The preaching, it was observed, had nothing remarkable, either in manner or matter "— "When persons fell down, they would make such an exclamation as 'Lord have mercy!' No confusion took place. They were pro. perly attended until they recovered. He said that the effect could not be counterfeited. Those who fell down, generally continued under the influence of religion: some of them relapsed; and such, it was said, were most frequently in a state of insensibility after the seizure in falling down. When one of the quarterly meetings was approaching, a young woman, at a distance, signified to her father a desire to attend. He, after some consideration, without any apparent reluctance, carried her to the place. During the preaching, she fell down, and upon her recovery, appeared deeply impressed by religious truths. The father was very much displeased; and in go ing home, finding his reasoning with her una vailing, he horse-whipped her very severely. He repeated the same treatment, I think, twice after their arrival at their common residence. His behaviour was so outrageous, as to oblige the daughter to claim the protection of the magistrate. When before him, the father refused to make any concessions or promises of good behaviour. His mittimus was written out, and he committed to the proper officer; but while on the road to prison, he fell down, and when able to speak, confessed his fault, and promised amendment :-moreover, he owned, that during the whole of his outrageous behaviour, he had been under strong convictions, which he endeavoured resolutely to resist."

Now, Sir, if the design of the conductors of the Evangelical Magazine had been (what I verily believe it is not) to expose religion to ridicule and contempt, I question whether they could have more effectually accomplished their purpose than by the insertion without any censure of such extravagant relations. Do they really mean to exhibit to the world these strange occurrences as a proper representation of what may be called "a revival of religion." Then must I grieve over the ten thousand families who are said to regard this work as oracular. It may, perhaps, be said in their vindication that, although they insert these accounts from a persuasion that they will prove gratifying to the depraved appetite of their readers, they do not intend thereby to give them the stamp of approbation. If such a plea could be justly preferred, it would be as severe a condemnation of their moral principles, as the former

Many of your readers, and, perhaps, you yourself, may think I have employed too strong language: but if the extracts which I have sent are closely inspected, it will, probably, extenuation. appear to require no "Impressions," we are informed, are made in riding, walking, working, sleeping, and in every circumTo these impressions, stance of life." whatever they may be, for their nature is not explained, no small efficacy is ascribed. "No sooner do persons become impressed," as it is called, "but they begin to pray ardently; love one another and mankind fervently; and serve the God they before despised with their heart." These, Mr. Editor, are, unquestionably, very excellent effects. But then, they are ef fects which I have been taught to consider, could be produced only by the hearing or reading of the word of God, under the divine teaching—the enlightening, and sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. In the accounts before me, however, not a syllable is said of reading the word of God as a mean of conversion; and in many cases, it is expressly asserted, that the individuals operated upon had not heard a sermon for years. Whence, then, is it, that these poor people de rive their religion? From immediate revelation? Such is the only inference which the letter-writer leaves us at liberty to make. But can this be any other than a gross delusion? Is that account entitled to any credit which

I would refer the reader for many perti. nent remarks on this subject, to your own work for October, 1802, p. 670, and for Janu ary 1804, p. 58.

directly contradicts the Bible?"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God:""Sanctify them by thy truth, &c. &c." St. Paul tells us, that it is the scriptures which made men "wise unto salvation ;" and St. Peter, that men were born again "by the word of God." But that mode, it should seem, is obsolete; things have now taken a different course: impressions do every thing. They even achieve such wonders, that "the most stout and hardened rebels,"" those who were leaders in iniquity," become "leaders in the work of God:" by which, I presume, we are to understand that, under the teaching of impressions, ministers are suddenly formed from the habitually profligate and profane. And yet these impressions, of which so much is made, are left to be defined according to each man's fancy, and seem to be as indescribable as the something which made it "the easiest thing in the world to preach" at Durham and Rocky Hill. Surely, it would be at least decorous, if not prudent, to appoint a term of probation to these leaders in iniquity, before they become leaders in the work of God. What will be the result of such pro. ceedings it is not difficult to foresee. I was prepared to expect some great persecution had taken place, on reading that Satan had been very busy. To me, Sir, he appears to have been more busy than the letter-writer at all suspected; and to have been securing his empire more effectually by those very impressions which are so much extol led, than he could have done by the most vehement opposition.

But I will just advert for one moment to the report of "the sober-minded, serious, and judicious" parishioner of Woolcot. He takes it upon him to assert, that the effect of these impressions, could not be counterfeited: and yet he tells us, in the same breath, that they were counterfeited; for "some relapsed." He has attempted, however, 10 give us a very concise and comprehensive rule for distinguishing a real from a counterfeit impression. Those who continued to have all their senses about them during the impression, afforded a good hope of future perseve Christ. Obsery. No. 30.

rance; while such as were so violently impressed as to lose all sense, were to be viewed with suspicion. Experience must unquestionably have great weight. But previous to experience, I should certainly have been disposed to think, that if these impressions were of any value at all, they were valuable in proportion as they were powerful; and therefore that what deprived a man of all his senses was worth more than what merely deprived him of one or two.

This same gentleman has represented a father as severely chastising his own daughter. The cause is not very distinctly specified, but if I may judge from what follows, her frowardness had some share in it. The daughter, under the influence, I presume, of these same impressions, has her father taken up, and brought before a magistrate; and because he would not make concessions and promise good behaviour, he is sent (at the instance of his daughter,) to jail! Here, however, these convenient and all-powerful impressions again interfere; and the father, finding there is now no other remedy, falls down according to usage, whether in a state of insensibility or not seems uncertain; and when able to speak, confesses his fault, (to his daughter, I presume,) and promises amendment. Here we have a very eminent instance of the power of impressions: but whether impressions of a jail, or of a more preternatural kind, the reader is left to conjecture.

I beg leave to close these remarks with an anecdote which I have copied verbatim from Boswell's Life of Johnson, Vol. III. p. 246, and which seems to me to throw considerable light on the doctrine of impressions. It is as follows:

"I mentioned that I had in my possession the Life of Sir Robert Sibbald, the celebrated Scottish antiquary, and founder of the Royal College of Physi cians at Edinburgh, in the original manuscript in his own hand-writing; and that it was, I believe, the most natural and candid account of himself that ever was given by any man. As an instance, he tells us that the Duke of Perth, then Chancellor of Scotland, pressed him very much to come over to the Roman catholic faith; that he

SC

resisted all his grace's arguments for a considerable time, till one day he felt himself, as it were, instantaneously convinced, and with tears in his eyes, ran into the duke's arms and embraced the ancient religion: that he continued very steady in it for some time, and accompanied his grace to London, and lived in his household: that there he

found the rigid fasting prescribed by the church very severe upon him: that this disposed him to reconsider the controversy; and having then seen that he was in the wrong, he returned to Protestantism."

A SINCERE FRIEND OF THE CHURCH
OF ENGLAND.

GREAT BRITAIN.

STEREOTYPE PRINTING was described in the Christian Observer, Vol. I. pp. 186, in the following manner:-"The solid pages, used in Stereotype Printing, are cast from pages first set up, in the usual way, with moveable types. A mould or impression is taken of each page in any suitable plastic material, and afterwards as many solid pages are cast into the mould as may be wanted."

Earl Stanhope has, we understand, devoted much time and money to the improvement of Stereotype Printing, and the introduction of it into this country. Mr. Andrew Wilson, Printer, in Great Wild Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, has brought the art, under his Lordship's assistance and protection, to a great degree of maturity. A theological work, translated from the German by her Majesty, and revised by the Bishop of London, is now nearly ready for publication, and will be the first Stereotype work published in this kingdom. So well satisfied are the Syndics of the Cambridge Press of the great importance of this art, and of the degree of perfection to which it is now brought, that they have offered their present stock of Bibles, Testaments, &c. for sale at reduced prices, and have entered into an arrangement with Mr Wilson for fourteen years, by which the public may soon expect to obtain the Scriptures, &c. cheaper, more accurate, and better printed, than heretofore. Considerable improvements are likewise carrying on in the printing presses, and in the manufacture of ink and paper; and it is hoped, that, by these means the Export Book Trade may be, in some measure revived, which has been almost lost of late to this country, in consequence of the high price of materials and labour.

