And as still evening came on, In saddest solitude and tears, His thoughts would turn on distant home, On peaceful scenes and happier years. He thought, too, what a favour'd clime His gallant bark had left behind; He thought how science there, sublime, Beam'd her full radiance on the mind. Though destined in a stranger's land, Detain'd from all he held most dear, Yet one kind hand, benevolent, Was found the gloomy hours to cheer. O, how consoling is the eye Of him who comes to soothe our woes; O, what relief those cares supply Which a kind, watchful friend bestows. When from this hand full well he found How much can lenient kindness do The generous Briton strives with care His drooping spirits to renew. Yes, stranger, thou wast kind, humane, With quick assistance prompt to move; To ease the lingering hours of pain, In pity's kind endeavour strove. When sickness o'er thy pallid cheek Had stole the lustre from thine eye, When near the doubtful crisis drew, And life approach'd its latest sigh,-- He moved thee to his own retreat, In his own mansion watch'd thee there; Around thy couch he still remained, Thy drooping heart with hopes to cheer. "Peace, wing'd in fairer worlds above," Has ta'en thy form away from this; Has beckon'd thee to seats of glory, To realms of everlasting bliss. So rich in piety and worth, Too soon, alas! lamented one, Thou hast been call'd away from earth, And heaven has claim'd thee for its own. CHAPTER III. "'T is by degrees the youthful mind expands; and every day, Soft as it rolls along, shows some new charm; Then infant reason grows apace, and calls For the kind hand of an assiduous care." "Delightful task, to rear the tender thought, To pour the new instruction o'er the mind, To breathe the enlivening spirit, and to fix The generous purpose in the glowing breast." The period at length arrived, when it became necessary that Alida should receive further instruction in the various branches of female literature. With this view, her father thought proper to change the place of her studies from the village school to the New-York Seminary. It was his idea that nothing afforded so pleasing a prospect as the graces of beauty, aided by wisdom and useful knowledge, and that care should be taken that the mind should first be initiated in the solid acquirements, before the embellishments of education should be allowed to take up the attention or engross the thoughts; and that the first purposes of the teacher should be directed to endeavour to cause the mental powers of the scholar to be excited, in the first place, to attain to whatever is most useful and necessary, and that suitable application and industry was the only means whereby we may gain celebrity in any art or science, or therein arrive at any degree of perfection.