vity moved on, until, having completed his orbit, he coolly lifted the volume from the table, and deposited it in its place, leaving the astonished vice-provost convinced of the practicability of put ting up a book without a book.

While he was once examining a class of graduates, in the Hebrew Psalter, one of them, being insufficiently prepared, was prompted by his neighbour. It was the 114th psalm that he was endeavouring to translate, and he had got as far as "the mountains skipped like rams," when the professor perceived what was going forward, and interrupted the proceeding with the following most extraordinary adversative proposition:"Why-the-mountainsskipped-to-be-sure-but, sir you're promptin."

Not long before his death he put the question to Mr. who was sitting with him, which of the fellows would be sorryest for him, in the event of his dying? Mr. replied, that he, for one, would be sorry, and that he was confident the feeling would be general. "Aye,-but-who'll be-sorryest?-I'll-tell-you-who'll be-sorryest-It'll be Tom for-he'll-lose-nine-hundhert - guineas." To explain this, it may be necessary to mention, that the situation of senior lecturer for the ensuing year (the emoluments of which are estimated at about 1,000l.) would have reverted to Dr. had the vice-provost survived a few days longer. In consequence of his demise it devolves upon Dr. senior fellow.

the new

A cause of considerable importance to the university of Dublin was decided against the lord primate, on the evening of

last Thursday, a few hours after the death of Dr. Barrett. He was sitting in his arm chair, attended by his nurse and college-woman, and conversing with them on the subject of the law-suit, when the hand of death seized him. He hung down his head, and departed as composedly as Hervey. So little aware was he of the proximity of his decease, that he had, a short time before, ordered a beef-steak pye for dinner. His disease was a dropsy, and he died in the 69th year of his age.

He left the porter of the university a handsome bequest. This was a debt of gratitude. About ten or twelve years since, some workmen conspired to murder and rob the vice-provost, and had actually removed some slates from the roof of his building, in order to gain admission by night. The plot was detected and prevented by the activity of the head porter, who ever after watched over him with unremitted vigilance, and was, in fact, notwithstanding the difference of rank, his most confidential friend up to his last moments. The bulk of his property, amounting to something between eighty and a hundred thousand pounds, he has left, as he expresses it in his will," to feed the hungry, and clothe the naked."

The published works of Dr. Barrett are three in number:—

1. An Enquiry into the Origin of the Constellations that compose the Zodiac, and the Uses they were intended to promote.

2. An Essay on the Earlier Part of the Life of Swift.

3. Evangelium secundum Matthæum ex Codice Rescripto in Bibliothecâ Collegii SS Trini tatis Juxta Dublin.

Mrs. Elizabeth Inchbald was the daughter of Mr. Simpson, a respectable farmer at Staningfield, near Bury, Suffolk. She was born in 1756, and at an early age was remarkable for the beauty of her person, and a particular fondness for reading. Losing her father in her infancy, Miss Simpson was left under the care of her mother, who continued to occupy the farm. Her natural predilection for books soon induced her to form a romantic idea of visiting the metropolis, and finding that step discountenanced by her family, she eloped from them in Feb. 1772. After experiencing a variety of incidents, she attracted the notice of a performer of Drury-lane, who learning her situation, recommended her to the stage, and offered to instruct her, in spite of an impediment in her speech. She soon, however, ascertained that his designs were far from being honourable, and accordingly applied to the manager of the Bristol theatre. She next applied to Mr. Inchbald, with whom she had become acquainted, and who recommended her to a theatrical friend; her confidence in her new patron was however soon destroyed, and indignant at his dishonourable proposals, she hastened to Mr. Inchbald, who, endeavouring to soothe her sorrow, was married to her in a few days. Mr. Inchbald first introduced his wife on the stage at Edinburgh, where she continued four years. In consequence of the appearance of Mrs. Yates, she quitted Edinburgh for York; but her health declining, she and

her husband went to France, where she stayed about a year, and two years after her return to England in 1779, Mr. Inchbald died. She now returned to London, and continued to act four years at Covent-garden theatre. She next visited Dublin, on quitting which place she returned to Covent-garden theatre, where she continued to perform for some time, but retiring from the stage, she devoted her attention to dramatic writing, and in 1784, produced a farce called the Mogul Tale, the success of which induced her to go on, and she soon completed a comedy called "I'll tell You What," which ultimately met with great success. The tide of Mrs. Inchbald's fortune now began to turn; and in 1789, she quitted the stage, and afterwards depended on her literary labours, which being of the first order of merit, she became a great public favourite. Her successive works obtained great popularity, and many of them yielded considerable emolument. The following is a list nearly in the order of their publication:-Appearances Against Them - the Widow's Vow-Such Things Are-the Midnight Hour-All on a Summer's Day-Animal Magnetismthe Child of Nature-the Married Man the Hue and CryNext-door Neighbours-Young Men and Old Women-Every One has His Fault-the Wedding Day-Wives as they were, and Maids as they are-Lover's Vows, altered from Kotzebue-Wise Man of the East-and, To Marry or Not to Marry, all of which appeared between 1785 and 1805.

In the year 1806 she was engaged to edit a new edition of the British Theatre, with biographical and critical remarks. This was followed by a collection of farces on the same plan, and the Modern Theatre in ten volumes. Mrs. Inchbald was also no less successful in novel writing than in her dramatic compositions. Her Simple Story" is characterized by its touches of nature, and spirit of its language and incidents, in which some of the leading circumstances of her life are supposed to be delineated. She afterwards published a novel called "Nature and Art," equally remarkable for the spirit of its composition, but more particularly distinguished for its display, in her own elegant manner, of the principles of civil liberty. Of her conduct through the world, as a woman of honour and correct principles, there is but one opinion among all who knew her. Her manners were artless and fascinating, and she was received

in the best circles of society. In her theatrical engagements she maintained an unblemished character. Her acquaintance, highly esteemed her worth, and her connexion with Mrs. Siddons and lady Derby strengthened into friendship. A short time previous to her death, she delivered to an intimate female friend the only copy she had ever made of her diary, with an injunction that it should be destroyed. It was represented to her that a compliance with this request would be an injustice to her literary fame; but with delicacy she observed, that what she had written, might, if published, hurt the feelings of those who survived her, she therefore insisted on making the sacrifice, and the work was accordingly destroyed. Her remains were deposited in Kensington churchyard, agreeably to her request in her will, by which she bequeathed a respectable property to Coventgarden fund and her friends.

THE

HE first of the two attempts was undertaken on August 3, the anniversary of the ascent of M. de Saussure. Dr. Hamel, in passing by the baths of St. Gervais, heard that two persons of the country had reached the summit of Mont Blanc, and descended the same day at Prarion, whence they had set out. This report made Dr. Hamel desirous of attempting this new route, which, according to the account given of it, was less difficult, and dangerous, and much shorter, than that by Chamouny, which, since Saussure's time, had always been followed.

It appears, that the same persons, who had already ascended by this route, proposed again to undertake it, in order to remove some doubts which had been entertained at Chamouny with respect to the practicability of the journey. With these persons and the curates of St. Gervais, and St. Nicolas de Verosse,

the attempt was made by Dr. Hamel.

In order to insure success, it was proposed to effect the ascent in two days, passing the night near la Pierre Ronde, the name given to some rocks situated beneath L'Aiguille du Gouté, and at half-past seven, the travellers halted to pass the night, sheltered by the rocks, and not far from a torrent coming from the Glacier de Bionnassay.

The night was beautiful, and at half-past two in the morning, the journey was resumed by moon-light, and at 22 minutes after five o'clock, the travellers reached the base of the Aiguille du Gouté; and after about three hours of very difficult ascent among loose stones, the summit of the Aiguille was attained at 50 minutes after eight; the height of which is upwards of 12,000 feet. After taking rest, and adopting precautions against the cold, and the rays of the sun

reflected by the snow, they set off at a quarter past nine towards the Dôme du Gouté, and arrived at the summit at half-past 11.

The height of this is 13,300 feet, and Dr. Hamel could advance but few steps without waiting to take breath, on account of the rarity of the air; and finding, from the state of cxhaustion he was in, that he must have staid at least half an hour before he could resume his journey towards the summit of Mont Blanc, and calculating that it would be impossible to come back to the Aiguille du Gouté before night, he resolved to return by the route by which he had ascended, without attaining his object. The descent is represented as more difficult and dangerous even than the ascent, but it was safely performed, and the party arrived at about nine at night at an inn called Pavillon de Bellevue, situate on the Montagne de la Chaletta between Mont Lacha and Mont Prarion.

Dr. Hamel's account of his second journey, which was attended with great danger to the whole party, and proved fatal to some of the guides, is the following:

"In looking over M. de Saus sure's work, I found that he had tried this same route; but the dangers which he encountered in the ridges of l'Aiguille du Gouté prevented him from proceeding further: he did not even arrive at its summit.

"This induced me to believe that the route by Chamouny, by which he afterwards ascended, must be at least as convenient; and I wished to meet with an opportunity of trying it, so that I might decide which of the two routes was preferable.

"Soon afterwards, I learned that some persons at Geneva were also desirous of ascending Mont Blanc: one of them was M. Selligue, a mineralogist and mechanical artist. He informed me that he had invented a barometer upon an entirely new principle, which he wished to try on these mountains.

"As the claim of Mont Blanc to be considered the highest mountain of Europe has been lately disputed, and as no travellers who have ascended it since M. de Saussure have taken the trouble to measure it again, I wished to determine its height, with the assistance of several barometers. Prof. de Saussure had the goodness to lend me an excellent walking-stick barometer, made at Turin. The reservoir for the mercury is a glass cylinder, and the level is regulated by a screw and piston. M. Selligue constructed a syphon barometer; and in case these two barometers should be deranged in ascending, I filled with mercury, two glass tubes 18 or 20 inches in length, and bent at one end like a syphon. The mercury having been boiled, I closed the opening, so that no variation in the volume of the mercury might cause air to enter the longer leg of the syphon. On arriving at any height, I had only to remove the cork, and allow part of the mercury to come out, and then to measure the height of the column standing in the tube. I had thus four barometrical instruments to measure the height of the summit.

"In my first ascent I was surprised at the action which the sun's rays had upon the skin; and I intended to make some experiments on the power of these