not cease to speak what grief com"pelleth me: I verily think, that if the our people, either the earth would have opened its mouth and devoured the city, or it would have been deftroyed by a deluge, or by fire and lightning as Sodom, for it was more wicked than that place; in fhort by iniquity and obftinacy, the whole na'tion was deftroyed.' He obferves in another part of his writings,' Never 6 quent lightnings and dreadful thundering, and extreme roarings of the Romans had delayed to come againftquaking earth.'-And both Jofephus and Tacitus take notice of the manifeft figns of the approaching defolation of the Jews; Armies feemed to meet in the clouds, and glittering weapons 'were there feen; The temple feemed ' to be in a flame, with fire iffuing from the clouds, and a voice more than hu man was heard in the temple saying, Let us depart hence, which was attended with a great motion, as if (fays Tacitus) the Deities were quitting the place. The great gate of the temple, which twenty men could hardily fhut, was feen to open of its own accord, after it had been faft locked and barred.A fword appeared hanging over the city, and a Comet was feen pointing down upon it for a whole year together: and befor the fun went down, there were fen in the air, armies in battle array, achariots, as preparing to furround the city a thing fo ftrange, faith Jofephus, that it would pafs for a fable, were there not men hiving to at'teft it.' was any nation more wicked, nor ever did a city fuffer as they did.' And again he goes fo far as to fay, All the miferies which all mankind had fuffered from the beginning of the world, were not to be compared ' with those the Jewish nation did then fuffer.'-Our Lord had fortold, There fhall be great tribulation, fuch as was not fince the beginning of the ⚫ world to this time, no nor ever shall • be.' As for the Chriftians,when they faw the figns fortold by our Lord come to pafs, they univerfally withdrew to Pella, a gentile city beyond Jordan, where they were fafe from the deftruction which overwhelmed Judea.- Thus we fee how remarkably all the prophecies concerning the destruction of this city and nation, were accomplified.-Thefe events fo agreeable to the predictions concerning them, the difperfion of the Jews, and their continuing a feparate people from all the nations of the earth unto this day, are ftanding teftimonies to the truth of the fcriptures.There is another thing we may just notice, viz. that the deftruction of Jerufalem, prefigured that more awful deftruction of the world of the ungodly, at the fecond coming of the Son of God: the figns of the one are the figns of the other, Ye fhall hear of wars and rumours of wars; nation fhall rife against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there fhall be famines, and peftilences, and earthquakes in divers places.And there fhall be figns in the fun and in the moon and in the fars, and upon Our Lord, fpeaking of thefe figns fays, Great earthquakes fhall be in divers places and famines and pettilences; and fearful fights, and great figns fhall there be from heaven.-— And when ye fhall fee Jerufalem compaffed with armies, then know that the defolation thereof is nigh. < Then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let them which are in the midst of it depart out, and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. Now not to mention the frequent earthquakes that happened in other places, in the times of Claudius and Nero, the Chriftians faw enough in Judea itself to bring the words of the Lord to their remembrances for Jofephus informs us · That there happened in Judea and Jerufalem an immenfe tempeft, and vehement winds with rain, and fre the ༔ the earth diftrefs of nations, with perplexity; the fea and the waves roaring; mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thofe things that are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven fhall be shaken. And then fhall they fee the Son of Man coming &c.'* And yet notwithftanding of all thefe figns, fo little, attention fhall be given to them, that, • As a fnare fhall that day come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.' * Matthew 24, and Luke 21. To the PUBLISHER of the WEEKLY Lord, hear my pray'r, accept my MAGAZINE. A HYM N. fong, OST gracious God of bound- That when thou may't my foul re lefs might, Supreme, eternal King; Direct my heart and voice aright When I thy praifes fing. quire, And I must hence remove; Then may I join thy heav'nly choir, And fing with faints above. J. S. The MINUTES of the Select Committee, appointed by the House of COMMONS, to enquire into EASTINDIA Affairs. fuppofition, that, fhould the Committee content themselves with only recording my letter on the face of their proceedings, the Court of Directors may poffi (Continued from page 213. VOL. III.) bly conceive an idea of my attention Extract from Col. Smith's letter to Mr Verelt, Prefident of Port-William.' "Head quarters at Myr Abfub's Gardens near Patna, Feb. 8. 1768. SIR, I have this day received your letter of the gift ult. The freedom with which you have expreffed your fentiments, may be very readily admitted, fince you profefs your intentions to be altogether friendly. I hope you will in my turn indulge me with the fame liberty, fince I fhall deliver my thoughts with the fame degree of fincerity. Marvel not, Sir, at my reprefentations to the Select Committee concerning the prosecution of private trade in Sujah Dowlah's dominions; be affured it is high time to remedy thefe grievances; fuch complaints of oppreffion had been made to me as were infufferable. Had I been treated by you in a manner due to my rank and character, you should have been particularly advifed of this and every other material circumstance that came to my knowledge: but circumftanced as I have been, it became neceffary for me to confine my correfpondence to the board; and this will account for my not writing you a private letter on this fubject. I am concerned that you should exprefs even a and faithful fervices at the expence of the Committee, or from my reprefentation, fee caufe to fufpect their difinterestedness and integrity. I could wish Mr Verelft, and all mankind to believe, that I am above aiming at applaufe at the expence of other men; for I think my own uniform conduct will fecure to me that share of approbation it may appear afterwards to have deferved. I wrote to the Committee fo ftrenuously from a firm hope that they would enter into fuch effectual measures as to eradicate this growing evil, and hereafter you will be convinced I have not painted this grievance in ftronger colours than the occafion required. You are pleafed to write me, "It has been matter of general complaint, that the attention of most of the officers of the army has been lately taken up with commer cial matters more than is consistent with their duty; and when represented on this head, they have not scrupled to quote the example of the commanding officer." I could wish to be informed from whence thefe general complaints have been made. A general accufation will fall of itself when unfupported by proofs. The conduct of the officers of that part * of the army which has been under my immediate infpection, does not deferve fo fevere a reflection, and * Third Brigade. the Ruffell, who would tranfa&t thefe affairs for me. I thanked you for your advice, and faid, I would confider of it. I reflected, that my predeceffor had received great emoluments from his itation, perhaps 30,000l. for two years; that the Company's orders had taken away the only emolument I could expect to receive in their fervice, and thereby reduced all my appointments to the fcanty pittance of 700 l. per ann. befides defraying my field-expences; that neither the Company at home, nor Lord Clive abroad, had made the leaft provifion for the commander in chief of the forces. Thus fituated, I thought I might endeavour, with fome degree of propriety, to increafe my capital by a commercial fyftem, carried on by a friend, who was a member of the board, and who was fo obliging as to take that trouble for me. Of this you was informed; and foon after I took the duftuck-oath. Here then is explained the caufes and motives which induced me to engage in commerce; and now you are to be informed how far I engaged in it. Our firft effay was in the purchafe of your fhare in the cargoes of cotton from Surat, at an advance of 50,000 rupees upon the prime cot, by which purchafe, you will do me the juftice to fay, I have not gained any advantage. My fecond adventure was of fundry articles, exported by the Company, and bought at their fales, for which your duftuck was granted to the limits of the provinces. Thefe articles were fold many months fince; but not before I difcovered, that this commercial fyftem, if purfued, would ingrofs too much of my time from more important occupations. I therefore dropt all thoughts of profecuting the plan; and, as I had feveral gentlemen of my family who had merited well both from the public and from me, gentlemen whom I wanted to ferve, but wanted any other means of doing it, amongst them I divided the profits of the adventure; as I propofe doing by whatever emolument may arife from the I i 2 advance the excellent ftate of thofe troops is the best proof of my affertion, and from the review which I have lately made of my regiment, and the few feapoys remaining here of the fecond brigade, it clearly appears to me, that there has been no want of diligence in the commanding officer, nor of attention in thofe of an inferior ftation. As to the officers on the purvannah establishment, I know not how they conduct themfelves; they appear to have no military fuperior whatfoever. That the very being of the Company depends in a great measure upon the ftate of the army, is most certain. My fentiments on the prefent ftate of it will hereafter appear. In the mean time, if you will be pleafed to point out thofe who have neglected their duty from an attention to commercial affairs, or even thofe who have been in any wife concerned in a mercantile fyftem, I will assure you of my best endeavour to put a stop to this practice, which I by no means approve. How far and by what inftruments I engaged in commerce, I will now relate. You muft remember, when I was fworn a member of the council †, the duftuck-oath was tendered to me. The whole board muft remember I then declined taking that oath, becaufe I never had, nor ever intended, to enter into commercial fchemes: as I confidered commerce to be incompatible with my profeffion. Doubtlefs you muft alfo remember, that foon after this you yourself observed to me, and I will fuppofe with a friendly intention, that you thought I was wrong in giving up the greateft, and indeed only advantage from my new appointment, I obferved, that I did not wish to fee any commerce whatever carried on by the officers of the army; and, although I was intitled to the privilege of a duftuck, yet I did not chufe to fet the example. You replied, that General Carnac had been concerned in trade, which was carried on by yourfelf or others on his account; and that you advifed me to be concerned with Mr + In 1767. |