vol. VI, No. .22.--Whole No. 291. Voittvg., Our Best Friend. BY M. B. M. litialtßrililt Friend I Heavenly Friend! Hai sweet when days are dark, When starr,as arise, to fly to Thee, Our eheitsr, guad our ark. How sweet to bear :Thy gentle voice, 'Above the tempest's rage; How:sWeet to cusp Thy guiding hap 4, Through all our pilgrimage. Ileavenly.Frieudl. Heavenly Friend The Mends yve ,trust below, May lea;re'us in the bitter hour - Or'lleverty and woe. - • •• Let bit auepioion'a tainted breath, Or elandeee poisoned dart; - lama 7,03; and their lnockiak scorn, Falk leadon on our heart. Ifeekenly Friend 1 Heavenly Friend ! It`is not so with Thee: Thy little ones, dear Lord; are Thine To all eternity. Firm as the everlasting hills, end sweeter day by day— Thy loie . and ihithfulness increase, Thy grace bath fuller sway. 14avonly Frie►ad 1 Heavenly - Friend! Thy goolioens who can tell? We thank ThAe for this pleasant Earth, Thin Beulah where we dwell ; We thank Thee for the tented skies, Fi fbrests green and wide; And for all the paths by which we climb, Dear Saviour to Thy side. heavenly Friend! Heaven Friend l This Earthly home is fair, And all our lives are jewel decked, With tokens of Thy care. But blessed be Thy ho7y name, We have a jiome on high: And death is but the outer gale To that bright upper sky. Heavenly Friend l Heavenly Friend l We thank Thee most of ali -, l'or-Thy daily life when here below; For Pliate's Judgment Hall ; For weary bearing of Thy cross: For mournful Calvary ; And for Thy rising from the gave, As raised we hope to be. geavenly Friend! Heavenly Friend 1 What wilt Thou have us do? Oh I let us toil in Jesus' name, With courage ever new. Thrice bles , el, if one little child, Pim Satan's bondage freed, Shall find our deer Immarittel, A. friend, in time of need. 13roolclipt Dec. 3d. 1861, CHEWS IRON .SCEPTRE. TH.Ion. and heavy have the blows of Christ's iron ,seeptze 044 n-o n MI of Sum teli, the rapid secession of 'the Southern States, the plunder of our mint and arsenals, the capture of our fortresses and navy yards, the treacherous betrayal of our ships and soldiers by our slaveholding officers, the dis °leisure of our cabinet secrets by confidential sectaries, the cowardly inactivity of one of our.Oeuterals, the reckless blundering of an drimkenness Of a third, followed by 'the shameful defeats at Bethel and Bull- Run, and the demoralization and dispersion of an army' of 50,000 men, while the Capi tol is heseiged by an overpowering, force in front, and Baltimore is in a state of growl ing insurrection in the rear ; and all carried on by slaveholders, and by slaveholders alone, and avowedly for the support and ex tension of slavery, and mainly by the aid and support' of their slaves, mark the crime so plainly upon the punishment that none. save those who are judicially blinded can doubt that slaveiy is the cause of God's con troversy with our nation. Our 'accomplices in e,rinie are now inflicting our punishment.' And .now that their rebellion has placed them under the ban of outlawry, and that by their own act thoy- have placed - themselves beyond the preiteetion of the Constitution, and by their treason forfeited both property and life, wad where policy no less than prin 7 otple imperatively demands that we deprive them of "the indispensable help their slaves afford, and avail oureelves of their assistance in conquering the rebels, and where the war power .of the Commander-in-. Chief is indis putably proved to reach the emancipation of the tikqeSr•--it, -might he' supposed that our. Chief Itagistra,to and theAuttionwould eager ly embrace he occasion and,proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof.' 'But strange to sar the President, influenced:-by , leading pOlitiCians ' fearing Kentacikor, e 'rettlier ,tleiiti:-Goct,.still huge the. viper wirtob..has, st f ung(nsy and, directs oar Generqa tesprotect and guard it. The slave, holders are f gbting Or the prote.e . tioa slam if end,t,he.peopie of, the .lsTeeth, it seems / 0 4SO ta,prO D pet .P3o,thoTtgli. the tuition` penis in the glorious cause. President Davis promises to protect slave holders , ate the reward of their rebellion, and Preoideit.Linook assures them that: be twill' PrAtect tb.eir slave property, whether thPY ate, loynter net ; and assn4es stile werld ,that • this is ,not . .a war for etßAnCipation, and ; Ke peah th'e_proglamation of Fremont cmaiiici; pitting slifved - ,ef rebels. But ho that ,sitteth in the heavens laughs at tliiaoolishleatiing to oppression, add an !were the :Preacdenee letter in his oWn way by the defeat Bud. surrender of the bravest, column of: our army witlats arms, fortresses and treasure, in the same week on whichibe, Preedetelit's letter Was published- Row long wpttliiii vain contest with the Lord. of Rests be 'earn' en? - How ntany more defeats. from the i!rlaveholdera mast - we. receive before we. see4rthit'• slaVery is the moral foe of the. nation, the eitusikif the ourie Gad upon our armlet:Cl Igestme be driven to, the delft extremity . fitt .derapar vret we. loose , our grasp of the. iitantiofrgeppuession Shall it be re cooled 111 Vod's boOk, and the world's re maliktraited, the 'United States of America. would not ~confess the • sin of,,oppaession, and tumfrotnit until their Capitol in, ames, their soil invaded by a fo reign foe, their cities plundered, their •coun sels divided,. and riot and anarchy raging in , their• streets ) unable to dofend-their own lives or property, much less to keep the slavekiifi ,Banner of the aroma. bondage, they. were constrained to beg the assistance of the race they .had, „se may abus'ed, and reluctantly to grant liberty to the negroes as the last wet r ipon to protect themselves against slavery? If such shall be the record of the occasion of emancipation in our land, what think you will be its result.? Will God accept our re pentance when it comes, not from any sor row for our sin, or.a desize,to obey His law, but forced by the pressure of a military ne cessity ? In this. case we do not even offer the 'hollow hypocrisy of professing sorrow for our crime: we declare we love it so well that we will hold on to it to the last extremity. For in_ all the reasonings which we see onthe sabjeat, the advocates ; of emancipation plead no higher reason for it than a military ne cessity, to prevent the destruction of the nation. "There cannot be the slightest doubt that, if such a necessity his not yet arrived, it will come. The 'Lord Jesus has come forth with his iron -sceptre, and, hia blows will not cease to fall on. our nation till llehashrpken every yoke ' and compelled us to let the op pressed go free "llecanse ye have upt hear kened to Me to proclaim liberty every man to his brother, behold, I proclaim a liberty to you, saith the Lard, to the sword, to the famine, and to the pestilence, and. ye shall be. removed. into all themations of the earth." Jere. xxxiv :17. Emancipation through:mili tary necessity came too late to save. Mexico from - anarchy, Rome from plunder, Greece from subjugation. Let, too, the baseness of Egypt's - present degradation, and the soli: tude of Eabylpn's desolation, be 'a warning to you, people of America, how you insult the Lord by adhering to slavery till com pelled to relinquish it by military necessity. Dream not that you are beyond the range of that iron sceptre which has broken down so many Christian nations. Can your oceanic harriers secure you against invasion ? The ocean has proved the highway of the nations which peopla your prairies, and, may furnish as ample an entrance to those who shall make them desolate. Let the, vain-glorious boast, that famine can never reach us on such vast range of territory and variety of soil and cli mate, be rebuked by the awful.; sterility of the great American desert. TRW deserted copper-mines,. the vast fortifications, the, si lent-pyramids where their builders sleep, the giant trees which have grown for millenniums over the ruined cities of a nation once mighty and populous in the valley of.the Mississippi, but now so utterly forgotten that neither red man nor white can tell whence they came, or how they perished, are God''s Solemn warn ings to us that we inhabit a land where other ungodly nations have perished - from the way--,in the very midst of their coin mem, their agriculture, their manufactures, their idolatry, their oppression,, their pro gress toward their. manifest destiny—when. Messiah's wrath :was:kindled but .a little. How terrible, then, shall he the doom of the Christian nation which, in the fabe of the broad day-light of the Gospel, and with loud boasts of liberty and freedom on its lips, shall determine to continue the patron and protector of the worst form of the oppression of God's ehildren„while insultang ryWritial professi ons (W .- worship ? ri7r" by our profession of His worship, we identify. Him. with our cause, and bind, gin, if He has any regard for His Utter, to.clear Himself of complicity with our iniquity, by signal and exemplary judgments. There have been times of ignorance and long suffering when God winked 'at the op pressions of nations; hut now the Lord will cut short his work in righteousness, for the day of the world's redemption draw;th. nigh. Jogs, anointed of God to, proclaim liberty to the captive, and, the opening of the pri son to them that are bound';-to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, has come forth on his glorious mission. The weary oppressed na tions of. the earth hoar the tramp of the 'armies of heaven who follosv Him, and- lift up their heads with joy. Down-trodden Po land rises' on her hands and knees ; Hungary tries to wrench off her shackles ; Italy awakes with mighty power and shakes off the yoke of despots. The slaves of Turkish tyranny ob tain the promise, and look for the fulfilment of deliverance. The Jew turns his face again .to the rubbish.of- .7,len- and, even Spain de clares that the touely.t;f her :soil is emanci pation; and the Autocrat of Ruse% strikes off the fetters of twenty millibies of slaves. Alone amid `the` nations; America stand's-for ward as the champion of slavery, and forbids the progress of the: chariot of Messiah, save over -her crushed and. expiring.posver.' Shall the hope nflaistory be disappeinted ? Shall the, oath of God be falsified, and the King dom of .heaven. be turned, , back by such an obstacle ? No ! thunders the sacred oracle, " He shall judge the poor Of the people, and save the children of the needy, and break in pieces the oppressor." " Repent ye, for the „Kingdom of Heaven is at hand;' Let all men,: then, adore our Almighty Re deemer, and hasten to submit to His blessed, reign. he shall take the uttermpst parts of the. earth for His possession, and send forth Tis law of universal love, Trust in Vim, ye down-trodden bondsmen. If iho oath of God be not a tifSettryotral tfie 'worttri false delusion, the day of liberty, equality, and fraternity shall soon dawn upon all man kind, the earth shall be filled with the. glory "of :the Lord, men :shall be bleised in Jesus, „bod, a& nations shall call. Him blessed-- •A en.. 11. - —Banner of the Covenant. PROOF-READING AND -PROOMEADERS. As a great.many pereons.think it is a very cosy: thing to " read proof," and therefore A xe greatly astonished at the, to them, unac countable blunders that are a ; and as a proof-reader is the recipient of a. great many - 4 wisties" and "blessings," of a very eqUi• vocal character, we -propose, for their infor mation, to consider the difficulties connected with, this task, and the qualifications neces iary for its efficient discharge. To be a good proof-reader requires two .;;hings which are rarely found in perfection in.any one person, and, which- tis> next to ;impoesible to do at otte,,setd 441 t& me time. lie must have an eye , qui,nk l at, detecting blun ders in spelling,,and: jukment to perceive errors in grammar, punctuation, and style of expression and, composition. Now let, any one try to do both of these at once, and he will then know how difficult it is. The state ett mind 'necessary ler each is so' (Efferent, PHILADELPHIA, THU*' lAY t i . . ANiTARY 307 1862. that, when we are attending to lone; we are almost sure to forget the, other. Or, let a person try :to do first one and then the other, and he will ascertain that he cannot at plea. , sure control the operations of his mind, and that he is much better at one than_ he is at the other. To read an article over, and con- . fine our attention altogether tothe oithogra-. phy. of the words contained therein, without any regard to their meaning or .'position, might ensure perfect accuracy in that parti cular, but how many of• our readers think they could do it ? Did it possess any merit whatever, we fear that, having begun with this intention, they would, before they had finished, become so interested in its contents, that they -would entirely forget what they had set out to do. But .this latter- state of mind is the one Whioti is the; most favorable for correcting mistakes, which would destroy the benee i :lfit 'roar , theipeanty of the coinpo sition. Thin it is evident'. that inorder to' ensure perfect accuTacy, two perscins are needed, , and these of .difforent tempqamepts and qualifications. , To perform the hrst part, namely, the de- tection of .errors in orthography, requires no great intellectual endowments but, rather a coarse Of 'training similar to that by which a broker can -tell; almost 'at a single glance, whether a bank note which is offered to him is either genuine or counterfeit. It demands also an amount of patience and self-command which are possessed in' the requisite de gree, only by those who are characterized by that peculiar constitution called phlegmatic. One who was nervous and excitable could not confine himself to anything so mechanical for any length of time. He would soon become wearied, or carried off 'by what he was peru- sing. _ The second part, as a matter of course, can not be done without a good knowledge of the syntax of the English language, its idioms, and the rules which govern composition. iith out it, it is impossible, to rectify whatever may be wrong in this respect. This very education, however, indisposes a person, in-a great measure for the performance of the other part, 'and- makes him liable to allow mistakes therein to piss unnoticed, on fic count,9f4iis wholly to draw ;off :hi& attention' from those things which-pertain 'to literary, merit. From these statements we thin it is evi dent that the writer, of an article, while he would very readily perceive any errors of the second class, on account of the deep interest which a person takes in his own production, would, for this very reason, be more liable to overlook those of the first class. Hence, too, anything which =from its -nature does not excite the feelings, - or absorb the attention, is, from this circumstance, more likely to be "read correctly - . than Onmething,of an oppo site character. And, further, when one per son, which is sometimes the case has to cor rect both these classes of li mistakes, it neces sarily follows that neither of them will be attended to properly. We have been led intathis train of thought, by the of consideration manifested by the authors of manuscripts, when any errors occur in their printing. Were'these persons 7 ,-.44lt.a.vgb„ m ag nzontam ad hot/damn is renominated by logi- cians a fallacy—to become proof-readers for a short time, and hear all their oversights complained of, and trumpeted in their ears • from day to day,. bythose who felt themselves aggrieved, we' think they would: ever after wards manifest some degree of Christian charity, for this muCh,abused class of per sons. When the miserable hand-writing of many persons, and the close resemblance of many letters of- the alphabet, and a non familiarity with the manuscripts; and..many other things are:talien into consideration, we will all, we think, endeavor hereafter to quell our uprisings of anger when we see some let ter wrong, or some sentence spoiled., There is nothing, we know from experience, so vex atious as to see a piece of composition, upon which we have bestowed considerable pains; mutilated, and . its, effe . ct thereby destroyed or greatly lessened: but let us ever reinem, ber that this world is not peopled With a per fect race...of -- heings, and that, with all our improvements and inventions, it is still true, Hantanwn est .errare. —Bannero f the Covenant. THE MARTYR BOOMANOA. MOGRAPHIGAL sKFrcH OF REV. G. N..GORDON THE leading facts of our lamented mis sionary's brief career are, fresh in tie memory of the Church ; his name needs no monument, his character 'nfi - entogy ; but it will not be amiss to devote l a few pages.of 'Record to a short Sketch ok his life and labors—that Writer and, readers together may indulge without blame, a pleasing pain, and enjoy the benefit of contemplating the heroic self devotion, and the glorious death of an earnest follewer of our blessed Redeemer. George Nichol Gordon was the fourth son of Mr: John Gordon,. of Ctuscumpec, Prince "Edward Island. He vras born• on the 21st July,. 