sweetest and most spiritual text, may, according to the author's desire and design through God's blessing, contribute to make those that are after the flesh to be after the Spirit, and those that are after the Spirit, as to their state, to mind more the things of the Spirit, as to their frame! Sure there was never more need; for, alas! we are generally undone, through a great remainder of the carnal mind, which is death, and are lamentas bly little spiritually minded, though to be so be life and peace. It may verily be doubted, if there hath been any generation of Christians before this, that have so little minded the things of the Spirit, and have so strongly favoured the things of the flesh,

that have set their affections so little on things abo above, and so much on things on the earth, notwithstanding of so many and mighty pullings of Providence at them.

iw bob y I hope, noble Madam, with whomsoever this piece shall fall short of the author's aim, it shall not with you, to whom he

he de

te friend

signed the dedication of it, as he shewed ed to an intimate on his death-bed; it is true, he did not very muc much please dec dedicatory epistles, as savouring often, in his opinion, somewhat of adulation; yet such was the true sense of his singular obligation's to your Ladyship, and the deep conviction of the sincerity and eminency of the grace of God in you, (whom looking on as indeed a mother in our Israel, he thought it a privilege to have his only daughter, after her mother's death, a while under your educating inspection, of whom you had no reason to be ashamed, she having more especially betwixt that time and her death, though but very young, in modesty, sobriety, gravity, humility, self-deniedness, and in the serious and profound exercise of godliness resembled her blest father to th the life, whom through grief for his death she did not, long out-live) that he resolved to dedicate this piece to you: which part of his latter will, I durst hot but fulfil; and had I been with any such predetermination left to my own choice, your ladyship would have been the very person pitched upon, not only on the account of my husband's, and my own esteem of you, but also also of your constantly continued kindness to his family since his death. meisart has OST TWOR o Let me, Madam, say it, for provoking you to be yet more to be verif for God, and to exercise yourself yet further unto godliness,

that your praise is much in the churches of Christ, as otherwisę, so through several dedications of books, and missive letters now printed and published from some of the most faithful and famous men in this church, whereby all readers of them are some way alarmed to inquire what this Lady of honour may be, that hath been in so high esteem with so holy, grave, and discerning men. Since your religion is thus talked of, and spread abroad in several places, (so that I need say nothing) I hope you will endeavour through grace, in the frame of your spirit, and in your whole deportment to suit this savoury report that hath gone of you; and that not in order to the getting or keeping such a name for yourself, but as the native, necessary, and unconstrained result of the power of the life of the grace of God within, and in order to the glorifying of him, by whom you were called, and that betimes, even in the morning of your days, to the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord by the Gospel; wherein he hath graciously helped you now these forty years and upwards, as, I suppose, under all the times, changes, and revolutions, that have gone over you (which have not been few, nor inconsiderable) continue steadfast, without any back-drawing, wavering, shrinking or staggering, reflecting upon, or blemishing your holy profession, and to follow the Lord fully; a Fare and singular mercy, which but few professors of such old standing, especially in these days, have obtained. Abrabow Base Let all the favour and grace you have found in his sight, and all the respect you have had from his choice servants make you constantly speak yourself thus in the ear, Should such a herson as I, do that which would displease him, and make any that seek him, sad or ashamed for my sake? And, what manner of person ought I to be, in all holy conversation and godliness.

Now, Madam, that it may be thus with your Ladyship, and that you may be fat and flourishing, bringing forth fruit in old age, that you may in waiting on God, renew your strength, run and not be weary, walk and not faint, yea, mount up with wings, as the eagle, putting forth fresh strength in this last stage of your race, and that it may be the one thing done by you, and all the Lord's people, to forget the things that are behind, to reach forth unto t the things that are before, and to press hard

toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in. Christ Jesus, is the desire of, il daher

Right honourable, your Ladyship's singularly obliged taratanamikael debtor, for all duties of love and service,

MARG. DURHAM.

CORRESPONDENCE-FOR THE PORT FOLIO.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF SMYRNA,

A sketch, however slight, of one of the seven cities, which has contended for the privilege of being designated as the natal spot of HOMER, cannot be viewed with indifference by any individual, who aspires to the title of a clas sical scholar. Smyrna, moreover, when regarded by the gaze of commercial enterprize, is one of the most interesting objects, discoverable among the glories of the Spicy East; profuse of its balm, of its odour, and of that celestial drug which quells the throb of anguish, allays the heat of the heart, gilds the dream of the poet, and mocks all the reasoning of the philosopher:

DEAR SIR,

EDITOR.

Extract of a letter from a gentleman in Foggia.

My passage from Malta to Smyrna was extremely pleasant, the first land we saw was Candia (ancient Crete); we coasted along this, and after leaving it, passed successively in sight of almost all the islands in the Archipelago. The isle of Patmos where St. John wrote the Apocalypse, is small and barren, and Delphos so celebrated for the beautiful temple of Apollo is scarcely any thing but a rock, and has few or no inhabitants upon it; remains of this fine temple are still seen on this island. These islands with a few exceptions have a barren appearance, and perhaps their being so in reality may account for the warlike and restless spirit of the ancient Greeks who inhabited them. The scanty productions of their own soil induced them to make E predatory incursions upon their neighbours; and their island afforded them a safe retreat with their booty. Mytelene is one of

the largest and most fruitful of the Archipelago; this island retains the same name which it did in Cicero's time, as we find many of his letters directed to his friends there. It produces good wine, and wheat in great abundance; it lies near a the entrance of the gulf of Smyrna, and on the other hand is Scio. In this last some pretend Homer was born, and the spot is still pointed out where they say he kept a school.

I arrived in the bay of Smyrna April twenty-six, and anchored near the castle, about five miles below the town, and found there a large Danish ship bound into the Black sea, to Odessa, tto town in a Turkish with cotton. The next morning I went to town boat called a kyike which rows or sails very fast. We landed at the castle to see the Aga, and got permission to pass. He was an old man with a venerable gray beard, and I found him sitting cross-legged upon a carpet smoking with a very long pipe. He waved his hand to me to sit down, and after asking a few questions, and talking a few words to his guards, he waxed This hand again as a signal that I might go, first however signi fying that he should expect a present of sugar and coffee, which I promised him. In this castle I saw several of those large. guns from which they throw stone balls of a prodigious weight. I have been told that at Constantinople there are guns that car-s ry a ball of one thousand pounds, and it is certain that when the t English were driven out of the Dardanells the last year, ball of eight hundred pounds struck the main mast of the Windsor Castle, it remained on board, and was carried to England, where it is preserved as a curiosity. The largest I saw in this castle was a four hundred pounder, and there were several piles of the balls which would apparently weigh four or five hundred pounds; these balls were of hard granite, and cut round and smooth, the guns were long and yery fine brass pieces. The Turks who rowed me to town were very civil, and offered me a pipe, which is the usual compliment.ies ret avgojod find a perfige

The city of Smyrna did not answer my expectations; but I saw but little of it. The houses are principally of wood and small, and they appeared to be out of repair. The landing places were dirty and not convenient; no quays, but a few piles, with broken planks and boards on them; and in other places only the bare beach.

As I was not permitted to enter my vessel and trade here my stay was short, and I left the place the next morning. American. vessels have never before been denied a free trade with Turkey, and it will be amusing, perhaps, to know something of the powers ful influence of the French in this country, by which they are enabled to drive away all neutrals, and to put almost a total stop to the trade of this great commercial city. vdydauja oz bentiatdo I

A French consul resides at Smyrna, and he takes his orders from Sebastiani, who is the French minister at the Porte. I inderstood it was necessary to wait upon this consul, and I had some expectations by entering from Messina, a neutral country as res pected the Turks, that I should be admitted. The consul, however, knew very well I had been at Malta, and his sources of information were so good, that he knew of my being expected, and has dooked for me a week he received me with the usual French paliteness, but told me we were not permitted to trade there, by the French degrees, and he had been particularly instructed, lately, from his minister, to forbid the entrance of any vessel of what country or nation soever, that had touched at Malta, Messina, or any port at which the English had influence or a friendly intercourse. It was in vain to make any further plea here, but I was determined to appeal from this decision, to the Turkish government. In fact my friend at Smyrna had already been to the governor of the city, and obtained his permission without difficulty; he told me indeed the governor was very desirous to have us trade there, and he knew he would be very angry to hear that the consul had forbidden me. This encouraged me in my appeal, for I could not imagine that a powerful prince like the Aga of Smyrna, (who has forty thousand men at his command, and who in some respects feels almost independent of the Grand Segnior himself, "should submit his will to the arbitrary decisions of a paltry French consul. I had however the mortification to find that in this instance the consul was the ruling power. Cara Osman Qglou, who was this great officer, Prince, and Aga of Smyrna, on being informed that the consul had ordered me to depart, was exceedingly enraged, but he judged it most prudent to suppress or stifle his displeasure. I was extremely at a loss to know why he should sacrifice his opinion or desire in this instance; but I was informed,