the pockets of the people could be reached, has at last had an effect to oblige the different claffes of fociety to forego a great part of the comforts formerly understood to belong to their respective fituations. And the portion of income allotted to fuch purpofes, which in the hands of individuals would have encreased the powers of general confumption, and have multiplied the fprings of domeftic induftry, is now mortgaged to pay the intereft of a growing national debt. The object of our, and every good conftitution, muft be, to preferve to the multitude of individuals the full enjoyment of all the comforts arifing from their individual exertions, and from the advantageous circumftances of their fituation. But whether the overpowering influence of our fyftem does not now fuperfede the effect of fuch principle in our conftitution, is a question of which every man in the kingdom, high as well as low, can judge from his own experience. Our ftatefmen feem to value national profperity only as furnishing new means for the fupport of ambition; every little comfort which growing industry, or the improved powers of labour, might have added to the ftock of individual enjoyments, the rapacious hand of taxation has greedily feized upon. So much indeed have we been familiarized to this new order of things, that without furprize we daily liften to people anxioully fuggefting objects of general confumption not yet exhaufted by taxation; as if all that a man laboured for, nature had not intended him freely to enjoy. We find alfo our ftatefmen and political writers calculating national profperity, not by the fum of individual enjoyment, but by what they call our refources, and by the number of fighting men we are capable of maintaining in the field. A fyftem of government founded in wifdom, thould, along with evidence of its general utility, exhibit features of permanency. I would ask, however, if general utility or permanency can be difcovered in that fyftem, the expences of which are fuppofed to be equal to the land-rent of the whole kingdom, and thofe expences growing with fuch rapidity, as to have nearly doubled under a fhort adminiftration of thirteen years. In fuch circumfrances, therefore, may it not be a duty to ftate a few plain queitions for general difcuffion, and perhaps in being able to trace the evil to its fource, be led to the means of its errors. Does not the wealth of every nation confift of Immediate annual labour? Of the accumulated favings of the labour of former years? And of a rent in intereft, drawn for the use of such part of thefe accumulated favings, as may have been lent to foreign countries, and employed in foreign lahour? If, therefore, the amount of the immediate annual labour, with the addition of fuch annual rent, fhould not together be equal to the general annual expenditure of the country, the stock of accumulated labour will be diminished to the extent of the defalcation; but in a country not going back, is it not alfo evident, that the great proportion of every burthen must rest upon labour? If the exchangeable value of a commodity does not depend upon its coft, but is limited by a market competition with fimilar commodities, the wages of labour, depending altogether upon the market demand for labour, any intermediate charges, whether arifing from increafed taxes or from other circumftances, not being poffible to be added to the market price of this commodity, muft of neceffity fall to wages the be deducted from the amount of merchant can afford to pay to the workThe labourers, therefore, of this man. country, highly favoured by nature, may at laft find themfelves in no better fituation than the labourers of those countries, to which nature has almoft wholly denied the means of exchanging their industry. I know I am within bounds when I ftate, that the labourers of Great Britain, upon an average, already pay a twelfth of their income towards the permanent taxes. How much more furprising, however, would this be if stated, that fuch labourer has one month out of every twelve of his labour, deftined by inheritance to purpofes which bring no return whatever to him or to his family. Such cannot be a natural, and therefore certainly not a permanent order of things. For, If it is not competent for an individual to burthen his individual pofterity, by what juft right can any number of individuals entail burthens upon their general pofterity, even upon a plan of fuppofed benefits to be tranfmitted to them? GOURNAI. Toads in Stones.....Elkington on Draining. hiftory, of a toad exifting for a length of time in a confined situation, without any supply of fresh air. The following facts are mentioned by Dr. WILLIAMS, of Vermont, in America, in a work which has never appeared in Europe, and which I conceive is fcarcely in the hands of any perfon in this country, and I have little doubt but they will be found acceptable to many of your readers, as in fome degree illuftrative of the fame fubject, though relative to an animal fomewhat different in its habits. "At Windfor, a town joined to Connecticut river," fays Dr. WILLIAMS, "in September, 