to reject every fervant who is not able to produce a fufficient character from her former fituation; but it is furely as reasonable to imagine, that a miftrefs may be influenced by prejudice or malignity to refufe a character, as that a fervant may not deferve one. It is is at least as probable, that the refpectable part of the world are fometimes influenced by hatred, as that the inferior claffes of fociety are actuated by difhonefty. If every one be compelled to refufe a fervant who cannot produce an unobjectionable character, arms will be put into the hands of the revengeful, and injuftice be enabled to triumph in fecurity. The privilege which fervants poffefs, of changing their governors, is the only check they have upon oppreffion: let us not, therefore, take away the only fafeguard of domeftic liberty, or by a mifguided zeal add strength to the arm of tyranny.

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It may be urged, that the neceffity of preserving a character, which may be a teftimony of worth and a letter of recommendation, and the fear of being defpifed by fo ciety, or condemned to want, will deter the unprincipled from vice, and lead the selfish into the path of rectitude. But a very flight furvey of the world will convince us, that thofe who have forfeited their reputation by misbeha viour, will rather be hurried by desperation into the depths of iniquity, than driven from their vices, by the fear of punishment. Admitting, for a moment, that our fervants are as profligate and as idle as they are reprefented to be, we must not imagine that they will be reformed by feverity, or humbled by correction. It cannot be expected,

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that the frown of a mafter can have much effect upon thofe who have given up their minds to knavery; nor is it probable that the lofs of reputation will have much influence on thofe who are not reftrained by honefty, nor terri, fied by fhame.

Would we not, therefore, difplay our humanity and judgment, were we to endeavour to excite the flothful or the vicious by the promise of reward, and to encourage the diligent by a fuitable compenfation, rather than by terrifying the idle by menaces, or difcouraging the in duftrious by feverity. Those who have, for a series of years, given proofs of their fidelity, are, at the prefent day, condemned to look back upon care which has not been honoured, or toil which has been suffered to pafs without recompence; while the few who have only been distinguished by their ingratitude or floth, can confole themselves by reflecting, that their idleness and guilt have only left them in the fame fituation with those who have been foolish enough to waste their lives in ufelefs labour.

Let it be recommended, therefore, that a fociety be formed, the members of which may be enabled to give pecuniary rewards to those servants who have distinguished themselves by good behaviour and diligence. Such an undertaking as this will, indeed, be attended by fome difficulties; but only by fuch as are conquerable. I have before obferved, that a character may be blackened through prejudice or malice, and confequently the judgment of

a fociety

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fociety would fometimes be perplexed by a contradiction of teftimonies: but this may be in fome measure avoided by confidering, not only the character of the fervant, but likewife that of her mistress. If the latter appear to be proud or ill-humoured, this ought to be con fidered as a proof of the virtue of the former; for it furely cannot be imagined, that any one is without honefty or care, who has been for a feries of years employed by a woman, only remarkable for ill nature and moroseness; or that, on the other hand, that fervant is without humility and patience, who has for a confiderable time endured a miftrefs, addicted to caprice and dif .content, whom no industry could pleafe, nor any obedience gratify.

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In the provincial hiftories of this country, we have some examples of a few individuals uniting to reward industry, in the manner I have proposed; but thofe affociations were not only too small to have much effect, but the rewards they offered were, likewise, too contemptible to excite emulation. No one was incited to diligence by the offer of one guinea and a-half, in addition to her wages, for the labour of 30 years: nor could the hope of receiving a feven-fbilling piece, induce any one to fubmit to the fretfulness of a valitudinarian.

To give fuch an inftitution, as I have recommended, any effect, it will be neceffary that it be not fupported merely by a few individual, but by the higher claffes of the community in general; and that it be protected by

the legislature of the country. It cannot, furely, beimagined that it can want fupporters of refpectability and wealth, or that men of rank and reputation will refuse to fanction an attempt to improve the happinefs of a third part of the community; when our noblemen can employ their fortunes in rewarding the inventor of a stove! and our misses, without leffening their portions, are able to reward the merit of an ITALIAN OPERA DANCER.

It must not be fuppofed, that this propofal contradicts my opinion, that " fervants are not fo profligate or idle as they are reprefented to be." It cannot with any more propriety be imagined, that the former part of my rea foning is falfe, because the latter part of it recommends the encouragement of virtue, than that the generality of artizans are unfkilful, because we reward the ingenious, or that the world is univerfally wicked, becaufe the upright are honoured !

[Some of thefe remarks apply to male as well as female fervants.]

IT is with great indignation and furprise that I peruse

the reproaches which my incorrigible predeceffors have published against thofe gentlemen who are commonly called Quacks. I have not yet difcovered a periodical writer who does not represent them as beings who live at the expence of the eftate and health of their patients; who vend for the cure of difeafes articles which are pernicious to the human frame, and who difperfe around the earth fevers, dyfenteries, and fcurvies, under the form of bal fams, lozenges, or pills.

This declamation, however, has been most unfortunately directed, for it cannot be expected that fuch absurdities will have much authority, when oppofed by undeniable marks of merit, or by men who can cure a fever without fubjecting their patients to confinement, and produce wit neffes to prove, that an elixir has in lefs than an hour cured them of the gout, or that a lozenge has in a moment, mitigated the torment of the tooth ache !

But though thefe evidences are fufficient to convince the fimple, they have not, it appears, been fufficient to foften the obftinacy of thofe pretenders to wifdom, and they till infilt that a fever cannot be cured without confinement; that if a paroxyfm of the gout be fuddenly relieved, the patient will have reafon to expect that the dif order is exafperated, and that relief from the torture of the tooth-ache is feldom afforded by medicines.

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