The Mcse ! whate'cr the Muse inspires,
My S3i 1 the tuneful strain admires....sroTT.
IT.OM THE FBEDERICKSBL'KO II EI11LD.
NAPOLEON BONAPAUTK.
" A Faulcon towering in Jus pride of place,
JVas bij a mousing Owl-hawked al-and killed
Shakspearc.
In the midst of the deep, and the dark dreary
ccean,
From wife and from child in the hands of his
foes,
On a rude rugged rock, where in ceaseless com
motion The rough billow bursts, and the black tempest
' blows:
lie, whose presents were thrones, and whose sen
tinels nations,
With princes for subjects, and sceptres for
toys ;
At whose voice, kings and kingdoms sprung forth
his creations,
Whose hardships were glories whose dangers
were joys :
There, there, even he, with no hope to solace
him,
"Weak weary of sorrow life's tide ebbing
fast ;
"With nought of his own, save the lead to encase
him,
The terror of tyrants is breathing his last !
Yet bright was his march, arl transcendent his
glory.
As Austerlitz Lodi Marengo w ill tell ;
And long shall he live on the stage, and in story
The grandest who rose, and the greatest w ho
fell !
Of St. Helena's prison, the vex'd ocean raving,
Shall dah every part with its billows away,
Nor a fragment remain the rough hurricane brav-
Ere the fame of its victim shall fade, or decay !
Yes! Ion will he live and with those who de
ceived him,
"Who knew not to feel his misfortune in need,
But cf liberty, life, wife and infant bereaved him-
Ycs ! with Jam they will live to be for the
deed !
VPhen he LlazM like a star, as related in story,
And grasp'd the affrighted Jsir, mate's throne,
Then, magnificent walking abroad in his glory,
lie ?ave what his valour hd i eni .rM his own.
Hut soon then o'er him the dread polar storm
thundered,
And nature herself shrunk appall'd from the j
shock,
An evTe, from country and countryman sun
dered Th;-r chaln'd him to Insult and death on a rock !
"With no friend but his sword, and no fortune but
oerit
A cianger lie fought forthe sufferer's land :
Anu lus fame fili'd the world ere had yet his
great spirit
Burst fordi in the blaze which it held at com
mand. In the field or bureau In the cottage or palace,
From the camp to the throne from the throne
to his end,
Napoleon from motives of interest or malice
Ne'er a favor forgot, or abandon'd a(friend !
And wh.cn ages have roll'd o'er the " parts of his
story,"
And in night sunk each feeling of envy and
strife,
Posterity's voice shall pronounce them -of glory
The brightest e'er played ia the drama of life.
SKI) LEY.
! speak but of the splendid mental and per
sonal qualifications of Napoleon Itonaparte.
V lien virtue in taken info consideration, he will
cf cowr.se be iuf-rior to our own Washington.
n wl.At !r.wcvcr, t!ie charge of usurpation
sjrainst u i!l be received by futurity, time on
3v can s':ov. J'or&'bht it may apnear to have
1 ccn ct ?ieceftt:tv, and not of choice : The
1'eofjle f France are not Americans ! !
r THE .VA.VKS or THE iiXE JIVSLS.
r.rc.t-',. M-n'es the amiable ; Urania, the cc
1; stia.1 ; . :' ."tV, may s:gTify clegnnce of lan
jp:a,je ; Ent rpe9 she who pleaseth ; Thalia, lively
iov, ai. l cspeciall the festivity of bancriets ;
ir?lpo::u-c, site who delighted! in singing; Po
tqninia, multiplicity of songs; Terpsichore, she
w ho dclightcth in the dance ; Clio, glory. At
first three muses only were admitted, Melete,
Mr.crne, and Acedc : that is to say, the meditation
or reflection necessary to study ; in emory, which
records illustrious deeds ; and song, which ac
companies their recital. In proportion as a:i im
provement w as made in the art of versification,
its characters knd effects were personified, th?
number of the muses increased, and the name&
thev now- received referred to the charms cf pc-etry-,
Its celestial origin, the beauty of its lan
guage, the p'easurc and gaicly it inspires, the
song and dance which add to it new charms, anJ
tils glory with w hich it is crowned. Afterwards
v. ere associated v. idi them the graces, v. hose em
ployment it is to embellish pectry, :ud love,
hlth ii 0 fr.quenth- its object.
