10 F8 ; snt Miscellaneous remarks - * - § Geographical remarks on most countries in the world ----- 8. The present population and number of square miles in the different states of Europe and the United States of America - 1 2 The four quarters of the Ayorld ib The present annual income of Great Britain 13- Population of the colonies of North America in 1753 - . - - - ib Remarks on the human species - - 14 relative to Ireland - - - 1 5 Eulogium on masonry - - - - 1 6 on benevolence - - 21 Remarks relative to England ... ib Scotland - * - 25 CHAPTER II; History of Ireland - 2& IV CHAPTER III — Defence of Christianity. Introductory remarks 40 Sentiments of Sir Francis Bacon 43 Honorable Robert Boyle - 44 Sir Isaac Newton - - 45 Joseph Addison, Esquire - 46 George Fox - - - ib Robert Barclay - - 47 William Penn 48 Honorable Thomas Erskine 5 1 Sir Matthew Hale - - 54 John Jay, Esquire - - 57 CHAPTER IV. History of England - - - - 58 CHAPTER V. History of Holland - - - - 70 CHAPTER VI. Historv of Scotland * - - 83 CHAPTER VII.— Afesom'c Articles. On masonry Advantages of masonry - Masonic character of Washington address of De Witt Clinton, Esquire An address by P. M. John Vanderbilt, Jun. Charity the first of masonic duties Brief description of masonry - An address to freemasons in general Sketches of the royal art Masonic principles - Character of a freemason Masonic hymn Prayers - - Masonic sentiments and toasts ■ Duties of a mason Masonic precepts The Triad Advice to the fair sex Elegant song Masonic son g - - 107 108 110 US 126' 132 - 153 - 134. - ib - 135 - 137 - 138 139, 140 - ib 141 ib 142 ib 143 144 AN INTERESTING COMPANION ¥011 THE FIRE-SIDE. '&c. CHAPTER I. —MISCELLANEOUS — Chronology in Sacred and Prophane History 1, Time commenced on the fourth day of the -week, at noon, at the autumnal equinox, and on a full moon day. 2. The Sun and Moon were cre- ated in that month, and on the first day of the first lunar year of the world. 3. The birth-day of the Messiah, happening on the same day. 4. The Sabbatical years, and the years of jubilee, began and endfid at the autumnal equinox, 5. The Temple of Solomon was dedicated on the same day of the month and day of the year on which Christ was born. 6 The conception of the Messiah, happen- ed at a new moon ; and his birth, at the autumnal equinox. Events that occurred at tlie Vernal Equinox, God called Abram out of ?7r, at the vernal equi- nox. 2. The 215 years which the children of Israel sojourned in Egypt, ended at tie vernal equi- nox. 3. T^e children of Israel departed cut of A Egypt, and entered Canaan, at the vernal equinox. The prophet Daniel's 70 weeks, or 400 years began and ended at the vernal equinox. The reigns of Saul, David and Solomon, began and ended at the vernal equinox. Autumnal, means the season of the year between summer and winter. By vernal, is meant, the spring season. The conception of John the Bap- tist, happened at full moon, and his birth at the ver- bal equinox. Thus we see, that the equinoxes have been dis- tinguished by many remarkable events. It is thought by some, that the second coming of the Messiah will be at the autumnal equinox ; at which time the world was created. The autumnal equinox begins about the 23d of September, and the vernal about the 2 1 st of March. The Creation of the World 4004 years before Christ. The birth of Cain, 4003. The Five Books of Moses were written 1452. David, king of Israel, born 1055. The History of the Bible, 430. John the Baptist, preached in Judea, 20 years afteqChrist. Jesus Christ was crucified 3 3. The first persecu- tion of the Christians, by Nero, 64 The Mariner's Compass discovered at Naples, 1 302. Gun-pow- der invented by Srjartg, a German monk, 1310. The English revenue, in 1421, only amounted to 55,754 pounds, and now it is about SO millions. The discovery of the circulation of the blood, by Harvey, \n 1619. Inoculation first tried upon cri- minals in 1727. A comet passed so near the Sun, in Sir Isaac Newton's time (92 years ago) that he computed its heat to be nearly three thousand times greater than that of red-hot iron. China, contains 'three hundred and thirty-three millions of people, nearly 42 times as many as those in the United States, rating the latter at eight millions ; and aU most twice as many as all Europe. Asia, is 4800 mile* in length, and 4300 in breadth. In this quar- 1-T of the world, Adam and Eve were created ; here Itfoah and his family rested after the deluge : this country is famous for the richness of its soil, and the salubrity of its air ; and, yet its inhabitants have been wretched from time immemorial. Assyria, is the most ancient empire in the world, (notwithstanding the claims of the Chinese.) It is said to have been founded by Ashur, shortly after the Cood. The famous city of Nineveh, which was 60 miles in circumference, was the capital of Assyria. The Books of Moses, are the most ancient and the most genuine record of what happened in the early ages of the world. Herodotus, is the oldest of the heathen historic ans. He flourished a thousand years after Moses, Hence, the Bible is the oldest book in the world. America, South and North, is about 9000 miles in length, and nearly 3000 in breadth ; bounded East by the Atlantic, West by the Pacific Ocean, South by the Southern Ocean ; its Northern boundary is unknown, and supposed to extend to the North Pole. America, took its name from an Italian, named American us, who made a voyage to the Western continent some years after Columbus discovered America J\orth and c -outh America are divided by the Isthmus of Darien, a neck of land 60 miles wide : — the largest lakes in the known world are in America, which may justly be called inland seas ; and the greatest river, the river La Plata, is said to be 150 miles wide, where it empties into the ocean ; it rises in Peru, and runs a course of 4000 miles. Of the whole population of the world 15 mil- lions are Jews ; 500 millions 500,000 are Chris- tians ; 280 millions are Mahometans, and the rest Pagans or Heathen. The whole number of people on the earth, is said to be nearly 900 millions ; and reckoning 30 years to a generation, the deaths in every year must be about 30 millions; in every day, S3 thousand 133 ; 8 !-n every hour, three thousand 412 ; in every mi- nute 57. Any given space, which maintains one man in the barren regions of Iceland, maintains in Turkey, 36 ; in Spain, 63 ; in Ireland, 99 ; in Scotland, 90 ; in England, 163; in France, 151 ; in Germany, 127 ; in Italy, 172 ; in Holland, 224. Geographical Remarks of most Countries in the World, Armenia, in Asia, length 380, breadth 300 miles ; capital, Erzcram.) lat. 41. long. 52, on Mount Ara- rat. In this country, Noah's Ark first rested afte? lhe deluge. Arabia, in Asia, length 1430, breadth 120 miles ; capital, Mecca, lat. 41. 46. N. long. 41. The fa- mous Mount Sinai, on which the Law was delivered to Moses, stands in this country. Brazil, in South America, length 2500, breadth TOO miles ; capital, Rio-Janeiro, lat. 24. 15. S. long. 43. 40. W: To (his country the Prince Regent and Royal Family of Portugal lately emigrated ; rather than accompany the late King of Spain and Royal Family to France. China, Asia, length 1950, breadth 1200 miles; capital, Pekin, lat. 39. 54. N. long. 116. 29. E. Pe- king contains twenty-five times as many people as the city of New- Fork, rating the latter at 95,000. The revenue of the Emperor of China, amounts an- nually fee upwards of 88 millions of dollars. Detimurky Europe, length 240, breadth 1^0 miles; < r.pital, Copenhagen, lat. 55. 40. N. long. 12. 15. E. The Danes, in early times, paid religious worship to the gods Fryr, Thyr, Thor, Saturus, in the Danish language, four days in the week ; they still retain the names of four of their deities. England, Europe, length 330, breadth 300 miles ; capital, London, lat. 51. England is generally sup.' 9 posed to have been peopled from Gaul, (row France.) For naval tactics, commercial enterprize and manufactures, the English are excelled by no n tion whatsoever. France, Europe, length 610, breadth 500 miles ; capital, Paris, lat. 47. 50. N. long. 3, E. This coun- try is situated in the centre of Europe ; boasts an immense population, and commanded by an ambi- tious and heroic chief, who aims at universal domi~ nation. Germany, Europe, length 620, breadth 530 miles ; capital, Vienna, lat. 48. 30. N.long. 16. 22. E. The warlike Germans, first resisted, next invaded, and lastly overturned and conquered the Roman monar- chy. The Reformation began in Germany in 1519. Greece, Asia, length 1000, breadth 980 miles ; capital, Constantinople, lat. 41. N. 30. 24. E. The present inhabitants of Greece are greatly degene* rated : their ancestors were once famous for arms, arts and science. It is now subject to the Turks. Holland, or the Batavian Republic, Europe, length 150, breadth 130 miles ; capital, Amsterdam, lat. 52. 25. N. long. 5. E. This country has lately been an* nexed to France. It is said to contain 1500 cities and villages. Judea, called « Palestine, the Holy Land, and Land of Promise" in Scripture ; anciently inhabited by the Jews, now a province of Asiatic Turkey j length 150, breadth 80 miles ; capital, Jerusalem^ lat. 32. long. 30. E. It was formerly divided into four parts, Idumea, Judea, Galilee and Samaria ; in king Solomon's time, it extended from the river Euphrates to the Mediterranean. India Proper, Asia, length 2000, breadth 1600 miles ; capital, Delhi, lat. 20. N. 76. E. Here the- males marry at fourteen and the females at ten ! The revenue of the Great Mogul is immense, said to amount to -forty millions sterling ; or, one hun- dred and seventy-seven millions, seven hundred and b 2 10 seventy-seven thousand, seven hundred and seventy 7-9 dollars. Ireland^ Europe, length 230, breadth 160 miles ; capital, Dublin, lat. 53. 20. ]N. long. 5. 12. W. Ire- land ii ten miles longer than Scotland, and just the same breadth. The distance between Ireland and Scotland is only twenty two miles. Italy-, Europe, length 650, breadth 200 miles ; capital, Rome. lat. 42. Ion*. 18. E. Italy, from its fertility and salubrity, is justly termed the garden of Europe. Malabar, Asia, length 400, breadth 130 miles; capital* Calcutta, lat. 1 1 . 2 J . N. long. 75. E. This was the first land that the Portuguese discovered in • he East Indies. Newfoundland, length 300, breadth 200 miles ; capital, Placentia, lat. 47. 30. Sf. long. 55. W. Here the English made the first settlement in America. Otaheite, in the Pacific Ocean ; length 60, breadth 15 miles. The people here go naked ; the sacred snd social ties of marriage are quite neglected, and fchc tender and endearing ties of consanguinity are unknown. Poland, Europe, length 700, breadth 680 miles ; capital, Warsaw, lat. 52. 16. N. long. 21. E. Un- happy Poland, has experienced many revolutions. Portugal, Europe, length 350, breadth 1 40 miles ; vapilal, Lisbon, lat. SO. 20. N. long. 8. W. This country, at present, is in a revolutionary state. Prussia, Europe, length 160, breadth 1 12 miles; capital, Berlin, lat. 5 3. N. lorg. 20. F. Prussia, is the smallest kingdom in Europe, and the most re- cently erected, except those which Bonatiaric has created. Russia, Europe, length 6757, breadth 2320 miles ; capital, Petersburgh, lat. 59. 57. N. long. 30. E. The empire of Russia, is the largest upon the 'ace of the £lobe ; it is so very extensive, that 11 Hvhere it is noon in the eastern, it is nearly mid- night in the western part of this empire. Scotlaiid, Europe, length 270, breadth 160 miles ; capital, Edinburgh, Iafc 56. N. long. 4. W. Scot- land is, by far, the oldest monarchy in Europe, hav- ing had 335 kings : Fergus, the first king of Scot- land, was a native of Ireland, and crowned 330 years before the Christian era, 2144 years ago. S/iain, Europe, length 610, breadth 520 miles ; capital, Madrid, hit. 40. N. long. 4. VV. It was once a powerful kingdom, but is at present in a revolu- tionary state ; its King, Charles the 5th, and all the Royal Family, are now prisoners in France. Sweden, Europe, length 970, breadth 700 miles ; capital, Stockholm, lat. ^9. 30. N. long. 20. E. It is the largest kingdom in Europe. The late French General Bernadotte is Crown Prince : the rightful sovereign, Gustavus the. 4th, is now in exile. Switzerland, Europe, length 230, breadth 120 miles ; capital, Berne, lat. 47. N. long. 8. E. This once free and highly happy country, is at present not so. As a certain writer strongly depicts it, " It is the empty and bloody skin of an immolated vic- tim ; it has nothing left but rocks, ruins and de- magogues." Turkey, Europe, length 910, breadth 760 miles j capital, Constantinople, lat. 41, 50. N. long. 28. E. The Grand Vizier, or first officer of state, has a sa- lary of 135,000 pounds sterling, besides presents and perquisites ; equal to twenty-four times the salary of the President of the United States ; but, when he displeases the people, in a few hours time they drag him from the Sultan y s arms, and cut off his head, hands and feet, and throw them before the palace gate. United States, length 2000, breadth 1040 miles, including Louisiana ; capital, Washington, lat. 38. 53. W. It cost the United States, during the late war, for obtaining their Independence, 2 1 mil- Ifons of dollars. The United States contain crre •13 million of square miles, or 6 40 millions ef acres. It cost Great Britain, during that war, 257 millions. The United tutes is the greatest commercial coun- try in ths world, except Great Britain. The present 'population of the different States of Europe, and thr United Slates of North America ; ivith the number of square miles iii each. France — 37 millions, 25 thousand square miles. Russia — 36 millions, three thousand five hundred square miles. Austria — about 20 millions, 200 thousand square miles. Turkey — 24 millions, 970 thousand square miles. British Dominions in Europe, including England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, 15 millions, 100 thou- sand square miles ; jusr one half the number of square miles in the United States. Spain — 1 1 millions, 150 thousand square miles. Prussia — 8 millions, 80 thousand square miles. Sweden — 3 millions, 200 thousand square miles, Denmark — 2 millions, 160 thousand square miles. Batavia, or Holland, 3 millions, 19 thousand square miles. Helvetia, or Switzerland, 2 millions, 15 thou- sand square miles. Portugal — 2 millions, 27 thousand square miles. Italy, a few years since, contained 16 millions. The Four Qmrters of the World. Asia — 550 millions, 1 1 millions square miles. Africa — 45 millions, 10 millions square miles. Europe — 160 millions, 2 millions 600 thousand square miles. America — 20 millions, 16 millions square mile? 13 The four quarters of the wfcrld contain 900 mil- lions of inhabitants ; and 39 millions 600 thousand square miles. From which it appears, that America contains more than one third of the square miles on the face of the earth. The present annual income of Great Britain, is said to amount to 30 millions pounds sterling ; 133 millions, 333 thousand, 333 hundred, 33-000 dol- lars. The following estimate of the population of the colonies of North America, in 1753 — ori- ginally given by Dr. Franklin, may gratify the curious, by perceiving the immense increase of population in this country- in sixty-one years. New-Hampshire, - 30,00© Massachusetts, - 220,000 Rhode-Island, - 35.000 Connecticut, - 100,000 New-York, - 100,000 New- Jersey, - C0,000 Pennsylvania 8c > Delaware, > - 250,000 Maryland, * 85,000 Virginia, - 85,000 North-Carolina, - 45,000 South-Carolina, - 30,000 Georgia, tal, 6,000 To 1,046,060 Canada, „ 45,000 Louisiana, - 7,000 Nova-Scotia, 5,000 57,000 •fi Remarks on tite Human Species. According to some writers, there are six varieties of men. The first, they say, is found under the polar circles* among whom are the Tartars, the Laplanders, the Greenlanders, the inhabitants of Nova Zembla, &c. The visage of the people here, is a broad nose,* somewhat flat ; the ey:s of a yellowish cast, and the skin of a dark grey colour ; their stature is short, being generally about four feet high : they are grossly ignorant and superstitious. 2- 'The Chinese, and the inhabitants of Japan, in Asia, form the next variety of the human specie?. Their countenances are broad and wrinkled, their nose flat and large, their complexion of a yellowish cast, and their hair very black. 3. The third variety is that of the inhabitants of India. These are of a slender make, with long black hair, like the American Indians ; but not so brave and hardy as the Aborigines of this country : they are said to be of an indolent and cowardly dis- position ; the fatal concomitants of the despotic governments under which they have lived for many ages, 4. The Africans make the fourth variety of cur species. Their woolly heads, their white teeth, and other peculiarities, it is needless to describe. Not- withstanding the ill-founded sarcasms that have been advanced relative to the inferiority of the Africans or blacks, (by some persons interested perhaps in the nefarious traffic of their fellow men) whatever the mental fioivers of the Africans maybe in the scorching regions of the Torrid Zone, (and I doubt not they ure equal to those of the whites when in a barbarous state three thousand years ago) those among us, of that race, I am sure form an exception ; being convinced, from observance per- sonal acquaintance, that maBy of them possess a id sound understanding, a retentive memory, and nt> small share of wit and ingenuity. It is earnestly to be wished, that those of that long oppressed race, who inhabit free and happy Columbia, may ere long enjoy all the natural rights of man. For Paul, by inspiration taught, once said, " That of one blood, God all the nations made ;" And, the great worthies of Columbia too, Avow'd man's sacred rights, whate'er their hue ; And O ! ye rulers of Columbia now, Can ye those noble maxims disavow — Ileason, Religion, humanity withal, Do for your strong and just exertions call, To set the wretched sons of Afric free, And let them share the sweets of Liberty ,^- By such a deed you'll gain a lasting fume, Thousands of Africans will bjess your name. In free America, for Liberty renown'd, . Let not the name of slave be ever found. The Indians, or Aborigines of America, are said to constitute the fifth variety of the human race. The Europeans form the sixth variety of the human species. The British, the Irish, and the descendants of Europeans, who inhabit North America, are allowed to be the fairest people upon earth. Remarks relative to Ireland. 1. The established religion of Ireland, is the same with that of England ; though four fifths of the people are Catholics s — there are, however, be- sides, a number of Presbyterians, Baptists and Me- thodists, all of whom are tolerated. 2. It is greatly to be lamented, that the sacred cause of religion in any country (as has been the case in Ireland) should be alluded to, for any other purpose than the furtherance of piety, virtue; ani the dissemination amongst men, of those duties which they owe to their fellow creatures. :i. The present number of inhabitants in Ireland, is said to be four millions. 4 According to Bishop Elfihins ton's History, it appears, that Fergus, a native of Ireland was the first king of Scotland ; who was crowned 330 years before the incarnation of our Saviour. Fergus^ hating totally defeated Coitus, the king of the Bri- tons, on the banks of the River Don ; the southern and eastern parts of Scotland, were called Coil y or Kyle, which name the inhabitants of those parts still retain, in the Earle tongue. The Highlanders are called (lad. 5. Irish Hosfiitality . The following account of Irish hospitality is taken from a celebrated writer. *• The hospitality of other countries is a matter of necessity or convenience ; in savage nations, of the first, of polished, of the latter. The hospitality of an Irishman, is not the running accounts of Posted and Legered courtesies, as in other countries ; it springs, like all his qualities, his virtues, his faults, from his heart. The heart of an Irishman, is by na- ture bold, and he confides ; is tender, and he loves ; is generous, and he gives ; social, and he is hospi- table " N. B. A comprehensive History of Ireland, will be found in Chapter II. of this book. EULOGITJM ON M VSONRY, Delivered in mount moriah lodge, St. John's Hall) on Wednesday Evening, A'ov. 16,5808. By Bro- ther John Crookfs. As an Exordium, to a Course of Lectures on the sublime Principles of the Institution. Worshipful Master and Brethren — 1 Have pre- pared to fulfil the wishes of the Lodge, as express- ed in its resolution at our lust meeting, to deliver an Exordium to a course of Lectures on the sublime 17 purpose than the furtherance of Piety, Virtue, and principles of Masonry. Much as I sincerely ap- prove of this method of " applying our hearts unto wisdom," I have to lament that the choice of the Lodge was not directed towards a member more skill- ed in the mysteries of our order, and more competent to point out their excellence and utility- I, there- fore, proceed to this new task with diffidence ; but with a diffidence lessened in some degree by the as- surance that you will hear me with candour, and re- gard my imperfections with indulgence. Of all human institutions with which History or our own experience has made us acquainted, MA- SONRY holds, and will ever hold, the most distin- guished pre-eminence. I ought, perhaps, to apolo^ gise to you for calling it a human institution, because it pre-supposes a time when Masonry began to be : but since wherever the most perfect order, symme- try, harmony and beauty appeared, these were the attributes of Masonry, it will be no fanciful supposi- tion to say that it has no origin, but is coeval with God himself. It is, consequently, divine. And, as it is compounded of principles which are in their own nature immutable and eternal, it must continue to exist for ever. It is, therefore, venerable from its antiquity, but not from its antiquity alone. Were it so, the veneration we shoul d pay to it on this ac- count might degenerate into the same species of blind homage which we sometimes involuntarily offer to hoary headed Error. If its antiquity has a great claim upon our regard, how much is that regard increased on the recollec- tion that our fraternity has been honoured with the brotherhood of David, Solemon, Hiram, and a host of worthies, whose names are recorded in the sacred volume, and are familiar to most of us ; that it has in all ages, and in all countries, wherever Science has made any progress, received the sanction of kings, princes, and divines, of « the most excellent of the earth ;'* and that in our day, and in our own s IS beloved land, it could boast of having a Chief Offi- cer, whose name (high and exalted) can never be pronounced in the United States but with reverence, whose memory will be precious to the end of time, \nd whose single approval would outweigh a whole world's disapprobation ! You will anticipate me as o the distinguished character to whom I allude, k'our own hearts will instinctively inform you that t can be no other than that " Corinthian pillar in the temple of immortality," the illustrious leader of our revolutionary armies. With such men for its admirers, and passing through such hands from one generation to another, it can hardly be a matter of wonder that Masonry should have descended to us in its primitive purity ; or that amidst so many astonishing revolutions in the states and empires of the earth — amidst the " Havoc, and Spoil, and Ruin," which the mad am- bition of men has produced in every age and in every clime — our order should have received the special protection of Heaven I Having glanced at some of its extrinsic excellen- cies, I shall now take a brief view of those inherent qualities of Masonry which have procured for it so honorable a distinction. The increase of useful knowledge ; the worship of one eternal Great First Cause of ajl things,, and the admiration of his attributes which is excited by the contemplation of his works ; the exercise of be- nevolence towards a distressed brother ; and the practice of every moral and social virtue, are among the primary objects of our institution. We are in- structed to value more than life the sacred obliga- tions of Honour, Probity, Truth, Friendship, Hos- piulity, and all those charities which bind man to man ; and to adorn, by our public and private con- duct, the dignity of our profession. It is one beautiful feature of Masonry, and one which is peculiar to itself, .that whilst it speaks, by signs well understood, an universal language, it 19 unites in the same bond of brotherly affection the native of Europe, of Asia, of Africa, and America ; it dissolves, as into one mass, all religious and po- litical prejudices, whether of education or of habit ; and acknowledges no other distinction than vice or virtue, good or evil. Indeed all the worst passions of men, which the intemperate discussion of those otherwise important subjects is calculate »! to arouse, seem to be hushed to rest in a Lodge of Free Ma- sons, and the reflecting mind contemplates with de- light a scene of perfect harmony unequalled in any other association upon earth. Men unacquainted with our mysteries are apt to imagine we have nothing to conceal ; and will fre- quently contend that the whole of Masonry consists in conviviality, and in ceremonies at once trifling and superficial. Our secrecy, of itself, is a virtue ; and our ceremonies, as every brother well knows who has paid them the attention they deserve, are not oniy useful but necessary. Every sign we make, every implement we use in our labour, every object we view in the Lodge, inculcates some moral lesson, and presents to our mind's eye some error to be avoided or some duty to be performed. When we advert to their origin we perceive clearly how insensibly our mysteries would sink into disre- gard if they should cease to be mysterious, we dwell with pleasure upon the ideas they convey through the senses to the soul, and we learn to estimate their value only from their propriety and use- fulness> It has been judiciously remarked, by an able wri- ter on this subject, that " the application of sensible, objects to a figurative use is amusing as well as in- structive ; and the imagination, the most ungovern- able of all the human faculties, is made subservient to the cause of virtue, and instrumental to moral im- provement. For that, by easy and apposite sym- bols, we learn the difference between physical and moral good ; to judge of the Creator by the works 20 of his creation ; and to infer from thence, that our wise Master-Builder, who has planned and com- pleted a habitation so suitable to our wants, so con- venient to our temporary residence here, has ex- ercised still more Wisdom in contriving, more Strength in supporting, and more Beauty in adorn- ing, those eternal mansions where he has promised to receive and reward all faithful Masons here- after." " Thus our Faith and Hope are exercised by the study of Masonry ; but there is a virtue which Di- vine Authority has pronounced greater than Faith and Hope, and to this excellent virtue of Charity are our Masonic Labours more especially directed:" to visit the sick and the fatherless in their affliction, to comfort those that mourn, to weep with those that weep, and to carry as it were into the dungeons of human misery the Divine Essence of Masonry, by acting as a Ministering Angel of Consolation and of Mercy, the Representative of Heaven. These are our professions in the Lodge ; but do they regulate cur conduct out of it, in our com- merce with the world ? In what, brethren, would Freemasonry excel, if it had no influence upon our general deportment i It is only by acting upon the square, and living within the compass — by prac- tising the duties of morality, and limiting our de- sires — that we can demonstrate to the ignorant and the prejudiced the well founded superiority of our pretensions. It our oroer be built upon the basis of Brotherly Love, of Truth, of Temperance, of Prudence, and ©f Justice, Jet us be careful " to walk worthy of the high vocation wherewith we are called." Besides, " The Soul's calm sunshine, and the heartfelt Joy," arising from a conduct so regulated, how consola- tory will be the assurance, that when our sun of life (which may have risen brilliantly from the East) shall set in the West — when we shall be called from labour to everlasting refreshment-- we have in 21 reserve a seat at the right hand of the Almighty Grand Master ; and that " when the earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, we have a build- ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens I" OX BENEVOLENCE, BY BROTHER D. FRASER' Come, sweet Benevolence, celestial maid ; Come, rob'd m purity, in smiles array'd ; Expand our hearts, that we may all, like thee, Pursue the dictates of Humanity : Inspire us to infold in one embrace The various kindred of the human race ! And though our hearts no vile distinctions know, But vibrate strong to ev'ry chord of woe ; Yet when we hear a Brother Mason's sighs, They claim an extra tear from Mason's eyes ; Nor can our partial bounty be arraign'd Should we prefer a Brother to a friend. Ilemarks relative to England, &c. 1. For five hundred years Britain continued a Ro- man province ; when by the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, it again recovered its liberty. 2. In the reign of Henry 4th 1399, an act passed for burning the followers of Wicklijfe, a secular priest educated at Oxford, who. during the reigns of Edward 3rd and Richard the 2d had preached the doctrine of reformation. 3. In the reign of James the 1st (who was James the sixth king of Scotland) the gun-powder plot took place ; which excited universal horror and astonish- ment. This horrible treason or plot, was attempted by Cobh%m and Raleigh ; their object was, the de- struction of the King and. Parliament— This dread- ful scheme was happily detected, and thv authors of it punished. 4. George the 1st son of Ernest Augustus, first Elector of Brunswick, and Sofihia, grand daughter to James the first, pursuant to the act of settlement, succeeded to the crown, on the death of Queen Anne, A. D. 1714. He died in 1720. 