commanding fublimity of thought, and a feeling folemnity of expreffion, that made condemnation feem juft, as the doom of Providence, to the criminals themselves, and raised a falu. tary horrour of crimes in the breasts of the audience. "Conscious of the dignity and importance of the high office he held, he never departed from the decorum that becomes that reverend character; which indeed coft him no effort to fupport, because he acted from principle and fentiment, both in public and private. Affectionate to his family and relations, fimple and mild in his manners, pure and confcientious in his morals, enlightened and entertaining in his converfation, he left fociety only to regret, that devoted as he was to more important employments, he had fo little time to fpare for intercourfe with them. "He was well known to be of high rank in the republic of letters, and his lofs will be deeply felt through many of her departments. His labours in illuftration of the hif tory of his country, and many other works of profound erudition, remain as monuments of his accurate and faithful researches for materials, and his found judgment in the felection of them. Of his unfeigned piety and devotion, you have very often been witnesses where we now are. I must add however that his attendance on religious ordinances, was not merely out of refpect to the laws, and for the fake of example, but from principle and conviction, and the most confcientious regard to his duty; for he not only practifed all the virtues and charities, in proof of his faith, but he demonftrated the fincerity of his zeal, by the uncommon pains he took to illuftrate primitive christianity, and by his elaborate and able defence of it againft its enemies. Supplement to the Encyclopedia. P JAMES BOWDOIN, ES2 JAMES BOWDOIN was defcended from the proteftant inhabitants in France. His father, in the year 1686, on the perfecution which followed the revocation of the edict of Nantz, fled to America, and in 1688, fettled in Boston, where his fon was born, Auguft 7th, 1726. He was educated at Harvard college, and graduated in 1745. During his refidence at the univerfity, he was diftinguished for his fuperiour abilities, and fingular attention and industry in the pursuit of useful knowledge. He had scarcely attained the age of twenty one, when, by the death of his father, he found himself in poffeffion of a large eftate, which enabled him to gratify his benevolent difpofition, by his extenfive charity. He formed an early connexion with a respectable family, which continued during life, and afforded him the folace of domeftic enjoyment. In the year 1753, he was chofen a representative for the town of Boston ; in 1757, and the twelve fucceeding years, he was elected a member of the council. During the altercation with Great Britain, he took a decided part in defence of the liberties of his country. In the year 1779, when the people of Maffachusetts called a convention for the purpose of forming a new conftitution for the ftate, he was elected their prefident, and in this station, conducted with dignified propriety. During a long period of his life, he was overfeer of Harvard college; and rendered the means of inftruction more useful, by many handfome donations; and established, by his will, a fund for the benefit of the university. In May, 1780, when the act, which gives a charter of incorporation to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences paffed the legislature, he was chofen their prefident, and for a number of years, annually elected to the fame office. The fociety was benefited by his intereft, while his literary labours ferved to promote the end defigned by the inftitution. His publications, which are inserted in the Memoirs of the Academy, evince his deep acquaintance with philofophical fubjects. In the year 1785, he was chofen governour of Maffachusetts, and was affiduous in performing the duties of this exalted station. The enfuing year, he was again elected ; and his spirited exertions, during the infurrection, united with thofe of the officers and militia under his command, restored order and regular government. His laft appearance as a political character was in the convention of the flate, appointed in 1788, to conder the conftitution of the United States. He gave his voice for the adoption of the federal conftitution, from a full conviction that it was the beft that human wisdom could devife. His reputation as a man of science and virtue, was not confined to America, but diftinguished honours were conferred upon him by many learned bodies. He was made doctor of laws by the univerfities of Cambridge, Philadelphia, and Edinburg; fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Dublin; and prefident of the Humane Society in Maffachusetts. This excellent man was an open and unreferved profeffor of the chriftian religion; and punctual in performing all the public and private duties it enjoins. His piety was rational, uniform, and energetic; it led him to be juft and generous to his fellow men; induced him to patronize every useful public inftitution; and rendered him kind and affectionate in all the relations of domeftic life. Whilft in poffeffion of the undebilitated powers of his mind, he was attacked with a painful and fatal diforder, under which he lived several months, but in the full view of approaching death. Having embraced christianity, confequence of ftrict examination and ferious conviction, his religion was built on the firmeft bafis, on which he rested his hope, and from which he derived his confolation. He mentioned, during his illness, that the perufal of" Bishop Butler's Analogy" had been of great use in fatisfying his doubts, and confirming his mind upon this fubject. From the time of my reading that book," faid he, "I have been an humble follower of the bleffed Jefus." He expreffed in ftrong but humble terms, his fenfe of the benefit of afflictions, the efficacy of chriftian principles to fupport the mind under them, and the importance of religion to our present peace and future happiness. His profpects of immortality were bright and glorious; for when he apprehended his diffolution to be approaching, he expreffed his fatisfaction in the thought, that he was "going to the full enjoyment of God and his Redeemer." He died in Boston, November 6th, 1790, much respected and beloved. Lowell's Eulogy on Governour Bowdoin.- JOHN HOWARD, Esq. The life of this excellent man exhibits a fhining example of difinterested goodnefs and generofity. Here we fee a gentleman of independent fortune, voluntarily relinquishing the enjoyments of ease and elegance, and encountering fatigue and danger, to relieve the lowest and most abandoned part of mankind. Such an heroic instance of humanity and felf denial, difplays, in a ftriking manner, the benevolent tendency of the christian religion. JOHN HOWARD, the great philanthropist, who copying the divine example, went about doing good, was born at Enfield, 1727. He loft his father in his youth, and not being intended for a learned profeffion, received only an ordinary education; but the strength of his mind, and the vigour of his perfeverance, in a great measure supplied this deficiency. His liberality, with refpect to pecuniary concerns, was early displayed; and at no time of his life does he feem to have confidered money in any other light, than as an inftrument in procuring happiness to himself and others. The little fortune which his firft wife poffeffed, he gave to her fifter; and during his refidence in Newington, he bestowed much in charity, and made a handfome donation for the purpose of providing a dwelling house for the minifter. His attachment to religion was a principle imbibed in his earlieft years, which continued fteady and uniform through life. The body of christians, to whom he particularly united himself, were independants, and his fyftem of belief was that of the moderate Calvinifts. But though he appears early to have formed a decided opinion respecting the doctrines he thought beft founded, and the mode of worship he most approved, yet religion, abftractedly confidered as the relation between man and his Maker, feems to have been the principal object of his re |