A NATIONAL "WfibNESDAYS ANOf .SATURPATS BY Ff.NNQ, {Jo. 34, NORTH*FIFTtf-ST&tkTi'^Hn.hnr.tvuiA [No. 105 of Vol. IV'.] FROM THE COLUMBIAN CENTIN^L. 44 OMNIUM PPIMUM RAWS TUERI PIS&:: UCAM FIDEM." Liv. Mr. Russell, » TT has been enquired by citizens anxions A for the welfare of the country, and aware of the distress to which it must inevitably be Teduced by a European war, whethev we have not already pledged our faith so far as to preclude us from any present contfderatlpii of convenience or inconvenience, and whe ther we are not by oar own voluntary en gagement bound to take the part of the pre sent government »n in cafe the Weft-India iftaild > be attacked bv Great-Britain. By the eleventh article of the Treaty of Alliance with France, the United States U ' guaranty to his Most Christian Majesty, the pofleffions of the crown of France in Ame rica."—But the course of human events has either totally absolved us, or at least suspend ed the obligation of this- clause, and it can not be made even a plausible pretext for. in volving us in the present war. My reasons for this opinion are, 1. That the guaranty is te kh most Christian Majesty, or the poffejfiffls of the crown of France.-— I ask, who is at this time his moji Chnflian Ma jesty ? A part of the French nation, and all the other powers of Europe will answer, he is the son or the'brother of the late Lours theXVlth. The National Convention, and the present Republic of France will fay there is no such man. The office and all its powers have been extinguished in the blood of the person wfah whom your contrad: was made. If the article "binds us to either of the par ties, the question, which of the two is en titled to claim the performance, is now a audition to be fettled by the event of a civil War, and neither party can call upon us to dccide it for them. • 2. That supposing the revolutions of France, are now completed, and a Republic firmly established, it may be doubtful, whether they have not by their change of government, dif "fofved this clause of the Treaty : I know it is a general principle of the laws of nations, that the rights and obligations of Treaties survive the internal revolutions,of govern ment, and therefore that the, Republic of France may be entitled to the benchr; of en contracted with the former mo narch. But to this rule there are many ex ceptions ; the firft Constituent- Aifembly were so fully of this opinion that they thought the nation absolved from all such Treaties pre yioufly made, as might be injurious to their iqterefh, and the present government have extended the principle much further,when as a juftification for opening, the Scheldt, contra ry to the positive and express flipulation of many Treaties, they have formally denied the obligation of any compa& t/ which was contrary to the natural Rights of Men. Upon fpe- principles it maybe very question able how far the sovereign controul of a French Republic, over illands at three thou sand miles distance from them is confident with such natural rights, and it would be dif ficult to mark the diftin&ion which should prohibit every art of jurifdi<slion exercised by one nation over a river flowing through the territories of another, and at the fame time allow a supreme authority over'colonies pla ced by the hand of nature at so wide a dis tance from the metropolis.-—The pofjejjior.i of the crQTua qJ France, as guaranteed by our Trea ty to his moji hrijlian M(ije[ly i appear to me to have formed a part of that Constitution of g jvernment which then existed in France; tney were a part of the monarchy, and under tae new government they can .no longer be confiJered as pojfeffiem, in the fame sense in which they were understood when the Uni lep States bound themselves to the guaranty. . 3* Should both these grounds for the opin ion I am supporting be considered as errone ousj and the clause in quefHon be held as binding us to the French Republic, in the fame manner as it formerly did to the Kinp, it remains to enquire what was intended by the guaranty and what are the duties which it has prescribed to us I—During the admin ift rat ion of the royal \ ..-rnm«ot, had the authority of the Covert »• • »en guided by the maxims of speculative freedom or of prac tical tyranny; had he provoked a rebellion in the by opprefling the planters or by liberating their slaves; the guaranty in the treaty would not have bound us to assist him v/.th our blood and treafuies, in enforcing an abfund and unnatural Government against the perpetu-tl refinances which it would necefTarj jy provoke." Had the late King of France, like other Kings of whom we read in "history, veiling his insatiate ambition, under Anne ipecious pretence of glory, of* dignity or of Safety, declared a wanton and uujuftifiaWe \%ar against any or all of the commercial na tions in Europe, and had his pofleffions in America been conquered by his enemies in the course of such a war, "he never could have called upon the United States by virtue of ■this guaranty, to repair the injuries of his folly, and to tecrifice themselves in support of 25, I 795. - : ' . .n*. i>i. . ... his Dlßiwms project*. Ft is tinnecefTary to f&tigu? the public with the pedantry of quota tions the write nrupon natural and po litical Law, but it may he laid down as 3,11 unive-ffal principle, that no ftipuiation con tained infc treaty, can ever oblige one nation .to adopt or support the folly or injustice of another.—ln applying this principle, it be come* neceflary to observe, that the adniin iftrat'on of the French government over their 'colonies, since the firft revolution of 1789 has been tisch as to keep almost all their islands in a con it ant (fate of rebellion and ci vil War ; hy the forjiifr; of these calamities the slaves have been united against m.as- ; by the latter the mailers have been di vided against each other. From the chaotic mass of hum art passions, a polle&ion of all the most violent and inflammable elements has been fele&ed and combined together ; the torch of the furies has been applied to the com portion j and the miserable illanders have been the v;iftims of the fatal cxplofion. To such a state of desperation have these devoted colonies been reduced, that a for- mal deputation as we are informed by the public papers have solicited for them the prote<ftion ot'tiie Bii'ifli government; and' we are now told that this protection ha< been promised ; that the King of Great-Britain, has agreed to take poifelfion of these colo nies and to hold them in trull for his Mqfi Christian Majefly, the power to whom the letter of our guaranty has promised the afTiftance of the United States. An arbitrary and op pre/five system ofadminjftration compelled us to renounce the authority of Great-Britain, and France aflifted us to maintain our honor able warfare. A similar evil, has driven some of the French colonies to a similar re medy; one of them has even attempted a Declaration of Independence, and all the o thers would doubtless ,have done the fame, Were they not profoundly fenlible that the tims is not yet come, for the Lion to lie down with the Lamb, and that the justice of their cause would avail them but little against the powerful injustice of tlieir oppreflors. But fuiely there would be fomethipg iingularlv, and iniquitous, to fee the United States support the French in a plan of oppreflive ad ministration over their colonies, as a reward, for refctiing them from the oppreflion of Great-Britaiu. It would hg fucli a vierfion of all moral and political consistency, such a covenant between virtue and vice, such a coalition of liberal freedom with des potic tyranny, as can scarcely be imagined without a confufion of or expressed without an abfurd'rty of language. 4- The last ground ijpop which I. consider this guaranty as dissolved or at least suspend ed? is, that by the att of the French govern ment, it has been rendered impracticable. They have declared war against all Hie naval powers of Europe. "What the event of that war will be, it is not given to man tofpretjel; but we cannot take a part with the French Republic, without uniting all the reft of Eu rope against us ; which upon every lational calculation of probability, would be dooming oarfelves to inevitable ruin and deftru&ion. We are therefore commanded by a Jaw, which fupercede* all others, by that uncon troulable law of nature, which is paramount to all humap legislation, or compact, to re main at peace, and to content ourselves with wishing that laureled victory may fit upon the sword of justice, and that Crnooth success may always be strewed before the feet of vir tuous Freedom. MARCELLU S. EXTRACTS, Written it 1790,— Tmnjlattijr<m the French. " "TAR from faying to . people that nature X has made all men e<]ual, they ought to learn on the contrary, that (he has made them very unequal; that one is born strong and another weak j that one is born healthy and another infirm ; that allarenotequaHyadroit «nd vigilant, and thus the mailer piece of well regulated society is to render equal by laws, those whom nature has made so unequal as to their ineans. By nutuia! equality, we understand an equality as .to rights, and not an equality in fact ( since it is true that men are born with unequal means, and pass their lives in conditions very unequal whatever li berty the country to which they belong may polTefs. A Shoemaker of ancient Rome was not the equal of Scipio, although he had na turally as much right as Scipio to be elected to offices ia the Republic; they were both equal as to their rights, but unequal as to their means. It would be better, perhaps, to adopt the expreflion of civil equality, since all the citizens are profeifted by equal laws There is not, and .there never will be any other equality among men. ALL wife Legislators have added to the obligation of laws the ties of religion. Thev thought that they could rot take too many precautions to establish among men subordi nation—that tutelar; angel of the world But the philosophers of the present day, build their republics like Plato upon a Hem theory. 409 They have :n their imaginations an itWal world, which they wish tp-ftibftitute for that which really exiits. TRUE Courage has always confifled in boldly speaking against arbitrary power, whe ther of the Prince or .of .the People. It is when every body is awed to Jilence in the pre sence ot a Despot—-it Is. in the midst of Slavery a man ought to elevate hi§ voice in fa vor of Liberty; but when a furious multitude all pu'rfiUng this fame liberty, and marking their fodtfteps with blood rises, it is then ne celTary to fofren the voice, and to speak dis creetly in favor of government, without which thpre is no liberty. In one word, cou rage at jfueh a time confills in maintaining moderately our opinions, as it before consisted in boldly exprefftng them. The arbitrary power of an individual is defpotifm—»that of many is Anarchy. Nothing is more frequent than to.find men of honor, who pride them selves in oppoling the arbitrary authority of an individual: But before the power of a multitude every thing yields in a moment, and we obey without blulhingv In Short, it' requires the most fub'ime courage ndt to" flatter tfce pafHons of the people. IF there existed on earth a race of beings superior to man, they would Come times be acton i Hied at our inftin&i—but would laugh at our reafoii—Above al/, in the great Events of this world, our heft efforts betraying so much imbecility and our projects accompanied.with so little fmefight, would excite their pity. Human vanity must confefs that there exists a kind of fatality which Seems to amuse itfelf in giving the l.e to our prudence* and at its pleafureTjaffles the councils of wisdom. It is to the jhprtnefs ofVour views, we muft.attri b.ute this, If we. could .find out.caufi?s bef9re we were, alarmed by their effects, we could predict events with ibme certainty—but al ways compelled to ascend from effects to causes, mau palles his life in reafonning on the past, complaining of the prefect, and trembling for the future. BY a Constitution we combi nation of the three powers, Lecrijlativc' t Exe cutive, and Judkiat. A constitution is good when the three powers are combined.for. the pcopfe, afid tlie gloj-y, of tt?e government; A. constitution is bad, when these powers are confounded or are nnited in the fame hands for the misfortune of the fub jeft, or the debafeinent of the'Prihce, or the Magistrates. Every nation which is not fa vagc, is a body politic, and. artificial-—the constitution gives it existence, the l/i>ys give it a<sl;on. fHOk TiiE-tOLUMhIAN i^NTINEL. Mr. Russell, IT is with much pleasure I have observed in a perusal of Paris papers, as late as the 16th March, that a great degree of peace and order appeared to exist in that populous ca-r pital. 1 obfer-ved-, in a paper of the that fps Theatres were advertised as open on that evening for public exhibitions.; and I think the following diary of the business done in the Commune of Paris, no bad index of the tranquillity of the city, viz. CrviL State. March 2d Divorces 6. Marriages 25. Births 6?. Deaths 36. £d. Divorces 5. Marriages 12. Births 91. Deaths 43. 4th. Divorces io. Marriages 29. Births 62. Deaths 69. sth« Divorces 6. Mnrriages 38. Births 56. Deaths 39, &:c. In thi; detail the civil state of the is daily kept, ard in my opinion, i.t is a very strong evidence that a great degree of order must reign in a plaee, where the administra tors of tjiePolice can keep so regulaf and par ticular an account of the civil circumstances whioh tranfpjre in it. Your's, A Friend to the French. May 1793. Foreign Intelligence. CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb. u. ACCORDING to the latest advi ces from the Archipelago,feve ral veflels, mider RuUian colours, loaded with grain, have been taken by a French frigate. Semonville'sarrival is still retard ed, and it is now believed the Porte will follow the example of other powers, and refufe to acknow ledge him.. Egypt is desolated by a croel fa mine. At Cairo, the Hreets are fill. Ed with the dead bodies of the poor wretches who have fallen a prey to its ravages—The Plague has again appeared on a fud'Jeii at Smyrna. r Whole No. 425.] v. ' > SWITZERLAND, Feb. 2r . The council of Berne resolved, after a long lifting of ifae 21ft it)ft,, ro accede to the propofaJs made by the directory of Zurich, of recommending an official cprrefpon denpe wjih M. Bartheleiny, Minif ler of the I'rench republic. The cantons of Bazjl, Scbaffhoufe, AppenzelJ, and the towns of St. Gal l£s, Biel, and also de. cJared their adherence to the judg ment of the Directory of Zurich. The other states of the Helvetic Corps only waited the determination of Berne to follow its example. STOCKHOLM, March j. The day before yesterday the young king, accompanied by the Duke Regent, set off for [JpfaJ. Another voyage is abeady talked of in the approaching spring, towards the Finland Frontiers, when an in terview may have place between the Etnprefs of R uflia, our young Mo narch and his illuttrious' Uncle, WARSAW, (Poland) March 6. The Ruffian ambaflador lias at length persuaded his majHly to make the voyage to Grodno. His excellency goes on before about the 9th, and his majefly is expected ro follow towards the end of the ap proaching week. H A G U March 2? On the 2tft infh great part of (he noble town-hall of Maeftricht fell in. This is the cqnfequence bf the bombardment, which, it feeiriSj was designed rather to destroy the city than i:.ke it. Thirty-nine- pieces as cannon,tak en frorri the-Kren-ch in the fwfiion of the ;Bth, were brought ipts Maef tricht on t,h e .3.4 th. It ip fupppferf that they mult have 101 lin the dif ferent engagements fi;orn the tßth to the 22d, more than 60 pieces of cannon, and that they had 14 or iy thousand men killed or wounded. The loss on the fide of the Austrian? is estimated at 6000. O S T E N D, March 31. The whole province of Brittany, except Nantes, is now in arms. The Paris papers state the number of re volters at 40,000, but other accounts by private letters make them amount to 90,000 men, It is supposed that the reason of their Hopping the mails by ihe way of Calais is, to pre vent its being known in England, lelt afliftance IhoulJ be sent to the revolters. They are in pofieffion of all the country round Brest and Rochelle. L E Y D E N, April j. " Head quarters of the Prnflian ar my at Laubach, on the Hanfcrue, March 24. " We are encamped here at the distance of 2 leagues from Simeri'a, which is occupied by our troops. " In a little time v»e (hall advance against Cruetznach. " Our van-guard, under the com mand of Col. Seculi, having fallen in with the enemy on the road, re pulsed them the firft day, on the se cond he was repulsed in turn, but en the 3d he beat the French, and drove them as far as Binpcn. The iofs on either fide was trifling. A* our corps was not fuflicientjy nume rous, it retired to Stromberg. We should have been already maitersof Kingen, had not a spy a native of Crueiznach, informed theenemy of our march. He has been arretted and will soon luffer put*ifhuienr. '' " I his day 4 Pruflian regiments palled the Rhine at St. Goar, to join us. VVe arc informed also, that se veral Auftriaa regiments of the ar my of Prince de Hohenloh- have quitted Treves under the coeraiani V
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers