and transferred her attention to what her own duty required from her, till native complacency and habituai affection restored all the fprightly energies

of her mind.

Under her prefiding influence Monteith caftle realized to the idea of every beholder the delightful vifion of Spenfer's Bower of Blifs, governed by a Una inftead of an Acrafia. Magnificence was united with urbanity, hofpitality was gilded by elegance, while the prefiding enchantrefs foftened her enviable fuperiority in beauty, wealth, wit, and talents, by the inoft unaffecting condefcenfion, and amiable attention to the accommodation of her guests. If her tafte in drawing extorted admiration from thofe young ladies who were just trying to acquire the rudiments of the fcience, the pain of that fentiment was immediately foftened by her ready offer of

of furnishing them with crayons, pencils, fubjects to copy fuperior to what the country afforded, or affiftance from the mafter who occafionally attended her. Her tuneful voice and magic touch could not be imparted; but he had fongs and mufic books at every one's fervice, and he was very willing to affift in affording all the mechanical aid which that enchanting fcience admits. She had acquired a knowledge of all fashionable works, and here again instruction and materials only waited to be required. Her library, her confervatory, and her hot-house attracted general attention, and transfufed general pleasure, because their refpective treafures were not kept merely to gratify the oftentation of the poffeffor, but were permitted to impart their mental riches and odoriferous fweets to any who wished to read a book or cultivate

an off-fet. Adhering to the rule, that beauty is beft attired when robed by fimple elegance, she had no temptation to be guilty of the temerity of attracting envy by the fplendor of her ornaments ; and the expence fpared from her own drefs was employed in judicious prefents to thofe of her young friends whofe circumstances would ill fupport the cost of genteel appearance. To crown this fair affemblage of complacent graces, her exquifitely playful wit, while it dazzled by its brilliancy, prevented by its inoffenfive fweetnefs the most irritable mind from charging it with farcaftic feverity.

Her village flourished. She had named it James-town, in honour of her lord, to whofe liberality fhe properly referred every improvement of which he was the directing foul. The neighbouring peafantry were emulous

to become inhabitants of a fpot which poffeffed fo many local advantages; and a fpirit of order and improvement was gradually introduced. The melancholy highlander no longer watched his few ftarved sheep on the bleak mountain, and for want of occupation foothed his forrows with a bagpipe. One of his younger boys perfor medthat office, while he earned bread for his infants and health for himself," in fhaping the green alleys of Monteith, covering the bleak mountains with plantations of Scotch pine and American oak, or digging the foundations of the new buildings, which were continually added to James-town. Befide a neat edifice appropriated to divine worship, it poffeffed a carpet-manufactory, a fpinning-room, a village-fchool, and a market-house.. Perfons properly qualified were placed at the head of each inftitution, and the tafte

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tafte of the boys was to be confulted in their future deftination, while the occupations of fishing, agriculture, and weaving, folicited their choice. The views of the girls were more circumfcribed; but by being early taught the occupations of spinning and knitting, and by having a market open for the fale of their productions, they were relieved from the burden of indolence, and the cheerlefs profpect of being a useless weight upon their future hufbands, or dependent upon their caprice for every article of fupport. It was lady Monteith's favourite amusement to take a morning excursion to James-town, and to introduce her female vifitants to the young feminary which flourished under her care; and it frequently happened, that fome yellow-haired laffie difplayed fufficient abilities to induce one of the countefs's guefts to trrnsfer her, from the