him; and he was too prone to repulfe my little advances to familiarity, with coldness, or anger. He had certainly fome reafon to be displeased with me, for I learned little at school, and nothing at home, though he would now and then attempt to give me fome infight into the bufinefs. As impreffions of any kind are not very strong at the age of eleven or twelve, I did not long feel his lofs; nor was it a fubject of much forrow to me, that my mother was doubtful of her ability to continue me at school, though I had by this time acquired a love for reading.

I never knew in what circumftances my mother was left: most probably they were inadequate to her fupport, without fome kind of exertion, efpecially as fhe was now burthened with a fecond child about fix or eight months old. Unfortunately fhe determined to profecute my father's bufinefs; for which purpose fhe engaged a couple of journeymen, who, finding her ignorant of every part of it, wafted her property, and embezzled her money. What the confequence of this double fraud would have been, there was no opportunity of knowing, as, in fomewhat lefs than a twelvemonth, my poor mother followed my father to the grave. She was an excellent woman, bore my father's infirmities with patience and good-humour, loved her children dearly, and died at laft exhaufted with anxiety and grief more on their account than on her own.

I was not quite thirteen, when this happened; my little broth er was hardly two; and we had not a relation nor a friend in the world. Every thing, that was left, was feized by a person of the name of C, for money advanced to my mother. It may be fuppofed that I could not difpute the juftice of his claims; and as no one elfe interfered, he was fuffered to do as he liked.. My little brother was fent to the alms-house, whither his nurse followed him out of pure affection; and I was taken to the houfe of the perfon I have juft mentioned, who was also my godfather. Refpect for the opinion of the town, (which, whether correct or not, was, that he had repaid himself by the fale of my mother's effects) induced him to fend me again to school, where I was more diligent than before, and more fuccefsful. I grew fond of arithmetic, and my mafter began to distinguish me: but thefe golden days were over in lefs than three months. C fickened at the expense; and, as the people were now

indifferent to my fate, he looked round for an opportunity of ridding himself of a ufelefs charge. He had previously attempted to engage me in the drudgery of hufbandry. I drove the plough for one day to gratify him, but I left it with a firm refolution to do so no more, and in despite of his threats and promifes, adhered to my determination. In this, I was guided no lefs by neceffity than will. During my father's life, in attempting to clamber up a table, I had fallen backward, and drawn it after me its edge fell upon my breast, and I never recovered the effects of the blow; of which I was made extremely fenfible on any extraordinary exertion. Ploughing, therefore, was out of the question, and, as I have already faid, I utterly refused to follow it.

As I could write and cipher, (as the phrafe is) C-next thought of sending me to Newfoundland, to assist in a storehouse. For this purpose he negotiated with a Mr. Holdesworthy of Dartmouth, who agreed to fit me out. I left Ashburton with little expectation of feeing it again, and indeed with little care, and rode with my godfather to the dwelling of Mr. Holdesworthy. On seeing me, this great man observed with a look of pity and contempt, that I was too small," and fent me away fufficiently mortified. I expected to be very ill received by my godfather, but he said nothing. He did not however choose to take me back himself, but fent me in the paffage-boat to Totnefs, from whence I was to walk home. On the paffage, the boat was driven by a midnight ftorm on the rocks, and I efcaped with life almoft by miracle.

66

My godfather had now humbler views for me, and I had little heart to refift any thing. He propofed to fend me on board one of the Torbay fishing boats; I ventured, however, to remonftrate against this, and the matter was compromised by my confenting to go on board a coafter. A coafter was speedily found for me at Brixham, and thither I went, when little more than thirteen.

My master, whofe name was Full, though grofs and ignorant, was not an ill-natured man; at least not to me and my mistress used me with unvarying kindnefs; moved perhaps by my weakness and tender years. In return I did what I could to requite her, and my good-will was not overlooked.

Our veffel was not very large, nor our crew very numerous, On ordinary occafions, fuch as fhort trips to Dartmouth, Plymouth, &c. it confifted only of my mafter, an apprentice nearly out of his time, and myself: when we had to go farther, to Portfmouth for example, an additional hand was hired for the voyage.

In this veffel (the Two Brothers) I continued nearly a twelvemonth; and here I got acquainted with nautical terms, and contracted a love for the fea, which a lapse of thirty years has but little diminished.

not

It will be easily conceived that my life was a life of hardship. I was not only a "fhip-boy on the high and giddy mast," but alfo in the cabin, where every menial office fell to my lot: yet if I was reftlefs and difcontented, I can fafely fay, it was fo much on account of this, as of my being precluded from all poffibility of reading; as my mafter did not poffefs, nor do I recollect feeing, during the whole time of my abode with him, a fingle book of any defcription, except the Coafting Pilot.