5. George the 2d his son, ascended the throne — At this period Great Britain was in a highly flourish- ing condition ; and had a great influence in all the courts of Europe, Spain excepted. In this reign, a rebellion (as it was termed) broke out in Scotland, in 1745. Charles Stuart, the young Pretender (some think the righful heir to the crown) being encouraged by many of the principal fami- lies in Scotland to land there, was received with open arms, his father proclaimed king of Great Brit- ain, and himself prince regent. Many persons of the first distinction embraced his cause. But the deci- sive battle of Culloden (won by treachery) fought near Inverness in 1746, put a period to the contest for the British crown — and Charles, after suffering extreme hardships, escaped to France George the 2d died the 25th of October, 1760, in the 77th year of his age and the 34th of his reign. 6. George the 3rd succeeded his grandfather, (Frederick Augustus, his father, having died while Prince of Wales) in 1760, in the 23d year of his age. He came to the crown certainly the most powerful monarch then in Europe; 7. In 1776, the colonies in North America de- clared themselves independent of Great Britain, on the 4th of July. This circumstance involved En- gland in a new war. France, Spain and Holland, joined the Americans. A general peace was con- cluded in 1783. 8. In the year 1793, England engaged in another war with France. During this contest, the British were not very successful in their battles by land, but their navai victories were highly splendid. The principal of them were, that of Lord Howe over the French fleet; on the first of June 1794* that over 23 the Spaniards, by Sir John Jarvis, on the 1 4th of Fe- bruary 1797 ; another in the same year by Admiral Duncan, over the Dutch, October 11, and the total defeat of the French fleet in the NJle, by Admiral Nelson, on the 1st of August 1798. On the 21st of October 1805, the British fleet consisting of 27 sail of the line and 4 frigates, under the command of Ad- miral Nelson, engaged the combined fleets of France and Spain, off Trafalgar, near Cadiz, consisting of 33 sail of the line and 4 frigates ; after a desperate con- flict of four hours, 19 of the combined fleet struck their colours, and a French 74 was blown up. In this memorable engagement, the gallant Admiral Nelson lost his life, by a ball in his left breast. From these victories, nearly the whole of tfce French, Dutch and Spanish marine, fell into the hands of the British. 9. Of the English constitution, as it stands at this time : — The legislative power resides in parliament, and ((the constituent parts of parliament are king, lords and commons. Each house has a negative on the other, and the king on both. The executive power of government is lodged in the crown. The king is the chief magistrate— -the chief of all courts of judicature — the fountain of honor — superinten- dant of commerce — head of the church — command- er in chief of the land and sea forces — arbiter of peace and war — and responsible to no judicature. These powers of the crown are thus limited and re- stra. >ed. The king is dependent on parliament for all su sidies — the parliament must be assembled once in hree years— The king cannot alter the es- tablished "eligion — he cannot interfere with the courts of jv feature in the administration of. justice, cannot alter the standard of money ; cannot raise land forces without the consent of parliament. The king's ministers are responsible for all public mea- sures. Freedom of debate in parliament cannot bs .questioned. 2i 10. George Ut reigned 6 years,- Do. ftid do. 40 Do. 3rd do. 54 Thus the dynasty of the Guelphs has swayed the British sceptre one hundred years, including the present year. 1 I. Bank of England. — Its capital and specie de- posits are said to amount to 18,000,000 pound ster- ling. Its notes in general circulation 12,000,000 sterling, amounting to 133,333,333 7-9 dollars. 12. The English barons resented king John's ty- ranny and baseness, had recourse to arms, and ex- torted from Mm Magna Charta ; which was sign- ed at RuJtiiymcde, between Windsor and Stains, A. D. 1215; a place ever deservedly held dear and ce- lebrated by every lover of liberty. 13. The English are a brave and opulent people, and for commercial enterprize, manufactures and agriculture, are excelled by no nation in Europe ; (the Americans now tread fast upon their heels), they are fond of roast beef and porter, and think that no country is equal to Old England ! 14. The length of England is 360 miles ; breadth 300. It may be gratifying to the curious to know, that England is only ten miles longer than the state of New-York and the same breadth; and that Ire- land is just ten miles longer than Scotland and the same breadth. 15. The population of England is 8,614,284 Do. Wales is 541,546 Total 9,155,830 The parliament of Great Britain and Ireland con- sists ©f 658 members England sends 489 Wales 24 Scotland 45 Ireland 100 658 rZB 16. The following- estimate of the annual value of some of the principal manufactures hi England* and of the number of persons employed in them, h chiefly taken from official returns. Annual value. Persons ern Woollens 16,400,000 440,340 Cotton 10,000,000 347,271 Leather 10,500,000 241,818 Iron, Tin & Lead 10,000,000 200,000 Steel plating, kc. 4,000,000 70,000 Copper and brass 3,600,000 60,000 Linen and flax 3,000,000 95,000 Silk 2,700,000 65,000 Hemp 1,600,000 35,000 Potteries 2,000,000 45,000 Glass 1,500,000 36,000 Paper 900,000 30,000 66,200,000 1,665,429 The annual value of other manufactures of less im- portance, is estimated at four or five millions, and the number of persons employed in them, is one hundred thousand. The public revenue of England was in the year \ 100, three hundred thousand pounds sterling ; during the three following centuries, one hundred thousand pounds; in 1500, four hundred thousand pounds; in 1600, five hundred thousand pounds; in 1700, four millions ; and in 180Q, thir- ty millions. Remarks relative to Scotland. 1 . One of the most surprizing objects of curiosi- ty in Scotland, is the vast basalta of the isJe of Staffia, called now inn gal's Cave. The entrance of the cave is fifty-si;, feet in height, and thirty-five in breadth; the whole length or depth is one hundred and forty 26 feet. It is supported on each siuc oy beautiful col- umns, disposed in the most exact order, and in form resembling the most regular pillars of architecture. 2. Scotland abounds with all kinds of scale and shell fish ; on the northern and western coasts are numerous seals (or sea dogs), and it appears from the life of St. Columba, that the ancients had a me- thod of rendering these amphibious animals tame and obedient to call ! Herrings appear off the coast of Shetland in in- numerable columns in the month of June, altering the very appearance of the ocean, which ripples like a current. The columns have been computed to ex- tend five or six miles in length, by three or four in breadth. They afterwards divide to the east and west of Great Britain, furnishing a providential sup- ply of food to many sterile districts : How bountiful is cur beneficent Creator ! May our hearts ever vi- brate with fervent gratitude to so good a benefactor. 3. Since the revolution of 1688, the ecclesiastical government of Scotland is of the Presbyterian form. In general the present clergy merit the greatest praise, as men of enlightened minds and moderate conduct. 4. The Scottish language in the lowlands is Sax- on, blended with the ancient Scandinavian. In the highlands the Gaelic or Erse, a dialect of the Celtic. 5. The shrewdness, cunning and selfishness im- puted to the people of Scotland, give merely the un- favorable aspect of that sagacity which enables them to discover their own interest, to extricate them- selves from diRiculty, and to act upon every occur- rence with decision, prudence and enterprise. The national spirit of Scotchmen has been often taken notice of. in so much, indeed, that they are all supposed in a confederacy to extol and aid one ano- ther. It may be justly remarked, that, as candidates for fame or fortune in the London mavket, they are great- ly the minority; hence it is not at all surprising. 27 that in such a situation they should feel a common bond of union, and act in concert, like travellers in a hostile country. 6. Kenneth 2d about the middle of the ninth cen- tury, who was the 70th king of Scotland, completely subdued the Picts, who inhabited the plums, and united into one monarchy the whole country, when his kingdom became known by the name of Scotland instead of Caledonia. 7. Edward 1 st of England, attempted to conquer Scotland, in 1 305 ; but his design was frustrated by Sir William Wallace, who nobly took up arms in defence of the freedom of his native country. This gallant patriot, like the immortal Cincinna- tus and Washington, retired to his farm, after secur- ing the freedom of his cotintry. 8. In the reign of Queen Anne, in 1 707, the king- doms of England and Scotland were united under the name of Great Britain. 9. Length of Scotland, 270 miles, breadth 160, number pf inhabitants 1,607,760. A succinct historv of Scotland in chapter 4th of this work. 28 CHAPTER II. IRELAND. Ireland, called also Hibernia and Erin, is situated to the west of Great Britain ; and for salubrity of air, fertility of soil, hospitality and intrepidity of its in- habitants is excelled by no country on earth. The pride of ancestry has a peculiar effect upon the Irish. No nation, in fact, now in existence, can boast of such certain and remote antiquity. It has been a mean and pitiful prejudice of writers, to en- deavour to throw discredit upon the early parts of the Irish history. That many fabulous accounts are to be met with in the Irish annals, is undoubtedly true ; but the possession at this present hour of a vernacular language, which was in general use above three thousand years ago, is a strong corroboration of their ancient descent, that the people of Ireland can singly boast among all the nations of the universe. There appears no reason to doubt that the ances- tors of the Irish were Scythians ; or as they were af- terwards called, Phoenicians. That the Carthagi- nians were a Phoenician colony, has never been doubted, and like other colonies they carried their language with them. Besides the common use of the Phoenician lan- guage by the native Irish, there are other proofs, which make it no longer doubtful that a Phoenician colony settled in Ireland. The warlike instruments which have been found in Ireland exactly resemble the weapons discovered about Cannae, some of which are in the British Museum : the brazen swords and spears are the same form and substance, being a composition of brass and tin. Proofs of the simi- m larity of habit, manners, and customs, between the colony and the mother country, might be adduced from the historians of each. Suffice it however to remark, that to this day the Irish peasants have an annual custom of lighting upon certain hills, on the eve of midsummer, what they still call Bel's fire, though totally ignorant that Bel was the God of their Phoenician ancestors. ... All historians agree that hordes of Scythians emi- grated to Egypt, and from thence to Spain ;,and there has been no one objection of airy force brought against the Irish annalists, who are unanimous in their assertions that a colony of these Scythians from Spain settled in Ireland. The Irish have a!v ways prided themselves, upon having kept up a lon- ger succession of monarchs than any other kingdom in the world. This race of kings they call Mile- sian, all of them having descended from Heber, Eremore, and Ith, the three sons of Milesius, who headed the expedition from Spain* It is certain that Ireland was colonized by a civi- lized, a learned,- and warlike people, nearly one thousand years before the birth of Christ : and that during that period they were characterized by their robust frame of body, by their valour, by their pride of ancestry, by the strength of their imagination, and their enthusiastic love of glory. The obscurity, however, of this period endec)[ with the introduction of Christianity ; when a new set of historians or annalists sprang up, new reposi- tories of learning were established, foreign connec* tions we're much extended, and the learned langua^ ges were brought into use. All respectable wri* ters ancient and modern agree, that the gospel was first preached in Ireland by St. Patrick, who was sent thither with twenty other missionaries by Ce<> lestine bishop of Rome, in the first century of the Christian aera. Whether the facility with which the divine doctrines of the missionaries were propa» gated was, as Some assert, in a gjreat degree owing 3© to the superior state of letters and other civil culti- vation in Ireland, is now difficult to determine. The fact however is certain, that in no land did the Gospel make such rapid progress, or was so slightly opposed at is first introduction : and it is remarka- ble that within the shcrt space of five years after St. Patrick opened his mission, he was summoned to sit and assist in the convention or parliament of Tarah. He was appointed one of the famous commit- tee of Nine, to whom was entrusted the reform of the ancient civil history of the nation, so as to ren« der it instructive to posterity. Christian schools euq seminaries were established in opposition to those of the Druids ; and Paganism declined in pro- portion as the institutions and doctrines of Chris- tianity flourished ; insomuch that from the fifth to the latter end of the ninth century the Irish nation was pre-eminently distinguished in Europe as the chief seat of literature and science. Venerable Bede not only confirms this fact, but states, that the youth of the most respectable families of every na- tion in Europe were sent to Ireland to receive their education, on account of the pre-excellence of the learning of the Irish clergy. The same writer adds, that such of the Anglo Saxons as went over to Ire- land, either for education, improvement, or for an opportunity of living tip to the strict ascetic disci.- pline, were maintained, taught and furnished with books, without fee or reward. Several illustrious persons received their education there. Among the other virtues which the establishment of Christian- ity fostered and extended among the Irish, the gen- erous spirit of hospitality, for which from the earliest periods they were characterised, was peculiarly en- forced. « The most holy men of heaven," say the Irish laws/ " were remarkable for hospitality ; and the gospel commands us to receive the sojourner, to entertain him, and to relieve his wants." We have thus seen that the Irish were a people endow- ed fith g£eai powejs. of body and mipdj lovers cf 31 the arts and sciences ; and enthusiastic eiieourageo of talents, attached to religion' and its ministers, and in a word, super-eminently gifted by nature with all those active principles of public virtue, which, if properly directed, insure the attainment of national happiness, prosperity, and importance. But unfor- tunately it has ever been the bane of Ireland to be distracted with civil discord. The latter part of the Irish history, immediately preceding the invasion of the kingdom by the En- glish, presents one continued scene of intestine dis- tention, turbulence and faction. They experienced during several centuries, the miserable effects re- sulting from their want of union among themselves^ in the success of the repeated formidable invasions of their island by the Danes, Norwegians, and other Scandinavian adventurers, who roved about in search of settlements. Ireland became to these piraticai hordes a most inviting object, as the country was fertile, and the inhabitants by their intestine divi* sions rendered feeble defenders of their soil. Such was the situation of Ireland, with little variation of feature in its history, during a period of nearly four hundred years. About the year of Christ 1 1 66, Roderick O'Connor, of undoubted Milesian stock, was raised to the monarchy, with the general con- sent of the nation. His prospect of a happy reign was soon clouded by the revolt of several petty kings and princes who had sworn allegiance to him. Scarcely had he reduced them to obedience, when he was called upon by O'Rourke, king of Breffny, to assist him in avenging himself of Dermod, king of Leinster, by whom he had been grossly injuredC While O'Rourke was absent on a pilgrimage, his wife, who had long conceived a criminal passion for the king of Leinster, eloped with him, and lived in public adultery. There could not have existed a greater excitement to revenge in the breast of an Irish prince, whose spotless purity of blood was their highest glory. O'Rourke succeeded in reus- 3% ing the monarch t© avenge his cause, and immecli* ately led a powerful force to his assistance. The whole kingdom took fire at the perfidy and iniquity of Dermod,, who looked in vain for support from his own subjects. He was hated for his tyranny ; and the chieftains of Leinster not only refused to en- list under his banner in such a cause, but openly re- nounced their allegiance. Dermod, thus deserted by his subjects, was inflamed with rage at the dis- appointment, and resolved to sacrifice every thing to the gratification of his personal revenge. Una- ble to meet the approaching storm, he took shipping secretly, and repaired to Henry II. of England, who was then in France, to solicit his protection and aid in accomplishing his revengeful intention. Dermod made a most humiliating address, and canting hypocritical representation of his sufferings^ to Henry, whom he found at Aquitaine ; promising that if through his-powerful interposition he should recover his lost dominions, he would hold them in vassalage of Henry and his successors forever. Such an offer accorded well with the ambitious views of this monarch ; but his situation at that time prevented him from engaging personally in the cause of the guilty fugitive. He, however, encouraged him by promises of vigorous support, and gave him letters of credit and service to such of his subjects as might be willing to assist him in the recovery of his dominions. With these credentials Dermod re- paired to Bristol, which was in those days the chief port of communication between England and Ireland. Invasion and Conquest of Ireland, under Hen- ry II. in 1172. That Henry had conceived the design of invading Ireland previously to the degrading application of Dermod, is unquestionable. A very superficial knowledge of the state of Ireland at that period was 35 sufficient to excite the ambition of a powerful and popular sovereign, in those days, when it was deem- ed reproachful to a prince to be unemployed in some scheme of gallant enterprize. A pretence alone was wanting to give some co- lour of justice to the design ; and the courtiers of Henry were fertile in their invention of imaginary claims to the throne of Ireland, which they asserted the kings of England possessed by inheritance from, the time of Arthur, or even earlier. At the period, however, of Dermod's application, Henry was engaged in suppressing the insurrec- tion of his brother Geoffry, and in supporting his own claims to Anjou. He had sufficient employ- ment for his abilities in regulating his own affairs in England. The unsettled state of Wales at this pe- riod, and the long and painful contest which Henry maintained against Thomas Becket and the church, were additional motives to induce the ambitious mo- narch to suspend the execution of his designs against Ireland, which would probably never have been put in execution, had not accident, or rather the factions and competitions of an unorganised people, opened a way for the English arms to penetrate and subdue their distracted country. Henry, though invested with papal authority for the purpose, would perhaps never have invaded Ireland, had not the intestine broils of the Irish princes, or kings, as they were termed, severed those resources which ought to have been united for defence, and driven Dermod to invite that interference of a foreign power, which ever is, and must be fatal t© the liberties and inde- pendence of a nation. Such was the situation of Ireland, when Dermod proffered at the feet of the English monarch to hold his dominions in vassalage of him, and acknowledge him his liege lord, if by his means he should him- self be reinstated in them. This flattering petition awakened the slumbering hopes of Henry, and re- Si vived the pleasing ideas which he had formerly con- ceived of conquering Ireland. His own immediate affairs were, however, still much perplexed. Becket had then recently afford- ed him a further proof of his violence and obstinacy, while the insurrection of his subjects in the provin- ces of France, secretly fomented by Lewis, engaged him incessantly in war and negociation. It was therefore his obvious policy to act as he did, and to receive the proffered allegiance of the Irish prince in a gracious manner, to give him every encourage- ment and assurance short of his personal appearance in his cause, and to grant him those letters of li- cence and credence to his subjects in England, who might be willing to adventure on an expedition against Ireland, under the banners of king Dermod. The fugitive prince, highly elated with his reception, repaired from Aquitaine to England, and upon his arrival at Bristol made public the letters of Henry, repeated his piteous story, and lavished promises upon all who would aid the friend and vassal of their sovereign. The cause or character of Dermod, must doubtless, have obtained a bad report in England, or such was the spirit of enterprise and adventure in these days, the days of the crusades, that but for such a reason, it may be presumed multitudes would have flocked to his standard, whereas not one indi- vidual was found to listen to his flattering promises, or to take arms in his cause. A month elapsed without any prospect of obtain- ing succours, and Dermod began to abandon all hopes of restoration, when he was persuaded to ad* dress himself to Richard, earl of Pembroke, sur- named Strongbow, on account of his skill in archery. Richard was distinguished by his military genius as "much as by his station and alliances : he was attend- ed by a powerful train of followers, whose affection &e had gained by his courtesy and generosity ; but feeing estranged from the n>yal favour, and retired and unemployed} his fortune cHs&ipated. his distress*- 35 es urgent, and his prospects gloomy, he was pointed out to Dermod as likely to comply with his over- tures, and the Irish prince accordingly pressed him with the most urgent solicitations. He even engag- ed to give him his daughter Eva in marriage, and to make him heir of his kingdom, though sensible by the ancient customs of his country he had no power to nominate his heirs. Richard was over- come by these seducing offers, and agreed to as- sist Dermod with a considerable force in the ensuing .spring, provided he could obtain the king's particu- lar licence and approbation. Elevated by the success of this negociation, Der- mod conceived that he had already most effectually .provided for his restoration ; and proceeded to St. David's, in South Wales, intending to return pri- vately to Ireland. In Wales he added to his adhe- rents, Robert Fitz-Stcphen, an active, brave, and skilful soldier, who consented to engage, with all his followers, in the service of Dermod, who on his part, promised to cede to Fitz-Stephen, and Mau- rice Fitzgerald, the entire dominion of the town of .Wexford, with a large adjoining territory, as soon as he should be reinstated in his rights. Such was the origin of an iavasion, which in the event proved •of so great importance: A criminal and despised fugitive, driven from his province by faction and re- venge, obtained in this manner the assistance of a few adventurers in Wales, whom youthful valour, .and ruined fortune, led to seek for advantageous set- tlements in Ireland. In the mean time Dermod .embarked in disguise for Ireland, where he landed in safety ; and, passing through the quarters of his enemies, spent the winter at the monastry at Ferns, which he himself had founded. Here he occupied himself in preparations for the intended invasion in the ensuing spring, when the promised succours v/t the head of five hundred knights besides other soldiers ; but so dispirited were the Irish, that in his progress he had nothing more to do than to receive the homage of his new subjects. He left most of the native princes in possession of their native territories, invested the earl of Pem- broke with the government of Ireland, and returned in triumph to England. Yet notwithstanding the apparent submission which the English monarch had received in all parts of Ireland, he had not by his expedition won one heart to his interest, or add- ed one true and loyal subject to the number of those whom he found there on his landing. The Irish chieftains waited only for a favourable opportunity of openly disavowing their submission , and when the earl of Pembroke retired into Fern9 to solemnize the marriage of his daughter, they threw off all shew of allegiance to Henry, and bold- ly denounced vengeance against the invaders. 3# To give an account of the succeeding periods of the History of Ireland, or to trace the origin and progress of the last unhappy occurrences in that country, does not comport with the brevity of our plan. JL concise account of the principal Towns 9 Riv~ ers, &c* in Ireland. Ireland is divided into four grand divisions, name- ly, Leinster, Ulster, Connaught and Munster ; and sub-divided into thirty-two counties, twelve of which are in Leinster. Dublin county, principal city Dub- lin, the metropolis of Ireland ; and is the largeat town in the British dominions, London excepted. It is said to contain upwards of two hundred thous- and inhabitants. And is situated nearly seven miles from the sea, at the foot of a spacious bay, on the jiver Liffey. Louth, chief $own Drogheda; Wicklow, chief town Wicklow ; Wexford, principal town Wex- ford ; Longford, chief town Longford ; East-Meath, chief town Trim ; West-Meath, most populous town Mullingar'; King's county, Philips-town is the principal ; Queen's county, chief town is Marybo- rough ; Kilkenny, principal town of the same name ; Kildare, chief town ISTaas ; and Carlow, most popu- lous town of the same name. ^ Ulster, coatains nine counties : Down, principal town Down Patrick ; Armagh, head town of same name ; Cavan, chief town of the same name ; An- trim, Carrick Fergus; Londonderry, chief town, Deny ; Tyrone, head town Omagh ; Fermanagh, head town Enniskillen, and Donegal principal town Lifford. Connaught has live counties, namely, Leitrim, chief town Carrick ; Roscommon, head town of the same iteme ; Mayo, chief towns C?istlebar and Bal- rode ; Sligo, head town bears the same name ; Gal- low, head town Galloway. m Munstcr, has six counties ; Clare, head town %&** ras ; Cork, principal town Cork. The city of Cc . k lies about one hundred and thirty miles south-wesl from Dublin, on the banks of the river Lee, and for population, wealth and commerce is reckoned the second in Ireland. The county of Kerry, head town Traiee; Limerick, chief town of 'the same name ; Tipperary, head town Clonmell ; Waterfoi d ? chief town of the same name. Waterford is a town of very considerable trade, and a place of great strength. Belfast, Limerick, and Londonderry, are handsome towns, and carry on a considerable trade. This country abounds with charming lakes, spacious bays and excellent harbours ;, the Shannon is the largestriverin Ireland, and runs a course of \5Q mtles> from its source, at Lough Allen, in Leitrim, till it falls into the atlantic ocean at Kerrypoint ; the other rivers here are the Boyne, the Liffey, the Ban, the, Barrow, the Wore and the Suir. The nobility and most wealhty class'of people m Ireland in their language, dress and manners cannot be said to. differ, but very little, if any, from those of the same rank in England. The poorer sort of peo- ple in Ireland differ something in their mode of liv- ing and customs from the lower class of people in England. Some writers have erroneously asserted, that the best informed people in Ireland always retain a disa- greeable tone in their pronunciation. This I know from personal observation, to be ill-founded, having conversed with gentlemen from that country who, in my humble opinion, pronounced the English lan- guage with great accuracy. Indeed, the author of the English standard of pronunciation, Mr. Sheridan, was an Irishman. I am not a native of Ireland, and therefore cannot justlv be supposed to be over par- tial to that nation ; yet I was sorry to meet with the following inviduous remark in a book which has, in a few veers, passed through thirteen editions in Eu- rope and America : " The common Irish, in their manner of living, seem to resemble the ancient Brit- ons, as described by Roman authors, or the present Indian inhabitants of America ! !" Hence, accord- Jng to this writer's opinion, the difference betwixt the higher and lower class of the f rish people, must be vastly great indeed ! SinGe, among the former, we find an archbishop, a Boyle, a dean Swift, an O'Leary, a Steele, a Sterne, a Parnel, a Goldsmith, a Berkley, a Grattan, a Montgomery, a Curran, an Emmet, &c. While the lower class of people in Ireland are represented to be no more refined at the present day, than the Britons were two thousand years ago, or the tawny sons of the Birdtail king among the Cherokees, or the Little Turkie's tribe among the Mohawks. And yet we are told by the learned Mr. Camden (who was not an Irishman) that * the Irish scholars of St Patrick profited so nobly in Christianity, that in the succeeding age, Ireland was termed sanctorum Patria. Theirmonks so great- ly excelled in piety and learning, that they sent a number of learned men into all parts of Europe, who were the founderso f Abbies in Italy, Switzer- land, France and Britain." Bede says, that about the middle of the seventeenth century, many nobles and others of the Anglo-Saxons, retired from their own country, and went to Ireland for instruction, and the Scots (as he styles the Irish) maintained them,, taught them, and furnished them with books gratis — " A most honorable testimony says Lord Lyttleton, not only of the learning but also of the ^qspita\ijy #1$ tyunty c;f the Irish nation." 