251 
IBI1.] Extracts from the portfolio of a Man of J^eiiers, 
EUthe for their task they preen the filmy 
v/ing, 
And forth to each appointed labour spring; 
The vivid tribes amid the fragrance flyi 
And every art, and every business, ply ; 
Each chemist now his subtle trunk un- 
sheaths, 
Where from the flower the treasured odor 
breathes ; 
Here sips the liquid, there selects the gums. 
Or o’er the bloom with quivering membrane 
hums. 
In the sketch of the beaver there is 
some display of poetic skill. 
Hei'e lightly some viraineous burdens bear. 
Or jointly there the ponderous rafter share ; 
Spread o’er their tails, they waft the tem¬ 
per’d clay, 
And deep and broad their firm foundations 
lay ; 
Assign each chamber its commodious size, 
Till rooms o’er rooms, and trodden cielings, 
rise; 
Their tail, the trowel of the toiling train, 
Their teeth the saw, the chizel, and the 
plane. 
Single epithets liave occasionally been 
transplanted out of these verses into 
those of Dr. Darwin; such as “volant 
dance,’^ “ coral grove,” “ drops that 
deck the morning’s robe, and gem the 
bosom of the twinkling globe.” 
The metaphysics taught in this poem 
are those of Pope, and inculcate a pious 
and devout pantheism. The notes are 
more moral than scientific, and are prin¬ 
cipally drawn from Derham’s Physico- 
tiieology. Now, tliat natural histoiy is 
so mucli cultivated, it is to be expected 
that some one will undertake in rime a 
Sj/nopsis of Entomology: lessons of man- 
ner, and contributions of matter, can 
abundantly be derived from the Uni¬ 
versal Beauty of Brooke. Other critics 
have commended the application of 
natural history to poetry; be it our’s to 
suggest the application of poetry to na¬ 
tural history ; the use of rime not only 
facilitates introduction among the ladies, 
but the recollection of first principles. 
E.vtractsfrom the Portfolio of a Alan of Letters. 
HONOURS OF THE PRETENDER. 
M on fESQUIEU sent to the Pre¬ 
tender a copy of his work on the 
Causes of the Greatness and of the De¬ 
cline of the Romans. The letter which 
accompanied this offering has been pre¬ 
served; it compares Charles Edward 
with heroes of antiquity, 
QUEEN CAROLINE. 
Caroline, the wile of George II, de¬ 
lighted much, (says the author of Berke¬ 
ley’s Life,) in attending to philosophic 
conversations between learned and in¬ 
genious men. For this purpose she had, 
when princess of Wales, appointed a par- 
ticuhir day of tjie week, when the most 
eminent for literary abilities, at that time 
in England, were invited to attend lier 
Iloyal Highness in the evening. This 
practice she continued after her acces¬ 
sion to the throne. Of this company, 
Clarke and Berkeley were generally con¬ 
sidered as principals in the debates that 
arose on tliose occasions. Hoadley ad¬ 
hered to Clarke, and Sherlock to Berke¬ 
ley. Middleton rarely attended. The 
Jay-visitors were more various, and less 
uniformly assiduous than the clerical. 
BELLS, 
In the year 864, instead of tlie doge 
who had been assassinated, Orso Furti- 
fmeo was called to the head of the re¬ 
public of Venice. He punisiied tlie 
murderers with firmness, and received 
for his attention to the interests of com¬ 
merce, the titular honour of Profospa~ 
tario from Basil, the Greek emperor at 
Constantinople. 
In return for tins compliment, Ofso 
sent to the Greek emperor twelve great 
bells, which, says Dandolo, were then a 
novelty at Constantinople; bells having 
been invented by the Latin church, and 
on this occasion first introduced into the 
Greek church. 
Why are dissenting places of worship 
not provided witli bells to announce the 
hour of worship? Is it because their 
audience have scattered residences, and 
do not live within hearing; or is it be¬ 
cause the third canon commands the 
cliurch'wardens to present all persons, 
w ho, by untimely ringing of bells, hinder 
the minister or preacher of the parish? 
ON A POPULAR EXPRESSION. 
Every one has heard the ridiculous 
hy-word : Tlu'ee blue beans in u blown, 
bladder; rattle^ bladder, rattle. Chil¬ 
dren set it to one another as a task, or 
puzzle, in pronunciation; and, when a 
purse-proud man has been boasting of 
more wealth than he possesses, or play- 
ing the gentleman among waiters, and 
spending his money at a tavern more 
