wave; But what they can is done; the taper line A scull descries the prize; they forward spring So fares it with the youth, the man, the sage; Perhaps the master-leader of their way, is But all in vain those struggles; thy small strength, Enough to glide thee swiftly thro' the deep, With green and crimson mix'd, and coral fans, maw Will feed on all alike; with choicest care Where scatter'd wrecks have lain for ages hid, To bite the line; for here the fisher's skill 1030 And shakes his head, wild rolling in the wave. 'Tis noon of night, the full-orb'd moon at length Hath waded thro' a sea of vapour chill tide The low hung mist that rested on the flood Around him and within. With heaven-bred This mighty world of waters, where the fry The deep foundations of the mighty hills Till thy strong hand shall tear them up again. The morn creeps on, with thickening gloom surcharg'd, Th' enormous wave rolls heavily along .031 Historical Observations respecting Liverpool. 1032 And mann'd with Britain's hardiest crew, now | Tumbling its pond'rous weight with furious mark Where in a skiff, exposed to every blast, That make the danger they would seem to shun: around His skilful hands, long exercised in storms, The fall attention of the bravest heart, now? Who knows if they shall greet him more? that thought, A widow's aching heart, an orphan's sighs, They far remov'd, and hanging o'er their hearth Note every whistling blast that blows without. A sound is heard, that far towards the west, whirl Against the pointed cliffs, then fly afar OBSERVATIONS, HISTORICAL AND DE SCRIPTIVE, RESPECTING LIVERPOOL. (Concluded from col. 822.) THE air of Liverpool has generally been deemed salubrious; and, consitown, the inhabitants enjoy the addering the northern situation of the vantages of a mild temperature. These benefits arise in no small degree, from its maritime situation. Warrington, which is only eighteen miles distant, and several other places adjacent, endure through the winter, degrees of cold with which Liverpool is scarcely ever visited. To this temperature, its proximity to the sea, and the influcnce of the tides, have, in no small degree, contributed. During the year 1772, the variation from the extreme of heat to that of cold, amounted to 50 degrees, extending from 78 to 28; and its mean temperature about 54. It has been observed by Dr. Dobson, from numerous experiments which he made, relative to the soil, water, and air, of Liverpool, and from fourteen years' experience and practice respecting the diseases to which the inhabitants were chiefly subject, that the dryness of the soil, the parity of the water, and the mildness of the air, in connection with the anti sceptic effluvia arising from pitch and tar, the exhalations from the sea, the frequent brisk gales, and the daily visitation of the tides, rendered Liverpool one of the most healthy places in the kingdom, in proportion to the extent of its population. In a more recent publication, entitled, "A familiar Medical Survey of Liverpool," the author observes in substance as follows: The situation of this town is peculiarly favourable to constitutions that require, and can bear, a sharp cold air; of which description are those of nervous and relaxed habits. The persons to whom the situation of the town becomes un 1033 Historical Observations respecting Liverpool. favourable, are, those who are subject But although its merchants and tra to coughs, asthmas, and other affec-ders have been chiefly engaged in tions of the breast and lungs, and commercial pursuits, the cultivation those who are consumptive. Com- of arts and letters has not been negplaints of this description are aggra-lected. Few towns, that claim no vated and renewed in constitutions so inclined. The effect which the winds generally have on the state of the weather, may be thus stated. The north-west winds are turbulent and stormy, and from this quarter they blow more than from any other, during a considerable portion of the year. Southerly winds frequently produce rain. Easterly winds are often accompanied by a serene sky. The severest cold and frost usually come with a north or north-east wind. The soil in and near the town is dry and sandy for two miles round; and, on the northern shore particularly, a range of barren sands extends about twenty miles. But although this general character may be considered as descriptive of the soil, many exceptions are to be discovered. Between the town and Walton, there is a fine dale, which, having a rich marl under the surface, affords excellent pasturage. Several other patches and spots may also be found, exhibiting all the marks of native fertility. But barren as the soil in general is, in most places it has been much improved by cultivation; and even where this has been neglected, the soil is not unsusceptible of amendment: but it has been deemed useless to waste manure on a surface, which will, in all probability, very shortly be covered with buildings. It is well known that Lancashire has long and deservedly been proverbial for its excellent potatoes, to the growth of which, the soil is admirably adapted. In most parts this valuable root is raised in vast abundance; and the quantity demanded for shipping, as well as for local consumption, is exceedingly great. On reviewing the historical observations which have been made, in this and the preceding numbers, respecting Liverpool, it will instantly be perceived, that this is a town of no great antiquity. From an obscure village, frequented by a few vessels, and inhabited by fishermen, it has attained its present exalted pre-eminence in commercial importance, through the bold and enterprising spirit of its inhabi tants. No. 33.-Vol. III. higher antiquity, have added, within the same space of time, more exalted names, to grace the lists of science and of arts. Various publications bear witness, that literature has been cultivated with considerable ability and success. Amidst the active concerns which engage their attention, several gentlemen, whose names might be adduced, have found leisure to attend to the study of the polite arts; and many works, which have obtained a considerable share of public approbation, claim Liverpool as their legitimate origin. "The Nurse," and "The Lives of Lorenzo di Medici, and of Leo the Tenth," will ever confer an honour on William Roscoe, Esq. "The Medical Reports," and "The Life of Robert Burns," will cause the name of Dr. Currie to be long remembered. "The Life of Poggio Bracciolini," by the Rev. Wm. Shepherd, and an elegant translation of the works of Gessner, by a Lady, are productions, which the town of Liverpool will always be proud to acknowledge. Among the eminent natives who have paid the tribute of nature, the name of Deare, the sculptor, will be long respected. This eminent artist was born in Liverpool, on the 26th of October, 1759. His predilection for the imitative arts was strongly marked in his earlier years. Of this predilection, a pleasing monument is now in the possession of his brother. It is a miniature figure of a human skeleton, cut in wood with a penknife, when he was not more than ten years old. At the age of sixteen he went to London; and at twenty, obtained the first gold medal that was given at the New Royal Academy, Somerset House. He was the youngest artist to whom that honour had ever been awarded. │This medal was given for the best piece of sculpture. The design, which is from Milton, is executed in alto relievo. A cast of this performance is now in the possession of Mr. Samuel Franceys, sculptor, in Liverpool. Shortly after Mr. Deare obtained this honour, he, with several other young men of promising talents, was sent out by the Royal Academy, to pursue his studies at Rome, in which place 3 U - Historical Observations respecting Liverpool. at the principal part of his life, at which place he died, on the th of August, 1798, of a malignant fever, in the 39th year of his age. His best performances have therefore been destined to adorn foreign cabinets, on which account his name is but imperfectly known in England; but from the reports of competent judges, he has a right to claim a place in the foremost ranks of our eminent artists, and some have not hesitated to call him the first sculptor that this country has ever produced. Of this eminent artist, George Cumberland, Esq. in the Monthly Magazine, gives the following character. "And here let me pause, and drop a tear over the recollection of an artist, whose good nature, hilarity, generosity, and candour, could only be equalled by his delicate taste, profound knowledge, exquisite skill, and unrivalled exertions; a man, that, had he been encouraged to come home, or kindly treated by those who sent him out, would have reflected honour on the art of sculpture; for he made a distinct study of every part of this art, and was as recherchè in hair as in dra- | pery, as great in drawing and modelling as in sculpture, wholly devoted to fame, to freedom, and the arts. Nor will it be considered as a slight proof of the fact which I mention, that the inimitable Canova beheld his productions with respect, and that even good painters came to him for advice and correction. 1036 instant the cloth was removed, to Monte Dagone, a deserted villa, belonging to Prince Borghese, of which I had the keys, that he might there press off one of the side locks of the famous Antinous, not having been able, from his own correct drawing of it, to give any thing like its character to the hair of a French lady, whose bust he was executing. We went thither; he stole the impression, and returned in raptures to Rome on foot the same evening. "Such, alas! was the artist whom the Academy abandoned and forgot.” In the year 1724, Liverpool had the honour of giving birth to George Stubbs, who was long distinguished for his eminence as a painter of animals. Of the works which he completed, "the Lion and the Horse," " the Lion and Stag," and "the Brood Mares," were the most celebrated. Having devoted much labour to the practice and study of comparative anatomy, in 1766 he published a magnificent and highly esteemed work, on the anatomy of the horse. This publication was the result of observations made by himself during a long course of dissecting: the drawings and engravings having been all made with his own hand. At the time of his death, which took place in July, 1806, Mr. Stubbs had completed both the anatomical preparations and the drawings, for a work on the structure of the human body, compared with that of a tiger and a fowl. Of this work, containing fifteen "Such a one was Deare, whose plates, about one half only was pubchief works went to France, and whose lished. This author and artist conchisel is scarcely