Slander's deep-wounding, scorpion tongue
Neglect's cold look, "the oppressor's wrong,"
The frown of bigotry ;

And e'en the threats of savage ire,

The baleful arts of malice dire,
Inflame not charity.

Come, heav'n-descended maiden! meek,
My humble cottage deign to seek,
And ever dwell with me.
Virtue and friendship shall unite
Content to give thee, and delight;
Oh! come, sweet charity.

Fort Street.

J. S.

THE MANIAC BOY!

On addressing a woman weeping at a grove in a village

A

church yard.

ND why thus waste your ev’ning hour
By this mishapen mossy grave?

And why tbus strew the sweetest flow'rs,
And shed your tears in silent show'rs,
Where night shade and the tall weeds wave?

Beneath this sod bedew'd with tears,
And deek'd with many a flow'ret wild,
Reflection oft her altars rears,

For here a thousand hopes and fears,
Lie buried with my maniac child.

I've hous'd him from the wind and rain,
From snows that fell in winter wild,
I've cloath'd him o'er and o'er again,
And with my labour did maintain,
Him whom I lov'd, my maniac child.

What time the day star sung to rest,
He'd scent the balmy breeze of morn;
Climbing the neighb'ring mountains crest,

Or blow the village herdsman's horn, To break the drowsy ploughman's rest.

Oft as he loiter'd by the tide, That down the valley wildly gushes, The flow'rs that on the surface glide, He'd catch-with more than human pride. To deck his cap of sea green rushes.

And, when the fervid noon-ride heat, Urg'd fainting cattle to the shade.

And village swain on verdant seat,
With half-clos'd eyes at length was laid;
He'd seek the shepherd's boy's retreat
In lanes as any meadow green,
O'ershadow'd by the drooping limes,
And there by loit'ring elves, unseen,
He'd loudly chant the village chimes,
To many sad and simple rhymes.

But he the twilight time admir'd,
For then he'd oft forsake his home,
And wait and watch, as one inspir'd,
By nettle-skirted grave or tomb,
To chase the owlet through the gloom.

One fatal, melancholy night,
I saw, O God! with wild affright,
My William number'd with the dead,
I guess by will o' wisp misled,
He miss'd the pathway to my shed.

For him I love at eve to weep,
And deck with flowrets wild his clay,
For him, my vigils here I keep,
'Till summon'd home by coming day.

Literary Review.

The Thespian Dictionary; or, Dramatic Biography of the Eighteenth Century, containing Sketches of the Lives, Productions, &c. of all the principal Managers, Dramatists, Composers, Commentators, Actors, and Actresses, in the United Kingdoms, Deceased and Living, with Portraits. Hurst. 95. 6d. in boards, or with the Plates printed in Colours 12s. 6d.

HE high reputation of the stage in the present Tumes, renders every information respecting its history and progress desirable. We peruse with avidity particulars which serve to illustrate characters, by whose exertion the public is in possession of a large portion of entertainment. Dramatic Biography, therefore, imparts no small gratification to our curiosity.

The life of a player is proverbially checquered; tossed about from place to place, exhibiting before persons of every description, and often forming connections of the most eccentric kind, we are led to expect in his biography a more than ordinary share of amusement. Such were our feelings in the perusal of this volume, which we strongly recommend to the readers of our Miscellany. Within so small a compass, we are struck with the extent of its variety.

The incidents appear to have been selected with care and judgment, either from other valuable

works of the kind, or from private authentic sources of information. The language is neat, and appropriate to the subject. The observations which are every where scattered throughout the work are candid, and calculated to convey much moral instruction.

Of the Plates and Typography it would be unjust not to declare that both are excellent; there is an elegance in the former, and a neatness in the latter, which entitle them to our commendation.

We mean to insert some extracts, of a very entertaining nature, in the future numbers of our Miscellany.

The Picture of Petersburg. From the German of Henry Storch. With a Plan of the City of Petersburg. Longman and Rees.

WITH respect to territory, Russia embraces

the largest portion of land in the old world. The northern parts of Europe and Asia are includ ed in this vast empire; and when we contemplate them on the map, we are smitten with astonishment. The metropolis of such a country must be a just subject of enquiry, and the present work lays before us a very interesting portion of informa tion respecting it.

Moscow was anciently the capital of Russia, then indeed called Muscovy. But the bold and enterprising genius of Peter founded the city of Petersburgh, at the beginning of the 18th century." The rapid improvements which this monarch introduced into the several departments of his wide ex tended empire, would naturally incline him to improve the metropolis; and accordingly it received, even in his time, many valuable improvements.

The present work contains a very amusing ac{

count of this great city of Petersburg. It is distributed into thirteen chapters, and is replete with information. We were surprised to find the Russians in so improved a state of cultivation. They appear to be an enterprising people, making great strides towards maturity.

The author, who seems well acquainted with his subject, takes leave of his readers in the following singular manner:

"The great objects being now exhausted, I lay aside my pencil. I have attempted to trace out the most prominent characteristic lines with impartiality and candour, leaving it to some more able painter to form the groupes and finish the composition. Even the picture, when complete, composed upon these outlines, can never be deemed a copy of an ugly original. Where light and shade are so well distributed, the painter may boldly adhere to nature, without apprehending no better return for the fidelity of his representation than that which an ill-favoured coquette is apt to bestow on her looking-glass."

The Beauties of Wiltshire displayed, in Statistical, Historical, and Descriptive Sketches, interspersed with Anecdotes of the Arts. Vernor and Hood. 2 vols. in boards, 1l. 4s.

TOPOGRAPHY, of every kind, has for some time past engaged the public mind; and it 1 certainly imparts a refined pleasure to become ac quainted with the hills and dales of our highly fa voured country. Works of this kind, therefore, are sought with avidity.

Wiltshire appears, from the work before us, to afford interesting materials for the pen of the Topographer. Not only are the towns and gentle