i

never dictate the glowing language of pity and benevolence. He may captivate the senses by the beauty of his imagery, and the harmonious turn of his periods, but he never will be able to penetrate the heart or awaken the sensibility of his readers.

I confess to you, fir, my gravity was put to a fevere trial, when I perused the examples adduced by the gentleman to illustrate his subject. The idea of a black man, under the fignature of a lady, captivating by his writings the affections of a poet, is truly novel : and the preceding, though not quite so fingular, is an incident scarcely ever witnessed among men of enlarged minds and real abilities; for I can entertain but a mean opinion of that man, who, having been captivated by the writings of a female whom he had never seen, could, on beholding her, cease to be delighted. The gentleman says, "The lady's lines had been misread:" but he furely is wrong in this affertion, because her lines, to have produced such an effect, must have been dictated by a mind poffeffing the most elegant accomplishments, therefore it was the reader's judgment that must have been misled, in conceiving mental elegance to be allied only to corporeal beauty; and the corruption of his tafte, in not being sensible of the value of an enlightened and accomplished mind, independent of the secondary poffeffion of a finely formed face, and genteel perfon.

The writer of the "Plaintiff, No. II." has laboured under an evident mistake through the greater part of his essay. He has confounded two principles, or rather two diftinct sciences, and thus made several parts of his enquiry appear inconsistent and fallacious. He has, in one place, introduced Cleopatra as a woman possessed of no great personal charms, and immediately after he introduces Des Cartes' Admiration of Newton; thus confounding beauty of perfon, and fuperiority of mind. All that we can judge of the face, from the writings of a person, is his countenance. When reading the works

of

of Newton, we imagine to ourselves a countenance serene, elevated, mild, and at the fame time majestic. The effays of Locke bring to our view a countenance more grave, fixed, and profound; and the writings of Sterne present us with a face much lighter in appear. ance; fometimes shrewed, at others pleasant, and frequently exhibiting a light, yet captivating pathos. There are particular sentences and expreffions in moft writings of men of genius, which ferve to shew what their minds are equal to, when properly stimulated and exerted. Who cannot trace in the following very animated passage, the features which must have marked the countenance of the indignant Cicero? "Quofque tandem abutêre, Catilina, patientia nostra? quamdiu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? quem ad finem sese effrenata jactabit audacia?" There are many paffages which may be quoted, whereby we may trace the elegance and force of the writer's mind, and, at the fame time, form an idea of his countenance; but I think it useless to bring forward any more. The connection between the mind and the countenance has, I think, been clearly proved; and the certainty of the "Physiognomy of Pens," in a great measure established. In the few ideas which I have offered you, there are, I doubt not, many errors: therefore let no one who shall read them, take the conclufions for fact, until he has first well weighed them in his own mind; and if he find any that are false and erroneous, I shall feel myself obliged by his making them known, and substituting, in their stead, principles which are true, and which will tend to throw a new light upon the fubject.

T. REES.

MOUNT MOUNT OLYMPUS.

BY JAMES DALLAWAY, M. B. F.S. A.

Late Chaplain and Physician of the British Embassy
to the Porte,

THE evening view of Brufa was brilliantly lighted

up by the glow of the setting fun. The horizon was intirely of the most transparent azure, and the skirting clouds were light and fleecy, fuspended confiderably below the bare cliffs. Nothing could exceed the clearness of tint which pervaded every part of this lively landscape. From the extreme thinness of the air, very diftant objects are brought so much forwarder than in England, that they appear with lustre; and the haziness with which even a confined view is frequently obstructed, is almost unknown here.

The next morning we commenced the afcent of Mount Olympus, one of the most arduous that can be imagined. It is a collection of vast mountains, about forty miles in circumference, heaped one on another, rather than a single mass; and may be divided into three regions. The first abounds in mulberry, and various shrubs; we then came to a chesnut grove, which leads to a plain, and is the summit immediately visible from the vale below. The ancient inhabitants inftituted orgies in honour of Hylas, the favourite of Hercules, and ran about this foreft calling as if in search of him. Wandering hordes of shepherds of the Turcoman race, with their temporary villages, frequently occupy these heights. Advancing a mile or two, we entered a grove of pine and filver fir, and the greater part having been lately burnt, exhibited a very fombre appearance. Indeed, with any but Turcoman horfes, the access would be absolutely impracticable, but their

* “

The pure marble air."

PAR, LOST, b. iii. 1. 464.

steadiness and agility is wonderful. The second region of level ground was at length gained, which is covered with huge fragments of rock, worn smooth, of granite, marble, and talk. There are innumerable bushes of juniper.

"Stant et juniperi et castaneæ hirfutæ."

VIRG.

The distance from Brufa now exceeded ten miles; and the greater part of this formidable tract is as steep as the common elevation of a flight of steps. Excepting where it leads through groves, the path is upon the brink of an abyss, so profound, that the eye can scarcely perceive the bases of the frequent defiles, which interfect each other. The epithet of "many-vallied," which Homer applies to the Theffalian Olympus, is equally defcriptive of this mountain. Of lofty views, few from, mere height are fuperior: it commands the sea of Marmara, with the domes of Conftantinople occafionally to be feen, the gulph of Modania, the lake of Apollonia, and the dividing chain of Bithynian mountains, which, without exaggeration, dwindle inte mere hillocks. Comparison is here our only scale of mensuration, and where chain is thus linked to chain, an attempt to be exact is unattainable, and would be endless. A level plain extends for fome miles, when farther to the fouth-east another mountain, of volcanic shape, having a crater, crowns this immenfe accumulation, and completes one of the highest summits in the world. Immediately under it is a large pool, which produces a delicate fish called the alabaluk, referved

* Shakespeare's description of Hamlet, is as literally applicable.

"Mercury,

New lighted on a heaven-kissing hill:

-or the skyish head

Of blue Olympus."

for

for the fultan's table. We did not advance farther than the second region; where, it must be faid, that the objects become so remote and diminished, that the landscape is only curious, and would not, independently confidered, answer the fatigue and danger of fuch a journey, or reward the toil of a painful perpendicular march of so many miles.

4

Our route conducted us through the lower divifion of Bithynia, called Olympena, over a vast plain with scanty plats of corn, at best but cultivated dreariness, parched, and totally unpicturesque. At four hours progress we saw the lake of Apollonia, and turning round, the whole of mount Olympus blended in one mass; and the third region, although so distant from the others, seemingly incorporated with them.

The whole was beautifully illuminated for the instant, but very foon enveloped with clouds. We rode round the sedges, the refuge of many species of wild fowl, which are seldom interrupted, and hover about, as if confcious of security. The peasants were bufied in gathering the reeds, which, when dried, are used for the roofs of their cottages.

D

MENTAL BEAUTY.

RINKING tea a few weeks ago with some female friends, a young lady, whom I had never before seen, was one of the party. I am not apt to be struck at first sight; but the attractions of this lady operated with magnetic force. The tout ensemble of her features, though not regularly beautiful, was such as to behold and not admire, was impossible. A mild unaffuming deportment prevented my forming a decided judgment, but a fuavity of disposition, with some strong traits of native sense and delicacy pourtrayed in her countenance, deeply impressed me with the most

favourable ideas.

VOL. II.