very good, yet hallways been thought greatly inferior to that
made in Cneihire in England. Howev r, theßlock-lQand cheeses.
which were carried out, in the fame ship Brothers, provea, on
companfou, to-be no ways inferior to the £n jl:fh ones on board ;
but bore the heat of Chun, and the vicilfitudes of the weather,
equally with ihat imported.'
It is with the greaicft plafure that a friend to American manu
fa&urcs communcates these which can be read'.ly attested
by all on ship- They will serve to show, that the fup
]hA d infcriv>rity of those capital articles of American production,
chcefe and porter, is a mere designing pretence.
Critique on the different Englijh hijiorians, by Dr.
C''o:r, p-efixed to th: fir ft r-A:nm of his Uijlo'-y r,f
Fpghra'd, lately publijfied.
HUME, as an hiilorian, lias long enjoyed an
extraordinary fliare of popularity; and liis
performance feerrvs to be conlldered, by the ma
jority of readers, as the belf account of the as-
fairs of this nation. His abilities were compe
tent to t he prod utftion of an history which might
have far furpafled all the efforts of iiis Britifli
predeceflbrs; and if his talents had been exerted
■with a jnit regard to candor and impartiality,
nnd with the sole view of exhibiting a fair and
accurate delineation of the trail factions of for
mer days, his liiftoric fame would have retted on
a more solid bnfis than that which now supports
it—The spirit of philosophy which animates his
work, gives it a manifeft fuperioriry over moil
of the Lnglifh hiflories by which it was preceded.
His style is elegant, without affectation ; and
nervous, without an appearance of labour. His
arguments in defence of a favorite hypothesis,
poUeis all the actutenefs of sophistry, tho' their
force is difirmed by the application of found lo
g:c, and the addutSion of undiftorted facfts.—
Under the pretext of exposing the delusions of
fanatkifm, the weakness of bigotry, and the arts
cffelfilh and deligning ecclefiaflics, he indirectly
endeavors to sap the fabric of religion itfelf, and
undermine the dearest imerelts of society. His
political principles are adverse to the claims of
freedom ; and under the cloak of impartial
discussion, he vilifies the exertions of the patriot,
and depresses the generous flame of liberty.
The reputation of Rapin is now in the wane.
The multiplicity of his errors, his want of ani
/rnation, and his injudicious use of his materials,
llisive occafioncd the decline of that eminence
which he once enjoyed, and which produced an
■unprecedented sale of his voluminous work.
His general impartiality was the original cause
of the success of his history ; but that quality is
not so conspicuous in this author ns his advocates
pretend ; nor, on the other hand, is his perfor
mance so defective in this refpetfi:, as some later
hiiioi ians have iniinunted.
Though Carte is supposed to have employed
more time and labour on his history than any
preceding or fubfequeiit writer, his fnccefs did
rot correspond with his hopes. The well known
prejudices entertained by him, precluded the
:ob'«i«nts reqwifite which such a work demands ;
ajiii the public could not be expected to cherish
a'verv high opinion of the sagacity or penetra
tion of thaV author, who, in an enlightened age
could decisively attribute the imaginary cure of
the fcrophula by the royal touch, to a fanarive
virtue conferred by heaven on anointed sove
reignty. Carte, however, where his preposses
sions do not intervene, is a faithful and accurate
writer: but he rarely displays any portion of the
graces or the energy of composition.
Guthrie was a good claflical scholar, and an
ingenious author. His liiflory of England is no
contemptible work; but it appears to have been
written with too great rapidity, and too little at
tention of the mind. His remarks too frequently
disgust by the vanity with which they are offered',
or merit cenfnre by the want of a deliberate ex
amination of that point on which he confidently
pronounces his sentiments.
The charge of harte and inaccuracy, which
the prefenc critic has ventured to fix on Guthrie
is more jufily imputable tohis countryman Smol
let, as the history compiled by the latter, is solely
borrowed from modern writers, whose misre
presentations he has copied, and whose errors he
has multiplied. A companion of his work with
the historical labours of Rapin, Carte, and Guth
jie, will perhaps convince the examinant, that
he did not consult one of the original authors
whom he has quoted in his margin. Hut his defects
as an historian are in some measure palliated by
that nevons elegance which often appears in his
diction, and that judgment which prevents him
from dwelling on occurrences of inferior moment.
Goldsmith wrote wiih spirit and ability; but
his history of this kingdom is a mere ep'ttnme, and
is calculated rather for the amtifementof an idle
hour, than for the improvement of those who
aspire to a competent knowledge of En E lifh af
fairs. b
Henry is an accurateandjiidicious author ; but
his plan is too detached and disjointed to please
the general reader; and that divifon of his work
which comprehends the civil and military hiftorv
of Great-Britain, is too concise to be fat it fac
tory.
A Friend to American Minufafiures.
Advantages of pnfcrvbig Parsnirs by drying.
[By the Rev. J. Belknap.]
AMONG the number of esculent roots, the
parsnip lias two singular good qualities.
One is, rhat it will *ndtire the feverell froll, and
may be taken out of the ground in the spring,
as sweet as in autumn ; the other is, that it may
be preserved, by drying, to any defiied length
of rime.
The fir(t of tbefe advantages has been knoyn
v for many years pnft ; the people in the most
northerly parts of New-England, where winter
reigns with great severity, and the ground is
often frozen to the dep:h of two or three feet,
for four months, leave their parsnips in the
ground till it thaws in the spring, and think
them much better preserved than in cellars.
The other advantage never occurred to me till
this winter, when one of my neighbours put into
my hands a substance which had the appearance
of a piece of buck's horn. This was part of a
pat snip, which had been drawn out of the ground
]a!t April, and had lain negle<fted in a dry closet
for ten months. It was so hard, as to require
considerable strength tovforce a knife through it
cross-wise; but being soaked in warm water, for
about an hour, it became tender ; and was as
sweet to the taste, as if it had been frefli drawn
from rhe ground.
As many ufeful discoveries owe their origin to
accident, this may fugged a method of prjfferv
ingfo pleaf.tnt and wholesome a vegetable for the
life of seamen in long voyages, to prevent the
fctirvy and other disorders incident to a fea-far
ing life, which 55 ofren rendered tedious and
diftrefling for want of vegetable food ; since I
am persuaded that parfiiips, dried to such a de
gree as above related, and packed in tight casks,
may be tranfporred round the globe, without
any loss of their flavour, or diminution of their
nutritive quality. Asylum.
St. J O H N, July j
Lad night about tr o'clock, a Smoke House
belonging to Mr. Tl'.oims Barker,on York-Point,
was difcotered to be on fire ; the flames almost
instantaneously bnrft out in a tremendous man
ner, which soon rendered it impofl'ible to be ex
tinguished—The whole town was instantly a
larmed, and great numbers aftembled—The en
gines were set to work with all poifible expedi
tion, but no efforts could prevent the flames from
communicating to the dwelling house of jVlr.Bar
ker—a dwelling honfe, blacki'mith's (hop, and
two other buildings the property of Mr. Thomas
Jennings, which were soon reduced to a/lies,
when fortunately a flop was put to the threat -
ning progress of this diftrefling calamity.—The
united efforts of the Naval and military officers
and men (who kindly afforded every poflible as
fiftance) together with all ranks of the inhabi
tants to prevent the conflagration from spread
ing, mull: otherwise have proved ineffectual, and
the whole ra-nge of buildings, together with the
Ordnance flore, which contained a quantity of
powder and other combustible materials would
inevitably have been consumed.
Recent accounts from. Quebec, brought by a
gentleman who arrived at the Great-Falls, a few
Hays since, inform us, that His Royal Highness
Prince Edward, with the 7th regiment had ar
rived, and that the 65th were under orders for
this place, to relieve the 54th stationed here,
who will then embark for England.
The fame accounts add, that his Excellency
Lord Dorchester intends shortly for Europe.
PORTSMOUTH, (N. H.) July 27.
Arrived here, brig Elizabeth, Capt. Hooper,
in 52 days from Greenock, in Scotland. At the
time of Capt. Hooper's failing, (June 2d) prepa
rations were still making for war, theimpreffing
of seamen in England, Scotland and Ireland, was
carried on with ipirit, See'. But it was generally
imagined, by persons of difcermnent, that these
preparations were only defined to divert the
attention of the people from revolution princi
ples—The British fleet had not failed.—The
brig ABC, from the Potowmac was at Port Glaf
g;>w, waiting for freight, expected to fail 15th
July. The ihip Duchess of Haddington failed
14 dqys before Capt. Hooper, for Boston.
CONCORD, (N. H.) July 20
We hear from Warner, that on Thursday last
a barn belonging to Mr. Jonathan Straw, was
taken up by a whirlwind, from the ciUs, and
torn to pieces. There was a yoke of oxen in
the barn at the time, but they were left ftandino
without injury.
On Friday last, in the severe thunder storm
there was a heavy gale of wind about a mile and
an half wide, which patted through the fout'n
weftern part of this town. It tore up many trees,
and did confioerable other damage. Deacon Her
nek and Mr. Sleeper had each of them a cow
killed by the falling of the trees.
The earth is now well watered, and the pro
duce on the farms appears to be rapidly ap
114
preaching to maturity, with profpe&s of al„ Tn
riant h3rve(t. »«iuxn-
Died, at Haverhill, MaflLchufctts, on W e( l„.r
day the 6th instant, JOHN THAX I KR Efooir
attorney at law. It is but just, to obfc™ e rh
his character marked him an ornament L .if'
profeffion : by his death the public are deprived
of a ufeful man ; h,s acquaintance, of an ka re
able companion ; his afibciates, „f a gj *'
friena ; and his bereaved consort and an n„i
child, of a tender hnlband and an afFedtiona
parent. ,e
In 1779, when Mr. Adams was appointed Mi
nifter Plenipotentiary, to make a treaty of peace
and also a treaty of commerce with Great-Britain'
Mr. Tbaxter accompanied him to Europe in the
character of Private Secretary. In that fituatioi,
he obtained the fnendfliip of Judge Dana, who
at that time was Secretary to the Conmiiflioners
With Mr. Adams he resided in France and Hoi'
land : And while his tafle for Literature render
ed him an agreeable companion—his integrity
and perfect fidelity, in the duties of his Ration
claimed and received the ntmoft confidence of
that patriotic Statesman, and his great antTfaith
fnl aflociate, the present Chief Tuftice of th*
United States.
Peace being confirmed, in 178?, the Commif
fioneis Pent him to America, with the charge of
presenting the Definitive Treaty to Congress:—
He was received with attention and refpedt.
W ORCESTER, July 28.
We hear from Royalfton, that on Tuesday e
vening the 12th inft. a barn belonging to Mr.
Benjamin May, of that town, was fee on fire bV
lightning and entirely contained, together with
fibout seven tons of hay, and a quantity of flax.
By the extraordinary exertions of the inhabit
tants, the frame of another barn, 36 feet by 30,
was eredted on the fame spot by sun-set the next
day.
N E W - Y O R K, August 3.
The Directors of the Bank of New-York, yes
terday forenoon, appropriated three hundred
(hares of that Bank, which were unfnbfcribed to
be offered to the Bank of the United States. This
vote of the Directors being made public, the re
maining vacant (hares of the Bank (about three
hundred) were all fubferibed in the space of
twelve minutes after the opening of the Bank in
the afternoon.
W I N D H A M, July 23.
Died, in New-London, Monday the 11th inft. Mrs. Eliza-
BETH ne Bracei onci, widow of Mr. Lemerieu Dt Com
demanche, aged 56 years. She arrived at New-London from
Guadaloupe about lix weeks since, in a declining state of health.
In conformity to the requefi: of the friends of the deceased, the
Rev. Hcvry tharning, Prelbyterian Minister of the firft Proteftan:
Church in that city, attended at the funeral, and officiated, reading
the butial service of the Epifcopa! Churcli in the United States.—
This attention to the feelings of the afflicted, in the true spirit of
the Gospel, rauft be pleasing to every benevolent and chriftiaa
mind.—One Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism.
Philadelphia, August 6.
James Barry, Esq. is appointed Vice-Consul
within the States of Virginia and Maryland, for
her Most Faithful Maiefty the Queen of Portugal,
and has been recognized as such by the Supreme
Executive of the United States.
In the Supreme Court ot the United States, on
Tnefday last, in the cafe of William Weft, plain
tiff, in error, versus David Leonard Barnes and
others, defendants.
Mr- Bradford offered to the court a writ, pur
porting to be a writ of error iff'ued out of the
office of the clerk of the Circuit Court for Rliode-
Island, directing to that court, and commanding
the return of the judgment and proceedings by
them rendered in this cause to this court with
such returns.
On motion of Mr. Bradford, counsel for Wil
liam Weft, the said writ and papers annexed
thereto, were read. Mr. Bradford then moved
for a rule, that the defendant rejoin to the errors
afligned by the plaintiff in this cause.
Mr. David Leonard Barnes, one of the defen
dants, and a counfcllor of this court objected t®
the validity of the writ in question, and on that
principle, to the rule moved for.
The arguments 011 both fides being heard, the
Court informed the parties that they would con
sider the question. Adjourned.
Wednesday the Court refufed to grant the
rule moved for on Tnefdav, in the above cause ;
being unanimously of opinion that writsof error
to remove causes to this court from inferior ones,
can regularly issue from the clerk's office, of this
court
The attorney-general of the United States in
formed the court that there were several persons
now confined in the jail of Philadelphia, charged
with crimes committed again ft the United States.
He then read a letter on the fubjeifl, from Wil
liam Lewis, Esq. diftricft judge,to Wil 1 iam Rawle.
Esq. attorney for the fame, informing, that fede
ral of those persons had been confined for a