Cuntetnporury Female Authors. 



406 



which alone possesses the power of re- 

 organizing the national guard. 



The second decree is one of still 

 greater importance, the liherfy of the 

 press. Ou the sound interpretation of 

 ihis new law, the very existence of our 

 representative system depends. It is 

 intimately connected with, and perhaps 

 forms the hasis of every free constitu- 

 tion. Modern legislators appear to have 

 met with freqiientshipwreckof opinions 

 in treating of this most difficult of all 

 political questions ; however imaginary 

 the dangers they have apprehended 

 from its unlimited power, tliey ought at 

 least to have the effect of rendering us 

 cautious in adopting any principles in 

 regard to it, which are not in complete 

 union with the freedom and spirit of 

 our constitution. We shall, however, 

 reserve ourselves for this important 

 question to the opening of the parlia- 

 mentary debates ; until when, Me shall 

 he neither surprised nor offentled with 

 what, to seme persons, will appear in- 

 tolerable licentiousness of the press. 



It is truly a reviving and gratifying 

 thought to burst, as it were, instanta- 

 neously from the silence of the tomb 

 info a glorious life of freedom, and the 

 use of speech ; and this by so bold and 

 rapid an effort of st length as to be 

 nearly unparalleled in the race of na- 

 tions. Our first steps, indeed, in so 

 novel a career, like a young giant's, 

 must be sometliing daring and uncer- 

 tain ; but the vigorous exercise of our 

 language and our limbs, will at least 

 evince that the principle of patriotic 

 life is strong within our frame. It is 

 sweet to drink the air of freedom in tlie 

 spring-tide of our existence, when our 

 national iiopes promise us what our 

 hands only can achieve. 



Our limits will oblige us to postpone 

 our correspondent's notices of some of 

 the chief promoters of the new Consti- 

 tution, to a future number. 



CONTEMPORARY FEMALE GENIUS. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 

 SIR, 



AT no period of our history has Fe- 

 male genius triumphed more than 

 in our own days. At the present time 

 there are living not less than twentj'-four 

 ladies of pre-eminent talents as writers 

 in various departments of literature 

 and philosophy, whose names deserve 

 to be specially enumerated, and whose 

 several works and superior pretensions 

 deserve to be treated at large in your 



[.June 1, 



pages. For the present, I sliall name 

 tliem as they occur to my mind, and 

 not presume to class them in flie order 

 of merit. These brief noti<;es justify 

 me, however, in calling the attention of 

 writers of greater power to the subject. 

 Mrs. Barbauld, distinguished dur- 

 ing fifty years, by her elegant produc- 

 tions in verse and prose. 



Mrs. Hannah More, for nearly an 

 equal period, by various moral and 

 controversial writings; not inferior for 

 style and energy of mind to any thing 

 produced by the other sex. 



Mrs. Radclifpe, who as a novelist, 

 may be ranked among the first geniuses 

 of the age and country. 



Mrss Edoeworth, a distinguished 

 writer of novels, moral compositions, 

 and works of education. 



MlssCuLiiEN, the amiable and in- 

 genious autiioress of Moruton, and 

 Home, novels distinguished for their 

 benevolent sentiments and spirited 

 composition, honourable alike to her 

 lieart and head. 



Mrs. Opir, whose various works 

 in verse and ])rose, are distinguished 

 for their oiiginality, ingenuity, good 

 taste and elegant composition. 



Mrs. Inchbald, who as a dramatist 

 and novelist, has produced various 

 works which will ever rank high among 

 the classics of our language. 



Miss IIttton, respectable as a novel- 

 ist, powerful as a general writer, and 

 able as a philosophical geographer, as 

 jiroved by her recent work on Africa. 



Miss II. M. Williams, who though 

 long resident in Paris, may be claimed 

 as an Englishwoman, and is an honour 

 to the genius of her countryvi-omen in 

 history, politics, eloquence and poetry, 

 IMrs. Cappe, a lady whose strength 

 of understanding and powers of diction 

 have led her to grapple with subjects of 

 the highest order, and she has publish- 

 ed several works in theology, education, 

 and biography. 



Miss Porter, a novelist of the first 

 rank in the powers of eloquent com- 

 position, whose Thaddeus of Warsaw 

 and other works, will long be standards 

 in the language. 



Miss Benger, who figures with 

 equal distinction as a novelist, histo- 

 rian, and critic. 



Mrs. Grant, who has distinguished 

 herself in morals, philosophy and the 

 belles lettres. 



Mrs. Marcet, Avho has proved her 

 powers of mind in lier Conversations 

 on Natural Philosophy, &c. 



Mrs. 



