pondent, on the fubje&t of vegetation. I hope he will be induced to spend a few leifure moments again on the fubjet. I doubt not but the fame object prompted us both, the cause of truth, and a defire of promoting agriculture in this country. If there are any propofitions in this peice that are not true, or that can be rendered more uful by a different or more explicit description, it will afford me pleafure to have them taken up, particularly by the practical Farmer.

A. A.

never at a loss to invent fome colourable pretence for engaging the nation in the horrors of war. Taxes the moft burdenfome are levied, foldiers are collected, fo as to leave a paucity of husbandmen, reviews and encampments fucceed, and at laft fifteen or twenty thousand men meet on a plain, and coolly fhed each other's blood, without the smallest animofity, or the fhadow of provocation. The kings in the mean time, and the grandees, who have employed thefe poor innocent victims to fhoot bullets at each other's heads,remain quietly at home, and amuse themselves in the intervals of balls, hunting fchemes, and plea

of War.

From Vicefimus Knox's Effays.

THE

HE calamities attendant on a flate of war, feem to have prevented the mind of man from viewing it in the light of an abfurdity, and as an object of ridicule as well as pity. But if we could fuppofe a fuperior being capable of beholding us miferable mor tals without compaffion, there is, I think, very little doubt but the variety of military manoeuvres and formalities, the pride, pomp, and circumftančes of war, and all the ingenious contrivances for the glorious purpofes of mutual destruction, which feem to conftitute the bafinefs of many whole kingdoms, would furnish him with an ente. ta nment like that which is received from the exhibition of a farce or a puppet show. But, notwithstanding the ridiculousness of these folemnities, we, alis, are doomed to feel that they are no farce, but the concomitant circumftances of a moft woful tragedy.

Tue caufes of war are for the most part fuch as must difgrace an animal pretending to rationality. Two poor mortals, elevated with the diftinction of a golden bauble on their heads, called a crown, take offence at each other, without any reafon, or with the very bad one of wifh ngfor an opportunity of aggrandizing themselves by making reciprocal depredations. The creatures of the court, and the leading men of the nation, who are usualey under the influence of the court, refolve (for it is their intereft) to fupport their royal mafter, and are

at the fire fide, and over a cup of chocolate, the difpatches from the army, and the news in the Extraordinary Gazette. Old Horace very truly obferves, that whatever mad frolicks enter into the heads of kings, it is the common people; that is, the honest artizan, and the induftrious tribes in the middle ranks, unoffended and unoffending, who chiefly fuffer in the evil confequences. If the king of Pruffia were not at the head of fome of the beft troops in the univerfe, he would be judged more worthy of being tried, caft,and condemned at the Old Bailey, than any fhedder of blood who ever died by a halter. But he is a king; but he is a hero; thofe names fafcinate us, and we enrol the butcher of mankind among their benefactors.

When one confiders the dreadful circumstances that attend even vicories, one cannot help being a little fhocked at the exultation which they occafion. I have often thought is would be a laughable fcene, if there were not a little too much of the melancholy in it, when a circle of eager politicians have met to congratulate each other on a piece of good news just arrived. Every eye fparkles with delight; every voice is raised in announcing the happy event. And what is the caufe of all this joy? And for what are our windows illuminated, bonfires kindled, bells rung, and feafts celebrated? We have had a fuccefsful engagement. We have left a thousand of the enemy dead on the field of battle, and only nine hundred of our countrymen. Charining news!

it

it was a glorious battle! But before you give a loose to your raptures, paufe a while, and confider, that to every one of these nineteen hundred, life was no lefs (weet than it is to you, that to the far greater part of them there probably were wives, fathers, mothers, fons, daughters, fifters, brothers, and friends, all of whom are at this moment bewailing the event which occafions your foolish and brutal triumph.

The whole time of war dught to be a time of general mourning, a mourning in the heart, a mourning much more fincere than on the death of one of those princes whofe accursed ambition is often the fole caufe of war. Indeed, that a whole people fhould tamely fubmit to the evils of war, because it is the will of a few vain, felfish, ignorant, though exalted individuals, is an unaccountaqle phœnomenon. But they are led away by falfe glory, by their paffions, by their vices. They reflect not, and, indeed, if they did reflect, and oppofe, what would avail the oppofition of unarmed myriads to the mandate of a govern. ment fupported by a fanding army? Many of the European nations are entirely military; war is their trade; and when they have no employment at home, or near it, they blush not to let themselves out to shed any blood, in any cause of the best pay mafter. Ye beaft of the foreft, no longer allow that man is your fuperior, while there is found on the face of the earth fuch degeneracy.

Morality and religion forbid war in its motives, conduct, and confequences; but to rulers and potentates morality and religion usually appear as the inventions of politicians to facilitate fubordination. The princi pal objects of crowned heads, and their minions, are the extenfion of empire, the augmentation of a reve nue, or the annihilation of their subjea's liberty. Their reftraints in purfuit of thefe objects are not those of morality and religion; but folely reafons of flate, and political caution. Plaufible words are ufed, but they are only used to hide the deformity of the real principles. Wherever a war is deemed desirable in an interef

ted view, a fpecious pretext never yet remained unfound. Morality is as little confidered in the beginning, as in the profecution of war. The moft folemn treaties and engagements are violated by the governing part of the nation, with no more fcruple than qaths and bonds are broken by a cheat and a villain in the walks of private life. Does the difference of rank and fituation make any difference in the atrocity of crimes? If aury, it renders a thoufand times more criminal than that of a thief, the villany of them who, by violating every facred obligation between nation and nation, give rife to miferies,and mifchiefs moft dreadful in their nature; and to which no human power can fay, thus far fhall ye proceed and no farther. Are not the natural and moral evils of life fufficient, but they must be rendered more acute, more numerous, and more embittered by artificial means? My heart bleeds over thofe complicated fcenes of wo, for which no epithet can be found fafficiently defcriptive. Language fails in labouring to express the horrors of war amid private families, who are fo unfortunate as to be fituated on the feat of it.

But war has always been permitted by Providence. It is, indeed, true; but it has only been permitted as the fcourge of mankind. Let a spirit and activity be exerted in regulating the morals of a nation, equal to that with which war, and all its apparatus, are attended to, and mankind will no longer be fcourged, neither will it be neceffary to evacuate an empire of its members, for none will be fuperfluous. Let us, according to the advice of a pious Divine of the prefent age, think lefs of our fleets and arinies, and more of our faith and practice. While we are warriors, with all our preteufions to civilization, we are favages.

in order that they may row two whale boats, the crews of which must neceffarily confift of fix, four at the oars, one ftanding on the bows with the harpoon, and the other at the helm. It is alfo neceffary that there fhould be two of thefe boats, that if one should be deftroyed in attacking the whale, the other, which is never engaged at the fame time, may be ready to fave the hands. Five of the thirteen are always Indians. The laft of the complement remains on board to fteer the veffel during the action. They have no wages; each draws a certain eftablished fhare in partnerfhip with the proprietor of the veffel, by which œconomy they are all proportionably concerned in the fuccefs of the enterprife, and all equally alert and vigilant. None of these whalemen ever exceed the age of for ty; they look on thofe who are paffed that period not to be poffeffed of all that vigour and agility which fo adventurous a business requires. Indeed, if you attentively confider the immenfe difproportion between the object affailed & the affailants,if you think on the diminutive fize and weakness of their frail vehicle, if you recollect the treachery of the element on which this fcene is acted, the fudden and unfore. feen accidents of winds, &c. you will readily acknowledge, that it must require the moft confummate exertion of all the ftrength, agility, and judgment of which the bodies and the minds of men are capable, to undertake these adventurous encounters. As foon as they arrive in those latitudes, where they expect to meet with whales, a man is fent up the maft head. If he fees one, he immediately cries out AWAITE, PAWANA, here is a Whale. They all remain fill and filent until he repeats PAWANA, a Whale, when in lefs than fix minutes, the two boats are launched, filled with every implement neceffary for the attack. They row towards the whale with aftonish ing velocity; and as the Indians early became their fellow labourers in this new warfare, you can easily conceive how the Natick expreffions be came familiar on board the whale boats. Formerly it often happened that whale veífels were manned with

none but Indians and the mafter. Recollect alfo that the Nantucket people understood the Natick, and that there are always five of these people on board. There are various ways of approaching the whale, according to their peculiar fpecies, and this previous knowledge is of the utmoft confequence. When these boats are arrived at a reasonable diftance, one of them refts on its oars and ftands off, as a witness of the approaching engagement. Near the bows of the other, the harpooner flands up and on him principally depends the fuccefs of the enterprife. He wears a jacket clofely buttoned, and round his head a handkerchief tightly bound. In his hands he holds the dreadful weapon made of the best of feet, marked fometimes with the name of their town, and fometimes with that of their veffel, to the fhaft of which the end of a cord of due ftrength, coiled up with the utmoft care in the middle of the boat, is firmly tied ; the other end is faftened to the bottom of the boat. Thus prepared, they row in profound filence, leaving the whole conduct of the enterprise to the harpooner and to the fleerfman, attentively following their directions. When the former judges himself to be near enough to the whale, that is at the diftance of about fifteen feet, he bids them ftop; perhaps fhe has a calf, whofe falety attracts all the attention of the dam, which is a favourable circumftance; perhaps the is of a dangerous fpecies, and it is fafeft to retire, though their ardour will feldom permit them; perhaps she is asleep. In that cafe he balances high the harpoon,trying in this important moment to collect all the energy of which he is capable. He launches it forth; fhe is ftruck. From her firft movement they judge of her temper, as well as of their future fuccefs. Someimes in the immediate impulfe of rage fhe will attack the boat, and demolish it with one ftroke of her tail. In an inftant the frail vehicle disappears, and the affailants are immerfed in the dreadful element. Were the whale armed with the jaws of the shark and as voracious, they never would return home to amufe their liftening wives with the interefting tale of the

adventure.

adventure At other times fhe will dive and difappear from human fight, and every thing muft thea give way to her velocity, or elfe all is loft. Sometimes the will fwim away, as if untouched, and draw the cord with fuch swiftnefs, that it will fet the edge of the boat on fire by the fric tion. If the rifes before he has run our the whole length, she is looked upon as a fure prey; the blood the has loft in her flight weakens her fo much, that if the finks again, it is but for a fhort time. The boat follows her course with an almoft equal speed; the foon reappears. Tired at laft with convul. fing the element, which the tinges with her blood, the dies and floats on the furface. At other times it may happen that he is not dangeroufly wounded, though the carries the barpoon faft in her body; when the will alternately dive and rife, and fwim on with unabated vigour. She then foon reaches beyond the length of the cord, and carries the boat along with amazing velocity. This fudden impediment fometimes will retard her Speed; at other times it only ferves to rouze her anger, and to accelerate her progrefs. The harpooner, with the axe in his hand, ftands ready, when he obferves that the bows of the boat are greatly pulled down by the diving whale, and that it begins to fink deep and to take much water. He brings the axe almoft in contact with the cord.Re paules, ftill flattering himself that the will relax: but the moment grows critical; unavoidable danger approaches. Sometimes men, more intent on gain than on the preservation of their lives, will run great risks,and it is wonderful how far these people have carried their daring courage at this awful moment. But it is vain to hope; their lives must be faved; the cord is cut; the boat rifes again. If after thus getting loofe, the reappears, they will attack and wound her a fecond time. She foon dies; and when dead, the is towed alone fide of their veffel, where he is faftened.

The next operation is to cut with

axes and fades every part of her body,which yields oil. The kettles are fet to boiling. They fill their barrels,as faft as it is made. But as this operatien is much flower than that of cut

ting up, they fill the hold of their fhip with thofe fragments, left a form fhould arife, and oblige them to abandon their prize. It is aftonishing what a quantity of oil fome of these fill will yield, and what profit it affords to those who are fortunate enough to overtake them. The River St. Lawrence whale, which is the only one I am well acquainted with, is feventyfive feet long, fixteen deep, twelve in the length of its bone, which commonly weighs three thousand pounds, twenty in the breadth of its tail, and produces one hundred and eighty barrels of oil. I once faw fixteen boiled out of the tongue only. After having once vanquished this Leviathan, there are two enemies to be dreaded befides the wind; the firft of which is the fhark. That fierce vcracious fifh, to which nature has given fuch dreadful offenfive weapons, often comes along fide, and in fpite of the peoples endeavours, will share with them in their prey. At night particularly they are very mifchievous. But the fecond enemy is much more terrible and irrefiftible: It is the killer, fometimes called the thrasher,a species of whales about thirty feet long. They are poffeffed of fuch a degree of agility and fiercenefs, as often to attack the largest fperma ceti whales, and not feldom to rob the fishermen of their prey; nor is there any means of defence againft fo potent an adverfary. When all their barrels are full, for every thing is done at fea, or when their limited time is expired, and their ftores almoft expended, they return home freighted with their valuable cargo, unless they have put it on board a veffel for the European market. Such are as briefly as I can relate them, the different branches of the economy practifed by thefe bold navigators, and the method with which they go fuch diftances from their ifland to catch their huge game.