party, which tended to destroy, instead of supporting, true religion; I mean supreme gratitude to God, and corresponding affection to his creatures, both animal and human. But a contrast in opinion is not confined to religious controversialists. In philosophy, also, we often find a perfect contrast in opinion among its votaries; but happily this diversity of opinion does not produce animosity, hatred, calumny, the rack, the halter, the fire, the faggot, as it has done among religious controversialists, to the disgrace of all moral virtue, true religion, and even common humanity.

I am firm in the opinion that our Sun, with its seven attend. ants, planets, and satellites, is but a small part of creation; that each of the fixed stars are suns, the centre of systems, as extensive and magnificent as our own. Some think they are not inhabited; I contend, from analogy, that if a diminutive plant is pregnant with animal life, the hypothesis that the different enormous systems of creation are inhabited by beings capable of contemplating the sovereign beauty, and participating the benefits of the celestial architect, is consistent with reason as well as philosophy. Many naturalists ascribe the phenomenon of tides ebbing and flowing to the laws of gravity, that is, to the attraction of the sun and moon on the equator; but may not the phenomena of our tides be affected by the melting of the polar ices? Our primary object, however, is to demonstrate by reasonable, as well as philosophical deductions, that God has made ample provision for the luxuriant accommodation of all his creatures, both animal and human; and if they are unhappy and miserable, it is man that has made them so. I have in my voyage to the bay of Honduras, and while sailing round divers desolate islands near the Spanish Maine, taken notice of the harmony and happiness that appeared to exist between the different species of animals, of birds, and of reptiles. It appeared to me, that being delivered from the ravages of man, they enjoyed uninterrupted happiness. These islands I perceived were plentifully supplied with various trees, and herbage, and spontaneous fruits, for the plentiful support of quadrupeds which made them their local residence, as well as for the itinerant amphibious animals that resorted thither, periodi. cally, for aliment or shelter, or to deposite their eggs: finally, thither flew numerous species of birds at the approach of

storms and tempests, and found a secure asylum; many of them were most beautiful to behold. Perhaps it will be allowed that in warm climates, such as the bay of Honduras, all birds, animals, and insects, are plentifully provided with all necessary aliment; but it may be objected that nature is not equally prolific in the cold northern latitudes, such as Norway and Russia. As I have also, visited these countries, and others in the same latitude, I can easily answer this objection. However, one simple geographical fact will be sufficient to do it, viz: It is well known that no nation carries on a more extensive trade in peltry than the northern regions, which chiefly supply the markets of all Europe. The fact is, that in no countries are birds and beasts, of various species, more abundant than in those cold climates; such as wolves, white bears, elks, rein-deer, water fowls, heathcocks, hares, foxes, ermines, beavers, martens, &c, &c; but the fecundity of fishes is here superabundant: I have seen them taken up in buckets and baskets in Norway, they were so plentiful, and in such shoals. There is a greater variety of species, and each species are more numerous here than in any other part of the world. There are more herrings to be caught in these northern rivers and seas, than would supply all the inhabitants of Europe and America; not to speak of the sturgeon, cod, anchovies, mackarel, pike, salmon, sea-dogs, porpoises, sea-cows, whales, and many others too tedious to enumerate. But it will be objected that both birds and qua drupeds suffer for aliment, and perish with the severity of the winter in the northern regions. To this I would answer, that the God of nature is equally careful in accommodating the animals of the northern regions with furs and long thick hair, which regularly grow in winter and fall off in the summer: as he is in providing the animals of the southern hemisphere with thin hair, light and cool; witness the African lion, whose skin I have seen as sleek as a mole; while the wolf of Siberia is shaggy all over, even up to his eyes. But the gra cious Creator, blessed be his holy name, is not only careful to cover their backs with fur, but he builds a house over their heads: witness the lofty and ever-green firs, whose spreading branches ward off the snow storm from the defenceless quadrupeds, and also preserves the moss in some places two feet thick for the aliment of the rein-deer, who, when the snow

covers it, are all stimulated by instinct to paw the snow away and find a plentiful aliment, provided by their benevolent Creator through the severity of winter. In many places nature has also provided abundance, not only of the soft and dry leaves of trees and moss, but a variety of spontaneous fruits, which being arrived at maturity, fall at the approach of winter: thus the kind King of heaven provides abundantly a house, apparel, and luxuriant aliment for animals and insects in the northern as well as the southern latitudes.

In warm latitudes nature provides volcanoes, thunder, tempests, and storms to ventilate the air, and to hinder the waters of lakes, rivers, and creeks, from becoming stagnated and putrid; and where man has not acted in opposition to nature, these are the most wholesome regions of the earth.

The first thing that children learn when they go to school is, too often, cruelty. The pedagogue acts the tyrant-the children imitate him; and when the school is dismissed, we too often see the elder children beating the younger ones, or stimulating them to fight each other; and if drunken or deli. rious persons happen to pass when they come out of school, you will assuredly see the scholars running after them, and pelting them with stones or mud. Such sights are not to be seen among savages. If you wish to make a child a hypo, crite, you must first make him miserable; if you wish to make him cruel, or stupid, flagellation will do the business.

In all our schools, ambition is inculcated upon the juvenile mind, while humility is exploded; and this error, I call the foundation stone of the miseries of christendom. Hence, in all the ranks of civilized society, every one, is seeking to eircumvent his neighbour, in order to accumulate riches, and thus gratify this spirit of ambition, and if one arose from the dead, he could not convince him of the folly, fatality, and futility of this passion, the natural offspring of a faulty and vain-glorious education.

To the writings of Dr. Benjamin Rush, on Education, I refer the philanthropist. Philadelphia and her medical faculty might well be proud of one of the greatest and best of men, and when he died, I believe he left not his equal behind, at least not his superior in America. As a philosopher, philanthropist and physician, he is a worthy rival of Dr. Erasmus Darwin.

When I intellectually view Christian, as well as Pagan countries, and see one part of the human family exalted to demigods, and demagogues, and the other part degraded to beggars and beasts of burden; the one part living in all man. ner of extravagant sensuality, and the other part absolutely dying for want of what the first waste, I naturally ask my. self, "why is this dreadful disorder permitted to derange and distress mankind? But I find an answer ready, namely, THEY ARE FREE AGENTS!!"

Among the species of lions, there is no Nero; among the race of tigers there is no Caligula permitted to arise, and systematically tyrannise over the brute creation: and wherefore? Because they are unlike man, who is a free agent. These voracious animals with all others of the carniverous kind, do not tyrannise, they instantaneously slay and eat their victims, of course, end a day of happiness with a moment's pain. The utility of carnivorous animals will at once appear obvious, even to those philosophical unbelievers who wish to find fault with the infinitely wise economy of a gracious providence. Were it not for them, the earth would be covered, the air would be tainted, and the waters would be contaminated with putrid carcasses of beasts, of birds, of fish. But the question recurs: why was a Nero, a Caligula permitted to oppress and torment their species? the answer is still at hand: They were produced by moral corruption in the people: for it is a fundamental truth, (though I well know that not one in a million will believe it such) that when an indivi. dual, a family, or a nation turn their backs on what Socrates used to call his good genius, upon their infallible dictator, conscience, upon the obvious laws of nature, the dictates of reason, and the simple suggestions of common sense, they are ready to become the votaries of every absurdity in religion and politics, in theory and practice: and the vassals of every hypocritical priest and tyrannical potentate; and if such servile mortals find nothing but misery when they thus turn their backs upon so kind a benefactor, is it not a just re-action for their base ingratitude to their best friend, and servility, or, if you please, loyalty to their worst foe. Let any man, who doubts the authenticity of this assertion, read the histories of the Asiatic sultans, grand moguls, nabobs, grand lama, Brahmins, priests of Juggernaut, &c, and then he will doubt no

more. Nero and Caligula were detestable tyrants, and thousands besides I might mention, and not leave Solomon out of the number. Who made them men? I answer, God. Who made them tyrants? I answer men: servile, sycophantic, bigoted men. The Israelitish priesthood preached for pay, and divined for money. They also preached unconditional submission to their kings, which secured their sovereign and tyrannical authority; and who was to blame? no doubt the people themselves: "my people love to have it so," says God by the mouth of his faithful prophet Jeremiah. When the

Romans were virtuous, they were free, for God was their defender, and no tyrant dared to infringe their rights: but alas! when they became vicious, they also became an easy prey to every enterprising adventurer. God will help them. that help themselves, and this assertion is elucidated in the fable of the wagoner and Jupiter. A bad population, like a bad tree, produces bad fruit. Were it not for a host of parasites, pensioners, prostitutes, spies, informers, flatterers, and the hangman at their head, Nero would have never reigned; and were it not for a host of such tories and traitors, with pride and ambition at their head, France would be now in Europe what the United States would be in America, were it not for African Slavery. "A lesson to the oppressor, and a pattern to the oppressed." Cursed ambition! the bane of virgins and the bait of fools, has destroyed that beautiful country, which nature has made a paradise, and man has metamorphosed to a dungeon of despotism and desolation. When I recollect the commencement, the progress and the catastrophe of the French revolution, and the desperate consequences of its failure on the liberty, peace, and happiness of the European population, my very heart almost weeps blood. God gave the people of France a fair opportunity to assert their natural rights, and support their political independence. Yes, I will contend, that he graciously gave them a better chance than any other nation ever were blessed with: I will not except the enlightened and independent people of America. This God can do without acting incompatibly with his equitable attributes; but if he could lift them out of the sink of political prostitution, and religious fanaticism, and set them on their feet, and enable the nation to stand like a man, and no longer crouch and cringe like a beast, he certainly could