it fm mn i THE SLAVE IN THE DISMAL SWAMP at BY HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. -- In dark fens of the Dismal Swamp The hunted Negro lay ; He saw the fire ofthe midnight camp, And heard at times a horse's tramp And a bloodhound's distant bay. Where will-o'-the-wisps and glowworms shine In bulrush and in brake ; Where waving mosses shroud the pine, And the cedar grows, and the poisonous vine, Is spotted like the snake: Where hardly a huinan foot could pass, Or a human heart would dare, On the quaking turf of the green morass He crouched in the rank and tangled grass, Like a wild bsast in his lair. A poor old slave, infirm and lame; - Great scars deformed his face ; On his ferehead he bore the brand of shame, And the rags, that hid his mangled frame, Were the livery of disgrace. 'All things above were bright and fair, All things were bright and free ; Lithe squirrels darted here and there, And wild birds filled the echoing air With songs of liberty! On him alone was the doom of pain, From the morning of his birth ; On*him alone the curse of Cain . Fell, like flail on the garnered grdin, And struck him lo the earth. i ' TEES Genie A ViaitarcaneGe ch THE PRAYER OF THE SLAVE. Holy Father, God of love, Send thy Spirit from above ; Help us thy great name to sing, God of mercy, heavenly King. For the burdened slaves would we Ask the gift of liberty ; . For haga? souls oppressed, We would ask. thy peace and rest. Tn thy gracious love arise-- See our burdens--hear our cries-- Rend our fetters--set us free From oppression's tyrrany. Then our voices we will raise Songs to thee of grateful praise ; _ Thy great love shall be our theme, We will own thee, Lord. supreme. THE FIRST LAW OF NATURE. We hear much about a first law of nature, to which a Christian may yield obedience in certain 'extreme cases." 'In the ordinary actions of life, and in most of the trying conditions through which he may be called to pass, it is unanimously admitted, that he should be led by the spirit of Christ, or obey the laws of that nature which is created in him by the regenerating influence of that "spirit; and which is lové: Men have been found in every age ready to obey this first 'Jaw of the divine nature,--of the new man 'in Christ Jesus, in the extremest cases of trial, danger, and assault to which human beings could be exposed. The first martyr, Stephen, like his Divine Master, acted out the great vital instinct of this nature, when he forgave and prayad for his murderers, [His love- breathing prayer for them was not a forced expression of good will. Tt cost shimno agonizing struggle with the old man within him, 'he old man was dumb and dead, with all its laws, its instinets, its lusts, and passions. -T'he new man, | the new nature, was uppermost, was all, in him, at that moment, and its great attribute, and instinct, and law, dovy, beamed forth in one ysublime expression and utterance, which made his face like 'unto-an angel's, and brought his crucified Master's prayer to his lips: "uther, forgive them! The nature, then, whose . first law is referred to by those who insist upon the right of killing a fellow-man in self-defence, is the lowest condition of "the "old man;" or human nature not only in an unregenerated state, but reduced to an equality with the nature of brute beasts. And, indeed, this first law of nature is often regarded as paramount to the first law of grace, because it is equally the first law of the beastial nature! We soften hear professedly Christian people refer to the operation of this law among beasts of prey, for an evidence of its Divine sanction and origin. Persons often point to the tallons and clatwsy and teeth of carnivorous birds and beasts, as the weapons furnished them for self- defence, and for maintaining the first law of their nature. This law, then, is not claimed to be any thing more than an 'mstinct, either in man, bird, or beast, It 'must then be vine as rational, in the beast as in the man. The nature of which it is said to be the first law, must be Mmorally the same in man and beast. Then there is not an attribute of religion or reason in either. 'They not only be- long to the old man with its deeds, but to the brute beast with its deeds, impulses, and lusts. This "first law" is as much opposed to the first law of grace, or of Christ's nature, as that Divine nature is opposed to the nature of brute beasts. The spirit of Christ can no more be said to inspire or sanction this "'first law," than it can be said to inspire the lowest instinct of the brute beast. The instinct, then, that impels a man into a deadly or physical force struggle with an armed assailant, whos sprung upon him in an unexpected moment, is a mere bestial instinct; is not an inspiration, or sug- gestion of religion or reason. Nay, more; if self-preservation be his first duty, as some maintain, then he violates this duty by yielding to that instinct which has been denominated the first law of natnre. Let us look at the case in this light fora moment. And we will consider the ex- igencies of one of the "extreme cases," which are so often brought forward as "posers" to the peace principle. F The good man of yonder house is aroused from the deep slumbers of the night by the glare of a light, or the noise of a footstep near his bed. 