known in England, tinued to pursue his professional occuexcept in Sir Richard Worsley's col- | pations to the close of life, which did lections, where his Marine Venus will not terminate until he was past fourshew a hand, that, when alone dis-score. closed, has often been, even among artists, taken for an antique.” The following anecdote, given by Cumberland, will better display Deare's zeal for his art, than a volume of panegyric. Toxteth Park, contiguous to Liverpool, had the honour, in 1619, of giving birth to Jeremiah Horrox, who, after being a student of Emanuel College, Cambridge, began, about 1633, to apply himself to the study of astronomy, in which, although he laboured under many local disadvantages, he "Being at dinner at Grotto Ferrata, where I passed my summer to avoid the heat of Rome, in one of the warm-made great proficiency, and acquired est days I ever remember, he arrived on foot, in company with a formatorè, (a plaster caster) having carried by turus, for seventeen miles, about 20 pounds of clay, and a bag of plaster of Paris. Dinner was just served, but he would not come up to partake of it, until I first promised to drive him, the fame. In 1636 he formed an acquaintance with Mr. William Crabtree, of Broughton, near Manchester, whose kindred spirit led him to prosecute the same studies. Scarcely, however, had Mr. Horrox entered on his discoveries, before he was suddenly arrested by the hand of death, when he was 1037 Historical Observations respecting Liverpool. Of about twenty-two years of age. Connected with this young man, two things are very remarkable: one is, that he was the first who ever predicted or observed the passage of Venus over the Sun's disk. And though he was not apprised of the grand use that was to be made of this valuable discovery, in ascertaining the parallax, and distance of the sun and planets, yet he made many useful observations, corrections, and improvements, in the theory and motions of Venus. The other memorable circumstance is, that of his new theory of lunar motions, which the immortal Newton made the ground-work of all his astronomy relative to the moon, always speaking of Mr. Horrox as a genius of the first rank. His astronomical observations on Venus were made at Hool, about twenty miles north of Liverpool. but among the lower orders, wh derive their livelihood from their connection with shipping, and with the docks, the rough and boisterous habits of the sailors are quite familiar. Diffused through all ranks of society, the frankness and warmth which once distinguished the old English character, are still observable; and instances but rarely occur, in which duplicity assumes the garb of friendship, or that the cloak of politeness conceals the dagger of the assassin. It must not, however, be supposed, that the vices which degrade large towns and cities, are unknown in Liverpool. Unhappily, this place partakes, in no small degree, of that national dereliction of morals, on which virtue drops her tears; but among the wise and good no effort has been left unattempted, to stem the torrent of prevailing iniquity, and to introduce measures that promise to ameliorate the condition of the abandoned and the distressed. To reward their exertions, much good has already been effected, but much more yet remains to be accomplished. Of this, the merchants and wealthy inhabitants of Liverpool appear to be fully sensible; and if liberality, active exertion, mutual co-operation, and perseverance, can presage success, Liverpool may expect, during the next generation, a moral revolution among its inhabitants. Among the various events which mark and diversify human life, it was the lot of the writer and compiler of this article, to reside two years and a half in the town, on which he has made his observations; he therefore speaks from actual knowledge, and personal experience. To the kind If the inhabitants of Liverpool have a right to claim any peculiarity of character, by which they are distinguished from those of other towns. it arises from that singular association between rivalship and mutual co-operation, which is every where discoverable in their mercantile transactions. With the pride of nobility, and the boast of ancestry, regarding supposed inferiority with a repulsive countenance and half averted eye, Liverpool has not yet been dishonoured; nor will the stranger or inhabitant be often disgusted with the petty assump-ness, friendship, and liberality of the tions of ignorance dressed up in the brief authority of office. It is to the commanding influence of commerce, that trading towns are indebted for that free and open intercourse, between all ranks of society, which subsists within their precincts. This social intercourse, and frankness of manners prevail, in Liverpool, in a supereminent degree. Hospitality, urbanity, general civility, and a freedom from local prejudice, are common features in the genuine portrait of the inhabitants. To an exalted refinement of manners, multitudes among the higher classes are not strangers; many respectable inhabitants, among whom he had the honour of being introduced, justice compels him to bear the most unequivocal testimony; and he should reproach himself with ingratitude, were he to omit this opportunity of acknowledging his obligations. 66 VINDICATION OF REMARKS ON PAS- HAVING Swept away the sandy foun- |