Variety's the very spire of life,
That gives it all its flavor.
THE IRON" MASK.
Translated from the French, forthe Nat. Intcllr.
It is under this name that is designa
ted an unknown prisoner, sent in the
greatest secrecy to the Castle of Pigne
rol, and thence transferred to the Isl
ands of St. Margaret. He was a man
above the middle stature, and admira
bly well formed. His skin was a little
brown, but fine and soft, and he took
as much care to preserve it in that state
as a coquette lady. His greatest taste
uas for fine linen, lace and toys. He
played upon the guitar, and appeared
to have received an excellent educa
tion he interested by the veryT sound
of his voice ; never complaining of his
confinement, nor giving to understand
who he was. In maladies, when he
had need of a physician or surgeon,
and in the.journeys which his different
removals occasioned, he wore a mask,
the chin-piece of which had steel
springs, which left him the liberty to
tat and drink. The orders were to kill
him if he uncovered himself, but when
alone he was permitted to unmask.
lie remained at Pignerol until Saint
Mars, an officer of confidence com
manding this Castle, obtained the com
mand ot the Isles of Lerins ; he carri
ed with him his prisoner into this ma
ritime solitude, and when he was made
governor of the Bastilc, his captive
followed him there, always masked ;
lie was lodged in this prison as well as
lie could be. Nothing was refused
him that he asked for ; he had the rich
est clothes, and the best cheer, and the
governor rarely sate before him. This
illustrious unknown died the 17th of
November, 1703, and was buried un
der the name of Marchiali. What re
doubles the astonishment is, that when
he was sent to St. Margaret, no con
siderable person was known to have
disappeared in Europe; and this pris
oner undoubtedly was one, fiom the
following circumstances that happened
soon after he went upon that Island ;
the governor himself put the dishes on
l ,a u-.r, auu a""1 "1
..red , one dayhc u rote mth the sharp ;
point 01 a Kime upon a stiver piate, i
Qor he was serv eu in sil T,j anc tnrew j
t i. . r .1 i ..... . i '
vjuvwi m i4ivjw lunaiua j
boat which was at the short-, almost at
the foot of the tower; a fisherman to
whom the boat belonged, picked up the
plate and carried it to the governor.
The latter, astonished, demanded of
the fisherman ; " have vou read what
is written on this plate ? and has any
one seen it in your hands ?" The fish
erman answered, 44 I do not know how
to read; 1 have just found it, and no
person has seen it.' lie was detained
until the governor had well informed
himself that he had never been able to
, and that the plate had not been
i 1 t, x ,
seen by anv other person. " bo, (said
J " x 1 r .
the governor.) you are very lortunate ;
in not knowing how to read." La !
Grange Chancel relates in a letter, that
when Saint-Mars went to take this pris- j
oner to conduct mm to tne uastue, ne :
said to Saint-Mars, "does the King
mean to take my life r" " No, my
prince," answered Saint-Mars, "your
life is in safety ; you have only to let
yourself be conducted." He adds, " I
was told by a man named Dubuisson,
the Cashier of the famous Banker,
Samuel Bernard, who, after being im-
prisoned some years in the Bastile, was j
conducted to St. Margaret, that he was!1 cuu u ine expansion oi tne con
in a chamber, with some other prison- i densed sea-water, w hich had found its
ers, precisely over that occupied by this war through the sealing. Upon ex-
unknown person ; that throuch the fun-
nel of the chimney they could talk and
communicate with the unknown per
son ; but, that when it was asked of him
why he was obstinate in not disclosing
his name and adventures, he answered
that an avowal would cost him his life,
as well as the lives of all those to whom
he should reveal his secret."
The name of the Iron Mask, has
prevailed to designate this celebrated
unfortunate, but Du .lonca does not
say the mask was of Iron ; he says on
ly, that it was a mask of black velvet.
