war.

affair fortified Boston, and both parties prepared for The Americans in considerable numbers entrenched themselves on the high ground in the neighbourhood of the city, from which the British dislodged them in June 1775, after the severe engagement of Bunker's Hill, in which they sustained very great loss, not less than that of a third of their army. General Warren, a physician in Boston, and a most energetic and patriotic citizen, was killed in this action, to commemorate which, an obelisk, to be 200 feet above ground, is at present in the course of being erected on the hill where it took place. The foundation of this obelisk was laid on the fiftieth anniversary of the battle. The hill was covered with the population of Boston, before whom a most eloquent address was delivered by Mr. Webster, the distinguished orator of New England. The proceedings of the day were closed by an entertainment on the hill, for which 4000 covers were laid.

General Washington joined the American army, of which he had just then been appointed commander-inchief, soon after this battle, and by gaining possession of Dorchester heights, which commanded the city of Boston, in the month of March, 1776, forced the British troops to evacuate it, and to betake themselves to their fleet.

The weather continued free from snow and from very severe frost during the whole of the month of December, and we enjoyed the beauty of our situation very much. The sun-risings in the bay were very fine.

It was very remarkable that, during the whole of this month, there was neither a rainy nor a snowy day,but on the 2d January, 1829, the wind got to the north, and the sharpest frost we ever experienced succeeded. The thermometer fell several degrees below zero, and continued for three days pretty stationary. In one of the neighbouring islands the degree of cold was 16° below zero. The bay was full of ice, and part of the crews of several vessels came in frost-bitten. It was difficult to preserve the body in sufficient warmth, even wrapped in two suits of clothes, and every one kept on stockings and flannel garments during night. The ink froze in my pen in lifting it to the paper from an ink-horn, placed within the fender in front of a good fire. I had scruples as to relating this, afraid that I might be accused of telling a traveller's story; but these were removed, when I afterwards accidentally stumbled on an authority, proving beyond controversy that the same effect of cold had been observed in England above a century ago. It is mentioned in a letter from Mr. W. Congreve to Mr. Porter, the husband of Mrs. Porter, the actress. Mr. Congreve writes him on the 1st January, 1700. "I am by a great fire, yet my ink freezes so fast, I cannot write. The hautboys who played to us last night had their breath frozen in their instruments, till it dropped off the ends of them in icicles. This is true."

Snow succeeded the severe frost, and we had occasionally very cold weather, though not colder than

during the first days of January, till the middle of March, a far longer period of intensely cold weather than I had before witnessed.

Mr. Fairchild is clergyman of the congregational church in South Boston, an excellent plain preacher, and a very worthy man. We frequently heard him preach. Having observed us again and again in his church, he was so kind as to wait on us as strangers, though living at a distance of two miles; and we thus became acquainted with him. The form of infant baptism is totally different in the congregational churches here from what prevails in Britain. We saw Mr. Fairchild perform the ceremony again and again,

-on one occasion he baptised his own child. There are no sponsors. The clergyman descends from the pulpit and receives the child into his arms from the mother or other relation, and sprinkles the child's face with water, and mentions its name, none of the parents or relations being called on to take any vows on them for the child. There certainly is not any express warrant in the Scriptures for sponsors at baptisms, or for parents being called on to come under promises how they are to bring up their children, far less for the refusal which clergymen in Scotland often think themselves entitled to give to persons applying for the baptism of their children, on the ground of their having been guilty of immorality, in which, surely, the subject of baptism could not have participated. But this is rather a ticklish subject to touch on, for it may, I know, be said that clergymen are as

well entitled to alter the original form of this ceremony, as to perform it on infants at all, there being unquestionably, at least so far as I can find, after reading every word written on the subject in the New Testament, no authority whatever to show that sprinkling in the face is baptism, or that children are the subjects of baptism. In fact, in the first ages of the church, and for 200 years after the birth of Christ, baptism of adults by immersion universally prevailed, and even after that period the baptism of infants was not much in use for above eleven centuries.

CHAPTER XIV.

Accident by falling on the Ice-Mr. Sheaffe's offer of Books-The London Examiner-Education in this Country-Extraordinary Extent to which it is carried-Free Schools-Salaries to Teachers-Advantage of Public Schools-Education in Connecticut-In the whole of New England-Education in New York State-All over the States— Appropriations of Lands for Schools in New States and Territories— Provisions for Schools in Great Britain and Ireland-Order and Regularity of the People of the United States, especially on Occasion of Elections-Expense of establishing a System of General Education in the United Kingdom-Mr. Field's Teaching-Evening Parties at Mrs. Phinney's-Election of Chaplain to the House of Assembly-A Baptist Ministry-Charges for Dinners at Mrs. Phinney's-Election of Mayor of Boston-Visit to the Village of Quincey-Mrs. Carpenter, Washerwoman, invited us to Tea-Inauguration Day of General Jackson, as President of the United States-Trial for Libel at Mr. Webster's Instance-Circumstances which led to it-Mr. Jefferson's Letter-Communication from Mr. Adams-Correspondence between Mr. Otis and Mr. Adams-Article inserted in Jackson Republican, by General Lyman-Courtesy of the Judges to the Bar-DefenceChief Justice Parker's Charge-Result of Trial-Singular Indictment for Libel-Verdict-Objections to Evidence-Settled by Acts of the Legislature in some States-Act in Connecticut.

Winter, 1828-29.

I was so unlucky in the beginning of the severe frost, as to fall on the ice on the outer steps of the house door,