ation of the country where the events took place; its latitude and longitude, climate, the countries adjoining, &c.

Rule 14.-Ascertain the chronology of the events; and observe what was passing at the same time in the countries with which that one under consideration had intercourse.

Rule 15.-Remark what the religion of the people is, and its particular ceremonies.

Rule 16.-Observe what the government is: whether monarchical (consisting of one person, as a king); aristocratical (consisting of several persons, as nobles, who enjoy the dignity by descent); democratical (consisting of persons chosen by the people, as in the United States); mixed (consisting of these together, as that of Great Britain); ecclesiastical (consisting of priests, or those appointed by ministers of religion) ; or military (consisting of persons appointed or supported by the army).

OF THE DESCRIPTIVE.

Rule 17.-A description is a detail of the particular circumstances, by which persons,

places, and objects are distinguished from the rest of their species.

In the following examples, the distinguished circumstances are printed in italics.

Rule 18.-The description of a person sometimes refers only to the figure and coun

tenance.

PERSON OF PATRICK HENRY.

Пle was nearly six feet high; spare, and what may be called raw-boned, with a slight stoop of the shoulders; his complexion was dark, sunburnt, and sallow, without any appearance of blood in his cheeks-his countenance grave, thoughtful, penetrating, and strongly marked with the lineaments of deep reflection-the earnestness of his manner, united with an habitual contraction or knitting of his brows, and those lines of thought with which his face was profusely furrowed, gave to his countenance, at some times, the appearance of severity-yet such was the power which he had over its expression, that he could shake off from it in an instant all the sternness of winter, and robe it in the brightest smiles of spring. His forehead was high and straight; yet forming a sufficient angle with the lower part of his face-his nose somewhat of the Roman stamp, though, like that which we see in the bust of Cicero, it was rather long, than remarkable for its Cæsarean formof the colour of his eyes, the accounts are almost as various as those which we have of the colour of the chamelion-they are said to have been blue, grey, what Lavater calls green, hazel, brown, and black-the fact seems to have been, that they were of a bluish grey, not large; and being deeply fixed in his head, overhung by dark, long and full eyebrows, and farther shaded by lashes that were both long and black, their apparent colour was as variable as the lights in which they were seen-but all concur in saying that they were, unquestionably, the finest feature in his face -brilliant-full of spirit, and capable of the most rapidly shifting and powerful expression at one time piercing and terrible as those of Mars, and then again soft and

tender as those of pity herself-his cheeks were hollowhis chin long, but well formed, and rounded at the end, so as to form a proper counterpart to the upper part of his face. It is difficult to describe his mouth; in which there was nothing remarkable except when about to express a modest dissent from some opinion on which he was commenting-he then had a sort of half smile in which the want of conviction was perhaps more strongly expressed, than the satirical emotion, which probably prompted it. His manner and address to the court and jury might be deemed the excess of humility, diffidence, and modesty. If, as rarely happened, he had occasion to answer any remark from the bench, it was impossible for meekness herself to assume a manner less presumptuous -but in the smile which has just been spoken of, you might anticipate the want of conviction, expressed in his answer, at the moment that he submitted to the superior wisdom of the court, with a grace that would have done honour to Westminster Hall. In his reply to counsel, his remarks on the evidence, and on the conduct of the parties, he preserved the same distinguished deference and politeness, still accompanied, however, by the never-failing index of this sceptical smile, where the occasion prompted. In short, his features were manly, bold, and well proportioned, full of intelligence, and adapting themselves intuitively to every sentiment of his mind and every feeling of his heart.-WIRT.

PERSON OF MARSHALL.

The chief justice of the United States is in his person tall, meager, emaciated; his muscles relaxed, and his joints so loosely connected, as not only to disqualify him, apparently, for any vigorous exertions of body, but to destroy every thing like elegance and harmony in his air and movements. Indeed, in his whole appearance and demeanour,-dress, attitudes, and gesture-sitting, standing, or walking-he is as far removed from the idolized graces of Lord Chesterfield, as any other gentleman on earth. To continue the portrait: his head and face are small in proportion to his height; his complexion swarthy; the muscles of his face, being relaxed, give him the appearance of a man of fifty years of age, nor can he be much younger. His countenance has a faithful expression of great good-humour and hilarity; while his black eyes-that unerring index-possess an irradiating spirit,

which proclaims the imperial powers of the mind that sits enthroned within.-WIRT.

Rule 19.-The description of a person sometimes refers only to the manners.

Example:

MANNERS OF PATRICK HENRY.

He was, throughout life, negligent of his dress: but this, it is apprehended, applied rather to his habits in the coun try, than to his appearance in public. At the bar of the general court, he always appeared in a full suit of black cloth, or velvet, and a tie wig, which was dressed and powdered in the highest style of forensic fashion; in the winter season, too, according to the costume of the day, he wore, over his other apparel, an ample cloak of scarlet cloth; and thus attired, made a figure bordering on grandeur. While he filled the executive chair, he is said to have been justly attentive to his dress and appearance; "not being disposed to afford the occasion of humiliating comparisons between the past and present government."

He had long since, too, laid aside the offensive rusticity of his juvenile manners. His manners, indeed, were still unostentatious, frank, and simple; but they had all that natural ease and unaffected gracefulness, which distinguish the circles of the polite and well bred. On occasions, too, where state and ceremony were expected, there was no man who could act better his part. In general, his manners were those of the plain Virginian gentleman, kind-open-candid and conciliating-warm without insincerity, and polite without pomp-neither chilling by his reserve, nor fatiguing by his loquacity-but adapting himself, without an effort, to the character of his company. He would be pleased and cheerful with persons of any class or condition, vicious and abandoned persons only excepted; he preferred those of character and talents, but would be amused with any who could contribute to his amusement. He had himself a vein of pleasantry, which was extremely amusing, without detracting from his dignity. His companions, although perfectly at their ease with him, were never known to treat him with degrading familiarities. Their love and their respect for

him equally forbade it. Nor had they any dread of an assault upon their feelings; for there was nothing cruel in his et. The tomahawk and scalping knife were no part of his colloquial apparatus. He felt no pleasure in seeing the victim writhe under his stroke. The benignity of his spirit could not have borne such a sight, without torture. He found himself happiest, in communicating happiness to others. His conversation was instructive and delightful; stately where it should be so, but in the general, easy, familiar, sprightly and entertaining; always, however, good humoured, and calculated to amuse without wounding.-Wirt.

Rule 20.-The description of a person sometimes refers only to the intellect.

DOCTOR ROBERTSON.

The genius of Dr Robertson was not of that forward and irregular growth, which forces itself prematurely on public notice: and it was only a few intimate and discerning friends, who, in the native vigour of his powers, and in the patient culture by which he laboured to improve them, perceived the dawn of his future eminence. He possessed an early and enthusiastic love of study.

Much and often would he muse on other times, and dwell with the bards and sages, whose names are written in the books of fame and of eternity. His studies and his meditations were an habitual poetry. His fancy wandered chiefly in the mild retreats of the elder poetry, the banks of Mæander and the Mincio. The scenes of ancient Greece and Latium were the hermit haunts of his imagination.

INTELLECTUAL QUALITIES OF MILTON.

In speaking of the intellectual qualities of Milton, we may begin by observing that the very splendour of his poetic fame has tended to obscure or conceal the extent of his mind, and the variety of its energies and attainments. To many he seems only a poet, when in truth he was a profound scholar, a man of vast compass of thought, imbued thoroughly with all ancient and modern learning, and able to master, to mould, to impregnate with his own intellectual power, his great and various

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