articles from New South Wales and other southern countries, constitute the basis for a grand Museum of Natural History. Dr Gersenheim, from Dresden, has, with the assistance of his late friend Pallas and others, collected a Zoophytic Cabinet, no less valuable than comprehensive, which he has presented to the King of Prussia, for the use of the new university. The care of this collection has been committed to the learned Illger, a profound explorer of nature, who has been called from Brunswick to the new university, as particularly capable of rendering this collection of curiosities useful. The King has likewise, for the same museum, recently purchased of Herbst, a clergyman at Berlin, his famous collection of crustaceous fish; and negociations for various other collections have been set on foot. If to these be united the regularly classified botanical-garden, under the care of the great Wildenow, the whole will not fail to be productive of the most gratifying results in the study of physiology. Poetry. Prologue and Epilogue to the Tragedy of Helga. PROLOGUE. PONDERING the labours of his mimic reign, Our stage-director schem'd the year's campaign, Tragic and comic muse before him came, Farce, pastoral, opera, masque, and melo-drame, On his bewildered méditation past; uncast, Speeches ne'er spouted, dresses yet un made, Songs never set, and music yet unplayed: Then mov'd the stage auxiliaries along, Man, monster, and machine, a motely throng Yet in that clime, though elemental strife For now no more, the mean processions Wrecks each fair trace of vegetative life, pass, In Hamlet's phrase, each actor on his ass. Car, camel, war-horse, water-dog appear, And Blue-Beard's elephant o'erwhelms the rear. 'Mid Iceland's waste, of ashes and of snows, Even there of old, the light of song arose; Perplex'd, and 'midst the dark and du- In royal halls, their harps her minstrels Enough, if simply, yet to nature true, To shew how sternly rival minstrels strove, EPILOGUE. IN times like these, when British travellers find Their foreign tours, that narrow limits bind, Through France and Italy forbid to roam, These spread their toilets, (wondering And comb with ivory fingers, emerald hair. "Tis not enough the Iceland traveller tells Ladies that keep their virgin vows so nice, (As if like salmon, vows were kept in ice.) For three long years wait in their native isle, And dare not flirt with mortal all the while. Do you believe the wonders they relate ? No, sure, if our experience carry weight. No courtly Lords, now rival rhymes rehearse, Or claim blue ribbands for their skill in verse; No Ladies now, when loyers leave their side, Wish seas between them and their destin❜d bride; No modern Ladies sit, to pine and mope, But if the careless beau forgets his belle, To find some Haco with a larger jointure. If in his scenes you trace the human heart; ́ Passions in every latitude that live; Or boils like Geyser's fount with jealous If Helga's feelings are but felt by you, If nature prompt the tale, and passion weave. On the death of Mr Archibald As flow'rets ope their beauties wild So, oft descends into the tomb But laid in thy untimely grave, Be mine the task, be mine the song For though thy cheek would often glow So bless'd by fortune's balmy breath Alas! but doubl'd is our grief, Ah! need I tell the mournful gloom Then was each broken murmur stay'd, But stop-nor break the calm repose But INFURIATE o'er the distant waste, Afar forsake their natal plain, And hail th' approaching foe! And aims th' avenging arduous blow. Alone, where yonder laurels wave, Wild youth's impassion'd strain; Triumphant o'er the giddy plain. In aerial circles borne ; Here, grateful greets thy shade sublime, That bless'd beyond the bourne of time, Fate's ruthless powers defy. Where brightly, eke thy hallowed name, Shall blaze amidst seraphic flame! While dreadful Death himself shall die. Swell, Minstrels ! swell the warbling tone, And soothe sweet Nature's mournful moan; And Scotia, be that labour thine, Awake, ye youths of sordid gold! Hark! how aloud the borean waves Are dash'd against the chrystal caves, And, murm'ring high, the echo swells Around, from Ocean's bed of shells, And charms with hollow moan. While trem'lous o'er the troubled deep The spirits of the waters weep, Incumbent woe, that's Mem'ry's own, And swift along the cavern'd shore, The winds convey the murmurs o'er, Where, 'neath gray twilight's gath'ring gloom, Fair Scotia's tears bedew her Leyden's tomb, H. January 20, 1812, Water of Leith. TO CORRESPONDENTS. We regret, that from the late period at which the Observer was received, we were not able to insert it this month. The pieces by the Ettrick Shepherd will appear next month. Proceedings Proceedings of Parliament. MOUSE OF LORDS. Friday, January 10. schism, pregnant with all those calamities which at times, shake the foundation of empires. His Lordship reprobated the LORD LIVERPOOL moved the thanks 'idea of restrictions and disabilities on ac of the House to Lord Minto, the Governor Gen. of India, and to Gen. Abercrombie, Sir $. Auchmuty, &c. for the late important services in the East. His Lordship, as a reason for deviating from the usual practice of confining this mark of distinction to naval or military, stated that the expeditions which terminated in the reduction of the islands of Bourbon, Mauritius, and Java, was the result of measures undertaken by Lord Minto upon his own responsibility, before the instructions sent by government had reached him. The Noble Secretary then expatiated at some length upon the merits of the military and naval commanders employed in these different count of religion, and entered into a his tory of their origin. He found it in the fears justly entertained under Charles II. of the opinions possessed by the Duke of York, afterwards James II. the heir ap parent, to whom the whole of the Catho lics were politically devoted.-The same motives subsisted in the following reigns, and as long as claims to the Crown of those Realms, disallowed by Parliament, were maintained by Catholic pretenders. But the only cause of the penal statutes as gainst Roman Catholics, had vanished long ago, and the effect must of course fonow the same fate. His Lordship admitted that the lower clases of Irish Catholics still retained strong prejudices against their fellow citizens; and one of the advantages expected from an United Parliament was, that they would adopt measures to remove all grounds of national jealousy. Instead of which, the higher classes of Roman Irish Catholics were debarred even from aspiring to a variety of honourable and lucrative situations which his Lordship enumerated. The case was peculiarly hard in respect to the army, for the Irish Parliament had provided for the advancement of the Roman Catholic on the military estabilshment of that kingdom; but no sooner had that army become English by the Union, than this wholesome and just provision was done away contrary to the spirit of that social contract, and without any grounds whatever. His Lordship afterwards recapitu. lated the various reasons which he had already adduced to induce their Lordships to agree to an inquiry, and concluded by moving, "That a Committee be appoint ed to inquire into the State of Ireland." Thé The Duke of DEVONSHIRE seconded the motion. The Marquis WELLESLY defended the onduct of the Duke of Richmond and the Irish Administration, and declared his conviction that none of them would have attempted to stand between the king and his subjects. The Government, however, had been advised that the assembly of the delegates was contrary to law, and that opinion had been declared correct by the Court of King's Bench. Whatever feelings we may have towards the admission of Catholics into Parliament, did their Lord. ships mean to say, that an assembly, consisting of Prelates, Nobility, and Electors from different counties, was a fit assembly to be sitting in Ireland after the Union? This was not a question merely of religious indulgence, but whether every State was rot justified in restraining what was in jurious to the State. He held all restraint to be evil; but the danger on the other side may be greater; and if so, hold to your restraints. A Noble Earl had said, this was a question of State. Let them abate the question of right on one side, and the fury of zeal on the other, and consider it equally. He had considered, that the best mode of disarraying the disaffected in that country, would be to remove the bond that holds them together.-The restrictions embodies them all-if these restrictions were removed, the different classes, the army, the navy, the law, &c. would separate, and be looking to their own individual interest. How far they should be removed, or what security should be acquired from the Catholics, he was not prepared to say.-Would it be said the Catholics enjoyed no privileges, no power or weight in the State? No one dould say they did not; they were admit ted into the army, into the navy, and into the law, and he was of opinion, that though there was no Popish Pretender remaining, yet that so large a body were not to be released from all restrictions, and admitted into the body of the State, with out considering what security should be required for the preservation of the esta blished religion. He would advise them, till the time arrived when they might be admitted, to consider what security they had to offer that they would conduct themselves as good and peaceable subjects, and, by dutiful submission to legal authority, pave the way for their admission to those privileges in which they were so anxious to participate. The motion was supported by the Duke of Bedford, the Marquisses of Downshire and Lansdowne, and Lords Somers, Moira, Gray, Darnley, Erskine, Carysfort; and opposed by Lords Aberdeen, Westmoreland, Buckinghamshire, Sidmouth, Mulgrave, and Liverpool. Upon a division, the motion was nega tived-162 to 79-Proxies included, HOUSE OF COMMONS, Friday, Jan. 10. THE CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in moving the thanks of the House to Lord Minto and Sir S. Auchmuty, for their services in the East, stated that the merit of having planned all the expeditions, belonged solely to the former. After noticing, in terms of high praise, the conduet of Commodore Rowley in wresting the superiority from the French in the In dian seas; the gallantry of Sir S. Auch muty, Colonels Gillespie and M'Leod, the latter of whom died in carrying a redoubt, he moved, first, That thanks be voted to Lord Minto for the wisdom and ability with which he had applied the resources entrusted to him, to the destruction of the French power in the East Indies; stating further, that the brilliant successes which had attended our arms were owing to that vigorous system of operations which he had so wisely adopted and pursued. Mr SHERIDAN thought that the merits of Lord Minto had not been made out; no necessity had been stated for the Noble Lord accompanying the expedition, and superintending the military and naval ope rations in person. He disapproved of this civil controul, which was too like the system adopted by the French in the revolutionary war, when civil deputies from the convention were sent to superintend the commanders of armies. It was confessed that Lord Minto had undertaken the expedition contrary to the advice of every person, even of Admiral Drury himselfi He then stated that greater dangers never encompassed any army than these in which Sir S. Auchmuty had been involved. That gal lant General had no alternative but a disgraceful and precipitate retreat, or an assault by storm, in which the safety of the He concluded whole army was at stake. by stating, that he thought justice had not been done to Commodore Rowley, who, by rallying our broken force in the Indian seas, paved the way for the subsequent |