ought it might have some relation to the
number of the beast in the Revelation, or promoted by men of ill
designs to disturb the public peace, had spread mightily among the
people; and Judge Hale going that year the Western Circuit, it
happened that, as he was on the bench at the assizes, a most terrible
storm fell out very unexpectedly, accompanied with such flashes of
lightning and claps of thunder, that the like will hardly fall out in
an age; upon which a whisper ran through the crowd, "that now was the
world to end, and the day of judgment to begin." And at this there
followed a general consternation in the whole assembly, and all men
forgot the business they were met about, and betook themselves to
their prayers. This, added to the horror raised by the storm, looked
very dismal, insomuch that my author--a man of no ordinary resolution
and firmness of mind--confessed it made a great impression on himself.
But he told me "that he did observe the judge was not a whit affected,
and was going on with the business of the court in his ordinary
manner;" from which he made this conclusion: "that his thoughts were
so well fixed, that he believed, if the world had been really to end,
it would have given him no considerable disturbance!'"

_December 30, 1848._

EFFECTS OF RELIGIOUS DISUNION ON COLONIZATION.

It is well that there should exist amongst the evangelistic churches
at least a desire for union. We do not think they will ever be welded
into one without much heat and many blows. Popery, with mayhap
Infidelity for its assistant, will have first to blow up the coals and
ply the hammer; but it is at least something that the various pieces
of the broken and shivered Church catholic should be coming into
contact, drawn together as if by some strong attractive influence, and
that there should be so many attempts made to fit into each other,
though with but indifferent success, the rough-edged inflexible
fragments. It is much that the attractive influence should exist.
Among the many inventions of modern times, a singularly ingenious one
has been brought to bear on the smelting of iron. A powerful magnetic
current is made to pass in one direction through the furnace, which
imparts to each metallic particle a loadstone-like affinity for all
the others; and no sooner has the heat set them free, than, instead of
sinking, as in the old process, through the molten stony mass to the
bottom, solely in effect of their sup