habui, quod cum amicitia fratris mei possim comparare."

On the death of his first lady, in 1804, he married Mrs. Turnbull, the widow of Turnbull, Esq. and the daughter of a Mr. Munro, of Edinburgh. This amiable and respected lady survives him: by her he has left no issue, but two sons and daughters of his former union. The eldest son, who succeeds to his estate, (and is now the presumptive heir of the ancient Earldom of Buchan), married in 1891, the eldest daughter of the late Sir Charles Shipley. One of Mr. E.'s daughters is the wife of Colonel Callender, and the other of Doctor Smith, a distinguished ornament of the medical profession.

The benevolence and hospitality of Mr. Erskine were inconsistent with the amassing of a large fortune, and we understand that, comparatively speaking, he left behind far less of wealth than of honour to his descendants. It is a circumstance worth mentioning among the slighter notices which we have to add to this sketch, that the motto of the family of Buchan, which has produced in the same generation so celebrated a Lawyer in Scotland, as well as a Lord Chancellor of England, should be "Judge Nought."

We do not remember having seen any portraits of Mr. Erskine, (though no doubt such exist), but about three years ago there was a marble bust of bim iu the Exhibition of the Royal Academy, by Mr. Turnerelli, which was an excellent Kkeness, and will now preserve to his friends and to posterity an admirable image of this distinguished

individual.

HISTORY OF PETER PLIANT.

(Continued from page 303.)

It was a very favorite maximofund

T was a very favorite maxim of my

so much to the destruction of health as slothful habits." It was often a matter of astonishment to him, how so many of his fellow-creatures could idle away half the morning in their dressingrooms, while he was enjoying the beauties of nature, and at the same time establishing his health. Once, indeed, I heard him express his pity of a young gentleman who had the temerity to exclaim in his presence, that he had never seen the sun rise; and on being asked by a lady what was the best composition for imparting a rosy colour to her

cheeks, advised her, in an under-tone, to rise every morning by six o'clock, and when the weather permitted, to let a long walk be the prelude to her breakfast.

To such an extent has the fashion for keeping late hours arisen, that if any of our ancestors were doomed to revisit the earth, they would be completely at a loss, and find great difficulty in accomodating themselves to the caprices of their fashionable descendants. They would begin to think of retiring to rest just as the day was opening its routine of pleasure, and the supper of one would barely precede the breakfast of the other.

The only recommendation the modern custom has over the ancient, that where a man once lived to a good old age, he now drops in his prime: and the season of youth is scarcely entered into, when it is attended with all the maladies and inconveniences of old age.

I was led into this train of thinking by a circumstance not very usual among us, but which I attributed to our visit to the theatre the preceeding evening, for it was ten o'clock before the breakfast table was properly attended. One of my cousins immediately prepared our repast, while I, as usual, retailed the contents of a newspaper, which always forms a principal feature in the economy of the tea table, and dealt out to my fair hearers no inconsiderable quantity of accidents, offences, births, &e. &c. Politics we seldom admit, as my aunt agrees with me, that they are not by any means suitable for a female. Maria, on the contrary (though I often suspect she argues only for the sake of teasing), sticks up for the honour of her sex, and contends that a woman has as much ability, and would acquit herself with as much eclat, in affairs of importance, as a man, if her education was at all directed that way. At breakfast she renewed her opinion. "And so you really think. that you would become a legal or judicial character very well," observed 1; "methinks you would cut a pretty figure in your robe of office, and concealing those auburn locks under the formal curls of a venerable wig." "O, as for the wig," interrupted she, laughing, "if you please, I'll dispense with it; and though I am aware it is of some consequence in the character, and indeed very often formus the only qualification of the wearer, I think my decisions would be just as

good without it." "This is all very fine no doubt," said Louisa; "but tell me, when you are maintaining order out of doors, who is to preserve it within? I much doubt whether your husband will apply himself to the needle you must neglect, and to the various duties of the mistress of a family, which would sit as ridiculous on him as the assump tion of a legal or judicial character would upon you."

When you get into an argument with a woman (without any disrespect to the sex), he must be cunning who can come off entirely victorious; there are so many shifts and changes a woman knows how to resort to, that when you think you have fairly caught your antagonist, she pops out unexpectedly in another place and obliges you to renew your efforts, till you are exhausted. Such I found to be the case, and therefore soon silenced my fair disputant by adverting to the lateness of the hour, so that an end was put to the breakfast and argument together.

