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viper, which outvenoms all the worms of the Nile, is still pouring out bitter invectives against him, and striving to blast his character," for reputed orthodoxy I suppose, ""to bring him under condemnation' by the Church, and thus cause him to be thrust out of the Synagogue. But this is not in their power. A spirit of inquiry seems to be abroad among us, and the youth appear disposed to search for themselves, and not pin their faith upon pontiffs, cardinals, or their privy counsellors, who are nothing but tyrannical, sectarian bigots; and, if sanctioned by law, would soon cause a Smithfield smoke to be raised among us." The letter-writer adds, "I have been informed, the people who call themselves Friends are about to lay a proposal before their ecclesiastical court to publish a new confession of faith to the world, since Elias has jostled their lees, and produced a fermentation, which I hope will purge out all their old leaven. I have long sighed for a Reformation. If it begin in this city, it will spread far and wide. All the meetings seem convulsed!!"

From that hour the star of glory
Shone on Judah's hallow'd ground,
When the shepherds sang the story
Where the infant King was found,
Thro' the gloom of darkest ages,
Truth has shone with piercing ray,
And the balm that pain assuages
Shed on hearts that own its sway.
To the light of grace inshining

Thro' the darkness of our souls,
We must bow with hearts inclining
To his will that ours controuls.

Thus we learn by revelation,

What the will of God makes known,
Thus we bow in adoration,

Humbly at the Saviour's throne.
Need we then the long narration

As the means, our heaven to win?
No, the source of our salvation,

Is the light of Christ within.
By the eternal word of power,
Manifest within the mind,
Acting in the silent hour,

On the thoughts of human kind:
For this holy truth professing,

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Long our fathers suffer'd sore,
Long contended for the blessing,

Given to the saints before.
Now again the way thou showest,

That the Apostles ever trod,
Heaven reward thee as thou goest,.
On the errand of thy God.

To give you and your readers some farther idea of the warinth with which the attempt to obstruct Elias Hickes in the exercise of the sacred rights of Persecutions here attend thee,

conscience and of free discussion has
been met, I send you a copy of some
complimentary lines addressed to Elias
Hickes during the contest, on hearing
him preach a sermon, Dec. 12th last,
at Philadelphia.

"Yes, we saw thee stand before us,
Heard the words thy lips impart,
Felt that heavenly love was o'er us,
For each sentence touch'd the heart.
To the work by heaven appointed,
Thou the light of truth hast shed,
Coming as the Lord's anointed,
Knowledge of his will to spread.
As on Sinai's holy mountain

Shone the Prophet's face divine,
Effulgent thus from heavenly fountain
Rays of truth illumined thine.

Like some angel sent from heaven,
To instruct the human race,

Were thy admonitions given

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From the source of truth and grace.

Thou no untaught doctrine teachest,
But that which was erst received,
God's eternal truth thou preachest,
That his saints have all believed.

Which the saints have ever known, But the Eternal shall defend thee,

From the shaft that hate has thrown.

And may'st thou, when hence retiring,

When this tour of love shall cease,

Feel thy soul to God aspiring,

And enjoy his holy peace."

From these lines I think we may safely infer that the heresy imputed to Elias Hickes is not a dereliction of the distinguishing tenet of the Quakers, in the language of Barclay, the doctrine of" immediate Divine Revelation." But in what comparative estimation Elias Hickes, or his poetical Eulogist, holds the authentic records of the primitive Christian faith, once revealed to the saints under special and extraordinary circumstances, is left uncertain. Nor is it clear to me whether the writer means to ascribe "adoration" to the person whom he describes as "the infant King," or to his God and Father whom he addressed in prayer, when the time of his sufferings and death was at hand, as "the only true God."

