KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



Are the Passions and the Desire of Glory, 



the Source of our Qualities and 



Faculties. 



Plelvetius maintains, that the sources of all the 

 qualities of the soul and mind, arc the desire of 

 distinction, and the passions; and that, conse- 

 quently, the moral and intellectual forces are not 

 innate. 



Helvetius and his partisans ought first to de- 

 monstrate, that ambition and the passions are 

 strangers to the nature of man. If they are in- 

 nate, then they must become, like any other in- 

 ternal impulse, excitants of the other qualities. 

 The innate desire of distinction, an ardent pas- 

 sion for a woman, will certainly animate the cou- 

 rage of the young warrior; but I should vainly 

 wish to shine in the first rank of poets, or of mu- 

 sicians; all my efforts would be useless. Cicero 

 never succeeded in making verses; and Voltaire 

 remained only tolerable in mathematics. 



The desire of glory, again modifies itself ac- 

 cording to the predominant talents. The actor 

 wishes to distinguish himself in the histrionic art ; 

 the warrior, in battle; the musician, in music; 

 the architect, in monuments; the pli3 r sician, in the 

 art of healing. Whenever this desire amounts to 

 ambition, — to the love of glory, it is at once a 

 proof that the actor, the warrior, the musician, 

 &c, feel themselves penetrated with an energetic 

 faculty, which sustains their activity in spite of 

 all obstacles ; and which, never fails, not only to 

 give, but likewise to consolidate a brilliant re- 

 putation. 



The reasoning of Helvetius is a pctitio principii. 

 He would derive the faculties from the passions; 

 whereas the passions are the strongest expression 

 of our faculties. Each instinct, propensity ; each 

 excessively active talent is a passion. Hence, 

 the passion of love, the passion for travelling, the 

 passion for music, building, war, &c. Conse- 

 quently, the passions suppose the existence of the 

 qualities or the faculties of which they are the ex- 

 traordinary manifestation. 



When Helvetius, to prove his assertion, ad- 

 vances that he has never found an idiot girl, whom 

 love did not render intelligent, we must conclude, 

 that when he was in love, he found all the girls 

 whom he met with, intelligent. 



ATJTO-BIQGKPvAPHY OF A BOG.— 3So. VII. 

 written by himself. 



Dear Mr. Editor. — The month of June, in 

 these quarters, is oftentimes very hot, albeit by 

 many degrees cooler thau the two succeeding 

 months. It is, however, a lovely month for a 

 ramble, and especially in the forest. Therefore 

 I was not sorry, as I watched my old master's 

 face whilst he sat sipping his wine, and scanning 

 the summits of the mountains, to perceive there 

 was something in the wind. " Carlo," said I, 

 " there's something brewing; just look at the old 

 master's phiz." 



" You are right, brother," remarked Carlo, as 

 he half opened his blinking eyes, and scratched 

 his right ear most vigorously. " Just look down 

 the road, and see if any one's coming? " " By 

 Jove! Carlo, is not that Frere Jean? He is 

 coming just ' a-propos ' — all right, my boy." 



" Oh, I've just brought these fat fellows," says 

 Jean, approaching Bombyx. "I found them 

 under the old bridge of Lutry, yesterday, where 

 I went to drink a ' verro ' with a friend of mine 

 at ' La Belle Yigneronnc.'" 



" Aye, aye; I suppose so, Jean. Well, well, 

 we'll not ask the name of your fair ' vigneronne.' " 

 and Jean knowingly smoothed down his nose. 



" What weather shall we have to-morrow, 

 Jean?" 



Here Carlo almost bit a piece off my tail. 

 " Can't jou keep your teeth quiet, Carlo? If 

 not, I'll just let you feel mine." " Be peaceable, 

 you two," quoth Jean — "voyons voir. Parbleu 

 oui! e'est le vent du midi, Ca n'amene pas le 

 mauvais terns. It is all right for to-morrow." 



" Well, Jean, have you anything particular to 

 do to-morrow? " "Oh que non. I'll just tell 

 two Avords to Benjamin. Where does Monsieur 

 think of going? " 



"I really don't know, Jean." 



" Supposons voir that Monsieur should go to 

 Vernand-dessus. I warrant the boxes won't 

 come home empty ; and there's a snug chalet at 

 ' Bomanel,' and another at Crissier." 



" Well, be it so; to-morrow at six. Thanks 

 for the caterpillars; they are Sphinx elpenor. 

 Will you call on Mr. K — , the music-master, and 

 see if he can come with us to-morrow — if so, tell 

 him to walk down to-night. We'll manage a 

 bed for him." 



Bombyx calls his eldest daughter. "I wish. 

 you would just see if all the nets are right, and 

 new cover my pincers. I think we are short of 

 large pins. Ivarl go to Jacob's, and get some 

 pins No.3." " I'll go, so schnell als moglicb," and 

 in three skips he was out of sight. 



"Hallo, Ivarl, stop; I am coming with you," 

 says the eldest boy." " And I too," bawls the 

 other. 



" Suppose we go too, Carlo?" said I. "So 

 we will, Fino; I have not been in the town these 

 three days. Perhaps there is something new." 



At half-past seven Ave all returned with the 

 pins and the music-master, and at eight o'clock 

 supper Avas ready in the open air, Mr. Editor — ■ 

 for in the summer, Bombyx always had his 

 supper in the garden. (To say the truth, /liked 

 this better too.) I fancy Ave picked up an extra 

 quantity of little scraps out of doors ; at half-past 

 ten o'clock all Avere snoring or dreaming. 



Next morning, long before four o'clock, Bom- 

 byx was already in motion (but this, during the 

 summer months, is the old boy's regular hour, 

 even now); and collecting leaves for his various 

 caterpillars, as these Avere always attended to 

 before breakfast. At seven o'clock, his creatures 

 being all cleaned and fed, and breakfast disposed 

 of, off we Avent, determined to have a long round; 

 and if possible a profitable one — it was always a 

 merry one. 



We passed by " Maupas," " Collonges," " la 

 chabliere," the residence of the late highly-res" 

 pected " General Guiger," along the Avail of 

 Avhose noble country mansion avc took many 

 caterpillars of " JNlacroglossa stellatarum," and 

 a little beyond those of "Fusciformis." A little 

 further still, on an old beech tree, we found 

 several " Liparis monaeha," a great many beetles, 

 and several pretty " Hcsperidai," " Sylvanus," 



