for an extra number of copies, making beside, at the same time, some small donation to the society. This would be cheaper for the auxiliaries, and would give their performances a more extended circulation. We request them also to send their annual reports either before they have been published in news-papers or afterwards.

We hope for the assistance of all the friends of peace of every party and sect. We hope no root of bitterness will spring up to trouble us, and that all who wish well to the happiness of their fellow-creatures, and the prosperity of their Redeemer's kingdom, will grant us their assistance.

W. LADD.

ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN PEACE SOCIETY.

THE American Peace Society celebrated its third anniversary at Clinton Hall, in New-York city, on Wednesday, May 11th.

At half past 4, P. M. S. V. S. Wilder, Esq. took the chair. The throne of grace was addressed by the Rev. Mr. Frazer.

The Secretary read the report, and also a letter from Robert Marsden, Esq., of London, and John Hancock, M. D., Liverpool, officers in the London Peace Society, accepting their appointment as honorary members of the American Peace Society.

The first resolution was moved by Lewis Tappan, Esq., and was seconded by John Griscom, LL. D., viz.

Resolved, That the report now submitted, be accepted and printed, under the direction of the Secretary.

The second resolution was moved by the Rev. Mr. Carrol, of Brooklyn, and seconded by the Rev. Mr. Baldwin, viz.

Resolved, That it is the duty of all Christians to discountenance the spirit of war, and to be known as the open and active promoters of the cause of peace. The third resolution was moved by the Rev. Mr. Thurston, of Winthrop, Maine, and seconded by the Rev. Doctor Lansing of Utica, New York, viz. Resolved, That this Society request the prayers of all Christians of every denomination, that God would be pleased to smile on their exertions, to promote peace on earth, and good will to man.

The Foreign Corresponding Secretary, then addressed the audience, and explained the views and objects of the society. Eight new subscribers were obtained for the society, and probably many more will join, but as the meeting was protracted to nearly the time of the meeting of the American Home Missionary Society, they could not wait at that time to subscribe. Subscribers were also obtained to the Harbinger of Peace, and to the project for a congress of nations, for the prevention of war.

THIRD REPORT OF THE AMERICAN PEACE SOCIETY.

THE season has arrived, when it becomes the duty of the Board of Directors of the American Peace Society, to give an account of their labors for the year; and to call the attention of the public to those events both foreign and domestic, which have transpired since our last meeting, so far as they have a bearing on the great cause of permanent and universal peace.

These events are so numerous, that though highly important, we shall be obliged to pass over them with only a slight notice of each.

The prophecy concerning the children of Ishmael, seems to continue to be fulfilled to the present day. Their hand has been against every man, and consequently, every man's hand has been against them, and those who have taken the sword, have perished by the sword. Algiers, long as great a terror to Christians, as Malta was to Mahometans, though not altogether so ferocious and unsparing, has, at length, fallen under the attacks, of the armies of the most Christian king, and its sovereign has been obliged to seek a refuge in a Christian country, where he lives in security, as a private man. In war, however, calamities do not fall altogether on the vanquished. They but share them with the victors. Beside the killed and wounded among the Christian troops, many have fallen victims to pestilence, by which fleets are often dispeopled, and whole armies sluggishly melted away, and the loss of life has, probably, fallen heaviest on the conquerors. We certainly cannot be very sorry that a nest of pirates has been broken up, and, however we may deprecate the means, we are not disposed to repine at the end. But, could these barbarians have been civilized and Christianized, the triumphs of the cross would have been a much more happy theme for thanks to God, than the triumphs of the sword. That this could have been done in the present state of public opinion, we do not pretend to say. Christians must cease to kill and destroy each other, before they can expect to make great progress in converting pagans to the religion of the Prince of Peace.

But the Dey of Algiers is not the only sovereign who has experienced a reverse of fortune. The King who was the instrument, in the hand of God, for his chastisement, has, himself been chastised. The rod of God's anger has been broken and cast upon the ground, and Charles X. in his retirement, may sympathize with the dethroned Dey, they may teach each other how to bear the reverses of fortune, and support each other under their trials.

The fire lighted up in France, has not been confined to her limits, but has spread over Europe. All the foundations are out of place. Ancient systems are fast breaking up. The foundations of the great deep are opening. A mighty flood is about to deluge the world; and whether salutary or deadly is yet in the womb of futurity, and we know not what may be brought forth. The waters may subside in due time, the earth may be fertilized, and bear abundant harvests of peace, liberty, and happiness, or its surface may be swept with the besom of destruction. Some master spirit, from the bottomless pit, may be permitted to ride in the tempest, and direct the storm, and the earth be doomed to be covered with barbarism, ignorance, and slavery-the sediments of war-and cursed with a long duration of sterility and wretchedness.

But the signs of the times incline us to happy anticipations. There is an evident reluctance in the powers of Europe to draw the sword. The same events which have recently taken place there, had public opinion on the subject of war been the same that it was twenty years ago, would long since have wasted Europe with fire and sword-would have covered it with blood and ashes, and have watered it with tears. There is a constraining power, which keeps back the nations, and, though the young men may sigh for military glory and distinction, the older men who remember the horrors of the last war in Europe, will neutralize that spirit, with their sober wisdom and experience-the heavy burdens, still pressing on the necks of the population, will disincline them to add to their weight, and men have become too wise, willingly, to be made counters, for kings to play with for provinces.

The example which has been set by Belgium and Holland, in endeavoring to settle their differences by the intervention of neighboring powers, giving a faint shadow of an institution, which we hope soon to see realized-a court of nations, we fondly trust, will lead to pacific results, and when the nations shall find, by experience, that difficulties, which twenty years ago it would have been thought impossible to settle, without the subjugation or annihilation of one of the parties, may be composed in a peaceable manner, by reference: the prac

tice will gain ground, until it becomes a custom which will supercede the custom of war.

To the affairs of Russia and Poland, we look with intense interest. The prayers of Americans are unanimously in favour of the Poles, with whom we have so many sympathies, and whose conflict bears so close a resemblance to our own. If Poland be fit for liberty and independence, those blessings would be unequivocal, and would be worth great sacrifices. But, if she is not fit, a revolution would be but a change of masters, by which the few would profit, but, in which the many would find no advantage commensurate with the enor mous sacrifices which they must make. Independence and liberty are accidents, or qualities, which are good or bad, according to circumstances. If a people be deficient in virtue and knowledge, revolution becomes rebellion, independence derision, liberty licentiousness, and government anarchy.

For an exemplification of these sentiments, we need only turn our eyes to South America,-certainly no man in his senses can consider their present circumstances desirable, or can prefer a state of anarchy, bloodshed, and confusion, with the constant accompaniments of insecurity of life, property, and liberty, preferable to a well-regulated and peaceful monarchy, by which-though every man must sacrifice a greater degree of political liberty than Americans think advisable-each individual would enjoy a degree of personal liberty and security, so much greater than he can under present circumstances, as fully to compensate for his sacrifices.

In returning to our own happy country, we find much for which to be grateful. Situated as we are, far from the great scene which is about to be opened in Europe, we look as calm spectators, on the great events which are soon to be acted, and, though a tragedy might interest us more, we are certainly too good-natured to wish any thing more serious than a farce.

Here, thank God, the arts of peace, are substituted for the arts of war. While the Europeans are digging trenches, we are digging canals; while they are building forts, we are raising embankments; while they are thinking about cutting through the enemy's line, we think only of cutting through mountains; they are sharpening their swords, we our ploughshares. Happy country, did we but know our happiness! Yet how much more happy should we be, and what floods of glory would be showered down on our beloved country, could we act as mediators between our brethren on the other side the Atlantic, and if our ambassadors, planted in the different states of Europe now threatened with an impending storm, should, like the rod of the immortal Franklin, draw off the electric fluid, and conduct it harmless to the ground.

Notwithstanding the signs of war, the symptoms of a pacific spirit are daily appearing. The kind and respectful language which is held, by the President of the United States towards the courts Europe, charm us as much by their novelty, as they do by their justice, and we are delighted to see them fully reciprocated by the courts of Europe, and that the literature and oratory in both hemispheres are decidedly pacific. This is certainly the era of good feelings, in which it becomes the friends of peace to set every sail to the breeze, and gain the haven of permanent and universal peace, ere the storm, which now lowers over Europe, burst upon it, and extend, as the last did, to our own happy shores.

Almost the only remaining difficulty betwixt us and the land which we shall always be proud to own as our mother country, has been, we trust, for ever settled, by arbitration, or, rather, perhaps, by compromise, to the mutual advantage of both parties; giving to each all that was wanted, and taking from each only what will never be missed. It is true, that both parties complain, as is often the case in disputes settled by arbitration, and both put on that external appearance of dissatisfaction, which is exhibited by artful dealers, before a bargain is fully ratified, in which each party thinks he has the advantage, and fears that the other will fly the contract. It may be also the policy of Maine,

[MAY & JUNE. by a little murmuring, and, perhaps, a little blustering, to endeavour to get some compensation, from the general government, for that portion of her claims, which has been given to the British, in view of the great and unexpected advantages, which we have gained in the State of New York. However this may be, any one who understands the most simple rules of arithmetic, may calculate, that the fee simple of all the lands we pretend to have lost by the settlement, is not worth the expense of a single day of war, much less the loss of precious lives in a single battle, whether victorious or otherwise.

Since our last report, Denmark has made reparation for spoliations on our commerce during the late wars in Europe: and there is a good prospect of obtaining indemnity from France, and if to this be added what we have already received from Spain, we shall be induced to regret the hasty decision which, by declaring war against Great Britain, cut off all hopes of our merchants from any compensation to be obtained in the civil courts of that country, or by the manly, yet friendly, remonstrance of our government; for war settles all accounts, except those of hatred and revenge, which are accumulated on the debit side, in the accounts of each blligerent party, while the credit page of each, remains a blank.

One thing ought not to pass unnoticed, and that is the great change which has taken place in public opinion, on the militia system. Its glitter and display has ceased to please any but vain and thoughtless young men, and equally thoughtless damsels. Militia titles have ceased to be an object of desire, or an enviable distinction, and this nursery of war has been but little cultivated in many of the States, and quite abandoned in others. The number of those who delight in war is now but small, and is gradually diminishing, as the labors of the Peace Societies increase, and light has taken the place of darkness.

An unusual degree of prosperity attends our agriculture, our commerce, our manufactures, and our fisheries; and we delight ourselves with the abundance of peace. O! may it continue long as the sun and moon shall endure. But physical blessings are not our only ones, our moral harvests are still more abundant. Education has marched forward with gigantic strides, our colleges and academies overflow with numbers, and our lyceums and common schools are carrying moral health and intelligence to the lonely cottage of the poor, as well as to the stately mansions of the rich. The Bible and the Tract is seen in every family, and the Sunday-school in every village, but, best of all, the Holy Spirit, like some heavenly dove, has brooded upon the waters of life, and the showers of divine grace are poured down in most copious effusions, and thousands, and tens of thousands, are bowing to the mild sceptre of Prince Emmanuel, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, under whose sway the sword shall be beaten to a ploughshare, and the spear to a pruning hook. Oh, who would exchange this abundant harvest of the fruits of peace, for uprigs of the blood-stained, barren, and often poisonous, laurel?

But it is time for us to come to the more immediate labours of the friends of peace.

Our intercourse with the London Peace Society has been uninterrupted and friendly. We have received their fourteenth annual report, from which we would make copious extracts, were it not that we fear to enlarge our report beyond the measure of your patience, and that the whole has been printed in the Harbinger of Peace, and, of course, will be seen by most of those who hear or see this report. One new Peace Society has been organized in England, and some others, we believe, have increased in numbers. Robert Marsden, Esq., and Doctor Thomas Hancock, officers of the London Peace Society, have sent us letters, expressing their pleasure at being chosen honorary members of our society.

A letter from our highly respected friend, John Bevans, dated at London, on the 23d of February last, gives us the following pleasing information. have lately received," says Mr. Bevans, "a letter from the Count de Sellon, 66 'We

member of the sovereign council of Geneva, informing us that he has established a Peace Society at Geneva; also, that he has proposed to the sovereign council, the abolition of the punishment of death. I have since received some pamphlets from the Count de Sellon, from which it appears, that he was the person, who offered the last prize for the Treatise on the Punishment of Death, which prize was assigned to Charles Lucas, in 1826. Encouraged by the effects produced by the treatise of C. Lucas, he has offered the prize of a gold medal, worth 400 franks, for the best Treatise on the best means to establish permanent and universal peace. From a printed discourse, addressed to the first meeting of the Peace Society of Geneva, it appears, he has procured some copies of the Herald of Peace, to the editor of which, his letter was addressed. One of his tracts contains suggestions concerning a national congress, to invite all nations to abolish the punishment of death, and establish a permanent and universal tribunal, to which the differences between nations are to be referred, and its decisions to be final. These events give the prospect of the dawning of a brighter day, amid the gloom with which we are at present surrounded,—for I tremble for the peace of Europe. The present aspect of events threaten an explosion, which may God in his goodness avert, but he is just as well as good; let us only do our duty, and we may safely, in his hands, leave the future.'

The prize mentioned in the above extract, was, we believe, offered through the Society of Christian Morals in France, of which our present chairman was one of the original founders, the first meeting of which, was held at his house, and which has been very active in the cause of humanity, and its success is an encouragement to us, that exertions in favour of "peace on earth, and good will towards man," if persisted in, will ultimately be crowned with like success. We are happy to see so great a sensation with respect to capital punishments. We cannot believe, that men will be wide awake to the penalty, which a few of the worst criminals are compelled to pay to the violated laws, and yet be blind to the death and suffering of myriads of those who, but for war, would have been good and great.

The subject of a congress of nations for the prevention of war, has likewise awakened considerable attention in this country, though we are sorry to say, that the competition for the prize, in dissertations on this subject, has not equalled our expectations. On the 1st of January last, which was the extreme limit of the extended time, in which dissertations on that subject, intended for the prize, could be received, two only, had been presented. The author of one of these, unwilling to contend for the prize with only one competitor, withdrew his disputation from the competitor, and offered it for publication in the Harbinger, which was accepted, and it was accordingly published in the 9th and 10th numbers united. The board has concluded to keep the subject open for a year longer, and increase the premium.

But other means, in the interim, have been used to forward the grand project of a congress of nations. Small papers, bearing the expression of a few sentiments, disapproving the custom of war, and requesting the peace societies to lay the plan of a court, or congress of nations before the congress of the United States, in a petition or memorial, as soon as such a measure might be thought expedient, have been circulated, and many very respectable signatures procured." In Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, the following has been the result. The proposition has received the signature of one lieutenant-governor, one state treasurer, one state secretary, four judges, twenty-seven lawyers, four presidents, twelve professors, and six tutors of universities and colleges, twenty-nine school-masters and principals of academies, fifty-seven clergymen, three generals, eighteen physicians, and five hundred and eighty-two merchants and others; beside three papers known to contain many respectable signatures, which have not yet been returned; and what has been done in Connecticut, which we think may be equal to all the rest, but the report of which, has not yet come to hand. The circulation of these papers has been very limited, but, from what