go away: so they left importuning him; but no sooner was the cart turned round, and the bodies shot into the pit promiscuously-which was a surprise to him, for he at least expected they would have been decently laid in, (though, indeed, he was afterwards convinced that was impracticable,) I say, no sooner did he see this, but he cried out aloud, unable to contain himself, and fell down in a swoon. The buriers ran to him, and took him up, and when he came to himself led him to a place where he was taken care of. He looked into the pit again as he went away; but the buriers had covered the bodies so immediately, by throwing in earth, that nothing could be seen. The cart had in it sixteen or seventeen bodies. Some were wrapt up in linen sheets, some in rugs; some were little otherwise than naked, or so loosely clad, that what covering they had fell from them in the shooting out of the cart, and they fell quite naked among the rest; but the matter was not much to them, or the indecency much to any one else, seeing they were to be huddled together into the common grave of mankind; for here was no difference made, but poor and rich went together.

"John Hayward, under-sexton, grave-digger, and bearer of the dead, never had the distemper at all, but lived about twenty years after it. His wife was employed to nurse the infected people; yet she herself was never infected. The only preservative he used against the infection was holding garlic and rue in his mouth, and smoking tobacco this account I had from himself. wife's precaution was washing her head in vine

:

His

gar, and sprinkling her head-clothes so frequently with it, as to keep them always moist; and if the smell of any of those she waited on was more than ordinarily offensive, she snuffed vinegar up her nose, sprinkled her head-clothes, and held a handkerchief wetted with it to her mouth.

"And here I must not omit mentioning the disposition of the people of that day, with respect to their charity to the poor, which indeed was very large, both in a public and a private way. Some pious ladies were so zealous in this good work, and so confident in the protection of Providence in the discharge of this great duty, that they went about distributing alms, and visiting the poor families who were infected, in their very houses, appointing nurses and apothecaries to supply them with what they wanted—thus giving their blessings to the poor in substantial relief, as well as hearty prayers for them. I will not undertake to say that none of these charitable people were suffered to die of the plague; but this I may say, that I never knew that any of them did miscarry in their pious work: which I mention for the encouragement of others in cases of like distress. And doubtless, if they that 'give to the poor lend to the Lord, and he will repay it;' those who hazarded their lives to give to the poor, and to comfort and assist them in such a misery as this, may hope to be protected therein.

"From the middle of August to the middle of September, the infection still increased, and spread itself with an irresistible power; and it was reckoned that during that time there died

no less than sixteen hundred a-day, one day with another. It was then that the confusion and terror were inexpressible; the courage of the people appointed to carry away the dead began to fail them: the vigilance of the magistrates was now put to the utmost trial. At last the violence of the distemper came to such a height, that the people sat still, looking at one another, and seemed quite abandoned to despair. In a word, people began to give themselves up to a fear, that there was nothing to be expected but an universal desolation. This despair made people bold and venturous; they were no more shy of one another, as not expecting now to avoid the distemper, but that all must go this brought them to crowd into the churches: they no longer inquired what condition the people who sat near them were in, but came without the least caution, and crowded together, as if their lives were of no consequence, compared to the work which they were come about. Indeed, their zeal in coming, and the earnestness and affectionate attention they showed to what they heard, made it manifest what value people would put upon the worship of God, if they thought that every day they attended at the church might be their last.

"It was in the height of this despair that it pleased God to stay his hand, and to slacken the violence of the contagion, in a manner as surprising as that of its beginning; and which demonstrated it to be his own particular hand, above the mere agency of means. Nothing but Omnipotent Power could have done it; the contagion

defied all medicine; death raged in every corner; and had it gone on as it did then, a few weeks more would have cleared the town of all its inhabitants. In that very moment, when thirty thousand were dead in three weeks-nay, when it was reported three thousand had died in one night, and a hundred thousand more were taken sick; when we might well say, 'Vain was the help of man,'-it pleased God to cause the force of the distemper to abate, and by his immediate hand to disarm the enemy. It was wonderful! The physicians were surprised, wherever they visited, to find their patients better; and in a few days every body was recovering. Nor was this by any medicine found out, or any new method of cure discovered; but it was evidently from the secret invisible hand of HIM who had at first sent this disease, as a judgment upon us. Let the philosophers search for reasons in nature to account for it, and labour as much as they will to lessen the debt they owe to their Maker, even those physicians who had the least share of religion in them were obliged to acknowledge that it was all supernatural. The streets were now full of poor recovering creatures, who appeared very sensible, and thankful to God for their unexpected deliverance: yet I must own, that as to the generality of the people, it might too justly be said of them, as was said of the children of Israel after they had been delivered from the host of Pharaoh,- They sang his praise, but they soon forgat his works."

WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF A HUNTER FROM THE BLACK-FEET INDIANS.

IN the remote parts of North America, though the British carry on a lucrative trade for the fine warm furs with which the quadrupeds in these cold countries are covered by the care of Providence, the wild and savage manners of the natives render it extremely dangerous for an European, employed there as a hunter, to separate himself from his company, as he is not likely to receive any mercy should he come across a party of hostile Indians. The following is an account of the wonderful escape of a hunter, named Thomas Colter, who saved his life by his intrepidity and presence of mind, as related by Mr. Bradberry, in his travels through North America. This man came to St. Louis, in May 1810, in a small canoe, from the head waters of the Missouri; a distance of 3000 miles, which he traversed in thirty days. I saw him on his arrival there, and received from him an account of his adventures, after he had separated from Lewis and Clark's party. One of these, from its singularity, I shall relate. On the arrival of the party at the head waters of the Missouri, Colter, observing the appearance of abundance of beavers being there, got permission to remain