scruples were removed, when I afterwards accidentally stumbled on an authority, proving beyond controversy that the same effect of cold had been observed in England above a century ago. It is mentioned in a letter from Mr W. Congreve to Mr Porter, the husband of Mrs Porter, the actress. Mr Congreve writes him on the 1st January 1700. "I am by a great fire, yet my ink freezes so fast, I cannot write. The hautboys who played to us last night had their breath frozen in their instruments, till it dropped off the ends of them in icicles. This is true."

Snow succeeded the severe frost, and we had occasionally very cold weather, though not colder than during the first days of January, till the middle of March, a far longer tract of intensely cold weather than I had before witnessed.

Mr Fairchild is clergyman of the congregational church in South Boston, an excellent plain preacher, and a very worthy man. We frequently heard him preach. Having observed us again and again in his church, he was so kind as to wait on us as strangers, though living at a distance of two miles from his church; and we thus became acquainted with him. The form of infant baptism is totally different in the congregational churches here from what prevails in Britain. We saw Mr Fairchild perform the ceremony again and again, on one occasion he baptized his own child. There are no sponsors. The clergyman descends from the pulpit and receives the child into his arms from the mother or other relation, and sprinkles the child's face

with water, and mentions its name, none of the parents or relations being called on to take any vows on them for the child. There certainly is not any express warrant in the Scriptures for sponsors at baptism, or for parents being called on to come under promises how they are to bring up their children, far less for the refusal which clergymen in Scotland often think themselves entitled to give to persons applying for the baptism of their children, on the ground of their having been guilty of immorality, in which, surely, the subject of baptism could not have participated. But this is rather a ticklish subject to touch on, for it may, I know, be said that clergymen are as well entitled to alter the original form of this ceremony, as to perform it on infants at all, there being unquestionably, at least so far as I can find, after reading every word written on the subject in the New Testament, no authority whatever to show that sprinkling in the face is baptism, or that children are the subject of baptism. In fact, in the first ages of the church, and for 200 years after the birth of Christ, baptism of adults by immersion universally prevailed, and even after that period the baptism of infants was not much in use for above eleven centuries.

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CHAPTER XIV.

Accident by Falling on the Ice-Mr Sheaffe's offer of Books-The London Examiner—Education in this Country-Extraordinary extent to which it is carried-Free Schools-Salaries to Teachers— Advantage of Public Schools-Education in Connecticut-In the whole of New England-Education in New York State-All over the States-Appropriations of Lands for Schools in New States and Territories-Provisions for Schools in Great Britain and IrelandOrder and Regularity of the People of the United States, especially on occasion of Elections-Expence of establishing a System of General Education in the United Kingdom-Mr Field's Teaching-Evening Parties at Mrs Phinney's-Election of Chaplain to the House of Assembly-A Baptist Minister-Charges for Dinners at Mrs Phinney's Election of Mayor of Boston-Visit to the Village of Quincey-Mrs Carpenter, washerwoman, invited us to Tea-Inauguration day of General Jackson, as President of the United States Trial for Libel at Mr Webster's Instance-Circumstances which led to it-Mr Jefferson's Letter-Communication from Mr AdamsCorrespondence between Mr Otis and Mr Adams-Article inserted in Jackson Republican, by General Lyman-Courtesy of the Judges to the Bar-Defence-Chief Justice Parker's Charge-Result of Trial-Singular Indictment for Libel-Verdict-Objections to Evidence-Settled by Acts of the Legislature in some States-Act in Connecticut.

Winter, 1828-29.

I was so unlucky in the beginning of the severe frost, as to fall on the ice on the outer steps of the house door, and

to receive an injury which confined me to the house for some time. Dr Mann, the surgeon to the garrison of Fort Independence, being in the neighbourhood, immediately bled me, and paid me two visits, for which he made the very moderate charge of one dollar and a-half; but I afterwards, for some time, had the benefit of the advice of Dr Reynolds of Boston,-an extremely wellinformed and eminent medical man, to whose skill and attention I was much indebted. When I was again able to get out of doors, my state of weakness made me content myself for some days with taking a few turns on a piece of turf near the house. On one of the first days I walked out, I was joined by a seafaring person of the name of Sheaffe, with whom I had got acquainted in the course of my walks by the sea side, who lived in the neighbourhood, and had a small boat, and seemed to gain his livelihood by fishing, and ferrying over passengers to and from the island. After congratulating me on my recovery, he asked me if I was not in want of books. He had seen me occasionally bring books from Boston, before I had met with the accident before noticed. He mentioned various historical and philosophical books in his library, which were at my service; and also the London Examiner newspaper for several years. I caught at his offer, when he mentioned the Examiner, having been recently reading the American account of the battles on the Canada frontier in the wars of 1813 and 1814, and being anxious to compare them with the British Gazette accounts. I therefore accepted the Examiner, which he fortunately had at

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the period I wanted. I doubt whether such an occurrence as this could have happened anywhere else in the world. I found that Mr Sheaffe, whose house is as humble-looking a wooden cottage as any one in the neighbourhood, had formerly been a seaman in a merchant ship, and had been in England; but the explanation is easy. Education is open to all in this country; and all, or almost all, are educated. It was lately ascertained by reports accurately taken, that, out of a population of about 60,000 persons in the State of Massachusetts, only 400 beyond the age of childhood could not read or write. And more especially, by returns from 131 towns presented to the legislature, that the number of scholars receiving instruction in those towns is 12,393; that the number of persons in those towns, between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one, who are unable to read and write, is fifty-eight; and that in one of those towns, the town of Hancock, there are only three persons unable to read or write, and those three are mutes. The general plan of education at the public free schools here is not confined to mere reading, writing, arithmetic and book-keeping, and the ancient and modern languages; but comprehends grammar, mathematics, navigation, geography, history, logic, political economy and rhetoric, moral and natural philosophy; these schools being, as stated in the printed regulations, intended to occupy the young people from the age of four to seventeen, and to form a system of education advancing from the lowest to the highest degree of improvement, which can be derived from any literary se