Of Mr. Neil's genuine piety, no doubt can be entertained, without impeaching the fidelity of his biographer; who, so far as circumstances would allow, has traced his history through the vicissitudes of his life. The con cluding parts contain moral and religious reflections, which have only a remote connexion with the narrative. Piety, in modern days, is not such a stranger to the ocean as it was in Mr. Neil's early years. His was, then, a half solitary incident, on which account it became remarkable; and of this fact the biographer has availed himself, to give publicity to his experience, his character, and his name. REVIEW.-The Natural and Medical Dieteticon, or Practical Rules for Eating, and Drinking, and Preserving Health, &c. &c. By J. S. Forsyth, Surgeon. 12mo. pp. 384. London. Sherwood & Co. 1824. We do not profess to have any profound acquaintance either with epicurism or the medical profession, but we understand plain common sense, and of this wholesome article, the work before us contains a fair proportion. The design of this treatise may be gathered from a well-written preface that occupies about twenty pages, in which the author strongly recommends a rigid attention to temperance, exercise, wholesome diet, cleanliness, clothing, and a salubrious air. To a negligence of these, or some of these, he conceives that the origin of very many disorders may traced. be The articles above enumerated, may be said to lay the foundation of the author's work, a considerable portion of which is devoted to an analysis of what may be rendered proper for use, and most beneficial under the various circumstances in which mankind may be placed. With an eye to this, he descants in a clear and perspicuous manner on the nutritive properties of various animal and vegetable substances, on all occasions directing the choice, by communicating information to the understanding. In families that wish to be guided by maxims of prudence, and to secure the health of their inmates, this book will be found highly instructive; and 83.-VOL. VII. THE heroine of this story is a young lady who was left a widow at the age of twenty-five, with an infant son, and but scanty means of subsistence. In early life she had married a splendid vagabond, who, having spent both his own fortune and her's, was killed while out on a fox-hunting party. In consequence of these disasters, the widow was compelled to quit her elegant mansion, and, on a slender pittance, take lodgings at a farmhouse, to which this book introduces us. During the calamities which afflicted her, she had been visited by observations had made a deep ima pious clergyman, whose seasonable pression on her heart, and led her to seek happiness in God. endeavours to be useful to the poor, Arriving at the farm-house, she with whom she is surrounded. Among these Rebecka, whom she instructs in the are two girls, Martha and duties of religion. Martha going to work in a factory, falls into bad company, apostatizes, and dies in misery, Rebecka marries a gardener, and lives the wife of a brutal soldier; while in comfort, and comparative affluence. The design of the book is to recommend religion, by shewing, in the examples selected, the effects of its influence, contrasted with the condi tion of those who know not God. The tale has very little incident; but wholesome instruction is blended with the amusement that it imparts. REVIEW.-Morning Meditations, &c. 12mo. pp. 208. London. Nisbet. To the varieties of character and form which books assume, there is scarcely any end. This before us consists of short meditations on numerous passages of scripture, interspersed with verses of hymns, and other scraps of poetry. Each meditation is contained on a single page, and between the 3 x subjects there is no other connexion | than that which uniform piety supplies. These meditations are an hundred in number, to one half of which is prefixed a text of scripture, and to the other some suitable poetical effusion. They present nothing to tickle the fancy, or to entice speculation to mount the wing. But what is of much more importance, they offer consolation to the distressed, and pour the balm of Gilead into the wounded heart. Review.-Political Miscellanies of Harlequin Proteus, Esq. 18mo. pp. 120. London. Whittaker. THERE can be no doubt that the name adopted by the author is fictitious, and all who read his compositions must admit that it has been well chosen; his pieces being about seventy in number, and accommodated to whatever happened to come to hand. In his more serious articles, we sometimes find an Harlequin mixture, corresponding with the divinity of the following lines, "Few were ber sins, and they shall be forgiven, Many the virtues, which her soul shall save;" while the wit, in his humorous scraps, frequently degenerate into puerility, as in the following couplet, sole king. But he was not content, he look'd above Why does not man then with abhorrence fly From her who lost his immortality? | "For surely there is an end." Solomon. In mortal frames encased; and soon as Death p. 85. In p. 101, "An Indian Chief's Dying Address to his Sons," breathes the true spirit of these untutored children of nature; and "the Three Ghosts," in p. 108, contains much sarcastic humour, and a proportionable degree of merit, but we have no room for more quotations or remarks. REVIEW.-The Bible Dictionary. 