the cafe was reversed. Or if part of the States
ihould be invaded and overrun by ail enemy, it
would be thought necedary to levy on the reft
heavy taxes, and collect them in a short period,
and to take flock, grain and other articles from
the citizens without their consent, for common
defence ; but in a time of peace and fafety such
measures would be supposed unnecef'ary. In
itances may be multiplied in other refpetts ; but
it is conceived thr-t these are fufticient to fliew
that the popular and general meaning of the
word " neceflary" varies according to the fubjedt
and circuinftances.
The second rule of interpretation relates to the
context, and the Judge conceives that " if words
are (till dubious, we may establish their meaning
by the context; thus the preamble is often called
in to help the conftruc r tion of an act of parlia
ment." The constitution in the prefenc cafe is
the great law of the people, who are themselves
the sovereign legislature; and the preamble is in
tliefe words—" We, the people of the United
States, in order to form a more perfecfl union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, pro
vide for the common defence, promote the gene
ral welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and estab
lish this Constitution for the United States of Ame-
rica."
These are the great objeds for which the con
stitution was established, and in administering it,
we fliould always keep them in view. And here
it is remarkable, that altho' " common defence
and genera] welfare" are held up in the pream
ble amongst the primary objetfis of attention,
they are again mentioned in the Bth fetfion of
the firft article, whereby we are enjoined in le
vying taxes, duties, &c. particularly to regard
" the common defence and general welfare;"
indeed common sense di<slates the measure; for
the security of jour property, families, and liber
ty—of every thing dear to us, depends on our
ability to defend them. The means, therefore,
for attaining this object, we ought not to omit a
year, month, or even a day, if we could avoid it,
and we are never provided for defence unless
prepared for sudden emergencies. Should go
vernment be surprized in this cafe, it would be as
dishonorable as for a general to be surprized in a
state of warfare, and the event to the community
may be much more fatal. If provision then for
sudden emergencies is indifpenfible, it must be
evident that it will depend in a great measure on
the ability of government to command at all
times, for this purpose, a fufficient sum of money,
which is justly denominated the sinews of war ;
and how is this to be efFe<sied —by cmifions of
bills of credit ?—During the revolution, bills of
credit, it must be acknowledged, have done won
ders ; they have, in confliifi with the banks, trea
sury and public cred.it of Great-Britain, risen su
perior to them all, and have lince died a natural
death. We have honored them with a funeral
pile ; we now bid peace to their manes, and de
voutly hope that bills of credit will forever be
extinrfi in the United States. Are we to depend
then on taxes for commanding money in cases of
urgent neceflity ? These, as has been fliewn by
other gentlemen, will be too flow in their opera
tions, unlels, indeed, we should levy a tax for
drawing into, and locking up in the treasury,
three or four millions of dollars—a law which
would be universally considered as unneceflary
and improper.
By loans, and loans only, can provision be made
for sudden emergencies : But if loans fliould be
made previoujly to an emergency, the people
would be unnecessarily burthened by the inter
est: thereof and molt of the other evils would en
sue that would arise from previous taxes ; and if
they were to be made at an emergency, without
previous arrangements, of whom are we to bor
row ? of individuals ?—Thefe cannot be depend
ed on, as has been fully proved by our own ex
perience at the commencement of the revolu
tion.—Are we to apply to the hank already ef
tablilhed in the States for loans ? These can 110
more be depended on than individuals; for stock
holders having not more attachment to govern
ment: than other citizens, would in cases of pub
lic danger attend to the preservation of their
property by other means than loaning it to go
vernment. And moreover the united capitals of
all the banks existing in the union, would be in
efficient for government, for they do not amount
to a million and an half of dollars, and only a
part of this could in any cafe be reasonably ex
peified on loan.
Are we to apply to foreign banks or individu
als ? These, as has been ihewn, are too remote ;
and if not, we have not been able, without the
assistance of an ally to obtain foreign loans dur
ing the war, and perhaps the (fewer in whose as
sistance we may rely, would be hortile to us.—
Such dependance then as has been stated would
neceflarily leave us in a deplorable state—and it
mult be evident that a previous arrangement to
aid loans in cases of sudden emergency, is neces
sary and proper in the general and popular use
of the term, inasmuch as any other measure that
Cotigrefs can adopt would be inadequate to the
purpose of common defence—and what previous
arrangement can we make so proper as that ot a
NATIONAL BANK ? If gentlemen in the op
poficion know of any, let them produce it, and
let the merits of it be inveftigated—for il is un
reasonable to propose a rejection of this plan,
without producing a better. The plan proposed
by the Secretary of the Treasury, which is now
thefubjeft of difcuflion, does honor, like all his
other measures, both to his head and heart ; it
will be mutually beneficial to the llockholders
and to government, and consequently so to the
people. The rs by this plan will be
deeply intereUed in supporting government ; be
cause three quarters of their capital confiding of
funded certificates depend on theexiftence ofrhe
government, which therefore is the prop of their
capital, the main pillar that supports the bank :
Again, the credit of government, which is imma
terial to the other banks, is ellential to the na
tional bank, for the annual intereflof three quar
ters of its capital, which molt form a great (hare
of its profits, will depend altogether on the cre
dit ofgovernment, and produce, on the part of
the llockholders, the strongest attachment to it.
On the other hand, it will be for the interest of
government to support the bank, as well on ac
count of the benefits which the public will gener
ally derive from the institution, and the profits
arising from the shares of government in the
flock which will be hereafter noticed, as of the
supplies of money which it will be for the interest
of the bankto furnilh in cases of urgent necessity.
Whenever theft exifl Congress may lay a tax for
supplying the treasury, and anticipate it with
certainty, by means of the national bank. It be
ing then our duty to provide for the common de
fence in cases of emergency, the provision must
evidently be made by taxes, loans, or by arrange
ments for obtaining the latter on the earliefl no
tice—and previous taxes and loans being oppres
sive, improper and unneceflary, the arrangements
for aiding loans become indifpenfable,and a bank,
of consequence, neceflary and constitutional.
(To be continued.)
FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES.
SONNET IV
AdOWN the melancholy stream oflife
Who joys the veffcl of his Years to guide ?
Nor fears the roarings of th' incertain tide,
The inclement Winter, or the Ocean's ftrife ?
And who, regardful of his certain end,
Can bear the inccflant struggles of his Youth ;
Force thro enticement to an age of truth ;
And welcomc Death as freely as his friend ?
Who, that when Poverty's torpedo hand
fcbs chill'd even Charity's lost-answering foul;
When green-eyed Malice hunts him thro the land,
Can i'mile serene, superior to the whole ?
He, who the paths of Re&itude has trod—
His friends—his life, his conscience, and his God.
LONDON, February 15
DIED last: week, a Mr. David Davies, a native
of Montgomeryfliire in Wales; in a certain
part of which county, he had given directions
that he (hould be buried, and ordered in his will
one (hilling to be given to every person attend
ing his funeral. This extraordinary bequest be
ing previously publiftied about, no less than one
thousand and thirty persons from off the moun
tains ailembled on this (to them) joyful occahon,
and received an English /hilling each.
A Jamaica Creole, belonging to the revolution
society, and who has resided Some years in Lon
don, was the other day arguing on the impro
priety of this nation styling their monarch "King
of France —And pray, fir, what would you fub
llitute in the room thereof? said another mem
ber.—What would 1 substitute ? cried the other
—Why, I would call him, King of Great-Britain,
Ireland, and Jamaica —three of the noblelt isl
ands in the univerl'e !
In Paris now, the business of the nation is
tranfaded totally in the clubs patriotic and mo
narchic—the latter are now so lerioufly augment
ed, that in number they exceed the Jacobins.
Lord Stanhope and Dr. Price are performing,
amidst the greatelt bursts of laughter, upon the
French Theatre, almost every evening.
Varna, where the great part of the Ruffian
and Turkish forces are afiembled, is 145 miles
north-weft of Constantinople.
The words in Dr. Johnson's dictionary amount
to ! Mr. Croft promises to add upwards of
elevensthoufand more ; —and yetourparliament
ary speakers preface with a—"'Mr. Speaker, 1
want words !"
The Archbishop of Canterbury waited on Mr.
Burke some days ago as Metropolitan, formally
to present to him the thanks of the Established
Church, for his invaluable work on the French
revolution.
DUBLIN, February 10.
Amongftthe many proofs which are daily adduced of the pro
grcflive increase of tillage, it may not be amiss to inform our read
ers,that in the couifc of last week, upwards of seven thousand
barrels of oats were purchafcd by the merchants of XVaterford,
for exportation.
810
ELLA
PARIS, February y.
The intended journey of the King's aunts ftm
occupies public attention. The democrats » 1
have it they were going for Turin, immediate']!
to join the royalists. The old women of this c
ty go further, and declare they were to have
headed a party that were to have attacked th*
frontiers.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF FRANCE
January 2J.
The fitting of tliis evening was more tempest.
ous and di(orderly, even to indecency, than any
that has of late disgraced the majority 0 f a d e |j_
berative Aflembly. The devoted Ecclesiastics
driven to despair, by every poflible mode fought
to impede the progress of the measure propo'led
by the Ecclesiastical committee; it was however
carried at length.—The purport is as follows
" The Aflembly decrees, that the law ofD e .
cember 26, ordering the replacement of f uc |,
Ecclesiastics (Fontftionnaire Publics) as (hall re.
fufe the oath, is to be carried into efFetfl by the
adminiftrant bodies and the municipalities; with
exception however, to such cases as fall within
the compass of the articles marked 6, 7, and Bos
that law, which are cognizable by the tribunals
Approves the particular conduct of the direction
in the department of the Somme, and charges
that body with the fulfilment of these its legal
functions."
M. Maury, with infinite verfatilityand addrefj
(irritat, mulcet falfis terroribus implet,) endea
voured to defeat so dangerous a consignment of
authority over spirituals tending even to the de
privation of all religious rites, if the noncontor
mifts were displaced before fuccelTors were selec
ted ; but it was all in vain. At length the en
raged party, in retaliation, denounced theclub
(tiled Jacobins, to be a nest of murderous ruf
fians, limiting with their pack, the people, a
persecuted order to deftrudlion.
The president continually interposed, but the
hall was :n the extreme of anarchy presenting
neither the wisdom of the senators nor the lan
guage of gentlemen.
I O
LIVERPOOL, February j.
The quantity of tea for the next East-India
House sale, amounts to four millions eight hun
dred pounds weight.
The general average price of wheat through
out England and Wales, by last return, was fix
(hillings and two pence half penny per buihel.
One of the fad effects of forgetfalnefs.—A re
sident of Howarden, in Fintfhire, lately employ
ed a friend, who had business in Chester, to put
a letter into the poft-ofHce for him. He accord
ingly went, and returned home with the letter
fiiug in his pocket, though unluckily out of hi»
head. A few days after, vvhilit in company,
taking some papers out of his pocket, the letter
presented itfelf in a very foiled {tate, and, ad
ding imprudence to reniiffnefs, he committed it
to the flames, fayincr his friend could Coon write
another. But how mutually agreeable mnft have
been the furprizeof one hearing the fate of bis
letter, and the other, that it contained a bank
note of jol.
When arsenic, or cerrofive sublimate, has been
incotifiderately swallowed, a solution of common
pot or pearl allies, or any other alkaline fait giv
en after, renders it nearly harmless. Two or
three absolute proofs of tliishave been madepnblic
and in one instance recorded, nearly half an ounce
of the sublimate had been intentionally swal
lowed.
CHARLESTON, March 24.
Yellerday between twelve and one o'clock,
was executed pursuant to his sentence, Thomas
Walfli, who has long been known in this state
and Georgia, by the appellation of major Wash
ington, for counterfeiting the indents iflued by
the authority of this state. His countenance was
sickly, but his demeanor manly, and would have
suited a conscience void of offence. At a few mi
nutes past twelve, he ascended the fcafFold, at
tended by the officers of execution ; and was af
filed in his devotions by the Rev. Dr. Keating,
pastor of the Roman Catholic church, to whom,
as we are informed, he had confeff'ed that hi'
name was Walfh, and was born of a refpeiftable
family in Ireland ; that he had not profefled an/
religious perfnafion for a series of years, but as
he had been baptized agreeably to the rites of
the church of Rome, he wished to die a Catholic -
At the conclusion of his devotions hewasalked
by the Iheriffif he had any thing to fay—he re
plied, nothing more than he had already decla
red, that in this business he died innocently.
He mentioned that he had been indisposed since
the day before, and intreated the multitude not
to attribute his sickly countenance to the fear ot
death ; for as he died innocent, he trusted, he
(hould also die brave. "As Chriflrdied upon the
cross forgiving his enemies, so I forgive mine-
He politely waved his hand to the crowd and faidj
" Good day gentlemen then ilepping forwar
on the deadfall, he pulled the cap over his
faying " col. Ofbarne, I am readyand wa->
immediately launched into eternity.