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completely formed. It changes from green to yellow, and from yellow to red. The clove harvest then commences, but in this state the fruit is not completely matured for the purposes of propagation. It swells after this in the course of three weeks to an extraordinary size, loses much of its spicy quality, and contains a hard nucleus like the seed of the bay, There appear to be five varieties of the clove; but its geographical distribution is very limited, being originally confined to the five Molucca islands, and chiefly to Machian. The cloves, when taken from the tree, are placed on hurdles and smoked to a brown colour by means of a slow wood fire. The period of harvest is from October to December. The next in order of this class is the Nutmeg tree, (Nux myristica,) which grows to the height of fifty feet, with a well branched stem. The leaves resem. ble those of the pear; when rubbed they emit a fine aromatic odour; and when the tree is cut a blood red coloured liquid, which gives an indelible stain to cloth, issues from the wound.

"The tree bears throughout the year, the same plant having flowers and fruit in every stage. The fruit is about the size, and has much the appearance, of a nectarine. It is marked all round by a furrow, such as the peach has on one side only. The outer coat of this fruit is smooth, and when young of a lively green. As it ripens it acquires a red blush like a ripe peach, and bursting at the furrow, exhibits the nutmeg with its reticulated coat the mace of a fine crimson colour. The external pulpy covering is about half an inch thick, of a firm consistence, succulent, and to the taste austere and astringent. Appearing through the interstices of the mace is the nutmeg, which is loosely inclosed in a thin shell of black glossy appearance, not difficultly broken." Vol. I. p. 504.

This tree is found in New Holland, in the southern peninsula of India, in Cochinchina, in New Guinea, and other places remotely situated from each other, so that it has a far wider geographical distribution than the clove. The fruit is gathered in April, July, and November; its maturity is discovered by the blush on the pulpy covering. The mace is first separated from the nutmeg, and then dried in the sun; the nutmegs are also dried in the sun; then smoked over a wood

fire for three months, then freed from their shells, and finally they are dipped in lime-water. Among the minor spicy products are the Massoy bark tree, seldom used for culinary purposes, but as an ingredient in cosmetics; the Culitiawan, a species of laurel cultivated for its bark; the Cassia tree, found in several of the islands; and the Cardamom. Ginger is extensively diffused, but is inferior in quality to that of Malabar and Bengal. Malayan Camphor is not the product of a laurel as in Japan, but of a large forest tree, remarkable for yielding a variety of resinous substances. Benzoin is obtained from a small tree which grows in rich moist lands, such as are suitable for the culture of marsh rice. Sandal wood is found in three varieties, white, yellow, and red, the two first being most esteemed. It is a native of the mountains; and from Java and Madura eastward it is scattered in small quantities throughout the different islands. (To be continued.)

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DE COVERLEY FAMILY.

Bandyborough, June 19, 1820.

MR EDITOR,

THE very obliging manner in which you have accepted the offer of my correspondence, ought to have animated me to fresh exertions; but human nature is human nature, and procrastination forms a very principal part in its composition, at least it does in the composition of the De Coverleys. I have been intending every day for the last month to have followed up the detailed account I before sent you of myself, by giving you some account of my family, which, as I have already said, consists of two sons and a daughter; but one thing that has delayed my writing to you has been the consideration of how I might be able to say all I think of my children's good qualities, without making myself liable to be laughed at as a blind doating father, and how I should, with just impartiality, point out their defects and failings, without wounding their feelings, or my own. I think, therefore, the best way of giving you an insight into their characters will be to let them speak for themselves, and I will begin with my eldest son

Richard, and transcribe a letter had from him soon after I arrived at this place.

To John De Coverley, Esq.

