flame. There is indeed fcarcely any faculty of the foul more capable of improvement. Hence the utility of a good education, nor can the mind be too early inured to habits of compofition: Profe and Poetry afford an ample field for the inventive power of man. The writers who amongst us Britons have most excelled in thefe departments are well known. Let their effufions be carefully ftudied. Thus will a portion of theit fpirit be imbibed, and a commendable imitation of their excellencies generated. Permit me, here, to recommend to young Writers a topic of advice which cannot fail to be of service to them. It is this that in their afpiration after literary excellence, it should be confined chiefly to one particular department. The ambition of youth is oftentimes flaming and indifcriminate. It hurries from object to object, with an aftonishing celerity. It never fuffers itself duly to confider the qualities of the fubject to be investigated.— Glancing at every thing, it gives not time thoroughly to fcrutinize any thing. How is it poffible that fuch an individual can excel in the departments of literature ! It must nevertheless be confeffed that characters have appeared in the learned world poffeffing a genius of a moft extenfive nature. Of this fact Voltaire is a striking inftance, though it has been remarked, that it would have been better had he written lefs, and with greater accuracy. The French genius is in general diftinguifhed for its fertility, but in folidity is deemed inferior to many of the productions of Britain. At the fame time we would repeat our advice to young Writers- -Confine, yourselves chiefly to one particular department. Think not to grafp every thing before your ability can enfure your fuccefs. Confult the dictates of your minds, and afcertain the objects to which you are inoft favourably inclined. Exercife your genius, but be cautious not to overtrain it. Thus will you do justice to your talents, and become valuable members of the Republic of Letters. Attend to the words of the judi cious Dr. Hugh Blair; taken from his Lectures on Rhetoric, the frequent perufal of which I would recommend to every individual attempting compofition :- "A fort of univerfal genius, or one who is equally and indifferently turned towards feveral different profeffions and arts, is not likely to excel in any. Although there may be fome few exceptions, yet in general it holds that when the bent of the mind is wholly directed towards fome one object, exclufive in a manner of others, there is the fairest profpect of eminence in that whatever it be. The rays must converge to a point in order to glow intenfely. This remark I here chufe to make, on account of its great importance to young people, in leading them to examine with care, and to purfue with ardour, the current and pointing of nature towards thofe exertions of genius in which they are most likely to excel." These curfory obfervations on Genius are intended to excite attention to an important fubject. In this fcribbling age almost every individual afpires to the character of an author. But let it be feriously confidered, that an union of genius and tafte is neceffary in order to inftruct and entertain mankind. A perfon confcious of this truth will not haftily expofe his crude effufions to the public eye. When he appears in print he will put on his beft array, and having done his utmoft, will, with calmness and dignity, await the fentence of that refpectable tribunal before which he has prefumed to appear*. *Tafte will be the fubject of the REFLECTOR in our next Number. INTERESTING INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF A FEMALE INDIAN. FROM A JOURNEY AT HUDSON'S BAY, FROM 1769, TO 1772. ON BY SAMUEL HEARNE. N the eleventh of January, as fome of my companions were hunting, they faw the track of a ftrange fnow-fhoe, which they followed; and at a confiderable diftance came to a little hut, where they dif covered a young woman fitting alone. As they found fhe understood their language, they brought her with them to the tents. On examination, the proved to be one of the Western Dog-ribbed Indians, who had been taken prifoner by the Whapufcow Indians in the fummer of the year 1770; and in the following fummer, when the Indians that took her prifoner were near this part, fhe had eloped from them, with an intent to return to her own country; but the diftance being fo great, and having, after the was taken prisoner, been carried in a canoe the whole way, the turnings and, windings of the rivers and lakes were fo numerous, that fhe forgot the tract; fo the built the hut in which we found her, to protect her from the weather during the winter, and here he had refided from the first setting in of the fall. From her account of the moons paft fince her elopement, it appeared that he had been near feven months without seeing a human face; during all which time she had fupported herfelf very well by fnaring partridges, rabbits, and fquirrels; the had alfo killed two or three beavers, and fome porcupines. That he did not feem to have been in want is evident, as he had a fmall stock of provifions by her when she was discovered; and was in good health and condition, and I think one of the finest women, of a real Indian, that I have seen in any part of North America. The methods practifed by this poor creature to procure a livelihood were truly admir admirable, and are great proofs that neceffity is the mother of invention. When the few deer, finews that the had an opportunity of taking with her were all expended in making fnares, and fewing her clothing, he had nothing to lupply their place but finews of the rabbits legs and feet, thefe fhe twifted together for that purpofe with great dexterity and fuccefs. The rabbits, &c. which The caught in thofe fnares, not only furnished her with a comfortable fubfiftence, but of the fkins the made a fuit of neat and warm clothing for the winter, It is fcarcely poffible to conceive that a perfon in her fituation could be fo compofed as to be capable of contriving or executing any thing that was not abfolutely neceffary to her existence, but there were fufficient proofs that the had extended her care much farther, as all her clothing, befide being calculated for real fervice, fhewed great tafte, and exhibited no little variety of ornament. The materials, though rude, were very curiously wrought, and fo judiciously placed, as to make the whole of her garb have a very pleafing, though rather romantic appearance. Her leisure hours from hunting had been em. ployed in twifting the inner rind or bark of willows into fmall lines, like net twine, of which she had some hundred fathoms by her; with this the intended to make a fing-net as foon as the fpring advanced. It is of the inner bark of willows, twisted in this manner, that the Dog-ribbed Indians make their fifhing nets; and they are much preferable to thofe made by the Northern Indians. Five or fix inches of an iron hoop, made into a knife, and the thank of an arrow head of iron, which ferved her as an awl, were all the metals this poor wo. man had with her when the eloped; and with thefe implements the had made herself complete fnow-fhoes, and feveral other useful articles. Her method of making a fire was equally fingular and curious, having no other materials for that purpose than two hard fulphurous ftones, thefe, by long friction and hard knocking, produced a few sparks, which at length communicated to fome fome touchwood; but as this method was attended with great trouble, and not always with fuccefs, the did not fuffer her fire to go out all the winter. Hence we may conclude that he had no idea of producing fire by friction, in the manner practifed by the Efquimaux, and many other civilized nations, becaufe if the had, the above-mentioned precaution would have been unnecef fary. "The fingularity of the circumftance, the comeliness of her perfon, and her approved accomplishments, occafioned a strong contest between feveral of the Indians of my party, who fhould have her for a wife, and the poor girl was actually won and loft, at wrestling, by near half a fcore different men the fame evening. My guide, Mattonabbee, who at that time had no less than feven wives, all women grown, befides a young girl of eleven or twelve years old, would have put in for the prize alfo, had not one of his wives made him afhamed of it, by telling him that he had already more wives than he could properly attend. This piece of fatire, however true, proved fatal to the poor girl who dared to make fo open a declaration; for the great man, Mattonabbee, who would willingly have been thought equal to eight or ten men in every refpect, took it as fuch an affront, that he fell on her with both hands and feet, and bruised her to fuch a degree, that, after lingering fome time, she died. When the Whapufcow Indians took the above Dog-ribbed Indian woman prifoner, they, according to the univerfal cuftom of thefe favages, furprited her and her party in the night, and killed every foul in the tent except herself and three other young women. Among thofe whom they killed," were her father, mother, and hufband. Her young child, four or five months old, The concealed in a bundle of cloathing, and took with her undiscovered in the night; but when the arrived at the place where the Athapufcow Indians had left their wives, (which was not far diftant) they began to examine her bundle, and finding the child, one of the wo men |