I [No. 109. —Vol. ll.j DR. FRANKLIN. [Wc are gratified in having it in our power to piefent our readers with a few Sketches on the life ol Dr. THE TABLET.- No. CIX. " When an eminent man dies, it is worth while to enquire into the causes which conduftcd him to eminence." THERE is ill the character of every diftin guilhed perfou, fomethiug to admire, and fomethiug to imitate. The incidents, that have marked the life of a great man, always excite cu riosity, and often afford improvemei . II there are talents, wo can never hope to equal ; if there is a leries of good fortune, we can never expecft to enjoy, we itill need not lose the labor of our biographical enquiries. We may probably be come acquainted with habits, which it may be prudent to adopt, aud discover virtues which we cannot fail to applaud. It will be easy for the reader to make a full application of these remarks in his contemplations upon the late celebrated Dr. Franklin. By his death one of the belt lights of theworld may be said to be extinguilh ed. I shall not attempt any historical details of the life of this illuftriotis patriot and philosopher, as 1 .have nothing further in view than to make a few comments upon the raoft Itriking traits of his character. Original genius was peculiarly his attribute. The native faculties of his mind qualified him to •oenetrate into every science ; and his unremit ted diligence left 110 field of knowledge unex plored. There were 110 limits to his curiosity. His enquiries were spread over the whole face of nature. But the study of man seemed to be his highest delight ; and if his genius had any fpe cinl bias, it lay in discovering those things that made ineu wiier and happier. As truth was the sole objeift ofhis refearchss, he was of course 110 fetftary ; and as real on was his guide, he embra ced 110 fvftein which that did not authorise. In Ihort, he laid the whole vol#me of nature open before him, and diligently and faithfully perused Nor -were his political attainments lefs'confpi cuous than his philofoplmat. The amicus trivi ally ranked good fortune among those circum stances of life which indicate merit. In this view Dr. Franklin is almciil unrivalled, having seldom undertaken more than he accompliflied. The ■world w« too well acquainted with the events of his political career to require, at this time, a par ticular enumeration of them. It may be preln* ined the historians of die American revolution will cxhibit.them in proper colors. If Dr. Fra::lilin did not af'pire after* the splen dor of eloquence, it was only becaule the demon strative plainness of his manner was superior to it. Tho he neither loved political debate, ltor exaelled in it, he itiil preserved much influence in public atlemblies, and dil'covered an aptitude in his remarks, on all occasions. He was not fond of taking a leading part in such invettigations as could never terminate i»i any degree of certainty. To come forward in quellions which in their na ture are indefinite, and in their ifUie problemati cal, does not comport with the caution of a man, who has taught hifnfelf to look for demonftrntion. He reserved hisabfervations for thole cases which science could enlighten, nr.d com men i'enfe ap prove. Thefiuipliciry of hisflile was well adapt ed to tha ckamefs of h:s undcrUanding. His conceptions were so bright and perfect, that he did not choose to invol\e thein in a cloud of ex prefiions. If he tiled metaphors it was to illustrate, and not to embelliih the truth. A man, pofleffing ■such a lively imagery of ideas, flionld never affecft the arts cfa vain rhetorician, vvivofe excellence consists only in a beautiful arrangement of words. But whatever claims to eminence Dr. Franklin may have, as a politician,oi< a scholar, there is no point of light in which his character fhir.es with more lultre. than wheli we \iew him as a man or a citizen. He wa3 emineiitly great in common things. Peibaps r.o man ever exilted, whose life can with mote juflire be denominated ufeful.— Nothing ever palled through his hands without receiving-improvement; and 110 per foil ever went into his company without gaining wiidom. His fagadkr nvesfo ikarpj and his science so various, that whatever might be the profellion or occupa tion of those with whom he conversed, he could meet every one upon their own ground. He could enliven every converfadon with an anccdotc, and conclude ic wit ha moral. The whole tcjior of his life was a perpetual lec ture agaiirft (he idle, the exnavagauf, and the ' proctl. It wns his principal aim to inspire man PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FMXO? No. 9, MAI DEN-LANF, NEW-YORK. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1790 kind with a love of iiuluftry, temperance and.fru gality ; and to inculcate such duties as promote the important interests of humanity. He never wafted a mqment of time, 01" lavished a farthing of money in folly and diHipation. Such expen- Ices as the dignity of his fiat ion required he >ea dily sustained, limiting them by the ftriiteft rules los propriety. Many public institutions expei ien ced bis well-tirued libera'iry, alidjjl< manifefted a sensibility of heart by jjc'ts of.privatc charity. By a judicious division of time Dr. Franklin ac quired theart of doing every thing to advantage; and his amufenients were of such a nature as could never militate with the main objeifts of his pur suit. In whatever lituation he was placed by ichance or design, he extracted lomething ufeful lor himfelf or othei s. His lile was remarkably full of incident. Every circuintlance of it turiied to some valuable account, ihe maxims, which his discerning mind has formed, apply to innu imerab'le cases and characters. Thoj'e who move in theloweft, equally wi'.hthofe who move in llie most elevared rank in society, maybe guided by his inftruftions. In the private deportment of his lite, he, in many refpec'ls, has furnifhed a most excellent model. His manners were easy and ac commodating, and his address winning and rel pecftftil. All who knew him, speak ofhiui as a moll agreeable man ; and all who have heard of him, applaud him as a very ufeful 011 c. A man lo wife, and so amiable could not but have many admirers, andiuany friends. Of'.h: King of Frenchmen, to tbi National AjfiiMtih) on the 4th of Fti. I 790. A Translation from art Englilh paper,which has notbeforcappear cd in the American papers.] li CtNTI.F.M£N, " r T" I HE weight of the present circumstance* of the kingdom JL dravys me to you. The gradual relaxation of all the ties of order and fubordtnaii >n, the fufponfion or the ina&ivity ot justice, ftic*«Wc«mreiiHi which arile frdpi pAticular deprivation, the oppo fitimi«,thr unhappy hatreds which are the Inevitable consequence of long diflenfinns. the critical situation of the finances, and the uncertainty of the public funds ; all thef: circumftanccs united, keep upa general agitation and anxiety in the minds of even the real friends to the prosperity of the kingdom. " A great and glorious end it is, which you have in view ; but it mud be attained without new copvulfions. It was, I must pro fefs, in a manner more mild and tranquil that 1 had hoped to con duct you, and uniting, for the public happiness, the knowledge and collected will of the Reprefematives of the nation ; but my happiness and my glory are not the less intimately dependant on thjc fucc«|< ojt your labors. " TheCe labors I have hitherto guarded,V»y a continual vigilance, from thf unhappy influence of those d'flrclstul circumllances, in the midst of which you have been placed. The horrois of famine which threatened us last year have been averted. The disorder which the ftaUe of the finances, the discredit, the exceflive fcacce nefc of (pecie, and the gradual decay of the revenue, ought natur ally to produce ; this disorder, or least its excess, has hitherto been avoided. I have, notwithflanding the feeblenefs of the means of authority, maintained the kingdom, not indeed in that perte6t calm 1 could have wiftied, but in a state of fiiificient tranquility to receive the bit flings of a wife and well regulated liberty ; in fine* notwithstanding our interior situation, so well known, nolwith ftanding the storms which agitate other nations. I have preserved peace abroad, and have kept up with all the powers of Europe, such terms of refpeft and si iendlhip, as ought to reader this peace durable, " After 'laving thus preserved you thofc- adveifc circum tances, which might so cafily have thwarted your labors. I now I udgc the moment is arrived, iu which it imports the interest of the State, that I should a (foci ate myfelf in a (till more manifeft and exprels manner to the execution of all that you have concerted for the advantage of Franco. 1 cann<st fcize a better occasion ot doing so than that iu which you present for my acceptation the decrees designed loeftablilh throughout the kingdom anew or ganization which is to have so important an influence on the pros perity o£ the Empire. I will second, I will aflift, by all the means in my power the success of this vart organization, on which depends, in my opin ion, the fa ft ty of Fiance ; and J thick it necessary to declarc to vou, thaL I too clearly fee the dangers of all kinds that surround u.s, not to feel, that in the present difpohtions of men's minds, and in the present state of public aflairs, it is neceirary that the new order of thing* should be established with calmness apd trail quality, or that the kingdom mult be exposed to all the calamine* of anarchy. , , " Let .1 be thoroughly underflood then, that the Monarch and tSe Reprcfentatives ol the nation are united in the fame mtereft, in the fame will, to the end that this opinion, this firm belief may spread throughout the provinces a Ipmt ol peace and goo will, and that ell honcft and well meaning eitizens may take a zealous pjit in the ditfcrtnt subdivisions of the general adniinit t'ation, and efficacioufly concur in the re-eftablilhroent of the Ol der and prosperity of the kingdom. " We ought not to dillemble, that much is to be done before we can arrive at the desired end.—An union of will, a connetlion of design are absolutely necessary to luccefs. Continue tUea your labors, with minds unwarped by any other motives or palltons than for the public good ; let your si'& attentipn be fixed on the the public liberty ; but let it be also your care to foften, 'ocalm all dillruft, all despondency ; put «n end as fa«n as poflible to thole tears which banilh so great a number of her citizen. lrom Fiance, an effect which at present exhibits a fad contraA with the laws of liberty and security you wifti to eftablifli. Profpent) can only return with the general content, " A day will come—l love to dwell on the idea—when all Frenchmen will indiftinaively acknowledje the advantage of the 433 SPEECH, '$$$0 PRICE THRiE DOLLARS PK. ANN entire fupprelfion of the differences of order and rank.; when every one will fee without pain, that to be tailed to the State in any manner, it will be lurficient to render himfeit re markable tor his talents and his virtues. " Without doubt they who have abandoned their pecuniary privileges, they who will no longer, as heretofore, form a ■diifonCi order in the State, feel themfelvts iubje£led to Ucrifires, the whole importance of which I well know ; but I am alfopei fuad< d, that they will have the generosity of spirit to feck an indemnifi cation in all those advantages which the eftablilhment of Nation?! AfTemblies prefent,s to our view. " I will defend. I wild maintain the constitutional liberty ; I will do more and in concert wr!i my Queen, who partakes of my fcotimcnts, I will prepare betimes the mind of my son lor the new order of things which circumstances have brought to pass. I will habituate him from hi* infancy, to be happy in the ness of France, and to itnderfUqd, in spite of the language of flat terers, that a wife conflituiiqn will preserve him from the dangers of inexperience, and that a just libei tv will give a new value to the fentimeotsof love aud attachment which this nation has for lo many ages teftifidd 10 its Kings. " I cannot doubt, but that in finishingty>ur work, von will give strength to the executive power, without which no durable order within, nor consideration abroad, can be cftablithed. No reasonable cause of diflruft remains to withhold you : it is there fore your duty, as citizens and faithful Reprelentativrs of the na tion, to secure to the State that .liability which can only be de rived from an and tutelary authority.—You lure will call to mind, that without luch an authority all the partis of vour fy(- tem of would remain without corrrfpondence, with out the neceflary key-stone ; you will not lose fight of this great truth, that disorder in ad mini flratioo, by producing a coufufion of powers, degenerate* into the most dangerous and alarming of all tyrannifs. " Not for myfelf then, Gentlemen, but for the happiness of our country, for its prolperuy, for its power, I exhort you to cait oft all those impredions of the'momeiu that may prevent you from (ojifidering, in One great whole, the exigencies of such a king dom as France is, as well in its vail extent and ioityicnfe popula tion, as in its inevitable relations with other States. " By what fatality is it, that at the mum em of a returning calm, new troubles new disturbances have arilen in the provin ces ? By what fatality is it, that my people give themselves up to new cxcefTcs ? Ah ! if they knew to what degree I am made mi serable, when I hear the news ot an unjust attack on the fortunes, or of an ast of violence to the persons of my fubje£ts, they wou.d perhaps (pare me this bitter grief. " t cannot speak to you of the great intercfts of the State, with out preilingyou to applv yourselves inftantlv, and in a definitive manner, to the re-establishing order in the finances, on which de pends the tranquility of an innumerable multitude ot citizens, who are united by the ftrifteft ties to the fortune of the State. It is time to appease all these anxieties ; it is time to confer on this kingdom that force and credit which is its due. May this dav, in your monarch comes to unite himfelt to you in the moll unreserved manner, be a memorable epoch* in the history of this fcmpire. It will be so, if my ardent vows, if my exhortations can be the signal of peace and reconcile ments among you. May those who yet hold back and withdraw themfelveß from a spirit of concord which isanow becdme lo ne cessary, make a facrifice to me of all those recolktUons which ai flift and torment them ; I will repay tlicm by my acknowledg ments aVid my affc&ion.—Let us all prolYfs, reckoning from th S dav, let us all (and I will give the example) pnofefs but one opin ion, but one interest, but one will, attachment to the new con- Ui tut ion and an ardent deiirc of the peace, the happiilefs a«d the profperityof France." CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. TUESDAY, MARCH 50. The proportion for ajfuming the Jldte debts under confid;ration. MR. Stone said he bad mentioned on a former occafton that New-York and Pennsylvania were become accountable a$ States for large funis, the former on account of confifcated cftates ; the latter to the Penn family ; the gentleman from Phi ladelphia had said that that State has no idea of burdening tbe union with that debt. He did not suppose th«t those States had it in contemplation to transfer them to the United States ; but if Uie creditors prefer the funds of the United States to those of the in dividual governments, they can place their demands on a conti nental eftablilhment, nor can the State prevent it. It had been said, that debts of this description were notconGdered by the Secretary in his cftimate of the amount of the State debts ; this affords ad ditional (trengih to the argument again ft alTuming, which arises from the utTcertainty of the amount which wc may have to provide funds for ; it is evident in this way the State debts may be en creafedtoan enormous amount. Mr. Lawr ance observed that it was doubted whether the accounts between the several States would ever be adjusted, and this formed a principal obje&ion to the aflumption of the Suite debts. He requeftcd gentlemen, who had tbefc doubts, to con sider what had been done by the late and present government to effe6t this business ; that a board of commiflionei s, «vith very cx tenfive powers, had beenere&ed ; those comnaiflioners had been recognised by the prefcht government; provision had been maAe for their pay, and the pay of their clerks, and an addition to the pay of the latter had been agreed on by the hottfe of feprefenta tives. The amendment to the present proportions proposed by a gentleman from Virginia, and adopted by the committee, premi led that effe&ual provision (hould be made for liquidating and fet tling these accounts : fothat if those already adopted, and which were now in were not fufficienr, adequate and proper mealures for the purpose -would, it was highly probable, be a greed on. Really believing that these accounts would finally be adjulted, he could not discern that any injufticc could be done by theaffumption, because the sum a (Turned was to be charged to the State, and would be set off agwnft claims of the State for the expenditures during the war, eithet for general or particular de fence. He further observed, that he considered the evidences of claims in poHellion of individuals were founded on fucb expenditures of monies and supplies furrvfhed, as the States would eventually be credited for ; and although there was an inequality in these debts at present, yet a final liquidation would do justice to all. In the intermediate time, he supposed it would be a measure founded in justice and found policy to aftume these demands, which were li quidated by the States, and which were polTefied by individuals, because there was no solid diftinttion between them and those wludh they possessed as claims against the union ; as the former »
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