A NATIONAL PAPER, PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 69, HIGH-STREET, PHILADELPHIA
[No. 88, of Vol. lII.] Wednesday, February 29, 1792.
FOR THE GAZFTTE OF THE UNITED STATES.
IF a people are to be governed by force, perhaps they cannot
know too little—the moic ignorance, the more peace and 4111-
etuefi. But in a free country, the people in effc£t govern them
selves. The more knowledge is spread among them, the better.
The reason and good sense ot the public, make the i*fic light to
those who administer its affairs.
Experience haj verified, and is every day confirming thcrfe ob
servations. We are to thank the good (rnfe ot the great bodv ot
the American nation for the happy constitution we enjov. T'ie
people saw and felt the neceflity of a fnmer governmrnt, and their
imderlhndings approved the plan which was submitted to their
eonfideration? All Europe saw with aftonifhmcnt a whole peo
ple quietly reasoning down a deleflive government, and matur
ing a revolution which has diffuf d a lustre on the national charac
ter. As no other people ever did the like, it may not be deemed
arrogant to conclude, that no nation has been Co generally well
informed as to admit o{ it. The latt does more honor to the great
body of our citizens, than victorious fleets and armies ever pro
cured for a nation.
These reflexions afford all the hope we have of the continuance
and profperitv of the national government. At this time, it is
peculiarly consoling to a friend of the country to recoiled* these
ta&s, so honorable to our citizens. For the number and nature of
the late publications against the government and its mealutes,ma
ny of them finally virulent in their Spirit, and profligately bold
in their aspersions, would have an alarming influence upon public
order and tranquility, if our countiymen in general were not great
ly superior both in virtue and discernment to these writers. But
as the good sense of the people caused the government to have a
bring, it may he relied on to support it. It is only necessary to
•warn them that men are not wanting who would destroy it if they
could. Indeed if the numerous writers against its measures bt
their own charges, they may be excused for theattempt. If! rum
its funding law, from the impure fountains of corruption and {pe
culation, flow Jlreams which will poison your country and your prospe
rity, if under the fin&ion of that law plans of opprefjion are laid, equal
ly injurious to the general welfare as any firaflifed under the BntiJ/i ju~
rifdiftion, if tho you took up arms againjl opprefjion, you are (as it is
inftnuated) read\ bridled andf-tddledfor your reprefentatwey, with whips
in their hands, to ride you from one end. of the United States to the other,
The inference is natural and wai rantable, that these writers wilh
to deftmy the government which is the cause of all this evil.
The rvewfpapers have poured fort>h a torrent like the foul Oeci
ipcn.given above. Men of sense and virtue read these effufions
with proper contempt. Theydeferve to be further diicounte
n a need—for tho the public is too well informed to be imposed
upon by these means, yet there is a disgrace fullered by their pub
lication. The moral state of a country may be known, and it is
also considerably influenced by the manner in which political de
putes are managed.
If the chargesagainft men and measures are ufuarllv made tem
perately and supported by argument, you may be iure the people
are thought capable of conviction by those means, and by no o
ther. Th.c people are some improved, and not the worse served
in conference. But when the basest suspicions are insinuated
without any proof, and the moil absurd and unfounded afTcrtions
are solemnly made, the writers mull depend for fucccfs upon the
bafeuels of their readers. The worst of men are the moll ealy to
believe eil repons. If truth is treated with total in
the public papers, no man will doubt that the tendency is perni
cious to morals. The public are in dar.ger of being cjrrupied by
the daily example of men who let their paftions loole, and exert
all their faculties to communicate them to tneir rcadeis. It isthe
business of education to subdue the violent paflions. With every
precaution they are apt enough to run to excess. But this is a
course of v cious education to inipire the fharpell resentments in
the readers brcafts, and to indulge them by t?»e facrificc of the ob
je£U yf thern.
There are some falfhoods which affront the reader by their
grolTnefs. Tlvey (hew bow little the writer refpeds him or h>s
undemanding. A writer in a late infLmmatory production,fays,
" The public debt became so great by the meaiures of the fpecu
-44 latorsto enhance the nominal value of the certificates in their
44 potlcflion. Who can believe (fays he) that they could have a
-44 lifeu to a $th, or even a lOth ot the magnitude, without the in
-44 terference of a system of {peculation ? Not a small portion ot
• 4 them originated, like the mushroom, under cover ot the night—
cf shall we pay taxes to discharge principal or interest of debts,
44 created piincipally tor the emolument of speculators ?"
None who can read, aie fa foolilh as to believe that the specu
lators made their own certificates, or altered the face of them to
increase the futn, and that the funding ad, instead of providing
for an old debt contracted before the newspapers were adorned
wit h the word fpeculatoys, created a new one tor the emolument
ot rhefe men—lf there is weakness enough to believe all this, the
writer has found a market for his work of fallhood. But the dif
cerningreader who will the abfu dity of these aflertions,
wi l be shocked at the profligacy of the auihor, who in the midst
oi them—fays, w The all-beholding eye which controuls the
4i universe pierces thro the deception of these men (fpecuiator )and
" pronounces the pait of their rep« c fcniaiions to be lies."
— Such solemn expretlions in the very ad of deceiving ! The read
er will make his own comments.
It is not easy to believe that the people can be made wiler, or
the government more honest by wicked attacks upon its meaiures
— Free enquiry can do no injury to either. The di feu Hi on of
public queltions cannot be exocded to be kept within the bounds
nt moderation and candor. But writers, even ol loose principles,
(hould be made to pay some lelpcd to truth and decorum.
LONDON, November 19.
THE Spanish Amballador at Peteriburgh has
made a present to: he cm pre f's i n the name of
the society of coimnei ce at Cadiz, of several tons
of excellent Malaga wine. The empress accepted
them very graciooily, and h.is permitted all such
wine to be imported into Peicrfourgh, dutyfree,
during the year ) 7Q2.
Prince Ferdinand of Prussia and all his family
were lately in danger of being poisoned on their
road to Aix la Chapelle, at a;; inn, where some
provisions were dressed in copper veflels : they
were all feizcd in the night with violent pains,
and the princess Louisa was so ill, that her lite
was despaired of. They are now, however hap
pily recovered.
A veilel is now lying in the river, waiting to
carry out colonists for the new eftablilhinent at
Sierra Leona. About three hundred adventurers,
some of them very refpeJtable, are upon her lilt
of paflengers.
At a late meeting of the royal college of phy
sicians of Edinburgh, there were presented ro
them some scarce and curious books from the ho
norable Lord Hailes, with a very polite letter
from his Lordship lo one of the fellows, in the
following words :
" Some time ago you furnifhed me with a copy
of the catalogue of the books belonging to your
faculty. While putting 1113- books in order, I
found three volumes in the medical line, which
are no: in your catalogue.
" 1 beg that the college would accept of them,
not as a present valuable in itfelf, but as expres
sive of my vvifh that private gentlemen would fol
low the example, and transmit the medical books
of which they mny be poflelled to the faculty.
There they may be ornamental, if not tifeful ;
in private hands they are neither. Were this
plan generally adopted, 1 imagine that even in
this narrow country a large accession of books
might be obtained. 1 have always had a fort of
enthusiastic zeal for public libraries, where a
man might have hopes of finding any book con
nected with the studies of the society to which
the library belongs."
The Royal college accepted his Lordfiiip's pre
sent with mod hearty thanks for it, and for the
letter which accompanied it ; the sentiments ex
prefl'ed in which are so jult, and so truly liberal,
that there can be no doubt, if they were gene
rally known they would be as generally adopted.
December io,
The situation of Lord Cornwallis is certainly
to be pitied, opposed by the elements, and depen
dent on the faith of Indian allies. The integri
ty of his mind, and his high martial talents, mult,
however, always render his Lordlhip an objetft
of refpeiti and confidence.
This country, in conjunction with Prussia and
Holland, at prefeni plays the leading part in Eu
rope. The diflinifiion, it mull be owned, is en
viable, and it remains only to improve and se
cure its advantages by a moderate and enlight
ened policy.
The Americans are about to eftablifti a Mint.
This is one of the prerogatives of Sovereignty,
which they have not exercised hitherto, being
content to make use of the Englifli and Spanish
coin, which they procure ill exchange for their
commodities.
Lifoon is at present benefiting not a little by
the access of Englilh persons of diltindiion.—
There are the Duke and Dochefs of Northum
berland, the Earl of Shrewftjury, and laltly the
Margravine of Anfpach, who can afford together
to spend about an hundred and fifty thousand
pounds a year.
On Monday lad arrived his Majefly'sfliip As
surance, from Halifax, with troops ; which place
(he left 24 days ago. She parted company with
the Argo on Sunday in a hard gale of wind. The
Argo is not yet arrived. The Afliirance's palTage
has been the quickell that has been made lately,
having run into foundings in II days from her
leaving Halifax.
A perfoti under imprifoiiment for forgery has
written a letter ro the President of the National
Afl'cmbly, in which he exculpates M. Varnier
from the treason laid to his charge, and takes
the crime upon hiinfelf. This, you will fay, is
a suspicious defence. True, but have patience ;
this affair of M. Varnier is one of the mod mys
terious, perhaps the blacked combination of
guilt, that has sullied the lteps of this unaccount
able revolution. This is not the only letter
behold the history of another celebrated epifHe ;
M. Bazire denounced M. Varnier as guihy of
having written a letter to a Monsieur Noiror, of
Dijon, also in prison, which contained a plan for
a counter revolution, &c.— M. Varnier being
Ihewn the signature, acknowledged the refem
blunce of the hand writing, which hefaid was an
adroit imitation, but denied it tobehis. He was
not shewn the contents of the lettei. M. Bazire
refufed to explain how such a letter came into
his pofleffion till the High National Court should
be afleinbled. M. Varnier, ignorant of the crime.
349
[Whole No. 296.]
is committed ro pi-ifon, where no person is ad
mitted to fee liim, and where l<e remains. L»lt
night the President of the National AlJenibly re
ceived a letter from the Municipality of Auxonne,
containing a declaration and a paper, committed
to their keeping by a Monsieur Voulon, a lock
finith of that town.
M. Voulon had received a letter by the post
from M. Bazire, the Deputy, thanking him for
the communication of M. Varnier's crime, and
the honor he had done him in feletfling him to
be his accuser. Astonished at such a letter, ha
ving never written to Mr. Bazire, knowing no»
thing of any crime or imputation against M.
Varnier or M. Noirot, he flies to the Municipa
lity, where he makes such a declaration, and dc
pofits the letter he had received.
M. Bazire, in his defence, produces the letter
he had received, and which is his authority for
accusing M. Varnier.
Letter, to M. Bazirf.
" SIR,
" MY comrade courts the daughters of Madame
Damont, inn-keeper, in this town ; Monsieur
Noirot, our tax gatherer, lodges at Madame Da
mont's—he is gone to Pontarlier f«r a few days ;
my comrade having been to fee the daughter of
Madame Damont, found her putting Monsieur
Noirot's room to rights ; he saw upon a table a
letter which Monf. Varnier had wrote to him for
a Counter Revolution.
He took the letter, and has given it to me ; I
fend it to my cousin at Paris, that he may deliver
it to you, for the purpose of your accusing the
author.
(Signed) " VOULON."
The Assembly, upon the reading of this letter
were naturally embarrafled and alarmed with a
thousand successive and contradictory thoughts
and opinions upon this dark affair. Will it be
believed that, instead of liberating M. Vamier
who has no longer any accnfer, whose original
accuser is demonstrated to be a lyara.id a forger
for the worst of frauds, that they finiihed with
referringthe papers to the Archives, from whence
they will be taken by the Grand Jury, and pro
ceeded to name the Solicitors of the National
Aflembly in this inock trial. Mr. Garran de,
Coulon was chosen. There was not in favor of
any other person that majority which the Confu
tation requires.
The High National Court is therefore to be,
formed, and to fit at Orleans for the trial of
Monf. Varnier.
The King has refufed his fanAion to the fa*-
guinary bill brought in againlt his brothers, of
ficers, arid nobles, who have placed the Rhine
between them and the usurped authorities, which
seem to only to denounce and provoke ven
geance and forfeiture on their heads !
But when once the High National Court is in
stituted, the Assembly may, according to the
Constitution, denounce and accuse any perfou
before them ; and it is not Monsieur Varnier,
but Monsieur, and the Princes of France, the
Emigrants and the Non-conformifls, who are to
be aecufed at this tribunal. Thus is an engine
of terror eretfled againit the Nobility, the Church
and even the Throne, who having there no ne
gative, no power of pardon, may fee its belt and
molt faithful friends ignominioufly dragged t»
a popular trial, where an accusation is the fore
and dreadful harbinger of a sentence.
I cannot comment upon this abominable at
tempt ; may its violence, its evident injufticc
and fraud defeat iis purpose ; may the Clubs ot
Jacobines, and the Jacobines of the Aflembly,
detedted and detested, give up their horrible en
terprize in delpair ; but let their attempt never
be forgotten !
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, Dfc. 2.
The Commiifioners of the Fund of Extraordi
naries Itated, that the sales of national property
far November, amounted to 156,269.000, making
with the former (ales 1,117,000,000 of livres.
M. the Minister at War, sent along
memorial oij the various objects of his depart
ment, in which he announced his relignacion,
and the King's acceptance of it.
Several Members complained that he had not
accompanied the notice of his resignation with
an account of what the law required of him, ami
moved, " that he should not leave the kingdom
before giving an account of his administration
observing that M. Montinorin was no longer in
their power.