himself. Now Deacon John was a better reasoner
than Simon; but Simon had the most cant; and he, of course, prevailed.
It is probable that John had concluded, that if he could carry a vote
for _reading_ prayers, he, himself, would be the reader; and then he
should become as conspicuous as Simon. Emulation, and the desire of
distinction, the great, and indeed main-spring of this world, was as
apparent among these degraded sons of Africa, as among any white
gentlemen and ladies in the land. John's ambition, and his envy,
operated just like the ambition and envy of white people. At length,
when the deacon found that, since the decision of the methodist, his
supporters deserted him, he made his mind up to follow the current,
and to justify his conduct by inculcating a spirit of conciliation and
union. This shrewd fellow knew, that if he did not follow the
current, he should lose the privilege he enjoyed of sitting at the end
of the table, opposite to Simon; and of leaning his head on the great
bible, while Simon was preaching; privileges too great to be slighted
in such a church; and directly after a religious dispute.

Since I returned home, and while transcribing this journal for the
press, I have thought that the conduct of deacon John was from the
self same principle with that which actuated the federalists, since
the dissolution and disgrace of the _Hartford Convention_. This
faction, it seems, found themselves after the peace, and after the
battle of New Orleans, going fast down the stream of popular opinion;
and then it was that they preached up conciliation, liberality, and
union; then it was they caught hold of the skirts of the land and
naval heroes; nay, they went so far as to hail Jefferson and Madison
as brother _Unitarians_! In short, the situation of black John, and
the federalists of Massachusetts, was exactly the same; and their
conduct in every point, similar; and the leading federalists of Boston
have been left, like the deacon of the negro congregation, in No. 4,
Dartmoor prison, to lean upon the great bible; which sacred volume
these persons are sending to all parts of the world, not being
sufficiently awake to consider it will _democratize_ other parts of
the world, beside America.

When the British General Prescott commanded at Rhode Island, in the
revolutionary war, (the same whom our Major Barton stole, and carried
off in the night, from his head quarters, in a whale boat) he was very
much dislike