before the mercilefs blaft-defcending torrents of drenching rain and founding hail deluge the battery walks, the gates are thronged by 'prentices, fervant maids and little Frenchmen, with their pocket handkerchiefs over their hats, fcampering from the storm -the late beauteous profpect prefents one scene of anarchy and wild uproar, as though old chaos had refumed his reign, and was hurling back into one vaft turmoil, the conflicting elements of nature. Fancy to yourself, oh reader! the awful combat fung by old Hefiod, of Jupiter, and the Titans-fancy to yourself the long rebellowing artillery of heaven, ftreaming at the heads of the gigantic fons of earth.-In fhort, fancy to yourself all that has ever been faid or fung, of tempeft, ftorm and hurricane-and you will fave me the trouble of describing it.

Whether I fled from the fury of the storm, or remained boldly at my poft, as our gallant train band captains, who march their foldiers through the rain without flinching, are points which I leave to the conjecture of the reader. It is poffible he may be a little perplexed alfo to know the reason why I introduced this moft tremendous and unheard of tempeft, to disturb the serenity of my work. On this latter point I will gratuitously instruct his ignorance. The panorama view of the battery was given, merely to gratify the reader with a correct defcription of that celebrated place, and the parts adjacent-secondly, the ftorm was played off, partly to give a little bustle

and life to this tranquil part of my work, and to keep my drowfy readers from falling afleep-and partly to ferve as a preparation, or rather an overture, to the tempeftuous times, that are about to affail the pacific province of Nieuw Nederlandts-and that over-hang the flumbrous administration of the renowned Wouter Van Twiller. It is thus the experienced play-wright puts all the fiddles, the french horns, the kettle drums and trumpets of his orchestra in requifition, to ufher in one of thofe horrible and brimftone uproars, called Melodrames--and it is thus he difcharges his thunder, his lightning, his rofin and faltpetre, preparatory to the raising of a ghost, or the murdering of a heroWe will now proceed with our history.

Whatever may be advanced by philofophers to the contrary, I am of opinion, that, as to nations, the old maxim, that "honesty is the beft policy," is a sheer and ruinous mistake. It might have anfwered well enough in the honeft times when it was made; but in these degenerate days, if a nation pretends to rely merely upon the justice of its dealings, it will fare fomething like an honeft man among thieves, who, unless he have fomething more than his honesty to depend upon, stands but a poor chance of profiting by his company. Such at leaft was the cafe with the guilelefs government of the New-Netherlands; which, like a worthy unfufpicious old burgher, quietly settled itself down into the city of New-Amsterdam, as into a fnug elbow chair-and fell into a comfortable nap→

while in the mean time its cunning neighbours ftepped in and picked its pockets. Thus may we ascribe the commencement of all the woes of this great province, and its magnificent metropolis, to the tranquil fecurity, or to speak more accurately, to the unfortunate honesty of its government. But as I diflike to begin an important part of my history towards the end of a chapter; and as my readers, like myself, must doubtlefs be exceedingly fatigued with the long walk we have taken, and the tempeft we have sustained—I hold it meet we shut up the book, smoke a pipe, and having thus refreshed our spirits, take a fair start in the next chapter..

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CHAP. VI.

Faithfully describing the ingenious people of Connecticut and thereabouts-Showing, moreover, the true meaning of liberty of conscience, and a curious device among these sturdy barbarians, to keep up a harmony of intercourse, and promote population.

THAT my readers may the more fully comprehend the extent of the calamity, at this very moment impending over the honeft, unsuspecting province of Nieuw Nederlandts, and its dubious governor, it is neceffary that I fhould give fome account of a horde of ftrange barbarians, bordering upon the eastern frontier.

Now fo it came to pafs, that many years previous to the time of which we are treating, the fage cabinet of England had adopted a certain national creed, a kind of public walk of faith, or rather a religious turnpike, in which every loyal subject was directed to travel to Zion-taking care to pay the toll gatherers by

the way.

Albeit a certain fhrewd race of men, being very much given to indulge their own opinions, on all manner of subjects (a propensity exceedingly obnoxious to your free governments of Europe) did moft prefumptuously dare to think for themselves in matters

of religion, exercifing what they confidered a natural and unextinguishable right-the liberty of confcience.

As, however, they poffeffed that ingenuous habit of mind which always thinks aloud; which in a manner rides cock-a-hoop on the tongue, and is for ever galloping into other people's ears, it naturally followed that their liberty of confcience likewife implied liberty of speech, which being freely indulged, soon put the country in a hubbub, and aroused the pious indignation of the vigilant fathers of the church.

The ufual methods were adopted to reclaim them, that in thofe days were confidered fo efficacious in bringing back ftray sheep to the fold; that is to fay, they were coaxed, they were admonished, they were menaced, they were buffeted-line upon line, precept upon precept, lash upon lash, here a little and there a great deal, were exhausted without mercy, and without fuccefs; until at length the worthy paftors of the church, wearied out by their unparalleled ftubbornnefs, were driven in the excess of their tender mercy, to adopt the fcripture text, and literally "heaped live embers on their heads."

Nothing, however, could fubdue that invincible spirit of independence which has ever distinguished this fingular race of people, so that rather than submit to such horrible tyranny, they one and all embarked for the wildernefs of America, where they might enjoy, unmolested, the inestimable luxury of talking.