The Republican ledger — Portsmouth, N.H., 1800-07-15 00:00:00, page 1

IT has been urged as an argument in fa
vor of fuppor'ing and encouraging religion,
by the power and laws of a date, that men
When united in society are found every
Where to need restraint ; and as religion is
.- a powerful one, it becomes necessary that
government fhduld cherish it, and use it
as such. Religion it is said, does much for
*"'governtn errf, and therefore may well expea°
reciprocal support from it.
TeX analize this argument would be to
entera wide field of inquiry. Is the relig
ion intended the true one, or may it be a
falfe one, provided it be adapted to state
purpose the true religion be so a
dapted. Or if to its proper fan&iqns tem
poral ones are to be added, who are to be
judges in the last resort on earth, what is
the true religion so to be guarded — Legifll
tors are fallible men, what if they should
set up a falfe religion ; or by attempting to
eßablifh the true, Ibould corrupt and make
it another thing, by making it move on the
hinge.of worldly interest. Is this fame
worldly intereß become a guide to heaven
ly mindedness. Is it a promoter of faith,
or of hypocrisy and dissimulation ! ! !
A sober consideration of such enquiries
suggested by the argument, would (hew that
it cannot bear to be scrutinized. How does
the affirmed necessity, that religion muR be
ingrafted on a constitution of civil govern
ment appear r Why it is inferred from this
fa&, that most Rates in all ages have had
some public leading religion, a conformity to
which was encouraged, and a diilent from
it difcouutenanced, by a variety of Laws
operating on men's interest. It will be
granted here, that in molt instances the re
ligion established has been and is a falfe
and very corrupt one.
And it will not be denied that with such an
establishment Spates have enjoyed great
power and prosperity. The argument then
seems to be this; a Rate mult patronize
feme kind of religion ; if the true one, so
much the better; but at any rate fame one
that will answer political purposes. Anu
thus policy not religion in any proper fenft
of the word, lies at the bottom of the argu
ment yea, a policy fubveifive of real
religion. By whatever name called, the
thing eßablifhed cannot be the true religion.
And the argument will go the length to
jultify the encouragement of falfehood anu
corruption, destructive as these are of the
most important interests of man, for the fake
of a momentary worldly good. At this rate
the old Roman Republic a&ed wifely and
justifiably in supporting their idolatrous re
ligion ; corrupt as it was it answered the
nurpofes of government. And States and
tingdoms now called chriftian, are juftified
contending for and supporting by the
sword in the hands of the magistrate within,
and in the hands of their armies without,
that corrupt form which was grafted on tae
NeW-Teßament, and handed down from
Conßantine to the ten kings !
On these principles the primitive chrif
tians are given up as a people who could
not be defended against the accusations of
, their enemies. They were charged with
being oppofers of the government ; becauff
they opposed the religion eltablifhed in the
Roman empire. The apoßles opposed this
religion in the most pointed manner. They
7preached that men ibould turn from " these
/ft vanities." And for once their enemies
- feake truth of the apostle, when they said
be had taught and turned away much peo
ple, faying, “ that they were no Gods
which were made with hands." The true
ambassadors preached only a heavenly king
dom, andJaught confeientious obedience to
magistrates as a law of that kingdom. And
yet they were accused as opposing the gov
ernment !—Chriftians were direaed to an
swer this reproach by their blameless, good
lives, arid so to put to silence the ignorance
of fooKfh men." But neither the apostles
or their followers appear to have thought
that they were breaking any connexion that
God had made between religion and govern
ment. The contenders for such a connex
ion in their zeal for a political religion,
must give up the New Teßament,,and the
firft believers of it —as indifpenfible. They
difeovered great zeal and boldness in teach
ing a religion that promoted no man's
worldly interest, and had no tinaure of
politics,and this in dited oppofoion to the
NUMBER 47. —VOL. I.]
• ^e inquirer, 09. %
The Republican Ledger.'
For the REPUBLICAN LEDGER.
“ WHEN YOU SHALL THESE DEEDS RELATE, SPEAK OF THEM AS THEY ARE ; NOTHING EXTENUATE NOR SET DOWN OUGHT IN MALICE."
PRINTED AT PORTSMOUTH, (NEW-HAMPSHIRE) NEXT DOOR TO ROUSSELET's MUSEUM, MULBERRY LANE.
In our judgment Mr. Webfler has per
formed a great work. Whether we confi
Her the extent and novelty of the design, the
diligence, actitenefs and erudition dilplayeo
in the inveftigaticns, the ingeniousness and
fagacitv of the combinations, or the impor
tance of the results ; whether we confider
the revolution of opinions which it tends to
effect, or the range of inquiries which it is
adapted to awaken, we mull pronounce him
entitled to the praise of an inftruCive and
original writer.
(|3° Few modern publications exhibit more novel
matter to excite the curiojity of the philosophic
world than the Hiflory of Pe(iilence, by Mr, Web
(ler. The following extracts' from a review of this
work, in the Medical Repository, will give our rea
ders jome general idea of the manner in which the
author has treated the Jubjeft.
This work, whose commencement and
progress we have repeatedly announced, has
been an object of great expectation. The
publication of a number of letters, by the
fame author, towards the end of the year
1797, through the medium of the newfpa
pers, which contained some of the fa&s and
principles more amply difeuffed in these
volumes, and which were efpccially occa
lioned by the controversy concerning the
importation or domestic origin ot the yel
low fever, excited much attention wherever
hey Were read. Soon after the date ot those
letters the plan of this work was formed,
and ever since, the publication of it has been
waited for with impatience. But, however
high the expectations of thofe^who know
the industry and zeal of the learned author,
is well as" the fertility of the fubje&, we
Ihall venture to engage that they will be far
exceeded by the perusal of his performance.
N> labor has been spared to render it as
worthy of the public patronage, and as ufe
ful as possible. The collection of fads, as
well as the consultation of authorities, is
eminently great ; and although a multitude
of difficulties muff have arisen, in conduct
ing the refearch,from a deficiency of records
and scantiness of libraries, we are happy to
find such difficulties so fuccefsfully over
come.
reigning, cft^blifhed, political religion. And
as they were neither damped or intimidates
in holding by, and promoting a religion es
tablished by the power and laws of Jesus
Christ against one eßablifhed by the power
aid laws of men ; as little cause have an\
now to be difeouraged from treading in theii
Reps. The fame opposition between theft
two Rill fubfißs. And like interefls and
dispositions lead men now, to accuse opposi
tion to a worldly Rate-religion, as opposi
tion to government.
In sum ; the corruption ofhuman nn
lire is indeed such, that men when associ
ated, need powerful restraints. Govern
ment has in mercy been therefore instituted.
With its praise for well doers, and all it
solemn apparatus of terrors for them who do
evil. These are the real restraints in focie
y. A revenger bearing a sword to exe
cute wrath on evil doers,is indeed necessary,
and docs exist. The restraints of a falfe re
ligion are flimfy and inadequate. And it is
quite beyond the power ot human govern
ments to make men believe and obey the
true religion, and thus to refrain or govern
them by that ! Nor have they the ieaft war
rant to make the attempt.
©ebfter's piftor^ of Pestilence.
The comparative mildness and infrequen
cy of pestilential epidemics, in the more ci
vilized parts of the world, in modern times,
and the prevalence of the doarine of the
importation of contagion, had produced a
degree of inattention amounting almost tc
forgetfulnefs of the principles which usually
govern the course of such diseases. The
recent experience of many parts of the U.
States, as well as that of more distant places,
has served to recal our attention to this mo
mentous enquiry. And, after are-consi
deration of the whole fubjed, aided by all
the light which the wisdom and observation
of a series of ages could offer, our author, in
the work before us,prefen'S the fruits of his
laborious and persevering researches. ,
To contemplate pestilential diseases with
more advantage, and to compare and digest
their phenomena, as they occur in distant
countries and remote ages, Mr. W. aflumes
the Ration of an historian, and causes to pass
From the REVIEW.
TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1800.
One of the most interesting features of
this hiftory is the relation supposed to subsist
between pestilential epidemics and sundry
other phenomena of the physical woild ;
such as comets, volcanic eruptions, earth
quakes, meteors, the extremes of heat and
cold, excessive rains and drought, tempests,
high tides, inundations, unfual numbers ot
infeCts, failure cf crops, famine, &c.
In the firft Tedion of these volumes Mr.
W. treats of the diversity of opinions re
fpe&ing the cause and origin of peliilence.
He contracts the opinions of the ancients,
formed from personal and unbiaffed observ
ations, with those of some modern writers,
particularly Dr. Mead, who finds in fpccific
contagion, imported from Egygt °f Ethio
pia, a cause powerful enough to kindle the
plague, and ravage whole continents.
It will be readily perceived, from the na
ture of this narrative, comprehending a great
body of fads, drawn from a variety of
sources, with occasional remarks on the
Has Rated, that it admits neither of analy
sis nor abridgement. We feel, however,
the less regret on this account, as we are
persuaded none of our readers will fail to
uerufe the work it felf.
The second volume Is introduced with
bills of mortality for the two last centuries,
with an account of the principal cotempor
ary phenomena of the elements. These
bills are for London, Augfburg, Dresden,
Boston, one religious society in Philadelphia,
with a few of Faris and Dublin. After
these the author delivers some general re
narks exhibiting an outline of the hiltorical
fads, and of the principle deduced fron
them, and, at the fame time, afford a speci
men of the author's Ryle and manner, we
'ay them before our readers. (Sec. x. page
" Imperfea as ancient hiftory is, in re
gard to the accounts of diseases, and the ex
traordinary phenomena of nature, we find
that betwen the year B. C. 480 and the
Christian era, a number of violent plagues
tccurred ; most of which coincided in time
with the following phenomena : comets
eruptions of vocanoes,earthquakes, drought,
severe winters, diseases among cattle. Os
hirteen comets mentioned in the foregoing
hiltory, which are all whose dates I am a
ble to afeertain, eight of them coincide with
volcanic eruptions of Etna, the only volca
no of any note which the hißory ot that pe
riod has recorded ; and eleven of them co
incide in time with pestilence. If we con
fider the scarcity of our materials for a hil
tory of these phenomena, at that period,
and make due allowances for the uncertain
ty of chronology, we fliall find reason to be
surprised at such a number of these coinci
dences. In several instances we find ex
treme drought, and hard winters, to cotref
pond in time with comets and eruptions of
Etna, conformable to faffs in modern days.
“ The phenomenon most generally and
closely connected with pestilence is an earth-
before him, in review, a long series of thole
diseases, with a train of occurrences in the
physical world accompanying or preceding
them; In order that they may mutually lend
their aid in explaining and illustrating each
other. It is aftoniShing to reflect that thi?
is the firft attempt to write a hiStory of epi
demic and pestilential distempers. locom
pofe such a work in the best manner, it is
oeceffary to culled, and to bring under pro
per points of view, the fads which lie dil
p,fed through innumerable volumes ; to
dead the writers, of each age and nation in
the original ; enter into the fririt and cir
cumstances of the times when they wrote to
famine the ft^te of society, the diet, cloth
ing, habitations, customs, manners, &c. of
the people, as well as to afeertain the na
ture of the foil, the face of the country, and
the climate wherein they occur. A great
deal of this has been accomplilhed by our
author ; but much of it can never be at
tempted from the want of materials, owing
to the defeds of historical records, to the
ravages of time, or to the devastation of bar
barians.
The leading object of this work is to
prove that epidemic and pestilential diftem.
)cis originate from a deleterious agent or
agents, operating through the medium of the
atmosphere, sometimes locally, and some
times over the whole globe, disappearing
ind returning at unequal periods. This is
precisely the epidemic conflitution of Syden
ham of which the fads codeded by Mr.W.
xlibit a luminous and incuntioverti&
.root.l
[I DOL. 50 CTS. PER AN&UM.
“ Another phenomenon, which, next to
earthquakes, appears to be most closely con
nected with epidemic diseases, is the erup
tion of fire from volcanic mountains. In
this article hiltory is deficient, or 1 have
not been fortunate enough to furnifh a com
plete view of these phenomena."
“ Notwithstanding these defeats we are
able, by the corruptions in Italy, Sicily, &
Iceland, to arrive to some Very important
conciufions. The reader must have notic
ed, in the preceding hiftory, the coincidents
in time between volcanic difeharges, and
winters of unusual severity. These dif
eharges cither precede or follow the winter.
Thus the eruption of 1776, '79, and 'Bg,
were immediately followed by intehfely cold
winters."
quake. From all the fadsahat I can find in
hiftory, I question whether an instance of a
considerable plague in any county can be
mentioned, which has not been immediate^
ly preceded or accompanied bv convulsions
of the earth. If any exceptions have oc
curred, they have escaped my researches.
ft does not happen that every place where
pestilence prevails is Shaken ; but during
the progress of the diseases which demon
strate pestilence, and which run, in certain
periods over large portions of the globe,
Some parts of the earth, and especially those
which abound most with fubterrancan fire,
are violently agitated.
“ By adverting to the foregoing hiftory,
the reader will find that all those years in
which considerable earthquakes have occur
red in America, have been remarkably sick-
Iy. These years are 1638, 1647, 16 58,
1662-3, 1668, 1727, 1755, 1783. Seethe
hiltory and the bills of mortality. Even the
fligther shocks have, been attended with
considerable sickness, or have introduced a
series of epidemics, being cotemporary with
ihe measles, influenza or fore throat, as in
1669, 1720, 1737, 1757, 1761, 1769, 1771,
OT^ 1 797 # "
" Iq every case, I believe, this remak
will be found true : that the approach of
comets, and volcanic eruptions disturb the
regular course of the seasons. The heat of
summer and the cold of winter are in ex
tremes ; more snow is generated in winter,
and more hail in summer ; tempests are
more violent, and rain more unequally dis
tributed over the earth, ™
" A series of epidemic diseases, meaflcs
influenza, affections of the throat, followed
by pestilential fevers, appear nearly to com
mence and take their deparure from some
of the great agitations of the elements above
recited. This at least has been the case
in America in the four last periods, begin
ning with 1756 and 1757, 1769 and '7O,
'B2, and 'B3, 'BB and 'B9. This fa& will
want no authority but a bare infpedion of
the preceding hiftory and tables."
We have no hesitation to admit, that the
frequent coincidence of these great phenom^
ena, as Rated by Mr. Webster, is a most
intelligent fa& in the order of naur'e. E*
nough has been observed to Rimulate fen
quiry to the utmoß; and it is to be hoped •
that incessant attention will be direaed to
this obje&, uutil our difeoveries concerning
; t\ become more fatisfaaory and complete.
We may however be permitted to remark,
that it is requisite to know much mote
of nature before we Can hope to afeertain
the precise degree and connexion of depen
dance of these occurrences upon one anoth
er ; whether they stand in relation of cause
and effea, or -whether they may be all con
fi'dered as effia, of a common cause. To
determine the point with accuracy, not only
more numerous and more minute obferva-
" Another phenomenon which usually
coincides in time with severe winters, is the
approach of comets —I have been (truck
with surprise at the coincidents of this kind.
There ato a few instances on record of
mild winters during the appearances ot these
bodies ; but in these cases the comits have
appeared to be small or to pass the fyltem
it an immense dißance from the earth.=
The large comets,and those which approach
nearer to the earth,yeeffl to produce, aimoft
uniformly, great heat, excessive drought,
allowed by very cold winters, tremendous
Rorms of wind, rain,fiiow and hail unusual
tides, or swell of the ocean, and, usually
volcanic eruptions. % How far these phe
nomena are connected as cause and effe&,
future observations may determine. Some
of them occur so uniformly in the fame year
r hat I cannot refill the evidence of connex-
ion."