'Like the flowing of a summer-gale, he felt His countenance was not changed, · Aye! look and triumph!' he exclaimed, 'A righteous God is he, to let 'With what a thirst of joy He should breathe in the open gales of heaven!' Vain are all spells! the Destroyer "Thou hast done well, my Servant! "Ask and receive thy reward!' Mr. Southey must excuse us for doubting, whether even a poet's mouth could turn these passages into good verse; and we are afraid, the greater part of his readers will participate in our scepticism ADVERSARIA. THE ELECTIONS IN this state and New-Hampshire will be of incalculable importance to the prosperity of the union. The fire of patriotism had subsided, but was not extinguished; it has been kindled anew and we' firmly hope our counsellors at Washington will be guided by its light into the paths of integrity and wisdom. As the desertion of the federal policy has been the principal cause of all our difficulties with foreign nations, we have a strong expectation that a re-adoption of similar sentiments would now produce effects as beneficial, as those of democracy have been disastrous. The success of the election of Governour and Senators should incite us to new exertions in the choice of Representatives, in order to secure a triumph. The struggle may be arduous; but if our resources are again exerted, the victory is certain. GRATITUDE OF STATES. 'GRATITUDE is doubtless due from the obliged to those who oblige them, as long as they do not pretend to measure or force their own reward, nor to use the others ill upon the pure merit of having used them well. There is such a thing as cancelling an obligation in publick as well as in private life. A state may sometimes overpay a benefactor; but scarce any subject can do more for a state than he owes it. The people lose much more by their generosity to their benefactors, than their benefactors lose by the ingratitude or stinginess of the people, whose fault is almost always on the other side. But suppose it had happened sometimes (which has rarely happened) that a worthy man should not meet a proper reward from his countrymen, for publick services done them; it is still better that he has too little or even none, than too much, and a worthy man will never seek revenge upon his country for a mistake in his merit.” CATO'S LETTERS. THEOLOGICAL CREEDS. "THERE are few "THEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS" in the world (legal establishments excepted) but contain almost as many falsehoods as words, and as much nonsense as matter. Give the corrupt priests but some odd, unintelligible and ill-favoured words, suppose hic hæc, trim tram, bow wow, fee fa fum, or any other sound that is utterly devoid of any rational meaning, they shall instantly find profound mystery in it, and fetch substantial advantages out of it. Nay when they are got in full possession of the said word, you are damned if you deny it to be sense, and damned if you endeavour to make sense of it.' ENTHUSIASM. RELIGIOUS enthusiasm is a flaming conceit that we have great personal interest with the Deity, and that the Deity is eminently employed about us,, or in us; that he warms and solaces our hearts, guides our understandings and our steps, determines our will, and sets us far above those who have less pride and more sense than ourselves. The enthusiast heats his own head by extravagant imaginations, then makes the all-wise spirit of God to be the author of his hot head; and working up all his brains into the clouds, despises and hates all that are below, and if he can kills them, unless they submit to be as mad as himself; for, because he takes his own frenzy for inspiration, you must be guided by his frenzy; and if you are not, you are a rebel to God, and 'tis ten to one but he has a call to put you to death. "I have but a bad opinion of that devotion which is raised by a crazed head, and can be improved by a dram, and a hot sun, or the assistance of wine, or can be lessened by cold weather, or by letting of blood. It is great madness mixed with presumption to pretend to have the Spirit of God, unless we can show it by doing works which only God's Spirit can do; that spirit which can do all things but foolish things. Enthusiasm is doubtless a fever in the head, and like other fevers, is spreading and infectious; and all the zeal of the enthusiast is only an ambition to propagate his fever. "Almighty God, has given us reason to distinguish truth from falsehood, imposture from revelation, delusion from inspiration; and when we quit that light, we must wander through endless mazes and dark labyrinths, and ramble wherever fancy, imagination,or fraud leads us. "The great Island of Madagascar is divided into two great parts and parties, who are at fierce strife and everlasting war about a sanctified elephant's tooth, which both own to have come down from heaven, and both pretend to have it; and I am not sure whether it has not worked miracles on both sides: but as neither side will allow the other to have it, they hate one another as much as they love and hate the said tooth. Great is the Elephant of Madagascar, and the Tusk which fell down from Jupiter ! RECENT PUBLICATIONS. 9. An Index of the Chapters and Dates of the Laws of Massachusetts. Boston, Munroe, Francis & Parker. 10. The Jewish Polity completely overturned; and the sceptre reserved for Jesus Christ. A Discourse delivered at Newburyport, Lord's-day evening, Jan. 29, 1809. By John Hubbard Church, pastor of the church in Pelham, New Hampshire. Newburyport, Thomas & Whipple. Affectation of sanctity is a blotch upon the face of piety. 11. A Sermon, delivered at Dorchester, Dec. 7, 1808, at the Ordination of the Rev. John Codman to the pastoral care of the Second Church of Christ in Dorchester. By W. E. Channing, Pastor of the Church in Federal-Street, Boston. Boston, J. Belcher. Apples of gold in pictures of silver. 