' Batavia, of which I have before spoken. That place has now become the seat of justice for the county. In this, however, I could not succeed to my satisfaction, and as I could not sell them without a great sacrifice, I made provision for the payment of subsequent taxes, and concluded to let them remain unsold. I was told that the taxes were all paid up to the year 1826. I leftmoney with Mr. Joseph Grant to pay the tax that should next become due, and engaged a person against whom I had a demand, to remit money to Mr. G. to pay the subsequent taxes. We considered Mr. G. as our agent although he was not formally authorised to act. Shortly after my return from Ohio, I wrote to Mr Grant, that if he could sell the lots to advantage, we would forward to him a power for that purpose, and wished him to write. Mr. G. mislaid the letter, and had forgotten the place where we lived. But after about one year, he found the letter and answered it, The following is an extract from his letter which was dated Batavia, O. July 24, 1827. "The business of most interest to you, I have to communicate, is in regard to your lots. You will recollect that when you were here last, you left me a dollar for the purpose of paying the taxes which I did for the year 1826. But I was not aware that the taxes for 1825 had not been paid. In consequence of that delinquency, your lots have been sold, and purchased by Thomas Morris, Esq. and his son for the taxes due that year." Having received this information, I wrote to the postmaster at Batavia, presuming he was an acquaintance of mine, and wished him to inform me who was the county auditor, &c. I waited long and received no answer. I then wrote to a friend in the vicinity of Batavia, waited and still received no answer. I then wrote to judge Moore before named, a gentleman of the strictest veracity, and requested him to attend to our business. Mr. C. A. Campbell, the post-master at Ripley being an acquaintace, I wrote him at the same time requesting him to inform me whether Moore's letter had reached that office. Mr. Campbell had the politeness to pay a punctual attention to my request, and wrote me under the date of June 16th, 1826. "Dear Sir,-By this day's mail, I received your letter of the 29th ult. In reply to the information requested, I have to say, our worthy and excellent friend, Joseph Moore, has paid the last great debt of nature." I. may with propriety say there was no man in the state of Ohio, to whom I was under greater obligations for various acts of kindness than deacon J. Moore. When I recollect the vast number of my friends who have "gone the way of all the earth," I may properly say to myself, "be thou also ready." In view of what I have already related together with many other circumstances attendant on my emigration from the east, there seems to be a kind of fatality attending my enterprises in the west. I have too much confidence, however, in Mr. Morris and his son, to indulge the thought that they will take any undue advantage of my misfortunes. I must now bring my little narrative to a close. It has already been drawn out to a greater length than I had anticipated at its commencement. My life, though much diversified has been marked by great and undeserved mercy from God; and in view of this fact, I cannot express my feelings more properly than in the following lines composed by an unknown author. BIRTH DAY. Great God! thy goodness let me sing, From thee what joys, what pleasures spring, My grateful soul survey. When in the days of other years, The storms of wo assail'd My wand'ring bark-then o'er my fears Thy promises prevail'd. The stranger's fate, in foreign lands, In early youth was mine: Around me then, to raise up friends, The heav'nly work was thine. When wreck'd on ocean's raging wave, No ray of hope there came, Thy matchless arm was stretch'd to save, The stormy cape was bleak and bare, X 2 No verdure smiled around How leap'd my heart to thee, my God, And since through pain or peril's hour, O! spare me yet to praise thy name My God! thy goodness to proclaim, Be thou my solace-thou my friend- H. H.. APPENDIX. Address to sailors, especially to those of the American Navy. What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God.. When I commenced the preceding memoirs, (more than two years ago,) I had the impression that if I should succeed in getting them printed, some of the copies might fall into your hands; and designed to close my narrative with an address to you; humbly beseeching that God whose mercy has abounded towards me, one of the chief of sinners, and who has given me a hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ, that he would also bless my feeble efforts to the promotion of your spiritual good. Should you be disposed to read my narrative, you will discover that I have had some personal acquaintance with the maxims and habits of sailors in the American and British navies, both on board privateers and in the merchant's service. My early attachment to sailors yet remains. I know that they are patriotic, brave, and generous almost to a fault; and it may with propriety be said that they defy danger. Their peculiar situation almost precludes them from the privileges of religious society. The time has been when it might be said of us, that "no man cared for our souls;" and it is a melancholy truth, that we have been regardless of their salvation ourselves. It is a fact, many of us have been so notoriously wicked as to insult the great Captain of salvation, by challenging him to destroy our souls. With shame I confess that I have been thus vile, and yet God has spared me even unto old age. Where sin abounded, grace hath much more abounded, through the blood of Jesus Christ, and not to me only, but to many other saŸors of my acquaintance. "There is forgiveness with him,” even for sailors, "that he may be feared." There has been a material change in society within the last thirty years. There are now many, very many, who pray for the salvation of sailors, both in Europe and America. Bible societies have done much; the bethel flag has been unfurled in the principal ports of England and America. Many tracts have been written to attract your attention, improve your morals and excite in you a proper concern for the salvation of your souls. The authors of those tracts whether converted seamen or pious landsmen, that they might more readily excite your attention, have illustrated important truths, in term phrases, familiar to sail ors. ers. I cannot feel less interested in your welfare than othPermit me then to remind you, that the period can◆ not be far remote when your "dust must return to the earth as it was, and your spirits must return unto God who gave them." Unless you are "born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." I beseech you not to trifle with these important truths. You are exposed to unhealthy climates, the perils of the sea and dangers of battle. "The living know that they shall die," saith Solomon. Eccl. ix. 5. And we are told by Paul, that "it is appointed unto men once to die, and after death the judg ment." Heb. ix. 27. "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Rom. xiv. 10. "The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." Ps. 1. 5. Inasmuch then, as we must all die and come to judgment, is it not useless to insult the Judge? Useless did I say? it is presumptious, it is criminal. Could sailors expect their officers to bear with them if they should treat them with such insolence as they frequently manifest towards Almighty God, who has expressly told us in the third commandment, "the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." |