40 CHAPTER Hi DEFENCE OF CHRISTIANITY; Introductory Remarks* It must certainly be satisfactory to the sincere Christian to perceive in the list of the friends of Christianity the names of the following distinguished characters ; all of whom are acknowledged to have been men of profound learning ; most of them possessed of superior genius, and ornaments of human nature . These worthy characters firmly ad-? hered to the belief of Christianity, after the most di- ligent and impartial researches into the life of its 'Founder, the character of its original^ propagators. the completion of its prophecies, the verity of its iniracles, the sublimity of its doctrines, the purity and utility of its precepts, and the arguments of its appose rs. Unquestionably, it is rational to infer, if tho evidences in favour of the christian religion enfor- ced conviction on the minds of men possessed of such penetration and sagacity, it is no small argu-» rnent in favour of this dispensation of grace. A late celebrated author has made the following remarks, relative to the general character of Mr. Locke. « He was rendered, says he, truly illustri- ous bv his wisdom and his virtue ; by the disinterest- edness and uprightness of his conduct ; by his love of truth, and his ardent attachment to the great in- terests of mankind. He analysed the human mind ; explained its operations, and illumined the intellect" ii ual world, by the sagacity of his rcse arches. He ex- amined the foundation of civil government ; traced it to its source, and illustrated and enforced its gen- uine principles. He maintained the justice, the rea- sonableness, and the necessity of religious toleration with a clearness, a precision, and a force of argu- ment, that had not been equalled by any preceding writer. He laboured to elucidate the sacred Scrip- tures, to advance the interests of revelation, and of virtue, to loosen the bands of tyranny, to promote ;he cause of liberty, of justice, and of humanity '.-The sentiments of Mr. Locke are founded upon reason, truth and justice ; and his name will continue to be reverenced, wherever learning, liberty, and -virtue, shall be held in estimation." This great and enlightened man was a zealous ad- herent to the Christian Religion, having publish- ed a treatise demonstrating the reasonableness of believing Jesus Christ to be the promised^lfess/a/* ; and also, a most judicious commentary on v St. Paul's Kpistles. He held the scriptures in the highest veneration ; and earnestly exhorted Christians '* to betake themselves in earnest to the study of the way to sal- vation, in those holy writing's, wherein God has re- vealed it from heaven, and proposed it to the world ; seeking our religion where we are sure it is in truth to be found ; comparing spiritual tilings with spir* itual." The author of the Age of Reason, notwithstanding his effrontery, if ever he read the following testi- monies of this great master of reason, in favor of Divine Revelation, has I trust, felt a little abash- ed 1 " Reason must be our guide in every thing. I do uot mean that we must consult reason and exa- mine, whether a proposition revealed from God, can be explained by natural principles, and if not, that it should be rejected. But consult reason we must, and by it examine whether the proposition is from Cod or not. — »And whatever reason perceives to be 42 a revelation from Heaven, it should then embrace, "and regard as agreeable to its dictates." Agreeably to this opinion, the limits of reason and faith are thus denned by Mr. Locke. ■" Reason" says lie, « as distinguished from/ozVA, J esteem to be the discovery of the certainty or 'probability of such propositions, which the mind ar- rives at by deductions made from ideas Which it has obtained, by the use of it's natural faculties. Faith is our assent to a proposition, upon the credit that it proceeded from God, — in some extraordinary way cf communication. % Reason, is a natural revelation, whereby the Eter* ■rial Father of Light, and Fountain of all Knowledge, -.Communicates to man those truths which he has pla- ced within the reach of his natural faculties. Re* delation is natural reason enlarged by new discove- ries communicated by God immediately ; of which reason determines the truth by the testimonies af- forded, that they came from God. Thus' far the do- minion of faith extends, and without any violence offered, to reason ; which is not injured, but assisted siii'd improved by new discoveries cf truth, proceed- ing from the eternal source of knowledge. Divine revelation, should over-rule all our opinions and prejudices^ and be received with full assent.' — Such a submission of oUr reason to faith destroys net the principles of knowledge ;--*— undermines not the foundation of reason ; — robs us not of the use of our mental faculties.,- — but occasions us to exer- cise them agreeably to the will of our Creator./ In conversation with Lady Marsham, a few weeks before his death, he expatiated on the bounty of Cod towards man, in justifying him by faith in Je- sus Christ. And returned God thanks, for having blessed him with the knowledge of that divine an Albans. In Bacon's works we fmd the following senti- ments : — "A thorough insight into philosophy makes a good believer; and a smattering in it naturally pro* duces such a race of despicable infidels, as the little profligate writers of the present age, whom I must confess, I have always accused to myself, not so much for their want of faith as for their want oi learning." " A miracle, says he, was never wrought by God to convert an Atheist ; because the light of nature. might have occasioned him to have acknowledged a God : .miracles were designed to convince idolato: r s and the superstitious, who have acknowledged y. Deity, but erred in the manner of adoring him ; be- cause the light of nature extends not so far, as to declare the will of God and the worship, that is to be offered to him." Lord Bacon, towards the latter end of his life, declared, that the first principle of right reason is religion. And he seriously professed, that, after all his studies and inquiries he durst not die with any other thoughts than those of the Christian reli- gion.^ This great man's merit, cannot be blasted by flashes of envy ; his failings hurt only himself, and were expiated by his sufferings j his virtue; piejy ■li zvA knowledge, and above all, his great zeal for the good of mankind, will be felt while there are men, and consequently (while they have gratitude,) the Bame of Bacon^ can never be mentioned but with the highest admiration. He died at London in 1626) aged fifty-five year*. (See British Plutarch, &c.) Sentiments of the Honourable RtoBERf Botlz. A man superior to titles and almost to prake ; il- lustrious by birth, by his piety and by his learning ; being a distinguished philosopher, and the most ex- act searcher into the works of nature that any age has produced. To him we owe the secrets of fire, ch'y water, animals, vegetables and fossils : so that from his works may be deduced the whole system bf natural knowledge. A work published in 1793, contains the following Biographical sketch of Mr. Boyle. " This noble ■writer applied himself chiefly to experimental phi- losophy: and what was the consequence of his search- es into nature, but having a more profound reverence for the God of nature ? It is related of him, that he never mentioned the name of God, without a sol- emn pause in his discourse ; so far was he from treating it lightly or irreverently; so full was his mind of pious love and veneration. Amidst his nu- merous philosophical writings, he found time also •p write on religious subjects. He wrote a treatise particularly on the excellency of theology, compar- ed with natural philosophy, and another on the style of the scriptures, with admiration and rapture. Hay i'ag employed his life in doing good, he extended uis benevolence and charities to mankind after his dearth, and founded an a'nnual lecture, with a hand- some salary, for the proof of natural and revealed religion, against atheists, deists, and all other inft- defs whomsoever." See EfrHisij Plutarch, ht. 4* The following remarks, from the works of this great philosopher, are well worthy of the serious at- tention of the vain cavillers at divine revelation : « It was a saying among the ancients, that even Jupiter could not please all ; but we find now, that the true God himself, is not free from the censure of his audacious creatures, who impiously presume to quarrel with his revelation, as well as his provi- dence ; and express no more reverence to what he has dictated, than to what he doth/' « We are fall- en into an age of vain philosophy (as the Apostle calls it) and so over-run with- drolls and sceptics, that there is hardly any thing so certain and so sa- cred, that is not exposed to questions or contempt.'' Sentiments of Sir Isaac A'str^ON. This great man is universally acknowledged to have been the most profound philosopher that Brit- ain, or perhaps any other nation has produced : the vastness of his mental powers has excited the ad' miration of the greatest geniuses in Europe. " This excellent person is well known to have been a firm believer, and a serious Christian. His discoveries concerning the frame and system of the universe, were applied by him to demonstrate the being of a God, and to illustrate his power and wis- dom in the creation. He applied himself also, with great attention, to the study of the Holy Scriptures^ and considered the several parts of them with un- common exactness ; particularly, as to the order of time, and the series of prophecies and events relat- ing to the Messiah; Upon this head, he has left behind him an excellent discourse, to prove that the famous prophecy of Daniel's weeks, was an express prediction of the coming of the Messiah, and that it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ." See British Pluurchj Whiston's Memoirs, &c. »*2 li, Sentiments of Joseph Jddisoz, Esq. This great and good man derived much comfort from his hope in another, and a better state. The following were his sentiments on that head. " The'prospect of a future st^te, says he, is the se- cret comfort and refreshment of my soul. It is that ■which makes nature look cheerful about me ; it dou- bles all my pleasures, and supports me under all my afflictions. I can look at disappointments and mis- fortunes, pain and sickness, death itself, with indif- ference, so long as I keep in view the pleasures of eternity, and the state of being in which there will be no fears nor apprehensions, pains nor sorrows.'* " All sorts of men, says Addison, who have gone before us into an eternal state, have left this great observation behind them, that upon experience they nave found, that, what vain thoughts soever men may, hi the heat of their youth* entertain of religion^ 'hey*vilJ 3 sooner or later, feel the testimony God Lath given it in every man's breast ; which will make them serious, either by the inexpressible rears, terrors, and agonies of a troubled mind ; or Ibe inconceivable comfort, and joy of a good con- science. The sentiments of George Fox, the fdous founded qf the Society of Christians, called Friends, or Quakers; « Ye that know the power of God and are come to it, which is the cross of Christ, that crucifies yoil to the state- that Adam and Eve were in the fall, r.nd so to the world. By this power of God ye come to see the state that Adam and Eve were in before •they fell : which power oi God is the cross, in which Uands the everlasting glory, which brings up into righteousness and holiness ; the image of Satan-, M .'hat Adam, and Eve and a.H their sons and daughters' a.fe under the fall. Through this power of God ye come to see the state they v/ere in before they fell ; yea, and 1 say, to an higher state, to the seed Christ; the second Adam, by whom all things were made, For man hath been driven from, God. But it is said. " The Church is in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." So whoever comes to the Church, which is in God the Father of Christ, they must come to God again, out of the state that Adam and his children are in, in the fall > they must come into the righteousness, into the true holiness, tho image of God, and out of the earth whither man hath been driven, when they come to the church Which is in God. The way to this is Christ, the light, the life, the truth, the Saviour, the Redeemer, the sanctifier, and the justifier, in and through whose power, light and life, conversion, regenera- tion, arid translation is known from death to life, from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God again." The Sentiments of Rob BR? Barclay, An eminent writer and exemplary character among the Friends^ or Quakers. Extracts from a work entitled. " An explanation and -vindication of the principles and doctrines of the people called Quakers.*' Written by Robert Barclay, seeing 720 man knonveih the Father, but by the Son, and he to tohom the Son revcalcth hhn / and seeing the revelation of the Son is in and by the spirit ; therefore the testimony of the spirit is that alone by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be only revealed ; Who as, by the moving of his own spirit, he converted the chaos of this world into that wonderful order wherein it was in the beginning, and created man a living sou], to rule and govern it ; so by the revelation of the Same -spirit, 'he "hath manifested himself all along unto the 48 sons of men, both Patriarchs, Prophets and ApfltS- ties ; which revelations of 'God, by the spirit, wheth- er by outward voices and appearances, dreams or in- ward objective manifestations in the hearty were of old i\w formal object of their faith, and remains so to be ; since the object of the saint* s faith is the same in all ages, though set forth under divers adminis- trations. " '< From these revelations of the spirit of God to the Faints, have proceeded the Scriptures of truth, which contain, I. A faithful historical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages, with ma- ny singular and remarkable providences attending them. II. A prophetical account of several things whereof some are already past, and some yet to come. III. A full and ample account of all the chief principles of the doctrines of Christ, held forth in divers precious declarations, exhortations and sentences, which by the moving of God's spirit, were at several times, and upon sundry occasions, spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors." " As many as resist not the spirit of q;race, but re- ceive the same, in them is produced art holy, pure, and spiritual birth, bringing forth holiness, righte- ousness, purity, and all those other blessed fruits' which are acceptable to God ; by which holy birth (to wit jesus christ formed within, and working his works in us) as we are sanctified, so are we jus- tified in the sight of God, according to the Apos- tle's words. « But ye are washed^ but ye are sane tlfted, but yc are justified^ in the name of the loud ■3E3U5, ar.d by the spirit of our God* The Sentiments of William Penx, An illustrious person, and excellent writer, who was a Friend (or Quaker) and the founder of the State of Pennsylvania : He was the sen of Sir W#- \\m\ Penn. an English Admiral. 40. The learned Dr. Henry Moor, in his philosoph- ical works, v. 2 p. 73 S ; gave the following character of Win. Penn, and his works : — " He wrote says he, a vast number of books j in his piece entitled, " No Cross, JNo Crown," he treated the subject ol a fu* ture state of life, and the immortality of the soul, with a force and spirit equal to most writers :" this writer adds, "I have perused some of Mr. Penn's writings, and met with several excellent passages in them, that are very expressive of a vigorous mind^ and experience of what appertains to life and holi- ness." u William Penn, says another writer, was known to be a man of distinguished abilities, of an excel- lent sweetness of disposition, qdick of thought, and of a ready utterance, full of the qualification of true discipleship, even love without dissimulation ; as ex* tensive in charity, as comprehensive in knowledge : malice or ingratitude were utter strangers to him, be- ing so ready to forgive enemies, that the ungrateful were not excepted; so that he may justly be rank- ed among the icarneu, ;^wjii aim gf^nt I Ivi» nxmiues are sufficiently manifested throughout his elaborate writings, which are so many lasting monuments of his christian qualifications. « His memorial will be valued by the wise* — and blessed with the just."—- He was learned without vanity, apt without forward- ness, facetious in conversation, yet weighty and se- rious ; of an uncommon greatness of mind, yet void cf the stain of ambition." William Penn drew up the first fundamental con- stitution of Pennsylvania, in 24 articles— from which the following is extracted. " In reverence to Qod, the father flight and spir- its, the author as well as the object of all divine knowledge, faith and worship, I do for me and mine, declare and establish for the first fundamental con- stitution of the government of this country, that every person that doth or shall reside therein, shall have and enjoy the free profession of his or hex* 50 faith and exercise of worship toward God, in such way and manner as every such person shall in conscience believe is most acceptable to God; and so long as every such person useth not this Christian liberty to licentiousness, or to the destruction of others, that is to say, to speak loosely and profanely, or contemptuously of God, Christy the holy scripture, or religion, or commit any moral evil or injury, against^ others in their conversa- tion ; he or she shall be protected in the enjoyments of the aforesaid Christian liberty by the civil ma- gistrate. The following judicious remarks, are taken from v. 1. 137, of William Perm's works. ** Let us not think religion a litigious thing ; nor that Christ came only to make us good disputants.. Sincerity goes farther than capacity.' It is charity that deservedly excels in the Christian religion ; and happy would it be, if where unity ends, charity did begin, instead of envy and railing, that almost ever follow. It appears to me the way that God has found put and appointed to moderate qyr differences, and make them at least harmless to society, and there- fore I confess, I dare not aggravate them to wrath and blood. Our disagreement lies in our apprehen- sion or belief of things ; and if the common enemy of mankind had not the governing of our affections and passions, that disagreement would not. prove such a canker, as it is, to love and peace, in civil so- cieties. He that suffers his difference with his neighbour about the other world, to carry him beyond the line of moderation, in this, i3 the worse for his opinion, even though it be true. It is too little considered by Christians, that man may hold the truth in un- righteousness; that they may be orthodox, and not know what spirit they are of ; so were the Apostles of our Lord, they believed in him, yet let a false zeal do violence to {htiv judgment, and their unwar- rantable heat contradicted the' great end of their Sa- viour's coming, love / 51 « Divers, says William Pcnn, have been the clts- jensations of God since the creation of the world unto the sons of men; but the great end of all of them, has been the renown of his orjn excellent name in the creation and restoration of man : Man, the emblem of himself, as a God on earth, and the glory of all his works. The world began with inno- cency ; all was then good that the good God had made ; and he blessed the works of his hands, so their natures and harmony magnified him their Crea- tor. Then the morning stars sang together for joy, and all parts of his works said Amen to his law. Not a jar in the whole frc^me ; but man in paradise, the beasts in the field, the fowls in the air, the fish in the sea, the light in the heavens, the fruits of the earth ; yea, the air, the water and fire worshiped, praised and exalted his fiowe", wisdom and gocine&j, O holy Sabbath, O holy day to the Lord. TJi-e sentiments of the Hon. TjjGmjs Euskjxe. The following masterly and conclusive arguments •f 'the Honourable Thomas Erskine, one of the most eminent and judicious law characters in Great Brit* am, relative to the pernicious tendency of Mr. Paine's Age of Reason ; and the authenticity of divine revelation ; may, we presume, be introduced here with propriety. Mr. Erskine, said, " That the biiS€ book appeared to him to be as cruel and mischiev- ous in its effects, as it was illegal in it principles. The poor whom it affected to pity* were stabbed to the heart by if; they had more need of consolations beyond the grave, than those who had greater com- forts to render life delightful. He could conceive an humble, innocent, and virtuous m-m, surrounded with children, looking up to him for bread which he had not to give them, sinking under the last day's labour, and unequal to the next, yet still looking up with confidence to the hour when all teavs should be "VV^ed from the eyes of a&iction, and bearing the b'Z burden which he believed his unerring- Creator had laid upon him for good in the mysteries of a provi- dence which* he adored. What a change in such a mind might not be wrought, by this merciless pub- lication ? But it seems this was an age of reason, and the time and the person were arrived that were to dis- sipate the errors which hud overspread the past ge? neration of ignorance. The believers in Christianity were many ; but it belonged to the few that were wise to correct their credulity. Belief was an act of reason ; and superior reason might therefore dic- tate to the weak. In running the mind along the long list of sincere and devote Christians, he could not help lamenting that Newton had not lived to this day, to have had his shallowness filled up with this new flood of light i But the subject was too awfui for irony; he would speak plainly and directly:-— Newton was a Christian ; Newton, whose mind had burst the fetters cast by nature on our finite concep- tions, Newton whose science was truth, and the foundation of whose knowledge of it was philosophy, not those visionary, arrogant presumptions which too often usurped its name, but philosophy resting upon the basis of mathematics, which like figures, could not lie ;— -Newton who carried the line and rule to the uttermost barriers of creation, and ex- plored the principles by which, no doubt, all created matter was held together and exists. But this ex- traordinary man, in the mighty reach of his mind, overlooked perhaps the errors which a more minute investigation of the created things on this earth might have taught him of the essence of his Creator. What should then be said of the great Mr. Boyle, who looked into the organic structure of all matter, even, to the brute, inanimate substance which the foot treads on ; such a man might be supposed equally qualified with Mr. Paine, to look up '« through nature to nature's God I" But the result of all his contem- plation was ; the most confirmed and devout belief in all which others hold in contempt, us despicable and drivelling superstition. But this error might perhaps arise from a want <©f due attention to the foundation of human judg- ment, and the structure of that understanding which God has given us for the investigation of truth. Let that question be answered by Mr. Locke, who was, to the highest pitch of devotion and adoration a Christian. — Mr. Locke, whose office it was to de- tect the errors of thinking, by going up to the foun- tains of thought, and to direct into the proper tract of reasoning the devious mind of man, by shewing him its whole process, from the first perceptions of sense to the last conclusion of ratiocination, putting a rein besides upon false opinions by practical rules for the conduct of human judgment. But these men were only deep thinkers, and lived in their closets, unaccustomed to the traffic of the world, and to the laws which practically regulate mankind. Gentlemen, in the place where we now sit to ad- minister the justice of this country, above a century ago, the never to be forgotten sir Matthew Hale presided, whose faith in Christianity is an exalted commentary upon its truth and reason, and whose life was a glorious example of its sweets, adminis- tering human justice with a wisdom and purity, drawn from the pure fountain of the Christian dis- pensation, which has been, and will be in all ages, a subject of the highest reverence and admiration. But it is said by the author, that the Christian fable is but the tale of the more ancient superstitions of the world, and may be detected by a proper under- standing of the mythology. But, said Mr. Erskine, did Milton understand those mythologies ? was he less versed than Mr. Paine in the superstitions of the world ? O no, they were the subject of his im- mortal song — and though shut out from all recur- rence to them, he poured them forth from the stores of the memory, rich with all men ever knew, and kid them in their order as the illustration of tha^ o* new and exalted faith, the unquestionable source of that fervid genius which cast a sort of shade upon all the other works of man. It was not the pur- pose of God to destroy free agency by over-power- ing the human mind with the irresistible light and conviction of revelation, but to leave men to collect its truths, as they were gradually illustrated in the accomplishment of the divine promises of the gos- pel. He declared, that bred as he W£s to the con- sideration of evidence, he considered the prophecy concerning the destruction of the Jewish nation to be, even if there were nothing else to support Chris- tianity, absolutely irresistible. The Jews them- selves did not deny the existence of the prophecies, and their very history was not accountable for on any human principle. Their separation into tribes to preserve the genealogy of Christ; the distinction of the tribe of Judah from which he has come ; the fall of that distinction, when that end was accom- plished ; the predicted departure of the sceptre from Israel ; the destruction of the Temple, which imperial munificence in vain attempted to rebuild to disgrace the prophecy ; the scattering of this nation over the face of the whole earth ; the spreading of the gospel throughout the whole world ; the perse- cution of its true ministers, and foretold superstitions which had for ages defiled its worship, were facU which no man could by argument do away, and which certainly no Christian state ought to tolerate a man in the impudent mockery of, without any ar- gument at all." The sentiments of the great sir M Aft hew Hale. Mr. Hale was certainly one of the best and ablest characters that ever graced the English Bench. The following testimonies of this truly great and pious character, may tend to exhibit the power and efficacy of the Christian religion ; as the only sure guide, support and comfort of our lives, in our pre - bo sent state of probation. " It is impossible for thee*, says he, to enjoy that which must make thee happy, till thou art deeply sensible of thy own emptiness and nothingness, and thy spirit thereby brought down and laid in the dust. — The spirit of Christ is an humbling spirit ; the more thou hast of it, the more it will humble thee ; and it is a sign that either thou hast it not, or that it is yet over-mastered by corruptions, if thy heart still be haughty— Wateh, therefore, the secret persuasions, and dis- suasions of the spirit of God, and beware thou quench it not nor grieve it. This wind that blows where it lists, if shut out or resisted, may haply never breathe on thee again, but leave thee to be hardened in thy sins : but if observed and obeyed* thou shalt be sure to have it for thy monitor and di- rector, upon all occasions. When thou goest out, it will lead thee ; when thou sleepest, it will keep thee ; and when thou awakest, it will talk to thee." "Genuine religion, says Mr. Hale, teaches the soul a high veneration of Almighty God ; a sincere and upright walking, as in the presence of the in*, -visible, All-seeing God. It makes a man truly love, honour, and obey him? and therefore careful to •know what his will is. It renders the heart highly- thankful to him as his Creator, Redeemer, and Ben- efactor. It makes a man entirely depend on him, seek him for guidance, direction and protection ; and submit to his will with patience and resignation of soul. It gives the law, not only to his words and actions, but to his very thoughts and purposes ; so that he darei not entertain any which are unbecom- ing the sight and presence of that God, to whom all our thoughts are legible- It crushes all pride and haughtiness, both in a man's heart and carriage ; and gives him an humble frame of soul and life, both in the-sight of God and men. It regulates and governs the passions of the mind, and brings them into due moderation and frame. It gives a roan a right esti- mate of this worldj and sets the heart and feope-s- above it ; so that he never loves it more than it de- serves. It makes the wealth and glory of this world, high places, and great preferments, but of low and little value to him ; so that he is neither covetous, nor ambitious, nor over-solicitous,, concerning the advantages of them. Jt makes him value the love $f God, and peace of conscience, above all the wealth and honour in the world, and to be very dili- gent to keep it inviolably. He performs all his du- ties to God in sincerity and integrity ; and, whilst Jie lives on earth, his conversation, his hopes, his treasures, are in heaven, and he endeavours to walk suitable to such a hope." " Those who truly fear God, says he, have a se- cret guidance from a higher wisdom than what is human ; namely, the spirit of truth and wisdom, *■ hat doth rrilly, and truly, but secretly, prevent and direct them. Any man that sincerely and truly jears Almighty God, and calls aud relies upon him lor guidance and direction, hath it as really as a son hath the counsel and direction of his father ; and though his voice be not audible, nor the direction always perceptible, or discernible by sense, yet it is equally as real as if a man heard the' voice saying, ( l This is the way, walk in it." — " And though this :ecret direction of Almighty God is principally seen, ;n matters relating to the good of the soul ; yet it may also be found in the concerns of this life, which a good man, that fears God, and begs his direction, shall very often, if not at. all times find. I can call my own experience to witness, that even in the ex- ternal actions of my whole life, I was never disap- pointed of the best guidance and direction, when I have, in humility and sincerity, implored the secret direction and guidance of the divine wisdom." " The observance of the secret admonitions of this spirit of God in the heart, is an effectual means to cleanse and sanctify thy heart ; and the more it is attended to, the more it will be conversant with thy sou! 3 for thy instruction. In the midst of thy 57 difficulties, it will be thy counsellor ; in the midst of thy temptations, it will be thy strength, and grace sufficient for thee ; in the midst of thy troubles, it will be thy light and thy comfort." (See general Bio. Dictionary.) The Sentiments of his Ext-ellency John Jat, late Governor of this state, and formerly ambassador to a foreign court. Mr. Jay is allowed