moft perfectly complete, and fatisfactory evidence that poffibly can be given to them who are doubtful of a perfon's bare word or promife, confequently, when any individual doubts my veracity, who is not in Chriftian fellowship, I have no objection to follow the fame example as I have before mentioned, in appealing to God for the truth of what I affert. But in a Church of Chrift, if any one fhould require me to fwear to what I have been fimply declaring to be the truth, I would fharply rebuke him as one wanting me to break Christ's commands, and I thould likewise state an offence against him for his fufpicion, or want of confidence in me, and purufe it in conformity to the xviii. chapter of Matthew, and 15. 16. verfes. In full expectation of that happy period, when perfect confidence will be expreft by all rational intelligences towards each other, as well as unreserved submission to the name of Jefus, according to that oath which has removed all my doubts. (Ifaiah xlv. 22. 23. 24. 25. and Phillip. ii. 9. and 10.) I remain your Correspondent's well wither, and likewife your Friend, for the Truth's fake.

Poetry.

JOHN CUE

ON THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.
INNERS rejoice! and hail the happy morn,
On which your great Reftorer Chrift was born.
Conceived in a Virgin pure, a blessed maid;
Born in a ftable, and in a manger laid.
No pompous train attend his humble birth,
Of Courtiers from each quarter of the earth.
Alas! they shut their eyes, God fout them too,
And made poor fhepherds his great glory know:
Declared to them, by Seraphs from on high,
Chrift's peaceful reign, and glorious majesty.
Goodwill to Men,' they fung, at Jesus's birth,
And welcom'd thus, the Saviour to the earth.
The eastern star at God's command stood still,
And wifemen found where Chrift their King did dwell;
Who left his bright abode in paradife,
To'ranfom us from our enormous vice:

Although his precious blood fhould be the price.

Dec. 3. 1798.

THE NAUTIC CONVERT.

ANDED on fhore to spend fome leifure days,

LANDED on hire, a veteran failor strays,

In grog and women lay his chief delight,
As one by day, the other charm'd by night :

W. S.

Portsmouth's

Portsmouth's lewd Point* bore witnefs of his fame,
And Romes'st roof refounded with his name;
Tir'd of fuch vulgar places, he prepares

To bend his way where London fpreads its fnares;
So there arriv'd-his heart with transport bounds,
Of Covent Garden now he beats the rounds;
Here harlots tempt him with fictitious charms,
And feize the willing victim in their arms.
Falfe pleafure forms the fweet deftructive ring,
And to enchant him flatt'ring fyrens fing.
In Drury's hundreds now the tar is feen,
He homage pays, and Venus is his queen;
Subdu'd by Craft's low cunning, and-delufive fpells,
He treats his wanton fair to Bagnigge Wells;
Or at the Dog and Duck rewards her fmiles,
As grog inflames, and treachery beguiles;
Oft too he wanders o'er St. George's Fields
To tafte the fruit promifcuous pleasure yields,

It chanc'd one day, from grog and harlots free,
Some noble edifice he wifh'd to fee;
A hackney coach conveys him to St. Paul's,
He views with wonder its afpiring walls;
Surveys its vaft circumference with furprize,
Its lofty dome attracts his wond'ring eyes-
Urg'd by the cravings of a curious mind,
He tries what wonders he within can find ;
The deep-ton'd organ here salutes his ears,
Religious awe awakens all his fears;
In graceful dignity here rais'd on high
The folemn Lect'rer caught the failor's eye;
Arous'd from Folly's trance, with filent dread,
He heard attentive what the Preacher faid;
"Pray without ceafing" haply was the text;
The failor's bofom confcious guilt perplex'd;
Conviction feem'd awhile to fting his mind,
But foon he gave all forrows to the wind;
'The feeds of virtue foon were blown away,
And pleasure woo'd him, and his heart was gay;
He foon forgot the Preacher and St. Paul's,
And all the truths he heard within its walls.

His money fpent-the tar embarks again
To toil for more upon the dang'rous main;
Eas'd of his cafh, quite eafy was his mind,
His only with was for a profp'rous wind;
Soon to his with the wind aufpicious blew,
And far from fhore the buoyant veffel flew ;
There ftorms might threaten, and huge waves arile,
He fear'd not ocean, nor prefaging skies!

There winds might rage, and the dread tempeft roar,
Give him but fea-room, he defir'd no more-

Ever attentive to the boatfwain's call,

His daring foul no dangers could appall;

* At Portsmouth Point, the back of which is folely inhabited and frequented by the the votaries of Bacchus and the Cyprian Goddess.

