honour to our national character as a wise, humane, and understanding people. Mr. Raikes could not but have found, from painful experience, what up-hill work he was engaged in, while he was endeavouring to humanize those dispositions which had been long inured to habits of uncontrouled ferocity and self-will. He could not but have observed the slowness and dulness of scholars unhabituated to any application of the mind, except to mischief, and must needs have seen with concern how very unsusceptible even such as were willing to learn were of literary, moral, or religious instruction. He could not but have frequently reflected, in his intercourse with those wretched delinquents, on the profound ignorance in which they had grown up to maturity, in an utter contempt of the wholesome restraints, and a professed disregard of the sacred duties, of religion. The return of every Sabbath, which gave liberty to the lower classes of the people to shew themselves, exhibited to his view multitudes of the rising generation of the poor, pursuing, as he conceived, precisely the same plan which had been so unfortunately adopted by those already mentioned within the walls of the prison. The streets were full of noise and disturbance every Sunday; the churches were totally unfrequented by the poorer sort of children, and very ill-attended by their parents; they were no where to be seen employed as they ought to be. Had they been disposed to learn, or attend to any thing that was good, their parents were neither willing nor able to teach or to direct them; they were, therefore, a perpetual nuisance to the sober part of the community. They were riotous, impudent, and regardless of all authority whatsoever; in their mode of behaviour, disrespectful in the extreme, and frequently detected in such petty offences, as plainly indicated that they were in the high road to perdition unless something could be done to rescue them. It occurred to him, and to a worthy clergyman (Mr. Stock) to whom he complained of the dissolute state of those poor children, that infinite would be the benefit, as well to the community as to themselves, if any method could be contrived of laying them under some proper restraint, and instilling some good principles into their minds. The foundation, they well knew, must be laid in the fear and love of God, in a reverence for the duties of religion, and for all things relating to the divine honour and service. Mr. Raikes soon began to make known his intentions to the parents, and, without much difficulty, obtained their consent, that their children should meet him at the early service performed in the cathedral on a Sunday morning. The numbers at first were small; but their increase was rapid. The gentleness of his behaviour towards them, the allowance they found him disposed to make for their former misbehaviour, which was merely from a want of better information, the amiable picture which he drew for them, when he represented kindness and benevolence to each other as the source of real happiness; and wickedness, malice, hatred, and ill-will, as the cause of all the misery in the world; the interest which they soon discovered him to have in their welfare, which appeared in his minute inquiries into their conduct, their attainments, their situation, and every particular of their lives; all these circumstances soon induced them to fly with eagerness to receive the commands, and be edified by the instruction, of their best friend. Mr. Raikes very soon saw himself surrounded with such a set of little raggamuf fins as would have disgusted other men, less zealous to do good, and less earnest to disseminate comfort, exhortation, and benefit, to all around him, than the founder of Sunday Schools. The children now began to look up to him with such a mixture of respect and affection as endeared them to him, and interested him still more and more in their wel fare. At first they were, as it may be supposed, utter strangers to the common forms of public worship, and it required some time to drill them to a decent observance even of the outward ceremonies of religion; I mean, to teach them to kneel, stand, and sit down, in the different parts of the service. But they had their eyes fixed on their com mander in chief; and they borrowed every motion from him before they could be made acquainted with the reason of it. But it was by no means his desire or intention that their observances of the Sabbath should end here. To prevent their running about in wild disorder through the streets during the rest of the day, was the great object which he had in view; and to place them under the care of proper persons, to instruct them in their Christian duty, was the prevailing object of his wishes. But how to effect this, and whence the resources were to `arise, hic labor, hoc opus. He lost no time in communicating his ideas to those of his friends who were as sensible of the need of some reform in this respect as himself, and a sufficient sum of money was speedily raised to procure masters and mistresses for a large number of children of both sexes, to be educated in the principles of Christianity. The city of Gloucester soon began to wear a very different aspect on the Lord's day.