inclosed with a hedge, and the flock of fheep, appeared exactly as they had done in my dream. The most interefting part was wanting, till I faw the miller, his wife, and two children, come out of the little new manfion! Who can conceive the transports of my joy! I threw myself at my father's feet, and embraced his knees with a tenderness that affected every body. My father raised me with a fmile. "It is the miller's wife," faid he, "whom you ought to embrace."-- I flew to her arms, and found the expreffion of her gratitude equal to that of my joy. We went into the house, where nothing that is necessary to ruftic enjoyment was wanting, My father had provided every thing. Our good old vicar, with his filver locks, loaded him with benedictions; while our friends, as much affected as myself, could not forbear admiring the ingenuity of his benevolence. you wonde r 'Do know what you at?' faid he, as we were going away ♪ The moft fimple, and least expensive thing imaginable. This cafcade, as my daughter dreamed very properly, lavifhed its water without reafon or object. I have turned it to fome use. The mill it works is convenient for the whole neighbourhood; it enriches thefe good people; I discharge a debt to them; it is an improvement to my park; prefents a living picture to the eye, and augments my income. may now extol, as much as you please, the nobleness of this action. Believe me, my friends, the greatest charm the country can boaft, and what contributes the most to make me fond of it, is the facility of doing a great deal of good at a small expence.' * * You * The fourth Story being agreeably connected with this, we shall give it in our next Number. An Account of the laft Illness of the late JOHN HOWARD, Efq. [From Dr. Aikin's View of his Character and Public Services. ] FROM the faithful and intelligent fervant who accompanied him (Mr. Thomas Thomason). I have been favoured with an account of various particulars relative to his laft illness, which I fhall give to the reader in the form in which I received it. The winter being far advanced on the taking of Bender, the commander of the Ruffian army at that place gave permiffion to many of the officers to visit their friends at Cherfon, as the feverity of the feafon would not admit of a continuance of hoftilities against the Turks. Cherfon, in confequence, became much crowded; and the inhabitants teftified their joy for the fuccefs of the Ruflians by balls and masquerades. Several of the officers, of the inhabitants of Cherfon, and of the gentry in the neighbourhood, who attended thefe balls, were almoft immediately after ward attacked with fevers; and it was Mr. Howard's idea, that the infection had been brought by the officers from Bender. Among the number, who caught this contagion was a young lady who refided about fixteen miles from Cherfon. When fhe had been ill fome little time, Mr. Howard was earnefly requefted to vifit her. He faw her firft on Sunday, December 27. He vifited her again in the middle of the week, and a third time on the Sunday following, January 3. On that day he found her fweating very profufely; and, being unwilling to check this by uncovering her arm, he paffed his under the bed clothes to feel her pulfe. While he was doing this, the effluvia from her body were very offenfive to him, and it was always his own opinion that he then caught the fever. She died on the following day. Mr. Howard was much affected by her death, as he had flat D tered tered himself with hopes of her amend- During his illness he received a letter from a friend, who mentioned having lately seen his fon at Leicester, and expreffed his hopes that Mr. Howard would find him better on his return to England. When this account was read to him, it affected him much. His expreffions of pleafure were particularly strong, and he often defired his fervant, if ever by the bleffing of God, his fon was reftored, to tell him how much he prayed for his happiness. He made a will on the Thursday before he died; and was buried, at his own requeft, at the villa of M. Dauphiné, about eight miles from Cherfon, where a monument is erected over his grave. He made the observation, that he fhould here be at the fame distance from heaven, as if brought back to England. While in Cherfon, he faw the accounts of the demolition of the Baftile, which feemed to afford him a very particular pleasure; and he thought it poffible, the account he had himself published of it, might have contributed to this event. On this relation, the general exactness of which may, I doubt not, be fully relied on, I fhall only make a medical remark or two. Notwithstanding Mr. Howard's conviction of having caught the contagion from the young lady, I think the diftance of time between his last visit to her and his own feizure, makes the fact dubious. Contagion thus fenfibly received, ufually, I believe, operates in a lefs period than five days I. Perhaps his vifit to the hofpitals on the 6th, on his late return from the admiral's on the 8th, in a cold season and unwholesome climate, will better account for it. The nature of his complaint is not very clear, for it is very uncommon for the fenfes to remain entire till the laft, in a fever of *There feems fome mistake here, as there is a full report in his memorandums, of a vifit to the hofpitals in Cherfon, dated January 6. This mult probably have been only fome directions to his executors, as his will is dated in 1787. According to Dr. Lind, its effects, fhivering and fickness, are inftantaneous See Diflertation on Fevers and Infection. Chap. ii. fect. 1. the the low or putrid kind; nor are fits, refembling epileptic attacks, among the ufual fymptoms of fuch a disease. That a wandering gout might make part of his indifpofition, is not very improbable, as it was a diforder to which he was conftitutionally liable, though his mode of living prevented any fevere paroxyfms of it. At any rate, his disease was certainly attend AT ed with debility of the vital powers, SUMMARY of Mr. HowAR D's CHARACTER. T the conclufion of a very interefting view of the public fervices of Mr. Howard, which would alone be fufficient to imprefs every reader with a just idea of the character of this excellent man, Dr. Aikin adds: . Having thus traced the footsteps of this great philanthropist from the cradle to the grave, and followed them with close inspection in that part of his course which comprehends his more public life, it only remains, to affemble those features of character which have been displayed in his actions, and to form them, in conjunction with fuch minuter strokes as flu dious obfervation may have enabled me to draw, into a faithful portraiture of the man. The first thing that ftruck an obferver on acquaintance with Mr. Howard, was a stamp of extraordinary vigour and energy on all his movements and expreffions. An eye lively and penetrating, ftrong and prominent features, quick gait, and animated geftures, gave promife of ardour in forming, and vivacity in executing his defigns. At no time of his life, I believe, was he without fome object of warm purfuit; and in every thing he purfued, he was indefatigable in aiming at perfection. Give him a hint of any thing he had left fhort, or any new acquifition to be made, and while you might fuppofe he was deliberating about it, you were furprised with finding it was done. Not Cæfar himself could better exemplify the poet's Nil actum credens, dum quid fupereffet agendum. I remember that, having accidentally remarked to him that among the London prifons he had omitted the Tower, he was fo ftruck with the deficiency (though of trifling confequence, fince confinement there is fo rare) that at his very first leisure he ran to London, and fupplied it. Nor was it only during a fhort period of ardour that his exertions were thus awakened. He had the ftill rarer quality of being able, for any length of time, to bend all the powers and faculties of his mind to one point, unfeduced by every allurement, which curiofity or any other affection might throw in his way, and unfufceptible of that fatiety and difguft which are fo apt to fteal upon a protracted purfuit. Though by his carly travels he had fhewn himself not indifferent to thofe objects of taste and information which trike the cultivated mind in a foreign country, yet in the tours exprefsly made for the purpose of examining prifons and hofpitals, he appears to have had eyes and ears for nothing else; at least he suffered no other object to detain him or draw him afide. Impreffed with the idea * He mentioned being orce prevailed upon in Italy, to go and hear fome extraordirarily fine mufic; but, finding his thoughts too much occupied by it, he would never 1 cat the indulgence, D 2 of 1 of the importance of his defigns, and the uncertainty of human life, he was impatient to get as much done as poffible within the allotted limits. And in this difpofition confifted that enthufiafin by which the public fuppofed him actuated; for otherwife, his cool and steady temper gave no idea of the character ufually diftinguished by that appellation. He followed his plans, indeed, with wonderful vigour and conftancy, but by no means with that heat and eagernefs, that inflamed and exalted imagination, which denote the enthufiaft. Hence, he was not Jiable to catch at partial reprefentations, to view facts through fallacious mediums, and to fall into thofe miftakes which are fo frequent in the refearches of the man of fancy and warm feeling. Some perfons, who only knew him by his extraordinary actions, were ready enough to beflow upon him that fneer of contempt, which men of cold hearts and felfith difpofitions are fo apt to apply to whatever has the fhew of high fenfibility. While others, who had a flight acquaintance with him, and faw occafional features of phlegm, and perhaps harthnefs, were dispofed to queftion his feeling altogether, and to attribute his exertions either merely to a fenfe of duty, or to habit and humour. But both thefe were erroneous conclufions. He felt as a man fhould feel; but not fo as to millead him, either in the eftimate he formed of objects of utility, or in his reafonings concerning the means by which they were to be brought into effect. The reformation of abufes, and the relief of mifery, were the two great purpofes which he kept in view in all his undertakings; and I have equally feen the tear of fenfibility fart into his eyes on recalling fome of the diftrefsful fcenes to which he had been witnefs, and the spirit of indignation flash from them on relating inftances of bafenefs and oppreffion. Still, however, his conftancy of mind and felf-collection never deierted him. rie I was never agitated, never off his guard; and the unspeakable advantages of fuch a temper in the fcenes in which he was engaged, need not be dwelt upon. Nor His whole courfe of action was fuch a trial of intrepidity and fortitude, that it may feem altogether fuperfluous to fpeak of his poffeffion of these qualities. He had them, indeed, both from nature and principle. His nerves were firm; and his conviction of marching in the path of duty made him fearlefs of confequences. was it only on great occafions that this ftrength of mind was shown. It raifed him above falfe fhame, and that awe which makes a coward of many a brave man in the prefence of a superior. No one ever lefs feared the face of man,' than he. No one hefitated lefs in fpeaking bold truths, or avowing obnoxious opinions. His courage was equally paffive and active. He was prepared to make every facrifice that a regard to ftrict veracity, or rigorous duty, could enjoin; and it cannot be doubted, that, had he lived in an age when afferting his civil and religious rights would have fubjected him to martyrdom, not a more willing martyr would ever have afcended the fcaffold, or embraced the take. The refolute temper of Mr. Howard difplayed itfelf in a certain peremptorinefs, which, when he had once determined, rendered him unyielding to perfuafion or diffuafion, and urged him on to the accomplithment of his purpofe, regardless of obftacles. He expected prompt obedience in thofe from whom he had a right to require it, and was not a man to be treated with negligence and inattention. He was, however, extremely confiderate, and fufficiently indulgent to human frailties; and a good-will to please him could scarcely fail of its effect. That his commands were reafonable, and his expectations mederate, may be inferred from the long continuance of molt of his fer vants vants with him, and his fteady attachment to many of those whom he employed. His means of enforcing compliance were chiefly rewards; and the withholding them was his method of fhowing displeasure *. The fpirit of independence by which he was ever distinguished, had in him the only foundation to be relied on, moderate defires. Perfectly contented with the competence which Providence had bestowed on him, he never had a thought of increafing it; and, even when in a fituation to expect a family, he made it a rule with himself to lay up no part of his annual income, but to expend in fome useful or benevolent scheme the fuperfluity of the year. Left this fhould be converted into a charge of careleffnefs in providing for his own, it may be proper to mention, that he had the beftgrounded expectations, that any children he might have, would largely partake of the wealth of their relations. Thus he preferved his heart from that contamination, which (taking in the whole of life) is perhaps the disease moft frequently attendant on a state of profperity, the luft of growing rich; a paffion, which is too often found to fwallow up liberality, public fpirit, and, at laft, that independency, which it is the best use of wealth to fecure. By this temper of mind he was elevated to an immeafurable diftance above every thing mean and fordid; and in all his tranfactions he displayed a spirit of honour and generofity, that might become the blood of the Howards' when flowing in its noblest channels. Had Mr. Howard been lefs provided with the goods of fortune, his independency would have found a refource in the fewness of his wants ;' and it was an ineftimable advantage which he brought to his great work, an advantage perhaps more uncommon in this country than any of those already mentioned, that he poffeffed a command over all corporeal appetites and habitudes, not lefs perfect than that of any ancient philofopher, or modern afcetic. The ftrict regimen of diet which he had adopted early in life from motives of health, he afterward perfevered in through choice, and even extended its rigour, fo as to reject all thofe indulgences which even the most temperate confider as neceffary for the preservation of their *The following characteriftic anecdote was communicated to me by a gentleman who travelled in a chaife with him from Lancashire to London in 1777. Mr. Howard obferved, that he had found few things more difficult to manage than poft-chaife drivers, who would feldom comply with his wifhes of going flow or faft, till he adopted the following method. At the end of a stage, when the driver had been perverfe, he defired the landlord to fend for fome poor induftrious widow, or other proper object of charity, and to introduce fuch perfon and the driver together. He then paid the latter his fare, and told him, that as he had not thought proper to attend to his repeated requefts as to the manner of being driven, he should not make him any prefent; but, to fhow him that he did not withhold it out of a principle of parfimony, he would give the poor perfon prefent double the fum ufually given to a poftillion. This he did, and difmiffed the parties. He had not long practifed this mode, he faid, before he experienced the good effects of it on all the roads where he was known. A more extraordinary inftance of his determined spirit has been related to me. Travelling once in the king of Pruffia's dominions, he came to a very narrow piece of road, admitting only one carriage, where it was enjoined on all poftillions entering at each end, to blow their horns by way of notice. His did fo; but, after proceeding a good way, they met a courier travelling on the king's bufinefs, who had neglected this precaution. The courier ordered Mr. Howard's poftillion to turn back; but Mr. Howard remonftrated, that he had complied with the rule, while the other had violated it; and therefore that he fhould infift on going forward. The courier, relying on an authority, to which, in that country, every thing must give way, made ufe of high words, but in vain. As neither was difpofed to yield, they fat till a long time in their respective carriages: at length the courier gave up the point to the turdy Englishman, who would on no account renounce his rights." ftrength |