LETTERS

From the Rev. John Ewart, to his Grandson, at Liverpool, at twelve years of age.

MY DEAR JAMES,

I GET very agreeable accounts of your progress at the excellent academy where you are placed, under the inspection of your dear mother and uncle William. His conduct, since he was very young was excellent, he soon appeared to be very superior at school, and particularly skilful in arithmetic. So that, at twelve years of age, when some prizes were given for Latin, Greek, and Arithmetic, your uncle gained fame. I had the pleasure to get him placed at Liverpool, at fourteen years of age. I did not urge, or invite him to come two hundred miles to meet his dear parents, but to write every week, or, at least, every fortnight, a full sheet of large paper, containing a Diary of all he did; if only three or four lines every morning, of the events and the employments which occupied him every day. I assured him I would not grudge the postage, on the contrary, I said I would pay for it with great pleasure; and some of his sisters, and brothers, and myself, would

promise to send him, once a month, a full sheet of all the great and little matters (for there are great advantages in life by understanding the little as as well as the great affairs.)

Well, this point was settled, and we began at home the correspondence. The folio or the small sheet of paper was filled every month; and sometimes, by getting franks, we sent your dear uncle a large letter, or three letters at a time. He wrote us the same, and we all were happy: in short we heard of his regular improvement of time. He soon was very much engaged all the week, but, that most valuable day, Sunday, half filled up his letters. Every year was more and more promising and agreeable to him, every summer he hoped to make us a visit; but to say the truth, I was afraid of shooting and hunting parties, in the idle neighbourhood of Troquire, and I did not urge your dear and excellent uncle to come here when he was in perfect good health, and with the friendship, and society of many agreeable companions at Liverpool. I did write to him of the great importance of steady perseverance, by which patience in youth would give abundance in old age. In short, he did not take any of the disease, called in France and Switzerland, the maladie du pays, or the home-sickness; and twelve years passed away before I and his excellent mother had seen this dear, very dear son. dear son. When he appeared it was a joyful meeting, few days are so happy in twenty years. He was twenty-six years of age, full of

good health and cheerfulness. He had been remarkably attentive to improve himself; he was well-informed, very intelligent on every subject of commerce and public affairs. He had formed a most happy partnership with the only son of Mr. Rutson, a most respectable gentleman in Liverpool, who had left his estate, near Kendal, in Westmoreland, to bring his family to Liverpool. The house of Ewart and Rutson was formed by this friendship; the partners were very dear friends, before they commenced commercial life. All this long detail, my dear boy, is to lead you to follow their example.

My eldest good, and dear son, was Joseph Ewart; he was sent at fourteen to the college of Edinburgh, where he was a distinguished student seven years. He formed there many friends. He was requested to travel as a companion with a young gentleman, who was two years older than himself. They went to Lisbon, where they staid six months, and next to Malta and France; they came home, and soon after your dear uncle was again requested to accompany another young gentleman to Germany. They set off to Hanover and Berlin, where they were introduced to the English Ambassador, Sir John Stepney. He was some months intimate with your uncle; and having business in London, and to see his dying mother (Lady Stepney), Sir John asked your uncle to be his private secretary till he returned from London. This was fixed, but this situation was the conse

quence of great progress in education, with knowledge also of languages; not only Latin and Greek, but all the classes of the University of Edinburgh were attended by your uncle, Joseph Ewart, with distinguished abilities. He had also at Lisbon, and in France, been a most remarkably good scholar of that great school, the world : not only to speak and write modern languages, but to act with such prudence, patience, and propriety, that very few young men were like him, and he was not more happy and had not such good health as your uncle William enjoyed at Liverpool.

In short, my dear James, if you are like your uncle I shall get letters of your happiness at Liverpool. Obey your mother; never forget the great importance of the fifth commandment. You are now twelve years of age, you was not two years of age when you lost your father. Your mother has been the best of parents to you, her only child. You have made good progress in education; do not forget to read a chapter of the New Testament every morning, as you have done here, also the Psalms; and let Sunday be a day of sober, quiet reflection, cheerful, but rather sedate, and reading good pious books, when after Church, or in the evening, a walk with a friend is good; but no folly, no idle nonsense on Sunday. Your kind friends at Liverpool, Dr. and Mrs. Goldie, have been here. They speak very kindly of you, and say you grow tall, and are much improved. Never do two things at the same time. Never delay any

good work till to-morrow, if you can do it to-day. Be diligent, not lazy, and slothful. Never be hasty and passionate: the man who is not master of his own temper will be a very unhappy person. You are a good Latin scholar for your age, and have also made some progress in Greek. The French language you will not find very difficult. Maintain in your mind a constant impression of the presence of God, and that He will be your best friend, if you love virtue, wisdom, and truth,

May God bless you, my dearest boy;

I am your affectionate grandfather,

MY DEAR JAMES,

J. EWART.

I THINK of you very often, and I hope to see you here in the Autumn with your mother and aunt, and expect considerable improvements in you. Never forget your morning and evening prayers. Let every day of the week find you doing your duty. But above all remember the Sabbath, which is to be a day of particular duty to God. He commanded mankind to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy; but the passions and vices of mankind forget the laws of God, they make gods of stone and wood. In the East and in Egypt they made temples with many gods: but the Christian religion will spread itself, by degrees, over the whole world, and at the last day Jesus Christ will appear again to judge the world.

Of all folly, the folly of vice and falsehood is