Dear Friend, LETTER VI. TO THE SAME. Montreal, March 16th, 1841. At five o'clock on the morning of the 27th of January, I left Quebec for this city. Three sleighs filled with our friends, accompanied me twelve miles out of the city, where we all took breakfast together. In February, 1835, when the Rev. Matthew Lang and I visited Quebec for the first time, the brethren, hearing of our coming, in imitation of those at Rome, who met St. Paul at "the three taverns," came out twelve miles to meet us, and escorted us into their noble and beautiful city. You will not, therefore, wonder that my heart is warmly attached to the Quebec people. I only spent twenty-one days with them on my first visit, but twelve weeks with them this time; preached nearly one hundred sermons, besides exhorting, times innumerable. I also gave them a sermon on Temperance; and in the Hall of the Parliament House, delivered an address on the expediency of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors. The Governor General very politely granted us the Hall for the occasion. Many at this time became Members of the "Quebec young men's total abstinence Society," which is in a very flourishing condition : and thus it ever shall be with any society founded on right principles, if the members act consistently, and carry out those principles with vigour, to their legitimate results. "Facts are stubborn things;" and many of the anti-temperance men found them so that night. I told them, First:-A coroner's jury has lately been held in your city, upon the body of a female, who has been disinterred for the purpose of an inquest, under a suspicion of murder; but death by intoxication was the final verdict. The matter, however, did not rest here; an inquest has been held in another quarter, viz.—in the conscience of a liquor seller, a professor of religion; and what was the verdict there? That the woman came to her untimely death by liquor which she habitually got at his shop. The man came to me a few mornings since, and inquired what he must do. Secondly:-A few weeks since, a company of men were working on a building in the Lower Town. A dram dealer close by, regardless of the danger to which the men were exposed, supplied them with drink. Toward night, one of them, about half intoxicated, stumbled and fell from the roof, and was a corpse in a few moments, leaving a widow and seven small children. Thirdly:-Several authorized reports have been placed in my hands, within a few hours: one of them states that you have six hundred places in your city, where intoxicating liquors are sold. Another (your coroner's report) informs us that, during four months of 1840, verdicts were given of thirty-nine deaths, occasioned by intoxication. Fourthly:-An extract from the books of your gaol, signed by the jailer, states that from January to September, (nine months) there were committed fourteen hundred criminals; and, that eleven hundred and fortyeight of them had been committed for crimes which were clearly traceable to intemperance. It seems the other two hundred and fifty-two were put down upon the list of " unknown;" that is, the cause of their commitment could not be assigned to intoxication, but it was added, there could be little doubt, were their history as well known as the others, it would be found that their crimes originated from the same source. The Lord enabled me to be very bold and faithful, as there were many of the liquor trade present. cried, "he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear!' Behold the doings of your six hundred dram shops and taverns. They have sent more than eleven hundred persons to prison in nine months, and have killed thirty-nine. I then made a supposition, that a few individuals, for the sake of making money, should open a number of places for amusement, of a very fascinating kind, and that such establishments, while they were the means of sending eleven hundred and forty-eight men and women to prison in nine months, killed thirty-nine, in the half of that time; how long would an outraged community suffer such horrible places to be open ? Would not the strong arm of the law close them for ever? But what have I seen in your city papers lately? O, only this, that these wretched men are notified, to attend upon a certain day, to have their licences renewed! I then related an amusing circumstance that happened in the Legislature of Vermont some time since, which showed that the minds of statesmen are beginning to awake to the horrible evils and inconsistencies of the licence law. A bill had been brought into the house, and was taken up for the third reading. One section thereof, enacted a penalty for drunkenness. A member arose, and moved a commitment of the bill for an amendment, by erasing the section against drunkards. He said, he objected to the punishing of drunkards by statute, and at the same time, protecting the traffickers in ardent spirits, by legislative enactments-that it seemed to him like holding out one arm of the law to present the cup, and the other to punish the acceptance of it. As much as to say, "hold out the cup, and if it is accepted, it will, by a sure process, lead to drunkenness; and then punish the drunkards. The Vermont Legislators saw the dilemma, and it was thrown back into the hands of the original mover for an amendment. There was an amusing, perhaps I should say, melancholy circumstance occurred at the close of this meeting. If it was mournful, it was however to me an evidence, that the man's conscience vibrated, in some degree, under the influence of that mighty principle which swayed the minds of the Apostles and primitive Christians. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. (Rom. xiv. 21.) A man evidently under powerful convictions respecting the soul and body destroying evils of intoxicating drinks, arose from his seat, seemingly with a determination to join the teetotal ranks. He walked toward the table, where the sheet was laid for signatures; but several persons were waiting to sign, and he had to pause a little. He was greatly agitated, and I believe felt himself on the very brink of a Rubicon, that would decide his habits through life. A friend of mine stood near him, and heard the following soliloquy:-"Well, I shall not join to night. I have a bottle at home, and a little in it, I shall drink that before I sign the pledge; but I declare, had I drank it before I came to this meeting, I -I should have signed the pledged this night;" so he darted out of the house, and under the influence of quite a different principle from that which St. Paul felt, perhaps not unlike the Cainite one, "Am I my brother's keeper ?" Small as the thing may appear, and simple as was that test of principle, yet, it may be found hereafter, that the little that remained in that "bottle at home," stood connected with loss of character;-a ruined constitution, a drunkard's grave, or his future wretchedness in hell. "A dew-drop on the baby plant, Has warp'd the giant oak for ever!" "Behold how great a matter, a little fire kindleth." D The last night I preached in Quebec was an affecting time. It was with much difficulty I could get out of the chapel, and away from the young converts. "How strong the affection of a new-born soul." After breakfast, I commended the little party to God, and rode on to St. Ann's, fifty miles. Here I was met by Mr. H. of Quebec, who carried me in his sleigh to his father's house. A singular ride it was. Part of the way ran over and along tremendous snow-drifts, till we descended upon the Batascou River, and scudded along on its ice-bound surface twelve miles. Here night overtook us, and we got bewildered. After wandering up and down, looking for a path to the shore and uplands, we espied some persons in the distance, and by hallooing we attracted their attention. By their assistance we ascended the bank, and through a wild country— "Of hill and dale, heap'd into one expanse Of marbled snow, as far as eye can sweep, We arrived at his father's house about nine o'clock at night. The motion of the sleigh at night, with nothing before my eyes but ice and snow, brought on something like sea-sickness. I was extremely ill when I alighted. The Lord gave me a good night's rest, and I awoke in the morning quite well and happy. A messenger went out through the settlement, announcing that a Methodist Clergyman from the United States had arrived, and would preach within an hour. The poor people, who were hungry for the bread of life, were soon assembled, to whom I expounded the tenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. It was affecting to see with what eagerness they devoured every word. Within a few minutes of the conclusion of the discourse, an astonishing influence came down upon all present. Nothing was to |