knowledge of a Deity. Villette was greatly pleafed with the project, and immediately began to make preparations for carrying it into execution. He caufed a commodious house to be built at the end of the park, which he furnished with a small collection of hiftorical books, transcribed in his own hand; where, in giving the account of the most remarkable events, he had carefully omitted every circumftance that could fuggeft the leaft notion of a God. When the child, who proved to be a daughter, was in her fecond year, he took upon him the care of her education, and that of a child of the fame age, who was retained as a companion to her. M. De La Villette permitted Emilia to visit her daughter at the hours when he himfelf was prefent; but at all other times, the was left to the care of a fervant, who was dumb.

We fhall infert an extract from that part of the memoirs, where the daughter, by whom they are fuppofed to be written, and who had now attained her twelfth year, begins to display her ingenuity.

At the age, then, of twelve years and fome months, I and the child who was brought up with me fickened of the fmallpox. I kept my bed but a few days; but my brother, for fo I called him, after languishing for fome time, expired almost in my arms. This, as I faid, was an event new to me; and my father was all attention to the effect which it should produce. At first, I imagined that the child had fallen afleep; but taking him by the hand, which had burned ever fince the firit attack of his distemper, was surprised to feel it as cold as ice. I asked my father the reafon of this. He told me my brother was dead; and that he would never recover from the state in which I then faw him. I imagined that he was in jeft: I called my brother; attempted to raise him up; pulled him by the arm, and, in a word, did every thing which I thought might awaken him. Seeing, however, that all my attempts were ineffectual, I again asked my father, "Whence proceeded the obftinacy of my brother, in not answering me?"

"And how fhould he answer you?" fays he : hear you."

“ he cannot

"But," I replied, "his ears are not ftopped: why should he not hear me? You tell me, he is no more, and yet my eyes tell me otherwife: I fee him; I touch him; and I am fure he is the very fame who spoke to me two hours ago. Whence is it, then, that for a few moments paft, he fees me, and speaks to me no more?"

It is," replied Mr. De la Villette," because his foul and body are no longer united, and because these two only subsist while this union is preferved."

"What is a foul, then " faid I, with great eagerness. ""Tis a fubftance," faid he, which fees by our eyes, hears by our ears, fpeaks by our mouth, and without which our bo

bies, as that of this child, remain motionless, like a flone, or block of wood."

"I fhall then," faid I, in tears, talk with my brother no more. O why did he die, when he knew I tenderly loved him, and fhould long to hear him fpeak!"

66

At this my father fmiled. "But, indeed, my child," faid he, it is not your brother's fault that he is dead: we all muft die; myself, your mother, and many others, whom you never knew. As fleep irrefiftibly fteals you from yourself at fome feasons, fo the time fhall come, when this eternal fleep fhall bear you, however reluctant, to the grave."

I continued fome time penfive and filent; and then, as doubting the truth of what my father had faid, returned to the motionless body, to which I again addreffed my complaints. It was, however, neceffary to take me from it. But my aftonishment was doubled, when I was told, that when thefe remains of my dear brother were committed to the earth, they would quickly become a part of it: this gave occafion to put other questions to my father.

"You have juft told me," faid I, "that we were compofed of two parts, a body and a foul. This body is about to be put into the earth, what is to be done with the foul? whither is that gone and what will become of it? Will it moulder into duft, as this body?"

Thefe queftions embarraffed my father; and muling a few minutes, he took up a violin, on which he had taught me to play; and raifing its found-board, made me obferve, that the difplacing of this alone, prevented its giving any found, though all its parts ftill fubfifted. "Juft fo," fays he, "it is with our bodies: from the order in which the parts are united, arife the faculties of hearing and fpeaking; and 'tis this power of acting which is called the foul, and which ceases as foon as the parts of the body are difunited."

It would have been eafy for me to have remarked to my father, that he had juft before faid, that the foul was a fubftance; but wholly intent on the illuftration which had been offered to my fenfes, I did not reflect on what had preceded it.

I paffed many days in a melancholy that made my ufual amufements infipid. My father was apprehenfive that this would injure my health, and found no means more effectual to remove it, than the reading of those books which he had copied for me. This remedy produced the defired effect; and it foon became neceffary to limit the ufe of it. I now learnt, with an astonishment not to be fuppreffed, that there were numerous cities peopled with men like us; and I could not conceive how we came to be feparated from them. On this head only my father refused to give me fatisfaction; and promifing one day to communicate the reafons which had induced him to withdraw me from the commerce of men, enjoined me to afk him no

fur

further questions on that fubject. My refpect to my father made me regard this prohibition as a law; and to make myself some recompence for the reftraint which he had laid upon me, I doubled my application to my books.

What aftonished me yet more was, to find that kings and conquerors, the powerful, the rich, and the wife, fuddenly dropped into nothing, and often when they least expected it. Upon this occafion I asked my father, "How men, who had discovered means to build cities, to dare the raging of the sea, and to tame the fierceft of beafts, had not found out the fecret of evading death?”

"it is," fays he, "because all compounded fubftances muft at length naturally difunite, and confequently be destroyed."

"But," replied I, with warmth, our frame was then but ill contrived; it fhould have been fo made as to endure for ever. What can be more unpleafing than to be at fo much pains, in amaffing riches, building houfes, and forming vaft schemes, without being able to fecure to ourselves the enjoyment of them for a moment? I had rather never to have been; and I take it ill of you, to have given me an existence which I must lofe fo foon."

