viously made familiar to her: and she ever after practised it continually, and not merely at stated or particular periods: all her actions, as soon as performed, passed under a scrutinizing and faithful review.

Mrs. Hodson was peculiarly sensible to the great advantage she had derived from the instruction and example of her intelligent and excellent father, and, in all her behaviour to him, she was a model of filial duty. Her mind, even while young, saw the excellence of the new doctrines, and gradually opened to a deeper and stronger conviction of their all-important nature and inestimable tendency. This desirable effect was not a little promoted by her union with her pious and amiable partner, Dr. Hodson, in the year 1788: but she always, on this subject, felt a strong sense of her obligations to her father. She often used to say (and she requested that this might be mentioned in her funeral sermon, for the benefit of the young,) that her father had bestowed upon her a greater benefit, by initiating her while young into the faith and life of the New Church, than if be had left her a princely fortune. Entered on the voyage of life, she at first found the stream of prosperity glide softly along; but soon storms arose, which, though they threatened to overwhelm her with distress and despair, served only to call forth the energies of her active mind. Under the blessed influence of manifold afflictions, she learned to trust in the guidance and protection of Divine Providence; and from each deliverance she experienced she drew fresh lessons of pious confidence in, and devout gratitude to, her Heavenly Father. Her conjugal example was rare: it presented features which only those who knew her best could properly appreciate it consisted rather in solid acts of devotedness and self-denial than in an outward shew of tender attachment. As an eminent instance of her greatness of soul and the disinterestedness of her affection, may be mentioned her unusual behaviour at the period of her husband's decease. Too'sincere to disguise her real feelings, too noble to hide the boon of heaven because surrounding friends could not appreciate it, her surprisingly cheerful fortitude on the occasion of such a loss, gave rise to much talk and misapprehension. Her husband's sufferings preceding his death were very severe, and affected very deeply her sympathizing mind, even to such a degree that she fainted at the sight of them. When therefore she saw him released by death from those sufferings, and, in addition to them, from impending worldly trials; when she reflected on his habitual child-like purity and innocence, his wisdom, piety, integrity, and useful life; her affectionate heart forgot its own sorrows, and really and greatly rejoiced in the inconceivable happiness of her beloved and venerated husband. It was not concealed from her that some persons wondered at her appearing so little grieved for her loss: to which she justly replied, "they ought rather to rejoice at the great support and cheering consolation I am able to derive from our doctrines, and to consider the fortitude they can inspire as an additional asgument for their truth."

To describe the life and conduct of Mrs. Hodson would be to delineate

the activity of all the virtues under the guidance of the true principles of sacred wisdom. The first feature which her conduct presented was the absence of selfishness in herself, and a patient forbearance with the selfishness of others; a feature indeed rare in this degraded age of self-worship and self-seeking. Her mind seemed ever alive to one object and to one only, either directly or indirectly; and that was, purification, and preparation for eternity. In learning from the New Church writings the laws of regeneration she was unceasingly and delightfully occupied. She counted nothing worthy to interfere with this study of the doctrines, except the practice of them, in a faithful discharge of the duties of charity in her domestic, social, civil, and spiritual relations. She delighted to converse upon the doctrines with any well disposed person, and had a particularly happy talent for rendering them attractive. With a stranger to the doctrines, her object was, to shew their blessed tendency to lead the mind to purification; and she knew that this was the best and most convincing test of their excellence to any one who was in a state to receive them profitably. And with those who already had received them, her conversation had in view their mutual edification and purification of the heart and life. She was remarkable, in discoursing, for her acute and accurate views, the modesty with which she submitted them, and the little deference she exacted to them; and also, for the close attention she paid to the remarks of others. Her humility was conspicuous in all her behaviour: she accounted none too mean to receive respect and kindness from her. The pursuit of her own gratification, the enjoyment of any kind of outward pleasure, seemed never to occur to her: she had other occupation: like a true child of heaven, her delight was to be employed upon her Heavenly Father's business; and the substantial happiness which ever accompanies that employment, in her experience eclipsed, and reduced to nothing, every other enjoyment. Her tenderness for others, her fearfulness lest their feelings should be wounded, was always conspicuous: often would she counsel moderation, forbearance, and, where reproof was necessary, the tenderest mode of applying it. Next to the Lord himself, his true and living church, "the holy city New Jerusalem" possessed her supreme affection: to promote the well-being of this church was her greatest pride and privilege; and to abstain from whatever had a contrary tendency her greatest and most anxious care. She was deeply impressed with the Lord's declaration, as an example for herself and all mankind; "For their sakes I sanctify myself." As an instance of this impression, may be recorded the following observation made by her to a friend not long before her decease. In allusion to the weight of her sufferings, which seemed particularly to affect her nervous system, and consequently to impede her mental activity, she said she was distressed with the apprehension lest her conduct should not exhibit an adequate degree of fortitude, and the power of the doctrines, and lest any one should in consequence feel offence or No. VII.-VOL. I. 4 L

think in any wise lightly of them; for thus, she continued, I should break the commandment as to its internal sense, and bear false witness against my neighbour; that is, present a testimony unfavourable to goodness and truth, which, we are taught by the parable of the "good Samaritan," makes a man truly our neighbour, and is our neighbour in the abstract.

But it is necessary to bring this memoir to a conclusion; and it cannot be done more appropriately, than by observing, that no more satisfactory evidence can be afforded to the better part of mankind of the heavenly tendency of the New Church doctrines than a life which is a faithful transcript of them; and that in proportion as the receivers of the doctrines in general shall present such a living testimony in favour of them, as was exhibited by our departed friend, men seeing their good works will glorify their Father which is in heaven.

