resident, let our society be narrowly examined, and if fault is found
in us, we are willing to suffer the punishment we merit.

Confidently expecting your favourable reply, we have the honour of
saluting you most respectfully.

To this letter the president did not reply, but ordered those, who had
been arrested, to be set at liberty. Ten days after the date of the
letter to the president, a letter was written, from which the following
paragraphs are taken. The concluding sentences open the way for putting
a favourable construction on the intentions of the president.

A proclamation was made in the name of general Thomas, commandant of the
place, to prevent any one from throwing stones at the methodists,
forbidding every one to evil entreat them, or to go before their houses
to insult them. But by that proclamation we were also forbidden to meet
together, and informed that should we meet, the police is ordered to
arrest us; but as for the people, they ought not to interfere, nor throw
stones, because we are citizens of the republic. This is the substance
of the proclamation.

Although this proclamation was made, yet the people did not cease to ill
treat us, and cry after us, as we went along. General Thomas gets out of
that affair by saying, that they only made use of his name when he had
nothing to do in it. "But, take care," said he, "if that continue, that
it do not cost the life of some one."

One of our sisters visited the president, to whom she made her
complaints, and informed him that it was said, that it was by his order
that these things were done. He received her very politely, assured her
that this was not so, but that he was exceedingly sorry that we should
be improperly treated, and that he had written to general Thomas to that
effect, and if the general did not attend to his orders he could not
hold any command in the republic. In consequence of this the general
made the above proclamation. The president also told her, that he could
not allow us to hold our meetings, because we were not in peace; that
France was proposing to march upon us, &c. &c. Since the last
persecution, we enjoy, by the grace of God, the means of praying, when
several of us meet together.

CHAPTER XXI.

PERSECUTIONS IN SWITZERLAND FROM 1813 TO 1830.

The information contained in the following account of the persecution in
Switzerland, is derived principally from the Christian Spectator and the
London Christian Observe