1817.] 

 went. If we attempt to compute the 

 capital Slink by destruction of grain, the 

 mind can. hardly pasp ideas so vast, so 

 accumulated ; and, it' to this we add in- 

 terest upon interest, by simple progres- 

 sion, how enormous tiie amount ! To 

 these sums let us subjoin how much 

 might have been gained in successive 

 centuries by increasing the proceeds 

 in commerce, and by circulating at 

 home the millions sent abroad for the 

 purchase of corn ; and we cannot for a 

 moment hesitate to admit the impor- 

 tance of securing grain from its vora- 

 cious enemies. 



Might not a demand for cattle be 

 created, and voyagers benefited by aug- 

 menting tiie quantity of portable soup, 

 laid in as sea store? Many formers 

 would be thankful to get their stock 

 reduced by sale at a very moderate 

 price ; and perhaps there never has been, 

 or may occur again, an opjiortunity so 

 favourable for making an ample pro- 

 vision of portable soup. The lively in- 

 terest you take in all that can benefit 

 your fellow-beings, assures me you will 

 jrant au early place to these imperfect 

 hiflts. Th. N. R. 



To the Editor of the MoMhhj Magazine. 

 SIR, 



ENCOURAGED by your having in- 

 serted, in the Monthly Magazine 

 cf last month, a letter from Mr. Webb, 

 containing some coincidences of expres- 

 sion between that very popular poem, 

 ** the Grave," and Lee's plays — 1 beg to 

 annex you another passage, which ap- 

 pears to have been pillaged. 



Line 88— - 

 friendship ! mysterious cement of the soul ; 

 Sweet'ner of life, and solace of society, 

 I owe thee much. Thou hast deserved from 



me, 

 Far, far beyond what I can ever pay, 



Oh, when my friend ^nd 1, 



In some thick wood have vvander'd heedless on, 

 Hid from the vulgar eye ; and sat us down 

 Upon the sloping cowslip-cover'd bark, 

 Where the pure limpid stream has slid along, 

 In grateful errors through ihe underwood 

 Sweet murmuring ; methought the shrjll- 



tongued thrush 

 Mended his song of love ; the sooty blackbird 

 Mellow'd his f ipe, and soften'd every note ; 

 The eglantine smell 'd sweeter, and the rose 

 Assum'd a deeper dye ; whilst every flower 

 Vied with his fellow plant in luxury 

 Of dress. Oh ! then the longest summer's day 

 Seem'd too, too much in haste ; still the full 



heart 

 Had not imparted half; 'twas happiness 

 Too exquibite to taste of joys departed, 

 )t*t M return, howp^otul the remfmbrance. 



Tmilations in Blair^s Grave. 50$ 



In the latter part of Dr. Watts'* fune- 

 ral poem on the death of Thomas Gun- 

 ston, esq. you will End the following 

 syiioniiuous lines — 

 Friendship I mysterious thing, what magic 



powers 

 Support thy sway, and charm these minds of 

 ours i 



Here to these shades at solemn hours we came^ 

 To pay devotion with a mutual flame, 

 Partners in bliss. Sweet luxury of the mind ? 

 And sweet the aids of sense ! Each ruder wind 

 Slept in its caverns, while an evening breeze 

 Fann'd the leaves gently, sporting thro' ihf 



trees ; 

 The linnet and the lark their vespers sung. 

 And clouds of crimson o'er th' horizon hung. 

 • • * • • 



And Love refin'd, like that above the poles, 

 Threw botli our arms round one another'? 



souls. 

 In rapture and embraces ; oh, forbear, 

 Forbear my song, this is too much to hear, 

 'J'oo dreadful to repeat ; such joys as these 

 Fled from the earth for ever. H'aitt. 



If you, thcjefore, agree with me, ti)€ 

 above extracts are at your service; and 

 you may probably hear fiom mc again 

 on similar subjects, as I am of an opi- 

 nion that Blair is not the only plagiurj» 

 In Burns' poems we find — 

 It reminds ir.e of departed joys, 

 Departed never to return. 



And Blair says — 



_~ Of jnys departed. 



Not to return, how painful the remembranc<| 

 {rrecmcich, Kent; Neptune. 



Nov. 15, 1816. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magaziiit.^ 

 siu, 



TtBi alacrity with whicll you hav» 

 published every thing that has sk 

 tendency to promote the adoption of na- 

 vigation by the application of STiiAM- 

 ENGINES, induces me to believe that the 

 following oijservations will be favoured 

 with a place in your publication ; as I 

 thiiik that any object will be as ellec- 

 tually proniofcd, by shewing what the 

 obstacles really are, which must be over- 

 come in order to attain the end in view, 

 as by random, declamatory, or exagge- 

 rated praises; whit^h, to say the least, 

 have a strong tendency to mislead the 

 judgment, and thus irijmc the cause they 

 are intended to serve. 



Two or three year: ago we were in- 

 formed of projects to introduce steam- 

 boats iti every direction, and so sanguine 

 were t!ie advocates for them, that w« 

 were led to believe the time w as not dis- 

 tant when this would supersede every 

 other mode of inland navigation : 1 know 

 several who embarked money in such 

 speculations; iu expectation of obtaining 

 iiumcdiatelj 



