with a cafe of piftols. The young woman went into her bed, and the apparition, at the hour of twelve, unlocked the chamber door, though the had taken the key in. There was no light in the chamber, and the room teemed in flames at the entrance of the apparition, who opened the curtain at the bed's foot, and faid, "Oh, Eliza beth, daughter of grace, how long wilt thou be obftinate? Comply with the divine command, and thou fhalt be the happiest of women. Thou art a chofen veffel, and from thee fhall iffue a fon, who fhall convert the heretic world to the Roman religion." The gentlemen were at firft fufpended how to act, and one of them haftily took up a piftol, and would have fhot the ghoft, had not the other stopped him, at the fame time feizing the apparition, and threatening it with immediate death if it did not confefs the whole contrivance. The gentleman found in his hands a creature completely armed in pafteboard coat of mail, the wings were pafteboard, and they difcovered the drefs to be rubbed all over with phofphorus. The family came in and detected in this angelic form a prieft, who had taken this fanctified method to fatisfy his carnal defires. They promulgated his fhame the next morning, and be abfconded, tranfporting himfelf and his villany to fome other kingdom. The Earl of S-- travelling incog. through France, came to an inn on the road where the Landlord, among other converfation, told him of an old castle, near his house, that was haunted, and that feveral who had rafhly ventured to go thither, had never fince been heard of. Then, fays the Earl, you will never more hear of me, for I intend to go to the caftle, and fpend the night there. Wheth er return or not, let me have a bottle of wine with me, and a boy to fhew me the way." The hoft fhewed him to the caftle, at the fame time delivered him the bottle of wine, and bid him a good night. It was not long before an apparition in black, refembling that form in which we reprefent a devil, appeared. The Earl of fered him a glafs of wine, which the other declined, waving him to follow him. The Earl complied, and laying down-the bottle and glafs, accompanied Mafter Lucifer through a winding gallery. The devil had a lantern, and when the Earl had arrived at the end of the gallery, the devil rung a bell and stopped, when both he and the Earl were fuddenly let down by a trap-door to the bottom of the caftle. The devil walked off with the light, and left the Earl difconfolate, not being able to difcover which way to get out; at length, groping, he touched an iron rail, which conducted him up a flight of ftone fteps, which he afcended, and heard men difputing very warmly concerning himfelf. Let him go the way of all flesh, fays one.Aye, aye, fays another, dead men tell no tales. By heaven, fays the third, I'll break your nob if you but think of it; I know him, and ferved under him; he's a brave worthy general, and is no lefs than the Earl of S. The Earl then knocked at the door, and being admitted, gave them his purfe, and promifed to keep the the matter fecret, till he returned to England. He was difmiffed, and returned to the inn, where the landlord was more furprifed at his return, than he was joyful at his efcape, referving to himself the mystery of it, and leaving the landlord to unravel it. TO THE EDITOR OF THE COLUMBIAN PHENIX. SIR, I SEND you inclofed the POLITICAL REVIEW, No. II. With your permiffion, I fhall continue the numbers. A LITERARY REVIEW, well conducted, would, I think, be of great importance to the public, and your work. My avocations would prevent me from being punctual, in this department; and were my abilities adequate to its fupport, my distance from the metropolis in which your magazine is published, and general unacquaintance with the great variety of publications in NewEngland, would preclude me from a task, which in my opinion might be attended with the best confequences, and which I should not decline, but for the reafons I have mentioned. As a diftant and unknown friend to you, a well wither to the cause of literature, and one who deems it of infinite importance to the public weal, I fhall take the liberty to fuggeft to you as an Editor, the propriety, if not the neceffity, in a Literary Magazine, of having this department regularly and ably filled by fome gentleman or gentlemen in your vicinity, of impartiality, difcernment, and independence of mind. Such there are in Bofton. I hope you and the public will reap the fruit of their labours. Mine under this head, will be but occafional. Yours, &c. THE LITERARY REVIEW. UNION. No. II. SUMMARY HISTORY OF NEW-ENGLAND, from the firft Settlement at Plymouth, to the acceptance of the Federal Conftitution, comprehending a general fketch of the American War, by HANNAH ADAMS. 1 Vol. 8vo. Dedham, Massachusetts, H. Mann.] THE value and importance of a work, like this under confideration, depends greatly, if not altogether, upon its accuracy in dates and the relation of tranfactions with fidelity and temper: This is a species of writing, in which genius is lefs neceffary than judgment, though we would not be under ftood as infinuating, that Mifs Hannah Adams is very deficient in either of thofe qualifications. It gives every generous mind, more fatisfaction to praife than cenfure, but to attach any ffrength or durability to that praife, it maft be given with caution, and directed with fkill: it will be our pride to take every warrantable occafion, to fuftain the caufe of literature, in this young nation, fo far as lies within our weak ability; and to make this work an incitement to public is at compofition, in profe and poetry, as well as a liberal record of the merit of works, originating and publifhed in the United States. Our fair author has commenced her work, with the difcovery of this continent, by Columbus; and continued the Hiftory of America in general, and NewEngland in particular, to the acceptance of the Federal Compact, in a feries of narration, in which are detailed, all the great and memorable occurrences, which have happened, in that intermediate and bufy space of time: and fhe is entitled to much credit, for the candid and difpaffionate manner, in which they are related; the views atrocity, brutality, and treachery, with proper fentiments of indignation; but fhe takes efpecial care, that her refentments, as an individual, fhall not be detrimental to her dignity as an hiftorian to an act of patriotifm, fhe annexes becoming commendation, and her applaufes have due force, as they are accompanied by moderation, and tendernefs, and modefty. Mifs Adams has conducted the effential part of this work, which depends upon compilation and felection, with much addrefs: it is evident, were it not acknowl. edged by herfelf, that he has made free and proper ufe of all the authorities, that have been given to the public, upon the fubject of American affairs; and a curfory but correct view is taken, of the progrefs of her establishments, laws, and morals; while under the dominion of the crown of Great-Britain, and fince her glorious emancipation. She has occafionally and aptly extracted the effence of defcription, from Belknap's Hiftory of New-Hampfhire; Trumbull's Hiftory of Connecticut; Ramjay's History of the American Revolution; Gordon's History of the American War; Mino's Hiftory of the Infurrection, and his continuation of Hutchinfon; Williams's Hiftory of Vermont: Sullivan's Hif tory of the Diftrict of Maine ; Morfe's Geography, &c. and in abridging certain parts of thefe able performances, fhe has prefented an affemblage of historical facts, which every person should be thoroughly acquainted with who refides in America, for their peculiar information and gratifi cation; and which all tranf-atlantic perfons fhould know, as forming a concife ftatement of the manners and viciffitudes of the new world. As a fpecimen of the ftyle of this performance, we have felected the following paffage; and particularly as it relates to the town and vicinity of Bofton. "THE inhabitants of Bofton, who had hitherto lived in affluence, were, by the bill for blocking up their port, deprived of all means of fubfiftence. They fuftained this fatal blow with inflexible fortitude; and their determination termination to perfift in the fame line of conduct, which had been the occafion of their fufferings, was unabated. "Liberal contributions for the diftreffes of the Bostonians, had been raised through America: and they were regarded as fufferers for the common caufe of liberty. The inhabitants of Salem, in an addrefs to Governor Gage, concluded with thefe noble and difinterested expreffions: By fhutting up the port of Boston, fome imagine that the course of trade might be turned hither, and to our benefit. But nature, in the formation of our harbour, forbids our becoming rivals in commerce with that convenient mart and were it otherwise, we must be dead to every idea of juftice, and loft to all feelings of humanity, could we indulge the thought of feizing on wealth, and raifing our fortunes on the ruins of our fuffering neighbours, "The people of Marblehead generously offered the merchants of Bofton the ufe of their harbour, wharves, warehouses, and alfo their perfonal attendance on the lading and unlading of their goods, free from all expenfe: the Boftonians were, by thefe meafures, encouraged and fupported in their oppofition to British tyranny." Having prefented this example of her fentiment and fpirit, which is commendable in both inftances, we hall take our leave of this author, for the prefent; in our next number, we fhall comment on fome points of her orthography, which is unquestionably more pure than is to be commonly found, even in fome example of much celebrity and learning. (To be continued.) TO THE CONDUCTOR OF THE COLUMBIAN PHENIX. SIR, As Mr. NOAH WEBSTER has taken public notice of a luminous appearance in the atmosphere, which occurred a few weeks fince, and was feen in New-Haven, &c. to the malignant influence of which he attributes the late peftilential vifitations on the continent; and by which prodigious discovery, he has frightened feveral very respectable and credulous families in my neighbourhood-I beg leave, through the channel of your very valuable publication, to reflore qiuet to their agitated minds, by communicating a brief account of an alarm that took place in London, from an apprehenfion fomewhat fimilar, and equally well afcertained: I must confefs that I am not fo philofophically profound, as to fee a man in the moon, nor a comet in a corufcation; yet I have wit enough, thank Heaven, to keep out of a ditch, and can fee as far into a mill-ftone as another. I am, Sir, your admirer, and all that, Hartford, Feb. 20, 1800. IN IN the year 1712, Mr. Whifton the captain of a Dutch fhip threw having calculated the return of a comet, which was to make its first appearance on Wednesday the 14th of Oct. at 5 minutes after 5 in the morning, gave notice to the public accordingly, with this terrifying addition, that a total diffolution of the world by fire, was to take place on the Friday following. The reputation Mr. Whifton had long maintained in England, both as a divine and a philofopher, left little or no doubt with the populace of the truth of his prediction. Several ludicrous events now took place. A number of perfons in and about London,feized all the barges and boats they could lay hands on in the Thames, very rationally concluding, that when the conflagration took place, there would be the most safety on the water. A gentleman who had neglected family prayer for better than five years, informed his wife, that it was his determination to refume that laudable practice the fame evening; but his wife having engaged a ball at her houfe, perfuaded her husband to put it off till they faw whether the comet appeared or not- -The South Sea Stock immediately fell to 5 per cent, and the India to 11 and all his powder into the river, that the fhip might not be endangered. The next morning, however, the comet appeared, according to, the prediction, and before noon, the belief was univerfal, that the day of judgment was at hand. About this time 123 clergymen were ferried over to Lambeth, it was faid, to petition that a fhort prayer might be penned and ordered, there being none in the church fervice on that occafion. Three maids of honour burnt, their collections of novels and plays, and fent to a bookfeller's to buy each of them a Bible, and Bifhop Taylor's Holy Living and Dying. The run upon the Bank was fo prodigious, that all hands were employed from morning till night in difcounting notes, and handing out fpecie. On Thurfday, confiderably more than 7000 kept miftreffes were legally married, in the face of feveral congregations.. And to crown the whole farce, Sir Gilbert Heathcote, at that time head director of the Bank, iffued orders to all the fire offices in London, requiring them "to keep a good look out, and have a particular eye upon the Bank of England." THE E A G L E. No. IV. OUR countrymen are generally We are taught by fome foreigners reprefented by Europeans, as a people, illiterate, and void of taste, whofe genius excels in ftriking a bargain, and whofe common purfuit is the acquifition of gain. of distinction, and our most eminent characters at home, to confider ourselves, as "the most enlightened nation on earth." Let us fee which of thefe dif ferent |