3. In him the spirit of enterprise was so little subdued by the hardships he had undergone, that, on his arrival in England, he instantly presented himself to the African Association, as a volunteer, to trace the course of the Niger, and to explore a region as yet inaccessible to Europe'ans, and fatally disastrous to all who had made the attempt. To the question, "When will you be ready to set out for Africa?" "To-morrow morning," was the reply of this intrep ́id man. 4. "I am not ignorant," said he, "that the task assigned me is arduous, and big with danger; but I am accustomed to hardships. I have known both hunger and nakedness, to the utmost extremity of human suffering; I have known what it is to have food given to me as charity to a madman; and I have, at times, been obliged to shelter myself under the miseries of that character, to avoid a heavier calamity. 5. "My distresses have been greater than I have ever owned, or ever will own, to any man. Such evils are terrible to bear, but they never yet had power to turn me from my purpose. If I live I will faithfully perform, in its utmost extent, my engagements to the society; and if I perish in the attempt my honor will be safe, for death cancels all bonds.' 6. Such was the undaunted Ledyard! But, although he seemed to be formed of sterner stuff than his fellow-men, yet he was not destitute of kind and amiable feelings. He had a heart exquisitely alive to the sense of obligation; and the eulogy which his gratitude has passed on the female sex stands unrivalled for its tenderness, its simplicity, and its truth. 7. "I have always," says he, "remarked that women in all countries are civil and obliging, tender and humane; that they are ever inclined to be gay and cheerful, timorous and modest; and that they do not hesitate, like men, to perform a generous action. Not haughty, nor arrogant, nor supercilious, they are full of courtesy, and fond of EI : society more liable, in general, to err than men; but in general, also, more virtuous, and performing more good actions. 8. "To a woman, whether civilized or savage, I never addressed myself in the language of decency and friendship without receiving a decent and friendly answer. With man it has often been otherwise. In wandering over the barren plains of inhospitable Denmark, through honest Sweden, and frozen Lapland,- over rude and churlish Finland, unprincipled Russia, and the wide-spread regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or sick, the women have ever been friendly to me, and uniformly so. 9. "And to add to this virtue (so worthy the appellation of benevolence), these actions have been performed in so free and kind a manner, that, if I was dry, I drank the simplest draught,1 and, if hungry, I ate the coarsest meal, from the hand of a woman, with the sweetest relish." CXXXVII. THE MARVELLOUS ART OF WRITING. 1. MR. MARINER, in the narrative of his visit to the Tonga Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, gives an in'teresting account of a native's astonishment at the art of writing. Shortly after the commencement of his captivity among these savages, Mr. Mariner had, in the hope of thereby obtaining his liberty, written a letter with a solution of gunpowder on a piece of paper which he obtained from one of the natives; this he confided to the care of a chief, with directions that it should be given to the captain of any ship which might appear on the coast. 2. Finow, the king, however, having heard of this transaction, his suspicions were excited; and he immediately sent to the chief for the letter, and obtained it. When it * Pronounced Fee'-now, the ow having the third compound vowel sound, as in house. was put into his hands, he looked at it on all sides; but not being able to make anything of it, he gave it to Jeremiah Higgins, who was at hand, and ordered him to say what it meant. Mr. Mariner was not present. 3. Higgins took the letter, and, translating part of it into the Tonga language, judiciously represented it to be merely a request to any English captain, that might arrive, to interfere with Finow for the liberty of Mr. Mariner and his countrymen; stating that they had been kindly treated by the natives, but nevertheless wished to return, if possible, to their native country. 4. This mode of communicating sentiments was an inexplicable puzzle to Finow. He took the letter again and examined it, but it afforded him no information. He considered the matter a little within himself, but his thoughts reflected no light upon the subject. At length he sent for Mr. Mariner, and desired him to write down something. 5. The latter asked what he would choose to have written. He replied, put down me. He accordingly wrote "Fee-now" (spelling it according to the strict English orthography). The chief then sent for another Englishman who had not been present; and, commanding Mr. Mariner to turn his back and look another way, he gave the man the paper, and desired him to read what that was. 6. He accordingly pronounced aloud the name of the king; upon which Finow snatched the paper from his hand, and, with astonishment, looked at it, turned it round, and examined it in all directions. At length he exclaimed, "This is neither like myself, nor anybody else! Where are my legs? How do you know it to be me?' 7. And then, without stopping for any attempt at an explanation, he impatiently ordered Mr. Mariner to write something else. And thus he employed him for three or four hours in putting down the names of different persons, places and things, and making the other man read them. 8. This afforded extraordinary diversion to Finow, and to all the men and women present; particularly as he now and then whispered a little love anecdote, which was strictly written down, and audibly read by the other, not a little to the confusion of one or other of the ladies present. But it was all taken in good-humor, for curiosity and astonishment were the prevailing passions. How their names and circumstances could be communicated through so mysterious a channel, was altogether past their comprehension. CXXXVIII. A KNOWLEDGE OF DRAWING TURNED ΤΟ 1. A CURIOUS occurrence took place in London not long ago, in which a rogue was outwitted. A bachelor gentleman, who was skilful in the use of the pencil, and could take likenesses well, was laid up in his apartments with gout in both feet. He could not walk, but was wheeled in his chair in and out of his sitting-room. 2. A well-known vagabond, ascertaining the fact, watched till the bachelor's servant was sent upon a message. Then, entering through a door communicating with the kitchen, the vagabond walked up stairs, where, as he expected, he found the gentleman quite alone and helpless. 3. "I am sorry to see you in such a situation," said the rogue; "you cannot stir a step, and the servant is out." The gentleman looked up with surprise, and the rogue continued:119 It is excessively careless to leave yourself so exposed; for, behold the consequences! I take the liberty of removing this watch and the seals off the table, and putting them in my own pocket; and, as I perceive your keys are here, I shall unlock these drawers, and see what suits my purpose." 4. "Pray, help yourself," replied the gentleman, who was aware that he could do nothing to prevent him. The rogue did so, accordingly. He found the plate in the sideboard, and many other things that suited him; and in teu minutes, having made up his bundle, he made the gentleman a low bow, and decamped. 5. But the gentleman had the use of his hand, and had not been idle. He had taken, with his pencil, an exact likeness of the thief; and, on the servant's returning soon after, he despatched him immediately to the police-office, in Bow-street, with the drawing, and an account of what had happened. 6. The likeness was so good, that the rogue was immediately identified by the runners, and was captured before he had time to dispose of a single article. He was brought to the gentleman two hours afterward, and identified. The property on him was sworn to, and in six weeks he was on his way to Botany Bay. 1. THE months are twelve in number. We owe their names to the Romans. January has 31 days; February, 28 (in Leap Year, 29); March, 31; April, 30; May, 31; June, 30; July, 31: August, 31; September, 30; October, 31; November, 30, and December, 31. 2. January, the first month, was named after Janus, one of the Roman deities, who was said to have two faces, and to preside over time. One face was old, wrinkled, and weather-beaten; the other, young and fresh-looking. Of these faces, one looked backwards, and the other forwards. and hence January was placed at the beginning of the year, because with one face Janus seemed to be looking back on the old year, and with the other looking forward towards the new one. 3. February, the second month, is named from Feb’ru-o, I cleanse; the Romans being accustomed at this time to offer up sacrifices, in the vain hope of purifying themselves from their sins. March, the third month, at one time the |