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Newcastle-under-Lyme,
April 12, 1823.

it is their duty to unite with those who wish to effect its gradual amelioration and ultimate annihilation. Again let me explain, that, for my own part, I give them the fullest credit, as a body of Slave-holders, for the disposition to render the lot of their unfortunate bondmen and bondwomen as little oppressive as possible; and that it is not them, but their system with which I feel so much dissatisfaction. I think it not impos

the eye of Mr. Bright, the honourable Member for Bristol, in which case I solicit his attention to a part of its contents, as well as that of Euelpis. I learn from the newspapers of the day, that the former has no very high opinion of me, either as a man or as a Christian minister. Indeed, if the Morning Chronicle* may be relied on, he has openly charged me with spiritual pride and neglectful conduct as a Missionary, while I was in Jamaica, besides broadly insinuating that I can be guilty of the contemptible and horrid crime of falsehood. These arc grave charges, calculated to ruin my character, blast all my hopes as a public man, and destroy, at one blow, the credit of the statements which some thought I might make to the advantage of the approaching contest, on the subject of Negro-Slavery. Had Mr. B. descended to particulars, it might have been expected that I should have entered on a particular reply; but this, I think, he has not sufficiently done, and, therefore, he is respectfully invited to proceed to the task, or expected, as a man of honour, to retract his very unhandsome and most injurious language. The passage in the petition from Southwark against Negro-Slavery, presented to the House of Commons by Sir R. Wilson, which so much offended Mr. B., was evidently the following, taken from a small work, lately published for Hatchard and Son, Piccadilly, and J. and A. Arch, Cornhill, entitled, Negro Slavery." "Mr. Cooper never saw a Negro who, when uncovered, did not exhibit marks of violence, that is to say, traces of the whip on his body."

IAM concerned to find, by a second sible but this letter may come under communication from your very respectable correspondent, Euelpis, [p. 100,] that my animadversions [XVII. 751] on his letter [XVII. 677] should have led him to suppose that I felt myself hurt at his remarks, on what I have written, in your valuable work, on the moral and religious instruction of the Negro Slaves in the West Indies. I must, therefore, beg to assure him, that I never imagined he had the slightest intention of wounding my feelings, much less of questioning my veracity; and that it has been a standing rule with me, ever since I read Mason on Self Knowledge, never to take offence without being previously satisfied that offence was actually intended. After this, I trust, he will readily believe, that however unhappily I may have expressed myself in a former epistle, I was really gratified, rather than otherwise, with his friendly queries. My opinions of the withering influence of Negro-Slavery may possibly appear somewhat peculiar; if they are erroneous, my only wish is to have them corrected. The subject is daily becoming more and more interesting and important; and I rejoice to learn that it is already under the scrutiny of several individuals of high distinction in the philanthropic world. If it were desirable, it would be impossible to keep down discussion, and, as a Christian and a friend to the natural rights of our species, I am quite willing to communicate, for the advantage of both parties, any information, bearing on the controversy, which my late residence in the seat of Slavery enabled me to acquire. Let the whole truth be known, and judgment given accordingly. If there be no injustice in Slavery, the Planters can have nothing to fear even from the most rigid examination of the system. But if there be, they must perceive that

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* I would refer the reader to the No. of the paper containing the Report of Mr. Bright's Speech, but it is not at hand.

Of the petition in question, I, of course, can have no knowledge excepting what is derived from a news paper, and whatever construction the petitioners may have put upon the quotation, I have only to say, that I never meant any thing more by it than that I never saw a Negro uncovered who did not exhibit marks of the whip on his body. This fact I repeat, and will add, (although it may seem still more incredible,) that satisfactory evidence of a Negro's being marked with the whip, may sometimes be obtained without removing the garments; that is, the blood may be seen issuing through them. In confirmation of this, I pledge myself to lay before the public at least two cases, one of which shall be that of my own waiting-boy, John Harden, who was punished at my own request. I would here give the particulars, did I not fear that I should thereby swell this letter to a tedious length. When they are known, 1 expect to be visited with an ample share of blame. Mr. B., no doubt, believes himself to be well acquainted with every thing respecting the character and condition of the Negro Slaves, and will, perhaps, be somewhat surprised when I assure him, on my honour, that one of the blackest accounts of the morals and disposition of these people, which I remember ever to have heard, referred immediately to a large gang belonging to an estate in Westmoreland, well known to him. This I had at first hand, and, if true, will, I must think, afford another reason for investigating the Slave system in all its bearings.

That the exertions of the Missionaries in the West Indies are destitute of beneficial results, I am not aware that I have ever affirmed or insinuated; while I certainly have presumed to question, whether the quantum of good which they have achieved, has not been somewhat overrated. Euel pis will bear in mind, that I allude to the exertions of these gentlemen on estates where, with the exception of four or five white men, the whole of the population are slaves, and not to their labours in towns, where the mass of the people are free. In my last I made it appear, that the low estimation in which I hold Missionary labours on estates, is by no means without an example; and, with a view to

throw a little fresh light on the subject, I will now adduce a few particulars respecting what has been accomplished by the Moravian brethren. It is well known that on Mesopotamia estate, in Westmoreland, the brethren have long exerted themselves in the cause: indeed, they have given more than half a century of their valuable time to this station; but certainly without producing any very important improvement in the spiritual condition of the Slaves. This I state on the authority of one of their own Missionaries, in addition to the testimony of several white gentlemen, well acquainted with the case. I might add, that I visited the estate myself, and had an opportunity of conversing with all the Negroes then living upon it, who had ever been under the care of the Missionaries, and I can truly say, that I could not perceive that, with the exception of a few religious phrases which they had mastered, they gave any proof of possessing a particle of religious or any other knowledge superior to what may be found any day amongst the common herd. None of them had ever been taught to read, and in morals, I was assured by those who must have known the truth, that they were not a whit better than the rest of the gang. After such experience, is it surprising that the "brethren should begin to regard Mesopotamia with a hopeless eye? Irwin, in St. James, is another station now in their hands: a Missionary has resided upon it, I believe, nearly ten years, who also attends to the religious concerns of the Slaves on three or four other properties in the neighbourhood. He follows the plan of preaching and chatechising, but does not teach any one to read. His success is not very dissimilar to that which I experienced on Georgia. The Negroes will attend on him, with a few exceptions, when they are allowed time for the purpose, and on a Sunday a few will occasionally make him a call. The good man laments that so little arises from his labours, but says he is willing to sow in hope; and we may always console ourselves with the idea, that time will work changes. He is an advocate for teaching the Slaves to read, and seems to think that it might be done without prejudice to the existing order of things.

It is possible that Slavery may wear a more terrific form in that part of Jamaica in which I resided than it does in St. Eustatius, the scene of Mr. French's labours. And this, indeed, must be the case, if the narrative of the robber, in the latter, as given by this gentleman, be sufficiently full to impart a complete idea of the case; for, had it occurred in the former, measures of a far more serious nature would have been adopted, on the apprehension of the delinquent, than appear to have been thought of in St. Eustatius. In Jamaica, the crime of desertion is viewed in a very serious light, as it plainly strikes at the roots of the Slave system. If the offender be tried in a court of justice, and pronounced an incorrigible runaway, he is transported for life; but should robbery and rebellion be added to his crime, I cannot imagine that any thing short of hanging would be thought of. Overseers and inagistrates may, and, I firmly believe, do wish to forgive, when they are able to find a tolerable pretext; but, in cases like the present, they are compelled to be severe, or risk the most tremendous consequences. I feel that were I myself an overseer on any estate with which I am acquainted, I should be under the hard necessity of remonstrating with my runaways, by means of the whip, the bilboes and the workhouse, and even at times by all these put together, or abandon my profession as a Planter. I speak of the general rule, to which there would, of course, be occasional exceptions; such, for instance, as that of the above robber, whose conduct was certainly far more than commonly iniquitous. It should be remarked, that he not only kept from his master's work fourteen months, and became a most notorious robber, but he absolutely acted as the captain of others, "whom he got to join him." At length, however, he was caught, put into confinement, expostulated with by his master, and conversed with by Mr. French, which was followed by a "real change of heart and life." Now, to a person less suspicious than myself, the report would convey the idea of the expostulations of the master being merely verbal, and the confinement of an ordinary nature. But in Jamaica the

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former would have been administered by the whip, and the latter rendered more than commonly painful, by both feet being put into the stocks. As to a Slave's accounting for his conduct as a runaway, a robber, and a ringleader of a gang of desperadoes, 'on the score of no one having "cared for his religious concerns," it is what I have no idea ever happened in Hanover; and if even it did, I am still less inclined to believe that the plea would be admitted. That all these things really took place in St. Eustatius I do not deny, while I must remark, that if Mr. F. has told the whole truth, the condition of the Slaves in that island is essentially different from that of those in Jamaica, with which I and my wife were personally acquainted. All the accounts from the Missionaries, which I have seen, are indeed calculated to convey the idea that the Slaves, amongst whom they have been placed, are in circumstances comparatively mild with the government under which the Blacks in Hanover are doomed to groan and cry. Of the benevolence of teaching the Negroes Christianity, while the determination is to hold them for ever in a state of complete bondage, I hope to have an opportunity of treating at large in another place. Euelpis knows that I regard Negro-Slavery as a most fertile source of ignorance, pain and vice, and, therefore, he ought not to feel surprised that I suppose that Christianity, if propagated in its purity in the sugar-islands, would effect its ultimate extirpation. I regard Christianity as a pure and holy religion, and have no doubt, but that as the human race submit themselves to its unadulterated influence, they will become pure and holy, and from a sense of duty lay aside all their impure and unholy practices and institutions, and Negro-Slavery amongst the rest. I am fully aware that persons of great repute for theological knowledge and critical skill, have maintained that the gospel not only justifies Slavery in the abstract, but

even the conduct of a master who

lashes his Slave for having presumed to disobey his commands. I have a wife and several small children who are the pride of my existence and the daily delight of my heart. Now, if

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they were seized and sold to the Planters to slave in the sugar-islands, would it be a crime in me, as a Christian, to attempt to effect, without money, their deliverance? Or, in them,. to run away the moment the eye of their tyrant was off them? Here I could enlarge, but, Mr. Editor, I am fearful of being thought prolix. In a word, therefore, I will be bold to assert, that while Christianity contemplates mankind in the light of rational beings, Slavery regards them simply in that of mere animals.

I should feel a pleasure in completing my series of papers in compliance with the friendly request of your correspondent Euelpis, were I not pledged to lay before the public a more detailed account of my late mission to Jamaica, in a pamphlet devoted to the purpose, than has yet appeared. This being the case, I conclude that no one will wish me to occupy any more of your pages with communications on the subject in hand.

THOMAS COOPER.

Appeal in behalf of the Christian
Tract Society.

THE merits of the Christian Tract

so universally acknowledged among Unitarian Dissenters, that it might have been hoped nothing more would have been necessary to stimulate us to a cheerful, active and zealous support of an institution, fraught with such incalculable benefit to society, and more particularly to the young and the poor. Whoever has attentively witnessed the effects of their publications on these descriptions of persons, must have observed that they are calculated to convey religious knowledge in the most easy, interesting and engaging form; and to produce religious impression, and excite to religious practice, by the most powerful of all persuasives, the influence of attractive and interesting examples. The narrative and dialogue form in which most of these publications are written, it is well known, are by far the most effectual methods of conveying instruction to young and uncultivated minds; and the eagerness with which these tracts are sought after, and read by thousands of persons, who, if they

had not these, would scarcely read any thing, or nothing but the vilest trash, is a striking proof of the utility of the institution.

To those of the poor, who are prevented by illness or lameness from following their usual occupations, and who are able to read with tolerable correctness, these tracts are an invaluable treasure. Few indeed, deplorably few, are the resources which persons in this situation generally possess. Their minds uncultivated; their knowledge scanty, with scarcely any means either of amusement or improvement; and scarcely any society which can render them any consolation; their days and nights drag heavily on, and they have nothing to do but to count and wish away the tedious hours. We think, and justly think it to be our duty, in all such cases, to render some comfort and assistance to the afflicted body; why not then equally to the distressed and vacant mind? A few shillings expended in the purchase of these tracts, to be either given or lent on such occasions, would relieve and cheer many a dreary hour of wretchedness, by furnishing the mind with agreeable and profitable employment. And the pious, rational and consoling

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with his creatures, which are uniformly inculcated in these publications, and the fine spirit of habitual devotion which pervades and runs through the whole of them, can scarcely fail of making many valuable impressions, as well as of imparting the purest and the most durable consolation to the wounded and afflicted spirit.

Equally beneficial are these publications to apprentices and servants in the various departments of life. It is a melancholy fact, that the employers of these persons seldom pay much attention to the manner in which they spend their small portion of leisure time: and, consequently, it is too often spent, not only without improvement, but in a way to unfit them for becoming useful and virtuous members of society in the present life, and to disqualify them for the happiness of a future state. But if some kind and judicious Christian friend, who has the real welfare of the rising generation at heart, would take the trouble to furnish them with a few of these

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