vations on those who were too in- To the EDITOR of the LAD tent on their own bulinefs to pay any attention to her; fhe, therefore, walked round the card-table one night at the houfe of a particu-. lar friend of her father's; the faw him conceal a capital card, to the difadvantage of her mother, who was his opponent in the game, and as Mrs. Counter, who felt her lofs more keenly than fome people, the expreffed herself pretty ftrongly; upon which her daughter ran to her, and told her in a whifper that fhe faw Mr. Trickfey hold that card all the time, and wondered that nobody had taken notice of it. "Hush, hush! cried Mrs. Coun». ter; huth Caroline! you must not fpeak of fuch things." Caroline, who thought he had done the best thing in the world to ferve her mother, looked abashed, and hung her head, after fhe came home, as if he was very much hurt at having been reproved by her mother, who was very fond of her, and forry to fee fuch a change in a girl naturally of a fprightly temper. What's the matter, my dear," faid Mrs. Counter, "are you unwell?" "I am very well, mama," replied fhe; "bur you chid me before all the company only for telling you that Mr. Trickfey was the caufe of your lofing the rubber, and I could not help being vexed, as I did it to prevent your being ferved fo another time." By heaping coals of fire upon its head. Thus is this virtue elegantly ex preffed by both. It certainly is th great fpring which fhould influenc our conduct to each other. wifh well to our fellow-creature to ftrive to affist them in trouble o neceffity, ought to be implanted i the breast of every member of focia life. We were created to promot happiness and pleasure to all around Us. Active life is the fphere o virtue; it is there the fhines, lik our fun in the meridian, diffufing light and warmth to all about it.To comfort and relieve objects of real diftrefs, and, as an elegant writer (Dr. Blair) obferves, " I we cannot dry up the failing tear to foothe at least the grieving heart, is what our divine inftructions command us to perform. To melt with coals of kindness thofe obdurate hearts which will not be foftened by any other means. Thefe are arts which every man ought to adminifter to man. These are cordials which, when taken in their proper time, will operate effectually. This is living up to the advice which St. Paul meant by this his expreffion. Remarks on the Manners and Amusements of London. Every man, at the close of his life, Your humble fervant, munications, yet as you have obferved that epiftolary correfpondence is next to converfation, I fhall lofe no opportunity of converfing with you; and I dare fay you will think that that converfation must be very agreeable to a woman where flie has it in her power to fay all, without any interruption, as you may when you answer me. 39 fhip must break down, or be interrupted. The manners of London, my dear, are fo different from those of any other place in the kingdom, that in very few refpects will they bear a comparifon, I mean as to the nature of them; but a preference as to their fuperior goodness or badness I doubt not has been given according to people's various tafles and difpofitions. One reafon why the manners of London differ from thofe of the reft of the kingdom is, that in the country you are one undivided, compact, and united fociety. Excepting certain differences of natural difpofition, you refemble one another fo clofely that a foreigner would not greatly err were he to take the character of the whole people of England from that of any confiderable village in the country where he had long refided but then he would find that that character could by no means be applied to the people of London, whom, by the my call Londoners, and in that name include the inhabitants of London and Westminster, . But he who fits down to characterize the Londoners finds himfelf exceedingly bewildered, for they are the most heterogeneous mafs of people that any one part of the world contains.-can you wonder at this, when I tell you that the You expect from me news, and real Londoners, that is thofe who remarks, and obfervations, and I were born in London, and whofe know not what; but do not let your parents were born there too, are expectations rife too high; for al- generally fuppofed not to make though remarking on the manners above one third of the prefent inha of thofe around me has been a prin- bitants of the metropolis. Every cipal part of my employment fince county in England has furnished I came here, yet I know not if I its thousands to fupply Londou, have the happy talent of communi- every town its hundreds, and every cating these remarks in fuch a man- paltry village its tens. Scotland ner is to do credit to myself or af- has, from time to time, exported. ford you much inftruction. But a above one third of the whole in. truce with apolog es, for they place habitants of that kingdom, to fup. a bar between friends, which friend-ply the London market. The pro portion more inhabitants than a ΤΟ borough has voters. portion of Irish is alfo very con- | compofed a little village, or ha fiderable, though by no means equal to the Scotch or Welch.