warmth, "I have feen many a bear led by a man, but I never before faw a man led by a bear." Once, when Mr Bofwell was mounted upon a horfe which he had brought pretty low by riding the county (as it is called) for an election, and was boafting that he was a horfe of blood, "I hope fo," faid fhe, "for I am fure he has no flesh." Mr Bofwell has a collection of her good fayings under the title of Uxoriana.

He continued at the Scotch bar, with occafional, and indeed generally annual vifits to London, for many years, as his father was averfe to his fettling in the metropolis. But there his heart was fixed, and we thall fee that he in time yielded to his inclination.

In 1781, when Mr Burke was in power, that celebrated Gentleman thewed his fenfe of Mr Bofwell's merit in the warmest manner, obferving, "We must do something for you for our own fakes," and recommended him to General Conway for a vacant place, by a letter in which his character was drawn in glowing colours. The place was not obtained; but Mr Bofwell declared that he valued the letter more.

In 1782, by the death of my Lord, his father, he fucceded to the estate of Auchinleck.

In 1783, when the extraordinary Coalition of heterogeneous parties took place, and Mr Fox's Eat-India Bill had been thrown out, and the country was in a ferment as to the monarchical part of our Conftitution, Mr Bofwell was very active and very fuccefful in obtaining Addreffes to his Majefty, and published "A Letter to the People of Scotland on the prefent State of the Nation," which had much effect, and of which Mr Pitt, then and ftill Prime Minifter, thus expreffed himself, in a Letter to Mr Bofwell: "I have obferved with great pleafure your zealous and able exertions in the

caufe of the public in the work which you were fo good as to transmit to me."

In 1785, an attempt having been made to diminish the number of the fifteen Lords of Seffion in Scotland, Mr Bofwell confidering this as a violation of the Articles of the Union, and befides a very pernicious measure, wrote on this occafion another "Letter to the People of Scotland;" which was fo perfuafive and forcible, that many of the counties of North Britain affembled, and entered intofuch refolutions against the scheme, that it was given up.

In 1785 Mr Bofwell published a "Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnton, LL. D. ;" a work fo well known, and fo fucceffful, that it is unneceffary to lay any thing of it.

He had at an early period entered himfelf as a student of the Inner Temple, and from time to time kept his terms; and having no longer the fear of dif pleafing his father, he determined to try his fortune in Weftminster-hall, and was called to the bar in Hilary Term 1786. The following winter he removed his family to London.

His ambition in refolving to try his fortune in the great world of London, was thus fan&oco by a letter to him from Dr Samuel Johnfon, which exLibits at once a cautious and encouraging view of it.

I remember, and intreat you to remember, that virtus eft vitium fugere; the first approach to riches is fecurity from poverty. The condition upon which you have my confent to fettle in London is, that your expence never exceeds your annual income. Fixing this bafis of fecurity you cannot be hurt, and you may be very much advanced. The lofs of your Scottish business, which is all you can lofe, is not to be reckoned as any equivalent to the hopes and roffibilities that open here upon you. If you

fucceed,

facceed, the question of prudence is at an end; every body will think that done right which ends happily; and though your expectations, of which I would not advise you to talk too much, fhould not be totally answered, you can hardly fail to get friends who will do for you all that your prefent fituation allows you to hope: and if after a few years you fhould return to Scotland, you will return with a mind fupplied by various converfations, and many opportunities of enquiry, with much knowledge and materials for reflection and instruction."

Mr Bofwell had not been long at the English bar when he was elected Recorder of the ancient city of Carlifle, and foon after his learned and refpectable countryman Dr John Douglas was appointed Bishop of the Diocefe. These two promotions gave occafion to the following epigram:

❝ of old, ere wife Concord united this Ifle, "Our neighbours of Scotland were foes at "Carlisle;

which are attained by the want of public virtue in men born without it, or by the proftitution of public virtue in men born with it. Though power, and wealth, and magnificence, may at firit dazzle, and are, I think, most defirable; no wife man will, upon fober reflection, envy a fituation which he feels he could not enjoy. My friend (my Macenas Atavis edite regibus) Lord Mountftuart flattered me once very highly without intending it."I would do any thing for you (faid he) but bring you into Parliament; for I could not be fure but you might oppofe me in fomething the very next day."-His Lordship judged well. Though I fhould confider, with much. attention, the opinion of fuch a friend before taking my refolution;-moit certainly I fhould oppofe him in any measure which I was fatisned ought to be opposed. I cannot exist with pleasure, if i have not an honeft independence of mind and of conduct for though no man loves good cating and drinking, fimply confidered,

"the border,

"Recorder."

Finding this Recordership, at fo great a distance from London, attend ed with many inconveniencies, Mr Bofwell, after holding it for about two years, refigned it.

It was generally fuppofed that Mr Bofwell would have had a feat in Parliament; and indeed his not being amongst the Reprefentatives of the Commons, is one of thofe ftrange things which occafionally happen in the complex operations of our mixed Government. That he has not been brought into Parliament (as the phrafe is) by fome of our great men, is not to be wondered at, when we perufe his public declaration in his "Letter to the People of Scotland" in 1785. "Though ambitious, I am uncorrupted; and I envy not high fituations

the luxury of all the statefmen who play the political game all thorough."

He offered himself as a candidate, at the laft General Election, to reprefent Ayrshire, his own country, of which his is one of the oldeft families, and where he has a very extenfive and a very fine place, of part of which there is a view and defcription in Grofe's " Antiquities of Scotland." But the power of the Minifter for Scotland was exerted for another perfon, and fome of those whofe fupport he might reafonably have expected could not withstand its influence; he therefore declined giving his friends the trouble of appearing for him; but has declared his refolution to perfevere on the next vacancy.

Upon all occafions he has avowed himself to be a fteady Royalist; nay, has had the courage to affume the

title of Tory, protesting, that fince his prefent molt gracious Majefty's generous plan of annihilating the diftinction of political parties has been fruftrated, and there are fome who keep up the cant appellation of Whigs, the true friends to the Conftitution in Church and State fhould meet them with the oppofite name, as Tories. Mr Bofwell, however, in the pamphlet jult quoted, thus liberally writes: "I can drink, I can laugh, I can converfe, in perfect good humour, with Whigs, with Republicans, with Diffenters, with Independents, with Quakers, with Moravians, with Jews. They can do me no harm. My mind is made up. My principles are fixed. But I would vote with Tories, and pray with a Dean and Chapter.

In 1789 Mr Bofwell experienced a moft fevere affliction in the lofs of his valuable wife, who died at Auchinleck on the 4th of June that yea, leaving him five children; two fons, Alexander, now at Eton, and James, at Weftminfter School; and three daughters, Veronica, Euphemia, and Elizabeth. This melancholy event affected him very much; for it deprived him of the woman he loved, and the friend he could trust. He had recourse to piety for relief; but his expreffion of what be felt was, "There is a wound

which never can be entirely healed. I may have many gratifications, but I fear the comfort of life is over."

He however did not refign himself to unavailing grief, but endeavoured to diffipate his melancholy by occupation and amusement in the Metropolis, in which he enjoys perhaps as extenfive and varied an acquaintance as any man of his time. We find him at length extremely gay, and occafionally exercifing his poetical talents. At the last Lord Mayor's Day's feftal board he fung with great applaufe a State Ballad of his own compofition, entitled, "The Grocer of London," in praise of Mr Pitt's conduct in the difpute with Spain, a Convention being juft then announced. He is generally believed to be the Author of a Poem of fome

length, entitled, "No Abolition of Slavery; or, The Univerfal Empire of Love," which came out while the Slave Trade Bill was depending in Parliament. But his attention to the business of Westminster-Hall has been chiefly interrupted by his great literary work, in which he was engaged for many years, "The Life of Dr Johnson," which he has at lait published, in two volumes quarto, and which has been received by the world with extraordinary approbation.

very fmooth, like fine plaister used for the cielings of rooms. The compofition being thus made, care must be taken to prepare the tree properly for its application by cutting away all the dead, decayed, and injured part till you come to the fresh found wood, leaving the furface of the wood very fmooth, and rounding off the edges of the bark with a draw-knife, or other inftrument, perfectly smooth, which must be particularly attended to. Then lay on the plaifter about oneeighth of an inch thick, all over the part where the wood or bark has been fo cut away, finishing of the edges as thin as poffible. Then take a quanti ty of dry powder of wood-afhes, mixed with a fixth part of the fame quantity of the afhes of burnt bones; put it in to a tin-box, with holes in the top, and shake the powder on the furface of the plaifter, till the whole is covered over with it, letting it remain for half an hour, to abforb the moiftare; then apply more powder, rub. bing it on gently with the hand, and repeating the application of the powder, till the whole plaifter becomes a dry fmooth furface. All trees cut

down near the ground fhould have the furface made quite fmooth, rounding it off in a small degree, as before mentioned; and the dry powder directed to be fed afterwards fhould have an equal quantity of powder of alabafter mixed with it, in order the better to refit the dripping of trees and heavy rains. If any of the compofition be left for a future occafion, it fhould be kept in a tub, or other veffel, and urine of any kind poured on it, fo as to cover the furface; otherwife the atmosphere will greatly hurt the efficacy of the appl cation. Where lime-rubbish of old buildings cannot be eafily got. take powder chalks, or common lime, after being flaked a month at leaft. As the growth of the tree will gradually affect the plaifter, by raifing up its edges next the birk, care fhould be taken, where that happens, to rub it over with the finger when occafion may require (which is best done when moistened by rain,) that the plaiiter may be kept whole, to prevent the hair and wet from penetrating into the wound. WILLIAM FORSYTH.

every thing that can render the enjoyment of life more exquifits, or add to its fplendour, but they had acquired all the fantallic taftes formed by the caprice and extravagante of wealth.They were of confequence highly delighted with those new objects of gra tification with which India fupplied them in fuch abundance. The productions of that country, natural as well as artificial, feem to have been much the fame in that age as in the prefent. But the taste of the Romans

ia