Redden'd and thaw'd with flame and blood, That needs nor foreign aid nor arm,

Laid there their last immortal claims!
Thou saw'st in seas of gore expire
Redoubted Picton's soul of fire-
Saw'st in the mingled carnage lie
All that of Ponsonby could die-
De Lancy change Love's bridal wreath
For laurels from the hand of death-
Saw'st gallant Miller's failing eye

Thou, too, whose deeds of fame renew'd Still bent where Albion's banners fly,
Bankrupt a nation's gratitude,

To thine own noble heart must owe
More than the meed she can bestow.
For not a people's just acclaim,
Not the full hail of Europe's fame,
Thy prince's smiles, thy state's decree,
The ducal rank, the garter'd knee,
Not these such pure delight afford
As that, when, hanging up thy sword,
Well may'st thou think, "This honest
steel

Was ever drawn for public weal;
And, such was rightful Heaven's decree,
Ne'er sheathed unless with victory!"

XX.

Look forth, once more, with soften'd heart,
Ere from the field of fame we part;
Triumph and sorrow border near,
And joy oft melts into a tear.
Alas! what links of love that morn
Has War's rude hand asunder torn!
For ne'er was field so sternly fought,
And ne'er was conquest dearer bought.
Here, pil'd in common slaughter, sleep
Those whom affection long shall weep;
Here rests the sire, that ne'er shall strain
His orphans to his heart again;
The son, whom, on his native shore,
The parent's voice shall bless no more;
The bridegroom, who has hardly press'd
Ilis blushing consort to his breast;
The husband, whom, through many a year
Long love and mutual faith endear.
Thou can'st not name one tender tie
But here, dissolv'd, its reliques lie!
O when thou see'st some mourner's veil
Shroud her thin form and visage pale,
Or mark'st the matron's bursting tears
Stream when the stricken drum she hears,
Or see'st how manlier grief, suppress'd,
Is labouring in a father's breast,—
With no inquiry vain pursue
The cause, but think on Waterloo!

XXI.

Period of honour as of woes,
What bright careers 'twas thine to close!
Mark'd on thy roll of blood what names,
To Britain's memory, and to Fame's,

And Cameron, in the shock of steel,
Die like the offspring of Lochiet;
And generous Gordon, 'mid the strife,
Fall while he watch'd his leader's life.
Ah! though her guardian angel's shield
Fenc'd Britain's hero through the field,
Fate not the less her power made known,
Thro' bis friends' hearts to pierce his own!

XXII.

Forgive, brave dead, th' imperfect lay!
Who may your names, your numbers, say?
What high-strung harp, what lofty line,
To each the dear earn'd praise assign,
From high-born chiefs of martial fame
To the poor soldier's lowlier name?
Lightly ye rose, that dawning day,
From your cold couch of swamp and clay,
To fill, before the sun was low,
The bed that morning cannot know.
Oft may the tear the green sod steep,
And sacred be the heroes' sleep,

Till time shall cease to run;
And ne'er beside their noble grave
May Briton pass, and fail to crave
A blessing on the fallen brave

Who fought with Wellington!

XXIII.
Farewell, sad Field! whose blighted face
Wears Desolation's withering trace;
Long shall my memory retain
Thy shatter'd huts and trampled grain,
With every mark of martial wrong,
That scathe thy towers, fair Hougomont!
Yet though thy garden's green arcade
The marksman's fatal post was made,
Though on thy shatter'd beeches fell
The blended rage of shot and shell,
Though from thy blacken'd portals torn
Their fall thy blighted fruit-trees mourn,
Has not such havoc bought a name
Immortal in the rolls of fame?
Yes-Agincourt may be forgot,
And Cressy be an unknown spot,

And Blenheim's name be new:
But still in story and in song,
For many an age remember'd long,
Shall live the towers of Hougomont,
And fields of Waterloo:

Still wafting onward all to one dark silent | And wash'd in foemen's gore, unjust report. proach away.

Stern tide of Time! through what myste- Now, Island Empress, wave thy crest on

Well hast thou stood, my country!-the brave fight

Hast well maintain'd through good report and ill;

In thy just cause, and in thy native might, And in Heaven's grace and justice con stant still.

Whether the banded prowess, strength, and skill

Of half the world against thee stood array'd,

Who quell'd devouring pride, and vindi-
cated right.

Yet, 'mid the confidence of just renown,
Renown dear bought, but dearest thus

acquir'd,

Write, Britain, write the moral lesson down;

'Tis not alone the heart with valour

fir'd,

The discipline so dreaded and admired,
In many a field of bloody conquest
known-

Or when, with better views and freer will, Such may by fame be lured, by gold be Beside thee Europe's noblest drew the

blade,

hired

'Tis constancy in the good cause alone, Bach emulous in arms the Ocean Queen Best justifies the meed thy valiant sons to aid.

have won.

98

DOMESTIC LITERATURE.

Memoirs of the lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford. By Roberts Vaux. 12mo. pp. 73. Philadelphia. S. W. Conrad. "Among the events which occasionally appear in the history of nations, to dignify and adorn their character, and shed over them a ray of genuine greatness and glory, the abolition of the African slave trade must be admitted to hold a conspicuous place. It was one of the purest offerings ever borne by lawgivers to the altar of justice—the most acceptable tribute which legislative power could pay at the shrine of mer. cy. Whilst, however, it is customary to admire the wisdom, and applaud the virtue of those governments which have wiped such pollution from their name, it should equally be a pleasure and a duty, to recognize the labours of individuals in that noble cause of reformation and benevolence. It would be difficult to calculate precisely how extensive and availing the efforts of two men might be in correcting the opinions of a large community, especially if their exertions should be so much in opposition to the interests, the habits, and sentiments of a people, as to excite towards them the spirit of intolerance and persecution. This remark is certainly applicable to the history of Lay and Sandiford, who were among the first of the very few in any country that had just conceptions of the rights of the enslaved Africans, and sufficient firmness to avow their opinions concerning the cruelty which was triumphantly exercised over that oppressed race of men."

This extract from the author's preface explains his laudable motive for endeavouring to rescue from oblivion the names of the two meritorious subjects of his biographical work.

Natural and Statistical View, or Picture of Cincinnati and the Miami country, illustrated by maps. With an appendix containing observations on the late earthquakes, the aurora borealis, and southwest wind.-By Daniel Drake. 12mo. pp. 251. Cincinnati. Looker and Wallace. 1815. This is a plain, well written, useful work, and cannot fail to be interesting to those who intend emigrating to the state of Ohio, or to those who delight in contemplating the rapid march of the prosperity of our country. But the reader must not expect to be entertained with such romantic tales as were fancied or fabricated by Brissot and Imlay. He will not read of an earthly paradise where virtue, freedom, and felicity forever reign undisturbed, but of an extensive and fertile region, where indus. trious families may, by labour, acquire independence, with many of the comforts and not a few of the luxuries of life. The book contains, besides what the titlepage announces, a general view of the state of society and manners, and observations on the prevailing diseases, of the districts described. The following passage shows the wonderful increase of the population of the western states.

"It appears that the population of Tennessee increased, from 1791 to 1800, at the rate of twelve and three-fourths per cent, and doubled in six years; from 1800 to 1810, at the rate of nine and a half per cent, and doubled in eight years. Since that time, if the rate of increase has diminished regularly, it amounts to about six and three-tenths per cent, and will cause the population to double in little more than eleven years.

"From tables of a similar kind for Kentucky, it appears that the population from 1790 to 1800 increased at the rate of about eleven and six-tenths per cent, and was doubled in less than seven years; from 1800 to 1810, at the rate of six and three-tenths per cent, and doubled itself in something more than eleven years. Since 1810 it probably increases at the rate of three and one-third per cent, and will require, for the period of doubling, about twenty-three years.

"In Ohio, the population was augmented at the rate of thirty and one-fourth per cent, and doubled in less than three years between 1790 and 1800: from the latter period till 1810, it advanced at the rate of eighteen and a half per cent,

and nearly doubled every four years. Since 1810, it probably increases at the rate of seven and eight-tenths per cent, and will double itself in less than ten years.

"From these rates of increase, the population of the present year (1814) in round numbers must be nearly as follows: Kentucky 420,000, Tennessee 334,000, Ohio 312,000. In 1820, it will probably approach to the following: Kentucky 453,000, Tennessee 481,000, Ohio 492,000."

"The people of the Miami country," we are told, "may in part be characterized, as industrious, frugal, temperate, patriotic, and religious; with as much intelligence, and more enterprise, than the families from which they were detached.

"In Cincinnati the population is more compounded, and the constant addition of emigrants from numerous countries, in varying proportions, must for many years render nugatory all attempts at a faithful portraiture. There is no state in the union which has not enriched our town with some of its more enterprising or restless citizens; por a kingdom of the west of Europe whose adventurous or desperate exiles are not commingled with us. To Kentucky, and the states north of Virginia-to England, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, France and Holland, we are most indebted."

An Appeal to the public on the conduct of the banks in the city of New-York. By a citizen. 8vo. pp. 21. The banks spoken of in the title-page are censured by this writer for the loans made by them to government during the war-from patriotic considerations, as it was then alleged In his opinion the large issues of paper which these loans required, in addition to the ordinary demands for the commercial currency, and the subsequent depreciation of public stock, rendered a suspension of their payments inevitable.

The generosity of patriotism is certainly entitled to a high rank among the social virtues; but its exercise, like that of every other virtue, should be regulated by justice. Let the patriot gratify his generous zeal with every thing which he can justly call his own; but let him not be liberal, even to his country, at other people's expense. If he gives or lends, even for her use, the money which has been deposited in his hands for safe keeping only, he deserves the reproach of something much worse than imprudence; and if he lends it on terms of advantage to himself, when none of the benefit can accrue to its rightful owner, his speculation may be attributed to something very different from patriotism. If again, the speculation proving fortunate, he should determine to retain the whole profit in his own possession, instead of employing a part of it to indemnify the confiding creditor, at whose expense it was realized, we should be apt to give him an appellation at which delicate and respectable ears would feel shocked.

But the evil which has led to these remarks is done; and our attention should now be chiefly directed to provide a remedy. With reference to that which was suggested in our last number (p. 507, et seq.), we would beg leave to observe that it might be adopted at a smaller nominal sacrifice of revenue, (for in truth the sacrifice would be only nominal,) than at first appeared necessary. The diminution of the duties of impost, from the rate at which they would otherwise be fixed, of only an eighth or a tenth part, would enable the importing merchants to pay them in specie without difficulty. The consequent payment by the government of the interest, and a reimbursement annually of a portion of the capital, of the six per cent stocks, in the same money, would speedily raise them to par; a consequence which from their present prices here and in Europe may be considered certain. They might then be made to supply the place of coin, for the payment of bank notes, at their full par price invariably. This arrangement would be more simple and more favourable to the banks, than that we originaly proposed; and it would prevent the inconvenience-the only one we have heard suggested-which might arise from the different prices of those funds in the different states. Should specie payments be resumed, the banks could not for a long time venture to issue much more paper than they had cash to redeem, so greatly has their credit suffered in the public opinion; but by thie