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magnificence, unconfcious of its warming other climes, or fructifying a different foil; nor did he dream of other lands, or another race of beings; but imagined that all creation was comprifed within the narrow circle of his vifible horizon.

In the prime of life, when the hearts of men are contaminated with juvenile vices, Love was the only paffion which could difturb the ferenity of his foul. The amiable Yarro was the object of his tender defires. He firft met her in a walk of bamboos, on the purple banks of a fine river, when her fable beauties kindled in his bofom the flame which could only be extinguifhed with his exiftence. A ftranger to artifice and diffimulation, he wooed her with the irrefiftible eloquence of nature; fhe heard his honeft, fimple tale, and yielded her hand without reluctance or diftruft. Their hovel was fheltered by the leaves of the branching palm; between two trees was fufpended their hammock of hemp, and their kitchen furniture confifted of a variety of calabashes, curiously carved with a fharp flint by his own hand, and arranged on their ruftic fhelves in the most regular order. Many years of domestic felicity paffed away, without a fingle misfoutune to ruffle their repofe. While Orra, with his net on his shoulder, fought the shore, iu order to fecure the next meal's fupply, Yarro dug a hole in the fands, kindled the flames to roaft the fish caught the preceding evening, and ferved them up on the leaves of the banana, against his return. While they

wandered in the enchanting meadows on the borders of the logwood foreft, or amidst the labyrinths of citrons or fugarcanes, every eye beheld them with pleasure, and every tongue pronounced them happy. But what mortal ever drew the lot of perfect happiness? Some intervening cloud will overcast the brightest day!

One morning Orra beheld with astonishment a large ship approach nearer the fhore than he had ever yet feen one approach. A boat, filled with men, foon reached the island: he viewed them with attention-he exercifed his reafon-he compared them with himself; and, on making proper allowances for drefs and colour, was convinced they were beings of a like fpecies with himfelf. He felt himfelf interested in their wants, which by figns they made known to him. For the three preceding days they had fuffered all the horrors of thirft; he commiferated their fufferings, led them to the purest spring, and affifted them in filling their casks, and rolling them down to their boat. He then conducted them to his hut, and introduced them to his Yarro, who laid before them every delicacy in her power to procure.

At the fhut of evening they returned to their fhip; and for several mornings Orra ran to the beach to congratulate them on their arrival, and fhew them fresh inftances of difinterefted kindnefs. One morning he waited for them in vain the fun had gained its meridian height, and no boat appeared; penfive he re

turned

turned to his hat; but alas! it wanted its brightest ornament! every utenfil was placed in the niceft order; but his beloved Yarro was not there! He threw himself on the earth in agony, calling on the Zombies to restore him his love; then frantic with grief, ftarted up and ran into the woods, inquiring of all he met if they had feen his Yarro?" I faw her," said one of the natives, ftruggling with the new beings you entertained, at the mouth of yonder creek, who took her on their long raft, and paddled out to fea before any one could come to her relief." A fudden palfy fhook his nerves, his face was difcompofed, his eyes rolled fiery red, he drew his breath with pain; he curfed his own credulity, and the perfidy of his ungenerous guests, who, he now no longer doubted (more cruel than the Zombies!) were the authors of his prefent misfortune; whom, in the bitterness of his foul, he called favages and barbarians! but when the ftorm of rage and grief fubfided, he remained the gloomy victim of cool and fettled defpair.

Seven days elapfed, and on the morning of the eighth, as his eyes, dimmed with grief, wandered over the vast expanfe of waters, he beheld a boat urged by the furf among the rocks and breakers. His bofom at firft was fwelling with indignation at the fight of beings of the fame kind as his late ungrateful guests, and he for a moment vowed eternal enmity to all their race! "Their fouls are frangers to pity," thought he;" they feel not for

e woes of others; therefore

let them perish, and their crimes be upon their heads!" But when they made iguals of diftrefs, his generous nature melted into com. pathon-"I have not another Yarro now to lofe," recollected he; "my own existence is not worth preferving--but fhall I fee my fellow-creatures perifh, and not extend a hand to fave ther > No! If they are ignorant and ungrateful, I will teach them, by my example, to be generous and merciful!" With this he affembled his friends, who joined to aid the crew, and drew their boat up in a place of fafety.

Amidst this fcene of terror and confufion, a female of his own complexion, with uplifted hands. implored affiftance. `Orra rushed forward, and enjoyed the fupreme felicity to fnatch from the jaws of fate his dearest, his best beloved Yarro! All the mingled paffions overwhelmed their fouls; clafped in each other's arms, they were unable to exprefs their tranfports, but by mutual filence and mutual tears! Rapture now gave way to curiofity, and from the lips of Yarro he was now informed that his former perfidious guests had watched an opportunity, and put in the back of the ifland, while Orra was waiting their arrival on the oppofite thore; they reached his hut in his abfence; forced away the ftruggling victim, and conveyed her fafe on board their ship.

On the fecond day a ftorm arofe; the veffel ftruck on a rock, and every foul, fave Yarro and another, perished. These were picked up by the boat of another fhip; in a few days after, this veffel was likewife diftreffed for

fresh

fresh water; and at the perfuafions of Yarro, who offered to direct them, they fent off their

vice and ingratitude fhall meet their punishment, even in the accomplishment of their moft fan

boat to her native ifland in queftguine wishes Nor let the fons of that effential article, while fire of polified fociety pride themat the fame time fecretly indul, felves on their fuperior endow ged the pleafing hope of again ments, and affectation of refined effecting her efcape to the mourn feelings, but learn that domestic ing friend of her bofom. tenderness and univerfal philan-, thropy may be the growth of every clinte, unaffifted by the pomp of philofophy, or the ped antry of education.

Such, and fo mysterious, are the difpenfations of Providence. Thas hall virtue and humanity be their own reward, in the act of rendering good for evil; and

TO THE EDITOR OF THE COLUMBIAN PHENIX. SIR,

If the fugitive productions of a leifure hour will be of any fer

vice to your Magazine, you are welcome to make ufe of the following. Perhaps you may be troubled hereafter with the pro

ductions of

W.

"Some prejudices are ornamental and useful" IMPARTIALITY is a noble attribute in the Deity, and in a certain degree ornamental to man. He who can, on every occafion, be really impartial, may command our esteem; he has no title to our warmer affections. He has nothing to do in the sphere of focial life, and can experience none of its charms.

ed among the virtues, shoot up and flourish with them in the fame happy foil. Were every man to choofe his bride upon the cold calculations of an old bachelor, the human race would become a univerfal fect of ftoics, and celibacy the order of the day.

We fometimes ridicule the blind, exceffive partiality of the parent for the child, and the lover for his mistress; but without this amiable weakness, we might look through the world in vain for a fmile. Rigid impartiality is but another name for apathy; hypocritical is ftill worse.

Some prejudices, if not rank

Could the mother view her children with the fame eye of indifference that the churlish pedagogue does his pupils, the face of her infant would be a difgufting fight, and the trouble of rearing it an infupportable burthen.

If there were no fuch thing as family pride and family prej. udice, parental authority would foon decay, and most houses be

come

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come a scene of domestic fac- forever fluctuating between their own half-finished ones, and none at all.

tion.

Were it not for that attachment to our own foil, called the love of country, the patriotifm of every man, instead of remaining a vital principle in the heart, would, like that of the French, intoxicate the brain, and quit the individual, to grafp at the whole, till it ended in the deftruction of the human race.

In politics, as well as religion and morality, the mind fhould have some established principles, on which it may ret with fafety, and to which it may always recur with pleasure. On these fubjects, nothing can tend more to the deftruction of individual happiness, or the injury of fociety, than too refined fpeculations. They were not defigned for theoretic fyftems, but for practical duty. They belong to the province of feeling and upon them our feelings, under the guidance of fobet reflection, will generally reafon right.

