THE following particulars of this extraordinary sect are gleaned from an entertaining Work just published by Baldwin and Co. entitled "An Excursion through the United States and Canada during the years 1822-23; by an English Gentleman."

New Hampshire appears to be the State where this wretched species of fanaticism is most prevalent. It certainly equals, in absurdity, the most monstrous heresies of the early ages of Christianity. Enfield, a village of New-Hampshire, is mostly inhabited by this singular sect. On entering it, (says our English traveller) I was immediately struck with the remarkable neatness of the houses, farms, and fences; and the first impression was therefore very much in favour of the sect. The Shakers, like the Harmonites, are great manufacturers, and supply the neighbourhood with a quantity of necessary articles at a cheap rate. They apply machinery to every purpose that can be imagined, and carry this to such a length, as even to churn butter by the assistance of the wind. This however is a very simple and effectual way, and is worthy of being adopted more extensively; for a very light breeze is sufficient to put in motion the small sails attach

ed to the churn.

The sect of Shakers was founded about the year 1768, by Anne Lee, the wife of an English blacksmith. She pretended to be inspired; called herself "Anne the Word;" and instituted a new mode of worship, "praising the Lord by dancing." Being prosecuted for riotous conduct, she and her followers were thrown into prison; a treatment which caused their emigration. They came to America in 1774, and settled in the State of New Hampshire. Anne afterwards removed to the State of New York, where she began to prophecy, declaring that she was the second Christ, and those who followed her should have their sins forgiven. Although

41 ATHENEUM VOL. 2. 2d series.

she declaimed against all sexual intercourse whatsoever, which she held up as a mortal sin, yet she gained nume rous proselytes, who have since made various settlements in different parts of the United States.

The principal persons in the sect are the elders, father confessors, and saints. They enjoin confessions, penances, absolutions, &c. The members are frequently honoured by the miraculous interpositions of the Deity. Indeed they affirm that they do every thing by "a gift," that is, by an immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit. An account of the application of this very rational doctrine is thus given in the North American Review. "A youth of one of the Shaker settlements, of a cheerful happy spirit, was once asked, whether he had his liberty, and could do as he pleased. Certainly,' said the youth (repeating, doubtless, what all are taught to believe); we do whatsover we have a gift to.' On being asked therefore, what he would do, if he wanted on a fine winter's morning to go down and skate on Enfield Pond, he replied, 'I should tell the Elder, that I had a gift to go down and skate.' Being further asked, whether the Elder would permit him; he answered, certainly, unless he had a gift that I should not go.' But if you still told the Elder that you had a gift to go down and skate, and go you must? 'Why, then the Elder would tell me that I had a lying gift, and that he had a gift to beat me, if I did not go about my work immediately." "

The Shakers maintain, that they are the only true Church; that all the rest of mankind will be damned; and that by "the Second Dispensation," that is, by the appearance of Anne Lee, the Old Testaments and the Gospels, which were before necessary, are now useless. They have in consequence a Bible of their own, called "Christ's Second Appearance;" a work which persons who are not of

their sect would consider as a curious proof of the madness of superstition. Every one, whether man or woman, who may join the society, must give up all worldly possessions to what they call the Church. In obedience to this religious duty, husbands leave their wives and families destitute, and occasion the greatest possible distress. Several States therefore have passed a law, obliging a man who may join the Shakers, to make some provision for his family.

Like all sects that pretend to the community of goods, the rule of equality is not strictly adhered to. On the contrary, the Elders, and chief men and women, are much better off than the rest, live in better houses, and have

better fare.

As persons in the full possession of their faculties are little disposed to embrace visionary doctrines, it may at first be a matter of surprise to the reader, how this continent sect is enabled to keep up its numbers, and even to be rather on the increase. But the Shakers will receive children of any age, preferring those who are very young; and poor people, who have large families, are induced to send one or more children to the Shakers, knowing that they will be well-clothed and fed gratis, and moreover taught some useful trade. So far the society is a good one; but these children are only just taught to read and write, are not allowed to read any book but the Shaker Bible, are made to look upon the Elders as demi-gods, and are constantly impressed with the charitable belief that the world's people" (thus they designate all who are not Shakers) will inevitably go to everlasting punishment. They have indeed very little intercourse with "the world's people;" for all business is transacted by the Elders.

Those who know what influence superstition has upon the youthful mind, and how great an effort it requires, in those even who frequent the best society, to get rid of the prejudices in which they have been educated, may easily conceive what an influence this system, backed by the most profound ignorance, exerts upon

the young proselytes. So strong indeed is it, that few ever leave the sect who have joined it as children: and though nature will sometimes assert her rights, and brother Ebenezer run off with sister Susan, yet as soon as enjoyment has somewhat abated their desires, and when that fatal period the honey-moon is about to terminate, the sinners will almost always return; and having confessed their sins, and undergone penance, are again received into the society.

We could easily enlarge on the subject of Shakerism, and could mention some of the horribly disgusting and indecent scenes, said to be practised in private by members of this sect; but not to offend modesty, we refer all those who may be curious to know more about them, to a work lately published in New Hampshire, entitled "A Portraiture of Shakerism," by Mary M. Dyer. This woman's husband joined the Shakers, and obliged her to do the same, by making over all his substance to his new brethren. She afterwards quitted the society, having suffered great cruelty and insult from them; and as she is now their enemy, and moreover a Baptist, her own statements must be looked upon with a skeptical eye. Her book is ill-written; but this does not destroy the authenticity of the numerous affidavits, made before magistrates, at different places and in different times, both by persons who have been themselves Shakers, and by others. These affidavits contains statements of depravity, folly, and horrible brutality, that are quite astounding, and exceed every thing laid to the charge of the monks of the darkest and most depraved period of the Middle Ages. So shocking indeed are they, as to be almost incredible; and yet many of the persons who have sworn to the truth of them, live near Enfield, and, from all inquiries, are respectable and trustworthy.

The Shaker Bible, or “ Christ's Second appearance," shows how prone the human mind is to receive any supernatural accounts; and how wisely all who relate them insist upon faith. Indeed it has been remarked (although

of course only with reference to the Shakers,) that when a man can once be persuaded that the Great Creator of the Universe wishes him to believe what is incomprehensible and impossible, he might just as well be deprived of his reason altogether, and become a mere brute. For my own part, (says the writer) although I am a friend to toleration, and do not wish to offend

any person's religious principles, yet I cannot but think that it is rather a disgrace to the Nineteenth Century, for a sect to exist and flourish, which not only praises the Great Spirit by dancing, but even believes that Anne Lee, the drunken profligate wife of an English blacksmith, is co-equal and co-eternal with the Deity!

IT

T is with very sincere pleasure that we notice the publication of the first volume of Mr. Wiffen's excellent version of the Jerusalem Delivered; a work which will be esteemed creditable at once to the genius of the translator and the literature of our country. From the specimen which sometime ago Mr. W. gave to the world, we were induced to form a high expectation of the manner in which this great task was about to be executed, and we are happy to say that our expectation has not been disappointed. Mr. Wiffen has studied the mellow ver

TRANSLATED BY WIFFEN.

sification of our elder poets with great success; and has, we think wisely, adopted the Spencerian stanza, instead of employing, as Mr. Rose has done in his translation of Ariosto, the measure of the original. The Life of the Poet, prefixed by Mr. Wiffen, is pleasingly written, and will be found to contain an able critical examination of the question of Tasso's attachment to the Princess Leonora. In the Life several translations from the poet's minor lyrical pieces are interspersed, from which we select the following as a specimen of the translator's talents.

7

TOBACCO.

The first cargo of tobacco ever imported from Colombia is now in the river Thames. It must, however be re-imported to Hamburgh, because it cannot be used in England without payment of a duty of 6s; for the United States of America alone are permitted to supply the English market Iwith this article at 4s. The quality is equal to the best Cuba cigar tobacco.

LORD BYRON'S DAUGHTER. The Greek Government has sent over two letters addressed to the daughter of Lord Byron, giving an account of her father's death, and of the services he had rendered Greece, and declaring that Greece will consider her as its own child.

ECONOMY.

Sir James Lowther, after changing a piece of silver in George's Coffeehouse, and paying two pence for his dish of coffee, was helped into his chariot, (for he was then very lame and infirm,) and went home: Some little time after he returned to the same coffee-house, on purpose to acquaint the woman who kept it, that she had given him a bad halfpenny, and demanded another in exchange for it. Sir James had about forty thousand pounds per annum, and was at a loss whom to appoint his heir.

THE ARCTIC OR SIBERIAN DOG.

