upon betraying their trust-that their families must starve if they are faithful, so scanty is their allowance; while, on the other hand, he is liberally rewarded if he refrains from visiting them, or makes his visits in a complaisant way. Adverting to the system of apprenticeship, which now stands for seven years of learning; but which there is a general persuasion, that it might be shortened, to advantage, Mr. J. proceeds: I stated, in my opening address, that the abrogation of the system of apprenticeship appeared to me to be one of the most awful propositions ever submitted to the Legislature. It is not enough to shew that a weaver or a cloth-worker can get a knowledge of his trade in a few months or a few years!-Who shall say that the superior morals of our countrymen have not been owing to the prevalence of a system which places youth under proper controul during that most critical period of life, when even parental authority is not so effectual as the authority of the master? It is a custom which has prevailed time out of mind, till within these few years, that in some parts of the country it has been relaxed, principally owing to the introduction of machinery, and the factory system. in ship which binds the youth from fourteen years of age to twenty-one, unless you should think proper to qualify the term of its duration. But, take it, that persons in elevated stations may say, We cannot endure these troublesome rogues under our roof. Let them, in that case, discharge their duty by deputylet the foremen, or others whom the master their houses and families, and exercise over may appoint, receive the apprentices into them, as far as may be, a, delegated authority. In opposition to these sentiments, on this latter subject, the following paper has been handed to us with a view to its general circulation. We also refer our readers to the 6th Resolution of the Committee, before which Mr. J. advocated the cause of the sheermen, Panorama, p. 134. ge Rep. p. 2.-Lord Mansfield, in his arguments I submit to the Cominittee, that, whether looked at in a moral or political point of view, the strongest objections present themselves against that freedom from restraint which you are urged to enact. If you give way this instance, it would be absurd to aigue that the abrogation of apprenticeship will be confined to the woollen trade, and that it will not extend to all the various other branches of the manufacture. No man can imagine for a great number of Manufacturers, who moment that you can do away apprenticeship Alva's persecution, had brought Trade and took refuge in England after the Duke of among the clothiers, and support it among Commerce with them, and enlarged our nothe manufacturers of leather, iron, and other tions. The Restraint introduced by this Law articles. You must annihilate the system altogether, or you must have the courage to was thought unfavourable; and the Judges, enforce it in this manufacture as well as in by a liberal interpretation, have extended the others. I do not mean that you need enforce qualification for exercising the Trade much it according to the extent of the statute of beyond the letter of it, and confined the PeElizabeth, that is, in many respects, an obso-nalty and Prohibition to Cases precisely withlete statute. I do not say that it is absolutely necessary that apprenticeship shall be for seven years. I do not say that you shall not listen to the observation of an honourable member, which I felt forcibly when it was urged, namely, that when one youth is bound an apprentice, and sees another working by his side who is not bound, getting five or ten shillings a week, while he is getting nothing, he will feel great uneasiness and impatience. If seven years be inconvenient, say six, or even five years. If it be necessary to give to youth progressive wages, in God's name let it be so.-What I contend for is, the continuation of that system of apprentice in the express letter." Burn's Justice, Vol. I. Art. Apprentices. 3d Modern Reports, p. 317.-Judge Dol ben, in delivering his Opinion, said, that "No encouragement was ever given to Prosecutions upon the Statute 5 Eliz. and that it would be for the common good if it were repealed; for no greater punishment can be to the Seller, than to expose to sale goods illwrought, for by such means he will never sell more." 2 Salk. 613. The Queen v. Maddox.-It was held by the Court, "that upon Indictments upon the Statute of 5 Eliz. the following of a Trade for seven years to be sufficient without any binding; this being a hard Law."-And so held in Lord Raymond, 738. Burn's Justice." So detrimental was this Statute thought, that by 15 Car. II. all Persons spinning or making Cloth of Hemp or Flax, or Nets for Fishing, or Storin or Cordage, might exercise those Trades without serving Apprenticeships.