VARIETIES, PHILOSOPHICAL AND LITERARY.

GOLD MINES OF NORTH CAROLINA.In a late number of Silliman's American Journal of Science and Arts, is a detailed account of the gold mines discovered a few years since in North Carolina, which have recently become objects of much inquiry both in the United States and in Europe, by D. Olmsted, Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy in the University of that state. From this paper we extract the subjoined notices; the perusal of which will impart an accurate general idea of the state in which gold is commonly found, and of the manner in which it is collected, in most parts of the world; as well in the extensive and rich goldcountries of Africa and South America, as in the limited and comparatively poor auriferous tracts of Cornwall, Scotland, and Ireland.

The gold country of the state of North Carolina is spread over a space of not less than 1000 square miles. In almost any part of this region, gold may be found, in greater or less abundance, at or near the surface of the ground. Its true bed, however, is a thin stratum of gravel inclosed in a dense mud, usually of a pale blue, but sometimes of a yellow colour. On ground that is elevated, and exposed to be washed by rains, this stratum frequently appears at the surface; and in low grounds, where the alluvial earth has been accumulated by the same agent, it is found to the depth of eight feet: where no cause operates to alter its original depth, it lies about three feet below the surface. Rocky River and its small tributaries, which cut through this stratum, have hitherto proved the most fruitful localities of the precious metal. The soil is generally barren, and the inhabitants are mostly poor and ignorant. The traveller passes the day without meeting with a single striking or beautiful object, either of nature or of art, to vary the tiresome monotony of forests and sand-hills, and ridges of gravelly quartz. Here and there a log-hut, or cabin, sur

rounded by a few acres of corn and cotton, marks the little improvement which has been made by man, in a region singularly endowed by nature. The road is generally conducted along the ridges, which slope on either hand into valleys of moderate depth, consisting chiefly of fragments of quartz, either strewed coarsely over the ground, or so comminuted as to form gravel; these ridges have an appearance of great natural sterility, which, moreover, is much aggravated by the miner's practice of frequently burning over the forests, so as to consume all the leaves and undergrowth, giving to the forest the aspect of an artificial grove.

The "gold hunters" begin already to be accounted a distinct race of people. The business of searching for the gold is conducted under numerous disadvantages, without the least regard to system, and with very little aid from mechanical contrivances. The process commences by digging for the auriferous bed above described, and removing it with the spade into a cradle, consisting of a semi-cylinder made to rock on two parallel poles of wood. When the cradle is thus half filled, water is laded in, so as nearly to fill it. The cradle is now set rocking, the gravel being occasionally stirred with an iron rake, until the coarse stones are entirely freed from the blue mud, a part of the process which is the more difficult, on account of the dense adhesive quality of the mud. By rocking the cradle rapidly, the water is thrown out, loaded with as much mud as it is capable of suspending. The coarser stones are then picked out by hand, more water is added, and the same process is repeated. On pouring out the water a second time, a layer of coarse gravel appears at the top of the mud in the cradle, which is scraped off by hand. At the close of each washing, a similar layer of gravel appears on the top, which becomes more and more comminuted, until it graduates into fine sand, covering the bottom of the vessel.. At length this residuum is transferred to an iron dish, which is dipped horizontally into a pool of water, and subjected to a rotary motion. By this operation all the remaining earthy matter is washed out, and nothing remains but a fine sand chiefly ferruginous, and the particles of gold for which the whole labour has been performed. These vary in size from mere dust to pieces weighing one or two pennyweights, but they are frequently no greater than a pin's head. Large pieces, when they occur, are usually picked out at a previous stage of the process. Masses weighing from 100 to 600 pennyweights are occasionally met with, and one mass was found that weighed, in its crude state, 28lbs. avoirdupoise. At Concord, near the western limit of the gold country, the metal is found in small grains in the streets and gullies, after every rain; and the gullies frequently disclose the stratum of gravel and mud well known as the repository of the gold.

The terms on which the proprietors of the mines permit them to be worked, vary with the productiveness of the auriferous stratum. Some of the miners rent for a fourth of the gold found; some for a third; and others claim half, which is the highest premium hitherto paid.

The mines have given some peculiarities to the state of society in the neighbouring country. The precious metal is a most favourite acquisition. and constitutes the common currency. Almost every man carries about with him a goose-quill or two of it, and a small pair of scales in a box like a spectacle-case. The value, as in patriarchal times, is ascertained by weight, which, from the dexterity acquired by practice, is a less troublesome mode-of counting money than one would imagine. Professor Olmsted saw a pint of whisky paid for by weighing off three grains and a half of gold.

The greatest part of the gold collected at these mines is bought up by the country merchants, who carry it to the market towns, where a considerable quantity of it is purchased by jewellers, and some remains in the banks. It is alloyed with small portions of silver and copper, but is nevertheless purer than old standard gold, being 23 carats fine, or containing only one twenty-fourth of alloy.

For the reason stated at the end of our Review, we are obliged to omit the POETICAL DEPARTMENT; though we have been supplied with some excellent articles.

With thanks to a New Subscriber, we are sorry to say, that the verses contain so many lines from well-known hymns, that we fear our readers will not think them sufficiently original. And though we admire the talent which the other friend who writes on the same paper seems to possess for recommending the truth in conversation, we must observe, with respect, that many things may be urged in that manner with a good effect, which may appear rather trivial when put in print.

We have received two poems on the decease of Mrs. Hodson, and have not yet fully decided which to adopt.