legislate for universal and general utility. Enactments, bearing upon them every bright attribute of justice, may fulfil their brilliant promises to one class, while to another they may prove unjust and ruinous and if this be the case, amongst Legislators, who have every advantage of intelligence and information, what must it be with us, who are governed by rulers sixteen thousand miles from us, and who can no more be acquainted with the true state of the Colony, than can we be with the geographical description of the

moon.

For this, as well as for other equally cogent reasons, we regret, that some specific statement of our grievances, with a more elaborate account of our claims and qualifications, was not adopted at the Public Meeting, instead of the official address of the Lieutenant Governor to his Council. We look upon this, as little better than a legal quirk or quibble-a mere artifice, in fact, indicative, certainly, of considerable ingenuity, but far, very far, in our opinion, from what it ought to be. A firm, but respectful statement of the disadvantages under which we are labouring, with a full, fair, and free exemplification of our claims to a free representation, would have been far more forcible and effectual; for, we very much mistake Mr. Stanley's acumen, if we do not anticipate his reply to the Requisitionists. If we are in so flourishing and thriving a condition, as is stated in the address, Mr. Stanley is the last person who will expose us to any risk by changing the system of Government, under which we have acquired all this flourishing prosperity: he will, most probably, tell us, that if we do not know when we are well of, he does, and, therefore, however reluctantly, he will advise His Majesty to refuse our request, more especially, as this request, if complied with, would not tend in any way to benefit the Mother Country. Such might, and such most probably would, be the Right Honorable Secretary's opinion; but, we trust, we can convince him in five minutes, that such an opinion is not worthy of an enlightened British Statesman, possessing the acknowledged talent and abilities of the future Earl of Derby.

Constituted as this Colony is, at present, it is certainly a valuable appendage to the British Crown: it affords a comfortable maintenance to many prisoners, who would otherwise have to be supported by England: it sends home, in hard cash, annually, some few thousand dollars,-while it constitutes a very snug nest of patronage to our loving friends and cousins." These are the tangible and direct advantages, which more immediately accrue to the Mother Country from this little spot of a distant dependency; now, let us consider, if a more enlarged and permanent benefit might not be conferred upon England, by the granting to us of Free Representation. We will, for the sake of argument, abolish—“ as though it had never been"-the present system of secondary Government ; and we will imagine ourselves existing under the inestimable blessings of Free Representation. Our Representatives shall be, what

we have already said they ought to be, men of experience and ability, unshackled by power, and free from either favour or affection,-in a word, men of honorable and independent principles." These men, possessed of every useful information relating to their country, and well aware of the beneficial result of any previous welladjusted measures;-watching, with the philosophic eyes of intelligent statesmen, the progress and operation of events, and adapting their deliberations to these events, as they arise, they will very speedily become acquainted with the best means of advancing and improving the Colony. Upon this improvement-enhanced, in every way, by the freedom and utility of their exertions-will depend the accession of benefits to Great Britain,-not, truly, by paying the country any direct taxes, or transmitting to it, annually, sundry bags of dollars from the Treasury-chest, as a clear and clean abstraction from our surplus revenue,-but by the fair and open pursuit of mutual trade and reciprocal commerce. It is scarcely possible to imagine to what extent the commerce of this Colony might be enlarged, provided every encouragement were given to beneficial emigration. The staple articles of wool and oil-but especially the former-might be increased to an immense extent by men of enterprise and capital, while other articles of export, which, as the resources of the Colony became augmented, would naturally originate, would add materially to our prosperity, and to the commercial profits of England.

We look upon the rapid advancement of the Colony as one of the first, as well as the best, results of Free Representation. Having no "crooked policy" to pursue,—and being solely influenced by a desire of general good, those ordinances would be adopted, which would conduce to the general benefit; and by rendering emigration hither attractive, because beneficial, new resources would daily spring up, while the man of enterprize, encouraged, protected, and, in every way, benefitted by the Government, would put forth his energies with strength and spirit, adding, in a manner, at present, incalculable, to the wealth, the welfare, and the prosperity of the Colony. We are not silly enough to suppose, that this country will ever become an Utopia, or that its inhabitants will ever be entirely devoid of a cause for grumbling. Two events must first happen before this consummation could occur:-John Bull must lose every shade of his national character, and human nature must undergo a revolution, equally distant and difficult. But, although we do not look forward to the exemplification, here, of the philosopher's fond notion of general perfectability, we know of no people on earth more fitly calculated than ourselves for as many blessings and benefits, mortal man can enjoy, provided we had the means, as we most assuredly have the inclination-to establish such institutions for our governance, as are worthy of a free people. We have found that the country itself, both in its soil, and its climate, is admirably adapted to elicit the best fruits of man's industry and energy; and we have seen, in the extraordinary progress which the Island has

as

made from its earliest settlement to the present moment, that, as far as the people are concerned, they want neither intellect nor energy in the pursuit of their several occupations: nay, on the contrary, it is obvious almost to the blind, that, as regards practical intelligence and useful knowledge, the people of this Colony, taken in the aggregate, possess an abundant share.

What, then, is necessary to give full scope and operation to these several advantages? Free Representation by a popularly-elected Legislative Assembly. This, and this alone, is the impetus, which can impel the globe of improvement and prosperity, on its swift course through the Colony; this, and this alone is the fulcrum, upon which the lever of advancement can act with proportionate power. We have already admitted, that no trifling difficulty exists as regards the accomplishment of this desirable end; and this cannot be denied; but the consciousness of this, instead of distressing, should stimulate us to renewed and indefatigable exertions,—for the greater the obstacle, the greater and more endurable the glory, and the renown. In what this difficulty exists, we have frankly avowed; for, if it were so ordained, that we should have a Legislative Assembly, we could very easily take speedy measures for its formation. Of course, we would have the qualifications of all concerned to rest on Property :—the representative must be a man of property, and so must the elector, to a certain extent. Then arises the question -how will you manage as to the emancipists? Easily enough. We would draw no distinction, but let every perfectly free man, possessed of a certain, well-defined, and strictly-specified property, be eligible for election: it will, then, rest entirely with the electors, whether they will confer upon him the high honour of a seat in the Colonial Assembly. By throwing open the franchise freely (we almost fancy ourselves "at home,' as we write) we should present the most secure guard againt the admission of improper representatives and by limiting the duration of the Assemblies to two or three years, we should possess a most complete check upon anything savouring of corruption, or want of energy and proper conduct. As to the business-like routine of the elections, the mode of voting and so forth, we might, perchance, get a wholesome hint or two from "home" on these points: it will be time enough, however, to think of these things, when we are about to organize our first Assembly, the hour of which is not-we venture fervently to hopevery far distant.

In the mean time let unanimity, concord, integrity, and perseverance, influence all our actions; let us be firm, let us be united; --and, we venture to prophesy, that ere long, that boon will be conceded to us, for which we are all so anxious.

T.

GERMAN MOUNTAIN SONG.

(Translated from the German of Francis Grillparzer.)

The night! the night!

To us is dear,

When the moon shines bright,

On glaive and spear,

And waving pines

O'er the violets sigh
And each star declines,

From the dark-blue sky.

The morn! the morn!

Is dear still

We hear the horn

On the sunny hill;

And the arrowy stream
As it glides along,
With brightest gleam

Hails our mountain-song!

LAWRENCE MERTOUN;

OR,

A SUMMER IN WALES.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "ROB THE RED-HAND."

CHAPTER II.

"Who is this stripling, Sirrah?"

"A Welshman hot and choleric-but so honourable,
That never yet hath slander sullied him."

The Antient Briton.-A Play.

Every Wednesday morning in the summer season, the lower, or, to speak statistically, the west end of Shrewsbury, is in a state of considerable bustle between the early hours of four and five o'clock, in consequence of the Welsh coach, which leaves the Britannia at the time aforesaid, and reaches Barmouth in Merionethshire-God VOL. III, NO. XVIII.

2 P

willing!-some time before midnight the same day-the distance being some sixty measured miles. It was on a fine cloudless morning in June, 18-, that a young man came hurrying down the street towards the Britannia, followed by a porter with his portmanteau, and accoutred in a surtout, travelling cap, and boots. It was evident enough, that he was bound for Wales; and some mischievous urchins, who had congregated close to the inn, taking it for granted that the youth was a Welshman, saluted him, as he passed, with that celebrated doggrel satire, which is so galling to the honest and choleric descendants of Gomer, and which has often provoked our own wrath in younger and happier days.

Taffy was a Welshman,
Taffy was a thief—
Taffy came to my house,

And stole a piece of beef.

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was'nt at home-
Taffy came to

Their ditty was cut short by the smart strokes of a whip, which the young man carried in his hand, and which he applied, somewhat energetically, to the legs of the mischievous minstrels, amongst whom, as a compensation for the smart he had occasioned, he threw some halfpence, and hastened on towards the coach, to ensure a good place for himself, and a safe stowage for his portmanteau.

'Well, Joseph, how are you?" (To the coachman, who was bracing up the wheelers.) "Who's going down?-Anybody that I know?"

I don't think there be, Master Mertoun," replied Joseph, who had driven, and I believe still drives,* the Owen Glyndower to Welshpool, for the last twenty years. "6 'There's two devilish fine girls, (here he whispered our hero) a-going with their mother-the two Miss Crosbys, here. Do you know 'em, Sir?"

Lawrence Mertoun did not wait for Joseph's concluding queryhe was already scrutinizing "the two Miss Crosbys" and "their mother." 'What a beautiful girl!" he mentally exclaimed, as his eye rested upon Ellen Crosby's lovely face. What eyes!--and what beautiful hair!" Her eye now met his; and she blushed deeply, as she turned her head on one side-while Lawrence immediately left off gazing at her. He quickly took another peep, however, and now encountered the scrutiny of Catherine, who had observed her sister's emotion, and had taken a pretty good view of our friend. "She's not so pretty as her sister, by any means," thought Lawrence, "but I am glad they are going to Barmouth."

All further reflection, or speculation, was now prevented by the— "Now, Sir; coach is ready!" of Joseph; who had already mounted his box, and stood prepared to flog his quiet horses into something

*No. He now keeps the Crown Inn at Welshpool.-Ed.