of which, part of the Persian fleet gives way.--Ariamenes
endeavouring to rally them, is slain.--At his death the rest of the
Persians fly. The Greeks pursue them to the Attic shore, and obtain
a complete victory, which concludes the Poem."

The whole poem shows a mind thoroughly imbued with Grecian history, and
the action is conceived and described with considerable spirit. There
are a few lame verses, here and there, but scarcely a single puerile
conceit; while a perusal of the entire contents of these records of a
gifted child, is calculated to surprise, by the great extent of reading
displayed by its writer, and the ease and precision with which he brings
it to bear upon his subject.

In the spring of 1821 he entered Westminster School, taking his place on
the fourth form, which secured him all exemption from fagging. Here,
again, his progress was that of a boy of first-rate abilities, great
diligence, and unvarying good conduct. Two years afterwards, viz. in the
spring of 1823, he gained a king's scholarship, without the assistance
of a "_help_," a thing which it is believed was unprecedented. In the
College, however, he could not escape _fagging_; but such was his
independent spirit, that he refused to submit to it, and immediately
resigned his hard-won scholarship, with all its prospects. His father
was somewhat nonplussed by this occurrence; and presently sent him to a
school at Blackheath, kept by the present rector of Woolwich, the Rev.
Willain Greenlaw, a son of his former master, Dr. Greenlaw. The
Blackheath school contained no fewer than seventy-two boys, many of them
on the eve of quitting for the universities; but as soon as John William
Smith made his appearance, he was not only recognised as being far
superior to them all, but equally well read with the ushers; and he
consequently read with Mr. Greenlaw himself, alone! being then, it will