fons for the fake of their native country; or that, they who act for their native country are foolish and filly perfons. Now, Sir, if fo be that this is fo, I moreover conjecture, that the honeft men who put up the advertisement, and they who rejoiced thereat, were deceived through ignorance of the Latin tongue, and that to them there was no cause of rejoicing. Of that tongue I think no good: It is reported amongst us, that the mafs is written in it, the which I renounce, and alfo abominate, &c. I am, SIR, your Honour's, to ferve you at command, TIMOTHY SHUTTLEWORTH. P. S. Weaving performed in all its branches at reasonable rates; alfo, cloth taken in for the Dalquharn bleach field. My worthy correfpondent Mr Shuttleworth, in the after part of his letter, intrusts me with his fentiments concerning fome very momentous fubjects; but I fhould not deferve the ho nour of his friendship, were I to impart to the public what has been communicated to me in confidence. Not knowing his direction, and not having been favoured with a cypher from him, I can only fay, that "that n. p. had no more in"fluence in the matter of the c. p. and the "p. b. than th— m―n of th- m-n; and "of this Mr Shuttleworth may reft affured.” With respect to the Latin words, which have been the innocent cause of so much uneafinefs to him, they are taken from a Roman poet, but no Roman Catholic; in metre, accommodated to the courfe of my friend's ftudies, they fignify, That for our fathers' land to die, it is a comely thing. As, indeed, I meddle not with the high matters of politics, I fhall only add, that it is to be hoped there are very few who confult Shuttleworth's dictionary. Since I have been defired to advife the Authors of news-papers to write intelligibly, I muft fay fomething on that fubject, left my filence fhould be conftrued into an acknow ledgement ledgement of my little credit with thofe gentlemen. Of their skill in the learned languages, I pretend not to give any opinion. Thus much, however, I may be allowed to fay without offence, that they are the hiftorians of the vulgar; that, in our country, the perfons who pafs under the name of the vulgar, are not unconcerned fpectators of national events, and, "that what relates to all, ought to be "understood of all." A man may write in the native language of his readers, and yet be unintelligible. For example, when contrary propofitions are pofitively afferted, when paragraphs encounter with paragraphs, and "jostle in the dark," what must be the state of him who fits down to spell the news-papers with the determined refolution of believing whatever he fees in print? There is a pleasure in giving good advice, and therefore, I must take this opportunity of going a little beyond my friend's commiffion. A witty statesman of the days of our fathers obferved, "that John Bull was always in the "garret, or in the cellar." John's own fifter Margaret, although not quite fo delicate in her fenfations, has much of the family-difpofition. If the wind fets in to the eaft, then we are a betrayed, and abandoned, and loft people; but, on the wind coming round to the weft, what nation fo glorious and wellgoverned as ours? Our perfidious enemies fhall know what it is to roufe the Lion, to annoy the Thistle, or to put the Harp out of tune. Such being the difpofition of readers apt to be depreffed or elevated on every occafion, or on no occafion, the writers of news papers ought to be cautious as well in flackening as in over-bracing the nerves of their customers;. and the only method I can recommend for attaining this happy medium, is, "that they "report nothing but what they believe to be true; or, if that be to require too much of flesh and blood, "that they report nothing. "which they believe to be fictitious." "The Britannia, Captain George Manley "commander, is totally loft on the coaft of "Barbary; every foul on board perifhed." On board the Britannia, there was the only fon of a widow, whofe fingle fund of subsist-ence depended on that pittance of his wages which her dutiful child allotted to her. In. the the fame fhip there was a fober and induftrious young man, who had quitted his wife a few months after marriage, that he might provide for a young creature whom he hoped to fee in its mother's arms at his return. men "It is confidently reported, that fix or feven of the crew of the Britannia got fafe"ly to fhore, and that they were made flaves, unlefs, as is to be feared, they were mur"dered by the natives." Here there is a gleam of miferable and dubious hope darting on the minds of those who had relations on board the Britannia. "The Britannia is fafely arrived at Port "Mahon; fo that the report of her having "been loft is without foundation." ference is most logical! The in In the very next paragraph, it is faid, "We "have the pleasure of informing the public,, "that a capital figure-dancer will foon make. "his appearance on the stage.” Are not fuch things to be found in the news-papers of every week? and is it not a cruel fporting with the fenfibilities of human nature, thus to wring the fouls of parents and wives, of the aged and the helpless, and that merely to fill up the columns of a news-paper? It |