Original familiar correspondence between residents in India, including sketches of Java, etc, etc

Front matter

ORIGINAL FAMILIAR CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN RESIDENTS IN INDIA. ORIGINAL FAMILIAR CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN RESIDENTS IN INDIA INCLUDING SKETCHES OF JAVA etc. etc. EDINBUBGH : PRINTED FOB THE EDITOR, AND SOLD BV WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON : J. HATCHARD & SON, PICCADILLY; J. NISBET, BERNERS STREET; AND W. J. CLEAVER, BAKER STREET, LONDON M.DCCC.XLVI. EDINBURGH : BALLA.MTYNE AND HUGHES, Paul's work, cajiox^ate, and 3 thistle street. To J. R. T. Esq. The Editor gladly avails herself of permission to dedicate the following brief Memoir and Correspondence, intended to record the thoughts and feelings of a few kindred minds thrown together at a Mofussil station in Bengal, to one who thoroughly appreciated the abilities, and highly es teemed the amiable character, of the lamented subject of them ; and who still bears in affectionate remembrance the long departed friend of his early manhood. CONTENTS.

Letter I

Arrival of a friend — Allusion to indigo factory — Opinion of " Calcutta Magazine " — Proposes establishing a Mofussil one — Notices of books — Lord Valentia's account of Raj-Mahal an inaccurate one P. 1

Letter II

Request for books — Remarks on Mrs Radcliffe 's romances — The difficulty of describing natural scenery justly and effectively — Fine taste of Walter Scott in painting to the eye and ear — His occasional carelessness P. 5

Letter III

Ardent admiration of Kirke White's character — Remarks on Madame de Sevigne's Letters — Baron Trenck — Bad indigo prospects — On the structure of Sonnets — Kirke White's notice of the subject in his " Melancholy Hours." . P. 10

Letter IV

Campbell's " Gertrude of Wyoming "— " Moonlight Thoughts," (addressed to his Mother) — Reflections on madness — Cow- CONTENTS. II ley's " Siege of Acre " — " Epistles on Women," by Lucy Aikin — Description of an Indigo Planter's feelings. P. 20

Letter XXII

Curious remedy for headache — Note on the poem entitled " Beachy Head " — Bad prospects of Indigo Season — Slow progress with Magazine P. 102 LETTER XXIH. Dislikes his own style — Finds it difficult to correct. . P. 109 LETTER XX1V. On papers in the "Mofussil Magazine" — Apollyon — Former opinions expressed on it — Remarks on other pieces. P. Ill

LETTER XXV.

Moorshedabad gaiety — The comet — Observations on it — Present dulness of the Station, &c P. 115

LETTER XXVI.

Jesuitical verses — On papers to be inserted in the " Mofussil " — The comet — Punning account of a fracas at a ball — Colonel S * * * * * — Bad weather — Satire on an Indian evening P. 118

LETTER XXVII.

Fine Sonnet by Desbarreau — His character — Pope's Messiah first appeared in the " Spectator " — Curious blunder of Prior's P. 123

LETTER XXVIII.

On Centos — Observations on different papers in the " Mofussil." P. CONTENTS. V

LETTER XXIX.

Compliments may be true ; but savour too much of the extravagant^ — Remarks on the " Mofussil," &c. ... P. 127

LETTER XXX.

Remarks on papers in the " Mofussil " continued — Indignant at plagiarism being thought lightly of — Haunted by a tune P. 129

LETTER XXXI.

" Serena " — Plagiarism discussed and reprobated — Remarks on the sentiments in the " Ode to Liberty " — Opinions on the French Revolution — On the structure of English versification — The comet — Italian books P. 132

LETTER XXXII.

l Moore's " Ode to Music" — Regrets what he says in it of the Swiss — Charlotte Smith's Poems — Blunders in novels — Reasons why the Preface cannot be altered P. 143

LETTER XXXIII.

Generally unfitted for serious occupation on arrival at the indigo factories — Course of the comet attempted to be described P. 147

LETTER XXXIV.

Remarks on Beattie, Kirke White, Chatterton, Dermody — On accenting poetry P. 149

LETTER XXXV.

Reason for not writing to Calcutta — Account of a battle at chess with Mr S * * * * * * — Amusements — On the evils of paper currency v* "4 CONTENTS. VI

LETTER XXXVI.

Warm admiration of Colonel A * * * 's character — Observations on Young's " Night Thoughts " — Laughing critique on some poor verses — Boswell, &c P. 160

LETTER XXXVII.

Sir Edward Colebrooke's imitations of Anacreon — His own attempt of one — On the uncertainty attending cultivation of Indigo ; and consequent trial of temper P. 171

LETTER XXXVIII.

Discussion on the authenticity of Ossian P. 174

LETTER XXXIX.

Remarks on marginal notes — On a poem of his own — Opinion of blank verse, &c P. 180

LETTER XL.

On Johnson's opinion of blank verse — Young's " Resignation " — General thoughts on blank verse. . • . . . P. 191

LETTER XLI.

Observations on Hammond's "Elegies" — Remarks on a particular sermon — With references to the peculiar doctrines of Calvanism and Methodism p. 194

LETTER XLII.

Remarks on a French poem he had been asked to translate On Miss Talbot's Works — Opinions of different Authors, &e P. 199

LETTER XLIII.

On desultory reading — Johnson's " Dictionary " a favourite reading with many— The Quakers — Seasonable rain. P. CONTENTS. VII

LETTER XLIV.

His Mother's hand-writing — Account of a sermon written by him when a boy — Remarks on novels — On keeping up a knowledge of French — Anxious suspense respecting the indigo season p 210

LETTER XLV.

" Nares' Essays "—The allegory of Psyche— The Grecian Mythology— Braham's singing— Music— Madame du Deffand— Translation of a French poem P. 215

LETTER XLVI.

Regret at hearing of indisposition P. 223

LETTER XLVII.

A jeu d'esprit enclosed in the former to amuse the languor of illness P. 225

LETTER XLVIII.

On the character and writings of the King of Prussia, (Frederick II.) — Wool's Life of Joseph Warton — Remarks on various books P. 229

LETTER XLIX.

Translation of a Latin epitaph on a friend — Remarks upon it, &c P. 235

LETTER L.

Desires critical examination of the Latin epitaph — Mr Maiming — King of Prussia — Slovenly insertion in the " Mirror " — Curious omission on the tombstone of Warren Hastings' first wife P. 239

LETTER LI.

Further remarks on epitaph — On the death of his late friend, &c P. CONTENTS.

LETTER LII.

Regret at hearing of indisposition — Rapid and threatening rise of the Ganges — Bad prospects for indigo — Curious conceits of old Poets— Euler's Essays P. 247

LETTER LIII.

Report from Travancore of an intended massacre of the European officers P. 251

LETTER LIV.

Humorous detail of lucky numbers — Notes on Euler — Madame du Deffand — Desultory reading P. 253

LETTER LV.

Droll mistakes in inserting articles in newspapers — Euler — King of Prussia, his love of flattery — Voltaire — Schiller's Prince — Southey's " Espriella" — Madame du Deffand, &c. P. 257

LETTER LVI.

The death of a friend — Reflection of a Hindoo sage — Observations on the characters of the King of Prussia and Voltaire — Notice of books, &c P. 265

LETTER LVII.

On criticisms — An old friend's insatiable love of reading — Ludicrous parallel between an olfactory and musical scale — Euler's Essays — Electricity P. 269

LETTER LVIII.

Edgeworth's "Ennui" — Rousseau — The olfactory idea — Puns — Witchcraft — A paradox — Apprehensions from the river P. 273

LETTER LIX.

Home News — Puns, &c. — Melancholy prospects of the season Accounts from Rungpore — Blunders in books, &c. P. CONTENTS. IX

LETTER LX.

Illness from exposure to bad weather, and anxiety of mind — Wreck of indigo prospects, occasioned by severe and sudden inundation of the Ganges — Home news — Solution of paradox P. 282

LETTER LXI.

News from the " Mofussil " — Mackenzie's Iceland — Hypereitieal remarks on it, a-la-pocket-book P. 285

LETTER LXII.

Note by the Editor — Admiration of M * * * * 's talents and verses — Books — Visitors — Rain wanted — A hint at laziness in correspondence P. 290 LETEER LXIII. Remarks on books — Blunders of French travellers in England — Chess Club, &c P. 294

LETTER LXIV.

Books — Enquiry after commissions — Loss of cash-book proposed as a subject for a poem — Chess Club — Freemasonry — Precarious hopes for indigo season P. 297

LETTER LXV.

Remarks on novels — Commissions — Mr Manning's safety — Club dinner — Witchcraft — " Browne on Vulgar Errors." P. 302

LETTER LXVI.

On the death of his friend — Much-lamented — Proposes a Latin epitaph as due to him P. 307

LETTER LXVII.

Complains of silence — Desires criticisms on Latin epitaph — Requests copies of any writings remaining of his late friend — Grieves for his death P. X CONTENTS.

LETTER LXVIII

Boats ordered— Wretched indigo season— Endeavours to obtain the appointment of Deputy-Superintendent of Embankments — Complaints of laziness— Books— Club— Invites friends. P. 318

LETTER LXIX.

Boats provided, their price — Disappointed of obtaining the appointment of Deputy- Superintendent of Embankments — Determined not to continue concerned in indigo — Commissions executed — Books wanted , .... P. 323

LETTER LXX.

Departure of friend to England — The voyage — Correspondence — Letter from the ship — Relatives at home — Mr W * * * * * very agreeable as fellow-passenger — Visit to Calcutta — Thoughts of Java — Recommended to try Editorship of Paper — Declines — Notice of old friends — Indigo — M * * * * 's papers — Kindly remembrances P. 327

LETTER LXXI

, Note by the Editor — Journey to Calcutta in search of employment — Intention of proceeding to Java — Regrets at leaving Bengal P- 337

LETTER LXXII.

Arrival at Calcutta— Passage to Java taken — Attention of friends — Lord Moira expected — Praise of the C ******* * family P. 340

LETTER LXXIII.

Hurry of a temporary sojourn at Calcutta — Chinnery's paintings Letters of introduction — Suspense — Lord Moira's suite arriving — Books— Pleasant society — Chess. ... P. 344

LETTER LXXIV

Regrets at departing — Lord Moira arrives — Coolness to his CONTENTS. XI predecessor — Unpleasant suspense regarding one letter Great kindness respecting others — Solution of riddle — Suspense terminated by receipt of letter — Departure for Java P. 351

LETTER LXXV

, Arrival at Java — Description of Batavia — Kindness of reception, especially from Mr Raffles — Meeting old acquaintances P. 356

LETTER LXXVI.

Incessant occupation— Installed in a confidential and lucrative situation — Mr Raffles' extreme kindness — Description of fine scenery — Regrets past days, but not discontented — Mr Raffles' fine character and amiable disposition — Mr Assey also a very superior man — Constant flow of visitors. . P. 364

LETTER LXXVII.

Invited to live with Mr Raffles — Fine situation of Buitenzorg — Good climate— Acquiring languages — Travels over the island with the Governor — Native amusements — Fights of animals, &c. — HI conduct of the Rajah of Bali — He receives castigation — Departure of Mr Assey for Bengal — High praise of, and requests attention to him P. 370

LETTER LXXVIII.

Arrangements for temporary appointment during Mr Assey's absence — Description of his duties — Appointed Acting Private Secretary — Member of the Society of Arts and Sciences at Batavia — Mr Assey — Dispute between Mr Raffles and General G******* * — General Nightingale's opinion on the subject — Recollections of old friends — ■ Chess — Mrs N********* *_ Presents P. 377

LETTER LXXIX.

Reference to former letters — And to Mr Raffles' dispute with CONTENTS. GeneralG * ****** *— Enquiries afterfriends — Nochange in the Government immediately likely P. 385

LETTER LXXX.

Note by the Editor — Melancholy intelligence, from a medical friend at Java, of the sudden death of Mr Addison, from fever, brought on by incautiously remaining in wet clothes some hours — Friendly tribute to his amiable character — -Mr Raffles greatly affected by his death . . P. 387 LETTER LXXX1. Conclusion — A letter from Mr Addison 's father on the event of his son's death P.

Introduction

. George Augustus Addison, whose letters to various friends form the present volume of "Indian Reminiscences," was born at Cal cutta in 1792, and was at an early age sent to England for his education. His father, the late John Addison, Esq., was in the civil service of the Honourable East India Com pany. He held the situation of Judge of Nattore, at the period of his son's birth, and, subsequently, other situations high in the service; and, at the time of his death, was Resident of Bauleah. Mr Addison, senior, as the nearest colla teral descendant, was heir-at-law to the cele-

INTRODUCTION.

. brated moralist — that great man having only a daughter in the direct line, who died unmarried. George, when in his fifth year, was entered at Hackney School, then a celebrated place of education for youth, under the charge of Dr Newcombe. There he highly distinguished himself by ability and application to his studies, and his name still remains in the old school-house, engraved in characters of gold, with that of others the most eminent of Dr Newcombe's pupils. Having finished his course of study at this academy, he embarked for India, being then in his sixteenth year. Without entering into the details of his useful career, suffice it to say, that in the course of a few years he be came private secretary to J. S. Raffles, Esq. (afterwards Sir Stamford Raffles,) then governor of Java. The duties of this important situation George Addison fulfilled to the entire satisfaction of the governor and all connected with him, and was rapidly entering upon a

INTRODUCTION.

. XV career of extended usefulness, when he was, in the unscrutable providence of God, cut off in his twenty-second year, by a fever inci dental to the climate of Java. No better testimony can be given to his merits than the following letter from the governor of Java, on the melancholy occa sion of his secretary's decease : — Extract of a Letter from the Governor of Java, to the Secretary of ihe Supreme Government of Bengal : — Batavia, 2lst Jan. 1815. " Sir, — I am directed by the Honourable the Lieut.-Governor in Council, to report to you the death of Mr G. A. Addison, assistant secretary to the revenue and judicial departments. " In communicating this lamented occurrence, the Lieut.-Governor in Council is anxious to take the opportunity of expressing the high sense he entertains of the talents, merits, and services of Mr Addison. His abilities and acquirements were remarkably great ; his application and exertions

INTRODUCTION.

. unwearied ; and his personal conduct as amiable as his pubhc services were eminent. " The Lieut.-Governor in Council, therefore, sincerely regrets his loss in every point of view. (Signed) i " Charles Assey, " Secretary to the Government." LETTERS.

Letter I

Calcapore, March 1811. My Dear Mrs , Your note of the 21st has only this moment come to my hands, owing to my missing my dak wala* on the road ; for I am again playing truant, and have come in to see my friend Mr "VV*****, a thing to which I would make all bluer] conside rations give way. I leave this place again, how ever, to-morrow. I am glad you agree with me in opinion of the " Calcutta Magazine." It is a wretched compilation. I have just received the third number, and find, as I expected, a progressive deterioration. Really, if you would give me a little help, we could make up as good a " Mofussil Magazine ; " what do you * Postman. f Indigo works. A

LETTER I

think of a trial ? I think I could muster up a respectable force : poetry and belles-lettres from ; Hinduism, and general topics and poetry, from Colonel S*****; eccentricity from Major K**** ; anecdote and poetry from Mr W***** ; Arabic, Persian, and a little poetry, from Captain H******* ; Bengalee, and perhaps something else, from R****** ; no politics from M******* ; French philosophy from Campo ; a chance of Marsh ; et quant a moi, I would be the string to tie the nose gay together with ; and in talung on myself the mechanical part of transcribing, I should not have the least severe duty. First Number to be published first July — hope to receive encouragement from obliging and erudite correspondents — shall spare no exertions to deserve their favour, &c. &c. &c. Is not this a very famous proposal ?

In truth, as I am now about to visit the jungles, whence I shall not return till the manufacturing season is over, I know nothing fairer than to get rid of my own ennui by transferring it to you here, who have society as a counterbalance. Pray do not laugh at me. Thirty letters to make into words is a little too bad ! I am not quite an Œdipus ; moreover, it

LETTER I.

is contrary to all anagrammatic rules to make up letters or words into more than one word ; I will, however, puzzle at it. As to the trick through which I blundered so awkwardly at your house, it is gone past redemption ; in vain I have set my wits to work at it — it has completely foiled them; but as it has played the same trick to you, (who, I believe, once knew it as well as myself,) I ought not to complain. As to Gertrude — doctors, I believe, diiFer. It is originally German ; and as all the g's in this language are hard, perhaps the pronouncing it thus is most correct ; but the soft manner is, in my opinion, most suitable to an Enghsh mouth ; and, though the tide is rather against me, this is the way in which I always pronounce the lady's name. Mais Vun ou V autre se dit, and you may therefore take your choice.

The "Armenian" is not so good as I had expected ; but, as you are an admirer of Schiller's, I will send it to you. It has, of course, a sufficiency of horror, (for me more than enough.) One person observes, that, though he has a retentive memory, yet he cannot recollect the number of murders he has committed. It concludes by killing off, with a _

LETTER I

stroke of lightning, the last of the dramatis jier sowe. Lord Valentia is an inelegant writer, and a very stupid observer. At B aj-mahal, he must have shut his eyes, for he says — " a terrible fire burned the palace to the ground, and the river carried away nearly the whole of the town. No vestiges, even, of its ancient magnificence remain ! " Now, positively, the whole town is one vestige of ancient magnificence. I spent a day among its ruins last year, and saw nothing, for miles, but ruins of mag nificent palaces. There is stone and marble enough to build a couple of great cities " in these dege nerate days;" nor are these all on the ground. High walls, numberless windows, grand gateways, long galleries, and never-ending colonnades, on every side refute Lord Valentia. I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you beat somebody at chess this evening.

Do not play with Mr B ; you do not fight him on equal ground, for your attention is rather more volatile than his. He plays an excellent Spanish game ; that is, he may bequeath an unfinished one to his great grandsons. — I am yours sincerely, G. A. Addison\

Letter II

March 1811. I shall be obliged to you for the " Italian." I perfectly coincide with you as to " Udolpho." It is inferior not only to the " Italian," but also to the " Sicilian Romance." The explaining away the mysteries in it, is very ill managed ; in this respect, the " Romance of the Pyrenees" excels it much. There are two or three little pieces of poetry, which, though not comparable with Charlotte Smith's, yet are, I think, neat. The great fame it has acquired rests on its descriptions ; and, certainly, these are given in very elegant poetical prose ; but they are too numerous, and all are too much wrought. Not one of them gives a distinct landscape — " rocks roll on rocks, and floods push floods along." A real master in this art gives the scene to your eye at one stroke — witness Homer's night-piece, the finest in all poetry, in five lines.

Even in the " Pyrenees," where Mrs Radcliffe is said to rise above herself, to me she only gives a fine idea of chaos, " where hot, cold, moist, and dry," strive still for mastery, and bring to battle their •' embryon atoms." What with the Mediterranean on one side, and the towering hills on the other, I rind myself " quenched in a boggy syrtis, neither sea nor good dry land," and like the fiend, " o'er bog or steep, through strait, rough, dense, or rare, with head, hands, wings, or feet, pursue my way ; and swim or sink, or walk, or creep, or fly." Did you ever, setting aside the beauty of the language, try to view with your mind's eye one of these landscapes, " in all its bearings," as given by Mrs Radcliffe ? I defy you to form, unassisted by your own ideas, a good picture from her. It is " confusion worse confounded ; " but nothing is harder than this art of description.

A certain philosopher once endeavoured to give a blind man the idea of a beautiful red colour ; and, accordingly, having gone through many sagacious definitions, the blind man was asked to what he assimilated in his mind the fine idea the philosopher had tried to impress on his mind ; he answered, that from all he had heard, he could suppose that the only thing resembling it must be brown sugar ! I return the " Lady of the Lake " — the perusal of which has pleased me much. Whatever Walter Scott writes must be well worth the reading, and must contain sparks of true poetic fire ; but what pity that he only sparkles who might blaze ! There are some fine passages in this poem : the description of Ellen is one of the most beautiful. The opening of the 4th canto is also pretty. I am much surprised at Scott's being able to preserve so equable a tone throughout a poem ; he never did this before ; here, however, he flows throughout almost without a ripple ; but whether this is praise to his poem or not, is another matter ; he certainly never sinks to the faults of the " Lay " and " Marmion," and on the other hand, he never rises, or rather soars, to their beauties.

Without professing to be a judge, I can of course form an opinion; and I think that the "Lady of the Lake" is equal, or even superior to " Marmion," but very far indeed inferior to the " Lay of the Last Minstrel." What I have before particularly admired in him, was his very happy choice of measures — making his lines echo to his sense ; thus, in my favourite poem, the " Lay," how exquisite is the abruptness with which he relates the death of Branksomc's chief: — " When the streets of high Dunedin Saw lances gleam, and falchions redden, And heard the slogan's deadly yell — Then the chief of Branksome fell." How well chosen a measure is the following for pathetic subjects, — " Tears of an imprison'd maiden Mix with my polluted stream ; Margaret of Branksome, sorrow laden, Mourns beneath the moon's pale beam."

The following even imitates the pace of his horse, — " O swiftly can speed My dapple-grey steed, That drinks of the Teviot clear ; Before break of day, The warrior 'gan say, Again will I be here." And the following, too, though of the simplest ballad kind possible, perhaps from that very cause has much beauty, and even pathos, — " 'Tis not that at the ring they ride, (Though William at the ring rides well,) But that my sire his wine will chide, If 'tis not fill'd by Rosabelle." The parenthesis above is admirable. This, too, I admire highly, — " And each St Clair was buried there, With candle, with book, and with knell ; But the sea-caves rung, and the wild winds sung, The dirge of lovely Rosabelle." A thousand other instances might be given of the imitative nicety of his ear ; after which I can not congratulate him on the following choice of a funereal measure : — " The hand of the reaper Takes the ears that are hoary, But the voice of the weeper Wails manhood in glory ; The autumn winds rushing, Waft the leaves that are searest ; But our flower was in flushing, When blighting was nearest."

To me this measure has not a particle of woe in it ; and the catch that the voice is obliged to make in reading it, inspires any thing but solemnity, which should be slow and equable. I do not much admire, either, such verse as the following : — " Heaven send it happy dew, Earth lend it sap anew." Enough of hypercriticism. I return the second volume of Anderson's Poets.

Letter III

April 1811. I return Kirke White, whom I have kept thus long, because it was necessary to more than read liim. It is paying an ill compliment to the author to say that his book excited so base a passion in my heart as envy — yet I must confess this to have been the case — and I do envy him both his head and his heart, above all I have ever known or read of. It is no slight praise, and yet is strictly true, to say that he is the most faultless character to be met with in our literary annals ; he at once possesses genius without eccentricity ; piety without fanati cism ; learning without pedantry ; and, what is more rare, ivith common sense. His public life was not more pure than his private, and whatever be the relation of hfe in which he is to be judged, it will, equally with any other, successfully stand the test.

In short, to sum up his whole character, he never said what he could have wished unsaid ; nor did he ever do that which he could afterwards have wished undone. And who can claim an equal praise ? Not Bacon, " the wisest, noblest, meanest of mankind." Not Spencer, for H. K. White would never have stooped to remind even his sovereign of a promise. Not Milton ; " such was his malignity, that hell grew darker at his frown." Not Shakespeare ; H. K. White never stole deer. Not Dryden, who has written what he ought to have blushed to read. Not Addison, who " hated for arts that caused himself to rise." Not Pope, peevish and unamiable. Not Swift, detestable. Not Savage, wild and dissipated. Not Johnson, overbearing and morose. Not, in short, any one that I can call to memory, save Sir Thomas More, Sir Isaac Newton, and Cowper.

The first is inferior in amiableness,for in controversy he was sometimes scurrilous ; the latter was not, in my opinion, of piety so pure, though quite as fervent; he had, too, some of the eccentricities of genius ; but Newton rises far superior to them all, and is incontestably the greatest and noblest character that ever existed — to him Kirke White must yield. You will not thank me for this prosing, but the truth is, that I am like a Bengalee tattoo, or a hack post-horse — I set off limpingly enough, but when I get warm, I trot most furiously. Indeed, it is well that you have escaped with only prosing. I did sit down to scribble a sonnet to his memory, but by the time I got to the middle, I discovered it was so every way unworthy of it, that I tore it up, or, poetice, " this wretched half I bade the winds dis perse in empty air."

The poems to the Primrose and Rosemary are unquestionably the most beautiful in the collection, (were I punnically given, I should say they are the flowers of the work.) In the Ode to Morning, too, there is one passage I highly admire ; it is — " The lark has her gay song begun, She leaves her grassy nest, And soars, 'til the unrisen sun Gleams on her speckled breast." But I should trouble you with several sheets were I to point out all the beauties. I do not, however, mean to strain my fondness for hyperbole so far as to assert that Kirke AVhite is equal, as a poet, to many that I could name ; but if we judge of him as Douglas wishes to be judged, it is fair to infer from what he was, that he tvould have equalled or surpassed them all. I send you " les Lettres de .

LETTER III.

13 Madame de Sevigne," and hope the perusal will give you pleasure. Some of them are written with a wonderful deal of ease, playfulness, and wit, and all abound in felicities of expression ; but, on the whole, in point of style only I like them less than Rousseau's, and much less than Lady Mary's in point both of style and matter. Mais chacun a son gout. By the by, the matter of these letters, as it generally turns on petty intrigues at the court of Louis le Grand, is not very interesting to nous autres; and I sometimes think, that in reading through works where style is the only recommendation, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle. The history of a broomstick can never be interesting, though all the powers of Swift be exerted on it. You were speaking the other night of Baron Trenck ; I forgot at the time to tell you what became of him after getting released from Magdeburgh, which was effected through the intercessions of the Empress- Queen with the King of Prussia.