I had fully intended to have paid Mr. Plausible a visit in the course of the morning, but soon after breakfast my cousin Louisa requested me to pay a visit for her to a friend of her's in the city, who had just arrived in town. Always willing to oblige the ladies, I set forward to my destination.

The family to whom I was going, was that of a very respectable merchant, and a friend of my father's in early youth. Seclusion in the country had weakened the ties of social intercourse; and it was so long since we had met, that I had not the slightest recollection of any of them. On my arrival there, and announcing myself, I was received with many expressions of regard; and having communicated my business they insisted on my remaining there till evening. There was so much frankness and good-nature in the invitation that I accepted it, and the day passed very plea. santly. During my visit, I had an opportunity of conversing a great deal with Mr. Manning, in whom I found the just trader and the honourable merchant, a character that cannot be esteemed too highly, and of which this country cannot be too proud. Mrs. M. was a sensible kind-hearted woman, and did the honours of her table with a spirit worthy of her husband. They had but two children, who were the exact countorpart of their parents, George and Eliza. So much real benevolence ma

nifested itself in all their actions, that I esteemed this introduction as a happy event.

For a short time after dinner, we were deprived of the company of Mr. M. and his son, who retired to finish the daily affairs of the counting-house; accident also called Mrs. Manning away for a few moments and left me alone with her daughter. Now, though I am not afraid of being left alone with a young and beautiful woman, yet I mast confess I felt a little embarrassment, as my acquaintance with Miss M. was so short; but her unaffected manners and lady-like deportment soon relieved that, and our conversation took such a lively and animated strain, that I felt truly sorry when we were interrupted, and ardentiy wished for a recurrence of the same circumstance. During the whole day, indeed, she had conducted herself with so much ease and that generons affability inseparable from good breeding, that my eyes would unconsciously fix themselves upon her chair, and my ears stood alive at every remark she was about to make. Once or twice I was prevented from answering by admira tion, but what my tongue failed of expressing my eyes told for me. There is a language, indeed, universal in all countries, understood by all nations, and practised by every sex, age, and quality, which often conveys stronger impressions than words can possibly do. I mean the language of the eyes. From the prattling infant, who, with a look of anxious uncertainty, begs the gilded toy from the hands of an affectionate parent, to the parent himself, whose features express the delight he receives from the insinuating prattle of his little one. But at no age does this prevail to a greater degree, than when we give up our hearts to the impression of a softer passion, aud pour out our whole souls in a few enraptured glances, which tell the secret that we seek to conceal.

I do not mean to say that this latter was the case with me, but I certainly felt a very strange sensation, and it was with some difficulty I could bring myself to say "Good night," and leave the comfortable circle which I could have staid repeating till morning dawn.

Questions after questions greeted me on my return, which I found some difculty in answering; however, I succeeded in satisfying them, and began in my turn to question them. "We have had a personage here," said my aunt,

123 Sophia of Sweden, Abbess of Quedlenberg, G.D.

64

From the foregoing account it will be seen, that the three persons nearest the throne, being married and having children, are the King of Wurtemberg, Prince Paul his brother, and the Princess Frederica Buonaparte, their sister. This would be a grievous prospect, if we did not recollect, that although there is now no grandchild of George III. yet all his sons, aud probably more than one of his daughters are still of an age, at which a proper marriage might The be hoped to produce offspring. Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are little more than 40 years of age, and have been not much above a year married. It must, however, be confessed that, until we have a more certain prospect of issue from the British branch, the public attention will be turned to the two young Princes of Brunswick, the sons and grandsons of the two il lustrious Dukes of Brunswick who lost their lives in the fields of Jena and Waterloo. These young Princes were educated in England: but that is but a small alleviation of the repugnance we feel at having a foreigó king; and this is a consideration which enhances and embitters all the regrets which the loss

TABLE OF SUCCESSION.

The attention of the public has been much directed to the state of the Succession to the Throne. The only inconvenience seriously to be apprehended, if we can banish from our minds the loss of a Princess whose virtues justified a hope that she would indeed have been a British and a Constitutional Monarch, is that which would arise from a rapid succession of short reigus. A curious calculation has been made on this subject it is rather amusing than of any real value. There are fourteen English Princes and Princesses, who stand in the order we have already given. The following Table is formed on a medium between the Northampton Table of Observations, and the probability of life in London. The females are marked (F.):Probability of Life.

Age.

7 44th 19 7

Length of Reign.

Y. M.

14 4

-

14 10

3 ..

0 10

51st

16 6

6

0 5