acknowledge. It is not, however, from a view of their situation, in a period of scarcity, that we are to estimate the comparative ability of a man to support himself by his labour, in modern, and in ancient times. Still less is a period of War to be selected, as the moment of ascertaining the ordinary comforts and gratifications of the peasant or working manufacturer. It does not fall within my plan to enter into minute comparative estimates relative to the progress of society in England; but there can be little doubt, that the ten years ending in January 1793, exhibit the most flattering appearances, in every circumstance that has been considered, by political economists, as demonstrative of national prosperity. The demand for employ. ment, and a consequent advance in income, have risen in a progressive ratio: and to those who investigate the state of the nation, without a disposition to blame the present, and admire the past, which too often influences even persons endued with the profoundest judgment, and most extensive learning," both these and other symptoms of increasing industry and wealth must have been perfectly satisfactory. It may, indeed, be contended, that the rapid advance in the Poor's Rate is an unequivocal proof of the inability of labourers to maintain themselves on the ordinary wages of labour. But before this can be admitted, it should be proved, that more persons are maintained by the present Poor's Rate, which probably exceeds three millions sterling, than were by half that sum twenty years ago. Even allowing this to be the fact, it by no means proves that the able-bodied labourer, whom it has been the fashion of late years, upon benevolent, though mistaken, principles of policy, to quarter on the parish, would, if unassisted by the overseer, have been unable to benefit himself, whilst his employer was getting riches by his labour.

107. THE BATTLE OF THE NILE (1798).

Southey's Life of Nelson preserves admirably the sentiment of reverence and gratitude which its hero kindled among his contemporaries. Southey was ignorant of one or two essential facts in Nelson's career, and, on the score of mere information, has been superseded. What assures his biography a place among the classics of English prose is a simple, graceful and straightforward manner through which shines (to quote Canning's line on Pitt) "the thanks of a nation thy firmness has

saved". Southey was not an eye-witness of the appalling incident described below, but his version could hardly be surpassed by one who had heard the explosion and seen the shattered Orient sink beneath the waves. The passage also

reveals Nelson's generosity and care for his men.

SOURCE.-Life of Nelson. Robert Southey (1774-1843). London, 1897. P. 153.

The two first ships of the French line had been dismasted within a quarter of an hour after the commencement of the action; and the others had in that time suffered so severely, that victory was already certain. The third, fourth and fifth were taken possession of at half-past eight.

Meantime, Nelson received a severe wound on the head from a piece of langrage shot. Captain Berry caught him in his arms as he was falling. The great effusion of blood occasioned an apprehension that the wound was mortal: Nelson himself thought so: a large flap of the skin of the forehead, cut from the bone, had fallen over one eye: and the other being blind, he was in total darkness. When he was carried down, the surgeon,—in the midst of a scene scarcely to be conceived by those who have never seen a cock-pit in time of action, and the heroism which is displayed amid its horrors,-—with a natural and pardonable eagerness, quitted the poor fellow then under his hands, that he might instantly attend the admiral. "No!" said Nelson, "I will take my turn with my brave fellows." Nor would he suffer his own wound to be examined till every man who had been previously wounded was properly attended to. Fully believing that the wound was mortal, and that he was about to die, as he had ever desired, in battle and in victory, he called the chaplain, and desired him to deliver what he supposed to be his dying remembrance to Lady Nelson: he then sent for Captain Louis on board from the Minotaur, that he might thank him personally for the great assistance which he had rendered to the Vanguard; and, ever mindful of those who deserved to be his friends, appointed Captain Hardy from the brig to the command of his own ship, Captain Berry having to go home with the news of the victory. When the surgeon came in due time to examine his wound (for it was in vain to entreat him to let it be examined sooner) the most anxious silence prevailed; and the joy of the wounded men, and of the whole crew, when they heard that the hurt was merely superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure than the unexpected assurance

that his life was in no danger. The surgeon requested, and as far as he could, ordered him to remain quiet: but Nelson could not rest. He called for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to write the despatches. Campbell had himself been wounded; and was so affected at the blind and suffering state of the admiral, that he was unable to write. The chaplain was then sent for; but, before he came, Nelson, with his characteristic eagerness, took the pen, and contrived to trace a few words, marking his devout sense of the success which had already been obtained. He was now left alone; when suddenly a cry was heard on the deck, that the Orient was on fire. In the confusion he found his way up, unassisted, and unnoticed; and, to the astonishment. of every one, appeared on the quarter-deck, where he immediately gave orders that boats should be sent to the relief of the enemy.

It was soon after nine that the fire on board the Orient broke out. Brueys was dead: he had received three wounds, yet would not leave his post: a fourth cut him almost in two. He desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die upon deck. The flames soon mastered his ship. Her sides had just been painted; and the oil-jars and paint-buckets were lying on the роор. By the prodigious light of this conflagration, the situation of the two fleets could now be perceived, the colours of both being clearly distinguishable. About ten o'clock the ship blew up, with a shock which was felt to the very bottom of every vessel. Many of her officers and men jumped overboard, some clinging to the spars and pieces of wreck, with which the sea was strewn, others swimming to escape from the destruction which they momentarily dreaded. Some were picked up by our boats; and some even in the heat and fury of the action, were dragged into the lower ports of the nearest British vessel by the British sailors. The greater part of her crew, however, stood the danger till the last, and continued to fire from the lower deck. This tremendous explosion was followed by a silence not less awful: the firing immediately ceased on both sides; and the first sound which broke the silence was the dash of her shattered masts and yards, falling into the water from the vast height to which they had been exploded. It is upon record that a battle between two armies was once broken off by an earthquake:—such an event would be felt like a miracle ; but no incident in war, produced by human means, has ever equalled the sublimity of this co-instantaneous pause, and all its circumstances.

108. JENNER'S PETITION TO PARLIAMENT (1802).

The discovery of vaccination, apart from its immediate benefit to mankind, may be said to mark an epoch in the treatment of disease by means of anti-toxins. Jenner reached his results by happy observation and not by a grasp of the principles involved; yet he hit upon a method of mitigating disease-through the use of attenuated virus-which has been successfully applied to the treatment of other maladies during the last decade. A plain and fair statement of his services is contained in his petition to parliament for financial aid-(A). He received £30,000, in separate grants of £10,000 and £20,000 each. Jenner was, naturally, loaded with scientific honours in the form of degrees, votes of thanks, letters of congratulations, etc. A more remarkable sign of appreciation than any of these was the string of wampum which the Five Nations of Iroquois sent him. The gift is explained by the accompanying letters-(B). SOURCE.-Petition to Parliament. Jenner (1749-1823). Printed in Baron's Life of Jenner. London, 1838. A, vol. i., p. 490; B, vol. ii., p. 102.

(4) To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled. The humble Petition of EDWARD JENNER, Doctor of Physic, SHEWETH,

That your petitioner having discovered that a disease which occasionally exists in a particular form among cattle, known by the name of the cow-pox, admits of being inoculated on the human frame with the most perfect ease and safety, and is attended with the singularly beneficial effect of rendering through life the persons so inoculated perfectly secure from the infection of the small-pox.

That your petitioner after a most attentive and laborious investigation of the subject, setting aside considerations of private and personal advantage, and anxious to promote the safety and welfare of his countrymen and of mankind in general, did not wish to conceal the discovery he so made on the mode of conducting this new species of inoculation, but immediately disclosed the whole to the public; and by communication with

medical men in all parts of this kingdom, and in foreign countries, sedulously endeavoured to spread the knowledge of his discovery and the benefit of his labours as widely as possible.

That in this latter respect the views and wishes of your petitioner have been completely fulfilled, for to his high gratification he has to say that this inoculation is in practice throughout a great proportion of the civilized world, and has in particular been productive of great advantage to these kingdoms, in consequence of its being introduced, under authority, into the army and navy.

That the said inoculation hath already checked the progress of small-pox, and from its nature must finally annihilate that dreadful disorder.

That the series of experiments by which this discovery was developed and completed have not only occupied a considerable portion of your petitioner's life, and have not merely been a cause of great expense and anxiety to him, but have so interrupted him in the ordinary exercise of his profession as materially to abridge its pecuniary advantages, without their being counterbalanced by those derived from the new practice. Your petitioner, therefore, with the full persuasion that he shall meet with that attention and indulgence of which this Honourable House may deem him worthy, humbly prays this Honourable House to take the premises into consideration, and to grant him such remuneration as to their wisdom shall seem meet.

(1807).

(B) BROTHERS OF THE FIVE NATIONS,—

Early in May last, His Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Gore took every possible means to introduce vaccine inoculation among your tribes; but, owing to your people being then out on their hunt, it did not take place. When on public business here about a month after, I spoke to you again, and strongly`recommended to your serious consideration the introducing among your people this valuable discovery, the want of which you soon afterwards felt very severely in the loss of one of your chiefs, Oughquaghga John.

Brothers! I have now the satisfaction to deliver to you a book, sent to you from England, by that great man, Dr. Jenner, whom God enabled to discover so great a blessing to mankind: it explains fully all the advantages derived from so great a discovery.