but exposed to view the circumftances which had mifled him, that his pupils might be put upon their guard againft fimilar deceptions in future. It is little minds, alone, who are incapable of acknowledging, and chearfully correcting an error. Cullen felt he had no need of fuch puny aids to fupport his character. Truth was in all cafes the object of his refearch. In queft of this, though he never wished to degrade another, he respected no name fo much as to prevent his candid ftrictures when he did perceive them wrong. If even a Boerbaave, whofe great talents Doctor Cullen much admired, would not efcape reprehenfion where he had erred; fo neither could a Cullen himself escape correction, where any kind of mistake could be made apparent to Doctor Cullen.

The above remarks apply to Doctor Cullen when in his prime. But for fome years before his death, his friends perceived a fenfible decline of that ardour and energy of mind which fo ftrongly characterifed him at a former period. Strangers, who had never seen him before, could not be fenfible of this change; nor did any marked decline in him ftrike them; for his natural yivacity still was fuch as might pafs in general as the unabated vigour of one in prime of life. Yet then, though his vigour of body and mind were greater than others of his own age, it should never be forgot that the vigour of old age is but feeble, and the utmost energy of fenility bears no resemblance to that gigantic ardour which characterises the man of genius in the prime of life. Cullen to the last was great; but how different from what he had been, thofe alone can tell who had an opportunity of knowing him in both fituations, and who had at the fame time not an opportunity of perceiving the change imperceptibly advance upon him, during the lapfe of a continued intercourse. Let not thofe, therefore, who knew him only in the decline of life, pretend to judge of the accuracy of these sketches. It is to thofe who knew him at the distance of twenty

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or thirty years before his death, that the writer begs leave to appeal for the juftnefs of the picture he has drawn. Many of thefe are ftill alive: To them he chearfully fubmits what he has faid, in nothing doubting but that they will be ready to acknowledge, that friendship has in no cafe encroached on the province of truth.

Fortunate the man of genius may be deemed to be, who dies while he is yet in the vigour of life: Men have been accuftomed to behold with admiration his rapid advances, and they anticipate in idea the progrefs he would have made; they forget that though, like the growing tide, nothing feemed at the beginning capable of withstanding its power, yet the time approaches when its vigour fhall gradually abate, when the feebleft object—a grain of fand itself-shall be sufficient to withstand its force; and when at last it fhall fhrink back into itself, incapable of any thing but af retrograde progrefs. Happy is the man of genius who dies in his youth: He is then the admiration of the great, and little minds shall never dare, even in imagiso nation, to think they could comprehend the extent of his powers!

Doctor Cullen's external appearance, though ftriking. and not unpleafing, was not elegant. His countenance was expreffive, and his eye in particular remarkably lively, and at times wonderfully expreffive. In his perfon he was tall and thin, stooping very much about 30 the fhoulders. When he walked, he had a contempla tive look, and did not feem much to regard the objects around him.

Dr Anderson

To the Editor of the Bee.

SIR, Though you have pointed out many important benefits that may be derived from periodical performances, yet there is one which has always appeared to me of the greateft confequence, that you have neither fully developed in your Profpectus, nor in the effay you gave on this fubject in the firft number of your work. I now fhall endeavour to fupply that defect; and if you think the following obfervations deferving a place in your repofitory, they are much at your fer

vice.

Farther remarks on the Utility of Periodical Perfor

mances.

An acquaintance of mine used to say," that all boys ought to be taught to draw, were it only to accuftom them to obferve with accuracy and difcernment the objects that came in their way. Natural objects certainly appear in a very different light to a painter, from what they do to an ordinary perfon. The one little accuf tomed to difcriminate particulars, views them flightly as they pass in a rapid and uninterefting fucceffion. The other marks them with precifion, diftinguifhes beauties from defects, and is able to recollect the particulars with great accuracy, long after every trace of them is effaced from the mind of the other.

I think this remark might with great juftice be extended to other objects. In particular, I, on my part, would recommend to every person who intends to profecute a course of literature, early to habituate themfelves to the art of writing and literary compofition, were it with no other view than to enable them to profit by what they should read and hear in the courfe of

their ftudies. The man who has never attempted to reduce his own ideas to writing, feldom obferves facts or circumstances with the degree of accuracy that is neceffary for utility. His notions of things are rude and indigefted. Succeffive ideas present themselves to his imagination for a moment, and are difplaced by others, which, in their turn, give way to a following fet, no one of which has been examined with accuracy, or their tendency diftinctly afcertained. To the man, however, who has been accustomed to write, this is not the cafe. When a thought occurs to him, he has been in the habit of pursuing it, till he has been enabled to mark its tendency and confequences; and in this manner he deduces conclufions that are not only clear, and definite, but for the most part are juft and true alfo. In confequence of this procefs, his mind acquires a fteadiness and vigour that it never otherwife could have poffeffed; and he in time attains a distinctness of perception, and a faculty of difcrimination, that gives him a decided fuperiority above other men of equal talents, who have not been at the fame pains to improve them. A man who profecutes his ftudies by means of reading alone, or academical lectures, may be compared to one who derives his knowledge of men from obfervations made upon them from a window as they pafs along the ftreet before him. He fees their general figure, it is true, and can recollect that fuch or fuch perfons he has feen before; but his knowledge is confined merely to thefe fuperficials; whereas one who has been in the habit of writing as well as reading, may be compared to that man who acquires his knowledge of others, not only from feeing them, but from mixing in their company, and converfing with them frequently, in a cordial and familiar manner.

In this point of view, no fpecies of publication deserves a higher degree of praife than thofe periodical performances which ferve as a general receptacle for

mifcellaneous effays collected from all quarters, and communicated to the people at large. By this means, a fingle detached thought that occurs to any one individual, however unconnected he may be with others, may be rendered, without trouble or effort to him, a matter of general investigation, if it conveys any nice idea that gives rife to additional obfervations, which, but for this circumstance, would never have had an exiftence. Thefe obfervations, when nearly examined, give rife to doubts, which excite a fpirit of inveftigation and research. In profecuting thefe inquiries, new facts are difcovered, which lead to conclufions, fometimes of the higheft importance. Knowledge is thus drawn from a thoufand fources, which, but for this encouragement, would have been for ever unobferved. A new creation may be faid to be made; for mental objects are thus called into existence, that but for this circumftance would never have been brought to light; and it often happens that a man thus difcovers, to his great furprife, that he himself poffeffes powers which he never so much as once fufpected, fo as to be compelled to cry out in extacy, with the celebrated Corregio, "ed io anche fon pittore ;" and I alfo am a painter.

Nor are the beneficial effects of fuch performances confined to the writers of fuch effays alone. The readers of fuch performances, by following the train of thoughts that occur in the effays, acquire in their turn a habit of attention, and a difpofition to obferve, that they never without it would have poffeffed. By being accustomed to perceive arguments refuted, which appeared to them at firft entirely conclufive, they imperceptibly acquire a habit of fuspending their judgment, till the matter fhall be fully inveftigated; they doubt, compare, and weigh arguments with care; and thus gradually acquire that nicety of obfervation, and caution in forming conclufions, which conflitutes the effence of found judgment.

VOL. I.

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