'.i. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 41', BROAD-STREET, NEAR THE EXCHANGE, NEW-YORK [No. iJ, cf Vol. H-j discourses on davila. No. VIII. This mournful truth is every where C"Ofefs'd, Shw rip Worth by Poverty dtpreM. IF we attempt to analize our ideas, still fui ther, upon this lubje<3;,we Ihall find,that the expressi ons we have hitherto used, attention, confideratton and congratulation, comprehend with fufficient ac curacy, the; genera] obje<£ ot Jie parfiori fordii tin&iob, in the greater part of mankind. Theie are not a few, from him who burned a temple to the multitudes who plunge into low debauch ery, who deliberately seek it by crimes and vi ces. The greater number, however, search tor it neither by vices nor virtues: But by the means which, common sense and every dav's experience fliows, are most sure to obtain it; by riches, by family records, by play, and other frivolous pet fonal accomplishments. But there are a few, and God knows but a few, who aim at something more: They aim at approbation as well as attention •, at efteern as well as consideration: And at admi ration and gratitude, as well as congratulation. Admiration is indeed the complete idea of appro bation, congratulation and wonder united. This last description ofperfons is the tribe out of which proceeds your patriots and heroes, and molt of the great benefadiors to mankind. But for our humiliation, we must still remember, that even in these esteemed, beloved and adored characters, the passion, altho refined by the purest moral sen timents, and intended to be governed by the belt principles, is a passion itill: And thercfoie, like .all other human desires, unlimited and inlatiable, No man was ever contented with any given ihare of this human adoration. WhenCaefar declared that he had lived enough to glory might deceive he did not deceive the world, who saw his declaration contradicted by every a&ion of his fubfequenr life. Man conftaiuly craves for more, even when Tie has 110 rival : Eu: wicn lie fees 2»;other pofieflcd of more, or drawing a way from liiuifelf a part of what he 'had, he feels a mortification, arising from the loss of a good he thought his own : llis delire is disappointed: The pain of a want unfatisfied, is increased by a resentment of an injullice as he thinks it: He accuses his rival of a thek or rob bery, and the public of taking away, what was his property, and giving it to another. These feelings and refentuients, are but other names For jealousy and envy; and altogether they produce some ofthekeeneft and molt tormenting of all sentiments. These fermentations of the paflions are so common and so well known, that the peo ple generally presume, that a person in such cir camltances, is deprived of his judgment, if not of his veracity ana reason. It is too generally a fufficient answer to any complaint; to any ladi alledged ; or argument advanced, to fay that it comes from adifappoiuted man. There is a voice within us, which seems to in timate, that real merit (hould govern the world : And that men ought to be refpedleS only in pro portion to their talents, virtues and services. But the question always has been, how can this arrangement be accomplished ? How fiiall the men of merit be discovered How ihall the pro portions of mer.it be afcerrafiued and graduated ? •Who (hall be the judge ? When the government of a great nation is in queflion, ihall the whole nation choose ? Will such a choice be better than chance.' Shall the Whole nation vote for Senators ! Thirty millions of votes, for example, for each Senator in France ! It is obvious that this would l>e a lottery of millions of blanks to one prize, and that the chance of having wisdom and integ rity in a Senator by hereditary defcenpwould be fUr better. There is no individual personally known to an hundredth part of the Ration. ■ The voters then mull be exposed to deception, from intrigues and manoeuvres, without number, that is to fav, from all the chicanery, impostures and fajfhoods imaginable, witlifcarce a polfibility of . prefering real merit. Will you divide the nation into diftridts, and let each diftridt choose a Sena tor ? This is giving up the idea of merit, and an nexing the lionor and the trust to an accident, that of living on a particular spot. An hundred or a thousand men of the firft merit in a nation may live in one city ; and all of thisdei cription in feve*al whoje provinces. Real -merit is so remote from the knowledge of whole nati ons, that were magistrates to be chosen by that criterion alone, and by, an universal fuffrage, difTeiuipns and venality would be endless. The 4ifficplbies. arising from this source are so obvious and uiiivecfctl/ that nations have tried all forts of expesimcEts to avoid them. (To bt continued.) »«r<awr.-. E D E N T O N, May 8. Copy of a litter from a gentlevi.ui in N:v> Tork, to his jriend in Virginia. New-York April 14, 1790. LAST Monday Mr. Sedgwick delivered a fu neral oration on the death of Miss Aftimpti on. When this child was born, although her mother only went leven m<>.. v i h her, ihe was proniifing indeed—was uncommonly large, ap peared healthy, could lisp Papa and Mama, dis played a good let of teeth, and could bite a crust of bread—was fond of jnolaffes, and her princi pal food was cod's head—her voluptuous manner of liv'lls caused hecto outgrow her age —Ihe was seized with a consumption, which carried her oft last Monday. Her death was much lamented by her parents who were from New-England. Mr. Sedgwick being the most celebrated preacher was requelted to deliver her funeral eulogium.—lt was done with puritahic gravity. This orator being man ly and grave, and the language being alternately threatning and soothing, caused unusual sensa tions—a pause ensued—her southern relations bore the loss with fortitude (except her aunt South - Carolina) refleifting, that if she had grown to womanhood, that her diforuer might have been contagious, and a general consumption in the j family the consequence, Sixty-one of the political fathers of the natron were prelent, and a crouded audience of weepers and rejoicevs.—Mrs. Speculator was the chief mourner, and aifted her part to admiration : She being the mother of Mils Assumption, who was the hope of her family, the picture of herfelf, and her youngest child. Twenty-nine of the political fathers cried out aloud—Thirty one bore the loss with manly fortitude, being in fnll hope of a glorious. rel'urreCtion, when (lie might appear again in angelic ihape and virgin inno cence, unattended by any monstrous appendage. Her near r !;ui?r. faprttr t '• id a prema ture death, and intend to'tty their magic art to raise her from the dead ; but as the days of witch craft are over, and its presumable they have not"* fupernatnral powers, it is hoped by thoi'e who suppose her death will produce no ill effect, that they will ceale their exertions for the prefentand foffer the dead to reft,lelt by disturbing her manes, the whole family be involved iu frelh calamities. Mrs. Excise may have cause to rejoice, because flie will be screened from much drudgery—as flie must have been the principal support of Miss As sumption, as well as of her mother and all her other relations—Mrs. Direst Tax may reft more easy in Virginia, as she will not be called into foreign service.—Madam Irnpoft will have addi tions to her burthen,fhe js however well support ed, and can better bear it than any other of the domestics, being much of a woman, and having the support of Mrs. Luxury and Madam Extrava gance, who are well-born dames, and above the paltry considerations of economy or reputation. Fenno's Gazette of this day * will derail the ora tion.—Mr. S—k after delivering the fermon,took 1 his leave for the ealt tomoutn with the reft ofthe family. * Sec Gazette of April 14. ißß^Sfti WEDNESDAY, 'JUNE 2, 179° BOSTON, May 26. DR. FRANKLIN'S DONATION. At the Town-Meeting yelterday, the Hon. Thomas Dawes, Ezekiel Price, Stephen Higginson, William Tudor, and Thomas Uawes, jun. Kfquires, were oppointed a Com mittee to report to the meaiures neceliary to be adopted, for carrying into effect the benevolent intentions ofthe late Dr. Franklin, in the Do. nation left to this his native town, in his Will. CURIOUS MECHANISM. Every friend to liis country, to science, and the liberal arts, mult feel the moll pleasurable sen sations in observing the rapid improvements, which are made in the various branches of me chanick arts. —It is with plea Hire we announce, that our countryman and townfnian Dr. Josiab Leavitt, has lately conftrutfted and completed an Organ under a HarpAcord } —a piece of me dian ism so curious, was never before attempted or executed in America : Either inftruinents may be played upon separately, or with the great ell ease, be connected together. The tones are ex ceedingly Iweet, and when combined, afford a molt rich and plealing variety. Those Ladies and Gentlemen of talle and knowledge, who have seen and heard it, have not liefitated to express their approbation ; and Mr. Selby, whose fupei - iour knowledge is too well known to be doubted, has pronounced as his opinion, that it is super- A our to any instrument of the kind he ever saw. 473 CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. TUESDAY, MAY ri. On the proportion to cncrcaji the duty of tonnage on foreign bottoms. MR. Fitzsimons said, he (hould state some particulars to the Committee, and leave them to decide what is belt, without giving an opinion at present. He observed the agricultural iniei cft of the United States was fully represented in Congrefc ; but it it was not, he -3id not conceive t; -re was difpofitioM '.r* any part of the Union unequally. He observed that the Agricul ture of the country, notwithstanding the duty on foreign tonnage, had not fuffered ; on the other hand, he could appeal to gentle men from all quarters, whether the produce of the country had ever been in greater demand, or had fold for a better price. He observed, one object of the report was to encourage the im portant business of ftiip-building. He enlarged on the great advan tages of prosecuting this branch of Manufactures, than which, per haps there is not one more ufeful and profitable pursued in the United States, considering the small value of the materials, in them felves,and contrasting this with the priceofadiip when completed. He observed, that the operation of the tonnage laid last session, had been advantageous to the trade of the United States. He shew ed how this had been the cafe. He then benefits of the revolution are yet to be realized by the Eastern States ; the South* ern States have the ports of the whole world open to them ; the Eastern States are excluded from the ports to which they were for merly-admitted, with their mod important exports. He was not however in faVor of a duty which would prohibit foreigners Irom coming to our ports ; he was for encouraging (Kips from all na tions to visit our Ihores, by which a competition would be created in purchasing our produce. But at the fame time he should la ment, as a very great misfortune, to have the carrying trade of this country monopolized by foreigners. He iid not doubt that the Southern States would soon fee it as much for their intend, as it is for the interest of the Eastern States to have our own veflels prin cipally employed in carrying off our produce. He took notice ot the objection, from the low price of rice, and said, this was a fa£t, which could not be accounted for from any other cause but this, that in the article of rice, ot which there is no competition, the de mand cannot be' extended beyond a certain supply. He added many other observations, to which the committee appeared to be particularly attentive. Mr. Livermore contrasted the former and present situation of the merchants and traders of Portsmouth ; they have been te+ pro&c!ied for their poverty, said he— th'S however if true, is their misfortune, not their fault; it is true, manv of them are reduced by means of the loss of that trade, which they now petition Con grefl to interpose their authority, that it may be reflored—among many other observations he said that the number of ships which are now building in several States, has been mentioned—but be fore the rcvoku.on tScihen province of New-HsmpAuce, more ships annually than all ot thele together. Mr. Bloodworth, observed that there had not been fufficient time to determine refpefting the question ; let us patiently wait the operation ot the law as it now stands—he was for accommoda* tion. but the accommodation ftiould not be expe£led all on one fide. Mr. White said he was sorry the question was brought on, we have once determined the matter after a thorough dif uflioa—and could have wished said he that we had been fatisfied. The influence of the commercial interest was anticipated by the oppofers of the constitution—will not this prove an additional burthen on agriculture ? Will it not juftify their predictions? Would it be just to lay an extra duty on any particular article that a particular part of the continent could not do without ? The Southern States cannot export their produce without foreign (hips, this (hews the injufliceof the proportion ; heobf.rved that the measure would have an unequal operation—it would tend to discourage agriculture—he (hewed the impra£licability of the Eastern States carrying the Southern produce ; can they pure ha fd that produce with specie ? Have they goods to crcdit the Southern States for ? Can they fell this produce in foreign countries upon terms equally advantageous with foreigners ? I think it is evident they cannot.—He said he thought fufficient had been done to en courage the (hipping of the Eastern States. Mr. Page. I differ much, Mr. Chairman, from mycolleague (Mr. White) for I think thetonnagc proposed by the committee, being the very fame which Virginia a&ually laid on British bottoms,cannot be too high, as that experiment was attended with happv effetts although made by that state alone, British merchants immediate ly giving tha>freight to Virginia (hips, which till then was refufed them, and without encrcafing the freight in Britilh bottoms. In deed I thought the freight was rather lowered by it, until a gen tleman from Virginia, who was here when I mentioned cumftanres in the last feflion, told me I was mistaken. I believe, fir, that our constituents would be pleased with the retaliation proposed in the memorial on which the report of the committee now under consideration is founded ; and I confefs that, did we not stand in need, of every means of encreafing our re venue, and did not a proper tonnage furnifh one considera ble branch of it, I fhouldjoin heartily with the memorialists. The advantage of the carrying trade, and the propriety of encouraging it, has been dated to the committee; but, independent of every other consideration, I should vote for encreafing the tonnage, as the house has agreed to encreafe the duties on many enumerated articles. Sir, if Congress will go that length to encrcafe the revenue, it will be unpardonable not to have recourse to such an obvious source of revenue as tonnage ; and that too, when instead of being a grievance, it mull be highly advantageous to the United State*. One dollar is the sum I wished to have voted the foreign tonnage at last feflion ; I have heard no arguments to alter my opinion, and (hall therefore, Mr. Chairman, vote against the motion before the committee, because I think as I did when the question refpetl ing tonnage was before us last feflion, that the fears of the gentle men from South-Carolina and Georgia are groundless. I believe it the interest of thefouthern states, that (hip-building (hould be encouraged to the utmost extent in the United States. The fine timber which they have would then be fold to advan tage, in the form of Ihips, instead of being destroyed or thrown a way under the name of lumber or in trifling staves : Much I know has been destroyed in Virginia, much waftrd in Haves. Sir, it is their interest that their lifter states should carry for them, instead. of foreigners. Under the late confederation, when each state was proud of its separate fovercignty and independent interest, aact viewed each other with a jealous eye, I heard harsh expreflions refpe&ing the'growing naval strength of the eastern states: But under the present government, there is no reason for such reflexi ons ; their strength is the strength of the union ; and in this re fpett they are to the United Statfs, what Holland is to the united Provinces. I affirm, again, fir, that we are in no danger from the retaliation of Britain; and we may with more propriety raifethc tonnage, than incrcafe the duties on articles. [Whole No. 119-]
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