MY DEAR FATHER, I AM happy to find that the air of Bandyborough is more favourable to letter-writing than the air of London, for, indeed, my dear Sir, when you lived there, you were a wretched correspondent, but now I have more reason to admire than to complain. Thank you most sincerely for your two last letters. You do me but justice in supposing you cannot enter too minutely into family details; what concerns you, and my dear mother and sister, are more to me than all the politics of Europe. Apropos of politics, I am amused with all you tell me about the party politics of your late election; and I am heartily glad that all the little feuds and animosities resulting therefrom are beginning to subside. For my own part, I think there should be an act of oblivion at every fresh election, as there is an act of grace at every fresh reign, and it should be unlawful to remember, and high treason against good fellowship to repeat, any of the little squibs, affronts, insults, and ill-natured wit ticisms that occur during the satur nalia of an election. The talking over an election, when it is concluded, is almost as bad as talking over a game at cards after it has been played, or discussing the merits of a dinner after it has been eaten; such chewings of the cud may show a good memory, but exhibit mighty little imagination. Tell Fanny I shall write her a long letter very soon, with a full account of all my proceedings, but for the present let it suffice to know, that I have been very quiet and very stupid. Little else has been talked of for the last week, but the Queen's threatened return to England. The general opinion seems to be that she will not come, but I, for the sake of contradiction, being the thing we lawyers live by, have laid a wager with Ned Trevor that she will come. Let not my cautious mother shake her head, and say, "Dear me, how silly!" for, with true professional skill, I have laid my bet with all the odds in my favour, for if her Majesty should visit" her beloved England," I shall

VOL. VII.

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win five guineas, and if she stays abroad, I shall be better pleased than if I had won ten..

I rejoice to hear that my good mo→ ther is becoming reconciled to her new abode. I hope she and her antagonist the butcher have accommodated their differences, and that either she has taught him to cut his meat in the London fashion, or that he has taught her to eat it as the good folks at Bandyborough do, for things cannot long remain at such extremities between persons so necessary to each other. I am glad she (my mother) has been admitted into the whist coterie, as I doubt not she will find it a great resource in long winter evenings, and longer summer ones. But what will she do without her saucy son to stand at her elbow to remind her from time to time what are trumps? But tell her, though still saucy, I am always her affectionate son. And am, my dear father, yours,

RICHARD DE COVERLEY. Tell George, if still with you, I wish the next epic poem he sends franked, or pay the postage. me by the post, he would either get

You will perceive, Mr Editor, from his own account, that he is intended for the bar, and you will guess that he is a cheerful light-hearted fellow, somewhat of a rattle; indeed I fear he would be what is called a quizzer, if his excessive good nature and dread of giving pain did not keep the vivacity of his temper within the bounds of discretion. To say the truth, in looking into the bottom of my heart, while at this moment I am writing about him, it seems to me, that he is my favourite child; his graceful person, his fine De Coverley face the image of his great uncle, his cheerful animated countenance, make him, in my eyes, singularly prepossessing, and I certainly should love him the best of the three, if I did not discover that the other two were equally engaging in their different ways, and equally entitled to their due share of my af fections. At any rate, though I may be able to keep even the balance of favour, Richard is decidedly his mother's favourite; whether it is, that an eldest son has usually that prerogative, or because the jokes of her saucy son act as a sort of stimulant on

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the soporific nature of her own mind, and so relieve it from kind of constitutional weight, I cannot tell; but certain it is, every thing he says and does is right in her eyes, and she sel dom praises or rebukes her other chil dren but through him. She says, Fanny writes a beautiful hand, al most as neat a one as Richard's;" but finds terrible faults with George's bow," which will never be so grace ful as Dick's.' But, as I said before, why should I not make every body speak for themselves when I can? My wife shall show how great her affection is for her son, by sending you the copy of a letter she wrote him a few days ago, and if you knew Mrs De Coverley as well as I do, you would not think slightly of that feeling which could urge her to such an unwonted proceeding.

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Mrs De Coverley to Richard De Coverley, Esq.

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DEAR DICK, Mr Smith has just called to see if we have any thing to send you, and I take the opportunity of sending a dozen shirts I have been making for you, and as nobody is in the way to write, I must, as I want to know if the collars are made the proper height. You will be glad to hear I am beginning to like Bandyborough very well, I suppose, because I am getting used to it, the reason, I dare say, why I liked Great Russel Street so much, which you and Fanny thought so dull. We are very lucky here in having an exceeding clever apothecary, who seems to know all our constitutions already as well as if he had attended us these ten years, he advises your father, for the sake of his nerves, to get as much cheerful society as he can; and has kindly of fered to come and dine with us whenever he is not otherwise engaged; he falso recommends your father to drink a few glasses of Madeira every day, which he says we can get particularly good of his father-in-law, a wine merchant in this place. Fanny, he thinks, requires constant exercise,recommends dancing and riding as best suited to her state of health, which, he says, if any thing, is too robust. As for me, he has ordered me to keep perfectly quiet, as exertion of every kind is very bad for me, and that whenever I feel inclined for a