-Add to this, which altogether makes a number almoft incredible-add to this, I fay, that there are many thousands befides from France, Holland, Spain, Germany, Italy, and every nation in Europe. Of these few, comparatively fpeaking, are birds of paffage, they do not come here to fpend a little money, and return. They are not travellers from pleasure, idleness, or curiofity. They come here as to a place where, of all others, induftry is most fure to make its way, where genius is encouraged, and where abilities properly directed are fure to have fair play. Of these frangers (in which name I include all who are not natives of London) many thousands acquire comfortable fituations in trade, marry with the natives, and thus produce a mixed breed, that, if there be any thing like hereditary merit or demerit, confifts of the good and bad parts of all nations, kindreds, and tongues. Hence, for I am certain that it must be from this caufe-hence that infinite variety of odd and eccentric characters which we every day meet with; and hence over the whole mafs, there is an irregularity of character, which we cannot extricate from contradictions, and which we cannot reduce to any certain definitions, or traits. Many, I know, have attempted this, but they have merely defcribed their own fet, the people they live moftly with, and, indeed, what man fhall be capable of giving a decided character of eight hundred thoufand people, not the hundredth part of which he ever converfed with. I have been fometimes aftonished at the effrontery of fome people, whe, You know, my dear Eliza, I have refided here many years. attain the character of the ped was much an object with me, and effect my purpose, I knew of better way than to mix with mer all ranks into which I could poffi gain admittance. This I have be able to do. I have joined in foo ties of all forts, from thofe of v high, to thofe of the lowest, or most the lowest, rank. I have join in their amufements, their feat their walks, their conversation their evening parties, and the morning parties. I have converf with many individuals, of all kin and degrees; and, in a word, havi much leifure for fuch purfuit I have fought a knowledge of th people wherever I thought I cou find it, and never thought that ind vidual too infignificant, from who I could glean fome small addition t my fund. And after all the pains I hav taken, and the knowledge I hav acquired, for I must fay I have ac quired much, very much, I trembl to advance a decided opinion, t point out the diftinguishing features or ftrong lineaments of the London ers, far lefs to trace the finer touches and more minute colourings of na ture and education. After all, 1 repeat, I am doubtful whether 1 do know thefe circumflances, fo as to be able to dafh my pencil hither and thither, as fome natives and fome foreigners have very wantonly done. To be capable of all this cannot be the acquifition of one man. It must refult from a comparison of the accounts of various obfervers, founded on actual experience, and laid down with candour. Now I fpeak of foreigners, I may after refiding a few months in Lon-obferve, that they generally take don, have affected to give a characer of this great peop!, as if they their character of Great Britain from what they fee in London, and from Remarks on the Manners and Amufements of London. 41 for a very obvious reafon, because London is the only place where they rende.-But, London only, is not the place to learn the character of the English, becaufe, as I have obferved above, the manners of the Londoners are very different from the manners of the people in any other part of the kingdom. are diverted with the antics of creatures juft caught, as their phrafe is. But their kindness and hospita lity fine through all their harmless merriment, and they foon adopt us as their own. They confider us as rough diamonds-I mean the best of us, Eliza, and they polith us to their own luftre and brightness; every flaw is removed, and this polish conftitutes a Londoner. Human nature, indeed, is the fame every where in this respect, every man that breathes is our bro Do you doubt this?-Pick me Our two raw Yorkshire lads, let the one remain in Yorkshire, and let the other be fent to London; after three years compare the two together; in one you can difcover no percept-ther, whether on the banks of the ible alteration, but what three more years may have added to his perfon or his fenfe; but look at him who has been for that time in London, and no two human creatures will appear fo different; the latter, you will find, is a new man entirely, his drefs, his manners, his language, his fentiments, and his tafte are all different, and all fuch as the country lad can have no idea of. And why this change upon him who has refided in London, and is no older, nor wiser than the other? Because he has imbibed the character and habits of a Londoner. Then, fay you, what are thefe manners and