Some Philosophers, And, Perhaps, More Religionists, Have Endeavoured To Devise Means To Render The Human Mind And Character Independent Of Physical Elements.

The attempt is just about as rational, and not a bit less presumptuous, than that of making them free of the Divine cognizance and authority, to which these elements are subjected.

Such attempts, it seems pretty evident, have been the source of delusive self-congratulation in all ages of the world, and may be ascribed, with no very mighty stretch of fancy, to the same busy agent, by whom, in the earliest stage of our nature, man was tempted with the alluring hope of becoming "as God." A wiser and more benevolent instructor would teach him, on the contrary, to acknowledge his dependences and avoiding forbidden things, to partake with cheerfulness of the material blessings which surround him. This is genuine confidence in the Supreme Ruler, though, to be sure, it has little or no charms for the obstinate stoic, or the conceited pharisee. But "wisdom, it is certain, will be justified of all who are under its influence." - E.

[6] "The difference between the salubrity of the two vessels probably arose from the want of fresh air in the Adventure, our sloop being higher out of the water, so that we could open more scuttles in bad weather than our consort. Our people likewise made a greater consumption of sour-krout and wort, and particularly applied the grains of the latter to all blotches and swelled parts, a regimen which had been omitted by those in the Adventure." - G.F.

[7] "After many wishes, and long expectation, we this day, (6th August,) got the S.E. trade-wind. Its manner of coming on was rather remarkable. About ten o'clock in the morning, a thick haze began to rise in the eastern quarter, which by noon was become so thick, and had spread so far, that it was with difficulty we got the sun's meridian altitude; but the N.W. wind, which we had had for about a fortnight, during which time the weather was generally fine and pleasant, still continued to blow. In the afternoon we had some pretty brisk showers, with which the N.W. wind died away, and it was calm till eight o'clock in the evening, when a brisk steady gale sprung up at S.E., and proved permanent." - W.

Mr F. has given some very valuable remarks respecting the trade-winds but they are too long for this place. - E.

[8] "Our thermometer was now constantly between 70 and 80 degrees in the morning; but the heat was far from being troublesome, as the fair weather was accompanied by a strong pleasant trade-wind," - G.F.

[9] This is a very fit place for the following curious observations on the formation of the low islands spoken of in the text. "All the low isles seem to me to be a production of the sea, or rather its inhabitants, the polype-like animals forming the lithophytes.

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