scribe the most extenfive gain as the measure of publis intereft, to extinguish the genuine love of country, and to eradicate all fenfe of national honour. The mafculine, elevated, and wife fentiments of our ancestors, seem to have given place to a fordid defire, and an ignoble veneration of wealth, to an intemperate love of pleasure, to wafting luxury, and to all the frivolity and effeminacy of a luxurious and opulent age. Diffipation and profanity are no longer confined to the higher ranks, where they long refided, but have defcended to the lower, aggravated by all that coarfenefs of excefs which always accompanies a mean education. Among them, the doctrines of infidelity have alfo been diffeminated with a facility of reception which would, a few years ago, have been accounted impoffible. Never before were thofe conjugal ties, the fanctity of which is the fureft pledge of purity of morals and of public happinefs, fo wantonly broken; never was domeftic felicity fo frequently ftabbed, and all that people owe to their children and families, fo fhamefully neglected or forgotten; never was there a period in which religion was fo little ftudied in theory, and fo little manifefted in practice; infomuch, that it appears to be the only fubject which ought not to occupy people's thoughts, and the only principle that ought not to influence their conduct. Even when any regard for religion remains, how often does it degenerate either into bigotry or fanaticism, or into mere external obfervance, and a refpect for public inftitutions? The fmall influence of genuine piety is evident from this circumftance, that it very frequently happens, that perfons who are uncommonly zealous for a particular fyftem of religious opinions, are by no means affected by the attempts of deifts or atheists, to fap the foundations of all religion, both natural and revealed, and even applaud their pernicious doctrines, merely because they agree with them on certain political points. Can this be called any thing elfe but an obftinate fectarian fpirit, devoid of all pure religious principle? Public fpirit is generally either a

blind attachment to party, or an invincible devotion to opinions adverfe to national freedom and good government, either by their tendency to defpotic oppreffion, or to democratical anarchy. Thanks be to God for the remnant of virtue that is ftill preferved among us, in the humanity and charity which characterize our na tion, and, in fome measure, redeem the manifold tur pitude by which it is difgraced.

A

FRIENDLY ISLANDS.

MISSIONARIES AT TONGATABOO.*

DEAR SIR,

Deptford, Jan. 8, 1799.

GREEABLE to the intimation you gave me the other evening, I have examined my Diary, in which I find, that the American fnow, Capt. Garden, arrived at Manilla, on the firft of January, 1798, from Port Jackson and New-Zealand; but not having made any further memorandums, muft. refer to my recollection for his account of touching at the Miffionary islands. From him I understood, that, after leaving Port Jackfon, he proceeded to New-Zealand, and took off the remaining part of the crew of the fhip Endeavour, formerly the Lord North Indiaman, and left the greater part of them at Norfolk ifland, according to an agreement made with the Governor of Port Jackfon; a few remaining on board to affift in working the veffel: That in his paffage to the northward, through the Paci fic Ocean, he touched at feveral iflands to obtain refreshments and trade for pearls, among which was the ifland of Tongataboo, where, he informed me, he had feen the Miffionaries fent out from England, and that two of them were on board the veffel, and he bartered with them for several neceffaries which he stood in great

*See Captain Wilson's letter, No. 1, page 58.

need of, and of which they had abundance; giving them in return nails and pieces of iron, &c. That they poffeffed the entire confidence of the natives, who treated them with the utmost deference and refpect, having entrusted to their care feveral children of both fexes; but that they had not commenced the important part of their ministry, but were endeavouring to acquire a perfect knowledge of their language, as a neceffary preliminary ftep to the promulgation of the truths of the gofpel. I cannot take upon me to affert from recollection, that he actually vifited the island of Otaheite, or that his statement of the number of Miffionaries at the islands was from the accounts he received at Tongataboo alone. I likewise understood that two of thofe people, whom he had brought on from New-Zealand, by their particular request, were left at one of the islands, I believe it to be Tongataboo.

