The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-01-09 00:00:00

FOR BRITISH ANSIRICA.

Quebec 2.10‘

St Andrew's, N. 8.1,959
St. Julia's, N.B.
Prtace Edward's Island
_ _

Fitton

Total 4,510

fOR TnE UNITED ISTATF9.
New Twit

Philadelphia
HMI imore . 364

Chark<imi

Bortmo
New Orleans

Total

Grand Total ....

TIIE WASTE or• LIFE.

[From the Third Yuliime of" Dr. Franklin's Memoirs,"
lately published.

Anergns was a gentleman of a good estate; lie was bred
to no business, ■nd could nut contrive how to wuste his
home agreeably; he had no relish for any of the proper
winks of life, nor any taste at all, tor the improvement
of the mind ; he spent generally ten hours of the four-
and•twenty in his bed; he dozed away two or three more
un his couch, mid as many were dissolved in good liquor
every evening, if he met with company of his own humour.
Five or six of the rest he sauntered away with mulch indo-
lence; the chief business of them was to contrive his meals,
and to feed his fain, beforehaial with the promise of a dinner
and sapper; not that he was so absolute a glutton, or so
entirely devoted to appetite, but chiefly becaose he knew
not how to employ his thoughts better, be let them rove
about the sustenance of his body. Thus Ile had made a
shift to wear off ten years, since the paternal estate fell
into his hands, and yet according In the abuse of words in
our day, lie was called n nian of virtue, because he was
scarce ever known to be quit:: drunk, nor was Ms uature
much inclined to lewdness. . _

Oue evening as be was musing alone, his thoughts hap.
paned to takes moat unusual turn, fur they cast a glance
backward, and began to reflect on his manner of life, he
bethuiselit himself what a number of living beings had beets
made a sacrifice to support his carcass, soil how much corn
and wine had been mingled with those offerings. He had
not quite lost all the arithmetic that he learned when a boy,
and he set himself to compute what he bad ilevuuted since
he castle to the age of ,u
"About a dozen feathered creatures, small and great,
have, one week with another (said lie), given up their lives to
prolong mine, winch in ten years amounts to at least six
thousand.
" Fifty sheep have been sacrificed in • year, with half a
hecatutnhe of black cattle, that I might have the choicest
part offered weekly upon my table. Thus a thousand beasts
out of the flock and the herd have been slain its ten years'
time to feed me, besides what the forest has supplied ins
with. Many bomb-eds of fishes have, in all their varieties,
been rubbed of life fur my repast, and of the smaller fry as
many thousands.
" A measure of corn would hardly afford MC fine flour
enough for a mouth's provision, and this arises to above
six score bushels, and many hogsheads of ale and w toe, and
other liquors have passed through this body of tome, thil
wretched strainer of meat and drink.
And what have I. dune ■ll this time fur God or man
What a vast profusion of good things upon au useless hie,
and a worthless liver ! There is not the meanest creature
among all these which I have devoured. but loth answered
the end of its creation !setter than I. It was made to sup-
port human stature, and it hash done so. Every crab and
oyster I have ate, and every grain of coin I have devoured,
bath filled up in place in the rank of Names with more pm-
priety and honunr than I have dune 0, shameful waste of
of life and time!"
In short he carried on his moral reflections with so just
and severe a force of reason, as Constrained him to change
his whole course of life, to break off his follies at once, awl
to apply himself to gaits moue useful knowledge, when be
was inure than thirty years of age; he lived many following
years with the character of a wdethy man and an excellent
Christian ; he purfornsed the kind others of a gond neigh.
hour at hum*, and made a shining firoire as • patriot its the
Stiiate House t he died with a peaceful conscience, and the
tears of his country sere dropped upon his tomb.
The world that kiss the whole series of his life. stood
amazed at the mighty chatter. They beheld him as a wpm.
der of reformation, While he himself confessed au.7 adored
the Divine power soil mercy which had trausformed him
from a brute to ► man.

But this was a single instance, and we may almost arm.
lure to write =intuie upon it. An: 'here not lumbers of
both sexes among our young Omit, y, w this ilegenciate age,
whose lives thus rim to nitre waste, without the least ten-
dency to usefulliebs?

Whilst the Duke Of NIONTROIE letot Ot 1.16 snit in
Scotland. a few naniths ago, he presided several
times at • Meetiug in Dumbarton, having for its
object the derpesiong the bed of the Clyde, live or
sox feet, in the nen4lihourhouti of that place, with 11
tlrw to reduce the level ssf Loch Lomond in the !Mine
prOplitlloll, sod thereby increase the extent of land
on its islands and shores. We lerstsnd some
project of the kitid is to be attempted early in the
ensiling vlotiog.

MARRIAGE..
Oa the 4th insi:ott, at thettreil Church, Mr. %Owl
Brewer, fourth sun of Istrst..s Brener, FA+ of etttp{-: tea
Comnion, to Sophut, ct ennt oaugLita of George Owen,
of West Hill, Wautlsoui

DUATH4.
Oa Mouthy last, the 4th Just. John Ca:r, EA of elsy-
hill, Enfield
At Reustipion, on Ifranestlay 'horning, Charles, the r,ot
rou of Charles Belay, 1:.,q

/1111111 IVATETI THIS DAT AT LONDON-M:II%CE.
Slorithit 25 after 12. j Eeeniug 53 after L 2.

LONDON, Printed ant. Puhlialard at the °Mee, ?In 97,
24trnntl; elwre Adverimen-nt• are received. am Mont
(postpattr. must he a...i.estird.—C. SMITH, Tao I,
Cie!nem% Inn. Primer —1 WHiTE, No ITT,
Pidt:•iltrr