cordingly they met, and fought; and the brave youth disarmed his adversary, and forced him to ask his pardon publicly. This done, the next day he threw up his commission, and desired the king's leave to return to his father. At parting, he embraced his brother and his friend with tears in his eyes, saying, "he did not imagine the Christians were such unaccountable people; and that he could not apprehend their faith was of any use to them, if it did not influence the practiser. In my country, we think it no dishonor to act according to the principles of our religion.”

Agony of Death. Much of the terror of death arises from the pangs and convulsions wherewith the agony seems attended; though we have reason to believe that the pain in such cases is ordinarily not extremely acute; a course of pain and sickness having usually stupified and indisposed the nerves for any quick sensation. However, various means have been thought of for mitigating the agony of death. Lord Bacon considers this as part of the province of a physician; and not only when such a mitigation may tend to a recovery, but also when, there being no further hopes of a recovery, it can only tend to make the passage out of life more calm and easy. Complacency in death, which Augustus so much desired, is certainly no small part of happiness. Accord ingly the author last cited ranks euthanasia, or the art of dying easily, among the desiderata of science. Opium has been applied for this purpose, with the approbation of some, but the condemnation of more. Baglavi published a treatise on the method of treating those in the agonies of death; but, perhaps one of the best receipts for that end, is that of Mr. Patin, viz. abstinence from all medicine. To this, we shall take the liberty of adding, that the best way of preparing ourselves against the agonies of death, is to live in such a manner, that we need not be afraid to die.

It was said of the celebrated John Wesley, "He believes, as if he were to be saved by faith; and he labors, as if he were to be saved by works.”

The late Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, was remarkably fond of ham. He frequently asserted, that he thought men ought to adhere to the principles in which they were educated, and abide by the customs which belonged to the creed of their fathers. His worship being once present at a table where a hot

Kam was brought into the room, the flavor seemed to delight him, but before he could make an incision, one of the company requested he would answer the following question: "If you, sir, had been educated a Jew, how would you have acted, if, when you were very hungry, such a ham as this had been placed before you?” "Sir," replied he, "I would have pulled off my hat, made a low bow, and said with Agrippa, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."

The Discovery. A gentleman praising the personal charms. of a very plain woman before Foote, the latter whispered him, "And why don't you lay claim to such an accomplished beauty?" "What right have I to her?" said the other. "Every right by the law of nations, as the first discoverer!"

Lord H****, (who was much addicted to the bottle) previous to a masquerade night, enquired of Foote "what new character he ought to appear in?" "New character!" said the other, "suppose you go sober, my lord !"

SALT WORKS.

The last summer, at a salt works in Galen township, Cayuga county, and state of New-York, the owner had an idea that by dig ging, he might perhaps arrive at the salt rock; accordingly he employed a hand to try the experiment, who went down about sixty or seventy feet, when to his great satisfaction he came to the bed of salt, and broke off a small piece, but the water broke in upon him so fast, that he had to call for assistance to get out, and had only time to bring one of his tools with him, and a small piece of salt, which was clear like a piece of allum. The water rose to the surface and run over; they then built a wall of stone and lime round it four feet high, so close as to hold water; they have a number of kettles, or salt pans, constantly boiling, but still they are unable to use it as fast as it rises. The water is so strong, that where it scatters over the ground it chrystallizes with the heat of the sun in the hot weather.

A MONTHLY JOURNAL,

Of Passing Events, New Inventions, Domestic Improvements, Progress of Manufactures, &c. &c.

The French astronomers say a new comet may be seen in the Heavens, with good glasses. In December it was in the constellation of eridanus. On the 5th of that month, at 11 P. M. its right ascension was 64. 23. and the declination 13. 34. The apparent motion of the comet in right ascension is retrograde and very slow; and the motion in declination carried it towards the northern hemisphere.

The metropolis of England is represented, in some of our London papers, to be in a state of consternation and horror unexampled in the history of that country. The commission of murder and robbery there is so frequent, that, in the language of the editor of the Statesman, "no person of either sex can go to bed without the apprehension of being bereaved of life and property before the next morning."

