excite a spirit of disaffection and revolt against the king, his family, and the government of these realms, and even dare to direct atrocious reflections on the memory of his revered father, one of the brightest ornaments that ever filled the British throne; what is the language that should be used on this accumulation of evil to so miserable a class of men, to scoffers, sceptics, and atheists; as also to those who assume the name of freethinkers? Since it is the bounden duty of every individual to raise his voice and arm, and co-operate with others in exposing such flagitious acts, and that torrent of sin which is a reproach to every people, I would say to these characters, I have a few things against you, and expect you will not be dull of hearing. † Thou art inexcusable, O man, whoever thou art‡, to whom belongeth shame and confusion of face, how can you possibly escape the righteous judgment of an insulted Deity? I would call upon you, by the mercies of God, to look upon this Gospel, the oldest record in existence, the purity of its doctrines, the accomplishment of prophecy, the operation of the Holy Spirit §, and the corruption of your nature, and the remedy for sin pointed out by the sacrifice of a Redeemer, which displays a brilliancy of light to illuminate your path, and is the power of God unto salvation. Search the Scriptures, with the most profound and serious attention. They will spiritually anatomise your thoughts, acquaint you with your own state by nature, and practice, the duties you are called upon to perform towards God, yourself, and man, that you may secure the endless happiness which is reserved for the righteous beyond death and the grave. Mark how powerfully it is represented, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and become subject to those eternal punishments which are denounced against the guilty, who trample under foot his only begotten Son. I implore you, then, to weigh its precepts and sublime admonitions, as a revelation of mercy from above, which is exclusively + Heb. v. 11. Rom. ii. 1. $ Jer. xxxv. 15. * Rev. ii. 14. bestowed by the free grace of God, and offered to all ranks of men, without money or price. Let not then the language be repeated, that you will walk after your own imaginations, but may it be engraven on your minds that it is by this sacred standard you must be judged before a dread tribunal, the authenticity of which you pretend to doubt, nay throw aside, as a cunningly devised fable. Although this fountain of truth will remain as a rock in the ocean, sure and stedfast, notwithstanding it be assailed with tempests, and will shine more and more as a refulgent luminary on nations yet involved in darkness, and requires no confirmation whatever from mere mortals; yet let me repeat to such men, a solemn assurance that in the course of the journey I made over the Holy Land, I bestowed some degree of care and attention in comparing Scripture with it, and the customs there treated of, which I found literally accurate, strictly faithful, and which appear to be the same since the period of the entry of the Israelites into the promised possessions. Allow me then to express a hope, that under all the 'internal and external evidences of the reality of this word, these characters may experience in their own case the same happy conversion, as that exemplified in the soul of that individual, who, similar to themselves, had been at one time not only an unbelieving blasphemer, but violent persecutor of the Lord of Glory, and his followers. Give then, I pray you, the most earnest heed to the things contained in this book, which were declared by him when upon earth, who spake as never man did, and were confirmed by those who heard the gracious doctrines drop from his blessed lips. Finally, may you be brought to this firm conviction, that there exists no other name* under heaven, by which you can possibly be saved from the general wrath denounced against those who know not God, and obey his Gospel, than the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.. *Acts iv. 12. APPENDIX. No. I. Letter from Admiral Donally to the Author, referred to p. 26. Sussex House, Hammersmith, 19th February, 1824. My dear Sir, You have desired me to give you my opinion of the fallen obelisk at Alexandria, commonly, though improperly, called Cleopatra's Needle, and the plan of a safe transmission of it to England, for the purpose of being placed as a trophy to commemorate our victories in Egypt. I fear your request will lead me on to a longer letter than I am generally used to write. When first I took the command of the naval part of the expedition at Alexandria, I was naturally led to view, amongst other curiosities there, that specimen of very remote antiquity. It seems, a subscription had been made to remove it; and a Venetian frigate, captured from the French at Alexandria, called the Leoben, was bought for that purpose. As she could not approach the shore in the eastern harbour near where the obelisk lay, a pier or wharf was projected into that harbour, upon which to convey the "Needle" to the vessel. My opinion was asked as to the practicability of its removal to her, and her capability of conveying it to England. It appeared to me that one quarter its weight would have crumbled the wharf to pieces; and that the frigate, whose bottom was shaped like a wedge, was utterly unfit for carrying it down the Mediterranean Sea; much less across the Atlantic ocean; because, supposing the pier to have been of sufficient stability to sustain the obelisk, and to convey it on board, the vessel must have been lightened to about fourteen feet to allow her approach to the pier. In this state it must have been conveyed into her stern or bow on rollers; but, as its weight would immerge her two feet in the water, the port-hole, to receive it, must be more than two feet higher up than her then line of floatation; and, in fact, with ballast or kentlege placed in her hold, to counterbalance this great weight aloft, deposited near the line of floatation; she would, with a bottom like a wedge, be in danger of rolling away her masts, and even of starting her planks and foundering. That project was therefore given up, and another proposed to me; viz. to saw the obelisk into six pieces, and convey them home in as many transports. To this I objected, that, if with our boasted knowledge of mechanics, we could not remove it wholly, its being put up at St. James's Park in pieces, would perpetuate our courage and also our inferior knowledge to barbarians in mechanics. That scheme was also dropped; and the question is, how the "Needle" can with probability be safely conveyed home? My humble opinion is, that there is only one feasible mode, and, without any data, I should suppose the Romans must have used the same method to convey those stupendous masses from Byzantium, and other distant places, to Rome! The frame of a flat-bottomed vessel, fit to bear the weight of such a mass, should be formed in England, and sent out to the spot; and what in ship-building are called "ways" laid on an inclined plane from the Needle to the harbour. An excavation should be made under one end of the obelisk, and a shoar or prop placed under it. At a certain distance from that (depending upon the stability of the substratum), another excavation to be made, and a second shoar placed, and so on according to circumstances. I think one at éach end, and one in the centre, would answer: thus the obelisk would be suspended upon three points. The frame of the flat vessel might then be easily placed under it, and strongly fastened together, and then planked and caulked; taking care that the "ways," or inclined plane, be properly placed. The shoars then cut away one by one, and the holes they make in the bottom closed up; and the vessel, which will draw very little water, launched into the harbour; temporary masts placed in her, and attended or towed by another ship; she might, I think, arrive in safety in the river Thames, pass under the bridges, and present herself opposite St. James's Park, to which place it might be removed on rollers, placed on |