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and others who knew little or nothing of even the French language. During the war, our English rulers were not entirely neglectful of considerations of this kind. Humble as my situation has been on the stage, I have several times received (free of any expence) packets and parcels, containing popular songs, &c. with polite requests from persons of consequence, that such songs might be sung at my different Theatres. I remember having a number of Mr. Dibdin's songs sent to me many years ago: by the bye-I think the character of an English sailor has been (if not formed) at least greatly fashioned by the influence of Dibdin's songs. The sailor has been taught to think and to be (what he often is) "All as one as a piece of his ship !""A Lion in battle, and afterwards a lamb !" and "when on board"-he "braves all! dreads nought!" for he knows that "There is a little cherub that sits up aloft to keep watch for the life of poor Jack !" I think the English Navy, as well as the English nation, have thus been greatly served by Mr. Dibdin.

Nay further,-by his "Soldier Dick," and a few other songs, the army too was complimented; but not in an equal degree: It remained for Mr. O'Keefe to do justice to the army. In the Highland Reel, a character called Serjeant Jack, had promised a girl, what he thought a trifle, a lottery ticket! but news reaches him that the said ticket is drawn a prize, He hesitates for a moment, and then speaks thus-" Poor Girl!-she seems uneasy, because she and her sweetheart are to be parted, on account of their not being able to raise a small sum of money! Poor thing! now

this ticket-this prize, would make 'em both happy! I've a great mind to - I never before had it in my power to do a generous action, and I should like to know how a man feels after having done one. A sailor would do it, why not a soldier? It shall be so! Look you my good girl, before I knew this paper was worth twenty pounds, I promised it you for a kiss. Here, take the money, 'tis yours; and though my mouth waters for a kiss, pay it to the lad you love!

Before I quit this subject, I cannot do otherwise than make a few remarks on the moral impressions that are made on all minds, and especially on the minds of the middle and lower ranks of the people: we will again instance the sailors. 'Tis well known that they have generally a certain degree of impatience about them, when listening to advice, or put under any degree of restraint. They hate what they call "palaver" of any kind and one of their characteristic songs expresses their opinion of the discourse of a chaplain thus-"My timbers; what lingo he'd broach and belay !" "Why, 'twas just all as one as high Dutch!" Thus going to church is too often "High Dutch" to such characters! But when they are at their ease, with perhaps, a pipe in their mouths, and a can of grog before them; at such times to hear, tolerably sung, a good moral song, such a one as the " High mettled Racer;" it has a tendency of the best sort. As it has been said of the writings of Sterne: such songs and sentiments come unlooked for, they "Play round the fancy, and come at once upon the heart," before the hearer is prepared, and therefore have the better effect

I have, under similar circumstances, seen the " High mettled Racer" draw tears of commisseration down the rough cheeks of sailors and mechanics, who, till then, seemed to have no feeling and humane stuff about them!

I have very often seen similar effects by similar scenes in a Theatre: I am therefore fully convinced of the great utility of all kinds of rational amusements. In the year 1816, I published a Poem, in which were lines to the following purport.

Search thro' all ages,-thro' all times long past,
Each age improves,-gets wiser than the last.

To these lines I then attached the following observations; and I always feel some degree of pleasure when I find previous opinions verified by time and circum

stances.

In former ages, though knowledge at certain periods progressively advanced; yet at other times it too frequently retrograded and but for the happy and glorious invention of the Press, mankind would not have arrived at their present enlightened way of thinking. Perhaps--(though I am scarcely willing to believe it) -Perhaps there are in the world, narrow, gloomy, selfish persons, who think it a pity that mankind ever were enlightened; and so it might be a pity, did not cultivated minds lead us to hope that time will produce better results; and let those who are against improvements,-let them be assured that but for such inventions as the Press, and other consequent methods of improvement, they who are most averse to them,

might possibly never have been raised to the rank which they at present sustain. Let them pause and reflect awhile on this: How are they certain that they would have been amongst the happy, but limited number, blest with access to literary collections, the most ready means of acquiring knowledge. While all the means of acquirement (more especially books) were accessible only to the learned; and confined for the most part within the libraries of the recluse, or the cloisters of the clergy; or into the still worse keeping of bigotted pedants! then, too, the best interests of society, the progressive advancements of true knowledge, were kept on a very precarious footing, and liable to be perverted, or overthrown by the cunning artifice, vicious propensities, fiery zeal, furious passion, or irritated revenge, of some mad monarch, or ambitious tyrant: who, perhaps, is ever dreading the loss of his power; from his self-conviction of having done sufficient enormities to make the bulk of mankind hate his person, detest his rule, and at all times most studiously anxious to avail themselves of any opportunity of recovering the freedom and other blessings he had robbed them of. While such was the condition of society, most lamentable were the consequences! Instances are on record where whole libraries (the accumulated knowledge of ages) were burnt or destroyed by the command of jealous or infuriated despots! and, perhaps, the common people were told (as on many other occasions) that it was for their good that such destruction was made! That books, and all such modes of giving information, were not blessings, but absolute curses, circulated for

the purpose of drawing men from their duties, and calculated to make them unhappy, poor, brutal, slavish, and miserable. Such things have been said, such things have been done, or, it is probable that the world would have arrived centuries ago at its present pitch of knowledge, liberal feeling, and philosophical research. But now it is to be hoped-thanks to Providence that by the means of the Press, knowledge has spread so far, and so extensively wide, that it is not in the power of any isolated despot (however vicious his inclinations) it is not in his power to effect the mischief that was formerly done; every successive year circumscribes the abuses of arbitrary rule, and in a certain degree attenuates the worst evils that can possibly arise from capricious or despotic governors. It is the circu→ lation of general knowledge that can alone secure the wholesome enactment of good laws, and the pure and regular administration of them.

Free and liberal Institutions would not suit a debased and ignorant people: and, on the other hand, in the present state of enlightened Europe, a ruler of any kind, or by whatever name he might choose to designate himself, would be obliged to "assume a virtue," even if he had it not; and to regulate his conduct according to the best opinions of those who had most knowledge, and held the most predominant situatious in society.

Great events of any kind, great battles on land, great victories at sea, important debates and revolutions. of cities, districts, countries and empires. These, as well as the natural convulsions of the earth, and changes that take place in different parts of the globe;

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