which are now united by the ties | protected under the impenetrable shield of justice.

of man, from the lofty regions to which it is raised, descend to grovel in ignominious ignorance.

For The Port Folio.

MORTUARY.

disease, which, in the course of eight days, notwithstanding the utmost exertions of medical skill, effected the separation of his soul from the body.

The writer of this article visited. him during his illness, at the time when his physicians announDIED, on Thursday the 8th inst. ced the certainty of his approachin the 39th year of his age, WIL- ing dissolution, and, just before LIAM SANDFORD, Esq. forit actually took place. Throughmerly of the Inner Temple, Lon- out the whole of this awfully interdon. He came to this country in esting period, Mr. SANDFORD pre1795, and for the last twelve years served the most undisturbed sereacted as an officer in the Bank of nity of mind, and viewed the adPennsylvania, being the greater vance of death, not only with part of that time the first book- Christian resignation, but with a keeper. His abilities as an ac- degree of exhilarating confidence, countant rendered him eminently and holy exultation, which nothing useful, while the urbanity of his but the animating influence of that manners, and the unbounded be- divine religion could inspire. Connevolence of his heart, command-scious of an habitual conformity ed the respect and esteem of all who knew him.

3

The circumstances attendant up

on the close of this excellent man's life are somewhat remarkable; man evincing, in a very striking manner, the uncertainty of all sublunary prospects and expectations; and at the same time the blessed influence of genuine Christianity in qualifying the human mind to receive the summons of death, however sudden, with tranquillity and resignation.

Mr. SANDFORD's unwearied as-. siduity and incorruptible integrity in executing the duties of his appointment, induced the Directors of the Bank to reward his fidelity and zeal by placing him in a situation of greater responsibility, of less labour, and more emolument. With this view, he was unanimously chosen CASHIER of the BRANCH BANK, to be established at EASTON in this state. But, on the

very day before his intended departure from this city, he was seized by a violent and invincible

to its precepts, and of a uniform observance of the rites and atten

dance upon the worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which he was a zealous and exemplary member, he was always ready to " give an account of his stewardship" and has doubtless,. therefore, now" entered into the joy of his Lord." After bidding an affectionate farewell to his afflicted wife, children, and surrounding friends, he expired in the full possession of all his rational powers, and immediately after uttering this triumphant exclamation: "Oh! what a glorious place I am going. to! May I meet you all there!"

Let the deist or infidel seriously contemplate such unequivocal attestations of the heavenly efficacy of our holy faith; and he must be convinced, that though the pride of human reason may, in some instances excite a stoical apathy, or affectation of frigid indifference about the termination of our existence here, Christianity alone can elevate its true disciples above the

natural fears of dissolution, and enable them," rejoicing in hope," calmly to submit to the severest abrubtion of earthly happiness, and even to the extinction of human life; well knowing, that" the things which are seen," though in the highest possible degree accommodated to the promotion of our temporal felicity, "are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed to," and the bliss which shall be conferred upon, "those who live Godly in Christ Jesus," when the fetters of mortality shall be broken, and "the spirit shall return to God who gave it."

If ever Solomon erred, it was in not carrying his idea far enough, when he said, there is no difference between a man and a beast. The prophet Isaiah seems more properly" to have hit the nail," as Partridge says, the preference. The ox, saith he, "ad unguem," when he gives beasts

knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. We enjoy the blessings and benefits of life, without any gratitude to the inventors or discoverers of them-indeed without bestowing a single thought on the subject: De Guignes has searched, and laboured, and written in vain. Next to articles of the first necessity, the greatest benefit that ever was conferred on mankind, was the art of PRINTING yet the greatest readers are, generally, unconscious of their obligations to the inventors of that noble art, or to those who now continue the practice of it.

Let the cold and careless professour of Christianity be assured, that a profession of faith in that religion, without the profession of its virtues, and the practice of its duties, will but increase his condemnation for, "If," said the divine authour of Christianity, "I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak (or excuse) for their sin." (John 15, 22.) And, therefore, saith St. Peter "It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it to turn from, or disregard, the holy commandments delivered to them."lity and integrity. Other learned 2 Pet. 2, 21.

And, let the sincere and zealous Christian be encouraged by such examples as the present to persevere in the path of righteousness; convinced that it will finally conduct him into the Paradise of God.

