hours in croffing this defert, and then had a view of a fine woody vale, but narrow and deep, through which a rivulet ren as clear and rapid as your Scots burns, winding in very agreeable forms, with a very pretty cafcade. On the edge of this valley we travelled on foot, for the steepness of the road would not allow us to ride without fome danger; and in about half an hour we came to a more open country, though ftill inclofed with hills, in which we faw the town of Bala with its beautiful lake. The town is fmall and ill built; but the lake is a fine object it is about three miles in length, and one in breadth; the water of it is clear, and of a bright filver colour. The river Dee runs through very rich meadows; at the other end are towering high mountains; on the fides are grassy hills, but not fo well wooded as I could wish them to be: there is alfo a bridge of ftone built over the river, and a gentleman's house which embellishes the profpect. But what Bala is most famous for is the beauty of its women; and indeed I there faw fome of the prettiest girls I ever beheld. The lake produces very fine trout, and a fish called whiting, peculiar to itself, and of fo delicate a tafte, that I believe you would prefer the flavour of it to the lips of the fair maids at Bala.

beautiful of all we had feen. From the height of this village you have a view of the fea. The hills are green and well fhaded with wood. There is a lovely rivulet, which winds through the bottom; on each fide are meadows, and above are corn-fields along the fides of the hills; at each end are high mountains which feemed placed there to guard this charming retreat against any invafions. With the woman one loves, with the friend of one's heart, and a good study of books, one might país an age there, and think it a day. If you have a mind to live long, and renew your youth, come with Mrs. Bower, and fettle at Feftiniog. at Feftiniog. Not long ago there died in that neighbourhood an honeft Welsh farmer, who was 105 years of age; by his first wife he had 30 children, 10 by his fecond, 4 by his third, and 7 by two concubines; his youngest fon was 81 years younger than his eldest, and 800 perfons defcended from his. body attended his funeral. When we had skirted this happy vale an hour or two, we came to a narrow branch of the fea, which is dry at low water. As we paffed over the fands, we were furprized to fee all the cattle preferred that barren place to the meadows. The guide faid it was to avoid a fly, which in the heat of the day came out of the woods, and infefted them in the valleys. The view of the faid fands are terrible, as they are hemmed in on each fide with very high hills, but broken into a thousand irregular fhapes. At one end is the ocean, at the other the formidable mountains of Snowdon, black and naked rocks, which feemed to be piled one above the other.

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The fummits of fome of them are covered with clouds, and cannot be afcended. They do altogether excite the idea of Burnet, of their being the fragment of a demolished world. The rain which was falling when I began to write this letter did not last long; it cleared up after dinner and gave us a fine evening, which employed us in riding along the fea-coaft, which is here very cold. The grandeur of the ocean, correfponding with that of the mountain, formed a majeftic and folemn fcene; ideas of immenfity fwelled and exalted our minds at the fight; all leffer objects appeared mean and trifling, fo that we could hardly do juftice to the ruins of an old caftle, fituated upon the top of a conical hill, the foot of which is washed by the fea, and which has every feature that can give a romantic appearance. This morning being fair, we ventured to climb up to the top of a mountain, not indeed fo high as Snowdon, which is here called Moel Guidon, i. e. the neft of the Eagle; but one degree lower than that called Moel Happock, the neft of the Hawk; from whence we faw a phænomenon new to our eyes, but common in Wales; on the one fide was midnight, on the other bright day; the whole extent of the mountain of Snowdon, on our left hand, was wrapt in clouds from top to bottom; on the right the fun fhone most gloriously over the fea-coaft of Carnarvon. The hill we ftood upon was perfectly clear, the way we came up a pretty eafy afcent; but before us was a precipice of many hundred yards, and below a vale, which, though not

cultivated, has much savage beauty; the fides were steep, and fringed with low wood. There were two little lakes, or rather large pools, that ftood in the bottom, from which iffued a rivulet, that ferpentined in view for two or three miles, and was a pleafing relief to the eyes: but the mountains of Snowdon, covered with darknefs and thick clouds, called to my memory the fall of mount Sinai, with the laws delivered from it, and filled my mind with religious awe. This afternoon we propofe going to Caernarvon, and you may expect a continuation of my travels from Shrewfbury, which is our laft ftage. Through the whole round of them we heartily wished for you, and your friend Browne, and your friend Mrs. S, who is a paffionate admirer of profpects; and that you could have borrowed the chariot of fome gracious fairy, or courteous inchanter, and flown through the air with us. You know I always admired Mrs. S, for the greatnefs of her taste and fublime love of nature, as well as for all her other perfections. Adieu, my dear Bower. I am perfectly well: like a horfe, and fleep like a monk ;' fo that I may, by this ramble, preferve a flock of health, that may laft all winter, and carry me through my parliamentary campaign. If you write to the Madona, do not fail to affure her of my trueft devotion. The moft zealous Welsh Catholic does not honour St. Winifred more than I do her. I wish you may not be tired with my travels; but you know I am performing my promife.

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Animadverfions

fended by a band of fpirited heroes, his fons. All the powers and valour, and cunning and wisdom in heaven, and on earth, are here as affailants, or as defenders, fo fully difplayed before the reader, that he fancies he is actually feeing and hearing every thing with his own eyes and ears. Human genius has produced nothing comparable to this work, as to variety of invention and liveliness of imagery; and, upon the whole, the Iliad will probably remain the greateft work of poetical genius. For, fhould a fecond, or even a greater Homer arife, he would yet probably want a fubject that could enable him to produce on the fcene fuch a number of celebrated heroes, and chiefs of fo many nations fo truly remarkable for acting with fuch an intire freedom of foul.

A New Critical Examination of the Word Thought, as applied to the fine Arts, with Rules for judging of the Beauties of Painting, Mufic, and Poetry. From the jame.

HOUGHTS are, generally fpeaking, all ideas fufficiently distinct to be conveyed by figns. When speaking with a particular reference to the belles lettres and polite arts, we mean, by thoughts, the ideas which the artift attempts to raise by his performance, in contradiftinction to the manner in which they are raised or exprefied.

In works of art, thoughts are what remains of a performance, when tripped of its embellish ments. Thus, a poet's thoughts are what remains of his poems, independently of the verfification,

and of fome ideas, merely ferving for its decoration and improvement.

Thoughts, therefore, are the materials propofed and applied by art to its purposes. The drefs in which they appear, or the form into which they are moulded by the artist, is merely accidental; confequently, they are the first object of attention in every work of art; the fpirit, the foul of a performance, which, if its thoughts are indifferent, is but of little value, and may be compared to a palace of ice, raised in the most regular form of an habitable structure, but, from the nature of its materials totally useless.

While, therefore, you are. contemplating an hiftorical picture, try to forget that it is a picture: forget the painter, whofe magic art has, by lights and shades, created bodies where there are none. Fancy to yourself that you are actually looking at men, and then attend to their actions. Obferve whether they are interefting; whether the perfons exprefs thoughts and fentiments in their faces, attitudes, and motions; whether you may understand the language of their airs and gestures, and whether they tell you fomething remarkable. If you find it not worth your while to attend to the perfons thus realized by your fancy, the painter has thought to ltttle purpofe.

Whilft liftening to a mufical performance, try to forget that you are hearing founds of an inanimate inftrument, produced only by great and habitual dexterity of lips or fingers. Fancy to yourfelf, that you hear a man fpeaking fome unknown language, and obferve whether his founds exprefs fome fenti

ments;

ments; whether they denote tranquility or disturbance of mind, foft or violent, joyful or grievous affections; whether they exprefs any character of the fpeaker; and whether the dialect be noble or mean. If you cannot difcover any of these requifites, then pity the virtuofo for having left fo much ingenuity deftitute of thought.

In the fame manner we must also judge of poems, especially of the lyric kind. That ode is valuable, which, when deprived of its poetical drefs, ftill affords pleafing thoughts or images to the mind. Its real merit may be beft difcovered by tranfpofing it into fimple profe, and depriving it of its poetical colouring. If nothing remains, that a man of fenfe and reflection would approve, the ode, with the moft charming harmony, and the moft fplendid colouring, is but a fine dress hung round a man of ftraw. How greatly then are thofe mistaken, who confider an exuberant fancy and a delicate ear as fufficient qualifications for a lyric poet!

It is only, after having examined the thoughts of a performance in their unadorned ftate, that we can pronounce whether the attire, in which they have been dreffed by art, fits and becomes them well or ill. A thought, whofe value and merit cannot be estimated but from its drefs, is, in effect, as futile and infignificant as a man who affects to difplay his merit by external pomp.

On the Origin and Progrefs of the Arts; from Lord Kaimes's Sketches of the Hiftory of Man.

OME ufefal arts must be

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nearly coeval with the human race, for food, cloathing, and habitation, even in their original fimplicity, require fome art. Many other arts are of fuch antiquity as to place the inventors beyond the reach of tradition. Several have gradually crept into existence, without an inventor. The bufy mind, however, accustomed to a beginning of things, cannot reft till it find or imagine a beginning to every art. Bacchus is faid to have invented wine; and Staphylus, the mixing water with wine. The bow and arrow are afcribed by tradition to Scythos, fon of Jupiter, though a weapon all the world over. Spinning is fo ufeful, that it must be honoured with fome illuftrious inventor: it was afcribed by the Egyptians to their goddess Ifis; by the Greeks to Minerva; by the Peruvians to Mama Ella, wife to their first fovereign Mango Capac; and by the Chinefe, to the wife of their Emperor Yao. Mark here by the way a connexion of ideas; fpinning is a female occupation, and it must have had a female in. ventor".

"In the hunter-ftate, men are wholly occupied in procuring food, clothing, habitation, and other neceffaries; and have no time nor zeal for studying conveniencies.

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