duce such an effect as to draw the heart of a sinner towards the seat of mercy and forgiveness? The performance of voluntaries, in the English service, has been objected to, and, I am disposed to think, justly. Lovers of music are apt to be employed, during the performance of such pieces, in judging of the merits of the composition, of the skill of the organist, and of the power and other qualities of the instrument. I must acknowledge, however, that I have heard voluntaries of a character which powerfully impressed on me a feeling of deep solemnity; and an organist of judgment may, unquestionably second the preacher in a very effectual manner. On the whole, however, I am against voluntaries, and every thing in which the congregation does not join. I will not occupy your pages, nor the attention of your readers, longer at present. There may be objections to the introduction of the organ of which I am ignorant, and which I should be happy to see fairly and candidly stated. Toleration is all that is wanted; not that every Presbyterian church should have an organ. It is well known, that, in an extent of Scotland, nearly equal to one half, the gown and band dare not be worn, lest the wearer should be stoned; but it is tolerated elsewhere, and those who do not wear it find no fault with those who do. I trust that the time is at hand, when those congregations who may chose to have organs, will be as little molested as those whose pastors preach in the gown and band. I conclude by observing, that those of Scotland are the only Presbyterians, I believe, who have not organs in their churches. A very fine one, built under the direction of a Scotch minister, Mr. Liston, has been lately sent to the Scotch church at Calcutta. -I am, Sir, yours, A PRESBYTERIAN. Edinburgh, October 1817. FOR THE PORT FOLIO.-OBITUARY. On Tuesday the 23d of June 1818, departed this life, at his seat in Charlotte county, Virginia, Paul Carrington, Esq. in the 86th year of his age. This venerable and highly respectable gentleman was perhaps the oldest of the few surviving patriots, who took an active part in the counsels of his country, in her first struggles for liberty and independence. It is remembered that he was a member of the house of Burgesses as early as the year 1772, and perhaps at an earlier date; and that he continued to represent the county of Charlotte, both in the general assembly, and in the several conventions, which the dissolution of the general assembly rendered necessary, until the period when a committee of safety was established for the protection of the people of the colony, from the tyrannical administration of their royal governor, lord Dunmore. Of this committee of safety, the late venerable Edmund Pendleton was president, and the late patriotic governor John Page, and colonel Carrington, the subject of this article, were two of its members. They continued to administer the government until the adoption of the constitution of the state, in May, 1779. In October, 1777, he was chosen one of the judges of the general court, then first established, and incidentally, became one of the judges of the court of appeals, as organized by the act of May, 1779; which exalted station he continued to fill, until the constitution of the court of appeals was changed to its present form, about ten years after-of which he was then chosen a member. He continued to discharge the duties of this important office, until about eight years ago, when, apprehending that his health was in some degree injured by the labour and confinement attached to it, he resigned, and retired to his country seat, in Charlotte county, where he enjoyed a surprising degree of health, activity and cheerfulness, notwithstanding his very advanced age, until a few days before his death. The illness of which he died was not alarming, until the last two days. He met death, as might have been expected, after a life well spent, with the utmost composure and calmness; a circumstance highly consoling to his numerous descendants and friends, who were struck with the deepest anguish at the sudden approach of that awful event. His character, and services to his country entitle him to the grateful remembrance, and perfect respect of those who knew him, either in early life, or after he was advanced to the exalted station which he so long filled with the utmost fidelity to his country, and honour to himself. Washing Machines in exchange for a Shrievalty. We notice in the Adams Centinel, an advertisement by John Sweney, offering himself as a candidate for the shrievalty, and points out, to particular notice, the following: "I have obtained an exclusive right from the president of the U. S. for an improvement on the Washing Machine;-if I am elected, this I give to the county of Adams, for every one to make, use, and sell, as they see proper. I ask for this your votes. J. S." Certainly the good people of the county of Adams, will not a moment hesitate in giving their suffrages to whose claims are strengthened by such washing recommendations. His advertisement breathes so manifest a spirit of generosity, in offering to barter a palpable and material substance, for that which is in itself impalpable and immaterial, that we feel fully convinced he cannot fail of the mark. York Recorder. one Newspaper Anniversary. It is one hundred and fourteen years, this day, (observes the Boston Intelligencer of the 24th April,) since the first No. of the first newspaper printed in America was issued from the press. The Boston NewsLetter was first printed 24th April, 1704. The American Weekly Mercury was first printed in Philadelphia 22d Dec. 1719. In New York, the New York Gazette was first printed 16th Oct. 1756. In Rhode Ísland, the Rhode Island Gazette, Oct. 1732. No paper was published in Connecticut till 1755-nor in New Hampshire till 1756-nor in Kentucky till 1787.-In1790, the first paper was published in Ten nessee. Could the first publisher of the Boston News-Letter have behield, in prophetic vision, the numberless gazettes which are now printed and circulated in every part of the U.S. his astonishment and pleasure would not have been less than that of the hero of the Lusiad, when Thetis gave him a prospect of his "nation's glories." The following resolution of the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Virginia, lately assembled at Winchester, is furnished for publication by the secretary of the Convention, for the purpose of giving the earliest information upon the subject, which is considered interesting and important. In Convention, 22d May, 1818. Whereas differences of opinion prevail as to certain fashionable amusements; and it appears desirable to many, that the sense of the Convention should be expressed concerning them; the Convention does hereby declare its opinion, that gaming, attending on theatres, public balls, and horse racings, should be relinquished by all communicants of this church, as having the bad effects of staining the purity of the Christian character-of giving offence to their pious brethren-and of endangering their own salvation, by their rushing, voluntarily, into those temptations, against which they implore the protection of their Heavenly Father: and this Convention cherishes the hope, that this expression of its opinion will be sufficient to produce conformity of conduct, and unanimity of opinion among all members of our communion. The above is a true extract from the proceedings. WM. MUNFORD, Secretary to the Convention. Alexandria, 26th May, 1818. The Soldiers of the Revolution.At the last session of Congress, an act was passed for the relief of those soldiers who had waded through the war by which our independence was achieved. In this appropriation of the revenue, we see more active virtue than was shown in all the expenses which have been lavished upon ridiculous experiments, and useless foreign embassies. The following letter from a gentleman of the bar in Yorktown, Pennsylvania, describes, with great feeling and effect, the appearance of a number of venerable clients, in whose behalf he claimed the benefit of this law. "The act of congress for the relief of soldiers of the revolution, is of a singular character and effect. That class of people had seemed to have retired from the world. This age had not seen them at all; the last had scarcely seen them, or but seen them to bid them a final adieu. The lanes and back streets of our towns, or the sequestered vales of our country, it is true, were sometimes said to be favoured with here and there a solitary one. But like witches or ghosts, they were oftener heard or talked of, than seen. New lords and new laws,' rose up one upon the heels of another, but neither the deeds of the first, nor the effects of the last reached them. They seemed like extremities of the body politic, which remained cold, inactive, palsied, dead. Medicine after medicine might be administered to the vital parts, but the extremities remained useless and comfortless, and in a measure lifeless. But the vivifying act in question, was no sooner passed, than its effects seemed to thrill through every vein and nerve of the body politic, and these old stumps and broken bones, and rigid nerves, and fleshless sinews, began to move, and live, and grow. Here and there you might see them tottering in second childhood, with their old brows half relaxed from wrinkles, inquiring for those who would aid them in procuring their country's bounty Like infancy, they seemed instinctively to know there was nourishment at the breast, but were too helpless to reach it. They seemed to come forth in numbers not before supposed to exist, and indeed it was gladdening to see so many venerable heroes yet in being. We look upon them as we would upon the swords with which our fathers howed their way to glory; the instruments with which our country's liberty was achieved. But these remarks may as well give place to the muster-roll of sergeant Thomas's squad. It contains the names of those who made application through the writer of this article for the relief provided by the act.. 1 Sergt. Francis Thomas, aged 80. 2 Corporal Michael Elly,,, 3 Music, Thos. Burk, 4 Private Joel Gray, 5 61. 58, 75. James Hogg, 63. 967. 10 11 Total years of age, Averaging 69 years of age each! It is to be questioned whether any sergeant in christendom, could produce such a command as this under sergeant Thomas. Old, shrivelled, needy, bowed down, shivering under the frost of seventy winters! Yet cheerful and ready to "shoulder the crutch, and show how fields were won." Joel Gray-He may indeed be abdressed in the style of the old ballad, and make the same response; "O why do you shiver and shake I am grown very old And the weather 'tis cold, And my doublet is not very new." Thos. Randolph-Better known here as "Old Tommy Randals," the standing bug-bear of childhood, and likely to rival the most celebrated "Boog-a-hoos" of any past age. We sincerely hope his sooty notes of "sweep O"-" sweep O," will soon be exchanged for more cheerful ones. Indeed he has scarcely a note of any kind left, as he is now the tenant of the poor house, having been some time ago gathered to that promiscuous congregation of fatherless, motherless, sisterless, brotherless, houseless and friendless beings, each of whom is little less than civiliter mortuus. Michael Elly. This old winter beaten and woe-worn veteran, during the battle of Germantown, observed a cannon ball approaching his squad, bouncing on the ground from place to place, threatening the legs of his command with sudden destruction. With admirable presence of mind he wheeled his men on their right and left, to make a vacancy for it to pass, and wheeled into his place in the line again, with great regularity and composure. "Right, corporal Elly," said his officer, "always make way for gentlemen whose business requires such despatch." Joseph Wren.-This old man's body and spirit seem to be equally light. He travels his thirty miles a day with ease. His appearance reminds you of the Egyptian mummies, so celebrated for their fresh and life-like appearance after the lapse of centuries. During the deluge (not Noah's flood nor yet Deucalion's, as you might have supposed from his ancient date, but the deluge which buried a third part of our town in ruins, on the ever me morable 9th Aug. 1817,) old Wren, like the lively bird of his own name, perched himself in a snug corner of the garret of a two story frame house and went to sleep. The house rose on the bosom of th deep, plunged all but the garret into the THE SOLDIER'S FRIEND." *So true is it that they, many of them, have no home, that on being asked where they reside, they often reply with a melancholy smile at the oddity of the thing, "almost any where.” |