8 fathoms ; but the wind hauling more to the
eastward, and the sea rising, the ship dragged
her anchor and again (truck on the ledge ; short
ly after the fVern gave away, and the i'alt empti
ed itfelf into the lea ; they then cut the belt
bower cable, and their main and mizen malts, in
order to getting on shore on the beach and fav.
ing their lives, but night coming on, and after
they had beat over the reef, the tide of flood set
ting in, they could not effect it. Their situation
was truly deplorable. The vefi'el, by the vio
lence of the sea was so rent asunder in many
places, it was dangerous to pass : one of the lea
men in endeavouring to get forward was entan
gled in the wreck, and was nearly cut in halves.
The captain, two paflengers, a feamanandthe
cabin boy were forward ; in that fituariovi they
remained until about 8 o'clock A. M. when the
seaman proposed to the captain to get ast for the
{hip went on the beach Hern firft, and attempt
gaining the (bore ; but the captain replied, that
" he was unable ro attempt it," and gave his
papers to the cabin boy : He then resigned him
felf to his f3te : The feamai. and the boy left
him, and jumped into the sea, and had the good
fortune to reach the shore. Wet an and fatigu
ed they crawled up among the bullies, w.here
they would have perifbed but for the exertions
of the two Mr. BurgelTes, who early in ihemorn
ing found them. The remains of the wieck
were spread on the beach for 4 miles in length,
and perhaps the molt di final that was ever seen
on this coalt. The following is the lift of the
unhappy crew that perished in the wreck, and
whose remains were found on the fucceediug
Monday, and decently buried at Duxbury meet
ing house, except the captain, two palfengers
and one of the seamen, who were buried at
Marsh field.
Isaac Chauncey, captain. Charles Roberts,
mate. Joseph Heldridge, Philip Heldridge, bro
thers, paflengers of Birmingham. George Dun
nells. John Sidney. Charles Hicks. Daniel
Buffit. Charles Humphreys. Timothy Harris.
James Floyd. Harris. James Weaun. Au
gustus Jenney; a negro.
John Charles Martin, seaman, and Jacob Tuck
er, cabin boy, were Paved^
Much credit is due to the people in favin-g the
things out of the wreck; a laudable spirit of
emulation appeared in them to preferveihe pro
perty.
Their humanity to the little remnant saved,
does honor to them as men and as christians,
and will no doubt be returned to thein double
fold, by that being, who, the father of compafli
on hjmfelf, admires the imitation of this exalted
attribute in his offspring :—Nor were the liv
ing alone the objects of their kind solicitude,
No ! they became interested iti depositing with
reverence and refpetft the remains of the unfor
tunate crew with a sympathy which none but
the virtuous podefs, and none but the good will
imitate, they paid the last fad offices to'departed
nature.—Like the Samaritan they bound up the
wounds of the unfortunate living, and like the
founder of their religion, they wept at the tomb
of their deceased friends—for friends they es
teemed them.
CONGRESS.
PHILADELPHIA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, March 8.
Debate ou the resolution reported by ast left commit
tee—That the Secretary of the Treasury be direct
ed to report hit opinion to the Heufe, on the bell
mide of rai ftng ihtsfi additional supplies which the
public service may require for the current year
TWTII. SEDGWICK (aid that when the law was
-L J- palled, confirming the department of the
trealury, and making it the duty of the secreta
ry to report to the legislature, plans for the in,,
nagement and improvement of the revenue • he
had fondly indulged the hope, that a great prin
ciple _ in the administration of the government
had been so far fettled, that it would not have
been called in cjueftion at so early a period.
