loofe, tedious, and full of repetition, flavery, he was purchased by a mu latto trader of Grenada, and brought to England, which was beginning to be agitated by the question concerning the abolition of the flave trade. But, as this merely mercantile fpeculation disappointed the projector, he was taking measures to convey the unfortunate African prince back to the Weft Indies, when the defign was difcovered by Wadftrom, who redeemed him at his own coff. The young man was placed in an academy at Mitcham in Surry, to be inftructed in the rudiments of Christianity, and fuch branches of education as he could comprehend, and was baptiz ed, Dec. 25, 1788. He continued at Mitcham two years and a half, but died of a confumption in Oct. 1790, about the age of 19 or 20 years.

his reflections are often original, but the relations of his ideas are feldom accurately defined. Yet Wadftrom, in contributing to the emancipation of the Negroes, was likewife the benefactor of the Europeans: "for," aa Helen Maria Williams remarks in her eloge," the dignity of human nature, violated in the perfon of the "flave, is avenged by the confequent "depravity of his mafter. Even the "fofter fex, who feem born to foothe " with fympathizing tears, the mi"feries of humanity, in thofe regions, "where flavery prevails, difplay the "monftrous contraft of weakness and ferocity, of voluptuous indolence " and active cruelty, of a frame en"ervated by the refinements of lux"ury, and a heart hardened by fa"miliarity with crimes." This account of Wadstrom may be properly clofed, with the following inftance of his active benevolence. A fon of the king of Mefurado had been basely decoyed from his father by an Englih veffel, and carried firit to Sierra Leona, and afterwards to the Welt Indies. Upon being recognized by his countrymen and companions in

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He was obedient and docile, though not endowed with extraordinary powers, fond of agriculture, and a moderate proficient in reading and writing. Though acquainted with European customs, he retained an invincible propenfity for thofe fimple manners to which he had been ac customed in his native country.

ACCOUNT OF THE SECOND SIGHT.

HE fecond fight, in the Erfe, called Taifch, is a mode of feeing fuper-added to that which nature generally beltows. This gift of faculty, which is neither voluntary nor conftant, is in general rather troublefame than agreeable to the poffeffors of it, who are chiefly found among the inhabitants of the highlands of Scotland, thofe of the Western ifles, of the Iffe of Man, and of Ireland. It is an impreffion made either by the mind upon the eye, or by the eye upon the mind, by which things diftant or future are perceived, and fees, as if they were prefent. A man on a journey, far from home, falls from his horfe; another, who is, perhaps, Ed. Mag. Jan. 1850.

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at work about the house, fees him bleeding on the ground, commonly with a landscape of the place where the accident befalls him. Another feer, driving home his cattle, or wandering in idleness, or mufing in the funfhine, is fuddenly furprifed by the appearance of a bridal ceremony, or funeral proceffion, and counts the mourners or attendants, of whom, if he knows them, he relates the names; if he knows them not, he can defcribe the dreffes. Things diftant are feen at the inftant when they happen.

Of things future, Johnfon fays that he knows no rule pretended to, for determining the time between the

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fight and the event; but we are in formed by Mr Grofe, that in gen neral the time of accomplishment bears fome relation to the time of the day in which the impreffions are received. Thus vifions feen early in the morning (which seldom happen) will be much fooner accomplished than those occurring at noon; and thofe feen at noon will take place in a much shorter time than those happening at night: fometimes the ac complishment of the laft does not fall out within a year or more.

bours of agriculture; the mournful dafhing of waves along the friths and lakes that interfect the country; the portentous noifes which every change of the wind and every in creafed diminution of the waters, is apt to raise in a lonely region, full of rocks and caverns; the grotesque and ghaftly appearance of such a landscape by the light of the moon : objects like thefe, diffufe a gloom over the fancy, which may be compatible enough with occafional and fócial merriment, but cannot fail to tincture the thoughts of a native in the hour of filence and folitude If thefe people, notwithstanding their reformation in religion, and more frequent intercourfe with ftrangers, do ttill retain many of their old fuperftitions, we need not doubt, but in former times they must have been much more enflaved to the horrors of imagination, when befet with the bugbears of popery and paganifm. Moft of their fuperftitions are of a melancholy caft. That of fecond fight, by which fome are still fuppofed to be haunted, is confidered by them. felves as a misfortune, on account of the many dreadful images it is faid to obtrude upon the fancy. It is faid, that fome of the Alpine regions do likewife lay claim to a fort of fe cond fight. Nor is it wonderful, that perfons of a lively imagination, im-. mured in deep folitude, and surround. ed with the ftupendous scenery of clouds, précipices, and torrents, fhould dream, (even when they think, By Dr Beattie, it is thus account themfelves awake) of thofe few flriked for: The Highlands of Scotland ing ideas with which their lonely lives are a picturefque, but a melancholy are diverfified: of corples, funeral Dountry. Long tracts of mountain proceffions, and other fubjects of terous defert, covered with dark heath, ror; or of marriages, and the and often obfcured by mifty weather; rival of ftrangers, and fuch like matnarrow valleys, thinly inhabited, and ters of more agreeable curiofity.. bounded by precipices, refounding Let it be obferved allo, th that the with the fall of torrents; a foil fo, ancient Highlanders of Scotland had, rugged, and a climate fo dreary, as hardly any other way of fupporting in many parts to admit neither the, themfelves than by hunting, fishing, amufements of pafturuge nor the law or war: profeffions, that are continu