All these anecdotes prove, that tht
Iron Mask was a prisoner of the great
est importance bin nho nas this cap
tive P
Among the great variety of conjec
tures that have been brought foru ard
to resolve this historical problem, the
following has the air of reconciling the
circumstances most to probability, and
of best accounting for the incidental
facts related in the case which seem to
have been admitted ;.s authentic. It
is not known that the persons entrus
ted with the importt secret have left!
any written memoirs, but somehow it
has leaked out into the world that he
was the twin-brother of Louis the
Fourteenth, and the first born of the
twins. When the royal council took
into consideration the circumstance of
twin princes, one only of whom could
be heir to the throne, the opinion was
urged in the council by some profound
naturalists, that the first born of twins
was the last begotten, and consequent
ly the last born was in fact the eldest
of the two, and therefore entitled to
the throne. The council decided the
case in conformitv to that belief; but
deeply apprehensive that the decision, !
not according with the vulgar ideas of j
the rxgnt ot primogeniture, mtgnt ue
made the foundation of future troubles
to the state, the most prudent precau
tions were deemed necessary, and the
strictest secrecy was enjoined and a
greed upon. It was also determined,
as a matter of state expediency abso
lutely necessary, that the excluded first
born of the twins should be brought
up, under the care of a nobleman, in a j
distant province, in ignorance of his j
birth and condition ; and the secret not I
to be revealed but in the event of the j
death of the other twin without legiti- j
mate issue. When he was grown near- j
ly to manhood, by some extraordinary
and accidental circumstance, there
came under his perusal some corres
pondence of the nobleman his guar
dian, by which he obtained a know
ledge of his birth and condition, which
knowledge he imparted to his guar
dian. From that time he was taken
into confinement and treated as we
have seen. The lineaments of his face
are said to have borne a striking rtsem- !
blance to those of the King his brother,
and this was the reason why he was so
rigidly confined to a mask whenever
he was brought out of his prisons, or
to be seen bv others than those in the
secret.
COMPRESSIBILITY OF WAT EI?.
In the first volume of the Imperial Magazine, i
. . - , ., . . .i
an article appeared describing various c.xpen-
,l 1 , . ..
ments on the pressure cl the ocean. Similar
experiments have since been made, by Mr. Jacob
Perkins, on his way from America to this covin-
trv, ami published in llieUst number of the Phi-
Translctions, in a papcr cntHIcd ,e
Comnre?sibilit v of Water." This article hits
wt
occn i,anied to us by a correspondent who calls
luiTiscli Selector.
Imperial Jlagazine.
" A strong empty porter bottle was
sunk to the depth oi
f" 150 f-lhoms fSOO
.. , . Mt y - .
lightly conced and
feet having first
Six
coverings of cotton cloth, saturated
with a composition of sealing wax and
tar, were strongly fastened over the
cork by a cord wound round them di
rectly under the projection at the neck
of the bottle. Alter the bottle had
been suffered to remain at the depth a
bove mentioned a few minutes, it was
, . r , . . . .
have been iorced into it, neither was
. . .. , ' , .
there any visible change at the mouth,
J
"lhe same bottle was again sunk at
tbe increased depth of 220 fathoms;
whcn drawn in it was found to contain
t," .w v... o.b..w
est visible change had taken place in
the sealing.
"The same bottle was now sunk a
third time to the still greater depth of
SCO fathoms : when drawn up, only a
small part of the neck was found at
tached to the line. Its appearance was
truly interesting. The bottle was not
broken by external pressure, but evi-
animation it was lound tne coric nad
been compressed into half its length,
making folds of about one-eighth of an
inch ; and that the coverings, consist
ing of six layers of cloth and cement,
bad been torn up on one side before
the bottle burst. The effect produced
upon the cork cannot, we imagine, be
accounted for but in one way, viz. that
the water, divided into very minute
particles, must, by the surrounding
pressure of the water, have been forc
ed through the coverings, and fdltd the
bottle ; that the water thus forced in,
and condensed to a great degree, ex
panded as the pressure was remov ed
by drawing towards the surface, not
only so as to press the cork back into
the neck, and, owing to the resistance
of the coverings, compress it half its
size," but to separate the neck from the
bodv of the bottle.
Kxperimcnt 4. An empty porter
bottle the shortest that could be found,
was stopped in the following manner.
A cork with a large head was firmly
driven into the neck ; it was then cov-
The celebrated American engraver.
ered with six lavers of fine linen, satu-1
rated with a composition of tar and
wax, over them was applied a covering
of leather, and all perfectly secured by
being well bound at the neck. The
bottle thus prepared was sunk 270 fath
oms. When drawn in, it was found
perfectly sound, and the sealing un
changed ; but filled with water to with
in an inch of the cork. The coverings
were taken off, layer after layer, but no
signs of moisture were visible. Had
the bottle remained down a sufficient
length of time to have completely fill-
ed, it would undoubtedly nave oeen
broken by the expansion of the water,
upon being drawn towards the surface,
as was the case in the former experi
ment. It is worthy of remark, that
when the water from the bottle was
poured into a tumbler, it effervesced
like mineral water.
14 Experiment 5. In this experiment
two strong bottles were sunk to the
depth of 500 fathoms: one of them
was stopped with a ground glass stop
per, and well cemented, then placed in
a strong canvass bag: when the bag
was drawn in, it was found that the
bottle had been crushed into many
thousand pieces. The other bottle
w as very lightly corked, but not having
been left down a sufficient length of
time, it came up whole, filled to within
one and a half inch : the cork had been
driven in and remained so ; but the ce
mentation was unaltered, excepting at
the surface, where it had become a
little concave."
A 1ST D. 2 YS OF HER C UL LmE lU.
A great city situated amidst all that
nature could create of beauty or profu-
sion, or art collect of science and magnit-
icer.ee the growth of manv ages the
residence of enlightened multitudes the
scene of splendour and festivity, and hap
piness its palaces, its streets, its temples,
its gardens " glowhig with eternal spring,"
nnd its inhabitants in the full enjoyment
of life's blessings, obliterated from their
very place in creation, not by war, or fam
ine, or disease, or any of the natural cau-
ov. J v vi v. jii u - null) iw " moil viiii nan
I, . i i . i i.
: been accustomed but in a single night,
ag .f by am, mld the conflas?raion
; flS h vere; of nalure itself) presented a
-nK:rrt nn wi,:ri, th wilrlnit im.winatinn
enc rf cf l'liptirMi - nrl-irli airtlt ! i rl
j ni;h. row Wearv, without eoiia in
! ,1 TerHWe reVv
the
Tli onmilnn rf Vpciumhc. 1 ivhir-li
A Vl VS & TWtJl-tWAUhJ, -"T 4A.V.l
Ilerctilaneum and Pompeii were over-
whelmed, has been chiefly described to us
in the letters of Pliny the younger to Ta-
citllS' Kivin5 an accountof his uncle's fate
1 and the situation of the writer and his
. mother. The elder Pliny had iust return-
Pliny had just return
cd from the bath, and was retiring to his
study, when a small speck or cloud, which
seemed to ascend from Mount Vesuvius,
attracted his attention. This cloud grad
ually increased, and at length assuming
the shape of a pine tree, the trunk of
earth and vapor, and the leaves u red cin
ders' Pliny ordered his galley, and ur
ged by his philosophic spirit, went for
ward to inspect the phenomenon. In a
short time, however, philosophy gave way
to humanity, and he zealously and adven
turously employed his galley in saving the
inhabitants of the various beautiful villas
whict; studded that enchanted coast. A
mongst others he went out to the assistance
of his friend Pomponianus, who was then
at Stabice. The storm of fire and the
tempest of the earth, increased ; and the
wretched inhabitants were obliged, by the
continual rocking of their houses to rush
out into the fields with pillows tied down
by napkins on their heads, as their sole
defence against the shower of stones that
fell on them. -This, in the course of na
ture, was in the middle of the day ; but a
deeper darkness than that of winter night,
had closed around the ill fated inmates of
Herculaneum. This artificial darkness
continued for three days and nights ; and
when, at length, the sun appeared over
the spot where Herculaneum once stood,
its rays fell upon an ocean of lava ! There
was neither tree, nor shrub, nor field, nor
house, nor living creature ; nor visible
remnant of what human hands had reared
there was nothing to be seen but one
black extended surface stil! steaming with
mephitic vapor, and heaved into calcined
waves by the operation of fire, rnd the
undulations of the earthquake I Pliny was
found dead upon the sea shore, stretched
upon a cloth which had been spread for
him, where; it was conjectured he had per
ished early, his corpulent and apoplectic
habit rendering him an easy prey to the
suffocating atmosphere. Lon. Jfag.
CANDOUR.
