This great and good man was born at Southampton, England, July 17, 1674. He displayed good talents at an early age, and wrote pleasing verses in his childhood. He was educated at London, and became in due time a Dissenting minister. Though his health was always feeble, he discharged his pastoral duties with zeal and fidelity, and found time to write many good books. Those we have already mentioned are the most celebrated, because they have proved to be the most extensively useful.
Dr. Watts’ life affords abundant proof, that a man even of frail constitution, and possessing by no means wonderful genius, may yet do incalculable good to mankind, provided he has a heart warmed with piety toward God, and kind, tender emotions toward his fellow men. How different is such a life, from that of the conqueror, or miser, or lover of pleasure; and how different must be the estimate which the All Wise makes of it, from what he does of the man who lives only for himself—whoever he may be!
Texas.
As the whigs and democrats are talking a great deal about Texas, some of our young readers are desirous of knowing something about it. We therefore propose to give a brief account of it.
This country lies on the Gulf of Mexico, and is bounded on the north and east by the United States, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the west by Mexico. The people of the republic claim the country to the Rio del Norte on the west. If we take this boundary, its whole extent is about 300,000 square miles, and is eight times as large as New England. It contains nearly 250,000,000 of acres.
The western regions are mountainous, and are said to abound in mineral wealth. The remaining portions of the territory are diversified with hill and dale, though the general aspect has a level character. The rivers are numerous, and the water pure.
Texas presents a variety of soil. This is divided into three kinds, river bottoms, bottom prairies, and high prairies. These are all rich, deep, and productive. The climate of Texas is very fine for a hot country. The low grounds are unwholesome, but the higher portions are otherwise. Snow is seldom known in the southern districts, and the winter seems like our spring.
The productions are numerous. All kinds of grain and garden vegetables thrive here. Besides these, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, indigo, vanilla, cotton, silk, hemp, flax, honey, wax, cochineal, are easily produced. The soil and climate are particularly favorable to cotton. Of this and many other products, two crops may be obtained in a year.
Among the animals, wild horses, buffalo, deer, and a great variety of smaller game are abundant. Gold and silver abound in the mountains, and coal, iron ore, and salt are found in other parts of the country.
Texas formerly belonged to Mexico, but a good many people from the United States having settled there, they began to talk, about ten years ago, of making themselves independent. A convention assembled in March, 1835, and made a declaration to that effect. On the 21st of the following April, a great battle took place, at San Jacinto, in which the Mexican General Santa Anna was defeated and taken prisoner. From this time, the country has remained free from invasion, but Mexico still claims it as a province and threatens to reduce it again to subjection.