The National Register.
London, England, 1816-07-21 00:00:00

No: 411.—V01.. IX.

ON THE END OF THE IMULD.

How would the penetrating eye of Butler have
looked into the hearts of the modern Philosophers who
planned the destruction of the world on the 18th hitt.
from the spots on the sun's disk ! and would have sent
them to the wise Astrologer of his day,
That deeds in destinies, dark councils,
And sage opinions of the moon ;
To whim all people, far Rail near,
On deep importances repair. 2 Mid. cant. 3.
and would have laughed at their restless folly, while he
quaffed in peace his nut-brown ale, and slept as soundly
a:: on any other night of his existence. It is true, that
Imfore that terrible day, and near its approach, there will
signs in the sun, and la the moon, and in the stars ;
hitt these arc not sib+ signs as spots on the sun's disk :
Meteors arc tilt signs of that nature—they are the nu-
torah exhalations of the planetary system, its diurnal
coarse--its astonishing velocity, and its rotatory Illation ;
and these are frequently shown to be as transitory as the
spray of the sea upon the objects of the surrounding shore.
Seine minds, ignorant of the wonderful phenomena,
have alto ascribed the rain, during the present month, to
these spots on the sun : but they do not recollect, that
rain is the dissolving of clouds which are moved by the
wind, and are not only far below the sun, but far below
many mountains; from the summits of which travellers
have stood, and beheld storms of rain and lightning, and
thunder, playing. below them !—the aqueous particles of
these clouds tithing in drops of rain upon the earth, are
thus returned to refresh its vegetation, and render its
otherwise parched surface fruitful : but they arc opera-
tions of a lower region ; a medium too low for the sun's
operation, except in its congenial effect. Some have
gone so far back as to imagine they can trace some re-
cords of many spots on the sun previous to the deluge ;
which event happened 2349 years before the Christian
Ara, according to the Bible history; but as Moses 1
not said one word about the sun or his situation at that
time (ace Gen. probably these
calculations or minutes of their own, _
ter has been peculiarly revealed to them in these latter
days, in preference to Moses ! But it is an extraordi-
nary presumption in any philosophers to assume a spirit
of dictation and alarm ; when they, by a short reference
to the only authority on such grave subjects, may not
only satisfy themselves, but be detected by their readers !
Throughout the Old Testament, the end which is there alluded
to, is the end of each man's life. It seems to have been re.
served for the Christian Revelation to declare the end of the
world, as well as jinn:tonality. The expectation of this is often,
as it were, habitually expressed by the:term " these latter days,"
as denoting that the lime was at hand: and many of the els-
hortetions to n-orolity arc founded not only upon the tweet%
tainty of life, bitt upon the time being short!--" Brethren, the
time is short," said St. Paul ;—and St. Peter says, " the end
of all things is at hand.' 1 Pct. iv. 7,17. Hat, in the time of
our Saviour, the people being desirous of knowing something
of these facts, asked their Di'. Master," when these things
should be, and what would be tile sten of his cursing and of
the end et' the world r Matt. xxiv. 3. Our Lord's answer
clearly distinguished between the tribulations arising from the
calamities winds were assuredly to fall upon their city, and
the time of which they enquired —for they had supposed their
city to be as eternal as the world itself—lint he conelniled by
declaring, that " such things mast needs be,lett the mid was not
yet." v. 6. And eller their afflictions and persecu-
tions for the sake of their faith, he promises " the timid reward
of salvation to those who should endure through them." v. 13.
Exhorting them in their patience still to possess their souls
Luke MILL In.), he them: foretells the fall of Jerusalem and it-
grievous sorrows, and that she should be trodden loon of the
Gentiles until their time should he fidtilled, Luke axi. 21. It wa,
not until after those tribulations that the second coining of the
Sim of Alan was to be expected; when the suit should he dark-
ened, and the moon should not give her light, and the stars of
lien% eii should IAII, and the powers of the heavens should be
shaken (Matt. xxiv. 29.); and then should appear the sign of the
Son ot'Msn in heaven, &c. v. 30. Biit of th..t day end hour know-
sib oo man; no, not the angels of heaven, but my father only,
y. 30. Ile ye ready ; for in such au hour as ye think not, the
Son of Mau coined'. %. 44 And this exhortation is followed
(eh. xxv.) uy the cc ebtated parables and %aluable examples of
the ten virgins and the eight talents ; and the subject is closed
by an awlhl delineation of the last judgment, and the merciful
distributiou of rewards and punishments.
Such is the end described by it. Matthew.—No one doubts
his authority, and every one acknowledges that none of the
signs which he predicts have yet appeared; but as the sutler-
inds ofJetusalent took place, these must as-tiredly follow as
the close of the prophecy. And even those who have applied
the terms sun, moos, and .stars, to the chiefs of political hemi-
spheres, which fell in the dire visitations of the French revo-
lution, do also acknowledge that our Lord's prophecy of his
own second coming was general, and not confined to one:nation ;
and thit Iscfine that awful period, all the nations of the earth
should see and feel the blessings of his salvation; and there-
for- it mast he at once confessed, that though the tiz:al
approaca, it is not yet. A sufficient period is given for
morn, for vigilance, and for repentance, to all the nation of
the world!

Pittex 9'd

OFFICIAL NARRATIVE
0f
THE LATE MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS AT BONA.

TRANSLATION Or A COPY OF AN ITALIAN LETTER ADDRESSED •
BY THE ENGLISH VICE•CONSUL AT TRAPANI, TO THE BRITISH
VICE-CONSUL AT PALERNO
am truly afflicted at having to announce to von the
arrival ILI this port yesterday, and cuntitined arrival to-day, 111*
several coral fishing-boats, which have had the good fortune to
escape from firma, bringing the dreadful hews of the tragedy
which has occurred in that barbarous country. sc.entv-idne
vessels had &tumbled on the one pert, and 14 on the other,
consisting of Neitpf/iilnl/S, AS well us those from Corsica and st,
Margnerite, under tho English lin, for the purpose of carrying
en the coral ti.licry allowed them by the British establishment,
at'lliona, as well as by passports from Mr. aponnel, tbr Bri-
tish Consid-tidneral at Algiers; or from M. B. Escredero, your
ova.,ni at Bona, appoimed by the English Consul, each' boat
paying 20i) crowns to the establishment for that fishery..
" flaring personally examined several nettle boat-toasters,
in order the better to ascertain the circumstances connected
with the events, I communicate the substance of the inhuma-
tion I hat.i. collected.

Ad the masters having immediately on their arrival at
Botta p.,iti the duties, and obtained the passports mentioer •
above, landed and proci tded to take from the magas.
the British Consulate, where supplies are stored, sue-. ,
shoot as were necessary Ow six months, as well as all articles
used in the coral fishery. Tory bad tranquilly commenced
their labours, and had deposited in their magazines what coral
they had collected.
" On the 23d, the Feast of the Ascension of onr Lord, at one
in the morning, when the crews of all the boats were preparing
to hear mass, a gnu was fired from the Castle, and at the same
moment there appeared about 2,000 infantry and cavulry, con-
sisting of 'forks, Levanters, and Moors. One part at these
troops proceeded towards the country, and immediately an-
other band advanced un the river, %allele the fishing-lioats were
lying, at greater or less distances from the sea, and tired, as
did also the forts, on the tinfortnnate fishers, who were partly
on board their boats and partly on land, and massacred the
whole of them. They took their English flags and tore them
in pieces, trampled them tinder their feet, and dragged them
along the , •.I as in t
" Those