I.

I gave thee praise, when life was thine, If weak, at least sincere

As e'er was offer'd at the shrine

To tuneful vot'ries dear;

I own thou hadst no common dower
Of genius, harmony, and power,
To waken hope and fear;
My spirit felt their potent sway,
And mourn'd to see them cast away:
II.

To see them cast away on themes
Which ill could recompense
The proud aspirings, lofty dreams,
Of such intelligence;

I mourn'd to think that gifts so rare
Should threaten to become a snare

To each diviner sense;

Should bring a cloud o'er minds unknown, And fatally mislead thy own.

III.

I felt all this;-and yet at times
As through the dark obscure
Of thy wild visionary rhymes,

A glimpse of light more pure
Would break in transient lustre forth;
And hopes of more endearing worth,
For thee would then allure:
These too I felt; was glad to feel;
And hazarded one brief appeal.
IV.

It prov'd in vain ;-for thou hadst rear'd
A fabric of thy own;
And all remonstrance but endear'd

A structure, which had grown
From airy hopes that dreams invent;
Delusive, from its battlement

To its foundation-stone;
A BABEL-TOWER, by Fancy built,
And by her gorgeous sunshine gilt.

V.

I can but grieve, that in thine eye
Such pile truth's temple seem'd;

I can but sorrow thou shouldst die,
Nor know thou hadst but dream'd;—

*

There is poetry in this;-the image is well kept up-and the versification is pleasant and harmonious. The allusion in the first and third verses is to a poem printed in a former work of our author's, and reprinted in this pamphlet, in which the misapplication of talents so splendid, and the perversion of powers so rare, are noticed in a pleasing manner.

A PRETTY little religious novel, entitled No FICTION, in two volumes, was sent into the world in 1819; since which time it has passed through several editions, has had a considerable run, and a great number of admirers. In 1821, these volumes, on being presented to our notice, were favourably reviewed in the Imperial Magazine for the month of March.

In this work, the two principal characters are introduced under the fictitious names of Douglas and La Fevre, two young men distinguished for coincidence of thought, similarity of pursuits, piety of spirit, and mutual affection. Throughout the whole, Douglas is represented as holding fast his integrity, and as seizing all occasions to admonish and reclaim La Fevre, who had fallen a prey to those snares in which the unwary are 100 frequently caught. La Fevre, dis tressed and harassed with the reproaches of a wounded conscience, enlisted as a soldier, repaired to America, was reclaimed, and, on his return to England, was received by his old friend Douglas, as the prodigal son by his father. Such is the general outline of this work, to the excellent tendency of which we readily give our unequivocal testimony.

It now appears, from the declarations of La Fevre, that a considerable part of No Fiction is actually fictitious, that many of its leading articles have no foundation in truth, that several others are grossly misrepresented, that some of the letters are forgeries, that the person assuming the character of Douglas is the real author of the work, that he has imputed to La Fevre aberrations from virtue of which he was never guilty, and imposed upon the credulous public, by stating that his book contains recent facts, and by giving to it the name which it bears.

THE area of the Exchange Buildings in Liverpool, which, without any exception, forms the finest spectacle of this description in England, is ornamented with a superb Monument, erected to the honour and memory of Lord Nelson. To augment the embellishments of this thriving town, the enterprising inhabitants have lately erected an equestrian Statue, to commemorate the virtues of our late venerable King.

The erection of some statue to his memory has been in contemplation ever since the celebration of the Jabilee; and the foundation of one was actually laid at that time in Great George's Square. This, however, was afterwards abandoned, as being in rather too retired a situation, and PemNo. 46.-Vol. IV.

broke Place, at the entrance of the town on the London road, has been judiciously chosen in its stead.

The pedestal having been previously prepared, on Monday, September 30th, 1822, the equestrian statue was elevated on it; since which time it has attracted the attention of assembling crowds, and commanded the admiration of every spectator. The figure, of which the representation accompanies this brief description, is of fine bronze, and of a lightish colour. The work is altogether of the heroic size; but the rider, who represents his late Majesty, exhibits him in the prime of life; and all who recollect his features at that period allow, that in general the resemblance is peculiarly striking.

3 Y

This statue is the production of Mr. Westmacott, to whose genius the public are indebted for the monument in Hyde Park, of which we gave some account in our preceding number. It displays great sculptural erudition in the drapery, and an intimate acquaintance with the exterior anatomy of the human figure. Censure, however, is a tax which every man must pay the public for being eminent, and one from which even Mr. W. cannot plead an exemption. Both the horse and the rider have been the subjects of critical animadversion; and were he to attend to every remark that has been made, perhaps neither man nor horse would long adorn the pedestal. The if such it may be principal error, termed, arises from the plinth being rather too small, as the hoof of the horse in front, which is fixed, rests on the margin, while that which is lifted extends beyond the extremity. The whole, however, is a noble structure, worthy the genius of the artist, the town of which it graces the entrance, and the august Personage whose name it commemorates.

STANZAS

Inscribed to CAPTAIN WILLIAM SCORESBY,

JUN. on the recent Death of his Lady, which painful and unexpected event took place the 14th of June last, during his voyage to the Greenland Seas.

OH for that soft assuasive pow'r,

That balm which guardian seraphs breathe, When sent in Mercy's pitying hour

To soothe the suffering bed of death!
Or that sweet voice, to mis'ry dear,
To pour a kind and healing balm,
And shed affection's kindred tear,
In the dread moment of alarm;
When o'er thy yet unconscious head

Shall burst the dark impending storm,
Blast the bright beams sweet hope had shed,
And fancy's blissful dreams deform.
Fain would this sympathizing soul
Some touch of consolation give,
The stroke of bitterness control,

And while she wounds the heart-relieve. But vain the wish!-in all its pow'r

The dreadful tale of truth must come, And joy, and hope, in that sad hour, Shall sink with Mary to the tomb! Ah! then,-not all the eloquence

Of mortal or angelic tongue Could breathe a solace o'er thy soul, While tortur'd mem'ry fondly clung To ev'ry look, and word, and thought, Each charm of feature or of mind, Which, all with love and sweetness fraught, Had left their lasting trace behind.

THE names of Howard, of Hanway, and of Reynolds, which gratitude has long since inscribed on imperishable tablets, in the temple of Benevolence, are among the richest gems which spangle in our national history. Cha

racters like these rise above the influence of earthly selfishness, and we view them as mounting into an exalted region, inhabited by superior beings, who are exempted from the common failings of human nature. To this list of worthies, whose names are sacred to the relief of suffering humanity, we are now about to add that of another; one which has already been enrolled among the benefactors of mankind, but whose virtues deserve more publicity than they have hitherto attained.

Mr. David Dale was born in the year 1738. His father, William Dale, was a shopkeeper in Stewarton, where he dealt in groceries, yarn, &c. His more distant ancestors, however, had been farmers; and, according to tradition, one particular estate, in the neighbourhood of Stewarton, had been in the family upwards of three hundred years.

The education which Mr. David Dale received, amounted to nothing more than lads in his situation usually acquire in the small towns in Scot

bours.

Engaging in trade, which, under thesmiles of an indulgent Providence, became prosperous, he soon acquired a comparative degree of affluence, which he directed, on a grand scale, to the encouragement of industry, and the relief of the distressed. The place which he selected for the scene of his operations, was a romantic dell, on the banks of the Clyde. Here, under his fostering hand, the lofty mills of Lanark first arose, which, in connection with the community gathered round them, have for several years attracted the attention of the British senate and nation. In this place he laid the foundation of that domestic government, which travellers have surveyed with admiration, and which both England and Ireland, on a larger scale, have manifested a readiness to adopt.

Keeping continually in view the employment and comfort of the poor, Mr. Dale sought after the orphans and outcasts of society, rescuing them from vice and misery, by transplanting them into a region where industry and instruction were taught to walk hand in hand. Of these destitute children, many were engaged for a certain term of years, during which time they were provided by Mr. Dale with clothing, board, and lodging. In addition to these advantages, he employed a number of teachers, who carefully attended to their education, watched over their morals, and used their unremitting efforts to enlighten their minds with the principles of religion. This union of circumstances

On one occasion, a vessel freighted with Highland families from the Hebrides, emigrating to America, was driven into Greenock by adverse weather. Many of those on board were in great distress, and without friends, or the means of relief. Mr. Dale hearing of their situation, sent agents thither, and invited them to Lanark. Inquiring into the cause of their intended emigration, he was informed it was principally from the want of employment. This he promised to

ing to work. His offer was gladly accepted, and the greater part took up their abode at the mills, where they were comfortably accommodated. He also erected many houses for other Highlanders who could not procure work in their own neighbourhood, and thus furnished an asylum for them and their families. Nor were his benevolent designs confined to the sphere of Lanark Mills. He made several attempts to introduce the cotton manufacture into the Highlands, particularly in connection with some other patriotic gentlemen, by erecting a mill at Spinningdale on the frith of Dornoch, in Sutherlandshire. Success, indeed, on these occasions, was not equal to the expectations which benevolence had entertained; but the spirit of philanthropy was not, on this account, either less conspicuous or less commendable.

In private life, the manners of Mr. Dale were mild and unassuming, and to his family, relatives, and friends, he was particularly affectionate. At times he appeared to a spectator in a musing and contemplative frame of mind, but this occasionally gave place to a peculiar vein of harmless and cheerful pleasantry. In his public capacity, he was called to act as a magistrate, and though on trying occasions he evinced more firmness and resolution than might have been expected from one in his condition of life, yet in all ordinary cases he invariably tempered justice with mercy. To charitable institutions, he was an undeviating friend; of the distressed poor, he was the constant patron; and

In his religions principles, he was warmly attached to a particular sect, but his zeal never betrayed him into enthusiasm, nor caused bigotry to take possession of his mind. His charity extended to those of other persuasions, nor did he suffer friendship to be interrupted by a variation in theological creeds. In his general character were happily combined commercial enterprise, unimpeached integrity, personal piety, active benevolence, and public spirit. Hence, within the sphere of his active operations, he was universally beloved, and viewed as a character whose virtues deserved imitation. In the higher walks of life, men of eminence sought and esteemed his acquaintance, and vied with each other in giving publicity to his fame; and among the lower orders, "when the ear heard him then it blessed him, and when the eye saw him it gave witness to him, because he delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him, and he caused the widow's heart to sing for joy."

This amiable man died at Glasgow, on the 17th of March, 1806. In life he was admired and beloved for that noble spirit of philanthropy by which he was distinguished; and in death he was regretted as the rich man's example, and the poor man's friend. At the time of his departure, many tributes of respect were paid to his memory, not so much to eulogize his virtues, as to discharge a debt due to departed worth. From one of these the following paragraphs are selected, because they give a pleasing account of his domestic establishment, and of the manner in which it advanced under his prudent management:

"Mr. Dale, owner of the Cotton Mills at Lanark in Scotland, deserves well of his country; by dispensing happiness and comfort to so many of his fellow-creatures, by his attention not only to their health but their morals, by training them up to useful habits of industry, instructing them in the necessary branches of education, and instilling into their minds a knowledge of the important truths of Christianity. His little kingdom consists of neat well-built houses, forming broad, regular, and cleanly streets. Near the middle of the town stand the mills, and opposite to them the chief mansion of the place, the residence of the superintendant of the works, and occasionally of

thousand inhabitants, mostly Highlanders; al ployed by Mr. Dale, either in working at the of whom, that are capable of labour, are encotton manufactory, or in repairing and keeping the mills in order. Five hundred children are entirely fed, clothed, and instructed, at the expense of this venerable philanthropist. in comfortable and neat habitations in the The rest of the children live with their parents town, and receive weekly wages for their labour.

"The health and happiness depicted in the countenances of these children, shew that the proprietor of the Lanark Mills has remembered mercy in the midst of his gain; the regulations adopted here for the preservation of health, both of body and mind, are such as do honour to the goodness and discernment of Mr. Dale, and present a striking contrast to the gene rality of large manufactories in this kingdom, which are the schools of vice and of profligacy, the very hot-beds of disease and of contagion. It is a truth which ought to be engraven in ietters of gold, to the eternal honour of the foonder of New-Lanark, that, out of nearly three thousand children, working in three mills, 1797, only fourteen have died, and not one during a period of twelve years, from 1785 to bath suffered criminal punishment.

"Pure and fresh air, without which life cannot exist, is administered in abundance in this manufactory, by frequently opening the winwindow, which are left open during the sumdows, and by air holes under every other mer months. The children are all washed before they go to work, and after they have finished their labour, previous to their appearchinery of the mills are washed once a week ance in the schools. The floors and the main hot water; and the walls and ceilings twice a year are white-washed with unslacked lime. The children are lodged in large airy rooms. The boys and girls are kept separate from each other during rest, meal-times, and working hours. Hence, one most material source in almost all other large manufactories, is here of the corruption and profligacy which prevail prevented from existing.

"They are fed plentifully with plain and wholesome food, which consists chiefly of fresh beef and barley broth, cheese, potatoes, and barley bread, with now and then some fresh herrings, as a variety. Their breakfast and supper is, principally, oatmeal porridge, with milk in the summer, and in winter a sauce made of beer and molasses. At seven. o'clock the children sup; after this there is ve night-work, a pernicious and infamous praetice, in use at some other manufactories, whereby immorality and debauchery are disseminated among the poor, ignorant, and unfortanate. After supper, the rooms open, and continue so till nine o'clock. The lesser children, that are not yet old enough to work, are instructed in the day-time; the elder children learn in the evening, when the daily labour is concluded. Proper masters and mistresses are employed to teach both the boys and the girls: the boys learn to read and write, and cast accounts; the girls, in addition to these inestimable acquisitions, are taught to work at the needle. Some of the children are taught church-music; and on Sunday they all, under