1804. ] 
Perhaps, once happy, artlefs maid! 
She fell, by artifice betray’d, 
And thought the vows fincere, 
Which left her ina bitter hour, 
For fhame and anguith to devour, 
Without one pitying tear. 
Perhzps an outcatt from her home; 
Afraid to tay—unus’d to roam, 
She fought in vain relief: 
Till hunger, cold, and toil, combin’d, 
To’numb her limbs, and wring her mind, 
And break her heart with grief. 
Ah, what could make, but horror wild, 
A mother thus forfake her child, 
And fpurn the charge fhe bore? 
Reje@ it from her heaving breaft, 
And leave it, an unbidden gueft, 
At a promifcuous door? 
Yet not promifcuous—He, unfeen, 
Who knows what human forrows mean, 
Thy wand’ring footfteps lead ; 
Where dwelt humanity to feel, 
And ready fkill was prompt to heal 
_ Thine infant well nigh dead. 
From the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
457 
So, whenatyrant’s cruel breath 
Had doom’d each Hebrew fon to death, 
To footh his guilty fear ; 
Young Mofes, by the river’s fide, 
Within his feeble ark had died, i 
But Providence was near. 
He bid th’ Egyptian Princefs find 
The babe, and, with a tender mind, 
Compaffionate its tea® : 
From fedgy Nile the Prophet rofe, 
Who fav’d his race, and crufh’d their foes, 
In his fucceeding years. 
Who knows but this poor little frame 
May hold afpark of future fame, _ 
Which time fhall give to fhine ? 
Matur’d to happier days, he may, 
With filial love, your cares repay, 
And cheer your life’s decline. 
Almighty love, what words are thine! 
** Ye outcafts, I adopt you mine! 
‘¢ Your parent, hope, and ftay : 
¢¢ A mother may her fon forfake, 
‘¢ But I my cov’nant will not break, 
‘€ Nor caft my child away.” 
Extracis from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
PRECEDENT. 
Bi order to compel public accountants 
to come to account, the King’s Re- 
membrancer ufed to iffue periodically, a 
writ of Difiringas ad Computandum to the 
Sheriffs of London and Middlefex, com- - 
manding them to diftrain the lands and 
chattles of the defaulters, and produce 
their bodies before the Barons of the Ex- 
chequer within fifteen days of the next 
term. The writ, however, was never 
executed, though often levelled at perfons 
who had millions to account for. The 
Commiffioners of Accounts obferve, “ The 
long ufage of office warrants the Sheriff 
to give it under his- hand, and to confirm 
it by his oath in the Court of Exchequer, 
that the Treafurer of the Navy is not to 
be found, either in the City of London, 
or in the County of Middlefex ; and that 
the Paymatter-General of the Forces has 
neither lands nor chattles in either of thofe 
dittritts, by which he can be diftrained.”? 
PARLIAMENTARY HOURS. 
November 3, 1673.—A committee ap- 
pointed to prepare an addres to be pre- 
fented to his Majefty, to fhew how the 
ftanding-army is a grievance, and then 
adjourned till three of the clock afternoon. 
Mr. Speaker and the Houfé went to attend 
Menrury Maa, No, 115: 
his Majefty at Whitehall, with the ade 
drefs; who returning, Mr. Speaker re- 
ports, that it was a matter. his Majefty 
would take into his prefent confideration, 
and would return fpeedily an anfwer. And 
then the houfe adjourned till to-morrovs 
morning eight of the clock. 
HAIR-POWDER TAX. 
When Mr. Pitt propofed this tax, he 
computed the number of perfons wearing 
hair-powder at 200,000, which, at one 
guinea each, would have amounted to 
210,000]. per annum. The produce, how- 
ever, fell fhort of this fum, and has con- 
ftantly decreafed fince. | 
Eftimated amount . £.210,000 
Producein 1795 « ~ 187,085 
1796 » « 183,736 
1797 + « 173,694 
A7QS ws . 3572917 
1799 « « 131,382 
1800 . . 95,695 
BOGE os, ce 4S ae 
In an Account presented to the Houle of 
Commons on 20th March laft, of the 
** Net produce of all the permanent taxes 
of Great Britain for two years, ending 
refpectively the sth Janunry, 1803, and 
sth January, 1804,°" the produce of 
this tax might be expected to be found ; 
30 but 
