not be the object of those who undertake such an employment; nor could such a Board wish to be concerned with any one, who would not willingly make some sacrifices for the public good, and indeed who would not take a pride in having any fhare in promoting so useful an undertaking. P. S. If the district is remarkable for its orchards, for its cyder, for its dairy, for its cheese, for its butter, for ts breed of theep, cattle, horses, hogs, &c. or the culture of woad, liquorice, &c. particular attention is requested to those articles, or to any other in which it may excel. Drawings also, and exact descriptions, of the different breeds of sheep, cattle, and horses, in each district, would be particularly desirable. The quantity raised of each sort of crop, in the different parts of the district, cannot be too accurately ascertained and noted INDEX INDICATORIUS. Continued from p. 224. A constant reader requests that the Editor would in his next number insert a sketch of the character of general Wolfe, and also of captain Cook. He will please be informed that original sketches of characters cannot be made without considerable research after authentic materials, which the Editor in the present case had no opportunities of obtaining. The following fhort note is given entire to the clergy and kirk sefsions in Scotland. Gentlemen, it sufficiently appears from the various statistical reports made by you and by others, to the truly respectable Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster, that the poor are best supported by Christian charity, and not by odious and insufficient afselsments, which have a tendency to generate idleness and poverty, Permit me to recommend to all of you in your departments, the old and excellent method of raising funds for the poor in Scotland, and to exclude all from the benefit of the poor's funds who use tea or grocery goods of any kind, or ardent spirits; by so doing you will secure inestimable blessings to your country, and obtain the the high apALBANICUS." probation of, gentlemen your sincere welwisher, Is not the injunction above, rather too severe ? the Editor would not become the apologist for dissipation or vice. A distinction ought certainly to be made between the sober and the difsipated, but absolute exclusion from charitable aid to a person in utter want canbut be done. Different kinds of humour please different persons. PERIODITA sends "Dear Bee, I the following specimen of the kind that pleases him. want to be a spectator of the proceedings of the parliament house, will you be my guardian there. We shall find adventures [Qu. adventurers 2] there I am told,-and ramblers,-and connoisseurs, we must suppose; also idlers, in abundance, loungers innumerable: few mirrors fit to reflect what is proper; fictitious freeholders, producing settlers without end. In fhort the whole world goes there. So I beg you will escort for once yours &c.. He might have addedSmatterers, Speculators, Egotists, Sophists, &c. &c. &c. The following fragment is offered by M. P. in imitation of Ofsian's stile. I. The storm begins to lour-the ball of day Loud roars the mountain stream. The aged oak IJI. The trembling sailor bears the ocean roar TO CORRESPONDENTS. THE ingeinous disquisition of A. M. M. is come to hand, and shall be duly attended to. The sensible reflections of Philadelphus, though on a subject that has been very often treated, still deserve to be attended to. The letter of Amicus, which has been received, he will see had been answered before it was written. The essay on friendship, is rather long for our Miscellany; but room fhall be made for t of pofsible. Thanks to an ingenious correspondent for his curious excerptsfrom Barrel's M. S journal written in the year 1758 &c. The favour of Civis, is thankfully acknowledged. TO THE READERS OF THE BEE. Some of the early numbers of the Bee fine paper, being now again out of print for the third time. Whoever has copies of these that they are willing to part with, will please send themto the Bee office. On this The Editor having now obtained an engraver capable of doing justice to the drawings put into his hands, has it in contemplation to make a new engraving of a head of Dr Cullen, that he may have it in his power to cancel that wretched head which he was forced to give along with the first number, that he might fulfil his engagements to the public, having had no time then to get it done anew. occasion, he wishes, if possible, to have a good likeness of that great man; and as he has never yet seen a picture of Dr Cullen that pleases him in every respect; he will be much obliged to any person into whose hands this may fall, who shall chance to have a private drawing of the Dr, for a sight of it, if convenient. The Editor bas seen the following original portraits of Dr Cullen; viz. one done by Mr of Glasgow; from which the mezzetinto head was done; one by Mr Martin, from which the portrait engraved by Beugo was taken; one in the possession of the late Mr William Cooper of Edinburgh; the small sketch in black lead by Brown, from a bich was done the print given in the Bee; a paste head by Tafsie; a shade taken by Miers; and he once saw a small portrait of the Dr in the lid of a snuff box, he believes in the possession of the late Dr Brown, If there are any others remaining they have not come to his knowledge. When this portrait is properly engraven, intimation will be made, and copies of it will be given to all those who shall return the first Lead given with the Bee, that it may be entirely destroyed. Care will be taken that copies fhall be sent to subscribers in foreign countries. 143. THE BEE, OR LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGNCER, F OR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21. 1793. CRITICAL REMARKS ON SOME CELEBRATED AUTHORS. FROM A GENTLEMAN OF LITERARY EMINENCE LATELY DECEASED, TO A YOUNG GENTLEMAN WHO HAD REQUESTED HIS ADVICE IN REGARD TO THE PRO= PER MODE OF CONDUCTING HIS STUDIES. LETTER VII. Continued from vol. 15. p. 275. Distinction between poetry and prose,- Wilkie's Epigoniad;—blank verse,—Sheakespeare as a dramatical writer, a rhymur ;-Milton's paradise lost,-Allegro,-Penseroso,--Lycidas,—Comus. WH HEN you desire me to tell you what is poetry, and who are the best poets in the English language, you impose a task that would require talents far superior to mine to execute in a proper and satisfactory manner. I shall not therefore attempt to answer your queries particularly, but fhall merely offer a few hints that may tend to lead you into what I fhould deem a just train of thought, when you yourself fhall think proper, at a future period of your life, to prosecute the subject more fully than I can pretend, or have ever attempted to do. Every person, when he hears of poetry and prose contrasted to each other, at first sight would believe that there could be no difficulty in distinguishing the one from the other on all occasions; yet here, as in many other cases, when he comes to investigate the subject nearly, he finds it a matter of no small difficulty to mark exactly the limits that distinguish the one from the other. Mankind are pretty generally agreed in admitting that the most efsential characteristics of poetry are, that the ideas fhould be striking or sublime, the language bold and figurative; and its disposition such as to admit of being uttered with ease, in a flowing melodious manner, and with some sort of rhythmical or measured cadence. The last circumstance here mentioned, the rhythmical cadence, is the most obvious peculiarity, and therefore it has been by many persons considered as the peculiar distinguishing characteristic of poetry, and numerous devices that have been extremely difsimilar, have been adopted at different times and in different nations, for giving this rhythmus. This diversity of practice shows that every system of rhythmical construction that has been adopted is merely artificial, being the creature of fancy and imitation alone; and that of course no one system of rhythmical arrangement |