aass_ I- 2.^j4_ 
 
 Book TS5EA 
 
Mepent ! Eepmt ! or likeivise Perish / 
 
 THE SPIRIT 
 
 OF 
 
 AN EVENING LECTURE, 
 
 FEBRUARY 16, 1812; 
 
 ON THE 
 
 LATE CdLAMITY AT RICHMOJV*JD, VIRGUSTM^ 
 
 MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 
 
 TO a— «^' 
 
 THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, 
 
 PHTI.AnET.PHIAy 
 AT WHOSE REQUEST IT IS PUBLISHED, 
 
 BY 
 THEIR MIJVISTERIJ^G SERVAJVT, 
 
 GEORGE RICHARDS, 
 
 HO. 130, SOTTTH FIFTH STKIET. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA . 
 
 JPBIjrTED BY LFDlJi R. BAILEYt 
 
 ^0. 10, J\*orth-Mkij, 
 
 1812. 
 
Fz s H- 
 
 , /T5 
 
 :\^s6: 
 
THE SPIRIT 
 
 0£ 
 
 An Evening Lecture^ 4;c- 
 
 THE members of this church, have requested their 
 ministering servant, to deliver an appropriate lecture, 
 on the late calamity, at Richmond ,• a calamity, which 
 has overwhelmed the capital of Virginia in lamenta- 
 tion, in mourning, and woe ; and clothed almost every 
 family, in sackcloth, in ashes, and the dust of death. 
 National sensibility roused at the cry of distress. Pri- 
 vate sympathy woke at the shriek of sorrow. America 
 rose up to comfort them that mourn. Assembled states 
 breathed the language of pity. Age wafted his tremu- 
 lous sigh to the grave, where mothers, daughters, 
 fathers, sons repose. Youth impeai'led the tear upon 
 the tomb, where relatives and friends, the favored 
 bridegroom, and the beauteous bride, are hushed to 
 everlasting rest. Yes ! all the charities of life have 
 wept the much loved dead ! And even religion's sainted 
 form, has mingled her balsams and her balms : and 
 poured the Avine and oil on every bleeding wound. The 
 cup of consolation is full; it overflows j the feeling 
 heart can add no more. Then, be it yours and nsine, 
 my brethren and my friends, to improve this awful 
 dispensation of divine providence, in such profitable 
 
4r 
 
 mode, as best becometh rational, accountable, and im- 
 mortal beings : and this we shall humbly attempt, in 
 a deep sense of manifold personal imperfections, by 
 entreating the serious, the solemn attention of this 
 respectable, respected, and crowded audience, to the 
 ^* true sayings of the faithful and the true," when " he 
 opened his mouth in wisdom," and the " law of kind- 
 ness" pronounced these ever memorable words, 
 
 And Jesus answering , said unto thenif suppose ye, that 
 ilichr. Galileans, were sinners above all the GalileanSf 
 because they suffered such things^ I tell you, nay: 
 But, except ye repentf ye shall all likewise perish. 
 
 Luke xiii. 3, 3. 
 
 ** A thousand may fall on the right; and ten thousand 
 drop on the left," and man neither " fears the terror 
 by night ; nor heeds the arrow which flies by day," 
 provided " the pestilence that walketh in darkness," or, 
 ♦' the destruction which wastelh at noon," is removed 
 far from his dwelling, and cometh not nigh unto him : 
 for although, no less than three thousand, four hundred 
 and ninety-seven of the human race are bidding adieu 
 to time, as every bom* rolls on : Although, no less than 
 four score, one thousand, seven hundred and sixty 
 fellow travellers are posting for eternity, from day to 
 day ; yet the balance of the numerous whole, are firmly 
 persuaded, that " the number of their months is not 
 determined" for death ; and while thirty millions have 
 come forth, as one annual flower ; and are cut down 
 from year to year, by the two-edged scythe of " the 
 rider on the pale horse ;" still, each individual flatters 
 himself, " that the overflowing scourge of the King of 
 Terrors shall pass by." It is true, that ii] this mo- 
 mentary period, which comprehends no more than three 
 hundred and sixty-five rapidly fleeting days, that the 
 sons and daughters of men, are frcijuently summoned 
 ^' to apply thejr hearts unto wisdom ;" and continually 
 
have reason to say, in the language of the royal 
 psalmist, " Lord ! make me to know mine end ; and 
 the measure of my days ; that I may know how frail 
 I am ! for thou hast made my days as an hand's 
 breadth ,• and mine age is as nothing before thee :" But 
 the voice of *•' the father of the faithful and the friend 
 of God," is heard with listless indifference, by careless, 
 inattentive mortals, although he weeps in the presence 
 of the living, and before the dead, and feelingly exclaims, 
 <« I am a stranger among you ; give me the possession 
 of a burying place, that I may bury my wife, out of 
 my sight :" while " the cares of the world," the plea- 
 sures of sense, " the pride of life," and ten thousand 
 other trifling vanities, silence the anguished tones of 
 the mourner from the land of Tekoa, who mournfully 
 cries, " help, O my Lord, the King : for I am indeed a 
 widow J and mine husband is dead !" And even the 
 melting accents of the wanderer from the brooks of 
 Arnon, produce no lasting impressions of a serious 
 nature, on the sons of dissipation, and the daughters of 
 frivolity, as she breathes her varied woes to all the 
 Avinds of heaven, in agonistic sounds, like these, ** Call 
 me no more Naomi, that is, joy : but call me Mara, that 
 is, bitterness ; I went out into life full ; leaning on the 
 arm of an affectionate partner, and supported by two 
 dutiful children^ I am returning home empty to the 
 grave ; bereaved, bereft of them all ; the Lord hatlj 
 testified against me ; and the Almighty hath afflicted 
 me." 
 
 And is this a true portrait of thoughtless man ? does 
 he thus trifle on the borders of the grave ? does he thus 
 sport on the barriers of eternity? Is he unmoved at 
 "the loosing of the silver cord?" — at "the dashing 
 of the golden bowl ?" Does " he go with the mourners 
 round the streets, when man goeth to his long home," 
 and strangely forget that " the sun, the moon, and the 
 
stars shall be darlvcned," by death, unto him : " that 
 the dust sliall return to the earth, as it was : and the 
 spirit return unto God who gave it ?" Yes ! verily he 
 doth. And is there nothing which can rouse him from 
 this apathy of soul ? Is there nothing that can possibly 
 awaken from the letliargy of death-like sleep ? Yes .' 
 verily there is. And these, the awakening energies of 
 a God, " who neither slumbers, nor sleeps," are usually 
 confided to some tremendous providence ; some awful 
 dispensation ; some overwhelming judgment, which 
 rapidly descends, in the strength of the whirlwind of 
 Almighty power, resistless, as the thunderbolts of 
 heaven ; and fatal, as the lightning of the clouds: And 
 yet amazing to think ; almost incredible to believe, the 
 awakening sinner starts from his slumbers induced by 
 past security J proudly sits down in the judgment seat, 
 of " the judge of all the earth;" and boldly determines, 
 that those who have thus perished as *' in a moment, 
 as in the twinkling of an eye ;" are the guiltiest of the 
 guilty ; the vilest of the vile ; the greatest of all fellow 
 sinners : And instead of listening to the trump of God, 
 which sounds, ** repent, repent; or perish thou, and 
 die," he impeaches even brethren and friends at the 
 dread tribunal of" the judge of quick and dead ;" and 
 dooms the present sufterer to unending, and eternal 
 woes : forgetful of this solemn truth ; that he himself, 
 is destined " to stand at the judgment seat of Jesus 
 Christ," the judge of angels and of men; and that, when 
 »' he is weighed in an even balance," with those, who 
 liave thus vanished from beneath these heavens, it is 
 possible, that each one of them, may be absolved from 
 the pains and penalties of " the second death ;" and 
 himself delivered over, unto " indignation and wrath; 
 tribulation and anguish," by an omniscient and impar- 
 tial Being ; " who searcheth the hearts ; who trieth the 
 
reirts f^ and " rendereth a recompense to every man, 
 according as liis works shall be." 
 
 To re[3ress a spirit of the bold, presumptuous kind, 
 that we have thus glanced at ^ to humble thoughtless 
 sinners, as in dust ', and lead them " to repentance, not 
 to be repented of;" it pleased the final judge of man, 
 to adopt the solemn, the impressive language of the 
 texii ** saying unto all, as he said unto one," or more, 
 " suppose ye, that these Galileans, whose blood Pilate 
 mingled with the blood of their sacrifices, were sinners 
 above all the Galileans? I tell you, nay; they were not: 
 and except ye repent ; ye shall all likewise perish." 
 The very nature of every expression made use of by- 
 " the Ijord of the dead, and the living," furnishes incon- 
 testible proof, that those individuals who told liim of 
 this awful providence, had made up determinate, though 
 fallacious judgment respecting these unfortunate suf- 
 ferers ; and because *' they suffered such things," as a 
 sudden and violent death, they rashly pronounced them 
 the greatest of all possible sinners. Suppose ye so, 
 saith Jesus ? Is this your judgment ? Then omniscience 
 replies, that you are totally mistaken : the lip of eternal 
 truth repels the charge against the dead. I tell you, 
 nay : It is not true. And if you have formed the samp 
 opinion concerning " the eighteen, on whom the tower 
 of rfiloam fell ?" If ye think that " these were sinners 
 above all men in Jerusalem,^* I tell you once more, that 
 you are equally wrong, in the last, as erroneous in the 
 first conclusion ; and twice, I repeat the same truth, in 
 the very same words, to render it more striking and 
 impressive ; to seal it as yea and amen ; " that unless 
 ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish :" that is, some 
 sudden providence, as swift in its approach ; as fatal in 
 its effects, shall pursue, overtake, overwhelm, every 
 unrepenting individual, who by " hardness of heart" 
 and « impenitence of soul, treagnreth up nnto himself 
 
8 
 
 wrath, against the day of wrath, and righteous revela- 
 lion of the judgment of Godj who will render to 
 every man, according to his deeds ;" rendering « to 
 them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for 
 glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life ;" and 
 rendering ** to those, who obey unrighteousness, indig- 
 nation and wrath; tribulation and anguish j" for " there 
 is glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh 
 good ; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile :" And 
 ''he vfho doeth wrong, shall receive for the wrong 
 which he hath done, and with God, there is no respect 
 of persons," in the ptmishment of vice, or the reward 
 of virtue. 
 
 Thus forbidden of Christ Jesus himself, to enter his 
 presence on this evening, with a thought in any of our 
 hearts, that the inhabitants of Richmond, " were sin- 
 ners above all" the inhabitants of the United States, 
 much less, that **they were sinners above all" the 
 inhabitants of this metropolis: forbidden to judge 
 those with eternal judgment who <« have suffered such 
 things," as genius, virtue, beauty, suffered in the tor- 
 ture of devouring flames ; most bitter things indeed ! of 
 which it may be said, that whosoever heareth, his ears 
 shall tingle ; his eyes grow dim ; his heart feel faint ; his 
 face turn pale ; and his trembling limbs smite together 
 in horrent amaze. And commanded of the Redeemer 
 in person, to attempt no other improvement of this 
 tremendous dispensation of a Holy God; a dispensation 
 which contemns the powers of eloquence; mocks at " the 
 pen of the readiest writer," and defies the heaven-born 
 bard's impassioned strains, excepting, that moral and 
 spiritual improvement, which leads to individual, and 
 terminates in national repentance: and taught from 
 « the volume of this book," as written by the pencil of 
 eternal truth, to connect with this solemn improvement 
 of our awful and impressive theme, the sure and certain 
 
destruction of every impenitent individual, ^vho re* 
 pcntetli not ; and, therefore, is inevitably destined, in 
 case of final impenitence, to perish in like manner, as 
 those, ^vlio have already perished, by some instantane- 
 ous stroke of divine providence, your ministering ser- 
 vant, therefore, by permission from heaven, and patient 
 indulgence on earth, proposes to devote undivided 
 attention, to these most interesting and momentous 
 subjects ; as the only points of vision, in Nvhich Christ 
 Jesus our Lord, hath permitted us, the spared monu- 
 ments of his sparing mercies, to gaze with solemn 
 reverence, on the solemn scene ; and " to glorify his 
 lioly and his reverend name," as in the midst of a burn- 
 ing, fiery furnace, heated with seven fold heat ; and 
 kindled into flames of more than common Avratli. 
 
 The doctrine of repentance, my brethren and my 
 friends, is commonly divided into legal and evangelical. 
 The first of these two species, is defined to be, a fear 
 of those punishments Avhich are denounced against sin; 
 and yet, this fear unaccompanied by a hatred of sin. 
 The second, or evangelical repentance, is said, to 
 include a hatred of sin ,* and a love of holiness,* not from 
 any dread of threatened judgments; but from love 
 towards God; and a hope of pardon through the merits 
 of Christ. Without disputing the correctness of this 
 last definition; the first, is pronounced inadmissible, on 
 scriptural principles: for divine revelation acknow- 
 ledges nothing as repentance, eitlier under the law, or 
 beneath the gospel, which is imattended by fruits meet 
 for repentance ; and in as much, as repentance is a 
 doctrine, addressed to the sinner, in his sinful charac- 
 ter, it is certain, that if he doth not reform his life, 
 and amend his doings, that he remains an impenitenl 
 sinner ; and penitence must be improperly applied, to 
 an unrepenting individual, who hath not forsaken his 
 former sins; nor practised their opposite virtues 5 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 althotigh he may iiave *' humbled himself" for a 
 moment, as Ah ah did ; or trembled like Belshazzar, at 
 the dread hand Avriling on the wall. 
 
 Repentanee, my brethren and my friends, in its 
 purest, most perfect form, is presented to our vieAV, in 
 *' the repentance of the Ninevites, who repented at the 
 preaching of Jonah ;" and as Jesus himself hath ac- 
 knowledged that " the men of Nineveh did repent,'* 
 when preaching " to those who repented not ;" it is 
 therefore impossible to err, in determining what 
 repentance is, according to the pi-ophetical prin- 
 ciples laid down in the prophecies of the prophet Jonah j 
 and the evangelical conclusions of Christ Jesus, in the 
 gospels of Matthew and Luke : And the piophet and 
 the prophet's God, authorise your ministering servant, 
 to say, that the repentance of the king of Nineveh, did 
 not consist in his humiliation from a throne of glory ; 
 nor in the exchange of imperial robes for *' a garment 
 of sackcloth, or a scat in ashes." Neither m as the re- 
 pentance of his nobles, nor that of the people, composed 
 of abstinence from food, or drink : nor even of those 
 strong cries, wherewitii " they cried mightily unto 
 God, in humble hope, tliat " he might turn away from 
 his fierce anger ; and repent of the evil," which a 
 prophet had bounded within narrow limits : for this 
 was the cry of Jonah ; " yet forty days, and Nineveh 
 sliall be overtlu'own." But " man and beast might 
 have been covered with sackcloth ;" the king, the 
 nobles sat in dust ; and every individual tasted nothing 
 for a week; and yet the whole have remained impenitent. 
 This impious farce, this mockery of God, has been acted 
 and reacted by nations, by churches, and by high profes- 
 sors ; and the voice of eternal truth has affirmed, that 
 *< these fasted to smite with the list of wickedness;" and 
 those " made long prayers to devour widows' houses.'* 
 What then was it, my brethren and my friends, which 
 formed the essentials of repentance in the king, the 
 
11 
 
 nobles and the inhabitants of Nineveh ? Jxt the > olumo 
 of this book reply, and tlie record of divine inspiration 
 is, *' that God saw their works, that they tnrned from 
 their evil ways ; and God repented of the evil that he 
 said, lie would do unto them, and he did it not;" and 
 so perfectly sensible was the king of Nineveh, that 
 amendment of life, and the practice of piety and virtue, 
 were the real constituents of repentance, that he con- 
 cluded his royal mandate for a day of fasting and 
 prayer, in these most appropriate words, " let every 
 individual turn from the evil of his ways; and all from 
 the violence which is in tlieir hands :" or in other words, 
 as expressed by the prophet Isaiah, " let them cease to 
 do evil, and learn to do Avell : let them seek judgment ; 
 relieve the oppressed ; plead for the fatherless, and 
 judge the cause of the widow." for " repentance not to 
 be repented of" includes the " loosing of the bands of 
 wickedness;" the ** undoing of the heavy burdens;'* 
 the letting the oppressed go free ;" the " breaking in 
 pieces of every slavish yoke :" It is, " to deal our bread 
 to the hungry ;" to '• bring the cast out poor" to tlie 
 mansion of affluence ; to <* cover tlie naked" with the 
 clothing of wealth : and not '< to hide ourselves" as 
 misers, from " the one flesh of man :" It is, " to exe- 
 cute true judgment and shew mercy and compassion ;'* 
 forbearing ** to oppress the widow, the stranger, the 
 fatherless and the poor," and abstaining from ** a 
 thought of evil in the heart" against any of the human 
 race : It is, " to do justly ; to lov€ mercy ; and to walk 
 humbly with thy God." These general princijjles, my 
 l>rethren and my friends, are recognized as truth, by 
 all the prophets ; confirmed l>y the herald of the Lord 
 of hosts; and more than confirmed by the Lord of hosts 
 himself, in all that he liath taught and commanded 
 concerning rci>entance. Whether " he upbraided tlu)SQ 
 cities in which most of his mightiest works were donej 
 
13 
 
 because thcj repented not ;" or Mhetlier he assured an 
 impenitent raee of infidels, " that the men of Nineveh 
 sliould rise in judgment, Avith that generation, and con- 
 demn it, because they repented at the preaching of 
 Jonah, and beliokl a greater than Jonah was tliere ;" 
 and sufter me to add, tlmt tlie witnessing spirit of all 
 ihc apostles and evangelists, is in perfect unison, with 
 the testimony of their Lord, -whether " they vent forth 
 throughout the cities of Israel ; and every where 
 preached that men sliould repent j" or whether, they 
 *< preached repentance and remission of sins unto all 
 nations, beginning at Jerusalem; and from thence 
 proceeding unto the end of the earth :" for neither 
 prophet nor evangelist ever preached the doctrine of 
 repentance, to a whole nation, or a single individual, 
 without reminding both of this one truth, ** that fruits 
 meet for repentance," must prove the sincerity thereof; 
 that works of piety and love must substantiate its 
 genuine realities. This most assuredly was the preach- 
 ing of the great baptizer at the floods of Joidan, Avho 
 opened his commission with tlie cry of" repent, repent 
 ye ;" and added thereto the divine command, " bring 
 |brth fruits meet for repentance ;" and that these fruits 
 were composed of abstinence from all former sins ; and 
 the practice of their opposite virtues, we are specially 
 tauglit from his address, to "the publicans, soldiers, and 
 people," who severally demanded of him, *• master, what 
 shall we do ?" or in other Avoids, wJiat is that repent- 
 ance, to w hieh we arc exhorted, nay commanded, under 
 penalties '»' of the w ratli to come." This also was the 
 ;spiiit of the pentecostal sermon, as preached by the 
 first I)orn of apostles : ibr fruits meet for repentance, 
 were certainly included, in the many other imrecordcd 
 words of exhortation, saying, ** save yourselves from 
 this untoward generation ;" and Avorks worthy of 
 repentance ^vere most assuredly called for, Avhen Peter 
 
13 
 
 said, " repent ye, therefore, and be convicted, thai 
 your sins may be blotted out, wlien the times of refresh- 
 ing shall come from the presence of the Lord :" and 
 Paul, tlie chiefest of apostles, kept the same truths in 
 view, when he shewed, first to them at Danr.iscus, next 
 at Jerusalem, and then to the Gentiles, that tliey should 
 <* repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repent- 
 ance ;'' and the like truths were embosomed in his 
 address to the Athenians, when he assured them, ** that 
 the times of ignorance" were passed oif, " at which 
 God formerly winked;*' and that " now Godcommand- 
 cth all men, every where, to repent ; because he hath 
 appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in 
 righteousness, by that man, whom he hath ordained ;'* 
 and to Avhom " all judgment is committed." Or to 
 sum all that can be said, in as few words, as possible, 
 repentance leads to the love of God ; and terminates in 
 the love of man, according to the spirit of " the two 
 great commandments," on Avhich, " the law and the 
 prophets depend :" and tlie incorporation of these two 
 commandments into the gospel itself; and that by the 
 authority of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, hath 
 made the " first and second commandment" the rule 
 of obligation, and the standard of duty ; and the per- 
 fection of both in the love of God, and the love of man, 
 is the life and spirit of the new covenant of grace, 
 mercy, and peace, from God our father, in Jesus 
 Clu'ist our liOrd. 
 
 It remaiucth to enquire from " the lively oracles of 
 the living God," if tlie impenitent have nothing to fear? 
 If no upbraidings await on slighted calls? If "the 
 sword witliout, and the terror within" may not pursue? 
 If "the foot of impenitence sliall not slide" in due 
 time? the calamity of unrepenting individuals make 
 haste ; and " the poison of the arrows of the Alaiighty, 
 diink up" tjieir agonized spirits, at the last ? 
 
14 
 
 To all these questions, the Lord Jesus CJirist replies 
 in the language of ihe text, " except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise perish^*' and the same solemn words are 
 twice repeated, to render them more strikingly impres- 
 sive; and, if possible, to engrave one awful truth in 
 deeper lines, upon the marble tablet of the human 
 heart. The like manner of perishing, which Jesus has 
 equally connected Avith tMO different examples of sudden 
 and violent death, has no reference, as we humbly ap- 
 prehend, to the very same mode of destruction in all 
 eases : But is a general form of expression, inclusive of 
 every sudden, tremendous, overwhelming judgment, 
 that has ever passed over the earth; and swept its guilty 
 inhabitants away, as with the besom of rapid, instanta- 
 neous destruction: for tl^e blood which Pilate hath shed, 
 can be shed no more ; the tower that has fallen, falls 
 not again : the sword of the Roman is pillowed beneath 
 Lis head. The fragments of the capitol of Siloam are 
 brn ied in dust : And therefore, the plain, the obvious 
 meaning of the Redeemer, must be, that sinful indivi- 
 duals, " except they repent" of their impenitence, may 
 rest assured of perishing by some terrible calamity, 
 the swiftness, the fatality of which, shall strikingly 
 resemble the sudden death of those Galileans, who 
 w^ere slain by command of Pilate ; and the momentary 
 crush of the Jcavs, on whom the tower of Siloam fell : 
 And accepting the word of the Lord Jesus, in this 
 extensively applicable sense ; they lead ohm ard to " the 
 valley of Jehosaphat," Avherc judgments sit enthroned 
 in various forms ; and " the sword, the famine and the 
 pcslilence," with ten thousand other plagues, " arc 
 prepared for an hour, a day, a month, or a year, to slay 
 the third part of men ;" or clothed upon with more 
 ample commission, " they gather the vine of the earth, 
 and cast it into the w inc press of the wrath of Almighty 
 God :'- lift up the hand to heaven's high throne; pro 
 
15 
 
 nouncc that time shall be no more ; and rage amid the 
 wreck of matter, and the crush of m orlds. 
 
 Among these heralds of the last concluding scene ; 
 these messengers of God, which go heibre the day, when 
 " all these elements shall melt Avith fervent heat," fire, 
 is no more, tlian a simple agent, and generally speaking, 
 however terrible in effect, it is «* lighter than the dust 
 of the balance," when compared with many other 
 ministers of destruction, which are equally rapid in ap- 
 proach, and infinitely more destructive, in multiplied 
 energies of awful execution. Such is the earthquake 
 of Almighty power, which heaves a city from its 
 trembling base ; and whelms the living, yet alive, in 
 instantaneous death : And such is pestilence and plague, 
 who wave the flaming sword around a dying world ; and 
 breathless millions taint the putrid air. To these, we may 
 add, wide wasting Avar, whose garments are rolled in 
 blood; volcanic eruption, whose life, is living flames; sud- 
 den inundation; tempests, whirlwinds, storms; the Hcree 
 tornado; and the Scyroc's blasts All these, and many 
 more, are swifter on the wing than burning fiery flames; 
 and SAveep their myriads to one common grave ; while 
 fire has spared the life of man : for although Constan- 
 tinople numbers no less than one hundred and iii'iy 
 thousand dwellings, which at difterent periods have 
 been reduced to ashes : although Moscow, Archangel, 
 Petersburgh, Copenhagen, London, Paris, and many 
 Other cities in Europe have bowed to devouring flames : 
 although Boston, Newburyport, Portsmouth, NeA>- 
 York, Norfolk. Charleston, and Philadelphia have re- 
 peatedly experienced great destructions, yet in most oi' 
 these instances, however immense the loss of property: 
 however deep the sorrows of the houseless cliild of 
 want, no fond mother has been called upon, like Rachel ; 
 « to Aveep for her children, refusing all comfort, be- 
 .rause they Avere not." No aftcctionatc father has takf-a 
 
16 
 
 lip the language of Davitl, and cried, <• my son, my son, 
 would God, that I had died for thee, O my son, my 
 son !" No fatherless, nor orphan child has exclaimed, 
 *< we are orphans and fatherless ; our mothers are Avi- 
 dows ;" and none of the general charities of human life, 
 have been impelled to adopt the words of the royal 
 writer, thus mournfully saying, " lover and friend hast 
 thou put far from mej and mine acquaintance are 
 shrouded in darkness." *' Alas ! alas ! — Woe, worth 
 the day !" The every lire enkindled in this western 
 world, is light as vanity itself, when weighed against 
 that mightier weight of living woe, which sinks Vir- 
 ginia in the dust; and whelms her capital in ever 
 present death. Philanthropy forbids to touch this me- 
 lancholy chord : it vibrates agony, distraction, horror 
 and despair. Humanity commands, turn silently awayj 
 and like " the friends of Job" forbear to speak a Avord; 
 for eloquence itself, can only heighten grief like this. 
 And yet, if privileged, my suffering, sorrowing friends, 
 to sit with you in solemn silence on the ground ; if 
 privileged to watch the precious reliqucs of the much 
 loved dead j and privileged at last, to speak, as spake 
 •* the friends of Job," your servant and your friend 
 would ask ; and ask of you, his sorroAving, suffering 
 friends, on whom, the tempest and the storm of death 
 have beat w ith awful power ; on whom, the Avhirlw ind 
 and the flood of sorrow still descend with mightiest 
 force ; and who can count the myriads of the human 
 race, that first, or last, have wept for millions of the 
 kindred dead, cut doAvn on battle's gory plains, between 
 the rising and the setting sun ? as proud ambition diove 
 his crimsoning car across the iron fields of war ; or self 
 defence impelled the patriot baud, to hazard life again** 
 some savage foe ; Avhosc " arroM s, are the arrows of 
 the mighty," and whose " quiver, is an open sepulchre r'* 
 Yes! even thy streams, Wabash! return this mournful, 
 
17 
 
 melancholy sound, tlie husband, father, brother, son 
 returns no more: The widows, mothers, sisters of the 
 greatly brave, are seated low in dust : Their hu&bahds 
 breathed no fond farewel : the mother caught no filial* 
 parting sigh : The sister dropt no tear upon a brother*s 
 clay cold cheek: These perished far from home: No 
 mourner followed to the distant grave ; they sleep the 
 sleep of death in foreign lands ; and glory's lamp burns 
 dim for want of beauty's oil. Once more, and who 
 can number the innumerable multitudes, that have 
 perished " as in a moment, as in the twinkling of an 
 eye," by those tremendous earthquakes, which pre- 
 vailed, almost universally, from the year 17, to the year 
 1500 : without taking into account the overAvhehr.ing 
 of numerous cities in Italy, from the sixteenth to the 
 eighteenth century, where volcanic eruption destroyed 
 flourishing towns, populous villages and peopled ham- 
 lets, in less than an hour ; and earthquake treading 
 close on the footsteps of the glowing lava, completed 
 that work of desolation Avhich Vesuvius and ^tna be- 
 gan. Finally, and to close these two queries, by a 
 third, has not the wide wasting pestilence, been equally 
 terrible in its destinictive effects ; as war on the right 
 hand, or earthquakes on the left ? Yes ! verily, it hath : 
 for at different epochs of time, and in various quarters 
 of the globe, this destroying angel, w ho breathed along 
 the ranks of the dying army of the impious Sennache- 
 rib, and left « one hundred, four score and five thou- 
 sand" of his chosen warriors, breatliless on the tainted 
 field, has consigned ten thousand, tliree thousand, eigh- 
 teen hundred, to tlie valley of the shadow, from day 
 to day, for many a circling month : And at Fez, near 
 Morocco, no less than two hundred and forty seven 
 thousand formed the muster roll of death, in June, 
 1799 ^ which is more than eight thousand per day, and 
 
 C 
 
18 
 
 ulmost sixty two thousand, in the narrow compass of a 
 single week ! 
 
 Fellow citizens of " no mean city!'* Inliahitants of the 
 capital of Virginia ! The ftw imperfect hints, which 
 have been submitted to your attentions, we presume not 
 to offer as consolation to generous, feeling, affected, af- 
 flicted hearts. Humanity derives no comfort from the 
 tempest or the storm, which has sunk a brother in tho 
 depths of the deep. Philanthropy turns pale at the mad- 
 dening billow and the raging flood, Avhich have dashed 
 a fellow mariner against the rocks of perdition. Nei- 
 ther war, clothed in garments of blood ; earthquake 
 invested with onmipotent energies; nor pestilence array- 
 ed in living death, can afford any pleasure to the agoni- 
 zed spir'it, which is ready to sink beneath " a far more 
 exceeding and almost eternal weight" of its own pecu- 
 liar sorrows* This lias<y sketch of the three fold de- 
 stroyers of the hope of man, who " esteem our iron as 
 straw, and our brass as rotten wood," was introduced 
 for another, and we trust, for a nobler pui'pose, than 
 the vain attempt of administering comfort, where feel- 
 ing, sensibility, affection, love, render consolation inad- 
 missible. No other liand can alleviate the torments in- 
 flicted by the wounds of the twenty sixth of December, 
 excepting that God, who winged the burning arrows 
 from his throne ; and fledged the flery shafts too deep 
 in the soul, to admit of human extraction. It is he, and 
 he alone, without whose note, " not even a sparrow 
 falls," who can mingle the balsams and the balms of 
 mercy, in the bowl of ** wormwood and of gall :" and 
 Anally sweeten this most bitter of bitter cups, to your 
 embittered taste. May divine benignity " Avipe away the 
 tear" from every fathcir's streaming eye ; steal the sad 
 mother from her pensive self, and all her agonistic 
 woes ; and according to the days, in which brethren 
 and sisters have seen affliction, make you glad, ** with 
 
19 
 
 exceeding great joy;" with "joy that is unspeakable, 
 and full of celestial glory." 
 
 The first, the last object of the speaker, in all that 
 he hath said, has been to arouze the inhabitants of the 
 United States, and awaken individuals, to a solemn 
 sense of this momentous truth, that " except we repent, 
 we shall all likcAvise perish :" and in as much, as war, 
 earthquake, and pestilence, are three of the most com- 
 moil judgments spoken of in divine revelation, it was 
 deemed expedient to glance at each one of them, in rapid- 
 ly passing succession; and at the same moment, your mi- 
 nistering servant indulged the pleasing hope, of breath- 
 ing transient peace on more than common griefs, by 
 pointing from the fatal spot, to more tremendous scenrs. 
 
 It remaineth to ask, if all these signs and tokens of 
 approaching national judgment; and individual cala- 
 mity, are not round about us ? And whether a fatal le- 
 thargy, a death-like sleep, has not seized on the slum- 
 bering millions of this new found world, so that few, 
 Tcry few indeed, either ** regard the work of the Lord," 
 or ** consider the operation of his hands ;" " hear the 
 sound of the trumpet," or listen to its tones, " waxing 
 louder, and louder ;" " fear the rod," or tremble be- 
 fore him, " who hath appointed it." For is it not cer- 
 tain, my brethren and my friends, ** that the Lord God 
 hath called to contend by fire ;" and that " it hath eaten 
 up a part of the great deep" of manufacturing wealth ? 
 Has not war unfurled her red standard in the person of 
 savage tribes ? And have not " our young men been 
 slain," by the battle axe of <' the terrible and dread- 
 ful," wlio are " swifter than the leopard," and " fiercer 
 than the evening wolf?" Have not repeated, and re- 
 repeated shocks of the earth, been heard from one ex- 
 treme of this wide extended continent, even to the other? 
 and doth not this sound of the voice of the Almighty, 
 proclaim, as with " the trump of the archangel," « yet 
 
20 
 
 once more, I shake not the earth only ; but the heavens 
 also." And can we forget the ravages of that pestilen- 
 tial fever, which at different periods laid waste many 
 families, in most of our capital cities : and fell with an 
 accumulated weight of energetic vengeance on this de- 
 voted metropolis ? of which it might be said, in the lan- 
 guage of holy writ : *' how doth the city sit solitary 
 that was full of people ! how is she become as a widow, 
 that was great among the nations, and princess among 
 the provinces !" for during these memorable periods of 
 ** visitation in wrath," " the voice of the harper and mu- 
 sician was heard no more ;" <* the light of a candle 
 scarcely shone ;" and the song of " the bridegroom and 
 the bride," were hushed in the silence of death. " Wars 
 and rumours of wars, famine, earthquake and pesti- 
 lence, saith Jesus himself, are the beginning of sor- 
 rows." Three of these tokens of the divine displeasure 
 have already been among us ; a part of them are yet 
 round about us ; and famine is the only remaining sign, 
 which is wanting to complete the dreadful group : this 
 last, not least of plagues, maybe our portion, before 
 another harvest is " gathered into our garners :" It is 
 possible, in (he words of an inspired prophet, "that the 
 tongue of the sucking child may cleave to the roof of 
 its mouth for thirst :" *< that young chihlren may ask 
 bread, and no man break it unto them ;"— It is possi- 
 ble, " that infants of a span long may swoon as the 
 wounded in the streets of the city ;" and " pour out 
 tlieir souls on their mothers' bosoms," as <* they faint 
 for corn and wine." Then, O my country, be thou warn- 
 ed ! " Be thou instructed by these things !" *^ Lay them 
 to heart j" and, " consider thy latter end." Neither let 
 *' the rejoiting and the careless city," say, that « I sit 
 as a queen, and shall see no sorrow :" But " I shall not 
 sit as a widow, or know the loss of children ;" for " thy 
 plagues," as " the plagues of Babylon," may « come ip 
 
one day :" " The loss of children, and widowhood,'* 
 may he thine in a moment. " Death, mourning, and 
 famine" came to her at an instant : " strong was the 
 Lord God, who judged the most proud j" « In one hour, 
 the judgment of that great city, came;" and "Bahy- 
 Ion, the glory of kingdoms : the heauty of Chaldaie 
 excetlenee, was, as when God overthrew Sodom and 
 Gomorrha :" it " sunk as a millstone" in the depths : 
 and from the deep, it rose no more. Such also was the 
 fate of Nineveh ; " whose rampart was the sea ; and 
 whose wall was the ocean." "Myriads and millions 
 were her strength ;" " they recounted their worthies :" 
 the " shield of the mighty was made red :" the " vali- 
 ant were in scarlet :" they " watched the way :" they 
 " kept the munition :" the " defence of Nineveh was 
 prepared :" the " gates of the river were opened :" the 
 <* palace was dissolved :" and Nineveh became a desola- 
 tion ; a waste ; a wilderness ; " her young children 
 were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets :" the 
 destroyer of nations " cast lots for her honourable 
 men :" " her nobles were bound in fetters of iron :" her 
 princes led captive in chains of brass. 
 
 Representatives of more than seven millions of peo- 
 ple ! You have wept with them that wept. A nation 
 has felt for the living : a nation has mourned the dead : 
 America, in you, has assumed " the garment of heavi- 
 ness :" the United States have breathed the language 
 of condolence. But suffer me to ask, with reverential 
 respect, when this moment of sympathy was past ; a 
 moment evanescent as " the morning cloud ;" and tran- 
 sient as " the early dew," were there no sins found 
 among yourselves, which might have " reclothed you 
 in sackloth ;" « seated you in ashes;" and led each one, 
 ** to cry mightily unto God," saying, " spare thy peo- 
 ple, O Lord!" and " pardon the iniquities of thy ser- 
 vants." That tho^e who « suffered such things," as 
 
22 
 
 the living and the dead suffered at Richmond, " were 
 not sinners above all," men at Washington, is the voice 
 of eternal truth ,• and the voice vv'hich spake these words 
 hath affirmed, and twice repeated the solemn, the im- 
 pressive declaration, *' that except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise peris li." The tower of Siloani, the fall 
 of that tower, and the crush of those who sunk beneath 
 its weight, may possibly have been selected, as emblems 
 of the pinnacle on which you stand ; of the capitol in 
 which you convene,* and of the overwhelming of those 
 who assemble within its spacious walls. " A sound of 
 war has been heard in the land ;" But are you prepared 
 to meet the tempest and the storm of battle ; « the 
 thunder of the captains," and " the shouting of armies?" 
 the <* neighing of the war steeds ;" and the " pransings 
 of the mighty ones?" Is your confidence placed in ** an 
 arm of flesh ?" Does it repose on the means of defence, 
 which are prepared, and preparing ? Are your hopes 
 centered in regular armies, disciplined militia, or patri- 
 otic volunteers ? Know then, this most humiliating 
 truth, that although the imperial eagle may ** build 
 her nest on the top of a rock ;" and that rock *' may 
 be fortified to the height of the heavens," yet God is 
 able " to bring down from thence :" and " the terrible 
 and dreadful, whose judgment and dignity proceed from 
 themselves," may « deride every strong hold : heap dust, 
 and take it ; and " gather captivity like the sand" of 
 of the sea. Instead, therefore, of " numbering the 
 people," as David did of old, in "the pride of his 
 heart," and counting the thousands, tens of thousands, 
 and millions, who unsheathe the sword at your com- 
 mand, rather humble yourselves at the footstool of the 
 throne of Jehovah ; and lead the fulness of the United 
 States, to seek the *< God of Gods ; the " Lord of 
 liords ; the King of kings, who can turn " the day of 
 prosperity" into the « night of adversity ;" or change 
 
