age, yet of which no two individuals are ever perfectly alike,-afford such a range for observation and inquiry as might engross the whole term of our short life, if followed minutely. Besides all the animal creation obvious to our unassisted senses, the eye, aided by philosophical inventions, sees myriads of creatures, which by the ignorant are not known to have existence: it sees all nature teem with life; every fluid,-each part of every vegetable and animal,-swarm with its peculiar inhabitants, invisible to the naked eye, but as perfect in all their parts, and enjoying life as indisputably, as the elephant or the whale.

But if, from the earth, and from these minute wonders, the philosophic eye is raised towards the heavens; what a stupendous scene there opens to its view! Those brilliant lights that sparkle to the eye of ignorance as gems adorning the sky, or as lamps to guide the traveller by night, assume an importance that amazes the understanding!-they appear to be worlds, formed like ours, for a variety of inhabitants, or suns, enlightening numberless other worlds too distant for our discovery!-I shall ever remember the astonishment and rapture with which my mind received this idea, when I was about your age: it was then perfectly new to me, and it is impossible to describe the sensations I felt from the glorious, boundless prospect of infinite beneficence bursting at once upon my imagination! Who can contemplate such a scene unmoved? If our curiosity is excited to enter upon this noble inquiry, a few books on the subject, and those of the easiest sort, with some of the common experiments, may be sufficient for your purpose,-which is, to enlarge your mind, and to excite in it the most ardent gratitude and profound adoration towards that great and good Being, who exerts his bound

less power in communicating various portions of happiness through all the immense regions of creation.

Moral philosophy, as it relates to human actions, is of still higher importance than the study of nature. The works of the ancients on this subject are universally said to be entertaining as well as instructive, by those who can read them in their original languages; and such of them as are well translated, will undoubtedly, some years hence, afford you great pleasure and improvement. You will also find many agreeable and useful books, written originally in French, and in English, on morals and manners: for the present, there are works, which, without assuming the solemn air of philosophy, will enlighten your mind on these subjects, and introduce instruction in an easier dress: of this sort are many of the moral essays that have appeared in periodical papers; which, when excellent in their kind,- as are the Spectators, Guardians, Ramblers, and Adventurers,—are particularly useful to young people, as they comprehend a great variety of subjects, introduce many ideas and observations that are new to them,-and lead to a habit of reflecting on the characters and events that come before them in real life, which I consider as the best exercise of the understand. ing.

Books on taste and criticism will hereafter be more proper for you than at present: whatever can improve your discernment, and render your taste elegant and just, must be of great consequence to your enjoyments, as well as to the embellishment of your understanding.

I would by no means exclude the kind of read, ing which young people are naturally most fond of; though I think the greatest care should be taken in

the choice of those fictitious stories that so enchant the mind;-most of which tend to inflame the passions of youth, whilst the chief purpose of education should be to moderate and restrain them. Add to this, that both the writing and sentiments of most novels and romances are such as are only proper to vitiate your style, and to mislead your heart and understanding. The expectation of extraordinary adventures, which seldom ever hap→ pen to the sober and prudent part of mankind, and the admiration of extravagant passions and absurd conduct, are some of the usual fruits of this kind of reasoning; which, when a young woman makes it her chief amusement, generally render her ridiculous in conversation, and miserably wrong-headed in her pursuits and behaviour. There are, however, works of this class, in which excellent morality is joined with the most lively pictures of the human mind, and with all that can entertain the imagination and interest the heart. But I must repeatedly exhort you, never to read any thing of the sentimental kind, without taking the judgment of your best friends in the choice; for I am persuaded, that the indiscriminate reading of such kind of books corrupts more female hearts than any other cause whatsoever.

Before I close this correspondence, I shall point out the course of history I wish you to pursue, and give you my thoughts of geography and chronology: some knowledge of both being, in my opi nion, necessary to the reading of history with any advantage. I am, my dearest Niece, your ever affectionate.

LETTER IX.

ON GEOGRAPHY AND CHRONOLOGY.

My dearest Niece,

I HAVE told you, that you will not be able to read History with much pleasure or advantage, without some little knowledge of Geography and Chronology. They are both very easily attained;-I mean in the degree that will be necessary for you. You must be sensible that you can know but little of a country, whose situation with respect to the rest of the world you are entirely ignorant of,— and that it is to little purpose that you are able to mention a fact, if you cannot nearly ascertain the time in which it happened; which alone, in many cases, gives importance to the fact itself.

In geography, the easiest of all sciences, and the best adapted to the capacity of children,—I suppose you to have made some beginning; to know at least the figure of the earth,-the suppos ed lines, the degrees, how to measure distances, -and a few of the common terms: if you do not already know these, two or three lessons will be sufficient to attain them; the rest is the work of . memory, and is easily gained by reading with maps; for I do not wish your knowledge to be exact and masterly, but such only as is necessary for the purpose of understanding history; and without which, even a newspaper would be unin telligible. It may be sufficient for this end, if, with respect to ancient geography, you have a general idea of the situation of all the great states, without being able precisely to ascertain their limits: but

in the modern, you ought to know the bounds and extent of every state in Europe, and its situation with respect to the rest. The other parts of the world will require less accurate knowledge, except with regard to the European settlements.

It may be an useful and agreeable method, when you learn the situation of any important country, to join with that knowledge some one or two leading facts or circumstances concerning it, so that its particular property may always put you in mind of the situation; and the situation, in like manner, recall the particular property.-When, for instance, you learn in what part of the globe to find Ethiopia, to be told at the same time, that in that vast unknown tract of country the Christian religion was once the religion of the state, would be of service because the geographical and historical knowledge would assist each other. Thus, to join with Egypt, the nurse and parent of arts and of superstition;-with Persia, shocking despotism, and perpetual revolutions-with ancient Greece, freedom and genius;-with Scythia, hardiness and conquest, are hints which you may make use of as you please. Perhaps annexing to any country the idea of some familiar form which it most resembles, may at first assist you to retain a general notion of it: thus Italy has been called a boot, and Europe compared to a woman sitting.

The difference of the ancient and modern names of places is somewhat perplexing; the most important should be known by both names at the same time, and you must endeavour to fix a few of those which are of most consequence so strongly in your mind, by thinking of them, and being often told of them, that the ancient name should always call up the modern one to your memory, and the modern the ancient: such as, the Ægean Sea, now