by all parties to be one of the most exemplary and judicious characters in th& United States. — « I have long been of opinion, that the evidence of Christianity, required only to be ©arefully examined, to produce conviction in can^ did minds." (See his letter to the Rev, Doctor Uzal Ogde% ff Newark.) :»:2 m CHAPTER IT. ENGLAND. The accounts of the first population of all nations are extremely uncertain ; the early aeras, and the transactions of the imtnediataly succeeding periods, are generally enveloped in thick darkness, or in- volved in fable. Britain was little known before the invasion of Julius Caesar, and its inhabitants were then remark- able only for their ferocity or barbarism. It receiv- ed the name of Albion from its white rocks ; and Britain from Britt, an old word, signifying at that time, painting the skin, which was much used by the first people. Julius Caesar conducted his army into this un- known country, which was divided into several small States, governed by petty princes, fifty -five years be- fore Christ. The emperor Claudius conquered a great part of their island, and carried their chief prince Caractacus, to Rome in triumph. Under 2tfero, the Britons rebelled ; but at last they were finally subdued by Julius Agricola. About forty years after the dissolution of the Ro» man government, (A. D. 449) Vortigern appears to Iiave obtained the supreme command of the princes and cities of Britain. This unfortunate monarch, liarrassed by the continual invasions of a domestic ibe, was at length reduced to the necessity of invit- ing the Saxons, a German nation, to protect his fhrone and people from the fury of those barbarians. •[Gibbon.] Hengist and Horsa, two Saxon chiefs, as they ranged along the eastern coast with three ships, were engaged, by the promise of an ample Stipend^ to embrace the defence ef Britain : and $9 iheir intrepid valour soon delivered them from their enemies. The isle of Thanet, a secure and fertile district, was allotted for the residence of those Ger- man auxiliaries, and they were supplied, according to the treaty, with an allowance of clothing and pro- visions. Having repulsed the Scots and i icts, the perfidious Hengists, being joined by succ ssive colo- nies of his own countrymen, (these colonies were principally composed of three valiant tribes or na- tions of Germany — the Jews, the old Saxons, and the Angles,) turned his arms against the Britons, and perpetrated a treacherous massacre during the security of a feast. After a long and violent con- test, the Saxons extirpated or enslaved those whom they had engaged to protect. Different parts of the island being subdued by different chieftians or lead- ers — seven independent thrones — the Saxon heptar- chy — were founded by the conquerors. Alfred the Great succeeded to the throne, on the death of his father Ethelwoif, A. D. 838. The Danes landed in great numbers, made them- selves masters of the sea coasts, and of the most fertile provinces. They were at last defeated with great slaughter ; and Alfred allowed a body of the vanquished enemy to settle in Northumberland, on their consenting to submit to his government, and embrace Christianity. This great prince establish- ed a regular militia for the defence of his kingdom ; divided England into hundreds and tithings ; ap- pointed trials by jury and county courts. He en- couraged learning, navigation, and commerce. On the death of Alfred, A. D. 899, JKngland re- lapsed into barbarism. During the weak adminis- tration of several of his successors, the Danes re- newed their invasions, till Ethelred, a weak prince, at first endeavoured meanly, to compound with them for his safety, and afterwards with a cruelty incident to weak minds, formed the design of massacreing all the Danes in the kingdom, A. D. 1002, which he carried into execution, Sweyn, king of. Denmark m ioolt vengeance on the English for the slaughter, of his countrymen, and compelled Ethelred to seek refuge in the court of his brother-in-law, Richard? duke of Normandy, A. D. 1013. His son, Edmond Ironside, after having bravely struggled for the independence of his kingdom, was at last betrayed by his general, Edric, and obliged to divide his dominions with Canute, son of the Dan- ish king Sweyn. Edmund suivived this division only a month, being murdered at Oxford by two of his chamberlains, A. D. 1017, whose treachery made way for the accession of Canute the dane to the throne of England. This prince by the conquest of Norway, became the most powerful monarch of hie time ; being sovereign of Denmark, Norway, and England. Of Harold Harefoot, and Hardicanute, his sonc and successors, nothing is recorded that merits at- tention : only that on the death of Hardicanute, the English shook off the Danish yoke, and placed on the throne of his successors, Edward, surname d the Confessor, son of the unfortunate Ethelred. Though an excellent prince, he disguised the English by. his partiality to the Normans, among whom he had been educated; and he declared William* duke of Nor- mandy, his cousin, to be his successor* On the death of Edward, Harold, the son, of earl Godwin, usurped the vacant throne ' t but his right was disputed by the duke of Normandy, who landed on the coast of Sussex, at the head of 60,000 men. The battle of Hastings, A, D. 1066, won by the ^ormans, placed William the Conqueror on the ne of England, and terminated the Anglo-Saxon monarchy in Britain. William, thus possessed of the crown, by a pre- tended will of King Edward,, abetted by force of arms, with a prudent policy, endeavoured to concili- ate the affections of the nobility and gentry, by con- firming them in the possession of their lands and dignities; but eyery where disarmed the natives, 61 and placed all real power in the hands of the Not - mans. He established the feodal government, di- vided the kingdom into baronies, and ordered a gen- eral survey to be taken of all the lands of England j their extent in each district, their proprietors, ten- ures, value ; the quantity of meadow, pasture, wood and arable land, which they contained ; and, in some counties the number of tenants, cottagers and slaves of all denominations, who lived upon them, A. D. 1081. This valuable piece of antiquity, called Domesday Book, is still preserved in the Exchequer, and helps to illustrate to us the ancient state of Eng- land. William died A- D. 1087, and was succeed- ed in the duchy of Normandy by his eldest son Rob- ert and the kingdom of England by his second soh, William, surnamed Rufus, whose violent and ty- rannical reign continued thirteen years, when on his death, Henry I. usurped the throne, which was the inheritance of his elder brother Robert of Normaa- mandy. This prince governed with severity. His domestic misfortunes were very great. His only son William, who had attained his 18th year, had accompanied him on an expedition into Normandy, feutpeiishedon his return with all his retinue.— The royal youth was anxious to get first to land ; and the captain of the vessel, being intoxicated with liquor, heedlessly ran her on a rock, where she was immediately dashed to pieces. The king was so- much affected by the news, that he is said never to have smiled more (A. D. 1 120.) His daughter Ma- tilda married Geoffrey Piantagenet, son of the Count of Anjou. Henry, dying A. D. 1135, destined the succession of the kingdom to his daughter, but his nephew, Stephen usurped the throne. The despotism of ihe king, the licentiousness of the nobles, and the oppression of the people, invited and encouraged the earl of Gloucester, and David king of Scotland, to take up arms in support of Matilda's right (A, D. 1138.) A long and bloody war ensued, whish 62 after various successes, terminated in the succes- sion being secured to Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son. The usuper died the year after, when Henry II. (surnamed Plantagenet) -was invested with the supreme power. lie was the greatest prince of his time. lie began his reign with re- establishing justice; and good order, to which the English world had been long a stranger. He at- tempted next to reform the abuses of the church, but was opposed in all his measures by Becket, arch- bishop of Canterbury. The Roman pontiff, and the king of France, espoused the cause of his haughty prelate. Henry, dreading the sentence of excom- munication, submitted with reluctance; and Becket was soon after murdered at the altar (A. D. 1 170) and canononized. Having soothed the pope, who threatened to avenge the archbishop's murder, the king undertook the conquest of Ireland; an enter- prize which he had long mediated, and for which he had obtained a grant from pope Adrian I V. but ■which had been deferred by reason of his quarrels with the primate. This expedition proved success- ful. Though victorious in all quarters, and crowned with glory, this best and most indulgent of parents was obliged to maintain war against his own family. His sons rebelled, and were supported by the kings of France and Scotland. This barbarous behaviour preyed on his spirits, and soon put a period to his life (A. D. 1189.) Edward III. This youthful and ambitious mon- arch claimed the kingdom of France, in right of his mother, the daughter of Philip the fair. A war with ►France ensued (A. D. i 338) the event of which was prosperous. His heroic son, called the Black •Prince, from the color of his armour, won the baU tie of Cressy, A. D. 1346. The French were again idefeated at the battle of Poictiers, and John their king taken prisoner and brought to London. These splendid successes were of no real advantage t6 England. In the conclusion/ of Edward's life> his 63, fortunes declined. An extravagant attachment to Alice Pierce, a young lady of wit and beauty, gave such general disgust, as to become the object of a parlimentary remonstrance. The king did not long survive the death of his amiable son, the prince of Wales. He expired in the 5 1 st year of his reign : one of the longest, and though the latter days of it were indeed somewhat obscured by the infirmities and follies ©f age, yet it certainly was one of the most glorious in the English annals. Bis successor, Richard II. son of the Black Prince, Was little able to recover what had been lost through the dotage of his grandfather. A poll-tax of three groats a-head on every person, male and female, above fifteen years of age, excited a most formida- ble insurrection, headed, by Wat Tyler, which was quelled by the prudence and courage of Richard.— His spirited behaviour at this juncture raised the highest expectations concerning him. But ti'-- pre- sages of youth are often fallacious! He was a slave to unworthy favourites. Having confiscated the estate of Vis kinsmen, Henry duke of Lancaster, he rebelled against, deposed and murdered the king. Thus began the contest between the hou- ses of York and Lancaster. The duke of Lancaster ascended the English throne under the name of Henry IV A. D. 1399. He was the son of John Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, fourth son of Edward the III. In his turbulent reign occurred little worthy of notice, except the act of burning the followers of Wickliffe, a secular! priest educated at Oxford, who during the reigns of Edward III. and Richard II. had preached the doctrine of reformation. Henry VIII. Religious disputes form the im~ portant object of this reign. Wickliffe, in the reig* of Richard II. was the first who combated in Eng* land the errors of the- church' of Rome. His doc- trines prepared for a subsequent revolution of Opin- ions ; but he had few open followers. . The intern* 6* perate passions of Henry were the immediate cause of the reformation in England. His affections ha- ving been estranged from the queen, Catherine, he solicited a divorce : the pope hesitated, and Hen- ry prevailed on the archbishop of Canterbury to an- nul the marriage, as a necessary step before he could marry Anne Boleyn. The pope condemned the sentence of the archbishop, and Henry in return shook off the authority of the see of Rome, and de- clared himself head of the national church. The unfortunate Anne Was beheaded on a charge of infidelity, ufter whom the king successively married Jane Seymour, Anne of Clever, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. His whole reign abounded in acts of violence and tyranny, from which the nation was happily delivered by his death. A. D. 1547. During the short reign of his only son, Edward VI. the protestant religion prevailed. Mary succeeded to the throne of England. The young, beautiful, and innocent lady Jane Grey, in- duced by her ambitious father-in-law, accepted the crown, and lost her head. Mary restored the Rom- ish religion, and a most sanguinary persecution of the protestants filled the whole of this short, bigoted reign. Archbishop Cranmer ; Hooper, bishop of Gloucester; Farrar, bishop of St. David's; Ridley, bishop of London ; Latimer, bishop of Worcester ; and several other protestant divines, suffered mar- trydom. The loss of Calais to the French, affected Mary so deeply, that she fell into a slow fever, which put an end to her inglorious reign. The accession of her sister Elizabeth was fol- lowed by a firm establishment of protestanism. A liturgy was framed, and the hierarchy settled by archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons. The af- fairs of Scotland are deeply interwoven with those of England, during this reign, occasioned by the ri- valship and personal enmity between Mary, queen of Scots, and Elizabeth. Mary was granchild to Henry VII. by his eldest daughter, Margaret) and consort to the dauphin of Prance. Her attachment to the catholic religion was the principal cause of her misfortunes. A conspiracy formed by Babing- ton, A. D. 1586, and the adherents of the church of Rome, for the assassination of Elizabeth, and the establishment Of popery, to which Mary was accus- ed of being privy, brought this amiable, accom- plished, but unfortunate queen j to fc the scaffold, A. D. 1587, a victim to the jealousy and fears of an offended rival: an act by which the English queen has forever sullied the glory of her reign. Eliza- beth's attention was now called to more distant dan- gers. Philip Hi of Spain, determining to execute his ambitious project of the entire conquest of Eng- land, prepared a grand armada, vainly denominated invincible, which was defeated, A. D. 1588, by the English fleet, under the earl of Effingham and sir Francis Drake. The earl of Essex, the queen's favourite, was sent a deputy-lieutenant to Ireland, to quell a rebellion which 'had been raised by the earl of Tyrone, who had assumed the title of king, A. D. 1599. Essex returned to England unsuc- cessful, and entered into a conspiracy against the queen, for which he was beheaded, A. D. 1600— The queen's affection for him was so violent, that she became pensive, peevish, and melancholy, and expired two years after, her body being totally wasted by anguish of mind and abstinence. With Elizabeth ended the house of Tudor. The accession of the family of Stuart, in the person of her successor, James I. forms a memorable era in the history of Great-Britain. James I came to the crown with high notions of the regal power, which often betrayed hkn into im- prudencies and error*. The people began to aspire after a greater portion of liberty than they had hi- therto enjoyed. The domestic tranquility was in- terrupted at the commencement of this reign, by the conspiracy of Cobham, Grey, and Raleigh.— Their intention was to raise the king's cousin, Ara- 60, bella Stuart, to the throne. The cenipirators were, executed. This, was followed by the gunpowder treason ; a plot which excited universal ascoi ish- ment and horror. Its object was, the destruction of the king and parliament. This dreadful scheme was happily detected, and the authors of it were punished. Charles I. succeeded t© the crown of his father at a very critical period, and with ideas of the royal perogative much averse to the spirit of the times* Unable to obtain supplies from his first parliament, for the prosecution of war in defence of his brother- in-law, the elector palatine, he quarrelled with, and afterwards dissolving, them, endeavoured to- raise ?noney by loans from his subjects. The new par- liament that succeeded was less complying than the. former *. they framed a petition of rights, requiring, the abolishment of loans from the subject, and taxes 2»ajsed without parliamentary aid. To this the king reluctantly assented ; but still continuing impru- dently to levy the imposts on tonnage and pound- age, without a new grant, the commons urged this as a violation of the petition of rights, and were dis- solved. A new parliament assembled, .but being v «till less obsequious to the royal will, was once more dissolved, and the king summoned his fifth and last parliament. . The discontents of the nation were now , very great, and Charles, sensible of his errors, as- sented to a bill fixing the right of parliament . alone to levy taxes, and consented to summons one every third year. His ministers the earl of Stafford an Protector of tlrelhree kingdoms, I^is administration was rigor- rras but arbitrary. A slow fever put a period to his life, Sept. 3 1658, His e'idest son, R'ic'hard, succeeded in il>e protec- torship ; but, from his weakness and incapacity, c'duld not keep it. On the first appearance of. diffi- culties, he resigned the government, and Henry 'Crorrrwel'l, lord-lieutenant of Ireland, followed his brother's example. — Disorder and anarchy ensued. General Monk, then at the head of the army in 'Scotland, marched into England, procured the «ummonso 4 fa 'free parliament, and "Charles, the eld- est son of the wvfortvma^emoa&rcl^ who had taker* £8 jefuge in France, sent a declaration of indemnity and liberty of conscience to the House. They re- received it, and proclaimed him king, A: D. 1660. The reign of Charlfs II. was the sera of taste and genius ; though his court was the residence of voluptuousness and prodigality.— Guided by the worst of ministers,,his domestic's administration was turbulent. He lived uneasy with his parliament, which,, as he could not controul; he dissolved, and governed with absolute authority, and was at last poisoned. As he died without children, his brother? the duke of. York* succeeded to the throne by the title of James IT. He openly encouraged popery, and was himself directed solely by romish priests. He adopted the most despotic measures, invaded every part of the constitution, committed the bishops to prison, and received the pope's nuneio in London. The nation, exasperated at these encroachments upon their civil and religious liberties, solicited the aid of the prince of Orange, nephew and son-in-law of James. He arrived in England, and being re- ceived with general satisfaction, James^ abandoned by all, abdicated the throne, and retired to France.* The parliament settled the crown on the prince and princess of Orange, who were proclaimed sovereigns of Great Britain, 8cc. by the title of King William and Queen Mary. — Beth hou- ses passed a bill, or instrument of settlement, which regulated the line of succession, and provided against the return of those grievances which had driven the nation to the fiercest extremity* and ef- fectually secured from the future encroachments of the sovereign the most essential rights of the people* Thus was happily terminated the great struggle of privilege and prerogative, between the crown and the people, which commenced with the accession of the family of Stuart to the throne of England, and con- *.•**..... • i. ......... .r....... ............... .. ..•.<> *He died an exile in France, August 6, 1 701:. tinned- till their expulsion, whea almost a century had elapsed. This revolution forms a grand «era in the English constitution. The unfortunate monarch, having obtained assis- tance from the French king, Louis, embarked for Ireland; but his attempt was not attended with suc- cess. The rebels were defeated near the Boyne, (A. O. 1690) and James returned to -France. William was a prince of great vigour of mind, nrmness of tempers and intrepidity of spirit. Hn, was making vast preparations for carrying on wa* against the French, who, on the death of James Ih had, in violation of a treaty, acknowledged the soh of that exiled prince king of Great Britain and Ire- land, under the tide of James III. when a fall from his horse thre*w him into a fever, which put a period to his life, (A. f>. 1702.) In the year 1748^ the war with France and Spain was concluded, and the treaty of Aix la-Chapelle signed; but the French encroaching on the bound- aries of the English provinces in North- America', orders were sent to the governors of the British set- tlements to oppose force by force, A. D. 1-764.— War was accordingly declared. — -Minorca Was lost* and admiral Byng, Who had been sent to the relief of it, was tried, condemned, and shot, for neglect of duty in an engagement with the French fleet* • which covered the siege. This misfortune wa&- most amply compensated by the success of the Bri- tish arms in the reduction of Surat and Pohdicherry,. in the East-Indies, The English likewise mad@ N themselves masters of* Guidaloupe, Quebec^ Mon- treal, and every other place within the government* of Canada : Gorec, and the other French •: settle*- sftents on the river Senegal, in Afr-isa, TO CHAPTER Y. HOLLAND. The Netherlands, with that part of German? which lies west of the Rhine, was possessed by the Romans, who called it Gallia Belgica : but upon the decline of the Roman empire, the Goths, and other northern people, took possession of these pro- vinces, as they passed through them in their way to France and Spain, and here excited several smalt governments which were a kind of limited monarch- ies, whose sovereigns were 3tyled dukes, counts or lords. These provinces were seventeen in number : viz. four dukedoms; Brabant, Limburg, Luxem- burg and Guelders ; seven earldoms ; Flanders* Artois, Hainault, Holland, Zealand, Namur and Zutphen : five lordships, JMesland, Malines, Utrecht, Overyssel and Groningen : beside Ant- werp, which has the title of marquisate of the Ro- man empire. The people enjoyed great privileges under these prinees, who were contented with pre- serving them, because the smallness of their domin- ions made thtir greatest strength consist in the af- fection of their subjects ; but afterwards, when all these provinces became subject to the house of Bur- gundy, which held large provinces elsewhere, the people were treated with less indulgence. From Burgundy they passed to the house of Austria ;^-~ Charles V. was the first prince of this house, and, as &e was king of Spain* emperor of Germany, and auke of Burgundy, he had different interests from those of his predecessors j, and being engaged in a -arar with France,, he brought foreign forces from his other dominions into the Netherlands, notwithstandi- ng, the express laws to tfi&,cojntrary« m At length the Reformation gaining ground here*, that prince published very rigorous edicts against those who separated from the Romish church ; and Grotius affirms, that during his reign above a hun- dred thousand persons suffered death for their reli- giou ; but the number and courage of those who embraced the Reformation, instead of being dimi- nished by the horrors of persecution, daily increased, and sometimes the people rescued out of the hands of the officers those who were leading to execution. Thus the Netherlands became extremely alienated from the house of Austria, and their discontents in- creased on Charles* abdicating his throne in favor of his son Philip II. This prince, who treate d his Flemish subjects with much more austerity than his father had done, would admit onlyof the popish religion ; and a sanguinary persecution against the heretics, as they were called, was carried on with fresh rigour; a court, resembling that of the inqui- sition, was erected, and these cruelties were aggra- vated by insupportable taxes \ but at the time when Philip left the Netherlands, he appointed the prince of Orange governor over four of those provinces. The house of Nassau, of which the prince of O- range was, derives its chief title from the eleven, counties of the principality of Nassau, in the impe- rial circle of the Upper Rhine. These oppressions being excercised with the. most tyrannical fury by Ferdinand of Toledo, duke of Alva, whom Philip had created governor, the Ne- therlands made a strong effort for their freedom^ and William Prince of Orange, in conjunction with. his brother count Louis of Nassau,, undertook the, defence of the inhabitants, in their noble struggles, for religion and civil liberty. Accordingly the states of Holland, in their own names, conferred the stadtholdership* a title equivalent to lieutenant,, on the former,, and several other towns and provin- ces declared for him. He first united them, in 5 756, in one general association, under the title of; feg * Tne •ptfcifitatftm of Gftent ~ But t^ife fcufon bemg^ soon dissolved, the prince laboured to the utmost of his power to form amofffe durable alliance, which he happily accomplishedtin 1579. In that year the cel- ebrated league of Utrecht Was concluded-, which gave name to the United Provinces-, and became the basb and plan of their constitution . The prince of Orange was afterwards oft the point of being nominated the sovereign of these countries, but wae treacherously shot in 1584, by an assassin named Selthafcar Gerhard* who had assumed the name of Francis Guyon. This man was supposed to have been hired to perpetrate the murder by the Spanish ministry r but no tortures could force a cenfessdoft from him. The United Netherlands^ however^ continued to maintain, sword* in hand, that liberty to which they had raised themselves : queen Elisa- beth of England took them under her protection, and rendered them, essential assistance. When the earl of Leicester, the favourite of that queen, was sent over by her to the Netherlands, in the year 1685, the states appointed him governor and captain-* general of the United Provinces, or in other words their Stadthelder ; but his haughty Carriage, and* Hnskilful manner of conducting the War, soon ren- dered him unpopular* and the next year he returned- to England. The Dutch, being afterwards better supported by the English,, baffled all the attempts of" the Spaniards, and their commerce arrived at such a pitch, that in 1-602 their celebrated East Indifc company was established ; ahd Spain being bothr weakened and discouraged by the ill success of a te*- dious war, in 1 609 agreed to an armistice for twelve^ years, and in the very Erst article of the treaty ac- knowledged the United Netherlands to be a free and independent state. During this truce the re- public attained to a degree of power which it has never since exceeded— These signal successes were principally obtained by the able conduct of" j^rince Maurice ©f N*ssaw; T the seeend son of the- £rst stadtholder, and to the same dignity this prinee was chosen when only twenty-one years of age. He conducted the affairs of the states, during twenty year?, with great ability and success. The latter part of this prince's government was sullied by cru- elty and ingratitude ; for he procured the condemn- ation and death of the pensionary Barnevelt, to whose liia influence he owed his elevation. This man was sacrificed to his opinions, for he was an. Armenian in religion and a republican in politics, but his death caused the political principles for which he suffered to spread more widely. Those who opposed the stadthotder were afterwards called '* the Louvestein party," from De Witt, burgomas- ter of Dort, and five other members of the states general, being imprisoned in that castle for main- taining such sentiments. In J 62 1 the war was again renewed, during which- the stadtholder, prince Frederick Henry, youngest son of the first William, who. succeeded on the death of his half brother prince Maurice, in 1625, greatly distinguished himselL This war was brought to a period in 1638, by the peace of Mun~ st by which treaty Philip IV. king of Spain, re- nounced all claim to the United Netherlands. In 165-2 a war broke out between the United Pro- vinces and England, which latter country was then brought under a republican form of government.-— This war was terminated two years after, by a trea- ty, in which the states of Holland engaged forever to exclude the house of Orange from the stadthoi- dership of their province. In 1 665 another war was kindled with England, at which time that country had regained its regal con- stitution ; this war continued until the treaty of Bre- da. — The states of Holland and West Friesland then passed an edict, by which they abolished the stadt- holdership in their province. This was effected by the influence of the grand pensionary De Witt.