ART. 6.

American Annals; or a chronological history of America from its discovery in 1492 to 1806. In two volumes. By Abiel Holmes, D. D., A. A. S., S. H. S., minister of the first church in Cambridge. In two volumes. Vol. II. Com

prising a period of one hundred and fourteen years. Cambridge, Wm. Hilliard. 8vo. pp. 540.

It is with no small pleasure we see the other volume of this valuable work emitted from the press. We consider it among the useful publications of this country and the author has endeavoured to make the book entertaining, as well as useful. It is a kind of family record for those, who are members of the same community; to which they will occasionally recur for facts and dates, and in which they will find lively remarks and biographical sketches well interspersed to increase their general information. Our annals exhibit men worthy of our admiration and love, to whom we look with interest and affection, and whose examples glow, while their precepts teach better than monuments of marble and brass. "There be of them, that left a name behind them, that their names may be reported." "And there be some that have no memorial," as speaks the eastern sage; "who are perished, as though they had never been, and have become as though they had never been born, and their children after them. But these were merciful men, whose righteousness has not been forgot ten."

The present volume contains the transactions of New-England, since the charter of William and Mary, more fully than those of the

Soon after Governour Phips arrived with the new charter the country was disturbed by the witchcraft at Salem.

'A strange infatuation had already begun to produce misery in private families and disorder throughtion of witchcraft was accompaniout the community. The imputaed with a prevalent belief of its reality; and the lives of a considerable number of innocent people were sacrificed to blind zeal, and superstitious credulity. The mischief began at Salem in February; but it soon extended into various

parts of the colony. The contagion was principally within the county of Essex. Before the close of September, nineteen persons were executed and one pressed to death, all of whom asserted their innocence.'

The Dr. here gives a just view of the conduct of the judges, and the spirit of the people; for which he is much indebted to a most excellent letter, preserved in the Collections of the Historical Society, and written by Thomas Brattle,esq.

There are some curious things extracted from ther MSS. especially Judge Sewall's, one of the judges, who condemned these unhappy persons, and afterwards lamented his delusion.

The trial of the witches in Suffolk, 1684,' says Dr. H. ' manifested, that there was so exact a resemblance between the Old England demons and the New, it can hardly be doubted, the arts of the designing were borrowed, and the credulity of the populace augmented from the parent country??

This remark is confirmed by facts. Glanville had written a book of odd tales and silly legends, to prove that witches may turn into cats and dogs, and that they who have any correspondence, especially carnal copulation with them,may do likewise. This book, which Dr. I. Mather brought over, was read and believed. It was the combustible matter of Salem witchcraft. John Webster, a practitioner in physick, a plain man, but a great philosopher, turned the work of Glanville into ridicule, so that it lost its credit in England; and Robert Calef of Boston did the same in New-England by his Wonders of the Invisible World, in which he exposed the influence of the Mathers, and confuted their writings.

Of the pirates who spread so great an alarm along the coast of the Southern colonies, mentioned in page 95, Dr. Holmes might have obtained a more correct account from vol. 6 of State Trials, than perhaps any journalist could afford him. Several of the crew were acquitted,and even some who were found guilty were not executed. Twenty-two were hanged at once in Charleston, and their commander soon after.

A.D.1719. The Aurora Borealis was first seen in New-England on the 17th of December. It began about 8 o'clock in the evening; and filled the country with terrible alarm. It was viewed as a sign of the last judgment. This phenomenon was first seen in England 6 March, 1715, from the evening to near 3 o'clock in the morning, to the great consternation of the ple. P. 99.

peo.

A question arises concerning the Aurora Borealis, whether it had ever appeared before this time? We see the benefit of annals, where remarkable appearan

ces are marked down; and we have only to wish, that observations had been made in books of an earlier date by the philosophers of Europe. The same causes produce like effects. It would be strange to think this phenomenon had never attracted men's attention before. We put the question then for information, Whether, in the old books, nothing is said about the Aurora Borealis among the appearances of the heavens? Whether the ancients have observed any thing about it? What Senecameant by the chasmata cali? Some have thought he intended the same phenomenon.

.

