Dashes, underlinings, and interlineations, are much used by unskilful and careless writers, merely as substitutes for proper punctuation, and a correct, regular mode of expression. The frequent recurrence of them greatly defaces a letter, and is equally inconsistent with neatness of appearance and regularity of composition. All occasion for interlineations may usually be superseded by a little previous thought and attention. Dashes are proper only when the sense evidently requires a greater pause than the common stops designate. And in a well-constructed sentence, to underline a word is wholly useless, except on some very particular occasion we wish to attract peculiar attention to it, or to give it an uncommon degree of importance or emphasis.

Of the propriety of leaving a vacancy for the seal, the following circumstance, which is similar to what frequently occurs, affords a striking proof. "I had a letter from a friend, lately," says Mr. Orton, in a letter to a young clergyman, "who desired me to transact some business for him, which was the chief purport of his letter; but he had unfortunately put the wafer on the most material part of the commission, so that I could not tell what he had desired me to do for him."

ness and distinctness in writing. Learn to make and mend your own pens: do not, however, let your writing depend too much on your pen; but accustom yourselves, upon occasion, to write well, or at least legibly, with an indifferent, or even a bad pen.

Postscripts have a very awkward appearance; and they generally indicate thoughtlessness and inattention. To make use of them in order to convey assurances of respect or affection to the person to whom you write, or to those who are intiinately connected with him, is particularly improper: it seems to imply that the sentiments which you express are so slightly impressed on your mind, that you had almost forgotten them, or thought them scarcely worth mentioning.

I WRITE from a small port near the southern extremity of Ceylon, where we are waiting for a fair wind, in order to embark for Calcutta, and where I am happy to steal the first few moments of leisure which have occurred to me for some time, to tell you that we are all three well, that we have received good accounts of our dear little Harriet, and that we are thus far prosperously advanced in our voyage to rejoin her. We left Bombay, where I had been detained much longer than I expected, on the 15th of last month, and had a favourable voyage to this island, of which we have now seen a considerable portion. All which we have seen is extremely beautiful, with great variety of mountain, rock, and valley, covered from the hill-tops down to the sea with unchanging verdure, and, though so much nearer the Line, enjoying a cooler and more agreeable temperature than either Bombay or Calcutta. Here I have been more than ever reminded of the prints and descriptions in Cook's Voyages. The whole coast of the island is marked

by the same features, a high white surf dashing against coral rocks, which, by the way, though they sound very romantically, differ little in appearance from sand-stone; a thick grove of cocoatrees, plantains, and bread-fruit, thrusting their roots into the very shingles of the beach, and hanging their boughs over the spray; low thatched cottages scattered among the trees, and narrow canoes, each cut out of the trunk of a single tree, with an out-rigger to keep it steady, and a sail exactly like that used in Otaheite. The people, too, who differ both in language and appearance from those of Hindostan, are still more like the South Sea islanders, having neither turban nor cap, but their long black hair fastened in a knot behind, with a large tortoise-shell comb, and seldom any clothing but a cotton cloth round their waist, to which the higher ranks add an old-fashioned blue coat, with gold or silver lace, and a belt and hanger to match, a fashion which they apparently received from their Dutch conquerors, and which has a very whimsical appearance. The Candians, who inhabit the interior of the island, and whose country, as you know, was conquered by the English about ten years ago, wear a more showy dress, and one more uniformly Oriental. They are now all tolerably reconciled to our government, as well as the Cingalese, or inhabitants of the sea-coast, and their chiefs are rapidly acquiring a knowledge of our language and imitating our customs. We went up with the governor, Sir Edward Barnes, who, as well as Lady Barnes, have shown us much attention and kindness, to Candy, where I preached, administered the sacrament, and confirmed twenty-six young people in the audience-hall of the late King of Candy, which now serves as a church. Here,