1790, a living frog was dug up at the depth of nine feet from the furface of the earth. STEPHEN JACOBS, Efq. from whom I have this account, informs me, that the place where this frog was found was about half a mile from the river, on the interval lands, which are annually overflowed by its waters. "At Castleton, in the year 1779, the inhabitants were engaged in building a fort, near the centre of the town. Digging into the earth five or fix feet below the furface, they found many frogs, apparently inactive, and fuppofed to be dead. Being expofed to the air, animation foon appeared, and they were found to be alive and healthy. I have this account from General CLARKE, and a Mr. MOULTON, who were prefent when these frogs were dug up. Upon viewing the spot, it did not appear to me, that it has ever been overflowed with water; but it abounded with fprings. A more remarkable inftance was at Burlington, upon Onion river-In the year 1788, SAMUEL LANE, Efq. was digging a well near his houfe: at the depth of twentyfive or thirty feet from the furface of the earth, the labourers threw out with their fhovels, fomething which they fufpected to be ground nuts, or ftones, covered with earth. Upon examing thefe appearances, they were found to be frogs; to which the earth every where adhered: the examination was then made of the earth in the well, where they were digging. A large number of frogs were found covered with the earth, and fo numerous, that feveral of them were cut in pieces by the fpades of the workmen. Being expofed to the air, they foon became active; but unable to endure the direct rays of the fun, the most of them perished. This account is from Mr. LANE and Mr. Lawrence, one of the workmen, who were both prefent when the frogs were dug up. From the depth of earth with which there frogs were covered, it cannot be doubted, but that they must have been covered over in the earth for many ages, or rather centuries: the appearances denote that the place from whence thefe frogs were taken was once the bottom of a channel, or lake, formed by the waters of Onion river. In dig 259 ging the fame well, at the depth of forty-one feet and a half from the surface, the workmen found the body of a tree, eighteen or twenty inches in diameter; partly rotten, but the biggeft part found. The probability is, that both the tree and the frogs were once at the bottom of the channel of a river, or lake;' that the waters of Onion river, conftantly bringing down large quantities of earth, gradually raised the bottoms; that by the conftant increase of earth and water, the water was forced over its bounds, and formed for itself a new channel or paffage, in its defcent into lake Champlain. How vigorous and permanent muft the principle of life be in this animal! Frogs placed in a fituation in which they were perpetually supplied with moisture and all wafte and perfpiration from the body prevented, preferve the powers of life from age to age! Centuries must have paffed fince they began to live, in fuch a fituation; and had that fituation continued, nothing appears, but that they would have lived for many cene turies yet to come!" The fame author has fome curious facts relative to the migration of fwallows, martins, &c. which I fhould conceive well entitled to notice in your Magazine, as the work never has been, and I apprehend never will be published in England. Your's, &c. PHILOPHUSIKOS. April 9, 1798. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. H SIR, AVING feen your very ufeful Magazine for last month, a communication figned R. H. (Kelfo) refpecting Mr. Elkington's mode of draining land; has induced me to offer a few obfervations on that fubject. Extracts from every new and useful treatise, especially thofe relating to the improvement of agriculture, might tend very much to benefit the community, if conveyed through the channel of periodical publications. Your correfpondent, R. H. has only taken notice of the utility of Mr. Elkington's method of draining marshes by the detection of fprings, as he is pleafed to call it; but, although he fays, that he has had opportunities of feeing the effects of his (Mr. Elkington's) practice, he has not gratified the reader with an explanation founded, neither has he given any hints, of the principles on which his fyftem is whereby a practical farmer might be enabled to adopt his method, or at least be induced to make the experiment. On this fubject, however, I have lately had an opportunity of perusing a very ufcful 260 Letters of the King of Pruffia.....Mr. Dyer on English Verfification. ufeful and ingenious treatife, published under the patronage of the Board of Agriculture and Highland Society of Scotland, by Mr. Johnftone, who has been inftructed in the art by Elkington himself, and who is likewife practising it in this country with great fuccefs.