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pany's funds noru, would be, firft, to encourage fome Dutch curers to fettle at the two villages, for the purpose of teaching the people there the true method of preferving herrings: and, fecondly, (if no aid can be obtained from Government) to apply part of thefe funds to the making and upholding proper roads between the faid villages and the Low-lands. In the prefent : Aate of the filhing trade, thefe two measures, in our opinion, are what the Company should direct is principal at

tention to.

Having faid thus much regarding what the Joint-stock Company have with the most laudable intentions done for this country, it falls next to be confidered, by what encouragements the fettlements already established by the Company, may be beft preferved during their infancy, and until full time is given to make a fair experiment of their utility.

We shall not hesitate to fay, that, in our opinion, the fooner thefe villages are left to uphold themselves by their own exertions and industry, the better for the Company and the community, Encouragements do not always produce the good effects they aim at, especially when beftowed by public bodies; although encourage ments engage the fober and induftrious, they are alfo baits for the needy, the defperate, and the idle. That induftry depends as much, if not more, upon the fpirit and difpofition of the people, as upon the encouragements held out to them, is fairly exemplified in the history of the town of Stornaway already mentioned, which has thriven and grown rich, although for a confiderable time, and till of late, in the hands of even feverity and exac tjon. At the fame time that we fay this, we are clearly of opinion, that all the individuals who are already in sited, or whom it would be prudent hereafter to invite to thefe villages, hould have liberal inducements held, eat to them, to remain or fettle there.

The offering a house and garden to a fettler gratis, may be an inducement to a wretch who rather intends to beg than work, and he will be glad of the offer without any farther encouragement; but if the Company wish for induftrious men, it must not only offer them a free house and garden, but alfo a boat, nets, &c. upon credit. Even this is not enough: The accomplishment of the Company's purpose (viz, keeping the fettlers in the vil lages) will never be brought about, unless it fhall find a market at their doors for the fith caught by their fettlers. We do not mean by this, that the Company fhould claim the pre-emption of all fish fo caught; on the contrary, the fettlers fhould be encouraged by the Company obliging itfelf to take from off their hands all fuch fifh as they cannot difpofe of, and that, not at an under, but at a medium price. Thus, the Company must for fome time be the purchafers of fish : It must do more; for, with the price fo given by the Company, to a fettler for his fifh, he cannot, in the present ftate of the villages and the country, procure the neceffaries of life; therefore the Company, to effect its purpose, muft engage itself to fupply, at moderate prices, the fettlers, at all times, for a certain period of years, with meal, butter, cheefe, fah-beef, fhocs, li nen, ready-made fisher-jackets, &c.and coals, if demanded. Coals, it will be abfolutely neceflary the Company fhould provide, for reafons we have given. Without fuch encouragements are granted to the villagers for fome time, we are of opinion the fettlements will only languifh, and at laft die. It is almoft needlefs here to ob ferve, that the Company, in its mercantile capacity, muft provide buildings for fheltering, and alfo materials for curing fuch fifh as may be fo offer ed by the fetilers, as well as ftorehoufes, for the articles of confumption we have mentioned. The Company fhould not however engage itself to

thefe

thefe conditions long. If the fishery fucceeds, and British herrings fhall open a market for themfelves, by the improvements which may be hereafter made in curing them, the confequent profperity of the villages will open refonices to the fettlers for fupplying themfelves, upon perhaps better terms than the Company could afford. Upon the whole, we are of opinion, that the Company, while it on the one hand, for the reafons we have urged, proceeds with caution, in not bringing too great a number of people into its villages, it should, at the fame time, on the other hand, grant due encouragement to thofe perfons it may be proper to bring there, to induce them to come to, and remain in these fettlements. This laft is a meafure abfolutely neceffary, being the only chance for effecting the Company's purpose in any degree at all.

But there is a great difficulty remains, viz. What is to become of such

of the fettlers as live alone by fifhing, if, unhappily (as has often been experienced,) the herrings fhould defert the coaft for fome years running. In fuch a cafe, it would be impoffible for the company to purchase their continu-` ance at the village, at the dear rate of fubfifting them upon the Company's credit all that time, in profpect of be ing paid by the after fifhings of fuch fettlers: even doing fo for one or two years, would be too great a risk for the Company to run. We own this is a very great dilemma.

The difficulty here ftated, has often employed the thoughts of the author of this paper; he has confidered it with great attention, and, after the ma tureft deliberation, he can only think of one thing, which would provide a-" gainft it: unfortunately, it is almoft impoffible to procure it its name is, The Liberality of the Government of Great Britain, to that part of the King dom called Scotland.

SIR,

To the PRINTER.

I HAVE fent you a tranflation of a most excellent letter to Queen Elizabeth, written in Latin by the celebrated John Fox, the martyrologiít. The original itfelf is but little known; and I believe a tranflation of it was

ed by the condemnation of two Dutch perfons to the flames, for maintaining Arianifm and other abfurd and heretical opinions.

never attempted, at leaft for the pub- A letter from John Fox to Queen Eli

lic eye. I am of opinion that the author carried his ideas of toleration as far as any Divine of the age in which it was written. At that time Mr Locke had not unfolded its principles, nor fettled its extent. At that time too, the Rev. Mr David WilJiams had not published his letter on "Intellectual Liberty:" and fcorn. ing what Lord Nugent once called Mr. Locke's" mingled ray," had not then blazed forth in the full unclouded splendour of meridian liberty!

The following letter was occafion

zabeth; from the Latin.

Moft ferene and happy Princefs; moft illuftrious Sovereign: the honour of your country, and the ornament of the age!

"AS nothing was more diftant from my intention then this intrusion on Majefty, fo I muft confefs that nothing ever affected me more fenfibly than the filence which I have hitherto maintained, but which the neceffity of duty now impels me to relinquith,

"I know not by what infelicity it

hath

kath happened, that which was the leaft object of my hope or my ambition, should at this moment prefs with fuch refiftless influence on my mind, I, who hitherto have walked on in Hife without molefting or intruding myfelf on any one, am now neceflita ted, even in violation of the modefty of my nature, to be importunate with Majefty itfelf-urged to this step, indeed, not by any views of feif.in. tereft, but purely by the calamities of others; which, left they should rife to a ftill higher degree, afford me an additional motive to deprecate the feverity of judgment.

"I have been informed, that with us there are fume ftrangers-Hollanders, if I mitake no:-of both sexes, who were lately cited to the bar for maintaining pernicious doctrines. Some of them have been lately redu ced from their errors, and have made the best atonement in their power for them, by a public act of penitence. The major part of thefe fectaries have been banished from this country; which in my opinion, was the moft prudent ftep that could be taken. But I am inform d that one or two are doomed to the last extreme of punithment; and (unl fs your Royal clemercy fhould interpofe) are to be devoted to the fia nes.

"In this bufinefs, two objects principally take me: the first respects the malignity of their errors; the fecond, the feverity of their punishment, With regard to their errors, I can conceive of none more abfurd and contemptible; and I prefume that every perion of common understanding muft defpife them as much as I do. For my own part, judging from the opi nions them elves, i fhould have iriagined that they were too ridiculous and inconfiftent to have gained the belief of any Chriftian wha ever. But fuch is the lot of frail humanity, that if, being deftitute of the light of the Divine Spirit, we are left to ourselves, even for the fmalleft portion of time,

we know not into what delufions we may be precipitated. But I thank God, with the warmest gratitude, that not one perfon of our country, that I can find, hath been infected with this heretical frenzy. Fanaticifm, like, this, though it ought by no means o be encouraged in a ftate, yet ought al, ways to be checked and fupprefled, by rational methods of correction.

for I

"Truly, Madam, the fires of the flake, raging with the most combustible. ingredients, have rather a tendency to throw a cloud over the underilandings, than to lay a proper refraint on the wills of the erroneous. They fuit ra ther the rigid practice of Rome, than. the gentle fpirit of the gofpel. In Rome, indeed, they had their origin. Pope Innocent the Third was the first who gave this example of cruelty to fucceeding Pontiffs, for never, till his time, had any one dared to transport the brazen bull of Fertilus from a tyrant's court to the Church of Chrift. 1 do not fay this from a delight in, or an indifference to, what is pernicious to Religion or the State, cr to en courage the errors of any perfon.→→ But I value the lives of men am a man myfelf. I would fhow fome indulgence to thefe unhappy de-. linquents; not that they may perfift. in herefy, but that they may live to renounce it. Indeed my benevolence is not limited to my fellow-creatures; the very brotes fhare in my good will, and I would gladly extend my fuc cours to the mott abject of animals. For fuch is the tende nefs of my dif pofition-perhaps I may be thought vain in thus fpeaking of myself, but I feel it to be a truth, that I can fcarcely pafs by a public butchery, where the cattle are flaug tered, without feeling a fecret uncafinefs of mind.. Hence I cannot enough admire the clemency of God, who commanded that thebeats which were devoted to facrifice foul! first be flain at the foot of the altar before they were committed to the fire. This inftance of the Di

vine clemency teaches us, that even in the most juft and neceffary punish ments, rigour fhould not be carried to its utmost extreme; but that mercy fhould always temper the ftroke of juftice.

chains and ignominious marks of public opprobrium and contempt. But the flames of Smithfield !—oh! fuffer them not, after having been extinguifhed fo long, under the aufpices of your gentle reign, to be enkindled afresh.

"Since it is only allowed me to addrefs the throne as a fupplicant in the name of Jefus, to implore the Royal mercy for the wretched, I would prefume to plead that authority (and what cannot that effect? (which Divine goodness hath conferred upon your Majefty for the protection of the lives of multitudes; and would make ufe of it as an argument in behalf of the poor delinquents-that you would in mercy fpare them, or at leaft change their fentence, and foften the horrors of the punishment to which they have been condemned. There should perifh also.” is exile or imprisonment. There are

"If this request of mine cannot be granted (which yet I would offer to your Majesty in every poffible form of fupplication) yet, at leaft, let the maternal tenderness of the Royal breaft indulge this wish,-that the execution of thefe unhappy creatures may be fufpended for a month or two, that, in the mean time, we may wait to fee whether the mercy of Heaven will reclaim them from their dangers ous errors; left, with the destruction of their bodies, their immortal fouls

O

Defeription of Mount Carmel *.

N afcending that part of Mount Carmel which projects into the fea like a promontory, one finds on the left a garden, furrounded by very weak walls, which conducts to two remarkable grottoes cut out of the rock with the chifel. Thefe grottoes are held in great veneration by the Mahometans, who confider them as the ancient habitation of the prophet Elias. They have converted them into a mofque, under the title of El Rader; in which fervice is performed by a dervise, or Turkish monk, who with his family lives in a neigh bouring cottage.

On coming out of thefe grottoes, the afcent is by a very fteep and narrow path, which in fome places is cut out of the rock in the manner of fteps; and a little below the fummit is fituated a folitary convent of Carmelite

monks. The structure of this peaceful retreat, we are told, excites equal refpect and admiration. It is indebted for its whole extent almost entirely to the hand of nature, which feems to have conftructed it in favour of rural and fequeftered virtue. The fmalf apartments and cells cleftined for the ufe of travellers, are fo many convenient grottoes, fuited to the neceffities of life. A grotto ferves likewife as a chapel to this facred place. It contains two altars, the principal of which is confecrated to the Virgin, and the other to St Elias. On the whole declivity of Mount Carmel, which divides the grottoes El-Rader from the convent, there may be feen a great number of cisterns, defined formerly for receiving the rain water. Some paces from the convent there is a folitary grotto, which the Orientals

* From "Mariti's Travels through Cyprus, &c."

are

are perfuaded was the habitation of from the proprietor one of thofe cu- · cumbers to refresh him, denounced that they should be changed into ftones. Abundance of the fame kind of ftones may be found in all the mountains of Syria.

the prophet Elifha, whofe name it ftill bears. On the fummit of the mountain are the ruins of an ancient edifice, which have hung over the cells of thefe Carmelites. They are as thick as the walls of a fortrefs. The first time that the traveller vifited Mount Carmel, he found them much higher than he did at his return. He was told by the monks, that they had demolished about nine fect in the height of them, to prevent their falling on the cells, and burying them; which might have happened by the fury of the winds, that blow there fometimes with great violence. It seems as if St Elias inbabited fucceflively every part of Mount Carmel, fince the greater part of the grettocs, fountains, and fields, are still called by his name.

After travelling five miles, there commences a valley, on defcending into which, one is ftruck with a view of a vaft space cut out in the rock, which was deftined for receiving horfes, and is capable of containing a dozen. A neighbouring fountain, which winds through the valley, threw itself into a canal cut alfo out of the live rock, and turned the wheels of a mifl at a little distance from the fea. The canal and the mill are now both destroyed; and no ufe is made of this beautiful ftream, which lofes itfelf in the neighbouring waves. A little lower, is a fecond fpring, of equally pure water, to which the good Coenobites have refort when the fummer heats dry up the ciftern of the convent.

The traveller next enters a field called the field of Cucumbers ; fo named, because it contains a great number of round ftones, the inner part of which, confifting of a fparry fubftance, has a great refemblance to the pulp of a cucumber. Oriental fuperftition confiders this lufus nature as occafioned by a malediction of the prophet Elijah; who, not being able to obtain

R VOL. XIV. No. 80.

At the distance of eight miles from the promontory, advancing towards the caft, one arrives at a certain part of the mountain, called by the Arabs Manfur, and by the Europeans the place of facrifice, in remembrance of what was done there by the prophet Elijah.

The tranfaction alluded to, is his drawing down the fire from heaven on his facrifice, to convince' the people of Ifrael of the existence of the true God, while the prophets of Baal found their invocations attended with no effect. In the neighbourhood are forty grottoes all connected together; the now-deferted refidence of the ancient anchorets of Mount Carmel.

Mount Carmel was anciently dif tinguished by the abundance of its productions, and the excellence of its fruits; but this favoured fpot is at prefent covered with nothing but forefts. It muft, however, be naturally fertile, fince various plants grow on it without cultivation; fuch as fage, wormwood, rue, hyffop, lavender, and parsley. It produces likewife many flowers, among which are hyacinths, lilies, anemones, tulips, and ranunculufes. This place, is extremely agreeable, and above all to the fportfman, on account of the number of fowls and quadrupeds with which it abounds. Among the latter are fome tygers. On this mountain there was formerly a fortress called Ecbatana. Pliny tells us that it was afterwards called Carmel, as well as the promontory on which it was built. Thefe folitary places were once the favourite haunt of Pythagoras, who reforted to them for meditation; and Vefpafian came hither to confult the oracle, which, according to Tacitus, had only one altar, without a statue or

temple.

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