May we never, by God’s blessing, witness a recurrence of the scenes which were presented at this eventful period of our history! Our great dramatic poet, who showed his patriotism, by always giving to his countrymen the wisest counsel, and encouraging correct sentiments respecting justice and good government, thus beautifully describes a kingdom, restored to the blessings of internal tranquillity. No more shall trenching war channel her fields, Nor bruise her flow’rets with the armed hoofs Of hostile paces: those opposed eyes, Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven, _All of one nature, of one substance bred_, Did lately meet in the intestine shock And furious close of civil butchery, Shall now, in mutual, well-beseeming ranks, March all one way; and be no more oppos’d _Against acquaintance, kindred, and allies_; The edge of war, like an ill-sheathed knife, No more shall cut his master.—_Henry IV._, Part I. H. M. SYMBOLICAL WRITING. It would seem that the earliest of all written language consisted of actual drawings of the forms of animals or things; rudely sketched, indeed, by the hands of our rude forefathers, but sufficiently plain to mark the object designed. This mode appears the more natural, because the representation of sounds, which express the names of things, by certain characters or alphabets, which is the mode now most extensively in use, must necessarily require some previous concert between two parties, the one of whom suggests, and the other agrees, that a particular mark or form on paper shall be the symbol for a particular sound. But if we suppose a savage separated from his friend, and wishing to communicate with him, without having had this previous consultation, and supposing that he has lent his distant acquaintance some articles of furniture, such as his bow and arrows, or his knife, which he is anxious to have returned, without the knowledge of his messenger, it seems highly probable, that his first impulse would be to make a rude sketch of these articles, and transmit the impression to his friend. Were the latter an acute man he would probably understand the allusion; and, were he not intelligent enough for this purpose, it is clear he would not be nearly sufficiently so to comprehend the symbols to denote sounds. So that the simplicity of this mode of writing might suggest the probability of its being the first resorted to, without alluding to the hieroglyphics yet remaining on the Egyptian tombs, which, from our want of acquaintance with the manners, customs, and general objects with which the Egyptians were conversant, are very difficult to decipher, if we may judge from the learning expended in explaining them. As a modern specimen of this kind of writing, it may not be uninteresting to