tempt. The opinions of yourself and fraternity appear indeed to have a wonderful effect upon the town. I am told the ladies are all employed in reading Bunyan and Pamela, and the waltz has been entirely forsaken ever since the winter balls have closed. Under these apprehensions I should have addressed you before, had I not been sedulously employed, while the theatre continued open, in supporting the astonishing variety of the orchestra, and in composing a new chime or Bob-Major for Trinity-church, to be rung during the suminer, beginning with ding-dong di-do, instead of di-do ding-dong. The citizens, especially those who live in the neighborhood of that harmonious quarter, will no doubt be infinitely delighted with this novelty.

But to the object of this communication. So far, sir, from agreeing with mr. Evergreen in thinking that all modern music is but the mere dregs and drainings of the ancient, I trust, before this letter is concluded, I shall convince you and him that some of the late professors of this enchanting art have completely distanced the paltry efforts of the ancients; and that I, in particular, have at length brought it almost to absolute perfection.

The greeks, simple souls! were astonished at the powers of Orpheus, who made the woods and rocks

dance to his lyre ;-of Amphion who converted crotchets into bricks, and quavers into mortar ;and of Arion who won upon the compassion of the fishes. In the fervency of admiration, their poets fabled that Apollo had lent them his lyre, and in spired them with his own spirit of harmony. What then would they have said had they witnessed the wonderful effects of my skill? had they heard me in the compass of a single piece, describe in glowing notes one of the most sublime operations of nature; and not only make inanimate objects dance, but even speak; and not only speak, but speak in strains of exquisite harmony?

Let me not, however, be understood to say that I am the sole author of this extraordinary improvement in the art, for I confess I took the hint of many of my discoveries from some of those meritorious productions that have lately come abroad and made so much noise under the title of overtures. From some of these, as, for instance, Lodoiska, and the battle of Marengo, a gentleman, or a captain in the city militia, or an amazonian young lady, may indeed acquire a tolerable idea of military tactics, and become very well experienced in the firing of musketry, the roaring of cannon, the rattling of drums, the whistling of fifes, braying of trumpets, groans of the dying, and trampling of

cavalry, without ever going to the wars; but it is more especially in the art of imitating inimitable things, and giving the language of every passion and sentiment of the human mind, so as entirely to do away the necessity of speech, that I particularly excel the most celebrated musicians of ancient and modern times.

I think, sir, I may venture to say there is not a sound in the whole compass of nature which I cannot imitate and even improve upon ;-nay, what I consider the perfection of my art, I have discovered a method of expressing, in the most striking manner, that undefinable, indescribable silence which accompanies the falling of snow.

In order to prove to you that I do not arrogate to myself what I am unable to perform, I will detail to you the different movements of a grand piece which I pride myself upon exceedingly, called the Breaking up of the ice in the North-river."

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The piece opens with a gentle andanic affetuosso, which ushers you into the assembly-room in the state-house at Albany, where the speaker addresses his farewell speech, informing the members that the ice is about breaking up, and thanking them for their great services and good behavior in a manner so pathetic as to bring tears into their eyes.Flourish of Jacks-a-donkies.-Ice cracks; Albany

in a hubbub :- -air, "Three children sliding on the ice, all on a summer's day.”—Citizens quarrelling in dutch;-chores of a tin trumpet, a cracked fiddle, and a hand-saw !allegro moderato. -Hard frost :-this, if given with proper spirit, has a charming effect, and sets every body's teeth chattering.-Symptoms of snow-consultation of old women who complain of pains in the bones and rheumaties ;-air, "There was an old woman tossed up in a blanket," &c.-alleg ro staccato; waggon breaks into the ice ;-people all run too see what is the matter;- -air, siciliano.—“ Can you

row the boat ashore, Billy boy, Billy boy :"-andante-frost fish froze up in the ice-air— "Ho, why dost thou shiver and shake, Gaffer Gray, and why does thy nose look so blue ?"-Flourish of two-penny trumpets and rattles;-consultation of the North-river society ;-determine to set the North river on fire, as soon as it will burn ;-air O, what a fine kettle of fish.”

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Part II.-GREAT THAW.-This consists of the most melting strains, flowing so smoothly as to occasion a great overflowing of scientific rapture; air

"One misty moisty morning." The house of assembly breaks up-air-"The owls came out and flew about.”—Assembly-men embark on their way to New-York-air-"The ducks and the geese they all swim over, fal, de ral," &

Vessel sets sail ;- -chorus of mariners-" Steer her up, and let her gang." After this a rapid movement conducts you to New-York;--the Northriver society hold a meeting at the corner of Wallstreet, and determine to delay burning till all the assembly-men are safe home, for fear of consuming some of their own members who belong to that respectable body.-Return again to the capital.-Ice floats down the river ;-lamentation of skaiters ;-air, affetuosso-“ I sigh and lament me in vain, &c."-Albanians cutting up sturgeon;-air-“0 the roast beef of Albany."-Ice runs against Polopoy's island, with a terrible crash.-This is represented by a fierce fellow travelling with his fiddle-stick over a huge bass viol, at the rate of one hundred and fifty bars a minute, and tearing the music to rags ;-this being what is called execution.-The great body of ice passes West-point, and is saluted by three or four dismounted cannon, from Fort Putnam.-" Jefferson's march" by a full band-air--" Yankee doodle," with seventy-six variations, never before attempted, except by the celebrated eagle, which flutters his wings over the copper-bottomed angel at messrs. Paff's in Broadway. Ice passes New York; conchshell sounds at a distance-ferrymen calls o-v-e-r ; -people run down Courtlandt-street-ferryboat sets sail-air-accompanied by the conch-shell