My mother, who was prefent at this converfation, could not contain her joy; which was ftill increased, when my father had, by his answer, given me occafion to raise new objections.'

After this fpecimen we need only inform our readers, that the Memoirs relate the progrefs of the young lady's underftanding, through various fubjects of natural and revealed religion; which are illuftrated in an easy and beautiful manner, not by the aid of any knowledge fuppofed to arife from innate ideas, but by means of juft reflexion, and unprejudiced enquiry. Speculative and moral truths are here established, by arguments no lefs confonant to reafon, than ingeniously devised; and we are led to the conclufions of philofophy, and the maxims of religion, without either the intervention of métaphyfical fubtilty, or dry theological difcuffion. On the whole, we need not hesitate to affirm, that these Memoirs will afford both entertainment and inftruation.

VI. Schemes offered for the Perufal and Confideration of the Legif lature, Freeholders, and Public in General. By C. Varlo, Esq; 8vo. 3. Bew.

WHEN Mr. Varlo informs us in the preface, that he has fpared no pains in giving birth' to thefe Schemes, we might naturally conclude that they were not only new, but likewife the refult of much political reflection and inquiry. So

far

far is this from being the cafe, however, that we fcarcely meet with any one fubje& in the volume, which has not been hackneyed in the news-papers for these several years paft. Let Mr. Varlo reap the thanks of the public, for recommending to the attention of the legislature fuch fchemes as he apprehends to be of national advantage; but let him not affume the merit of having projected plans which hundreds before him have propofed. In one circumftance, indeed, he is perhaps entitled to the appellation of a projector, in the ufual acceptation of the word; and that is, when he fuggefts the expediency of building a royal palace at Philadelphia. What pity is it, that the edifice was not erected for the accommodation of the delegates of the late congrefs!

The first chapter of the volume contains an addrefs to the freeholders of England, on the subject of chufing proper perfons to represent them in parliament; and in the fecond, the author maintains, that the high price of provifions is not owing to any fcarcity of produce, but to the increafed quantity of money. The third chapter prefents us with Mr. Varlo's opinion on emigration. Here it is pofitively affirmed, that England received her share of emigrants from Troy, and has been growing up to maturity ever fince the deftruction of that city. Without spending time in fhewing this opinion not to be judgmatical,' we fhall lay before our readers Mr. Varlo's propofal for the palace, as being the only original part in the work.

There has often been a talk of building a palace for the king, in London, which indeed is wanted; but the treasury being poor, and fo much in debt, and taxes already so high, money cannot be spared for that purpose. Now, fuppofe a proclamation was iffued out in America for building a palace in Philadelphia for the king to live in, which he need not do, except he chofe it, and when he pleased: but instead of going himself, fuppofe he was to fend his fecond fon to refide there as high regent, to tranfact all bufinefs, and fign all acts that might pafs relating to the continent. A thing of this fort is abfolutely neceffary, to give the people a lively fatisfaction, and to be a guard over them, and keep them in subjection.

I am clear, from the nature of things, that this would please much, make them fubmit to every conftitutional act that might be brought on the carpet between them and the mother country; it would conciliate their affections, and bring them back to obedience; it would make them join force to force, and bid defiance to all pretenders or invaders; it would remove every suspicion of jealousy relating to governors; and

put

put an end to that inflaming, unftable, and difcontented fpirit of oppofition, which always prevails between the people and a Tecond-hand governor.

Was a proclamation iffued to build a palace for the above purpofe, and permit the Americans to raise money for it in their own way, I make no doubt but that they would, with great chearfulness, quickly raise a fund fufficient to build one of the most magnificent houfes in the universe.

If we confider both fides of the queftion, we may fee the many good effects fuch a scheme would be attended with; but not one bad or doubtful one; except, that a doubt may arise from the heir apparent to the crown's living there; it might enure him to the climate, and unite him to the people; infomuch, that when he became king, he might rather chufe to live there than in England: however, this would lay in his own breaft; and if he chofe to live there, he might fend the next heir to the crown to refide in England, as high regent.

This may feem to be of ill confequence to England to a narrow-minded feififh perfon, whofe ideas reach not beyond the present times, or whofe understanding is confined within the boundaries of his own eftate; however, if we but confider the immenfe difference between the continent and England, the immenfe number of people the former will hold to what the latter does, the great treafure they will bring to the state, and ftrength to the proteftant line; confequently, add peace, and give the people pleasure and fecurity in their poffeffions; I fay, if we but confider all these pleafing circumstances, we shall be in raptures of joy, to think what good effects such a period and scheme would bring forth for the good of pofterity.

• This may seem to fome, not likely to happen; to others, at too great a distance to bear a thought; and to many, indifferent as my fojourney here cannot be long, together with other family confiderations, I may be claffed among the latter; however my ideas have led me to this fubject thirty years ago; and I always confidered, that the feat of the empire would be, at fome time, placed in the continent; but never expected such large ftrides would be taken towards it in my time; but the thing is now glaring, and really requires fome confideration of better heads, and in more power than mine; all that fuch little infignificant creatures as I can do, are only to form pleasing ideas of what we would do if we could; if a man's mind is his kingdom, as the phrase is, mine is fixed in this point; and all the power I have, or defire, is, to communicate it to the public; but though my power is small, I VOL. XXXIX. April, 1775. X

am