An eruption took place at Mount Etna, on the third of November last, which is described as being more violent and destructive to the villages below the crater, than any which had happened for several years.

We have intelligence from France, that, encouraged by the great rewards offered by Bonaparte, several Americans have arrived in that country from the United States, with machines for the spinning of cotton, wool, &c. which are improvements on the apparatus employed in the British manufactories. It is added, that they have received the most liberal encouragement, and are about to obtain licenses in the nature of patents to remunerate them.

Recipe to destroy Bed-Bugs. Take of the highest rectified spirits of wine, (viz. lamp-spirits, that will burn away dry, and leave no moisture behind it) half a pint; spirits of turpentine, half a pint; mix them together, and break into it, in small bits, half an ounce of camphire, which will dissolve in a few minutes; shake them well together; and with a piece of sponge, or a brush dipt in some of it, wet very well the bed, furniture, or wherein these vermin harbor and breed, and it will infallibly destroy both them and their nits, although they swarm ever so much. But then the bed and furniture must be well and thoroughly wet with it, (the dust upon them being first brushed and shook off) by which means it will neither soil, stain, nor in the least hurt, the finest silk or damask bed.

Much has been written and preached concerning CONVERSION, its nature, quality, and effects on the mind, as well as repentance; but in consequence of the general darkness which has overspread. the Christian hemisphere, in these last days more especially, from the prevalence of the opinion that all spiritual gifts, graces, virtues and duties, centre in and flow from faith alone, the true and genuine nature, neither of REPENTANCE nor CONVERSION, have been opened to the rational mind, whereby the humble pious soul, the man simply inquiring concerning the Lord's will, for the sake of the salvation of his soul, is left in perplexing doubts and desponding fears, causing him to hang down his head like a bulrush, fearful lest the path wherein he walks is not the true road to eternal felicity.

Both REPENTANCE and CONVERSION, as well as every other Christian grace and virtue, according to the interior ground of the subject, are of the Lord alone; for he says, Without me ye can do nothing. Still, that man should both REPENT and CONVERT as of himself, is a truth whence springs all the activity of the life of Heaven in the soul. We say as of himself, because thus our graNo. 4.

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cious and all-wise Creator permits us to perceive his operations of love and mercy upon our hearts and souls, whilst we endeavor to exert the powers wherein we are momentarily upheld; without the possession of which we should not enjoy the human faculty, the image and likeness of the divinity, wherein man was originally created.

The particular distinction between REPENTANCE and coNVERSION is, that REPENTANCE consists in putting away our evils and falses, as well hereditary as actual; and CONVERSION in doing of good and truth, after evils are put away; the latter state succeeding the former. For as man, after supplication to the Lord, actually puts away his evils and falses, the Lord flows in with goodness and truth; and in consequence of the Lord's gifts and graces being received in love, and reduced to practice in life, the man becomes a new creature, old things are passed away, and all things made new; in short, he becometh a converted man. This, and nothing less, is genuine CONVERSION; and whoever among us are not arrived to that state, are deluded in flattering ourselves that we are turned to the Lord.

The first part of the duty of conversion which calls forth our serious attention is, Learn to do well. This declaration is put as the frontispiece of conversion, and immediately follows Cease to do evil, because man does not come into a fit frame to learn the things of a spiritual and heavenly nature, that make for the soul's everlasting welfare; nor does he savingly apply truths to life until he has faithfully performed the work of repentance. Do we inquire the reason? The answer is, because, until man savingly puts away his evils, his understanding is full of all manner of falsities favor. ing those evils; and agreeably to the saying of Solomon, "A full soul loatheth the honey-comb." Further, man cannot savingly learn to do well, until he becomes clothed with humility. Every man in his sins is full of the pride of his own intelligence, not willingly bending himself to the teachings of the holy Word; but in proportion as evils are put away, he sees the fallacy of trusting to self-derived intelligence; he sees that without divine instruction he is altogether ignorant of the things of a spiritual life, and of those goods and truths which, by reason of their flowing down from Heaven, fit the humble receiver for, and actually elevate him to that happy abode, which will be the sure portion of all who receive truth from the Lord; and whatever we receive from the holy Word in a state of humility, we receive from the Lord; for the Lord