1822. His- parents- being firm and. honest Scottish Presbyterians.and consistent- Chtistions, Giporge aqt . O. -the othoo.44l,ren Ire.rtrircurr-tlpzi , fi - rat-da,;fflaly-oft- intellect irairk‘ci. up in the fear of God, and taught to love and study his word. The schools of Cascnmpec were wretched, as most of the remote coun try-Schools were aluarter of :a=century ago, and the early education-of 41r. Gordon was meagre epough; but indomitable. persever, ance , compensate& in a :large - degree-for the lack-of those facilities which arenow within the reach of the rising,generation. Till:the twenty-second year of his age he labored on his father's farm. Ile then pro cured a farm for himself and worked on it diligently for four or - fivlS years. In the meantime his religious impressions, which were marked and strong from his boyhood, deepened into burning earnestness; and he could not. content himself without doing some thing for his Saviour. No sooner was his house erected than he opened. it for social prayer :meetings; and on week evenings,. winter and summer, when the toil of "the day was over, he would there; with congenial spirits, pour forth his heart to. his God . ; and he. frequently held. similar meetings in the houses, of such of his neighltdd , wel come! bis presume in , his Mastethr name. Finding his strength. insufficient for: the heavy labbrs of a new farm he was induced to try tichoo.l teaching, lie was but a few months engaged at this work, when the Com mittee of the CharlottetoWn Bible Society eligagedlim as a colporteur. This was con- gSnial - work, and , i .:' ,--; ieiloolc - it_ 'with alacrit.y, , and :perto is 4,:',1 - -; -'lllb;4liteiitti . ik home missionary and. *file distributor ' , kith characteristic hearth*, " zest, and :energy. WWlo,thuLeelploYed; I*. attracted ,the atten4. , tion of , Captain.giisbar".W. Toieutenant-Plea- - coek, .gentlemen who hefriended,.hita . and of . whom :he always, spoir,e,in terms of admire, tien, ' Us' spent the, - ,Aele sinniner of 1850 in visiting ; the most dos Lute on the, island,,'foriaing:§abbath - Seheois, distribut ing traets, holding 'rely oizs inotirigs; aid rn' many cases, instructin :the- ignorant . froni. house .to house.' . His . :rs were *leased; especially among the jt man Catholic pap lationt:for whose - welfa e,and spiritual erLL:, lightenment : he always . tertained ; Ow Aiaep-: / eat solicitude. . - .,..`i :-. . . : . , Thus brought into 9 *d i with . the world he 'felt keenly 'that his I I . ted education-was a 'Serious barrier : ~0 141 : iieefabiess,- and' 'lie' determined to. CoMe.ta iiia Scotia with - _ the. view of attending titq . ., iton Aviv:lathy, his : attention hairing, been r,', l lotto: Vat ifigtitu- Lion:-by kind Baptiat:f,- 1 1 ip _,.:* - RaitmerEd , - . : t„. Ward Mend. - Tie ,ba I i ---... 4 f- a,simall coast • ;23 , :` ... ';le,!_,. _night - ',after night 4lii.,rin - g" - tinitedign - 4#44.belaterous - pain :. Sage, sought the el.4iov .41fip and - another of the convenient. har:;,i; 4 . i .r if our Taster* shores. At all these' lls.-bots . 111r*. '6Oldan landed and busied hiniOlf, ?with distributing bibles and tracts, and'4ciresaing on'the soli - . ject - of religion sueh : _pe.aitle as he could mak& aroond, him. .Early.i*Xervetnher 4.851 he ‘, landed- in this city, a*,,alaltrangerintend.-. ing to remain two or tig• slays and len pro, ~ , . _ ,...,... -. ceed to Horton. - ' :' . :7 I, , .- - * Happily, in the' Roiii4fitg House Where - he went to lodge, he :Mei : Stveral of the'_ 'Free Church Students, whet4resentedto himthe advantages of remitg .7nthe -city and prosecuting his studieCk - the Free •church College. He at oneetifePtedtoremain and give Halifax a fair pikt. He now seemed eager to be qualified fog - eaching -the gos pel, that he might, do w lay in his power to save the nadtitudes 1 , t 124,,AftW perishing" f all around'him. He I c . nienced the, study ,of the English and tlt, i lAatin Grammar at the same time, and wtlyliarticiilii. :fate to get 'at the Greek ,N . 4. - Tuairtamerit... Theo fogy also he would `lirWge.,,,inkti., „.without an hour's delay Besideshe litdrary unit Phil: Usophical classes Attar, Professor - Lyall, he attsnded - Professer: IP:iis lectures and was greatly delighted :with them 7 . - :-they threw light on so many paSsiges`of Scripture and cleared away all hiAcliffleulties relatipg to the Evidences of ChriAanisy. Often, even after reaching Errottie ', he expressed - his deep sense of gratitude - ,s.;the manner in which the doctrines „of the - Ble.ivereNnfolded,to his mind in his CA" days- in this city. 0 1 Though his early_ ed :` tion was extremely limited,' so diligently„ 'd he labor, and so 1, great was his aptitud iN tfOr learning, that, in the space of five years' hii.with not only a good English scholar, Vet had made very respectable progress is ;Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and in everyotepartniene of a. libe: ral education. When lie entered-the Free' Church College, his at .