Ax&lc itJurthfT e*nßti, That the benefit of clergy tail no*
It used or allowed, upon conviaion of any crime, for which, by
•iny statute of the United States, the pumfhmcnt 14 or shall be de
clared to be death.
Audit >t further trtißed, That no person or persons thall be pro.
Jccuted, tried or punished for trealon or other capital otfence a
jorefjid, will.)] murder or forgery excepted, unless tht indidl
ment lor the fame shall be found by a giand jury,' Within three
years next after the treason or capital sffence aforefaid (hall be
«one or committed ; nor shall any person be profceuted, tried'or
punilhed for any offence not capital, oor for any fine or forfeiture
unocr any penal ftatutr, unless the indictment or information for
«lje fame In .ill be found or instituted wuhift two years front the
time ot committing the offence, or incurring thefine or forfeiture
alofefaid -. Provided, That nothing herein contained ftiall extend
to any person or persons fleeing from justice.
And-te it further enaded, That the manner of inflicting the pu
inlhment of death, ihall be by hanging the person conv>aed by
-»he neck until dead. 1
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG,
. . Speaker oj the House oj Reprefevtatives.
JOHN ADAMS, Vice-President of the Untied States,
'"d Prejident of the Senate.
Apr*OVED, Anil THI THIRTIETH IJQO
GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prekdent of the Unit,d States
rui COPY)
THOMAS JEFFERSON, Secretary of Stmt.
THE TABLET.
*' TV advantage of study is often loft, by attending 10 too many
points at once."
Mr. Editor,
t AM so well pleased with a letter lately sent
i me by an ingenious correspondent, that I
■wish it may be communicated to the public, as a
number of the TABLET. It is on\a fubjetfl of
importance, and I hope the remarks of my friend
■will meet with approbation, as they appear to be
founded in reason and propriety.
FOR THE TABLET.
" probably know that I was admitted to
-1 the bar of our Courts in April i 781 ; and
certainly know that for a confiderablepart of the
time since, I have given my attention to philology,
.belles Lettres and ancient hiltory. Some part of
the tihie has been spent in travelling, and this
has been the inoft ufeful period of my life. You
know from a multitude of observations, how ma
ny errors in opinion and deep-rooted prejudices
grow up with the most vigorous genius, under
the molt advantageous fyilem of book education;
unless the person has an opportunity oftravelling
abroad. 1 frankly own this was iny cafe ; and 1
was two years abroad, before I could believe o
taer States as wife, as prosperous, and as happy
as my native State.
" I have finifhed my ramblings and set downin
my profeflion, in a place as healthy as North
America affords, on a public road, in a pleasant
fertile country, where commerce is flourifliin<r,
manufactures begin to thrive, and the company
ks as good as I deserve. Here I have reflected up
on the errors of my own education, and endea
vored to devise a better plan ; being rayfelf con
fident that I might have gained all my present
knowledge and learning in half the time, had
my studies and travels been conducted by a man
of experience and juit ideas.
" I have found by experience what my tutors
tfhonld have caught me, that the great error in
■our common method ofinftru<fting youth, is, that
■we permit them to read "without an objeit; that is,
•without 3.fpictfic particular object. We give them
a book to read ; and diretft thein generally to be
mailers of the fubjeA. But the object, in this
cafe, is so general, so indeterminate, as to make
little or no.impression upon the mind of the ftu
;dent. It is not particular enough to arrest his
curiosity ; or rather the indefinite view of the
object renders it iinpoliible for the attention to
be fixed upon any particular point. The person
who reads avolume of Hiftdry, or-Law, with this
.general view, loses three fourths of his labor.
" Toreadtoadvantajje, the whole attention of
a fttident jhould be called to one point at a time.
