Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

consider, that they are totally unscriptural, will draw a comparison between a doctrine that is founded merely on the traditions of men, and that which has God for its author, and our Saviour as the grand promulgator of it to heathen nations, and who made it binding on all who are called by his name.

The mockery of amnesty that was introduced into the French legislature, has given way to milder measures, which have been introduced by the cabinet. How they may be modi fied in their passage through the houses, time will shew: but it is strange, that men who have so long been under adversity, should have so little feeling either for themselves or their enemies. They do not seem to consider, that the edge of the laws, which they now make, may be turned against themselves. But the French character remains the same, though the actors are changed. Already a club is formed much upon the same principle as the Jacobin club; and though the avowed object is the support of the throne, yet an ascendancy may be gained as fatal to the interests of the crown and people, as that which occasioned such bloody scenes in the republic. The royalists, as they are called, have much to learn. It is in vain that they attempt to bring things back to the ancient regime. They cannot destroy the people born during the years of revolution, and who have lived under the Napoleon code.

The peers of France have exercised their judicial authority in the trial of a peer, who was also marshal of France. To those who are accustomed to the solemnity of a trial by our House of Lords, the whole of the proceedings will appear to want that dignity which the occasion required. After the arraignment for high treason, examination of witnesses, and the council of the crown had advanced what they thought necessary in support of their cause, the counsel for the defendant endeavoured to repel their arguments, but were stopped when they introduced the convention at Paris signed by Wellington and Blucher. The accused, finding that he was thus debarred from defending himself upon this ground, prohibited his counsel from proceeding farther, and the court

then retired to pass its judgment on the case. The peers were not, however, unanimous. A very great majority voted for death, and the sentence was executed with very little ceremony early next morning, by shooting the criminal in the presence of a few spectators, who were accidentally in the place chosen for the purpose. How far the court was justified in refusing to admit the convention is a question on which the public at Paris is much divided, and it has given occasion for much discussion. Be this as it may, the French have still to learn the respect that is due to man, Whatever may be the degree of criminality, life ought not to be taken away, but with that degree of solemnity which tends to shew, that it is not vengeance but justice which requires the execution of the fatal sentence. The most atrocious murderer in this country is allowed two nights, and, by the intervention of Sunday, they are generally made three, to prepare for his awful change: but in France, they have been so long accustomed to slaughter, that human life is held there in as little estimation as that of a dog.

Let us hope, however, that a better spirit will gradually be infused into that unhappy country. Other nations are likely to derive some lessons of wisdom from the scenes that have taken place in it, and Germany will be among the first to improve its institutions. The dispute between the king of Wirtemburg and his subjects is carried on much to the advantage of the latter, and a constitution is likely to be settled in which the people will have some share as well as the sovereign. In this petty state, changes may be made without much difficulty. To reform Prussia is a more arduous task. Nothing scarcely could be worse than its government, if a government carried on by the military is deserving of that name.

A change is taking place in Prussia, which promises much for its future welfare. It is proposed to exchange despotism for a limited monarchy, and this with the consent of the sovereign himself. A representative government is to be established, suited to the different classes of the inhabitants of his former and newly-acquired states, The liberty

of the press, the trial by jury, and the freedom of the subject on a plan similar to that of our Habeas Corpus Act: these, with religious liberty, are to form the bases of the new constitution, and it has been ably argued, that the sovereign will be a gainer and not a loser by these regulations. This is a hard lesson for kings to learn: yet, if they would consult history, they would find that the despot is far from being in an enviable situation. He enslaves the press, and is made the dupe of his courtiers; he throws subjects at will into prison, and is ill-served; suspicion is the constant attendant on his person, which falls a sacrifice to secret conspiracy or open rebellion. Prussia owes its deliverance from the yoke of Buonaparte entirely to the people, and this may teach its rulers to think less of the army and more of its subjects. Indeed, the conduct of the French army cannot fail to have a good effect upon all governments: for the love of the people is the best prop of every throne, and miserable is the monarch whose dependence is on the support of an army.

The slave trade is not likely to recover from the decisive blow struck at it by Buonaparte. The flight of the Bourbon to Ghent was attended with this advantage, that efficacious remonstrances were made on this subject during his stay there, and our minister lost no time on his return to Paris to give stability to what had been done by the preceding govern

ment. He very properly observed, that the trade could not be revived but by an actual law upon this subject, since it was evidently abolished de facto if not de jure. The French denied the validity of the preceding law, but the determination of the sovereign was announced, that the trade should not he revived. The correspondence on this occasion has been published, and thus humanity has gained one point at least by the late commotion.

Spain complains much of the inte rest taken in our country in the fate of the patriots who so gallantly defended their own, and restored, to their own disadvantage, the return of the present sovereigu to his throne. But how can that unhappy country expect, that a nation which cherishes sound principles of liberty, should look with either satisfaction or indif ference on the measures which have blasted all their hopes of seeing liberty and religion revive under their auspices? A cloud seems to be hanging over part of the dominions formerly subject to Spain in America. A great armament has crossed the main, and it is doubtful at present, whether Carthagena has not fallen before it. In that case, torrents of blood will be poured forth, and the war will be lengthened out: but still the cause of independence is far from being hopeless; and what man of humanity can wish success to a nation, so far removed from all just ideas of religion and liberty?

CORRESPONDENCE.

Communications from Mrs. Cappe, Dr. Morell and others, are designed for the next number, the first of Vol. XI. With the same number, to face the Volume, will be given a handsome engraved Portrait of our late venerable friend and correspondent, DR. TOULMIN, in which we trust our readers will recognize the mild intelligence, simplicity and amiableness which marked his

countenance.

We have received several letters in vindication of Mr. Worthington's heresy, which we were not able to bring into the present volume, and the letters of Mr. Joyce and Mr. Evans may perhaps set the matter at rest. We are disposed to say to our correspondents on this subject,

"No farther seek his merits to disclose,"

though, in our respect for the memory of the gentleman alluded to, we do not continue the quotation, lest we should be thought to convey an insinuation which we do not mean.

In answer to the complaints of the printed circulars being sent from Greenock, the postage unpaid, we are instructed by the Unitarian Committee of that place, to apologize for this inadvertence. The practice in question is more customary in Scotland than in England. As soon as the Committee received a remonstrance on the subject from the editor of this work, they discontinued the issue of unpaid letters.

We purpose in our next number to review Wilson's History of Dissenting Churches, Mr. Cappe's last volume of Sermons, &c. and to introduce the review of Grundy's Lectures, which has been some time waiting at the Printers, for want of room.

We must defer to our next the corrections of, and additions to, the Unitarian Fund List of Subscribers. Communications on this subject may be addressed to the Treasurer or Secretary.

The next Volume will record all the proceedings in this country with regard to the persecuted Protestants in France, together with such authentic accounts of their sufferings and condition, as may from time to time reach us. In a letter to the Editor, dated Paris, the 11th inst., Mons. Marron, President of the Protestant Consistory, states, that the measures taking by the Dissenting Ministers of London produce a strong sensation in France, that our Protestant brethren are consoled and gratified by them, and that the result is likely to be very beneficial. We trust that we shall have to register numerous and liberal collections on behalf of these persecuted Christians. These public collections are a practical protest against despotism and persecution.

Having a blank space, we here insert the following Notice, which could not be brought into its proper place. NOTICE.

Mr. WORSLEY, of Plymouth, has in the press a Sermon, preached on the occasion of the death of Dr. Toulmin, in which the Doctor's character is considered rather in a political than a religious point of view, and the persecu tions are stated which he, with many others, encountered at the period of the Birmingham riots. It will be accompanied with copious notes and addenda, the objects of which are two-fold, to give a narrative of the progress of our Presbyterian societies from their abandonment of the Calvinistic and Trinitarian schemes, to the present time, when they avow their belief of One God the Father, and of one Lord, the man Jesus-and to shew, from a review of the principal manufactories of Great Britain, which were first established by the Presbyterian Dissenters, and have been improved and chiefly maintained by them, that it is to this class of its society may justly be attributed the prosperous state of England for the last half century, the great wealth of its inhabitants, and the high tone it has been able to assume amongst the cabinets of Europe and in its relations with all the world.

[ocr errors]

A

GENERAL INDEX

OF

SUBJECTS AND SIGNATURES.

The Names and Signatures of Correspondents are distinguished by Small Capi-
tals or Italic: as different Correspondents have often adopted the same signature, some
ambiguity in the references will unavoidably arise; but this is an inconvenience neces-
Barily attached to anonymous communications.

[blocks in formation]

Advantages of an Education at the
University of Glasgow

346

622-629

Africans, their minds on a level with
Europeans

208

676

Al Gazel, extract from his Logica et
Philosophica, 210 (note).
Allegories, on, 89. Voltaire's critique

on Milton's, 99. On scriptural, 154, 740

Allen, Mrs., obituary of

656

Altringham, Unitarianism at

25

Amelia, Princess, lines by

574

America, public affairs of, 62, 127,

321, 400, 531, 592, 599, 644. Uni-

tarianism in, 657, 703

764

AMICUS on Rowland Hill's tale con-

[blocks in formation]

249

Aquinas, Thomas, the angelical doc-
tor, 204
Arabian metaphysics, specimen of,
210 (note).

Argument, curious specimens of, 499, 513
Arianism, Mr. Belsham on, 418, 555.

Mr. Yates on, 476. Mr. Joyce on, 745
Aristotle, on the works of, 133

Arm, the human, described, 564.
Muscles of

Armageddon, review of the poem, 649.
Mr. Cogan on the mythology of
Arminian version of the scriptures,
32

Arminianism, a direct breach of all
the ten commandments, 497. Chey-
nell on

Agrayua, illustrations of the mean-
ing of the word, 78

Art of preaching, by R. Dodsley
Article, the Greek, see Greek article.
Articles of the Church of England on
the atonement, 84. Exposition of
the VIth and XXth, 278. Mr. Fox
on subscription to them

209

706

702

151

ib.

358

377

410

[blocks in formation]

tor

Aspland's Plea for Unitarian Dissent-
ers, extracts from, 220, 299, 418
Association, general, of the Scotch
Unitarians

ASTLEY, Rev. R., his account of the
York West-Riding Dissenting min-
isters' meeting

Atheism, Cheynell on

Atonement, Mr. Frend on, 32. Mr.
Jevans on, 33. W. J. on, 83. J.
T. H. on, 85. Philo-Biblicus on,
86. Mr. Severn on, 87, 153. Mr.
Cogan on, 144. Inquiry concern-
ing Mr. Frend's views of, 152. Mr.
Brook on, 153. Objections to the
popular scheme of, by Episcopus,
158, 217. On, 283. A Jewish
error, 415. Unitarian view of, 518.-
J. on

Austria, public affairs of

Avicenna's anatomy of the soul, 133
(note).

Barnard, Hannah, extracts from a let-

ib.

316

310

743

480

388

[blocks in formation]

391

508

499

238

737

328

of
Benedictines, anecdotes of the order
Benevolent Institution, account of
BEREUS on the case of aged Unitarian
ministers, 233. On Dr. Enfield's
Sermons, 429. Reply to an aged
Unitarian minister, ib. On Dr.
Enfield's Sermons in reply to, 490,
491. On the preaching of the
earlier Unitarians, 502. His reply
to V. F., &c. on Dr. Enfield's Ser-

[blocks in formation]

614

563

457

503

Bible Society, the, N.'s remarks on,
367-372. Bishop of Lincoln on,
382. Mr. Evans on, 418. Defence
of its supporters, 703, 724. A rev-
erend rector's proclamation against it 741
Bible Society, Auxiliary, of Norfolk
and Norwich

BIBLICAL CRITICISM, 42, 239,
568, 643, 714

Biblicus, Mr. Wellbeloved's answer

Bibliotheca Peirsoniana

Bicheno, Mr., extract from a work of
his

724

[ocr errors]

749

141

95

532

Bigotry, Mr. Phillips's description of 351
Biography, see HISTORY AND BI-
OGRAPHY.
Birds, on the eyes of

[blocks in formation]

to

[blocks in formation]

236

Birkbeck's Notes on France, extracts

652

Bastile, Mr. Fox on its destruction,

[blocks in formation]

from
Birmingham riots and Dr. Priestley,
Mr. Fox on
Birth-sin, perplexities in the doctrine

72

678

Baxter's Everlasting Rest of the Saints,

of

630.

extracts from

227

Black-Brethren, their projected pil-

Bayly, Dr. John, obituary of

762

grimage to the Holy Land

121

Beattie, Rev. John, settlement of, at
Elland

Blackford, Unitarianism at

255

594

Blackitt's library at Newcastle

618

Belfast Academical Institution, its ad-
dress to the Earl of Moira

Blackwall's account of Enjedin

430

558

Blasphemy, proceedings against Hous-

Belfast Monthly Magazine, extract

ton for

123

from

67

Blasphemy laws in America

765

Bell, Dr., M. Marron's Latin verses
on, 716. Translation of the verses
and remarks on
BELSHAM, Mr., his reply to Mr. Frend

Blucher's Oxford degree accounted

for by Brevis

358

752

Body, on the human, 36, Descrip-

tion of its mechanical arrangement,

« AnteriorContinuar »