Ne mortua quidem est Olympia nostra, sed vivit cum Christo beata et immortalis, ac post tot ærumnas et labores in dulcem atque optatam quietam recepta est. Vivit, vivit, inquam, Olympia, etiam in hoc mundo, vivetque dum erunt homines in mundo, in viva immortalique suorum operum divinorumque monumentorum, atque omnium excellentissimorum ingeniorum memoria. * I [F you will be so indulgent as to allow me two niches in the walls of your distinguished literary and religious temple, I feel a pleasing conviction that I can fill them with the effi gies of two persons richly meriting to be ranked amongst the excellent of the earth. The first of these I had the honour to be acquainted with for a period of seven years; with the second, about twice as many months. They both became objects of my high consideration and respect from the first day of my knowledge of them, and time, as it passed along, enhanced my esteem. The impression which I received at the commencement of my acquaintance, became more lively in its progress, and the nearer it approached to intimacy, the basis of my regard was enlarged. I must not, however, proceed to develope as far as I am able the respective characters of these ladies without requesting forgiveness, if need be, of their surviving respectable relatives, for volunteering my services in this undertaking. I may fairly suppose they have been prevented by adequate causes from paying a public tribute of posthumous honourable notice to their memory, and possibly they might have been preparing this tribute, but deferred it from the best of motives. Since, however, several months have been suffered to elapse, and nothing has yet appeared in your valuable work, I have stepped forward to redeem, to the best of my ability, their memories prematurè adeo in vivis esse descisset, clarè ostendunt. *CURIO: from his letter to Olympia's mother, announcing her death. from oblivion, and to preclude the possibility of two most amiable persons being removed without notice and unhonoured from the world. I must add too, that I sincerely hope nothing that I shall state will preclude more finished pictures being presented to the public eye from those who are competent to furnish such traits of excellence as fell not within my observation. "The memory of the just," says the sacred writer," is blessed." But this blessing would not rise to its just dimensions, if the living preserve a profound silence as to the merits of those who have preceded them, and withhold the meed of commendation. Mrs. ANN WANSEY, of Warminster, mentioned, to her very great honour, In regard to the most momentous of all human concerns, she did not content herself with professing the refor granted that as they were right, ligious faith of her family, taking it she could not be wrong, which is but too common a circumstance: on the contrary, she read, thought and judged for herself, and though the arguwhich self-called orthodoxy decries, ments in support of those opinions were early proposed to her, she discovered no sufficient reason in after life to doubt or suspect their truth. She could see nothing either just or venerable in what have been denominated the sublime mysteries of the Christian faith. They appeared to her in the Biographical Tributes to Mrs. Wansey and Mrs. Swanwick. light of appendages unwarrantably added to a most simple, intelligible and heavenly system. Her attention to the duties of public worship and religious improvement was regular and almost undeviating. She was to be seen in her place whenever the service of the sanctuary invited her presence, and indisposition or inclement weather did not prevent-not deeming it an act of supererogation, as but too many now do, to repair to the seat of devotion twice on the Lord's-Day. Nor did she on the first Sunday of the month, when the celebration of the Lord's Supper succeeded the usual service, desert her post, as is too frequently done, but staid, and with reverential, cheerful gratitude joined in the observance of it with her consistent fellow-christians. Her behaviour in the chapel was serious, devout and attentive. She aimed not so much to be thought pious as to be so. She was more solicitous to deserve the reputation of excellence than to acquire it. For years she attended with more or less constancy the school that was kept twice a week in the vestry to teach girls the arts of sewing and knitting, and these, together with a number of boys, reading, writing and arithmetic. To this school, as well as to the Sunday-school and other charitable institutions, she was a generous, without being an ostentatious contributor. The whole tenor of her life demonstrated that the governing, presiding object of her wishes was to be and to do all that she believed to be consistent with the true genuine Christian character. Mrs. SWANWICK, of Chester, for many years the surviving parent of a numerous and very worthy family, was distinguished by a peculiar combination of a most engaging suavity of manners, with a highly cultivated understanding and a truly benevolent heart. None could approach her without being charmed with the polite and graceful reception she gave them. If time admitted, she entered into conversation in the most unaffected and affable manner; and was never at a loss to make such kind and appropriate inquiries, as evinced at once an extensive knowledge of society, and the lively interest she took in the happiness of others. Great part of her 727 life was spent in the most useful and honourable employment of superintending the education of young ladies, and fitting them to appear with advantage in the world, and to fill, with credit to themselves and advantage to others, the various situations of life to which they might be called. Many ladies who survive their honoured and beloved governess, can bear testimony to the anxious as well as attractive and judicious mode in which she instructed them in such branches of knowledge, whether substantial or ornamental, as were requisite to qualify them to shine in whatever department they might be destined to act. On religious subjects she was accustomed to think without allowing herself to be under the influence of such restraints and obstacles as custom, fear or interest in too many cases impose, with a single eye to the attainment of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus our Lord. She acted upon the principle, in this instance, of calling no one but him her Master, and none Father but God. Firm was her conviction that she was amenable to no human tribunal for the sentiments she entertained of the gospel, and she exerted her best powers, unembarrassed and unbiassed, to discover its real nature and design. She was not, however, more distinguished for her upright and impartial investigation of the truth of religious doctrines, than for the candour and charity which she manifested to those who differed from her in sentiment. Though she might be denominated a Sectarian, as every thinking person must be in the proper but innocent sense of the word, by adopting opinions entertained by one or other class of Christians; yet she possessed not the slightest tincture of what has been styled, in a bad sense, a sectarian spirit. She believed in the personal as well as essential unity of the Creator, but she cherished no other feeling towards those who maintained a plurality of divine persons, than what resolved itself into a conviction of their being in error. She worshiped only Him who is one, and whose name is One, but interfered not with those, even in the way of complaint, who addicted themselves to a triune adoration. She cherished the firmest conviction of the Divine placability, uninfluenced by any thing but his own intrinsic benevolence, but calmly left others to doubt of his essential mercy, and to confide for their salvation on purchased favour and forgiveness. Though she differed to ever so great an extent from others, yet she was most willing to act with them as far as they could agree, not esteeming a diversity of opinion in other respects as affording any sufficient reason for declining to meet and co-operate with them on common ground. stantial with it; and when the accidental and adscititious impediments which have obscured or eclipsed their lustre in this world shall be removed, the whole human family will become assimilated to those who have been pre-eminently distinguished amongst them. SIR, THEOS. BROWNE. NEELING confident that the ques tion "whether the register of births kept at Dr. Williams's Library, Red-Cross Street, is evidence in our courts of law and equity," will be considered of great importance by most of your readers, and particularly those who have the misfortune of be ing involved in the labyrinths of a Chancery suit, I trouble you with the note of a case which occurred before the Master of the Rolls on the 26th of June, 1820, vid. Jacob and Walker's Reports, Vol. I. p. 483. It was a petition, ex parte Taylor, for payment of a legacy that had been invested in the funds in the name of the Accountant General, the legatee having attained 21. It is, unhappily, the way of many reli-F gious persons to confine their attention to a few points of doctrine, and having these most in their thoughts, to let their conversation turn upon them almost exclusively; but this lady loved to converse upon subjects which the far greatest part of Christians concur in, such as the existence, superintending providence, perfections and righteous retributive government of God; the probationary condition of man; the indispensable necessity of a virtuous, upright, unblemished life; the noble elevation of character which a conscientious conformity to the will of God produces, and the consolatory hopes which may be reasonably cherished by those who have regulated their lives agreeably to such principles as, in their belief, bear the stamp of Divine approbation. Whatever I have observed of Mrs. A. W.'s exemplary at tention to the public duties of religion, might be said with equal truth of this lady. All the members of her family, more nearly or remotely allied to her, not only held her in the highest esteem, but looked upon her with senti ments of exalted veneration, deeming it an honour to address her by the term which designated the relation in which she stood to them. It is a subject, Mr. Editor, of lively joy to a well-disposed and well-directed mind, that truly worthy, amiable and rationally religious persons have at any time appeared upon the earth; it tends to produce a satisfaction combined with devout gratitude to the Creator, that we belong to the human race. It also lays a foundation on which to form one of the most delightful views which can be presented to the mind of man, that since the most excellent and godlike qualities have been known to reside in the human breast, these may be said to be congenial and consub To prove his age, an examined copy of an entry in the register of the births of Dissenters' children, kept at Dr. Williams's Library, was produced: "the Master of the Rolls thought it was not evidence that the court could act on." What the person was, who was thus unexpectedly barred from obtaining what he was as a matter of course entitled to by the decision of an equitable judge, I know not, nor am I aware of any case which has occurred since, in which this question has arisen. I write in the expectation, that if the law is now as it was laid down by Sir Thomas Plumer only in 1820, something may be done to remedy such a great and crying evil which affects a large body of his Majesty's subjects. A. B. Free Press in India. [We have received the following additional letter on the subject of the India Press from the same quarter as that which we printed in pp. 415418. This letter appears to have been addressed to some friends of liberty at Goa.] I Free Press in India. London, GENTLEMEN, May 1, 1822. HAVE heard with pleasure of the glorious Revolution lately accomplished at Goa. The prominent part which you have acted on the interesting occasion, induces me to offer to your consideration some remarks on the advantages of establishing in that city a Free Press. I am aware that there existed a Press at Goa soon after the era of Printing, but it was free only to serve the purposes of despotism, and to issue the rigorous mandates of a barbarous Inquisition. On this subject it must not be forgotten that the settlements of Portugal formerly extended along the coast of Africa and Asia nearly from the Cape of Good Hope to the Sea of China, and also comprehended most of the islands in the Malayan Archipelago, and that in all these places the Portuguese language is still spoken, and thus offers the most favourable medium of communicating knowledge, which, by the resistless aid of a Free Press, may at length diffuse itself through the extensive regions of the East. It has been well said, that in the invention of Printing is contained the embryo which, in its maturity, will annihilate the slavery of the human race. Hence I shall endeavour to prove, that a Free Press, co-operating with a good system of general education, must in the issue destroy bigotry and despotism in Indostan. There are three principal sources from whence the Hindoo society is susceptible of improvement: these are, justice, education and discussion. The political, civil and criminal laws of the Hindoos and Mahomedans are interwoven with their theology, and the union of their divine and human codes has a direct tendency to introduce and to perpetuate despotism. The introduction of a pure worship, and a just and equitable code of laws, is therefore essential to their welfare. The great mass of the Hindoos have, from time immemorial, received the rudiments of education. They have been instructed in the fabulous tales of their gods-their cruelties, their immoralities, and their abominations. Thus a vicious education has effectually tended to perpetuate the errors of bigotry and oppression; whereas, by VOL. XVII. 5 A 729 a contrary course of discipline, their minds would have been enlightened and their condition ameliorated. A Free Press is, however, what is most wanted to accelerate their advancement, because the grand instrument for the improvement of the mind is the publication of truth, and, for propagating truth, discussion. By the collision of prejudices, where mind encounters mind, truth must be elicited. In this contest, Government should observe neutrality; for truth will most flourish where, like commerce, it is left unrestrained. When the great Colbert proposed to interfere with trade, even by protecting regulations, the merchants wisely answered, “Laissez nous faire." History teaches, that a reformation in the religion of the Hindoos could not be effected by the intolerant Mahomedan; nor by the Inquisition, with its synods and censors, and their impious decrees; nor even by the preaching of pious Missionaries. It cannot fail, however, to be produced, as in Europe, by the influence of free discussion. No religion probably ever deviated more from just principles than that professed by Christians during the dark ages, till the era of the Reformation. The vices of Popery, the restoration of learning, and the invention of Printing, by which learning was diffused, united to produce that event. "Man awoke from the lethargy in which for ages he had slept, to contemplate the beauties of truth, and to exercise his reason." Luther was the first who opposed the profitable traffic in indulgencies. The Pope threatened his person, and condemned his writings to the flames. Succeeding Popes went farther than Leo. They rightly judged that a Free Press was incompatible with the support of their superstition- their oblations, penances, pilgrimages, mortifications, indulgencies, and other buffooneries. "We must put down the Press," said Wolsey, or it will put us down." All their efforts were therefore directed to this object, but the Press triumphed. The Popes proscribed all heretical works, and excommunicated all who read them. They caused the ancient ecclesiastical writings to be mangled and interpolated; passages to be erased, and others inserted. An Index Expurgatorius, or catalogue of prohibited books, was published at Madrid under the sanction of the Inquisition. It consisted of 900 pages closely printed. The framers of the Index condemned, either wholly or in part, not only works on religion, but those relating to polite literature and science. Of all translations of the Bible, whether printed or in manuscript, they forbade the use. On the works of reputed heretics, and on all they might in future compose, was passed the same unqualified censure. Some of Erasmus's writings, however, these gloomy persecutors allowed to be published, with the words "Erasmi Roterodami, auctoris damnati," inscribed in the title-page, annexing the following note: Opera omnia Erasmi, caute legenda, tam multa enim insunt correctione digna, ut vix omnia expurgari possuit." Here, then, was a systematic attempt to perpetuate ignorance and superstition, to corrupt the sources of truth, and to disseminate error and falsehood. Should it be asked, Why now declaim against the Inquisition? It may be answered, Because its frightful decrees substantially exist in every country where the Press is still under any restrictions not essential to the maintenance of civil liberty; and because twelve millions of my fellow-subjects in the Madras Presidency are actually under a Censor of Heretical Pravity. This officer has lately prevented the printing in Tamul of the Prayer-Book of the Unitarians-a sect of all others the most likely to introduce Christianity in the East. In like manner, Censor Wood might suppress the religious works of the Roman Catholics, the Methodists, Presbyterians, or other sects differing with that infallible judge of orthodoxy. The Reformation vindicated political as well as religious rights, because it destroyed superstition, which is the root of despotism. A militia of 600,000 highly-disciplined priests, backed by myriads of bigots, were baffled by a monk and the asserters of reason. The Press enabled the first Reformers to give a wide circulation to their thoughts; which, but for such an advantage, had been confined to the place where their principles had been first inculcated. May not simi lar results be fairly expected to appear in Indostan, through the medium of Education, of a Free Press, and the preachings of Missionaries and native Reformers? Be it asserted that Pagan Christianity has no resemblance to the superstition that now prevails in Indostan. I contend, on the contrary, that all superstitions resemble each other in their origin and influence. They are all founded in error, and promote despotism. Whereas the prominent features of most religions resemble each other as being founded in reason-in the belief of God, and the inculcation of virtue, which is the essence of liberty. The Hindoo religion, in its uncorrupted state, approaches to a system of pure theism. The most learned Brahmins are Unitarians, according to the doctrine of Kreeshna; but they so far comply with the prejudices of the vulgar as outwardly to perform all the ceremonies prescribed by the Vieds. The great bulk of the Hindoos, on the contrary, are sunk into gross superstition, and, instead of limiting their belief “ to one unknown, true Being, the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the universe," they have enlisted Three Hundred and Thirty Millions of Gods into their ser vice. Mahomedanism is a compound of Judaism and Christianity, joined to the belief of certain absurd tales and pretensions added by Mahomet. The Wahaubees have overrun Arabia, Syria, and Persia, for the purpose of restoring the simple Unitarianism of the Koran. We are, in fact, obliged to the Mahomedans for the destruction of Idolatry and Paganism in many parts of the world. Their great crime is that of endeavouring to enforce their creed by the sword. Mahmoud vowed to convert by force of arms the whole Hindoo race to Mahomedanism. In twenty years he invaded Indostan twelve times, and spared neither age nor sex. Tippoo boasts that he threw down 8000 idol temples. He subdued Coorg, and drove 70,000 of its inhabitants like cattle to Seringapatam, forced them to profess Mahomedanism, and then sent them back to serve as slaves under his Zemindars. This was not a course calculated to reform or to convert the Hindoos, who, for upwards of three thousand |