* By fome extraordinary chance, the Drawing from which the Engraving of OATLANDS (fee Plate 1.) is made, and the annexed Letter, have been miflaid ever fince the year 1801. Being now found, we haften to give both. EDIT. MR. URBAN, July 10, 1801. defcribe his own ftate, when he should have been ascertaining the general condition of others; and that he oftener writes from immediate feeling, than from mature knowledge. But no fuch apology, I am afraid, can be made for those who create mifery, and then I INCLOSE the promised View of Champlain of it; who lirive to make part of the Manfion at Oatlands, in its new ftate, as mentioned in my latt*. This View gives the Entrance Front (on the left), where is a Porch, &c. leading into the Hall; the range of Offices (front); where, in the centre, is a machicolated gate-way, and over it a clock, and ditto turret: the dial in a certain degree copied from the famous antient clock in Wells Cathe dral; and on the right, imitations of a caftellated wall, with door-way, fquare tower, and hanging turret. To go farther, I think the fcene in general is not perfectly arranged `according to our antient manfions; nor are the felections happily brought forward; but this must not be laid to the charge of the Artist who produced the drawings for the detail; he having no other choice in his own breaft, but that of producing certain decorations wanted for certain fituations, fuch as a door-way; buttress, battlement, label, turret, &c. &c.; the adjustment of all the feveral particulars on the fix fronts being under the immediate controul of the Architect belonging to his Royal Highness's Etablishment. Yours, &c. THE PROJECTOR. W. D. N° LXXIX. themfelves unhappy, and then affert that they were born fo: and to fuch blame are all liable who ftudy, for whatever reason, to multiply the avoidable miferies of human life. If, indeed, we compare the pains and anxieties which are unavoidable, which it is not within our power to prevent, or perhaps to cure, with those which are purely of our own invention, and which we are perpetually employed in varying and increafing; we fhall fee very little reafon to complain of the lot of man, but every juft ground to cenfure the conduct of those who are the declared foes of thankfulness and contentment. Among the numerous tribe of complainers, it will generally be found that they have no motive for complaint equal to the pleasure they take in, expreffing it; and that of twenty grievances which form the fubject of their repinings, half will appear to have been brought on by their own endea vours; and the other half, matters in which they have no immediate concern. There are fome of this tribe, likewife, who, in default of any caufe of murmuring on their own part, will echo the outcries of others, and affect a fympathy in adverfe occurrences, merely because they give them an opportunity of venting their fpleen, and interrupting the quiet of cheerful minds. There is, however, to this numerous clafs fo much luxury in the lan guage of complaint, and the ebullibe accufed of infenfibility were 1 to tions of temper, that I should, perhaps, endeavour to deprive them of the many fources of pleafure which they have opened: All, therefore, that I wish to contend for is, to regulate their angry paffions in fuch a manner that there fhall be fome decent proportion between the complaint and the caufe; and that, if they are determined to fhow with what eafe and how frequently they can rage and form, they fhould learn to dole out their wrath in equitable hares, and not bestow upon trifles trifles what ought to be referved for fpecial and important occafions. I have no objection at all to Anger. It is on certain occurrences a very becoming paffion; and it is fo implanted in our nature, that perhaps we cannot venture to abolish it altogether. But, as an indifcriminate employment of it is apt. to lead to fome finall inconveniencies, there would, I humbly think, be no great harm, if it were put under certain regulations; and, as it is a paffion which no perfon can call an ornament to the countenance, or one which improves the voice, it were furely better to referve it for fuch incidents as in fome meafure bring their own excufe with them. Of all the caufes for domeftic mifery, and its correfpondent fits of paffion, there is perhaps none fo general and fo frequently the ground of complaint, as the careleffnels of fervants. And true it is, that fervants, being unfortunately unade of nearly the fame materials with their employers, do rarely difcover more cautiou and wildom in the management of their affairs. It is incredible, therefore, what mifchief they create, how many things, they break in cleaning, and how many things they mis place when they are wanted, how of en they lie in bed when they should be up, and how often they wish to go abroad when they should tay at home. They too, it is melancholy to reflect, have their paffions and their tempers ; and are, indeed, in all refpects to like their matters and miftreffes, that, if they were not fervants, one would be tempted to think they were human beings, born in the fame way, and educated or neglected in the fame manner. But Lady affures me that this is not the cafe, that they are only creatures, and that the never knew que of them otherwife, except a clergyman's daughter whom he once employed about her perfon, and who was fo awkward and ftupid that he was a mere creature, until a diftant relation died and left her two thousand pounds per annum. Thefe creatures, however, are not without their ufes. So placid and fe rene are fome families, and to abounding in all the circumftances that can conftitute happinefs, that, were it not for the blunders of fervants, they would die of apathy, their pallions would ruft for want of ufe, and it would be fuf pected that the fhrill upper tones of the human voice had been bellowed upon us for no purpofe. What, therefore, is the cause of fo much vigorous exertion, keeps paffion alive, and occafions a brifk circulation of oaths and epithets that would elfe become obfolete, ought not furely to be flated as a ferious caufe for complaint; nor ought we, for the fake of the inhabitants of the kitchen, to argue that mifery is the lot of the parlour. All I condi tion for is, as before hinted, that we learn to difcriminate in our anger, and not beflow as much genuine wrath upon a broken tea-cup as upon a fractured limb. Yet, for want of atten tion to the gradations of offences, we are, I am afraid, guilty of as much abfurdity, not to fay injuftice, as that Legislature which fhould enact the fame punishment for crimes of all degrees of magnitude, and admit of no dittinction between accident and defign. To form, however, a code of laws for our domeftic regions, is not my purpose, and might, if attempted, be attended with many difficulties. There is fo much variety of temper among the legislators of private houses, that perhaps no two would agree. What I wish, therefore, principally to infitt on is, the due regulation of our refentments, and the confideration that real anger, fuch as flashes in the eyes and paints the countenance, fuch as produces a dumb confufion in fomé, and a brifk and rapid torrent of eloquence in others, fhould not be exhausted on trifles, but referved for great occations. When I have been enabled to furvey the whole of human life, the many miferies to which man is fubject by nature, practice, or trade, it has appeared to me that there are things in this world of infinitely more importance than a perfect fet of china; that our confiitutions are fubject to decays, which fhould give us more unea limefs than the wearing out of brooms; and that, upon the whole, we are fubject to revolutions of far more importance than the overturning of a table, or the dropping of a decanter. There are likewife fome philofophers, but I mention this with fubmiflion to persons of greater experience, who are of opinion that the prefervation of a fweet temper is of more consequence in the decoration of a houfe, than the rinfing of glafs tumblers, or the polishing of fieel fenders. Calling a few days ago on an old acquaintance, acquaintance, I found the houfe in what fome call an uproar. High words and angry words paffed from room to room, and my reception was lo indiftinct and dubious, that I am not quite certain whether I might not have taken my departure unobferved. I was anxious, however, to learn the caufe of fo much apparent misery; and, as my friend is a trader to foreign countries, I was at first alarmed left he had fuffered by the late forms, and that all I faw was his family tenderly, though fomewhat loudly, fympathizing in his diftreffes. As the noile becaune more dittinct, however, I found that it drew to two points, which were deemed of fufficient importance to juftify all I witneffed. The one was, that John had misplaced his matter's drefs fhoes, and that William, who was fent for a coach, returned with the melancholy intelligence that no coach was to be feen on any ftand within a mile. This, on a Sunday too, and during a smart shower, when the treets through which they had to pafs were dirty, and the dinner to which they were invited would be fpoiled, produced many, if not all, the effects which may be fuppofed to refult from bankruptcy, robbery, or houfebreaking. I informed my friend that he should certainly have a niche in the Projector; but I promised, at the fame time, to reprefent him as one of those who with every bleffing under Heaven that is fuppofed to make up happiness, would yet be miferable, if he had no exercise for his anger upon trifles, and could not daily mufter ap a fufficient quantity of petty vexations to render home a place of greater vàriety of enjoyment. It has fometimes been faid in excufe for the exercife of anger upon leffer objects, that it is better to give it vent at once, than to keep it brewing in one's own mind; and fometimes we have been told of the mifchiefs which arife from pent-up anger. But this analogy between the humours of the body and thofe of the mind, is not quite perfect; and I am afraid that many more evils arife from the difcharge than from the confinement of anger. It may likewife be obferyed in the cafe of those who are enabled to confine it, that it very foon goes off in a fort of infenfible perfpiration, leaving the patient quite well, and, what is of confiderable importance, free from any dilagreeable reflections. A facetious 1 author, indeed, has termed fwearing a natural discharge; and all I would propole is, that thofe who find it fo, would retire to that namelef's place provided in all fuch cafes, and with as much polite caution and fe crecy. But the principal argument in favour of what I have recommended in this paper, namely, the limitation of anger to proper fubjects, is, that anger, upon whatever account, is not a dignified paffion. It adds nothing to the features but what they would appear to more advantage without. It confers no charms on the voice; and as to action, all writers on eloquence are agreed that nothing places the body in fuch grotefque forms. That numerous clafs, therefore, who ftudy the ef fects of perfonal elegance and charms, would do well to confider whether they ought, for a mere trifle, to fuggeft in the minds of their beholders, The poffibility of aglinefs. The apprehenfion of fuch a change muli be fatal, for no man can admire the beauty which in a few minutes may amount to a fright, and will be apt to fufpect that there is fomething very wrong in a countenance which may change colour ten times in a day. It is often mentioned as an objection to our climate, that we have frequently the extremes of weather in the pace of twenty-four hours, and that more agreable appointments, and projected jaunts and walks, are fpoiled in Great Britain than in any part of the world. But yet even for this we have fome remedy; our thermometers give us warning, and our habitations afford fhelter but what is our mifery when we have no fuch helps? when we are doomed to the alternations of storm and funfhine, of fury and quiet, of war and peace, without warning, and without refuge? Difeafe may make flow advances; fymptoms may announce the approaching evil; poverty may creep on by obvious and remediable caufes; death itself may be foretold from inward decay and feelings; but who can foresee the crafh of china, and the tearings of laces and filks who can foretell that the foup may be thin, and the fowls raw; that the coach may have loft a wheel, and the chimney may fill the room with fmoke? Who can order the fpider not to build on the cieling, or the duft not to fall on the fideboard? A debtor may may give notice that he is unable to take up his bills: but who can foresee that his dinner fhall be put off till he is unable to eat? that the ftagecoach is arrived without the turkey, and that the fauce-boat has been dafhed in pieces on the staircase? Yet fuch are the viciffitudes which Hiftory of a GHOST, towards the latter tracted univerfal attention, was every where believed, and even got into print; and though fome imposture was undoubtedly at bottom, yet at least it had this merit, that it was fo nicely contrived as to render abortive all attempts to difcover it, and even to elude all probable conjecture about it. The little town of Salon, in Provence, which claims the honour of being the birth-place of the celebrated Noftradamus, was alfo, in April 1697, the firft fcene of action to the prefent hiftory. A fpectre, which many people held to be no other than the fpirit of Nofiradamus, appeared to a private man of this town, and caufed him no final trouble. It began its addrefs to him, by commanding him, on pain of death, to obferve the most inviolable fecrecy in regard of what he was about to deliver. This done, it ordered him to go to the Intendant of the province, and require, in its name, letters of recommendation, that fhould enable him, on his arrival at Verfailles, to obtain a private audience of the King. "What thou art to fay to the King," continued the apparition, "thou wilt not be informed of till the day of thy being at court, when I fhall appear to thee again. and give thee full inftructions. But forget not that thy life depends upon the fecrecy which I enjoin thee on what has paffed between us, towards every one, only not towards the Intendant.” At these words the fpirit vanished, leaving the poor man half dead with terror. Scarcely was he come a little to himself, than his wife entered the apartment where he was, perceived his uneafinefs, and enquired after the caufe. But the threat of the spectre was yet too much prefent to his mind, to let her draw a fatisfactory anfwer from him. The repeated refufals of the hufband did but ferve to sharpen the curiofity of the wife; the poor man, for the fake of quietness, had at length the indifcretion to tell her all, even to the minuteft particulars; and the moment he had finifhed his confeffion, paid for his weaknefs by the lofs of his life. The wife, violently terrified at this unexpected catastrophe, perfuaded herfelf, however, that what had happened to her husband might be merely the effect of an over-heated imagination, or fome other accident; and thought it beft, as well on her own account, as in regard to the memory of her deceafed hufband, husband, to confide the fecret of this event only to a few relations and intimate friends. But another inhabitant of the town, having, fhortly after, the fame apparition, imparted the firange occurrence to his brother; and his imprudence was in like manner punished by a fudden death. And now, not only at Salon, but for more than twenty miles around, thefe two furprising deaths became the fubject of general converfation. The fame ghoft again appeared, after fome days, to a Farrier, who lived only at the distance of a couple of houfes * from the two that had fo quickly died; and who, having learnt wifdom from the misfortune of his neighbours, did not delay one moment to repair to the Intendant. It coft him great trouble to get the private audience as ordered by the fpectre, being treated by the Magiftrate as a perfon not right in the head. "I eafily conceive, fo please your Excellency," replied the Farrier, who was a fenfible man, and much refpected as fuch at Salon, "that I muft feem in your eyes to be playing an extremely ridiculous part; but if you would be pleafed to order your fub-delegates to enter upon an examination into the hafty death of the two inhabitants of Salon, who received the fame commiffion from the ghost as I; 1. flatter myfelf that your Excellency, before the week be out, will have me called." In fact, François Michel, for that was the farrier's name, after informarion had been taken concerning the death of the two perfons mentioned by him, was fent for again to the Intendant, who now liftened to him with far greater attention than he had done before; then, giving him difpatches to Monf. de Baobefieux, minifter and fecretary of ftate for Provence, and at the fame time prefenting him with money to defray his travelling expences, wifhed him a happy journey. The Intendant, fearing left fo young a minifter as M. de Baobefieux might accufe him of too great credulity, and give occafion to the Court to make themselves merry at his expence; had inclosed with the dispatches, not only the records of the examinations taken by his fub-delegates at Salon, but alfo * Might not perhaps this circumftance, properly feized, have conduced to trace out the affair? added the certificate of the Lieutenantgeneral de Juftice, which was attefted and fubfcribed by all the officers of the department. Michel arrived at Verfailles, and was not a little perplexed about what he fhould fay to the Minifter, as the fpirit had not yet appeared to him agaiti according to its promife. But, in that very night the fpectre threw open the curtains of his bed, bid him take courage, and dictated to him, word for word, what he was to deliver to the Minifter, and what to the King, and to them alone. Many difficulties will be laid in thy way," added the ghost," in obtaining this private audience; but beware of defifting from thy purpose, ant of letting the fecret be drawn from thee by the Minister or by any one elfe, as thou wouldst not fall dead upon the spot." The Minifter, as may eafily be imagined, did his utmost to worm out the myftery: but the Farrier was firm, and kept filence, fwore that his life was at flake, and at laft concluded with thefe words: that he might not think that what he had to tell the King was all a mere farce, he need only mention to his Majefty, in his name, “that his Majefty, at the laft hunting-party at Fontainebleau, had himself feen the fpectre; that his horfe took fright at it, and flarted afide; that his Majefty, as the apparition lafted only a moment, took it for a deception of fight, and therefore fpoke of it to no one." This laft circumftance ftruck the Minifter; and he now thought it his duty to acquaint the King of the Farrier's arrival at Versailies, and to give him an account of the wonderful tale he related. But how great was his furprife, when the Monarch, after a momentary filence, required to fpeak with the Farrier in private, and that immediately! What paffed during this extraordinary interview never transpired. All that is known is, that the fpirit-feer, after having ftaid three or four days at Court, publicly took leave of the King, by his own permiflion, as he was fetting out for the chace. It was even afferted, that the Duc de Duras, captain of the guard in waiting, was heard to fay aloud on the occa fion : "Sire, if your Majefty had not exprefsly ordered me to bring this man to your prefence, I fhould never have done it, for most affuredly he is a fool !" The |