membered with horror and consigned to infamy. It may now be in the power of females to become CONQUERORS of a nobler character-conquerors of the passions and prepossessions of their brethren in favour of war, and thus be the instruments of prolonging the blessings of peace. Those ladies who shall in obedience to the gospel combine their influence for such a purpose, will be had in grateful and everlasting remembrance; they will acquire laurels which the sunshine of the gospel will never wither, and crowne of glory whose brightness shall be immortal. REVIEW OF AN AWFUL EXPLOSION. THE following passages have been selected from several Newspaper accounts of the explosion of the "Powder Manufactory," near Wilmington in Delaware. "The mischief began at the pounding Mill of E. J. Dupont. Several men were at that Mill and one person discovered fire in the sleeve of one of the hands. He instantly darted out of the Mill exclaiming-We are all lost! rushed on to the race bridge and pushed a man with him into the water and under the bridge. This was all done in a moment, and the explosion took place while they remained under the bridge. The grinding house and magazine were covered with a shower of fire and made a terrible havoc of buildings and men. All the houses on a level with the works were shattered to pieces-the fragments covering two acres. Mangled bodies and limbs were thrown in different directions, several hundred feet from the place of explosion." "The fire from the grinding house, soon extended to the drying house and magazine-cach nearly 400 yards apart, and three explosions, a few minutes after each othor, terminated the shocking calamity." "Marshal Grouchy, M. Dupont, and another gentleman gathered close round a large tree, the heavy branch es of which preserved them from the many pieces of timber and fragments of rock which fell round them." "The loss is estimated at 30,000 dollars, there being nearly 25,000 lb. of powder in the magazine." "The scene which the ruins discovered was heart appalling. The mangled remains of the killed were strewed all over the yard-here a hand, there a head, here a body without arms or legs, and so on. "Here was a wretched mother distractedly carrying and dragging her orphan children, while she was searching for the shattered corpse of their father; there sat another weeping, one who having found the blackened remains of a man, was gazing upon it with wild anxiety, to ascertain whether indeed it was the beloved being who but a few hours before had pillowed his head upon her. now aching bosom. A little further with clasped hands. and streaming eyes was seen a young woman, who had just found the body of her father, and with loud cries was lamenting his untimely death." "It is ascertained that the whole number killed by the explosion of Dupont's Powder Mills was 35-and six wounded." REFLECTIONS. The scene here described must have been truly distressing and awful. The report of it has probably excited sympathy for the sufferers in every part of our country; and such occurrences should not be suffered to pass into oblivion without some moral and useful reflections. From the narrative it appears, that one of the celebrated French Marshals was a witness of the terrific explosion; nor shall we doubt that he was deeply affected by the horror and distress of the scene. But how often had he witnessed scenes a thousand fold more horrible and distressing, which were produced by the agency of menamong whom he acted the part of a general. In the one case he saw the bodies and limbs of 35 fellow-beings lie scattered and mangled, in consequence of the accidental explosion of a quantity of gunpowder. But what was this when compared with a field of battle in which 35,000 men lie slaughtered, and as many more weltering in blood, tortured with wounds and rending the air with their groans-not by the casual explosion of powder, but by the voluntary agency of two armies of brethren engaged in murdering one another! Yet we must not forget that by this barbarous craft men acquire glory in this deluded world. A "Powder Manufactory!" And what is the object of such an institution? To prepare the means of manslaughter! The quantity of powder which is needed for useful purposes is not great, but the professional and fashionable employment of man-killing consumes enormous quantities, and occasions the article to be in great demand. Alas! how many thousands of men are continually employed in manufacturing the means and instruments of death! And how many millions are employed in learning and practising the art of military murder! Still we are alarmed and shocked when 35 persons happen to be killed by the unexpected explosion of an article which was manufactured for the very purpose of killing men! If 30,000 men had been killed with the same powder, in what is called a GLORIOUS BATTLE, the slaughter would probably have been celebrated with pompous festivals, illuminations, and other demonstrations of joy and insanity. But as the powder killed men, while no one had the honour of fighting, the powder is considered as lost, and we mourn the fate of the sufferers! But if this calamitous event should be the means of leading our countrymen to reflect on the cruel purpose for which powder is made, and to which it is principally applied, the distressing scene may be the means of unspeakable good. That such may be the effect, I will transcribe from Labaume's "Narrative of the Campaign in Russia," an account of another scene, which possibly might have been witnessed by Marshal Grouchy. "The town where we had fought no longer remained. We could not even distinguish the lines of the streets on account of the numerous dead bodies with which they were heaped. On every side we saw a multitude of scattered limbs and human heads crushed by the wheels of the artillery. The houses formed a pile of ruins, and under their burning ashes appeared many skeletons half consumed. Many of the sick and wounded had, on quitting the field of battle, taken refuge in these houses. The small number of them who had escaped the flames now presented themselves before us, with their faces blackened and their clothes and hair dreadfully burnt. In the most piteous tone they besought us to afford them some relief, or kindly to terminate their sufferings by death. The most ferocious were affected at this sad spectacle, and turning hastily away could not refrain from shedding tears. This distressing scene made every one shudder at the evils to which despotism exposes humanity; and we almost fancied that those barbarous times were returned when we could only appease the gods by offering human victims oh their sanguinary altars. "Towards afternoon Napoleon, having arrived with a numerous suite, coolly surveyed the scene of battle, and heard, without emotion, the heart-rending cries of the unhappy wounded, who eagerly demanded assistance." Pages 217-18. How much better to fall into the hands of God, than into the hands of military men! and how much better that powder should be consumed by unintended explosions, than intentionally exploded for acquiring renown by military manslaughter! The havoc of the accidental explosion has doubtless caused all the owners of powder mills in this country, to exert themselves and to give the strictest injunctions to prevent a repetition of such horrors; and shall the infinitely more shocking havoc of intended explosions excite no care on the part of rulers, and no exertions on the part of Christians, to avoid such calamities in future? *Jaraslovitz. INTERESTING FACTS. ALMOST every week brings intelligence of some new and important facts in relation to the progress of pacific principles. From many articles of this kind we select the following: I. By a letter from Leesburg, Ohio, of March 11th, we are told that a new Peace Society has been formed in that state. A meeting of the citizens was called for that purpose, a written Address was read, which was followed by several speeches; then "nearly fifty persons gave their names." The officers probably had not been elected at the date of the letter. II. On the 20th of March, a Society was formed at Providence, with the name of "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Peace Society," consisting of 33 members. A venerable Friend, Moses Brown, made a donation to the Society of one hundred dollars; several of the Society of Friends became members; and we are told that "prospects of a numerous and respectable Society in this State are very flattering." The following gentlemen were elected as officers. William Jones, Esq. President. Benjamin Mumford, Esq. Messrs. Henry Edes, Luther Wright, Solomon Sias, Thomas P. Ives, Abner Kingman, Walter Paine, } Vice Presidents. Trustees. Elder Barnabas Bates, Cor. Secretary. Mr. George Benson, Recording Secretary. Mr. Obadiah Brown, Treasurer. A copy of the Constitution of this Society has been received, as was also, prior to No. XI, a copy of the Constitution of the New-York Peace Society; we intended to insert both in this No, but the preceding articles required more pages than was expected. Their importance, we hope, will be some apology for unintended omissions of articles which had been previously published and circulated in another form. III. A Branch of Massachusetts Peace Society, consisting of ten members, if no more, has been formed at Jaffrey, in New-Hampshire. Probably fifty members or up |