separation from the former centre of their ecclesiastical union, had become unconnected with one another, the first objects which engaged the conventions, successively held, were: the reuniting of the component parts of the body, the obtaining of the Episcopacy, and the reviewing of the Liturgy-objects of so great magnitude and difficulty that the measures most proper to be pursued could not be ascertained without frequent deliberation, nor determined on without much time and pains: although now happily carried into effect, with every appearance of stability, and, it is hoped, to general satisfaction and edification.

Our Church being thus organized on those principles of doctrine, discipline and worship, which we had inherited from the Church of England, and which had been handed down to us, through her, from the Apostles and the early fathers of the whole Christian church, it must be seen that the principal object to be promoted by all, in their respective stations, as the effect of so good a system, is an evangelical profession of religion, manifesting itself in holiness of heart and life-an effect which may be looked for wherever provision has been made for the stated preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments.

There are, however, many places in which no such provision can be made by those who are to be benefited by it, owing to the difficulties attendant on the first settlement of a country, and to the circumstances of the settlers, which, in general, are barely competent to yield them a subsistence. Of persons thus situated, there are very many on the extensive frontier of the United States, who, having been educated in the faith and the worship of our Church, wish to have the benefits of its ministry, but who are too few, in their respective neighborhoods, to provide for it among themselves, or indeed to expect it at all, unless on the itinerant plan now proposed; and that to be principally supported by their richer brethren, who are also more advantageously situated for a combined effort.

Under these circumstances, the convention have thought it a duty, arising out of the trust committed to them by the Great Head of the Church, to direct their attention to a people whose circumstances so strongly claim it; and to call on the pious and liberal members of their communion to aid them in the undertaking which these sentiments have suggested.

It has ever been held a duty, incumbent on every branch of the Christian Church, not to neglect, as far as opportunity shall offer, the publishing of the glad tidings of salvation, even to heathen nations. Accordingly, it cannot but be the desire of every member of our communion that something may be attempted by us, in due time, for assisting in every laudable endeavor for the conversion of our Indian neighbors, notwithstanding former disappointments and discouragements. And it is the sincere wish and prayer of those who now address

you, that the day may not be far distant when Providence shall open the door, and we shall avail ourselves of the opportunity for so good a work. But if this be a duty, how much more so is the extending of aid to those who are of one faith and one baptism with ourselves, but who, from unavoidable causes, are without those means of public worship which the Divine Author of our religion has accommodated to the wants and weaknesses of human nature; and which he saw to be, on those accounts, necessary for upholding the profession of his name.

The promise of Christ, to be with his Church to the end of the world, will never fail; and yet particular branches of the universal church may either flourish or decline, in proportion to their continuing in a pure profession and suitable practice on the one hand, and to their falling into error, or indifference and unholy living, on the other. However prosperous, therefore, the beginning of our Church in this new world hath been, she will have little reason to look up for a continuance of the Divine blessing if, when she contemplates so many members of her communion "scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd," she does not use her diligence to bring them within Christ's fold, and to secure to them a stated administration of the ordinances of his religion.

Such was the care, in times past, of the bishops and of the most eminent of the clergy and of the laity of the Church of England for the fellow-members of their communion, when struggling with the difficulties of settlement in the then infant colonies, now the independent States of our confederated republic. The very existence of our Church in some of these States must be ascribed, under the blessing of God, to the aids, to which we here look back with gratitude. The degree of her prosperity in every one of them must have been owing, more or less, to the same cause: and therefore the example is what we ought, in reason, to imitate; so as to consider our brethren on the frontiers as not to be deserted because they are distant, but, from their remote situation, as the especial objects of our concern.

In accomplishing that labor of love, which has been projected by the convention, we shall be doing what may be expected of us, not only as Christians, but as good citizens of a land of liberty and law, the best security of both being moral principles and habits; which can only be derived from the influence of religion on the minds of the people. For however it may be contended by some, that the sense of religion is unconnected with the duties of civil life, we owe it to God and to our country to guard the members of our church against that licentious principle, and accordingly to endeavor the extension of Christian knowledge, as well with a view to temporal peace and prosperity as for the securing of the immortal happiness of a better life.

Under the impression of these sentiments, we hope for the concurrence of all the members of our church in the undertaking now proposed to them and intending, with the Divine aid, to exert our best abilities

for a faithful administration of the trust reposed in us by the convention, we subscribe ourselves,

Your affectionate Brethren,

WILLIAM WHITE, D. D., Bishop of the Protestant

Episcopal Church in the Commonwealth of

THE YELLOW FEVER OF 1793 IN PHILADELPHIA-MR. MATHEW CAREY'S Account OF IT-ADVERTISEMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS IN THE NEWSPAPERS ABOUT IT-EXTRACTS FROM DR. SMITH'S DIARY DURING THE PESTILENCE-DEATH OF DR. SMITH'S WIFE-ADDRESS AND EXHORTATION BY THE CLERGY OF PHILADELPHIA-A PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR-A SERIES OF SERMONS IN CHRIST CHURCH BY DR. SMITH, ON THE CESSATION OF THE PESTILENCE AND IN REFERENCE TO IT-PRESIDENT AND MRS. WASHINGTON ALWAYS REGULAR ATTENDANTS ON DIVINE SERVICE AT CHRIST CHURCH, AND EARLY PRESENT ON THE RE-OPENING OF THE CHURCH, ON THE OCCASION OF THESE DISCOURSES.

In the latter part of June, 1793, Philadelphia was terror-stricken and desolated by that awful form of pestilence which has lately visited a portion of our Southwestern States, and which is known as the Yellow Fever. Dreadful as were its ravages recently in that region which seems naturally, with its great swamps and low lands, more open to the plague, they were no more dreadful than those which befell the city of Philadelphia, in the summer and early autumn of 1793. The state of affairs at the time is thus graphically told by the late noble-hearted Mathew Carey, who, during the ravages of the pestilence, remained in the city, devoting himself to the necessities of the sick and dying:

The consternation of the carried beyond all bounds. every person's countenance.

people of Philadelphia at this period was Dismay and affright were visible in almost

Most of those who could by any means

make it convenient fled from the city. Of those who remained, many shut themselves up in their houses, being afraid to walk the streets. The smoke of tobacco being regarded as a preventive, many persons— even women and small boys-had cigars almost constantly in their mouths. Others, placing full confidence in garlic, chewed it almost the whole day; some kept it in their pockets and shoes. Many were afraid to allow the barbers and hairdressers to come near them, as instances had occurred of some of them having shaved the dead, and many having engaged as bleeders. Some, who carried their caution pretty far, bought lancets for themselves—not daring to allow themselves to be bled with the lancets of the bleeders. Many houses were scarcely a moment in the day free from the smell of gunpowder, burnt tobacco, nitre, sprinkled vinegar, etc. Some of the churches were almost deserted, and others were wholly closed. The coffee-house was shut up, as was the city library and most of the public offices. Three out of the four daily papers were discontinued, as were some of the others. Many devoted no small portion of their time to purifying, scouring, and whitewashing their rooms. Those who ventured abroad had handkerchiefs or sponges, impregnated with vinegar or camphor, at their noses, or smelling bottles full of thieves' vinegar. Others carried pieces of tarred rope in their hands or pockets, or camphor-bags tied round their necks. The corpses of the most respectable citizens—even of those who had not died of the epidemic-were carried to the grave on the shafts of a chair, the horse driven by a negro, unattended by a friend or relation, and without any sort of ceremony. People uniformly and hastily shifted their course at the sight of a hearse coming toward them. Many never walked on the footpath, but went into the middle of the streets, to avoid being infected in passing houses wherein people had died. Acquaintances and friends avoided each other in the streets, and only signified their regard by a cold nod. The old custom of shaking hands fell into such general disuse that many shrunk back with affright at even the offer of the hand. A person with crape or any appearance of mourning was shunned like a viper; and many valued themselves highly on the skill and address with which they got to windward of every person whom they met. Indeed, it is not probable that London, at the last stage of the plague, exhibited stronger marks of terror than were to be seen in Philadelphia from the 25th or 26th of August till late in September. When the citizens summoned resolution to walk abroad and take the air, the sick cart conveying patients to the hospital, or the hearse carrying the dead to the grave, which were traveling almost the whole day, scon damped their spirits, and plunged them again into despondency.

While affairs were in this deplorable state, and people at the lowest ebb of despair, we cannot be astonished at the frightful scenes that were acted, which seemed to indicate a total dissolution of the bonds

of society in the nearest and dearest connections. Who, without horror, can reflect on a husband, married perhaps for twenty years, deserting his wife in the last agony-a wife, unfeelingly abandoning her husband on his death-bed-parents forsaking their children-children ungratefully flying from their parents, and resigning them to chance, often without an inquiry after their health or safety-masters hurrying off their faithful servants to Bush Hill, even on suspicion of the fever, and that at a time when, almost like Tartarus, it was open to every visitant, but rarely returned any-servants abandoning tender and humane masters, who only wanted a little care to restore them to health and usefulness—who, I say, can think of these things, without horror? Yet they were often exhibited throughout our city; and such was the force of habit that the parties who were guilty of this cruelty felt no remorse themselves, nor met with the censure from their fellow-citizens which such conduct would have excited at any other period. Indeed, at this awful crisis, so much did self appear to engross the whole attention of many, that in some cases not more concern was felt for the loss of a parent, a husband, a wife, or an only child, than, on other occasions, would have been caused by the death of a faithful servant.

This kind of conduct produced scenes of distress and misery of which parallels are rarely to be met with, and which nothing could palliate but the extraordinary public panic and the great law of selfpreservation, the dominion of which extends over the whole animated world. Men of affluent fortunes, who have given daily employment and sustenance to hundreds, have been abandoned to the care of a negro, after their wives, children, friends, clerks and servants, had fled away, and left them to their fate. In some cases, at the commencement of the disorder, no money could procure proper attendance. With the poor, the case was, as might be expected, infinitely worse than with the rich. Many of these have perished without a human being to hand them a drink of water, to administer medicines, or to perform any charitable office for them. Various instances have occurred of dead bodies, found lying in the streets, of persons who had no house or habitation, and could procure no shelter.

The same state of things is more than adumbrated by the advertisements and communications which we take at random from a package of newspaper cuttings made by Dr. Smith at the time. PREVENTATIVE AGAINST THE RAGING YELLOW FEVER.

It has been suggested, with much appositeness of reasoning, by no means unworthy of attention, that, to avoid being infected with the epidemic malady now prevailing in this metropolis, it is necessary to breakfast early, and that without those appendages of the tables commonly called Relishes, whether of fish or flesh. To avoid lassitude and