different purposes : to men in trade it was a con
liderable advantage, amounting probably, in some
instances, to a hundred dollars a year :—itwouid
be better to take away the privilege entirely, and
reduce the general rates of postage one half, or
to allow the members, at the close of each feiiion,
to make a charge for all letters on public bufi
liefs, from their constituents, or to make them
an allowance in gross to defray the expense of
postage :—better even, if neceliary, to make an
addition to the compenfatiou which the mem
bers receive for their services, if the present one
be found incompetent to their honorable support.
On the other hand it was observed, that the
privilege of franking was not aflumed by the
members, for their own private accommodation,
but for the benefit of their constituents, to tranf
jnit to them every neceliary information, rel
pedting the operations of the general govern
ment, and to receive from them i'uch informa
tion as they might have to communicate;—pe
titions are frequently enclosed to members ; and
if these were to be fubjetit to the payment of
postage, the privilege of petitioning the houle,
would be in a great measure defiroyed : the di
minution of revenue, which the poit-oiKce might
in some instances fuffer from the privilege of
franking, ought not to be deemed a furficient
reason for abolifliing that privilege ; since it was
allowed, that the object, contemplated in the
establishment, was the general convenience, and
an easy and speedy mode of diflemina.ing public
and private intelligence :—revenue was but a se
condary consideration ; —although the citizens,
who live at the feat of government, and have
daily opportunities of learning from the news
papers what public measures are going forward,
may not be materially affeifted by the abrogation
of the privilege, yet the cafe would be widely
different, with those who live at a diltance, es
pecially when fifcal operations were on foot:—
those who are informed, will make a prey of
those who are ignorant ; and deftrucftive specu
lation will enrich the few, at the expense of
the many :—in a government of opinion (which
is the government of America) much greater re
liance is to be placed on the confidence of the
people, than upon any other circumstance :—
that confidence can only be the result of the ful
left information :—but if the privilege of frank
ing were taken away, the avenues of informa
tion would be, in a great measure, closed ; for
the members could not undertake, at their own
private expense, to transmit intelligence to eve
ry part of the Union : yet the citizens have a
right to expedl information not only of the aifts
of government, but also the principles, upon
which they were grounded :—The abuses of the
privilege, that have prevailed in England, do
not prevail here ; and its abolition would give
general difl'atisfaftion, particularly in the more
distant parts of the union, where information
would be fubje»st to a very high tax, if circulated
through the poft-office, at the ordinary rates of
postage : df those bundles of letters received arid
difpatclied by members of Congress, many (tho'
far from being unnecefTary, as had been laid)
would perhaps never be written, if they were
not to pass free of postage ; and thus that free
communication of sentiment between represen
tative and conflituent, which is so eflential in a
government like this, would be in a great mea
sure cut off; and the poft-office would gain little
or nothing by ir, as those packets of newspapers,
bills, reports, &c. would either be sent by pri
vate hand, or not sent at all : even here an in
equality would prevail, a? the people who live
near the feat ot government, and all along the
main road, could, from the greater frequency of
epportunities, receive such packets with more
ease and regularity, whilst those in more remote
Situations, could seldom or never receive them,
unless by the mail : the expense arifingfrom the
percentage to the poflmafter on the free letters,
is but trifling, as in such cases he receives no more
for a packet of two ounces, than for a single let
ter : and as to the idea of allowing the members
to make a charge for their letters, this would be
no better than receiving with one hand, and pay
ing away with the other: if however it were
found absolutely neceflary to take precautions
against the abuses that were apprehended, this
might be done, by limiting the number or weight
of letters that fliould go free by any one poll,
without entirely preventing the interchange of
sentiments between the representative and his
constituents.
MONDAY, December 26
The bill for carrying into effect a contra*fl be
tween the United States and the state of Pennsyl
vania (relative to the pnrchafe of a traift of land
bordering on Lake Erie) was read a third time
and pafled.
Mr. Clark prefenred the petition of Patrick
Ferrall, chief clerk in the office for Jettling the
accounts between the United States and indivi
dual States, praying to be placed on the fame foot
"lg in refpetft to salary as the chief clerks in the
1 reafury department, which was read and laid
«n the table.
Several other petitions were read, and referred
to t kji heads of departments.
In committee of the whole, on the Pott-Office
Bill—Mr. YV. Smith in the ctair.
1 he 23d section relates to tie carriage of newf
papei s—ic was moved 10 out the feiiiion,
and lubftitute the following:
That all newspapers earned in the mail, and
which il 1a 11 be under cover open at one end, shall
be charged with the payment of one cent for any
diltance not exceeding 100 miles, and one and a
half cent for any greater diltance—and that the
new (papers be carried in leparate bags from the
letters—and it (hall be the d utyof the l J oit 111 alter-
General and his Deputies to keep a leparate ac
count of ail uewfpapers ; and, the Deputy Po(t
---m a iters (hall receive 50 per cent, upon the pott
age of i hem — which was agreed to. The com
mittee then rose, and reported the bill, with sun
dry amendments, which were laid 011 the table.
i he Speaker laid before the House a letter
f 1 0111 the Secretary of the Treasury, covering a
report on the petition of Catharine Greene, wi
dow of the late General Greene, pursuant to a
reference of the late House of the 4th of March,
1 79°) which was read, and on motion ordered,
that it be referred to a committee of the whole
iioufe on "1 hnrfday next, and that 100 copies of
laid report, and the documents accompanying
the fame, be printed. Adjourned.
TUESDAY, December 27.
The report of the committee of the whole
House on the Poft-Office Bill was taken into con
sideration.
1 he ieveral amendments agreed to by the com
mittee, were read—the principal part of which
being (till further amended, were adopted by
the House. The amendment to the2oth feiftion,
which refpecfts the privilege of Franking, being
read, Mr. Wadfwoah renewed the motion for
expunging the claul'e—this occasioned some de
bate. Mr. White proposed a fubfliture which
contained varioos rellrictions on the privilege—
but an adjournment being called for, took place,
without a decision—and the further confederation
of the amendments was postponed till to-morrow.
LEGISLATURE of PENNSYLVANIA.
To the Senate and House of Reprefeutatives ef the
State. oj Pennsylvania.
GENTLEMEN,
IT gives me great fatisfa<ftion to communicate
to you a copy of a letter from the President of
the United States, from which you will obl'erve,
that exertions are making under the authority of
the Federal Government to protedl the
exposed part of the frontiers.
THOMAS MIFFLIN,
Philadelphia, 2/\th December, 1791.
United States, 23 d December, 179 1
SIR,
I HAVE received your Excellency's letter of
yesterday, enclollng a copy of a representation
to you from the inhabitantsof Pittfburg, relative
ly to their apprehensions, in consequence of a late
defeat of the troops under Major-Gen.' St. Clair.
I can, with great propriety, a(I u're your Excel
lency, that it is my earnelt desire that all the ex
posed parts of the frontiers ihould be as effectu
ally protected, at the general expence, as the cafe
may require.
] shall dire<st the Secretary of War to confer
with your Excellency upon this subject, and to
inform you of such ineafures as have been direct
ed, and are in a train of execution.
I am, with due confederation,
Your Excellency's molt obedient servant,
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
His Excellency the Governor of Peniifylvaniu.
Philadelphia, December 28.
Wednesday lad Richurd Henry Lee, Esq. took
his feat in the Senate of the United States.
Two important bills are now before the Senate
of the United States—one for the encouragement
of the Bank and other Cod-Fisheries—the other
for the eltablifhmeUt of a Mint.
The project of uniting the Delaware and
Schuylkill by a canal, is an undertaking worthy
the enterprizing spirit of the times, and will
doubtless be carried into execution.
The number of paflengers which have arrived
in the port of Philadelphia in one year, with a
view to become settlers in this country* amounts
to twothoufand seven hundred and forty persons.
By an address from Gov. Telfair to the AlTem
bly of Georgia, it appears that the Treaty with
the Creek Nation, made by the United States, is
to be the fubjecft of animadversion in the Legis
lature of that State.— It is rather curious that the
fame Treaty does not meet the approbation of
W. A. Bowles, who is fomenting mifchief among
the southern Indians.
It is molt probable that the Treaty, from this
state of things, is just and right.
279
In the account of the deftruiftioti of the town
of Port-au-l'i ince, in Hifpaniola, which fad event
took place the 22A ult, it is said that the Mulat
toes set fire to different parts at the fame time
that 32 squares, with all that they contained of
produce, (tores and provisions, &c. were confum
e(l-—The cannonading laded one hour after
ward, and the mufquetry continued the remain
der of the day, and during the night. Manyper
fons mull consequently have periihed.
Ex.traCi of a letter jrom a gentleman in the country,
to his Jrienr! in this city.
" Melancholy news from the Westward
Are not such repeated ttrokes indications that our
cause in that country is not good ? 1 think so I
fear we are too rath in our operations that way.
No doubt the Indians, dittnrbed on their native
foil, feel all the boilihgs of injured innocence
and were a few of their Chiefs in audience be
fore Congrets, perhaps they might plead their
cause to the confufion of many who think little
of them—their rights—or of what ought to be
said in their favor.
" I hope such measures will be taken, or reso
lutions gone into in consequence of this defeat,
as (hall be confident with the great principles of
j'uftice, as well as national policy Have there
been any measures taken by government to make
peace with these unhappy people ?—lf fo,it would
tend to fatisfy the minds of our fellow-citizens
by making them public—if not, what has notour
government to answer for > —Doubts on this head
give real distress to every serious friend to their
country."
Public measures are doubrlefs open to public
animadversion—but our remarks should always
be seasonable, ourcenfures direifled by judgment,
and in all misfortunes tempered with this conil
deration,
" That profp'rous actions always pass for wife."
The business of fending newspapers by the
mail, may with the greatelt l'ecurity be put on a
liberal footing. The interell of Printers is very
little concerned in the matter—but that of the
public is, and ought to be considered as deeply
involved. If by an ealy feafible plan the trans
portation of newspapers is facilitated, theftreanis
of information will be wide and copious, especi
ally for a season—but as in all other cases where
individuals difFufe their property, and encreafe
their debtors for final) funis, and at a distance,
inevitable loss ensues, so it is in this of Printing ;
and nothing but the greatest facility and certainty
in transporting the papers, will give the buiinefs
of an extensive circulation any degree of liability.-
There is not a government on earth which is so completely in
the hands of the people as that of the United States. By prel'erv
ing and strengthening it, the people secure their own power. For
they have no other means of a&ing as a people, and it is not easy
to conceive of any half as effectual. The state governments reach
to almost every object. The national government seems to be in
the air over men's heads, and barely touches their individual con
cerns. The power of tne latter is so limited, that it is little, and
so divided with the state governments, that it is lcfs than the letter
of the constitution seems to give : It has fewer officers than any
fovercign government in the world. Look round, and fee how
few there are who have more than a common interest to support it.
It is a trust, and a precious one in the people's own hands to keep
it inviolate. It is their own; therefore it deserves their confi
dence, and will reward their care.
IMPROMPTU.
Joe Miller's Jests, as all the world may fee,
Furnish our modern strokes of repartee;
Thence the " sweet fa&"—which all belief furpaflcs,
Of the plump buxom maid— drench'd in Molafles !
PRICE CURRENT.—PUBLIC SECURITIES.-
FUNDED DEBT.
2?/9 yr. I
13/4
'3/6
6 pr. Cents
3 pr. Cents
Dcfered 6 pr. Cents
UNFUNDED DEBT.
Final Settl. and other Certificates
Indents 12^9
Bank Subscriptions, 14
At No. 263, South Front-Street,
This Night Joh n Macpherson will Le&ure on MECHANICS,
and begin precisely at Eight o'Clock.
Tickets are fold by Mr. Poulfon, at the Library ; Mr. Peloji, at
the Merchant's Coffeehoufe; and by said Macphcrfon, at one half
a dollar each.
$3" Next Wednesday and Friday, he Le&ures on the fame
Branch. Dec, 28.
TO BE SOLD,
THAT beautiful and elegant situation on the banks of the Po
tomack, adjoining the town of Alexandria, whereon the sub
scriber now ; about 25 or 30 acres will be fold with the
improvements, which are a neat and commodious two story house,
compleatly finifhed from the cellar to the garret, a kitchen, laun
d.y, meat-house, dairy, two story barn, and ice house, all finiftied
in the bcft manner, together with several other necelTarv outhouses,
the yard and garden neatly paled, and a fkillful gardner now em
ployed in putting it in fine order ; the land well enclosed with a
post and rail fence ; a well, and of excellent water—the
profpeft is equalled by few, and ex'celled by none in America—
its contiguity to Alexandria, the Federal Town, and George-
Town, having a fine and full view of each place, mud render it in*
a few years of great value, being in a line of communica
tion from Alexandria to the other tv/o towns. Should a purchaser
offer before the of February next, a cheap bargain may be
had. An indilputablr title, clear of a4l incumbrances, will be made
by the fubfcribei. I will also fell with this place, 220 Acres of
Wood Land, about 3 miles distant, which will suit well to sup
port the above in wood and timber.
Dccyr.bcr 14, 1791
113J pr. cent.
66| do.
67J do.
20fS
102J do.
63i
Dollars,
(if; BALDWIN DADE.