23 
 
 <* the shadow of death," into " the morning" of glory ; 
 and thus glorifying " that God, in whose hand is your 
 breath, and whose are all your ways :" " breaking off 
 your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by shew- 
 ing mercy to the poor:" " causing judgment to run down 
 as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream,'" you 
 may then indulge a humble hope, of " the lengthening 
 of national tranquility :" and the continuance of indi- 
 vidual prosperity. But, if you proudly " refuse him, 
 who is speaking from heaven," in the voice of uncom- 
 monly, solemn and alarming providences ; if in the 
 words of a prophet, ** you are stretching yourselves on 
 the couch of ease;" " eating the lambs of the flock and 
 the calves of the stall :" ** chaunting to the sound of the 
 viol :" inventing instruments of music : " drinking wine 
 in full flowing bowls :" and " anointing pride with all 
 the perfumes of vanity," tlie ** tower of Siloam" may 
 yet fall ; the hand that has raised you to the pinnacle, 
 may rend the pillars of the federal temple from their 
 base J and the just indignation of an injured and indig- 
 nant people, may whelm you in dust, beneath the ruins 
 of the ruined eapitol of political glory. Remember, 
 therefore, I beseech you, the language of the text : Be 
 ye persuaded, that the inhabitants of Richmond," were 
 not sinners above all,'* *< because they sufl^ered such 
 things ;" and learn from the impressive words of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ himself; this awakening, this awful 
 truth, that « except ye repent, ye shall all likewise pe- 
 rish." 
 
 Legislators of assembled States! " A voice of la- 
 mentation, mourning, and woe," has been heard from the 
 rising, to the setting sun of America : It was the voice 
 of, a " Rachel weeping bitterly for her children:" It was 
 •* the voice of, a Jacob mourning for his Joseph :" Ir 
 was the voice of, Virginia lamenting her chief magis- 
 trate, who perished^ as is supposed, in attempting to 
 
24 
 
 rescue others from devouring flames : It was the voicfe 
 of a wliole city bewailing her most valued, her best be- 
 loved citizens, composed of manly virtue, and of female 
 grace. The appeal to your feelings was resistless : The 
 pulse of public life stood still ; Humanity wept the liv- 
 ing and the dead: A full month has borne witness to sym- 
 pathetic sorrows. But indulge me to query, if one of 
 ihese mournful days, has been allotted to humiliation 
 and prayer, at the footstool of the throne of Almighty 
 God ? Or have your supplications, intercessions, and 
 cries, ascended in unison to him, who ** giveth wisdom 
 to the wise, and knowledge unto men of understanding," 
 that it may please the majesty of his grace, to inspire 
 the president, senators, and representatives of *< so 
 great a people," with ** wisdom, prudence, and sound 
 discretion 5" with fortitude, magnanimity, and valour 
 in the present solemn and eventful crisis; a crisis, 
 which, in prophetical language, involves " distress 
 of nations," "perplexity" in public councils, and 
 « men's hearts failing them" by reason of fear; for here, 
 the " lion pants to tear in pieces for his whelps :" and 
 there, the tiger stoops, to spring with surer aim ; and 
 strike with more determined force. Forget not, there- 
 fore, we beseech you, that it is " the most High who ru- 
 leth in the kingdom of men," and " giveth it, to whom- 
 soever he will:" at times, " exalting the basest of men," 
 <^ to hew down the imperial tree" of other realms ; to 
 ** cut off its wide spreading branches," and " scatter its 
 luxuriant fruits abroad." All these things were accom- 
 plished on the haughty Chaldean, at " the end of twelve 
 months," as he stretched forth his hand, and said, <» is 
 not this, the great Babylon, that I have built, by the 
 might of my power ; and for the honor of my majesty ?" 
 and things like unto these, may yet be accomplished in 
 those States, which at present, form the hope, the 
 strength, the pride, the bulwark of this Avestcrn world ,* 
 
25 
 
 and that within the very same compass of rapidly, re- 
 volving time. If, therefore, you lead the fulness of 
 your constituents, to hend the knee, as in dust, before 
 God ; and appoint for their good, a day of general hu- 
 miliation, fasting, and prayer, persuade them to believe, 
 that the inhabitants of lliehmond, "were not sinners 
 above all" the inhabitants of your respective states, 
 ** because they suffered such things :" and noting every 
 toiic of the trump of the Almighty j and *< the voice of 
 the son of God," proclaim, as in tlie language of eternal 
 truth, " except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish:" 
 and add witli energy and pathos, that " yet a very lit- 
 tle while," and *< the punishment of the iniquity of the 
 daughters" of America, may be *' greater, than the pu- 
 iiislunent of the sin of Sodom, who perished in a mo- 
 ment from heaven, and no hand upon earth stayed her 
 destruction." " Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance 
 of idleness, were in Sodom and Gomorrha :" " Ad- 
 mah and Zeboiim strengthened not the hands of the 
 poor, and the needy ; they walked in haughtiness, and 
 committed abominations." Are not some of those sins 
 among you ? Are not most of these iniquities in the 
 midst of our tents ? Has eternal justice, no claims, 
 hi behalf of twelve millions of Africans, who have been 
 annually sacrificed, for almost a century past, to the 
 demon of commercial avarice ; the spirit of European 
 luxury; and the genius of American indolence? Has 
 moral retribution, no demands, in favour of the Abori- 
 ginals of this country ? Yes ! verily, it hath : And the 
 name of the illustrious Piinn, a friend indeed! is the 
 only name, against which, there is no debit, in <* the 
 book of remembrance." Is there nothing due from the 
 harpies of speculation, to the war worn soldier ? Most 
 undoubtedly there is : These panted " for the dust on 
 the head of poverty;" and left the widow, the father- 
 less, and the orphan, « to perish, without any regard- 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 iiig/' Arc the groans, the tears, the sighs, the mighty 
 t\Tongsof more than one million, one hundred and ninety 
 thousand slaves, unregistered in the Yolume of omnis- 
 cience? Can a doubled, a trebled population of misery, 
 Avhich is the fact in Tennessee, be forgotten before 
 God ? No, surely, no ! Shall not I visit for these things ? 
 saith the Lord : Shall not my soul be avenged on such a 
 nation as this ? The Lord of hosts may visit, as a pro- 
 phet hath said, " at an instant, suddenly, and visit Avith 
 thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise : with 
 tempest, and storm, and the flame of devouring fire.** 
 Then, be ye instructed, " lest the soul of Jehovah de- 
 part," and " our cities become desolate ;" our *' towns, 
 a land not inhabited.'* Thus God hath visited Nine- 
 veh, Babylon, and even Jerusalem herself: ** The line of 
 confusion and the stones of emptiness are stretched 
 around them ; and desolation sits enthroned amid a 
 waste of awful ruins. The trump of Heaven pro- 
 claims, •« Repent, Repent :'* It sounds aloud, and, " Be 
 ye ready also." 
 
 Young men of Virginia! Young men of Philadelphia I 
 united as one, in sympathies of sufTeraace, and sorrow, 
 we shall not divide betAveen a band of brothers. Far 
 be it from your ministering servant to pronounce, that 
 those Avho " suffered such things," as your mothers, fa- 
 thers, sisters, brethren, did suffer, *' were sinners above 
 all" the inhabitants of the United States. Far be it 
 from candour to suppose, that even they, Avho suffered 
 death, in tortures of consuming flames, " were sinners 
 above" thousands in this gay metropolis, whose days 
 << are given to pleasures j" Avhosc nights are devoted to 
 theatrical amusements. That <« charity, which think- 
 eth no evil f that " charity, which speaketh no evil :" 
 that" charity, which hopeth all things," rathei- prompts 
 the speaker, to say, in the words of a poet, " P'or us, 
 vour brethren suffered j and for us, your sisters died ;" 
 
 ;■'■*« 
 
27 
 
 A riis^lit improvement of the late afflictive dispensation, 
 may form a new born, moral star, vvliose " fires shall 
 never dim with age," whose fires shall light the youth- 
 ful pilgrim on his dangerous way, across the wastes of 
 sin, the wilderness of vice. Be comforted, my sorrow- 
 ing friends ! It is possible, that ministering spirits, sent 
 Ibrth to minister, soothed the last, momentary pangs of 
 expiring virtue : that angels breathed the requiem of 
 celestial peace around the bitterness of agonistic death; 
 as death approached infantile forms, enrobed in living 
 flames. Yes ! Virtue gains the bosom of its father, and 
 its God, impassive of decay, amid encircling fires : 
 And innocence ascends, as rose the angel from the 
 rock, upborne on roseate plumes, to mansions of eternal 
 bliss. Weep not for them : they rather weep for you : 
 lest " pleasure, falsely so called," may spread her fas- 
 cinating snares around your future path ; and tempt 
 the wanderer's devious step, from Virtue's hallowed 
 hill. You bade farewel to vanity and vice, the moment 
 that you heard the sad report : the solemn tidings of fu- 
 nereal woes. These pious resolutions have been 
 strengthened, and confirmed, by a public, devotional 
 act, in which you recognised your dependence upon 
 God : confessed that ** life is but a vapour, which ap- 
 pearcth for a little time, and then vanisheth away :" 
 and acknowkdged tlie^ necessity of religion, to sustain, 
 support, uphold, in the day of trial, " when the keepers 
 of the liouse tremble," and " the strong men bow them- 
 selves down." If then, my youthful friends, fashion, or 
 folly, should ever entice; if rebel passions ever beat 
 aloud to arms, spurn at the first, and check the last, by 
 hastening to the tomb, wheie relatives and friends re- 
 pose ; stretch all your pinions for the temple of the 
 grave; and on the altars of the dead, renew your sa- 
 cred vows; repledge your plighted faith; and live 
 thenceforth to God, and God alone, << iu righteousness^ 
 