-The principles of the art he has clearly demonftrated, and by means of various views and fections, which accompany the work, has certainly contributed much to the extenfion, both of its theory and practice. My reafon therefore, for thus addreffing you, is with a view, to your gratifying fuch of your readers as may not have an opportunity of perufing Mr. Johnstone's book, with fuch extracts, as your own judgment may lead you to felect*; and alfo with a view of making it more generally known, among the landed proprietors of this country, where I believe your publication is pretty extensively circulated. I am, Sir, &c. &c. A FRIEND TO IMPROVEMENT. Haddington, Feb. 1798. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, your Magazine for March, you have hints concerning English verfification: N a former letter were dropped a few the fpecies of verfe, to which those observations more immediately referred, was the Heroic, or Iambic rhyme. It is now intended to confider the other fpecies of verfe adopted by English poets: though it must first be noticed, that many regulations applicable to the Iambic rhyme, will, with fome few variations, apply to the other metres. An equal attention for example, fhould be fhewn to varying the paules, to improper rhymes, to open vowels, and the like. There will be lefs occafion,therefore, to repeat fuch obfervations: good fenfe will direct where a deviation from general rules becomes neceffary. The ELEGIAC meafure, in English poetry, is various, but more generally two-fold; the Heroic or Iambic rhyme I inferted two letters from Frederick, the fuch for example is Mr. Pope's fine elegy third king of Pruffia, to the Duchefs of Brunfwick. Your correfpondent, I. S. by whom they were tranfmitted to you, seems to think, that the character of Frederick is not accurately known; but more copious information has not, I fuppofe, been publifhed, concerning any prince who ever exifted, than has been communicated to the public relative to this celebrated monarch; and I think, that there are no juft grounds for any material doubts refpecting his character, which has been fufficiently afcertained and developed. The letters, communicated by your correfpondent, as they were written by a monarch of fuch celebrity, were very properly inferted in your mifcellany; but it does not appear to me, that they throw any new light upon his character. It is well known, that Frederick, in his private relations and connexions, could frequently act and write like a very amiable man; though, on other occafions, in his public character, he could fometimes act like an * Our correfpondent, if a reader, ought to have known that it is not our practice to give extracts from English books, though we have no objection to point out to public notice fuch as are valuable. Invites my fteps, and points to yonder glade? and Mr. Mafon's Ifis; or, the Heroic, with an alternate rhyme, as Mr. Shenstone's Jeffy, and his other elegies. Of the former fpecies of Elegiac verfe I have already treated: and of the latter little remains to be faid, except, that the practice of our beft writers feems to authorize Us to fay, that the fourth line naturally cloíes the fenfe, and that the laft word of that line fhould not be joined to the fucceeding ftanza: Mr. Gray's Elegy in a country church-yard will exemplity this remark: the utmost liberty that the * In the former part of the laft letter were places rhyme is ufed for rhythm. Rhyme is two material errors of the prefs. In thofe rather a particular fpecies of rhythm. By RHYTHM, I meant measured motion, in general, in the fenfe ufed by Ariftotle: which will apply to mufic and dancing, as well as poetry and to any fpecies of poetry measured into particular metres: rhythm applies to Milton's verfe, as well as to Pope's. The word rhyme is alterwards ufed in its common acceptation. : poet Mr. Dyer on English Verfification. poet has allowed himself, is in the following lines: Th' applause of lift'ning senates to command, Our English writers feem, in this refpect, to have imitated the precifion of Óvid, who never indulges himfelf in greater liberties than Gray: though the Greeks, from whom the Elegiac measure is borrowed, frequently fuffered the last fyllable of the Pentametre to run into the next line; of which we have examples in the exquifite verfes of Tyrtus, περι της Tokens Agerns, in "Theognis's Elegies," and "Solon's Sentences:" ex. Ξυνον δ' εσθλον τετο ποληιτε, παντὶ τε δημω, Ότις ανηρ διαβας εν προμάχοισι μαχη Νωλεμέως, &c. I have faid, that these measures are more generally used in the clegy: for fome writers, I am aware, fhorten the Elegiac measure, as in the "Love Elegies:" nothing elfe, however, need be faid on this measure. We come next to confider the ODE; of which there are various kinds: as, The Pindaris, fo called from Pindar, the celebrated Theban poet. Whether Pindar was the original inventor of this meafure, or only used it more generally than other poets, is a matter of fmall confequence. The ancient Hebrew poets fung feveral of their facred odes with alternate choruffes, accompanied with mufic, of which fome examples remain in conformity to thefe, the αντίφωνος υμνωδιά, or refponforia among the primitive Chriftians were formed; as to the latter the chaunting of cathedral worship. This has been noticed by Bishop Lowth: but no example produced by that elegant writer of the ancient Hebrew poetry refembles the Pindaric though the contrary has been afferted by fome authors. The Pindaric ode was formed in reference to the heavenly spheres, and confifted of three ftanzas, called a Strophe, an Antiftrophe, and Epode: in the ftrophe the dancers moved from right to left; in the antiftrophe from left to right; in the epode they stood still: for the ftrophe and tiftrophe were accompanied with dancig; all the ftanzas were accompanied with mufic; and the antiftrophe corre * Vid. "Lowth de Sacrá Hebrorum Pefi" Lib. xxiv. 261 fponded in the length of its fyllables to the ftrophe; and the epode of the first fyftem of ftanzas to the epode of the fecond fyftem: "Gray's Progress of Poetry," is an example of a complete Pindaric." In the former letter, the impropriety of calling certain irregular odes pindarie was hinted at; fuch, for example, as Cowley's: this impropriety has been noticed likewife by Mr. Weit, the elegant tranflator of fome of Pindar's odes, and by other writers. This obfervation, however, means to cenfure the appellation, not the measure. The ancient lyric writers, in their Scholia, Pæans, and Dithyrambics, ufed an irregular and uncertain measure: and, it feems to be in reference to dithyrambics, properly fo called, that Horace fpeaks of the irregularity of Pindar's verfe, for other odes befides thofo that have come down to us, were written by Pindart. The fine Pæan of Ariphron is an example of the irregular meafure, beginning, 262 Mr. Dyer on English Verfification. The Sapphic (fo called from the charming Lesbian poetefs, Sappho,) our Language with great difficulty admits, and affords very few examples of: this difficulty the tranflator of a fine ode of Sappho was well aware of, and threw it into a different measure, Φαίνεται μοι κήνος ίσος θεοισιν Bleft as th' immortal Gods is lie The Anacreontic measure (fo called from the amorous and convivial bard of Teos) admits of a few varieties of meafure, as Anacreon himfelf ufed it, and does not confine itself to the votaries of Bacchus and Venus. The moft ufual meafure with Anacreon is the fhort Iambic wanting one fyllable (called by the critics, Dimiter Iambic Catalectic), ex. Od. 14. Θέλω, θέλω φίλησαν I will love, muft | love thee, | fair. Another meafure frequently ufed by Anacreon is the fame meafure, varied only by an anapeft, that is, a foot with the two firit fhort, the last long, in the first place: ex. Μεσονυκ | τιοις | ποθ ω | ραις. Od. iii. In the grăve | dărk mīd | night hours | I. There are a few fomewhat different from thefe, and which have even varieties in the fame ode; as in that pretty ode (ode v.) to the ROSE. The Anacreontic, however, in English, does not bind itfelf to the exact quantity of Anacreon's odes. The following lines of Waller's may be called Anacreontic, though the oppofite to an Iambic verfe, viz. a Trochaic. Phyllis, why should we dělay Waller's Poems. Lovely | courier | of thě | fkỹ, Whence, and whither | doft thou fly The following justly admired fong is more agreeable to the Anacreontic meafure (as are feveral of our popular convivial fongs); at least they are Iambics. You gentlemen | of Eng | land, With respect to the ode, it admits of almost endless varieties in the English language, as well as in the Greek and Latin, and it would be unneceffary even to mention them individually; the measures, indeed, are as varied as are thofe of Horace, who, of all ancient writers, has the greateft variety; and whofe correctness, elegance, and appropriate ufe of epithets, (his curiofa felicitas) have made him confidered almoft as a model for the odes of fhorter measure. One general obfervation it may be proper to make here, that odes confifting of ftanzas, or veries, have a natural clofe at the end of each verfe; fo that the fyllable of the laft line does not run into the fub fequent verfe. Waller, who was among the firit of our English poets, who studied. correct verfification, and whofe forte was the finaller ode, affords not a fingle example to the contrary. I mention this, because fome modern poets have been lefs fcrupulous in this refpect, though, I if I recollect right, never deviates from think, with a very unhappy effect. Prior, this practice; Cowley a very few times. The Greek and Roman poets, however, did not confine themselves to such strictnefs, as may be feen in the different meafures of Horace: ex. Qui nunc te fruitur credulus aureâ, A fpecies of ode, of which mention has already been made, when not dividing itfelf into ftanzas, adapts itfelf very agreeably to defcriptive poetry; and when thus The following pretty fong is also con- directed, admits of a little diversity of dered a anacreontic, Bufy, curious, thirsty fly, Drink with me, and drink as I, Couldst thou drink, and drink it up. And Dr. Johnfon's tranflation of Anacreon's ninth ode: is not a proper Pindaric, though fo called, in conformity to others. meafure. Of this number are Mr. Waller's fine ode to Vandyke, and those two excellent defcriptive odes by Mr.J.DYER, and Mr. Thomas Wharton, entitled "Grongar Hill," and "The First of April.” "Mindful of diforder paft, And trembling at the northern blast, |