HEN Mrs. Robinson wrote the first number

W of that fanciful work, the Sylphid, (insert

ed in that edition of her life, which has just made its appearance) she dated it from Mount Ether. On receiving a proof, she found it had been altered to Mount Etna! On making enquiries into the author of this GEOGRAPHIGAL alteration, she found that the compositor had, on a reference to the Gazetteer, been unable to find any such Mount, persuaded himself it must have been a mistake in the orthography. She of course made the correction, desiring a revise, which she accordingly received, and found it had been altered and printed right; but, before it had reached her, some officious person, desirous of shewing his penetra. tion, had not failed to alter it to Etna a second time; and, notwithstanding a letter desiring an attention to this circumstance, it actually was published MOUNT ETNA!

A taylor who was dangerously ill, had a remarkable dream. He saw fluttering in the air, a piece of cloth, of a prodigious length, composed of all the cabbage he had made, of a variety of colours. The angel of death held this piece of patchwork in one of his hands; and with the other gave the taylor several strokes with a piece of iron. The taylor awakened in a fright, made a vow, that if he recovered, he would cabbage no more. He soon recovered. As he was diffident of himself, he ordered one of his apprentices to put him in mind of his dream, whenever he cut out a suit of cloaths.

The taylor was for some time obedient to the intimation given him by his apprentice. But a nobleman having sent for him to make a coat out of a very rich stuff, his virtue could not resist the temptation. His apprentice put him in mind of his dream to no purpose "I am tired with your talk about the dream," says the taylor," there was nothing like this in the whole piece of patch work, which I saw in my dream, and I observed likewise, that there was a piece deficient; that which I am now going to take will render it complete."

A preacher in a mosque began the history of Noah, with this quotation from the Koran, "I have called Noah,” but, forgetting the rest of the verse, repeated the same words over and over. At length an Arab cried out, "If Noah will not come, call somebody else."

In a season of great drought, in Persia, a schoolmaster at the head of his pupils, marched out of Shirauz in procession, to pray for rain; when a humourous fellow asked where they were going? the tutor told him, and said, "he doubted not but God would listen to the prayers of innocent children."" My friend," said the humourist, "if that was the case, I fear there would be no SCHOOLMASTERS left alive."

An importunate beggar went to a miser, and asked for a garment, saying that his object was to have something to remember him by.

"My

friend," said the miser," as thy end is to remember me, I shall give thee nothing, for I am sure thou wilt remember a refusal much longer than a gift."

A poor man once came to a miser, and said, "I have a boon to ask."-" So have I," said the miser, grant mine first, then I will comply with thine." "Agreed." Said the miser, my request is that thou ask me nothing!"

A pretended wit was very free in playing his tricks upon a modest man, who told him, he would do well not to make himself so ridiculous." My friend," said the wit, "the materials of my composition are such, that I cannot help being so. "No!" replied the other, "thou art made of good materials, but they want to be well beaten into decent form."

EPIGRAM.

"Wit is a feather," Pope has said,
And females never doubt it;
So those who've least within the head,
Display the most without it.

A PARTICULAR ACCOUNT

OF THE

NAVAL CAREER

OF

LORD VISCOUNT NELSON,

Communicated by a Correspondent in Norfolk, the Place of Nativity of this gallant Hero.

N

is given a capital portrait and a Sketch of the Life of this distinguished Naval Character; in addition to which, we feel a singular pleasure in presenting our readers with the following further par ticulars; especially when we reflect on the channel through which it is communicated, we consider it as a sufficient passport for being introduced into our

Miscellany, and consequently highly gratifying to our readers.

Horatio, Lord Viscount Nelson, is the son of the Rev. Edward Nelson, Rector of Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, by Catherine, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Suckling, Piebendary of Westminster. At the rectory house of his father's living he first saw the light on the 29th of September, 1758, and received the first part of his education at the free-school at Norwich, from whence he was removed to North Walsham, at which place his literary pursuits terminated.

At the age of twelve years, in 1770, he left school, and was admitted on board the Raisonable by his maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling; but the difference with the Spaniards, relative to. Falkland Islands being soon accommodated, the ship was paid off, and our young sailor was sent a voyage in a West India ship belonging to the house. of Hibbert, Purrier, and Horton. On his return home, in July 1772, he was again received by his uncle, then commanding the Triumph, lying at Chatham.

His voyage to the West Indies had almost been the means of depriving government of his future services; he conceived an aversion to be employed in what may be called the higher line of service, and might have quietly sunk into the obscure situation of the master of a trading vessel, had not the address of his uncle again reanimated him, and reconciled him to the state in which he was afterwards to become one of its distinguished ornaments.

While at Chatham, he had frequent opportunities of navigating vessels from that place to the Tower of London, and also down the Swin Channel and to the North Foreland; and by his constant and unwearied attention he became a most excellent pilot.

In April 1772, a voyage of discovery was undertaken, by order of the king, to ascertain how far navigation was practicable towards the North Pole, to advance the discovery of a north west passage into the South Seas, and to make such other astronomical observations as might prove serviceable to navigation. On this voyage young Nelson solicited to go, and, rather than be left behind, submitted to the appointment of coxswain to Captain Lutwidge, who, being struck with the unsubdued spirit which he displayed on this occasion, consented to receive him in this capacity; and from that event a friendship commenced between these two officers, which has continued without abatement to the present day. During the expedition, Lord Mulgrave took particular notice of the young coxswain, and formed that high opinion of his character which his subsequent conduct has so justly merited. In the course of it be encountered and overcame some difficulties which inferior minds would have shrunk from rather than grappled with. One anecdote is preserved by an officer who was present, and will evince that cool intrepidity in danger which then possessed our young mariner, and for which he has ever been remarkable.

"In

these high northern latitudes, the nights are generally clear: during one of them, notwithstanding the extreme bitterness of the cold, young Nelson was missing; every search that was instantly made in quest of him was in vain, and it was at length imagined he was lost; when lo! as the rays of the rising sun opened the distant horizon, to the great astonishment of his messmates, he was discovered at a considerable distance on the ice, armed with a single musquet, in anxious pursuit of an immense bear. The lock of the musket being injured, the piece would not go off, and he had therefore pursued the animal in hopes of tiring him, and being