Englishmen, formerly and at present. 91 Post-Master G. of U. S. & Mr. Bunce, 335, 367 135 225 Sad Souvenir, a sketch.... 33 165 Shakspeare and the Author of Waverly. 97 413 English and French Table D'Hote, a Extract from the ponder book of an A. B. Female Economy, a sketch.. Hook, Theodore, satirical sketch of.. Italian Romantic Poems, remarks on. Kemble. J. P. .408 Washington to Putnam, letter from.... 112 Woman Defended, by a Lady, in answer 383 100 211 72 193 378 183 Shooting with a Long Bow, an essay. 163 53 259 149 81 Time's Library, an essay 165 Lyric Poetry, essay on...210, 244, 280, 303 Anthem, by Milman 218, 233 To Conversations at Dr. Mitchill's 13, 46, 78, 110" Shaken but not overthrown".. 124 We may conclude in the language of an No. 2.. 346 AND Phi Beta Kappa Repository. FIDE AC FIDUCIA. No. 1. NEW-YORK, SEPTEMBER 10, 1825. LITERARY. THE POST-OFFICE. THE following is from the pen of the accomplished author of the Highl anders. VOL. I. made, and conjectures formed, of which they cannot be in the least aware. amusement and instruction therefrom: I give it those who may become dramatis persona in the scene; because caution and circumspection, prudence and self-possestheir different walks of life, and that they sion may be of infinite service to them in may learn that, when they consider themA POST-OFFICE, like a direction- post or a selves as least observed, their passions may mile-stone, is passed inattentively by thou-be strongly visible, and calculations may be sands hourly; those only, who have direct dealings with this depository of commerce, confidence, mutual and common-place inter- A spy, (but spies have no hearts, and therecourse, secrets, affections, plans, plots and fore very imperfect minds) might, if he negotiations, treasons, treaties, and trivial were divested of his degradation, discover communications, stop to remark the varieties half the secrets of the town; but any man which such a spot affords; but to the calm gifted with strong perceptions might delineobserver of life, to the man who has leisure ate the passions, characters, and professions and tranquillity, the peace of the heart and of the frequenters of the post-office, as well unprejudiced views, the letter-box, the mile- the depositors as the receivers of letters, and stone, and the road-post have more in them decide from the eagerness or interest, the than mere wood and stone. The circulating expectation or trepidation, the craft or conmedium of the post-office, affects high and cealment, the ease or indifference of the low, rich and poor, foreign and domestic in-acting party, whether a miser or an ambi terests; its operations are hopeful and fearful tious one, a speculator or a suitor, a swindto many, and yet how few look attentively on ler or a forlorn fair one, a prosperous trifler, the living drama acted daily at its doors. or a mere porter of franks or letter-packets, The proud man views it not, because "my dropped the billet, or inquired for the more porter, or my agent receives my letters;" the or less important epistle; not forgetting the mercantile man waits in his counting-house author, the advertiser, the pauper, genuine for a fortune or a bankruptcy enclosed in the or pretended, and the hoaxing adventurer inmouth of secrecy, whose lips, unlike those quiring if there are no letters for the house of folly, are ever open, but speak not; the of Kite, Vanwind, and Co?—and smiling at soldier expects a dun or a love-letter, a chal- the self-written important blanks which arlenge from the drum-major, or a more fear-rive to bolster up a falling trade, or to give ful attorney's notice; whilst the few most a colouring to a bill acceptor, a money scrivfeelingly affected, draw their pains and plea- ener, a travelling trader, a straw bail, or to `sures, their success or failure directly from the accomplice and accommodating partner the dumb lips of their oracle, or fortune-teller. in some nefarious traffic. The man who sails tranquilly down the Departing, however, from crime, let us stream of time, and whose correspondence pass to the higher frequenters of the postis confined to acts of friendship, and to the office. gentle usages of life, to congratulations, “Are there any letters for Sir Jeremiah condolings, orders to servants, and direc-Juniper ?" said a brazen-faced fat distiller, tions to men of business, to advice to a ne- (one of the first whom I observed at the letphew, or remittance to a weak brother, may ter-office), and who was rolled out into the dispassionately stand aloof to view the busy four-fold importance of an ex-mayor, an scene of the mail's arrival, and draw from it address-knight, a magistrate, and the late reflections and information; and, although I do not identify myself with any character, I must be permitted to take my station here, and to recount what passed before my eyes. I give it to my readers because I reaped purchaser of a borough. "Yes, Sir Jerry," replied a clerk in office, handing him over a packet addressed to Sir Jeremiah Juniper, Baronet, M. P. The words "Sir Jeremiah," occasioned a swell of consequence ; “ baros net," was swallowed with complacency; | fill a nook in their libraries, until the moth M. P. went down like a matter of right, becomes their only customer. and drew a smile from promoted insignificance as he said, "thank you, young man, there's your money." The destroyer of stomachs, and dealer in blue ruin only came to show who he now was; that was clear, and his servant went for his letters the next day. "Is there a letter directed for Lorenzo Lonsdale ?" inquired a young man of fashionable appearance, but the lines of whose countenance bespoke fear, anxiety, and selfusation?" For whom?" replied a coarse iced fellow, who was looking over a bun of letters, and the words "for whom" ectrified the incognito prodigal. It was obvious to me that this romantic name was assumed, and that he had changed his own wahout an estate, a bequest, or any act of the herald's office; he received a packet with thebling hand, and put it in his pocket, as Mbe required a turn or two it the air, or a glass of brandy to give him courage to break seal. "Ay, ay," said I to myself, › money can be raised on your moon*e securities; post-obits, and wind bills fail, duns are increasing at your doors, fs are hunting after your person, you here not five pounds in your exchequer, and percaps "Still you are in love and pleased with ruin.” This inquirer was followed by a fellow who carried Cocker, not merely at his fingers' ends, but in every line of his features; he seemed almost to calculate how he could spare shoe leather in crossing the pavement, or how he could get the weather-gage of a fellow-traveller on life's foot path, so as to save his own coat and hat from a cloud of dust or a drop of rain by running under his lee. "What letters are there for the house?" quoth he hastily; and, on receiving half-a-dozen, he eagerly broke the seals, and seemed to chuckle at their contents, as if he would have read. "Took in Nobs and Co. finely with the hardware; got off the damaged goods safe to the continent; the dubious bill of exchange is paid; and poor Dicky Dupe safe in the sheriff's stone jug; all taken in, in different ways, and the firm snug and thriving." "D-n the post!" (at last), thundered out an irritated Exquisite, turning away in disgust from the office, and looking as if some unaccommodating agent, frothy professor of promised services, or hard-fisted relative, had deceived him, and left him no resource but uncle at the corner of the street, to pay his washer-woman, his perfumer and his servant's board wages, whilst his horses were, not unlikely, advertised for their standing at a livery stable. I shall now proceed to the depositors of communications of divers kinds. The first billet which I observed gently dropped into the general receiver was a love-letter: there was nothing dubious in the symptoms which characterised its nature: the bearer of it was all sympathetic sensibility; she looked around her as if she feared that the tattling breeze might disclose her lover's name. On taking the letter from her bosom, her colour acquired a deeper hue; her eye enlarged and sparkled : she seemed to breathe all she felt into every fold of the enveloppe; she read the address as if the name was dear to her, and, lastly, let it fall from her taper fingers, with a grace which was designed to give an additional charm to every line which it contained. "Credulous fair one!" said I to myself. "Alas! how uncertain is the return which thou mayst meet with for all this tenderness and truth; how probable it is that thou art only corresponding with some gay deceiver, and returning genuine affection and artless expression, for the cold hacknied promises of a betrayer." Patience and long suffering in manly form paced after the fair one. The bearer of the next packet was a man of trading appearance, but of a cast which implied that the world went not well with him; that honest endeavour met not with corresponding success; that bad debts, a large family, the want of capital, reduced by both, kept him over backward in fortune's lists; that a wish to keep square with mankind, and a reluctance to resort to coercion, to fraud, to usury, or to double dealing, fettered his operations, whilst the more enterprising and lucky passed him by. Like Sysiphus, he was ever To this character succeeded a man redu-rolling the weighty mass to the mountain's ced in circumstances, who (with a sigh) de- point, but it as often revolved back upon him, manded if there was nothing addressed to and left his endeavours to be resumed again. C. D., (seedy enough in apparel). "Noth-He shook his head as he put the packet into ing !" A florid appeal of feeling (probably) the office, addressed to lords, honourables, thrown away; quondam friends and ac- and M. P.s, to priviledged great ones at quaintances all false; the bait had doubt-home, and to dashing fashionables abroad. less failed, and a tale of real distress had "It is about twenty to one but all these aplain for days on the tables of the wealthy and great, but had been as little noticed as the gilded New Testaments, the fixtures of booksellers' shops, or the moral essays which plications will not produce the price of the writing paper," said I to myself, for I easily found him out: he was a Dun, [the creditor is often unjustly stigmatised by the |