PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 69, MARKET.STREET, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREETS, PHILADELPHIA [No. 68, of Vol. ll.] Wednesday, De c ember 22, 1790. ROME. ' | "'HE reports spread abroad in foreign coun tries, ofpretended disturbances, which have obliged his Holiness and leveral of the Cardinals to leavethis city are destitute offoundation. Eve ry thing is in the molt perfect tranquility, which lo well suits the speculative life we lead. Poor Caglioftro is more closely guarded than ever. It mult be believed that he is detained for some ca pital crime, for he is confined within five iron doors, guarded by eight armed men. What a reverse of fort une ! The Capuchin, his fellow iufferer, is closely examined, and it is afl'ured that their sentence will speedily be pronounced. CONSTANTINOPLE The particulars relative to the action in the Black Sea are not yet received. The heights of CafFra were before them. The Captain Pacha had ■with him a fleet of jy veffels—lo caravellers, 5 fri gates, 10 kii langi{hars, and ;o cannoniei s. The aiftion was so far in favor of the Turks, that the Ruffians loft four frigates, and the Turks have loft not even one.—The battle lasted seven hours. That there mull have been some severe work, is however certain, for the Admiral's (hip of the Turkilh fquadrou received 80(hots, through her fides ; nevertheless, preserving all her rigging unimpaired, she got tfieltered in the fleet. VIENNA, Sept. J Accounts from Wallachia mention, that the Grand Vizier had actually crofled the Danube ■with 30,000 men, but that when the second co lumn were ordered to follow, they absolutely re fufed it, and in confequencea regular battle en sued, in which 1.000 men were killed. The Grand Vizier has thereby been compelled to recrofs the river, and the corps under the Prince of Cobourg and General Suwarow, jwliich march ed on the y6th of August to receive him, will consequently ]ofe their errand. The Ruffians are all now in motion, in four divisions. The firft, of 10,000 men, under General Su warow, with the Prince of Saxe Cobourg ; the second, under Prince Repnin ; the third, under Prince Gallitzin, is to undertake the siege of If mael ; and the fourth under prince Poiemkin is 36,000, in the neighborhood of Bender. LIVERPOOL, October 2 A Hint to Tradesmen. —A man in business who dwelt in Dublin lately, finding it iinpoffible to get in his book debts, advertised them to be fold by AuCiion, pledging himfelf at the fame time to prove each debt for the putchafer : the alarm ■which this excited w.is such, that in less than a week not a single debt was to be found uncrofled in the books of the Advertiser ! Probatum eft. Last week one Watson, who had been reaping in a field at Hanham, near Bristol, being much fatigued, he lay down and fell asleep under a hedge, when a viper, or some other venomous creature, bit him under one of his eyes, which caused his head to swell in a very extraordinary manner, and of which he died in a few days af ter, though the best medical advices had been obtained. On Tuefdaylaft, some workmen employed in removing a large hedge bank, upon the estate of John J. Atherton, Esq. at Walton-Hall, near this town, they discovered an earthern mug, containing upwards of a tlioufaud pieces of silver, and one piece of gold, wrapped up in a leather bag. It is supposed they were concealed there during the Parliament Wars, as none of them are of a later date than King Charles the First, there are many of Queen Elizabeth, and a few of Philip and Mary. LONDON, September 30. Tuesday night, at ten o'clock, the Remains of his late Royal Highness. Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland, &c. were privately interred in the chapel of King Henry VII. at Westminster. The lervice was read by the Dean of Westmin ster : after which Garter King at Anns proclaim ed his Royal Highnefs's Stile, which concluded the ceremony. During the procession, which began at nine, from the Prince's Chamber, min ute guns were fired ; and St. Paul's, and other churches, tolled minute bells. The procession, with the different preparations previously made, are estimated at the expence of joool. A g-entleman, desirous of improving the breed of sheep, lately purchased a Ram from a gen tleman, in Leicefterlhire, for which lie gave 300 guineas. - On Saturday night there was a general f'weep below Bridge, and scarce a ship in the river but was honored by a visit from a Lieutenant in the impress service. The King of Hungary ha» resigned the Dutcliy of Tttfcajiy to his son, in rivtue of a treaty signed by him for that purpose, in cafe he Ihould luc ceed to the Throne of Hungary. The Afleinbly of the National Parisian Guards on the 13th decreed, That they would go into mourning eight days for all the citizen soldiers who died for their country in the affair of Nancy. CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Sketch of the Debatu on the MILITIA BILL, THURSDAY, Dec. 16. MR. PARKER observed, the clause which enacftsthat every man in the United States shall " provide himfelf" with military accoutre ments, would be found impracticable, as it mult be well known that there are many persons who are so poor that it is impofTible they -should coin ply with the law : He conceived therefore, that provision should be made for arming such persons at the espence of the United States. He then gave notice that in the course of the discussion of the bill, he [hould move an amendment to this purpose Mr. Oilman observed, that obliging persons to turn out in the militia till th«y were fifty years of age, agreeable to the bill, would be found unneceilary and inconvenient —and is, laid he, contrary to the pracftice of the several States— few, if any, requiring militia duties to be per formed after the age of forty-five. He moved therefore that fifty beftruck out, and forty-five inserted. Mr. Vining objected to the motion : He ob served that a great proportion of our citizens, especially thole at the eastward and northward, were as capable of military services at fifty as at any period : Many in the ranks of the late Con tinental army, were he believed fifty and upwards, who were as good foldisrsas any in the service— He thought the alteration unneceflary. Mr. Gilman replied, that he conceived the ge neral practice of the States, which was found 011 experience to be the bed, wgs a fufficient answer to the gentleman lad speaking, and would sanc tion the adoption of the amendment he proposed. Mr. Lawrance said that by the laws of the State of New-York, persons above 45 years of age are not enrolled to do duty in the militia—and he thought that 50 was. a period too late in life to be fubje<ft to military bardfhips, if it could be a voided. Mr. Williamfon was in favor of the motion— Tho he had seen men in the field who were ad vanced in life, it had not been without pain—He thought from 16 to 18 too early a period—Many at that tender age fell facrifices to sickness and fatigue. Mr. Gilman's motion being put was carried in the affirmative. Mr. Ficzfnnons luggefted to the consideration of the committee, whether it would be the moll eligible mode to fubjecft all the citizens from 18 to 45 years of age, without exception, to turn out as soldiers. A much smaller number would in his opinion answer all the purposes of a militia. He thought the active militia might be comprised within a much smaller number, to be proportion ed to thecitizens of each State. The militialaw of Pennsylvania had been of this general com plexion, and had never compensated in its ope ration for the uneasiness it had excited, and the tax and grievance it had been to the people. Mr. Boudinot said, that the idea now fuggelted was debated in the committee—and the)' could not agree upon any other mode than that propo sed in the bill. He very much disapproved the idea of making a soldier of every man between i 3 and 4J years of age—there is a manifell im propriety in the measure—and he wished some gentleman would propose an alteration. -677- o [Whole No. i 72.] Mr. Lnwrance said that the idea of the gentle man f.oin Pennsylvania llruck at the principle of the bill—but as the hint may be not unworthy of consideration, he proposed thathefhould form a motion, and reduce it to writing. Mr. Fnzfimons apologised for engrossing the time of the committee, cfpecially as he had not prepared an amendment to that part of the bill to which he objected, not having contemplated the fobje<ft fufficiently—but on ptrnfing the bill it had been forcibly imprefled on his mind, that fubje<fling the whole body of the people to be drawn out four or five times a year, was a great and annecellary tax on the community—that it could not conduce, either to the acquisition of military knowledge, or the advancement of mo rals. As far as the whole body of the people are neceflary to the general defence, they ought to be armed ; but the law ought not to require more than is necefl'ary—for that would be a jult caufeof complaint. Mr. Wadfworth said, that it appeared to him the gentleman's objection went only to that part of the bill which points out the number of days to be devoted to training; the militia—as he had conceded that all from 18 to 45: ought to be arm ed. Mr. Jackson said that he was of opinion that the peopleof America would never consent to be deprived of the privilege ofcarrying arms—Tho it may prove burthenfonie to some individuals to be obliged to arm themselves, yet it wonld not be so considered when the advantages were jull- Ij eflimated. Original institutions of this na ture are highly important : The Swiss cantons owed their emancipation to their militia eftab lilhment—The Englilh cities rendered themselves formidable to the Barons, by putting arms into the hands of their militia—and when the militia united with the Barons, they extorted Magna Charta from King John —In France we recently fee the fame salutary etFetfisfrom arming the mi litia—ln England, the tnilitia has of late been neglecfted—the consequence is a {landing army— In Ireland we have seen the good efFecfts of arm ing the militia, in the noble efforts they have made to emancipate their country. If we neg lect the militia, a (landing army must be introdu ced ; but if the idea suggested by the gentleman from Pennsylvania is adopted, certain clafles inuft be drawn out, and kept for months together— which would prove as great a burthen as a (land ing army : None of the States he observed, have adopted such a plan—lll Georgia the militia ser vice has been as drift, as is contemplated -by the bill—but they have never complained : In are public every man ought to be a soldier, and pre pared to resist tyranny and usurpation, as well as invasion—and to prevent thegreateft of all evils a (landing army.—Mankind have been divided into three clafles, Shepherds, Husbandmen, and Artificers—of which the Jaft make the word mi litia ; but as the arts andfciences are the (ources of great wealth to the community, which may excite the jealousy and avarice of neighbors, this class ought to be peculiarly qualified to defend themselves and repel invasions—and as this coun try is rising fad in manufa<stures, the arts and sciences—and from her fertile foil may expert great affluence, (he ought to be able to protert that and her liberties from within herfelf. Mr. Parker here introduced his motion, to a mend the bill by a proviso, that persons who shall make it appear that they are not able to equip themselves, lhall be furniflied at the expence of the United States. Mr. Wadfwerth objected to this amendment: He said it would empower the officers to create an enormous charge against the United He said he had read almolt all the militia laws ot the several States, and had found no such provi sion in one of them—there is not a considerable number of such persons in any of the States—and rather than have thisprovifo inferred, he would prefer a clause to excuse them altogether. Mr. Parker said, that in Virginia there is a law, which provides that poor persons, not able to arm themselves, should be equipped at the ex pence of the State. In every State there are doubtless many such persons, who ought to be provided for by the general government —and if they are not, the law is rendered impractica ble—as you require more than is poflible for them to perform—As to excusing such poor perfous from military duty, they would be found in cases of emergency, very ufeful to defend those, who do not chufe torilk their own persons.
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