fouls of the poor infants neglected, while their bodies were fhielded against the confequences of difeafe. Scarce a clergyman in the island omitted to add to his pecuniary fubfcriptions the more valuable donation of his time, his anxiety, and his perfonal exertions. Several tradefmen of note made a tender of their skill and fervices. A mafter carpenter offered to fuperintend, without any charge to the inftitution, the buildings, that might be neceflary to furnish the children with a commodious dwelling, and appendant offices. A worthy and benevolent mason took upon himfelf the trouble of erecting their oven. And the printer of the Saint Chriftopher Advertiser requested, that the amount of his charge for publications on account of the establishment would be accepted as his mite toward its fupport.

Upon the fecond meeting of the contributors to this benevolent and laudable inftitution, a houfe for the reception of the children became a fubject of confideration; and the hiring of it, as well as the procuring of proper inftructors and fuitable attendants, was undertaken by Mr. Hobfon the chairman.

To the fame benevolent character the inftitution was indebted for the fcheme of a publick oven, from which the children would be provided with bread of an increased weight and improved quality without any addition to the price. The faving to the inftitution upon this article was confiderable, and it was augmented by other profits, which equally refulted from the fenfible and benevolent contrivance of Mr. Hobfon. A baker was fet up in his business with the funds of the establishment, and recommended to customers by the patronage of its friends. In return for their countenance and fupport,

he divided with the children of the inftitution the gains of his calling. This fource of income, added to the reduc

tion of the price upon the article of bread, was confidered as tantamount to a fimple donation of three hundred pounds per annum.

What a scene to reflecting and delighted humanity does this judicious and lucrative schemic unfold. It prefents to her the hope, that out of a provifion made for the hungry, the naked, the fhelterless and the deftitute, an income

would offer itself fufficient to relieve all their wants, calculated to provide cheap and wholesome neceffaries for the rich, and to obviate the fatal practices of those who deal in articles of indifpenfable neceflity.

From the bakers of every inftitution, fimilar to that established in St. Christopher,might be obtained bread of the best quality, at a reduced price, that would outweigh the establifhed affize. From its butchers might be obtained meat with an equal fuperiority in quantity and goodnefs. From its woollen and linen drapers clothing recommended by the fame advantages. A correfpondent faving would be the condition upon which they gave their custom to every other clafs of their tradesmen. And a participation in the profits of their bufinefs would be ftipulated for and established in confideration of the patronage, and in return for being fet up by the funds of the inftitution.

All the baleful practices of trades, which prey upon and poifon whom they feed, would be abolished. The fraudulent baker, with his loaves of allum, finely ground fand, lime and pounded beans, would forfeit the custom, which he had duped and rendered deadly. The butcher with his chalk fed blown up veal, would fee his unnatural aliment grow putrid in his fhambles. While the moderate hard working tradesman would insure a subfiftence for his family during his life and an afylum for them at his death, by dividing the profits of his business with an inftitution, that had enabled him to undertake it with advantage and profecute it with fuccefs.

Oftentatiously to display the feductive patronage of elevated characters is the common artifice of trade to attract

cuftom. And yet the protegee is often fo worthless, that to realize his hopes is an encouragement to impofition and difhonefty. And the patron is often fo bad a judge of merit, that to imitate his example is an affront to difcernment and tafte. But the man, who gives his cuftom to the baker of a charitable inftitution, half the profits of whose bufinefs is allotted to the fupport of poor and deftitute children, this benevolent purchafer confecrates an offering to charity withevery farthing he lays out, and cftablifhes a claim to the bleffing of heaven

with every morfel he puts into his own mouth, or provides for the mouths of his family.

If pompous titles are to be adopted as baits for custom, let the fplendid character, which points out an alliance with virtue, be affumed by the tradefmen who are connected with charitable inftitutions and can boast of their

patronage. Could it be inferred from the infeription over his fhop, that a baker contributed to the fupport of poor and deftitute children three hundred pounds a year out of the profits of his bufinefs in a small and not very populous West Indian Inland, every paffenger as he went by would blets the man and invoke belings on his trade. The heart of every purchafer while he contemplated the loaf which he had bought would overflow with virtuous fenfibility. "I, even I," the poor widow would an hundred times repeat to herself, as the furveyed her daily bread, “have contributed to the feeding of a multitude of little ones, whofe parents left them as deftitute as mine would be were

I to die tomorrow As mine would be,

if this humane establishment were not

open for their reception, when deprive ed of the ftay, which my feeble age and trifling earnings afford them."

Etablishments, upon the plan of the inftitution for the relief of poor and deftitute children, often moulder away from the indifference and neglect of thofe, who undertake or are appointed to their fuperintendence. Officious intermeddling is little to be apprehended. Malignant interference lefs. Caution therefore in the nomination of regula tors is as fuperfluous in fact as fpecious in opinion. It is an impofing term that never applies to the fubject. The material confideration is to enfure a fufficient number of zealous, active members, who will invariably devote to its fupport their time and their anxiety. To accomplish this object every barrier to affistance or even advice @hould be removed, and the certainty of obtaining fufficient number of benevolent cooperators ought to be enfured by the acceptance, nay invitation of all." If fome abfent themselves others will attend. If fome are negligent others will be aflid

uous.

a

That no one who had the ability or inclination to be useful might be excluded from taking a part in the wel

fare of the children, every subscriber to the establishment became a member of it by the mere act of contribution. However trifling what he beftowed; yet his donation was received as an earneft of good will, that gave him a right to interfere in the concerns of the inftitution. Although his pecuniary aid was inconfiderable, his zeal and activity might be of importance; or his talents might fuggeft to the liberality and opulence of others, what the narrownefs of his own income forbid him to attempt.

lature were particularly nominated All the branches of the infular egif members of the institution, and many of them, individually as well as collectively, afforded it the most effential fervice.

The commander in chief of the lee

ward iflands fhed a luftre on the establifhment by accep ing the office of its prefident. But the brilliant acquifition of a governour's name and rank was foon forgot in the private patronage and perfonal feelings of Lord Lavington. To these a debt is owing that acknowledgments can never pay nor humanity

ever forget.

While rank was folicited, and patron

age obtained, the important and fingu

lar fervice, which could be rendered to the inftitution by the female part of the community, was not neglected. The ladies of the island were requested to direct toward it their attention, and to beltow on it a portion of the animated perfeverance, with which they profecute whatever they undertake. This has been granted. And to the ladies of Saint Chriftopher the children of the inftitution are indebted for a number of conveniences, which the coarser talents of men are little adapted to contrive or procure.

Although the number of perfons entitled to take a part in tranfacting the bufinefs of an institution, that has for its object the fupport and education of children, cannot be too ftudioully enlarged yet it is neceffary that particu lar fuperintendants and inftrutors fhould be carefully felected. In conformity with this principle, twenty four fuperintendants were appointed to infpect the treatment and tuition of the children. This task they performed in rotation and for a itated period. Six undertook it for the first month. The fame number fucceeded them for the

fame time, until the whole twenty four had discharged their duty in turn. There was in this manner kept up a regular feries of felect guardians, who with out interruption watched over and provided for the welfare and instruction of the children.

In all cafes where business is to be tranfacted, the object of which is permanent, it will be found necessary to fix upon stated periods for its confideration and arrangement. To meet this neceflity it was laid down as a rule by the inflitution, that the fubfcribers to its fupport should assemble on the first Monday of every month to fuggeft and eftablith whatever changes, or additional regulations the lapfe of time or an alteration of circumftances might have made requifite. And as occafional bufinels, not admitting of delay, might occur during the courfe of the month, it was on emergencies pertaiffible for any three of the fubfcribers to convoke a general meeting, by inferting for that purpose a notice in the publick paper four days before the meeting afembled.

The grand defideratum in this and every fimilar inftitution remained however ftill to be fought for. No perfon had yet prefented himfelf, who would be answerable for the general, conftant, and uninterrupted care of the children. The fuperintendants were occafional vifitors and inspectors; but there was required a fixed, refidentiary guardian and inftructor, who would dedicate to them the whole of his time, rendered more precious by his anxiety. Who would confecrate his talents and folicitude to their improvement in virtue, knowledge and behaviour. This was an obftacle to the completion of the plan that fe med infurmountable. Nor would it have be n furmounted, but for the boundless philanthropy of Doctor Bly h. He devoted himself to the task. Here therefore perhaps occurs the fitteft occafion for recapitulating and acknowledging the multiplied fervices, which Dr. Blyth has rendered the inftitution.

Tohisliterary communications and ap

peals it was in great measure owing that the attention of the publick became attracted toward the objects of the charity. In the progrefs of the establishment, his attendance and affiduity were unremitting. His communications and hints frequent and valuable. But upon the reception of the children into the houfe provided for their relidence, the intereft, which he took in their welfare, confummated the humane and virtuous task in which he had engaged. He affumed the office of a guardian, and fubmitted to the duties of a schoolmafter. While he watched over the morals and trained the hearts of the children to virtue, he inftructed them in the humbleft rudiments of science; taught them their letters and their alphabet; and fingularly contrived_to render the art of writing an amusing preliminary and neceffary vehicle to the art of reading. No lefs than thirty pupils are at this inftant reaping the fruit of his benevolence and inftruction.

Such is the number of deftitute children, who are already admitted to every privilege that humanity could defire for her favourites, or wisdom fuggeft in conformity with her views. They are ali of them lodged and clothed, fed, taught and treated, with greater attention to health, comfort, fafety, morals and learning, than falls to the lot of most of thofe, whofe parents pay dearest for the education of their offspring. Content and happiness appear in every face. Docility and obedience are allied with cheerfulness and pleasure. A few days have wrought a visible improvement in the manners, feemingly in the difpofitions, of the children. The fourdations of morality are already laid. A proficiency in ufeful literature and in the habits of useful industry is begun, and promifes foon to complete every object of a plan, equally judicious and charitable. Of a plan that has been inftituted for the relief of the destitute and helpless, the information of the ignorant, and the amendment of the diffolute and mifchievous.

(To be concluded in our next.)

GREAT BRITAIN.

A LINE of TELEGRAPHS, it is faid, will be established, at the expense of individuals, from Liverpool to Holyhead,

for the purpose of announcing the arrival of fhips bound to Liverpool, and of procuring plots. Another line has been fuggefted from Liverpool to Hull,