"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." Num. 23, 10.

From the Providence Gazette.
THE ADELPHIAD.
"Tis to the PRESS and Pen we mortals
Owe

"All we believe, and almost all we know."

Before the discovery of Printing," books were in very few hands; they were copied by writers at an almost infinite expense of labour and of time; and a person who wished for information on any particular subject, was obliged to travel till he found at work, in some library, which contained the particulars he desired to be acquainted with: It was a predigious undertaking of Plutarch to collect the materials for his Lives, which he compiled with so much abi

men were exposed to similar inconveniences.

As to the inventor of the art of

Printing, the learned are divided in opinion. The cities of Mentz, Strasburg and Harlem, contend with equal zeal for the honour of having produced him. The cause of John Mantel, of Strasburg, was zealously espoused by a French physician of the same name, who supposed he invented Printing A. D..1442. The cause. of John Guttemberg, of Mentz, is espoused by Polydore Virgil, Pasquier and others. Naude, &c. contend for John Fust (commonly called

hot metal types, in the manner the backs of books are lettered. If the opinion of Ihre is just, here is an instance of Printing in the fourth century; this Codex Argenteus being a translation of the four gospels made by Ulphilas, the apostle of the Goths. That work was at Prague when Printing was practised by Fust, &c. but I cannot say that they were acquainted with it. It is more probable they laid the plan of their designs from the works of Maso Finiguerra, Bac

Faust) of the same place-but Boxhornius, Schrevelius and others are the champions of Koster, of Harlem -from whom some say that Guttemberg, and others that Fust, stole the printing materials. The advocates for Fust ground their opinion on the circumstance of his name being in the Latin bible printed anno 1462-and to Tully's offices in 1465. But the advocates for Koster produce the proof of books, now at Harlem, which were printed by him in 1430 and 1432; and they say that it iscio Baldini, Sandro Botticelli, Anto-. evident that the work called De Spiegil Onser Behadinge, could not be Koster's first essay. Before that time he must have practised on loose sheets, some of which, without date, are in the library of the King of England at St. James's, and others in the Bodleian library at Oxford. These specimens are the rudest of any which are extant, and form no inconsiderable argument in favour of Koster's being the original inventor. But the honour of inventing single metal types belongs to Schoeffer, the servant, son-in-law and partner of John Fust, of Mentz; so that I should conceive he ought be considered as the real inventor of Printing; the wooden cuts of the other competitors having been of but little use,. and such a method of Printing was known in China time immemorial: however, as there was not, at that

nio del Pollaiolo, of Florence, and other Italian engravers, who brought that art to a considerable degree of perfection in the fourteenth century. If this should have been the caseand it is highly probable-no wonder the German and Dutch printers did not settle the point among themselves, who it was that invented print ing they probably knew that neither of them invented it; for it is said that Finiguerra, the first engraver "pressed a piece of damp paper on his engraving with a small wooden roller, and the engraving on the metal remained imprinted on the paper, just as if it had been designed with the pen." The only alteration the Ger mans made in this business, was to cut their letters in wood: therefore I am far from being convinced, that: either Mantel, Guttemberg, Fust or Koster, has any just title to be con

period, any intercourse between Eu-sidered as the inventor of printing.

rope and China, it is altogether probable that neither Mantel, Guttem

To Schoeffer, however, we must concede the invention of the method of

berg, Fust or Koster, derived any in-printing by means of the single meformation from that quarter.

tal types, which is in fact the soul, or by far the most valuable part of the art. From Germany the art of printing was carried into all the countries of Europe, except Turkey.-There it was allowed from 1730 to 1740; but was not finally established at Constantinople till 1784. William Caxton, an English merchant, who had long been in Germany, took over to England Frederick Corseil

I have on a former occasion, mentioned the Codex Argenteus, in the library of Upsal, in Sweden, concerning which I expected to have found some valuable information in Carr's Northern Summer: but I have been disappointed. Mr. Carr says, it is richly illuminated with large silver and some golden letters, which have been made by the brush." Mr. Carr, confessedly, is not an anti-les, who understood the printing bu quary; but the antiquary Ihre sup

siness; and he established a Press at

posed this work was stamped with the University of Oxford, about the.

art of printing. Within a century would have improved the principles