You may, perhaps, imagine, that the fociety of a young and lovely female, fuch as is Mils Julia Ardent, would be a dangerous trial to a man of my fenfibility. But, alas! my friend, you know not how effectually the mixture of infipidity and haughtinefs can blunt the arrows of Cama! It is perhaps, for this reafon, and to preferve the hearts of young men from the influence of female charms, that thefe qualities are fo carefully inftilled at the feminaries of female education, which were defcribed in such true colours by the good Bramin Sheermaal. I was, at that time, too much blinded by the mifs of ignorance, 10 give credit to his report.-I had read the Chriftian Shafter, and was it not natural for me to fuppofe, that all who called themselves Chriftians, were guided by its precepts? From it I learned, that Chriftian women were not prohibited from the cultivation of their understandings; and how could I conceive, that fashion fhould lead them to relinquifh fo glorious a privilege? How could I imagine, that Chriflian parents fhould be fo much afraid of the improvement of their female offspring, as to give encouragement to feminaries formed on purpose for the exclufion of knowledge? It is true the information of Sheermaal, might have inftructed me

in these things, but to the heart that is filled with prejudice, Wisdom lifteth up her voice in vain.

Nothing but experience could have convinced me, that the cultivation of the rational faculties, fhould, among the Chriftian women of England, be so rare, that no fooner can one of them emerge from the depths of ignorance, than fhe is fufpected of affuming the airs of felfimportance and conceit. If the has the knowledge of a school-boy fhe is thought vain of her learning. Nor are there many men of fenfe among the Chriftians, who would not prefer to the converfation of fuch a woman, the impertinent tattle of the frivolous, the capricious, and the ignorant. Nor is this much to be wondered at, when we confider, that, by the pains taken, from the earliest infancy, to fap the foundation of every folid improvement, the imagination becomes fo much stronger than the judgment, that of the small number of females who, under all the difadvantages of cuftom and prejudice, dare to diftinguish themfelves by the cultivation of their ta'ents, few fhould do more than exchange one folly for another :-fubftitute the love of theory, for the love of drefs-or an admiration of the mental gewgaws of flimfy fentiment, and high founding decla

mation, for that of trifles of another kind.

But though I confefs my error, and acknowledge, that I deceived myfelf in extending my notions of Christianity to every Christian, and of excellence to every female, of England, I ftill fee fome who amply juftify the expectations that were formed by my fanguine mind. In Lady Grey and her daughters, I find all that I had expected from the females of their country; all that my friend Severan had defcribed.

With them, arrived the two youngest daughters of Sir Caprice Ardent, one of whom has received her education under the care of Lady Grey, while the other has to her Aunt, Mifs Ardent, been indebted for her inftruction. At first fight, one is ftruck with the fimiliarity, of their features. They are both beauteous as the opening rofe-bud, when the dew of morning trembles on its leaf. The eyes of each, fparkling with vivacity, are dazzling as a bright dagger fuddenly unfheathed. They are both fhaped by the hand of elegance, and both move with the fame degree of grace. Yet, notwithstanding this fimilarity, the oppofite characters impreffed by education is vifible in each. While over the graces of Mifs Caroline, is thrown the bewitching veil of timidity,

and her every action is bound in the filken fetters of decorum; the adopted daughter of Mifs Ardent fpeaks her fentiments with an energy that has never known reftraint. Though open to conviction, and ready to confefs error with the candor of a noble mind, fhe yields lefs to the authority of perfons, than to that of reafon; and it is eafy to perceive, has been early taught, that to be weak, and to be amiable, are two very different things.

An incident which occurred to the three fifters, in the courfe of their morning's walk, will ferve to illuftrate thefe obfervations upon their characters.

It appears, that having ftrayed into a narrow lane, they were frightened at the appearance of a horfe and cart, coming towards them fo quickly, as to leave them no other method of efcaping, than to climb a steep bank, and to get over the pailing into their father's park,-Mifs Olivia, with the activity of an Antelope, led the way, and, with fome difficulty, affifted her fifters to follow her example, Juft as he had prevailed upon the terrified Mifs Julia, who long infifted upon the impoffibility of her making the attempt, they beheld near them an old man, who excited by the fereams and promifed rewards of Mifs Julia, attempted

to lay hold of the horses. Toftop them, his feeble efforts were ineffectual! the animals were too ftrong, and too fpirited, to be managed by his aged arm. After a fhort struggle, the horfes fprung over him and in a moment the mangled and bleeding body was difcovered lying, to all appearance, lifelefs, in the track which the cart had paffed.

Mifs Julia redoubled her efforts to efcape; the fucceeded, and flew to the houfe, which the no fooner reached, than, as is customary with young ladies upon fuch occafions, fhe fainted away. When fhe had fainted for a decent length of time, fhe screamed, laughed, and cried alternately and continued long enough in the second stage of fright, called An Hyfteric Fit, to draw round her the greatest part of the family. Indeed, there was full employment for them all. One held to her nofe a bunch of burnt feathers; another chafed her temples with a drug, called Hartfhorn; a third held to her lips drops and cordials, while the reft ran about the room, opening the windows, ringing the bells, and giving directions to the fer

vants.

While we were thus engaged, in flew Mifs Olivia. But what a figure! The few tattered remnants of her mufin robe, besmeared with blood, ftreamed in the