On Friday last the House of Reprefentativej of this Commonwealth waited on the President of the United States with the following Address : To GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prudent of the United States. The address of the House ot Representatives of the commonwealth of Pcaufylrania, in general af femblv met. SIR, When we contemplate the near approach of your retirement from public to private life, as announced to yourfellnw-citizens, in your address of the 17th of September last ; we- Ihould be wanting in duty to our own feelings, and rhofc of our constituents, if we did not cordially embrace thi* last occasion, to join the grateful voice of the American Nation, in the acknowledgment as your long services and patriotic labors, in the atchievement ef our inde pendence, and the eftablithment and maintenance of our peace, liberty and fafety. In the house where we now deliberate, eould we be (ilent, its walls, if they had utterance would tef tify for us that they beheld you seated in our fir ft Congress, and, at their call, rising undaunted to lead our infant armies to viftory or death, in the cat)fe of iilieity and our country. They beheld you again, after the issue of that perilous, but auspici ous combat, seated in the fame house, and prefixing eminently illoftrious, among the illuttrious band of statesmen and patriots, who framed theprefent hap , py conllitution of the Union. We forbear, fir, a detail of your services, as well before, as since, the commencement of the revoluti on. Weic we adequate to the task, it would fall more properly within the province of some future hittorian, who cannot be fulpe&ed of personal af fection, or public prejudice. It is our present dnty only to express our grate ful sense of your general fetvice"s. Prudent, firm and magnanimous in war ; never despairing of the public fafety in the word of times, nor elated by success in the best ; confiding in, and confided by youi> country, td lis great ell advantage ; glcurioufly * relbquifhing your military charadter, when the great national ptirpofes for which it was afiumed, left yon at liberty to seek your beloved retirement ; with equal glory, quitting that retirement, at the call of your country to execute its councils and commands in time of pemce-r-the faithful guardiah and intelligent organ of its laws ; maintaining its freedom, averting its honor and independence; and at last, when in jour best judgment, without an abatement of love for your country, you conceived that the time was come, when you might be fafely imltilgetj in a final return to that retirement which your years and services meiited : then bequeathing the fruits of your wisdom and experience in a fare >,well address, the maxims and precepts of which, we trult, will ever be regarded, as the richest legacy of a father to hischildrenand latest posterity. The fame ardent affeiiian whicb leads os, reluc tantly, to acqu'efce in your approaching retirement, commands nur fervent withes—that you may enjoy in this world the utmolt felicity of your heart, in beholding the perpetual prosperity of our country, under a fuceeflion of wife and virtuous statesmen and rulers, animated by your example ; and that when you are called from this woiltj, you may be rewarded by th; unbounded tulieiiy ot the world to eome. GEORGE LATIMER, Spealer. To the House of wealth of Penrfylvania. GENTLKMtN, T he kindness of my fellow-citizens has given me frequent occasion to make my acknowledgments for their expressions of confidence, attachment and affection ; and for the honorable testimonies that my pnbhc cares.and labors have been ufeful to my country. With great fatisfaftisn I receive your additional testimony, .that as a public man I have not lived in vain. Though now seeking that repose whicfc retire ment and the traßquil purfyit ofrutal affairs arc cal culated to ahoid, and which my tunc of life requires, the love ot my country will indeed fufter no abate* jnent ; its fafety and prosperity will be eifential to •he enjoyment of my remaining- years. And 1 con fide 111 the discernment and patriotism of my fellow citizent; lor the choice of wife and virtuous men, who will faccelliveiy a<'mimfter every branch of the der.ee, to insure the general happiness. I'or your affectionate withes tor my present and future felicity, Gentlemen, my cordial " thanks. WASHINGTON. Ihe following is extradted from a morning pa per ; it is therein given as part of the speech of Mr. Swatiwick, and shews the present opinion of that gentleman, relative to the Welt Indies He fays, " the Weft-Indies where all government was retrograding into the state in which it flood an hun. died years ago, .vhere all men were converted into BiiccaneeiS) blacks and- whites, and all the interme diate Ihndes ; where governors from France were no sooner landed than they were rt fliippecl as live lum ber and sent back again." CONGRESS of the UNITED STATES. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Thursday, January 19. The Hook being in a coirmittec of the whole on the fubjeft of furtiaer revenue, Mr. Dent in the chair. Mr. Swift fa id he had all along been opposed to as} ftera of diieft taxation, believing it possible to ' raise the revenue wanted from indireft sources, and • determined never to have Vecourfe to direst taxes, unless the situation of the country was such as to 1 make it necessary to apply to that faurce. i He should still have continued his opposition to 1 iirt& taxes, had it not been for information which y he had received that the posture of foreign affair. 1 was such, as to threaten the cutting off of our ' sources of revenue arising from foreign commerce. 1 It was, not neceffaty to go into a confutation of 5 this matter. It was enough to fay, that there war a probsbiii'y of a part, a very cenfidcrablc part of 1 f our revenues arising from commerce brtne; cut off- i e U.iderthefe circuailtances it appeared necessary, to have recourse to such taxes as were not within the e power of foreign nations to annoy ; for this f»ur pofe, he believed it would be proper to enter upon f afy item of direct taxes. It was necessary, at leatt to begin to make the arrangements ; and, if not ultimately requisite to be adopted, it might be laid aside ; but he believed the situation of the country r was such, as to make it proper for them to fettle a i plan for laying a direst tax. Upon this principle \\ only, had he changed his jpinion, and intended to y vote for the resolution ; but he thought before the ~ lefolution was agreed to, it should be amended , The refolutioit, as it then flood, he said, wrnt to , the apportioning, " according to the last cei.fus, j the following diredt taxes." He did not believe it _ would be right to apportion a diredt tax according f to the last census ; for when they attended to the n|Cieafeof population ir. some Hates, and to the tta• : » tionary fitnation of others, no one would fa\ ihat fucfi En apportionment would be right. In the | Hates of Kliode Island, Gonmilicutt, Delaware, ] and New Jersey, there had been bus little increase; • in all the other Hates the increase had been greater, j I hey ought theiefore to have recourse to a differ ent mode. If they wcie to attend to the situation r of two dates in particular the injuftioe would appear t clear. In the last census, Connedtieutt was esti mated to contain *40,000 inhabitants, and New- York 340,000 Since that time, he said, the state | of Comicdiicutt 'had increased very little, but the state of New York, was increased at lcaft to 500,000 | so that Connefticutt had not more than 250,000, ■ wiiilft New York had double the number. In the report of the Secretary of the Treasury, Connecti cut! was apportioned 93,000 dollars of the ted tax, and New York 140,000 ; the latter be ing only about 40,000 dollars more than the form er,, though it contained double the number of in habitants. He would therefore, move to strike out the words, " last census," and to insert, " accord ing to their numbers." He believed that no gentleman would deny the justice of the amendment. Some objedtion, perhaps, might be made against it on the ground of expence ; but he believed he should be able to remove these objections. Before the tax be laid, he said, there must be a valuation of property, and when re gulations were made for that purpafe, they might alto be made for taking an enumeiation ofihe inha bitants, in which cafe the expence wtmld only be trifling, and therefore no objection could be urged on that ground, and the justice of the measure was evident, iiuee no gentleman could approve of any plan whi.h fhuuld clu'ge two dates in the ratio of 14010 100, when their true ratio was as tyvo to one. He hoped, therefore, the amendment would be adopted ; and if so, he Ihould have no objection to vote for the refohition. r * wilhej the gentleman had not brought forward his amendment in the present stage of the butinefs, as it would prove a clog Hpon the discussion ot the merits of the question, as all arguments must now go merely to the propriety of adopting or re jecting the amendment ; whereas, if the .•mend- I | ment was withdrawn for the present, and, fTthe re solution was carried, the amendment was introdu ced 11. tl.e liuufc, the dilcuttion "would go oil Ull- ' embat rafled ; and if the lefolution was not ugreed to, ir would be unncceffary that any amendment should be then added to it. It had been said, that a t xon laud was a reproach to a republican go vernment ; ne wifhe.l an opportunity to be afforded <>f P r o v ' n gi that a direct tax on land was more ccn fonart to republican ttjan any «ther. He hoped the gentleman would withdraw his motion. Mr. Maoiion laid he thought the amendment a proper one ; it went to generalize the piopofitioo, by It 1 iking out the words prapofed, and u.-uld ren dei i? appropriate to the time of the law going into effett. If the tax were to be apportioned accord ing to numbers, it must be accardjng to the num bers as lati legally afcci-tained by cenfns. If no new ce>.fus we e taken before the aft took place, then the last must be the guide ; but if a new ce»- fus, then that must be the guide. For these rea foiis, he was in favour of the amendment. Mr. W. Smith enquired if this question had not already been decided, by a motion made by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Christie.) 1 he Chairman laid it ia at in the house and not in the committee of the whole that the former (i ..vaToirtTaJtrt £ .r-bi~m S f,f'R>™ l ,rd, - Mr. W. Smith said ' ke h®ped the propofi.ion would not be agreed to, bccaufe it would defeat the Whole buliuefs ; and he would chufe, if it were to be defeated, that it should be defeated dire&ly and not indirefily. If it wcre the ob j eift of ' j tlemen to take a new census, it would efTeaually defeat the intention of the bill. He hoped there fore, they should not waste their timeiin the pres ent difcuffton, but determine the question whether or not the principle fliould be agreed to. Mr. Madison said he did not know to whom the gentleman referred when he said there seemed to be an intention of defeating the bill ; he could af iure him it was not his inteotion. He wished to Rive 1 lie proposition the fullelt discussion, that the real disposition of the house might be known. The amendment, he said, would not have the effe£tihat the gentleman supposed. If it was thfc intention of the icgiuature to have a new census, it might be taken in time ; but he did not believe a new census would-be taken; and, if not, the apportionment must be according to the last, because there would be no other rule ; but, if there should be another who would fay it ought not to be conformed to > It it could be really supposed that there was an> intention to defeat the original proposition by this amendment, it certainly Would not have his nation age. Mr. Swift said he did not mean to embarrass the p measure, but to facilitate it. He believed the ob- v jedhon he wished to remove would make the refo- I ' ut:»n more agreeable to a great many member*! n who would objeft to vote for it in its prefei.t form. ' W|]en the commit! ee of ways and means brought I in a bill, they would make fnch legulatiops as they r thought proper ; but if the refolmion were to be c agr ".,. tG ln lts Fefert form, it would preclude all a poi,.oi.i!y of having a new eenfus, if it should be 1 lound expedient. 1 I f- | Mr Havens doubted whether tjic motion of tlir a I gen:lcrsun from Connecticut w»s ttcuniii e j tucional. He read an extraft from the 30 fe&ioti > ; of the lft article of the conltitution, in thefc words, n i " The a&ual enumeration ftiall be made within it thiee years after the firft meeting of the Congress t ofthe United States, and within every subsequent d term of ten years, in £uiih manner as they (hail by y lawdireA and the 4th claufo of the 9th feftion a of the fame article, "No capitation, or other direfl e tax, (hall be bid, unlefsin proportion to the census 0 or enumeration herein before directed to be tak e en." By these words, lie said he, understood, that - direst taxes could not be levied, exeept according » to a census to regulate the representation, which > mull he rcken once in ten yeais. t Mr S. Smith said this had 'ween deaided J in the house and lie trulled it would again be re c jedted. He recollected when the la«t ceufus was ta ken, it ivqs attended with eonfiderable difficulty, t Maay ot the inhabitants in the country were Ger - mans, and they were fufpieious that some bad pur -1 pose was intended by the measure. In taking a ; new census, for the purpose of a rax they would • holdout to the people a temptation to return their ■ numbers less than they really were ; whereas, when 1 a census was taken for the purpose of ascertaining the number of representatives to which they were entitled, the people were interested te make th»ir • numbers as Urge as poflible. Nor would it be pof • fible to get at th&fuil number of the people, whew they were interested in withholding them. Indeed > he fhoulcl not be surprised, if a census should be > taken for the purpose proposed, if it proved less than the former one. He gav« his ditTent to the proportion when is was before them in the house, and he saw no reason far changing his opinion. Mr. fiulland could hardly suppose the gentleman from New-York (Mr. Havens) serious, when he doubted the conftiiutionality of taking a new cer fus. Great alterations mull certainly have taken place in seven years ; and he doubted not many would vote for the system of dire# taxes, if it coatd be made t® bear tolerably equal, but not otherwise. Mr. Sewall said the amendment proposed, was merely a verbal one ; for if a new census were to be taken before the a£t went into execution, the appoi tionment mull be regulated by it, whether the words were Itruck out or not ; and if a new one were not taken, the apportionment mull be made by the old census. It a census were to be taken, hi said, it mult ba returned and approved by Congress, be fore any tax could be apportioned by it. If re. prefeniation and taxation were connected together, he should have no objection to a new census ta&eo ; but the term of the census not having ex pired, if it was now nrcefTary to apportion a tax, it mult be according to the Lft census. The *- mendraent, however, being only veibul, it could have no effeftou the refoluiion. Mr. Nicholas said, ir he believed the amendment to be of the very harmless nature which his colleague ( Mr. Madison) had fuppoled, he should noj have no ticed it; but he believed it was or a more serious na ture, is it would cause a d«!ay which m ! ght ruin the buiititis, as no tax could be-apportioned upSn a census it had gone into operation with refpe<sl to fixing the i.arr.ber of representatives. He believed they had jjj£-P QV ' er °* taking a census, bOt he thought it muff TJe uTurrr me uoJcie purpole of tixafion ahdTxpr?- " leiitaUiin, and not for taxation alone. Mr. Gilbert fa id, there could be no question m,ore txprefs and which would admit of less doubt, than that representation and taxation mud go together The cwniiuution diredlcd the cfnfus to betaken once in ten year j, and when once taken, it aiuft remain to govern until another was taken ; but whenever another cenf«s ihouid be taken, the lax mult be apportioned.by that. ' .lmw ceulus, he said, could not Operate upon a tax now agreed upon. Whether a new census fticuld be • taken brfure tne appointed time was a different cmefticn and was not at that time before them. faid, if the gentleman from Connec ticut ( Mr. Swift) was sincere in his profefiions of not wifliiag toembarrafi the propofitien before them, he would withdraw Ins amendment; feecaufe, if it meant any thing at all, it went at least to delay the business It could not b« denied that every dirtcf tax must be apportioned acco lU ;« g to the last census taken accord- , IM£ lO law ; and if the gentleman's motion meant that the propoicd tax ftauld nut belaid until,a new cer.fus was taken, it would neceffanly put off the bufiaefs for fcveral years, ihe gentleman seemed to think that a cenlus cesld be taken for this purpafe «mly , but, Mr. b. latd, ;t he understood the constitution, 011 this f.ib- J ' no direct tax could be apportioned but according | to the census taken for the purpose of apportioning the - If a new census was taken, therefore, IT must operate If this opin.cn was just, and he had no doubt of it, the motion went to the puttmj off a diredt tax, until a new census fhou'd be , taken. 1, this was not erabarraffing the business, he did not uiiderhaud the meaning of the term. Hebe- ] : IV 11 CC " wh ' Ch WaS take " was nst carried into effect till two years afterwards, and if a new one were taken, it would probably take as long a time to bring it ißteaaion, so that to carry the motion would be in effea to put off the business for several Tears. < he geutleii-an from Virginia (Mr.'Madison) tho't a new census would not be taken before the direct tax was aid; itfc, the motion was uf,-lefs. He hoped, irH f ff e 'l Be ° min WOuld w ' l hdraw his motion, m tlie face im P orta,lt question fully Mt. Cert said if direst taxes were to be laid, he was not prepared to fay whether the old, or a new census should be made use of; but, if the carrying ef the pre lent motion would remove one of the objectionsXV was agamftthe meafurt, he could fee no reason why it ought not to pass. The refoluiion expreftly said the apportionment should be according t„ the last census the prefer.t motun went to leave that undecided, to be determined hereafter whether the old or a new census ftould regulate the apportianment: he hoped, there fore, it would be adopted. Mr. Madison said if he had forefeen that the amehd ®e«t propefed could have been fuppoftd ,0 the measure, he should not have fecamlri 1. t . . to I i( h 3&SS SSZXS-X'A' r* not thu>k it was neeeffary to ... „ „i,je a ■ I mined up«n hereafter. Without it ,h* L r ' would be mere general. It wortld have ratmnm one form as in the other, a „d no gentleman tio^.^"^^ 'p r even^etTly 1 a pre Jadgment™f :i< and therefore the debate was more about words than j. .i> ance. 31] Mr. Murray thought the debate an the present s qneftion a very trilling one, as the abftiaA princi- j 0 pie was neeeflarily kept out of fight. If the a ls mendment was agreed to, the apportionment mull #t i>c made according to the last census, as a new t«o* fua could not be taken for two years to come, many n slates having already e!e£Ud their representatives ; ft iF the gentleman from Conne&icut saw that the JS amendment would be us. iefs, he trufied he would not infill upon its being 1 decided upon. Jt Mi. lfaac Smith said, he though, they might get „ rid of all tbis debate very eatily. He wilhed th« qucftion, whether they would lay iireft taxes or not to be (imply taken, if a duett tax was determin. <] ed upon, the detail of the business coold be fettled t „ afterwards. He would therefore prop-.fc, if i'i ar der, that the question (hould be put fnnply " Shall / we lay a direct tax." [To be Continue/.] r - GAZETTE Mi H INE LIST. a ■■ d PORT OF PHILADELPHIA, if ARRIVED, n Ship Camilla, Williamfon, N. York, 8 day» g Clothier, Gardiner, Dcnurara 23 e Elizabeth, Bray, Jamaica 34 r Brig Patty, Coffin, Boflon 60 Schooner Jay, Norton, do, h Schr. Fanny, Veun, New Providence tl d Sloop Harmony, Atkinfon, Curacoa 64 e CLEARED. "s Ship Liberty, Bray, Londonderry e Schr. Lovely Las«, Gibbun, Charls/ton , Sloop Polly, Morney, , Baltimore The brig Georgia Packet, fiomthis port forth# ft Mole, it taken by the French, and condemned at e Pott de Paix. The letter bag of the (hip America, Capt. u Ewing, for Hamburg, will remain at the P«ft-Of. y sice until to-morrow afternoon. i Nfw York, Feb. 18.—Yeftcrdaythe (hip Samp . (en, captain Roach, arrived at this port from Lon i don, from whence (he failed in company with ihe e I'ranklin, which arrived fcveral days ago. Our pa. . pers by the Sampson are to the dates before reeeiv. 8 cd, viz. December 9. t By a letter from Cape Niehola Mole, received e yesterday, we have an account of the arrival thera f of major geiietal Siracoe, lately appointed governof . of all the British acquitment in the island of St, _ Uomingo. , A letter from Cape NicWa M«le of 29th Jan, i f »y»— Ihe British will not ftifFer any vefTels to enter ( Cape l'rancois. A (hip bound there was ord «ed . away, and is arrived here. j We hear by capt. Gardner from Demarara, that a party of Spaniards from Orpnoke River had late. 5 ly attacked and taken a pod at EiTeqpibu., lifon* : ed by English an.*Dut. b troops! NEW YORK, February ARRIVED. Days, s Ship Sampfori, Roach, London 6<S * Brig Julia, Harrifon, St Ctoix >5 \ Prolper, Broad, Port au Prince 22 t Schr. Polly, Winchester, St. Thomas's c CVfj>T. Klce ]p5T lßtd~Kl«le"Sf. i\l'cOolai oij iTje 24th | in. in dtftrefs. Upon information lodged " Bgainit hin# as having Fiench property on board ; 1 the captain of the Queen, of 98 guns,' ordered his , j vellels unloaded and examined. Finding on exami j Dation the information to be ungrounded, he was , loaded again and thoroughly caulked at the eXpence . of the British government by the order of captain t, Dobfon, of the Queen, and uniformly treated with : the grealeft polifeucfs 1 Capt. Rice left at Mole St. Nicholas lft Febru aiy ; brig Amazon and £hip Pat:er« belonging to t N. i ork j brig —, capt. Williams belonging to . Say-Brook, and a number names unknown! t From the Log-Book of lie Jhip Sampson, capt. Rook, 66 days from London. ' Jan- 13- Saw the wreck of a vessel to the weft. ■ ward, bore down to her, sent an offi er and 5 mea | on board who fo"und her deferred. She proved to ! be tHc Thetis brig of Boston, about 200 tons bur . then, laden with staves and plank, and had left her . niajs and part of her rudder; part of her quarter - boards and her larboard plankfheer (love in ; filled ; with water nearly up to her lower deck beams ; ; eveiy thing was taken out of her exceptisg the ' uar g o » the hatches weie not broke open lat. u I 44, long. 49, 19, Weft. Off Bermuda saw several wre :ks of small vefleli : February 10. . Extras of a letter from Capt. Tobia. Ham, of tbe [ fljip Comiuerce, of this town, to his owners, dated ; Cape-Nichola-Mole, Jan. t. > Sir, | lam very ferry to inform you of our fad misfortune on the 15th of last month, in lat. si, 0 , N. lone, t 71, W. we were captured by a French privateer, name' ; unknown, at seven in the evening. After hailing, fir , ed two broad (ides and forty mulkets, which wounded , your son, Mr. Watson, Backfter and Joseph, but no r ways dangerous. Mr. Frathingham and myfelf were kept on board the privateer until the morning, mean j while they plundered us of beef, pork, bread, pota -1 toes > rigging, eanvafs, blocks, &c. She raount . Ed 11 fixes ; we found two fix pound (hot on deck, and , took 12 muiket balls em of the miztn mast, several r holes throsgh the mizen and one through the croffjack . yard, taffi el rail (hot away—it is impossible to tell the ; whole damage until the fcip is discharged ; they took . your son, Mr. Watson, Jacobs, Henry and Lewy on s board the privateer, and font on board a prize matter . and 5 Jailors to take the (hip into Cape-Franeois—on the 29th we had the good fortune to fee admiral-Duck . worth 5 squadron, which frighted them, so they took , my yawl anri left the (hip, and told me to keep close ' to Rewind, expc<fting the ships would not fetch the Cape, which they did not, but as soon as the boat left , me lup helm, set the light fails, although almost i,n . der the junsof th« fort. I boredown tothe fleet, who , brought me in here. I have noted a protest, but (hall riot have it extended until we arrive at Jamaica,-where 1 I expe<sfto go with the firlt convoy. I don't think t they can recover salvage for bringing me in, as the (hip . was not in the hands of the Freush, although every , one tells me they can, but I (had get advice from your . correlpandent at Jamaica before 1 pav it. , Yours, &c. TOBIAS HAM. r N. B. They threatened to stab the mate, who tried to itop them from robbing the vefiel, and told the fai ■ors that they would kill me if I tojd the commanda t * fin " S UPOII aip ' Br 1 fte « ed a wrong
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