True candour is altogether different
from that guarded inoffensive language,
and that studied openness of behaviour,
which we so frequently meet with among
mankind. Smiling very frequently is the
i aspect, inu smooth tne words ot tnose,
j who inwardly are the most ready to think
evn oi ouiers. LJiiiiour coumsis noi in
fairness of speech, but in fairness of heart.
It may want the blandishment of external
courtesy, but it supplies its place with hu
mane and generous liberality of senti
ment. Its manners are unaffected ar its
professions cordial. Exempt on the one
hand, from the dark jealousy of a suspi
cious mind, it is no less removed on ths
other, from that easy credulity which
imposed on by every specious pretence.
It is perfectly consistent with an exten
sive knowledge of the world, and due at
tention to our safety. In that various in
tercourse, which we are obliged io cany
cn with persons of every different charac
ter, suspicion, to a certain degree, is a ne
cessary guard. It is only when it exceeds
the bounds of prudent caution, that it de
generates into vice. There is a proper
mean, between undistinguishing credulity
and universal jealousy, which a sound un
derstanding discerns, ar.d which the man
of candour studies to preserve.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ?
And one of these shall not fall to the ground
without your heavenly rather. Matt. x. 29.
Many have been the controversies
amongst philosophers, in all times, con
cerning a general and a particular Prov
idence. Some have been ol opinion,
that the great Creator of all things so
framed the universal system, that eve
ry part of it is carried cn by a regular
process of causes and consequences,
without his farther interposition ; and
that he cannot interpose, without chang
ing the course of nature by a miracu
lous act of divine power, which he rare
ly,, if ever, thinks proper to exert : that
both the material and moral world are
governed by general laws, which can-
not be suspended tor tne saue c: indi
viduals, who must therefore submit to
this necessity, though rewards and pun
ishments are not always distributed in.
the present life in proportion to their
merits ; and that a machine so constitu
ted is a more conspicuous instance of
infinite wisdom and power, than the
one which stands in need of the con
tinual interference of its author, for
regulation and support. Others have
thought, thai God not only created the
world, but perpetually sustains, invigo
rates, and directs every part of it ; and
that, if this energy of divine power was
withdraw n but for a moment, the whole
would instantly be annihilated. The
latter is undoubtedly the truth, and is
confirmed by reason, scripture, and ex
perience. Reason teaches us that the
revolutions of the vast and innumera
ble celestial orbs, thrcucfh immense
spaces, or the delicate movements in
animal and vegetable bodies, can never
possibly be performed by any princi
ples originally impressed on matter by
attraction, cohesion, elasticity, or elec
tricity ; because theyT act in contradic
tion to them all: and therefore they
must be effected by the continual di
rection of some omnipotent hand : it
assures us, that the moral, as well as
the material world, must be under the
continual influence of the same powTer ;
because, without it, the great designs
of Providence could never be accom
plished. The most important events
in life are derived from the operations
of matter and will, peace and war, plen
tyT and famine, our health and diseases,
our happiness and miseryr, our safety
and destruction. No plan, therefore,
could be pursued, if these were all left
to the blind movements of the one, or
the capricious elections of the other;
but happily for us, they are both under
the controul of an omniscient and om
nipotent governor, who dispenses theni
as seems best to his infinite wisdom ;
and this he can do by a perpetual though
invisible influence, without the expense
of any7 miracle ; for, if his interference
in any event constitutes a miracle, eve
ry event is a miracle in nature, because
there can be no event without it.
The whole tenour of the scriptures
implies the constant superintendence'
of the Creator over all his works, his
continual attention to the most incon
siderable, as well as to the most impor-
J 41 f
to e an empire, to ourselves,
jour fcenaviour, our nappmess and sui-
ferings, our enjoyments, and our wants ;
these are all represented as the effect!
of his will, and therefore the objects of
his knowledge and his care ; and on
this principle we are every where en
Joined to love him, to fear him, to praise
him, to adore him, to obey his com
mands, to implore his forgiveness, to
thank him for his mercy, and to dep
recate his wrath.
Experience teaches us the same les
son ; and a man must be possessed cf
very little observation, and less faith,
who does not recollect daily instances
of the apparent interposition of Prov
idence in the detection of crimes, the
punishment of guilt, and the protection
of innocence, which fall within the cir
cle of his own knowledge, and are re
corded in the most authentic historic??
of all ages.
$