sible witness, and may testify in a court of justice, being sworn according to that form of oath, which, according to his creed, he holds to be obligatory. Phillipson, Evidence, 19. It may be justly doubted, whether it is not wholly inconsistent with the rights of conscience to compel a man to disclose his opinions on religious subjects, inasmuch as they are matters between his conscience and his God. If, from his veneration to truth, he should avow the belief of a sentiment which would render him unpopular or odious to his fellowcitizens, or to any class of them, or which would tend to his disgrace or injury, it would be to criminate or bear witness against himself. If, therefore, an objection is taken to a witness on account of his religious sentiments, it is very reasonable that these should be proved by other witnesses; and I cannot but regret, that I allowed any of the witnesses who have been examined on this trial to be interrogated on these points, with a view to their own disqualification; and, with my present views of the law, I should not allow it to be done again."

In several parts of the United States such objections to witnesses have been settled by acts of the state legislature. In the State of Connecticut, the following act of the legislature, which is inserted as an example of brevity to the legislatures of other countries, was lately passed. It is almost as short as the acts of the Scotch Parliament before the union of England :-" Be it enacted, that no person who believes in the existence of a Supreme Being shall, on account of his religious opinions, be

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adjudged an incompetent witness for any court of judicature in this state."

The forms of writs, and of proceedings in courts, were all originally the same in this country as in England; but many changes for the better have been made in those forms, as well in the criminal as civil systems of jurisprudence. Much, as it appears to me, yet requires to be done to simplify and render perfect the system of national jurisprudence, which, it is truly observed by an eminent writer, constitutes the firmest bond to secure a cheerful submission of the people, and to engage their affections to the government.

. It must, however, be admitted, that many great and essential improvements have been made, both in relation to the forms of proceedings, and the laws, civil and criminal. Forms of writings have been very much shortened, but many of the absurd fictions of the English law are still retained. Deeds of mortgage, however, I have seen completed in two short pages of paper, which is no inconsiderable curtailment of a deed of the same kind in England.

Then the cheapness of law in America puts it in the power of all to obtain redress. In England it has been stated by a great authority to be better, in a pecuniary point of view, to give up L. 40 than to contend for it, because it costs that sum in England to gain a cause; and that in a court of equity it is better to abandon L. 500 or L. 1000 than to contend for it. The absurdities of the English marriage law are unknown in America. The poorest person has it in his power, when

necessary, to apply for, and obtain, a divorce,-a privilege which is in England reserved for the peerage and a few of the wealthiest of the citizens. Entails, it is well known, are prohibited; and the property of a person deceased is divided among his children, unless he settles it otherwise by will.

In their criminal code the punishment of death is seldom inflicted but in cases of murder, fire-raising, piracy, and robbery of the mail. Persons accused of crimes of all descriptions are entitled to the assistance of counsel on their trials.

The expence of the judicial establishments of this country is very trifling compared to what it is elsewhere. In New England and the State of New York, the population of which is about twice as great as that of Scotland, the whole expence of the courts and requisite establishment does not amount to L. 25,000 Sterling.

BOSTON TO PROVIDENCE.

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CHAPTER XV.

Journey from Boston to Providence by Dedham and Pawtucket-Incident at the Hotel at Dedham-Road from Pawtucket to Providence-Stage from Providence to Hartford-Stages call for Passengers before the Hour of Departure-Mr Lad and Anti-War Societies-Hartford-The Charter Oak-The Deaf and Dumb Asylum -Monte Video-Stage from Hartford to Newhaven-Culture of Onions-Women not allowed to work out of the House-Academy of Messrs Dwight-Yale College-Burying-Ground-Bay-Hackney Coach and Driver - Breaking of Horses Newhaven to New York-Long Island Sound-Hellgate-Steamboat Expedition from New York-Mount Vernon on the East River -Boarding-House-Its Style.

Steam-Boat from

From 20th April to 2d May 1829. THE snow did not wholly disappear at Boston during the month of March, and even until the middle of April some vestiges of it remained. On the 20th April we left the neighbourhood of Boston. We travelled in the stage on the first day to Providence, forty-two miles from Boston, passing through a considerable tract of poorish land near Boston, the enclosures of which were generally walls of stone without lime, called in Scotland Galloway Dykes. We dined at a beautiful village called Dedham, where every thing was nice,

A female waiter

and the house clean and excellent. attended at dinner, a very pretty girl, on whom one of our fellow-travellers, an Irish gentleman, bestowed more notice than is relished, or rather allowed, in such circumstances in this country. He first looked hard at her, and then said to his neighbour at table, but so as to be overheard by us all, "What a charming creature." The girl blushed, and did not lose a moment in leaving the room. It happened, fortunately, that there were other waiters in the house. The hotel-keeper did not make his appearance, as we had expected, to complain of what he no doubt considered rudeness and familiarity on the part of this gentleman; but another of our stage companions, a resident of Boston, explained to our Irish fellow-traveller how very different the manners of the two countries, in relation to the error he had committed, were in houses of public entertainment; that the profession of an innkeeper was reckoned perfectly respectable here; and that the daughters of the innkeepers, though as well educated as the daughters of any other persons in the state, did not consider themselves degraded by attending to the household work in the mornings; and that it was not at all impossible that the female who had been remarked upon so unceremoniously was one of the daughters of the landlord, who, as soon as dinner was over, would dress as smartly as any of the young ladies in the town, and be received on a complete footing of equality in the most respectable families. He therefore recommended to our fellowtraveller to beware of repeating conduct of this kind,