bushel was dutied 6 cents—Liinejpr. lid. ioo ccnts. Nails Spikes, Tack and Brads, were the next nicies. These Mr. Lle propol'ed, should be ft ruck out—and was seconded by Mr. Maddifon, and Mr. Bland : The latter gentleman observed, that it would operate as an intolerable burthen upon the Southej n States, especially as the quan tities which are manufactured in some of the States, are not adequate to the demand of those States. Mr. Gcodhc. fuppcfed, that the quantity which •now was, or easily might be made in the Common wealth of Maflacliufetts w as equal to the demands of the Uiiion. Mr. Ames —Sir, I am in favour of the articles being retained in the Refohe ; to strike them out would be to strike at one of the belt and molt ac commodating manufactures that could poflibly be eftabliflied. It is now usual in Maflacliufetts, for house keepers in the country towns, to erect a fin all force in their chimney corners, and in winter,and on evenings, when no other work could be done, it is alinoft incredible, what quantities of Nails are made, even by children. These Nails are produced in fach quantities that the exportation of them is become a very considerable branch of Commerce. And fhsll we discourage so ufeful, so extensive a manufacture : Every principle of policy forbids ir. Manufactures in Europe and America are upon quite different foundations : In Europe, necejpty is a competent ftimulous ; but with us, every en couragement is neceflary, to prop and cheiifh our infant attempts —he was therefore against the mo tion. Mr. Sherman observed, that as our country a bound.ed in iron, the manufacture under debate, was profecnted with perhaps greater advantage, th2R almolt any other—that it promoted an inter course with the neighbouring States-—Connecti cut for instance, which manulaiflured this article to a large amount, bartered the nails for nail rods, with their neighbours in the State of New- York, he was therefore opposed to the motion. Mr. Tucker, Mr. Part idge Mr. Fitzfimons, and Mr. Carrol, Severally froke upon the motion— which was finally withdrawn.—Tacks and brads were then struck out, and one cent per pound duty, wasiinpofed upon nails andfpikes. Salt was the next article read, to which Mr. Burke and Mr. Hue fr were Severally opposed to afleffng any duty, as it would opeiate ve»y une qually upon the Southern Governments, where the price was greatly enhanced by very extenlive land carriage. Mr. Lav/rancf observed that a tax upon fait, would be equal through the States, and as it was an article on which a certain revenue could be realized—he was of opinion that a duly of fix cents per bushel would not be buithenfome, he therefore proposed that Sum. Mr. Tucker expatiated upon the unequal ope ration of this duty—and the extreme injury it would produce to the poorer part of the people in the Sou Jiernftates, whoSe fate would be extremely se vere, deprived of this neceflary article—already so high with them that it was Scarcely attainable. —Kc was decidedly opposed to any duty what ever. Mr. Scot, —the article of fait, Sir, is transported to adiftance of 500 miles from the atlantic Ocean, and cannot be procured nearer—chief of the way or. horseback, two baflsets to a load. Four dollars a bushel is the price of this article where I live.— Sir, to add to this exorbitant price by a tax, would 111 my opinion be imrolitick at this early period of the national Government, it may be our wif dem to make the the molt: favorable impressions upon the minds of the back country people 1 do not pretend to the gift of prophecy, but the effects ofa measure of this kind would certainly be unfavorable upon the minds cf t'.iofe people— nature it Should fetfin had fufficiently taxed this article by the difficulties she threw in the way of obtaining it by a great proportion of mankind.— Mr Moore laid some thing upon the fubjedt, but could not diftincftly hear him. Mr. Smith of (South Carolina) was opposed to the duty—and combated it by a v ariety of obfer '-atior.s v. hich had referrence principallyto the local nrcumftances of South Carolina—its attachment to the Conflitution—the expensive land carriage, tfc. &c. but as the time had elnpfed and no pros pect appearing of bringing the Subject to an im mediate decision, Mr. Lawrence moved that the counnitte should riSe. the further consideration was therefore paflpo ned.. 1 1 he committe arose and the Koufe adjourned. Thursday, April 17. !