558 
Thy smile, like beam of early morn, 
Thy gentle soul for virtue born, 
Thy graces all, my lays adorn, 
Maria ! 
Nurtur’d in soft maternal air, 
Thy love repaid a mother’s care 5 
And thou didstall her virtues share ! 
‘ Maira ! 
Oft straying through the verdant bowers, 
Thy fairy fingers cull’d me flowers, 
Thy converse cheer’d my drooping hours, 
Maria! 
For me the Meadows bloom no more, 
Nor Bees collect their yellow store, 
Nor Larsks their warbling music pour, 
Maria ! 
A mournful gloom pervades the grove, 
Where gaily thou wast wont to rove, 
And hum thy songs of filial love, 
: Maria ! 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
[Jan. 1, 
The poor looks sad, and drops a tear; ’ 
No more thy gen’rous hand is near, * 
His wants to soothe, his heart to cheer, 
Maria! 
The Red-breast o’cr thy grave shal! strew 
The sweetest flowers, of richest hue; 
There warble many a soft adieu, 
Maria} 
Flora shall there her gifts bestow! 
Meek violets and harebells grow, 
Roses o’er thee, for ever blow, 
Maria ! 
When this frail dust shall shrink away, 
And mingle with its kindred clay, 
Oh! might L[ hail, in brighter day, 
Maria! 
There, pleas’d remembrance would enjoy 
Delight, to share thy sweet employ 
In scenes of bliss, without alloy, 
Maria | 
Flookersbrook, Oct. 24, 1808. W. Cc. 
— 
THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. 
wre pleasure we lay before our 
; readers a brief outline of Mr. 
Davy’s first lecture of the present season, 
delivered at the Royal, Institution, Sa- 
turday, December 17. Imperfect as this 
sketch must necessarily be, yet it cannot 
fail of interesting such of our readers as 
are watchful over the progress of chemical 
science, and who, from their local situ- 
" ation, are unable to derive more full and 
more accurate information on the sub- 
ject. ' f 
The professor opened his course with 
an intimation of those important disco- 
veries which he should lave to commu- 
nicate, and illustrate during the ensuing 
winter. ia that place he always deli- 
vered himself with pleasure, because he 
was sure to experience candour ; at pre- 
sent, however, he had not only to ask 
their confidence, but solicit their indul- 
gence. He felt himself in’ the situation 
of the architect, who, in changing the 
foundation’ of a building, must necessa- 
rily create much inconvenience to the 
inhabitants, while the new edifice was 
rearing. He gave a sketch of chemical 
history, and speaking of the alchemists 
and their mode of operating, he said, 
with regard tu the masters all was mys- 
tery; to #¢ pupil, surprize and astonish- 
ment, Chemistry, he said, might be 
considered and treated either as an art 
or ascience, and its investigation might 
be after the order of analysis or synthesis : 
in the course now entered upon, he 
should adopt the synthetical mode, and 
he thought it necessary to apprize the 
audience, that his lectures would be 
chiefly adapted to the practical student, 
and that they would have no particular 
connection with, or reference to the arts 
and necessities of life. ‘Ihe application 
of chemistry to these would be aan 
for another season; it was a source o 
much satisfaction to know, that philoso- 
phical discovery, and practical utilicy, 
would adyance with equal pace. 
Solar heat was the great principle by 
which chemical changes wefe perpetually 
taking place in the natural world, and the 
chemist imitating this principle by means 
of artificial heat, had been aptly called 
the philosopher by fire. Hence, Mr. 
Davy was led to consider the laws of at- 
traction and repulsion, observing, that the 
term attraction had been first applied to 
chemical phenomena; and since, accord- 
ing to the principle laid down by the il- 
lustrious Newton, no more causes are to 
be introduced in philosophy than are ne- 
cessary to explain the effect, he was wil- 
ling to refer the whole system of chemical 
ayency to the different electrical states 
in which bodies are found. The profess 
sor, 
ee ee on 
ee ee ee 
ee a 
