rience of many thousand ages. The words of that good writer, the Prefident de Goguet, may be brought in fupport of this fentiment, Origin of Law, vol. ift. p. 23, "The establish"ment of a folemn and public wor"hip has, without doubt, contributed "most of all to civilize mankind, and "to fupport and ftrengthen focieties. "The existence of a Supreme Being, "Sovereign Judge of all things, and "abfolute Mafter of all events, is one "of the first truths which effects the "mind of an intelligent creature, who "is willing to make ufe of his reason. "From this heart felt fentiment arifes "the natural idea of having recourse "in calamities to that Alm ghty Being, of invoking him in prefent dan"ger, and of endeavouring to ob "tain the favour and protection of "this omnipotent Sovereign of the "universe, by external expreffions of "fubmiffion and respect. Religion "then is prior to the eft ablishment of "civil fociety, and independent of "human conventions." And again, "into whatever country we transport "ourfelves, we fhall every where meet "with altars, facrifices, feftivals, re ligious ceremonies, pr eft's temples, "or places folemnly and publicly con "fecrated to the Deity." How inexcufable then would the people of this Commonwealth have been, had they not declared their right in a matter fo important to their public and particular felicity. Perhaps the intereft of the individuals in a ftate of futurity does not fo much depend upon thele inftitutions, as fome people imagine; but yet no one can fay, but that the wife Author of our nature has fo conLected our happiness in this world with our felicity in the other, that while we purfue the former with fincerity in the way he has dire&ed us, we are enfuring the latter. It is evidently the cafe as to private virtues, there the fame path leads to happiness in both worlds. And why, though our future happiness is not the care of government, or the object of legiffitive authority, this fhould not be an additional motive to the inftituting of public worship, without a com pulfion of attending on that account, I do not conceive. That there should be inftitutions of public worship, and public teachers of religion and morality, will be generally agreed. But the contention is, how they fhall be eftablished, by whom they fhall be fupported, and whether any fhall be compelled to attend? Was I to mark out a new fyftem, I might do it quite differently from the one adopted by the people; but I would not engage that it should be half fo good. The only confideration before me is, how this fyftem fhall be fupported, and yet the rights of confcience preferved. And here no difficulty could arise, if men were contented to render to confcience the things that belong to it, and to civil fociety that which belongs to the fupport of it. If the inftituti on of public worship, and the fupport of public teachers of religion and morality, are effential to the very exiftence of civil fociety, then all the members of that fociety ought, according to the quantity of the property fecured to them by government, to contribute towards the fupport of them; not paying in expectation that what they do will obtain a par con of their fins, or bring them nigher to final happiness; but as members of civil fociety, feeking the fecurty of their per'ons and property. If the objection is, that in this way men may be compelled to contribute to the fupport of a fa'fe worth p, or to the teaching of principles which are oppofed to morality; this is clearly poffible; but I apprehend,that it is as clearly certain, that a governmeat cannot exft without public wor hip and pubic teaching of morality ;. and as the experience of ages fully evinces, that laws are neceffary to this important purpote, the above obje&ion lays no ftronger against this, than others might against any other inftitution of government; for as the human race are imperfect, and prone to tyranny, they may abufe any other inftitution agreed upon by fociety in the fame manner,in which they may abufe this. In this view of the matter, the argument would conclude, if it proved any. The provifion, in the article under confideration, appears to me to take off all foundation from this objection. The towns and precincts have fecured to them the right of electing their own teacher; and as they have a right to decide for themselves on what is the true religion, or the beft mode of worthip, they can never have a religious tyranny eftablished over them, as towns, precines, or parishes. As in tranfactions of this nature, it is neceffary that the voice of the majority fhould govern, the minority might be deprived of their religious liberty, if it was not provided that all the money paid by the citizen shall he applied to the fupport of the teacher of his own fect or denomination, if he attends upon any. And it cannot be thought unreasonable, that if he attends upon Done, it shall then be paid to the fupPort of the teacher of the parish whereto he belongs. Surely this cannot be oppofed by the confcience of any honeft, well-informed man ; for the idea is, that this tax is to the fecurity of our perfons and property in government; and he who would fhun the payment of his fhare, has not much confcience to boaft of. Where any fociety makes provifion voluntarily for the fapport of public worship and public teaching, in their own way, the government has nothing to do with them. Had the Conflitution made provifien for compelling men to attend upon public worship, there might have been reafon for an alarm. But there is no fuch authority lodged in the magiftrate by the people; nor even to compel an attendance upon public teachings of religion and morality, unlefs where the fubject chooses to do it. For they have a right to enjoin the citizen to attend, if there is any teacher on whofe inftruction he can confcientioufly and conveniently attend. But the citizen muft at all times be the fole judge of the feelings of his own confcience; and therefore this claufe does no more than exprefs the wifh of the public, or urge a fentiment, which will be regarded or rejected, as each particular perfon fhall choose. But this I believe may be clearly expected, that each devout, good man will attend on public worship from the higheft poffible motives, while the good citizen, who regards his own fafety as a member of civil community, will at all times attend, when he is not neceffarily detained from it. The laft claufe, in the declaration of rights, may hereafter be made the oftenfible foundation of persecution. The expreffion," that every denomi"nation of chriftians demeaning them"felves peaceably, fhall be equally "under the protection of the law,” feems to hold up the idea, that none but chriftians are entitled to this protection. This is the only claufe in the whole fyftem which does not compleatly coincide with freedom of confcience in the fullest extent of it. But even this may, in providence, have the beft effects, it may from time to time, ferve as an alarm, and may awaken the people to an attention to their fafety. An apology may however be neceflary, fince foch a claufe has crept into our Frame of Government. There were fo many prejudices operating in the numerous affembly which compiled this fyftem, that it would have. been very extraordinary, if no imperfeЯtion could have been found in it. Upon the whole we may conclude, that the government we are under affords, if properly exercised and adminiftered, the greateft freedom of confcience of any one under Heaven; for it does nothing more than enforce and inculcate thofe principles, the exercife of which would have been neceffary to the exiflence of the human race in a greater degree than they now are, if civil government had never been eftablished. If the obfervations which have compofed this Effay upon the Rights of Confcience, have entertained one citizen, or furnished a ferious enquirer with one idea, the author is fully compenfated for the time he has spent in it and if he has done no injury to the public, he is happy. To the Editors of the BOSTON MA- diftant planets, who cause no percepti PRED Moon. Virgil. REDICTIONS of the Weather of the Ware the reafons on which they are founded few. Chriftmas, and the eleven following days, can mark the months for the year: The fire, in the ears of fome, can give the found of treading foow, or dropping rain; pay more, that innocent domeftic animal,theCat, can raise a form by turning her back to the fire; but Candlemas Day,more fure fill, can give an infallible fign for the reft of winter; nor is the moon fo unfriendly as not, to lend her horns each month for an index of the wea ther. On the breast bone of a goofe fome can read the future feasons ; while others, difdaining to borrow ought from terreftrial objects, afcend the upper reg ons, build their whole fabric on the conjunction or oppofition of the most diftint planets, and fill thofe neceffary product ons (our Diares) with infallible predictions of the weather; fo that he who reads them need never journey in the wet, nor the careful farmer low in vain, reap in a bad time, or have his hay wet. What effect (to be more ferious) can any certain days have on the wea ther at any diftant period? How can the horns of the moon, the bone of a goose, or an hundred fuch like figos, equally ridiculous, which might be mentioned, have any influence on the feafons? Or with what propriety can ble motion of the fluids on the furface of the earth, be fupposed to produce fuch changes? One celestial body there is however, and one only, to whom we can afcribe thefe effects in any effential degree, namely, the moon, by whofe neatnefs magnitude, a conftant motion of the fea, and the atmosphere is maintained. By her the tides are governed, and as the effects all fluids, fo in the air there is a tide 1aifed as well as in to the earth, and not by reafon of her the fea. The fun, however, has fome fhare therein, for at the new moon, when they are in conjunction, the attractive force of both being united, and at the full, when in oppofition, (which operates alike) the higheft tides are raised. Now it is evident that whatever can caufe fuch a movement of the wa ter, a denfe fluid, must also move the air, which is also a fluid more rare fied, the atmosphere must become more dense at fuch times and places as the tides are higheft. The air therefore, being higher charged with vapour at fuch time, will be more likely to form into clouds and produce rain. Hence it is common that the greatest forms come pot far diftant from the new or full moon. The moon is fometimes nearer the earth than at other times; when neareft, it is called her perigee; when Now furtheft diftant, her apogee. when her perigee happens near the new or full moon, then the tides will have an additional attraction, and the Auids be raised more into the atmof. phere: Hence the greater fall there. of in rain or fnow may be expected. The water which falls from the clouds must have been raifed from the fea, rivers, lakes, and furface of the earth into the air, and that this should be caused by the moon, fince the can by her attraction raife a tide in the fea, cannot be thought frange. Water may be rarefed into air, and air may be condensed into water. The fun,it must be acknowledged,has fome hare alfo in this, fince his beat has a tendency to rarefy and expand the vaThe pour and caufe it to afcend. moon acts by her attraction only, the fun fun by both by his attraction and power to rarefy. The tides are conftant, & 'tis probable there is also a continual attraction as well as rarefaction of the fluids,cauling them to afcendinto the air,& there may be always a difcharge of the fame from the clouds in fome places or other. There may therefore be rain at any time of the moon. The atmospheremay alfo be high charged with fluids, & yet no rain for a long time.For there must be a degree of cold in order to condence the fluids fo as to form clouds, which cannot be formed if the air is equally rarefied; fome parts must have a greater degree of cold than others, or the clouds would all expand into air; thus if the atmosphere is heavy enough to fupport a fog from the fea, or lakes, or marfhy land, fo as to raife it to a cloud, it may then foon become larger, join others that have been raifed in the fame manner, receive fupplies from the furrounding air, from whofe coldness the adhesion of the particles (like thofe round a pot of cold water in fummer) may be accelerated, and the clouds greatly augmented. Add to this alfo, that when a cloud gets to be very large and denfe,it will by attraction, not only draw fupplies from the furrounding air, but also from the fea, rivers, and wet earth, even while it is empting itfelf of its fruitful contents. Since the forming of clouds depends on fo many cafual circumstances, and the uncertainty where they will emp. ty, when formed, how little can be known before hand of the matter? What folly is it every year to be at the pains of publishing the weather for the enfuing feafon? What little fuccefs do they have in this matter? A blind man may by chance fhoot right, and a blind man, or an ignorant negro might perhaps mark the weather in a Calendar, with as good fuccefs as fome others have done. However, if any are anxious to know before hand what the weather will be, they may know for certainty, that when the tides are higheft, there will be a greater quantity of fluids in the air, and if they place themselves abroad about the time that the tides begin to abate, and the fluids return, it is ten to one that some parts thereof do not chance to fall on them fo fenfibly as to be perceived. As to the time being, which is all that in this cafe need concern us, there are but few who cannot perceive when a ftorm is at hand, by the dampnefs of the air, the fetting of the wind, or the appearance of the clouds. PHILO SELENÆ. Obfervations on the Wind and Movement of Clouds. HE Wind is nothing but a fream or torrent of air, as a river is a fiream or torrent of water. The caufe of winds is any thing that can deftroy the equilibrium of the air, and, by acting on fome part with a greater force, produce fuch a ftream or current of air as is called wind. The common caufes thereof are rarefactions and condenfations in fome particular place, the preffure of clouds which alter the balance of the atmofphere, and heat and cold. The air which is less rarefied, or expanded by heat, and confequently more denfe, must have a motion towards thofe parts which are more rarefied,to produce an equilibrium. The cold and denfe ait, by reafon of its greater gravity, preffeth upon the hot and rarefied ; therefore the rarefied air will be put in motion, either parallel to the surface,or afcend higher into the atmosphere; being thus afcended,it muft difperfe itself to restore the balance; by which means there will be two currents of air formed, for that which is thus rarefied and driven upwards will go back above, in a contrary direction to the air below. Clouds will alfo produce the fame effect: Their condenfation'makes them ponderous and their quick movement caufeth a great preffure on the lower air, which, of confequence, muft move in a direction oppofite to the current above; for as the clouds will not fuffer it to ascend, it must therefore move under them, till having paft them, it can expand, to reflore the equilibrium of the air. The common opinion therefore,that the whole of the clouds in a storm always move from that point from whence whence the wind on the furface of the earth bloweth, is an error. There is a wind almoft as conftant as a trade wind, with fome little variation, though perhaps heretofore little noticed, which bloweth from the S. W. across this continent. This wind is in the upper region, at the heighth of the upper clouds--it bloweth from the S. W. or W. and carrieth the upper clouds in a direction towards the N. E. or E. These clouds are high and very denfe,and discharge large drops of rain. There is at the fame time, which caufeth the deception, a wind that bloweth near the furface of the earth directly contrary to that above, bringing fometimes mifty clouds and fog from the fea, and discharging small rain. Thus in a N. E. ftorm, as it is called, this under wind will fometimes be violent; the reafon of which is this, the upper clouds, which in this cafe are very denfe, cause such a preffure of the lower air, as to force it to ruth with great velocity to the weftward to reftore the equilibrium or balance of the air. Add to this alfo the attraction of the fluids below towards the large collection of waters fufpended in the clouds above, caufing fkuds and fog, and with them the wind, to move towards the fluids above. So before a form, while it is collecting or ap: proaching, the lower air is not fixed to ary point, but has a variety of directions; but in proportion to the nearness and denfity of the upper clouds, the current of lower air will be more regularly at one point, the motion increaseth, the attraction becomes greater, and the struggle to reflore the balance more violent. The wind in the upper region is not always at the points beforementioned, it fometimes goes as far as the fouth, and the other way as far as north, but feldom if ever ventures any further: That wind which bloweth from the eaft, north eaft, or foutheatt, is only a current of lower air. This will appear evident to every one who gives himself the trouble to take notice. When there is more than one current of air, the lower will be in oppofition to that above: So when the wid bloweth frong from the northelft exft, or fouth east, an obferver may difcover that the upper clouds namely, from the fouth weft, weft, or are moving in an oppofite direction, north-weft. Why it is commonly fo very calm before a ftorm is this; the air, inftead of blowing from the weftward, its ufual point, is fufpended by an attraction towards a collection of high clouds coming from the fouth-weft, which causeth a calm till the air formeth a current. When the wind bloweth from any point, from fouth round by weft to north, the lower and upper air usually move alike, and form but one current. Why there is but one current of air, when there are clouds and rain, is this, the clouds are not confolidated into one great body, as in the ftorms which form currents from the eaft ward, but contain many large openings above, and are divided into feveral parts, like fo many showers, are not of long_continuance, and prefs not the lower air in fuch manner as larger collections: But when it happens that thefe divifions become united, as is fometimes the cafe, into a large body, the wind immediately fhifts to the eastward; the lower air, being more preffed, cannot escape through any opening above, but rusheth along the furface of the earth, till it has paffed the cloud, and found regions. a way to expand in the more rarefied The direction of clouds may be perceived before the ftorm comes on ; when under clouds are not fo denfe as to intercept the fight; or when,as it often happens, there are fuch va cancies in the lower clouds as to afford a profpect of the upper. We look for fair weather, as well as firft difcern the approach of a form, from the western quarter: There it is alfo firft feen to begin to florm. Many inftances of N E. forms beginning firft at the fouth weft might be mentioned: One is fufficient: The night before the memorable action at Trenton, it was known to form at that place fome hours fooner than at Bofton, though the wind at both places was violent at N. E. and was a cold form of rain, hail, and fnow. There falls about the fame quantity of rain at all places which lie in a |