you never heard of O'Neal till this moment. It only proves that two people may exprefs themselves alike.

Should any man who loved like me (if any man ever did love like me) have spoken of his love in terms like those I use to speak of mine, . follows it therefore that I have borrowed either his paffion or his language? Were it possible for you to think fo, I never would forgive you.Pray copy the mufic you mention in your next.

LET

LETTER XXXVI,

To the Same.

Ireland, 18 Sept. 76.

How happens it that I have not sooner noticed what you fay, in a letter the beginning of laft month, about the new punishment of working upon the Thames? Politicians may write more learned upon the matter, but I will defy Beccaria to write more feelingly or humanely. There certainly is much truth in what you say. Experience however will be the beft teft. Perhaps my true reafon for noticing your fenfible letter thus late, was to introduce a scene which paffed in the quickfilver mines of Idra, a ftill more unpleasant abode than Mr. Campbell's academy. This ufed to be Colonel G.'s method, you remember, of introducing his home-made jokes. Not that my ftory is home-made-I take it from fome Italian letters a brother officer lent me, written by Mr. Everard, and I give it you almost in his own words-except in one or two paffages, where I think he has loft an opportunity of furprizing the reader.

The

The pleafure I always take in writing to you, wherever I am, and whatever doing, in fome measure difpels my prefent uneafinefs; an uneafinefs caufed at once by the difagreeable afpect of every thing around me, and the more difagreeable scene to which I have been witness.

Something too I have to tell you of Count Alberti. You remember him one of the gayeft, most agreeable perfons at the Court of Vienna; at once the example of the men, and the favourite of the fair fex. I often heard you repeat his name with esteem, as one of the few that did honour to the present age; as poffeffed of generofity and pity in the highest degree; as one who made no other ufe of fortune, but to alleviate the diftreffes of mankind. But first of all, the fcene I mentioned.

After paffing feveral parts of the Alps, and having vifited Germany, I thought I could not well return home, without vifiting the quickfilver mines at Idra, and feeing thofe dreadful fubterranean caverns, where thoufands are condemned to refide, fhut out from all hopes of ever again beholding the chearful light of the fun, and obliged to toil out a miferable life under the whips of imperious task-masters. Imagine to yourself an hole in the fide of a mountain, of about five yards over. Down this you are let, in a kind of bucket more than an hundred fathom; the prospect growing ftill more gloomy, yet ftill widening, as you defcend. At length, after fwinging in terrible fufpenfe for fome time in this precarious fituation, you at length reach the bottom, and tread on the ground; which by its hollow found under your feet, and the reverberations of the echo, feems thundering at every step you take. In this gloomy and frightful folitude, you are enlightened by the feeble gleam of lamps, here and there difpofed, fo that the wretched inhabitants