habits? I can only anfwer, the two young men are before you. Compare them, and give the preference as you pleafe; but you fee a vaft difference between them, and that difference you muft fee, for I cannot describe it. Don't ask me, Eliza, which has gained or loft moft in thefe three years. This I cannot refolve, but I will fuppofe they have both tetained their moral qualities, and yet the contrast between them fall be as great as ever. The Londoners certainly may pride themselves on making fuch changes on us country folks. They confider us in a humane and favourable light; they laugh at us at fift, call us bumpkins, and, for a time, VOL. XXI. Thames or the Ganges; whether fhivering in Greenland's winter, or parched with Tranfatlantic heat; in all, nature is the fame.-O! that education were fo, that all men were taught the value of themselves in the great fcale of life, that they early conceived a love of virtue, and enjoyed a freedom from debafing fervitude! But no digreffions!-In London, Eliza, you fuppofe there are idlers, and your fuppofition is just; but the verieft London idler is a bufy being when compared to an idler in the country. Idlenefs with you literally means doing nothing.Now in London, al! men are bufy; for I fhall for a moment, banish the diftinction between idleness and business. I fay all men here are bufy-An idler, the greatest idler you can pick out, is bufy from morning to night, and goes to bed as much fatigued and as ready to partake of ficep, as any plowman or day-labourer. We call them ide because we have no other word, but the original meaning of the word idle, is to far forgot, that we frequently speak of an idle employment, or an idle bufinefs, which according to the true meaning of the word, would be a contradiction in terms. What then are the employments of an idler? A thoufand-The man that is difpofed to be idle, has a thou a thousand inviting objects before him, all tempting him, and fometimes fo equally that he remains fufpended in the middle, like Mahomet's tomb, or (the comparison is more to my purpose), like the afs in the fable, who peritled between two bundles of hay, or want of refolu. tion to attack either. Not fo, our idler, however; he may remain in doubt for a while, but his great eneiny time joggs him on the elbow, and he makes his choice, among coffee-houfes, auctions, exhibitions, entertainments, plays, operas, concerts, balls, and many other things, in the conftant purfuit of which I am fure the fatigue that must be experienced is as great as any labourer or tradefman can boat, for it wearies and jades the fpirits, as well as exhaulis the body. In all this, my dear, 1 confider an idler as free trom moral turpitude. He is a pure idler, but no rake. If he joins profligacy to the rest of his amufements, his butinefs is great indeed, and will speedily be brought to an end. Have you then, Eliza, any nefs like this in the country? No, your idle hours or days are periodi. cal a few plays, a race, or corpo. ration ball, a wedding, &c. compofe your whole ftock of pleafures. The reft you muft feek for yourfelves; you must make amufement; here you have it ready made, and dreiled every day in all various ways, to fuit all appetites. A third Letter from a Father My dear Child, Na former letter, I treate IN You your duty to God; in this I f briefly confider thofe relative d which you owe to your neigh and yourself (agreable to a prom made you in my laft.) now fuperior to the trifling levi of a child, and arrived at a time life, to know how to fet a juft va on your time, and the importance a virtuous line of conduct. Your o good fenfe (in which, thank h ven, you are not wanting) will truft infpire your mind with fu laudable purfuits, becoming the d nity of a rational being, and ren you worthy to become," a memb of Chrift, a child of God, and inheritor of the kingdom of He ven." | Your duty to your neighbour, to love him as yourself, and to do every one, as you would they fhoul do unto you; not to injure the re idle-putation of any one, by flander o evil fpeaking, or to hurt them eithe by word or deed; and to fuffer n malice or hatred to lurk in the fecre receffes of your heart. It is a duty incumbent on you, to act with kind nefs and benevolence to all around you, to comfort the troubled mind. to heal the broken heart, and bind up the wounds of your fellow-crea. tures under affliction; and chari. tably affift the fatherless, and the poor and needy, as far as your abi. lities will admit. "A new com. mandment," fays our blefled Saviour, "I give unto you, that ye love one another; by this fall all men know that you are my difciples, if But it is time for the prefent, to .conclude-In my next you shall have a continuation of my remarks general they must be candid they al-and as true, if poffible, as the affection I bear to you, or the fincerity with which I fubfcribe my felf Your friend, And uncle, C. ye love one another." Never rafhly cenfure or judge the actions of any one, and be always ready to forgive, as you hope to be forgiven, and be econ |