had preceded him, in fixing the principles of political economy, but I believe he was induced to forbear attempting this literary gratitude, from his inability to recollect the nature of his obligations.

Every man must be apt to find an apology for the worthy Adam Smith in this particular, when he attempts to recollect the sources of his conviction on moral and political subjects; and to this jury I trust the reputation of my excellent preceptor and amiable friend.

So much for the Wealth of Nations, and its sagacious essayist; but can I pass the consideration and the verdict, without expressing my astonishment and concern that no learned friend of human kind has ever attempted a subject of infinitely higher importance than an inquiry into the causes of the wealth of nations? which might deserve the title of An inquiry into the causes of the happiness of na tions! Such a work, if executed with equal integrity, wisdom, and abilities, would entitle its author to the name of the Benefactor of the human race.

It would embrace, in its scope and argument, the health, morals, education, industfy, good order, and political sentiments of the people.

It would show, that no object of revenue to a state, should induce the legislative power to encourage the use of such food or drink, or such habits and employments, as have a tendency to hurt the bodily organs, or to lower

the faculties of the mind, as in the case of tea, tobacco, and ardent spirits; but above all, it would proscribe every branch of business that had a tendency to pervert the morals, or corrupt the heart of the people. The acquisition of wealth, when contrasted with the loss of virtue, should, in no case, be put in competition.

That a modification of laws and political institutions, that have a continued tendency to promote venality, intemperance, and perjury, whether in electing the legislative body, or in attempting to evade the payment of taxes, ought to be changed, in such a manner as to remove the temptation, or opportunity for such immoralities, as have an immediate tendency to corrupt the whole man, and to destroy the moral sense, the force of parole evidence in the detection of crimes, and to produce an aptitude to universal corruption of manners, which goes to the dissolution of society itself.

That no institutions ought to be favoured by the state that have a tendency to keep youth in ignorance, or to expose it to such occupations or neglect, as must prevent it from being imbued with talents suited to the good of society; and that rewards should be given to parents for the number, health, morals, education, and industry of their children, or be in a certain degree exempted from taxes on these accounts.

That rewards should be given for a system

of education suited to the principles and naturel of the government.

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That the direction of industry to healthful and uncorrupting branches of manufacture and trade, ought to occupy the attention of the legislative body, and have its due weight o in all its deliberations and laws.

That in all schools the radical principles of a free government ought to be taught and digested in the form of a political catechism 31 and that punishments in schools, as well as rewards, ought to be inflicted or decreed on the same principles, and guided by the same forms, as in the state.

Finally, that no law or institution should take place, contrary, in its principle or consequence, to the maxims and religious philosophy of Him who was the founder of the system of love towards God, and general benevolence towards man.

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O what a multitude of thoughts at once,
Awaken'd, in me swarm, while I consider
What from within I feel myself, and hear
What from without comes often to 'my ears,
Ill sorting with our present state compar'd!'

Your faithful humble Servant,

dorm

Gleanings of Literature.

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FOR THE BEE.-JULY 18, 1792.

ཕྱི 1:|:ཀྱི ས ཡཱཿ ས

year

Electric symptoms accompanying earthquakes, exemplified in an account of the earthquakes of Jamaica in the 1760, extracted from a letter from Dr John Martin * Butt to the Earl of Buchan.

FROM the 11th of June to the present time we have either expected to be buried by earthquakes, or blown away by hurricanes; but, thank God, no great mischief has yet been done, although our neighbours of Cuba have suffered considerably by the former, and we are hourly, in dreadful apprehension of hearing that they have had a violent hurricane, from the symptoms observed in our sea and atmosphere. : སྐྱོད་པ་

The first, earthquake, for we had no fewer than forty shocks, happened a few minutes past midnight of the 11th of June, after a long course of intensely hot weather. That evening I had invited a company to sup with me; but before eight o'clock felt such a trembling of my limbs, with stricture and anxious uneasiness on my breast, and vertigo, that I was forced to retire from my guests and go to bed. I then felt precisely as I was wont to do under

the influence of electricity, which always affects my nerves so surprisingly, that, when others are undergoing electrical shocks, I decline the experiment, as I do not recover the effect of it for hours.

Not knowing the cause of my uneasiness, and apprehending approaching disease, I determined to let blood, and put my feet in warm water, after which I fell into a sweat, and then into a disturbed sleep, out of which I was awakened by the violence of a shock of earthquake.

Mrs Butt, who has much presence of mind, and was less confused than myself, as she had not gone to sleep, thought this first shock consisted of three or four in succession, following each other like pulses, or waves of the sea.

What from my dizziness, the rocking of the earth, the thundering hollow noise of the atmosphere, joined to the rattling of furniture, bursting open' of doors and window shutters, the combined cries of goats, dogs, cats, and poultry, the cracking of the timbers of the houses and other circumstances, the dismay and horror of the scene was inexpressible.

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This shock proceeded from north to south or from N. N. E. to S. S. W. as appeared afterwards from the progress of the mischief, of which I was previously convinced, by observing that some specimens of natural history, which I had placed on shelves in my library, in that direction, were not displaced, as others were in a contrary posture, but only forced