at, or blame it, since I used to be of the same opinion myself; but I am now a convert; and my chief reason is, that, though the detached parts of the Æneid appear to me to be equal to any thing, the story and characters appear more faulty every time I read it. My chief objection (I mean that to the character of Eneas) is, of course, not so much felt in the three first books; but, afterwards, he is always either insipid or odious, sometimes excites interest against him, and never for him.

The events of the war, too, are not striking; and Pallas and Lausus, who most interest you, are in effect exactly alike. But, in parts, I admire Virgil more and more every day, such as those I have alluded to in the 2nd book; the finding of Andromache in the third, every thing relating to Dido; the 6th book; the visit to Evander, in the 8th; Nisus and Euryalus, Mezentius's death, and many others. In point of passion I think Dido equal, if not superior, to any thing in Homer, or Shakspeare, or Euripides; for me, that is saying every thing.

One thing which delights me in the Iliad and Odyssey, and of which there is nothing in Virgil, is the picture of manners, which seem to be so truly delineated. The times in which Homer lived undoubtedly gave him a great advantage in this respect; since, from his nearness to the times of which he writes, what we always see to be invention in Virgil, appears like the plain truth in Homer. Upon this principle, a friend of mine observed, that the characters in Shakspeare's historical plays always appear more real than those of his others. But exclusive of this advantage, Homer certainly attends to character more than his imitator. I hope your friend, with all his partiality, will not maintain that the simile in the first Eneid, comparing Dido to Diana, is equal to that in the Odyssey, comparing Narcissa to her, either in propriety of application, or in beauty of description. If there is an Appollonius Rhodius where you are, pray look at Medea's speech, lib. iv. v. 365, and you will perceive, that even in Dido's finest speech, nec tibi diva parens, &c. he has imitated a good deal, and especially those expressive and sudden turns, neque te teneo, &c. but then he has made wonderful improvements, and, on the whole, it is, perhaps, the finest thing in all poetry.

Now if you are not tired of all this criticism, it is not my

fault.

Your's, very affectionately,

C. J. FOX.

St. Anne's Hill, Wednesday.

P. S. Even in the 1st book, Eneas says, "Sum pius Eneas, fama super athera notus." Can you bear this?

LIST OF AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS

The following list of American newspapers, is taken from Mellish's Travels, where it appears as an extract from Thomas's History of printing in America,

Isaiah Thomas, Esq. of Worcester, Massachusetts, has lately published a very valuable work entitled, The History of Printing in America, from which I have extracted the following table:

By this table, it appears that the number of newspape. amounts to twenty-two million two hundred twenty-two thousand two hundred; and Mr. Thomas says it may be viewed as considerably under the real number. The total amount, he thinks, may, without exaggeration, be estimated at twentytwo million five hundred thousand. In Britain and Ireland the newspaper establishments amount to two hundred twenty-eight; and the whole of the public journals issued annually from the various presses are computed at twenty million five hundred thousand.

The state of literature in a country may be partly inferred from the quantity of paper manufactured. Mr. Thomas says, "from the information I have collected, it appears that the mills for manufacturing paper are as follows:-~~

From Dr. Mitchell's report, the numbers appear to be 190.

The paper manufactured annually at these mills is estimated as follows:

CALAMITIES OF AUTHORS.-FOR THE PORT FOLIO.

ONE might imagine that the fate of authors was really pitiable. Dr. Tissot has written a learned and melancholy volume on the diseases incident to men of letters, and D'Israeli has lately completed the picture by two volumes on the moral calamities of authors. In describing the misfortunes of his brethren, the man of letters has, however, the advantage over the physician. D'Israeli, we believe, enjoys a happy mediocrity of fortune, and being himself exempt from most of the calamities which he enumerates, he has enlivened his descriptions by a variety of a literary anecdotes, and minute details of character, many of which are quite original. Without attempting any analysis of its contents, we shall extract some interesting passages.

On the subject of "literary property," we have the following curious facts:

Authors continue poor, and booksellers become opulent; an extraordinary result! Booksellers are not agents for authors, but proprie ors of their works; so that the perpetual revenues of literature are solely in the possession of the trade.

Is it then wonderful that even successful authors are indigent? They are heirs to fortunes, but by a strange singularity they are disinherited at their birth; for, on the publication of their works, these cease to be their own property. Let that natural property be secured, and a good book would be an inheritance, a leasehold or a freehold, as you choose it; it might at least last out a generation, and descend to the author's blood, were they permitted to live on their father's glory, as in all other property they do on his industry." Something of this nature has been instituted in France, where the descendants of Corneille and Moliere retain a claim on the theatres whenever the dramas of their great ancestor are performed. In that country literature has ever received peculiar honours-it was there decreed, in the affair of Crebillon, that literary productions are not seizable by creditors.

The history of Literary Property in this country might form as ludicrous a narrative as Lucian's “true history." It was a long while doubtful whether any such thing existed, at the very time when booksellers were assigning over the perpetual copy-rights of books, and making them the subject of family settlements for the provision of their wives and children!

When Tonson in 1739 obtained an injunction to restrain another bookseller from printing Milton's Paradise Lost, he brought into court as a proof of his title an assignment of the orignal copy-right, made over by the sublime poet in 1667, which was read. Milton received for this assignment the sum which

* The following facts will show the value of Literary Property; immense profits and cheap purchases! The manuscript of Robinson Crusoe ran through the whole trade, and no one would print it; the bookseller, who, it is said, was not remarkable for his discernment, but for a speculative turn, bought the work, and got a thousand guineas by it. How many have the booksellers since accurnulated? Burn's Justice was disposed of by its author for a trifle, as well as Buchan's Do mestic Medicine; these works yield annual incomes. Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield was sold in the hour of distress, with little distinction from any other work in that class of composition; and Evelina produced five guineas from the niggardly trader. Dr. Johnson fixed the price of his Biography of the Poets at two hundred guineas; and Mr. Malone observes, the booksellers in the course of twentyfive years have probably got five thousand. I could add a great number of facts of this nature which relate to living writers; the profits of their own works for two or three years would rescue them from the horrors and humiliation of panperism. It is, perhaps, useful to record, that, while the compositions of genius are but slightly remunerated, though sometimes as productive as" the household stuff" of literature, the latter is rewarded with princely magnificence. At the sale of the Robinsons, the copy-right of "Vyse's Spelling-book" was sold at the enormous price of 2200l. with an annuity of fifty guineas for the author! A Spaniard, kissing the hands of Mr. Vyse, would wish him a thousand years for this annuity! But can we avoid recollecting, that many a fine genius is darning bis own stockings.