"f ROM fHEFRdri'DKNCE CAZETtE.
To the Fusimen of the Town of Providence
Full many a of purest ray serene,
il Thejdark uiiiaihom'd caves of Ocean bear;
44 Fuli-many a flower is. born to blush unseen,
44 And wefte iu fweetnefvon the defart air.
0\ Monday next the petition of a number of rcfpeftablc in
habitants, preferred to the lait 'I own-Meeting, will be
cblcufT-d, and the report ot your School Committee heard.
An object of such importance demands attention. Patriotism
and charily nuift awake the attention of the rich and the poor.
Let all riflc£lon ihe great and-maoiftft advantages, to be de
rived from aii adoption of the ineafure proposed by the petition.
Lit the pariotifm of all induce them zcaloufly to forward an at
tempt to feeurc'our political felicity. by giving to the riling ge
neration the means of acquiring a knowledge of ihe nature of
civil libcity. and of the meafuies to be adopted to perpetuate
the enjoymeftt of it.
A system, giving to all equal opportunity for the acquisition
of knowledge, would tend more toward eftab'.ifhing in practice
the theoretical rights of men, than all our Constitutions or Bills
ot Rights. The savage is interior to the citizen in proportion to
their advantages in point of education.
The fame cause, in civilized life, works the famr difference.
The son of the rich man, enjoying all poflible afliftances from
inftruttors und books, is more powerful in mental acquisitions
than the son of the poor man, from whom the hand of penury,
and the coldness of charity have withheld the means of per
fecting his powers.
Had the latter poflfffed equal advantages he had, perhaps,
demonstrated to the world, that not birth and rank, but educa
tion and merit, produce in society the only rational inequality.
All other inequalities should, if poflibie, be remedied; but
never can be remedied, while children, at the firft dawn of rea
son, and through their whole lives, fee such diftin&ions as now
prevail in point of education, The unhappy being, who finds
his inftrii&ion neglc&ed and discouraged by the world, must
surely think, that nothing ufeful could be expe&ed from him, or
that inftru&ion had no power over the faculties of his foul.
Is he in fafcfc a genius of thefirft rank ?—He will then either waste
his powers m indolence—or, from the irrcfiflible efforts of his
genius to activity, will become great in vice, and fall abhorred
by the virtuous, a miserable example of the depravity of man
On the present system of education, the mental powers of
nbout a third part only of its citizens arc ever known to society.
arc not even tried. I rom this third part alone can the
r-(.#ple choose their magiftratcs, or fill up the proleflions of the
libera! arts.
In cafe a plan could be devised, by which the whole rising ge
neration might be placed nearly on a level in the means of ac
quiring knowledge, they would proceed equably, till by the
operation of an emulative ambition thenaturul and rational ine
quality should be produced.
Here every genius would be tried—every faculty exercifcd —
every talent exerted—the mod brilliant and ufeful discovered—
and the body of men best qualified for the discharge of important
duties fclc&ed, not from a third part only, but from the tvhole.
Upon a plan of this fort, the superior mind, which on the pre
sent system is loft to the world, would come forward to his
station, which might otherwise be occupied by his natural inferior
To d iffufe a general knowledge of the moll ufeful learning—
to place in such a situation the native diamond, olt enciufted with
ignorance, that the fplcndour of its rays may add lustre to out
day, i.l the object of the plan to be preferred on Monday by your
School.Committee. By this plan a general system is proposed to
be carried into effect, at the expence and under the direction of
the town, by which all the children of the inhabitants will re
ceive inftru£tiou in the fame fckools. This is not to be merely a
I'tee School, to which those whose pride will permit them to ac
knowledge their poverty may fend their children, foinetimes to.
be taught, and oftener to be abused. This is to be instituted on
the broad b?'.is of republican principles. Here all the young
fre en (hall for once be equal; they will here all be inftru&ed,
arc' alike inftru&ed, at the town's expence.—Here, placed at one
fourm ,the children of thehumbleand of the high shall make trial
of their genius ; and at the termination of their exertions, the
f- holar shall be compensated by the value of his acquisitions, and
the appJaule of hisiownfmen.
This is no v fionar) fchemc ; it is pot the offspring of a heated
imagination, or an itch for novelty. It is framed byourwifeft
citizen , as an improvement on a plan long ago adopted, and fuc
et fsfully adhered to, in other places, celebrated for their love of
freedom and good government.
Sec its effe&s in the town of Boston : I am credibly informed,
that ai: lead fix out of eight of their principal llatefmep, magis
trates, lawyers and divines, owe the loundation of their eminence
to schools of this kind. Without the aid of these, their parents,
perhaps from poverty, had given them no education, or from
ignorance of their talents had negle£ted to cherish them.
From the latter cause, frequently arises a most deplorable
left of genius : But give the parent an opportunity to discover,
without expense, the abilities of his child, and if the experiment
lucceeds agreeable to his wifnes, he will use every exertion to
forward his education, and thus from accident at firft, and a cer
tain parental pride or tenderness afterwards, his country maybe
benefited by a sage philosopher, or a wife politician.
My indulgent fellow-citizens will paidon the liberty I have
taken, while I only add, that it is my earnest request, and in
which I am joined by a very great number of more ancient and
influential chara&ers than myfelf, that every free male inhabitant,
heads of families in a more especial manner, would lay aside other
concerns, and attend on the Town-Meeting next Monday, in the
afternoon, to consider and decide on the important measure of
cftablifhing Tmvr-School's Tme Shade of Busby.
FROM THE VERMONT GAZETTE.
QUALIFICATIONS which a Representative to Congress
A ought to poflfefs.
Sufficient common intcreft with his constituents.
2. A general acquaintance with their interests and feelings.
3. He l3iou!d be a man of integrity ftrmnefs and honor.
4 He should have information, and talents to communicate
that information with ease and propriety.
,5- He should sustain the charaftcr of being faithful to his em
ployes, and pri fevering in his measures; not easily diverted from
his course. The pilot, who veers about with cveiy gufl of wind,
will inrvirably endanger the Ihip.
6. He should however have wisdom to direst, and candor to
influence him in every mcalure.
7. He should be able to remember where he came from and to
know where he has got to.
Should any man without proper qualifications procure himfelT
to be clitlcd. I will venture to prcd i£t, that he within two years
will find hinifclf in a very public place without his bieeches.
\ ,\ 1. L Li O 1 t
SOME few years since, a counsellor Vanlittart, went the Oxford
circuit, and that eminent and facetious counsellor, Mr. Bcar
crolt, went the fain- circuit. Mr. Bcarcroft one day, in his usual
droll manner, told Vanfitfart, he thought his name was rather too
long, ind tedious to pronounce : «' Snppofe, for (honnefs, we
ii.;ree to call you Kfiir. and leave out fitUrt." "With all my
fceait (fays Vanfutari) if you'll do the- fame—ftiike off (he croft,
Arid let us call vol Jiesr."
/ROM THE GENERAL ADVERTISE P.
THERE arc situations in life, which, being confpicunus and
elevated: never fail to bring with them as attendants,—-
envy and jealousy. It will be needless to enquire into the ettetts
which fp'iiig from thel'e interrftcd, refllefs and black paiiions. It
is well kndwn, that those whose hearts are tainted with them, are
watchful and tagle-eyed, and that thev donot always miss, with
their pernicious darts, of wounding the most upright aud patri
otic. A If
There are others who may appear, from their (ration in li e,
to be divested of these corroding pEflions, or at least to have no
motive originally of their own, but (till, from a desire to fuppoit
iheir favorites, or from mere wantonnefs, or a kind ol sportive
malignity, will join the reft in a hue and cry, till the object of
their chace"is well worried, or altogether deftroved. It is the
latter, by being most uu»iero6s, that are to be dreaded. The
former give the signal, an,d if they are powerful, enough will
join their standard.
Although success does not always crown men of the above de
scription, and happy for mankindthat it is so : yet it cannot fail of
being frequently produ&ive of bad conlequences to the person on
whom the attack is made. mult at 'east fuffer for a
while—and why (hould innoccnce bear with one pang inflicted
by the hands of that demon —Envy? Such however, is the lot
of mortals, that to live is to fuffer. But let us hope for the best.
We have seen the people artfully, and with uncommon peifevc
rance, milled for a time; but no sooner has reason and cool en
quiry resumed her jufl station, than the man whose reputation
was but the other day blasted, rises in estimation, as his integity
and patriotism are known and understood, to the shame and con
fufion of his enemies.
A man whose early and decided conduct in the cause ef his
country, whole great learning and abilities are acknowledged even
by his oppofers—a man whose integrity, probity and patriotism,
havefecured, and as fhey ate still in exiftertce, will continue to
fecute the approbation of his country—a man whose disinterest
edness, mildness, and native t good disposition—l fay, this man,
and with these qualities, which ought at lea ft to have procured
him civility, has, in the most open and unprovoked manner,
been loaded with a torrent of abuse. His oppofers, in the most
dogmatical manner have averted him to be the author of a reply
to Mr. Paine's rights of Man. The author, in his last number,
has in the most unequivocalterms declared that the Vice President
had no concern whatever in the publication. His adverfarics,
therefore, ought to be covered with confufion, and the public
fiiould resent the injury done to a faithful old servant. Notwith
standing the declaration of Publicola, there are those who afFedt to
believe the Vice President still to be the author, vainly hoping, by
this feint, to gain a littlerefpite from the shock that this unto
ward circumftanee has thrown them into. To them no doubt it
has been a most unfortunate discovery ! Their pens wcre'already
dipped in the gall, and they were refolded to employ the re
mainder of thefummer in exhausting theftock.
WARSAW, May n.
THE revolution To happily begun, will, ac
cording to all appearance, be completely
consolidated, without violence or tumult.
At Lnbiii, indeed, a weak, ineffectual shew of
opposition to it, has been discovered ; but in
Great-Poland, all ranks and degrees of men ap
plaud it with transport.
On the Bth inft. the King, accompanied by all
the Senators, Miniflers and officers of the crown,
went on Horseback to the church of the Holy
Cross, between multitudes of the citizens and o
thers, by whom the itreets were lined. The
air was rent by acclamations of Vive Is Roi, Vive
la Nation !
CO I N A,ta fe OF si NGLA ND.
The total amount of Gold coined the
present reign, up to the last trial of in
1782, (adding to the above, the money coined
from the year 1 760, to the time of the Proclama
tion in 1774) was, in Guineas, 874, io6lb. Troy;
in Half Guineas 96,2551b. and in Quarter Gui
neas (coined in the year 1762) 6,3811b. the va
lue of which is—
Guineas
Half Guineas
Quarter Guineas
Total Gold
Silver coined during the
fame time, 22,1321b.
Upwards of forty-five millions and a half, in
the space of left than thirty years; betides the
quantity of the coin of former Kings now cur
rent, of which it would be difficult to make any
calculation.
The following is an authentic account of the
nett produce of the Taxes, confuting of Customs,
Excise, Stamps, and Incidents, paid into ihe Ex
chequer from Jan. sth, 1786, to Jan. sth, I 791.
Taxes from £. s. d.
Jan. 5, 1786, to Jan. 5, 1787, 12,389,555 1 1
Jan. 5, 1787, to Jan. 5, 1788, 12,923,134 172
Jan. 5, 1788, to Jan. 5, 1789, 13,007,642 18 4
Jan. 5, 1789, to Jan. 5, 1790, 13,433,063 11 3
Jan. 5, 1790, to Jan. 5, I 79 r > M>°72,97 8 19 7
To these add the yearly amount of
land and malt taxes, not included
in the above, 2,700,000 o o
Hence it is clear, that the public income for
the last year amounted to the altoniftiing
sum of nearly Seventeen Millions ! Taking,
therefore, Fifteen Millioris for the average ex
penditure of the year, there will be a surplus of
almost Two Millions towards the liquidation of
the National Debt.
VATES.
This statement exhibits such a progreffional in
cre;afe of revenue as pvomifes to alleviate the
public burthens, and to advance the country to
a Hate of unexampled splendor and prosperity.
118
Anti-Calumni ATOR.
L O N D O N, May 31.
40,842,602 i 4 o
4.497,514 7 o
298,152 7 6
45,638,269 8 6
68,609 9 2
45,706,878 17 8
The difference in the produce of the Toba
revenue, between the last and preceding yel?,
exceeds ioo,oool. ® /*•«*>:>
Of the benefits anfing from the extension of
the Excise upon Wines, the public will iudt,
when they are informed, that there were but
19,000 pipes of port imported into this kimrthJ
in 1786, and in the last year above 42 000
yet If range to tell ! there was as much wine tin
der the denomination of pore thought to be
drank then as now.
Accounts were received ycfterday at the Se.
cretary of State's o!iice, by way of France, that
the plague rages with dreadful havoc in that part
of Turkey next to the Medi terranenn, insomuch
that in a small diltiict, a thousand persons have
died in a day.
June 6. The press upon the river has, within
rhefe few rights, been much left acftive than so
several weeks before.
Notwithflanding'the assertions in fonie of the
prints to the contrary, we are allured that the
last dispatches from Berlin, which arrived oh
VVednel'day, are not of a pacific tendency. -
Letters from Petersburg bring accounts of the
astonishing activity with which the Empress has
prepared her fleets. All the British officers in
her service have been replaced by French gen
tlemen, on the recommendation of the Prince of
Nafiau.
According to the last account*, the Ruffian
forces consisted ps 537,898 men.
June 12. A letter from Portfniouth, June 6,
fays, " It the negociation carrying on with Ruf
lia does not take a different turn from what is
at present apprehended, part of the fleet will
fail for Leith Roads thefirft fair wind after Wed
nesday next."
A letter from Pott/mouth, dated June 1, fays,
" a most has been prevented
here by a : a plan having been
formed to fire our dock yards, by means of fo
reign incendiaries sent to this country for that
purpose. An express received by the Commissi
oner, brought intelligence of the plot, with or
ders to take every precaution for the security of
the dock yards and arsenals."
The popular roast at prefenton board the fleet
at Spithead, is, " Perseverance to the Empress
of Russia."
TranJJatid for the Independent Gazetteer.
C A P E• F R A NCOIS, Jult 7,
THE black and white cockades will not tak: ; it
seems that thole which appeared onTuefday last
at the Theatre were only put on for an experi-
ment
Some citizens in the gallery of the Provincial-
Aflembly moved to fend back to Bourdeaux, the
firft cargo of Negroes which (hould enter info
this port from thence : A number of othermotions
were made, which appeared dilated by despair.
The President represented in the pame of the
Aflembly, that t(fe Colony alone had a right to
express the people's sense of the measure. He
informed them, that notice had been fenc to all
the parilhes of the decree of the ijth of May.
Some members moved addrefles to the National
Aflembly, but nothing was deliberated upon.
An Address of the Merchants of Bordeaux,
to the Chambers of Commerce and Merchants of
the French Colonies, on the fubjed; of the decree
of the National Aflembly refpedting the Negroes
and Mulattoes, born o'f free parents, has been
received.—lt is couched in patriotic terms, and
breathes a truly conciliatory spirit.— and recom
mends an acquiescence in the Decree, as " a law
juit ill its principles, beneficent in its dispositions,
and irrevocable as the conflitution of the tmptre.
The Provincial Aflembly of the north has de
creed, that addrefl'es (hould be sent to the Na
tional Aflembly, to the directory of the depart
ment of Gironde (of which Bordeaux is the ca
pital) andall the chambers of comwerxe in France.
All those addrefles will tend
ecution of the decree of the 15th of May, would
prove hurtful to the security and prosperity of
St. Domingo. _
The white and black cockades have difappearen,
j but the greatest part of the citizens have laid by
the national cockade.
The free peeple of colour are quiet. The or
der of the Board of Police, against diftorbers or
the public peace, has eased the minds of tb° e
who were the molt alarmed, and the greate
circutnfpeiflion has taken with them the place o
their former terror.
There is now at tiie Cape, and in man) ot
pariflies of the province of the north, jit °
party. The citizens who refpefted The ec
of the National Afletnbly, and thoie « i°' . .
cuted them after their own manner, ' ]av £, ~
acainft: the decree of the 15th ofMay. Ie
vernor, who, in the eyes of many per oi.s,,
confidercd as an Aristocrat. has pleaie e )
by manifeftins; in his letter to the in"" e <
sentiments refpetfting the National La"s co
ii) 2 the colonies.
O
June 5