adopted in our country in the description of steamengines. If he spoke of anatomy, it was only to stigmatize it as an old exploded invention. But my astonishment was increased tenfold, when, at the conclusion of his lecture, he proceeded to illustrate his doctrines by making a man according to the present improved system, as he denominated it. After putting the machinery together, the new being took the place of the professor, and repeated over his lecture without missing a word.

On expressing my wonder, at this phenomenon, my companion opened his eyes wider than even mine. "What," said he "is it possible you have been so long in this country, and are still ignorant that a great portion, nay, all the better sort of people here, are mere machines ?”

"What do you mean?" said I.

"I mean that such people as you and I, have been out of fashion here some time, and that none but the poor starving creatures you see looking at machinery, belong to the ancient plebeian class of flesh and blood. The whole political system, as it exists at present, in the Engine Isles, and the vast power of the nation, turns exclusively on the superiority of these menmachines over the men constructed on the old anatomical principles."

"How do you make that out?" said I.

"I'll tell you. You must know the Isles of Engines are so overburdened with these anatomical people, that one-half of them can't live comfortably. The

professors of the noble science of political economy —have you never heard of political economy?"

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"No-but I've heard of domestic economy."

"Pish!-what has domestic economy to do with national affairs? well-the professors of political economy went to work to prove that it would remedy all these evils of a surplus population, if they could only throw a large portion of the poor labouring classes out of employment. They would then, without doubt, starve to death, and there would be an end of them. According to this doctrine, the invention of labour-saving machinery became the sole object of all the ingenuity of these islanders. They proceeded step by step, increasing the laboursaving machines, and throwing the labourers out of employment, until finally the learned professor we have just heard, conceived and brought to maturity these men-machines, who have almost entirely superseded the old anatomical men, who, in the course of a few years, in all probability, will become extinct, by a process of misery and starvation. I belong to this class, and feel my degradation; yet I cannot but admire the vast ingenuity of my countrymen, who have thus created a power, which has actually conquered themselves."

I could not help thinking the old gentleman was one of the most disinterested persons I had ever met with, and began now to comprehend many things I had before seen, which puzzled me exceedingly at the time.

"This must be one of the happiest countries in the

world," said I, "except for the great majority of old-fashioned men. But I suppose they will soon be all starved to death."

"Why they ought to have been long ago, but somehow they seem able to live upon nothing." "What a happy country!" said I again.

"The happiest in the world," replied he, "The end of every wise government should be to diminish the value of human labour, and make men unnecessary. But alas! we are, after all, far behind our neighbours, the Whiz-Gigs, among whom every thing is done by perpetual motion."

"Let us visit them, by all means,” cried I.

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Agreed!" said the old philosopher, and accordingly the next day we set out for the Empire of Perpetual Motion. But our journey was cut short by my being suddenly alarmed by a horrible outcry, which proceeded from my friend Oliver. I jumped up, and shaking him awake, asked what was the matter.

"I was dreaming of Symmes's theory," said he, "and fancied myself turned into a magnetic needle, that would not traverse."

What a strange coincidence, Frank, that we should both have been dreaming of the same thing! Adieu.

LETTER XXV.

DEAR FRANK,

THE town of Fincastle, in the county of Bottetourt, where I mentioned our arrival in my last, is situated in one of the most picturesque spots of the state, and the earth seems to have been in great commotion when she finally settled her atoms in these parts. It abounds in iron ore, and is finely watered by the different branches of James river, which are here called creeks, but in any other country would aspire to the title of rivers.

This town, like Rome, is situated on several little hills, and has a stream running nigh, pretty nearly equal to the Tiber, only not quite so muddy, except when it rains. From thence you have a full view of the far-famed Peaks of Otter, towering high above the surrounding mountains; one rising to a point, the other flattened at the top. From the former, which is the highest of the two, I am told the prospect is exceedingly extensive, various, and magnificent. We were inclined to try the ascent-Oliver, to see if he could find any oyster-beds, and I to see what was to be seen; but relinquished this undertaking on the score of distance and difficulty; the mountain being fourteen miles out of our way, and the

ascent laborious. There is no enjoyment to be gained at the summit of a mountain, when one gets there half-tired to death. The cost is generally more than the gratification, although people who take the trouble don't like to acknowledge themselves disappointed.

While dinner was getting ready, we strolled about the town to look for curiosities; but unless one is a scientific traveller, he will be at a loss to find matter to fill up a letter in our country, unless he tells over again the same stories that have been a hundred times repeated already. A scientific traveller, like you know who, can talk a full hour about a stone picked up in the road, or a plant plucked from the side of a ditch. It is only to call it schistus, quartz, talc, calcareous, argillaceous, or granitic, if it be a stone; or juniperius virginiana, yucca alofolia, corypha umbraculifera, or nigra oblonga, if it be a plant; and the reader becomes wonderfully interested in stones and plants, that he has seen every day of his life, but without knowing they were of such infinite consequence. After thus christening them with a long Latin name, the scientific traveller looks into the Encyclopedia, for the article botany, or mineralogy, and borrows enough to astonish every body with his learning, and make a notable paper for the transactions of one of the numerous societies to which he belongs. But to a traveller unacquainted with the secret of being learned without knowing any thing of the subject, it is a sad drawback, that almost every thing he sees in our country indicates a rapid advance, rather than a state of decay. Consequently there is