disposition, than her elder sister, endeared herself to her friends by the affectionate warmth and candor of her disposition. The progress of her fatal illness was more rapid than in the case of her sister she died in Dublin the preceding year; where also Eliza, her younger sister, died soon after. Letitia, Jane's friend, was little inferior, either in intelligence or in loveliness, to Mira.'

'Letitia' it is added, 'quickly followed her sister to the grave. She also had been sent, more than once to the West of England; and died on her way thither, at Basingstoke, Dec. 12, 1806.'

pp. 40, 41.

After this narrative, enough, we should think, to soften the morosest nature, the author proceeds to hold the memory of these young ladies up to contempt or aversion, telling us that they were undutiful, thoughtless, and, we add, unprincipled; though the 'head and front of their offending,' as far as we can discover, was, that they discarded some austere and ascetic views and observances of the religious sect or party, in which they had been educated, a result, hastened,' we are gravely informed, and strange if it had not been, by their witnessing a general laxity of manners, and some flagrant scandals among the religionists whose creed was already the object of their scorn." But the most disingenuous part of the narrative remains.

'In addition to these unfavorable circumstances on the one side, these young ladies were exposed, on the other, to the most seductive influence from the connexions they had lately formed at a distance from home. Many of their new friends were persons at once intelligent, refined in their manners, amiable in their tempers, and perfectly versed in all the specious glozings of Socinianism.' P. 42.

Socinianism,' then, is the crime; the infidel insinuations' and universal disbelief' of its friends, are what so offends Mr Taylor. Now we feel no particular friendship or partiality for Socinianism;' we think it an unscriptural doctrine. But we are friends to justice and fair treatment; and, as such, we do not hesitate to affirm, that the Socinians are grossly, shamefully abused, when they are thus classed with infidels. One doctrine received by all genuine Socinians, it is well known, is the propriety of offering religious homage to Christ, the Saviour of the world. The early Socinians constantly invoked him in prayer. Is this, we would ask, a feature of infidelity? Infidelity, as we understand it, rejects the divinity of our Lord's mission and character. Socinianism admits it; further, enjoins

prayer to be addressed to him. Here is a pretty broad line of distinction, we should think, between the two. But the name, Socinian, forsooth, is unpopular and odious, and no disgrace, which can be heaped upon it is deemed too much. Now, we repeat, we are advocates for fair usage, common courtesy. It is enough for Socinians to bear the weight of odium attached to their real opinions. Let us not lay on them the additional burden of infidelity, which they do not deserve.

Miss Taylor's intellectual and moral education had always been an object of deep solicitude with her parents, and their zeal, fidelity, and we add, skill and success, in promoting it, deserve the highest praise. She was now in her sixteenth year, and already imbued with a relish for literary and scienitfic pursuits;' but these pursuits, not being considered by her father as affording any sure prospect of future independence and comfort, he determined to qualify his daughters to provide for themselves, by instructing them in that branch of the arts which he himself practised,' with a view to make them 'artists by profession. Her taste for the arts,' we are informed, was such as to make her excel in their lighter branches; and many of her drawings, still in the possession of her family, display a true feeling of the beautiful in nature, and a peculiar niceness and elegance of execution.' But she soon became dissatisfied with her employment, and after practising engraving for a few years, relinquished it without regret, as other paths of exertion opened before her.'

During the time occupied in the abovementioned employment, her intellectual habits and tastes were cultivated and encouraged. Besides that some one of the pupils under Mr Taylor's care' usually read aloud, while the rest were engaged with the objects of their art, he was, in other respects, a great economist of time. The family rose early, and the morning and evening hours, during the winter, were employed either in literary pursuits, or in the maintenance of friendly correspondence.' We might quote from this part of the Memoir, several agreeable descriptions of domestic scenes, occupations, and amusements; of pleasures, which, though simple and easily procured, are usually remembered with delight; but our limits forbid.

Miss Taylor was now soon to enter on the career of authorship; though she does not appear to have written with any view to distinction, or fame. She was not indifferent to the

good opinion of those around her, but the gratification of literary vanity was never a predominating motive with her. Her heart was formed for friendship, and the principal inducement to her earlier efforts seems to have been to gratify and cherish affection; and when afterwards the higher motive of duty intervened, she still regarded the fondness and esteem of those she loved, as one of the sweetest rewards of her labors. "The opinion of the little hallowed circle of my own friends,' she observes, 'is more to me than the applauses of a whole world of strangers.'

6

The Beggar Boy,' originally contributed to the Minor's Pocket Book' in 1804, and now inserted among the Poetical Remains, was her first piece that appeared in print, and succeeded, it is said, in attracting the attention of the public. Some time after, we cannot say precisely when, for our author is very sparing of dates, and his narrative is throughout blind and interrupted, was published by Jane Taylor in conjunction. with several others, the first volume of Original Poems for Infant Minds.' This was soon followed by a second by the same authors, and by Rhymes for the Nursery,' by Jane Taylor and her sister; all of which were well received at the time, and continue, we believe, to be popular and esteemed. She contributed several pieces to a volume published under the title of the Associate Minstrels.' These are now placed among the Poetical Remains. The Hymns for Infant Minds,' by herself and her sister, and Hymns for Sunday Schools,' speedily followed. Most of these productions were written under the fatigue of other occupations, either before the regular employments of the day commenced, or after they concluded, and it was not till after this time that whole days were devoted to literary studies.

In 1810, her father resigned his charge at Colchester, and became pastor of a dissenting congregation at Ongar. She passed the winters of 1812-13 and 1813-14, among the romantic scenes of Ilfracombe, in Devonshire. During the latter season she wrote the greater part of Display,' which she next year published, a religious novel, or tale of modest pretensions, generally read, we believe, though somewhat censured at the time. Her next publication was her well known 'Essays in Rhyme on Morals and Manners,' composed during a residence of two years at Marazion, in Cornwall, and written, we are told, with great 'zest and excitement.'-'While employed

upon them, she was almost lost to other interests ;-even her prevailing domestic tastes seemed forgotten; and in our daily walks, she was often quite abstracted from the scene around her.' She soon after wrote, conjointly with her mother, the 'Correspondence between a Mother and her Daughter at School.'

Early in 1816, she became a regular contributor to the'Youth's Magazine,' for which she continued to write for seven years. The result of these labors has been given to the public, since her death, in a detached form, under the title of "The Contributions of Q. Q. to a Periodical Work, with some Pieces not before Published, by the late Jane Taylor, in two Volumes.' In August, 1816, she returned to Ongar, where, with the exception of occasional residences with her friends, she passed the remainder of her days. In 1817, she discovered the first indications of an induration in the breast,' which, after protracted debility and suffering, proved fatal in April, 1824, in the fortyfirst year of her age.

The following notices of her person may be acceptable to our readers. Her features were delicately formed, and regular; her stature below the middle size;-every movement bespoke the activity of her mind; and a peculiar archness and sprightliness of manner, gave signification and grace to all she said. The expression of her face was that of the finest feelings, habitually veiled from observation.'

A good deal is said, in different parts of the Memoirs, of her religious impressions and feelings, which, not to interrupt our narrative, we have hitherto omitted to notice. There are some minds, which seem predisposed to give a willing reception to the solacing declarations and the hopes of religion. They have few distressing apprehensions; they hardly know what a feeling of despondency is, being sustained through life by a cheerful and confiding piety. Again, there are timid, melancholy natures, who, with every reason to trust that they are in a state to be accepted of God, yet pass their days in gloom; who see no cheerful prospects, have none of those satisfactory and pleasing views and anticipations, from which others are enabled to extract so much comfort and happiness. They fear to apply to themselves the promises and hopes of the gospel, lest they be found to flatter and deceive themselves by a false trust; and thus live all their lifetime subject to bondage.'

.

This was in some degree the case with Miss Taylor; though we should ascribe her extreme anxiety rather to certain dark and mystical views of Christianity early infused, than to her temperament which was originally far from desponding and melancholy. She was pensive, distrustful of herself, and susceptible of strong impressions of fear; but we see no evidence of deep constitutional gloom. On the contrary, she appears to have possessed a good deal of native gaiety of heart. Her spirits were perhaps not the most light and buoyant, but she was not destitute of good humour and cheerfulness. In fact,

it is only when her thoughts are employed about objects of faith, that her mind becomes clouded with discontent and sadness. She was early distinguished for piety, and became deeply impressed with the importance of religion, as a matter, which personally concerns every individual. She appears to have been eminently conscientious and faithful, never forgetting that she was responsible for the trust committed to her by her heavenly Father. But her religious feelings had, for several years, a 'character of mournfulness and distress.' She shared the alarms, which belong to a conscience that is awakened, but not fully pacified.'- Some time after,' her biographer observes, unconsciously to herself, a real progression appears from her letters, to have taken place in Jane's religious feelings; if not more happy in hope, she was more established in principle.' Still she was in a state of discomfort,' destitute of the 'peace and hope' of the Christian. Again, afterwards, we are told, that her religious belief had long been settled; but she had failed to apprehend, with comfort to herself, her own part in the hope set before us in the gospel. It was at length, rather suddenly, in the summer of 1817, that the long standing doubts of her personal religion were dispelled, and she admitted joyfully the hope of salvation.' But our readers may be better pleased to have an account of the process, in her own words, as contained in a letter to her sister.

My mother told you of my having joined the church. You may have supposed that I was frightened into it, by my complaint; but I feel thankful that this was not the case; for it was not till after I had consulted Mr Clyne, that I felt any alarm about it; nor had I before any idea of its being of a formidable kind. My mind, all the summer, had been much in the state it has been in for years past; that is, unable to apply the offer of