534 



The Enquirei. 



[Nov. I, 



Bccvor wc flopped at a very neat little 

 hfjufe, with a pleafant garclen and grafs- 

 ficlds adjoining, romantically placed oil 

 banks of the Oiiio, where we ex])efted to 

 have procured at lead a chicken for din- 

 ner; but the raan,wliofe name wasWhite, 

 was unfortunately from home, and his wife, 

 who merited richly the epithets of Icind 

 and obliging, conld only entertain us 

 ■with the convcrfr.ticm of hcrfelf and 

 daughters, and gratify our appetites with 

 milk, honey, butter, Johnny cake,* and 

 maple fugar ; the latter article, being 

 new to me, I confidered as very pleafant, 

 even as a delicacy. This lady, by birth ' 

 of London, and poffcircd of manners 

 which fecmed to fay lie had once 

 mingled in the poliflied world, told licr 

 ihiftory with a degree of mylk-ry whicii 

 feemcd to confirm that fufpicion. 



Bciiii!: refted, amufed, and having our- 

 felves taken good care of our horfes, we 

 I'ntcccded for Bcevor, and followed the 

 mc-andcring Ohio for about fix miles, 

 through a rich country, and on a fmooth 

 and even terrace, twenty feet wide. We 

 then left the margin of the river, and 

 continued for eight miles to travel about 

 a mile tlierefrom, and through an inferior 

 foil. Surrounded on every fide by 

 girdled trees, uc were overtaken by a 

 hurricane, wliieh fomewhat alarmed us, 

 ,leli the trees, which, from the force of 

 the wind, cracked and bent abo\e our 

 heads, niould fall thereon. Having cicap- 

 ed this danger, we again found ourl'elvcs 

 on the banks of the river, and travelled 

 along its fide unt.l we reached Bee\or 

 Creek, near to where it empties it- 

 fclf into the Ohio, after having been 

 navigable for above one hundred miles, 

 thniugh an imnienfely rich coni\try. W'e 

 ciofl'ed this river, or, as it is called, 

 creek, about half a mile above its 

 mouth, where it \\as at that time about 

 one hundred and fifty feet wide, and 

 twenty deep. Here Beevor ought to 

 have been fixed, inllead of Mhich it is 

 placed on an eminence about a mile be- 

 low the mouth of the Creek, where if 

 comm:inds a fine view both up and 

 *)wn the Ohio. I remain, Sir, &-c., 



R. Drx-MORF.. 

 Jfrrnvdrif, Mm/ 2?, JnOu. 



* Johnny cake is bread made of liiJua 

 meal, mingled with \v.itiT, and baked on a 

 feojid before a quick fire. B:;ing thus cafily 

 and rapidly made, it was fuppofed well calcu- 

 lated for the fupportof traveUcts. Hence it 

 w;is Cillcd joiirney cake, frcr.i which its pre- 

 feuc aame is a corruption. 



For the Monthlij MuQuzine. 



THE ENQUniER. 



No. XX. 



Vlliat arc the nllimate Profperf.s of the 



Fine-Arts in England 'i 



" If it be a fin to covet honour, I am th« 

 moft offending foul alive.— Shaksp. Hen. V. 



AN opinion has of late been very 

 juftly admitted, of the dangerous 

 tendency of C'riticifra when directed to 

 the weaknefles incident to the opening 

 career of talents. To this fentiiuent 

 every man will readily fubfcribe, who has 

 witnelVcJ the ftruggles of an ingenuous 

 mind in the firlt development of its pow- 

 ers ; its keen fenfibility, fo quickly roufed 

 and wounded by coldnefs or cenfure ; 

 its Itrong internal difeernment of nativ? 

 obltaclcs ; its conviction of defects, per- 

 haps unconquerable ; its momentary de- 

 jection imder difappointed elfort ; its aii- 

 guifli from defeated rcfolution and blight- 

 ed hope. In fuch a iLate of feelings, it 

 may well be aiked, what advantage can 

 be derived from the reproofs of criti- 

 cifin ">. What can be their refult but the 

 addition of weight impofed on a fpirit al- 

 ready bowed under its load, and humbler 

 than the molt humiliating enemy or rival 

 could delire? It is true that criticilm, were 

 criticiful always what it ought to be, 

 — were it, in fai't, re.'Jly criticifin, may, 

 at lefs agitated moments, produce ert'ects 

 of the highelJ; beneficial confequence ; 

 but where Ihall we look for the friendly 

 hand Itretchcd out at the impulfe of pure 

 benevolence to adminilter this falutary 

 though poignant draught ? 



CiiiTicisM — romenrbcr it, ye hourly,, 

 daily, bidual, tridual, weekly, monthly, 

 annual, perpetual, carpers and cavillers ! 

 — is the art of rUfcrlnnnating ; of dillin- 

 guiihing what i-^ elfcntially excellent in 

 every object from its attendant tlefecls, 

 and elucidating, witii ei|ual force of 

 judgment, the merits and the faults. But, 

 unfortunately, the dil'covery of tite latter 

 is ealicr than of the former. It requires 

 lefs pains of inveltigation : faults arc ob- 

 ■(ious, and merits lie too often hidamldli 

 them. It alio requires lefs capacity of 

 obfervation : — 4he capacity of the fault- 

 finder needs only to be adequate to the 

 f;nilt'^ it ditccts; tiie capiicity of the dif- 

 eoirrcr of efiential beauties mnfi be little 

 iLort of the power of producing the beau- 

 ties themfelves. 



But, although this doctrine, for the 

 fake as well of humunify asof focial im- 

 piovtinc'nt, cuu nsjver bo too largely al- 

 lowed. 



