> '■' up as occasion miglit require a number of which were found on the way by which he pafled when he was taken to the justice to be examined. % * ~Pof the Gazette of tbt United States. Mr. Fenno, The following extrafl of a letter from a friend iu Virginia lb well deserves at tention at this time, that I perfnade my. felf you and every other impartial prin ter. who incline to encourage good or der and refpeft for the laws, will give it a place in the Gazettes. WHEN I refcd Mr. Jefferfon's Notes on Virginia, the followiug pajfages madr a deep impreffian on my mind. I confefs my opinion was not entirely with him then, but subsequent events have proved he was right. He fays r " Here I w>II beg leave to propbfe a doubt, the prefenl deft re of Americans is to produce rapid popul , on by as great impor tation of foreigners ils pojjille. But is this founded in good p-tlcy ? Are thej-e no in conveniences to be thrown into the scale AgainJi the advantage expelled from a ■multiplication of numbers by the importa tion of foreigners ? It is for the happiness ■of thtfe 'United in society to harmonize as much -as.pifible in blatters which they mujl of Hecefic'y tranfaS togethe".' Civil govern ments being the sole objed of farming foci (ties, its admirtijiration mujl be conducted by common consent. Every Jpeeies of go vernment has its fpecific principles. Ours perhaps are shore peculiar than ihof of any other in the unlverje. It is a lortipofition of the firjl principles of the Englijh conjiitu tion, with others derived from natural right and natural rectfon. To these nothing tan be more o .posed than the maxims of absolute monarches. Tetfrcm fach we are to expeS tbegreate/i numbers of emigrants. Tfity-tvtUJwitrg with them the principles of the goverrirfierit they leave, imbibed in their rarl: : ■■ >j±h - i-- •+ si.'Jr la c/'i it <will be in exchange for unbounded li centioufiieft ; puffing-, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to flop precifly at the point of temperate liberty. These principles with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion with their num bers thev will iliare with us the legislation. They will infule into it their spirit, warp and bias its direction, and render it a hete rogeneous, incoherent diftratfled mass." How flrikingly. "verified is the prediction of this enlightenedflatefman• Pofleritywill with difficulty believe that, at a time ~jjhen we are m the enjoyment of thcfreefi cotfii tution on earth-—a go-eemmeni of iur own choice —pojkjp: of independence and every other reyuijite to make a people flourifhing and happy —'the admiration—the en-uy of the old world —that at fticb a period one (A — b—t G—-It- —n) a foreigner', who tame a si iu years ftnee to America, literally to feck his fortune, should be able to intrigue ! ibimfelf into a feat in the national Legijla- ; ture, a/id obtain f*cb countenance and sup- ■ port as at length to acquire Pi/iuenc<reno-'g&, • net only to warp meaty of the citizens, but aB/tally infhgnte a lawless banditti to burn hcufes, deflroy property, murder or banish ■ every citizen in their neighborhood who they ' think proper to mark out as otneft.s of their j •vengeance. God knows how far this fpi- I ric may be carried, or bow Joon we may i have the Pike iijtreffes among as. Indefati- j gable pains are taken by fame -violent hot- I headed people to inflame the minds of my : neighbors ; many of whom, though well j disposed, have not the means to be inform- : ed of the true anil real fituaiian of public | affairs, and are too apt to be led away by , the misrepresentations of designing people, who", having notifmg to lose, but so tie thing j to bote for in a scramble, flrain every nerve j to prejudice and' poison the min is of the ci tizens and throw the country into confufion. Surely it is high time for all temperate peo ple to consider we-t > that ferioujnefsi which the importance of the critjis demands, luhat tire to be the confluences of that confujion — n>ihot-headed "violent people• are hurrying iu iitlb. OXce deprived of the proteSion of the laws, farewell liberty, happiness, and every thing that is dear to freemen. —IVe Jhall then, <zuben too late for us to prevent ity experience the fame horrid scenes of majfaere and devaflation which have for fame fime pafl, and jlill continue to desolate the H r ef I'lndies—'Wher? one day the whites and another the blacks prevail, and alternately murder and deflroyall before them. These are the sure and certain con sequences of anarchy —this the ble(fed praf p.-ci ive have in view fthm abusing and villijytng government; from encouraging, injlead oj discountenancing licentioujnefs. For the Gdzette of the United States Mr. Fenno, tT has become fafhibnable to call this, the Jgc of Reason; and a pam phlet has lately been thrown on the public, as a baflard is laid in the streets, without a typographic dad 01 mam to claim the brat, with an intention to juftify the title. I have perused the take the liberty tp com municate some thoughts, which the edi tors are at liberty to make use of as a preface to a second .edition. ihe Age of jßeafon ! What then have been the ages of our ancestors >— the age of Newton, Boyle,Clarke,Locke, an.l Addifon, men of the firft rate ta lents ?