road, About or nearly thirty years ago, a person came in great haste, between seven and eight in the evening, and knocking furiously at the door of Mr. Jones, (the then surviving partner) told him, as soon as he recovered his breath, that he must go immediately to the concert of ancient music (then in Tottenham-street); as the company was mostly assembled, as well as the musicians, who wished to tune their instruments previous to the entrance of their majesties; but although the gentleman at the organ had been putting down the keys, and he had himself been blowing with all his might, they could not, with their joint efforts, make the organ speak. These remarks are fully illustrated in in your last Magazine, brings to my rethe character before us. Shakspeare, collection a story of a similar nature, whose knowledge was derived from that that was once told me by Messrs. Orhman infallible source, the page of Nature, had and Nutt, who formerly worked for not studied it so much in vain, as to be Messrs. Snetzler and Jones, organ-buildignorant of the principal feature in it—ers, in Stephen-street, Tottenham-courtthat "foolish compounded clay, man." Falstaff is represented by him, as teeming with the striking and prevalent imperfections of his fellow-creatures; though they are so well adjusted and proportioned, as not to "outstep the modesty of nature," or to injure the whole. It is this combination of features, this composition of parts, which in poetry, as well as in the other fine arts, displays the taJents of a master. Where there exists in the character some leading trait, or passion, to which all other affections are subordinate, the task is far less difficult to execute; since we have, as it were, a centre given to which inferior principles of action converge. Hence the hero of a play, to whom the poet has assigned some simple object, which must affect every source of conduct, may be a character really much easier to delineate, than one whose part appears to be of secondary consequence. Tago evinces more labour and genius than Othello; and Shylock than Antonio. In the same manner, Falstaff exhibits the talents of the poet more than any other personage introduced. It may here be observed, that history, unless very remote or obscure, must cramp the faculties of the poet, and confine his range of invention. As it was often the fate of Shakspeare, to have no other model than the stiff forms afforded by the pencil of the historian, or fre. quently the bare outline of the annalist, so he ever considered them (as, to the poet they certainly should be) as the basis on which imagination is at liberty to raise a splendid superstructure. It is from this consideration, that we learn to estimate the merit of Shakspeare in his his torical plays; some of which show how much may be done by the poet, even where the subject and its particulars are neither distant nor obscure. In my next letter, I will continue my observations, and introduce you more intimately to the company of our corpulent knight, To μέγαν και θαυμασον. For the present, adieu. A. B. E. Mr. Jones therefore immediately set out; and, thinking that some accident must have happened to the bellows, or wind-trunk, went first to the back of the organ without going into the room; when, finding the machinery apparently in perfect order, he entered the orchestra in his common working-dress, which he had not had time to change; where he found all the sprucely-dressed musicians, with their instruments in their hands, wanting for the spell to be taken off the organ, and the "full chord of D" to set them going. Sitting down to the organ, Mr. Jones now put down the keys with one hand, having, as it were mechanically, with the other, first drawn out one of the stops; when lo! the organ uttered its harmonious sounds as freely as ever it had done, to the astonishment of the gentleman who had before been at the keys; who at length perceived that, far from having, like the organist of Norwich, drawn out the whole range of stops and wished for more, he had forgotten to draw any of them. Whether this absent gentleman was the celebrated Mr. Joah Bates, who at that time used generally to take the organ and conduct that concert, I was not informed. And indeed, I should hardly suppose it could be he, were it not that, besides absence of mind being, by no means an unusual concomitant of men of genius, he had an additional cause as well as excuse for such absence; for, being about that time smitten with the charins charms of miss Harrup, although his Bogers were wandering over the keys of the organ, his thoughts, which ought to guide them, might at the time be wan◄ dering toward the lady. For the Monthly Magazine. METEOROLOGICAL ABSTRACT for the last TWELVE MONTHs at CARLISLE. 61 ᏚᏮ 29,94 29,30 29,692 5,19 28 27 4 22 18 12 29.76 S0,150 ,38 7 26 5 1,81 November 51 20 December 51 S1 An. Mean 47,4875 Annual Mean 29,817 31,77 196 220 Total Total.] Total. Total pleasant. Towards the end of the month, we had some showers of snow and sleet, at which time snow was observed on the surrounding mountains. ANUARY was marked by a suc Jcession of the most severe and destructive weather we ever witnessed; the former part of the month was exceedingly stormy, with heavy falls of snow, rain, and sleet: from the 18th till the 27th, we had a most intensely severe frost, accompanied with a strong penetrating east wind; on the 23d, 24th, and 25th, an excessive quantity of snow fell, the average depth of the whole about twenty inches: a mild thaw, with heavy rain, and commenced on the 27th; melted the snow suddenly, which swelled the rivers here beyond their bounds to such a degree, that immense damage was done, and much private property destroyed. FebruaryThe mean temperature of this month (410) is in this climate unusually high for the season. This high degree of temperature was attended with very stormy weather; and during the former part of the month, rain fell in such torrents, as to cause the rivers to averflow their banks and adjoining low grounds, for the space of four or five days. month was extremely severe and unseaApril. The weather during this sonable; the average temperature of several days, was nearly as low as the freezing point. We had some very heavy falls of snow, and the mountains were clothed in white during the whole of the month. It will be observed, on inspecting the table, that the average temperature of this month is lower than that of the preceding, and nearly the same as February. Notwithstanding the extreme coldness of the season, some straggling hirundines were seen in this district, as early as the 12th of this month; but they were not numerous till about three weeks after this period. showers of hail, till the 7th; it afterwards In the afternoon of that day, curred, which was attended with a mea storm of thunder and lightning oc lancholy accident: a young man driving some cattle in a lane leading to Broadfield, about eight miles from this city, electric fluid passed through his head, was struck dead by the lightning; the shattering shattering it in a most dreadful manner. On the 16th, we were again visited by a violent storm of thunder and light ning, accompanied with showers of hail, which commenced about seven or eight o'clock in the morning, and, with some short intervals of cessation, continued till night; the thunder was at times dreadfully loud, and the lightning very dense and vivid. The weather continued very sultry and moist, with much lightning and distant thunder, till the 26th; the remainder was extremely wet and cold, and the mountains in this neigh bourhood were completely covered with snow. June. The heavy rains which occurred at the commencement of this month, caused another considerable in undation here, which was productive of much injury to the crops in the low grounds; the mountains at this time were covered with snow. The weather continued showery and remarkably cold till the 18th; the remainder was fair and exceedingly pleasant. July. The mean temperature of this month (59,35) is unusually low for the season; the weather was dry, and on the whole very favourable for securing the hay. On the 26th we had soure lightning, and distant thunder. August. The weather during this month was excessively wet and gloomy, which not only impeded the harvest, but was also attended with considerable injury to the grain. During the night of the 17th, the sky was illuminated with incessant gleams of lightning. this part of the country. A heavy and incessant rain from the east commenced here on the morning of the 18th, and continued, without intermission till the following morning; when the rivers which environ Carlisle, the Eden, the Caldew, and the Peterill, overflowed their banks to an extent never before witnessed; and exhibited a scene of distress, of which it is difficult to express an adequate idea. The greatest proportion of destruction was effected by the Caldew, whose mountain-torrent swept away every thing before it; cattle and sheep were carried down by the current, and iminense quantities of grain were swept away and entirely lost; at times, the flood presented the singular appearance of moving fields of corn; houses were washed down, and furniture of almost every description floated away; a great number of bridges were destroyed; uramufacturing machinery, timber, trees," fences, &c. were all carried away in one promiscuous ruin. The losses sustained by this terrible deluge are incalculable. September-This month, like the last, was excessively wet: we seldom have witnessed a season more unfavourable for harvesting the grain than the present; during this, and the last month, only eleven of the sixty-one days were fair. From the 19th of July till the end of this month, the variations of temperature and density were very trifling; the invariable wet weather, and westerly winds, produced a sort of crisis in the atmosphere. Notwithstanding the uncommon humidity, the mean height of the barometer for this period (29,7 inches) is only one-tenth of an inch and a small fractional part below the general mean; yet, excepting a few hours on the 15th of this month, the mercury, during those ten weeks, was constantly below thirty inches. But the principal occurrence to be recorded this mouth, is one of the most alarming and destructive ipundations that were ever experienced in October.-The weather during this month was mild, calin, dry, and pleasant; and the temperature and density remarkably equal: such a series of fair and bril liant weather, without frost, as that experienced this month, is in our climate, in this season of the year, a very uncom mon occurrence. The hirundines were unusually late in leaving us this seasonthese birds, were in flocks on the 27th of last month; after which time none were seen till the 15th of this month, when considerable numbers collected again; after this, the numbers decreased gradual ly, the last stragglers being seen on the 228. November continued mild and dry, and remarkably fine, till the 15th; the rain which fell during this period (seven weeks) of uninterrupted fine weather, amounted to only half an inch in depth. After the 15th, the weather was variable, and frequently very severe; when intense frost, snow, sleet, and mild rain, occurred in succession. On the 19th, the frost was particularly severe, the average temperature being eight degrees below the freezing point, at which time all our mountains were clothed in white. December. The weather throughout the whole of this month, excepting two or three mornings of hoar frost, was mild, humid, and gloomy; and during the former half of the month, the wind was often very violent, and accompanied with heavy falls of hail and sleet. On the night of the 14th, we had a dreadful hurricane feeling. C. I. SMYTH. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, YOUR hurricane from the south; and on the requires experience, judgment, taste, and succeeding night, much vivid lightning. The barometer, during this month, and the latter half of the preceding, was remarkably variable: the vibrations of the mercury, at times, was equal to twotenths of an inch in an hour. On the morning of the 15th, the barometer was 29,06 inches, the greatest depression of the mercury that has occurred since the commencement of this register: it is 1,77 inches below the general mean, and makes the extreme range of the barometer for the last nine years, 2.8 inches. The mountains in this neigh bourhood were covered with nearly the whole of this month. SHOW The average of the thermometer and barometer, for the whole year, is nearly equal to the general average; both are a small fractional quantity lower. The quantity of rain exceeds that of the general average 2,165 inches. Carlisle, Jan. 3, 1810. W. PITT. OUR correspondent T. who has addressed you on the subject of the scenery of Esthwaite Water, which he improperly terms "Esthwaite Lake,” confines his observations to a few acres of ground, forming but a small portion, and that by no means the most interesting, of the country he wishes to bring into general notice. I reside nearly a mile from Esthwaite Water; and I assert that the meadows bordering on the water abound with innumerable musquitoes during the months of July, August, and September. Their bite is equal in effect to that of the same venomous insect in the West Indies. Every gentleman near Hawkshead, as well as Mr. Hawkrigg, who rents Strickland Ease, is ready to bear testimony to the existence of mus To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. quitoes at that place. It is about forty IN SIR, N my paper on the Musical Terms used by the ancient Greeks, in your last Magazine, is an unfortunate omnission in page 122, column 2, line 17. The sentence, if complete, would run thus: "Because so simple an instrument as a bullet, affixed to a piece of tape graduated into inches, would give the precise time in which a composer intends his movement should be played or sung." The little ivory measures used by the ladies, will answer this purpose very well: but still better if the case is made of brass, the specific gravity of that metal being greater than that of ivory. I cannot but regret that our old ecclesiastical composers did not transmit down to posterity the precise time in which their grave and truly devotional compositions (if played in a proper time) ought to be performed. Young and inexperienced organists would do well to consult the specimens of various church-composers, published by Dr. Crotch, in his second volume of Specimens; and pay that deference to his sound judgment, to which his high talents, and the honour conferred upon him by a famous university to fill the chair of their professor of music, so justly entitle him. Much might be said on this subject, if professors were inclined to avail themselves of every opportunity of improvement, instead of thinking they "were already perfect," in an art which month, I beg leave to say, that the ideas A. B. E His predecessor, Hardiknute the Dane, Whose wife he had seduc'd. The feeling king Spoke with warm pity even of the tyrant That stood between him and the throne; but Tosti Frown'd bitterly, and gnaw'd his stiff'ning lip; Swore he would dip his dagger in the breast Of any man, that to his wife should whisper The prayer of wanton lust. I smil'd in scorn. Art thou not pale, Editha? Wherefore tremble? Edi. I know the sternness of my father's anger; The very picture chills me to the heart: H. 'Tis a rash, unruly, Unpardoning, soul, that dwells in his strong breast. It vex'd the king to be so rudely thwarted. Soon after, when I offer'd him my castle, 'Twas thou, who taught'st a cheerful sun to Thy jealous father started up, and stamp'd; |