In page 125 of this volume we are made acquainted with the number of negroes in South Carolina in 1730. They are estimated 'to have been 20,000; of which number 10,000 are supposed to have been capable of bearing arms. Their superiority to the white people emboldened them to lay a plot for a general massacre, but it was seasonably discovered,and hap pily suppressed.'

We call that part of the Annals very useful, which preserves the account of the population,the trade, treaties with the Indians, &c. Hence we shall quote the statement of the whale fishery on the North American coast in the same year.

For there arrived in England fromthese coasts, about the month of July, 154 tons of train and whate oil, and 9200 of whale bone. In the first 15 days of July, there arrived at London from the American sugar colonies upward of 10,000 hogsheads of sugar, and 15,000 gallons of rum; and half as much more was com→

puted to have been carried to Bristol, Liverpool, and Glasgow. From Barbadoes, this year, there were exported to Great-Britain 22,769 hogsheads of sugar.

'Six Cherokee Indians accompanied Sir Alexander Cumming to England, where a treaty of peace was signed,' &c. The inhabitants of the several towns of the Cherokees amounted to more than 20,000, 6000 of whom were warriors.' P.125.

A later

For his documents of South Carolina and Georgia, Dr.Holmes is indebted to an anonymous history of those provinces, which was for sale in this town some years ago, but is now scarce. edition may have been printed with the author's name; for our annalist refers to Hewit, whom we suppose to be one of the ministers of Edinburgh. He some years ago resided in America. To his account of Georgia the Dr. has added certain valuable observations of his own, and some facts, well worth preserving.

A. D. 1746. A curious fact is mentioned for the observation of our spiritual corps.

Ordination of ministers among the Separates in New England began this year. During the memorable period between 1740 and 1750, there were formed perhaps thirty small separate congregations; some of which were afterward dissolved; others became regular; and ten or twelve, which remained in 1785, were 66 more and more convinced of the duty of seeking ordination from among the standing ministers."

Dr. Holmes in a note upon this says, that these may be traced to the preaching of George Whitefield. Previous to his arrival in America, the churches in New England experienced little innovation. The discourses from the desk, though evangelical, were not impassioned. Such was the state of New-England, when a foreign preacher, young, zealous, cloquent, and daring, appeared in

her churches.

The same evan

gelical truths, which people had from their infancy been taught to regard as divine, were now exhibited in a manner new and surpris ing; and every dormant passion was excited.' The question is, whether the result of this spiritual Quixotism was for the benefit of religion and morality? It com. pletely broke the order and disci pline of the New-England churches; it shook the walls of our university; and filled the country with enthusiasm and ill humour. Before this time, the people were governed by pious principles; and their religion had less passion with it.

Men, from a sense of duty, attended publick worship; heads of families and magistrates were church members; in every house, there was a regular morning and evening sacrifice. There was peace in the hamlet, honour in the temples, and order in the community. But how soon did the river,which maketh glad the people of God by its gentle streams, to use the figure of the Psalmist, become like the troubled sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt! Ministers of piety and learning were pointed at by the finger of scorn, and obliged to quit their parishes; the most orthodox preachers, if they had not a voice, and zeal which blazed, were said to be unconverted ; and all the tender charities of life were despised, as the filthy rags of a prostitute. If there ever should be a townmeeting orator, with talents like Whitefield, and he should make a cry for liberty, and set himself against laws and rulers, the state of society may show, what a revolution our churches suffered from the conduct of that wonderful man. Our author's reflection is very proper; for every historian

should use this motto, Medium est virtus quod tenuisse juvat. In a review of this subject,' says he, 'to condemn indiscriminately were uncharitable, if not impious; to approve, without stricture, were to incur a just charge of weakness and enthusiam.'

The last 200 pages of this volume are taken up with the affairs which led to the Revolution or were connected with it. Hence it cannot be so interesting to the antiquarian; and it is less important to the common reader, as the same thing has been said so often either by Gordon, Ramsay, Marshall, or Pemberton, who, though mentioned last, is not least worthy of respect; having written a journal of the war, printed in the Historical Collections, which makes up a chief part of the 2d volume, and another book more diffuse upon the subject, in MS. styled Memoirs of the Revolution in Massachusetts, besides his chronological papers, to which Dr. H. so frequently recurs.

There are two facts, which our author must have received from hear-say, as he quotes no authority; but which are contrary to common report, and to the general account of our historians. In page 335, which takes up the events of the war in 1775, there is a concise description of the battle of Breed's-hill, in which words are put in the mouth of Gen. Putnam which we always understood were spoken by Col. Starke. He certainly commanded the troops behind the rail fence, which did such amazing execution upon the British forces as they ascended the hill. Gen. Putnam had no command that day. He went down as a volunteer, like General Warren. The one went into the trenches; the other remained

without, to encourage the men. Had he been the commander, would he not have ordered Gerrish and Scammel to join the fighting men, instead of going where men had been placed by their Colonel and were doing their duty, and who were already in the best situation they could be?

Dr. Holmes says Putnam conducted the retreat. He would not have used the expression, had he been on the spot. It is the first time we have ever met with it, as applied to this battle. Instead of a retreat, every man ran by himself, or all ran in the most disorderly manner, some over the common and some to Medford, just as they could best avoid the enemy's fire. Gen. Putnam was a

deserving officer, but not to be named this day with Col. Starkes. No men ever behaved with more courage, than the Americans who fought; none with more cowardice, than those who remained idle at some distance.

It is true, that Dr. H. quotes four lines of poetry, where the merit of Gen. Putnam is celebrated; but a man may be a good poet, and no historian. For facts, we may expect more from old parchments.

The other exception we make is to a marginal note, page 344, where he mentions the death of General Montgomery. It is contrary to an account given in the Historical Collections, Vol. 1st, p. 111. A gentleman furnished that article, who knew every minute circumstance which took place. Our annalist refers to no authority.

On all that part of the volume. containing materials for our history since the close of our war with great Britain, we are compelled to say, that it is meagre and unsatisfactory. Yet we cannot accuse

Dr. Holmes of having neglected his duty; for unfortunately the means were not within his reach.

The early part of our history will soon be known with greater certainty, than the later occurrences. We cannot however but regret, that no notice is taken of the history of the questions on the British Treaty.

On page 466 we observe a confusion in the printing of the notes, which we should not have expected from a press so correct, as that of Cambridge. So valuable a work, which may be quoted three centuries hence, should have received a more careful revision, than is usually bestowed on the inflammatory publications of the politicians of an hour, who must know,

Debemur morti nos nostraque. We are much pleased with the concluding remarks of our author.

Of the three centuries, which have elapsed since the discovery of America, nearly two have passed since the permanent settlement of Virginia. The events of these two centuries are in the highest degree interesting to us; and for that reason they have been the more recited. The means, by which five millions of people have, in so short a time become planted in a wilderness; have established free constitutions of Government; and risen to opulence, to independence, and to national distinction, merit serious inquiry. Much unquestionably is to be ascribed to the salubrity of the climate of North America; to the fertility and variety of its soil; to the extent of its sea coast; to its many navigable rivers; to the excellent pasturage and fisheries of the north, and the valuable products of the south; to the enterprise, industry, simplicity of manners, and unconquerable love of liberty, which have characterised the inhabitants; to the early establishment of schools, and seminaries of

learning, and the general diffusion of knowledge; to early formation of churches and the regular maintainance of publick worship; and to the union and co-operation of the colonies, in measures for the defence and interests of the whole. But, whatever has been the influence of these causes, there is still the highest reason for acceding to the conclusions of Washington: "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.” By the same means, and under the same divine patronage, may the prosperity of the United States be protracted until TIME SHALL BE NO LON GER. P. 308.

ART. 7.

The Garland of Flowers; composed of translations, chiefly original, from the Spanish, Italian, Greek, Latin, c. By Robert Walpole, c8q. B.A. of Trinity college, Cambridge. Ne leggano i severi i detti nostri. Tasso. New-York, reprinted by Riley & Co. 1806.

But

FEW studies have been so diligently cultivated as that of translation, and few are of such extensive utility. It is a kind of classick commerce, which gives us the treasures of every country, and on which few other duties are imposed beside that of fidelity. there are a species of smugglers and counterfeits, who have contrived to elude this impost, and who have introduced into the republick a base sort of merchandise. This is most to be lamented. By translation, the obstacles which obstruct the paths of knowledge are in a great measure removed; and life, which seems too short for per