partake, whether they have a relish for them, or have appetite and strength to digest such a mixture or not. It has always been a maxim of mine, that to arrive at perfection in few things, is far more desirable than to have but a smattering of many; and unless there happen to be very great talent and ability in the pupil, this can only be attained by steadily pursuing what is of real importance in education, and devoting the time and attention to such pursuits as she may evince a taste for. To make any proficiency in most of the lighter accomplishments, requires immense application; and if a girl, whatever may be her capacity, is required to attempt all, the chances are that she will excel in none, and that the time which has been expended in the effort, has too much infringed upon that which should have been devoted to reading, and to that solid information which would fit her for society and usefulness in after life, even if she failed in some of those superficial attainments which, had she made them, would probably have been neglected when she became the mother of a family. I am, Sir, A READER OF THE MONITOR. We are much obliged to our correspondent for these remarks upon a subject which, as it concerns all, must interest all. The sound education of women-of those who are to be the wives, mothers, and mistresses of the next generation, is surely a matter of very great importance to every benevolent mind. We think our correspondent's remarks upon the eagerness after variety of accomplishments and attainments, so often shown by parents in the education of their children, to the exclusion almost of a thorough acquirement of any one branch of useful knowledge, are very judicious. We should be happy to receive further contributions from the same quarter; and be glad to have a more precise statement of the course of reading, &c., which our correspondent would suggest for those who are in the middle classes of society. The attention of the public has been much more turned to this subject of late years than heretofore, and books of all kinds have been multiplied not only to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, but to instil the soundest principles, in religion and morals. In this plenty of provision a skilful caterer is very important, and the recommendations of such a one as "A Reader of the Monitor" well deserve attention. Gentleness in the mode of communicating information, seems always to have been attended with the happiest effects, as we may observe from the account of the proficiency made by the lovely and unfortunate Lady Jane Grey. "She could not," says the historian, "have been more than 'seventeen, when Ascham, the learned tutor to Queen Elizabeth, calling at the country residence of the Suffolk family, found that the Duke and Duchess, with all the household, gentlemen and gentlewomen, were hunting in the Park, whilst Lady Jane Grey was finding her pleasure in the perusal of one of the most elaborate compositions in the Greek language. She unaffectedly accounted to him for her having imbibed this fondness for study, by attributing it to the contrast between the kindness and gentleness with which she had ever been treated by her tutor, and the coarse severity with which the manners of that age allowed even noble parents to behave towards their children."+ But not only the manner of inculcating, but the matter to be inculcated, should be carefully attended to; and the remark of Sir T. More, when one objected to him that his trouble in the education of his daughters was scarcely reasonable, because life was so uncertain, should be ever present to the mind of a Christian parent, that "they were educating for eternity." There is indeed hardly a mistake of more fatal consequence than that of making religion hold a secondary place in the business of instruction; and therefore it is that we view with peculiar satisfaction the efforts of those able minds which are now at work to remedy whatever deficiency there may be in this particular; and who, like the "Clergyman of the Church of England," from whom our extract is taken, consecrate such commanding talents as he evidently possesses, towards promoting the glory of God, by considering "men and events on Christian principles."-We shall not add more than a repetition of our wish, that our correspondent will again favour us with some further thoughts upon the subject we have thus ventured to suggest. See an Article in this No. from the same Author, "On the Management of the Minds and Tempers of Children.” + Vide History of England by a Clergyman, &c. vol. iii. p. 346. 432 HYMN, BY HEBER. WHEN Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil; The birds that wake the morning, and those that love the shade; Shall man, the lord of nature, expectant of the sky, No, let the year forsake his course, the seasons cease to be, The flowers of spring may wither, the hope of summer fade, A PRAYER, BY THE SAME. GOD that madest Earth and Heaven, Who the day for toil hast given, May Thine Angel guards defend us, HUNTING THE WILD BULL. In one of our numbers we gave an account of the dexterity with which the South American uses the lasso, or noose, in catching wild cattle. The following extract from "Hardy's Travels in Mexico," p. 264, gives us a notion of a dexterity and courage of the hunters of the wild bull in that part of the world, which, perhaps, has never been paralleled : As "There is something romantic in these hunts; and as they are proofs of the determined bravery of the natives, it would be unpardonable to pass them over in silence. From the mountainous state of the country, it may be supposed that there are a great number of canadas, (ravines,) which afford shelter to the wild cattle, and furnish them with food. The huntsman is always mounted on a strong, bold, and well-trained horse. soon as he catches sight of a wild bull the chase commences, and he follows it through bush and briar,' leaping up and down precipices of three and four feet, and passes at full speed over a country, which, for unevenness, has scarcely any parallel. Were it not for a jacket and trowsers of tanned hide, the flesh would probably be torn from the bones by the thorny branches of the mesquite (thick bush). The chief object of the huntsman is never to lose sight of the bull. It never happens that the chase is of any long continuance, as the bull usually takes to the nearest canada. This ravine he follows through all its ruggedness, at the height of his speed, stumbling, and even rolling along, till its extreme narrowness renders further progress impossible. "No sooner does the huntsman, who is not far behind, see the dilemma of the bull, than he dismounts, rapidly taking off his leather jacket, and drawing his knife from his right knee, where it had till now been confined by the band which fastens the leathern protectors of his legs, called 'botas,' he manfully advances towards the animal, who, when he sees his adversary approach, turns round, and makes a furious attempt to destroy him with his horns. This the hunter, assisted by his coat, evades with a dexterity truly wonderful. And now commences a most bloody fight. Spurred up to his utmost fury by the wounds which he is continually receiving from his adversary, the efforts of the bull are tremendous; but the huntsman avoids all his thrusts, and upon each occasion inflicts a fresh wound. There is here no crying craven. One or other of the combatants must inevitably perish. The carrion crow, and other birds of prey, who always attend the hunter from the period when the affray commences, set up their dismal croaking, so that the horrors of the fight would be very considerably increased, did the occupation of the huntsman permit him to reflect that these birds will 3 к VOL. 1. eventually feed on the dead carcase of either man or beast! The conflict seldom lasts more than a quarter of an hour, sometimes it is terminated in a few minutes, if the hunter makes a successful stab; and when the bull has lost a great quantity of blood, his head sinks for want of strength to support it, his huge body begins to totter, and at last down he drops upon his fore legs, as if praying for mercy, which his relentless conqueror refusing to grant, gives him the coup-de-grace, thus ending the fight, and the misery of the poor brute together. But not always does the hunter come off victorious. When engaged in the chase, no human eye besides his own beholds the combat ; and if he fall a victim to his rashness, there is no kind friend at hand to close his eyes, or to bear the fatal tidings to his family. When another fight takes place, perhaps in the same spot, which is more happy in its issue, the clean-picked bones of the departed hunter are, for the first time, discovered whitening in the sun, by the more dexterous or more fortunate sportsman. Yet callous to this species of danger, which with greedy anxiety he courts, these frequent spectacles of the fate which has befallen a former companion, perhaps a relative or a friend, and which will probably be one day his own, he looks at with indifference, perhaps scorning their skill, and coolly proceeds with his work of skinning the bull and collecting the fat; after which, he either goes in search of new adventures, or returns to his house, where he recounts his deeds to his family, and "fights his battles o'er again," to their infinite delight and entertain ment. WONDERFUL NATURAL PHENOMENON. Some Account of the sudden Stoppage of the River Severn, and of the Desolation that happened at the Birches, between Coalbrook Dale and Buildwas Bridge, in Shropshire. By the Vicar of Madeley. "HEARING on Thursday, May 27, 1793, that at a place called the Birches, many acres of land had that morning, about four o'clock, suffered strange revolutions, as well as the river Severn, |