- ments were scarcely above the average of f. .6:sand mechanics ;. in,.. --foro..leari .40,-weitie: -thsii,ittporta. , tit branches not much behind theforemost ranks of our students. He obtained a portion of his theological education in the Seminary - of the Presbyterian Churcli of Nova -Scotia; but ke always regarded file Halifax College as his alma mater. He was an earliest ad vocate for the union :Of. the Presbyterian Churches, and exemplified in his, conduct the feelings re professed tOniotairt. He prayed for union, and expressed his ..firm belief, that it would in dye 'tittle If accOmplished. He was very anxious that tWrine Church should undertake a Mission th;the -New Hebrides. News of the consuin 'nation of our glorious union, the happy answer- to the. prayer .of faith, reached Erromanga a, , few days before his death, .We can-almost see his eye-spar kle with delight at the-tidings. :,, From the he landed here, and while pursuing, his studies - With exemplary: dili gence, he deveteda 1a,4 portion of histime to visiting the poor,' ' Sick, and the indi gent, without respect,of ,color or ' creed 'Three, and sometimeur, hours of every day in. the week were deictedto thiswerk--. reading the Scriptures ; engaging in prayer, distributing tracts, relieving distress—and all this done spontaneously. and gratuitously. A year of this toil too ranch even for his iron constitution, apecially as he lived in the humblest, plainest, and *tweet style possi ble; that he- might keetkitlear of debt and at the same time: ave something to bestow' on. poor, who; were'- ever. near his. heart., 'Mental and physical tension such asithis was more than he could endure, and he was laid aside for two months with typhoid fever. He recovered, and thongh,he was, as, faithful as ever he ,was_more cautious anti learned more disthictly the limit of his strength and endu rance. During the long:illnas to which we have , already referred - Mr.4ordon thought deeply and. prayerfully on his ditty as iregar: dedthe Foreign Missionfield ; . =don 'May 10; 1650, he offered Itiniselfoisa Missicarary::to the South. Seas. L.i.... -- ' 3,- His serviees.:lnebeen:ae.cepted. by the. Beard he gainortlitigenen:te-fit himself for, the" Ni-hit-,7 - gre -- -wasc. - heady a ca4enter, he. could build a house 'aW:prepare all the-ma terial; He now learned' to• Wield the black: smith's , hammeri - the shoeitaker's awl,- the tailor's. needle. =He alio studied medieine with= much success under Dr. Parker, and the. knowledge ; thus gainedlte found of essential service in thn Mission-field - HeJlearned to set type, 'make ilpaform,. and work thehand. press in the Witness atice. He was licensed to preach the Gospel, by the Presbytery of Halifax, on the 16th' of May, 1855. He theii Visited-nearly all the congregations of the Prabyterian Church of -Nova Scotia; addressing' large and attentive audiences with,great ' fervor and, eloquence. , Tie was ordained in-:the - ,West; River-Church ,on Wednesday,,the 12th. of September,,lBss; and on the night. of -Thursday, the 15th of October, he bade a last farewell to Nova SCotia. No one ever left, hoine, friends and Country more cheerfully for, his Mastei's sake ; yet' he felt-that he Was making a great, an, overwhelming sacrifice; for hisheart - was sensitive: and. his feelingii.tender as a child's. fßutthrough4the steentfltlnf his faith, hope :and love, he , overcarttei--41ime and Foreign : Record (Halifax) : There, is nothing of any value but, the love of Grog, ,and the, acoomplislunent, of his will ; which i pure, suhstantial happiness ; joy that no man taketh froth us. Wadr" , ottewi r LETMiltelliotANealff ire;t4e:Alitors of the New York Evening Post::,----Good deeds,s eften 'continne -to .bear • I / &nit - long, after they are fergotten_ by their diiefs.' Aliout:se*Sifinonths Igo I applied .at your Office Counter for a grant of your dailY issues to the xeginient -With which, 'as Chap lain; I was abort. o start for the&setit of war:' The .application was.; generously granted, and , the 7,ese Ver:k Evening Pot, bas ever since been, a , most welceme.yisiter.to our camp,: In the tents of effieers and privates, in the hos-- pilaf, on the distant piCket its , columns of 1 3lie..latett newls,with4onrown Sound, Cower,- ' viitiVe, yet ChaPpllV':pregreSsive comments,, tife earlylretieiire 'aid Make their Mari. ! As said, you are progressiVe, but - ram inclined to thiuk,yea would , be-more-so could you see and,heaf what I have, seen and heard during the hint few filikitlis. The Washing , ton lf4hibli&iiii, 'reently published a series' Of :extras 'from = the speeches ^ and letters of emineetViitinians, going to= slio* that. the rdssire for :freedom: is, universal among the sts4l,ol4:?One3 , Of LlZW;(*fila servation,..correboratixe of, these as'sertien,s. Ili' a , lopg converspiqn witha smart intelli gent negro, whose Miitresilit treated him almoselike a pet •aild, aliOiving hiii - i to be far distant from her, earning' his own. wagss, -he told me that be,fere the occlipation of Alex andria by our troops the secessionists thought ,of arming their elavea.' The fear of their-turn ing their .arms against their masters preVen ted this- and, said the "boy " while his beam ing eye lent probability to words, "they :would' have done so." . ' 1 - Another instance: I fell in with, a slave who had married. a female Slaire of S. Cooper, fornaerly Adjutant-General *United States army, and resident on the heights back of Alexandria. This slave is a noble-looking man, ,perfectly black though-he , is. liehas quite a ,patriarchal . appearance. To give you some :idea pfhis energy and general cdpadity to "take care• of himself " let me give you a touch 'ofhisto ry ,lus late . • nen our troops occupied Alex-andria, he was hi?ed -- by fi'iluisii . esio'aniati iii' andria, at'sl2s a year, I think. * His family were on the Cockper place, some three' miles from Alexandria... Ile induced his employer - -- a - staitiehtnion maul -to`take $2;50 per week, and "let him be with his. family." liavina- once, obtained -his liberty be peddled pies, etc. so diligently and so _successfully among our troops that he paid his $2 50 per Week, netted $l2 per week besides, months ago ,,- -had enough laid up to . '" carry his family through the - winter;.even if the troops should move away." - This - man Was brought •up in the' Cooper wgia 5n00d... - the utmost liberty of speech- to his .masters among 'the mai - 1y other favors then , " very kind treatment,' - which he fully aCknoidedg,ed. 'Not-Withstand ing all this he longed for freedom. -Tgivo*the:folloWing dialogue on ari thority • ' - • H.Snaibal—rlYtassa, _you treat me . very kindly,. but I wish I was free: Mast r—Why„ you foolish fellow, you're' ma,ssa, t,bere's your pet squirrel; you may treat' him kindly, give him all the nuts and 'feetiona-ry you can; but the moment the eage- - dootis-open'ho is' lf for the Master—Well, .you ought to. 'know better than a brutee beastlike Hannibal—l think dp 11assa. While we were talking, his little son, an ure'hin some five or six, years of age, full of life and affection, ran, up and hid his face in his father's Tap. The father gently laid his hand-'Oll the boy's head, as he remarked with a genuine - paternal feeling, evidently deep, "1 AUL a slave, but I hope for something bet ,ter for this boy." The scene and 3vords touched me deeply, and I exclaimed., "So do I." And shame on the American citizen—l had almost said, curses on the recreant to the glorious principle Pf the great Decla,ration— ,whp is not read to ; hope . for, .yiprk4or.,hy vote and voide, ay - e,'anTif need be, to Sanr for that "something better" for the young slaVes of our 'land. ' Let us hope that Providence has given this generation of loyal. Americans the exalted mission of illustrating the " glittering , genera- - slides " of our : forefathers , with Japre glorious .specialities of liindred,l4nd. And let us fear, leit we illustrate . the words of the an ,oient prophet—" The people ,that`., duty not uridbisfina l shall • h couldl sadden my - etter with instances where • injustice and cruelty` had 'tent, their' 'aid to s:tiimilate the natural aridinextingliieh able thirst fonfrendorn. But °l' forbear; only repeak With's hearty - amen.? 'the sad: ex clamation of aa'intelligent quadroon. woman in this Imighborhood. , .She had been relating to mean outrage committed slave Alexandria, yeplied, tc I Lope - a better state of things is coming, and now near." Al4i , ..bifoke oat with %Nese }wordap cil-hope ii, for lithium _poor, fiook liesit has , slavery broken,." . .Heights b4indAlexaMlria, fan. ,6,,1,862. BIKES ANIVTRACTS tHltik* TILE followirkg :Very interesting letter from shanghai, has beenicindly 8 . 64 to for polp licationly the Rev. R.. PatteoolLOr Chieago. .The writer,who was fOrmerly a member of P' Mr. s Sbath- school; iwgow the Stitterfn tendelit of the O. S. -Preaj.teriitn • Missimi ,presszin , China. S;IAWOUAJ, .May .18, 1861. My DBAR, MR.,PATTERSON: I will In this letter try snfl give „you. some little accountof 'things in a missionary point of view. I he- - Here the more firmly the longer I live here, that thorn is no other couritry in the world equal to China as a mission field,uildi that' of all instrumentalities thee,fdr,, pronibtion of Christianity, the-circulation of the Borrl)tureti' ,and , tracts is the g &test. -This- will . not appear. .strange when - we consider-how-few the voice of the missionary can , reach, and. what jittle influence a. foreigner, sp caking in broken accents, can exert over a people of so proud -a nature as thee . Chinese. Consider AC, vast population of China, over one third the human rce, and 'hOw few missionaries - are here now, or . likely to come hereafter. But a book written-in-Chinese is understood in allp,arts of Chins as,well as in Japan, Cochin China * , Siam, many other places in the test, and'lle Chinese-ale 17teadflig'• petzo; - and `Atteive" Nob -. awl tractsrwithgreatest eagninets. Bilddhista is the' pnly , religion .that has received - popUlar support to any great degree, and it has spread .itseif more by the distribution of beaks' and tractathan perhaps in any other. way. One day I Went but to distribute some tracts, along the street, but as I distributed' into eifery place 'went, the people were busy reading a - tract which upon eiamination I found to, be a "Buddhist tract, and that - a priest had beerradong just before ine distribu, tiug them. Very many cases occur of those who be come Christian's receiving their first impres sions of Christianity frow reading a book or tract. I could 'tell - you, if I had room, many eases With which you Would be greatly inter; ested: You are aware that it was a tract falling into the, hands of that great fanatic, the insurgent Chief, that gave him his know ledge of Christianity. His cousin, who is now his prime minister, once an assistant' of the London MIS*II3 AAA still, believed to be, a ,Christian man, ,received his -first know ledge ef - C'liiiStiariity: from the same tr,act;,a traiiiittt4 ft FS S:aidty ihefiVirtthrit44:4l became 'Cbilibtiaii 'according 'Prote,st arum. • tutjFlitle I MA being permitted to-be engd in so great and heavenly, ,a work, ,yet-would very soon be cast down were I to look at the results of any sort of missionary lam Very little has yet come frotuall-the n,ioney of the church, and the lives 'of their missionaries. Speaking in, a' Iniman way the Chinese are very diffi cult subjects to christianize, and then, after they do make a profession of Chriistianity, they gefierallyhitve; very little life. A zea lous man's support, must therefore be, not what be, sees; but his, faith in God, and the consciousness of doing his duty. You will see from where I date this letter where lam e Moved our.printing estahlish ment from Ningpo at the first of the present year, having - bought a small place to be used temporarily. - We'.have.bought a fine lot on the river's bank ontside - the east gate of the city, in the subwh:which the French burned down atthe time the rebels came;here. We intend put ting up a finftress building if we only have the funds. • • Shanghai is a much better place for the press thauNingpo, as here we have facilities for sendin,g books to all parts which we had not - there. We• have five presses at work, and could keep as many more =going if we had them. The tra.nslation of the Scriptures will-he completed in about a year, and. various sized fonts of type are being-made in which to print them. They will also be electro typed,' when we will"turn them off by the thousand; and when thagreat . Yang-tse-risa, and - the interior of the country is fully Opened up we can go every where distributing -thein and tracts . ; and this , is any great: ambition, that; after having put the :Tress in good working order I may go..' and. spend and end my days-as a Bible and.tra,et, distributor. You have heard. lately, no * doubt, of . the great T ! ii-piitg rebellion that it is . advancing rapidlY, and this fs,trite. There . is no doubt thitiaricaliatriniktheazhi;da,:eniltl, in -their possession ; but what a terrible scourge it has been to the country: It is hard to form an idea•ofthenntaber_of people whit - have perished by. it. Imagine all the people' of the Unitedatates swept off the face of the earth. Aid; that, will not perhaps give too terrible an idea of the numhers that • . have perished and are perishing ;by famine,, pestilence, and the sword in this unhappy land. Still for all this,`l have stem:" lioye that for those of them who are left God has designs-of Mercy. -=There is certainly a: great knowledge •of Ohriitianity -spread , by' it, if along with it there was not also the blaaphe rnieS of the Chief. What is most to be feared is, that it will, be or has turned into some- sort of fanaticism whose edge will be turned zigainst the gospel. Even now they do not want missionaries among them, and none have bedn able to live where they are except'Mr. Roberts; though they say after a while they. will permit them. * * * -Witc-G2tikstnli; • :4t HEARING OD. BRZV.: W W. •TAYLOR. 'WREN Bonaparte stood'ag the„height of his grandeur- a.multitnde of papers frornhis tressed- Lbjects,,,widows .and..orphans, were laid oVery niorning,en his cabinet table; but, knowing thlifile could attend only to a few, the Emperor, as he entered, "brushed - as ay the Most of the petitions without - even inspect ing them. Not so with God, who inspects all and 'answers' all, aiiii-thus. miniaters'un bounded encouragement to his - creatures to seek_his face, to supplicate his blessing. No expensive 'court .dressis needed in which ;to approach the Zing of kings ; neither is high influence reqUired,,nor is a price to be paid, in 'order to ensure success. Onfy you, Must feel Your wants' Said dare relief, practically understanding that for Jesus' sake, God im parts; good. ag.Q.4::neeKt yhu-lie confined to-your nwrrlie-. cessities. Here is opened a rick dhannel for the,exercise of your,benevolonce tctenAlmost bdundless', mr.tePt, and inn ulaY,p4u , k . forth yofir kind inter CeSsioni for the indigent and sinful, whom you may hot be able. to reach ami aid in any other way. .1 3 1.eVailing like Jacob, you may mightily adVince the moral and. - religious :movements of the day; and bearing ,on yhur heart the interests of righteousness unil peace, beyonxt the preach er or the -puhlie agent you may give them success, for by prayer, you. move the Hand that. moves, 'the, World; :and the. fectual fervent prayer' of the righteous man amailetly much. The. - Bohemian brethren prayed -for the, Reformation befere it Caine, and-Luther-and -Knox wrought not more by public, labors than by private devotion. It is only when Zion travaileth in, prayer that she hiingeth forth her Children and-the end-- ing of the great Rebellion will be accom plished'not so much through McClellan and Bum*, Ilalleck, , as by,-the prayers of" Crod's ataong the slaves who cry day and night unto Rini ; for deliver ance.-7 Am. li.egbyterian. • A • No USE 4 TINA' 00 UETEY.- distingvb - ed man lapin deathbed, when a great mark of distinction and honor was brought to him. Turning a. colt on the treasure he would once have clutched with an eager r grasp, he said, with a sigh, " Alas this'is a mighty fine - thing - in this countiy; 'tinted am oning,to.a_country where it. will :bed , 44.-wie tome." GENESES g PETITDRUMIMINCInTjON. THE iindersigned,..,having ,prepared with care and after ntatnre itelikerotion the ace4iiia t ponying ,petition 'snhje.Ct of ..Fmand, regal:emend - it to the - puhlic for g,entr. , dal odetibivand 'Circulation.- Copies may be Obtained from, either of the subscribers. New York, December,lB6l . -. Wm. C. Bryant, , Edward Gilbert, • Win Curtis Noyes; Nathan Edward, If: A. Mitt, Manstold French, J. W."Etireotkis, Rigor Ketchum,. James McKaye, And'w. W. Morgan, • Oliver johnsony Andrew Bowdoin, Wm. GoQdell, - _Jitaiess,Wiggins, ' J. E. Ambrose, George B. Cheev#r„, Samuel li. Davis,, Johll T. Wilson, S Jocelyn W:Sroane Theodore Tilton, . 