From the plates and descriptions which I have seen of the Siberian Dog, I have no hesitation in saying that the Esquimaux Dog belongs to the same variety. Their resemblance to the wolf has already been mentioned: and I think I have pointed out sufficient marks of distinction, even for the most ordinary observer to know the one from the other. The Esquimaux Dog is about the size of our shepherd's dog, but, being covered with a long and thick coat of hair,

has a

more bulky appearance: its tail is long and bushy, and its ears short, erect and sharp-pointed.* With respect to colour, they cannot be said

* The temperature of one killed was found to be 99 deg.

to be confined by any standard; black and grizzly seem to be the pre vailing hue. They appear to have some difficulty in barking, and when they do attempt it, which is very s edom, it is more of a howl than a bark. Their general appearance would induce one to suppose that they are a sullen and pusillanimous race; but this proceeds more from the abject state of subordination in which they are kept, than from the natural dispotion of the animal; for some that we had on board, on being treated kindly, soon showed that they neither wanted courage, nor were void of playfulness. They answer the same purposes to the Esquimaux that horses do to Europeans; for in the winter an Esquimaux seldom goes any distance, exwith great pomp, and, on a hard and cept on his sledge, which he drives level surface, with as much speed as our mail coaches. The Dogs are always used in the more laborious work of dragging home the seals, walruses, and deer, that are killed; and as some of these animals are frequently slain at the distance of several miles from the huts, it would be almost impossible for the people to get them to their abodes by any other means. It is also by their aid that the bear is killed; for while the attention of that animal is engaged, defending itself against the dogs, the daring Esquimaux plunges his spear or knife into his body. The opulence of an Esquimaux may in some measure be estimated by the number of his Dogs; for I have generally observed that those who have the most are best supplied with food and clothes. From twelve to fifteen are the greatest number that I have known to possess; but the ordinary team varies from three or four to half a dozen; while some families have none at all. When going on any particular service, that is, for a heavy load to any considerable distance, those who have but few

† About six miles an hour may be reckoned their ordinary rate of travelling, when moderately laden: that is, with two persons on a sledge, drawn by half a dozen dogs:

dogs, borrow from their neighbours; so that on these occasions it is no uncommon thing to see a man with twenty dogs in one sledge. In one or two instances I have seen two dozen yoked to a sledge, and managed by one man, without any thing more to guide it than his whip, for they never use reins. To direct the sledge past a hummock of snow or ice, when such happen to come in their way, they occasionally use their feet, but the whip, as has just been observed, is the principal leading instrument. Although on particular occasions a score of dogs and upwards are used to one sledge, yet the ordinary yoke is from six to eight; that number being sufficient to drag a walrus, and the driver, who never condescends to walk if he can by any means avoid it. In concluding, the Esquimaux make one use more of their Dogs, which, although the last, is perhaps not the least in point of importance-namely, that when hard pressed for food, they eat them. Of this we were eye-witnesses in the spring of 1822; the tribe in our neighbourhood at that time being so badly off for food as to kill and eat several of these valuable animals. It appears, however, that they are not fond of this kind of food, and that nothing but dire necessity compels them to use it; for as soon as we became acquainted with their distress and supplied them with bread-dust, they threw away the carcasses of two dogs which they had killed for provision, evidently preferring the breaddust.

EXTRAORDINARY OPERATION.

An extraordinary operation was lately performed at Kent and Canterbury Hospital, and which has been attended with the happiest results. A patient was received some time since with a very bad case of diseased liver: after some time the case assumed the worst possible appearance, and it was

Of their skins they also make some of their best dresses; which circumstance may likewise be enumerated amongst the useful purposes to which these animals are applied. I also understand that they scent the holes in the ice, where the seals are, or had lately been, which must be of great service to the Esquimaux, when sealing in the winter.

resolved, as the only chance of preserving life, to tap the liver. The operation was ably performed by Mr. Fitch, senior surgeon of that, institution, in the presence of other gentlemen of the faculty connected with the establishment. Upon the liver being touched, upwards of five pints of diseased matter immediately flowed from the wound. A tube, nine inches in length, was then introduced and retained in the wound, through which a pint of the same fluid was daily evacuated for a week.

SYMPTOMS OF VANITY.

To place 1001. at a banker's, in order to give a cheque, sometimes for 21.

day, and afterwards talk of a contiTo go to Calais, return the next nental tour.

a loud tone if the Champagne be good, To go into a coffee-house, ask in and in a low voice, order a bottle of soda-water.