struction. Had Mr. Williams been a mason, though promptly rejecting the bribe, he was not at liberty to expose a mystic brother to shame and punishment. A Freemason approaches his legislative brother, with the wages of iniquity in hand, in the full assurance that if his bribe is rejected, his guilty secrets will be inviolably kept. This reason is fortified by an extended train of facts. The history of all the known corruption practised in our legislature, from the briberies committed with the Merchant's Bank in 1804, to those of the Fulton and Chemical Charters in 1824, is pregnant with testimony against Freemasonry. The fact that almost every man known to have been disreputably concerned in those transactions, was a Freemason, admonishes the people to guard these avenues against the corrupting influence of that institution. And that ancient, if not honorable fraternity, the Lobby, which still infests the seat of government, and beleaguers the capitol, stands conspicuous in the lists of Freemasonry. Of all the horde of mercenaries who hang year after year upon the legislature, let even one be named who is not a bright Freemason. These assertions are not brought upon slight or insufficient testimony. The evidence of their entire truth may be obtained by all who make proper inquiries. But the institution puts forth on all occasions, as a shield and defence against her, the names of eminently virtuous men, who in their youth, misled by her false pretensions to science and wisdom, "took her for better or for worse." The sainted name of WASHINGTON, though his recorded admonitions to "beware of all secret self created associations, under what specious garb soever they appeared," forbids the profanation, is imprudently used to patch up the tattered vestments with which a detected imposter still seeks to cover her deformities. The stainless reputation of a contemporary,* whose charities have engraved his name upon the hearts of thousands, and whose munificence is even now unfolding the treasures of knowledge to the humblest citizen, and extending the boundaries of science to the remotest section of the State, is daily pressed into the service of Freemasonry, to give false lustre to its character, and posthumous currency to * Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaer. its principles. It is due to this distinguished gentleman to state, that although the swelling titles and empty honors of the fraternity have been continuously lavished upon him, he never could be pressed beyond the third degree of Speculative Freemasonry. And a confiding hope is entertained, based upon our knowledge of his virtues and patriotism, that ere long he will feel constrained to inhibit the use of his right name in beguiling the footsteps of our youth into the dark and devious recesses of the lodge room. More than four hundred initiates, within our own State, including members of every Degree, from an Entered Apprentice to the Thrice Illustrious Knights of the Holy Trinity, have publicly renounced the institution. Thousands have silently withdrawn, and it cannot be presumed that any good man who received it upon trust, will continue his connexion with the fraternity after he has thoroughly examined the tendency of its principles. Freemasonry is deeply anxious to conceal the truth in relation to herself and her steadfast votaries. It will require much zeal and labor to expose and dissipate the falsehoods and delusions which the fraternity have so industriously spread abroad. Time and truth, however, will ultimately encompass these ends. All there is of Freemasonry, pertaining to the lodges, chapters, and encampments, may be gathered from Morgan's Illustrations, and the Le Roy revelations. But the inquirer for real Freemasonry, divested of its gaudy trappings, and its traditionary fable, must seek out other sources of information. The work of Abbe Barruel, and Professor Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy to overthrow all Religion and Government, present a faithful and alarming picture of Freemasonry, and commend themselves to the deliberate consideration of the American people. Of the various writers who are now developing, with fearless pens, and surpassing powers, the legitimate tendency and aims of Freemasonry, Henry Dana Ward, of New York, and Elder John G. Stearns, of Oneida county, have attained a proud eminence, from which they are dispensing floods of light and knowledge. These gifted and enlightened men were members of the masonic fraternity. They had, however, sifted its pretensions, and eschewed its principles, previous to the murder of Morgan. The writings of * * * * * these gentlemen ought to be speedily procured and extensively circulated through every town in the State. We hazard nothing in saying, that no intelligent man or mason can read Mr. Ward's volume, entitled, Freemasonry, without being convinced that the institution is a rank imposture and dangerous cheat. Entirely erroneous opinions have been propagated, far and wide, in relation to the views and conduct of antimasons. We are represented as persecuting and oppressing all the members of the masonic society, thereby confounding the innocent with the guilty. Nothing but Freemasonry itself, is more fallacious than this accusation. Freemasons have violated the laws of the State and taken the life of an unoffending citizen. The influence of the fraternity has impeded, and continues to impede, the course of justice, and the offenders stalk abroad in the community, cherished and supported by the institution, unmolested and unpunished. The secrets and principles of the institution, which have been fully exposed, are positively and undeniably bad and dangerous. We therefore ask Freemasons to renounce them. If they refuse to accede to a request so reasonable, are we made obnoxious to the charge of persecution for withholding our support from them? How are the people to redeem their halls of legislation, to purify their temples of justice, or to re-establish the ascendency of their laws, if the supporters of Freemasonry are not dispossessed of place and power. The progress of truth, and the developements of time, have refuted many of the fictions, and turned back some of the calumnies with which the fraternity so long held public opinion in suspense.-It is no longer gravely asserted that Morgan is selling his books, that he has retired beyond the Rocky mountains, or that he has joined the standard of the false prophet, at Smyrna. All who do not egregiously undervalue the intelligence of the people, are constrained to admit that this citizen, blameless of all offence to the laws of the land, after five days confinement, was deliberately murdered at Fort Niagara, and cust into Lake Ontario. The same calumny which represented the just indignation of freemen, as an excitement got up for the temporary purpose of aiding a party, has spent its malice, and passes, with the mass of falsehoods which that fruitful occasion for private and public defamation provoked.-The deep sensibility and awakened interest which ten free States are manifesting, by unequivocal demonstrations of hostility to the masonic institution, repels the accusation of the fraternity which confined their belligerents to an infected district of madmen and fanatics in the western part of the State of New York. But we turn from the past to contemplate the future— where hope is unfolding her bright visions to the eye of patriotism, and promising her treasured rewards to the aspirations of piety. The quiet, but resistless power of public opinion, is accomplishing a great moral and political revolution. This work, which moved forward with cautious and faltering steps, through its incipient stages, is now rapidly spreading all over this and the neighboring States. We cannot yet fix its boundaries, or estimate the time that it will require to accomplish its high purposes. But one thing is certain. The fire will burn while the fuel lasts; and the disenthralled spirit which has gone abroad, will not return until the Republic is effectually redeemed from the unhallowed grasp of Speculative Free masonry. Rochester, Feb. 15, 1829. SAMUEL WORKS, REPORT Of the Select Committee of the House of Assembly of New-York, on the Abduction and Murder of William Morgan.-Made Feb. 16, 1829. THE select committee to whom was referred so much of the message of his excellency the governor, as relates to the abduction of William Morgan, and the proceedings under the act passed the 15th day of April, 1828, respectfully report, in part; That they have endeavored to give the subject that at tention which its importance demands, and to pursue their investigations in that spirit of candor that should characterize an inquiry into matters of so much delicacy; and respecting which, there exists great public excitement. They cannot flatter themselves, however, that they have carried nothing of feeling with them into the investigation of the subject; for, coming, as most of them do, from what has been sometimes termed the "infected district," it is hardly to be supposed, that they should be indifferent, in the midst of a community greatly agitated. Still, they trust, that they have so far succeeded in discussing it dispassionately, as to lay before you no facts, except such as have the impress of authenticity, and to draw no inferences which are not fairly deducible from established premises. The message of his excellency the governor treats the subject as one which may require the interposition of the legislature, and to your committee has been assigned the task of ascertaining what legislation is necessary. It being highly important that the legislature should be in possession of the facts in every case, respecting which they may be called to legislate, your committee believed it to be their duty to collect and spread before this house a statement of the circumstances of this extraordinary affair, together with the causes which produced them, so far as the same have been ascertained. For this purpose, they directed their chairman to address letters to the Hon. Daniel Moseley, special counsel, appointed by the executive of this State, under the act passed April 15, 1828, and to Bowen Whiting, Esq. district attorney for the county of Ontario, requesting from them a statement in detail of such particulars of the transaction as may have come to their knowledge, in the discharge of their official duties. Your committee were aware, that the circumstances relating to the Morgan outrages, had been collected and published in a pamphlet form, and in some public newspapers, by a number of respectable gentlemen, selected for that purpose by their fellow citizens in public meetings; and that notwithstanding these gentlemen, some of whom have seats in this house, affixed their own signatures to these publications, no attempt had been made to disprove their statements. Still, as there exists a disposition in our |