■ ct agreeable to adjournment. -Mr. Sh f p.mai\ moved fertile order of the day. ) In committee of the whole—resumed theconfi (■eiation of the import: proper to be laid on Saltl Mr.. Burke moved that the article be fttuck out or the enumeration. Lawraj.'Ci —lam not convinced, Sir, by ail that has been urged upon the subjeCt, of the iiexp diency of a duty upon this article—Upon 1 iC general principle, this article, it is true, will con e in, but when it is ccnfidered that it is our Udt " avßi ' ourselves of the 1110 ft productive four 'l . I , c "' ei> ue. When it is considered that this will operate more equally than some ctlieis, by reason of the greater consumption for the pur poses ol luxury than will be consumed by die poor—cOnsidering alio, the low price at Which -/alt is imported, it mull: be confefled a very e ligible source of revenue. It has been laid that it was opprellive, and would be as a poll tax. As to its being opprellive, he could not con ceive of it, as the quantity consumed by families upon an average, did not exceed, perhaps, three bulhels per annum ; which, ax fix cents was little more than one-fixtli of a dollar a year; and it was very well known, that a poll-tax was common in (ome of the States, and had been so, time imme morial, and no greater complaint exilted as tc that denomination of taxes, than again!! others— The truth was, all taxes were odious, and' were submitted to from principle and necelhty. In the Southern governments, it has been (aid, that the heavy land carriage of this article, would inhance its value beyond all toleration—To this, it might be replied, that whatever the price of Salt might be, the impost would be uniform, and not in pro portion to the price of the article, let Salt be cheap or dear, still fix cents only was thepropofed duty; and if from local circumitances, some parts of the Union paid an excellive price for a particu lar article, Itill it lay with them very much to lefien the price and diminish the amount of the duty by retrenchingthe consumption of such article. At any rate, it was morally certain, that a balance would be produced upon the whole, when the system Ihould be completed ; by the States upon the lhores of the Atlantic consuming many arti cles on which heavy duties would be aflefled, and which were not, and would not be made ule of, in the inland parts of the country—A tax upon this article had existed for some time in this State, and was collected with the fame ease with other duties : 7 here were other objections anlwered by Mr. Lawrance ; his replies were to the point, and he concluded by wishing that the article might not be erased. Mr. M.iddison was in favor of the duty; he considered the subjeCt upon the principles of jus tice &nd policy, and from both determined that the proposed duty was eligible ; he was howe-se in favor of a fntall one, but could by no means think of leaving the article out. Mr. Hun tin odo n adverted to the facility and punctuality with which a great revenue was rais ed from this article in European countries—the duty proposed was low, and in a great majority ol inltances, would be borne by thole who were belt able to pay. Mr. White opposed the article's beiug conti nued in the resolve, or a duty's being imposed on it—His coftllituents expected relief from the ope ration of the New Government, this would be considered as a great burthen, and have a very iiraufpiiious influence, five per cent he was in favor of ; but the proposed sum amounted to al most 33-3 per cent. Mr. Scot was in opposition to the continuance of the article in the lilt, and observed, upon the aflertion that had been made refpeifling the peo ple in the Western country, not consuming many articles which the sea ports paid a heavy duty up on, that every article of luxury, both of Europe, the Ealt and Welt Indies had found their way 500 miles inland ; and that according to their proper ty, the people in those regions, consumed their 4ull proportion of luxuries : He was therefore for expunging the article, as he dreaded the conse quences, which, in his opinion, would result from an inipolt that would be considered in so odious a iight. Mr.Fitzsimons observed, that jultice was the greatprinciple thatlhould influence the decisions of that House ; that it would be a poor compliment to the judgment andpatriotifm of their constituents, to suppose that their attachment to good govern ment and the Conltitution, depended upon a cir cumstance cf this nature : He did not think it was in human jultice to adopt a tax less injurious to the^poor; he conceived that no people upon earth had higher lentiments of jultice than the people of thele States ; and as so great a sum as nearly ioooco dollars might,according to a calculation he had made, be railed with ease upon this article ; he was opposed to expunging it, and hoped the duty of fix cents would obtain. 1 lie queltion being taken, it was voted not to expunge the article. Mr. Goodhue then moved that a draw back Ihould be allowed on fait used for the Fillieries, n-.l provisions—this palled in the affirmative. It was then voted that the duty on /a//Ihould be fix cents per bushel ; on manufactured Tobacco, fix cents per lb. on Snliff, ten cents per lb. Mr. Carrol then proposed that window and o ther Glass, lliould be added to the general lilt of articles: This, after some debate, was acceded to, and ten per cent advalorem was voted upon window and all other glass. After conliderable further debate, the committee that a duty of seven and half per cent advalorem, Ihould be laid upon all "writing, printing and -wrapping Paper and pajle-board, walking flicks and horse-whips, clothes ready made, and gold and silver, and plated ware, jewellery and pafle work, and upon all coaches, chariots, and other four wheeled car riages, duty of fifteen per stent advalorem. Upon moiion tlic committee then role, anil the jpeaker resumed the chair. A letter was thru read from the Hon. tenate enclofmg two orders. A report from the joint committee appointed to determine upon the mode of conducting confer ences ; also re'.'peering the election of Chaplains. This report was accepted on the part of the House And an order of the Senate appointing Mr. strong, Ivlr. Izarcl and Mr. Lee, to join a com mittee of tlie House, to consider the most eligible mode of communicating papers, bills and meila ges. Mr. Lee, Mr. Burke and Mr. ieney w«re appointed. Adjourned (To be continued.) ODE, On the Establishment of the CONSTITUTION, And the Election of GEORGE our Prefideiit. OD of our fathers! need we trace The mis'ries of ? former race, To learn true conduct from recorded woes? Eut now our errors, and our crimes, Drew down thy judgments on the times. Back o'er our heads a temped rose, Scon all the licav'ns were in a flame, Pointing to blast our peace and fame: Bat, oh I thy mercy turn'd the storm aside, Deign'd to becalm the raging seas, Deign'd to dilfufc the swelling breeze, And to the port of peace our vefirl guide.— Our pilot fav'd thro' such a wat'ry war, Sits at the helm, and points to Hope's bright star; And, God his guide, he bids us boldly go, Whatever rocks oppoofe, whatever tempests blow.'' NATIONAL. ExtraEl of a letter jrom a neighbouring State. " I AM really happy to be informed that the General Go vernment is.beginning its operations—Human natur is caprici ous ; would you believe it—there was like the appi.ar •ince of an ahatetnent of that ardour in the national cause, which has so strongly marked the condu& ot the majority of the people 111 this quaitrr—" thare is a tide in the affairs of men"—and so here is in their sentiments too—" taken at the flood it leads" :e Empire Government, and Peace—but it neglitled 1 forbear the ri it May the Legislature of the United States be wife to di(- ccin, and Ipiriu dto proftcut-the best intcrclts—" Wherefreedom dwells, there is my Country, 1 ' laid on and where is hr ruidence to be tound lut vv cie the security of person and property exiils undir a jull, a rigl.unus, and energetick Government ?—luch as I trull is in reserve for this riling—tliis independent Empire." PRIZE OF VIRTUE~ ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY of PERPIC NAN. January 2, 1788. THE prize of Virtue proposed for the country man, who should most deserve it, by a long irreproachable conduct, or some remarkable in stance of courage and humanity, was this day a warded to the following persons. Nicholas BRUssF.,of the -village of Toulonp-e, who, throughout a life of llxty years, has rlie conltant exercise of virtuous acftions, notwith standing the many misfortunes he has experienced. Ebdon Claret of 40, and Villenoval, of 20, inhabitants of St. Laurent de Cerda, whose em ployment was to carry ore, on mules, ft om the mountain of Batere to the forges at St. Laurent. These muleteers, returning from Batere, find the molt dangerous torrents in the province extremely swelled. The youngest takes upon liimfelf to found the pafiage. He gets upon his mule, laden with ore, and enters the water. The mule is soon carried away by the stream, and VillekoVal lo ses his feat. His comrade, feeing him on the point of being drowned, ruflies into the river, seizes Vil lenoval, and drags him to the opposite fide. Per ceiving the m ule of his young friend,and this mule was his all, ready to perifli, he again plunges in, comes up to the mule, cuts the girths to disengage the load, but the animal in struggling strikes him on the head, and Claret is carried away fenfelcfs by the torrent. Villenoval cannot bear to fee liis preserver perish, rulhes into the water, and after several efforts has the good fortune to bring Cla ret to the shore. The society gave 200 livres to Brusse, and 100 ivres to each of the others. NEWYORK, APRIL 18. It would be a pcor compliment to the good sense of the Citizens of the United States, to suppose, that after their unparelleled exer tions to obtain the bleflings ot freedom and independence, that ' hey should not with ardour adopt a firm and efficient Govern ment, and enter into spirited adminißration of such a Go vernment too, as the only method to realize, secure and perpetu ate the great obje&s for which they fought and conquered. Accordingly we find, that the more that Government is studied, understood and enjoyed, like other bleflijigs of a propiti ous providence, the more it is prized ; and there is no doubt but ps the prejudices of mankind subside, and their understanding* have fair play, they will confidcr tlie restraints of Law and good Government, as the only barriers of freedom and happiness. OF THE FEDERAL STATE-HOUSE. This fbperb edifice is upon the w! ok*, fnpe >or to any buiMing in America—and for its competency to the £reat design for which it is conftruftcd, does honour to the architect.—The citizens of this metropolis, always diftinguiftied for their public spirit—have by their exertions in this inltance, added greatly to the lufire of their vftabhfhed FEDERAL CHARACTER.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers