397 POETRY. For the Literary Magazine. The following verses are supposed to be written by a gentle and timid young woman, pining under the oppression of a romantic and concealed passion for a man who entertained no suspicion of her attachment. NOT one kind look-one friendly word! Yet still, absorb'd in studious care, Neglect to waste one look on me ; For then my happy eyes may dare To gaze and dwell uncheck'd on thee. And still in silence sit, nor deign One gentle, precious word to say; For silent I may then remain, Nor let my voice my soul betray. This falt'ring voice, these conscious eyes, My throbbing heart too plainly speak: There timid hopeless passion lies, And bids it silence keep, and break. To me how dear this twilight hour, Cheer'd by the faggot's varying blaze! If this be mine, I ask no more On morn's refulgent light to gaze: For now, while on HIS glowing cheek I see the fire's red radiance fall, The darkest seat I softly seek, And gaze on HIM, unseen by all. His folded arms, his studious brow, His thoughtful eye, unmark'd, I see; Nor could his voice or words bestow So dear, so true a joy on me. But he forgets that I am near: Fame, future fame, in thought he To him ambition's paths appear, His heart with ardent hope is fill'd; His propects full of beauty bloom : But, oh my heart despair has chill'd, My only prospect is the tomb! One only boon from Heaven I claim, While I, surpris'd, with anxious look The meaning of his glance explor❜d. But soon my too experienc'd heart Read nought but generous pity there; I felt presumptuous hope depart, And all again was dark despair. Yet still, in memory still, my heart Lives o'er that fleeting bliss again; I feel his glance, his touch, impart Emotion through each bursting vein. And" Once (I cry) those eyes so sweet On me with fondness deign'd to shine; For once I felt his bosom beat Against the conscious throbs of mine!" Nor shall the dear remembrance die While aught to me of life is given; But soothe my last convulsive sigh, And be, till then, my joy, my heaven! And vow with constancy the bird to love, Whose beauty thus reminds me of my own. I cannot prove my gratitude too soon, For such a mark of tenderness con ferr'd; If friends, if wealth, if earthly power could save, Thy arm, O Death, had not the vict'ry gain'd; But vain, alas! is every human aid, When once opposed against Jehovah's reign. So song for song be thine, and boon for Yes, he was dear to all who knew his boon, Kindness for kindness, swain, and worth, Each breast for him the pensive sigh doth give; Though he's united to his kindred earth, Yet in their memory still his virtues live. In his young breast bright Honour rear'd her throne, In his great mind fair Wisdom's influence spread, While firm Integrity claim'd him her NOT to the rosy maid, whom former hours Beheld me fondly covet, tune I now The melancholy lyre: no more I seek Thy aid, Hygeia* sought so long in vain: But, 'tis to thee, O Sickness, 'tis to thee I wake the silent strings. Accept the lay. Thou art no tyrant, warring the fierce Scourge O'er unresisting victims; but a nymph, Of mild, though mournful mein. Upon thy brow Patience sits smiling; and whose heavy eye, Tho' moist with tears, is always fixed on Heaven. Thou wrapps't the world in gloom; but thou canst tell To rest upon itself; to look beyond The narrow bound of time, and fix its hopes On the sure basis of eternity. The tender pleasures of domestic life? Ah no! 'tis thine to call forth in the heart Each better feeling: thou awakenest there With tears of ecstacy—such tears, per- These are thy gifts, O Sickness! Thou hast vouchsafed, and taught me how to prize. Shall my soul shrink from aught thou hast ordain'd? Shall I e'en envy the luxurious train, Around whose path Prosperity has strewn Her gilded toys? Ah! let them still pursue The shining trifles! never shall they know ALFRED-Gulielmo to Gulielma—“ Cynthia the saint free from sin," &c. are not sufficiently correct for publication. Diogenes would be a valuable correspondent to the "Spirit of the Press." Mr. Clark's statements of the Louisiana soil and products have been already set apart for re-publication in this work. The editor heartily concurs with Agricola. Martin's portrait of a good wife is good enough for a likeness, but not sufficiently laboured for a picture. A devil by Raphael is better than a sign-post angel. The Traveller's communications will be gratefully received. An early communication is requested. Theron will be returned when called for. The Missionary Magazine is the proper repository for communications of this nature. The editor endeavours to avoid all polemics, whether religious or political. There are several communications, on which, agreeably to the request of the writers, the editor is silent. will observe, by reference to the invoice, sixty-seven specimens of earths, salts, and minerals, and sixty specimens of plants; these are accompanied by their respective labels, expressing the days on which obtained, places where found, and also their virtues and properties when known. By means of these labels, reference may be made to the chart of the Missouri, forwarded to the secretary of war, on which the encampment of each day has been carefully marked: thus the places at which these specimens have been obtained, may be easily pointed out, or again found, should any of them prove valuable to the community on further investigation. You will also receive herewith enclosed, a part of captain Clark's private journal; the other part you will find enclosed in a separate tin box. This journal will serve to give you the daily details of our progress and transactions. I shall dispatch a canoe with three, perhaps four persons from the extreme navigable point of the Missouri, or the portage between this river. and the Columbia river, as either may first happen. By the return of this canoe, I shall send you my journal, and some one or two of the best of those kept by my men. I have sent a journal kept by one of the sergeants, to captain Stoddard, my agent at St. Louis, in order as much as possible to multiply the chances of saving something. We have encouraged our men to keep journals, and seven of them do, to whom, in this respect, we give every assistance in our power. I have transmitted to the secretary at war every information relative to the geography of the country which we possess, together with a view of the Indian nations, containing information relative to them, on those points with which I conceived it important that the government should be informed. By reference to the muster rolls forwarded to the war department, you will see the state of the party; in addition to which we have two interpreters, one negro man, servant to captain Clark; one Indian woman, wife to one of the interpreters, and a Mandan man, whon we take with a view to restore peace between the Snake Indians and those in this neighbourhood, amounting in total with ourselves to thirty-three persons. By means of the interpreters and Indians, we shall be enabled to converse with all the Indians that we shall probably meet with on the Missouri. I have forwarded to the secretary at war my public accounts, rendered up to the present day. They have been much longer delayed than I had any idea they would have been, when we departed from the Illinois; but this delay, under the circumstances which I was compelled to act, has been unavoidable. The provision peroque and her crew could not have been dismissed in time to have returned to St. Louis last fall, without evidently, in my opinion, hazarding the fate of the enterprise in which I am engaged; and I therefore did not hesitate to prefer the censure that I may have incurred by the detention of these papers, to that of risking in any degree the success of the expedition. To me the detention of these papers has formed a serious source of disquiet and anxiety; and the recollection of your particular charge to me on this subject, has made it still more poignant. I am fully aware of the inconvenience which must have arisen to the war department, from the want of these vouchers, previous to the last session of congress, but how to avert it was out of my power to devise. From this place we shall send the barge and crew early to-morrow morning, with orders to proceed as expeditiously as possible to St. Louis; by her we send our dispatches, which I trust will get safe to hand. Her crew consists of ten able-bodied men, well armed, and provided with a sufficient stock of provision to last them to St. Louis. I have but little doubt but they will be fired on by the Siouxs; but they have pledged themselves to us that they will not yield while there is a man of them living. I |