— *> When France formed a design to seize on the Span* 7i ^shTSetherlands, the V nited 'provinces 'enteredint© an alliance with the crowns of 'England and Sweden tforthe defence Of those countries: by Which France -was, in 1668, compelled to agree to the peace of Aix la Chappelle ; but soon took a severe revenge %y ; breaking that alliance, and inducing England* with some other powers, to enter into a league against 'the United Provinces, on which a War ensu- ed. In this critical conjecture the republic, in 1672, nominated William, the young prince of 'Orange, ^captain and admiral general : and the populace compelled the states of Holland to invest him with the j stadtholdership, which two years aiter was de- clared hereditary in his family. c He was the'fffth stadtholder and the third of that name : he married the princess Mary, eldest daugh- ter of James II. of England, and became king of England. In 1678 a peace was concluded with France, at «N"imeguen but it was of no long continuance, for in, 1688, the states supporting their stadtholder in his expedition to England, with a fleet and a large bo- fly of troops, France declared war against them, which continued till'the peace of Ryswicin 1697 At length, on the death of Charles II. king of Spain, in the year i7G0 the Spanish provinces fell to the shttre-oftbe house of Austria, and the republic be- came involved in a war respecting that succession, Triiich continued till the peace of Utrecht, in 1713. William died king of England and stadtholder eff the United Provinces in 17 02. He appointed John William Frizo, prince of Nassau t)ietz, his sote heir, who was born 1687, and was drowned in cros- sing an arm of the sea at Mardyke, 14th July, 1711. Three months after his death his widow was deliv- ered of a son, who was christened William, and afterwards became stadtholder, fout on the death of "William III. that office was laid aside, until, in 1722, the province of Guelders elected him their stadt- liolder, notwithstanding the remonstrances of "the* other provinces. In the- general war. which broke* oat in'Etijfope ia 1756, the Dutch, by taking no part in the quarrel, were perhaps the greatest gainers, supplying the- belligerent powers with naval and military stores ; and when the dispute between Great-Britain and the American colonies rekindled the flames ol wv.r, the, most essential assistance was procured both to A rue-, rica and France, by means of the Dutch setucment at St.. Eiistatius, and of the freights bi ought by their ships. At length it was discovered, by ihe capture the members of the several states to meet to- ; gethe^e»ch.papticiilar state appoints, sokig person t»» represent it ; -and the assembly of these Teprese»~ tatives is called « The Assembly of the States Gen* •eral." The "States Genera!, however, not only make ■peace or war in their own name, but send and re- ceive ambassadors and other public ministers. The commander in chief, and all other military officers take an oath of fidelity to them? and during a war, some of their members, or of the council of state, ibllow the army, sit in the council oi war, and their consent is requisite previous to any thing of impor- tance being undertaken. In time of war the States likewise grant licences and protections. Thus the States General appear at first view to be the sovereigns of the country ; but most of these deputies are appointed only for a few years, and though they have the power of debating on the most important affairs that miry tend to secure or promote the preservation or happiness of the state, yet they have not power to conclude any point of great con- sequence, without previously communicating it to their respective provinces, and receiving their ex- press consent. This renders the resolutions of the republic so tedious and dilatory, as to lire the pa- tience of those powers who have affairs to negociate ■with the states ; but though this slow method of proceeding is attended with many inconveniences, it has some advantages : it affords leisure for cau- tion and mature deliberation, and is sometimes an unexceptionable pretence for protracting business, and waiting to see what events may turn up. In the assembly of the 'tat s General each pro- vince presides weekly in its turn, beginning with Guelderland, who had the presidency before the union; then Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, Friesland, Qveryssel and Groningen. He who is first named in the deputation of his province presides, and is from that ca'led ftie " President of the week." 3 hey sit throughout the whole year without adjournment,, and their meetings are .always heW at the Hague* 77 The highest office in this country is that of Stadt- ?io!dcr, for he is at the same time governor-general of the Seven United Provinces, captain-general, ami grand-admiral ; but his power is extremely limited. He swears to obey the otates General, and can nei- ther make peace nor war without their consent. He may come to their assembly, to lay before them any business in which the public is concerned ; but has not ordinarily a seat in it. He may pardon crimi- nals condemned to suffer death, and has the right of choosing the magistrates of pities upon a double nomination of their respective senates, excepting only Amsterdam, with several other important pri- vileges. The title assumed by the States is that of " High and Mighty Lords," or, "The Lords of the States General of the United Netherlands ;" and in public addresses they are stiled u their High Mighti- nesses. " The council of state consists of twelve deputies of the several provinces, and their office is either triennial or during the pleasure of their principals. In this council the deputies of Holland have the greatest weight, that province being possessed of three votes, while none of the others have more thau two, and some of them only one. The president- ship indeed zs held alternately by the twelve mem- bers, each in their week. The title of this council is « Noble and Miphty Lords.*' [The foregoing- History has reference to the state of this country previous to the French Revolution^ In the year 179 1 , the emperor of Germany seized the Dutch forts in the neighborhood of Stays, and demanded the opening of the Scheldt, and ordered a ship of his to sail down that river, and upon its seizure by the Dutch, lost no time in putting his ar- my in motion, with all the appearance of commenc- ing an immediate war. This demand of the empe- ror was finally settled by the Dutch paying ten mil- lions of florins. 78 - An intimate alliance was formed in 1784, between tlie court of Versailles and the Hague, which stipu- lated that either party should supply the other with an auxiliary force upon being attacked. In 1785, the internal commotions in the United Provinces great- ly attracted the attention of Europe. Two parties, for the last two centuries, had been continually struggling for superiority. The first of these was ihe family of Orange; the second, that of the states and of the town councils. From the death of the patriotic De Wilts, Bar- nevelts, and of William the second, the republic had declined, and instead of venerable patriots and distin- guished conquerors, Europe had been accustomed to regard them as a nation of merchants, pursuing wealth, in contempt of every other quality and ac- complishment. It is well known that the oligarchy, for a number of years previous to 1785, entertained the design of excluding the Stadtholder, and of stripping him of his disproportionate authority. The first efforts of liberty appeared in the city of Utrecht. The citizens formed the plan of entirely excluding the Stadtholder from any influence in the nomination of the four governments; and at the same time to communicate to the people a certain degree of authority, and to share in the election of the. senates and magistrates, as well as several other prerogatives of no considerable importance. The first measure adopted was to present a petition to the states of the province of Utrecht, demanding the abolition of the regulation of regency established in 1674, which was the foundation of the principal part of the obnoxious authority of the Stadtholder in the election of the town governments, and by which he was accustomed arbitrarily to obtrude whatever person he pleased to a seat in the senate. Six deputies were appointed by the assembly of the magistrates of Amsterdam, to mediate the differen- ces which had arisen at Utrecht ; and the projected s-eform was at length published, which was certainly -intended, as a conciliatory measure : but it Was by- no means attended with the success expected. The spirit of reform which began at Utrecht, soon com- munciated its influence to other towns and provin- ces, and the violence of the people, at length, indu- ced four of the council committee to send a requisi- tion to the Stadtholder, demanding a body of troops to restrain the citizens. The compliance of the prince of Orange with the demand of troops pro- duced the most unbounded spirit of indignation and resistance in various parts of the republic. The senate urged by the representatives of the people shut their gates, brought out the cannon of their fortifications, and prepared for resistance. The people were every where incensed at the con- Suet of the Stadtholder, in endeavouring to silence their complaints, by the introduction of an armed force. The Stadtholder now called upon the states to support him, but finding that he could obtain no answer to his remonstrances, he withdrew from the Hague, on the 14th September, 1785, with a resolu- tion never to return to the pala.ee of his ancestors, till he should be reinstated in his prerogatives. The troops had now yielded implicit obedience to the provincial assembly, and formed a border along the province of Utrecht ; and soon afterwards the states passed a resolution, depriving the prince ©f Orange of the situation of captain-general. The misunderstanding between the Stadtholder and the republic had now (1787) gone so far, that it did not appear possible to terminate it in any ether way than by the sword. The king of Prussia and the court of France, both tried to mediate. The refusal of any concession, however, by the prince of Orange, brought the conferences to a rapid conclu- sion. All the provinces were now nearly unanimous, in refusing to yield to the stadtholderY pretensions, but Utrecht was still distracted. Hostilities, how- ever, soon commenced, when a rencounter happen- ed between a party of the prince's forces and t|rc m Tohmteers of -.Utrecht, on the former attempting to secure the post of Vreesnvyck, in which they were defeated. In the mean time a terrible riot broke out in Amsterdam, in favour of the Stadtholder, •which was with much difficulty suppressed by the hssociation of the burghers, but not until much da- mage had been done to the persons and properties of the inhabitants. A general revolt broke out among the troops of the provinces ; and for the pur- pose of co-operating with the revolters, the prince of Orange took the field with his little army, and en- camped in the vicinity of Utrecht. While things were in this state, the princess of Orange, sister to the king of Prussia, a woman of a masculine, active, and adventurous character, undertook a journey to the Hague, from what motive never distinctly a^ peared, except, indeed the courts of Prussia and London wished for some more immediate cause ta go to war than what had yet occurred. The princes* was stopped in her journey by the deputies of the patriots, and compelled to return ; upon which she. wrote to the states of Holland, charging them witk distrusting her intentions, and demanding an ample The discontented" patriots now began to raise their heads; and the Stadtholder, finding it impossible t©-- resist the impending storm, desired leave to with- draw. He shortly after sailed for Engh\nd ? "where; Jicjaet with a hospitable reception. G 2- 13 Is ir&5, a Trench officer, with dispatches U general Pichegru, entered Amsterdam, and rep:: to the house of the burgomaster. The tree of liberty was planted next morning, while De Winter took possession of the fleet which he was afterwards des- tined to command. A complete revolution was thus effected through the Seven United Provinces. Pichegru now entered Amsterdam in triumph, and was received with transports of joy. The principal cities were next occupied by French troops. The States General, yielding to imperious necessity, now negcciated with the invaders, and issued orders to all the governors to deliver up all the fortifications on the first summons of the French, who, instead of disarming the garrisons, only required them to take an oath not to carry arms against the republic After the lapse of a short period, a treaty of alii* •r.ce, offensive and defensive, was concluded be- tween the republic of France and that of the Seven United Provinces. The conquest of Holland by the French, and the treaty of alliance which speedily fallowed this event, produced an entire change in cnnection between that country and England. War was consequently declared by the latter, and a ;*reat number of Dutch vessels were detained, and all the property of that nation seized in England. All the Dutch colonies in Asia were also either ob- tained by stratagem, or seized after a short and inef- fectual resistance. The capture of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1796, produced a considerable sen- sation in Holland. Holland, after -having undergone a revolution, which placed Louis Bonaparte, brother to the French Emperor, at the head of its government as king, and another by which it became a province of France, has now, (1814) recalled its former Stadt- fcolder, and invested him with greater privileges than ever, with the title of Sovereign of the JSTc^ *h+rkinck* CHAPTER VI. SCOTLAND. This country, anciently called Caledonia, lies be- tween the 54:h and 59th degree of north lat. and the 1st and 7th degree of west long, from London. The river Teved on the eastern coast, and the Solway Firth on the west, determine the limits between England and Scotland. The German ocean, with the Deucaledonean and the Irish seas, flow around its eastern, northern, and western coasts. The isles of Orkney and Shetland lie contiguous to its most northern extremity - y the Hebrides are adjacent ta its north-western shores. The highest mountain in Scotland, is Ben Ntvia* in Inverness-shire, near Fort William ; on the north-east, it is fifteen hundred feet in height. The principal rivers in Scotland are the Tay, the Clyde, and the Forth. The chief source of the Tay is the lake of the same name. Soon after this noble river issues from the lake, it is joined by several less streams; after passing the beautiful town of Perth, it is navigable ; and flews by Dundee, below which it forms a grand estuary, or frhh. The mouth of the Clyde, below Glasgow, is equally advantage- ous to navigation. The falls of the Clyde, nearlra- nerk, are objects well deserving the attention of the traveller. The Frith of Forth is a remarkable gulph, formed by the mouth of that river. The Dee, the Don, and the Spey, are other rivers most worthy of notice in the norths Throughout Scotland there are a gTeat many beautiful lakes, but the chief in extent and magni- itcence r is that of Loch Lomond, sledded with ro~ 84 mantle islands, and adorned with shores of the great- est diversity. The depth of this lake, near the bot- tom of Ben Lomond, is from sixty to eighty fathoms. Loch Leven, in Fife-shire, attracts observation from historical fame. Loch Tay is a grand and beautiful expanse of water. Loch Ness rivals Loch Tay in extent and reputation ; its great depth, being J 39 fathoms, is the reason that it never freezes ! Both sides of Loch Ness are beautifully variegated with woods of majestie oaks, birch, hazel, poplar, ash, beach, &c. On the north side of this loch, opposite to the famous falls of Foyers, stands a remarkable mountain, in the Gaelic tongue called, " Maull Fournvonny j" on the top of which is a small lake, which is frequently covered with ice throughout the whole year* and s© deep that it never could be fathomed. The cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow would do honor to any country. In each of these is an old and new town, which form a pleasant contrast. There are other towns, where trade and industry are rapidly increasing ; such as Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Perth, Montrose, &c. The ancient geographers, as Strabo observes, di- vided the then known world into four parts. The eastern they called India ; the southern Ethiopia ; the western Celtia, and the northern Scythia. In the European parts they knew but of two nations besides the Greeks, and those were the Celtae and the Scythse. Those that inhabited the northward, saysS trabo, were called Scythae, and those to the west Celtx. The inhabitants of the higher Asia, si« tuated above Media, Mount Taurus, and Caucasus, were all of them, from the beginning, called Scy- thians, and this name was known to the most ancient Greeks, though it had not its fiist rise from them, but from their dexterity in shooting of arrows, dart- ing their javelins, and such like exercises. These Scythians were formerly reputed the most ancient aatioR in the world, which made Justine, after Tro^ 83 gas Pompus, say that they were before the Egyp- tians ! who disputed the prerogative of antiquity with them, and from whom our antiquarians make the Scots to he descended. And nothing can be more certain, for, by the sacred scriptures, we find that the Scythians came from Magog, the second son of Japhet ; whereas the Egyptians were the descend- ants of Mizraim, the second son of Shem, and con- sequently the former must have the pre-eminence, since Japhet was Shem's eldest brother, and the first begotten of Noah. Perron has clearly proved, that the Gomerians, or the descendants of Gomer* were called Sacae, while they continued in the Up- per Asia, and that this name was anciently given to all the Scythians. These Sacae made great incursions towards the north part of Asia, and all over .Europe ; and beingf in quest of some proper place to fix themselves* they took a resolution, after their frequent rovings, to settle above the Euxine sea; here they changed their names into that of Cumbrians, or Cimbri. Be- ing thus settled about Pauius Maeodidus, they com- municated their name to that famous strait called the Cimbrian Bosphorus. " Now these Cimbrians," says bishop Stillingfleet, " having no skill innaviga* tion or astronomy, and the woods in the first ages of the world impassible, the people still went further and further by the river's sides, till at last, finding; themselves bounded by the vast mountains in these northern countries, and the sea beyond them, they sat down there, and in time so replenished those parts, that they were desirous to discharge them- selves, by sending colonies abroad; to which end they accustomed themselves to the sea, and thence these Scythians came into the northern parts of Bri- tain, where they had the name of Caledonians: — . JNow, Ireland being the next adjacent country to them, and in their view, it was very natural for them, When they were overstocked with people, to send s* colony thither, 86 To confirm this conjecture of the peopling ©f Ireland from the north of Britain, and that both are descended from the ancient Scythians, the learned Strabo, in his first book, gives the name of Celtae and Iberi, or rather that of Celti-Berians and Celti- Scythians, to those people who lived towards the western parts of Europe ; and from the Celti-Beri- ans in Ireland, is that country called Ibernia ; as the Scyths being in the north of Britain, was the reason of its being called Scotia, or Scotland ; also Alfred, in the English translation of Orosius, calls them Scytan, and the Germans call both the Scythians and the Scots, Scutten. Another strong argument for this conjecture, is. the conformity that is to fee observed betwixt the customs and manners of the ancient Celtae-Scythae and the Scots Highlanders. The Celts wore a small cap, or rather a little round bonnet, upon their head ; so do the Highlanders. They were naturally valiant, inured to hardships, agile and expert in all manly exercises ; so are ther Highlanders, The arms of the Celtae were a head piece, a target, bows and arrows, and a short sword like a bayonet ; and some of our Highlanders have these arms to this very day. If the Celtae had their bards or poets, who sung the illustrious actions cf their ancestors, so have the Highlanders. If the Celtae, by misfortune, were beaten, they chose ra- ther to die with their swords in their hands, than to be taken prisoners ; so did the Highlanders in for- jner days. The Celtae, when they went to battle, encouraged their men to fight by music ; so do the Highlanders. The Celtae were abstemious and plain in their way of feeding ; so are our Highlanders. The Celaet, that they might make their children hardy, robust, and healthy, used to wash them in cold water ; so do the Highlanders. The language of the Celtae is still retained by the Highlanders.— And lastly, the Celtae were clothed in filaids, after the same manner that the Scots Highlanders are, as appears from what is said of them by Caius S\ Afp* fielQniusf in tho fourth book of his Epistle.^ 87 Tacitus, in the life of his father-in-law Agricola, says tnat in his time,ithe northern parts of this island ■were well inhabited, as will appear by the following account that he has given of them. The Brigants, who extended as far as the river Tine, were, as he saith, subdued by Petilius Cerealis ; the Silures by Julius Frontinus ; the Ordoricos hy^falrus Agricola, in his first entry upon this province ; but in his third campaign he went as far as the river Tay. la his fifth, he says he fought with and discovered na» tions before unknown ; and in his sixth, he applied himself to the conquest of these nations, among whom a general insurrection was apprehended, and all the passages by land were supposed to be beset ; and, therefore, Agricola sent out a fleet to discover the country, the very sight of which struck them with great terror and amazement— And then, says he, the Caledonians armed themselves, and set upon the Romans with all the force they could make, and falling upon the ninth legion unexpectedly, they had totally defeated them if the army had not come up very timely to rescue them ; by which good suc- cess the R'oman army, being much encouraged, cried out to march into Caledonia, that they might s at last, come to the utmost part of Britain. But the Caledonians, not ascribing this to the valor of the Romans, but to the bad conduct of their general, re- solved to fight it out bravely ; and having disposed of their wives and children in places of safety, after several meetings and solemn sacrifices, they entered into a strict confederacy to stand to the utmost against the Romans. They shortly raised an army of thirty thousand men, under the command of Gal- gacus, or Galdus, whom historians make the twen- ty-first king of Scotland. This excellent prince* being ready to give them battle, told them, in his masterly oration, so much commended by Justin Lipsius, « that they were the last of the Britons, there being no nation beyond them ; and he calls them the most noble of the Britons, who had never 88 beheld the slavery of others," Upon this a bloody battle was fought at the Foot of the Grampian hiHsj where Galgacus had ten thousand of i is men killed and the rest dispersed ; after which Agricola was recalled. This is the substance of what Tacitus says, con- oserning the inhabitants of North Britain From Tacitus' account, it is evident that our countrymen at that time, were not inconsiderable for their num- bers and valor, who were able to oppose the whole Roman army, and make their victory so doubtful. Rudbeck has undertaken to prove that Ptolomy was extremely mistaken in the situation of the northern nations, removing them several degrees more eastward than they ought to have been, and so very much straitening Scandinavia ; which for its vast population, Jirandes calls the work-house of nations. These European Scythians made fr- quent expeditions by sea ; and Tacitus says, particularly of the Sueonos, that they were well provided with shipping. And also, Olaus Rudbeck, from the Go- thetic historians, tells us, " that it was a custom for them to go abroad by sea. Therefore, as Stil- Hngfleet has justly observed, there can be no im* probability that these northern nations should peo- ple that part of Britain which lay nearest them." From these, and a number of other arguments that might be adduced if necessary, it is much more probable that the ancient Scyts or Scots first peopled Ireland, than that it was peopled from Egypt or Spain, as some authors have attempted to prove. Agricola, with a numerous army, made another attempt to conquer the Caledonians. Upon which, Galdus made an excellent and animated speech to his soldiers, which concluded thus : * In short, here is the general, and here is the army. There you see tributes and slavery : here death or liberty— Therefore let us consider the glory of our intrepid, ancestors, and the fate of our posterity " This speech being delivered with the fierceness 59 ©fa lion, and darting on the Romans like a flash of lightning* was immediately seconded with the ac- clamations of the whole army. Agricola, on the other side, encouraged his men with all the force and charms of the Roman eloquence ; and fearing to be flanked, he drew out his flank to the utmost length, and advanced himself at the head of the foot; The battle began at some distance from the main body, wherein the Caledonians shewed great art and courage, by means of their broad swords and targets, with which they warded off the darts of the enemr* To prevent which inconveniency, Agricola ordered the Batavian and Tungrian cohorts to advance against them with their sharp pointed bucklers, which rendered their pointless swords useless, and so mangled their faces, that they were obliged to retire. This advantage being seconded by the emu- lation of the other cohorts, the main body of the Scots army, which had till now staid upon the tops of the mountains, came down, thinking to surround the Romans. But Agricola, suspecting this event, opposed them with four wings of horsemen, which he had reserved in case of any sudden stratagem. Then the battle was fought by both parties with the utmost valor and fury ; and all the bravest men of the Caledonians being slain, Galdus was compelled to retire with the remaining part of the army to the mountains. In this battle twenty thousand Caledo- nians and twelve thousand Romans were slain. Af- ter the victory Agricola was called home by the emperor Domitian. Shortly after his departure, sedition arose in the Roman camp. Upon which, the cots and Picts raised a new army, under the command of Galdus, attacked the Romans, obtained a signal victory over them, and pursued them to the country of the Bri- gants, where the Romans were forced not only to sue for peace, but to content themselves with those parts of South Britain wnich they had reduced t© the form of a province, leaving the Caledonians i* so peaceable possession of all the northern parts! Af- ter this, Galdus reigned a number of years, in great peace and happiness ; and died at Hpiack, which was then the principal city in Scotland, in the thir- ty-fifth year of his reign, and in the year of our £ord one hundred and three. To Galdus succeeded his son Luctacus, a prince who gave himself up to all manner of excesses and debaucheries. In the third year of his reign, hav- ing called his counsellors together at Dunstaffage, the most wise and grave men among them began to exhort him to imitate the virtues of his father, the brave and worthy Galdus, and not to suffer such acts of cruelty and oppression to be committed as were daily done by his authority. But he, instead of tak- ing their advice, commanded them to prison. The people being informed of this act of arbitrary power, assembled and killed their king and all his favor- ites. Mogallus, or Mogaldus, the grandson of the no- ble Galdus by his daughter, succeeded Luctacus — . In the beginning of his reign he reformed all the abuses that his subjects complained of; and having settled all things in gcod order, he raised an army to oppose the Romans, who had made several in- cursions upon his dominions. In a pitched battle he gave the Romans a signal overthrow The Em- peror Hadrian being informed of this, sent over Ju- lius Severus to oppose Mogaldus. But he being suddenly recalled, on account of some insurrection in Syria, the emperor himself was obliged to come over with an army ; and he being a greatep. lover of peace than war, desired rather to retain the bounds of his empire than to enlarge them. When he came to York, and found the country be} ond it har- rassed by war, he resolved to take a particular view of the devastation, and marched his army to the ri- ycr Tyne ; where being informed by the old soldiers that followed Agricola, of the great difficulty he would have in conquering the Caledonians, he built 91 a wall and trench, in the year one hundred and twen* ty-one, extending eighty miles in length, and by it excluded the Scots and Picts from the provincial Britons. According to bishop Elphinston's history now in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford, it appears that Fer- gus, a native of Ireland, was the first king of Scot- land, who was crowned three hundred and thirty years before the incarnation of our Saviour. Fergus having totally defeated Goilus the king of the Bri- tons, on the banks of the river Don, the southern and eastern parts of Scotland were called Coil, or Kyle, which name the inhabitants of those parts still retain in the Highland tongue. James VI. succeeded his unfortunate mother in Scotland, and on the death of Elizabeth, ascended to the throne of England by the title of James 1st. By this removal of the court, trade was for a time check* ed, agriculture neglected, and the people impover- ished. But in the reign of queen Anne, 1706, the affairs of Scotland were placed on a more prospe- rous footing than ever, by an act of union, which consolidated the two kingdoms into one, under the title of Great Britain : from this period the Scot- tish history is one and the same with England. The following remarks, copied from Dr. Mavor's Universal History, a work of great merit, will give our readers an idea of some of the sanguinary con- tests which took place between two brave nations, now, and for a century past, happily united. From Margaret of A r orway to the death of Bruce, Margaret was an infant and in a. foreign country. Faction and anarchy distracted the kingdom. Ed- ward, one of the most valiant and polite monarch that ever sat on the English throne, was ambicious of adding Scotland to the dominions of his crown. He applied to the court of Rome, to authorise a marriage between his son and his grand niece, and having gained the consent of Eric, he intrigued 9% with the Scottish nobles to obtain their concurrence. Every tfeitig served to favor hi? views, when one fa- tui event rendered his well concerted plan entirely abortive. The child sickened on the passage from Norway, was brought on shore in Orkney, and there lan- guished and died. The consternation of the Scots can be more easi- ly imagined th:m described: they saw full before them the unhappy prospect of a disputed succes- sion, war with England and intestine discord. The anarchy attending an interregnum rendered the ex- igency pressing ; it was evident, that if the decision was left to the claimants, the sword alone must de- termine the dispute. In older, therefore, to avoid the miseries of a civil war, Edward was chosen um- pire, and both parties agreed to acquiesce in his de- cree. The chief or rather the only competitors for the crown were Bruce and Baliol, the descendant* of David, earl of Huntingdon, who was brother to the two kings, Malcom and William. Bruce was the 'son, and Baliol the great-grandson of David. .— -» &ut Bruce was descended of the *"> j -v... b ^i, a- liol of the elder sister. Both had considerable pro- perty in England, and each had his adherents in STcotland. Edward carrying a great army advanced to the frontiers, whither he invited the nobility and all the competitors to attend him. He opened the renccs by informing them that he was come to rmine the right among the competitors to the crown, not in virtue of the reference made to him, but in quality of superior, and liege lord of the 'Vcalm. lie then produced his proofs of this superiority, >.nd required of them an acknowledgment of it. — The Scottish deputies, astonished at so new a pre- tension, answered only by their silence. One bolder than the rest, at last replied — " that, concerning this feudal supremacy, no determination could be made 03 while the throne should be vacant." "By holy Ed- ward, whose crown I wear," said the monarch with stern impatience, N I will vindicate my just rights, or perish in the nttcmpl." At their request he granted them a delay till the ' morrow, in order that they might deliberate. Next clay the deputies declined giving any answer to a question which could only be decided by the whole community. In consequence of this remonstrance Edward gave them a further delay of three weeks, for taking the sense of their constituents. On the second of June following, the assembly resumed their session. Robert Bruce was first to acknowledge the supe- riority of Edward, in which he was followed by all the competitors. Harriet* on the part of Edward, protested, that although now the acknowledged lord paramount of Scotland, he did not finally relinquish his right to the immediate sovereignty of that king- dom. One hundred and four commissioners were nominated to examine the several claims against the ensuing year. Meanwhile, Edward demanded possession of al! the fortresses, which were shamefully given up to him ; and to crown their disgrace, the prelates and barons present swore fealty to the king of England ; and the like oath was required of those who were- absent. The commissioners, upon examination, gave their verdict in favor of Baliol, who was crowned accord- ingly, and did homage to Edward ; but this royal vassal was not to hold the sceptre long. Edward pretended to rule in Scotland over king and subject by English laws. Baliol remonstrated. Edward summoned him to the bar of his tribunal as a pri- vate person. Baliol, though a prince of gentle dis- position, returned into Scotland, provoked at this usage, and resolved at all hazards to vindicate hia liberty : with this view, he concluded a secret treaty with France. The niece of that king was given }» u 2 93 marriage to the son of Baliol, and they mutually en- gaged to assist each other against Edward. Notwithstanding this treaty Philip de Valois made a truce with Edward, and left the Scots to bear the brunt of the English armament by sea and land. The war commenced by an invasion of England. The Highlanders ravaged all the country as far as. Carlisle, to which they laid siege. Edward attacked Berwick : he found it well garrisoned and defended., We arc told that in a sally the garrison burnt eigh- teen of his ships, and put the crews to the sword.— But Edward's land army were at the gates ; they assaulted, took, and sacked the town, massaereing its inhabitants without distinction. Elated with success, Edward dispatched an army- against Dunbar. The Scots hastened to its relief, a fatal battle was fought, in which the Scots lost 10,000 men. Dunbar was taken. Its fall was fol- lowed by that of Rosburgh. Edinburgh and Sterling opened their gates to the enemy - r and in a short space all the southern parts were subdued. , Still) however, might a valiant prince have found resources : but the feeble and timed Baliol, dis- gusted with his own subjects, overawed by the En- glish, hastened to make his submission, and made a solemn and irrevocable resignation of his crown in- to the hands of Edward. He was carried prisoner to England, and committed to the tower.. Earl Warrene was left governor of Scotland : the other officers were all entrusted to England. Among the barbarous expedients devised to hum- ble and reduce Scotland fee ever, was that of de- stroying, or carrying away every record, every mo- "nument of national history or national independence, Robert Bruce had contributed to the overthrow of Baliol, in hopes of advancing his own preferment. When he humbly mentioned his claims to Edward, «$ What/* said the king to him, *« have we nothing else to do but to conquer kingdoms for you ?" The temptations were too strong for the virtue of the 93 English monarch to: resist* and -he determined t® hold fast what his arms and policy had gained. National animosities, and the insolence of victory, now conspired to render the English government intolerable to the Scots, who bore with the utmost impatience a yoke to which, from the earliest peri- od of their monarchy, they had been unaccustomed. Warrene retiring into England, on account of his bad state of health, left the administration in the hands of Ormesby, who was appointed justiciary of Scotland, and Crepingham, who held the office of treasurer. With these there remained a small mi- litary force to secure their precarious authority. At this distressing period (1296) arose a true he- ro, a disinterested patriot, in the person of Sir Wil- liam Wallace, whose magnanimous soul could no longer brook to see his country torn by factions, de- serted by its chiefs, and oppressed by foreigners. — • Robust, active and brave, he stept forth to reunite the friends of liberty under his banner. The lustre of his birth is lost in that of his ac- tions : the rapidity of his victories, and the frequen- cy of his exploits, have disordered the chronology of his history. Many of his noblest actions were, no doubt, performed before his reputation found ac- cess to the annals of his country. In May 1297 he made a bold attempt to surprise Ormesby, the English judiciary, then holding a court at Scone. Ormesby, with difficulty, escaped to England. He was soon followed by all the offi- cers of Edward, so that Wallace and his men, with an astonishing rapidity, became masters of Lanerk, Dundee, Foriar, Brekin, and Montrose ; the castle of Durotters, reckoned impregnable, received a Scottish garrison ; and Aberdeen being set on fire by the English, w^s abandoned to the patriotic band. Every new enterprise added to the glory of his name, and to the number of his followers, till at last he found himself at the head of a mimerous army. 96 Well aware that they should meet with no meref at the hands of Edward, who would treat them as rebellious subjects, the Scots were rendered despe- rate, and, by necessity, forced to the cruel expedi- ent of putting to the sword every Englishman that they found in arms. King Edward, then in France,, ordered the earl of Surrey to suppress this daring insurrection. An army of forty thousand, led on by lord Henry Percy, marched against Wallace. — They found him advantageously posted near Irwin. But the jealousy and discontent of the nobles ruined their cause ; they saw with envy the grow- ing reputation and authority of a private gentleman ; confusion and irresolution ensued ; in short, the most eminent made their submission "and obtained their pardon from Edward's officers. Wallace and his faithful band scornfully refused to follow his fic- kle associates, declaring they would never lay down their arms till the country was restored to liberty and independence. They even harrassed the rear of the English army, but were repulsed with the loss of a thousand men. Still undaunted and unsubdued, Wallace retreat- ed northwards, where he was joined by new adhe- rents. When Warrene advanced to Stirling, he found Wallace encamped in excellent order on the oppo- site bank of the Forth. Willing to try again the same arts of negociation, he sent two friars to Wal- lace to offer conditions of peace. " Go," said Wallace, "tell your masters we came not here to treat, but to assert our rights, and to set Scotland free , let them advance, they will find us prepared." Indignant at this defiance, Crepingham, at the head of his forces, prepared to cioss the river by a wooden bridge that was laid over it. Wallace slow- ly led down his troops, and advanced to meet them ; but ere half the army had passed, he attacked them 97 fccfore they could form ; put them to rout, and ob- tained a complete victory. This success merited to Wallace the title of Guardian ; but he still acknowledged the captive king Baliol. Famine, the unavoidable consequen- ces of so long a civil war, now threatened Scotland. Wallace led his troops into England, in order to subsist at the expence of the enemy; and having met with no opposition, returned in triumph, loaded with booty. This was to be the last of Wallace's successful enterprises. Ring Edward returned from France, and marched into Scotland at the head of seventy thousand men. Nothing could save the Scots but an entire union among themselves. The elevation of Wallace was still an object of envy to ths nobles. Sensible of their discontent, the patriotic hero voluntarily re- signed his authority. The chief command now devolved on the stew- ard of Scotland and the cumyn of Badenock. Wal- lace only retained one corps that refused to fight under «ny «tj^ r wi c?t ^ he English army cam© up with them near Falkirk. The Scottish bowmen were soon driven off the field by the English archers, who surpassed those of other nations. The pikemen, cooped up in their entrenchments, were so galled by the arrows, that they were thrown into disorder ; in short, the whole Scottish army was broken and dispersed with great slaughter. Wallace's military skill and presence of mind enabled him to keep his troops entire, and, retreating behind the Carron, he marched in safety along its banks. Young Bruce, then serving in the English army, desired a conference with him from the opposite side of the river. He represented to him the folly of continuing so bloody and fruitless a contest with a powerful monarch, and endeavoured to bend the in- flexible spirit of Wallace to submission, insinuating 98 that nothing but ambition could 'prompt him to con> tinue in arms. The hero disclaimed any ambitious -views, but reproached Bruce for his degeneracy and indolence. " To you,'* said he, " are owing the miseries of your country. You left her overwhelmed with woes, and 1 undertook the cause you betrayed : a cause which I shall maintain as long as I breathe ; while you live with ignominy, and court the chains of a foreign tyrant." These sentiments sunk deep into the mind of Bruce, and at last produced that heroism which made him a worthy successor of Wallace, in the deliverance of his country. After this we find no trace of Wallace in Scot- tish historians for two years. Some pretend that he went over to France ; others, that he still ranged among the hills : be that as it may, Edward, with much ado, completed at last the conquest of Scot- land, without being able to seize or subdue the pa- triotic knight. Disappointed in all his schemes for that purpose, he did not disdain to stoop to treachery — Sir Wil- liam was basely betrayed by a traitor in whom he trusted, and was sent in chains to London ; here he was tried as a rebel against a sovereign whom he had never acknowledged, and whose power was founded on tyranny and injustice. All this and more was urged by Wallace in his defence : his re- monstrances were disregarded, and he was con- demned to suffer the death of a traitor, which sen- tence was put in execution, to the indelible disgrace of Edward's memory. This was the unworthy fate of a hero who, through a course of many years, had with signal conduct, intrepidity, and perseverance, defended the liberties of his native country against a public and oppressive enemy. We have been more particular in the history of this remarkable character} than our limits would ad- mit of in general. 99 A person ? of no less illustrious fame, now claims our attention. Robert Bruce, the restorer of the Scottish throne, and father of a new race of kings, was tne grandson of the competitor for the crown. He was in the bloom of life, when he resolved to quit Edward's court to make good his family's claims. His motions were watched with a jealous eye ; yet he contrived to escape, and to join the Scots patriots at Lochmaben. Among these was Cumyn, a man of great power, but in whom Bruce could put no trust. Historians do not agr e as to the causes of this difference : but the first act of Bruce was to murder Cumyn, which he did in a church at Dumfries, by stabbing him with a dagger. This violation of the sanctuary, and at ie*st ol the forms of justice, was what afterwards drew down on his head the anathemas of the church. Obliged now to have recourse to arms, he hastened to collect what forces he could, attacked the En- glish, who were unprepared, and having got pos- session of several castles, he was solemnly crowned at Scone. King Edward lost no time to cheek this new in- surrection. He dispatched immediately Aymer de Valence into Scotland, who falling in with Bruce at Mithven, attacked him, and, notwithstanding a most vigorous resistance, totally defeated the Scottish army. Bruce fled, almost unattended, to the western dsles, where he wandered about for some time in great distress Opportunely for his cause, Edward died on his way to Scotland, whither he was again conducting a numerous army. Thus delivered from a powerful enemy, Bruce's party daily increased. He was soon master of the western highlands, and after a continued train of success, forced Edward II. to a truce. On the renewal of the war, Edward marched into Scotland with an army so powerful, that Bruce found let it prudent to retire to the mountains- The English •were, however, obliged to retreat, partly for want cf provisions, and partly on account of discontents at home. The year following, Edward assembled his whole forces, amounting, say the Scottish histo- rians, to one hundred thousand men. Robert's army did not exceed thirty thousand men ; but they were men of tried valour. He en- camped beside a rivulet, called Bannock-burn, near Stirling. The castle being in the hands of the English, had been long besieged by the Scots. Edward was de- termined to relieve it. He arrived in sight in the evening, and immediately an engagement took place between the two bodies of cavalry. In this action Robert encountered Henry de Bo- hun, and with one stroke of his battle-axe cleft his adversary to the chine. From this favorable event- the Scots prognosticated a happy issue to the battle of the ensuing day. All night the troops rested on their arms. About dawn the English advanced to the attack, the earl of Gloucester led the van, and impetuously rushed on the foe : the cavalry which he commanded, fell among covered pits which Bruce had prepared, and were put into disorder. Gloucester himself was overthrown and slain. Ran- dolph on the left wing of the Scots, and Douglass and Walter Stewart in the centre, soon brought into action the corps under their command. The English archers greatly overmatched the Scots. But five hundred light horsemen, detached under Sir Robert Keith, armed with battle-axes, dispersed or hewed them to pieces. All this while a great part of the English forces were prevented by the disadvantages of the ground, from sharing in the engagement Bruce, with the Scottish reserve, now appeared in the front of the battle, and at the same moment the English beheld on the heights what they took to be a fresh reinforcement arriving to the aid of the Scots. These were the attendants 101 xti the camp, whom Bruce had Ordered td appear L> battle array, with colours flying. Panic-struck at the sight, the English gave way, and soon betook themselves to flight. The Scots pursued and made a great slaughter. King Edward with difficulty escaped to Dunbar ; but the flower of his nobility fell on that day, and the liberty of Scotland tri- umphed. This memorable day did not however restore peace : continual inroads were made on England, and even an attempt on Ireland, by the warlike fol- lowers of Bruce. But first a parliament was convened at Ayr, where the rights of that hero to the crown were fully acknowledged, and the succession established. The princess Margery, presumptive heir of Ro- bert, was given in marriage to Walter Stewart ; and their son Robert was afterwards king, and the first of the Stewart race. Edward Bruce, chosen chief of the expedition into Ireland, was received asking by the Irish. Re- inforced repeatedly by his brother, he had pene- trated to the walls of Dublin; famine alone com- pelled him to retreat, and to risk his all on the fate of one day ; he fell a victim to his ardent valour, and was found among the dead at the battle of Oun- dalk. Hostilities were still carried on between the ScotB And English with unremitting ardour The pope thought himself called upon to put a stop to the effu- sion of human blood : he therefore proclaimed a truce, A D. 1318, but his proclamation was not at- tended to. Nor was any truce attended to till 1323 Then the papal legates were admitted into Scotland,where they pronounced sentence of excommunication against Bruce and the Scots. The barons justified their defence of their liber- ties ; their remonstrance had its effect at Rome.-— I 102 The holy father felt that Edward had great share of the blame in the calamities of the war. H was however again renewed, and the truce of thirteen years was uot concluded till after two cam- paigns more. During this suspension of hostili ties, Robert obtained absolution from the sentence of ex- communication, and crushed a conspiracy at home : but on the deposition of king Edward, he renewed the war, wrested at length from England a solemn renunciation of all claims on Scotland, and secured a peace by marrying his son David to Han, sister of Edward III. Thus ended the glorious conflict of Bobert Bruce for the independence of his crown, after a reign of ^wenty-four years. ri concise view of the firincijval towns, rivers, and most ancient families, in all the shires or counties in Scotland. The shire of Merse— principal towns, Dunse and Lauder: rivers, the Tweed, Whitter, and Ednem. The most ancient families are, the Humes, Gor- dons, Spotswoods, and Wedderburns. Roxburgh -shire. — towns, Zedburg, Kelso, and Melross : rivers, Tweed, Teviot, Zed, and Eal : an- cient families, Douglasses, Scotts, Riddles, Elliots, and Turnbulls. Dumfries. — towns, Dumfries and Annan : most ancient families, Maxwells, Gracies and Hunters : riversjNeth and Loch'ar. This country abounds with excellent timber, particularly the wood of Drumla- nick, of good oak, &c. Wigton, or Galloway-shire. — chief towns are, Kirkcudbright and Wigton. This country is wa- tered by five rivers, the Ne, Dee, Ken, Cree, and LefFee. The most ancient families here are, the Maxwells, Armstrongs, Clendennings, Irvins, Bejls, Christies, Johnstons, Maokees, M'Donaids, and Brodies, Kyie,or Ayr-shire. — The principal town ir- tNis county is Ayr. This town is famous for its antiqui- 103 ties it Is thought to be the same which Ptolomy calls Vidogora. The most ancient families here are, the Campbells, Hyslops, Cunninghams, Walla- ces, Dunbars, and Murdochs. The other towns of note here are, Irwin and Largis. The latter is fa- mous for the total defeat of the Norwegians by king Alexander III. Renfrew — Principal towns are, Renfrew, Paisley, Greenock, and Port Glasgow Most ancient fami- lies, the Stewarts, Cathcarts, Shaws, and Maxwells. Rivers, ftlackcart, Whitecart, and Grise. Danefk, or Clydesdale. — The principal town Iiere is Glasgow, situated in lat. 55> 52, long. 4, 5 I, from London ; a populous and elegant city, and for wealth and commerce is the second in the nation ; it is pleasantly situated on the banks of the Clyde. The most anciknt families in this country are, the Douglasses, Buchanans, Thomsons, Ramsays, and Hunters. Principal river, the Clyde, which is navi- gable from Glasgow to the ocean. Dunbarton. — The principal town in this county is Dunbarton. The most ancient families are the Campbells, Napiers, Hamiltons, Newlands, and Buchanans. In this county the famous poet, histo- rian, and wit, George Buchanan, was born. The town of Kilpatrick here, is famous for being the birth place of St. Patrick, arch-bishop of Armagh, and the apostle of the Irish nation. Linlithgow, or West-Lothian. — The 'principal town is Linlithgow. The most ancient families are, the Hamiltons, Hays, Seatons, Scotts and Douglas- ses. Stirling. — The principal city here, is Stirling, The principal rivers are, the Forth, Avon, Carron, and Bannockburn. The most ancient families are, the Livingstons, Bruces, Murray s, Gardners, Stir- lings, and Grahams. Clackmanan-shire. — The principal town Clack- ma nan. The shire of Fife.. — The principal town here, is Saint Andrews, so called from the relicts of rhe 10* apostle $t # Andrew, whose bones are said to have setn brought hither from Patros in Peloponesus, in the year S68. The other towns here are Cooper, Dunfermline, Kinross, Kinghorn, and Innerkeith- ing The principal rivers here are Eden and Le- vin. The most ancient families here are the Ers- kines, ft ilmamocks, Lyons, Sinclairs, Gibsons, Bar- clays, Hopes, Forbesses, Woods, Colvils, Bruces, and Lindsays. Perth ~~The principal town here is Perth, plea- aar.tly situated on the banlts of the river Tay. D un- ite id, another town in this county, is thought to Jiave been the principal seat of the ancient Caledo- nians. Scoon, in this county also, is the place where the kings of Scotland were crowned. The principal rivers here are, Tay, Allan, Earn. The most fc an- cient families are the Campbells, Ruthvens, Blairs, Stuarts, and Drummonds. Angus-shire, or Fairfax. — The principal towns here are, Dundee, Brechin, and Forfafc. The most ancient families, the Erskines, Kings, Mauls, Grays, Ogilvies, and Hunters- Merns, or Kincardin. — The principal towns are Kincardin and Stonhive. The most ancient families, the Keiths, Duncans, Mavors, Strahans, Burnets, ■spd Smiths. Aberdeen-shire contains Mar, Brise, Glenmick, Strathdee, part of Buchan, 8cc. It is bounded by Gowry and Merns on the south ; by Buchan on the north j Perth and Inverness-shire on the west, and the German ocean on the east- The chief towns are New and Old Aberdeen ; the new town, in point jf trade* population, and elegance, is justly deemed the third town in Scotland. In each of these towns as a well endowed seminary, the one called King's ;ollege,and the other Mareschal college ; both are called the University of Aberdeen. Many gentle- men eminent for literary and scientific abilities, have been educated at this university. Among others mi^iit be mentioned, Doctors Kemp and Wilson, and James Bardie, A. M. the two for- £0* mer were for many years distinguished professors of mathematics and languages, in Columbia Col- lege, in the city of New-York, and the latter au- thor of several useful publications. The principal rivers in Aberdeenshire are the Dee or Don ; two of the richest rivers in Britain for salmon, Aberdeen-shire abounds with all the necessaries of life ; the mountainous part of it affords good tim- ber and pasturage, and the level part excellent wheat and other small grains. The most ancient families here are the Gordons, Erskines, Hays, Keiths, Ogilvies, Seatons, and' Abercrombies. The shire of Inverness formerly contained all the country from the Lochleven to the Orkney islands ; it comprehends, at present, Lochabar, Badenock, Strathspey, Stratherick, Strathglass, and Glenmor- rison. It is bounded by the Brae of Mar and Athol on the south; by Argyle-shire on the west; by Ross and Murray Firth on the north. The length of it from Inverness to Inverloky is 50 miles. Prin- cipal town is Inverness, which is situated on the south side of the river Ness, and has a commodious harbour There was formerly a strong castle here, wherein the kings of Scotland resided. The most ancient families here are the Mackenzies, Erasers,* Mackintoshes, Macdonalda, Grants, M'LeodSj M'Phersons, and Camerons. Bamf-shire. — The principal towns in this shire are, Bamf, Gullen^ Frazerburg, arid Keith. The most ancient families here are the Cummings, Gor- dons, and Abercrombirsv There is a cave in this country, where the water that drops from it turns into stone, as soon as it reaches the ground; Murray -shire, or Nearne. — The principal towns here are, Elgin, Foress, Nearne, and Crommertie. The largest rivers are the Sp ey, IN earne, and Fin- * The Frasers emigrated thither from France? aims hundred year> ago. 19& sjorfl } t&e ftrs$ njeutioned is the most rapid river ijf Europe. The most ancient families here are, the bodies, M'Jntoshes, Roses, D unbars. Grants, Stvu- arts, Erasers, and IVf'Kensies. Argyle-shire is bounded on the north by Locha- ber : on the east by Lenox ; on the west by the ocean ; and the firth of Clyde on the south. The principal towns in Argyle-shire are Inverary, Dun- staffnage, and Cambjetown. There are a number of rivers and lakes in this county ; the principal lake is Loch£ne, w&ch is about sixty miles in length an4 four in breadth : this loch is famous for the great quantity of excellent herring which are caught in it. Lochow is a fresh water loch, twenty-four mile? long and one broad ; in it there are twehe islands; and from this loch the family of Argyle had their ancient title of Lairds of Lochow. The most an* cient families in this shire are the Campbells, La- monds, Macdonalds, MacDougals, Maelntyres 9 MacQueens, WfccEuens and MacFarlanes* Sutherland'Shire.~Chief town here is Dornock. Bunrobin castle, the principal seat of the earl of Sutherland, is situated is this country, upon a mote »ear the sea* The most ancient families here are, the Sutherlands, Mackays, Gordons, Glanduns or Ciunns, Murrays, and Grays. This county in gene- ral is fruitful in corn and pasturage ; and abounds- with fish, fowl, sheep, black cattle, and deer. The Tallies are very pleasant and well inhabited ; and what proves the climate and soil to be much better than could be expected, from its northerly situa- ticnj IS) that saffron grows very well here and comes to maturity. Here are many commodious harbours for exporting the commodities of the county, which are corn, salt, sajmon, beef> wool, hides, butter, cheese, tallow &c. All that tract of land lying be- tween Portnecouter and Dunsbay, is called Caith- ness. The principal towns in Qaithnes are, Weik and Thurso. At Dunsbay-head in this. BtOJTt^^eftS^ $f Caithness is the, ferry tQ QrKney. 107 CHAPTER VII. MASONIC ARTICLES * ON MASONRY. Freemasonry comprehends within its circle eveiy branch of useful knowledge and learning, and stamps an indelible mark of preeminence on its ge- nuine professors, which neither chance* power, nor fortune can bestow. When its rules are strictly observed, it is a sure foundation of tranquility* amidst the various disappointments of life ; a friend that will not deceive, but will comfort and assist, in prosperity and adversity; a blessing that will re- main with all times, circumstances, and places, and to which recourse may be had wken other earthly comforts sink into disgrace. Freemasonry gives real and intrinsic excellency to man, and renders him fit for the duties of society. It strengthens the mind against the storms of life* paves the way to peace, and promotes domestic hap- piness. It meliorates the temper and improves the understanding. It is company in solitude, and gives vivacity, variety, and energy to social conversation, In youth, it governs, the passions, and employs, use- fully, our most active faculties ;. and in age, when sickness, imbecility, and disease, have benumbed the corporeal frame, and have rendered the union of soul and body almost intolerable, it yields a fu*id »f comfort and satisfaction. These are its general advantages ; ta enumerate • Chiefly selected from the « Masonic Magazine" —An excellent work. las them separately would be an endless labor ; It may be sufficient to observe, that he who cultivates this mystic science, and acts agreeably to the character of a freemason, ;has within himself the spring and support of every social virtue ; a subject of contem- plation, that enlarges the mind, and expands all its powers ; a theme that is inexhaustabie, ever new? and always interesting. ADVANTAGES OF MASONRY. From the commencement of the world, we may trace the foundation of masonry. Ever since sym- metry began, and harmony displayed her charms, our order has had a being. During many ages, and in many different countries, it has flourished. No art, no science preceded it. In the dark periods of antiquity, when literature was in a low state, and the rude manners of our forefathers withheld from them that knowledge we now so amply share, ma- sonry diffused its influence. Thus science unveiled, arts arose, civilization took place, and the progress of knowledge and philosophy gradually dispelled the gloom of ignorance and barbarism. Govern- ment being settled, authority was given to laws, and the assemblies of the fraternity acquired the patron- age of the great and the good, while the tenets cf the profession diffused unbounded utility. Abstracting from the pure pleasures which arise from friendship, so wisely constituted as that which subsists among masons, and which it is scarcely possible that *ny circumstance or occurrence caa erase, masonry is a science confined to no particular country, and extends over the whole terrestrial globe. Wherever arts flourish, there it flourishes too. Acid to this, that by secret and inviolable signs carefully preservedamong the fraternity, it become* aw an universal language. Hence many advantages are gained : The distant Chinese, the wild Arab, and the American savage, will embrace a brother Briton ; and wilt know, that beside the common ties of humanity, there is still a stronger obligation to induce him to kind and friendly offices. The spi- rit of the fulminating priest will be tamed ; and a moral brother, though of a different persuasion, en- gage his esteem : for mutual toleration in religious opinions is one of the most distinguishing and va- luable characteristics of the craft. As all religions teach morality, if a brother be found to act the part of a truly honest man, his private speculative opi- nions are left to God and himself. Thus through the influence of masonry, which is reconcilable to the best policy, all those disputes which imbitter life, and sour the tempers of men, are avoided ; while the common good, the general object is zea^ lously pursued. From this view of our system* its utility must be sufficiently obvious. The universal principles of the art unite, in one indissoluble bond of affection* men of the most opposite tenets, of the most distant countries, and of the most contradictory opinions ; so that in every nation a mason will find a friend* and in every clime a home. Such is the nature of our institution, that in the lodge, union is cemented by sincere attachment, and pleasure is reciprocally communicated in the cheer- ful observance of every obliging office. Virtue, the grand object in view, luminous as the meridian sun, shines refulgent on the mind, enlivens the heart, and heightens cool approbation into warm sympa- thy and cordial affection. 