some person as our pastor, as ignorant of ness, because it may serve to shew the doctrines, or inattentive to the the impropriety of applying invididuties of christianity. The doctrines ous appellations to those who appear which I have learnt from my father to hold with sincerity the essential and husband are these; that there is 'points of the Christian faith, although an inherent depravity in man, which they may differ- from us on can only be subdued by the opera- points of doubtful interpretation. Intion of divine grace; that on this ac- stead of defining the peculiarities of count he is estranged from God, until those who are called Arminians and he is renewed by the sanctifying in- Calvinists, we think it sufficient earfluence of the Holy Spirit; that Christ nestly to recommend to our correour Saviour died for the sins of the spondent to adhere to the doctrines world, and that we are redeemed and which she has embraced, which are saved by his death solely through those of the faith delivered to the faith in him, to the exclusion of all saints by our Saviour and his apostles. merit from our own works or righte- -We have no gospel of Calvin or ousness; that, nevertheless, the only Arminius, who, though both learned proof which we can give of our faith, and pious, were fallible men. Nei is our obedience to the command- ther Calvin nor Arminius was cruciments of God and Christ, which are fied for us, nor were we baptized all comprehended in the injunction of in their names. love to God and man; that, consequently, no faith can be sound or perfect which does not produce the fruit of a holy life. With this conviction I endeavour, humbly depending on the divine assistance, to act in all things to the glory of God, and to live in charity with my neighbour, making the Gospel the rule of my conduct, and the conformity of my conduct to its rules, the test of my faith. I am certain that in my conversation with our rector, however I may have expressed myself, I never could say any thing contrary to these senti ments. If he had told me I was a sinner, I should have readily and sorrowfully admitted it, for I deeply and daily lament my sins both of omission and commission; but I fear he meant something worse by the name he gave me, possibly that I had adopted some heretical notions or dangerous errors. I have heard of Methodists, Quakers, and Presbyterians; Calvinists and Arminians may, for what I know, form a sect of religious persons in this country, who dissent from the doctrines of the Church, but having never read any books of controversial divinity, I am really at a loss to know what these terms mean, and if I am indeed an Arminian, what I am. I therefore beg that you will satisfy my doubts, and correct my opinions if Our correspondent's confession of her faith shews, and it is an observation of great importance, that an acquaintance with controversy is not necessary to the acquiring a knowledge of those evangelical truths which are essential to salvation. We fear, indeed, that controversy is too often a bar to spiritual improvement, and we fear that many who have engaged in it, have thereby made shipwreck of their faith. In taking the Gospel for her guide she has made a wise choice. We have only, therefore, to recommend to her to perse vere in the path which she has pursued, continuing to study the doc trines of salvation with humble dependance on the grace of God and Christ, and with prayers for the com. munication of the Holy Spirit, to enlighten her understanding, and shed his sanctifying influence on her heart; discarding from her recollection the expression which has so much em+ barrassed her, and never inquiring whether she is a Calvinist or Arminian. It is sufficient for her to know that she is a follower of the Lord Jesus, and that if she continue faithfully to serve him in this life, he will in the next admit her into the bless ed society of angels and glorified spirits, We should have given the same answer had PHOEBE, been charged with Calvinism by an Arminian; and to such a case (a case which from the complexion of her creed is very likely to occur) she will do well to remember that it is equally applicable. MISCELLANEOUS. EXTRACTS FROM AN UNPUBLISHED TOUR (Continued from Vol. II. p. 600.) THE GLACIERS. us one exception-a gentleman from the north, who was obliged to be handed over by his guide, whom he never once let go till his safe arrival on the other side; for my part, I found myself perfectly at my ease, and liked this mode of travelling much better than any other. The change of climate was by no means disagreeable, although it was too sudden. We might be said to have experienced four seasons in a few hours. On our first leaving the vale to ascend the mountain, it was in every respect the very heat of summer: when we had reached the wood the sultriness of the air began to abate: I soon felt myself in the middle of October ; and experienced that grateful temperament between heat and cold, which is generally felt at that agreeable season. As we approached the ice, the autumnal air vanished, and gave way to the chilling breezes of winter. I was obliged to put on my waistcoat, which I had been happy to get rid of at the bottom of the hill, and should not have been averse to have added a great coat to my ordinary dress. There was a brisk cold wind upon the Glacier, while in the plain there was scarcely a breath of air stirring. After we had left the ice, and descended towards the bottom of the hill, the spring appeared; but this mild season lasted not long; we quickly passed into summer, and were sufficiently scorched before we reached the village. While I was crossing the Glacier, I could not help admiring the deep chasms formed at different intervals by the separation of the ice. A large stream that runs rapidly down from the summit falls into one of them, and flows under the ice for nearly a mile, when it re-appears at the foot of the hill, and discharges itself into the Arne. In some of the Glaciers these chasms are some hundreds of feet deep, and several yards wide; a circumstance which renders them impassable without the greatest We risque. Ar eleven o'clock we set forward, with Professor Placard and another guide, to see the Glacier of Bosson, which is one of the most extraordinary in the neighbourhood; it lies at the bottom of Mont-Blanc, and is called the Mur de Glace. We ascended about an hour before we reached the ice. The road lay through a wood of pines, at the edge of which we suddenly found ourselves upon the Glacier. I was not a little surprised at the growth of trees on the very borders of the ice, which seems not in the least to obstruct their height; for they appear to be as tall and flourishing in these cold regions as in other parts of the mountain. This Glacier exhibits a view singularly romantic, and is different from all others that I have ever seen. It is not very large; being not more than a quarter of a mile broad, and about two miles long. Its peculiarity consists in the form of the ice. Part of it is tolerably smooth and level; but towards the bottom it is broken into enormous masses of various size and shape; sometimes a regular range of crystal pillars shoots out from the rest, to the height of one or two hun dred feet; sometimes an immense variety of transparent cones peeps above the level; at other times nothing is seen but a confused heap of massy rocks of ice, which exhibit to the mind a vivid representation of the ruins of a once flourishing city. We were not satisfied with the mere view of the Glacier: we were determined to cross it; for this purpose we had provided ourselves with cramping irons, which we fitted to our shoes, and armed ourselves with poles pointed with iron. Without these precautions we should have been ill fitted to encounter this new element. now climbed upon the rocks of ice, and found ourselves rather aukward at first setting out. By degrees, how ever, we grew bolder, and skipped from rock to rock without the least sensation of fear. But we had amongst A few yards above the place where we crossed, it is not possible to walk without the utmost danger. The chasms are frequent, wide, and deep, and the ice is very slippery; so that the person who should attempt to cross at that place would be accounted a madman: a single slip would hurl him to the bottom of some almost fathomless abyss, where he would find himself straitly enclosed between too lofty walls of ice, far from the reach of any human succour, exposed to an extremity of cold, which must soon destroy every principle of life. A variety of rivulets gush forth in different parts of the Glacier; and running over these transparent mountains, add much to the beauty of their appearance. When I had been some time upon them, I indulged myself with a draught of the water, which was the most delicious I ever tasted. This Glacier runs a considerable way up the mountain, and turning to the left falls behind Montanvert, where it joins the grand Mer de Glace. It was formerly of much less extent in the lower parts; that portion of the declivity of the hill, which it now covers was, a few years ago, a fertile spot of arable land, and separated from the grand mass by a range of enormous rocks. They were not, however, a sufficient barrier; and the owner of the field, which he had begun to sow over night, was astonished, ou coming to renew his labour the next morning, to find it completely covered by an immense body of ice. Above the Glacier of Bosson, to the left, runs a chain of pointed rocks, which here and there peep out of the snow, and seem to touch the clouds. They are aptly called the Needles, and have almost all of them separate names. In the evening we went to see the Embouchure de l'Arceron, about three quarters of a league from the village. After passing through a grove of pines, on a white sand, we were immediately struck with a view of the Glacier of Montanvert. From here rises the Arteron, a rapid torrent, which soon falls into, and considerably increases, the waters of the Arne. In gushing from under the Glacier, it has formed at the foot of an immense mountain, an arch, or Salle, of the clearest ice, which varies much in breadth and height: it is sometimes sixty feet high; but, when I saw it, it was hardly more than forty. A more beautiful spectacle I never beheld. Can the mind frame an idea of any thing more enchanting to the eye, than a spacious cavern hewn out of one solid mass of the purest ice, the roof of the most perfect azure, the walls on each side transparent as amber, and adorned with pilasters not inferior in brilliancy to the brightest crystal: a clear, but rapid current flowing through the midst, over a bed of gold coloured sand, interspersed with a variety of shining pebbles? Curiosity would na turally lead one to examine minutely every part of the wonderful cavern, were it not for the imminent danger which would attend such a research. The several parts of this beautiful arch are continually giving way, and the Voute is perpetually changing its figure, and forming anew. Should this happen while a curious spectator is busied in contemplating the beautiful scene, either within, or near the cavern, he must inevitably perish among the massy ruins. While we' were employed in examining its several parts, our guide informed us of our danger, and intreated us to retire as fast as possible. An enormous fragment hung over the entrance, which threatened to fall at every instant, and I apprehend must have fallen very soon after we left the place. I imagine that, were it possible to reach the extremity of this cavern, we should find several passages that would lead us to others, not inferior in extent or beauty to that which we had been contemplating. This morning (Aug. 12), a little after three o'clock, we set off with our guides to the Glacier de Bois, or Montanvert. After we had ascended about an hour, I was induced to visit the hut of a peasant, situated on the declivity of the mountain, which I found to be similar to those in the Alpine parts of Savoy, and serving as a habitation, not only to the owner and his family, but likewise to his cattle. We continued our route up the mountain, climbing through loose stones, and vast fragments of rock, which render the way not very agreeable to those who are accustomed to travel on plain and beaten roads. Our ascent was winding; the direct path being so steep, that it was not possible for any but the natives to attempt it. The road lay all the way through woods of larches and pines: these last were prodigiously tall and straight; most of them rising to the height of a hundred feet. In the middie of the wood was a fountain of excellent water, where we were glad to stop and refresh ourselves, aller the fatigues of the ascent. We began already to have a beautiful prospect of the vale below, which appeared to great advantage through the shades of the wood. At length, after a march of three hours and a half, we reached the summit, and rested ourselves in the Chateau de Montanvert, which is, nothing more than a few sharp stones piled up together in form of a hut, though dignified with so grand a name. We approached the precipice of the mountain: the whole Mer de Gluce opened upon us at one view; the prospect was the most astonishing that can be conceived. Beneath our feet was a vast sea of ice, which extended itself over a valley several hours long. It may aptly be called a sea; for it exactly resembles that element, when agitated by a brisk gale. Waves seem to roll over waves, in uninterrupted succession; and as the eye directs itself downwards towards the source of the Arveron, this frozen ocean appears still more wonderful; it appears to run mountains high, and is an apposite image of the sea, when raised by a tempest; whereas, higher up the valley, it may be said to represent the ocean in a calmer state. The whole body of ice is of a palish blue colour; and the waves, when shone upon by the sun, exhibit a variety of different colours, and form a most lovely appearance.The undulating surface of this Glacier, which is not so irregularly shaped as that of Bosson, calls to mind, and presents some faint idea of the "sea of glass, like unto crystal,*" mentioned in the Apocalypse; if we may presume to compare earthly objects, with the awful representation exhibited in vision to a prophet of the Most High. Across this valley of ice I observed four red specks, placed under a lofty naked rock, upon a small turf of earth, which was easily distinguishable by its verdant colour from the barren spots that on all sides surrounded it. My guide observing my eyes fixed that way, guessed at the objects I was contemplating, and immediately satisfied my curiosity, by telling me they were cows. I expressed to him my astonishment at seeing that species of cattle feeding in a place, where I should have thought it scarcely possible to have * Rev. iv. 6. transported even a flock of goats. He told me it was a journey of two days, from the village to the pasture which engaged my attention, the ascent being so very difficult; and informed me that the cattle had been removed there a month before, and were left to themselves, till the end of the summer, when they would be properly fattened. The owner, he added, was in no fear about them; for it was impossible they should ever wander from their little pasture, and equally impossible they should be stolen. After we had spent an hour in viewing the Mer de Glace, and its wonderful environs, we left the summit, and descended to the plain by a path almost perpendicular. The descent was far more fatiguing than the ascent. The loose stones which gave way at every step rendered our progress extremely unpleasant; and the lubricity of the ground, which was a whitish mould, and crumbled every instant under our feet, obliged us to descend with the utmost caution. The sun began to peep above the mountains, which had hitherto sheltered us from his rays, and threatened us with excessive heat. The farther we advanced, the hotter we found it. The sun now lay full upon us; not a single turf of verdure was to be seen; not a blade of grass to relieve the eye, long wearied with beholding naked flints, dreary rocks, and a parched barren soil. In the midst of our descent we were suddenly surprised by loud noises, resembling the explosion of cannon, or claps of thunder. Our guide pointed to the Glacier, which lay to the right of us, in a sloping valley. We there beheld an enormous mass of ice, rolling over the frozen sea from mountain to mountain, towards the valley below. These falls of ice or snow, at certain times of the year, happen daily, and, indeed, hourly. They roll from the top to the bottom, where they break into innumerable minute particles, and spread over the foot of the Glacier a large bed of beautiful shining powder. They are called Avalanches. The sound which they produce in falling is of itself very considerable; but the effect in this particular is rendered still more extraordinary by the singular force of the echo, which conveys the report from valley to valley. In a little more than two hours we 2 3 reached the plain, and dined in a wood of pines, near the source of the Arveron. Here our mules met us, with our guide, whom we had brought with us from the Valais; and after our cold collation, we left the vale of Chamouni, and proceeded towards the Col de Balme. more numerous and of greater magnitude. The width of these chasms is perpetually varying, in consequence of the different actions of the frost by night, and the excessive heat by day; and this perpetual variation of he chasms accounts for the frequency of the Avalanches. Huge rocks, that are torn away from their ancient beds, and precipitated into the plain by the force of the ice, are lifted up and carried down by the opening and closing of these clefts; and it is said, that the bodies of peasants, who have lost their lives in hunting among the rocks, have been thrown up, several days after, upon the surface of the Glacier, fresh and uncorrupted. A curious effect, similar to vegetation, is produced by the melting of the snow in the more elevated parts, which, draining down, runs under the ice, and being there gradually arrested and frozen, the mass is increased at the bottom, while the top is thereby heaved up, and, in conjunction with the cause just mentioned, split into chasms, with a noise like thunder. Before I take my leave of the Glaciers I will offer a few observations on the subject. It is supposed that the ice was first formed on the summit of Mont Blanc, as being the highest point in all the Alps. In process of time, the ice increasing in bulk above, and not having sufficient support below, would naturally fall, and discharge itself into the first valley it could find, which is that behind Montancert. This valley is far more elevated than even several of the mountains. When a sufficient quantity was fallen into this cavity, which is on a slope, it would of course find its way into other vales, and fill up every interstice between the mountains. The vale under Montanvert, to the left, is one of the largest that are accessible; here therefore is the most extensive superficies of ice, and for this reason this Glacier is properly called the Mer de Glace, to dis- To the Editor of the Christian Observer, tinguish it from others, which are of smaller extent. This hypothesis will, I think, easily account for the circumstance, that the ice is smoother at the top than at the bottom, and also that the Glaciers extend even to the lowest vales, where the power of the sun is excessive; while in some of the mountains above no ice ever appears, the mass always being discharged through the vales, and not over the tops of the mountains. It is observed, that the chasms are at right angles to the direct road, and not parallel with it; and that they are most numerous and considerable at the lower extremity of the Glacier, where the ice is weakest. This effect is produced by the vertical pressure of the ice, and its tendency towards the plain. The chasms bear an exact proportion to the pressure, and the inclination of the mountains from which the snow descends. This is confirmed by Bosson, which is at the foot of Mont-Blanc, where, as I observed before, the ice is more irregular than on the other Glaciers; the clefts are deeper; the detached masses more enormous and confined; and the rocky fragments, thrown up by the ice, (To be continued.) ALARMING PHÆNOMENON. MANY are the complaints which have been made, and are still making, of different kinds of scarcity. Some complain of scarcity of friends, many of scarcity of money, and we ought to acknowledge with thankfulness, that scarcity of bread is not at present added to the catalogue. But the scarcity I now complain of is more alarming than any of the preceding, and I think, sir, you will agree with me when I state it to be a scarcity of men and women. At the rate we go on, I begin to fear twenty will not be left within the liberties of London and Westminster. This decrease does not appear to be occasioned by the usual mournful cause of depopulation, nor even by emigration. No, sir, it is by transmigration. Those who formerly were men and women, are become, or are becoming, gentlemen and ladies: and unless the ancient proprietors of those titles will condescend to take their place, we must be all gentlemen and ladies together. I am. persuaded the honours of my house are not singular: but my garden |