"New-York, Dec. 1st, 1802.

"Thanks be to Providence, my dearest Mercer, the weather since you sailed has been uncommonly fine, and though we have now a north-easterly storm, I trust you are out of its reach. I have followed you constantly with my thoughts, my affections, my prayers. Though I cannot think without: apprehension and gloom of your encountering the dangers and lonely terrors of the deep, yet I believe. that your resolution and your virtue will bear you up in cheerfulness and good spirits; at any rate, before this letter reaches you, you will have landed in the country of our forefathers; and in the various and interesting scenes which open to you, you will find ample compensation for the fatigues of your voyage. Accuse me not of repining, if I say, that I long to be with you: to travel with such a friend-to share with him the exalted pleasure of contemplating the beauties of nature, and the sublime productions of art-of viewing the manners, and beholding the eminent personages of one of the most celebrated countries in the world-would almost be the height of my earthly ambition."

When Mr. Mercer called on Dr. Boucher to present the letter which was written by Mr. Hobart for information in regard to the history of the Episcopal Church in America, he was gone on a journey to the west of England.

The manner in which Mr. Mercer was received by his family, and the agreeable picture which he draws of his domestic arrangements, character, and habits, will not, perhaps, be unacceptable to the reader.

"London, July 29th, 1803, "Leicester Place.

"Since my return from France I have spent my whole time in London, with the exception of only two excursions, one to Windsor, Eaton, Twickenham, Richmond, and Kew; and the other, to see Dr. Boucher, at Epsom. The Doctor and his wife were from home. She had accompanied him in a visit to Cumberland, which he had been induced to undertake by the advice of his physician. He had been recently alarmed by a paralytic stroke, which had injured his speech. It did not otherwise affect his health, which has been uncommonly good for a man of his advanced age. His step-daughter, the child of his present and third wife, who is about eighteen, received me very politely; and she and her young companions induced me to spend the greater part of two days at Epsom. A young Scotch linguist, and a clergyman of the same age, appeared to be inmates of the family. There was a young lady from Cumberland, the niece of the Doctor, who had been making a long visit to Epsom, and two other ladies, one of whom was the governess of the little girls who are placed under his instruction. I dined in the school-room, and became quite domiciliated in this hospitable and respectable mansion before I left Epsom. I believed, for a moment, that I saw the old patriarchal simplicity revived; and I felt deeply interested in the journey which the venerable head of this amiable family was performing. His garden, his grounds, his house, his library, and the affection with which he seemed to be regarded by all around him, gave me

a very pleasing view of his character. They told me that he used to say, that his three temporal blessings were his family first, his books next, and his garden. He preserves an affectionate remembrance of our country. His daughter pointed out to me many American plants and trees which he had nurtured with great care. I was particularly pleased with his library, which is the largest I ever saw in a private house-it must contain five thousand volumes. The most interesting object in it was a pile of quarto manuscripts, two feet high, which comprised, I was told, the first part of his Archæological Dictionary. The unfinished remainder, 1 understood, would occupy as many more, and require his unremitting attention for several years. All the books, amounting to six or seven hundred volumes, which he had consulted in the course of his labours, were neatly arranged in the middle of his library, on a separate stand of shelves. The linguist, who went with me to the library, and who represented the Doctor in his school during his absence, told me that he had occasionally assisted him in his work; and his niece, who came in while we were conversing, to see what had become of me, said that she had written some part of those manuscripts. This amiable and ingenious young lady, who is a native of Ireland, had also assisted him in selecting the words peculiar to her country and the west of England, which she now calls her permanent residence. From the windows of his library the Doctor has a prospect of some of his American trees, and of a beautiful green surrounding a sheet of clear water; this is itself en

compassed by a walk, consisting of a double row of evergreens and tall trees, which obstructing the view of every outward object, must peculiarly dispose the mind to abstract study. I bade adieu to this charming retreat and this worthy family, which reminded me sorrowfully of my distant home and friends, on the evening of the second day after I entered Epsom."

Mr. Mercer went abroad at a time of great political excitement in this country, when the two parties which divided it blended all domestic questions with foreign partialities and dislikes; the one inclining to favourable views of England, the other to an enthusiastic admiration of France. That time has happily passed by, and with a greater degree of national character and feeling among ourselves, there is also much more of impartiality and justice shown towards others. He visited

England with unfavourable impressions, which, notwithstanding a few agreeable circumstances that he met with, were for the most part confirmed. In replying to some communications on this head, Mr. Hobart endeavours to combat his prejudices, both in a serious and playful strain.

"New-York, July 9th, 1803. "I can enter perfectly into the state of your feelings with respect to the English. You never were very partial to them, and the selfish pursuits and pleasures of a dissipated commercial metropolis are not well calculated to increase your esteem for them. In London you certainly see the English character at the worst. Among the

genteel country families, I am told, it wears a very different and far more amiable aspect. The English are certainly not quick in their feelings-it is not easy to obtain a place in their hearts-they even view strangers with jealousy till they find them worthy of their esteem; but I have always supposed, that when a person once obtained a familiar footing with them, they would go great lengths to please him. And they certainly possess, above every other nation in the world, the means of doing so. It is one thing to possess those qualities that in an instant seize upon your affections; it is another, to possess those that preserve and increase permanent regard. The pride of the English may be inordinate and repulsive, but it is a pride that disdains affectation, that scorns to use the easy coin of professions, that refuses to take to the bosom every person whom they see, at the very instant that he makes his appearance among them. Scrutinizing and suspicious, they weigh character, and then extend regard in proportion to merit. I am persuaded that, were you thrown out of those selfish and cunning circles in which business now leads you to move, and to remain some time out of the metropolis, your amiable heart would find those on whom it would repose. Did I wish to flirt away a few weeks, to awaken and gratify my volatile feelings, I would visit France. Did I wish to obtain permanent enjoyment, to expand my mind where the most noble principles, the most useful pursuits, and the most solid virtues have flourished for centuries, I would take up my abode in England. I was particularly pleased with your account of St. Cyr