'he first object that arrests his sight is a ruffian bending over his bed. with a long sharp knife pointed at his breast, or a loaded pistol at his head: and before*he can think twice, the low hoarse summons comes,' Your money or your life!" The animal instinct, or the first law of nature, 'to which we have referred, would impel him instantaneously into a deadly strug- gle with the hardened ruffian, for self- preservation. But let reason have the play for six consecutive thoughts, and it would tell him that such a struggle would be a reckless violation of the natural law and duty of self-preservation. Reason itself would do this, even were religion silent at such a crisis. It would set be- fore him the conditions and liabilities of struggle, somewhat after this fashion: "My money or my life!" Then he does not want my life? His uplifted dagger has not been sharpened for revenge; if it were, he would not ask for money. No; he owes me no deadly grudge for any in- jury I have done to his person, property, or reputation. He does not want my life; he says he does not; nor the life of my wife or children.» He merely wants my money. Then my life and theirs, my dearest earthly treasure, are safe, if I do not peril them by a struggle to retain my gold. If self-preservation, then, be the first law of reason as well as nature, it should be my duty to risk my gold for i sooner than my life. But shall I merel; retain my life and that of my wife and children, if I lie passive in the robber's hands? "My money or my life?'? Then he will not run off with my house? No; he will not take even the bed from under me, nor the heavy articles of furniture. He has not come with a two-horse wagon, or a railway car, to fill with the plunder | of my premises. He will leave me all the necessaries and most of the comforts of life--my house, lands, barns, grain, sheep, oxen, and swine, and other mate- rials of wealth and comfort. "My money or my life? That means, what money have on hand; not what I have in the bank or in the stocks. He wants merely to empty all the loose change I may have in my pockets into his, and then be off with a load which shall not weigh him down in his flight. 'Then give him the money and let him go, says reason; for a struggle may cost you both that and your life. For consider the chances against you, if you enter upon the desperate con- flict. If you were to meet the ruffian by appointinent in full day light, and fully armed, and, for self-preservation, submit your life to the hazard of a regular duel, you would incur a fearful peril. But what would this be to the one which you would encounter now, should you attempt to take his life, or to disarm him, whilst he stands bending over you with is dagger gleaming within an inch of your bosom, or his loaded pistol pressed against your head, watching the first motion of your hand or eye that indicates resistance ? See you not that there are ninety-nine chances out of a hundred that he would kill you, should you adventure upon the struggle against such fearful odds! The duty of self-preservation demands that you should not expose your life and that of your family to such almost certain destruction, merely for the sake of re- taining your money, which must be equal- ly endangered by the insane conflict. Such would be the arguments of mere reason, should its dictates be allowed to over-rule the instantaneous impulses of instinet in this "extreme case." But let us ask the advice of teligion, and see what the sublime instincts of the Divine nature, or of the spirit of Christ, in the good man's heart, would suggest for his consideration at such a moment. The religion of Jesus would commence where reason left off, and its great argument of love would tower heavenward to their Divine author and finisher. "My money or my life?" who makes this demand ? Ah! a poor wretched sinner, sliding and stumbling toward the slippery precipice of perdition, with the impetus of this new sin in his heart, Father, forgive him! he hnows not what he does! Father, save him! pluck him even from the brink of ruin; he knows not whither he goes! My money or my, life! Why, thou poor man, thou dead in trespasses and sins, my life is hidden in Christ; and whilst he lives, I live in him. My life !--neither princi- palities, nor powers, nor things present or to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, can take away my life--it is immortal. "My money or my life?" Poor brother man! Thinkest thou I would tempt thee to take upon thy soul the red crime of blood, to add to the great crimson sins that are dragging it down to ruin; or that I would send*it, reeking with all its flagrant iniquities, to the bar of God, to be banished thence to utter darkness and despair? " My money!" Why, poor, unfortunate man! I would not shorten thy probation by an hour, or abridge one hope of merey to thy soul, to gain the wealth of the world. My money! take it--take it as a gift of pity ; and may God forgive, as I do, the crime t blossomed in thy heart to this thought and deed. Such would be the language of religion and reason in "the extreme case" we have described. We leave it to every candid mind to decide, whether the pre- cepts of that language are not paramount to the instantaneous impulses of that animal instinct which has been dignified |with the appellation of '"'the first law of nature.'--Elihu Burritt. AN OUTRAGEOUS CASE OF KIDNAP- PING. : Some time in the month of July or August, the American schooner Jupiter, Captain Snow, arrived at the island of Dominique, 'one of the group of the Marquesas Islands," and there remained several weeks. While at the island of Dominique, the captain and mate indu- ced five females, one of whom was queen of the bay,and only fourteen years of age, and the others the daughters of chiefs, to go on board the schooner, by some false means or other, and soon after they were on board, got under weigh, and forcibly and against the will ofthe females, brought them to this port. During the voyage, the females were treated with cruelty,and after'their arrival here, they were treated still worse, so much so all of them jump- ed overboard, and endeavored to escape tothe shore. Having béen saved from drowning,they were again taken on board, and soon after the schoongr sailed for Stockton, still retaining the females on board. Colonel Collier, the collector of this port, made a representation of the above facts to the justice of the Supreme Court, yesterday morning, and a writ of habeas corpus was immediately issued, directing the sheriff of San Francisco to cause the said females to be brought before the Su- preme Court,and summoning Capt. Snow, and Mr. Coleman, mate of the Jupiter, to appear and show the cause of their de- tention. Col. Collier states that two ves- sels are now in port and ready to sail for the Marquesas, and will convey these fe- males to their homes. Col, Collier states that when in this port, Capt. Snow forced the females to receive the visits of disso- lute meu, and in this vile business, he collected a considerable sum of money. Capt. Snow was, upon examination, committed to prison to await the action ofthe Grand Inquest. It is, supposed that the natives of the Marquesas group will take a fearful revenge upon every vessel which may touch at the islands be- fore these females are returned to their homes, A society of lidies in this city have notified the collector of their desire to clothe the poor creatures in suitable garb, and they will be returned to their island homes as speedily as possible.-- Alta California, Jan. |. Tue Fotty or Prmn.--The very Rev. Sydney Smith, thus discourseth on the folly of pride in such a creature as man: * After all, take some quiet, sober mo- ment of life, and add together the two i- deas of pride and of man: behold him a creature ofa span high, stalking through infinite space in all the grandeur of'litile- ness. Perched on a speck of the universe, every wind of heaven strikes into his blood the coldness of death; his soul floats from his body like melody from the string ; day and night, as dust upon the wheel, he is rolled along the heavens in a labyrinth of worlds, and all beneath the creation of God are flaming above and beneath. Is this a creature to make himself a crown of glory; to deny his own flesh, to mock at his fellow, sprung from that dust to which both will soon return! Does he not suffer ?--Does he not die ?--When he reasons is he never stopped by diffi- culties 1 When he acts is he never temp- ted by pleasure? When he livesis he free from pain? When he dies can he escape the comnon grave? Pride is not the heritage of man, humility should dwell with frailty, and atone for ignorance, er- ror and imperfection." --Pennsylvania Freeman. pulse is short-lived; romance soon de- cays---but true love never expires, It lives beyond the grave----conjoins the created with the Creator, and constitutes the happy com- munion and companionship of heaven. VOICE OF THE FUGITIVE, This little paper has been received at last, and redd with pleasure; it more than realizes my expectations. I shall make an effort to add to its subscription list. This publication is just what the public. need. The Pro-Slavery papers would make their readers believe that the fugitives in Canada were freezing and starving to death in great numbers. These editors and their adherents are bowing down with their whole souls to the slave power. They are throwing ey- ery obsticle in the way to prevent the distracted fugitive from escaping the ty- rants hand. My sympathy for the fugitive is great- ly deepened when I contemplate their present straitened circumstances, May the many fervent prayers to God for the relief of the panting fugitive, be followed by as great fervency with our*hands in giving of the substance which God has so bountifully blest us with. How can we live at our easé when our fellow man, our brother, hath not where to lay his head, where he is not alarmed or distracted for fear of the oppressor. T am truly pleased to hear of the efforts that are being made to provide Jands for these outcasts of God's creatures, that they may be enabled to build themselves houses, where they may enjoy freedom in its truest sense. 'These people are de- pressed; they need encouragement. | Yours for the oppressed, _ JOHN CALKINS. South Wilbraham, March 7, 1851. A Clergyman Lynched in Kentucky. Correspondence of the Commonwealth. Anpover TuroLocicat Seminary, ; March 5, 1851. Messrs. Eprrors :--The following is a part ofa private letter I received yester- day from a highly esteemed friend in Ken- tucky, which I place at your disposal.-- Will the President issue another message, assuring the people of Richmond that the army of the United States shall be called out to support law?" f Yours, &c., S. Bourne, Jr. Wuirenart, Ky., Feb. 19, 1851. Ihave just returned from tea, and my soul is so full ofsorrow at an event of recent occurrence in Richmond, ( Ky.,) that [must water this sheet with tears.-- O, God! is there no justice in heaven ? Novengeance? Must the wicked tri- umph and the righteous fall? * * * Let me give you a brief, and, under my present feelings, necessarily unconnected and imperfect account of a transaction calculated to make the ears tingle and the heart bleed. / On Thursday last, Rév. Edwards Mat- thews, traveling agent of the American Baptist Emancipation Society of New York, came to Mr. Clay's (C. M. Clay's, where my informant resides) spent the night, and the next day left with the ex- pectation of addressing on the Sabbath the people of Richmond, provided he could gain admission to the pulpit. This was denied. In the evening, he was di- rected to the -house wheré the blacks were engaged in worship. Immediately on entering he was courteously invited to address them, which he did choosing for remark the snbject of prayer. Mean- while a gang of "lewd fellows of the ba- ser sort" gathered at the door. At the close of his discourse it was in- timated to him that the whites had gath- ered to mob him. He at once took his hat and walked out. The gang insu t- ingly asked, ' What's your business here ?' and demanded the papers which they saw in his pockets, which were surrendered. One of them glanced over a pamphlet by moonlight, and said, " I pronounce this a right-down abolition tract." Thereup- on they gave him to understand that he must leave the town in 15 minutes, or be 'tarred and feathered." His entreaties for permission to remain were unavailing. After paying his: bill at the hotel, (Web- ster's) he was escorted by the mob, thro' the town, his coat was bedaubed with eggs, pistols were fired about him,curses and cries of 'Kentucky hospitality," &c.., until they reached the little pond on the right, as you come from Richmond to this place. Here they told him that they intended to dip him, and a ruffian seized him by the coat, but he ded in es- caping unhurt. At ab idnight he reached James Dudley's, and was kept till morning." * * ( He reached Mr. Clay's next morning and spent Mon- day and Tuesday forenoon in writing an account of the infamous transaction.) -- " But this, my friend, is but the prologue to the tragedy. ~- He desired to go to the '* Big Hill," and asked Mr. C. and me as to the propriety of going through Rich- mond--the main route. We told him to go directly through this Sodom. Mr. Clay, writing a short letter to Godin, of the Chronicle,requesting him to publish Mr. M's narrative. Mrs. C. has to-day brought additional news. Says that, on | reaching town yesterday, he was seized by some rowdies, taken to a wood i outskirts of the town, and there told that they intended to hang him, the rope be- ing prepared. He begged the privilege to pray first,which the fiends granted,but while he was engaged, (his hands being tied) slapped him on the mouth; after which they said they would not hang, but dip him in a small pond near by. He ask- ed to change his clothes, those he had on being his only clean ones,and was allow- ed to strip himself. They then plunged him into the filthy pool nine times, and asked whether he would leave the State. He answered, "No'--and was dipped twice more, and compelled to answer af- firmatively. Atter much more abuse, they extorted the promise that he would quit the State, and started him on the Lancaster road-- telling him not to leave it until he had got out of Kentucky. Godin refused to pub- lish the communication. Where this poor, unbefriended, and beyond all ques- tion,sincere and faithful servant of Christ J is, this dark and rainy night, I know not. One thing is certain, the God in whom he trusts will never leave nor forsake him, but deliver him out ofall his afflictions, In bitterness of soul I have prayed for him. The ruffians are Bill Stone, Shel- by Irvine, Zeck Malanahan, Sid Turner, Hatch, (son of a New Englander, who teaches and occasionally preaches, is a graduate of Dartmouth,) and several oth- ers. Not a manin R. has moral courage enough to bring to justice these hell- hounds. Much sport has been made of it; some tamely "regret." Mr. Clay is very deeply affected ; his enemies done this. He said to me at tea if testimony could be obtained he should prosecute them. What will be the ultimate results altogether,[ shall not divine. Mr. M, has broken no /aw--is an innocent,free-heart- ed non-resistant, adopting and exhibiting the spirit of the Gospel. TRAINING OF THE MIND. A sound moral discipline and a well- regulated mind can, under God, carry aman through life so that he will not be the sport and the victim of every change that flits acrossthe scene. And it can- not be too anxiously borne in mind, that this great attainment is in a remarkable degree under the influence of habit. Every day that passes, and every step that we take, without making it the ob- ject of earnest attention, renders the ac- quirement more difficult and uncertain, until a period at Jength arrives, when no power exists in the mind capable of cor- recting the disorder which habit has fixed. The frivolous mind then con--- tinue frivolous to the last, amusing itself with trifles, or creating for itself fictions of the fancy, oo better than dreanis. The distorted mind may continue to the last eagerly 'pursuing its speculations, depart- ing further from the truth; and the vitia- ted mind may continue to the last the slave of its impure and degraded passions. Such is the power and such the result of ° mental habits. We cannot determine how many acts of frivdlity may constitute the permanently frivolous mind; how many trains of impure thonght may con- stitute the corrupted mind: or what de- grees of inattention to the diligent culture of the powers within may be fatal to our best interest. In early life, aim at the mastery of the mind ; give earnest atten- tion to the trains of thought encouraged, as habit may be thus unconsciously form- ed, the influence of which may be perm a- nently irremediable, and peril the happi- ness of life and the immortal interests of the soul. FEMALE TENDERNESS. Inever, when in distress and misery, applied for relief to females,without find- ing pity, if they had the power of as- sistance.--Mungo Park. On the northern side of the plain -- we had' just entered, was a largeiane ; campment of these people, composed of brown and white tents, which though low and small, bore an aspect of comfort as -well as regularity. Being in absolute want of milk, I determined to solicit the aid of these Turcomans. I saw a woman at the entrance occupied in domestic em- ployment, and being convinced that an appeal to the feelings of the female sex, offered with decency by a man distressed with hunger, would not be rejected, I held out my wooden bowl, and reversing it, made a salutation according to the forms of the country, urging my suit by gestures. The kind Turcomanee cover- ed her face precipitately and retired with- in the tent, for she wasalone. I did not advance a step until that curiosity which it were ungracious in me to disapprove, induced her to peep from behind her coarse retreat. Sht saw me unassuming; my inverted bow! still explained my wants, and a salutation repeated seemed to be addressed to her hospitality. "The timid-_ ity of her sex, the usages of her country, and her fear gave way to the beney- olenaeattitner heart. She went to the tent again, returned speedily with a bowl of milk, and advancing towards me with ~ a glance more than half averted, filled my bow] to the brim and vanished --Griffth.