Let liim be diredted for instance to enquire into
the reformation in the lixteenth century, and at
a future day, to inform liis inftru<ftor, at what
time this great event took place, and what were
the particular political, commercial or other acci
dental circumstances which favored the progress
of it ; by what characters it was effeCied, and as- -j
terwards what were jts corifequences on the po
litical itaie of Europe. Let him then be directed
■what authors to examine, and the more he con
fnhs, provided they are of reputation, the fairer
chance he stands of finding and retaining the
truth. The student then would fix his attention
upon one objeiil ; the faifts as they iliould arise
to view would reft upon the mind and gradually
form a connected ltory, and the prospect of reci
ting the faifts to the inftru<ftor would impress
them uiore deeply on the memory. Thus the
student Ihould take every important era, event
or person by itfelf and enquire into the accounts
■which different writers have given of it; and not
read a book in course, as is done for ainufeinent,
or by persons reviewing their studies.
" If I fliould ever open an office for ftudentsin
Law, I could wifli them to prepare for this libe
ral study, by a year or two year's preparation in
the study of History. The common practice of
keeping them two or three years writing on
No. CXIII.
rJ" j
parchment, I consider, as an impofuionj wnsea
fonable and useless. Tlit forms of process may
as well be learnc in fix months, as in a longer
time ; and a student of law should be fotnething
more than a drudge. If Undents were previously
acquainted with Greek and Latin, 1 fhonld wish
them to read Herodotus, Thucydides and Xen
ophonj in Greek, and Livy, Casfar and Tacitus,
in Latin. The belt orators arid poets among
the ancients are read as clafiical books in our
colleges and schools ; but their historians, which
I deem the inoft valuable, are moltly negledled.
This is one of the modern errors of our public
education. Indeed To imperfectly do mod of our
schools teach the ancient languages, that few
of the ftudenrs can read the Greek and Roman
historians witheafeand advantage. For thisrea
fon, I should diredt them to take the bell compi
lations of ancient history jn Englifli, and diredl
them to attend to such parts of it as illustrate
the policy, manners, arts and literature of the
wife and celebrated republics of antiquity ; for
as to wars, they are the dry bones ofhiftory, and
a hungry man will hardly fatisfy his appetite
by picking them.
" In (hort I could wish that the flndies ofybuth
might be made to approach to pra&ice. A Jludcr\t
of history should read it, like the compiler ; lie
should take a (Ingle point of history, and consult
different jruthorities until he had made himfelf
master of it. A student of Law should read it
like an attorney ; he should take one point and
turn to his authorities for illustration, as if he
were preparing a cause for trial. I have found
this to be the only method in which I can read
to advantage myfelf; and perhaps my experience
may afford ufeful hints to others.
THE HUMANE HOWARD.
[The liberal and philanthropic are the denizens of at! countries—ar.d
from all countries are fntitled tc the tribute ofgratitude. J he benevolent
How a r vt—iohofe exertion« in relieving the prisoner bound in the dun*
" co . r ! arr) Violating the condition ojJervitude—and pouring the wine aitd
oil into the wounds r.ade by dife.ife, are as untvrrja/ly admired, as known
To his memory then are thefollowing lines dedieate'f]
ON HIS DEATH.
HOWARD, thy talk is done, thy mailer calls,
And fummonsthee from Cherson's diftjiit walls.
" Come, well-approved ! My faithful servant come !
No more a wand'rer, seek thy deftin'd home.
Long have I inark'd thee with o'er-rnling eye,
Ana sent admiring angels from on high,
To walk the paths of danger by thyGde,
From death to fbitld thee, and from fnarcs to guide.
MyminifUr of good, I've sped thy wjy,
And Oiot thro dungeon-glooms a leading ray,
To sooth, by thee, with kind unhop'd relief
My creatures loft—and whclin'd in guilt and grief r
I've led thee, ardent, nn thro world'ring climes,
To combat human woes, and human crimis,
Bui 'us enough—thy great fcomniilfion's o'e'r,
I prove thy faith, thy ze.l, thy love no more.
Nor droop, that far from country, kindled, friends,
1 hy hie to duty long devoted, ends ; *
What boots it wheie the high f ward is giv'n.
Or where the foul triumphant fpriim toHeav'n '•
(Majackufdts Cctilinel.)
CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTA HVES
THURSDAY, APRIL i.
The profwjititm ftr ajumihg the State debts under (onf, deration.
M Nr?v L VT N ?'K in r,ply l° Mr ' MOOr '' am extremely
K j y 'j Chairman,that anoihrr wo. thy colleague of mint
has rendered it necessary for me to rife in this' debate as I had
flattered myfelt that ray fcntim,ms had bee,, clearly expreflVdand
fully underlW when I (pokeon it the day before yclterday.and
explained to another of my worthy colleague yefterdav I he
owever the house will iidulge Je lor A" ioS { B \ "Z"
ion of this importance, when I seem to beperfonally called Soon
rut"* ™y° vn °P>»»ons, and in the peculiar predicament
ot differing from nine of my colleagues. I shall mnfin,
(elf entirely to anfwerirg the objrftions of the gentleman who
fpokelaft ; he too lias taken notice of what I fa.d refpe&inc the
weight of wealth laying towards (he sea coast of Virginia and the
weight of legislative influence to the weft ward- this he'has n ?
denied ; but lays that the articles of the treaty for the M vl' , r
Britilh debts, contrafled prior to the war ought to have b're n r °
plied With—that the honor of all America wa. conce. neH T"
complying with that orticle-and that therefore the gentleman
could not complain of the western influence in comolvini I
the expre sdefire of Congress, whose bufij."™^ftlfiTor
do°not C th 3' tr "'V' Sir 1 with him so lar"-
I do not complain that mv country patted ani ast for the fulfilment'
eonrJ rea '>' e,,terrd '" to h y the general government ; but. f„ )
conceive that a treaty has two fides to it. and that the ft. nulati
on both (ides ought to be literally TulGlkd. When a claufr w
introduced into that,ft to fnfpen'd the operatln of i mi, T
Brifilh government fhoisld MSI it c .n <beirp.„ t that the
pJiance might (fill go on when this was claimed as a jull.ce due to
hem by the debtors to the Britifl. natfon, who lay in the track Lf
the armies, who inhabited that part of the counhy toward, the
fta coast who had been deprived of their negro--, contrary to
treaty, and who were at the famt time State'creditors forfutl.ii I
njhea the armies ttj the United States. I alk that ,/„
ther this rpafonable propofltion for a suspension of the 'ast um'l
Congress might have time to remonstrate with the Britilh ™
mcnt for their relief, was not violently opp»fed by fh
fluence, who fuffercd none of these inconveniences, or bu a v « J
final) degree or proportion of them ? Sir, th.t gentleman wis
The gentleman acknowledges that the greater part of the ferviees
of the war and of the supplies, were drawn f rom theeaftem d
vifiono that (late; but that the welte.n alway, held themlelves i„"
,h llcd on - In this 1 Ks
flr '. th "' th " e were no citizens in the United States better
affefttd totne American cause than they were ; but lir does hi.
ZttnJ ' 1 haVC si " d ° tthC iu <Wtyof.he burthen
450
Your's sincerely,
M fve>> .V«- c moic fci i tr>\h tkt JUtt could thin pa\ the
en, they were content to receive tor "them wlrat thoy 'couW
Sir, 1 willgivea (hort hiftoryof this bulinefs : 1 own I am for™
to mention it, as it atfedts, in some lon, the credit ot the state to
which I helong ; hut 1 believeit will not befoUnd flu ilar Thcfe
■certificates were to be redeemed in the manner the worthy gentle
man mentions by calculation, in four, )ui or h-. years, I cannot
exa&ly remember which; bu: hv np remained • low; time previ
oits to the *6 urtnoticed or utilunded, bad lallen at low as i/6 in
the pound. This tax, in one or two years. aj,pr< i.ited therato
three or four flii!l.ng«. "Hits ."ipwecvtion was t nitid too burden
some lor those who were.., mail, Ideis; th- tax was.aswella.
my memory feives, leluned; and when at bit it was found that
they wire near.y ewuun,Khed or called in, they were made pays-",
blc in the airtarages ol taxrs iui; Jor several years back,and thus
never rofc, until the last arrears were paid in, to more than four
(hillings in the pound ; and thus was ihe property of those who
furnifticd the armies of the United States reimbursed thetn
Sir, I fprak feelingly on this liibjea : I was one of the fuffer.
ers, my conftituems are almost all fufterers in this mode. Sir
what I fay of myfelf, I wifti not to be understood as influencing
mv conduit on this floor: I fpurn'at the idea, if it (hould be en
tertained. On this floor I hope ] always act on enlarged and sc.
neral principles. ® *
Sir, the gentleman has mentioned what I said of emigrations -
and has aflTerted that, natwithftanding those emigrations, the
number of inhabitants who were to pay taxes in Virginia, had in
crcafed since the war, which he fays on a former occasion I ad
mined to be the cafe. I am sure, fir, I havr seen no document!
to confirm thtj gentleman's aflertion, nor can I conceive that 1 ever
aflenteS to such an one fat the time the fi\ingombe fe»{ of govern
ment was incontcmplation, or at any other time) as it refpefted
Virginia ; hut I verify believe the fact to be otherwise, unless the
gentleman a(Tures me from proper documents.
The gentleman (ays it is the intefeft yt Kentuckyandthe Weft,
em Country to tili'ume the .debt: It this b«- the cafe, fir, ]
much surprized that their rcprefi-ntntive* should be found arguini
so llrongly against what they :.(Tert to be thr iniereft of their con-
Itnuents. But, fir, it docs not become me to point out to them
their duty; I therefore left'* them to afrinthc manner they think
right, not doubting but tliey wt.'l in th» end do the best for their
condiments, as I think lain doing for mine, and for the unionat
large. lam so firmly persuaded of thi,. fir,, that lam willing to
' wh;u liulc r#ptii»i»on 1 may be pnlftfled hf as a politician on
the event, and not knowing the fenfc of my constituents on foim
portain a fobjeit, 1 shall veotuie to. support the opinions I have
Bdvincedl, keeping mv mind open lo convi&ion, and yielding to
• 'ear and unequivocal arguments when they are produced, that
will shew me that I am wrong.
! hope I have thus far exculpated mvfelf from the charge which
I rtii'j to be aimed at me, of having advanced opinions unfound
ed and erroneous.
I fliaii only lake notice of one ohfrrvation, with whichthe gen
tleman concluded : That in all political quetlinns he should be *o.
vemed in his vote by the principles of justice. I hope he will
C.iantablv suppose lam under the fame influence. But fir I
will conclude that justice is due from Congrels to the states, and
to the cnizcns of the Hate : This can onlv be done by eftabliih
ing credit on the brord and ftahle foundation of public faith to
the creditors ot the United States of every denomination.
L Smi T' l v( -) Iht gentleman (Mr. Moore) he said,
had altogether mi ft a ken the law of South-Carolina, he had noti
<efl, and its operation ! That law was intended to create a medi
um ot circulation, by way of loan or mortagage; ioc,oool. were
emitted lor that puipofe, all the specie of the country
exported and the dtir.efisgreatly diftrefTed forthe want of a rac
i r h ' hrn rcad thr P rc - ,n ble of the law and Come
ot the claures, to prove what he had said. Of the above futn not
et an ahnnt6o.oool. circulated in South-Carolina, the re
mainder having found its way into the neighbouring ftatu.
J he gent 1 -man was ecually mifinformed, when heobfcrvedtJiat
axes levied in that state had not been applied to thedilchargc
.laaebtr, brf: iad been oiverted into a different chamie'., Mr.
. mith r-ad a f'atemerit from the report of a committee of finance,
!! imposed from 1784 to 1789 to the 3.
nofr' O•" nv< " 3°°tCOO (f01ii..., annually, for the exprefj pur-
L i! C ,nl ". <f * <>n 'be debt contrasted by the «ar;
All I j e rR 'i l3l , P tnod upwards of a million and a hulfof
>; lars bad . ren funk ol the principal of the debt, by fairs of laod
ehfehar° ' i j'T* - d r< ' orc 3S R rfa ' exertions forthe
to the mlliri® f v u C f""' " V,r S inia - With rei'peft
nrrriati-1 'h A lr g' n ' a having l.een paid in money greatlv de
h/d not ,h< - South.Carolina beer, likewise
ohn Ia ? Had not some of the militia been life
then en, \a . k V 7 tW " the pound ? How
tnnia w • H propriety, that the militia of Vir
lin- ?Th h VT d '° P av '' u debts of those ol South-Cam.
Ant J i"T C ] T r l,m, . nvi| V tJ xed ever since the war?
fuml, y n °' 7 llWw 'th taxation, if the .f-
Ceorr a" l", "K g r" VC u ? haS bf ' C " faid > b V ,hc gentleman from
than theno ,h ur more to the import
on w„uM w" : Wa-no'tha.a Bmngargumcnt why theatfumr..
th '°, th " rc lh ' rs ?11 generally ackno,-
son? djf C ° n l " nt!n,: ' 1 drh,s were chiefly in the hands of per
son dwelling to the northward ol Potowmac j the greatest pro-
Z rL"r t >" r , drh ' S ; "' C r " nt " r >' on the south of
O the r, '' t,,crcforc ,h ; Southern states paid the greatest part
r ,T U V- Wa l' t "? tf r their that the afftimption
back in • aC . '/k 1 . Tne " l ' t ' ,e late creditors wouMdraw
which othcr^fr 1 ° 'u" r In . tcrcfts ' 1 proportion ofthat impiit
g ° alt0 S fth e' into the pocketsof the con
tinental cred tors ? It was undoubtedly an injury to theftatr.
whirh contributed molt to the r! j " j
fnnrrrc f , l »ipoft, to be drained of their re
ted ast P^ P "^"; Whorcr,dr d thole states which contribu-
Secrctarv d' , ° i"" 5 va fi"us articles reported bv the
wy calcul i H " 0t ? PP r y in Ulis fta S e of thc That report
funded w „1, f V 'be bonfe that the state debts could be
of the hunle -h" ol i!' n s "j ta xation; it was in the power
thof which'fh Uk le f ndsw | er s under consideration, to reje3
He could -° U w ° ur m j u riou» f and to fabftitute others,
"d in n/ hOV r CVCr ' in remark that persons intereft
lieved ir, nf! "" 1° rllicw manufacture were to be be
couJd he urid ' 'ft nC J 'k Secretary, who was difmtcreftcd-, nor
which in On, ' 'he mconfiftency of the petition alluded to,
ihem .» d r ar »^ Ct , or . l^at ,e duty would be oppieflive to
nuc ' H' r u that J t WOuld Produce nothing to the reve
a-'iinft whi I '"" ' e was no ooflible objeif of revenue,
'he a mend me r f not complain. As to
bad himfelf 'he member from that state
vention me- nt ' 3rC j w° u ld not undertake to fay the con
carried that m° ?" l? a ' nft thc assumption.but that the words
men, could TT'' n? -, \ h,s mi S ht be true, and yettheamend
fumotion wa. ° ap P[-'' because the house had been told theaf
ment was fr * ""7" fought of ill that state at the time theamend
aTainft .b/ r - U hce " f " d . 'hat a, North-Carolinawa.
be 'efted V, 7u P - l, ° n ' " was a Efficient reafonwhy it (hould not
was rcnicrnKf .a 'l W3 f a i° ext "Ordinary declaration, when it
desirous of it" ' 1 ' >CCn to ' d that South-Carolina being
the inclinatiorT'f "° a Z be adopted, and that
'v'l there Was T ? a ' C d not prevail with Congrcfs. Sure-
Hate was in fa, r reason why it (hould be agreed to if ona
state was <r;' ° 'i L aS ' C " lou ' c ' be rejefled because one
'hmkThat fTn. Thc S «'e<ary, it had been said, seemed ,0
take place • Tlw'YT' Was an event whtch -.vopld not certainly
unauc-ftionaKl I c m , cnt or without an afiumption, wouli
pXy::mtk y stha a t^ dCd WUh aod the "*
fcttlenunt alter the °' n wb'ch can be made to a
>0,-« to pZr n,ch dors ;iot with c<iu,!