one passage in your majesty's note, which hardly leaves him room to hope, that your majesty thinks those steps can be taken for effectually discountenancing all attempts to make use of your majesty's name, or to influence opinions on this subject, which he has ventured to represent as indispensably necessary during any interval in which he might remain in office. He has, however, the less anxiety in laying this sentiment before your majesty, because, independent of it, he is more and more convinced, that, your majesty's final decision being once taken, the sooner he is allowed to act upon it, the better it will be for your majesty's service. He trusts, and sincerely believes, that your majesty cannot find any long delay necessary for forming an arrangement for conducting your service with credit and advantage; and that, on the other hand, the feebleness and uncertainty, which is almost inseparable from a temporary government, must soon produce an effect, both at home and abroad, which might lead to serious inconvenience. -Mr. Pitt trusts your majesty will believe, that a sincere anxiety for the future ease and strength of your government, is one strong motive for his presuming thus to press this consideration."

The correspondence closes with a short letter from the Duke of York,-to whom, it should seem, the whole had been sent, for his edification, by the king; apparently a superfluous care, as His Royal Highness's answer shows:

" SIR,

"York House, Feb. 13, 1801.

"I have the honour to return your majesty the papers which you were graciously pleased to allow me to peruse.

"If my sentiments upon the question of catholic emancipation, and of the repeal of the test act, had not been already immutably fixed, the arguments adduced in favour of the measure would alone have been sufficient to have convinced me of the danger, if not of the absolute certainty, of the dreadful consequences of

its being carried into execution.-I have the honour to be, sir, your majesty's most dutiful son and subject, FREDERICK."

6.6

This, too, we presume, is given to the public by the reverend editor, as a binding authority in favour of his much-cherished faith in the principles of exclusion and intolerance. Any thing more ridiculous we cannot well imagine. The poor duke-whose death has been much lamented, certainly, for the qualities of his heart, and for the capacity with which he was endowedreceives a cogent piece of reasoning by Mr. Pitt—and a bare expression of the king's opposite opinion, unsupported by one single reason of any kind-and he speaks of "the arguments adduced in favour of the measure," as quite sufficient to prove "the danger, if not the absolute certainty of its dreadful consequences!" Such answers to Mr. Pitt befit well an acting commander-inchief.

It is impossible to read the above letters of Mr. Pitt, and to mark the honest earnestness and solid grounds of his opinion upon this great question, without marvelling at the audacity of many of those who, calling themselves his followers, and assuming his name, form themselves into associations, the main purpose of which is to oppose the very question he was so sincerely devoted to. What is now called a Pitt Club often signifies little else than a knot of narrow-minded persons, who are banded together by the fixed determination to oppose the principles of Mr. Pitt, upon the greatest point on which he ever thought and acted for himself. To their orgies, therefore, we cannot but think that no real friend, no true admirer, of Mr. Pitt, can consistently resort. Every feeling of respect for his memory must make them shun such an insult to his name, as could only be out done by some gang of slave-dealers who should call themselves the Wilberforce Club, and exert themselves, under that appellation, for the perpetuity of slavery, and the revival of the slave-trade.

DISCOURSE ON THE OBJECTS, ADVANTAGES, AND PLEASURES OF SCIENCE.

INTRODUCTION.

In order fully to understand the advantages and the pleasures which are derived from an acquaintance with any science, it is necessary to become acquainted with that science; and it would therefore be impossible to convey a complete knowledge of the benefits conferred by a study of the various sciences which have hitherto been cultivated by philosophers, without teaching all the branches of them. But a very distinct idea may be given of those benefits, by explaining the nature and objects of the different sciences; it may be shown, by examples, how much use and gratification there is in learning a part of any one branch of knowledge; and it may thence be inferred, how great reason there is to learn the whole.

It may easily be demonstrated, that there is an advantage in learning, both for the usefulness and the pleasure of it. There is something positively agreeable to all men, to all at least whose nature is not most grovelling and base, in gaining knowledge for its own sake. When you see any thing for the first time, you at once derive some gratification from the sight, being new; your attention is awakened, and you desire to know more about it. If it is a piece of workmanship,

as an instrument, a machine of any kind, you wish to know how it is made; how it works; and what use it is of. If it is an animal, you desire to know where it comes from; how it lives; what are its dispositions, and, generally, its nature and habits. You feel this desire, too, without at all considering that the machine or the animal may ever be of the least use to yourself practically; for, in all probability, you may never see them again. But you have a curiosity to learn all about them, because they are new and unknown. You accordingly make inquiries; you feel a gratification in getting answers to your questions, that is, in receiving information, and in knowing more,-in being better informed than you were before. If you happen again to see the same instrument or animal, you find it agreeable to recollect having seen it formerly, and to think that you know something about it. If you see another instrument or animal, in some respects like, but differing in other particulars, you find it pleasing to compare them together, and to note in what they agree, and in what they differ. Now, all this kind of gratification is of a pure and disinterested nature, and has no reference to any of the common purposes of life; yet it is a pleasure-an enjoyment. You are nothing the richer for it; you do not gratify your palate or any other bodily appetite; and yet it is so pleasing, that you would give something out of your pocket to obtain it, and would forego some bodily enjoyment for its sake. The pleasure derived from science is exactly of the like nature, or, rather, it is the very same. For what has just been spoken of is, in fact, science, which in its most comprehensive sense only means knowledge, and in its ordinary sense means knowledge reduced to a system; that is, arranged in a regular order, so as to be conveniently taught, easily remembered, and readily applied.

The practical uses of any science or branch of knowledge are undoubtedly of the highest importance; and there is hardly any man who may not gain some positive advantage in his worldly wealth and comforts, by increasing his stock of information. But there is

also a pleasure in seeing the uses to which knowledge may be applied, wholly independent of the share we ourselves may have in those practical benefits. It is pleasing to examine the nature of a new instrument, or the habits of an unknown animal, without considering whether or not they may ever be of use to ourselves or to any body. It is another gratification to extend our inquiries, and find that the instrument or animal is useful to man, even although we have no chance ourselves of ever benefiting by the information: as, to find that the natives of some distant country employ the animal in travelling:-nay, though we have no desire by benefiting by the knowledge; as, for example, to find that the instrument is useful in performing some dangerous surgical operation. The mere gratification of curiosity; the knowing more to-day than we knew yesterday; the understanding clearly what before seemed obscure and puzzling; the contemplation of general truths, and the comparing together of different things,—is an agreeable occupation of the mind; and, beside the present enjoyment, elevates the faculties above low pursuits, purifies and refines the passions, and helps our reason to assuage their violence.

It is very true, that the fundamental lessons of philosophy may to many, at first sight, wear a forbidding aspect, because to comprehend them requires an effort of the mind, somewhat, though certainly not much, greater than is wanted for understanding more ordinary matters; and the most important branches of philosophy, those which are of the most general application, are for that very reason the less easily followed, and the less entertaining when apprehended, presenting as they do few particulars or individual objects to the mind. In discoursing of them, moreover, no figures will be at present used to assist the imagination; the appeal is made to reason, without help from the senses. But be not, therefore, prejudiced against the doctrine, that the pleasure of learning the truths which philosophy unfolds. is truly above all price. Lend but a patient attention to the principles explained; and, giving us credit for stating nothing which has not some practical use be