-And so little did the Legislature, at subsequent periods, think that any benefit was to be derived from the Statute of 5 Elizabeth; or that Manufactures were made better, or improved by this Restraint; and the minds of men being more liberal, that Trade should, as much as possible, be flung open; it is enacted, by 6 and 7 William III. that any Apprentice discovering two persons guilty of Coining, so as they are convicted, shall be deemed a Freeman, and may exercise his Trade as if he had served out his time." And, in order still stronger to shew how little the Legislature esteemed the seven years binding ameliorated Manufactures, itis enacted, by 3 Geo. III. cap. 8. that "All Officers, Mariners, and Soldiers who have been employed in His Majesty's Service, and not deserted, may exercise such trades as they are apt for, in any Town or Place." So dangerous and fatal has been the evil of Combinations and Conspiracies amongst Journeymen, that in particular instances, as in Trades where many hands are required and very little skill, as Dying, and such like, the Legislature have made express Laws to give relief to Masters. See 17 Geo. III. cap. 33.; which enables Dyers, in Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, and Kent, to employ Journeymen who have not served Apprenticeships.-And to such a pitch has this mischief, in the West Riding of Yorkshire increased, by the conspiracies facilitated by the Act of 5 Eliz. that it goes to the total annihilation of our staple Manufactures, and every other Trade, which hopes for success not only by the Home, but from Foreign Consumption.- -See the Report from the Committee of the House of Commons, on the Woollen Trade and Manufacture of these Kingdoms, made in the last Session of Parliament. 4th July, 1806. Paporama, pp. 119, 135, After stating the above, let us quote the Words of the immortal Lord Chief Justice Coke on this point. That, at the Common Law, no Man could be prohibited from working in any lawful Trade; for the Law abhors Idleness, the mother of all evilOtium omnium vitiorum Mater--and especially in young men, who ought in their youth (which is their seed time) to learn lawful Sciences and Trades, which are profitable to the Commonwealth, whereof they might reap the benefit in their old age; for "idle in Youth, poor in Age." And therefore the Common Law abhors all Monopolies, which prohibit any from work ing in any lawful Trade. And that appears in 2 Hen. V. 5. b.-A Dyer was bound not to use the Dyer's Craft for two years: and there Judge Hall held, "that the Bond was against the Common Law; and by G-d if the Plaintiff was here, he should go to Prison till he paid a Fine to the King." And vide 7 Edw. III. 65 b. "And, if he who takes upon himself to work is unskilful, his Ignorance is a sufficient Punishment to him, for Imperitia est maxima mecanicorum pœna et quilibet quærit in qualibet arte peritos:which is, that want of skill is the greatest punishment of Mechanics; for every body will employ those that are the best skilled in their business. And, if any one takes upon himself to work, and spoils it, an Action on the Case lies against him." Having observed thus much, and stated the Opinions of two such great men as Lord Coke and Lord Mansfield, we can only add one dixit of Lord Coke's, that, "Acts of Parliament which are made against the Freedom of Trade, Merchandizing, Handicrafts, and Mysteries, never live long." 4th Inst. 31. It is to be observed, that this very great check upon Trade, by not being able to employ any hands that are able to perform the work required, and especially in those Trades which are so easily learnt in a very short space of time, greatly enhances the prices of all articles, and that at a time when population is daily increasing, and the demand proportionably increasing. And this Statute is not only a restraining Statute, but also an enabling Statute, as it empowers the Workmen to enter into Combinations against their Masters, and to dictate their own terms, encouraging vice, idleness, and drunkenness; demands being made on the Masters for an increase of Wages; those demands supported by dangerous Combinations and Conspiracies, and extorted by Threats. And such increase, when obtained, not applied for the wholesome purpose of supporting themselves and their families, but to that very destructive purpose, ruinous to their families, and highly detrimental to the Public at large, the enabling of the parties to spend more days of the week in idleness, drunkenness, vice, and immorality. In many Manufactures, so much money is extorted by the Journeymen, by means of these Combinations, from their Employers, that the Journeymen will work but three days in the week; so that 600 are necessarily required to do the work that 300 might do. Until these Laws, restricting the binding of Apprentices, are repealed, all Laws made for the prevention of Combinations among Workmen, can be of no avail, and will re main a dead letter in the Law Books: as in in this free Country, (however that Freedom may be limited as to the checking of Masters binding Apprentices,) no Law on this point can be so worded, that the art, wickedness, and ingenuity of men will not contrive to defeat. A bad and absurd Law is made, viz. the Apprentice Act, which by the extension of Trade, is found detrimental to Trade; and then, to do away the mischiefs of that Law, another absurd Law is made, viz. the Law to prevent Combination, so that mischief is heaped upon mischief, and absurdity upon absurdity. TRADE SHOULD BE AS FREE AS THE AIR WE BREATHE. This is an axiom the truth of which every day convinces us. Another consideration arises naturally from reflecting on this subject, viz. the distinction between MONOPOLY and COMBINATION. In the first, the revenue is increased by more work being done, which is certainly beneficial to the Country, as it enables the monopolisers to live in greater splendour, thereby spending their money in those articles of consumption for themselves and connections which they could not do, if their business was not catended; whereas, Combination among workmen tends to cramp trade instead of extending it, and totally to stop all exertions in commerce, every time those who combine think proper to harrass their employers; and, in proportion as their demands are granted, so in proportion does it contribute to dam up the natural course of business, which otherwise would flow without interruption.—In such alarming situations, then, what is to become of trade, if those who carry it on are hindered from preventing evils which otherwise must continually occur? LIFE OF A WARLIKE BISHOP OF MUNSTER. We have lately, in the course of our reading, met with an epitome, in German, of the life and actions of the famous warlike Bishop of Munster, Christopher Bernard von Galen. It is probable that some of our readers may be able to give us further information on the subject of a hero, who, by this account, ought not to be classed among the undistinguished of his time and place. It should seem, that an exaggerated renown of his exploits has been as fatal to this enterprizing commander's fame, as silence itself could have been having removed him into the regions of fiction. : C. B. von Galen, under the naine of Beerndtje von Galen in the provinces of Friesland, Overyssel, and Groningen, who is yet the dread of children, was the terror of the period if which he lived. Monarchs of great and independent states sought his friendship, because his enmity was destructive. A boundless ambition, nourished by the consciousness of his own power, and increased by the success which crowned his first attempts, is apparent in all his transactions. Although never to be forgotten in the history of Munster, he is not mentioned in the general history of Germany and the Low Countries and yet this extraordinary man, who, with little experience in war, placed himself at the head of great armies, conducted sieges, fought battles, and often supported an army of 20 to 30,000 men, which furnished him with the means of prolonging dreadfully destructive wars, without any expence to himself; who, when deserted by all, except himself, knew how to choose the proper moment for alliances and negociation, has hitherto found no impartial biographer worthy of him. The author of La Vie et les Actions memorables de Christofle Bernard de Galen, and almost all writers of the history of the Netherlands of that period, express themselves on every action as the most decided enemies of this Prince. The Vicar General of Munster, Johann von Alpen, in his Vita et Res geste Christophori Bernardi a Galen, 2 vols. is not free from the temptation of extreme partiality to his own country; moreover, he loses himself in the sea of general history. Fassman's " Dialogues of the Dead," which in the tenth part describe the character of this Prince; also, "The History of the Lives of important Persons," are scarcely worth mentioning. The anonymous author of the last mentioned work, who had the privilege of consulting the best biographers, united with the Theatrum Europaeum, might have produced something valuable if he had understood the art of using works of history to advantage; but, as he totally failed herein, and half true. so his biography is a mixture half false In no case is the relation complete; and neither improved by order, nor by representation. We learn little of the private life of the Prince, or of his early youth; and are never told that he was once in the military service of Cologne. author says, indeed, that Bernard von Galen was one of the greatest generals of his time, without ever having previously done any military service; the fact is exaggerated, like many others; and the last, as appears from many passages, is false. He endeavours in a peculiar manner to vindicate his hero from the contradiction between the military and clerical orders. "These are," many may say, “fine qualifications for a general, but not for a clergyman;" but we are to observe, that spiritual Prince of the German Empire is no common clergyman, whose proper office is that of attendance on divine service, The a zen river, the Rhine if you choose; the Mer MR. DE CHATEAUBRIAND'S ACCOUNT OF HIS I have seen many mountains in Europe and in America, and it has always struck me that the description of those lofty natural monuments had ever been exaggerated beyond the truth: neither has what experience I have acquired in my late excursion effected any change in my opinion. I have visited the valley of Chamouni, which Mr. de Saussure has rendered famous: but I question its affording the same speciosa deserti to the poet as to the mineralist. Be that as it may, I shall candidly state the reflections that occurred to me during my journey thither; conscious that my private opinion is not of suffi cient weight to offend any individual. At my departure from Geneva, the weather was rather cloudy, but it began to clear up when I reached Servoz. The summit of Mont-Blanc is not to be discovered from hence, but you have a distinct view of that part of its snowy brow which is called the Dome. Having overcome, at length, the height of the Montées, the valley of Chamouni presents itself. We proceeded below the glacier des Bossons, whose pyramids are descried between the branches of the fir and the larch trees. On account of its white colour, and of the tapered shape of its icicles, M. Bourrit has compared this glacier to a fleet under way; I would add, in a gulph surrounded with verdant forests. I stopped at the village of Chamouni, and the next day reached the Montanvert; which I ascended on the finest day in the whole year. Arrived at its summit, which in reality is only a platform of the Mont-Blanc, I discovered what they most improperly call la Mer de Glace. Imagine a valley, the bottom of which is entirely covered by a river. From the mountains that form this valley are suspended over the river huge masses of rock, the needles of the Dru, the Bochard, and the Charmoz. At a distance, the valley and the river divide into two branches, one of which reaches a high mountain named the Giant's Neck; the other passes beside the rocks called les Torasses. At the opposite extremity of the valley is a slope, facing the valley of Chamouni. This nearly vertical declivity is occupied by that part of the Mer de Glace which is called the Glacier des Bois. Suppose, then, that a severe winter has taken place; that the river which fills up the valley, its windings and declivities, has been frozen to its very bottom, that the summits of the neighbouring mountains are covered with ice and snow, wherever the levels of the granite rock have been sufficiently horizontal to retain the congealing streams; such is the Mer de Glace, and its true character. It is not, as may be conceived, a sea, it is a fro When we had descended to the Mer de Glace, its surface, which appeared flat and smooth from the top of the Montanvert, presented an immense number of points and broken parts. These points of ice imitate the different figures of the lofty enclosure of rocks that overhang on all sides: they resemble a relievo in white marble of the surrounding mountains. Let us now speak of mountains in general. There are two aspects under which they may be seen; with clouds and without clouds. These are the two principal characters of the country among the Alps. With clouds, the scene is more lively; but then such a darkness, and frequently such a confusion prevails, that hardly can objects be distinguished. The clouds form a most variegated drapery around the rocks. I have observed above Servoz a kind of rocky needle standing upright, bare and wrinkled, clad obliquely by a cloud shaped like a toga; the whole might have been taken for the colossal statue of an old Roman. In another place might be seen the cultivated part of the mountain; a long train of clouds intercepted the view towards the summit of this cultivated declivity, whilst above them arose black ramifications of rocks, not unlike the mouths of Chimeras, of Sphinxes, of heads of Anubis', of divers figures of monsters, and of Egyptian deities. When the clouds are driven by the wind, the mountains seem to run with rapidity behind that moveable curtain. They alternately hide and discover themselves; sometimes, at the opening of a cloud, a cluster of verdure suddenly appears, like an island suspended in the air: sometimes a rock slowly displays itself, little by little, peeping from behind the thick vapour like a phantom. The cheerless traveller hears only the humming wind amid the pine trees, the clashing torrents that run into the glaciers; at intervals the fall of an avalanche, and sometimes the whistle of the terrified marmote, that has discovered the hawk of the Alps soaring in the clouds. When the sky is cloudless, and the amphitheatre of mountains is displayed to the sight, one single incident is deserving of notice. The heads of the mountains, from the elevated regions to which they rise, offer a sharpness of lines, a precision of plan, and