credible, that we should have permitted then to proceed, without any molestation, to ercet their batteries within a few miles of our lines, against a place which is admitted to have been an important barrier of Portugal. We have no doubt that Lord Wellington has acted the part of a wise general in the course he, has pursued; but then we must admit that the odds were fearfully against him; and these odds will, of course, be increased by the reduction of this fortress. No movements of any moment have since taken place in either army. Soult (the Duke of Dalmatia) has published a most sanguinary decree, in which, desiguating the Spaniards armed against France as robbers, he orders that every Spaniard taken with arms in his hands shall be tried by a military commission, and shot, and that his house shall be burnt to the ground. The Regency have, in consequence of this, issued a retaliating decree, in which they order, that for every Spaniard proved to have been murdered in obedience to Soult's decree, three Frenchmen taken in arms shall be hanged without fail; and for every house which may be burnt in obedience to the same decrée, the three first persons belong ing to the French army who are taken shall be hanged, and as many for every one who may have perished in the flames; that Soult himself should he be taken, shall be treated as a robber; that henceforward the French armies shall be called by no other names than those of robbers and assassins; and that this order shall be circulated in the French armies and throughout Europe, that all who lave children, relations, or friends, in the French armies, may see the inevitable fate prepared for them by the cruelty of the monster who is at their head. What a dreadful state of things do these decrees exhibit! SICILY. From the latest intelligence from this quarter which has appeared in the French newspapers, it may be inferred that the invasion of this island will, at least, be postponed. It is stated that a large convoy has been taken by the English, the preservation of which was essential to the further progress of the expedition. The real reason probably is (provided the whole be not a feint), that, the channel between Sicily and the Neapolitan shore is rendered impassable by the British ships of war which are stationed there. SWEDEN. The French General Bernadotte has been chosen Crown Prince of Sweden. This arrangement, we apprehend, forebodes no good either to Russia or Denmark. It is even already announced to the Swedes, that in the person of Bernadotte they have a pledge for the restoration of Finland, which, by the violation of every principle of good faith, and at the expense of much blood and misery, Russia was so lately instigated by France to acquire. It is expected that the King of Sweden will speedily resign his crown in favour of Bernadotte. FRANCE. Bonaparte, proceeding steadily in his plans of subjecting the universal mind of the French people to his will, and with this preventing their seeing or hearing but such things as he chooses they should see and hear, has issued from the palace of Trianon the following decree: 1. There shall be only one journal in ́ each of the departments, with the exception of that of the Seine. "2. This journal shall be under the authority of the prefect, and cannot be published but with his approbation. "3. Nevertheless, the prefects may provisionally authorize in our great cities the publication of papers containing advertisements relative to sales of merchandize, &c. and journals treating exclusively of literature, the sciences, arts, and agriculture. The said publications must contain no articles foreign to their object. And the minister of the interior shall, on the 1st of September next, make a report to us on the said advertising journals." We stated in our last, that Bouaparte had announced his intention of withdrawing his Berlin and Milan decrees in November next, provided Great Britain would withdraw her Orders in Council. Another condition, however, was insidiously annexed, which we had overlooked, namely, that Great Britain should also abandon her new principles of blockade. The convenient generality of this expression Bonaparte knows will make it impos-ible for our government to accede to his proposal. Our orders in council, being a measure of retaliation, would fall, of course, when the deerees which gave them birth were rescinded. But as it iswholly impossible to meet him on this new ground,without relinquishing every advantage which we derive from our naval superiority, Bonaparte, doubtless, expects that we shall by our refusal embroil ourselves with America. We trust, however, that the good sense of America will view the matter in its true light, and see that our compliance with so vague and undefined a requisition is impossible. BRAZILS. A treaty of friendship and alliance has been concluded between his Majesty and the Prince Regent of Portugal and the Brazils, which forms a pleasing contrast to the engagements usually entered into between crowned heads. Its objects are highly ho nourable to both parties. After some stipulations, which have in view the mutual defence of each other's dominious, the indemnification of such subjects of either government as may have suffered by the late changes, the subsistence of the fleets of each when engaged in the defence of the other, an article is inserted, by which the Prince Regent, "guided by an enlightened and liberal policy," declares spontaneously that the Inquisition shall not hereafter be esta blished in the South American dominions, and a hope is also held out of its extinction in Portugal. The last article is one which we have read with very peculiar satisfaction. We give it at length. "His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Portugal, being fully convinced of the injustice and impolicy of the Slave Trade, and of the great disadvantages which arise from the necessity of introducing and continually renewing a foreign and factitious population for the purpose of labour and industry with in his South American dominions, has resolved to co-operate with his Britannic Majesty in the cause of humanity and justice, by adopting the most eificacious means for bringing about a gradual abolition of the Slave Trade throughout the whole of his dominious. And, actuated by this principle, his Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Portugal engages that his subjects shall not be permitted to carry on the slave trade on any part of the coast of Africa, not actually belonging to his Royal Highness's dominions, in which that trade has been discontinued and abandoned by the powers and states of Europe, which formerly traded there; reserving, however, to his own subjects the right of purchasing and trading in slaves within the African dominions of the Crown of Portugal. It is, however, to be distinctly anderstood, that the stipulations of the present article are not to be considered as invalidating or otherwise affecting the rights of the Crown of Portugal to the territories of Cabinda and Molembo (which rights have formerly been questioned by the government of France), nor as limiting or restraining the commerce of Ajuda and other ports in Africa (situated upon the coast commonly called in the Portugueze language the Costa de Mina). belonging to or claimed by the Crown of Portugal; his Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Portugal being resolved not to resign nor forego his just and legitimate pretensions thereto, nor the rights of his sabjects to trade with those places, exactly in the same manner as they have hitherto done.” We rejoice in witnessing the broad admission of the inhumanity and injustice, as well as the inexpediency, of the slave trade, which the above article contains; and although the particular provisions which are agreed to fall far short of the exigency of the case, or of the requisitions which we are fairly and reasonably entitled to make on this subject, yet we sincerely congratulate the friends of Africa that so much has been done; and we trust that it is only a prelude to farther measures of restriction. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. We cannot help thinking J. M. S. a little unreasonable in his expectations. He sends quotations which he himself supposes "may be incorrect," and which are taken, not from the writings of the Father whom he professes to quote, but from another source; and be seems displeased that they are not immediately inserted, We have returned his paper by post, according to his desire. T. Y.; R. S.; A. CLARKE; and TALIB, will appear. H. T.; JUVENISs; W. R.; W. D.; HANO's two papers; T. H.; and ARABELLA ARCUS; been received and are under consideration. OMEGA's letter will be attended to immediately; and he is requested to inform the Editer where he may be addressed. H. S. has omitted to send the essay on which he comments, so that no judgment can be formed of the jusitce of his remarks, EXTRACTS FROM THE CORRESPOND- to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, is ENCE OF THE FIRST PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES TO INDIA. (Continued from p. 535.) WE E have now arrived at the period when the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, better known by the name of the Bartlett's Buildings' Society, began to take an active concern in the support and encouragement of the Protestant Missions to India. I have before me their first publication on this subject: it bears the date of 1718, and is entitled, "Propagation of the Gospel in the East, being a Collection of Letters from the Protestant Missionaries, and other worthy Persons in the East Indies, &c. relating to the Mission, the Means of promoting it, and the Success it hath pleased God to give to the Endeavours used hitherto for propagating true Christianity among the Heathens in those Parts, but chiefly on the Coast of Coromandel.. Published by the Direction of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge." The letters are prefaced by an address to the reader, which contains so many important observations, at least as applicable to the state of the world in the commencement of the nineteenth, as in that of the eighteenth century, that I trust I shall be excused for calling your attention to them. They will serve to shew us, how the venerable founders of this excellent society wrote and thought. Would that their descendants might ever be animated with the same spirit *! "The conversion of the Gentiles *The following quotations are taken from this address. CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 106. a matter of joy and exultation to all such as wish to see the church in a better and more flourishing state than that wherein she doth appear at present. Whosoever maketh the interest of our Blessed Saviour his own, and doth not act upon a principle separate from that of his Master, must needs rejoice at the enlargement of the kingdom of Christ upon earth: particularly, if the parched wilderness of the Pagan world should once begin to flourish; and the barren church of the Gentiles shout for joy, at the numerous company of children she is to bring forth." "This glorious state of the church will then, doubtless, appear, when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, and all Israel is saved at last. These will prove infinite accessions to the church, both in strength and beauty, and make her arise and shine, as the prophet expresseth it. But what renders still more complete the glory of the church in that time, is the wonderful order and symmetry which will then most conspicuously appear, both throughout the whole body in general, and in every member in particular. The spirit of division and rancour, of party and animosity, of strife and envy, will be altogether banished from the church, raised to that dignity: or, if it should offer to disturb her, it will soon be vanquished by that Power, which hath made her a terror to her enemies. But all this she doth not do by her own power, but by the power of her Head, to whom she is graciously united by faith. All the members are animated by one and the same spirit, nourished by the 4 F same bread, begotten into the same hope, united to the same Head, held together in the same bond of peace. The variety of gifts which appears among them, is so far from creating divisions that it will set off the church with the greater lustre and amiableness. For as all the gifts are sanctified by the same Spirit, so they tend all to the same end. And it is this union, which maketh the church look both beautiful and powerful, fair and terrible. "How little there is seen as yet of this sweet and majestic power, in our modern churches, is so obvious to an impartial eye, that it needs no farther proof to evince it. And yet an industrious observer of the times cannot but take notice of the singus Jar providence of God, which in the midst of so heartless a state of religion, hath stirred up some who do not only grieve for the affliction of Joseph, and the decay of true piety, but do also contrive means to repair it. Some do what they can to convey life into those churches which have a name and form that they live, but are dead. Some endeavour to instil sound principles into children, to make thereby the church look fairer in the next generation than she doth in the present. Some endeavour to take away the veil from the Jews, that overspreads their minds, and bath all along hindered them from looking to the end of the law. Some have published, and do publish the oracles of God in divers languages, for spreading the knowledge of Christ among those that are as yet destitute of that benefit. Some bend their endeavours towards the reformation of public schools, in order to see them cleared from profane customs and inveterate corruptions. Some do promote Christian love among the differing parties of religion, as the only foundation whereon the so long wished-for union among Protestants may be raised in -time. Some are employed about exercising the severity of the Law, thereby to restrain a sinner's hand from doing evil: whilst others display the power of the Gospel, thereby to regenerate his heart, in order to his doing good. Some endeavour to support real holiness, by private conferences on the most practical heads of religion; whilst others do the same, by publishing and dispersing such books as treat on edifying subjects. All these and the like endeavours, cannot but be agreeable to a wellwisher to the cause of religion, and may be deemed as so many presages of a better state of the church upon earth." "To all these attempts made towards a reformation and enlargement of the church, may be added another, to which some inclination hath appeared of late, among seve ral protestant nations in Europe: and this is, the propagation of the Christian faith in the East and West-Indies." "This undertaking hath been highly approved by some, and disliked by others. Some, who do not suppose an enterprize of this nature to be altogether impractica ble, do however think it now very improper, when every one complains of hard times, and is called upon by other expenses nearer at home; and for this reason they are for putting it off to a more convenient season. Others have been startled at the newness of the thing, and are shy to venture into a road so little beaten in this age, and so much exposed to danger and difficulty. Others have been bare spectators in this matter, unwilling to judge of a work, which, like a tender blade, did but just appear above ground, not discovering as yet what its fruit might prove. Others again, have taken a transient view of the scheme, but declared their unwillingness to be farther concerned, till they should see some eminent men espouse it, and by their example encourage others to engage in the same. Others are displeased with the Heathen themselves, who, for the sake of a little gain, will conform to the Christian name, but at the approach of danger quit it again, and relapse into their former ways." "Those, however, who, on one hand, are so easily terrified by the common calamities of the times, and, on the other, by the expensiveness of the design, seem to be little acquainted with the ways of Providence. For if we take a survey of the most considerable transactions, both under the Law and the Gospel, it will plainly appear, that generally the best of works have been carried on in the worst of times, and that they have triumphed at last (though after much toil and labour), over all the clamours and oppositions that wicked men and devils could raise against them." "However, it cannot be denied, that the opposition is then most destructive and fatal, when it comes from those that are within the pale of the church, and who, under an external shew of the same confession, destroy the vitals of the Christian faith.” "The time is not come, the time that the Lord's House should be built, was the common plea of the Jews for their sloth and drowsiness: but then the effect was, that whilst governors, priests and people, were wholly bent on advancing their worldly interest, and shamefully neglected the Lord's House, their vines and olives did not yield their increase, and the earth denied her fruits. All which may possibly convince us, that even outward prosperity doth in a great measure depend upon the care employed in the worship of God, and its enlargement among Jews and Heathens. "Nor have those a sufficient plea for themselves, that undervalue a design, because it is new, and because it hath been little attempted by Protestants. Truly, this should rather be an inducement (not to stifle the work in its infancy, but) to inflame that little of the spirit of power and love, which is left among us. Should we be also willing to die, because we see so many dead about us? I mean, so many who are supine and negligent in the greatest concerns of life and happiness. Should we not rather strengthen the more the things which remain, but are ready to die, except they be supported betimes? Which consi deration should make us shake off that natural drowsiness, which confineth the mind to narrow ends and purposes, and indisposeth it for any generous enterprize. Nothing is more common, even among those who call themselves Christians, than to frame new ways and new methods for increasing their stock, and to improve every opportunity offered for that end. Almost every year produceth new schemes, and these, new pursuits after the things of this world. Let a design be never so new and uncommon, it will soon be embraced, if it be but profitable, and conducive to some temporal end or other. Why should a Christian, then, be shy of a work because it is new, when it may carry with it a never-fading reward? Should not he be as ready and watchful to lay up riches in heaven, as the profane worldling is to improve his income on earth? "But to return to the affairs in India; it is true, that what we see at present is but an embryo, and a seed, as it were, scattered by the missionaries among that numerous people; and a seed cannot be sown, and its product reaped, in one day. However, a wise man doth not despise even the day of small things. He knows that one soweth, and another reapeth; but that both shall rejoice together in due season, and be rewarded according to their pains, not according to their success. The whole undertaking, such as it is at this time, may give the impartial reader a fair prospect at least, that a work of this nature is not altogether impracticable; and that the Lord, who is the only author of success, will direct the steps of those who are engaged, or shall engage in a design, tending so much to the enlargement of the church of Christ upon earth. "Nor ought we to be deterred from so Christian an enterprize, by the perverse conduct of some Heathen, who, out of regard to a temporal benefit, will for a while conform to the external confession of |
