portraits of the eminent men who have successively presided over the operations of the American Bible Society. All of them were good, some of them were great men, and the portraits by our artist, if not those by ourself, can hardly fail to be acceptable to the friends of that noble institution.

This great national society has now been in existence thirty-eight years, printing and circulating the "Book of Books." To spread the Bible is to spread essential truth, "the knowledge of the Lord," of which the earth shall yet "be filled." The religion of the Bible is the only religion that can become universal. The millions of Bibles and Testaments which this society has distributed since Vor. V.-22

harvest. Who can estimate the temporal and eternal benefits that must result to this country and to the world from this vast circulation of the sacred Scriptures? In our own favored land every state, every territory, and in some instances every county and township, has been put under the care of distributors.

When De Tocqueville, the French philosopher, passed through our country some years since, he visited a Sunday school. To his great surprise he found in the hands of every scholar a New Testament, and all eager in its perusal. He immediately inquired whether this practice was common through the country, and when answered in the affirmative, he remarked with emotion, "What

a mighty effect it must have on the character of the nation!" It is even and truly so. This book, more than anything else, has made us what we are, and lighted up elsewhere the few bright spots which appear on our earth's otherwise benighted and dreary outlines. There is no solid hope for our race here or hereafter, from any volume, policy, or effort of man, except in close alliance with this sacred volume. A population equal to that which is required for the admission of ten new states into the Union is added to the American people every year; and to keep this vast multitude supplied with the Scriptures is a work of infinite interest, and one which the American Bible Society endeavours to accomplish. Through these devout efforts we hope the time is not far distant when every man in our land may read for himself the revelations of God.

On the 11th of May, 1816, the American Bible Society was organized, and it is a most interesting fact in our national history that the very first Congress of the United States performed the duties of a Bible Society long before such an institution had an existence in the world. One year after the Declaration of American Independence, 1777, Congress appointed a committee on the subject of printing an edition of thirty thousand Bibles for the use of the people-our entire population then amounting to only three millions. Finding it difficult to procure the necessary material, paper, type, &c., this committee recommended the importation of twenty thousand Bibles; to copy their own language, "the use of the Bible being so universal, and its importance so great." Congress was advised to direct the Committee on Commerce to import, at its expense, twenty thousand English Bibles from Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere, into the different ports of the states of the Union." This report was adopted, and the importation ordered.

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In 1781, when an English Bible could not be imported, in consequence of the war with Great Britain, the subject of printing the Bible again was considered by Congress. Robert Aitken, of Philadelphia, had published an edition, and that body passed the following resolution :

"That the United States, in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to

the interests of religion; and being satisfied of the care and accuracy of the execution of the work, recommend this edition to the inhabitants of the United States."

These are notable pages in our national records-fair as unshaded light, and bright as the morning sun. Who dare deny that this is a Bible nation, or affirm that the precious volume should be excluded from the schools of our land?

The proposition of forming a national Bible Society had been often discussed, until 1815, when a plan for such an institution originated with the New-Jersey Bible Society, of which Mr. Boudinot was president. He published a notice for a general meeting, to be convened at NewYork, in May, 1816. This convention presented a sublime spectacle, as almost every Christian denomination in the land was represented. Great, indeed, was their object, and great and worthy were the men who composed it. It was the first time in our country when the different religious denominations were brought together for concerted action. They assembled upon the broad platform of the Bible

"Where names, and sects, and parties fall."

This convention appointed a committee to prepare a constitution, consisting of Messrs. Nott, Mason, Morse, Blythe, Beecher, Bayard, Wilmer, Wright, Rice, Jones and Jay. On the 11th of May they presented the constitution, which was unanimously adopted, and thirty-six managers were elected, with the Hon. Elias Boudinot for president. An eloquent and powerful address to the people of the United States, written by the celebrated Dr. Mason, was adopted and published.

Of all the officers first appointed, nineteen in number-the president, fourteen vice presidents, three secretaries and a treasurer-not one survives. The same, I believe, may be said of the earliest managers. "They rest from their labors," and, emphatically," their works do follow them."

In accepting the office of president, Mr. Boudinot wrote :—

"I am not ashamed to confess that I accept of the appointment of President of the American Bible Society, as the greatest honor that could have been conferred on me this side of the grave."

When the American Bible Society was organized there was not a dollar in its treasury. Soon, however, funds began to accumulate, and, among others, a donation of £500 (nearly $2,500) was received from the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the munificent sum of $10,000 from Mr. Boudinot.

John E. Caldwell, Esq., was the first agent, and kept the depository for a short time at his office, in an upper room, at the corner of Cedar and Nassau streets. The books were next removed to the building of Mr. Fanshaw, in Cliff-street, who executed the Society's printing. This depository was a room only nine feet by twelve. From this place the Scriptures were issued, until a four-story building was hired in Sloat-lane, now Hanover-street, adjoining the Merchants' Exchange. On the first floor, the agent ocupied the front room for his office, and the depository was the rear one, only twenty feet square. He expressed his belief that he should see that room entirely filled with Bibles! The second story was used by the binder; and the third appropriated to the printer. Here the Society began its earliest operations, and its success was no longer doubtful, as will be seen by the following tabular view :

In addition to these there were issued about fifty-eight thousand copies in Gaelic, Welch, German, Spanish, and several Indian languages.

These results Mr. Boudinot was permitted to behold during the few years he was President of the American Bible Society. That a life so nearly exhausted, when he was elected to that honorable post, should have been lengthened out to witness its fifth anniversary, was a remarkable circumstance, and grateful to the friends of the institution. Thus blessed, they had no tears to shed at his removal but tears of joy.

His useful life was prolonged beyond the ordinary limit, and he lived to see the rapid growth of this cherished object of his affections. He displayed an unremitting interest in the Society, retaining it even while suffering under the infirm

ities of very advanced age, and acute bodily pain. It required great exertion to attend the anniversaries; but he was always faithful at his post on these occasions.

He was born in Philadelphia, in the year | 1740. His grandfather was one of the persecuted Huguenots who were compelled to leave France on the revocation of the Edict of Nantz. Mr. Boudinot received a classical education-such at least as was so called during our colonial period-after which he studied law under Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He soon became distinguished at the bar of NewJersey.

When the war of the American Revolution commenced, he advocated the cause of his struggling country, taking a decided part in favor of the colonies. In 1777 Congress appointed him Commissioner-General of prisoners, and the same year his fellow-citizens elected him a member of that body. In November, 1782, he was chosen President of Congress, and in that capacity, soon after, signed the Treaty of Peace, which secured American Independence.

Mr. Boudinot resumed the practice of law, and, upon the adoption of the Federal Constitution in 1789, was again honored with a seat in Congress, and occupied the important post for six successive years. General Washington appointed him Director of the Mint in 1796, and he continued to discharge its duties until 1805, when he retired from all public life, settling in Burlington, New-Jersey. In 1794 the United States Mint began its regular operations at Philadelphia. Mr. Boudinot's portrait, among others, adorns the walls of the Cabinet of the Mint. In this splendid collection there are about five thousand specimen coins, ancient and modern, and nearly four thousand of them belong to United States money.

After his retirement from the Mint, Mr. Boudinot devoted his leisure to the study of Biblical literature-a department of inquiry which had always been one of his favorite pursuits-and to the exercise of a munificent public and private charity. He was a trustee of Princeton College, and founded its cabinet of natural history in 1805, at a cost of $3,000. In 1812 he was elected a member of the Board of

Mr. Boudinot reached the advanced age of eighty-two, and died in 1821, a devout follower of the world's Redeemer. The death-bed of the aged pilgrim was cheered by the faith and the promises of the blessed book which had guided and supported him through so long a life, and the circulation of which had been an object of his devout ambition. He was prepared to meet his end, and was sensible to the last. He closed the work of life with the prayer, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Mr. Boudinot early married the daughter of Richard Stockton. He left an only daughter, and, suitably providing for her, bequeathed the most of his large estate to those objects which had been dearest to his heart through life. These were the promotion of literature and the diffusion of religion. He devoted four thousand acres of land to the Society for the Conversion of the Jews, five thousand to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, four thousand and eighty to the theological students at Princeton, four thousand to establish fellowships in the College of New-Jersey, three thousand and seventy to the Philadelphia Hospital, and thirteen thousand to the corporation of that city for the supply of fuel to the poor on low terms. To these might be added many other legacies to charitable and religious

purposes.

Mr. Boudinot wrote several publications, the principal of which was, the "Star in the West," or an attempt to discover the long-lost tribes of Israel. At the time it is said the work was read with much interest, but incredulity. It exhibits very benevolent feelings for our Indian population, with skill and extensive research. The work is now out of print, and the fifty years since it was written have developed many circumstances which, to say the least, do not weaken the theory of Mr. Boudinot. Without adopting or rejecting it, we will refer to some reasons which favor his views.

About six hundred years before Christ the land of Israel was swept by powerful invaders, who carried off the people into captivity. Nine and a half tribes went from Samaria-two and a half, embracing Judah and Benjamin, with half of Manasseh, remained in Judea beyond Jordan,

existing nation.

From the Second of Esdras we learn all that is known of the route of the captives. This is an apocryphal book, but one of great antiquity, and worthy of respect. The account reads thus :

"Whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him; these are the ten tribes which were carried away prisoners out of their land, in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanaser, King of Assyria, led away captive, and he carried them away over the waters, and so they came into another land.

"But they took this counsel among them

selves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a farther country, wherein never mankind dwelt, that they might there keep their statutes which they never kept in their own land, (Assyria;) and there was a great way to go, namely, a year and a half."

These tribes marched toward the north-east coast of Asia, some abiding in Tartary, while many went to China, where they have been sixteen hundred years, and remain numerous to this day. The advocates of Mr. Boudinot's hypothesis believe that the main body crossed over Behring's Straits to this continent, the most adventurous keeping to the North-Hudson's Bay and Greenland. The more cultivated followed the shores of the Pacific through California to Mexico, Central America, and Peru. Here it is imagined they encountered their old foe, the Phoenicians, (Canaanites,) who had advanced and colonized the country five hundred years before. The Phœnicians, it is supposed, also built the cities of Palenque, and the pyramids at Cholula, Paxaca, Mitland, and Flascola, resembling those of Egypt, with hieroglyphics, planispheres, zodiacs, temples, military roads, aqueducts, bridges of great grandeur, still existing, and all seeming to prove that they were built by the same people who created Tyre, Babylon, and Carthage.

When Columbus discovered this continent he found various nations of Indians, whose origin was unknown. These, it is believed, were the descendants of the missing tribes of Israel; and it is worthy of note that Heckwelda, Chaleveaux, McKenzie, Bartram, Smith, William Penn, the Earl of Crawford, Major Long, Catlin, and Boudinot adopt this opinion, and were all either eminent writers or travelers.

William Penn, who had no idea of their origin, says :

"I found them with countenances like to the Hebrew race. I consider these people under a dark night, yet they believe in God and immortality, without the aid of metaphysics. They reckon by moons-they offer their first ripe fruits-they have a kind of feast of tabernacles-they are said to lay their altars with twelve stones-they mourn a year."

Mr. Catlin, who lived some years among the North-Western Indians, states that all the Mosaic laws, only traditionary with them, were strictly enforced.* John M. Payne, Esq., who long resided with the Cherokees, collected valuable information of their historical and religious traditions, and he states the remarkable fact that the oldest Cherokees used the term Ye

ho-waah for the Great Invisible Spirit. It is well known that the late Major M. M. Noah, who devoted much time to the investigation of this subject, ably advocated the sentiment that his Hebrew brethren were the progenitors of the North American Indians, the descendants of those tribes which Esdras relates "went into a farther country."

THIRST IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS.

THE

THE use of snow when persons are thirsty does not by any means allay the insatiable desire for water; on the contrary, it appears to be increased in proportion to the quantity used, and the frequency with which it is put into the mouth. For example, a person walking along feels intensely thirsty, and he looks to his feet with coveting eyes; but his good sense and firm resolutions are not to be overcome so easily, and he withdraws the open hand that was to grasp the delicious morsel and convey it into his parching mouth. He has several miles of a journey to accomplish, and his thirst is every moment increasing; he is perspiring profusely, and feels quite hot and oppressed. At length his good resolu tions stagger, and he partakes of the smallest particle, which produces a most exhilarating effect; in less than ten minutes he tastes again and again, always increasing the quantity; and in half an hour he has a gum-stick of condensed snow, which he masticates with avidity, and replaces with assiduity the moment that it has melted away. But his thirst is not allayed in the slightest degree; he is as hot as ever, and still perspires; his mouth is in flames, and he is driven to the necessity of quenching them with snow, which adds fuel to the fire. The melting snow ceases to please the palate, and it

The march of these people can be traced through Asia to this continent. After a lapse of two thousand years we find the red men of America bearing strong marks of Asiatic origin. They are divided into three hundred different nations, remarkable for their strength of intellect, bravery in war, and good faith in peace; and the following religious rites, common among all our Indians, appear to identify them with the Israelites :

1. Their belief in one God.

2. Their computation of time by their ceremonies of new moons.

3. The division of the year into four seasons. 4. Their erection of temples and altars. 5. The division of the natives into tribes, with a chief sachem at their head.

6. By their sacrifices, oblations, ceremonies, the affinity of the Indian to the Hebrew lan

guage, and circumcision—a custom relinquished only in modern times.