Thefe vifions are not confined to folemn or important events; nor is it true, as is commonly reported, that to the fecond fight nothing is prefented but phantoms of evil. The future vifit of a mountebank, or piper; a plentiful draught of fish; the arrival of common travellers; or, if poffible, still more trifling matters than these, are forefeen by the feers. A gentleman told Dr Johnfon, that when he had once gone far from his own island, one of his own fervants predicted his return, and defcribed the livery of his attendant, which he had never worn at home; and which had been, without any previous defign, occafionally given him. As many men, eminent for science and literature, have admitted the reality of this apparently ufelefs gift, we hall, without interpofing our own opinion, give the reflections of two of the first characters of the age upon it, and leave our readers to form their own judgment."

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A fufficient evidence can hardly be found for the reality of the fecond fight, or at least of what is common ly understood by that term. A treatife on the fubject was published in the year 1762, in which many tales were told of perfons whom the au thor believed to have been favoured, or haunted, with these illuminations: but most of the tales were trifling and ridiculous: and the whole work betrayed, on the part of the compiler, fuch extreme credulity, as could not fail to prejudice many readers a gainst his fyftem.

ally expofed to fatal accidents. back. Add but a lively dream to And hence, no doubt, additional hor this flumber, and (which is the fre rors would often haunt their folitude, quent effect of disease) take away the and a deeper gloom overshadow the confciousness of having been asleep, imagination even of the hardieft na- and a fuperftitious man may easily tive. Patak 3 miltake his dream for a waking vifion; which, however, is foon forgotten, when no subsequent occurrence recalls it to his memory; but which, if it fhall be thought to refemble any future event, exalts the poor dreamer into a Highland prophet. This conceit makes him more reclufe and more melancholy than ever; and fo feeds his difeafe and multiplies his vifions: which, if they are not diffipated by bufinefs or fociety, may continue to haunt him as long as he lives; and which in their progrefs through the neighbourhood, receive fome new tinctures of the marvellous from every mouth that promotes their circulation As to the prophetical nature of this fecond fight, it cannot be admitted at all. That the Deity fhould work a miracle in order to give intimation of the frivolous things that thefe tales are made up of, the arrival of a ftranger, the nailing of a coffin, or the colour of a fuit of clothes; and that thefe intimations should be given forno end, and to thofe perfons only who are idle and folitary, who speak Gaelic, or who live among mountains and deferts, is like nothing in nature, or providence, that we are acquainted with: and must therefore, unlefs it were confirm. ed by fatisfactory proof, (which is not the cafe) be rejected as abfurd

That any of thefe vifionaries are apt to be fwayed in their declarations by finister views, we will not fay; but this may be faid with confidence, that none but ignorant people pretend to be gifted in this way. And in them, it may be nothing more, perhaps, than fhort fits of fudden fleep or drowfinefs, attended with lively dreams, and arifing from fome bodily diforder, the effect of idleness, low fpirits, or a gloomy imagination. For it is admitted, even by the most credulous Highlanders, that as knowledge and induftry are propagated in their country, the fecond fight difappears in proportion: and nobody ever laid claim to the faculty who was much employed in the intercourse of focial life. Nor is it at all extra-and incredible. ordinary, that one fhould have the 3 Thefe vifions, fuch as they are, appearance of being awake, and may reafonably enough be afcribed fhould even think one's felf fo, during to a diftempered fancy. And that thefe fits of dofing that they fhould in them, as well as in our ordinary come on fuddenly, and while one is dreams, certain appearances fhould, engaged in fome bufinets. The fame on fome rare occafions, resemble eerthing happens to perfons much fa tain events, is to be expected from tigued, or long kept awake, who fre the laws of chance; and feems to quently fall afleep for a moment, t, or have in it nothing more marvellous, for a long fpace, while they are ftand-or fupernatural, than that the parrot, ing, or walking, or riding on horfe- who deals out his fcurrilities at ran

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dom.

ANECDOTES OF THE ABBE SIEYES AND THE CARDINAL DE ROHAN.

From Bertrand de Moleville's Annals of the French Revolution.