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esteem me a man of folly, because I prefer honest

homely mutton to it?

NUMBER L.

Who fings the fource

Of wealth and force?

Vaft field of commerce and big war!

Where wonders dwell;

Where terrors fwell;

And Neptune thunders from his car!

YOUNG.

WHEN we behold the great deep, with

out track, and without limit, we may

well stand amazed, at the courage of those who firft dared to commit themselves to its unknown bofom, and to pierce into its pathlefs regions. Horace (who was not indeed a man of very great courage himself) is of opinion, that the -firft adventurers must have had hearts of oak, or rather of triple brass; their attempts were judged no lefs prefumptuous than dangerous: fince the ocean was esteemed by the ancients as the infuperable barrier, and grand separater of different nations, formed by the Deity * on purpose

D 3

* Thus runs the whole passage, which is in the 3d ode of Horace's first book, and begins Illi rohur, &c.

Sure he who first the paffage try'd,

In harden'd oak his heart did hide;

purpose to secure kingdoms from the attacks and infults of each other. A notion fo very far from the truth, that the fea is the fole connecter of diftant nations; and to it we owe, at once, all the advantages of commerce, much of the improvements of fcience, nay, and the knowledge of the glorious Gospel.

By means of this liquid vehicle, veffels of the largest burden, are borne along with the utmost ease from clime to clime, from fun to fun; thus the rich produce of the Eaft is poured into the ftorehouses of the North; and the inhabitants

Or with firm brafs of triple fold,
His breast couragiously enroll'd!
His hardy breast, in hollow wood,
Who tempted firft the briny flood;
Nor fear'd the winds contending roar,
Nor billows beating on the fhore,
Nor Hyades portending rain,
Nor all the tyrants of the main,
What form of death could him affright,
Who unconcern'd with stedfast fight,
Could view the furges mounting steep,
And monsters rolling in the deep;
Could thro' the ranks of ruin go,
With ftorms above, and rocks below.
In vain did nature's wife command
Divide the waters from the land,
If daring fhips, and men prophane,
Invade th' inviolable main;
Th' eternal fences over leap,

And pals at will the boundless deep.

DRYDEN.

of

of every quarter of the globe, not only hold intelligence, but mutually exchange their commodities, and gain a fupply of more than every want in life.Hence, what abundance of wealth rewards the anxious and induftrious merchant ! what a happy provifion is afforded for the thoufands and ten thousands whom the demands of commerce continually employ! Thus our inferior brethren are engaged in useful labour; and become the strength, the finews of the community: who, if relaxed from the honest engagements of industry, most probably would corrupt in indolence, and be either the perpetual annoyance, or the speedy deftruction of the public welfare and peace! How graciously hath the wife Creator of all things provided for the wellbeing of his people: -And let me add, for his people of our favourite kingdom in particular. Where not only plenty crowns our peaceful plains, but the golden wings of commerce waft bleffings on every gale! Happy, thrice happy Britain! May the tender mercies of him, who is omnipotent, ftill preserve thy invaluable privileges to thee! And while amidst the horrid din of diftant arms, and the melancholy cries of ravaging defolation, thou hearest only the pleafing voice of firmeft union, fulleft glory and complete profperity,-mayst thou be wise, gratefully to acknowledge the bounty of the giver; and may thy fons, by every worthy and laud

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able virtue, by the work of humanity, and the love of religion, engage to themselves a continuance of thy protection!

When we vifit the Dock-yards, and furvey the wooden-towers, rifing there, beneath the artificers hands; their amazing bulk fills us with wonder to think, that they fhall not only when freighted to the full, and immense in burden, be buoyed up, and float like the light cork, on the waves of the mighty_main; but that they fhall travel through its roaring furges, with a velocity perfectly incredible: And what is most amazing of all, be directed unerringly through a wild of waters, where there is neither path, nor land-mark, to direct the bewildered traveller; directed with a facility, that is inconceivable, and turned ——— unweildy machines, turned as the directing hand of the mafter pleafes. Behold also the ships, faith the apoftle, which though they be fo great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very fmall helm, whitherfoever the governor lifteth.

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To what we have faid concerning the faltness of the waters, in our last paper, we must add; that this faltness serves greatly to the use of navigation, in affifting to buoy up the vessels; for it is fpecifically heavier than fresh; and it has been faid, that veffels which have failed fafely on the falt, have funk when they come up fresh water rivers. But not the faltness of the water;

not

not the management of the helm; not the nice conduct of the bellying fails; not the wondrous power of the air, which, though invifible, fills them with fuch force, and drives on the veffel with fuch impetuofity through the dashing flood; none of thefe, though admirable in themfelves, ftrike us with fuch pleafing furprize, as the reflection on that fofil, which, though mean and contemptible in appearance, is invaluable to the failor; for it unerringly directs him through the tracklefs regions of the boundless ocean. And when neither fun nor ftar; when neither land nor land-mark are to be seen; when all is fea and all is fky: Nay, when neither fea nor fky are to be difcerned, when all is darknefs and tempeft; then this infallible guide holds out its kindly affiftance, and the loadstone informs the failor where to fteer his courfe: The loadflone, which has given to navigation its perfection, and enabled the undaunted failor to traverse the globe.

From how small and inconfiderable caufes doth the omniscient Creator produce the most important effects! Who would conceive that a mineral of this fort fhould tend to fuch extenfive utility! But we may observe, that in nature, as well as in grace, the mighty master,-as it were to teach men humility, and to deride the vaft efforts of human power thus conftantly acteth; ufing the mean and apparently contemptible things of the earth, to confound, we

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