find in our island, all that is soothing in the luxuriance of her vallies, and sufficient sublimity in the rugged majesty of Snowden and Plinlimmon.

"Oh! land of my birth, yet may peace be thy portion, "And thy white sails in commerce again be un"furled!

"And still may'st thou stand, lovely rock, in the 66 ocean,

"The anchor of Europe, and hope of the world."

But human nature is various in her gifts, and an elegant author, somewhere observes," she has given to every one a relative and distinguishing bias;" to one all the captivating intoxication of uncertain popularity, to another to shine on the theatre of the world, whilst she implants in the mind of a third, a relish for the more calm and sober enjoyments of retired life.

May I confess myself a votary to the last class, and will you suffer me to avow for it a particular partiality? How much is every thing heightened by example, and how often

have the greatest men been known to retire from public life, to experience the refreshing influences of sequestered scenery. Is it only then for the great and the good?—Is a participation in such pleasure to be denied the more humble?

I do not think I have excluded the great maxim, that life must be embodied with some useful realities and some active occupations, else, divested of its pursuits and utilities, it would sink into an unmeaning blank. For surely;

"To sit on rocks, to muse o'er floods, and fell,
"To slowly trace the forest's shady scene;
"To climb the trackless mountain all unseen,
"With the wild flocks that never had a fold,
"Alone o'er steep and foaming falls to lean :
"This is not solitude, 'tis but to hold

"Converse with nature's charms, and view her stores unrolled."

To a traveller, who visits foreign countries, such a plea would not, perhaps, be deemed allowable, because he studies the customs and policies of

the inhabitants; but a rambler, a domestic tourist, will, I hope, escape the charge of misspent time and idle curiosity, if he satisfies himself with those objects at home, which breathe the best spirit of attraction, whether of nature or of art.

I was aroused from this reverie, by a discussion on the passing events of the day. One shewed, by his remarks, relative to the Waterloo medals, a more than talkative knowledge of them; he was Mr. B, of Birmingham, whose ingenuity in this particular branch of science, has made him well known. But a passing observation, from a grave companion in the opposite corner, on the subject of the anonymous author of the tragedy of Bertram, led to a discussion as to the merit of that celebrated performance, and the great mystery, which seemed to hang over its deserving author. Some one remarked, that he had heard it attributed to a Mr. Maturin; a gentleman, by my side, who hitherto had remained silent, assured him of the correctness of his information, as he, himself, was that fortunate individual!

Need I tell you of the glare of surprise, visible in every eye; we stared wildly at each other, whilst every look bespoke the spirit of St. Thomas. I leave you, however, to judge of our feelings, and the delicate situation in which we should have stood, had it not been a work on which public approbation had been so lavishly bestowed, and against which envy had not raised her crest.

Our progress had hitherto been pleasant, and the road through which we passed highly interesting, from the surrounding scenery of the country. Every thing breathed forth luxuriance; and, on reaching each commanding eminence, the view, through the rich and fertile vales, was exceedingly delightful. At Maidenhead, but especially at Henley, a broad and beautiful .expanse of water was seen gliding at the foot of rising eminences, thickly clothed with wood.

The towns through which we passed corresponded with the neighbouring country, which was diversified and picturesque, affording magnificent prospects, and a variety of interesting

objects, amongst which, the imposing appearance of Windsor Castle, was not the least.

Who can pass, unconcerned, these imposing towers? They are the habitation of royalty. The crowd of thoughts, that immediately rush into the mind are too overpowering to be expressed. The abode of a king, who now, with nothing but the recollection of what he once was, to distinguish him from an unlettered savage, or rather, I should say, from a brute;-bereft of reason, what an affecting spectacle does human nature present, and what a powerless thing does even royalty itself become, when the rays of intellect are darkened and beshrowded.

As the distant turrets faded from our view, I could not but breathe a fervent wish for peace to his declining years, whose lamp of life now only glimmers in the socket, and whose mental light is unhappily enclosed, as it were, in a dark lantern. We were now approaching the termination of our first day's expedition, and the towers of

OXFORD