1 equally reduced once again to hop, stride, and scramble, as they best may for themselves. The first of the institutions, however, which I visited, is supposed to be frequented by persons who have already somewhat allayed their early fervour for disputation, by two or three years' attendance upon Debating Societies, of an inferior and of a far ephemeral character. While he attends the prælections of the Professor of Logic, the student aspires to distinguish himself in a club, constituted chiefly or entirely of members of that class. The students of Ethics and of Physics are, in like manner, provided with separate rooms, in which they canvass at night the doctrines they have heard promulgated in the lecture of the morning. It is not till all this apprenticeship of discipline has been regularly gone through, that the juvenile philosopher ventures to draw up a petition, addressed to the president and members of the Speculative Society of Edinburgh, which humbly showeth forth, that he would fain be permitted to give to his polemical and oratorial faculties the last finish of sharpness and elegance, under the high auspices of their venerable body. Without sending in such a petition as this, and being admitted formally a member of the society, it is not possible to be present at one of their meetings. These sages will scarcely allow a poor passing stranger to catch even one sidelong odour of their wisdom. No-it is necessary to assume the regular garb of the initiated, before these Hierophants will expand the gates of their Adytus, and reveal to you the inspiring glories of their mysteries. Although I could not help feeling some qualmish suspicions, that this arrangement might, in part at least, have been dictated by a due reverence for the old maxim, omne ignotum pro magnifico, yet the way in which I heard the society spoken of, by persons for whose opinion I could not but entertain a high respect, and the curiosity which I certainly felt, to witness for myself all possible manifestation of the rising genius of Scotland, were enough to counterbalance any little scruples I might have, and I resolved, since less might not avail, to affix the name of Peter Morris, M. D. to the regular formula of supplication. It was attested by Mr., who is an honorary member of the society, and by his nephew, a young man of considerable promise, that the said Peter Morris, M. D. was, in their judgment, possessed of such a measure of learning and ability, as might jastify the society in admitting him into their bosom; and after the usual ceremonies of doubt, delay, examination, and panegyric, the said Peter was ballotted for and admitted as aforesaid. I rather grudged a fee of three guineas, which, I was given to understand, formed an essential preliminary to my taking my seat; but, however, as I had been pretty fortunate at loo the evening before, I did not allow this to form any lasting impediment to my honours. As the poet sings— "I prize not treasure for itself, So I paid my three guineas, and prepared to make my appearance next Tuesday evening. For the sake of being near the scene of action, I agreed to the proposal of the gentlemen who had recommended me to the society, viz. to having a snug dinner with one or two friends in addition, in a tavern immediately adjoining. The name of the house is the Lord Nelson, and it is kept by an Englishman, one Barclay. We went at balf past four, in order that we might have time to drink our bottle comfortably before the meeting; and I assure you, I have very seldom enjoyed either a better dinner or a better bottle. There is an ordinary in the house every day at that very hour, which is attended, as I was informed, by a considerable number of students, besides a host of bagmen, and other travellers of all descriptions, and many half-pay officers of the naval, military, and, above all, of the medical establishments. We had a glimpse of them and their dinner, en passant, and I promise you both made a very joyous appearance. As for us, we dined apart in a room of very magnificent proportions, which, of old, it seems, had been the dining-room of a celebrated President of the Court of Session; a lofty ball, with a rich ceiling in the French style of stucco work, and decorated at one extremity with a huge portrait of the Hero whose name the tavern bears-evidently a genuine production of the sign-post school. The princely size of the room, however, and elevation of the roof, were sufficient to give the whole affair an air of gentility, and even of splendour, such as is not often to be met with in a house of this description. I don't know whether your comfort is so much affected by accessaries of this sort as mine are; but I do at all times enjoy a dinner tenfold, when it is served up in a room of airy and stately dimensions. The fare in itself was very excellent. We had a dish of Mullicatawny, and some cod'shead and shrimp-sauce-superior corned beef, and a boiled turkey--a haricot-a pigeon-pie and macaroni-all for halfa-crown a-head, being only a sixpence more than the charge at the ordinary. But to me, the greatest luxury was some very fine draught-porter, the first I have met with since I came to Scotland, for the people of this place in general drink all their malt-liquor bottled-but the landlord of the Nelson is an Englishman, and knows better. After finishing a bottle of Madeira, we had some very fair Port, which we chose to drink mulled, being assured that Mrs, Barclay piques herself upon her scientific use of spices in that kind of preparation. The skill of our hostess gave us entire satisfac- tion, and we kept her at work pretty closely til! seven o'clock. Being so very agreeably seated and entertained, I could scarcely think of removing at so very extraordinary an hour, and dropped a modest hint that the Speculative might be advantageously deferred till another opportunity; but my objections were over-ruled by my companions. I insisted, however, that we should, at least, come back after the debate, to enjoy an epilogue in the same taste with our prologue,-an idea which appeared to meet the wishes of the company, and was indeed agreed to per acclamationem. The Speculative Society is the only institution of the kind, whose existence is acknowledged in a formal manner by the University. It forms a part of the system, and, as such, is provided with chambers within the College-advantages which are, no doubt, owing to the bigh reputation the Society has at particular times enjoyed. At the present time, as it happens, the alterations and improvements which are going on with the University buildings, bave dislodged the Society from their old chambers, and the new and more splendid accommodations designed for them, are not quite in readiness for their reception. Their temporary place of meeting is in the ball of the Theological Professor-a low-roofed, dark, mean-looking place, surrounded with shelves groaning under Dutch and Puritanical Divinity; and here it was that I had the honour of being introduced to them. Right opposite to the door at which we entered, in a huge elbow-chair, or rather pulpit-from which the Professor of Divinity is, no doubt, accustomed to expound the mysteries of Calvanism, and, with an air of grave dignity, which any professor might be happy to equal, sate a pale snubnosed young gentleman, with a hammer in his hand, the President (prima facie) of the speculative Society. His eyes half-shut, as if to exclude the distracting dazzle of the tallow candles that blazed close before him; his right hand on his hammer, and his left supporting with two of its fingers the weight of meditation lodged within his forehead; his lips compressed with the firmness of conscious authority, and his whole attidude, as it were, instinct with the very spirit of his station, completed a picture, which, I should suppose, might have produced no trifling effect on the nerves of an intrant more juvenile than myself. Even on me, the "Vultus sedentis tyranni" was not entirely lost; and I confess I was glad when I found that I had fairly seated myself in a dark and remote corner of the room, without attracting any of his at tention. Immediately under this imposing figure might be descried the less awful, but no less important face and figure of the secretary, who was employed at this moment in calling over the names of the members, according to their position in the muster-rol! of the Society. Around a green table, at the head of which Mr. Secretary was placed, a few of the more grave and dignified-looking members were accommodated with cane-backed chairs; while, on either side, the humilior caterva occupied some rows of narrow wooden benches, which rise one above another out of the aera of the apartment. All together there was an appearance of expectation and preparation, both in their arrangement and in their countenances, which could not fail to excite a considerable degree of attention and respect. In general, they seemed to be very young men, the majority of them, I dare say, not above twenty; but here and there might be seen a few persons of somewhat maturer age in the midst of them. These, as Mr.informed me, are, for the most part, incipient advocates-willing, I presume, to exercise their lungs here, because they have less opportunity than they could wish of exercising them elsewhere--and not, peradventure, without hope, that the fame acquired and sustained by them among their brethren of the Speculative, may tend to procure them readier access to a more lucrative species of reputation elsewhere. I thought I could see in some of the faces of these gentlemen, an air of peculiar suavity and graciousness, as if they were willing to have something of the credit of condescension to keep them in countenance with themselves and their neighbours. One gentleman much older than any of these, occupied a place close by the table, with a mild and paternal look of protection. On asking Mr.who this was, I learned that Mr. Waugh (for that is his name) had long been treasurer of the Society, and had, in the course of his life, conferred upon its members, both in their individual and corporate capacity, so many important favours, that it is no wonder he should have formed a warm attachment to all their interests, and should take a sincere pleasure in coming regularly to be a witness of their exertions. It is easy to imagine the impression, which long custom, and the consciousness of having done good, may have been sufficient to make upon a person of benevolent dispositions, such, as I am informed, are those of Mr. Waugh. By and by, the catalogue being finished, and some minor ceremonies duly performed, one of the young gentlemen stepped from his place, and ascending to a small tribune on the left hand of the President, began to read aloud from a MS. which he held in his hand. It is the custom, it seems, that the business of the society is always opened by an essay from one of the members, and the person whose turn it was to minister in this way to their edification, had already announced, as the title of his discourse-" A few Considerations on the Policy of the Corn-Bill." I listened for some minutes to what he said; but soon perceived, that the whole of his merits amounted to_nothing more than having translated from bad into worse English, a treatise on the same subject in the Edinburgh Review; so I anused myself during the rest of the performance with some hearty sighs, for having so easily been induced to distrust my own inclinations, and quit Mrs. Barclay for the Speculative. After the essayist had brought his labours to a close, the President opened his eyes, (which as yet he had never found. leisure to do,) and began to ask the members, if they had any remarks to offer in regard to the performance they had heard. A pause of several minutes ensued-during which the funeral silence of expectation was only disturbed by a few faint hems from those who intended to be most critical on the occasion, and the rustling of the leaves of the MS., which the author |