I think we may venture to date the time of his being at the islands, fometime in the month of October, 1797, which will allow a fufficient time for a fhort detention at the Sandwich Islands, where he stopped to obtain yams and other refreshments, and proceeded direct to Ma nilla.

At the time of my receiving this information from Mr. Garden, my unfortunate detention at Manilla, with the very diftant profpect of feeing this country, tendered it very improbable that I fhould be able to give any information to the friends of the Miffionary Society, or I would have obtained the time of his vifiting those islands, with a fatisfactory detail of the Miffionaries, as far as his information tended on this fubject. But happy in being able to give the smallest information to thofe benevolent minds who are earneft for the extenfion of Chrift's kingdom among the innumerable inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean, I conclude with my moft fincere prayer, that God, the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, will acknowledge the work, and grant his peculiar bleffing to attend on all his faithful minifters, and make them inftruments in his hands of calling the

Gentiles out of darkness into his marvellous light, by the redemption fet forth in Chrift Jefus our Lord. Yours fincerely,

Mr. J. Rate.

DANIEL PAINS.

The American fnow appears to have been at Tongataboo about two months after the Duff's departure; and the circumftance of touching at the above island affords this confolation, in addition to the pleasure of hearing of the Miffionaries, that there can now remain no doubt as to their perfonal fafety.

T

PARLEY THE PORTER. An Allegory.

HERE was once a certain gentleman who had a houfe or castle, fituated in the midst of a great wilderness, but inclofed in a garden. Now, there was a band of robbers in the wilderness, who had a great mind to plunder and deftroy the caftle, but they had not fucceeded in their endeavours, because the mafter had given ftrict orders to "watch without ceafing." To quicken their vigilance, he ufed to tell them that their care would foon have an end; that though the nights they had to watch were dark and ftormy, yet they were but few; the period of refiftance was fhort, that of reft eternal.

The robbers, however, attacked the castle in various ways. They tried at every avenue; watched to take advantage of every careless moment; looked for an open door, or a neglected window. But though they often made the bolts shake, and the windows rattle, they could never greatly hurt the house, much lefs get into it. Do you know the reafon? It was, becaufe the fervants were never off their guard. They heard the noifes plain enough, and used to be not a little frightened, for they were aware both of the ftrength and perfeverance of the enemy. But what feemed rather odd to fome of these fervants, the gentleman used to tell them, that while they continued to be afraid, they would be fafe; and it

paffed into a fort of proverb in that family, "happy is he that feareth always." Some of the fervants, however, thought this a contradiction.

One day, when the mafter was going from home, he called his fervants all together, and fpoke to them as follows: "I will not repeat to you the directions I have fo often given you; they are all written down in THE BOOK OF LAWS, of which every one of you has a copy. Remember, it is a very fhort time that you are to remain in this caftle; you will foon remove to my more fettled habitation, to a more durable houfe, not made with hands. As those houses are never exposed to any attack, fo they never ftand in need of any repair, for that country is never infefted by any fons of violence. Here you are fervants; there you will be princes. But mark my words, and you will find the fame truth in THE BOOK OF MY LAWS. Whether you will ever attain to that houfe, will depend on the manner in which you defend yourselves in this. A ftout vigilance for a fhort time will fecure you certain happiness for ever. But every thing depends on your prefent exertions. Don't complain and take advantage of my abfence, and call me a hard mafter, and grumble that you are placed in the midst of an howling wildernefs without peace or fecurity. Say not, that you are expofed to temptations without any power to refift them. You have fome dif-" ficulties, it is true, but you have many helps and many comforts to make this houfe tolerable, even before you get to the other. Yours is not a hard service, and if it were, the time is fhort." You have arms if you will ufe them, and doors if you will bar them, and ftrength if you will use it. I would defy all the attacks of the robbers without, if I could depend on the fidelity of the people within. If the thieves ever get in and deftroy the houfe, it must be by the connivance of one of the family. For it is a flanding law of this caftle, that mera outward attack can never deftroy it, if there be no traitor within. You will ftand or fall as you obferve this rule,