is faid to be in partnership with his former cook, in an ordinary, at Ham. burgh, where he himielf acts as a traiteur. A ci-devant princefs lodges in a two-pair of ftairs room, in my own neighbourhood. A female, one of the baute Nobleffe, has just receiv. ed, with gratitude, a few caps and gowns for her children, from a friend of mine; and finally, a near relation of my own has, within thefe few weeks, actually purchafed a Farrenftich gown, wrought by the hands of a lovely comtee, who once figured away amidst all the fplendour of the luxurious and diffolute court of Verfailles.

If we are to give credit to an English newspaper, no lefs than thirty-three priests have died of want, in confequence of their allowance being withdrawn. Many of the monks, in the primitive ages, were obliged by their inftitutions to learn trades,

in order to contribute to their own
fupport; and I myfelf know, that
three or four French priests have fet-
tled in the neighbourhood of Hamp-
ftead, where they earn fufficient to
maintain themfelves comfortably.
Their chief employment is in toys,
jewelry, &c. I have feen fome gold
ear-rings, finished by them, in a man-
ner that would do no difcredit to our
beft workmen. A prieft lately re-
fused a prefent, although offered to
him in the moft polite manner, fay-
ing, that he maintained himfelf by
means of a turning loom. On the
other hand, a ci-devant profeffor at
the Lyceum affured me, that on re-
turning from Wandsworth, he was
unable to pafs the Thames at Batter-
fea, because he had not a halfpenny
to pay the toll, and was actually
obliged to go round by Weftminster-
bridge, where there is not any taxle-
vied on paffengers.

ODE ON HIS MAJESTY'S BIRTH DAY, June 4. 1796.
BY HENRY JAMES PYE, ESQ. POET LAUREAT.

WHERE are the vows the Mufes breath'd,

That Difcord's fatal reign might cease?
Where all the blooming flow'rs they wreath'd,
To bind the placid brow of Peace;
Whofe angel form, with radiant beam,
Pictur'd in Fancy's fairy dream,

Seem'd o'er Europa's ravag'd land,

Prompt to extend her influence bland,

Calm the rude clangors of the martial lay,

And hail with gentler note our Monarch's natal day?

For lo! on yon devoted shore,

Still thro' the bleeding ranks of War,

His burning axles fteep'd in gore,

Ambition drives his iron car.

Still his eyes in fury roll'd,

Glare on fields by arms o'er run,
Still his hands rapacious hold
Spoils, injurious Inroad won.

And fpurning with indignant frown
The fober Olive's proffer'd crown,
Bids the brazen trumpet's breath

Swell the terrific blast of Destiny and Death.

Shrinks Britain at the found?, tho' while her eye

O'er Europe's defolated Plains the throws,

Slow

Slow to avenge and mild in victory,

She mourns the dreadful fcene of war and woes.
Yet if the Foe misjudging read
Difmay, in Pity's gentleft deed,
And conftruing Mercy into Fear,
The blood-ftain'd arm of Battle rear;
By infult rous'd, in just resentment warm,
She frowns defiance on the threat'ning storm 3
And far as Ocean's billows roar,

By every wave-encircled fhore,

From where o'er icy Seas the gaunt wolfe roves
To Coafts perfum'd by aromatic groves,
As proudly to the ambient Iky,

In filken folds her mingled croffes fly;
The foothing voice of Peace is drown'd
A while in War's tumultuous found,

And trains from Glory's awful Clarion blown,
Float in triumphant peal around BRITANNIA's Throne.
A SCRAP CONCERNING THE CHINESE.

THE great Cang-hi, who in his at
tempts on his country refembled
Peter the Great, but without his fuc-
cefs, though he was equally fenfible
of the fuperiority of the Europeans,
and would have willingly introduced
them among his fubjects, caufed two
glafs-houses to be established at Pe-
kin with European workmen; but
it does not appear that they were
continued after his death, or that
they promoted the ufe of glafs thro'
out the empire. At leaft the win-
dows are still supplied with paper or
oyfter-fhells, and their mirrors are of
white copper. Of all our glafs wares
they esteem none but fuch as are pre-
pared for dioptrical ufes. Since glafs
was fo early found out as to have the
Phoenicians for its inventors, and is