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But there are many, who never reflect. Such had better be furnished with the fecond-hand opinions of others, than to be

What is fuperftition? Was it ever that haggard, voracious monster, defcribed by the tinfel eloquence of modern reformers? It is not only compatible with religion; it is the firm champion that stands at the door of her temple, while the lefs potent weapons of reafon are too often employed in mutual conteft, by the comparative few who are well-informed; and fometimes deal a deadly wound, by an im prudent effort in a needlefs de fence.

Superftition is the fame to pure religion that patriotifm is to enlarged philanthropy. They are the grades towards perfection to which all may arrive, but which the law of our nature permits but few to pafs; where the mafs of mankind may repofe their morals, peace, and happinefs with fafety; but if they pufh their rafh career beyond, in quest of an ideal millennium, however alluring the profpect, the experiment will end in certain ruin.

W.

DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF

LONDON.

[From a late London Publication.]

LONDON is fituated in lati- and three in breadth, befide a

tude 51° 31' north, longitude 5' 37" weft from Greenwich, 5° 16' 23" eaft of the opening into the Mediterranean from the ocean. The town is large for an European town, being in a body about five miles in length,

C

number of rows of houfes lining each fide of the roads going out from it. The greatest part of the town is fituated on the north fide of a river called the Thames. The ground on which this part ftands, is a hill, which

rifes

rifes with a quick afcent from the bank of the river, and then gradually, although unequally, to the northwest, which is the most elevated part. The river on the fouth fide is confined by an artificial bank, the ground on that fide being flat; but the water does not stagnate in fuch of the ditches as are fuffered to have the tide flow through them; wherever that is admitted it fcours them clean, and carries off much filth; but there are many ditches from which the tide is fhut out; and they are always loaded with putrid matter. On this fide ftands a confiderable part of the town called Southwark, which, including the parifh of Chrift-church, and part of Lambeth and Newington, is a body of near three miles by one. On the north fide of the river, London reaches along the river fide to the weft, until the river leaves the bottom of the hill, and turns to the fouth. Above this, the river is confined between artificial banks on both fides, and is lined with houses till it runs through two old towns, Weftminfter and Lambeth.

London is furrounded, befide the houfes which line the roads, with many large villages.

The river Thames runs through a valley, upon a bed of the gravel of flints, and probably clay under it, for many miles above and below London. The valley is bounded on both fides by hills not exceeding 400 feet in height. Where the river runs in the middle of the valley, it is fecured by artificial banks on both fides, which have lafted longer than the memory of hiftory, extend

ing in all more than thirty miles. Thefe banks, when the river washes the bottom of the hills on either fide, are only continued on the oppofite fide. When not increased by either rains or the tide, the river is about a quarter of a mile broad, not more than twelve feet deep, and now and then, in very dry seasons, it has been forded by horfes. The tide in this river flows above fifteen miles higher than London. At London it rifes at fpring tides from twelve to fourteen feet. The water is very pure fome miles above the town; near the town it is mixed with mud, and contains a fufficient quantity of mucilaginous matter to putrefy. When preferved in casks, it purifies itself by putrefaction, and remains afterwards more pure, but it never purifies fenfibly in the river, nor in the cifterns in which it is fometimes kept for a few days for ufe. At the lower part of the town it contains a little fea falt, when the tide is at its height; but this does not reach to the middle of the town. Its

Specific gravity is the fame with that of diftilled water. The inhabitants are fupplied with this water, which is pumped up by feveral engines, principally worked by fire, into their houfes.

The town is also supplied with water by an aqueduct, which is brought from near twenty miles diftance, from the north, through a

canal of about thirty-fix miles in length. The water of this aqueduct is alfo pure, and unless when heavy rains bring down mud, it is bright and clear, and does not putrefy on keeping.

Its

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