PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 4 i, '.ROAD-STREET, NEAR THE EXCHANGE, NEW-YORK. [No. 28, cf Vol. If.j FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES. DISCOURSES ON DAVILA. No. XIV. 4 (Concluded from our hjl.) *Tis with our judgments as our watches—none Go Just alike i but etch believes his own, THAT there is already a fciffion,in the National Assembly.like all others,paft, present, and to tome is most certain. There i* party, a democratical party, an armed neutrali ty, and moil probably a monarchical party : be sides another division, who uiuft finally prevail, or liberty will be loft ; 1 meanafet of members, who are equal friends to monarchy, ariltocracy, and democracy, and wish for an equal indepen dent mixture of all three in their constitution. Each of these parties has its chief, and these chiefs are or will be rivals. Religion will be both the objevftand the pretext of foine : liberty, of others : submission and obedience of others : and levelling, downright levelling, of not a few. But the attention, consideration and congratula tions of the public, will be the objedt of all. Si tuation and office will be aimed at by fomeof all parties. Contests and diflentions will arise be tween these runners in the fa.ne race. The na tural and usual progress, is, from debate in the afl'embly to discussions in print : from the search of truth and public utility in both, to sophistry and the fpirii of party : evils so greatly dreaded by the ingenious " Citizen of New-Haven," to whoui we have now the honor of paying our firft refpeifts, hoping that hereafter we may find an opportunity to make him our more particular compliments. From sophistry and party spirit, the transition is quick and easy to falftiood, iin polture, and every species of artificial evolution and criminal intrigue. As unbalanced parties ot every defciiption, can never tolerate a free en quiry of any kind, when employed against them selves, the licence, and even the molt temperate freedom of the press, soon excites refeiument and revenge. A writer unpopular with an op pofue party because he is too formidable in wit or argument, may firft be burnt in effigy : or a printer may have his office aflaulted : cuffs and kicks, boxes and cudgels, are heard of, among ptsbeian ftatefmeu challenges and single com bats among the ai iftocratic legislators—Riots and seditious at length break men's bones or ilea oft their (kins.—Lives are loft : and when blood is once drawn, men, like other animal*, become outrageous : if one party has not a superiority over the other, clear enough to decide every thing at its pleasure, a civil war enl'ues. When the nation arrives at this period of the progrelli on, every leader, at the head of his votaries, even I ifyou admit him tohave the bell intentions in the world, will find himielf compelled to form thein into some military arrangement, both for offence and defence, to build callles and fortify eminen ces,like the feudal Barons. For ariftocratical ri ■valries and democratical rivalries too, when un balanced agaiirit each other, by foine third me diating power, naturally and unfailingly pro duce a feudal fyftein.—lf this (liould be thecourfe in France, the poor, deluded, and devoted parti zans would soon be fond enough of decorating their leaders, with the old titles of dukes, mar quifles and counts, or doing any thing else, to increase the power of their commander over themselves, to unite their wills and forces for their own fafety and defence, or to give him weight with their enemies. TVie men of letters in France, are wifely re forming one feudal system : but may they not unwifeiy, lay the foundation of another ? A le eiftature in one afl'embly, can have no other tpr mination than in civil dillention, feudal anarchy, or ftmple monarchy. The best apology which can be made for their freffi attempt ot a sove reignty in one allembly, an idea at least as anci ent in France as Stephen BoetiuSyii, that it is only intended to be momentary. " a f*nate had been propt&d, it mlift have been formed, tnoft bably of Princes of .he biood, Cardinals, Arch bifiiops, Dukes and Karquifles, and all tliefe to gether would have obllrudted the progress of the reformation in religion fciid government, an d procured an abortion, to the regeneration of France. Penr.fylvjiiia eftabliflied. her fingie ai fembly in 1776, upon the fame principle. An appreheiifion that the Proprietary and Ouaket intercfts would prevail, to the election ot charac ters dififfcCted to the American cause, finally prenwsdeiated agnhiA two initiative councils. SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1790. Pennsylvania, and Georgia who followed her ex ample, have found by experience, the necelfity of a change : and France, by me fame infallible progress ofreafoning, will discover the fame ne. ceflity : happy indeed, if the experiment shall not cost her more dear. That hefubjeft iscon fidered in this light, by the belt friends of liberty in Europe, appears by the words of Dr. Price, lately oublifhed in this aper ' Had not the ; ariltocraticrtl and clerical o*dei»," fays U»at u sage and amiable writer, " have been obliged " to throw themselves into one chamber with " the commons, no reformation could have tak " en place, and the regeneration of the kingdom " would have been impolfible. And in future " legislatures, were these two orders to make ; " diltinct and independent states, all that has " been done would probably be soon undone. " Hereafter, perhaps, when the new conftituti " on, as now formed, )ias acquired strength by " time, the National AfTembly may find it prac " ticable as well as expedient, to eftablilh by " means of a third Estate, such a check, as now " takes place in the American government, and " is indifpenfible in the 3riti(h government." TRANSLATED FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES. FROM THE LETDEN GAZETTE Pubhihcd by Stephen Luzac. [A Paper that is considered in Europe asthemoft authentic medium of intelligence—and as such circulates more extenfivcly than any other iimilar publication.] PARIS. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COLONIES, Preftntei to.th: National Jiflimbly, in the name oj the Comtnittee appointed jor that purpose, the l^d March, 1790. By Mr. Baknave, Deputy from Dauphiny. qfce. THE National Aflembly having, by its decree of the Bth inft. invited all the French colo- nies to transmit their wiflies refpe<fting the Con stitution, the administration, the laws, and in ge neral refpefting every rfieafurethat may conduce to their prosperity, has announced that there should be annexed to its decree, some inftruiftions necessary to attain this in the surest and most ex peditious manner. , The{e inftrutftions ought to have for tlieir ob je«ft, the formation of allemblies, destined to ex press the views of thecoloniei, and some general points which may serve as the basis of their labor. In order to know the wish of the colonies, it is indifpeufably neceflary to convoke colonial al lemblies, as well in those colonies where none as yet exifts,as in those where the existing afiemblies are not authorised by the confidence of the citi- zens. The National Afl'embly being obliged to trace prov i{tonally a mode for their formation, conceive it necefl'ary to choose the simplest forms, refein bling the nearest mode which have been adopted in the colonies where the citizens have freely as fembled of themselves—in Ihort the molt suitable to Allemblies, whose principal objedt ought to be I to prep re plans of a constitution. These afiemblies will judge for themselves, when preparing the constitution of the colonies, what ought to be in future the conipoiition and mode of convoking colonial allemblies. 1 o prel • cribe at this time multiplied and complicated regulations on this head, to do any thing more tl.an what isabfolutely neceflary, would not on- ly be running a rilk of committing errors, not only creating difficulties in the execution, but would be altering the spirit of the decree pafl'ed in favor of the colonies, by tracing as it were be fore hand, the constitution they are invited to propole. With these confederations, the National Aflem bly are of opinion, that the deputation to the firft colonial allemblies, should be dire<ft, and without any intermediate degree of ele«£lors. That it ought to be made by parifha. That each parifli ought to depute, in proportion to the number ot acftive citizens ic contains. That for this convocation, and until the con stitution is agreed upon, the qualifications oi an atftive citizen should be, a man of lawful age, and a freeholder, or if not a freeholder, a ie(i dence in the pariihof two years, ajid payment of taxes. 525 CONTINU ED The rcafons common to all these articles, are the extreme facility of the execution, their re semblance to what has been pratflifetl in tHose co lonies, where the inhabitants of themselves have formed aflembliea—in fllort, the character of a pure, diretft and universal representation, which particularly agrees with assemblies, designed to prepare plans of a constitution. It may be added wi'h efpedl to dire-il depu tation, ttei the popi: ic . . > tl*a rdAonaei is >07 favorable to it, and that this mode of represen tation is the only one that nature points out', and which the severity of principles avows, and ought to be rigoroully observed wherever it is poflible. As to deputation by parishes, these at this in j ftant are the only political division in the colo nies which can conveniently answer the purpose of representation. As to the reprefentationbeing proportioned to the number of adlive citizens, it is the only pof lible measure that at present offers itfelf, and which appertains to the principal foundation of thealfeniblies, which prepare conftitutions—for these aflemblies exeicifing a right which essen tially belongs to the people, by no means offer ing a magistracy or an instituted power, but the image and representation of the people them selves, all those who enjoy the right of citizen lhip are naturally called to ic ; every o.ne ought to take his place there, were it not for the im possibility resulting from their numbers, or from some other motives. The nomination of depu ties is nothing else to these Aflemblies, than a re duction which circumstances render neceflary, and can consequently only be proportioned to the number of thole who, in a natural order ought to have concurred in the deliberation* It will hereafter be seen what precautions have been taken in order to prevent this form of re presentation being disadvantageous to the coun* tr^. With refpeft to the conditions provisionally annexed" to rhc qarrfificaiions »fact ch'zcn, it may be added to what has been said before, that it is for the general interest of each colony to multiply the number as much as poifible, and that the fame number exilfs in each particular parilh, since the number of their deputies will be proportioned to that of their aiftive citizens. It appeared, however, that for want of freehold ellate, the limple condition of taxation would not be fulTicient, and that in colonies where ma ny people refidebut for a short time, and with out any design of fixing themselves there, the re sidence of two years appeared indispensably ne celfary to confer the qualification of an a<flive ci tizen on a taxable, not a freeholder. This disposition is one of those which will contribute to protect the country againll the pre dominant influence of the cities. The proportion of the number of deputies to that of adhve citizens, cannot be the fame in all the colonies. The difference of their populati on is too considerable, and alt ho the bell peopled colonies ought to have the mod numerous colo nial allemblies, it is impoflible to eftablifli this proportion to the number of their citizens. The number ofdeputiestoeach colonial aflem bly ought to be fufficiently large to authorize the confidence of the colony, and that of the mother country ; it ought to be fufficiently confined so as not to become too heavy a charge to the people, and that the celerity of operations, which every circumstance renders desirable, may not be re tarded. The National Aflembly are of opinion that the colonial aflembly of St. Domingo, to which is at tached the uninhabited Islands of la Toriue, la Gonave and la Nache, ought to consist of about one hundred and fifty deputies. It has conceived that this result may be obtain ed by appointing one deputy for every hundred active citizens, with the following modifications. The deputation being made in eachparifh dif tintftly and separately, justice requires that the least parish fliould not be unrepi efented, and consequently ought to appoint one deputy, even though the number of its citizens fbould be be low one hundred. With respect to such parishes as (hall contain more than one hundred citizens, it has appeared juflthat the number which (hall be found above the complete hundreds, ihould be entitled to a deputy, even though they Ihould be fifty and. less, feeing it is equally near the number where the deputy is fully due, and that where there is no pretentions, the l«nefit of representation and ("Whole No. 132.]
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