'Dater Fiarliiitiks,„ James Freeland, 'Samuel iNtai • Charles Gould, - Alexander Wider, William Russell.. To Me , President of the Uniteci‘States - and 'io - Congriss— TUE : 13 E9FLf OF TUT 112 UTEP . ISTATESAbi I ez Kr • :1 That they:recognize as lying at ,the very' foundation of our government, on which has been erected the fabric of our free inetitu tiling; the solemn and' undying truth that by nature all men are endowed with-an unalien able right to liberty. That; so far as this great: truthhas been in any respect departed''from, by any of our people, or by any course of events, the tole ration of such departure has been caused by an overshadowing attackwent to,the Union, • , and by conscientious fidelity to those with whom we had voluntarily united informing a ' greit example of free governinent. That such depaiture, whether willing or univilling, whether excusable or cen,surable, has nevertheless given birth to a mighty power in our midst—a power which has con signed 4,000,000 of our people to slavery, and arrayed 6,000,000 in rebellion against the very existence of our government, which for three-quarters of a century has disturbed the peace and harmony of the nation, and whichh has now armed nearly half a million of people against that Union which has been hitherto so dear to the lovers of freedom throughout the world. That by the very act of the slave power itself, we have, all of us, been released from every obligation to tolerate any longer its existence among That we are adiaonished, and day by day the conviction is gathering strength among us, that no harmony eun'be restored to the nation, no peace brought back to the people, no perpetuity secured to our Union, no per manency established for our government, no hope elicited for the continuance of our free dom, until slavery shall be wiped out of the land utterly and forever. Therefore, we, who now address you, as co-heirs with you in the great inheritance of freedom, and as freemen of. America, most earnestly urge upon the President and upon Congress— That,. amid the varied events which are constantly occurring,' and which will, mere `andlnme oceur,.during the.momentojtaAgog : gle in which we are engaged, suchmeasnres may be adopted as Will ensure emancipation to all the people throughout the whole land, and thus, complete the work which the-Revo lution becan. _ AwnitElV, of lYlassa.chusetts, in his Message has the, falloiing iemarkable pas sage : . '• I deplore the. presence of the penalty of death still lingering- on the statute-book of 'Massachusetts. Gradually receding in ciVi- Hied legislation, as needless and dangerous, corrupting• to some persons, and shocking to others, years of study and reflection confirm the opinion that it must certainly digappear from the category of penalties inflicted by the best ordered andmost refined commonwealths. A natural-method.to the mild justice of the ruder forms and stages of society—a hard eCes.sity sometimes in flie code of war_ it 'erects the gallows" iii a community like ours, Imly as, a horrid- spectacle, scaring the Ima gination and haunting the dreams of the sen sitive ; an intrusive reminiscence of more bar barous times; whileit suggests to the hardened in crime only another disease, by which na ture may one day pay its inevitable debt to mortality." e For the Chief Magistrate of a Christian State, where the Bible is received by ninety nine hundredths of its citizens as the higher law by which governors ought to be governed, and legislators ought to make laws, to utter -tbis fierce denunciation of a penalty which ha.s received the sanction of Almighty God himself; and of every civilized government .which :has existed since God made the world, is' a most extraordinary uttgrance. a time too When we are expending a -thousand million, of dollars to put down rebellion by putting to death the tingles of the rebellion, while we are defending4e Tightest a death penalty by every argument 'that patriotism suggests, and actually shedding -the blood of our sons and In-others iii rivers to assert the duty of inflicting this penalty, it is most ex traordinary for a 'Governor of a, patriotic State to braid the death penalty a relic Of barbarism. He *mild linve -the laltsrs of the country so amended that at:hellion - shall not be, punished with deathi- He:weiddhave it proclaimed that the mules of rebellion shall be slaughtered; but that the arch-rebels and conspirators. who stay at home shall not suffer death for treason! .He would nullify. the cirtnniand-of God that the murderer - shall be slain!. We never read a more' recommendation than 'this.- -At. least let us wait till our.six: htufdreV - thommid' ministers of justice, armed with the weapons of death and;sent. forth toput to: death all whci dare to resist their march, let us virait : till these are galled 'home before we. pronounoe, the death Penalty a relic of barbarism-4. Y. Obseeoer. 51 - Li TILE' MUTATI I -Our lives are composed of - lighti ; and'ishadowis - ' of clouds and genial sunshine:- ' gothetimei vie .pluck the fragrant flowera 4istf - Vxliati'titeit 4 Meets .abon t our ps tliway .; and. then - again tl}e cold winds of adversity s-weep -in blasts:oround us, blighting and ifithering - the fair but transient .ohjects which we had so Om:Myhoped - Were abiding, and, leaving all cheerl'e'ss sterile waste. - . _The hardest heart. iteltsLat, thaairiAlifof in fancy. ANGEUST, - -Wiole No. -SW WWI THL DEITH-TRNAIIII%,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers