?S creator and governor of the world. A : 'i'urk, or 1r.4-.ZXI, believing fiit, may he a witness, , and a ("hriftian renouncing the belief of it, or throUjjtl ignorance unacquainted with it, is utterly J incapable of being sworn inour courts of justice. j The </es of religion can have no effeftiupoß a mind, r in which no idea of religion can be found, and c there c'in be no religion if you take away a belief f iri.tht ex igence of a God, because it is the founda. J tibt) of all religion. Upon this ground, Lord j Kenyan, theprefent Chief Jufticeof England, ie- t jeflei' a person a 6 incompetent to give evidence, t who knew njoihing of the obligations of an oath, c of a fu'.ure (late of rewards and punishments, h*d t never learned his catechism, and had only heard 2 there waiafeod, and that tfrofe whq told lies would ' go to the gallows. A person difcorering a difbelief cis time principles, (lands in the tame predicament t ' with one who is entirely ignorant of thetn, and con sequently cannot be a witness. If the obligation of an oath depend wholly up* on the sense and bcliefof a Deity ; that he abhors ** falfhpod, and will punifli peijuty ; and if oath* sre | tor the maintenance of peace arid justice ; among men ; if clearly follows that a belief in the , exi/tence of God, is nece(Tary for the support i of civil society. Every 'tring therefore that tends i to unhinge our -belief in thifc important princi- ' pie, mad be reprobated by all good men ; because it tends to weaken the security of an oath. • Lord j j Mansfield has asserted, what no peifon will venture ! to deny, " that no country can filV/fitl a twelve month in which an oath is not thought binding ; for the want of it ; If adds, mull neceffatilv dissolve society." Whatever therefore relaxes the religi ous sentiment upon which an oath is founded, is in- jurious to society; because it lessens the leftratnt . which the belief of that salutary piineiple impdfea upon the human rapid. It is with perjury as with all other crimes, there are certain paths that lead to it ; and tho' there are fume persons who may riever artive at the commis sion of this horrid crime, yet there is reason to fear, by their practices and example, they may be the mtt.nt of others falling into it. One deviation from moral redlitude neceflarily leads to another. He who hps robbed his neighbour, will not hefnate to deny it with a lye or an oath, if such denial may be the means of his acquittal. Drunkenness ii often the foundation of quarrels, which not uu£requent> ly tod in murder or manflaugliter. The two vices that more immediately lead to perjury, are the infamous hubits of lying, and swear ing in common conversation. With refptdt to the person who has been accullomed to disregard truth in the ordinary occurrences of life, besides the per nicious example he few to others, it is much mo e likely he Ihould fall into tire crime of perjury, than the man who is distinguished for ftrift veracity in his conversation. As to the impious vice of com mon swearing ; to fay the leafl of it—it is so ab ford in i'ft-lf, that nothing can poflibly exceed the guilt, unless it be the folly of it. And were it not that it becomes criminal when viewed in its con sequences upon civil society, wollld deserve to be mentioned o ly to bedefpifed. It is indeed to be la mented that so many persons of lank, and good fe»fe, among us 'are adiiifled to it—They little thiiik" while they are invoking he vengeance of heaverr upon thesnlelvrj andothfVs, and confirm ing the most trivial assertions with tie awful name of the deity, that they are scattering firebrands, ar rows, knd death all around them. 'Man is an imi' fatifiif animal; and the lower tanks are eternally co pying the manners, and even the expriffiops of those they have been taught io look upon as their fupe riots in education ard ftileof living. Tho' wear;, ready to admit, that persons of rank and sense who , are guilty of this vice, if called upon to swear in a court, would scrupulously adhere to the trjitli, yet are they by the force of their example, doing infi nite mifchief by inducing others to treat with con tempt the name of the deity, who perhaps may not be relliained from pi riury by the advantages of a good education, and better reflection, which their superiors may have enjoyed. It is indeed a felf evident proposition, that an habitual pro&nation of the name of God, By the familiar use of oaths and I curses in common conversation, must very much tend lo lelfen that awe and reverence of tfie fupremc being, which is oije of the ftrongelt guards agqinft perjncy-J- and consequently be in a high degree in jurious to lociery. It 16 for this reason our laws havt eodeavou ed to rettrain common swearing, and have made it an offence punifhableby a magiilrate. Such however is the unfortunate predominance of cuflom, that the laws is seldom put in execution : and this in fadl will t>e always the cafe, while men of influence i n elevated ft a t ioni, r lead the way in the violation of the laws. Their example like a tor rent, fwceps away all before it, and the law feemn to befilently repeated, by the rank, the character and the number of the offenders. Let the prdtrnfiOnt of a person to virtue be what they may, if he eondufis himfelf in any manner inju rious to his country, and forbidden by the l.aws, he is at belt but a pretender to the charailer of a good citizen. Hisaflions fpeaklouder than his words, and mark him the decided enemy of social order and public happiness. " By their. fi(iiit you shall know them"— is not less true, when applied to detedl the pretender in patrio tism, than the hypocrite in religion. The man who by his numeral pra&ices is constantly infringing the laws of order, and Spreading confuiion thro' the moral world, contributes his utmost efforts to involve every thing in anarchy and rum ; and whatever may be the language of his lips, with his -vices he is fiabbing his Country to the heart. I oblerved gentlemen, that some oaths are called pro- IhiCory oaihs ; inch are all oaths of office, and some other.. This mode of exacting the performance of a trjft, by the additional security of an oath, is untrer fally pra&ifed by civilized nations ; and tho' by our law the puniihment o pcrjiiry cannot be .infixed son the-violation of such engagement, yet may it be profe euted as a n*fde>ncanor ; and in the fight of God the guilt is equal to the cafe of perjury, where fadls are Kiifreprefected or concealed, in the eye of reason there can be no difference, between a person's swearing toafadltliat wht existed, and swearing that he will # perform a particular act, and ilfully omitting it ;or twearirtg that he will not perform a particular aA; and afterwards deliberately doing it. There are doubtless different degrees of malignity attending the crime of perjury, as well as ail other crimes. Yet I cannot avoid remarking that perjury in the cafe of -violated * and detectable crirtre this even fwesring to a dire# F rsilhrjori, because it is ac'complnied with a perfidious tl breach «f trust. In the cafe of for exam- ; t pie, which is generally understood to be a contrail, lor tified with the folemnitie» of an oathx guilt Can exceed the violation ofir. It is a cruel breach ' of trull, coupled with perjury ; and tends diredlly to I deltroy the peace of families, and to tear up the very p< P foundation of society. Contrails and oaths mull have t H , some meaning. But if the incon-venierife of executing fii I them jor mere whim and pleasure, be admitted a 'in j, excuse for the breach of them ; then farewell gentle men to all honour and horiefly. If oncof the parties > be difchargad, the other cannot remain bound The ar , confcquence of both partiesbeing released from cbli£a : i tions, whenever either party shall feel, orfancy hefeelt, j an inconvenience fr»m adhering to iu® contract, must j be this—that every perf»n will oe at liberty to refcino c hts fcflemn compail wheneyer he pleases. A dodlrine j, pregnant with the must tforrid confufion, and the en '. tire subversion of society. The true criterion or standard of any action whate ver is would be therei'ult to society, ifeve , ry oiirperfon did the