template the magnitude and number, the distances and revolutions of the heavenly bodies; the curious conformation discoverable in the animal fabric and economy, all directly tending to life and defence, convenience and beauty, and diverfified, in the different fpecies, after a manner beft fuited to the different elements allotted for their habitations: if he confiders the wonderful growth and ftructure of plants and vegetables, produced in fuch variety for the refreshment and delight of man and of creatures merely animal; and the strong instinct univerfally planted in these lower species for the prefervation of their peculiar kind: if he take a view, above all, of the powers and affections of the human mind; that noble principle of underftanding by which he is capable of investigating the wonders of creation, of observing their order and harmony, and making fuch difcoveries with refpect to the nature and perfections of God, and the plan of his providence, which a natural love of truth, and order, and goodness, muft render highly delightful: if he confider, moreover, the principle of univerfal benevolence, the fupremacy of the moral faculty by which he is made to approve it, with the variety of propenfities implanted in fubordination to it; fuch as parental tenderness and filial affection, all the tender charities for his friends and country, the strong emotions of fympathy toward the afflicted, and the entire confent and beautiful harmony obfervable between thefe public and generous affections and the principle of felf love, toge ther with the particular paffions which more immediately terminate in its gratification; by all which a provision is made, not only for the happinefs of individuals, but for the good and welfare of the whole: if he revolve in his mind all these confiderations, in the various points of view in which they may be placed, he cannot but have the most striking demonftration of the goodness and loving-kindness of the Supreme Creator and Governor ་ of the World. It muft, indeed, be the height of folly, to ascribe such an univerfal tendency to happiness in the very frame, conftitution, and first principles of things, fupported and maintained by fuch nice dependencies, wonderful connections, and invariable regularity, and appearing in such magnificence, throughout an inconceivable chain of being, to any thing but the determined, immutable, and diffufive goodness of this great Creator, defigning the happiness of his creatures as the very end of bringing them into existence. A mixture of evil is indeed abundantly apparent in the prefent ftate of human existence : but this cannot preponderate against a general tendency to good, and a' prevailing evidence of a benevolent intention in the univerfe. And a true philofopher will reflect, that in a plan of boundless extent, contrived by infinite wisdom, there muft, of neceffity, be many things, the particular intention of which, and their connection with the good of the whole, cannot be difcerned by beings of infinite and limited capacities, whofe conceptions and views of fuch a scheme muft, at beft, be very partial and defective. Yet, even in the prefent world, innumerable inftances occur, both of the good tendency and effects of many valuable purposes to which Infinite Wisdom renders fubfervient even those actions of men, which had their origin in the wickedness and malevolence of their hearts; and thus, From feeming evil still educing good, THOMSON. It is, indeed, a very natural and juft conclufion, that thofe jeeming evik, the good effects of which do not take place in this prefent fcene, will certainly be productive of fuch effects in that future ftate, which, from the prefent order and condition of things, and from the natural notions of the divine perfections, is fo clearly and irrefiftibly inferred; the knowledge or E 2 ditcovery discovery of which ought, there fore, to be confidered as a part of the prefent fyftem, and taken into the account, when eftimating the evidence it affords of a benevolent and allperfect government in nature. And fuch a future ftate mankind are not left to infer from mere reafoning and deduction; but they are affured, by an express revelation from God, of that great day, which will reveal the blifsful fcenes of life and immortality. And fee! 'Tis come, the glorious morn! the fecond birth Of heaven and earth! Awakening Nature hears fhare In life was gall and bitterness of foul :' And Mcderation fair, wore the red marks That cruel fpoiler, that embofom'd foe, Imbitter'd all our blifs. Ye good distrest! Ye noble few! who yet unbending stand Beneath Life's preffure, yet bear up awhile,. And what your bounded view, which only faw A little part, deem'd evil, is no more: The ftorms of wintry time will quickly país, And one unbounded Spring encircle all. It is, indeed, a most confolatary reflection, that none of the feeming evils of this life, can, when confidered as having a relation to a future ftate, leffen our firm faith and confidence in the goodness of God. His goodness involves in it all the other moral perfections of his nature, fuch as his juftice, patience, mercy, and fidelity. Each of these would furnish a copious fubject of difcuffion. To confine myself to the divine goodness, I may observe, that it is free, difinterefted, and univerfal; it always purfues its defigns according to thofe rules and measures, which infinite wisdom points out as the most effectual for accomplishing them; and, which is the completion and glory of all, it is immutable and everlasting. To conceive the poffibility of our imitating the goodness of God, I may obferve, that the fame general temper or difpofition of mind may be easily fuppofed to manifeft itself in different ways, according to the different ranks which thofe, who are supposed to be poffeffed of it, bear in the general order and scale of beings, or in particular focieties. This is, in fact, the cafe with respect to men; among whom the principle of virtue, although one and the fame, exerts itfelf with a diverfity correspondent to the different relations and circumftances of life; and, therefore, it may be easily conceived how the infinite goodness of the Deity, in his univerfal government, may be imitated by his creatures, in the practice of the particular virtues that fuit their slations and relative characters. In a word, by confidering Religion as an imitation of God, mankind will perceive its loveliness and beauty in the strongest light and to the best advantage. From this view alfo of Religion, an immediate and distinct proof arifes, not only of its amiablenefs and excellency, but of its influencing and obligatory nature, and of its being, in the ftricteft fenfe, the immutable law of that rational and moral kingdom, of which all are the fubjects and members, and God the great fovereign and head. By confidering Religion as confifting in the imitation of God, men may fee, in the frongeft point of view, the abfolute and unalterable neceffity of it, in in order to the obtaining of his favour, and that happiness which is the immediate refult of it, and the avoiding of his displeasure, and the misery that must be confequent upon it. By viewing Religion and moral virtue in this light, they may be made deeply fenfible of the great imperfections and deficiency in their prefent attainments in it, and thus have a constant motive before them, exciting to a more earnest, ardent, and unremitting purfuit. CURIOUS PARLIAMENTARY ANECDOTES. [From A Hiftory of the Boroughs of Great Britain,' 3 vol. ] the Penfion Lift of Charles II, efq. member for Harwich, had a penfion of 50l. a feffion, belide meat, drink, and now and then a fuit of clothes. The Bailiff of Stockbridge, who is generally an innkeeper, or one dependent upon an innkeeper, is the returning officer at elections; for it is said, that the innkeeper, in order to have an opportunity of receiving bribes upon thefe occafions, without being liable to the penalty, has frequently procured one of his own offlers to be elected bailiff, and has himself carried the mace before him.-Sir Richard Steele, who reprefented this borough in the reign of queen Anne, carried his election against a powerful oppofition, by the merry expedient of fticking a large apple full of guineas, and declaring that it fhould be the prize of that man, whofe wife fhould be the firit brought to bed, after that day nine months. Sir Robert Holmes, member for Winchester in the reign of Charles II, is recorded in the abovementioned pension lift, as first an Irish liveryboy, then a highwayman, now bashaw of the Ifle of Wight, got, in boons and by rapine, roo,000l. The curfed beginner of the two Dutch wars.' The non-resident freemen of the borough of Berwick upon Tweed, living in London, being put on board two vessels in the Thames, immedi B.. ately previous to the election of 1768, by water, Mr. Taylor, one of the candidates in oppofition, covenanted with the naval commander of this election cargo, for the fum of 400l. to land the freemen in Norway. This was accordingly done, and Mr. Taylor and lord Delaval gained their election, without any farther ex pence. Old Sarum in Wilts, and Midhurst in Suffex, fend four members to Paris within the limits of either. Gatton, liament, although not a fingle house in Surry, is a more illuftrious place, for it contains two houfes. Steyning and Bramber, which join each other, and form one ftreet, not more than fend together four representatives to two thirds as large as Fetter-lane, parliament. To the obfervations extracted from this work, it may be added, that the right of fending reprefentatives to parliament does not appear to be a very enviable privilege; for, not to mention the riots and tumults, the feuds and animofities, the venality and corruption, and the profligacy it is a fact, that many a once flourishand debauchery they so often occation, ing town owes its prefent state of decay and degradation to the honour of fending reprefentatives to parliament, On the other hand, fuch of our great towns, as Manchefter, Birmingham, &c. that are obliged to be content with being virtually represented, have long been in a state of increasing profperity. METEO A Voyage on the Duke of Bridgewater's CANAL; with an Account of MANCHESTER and the COTTON TRADE. [From A Tour from London to the Lakes.' ] FROM ROM Warrington we proceeded to the duke of Bridgewater's canal, failing over roads and rivers, till we arrived at Worfley, where it enters the earth. In a long narrow boat we are pushed up this fubterraneous paffage (juft wide enough for the boat) above a mile, when we arrive at the place where the colliers are working. Several other paffages lead from this principal one into different parts of the mountain, and receffes cut in the rock fuffer one boat to pafs another. In this fingular voyage it is almost impoffible to believe one's felf in motion-the rocky paffage, arched with brick, seems to be flying from you, and makes the head dizzy; and in returning, the diftant entrance looks like a bright star. After paffing an hour in darkness (only broken by a fmall taper) the light becomes too brilliant for the eye-every object fhines with uncommon fplendour, till we repass Barton-bridge, where veffels navigating the Irwell pafs under those navigating the canal. This is truly a fingular fight! an idea of which might be conceived from fuppofing a number of floops failing along the road part of Westminsterbridge, while others were failing under it. Manchester now appears-and the profpect changes with every turu of the canal. The focial boat has its compartments like the treckschoots of Holland, where the price is according to the accommodation, and may be open or under cover, as the paffenger pleases. The use of this canal is two-fold. Being on a level with the bed of coal, they are dug and conveyed at so easy an expence, as to be profitable to the owner, and cheap to the confumerthis is one object. The other is, the conveyance of goods and paffengers between the populous towns of Manchefter and Liverpool. The weirs to carry off fuperfluous water-the gates by which parts of the canal may be emptied without affecting the reft the puddled banks impervious to water-the cranes and other mechanical devices about this ufeful and ingenious work, reflect the highest luftre on the abilities of Brindley, as well as the duke, who is well known to have been the contriver of many devices in this noble work that are attributed to Brindley. 20 Manchester is a well-built towndoubled in the fize the laft thirty years-more than doubled in the number of its inhabitants-and enriched by the cotton manufactory beyond the powers of calculation!-To fuch perfection has the fpinning of cotton by machinery arrived, that I had this incredible circumftance affured to me from one of the first manufacturers in that line, viz. that one pound of raw cotton had (for a wager) been spun into three hundred and fifty-fix hanks, each hank containing eight hundred and forty yards; so that the thread produced from this pound of cotton would have reached 169 18 miles! This is much finer than any thread produced in India; and of course, if the cotton of the Weft was equal to that of the Eat-Indies, our muslins would exceed thofe of Indoftan. We make out by ingenuity, however, what we want in fineness of material, for the fancy difplayed in our printed cottons is unrivalled, and has (with cheapnefs) established the manufacture beyond that of filk, wool, flax, &c. To enumerate the cotton fabrics under the denomination of velvets, fuftians, checks, printed cottons, muflins, &c. would be to count the fands of the fea; and though so much of the business is performed by water machinery, there is ftill bufinefs enough for all ages and numbers, from four years old to fourfcore. To fee barren hills and vallies laugh and fing under the influence of an aufpicious |