actly what you described; and we were on the frankest footing of old friends in the course of the first quarter of an hour. He did me the honour to fancy that I belonged, as a matter of course, to some one of the literary fraternities of Edinburgh, and that I would be curious to see the associations of the learned here. What he said respecting them was highly characteristic of the man. "They are," said he, "the dullest things possible. On my return from abroad I visited them all, expecting to find something of that easy disengaged mind which constitutes the charm of those of France and Italy. But in London, among those who have a character to keep up, there is such a vigilant circumspection that I should as soon expect to find nature in the ballets of the Operahouse, as genius at the established haunts of authors, artists, and men of science. B-k gives, I suppose officially, a public breakfast weekly, and opens his house for conversation on the Sundays. I found at his breakfast, tea and coffee, with hot rolls, and men of celebrity afraid to speak. At the conversations there was something even worse. A few plausible talking fellows created a buzz in the room, and the merits of some paltry nick-nack of mechanism or science was discussed. The party consisted, undoubtedly, of the most eminent men of their respective lines in the world; but they were each and all so apprehensive of having their ideas purloined, that they took the most guarded care never to speak of any thing that they deemed of the slightest consequence, or to hazard an opinion that might be called in question. The man who either wishes to augment his knowledge or to pass his time agreeably, will never expose himself to a repetition of the fastidious exhibitions of engineers and artists who have their talents at market. But such things are among the curiosities of London, and if you have any inclination to undergo the initiating mortification of being treated as a young man who may be likely to interfere with their professional interests, I can easily get you introduced."

I do not know whether to ascribe these strictures of your friend to humour or misanthropy; but they were said without bitterness, indeed so much as matters of course, that at the moment, I could not but feel persuaded they were just. I spoke of them to T———,

who says, that undoubtedly G's account of the exhibitions is true in substance, but that it is his own sharp-sightedness which causes him to see them so offensively; for that ninety-nine out of the hundred in the world, would deem an evening spent at the conversations of Sir J. a very high intellectual

treat.

B

G- has invited me to dinner, and I expect some amusement; for T——————————, who is acquainted with him, says that it is his fault to employ his mind too much on all occasions, and that in all probability, there will be something, either in the fare or the company, that I shall remember as long as I live. However, you shall hear all about it in my next. Yours,

ANDREW PRINGLE.

On the same Sunday on which Mr. Micklewham consulted Mr. Snodgrass as to the propriety of reading the doctor's letter to the elders, the following epistle reached the post office of Irvine, and was delivered by Saunders Dickie himself, at the door of Mrs. Glibbans, to her servan lassie, who, as her mistress had gone to the relief church told him, that he would have to come for the postage the morn's morning. "O," said Saunders, "there's naething to pay but my ain trouble, for it's frankit, but aiblins the mistress will gie me a bit drappie, and so I'll come betimes i' the morning."

Mrs. Pringle to Mrs. Glibbans.

London.

MY DEAR MRS. GLIBBANS,-The breking up of the old parlament, has been the cause why I did not right you before, it having taken it out of my poor to get a frank for my letter till yesterday, and I do ashure you, that I was most extraordinar uneasy at the great delay, wishing much to let you know the decayt state of the gospel in thir perts, which is the pleasure of your life to study by day, and meditate on in the watches of the night.

There is no want of going to church, and, if that was a sign of grease and peese in the kingdom of Christ, the toun of London might hold a high head in the tabernacles of the faithful and true witnosses. But saving Dr. Nichol of Swallo street, and Dr. Manuel of Londonwall, there is nothing sound in the way of preeching here, and when I tell you that Mr. John Gant, your friend, and

some other flea-lugged fallows, have set up a Heelon congregation, and got a young man to preach Erse to the English, ye maun think in what a state sinful souls are left in London. But what I have been the most consarned about, is the state of the dead. I am no meaning those wha are dead in trespasses and sins, but wha are dead to this world, and all the miseries thereof. Ye will hardly think, that they are buried in a popish-like manner, with prayers, and white gowns, and ministers, and spadefuls of yerd cast upon them, and laid in yauts, like kists of orangers in a grocery siller, and I am told, that after a time, they are taken out when the vaut is shurfeeted, and their bones brunt, if they are no made into lamp-black by a secret wark-which is a clean proof to me that a right doctrine cannot be established in this land—there being so little respec shone to the dead.

The wase point, howsomever, of all is, what is done with the prayers, and I have heard you say, that although there was nothing more to objec to the wonderful Doctor Chammers of Glasgou, that his reading of his sermons was testimony against him in the great controversy of sound doctrine; but what will you say to reading of prayers, and no only reading of prayers, but printed prayers, as if the contreet heart of the sinner had no more to say to the Lord in the hour of fasting and humiliation, than what a bishop can indite, and a bookseller make profit o'." Verily," as I may say, in a word of scripter, I doobt if the glad tidings of salvation have yet been preeched in this land of London; but the ministers have good stipends, and where the ground is well manured, it may in time bring forth fruit meet for repentance.

There is another thing that behoves me to mention, and that is, that an elder is not to be seen in the churches of London, which is a sore signal that the piple are left to themselves; and in what state the morality can be, you may guess with an eye of pity. But on the Sabbeth nights, there is such a going and coming, that it's mae like a cried fair, than the Lord's night-all sats of poor people, instead of meditating on their by-gane toil and misery of the week, making the Sunday their own day, as if they had not a greater master to serve on that day than the earthly man whom they served in the week days. It is, howsomever, past the poor of nature to tell you of the sinfulness of London-and you may well think

what is to be the end of all things, when I ashure you, that there is a newspaper sold every Sabbath morning, and read by those that never look at their Bibles. Our landlady asked us if we would take one, but I thought the doctor would have fired the house, and you know it is not a small thing that kindles his passion. In short, London is not a place to come to hear the tidings of salvation preeched, no that I mean to deny that there is not herine more than five righteous persons in it, and I trust the Cornal's hagent is one, for if he is not, we are undone, having been obligated to take on already more than a hundred pounds of debt, to the account of our living, and the legacy yet in the dead thraws. But as I mean this for a spiritual letter, I will say no more about the root of all evil, as it is called in the creeds of truth and holiness, so referring you to what I have told Miss Mally Glencairn about the legacy and other things nearest my heart, I remain, my dear Mrs. Glibbans, your fellou christian and sinner.

JANET PRINGLE.

Mrs. Glibbans received this letter between the preachings-and it was observed by all her acquaintance, during the afternoon service, that she was a laden woman. Instead of standing up at the prayers, as her wont was, she kept her seat, sitting with downcast eyes, and ever and anon her left hand, which was laid over her book on the reading board of the pew, was raised and allowed to drop with a particular moral emphasis, bespeaking the mournful cogitations of her spirit. On leaving the church, somebody whispered to Mr. Rn, the minister, that surely Mrs. Glibbans had heard some sore news, upon which that meek, mild, and modest good soul hastened towards her, and inquired, with more than his usual kindness, how she was-her answer was brief and mysterious-and she shook her head in such a manner, that Mr. R—n perceived all was not right." Have you heard lately of your friends, the Pringles?" said he, in his sedate manner-" when do they think of leaving London?" "I wish they may ever get out o't;" was the agitated reply of the afflicted Lady. "I'm very sorry to hear you say so," responded the minister; "I thought all was in a fair way to an issue of the settlement-I'm very sorry to hear this."" Mr.R―n," said the mourner-"Mr. Rn, don't

think that I am grieved for them and their legacy-filthy wareno, sir; but I have had a letter that has made my hair stand on end. Be none surprised if you hear of the earth opening, and London swallowed up; and a voice crying in the wilderness, Wo,

The gentle priest was not much surprised by this information; it was evident that Mrs. Glibbans had received a terrible account of the wickedness of London; and that the weight upon her pious spirit was owing to that cause. He therefore accompanied her home, and administered all the consolation he was able to give, assuring her, that it was in the power of Omnipotence to convert the stony heart into one of flesh and tenderness, and to raise the British metropolis out of the miry clay, and place it on a hill, as a city that could not be hid in the kingdom of Christ; which Mrs. Glibbans was so thankful to hear, that, as soon as he had left her, she took her tea, in a satisfactory frame of mind, and went, the same night, to Miss Mally Glencairn, to hear what Mrs. Pringle had said to her. No visit ever happened more opportunely, for, just as Mrs. Glibbans knocked at the door, Miss Isabella Todd made her appearance. She had also received a letter from Rachel, in which it will be seen, that reference was made likewise to Mrs. Pringle's epistle to Miss Mally.

Miss Rachel Pringle to Miss Isabella Todd.

MY DEAR BELL,

London.

How delusive are the flatteries of fortune. The wealth that has been showered upon us, beyond all our hopes, has brought no pleasure to my heart, and I pour my unavailing sighs for your absence, when I would communicate the cause of my unhappiness. Captain Sabre has been most assiduous in his attentions, and I must confess to your sympathizing bosom, that I do begin to find, that he has an interest in mine. But my mother will not listen to his proposals, nor allow me to give him any encouragement, till the fatal legacy is settled. What can be her motive for this I am unable to divine, for the Captain's fortune is far beyond what I could ever have expected without the legacy, and equal to all I could hope for with it. If, therefore, there is any doubt of the le