of Georgia, went down to Charleston to purchase slaves. A cargo had just been landed they were set up at auction declared to be sound in wind and limb, and were struck off to the highest bidder. This planter purchased his complement, and the driver conducted them off. On the way to Augusta, one of the women accidentally saw the man who had been her husband in Africa; the dissevered pair immediately recognized each other, and their feelings at this unexpected meeting may be conceived by those, who are acquainted with conjugal affection. The owner of the husband was moved at the scene, and proposed either to sell, or buy, that the poor creatures might live together on the same plantation. But the other, hardhearted man! would do neither. They of course were soon parted; the woman was conducted up the country, and soon after died with grief."—Vol. ii. p. 206-211. Mr. Benedict further observes, page 250, in speaking of the slave-holders, "There is such a strong current against the emancipation of slaves, and custom, covetousness, indolence, and ambition, find so many arguments in favour of slavery, that there seems but little prospect, that any material change will at present be effected, in the condition of this numerous race of enslaved and degraded beings." Hence, it is abundantly evident, that it belongs to the general government of the U. S. to banish tyranny and oppression from this boasted "asylum of liberty!" and to break the rod of the oppressor. UNCOMMON THOUGHTS ON COMMON sense. THE idea which I have adopted of common sense is plain and simple. I consider it as the perception of things as they appear to the greatest part of mankind. It has no relation to their being true or false, right or wrong, proper or improper. For the sake of perspicuity, I shall define it to be, Opinions aud feelings in unison with the opinions and feelings of the bulk of mankind. From this definition, it is evident that common sense must necessarily differ in different ages and countries, and in both, must vary with the progress of taste, science, and religion. In the cultivated state of reason, the opinions and feelings of a majority of mankind will be wrong, and, of course, their common or universal sense, will partake of their errors. In the cultivated state of reason, just opinions and feelings will become general, and the common sense of the majority will be in unison with truth. I beg leave to illustrate what I mean by a few examples. 1. There are many things which were contrary to common sense in former ages, both in philosophy and religion, which are now universally believed, insomuch that to call them in question is to discover a want of judgement, or a defective education. 2. It is contrary to common sense to speak or write in favour of republicanism, in several Eu ropean conntries; and it is equally contrary to it to speak or write in favour of monarchy, in the United States of Amer ica. 3. The common sense of the planters in Jamaica is in favour of the commerce and slavery of the Africans. In Pennsylvania, reason, humanity, and common sense, have universally declared against them. 4. In Turkey, it is contrary to the common sense of delicacy which prevails in that country, for a gentleman to dance with a lady. No such common sense prevails in any of the western countries of Europe, or in the states of America. 5. It is contrary to the common sense of many numerous seets to believe, that it is possible for men to go to heaven, who do not embrace their principles, or mode of worship. Among rational men, this common sense is contrary to truth and christian religion. 6. The common sense of mankind has generally been in fav. our of established modes and habits of practice, in medicine. Opium, bark, mercury, and the lancet have all forced their way into general use, contrary to this common sense. Their utility is a proof how little common sense accords with the decisions of reason, and how improperly it is supposed to be a part of that noble power of the mind. 7. It is agreeable to the common sense of a great part of mankind, to revenge public and private injuries by wars and duels, and yet no wise or just reason has ever been given to justify the practice of either of them. 8. The common sense of nearly all nations, is in favour of preventing crimes by the punishment of death, but right reason, policy, and the experience of a wise and enlightened prince, all concur in proving that the best means of preventing crimes, is by living and not by dead examples. In the perfection of knowledge, common sense and truth will be in unison with each other. It is now more related to error than to truth, and in the sense in which I have described it, it implies more praise than censure to want it. To say that a man has common sense, is to say that he thinks with his age or country, in their false as well as their true opinions; and the greater the proportion of people, he acts and thinks with, the greater share he possesses of this common sense. After all that has been said in its favour, I cannot help thinking that it is the characteristic only of common minds. To think or act with the majority of mankind, when they are right, and differently from them, when they are wrong, constitutes in my opinion, the perfection of human wisdom and conduct. The feelings and opinions of mankind are often confounded; but they are widely different from each other. There may be just feelings connected with erroneous opinions and conduct. This is often the case in religion and government. But, in general, opinions and feelings are just and unjust in equal degrees, according to the circumstance of age, country, and the progress of knowledge before mentioned. I cannot dismiss this subject without adding the following remark. Mankind are governed, says Mr. Boyle, by their prejudices, and not by their principles. To do them good, we must, in some measure, conform to these prejudices; hence we find the most acceptable men in practical society, have been those who have never shocked their contemporaries, by opposing popular or common opinions. Men of opposite characters, like objects placed too near the eye, are seldom seen distinctly by the age in which they live. They must content themselves with the prospect of being useful to the distant and more enlightened generations which are to follow them. Galileo, who asked pardon of the Pope, on his knees, for contradicting the common sense of the church, respecting the revolution of the earth, and Dr. Harvey, who lost all his business by refuting the common sense of former ages, respecting the circulation of the blood, now enjoy a reputation for their opinions and discoveries, which has in no instance ever been given to the cold blood of common sense. Abridged from Dr. Rush. THE CHRISTIAN CABINET FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. No. VII. The Duke of Buckingham. In the last Number of the Disciple the character of James H. Beattie was exhibited as remarkably