A tavern in Gofport, formerly noted for fcenes of riot and debauchery.

He

He nimbly climb’d whene’er his duty led,
Up the loofe cordage to the topmast head;
And oft high station'd on the giddy mast,
He bore the fury of the rudest blaft;
Oft on the yard projecting o'er the wave,
The direfuĺ rage of elements he'd brave;
He'd reef the flutt'ring fail, contract its pow`r,
Nor danger fear'd in fate's fevere! hour.
He fought courageous in his country's wars,
Alike to him if Neptune frown'd or Mars-
The thund'ring gun, the horrors of the fight,
His bofom fwell'd with exquifite delight;
Regardless he where flew the fate-wing'd ball,
Unmov'd he'd view the wounded shipmate fall;
Careless of life, and prodigal of breath,
Unmov'd he'd hear the mournful groan of death;
And if he car'd for friend or meffinate flain,
A cann of grog would drown that care again—
Yet not confin'd to Britain's gen'ral caufe,
In other fights he often won applause;
His hardy front was mark'd with many a fear,
Which valour gain'd him in ignoble war--
Oft in the ring form'd by the noify croud,
His manly prowels was by all allow'd ;
And oft on board, when fierce difputes arofe,
And angry words produc ́d more angry blows,
With trowsers nail'd,* contending breast to breast,
Him and his mefimate frode their mutual cheft :
There neither foe gave way howe'er affail'd,
"Till force o'er reafon, and o'er right prevail'd,
And thus, on fhore, on board, in many a fray,
He undisputed bore the palm away.

A heart fo stout, could Mortal pow'r subdue ?
Anfwer, ye fceptics-I appeal to you→→→
A heart forude, could mortal pow'r refine,
Or ought reclaim it but the hand divine?
None-none but God the fequel here will shew,
Could this hard heart of adamant fubdne.

Sev'n times had hoary Winter pais'd away,
And cheerful Spring return'd, and Summer gay,
Since our bold tar had heard the Preacher's text,
Had felt a confcience tender, mind perplex-
Unchang'd his heart-on vice, on error bent,
Still unimprov'd each changing season went;
On board, the smutty tale, indecent fong,
His moments wafte, and charm his hours along;
On fhore, ftill groffeft pleasures fuit his mind,
To riot prone-debauchery inclin'd.

[ To be continued. ]

It is a common practice when two failors fight on board fhip, for the combatants to fet fronting each other aftride a chelt, to the cover of which their trowfers are frequently nailed, that neither of them may elude the blows of his adversary, nor give out till fairly beaten.

November 28.

THE laft accounts from America, reprefent the cities of NewYork and Philadelphia, as having been in the moft dreadful fituation on account of the Yellow Fever, its ravages have been dreadful. In the former city, notwithstanding, fourfifths of the inhabitants had left it, 70 perfons have latterly died on each day. Commerce quite at a ftand. The fhops in general being clofed, and many of the principal treets entirely delerted. We are happy to ftate, that when the packer came away, the fever was confiderably

abated.

defray the expences incurred by the rebellion in Belgium; twenty millions of guilders is about 1,800,000l.'fterling.

7th. Advices from Ireland state, that a mifcreant of the name of Maguire has fucceeded Holt as leader of the Wicklow rebels, and under whofe direction they have committed many atrocious outrages, in which a great many of his wretched followers have been destroyed. Holt feems a great penitent for his former conduct, and evinces his fincerity by difcovering caverns and other retreats of the rebels, by which means á vaft number of them have been deftroyed, and a deal of plunder been taken, which has been reitored to the proper owners of it.

29th, The King of Naples has if fued an Edict, ordering the pain of death to be inflicted on whoever shall furnifh provifions to the French at 7th. Mr. Thomas Grenville is imMalta. The king has further declar.mediately to be fent on a miffion to ed, that he will confider the occupa- Berlin, under the idea it is poffible to tion of that ifland by the French as engage his Pruflian Majefty in a new an act of violence and of force againit continentai confederacy againit the which he protefts, according to his French. rights over that country. Such a declaration has been confidered by fome people as tantamount to a declaration

of war.

Dec. 1. The French Commiffioner, Dupont, who arrived the 18th of October, at Ancona, from Rome, has depofed the departmental admi niftration, and re placed them. The

Comm ffioner is to vifit the other Departments and to make fuch changes as he may think proper. Such is the conduct of the French towards the independant Republics of Italy.

3d. The lait accounts from the Netherlands reprefent the Rebellion in that country as nearly extinguifhed, The infurgents having experienced feveral very fevere defeats.

5th. Advices have been received from Amfterdam to the 24th ult. which state that the French have de manded of the Dutch a farther fupply of money to the amount of 20 Millions of Guilders, under the tence that this fum was necellary to

pre.

8th. By the laft advices from America we find, that the Agent from the French Republic, who failed from France on the 1ft of September with conciliatory propotals, has arrived in the United States, and has been well received. Mr. Geary has reached America in fatety, and has been kinds ly welcomed by the President, who much approves his conduct in making every effort to preferve peace between the two Republics.

9th. From Conftantinople they write that the united Rulian and Turkish fleets caly remained in the Arcup lago till they had taken on board and forces, when they failed for their defination, agreeable to the directions of Aumiral Nelton, a part of this fleet, it is laid, now blockades the ifland of Cortu.

roth. The rumours of the march of the Ruffian troops, have again ceafed on the Continent, these troops were to have been in the Auftrian dominions about the end of September,

· but

but now we have advices from Vienna two months later, which take no notice of them. It is to be feared that the Court of St. Petersburg will act with the fame duplicity whether under Catherine or Paul.

12th. A etter from Mr. Smith our Envoy at Conftantinople, has the following article in it. "The French that landed in this country and attempted to revolutionize Albania with two general officers at their head, to the number of 150 are taken, and 60 of their heads are now on poles before the Seraglio.

13th. It is faid that Buonaparte has received Perfian Ambaffadors who demand an alliance with France, and offer him an army to effect the conqueft of India.

20th. In confequence of its having been announced to be the intention of the British Government to propofe an Union with Ireland, various meetings of the principal inhabitants of Dublin have taken place, for a confideration of the fubject, and in all of them the moft decided oppofition has been given to every idea of that nature.

21ft. On the night of the 8th of December, the agents of the Police in Paris, arrested the Sardinian Ambaffador, and the Neapolitan Charge d'Affairs, at the inftant they were on the point of making their efcape. They are both confined to their houfes.

24th. Yesterday afternoon, Capt. Gifford of the 26th regiment of foot, arrived at Mr. Dundas's office, with the colours taken from the Spanish troops by the Hon. Charles Stewart, bringing the official accounts of the

14th. The Bey of Tripoli to whom Buonaparte had fent all the Turkish | flaves he found at Malta, with an in-capture of Minorca. vitation to the Bey on his part to give liberty to the Maltese flaves, has amicably fatisfied this juft demand. He fent them in a fhip laden with grain, with a prefent of four horfes to Buo-taining the accounts his Lordship had naparte.

15th. The French at Mauritius have declared themfelves independent of the Government in France, have fent away all the National troops, and have demanded the protection of Great Britain.

Lieutenant Jones of the Leviathan man of war, alfo arrived at the Admiralty Office with dispatches from Earl St. Vincent, at Gibraltar, con

received of the compleat furrender of the Inland, and about 3000 troops on the 15th of November. The General landed on the 11th. and four days after,made himself master of the island, without lofing a man.

25th. On Saturday morning, let17th. The Coloffus, a British man ters were received from Dover anof war of 74 guns, Captain Murray, nouncing the arrival there, on Friwas loft on the night of Monday the day night, of a neutral vessel with 10th inftant, in St. Mary's road, paffengers. As the fhip was departScilly. The inhabitants of the iflanding, a French officer.came on board exerted themselves to the utmost for and took away all the Paris Journals the relief of the perfons on board, in and letters, but one paper was concutters and open boats, and by Tuefcealed and tranfmitted to Government. day evening every perfon was taken It contains an account of a definitive out and fafely landed, the fick and treaty of peace having been concluded wounded firft, many of whom were at Raftadt, between the French Refrom the battle of the Nile, and the public and Germanic Empire. The Captain remaining to the latt. The deputation acceded to the ultimatum following night the hip fell on her of the Directory, and peace was acbeam ends, and fo violent was the cordingly concluded on the 10th inst. gale that no craft could approach the The intelligence is faid to have reachThip, and it is to be feared that nothing ed Paris by means of the Telegraph. of any confequence will be able to be recovered. There was upwards of 300,000l. Sterling on board.

The report of the death of Buonaparte, which has been for fome time in circulation, is now generally dif believed. 26th. The