among the artists refident there; but in Portici it does not much more fervice than if it were still buried in the ruins. To this may be added, the perilous fituation of that town, which leaves daily apprehenfions, left this invaluable treasure fhould, all on a fudden, difappear from the furface of the earth. Regardless of all thefe confiderations, a place has been marked out here for the reception of the most admirable ftatue of Hercules, which is now standing in the yard of the palace of Farnese, from whence the king of Naples, who has inherited the eftate, will have it transferred upon the first vacancy of the papal fee, as he then will meet with no contradiction in accomplishing his defign. So far goes the fingular caprice of heaping antiquities upon antiquities, and leaving them to the chance of being buried again by the lava at the first breaking out of the mountain. For the NEW-YORK MAGAZINE. Mefirs. SWORDS, Were the following little Hiftory the child of imagination, I should fuppofe myfelf unhappy in the choice of a fubject, and the public might expect more flattering images, and a greater elegance of language, in a compofition intended merely to please. But, as this is a true relation of facts, some of which are recent, and well known in the country where they were exhibited, and the names affixed to the characters only in part fictitious or dif guifed, the writer is not fingular in opinion, that it would afford useful matter of fpeculation to many of your ingenious correfpondents who love the Budy of the human heart. Yours, &c. Z. JOSEPH and SOPHIA: Or, The HISTORY of JULIET JOHNSON, H AS RELATED BY HERSELF. Vitavi denique culpam, Non laudem merui. APPILY relieved from the confines of a flow failing veffel, the cheerless gloom of fhort allow ance, and the infults of a crew collected from the dregs of feveral nations of Europe, after fifteen weeks reflection on the various occurrences of my patt life, toffed and harraffed by contrary winds on the stormy bosom of the Atlantic, I contemplated with fecret pleasure the level woody plains of South-Carolina, and rejoiced in the profpect of the rifing wealth and profperity of Charletton, the gay emporium of that truly hofpitable state. Surely, faid I, 'twas Heaven infpired Columbus with that enterprifing fpirit which directed him to the never-frequented fhores of this vaft, this fertile conti HOR. nent. Yes, doubtless the Almighty Author of the Universe had bounteoufly referved this western world as an happy afylum to the diftreffed fons of Europe. Hail, Columbia! exclaimed I-hither fled from the rude grasp of tyranny and oppreffion, the luxury, pomp, and vices of a country stained with crimes, and gorged with wretched inhabitants, how many independent fpirits have found comfortable fhelter on thy fortunate plains! Perhaps, faid I, O Carolina! thy deep fecluded fhades have never fighed back the woeful plaints of ill-requited love. While I thus reflected, a gentle horfe, no stranger to the road, bore me me with unwearied pace towards the marthy banks of fweetly winding Afbley, where the hofpitable dome of an Anglo-American received me for the night. It was then the month of November, the most beautiful feafon of the year in that fultry climate. The leaves indeed began to fall from the trees, and the verdure of the meadows haftened to decay; but the sky was pure and ferene, and the air, become falubrious by gentle breezes, was purged of all thofe noxious vapours which, in the burning reign of the dog ftar, engender difeafes, and fend fo many unfeafoned Europeans to an untimely grave. The unfeign ed welcome of my generous hoft, and the fmiles of plenty around his dwelling, filled my bofom with the moft pleafing fenfations. Now, the parting beams of the fun fhot across the vallies, and gliftened in the river; the bounding droves ufhered from the mazy woods, and geefe unnumbered came gabbling from the pools: the poultry-yard feemed all in motion; and cows, obfequious to the touch of the milk-maid, emptied their plen tiful udders. While this evening fcene employed the cares of my amiable hoftefs, Mr. F-, taking me by the hand, conducted me to a large and commodious hall, decorated with elegant fimplicity, where an exquifite repaft, confifting of the favourite difhes of Carolina, seasoned with the most coftly delicacies of Europe, was already served upon the table. An old lady, who, from her looks, appeared to be above fixty, rofe from her feat and received me with every mark of refpect. There was fome. thing ftriking in her whole air and behaviour. She was tall and flender; and time, that deftroys all things, had left no traces of the original colour of her hair. Her face was furrowed over with wrinkles, and feemed to have been long a ftranger to fmiles: but from the regularity of her features, and I know not what of graceful and dignified in her motion, the left no doubt of the beauty of her perfon in the fpring of life. She politely bore me company at table, merely out of compliment; and in the courfe of converfation I learned that her maiden name was Johnfon; that the lived in the family, and under the protection of Mr. F; that fhe was an Englishwoman, and the oldest inhabitant of that domain, formerly a flourishing village, though now a heap of ruins, and the lands of the contented industrious tradesmen parcelled out amongst ambitious planters. Did you not observe, said the, at the entrance of the gate, the crazy walls of an old houfe crumbling to duft? and without giving me time to reply-there, continued fhe, there I have been witness to much innocent mirth and good humour: but, added fhe, thefe days are fled.Alas! faid I, I had formed to my. felf an enchanting picture of this western world; but if I have rightly judged from your looks and expreffions, your days have not pafled unimbittered with forrows. By this time I had finished my repaft, and Mr. and Mrs. F, with their fmiling family retiring from the bufinefs of the day, began to feat themfelves around a fire newly lighted up in the hall, which the feafon of the year rendered neceffary to conftitutions habituated to that fouthern clime. The company obferving me engaged in converfation with the old lady, kept a profound filence, and fhe, perceiving my curiofity, propofed, in order to pafs the evening, to relate the ftory of her woes. Mr. F, who, it feemed, knew this to be her favourite theme, joined with me in foliciting her to fulfil her promife without delay. I fhall not detain you, began the afflicted matron, with the various par ticulars ticulars of a life wonderfully checquered with little incidents before my departure from England, at the age of twenty-one. Imprudence, perhaps, was the fource of my errors; and all the arguments I could draw, to juftify my conduct, from the trength of youthful love, and the irresistible allurements of that paffion, which has proved fatal to fo many of the human race, might ferve only the more to expofe my own weakness, and want of virtuous refolution at that critical period. I was born in the north of England, of parents, who, though they had no claim to pre-eminence of birth, had in fome measure ennobled themfelves by a virtuous conduct in the affairs of life, and an uncommon fuccefs in trade had raised my father to a ftate of independence before I faw the light. This advantage, added to his acknowledged abilities, integrity and addrefs, procured him the love and approbation of all his neighbours. He had frequent calls to fiil the most important places in the administration of justice, the regulation of commerce and agriculture; but as his chief ambition, from his entrance into business, had been the acquifition of a tranquil retreat from the hurry and bustle of the world, he purchased a small eftate in the neighbourhood of Newcastle, where he hoped to pass the remainder of his days in peace, free from all thofe temptations to fraud and violence to which men in the bufy walks of life are too frequently expofed. But alas! his mind was either too much biaffed by the opinions of the world, or I was unhappily the caufe of ruffling the quiet of his declining years. His fole attention, for a confiderable time after our retreat to the country, was directed to the education of myself and brother, whofe promifing genius was fufficient to flatter the vanity of a parent lefs affectionate than our father. His education was chiefly committed to the care of public inftructors, but mine was entirely domeftic. He was fent to the university of Oxford at the age of eighteen, where he particularly diftinguished himself. At the fame time, my private tutors gave my father the most flattering profpects of my future celebrity in the various branches of polite education. I was then about twelve, and my perfonal charms, added to the ornaments of the mind, left my parents no doubt of being able to place me very advantageoufly in life. Mufic, dancing, drawing, and the most curious parts of needle-work, were the accomplishments in which my mother was moft defirous I should excel: but my father, perceiving my great propenfity to reading, took every meafure in his power to cultivate a taste of which he himself was by no means deficient. He removed out of my reach fuch books as might have the leaft tendency to corrupt the morals or inflame the imagination. The Spectators, Guardian,Tatler,&c. with treatifes on morals, and natural his tory, were very pleafing to me; but what I moft delighted to read, however ftrange it might appear in a young lady, were Pope's tranflation of Homer, the Odeffy, Telemachus, and fome others. My father was overjoyed to find me fo very much in raptures with the claffic compofitions of antiquity, which he observed had been totally abandoned by the fine ladies and gentlemen of the prefent age, for modern trafh. Immoral plays, and extravagant romances, added he, conftitute the reading of those who are pleased to diftinguish themfelves from the vulgar, by the appelation of genteel people. Thou, my daughter! exclaimed he one day, when, entering my room, he found me in tears, and deeply affected with the diftreffes of the virtuous Telema chus, chus, thou art born to fet an example to thy fex, to make thyfelf happy, to conftitute the felicity of fome youth of equal merit, who may well glory in the poffeffion of thy virtues. Know thy own value; be confcious of thy worth; fupport the dignity of the female character: remember that the happiness of thy parents depends upon thee. So faying he preffed me gently to his breaft, and bedewed my cheek with tears of paternal affection. Ah me! how visionary are parental hopes of joy in their children!The very tafte which my father fo much congratulated himself on finding in me, proved the fource of his mifery and my expatriation. The rural fimplicity of the ancients appeared to me fo charming, and confonant to the natural bent of the human heart, that I became infenfibly enamoured of their manners. The pomp and pageantry of modern grandeur I conceived to be the effects of affectation, and certain figns of degeneracy of morals. In fhort, the brilliancy of the politeft circles in that part of the country, had no attractions for Juliet, The drefs and finical tafte of those who paffed for models worthy of imitation, wore in my eyes an air of frivolous folly, and I longed to return to my chamber, where I might quietly enjoy the fociety of my wife and amiable Ulyffes, or mourn over the fate of the nymph Eucharis. Various, indeed, are the modes of education, and equally various their effects; but what mode, what plan fhall fufficiently guard the tender and fufceptible minds of fprightly youth, against the invincible charms of romantic love? I had entered my eighteenth year, and be gan to feel that perturbation of fpirits, inquietude, and fometimes penfive melancholy, fo natural to females of my age; when, from the window of my room, I obferved a young man walking in the court-yard with my father, difcourfing about fome repairs relative to the buildings. He was by trade a carpenter, and from his looks appeared to be about twenty; of the middle ftature, well proportioned, with a certain ease in his gait, and modeft affurance in his countenance, which are seldom obferved in thofe of humble birth and menial ftations, when in the presence of their fuperiors: he wore a drefs fuitable to his profeffion, clean and decent, and held a fquare and plummet, which he managed with fuch address in the explanation of his plan, as gave an air of gracefulness to his whole deportment. His complexion had been originally fair, but not vermillion; and the extremes of heat and cold to which his business exposed him, began to give him a fwarthy caft. He might be called rather handfome than beautiful; yet his eyes were clear and piercing, his features regular, and expreffive of the purity and innocence of his mind. There was a certain confcious dignity in his geftures, a mafculine comeliness in his demeanour, which, according to my ideas of beauty in his fex, were irrefiftibly charming. His afpect was cleared of that cloud of itupidity, that unmeaning fameness, which speak a heart unfufceptible of feeling, and a mind incapable of reflection. Ah! how would my worthy parent have trembled for his daughter, had he known the delirium which this amiable mechanic diffused over my then reftless imagination! As he paffed my window he gently raised his hat, and made me a low bow; while a blush of timidity seemed ready to start from his countenance. I inclined my head with apparent indifference; but William (for that was his name) had taken entire poffeffion of my breaft, though I made various ftruggles to perfuade myfelf to the contrary. (To be continued.) A new A new and eafy Method of forcing EARLY POTATOES. tatoes pretty early in the feafon, I caufed a bed of new horfe dung to be made up in the month of February, in the way that is ufually practifed for bringing forward cucumbers or early annuals. Upon the furface of this bed, was spread about the depth of an inch of common mould; and when it had attained a due degree of temperature, potatoes were planted upon the furface of the mould all over the bed, close beside one another, like eggs in a hen's neft, and then covered with mould to the depth of about fix inches. In this ftate, without glaffes, or covering of any fort, except a little loofe ftraw for about ten days at first, the bed was allowed to remain, till fome of the ftems of the potatoes were obferved coming through the mould at top, when it was judged proper to tranfplant them into the field where they were to remain and perfect their crop ;-a mode of forcing potatoes very common in this country. On beginning to take up these potatoes for the purpofe of being tranfplanted, I had occafion to remark a phænomenon that was new to me. A great number of young potatoes were found flicking in clusters round the parent bulbs, by a mode of generation feemingly very different from any thing I had ever known to take place with regard to that plant. You may probably have remarked, that when potatoes are reared in the ufual way, from bulbs planted for feed, the item first fprouts out at the eyes. From the bottom of this ftem roots fpring forth, which increase in fize as the plant advances in growth, by which the plant abforbs its nourish ment. A confiderable while after the plant has begun to vegetate, another fet of fibres begin to fpring out Thefe are at first of a whitish colour, In the particular cafe, however, The fibres producing thefe bulbs, fpring cut from the eye of the potatoe, and adhere to the parent bulb, exactly in the fame manner as the ftem ufually does; in other words, that fibre is a ftem. From the bottom of that fibre or ftem, where it adheres |