Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-05-20

lions ON the left opening-eyery now ana .heh
broken plimpses up into the very heart OF Inc
modern city-the magnificent terrace itself,
With lie stable breadth of surface-the few dy-
;no I,,nns that here and there gliinmer family
l-,nd no sound, but the heavy tread OF some
c.r.off wa,chman of the night-this' alone might
be enough. and it is more than almost any other
c;tv coujd afEord.-Sut turn TO the right and see
what a glorious contrast is there. The eternal
rock sleeping in the stiffness ofnature-ils Gifts
of prani.e-its tufts of verdure-al alike steep
ed in the same unvarying hue OF mystery-Hs
towers and pinnacles rising like grove OF
quiet poplars on its crest-the whole as colour
less as if the sun had never shone there, as 81,
lent as if no voice Of man had ever disturbed
| the echoes of the solemn scene. Over heaa,
the sky is all one GREATNESS canopy OF iuciti
crystal blue-here and there a small bilghl
star twinkling in the depth of ether-and 1u',
! in the midst, the moon walking III her Fes'a'
glory, pursuing, as from the bosom OF eternity
her calm destined way, and pouring down the
silver of her smiles upon all OF lorely and SUD
lime that nature and arr could heap together, Ia
do homage TO her radiance. How poor, now
| tame. how worthless, does the converse even OF
| the best and wisest Of men appear, when family
and dimly remembered amidst the sober tran
guilty of this heavenly hour! How deep the
| eulph that divides the tongue from the heari-
the communication of Companionshp from the
solitude of MANI How soft, yet how awful, the
beauty and the silence Of the hour of spirts
| think it was one of the noblest conceptions
that ever entered into the breast Of poet,
which made Goethe open his Faustus with a
scene Of moonlight. The restlessness Of an in
tellect wearied with the vanity Of knowledge,
and tormented with the sleepless agonies OF
doubt-the sickness Of heart bruised and buff
feted by all the demons Of presumption-the
wild and wandering throbs of soul 2arched
among plenty, by the blind cruelty of its own
dead affec,ions-these dark and depressing
mysteries all maddening with the brain OF the
Hermit Student, might have suggested other
Accomplishments to one who has looked less
deeply into the nature OF man-who had feii
less in his own person of that which he might
have been ambitious TO describe. But this
great master Of intellect was well aware to
what thoughts, and what feelings, the perplex-
ed and the bewildered are most anxious to re-
turn. Heswel knew where IL is that nature
has placed the best balm for the wounds of the
spirit--by what indissolube links she has Twin
ed her own eternal influences around the dry
and chafed heart strings that have most ne
elected her tenderness. 1t is thus, tina. this
weary and melancholy sceptic speaks-his
phial of poison is not yet mingled on his table
but the tempter is air, ady listening at his ear,
that would not allow him to leave the world
until he should have plunged yet deeper into
his snares, and added sins against his neigh
bour, TO sins against God, and against himself
wish | could do justice 10 his words in a
translation-or rather that had Coleridge near
er me.
Would thou vert gazing now thy last
Upon my troubles, glorious Harvest Noon
Well canst thou tell how all my nights have past,
Wearing away, how slow, and yet how soon.
Alas! alas! sweet Queen of Stars,
Through dreary dim monastic bars,
To me thy silver radiance passes,
Illuminating round the masses
Ofdusty books, and mouldy paper,
That are not worthy of so fair taper
o might once again go forth,
To see thee gliding through thy fields of blue,
Along the hill-tops of the north;-
Omight go, as whenl nothing knew,
Where meadows drink thy softening CLEAN,
And happy spirits twinkle in therbeam,
To steep my heart in thy most healing dew.
Mr.. Desrand's Report, of the 9th inst. con-
tains two long articles, (written by himself, on
Bank. They relate wholly to money concerns,
which of course are interesting to every class
in the community. He blames the Bank of
England for not stepping forward sooner to
check the great panic in England, and illus
,rates many strong points in support of his ar
sumept-and states that if relief had been al
forded little sooner, many very powerful bou-
ses would not have been compelled to stop pay
ment, and that such dismay and distress would
not have existed. He imputes the leading
cause of our escape from the misfortunes which
have overwhelmed the British empire, to the
liberal and enlightened course pursued by the
United States Bank, whose loans on personal
security are now greater than at any period
since the existence of the Bank. The United
States Bank undoubtedly, as he says, stands at
The head Of our money market, and in disas-
trous times its operations, if directed by unen-
lightened fear, would, in short period, ruin
one half of the community. He thinks the f.
nances Of the U. S. were thrown into confusion
during the late war, and the public credit ruin
ed, solely for the want Of so powerful an engine
as the U. S. bank. That it has restored the
currency in almost every part Of the Union to a
sound state, none will deny. He glances at the
fluctuations Of exchange on England. France
ard Holland, and states, that the U. S. Bank has
in great measure stopped the shipment of
specie from Boston 10 New Orleans to pur-
chase cotlon-and makes many other remarks
interesting 10 the commercial community but
which we have not time to mention at this mo-
ment. He pays, perhaps, just compliment 10
~ President nj Nnth a, .IoIa 81