aftumed : Having taken this debt upon ourselves j (aid he, the confequeoce is obvious, nor can we ever get over thedilhonor of not making the ne eeffary provision for paying ir. He then adverted to statements which had ( been submitted to the house by the officer to whom the Union had entrusted the direction of its fi nances— From these it fully appeared,that a much greater deficiency in t'-ie revenue existed than i'ome gentlemep appeared willing to allow. It this deficiency exiits, and if the United Stares are bound to make provision for the debrs they have aflumed to pay. the duties contemplated by the bill, appear the nioft obvious for the govern ment to recur to, He adverted to the idea of dire<fl taxation, and enquired on wliat principle will gentlemen con fenttothisniodeofraifnigthenecefl'ary supplies ? Will they make the reprel'entation of the ieveral States the rule by which it (hail be apportioned ? He doubted whether direct taxes, 011 this princi ple would be even to the gentlemen who have mentioned them. He then remarked oa the objections to an ex cise, on account of the mode of collection. He iaid a rigorous collection would bear hard only on the ififlioneft—while it would protect the fair trader from bearing an undue proportion of the public burthens. _ _ He observed on the uneafinefl'es which are said to prevail in some of the States—and to obviate the force of these reflections, he instanced the har mony and peace that prevailed in those States, ■which bear a much greater proportion oftlie pub lic burthens, than those which complain, as was buiulantly evident from the documents in poflef fion of the house. Mr. Steele rtated his objections at large to nn Excise: He adverted to the particular situation of "affairs in l'onie of the southern States, especial ly North Carolina. TheAflembly of that State had rejected the proposal of taking an oath to support the copftitution of the United States, with Icorn ; they had also refiifed to admit continen tal prisoners into their goals—and another cir cumstance, more hostile to the general govern ment than either of the foregoing had taken place—which he forbore to mention. He said I'ucli was the present state of the pub lic mind, in various parts of the Union, that he ihould dread taking any nieafures which might serve to encresfe the fermentation which the people are in. An excise he considered of this j nature : It would in its operation produce the vorftconfequences—Amore exceptionable mode os-taxation, be conceived could not be devised.— A direct, or poll tax, he supposed would not be so odious—and tho for his own part he fliould prefer 301 excise to. either of the former, yet. Inch -was the aversion of the people to it, that he ihould prefer almost any other alternative. He thought otherobje<fts may be found from which the neces sary revenue may be raised. He instanced duties on inland navigation, law procee dings, legal con veyances, &c. He then adverted to the operation of an excise especially in the State of N Carolina, and said that the consumption of ardent spirits in that State was so great, that the duty would amount perhaps to ten times as much in that State as in the State of Connecticut. On the whole, he ho ped if the feition is not ltruck. out, that the excise ■will be reduced. Mr. Sherman observed, that the fubjecft now j before the committee was thoroughly difcufled the lail session—and as nothing new or of weight ■and importance had been offered the present fef iiop against it, he thought it would be a uielefs waite of the time of the houfeto go into a parti cular reply to the objections offered against the bill. This he thought a fufficient answer to the charge of carrying questions by silent majorities. He then entered into a short conlideration of the fubjeft generally, and defended the system 4fom the charges which had been adduced ref jieifting its unequal operation. (To be continued.) FRIDAY, Jan. V Mr. Livermnre pvelented the memorial of \Villiatn Simmons, principal Clerk, in the Auditor's Office, prayingfor an addition to his compensation as luch, for realons therein ltated. Referred to the Secretary of th.-Treasury. Mr. Goodhue observed, that the Senate having negatived the bill for the relief of Shubael Swaine.at the houte was informed by mes sage, vefteiday, without aligning any reaf.m ; and as he was a! a Jots to account for its rtjetlion, he wilhcd fame itcps Ihould be taken in the business, lor he hoped that the proceedings of this go vernment would never be marked with an nnpioper degree of ri gor and severity.. He moved for leave to bring in a bill to provide generally tor the relief of p'erfons thiisHTuiaied : heave was accordingly given to bring in a bill. . ' The amendments of the Senate to the bill for continuing the ast, declaring the allrnt ol Conjrcfs to certain acts ol the States ol ilhodc-Ifland, Maryland and Geoigia, were taken into confidcra- M'. jatkfon obserVed, that on enquiry he that the State of Maryland had been fliilck out of the bill, b' cause it was found that the law, 10 which the clause referred, had been repealed : He hoped therefore, that the house wouliconcur rfith th- amendment v! the Senate, oihcrwife the b'il would be loft. Mr. Stncv (aid Vie had been infoimed, that the rcaion for ltrik- mg'ont '• Maryland" was, bc;aufe the law reievred to, had not l»cen piopcjlv authenticated, or conveyed to CongrcO. through :i.e.proper medium, the Prcf ■ nt oflhc L'n.tcd Stales.—He hovv- ever ftiould not at present objeftto the amendments, as he doubt ed not that when the law of the State of Maryland was produced, with the authentication laid to be neefffary, a bill might then be introduced tor declaring the air.!"*, of Congrels to it. The amendments of the Senate were a greed to by the houle. Mr. Sheiman, of the committee appointed for the purpole, re- | ported a bill for the efhblifoment of poft-offices and pott-roads in the United States—read the firfl and fccond time, and 100 co pies ordered to be printed. r , I It Was then voted that it be referred to the committee ot the whole 011 Monday-week. ,1.111 The order of the day being called for, which was the bill lay ing additional duties on diltilled (pints—Mr. Parker moved it fhouid he pottponed, in order to give the members time to conli der the statements icfpefling the funds received from the Secretary of the Treasury. A short debate enfued—further procrastination was objected to—the bill wastaid to be as old as Congress—it had been as tullydebated as any fubjeft that ever came before the house; the fcflion is wafting, and the time will hardly admit ot hnilhing the business which the hnufe are particularly pledged to do this feflion—one article ot which is to make provition for thefupport of the public credit. On the other hand it was said, that the house was not in poltel fion of the necessary information ; the time while the requisite do cuments are preparing may be employed to advantage ; and when the members have fully fatisfied themselves of the exact turn ne cetfary to be raised, they may proceed underftandingly 111 the bu- linefs. j ■ The motion for postponing the bill: obtained, and the houie went into committee on the bill direttirig the mode in which the evidences of the debt of the United SttfCes, which (hall be loll: or destroyed, shall be renewed. Mr. Boudinot in the chair. i great division of opinion appeared in difcufling this bill—the ne of the committee was employed only on the fir ft section ; rt.cy rose without agreeing to any determinate principles—report ed progress, and are to (it again. A letter received from the Secretary of the Treasury, was communicated by the speaker, enclosing a statement of the amount of the impost from August, to 30th September, 1789, and from 30th September, 1789, to ftrft Oitober, 1790. A meflage was received trom the Prefidentof the United States, by Mr. Secretary Lear, informing the house, that the bill provid ing for the unlading of (hips and velTels in cases of obltru6lions by ice, had this day received his approbation and fignaiuie. Adjourned till Monday. A L B A N K', Dec. 30. Mr. Sheldon, an experienced diltiller in tliis city, has brought the distilling of GIN to such perfec tion, that thefirftjudges (Europeans and Ameri cans) pronounce it equal to the belt imported from Holland. Mr. Sheldon having madefome experiments o the Juice of the Maple Tree,' declares, that when distilled, ic yields a liquor not unlike ARRAC,and superior in flavor—and that, from the bell com putation he has been able to make, a tree will produce as many pints of this liquor, as'it docs pounds of sugar. Admitting this fatft, a con el u lion highly favorable to ths interell of the Uni ted States must be drawn, viz. .that our import trade from the Wett-'lndietfituuft soon decline, as the two principal articles-of'k are fiigat.and.puin —the firlt of which w-art«rodiice itiperior and in fufikknt quantities, and a fubftitnte for the latter not inferior to the bell Jamaica spirits. NEW-TfORK, January j. The le<riflatnre of this state is now in session. i At a meeting of a refpe<ftable number of the sub scribers to a Dispensary about to be introduced into this city, for the relief of the poor and diitrefl'ed, held at the City-Hall the 4th day of January, 179 1. The honorable Judge Duane was unaninioufly requested to take the chair, and William Cock to officiate as Secretary. Dodtor S. Bard moved that it berefolved, that the managers of the institution ihall have power to make alterations in the original conlHtu tiou of this society as they from time to time shall find neceflary. Provided always, that Aich alteration shall be fubje<£t to amendment or revocation at any an nual meeting of the members ; and the lame be ing seconded, and the queltion being put, it was carried unanimouily in the affirmative. The subscribers aflcmbled then proceeded to elcdt twelve managers, of the Dilpenfary, for I the ensuing year. And the ballot being taken, ir appeared that the Rev. Dr. Beach, the Rev. Dr. Rodgers, the Rev, Dr. Livingfton, the Hon. Judge Hobart, Mr. Moses Rogers, Ifaae Stouten bnrgh, Esq. Melandton Smith, Esq. Gen. M. Clarkfon, John Watts, Esq. John Broome, Esq. the Hon. HhacßoofevelD and James Watfou, Efq were duly eledted. On motion, ordered, that the said managers be requested to attend on 1 liurfday the 1 3th day of January instant at the lioufe of Mr. John Simmons 111 Wall-Street, at 6 of the clock, in the evening for the execution of the trusts, repoled in them, and it is further ordered, that the proceedings of this meeting be publilhed. Publijhed by the direction of the Society, Jan. 4. W. COCK., See. Extract of a Ltterfroin Liverpool, dated i\Q October hjl, to a Merchant in New-York. " We beg leave to acquaint you, that an order of council, is ifl'ued to prohibit the importation of wheat, rye, barley, beans, and oats, into any part of the kingdom, at the end of fix days after the price of each fort, taken npon an average of the prices of the whole kingdom, according to the tables published weekly in the London Ga zette, (hall be below the price at which fucli fort of grain is allowed by the consolidation a<ft to be | imported at the low duties. 699 11 The firft general average prices of the whole kingdom, ro which this order of council refers, will be published ill next Saturdays London Ga zette ; and as the prices have been on the decline for several weeks pall, it may be expedted that the ports will very soon be (hut againll all forts of foreign grain, peafe,alone excepcedjWhich are not included in the prohibition." Philadelphia, Jan. 8. Extratt of a letter from Cover nor St. Clair, to the Secretary of IVar, dated Marietta, I'oth Nov., " If rhe report refpedting Major Hamtrauick be near the truth, tliat he had tie it roved four of the Indian villages, and all their provisions, and had returned without the loss of a man, the suc cess will then have been as a complete as it could have been wished ; and the firft news we shall hear from the Indians, will be a humble f impli- cation for peace : Should that, however, jiol happen soon, I will find means to let them know, that it will not berefufed if they desire it on rea- sonable terms." Christopher Richmond, Esq. is appointed commissioner by»the State of Maryland, to fettle the accounts of that State with the United States. The information contained in the exiraCt of a /etttr■ from Fayittcvills, as publijhedin our lafl, purporting that the Senate of North-Carolina had rejeficd the ex traordinary refolittior.s which had pafied the Houfs of Commons of that (late, we are tnjormedis previteui e* It seems that those refulutions were amended in the Se nate, by fi rifling out the preamble, and changing the word " tnonftrous" to enormous ! and a meffagf was then sent to the House from the Senate informing, that if the House would agree to these amendwints, the Senate would concur in the resolutions .—The Houje accordingly agreed. If government Jhould be deterred jron exacting particular laws, because some perlbns fay t and per haps •with truth, that they are contrary 11 the fenti mtnts of the people in some parts oj the uniCn : ~f iS evident the business oj legislation mujl Ji Mid Jliil. There cannot be a more odious law to many persons, and the number is not inconjiderabl'e, than that which comptls the payment oj' debts-— he>:ci every previous Jlepto that point is proportionably obnoxious tosthe ca vils, objetlions and oppojition of those it may ulfimate ly asf eil .—One great objett oj government, and of /A new conjlitution in particular, is the dijlril/utifn of equal juflice—the administrators .of this government are as the arbitrators btltueen debtors and crsditor but it is a mojl monstrous, enormous business, that they fbou-ld be paid, even at a less rate than private 'persons often pay .the referred, in a commer cial difpu(e between man and man. —It -ixxtuftd be doubtless a confurnmation of the wishes of many, who• would rejoice to fee jhis country revet t to its form-r jlate of anarchy and itnbtcthty y to have the co?np-e?Jja tions of the legijlature and the executive branches Jo reducid, as that the goveirment may fink into con tempt. A correspondent otferves that the reafonablenejs. and mode fly of a late resolution of a certain Ifgifu ture, in which the senators of the united states are inflrutled to oppose every excise, and ds rett taxation-law, are abutidantly evident yihen it is considered, what a monstrous disproportion of the im pojt and tonnage is now, and ever will be, colhfted from that Jlate !—■ The spirited and humane exertions of the ci tizens of New-York, we find have beeri crowned with fuccef's in the eftabliftiment ot a public dis pensary in that city. This institution is one of the most benevolent and extensively ufeful that can be devised ; and it is but a juit or praise to fay that on this, as well as on vanou.s other occasions, the philanthropy and good citi zen(hip of the gentlemen ot the faculty is abun j dantly exemplified. / Extraflfrom the new year's address of the carrier of the Connc<nic Courant. " THEN let's leave other realms alone, And lee what's doing in our own. " Congress, 'lis true, in various arts Right manfully have play'd their parts ; And in the scale of empire rais'd us So high, in truth it has amaz'd us ; Fram'd resolutions and reTcindcd, 'Till all they'd done was fairly mended ; Made treaties with one tribe of Indians, And to another threatened vengeance ; Sent General Harraar in a fever, Tojnake a dam o'er Joseph's river; To tell the world one Indian Savage Is worth two white men on an average ; To throw away the lives of many, And recommend Lieutenant Denny. All this has Congress done, and more ; But why Ihould we the lift run o'er, For mighty deeds in Congress done, Or other States, when in our own We've quite enough on Imall rcfl©£lion, To load the fterceft recolle&ion ?" PRICE CURREXr. PUBLIC SECURITIES FUNDED DEBT. 6 pr. Cents 17/—l7/3- Ps- I • 3 pr. Cents BJ6. —8/9. *Detcrcd 6 pr. Cents 8/6.-8/9, UNFUNDED DEBT. Final Settl. and other Certificate 15/.—15/3 Indents 8/6.-8/9. S ate i '/6.—8/0. 86J pr. cent. 43i <*o. a oi tio. 43} do. 76J do. Usl d# -
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers