rage the making of it. Mr Murray conceived that salt-works might be advantageously erected on an island in the bay near which he resided; and he communicated this idea to an ingenious and spirited young man who was his neighbour. He very readily came into the plan, and joined Mr Murray in the execution of it. They embraced the scheme the more cordially, because they were attached to their country, and felt for the distresses in which it was involved. They procured materials at a considerable expense, employed artificers to construct the works, and were just ready to begin the manufacture, and reap the fruit of their labours, when the British forces took possession of New York, and consequently of Long Island. This event entirely superseded their operations, as the article of salt was then abundantly introduced into the country. Their loss was considerable, but they had no remedy; and the whole concern was, therefore, without hesitation, abandoned.

After Mr and Mrs Lindley Murray had resided at Islip about four years, Mr Murray became dissatisfied with a mode of life which consisted chiefly in amusement and bodily exercise; and perceived the necessity of doing something that would provide permanent funds for the expenses of his family. The British power was still maintained at New York, and appeared likely to be established there, and the practice of the law was completely superseded. He had, therefore, no prospect of any considerable employment, but by settling at New York, and entering into mercantile concerns. He removed accordingly to the city, and took a situation favourable for business. His father gave him an unlimited credit in the importation of merchandise from London; and after forming the best judgment he could of the articles likely to be in demand, Mr Lindley Murray made out a large order. The goods

arrived, and he found a ready sale for them. Thus encouraged, he continued to import more of them, and that extensively, every season, and soon perceived that he had engaged in a very lucrative occupation. Every year added to his capital, till, about the period of the establishment of American independence, he found himself able to gratify the favourite wish of himself and Mrs Murray, and retire from business.

Mr Murray purchased a country seat on the banks of the river, about three miles from the city of New York. Here they promised themselves every enjoyment that their hearts desired; but their pleasant prospects were soon overcast.

Before retiring from business, Mr Murray had a severe fit of illness, which left him in a very infirm and debilitated state of body. He was encouraged by the hope, that a short residence at his delightful retreat would restore him to his usual state of health and strength. But season succeeded season, without his experiencing any salutary effect. He evidently grew worse, and his friends became alarmed at his situation. They generally recommended travelling; additional exercise, new scenes, and drinking the waters of certain medicinal springs, were thought likely to afford him assistance. As his spirits were good, and as life and health were very desirable, he cordially entered into the views of his friends, and, with his affectionate and sympathizing partner, he set off for Bristol, in Pennsylvania. They remained in this rural and plea sant town a few weeks, during which time Mr Murray bathed and drank the water, but without any advantage. The weather then growing extremely hot, Fahrenheit's thermometer being at 90 degrees, they proceeded to some celebrated springs in the mountains of New Jersey. Here Mr Murray seemed to grow better for a few weeks, but

the water yielded no permanent bene fit. From the very elevated situation of those mountains, the air was cool and refreshing; but as the roads were stony and broken, he could not have the advantage of regular exercise in a carriage. To remedy this inconvenience, he made some efforts on horseback, and some on foot; but these efforts fatigued him to a great degree, and increased the debility under which he laboured.

Perceiving that neither the springs nor the situation produced any beneficial effects, and travelling being one of the means for the recovery of health which had been recommended to Mr Murray, he and Mrs Murray left the mountains, and bent their course towards Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, a healthful and pleasant town about fifty miles from Philadelphia. This is a settlement of the Moravians. The situation of the place, its refreshing and salutary air, joined to the character of its inhabitants, made a cheering impression upon the travellers, and they took up their quarters at the inn with pleasure, and with the hope of advantage. A few days after they had settled here, they were most agreeably surprised by the arrival of Mr Murray's father, and his sister Beulah. This visit was as grateful as it was unexpected. Mr Lindley Murray's sister was a sensible and amiable young woman, of a gentle nature and engaging manners, to whom her brother and his wife were both very nearly attached; they therefore formed a little band, closely united by the ties of affection and consanguinity. This pleasing association, joined to the beauty and retirement of the place, gave an animating impulse to Mr Lindley Murray's spirits, so that he was better at Bethlehem than he had been in any other part of the journey.

When they were again settled at Bellevue, they had rather mournfully to reflect on the little benefit, if any, which Mr Lindley Murray's health had

derived from their summer excursion, and they naturally turned their attention to other means of relief that might promise success. During the course of his indisposition, he had found that he was generally better when the weather was cold; a temporary bracing was commonly the effect of the winter season. But he had observed that every succeeding summer took from him more than the winter had given. The prospect was therefore discouraging. Under these circumstances, Mr Murray consulted one of the first physicians of the country, who happened at that time to be at New York, and who, after maturely considering the case, advised him to remove to a climate where the summers are more temperate and less relaxing, and where, consequently, he might not lose, in warm weather, the bracing effects produced by the rigours of winter. From what he knew of Yorkshire, in England, he thought some parts of it might prove a proper situation.

After deliberately considering the advice of the physician, and the importance of the undertaking, Mr and Mrs Lindley Murray were fully convinced that it was expedient to try the effect of a more favourable climate, and to make a short residence in England. Soon after their determination was made, they prepared for the voyage. The trying scene having been passed through of taking leave of their relations and friends, they embarked in a commodious ship, near the close of the year 1784; and, after a prosperous voyage of about five weeks, landed at Lymington.

In a few days after their landing they reached London. Here they were cheered with the society of a number of their friends whom they had known in the visit which they made to this country in the year 1771. They continued in and near London about six weeks, and then proceeded for Yorkshire, where, after examining a variety of places, Mr Murray made choice o

for his residence, and purchased, a house and garden in the pleasant village of Holdgate, a mile distant from the city of York.

When Mr Lindley Murray first settled at Holdgate, his general health had been in some degree improved, and he was able to walk in the garden without assistance, several times in the course of a day. This increase of strength, and ability to walk out in the open air, were highly pleasing, and gave a fresh spring to his hopes, that the period was not very far distant, when he might return to his native country and friends, with the blessings of established health, and all the comforts which follow in its train. But these cheering prospects did not long continue. The exercise in his garden was so delightful, and appeared to be so beneficial to him, that he often indulged himself in it, till at length he found his little stock of newly-acquired strength began to decline, and that the former weakness of the muscles returned. This was not the effect of great and immoderate exertion, but proceeded from his not knowing how very limited his bodily powers were, and from not keeping within those limits. He soon perceived that it was necessary to give up his little excursions in the garden, but he continued to walk occasionally about the room as much as he was well able to bear, knowing the danger of resigning himself to a state of inactivity. This practice was kept up, in a greater or less degree, till it became inconvenient and painful. A walk even from his seat to the window at last overcame him. He perceived that he was always better, and more at his ease, when he continued sitting. This induced him to try the experiment of relinquishing all attempts at walking, and to keep to his seat through the course of the day. The result was, in every respect, beneficial. The soreness of the muscles abatedthe little tone which remained in them

was not disturbed or overstretchedand he enjoyed an easy and tolerable state of health.

Mr Murray made it a point, however, to ride out daily in his carriage; and this, doubtless, contributed to counteract the injurious effects which would have resulted from constant inaction. In the summer of 1786, Mr Lindley Murray met with a great loss in the decease of his father.

When Mr Lindley Murray became confined, he could still employ himself in reading, in writing, and in conversation. His mind was preserved free and active. He might therefore hope to be exercised in doing something that would be useful to himself and others--something that would agreeably employ his mental powers, and prevent that tedium and irritability which bodily infirmities too often occasion. This might be accomplished in various ways; and he ventured to believe it might, in part, be effected by a publication which he had in view, and which he presumed would be interesting to many readers. In the early part of his life, as well as in its succeeding periods, he had a lively pleasure and satisfaction in perusing the sentiments of eminent and virtuous persons, on the subject of religion and futurity, when they approached the close of life. He thought that a collection of the testimonies of great and good persons in favour of piety and virtue, would, if they were properly arranged, be more interesting and more efficscious than a perusal of them detached, as many of them are, in the pages of history and biography. Under these impressions or views of the subject, be commenced his little work. As he wished to form it on liberal principles, and render it acceptable to readers in general, he was careful to introduce characters of various religious professions, and of different ages and countries.

The first edition of this book, which

is entitled, "The Power of Religion the Mind," &c. appeared in the year '87. It consisted of only five huned copies, all of which were neatly und, and distributed at Mr Murray's vn expense. He sent them to the incipal inhabitants of York and its cinity, and accompanied each book th an anonymous note, requesting a vourable acceptance of it, and apolozing for the liberty he had taken. He on found that his publication was ell received, and it was not long bere he was encouraged to print a new ition of the work in London, which et with a good sale. Several other imessions appeared in different places. Then, after some time, a sixth edition as called for, he was induced to enrge the book, and to put his name to And as he afterwards found that it ntinued to make a favourable proess, he conceived that if the copyght were assigned to some booksellers extensive business and influence, it ould be circulated more diffusively, id his design in composing it be still ore effectually answered. Under this lea, he extended the work considerɔly; made some improvements in the nguage, and then disposed of the opyright, without any pecuniary reompense.

At the close of the year 1794, Mr Murray was seized with a severe illess, which continued for many weeks, nd reduced him to so feeble a state hat his recovery was much doubted.

Mr Murray had been often solicited o compose and publish a Grammar of he English language, for the use of ome teachers who were not perfectly satisfied with any of the existing Gram

tation of it to the understanding, and the gradual progress of learners, with a special regard to the propriety and purity of all the examples and illustrations, would be an improvement on the English Grammars which had fallen under his notice. With this impression, he produced the first edition of a work on this subject. It appeared in the springof the year 1795. The approbation and the sale which the book obtained, gave him abundant reason to believe that he had not failed in his endeavours to elucidate the subject, and to facilitate the labours of both teachers and learners of English grammar.

In a short time after the appearance of the work, a second edition was called for ; this induced him to revise and enlarge the book. It soon obtained an extensive circulation, and the repeated editions through which it passed in a few years, encouraged him to improve and extend it still further; and in particular to support, by some critical discussions, the principles upon which many of its positions are founded.

Soon after the Grammar had been published, Mr Murray was persuaded to compose a volume of Exercises, calculated to correspond with, and illustrate, by copious examples, all the rules of the Grammar, both principal and subordinate. At the same time, he formed a Key to the Exercises, designed for the convenience of teachers, and for the use of young persons who had left school, and who might be desirous, at their leisure, to improve themselves in grammatical studies and perspicuous composition. In forming these two latter volumes, his design was not only to exercise the student's ingenuity in correcting the sentences, and to excite him to the study of grammar by the pleasure of feeling his own powers and progress, but to introduce, for his imitation, a great number of sentences, selected from the best writers, and distinguished by their perspicuity and ele

F

gance; and to imbue his mind with sentiments of the highest importance, by interweaving principles of piety and virtue with the study of language. The Exercises and Key were published in 1797, and met with a great sale; and Mr Murray was encouraged, in the same year, to make an Abridgement of the Grammar, for the use of minor schools, and for those who were beginning to study the language. The four volumes being intimately connected, mutually supported and recommended each other.

As these books, except the Abridgement, were reprinted at York, Mr Murray corrected the press, which occasioned them to appear with a greater degree of accuracy (a point of considerable importance to books designed for schools) than if they had not received the author's inspection. The success which he had met with in his publications, encouraged Mr Murray to persevere in his literary pursuits. He produced a compilation, containing some of the most esteemed pieces in the language, both in prose and poetry, at once calculated to promote correct reading, to give a taste for justness of thought and elegance of composition, and to inculcate pious and virtuous sentiments. This work he entitled, "The English Reader."

The approbation given to The English Reader induced Mr Murray to publish an "Introduction" and a "Sequel" to that book. These three volumes pursue the same subjects; they all aim at a chaste and guarded education of young persons.

The recommendations which these books received, persuaded Mr Murray to believe, that a collection in French, on similar principles, and made from some of the finest writers, would be favourably received by the public. Accordingly, he produced, in the year 1802, a compilation, entitled, "Lecteur François ;" and, in 1807, another, with

the title of "Introduction au Lecteur François."

In the year 1804, Mr Murray published a Spelling Book. He made it a point, in composing this book, to introduce no matter that is foreign to the objects which such a work ought to have in view; and he was studious to bring the latter reading lessons to such a state of advancement, as would form an easy and natural connexion between this book and the "Introduction to the English Reader."

From Miss Frank, the author and editor of Mr Lindley Murray's " Memoirs," he received much valuable, and very material assistance, in compiling the Spelling Book, the Introduction to the English Reader, and the two volumes in French. He also received from the same hand, and from a number of literary correspondents, many very useful suggestions and criticisms, with respect to his English Grammar, and some of his other publications.

As he was desirous that his publications should have a circulation as extensive as he could procure for them, Mr Murray sold the copyrights to one of the first houses in London. These booksellers had it in their power to spread them very diffusely, and they did it perfectly to Mr Murray's satisfaction. They gave a liberal price for the books; and Mr Murray acknowledged, that in all their transactions together, which have not been very li mited, they demonstrated great honour and uprightness, and entirely justified his confidence and expectations.

After the Grammar, and the books connected with it, had passed through many editions, the proprietors conceived that an edition of the whole, in two volumes octavo, on fine paper, and in a large letter, would be well received by the public; and Mr Murray embraced the opportunity to improve the work, by many additions which he conceived to be appropriate. These occupied about