UNCLE IN ENGLAND. CF 



He was the son of a Devonshire farmer, and 

 when a little boy used to go continually to a 

 neighbouring forge, where he seemed to be 

 strangely interested in examining and sounding 

 the horse-shoes. 



After some time, the smith having frequently 

 missed his shoes, began to suspect young Davy of 

 stealing them ; the boy was, therefore, watched, 

 and one day he was observed to have separated 

 two shoes from a parcel which he had been 

 sounding for a long time. He took them up and 

 went quietly off, but was followed, and traced to a 

 loft, where he had formed a hiding-place for him- 

 self, unknown to any of his family. There he was 

 found arranging his newly stolen treasure among 

 a number of other horse-shoes which he had sus- 

 pended with iron wires, so as to form a sort 

 of musical instrument, on which with a small 

 hammer he could play several tunes; particu- 

 larly one with variations, which he had often 

 heard chimed in the parish steeple. 



The generous blacksmith not only forbore 

 from punishing him, but joined in a subscription, 

 by means of which he was apprenticed to a 

 famous musician. So much for genius. 



Ath, Sunday. My uncle read to us this morn- 

 ing the account in Exodus of the institution of 

 the feast of the Passover. It took place in the 

 beginning of the sacred or ecclesiastical year, 



B2 



