1800. } 
parts of the world ; and nations the moft 
uncultivated and the moft ignorant, who 
can neither reckon nor write, have not 
only comprehended the method of diftil- 
ling it; but-even had ingenuity enough 
to apply to the preparation of it the pro- 
ducts furnifhed by their own country.— 
Malt {pirits and French brandy, which, 
when both are pure, are however alike in 
their component parts, may with the great- 
eft certainty be diftinguifhed by. the tafte 
of what is left after burning them. Of 
the latter, this watery remainder is fharp, 
naufeous, and almoft four; but what 1s 
Jeft after burning the malt fpirits, excites 
a tate of burnt,-or at Ieaft roafted, meal. 

WAX CANDLES. 
THE reformation of religion greatly di- 
minifhed the confumption of wax candles, 
and likwife.the praftice of keeping bees. — 
In caftle of Wittenberg, and the church 
there, in which nine hundred maffes were 
annually performed, 35,750 pounds of 
wax-lights were burned every year. In 
the time of the’ Dominican Flamma, at 
the commencement of the fourteenth cen- 
tury, wax-lights were unknown, and tal- 
low-candles were ‘confidered an extrava- 
gant luxury. So late as the clofe of the 
fourteenth century wax was fo dear in 
France, that it was held to be very aliberal 
and princely vow, when Philip the Bold, 
Duke of Burgundy, who began to govern 
that duchy in the year 1361, offered to 
St. Antony of Vienne for the reftoration 
ef the health of his fick fon, as much wax 
as thelatter weighed. In the time of Fre- 
derick William, King of Pruffia, the 
confumption of wax-lights at his court 
was fo'great, that a quantity to the value 
of fix thoufand dollars annually was pil- 
fered by fervants, &c. without the depre: 
dations being obferved. In January 1779, 
fourteen thoufand candles are {aid to have 
been lighted at once at the celebration of 
a feaft in the eleftoral palace at Drefden, 
and in one night fix hundred weight of wax 
was confumed. 2 
Original Poetry. 
53 
® 
A Portrait "of ROBESPIERE at the Moment 
of his Arrival at the Manjion-houfe of 
the Mayor on the th Thermuidor. 
On the 9th Thermidor, between feven 
and eight o’clock in the evening,a hackney- 
coach was feen to ftop at the entrance of the 
court-yard before the hotel of the mayor. A 
gens-d’ armes alighted from it, and, after re- 
pairing to the Committee of Adminiftration 
of the Police, retufned immediately with 
three of thofe officers. wearing their tri-co- 
loured fearfs. One of them opened the 
coach door ; and immediately a man arofe, 
apparently diftra€ted with fear, holding a 
white handkerchief clofe over his mouth, 
and elbowing the perfons about him, as if 
to make them let go their hold, and allow 
him to get out the firft. It was Robef- 
pierre. When he had overcome their re- 
fiftance, he did not alight in the ufual man- 
ner; but leaped without touching the fteps 
into the court-yard ; and then haftily faced 
about towards the carriage. Huis counte- 
nance was wan, and exprefflive of the 
greatelt dejection. 
The Adminiftrators welcomed him with 
the ftrongett demonitrations of friendflip. 
One put his right arm round his wailt, and 
hugged him afreCtionately; another took him 
under the arm; and in this way they con- 
duéted him towards the Committee, paffing 
clofe along-fide of the apartments of the 
mayor. An inferior officer of police, by 
whom thefe particulars are related, and who ~ 
was at a window on the firft floor, could 
only diftinguifh the following words, ut- 
tered by one of the Adminiftrators : «¢ Do 
not be alarmed ! are you not among your 
friends ?”? F 
An hour after a great trampling of horfes 
was heard inthe court-yard. It was Hen- 
riot, who came with two of his. aid-de- 
camps, and other adherents, to look for Ro- 
befpierre, and to protecthis paflage from 
the Mairie to the Hotel-de-wville. . 


ORIGINAL POETRY. 
THE HERMIT OF MONT-ELANC. 
By Mrs. ROBINSON. 
z ID the dread altitudes of dazzling fnow 
O’er-topping the huge imag’ ry of nature, 
Where one eternal winter feem’d to reign, 
An Hermir’sthiefhold, carpetted with mofs, 
. Diverfified the fcenes Above the flakes 
Of filv’ry fnow, full many a modeft flow’r 
~ Peep?d thro’ its icy veil, and blushing op’d 
Its variegated hues—the orchis {weet, 
The bloomy ciffus, and the fragrant branch 
“OF gioffy myrtle. In the rufhy cell 
The lonely ANCHORET confym’d his days, 
Unbleffing and unblefs’d. In early youth, 
Crofs’d in the fond afteétions of his feul 
(For in his foul the pureft paffions liv’d) 
By falfe ambition, from his parent home 
He, folitary, wander’d: while the maid, 
W hofe peerlefs beauty won his yielding heart, 
Condemn’d by, lordly needy perfecution, 
Pin’d in monaftic horrors ! 3 
Near his fill 
A little crofs he rear’d; where proftrate low, 
At day’s pale glimpfe, and when the fetting 
PS fat 
Tiffued the weftern fky with ftrearny gold, 