of profile, of which objects in the plain are entirely destitute. These angular summits under the transparent dome of the firmament resemble most superb pieces of natural history; beautiful trees of coral or stalactites, supporting a globe of the purest crystal. The mountaineer fancies among these picturesque shivers the images of objects that are familiar to him; hence those rocks are called the Mulets, the Charmoz, or the Chamois; hence those ap-. pellations borrowed from religion, les sommets des Croix, le rocher du reposoir, le glacier des pelerins; simple denominations, which prove, that if man be continually engaged in meditating on his wants, yet he willingly introduces every where the remembrance of objects which conduce to his consolation. With regard to the trees on the mountains, I shall only mention the pine, the fir, and the larch tree; they being, as I might say, the sole decoration of the Alps. The shape of the pine tree reminds us of fine architecture; its branches have the air of the pyramid, and its trunk resembles the column. It exhibits also a striking analogy of form to the rocks among which it grows; not infrequently, while standing on the projections and prominences of the mountains, have I mistaken it for long shafts, and needles, disorderly shooting, or starting up. On the back part of the Col de Balme, at the descent of the Glacier of Trien, extends a forest of pine, fir, and larch trees, which is far superior to any thing of the kind elsewhere. Every tree in this family of giants has stood for several centuries. This Alpine tribe has a king, which the guides carefully 'point out to travellers: it is a fir tree fit for the mast of a first-rate man of war. The monarch alone is unblemished, while all his subjects are mutilated; some have lost their heads, others part of their arms; lightning has furrowed the tops of some, whilst the feet of others are scorched by the fires of the herdsmen. I took particular notice of two twins sprung from the same trunk, which raised their heads to the skies. They were equal in height, in shape, and in years; but one was full of life, the other was withered. They brought to my recollection those pathetic lines of Virgil: Daucia, Laride Thymberque, simillima proles poets have sung the murmurs of the pine tree when gentle; but when they are loud they resemble the roaring sea: sometimes fancy hears the raging ocean rolling among the Alps. The odour of the pine tree is aromatic and agreeable; to me especially, it is peculiarly pleasant, since I enjoyed the smell of it at sea, at above twenty leagues distance, from the coast of Virginia. It always, therefore, awakens in my mind the idea of that new world, which balmy breezes announced to me from so far; of that azure sky, of those rich seas, where the fragrance of the forests reached me on the morning gale; and as our recollections are all combined, it also recalls to my mind the regret and expectations which engrossed my attention, when leaning on the side of the ship, I was absorbed in recollect. ing that native country, which I had forsaken, and thinking on that wilderness whereinto I was entering. But, at length, to state my own sentiments respecting mountains, I am not afraid to say, that as there can be no beautiful prospect without an horizon of mountains, no spot, when wanting both air and space, can afford an agreeable habitation, nor a prospect gratifying to the eye or to the mind. This must, unavoidably, always be the case amidst encircling mountains. These heavy masses never harmonize with human faculties, or with the weakness of human organs. An idea of sublimity is attached to mountainous landscapes. This idea, no doubt, is derived from the magnitude of the objects. But if it should be proved that this magnitude, though really extant, is not sensible to the eye, what becomes of the sublime? The monuments of Nature resemble those produced by Art; to enjoy their beauties, we must occupy the true perspective station; for otherwise the design, the colours, the proportions, every thing vanishes. Within the ranges of mountains, as you are quite close to the object, and the field of vision is too much confined, the dimensions are, necessarily, diminished in their size: this is so true, that we continually err with respect to height and distance. I appeal to travellers:-has Mont-Blanc appeared to them extremely high from the bottom of the valley of Chamouni? An immense lake in the Alps often appears like a small pond; it might be thought that a few steps would arrive at the top of a hill, which, in fact, takes three hours in elimbing up: a whole day hardly is long enough for getting out of a passage, the end of which appeared to be only at arm's length. The greatness and grandeur of mountains, then, which is so much vaunted, has nothing real, but the fatigue which it occasions. With regard to the view of the adjacent country, it hardly appears more extensive than ordinary prospects. |