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dence in India I had a particular opportunity of observing both. When he read a lesson in Persian, a person near him, whom he had taught, wrote down each word on a long slip of paper, which was afterwards divided into as many pieces as there were words, and pasted in alphabetical order, under different heads of verbs, nouns, &c. into a blank book that formed a vocabulary of each day's lesson. All this he had, in a very few hours, instructed a very ignorant native to do, and this man he used, in his broad accent, to call "one of his mechanical aids." He was so ill at Mysore, soon after his arrival from England, that Mr. Anderson, the surgeon who attended him, despaired of his life; but though all his friends endeavoured, at this period, to prevail upon him to relax in his application to study, it was in vain. He used, when unable to sit upright, to prop himself up with pillows, and continue his translations. One day that I was sitting by his bedside, the surgeon came in. "I am glad you are here," said Mr. Anderson, addressing himself to me, "you will be able to persuade Leyden to attend to my advice. I have told him before, and I now repeat that he will die, if he does not leave off his studies and remain quiet." "Very well, doctor, "exclaimed Leyden, you have done your duty, but you must now hear me: I cannot be idle; and whether I die or live, the wheel must go round to the last:" and he actually continued, under the depression of a fever, and a liver complaint, to study-more than ten hours each day.

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The temper of Dr. Leyden was mild and generous, and he could bear, with perfect good humour, raillery on his foibles. When he arrived at Calcutta in 1805, I was most solicitous regarding his reception in the society of the Indian capital. "I entreat you, my dear friend," I said to him the day he landed, ❝to be careful of the impression you make on your entering this community; for God's sake, learn a little English, and be silent upon literary subjects, except among literary men." "Learn English," he exclaimed, "No, never: it was trying to learn that language that spoilt my Scotch; and as to being silent, I will promise to hold my tongue, if you will make fools hold their's."

His memory was most tenacious, and he sometimes loaded it with lumber. When he was at Mysore, an argument occurred

upon a point of English history: it was agreed to refer it to Leyden, and, to the astonishment of all parties, he repeated verbatim the whole of an act of parliament in the reign of James I, relative to Ireland, which decided the point in dispute. On being asked how he came to charge his memory with such extra ́ordinary matter, he said, that several years before, when he was writing on the changes that had taken place in the English language, this act was one of the documents to which he had referred as a specimen of the style of that age, and that he had retained every word in his memory.

His love of the place of his nativity was a passion in which he had always a pride, and which in India he cherished with the fondest enthusiasm. I once went to see him when he was very ill, and had been confined to his bed for many days: there were several gentlemen in the room: he inquired if I had any news: I told him I had a letter from Eskdale: and what are they about in the borders? he asked: a curious circumstance, I replied, is stated in my letter; and I read him a passage which described the conduct of our volunteers on a fire being kindled by mistake at one of the beacons. This letter mentioned that the moment the blaze, which was the signal of invasion, was seen, the mountaineers hastened to their rendezvous, and those of Leddesdale swam the Ewes river to reach it. They were assembled, though several of their houses were at the distance of six and seven miles, in two hours; and at break of day the party marched into the town of Hawick (a distance of twenty miles. from the place of assembly) to the border tune of "Wha dar meddle wi' me?" Leyden's countenance became animated as I proceeded with this detail; and at its close he sprung from his sick bed, and with strange melody, and still stranger gesticulations, sung aloud, " Wha dar meddle wi' me? wha dar meddle wi' me?" Several of those who witnessed this scene looked at him as one that was raving in the delirium of a fever.

These anecdotes will display more fully than any description I can give, the lesser shades in the character of this extraordinary man. An external manner certainly not agreeable, and a disposition to egotism, were his only defects. How trivial do these appear, at a moment when we are lamenting the loss of

such a rare combination of virtues, learning, and genius, as were concentrated in the late Dr. Leyden!

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LETTER FROM CAPTAIN BROKE TO CAPTAIN LAWRENCE..

SIR,

HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S SHIP SHANNON,

Off Boston, June, 18,13.

As the Chesapeake appears now ready for sea, I request you will do me the favour to meet the Shann on with her, ship to ship, to try the fortune of our respective flags. To an officer of your character, it requires some apology for proceeding to further particulars. Be assured, sir, that it is not from any doubt I can entertain of your wishing to close with my proposal, but merely to provide an answer to any objection which might be made, and very reasonably, upon the chance of our receiving unfair support.

After the diligent attention which we had paid to commodore Rodgers; the pains I took to detach all force but the Shannon and Tenedos to such a distance that they could not possibly join in any action fought in sight of the Capes; and the various verbal messages which had been sent into Boston to that effect; we were much disappointed to find the commodore ha eluded us by sailing on the first change, after the prevailing eas terly winds had obliged us to keep an offing from the coast. He perhaps wished for some stronger assurance of a fair meeting. I am therefore induced to address you more particularly, and to assure you that what I write I pledge my honour to perform to the utmost of my power.

The Shannon mounts twenty-four guns upon her broads ide, and one light boat gun; eighteen pounders on her main deck, and thirty-two pound carronades on her quarter deck and forecastle'; and is manned with a complement of three hundred men and boys (a large proportion of the latter) besides thirty seamen, boys and passengers, who were taken out of recaptured vessels lately. I am thus minute, because a report has prevailed in some of the Boston papers that we had one hundred and fifty men, additional, lent us from La Hôgue, which really never was the case. La Hôgue is now gone to Halifax for provisions, and I will send all other ships beyond the power of interfering with us, and meet you wherever it is most agreeable to you, within the limits of the undermentioned rendezvous, viz.

From six to ten leagues east of Cape Cod light-house, from eight to ten leagues east of Cape Ann's light, on Cashe's ledge, in lat. 43° Nor. at any bearing and distance you please to fix off the south breakers of Nantucket, or the shoal on St. George's Bank.

If you will favour ine with any plan of signals or telegraph, I will warn you (if sailing under this promise) should any of my friends be, too nigh or any where in sight, until I can detach them out of my way; or, I would sail with you under a flag of truce to any place: you think safest from our cruisers, hauling it down when fair to begin hostilities.

You must, sir, be aware that my proposals are highly advantageous to you, is you cannot proceed to sea singly in the Chesapeake without imminent risk of being crushed by the superior force of the numerous British squadrons which are now abroad, where all your efforts, in case of a rencontre, would, however gallant, be perfectly hopeless. I entreat you, sir, not to imagine that I am urged by mere personal vanity to the wish of meeting the Chesapeake; or that I depend only upon your personal ambition for your acceding to this invitation:-we have both nobler motives. You will feel it as a compliment if I say, that the result of our meeting may be the most grateful service I can render to my country; and I doubt not that you, equally confident of success, will feel convinced, that it is only by repeated triumphs in even combats, that your little navy can now ho'pe to console your country for the loss of that trade it can no longer protect. Favour me with a speedy reply. We are short 'of provisions and water and cannot stay long here.

I have the honour to be, sir, your ob't humble serv't.

(Signed)

P. B. V. BROKE.

Captain of his Britannic Majesty's ship Shannon.

N. B. For the general service of watching your coast, it is requisite for me to keep another ship in company, to support me with her guns and boats when employed near the land, and particularly to aid each other if either ship in chase should get an shore. You must be aware that I cannot, consistently with my duty, wave so great an advantage for this general service, by

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