LITERATURE OF HAYTI. THE following passages are from a Letter written by Baron de Vastey, one of the black nobility of Hayti→→ an abstract of which has been given in a late English paper. To show that the blacks are not naturally inferior to the whites the author gives examples of the former barbarity of the Europeans :→→→

"Every body knows (says our author) that the Greeks so celebrated for the polish of their taste, were in a state of the grossest ignorance and barbarity, living like the beasts, upon herbs and acorns, till civilized by colonies from Egypt; while the rest of Europe was yet unknown, and its inhabitants were certainly as bar barous, as ignorant, and as brutal as those of Benin, Zanguebar, and of Monomotopa can possibly be at the present day.

"At a later period the Gauls, like other Europeans, were still idolaters, plunged in the deepest abyss of ignorance, following barbarous and superstitious customs; yet the world was now nearly 4000 years old, and the people of Europe had not been able to acquire a single spark of knowledge; in vain did a narrow border of civilization skirt its southern shores, the light was unable to penetrate the dark forests of Gaul, and the stupidity of the boorish inhabitants. The Ethiopians, Egyptians, Carthagenians, Greeks and Romans filled the world with the fame of their wisdom, their laws, and their govern ment; while the Gauls lay yet buried in pristine ignorance. Immense forests, lofty mountains, the interruption of lakes and rivers, the rigor of cold climates, and the barbarity of people, impeded the introduction of learning into the north of Europe, while different causes yet of a singular nature, prevented the civilization of Southern Africa.

66 Among the Gauls, the most solemn of all the Druidical ceremonies, was the gathering the misletoe of the oak. I will now relate some of the principal maxims of the druids on Vol. VI. No. 6.

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this subject, as preserved by tradi tion, never having been committed to writing:→

The misletoe should be gathered with great solemnity, and always if possible on the tenth day of the moon ; a golden sickle should be kept for cutting it.'

'On extraordinary occasions it is proper to sacrifice a man. Future events may be predicted from the fal→ ling of the body, the flowing of the blood, or the opening of the wound.'

'Prisoners of war are either to be sacrificed upon the altars, or inclosed in wicker baskets, to be burned in honour of the gods.'

All fathers of families are kings in their own houses possessing power of life and death over their wives, children and slaves.'

"Such were the horrid maxims of the Gallic priests; they offered hu man sacrifices to Esus and Tectates: they slew and burned their prisoners of war in wicker baskets. Fathers of families possessed the dreadful power of life and death over their wives, their children, and their slaves. This degradation, into which the Gauls were sunk, is attested by Caesar, by Tacitus, and by Lucan. It was under the reign of Claudius, in the 50th year of Christ, that these horrible customs were first abolished; nor was it till christianity had completely triumphed over Gaulish superstition, that the order of Druids became extinct.

"When a man was to be sacrificed, he was laid upon a large stone, where he was either smothered or crushed to death; sometimes, they were bled, and the impetuosity of the stream was one of the most important omens. The body was next opened to consult the entrails, and to read in the heart the will of the gods, and the good or evil fortune impending. The sad remains were then either burned, or hung up in the sacred: wood near the temple; blood was sprinkled partly over people and partly over the sacred wood; and the ceremony closed with washing the

images of the gods, the altars, the benches, and the walls of the temple within and without."

He then alludes to the progress already made by the blacks of Hayti, in an eloquent appeal:

"Hail, to thee, happy land! land of my choice! Hail to thee, Hayti, my country! Sole asylum of liberty, where the black man can lift his head to behold and participate in the bounties dispensed by the universal Father of Man.

"We appeal to the testimony of strangers who frequent our ports, and visit the interior, to decide whether we are not organized upon the model of the most civilized nations of Europe? Have we not a firm monar. chical government, constitutional charter, law and regulations? Is not justice impartially administered? Are not our troops numerous and orderly; are they not in point of discipline equal to the first in the world? Have we not built impregnable citadels, constituted according to the strictest rules of art, in inaccessible places, where the greatest obstacles were to be surmounted, in completing works worthy of the Romans? Have we not erected palaces and public edifices, which are at once the glory of our country and the admiration of strangers? Have we not manufactures of saltpetre and gunpowder? Is not the mass of our population devoted to agriculture and commerce? Are not our sailors able to cross the vast extent of ocean, and do they not navigate with ease the largest ships along our coasts?

"We write, we print; while yet in infancy our nation can already boast her writers and her poets, who have defended her cause, and celebrated her glory. There will not indeed be found amongst them the pen of a Voltaire, a Rousseau, or a De Lille; but then we have not, like their nation, been civilized upwards of a thousand years. Have we not, then, every reason not to despair? We have also made essays in the fine arts, and are convinced that proper masters are alone wanting to enable us shortly to produce our Lepoussins, our Lignarus, our Rameaux, and our Gretrys. In a word, experience

has demonstrated to the world, by the astonishing progress we have made in learning and in civilization, that the capacity of blacks and whites for the acquiring the arts and sciences is equal. Read the history of man; never was a similar prodigy seen in this world. Let the enemies of the blacks show a single instance of a people situated as we found ourselves, who have achieved greater things, and this in less than the quarter of a century. Not only have the Haytians acquired along with their immortal rights, the admiration of the universe and of posterity; but they have acquired still stronger claim to glory, by raising themselves from ignorance and slavery to the height of splendor and prosperity, which they have already attained."

IN rising to propose to you and to this assembly to form yourselves into a Society, auxiliary to that which is called, The London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, I would begin with noticing this melancholy fact, that the Jews, though the most interesting of all people, and, under God, the greatest benefactors of the human race, have been long treated by us with neglect and contempt beyond any other people under heaven.

We are happy, however, to find that the Christian world are beginning to awake out of their slumber, and to lay to heart the case of that unhappy people. Indeed, I must say, to the honour of our country, that the exertions made in behalf of the Jewish cause have been extremely liberal: for no sooner was an appeal made to them, than great subscriptions were raised, and a disposition

was shewn to carry into effect any well-concerted measures for their

relief.

If it be said, that it is unreasonable to expect, that those who dissent from the Church of England should exert themselves to promote its interests; we do not ask them to promote its interests. What we want,and what we are labouring to accomplish, is, the conversion of the Jews to the faith of Christ; and that, not in England onJy, but all the world over. For this end we have provided with great labour, and at great expense, a Translation of the New Testament into pure biblical Hebrew: and we are wishing to circulate it through every country under heaven. It is well known that the Jews will not read the New Testament in the vernacular languages of the countries where they live; (the experience of many hundred years has fully evinced this ;) but if it be written in the Hebrew language, that language which they so highly venerate, they will read it.

But there is another part of our plan which must also be approved of by Christians of every persuasion, I mean the education of Jewish Children. We all know how neglected the Jewish children are by their own parents and it is a joy to us to see what zeal has been of late exercised by the Christian world, in the education of the children of the lower classes throughout the land. In all Missionary plans too, we see how prominent a part the education of children bears in all efforts for the conversion of the Heathen. And this is one great object also with the London Jews' Society; an object from whence we hope that great benefit will arise, not to the children only, but to the parents also. Have

none of you ever heard what benefits have accrued to parents from the attendance of children at Sunday Schools? or can you be insensible of the influence which these children may obtain over their parents, and other members of their own nation, when they themselves shall be instructed in divine truth, and be enabled to impart the knowledge they have received? We call you then, of

It is thought by some to be a vain attempt. But why should it be any

more vain for us to seek the conversion of the Jews, than it was for them to seek the conversion of the. Gentiles? Were not the idolaters of former days as far from God as they? Were not the people of this land, for instance, in as hopeless a state as the Jews at this day can be? Yet behold what God has wrought in this country; and shall we despair of them? But God has told us, that the work of converting them is much more within the limits of rational expectation than that which has already been wrought in us: "If thou (says he) wert cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive-tree, how much more shall these which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive-tree !"

It is a mistake to imagine that God will convert the Jews without means, for in that place where God most strongly declares that he will restore them to life, Ezek. xxxvii. 1-6. he commands the prophet to prophesy unto them and never till he prophesied did the dry bones begin to move; but on his prophesying as he was commanded, they arose a great army. This shews us in what way alone we are authorized to expect the work of their conversion to be accomplished.

But, say others, the time is not come. But who, I would ask, is authorized to affirm this? Who has been the Lord's counsellor, so as to be perfectly acquainted with the times and the seasons which he has reserved in his own power? Supposing that God were to tell us, as he did David, that the time for erecting his temple among them was not yet come, would

innocence withhold the light from any for you are not to put your light under a bushel, but to set it on a candlestick, that it may give light to all who are within the sphere of its influence: but this I must again say, that your first obligations are to the Jews, to make them partakers of the richness of their own olive, from which, for your sakes, they have been broken off.

I will notice only one more objection, and that is, that because we have reduced our expenditure to our income, our income is equal to our necessities. But this is far enough from being true. We have retrenched in every thing to the utmost of our power and we hope in one or two things to be able to effect a yet further retrenchment; but I beg leave to assure you, and the public at large, that there are many great and important objects which we are compelled to decline for want of funds to meet them. You have just heard from the Secretary the urgent and pressing entreaties of that great and good man, Leander Van Ess, (so justly called upon the Continent, Luther the second,) to take under our care two pious Jews, who are desirous of embracing Christianity, and of devoting themselves to the study of it in order to qualify themselves for future usefulness in disseminating its blessed truths. And you have heard the answer of the Committee just sent to this great and good man, that "though we wish them well, our funds do not admit of our rendering them any assistance." What a heart-rending thing is this; that to entreaties in behalf of persons so recommended, we should be constrained to return such an answer, because we dare not to run ourselves in debt, or to contract obligations which we are not able to fulfil! And I am expecting that many, many such applications will soon be made to us from the Continent, where our name begins to be known, and where some of our friends, together with a converted Jew, are now gone (but not at the Society's expense,) to enquire into the state of the Jews, and to circulate the Hebrew Testament among them. I beg leave to assure

Letter from Mr. Morrison to the Rev. Henry Colman.

Canton, China, Nov. 13, 1817. SIR-I this evening saw a gentleman with whom you are acquainted, and who desired from me some account of this mission to communicate to you. You are perhaps aware that the primary object of this mission was the acquisition of the language, in order to translate the Scriptures into it. This object has been, during the last ten years, steadily adhered to. In 1818 we hope to finish the whole scriptures. When that is done we shall have more leisure to teach and to preach. But in China there is no opening. Every attempt must be made in secret. It is amongst the islands chiefly that those efforts must be tried.

Mr. and Mrs. Milne of Malacca, with their family are here for their health-Mr. Milne is very poorly. The station at Malacca is, I trust, do ing well. The monthly Tract in Chinese is calculated to impress favoura bly the minds of the natives. After all it is not, as you well know, in the power of man to change the heart. We use the means-sow the seedbut it is the blessing of Heaven alone that can give the increase.

China does not appear in a very settled state. Many predict a change; but I do not calculate on such occurrences. My hope is in God our Saviour. He can quicken the dead;

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