18mo. Those that pp. 155. London. Davis. THIS little work explains many words that wanted no explanation, and passes over multitudes, that are but partially understood. it contains, are arranged under the various parts of speech to which they belong, and divided into syllables, but without being accented. It is published by the Sunday School Union, for the use of children, and to this class of the community it is likely to be useful. REVIEWS. "The Christian's Inheribook of Scripture Promises, methoditance," (Booth, London,) is a placecally arranged, and running through about one hundred and sixty pages. To the sick, and such as are troubled with dejection of spirits, and given to despondency, this will prove a valuable companion. "Reading no longer a Task," (Longman and Co.) is a book for children just beginning to know the use of letters. It commences with their simple sounds, and then proceeds to lessons in words of two letters and upwards. The wood-cuts which it contains will please the infant mind. "Agnes Hall; or The Adopted Child," (Seeley, London,) is a respectable tale, containing pleasing narrative and wholesome advice. It is well adapted for a reward-book in Sunday and other schools. Portuguese galleon was attacked by several of our small barks, and Leva and Enriquet coming out to its aid, with three galleasses, were so battered by lord Thomas Howard in the Golden Lion, that it was with some difficulty they sheered off, and the galleasses have never since offered to fight. "The Cottager's Friendly Guide," (Sherwood and Co.) will prove instructive to those in the common walks of life, who need advice in the management of their domestic concerns, but of the very poor it takes little notice, except in the introduc-ance, but all in vain. tion. Most of the calculations are on too large a scale for the poor, and many among them will scarcely know how to reduce the proportions. It, however, contains many valuable articles. "On the following day, incredible numbers of English youth, in ships of it was agreed not to assault the enemy their own, came to join the fleet, but till they came to the Straits of Calais, where they cast anchor on the sevenand-twentieth day. The enemy were continually sending messages to the duke of Parma to come to their assist THE MANUSCRIPTOMANIAC. (Concluded from col. 911.) No. V.-The Spanish Armada. I SHALL now resume Everett's letters, after extracting them from my bookcase, in which they cut a most splendid figure, elegantly bound in green and gold, and forming a strange contrast to Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations," and Malthus's "Population," with some dozen replies to the latter, which are arranged on each side of it. They were the legacy of an esteemed friend. LETTER IV. "MY DEAR MARY, July 28th, 1588. "I am so overjoyed, that I can scarcely hold my pen.. Our arms have met with complete success; the Spaniards have fled, and cast anchor near Calais. There are no shipmates lost but one Cocks, on the 23d, who died gloriously fighting in the midst of his enemies. We levelled all our shot with certain aim against the high and lofty ships of the Spaniards, while their's flew harmlessly over our heads. We are all confident of victory. "The 24th was a sort of truce. Our fleet was divided into four parts, one commanded by Sir Francis Drake, another by the lord high admiral, a third by Hawkins, and a fourth by my uncle, sir Martin Forbisher. But on the 25th there was another battle. A the detail of these facts, but you must "I am rather dry and historical in expect nothing less, my dear Mary, from one who purposes to send to the press all this account, as I will, with the exception of my personal adventures, in my history of queen Elizabeth. Tell Moll Dawkins that her son is alive and well, and that he has not, as she anticipated, shewed any marks of cowardice. And now farewell, my dearest Mary, from your "RICHARD EVERETT." LETTER V. "MY DEAR MARY, Aug. 1st, 1558. 'It has turned out as I thought. The Invincible Armada is at length vanquished, and flying. The particulars shall follow. "The night after the Spaniards cast anchor at Calais, the lord high admiral (by command, it is said, of the queen) daubed eight of the worst ships of all the fleet, with Greek pitch and rosin, and then, having filled them with combustible materials, sent them, full sail, with a favouring breeze, down upon the enemy. The sight was awful. The wind augmented the angry glare of the flame, which rose to the highest parts of the ships, and cast an intense red light on the sea, like the sun sinking after a storm. There was something sublime in seeing these mountains of flame borne onward by the burning waves, while the moon, veiled behind a cloud, withdrew all other light from the contending navies. The lofty Spanish ships might clearly be discerned by the fierce light; each man in them stood black and high before us, in the glow of the fire. They were smitten with panic, as the eight barks came sailing down towards them; a wild scream from a hundred thousand tongues burst at once to the moonless sky; and the next moment the anchors were weighed, the cables cut, the sails hoisted, and the Invincible Armada flying before us. ability to read, it becomes, generally speaking, of less value. It is owing, no doubt, to the great attention which is now paid to the instruction of the rising generation, that, while we have no excess of operative mechanics, we do find a superabundance of persons capable of filling the higher de partments in the scale of servitude, and who are anxiously looking for situations of this description. "Providence had surely deprived our enemies of common reason, to ensure their defeat; for in that confused flight no counsel was taken, and some were carried to the North Sea, others to the coast of Flanders, whilst but a part rallied before Gravelines, under the command of the duke of Medina Sidonia, of Leva, of Ricaldos, and of others of the number of their bravest captains. They were instantly attack-not be one for the latter. ed, and with our usual success. They strove with all the ardour and desperation of men desirous to redeem themselves from scorn and disgrace, but in vain;-cool courage, and determined patriotism, can do more than infuriated madness. Some ships were sunk, some were shattered, and, on the last day of the month, they resolved to return to Spain. It has been recently remarked in one of our diurnal papers, that, suppose two advertisements were inserted, one for a person to write essays, and another for a cook, it is probable that, while there might be 100 applicants for the former situation, there would "I have other things to tell you, of less importance, but I am summoned, and have only time to state, that a speedy return to his Mary is now eagerly expected, by "Her affectionate Husband, "RICHARD EVERETT." Here ends the Bradgate MSS. (Bradgate MSS.) on the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The other manuscripts and books were of less interest and importance, and perhaps my readers are already tired with Richard Everett and his "deare Marie." They will not consequently be surprised to receive the intelligence, that with No. 5, closes the series of the "Manuscriptomaniac." Oct. 6th, 1825. ARTHUR HOWARD. STRICTURES ON EDUCATION. It would well deserve the appellation of Vandalism, not to express our cordial approbation of those efforts for the extension of Education, which distinguish the present age. We need not disguise the fact, however, that in proportion as education is extended much beyond the first elements, or the mere We may also ascribe to this, that fastidiousness which is often manifested on the part of employers towards their more confidential or responsible servants, and that sang froid with which the most respectable of servants, those who have most assiduously, and who most conscientiously endeavoured to promote the interests of their masters, are dismissed from their situations. This conduct must strike the reflecting reader as the reverse of that philanthropy of the day in which we live, in which, perhaps, we are too much disposed to exult, forgetting that all is not gold that glitters, even though the question of usefulness should remain indisputable. A man has, to the present period, held a respectable rank in society, without having received much remuneration for his services, beyond what was barely sufficient to supply the constantly recurring wants of himself and his family. He has arrived at the meridian of life, when his employer, beset, it is probable, with applicants, conceives the idea that a younger man would more efficiently promote his interests, or, at least, that while one was likely, in a short time, to relax in his energies, the other, it is probable, would improve. Far is the writer from supposing that there are not many persons actuated, towards their servants, by principles of a much more generous and liberal description; but he knows too much of mankind not to be fully satisfied, that this principle, whether admitted or not, or whether there be any consciousness of its existence or not, is frequently in operation, entailing, unless a gracious Providence sees fit to interpose, misery amongst a very deserving, and it may be added, in many cases, a very sensitive portion of society. This subject should teach an important lesson to parents. Without good connexions, a boy, brought up to an operative trade, has, in general, a much fairer chance of passing comfortably through life, than one who is brought up with a view to a situation. W. E. ON TEMPORAL FELICITY. TEMPORAL happiness depends, in a great measure, on trivial circumstances; and it may, in no small degree, be acquired by our constant endeavour to look on the bright side of the various incidents that occur. Simple as these remarks may appear, they are of more consequence than may be at first imagined; and the following facts will illustrate their importance: "I called one morning on Mrs. B. who has every blessing this world can bestow; but from her unhappy disposition, she turns all the incidents of life into so many sources of plague and vexation. On entering the room, I was saluted with-'So you are come at last!-but I cannot ask you to stay to dinner. Nobody living has my plagues!-never was such a house of confusion as mine! My woman and the butler have left me this morning;my cook is ill;-and two of my children have got colds:-in short, I am the most miserable woman in the world; and to add to my troubles, my eldest daughter has gone, and engaged herself to the assembly at W to-night; for which she shall not go to another; but whenever any persons can be of service to me, I always observe they get out of the way;-for my part, I was born, I believe, under some evil destiny, so maliciously do my stars--' Here I abruptly took my leave of this discontented shrew; as I found, by staying longer, I should only have increased her string of mishaps. dissipation and low pleasures. I found this worthy female singing to a little infant in her lap, with whom she was fondly playing, while, on a couch near the fire-side, lay three sick children. The moment this distressed friend saw me, joy sparkled in her eye, and a faint blush spread over her pale, emaciated cheek. She arose and ran to me. How great is my happiness to see you here! (she exclaimed.) You rejoice my heart by this kind visit! You must, however, excuse my homely entertainment; for my maid has left me this morning, and has carried off with her, not only all my household linen, but likewise all my little stock of plate:-can we dine (said she, laughing) without a table-cloth or spoons? You see I have only little Fanny to wait on me ;-but for that very reason, we shall be more snug and happy by ourselves; we will be social, and talk over old stories. These three poor little children you see asleep here, have been ill; but as their disorder now intermits, in a few days I hope they will be well. Come, Fanny, prepare our frugal meal;-it shall be a cheerful one, however.' I spent the day with this excellent woman,-admiring the noble resolution with which she supported herself under the real calamities of life; whilst the silly Mrs. B. in the midst of all her affluence, excited only my contempt." SLAVERY AND THE WEST INDIES. MR. EDITOR, SIR,-Permit me to ask for a little further indulgence in your valuable Imperial Magazine, by the insertion of the following remarks: Mr. Bluster is just arrived from the island of Jamaica! He is big with astonishment; his soul overflows with indignation, at the very idea of the emancipation of the slaves! "Emancipate the slaves!"-" then are the West Indian islands lost for ever to England!"-" The West Indian islands can only be held by England, so long as the slaves are held in slavery "In my way home I called on Mrs. by the planters." This is the orthodox P. an amiable young woman, for whom doctrine of West India! Every adI have long had the utmost compas-vocate for abolition, in Mr. Bluster's sion; as she is in very distressing circumstances, with a large family of young children, and has an idle sot for her husband, entirely given up to estimation, is either insane or an idiot. Mr. Bluster did not think it worth while to pack up, or bring over, any other arguments than this, to prove |