How chang'd the fcene from that in former days! He does his duty and he ferves the Lord. Which builds on Chrift the fure foundation ftone. For him might Calvin clofe falvation's mine, Thus far the Chriftian--nor the hero lefs, * Unwife are ye who deem the Chriftian's heart Not all the terrors of mad war's career * Although the author had not then been made acquainted with that more benevolent scheme of the Univerfal Restoration, he had difcovered fome de◄ fect in the jarring fyftems here alluded to; and recollects that Mr. Tuppen complained of his having made the failor too much of a Latitudinarian. As the author had, at the time this poem was written, but juft left the fea fervice, perhaps his notions were rather more warlike than they are at prefent; for now he happens to think that a true difciple of the Prince of Peace cannot, with propriety, be a Man of Blood. However, for a person who had been trained up to the trade of war, and could turn his hand to na other trade, fome excuse çan certainly be made, Bath, Dec. 5, 1798. S. WHITCHURCH. MONTHLY (31) MONTHLY OCCURRENCES. December 26. French in any quarter. They have been defeated in feveral very fevere battles, loft feveral thousand men, and an immenfe quantity of artillery. Rome has been retaken by the French ADMIRAL Nelfon has declared all the ports of the Ligurian Republic to be in a ftate of blockade; and that all Ligurian veffels taken by the fhips of the coalefced powers fhall be--and their victorious armies are on deemed good and lawful prizes. By the accounts received from Jamaica by the packet, we are fory to learn that the yellow fever is making confiderable ravages in that island. The packet is now under quarantine, fome of the people belonging to her having died in the paffage. There is a great profpect of the best harvelt they have had these twelve years. 27. The British fhip Medufa, of o guns, laden with flores, was, on the 22d of December lait, in a violent gale of wind, driven on fhore in Rofe Bay, near Gibraltar. The crew was happily faved; but it was apprehended the fhip and cargo would be loft. their march to Naples, which city, it is faid, is in a state of great difturbance, and very favourable to the French. 5. Letters from Otranto, of the 24th of November laft, announce the commencement of hoftilities between the Ottoman Porte and the French Republic. The country called Sully in Macedonia is in a flate of infurrection against the Pacha of Jenaina, and the inhabitants, already organifed into National Guards, begin to wear the French cockade. They have been furnished with arms, cannon, and warlike ftores, from Corfu. Muftapha, Pacha of Lions, has declared in favour of the cause of liberty, and has become à French general. The inhabitants of Beirceftro, and several other provinces, are animated with the fame views, and have followed the example of Sully, 28. In the Paris Journals we find letters from Bruffels, dated the 12th Inft. which fay, "The war waged by the infurgents ftill continues with the greateft obftinacy; much blood is 7. The Ambufcade, a British frithed on both fides; but hitherto the gate, has been captured by a French infurgents have gained no permanent Thip, about the fame fize. They were advantage. Their fucceffes have engaged upwards of three hours, when been merely temporary, and follow-the fore-maft of the Ambufcade, falled with a new defeat. General Being over, dropped on the enemy's guinet has fet off to Paris in order to fhip, which made a kind of bridge, and give an account to government of the he was boarded. The French fhip itate of our departments. The Com- was full of troops. mune of Bruflels is to remain in a itate of fiege, until it has paid the whole of the contributions in arrear, and until the first clafs of the levy has obeyed the law which requires its incorporation with the armies. Jan. 1, 1799. The Dublin mails which arrived yesterday brought intelligence of the clafs of attornies, and feveral other public bodies, having pafled ftrong refolutions against the Union. Accounts of pillage and murder ftill continue to fill the journals daily, and fears are pretended to be entertained of the rebellion being renewed. The Castle gates are fhut every night, and every precaution ta-ken for refifting an attack. 3. The last accounts received from the feat of war in Italy reprefent the Neapolitans as unable to relift the 10. A letter from Stockholm, dated Dec. 8. ftates, That a rupture is foon expected to take place between the courts of Sweden and Petersburg. It is faid, the latter endeavoured to prevail on the former to renounce the fyftem of neutrality, and to declare againit France, which the Swedish cabinet would not confent to. If a war fhould break out among the powers of the north, it will be almoft impoffible for Denmark not to declare herself, particularly if Sweden claims the execution of exifting treaties. Thus no part of Europe would avoid this dreadful scourge. 11. Paffwan Oglu, it appears, ftill continues to be victorious He has taken a great number of transports in the Danube, and waggons loaded with 'ftores for the Ruffian army. 14. The 14. The inhabitants of the Ifle of St.. Pierre, near Sardinia, who were carried off by a Tunisian corfair, have been fet at liberty. The Bey of Tunis has formally, difavowed the enterprise, and ordered the captain of the corfair's head to be cut off. 16. Accounts received from Buonaparte, by way of Paris, reprefent that general to be in a profperous fituation. He has, in various inftances, obtained advantages over the Arabs, and has a profpect of being firmly established in Egypt. What gave rife to the report of the death of Buonaparte was an infurrection which took place in Cairo, in which, it is fuppofed, 500 French and General Dupuis were maffacred. The French in return deftroyed feveral thoufands of the inhabitants. 18. The Senate of Hamburg have incurred the displeasure of the French. The latter infilt upon the release of the Irishmen arrested in that city. At the defire of the English Refident, the former declare they will wait the decifion of his Pruffian Majefty. The French Minister has notified, that a perfeverance in a refufal to fet the arrested perfons at liberty will be confidered by the French government as a declaration of war. A new revolution has been effected in the Cifalpine Republic. On the 16th ult. the French general published two ordinances, the one annulling the Act of Reform, made by Gen. Brune-on Oct. 19. the other convokes the Pri mary Affemblies to deliberate upon the conftitution as it, was previous to that epoch. A new Directory was ap pointed and inftalled by the French general and ambaffador, who have expelled feveral members from the legislative body, the hall of which was conftantly occupied by French troops. 23. A great fermentation is faid to exift at Venice against the Emperor's government; many perfons are arrefted daily, and the prifons are fo full of ftate prifoners, that the government have been under the neceffity of fending 180 to Hungary to make room for others. A Ruffian frigate has been loft in the Black Sea. 24. The French are bufily employed in ftrengthening the fortifications at Mantua, and in placing it in condi tion to fuftain a long fiege. Lord Stanhope has published a very fpirited Addrefs to the People of Great Britain and Ireland, in which he exhorts them to refift an Union between the two countries by every means in their power. 25. On the 10th of Dec. the Congrefs of the United States was open 21. The guild of merchants of Dublin, at their quarterly meeting, on the 15th, among other matters refpecting the talked-of Union, unanimously refolved, "That whoever fhall propofeed and fupport fuch a measure, is, in our opinion, an enemy to his country, to our connection with Great Britain, and to the conftitution which we have fworn to defend," 22. On the 10th ult. the Emperor of Ruffia was inftalled Grand Master of Malta, with the ufual folemnity, at Petersburg. with a speech from the President, in which he urged the neceffity there was for the molt formidable preparations of offence and defence, in order to fhew the French they were not to be frightened out of their juft demands. Some difturbances have broke out in many parts of Flanders in confequence of the new law for railing 200,000 men. CORRESPONDENCE. OUR Friend who began to answer the questions on Atonement and Pardon, (fee No. XXIII.) has apologised for not going on, from want of time; and has promised to continue the fubje&t in our next. Received--Continuation of Essay on Punitive Juftice.--Mifcellaneous Articles from Clio.--Anfwer to Heterodox Queries by W. A.--Differtation oh the Precife Time of Chrift's Preaching to the Spirits in Prifon, by J. W.-Poem on Young Women, by J. T.--Practical Ufes of Election.--Philomath, Tyro, &c. Our Readers are requested to correct No. XXIV. in the following places--Page 373, laft line, for 1729, read 1798. P. 374, for your 21ft Number of refpectable,' &c., read 21ft Number of your,' &c. P. 375, 1. 5. for radical read medical. P. 377, 1, 12. for their read there. P. 385, 1. 11. for purufe read purfue. THE Universalist's Miscellany For FEBRUARY, 1799. NATURAL HISTORY. (Continued from p. 8.) AVING given the theory of Volcanoes, we have in fome measure given alfo that of Earthquakes: they both feem to proceed from the fame caufe, only with this difference, that the volcano is spent in the eruption, that of an earthquake fpreads wider, and acts more fatally by being confined---the volcano only affrights a province---earthquakes have laid whole kingdoms in ruin. Philofophers have taken fome pains to distinguish between the various kinds of earthquakes, fuch as the tremulous, the pulfative, the perpendicular, and the inclined; but these are rather the diftinctions of art than of nature---mere accidental differences arifing from the fituation of the country, or of the cause. If, for inftance, the confined fire acts directly under a province or a town, it will heave the earth perpendicularly upward, and produce a perpendicular earthquake: if it acts at a distance, it will raife that tract obliquely, and thus the inhabitants will perceive an inclined one. Nor does it seem to me that there is much greater reason for Mr. Buffon's diftinction of earthquakes: one kind of which he supposes to be produced by fire, in the manner of volcanoes, and confined to but a very narrow circumference; the other kind he ascribes to the struggles of confined air, expanded by heat, in the bowels of the earth, and endeavouring to get free: for how do these two caufes differ? Fire is an agent of no VOL. III. power F power whatsoever without air. It is the air which, being at first compressed, and then dilated, in a canon, that drives the ball with fuch force---It is the air ftruggling for vent in a volcano that throws up its contents to fuch vaft heights---In fhort, it is the air confined in the bowels of the earth, and acquiring elasticity by heat, that produces all thofe appearances which are generally afcribed to the operation of fire.. When, therefore, we are told, that there are two causes of earthquakes, we only learn, that a greater or smaller quantity of heat produces thefe terrible effects; for air is the only active operator in either. Some philofophers, however, have been willing to give the air as great a fhare in producing these terrible efforts as they could, and, magnifying its powers, have called in but a very moderate degree of heat to put it in action. Although experience tells us, that the earth is full of inflammable materials, and that fires are produced wherever we defcend---although it tells us that those countries where there are volcanoes are moft fubject to earthquakes, yet they step out of the way, and fo find a new folution. Thefe only allow but juft heat enough to produce the most dreadful phenomena; and, backing their affertions with long calculations, give theory an air of demonftration. Mr. Amontons has been particularly fparing of the internal heat in this respect, and has fhewn, perhaps accurately enough, that a very moderate degree of heat may fuffice to give the air amazing powers of expansion. It is amufing enough, however, to trace the progrefs of a philofophical fancy let loofe in imaginary fpeculations. They run thus---" A very moderate degree of heat may bring the air into a condition capable of producing earthquakes; for the air, at the depth of 43,528 fathoms below the furface of the earth, becomes almoft as heavy as quickfilver. This, however, is but a very flight depth, in comparison of the diftance to the centre, and is scarce a feventieth part of the way: the air, therefore, at the centre must be infinitely heavier than mercury, or any body that we know of. This granted, we shall take fomething more, and fay, that it is very probable there is nothing but air at the centre. Now let us fuppofe this air heated by fome means, even to a degree of boiling water: as we have proved that the denfity of the air is here very great, its elasticity must be in proportion; an heat, therefore, which, at the furface of the earth, would have produced but a flight expanfive force, muft, at the centre, produce one very extraordinary, and, in fhort, be perfectly irrefiftible. Hence this force |