Th.s principle he then and still nnderftood to
be, that a great officer fhonld, by appointment
for that purpose and an adequate salary, be re
ipoiiiible to the community, to produce to the
consideration of the national legislature, s uc h
lylttniatic arrangements in the intricate bufmefs
O; finance, as should give the highest afliirance
n (Vn lf P T C ° ' ,ÜbhC credit > with the least
polTible burden to the citizensof America. Thar
if this great principle remained still to be de
termined, he ardently wilhed that we might pro
fit by the experience of other nations, and by
ou; ovn that he knew of no nation that fuffer-
Ed under the weight of a public debr, but had
found it indispensable to its welfare, to appoint
some officer, whole duty it (hould be to superin
tend this important branch of bufiuefs ; and that
without such appointment, it was impossible for
hiin to conceive that an orderly administration
of the finances could be effected. It was not long
since, that all America had attempted to provide
for the public exigencies, by the indigeited
schemes of legislating financiers. The effects
are remembered by nil—the revenue was incom
parably less productive, and yet the people infi
nitely more burdened than at present. These
tacfls would render any other arguments fuper
fluous, with those who believed that experience
was the belt guide to well founded political con
clusions. But on the oilier hand, if gentlemen
were disposed to calculate 011 the data afforded
by imagination, and to build systems on argu
ments a priori, not only unfan<ftioned by expe
riment, but in opposition to all experience ; we
might render the debts we owed, which had
been juflly ftiled the price of liberty, and for
which therefore we were under the highest obli
gation to provide, an intolerable burden. For
he would run the venture to pronounce, that the
nieafures which-would reftilt from such a desul
tory mode of procedure, would create grievous
exa<fliojis on our conftkuents, disappoint the ex
petftations of government, and prove inadequate
to the support of public credit.
By these observations, he did not mean to de
rogate from" the responsibility of the character
of the House colleiftively, or of any individual
member of it. There might be many who had
fufficient talents ably to pi efide in ' the manage
ment of our finances, provided their minds were
confined to the contemplation of that fubje<ft a
lone. But it Should fee remembered that while
separated in the recess of the legifl.itnre, the avo
cations of profeffions, or other business, left to
moll: of the members but li ttle leisure for the in
vefligation of political questions. That while in
session, they were obliged to pay attention to e
very fubjeift of legiflaiion .committed to the na
tional government. That considering the limit
ted faculties of the human mind, he'did think
gentlemen (hould feel themselves wounded in
reputation, by the supposition that they were not
colledively, minutely acquainted with every
branch of feience, a knowledge of which might
be involved in the fubjecfts of our legislation.
Without such aii extent of information and fci
ence, a.man might be an excellent legislator.
Otherwise the business of popular legislation "muff
altogether cease, or be very badly managed. It
would not produce the fmalleit uneasiness in his
mind, to have it, oniverfally known, that he pre
tended not to the deep knowledge of jurispru
dence of the Attorney-General— the acquaintance
of the Secretary of State with the political inter
efls and relations of the community— or the pro
found knowledge of the Secretary of the Trea
fury, of the intricate fubjedis of finance. Yet
he felt Tome degree of confidence in the ability
.W'hich he pofTefl'ed, of judging of the expediencv
of adopting such measures as those officers should
recommend. " >
He observed that the House, ever since the
organization of the executive departments, had
conduced as if convinced of the justness of this
reafoniHg, by their frequent references to the
heads of those departments. That particulaily
when it had been suggested that the judicial fyf
tem required amendment, the fubjetf had been
refered to the consideration of the Artorney-
General. That when the commerce ofthe coun
try came under deliberation, it was refered to
the Secretary of State. That these fubjetfts com
prehended the molt important and dearest inter
ests ofthe pfeople. That he heartily concurred
in thole references, and would take the liberty
to add, that they had the support of the »entle
men who were now so strenuous in oppofnion to
the present motion. That if the House was i hen
right, those would not be wrong who were in fa
vor of this question.
He observed that gentlemen in the two cases
which in argument they had fupported,had'given
very opposite opinions of the collective character
of themembers of the House ; when they were
confideringthem solely devifmg the ways and
means neceflary to supply the deficiency of the
revenue, they gave them all the qualities of pro
found financiers. But when they were to confi
tlle re P°> ts of the Secretary they became at
once transformed into resistless dupes, incapable
ot manly investigation and quietly failing down
the llream of ministerial influence. Did o-entle
men feel, he aflced, in the latter in fiance the
w.int oi that independence of /pirit which is ne
ceflary to enable them to investigate and decide
for themselves ? If so they would want much of
that greatness of character which would enable
them in the former cafe to afor the public be
nefir. r
H e observed that it appeared by what gentle
men had fa id during the course of rtie debate
that members were not to be abfolutelv rellritf.
e ,? m receiving every species of information
on this interelUng fubjecft, from the man who
394
was constitutionally felerted, a, the befi „ uali
fied to give ,t, and amply paid bv the li,"
d<.o, e ,11 hi. ,i.„„ .nd P uV D « „ JS" 1 !" "
communicate refpetfting it. I t Wiis however c „
nous to obferye the narrow limits within which
wasjo be r.ftridted.and , he „
comprehenfibJe Mode by which it w'as to £ 2
Thegentleman from Virginia "(Mr
-ho had heretofore approved tie
which he had mentioned to the Attorney-General
and ri*-Secretary of State; and who had oiv en
efficient aid in making it by law the duty o g f 2
Secretary of the Treaty to repo, c plan's for h
management and improvement of the .even"
had on this occasion taken some pains to fl.ew ,£
confidence of his political conduct, by attend!
ing to prove that management and improvement
implied neither project nor appropriation. Thi
gentleman had given in. detail :he several nro
ceedings which ought to take place to obtau on
one hand the benefit of the knowledge of theSe
ci etary, and to maintain on the other the inde
pendency of the House. Thus according t0 hi ,'
plan was the business to be pursued. TheHoj -
was in the firft place to call on the Secretary for
a Irate of fads ; it was then to resolve itfelf into
a committee of the whole to form opinions these
opinions were then to be referred to the Secre
tary, for him to report, refpeding them a fyf
rematic arrangement. Let this scheme.so far as
it is intelligible,be examined. Fir (I the Houfeis
co obrain from the Secretary a Itate of iVt;
The House had been left to conjetfure to what
fubjeifts those fads were to relaie—we already
knew the deficiency to be provided for—thefub
jeds of revenue—fucli as were pre-occupied, and
-Inch as dill remained untouched—we also knew
how far those which had been occupied were
productive. These fads were already known ;
we must not receive any opinions or argument*',
jive deductions refpetfting them ; this would go
in deftrudion of the independence and parity of
the House, and some gentlemen feetned to sup
pose to the subversion of liberty. The facts
whatever they might be were to be referred to a
committee of the whole, who as financiers were
to form opinions refpeding them —and those
opinions were to be sent to the Secretary for a
systematic arrangement, and this systematic ar
rangement was to be made without
any opinion. How this was to be 1 done tiie gen
tlemen had not been pleased to declare ; we on
ly know that no opinions were tobe recommend
ed to the adoption of the House. This was the
dreadful enemy to our independence and free
dom that, was to be avoided with the utmolt cau
tion. He himfelf had hitherto supposed that a
systematic arrangement for ihe execution of a
complicated and intricate fubjed could not lie
made without fuggefiing many opinions. That
he helieved this lingular and as yet inexplicable
scheme of forming systematic a rrangements with
out opinions would be as cut ions as it would be
new in pradice.
He (aid no gentleman could doubt but tliat the
plans of the mini Iter would find their way into
the House, if regularly introduced as they bad
hitherto been ; the officer whoever he might bt,
would be responsible at lead in reputation to
America and to the world, which alone would
form the strongest motives to industry jind integ
rity, in the various plans he (hould recommend.
That it appeared to him that gentlemen who so
ftrennoufly opposed the present motion, would,
if they fliould succeed in their wilhes, destroy
mod of the benefits intended by the iuftitution
of the office of Secretary of the 1 realury, and
wholly screen the officer from every species of
responsibility.
Mr. Goodhue supported the reference—he ge
nerally remarked that in his opinion the mo.t
eligible mode to be adopted for raising the fop
plies on the present occasion would be by way of
loan. He then entered into a confederation o
the various obje<fts which ought to be wihin the
knowledge of every man who pretends to manage
the finances of a country —here lie iaid that he
did not think it any derogation from the c. a
rarter of anv member of the House to fuppoie
that they were less competent to a thorough in
veltigarion of fifcal arrangements than an in' l
vidual who had made the fubjedt the par tit" a
object of his study and attention ; the mischiev
ous consequences of committing these nirange
ments to numbers had been Severely ielt in 0111
of the States—in the the House do»
not however commit its judgment !t ' s ac . '" er ,
ty to approve or rejert-nnd the meafute in fa«
is only taking the belt means to get tie |
information. (To
TUESDAY
Ayes and noes on the motion to amend
solution for a further all jmprion of" r ( ■
debts, by adding ♦' whether difcharyed by
dates reVpedtively fmce ihcpcn or uiidifcM .
ed."
MrflVs
, April 3
vvti, Findley, Gil«-
, Livermore, Mar