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MISCELLANIES

Author of Letters of Junius.

Dr. PARR was reported in his own literary circles to be the depositary of the authorship of Junius's Letters; and he has been heard with grave solemnity to say, that the secret would be known when he was no more. His bequest on the subject is the following, written on the fly leaf of Junius: "The writer of Junius was Mr. Lloyd, secretary to George Grenville, and brother to Philip Lloyd, Dean of Norwich. This will one day or other be generally acknowledged. S. P."

The Bible or the Church-whether?

Ar a meeting of a Bible Association in the North of England, a clergyman assigned as his reason for supporting the Bible Society, his belief that it was not endangering the church; "for," said he, "if I thought it dangerous to the church, I would not support it a moment longer." A Quaker present rose to second the motion which the clergyman had thus put, and said, "I am a Quaker, and if I thought that the Bible Society would endanger Quakerism, why, then, I would not be a Quaker one moment longer."

History of the Publication of Cowper's Poems.

[From the English Gentleman's Library Manual; or, a Guide to the Formation of a Library of select Literature, with Notices biographical and critical, of Authors and Books. By William Goodhugh. Pp. 394.]

JOHNSON, the bookseller, of St. Paul's Churchyard, first obtained the copyright of "Cowper's Poems," which proved a source of great profit to him, in the following manner :- -A relation of Cowper's called one evening, in the dusk, on Johnson, with a bundle of these poems, which he offered him for publication, provided he would publish them at his own risk, and allow the author to have a few copies to give to his friends. Johnson, having on perusal approved of them, undertook the risk of publishing. Soon after they appeared, there was not a Review that did not load them with the most scurrilous abuse, and condemn

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them to the butter-shops. In consequence of the public mind being thus terrified or misled, these charming effusions lay in a corner of the bookseller's shop, as an unsaleable pile, for a long time. Some time afterwards, the same person appeared with another bundle of manuscripts from the same author; which were offered and accepted on similar terms. In this fresh collection was the admirable. poem of "The Task.". Not alarmed at the fate of the, former publication, and thoroughly assured as he was of their great merit, he resolved upon publishing them. Soon after they had appeared, the tone of the Reviewers became changed, and Cowper was hailed as the first poet, of his age. The success of this second publication set the first in motion, and Johnson immediately reaped the fruits of his undaunted judgment. In 1812, the copyright was put up to sale among the members of the trade, in thirtytwo shares. Twenty of these shares were sold at £212 per share, including printed copies in quires to the amount of £82, which each purchaser was to take at a stipulated price; and twelve shares were retained in the hands of the proprietor. The work was satisfactorily proved at the sale to net £834 per annum. It had only two years of copyright, and yet this same copyright, with printed copies, produced, estimating the twelve shares which were retained at the same price as those which were sold, the sum of £6764.

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Psalmody.-Handel.

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Mr. SAMUEL WESLEY has discovered in the Fitzwilliam collection of music at Cambridge, three of the late Rev. Charles Wesley's Hymns set to music, by HANDEL, which he has published from the original autograph of that eminent composer. The hymns are, Sinners, obey the Gospel Word;" "O Love Divine, how sweet thou art !” and “Rejoice, the Lord is King." Handel is conjectured to have become acquainted with these hymns through Mrs. Rich, the wife of the patentee of one of the London theatres ; Handel being professionally connected with Mr. Rich, and Mrs. Rich having become an admirer of Mr. Wesley's preaching.

OBITUARY.

1827. On the 4th of September, at Tamworth, aged 81, the Rev. JOHN BYNG, who for 53 years had officiated as Pastor to the Congregation of Unitarian Christians in that place. Having passed through the preparatory course of studies in the academy at Daventry, under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Ashworth, he commenced the discharge of the important duties of his office in the situation from which he never removed, and with a congregation who, by a singular coincidence, had enjoyed the services of his immediate predecessor, the Rev. Jonah Malkin, during the same period of 53 years. A better testimony to his character in early life cannot be offered than the circumstance, that having when very young attracted the attention of the excellent Mrs. Abney, he continued to enjoy in no small degree her friendship and esteem to the close of her life. In him the sacred office was adorned by a life of simplicity, integrity and purity: his was a character which calumny never assailed, and would have assailed in vain he was justly distinguished as a lover of peace and truth. As a believer in the gospel, he embraced decidedly those views of its great truths which distinguish Unitarians; but, possessed of a truly evangelical and catholic spirit, his creed was not tinctured by the slightest shade of bigotry, and all good men, without the narrow distinctions of sect or party, he cordially esteemed. Most of the companions and friends of his youth preceded him to the tomb; and, gathered to his grave in a good old age, as a shock of corn cometh in, in its season, we trust he has now rejoined them in a world of unity, love and peace. He was the parent of six children, four of whom survived him; but his youngest daughter has since followed him to the tomb, deeply regretted by all who knew her sterling worth. To the congregation with which she was nearly connected, and in whose prosperity she ever felt the warmest interest, her loss will not be soon repaired; and by many whom she had benefited, her memory will be long and affectionately cherished. A severe affliction of many months she bore with unshaken fortitude and truly Christian patience and resignation, strikingly exhibiting the efficacy of religion in supporting the mind under every trial of life-in weakness, in suffering, and in death. O. I.

Dec. 19, at Cradley, in Worcestershire, and in the sixtieth year of his age, the Rev. JAMES SCOTT, who, for thirty-eight years, was Pastor of the Congregation of Protestant Dissenters assembling in Park-Lane Chapel, in that township. On the preceding Sunday, (Dec. 16,) before he had delivered the whole of his afternoon sermon, his voice faltered, and became inaudible: and it was soon evident that he laboured under an

apoplectic seizure. All the efforts of medical skill and attention were unavailing: he lingered, three days, in a state of insensibility, and then expired. His remains were consigned to the family burying-place, at Stourbridge, on the 26th of the month, amidst the most impressive demonstrations of sorrow, affection, and respect; his much-loved colleague, the Rev. Alexander Paterson, performing, on this occasion, the last offices of friendship. On Sunday, the 30th, the funeral sermon was preached, by the Rev. John Kentish, at Stourbridge, in the morning, and at Cradley, in the afternoon, from 2 Tim. ii. 21: a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."

A sketch of the life, character and services of the very amiable man, and exemplary minister, who is the subject of this article of Obituary, will, probably, appear in some future number of The Christian Reformer.

N.

1828. January 14, at Somers Town, Mr. JOSEPH LUDLOW, after a few days' illness, at the age of 68, a few months after the death of a kind and affectionate wife, to whom he had been united more than 40 years Mr. Ludlow was a steady and firm Unitarian, and was well known and much respected by many gentlemen in the Unitarian connexion. In early life he attended the ministry of Dr. Toulinin, and subsequently officiated as elerk at Essex-Street chapel, where he had the enviable advantage, for several years, of hearing the Christian doctrines explained and enforced by that truly philosophical and argumentative preacher, Mr. Belsham. As a father, husband, master and friend, Mr. Ludlow was equally esteemed; and the cheerfulness of his disposition rendered him an amiable companion. A few years back, he, in connexion with one or two more friends to the Unitarian cause, opened a place, on a frugal plan, for the dissemination of the pure doctrines of Christianity in his own neighbourhood, and established a Sunday-school for the education of the children of the poor; thus doing all he could for the advancement of true and undefiled religion, and the eradication of error, superstition and ignorance; and although this undertaking did not ultimately succeed, it is highly to the credit of the deceased to have made the experiment.

"Who does the best his circumstance allows,

Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more."

Mr. Ludlow's sudden demise-for his dissolution was scarcely expected more than a few hours before it took place-affords another argument, if it were wanted, to teach us seriousness. Well might the inspired writer compare life to a vapour, which is seen but a little while, and then vanisheth away.

Lately, at Warminster, HENRY WANSEY, Esq., F. S. A. His loss will be long regretted by his many acquaintances, to whom he had made himself agreeable by his intelligence, his varied information, his habitual cheerfulness and constant readiness to assist or to oblige. Mr. Wansey was elected, many years ago, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries; and the transactions of that learned body contain two or three curious communications from his pen. Much of his time, in the latter years of his life, was devoted to the collection and arrangement of materials for the History and Topography of the Hundred of Warminster, subsidiary to the magnificent work on the county of Wilts, of which Sir Richard Colt Hoare is the founder and principal director. He travelled many years ago over the United States of America, and more lately over the Continent of Europe, and on both occasions laid his tours before the public. He published likewise several pamphlets on trade and political economy, and in behalf of religious liberty. He was one of the oldest and steadiest supporters of the Presbyterian meeting-house in Warminster.

INTELLIGENCE.

CONTEST BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE LEGISLATURE OF JAMAICA RELATING TO RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.

IN 1826, Lord Bathurst, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, issued instructions to the West-India Legislatures for certain measures in favour of Negro-slaves. These gave great offence by their liberality to the planters, particularly in Jamaica. The House of Assembly of this island passed an Act at the end of 1826, "to alter and amend the Slave-laws,” containing, amongst others, these clauses.

"LXXXIII. And whereas it has been found that the practice of ignorant, superstitious, or designing slaves, of attempting to instruct others, has been attended with the most pernicious consequences, and even with the loss of life: Be it enacted, that any slave or slaves found guilty of preaching and teaching as Anabaptists, or otherwise, without a permission from their owner and the quarter sessions for the parish in which such preaching or teaching takes place, shall be punished in such manner as any three magistrates may deem proper, by whipping, or imprisonment in the workhouse to hard labour.

"LXXXIV. And whereas the assembling of slaves and other persons, after dark, at places of meeting belonging to Dissenters from the established religion, and other persons professing to be teachers of religion, has been found extremely dangerous, and great facilities are thereby given to the formation of plots and conspiracies, and the health of the slaves and other persons has been injured in travelling to and from such places of meeting at

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