THE

CABINET;

OR, MONTHLY REPORT of

POLITE LITERATURE.

JUNE 1807.

MRS. OPIE.

THE Portrait which we here present to the public, is peculiarly valuable, as it exhibits a characteristic resemblance of a lady who is no less admired as a writer, than beloved as a friend and companion. Seldom have the graces of person, mind, and manner, been inore happily united, or their attractive influence more generally felt and acknowledged. How much are the feelings with which we view a likeness so interesting in' itself, increased from the recollection that it was traced by a hand eminently calculated to do justice to the subject, both by nature and by circumstances, and that this hand, alas! can trace no more. But we must refer our readers to those pages of our work, where so great a national loss is particularly mentioned, and proceed to a brief account of Mrs. Opie's early life.

She is the only child of Dr. Alderson, an eminent physician in Norwich, and of a lady whose ancestors were long since known in that city. Perhaps no two persons could have been more calculated to foster opening talents. Besides the improvements derived from them, their daughter was indebted to the instructions of the Rev. Mr. Bruckner for her accurate knowledge of the French language. Frequent proofs appeared of the

poetical genius and taste of Miss Alderson, before the death of her mother, which happened while she might yet be called a child. Some of her single compositions, were printed separately in newspapers or magazines, or in a periodical miscellany, called the CABINET.

Her marriage with Mr. Opie, took place on the 8th. of May, in the year 1798. The first of her works which was given to the world after that event, viz. “The Father and Daughter," not only received the sanction of the English public, but was greatly admired in different parts of the Continent, especially in France, where it has been several times translated. Of the Poems, which were afterwards collected in one volume, it is needless to speak; we may safely make our appeal to the hearts of their numerous readers; and her succeeding productions, "The Mother and Daughter," with A Collection of Tales," lately published, possess the same power of touching the passions.

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Mrs. Opie's musical talents, were early cultivated. Her first master was Mr. Michael Sharp, of Norwich; who, although not distinguished as a scientific musician, yet possessed a degree of love for, and ardour towards, his profession, which comparatively few of those who are employed in the drudgery of teaching enjoy. Mrs. Opie never arrived at superiority as player, but she may be said to have been unrivalled in that kind of singing in which she more particularly delighted. Those only who have heard her, can conceive the effect which she produced, in the performance of her own ballads. Of these, "The Poor Hindu," was one of her chief favourites, and the expression of plaintive misery, and affectionate supplication, which she threw into it, we may with safety affirm, has never been surpassed, and very seldom equalled. Mrs. Opie may fairly be said to have created a style of singing of her own, which though polished and improved by art and cultivation, was founded on that power which she appears so pre-eminently to possess, of awakening the tender sympathies, and pathetic feelings of the 'inind. Mr. Biggs is indebted to her, for the poetry adapted to the Hindu and Welsh airs, which he collected and published. This difficult task of writing appropriate words to such various and singular

metres, she executed with an uncommon degree of ability.

Such accomplishments as we have enumerated, form merely the embellishment of a character, and sometimes, by the intoxications of vanity, aud the delusions of flattery, greatly lessen its intrinsic value. Sometimes . they cast a thin veil over dispositions naturally selfish and assuming, which can never wholly conceal their defects. In Mrs. Opie, they bestow additional charms upon a heart and mind distinguished by frankness, probity, and the most diffusive kindness. In her own house, where Mr. Opie's incomparable talents drew a constant succession of the learned, the gay, and the fashionable, she delighted all by the sweetness of her manners, and the unstudied and benevolent politeness with which she adapted herself to the taste of each individual.

Such is the testimony of the many; let the few bear witness to those sympathies which make the happiness of her friends, her own; and the unremitting ardour with which she labours to remove the miseries that come within her knowledge or influence: they are confident that in the hour of trial, her conduct will prove that the qualities and propensities which can preserve a character unspoiled, through the brilliant periods of human life, will dignify and support it, in those seasons when feelings of self-approbation, and conscious rectitude, are of more value than the ap plause of millions.

REPRESENTATIVES AND CONSTITUENTS.

THE term representative seems lately to have deviated from its original signification and import: for we hear of some, who consider themselves as "nothing more than the attornies or delegates of their constituents; and, regardless of their own, pride themselves in acting according to the sense of these constituents only." But this seems a very degrading idea of a representative, and surely exhibits him under a most servile point of view. A representative in parliament, is a person, deputed by individuals to execute their

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portion of the public business in the national council or assembly, and vested by them with full and complete powers in order thereunto. In this situation, he is to use his best judgment towards knowing and ascertaining, and his best endeavours in promoting, what shall be most for the national good; and this, without any retrospective view upon the constituents, or any regard to their sense of affairs; for it may be, either that the sense of these constituents cannot be conveyed to him, or that they may have no sense to convey.

And that this independency of the representative is supposed by the constitution, appears plainly from hence, viz. that the powers with which he is invested, are not revocable at pleasure, or before the expiration of the term for which they were given; even though they should be employed, not only against the sense of his constituents, but even against the national weal itself. How far such an ordainment of things is eligible, I say not: but I say, that, if a representative be nothing more than a person, who sits in the House of Commons, to speak the sense of a certain number of people, as he receives it by the post out of the country, he is no better than a tube, an organ-pipe, a kind of wind-instrument, which sends forth sound mechanically,

W.

MR. CONDUCTOR,

STENOGRAPHY.

AMONG the numerous votaries of polite and useful Literature, it is rather surprising that few have considered the art of Stenography, as a branch of learning sufficiently important for their practice, or the attainment of the juvenile scholar: certain it is, that until the appearance of Dr. Muvor's system, (which, by-the-by, is not entirely free from the errors of its predecessors) no system of this art merited the least praise; so far so, that more than one, two, or three systems, possessed not even so many requisites for expeditiously writing, as our slow-creeping long-hand,

while at the same time, some of the best systems were as unintelligible as Egyptian hieroglyphicks.

To these disadvantages, under which this useful art has long laboured, may be attributed the neglected state in which it is left; useful, I say, because it possesses, or ought to possess, among others, the advantage of rendering the practitioner capable of following the orator through the different mazes of elocution, in an intelligible and correct manner, without the necessity of being a more expeditious writer than the generality of men. In short-hand, we may write in a compass of the sixth part of the space in which we write long-hand, and notwithstanding the number of volu minous and lengthened systems extant, it is far more attainable than long-hand, which, unlike short-hand, possesses not the convenience of being a method of secret-writing.

To prove that such a system of the art can exist, I will here lay down such principles as a writer on this art should observe, and which will enable any person to judge of the merits or demerits of any system already extant, or which may hereafter appear.

1st. In forming the alphabet, superfluous letters should be omitted.

2ndly. The simplest characters in nature, should be chosen to represent the letters. These characters are, a right line, a curve, and a right line running out from the circumference of a circle; these to be put in such different positions, as will easily admit of any two of them being united in a natural and uniform

manner.

3rdly. To give each letter a character, simple or compound, according to their ratio of occurrence in a sentence, The method I would observe in finding such ratio would be very simple; I would write the long-hand letters which I intend to have representatives in short-hand, down a column in the margin of a sheet of paper; I would then take a book of any sort, and, supposing the book began with the word Constantinople, I would place a dot against k or soft c, omit o, and all other vowels in the middle of words, then put a dot ton, another to s, &c, throughout the work, and to