12. A Discourse delivered at Plymouth, Dec. 22, 1808, at the anniversary commemoration of the landing of our ancestors at that place. By Thaddeus Mason Harris, A. M. Member of the Historical Society of Massachusetts. Boston. J. Belcher. 8vo. In this excellent tract, the manners of our ancestors are happily displayed, and their treatment of the aborigines finds a better apology than is commonly made. So accurate a writer as Mr. H. however, should know better than to use conduct, p. 20, as a neuter verb. The extract from elder Cushman's sermon, which shows the manner in which the fathers carried themselves towards the natives, should have corrected this errour. The whole of the question arising out of that transaction (the Chesapeak) is in fact no other than a question as to the amount of reparation due by his majesty for the unauthorized act of his officer; and you will therefore readily perceive that in so far as the government of the United States have thought proper to take that reparation into their own hands, and to resort to measures of retaliation, previously to any direct application to the British minister in America, for redress, in so far the British government is entitled to take such measures into account and to consider them in the estimate of reparation which is acknowledged to have been originally due.'---[Letter from Mr. Canning to Mr. Munroe, dated September 28, 1807.] THE AMERICAN REGISTER, &c. Continued from page 229. 6 THE next chapter (IV.) contains a dissertation on the policy pursued by our government after the transaction on the coast, of the Chesapeak." In which the author, after recounting the difficulties which we were obliged to encounter at this crisis, and expressing his 'wonder at the degree of authority which the (British) government maintains over this unchained tyger (the navy) in its remotest excursions, proceeds to offer an abstract of the president's Proclamation; which gave a sanction to the ebullitions of publiek resentment, and observes it was impossible for the government to do less than this, in the actual circumstances in which it was placed, however adverse it may be thought to the dictates of scrupulous and cold-blooded caution.' But it is doubtfull in the opinion of our author, whether the formal order to depart from our harbours and coasts, which is given to all British vessels of war, be entitled to the same applause or the same excuse,' as that part of the Proclamation to which we have just referred. Disobedience to this order could not fail to be considered on a final settlement of disputes as an additional insult and outrage, yet disobedience was innocent, because obedience was impossible. The captains of ships must conform to the orders previously received from their admiral, as to the time and place of their stay, and the admiral is bound to follow the instructions of his government at home. These orders and these instruc Vol. 1. G G tions were given when the two nations were on terms of mutual hospitality, and could not be revoked but with at least half a year's delay.' The unanimity which prevailed in relation to this transaction was but momentary. Inveterate habits may give way and customary enemies may embrace for a moment, but time will be sure to restore the empire to its old masters; enmities will gradually revive and the bickerings of party be as loud as ever.' We believe the unanimity which prevailed at this period, respecting this transaction, is equally as decisive at the present moment. Opposition to the administration in other respects does not imply a censure of the policy pursued in one particular instance. Nobody denies the enormity to have been so glaring as to leave no room for the strongest prejudice to hesitate or argue,' and now that parties have leisure to resume their habitual suspicions of each other,' the publick sentiment in opposition to the Chesapeak transaction is as firm as ever, although it may be less violently expressed. Little as we can prevail upon ourselves to accede to the conclusions to which our author seems inclined to conduct us in this instance, we are afraid we shall experience still more difficulty in agreeing with him in his next chapter, In chapter V. our author begins by suggesting some doubts of the sincerity of Mr. Canning in declaring his total previous ignorance of the measures of Admiral Berkley, and though the glaring inexpediency' of going to war with America is clearly admitted, yet the writer seems rather inclined to believe the ultimate purpose of the British government was to provoke hostilities from us. This opinion he is induced to fortify by the following character of Mr. Canning. 'Mr. Canning is the first British minister since Addison who enjoys the reputation of a poet and classical writer. Unlike his illustrious predecessor, however, his writings evince the vivacity of his fancy more than the tenderness of his heart. His wit is less simple and pure, but more brilliant and sparkling; and his satire is aimed, not like Addison's, at moral depravity, but political heresy. While the latter was fitted only, by his genius and ambition, for privacy and study, the former is eminently qualified for the turbulent and motley sphere of the cabinet and parliament. His classical taste merely displays itself in the force and correctness of his official compositions, and subtilty of his ministerial conduct. A diplomatick controversy is a scene exactly adapted to his genius, and if success in this kind of warfare is allotted to the greatest master of rhetorick, and the deepest proficient in stratagem, he may safely count upon success.* So far are we from considering the first letter of this minister to Mr. Munroe, as not expressing useful or rational regret,' and so far from believing the British minister had any previous knowledge of the intentions of Admiral Berkley, that we are inclined to assume an opinion exactly the reverse; 1st. Because receiving as Mr. Canning did, the |