fubvrrt our federal government. And p ] know that in all societies, even in' ■ L< !lr>trfre», a few,)and sometimes a f, an of art, and intrigue )often .t. unfufpeaing honeft-riean.ng tl rnen, t, become the inttrum«its ot irf- 1 •ice, nd deligns they have detelted e va% 100 lute. There is certainly C presumption from the Pre i- r ueiit't speech that those iocietie., or forrv- of their members, afforded fnp- r port to that unfortunate a«emptjn 2 Pennfylvania —and for myfelf, 1 mult j confefs, 1 believe the conduct ol the 1 societies at different times, was such ai i naturally to fofler the feeds of sedition, l aod excite in the insurgents the delufrve ■ ho!>e, that government would not re- i ceive the aid of the well affe&ed ci tizens. Our New-York Socicty had decla red, " that to their fellow freemen they appeal, that by their determination, by the veice of Justice, and their Country, they submit to (tand or fall"—Then they ought to sall —for the wicc of their country h?.r determined against than—The -voice of their Country, is the voice of their legal, their constitutional Representatives—lam furethey would not admit my voice, to be the voice of their Country—l should be furry .they would—for Ido not admit their't, to be for me, the voice of the Country—nei ther would they admit the voice of ten thousand individuals, of each state, to be the voice of the Country. Why not ? Because—it it down right politi cal Heresy and Nonsense—to receive the Idea of a*y voice of the Country, but that of our Legislatures, constituti onally elected to give the voice for us— But if our Society meant to deny a fa cial conne&i»«—to unfranchife, or un civilize themselves by appealing to their countrymen in their individual ftatc-of nvure capacity —even then I believe, thev are condemned by nine tenths of those. I But our society have condemnedthem- j selves—tHey dt»«'e, that— *' the charge j againil tlacm, is so weak, and futile as fcarceh, to possess an attendant circum stance in its favor"—this is a plain ad miflion tha. there are, some circiim fiances against them.—However as this may be deemed nice criticism, «r cap tioufnefsin me—and as I really do not with to irritate, but convince, I am willing to suppose, rhat this was an in advertence, occasioned rather by the impulfepf a warm imagination than so lid Reflection in the original composi tor—and adopted by the Society from that inattention and inaccuracy which fs -ommon, where numbers are cdllefted [ therefore pass on, to (hew, that, mocratit Societies in America, are un ■jfary. They are ife the Individuals who compos* ?m have not acquired, one single ht, which they did not enjoy previ s to these affociaiions—and, Because .-y have not obtained one single privi ;e which might no( be exercised, or is t the birth right, or charter right of their Fellow-Citizen*. If they have 'ight to associate, to diffufe know ledge—or to oppose Government, or watch over it—Every man in all Ame rica mufl have the fame right—And what a ridiculous figure we should cut— We should have ten thousand Democa tic Societies—amounting to i,000,00j of people, to watch over an hundred, whom, we three days ago all convened to appoint to watch over and guard us ! ! !—A meeting of these Socie ties once a week, or fortnight, would amazingly promote agriculture, com merce and mechanicks !—The right or thinking, speaking, or puhlifliing, is £ecQMd to every inhabitant of the Ame rican republic—and is universally ac knowledged—the liberty of the press, has n<*ver been denied, or controverted by any one—The Diffufion of know ledge it commendable in every one—and objected toby none—and yet these are • the topics, about which the tocsin has been founded from Massachusetts to Gesrgin. They are unneccfTary—Becaufe, in dependent of the whole mass of the people, every individual of whom is a political Watchman, there will in the nature of men and things, forever exit! ia Congress, such a jealousy of rights, and Collision of sentiments, as will oi themselves always forewarn, or fcctire us again!! the encroachments of dark defigniug, or openly ambitious men. They are unneceffßry—from the na ture of our Govcrnmcut. In Monarchies the Liberties of man kind are borne down by the weight ol Sovereign authority—The people have fio rights—The very air they breathe, and the light of Heaven, is not their own—They have only the ufufruft— for they may be despoiled of both, at the pleafurc of the Prince—of his favo rites—or even his Millrefs—Thefe Go verments are ttie children of Accident or Uuirpation—But as in this cafe, the people are-robbed of rights which are j tl. J latural rights, inestimable and unalien able-—and as we hold that all power is in j1 ( > . th# people, or ought to be derived from them—and exercised for their benefit— I hold it juftifiable, in the people, to endeavor toobtain those rights from such n( • Governments —by any associations, or tc . means within their power. rr r But in our government, which is aai - representative democracy, all power is, d i as it oughl to be, derived from the peo- c t pie—they are the foveteigns—their de e legates the servants.—We have formed ri a constitution, and have bound ourselves a ~to obfervt it—to this constitution we are t; ic all equal parties, have a common inter- j . eft—if our agents should do wrong, t i- we have agreed in the mode by which fc they (hall be chastised and therefore no t i- individual, or associated individuals, till c y a new compart is formed, can pofiibly 3 y have a right, to assume an exclusive, or J f, different mode from that which wis a- t :n dopted by common consent, for restrain- j if ing trtofs of our representatives who f ft may be supposed to have offended. ] be They ate unnecessary, because nei- ' al ther the state of our public concerns, ' Id nor the administration of our Govern of ment, have at any period since the a :y doption of the present constitution, re ->e quired those extraordinary expedients— :i- which can never be necessary, and have :n never been resorted to, but in a state of to a&ual, or intended Revolution 1 y admit that in such cafe, as a temporary ti- thing, they may be juftifiable, and ne ve ceffary"—tho' dangerous even then y, That we are not in a revolutionary state, ;i- will be acknowledged by all—But if the — democratic Societies, do seriously wish "o- to fubveit the present Government, n- they have adopted the proper expedi ;ir ent—But of this 1 am not convinced, >f- nor do I believe—Why should they ? re, Do we labor tmder any violent grievan of ces ? Are we governed by an hereditary Monarch ? An ariftocratical hereditary ti- nobility, or a venal parliament, lepre ge fenting not an hundreth part of the as community, and that unequally ? Do m- we pay a land tax ? Poll tax ? Or any id- dire& tax of confequente ?—On the m- contrary —Are not our liberties fecur his ed and defined by a charter of our own ip- fabrication ? lot Is there a single magistrate or officer im j in the direction of our interests, who is in- < not immediately chosen by ourselves, or :he in the way w# have fpecified ?—Are so- ' they uot even up to the President, a - jfi- menable for their conduit ?—Have we om ' not frequent elections ?—The eternal ich bulwark and security of our liberties, ted if we are honcft and independent our at, selves. they claim a hereditary or tin- prescriptive right, to represent us against Be- ow w l ill"?—ir tTidy ffioirtcf "Be "tyrants oft to-day, must they not be slaves to-jnor gle j row ? :vi- Is not the world at war ?—Are we use j not exempted from this calamity, this ivi- j scourge of the human race, this hobby r is j horse of monarchs and their minions ? of Do not our merchants, mechanics, and ave farmers, prosper to a degree never ex jw- perienced in America, nor perhaps in or the world ?—ln short, are not the very ne- heavens and the earth ameliorated by the rapid population of our wilderness? t— —What madness then, my fellow citizens, >ca- hath pojfejftdyou, that instead of rtturn -300 ing the most sincere acknowledgements ed, to our Supreme and Bountiful Bene ned factor, you should provoke his patience ard by a conduct so relllefs and ungrateful— tie- by the eftablifhmeat of institutions, mid which have excited so much unhappi :>m- ness ?—By institutions which, fan&ion* tor ed by perpetuity, will, as sure there is is a heaven above, and an earth beneath, me- at fame period or other, prostrate our ac- constitution and laws—and involve this ess, great and new happy empire, in all the -ted miseries of ANARCHY, or CIVIL ow- W A R.—l have seen enough of war— and and that the Lord may avert so dread are ful a calamity is the prayer of has WM. WILCOCKS. to ; h n e CONGRESS. IS . a HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES, the •xift MONDAY, id February. bts, 1 f ~~~ ° A letter was read from the Secretary of :l,rc theTreafury, inclosing a long report rela ark- tivetothe laying of duties on imports.— The report was read by the clerk, and or na- dered to be printed. Mr. Giles from, the feledt commitee lan _ reported a bill for arming, organizing, , 'a*d disciplining the militia. This was 1 read to the house, made the order of the lave day for Thursday, and directed to be print the, e d. heir A letter from the Secretary of the Trea \ fury, withia report on various petitions re at ferred to him. The report was read by ivo- t^ec'er't n " The house, <m motion of Mr. Dayton, j-' 0 next resolved itfelf into a committee of ' ei,t the whole to take into consideration the re the port of the ccmmittce relating to the military establishment. The chair- I man having read the resolution recommen-1 ded by the committee in the following I words, viz. " Refolvec, That two regiments, can- I fiftmg of nine hundred and sixty men each, b« formed out of the regiments now in the iervicc of the United States, to compose with the corps of artillery the a military establishment of the United States, « and to continue in service until the firfl J tr day of June, 1798, unless fooaer dif- et charged." I rc Mr. Dayton said that he disliked the a ' report in general, and was more immedi- I C' ately opposed to the proportion on the I o table, which he should not agree to nnder t ) any modification of which it was capable. I Jt was his wish to have taken the scale of I the committe of the whole upon his plan, I by proposing to amend the one before I 11 them, but he found it could not be done I o consistently with the rules of the House, j 1 as it might with propriety be considered I v rather as a substitute than an amendment. I { If the one under consideration should be I negat ved, and that such ought to be its j fate, Mr. Dayton inferred, not merely I from the infufficiency of the numbers pro-1 posed therein for the military eftabhfh-1 \ ment, but from the wording of it, which I : contemplated regiments, a term not at all I < applicable to the present lyftem of organi-1 , zation, which was a legionary one, then I j the way would be opened for him to offer I to the Houl'e a propoution which he held 1 in his hand, for their information. Mr. I Dayton then read it as follows, viz. I Resolved,—That the present military I , establishment of the United States be con- j tinued, and the corps composing the fame I completed by enlistments for a term not ex- I ceeding three years, with authority to the I Prefidtnt to forbear to raise, or to dif- I charge after they shall be raised, such part j thereof as future events shall in hisjudg I ment render consistent with the public fafe- j ty, convenience and oec6nomy. After reading it, Mr. Dayton remark I ed, that he had been unfriendly to a re I du&ion of the eftablifhraen when the fub-1 jedt was some time knee under difcuflion, & I that he heard nothing since, to induce him I to alter that opinion ; on the contrary two I communications from different quarters I | had since that time been received, which I very much strengthened it. He alluded to | 1 a letter from General Wayne, which was j ' communicated under confidential injuuHion I : but A-hich was doubtless frefh in the recol . left ion of every member of the commit-j , tee ; and to a report of the Secretary of I War, made in confequenceof the late re-1 quest $f the house directed to the Prefi-1 r dent. The objea which he had in view 8 was the effedlual protection of the fron- J r tiers in a manner the least inconvenient and j e harraffing to the militia, and the myft eco- I nomical to the United States. There j e needed no proof that calls for the service I 1 of the militia were always attended with I | embarraffement to our fellow-citizens who j '' composed it, and with a waste of money I ' which the other system would not occasion. I r Mr. Dayton wished to ascertain whether I t in the present unsettled slate ot affairs, J g WllliC DHuln OlJi cTlitl tire 1 .. Indians remained hostile, it was the sense I of a majority that the military establish- I ment ought not to be reduced. is This produced a difcuflion, in which .. Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Ames, I ) and Mr. Madison spoke. The latter gentle-1 ' man seemed rather favorable to the reduc ing than augmenting the number of troops in the service o the United States. He n alluded to the report of the treaty said to y be entered into between this country and y Britain, from which it might be inferred , ? that the Indian hoftilties north weft of the '* Ohio should slacken. *9 1- Mr. Ames, in reply to what had fallen :s from Mr. Nicholas, thought it woul dbe bad economy to reduce the number of , e troops, which might tend to prolong the war. The latter gentleman having refer - red to the solicitude of Mr. Ames for pay '» ing off the public debt, which he confider i- ed as not quite consistent with his present i« desire of expending so much money on a is standing army, Mr. Ames replied that he , believed the gentleman would be very J much mortified to think he poffefled as lit tle property as he (Mr. Ames) did ; that '* a report had been industriously circulated, 16 as if the possession of public funds had an L influence in that house on the votes of - members, and this foolifh calumny had J. been disseminated with so much industry as to have had an injurious effe& on the minds of the public in some parts of the Union: and had much influence in serving the ends of some people. Mr. Sedgwick said, that it would be improper to diminish the prepartions for war, under any notion founded on the re port of a treaty with Britain i for if there was such a treaty, which was not yet certain, nothing cpuld be counted up on it, till ratified by the government D f here. a- The committee rose after disagreeing - to the report. The chairman reported r- progress, and the question being put, the house also disagreed to the report of the ee committee. 5» Mr. Dayton then read his resolution on is this fubjedf that has already been inserted, le and which was made the order of the day for to-morrow. n. Mr. Fitzfimons gave in a set of refoluti e_ ons refpefling the paymentof the intereft'of the national debt. They were read and re ferred to the fame committee who have n before them the fubjeft of reducing the of debt. e- At half past three o'clock the house ad to journod. Philadelphia, Feb. 7 . x: From a Otrre/pondtnl. t j, A factious party made a recent at- tempt to claim the merit of the negoci- ec ation winch Mi. Jay has fuccecded in completing. Disappointed in that ox- 01 travagant effort, they have now chang ed their key, and in this morning's Au- rora, one of the party has begun to t j abuse the Treaty-. Strange inconfiften- tc cy ! one day they arrogate th« merit r< of accomplifliing that which the next t< they revile. ll Do they vainly flatter themselves Cl that by such ridiculous and gross decep- p tions they will be able to raise a serious n opposition to the ratification of the e Treaty? Their failure in April last, t! when a similar struggle v. as made by the n fame men to prevent the appointment of Mr. Jay, ought to teach thera a different condudt. r But what can be expe&ed of men, r who, impelled by foreign influence, dif- a appointed in their ambitious views, or F embarrassed by their creditors, will, under all circumllances, work hard to c involve their country in war ? 1 The firft number of THE PhilaDEl- 1 hpia Minerva made its appearance this i day—this is a new wceckly paper, publi c- , ed by Woodruff and Turner No. 17 Chel'- nut Street. Extra&of a letter from Lilbon Nov 17, to a merchant in this city. " The Algerines have got as far down as Malaga, but we can inform you most authentically that they cannot corns with out the Straights, as this Court will keep a itifficient force in the Mediterranean to check them." By this Day's Mail. 1 NEW-YORK, February 6. 1 We have not been able to give the par* > ticulars of the canvass, lall evening, but > we can assert, from the best authority, that 1 Mr. Livingfton is elected b£ a iaajority of 205 votes. 1 Yesterday the following gentlemen were - eleiled Direflors of the Branch Bank in ■ this city. Philip Livingfton, Gerard Bancker " Thomas Buchanan, Mathew Clarkfon, ' William Hc"deifon, James Watson, Gu ■ lian Ludlow> John Murray and Willia,m e Laight. J BALTIMORE, February 5. f From a Charleston (S. C.) paper, of January 12, r Extra 3 of a letter from Augujla, dated 'P" - the ZQib December Iqft. ■ T " Our legiflatureli still fitting, and en c deavouring to fell our Weltem Territory, which contains upwards of thirty millions of acres ; the price offered is 500,000 dol h lars, 100 of which is already deposit ed in the treasury of the slate ; both bran ches of the legislature have agreed to the sale, but the governor negatived the bill ; , s therefore the land speculators are all in a e quondary, not knowing how the business 0 may be terminated, as it is doubtful whe d ther they will be able to get two thirds of d both branches to agree, which number is e required to pass the fame into a law with out the governor's assent. It is believed that the land is worth ten times the sum n dfferedj and I make no doubt would bring ,e it in a year's time if proper notice was gi >f ven to the world." ie ' PITTSBURGH, January 31. We are informed that Captain Jolly, lt who went in pursuit of David Brad a ford, i» returned home, and reports, ie that he pursued him, as far as Red y Bank, about 200 miles below the Falls of Ohio, and that Mr. Bradford had J' left that place for the Spanish fettle* n ' menti, fix days before Captain Jolly ,f arrived there. , y LONDON, December 9. >e '• ® The following is a summary account of the operations of the Ruffian general Su >e warrow, from the beginning of his )r march to the capture of Warsaw. General Suwarrow was zealously em. 1 ployed at Cherfon, in directing batteries 31 and entrenchments, to defend the Crimea ?" from future hostile invasions. Quite un expe&edly he received orders from the Empress to take upon him the command ig of a corps of Ruffians stationed at Nie :d mirow. He set out with the utmost expe le dition, and a few days after his arrival ic at that place, his corps,which consisted of 30,000 men, was put on its march. It left Niemrow on the 17th September, and ] had to march 120 German leagues before ' he could reach Warsaw, and oa its route ' it surmounted the following ohftacles to its progress: Battles end Engagements. *' t. Engagement at Diwin ; 100 Poles e " killed and 40 taken prisoners. 1 ,e 1. Engagement at Kobryn ; aboift 200 le Poles killed, and one colonel and 100 ta ken. i- 3. Battle n'ar Krupezyco Monaftir, whei'e the Polish army, commanded by geucril Sicrakowfki, ccnfifted ef 14,000 men ; 100 Poles killed and 500 taken. 4. Battle near Buzec Litewfki again fl 11000 Poles j 300 Polc« made priloners, the reft cut in piece* by the Ruffian caval ry, and. 28 pieces of cannon taken. N. B. After this battle Suw-vrow tarri ed thirty days without advancing farther, according to his plan. This, was occasi oned by an Austrian officer arriving at his head quarters from general Harnamcourt, 10 inform him of the petition ef the Auf trir.a troops. Count Suwarrow perceiving that the Auftrians would find it difficult to defend their cordon, resolved to co-ope rate in thair favor by drawing >is troops to the Austrian frontiers, and directinp them in such a manner, as to efitdlually cover the fame. 5. Battle near Kohylka, against 5 c • Poles under general Byczc wfki ; 1000 men and the general himfelf made prii'on ers, the remainder put to the fwerd by the Rullian cavalry, aud 9 pieces ofcan non taken. 6. Capture of Praga by aflault, de fended by z6,000 Pole*, moll of them regular troops} upwards of 13,000 men killed, Generals Meyne, Hefslcr. and Crtipinfki, and 11,000 men made prisoners; about 1000 Poles escaped by flight, and about 20 O were drown ed in the Viflula, Gens. Zayonczeck and Madalinlki wounded. On the 9th lilt. Gen. Svwafrow en tered Warsaw in trinmph. Thus he ar rived theiefore from Niemirow in this capital in 52 days, and 3edijfling the 30 days, on which hi 3 army halted with out advancing, he completed liis march in 22 days, and performed all the above mentioned exploits. Thusthe laurels of this Ruffian Getvl in Poland alone, co*ft the lives of up wards of 28,500 unfortunate Poles. How dreadful nluft the carnage appear, if we had a similar ftatemer.t of. the ex ploits of Fet-fen, and the reft of the Ruffian Generals. , The German politicians maintain that the Emperor h icfolved, la cafe of necessity, to order all the inhabitants of his Austrian dominions to rife in a • mass, and to divide that mass into three : different requifitionsj to pi:t all the~ t ammunition .and provifiotiS in a fiate of requisition, and pay for the fame with afiignats, for which the crown eftatee B are to be mortgaged. It is, however, , doubtful whether the AuSiian Consti tution will juftify such a projeifl. r All thole citizens of Paris who were > disarmed during the latter days of rhe. fw:vy of Rwbefp erre, have had the irms 1 returned them. Craflbux vas the last prefid<-tit wha acted in the Jacobi.i club. His wife £ was extreinely ill treated on the 9th ult. d EDINBURGH, Dee. 13 < ' L _ The brig Virginia, captain Price, an , American, which failed from Port ls Glasgow about three weeks ago, having I- got to the Weft ward of Ireland, sprung t- a leak, and put about to rttnrn on the, 30th ult. but finding it to l * keep the vefTel from going down, the people were put into the two boats,of. |- 8 the Virginia, which drifted for five .. days, exposed to the most dreadful wn. if ther. From such hardships, and small is (lock of provifiong, a woman and her child died, the reft were in danger of dying laving mad. Having,reached the island of Iflay, they were daflied on i- the rocks, whereby about fifteen per sons, sailors and paflengers, were drown ed. The captain, second mate, and four seamen, the only survivors, have r> arrived at Greenoek. 1- — _ A Morjd for the Gnawers Is of the Bone! d This Day was published, 7 AND FOR SALE AT T. Brad-fords Book-Store No. 8. South Front Street, [_Piice 37 cents J te Observations on the Emi '• gration of Dr. Priestley, And on the several Addreflcs delivered to him, on his arrival at New York, with additions, contain ng many curious and ■ s interesting fa<fts on the fubje<ft, not 1 known here when the firft edition was puhliflied Together with a camprc 'j heniiv? flory of a t FARMER'S BULL. f . Third Edition. a j At the fame-place may be had the following 3 f Late Publications, viz. ' j t r. A Bone to gnaw for the Democrats; . or Observations on a late pamphlet entitled-' " The Political Progress of Great Britain." 2. The Young Quaker, a comedy, by te O'Keefe. ts j. Haun ed Tower, by Mr. Cobb. 4. Sicilian Romance, aa opera, by Henry Siddons. 5. The Hapless Orphan ;qr Innocent vic tim of Revenge ; a novel founded on inci >o dents in real life. In a series of letters from] a- Caroline Francis, to Maria B——— by an American Lady, 2 vols. r, A general Assortment of Eooks in thedif >y ,ferent departments o£ literature.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers