did judges, the obscurity of style, the want of arrangement, the hardihood of speculation, and other obvious faults, with which they are chargeable. These faults, unless we are entirely mistaken in the conception we have formed of the character of Mr. Coleridge, are to be ascribed to the peculiarities of his mental constitution, and were equally shown in his conversation and his whole intercourse with society. We must, therefore, dissent from the critic in a late review in the Christian Spectator, who places them to the account of insincerity, an effort for effect, affectation, and a wary calculation to avoid the objections to his system by deliberately involving it in obscurity. Had we no other clue to Coleridge's character, than what his writings afford, we should suspect that this able and esteemed critic had misapprehended him. But we are confident of this, when we remember what we have heard of Mr. Coleridge from many of our countrymen who have enjoyed his personal acquaintance, and who have represented him in a very different light. In one sentiment of the reviewer we perfectly agree, that nothing can be more fatal to the usefulness of a minister than to bring out this philosophy in his public performances. "The philosophy of Coleridge is," as he says, "a poor commodity to present to a New-England audience." This is true of any philosophy and any audience. The business of preaching is far different and higher, than teaching philosophy of any kind. In the closet, however, it may be permitted to the minister sometimes to study philosophy, and if so, it may be a question, whether it is better for him to be conversant with those metaphysics, in which, as the critic concedes, "there is something tending to Materialism" and "Utilitarianism," or with those in which, vague and shadowy though they be, he yet allows "the high spiritual nature of man is asserted, and which show the green mounts at a distance to eyes satiated and distressed by travelling over a sandy waste." GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.. The United States. THE President of the United States, in his Message at the opening of Congress, intimated that the French government had refused to pay the indemnity claimed for the spoliations on our commerce, committed under Bonaparte, and that an appeal to coercive measures might perhaps be thought expedient by Congress, to whose consideration he recommended the subject. This topic has chiefly occupied the attention of the country until the present time but no decision has been made in either house, and nothing has occurred from which it can be determined what course will be pursued. It is gratifying, however, to perceive a general and decided expression from almost every quarter, in favour of mild measures, and a pacific course. We think this may be attributed partly to that friendly disposition towards France, which has been cherished by commercial intercourse, and partly to a sound conviction of the unchristian nature, as well as the extreme impolicy of war. Many of our writers, and several of the members of Congress, have urged the importance of maintaining peace, both on account of ourselves, and of other nations. The Navy. The naval force of the United States embraces twelve ships of the line, thirteen frigates, fourteen sloops of war, and six schooners. Of these, six ships of war and seven frigates are building; and one ship of the line, four frigates, eight sloops of war, and six schooners are in commission. The estimate of appropriations necessary for the completion of their building is $1,527,640; and for repairs, $1,362,000. The materials on hand and contracted for, will enable the government to complete in a short time five more ships of the line, eleven frigates, seven sloops and two schooners. The officers and men in the naval service amount to 6,072; and the marine corps, which comprises 1,283, increases the total number to 7,355. The Secretary of the Navy recommends the construction of a Dry Dock at the New-York navy yard, in addition to those at Boston and Norfolk, which have proved very useful. He recommends also that experiments be made of the applicability of steam to purposes of national defence, by the construction of two steam batteries. A balance of $14,213 remains of the appropriation made for the suppression of the Slave Trade; and no further appropriation is thought necessary. Post-Office. It is mentioned, in the Report of the Post-Master General, that the annual amount of the transportation of mails. in the United States has been but little varied since 1833: being twenty-five million five hundred thousand miles. The number of post-offices has increased, in 1834, five hundred and sixty-six : being on the 1st of July last 10,693. When the rail-roads now in progress on the route between Washington and New-York shall have been completed, the only interruption to a complete rail-road communication between those two cities, will be from Trenton to New-Brunswick, a distance of about twenty-six miles. The Treasury. The receipts into the Treasury ascertained and estimated in 1834, are computed at $20,624,717 94, and the balance in the Treasury at the beginning of that year was $11,702,905 31. The expenditures of the year are computed at $25,591,390 91: so that the estimated balance on the 1st of January 1835 is $6,736,232 34. It is expected that the whole national debt will be paid before the close of this year, or that the money necessary will be provided for the payment of it. The following are the estimates of disbursements and revenue for the year 1835. The receipts into the Treasury from all sources du-le ring the year 1835, are estimated at viz. From 20,000,000 00 To which, add the balance of available funds in the Treasury on the 1st of January, 1835, estimated at 5,586,232 34 25,586,232 34 And they make together the sum of viz. on 17,183,541 52 Civil, Foreign Intercourse, and Mis cellaneous items, Military service, &c., Pensions, and the appropriations under the act 2,788,225 85 of the 7th of June, 1832, .. 9,672,654 50 Naval service and gradual improve ment, 4,672,661 17 Unclaimed interest on Public Debt, 59,000 To this add, as a contingent expenditure, about half the amount of the average excess of appropriations beyond the estimates during the last three years, : And they make the sum of Leaving an available balance in the Treasury, at the close of the year 1835, or on the 1st of January, 1836, estimated at 2,500,000 00 19,683,541 52 5,902,690 82 Emigration to the West. It would seem that the number of emigrants to the Western States has been equal the past year to any previous, and probably greater than ever before. Many of the emigrants were from New-England. The principal routes pursued are, first by Buffalo, for the regions near Lake Erie and most accessible from it; and second, by Pittsburgh, for those on the Ohio and its branches. The new lands in Illinois are favourite districts to the emigrants, and have received multitudes of new inhabitants within the past season, many of whom have settled in neighbourhoods, with the intention of forming a homogeneous society. Riot in Maryland. Unfortunately new scenes of violence and bloodshed have recently occurred on one of the public works near the borders of Maryland and Virginia. Towards the close of November, attacks were made on private buildings and property, near the line of the Baltimore and Washington Rail-road, in the counties of Anne Arundel and Prince George, by some of the labourers employed; and several murders were committed on the inhabitants. At a public meeting subsequently held on the sub ject, it was declared in the form of resolutions, that the labourers were found to have formed secret associations, and bound themselves by awful and solemn oaths to keep each other's secrets, and therefore the directors of the rail-road were urged to discharge them, as persons dangerous to the public peace. Great Britain. The British Cabinet was changed towards the close of November, by means and for motives which appear not to have been well understood at the date of our latest accounts. Lord Melbourne and his friends left the ministry, and a new one was soon after formed by Lord Wellington, who was made Minister of the Home Department, under the expectation that Sir Robert Peel would become Premier, on his return from Italy, in about a fortnight. Thus, after the Whigs have had the power in their hands for about two years, and have prosecuted, to some extent, the reforming system which they have had in view; after some progress has been made, and while several highly important measures are under consideration, the Tories are suddenly brought again into power, and an end is put to the course that had been commenced. This unexpected step of the king produced great excitement in the country. Public meetings were held in a number of cities, and expressions were made of decided opposition to a measure for which no one seems to have been prepared. The next news must be looked for with peculiar interest. Whether the change of ministry has been brought about by fickleness on the part of the king, as is intimated by some of the London gazettes, or otherwise, we have not the means of determining; certain it appears, however, that it brings things to a state whose results, though doubtful, must be very important. The Whigs have met with difficulties in their course, which they probably did not anticipate, and have made less progress than they expected. At the same time some of their number have shown a disposition for extreme measures which have justly alarmed all classes. The disposition to destroy the hereditary aristocracy, particularly, must have appeared danger |