dWtfe [No. LXXVII.j THE TABLET. No. LXXVII. <t j4 n ignorant people cannot long pre/erve freedom." HOW then are savages free ? They are so by nature. The liberty of a lavage, and that of a civilized man are essentially differ ent. Civil liberty implies both restraint and pro tection ; but a lavage is neither protected nor reltrained. Where there is no government at all, men are literally free ; but from a want of law, they cannot enjoy their freedom. Where there is a defpoticgovernment, the people, though they are politically slaves, are not in a worse con dition, than savages who remain as free as nature formed them. There cannot, ftriiftly speaking, be any ration al freedom, without fixed laws. There can be no such laws, where there is no civilization. As an ignorant people cannot be called civilized, they will not have the protection of law, and therefore Ihould not be deemed free. Intracingtlie decline of States, wearepre fenced with a melancholly picflure of human weak liefs. The splendor and pageantry of courts, the opulence and artifice of a few individuals, in an arbitrary government, dazzle the ignorant mul titude, and create a glare of civilization, while themafs of the people are too unenlightened to be called civilized. No nation deserves such an appellation, where knowledge and property are confined to a few hands ; any more than that de serves to be called a learned nation,in which a few individuals have made eminent attainments in science. The prevailing cast of chara<sler, among the people at large, is what should conftiuite the national character. As an ignorant people must either be (laves or barbarians, we conclude that a well-informed peo ple can be neither. The mofl conspicuous ad vantage of difFufive knowledge through the com munity is, that it puts the citizens on their guard againlt the blunders oft he weak, and the intrigues of the artful. It mull: be owned, that ambition and avarice prevail in an enlightened society, as well as in a barbarous one. But where the people have so much knowledge that they can fairly cf timate characters and measures, they will not ea filybe duped by falfe profeffions, norintimidated by bold menaces. They will bear what ought to be borne, notwithftaiuling clamorous men may try to blow up sedition ; and such people likewil'e will refill: what ought to be refilled, notwithstand ing arbitrary rulers may charge them with rebel lion. The public opinion will be julfc and ref peiflable. It will controul, not so much the exe cution, as the formation of the laws. If the people of any country are generally un informed, they cannot adt in concert. They will judge differently of men and measures, and there will be no method of producing a union of senti ment. A bitter spirit of party will inevitably attend such a fitvtation, and public liberty will expire in the rage of fadlion. This difafler can never happen in a community where there is ge neral information. The attempts of turbulent, or intriguing men will be comprehended, and their views defeated, before any dangerous ef fetfts are produced. EUROPE. VIENNA, Odober 8. AN officer, dispatched by Field Marflial Prince Potemkin, 011 the 16th of Sept. lias brought intelligence to the Ruffian Ambaflador here, that the vanguard of the army commanded by Lieut. Gen. Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, had attacked and entirely defeated a body of Turki/h Caufcan a Ihort distance from Bender. The Turks were under the command ofHaflan Pacha, who com manded as Seralkier near Rahaja-Mohifo, in the last campaign. The Pacha, with several officers ofdiftincftion, and upwards of toomeii, made prisoners, and about 700 left dead on the field. The enemy's camp,and three pieces of cannon fell into the hands of the vidtors. The fame officer also brought a confirmation of the nen'sof the victory obtained by Prince Rep nin, a few days before, nearTodak, in Beflarabia, over Gazze. Haflan Pacha, late High Admiral, and now Seralkier, who was attacked and defeated in such a manner as to be obliged to abandon his camp, with his cannon, to the conquerors, and to retreat, with the reft of his troops, towards If mail. A courier who returned some days ago from the army of Marffial de Saxe-Cobourg, brought the news of the Ruffians having taken the port of Akierman on the Black Sea, and made 1 JOO priso ners there. W EDNESDAY January 6, 1790. I FRANCE. Paris, Oc r t. 23. MR. NECKER's STATUE. ON its being known, that this statue was or dered by the city of Paris, the Sculptor to the King, sent the following letter To the ASSEMBLY of the REPRESENTATIVES of the Town oj PARIS. " Gentlemen, " YOU add to all that you have done for the happiness and glory of your country, in decree ing a Bull to the most deserving Minister of France. You have ordained, that this bust shall be placed where you are daily and nightly occu pied in attempting to promote the happiness of your fellow-citizens. Permit an artist, full of refpeift and gratitude for your patriotic virtues, to claim the honor of afliftingyou by making the bust of M. Necker. M. Houdon has already had t he honor of making those of WASHINGTON and of that young HERO, the friend of Wash ington, deflined to be thedefender oflibertyin the two worlds. M. Houdon demands only a piece of marble ; and he shall feel fufficiently re compensed if the Commons permit him to dedi cate his poor talents to the celebration of a great man, and of those who have acquitted their duty to the public, in decreeing M. Necker an honor, which no Minister, before him, ever received from the town of Paris. (Signed) M. HOUDON." This address has been fuccefsful, and the wish es of M. Houdon are accomplished. PATRIOTIC DONATIONS. Lift of the names of those who sent the greatest quantity of silver to the French Mint. * Marks. The King, in gold 230 3 Ditto, in silver, 9442 2 The Queen, ditto, 3607 3 Monsieur, ditto, 2401 o The King's Aunt, ditto, 1334 7 Madame, ditto, 1 31 5 2 The Queen, a second time, ditto 144S 5 Cout Montmorin, ditto, 1236 7 Duchis, a Notary, ditto, p- 6to 7 Marshal deContades, ditro, * 522 2 Vandenyver, a Banker, ditto, 1 Duke de Noailles, ditto, 545 6 Count de la Luzerne, ditto, 528 4 Marquis de la Taluro, ditto; 477 3 Prince de Beauveau, ditto, 1 M. Necker, ditto, 5 Count d'Eftaing, ditto, 44 1 2 Marquis de la Fayette, ditto, 418 2 Count de St. Priest, ditto, 4°7 4 Mole, a President, ditto, 2 Keeper of the Seals, ditto, 1 DeParfcoal, ditto, 296 5 Marfiial de Segur, 258 2 Countess de