APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 607 



Ode on General Elliot's return from 

 Gibraltar; Llangollen Vale, with 

 other poems ; Sonnets and Horatian 

 Odes ; and a Life of Dr. Darwin. 

 The liberal attainments of Miss 

 Seward, and her devotion to the 

 Muses, long rendered her name ce- 

 lebrated in the lettered world; 

 whilst her amiable manners, hospi- 

 tality, and highly cultivated con- 

 versation, caused her to be univer- 

 sally sought after, and respected. 

 Perhaps no person ever possessed, 

 in a greater degree, the colloquial 

 powers of pleasing, than Miss Sew- 

 ard. To a minute and accurate 

 acquaintance with the English clas- 

 sics, she added an inexhaustible 

 fund of local and literary anecdote. 

 Naturally eloquent, she communi- 

 cated her knowledge in the choicest, 

 and most energetic language. The 

 animation of her countenance, and 

 thebrilHant lustre of her eye, gave 

 a most forcible expression of feel- 

 ing andintelligenceto herwordsand 

 actions. Conscious of her ability, 

 she freely displayed herself in a 

 manner equally remote from arro- 

 gance and affectation. Her mind 

 and information were accessible to 

 all ; and no one ever parted from 

 her dissatisfied with himself, or 

 without the desire to renew his 

 visit. In familiar conversation she 

 greatly excelled ; and in reading, 

 more particularly poetry, she was 

 uncommonly spirited and correct. 

 Her doors were at all times open 

 with liberal hospitality, and to dif- 

 fuse chearfulness and happiness 

 over her domesticand social circles, 

 was the endeavour of her life. Of 

 infant genius and merit, wherever 

 she met them, she was the warm 

 encourager, and zealous friend. 

 Her hand was ever extended in ac- 

 tive benevolence towards the dis- 



tressed and her heart most readily 

 paid the tribute of overflowing pity 

 to the tale of misery. In her in- 

 tercourse with society no woman 

 had less pride. At the table of the 

 respectable tradesman, she was as 

 easy, affable, and entertaining, as 

 at the most sumptuous board of the 

 nobleman. Politeness in her was 

 an inherent quality, not an acquired 

 habit; and her natural humanity was 

 such astoprompthertoacts of kind- 

 ness, even towards persons who had 

 forfeited her esteem. Such, divest- 

 ed of the fulsome praise, which 

 designing flatterers lavished upon 

 her writings and genius, was the ami- 

 able and intelligent Miss Seward. 

 Her merits were peculiarly her own; 

 the spontaneous offspring of a good 

 heart, and a liberally endowed mind. 

 Her errors arose from a glowing 

 imagination, joined to an excessive 

 sensibility, cherished, instead of be- 

 ing rc^pressed, by early habits and 

 education. At the time Dr. Dar- 

 win came first to reside at Litch- 

 field, Miss Seward was about thir- 

 teen or fourteen years of age. The 

 circle which the doctor drew around 

 him for ten or twelve years from 

 that period, was composed of young 

 men of acknowledged talents, and 

 of ardent speculative minds ; whose 

 spirits, too buoyant for the beaten 

 track of knowledge, soared to ex- 

 plore the yet untrodden paths of 

 science, and give new systems to an 

 astonished world. To turn aside 

 the smooth current of nature, and 

 to despise established usages, were 

 the principles upon which they con- 

 ducted their researches. Their vi- 

 sionary pursuits were dignified with 

 the appellation of philosophy ; but 

 were evidently more calculated to 

 gratify their own passions and pro- 

 pensities, than to promote the ira^ 



provement 



