short, and the manuscripts were long; so that I made little use of the advantage, and I am now indebted to a modern historian for the extracts that are subjoined. But this author gives us the sense, and not the words, a mode of transcription very little satisfactory-a mode in the adoption of which a writer should rarely trust himself, and in which he is rarely to be trusted.

As to the substance of the specimen subjoined, a part will discover the little subordination to the mother country, acknowledged from the first, by the dominion of Newhaven; a part is distinguished by unnecessary rigour; a part by ignorance and injustice; a part is common to all the codes, ancient and modern, in Newengland; a part is unexceptionable; and only a small remainder is strictly characteristic of the particular persons from whom it came.

"No quaker or dissenter from the established worship of this dominion, shall be allowed to give a vote for the election of magistrates, or any officer.

"No food or lodging shall be afforded to a quaker, adamite, or other heretic.

"If any person turns quaker, he shall be banished, and not suffered to return, but upon pain of death.

"No priest shall abide in the dominion: he shall be banished, and suffer death on his return. Priests may be seized by any one

without a warrant.

"No one to cross a river, but with an authorized ferryman. "No one shall run on the sabbath-day, or walk in his garden or elsewhere, except reverently to and from meeting.

"No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, sweep house, cut hair, or shave, on the sabbath-day.

"No woman shall kiss her child on the sabbath or fasting-day. "The sabbath shall begin at sunset on Saturday.

"To pick an ear of corn growing in a neighbour's garden, shall be deemed theft.

"A person accused of trespass in the night shall be judged guilty, unless he clear himself by his oath.

"When it appears that an accused has confederates, and he refuses to discover them, he may be racked.

"No one shall buy or sell lands without permission of the selectmen.

"A drunkard shall have a master appointed by the selectmen, who are to debar him from the liberty of buying and selling. "Whoever publishes a lie to the prejudice of his neighbour, shall sit in the stocks, or be whipped fifteen stripes.

"No minister shall keep a school.

"Every ratable person, who refuses to pay his proportion to the support of the minister of the town or parish, shall be fined by the court £2, and £4 every quarter, until he or she shall pay the rate to the minister.

"Men-stealers shall suffer death.

"Whoever wears clothes trimmed with gold, silver, or bone lace, above two shillings by the yard, shall be presented by the grand jurors, and the selectmen shall tax the offender at £300

estate.

"A debtor in prison, swearing he has no estate, shall be let out, and sold, to make satisfaction.

"Whoever sets a fire in the woods, and it burns a house, shall suffer death; and persons suspected of this crime shall be imprisoned, without benefit of bail.

"Whoever brings cards or dice into this dominion shall pay a fine of £5.

"No one shall read common-pray er, keep Christmas, or saintdays, make minced pies, dance, play cards, or play on any instrument of music, except the drum, trumpet and jews-harp.

"No gospel minister shall join people in marriage; the magistrates only shall join in marriage, as they may do it with less scandal to Christ's church.

"When parents refuse their children convenient marriages, the magistrate shall determine the point.

"The selectmen, on finding children ignorant, may take them away from their parents, and put them into better hands, at the expense of their parents."

"A man that strikes his wife shall pay a fine of £ 10; a woman that strikes her husband shall be punished as the court di

rects.

"A wife shall be deemed good evidence against her husband. "No man shall court a maid in person, or by letter, without first obtaining consent of her parents; £5 penalty for the first offence; £10 for the second, and, for the third, imprisonment during the pleasure of the court.

"Married persons must live together, or be imprisoned. "Every male shall have his hair cut round according to a cap."

"Of such sort were the laws made by the people of Newha ven, previous to their incorporation with Saybrook and Hartford colonies by the charter. They consist of a vast multitude, and were very properly termed Blue-laws; i. e. bloody laws; for they were all sanctified with excommunication, confiscation, fines, banishment, whippings, cutting off the ears, burning the tongue, and death."

With respect to the epithet blue, I believe the writer is mistaken, when he explains it by bloody; or, at least, that in whatever sense it was or is applied to the laws of Newhaven, its original import was no more than presbyterian or puritan. It appears to have been so used in Scotland, where it originated.

SOME PARTICULARS OF VOLTAIRE.

Translated jor the Port Folio.

FROM THE LETTERS OF BIERNSTAHL, PROFEssor at UPSAL. Geneva, October 10, 1770.

"On the third of this month I went to Ferney and had my name sent in to Voltiare. I was told from him in answer that he was sick, but refreshments were ordered, particularly a certain kind of capillaire very much used here. I replied, that the society of Voltaire would be more agreeable than all the sweet things he could offer me. He took this liberty in good part, and sent his secretary, Mr. Vanniere to keep me company. I gave him my letter of recommendation from D'Alembert, and he caried it to Voltaire, who at length came himself and begged me to excuse him for having made me wait so long, “ I had

79

SOME PARTICULARS OF VOLTAIRE.

fever" said he. In turn, I made my own apologies, and after a great many compliments had passed between us, he asked me if I wished to look at his garden. During the walk the conversation turned on all kinds of subjects; on Charles the 12ththe czar Peter-the Russian war-the queen of Sweden-" She honours me with her protection" said Voltaire, and from this circumstance I hastened to conclude that the inhabitants of Sweden had a sort of right to present themselves at his house, adding that few however had enjoyed that advantage, and that I was very grateful to D'Alembert who had introduced me to so great a man, "Ah!" said he, "It is D'Alembert who is the great man, I am only a shadow." My pupil, baron Rudbeck repeated some lines of the Henriade, which gave great pleasure to the illustrious old man, who said to him, "You will be a resource to your country." I praised the good taste which appeared in the garden and the chateau, and he said "it is my little retreat."

The conversation was long and varied, and so completely had he forgotten his fever that he walked with us from two till three o'clock, when the air became rather keen, and I begged him to think of his health. We then returned to the house and he showed us his chamber, his cabinet and library. This last is composed of six or seven thousand volumes, among which we observed some, particularly on subjects of history and theology, of an almost inconceivable beauty. Mr. Voltaire did me the signal honour of writing his name on my Album, and on the same page with that of D'Alembert.* On taking leave I assured him that I never would forget so delightful a day, and added, "it depends on your bounty whether it shall be the only one. Deign to grant us the favour of making a second visit on our return from Italy" "Very willingly," said he," but I will then be no more." The castle of Ferney was built in 1759, and with

A similar fact, or perhaps the same, is mentioned in the Journal of Paris of the 8th of September, 1778. "A learned German proposed to Voltaire to put in his Album, his own name and a device." Voltaire declined for some time, but at last took the Album, and seeing the name of D'Alembert, wrote Voltaire Hie fait Dalemberti amicus.-He was the friend of D'Alembert.

such despatch that although begun at Easter it was finished.As we left it we went to see the houses which Voltaire had built for the malcontents from Geneva. They are fine large houses, and about forty in number. Over one of the doors I read, "Royal manufacture of watches at Ferney," which we were told occupied a hundred workmen. They were also building a very fine house for Mr, Vanniere,—but still Ferney is very far from deserving the name of a city. You will be desirous perhaps, of having a faithful portrait of Voltaire. Every body thinks him ugly. To me he appears sufficiently tall-of very slender make, very thin and very pale. He has a large forehead with a great many large wrinkles, large black eyes, large mouth, large nose, and a large chin. He has a satirical air. When he laughs he contracts his large mouth, and then he has not a bad countenance. In walking he bends a little, but takes large steps. His eyes are good and he never uses glasses, though he is now seventy-seven years old. I was quite astonished to see him write so light and fine a hand without spectacles. He reads and writes the whole day, and sometimes, even the whole night. When he is lying in bed, and any idea occurs to him, he rings for his secretary, who sleeps in the library above his chamber, and who must come down at any hour.

Voltaire is very agreeable, excessively polite, and altogther a courtier; but if any thing comes into his head, he quits his company, goes immediately to his chamber, from which he returns with a very gay countenance. He is not always, however, as I was informed, of so pleasant a disposition.

He often plays at chess, particularly with father Adam, an ex Jesuit whom he has taken to his house, and made superintendant of his domains. One day, Voltaire introduced him to some friends by saying, "This is father Adam, but he is not the first man in the world." Besides Ferney and the parish of the same name, Voltaire possesses near this place, another chateau called Tournay, on which depend some villages in the parishes of Brigney and of Chambaissy. From all these estates he receives about ten thousand livres, which added to the income from his capital, must make his annual revenue about fifty thouand livres. [$10,000.]