US 
ef overflowing pity, to the tale_of misery. 
In her inte:course with society no woman 
had less pride. At the table of the respecta- 
ble tradesman, she was as easy, aflable, and 
entertaining, as at the more’sumptuous board 
ofthe nobleman. Politeness in her was an 
jhherent quality, not an acquired habit; and 
her natural humanity was such as to prompt 
her to acts of kindness, even towards persons 
who had forfeited her esteem. Such, divest- 
ed of the fulsome praise, which designing 
flatterers lavished upon her writings and 
genius, was the amiable and inteiligent Miss 
Seward. -Her merits were peculiarly her 
own; the spontaneous offspring of a good 
heart, and a liberally endowed mind. Her 
errors arose from a glowing imagination, 
joined to an excessive sensibility, cnerished, 
instead of being repressed, by early habits and 
education, -At the time Dr. Darwin canie 
first to reside at Lichfield, Miss Seward was 
about thirteen or fourteen years of age. The 
circle which the doctor drew around him, for 
ten or twelvé years from that period, “was 
composed of young men of acknowledged 
talents, and of ardent speculative minds: 
whose spirits, too buoyant for the beaten 
track of knowledge, soared to explore the yet 
untrodden paths of science, and give new 
systems to an: astonished world. ‘Yo turn 
aside the smooth current of nature, and to 
despise established usages, were the princi- 
ples upon which they conducted their re- 
searches. Their visionary pursuits were 
dignified with the application of philosophy ; 
but were evidently more calculated to gra- 
tify their own passions and propensities, than 
to promote the improvement of mankind. 
Variety and originality were the objects of 
their adoration, to which they sacrificéd with- 
out remorse, reason, and common sense. 
Among those persons were Mr. Day, (who 
from Miss Seware’s own account of him, was 
a capricious wild enthusiast 5) Mr. Edgworth, 
and Sir Brooke Boothby.—Doctor Darwin 
promoted and encouraged their idle schemes, 
and gave consequence to their speculations, 
by the reputation of his genius, and the va- 
riety of his talents. In this coterie; Miss 
Seward’s early impressions. were formed. In 
the daily habit of hearing new, and ingenious 
hypothesis, she became enamoured of novelty, 
and sighed for the meed of fame; in which ° 
she was encouraged and flattered by the gal- 
lantry of her admirers. Possessed of an 
active and ductile mind, and a romantic dis- 
position, she fed with avidity upon the in. 
tellectual variety thus placed before her. 
To poetry she had been fondly attached from 
her childbood,.and her warm imagination 
naturally became emulous of distinction in 
her favourite pursuit. But Miss Seward’s 
genius was not of a class to strike out new 
models of poetic excellence; and her natural 
good’ taste had been perverted. She was de- 
ficient in fertility of invention; and wanted 
new and forcible combinations of thought, 
te accomplish such a task, Al! her attempts 
Account of the late Miss Anna Seward. 
[Jane l, 
at originality evaporated in turgid obscurity, 
and pompous inflation. We frequently meet’ 
in her poetry with nervous lines, and some- 
times with beautiful stanzas; but neither the 
pleasing véin‘of easy flowing verse, nor the 
more happy inspiration of graceful energy, 
ever accompany iver long. We seldom sce 
her thoughts clothed in the dignified simplicity 
of nature, but usually find them loaded with 
factitious and ill-assorted ornaments. Her’ 
prose bears pretty much the same character 
with her poetic compositions. They abound 
in sparkling sentences, ‘poetical images, and 
high sounding epithets; but want arrange- 
ment and precision. It is understood that 
she has left the whole of her works, as a> 
legacy, to Mr. Scott, the northerh poet, 
with a view to their publication in a collected 
edition, with her life and posthumous pieces 
Several of which the present writer has heard: 
her name. But of ali her works, her epis= 
tolary correspondence must be the most’ de- 
sirable. She had all her life an extensive 
acquaintance, and especially with men of 
licerature. Her talents and disposition pe- 
culiarly fitted her for a species of writing free 
from the tramumels and constraints of regular 
compesition. It Is from this source that the 
mature or her genius, and the powers of her 
mind, “may be tairly appreciated; where, al- 
thougis intermixed with muuch tinsel and 
alloy, will doubtless be discovered no com- 
mon portion of sterlfhg metal. In her re- 
Marks upon the writings of her contempora- 
ries, always a favourite topic of Communica= 
tion with her friends, she will be found to 
display much acute and geuyine criticism. 
Her judgment in the selection of the peetic 
beauties of others, was for the’most part 
chaste and correct; qualities which in her 
own Compositions seem to be sacrificed to 
empty s.und and vain show. Had the taste, 
and exquisite feeling, of this lady, been 
reared and cultivated with care and prudence, 
it is highly probable that sae would have 
ranked among the first favourites of the 
Muses 5 instead of which, the candid and un- 
prejudiced must acknowledge that her poetic 
fame cannot long survive the remembrance 
of her friends, and the partiality of her pers 
sonal admirers. ‘Lhat a mind “formed like 
Miss Seward’s should be more Hable to act 
from the impulse of feeling, than from the 
steady dictates of reason and principle, can- 
not be matter of surprise. A woman inde- 
pendent in fortune, and fascinating in man- 
ners, is more likely to be surrounded by 
flatterers than friends; and if the blandish- 
ments of the former found too easy an ad- 
mission to her heart, it isa weakness which 
she shared with nine-tenths of the; human 
race. Aud perhaps those who lamented the 
readiness with which she admitted the spe- 
cious and designing to her friendship, will 
- allow that, placed in her situation, few wo- 
men would have conducted themselves with 
greater -circumspection. } ; 
_ PROVINCIAL > 
