For

Mr. URBAN, London, Feb. 14. ***☀☀☀ SINCERE Admirer of Mrs. Weft's character and conduct in life was highly gratified by the juft encomium you were pleafed to beflow on her writings*, which are allowed by many great Divines to be founded on found principles of piety and morality, as well as executed with a degree of ability that thews fuperior talents and a cultivated mind. But allow me to fay, Sir, I was furprized, after reading her various publications, that your correfpondent, p. 7, could for a moment fuppofe that the made, and carried her butter to market. Such habits of life would totally unfit the mind for literary exestions; and, I am fure, if Mrs. Weft's fituation had required fuch daily labour, fhe neither could, nor would have spent her time in the fervice of the publick, however ready that publick may now appear to reward the merit they fo loudly commend.

Mr. Weft is in truth a farmer, cultivating a fmall paternal eftate in a parish where his ancettors refided in refpectable ftations. He is also a tenant to his wife's father, and the worthy rector of Bowden, who fucceeded Mr. Weft's grandfather and brother in that preferment. His circumftances are not affluent, yet they have always allowed Mrs. W. to appear with œconomy as a gentlewoman; and to receive as vifitors, occafionally, people Mrs. Weft's humility teaches her to esteem as fuperiors; but she has never been feduced by vanity to accept invitations which the thought would interfere with a ftrict attention to trivial domeftic duties.

* Vol. LXXI, p. 735.

1802.

As a wife, mother, daughter, and a farmer's wife, the is an example to be held up to every female. In the latter point of view, the fines in-carefully preferving the cheefes that are made in her houfe, feeing what butter the can fpare is properly fent to market, and in every thing regularly overlooking the bufinefs a large family occafions. What leifure the has is spent in reading, during which her hands are employed in knitting ftockings for her husband, and three fons, the eldest of whom is placed in a merchant's counting houfe, and gives a fair promife of following the excellent advice her letters to him contains.

Few fubjets, Mr. Urban, are more grateful to my mind than dwelling on the virtues of a woman I to highly venerate. In the British Critick of November laft her manners, &c. &c. are mentioned with approbation; and it is needlefs to add the has always mixed in good company.

Before I take leave, allow me to fay, that when I meet Mrs. Prudentia Homelpun (the name the affumes in Gollip's Story, Advantages of Education, Tale of the Times, &c.) I fhall advise her when the next goes to market with butter, that the makes ufe of Dobbin and panniers, by which means her hands will be at liberty for knitting stockings; this method is always practifed by the Welsh women. X, Y.

Mr. URBAN,
North of Ireland,
Feb. 16.
F Epitaphienfis (p. 7) will look

into the British Critick for November 1801, he will fee, at the conclufion of the Review there given of Mrs. Weft's excellent Letters to her fop, a very fatisfactory

account

plantations of trees, and other illegal practices; and have, in great numbers, armed with fwords, fire-arms, and other offenfice weapons, feveral of them with their faces blacked, or in difguiled habits, unlawfully hunted in forefts belonging to his Majefty, and in the parks of divers of his Majefty's fubjects, and deftroyed, killed, and carried away the deer; robbed warrens, rivers, and fifh-ponds; cut down plantations of trees; and have likewife folicited feveral of his Majefty's fubjects with promifes of money, and other rewards, to

join them; and have fent letters in fictitious names to feveral perfons, demanding venifon and money, and threatening fome great violence if fuch, their unlawful demands fhould be refufed, or if they thould be interrupted in, or profecuted for fuch their wicked practices; and have actually done great damage to feveral perfons who have either refuted to comply with fuch demands, or have endeavoured to bring them to justice, to the great terror of his Majefty's peaceable fubjects, the offences are made felony without benciit of clergy.

Mr. URBAN,

Feb.9. BSERVING the anxiety of W. B. (LXXI. p. 1176.) to obtain all the information pollible relative to the late Rev. Dr. James Chelfum, I fhould be yet more unworthy of the profit and pleature I derived from that valuable man's friendthip during a long feries of years, did I not state what particulars I conveniently am able concerning him. I muft premife that his father belonged to the choir of Westminster-abbey, and has a monument erected to his memory in the Weft cloifter. The fon was born before the year 1740, and was on Bp. Williams's foundation at Weftminster school (the prefent Abp. of York being then mafter), wearing a purple gown; an eleemofenary

fort of education, but the more honourable to thofe characters who have arifen from it to moral, political, or literary diftinétion in laudable purfuits. He was usher in the fchool for feveral years; I forget the time of his retirement, but thould fuppofe it was about the year 1765 or 1766; being then ulher of the 5th form. He was for many years afterwards refident at Chriftchurch, Oxford, in the various ufeful public offices of tutor, centor, and proctor; and in the amiable private occupation of comforting, through pecuniary aflittance and perfonal attention, a venerable mother, who placidly clofed a refpectable life at the age of go. Hence he was preferred to the college curacy of Lathbury, near Newport Pagnel; and to the benefice of Badger, in Shrophire, by Ifaac Hawkins Browne, Efquire, whose learned and liberal mind will, no doubt, be ready to furnish materials for a biography of his friend, fo far as he may deem prudent, which will, I ani perfuaded, be commenfurate with the enquirer's withes. His other and chief preferment was the rectory of Droxford in Hants, (given him by bifhop North, to whom he was chaplain ;) where he refided much,andwhere he buried his excellent mother, to whofe memory he dedicated a good mezzotinte print, (a ftrong likenefs in her advanced life), and liberally diftributed copies among his intimate friends. He had, before her death, had a very unfavourable conftitution, his fpirits being very unequal, which, after that event, obliged him to be configned to the care of a relation near London, with whom he refided, except during a fhort interval of unfuccefsful, though well-meant enlargement, till his death, 1801. He is buried at Droxford, where he merits a tribute to his memory. As to his focial character, I know he was not equally welcome in all companies; but allowance fhould be candidly made for perfons of unequal fpirits. If he fometimes af-:

fumed

of the new Cyclopædia " is afferted to be under the direction of Dr. J. Stokes." SUCH AN ASSERTION NO WHERE OCCURS; nor do the proprietors and editor of that work need to recur to the dihonourable artifice fuggefted by that writer. In confequence of Dr. Stokes's kind promife of fome affiftance in the botanical department, his name was inferted in the lift of thofe gentlemen, who were coadjutors in this work: but he is no more accountable for every article in that department than Tyro-Botanicus kimfelf. In the progrefs or at the clofe of the work every gentleman's contributions will be fpecifically appropriated to their refpective author.

Having fettled this point, as Dr. Rees hopes, to the fatisfaction of Dr. Stokes, he begs leave to add a word or two on the remarks of

Tyro-Botanicus. A reader, who has no accefs to the Cyclopædia, would imagine from his ftatement, that nothing more is faid or defigned to be faid concerning the Abele-tree, befides what occurs in his partial extract. It is defined to he a ipecies of POPLAR. The word Poplar is in large characters, which, according to the plan uniformly purfucd in the work, refer the reader to the genus for the particular defcription of the fubordinate fpecies. Tyro-Botanicus has, therefore, charged defect on the word in confequence of his own mifapprehenfion of its nature: and he might as well have animadverted with feverity on the Regius Profelor of Botany in the Univerfity of Cambridge, because under Abeletree he has referred to POPULUS. The Cyclopædia as really refers to POPLAR, though not in a manner level to the apprehenfion of Tyro-Botanicus. The fame obfervation is applicable to the article ABERDAVINE, which is faid to be a fpecies of FRINGILLA, more generally called SISKIN; and it is added, fee SPINUS.

After this explanation, the Editor

fhelters himself under the juftice and candour of the publick against fuch reflections. His own reputation and that of the gentlemen with whom he is concerned will, he truits, prevent any individual from imagining, that they are capable of acting in a manner fo difhonourable as this writer has infinuated. Feb. 10, 1802.

Mr. URBAN,

Feb. 12.

HE late Sir William Jones, ́at the end of his Bible, wrote the following note :

"I have regularly and attentively read thefe Holy Scriptures; and am of opinion, that this volume,independently of its Divine Origin, contains more true fublimity, more exquifite beauty, more pure morality, more important hiftory, and finer ftrains both of poetry and cloquence, than can be collected from all other books, in whatever age or language they may have been,compofed.

"The two parts, of which the Scriptures confift, are connected by a chain of compofitions, which bear no refemblance, in form or tiyle, to any that can be produced from the fiores of Grecian, Perfian, or even Arabian learn

g: the antiquity of thole compofitions no man doubts; and the unfirained application of them to events long fubfequent to their publication is a folid ground of belief, that they are genuine predictions, and confequently inspired.”

This declaration of Sir William Jones, that he regularly and attentively read the Scriptures, affords a ftriking proof that the inveftigation of religious truth is not incompat◄ ble with the exercife of a laborious profeffion, and ah exemplary difcharge of the duties both of public and private life. If the urgency of worldly cares, and a confequent want of opportunity, might be pleaded by any one as an excufe for neglecting the ftudy of the Scriptures, this great man furcly might have been allowed to avail himself of it; for, independently, of the important trufts repofed in him as chief magiftrate of the Supreme Court of Judicature in India, which he performned. with confcientious fielity, he was

con