celebrated botanists. He seems to have been a learned, useful, and pious man. The writers of the article CLIMATE Coincide with the great body of the learned, in the opinion, that the temperature of the seasons, in every part of Europe, has undergone a great alteration, since the time of Augustus. The article is enlarged in this edition, with extracts from the very respectable essay on the subject by Dr. Williams, published in the same volume with his History of Vermont. We understand that Mr. Webster, in a paper communicated sometime ago to the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, has taken up the subject; and, by a thorough investigation of many facts, has shewn, that there has been by no means such a change of climate in Europe as is generally supposed, and that, with similar cultivation, the same regions produced the same fruits eighteen hundred years ago, as are produced now. This paper, it is expected, will soon be printed, with other communications, in a Volume now preparing for the press, by direction of the Connecticut Academy. COLDEN, Cadwallader, is a new article of biography. The subject of it came from Scotland soon after his education was completed, and settled first at Philadelphia, and then at New York. He was a physician, a scholar, a botanist, and, during a great part of his life, a colonial magistrate. He corresponded in learned persons many Europe, and gave them much information with respect to the infant colonies. He sustained the office of lieutenant governor with of the state of New York for several years, and died at a very advanced age in 1776. VOL. IX. P. 11. UNDER the article COLLEGE, Dr. Rees had collected some account of nearly all the seminaries of liberal education in the The American United States. editors have added something to the information with respect to most of these Colleges. Their additions, however are not satisfactory. No mention is made of the studies in any of the New England Colleges; and but two or three of those in the other States are described with sufficient particularity, in this respect. The expense of board, tuition, wood, &c. &c. is placed, perhaps in every instance, considerably lower than facts will warrant. Much more information on this subject, might have been collected with very little trouble. The character of COLLINS, the deist, is treated much in the same manner, as that of Mr. Chubb, upon which we have animadvert. As we shall have occasion ed. to notice the same thing in the life of COOPER, Lord Shaftsbury, we say no more in this place. Under the articleCOMPLEXION, the English editors adopt the opinion, that all the varieties of color and features observable in the human species, can be accounted for by the influence of climate, and various other causes both natural, and artificial. This opinion is ably supported, and with the exception of one thing stated to be a fact which we apprehend cannot be proved, we find no fault with the origin say we do not know this to be the case, because the event has never yet occurred. No white men or their descendants have ever yet been turned into real blacks.” al article. "But truth itself may be so far overstretched, as to change its nature, and even assume the character of error, or, if not of actual error, at least of mere hypothesis." We should want Do other proof than this sentence affords, to convince us, that the author of it, neither knew how to write, nor how to think. Truth be overstretched so as to change its nature! Every schoolboy ought to know, that the difference between truth and error, is immutable and eternal. But we are further taught, that, after truth has changed its nature, it may assume the character of neither truth nor actual error, but of mere hypothesis. Thus truth among its variety of characters, may assume that of Proteus ; for if it may be changed into mere hypothesis, we defy any mortal to tell into what it may not be changed. But to proceed: "We know that warmth of climate will, in time, convert the fair and ruddy complexion of the Swede, the Dane, and the Scotchman, into the swarthy and olive complexion of the Spaniard and the Italian, and even into the tawny cast of the Moor. We know this to be true, because it is the result of actual observa tion. Changes of complexion similar to this are daily occurring before our eyes, even in certain parts of the United States But we do not know that any warmth or other circumstances of climate can ever change the sanguine hue of the nhabitants of the north of Europe, into be ebon-dye of the natives of Congo. I If we may be permitted to ask philosopher a question, we would inquire why he did not state the negative evidence which enabled him to assert, in such unqualified terms, that "the event has never yet occurred," and that "no white men have ever yet been turned into real black?" And if this assertion was made without evidence, does it not look like a petitio principii, of which a philosopher ought to be ashamed? Our writer then denies that the Portuguese at Senegal, have "It appears, therefore, hat climate has long since produced its maximum of effect upon them, and can approximate them no nearer to the hue of the aboriginal African. If during the term of four centuries, climate cannot convert a white man into a negroe, there is the most solid ground to believe that, as a physical cause, it is totally inadequate to the task." We should draw a different argument from the same facts. It appears to us more correct to say, if in the comparatively short period of four centuries, the Portuguese at Senegal have undergone a very remarkable change in their complexion, and made considerable advances towards blackness, is there not the most solid ground to believe,' that in thirty or forty centuries their descendants might become "perfect blacks." "But," continues the writer, "if climate cannot change a fair European into a jetty African, much less can it work in the opposite direction, and change the African to the European complexion." The force of this a fortiori reasoning we confess, ourselves unable to discover. The ques'tion of the influence of climate we have always considered to be a question of fact only; and to say that it is harder for climate to change the descendants of a black man into white men, than the contrary, is extremely ridic ulous. "The immutability of the African dye appears to be fairly recognized even in the Scriptures of truth. For it is there intimated in plain terms, and in the most forcible manner, that the Ethiopian can no more change the color of his skin, than the leopard can change the color of his spots." It is a pity the reader had not been informed where to find this curious passage of Scripture. But suppose the Bible had said any such thing, who in the world ever supposed that the Ethiopian or any body else, could change the color of his skin? The wri ter proceeds thus: "But in a case so plain and demonstra ble as the present one, we have no need of deriving our authority from holy writ. Observation is alone sufficient for our purpose. There are now, in various parts of the United States, families of negroes, constituting the fifth and even sixth generation, in descent from their native African progenitors. Yet after such an immense lapse of time, no mate. rial change has taken place in their complexion. In point of color they are as real negroes now, as their ancestors were when imported from Africa nearly two hundred years ago. A knowledge of this fact ought to have made Dr. Smith of Princeton, extremely cautious how he hazarded a contrary statement." We cheerfully refer it to our readers, as a perfectly well known fact, that successive generations of negroes, in the United States, do gradually lose "the jetty blackness of their ancestors,' and undergo considerable changes in the formation of their features. As to the insinuation to the disadvantage of Dr. Smith, his able essay is in no danger from such puny attacks, as the one we are now considering. The writer closes apparently with great self-complacency, in the following paragraph: "The question respecting the muta bility of the complexion of man is a plíilosophical one. And, as philosophers, we have certainly no solid ground to believe, that the extremes of this complexion can ever be changed into each other by the influence of climate. It is remarkable that the doctrine of entire mutability on this subject, is and always has been, advocated by men much more distinguished for their piety and Christian zeal, than for their knowledge of nature." 66 as We are taught in this passage, it seems, that philosophical questions are to be determined without any regard to the decisions of inspiration on the subject. And though as Christians we are to believe the Bible, which is appealed to by this writer the Scriptures of truth," and which has most explicitly decided this question, yet as philoso'phers we are to consider that as plainly and demonstrably impossible, which as Christians we most assuredly believed. Away with such paltry sophistry. We have said that the Bible has decided this question; and surely there is no need of proving to the reader of the Bible that this assertion is correct. We only mention that it is most un. 1809.] Donations to the Massachusetts Missionary Society. equivocally revealed in the Old and New Testament, that Adam was the father of the whole human race; and the whole scheme of redemption was formed in ac. cordance with that truth. As for the sneer at the close of the article, we dismiss it withfarther remark. out any On the style we would merely observe, that "approximate,' as an active verb, is not author. ized by good writers; and that to call five or six generations of men an “immense lapse of time” is extravagant. (To be continued.) RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. UNITED STATES.-MASSACHUSETTS. List of Donations to the Massachusetts Missionary Society. 1808. Sept. 28. Oct. 5. racing A female friend in Medford John Foster 4 10 Sally Foster The late Richard Devens, Esq. 10 shares in the Rev. Jonathan Strong, from a friend to be laid out in Bibles 7 By do. from associated ladies of his society Rev. F. Sears, from Abel Perry, of Natick Rev. Nathaniel Howe, from his Society 216 70 146 75 94 3 3 1 14 92 24 5 66 50 80 89 18 6 1 153 13 1809. 18 50 52 52 150 23 30 62 30 14 8 3 68 Contribution at the Old South Meeting house Account of Donations to the Cent Society. May 29. Rec'd of Dr. Emmons from ladies in Franklin c 30 Rec'd of Rev. Mr. Saunders, from two Ladies, Rev. Peter Sanborn from Reading 7 36 Rev. Isaac Bremen in cash 8 82 In Bibles from a number Ladies in Boston $20. Total $339 9 N. B. The total amount of the Collections, received by Mrs. Simpkins in seven years is more than three thousand dollars. TO DO GOOD AND COMMUNI ited individuals have become the agents to distribute the Bibles furnished by the Society, among the destitute in various parts of the country. In our own city applicants for bibles are very numerous, many of whom are of that class of society who might find a temporary privation ofthe Scriptures, an irretrievable loss. I mean the young. But our experiment affords a very imperfect view of the magnitude of this enterprize, when compared with the prodigious view exhibited by the fifth Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society. You have that report: when it was read at the last meeting of the managers it excited astonish THE extent to which Bible Societies maypromote the best interests of mankind, it is impossible from present experience to calculate, as the scene enlarges every day before the eyes of the observer. Our most sanguine calculators acknowledge, that they had no anticipation that the applications to our society for Bibles, would have been so numerous as we find them. At every meeting of the Managers there is some new call. Prisons, Hospitals, Frontier Settlement, but let it speak for itself. I ments, Indians, People of color, are to be supplied with Bibles. Missionaries employed by various religious societies, and other public spir The cannot avoid remarking however, that it is matter of religious gratitude as well as of benevolent pleasure, to see the wealth of this world diverted |