while purfumg the gratification of their natural or artificial properties: From this cause, Britons ■with all their boalled freedom, consent to bear willingly the greatelt burthens. I have bee!) speak ing of luxuries, but in generalobferve, In order that our expectations may not be defeated, a nice dillifl%uon ought to be made as to the quantum each l'pecific article imported will probably bear, and that while we fnppofe our public toilers daily increaling, tho faift may not be that a premium is held out by government to defraud the revenue. This has been often the cafe where exorbitant and ill-judged duties have been laid, calculated upon the iniltaken principle, that the consumer even tually bears the burthen, whereas experience teaches us that the original importer is very often in such cases the fufFercr, as there are many arti cles which may not bear the additional price of the duty, and a curtail of the coniumptian fol lows, leaving the surplus as a heavy tax in the merchant's hands, the whole duty on which he is bound to "discharge ; but while a proper caution is observed as to thole articles from which we expect to derive an income, there are others we arc to cons; tier in a different view ; and as they may relate to our manufactures: here it will be found our policy to give every encouragement to the raw materials of foreign growtii, and which our country does not afford, which ought to be intro duced without burthens, that we may export them afterwards with the additional price of the labor uporv them, which its the molt beneficial pari of commerce, as employing the greate'll number of hands—and the cheapness of the raw material will tend to give a preference in competition at foreign markets : Lipon like principles every dis couragement ought to be placed upon the intro duction of foreign wrought articles, which may be manufactured with advantage at home.—Some conliderations on this head may come under a fu ture number. AMERICAN US. (To bj continued.) Of the CONSTITUTION— and AMENDMENTS to the favie. THE tranfaiftions which have taken place in our country, fill every patriotic mind with pleal'ure ; inasmuch as they realize the confidence which had been reposed in the native good sense of the peo ple ; that whenever their public affairs get obvi ouf.y wrong, they would interfere, and set them to rights.—The example of changing a conllitu tion, by aflemb|ing the wife men of the States, inlleaa of aflembling armies, will be worth as much to the world, as the former examples Ame rica has given it.—The conllitution which has been the result of our deliberations, is unqueltion ably, the wisest ever yet presented to men ; and the accommodations of interells, which it has adopted, are greatly pleasing to those, who have been anxiously concerned upon this point, having realized how difficult it was to accommodate thole interells. A concurrence of opinion, however, autliorifes to fay, that this conllitution has some defects: It is, perhaps, not one ofthe least, that the important rights, not placed in lecurity by the frame ofthe conllitution itfelf, were not ex plicitly secured by a supplementary declaration. There are rights, which it is useless to surrender to the government; and which, yet, governments have been always fond to invade :—There are the rights of thinking, and publilhing our thoughts, by speaking and writing: the rights of free com merce : the right of personal freedom : There are inilruments for adminilleriiig the govern ment, so peculiarly trult-wortliy, that we lliould never leave the legillature at liberty to change them.—The new conllitution has secured these in the legiflativeand executive departments ; but not in the judiciary.—lt Ihould have ellablifhed trials by the people tliemlelves, that is to fay by jury. There are inilruments so dangerous to the rights of the nation, and which place tliemf'o totally at the mcrcy of their governors, that those gover nors, whether legillative or executive, lliould be rellrainedfrom keeping such inilruments on foot, but in well defined cases. Such an inllrument is a llandi.'g army. Such a supplement to the conllitution, where that is lilent, is wanting to secure us in these points. The general voice has legitimated this ob jection ;and though it does not authorise us to con lideras a defect, the perpetual re-eligibilitv ofthe Prelidcnt, but three States out of eleven having declared againll this, it may nevertheless be con fulercd as one, and lliould the majority change their opinion, as to this point, yet it is devoutly to be w.ilhed, that this may remain unaltered, as long as we can avail ourf'elves of the services of our great leader, whose talents, and whose weight of character, are peculiarly necellary, to get the government so under way, as that it may after wards be carried on by subordinate characters. Under the auspices of this conllitution, admi niltered with jullnefs, firmnefs and wisdom, our America mull rapidly advance to dillino;uifh ed eminence, power and prosperity: and the perfecting this conllitution, by the addition of such a supplementary declaration as is above fuo-- ■rested, may be the result of the lame calm deli beration and greatness of mind, which led to the ratification cf the fyitem—for if this cannot be ef fected quietly and peaceably, the conilitution had better, infinitely better, be lefc to descend to posterity as it is, than to hazard so invaluable a jewel on the ocean of public discord. NATIONAL POLITENESS. EVERY friend of talle and fentimenral im provement, mult wiih to encourage the The a rk. e , unlels they fuppoie that it is injurious to the mcvals of the people, and opposed tothefpirit ol republicanifm.—Jtsut still the heft friend the thea tre can boalt, may imagine it is liable to errors ; and among these errors, may it not be reckoned one, that an Englijhplay should intioduce a trench character, in such a manner,, as to excite derili -011 and contempt ? To burlesque and sport \yith foreign manners, is, in any instance, rather bar barous and unpolite; but in the cafe of the En glifli comic writers, it is an unpardonable injus tice. committed againlt their own countrymen. Who can be so little acquainted with the diverli fied qualifications of the Englilh nation, as not to know that they abound in luitable characters for every description of theatrical exhibitions ? Wit, and.ridicule, may have a full scope without wandering into other countries for objects,— \V hat excuse can therefore be offered, that theii comic writers, Ihould neglect their countrymen, in order to drag the lower orders of Frenchmen on the stage. Such unpolitenefs reflects more diflionor on the nation that countenances it, than on that against which the ridicule is levelled; I could wilh American politeness may bear telti inony againlt such partiality and prejudice. C I V I S. SKETCH of PROCEEDINGS of CONGRESS. In the HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES of the UMI ED SJ AXES. Monday, June i, 1789. Mr.BLANP afkedleaveof absence for fix weeks, which was granted. A meflage was recived from the Senate, inform ing the House of their concurring in the report lent up, respeCting the receiving bills and mella ges from The Prelident. It was then voted, that the Chairman of that Committee, beinftructed to acquaint the Prefideni with the arrangement upon this subjeCt, adopted by both House s. In Committee of the whole. Mr. Trumbull in the Chair. The bill, regulating the collection of the Re venue, lia\ ing been aifigned for the order of the day, was taken into conlideration. The firft paragraph being read, which provi ded, that " there Jbould be ports of entry," Mr. Lee rose, to enquire into the necelfity of eftablifliin" ports of entry only. Mr. Madison answered the enqniry, by fay ing, that it will be proper to conltitute some ports of entry in situations where it would bi productive of unneceflary expense to eftabliili officers to fuperinterid the delivery of cargoes : Long navigable rivers afford great conveniences, for landing goods, as veflels may be proceeding up such rivers to the port of deltination : This fraud upon the revenue lliould be guarded aiainit by obliging veflels to report their cargoes Imme diately 011 entering such rivers. Mr. Wadsworth observed, that it would em barrass trade exceedingly to eitablifh ports ofen tt y, that lliould not at the fame time be ports ofdif clutrge : He moved to have the article itruck our Mr. Lee ltated to the House the difficulties which nad refilled from fiinilar eftablifhmentsin Virginia ; and therefore leconded the motion to expunge the article. Mi. t* itzsimons said, that inltances no doubt might be mentioned, which would plainly point out the necelhty of such a provision as thea/ticle referred to ; but as there appeared some difficul ty in the way of determining upon the proper situations for such ports, he movetl, that 1 lie ar ticle should be passed over for the present ; and the next in order taken up: Agreeably it was voted to suspend the conlideration of the firit article respecting ports of entry. A meflage from The President being an nounced, the committee rose. 0 The meflage was then received—by which the House was informed, that The President had approved of an ast, regulating the time and man ner ot taking certain oaths, required by the con ititution, and now returned the fame to the 1Io " fe llv1 I v l l lit V, C ori g™ted, with his fignaturc. 1 he CleiJv of the House was dlrefted to inform the Senate ot the above circumltance. Hie chairman of the committee then reported progress in the bill, and a.ked leave to fit again to-morrow upon the fame subjeCt, this palled in the affirmative. Mr. Benson gavenotice, that immediately af ter the buimefs now afligned, wa<> compleated, lie should move for a relolution to the following efiect 1 hat it should be recommended to the le gislature of the State to calfa coavention of the people-os that State, in order to adopting and ratifying the fedora; cor ltitution agreeably to the recommendation of the late Congress. jvir. Beiil'on observed, that th communications which had been received from the executive of Rhode-Hland, refpetfting the pro ceedings ofthat State upon the Conltitution, had hot been noticed by the late Congress, in as much as they had not followed their directions in the mode of deliberating upon tnefubjetft.— He sup posed, that an interference of Congress in foiric such way as he proposed, might be proper to as certain whether any tiling decisive had been done by them in the business or not. Mr. Baldwin from the committee appointed on Monday last, to form an eftii,,ate of the con penfation which it may be proper to allow 7te Prefidenl, Vice-President, Senators and Reprefenta fives of tlie United States, reported, that the sum of twenty thousand dollars per annum, be allowed The president, exclusive of thelalaries of Secreta ries, Aids and Clerks—That be allowed to defray the expenses of houfhold furniture, car riages, &c. and for keeping the fame in repair. That five thousand debars per annum, be allow ed to the Vice-Prefident. That the Speaker of the House of Representa tives be allowed twelve dollars per day—and the members of the Senate and House, fix dollars each per day ; and fix dollars for each days travelling cxpenfes, reckoning twenty miles to a dav. This report was laid upon the table. Mr. Smith (ofSouth-Carolina) introduced his motion for the appointment of a committee, to to bring in a bill for the establishing a permanent system respecting bankruptcy, throughout the United States.—This motion having palled in the affirmative, Mr. Smith, Mr. Lawrance, and Mr. Ames ,were appointed a committee, accord ingly.—Adjourned. Tdesday, June 2. On motion of Mr. Pag t, it was voted unani nioufiy, that those members who had not taken the oath required by the Conltitution, lhould be called 011 to attend the Speaker, for that-pur pofe—accordingly eighteen members appeared, and had the oath administered to them ;—after which the Speaker administered the requilite oath to the Clerk of the House. Mr. Baldwin, from the committee appointed to bring in a bill, or bills, pursuant to the reso lution for instituting the three subordinate exe cutive departments, reported two bills—One for the arrangement of the War Department—the other for the Depart?ner.t of Foreign Affairs Tliefe bills provide in fubflance, for bringing under the direction of these Departments, by orders from the President, those national ob jects which had come within their cognizance, under the old Confederation. It was voted, that 100 copies of these bills be flruck off, for the accommodation of the mem bers. The House then refolvcd itfelf into a com mittee of the whole; and rcfumed the bill tor the collection of the revenue. On motion, it was voted, that the considera tion of the two fir ft articles, fliould be poitponei; the third article, which is in these words, viz " That there jhall a/so he confiituted the ports, which Jhall he ports both of entry and delivery, to wit was taken tip —when Mr. Livermork proposed, that Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, should beoneoi the poits of entry and delivery,to fill up the blank. Machias and Portland were next mentioned; up on which many oblervations were made by differ ent members—chiefly with res ';>ec r t to the number of ports for entry and delivery, which it might be ueceliary to constitute : The committee appear ed to be divided in sentiment ; and fonie gentle men having observed, that they were not fuflicient prepared to decide what ports would be 1110 ft l ol ' table in the several States, it was moved, that the committee should rife, and make the furthered]- lide; ation of the bill the order of the day for to morrow. The vote on this motion being taken, it in the negative. The Committee- then proceeded in filling ll ? the blank, wlientlie following ports were agreed upon, viz. Portsmouth, in Newhampjhire. Portland, ") Newbury port, Gloucester, Salem, i Marblehead, Boston, }. Mafachufe"'- Plymouth, Dighton, New Bedford, Sherburne, Nantucket, . New London, New Haven, K Connecticut. > Norwalk, J City of New York, l r ,, T , TV* Sag Harbour, State of A etui ■■ Perth Ainboy, T Egg Harbour, I New Jerfiev. Salem, j JJ ' Philadelphia, Pennfyhania. Wilmington, Delaware.
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