As my lot feemed to be caft, however, I was not negligent in feeking fuch information as promised to be useful; and I therefore frequented, at my leisure hours, fuch veffels as dropt into Torbay. On attempting to get on board one of thefe, which I did at midnight, I miffed my footing, and fell into the fea. The floating away of the boat alarmed the man on deck, who came to the fhip's fide just in time to fee me fink. He immediately threw out feveral ropes, one of which providentially (for I was unconscious of it) entangled itself about me, and I was drawn up to the furface till a boat could be got round. The ufual methods were taken to recover me, and I awoke in bed the next morning, remembering nothing but the horror I felt, when I first found myself unable to cry out for affiftance.

This was not my only escape; but I forbear to speak of them, An escape of another kind was now preparing for me, which deferves all my notice, as it was decifive of my future fate.

On Christmas day (1770) I was surprised by a meffage from my godfather, faying that he had fent a man and horfe to bring me to Ashburton; and defiring me to fet out without delay. My mafter, as well as myfelf, fuppofed it was to spend the holydays there; and he, therefore, made no objection to my going. We were, however, both mistaken.

Since I had lived at Brixham, I had broken off all connexion with Ashburton. I had no relation there but my poor brother, who was yet too young for any kind of correfpondence ; and the conduct of my godfather towards me, did not entitle him to any portion of my gratitude, or kind remembrance, I lived therefore in a fort of fullen independence on all I had formerly known, and thought without regret of being abandoned by every one to my fate. But I had not been overlooked. The women of Brixham, who travelled to Ashburton twice a week with fish, and who had known my parents, did not see me without kind concern, running about the beach in a ragged jacket and trowzers. They mentioned this to the people of Ashburton, and never without commiferating my change of condition. This tale often repeated, awakened at length the pity of their auditors, and as the next step, their refentment against the man, who had reduced me to such a state of wretchedness. In a large town, this would have had little effect, but in a place like Ash. burton, where every report speedily becomes the common property of all the inhabitants, it raised a murmur, which my godfather found himself either unable or unwilling to withstand: he there fore determined, as I have just observed, to recall me; which he could easily do, as I wanted fome months of fourteen, and confequently was not yet bound.

All this, I learned on my arrival; and my heart, which had been cruelly fhut up, now opened to kinder fentiments, and fairer views.

* Of my brother, here introduced for the last time, I must yet fay a few words. He was literally

The child of misery baptized in tears;

and the short paffage of his life did not belie the melancholy presage of his infancy. When he was feven years old, the parish bound him out to a hufbandman of the name of Leman, with whom he endured incredible hardships, which I had it not in my power to alleviate. At nine years of age he broke his thigh, and I took that opportunity to teach him to read and write. When my own fituation was improved, I perfuaded him to try the fea: he did fo, and was taken on board the Egmont, on condition that his master should receive his wages. The time was now fast approaching when I could serve him, but he was doomed to know no favourable change of fore tune; he fell fick, and died at Cork.

After the holydays I returned to my darling purfuit, arithmetic my progress was now fo rapid, that in a few months I was at the head of the school, and qualified to affift my master, (Mr. E. Furlong) on any extraordinary emergency. As he ufually gave me a trifle on thofe occafions, it raised a thought in me, that by engaging with him as a regular afsistant, and undertaking the inftruction of a few evening scholars, I might, with a little additional aid, be enabled to support myself. God knows my ideas of support at this time, were of no very extravagant nature. I had, befides, another object in view. Mr. Hugh Smerdon (my first master) was now grown old and infirm; it seemed unlikely that he should hold out above three or four years; and I fondly flattered myself that, notwithstanding my youth, I might poffibly be appointed to fucceed him. I was in my fifteenth year, when I built thefe caftles: a ftorm, however, was collecting, which unexpectedly burst upon me, and fwept them all away.

(To be continued.)

Influence of Imitative Tones and Representations.

[From COGAN's Philosophical Treatife on the Paffions.]

WE are fo conftituted as to be ftrongly affected by any reprefentation of particular states and fituations, notwithstanding we are convinced that they are imaginary or artificial. Mere tones, attitudes, geftures, imitating or resembling any of those produced by one or other of the paffions and affections, are calculated to excite emotions and correfpondent feelings in fufceptible minds. Like musical instruments attuned to the fame key, our feelings are made to vibrate with the vibrations of furrounding objects. Even the voice and accents of inferior animals, expreffive either of fear, or pain, or lamentation, or joy, or affection, have a tendency to render us apprehensive, cheerful, melancholy, or sympathizing. Rude and harsh founds not only create unpleasant sensations, but fuggest unpleasant and foreboding ideas in all those who have not corrected their fenfations by their reason. It is from this kind of affociation probably, that the croaking of the raven and the scream of the night-owl are fo univerfally deemed minous of mifchief by the ignorant. The fprightly mufic of the fea