110 MASONIC CHARACTER OF WASHINGTON. By the M. W. G. M. Bigelow, of Massachusetts Having already contemplated such a variety of distinguishing features in this great and amiable character, does it Btill admit of addition ? Is there room in the portrait for another trace of the faithful pencil, that will increase its beauty ? Yes, my bre- thren, to us another and no less interesting view re- mains. Animated with a generous philanthropy^ our deceased brother early sought admission inte our ancient and honorable fraternity, at once to ena- ble him to cherish with advantage this heavenly principle, and enlarge the sphere of its operation. He cultivated our art with sedulous attention, and never lost an opportunity of advancing the interest or promoting the honor of theCraft. While comman- der in chief of the American revolutionary army, he countenanced the establishment and encouraged the labors of a travelling lodge among the military. He wisely considered it as a school of urbanity, well calculated to disseminate those mild virtues of the heart, so ornamental to the human character, and so peculiarly useful to correct the ferocity of sol- diers, and alleviate the miseries of the war. The cares of this high office engrossed too much of his time to admit of its engaging in the duties of the chair ; yet he found frequent opportunities to viiit the lodge, and thought it no derogation from his dig- nity there to stand on a level with the brethren. True to our principles on all occasions, an incident once occurred which enabled him to display their influence to his foes* A body of American troops in some successful rencounter with the enemy, pos- sessed themselves, among other booty, of the jew- els and furniture of a British travelling lodge of ma- sons. Thia property was directed by the cwaamaD* ill clerin chief to be returned under a flag of true to its former proprietors^ accoinp^nied with a message, purporting that the Americans did not make war upon institutions of benevolence. Of his attachment to our order in general, you my respected brethren, of the most worshipful grand lodge of this commonwealth, have had personal knowledge. His answers to your repeated addres- ses breathe throughout the spirit of brotherly love ; and his affectionate return of thanks for the book of constitutions which you presented him, and for the honor, as he was pleased to consider it, which you did him in the dedication, must be evidence highly- satisfactory of the respectful estimation in which he held you. The information received from our bre- thren, who had the happiness to be members of the lodge over which he presided many years, and of which he died the master, furnishes abundant proof of his persevering zeal for the piosperity of the in- stitution. Constant and punctual in his attendance, scrupulous in his observance of the regulations of the lodge, and solicitous at all times to communi- cate light and instruction, he discharged the duties of the chair with uncommon dignity and intelligence in all the mysteries of our art. Nothing can more highly conduce to the prosperity and honor of ma- sonry, than a successful imitation of his bright ex- ample. It cannot fail of its effect upon our brethren in its immediate neighborhood in the south ; they will beautify their columns. And shall we be out- done in zeal ? Placed geographically in the east, in a quarter of the Union from which the nation has been accustomed to learn wisdom, it should be bur peculiar care to diffuse light throughout the temple of masonry. As it is known that we shared largely in the esteem and affection of our deceased brother, it is easy to perceive that our good conduct will it- self be an encomium on his memory. We see be- fore us, among the sad emblems of ?ortality,noton- Jy the sword which in this neighborhood he drew lis In defence ©f his country, but also the very attire vrbic he has often worn as a maso:> How devoutly is it to be wished, that these striking memorials may stimulate us to a noble emulation ; that, like the' mantle of Elijah, they may inspire us with an unalterable attachment to virtue and benevolence i This day witnesses to the world in what veneration we hold the memory of departed greatness : let siot the solemnity be without its appropriate effect upon ourselves. While with funeral pomp and masonic honors, we celebrate the obsequies of our deceased brother, while we bend with anguish over the urn which contains a part of what was mortal in him, let us like him remember, that we are animated with a heavenly flame, which the chill damps of death cannot extinguish ; like him resolve to square Bur actions by the rule of rectitude, persevere in the line of our duty, and restrain our passions within the compass of propriety, knowing that the all-see- ing eye cf our Supreme Grand Master above, conti- nually observes us : That when we shall have per- formed the task assigned us here, we may like him be called from our work to those refreshments which alone can satisfy our immortal desires : That when we put off this earthly clothing, we may be arrayed with the garments of glory, put on the jewels of Jtaht, and shine forever in the sublime arch above. 113 AN ADDRESS Delivered he/ore Holland Lodge, December 24, 1793, by De Witt Clinton, Master of said Lodge, on the evening of his installation. Brethren, There is a propensity in the human mind to as- cribe to the remotest antiquity the invention of those arts and the foundation of those institutions which meliorate the condition of humanity. Under the influence of this bias, some have considered our Order as nearly co-eval with the human race.— - Others, with more propriety, have ascribed its ori- gin to the building of Solomon's Temple, and traced its progress from that aera to the times of the Cru- sades, when it is said to have been cultivated with peculiar felicity. Without discussing, v.ith any degree of critical nicety, these and the various other opinions advanced on this subject, it is sufficient to obterve that our traditions reach back into the most distant regions of antiquity, and that our order stands prior in point of time as well as of excellence, to all societies which profess the cultivation of the human heart and the display of the grand and lead- ing virtues of our nature. It is well known that it was at first composed of scientific and ingenious men, who assembled toge- ther to improve the arts and sciences, and to culti- vate a pure and sublime system of morality Know- ledge at that period was restricted to a chosen few —but when the invention of printing had opened the means of instruction to all ranks of people, then the generous cultivators of Masonry communicated with cheerfulness to the world those secrets oi the arts ant! sciences which had been transmitted and improved from the foundation of the institution, then our fraternity bent their principal attention to the cultivation of morality ; and masonry may now K 11* be defined, a morel institution, intruded to promote individual and social happiness. Ceri there are mysteries pertaining to the or«l i, w lusivejy within the knov I bcrs. Equally certain it is, that every to enrich his mind with knowledge, not only be* cause it better qualifies hiVn to discharge the du- ties of the character, but because information and virtue are generally to be found in the same society, Kor these reasons it. is an essential requisite, an in- dispensable duty, in every Freemason, to devote to the purposes of mental improvement, those l,' which remain to him alter pursuing the ordinary concerns of life. As our Fraternity is thus founded upon morality, and the duties which it inculcates are faith! transcribed from the laws of nature, and are equally binding upon all men, it maj a\v eur questionable at first si;;!.;, in what respect its peculiar utility con- sists. To accomplish any important benefit, it must indeed either inform us of some duties of which Ave were before ignorant, or impre i r force upon the mind or super-add some jhty obligations for their fulfilment. II i'ason- ry effects all or either of these important ends, it is entitled to be ranked among the b< rs of mankind. In our estimate of the hum n ch ir k t< r, nothing is more difficult than to discriminate between I principh s which arise from the original percep- tions of tae mind, and those which are deriva- tive . d are acquired by adopting the ideas of others. For this reason, the influence of example and the power oflongestabli lom, have im- posed upon the world as innate virtues, those ex- cellences which arc th< fruits ol education, reflec- tion and civilization. Do the writers on morality consult t' e net its of infants unci savages, v« hen the fceii. ture would probably oper i< with the greatest sway, to discover the virtues oi man ? JSo 115 -—they retire to the shades of contemplation — tluy survey him in till the attitudes of character — '.he nous oJ' circumstance) and the relations of so- - ml from a course of investigation, they in- fer his duties and his oblij Vhn .sublime . i Ly ol the" Christian Religion would have long 1), fori the world, if the laws of nature are to h> i »ofid in the human ncart, unrnlhgled witn those k and hostile passions which har rasa society .--J 11 .me men have a natural prop< hslty to benevo- •, others perhaps arc under an Opposite bias, It some arc instinctively animated hy the sublimest ♦ii ues, others are equally degraded by the left *n<3 meanest vices. We must not then expect thai virtue will rise up spontaneously in the heart.—* Thinking and cultivation must cherish and mature t4i.' b< nign tendencies of our nature. And how oft ten do s it happen, that those who are sufficiently tinted with their obligation^, and impressed with the necessity :of Conforming to the tawsol ral rectitude, forget the important ends of ml in the lap of luxury, the glare of w< ii •■ blandishment of pleasure, or the inaipidil •iice negl ctthe great functions of humanity 3 after we huvo commenced a course of active virtue, it is essential to muse oUr cul- tiea, and to present at every Interval of relaxation} fresh inducements to renew our efforts, and to ex- t competition in the paths of honor and glory. We I that the science of human duty is not ao familiar as is generally imagined, that it require! no inconsiderable application to be enlightened .aid informed on a subject so interesting and compli- cated} and that, after we have attained the n< sary knowledge, after We have formed the i lively ideas of the beauties of charity and benevo^ lence, vimo strong inducements are necessary to carry them into action. A brief review ol the i dinal principles of our institution, will shew in the most splendid point of view, the lie;ht that Masonry 116 ¥t fleets ©n the side of virtue, the part she takes,, and the motives she holds out to embark, in this honorable cause In tracing the history of our Order, the tear of sensibility involuntariJy flows at the persecutions and indignities we have suffered from the united ef- forts of priests and tyrants The benevolent spirit of coalition, the lively interest in the cause of knowl- edge and humanity, and aboveall the secret meet- ings which prevailed among our Brethren, alarmed those despots, whose authority rests upon the fears, not the affections of men. A bigoted hierarchy Idndled its horrid flames against our sacred tem- ple ; and our proscribed Brethren were forced to take shelter in the caverns of the earth, and to shroud themselves in the shades of night, in order to cultivate the duties of Masonry. Even En- gland, the boasted seat of freedom and humanity, "has declared in her criminal code, that for Masons to assemble together is a crime of the deepest dye ; but why resort to remote times and countries,when our own eyes have seen within these walls, Bre- thren who have fled into this land of liberty, to avoid the flames of the inquisition.Groaning under such a ioad of severities, it became at an early sera, the policy of our. order, to avoid the sanguinary inter- ference of their enemies, by shunning all questions of party in religion and politics. The advantages of this prudential maxim, in uniting the Fraternity 'ogether, and preventing those animosities which too often arise from debate on religious and state affairs, are so apparent, that even after the iron hand of tyranny is no longer lifted up against us, parti- cular politics and religion form no part of our in- stitution. It is not to be understood, however, that Masonry is entirely silent upon these important points. Masonry has her politics and her religion, but not the politics of a day, a party, a country, the religion of an hour, a priest, a sect — her politics. and her religion are commensurate with our spe* 4ies— coeval with our nature, founded upon the best sympathies of the heart — cherished by the most enlightened properties of the head— Univer- sal good their tendency, and the purest benevolence their motive ; and while they spurn the contracted views of faction and sect, they elevate the mind by a divine energy, above the gross objects which chain the ethereal part of our nature down to the fleeting considerations of time and place. If we look into the world, and examine the di- versities of condition which prevail— the elevated state of some, and the depressed situation of others -*rthe haughty noble, boasting of his illustrious ori- gin, and the miserable vassal, bowing to him- the • obsequious knee— »the heir of uSiuence rioting in all the pomp of luxury, and the unhappy peasant eating the bread of misery— the nioii of genius il- luminating by his intellectual splendour all around him, and the wretched maniac rattling his chains — are we not tempted, upon a superficial view, to in- fer, that some men are born with greater rights than others ? And is not the haughty minion of fortune thereby induced to increase his own felici- ty and consequence, by violating every maxim of justice and humanity** One third of the calamities of man has, with reason, been imputed to the go- vernments established over him, and to his over- looking the principles upon which all governments ought to move. Have not prescription and prece- dent — -patriarchal dominion- — divine right and mo- narchical sacredness, been alternately called in to sanction the slavery of nations ? And would not all the despotisms of the ancient and modern world, have vanished into air, if the natural equality of mankind had been properly innderstood and prac- ticed upon ? This important truth has been consi- dered as hidden from the antients, and as one of the wonderful discoveries of modern times.— Its solidity and its magnitude are equally obvious. The glare of wealth, the pride of birth, the esteg* * 3 - ? US tation of intellect and the hauteur of office, hide their diminished heads before it. » It declares that the same measure of justice ought to be meted out to all men, and that the adventitious inequali- ties which grow out of the corruptions of society, and the intellectual and physical disparities which proceed from inexplicable causes, ought not to take precedence of the great moral lights of liberty and humanity. Our Institution asserts, in language not to be misunderstood, the natural equality of mankind. It declares that all brethren are upon a level, and it throws open its hospitable doors to all men of all nations. It admits of no rank except the priority of merit, and its only aristocracy is the no- bility of virtue. Such, brethren, is the sole politi- cal feature of our society, terrible only to the scour- ges of mankind : Cherish the sacred principle within your bosoms, rank it among the best affec- tions of your hearts, and bequeath it as the richest legacy to your successors. It must be obvious to a mind of the least reflec- tion, that were Masonry to prescribe particular te- nets and ©pinions in religion for her votaries, it would be utterly incompatible with the universality of the order. For this, and the reasons before mentioned, she has wisely avoided an explicit pa- tronage of any theological creed — The great fun- damental principles of natural religion she vene- rates and adores ; an athiest can find no admission within the walls of a lodge. She well knows that in taking the religion of nature, as the ground- work of her faith, she not only rests upon the im- mutable foundations of truth, but that she adopts a principle in which the wise, and the virtuous of all nations, countries and languages agree — that those systems of artificial theology which have either flourished on the soil of popular delusion and im« posture, or been immediately communicated from the Great First Cause, always court the assistance, ©r coincide with the principles of natural religion. 119 Masonry, therefore, opens her arms to the follow- ers of all systems of religion. The Mahometan,, the Jew, the Christian, and the Theist, throwing aside the madness of religious hatred, meet under her protection as friends and brothers. As chris- tian Masons, acknowledging the divinity of Christ, we have introduced the bible into our lodges to manifest our belief in the doctrines which it incul- cates. In like manner, the followers of Moses, Mohomet, and Brama, may introduce into their Ma- sonic assemblies, their Pentateuch, their Alcoran, and their Vedam; and yet the unity of Masonry would remain — the essential principles on which she moves, would be the same — she would still de- clare to her votaries, I regard not to what sect you attach yourselves; venerate the popular religions of your respective countries ; follow the light of your own understandings ; forget not, however, the doc- trines of the religion of nature ; adore the great Architect of the universe; acknowledge the im- mortal soul, and look forward to a stare of future retribution, when the virtuous of all religions and countries shall meet together and enjoy never fad- ing bliss. We learn from sacred history, that all the inha- bitants of the earth are descended from the same stock. The ancestors of us ail were once linked together by the ties of consanguinity, and the du- ties of such a near relation are incumbent upon them. One principal branch of the morality of our order, consists in res-lori^g that tender connection among men, which the infinite diversities of family, tribe and nation, had nearly reduced to nothing, It inculcates upon its members in their conduct to each other, the reciprocal rights and duties of bro- thers ; and declares that this artificial consangui- nity shall operate with as much force and effect, as the natural relationship of blood. A man is bound to consult the happiness, to promote the interests of his brother j to avoid every thing offensive to his feelings ; to abstain from reproach', censure~and unjust suspicions; to warn him of the machinations cf his enemies ; to apprise him of his errors ; to advance the welfare and reputation of his family ; to protect the chastity of his house ; to defend his life, his property, and what Is dearer to a man of honor, his character, against unjust attacks ; to re- lieve his wants and his distresses ; to instil into his mind proper ideas of conduct in the department of life which he is called to fill. If such are the obli- gations which a man owes to his brother ; they are precisely the duties that one Freemason ought to perform to another. Our order enjoins them as rules, from which nothing can justify a deviation, and considers their infraction a violation of honor 9 conscience, and religion ; a prostitution of all that is deemed sacred and venerable among men But Masonry does not confine the benignity of her precepts to her followers : She rises higher in the scalt of moral excellence,- and enjoins the ob- servance vf honor, honesty and good faith to all men ; *h^ espouses the cause of universal benevo- lence and/virtue; She declares, as unworthy of her patronage, those who violate the laws of rectitude ; and her votaries exemplify in there lives, the truth of the remark, that although there be vicious men in the fraternity, yet that they are better tlum tney would be if they wert not Masons. Of all the virtues which adorn our institution Hea- ven-born Charity st nds pre-eminent in rank. It is not, however, that restricted beneficence which is bfofihed to the Administration of pecuniary re- Ik t: it comp'isvS all the benevolent affections which oner tional being can entertain for another; it teaches us to think, to speak, and to act in the most favorable and friendly . f&nncr, with regard to our fellow creatures. Thohfe who have mixed in a small degree in the world, mum nave often witnes- sed the distorted views in which a man's conduct has been represented— Some have a native pro-- 121 pensity to discolor the excellencies, and to exagge- rate the failings of others — The least fault is mag- nified into an inexpiable vice ; the defects of na- ture become the subject of shameless ridicule, and the most innocent actions are attributed to the worst motives. There are others who, ambitious o\ shining in the walks of wit, make unfriendly ob- servations when the heart harbors no malignity; and who, for the sake of exciting a momentary pleasure in their companions, often rack the feelings of a worthy friend. Masonic charity explodes suck improper practices. The faults of a fellow crea- ture are to be scanned with a brother's eye ; the imperfections of humanity are not to be ranked in the catalogue of his vices; and if glaring defects are seen in his conduct and character, we are not to trumpet them forth to the world, and commit? to the eagle wings of immortal scandal, those failings which should be buried in our benevolent sensibilities. The numberless ills to which humanity standi exposed, render the tear of consolation and the hand of relief necessary to make existence sup- portable. There is a fund of comfort in unbosom- ing our distresses to a sympathetic friend, and al- luring his sensibility on the side of our misfortunes* A generous mind will cheerfully lend its assistance in administering all the consolation to be derived from a friendly communication of grief. But, alas^ more than Words and tears is often requisite to arrest? the arrow? of affliction, and to smooth the rugged paths of life. How many of our fellow men are desti- tute of the common necessaries of existence ; shut up in the dreary walls of prisons, and deprived of the air and light of Heaven. Languishing in the midst of heipiess families of children, without clothing to screen them from the wintry biast, or food to protect them from the voracious jaws of famine : No better prospect before them than mi- sery ; hope, the last refuge of the wretched, nearly converted Into despair, and the retrospect of past days serving as an ignia fatuua, to bewilder them deeper in affliction, and upon its uisuppearance to increase the " darkness visible" of their misery.— How glorious, how God-like to step forth to the relief of such distress ; to arrest the tear of sorrow ; to disarm affliction of its darts ; to smooth thr; i{- low of declining age; to rescue from the dominion of vice, the helpless infant, and to diffuse the lively joys over a whole family of rational, immor- tal creatures. And how often has our institution done all this and more ? How often has it shower- ed down its golden gifts into the seemingiy inac- cessible dungeons of misery ? How often lias it ir- radiated with its beneficent rays, the glooms of affliction, and converted the horrors of despair into the meridian splendor of unexpected joy ? How of- ten has it, with its philanthropic voice, recalled the Unhappy wanderer into the paths of felicity, and with its powerful arm, protected from the grasp of malice and oppression, the forlorn outcast of soci- ety i Let the widow, the orphan, the prisoner, the debtor, the unfortunate, witness, its beneficent deeds, and in a symphony of gratitude declare, that ©n the flight of ail the other virtues, charity, as wel! as hops, remained to bless mankind. Having already trespassed on your patience, J. shall at present wave any further general observa- tions, and shall close with a few remarks mors par- ticularly apphcc ble to Holland Lodge. Masonry, lire the arts tnd sciences, shuns the din of arms and courts the still shades of peace The late »var having nearly destroyed all the once flourishing lodges of this state, spirited attempts were made at the conclusion of the peace to re-es- tablish the interest of the fraternity : and, owing to the exertions of the Grand Lodge, and their judi- cious election of a Grand Master,* who unites all * The H.m\.. R. R, Livingston. Chancellor of.th^ State. * 12S the accomplishments which can adorn the scholar, the tenth uu.. and the statesman, M. sonry begun again to lift up ner head und flourish — but still the wounds she had received were not entirely healed — — still she felt the ravages which wai Lad made upon her empire : About five years ago, those wounds received a final cure — those ravages en- tirely disappeared, upon the complete estabiish- mentof Holland Lodge : for, without intending the least disparagement to the other Very respectable lodges of this city, I am warranted in declaring, that our institution was not in as flourishing a con- dition, as it was before the revolution, until this lodge was founded, and gave a spring to the cause «f Masonry, till then unknown and unexpected. To what source are we to impute this flourishing con- dition ? The causes, my brethren, shall now be ex- plained,- and it is to be hoped will sink deep into our minds and govern our future conduct. The zeal, ardor, activity, industry,- and attention of its members — a regular and punctual attendance at our meetings- — a most sacred observance of order and decorum in the hours of labour — the applica- tion and abilities of the presiding and other officers — and a superior styie of working, wisely calculated to impress the mind with the solemnity of our in- stitution, and to engage the attention and skill of all the members. These arc the general causes— There are others of a more special nature, which it would be ungrateful to omit, and folly to attempt to conceal. Did not delicacy forbid, 1 could men- tion the name of a brother,* who called this -lodge into being, protected its infant years, and reared it to its preseni height and prosperity : 1 could enu- merate to you his unexampled zeal— his eminent abii'ty — his unremitted . ttention, and his unrival- led disinterestedness in the cause of Masonry. And however high sounding this tribute of honest * R. J. Van Den Broeck, Esq. 124 "praise "may appear, it must be protected from the reproach 01 flattery, by the grutef«l feelings which animate the bosom 01 t very metnt e \ r - no hears me, arid who knows that the brother to whom I allude, stands in the fust rank among the revivers of Ma- sonry in tnis state ; and that Holland Lodge parti- cularly, pwejs him a debt of gratitude which no re- turn can cancel and no time discharge. ' Did not delicacy forbid,' 8 could also mention to you the came of a brother,* who, at a time when the sincere well-wishers of the lodge began to tremble for its prosperity, was called to preside over us, and who by his distinguished good conduct, disappointed even the most sanguine expectations of his friends, and infused new principles of life and vigor into the order 1 Did not delicacy forbid, I couid men- tion to you the names of other brethren, wiio have never been clothed with our jewels, but who, in their private stations, have devoted a great propor- tion oi their time,and dedicated their best abilities to increase and ornament the lodge — But why allude to benefits so familiar to us all, and which, I ;n persuaded, will serve as motives of emulation, to equal, if not surpass the most distinguished of our benefactors. Sensible I am, brethren, that neither my age, experience, nor abilities entitle me to fill this place, to which your partiality, not my m r t, has called me ; Sensible I am, that it is surrounded with difficulties and embarrassments; that it re- quires promptitude of expression, quicknes* of thought, and firmness and presence of mind — and that it demands conciliating manners, an instan- taneous perception of character, and a considerable knowledge of mankind : But 1 turn with pleasure from this disagreeable prospect, to contemplate * John Abrams, Esq. Secretary of the Grand Lodge. 125 the aid I shall derive from our experienced and able Past Masters, from the zeal and activity of our wardens, and from the general prevalence of good order and decency among the members. Let us then, my brethren, unite every exertion to continue the flourishing condition of Holland Lodge, and to subserve the general cause of our fraternity. We have seen the propitious influence of masonry upon society and virtue — we have seen it possessed of every respectable attribute that can dignify or embellish an institution — we have seen it the patron of science, the friend of good govern- ment, and the handmaid of morality — and we have seen it, Howard-like, exploring the dreary prison and the miserable cottage, to seek the unfortunate ; and with the out-stretched hand of charity, turning tears into smiles and affliction into joy. May we not then expect the smiles of the Almighty Dispen- ser of all good upon our masonic labours, and that when we shall be called into that " undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns ;" when Faith changed into sight — Hofic lost in frui- tion ; and Charitij become as expanded as the Di- vine Love — that then the Grand Master of Heaven and Earth will reward our work, and give us wis- dom to relish, strength to support, and beauty to atlorn the perennial seats of celestial joy. 126 CHAPTER Xm. AN ADDRESS, Delivered in the year 1812, by W. P. M. John Vandeebixt, Jvn. one of the Committee of the masonic Free-School, to the Farents and Guardians of the Children committed to their care* Parents and Guardians of the Masonic Free-School, You have been invited to attend this afternoon to witness the examination of your children, and the progress they are making in their education. The trustees of this institution, equally solicitous with you, to promote their welfare, hail you as welcome guests ; that together with you, they may admire the rapid progress your offspring is making under the particular care of their amiable and ■worthy teacher, and the fostering care and protec- tion of the trustees of this school. But whatever satisfaction we at the present mo- ment may derive from the extraordinary proficiency thus exhibited, the mind rises on the wing of lofty contemplation to comprehend the many and extra- ordinary duties thus assigned to you as parents, and to us as trustees. Permit me then, on this solemn and interesting occasion, to draw your attention in the first place to the duties incumbent on you, respecting your offspring, and the obligation you are under to the benefactors of this institution, and in a more partic- ular manner towards the trustees; for in vain are all their labour, in vain are all their admonitions, intreaties and reproofs, unless you as parents and 127 guardians, by a holy walk and conversation, set examples of piety, religion, and morality before them : for remember the neglect of this important duty will have a tendency instead of initiating them in the school of science and improvement, they will remain objects of pity and commiseration, and subjects for the school of ignorance and vice. For it is an undeniable fact and daily experience confirms the assertion, that ignorance is the lead- ing feature of vice : for view your prisons, your dungeons, your bridewells, and your hospitals, and ask those unfortunate beings the awful question, how came you here? if the dictates of conscience speak, the heart-rending answer in numerous instances will be, my parents never, gave me edu- cation, they neglected me in the days of my youth, they never put the sacred scriptures in my hands, alas ! they never took me to the house of God, they never prayed for themselves or for us, they indulged us in breaking the holy sabbath, when committing sin they never reproved or admonished us, but per- mitted us to walk in paths of tf darkness leading down to the chambers of death ;" thus am I plun- ged through ignorance and vice in the abyss of misery ; lost to parents and friends, lost to my coun- try and society; alas ! lost to myself, and am with dread apprehension looking out for the just judg- ment of an angry and avenging G6d. My dear friends these are serious considerations and ought to influence the minds of those who neg- lect these important duties to their offspring, to be up and doing. Yes, at this very moment to form a resolution never to be broken, to be truly in earn- est in the work of an immediate repentance, and an eager return to their forsaken God, their friend and father. Parents, are you not the subjects who brought these little dependent creatures into existence ? and is there no duty attached to your conduct to bring them lip in the fear and admonition of thf Lord ? Yes, commanded by the ties of nature, by present affection and regard, by the dictates of con- science, by the sacred oracles of Almighty God ; by the strivings of his spirit, and by the loud call of 3 T our country ; to bring them up as shining orna- ments of society, and pillars in the temple of the most high. Arouse then, arouse from this unwarrantable state of apathy ; join hand in hand with the benefac- tors of this institution ; take the word of divine m- spiration and read it daily to your offspring : if you cannot read, many of your children, God's name be blessed, can read it for you. If you have neg- lected prayer, henceforth be importunate at the throne of. -.grace : If you have not words to utter, pray with groanings that cannot be uttered ; thus Will your morning and evening devotion rise up before God as incense, and the lifting up of your hands prove an acceptable sacrifice, take the dear objects of your affection by the hand every sabbath, mid attend the ordinances of God's house and wor- ship. For believe me, that the profanation of the sabbath, and the taking of God's holy name in vain, are the leading and predominant vices of the day ; and that in defiance of the laws of our country and the declaration of the Almighty, delivered in awful thunders from Sinai's holy mount, and yet how many do we hear and see daily trample those sacred precepts under foot ! for behold your rivers every sabbath witnessed with the sails of pleasure boats floating down the gentle stream ; but little do such transgressors consider that they are floating down the stream of perdition, and if continuing in such abominable vices, will be ultimately plunged in the avenging sea of God's wrath and indignation — . Behold your streets lined every sabbath with chil- dren imprecating curses upon their own heads ; and some parents can even smile at hearing a lisping cherub take God's name in vain, instead of using rhe rod* of correction, ©r admonishing even with 129 a gentle reproof. Can such expect in the great day o£ retribution, to use the language of good old Josh- ua, and say " Here Lord am I and the children thou hast given nie." Truly you will wish to be one of these ; but alas for you, the sentence will be, « depart from me ye workers of iniquity, into outer dark- ess ; I know y©u not." Think not my dear friends that I admonish with too much severity ; God forbid, that any of you or yours should be guilty of so heinous a sin : should there be any, pray to your heavtnly father for for- giveness that he might view with an eye of pity and compassion your fallen degeneracy, and with all ^hat divine energy wherewith he created our first parents pure, might restore you again to your ori* ginal purity ; that he might take away from within you, those obdurate hearts of stone, and give you the more pliant substitute, a heart of flesh, that he might curb within the tender reins of his power and mercy, all the evil propensities of your fallen and degenerate state : that he may convince you that in that fall you fell from your happiness^ be- cause you departed from him, the source of all pu- rity, the foundation ofalltruie felicity. Purify then your hearts from every strange and unholy affec- tion; may the love of the worI4 and the love of every gin jbe rooted out from every bosom, and your souls made the aboding receptacles of the Holy Spirit, with all its divise and holy affections'. Thus doing you will contract all those holy tempers, all those pious habits which alone can constitute suita- ble inhabitants of that holy state where iniquity and the children of iniquity can have no admission ; where all tears shall be wiped froni your eyes ; where" all the toils' and labours of sorrows shall bfe succeeded with an eternal rest; and where your souls shall be completely solaced witlv the s'wee't and pleasant refreshments of puro unsuMi&d love, of lasting and uriabatirig. felicity. - Ijetthis'Stimcem^dear friends,- fl*o& s'eritiiiietot* l 2 450 have originated from pure motives of affection to- wards you, and the love I bear to the dear children you have put under our care : the Trustees have injoined upon me to intreat you to keep a particular watch over the morals of your children during the vacation, which will commence to-morrow, and the school will be opened again three weeks from next Monday. In the mean time may the blessing of God await you, may he protect you and yours from every snare and temptation, may he crown your endeavours to promote the welfare of your children with success ; may he fill your baskets and your store with the abundance of his providential bless- higs ; but above all, may he bless you with all spirit- ual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord. My dear little children of every department in this school, you objects of my sincere affection and regard. In what language shall I address you ? shall X call to mind the many pleasing hours I have spent with you during the establishment of this institu- tion ? Shall I reflect on the rapid progress many of you have made in your education ? Shall I proclaim the praise of those meritorious scholars who are educated by sincere motives of obedience to their teacher, their parents, and the benefactors of this institution ? yes, my heart leaps for joy, and my tongue shall ever pronounce your praise ; yes, with the love a father bears to his children, will I con- tinue to give you every aid and assistance, as long as my feeble abilities can promote your happiness and welfare; and although my duties as one of the standing committee on this day expires, yet often, often shall ray prayers ascend to the throne of grace for blessings upon you and your parents. Let me then intreat you not to despise the proffered offer of your benefactors, not to lose one moment, not to neglect or abuse the opportunity you now en- joy, be attentive to your studies, adhere with due obedience to the admonitions and instructions of SSI your worthy teacher ; honor your father and mother that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God* giveth you: Adhere particularly to the earnest intreaties of your trustees and bene- factors, wound not their feelings by a neglect of duty, so as to give them cause to complain that all the expence, the labor and pains they have bestowed, have proved in vain ; the sacred'scriptures are daily put in your hands ; delight to meditate on its con- tents ; admire the worship of God, so that you! souls may go out in ardent prayers to God, and wait for his blessing. Thus doing you will remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil -days come, when you shall have to say, I have no pleasure in them. Is there any among you who are guilty of that wretched practice of playing truant and neglecting your studies, who are trifling with the admonition of your teacher, who are disobedient to your parents, who set at nought the solemn warnings of your benefactors and trustees ; shall I pronounce your praise to this audience ? can we admire your con- duct ? no you have no share in our affection, but that of pity. Shall I select you out, and hold you up here as a public spectacle to your parents and friends, of scorn and derision ? no, for this time we will pardon your infirmities. But while I raise my monitory voice against your transgressions, form a resolution to return from your evil ways, that we may have reason to rejoice at the next examination, that our admonitions have had the desired effect ; but if you are determined to persist in your vice, let me tell f. ou, you can have no claim upon our benevolence^. CHARITY THE FIRST OF MASONIC DUTIES. Many valuable and important papers have beee written on the subject of freemasonry, which, in a word, serve to illustrate the principles of the insti- tution. It would be unnecessary to offer any re- marks on this head. It is my intention to show, that charity does, and always did, form a particular ingredient in the character of a free and accept- - ed mason. Although the charity of a mason ex- tends to the whole human family, of which each in- dividual is a child, yet, a certain class of men having enlisted under the banners of the order, to partake of the several benefits and privileges, it is but rea- sonable to suppose, that they should, individually and collectively, tome under our particular notice. Is it not the fact in all societies designed for chari- table purposes ? Do not the individuals composing such an institution unite together, in order to assist their fellow members in the hour of distress and trial ? Are they not, in a particular manner, subser- vient to other ends ; for the relief of widows, or- phans, &c. ? All these institutions, which are numerous and generally well conducted, have at all times received the patronage of the liberal and enlightened. But my reader, in the order of freemasonry, the in- stances are numerous and beyond calculation, where the benefits of the society have extended to the re- lief of distressed brethren, widows, and orphans. It is sometimes said, by those who have not been initialed into the society, " I have never seen any gpod arising from it ;'" — nor, indeed, will they, un- til they are regularly initiated. As well might they endeavour to obtain the secrets of a mason, which we all know, have existed from time immemorial, as to become acquainted with the charitable trans- actions of a lodge ; or, to know when an individual stretches out his hand to serve a distressed brother, ±3S with whom he is often made acquainted by those in* violable secrets, which constitute, among freema- sons, a universal language. What has the world to do with private transactions ; whether a widow, an orphan, or a pilgrim; has obtained relief ? If the y were, then, as well might the mysteries of light be unfolded to them ! The peculiar excellence of the institution does not rest in the display of virtues merely civil, nor in the jewels which adorn the mason ; nor, in a word, in external show or grandeur. Though these have their several ends, some of which are absolutely essential to form the appropriate cloth- ing of a mason* yet charity, benevolence, and love, constitute the basis of the temple. Thousands, and I may add, tens of thousands, have witnessed the kindly offices of masons : the widow and the orphan, whose petitions have never been rejected, can also witness, not only in this, but in every quar- ter of the globe, the charity of a mason. Charity ! thou heavenborn virtue ! long mayest theu preside as the guardian genius of masonry ; and may wisdom, strength and beauty, remain the three great pillars. BRIEF BUT SIGNIFICANT DESCRIPTION OF FREEMASONRY. Mr. Arnold, in his Dutch Dictionary, under the word " Freemasonry," says, that it is " a Moral Order, instituted by virtuous men, with the praise- worthy design of recalling to our remembrance the most sublime truths, in the midst of the most inno- cent and sociable pleasures, founded on liberality, 'protherly love ? and charity." £34 XV ADDRESS TO FREEMASONS IN GENBRAL. Stretch forth your hands to assist a brother wheri ever it is in 'your power ; to be always ready to go any where to serve him ; to offer your warmest pe- titions for his welfare ; to open your breasts and hearts to him; to assist him with your best couasel and advice ; to soothe the anguish of his soul, and betray no confidence he reposes in you ; to support him with your authority; to use your utmost en- deavours to prevent him from falling ; to relieve his wants as far as you are able, without injuring yourselves or your families. In short, mutually to support and assist each other, and earnestly to pro- mote one another's interest, are duties which (well you know) are incumbent upon you; But do these duties always influence you ? Are they not too of- ten forgotten ? Your worthy brother too frequently neglected, and the stranger preferred to those of your own household ? Ye are connected by solemn promises : let those always be so remembered ae to direct your actions : for then, and then only, will you preserve your consciences void of offence, and prepare that firm cement of utility and affection^ which time will have no power to destroy. SKETCHES OF THE ROYAL ART. FROM the earliest ages of antiquity, the royal art w r as ever taught with the greatest circumspec- tion, not in schools or academies, to a promiscuous audience, but was confined to certain families ; the rulers of which instructed their children or disci- pies, and by this means conveyed their mysterious knowledge to posterity. After the flood, the professors of this art were first distinguished by the name of Noachidae, after- wards by that of Sages or Wise Men, (men in- structed a* Moses, in all the wisdom of the Egyp- ISo tians,) Chaldeans, Philosophers, Masters in Israel, he. aiid were ever venerated as sacr* d persons. They consisted of persons of the brightest parts and genius, who exerted their utmost abilities in discovering and investigating the various mysteries of nature, from whence to draw improvements and inventions of the most useful consequences. Men whose talents were not only employed in specula- tion, or in private acts of beneficence ; but. who were also public blessings to the age and countries, in which they lived, possessed with moderate de- sires, who knew how to conquer their passions ; practisers and teachers of the purest morality, and ever exerting themselves to promote the harmony and felicity of society. They were therefore con- sulted from all parts, and venerated with that sin- cere homage which is never paid but to real merit j and the greatest and wisest potentates "on earth es- teemed it an addition to their imperial dignities, to be enrolled among such bright ornaments of human nature. A principal excellence, which rendered them fa- mous among men, was taciturnity, which in a pe- culiar manner they practised and inculcated as ne- cessary for concealing from the unworthy what few were qualified to learn, and still fewer to teach.—. Qui necerit tacere loqui. BRIEF ANALYSIS of MASONIC PRINCIPLES AM EXTRACT. And will your candour and patience indulge the orator of the day, in a momentary, concluding address; An address, whose primary object is to exhibit an epitome of masonic principles, disrobed of the veil of mystery ; and whose secondary aim impels the crimson blush to the marble front oi Barru*-;. This demon of detraction first sounded tl&e-to-cij.k c£ falsehood against masonry j and Robin- 136 son reechoed its malignant tones, from the cliffs of Albion to the shores pf the western wciid. Ihe general charges pf both are^that masonry is equally hostile to the altar and the throne ; and that all her secret energies are directed to prostrate religion in the dust,; and overwhelm govenfiimnt by the arm of rebellion, leading onward the genius of Anarchy. To these charges, we plead not guilty, in the pre- sence of heaven above, and earth beneath ; and lodge our last, most solemn appeal, to the dread uibunal of an omniscient God ! who knoweth, as « the searcher of all hearts," that religion, in her every form, is treated by masons with awful reve- rence ; and that government, in its every mode, re- ceives the faithful obedience of the craft ; for at no time, hath the stroke of the ax of religious bi- gotry been heard within our peaceful walls ; nor the sound of the hammer of political intolerance, dis- turbed philanthropic harmonies ; while in all the conscious pride of innocence and truth, we dare to affirm before assembled worlds, that the banners of the mystic order emblazon these mottos, to the blaze of solar day. " Fear God ; honour the king ; love the brotherhood ; reverence deity ; respect magistrates ; do good unto all, and perfect glory- in the heights of the highest, by peace and good will upon earth/' These true sayings, my brethren and my friends, contain a brief analysis of masonic principles ; and principles of so benevolent a nature can involve no dangerous mysteries ; for beneficence of practical deed excludes secret conspiracy, and abhors open ir surrection ; neither is it possible for us to be con- taminated by the vices that mar the happiness of individuals, or polluted by those crimes which blast the felicities of wretched millions ; for friend- ship, morality, and brotherly love forbid the first ; and brotherly love, relief, and truth forbid the se- cond. In a word, the Wise Grand Master of an- cient Israei na« impressed a moral seal on every i37 -power of operative art ; and his amiable successor St. John inscribes speculative truth* on the chisel and the mallet, the rough ashler and the polished stone ; while the line, the rule, the plirm, the level, and the square, possess the gift of tongues. CHARACTER OF A FREEMASON- The real freemason is eminently distinguished from the rest of mankind, by the uniform unre- strained rectitude of his conduct. Other men are honest in fear of the punishment which the law might inflict; they are religious in expectation of being rewarded, or in the dread of the devil, in the next world. A freemason would be just, if tiiere were no written laws human or divine, except those which are written on his heart by the finger of his Creator, in every climate, under every sys- tem of religion, he is the same. He kneels before the universal throne of God, in gratitude for the blessings he has received, and in huuible solicita- tion for his future protection. He venerates the good men of all religions. He disturbs not the re- ligion of his country, because the agitation of spe- culate 'opinions produces greater evils than the errors it is intended to remove. He restrains his passions, because they cannot be indulged without injuring his neighbour or himself He gives no offence, because he does not cnoose to be offended. He contracts no debts which he is not certain that he Can discharge, because he is honest upon princi- ple. He never utters a falsehood, because it is cowardly, and infinitely beneath the dignity of a re.d free and accepted mason, which is the noblest character on earth. M 158 A MASONIC HYMN. UNTO thee, great God, belong Mystic rites and sacred song. Lowly bending at thy shrine, We hail thy Majesty divine. Glorious Architect above, Source of light and source of love, Here thy light and love prevail ! Hail ! Almighty Master, hail '. "Whilst in yonder regions bright, The sun by day, the moon by night, And the stars that gild the sky, Blazon forth thy praise on high. Join, O earth ! and, as you roll, From east to west, from pole to pole, Lift to Heaven your grateful lays, Join the universal praise. Warm'd by thy benignant grace, Sweet Friendship linkd the human race - t Pity lodg'd within her breast, Charity became her guest. There the naked raiment found ; Sickness balsam for its wound ; Sorrow comfort, hunger bread, Strangers there a welcome shed. Still to us, O God ! dispense Thy divine benevolence. Teach the tender tear to flow, Melting at a brother's woe, Like Samaria's son, that we Blest with boundless charity, To th' admiring world rm y prove They dwell in God who dwell in love. 139 A PRAYER* Said at the opening of the Lodge, or making a new Brother, &c. used by Jewish Freemasons O Lord, excellent art thou in thy truth, and there is nothing great in comparison to thee ; for thine is the praise from all the works of thine hands for evermore. Enlighten us, we beseech thee, in the true knowledge of Masonry : By the sorrows of Adam, thy first made man ; by the blood of Abel, the holy one ; by the righteousness of Seth, in whom thou art well pleased ; and by the covenant with JVoah, in whose architect thou wast pleased to save the seed o- thy beloved ; number us not among those that know not thy statutes, nor the divine mysteries of thy secret Cabala. But grant, we beseech thee, that the ruler of this Lodge may be endued with knowledge and wisdom, to instruct us and explain his secret mysteries, as our holy brother Moses did (in his Lodge) to Aaron, to Eleazar and Ithamar, (the sons of Aaron,) and the several elders of Israel. And grant that we may understand, learn, and keep all the statutes and commands of the Lord, and this holy mystery, pure and undefiled unto the end of our lives. Amen, Lord. A PRAYER Used by primitive Christian Masons. The might of the Father of heaven, and the wis- dom of his glorious Son, through the grace and goodness of the Holy Ghost, being three persons in one Godhead, be with us at our beginning, and give us grace so to govern us here in our living, that we may come to his bliss that never shall have end. Amen. 148 A PRAYER Repeated in the Royai-Arch Lodge at Jerusalem. Thon hast loved us, O Lord our God, with eter- nal love ; thou hast spared us with great and ex- ceeding- patience, our Father and our King, for thy Great Name's sake, and for our fathers' sake, who trusted in thee, and to whom thou didst teach the statutes of life, that they might do after the Statutes of thy good pleasure with a perfect heart; go be thou merciful to us, O our Father ! Merciful Father, that sheweth mercy, have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, and put understanding into our hearts, that we may understand, be wise, hear, learn, teach, keep, do, and perform, all the words of the doctrine of thy law in love, and enlighten our eyes in thy commandments, and cause our hearts to cleave to thy law, and unite them in the love and fear of thy Name ; we will not be asham- ed, nor confounded, nor stumble, for ever and ever. Because we have trusted in thy holy, great, migh- ty, and terrible Name, we will rejoice and be glad in thy salvation, and in thy mercies, O Lord our God ; and the multitude of thy mercies shall not forsake u» for ever : Selah. And now make haste and bring upon us a blessing, and peace from the four corners of the earth ; for thou art a God that workest salvation, and has chosen us out of every people and language ; and thou our king, hast caus- ed us to cleave to thy great Name, in love to praise thee, and to be united to thee, and to love thy Name : Blessed art thou, O Lord God, who hast chosen thy people Israel in love* MA c ONIC SENTIMENTS AND TOASTS. 1. The day — The proudest in the annals of our Lodge : May it prove the most propitious on the tablets of Charity. 141 2. The memory of Brother General George Washingto — May the gratitude of Masons display itself in deeds, and rouse the slumbering sensibility of the nation. 3. The grand Lodges of the United States — Wis- dom to their deliberations, strength to their mea- sures, and moral beauty to their couduct. 4. Our Country — devotion to its interests, one of the proudest traits in the Masonic character. 5. Our Fair Sisters — Their happiness the princi- pal object of our institution— in excluding beauty from the temple of wisdom, we distrust ourselves rather than them. 6. The Academy of Fine Arts, and the Society of Artists — They have sown " good seed in good ground ;" may they be remunerated by an abundant harvest. 7. The Clergy of the United States — Guardians of the first great light of Masonry, they display its influence by lives spent in acts of piety and devo- tion. 8. The Mystic Signal — The last appeal ; never be it given without effect. DUTIES OF A MASON. Thy first homage thou owest to the Deity; the second to the authority of civil society. Honour the fathers of the state ; love thy coun- try ; be religiously scrupulous in the fulfilling of all the duties of a good cit'zen : consider that they are become sacred by the voluntary masonic vow; and that the violation of them in a profane man, would be weakness ; but in thee, hypocrisy and cri- minality. MASONIC PRECEPTS. The end, the moral, and the purport of masonry, is to subdue our passions, not to do our own will ±-i2 to make a daily progress in a laudable art ; to pro- mote morality, charity, good fellowship, good nature, and humanity. This is the substance, let the form or vehicle be ever so unaccountable. MASONIC SONG. 'lis almost high noon, And our labour may soon In its various toils be suspended, And the Grand Master's call Shall announce to us all, That with joy our refreshment is blended. But ere we have done, Let us look at the Sun, And admire his meridian beauty ; 'Tis a most cheering sight, Pure, glorious, and bright, Enlightening and prompting to duty. We rejoice in the day, And we wish to display The effects of fair wisdom and kindness, And pity the plight Of those who have light, Yet wilfully grope in their blindness. With industry still, And with ^seal and good will, Let us work for ourselves and for others ; Free, accepted, and true, What is worthy pursue, As becomes a firm, band of good brothers. So when at the last, Our days are all past, And the mandate to rest shall be given, We- all may be fit These labours to quit, To be calPd to refreshment in heaven. *43 Be it then our delight Hand in hand to unite, Of true love and of help the sure token— That ascending the skies, Hand in hand we may rise, And our union continue unbroken. ST. ELBA. As many persons may wish to learn something re- lative to the Island of Elba, which Bonaparte has chosen for his future residence ; I have availed my- self of a letter recently written at the request of William Coleman, Esq of this city, by a gentle- man who resided for some time on that Island The letter is written in an accurate and handsome style. " Dear Sir — You request me to give you some account of Elba. This Island is situated on the coast of Italy, sixty miles to the southward of Leg* horn, five miles from the rruin land. It is about 20 miles long and seven broad. There are four con* «ider«*ble towns in it, and it contains about 15,000 inhabitants. It is very mountainous, particularly towards the south-west end, where they rise to a sublime height. The soil is generally poor ; there are however. some rich vallies. It has two fine har- bours, Porto Ferrara, and Porto Longoni, with towns of the same name upon each of them. Porto Ferrar* on the north-west side is the capital 1 , and is ts wi 11 built as any town of the &me size that I have seen in lu iy. The inhabitants were very kind to me, and t:re hospitable to strangers - The northern putt of the Island formerly belo: ged to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany ; the other side to !Naples, and was a plaee to which her convicts were sent. To this Island, also, you may recollect it was 1-i-i that the great but unfortunate Touesaint of St. mingo was to have been sent a piisciu r, and by the man, who now biings this Island into notice, by ch using it as the haven of repose when he is obliged to retire from the stormy ocean of empire. Six- teen of Toussaint's principal followers were sent here; with two of whom I became acquainted, and were strongly solicited to favour their tsc.pe. It is needless, to tell you that the climate is fine. J he Island produces a light red wire, some fruit, and salt for exportation ; but in no considc r ible quanti- ties. The iron mines of Elba are ext nsive, and have been wrought lunger e en fchan the story of them is known. r l he Island bore rather the marks of poverty; the roads were not in good repair, and in fact the Island is too uneven to make much use of carriages of pleasure. It is the fine harbour of Porto Ferrara, and the natural strong position of the town, that make this Island desirable. In the hands of a power at war with the States of Italy it would become a valuable depot. Many of the conscripts from Italy were brought here to be trained for the field of war. The views from the Island are grand. On the one hand is the coast of Italy as far to the north- ward as the mountains of Genoa : on the other Corsica with its iofy mountains relieves the eye from an unintenupted expanse of in oceanvview.— - Other small 1 lards lie in the m ighbourhoou to di- versify the scene. To a mind fond of retirem ©r solely bent on the pursuits of literature, Elba may become a pleasant residence : But to a mind ac- customed to the noise of war, or to tire sweet blan- dishments of polished society, Elba with all its views, and t il its charms, must appear but a. more extended prison.'* FINIS. Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: £PR 2002 PreservationTechnologies A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 111 Thomson Park Dnve Cranberry Township, PA 1 6066 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 009 475 249 8 ' u TjV. ' ii.KfIiIJTigD i r BOB if^H ^-jgv SEE nmPwQ^vm JM!l* l 'Jfflgc BBlr •:r:r;'-\ *»»#? " IB ^^^^■__ MM up la