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nap after dinner, I should always indulge in it; " for nature," as he just ly says,, points out what she requires:"-he also advises me in fine weather to take a little airing in the carriage, and he says his wife, a good kind of woman, though very lame, will be always so kind as to accompany me. Your aunt Eleanor and he are great friends, as he agrees perfectly with her in all her opinions, and they talk incessantly about the constitution; but whether they are talking about politics or medicine, I can't always make out-poor thing, I am sorry she troubles herself so much about politics, for I can't see any good it can do. Your father and sister always leave the room as soon as she begins, which is very tiresome to me. However, I am exceedingly glad Mr Scamony has ordered me to sleep after dinner, so now I need not keep awake to listen to her. I am quite tired with writing this long letter, so must conclude, your affectionate mother,

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This letter reminds me that I must not forget, or overlook, a very conspicuous person in our family group my sister Eleanor a tall bony elderly lady, who having, once upon a time, passed three days in the same house with the celebrated Junius, who paid her, as she tells us, many compliments, has taken upon herself, from that circumstance, to be a furious politician, and decides and animadverts upon the conduct of every public character in Europe, as well as in England, as if she was the only person in the world who had common sense. Besides this, being several years older than myself, she exerted the prerogative that I observe most elder sisters exercise over their brothers, and used to tutor me so unmercifully when a boy, that she cannot always be brought to remember that I am now 59, and, as I hope, of mature judgment. However, as I seldom listen to her politics, or reply to her sarcasms, we go on admirably, and my wife's good temper, and Fanny's good sense, keep all things in their equilibrium, and, to do her justice, she has many excellent qualities, and has, above all, that chief virtue in an aunt, of being blindly partial to her nephews and nieces. She declares

Richard is the cleverest young man in England next to Mr Brougham; that she had rather read George's poetry than any thing else that is not political; and if Fanny would but study, the "Bill of Rights," she would not have a fault in the world. I was going to give you some description of this dear daughter of mine, but I must defer it till the next time I have the pleasure of writing to you; however, as I see upon the table a letter she has been writing to her brother Richard, she shall introduce herself to your acquaintance by transcribing part of it, while I, in the meantime, subscribe myself, Mr Editor, your obedient servant,

JOHN DE COVERLEY.

Miss De Coverley to R. De Coverley,
Esq.

No, my dear brother-no, your arguments are powerful, your advice edifying, your eloquence persuasive, but never can I cease to sigh for the delights of dear London; still must its enlivening amusements, its enchanting novelties, be, "like the memory of joys that are past, pleasant, yet mournful to my soul." The very being betrayed into so hackney'd a quotation speaks volumes against this land of exile, where nothing is heard till it is too old to be worth hearing, and nothing seen, till, in the world of fashion, it is become a mere memento that such things have been. Oh for the whispered hint of a poem in the press! Oh for the pleasure of reading it before its novelty (perhaps its chief recommendation) has evaporated! Oh for the operas and the panoramas! And though last, not least in my lamentations, Oh for the Modes de Paris, those bewitching creatures of a day which are born and die, while we in these distant regions remain alike ignorant of either event.

How you will laugh at this burst of woe! and how, my dearest brother, would my woes vanish, could I have the pleasure of seeing you laugh, even at my expence! for, after all, the being separated from you is my only heartfelt source of regret, the rest is but on the surface; and you know me too well not to be assured I can find some agreeables even' to console me for the loss of the metropolis and all its enchantments. The seeing my

dear father so happy and so much admired would alone compensate for a world of care. It is impossible to be more popular than he is here. His talents as a man of business make him useful and respected his knowledge of general literature, and his long intercourse with the world, gain him the attention and admiration of the more refined and intellectual part of our society-while the urbanity of his manners, united to the simple-heartedness and winning smile of the De Coverleys, ensure him the regard, I might almost say affection, of young and old. Mamma, too, is now perfectly contented, and I can scarcely believe she has not lived here from her birth. She seems to be generally liked; and, though I have heard no positive admiration expressed of her, I have of her turban-and, as you and I have often agreed, it is impossible for turban and woman to be more alike. I last night overheard one lady whispering to another," That is a very pretty turban of Mrs De Coverley's; but, if I did not see it exactly in the same situation night after night, I should certainly think it was dropping off. I am sure no other person could preserve its balance as she does

only see how that little feather on the left side trembles as she stirs her tea!"-Cannot you see Mamma ? and cannot you see her equally composed if her turban (which certainly is like one of the rocking stones we saw last year) were actually to drop off? And now you will say, What notice have you, direct or indirect, of your own popularity? My answer is, that the men, of course, admire me-with them I consider myself an absolute monarch, and I should be excessively astonished if they disputed my title; but the ladies I find rather more difficult to manage, and I think, upon the whole, they treat me very much as their papas and brothers do their representatives in Parliament. So long as I conciliate them, and bear my honours meekly, they are willing to place me in a much higher rank than actually belongs to me. I dance like a nymph, sing like an angel, and dress like a Parisian; but, if I allowed myself in the slightest airs, or attempted to take as my right the place they confer as a favour, I should sink at once, and my fall would be in proportion to my clevation. I have,

- however, hitherto been too prudent to dare such a fall, and, in the language of the thousand and one addresses I have lately heard, I may still hope to preserve the proud pre-eminence in which my constituents have placed -me. Seriously, though we have some country-town misses in all their flounced varieties, we have others from whom you and Mr Trevor, when you pay us your promised visit, will have difficulty in guarding your hearts; and, though we have country-town dandies in their stiffest of collars, we have others in whom I sus-pect you would gladly find less formidable rivals. I have much to tell you of some of my new acquaintance, whom I trust I may one of these days call friends-much of our routs, and balls, and book societies; but I must now bid adieu to my pen, and to you, my dearest brother.

Your's affectionately,

FANNY DE COVERLEY.

My aunt Eleanor congratulates you on winning five guineas, and refuses to believe you would more gladly have lost them.

EXTRACTS FROM SOUTHEY'S LIFE OF

WESLEY.

WE gave some extracts from the beginning of this curious book, relating to certain circumstances of a seemingly supernatural kind, which may have influenced the imagination of Wesley in his opening years, and we proceed now to a few more particulars of his early life.

"Mr Wesley (the father) usually attended the sittings of convocation: such attendance, according to his principles, was a part of his duty, and he performed it at an expence of money which he could ill spare from the necessities of so large a family, and at a cost of time which was in jurious to his parish. During these absences, as there was no afternoon service at Epworth, Mrs Wesley prayed with her own family on Sunday evenings, read a sermon, and engaged afterwards in religious conversation. Some of the parishioners who came in accidentally were not excluded; and she did not think it proper that their presence should interrupt the duty of the hour. Induced by the report which these persons made, others requested permission

• See Number for May 1820.

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to attend; and in this manner from thirty to forty persons usually assembled. After this had continued some time, she happened to find an account of the Danish missionaries in her husband's study, and was strengthened her desire of doing good: she much impressed by the perusal. The book chose the best and most awakening sermons,' ,' and spake with more freedom, more warmth, more affection, to the neighbours who attended at her evening prayers;their numbers increased in consequence, for she did not think it right to deny any who asked admittance. More persons came at length than the apartment could hold; and the thing was represented to her husband in such a manner, that he wrote to her, objecting to her conduct, because, he said, it looked particular,' because of her sex, and because he was at that time in a public station and character, which rendered it the more necessary that she should do nothing to attract censure; and he recommended that some other person should read for her. She began her reply by heartily thanking him for dealing so plainly and faithfully with her in a matter of no common concern. As to its looking particular,' she said, I grant it does, and so does almost every thing that is serious, or that may any way advance the glory of God, or the salvation of souls, if it be performed out of a pulpit or in the way of common conversation; because, in our corrupt age, the utmost care and diligence has been used to banish all discourse of God, or spiritual concerns, out of society, as if religion were never to appear out of the closet, and we were to be ashamed of nothing so much as of confessing ourselves to be Christians.' To the objection on account of her sex she answered, that, as she was a woman, so was she also mistress of a large family; and, though the superior charge lay upon him as their head and minister, yet, in his absence, she could not under her care as a talent committed to her but look upon every soul which he had left under a trust by the great Lord of all the families of heaven and earth. If,' she added, "I am unfaithful to Him or to you, in neglecting to improve these talents, how shall I answer unto Him, when he shall command me to render an account of my stewardship? The objections which arose from his own station and character she left entirely to his own judgment. Why any person should reflect upon him, because his wife endeavoured to draw people to church, and restrain them, by reading and other persuasions, from profaning the Sabbath, she could not conceive; and, if any would not regard it. were mad enough to do so, she hoped he For my own part,' she says, I value no censure on this account. I have long since shook hands with the world; and I heartily wish I had ne

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