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CHARACTERS, ANECDOTES, and OBSERVATIONS, by the late Dr. SAMUEL JOHNSON.

[From Mr. BOSWELL'S" TOUR to the HEBRIDES," lately published.]

LORD ORRERY.

SPEAKING of the noble family of Boyle,

Dr Johnson faid, that all the Lord Onerys, till the prefent, had been writers. The first wrote feveral plays; the fecond was Bentley's antagonist; the third wrote the Life of Swift, and feveral other things; his fon Hamilton wrote fome papers in The Adventurer and Werid. He told us, he was well acquainted with Swift's Lord Orrery. He faid, he was a feeble-minded man; that, on the publication of Dr. Delany's Remarks on his book, he was fo much alarmed that he was afraid to read them. Dr. Johnfon comforted him, by telling him they were both in the right; that Delany had feen moft of the good fide of Swift-Lord Orrery most of the bad.-McLeod afked, if it was not wrong in Orrery to expofe the defects of a man with whom he lived in intimacy.Johnfon." Why no, Sir, after the man is dead; for then it is done hiftorically." He added, "If Lord Orrery had been rich, he would have been a very liberal patron. His converfation was like his writings, neat and elegant, but without ftrength. He grafped

more than his abilities could reach; tried to pafs for a better talker, a better writer, and a better thinker, than he was. There was a quarrel between him and his father, in which his father was to blame; because it arose from the fon's not allowing his wife to keep company with his father's mistress. The old Lord fhewed his refentment in his will,leaving his library from his fou, and affigning as his reafon, that he could not make use of it." I mentioned the affectation of Orrery, in ending all his letters on the Life of Swift in ftadied varieties of phrafe, and never in the common mode of "I am &c. an obfervation which I remember to have been made feveral years ago by old Mr. Sheridan, This fpecies of affectation in writing, as a foreign Lady of diftinguished talents once remarked to me, is almoft peculiar to the English. took up a volume of Dryden, containing the Conquest of Granada, and feveral other plays, of which all the Dedications had such studied conclufions. Dr. Johnson said, such conclufions were more elegant, and, in addreffing perfons of high rank, (as when Dryden dedicated to the Duke of York) they were likewife more refpectful. I agreed that there it was much better: it was making his escape from the Royal prefence with a genteel fuddea timidity, in place of having the refolution to stand ftill, and make a formal bow. EUROP, MAG.

I

YOUNG.

He told us, the first time he faw Dr. Young was at the houfe of Mr. Richardfon, the author of Clariffa. He was fent for, that the Doctor might read to him his Conjectures on Original Compofition, which he did, and Dr. Johnfon made his remarks; and he was ferprifed to find Young receive as novelties what he thought very commom maxims. He faid he believed Young was not a great fcholar, nor had ftudied regularly the art of writing; that there were very fine things in his Night Thoughts, though you could not find twenty lines together without fome extrava gance, He repeated two paffages from his Love of Fame the characters of Brunetta and Stella, which he praised highly. He said Young preffed him much to come to Wellwyn. He always intended it; but never He was forry when Young died. The caufe of quarrel between Young and hist fon,he told us, was, that his fon infifted Young fhould turn away a clergyman's widow, who lived with him, and who, having acquired great influence over the father, was faucy to the fon. Dr. Johnfon faid, she could not conceal her refentment at him, for faying to Young, that " an old man fhould not refign himself to the management of any body."I asked him, if there was any improper connection between them.-" No, Sir, no more than between two ftatues.-He was paft fourfcore, and fhe a very coarse woman. She read to him, and, I fuppose, made his coffee, and frothed his chocolate, and did fuch things as an old man wishes to have done for him,"

went.

DR. DODDRIDGE.

Dr. Doddridge being mentioned, he obferved, that he was author of one of the fineft epigrams in the English language. It is in Orton's Life of him. The subject is his family - motto,-Dum vivimus, vivamus ; which, in its primary fignification, is, to be fure, not very suitable to a chriftian divine; but he paraphrased it thus: "Live, while you live, the epicure would fay,

"And feize the pleafures of the present day.
"Live, while you live, the facred preacher
cries,

"And give to GoD each moment as it flies.
"Lord, in my views let both united be;
"I live in pleasure, hen I live to thee."

D

ARASSA

ARABS.

At Fort George we dined at Sir Eyre Conte's, at the Governor's houfe, and found him a moft gentleman-like man, His Lady is a very agreeable woman, with an uncommonly mild and fweet tone of voice. There was a pretty large company: Mr. Ferne, Major Brewfe, and feveral officers. Eyre had come from the Eaft-Indies by land, through the defarts of Arabia, He told us, the Arabs could live five days without vićtuals, and fubfift for three weeks on nothing elfe but the blood of their camels, who could Jofe fo much of it as would fuffice for that

Sir

time, without being exhaufted. He highly praised the virtue of the Arabs; their fidelity, if they undertook to conduct any perfon; and faid they would facrifice their lives rather than let him be robbed. Dr. Johnton, whe is always for maintaining the fuperiority of civilized over uncivilized men, faid, "Why, Sir, I can fee no fuperior virtue in this. A ferjeant and twelve men, who are my guard, will die, rather than that I fhall be robbed." -Colonel Pennington, of the 37th regiment, took up the argument with a good deal of fpirit and ingenuity.-Pennington." But the foldiers are compelled to this, by fear of purishment."-Johnson. "Well, Sir, the Arabs are compelled by the fear of infamy." -Pennington. "The foldiers have the fame fear of infamy, and the fear of punithment bcfides; fo have lefs virtue, because they act lefs voluntarily.""-Lady Coote obferved very well, that it ought to be known if there was not, among the Arabs, fome punishment for not being faithful on fuch occafions.

GOLDSMITH.

I talked of the officers whom we had left to-day; how much fervice they had feen, and how little they got for it, even of fame.— Johnfon. "Sir, a foldier gets as little as any man can get."--Bofwell. "Goldsmith has acquired more fame than all the officers laft war, who were not Generals."-Johnfon. "Why, Sir, you will find ten thousand fit to do what they did, before you find one who does what Goldfmith has done. You muit confider, that a thing is valued according to its rarity. A p.bble that paves the street is in itself more ufeful than the diamond upon a lady's finger."I wifh our friend Goldfmith had heard this.

He faid, he was angry at Thrale, for fitting at General Oglethorpe's without speaking. He cenfured a man for degrading himfelf to a non-entity. I obferved, that Goldfmith was on the other extreme; for he fpoke at all ventures.-Jolinfon. "Yes,

Goldsmith, rather than not fpeak, will talk of what he knows himself to be ignorant, which can only end in expofing him.”—“ Į wonder, faid I, if he feels that he expofes himfelf. If he was with two taylors”—“ Or with two founders," faid Dr. Jobnfon, (interrupting me,)" he would fall a talking on the method of making cannon, though both

of them would foon fee that he did not know what metal a cannon is made of.".

PENNAN T.

It was wonderful how well time paffed in a remote caftle, and in dreary weather. Afobjected that he was fuperficial. Dr. Jolinfon ter fupper we talked of Penuant. It was defended him warmly. He said, Pennant has greater variety of enquiry than almost any man, and has told us more than perhaps one in ten thousand could have done, in the time that he took. He has not faid what he was to tell; fo you cannot find fault with him for what he has not told. If a man comes to look for fifhes, you cannot blame him if he does not attend to fowls."-But, faid Colonel M'Leod, "he mentions the unreasonable rife of rents in the Highlands, and fays,

the gentlemen are for emptying the bag, without filling it?' for that is the phrafe he ufes. Why does he not tell how to fill it?-Johnfon." Sir, there tells what he obferves, and as much as he chu here is no end of negative criticism. He fes. If he tells what is not true, you may find fault with him; but though he tells that the land is not well cultivated, he is not obliged to tell how it may be well cultivated. If I tell that many of the Highlanders go barefooted, I am not obliged to tell how they may get fhoes. Pennant tells a fact. He need go no farther, except he pleases. He exhaufts nothing; and no fubject whatever has yet been exhausted. But Pennant has furely told a great deal. Here is a man fix feet high, and you are angry becaufe he is not feven."-Notwithstanding this eloquent Oratio pro Pennantia, which they who have read this gentleman's Tours, and recollect the Savage and the Shopkeeper at Monbaddo, will probably impute to the fpirit of contradiction, I fill think that he had better have given more attention to fewer things, than have thrown together fuch a number of imperfect

accounts.

LEIBNITZ and DR. CLARKE,

After breakfast, Dr. Johnson and I, and Jofephi, mounted horfes, and Col and the Captain walked with us about a fhort mile across the ifland. We paid a vifit to the Re

verend Mr. Hedor M'Lean. His parish confits of the islands of Col and Tyr-yi. He was about feventy-seven years of age, a decent ecclefiaftick, drefied in a full fuit of hack, and a black wig. He appeared like a Dutch pastor, or one of the Affembly of Divines at Westminster. Dr. Johnfon obferved to me afterwards, that he was a fine old man, and was as well dreffed, and had as much dignity in his appearance, as the dean of a cathedral. We were told, that he had a vaLuble library, though but poor accommodation for it, being obliged to keep his books in large chefts. It was curious to fee him and Dr. Johníon together. Neither of them heard very diftinctly; fo each of them talked in his own way, and at the fame time. Mr. MLean faid, he had a confutation of Bayle, ty Leibnitz. Johnfon. "A confutation of Bayle, Sir ! What part of Bayle do you mean? The greatest part of his writings is not confutabe; it is hiftorical and critical,”—Mr. M'Lean fard, "the irreligious part;" and proceeded to talk of Leibnitz's controverfy with Clarke, calling Leibnitz a great man.→→ Johnson,

Why, Sir, Leibnitz perfifted in affirming that Newton called space fenforium numinis, notwithstanding he was corrected, and defired to obferve that Newton's words were QUASI fenforium numinis. No, Sir, Leibnitz was as paltry a fellow as I know. Out of refpect to Queen Caroline, who patronised Im, Clarke treated him too well."

During the time that Dr. Johnson was thas going on, the old minifter was ftanding with his back to the fire, crefting up erect, pulling down the front of his perriwig, and talking what a great man Leibnitz was. To give an idea of the fcene, would require a page with two columns; but it ought rather to be reprefented by two good players. The old gentleman faid, Clarke was very wicked, for going fo much into the Arian Syftem. "I will not fay he was wicked, fed Dr. Johnson; he might be mistaken.”MLean." He was wicked, to fhut his eyes ag att the Scriptures; and worthy men i. England have fince confuted him to all inteas and purposes.”—Johnfon. “I know not who has confuted him to all intents and profes."-Here again there was a double talking, each continuing to maintain his own argument, without hearing exactly what the other faid.

MILITARY OBSERVATIONS. After fupper he said, "I am forry that prize-fighting is gone out; every art fhould be preferved, and the art of defence is fureIv important. It is abfurd that our foldiers fhould have fwords, and not be taught the ufe of them. Prize-fighting made people ac cuftomed not to be alarmed at feeing their

own blood, or feeling a little pain from a wound. I think the heavy glaymore was an ill contrived weapon. A man could only ftrike once with it. It employed both his hands, and he must of course be soon fatigued with wielding it; fo that if his antagonist could only keep playing a while, he was fure of him. I would fight with a dirk against Rorie More's fword. I could ward off a blow with a dirk, and then run in upon my enemy. When within that heavy fword, I have him; he is quite helpless, and I could ftab him at my leifure like a calf.-It is thought by fenfible military men, that the English do not enough avail the.nfelves of their fuperior strength of body against the French; for that must always have a great advantage in pushing with bayonets. I have heard an officer fay, that if women could be made to ftand, they would do as well as men in a mere interchange of bullets from a distance; but if a body of men fhould come close up to them, then to be fure they must be overcome: now, faid he, in the fame manner the weak bodied French mutt be overcome by our ftrong foldiers."

TRADE.

After breakfast he said to me, "A Highland Chief fhould now endeavour to do every thing to raise his rents, by means of the indufty of his people Formerly it was right for him to have his houfe full of idle fellows; they were his defenders, his fervants, his dependants, his friends. Now they may be

better employed. The fyftem of things is now fo much altered, that the family cannot have influence but by riches, because it has no longer the power of ancient feudal times. An individual of a family may have it; but it cannot now belong to a family, unless you could have a perpetuity of men with the fame views. M'Leod has four times the land that the Duke of Bedford has. I think, with his fpirit, he may in time make himself the greateft man in the king's dominions; for land may always be improved to a certain degree. I would never have any man fell land, to throw money into the funds, as is often done, or to try any other fpecies of trade, Depend upon it, this rage of trade will deftroy itself. You and I fhall not fee it ; but the time will come when there will be an end of it. Trade is like gaming. If a whole company are gamefters, play must ceafe; for there is nothing to be won. When all nations are traders, there is nothing to be gained by trade, and it will top firft where it is brought to the greatest perfection. Then the proprietors of land only will be the great men."-1 obferved, it was hard that M'Leod fhould find ingratitude in fo many of his people.—Johníon. "Sir, gratitude is a fruit of

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great

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great cultivation; you do not find it amorg grofs people."-I doubt of this. Nature feems to have implanted gratitude in all living creatures. The lion mentioned by Valerius Maximus, had it. It appears to me that culture, which brings luxury and felfifhnefs with it, has a tendency rather to weaken than promote this affection.

MATRIMONY.

At breakfast Dr. Johnson faid, "Some cunning men choose fools for their wives, thinking to manage them, but they always fail. There is a fpaniel fool and a mule fool, The fpaniel fool may be made to do by beating. The mule fool will neither do by words nor blows; and the fpaniel fool often turns mule at last and fuppofe a fool to be made do pretty well, you must have the continual trouble of making her do. Depend upon it, no woman is the worfe for fenfe and knowledge."-Whether afterwards he meant merely to fay a polite thing, or to give his opinion, I could not be fure; but he added, "Men know that women are an over-match for them, and therefore they choose the weakeft, or most ignorant. If they did not think fo they never could be afraid of women knowing as much as themselves.”—In justice to the fex, I think it but candid to acknow

ble to explain. He never wears a night-cap, as I have already mentioned; but he puts a handkerchief on his head in the night.-The day that we left Talifker, be bade us ride on. He then turned the head of his horfe back towards Talifker, ftopped for fome time; then wheeled round to the fame direction with ours, and then came briskly after us. He fets open a window in the coldest day or night, and stands before it. It may do with his conftitution; but most people, among whom I am one, would fay, with the frogs in the fable, "This may be sport to you ; but it is death to us."-It is in vain to try to find a meaning in every one of his particularities, which, I fuppofe, are mere habits, contracted by chance; of which every man has fome that are more or less remarkable. His fpeaking to himself, or rather repeating, is a common habit with ftudious men accuftomed to deep thinking; and, in confequence of their being thus rapt, they will eyen laugh by themselves, if the fubject which they are mufing on is a merry one. Dr. Johnfon is often uttering pious ejaculations, when he appears to be talking to himself; for fometimes his voice grows ftronger, and parts of the Lord's Prayer are heard. I have fat befide him with more than ordinary reverence on fuch occafions *.

In our Tour, I observed that he was difledge, that, in a fubfequent converfation, he gufted whenever he met with coarse man

told me that he was ferious in what he had faid.

STRIKING PECULIARITIES OF DR. JOHN

SON.

He has particularities which it is impoffi.

ners. He faid to me, "I know not how it is, but I cannot bear low life; and I find others, who have as good a right as I to be faftidious, bear it better, by having mixed more with different forts of men. You would

think that I have mixed pretty well too."

PEMARKS on the DIFFERENT SUCCESS, with RESPECT to HEALTH, of SOME ATTEMPTS to pafs the WINTER in HIGH NORTHERN LATITUDES. By JOHN AIKIN, M. D.

[From the "Memoirs of the LITERARY and PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, at Manchester."]

THOUGH the cure of difeafes may,

perhaps, most fafely be confined to the members of a profeffion, devoted hy education and habit to this fole object, yet the prefervation of health must be in fome measure committed to the care and judgment of every individual. The difcuffion therefore of any means to obtain this end, divefted as it may he of technical language, and abftrufe fpeculation, cannot fail of being generally interefting. The most remarkable and ufeful account of fuccefs in this important point perhaps any

where to be met with, has been afforded by that celebrated and much-regretted navigator Captain Cook; an account which was justly thought worthy of the most honourable approbation a philofophical fociety could beftow. From fimilar fources, relations of voyages and travels by plain unprejudiced men, I have collected fome other facts probably at prefent forgotten or difregarded, which appear to me capable of fuggesting feveral striking and important obfervations relative to the prefervation of health in parti.

* It is remarkable, that Dr. Johnson should have read this account of fome of his own pecula habits, without faying any thing on the fubject, which I hoped he would have

done.

cular

cular circumstances. Thefe, with a brief commentary and fome general reflections, I beg leave to fubmit to your confideration,

Towards the beginning of the last century feveral voyages of difcovery were made in the Northern Seas; and the Greenland whalefishery began to be pursued with ardour by various European nations. These two cir cumstances have given rife to various inftances of wintering in the dreary and defolate lands of high northern latitudes; and the furpriz ing difference of fuccefs attending these attempts maft ftrike every reader.

The first remarkable relation of this kind that I have found, is that of the wintering of Captain Monck, a Dane, in Hudfon's Bay, Latitude 63. 20. He had been fent on a voyage of difcovery with two ships well provided with neceffaries, the crews of which amounted to fixty-four perfons. The fhips being locked up in the ice, they landed and erected huts for paffing the winter, which they occupied in September 1619. At the beginning of their abode here, they got abundance of wild fowl, and fome other fresh provifions; but the cold foon became fo intenfe, that nothing further was to be procared abroad, and they were obliged to take to their fhip-stores, The feverity of the cold may be conceived, from their feeing ice three hundred and fixty feet thick; and from their beer wine and brandy being all frozen to the very centre. The people foon began to be fickly, and their fickness encreased with the cold. Some were affected by gripes and lofenefs, which continued till they died. At the approach of fpring they were all highly fcorbutic, and their mouths were fo extremely fore, that they were unable to eat any thing but bread foaked in water, Lft their bread was exhausted; and the few furvivors chiefly subsisted on a kind of berry dug out from beneath the fnow. When the Spring was far advanced, no fresh vegetables could yet be found. In June the Captain crawled out of his hut, and found the whole company reduced to two men befides bimfelf. Thele melancholy relicts fupported themfelves in the best manner they were able, and recovered their strength by feeding on a certain root they difcovered, and fome game caught in hunting. At length they embarked in the smaller ship, and after undergoing numberless dangers and hardships, returned home in fafety.

At

In the fame immenfe Bay, but as far fouth la 52, Captain James, an Englishman, wintered with his crew. His refidence was on an island covered with wood; but the cold was, notwithstanding, most intense. In the depth of winter they were able to procare very little fresh provifion by the chafe,

and all became grievoufly afflicted with the fcurvy, except the Captain, Mafter and Surgeon. Weak and fick as they were, however, it was neceffary for them to labour hard out of doors during the greatest inclemen→ cy of the season; for believing their ship so damaged as to be incapable of carrying them home, they undertook the laborious task of building a pinnace from the timber growing on the Island. At the return of spring the young greens fprouted up much fooner and more plentifully here, than where Monck wintered; and it became very hot before they left the place. They loft only two men out of a crew of twenty-two.

In the year 1633, two trials were made by the Dutch of establishing wintering places at their northern fisheries; the one at Spitzbergen, the other on the coast of Greenland, in latitudes about 77 or 78. Seven failors were left at each, amply furnished with every article of cloathing, provifion, and utenfils thought neceffary or useful in fuch a fituation. The journals of both companies are preserved.

That of the men in Greenland takes notice, that on September 18th, the allowance of brandy began to be ferved out to each perfon. On October 9th they began to make a conftant fire to fit by. About this time, it is remarked, that they experienced a confiderable change in their bodies, with giddiness in their heads. They now and then killed a bear; but their chief diet was falt meat. March they were all very ill of the fcurvy: and on April the 16th the first man died, and all the reft were entirely difabled, but one perfon. This poor wretch continues the journal to the laft day of April, when they were praying for a speedy releafe from their miferies. They were all found dead.

In

The journal of those who were left at Spitzbergen recites, that they fought in vain for green herbs, bears and foxes, in that defolate region; and killed no other game than one fox, the whole time. The fcurvy appeared among them as early as November 24th; and the first man died January 14th. The Journal ends February 26th; and thefe too were all found dead.

Not many years after thefe unfortunate attempts, an accident gave rife to an experment, the event of which was fo entirely the reverse of these, that it merits very particular notice. On the fame fide of Spitzbergen, between lat. 77 and 78, a boat's crew belonging to a Greenland Quip, confifting of eight Englishmen, who had been tent afhore to kill deer, were left behind, in confequence of fome mistakes, and reduced to the deplorable neceffity of watering in that dreadful country, totally unprovided with

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