In the press, Sermons on various Subjects, by the Rev. C P Layard, D. D. F. R. S. and F. A. S late Dean of Bristol; in 1 vol. 8vo. on demy and royal paper-First Principles of Christian Knowledge, by the Right Rev. Thomas Burgess, D. D Bishop of St. David's, in 12mo. A brief Illustration of the Morning Service of the United Church of England and Ireland, by the Rev. John Clarke, Minor Canon of Durham, in 12mo. A translation, by the Rev. R. Kingdon, of a work by the late Dr. Less, Professor in the University of Gottin. ges, on the Authenticity, Uncorrupted Preservation, and Credibility of the New Testament Continental Sketches, comprising a Portrait of

Revolutionary Holland; an Essay on the Ancient and Modern History of the Low Countries; and an Inquiry into the Political and Commercial Interests of the Dutch; by Mr. Byerly.

The Bibliographical Dictionary, Vol. VI. which finishes the alphabet, will be published on the 1st of July; containing, among other important articles, an ample Account of Testaments.-Vol. VII. which will complete the work, will speedily be published, and will contain an Account of the best English Transla tions of each Greek and Latin Classic, an Essay on Bibliography, &c. &c.

A new edition of the General Biographical Dictionary, enlarged to 18 volumes, is preparing for the press.

Proposals have been circulated, for publish. ing by subscription, in 6 vols. 4to, a translation from the Persian of a work, entitled, 4 Chro nological, Biographical, and Theological Histo ry of the Primary and Subsequent Ages of the World; carefully compiled by Meh'hommed, the Son of Javade Shah: dedicated to the Hon. the Court of Directors; done into English, and illustrated with Notes, historical, geographical, and critical, and embellished with Maps, &c. by Robert Greene, Captain of Infantry on the Bengal Establishment. The price of each vol. will be £2. 15.

Mr. Richard Parkinson, late of Maryland, proposes to publish by subscription, in 1 vol. 8vo. a work, entitled, The Experienced Farmer's Tour in America; exhibiting a copious and familiar View of the American System of Agriculture and Breeding of Cattle, with its recent improvements.

The Rev. Claudius Buchanan, Vice Provost of the New College, Calcutta, has appropriated fourteen hundred guineas for prizes, to be distributed among the Seven Universities of the United Kingdoms; two hundred to each. In each university, one hundred pounds is to be given for the best prose English com position on the "Best means of extending the Blessings of Civilization and true Religion among the Hundred Million Inhabitants of Hindostan, now subject to British Authority;" sixty pounds for the best English poem on the "Revival of Letters in the East;"twenty-five for the best Latin ode or poem on "Collegium Bengalense;" and twenty-five for the best Greek on eve ows."

At the Anniversary of the ROYAL JENNE

RIAN SOCIETY, held on the 17th of May, Mr. Travers stated, that previous to the year 1802, the annual average of deaths by the Small Pox, within the Bills of Mortality of London, were at the rate of one thousand eight hundred and fifty; and that within the last year, the deaths had not amounted to one thousand. The annual expenditure of the Society, it was observed would be £1000; to provide for which the Trustees had at present a fund of only £400. a year in stock and in subscription. The Rev. R. Hill stated, that he had himself inoculated, according to the direction of Dr. Jenner, above one thousand six hundred per sons within the last year, and in every case with success, and that nothing could be more simple than the operation.

By the Annual Report of the Visiters of the ROYAL INSTITUTION, lately delivered in to the Proprietors, it appears, that the total amount of the expenses of the year is £2,368. 6s. 5d.; including all the recent Improve ments in the Laboratory, Model Room, Lecture Room, &c. and some small part of what has been expended for the Library and Collec. tion of Minerals. The clear Income of the year 1803, amounts, on the other hand, in cluding the Arrears of Subscriptions due for that year, to £3,181. 15s. 6d. The Visiters notice, with pleasure, the Additions which have been recently made, and are now making, to the Funds of the Institution. Besides the return of some Annual Subscribers who had quitted the Institution, there have been added, since the commencement of the present season, 3 Proprietors, 3 Life Subscribers, 175 Annual Subscribers, and 242 Ladies and Young Persons subscribing to the Lectures only; and the sum received for Subscriptions and Proprietors' Shares, from January 1st to March 31st, 1804, has amounted to £1,902. 12s. The Lectures, Experiments, &c. are now regularly and fully attended; and there is every reason to suppose that a general interest in favour of the Establishment has been created among the inhabitants of the metropolis. The Laboratory has been enlarged; the Chemical Apparatus improved; the Collec tion of Minerals increased to more than 3000 specimens; the Model Room arranged; and the Printing Office removed, the utility of it not being found adequate to its expense. Nearly £5000. have been subscribed towards the New Library, of which upwards of half has been already expended in the purchase of Books; in particular, the Library of the late Thomas Astle, Esq. for which the sum of 1000 guineas was given, has proved an important acquisition to the Collection; furnishing, in itself, almost every book in Ancient British History, Topography, and Antiquities, besides a variety of scarce and valuable Books in other classes.

The Lectures at the Royal Institution closed, for the present Season, on the 22d of June. The following Arrangement has been made for the Lectures and Public Experiments of the ensuing Season. CHRISTMAS COURSE;

from 10th Nov, to 26th Jan.-Mr. Davy, Che mistry, First Course; Mr. Opie, Painting; Mr. Fletcher, Natural Philosophy; Rev. Sydney Smith, Moral Philosophy, First Course; Professor Crotch, Music; Mr. Landseer, Engraving.-SPRING COURSE, from. 5th Feb. to 15th June.-Mr. Davy, Chemistry, Second Course; Mr. Allen, Natural Philosophy; RevWm. Crowe, History; Rev John Hewlett, Belles Lettres; Dr. Smith, Botany, Rev. Sydney Smith, Moral Philosophy, Second Course. Lectures on Poetry are also to be given. The Lectures of the whole Season will be 172; in the Christmas Course, 72, and 100 in the Spring Course.

At the last Meeting of the Farming Society in Ireland, his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, on hearing the report of the present state and prospects of the species of wheat called Jerusalem Wheat,lately introduced, pronounc ed the discovery an object of high national utility. Each grain, sown in dibbles of 10 inches square, produces from 30 to 45 stems; each of which stems contain from 140 to 160 large round grains, and rises to the height of 7 feet, with a mealy pulp, sufficient to render the whole mass of straw, when cut, an excellent food for, all kinds of cattle; but particularly a most provident substitute for oats with road and draft horses.

Moles are such enemies, it is said, to the smell of garlic, that, in order to get rid of them, it is sufficient to introduce a few heads of garlic into their subterraneous walks. It is likewise said to be employed with success against grubs and snails.

FRANCE.

A New Encyclopædia, or Dictionary of Literature, Morals, and Politics, has been begun in Paris, by a Society of Men of Letters. Three volumes in 8vo. have been already published; and the whole will probably occupy 16 or 18 large volumes, since three thick volumes extend only to the letter E. The professed object and motives of this publication are highly worthy of attention. The compilers, in their Preliminary Discourse, draw a most degrading picture of the State of Literature in France. Their statement flatly contradicts those ostentatious details, with which the French papers have endeavoured to beguile Europe. They tell us, that the light of rea son, in their country, is obscured; that thick darkness overshadows the horizon of science; that genius is extinguished, and all taste for the belles lettres has disappeared; that licen tious works, dangerous productions, and frivolous romances, have succeeded to the immortal writings which rendered illustrious the reigns of Louis XIV. and XV.; that mere pretenders have usurped the sceptre of litera ture; that the pillars of knowledge are shaken, and soon, in all probability, ruins alone will be seen, scattered and mutilated monuments, over which the advocates of truth and the friends of philosophy and morals will vent their sighs. Burlesque scenes and buffoone.

ries have supplanted, in the public amusements, those pieces upon which the French were accustomed to pride themselves. They observe also, that the decline of letters and the corruption of manners accompany each other, and precede the fall of empires, and the slavery of nations. Nothing, indeed, can be more gloomy, than the picture which these writers draw of the moral and literary state of their country; and though it should be conceded that the colouring may possibly be overcharged, yet there is no room to doubt that the features are substantially correct. The editors admit, indeed, that there still remain a few literati of a better class, who honourably labour to promote science, truth, and virbut they are few; and France, they say, is on the eve of altogether losing its lumina. ries of that description.

tue;

A curious Petrifaction has been discovered at Vaucelles, in the north of France. A workman, in breaking a stone that came from the ruins of the Abbey, divided it into two parts, one of which presented the impression of a fish, and the other the same fish in relievo. Upon careful examination it was found to be a fish in the most excellent state of preservation. It appears to be of the abdominal class, and a salmon, The scales are of a violet colour mixed with yellow; the colours of the impression and of the relievo are the same. The stone was originally taken from a quarry in the neighbourhood of Vaucelles, which has been long abandoned.

SPAIN.

Professor Sessee, the celebrated Botanist, who has been absent eight years, assisted by a party of Naturalists, has returned to Spain. He has visited the whole of the Spanish possessions in North America, and the islands on the coast. He has enriched the science of Botany, it is said, with two thousand five hundred species of unknown plants; and has also discovered eighty non-descript fishes.

A new Journal has commenced at Madrid, entitled, Miscellanies in the Sciences, Literature, and the Arts. The contents are divided in to five parts:-1. The Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and the application of them to useful purposes.-2. Natural History.-3. Agriculture, Medicine, and the Arts of Industry.-4. The different branches of Literature. 5. The Fine Arts: besides original Pieces, and Translations from foreign Works, which will form the principal part of the Journal; each number is to contain an Analysis of Spanish and other works, with extracts from them. A number appears on the first and fifteenth of each month, consisting of two sheets octavo, price eighteen rials per quarter. The first number was published Jan. 1, 1804.

RUSSIA.

The Russian Minister of Commerce at Petersburgh, Count Rumanzoff, has just caused to be published a Collection of Twenty-one Tables, which give a correct and comprehensive view of the present state of the Russian commerce with foreign nations. It is observed in the introduction, which is written by the Count, that the results of the Russian trade have hitherto been kept secret; but where the sovereign is the father of his people, he has nothing to conceal from them; and that the emperor has, in consequence, given orders that the whole commercial system of the kingdom should be communicated to the public. The Tables are divided into Five Parts; which comprehend the trade on the Baltic, the White Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Inland Trade.

TURKEY.

The art of printing begins to make some progress in Constantinople. An edition of the Mussulman Catechism, forming an octavo volume of eighty-six pages, has just come from the press. It was printed under the inspection of Abdorahman-Effendi, Director of the Royal Printing Office. It appears that the situation of copyist, the members of which are very numerous, will soon be as bad at Constantinople as it must have been at Rome or at Paris in the fifteenth century. One of their most lucrative occupations was a kind of Almanac of the Ramazan, which appears annually, with calculations, by the astronomers of the court, indicating for each day the hours of fasting and prayer. The scrupulous exactness of good Mussulmen, in observing their Lent, procured to the copyists the sale of many thousands of these almanacs; which were sold at a price proportioned to their ornaments and the beauty of the penmanship. This branch of industry has been, however, almost entirely destroyed since the last year. An almanac of the Ramazan has been printed a Scutari, on Italian paper which resembles parchment. It contains for each day the hour and minute at which fasting ought to be begun, &c.; and, by way of supplement, as in the almanac of Liege, the days for bleeding, taking physic, applying cupping glasses, &c. This innovation may appear to Europeans of very little importance; but it displays boldness in the Turkish government, which wishes, by these means, to sound the sentiments of the people, who dislike every novelty. It has completely succeeded in the present instance; the copyist being left to murmur, while the indigent devotee is very glad to procure his al manac cheaper. Government has availed itself of this good disposition, and calendars for the whole year are now printed.

THEOLOGY.

A SERMON on the Death of the Reverend Joseph Priestley. By John Disney, D. D. 18,

A Sermon on the same Occasion. By the Reverend J. Edwards. 1s. 6d.

Reasons for separating from the Church of