28 
 
 »nd faith ; in charity and peace :" remenihering this 
 truth, " that there is no land of darkness, and no slia- 
 dow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide 
 themselves :" and evermore saying, how shall I do this, 
 or that great wickedness, and sin against God ? for, 
 *< whither can ye go from his spirit? or, whither can ye 
 flee from his presence ?" The " eyes of the Lord arc 
 in every place, beholding the evil and the good ;" ** as 
 a flame of fire, they run to and fro throughout the 
 whole earth." The darkness and the light are both alike 
 to God:" *• the night shineth as the day before him." 
 ** Are there any that can hide themselves in secret? 
 and I shall not see them ? for do not I fill lieaAcn and 
 earth ? saith the Lord." " Remember, therefore your 
 creator," preserver, redeemer, and saviour, " in the 
 days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the 
 years draw nigh, in which sinners find no pleasure in 
 sin ;" for, " at the last, it biteth like a serpent ; it 
 stingeth like an adder." And thus, " removing sorrow 
 from the heart ;" and " putting aAvay evil from the 
 flesh," may « you pass the time of your sojourning, in 
 godly reverence, and in filial fear:" knowing, ♦• that 
 God shall bring every work into judgment, >vith every 
 secret thing, whether it be good, or evil," And when, 
 ♦< the winds shall blow," the " rain descend," the 
 *« tempest beat," the " flood of death roll on," may your 
 foundation rest upon " the rock, from everlasting 
 strong ;" and faith firm fixed on God ,• and stedfast hope 
 in Jesijs Christ, sustain, support the deathless spirit, 
 and immortal soul, as " heaven itself shall pass aAvay 
 w ith mighty noise i" and " all these eleinents dissolve 
 in fervent heat," 
 Daughters of Pennsylvania! A theatre exists in your 
 smiles : a theatre expires at your frowns. Forgive the 
 speaker for the thought ,• it pains him at the vei-y heart, 
 to think, that delicate woman, has shown less sensibili- 
 
29 
 
 tj, than sterner man. Is it possible ? can it be true r 
 that our young men repaired in solemn procession, to 
 the temple of their (Jod, and Avept with those who wept, 
 the living, and the dead ? and that any of our young 
 women, tripped in frolic mood, to yon Olympian dome, 
 and smiled at pantomimic folly, laughing in the sober 
 face of death himself? Has man ordained four month's 
 abstinence from every species of gaiety and mirth? are 
 ** the daughters of music brought low ?" Must the song 
 of festivity be heard no more? Is the light footed child 
 for^ndden to dance ? And can there be a female in ex- 
 istence, who did not consecrate one mournful night, to 
 weep for kindred female forms, enwrapt in living fires, 
 and shrieking, crisping, slu'ivelling, dying in suiround- 
 ing flames? Boast not, my thoughtless friends, of past 
 security. The peaceful calm, is but the herald of the 
 coming storm. Those spacious stairs, and wide unfold- 
 ing doors, wliich promise to redeem from death, may 
 fail of power, to snatch you from an instant grave. Can 
 these repel the thunderbolts of heaven ? or those dis- 
 arm the liglttuing of its fatal powers ? Ah! see, that gay 
 assemblage, beauty, elegance, and taste, who crowd the 
 theatre at Yeniee ! The whirlwind sweeps ; the tem- 
 pest roars ; the storm descends ; the thunders roll ; the 
 lightnings blast; the dead, the dying lay in heaps around 
 the floor ; the groanings of the wounded fair, are hor- 
 rible indeed ! Electric fluid scars the loveliest face, 
 where smiles and dimples played. The scorching fire 
 has withered beauty's fiiding rose. This was a fire en- 
 kindled by the breath of God : the lightnings heard his 
 voice, and sped at his command. O ! think upon the 
 terrors of this awful night ; and tremble at tlie words 
 of everlasting truth, thus ye may perish as by « fire 
 from heaven:" and this, my friends, may be your instan- 
 taneous fate ! Tlien, be ye warned by these instructive 
 scenes. Obey the voice of Jesus Christ, whicli sounds. 
 
30 
 
 '« repent, repent," and " sin no more.'* The theatre, at 
 best, Jeiuls down to moral dcatli : at worst, her living 
 guests, are in "thechamhers of the dead,-" they live 
 to folly ; and they die to God : while time niispent, and 
 talents misiniproved, and fortune lavished in support of 
 vice, arc sins, which follow to a dread account; and 
 sink the conscious spirit, in the depths of mental woe. 
 ITap])y arc they, who never tread this fatal round, 
 VAhere morals, manners, sentiment, and taste, are all 
 ingulphed within the vortex of surrounding vice. More 
 liappy those, whom poverty precludes from listening to 
 the syren song of fashion, vanity, or pride, which 
 lure the footsteps of tlie fair, from paths of piety and 
 peace. And happiest of the happy are the few, who 
 give their morning hours to God; who loan the noon 
 of life, to wipe away the tear from sorrow's cheek; to 
 hush the little orphan's sigh ; and ** cause the widow's 
 heart, to sing aloud for joy :" And whose approaching 
 iiight of death, reflects the splendors of celestial day; 
 and floods the raptured soul with visions of eternal hliss! 
 And now **for my brethren and my companions' 
 sakes ;" for the temporal happiness of the United States, 
 and the never ending felicity of all its inhabitants, my 
 prayers unto the God of my salvation, most fervently 
 sliall he, that eyerj individual may listen with serious, 
 and with solemn attention, to <he awakening language of 
 the Lord Josus Christ himself, as contained in the mo- 
 mentous words of this impressive text ; "suppose ye, 
 that these Galileans, were sinners above all the Galile- 
 ans, because they suftcred such things ? I tell you nay : 
 but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish :*' or 
 *< think ye, that tliose eighteen upon whom the tower of 
 Siloain fell, and slew them, were sinners above all men 
 that dwelt in Jerusalem, I tell you nay: But except ye 
 repent, ye sSijdl all likewise perish.'* And may not these 
 words, which are twice repeated, to render them more 
 
31 
 
 fleeply impressive, be translated in spirit and in trulli, 
 and that Avitlioiit any " perversion of the words of the 
 living God," " the Lord of hosts," as if they had been 
 ihus uritten, ou the tablet of divine revekition f and 
 ihese Avere their glowing characters, as impressed in 
 « the volume of this book," " suppose ye, that the in- 
 habitants of Riclimond, vvei'e sinners above all the inha- 
 bitants of the United States, because they siiflered such 
 things ? I tell you nay: But except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise perish," or " think ye, that those three score 
 and ten on whom the burning torrent fell, and consum- 
 ed them as ia a moment, were sinners above all the in- 
 habitants of every other capital ? I tell you nay : But 
 except ye repent, yo shall all likewise perish." Yes.' 
 verily, in this mode the twice repeated truths of re- 
 ally one text, may be translated ; and thus the words 
 of the redeemer may be engraven, as w ith " a pen of 
 iron," or " the point of a diamond on the rock" of the 
 human heart. Instead, therefore, of presuming, to say, 
 that the inhabitants of Richmond, were the greatest of 
 all possible sinners," because they suffered such things," 
 as rent a father's bursting heart, as pierced a mother's 
 anguished breast : as whelmed a brother in the dust of 
 death; and sunk a sister in the depths of deep despair t 
 may each individual remember for himself, this most 
 important, interesting truth, «• repent, repent, o* jierish 
 thou, and die." These, my brethren, and my frieiwls, 
 are the solemn words of Jesus Christ, our Loi-d. Eter- 
 nal truth, " who cannot lie," has twice repeated these 
 awakening, and alarming sounds, « except ye repent, 
 ye shall all likewise perish." They are sealed as the 
 yea and amen" of an immutable God, with whom, is 
 *« neither variableness" of change, nor " shadow of turn- 
 ing ;" and whose prophetic declaration is " Oiat at m hat 
 instant, I shall speak, concerning a nation, or concerning 
 a kingdem, topluck iip,and to pull down, and to destroy ; 
 
oJ 
 
 if tliat nation against wliom, I have pronounced tlieso 
 things, turn froui their evil, then Avili I repent oi" the 
 evil, that I thought to do unto them : and at what in- 
 stant, 1 shall speak, concerning a nation, or concerning 
 a kingdom, to build and to plant it : if it do evil in my 
 sight j and obey not my voice, then will 1 repent of the 
 good, wherewith, I said, I would benefit them." And 
 may not this, be the language of the Almiglity unto us ? 
 as it was the message of Jehovah to his ancient Israel, 
 by the ministry of his servant Moses ; "I will heap mis- 
 chiefs upon them ; I will spend mine arrows within 
 theaij they shall be burnt with hunger; devoured 
 with burning heat ; and consumed by bitter destruction ; 
 I will also send the teeth of wild beasts; with poison of 
 the serpents of the dust; and the sword without, and the 
 terror within, shall destroy both the young man and 
 the maiden ; the suckling also, and the man of gray 
 hairs; yea, I will scatter them into corners; and make 
 their remembrance to cease from among men." War, 
 earthquake, and pestilence, my brethren and my friends, 
 are the triune ministers of the wrath of God, as " re- 
 vealed from heaven, against all ungodliness, and unrigh- 
 teousness of men." Two of these avengers of violated 
 covenants, have already " marched through the land in 
 indignation." The pestilence moved onwards before 
 God ; ttnd ten thousand, seven hundred and eighty one, 
 were numbered for death, in Philadelphia, alone. War 
 hath been, now is, and yet may be: the inscriptions on 
 his banners, are, thou wast ; thou art ; and thou art 
 yet to come. Time past, is in front ; time present, forms 
 the centre; and time still future crowds upon the rear. 
 Last, in these armies of the Lord of hosts, and not the 
 least amid destroying powers, tremendous earthquake 
 sounds his awful trumpet, loud, and long: and all its 
 dreadful tones pronounce, proclaim, " O earth, earth, 
 earth, hear the wojd of the Lord." << Repent, repent. 
 
33 
 
 repent, or perish ye, aud die." One trumpet yet re- 
 mains to sound; it is *<the trump of the archangel;" 
 and the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and this the 
 note that wakes the dead, « prepare, prepare, prepare, 
 to meet thy God." " Wliat meanest thou, then, O 
 sleeper! asleep in the midst of whirlwinds, and tem- 
 pests, and storms : asleep on the raging billow, whose 
 instant roll may whelm us all beneath the deep. Awake ? 
 arise ! call upon thy God, if so be, that we perish not." 
 Or to eonclude> in the emphatioal language of an in- 
 spired apostle, " awake thou that sleepest ! arise as from 
 tlie dead ! and may " Christ give thee light ;" the light 
 6f everlasting, and eternal life, amen ; so be it Loi'd : 
 •amenn 
 
 FINIS, 
 
 ERRATA. 
 Page 13, 1st line, for convicted ^ read converted 
 
 B 
 
HISTORICAL NOTES, 
 
 FROM 
 
 MNEMONIKA. 
 
 QJ^ The author is indehted for the fol4«^ving me- 
 moranda, to a very elaborate series of chronological 
 tablets, published under the title of Mnemonika, in a 
 neat 12mo vol. by Edward J. Coalc, of Baltimore, 1812. 
 It is a work of immense research, and astonishing mi- 
 nuteness, comprehending more universal information, 
 than any other book of 3*8 pages. Nonpareil type. 
 
 NOTICES OF DEATH. 
 
 A late publication makes the number of inhabitants 
 ©n the globe, to be, 896 millions. Of these, 226 milli- 
 ons are denominated. Christians : 10 millions, Jews : 
 210 millions, Mahometans : 450 millions. Pagans. Of 
 those professing the Christian religion, there are 50 
 millions of Protestants : 30 millions of the Greek and 
 Armenian Churches ; and 90 millions of Catholics. 
 The aggregate population on the surface of the known 
 habitable globe, is estimated at 896 millions of souls. 
 If we reckon with the ancients, that a generation lasts 
 30 years, in that space, 896 millions of the human race 
 will be born and die ; consequently, 81,760 are drop- 
 ping into eternity every day j 3i97 every hour j and 
 about 36 every minute. 
 
TABLE, No. I 
 
 Memoranda of Destructive Fires, in the Elder World ! 
 
 1729 
 
 Constantinople, 
 
 Turkev, 
 
 12,000-> 
 
 
 1749 
 
 do. 
 
 do. '• 
 
 12,000 
 
 
 1750 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 14,000 
 
 
 1756 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 15,500 
 
 
 1782 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 17,800 
 
 
 1784 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 12,000 
 
 
 1791 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 32,000 
 
 
 1792 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 7,000 
 
 f 
 
 1795 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 7,000 
 
 1799 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 1,300 
 
 o 
 
 176n 
 
 do. 
 
 do.-^ 
 
 
 22 
 
 1765 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 
 o 
 
 1767 > 
 
 do. 
 
 do. > say 
 
 20,000 
 
 CO 
 
 1769 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 
 1771 J 
 
 do. 
 
 do J 
 
 
 
 1752 
 
 Moscow, 
 
 Russia, 
 
 18,000 
 
 to 
 
 1756 
 
 Berghen, 
 
 Norway, 
 
 1,000 
 
 O 
 
 1790 
 
 Carlscrone, 
 
 Russia, 
 
 1,087 
 
 
 1793 
 
 Archangel, 
 
 Russia, 
 
 3,000 
 
 
 1795 
 
 Copenhagen, 
 
 Denmark, 
 
 1,363 
 
 
 1796 
 
 Smyrna, 
 
 Turkev, 
 
 4,000 
 
 
 1797 
 
 Scutari, 
 
 do. " 
 
 3,000 
 
 
 1780 
 
 Petersburgh, 
 
 Russia, 
 
 11,000 
 
 
 1780 
 
 Gera, 
 
 Totally destroyed. 
 
 
 
 1788 
 
 Gabel, Bohemia, 
 
 do. 
 
 
 
 1803 
 
 Madras, 
 
 
 1,000^ 
 
 
 0:j= To these, may be added, many lesser fires, in various parts of 
 the world, including- towns, viflages, and hamlets, composed of 600 
 dwellings ; aiid from thence down to 50 habitations of the poor, who 
 have repeatedly lost their little all. 
 
 TABLE, No. n. 
 
 Notices of Fires in Araeri^ga. 
 
 1747^ 
 1760 
 
 
 
 
 1761 y 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Massachusetts, 
 
 Damage, 100,000 1. 
 
 1763 
 
 
 
 
 1775 J 
 
 
 
 
 1787 
 
 do. 
 
 
 100 Houses. 
 
 1794 
 
 
 
 Damage, 200,000 1. 
 
 1802 
 
 Portsmouth, 
 
 New Hampshire, 
 
 150 Houses. 
 
 1811 
 
 Newburvport, 
 
 Massachusetts, 
 
 300 Buildings. 
 
 1778 
 
 New York City, 
 
 New York, 
 
 300 Houses. 
 
 1796 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 70 do. 
 
 1811 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 100 do. 
 
 1786 
 
 Richmond, 
 
 Virginia, 
 
 100 do. 
 
 1791 
 
 Newbern, 
 
 North Carolina, 
 
 160 do. 
 
 1778 
 
 Charleston, 
 
 South Carolina, 
 
 250 do. 
 
 1796 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 300 do. 
 
TABLE, No. m. 
 
 Burnlng^ of Theatres, Operas, Play Houses, Sic. &.c. 
 
 a 
 
 26 
 1671 
 1769 
 1791 
 1793 
 1778 
 1772 
 1794 
 1794 
 1794 
 1796 
 1787 
 1803 
 1805 
 1807 
 18G8 
 1809 
 1786 
 1770 
 1781 
 180 
 1808 
 1811 
 
 ►Vmphitheatre, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Play House, 
 
 Pantheon, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Opera House, 
 
 Astly's Theatre, 
 
 Hay Market, 
 
 Theati'e, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Play House, 
 
 Astly's, 
 
 Rov.'l Circus, 
 
 Sadler's AVells, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Play House, 
 
 Fu-e Works, 
 
 Opera, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Theatre, 
 
 Fidonia, 
 
 Drury Lane, 
 
 Venice, 
 
 Clermont, 
 
 London, 
 
 Saragossa, 
 
 Amsterdam, 
 
 uondon, 
 
 London Theatre, 
 
 Cape di Istria, 
 
 Mentz, 
 
 Bury, 
 
 London Theatre, 
 
 London, 
 
 London, 
 
 Covent Garden, 
 
 Driuy Lane, 
 
 Montpelier, 
 
 Paris, 
 
 Pai'is, 
 
 Altona, 
 
 Berlin, 
 
 Richmond, 
 
 Fell in, 50,000 lives lost. 
 
 Bm*nt, and 60 houses. 
 
 Fired by lightning, many killed- 
 
 Fell down, 30 killed. 
 
 Burnt, and 57 wounded. 
 
 Burnt, and 400 persons. 
 
 Burnt, and 150 persons. 
 
 Burnt, and 19 houses. 
 
 Trodden to death, 15 persons. 
 
 Fell down, all crushed to death': 
 
 Burnt, and 70 persons. 
 
 Fell down, and 5 killed. 
 
 Burnt, and 40 houses. 
 
 Burnt. 
 
 Trodden to death, 18 persons. 
 
 Burnt. 
 
 Burnt. 
 
 Fell, and 500 killed. 
 
 1000 lives lost. 
 
 Fire, multitudes perished. 
 
 Fire, many lives lost. 
 
 Fire, several lives lost. 
 
 Fire, 70 perished. 
 
 (Ijr To this list may be added, the theatre at Boston : Ricketts' 
 circus, Philadelphia : and many of lesser note, in different parts of 
 the world, making ao aggi-egate of 100,000, killed, wounded, mangle^, 
 burnt, &c. 
 
TABLE, No. IV. 
 
 THE Theatre at Richmond, Virginia, was consumed by fire, Decembev 
 26th, 1811 ; and the following Individuals perished in devouring 
 flames ! ! ! 
 
 MEN. 
 
 His Excel. Wm. Smith 
 
 Abraham Venable, esq 
 
 Benjamin Botts, esq. 
 
 Lieut. Gibbon, U. S. N. 
 
 AViiliam Brown, 
 
 George Dixon. 
 
 A. Marshall. 
 
 T. Lecroix. 
 
 Josepli Jacobs. 
 
 E. Wanton, jun. 
 
 VV. Southgate. 
 
 Mr. Convart. 
 
 His Child, do. 
 
 Mr. Nutal. 
 
 Mr. Judah's Child. 
 
 John Welch. 
 
 T. Fi-azier. 
 
 J. Walden. 
 
 A. B. Hezi. 
 
 E. J. Harvie. 
 
 R. Ferrill. 
 
 WOMEN. 
 Mrs. Cook. 
 Mrs. Lesley. 
 Mrs. Botts; 
 
 Mrs. Braxton. 
 Mrs. Patterson. 
 Mrs. Gallego. 
 Mrs. Page. 
 Miss Conyers. 
 Miss Mayo. 
 Miss Coutts. 
 Miss Nelson. 
 Miss Page. 
 Miss Hervcy. 
 Miss Whitlock. 
 Miss Craig. 
 Miss Stevenson. 
 Mrs. Gibson. 
 Miss Hunter. 
 Mrs. Davis. 
 Miss Gerard. 
 Miss Wade. 
 Mrs. Pickett. 
 Mrs. Heron. 
 Mrs. Laforest. 
 Miss Jacobs. 
 Miss Bausman. 
 Miss Marks. 
 Mr. Bott's Niece. 
 Miss Trouin. 
 
 Her Sister, do. 
 
 Mrs. Gerer. 
 
 Miss Ellicott. 
 
 Miss Griffin. 
 
 Mrs. Moss. 
 
 Her Daughter, do. 
 
 Miss Littlepage. 
 
 Miss Cook. 
 
 Mrs. Girardin. 
 
 Her two Children, do. 
 
 Miss Copeland. 
 
 Miss Gwathmey. 
 
 Miss Clay. 
 
 Mrs. Wilson. 
 
 Mrs. Greenhow. 
 
 3Iiss Green. 
 
 Miss Raphael. 
 
 Miss Elliott. 
 
 Mrs. Borhio. 
 
 Her Niece do. 
 
 Miss Gatewood. 
 
 Mrs. Laforest's Niece. 
 
 COLOURED PEOPLE. 
 
 Fanny Goff. 
 
 Betsy Johnson. 
 
 Philadelphia. 
 
TABLE, No. V. 
 
 Memoranda of memorable Earthquakes \ 
 
 iriAsia, 
 
 79lHeiculaneum, 
 lOrJAsla and Greece, 
 115 Antioch, 
 120 Nicomedia, 
 
 357 Macedonia, 
 
 Sr^Xice, 
 
 48U Constant inople, 
 
 548jAntioch, 
 
 742|Ncai-ly universal 
 
 8671 Mecca, many lives and 
 
 986|ConstanLinopIc, 
 1112'Lieg'e and Gottenburgh, 
 1186:Calabna, 
 1222|Brisa, Lombardy, 
 1456 Naples, 
 1693 Messnia, 
 1730Chili, 
 1754iGrand Cairo, 
 1755'Lisbon, Portugal, 
 1756: l^dermo, Italy, 
 1759 Damas, Barbury, 
 17841 Arch;ndschan, 
 IBUjiGerg-hon, Persia, 
 
 12 
 
 Cities overturned. 
 City of buried, 250,000. 
 Cities destroyed. 
 City of destroyed, 
 and several other cities swallowed up. 
 
 150 Cities destroyed 
 City of destroyed. 
 40 days earthquake. 
 
 4,8u0 persons swallov ed up^ 
 
 600 Cuies, destroyed. 
 1,500 houses thrown down, 
 overtlu'own. 
 do. 
 and all its inhabitants lost in ihe sea. 
 
 2000 persons perished. 
 40,000 persons perished. 
 78,000 persons perished, 
 the whole kingdom swallowed up. 
 40,000 persons perished, 
 totally destroyed. 
 
 do 
 
 60,000 persons perished. 
 14,000 lives lost. 
 
 40,000 swallowed up. 
 
 TABLE, No. VL 
 
 INIemoranda of the pestilence, plague, &c. 
 
 78 
 
 Rome, 
 
 per day. 
 
 772 
 
 Chichester, 
 
 England, 
 
 954 
 
 Scotland, 
 
 Great Britain, 
 
 1347 
 
 London, 
 
 England, 
 
 1348 
 
 (iermany, 
 
 
 1611 
 
 Constantinople, 
 
 TurkeV, 
 
 lb32 
 
 Lvons, 
 
 France, 
 
 1665 
 
 London, 
 
 England, 
 
 177,. 
 
 Bassorah, 
 
 Persia, 
 
 1792 
 
 ••'^.VP^. 
 
 
 179A 
 
 Baibary, 
 
 per day. 
 
 1799 
 
 i'ez. 
 
 per month 
 
 1800 
 
 Morocco, 
 
 per day. 
 
 1784 
 
 Tunis, 
 
 
 1784 
 
 Smyrna, 
 
 
 10,000 
 34,000 
 40,000 
 50,000 
 90,000 
 
 200,000 
 60,000 
 68,000 
 80,000 
 
 800,000 
 3000 
 
 247,000 
 
 1,800 
 
 32,000 
 
 20,000 
 
234 
 S49 
 549 
 701 
 944 
 1055 
 
 TABLE, No. VII. 
 RcmaiJcable Storms, Tempests, Inundations, &c. 
 
 Canterbury, Wind, 
 Carlile, Storm of Wind, - 
 London, many liouses, and 
 Lincoln, - - - - 
 London, mjiny killed, and 
 London, many lives, and - 
 
 200 houses blown down. 
 
 - 420 do. 
 250 persons killed. 
 
 - 100 houses blown down. 
 1500 do. 
 
 400 do. 
 
 918 
 1752 
 1791 
 
 1762 
 1719 
 1222 
 
 Scotland, 
 
 Wales, 
 
 Cuba, 
 
 Rains, uncommon. Snows, &c. 
 
 Snow in Eng'land, for 
 Snow, so lerrible, that 
 
 14,700 Cattle, and 
 
 Thunder for 15 days, many lives lost. 
 
 5 months rain. 
 
 10,000 Sheep deslroye<i. 
 
 3,000 jiersons destroyed. 
 
 11 days, steiuly. 
 
 7000 Swedes perislied. 
 
 Hail, tremendous. 
 
 1205 
 
 London, 
 
 1510 
 
 Italy, 
 
 1558 
 
 Southamptonshire, 
 
 1651 
 
 Dorchester, 
 
 1697 
 
 Chesiiire, 
 
 1772 
 
 St. Jag-o, - 
 
 1776 
 
 Antwerp, 
 
 1782 
 
 Madrid, - 
 
 1782 
 
 Surat, - 
 
 1784 
 
 Pyrenees, 
 
 Hail 
 Hail 
 Hail 
 Hail 
 Hull 
 Huil 
 Hail 
 Hail 
 Hull 
 Hail 
 
 as large as hens' egg's, 
 destroyed e\er\' thin^. 
 
 15 inclies round. 
 
 7 inches 
 
 8 ounces weig-ht. 
 
 as large as oranges. 
 12 ounces weig-ht. 
 
 16 ounces weig-lit. 
 killed 7000 people. 
 23 oimces wci<iht. 
 
 Inundations, awful. 
 
 1421 I Dort, Sea broke in, and 
 
 1737 1 At Ganges, 20,000 vessels, and 
 
 100,000 drowned. 
 300,000 lives lost 
 
 Volcanic eruption. 
 
 7'9 I Vesuvius, 2 Cities, and - - 250,000 periahed 
 There have been lyiwards of 40 eruptions since 79. 
 
TABLE, No. Vni. 
 Census of Slaves, 1800 and 1810 ! 
 
 ^ 
 "m 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 1800. 
 
 1810. 
 
 Decreased. 
 
 Increased. 
 
 New Hampshire, 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 Massachusetts; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Connecticut, 
 
 951 
 
 310 
 
 641 
 
 
 Vermont, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rhode Island, 
 
 308 
 
 108 
 
 200 
 
 
 New York, 
 
 20,613 
 
 15,017 
 
 5,146 
 
 
 New Jersey, 
 
 12,422 
 
 10,851 
 
 1,571 
 
 
 Pennsylvania, 
 
 1,706 
 
 795 
 
 911 
 
 
 Delaware, 
 
 6.153 
 
 4,177 
 
 1,976 
 
 
 Maryland, 
 
 107,707 
 
 111,502 
 
 
 3,795 
 
 Virginia, 
 
 346,968 
 
 392,518 
 
 
 45,550 
 
 North Carolina, 
 
 133,296 
 
 168,824 
 
 
 35,528 
 
 South Carolina, 
 
 146,051 
 
 196,345 
 
 
 50,294 
 
 Georgia, 
 
 59,699 
 
 105,218 
 
 
 45,519 
 
 Kentucky, 
 
 40,343 
 
 80,501 
 
 nearly doubled. 
 
 40,221 
 
 Ohio, 
 
 
 
 
 
 (bled. 
 
 
 Tennessee, 
 
 13,584 
 
 44,535 
 
 more than tre- 
 
 30,951 
 
 Mississippi Territory, 
 
 3,489 
 
 17,088 
 
 ditto. 
 
 14,599 
 
 Indiana Tei-ritory. 
 Orleans Territory. 
 
 135 
 
 237 
 34,660 
 
 
 202 
 
 
 
 
 Louisiana Territory. 
 
 
 3,011 
 
 10,453 
 
 266,659 
 
 Michigan Territory, 
 
 
 24 
 
 
 
 Illinois Territory, 
 
 
 128 
 
 Decrease in 
 
 Increase in 
 
 District of Columbia, 
 
 
 5,395 
 
 lO Years 
 
 10 Years 
 
 1,191,304 Total No, of Slaves. 
 
 ^•%^,