fame thing. In ihisfcale, man 8 weigh his a<3ion», with the utmost nicety —by this bi „ | rule he may msafure the innocence or criminality of p \ every step he takes in life. Suppose for example, all 0| " ! persons to abandon themselves to adulterous courses— - or suppose an un 'rverfal and uuretrained intercourCe to ' t take place between the sexes : in either of these cases, Y' s such an universal depravity of morals would ensue, as 'r . tnuft utterly dellroy society. y< e livery ftnglt adl therefore, coitrp-ized in either of C j these supposed cases, must be unlawful. If one maq tfl \ has a right to be his own avenger, every other person j; c must have the/fame right. But if all men were to ex - ecute their own revenge, desolation, rapine and mur c ' ] ; der would quickly overspread the land. -Every ftngle 'P e afl of revenge therefore, is utterly repugnant to social * . obligation. tl From the consequences of any aflion being injuti- fj ( ous to the public welfare, if universally praSiJed, wa infer, that e /ery Jingle action of the fame kind or de -8 fcriptionfis criminal. The rule will held good when applied to lying, flealing, drunkenness, and every other e yice. For if one man has a right to ileal, to tell a lye, e to get drunk, or to violate his solemn promises as often as he pleases, so has every other man. But if all men were to give into these practices, society mud be anni ' hilated ; for it could not poflibly exist, if it were en e tirely con.p'oftd of such infamous wretches. In the n onerrfe therj would be no furli thing as property —in e the other no truth, or dependance of one man upon o the words of another,, and in the third, viz. a-fociety e consisting of drunkard ; univerfil wretchtdnefs must J n be the inevitable consequence. b ' From these obfervatio s gent emen, we cannot but a] perceive the deftruilive tendency of vice, in its -very C( nature; and how utterly incompatible it is, with the j 0 interejls of society. It is at the fame time agreeable to remark, the coincidence, the perfeil harmony, b«- e tween the precepts of heaven, and the neceflai y cenfc- c h queuces of human anions. " . The laws of God forbid the indulgence of our past si fions only \nfuch cases, where their gratification wauld 0 be injurious to ourfeh'es, or our neighbours, and enjoin n " the performance of all those duties, that are calculated , n to improve the heart, or promote the welfare of others. ' 1 The chrifiian religion is in fail theJureJl bajis of mo- X I- rality, and conftquently of order and good govern !e merit. )t Of this heaven born religion it is the peculiar cha raifleriftic, that while obedience to its commands con ' flitutes the highest felicity of the individual, the prac tice of its benevolent precepts, is at the larne time, the i J - firmrflfoundation of lbcial happiness arid public profpe- J d rity In the elegant language of holy writ, " her It ways, are ways of pleafanrneft. and all her ar" peace," even in this world. "• RighteouliifTs exalts a nation; (that is, makes it flourilh,) but fin is a rc proach to a people and by flow, but fire Heps, Mil dtr any form of government, inevitably leads to nfcti [' onal mif-ry and deftruiflion. 1 i >- ———■——WWWJKB ■ ■ i » luiinroa—^ Philadelphia, -i 0 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1796. a V A letter dated yesterday at New-York, fay«, ' 1 * " A vessel just corrle up, report* an a£lion off the ( n " and a (hip was leen to fink—-thi» il Report 1 only. 1 ' a ,— '■ 1 '' /S- ■ ' ' .]{■ To the Citizens of Philadelphia and the Diftrifts 1 0 (r of the Northern and Southern Liberties, id Feulow Citizens, < :h THE InfpeiSors of the Health-Office for the ne Poit of Philadelphia, ever solicitous for the health id of their Fellow-Citize -s, well as to quiet their II apprehensions of danger from unfounded reports, we conceive it their duty to lay before you their en nd quirie? and information, relative to the (late of :e. health of the city of Charleston, South Carolina, of Wliile we regret the late calamities they have ex-, 1 n : perienced by fire, we rejoice in a belief that no con- ; en tagio ra disease e*ifts there at this time. Trading he in Divine Providence to ward off impending evils, 1 >r- we fubtnit the following communications to you, n# for your information thereon. :er By dire£lions of the board of Health, LEVI HOLLINGSWORTH, iat Aug. 30th, 1796. Cfiairman, at Health-Office, Aug. 1706. -n. SIR, im THE Infpedlori of the Health-Office have rea- I son to apprehend that a dangerous Fever l now rages at the Port of Charleston, in S. Carolina ; tliey [, 0 therefore recommend that ftrift attention be paid to he the examination of all vessels coming from that •al Port, and if any grounds of suspicion should arise r y in your mind of lnfcdlion en board, that they be k'-' detained under quarantine until the confuting Phy " s fician attend, or other investigation be had on the 0 _ fubje£l. ne With great esteem, I remaitt a Your Humble Servant, :r- LEVI HOLLINGSWORTH, " ur 1 Chaiiman. 1 ? n DO6I. James Mease, Resident Physician, Health ] Office, State Island. re in State Island, Aug. $Oth, 1796. | lg Gbntlemen, ' . ill I enclose you the certificate of a number of me or dical men of Charleston of the fitft refpeftability, 1 'fs rc^Pe<^'n £ ,e non-existence of any contagious fe- 1 c( - ver in that port \ it was given to me by Mr. Neil- < ot iville, wlto obtained it from an appiehenfion that | ,-j t!:c Certificate of a similar nature published by I am of opinion with tfcefrt that p the difeafc Uid to prevail is not cuntag'ious, but c it ii severthelcfs a fa<ft that the sailors are more fKan commonly indisposed : 11: la Mr. Ncufvillehas e afiured me of as well 3» Captain Strong, but they , w both affiun, t!.«t th®fe who are intemperate an4ex pose tfccrnlVlves to the night air, of'io the rain, ate ft chief victims tt\>lucafe. As it therefore may r J happen that some may arrive lick, I think the or- j der to viftt the vefTels highly proper, until the sea son commences when we may no longer dread the arrival of any sick persons. B I lemain with great efteert), t( Your humble servant, •> d JAMES MEASE, P Resident Phyfiyian. -l Infpc&ort of the Health-Office Philadelphia. S tc Charleston, Aiiguft tfth, ,17 li IN confeqwence of an application fioro Edward d< Neufville, Ei'q. who intends being a paffcnger on P board the brig Packet, Captain Strong, .bound to Philadelphia, now really to fail, <we certify that in at our opinions (being members of the medical focie- tl ty) the diseases uiual in the present season of the . year are neither more common or more mortal, ri than they have been for several, of the preceding N years ; that in our opinion there not exist in Charleston any contagious malignant Fever known cl to us, in proof of which we observe that no me- o' dical person or other attendant on the sick, has caught any disease on the discharge of their re fpeftive functions ; nor do we know of any cafe on S which there is ground to b.lievc or evetj to fufpeft that a fever has been communicated ftom one per- B fan to another. . (Signed) i Tucker Harris, President, Daniel Ramsav, Vice-Prefident. Samuel Wilson, jj Mo-vltiue, Port-Physician, m Isaac Chandler, E. Ponjett. j. , C Charleston, August 8, 1796. t Sir, / v f YpiJR favors of the Bth and 29th of July lad I received yefteiday, enclosing draugftts .on the bank of depolit and discount of this city to the ? amount of five thousand dollars, and immediately {r communica'cd the* contents t« the City Council ; I am direiSed (audit is with pleasure I undertake it) to retufu their thanks to you and their fellow- citizens of Philadelphia, sot their generous sub q fcription in behalf of the fufferers by the late dread- / ful fiie among us. We (hall endeavour to dispose of the monies received as may best answer the be» -j nev'olent designs of the donors—i-Aiid vye P ra y the Almighty to avert fuoh diieful calamities from your city. 1 have the honor to be, Refpedifully, Sir, j Ybnr molt obedient servant, JOHN EDWARDS, t Intendant of the City of Charleston. John Esq. Philadelphia. GAZpTTS or THE VHJTED STATES MARINE LIST. t - i PHILADELPHIA, September 3. A RRIVED. Brig Swillow, Da\*fon, Port-au -Piinte CtEARED. Sloop Harriot, Randolph, St.Johps, (N. B >; j Phrenix, Lincoln, Bolton 1 Betsey, Pope, Hifpaniola -Brig Delaware, Dunphy, do. The ship India, Alhrnead, of this port, to Calcutta, was spoken on the 30th June, lat. 30, N.i long. 31, W. out 16 days, *11 well. Yefte day arrived the (hip LittleM«'y, 105* daj» e from St. Übes. Saw three (hipi of war near the t capes, on Friday last. Aug. <8 lat. 30,37, long, -z, Capt. Bensers, of the ship X.ittle Mary, fpok,e the Show Sally, Webb, 4 months from Batavia to Salem. Capt. B. supplied Capt. Webb ;s with provisions, being ftiort of ileceflarie9. Aug. 39, Ut. 34,7, long 73, saw three fail of men of war—two. Of i . which were mips of the line,fleering E. by S. Left at St. Übes, the brig Sally, Wilkey, of Philadelphia. e The (hip Ontario is arrived at Liverpool from ' ' h New-York. r Arrived at the Fort, the brig Peggy, Kilby, 1$ s, days from St. Thomas j left there the brig Georgia 1- Packet, M'Keever, Philadelphia ; fchrg. Little if Will, Steveflfon ; Hetty, Mason, Dauphine, Morse 1. Philadelphia; brig William and George, Benton, , Conne&icutt.}' (hip Butler, Jones, Portland; fchr. 1- Sea flower, Ilfley, Portland, Sloop Ceres, Turner, g Warren, to fail for Baltimore in 6 days.—Aifo s. the Schooner Mellona, Bi'rAett, Philadelphia, i, On Saturday lalt, captain Kilby, of the brig Peggy, in lat.. 36, 10 long. 74, 35. at 6 A. M. ; saw thiee fail of large men of war, one of which gave , him chace 10 hours, but could not some up with t. him. Next morning at day light fame day three 1 (hips appeared to the WeAward, and one capt. Kil by fuppjfed to be a frigate to the East North Ealt, . which altered her course several times, bat at last 1- bore away, about north eaft,ai 6 P. M. Sunday : :» evening, he heard a number of single gun (hots to : y the Eastward, and at length repeated broadsides, o which continued 15 or 20 minutes—the reports ! it ended with single guns. The whole Continuance of 1 re firing was-about 20 or 30 minutes. >e NEW-YORK, September 2. ' The following Remarks' were handed by Capt. e Atkinfon, of the (hip Charlotte, arrived here yesterday in 70 days from Amlterdam. 1 Jmie 28, Captain Atkinfon boarded by-the £»gli(h frigate Andromache, from Norway to the 1 North of England, with a fleet of Jo fail of mer- i 1 ehantmen under her convoy, and a flobp of war, in 1 h lat. 47, 3, long. 2, Ij. j 1 July 6, lat. 48. 26, long. fpeke the (hip 1 Cumberland, Bartlctt, of Bolto.i, from Coptnha- 1 gen, tp Bolton, Andrew Scott, master, o davs out, all well. t- July 7, was boarded by the Asp, an English cruising frigate, of 38 guns ; the officer broke up the (hips lower deck hatches, could find nothing, ' i- overhauled the papers, and permitted capt. A. to »t procced on. y &Xtm 28. fookc the Hrtcr Clrrt. WofK Inrrfnn I phia, bound to Bourdeaux, 4 days out, in a leaky condition. The brig; ffcrvival, Hudson, of New-York, part ied her c*ble» in the Texel road, in a severe gale of [ vritid, a:»d was stranded ort the Texel Ifl.tnd. The brig Eliza, Foster, belonging to Boston, . from Helvrotfiuys, pail captain Atkinfon in the TeXe!, going up to Arafterthltt j A Lift of tht Ships left at Amjkntim and Texel, <tohen Capt Atkinfon faile I Ships—New-York, Clark, New-YoVk ; Diana, ; Roffiter, do. Grice, Armour, no. Orlando, Law ! ton, do. Sun, DaviSf >»» do. Betsy, M ote> do Bethi*,, Jones, Georgetown ; Ad«j)pho, Gates* Philadelphia; Alknomack, Derby, Por'la d ; Eli zabeth, Thurftyn, Provide: ce, R. 1. Indian Chief, Shaw, Newport ; Linna and J.tub, Clapp, Bos ton ( Brigs—Eivteiprir.e, Fiizpatrick, New \ < ! k; liebecca, Brown, do. Peni fylvauis. Moody, Phila delphia 5 Amftcrdam, Scott, Charleftoii j Sow Pattern, 8001, do. The Ship Fame, Caps. Havens, of New York, arrived at Peteifourgh, just before Capt. Macey, of the Mary, failed. . A number of vessels, for different ports in Ame rica failed fioql Peterfourgh in company with Capt;' Macey, names not recollected. * # * The MAIL fer the British Packet wil close on Wedoefday evening next, the 7th inft. at 6 o'clock. I'btrr.as Mackcnnefs, Agent. Sept. 2. Arrived St this Port. Ship Charlotte, Atkinfon, Amfterda,ni * Eliza, ■ , Isle of May Brig Aurora, Coffin, Portftfcotith N. H. •BITE THE BITER- This is the dilmatled fliip Elijfa, mentioned "to have arrived at the hook ; (he \ivas a prize to the Thetis Bri;i(h frigate, tak<-n on herpafi'.ge from the lfle of May, commanded by capt. Huffey ; an A merioan ship (built at Charleftor) cargo belonging wholly to the captairt of Ns tuiket. She wasjta ken off Virginia by the Biitifh frigate Thetis, Capt. COCHRAN, and frnt for Halifax, to te abjudica ted agreeably to Trcat\, with * ptty.e mallei And crew from on board the Prev >yante, capt. Hi ifcy, re maining an board I but having been difma'icd in a, gale, put into the hook to refit—AND, under the influence ot some fatality or or othct./k Jadedup t& town lift evening J It is said, the cap.au> having been inWul««d toc\ime.on shore, wsnt down yelter. day morning, in conyianv With about a ozen Tanhres, and took pofftllion of her, AS HIS OWN PROPERTY.—There is a mid/iipmati (Lotd Cochran, nephew to capt Cochran) on board and the trick .at the <u>/>h<clubs, is called BITE THE BITER 1 \_Ne>w-Tori Argus. Baltimore, September i. Yesterday arrived at the Fort, the Sch'r. Polly, capt. Fifties in 12 days from Fort -Dauphin; On Monday, the jid ult. capt. Filher fell in with three French Frigates, which he fays, were comraan* ded by capt Barney ; that he failed in company with them (but did not speak them) till Friday evening last, when he li.ft light of them, in latitude i 3 long.tude 73, bearing E. by S. from C»£e Henry —That the next morning (Saturday) Captain Fisher. saw seven fail of British Veflels, ■viz. one J4, one" ft 4,' one (loop of war, one corvette, and three frigates, which had just come out of the Capes, and steered li.by S. that hefuppofed Capt. l?arnty, to be about 10 leagues <i head of them—capt. F fays, the British veflVls had a tender a confiderabic distance before them, which he fax tack about and give a signal that he had discover ed something ahead—Capt. Barney was in 15 fathom 1 water. POR-f. of BALTIMORE, Af/g 14ft 3 t. 1 Ship Dauphin, Rich, St. Croix Hope, Coward, Port au-Prince 1 Brig Two Sifters, Hubbert, Berbice RAYNER TAYLOR, Music Pxofessor, J-j No. 96, North-Sixth StrkeT. RESPECTFULLY informs hi* Scholars, that he has re-commenced hit attendance alter the fummcr va* j cation J and as Ulual,teaches Ladies Singing, and the Pia no Forte. Sept. ; *jt s. '*1 ' — * t tor Sale, A new Printing Press, : PRICE NINETY-FIVE DQLLftka, fcASH.—Enquire > of 'he Pi niter. -ept. 3. eedgt. > .„ . N °- l * 2 - . . » D'Jlrtd of Pemijylvania t» wit r 'EE it remembered that on the nineteenth day of July " ■ in the twenty-tirit year ot tt£ Independence of tfic United ■ States el America 1 nonius Dobfon ot the laid : hatii depodted in thik ollice the title ot a Buoa. the right 1 whcreol he «i<uim as proprietor m the words ioilow.ng . to wit " Cocfiderations on the doitrine of Phlogi(l»h and the " decompol.tion ot Water l — by joie/h Pneiticy, JL. L. ' "V. t.K. S. &c. ike. t " ccnimendes etiam atque etiam afpice." r " Horace." , in conformity to the a& of the Congress ol the United States intituled " An Act ior the encouragemdnt of ' learning by iecuring the copies oi Maps Charu and Books 3 to the authors and proprietor# oi such Copies duung tlie 1 times therein mentioned " Hamuel uuldtuell, Clk. Dill. Pannfylv. . Mr. F RAN C ISr : {Of tie New theatre) TAKES this opportunity of returning thanks to ht» scholars and to the public- Mr. Francis interns, : on his return hum Maryland, to open a public aci* . j demy for dancing, upon a plan entirely new. He , flatters himfelf that his attention to tits pupils hi therto renders any promises of conducting his luture 1 schemes on the molt liberal and ftnttelt terms, ot pro ' priety, totally unneceiTary. A'. B. Private tuition as usual. » June v 3 law ; LANDING, From on btard tht Jhip STAR, Capt. Vannerr.an, \ About 150,000 Lotties, Prom — F«r Sale by a r "
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers