and England. "Were I an Irishman," said he, "I should certainly wish for it; and, as a general lover of liberty, I sincerely desire it; and for this plain reason, that an inferior country, connected with one much her superior in force, can never be certain of the permanent enjoyment of constitutional freedom, unless she has, by her representatives, a proportional share in the legislature of the superior kingdom."

A few days before I left Paris to return home this great man fell sick, and, though I did not imagine, from the nature of his complaint, that it was likely to be fatal, I quitted him, however, with the utmost regret, and with that sort of foreboding which sometimes precedes misfortunes. Scarcely was I arrived in England, when I received a letter from one whom I had desired to send me the most particular accounts of him, communicating to me the melancholy news of his death, and assuring me, what I never doubted, that he had died as he lived, like a real philosopher; and what is more, with true christian resignation. What his real sentiments, with regard to religion, were, I cannot exactly say. He certainly was not a Papist; but I have no reason to believe that he was not a Christian; in all our conversations, which were perfectly free, I never heard him utter the slightest hint, the least word, which savoured of prophaneness, but, on the contrary, whenever it came in his way to mention christianity, he always spoke of its doctrine and of its precepts, with the utmost respect and reverence; so that, did I not know that he had too much wisdom and goodness to wish to depreciate the ruling religion, from his general manner of expressing himself, I should make no scruple freely to declare him a perfect Christian. At his death the priests, as usual, tormented him, and he bore their exhortations with the greatest patience, good humour, and decency; till at length fatigued, by their obstinate and tiresome pertinacity, he told them that he was much obliged for their comfort, but that, having now a very short time to live, he wished to have those few minutes to himself, as he had lived long enough to know how to die. A day or two before his death an unlucky circumstance happened, by which the world has sustained an irreparable loss. He had written the history of Louis the eleventh, including the transactions of Earope during the

very important and interesting period of that prince's reign. The work was long and laborious, and some, who had seen parts of it, have assured me, that it was superior even to his other writings. Recollecting that he had two manuscripts of it, one of them perfect, and the other extremely mutilated, and fearing that this imperfect copy might fall into the hands of some ignorant and avaricious bookseller, he gave his valet-de-chambre the key of his escrutoir, and desired him to burn that manuscript which he described to him. The unlucky valet burned the fair copy, and left that from which it was impossible to print.

There is nothing more uncommon than to see, in the same man, the most ardent glow of genius, the utmost liveliness of fancy, united with the highest degree of assiduity and of laboriousness. The powers of the mind seem in this to resemble those of the body. The nice and ingenious hand of the oculist was never made to heave the sledge, or till the ground. In Montesquieu, however, both these talents were eminently conspicuous. No man ever possessed a more lively, a more fanciful genius. No man was ever more laborious. His Esprit des Loix is, perhaps, the result of more reading than any treatise ever yet composed. M. de Secondat, son to the president, has now in his possession forty folio volumes in his father's handwriting, which are nothing more than the common-place books, from whence this admirable work was extracted. Montesquieu, indeed, seems to have possessed the difficult art of contracting matter into a small compass, without rendering it obscure, more perfectly than any man who ever wrote. His Grandeur et Decadence des Romains is a rare instance of this talent, a book in which there is more matter than was ever before crammed together in so small a space. One circumstance, with regard to this last-mentioned treatise, has often struck me, as a sort of criterion by which to judge of the materialness of a book. The index contains nearly as many pages as the work itself.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. FOR THE PORT FOLIO.

MR. OLDSCHOOL,

Pleased as I am persuaded you are, to cooperate in every enterprize which has for its object to promote the interest of literature and science in the United States, or to augment, in any way, the intellectual resources of our country, you will not, I trust, refuse a place, in your excellent journal, to a few observations which relate to an undertaking of tnat description.

An attempt is now on foot by Eastburn, Kirk and Co. of the city of Newyork, to procure an increase of subscription to the republication in this country of the Edinburg and Quartely Reviews, so as to render the extent of public patronage equal to the magnitude and weight of the engagement. This is an enterprize to which every American, who is qualified duly to appreciate its nature and tendency, must wish the most ample and unqualified success. In a note, like the present, it were vain to pretend to analyse the character and do justice to the merit of journals so extensive in their plan, so rich and diversified in their matter, and so masterly in their style and manner of execution. Of such exalted and multifarious excellence even a miniature representation must not be attempted. These periodical publications exhibit a resplendent epitome of all that the loftiest and most cultivated talents, fortified by the soundest morality and chastened by the most refined taste, of the British empire, are able to achieve in literature and science. Giving rise, as they certainly have, to a new epoch in the intellectual productions of England, not to say of all Europe, their diffusion among the people of the United States could not be unaccompanied by the most important results. During the present period, in particular, when the operations of war are interposing, like another Atlantic, between us and the progress of knowledge in the old word, these distinguished Journals would serve, perhaps, as the best of all possible substitutes for the uninterrupted intercourse of peaceful times.

Ample as are our means of improvement at home, fertile as our country unquestionably is, in genius and talents, and distinguished as are many characters among us by a laudable ambi. tion in literary pursuits, still it cannot be denied, that our richest and most delightful resources, as to intellectual cultivation,

are derived from abroad. Nor is it less indubitably true, that One of the most valuable and abundant of these resources may be found in the Edinburg and Quarterly Reviews. To the con ductors of those Journals it is but justice to declare, that no similar publications heretofore established in any age or country, have sketched in lines so bold, comprehensive and perfectly correct, the march of science, literature and truth.

To the people of the United States it is not the lowest recommendation of these Journals, that they are in a state of militancy in relation to each other. Audi alteram partem, is a precept which should be fresh in the mind of every individual who is desirous of attaining correct views as to controverted subjects. Although sophistry may puzzle, and perverted ingenuity occasionally mislead, it is through the means of sound argument and able discussion, that error is most readily unmasked, and truth rendered most certainly triumphant.

On topics in relation to which the writers happen to differ in opinion, it is no petty contest that exists between the Edinburg and the Quarterly Review. The warfare is waged on a scale equal in extent, and conducted by means corresponding in vigour, to the talents and attainments of the mighty combatants. In a collision of intellect so potent and skilful, lights the most brilliant are sure to be elicited. Hence it is that with regard to all important subjects which are discussed in these productions, every source of argument is generally exhausted. The reader has presented to him, as in a masterly chart, the reasons and objections on each side of the question. His only business, therefore, is to exercise his judgment and decide for himself.

Nor is it only in force of argument and profundity of research that the Edinburg and Quarterly Reviews are preeminent. They are models of eloquence and standards of taste. In splendour of imagination too, richness of fancy, keenness of satire, and brilliancy of wit, they are, if not unrivalled, at least unsurpassed.

Such as they are, replete with whatever is most eminently calculated to delight and refine, amuse and ameliorate, chasten and instruct, their republication among an enlightened and a liberal people, cannot fail of abundant patronage.

C.

EMPORIUM OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.

We announce with great pleasure the following literary project, which from the ample resources, and the versatile genius of the accomplished edior, cannot fail to add largely to the stock of public instruction.

PROSPECTUS OF THE EMPORIUM OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.

(NEW SERIES.)

THE Emporium hitherto published, having been relinquished by its editor and publisher, I have undertaken to continue it under the same title; and the public will of course expect that I should give some account of the plan on which it is meant hereafter to be conducted.

I do not see, at present, any material objection to the plan originally proposed by Dr. Coxe: for what more useful work could the public expect, than one which should contain a judicious selection of practical papers on manufactures and the arts, from the more scarce and voluminous among the foreign publications, and a repository for original papers of the same description, furnished by men of research in our country?

I had prepared a volume of papers on manufacturing processes, which the publishers of the present work were to have published separately, had not the new series of the Emporium been. undertaken. The matter I had meant for that work, I shall now employ upon this; and I will make, if I can, the Emporium a repository of papers on manufactures, that shall be worth preserving. They will consist of a series of essays drawn up and arranged by myself, but with the assistance of every thing I can find to the purpose in foreign publications. I have long been anxious to compose and to compile a work of this description, that shall remain a classic book on the subject, and I will endeavour to do it now.

In treating of the various subjects, it will be fair to give notice, that I will not condescend to make this a work of mere amusement, for the purpose of sale-one that shall suffice merely, under the show of science, to enable the reader to trifle away an hour, and to skim the surface of a great many subjects for the purpose of superficial and conversation knowledge. Many pages of this work to a general reader will be very dull; but it will be my fault if they are not useful to those who read for improvement.