not yet introduced among the Chi nefe; it fhould feem that they did not obtain thofe arts which they have in common with us, from abroad, but found them out themfelves. Accordingly the arts with them are nearly what they were at first, and the inprovements of them are about 300 years behind our's. Books that treat of grammar, of nature, and their civil hiftory, geography, household management, mechanical arts, morality and politics, they have in great numbers,and are not wanting in poets; but of fpeculative fciences they know nothing: their philofophers are only expofitors of the books of Cong-futzu; and their priests only teachers of the dreams of the Budda or Sommona Coddom. DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW. THE 'HE Caftle of Dalhousie, a build-, ing of great antiquity, conftructed in the old Scottish tafte, is plea fantly fituated on the northern bank of the river South Efk, which runs at a few yards distance from the foot of the walls. This caftle was modernifed by the proprietor, the late Earl of Dalhousie, and has thereby loft much of its former venerable af pect. Sir Alexander Ramfay of Dal

houfie, who lived in the fourteenth century, is celebrated as one of the braveft warriors of that age. The Scottish youth were emulous of learn. ing under him the art of war. His gallant behaviour at the battle of Otterburn is celebrated by Froiffart.— He was appointed by his fovereign Warden of the Borders; and from envy was treacherously murdered by Douglas of Liddisdale.

RE.

REMARKS ON THE CONDITION AND CHARACTER OF THE PEASANTS AND CLERGY IN RUSSIA.

FROM LETTERS FROM SCANDINAVIA.

MANY circumstances make it probable, that, with all the fupport government can below, the progrefs of knowledge will not fpeed ily become extenfive in Ruffia. The ftate of the country is highly unfavourable to its general diffufion. The flavery in which the pealants are held, checks the fpirit of improvement in that numerous body of men. A man who can gain nothing by becoming wifer than his fellows, will hardly be tempted to take much trouble in acquiring fuperfluous accomplishments, or in beftowing them. on his children. A Ruffian peafant has nothing that can ftimulate him to the purfuit of knowledge. He fees himself fixed to a particular fpot, from which he can have no hope of removing; and furrounded with beings ignorant and brutish like him. felf. His induftry, if he has any, is ftrictly and permanently appropriated. So many days in the week, and fo many hours in the day, he knows he must labour for his mafter: and, be his own neceffities what they may, he is fenfible that this portion of his time must not be encroached upon. If he poffefs horfes or cows, or inftruments of his occupation, a large portion of what he can earn by them goes to the ufe of his mafter. If he has a wife and children, these also are but partially his own: his mafter may command their fervices when ever, and in whatever manner, he pleases. He is hardly permitted to fir from his hut without his mafter's leave, nor can he earn a fingle morfel of bread without his permiffion. If his children are to be taught any trade, it is the mafter who orders what that trade fhall be, and who fhall be the teacher: if they are to go to fchool, the mafter fends and Ed. Mag. June 1796.

removes them at his pleasure; and if they wish to marry, they must do it agreeably to his commands. In a' word, a Ruffian peafant depends on his master for every thing. He cannot, it is true, be fent out of the world without the forms of law; but, by the negative which every mafter poffeffes againft the marriage of his people, he may be prevented' from coming into it; and when once he has got in, his life may be made as burdenfome as tyranny and caprice can defire.

It is to be expected that a power thus fhamefully unlimited, will be often as fhamefully abufed. Accordingly the dominion of the nobles over their flaves is leaft pernicious when it is leaft active-when it leaves the peafant to vegetate in hopeless indolence.

If it is exerted to infpire him with induftry, it confiders him merely as a machine which does more work according as it is impelled with a greater force; or as a beast of burden, which is forced to exert its ftrength, by the fpur and the whip. The improvement of the minds of the peafants is a project which has not yet entered into the plan of the Ruffian landholders; it is a project that would be generally confidered by them as chimerical, if not pernicious. The villainous policy of defpotifm has commonly laboured to degrade those whom it would govern; and to guard, with the most jealous circumfpection, every approach through which light may break in on thofe whom it doom's to bondage and darkness. In confequence of this odious fyftem, the peafants are trained to confider themfelves as beings of an inferior nature; as mere inftruments in the hand of their master, who ought to have no 3 G

will