these words have been applied to me with peculiar power, Return to thy father's house, and tell every one the great things which the Lord has done for thee.' This impression was soon realized; and our young brother Newman bath been a successful missionary in this place, not only with the English who had any intercourse with him, but also with the inhabitants at whose house he had his quarters.

"The day preceding his death I found him very weak; with great difficulties and agonies of body he was gasping for breath, and with the most pathetic and ardent tone exclaimed, that all the world would gasp after Jesus Christ as I do for breath!' After a short but solemn pause (the presence of God filled the room) he said, The Lord has done great things for me. Pray that I may answer his gracious designs; pray that I may endure to the end. After prayer I shook hands with him, and bid him farewell. It was the last time I saw him.

"The morning following, (Monday 13,) a short time before he expired, his mother having in some way or other expressed her concern for the great agonies he laboured under, with a heavenly smile upon his countenance he said, Jesus is mine, Jesus. is mine;' and into Jesus's hands he delivered his soul, and breathed his last between eleven and twelve.

"On Wednesday evening the 15th we committed his mortal part to its native dust. We sang a hymn; and after addressing a few words to those present, on the solemn occasion, I prayed. We then accompanied the tender and pious mother to her abode, and then commended her to the gracious support of our heavenly Father.

"In this trying circumstance she has been favoured with much Christian fortitude. May she, when life shall be at an end, join her dear son in eternal glory! Some time previous to his death, the young man expressed a wish that you should have his hymnbook, in remembrance of him; we shall embrace the first opportunity of sending it to you. Pray for us, my dear brother, we are but a few sheep surrounded by ravenous wolves.-I am, though a perfect stranger to you in the flesh, your affectionate brother, A. DE KERPEZDRON."

MISCELLANEOUS.

To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine.

DEAR SIR,

"Slavery" is justly styled "the leprosy of the United States-a foul blotch which more or less contaminates the entire system, in publick and in private, from the President's chair to the cabin of the hunter."

In the British Review for the present wonth there are some excellent .* 5 G 2*

observations" on the state of Literature, Religion, Slavery, &c._in the United States of America." On the subject of Slavery the Re• viewers have given the following extract from" the Travels of Lieut. Francis Hall, in Canada, and the United States, in 1816 and 1817." I was so much affected with the perusal of the melancholy narrative, that I resolved to send you a copy of it, not doubting but you will favour it with insertion in the Magazine at the first convenient opportunity. Any observations which might be made on the subject would only weaken the effect which the perusal of the extract will undoubt. edly produce in the minds of your numerous readers.-With sincere regard, I remain, dear Sir, your's most respectfully,

Hull, 28th August, 1819.

JOHN NORTH.

"A man died on board a merchant ship, apparently in consequence of poison mixed with the dinner served up to the ship's company. The cabin-boy and cook were suspected, because they were, from their occupations, the only persons on board who did not partake of the mess, the effects of which began to appear as soon as it was tasted. As the offence was committed on the high seas, the cook, though a negro, became entitled to the benefit of a jury, and, with the cabin. boy, was put on his trial. The boy, a fine looking lad, and wholly unabashed by his situation, was readily acquitted. The negro's turn was next. He was a man of low stature, ill shapen, and with a countenance singularly disgusting. The proofs against him were, 1st. That he was cook; so who else could have poisoned the mess? It was indeed overlooked that two of the crew had absconded since the ship came into port. 2d. He had been heard to utter expressions of ill humour before he went on board; that part of the evidence was indeed suppressed which went to explain these expressions. The real proof, however, was written in his skin, and in the uncouth lines of his countenance. He was found guilty.

"Mr. Crafts, jun. a gentleman of the Charleston bar, who, from motives of humanity, had undertaken his defence, did not think a man ought to die for his colour, albeit it was the custom of the country; and moved, in consequence, for a new trial, on the ground of partial and insufficient evidence; but the Judge, who had urged his condemnation with a vindictive earnestness, intrenched himself in forms, and found the law gave him no power in favour of mercy. He then forwarded a representation of the case to the President, through one of the senators of the state; but the senator ridiculed the idea of interesting himself for the life of a negro, who was therefore left to his cell and the hangman. In this situation, he did not however, forsake himself; and it was now, when prejudice and persecution had spent their last arrow upon him, that he seemed to put on his proper nature, to vindicate not only his innocence, but the moral equality of his race, and those mental energies which the white man's pride would deny to the shape of his head and the woolliness of his hair. Maintaining the most undeviating tranquillity, he conversed with ease and cheerfulness, whenever his benevolent counsel, who continued his kind attentions to the last, visited his cell. I was present on one of these occasions, and observed his tone and manner, neither sullen nor desperate, but

quiet and resigned, suggesting whatever occurred to him on the cir cumstances of his own case, with as much calmness as if he had been uninterested in the event; yet as if he deemed it a duty to omit none of the means placed within his reach for vindicating his innocence. He had constantly attended the exhortations of a Methodist Preacher who, for conscience sake, visited those who were in prison,' and having thus strengthened his spirit with religion, on the morning of his execution, he breakfasted, as usual, heartily; but before he was led out he requested permission to address a few words of advice to the companions of his captivity. I have observed much in them,' he added, which requires to be amended, and the advice of a man in my situation may be respected.' A circle was accordingly formed in his cell, in the midst of which he seated himself, and addressed them at some length, with a sober and collected earnestness of manner on the profligacy which he had noted in their behaviour, while they had been fellow-prisoners; recommending to them the rules of conduct prescribed by that religion in which he now found his support and consolation.

"Certainly, if we regard the quality and condition of the actors only, there is an infinite distance betwixt this scene and the parting of Socrates with his disciples; should we, however, put away from our thoughts such differences as are merely accidental, and seize that point of coincidence which is most interesting and important, namely, the triumph of mental energy over the most clinging weakness of our nature, the negro will not appear wholly unworthy of a comparison with the sage of Athens. The latter occupied an exalted station in the publick eye, though persecuted even unto death and ignominy, by a band of triumphant despots; he was surrounded in his last moments by his faithful friends and disciples, to whose talents and affections he might safely trust the vindication of his fame, and the unsullied whiteness of his memory; he knew that his hour of glory must come, and that it would not pass away. The negro had none of these aids; he was a man friendless and despised; the sympathies of society were locked up against him; he was to atone for an odious crime, by an ignominious death; the consciousness of his innocence was confined to his own bosom, there probably to sleep for ever; to the rest of mankind he was a wretched criminal, an object, perhaps, of contempt and detestation, even to the guilty companions of his prison-house; he had no philosophy with which to reason down those natural mis. givings which may be supposed to precede the violent dissolution of life and body; he could make no appeal to posterity to reverse an unjust judgment. To have borne all this patiently would have been much; he bore it heroically.

"Having ended his discourse, he was conducted to the scaffold, where having surveyed the crowds collected to witness his fate, he requested leave to address them. Having obtained permission, he stepped firmly to the edge of the scaffold, and having commanded silence by his gestures, You are come,' said he, to be spectators of my suf ferings; you are mistaken, there is not a person in this crowd but suffers more than I do. I am cheerful and contented, for I am inno

cent.' He then observed, that he truly forgave all those who had taken any part in his condemnation, and believed they had acted conscientiously from the evidence before them, and disclaimed all idea of imputing guilt to any one. He then turned to his counsel, who, with feelings which honoured humanity, had attended him to the scaffold; To you, Sir,' said he, I am, indeed, most grateful; had you been my son, you could not have acted by me more kindly;' and observing his tears, he continued, This, Sir, distresses me beyond any thing I have yet felt; I intreat you will feel no distress on my account, I am happy: then praying heaven to reward his benevolence, he took leave of him, and signified his readiness to die, but requested he might be excused from having his eyes and hands bandaged, wishing, with an excusable pride, to give this final proof of his unshaken firmness; be, however, submitted on this point to the representations of the sheriff, and died without the quivering of a muscle. The spectators who had been drawn together partly by idle curiosity, and partly by a detestation of his supposed crime, retired with tears for his fate, and execrations on his murderers."-Hall, p. 433-438.

TO THE EDITOR.

OBITUARY.

On Friday morning, October 1st, about ten o'clock, our brother RICHARD RoBARTS, departed this life, in the full assurance of faith, aged nearly 34 years. The disorder which terminated in death, was a pulmonary consumption. The foundation of this was laid in the year 1810, when he was severely afflicted with the measles. His constitution, which before was sound and robust, received a shock from which it never fully recovered.

At the Conference of 1814 his health was so much impaired, that his friends prevailed on him to retire from his regular labours for one year, and act as a supernumerary. Being recommended to spend the ensuing winter in this island, the salubrity of the air was of use to him; and, together, with a journey he took to Brussels, at the request of the Missionary Committee, was the means of restoring him to some degree of health, so that at the ensuing Conference he was thought equal to the labours of a circuit. He continued in his work until October, 1818, when his complaint again returned with symptoms more alarming than had ever before appeared. Notwithstanding the affectionate desire of many of his friends, that he would desist from the arduous duties of the superintendency of the Penzance Circuit, he still continued struggling against the disease, until January last, when he began rapidly to decline, and his recovery became daily less and less

probable. Knowing that his life was in the hands of God, and that He had appointed the use of means, my dear departed brother availed himself of the skilful advice of Dr. Fox, under whose direction he moved about to Flushing, Truro, and other parts of Cornwall, for the benefit of change of air. Though his complaint was evidently gaining ground, and he was frequently thought to be near death while at Truro, he had a very strong desire to cross the Channel, and try once more the effect of a short voyage, and the air of Guernsey. This step was taken in July, with the advice, and by the concurrence of his Physician. For this purpose a small vessel was hired, and as the river came up to the door of his lodgings, he was got on board with very little fatigue. He often said, " If any thing can do me good this will-I wish much to try it." The voyage was, on the whole, pleasant and comfortable; and for some weeks after his arrival in Guernsey, his strength gradually returned, so that he was able to walk and ride cat whenever the weather did not prevent. But alas! this was of short duration. On Sunday, Sept. the 12th, Mr. Robarts was considerably worse, and gradually declined until his freed spirit took its flight to the Paradise of God.

It is reasonable and scriptural to expect, that a life of genuine piety, spent in preaching the everlasting gospel of the blessed God, should terminate in a peaceful and happy death. But the long