Maurepas, ditto, 1 43 7 * The value oj a Mark, in fiver, ii about 9 dollars. In times of public diltrefs, sumptuary laws were imposed in Rome, and even the fair (ex were prohibited from wearing costly ornaments. A Censor was always appointed at such times, who was invested with the highest restraining au thority. The elder Cato strove to restrain the luxury of the times, but corruption and an in flux of foreign wealth and plunder, in a great measure prevented his endeavors. When the Statewas in distress, all ranks and denominations of people exerted their utmost endeavors to re lieve it, by public fubferiptions, and giving in their jewels, plate and rings to the treasury, as the French are doing atprefent. Tliediftrefs of that republic arose not from debt, the funded fylteni not being then pratflifed, but from the ca lamities of war, as when the city was taken by the Gauls, or during the war with the Carthagi nians, when Hannibal commanded. The Empe rors, however, laviflied their public treasures, which the Consuls dared not to do, and then the coffers were filled with confifcations and wanton cruelties. Sunday, o<ft. 26. If we may judge from the quiet of the capital, the Martial Law has already had so good an effec r t, as not only to have difperled the large bands of rioters, but to make people a little more cautious in giving their opinions publicly, and fomenting disturbances. _ r The King and Queen with great tenderneis, sent the Duke de LTancourt to condole with the poor widow of the Baker, and offer her a present of 6000 livres, to enable her to carry on her bu siness, and that if this sum was not fufhcient, lhe should have more. . Their maiefties remain at the Thuilleries,as be fore, they stir out but little, the King now and \Publifhed tin Wednesday ami Saturday. then takes a walk in the Gardens bat the Queen is never seen out of the Palace. 1 he last letters from Stockholm bring an ac count of an action having happened at Avolax, in Finland, on the 9th ult. between the corps un der general Stodingk, and a body of Ruffians. In the firft oiifet the Ruffians made themselves mailers of the two batteries belonging to the Swedes ; but they afterwards not only retook them butdrove the Ruffians off, who loft too in killed, 40 wounded and prisoners; among thelatter, are 5 officers. The Swedes loss is 13 killed and wounded ; amongst the latter are two captains. One subaltern officer, and two of their artillery were taken prisoners. The National Aflembiy of France have resol ved, in opposition to the motion of M. de Mira beau, that no member of the National Aflembiy lhall hold any place in the adminiflration, dur ing the present session. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. October 2, The archbiffip of Aix made an offer to the na tion, in the name of the clergy, of the greatest supply that ever was voted at one time, by any body of men to any state, 011 condition that the clergy Ihould not be difpoflefled of the church lands. He offered to raise on the security of the church lands a supply of thirteen million sterl ing, which the clergy were willingto facrifice to the public, Exclusive of this temporary aid, he offered to charge the church lands in perpetuity with the payment of two millions of livres per month,or one million sterling a year. This tempt ing offer was reje<sled by the National Assem bly ; and the resolution was palled, which, if carried into effedt, will be the greatest blow ever given to the power of the clergy, whom it will render dependant upon the state, after having been so long a terror to it. October 6. M. de Mirabeau, in a long speech on the scar city of money, and the discredit of the public funds, endeavoured to point out the causes from which they had originated, and the mischievous consequences which they had produced. To the discredit of the public funds, the great reputar»»** of Mi Necker had very materTany contributed ; lor the public feeing a Minister of such talents obliged to have recourse to the expedient of sus pending payments at the Caifle d' Efcompte, im mediately concluded that all other resources were loft. Hence, every man, who got poileffion of specie, either hid it in his strong box, orfent it out of the country, to be invested in foreign funds. From the scarcity of specie, and the dis credit of paper currency, had arisen, in a great measure, thefcarcity of corn ; because the farmer chol'e rather to keep his corn, than to fell for bills with which he could not pay his servants. As a means of alleviating this latter evil, he suggested an expedient, which, though distant, might never theless be highly beneficial. '• We have," said he, <( advanced conliderable sums to rescue the Ame ricans from slavery, and we have cemented the edifice of their liberty with our blood. They have grain in abundance ; and are bound by every tie of justice, every sentiment of generolity, to pay in provisions the interest, and at least part ot the principal, of their debt to us. He came next to speak of the want of a proper underiland ing between the Aflembiy and the King s Mini sters. "In this last memorial," said he, '' they renounce a refponfibiliry, to which they gi\e an absurd and difrefpetffful interpretation. They are not bound to answer for events ; but they are bound to prove they have employed the means which the Aflembiy has entrusted to them. They complain that they have 110 regular anddi re<sfc correlpondence with us. Let us call them to fit among us. Hence their evasions, their mis takes, their equivocations, will be instantly de tected. At present, we are obliged to confer with them by means of our committees. But out of the Aflembiy, a member is 110 more than a pri vate individual, from whom it is easy for a minis ter to escape. In what place can they combat with less advantage, than in an aflembiy where all kind of knowledge are united ? To this un ion of the legislative and executive powers, is the fate of the empire, perhaps, attached." He con cluded by moving. . " That his Majeftybe requested to fend imme diately, trusty and able persons to the Umtct States to insist 011 the payment in corn of the capital and interest of the debt due to France. "That the Committee of Finance lhall pre pare with all possible speed a plan for a National Bank, to give security to the public creditors, liability to national credit, and gradually dimin i(h the public debt. , _ " That the King's Minilters be invited to lit
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers