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Mr. Denbeigh, with that delicacy of attention which is peculiar to a few chofen minds, provided for me an apartment in a detached houfe, where my Hindoo fervants were furnished with every requifite for preparing our fimple meals according to the religion and cuftoms of our country. To this apartment I retired during the dining hour of the family; and by the time I returned, I found that an acquifition had been made to the happy party of united friends, by the arrival of the two married daughters of Mr. Denbeigh, accompanied by the hufband of the eldest. The countenance of this gentleman juftified the character given him by Denbeigh, of worth and good-nature. He was bred to bufinefs, and has by induftry and application, obtained an ample fhare of the gifts of fortune, which he enjoys with cheerfulness, and beflows with the franknefs of a generous heart. His wife feems happy in his affection, and in the enjoyment of a degree of good temper equal to his

own.

The countenance of the fecond fifter bears a ftrong refemblance to that of my friend; it fpeaks a foul endowed with fuperior powers; a more refined feufibility, a more lively perception, a more cultivated tafte. When the arrival of

her husband (who had been detained by the bufinefs of his profeffion, which is that of a phyfician) was announced, I marked the emotion of her fpirits. She prefented him to her brother, with an air that feemed to demand his approbation of her choice; nor was she disappointed the appearance of the young man was too prepoffeffing to fail of making an immediate intereft in the favour of my friend, whofe fentiments were no fooner perceived by his fifter, who eagerly watched them in the expreffion of his countenance, than her eyes fparkled with delight.In a few minutes more, my friend had the pleasure of embracing his two brothers: the eldeft, who is a year his fenior, is now prieft of the neighbouring village. A man of mild afpect, and gentle manners. At an early age, he made a facrifice of ambition to love, and married a young woman, whose dower was made up of beauty and good

temper.

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Of the numerous offspring with which fhe has prefented him, the two eldest refide with their grandfather-the youngest has but two days feen the light; and all the others their uncles have promifed to provide for. So that the good man looks with a fmiling afpect upon futurity.

The youngest brother of my friend, is a Profeffor of the Art of Surgery. A dapper little gentleman, with a fmart wit, and perfumed handkerchief. His brother Henry fays, he is a little affected by a diforder called Puppyifm, but that he has fufficient ftamina in his conftitution to conquer the disease; which, it feems, is a very common one at his time of life.

Never did Calli*, in the progrefs of his eventful journey, behold a happier circle than that which now furrounded the hearth of Mr. Denbeigh. When I faw them fit down at the fupper-table, I began to think the cuftom of focial meals not altogether fo ridiculous as I had hitherto confidered it. At the conclufion of the repaft, the cordial with of health was mutually exchanged; and a glafs filled with generous wine, was preffed to the lips of each, in token of fincerity. The cheerful fong went round: every voice was in unifon to ftrains of joy, and every countenance was irradiated with the fmile of fatisfaction. Before they parted for the night, the old gentleman, according to a very ftrange cuftom of his own, knelt down in the middle of his family, and while the tear of joy ftrayed down his venerable cheeks, offered up the facri

* Time.

fice of thanksgiving to the throne of the Eternal!

Alas! this poor gentleman is not fufficiently enlightened to perform poojah to System. He has never been convinced, that vice and virtue are only qualities of imagination; and is deplorably ignorant of all theories, fave that of a good confcience.-Nor has his wife advanced one step farther than himfelf, towards throwing off the prejudices of Chriftianity. And what is ftill worfe -the manner in which they have rivetted these prejudices in the minds of their children, fcarcely admits a hope, that any of them will ever become converts to Atheism, or have fufficient fpirit to exchange the morality of their Shafter, for the doctrine of external circumftances. On making enquiry of my friend concerning the cause of this phenomena, he informed me, that his father and mother, who were of different fects of Christians, agreed, that the religion taught their children fhould not be indebted for its fupport to the peculiar dogmas of either; but fhould chiefly reft on the authority of that Shafter, which has fo deeply incurred the difpleasure of the philofophers. His mother was the daughter of a prieft of the fect of Diffenters, who had beftowed fuch particular pains on the

cultivation of her understanding, as actually qualified her for conducting the education of her own children.

It is, perhaps, to this uncommon and extraordinary circumftance, that the children of Mr. Denbeigh are indebted for many of thofe peculiarities which at prefent diftinguifh their characters. It is from this caufe, that the daughters have become learned, without lofing their hu mility that they are gay, without bcing frivolous: that in converfation, their fprightliness is free from the lightness of vanity, and their fenforioufnefs from the arrogance of felf-conceit. Mrs. Denbeigh, not confidering the prefervation of ignorance abfolutely neceffary towards the perfection of the female character, never fent her daughters to the feminaries that are established for that purpose, but fuffered them from infancy to partake with their brothers in every advantage of folid inftruction.-Being early taught to make a juft eftimate of things, they learned how to value the performance of every duty; nor was their intention towards thofe annexed by cuftom to their fituation, lefened from a confideration of their fimplicity. In their minds the torch of knowledge was too fully lit, to lead to the dangerous path of fingularity, into which unwary females have by its

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