pleasure in introducing him to a large circle of worthy and respectable citizens who were present. Though I am unable to continue permanently in this place, yet I trust my having arrived several weeks previously to Mr. L., has been of one advantage, if no other, that of preparing the way for his regular labors.

"This evening, February 9, has been an interesting crisis for New Orleans. A large number of persons, perhaps eighty, respectable, and many of them wealthy men, met to take measures for the erection of a church. The meeting was opened by an animated address from J. S., Esq. He was followed by Mr. E., another respectable lawyer. When he had concluded his address, nothing seemed wanting to induce the people present to proceed directly to business, and accordingly, a subscription for donations was offered to the meeting. At this moment, to the astonishment of all, Mr. D., a lawyer, who is supposed to stand at the head of the bar in this city, arose, and in a long discourse disputed the policy of proceeding directly to the subject before us, because he felt by no means certain that our efforts would not injure the Episcopal church. He therefore proposed that a committee should be appointed to confer with the vestry of that church, and report on the subject at a future meeting.

"This was an important moment. All who understood the subject seemed to be well satisfied that the period for action had come, and should the present time be suffered to pass by, it might be impossible to recover our ground. Mr. E. answered Mr. D. with all the warmth which the occasion was calculated to inspire, and the energy which the justice of his cause afforded. Mr. D. arose again, and under the pretence of withdrawing his motion, seemed to aim a more deadly blow than before. My soul had already been roused to the deepest interest, but it now became indignant. Forgetting almost who I was, or

where I was, or whom I was answering, I arose and endeavored to strip his arguments of all their disguise, by showing the inconsistency of them with facts, which I knew, and which others knew to exist. Such was the

language of the memorial sent up to the legislature for an act of incorporation, to which were annexed the signatures of some of the most influential members of the Episcopal church and communion; such was the meaning of the reiterated assurances of the Rev. Mr. H., the Episcopal clergyman, who had repeatedly expressed to me the most cordial friendship to the design, and a willingness to aid it by pecuniary donation. Nothing more was said by way of opposition, and the people soon evinced, by donations to the amount of six thousand two hundred dollars, how they estimated the objections of Mr. D. Two men subscribed one thousand dollars each.

"A motion was then made that a committee be appointed to invite Mr. Larned to become the pastor of the church, a measure I had suggested to several gentlemen, and which I requested should be adopted. Messrs. S., E., and H., were appointed that committee, and the meeting adjourned to next Monday evening.

"Sabbath, February 15.-Early this morning accompanied A. H., Esq. to the hospital, with the view of making arrangements to preach to such of the sick as could understand English. The first room we entered, presented a scene of human misery, such as I had never before witnessed. A poor negro man was lying upon a small couch, apparently in great distress; a more miserable object can hardly be conceived. His face was much disfigured; an iron collar, two inches wide and half an inch thick, was clasped about his neck; while one of his feet and part of the leg was in a state of putrefaction. We inquired the cause of his being in this distressing condition, and he answered us in a faltering voice, that he was willing to tell us all the truth.

"He belonged to Mr., a Frenchman, ran away, was caught, and punished with one hundred lashes! This happened about Christmas, and during the cold weather at that time he was confined in the cane-house, with a scanty portion of clothing, and without fire. In this situation his foot had frozen, and mortified, and after having been removed from place to place, he was yesterday brought here by order of his new master, who is an American. I had no time to protract my conversation with him thren, but resolved to return in a few hours and pray with him. We next visited the main apartment, appropriated to American subjects,* and I proposed to preach to them at 12 o'clock, provided it would be agreeable to them. Many of them answered at once, that nothing would be more gratifying. Some were confined to their beds, others were just able to walk about, and others still were sinking under the decrepitude of age. I only regretted that I had not visited them before, and I now determined to preach to them at least every Sabbath while in the city.

'Having returned home, I again visited the hospital at half past 11 o'clock, and concluded first of all to pray with the poor lacerated negro. I entered the apartment in which he lay, observed an old man sitting upon a couch, but without saying any thing, went up to the bedside of the negro, who appeared to be asleep. I spoke to him, but he gave me no answer. I spoke again, and moved his head, still he said nothing. My apprehensions were immediately excited and I felt for his pulse, but it was gone. Said I to the old man, 'surely this negro is dead.' 'No,' he answered,' he has fallen asleep, for he

* On the northern and western frontiers of the United States, the phrase American subjects is in common use, denoting citizens of the United States, of English descent, in distinction from Canadians, Frenchmen, &c.

Not an eye had

had a very restless season last night.' I again examined, and called the old gentleman to the bed, and alas, it was soon found true that he was dead. witnessed his last struggle, and I was the first as it should happen to discover the fact. I called several men into the room, and without ceremony they wrapped him in a sheet and carried him to the dead house, as it is called.

"At 12 o'clock I preached to the sick and maimed in the hospital, from these words, Behold, now is the accepted time,.&c. •They were very attentive and solemn, and several who were lying in their beds wept very much, wiping their eyes with the sheet, or hiding their tears under it. I never witnessed a more affecting combination of circumstances than I have seen this day. I assured the sick they should be indulged with preaching on every Sabbath while I was in town.

"At four, P. M., attended the meeting appointed for the colored people, and after Mr. McC. had preached, I delivered an address, and prayed. Many of the poor creatures wept copiously. There were not less than two hundred present.

"February 16.-This evening a considerable number of citizens convened to perfect their designs for the erection of a second protestant church, and to hear the report of the committee. It appeared that the subscription had advanced to ten thousand and some hundreds of dollars, all given as donations, and there is a prospect of its being extended to fifteen thousand dollars. It was stated that an invitation had been presented to Mr. Larned to become pastor of the new congregation, and that he had accepted it.

"Sabbath, February 22.-This morning at 7 o'clock visited the hospital to make arrangements for divine worship. The first room I entered, presented a scene inde

scribably shocking. In the middle of the floor lay a
dead white man, partly covered with a sheet.
In one
corner, a miserable looking old man lay on a couch which
rested on the floor, and in still another part of the room,
a mulatto woman supposed to be insane, who was one of
the most complete specimens of misery I ever saw. She
was sitting upright upon a mattress, and had nothing to
cover her but a single blanket, which was filthy enough,
one would suppose, to produce putrefaction and death.
She is a creole of one of the West India islands, and has
been living with a Frenchman in this city, and now she
is deserted by every earthly friend, and is no doubt mak-
ing a rapid descent to the grave, and probably to a misera-
ble eternity. Such was the view which this single room
furnished. The floor was covered with dirt, and the
remains of broken furniture scattered in wild disorder.

"Perhaps there are in all, forty or fifty residents in the hospital, of every variety of character and nation, and wasting under every variety of disease and infirmity. Many of them could read, and expressed the strongest desire to be furnished with Bibles or Testaments, and religious tracts.

Having left them for a short time, I returned at 10 o'clock with Mr. H., and the Rev. Mr. McC., who had consented to preach to such as could be assembled in the marine department. We took with us a considerable number of Bibles, Testaments, and tracts, in the English, French, Spanish, and Italian languages, and distributed them to the poor, sick and dying tenants of this house of misery. They were exceedingly delighted, and immediately began reading aloud in different languages the wonderful works of God.' The scene would have been a luxury to any benevolent heart. One poor man, a native of Sicily, could neither understand English, nor read Italian, his native tongue. Mr. H. therefore, read to him