England. Yet which is the greater encroachment upon right, for a nation to impose a paltry duty upon a single article, imported into her own colonies, or with a demonstration of force to demand of a free and independent nation, a commercial treaty, to insist on a fixed tariff, and the admission of foreign vessels into her own ports?

As to the consequences favourable to Christianity, to be expected from a more extensive intercourse with China, we have only to remark that even this object can never justify the use of force against right-nor can authority for the use of stratagem or violence be any where derived from the example of the "Prince of Peace." The only armour of those who are commissioned by him to preach the gospel to every creature, must be the sword of the spirit. The means of intimidation and violence are retained in the posession of him, in whose hand are the hearts of princes and, people, to turn them whithersoever he will. They may not be entrusted to frail, revengeful man, and the design of extending a religion through their instrumentality, is more worthy of the followers of Mahomet, or the Roman propagandists, than of English or American protestants.

ARTICLE IV.

A VISIT TO THE COUNT DE SELLON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE GENEVA

PEACE SOCIETY.

[THE following communication has been politely furnished us, by Henry Barnard, Esq., who in recently making the tour of Europe, visited the distinguished personage to whom it refers.-ED. ADVOCATE.]

GENEVA, (Switzerland,) September 20th, 1835.

I HAVE remained another day at Geneva, that I might accept the Count de Sellon's invitation to visit him at his country seat-a few miles out of the city. I am glad I have done so ;

for a more delightful spot than Fenêtre-one presenting so many charms of scenery, and to me, associated with so much kindness, and intelligence, and elegant hospitality, I have seldom visited. I am indebted to Mr. Bevans, the Secretary of the British Peace Society, for my introduction.

The Count called for me in his carriage-presented me to his daughter, who speaks English remarkably well, and together, we drove through the beautiful environs of the city, to Fenêtre. His grounds are extensive, and laid out in the English style of landscape gardening--and the views which they every where command, especially the lawn in front of the house, are superb. Lake Leman, with all the vine covered country, to the west-and the villages and country seats, sprinkled along the shore and gleaming out from the trees and shrubbery, looks like a picture in the magnificent frame work of the Jura, and the mightier ranges of the mountains of Switzerland and Savoy.

On entering the grounds, we left the carriage, and walked along one of the paths which lead up to the monument erected by the Count, to commemorate the foundation of the Peace Society of Geneva, and as a tribute of respect to some of the brightest names which illustrate the annals of Peace and Humanity.

It is an obelisk, of one solid block of marble, I believe, and bears upon three of its sides the following names :

NICHOLAS DE FLUE--the pacificator of Switzerland. HENRY IV, KING OF FRANCE--who proposed a congress of nations as the arbiter of international disputes. DUKE DE SULLY-his friend, minister, and historian. FENELON who traced in his Telemaque, the character of a pacific monarch, as a model of imitation for the presumptive heir of the French crown.

LEOPOLD-Grand Duke of Tuscany, who abolished in his dominions the punishment of death.

BECCARIA-whose eloquent treatise on crimes and punishments, has contributed to the reformation of the Criminal Law in Europe.

CHARLES LUCAS-Inspector General of the prisons of France, who has done much to improve their condition, and whose treatise on the abolition of capital punishment, was crowned with a prize.

EDWARD LIVINGSTON-who proposed the abolition of capital punishment in his criminal code of Louisiana.

VICTOR DE TRACY-who proposed to the French Chamber of Deputies, to substitute solitary confinement, for punishment by death.

WILBERFORCE-whose successful efforts to suppress the Slave trade, rank him high among the friends of humanity.

CASIMIR PERIER-late prime minister of France-distinguished for his efforts in preserving the peace of Europe.

On the fourth side of the obelisk is recorded the date of the establishment of the Geneva Peace Society.

You may traverse Europe through, and find every where triumphal arches, and monuments, and inscriptions, but you will seek in vain for a parallel to this-dedicated by individual liberality to those men, who, in countries, widely separated, have laboured, to promote the cause of universal and permanent peace, and to purge the criminal code of its bloody enactments. These two objects have strongly interested the Count, and the labours of his pen have been mainly directed to their promotion, and with such success that his name will in all future time be ranked high among their champions. In the course of our walk he mentioned, that on this very day, when he was learning of the progress of the principles of peace and of enlightened legislation in the United States, he had received letters from the north of Germany, assuring him that the idea of a permanent peace was no longer ranked among the "reveries of good men," but was attracting the attention of sound practical states

men, and men of letters. He remarked that it should be a matter of rejoicing with us, that our position enabled us to dispense with that main pillar of war in Europe, a standing army. The continuance of the present pacific relations between the great powers of Europe, would prepare the public mind to appreciate the enormous expense and evils connected with a standing army. He was much interested to learn that America was already enjoying systems of education-reformations in the administration of justice-facilities of internal commerce, such as the most radical reformers in Europe, as yet dare hardly speak of, with the least prospect of success. He said he could see no good reason why the United States, from their very position, so very far aloof, from the entangling politics of Europe, should not be the first nation to practice upon the policy of peace. That as we had no aristocracy to support out of an enormous military and naval establishment—and no masses of discontented population which it was necessary to find employment for-and not only so, but that war would immediately break up the boasted equality of our condition by elevating a few, and converting the many into the mere machines of their will-he thought it would be the strangest thing in the world that we should resort to war, till the hard necessity of the case forced it upon us. I told him that the greatest difficulty which the cause of Peace had to encounter with us, was the insensibility of the people to the horrours of war. Not one out of a thousand knew any thing of the carnage and suffering of a battle field, except as a matter of history. No press gang had ever swept through the streets of our cities-no conscription had ever entered our farm houses or work shops, for the reluctant victims of cruel and bloody war. What a contrast, he replied, does this present to the experience of Europe. There is hardly a man living and acting here, who has not witnessed more or less, the horrours of a battle field—a seige, or protracted march -not a family which has not occasion to mourn over a father, or husband, or brother slain.

But I am prolonging this letter beyond my original intention. I was presented by the Count to the different members

of his intelligent and accomplished family, all of whom appeared to feel a kind interest in whatever related to America—but Madame could hardly forgive me for saying that the noise of all the waterfalls in Switzerland together, not excepting those of the Rhine, would scarcely amount to the lowest whisper of Niagara. They spoke with much pleasure of a visit they had recently received from Mr. Livingston and his lady, and I regretted, that from a want of personal acquaintance with them, I could not answer their many inquiries.

It was late in the afternoon when we set down to dinner-a meal by the way, in Europe a thousand times more social than with us; after dinner we were served with coffee on the lawn in front of the house, and the enchantment of that hour and scene will never pass from my memory. The sun was just setting behind the everlasting hills. The calm surface of the lake, was checkered all over with mighty shadows-bright lights and all along its shores, antique towns and beautiful country seats painted white, gleamed out from masses of foliage. While all around, the snowy peaks of the higher Alps, suffused with that rosy light so peculiar to a Swiss sunset, rose into the bosom of the sky. But above them all, and directly in front of the lawn where we were seated, stood Mont Blanc, with its triple crests-"a kingly spirit throned among the hills." Although sixty miles distant it appeared to rise up almost from the bosom of the lake, and yet from its grandeur, purity, and the heavenly light in which it was steeped, it seemed to belong to a better and more gigantic creation. As the light gradually faded from the rest of the landscape, it gathered about that summit, as if Earth was offering up its evening incense upon this, its mountain altar. I am sure there is not a heart, not wholly insensible to the influences of nature, that would not at such an hour, offer "silent worship," to the author of such a universe as this.

Before taking my leave of the Count, he kindly presented me with a lithographic view of Fenêtre, in which the little Temple of Friendship, forms a prominent object; and where, I should have mentioned, he pointed out to me, the spots upon