are properly inftructed how to proceed in this dangerous expedition. They are, in particular, told always to attend to the direction of the wind; to go towards the tree before the wind, fo that its effluvia may be blown from them; and both to go and return with the utmost difpatch. They are afterwards conducted to the houfe of the old priest, where they remain till a favourable breeze arifes. In the interval, the ecclefiaftic prepares them for their future fate by prayers and admonitions. When the hour of departure arrives, the priest puts on them a long leather cap, with two glaffes before their eyes, which comes down to the breaft, and a pair of leather gloves. He then conducts them about two miles on their jour- in lefs than two months their number ney, where he repeats their inftructions, points out a hill which they are to ascend, and which will bring them to a rivulet, whofe courfe they are to follow till they arrive at the Bohon Upas. They then take leave of each other. and for this reafon the delinquents, when going to the tree, drefs themfelves in their beft apparel. Of the fatal power of the Bohon Upas the following is a decifive inftance. In 1755 the inhabitants of a province rebelled against their Javanefe fovereign. Being defeated and driven out of their poffeffions, they requested permiffion of the fultan of that territory to fettle in the uncultivated neighbourhood of the Upas. Their request was granted, on condition of their fixing their abode within twelve or fourteen miles of the tree, that they might not intrude upon the poffeffors of the cultivated lands. With this condition they complied; but the confequence was that was reduced from fixteen hundred to three hundred. This wretched remainder threw themselves on the mercy of their own fovereign, who pardoned them on account of the miferies they had fuffered. M. Foerfch converfed in 1774 with a few of the furvivors. They had the appearance of perfons tainted with an infectious diforder; they looked pale and weak; and from the defcriptions they gave of the death of their comrades, which were attended with convulfions and other figns of a violent death, it is certain they fell victims to the poifon. In the course of thirty years, the old ecclefiaftic difmiffed in this manner above seven hundred of thefe unhappy criminals, of which fcarcely two out of twenty returned. Thofe who fucceeded defcribed the tree as of a middling fize, with five or fix young ones near it, ftanding on the border of the rivulet. No other mark of When the violent effect of the vegetation was near it, the ground poifon at fo great a distance from the was of a brownish fand, full of rough tree is confidered, it appears impoffiftones, and covered with dead bodies. ble that any perfon fhould approach The tradition refpecting the origin it, and yet return alive. The fuccefs of this tree is, that above an hundred of fuch an expedition depends upon years ago, the country was inhabited one circumftance only. Malefacby a people who lived in the moft tors, as we have faid, are inftructed wicked and depraved manner; and to go to the tree with the wind, and that God, to punish them for their return against the wind; if the wind, crimes, caufed this tree to fpring out therefore, continues to blow from the of the earth, which deftroyed them fame quarter while the delinquent can all, and rendered the country unin- travel about thirty miles, if he be of habitable for ever. The Upas being a good constitution he certainly furthus confidered as an holy inftrument of punishment, to die of its poifon is regared as an honourable death: vives. But what renders the journey fo fatal in general is, there is here no dependence on the wind for any length of of time; there are no regular land- were taken with a tremor, attended winds, and the fea-wind is not per- with a fhaking of the tendons, after ceived at all, the tree being fituated which they died in the greatest agoat too great a distance, and furround- nies. In fixteen minutes not one reed by high mountains and uncultivat- mained alive. Some hours after their ed forefts. The wind, indeed, is bodies were full of livid fpots, their commonly a current of light foft faces fwelled, the colour of their skin breezes, which pafs through the dif- changed to a kind of blue, their eyes ferent openings of the adjoining yellow, &c. M. Foerfch alfo faw mountains and the diftant fatality of feven Malayans executed at Samarang the poifon must be imputed to these in the fame manner, and the operatigentle winds, which have not power on of poifon on their bodies was exenough to difperfe the baleful parti- actly fimilar. cles. If high winds were frequent and durable, they would very much weaken if not entirely destroy the noxious effluvia; but without them, the air remains pregnant with the poisonous vapour. As a proof of this affertion, the Malayan priest affured M. Foerfch that a dead calin is always attended with the greatest danger; and he added, that a continual vapour iffues from the tree, which is feen to spread in the air like the putrid fteam of a marshy cavern. M. Foersch saw the effects of and made feveral experiments with the poifon of the Upas. In February 1773 he was prefent at the execution of thirteen of the Javanese emperor's concubines, at Soura Charta, who were convicted of infidelity to the emperor's bed. In the forenoon, about II o'clock, the fair criminals were led into an open space within the walls of the palace. There the judge paffed fentence on them, which was, that they were to fuffer death by a lancet poifoned with Upas. After feveral religious ceremonies, the executioner proceeded on his business. The delinquents, with their breafts uncovered, were each tied to a poft about five feet high. At a given fignal, the executioner, with an inftrument resembling the fpring-lancet ufed by farriers, flightly wounded the unhappy women in the middle of their breafts. The operation was performed upon them all in less than two minutes. In about five minutes they July, 1800. M. Thefe circumstances made M. Foerfch defirous of trying an experiment with the Upas upon fome animals. To be further convinced of its powerful effect, he diffolved half a grain of the poifon in a small quantity of arrack, and dipped a lancet into it. With this poifoned inftrument he made an incifion in the mufcular part of the belly of a young puppy. Three minutes after it received the wound, the animal began to cry out moft piteously, and then ran round the room as faft as poffible for about fix minutes. Its ftrength being exaufted, it fell upon the ground, was taken with convulfions, and died in the eleventh minute. Foerfch repeated the experiment with two other puppies, a cat and a fowl; the effect was the fame, none of the animals furviving above thirteen minutes. To try the effect of the poifon inwardly, M. Foerfch diffolved a quarter of a grain in half an ounce of arrack, and made a dog of feven months old drink it. In feven minutes a reaching enfued, the animal became delirious, fell on the ground, and tumbled about; it then rofe again, cried out very loud, was feized with convulfions, and died in about half an hour. M. Foersch opened the body. The ftomach was very much inflamed, as were the inteftines in fome parts, but not so much as the ftomach. From the preceding narrative, it appears certain that the Upas is the F moit By a more kind and humane conduct, fenfation would have often returned, vital action have been regained, and life perfectly restored. 2. Breweries and diftilleries.-Men rafhly go down into large vats, emptied of fermented liquors, in order to clean fuch veffels.-Dr. Hawes earneftly recommends that pecuniary fines be levied, by brewers, diftillers, &c. if ever fuch imprudent acts be again attempted. most deadly of all vegetable poifons; and it undoubtedly contributes to the unhealthiness of at least that part of the island. Nor is this the only evil attending it. Hundreds of the Javanefe, as well as Europeans, are yearly destroyed and treacheroufly murcered by this poifon. Every principal man has his dagger poifoned with it. In times of war the Malayans throw it into the fprings; a practice which at firft occafioned great lofs to the Dutch, who have ever fince kept A lighted candle fhould be firft let live fish in the fprings of which they down, which continuing to burn clear, drink the water; and when they the men may then venture with fafety. march into an enemy's country, they With certainty to fave and secure always carry live fish with them, valuable lives, it will be advifeable which they throw into the water they to put an iron pot with quick lime to approach fome hours before they ven- the bottom; then pour boiling water ture to make use of it. on it, which will inftantaneously drive out the deftructive and deleterious vapours. A CON It may be added, that there exifts alfo a fort of Upas on the coaft of Macaffar, the poifon of which operates in the fame manner, but is not half fo malignant as that of Java. Humane Cautions. HE following obfervations are juft published by the royal humane fociety, annexed to the refufcitative procefs of that excellent inflitution; and materially concern the health and lives of all ranks of the people, • Salus populi fuprema lex. Important, and humane cautions. 1. Fevers, &c.-In great finking of the ftrength, efpecially, near the end of fevers, and other acute difcafes, patients, in, confequence of accidental circumftances, frequently lie in a state refembling death, bag If the bed-cloaths be foon removed, the heat of the body will be fuddenly diffipated, and the enfeebled fpark of life for ever deftroyed. Relatives, &c. not attending to this interefting and important object, the lives of thousands of our fellow-creatures have been facrificed, and their bodies prematurely committed to the grave. 3., Arfenick. Druggifts, chemifts, and apothecaries, are moft earnestly requested not to fuffer fo dangerous a fubftance to be fold to any individual, unlefs two or more creditable perfons fhall accompany the buyer, and teftify to the vender the purpose for which its ufe is defigned.: 4. Still-born infants, it is to be lamented, are too generally confidered as dead.-The tranfactions and reports of the humane fociety record various inftances of the refufcitation by warmth, friction, and inflation of the lungs; though fome of the infants had been given up at least two hours by midwives,&c. 5. Turn-up bedfieads.-Bedfleads of this: defcription have proved the premature death of an immenfe number of young children. Infant life has been too often facrificed by fach beds being thoughtleffly turned up; therefore it is recommended upon every principle of found policy, true humanity, and parental affection, that in future they should be difffed. 6. Lightning-Never and near to leaden fpouts, iron gates, rails, trees, brooks, or rivers. 7 Prevention 7. Prevention of premature burial-Under proper reftrictions no danger can poffibly arife to the living, as the firft ftage of putrefcency is always diftinguished by a perceptible clamminefs of the kin, and an acid gas, which marks the earliest time for interment. In the fecond stage of putrefcency, an alkalekent vapour escapes, attended with an offenfive colour. It is thefe alone which prove noxious to the attendants and furvivors. The reality of death, in all cafes, may therefore be thus known from its femblance. By an early attention to thefe important circumftances, premature interment will be prevented, and an immenfe number of our fellow-creatures restored to life, provided the refufcitative procefs of the humane fociety be affiduously employed. If the leaft doubt remains, relatives, &c. fhould confult the faculty, as they will readily form an accurate difcrimination of the exudations, &c. on which the abfolute criteria of life and death depend.-Publica jalus mea merces. Speech of Mr. Dobbs, on the Second Coming of the Meffiah, delivered in the Houfe of Commons, on Saturday, June 7, 1800. IR, from the conduct purfued by adminiftration during this feffion, and the means that were known to be in their power, it was not very difficult to forefee that this bill muft reach that chair. It was not very difficult to forefee that it would fall to your lot to pronounce the dreadful words that this bill do país. Awful, indeed, would these words be to me did I confider myself living in ordinary times; but, feeling as I do, that we are living in the moft momentous and awful period of the world-feeling, as I do, that a new and better order of things is about to arife, and that Ireland, in that new order of things, is to be highly diftinguished indeed, this bill has no terrors for me. Sir, I did intend to have gone at fome length into history and the facred predictions. But as I purpose, in a very few months, to give to the public a work, in which I fhall fully exprefs my opinions as to the vaft defign of this terreftrial creation, I fhill, for the prefent, confine myself to fuch paffages as will fupport three pofitions. The first is, the certainty of the fecond advent of the Meffiah-the next, the figns of the times of his coming, and the manner of it--and the laft, that Ireland is to have the glorious preeminence of being the first kingdom that will re ceive him. In the 2d chapter of the book of Daniel, there is a moft concife, fublime and comprehenfive description of the four greatest empires that have ever been in the world, under the figure of a great image in the shape of a man. It is agreed by fir Ifaac Newton, and every commentator of eminence, that the head of gold was the Affyrian and Babylonish empire-that its breaft and arms of filver were the Medo-Perfian empire-that its belly and thighs of brafs were the Grecian em pire-and its legs of iron the Roman empire. But fir Ifaac well obfèrves, that by the legs of iron was only meant Italy and thofe countries which never compofed any part of the three first empires: and when the Roman empire was divided into eaftern and western, under two distinct emperors in the 4th century, the western was made up of thefe countries accordingly. The feet and toes of the image, which relates to the western Roman empire, are defcribed by Daniel to be partly iron, partly clay, partly ftrong, and partly broken-and as iron and clay do not unite, neither were they to unite. Now, the exact accomplishment of this is highly worthy of attention. By the ten toes it was predicted that it fhould be divided into ten kingdoms, and fir Ifaac proves that it was fo in the year 408. It was, after this divifion, to be in part ftrong, and fo were thefe kingdoms, for the followers of Mahomet and the Turks could make no permanent conqueft within the bounds of the weftern Roman empire. It was alfo to be in part broken in its power, and fo were thefe kingdoms, for they in vain poured forth their millions of crufaders into Afia, without being able to make any permanent conqueft there. As iron and clay do not unite, neither have they been united from the year 408 to the prefent day. In vain did Charlemagne at tempt it-in vain did the emperor Charles the 5th attempt it-in vain did Lewis the 14th attempt it: no, the God of Heaven had declared it should remain in a divided ftate, till the time should arrive when a univerfal kingdom was to be eftablished on the earth. Kings and their minifters, without knowing it, have accomplished the fulfilment of this aftonishing prophecy; and that balance of power, which has for fo many centuries been attended to in Europe, is neither more nor less than keeping up that broken ftate of the western Roman empire. Before I go into the remainder of the prophecy as to thefe kingdoms, into which the weftern empire was broken, it is curious to contemplate what has happened within that boundary within the courfe of the laft ten years. Poland difmeme bered and blotted out of the lift of kingdoms; France dethroning and putting to death her mo narch, and going through a variety of bloody revolutions; the Auftrian Netherlands taken from their ancient princes, and made a part of France; Holland revolutionifed, and the ftadtholder fent into exile; Switzerland revolutionifed; Venice annihilated as a state; and all Italy for a time revolutionised, and though reduced by the Austrian and Ruffian forces, yet ftill in a state entirely unfettled; the laf pope bereft of all his temporal dominions, and dying a prifoner in France, and the new pope not even elected at, or refiding in Rome; Spain in a state bordering on revolution: and Portugal either in danger of being revolutionifed or fubdued; the affairs of Germany and the Houfe of Auftria in a critical fituation ; and Great Britain engaged in an arduous war, which we can fee no termination. Thus, fir, the whole I may fay, of what was the weilern empire, and which contains the most polished and enlightened nations of the earth, is convulfed from one end to the other. But the next and lait part of the prophecy of the 2d chapter of Darlet, to 1 will tell us the winding up of all these eventful fcenes. After having defcribed the image, Daniel proceeds, and fays he beheld a ftone cut out without hands, which fmote the image on his feet, that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces; then was the iron, the clay, the brafs, the filver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the fummer threshingfloors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the tone that fmote the image, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. To know more exactly what is meant by this ftone, we have only to read the 7th chapter of Daniel. There the four great empires are more minutely treated of, under the defcription of four beafts, and inftead of the ten kingdoms being defcribed by toes, they are made the ten horns of the fourth beaft; and when their deftruction is mentioned, it is in thefe words-I faw in the night vifions, and behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him; and there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages fhould ferve him his dominion is an everlafting dominion, which shall not pafs away, and his kingdom that which fhall not be deftroyed. There cannot therefore be a doubt, but that the ftone, and the perfonage thus pointed out is the Meffiah, and fo does fir Ifaac, and all the best of the commentators explain thofe paffages. There are many texts in the fcriptures that corroborate this explanation; but for my own part if there was not another paffage in the bible, than that which is to be met with in the 2d and 7th chapters of Daniel, nor another commentator than fir Ifaac Newton, I fhould not have a doubt of the cer tainty of the fecond coming of the Meffiah. Į shall however add, what is the opinion of the Jewish nation, because it ought to have great weight, as they are in fact a standing miracle: but I fhall first premife the exact accomplishment of the prophecies as to them, which has already taken place. Mofes, near three thoufand years ago, predicted that they should be plucked from off their land; that they should be scattered over all nations; that they should be every where found, but should have a refting place no where, and that they should become a bye-word and a fcorn to all nations. It is now near 1790 years fince they were driven from Judea by the Romans, and fo exactly has the prediction been fulfilled, that it would be impoffible in the fame number of words as were used by Mofes, to give a better hiftory of them. Every Jew expects the coming of the Meffiah in power and glory, when their restoration is to take place. And ftrange indeed muft it be if they did not expect it, when thofe very fcriptures which contain the prophecies as to their afflictions, have a thousand paffages as to their future happy ftate. I fhall, however, content myfelf with giving you one of the plaineft and strongeft. It is in the 23d chapter of Jeremiah--Behold, the day is come, faith the Lord, that I will raife unto David a righteous branch, and á king hall reign and profper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.— In his days Judah fhall be faved, and Ifrael fhall dwell fafely, and this is his name whereby he fhall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEQUSNESS. Therefore behold the day is come, faith the Lord, that they fhall no more fay, the Lord liveth which brought up the children of Ifrael out of the land of Egypt: but the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the feed of the house of Ifrael out of the north country, and from all the country, and from ail the countries whither I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land. Thus, fir, all the Jews, all the commentators, and I will be bold to fay, all the beft informed chriftians unite in the opinion, that the Meffiah is to come in power and glory, and to be actually and in perfon, the king of the kings of the earth. I fhall now fir, briefly give you my reafons for thinking the moment of that appearance is at hand-the general text certainly are, that no man can tell the day or hour; for it is faid, that he shall come as a thief in the night-that as it was in the day of Noah, fo it shall be-that we fhall be eating and drinking, and giving away in marriage, and occupied in our ufual purfuits. It is alfo faid, that the fun fhall withhold its light, and then shall we fee the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory; but though it is to be thus fudden, there are general figns given, by which we may know its near approach-the chief of these are, the fall of the papal power, and a very high degree of infidelity. In the 7th chap. of Daniel, the papal power is defcribed under the name of a little horn of a very extraordinary nature, that was to rise up amongst the ten horns of the fourth beaft. Sir Ifaac, and all the best commentators agree, that this little horn was to have power for 1260 years, and then what is the language of Daniel. But the judgment fhall fit, and they fhall take away his dominion, and to confume and to deftroy it unto the end; and the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, fhall be given to the peop ple of the Saints of the Moft High, whofe kingdom is an everlafting kingdom, and all domi nions fhall ferve and obey him-Thus the kingdom of the Meffiah is to arife at the fall of pa pacy. Now can any man doubt, that the 1260 years of papal power is long fince paft, and that the judgment is fitting, that is to confume and deftroy it unto the end? Look at what has happened to it, particularly during the last ten years, and ice, if we are not to expect the immediate accomplishment of what remains. In regard to the infidelity of the times being a warning to us, Chrift himself in fpeaking of his fecond coming fays, nevertheless thall I find faith upon the earth; not meaning certainly, that there would be no faith but that there would be a very high degree of infidelity. Now look at France, one of the greatest countries in Europe, openly denying not only the new but the old teftaments, fubftituting the tenth day infead of the 7th, and even attempting to abolish the memory of Chrift, by changing the æra that bears his name. quire into the fate of faith in the furrounding En chriftian |