amiable and worthy of imitation. By way of contrast and admonition an opposite character will now be briefly noticed. George Villiers, duke of Buckingham, was born in 1627, and was a distinguished person in the reign of Charles the second. He possessed great natural abilities which were much improved by education: but they were shamefully misapplied. The earl of Clarendon gives the following account of this duke of dissipation: "He was a man of noble presence; he had great liveliness of wit, and a peculiar faculty of turning serious things into ridicule. He had no principles of religion, virtue or friendship. Pleasure, frolic, or extravagant diversion were all that he regarded. He had no steadiness nor conduct; and would never fix his thoughts, nor govern his estate, though it was at one time the greatest in England. He was bred about the king, and for many years had a great ascendant over him; but at length he drew a lasting disgrace upon himself, and ruined both body and mind, fortune and reputation. The madness of vice appeared in him in very eminent instances; and at last he became contemptible and poor. sickly and sunk in all respects; so that his conversation was as much avoided, as it ever had been courted." Such were the consequences of prostituting eminent talents and advantages to profane, immoral and irreligious purposes. Had he but possessed the disposition of James Hay Beattie he might have been a very great blessing to his country, and his name would have been handed down to following generations as the glory of the age in which he lived. But, unhappy man! he chose the path of vice, and it proved to him the road to infamy and ruin. By his fate let young people be admonished. Let them ponder on the language uttered by this profligate in the prospect of death. In a letter which he wrote to Dr. W. a particular friend, a little before his decease, we have the following passages : 66 "O, what a prodigal have I been of that most valuable of all possessions, time! I have squandered it away with a profusion unparalelled; and now, when the enjoyment of a few days would be worth the world, I cannot flatter myself with the prospect of half a dozen hours. "How despicable, my dear friend, is that man who never prays to his God, but in the time of distress! In what manner can he supplicate that Omnipotent Being in his affliction, whom, in the time of his prosperity, he never remembered with reverence? Do not brand me with infidelity when I tell you that I am almost ashamed to offer up my petitions at the throne of grace, or to implore that divine mercy in the next world which I have scandalously abused in this. Shall ingratitude to man be looked upon as the blackest of crimes, and not ingratitude to God? Shall an insult offered to the king be Vol. V.-No. 11. looked upon in the most offensive light, and yet no notice taken when the King of kings is treated with indignity and disrespect ?" "A future state may well enough strike terror into any man who has not acted well in this life; and he must have an uncommon share of courage in deed who does not shrink at the presence of God." "From my rank I might have expected affluence to wait upon my life; from religion and understanding, peace to smile upon my end; instead of which l ́am afflicted with poverty and haunted with remorse; despised by my country, and, I fear, forsaken by my God!" "To procure a smile from a blockhead, whom I despised, I have frequently treated the vir tuous with disrespect; and sported with the holy name of heaven to obtain a laugh from a parcel of fools, who were entitled to nothing but contempt. "What a pity that the holy writings are not made the criterion of true judgement! or that any person should pass for a gentleman in this world, but he that appears solicitous about his happiness in the next." "Favour me with a visit as soon as possible come and pray for the departing spirit of the peor unhappy BUCKINGHAM !" It is not supposed that profligate youth are in the habit of reading the Christian Disciple; but the admonitory account now given may be a means of preventing some young people from adopting vicious courses and of exciting them to pursue with greater diligence and fervour the 43 path of life. Wo to the wicked for it shall be ill with him. No. VIII. EDWARD DRINKER.--This man was born December 24th, 1680, in a small cabin in Philadelphia. At 12 years of age he went to Boston where he served as an apprentice to a cabinet maker. In 1745, he returned to Philadelphia, with his family, where he lived to the time of his death. He was four times married-had 18 children, all of whom were by his first wife. Not long before his death he heard of the birth of a grand-child to one of his grand-children. He retained all his faculties till the last year of his life. Even his memory was but little impaired. He was remarkably temperate, and enjoyed an uncommon share of health. During his long life he never was confined to his bed more than,, three days; and he often declared he had no idea of the pain called the head-ach. He was a man of the most amiable temper; old age had not curdled his blood; he was uniformly cheerful and kind to every body. His religious principles were as steady as his morals were pure. When he was born, the banks of the Delaware, where the city of Philadelphia now stands, were inhabited by Indians, with a few Swedes and Hollanders. He lived to see the same ground become the seat of a city of great wealth and splendor. He saw regular streets where he once pursued a hare; he saw churches rising upon morasses where he had often heard the eroaking of frogs; he saw ships of every size and use where he had formerly seen nothing but Indian canoes. He saw stately edifices filled with legislators, where he had seen an Indian council fire. He saw the treaty ratified between the Confederated States of America and the monarchy of France, on the same spot where he saw William Penn ratify his first and last treaty with the Indians. He saw the beginning and the end of the empire of Great Britain in Pennsylvania. He had been the subject of seven crowned heads, and afterwards became a willing citizen of a re publie. He died Nov. 17th, 1780, aged 101 years, 10 months and 23 days. Dr. Rush, from whose writings this abstract was taken, says he died" in the 103d year of his age." If this was correct, there must have been a mistake in giving the date of his birth, or of his death. No. IX. Benevolent act of M. De Montesquieu. THE author of the Memoirs of this celebrated personage relates of him the following anecdote :-A gentleman being at Marseilles, hired a boat with an intention of sailing for pleasure; he entered into conversation with the two young men who owned the vessel, and learned that they were not watermen by trade, but silversmiths; and that when they could be spared from their usual business, they employed themselves in that way to increase their earnings. On expressing his surprise at their conduct, |