one is shocked at the meanness and inelegance of the god, and at the filth and wretchedness of his votaries. . With one procession, however, I was much pleased; it took place a month ago on the breaking up of the monsoon, when the sea became open for navigation. It is called the coconut feast, and is, I believe, peculiar to this coast. About an hour before sunset, an immense concourse of people assembled on the esplanade, where booths were erected, with all kinds of commodities for sale. All the rich natives appeared in their carriages, and the display of pearls and jewels was astonishing. At sunset, one of the chief Bramins advanced towards the sea, and going out a little way upon a ledge of rock, he launched a gilt coco-nut, in token that the sea was now become navigable; immediately thousands of coco-nuts were seen swimming in the bay; for every priest and every master of a family was eager to make his offering. The evening closed as usual with music, dancing, and exhibitions of tumblers, jugglers, and tame snakes. The tumblers are usually from Hydrabad, the jugglers from Madras, and the exhibitions of snakes are common in every part of India. The agility and strength of the tumblers, particularly the women, surpassed every thing I ever saw, but the sight is rather curious than pleasant. The tame snakes are mostly cobra-capellas; at the sound of a small pipe, they rise on their tails, and spread their hoods, advance, retreat, hiss, and pretend to bite, at the word of command. The keepers wish it to be believed that they have the power of charming this animal, and preventing the bad effects of its bite; but I looked into the mouths of several, and found the teeth all gone, and the gums much lacerated. The method sometimes used to extract the teeth, is to throw a piece of red cloth to the snake, who bites it furiously; the keeper then takes him by the head, and holding his jaws forcibly together, tears out the cloth, and with it the teeth. The cobra-capella is from six to twelve feet long; it is held in great veneration by the natives, who call it a high caste snake, and do not willingly suffer it to be destroyed. There is a yearly feast and procession in honour of the snakes, when offerings of milk, rice, and sugar, are made to them, and money given to the priests, who, on these occasions, build rustic temples of bamboos and reeds in the fields. Proceedings of the HIGHLAND SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND. Edinburgh, Jan. 16. 1813. THE anniversary general meeting of this Society, in terms of the charter, was held in their hall here, on Tuesday last, at which there was a very respectable and full attendance of the members (upwards of a hundred,) and among others, right honourable the Earl of Wemyss and March, the Earl of Leven and Melville, Lord Elibank, Lord Hermand, right honourable Sir John Sinclair, Sir George Mackenzie, Sir George Stuart, Sir James Colquhoun, Sir A. Muir M'Kenzie, and Sir A. Macdonald Lockhart, Baronets; Sir Alexander Gordon, Colonel Elliot Lockhart, M. P. General Drummond of Strathallan, Admiral Fraser, General Graham Stitling, Mr Erskine of Mar, Mr Innes of Stow, with many of the most considerable landed proprietors in the country, gentlemen of rank in the army, and of the law, and commercial interest. The right honourable the Earl of Wemyss and March, vice-president in office, in the chair, when, after a bollot, as required by the rules of the society, the following were duly admitted members, their names ordered to be recorded, and public notification of their election given, viz. Before proceeding to other business, Mr Macdonald, the treasurer, stated to the meeting, that a vacancy had occurred in the office of secretary, by the resignation of Donald MacLachlan of M'Lachlan, Esq. who was now resident in Argyllshire, of which extensive county he was sheriff, that it had therefore become necessary to look out for a proper person to fill that important situation. That, with the sanction of the directors, he now proposed Ranald Mac. donald, Esq. of Staffa, sheriff-depute of Stirlingshire, to succeed Mr Mac Lachlan, a gentleman well qualified to discharge the duties of the office, which he had obligingly agreed to undertake; he therefore moved, that Mr Macdonald of Staffa be elected secretary of the society; which motion having been seconded by Henry Mackenzie, Esq. Mr Macdonald of Staffa was, with much approbation, unanimously elected secretary of the society, who having taken his place, expressed his acknowledgements to the meeting in appropriate and elegant terms; and the secretary was requested by the meeting to return the cordial thanks of the society to Mr MacLachlan, of M'Lachlan, the late secretary, for the zeal and ability with which he discharged the duties of that important office, for the considerable period he held that situation. The secretary then submitted to the meeting the proceedings of the directors since the general meeting in June last, which were taken under consideration, and approved: a numerous list of premiums voted by the directors for a variety of objects in 1812, as recapitulated to the meeting, with the names of the persons to whom they had been adjudged, were directed to be published in the newspapers in the usual manner. It appeared from the proceedings, that the honorary premiums offered by the society for promoting plantations on the north-west coast of Scotland, had excited considerable competitionamong the competitors were Mr Maclean of Ardgour, Mr Maclean of Coll, Mr Macdonald of Staffa, Mr Innes of Lochalsh, and Mr Mackenzie of Applecross, all of whom had planted extensively, particularly hard wood, upon their estates. The meeting, on the suggestion of the directors, resolved to vote a sum of twenty guineas, towards a subscription now going forward for behoof of J. and A. Small, ploughwrights, Leith-walk, sons of the late James Small, on account of the great advan bago tage derived to the public from the improvements made by their father upon that important implement of husbandry, the plough; and to enable his sons to carry on their business on a more extensive scale. The treasurer stated to the meeting, the funds of the society, its income and expenditure last year, under different heads, from a state thereof prepared by Mr Wilson, accountant in Edinburgh, the society's auditor of accounts, examined by a committee of the society in the usual manner, when the meeting voted a larger sum than on any former occasion to be at the disposal of the directors in promoting the objects of the society for the year 1813: and the thanks of the society were voted to Mr Wilson, for the correct view of the society's pecuniary transactions brought forward by him upon the table, and who takes this trouble without fee or reward. Sir John Sinclair called the attention of the society to the utility of promoting the planting of early potatoes over the country, particularly by those having small possessions, portioners in villages, and cottagers, as a means of affording an early supply of food, which was especially necessary at present, from the partial failure of the crop of last year in some parts of Scotland. A paper upon this subject, drawn up at the request of the directors, by Dr Duncan, jun. of Edinburgh, and Mr Neill, secretary to the Caledonian Horticultural Society, was laid before the meeting. The society highly approved of the suggestion of Sir John Sinclair as to the propriety of recommending the cultivation of early potatoes, and remitted to the directors to publish and circulate such recommendation, with an abstract from the paper by Dr Duncan and Mr Neill, as to the proper mode of carrying it into effect. A report upon the subject of an @qualization of weights and measures, drawn up by a committee, with the resolutions of a meeting of gentlemen, from the several counties, &c. and of the society's committee on that business, held on the 24th ult. was laid before the meeting. The society highly approved of the great attention given, and labour bestowed by Mr Tait, convener, and the other gentlemen of the committee, in acquiring information upon this important subject, and of the able manner in which the report was drawn up.— The society at same time expressed its acknowledgments to Professor Playfair, of Edinburgh, for his very valuable paper on the subject. The meeting resolved that copies of the report be transmitted to his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, a member of the society, who has been pleased to express his wishes to forward its objects, to his grace the Duke of Montrose, the president, his grace the Duke of Buccleugh, Lord Viscount Melville, and Lord James Murray, the absent vice-presidents of the society, right honourable Nicolas Vansittart, right honourable George Rose, and William Smith, Esq. members of parliament, and honorary members of this society, accompanied by letters from the Earl of Wemyss, the vice-president in the chair, soliciting, in name of the society, their countenance and support, in forwarding this very desirable object, which the society considers of so much importance to the country in general, as well as, in a more especial manner, to its commercial and agricultural interests. A letter from Colonel Grant of Grant, requesting the society's patronage and support to a subscription for erecting a bridge over the River Spey at Lower Craigelachie, was laid before the meeting. The society, although they did not feel themselves justified by any precedent, or from the appropriation of their funds, to vote money to this object, yet were te fully fully sensible of the great utility and advantage of the proposed bridge, as facilitating a short and direct communication from the Moray Firth, by the roads now made or projected, vice-president, and other office-bearers for the current year, the following noblemen and gentlemen were chosen, viz. PRESIDENT. through the inland districts of the His Grace the Duke of Montrose, counties of Moray, Banff, and Aberdeenshire, to the south of Scotland. A letter from Mr Andrew Gray, millwright, was read to the meeting, communicating his having instituted a school, or academy, in Anchor close, Edinburgh, for instructing young men in drawing plans and forming models of the most approved machinery, particularly implements of husbandry, and requesting the countenance of the society to such institution. The meeting were of opinion that such an institution properly conducted would be of great utility, and hoped Mr Gray, as he proposed, would endeayour to procure models of the best implements of husbandry now in use, and of such improvements as might be made from time to time, so as to render his academy and depot worthy of the attention and countenance of the public. A letter from Captain G. W. Manby, inspector of British coasts, accompanied with drawings, and description of his plan for saving the lives of shipwrecked persons, was laid before the meeting. Captain Manby farther proposes to communicate to the society a method of affording assistance to persons liable to perish from the breaking of ice. The society, after hearing Admiral Fraser, Sir A. Muir Mackenzie, Mr Walker, younger of Coats, and Mr Graham Dalyell, instructed the directors to receive any farther communication upon this subject; and expressed their acknowledgments to Captain Manby for his attention, and their approbation of his endeavours to promote an object so interesting to humanity. The society having, on motion, proseeded to the election of president, re-elected. VICE-PRESIDENTS. His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The Right Hon. the Earl of Weymss Right Hon. Lord Viscount Melville. Ranald Macdonald, Esq. of Staffa, Robert Wilson, Esq. accountant in Edinburgh, auditor of accounts. Reverend Dr George Baird, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, chaplain. Mr Lewis Gordon, depute secretary Mr David Watson, recorder and clerk. Mr James Mackay, jeweller and me- Besides thirty ordinary directors, the affairs of the society, (seven of resident in Edinburgh, for managing whom go out annually by rotation) following noblemen and gentlemen the society also made choice of the to be extraordinary directors, some of whom are only occasionally in town, and cannot regularly attend, the stated meetings, viz. Right Hon. the Earl of Aboyne. Sir George Stuart of Grandtully, Bart. Alexander SCOTTISH REVIEW. ROKEBY; a Poem. By Walter Scott. Esq. 4to. 21. 2s. Ballantyne. THE productions of Mr Scott are too well known to render it necessary that we should now enter into any elaborate estimate of their merits. The mind of the public, upon this subject, seems to be fully made up. The universal sentiment is in his favour, and he seems established in a measure of popularity, which has not been enjoyed by any poet of any former age. If to please be the first aim of the poet, Mr Scott has certainly attained it in a supereminent degree. We are far from wishing to appeal from this universal sentence. On the appearance of the Lay of the Last Minstrel, we were the first to proclaim its merits, without foreseeing that they would be recognized by the public in so remarkable a degree. We certainly view these pieces as possessing poetical excellencies of the very first order. Yet the fact is undoubted, that productions intrinsically not less admirable, have attracted a far inferior share of public attention, and have even for a time been consigned to neglect, Whence has it happened, that the poems in question have been so much more fortunate? This may appear the more surprising, as they exhibit, in fact, a new style, to which the public had not before been familiarized. Mr Scott is undoubtedly a poet quite original. It is in vain that this claim is sought to be disputed, by collecting from other writers a few passages containing similar ideas to those which he has ex It pressed. It matters little, whether this has happened by accident, or whether these passages were really in the poet's eye when he wrote. Still composition must be convinced, that every one who reads a page of his his mind, before bringing them forth, had appropriated them to itself, and moulded them into its own fashion. His style every where resembles itself, and is dissimilar to every other. Originality in itself is an attractive circumstance; yet it is usually rendered less popular, by being combined with passions and ideas difficult to be comprehended, and into which the bulk of men are unable to enter. is otherwise, however, with the favourite themes of our poet. These consist of those mystic terrors which thrill the ignorant still more than the cultivated mind: that pomp of feudal war, which dazzles all alike; and that tenderness of passion, without any strained refinement, in which all are able to sympathise. He is original therefore, without any thing abstruse or incomprehensible. His ideas have at once the charm of novelty and familiarity. There is another circumstance, which, in our opinion, has contributed greatly to the success of our author. The ancient history and traditions of the nation have not hitherto formed the reigning subjects of British poetry. Veneration for the poets of Greece and Rome, who were our masters in the art, had made us adopt implicitly their mythology, and all the subjects of their muse. Yet there must, for every people, be a charm in their own native traditions, compared to which the most brilliant themes, belonging to another country and age, will appear cold and uninteresting. |