— Instead of noise and riot, all was tranquillity and peace; instead of quarrelling and fighting, as heretofore, all was concord and harmony; instead of lying, swearing, and all kinds of profligacy, the children gradually imbibed principles of honesty and truth, of modesty and humility. Instead of loitering about the streets in a state of indolence, as painful to the observer as it was mischievous to themselves, they were now seen, in decent regularity, frequenting the places of public worship, evidently much happier in themselves than in their former state of irreligious idle ness. The labours of the teachers have been much assisted, and their success has been promoted, by the unwearied attention of Mr. Raikes to these children on every Sunday morning. When the early service is ended, it has been his constant practice to inquire minutely into their conduct, and even to inspect their persons, to reprove such as come dirty and slovenly, and to commend those who are neat and decent, however homely in their apparel. The distribution of little rewards, and the slightest expression of displeasure, from the man they love, have each its proper effect; and even the external appearance of these children demonstrates their advancement not less in civilization than morality. It is needless to observe how happily Mr. Raikes's ideas have met the public approbation, and how generally his excellent plan has been adopted and encouraged. Some few persons have looked upon it with coldness and disregard ; still fewer have ventured to oppose and object to it. The former, we venture to pronounce, have misconceived the nature and design of the institution; the latter are advocates for a slavish subjection in the poor, which they know will be best favoured by keeping them in a state of abject ignorance. I will not go so far as to suppose any one, that calls himself a Christian, capable of envying the advancement of religion, which certainly may be expected from these endeavours to instruct the children of the poor. It is now a period of four years since this institution was first set on foot; and this grain of mustard-seed is now grown to such an incredible extent, that, under its shadow, not fewer than 250,000 of our poor fellow Christians are sheltered and protected. From this spark, excited by the zeal, and supported by the indefatigable attention, of a worthy indi vidual, such a flame of piety and charity has been kindled, as diffuses its brightness through our own and a neighbouring kingdom, and is even about to extend itself to our set-. tlements in distant countries, comprehending all descriptions of the poor, and affording a most delightful prospect, to every serious mind, of a national reformation of manners among the lowest orders of the people. 1788, Jan. XLV. Anecdotes of ALEXANder Selkirk. MR. URBAN, Feb. 6. I HAVE been your constant reader about forty years, and now commence a correspondent. If you think the contents of this letter worth inserting, I may, perhaps, take the liberty of addressing you again upon such topics as may fall in my way. I am now induced to do it by a letter, signed a Šubscriber, in your Supplement, respecting Defoe's transactions with Alexander Selkirk, of whom, though little is there said, yet it is so vague and inaccurate, as to make me suspect that the circumstances of his singular adventure are much less known than is usually supposed. What strengthens this suspicion is, that, a short time since, an im-' pudent attempt was made, in a respectable Evening Paper,* to impose upon the public an ode, written by the ingenious Mr. Cowper, as an original composition of Selkirk during his solitude. The person who attempted this literary cheat prefixed a short account of Selkirk, containing almost as many errors as lines. This is not wonderful; those who attempt to deceive are generally ignorant. The imposition was immediately detected, and properly exposed, but no notice taken of the mistakes in matter of fact. As this man's adventure was very remarkable and uncommon, I have thought it worth while to extract the following summary of it from those original narratives which still exist, and some of which are only to be found in books not very commonly to be met with. I beg leave to refer such of your readers, as may wish to consult them, to Funnell's "Voyage round the World," Woodes Rogers' "Voyage round the World," Edward Cooke's " Journal of Rogers' Voyage," and to No. * See a letter dated Edinburgh, in the St. James's Chronicle. VOL. IV. P XXVI of "The Englishman," by Sir Richard Steele. Alex. Selkirk was born at Largo, in the county of Fife, about the year 1676, and was bred a seaman. He went from England, in 1703, in the capacity of sailing-master of a small vessel called The Cinque Ports Galley, Charles Pickering, captain, burthen about ninety tons, with sixteen guns and sixty-three men; and in September, the same year, sailed from Cork, in company with another ship, of twenty-six guns and one hundred and twenty men, called the Saint George, commanded by that famous navigator, William Dampier, intending to cruise on the Spaniards in the South Sea. On the coast of Brazil Pickering died, and was succeeded in his command by his lieutenant, Thos. Stradling. They proceeded on their voyage round Cape Horn, to the island of Juan Fernandez, whence they were driven by the appearance of two French ships, of thirty-six guns each, and left five of Stradling's men there on shore, who were taken off by the French. Hence they sailed to the coast of America, where Dampier and Stradling quarrelled, and separated by agreement, on the 19th of May, 1704. In September following, Stradling came again to the island of Juan Fernandez, where Selkirk and his captain had a difference, which, with the circumstance of the ship's being very leaky, and in bad condition, induced him to determine on staying there alone; but when his companions were about to depart, his resolution was shaken, and he desired to be taken on board again. Happily for him, the captain then refused to admit him, and he was obliged to remain, having nothing but his clothes, bedding, a gun, and a small quantity of powder and ball; a hatchet, knife, and kettle; his books, and mathematical and nautical instruments. He kept up his spirits tolerably, till he saw the vessel put off, when (as he afterwards related) his heart yearned within him, and melted at parting with his comrades and all human society at once. Yet believe me, Arcas; THOMSON'S AGAMEMNON, The Cinque Ports was run on shore a few months after wards; the captain and crew, to save their lives, surren⚫ dered themselves prisoners to the Spaniards, who treated them |