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Who, then, my child! will guide thy tender years,
And gently lead thee through this vale of tears?
From penury and want who will thee save,

When both thy parents sleep in death's cold grave? ·

Fatal, perhaps, thy op'ning charms may prove,
Thy cheeks soft crimson, and mild eye of love,
When thou hast no friend to protect thy youth,
To teach thee spotlefs innocence and truth.

These thoughts with wild emotions throb my breast,
And deep despair deprives my soul of rest;
These thoughts, O death! add horror to thy dart,»
And thrills, with anguish keen a mother's heart.

Religion come, and chear affliction's hour,
Ah let my bleeding bosom feel thy pow'r!
Teach me, resign'd, to view approaching death,
And yield without regret to heav'n my breath.

My God, though this frail form will sink in dust,
Still in thy arm, all powerful! will I trust;
Thou art the orphan's shield, the widow's stay,
And thou my babe wilt guide in virtue's way.

T

ELVINA.

LINES WRITTEN BY VOLTAIRE ON HIS DEATH BED,

SUPPOSED TO BE THE LAST THING HE EVER WROTE..

O DIEU qu'on mecconoit

O Dieu que tout annonce;
Entend le dernier mot,

Que ma bouche pronunce:
Si je me suis trompé,

C'est en cherchant ta loi;
Mon cœur se peut egarer,
Mais il est plein de toi..
Je vois sans m'allarmer,
L'eternité paroitre ;-
Et je ne puis penser,

Q'un Dieu que m'a fait naitres.
Q'un Dieu que sur mes jours

Versi tant de bienfait,

Quand les jours sont eteints,

Me tourmente a jamais.

I

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

TRANSCRIBED the following article from a London periodical publication that was stifled in its craddle, after a few numbers only had been published. As it has never perhaps been seen by any of your readers, and was doubtless unknown to your correspondent, a young observer, when he wrote the account of the baya, vol. viii. P: 18. it may be <considered as a proper companion for that article. Withing success to your laudable undertaking, I am, Sir, your humble servant, AN OLD BOOK WORM.

Account of the agamée, a singular bird.

Nothing tends so much to demonstrate the immense distance there is between man in a savage state, and man in a state of society, as the conquests which the latter has made over the wild animals. He is aided by the dog on numberlefs occasions; the horse, the ox, the afs, the camel, the rein deer, the lama, become his servants, and enable him to transport burdens which his own strength never could have mastered. He rears, under his own eye, fowls, turkies, geese, ducks, pheasants, and peacocks; he has domesticated pigeons, and made the bees themselves gather stores for his use. The savage pays little attention to these acquisitions, insomuch that there are few cases in which he has attempted to make any of the animals minister by their labour to his wants, still fewer in which he has thought of making them contribute to his pleasures

- or amusements.

Man is formed for society; he is therefore most highly pleased with those of his own species who seem to be most sensibly touched with those marks of attention which indicate a partiality for him; and he never fails to be par

VOL. X.

II

+

Aug. 22. ticularly delighted with these animals which are capable of exprefsing an attachment to him, and of relying upon him for their protection and support. The dog, on account of the sensibility he pofsefses in so surprising a degree, is in every civilized country a particular favourite of man, independently of his utility. The cat, and other small animals, which admit of being tamed, are more or lefs esteemed as they pofsefs this quality in a greater or lefs degree of perfection.

Among the feathered tribe, some have been taken into favour on account of the sweetnefs of their song; others on account of the beauty of their plumage, or some other singularity in their exterior appearance; but the attachment that these animals fhow to their master, is in general so very slight, that there are but few instances in which they can lay claim to any degree of favour upon this ground.

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The only instance of any considerable degree of that sort of attachment, on the part of any of the birds we know of, is that which is manifested by a bird which the French call the agamée. This bird is a native of Cayenne in South America, and attaches itself to man, with as much fidelity and warmth of affection as dog does. If an agamée is admitted into any house, it attaches itself to some one person with the utmost fidelity, and affords the most unequivocal marks of the pleasure it takes in his company. It comes to its master on all occasions with evident marks of satisfaction; caresses him with eagerness, flies before, or follows after him, and exprefses, by various motions, the joy it feels at seeing or accompanying him. It comes readily when called, in whatever manner it may chance to be engaged at the time: i loves to be carefsed, and presents its head and neck to be stroaked by him, with a satisfaction seemingly equal to that which a eat exprefses in similar circumstances. It

251 loves to accompany its master at table, and being extremely jealous, it never fails to drive away, if pofsible, all cats and dogs, or other animals, that seem to fhare in its master's affection, especially when it is petitioning for food; and being fierce and couragious, it seldom fails to succeed. It is entertaining to see with what art it evades the bite of a dog, by soaring above his reach, and then darting down suddenly upon him while he is off his guard. It always aims his strokes at the eyes, which it attacks both with its, bill and its talons with great fury; and when it has once obtained a victory, it pursues its enemy with the most surprising obstinacy, and would never cease tormenting it. till it died, if not prevented..

In fhort, so strong is the attachment this bird fhows to man, that, in this respect, it seems to hold the same rank. as the dog among quadrupeds, and, in some instances, it even seems to approach near to that animal in point of docility. It is afserted that the agamée can be taught to guard a flock of sheep in the same manner as the dog. Since, then, these birds love domesticity so much, wherefore should we not endeavour to rear them in abundance,. employ them in such uses as they are capable of being put. to, and endeavour still farther to improve their natural in-stincts, and render them more extensively serviceable to

man ?

ANECDOTES OF ADRIAN BROOR, A CELEBRATED FLEMISH

PAINTER.

I BEG leave to offer the following anecdotes of Broor, a noted. Flemish painter, as another instance of the strange: eccentricities of some men of genius.

Adrian Broor, or Brawer, or Brauer, was born at Ou denarde in the year 1608, and died 1640.

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Of his parentage nothing is known, only that they were of the lowest ranks of the people. Without instructor of ány sort, and solely by an irresistible propensity of nature, Broor, while yet in a manner an infant, used to amuse himself in painting birds and flowers, upon small bits of linen ; and his mother, for a subsistence, sold them to women of the country, who employed them as ornaments of their drefs.*

While he was thus employed, Francis Hals, a famous painter, went by chance to the place where the young Broor lived, and, struck by his rising talents, he proposed to instruct him. Boor, charmed with this lucky rencounter, did not hesitate to follow him. But what he looked upon as extremely fortunate, was to him the source of infinite chagrins and disappointment. The avarice of Hals and his wife instigated them to avail themselves of the talents of the young unfortunate, whose hard fortune they seemed to bewail.

As soon as they had him in their power they made him labour to excefs, and made him almost die of hunger... Lean and emaciated, he had scarcely the appearance of a human being; the rags with which he was covered gave him the appearance of the utmost misery. Whilst he himself was in want of the necessaries of life, the little pictures at which he worked night and day were sold at a very great price. The greedinefs of his masters, only increasing in proportion as they found the means to satisfy themselves, they shut him up in a garret, that he might be able to produce more works.

That separation inspired the anxiety or the curiosity of his companions, disciples of Hals, who watched the moment of his absence to discover what Broor did in his prison. They went up each in their turn, and, by means of a small window, they saw with surprise that this poor and despised apprentice, was a great painter, and made very

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