our extenfive Province, on foils different from each other, will be beft able to determine. The writer of the above cannot clofe the fubject without obferving, that the Aurora Borealis, which by fome is esteemed an indi. cation of fine weather, has been frequently and remarkably prevalent fince the autumnal equinox, and that on Monday, 13th December, about seven P. M. it exceeded any thing of the kind he had witneffed many years.

For fome minutes, from the northern horizon to near the zenith, where it began to break and vanish, the whole fpace, as far as the eye could wander, was one uniform fpace of pallid fire. As foon as this broke, deeper and denser flashes, of the colour of terreftrial matter, croffed and brandished in every direction, but with a general approximation towards the South, and difappeared entirely in about twenty minutes.

THIS Gentleman's literary character,

the extenfive circulation of his works, and his folicitude for the guarded education and the happiness of young perfons, will doubtles render fome traits of his hiftory interefting to the publick, éfpecially to thofe who have derived benefit from his writings. Mr. Murray is a native of Pennfyl vania, in North America: he was born in the year 1745. His parents were perfons of refpectable character, who were folicitous to imbue his mind with pious and virtuous principles. He was carefully and regularly educated; and made a rapid progrefs in learning. His father, who removed to New York, and was a diftinguished merchant there, placed him, at the age of fifteen, in his counting houfe, intending to form him to mercantile bufinefs. But this em. ployment not agreeing with young Murray's tafte for reading, and defire of improving his mind, he folicited permillion to ftudy medicine or law. His father, perceiving his ftrong bent towards learning, procured for him a private tutor, a perfon of erudition and refpectability; under whofe care and direction he clofely applied to liberal ftudies, and gratified himself in his favourite pursuits. At the age of nineteen, he commenced the study of law, under the aufpices of a Gentle man eminent in the profeffion; and he had the happiness of having for his fellow student the celebrated Mr. Jay, late Plenipotentiary to our Court. At the expiration of four years, Mr. Murray was admitted to the bar, and received a license to practife, both as Counsel and Attorney, in all the Courts of the State of New York. In this profeffion he continued, with increafing reputation and fuccefs, till

the troubles in America interrupted

He

all bufinefs of this nature. He then removed from New York, and spent fome time in the country. But impatient of an inactive life, and defirous of improving his fortune, he returned to the city, and engaged in the mercantile line. By his dili gence, abilities, and refpectable connexions, he acquired, in the course of a few years, a very handsome competency: he then concluded to retire from bufinefs, and made a correfpondent arrangement of his affairs. purchased a beautiful country refidence, a few miles from the city of New York, where he hoped to enjoy much pleasure in rural occupations, and in the focial intercourfe of a wide circle of relations and friends. But these pleafing profpects foon difappeared; for not long after his determination to retire, he was arrested ́ by the hand of ficknefs. The fever with which he was afflicted left a great weaknefs in his limbs; and his health and ftrength became fo much impaired as to induce him, by the advice of his phyficians and friends, to try the air and climate of England. In the year 1785, he came to this country; and in a fhort time found himself confiderably relieved in the general state of his health, but not to that degree as to render it prudent for him to return to America. He fettled in Yorkshire; and purchased a houfe pleafantly fituated about a mile from York, where he continues to refide. The weakness of his limbs gradually increased, fo that, for fome years, he has found himself incapable of walking more than a few steps in the course of a day, without great inconvenience. He is, however, able to ride in his carriage

an hour or two every day; and in fummer, he is frequently drawn about his garden in a chair conveniently made for the purpose. To a perfon diftinguished as Mr. Murray had been for health, Arength, and agility, this confinement must have been at firft a heavy mif fortune. At prefent, no one would fuppofe him to be under the influence of affliction. Time and reflection feem to have perfectly reconciled him to his fituation.

Deprived of the ufual occupations and amufements of life, and of the common occafions of doing good to others, he has very happily and generoudly turned his attention to compofe literary works, for the benefit, chiefly, of the rifing generation. In this benevolent employ he has found great fatisfaction, and met with uncommon fuccefs. His English Grammar, with the Exercifes and the Key, has been much approved by the public, and adopted in most of the principal feminaries in England. It has paffed through many large editions in this country, and been frequently reprinted in Ireland and America. The merit of this work, and the high chara&er given of it in the different Reviews, induced his bookfellers to offer him a very confiderable fum for the copyright, which he thought proper to accept. The copy right of his Introduction to the English Reader, the English Reader itfelf, and the Sequel to that Work, together with the Abridgment of the Grammar (all of which have been much commended for their chafte and judicious execution), were difpofed of for very liberal prices. Mr. Murray's latest work is, "Le Lecteur François," a book on the plan of the English Reader. It has already received fome very favourable and refpectable public as well as private teftimonies; and it bids fair to enhance Mr. Murray's reputation, as a writer who is folicitous to improve the taste and understanding, and to form the heart, of his young readers. The copy-right of this work alfo has been difpofed of very advantageously. But this Gentleman's views in writing are not mercenary. Having begun his literary career from difinterefted motives, he has conftantly devoted all the profits of his works to charitable purpofes to the benefit of institutions for the relief of the poor and diftreffed;

to affift the needy in procuring educa tion for their children; and to render more comfortable those who are in ftraitened circumstances.

The work which Mr. Murray first published, and which appears to afford him peculiar fatisfaction, is, "The Power of Religion on the Mind, in Retirement, Affliction, and at the Approach of Death." Having been himfelf ftruck and edified with the fentiments expreffed by a variety of characters, at the most folemn period of life, he naturally thought that others would receive fimilar impreffions from perufing a collection of fuch teftimonies. Animated by this expectation, he formed the compilation, and interfperfed it with many occafional obfervations and reflections of his own. The book has paffed through eleven editions. The first impreflion was made wholly at Mr. Murray's own expenfe, and given away, chiefly in the neighbourhood of his refidence. Perceiving that the work met with approbation, he enlarged and improved it. In its prefent ftate it has been much praifed, and warmly recommended to the perufal of all claffes of readers.

Time thus employed, and the rewards of labour thus diftributed, prevent that gloom which ill health and long confinement are fo apt to produce, and contribute to render Mr. Murray cheerful and happy, in a fituation that many would think must be highly diftrefing. He appears to make the best of his condition, and to look at the bright fide of the objects around him. He is a member of the fociety called Quakers; and is much refpected and efteemed by them but in all his writings he has fcrupulously avoided introducing, in any shape, the peculiar tenets of the fect. On moral and religious fubjects, he confines himself to the leading principles of piety and virtue, and to the general fpirit and precepts of chriftianity. For this judicious care, as well as for the exemplary chaftnefs of his works, he has received particular commendation. He married early in life; but he has no children. Mrs. Murray is a person of great merit and refpectability; and is faithfully and tenderly attached to him. Mr. Murray is as highly diftinguished by the excellence of his heart as by the powers of his mind. He

NOTE

TOTHING was wanting to establish the pre eminence of the British prefs to the French, on the fubject of the late war in Egypt, but fuch a faithful and well-written hiftory of its progrefs and conclufion as is now offered to the publick, by a refpectable FieldOfficer, who was an eye-witness of the facts he relates, and could have no motive to mifreprefent any of the events which took place in the courfe of a campaign which reflects fo much glory on the valour and good conduct of the British army and navy, engaged in the important fervice of expelling lawless invaders, who had spread defo. Iation far and wide; had plundered the towns and villages they fubdued, and maffacred thousands of the unfortunate inhabitants; in fhort, who had committed fuch cruelties, and practifed fuch tyrannical extortions, that they had rendered themfelves univerfally detefted and abhorred. From this deplorable fituation they were rescued by the intrepidity, perfeverance, and good difcipline of the British forces under

the command of two fucceffive Generals, equally celebrated for their military talents, their humanity, and their moderation in the hour of victory.

The character which the British forces maintained during their refidence in Egypt, juftly entitled them to the glorious diftinction of being the Saviours of the Country; whiift that of the French ftigmatized them with the odious terms of Barbarous Oppreffors. This difference of conduct in the two armies it is one chief object of our Author clearly to establish on the basis of truth alone; avoiding flattery on the one hand, and calumny on the other; but at the fame time ftating his facts with becoming freedom, regardless, as an hiftorian, of thofe fubfequent events which, by. restoring peace to Europe, may, in the opinion of fome readers, have rendered it indifcreet, and even impolitic, to publish them at the prefent juncture.

It was indifpenfably neceffary to make this general remark previous to entering upon an analysis of the au

thentie

templation in the highest degree gratifying and impreffive."

Of the landing of the troops from Aboukir Bay, and the difpofition of the fleet and transports, no adequate idea can be formed, but by infpecting the first map illustrating the work, which delineates the country comprised with. in the western branches of the Nile from the latest authorities, more dif tinctly, and in a much more fatif factory manner, than the maps to Sonini's and Denon's Travels, for the cultivated lands are marked by dotted fhades; the inundation made by the British army to form a junction with the Lake Mareotis, fee page 54; the deep fands and fwamps; the pofitions of the Turkish and of the British forces, and a variety of other curious and interesting objects, are marked in this plan, which extends from Alexan dria on the Western, and Rosetta on the Eastern coaft, up the country in a Southern direction to Sakara, and its Pyramids on the Western, and to the Hills of Mokattam on the Eastern fides of the Nile.

Subjoined to fome remarks on the different landing places of the French and English forces, p. 17, we find the following note, relating to Bonaparte's previous knowledge of the paltry re fitance which Alexandria could oppofe to him when he firft landed near Arabs Tower." The Author does not write to detract from the French; but it is the duty of an hiftorian to correct false statements. The boafted affault of Alexandria was a contemptible as well as cruel action, unworthy altogether of Bonaparte's fame. Policy may excufe the gafconade of his dif. patches, but not the wanton ftorming of a city, for the fake of striking terror, and fixing an impreffion of the French name throughout Egypt. The murder of the garrifon was a barbarous violence, and the indulgence granted to his troops of a three hours facking of the place, an act of unjustifiable in humanity."

Another mif- ftatement of the renowned French General, and the last that we fhall particularife, as not having been noticed before, refpects his victory over the Turks at Aboukir, "where he defcribes their force as amounting to ferventeen thousand men, the whole of which he ftares, in his difpatches, to have been either killed

or taken. Instead of seventeen thousand, our historian relates, that they were not quite eight thousand, four thousand of whom were killed and wounded in the action, near two thousand were carried off by the boats at the time, or during the fiege of the caftle, and the remainder capitulated in the fort. Such is the fact, and fo has the world been deceived." Here we cannot without injuftice avoid obferving, that Colonel Wilfon fays, "the French ftatement refts on no other authority than the ipfe dixit of the writer to justify it." May not fome future French hiftorian retort the fame remark indeed we could have wished to find fome original document from a Turkish Officer of rank to corroborate the ipfe dixit of the English hiftorian; though we have the ftrongest reafon, from other circumftances during the late war, to give it full credit.

The furrender of Aboukir Castle on the 18th of March, and the glorious victory obtained over the French army on the 21ft, led on to a general attack of the British, by General Menou; and a curious plan of the position of the two armies on that memorable day, eluci dating the ample narrative of the action, mult afford the highest gratification to all lovers of the military fcience; and every loyal British fubject will feel a fenfible pleasure in reading the various incidents minutely related of a battle, which in one day blafted the laurels which the Great Nation had been fo long acquiring in this country. The French, when engaged with our own native troops, were found to be no longer invincible, and the triumph in every point of view would have been complete, ifit had not been overcast with a melancholy gloom, occafioned by the much-lamented fate of its gallant vete ran Commander in Chief. The circumftances attending this unfortunate event, cannot be too generally known, as they exhibit the brightest example of valour, of fortitude, and of patience, under agonizing fufferings, and in the fo-much-dreaded hour of death.

The enemy's cavalry had advanced upon the British infantry, and were on the point of overpowering two regiments It was in this charge of the cavalry that the gallant Sir Ralph Abercrombie, always anxious to be moft forward in danger, received his mortal wound. On the first alarm he had

mounted