inaccuracy arising from the unequal bore of the tube. They are neatly made, and about equal in price to those of England. He supplies half the country with them. Upon further acquaintance he turned out very intelligent, and well disposed to be communicative.

I find the inn at the springs very good, and the people obliging. Being curious to compare the prices with those in England, I noted down the following scale of wines, calculating the dollar at four shillings English:

The difference, therefore, is not very material, except as to servants, who do not here expect a fee.

ditto, per bottle.

ditto, per day.

Lebanon, Sunday, September 10.-Drove over to the Shakers' Village, and arrived just in time for their church. It was, as I am since informed, a great revival amongst them, and I, therefore, have seen them under peculiar advantages. The beauty of the weather also attracted a large number of spectators to the place, and the assemblage of Shakers was increased by an influx of them from many neighbouring villages where they are established. The church was a large oblong building, perfectly plain within and without, and remarkable only for its neatness, rivalling in that respect the Moravian establishment at Hernhutt. It had a vaulted roof, underneath which, at a little distance below it, was suspended a large wooden sounding board, extending about half way from the centre of the room to either end, as a means of assisting their voices in singing.

Along one side of this room was placed a series of benches, tier above tier, for the spectators, the women being placed on the right, the males on the left. This row of benches occupied about one quarter of the whole width, the rest being reserved

for the Shakers themselves. When we first entered, the latter were seated on benches, the men and women being at opposite ends of the room.

The women were dressed in one uniform costume, consisting of a loose flowing bedgown, (as we should call it,) concealing the figure and extending down to the feet; and of a white linen shawl covering the neck and bosom. Each female held in her hand a large white napkin, which was in frequent requisition during the course of the subsequent exercises. On entering the room they took off and deposited on a peg a plain straw bonnet, and then displayed upon their head a very neat and brilliantly-white muslin cap, on which it would appear that all their arts of embellishment had been concentrated. Their shoes had immoderately high heels, like those used by our grandmothers. As to person, they were in general thin, and in every instance that I remarked, excepting in one, (who probably was a new convert,) their faces were pale and devoid of colour, so that sitting as they did with their arms crossed before them, on their respective benches, almost motionless, during the half-hour preceding the commencement of the ceremonies, they looked like so many statues.

The male Shakers, at the other end of the room, were dressed in drab coats, which, however, were pulled off before they began to dance, in dark trowsers, and other habiliments corresponding to those which a respectable labourer in this country, or a farmer in England would wear. They were in general a harsh forbidding set of men, with a peculiar solemn, gloomy, ascetic, and rather stolid expression of countenance; in some cases, however, there was a degree of wildness in their physiognomy which bordered upon insanity. Their hair was allowed to grow behind, and was combed straight, so that it hung over their back and shoulders, as with the Puritans of old, for whom some of them might have been mistaken. I remarked amongst the number two black men and one coloured woman, so that they have achieved the difficult task of overcoming the prejudices of their country in that particular. There were a few boys amongst them, but the majority of the men seemed rather advanced in years.

The ceremony began by the removal of the benches, and the marshalling of the men and women in two separate battalions, oppositely placed one to the other. The men's battalion consisted of five ranks, each of sixteen individuals; the females, of seven, containing the same number of persons; so that about one hundred and twelve women and ninety men must have assisted in the service.

The lines extended nearly to the middle of the room, leaving, however, a small interval between the men and women,

in order to give space for one of the elders to get up and address the persons present, and, in order that he might be heard and seen by the strangers beyond, the ranks on both sides slightly receded more and more as they approached the side in which the latter were stationed. Being thus marshalled, they began their religious exercises by a song or chaunt, very monotonous and somewhat harsh and grating, accompanied by a gentle stamping of the feet, which seemed intended to keep time with their voices.

This was followed by a very brief address or exhortation from one of the elders, who planted himself between the front columns. But little of it was audible where we were, and from what I collected it did not seem worth listening to. Next commenced the great business of the day-the dancing. The first dance consisted in a slow advance, of all the men and women, five or six paces towards the wall, who then wheeled round, and proceeded the same number of steps in the direction in which the spectators were placed. All this was done with the utmost gravity, and the most unbending rigidity of feature; the feet performing a sort of measured step, but the other parts of the body stiffened, as though they were parts of so many

automata.

Α pause at length took place, and the same elder who had before risen, availed himself of it to address the spectators, whom he told in pretty plain language, that it was indecent to come there and indulge mirth at the sight of exercises done with the view of serving God; that he must request them not to interrupt the proceedings by getting up on the benches, talking to their neighbours, &c., as had heretofore been the case. This done, one of the most singular exhibitions I ever witnessed came on. A portion of the men planted themselves in the centre of the room, and began to sing a kind of monotonous stave, and the remainder of both sexes, in files of three each, began to dance, or rather amble, round and round them, in such a manner that a continued series of men or women was made to pass close to the front benches of the spectators; whilst another series, consisting chiefly of the young and less experienced practitioners, were kept in the back ground, sweeping round between the groupe in the centre, and the back of the room.

The men preceded, the women followed, each with the same rigidity of feature, and the same measured pace as before, but now having their arms extended before them, and moving their hands up and down continually in so loose a manner, that one might fancy them attached by wires to their wrists, and shaken by the mere agitation of their persons. As each groupe, of the women especially, approached me, it looked like a succession of

as many spectres, so cadaverous and unearthly was their general aspect.

After this had been gone through, one of the elders advanced again towards the strangers' seats, and addressing himself pointedly to them, declared how much happier he and his brethren were in their despised condition, than the followers of this world, (pointing to the seats), with all its pomp, and all its vanity, and all its wickedness, and all its lies, and all its deceit. Then commenced another species of dance, in which each file moved forwards three steps, and as many back; after which several, who felt, I suppose, more than ordinarily inspired, began to whisk round and round with the greatest rapidity, like so many spinning Dervishes. The women, I observed, were most expert in this exercise-but one or two of the men likewise attempted it. This motion was continued much longer than even a practised waltzer could have conceived possible, and after it was concluded, the exciting effects which it had produced often gave rise to sundry other contortions of the body, which continued for some time. The more phlegmatic, indeed, shewed it only by a twitching of their arms and legs; but others manifested the excitement under which they laboured in a much more decided manner. Several of the women appeared to be thrown into violent hystericks, and in particular, one girl of seventeen, threw up her handkerchief into the air, tore off her cap, and required the care of two or three of the older women to hold her down. One man, rather stout and short, with a large bald head, aquiline nose, and otherwise marked physiognomy, exhibited a degree of wildness in his manner which savoured of insanity. After his gyrations had ceased, he shook his head, squatted nearly down on the ground, rose again, whisked round and round, and performed various other fantastic evolutions, which one should have some difficulty in believing to have been seriously intended by any person in sound mind to do honour to the Supreme Being.

Then followed another exhortation from the same preacher, which was brief, and consisted as before of one idea repeated two or three times over, in words nearly identical. The separation of the true believers from the world of sinners, their living in a different element, their hungering after spiritual meat, and thirsting after spiritual drink, &c., were the points I chiefly recollect to have been dwelt upon in these, and other subsequent exhortations given in the course of the service. I can call to mind nothing which a perfectly uneducated man, with a proper share of self-confidence, might not have readily been taught to deliver after a week's drilling. A short respite from dancing followed, which, however, was filled up by the singing of a hymn, accompanied as before by a stamping of the feet; after

which a dance took place similar to the former, excepting that, as a kind of chorus, both men and women, as they promenaded round the room, clapped their hands together violently, but in time to the chaunt.

By this time the requisite pitch of fervour seemed to have been attained, for in the place of the one chosen elder, who had before addressed us, several, both men and women, from all parts of the room, began one after the other to give expression to their emotions. They were in general brief enough, and confined themselves to a single ejaculation or sentiment, reiterated in words nearly identical, thus: "I am determined to be obedient to the laws of Christ!”—“ I have no care for the lusts and pleasures of this life!"- "I have not given them up in the thought of coming back to them again !-I do not intend to do so!"-" I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ!" &c. Then the same man, who had so attracted attention before, came forwards in front of the male spectators, brandishing about his arms, like a drunken man, and crying out, again and again,—“This is the testimony of Christ!-this is the testimony of Christ!"

I observed, however, that on several occasions when some one of the orators was going on in a strain more incoherent than ordinary, a stop was put to his extravagance by the striking up of a psalm, which drowned the voice of the individual.

Next, the whole troop were marshalled as before into two battalions; after which they all dropped on their knees, and rose again after a few seconds. They then shook themselves violently from head to foot, in such a manner that every limb appeared to be at once in a sort of a tremulous motion; after which, an elder exclaimed-" I intend to cleave unto God!" upon which, the whole congregation cried-" So do I!-so do I!"

Then followed some fraternal and sisterly hugs, and several of both sexes began to take each other by the hands, and dance round and round. One old man continued for some time blubbering like a child, whilst two younger ones holding his hands, and singing at the same time vociferously, supported him. I observed one of the females continuing a long time on her knees, who went on without intermission bowing her head and body nearly to the ground, like a Chinese mandarin.

At length towards the close of the service, when all present had become excited to their highest pitch, one or two of them began to address their exhortations more directly to the strangers; and a woman in particular moving several times to and fro, along the ladies' benches, with an air and manner like that of another Pythoness, went on exclaiming: "The end of the world is at hand-the word of God is to be preached to kindred tongues and peoples-yea, to kindred peoples and tongues-by