for Honoria, fhe is fo extremely emaciated by the severity of her grief, that fhe will, probably be, in a fhort time, released from all her fublunary afflictions: fhe wishes, indeed, with the most affecting earnestnefs, to follow her dear, deluded, murdered child. ON THE CALAMITIES OF LIFE. LOOK on difappointments, toils, and strife, And all the confequential ills of life, This truth divine, implanted in the heart, JULIUS AND MARIA. IN N the town of Calcutta, in the kingdom of Bengal, before that country was annexed to the British empire, lived Monf. de St. Pierre, a French merchant of great merit: he began the world with a small eftate, and although induftrious, and frugal, had never been able, through repeated loffes and difappointments, much to improve it. This gentleman, at an early period of his life, married the daughter of an eminent merchant at Marseilles, a young lady equally admired for her mental accomplishments, and her perfonal charms. The caprice of parents, or the love of wealth, were none of the motives for this marriage; it was their own free choice, and of course they lived in a state of uninterrupted connubial happiness. In less than a twelvemonth they had a daughter, the fruit of their mutual love; and they now began to confider themselves as the happiest couple in the univerfe, when, alas! how changeable are all human pleasures, the wife was feized with a fever, in which she continued for some time in great agony, and then expired, leaving her hopeless husband to awake at his leifure from that dream of uninterrupted happiness they had promifed themfelves. Monfieur de St. Pierre continued in confolable confolable for fome time; but at laft, conscious that his grief could be of no fervice to the dead, he refolved to banish melancholy from his house, and to bestow that care and attention on his daughter, which death had put out of his power to fhew to his wife. For this purpose, as soon as fhe came of an åge fit for receiving inftruction, he confidered with himself what education would be moft proper, both for her own happiness, and to render her agreeable to those around her. In the courfe of his obfervations, he had frequently remarked, that children, either through the carelefsnefs of teachers, their own inattention and want of thought, or from fome other cause, often returned from boarding-fchools very little improved, either in their morals or in their ftudies, (befides, in Calcutta, a boarding-fchool was entirely out of the question) he therefore determined. to educate her under his own eye, and for that end used all his intereft, which was very confiderable, to procure proper teachers for her, sparing neither pains nor expence, provided they were to his mind. In this agreeable manner did he, for feveral years, pass his time away, "teaching the young idea how to "fhoot," and he had the fatisfaction to find, that his daughter made a progrefs equal to his most fanguine expectations: add to this, that fhe poffeffed all the good qualities of her father, and the accom plishments plishments of her mother. At this time there arrived at Calcutta a young gentleman from England, the fon of a rich merchant there, who was about to establish himself in a lucrative business in that city, through the intereft of fome powerful relations he had in India. Julius (the young gentleman) brought feveral letters of introduction from his friends in England, and, amongst others, one for Monf. de St. Pierre ; and that gentleman fhewed him all the attention and civilities in his power. Knowing the characteristic of the British to be that of a generous people, de St. Pierre had long entertained a particular esteem for that nation: his houfe was at all times open to Julius, and he had not been many months there, when he contracted an affection for his friend's daughter, which, from an admiration of her virtues, was foon converted into a violent paffion for her perfon. Every day added fresh fuel to his love, and every day the more was he convinced of her merit. A thousand little attentions and civilities, for which the French ladies are remarkable, tended to keep alive his paffion; and her father, who had long obferved their growing loves, though, for many reafons, he took care to conceal his knowledge of it, was by no means an enemy to the amour. Much about the fame time, Maria (that was was the lady's name) received the addreffes of Berenthius, another Englishman, fully a match to Julius in point of fortune, but far his inferior in point of merit; proud, ambitious, and fullen; he knew no pleasure but that of indulging his paffions, or gratifying his ambition. To one, therefore, of fuch folid judgment as Maria, their different merits were very evident, and she foon declared herself decidedly in favour of Julius; and Julius, who had long preffed Maria to this declaration, was no fooner informed of her choice, than he immediately wrote to his relations in the other parts of India, requesting their consent; and they knowing the good character Monfieur de St. Pierre had always borne in Calcutta, and hearing of the merits of Maria, foon returned him an answer favourable to his wishes. The moment he received this agreeable intelligence, he ran to the lovely Maria to inform her of his fuccefs. Maria received the news with equal pleasure, and the only thing they now wanted to complete their happiness, was, to gain the confent of Monf. de St. Pierre. Maria had never given her father the most distant hint on the subject, and her fear of his difpleasure at a courtship carried on without his confent, had long deterred her from mentioning it: however, as fhe was amufing him one morning, according to cuftom, with |