—was theirs the age of ignorance ; —and has the dawn of reason been re ieived fag end of the 18th cen tury ?—i lus reason, then, which here ofore was efleemed at ribute %1 humdfiity iA all ages, mflit >e a species of revelation, communicated •• But lieftfo we give full credence-to he fi6ve!ty, it it not amil* to mak< oroe enquiryinto the character of th( tutflor, as weli as the raerii: of the sub eft.—To begin With the firft.—Thi neffenger has fofne (hades in his history which, when exhibited in one vieV' 'ender the parity of his intentions i ittle questionable. The busy tongui if fame reports that, not many year •go, he was an humble-iatellite of rdy Jty, to wit, a petty officer of the Bri tifll cuftoma ; —and that, in confeqneno ?f faifing to make up his accounts clear ifflie cafne over to America, for th< benefit of enjoying a freer air, than then was any chance of doing in the fleet' o Here he commenced afttthb: and patriot:—and to.compedfett hia sot liis writing! in favor of Independence which ca'tc'hrd' the public favor a fui-pfi'fingly, as lit' became a patriot, hi was made a clerk to the cemmitteeof so reign affairs. Not discharging his trust t< the iatisfa6lion of his superiors, he wa once mote reduced to a private ttation It is like wife reported that, dutin; his flay in Philadelphia, he spent grefc part of his time in beer-houses, and ii the company of a fair American, who in due feafonj honored our author a the father of one of her children*— Whether he had any qualms about pa tfonifing this frk'it of his unlawful amour or whether he had any reason for them we leave with the partiesbut, in < fhorf timt, he thought proper to re vjlrt the country of his fore-fathers There, if thepen jaf Jiiftory- be faithful Re spent his time m prcijedting bf various kinds, writing against kings and in reeling from one portei-fhop t< another.—lt appears moreover that thi people of England did not relish hi opinions, quite as vyell as he expected and that for one of his lad piecesj ai dcftru<ftive to the-peace and, happinel of their country, they threatened ou knight errant with such serious ven gcance that, to avoid a trip to Botany , bay, he fled over to France, as a lef •' dangerous voyagct j To the last mentioned country fatrti | Went before him i-—and, itrange as i j may found, he was no sooner landed | than he w?S called to the feat of a le gillator, in the grand council of thi lia j tioi); for which he was certainly leli ill than Sancho Panza was to be govern | or of an island :—but continuing ftea j dy in his hatred of .kings, he soon trail! ■ fufed fiich a portion of his anti-roya hat Louis the 16th was considered as t ufclefs member of the body politic, vas denounced, and the guillotine very peedily closed the process. But, when vithiii fight of port, fortune again play :d the jilt with our author. The L'om nittee of Safety, whose power is more ibfolute than that of all the Louises Jilt together, fufpe£tihg our political Don Quixotte of plotting againlt the why line! indivifib'ility of their power ; md as their proceedings are conduced vith remarkable dispatch, not being .-logged with an Habeas Corpus ad. Ie was quickly introduced to the caftlt )1 Luxemburg:—where, as'acompli lient to his claim of citizcnfhip in tht Jiiited States, he has been indulged vith a lengthy refpit from the fcaffold, md as much beer and French brand) is he can swallow. Here Thomas catch :d his inspiration—and this is not fc iiprifing, as it would be to hear o: lis efeape. Let us try to account foi t. To destroy the christian religion ir United America, which inculcates sub liiffion to the laws, and refpeft for it! ninilters, might be considered by th< Republic of France, in which this reli jion is formally 'abolished, as such ar :fiential service to their cause, as to en :itle the author to a pardon and hi' iberty : and this idea infufed into th( lead of a poor culprit, constantly haunt ;d with the dreadful image of the guil otine, must certainly be a powerful fpui 0 invention, and aided by the setheria particles of aquavits, produce an un eommen effect. All these things being put.together; 1 confefs my faith in the author is a lit tie daggered— But, on the other hand when we come to consider that this ii an age of molt wonderful events, whe ther it be the age of reason or not, anc that Thomas has touched the right kej of popular which always delight: in the removal of reflraints, lie may notwithstanding the drawbacks I hav< mentioned, be as fuccefsful in Americ: in overturning the altars of the Deity as he has been here and etfewhere, ir (liakiftg the thrones of kings. Shoulc it turn out so, it behoves the people o America, to whose special intormatior he has dedicated his lucubrations, ti provide some new system for their ge neral accommodation, before they total 1)' discard the ancient one if their fore fathers. It would not b< prudent to leave To ferioup a matter t> the fortui tous jumble of the times; :>r implicitly to adopt the religion of an] other coun try' < In the firft place then, ill jelling a part, I would advife,'and Ihave as good a right to advise as any cilprit in any of the balliics of France, i lay, 1 re commend it to my fcllow-.'itiy.ens of the I United States, to gire tie old religion a fair examination, and compare it with the new one proposed. Church hilloiy informs us that'the former made its way into the world; again ft the combined opposition of kings, piitfts and nobles, and contains nothing advirfe to a repub lican governmentthat, while it re mained unmixed with humau inventions, the profefToiS were diftingiiiJied by pu rity of manners, imiv<rfal btnevolence, and all the virtues which are necessary to make a commonwealth hippy and j fiouiifliing. At this day, evtn, after so much hath bebvdone to tarnish its beauty, and peiveit its design, the belt and greatell men are fificere devotees of th.'s religion. Glory to the l.\iiverfa) Ruler, and peace and good-will among • ttfeti are lis prominent features. Can we fay as much for the French philosophy ?—Or what can we lay for it? If we recur to the writings of the teaclwvs of tins fedt,- which differs from all the feftsof ancient Greece, we flrail discover such sophistry of argument, such obfeenity of images, and such labyrinths of scepticism, that a shaft* and candid inquirer shrinks with difgull from the perusal. If we coufider tlie solemn mum mery, which Robeipierre has instituted as the public worship of the Supreme, it is such a hotcfr potch of barbarian feri ociiy, and ridiculous frivolity as none but such a head could invent, or such a heart tolerate, is a serious a<S of religion. Lastly, if we examine the tree by its fruits:—if we look into the present history (if this people, and, a mic'it the rtorm that surrounds and per vades them, catch, if pofiible, an idea | of Reason and JuJlice, which they have \ elevated to the j:ank of inferior deities, we shall be more than ever perplexed. Tliefe entities, or non-entities,call them what you please, are so local, indefinite and convertible, that wkat is adored as celeitial in one place, is execrated and ! abhorred as tnofl infernal in another, f The temple of Reason at Paris is built j on the unmerciful definition of all! ( those, who dare to exercise the reafonir.g | | faculty, by differing from the Committee j jof Safety, or in the smallest degree to i oppole those her tremendous Priests. j r Ths .altars, .if JuDnoitcd hy ! rapine and plunder; smoke day and J night with hecatombs of human faei ifi- j cei, and refoui»d with the grc ajis of widows and orphans. In the French islands, where the vous <iyz raifon is quite as rational as at Pa risj thele fame reason andjufticc arc in culcated by burning and lacking of towns, destroying of plantations, and plunging the bayonet in the breafls of mail) woman; and child. It is but a few years sinCe attempts hr.ve Been made to introduce these no velties into the United States of Ame rica ; but wherever they have been em braced, they have in a degree, produced the fjrtie deleterious ef&dh as elfewhert: they have poisoned the minds of her ci tizens, and impelled them to acts of re bellion againll the laws of their country of ingratitude and defamation against her most faithful and tried servants Have such times, then, any title to be diflinguifhed by the age of reason ? Or shall we exchange the mild, beneficent religion of our forefathers for this tur- [ buieiit enthusiasm, which, in its infancy, j a period when all religious systems are the purest, creates such horror in the niinds of those, who have escaped the inft'dtion. 1 would sooner fetch ttiy creed from the theology of Hefiod, or the MetamorphoGs ot Ovid. Give me rather the divinities of Rome and A- thens ; as less dangerous to the peace and happineft of the world< FoJreign Intelligence. BRUGES, June 17. According to accounts received at Tolirnay, the loss of the allies in the engagement on the 16th on the Sambre, Was ellimated at 2,50p men. LISBON, Jiirte 1 It was currently reported yesterday evening, that the unfortunate Queen had had a paralytic Hroke, and trom the effects of which it was lcarcsly ex pected that flie could recover. A small squadron of ships of war is preparing, to convoy a fleet of trans ports, on board of which are forae thou sand troops for Roufillon. Our recent accounts from the feene 1 of adtion, are more gratifying than usu al. I u'nderftand, however, th3t it is the intention of t'ne Spanish armies tc act in future on the defend ve only.— they can hope to accomplilk, and bj offenfive measures they oi:ly attacl fwaims of enemies. I do not believi that they are fufficiently zealous in th< caafe, to hazard even probable loss t( malce a diversion in favor of any othe power. The Spanish fleet is itill in port ; they are jealous of the Englilh. The bulinefs of Toulon sowed the feedi of much diflention, which I am persuaded, has grown to fuch Vxtent, at least on their part; that their present engage ments with regard to France, alone ri ftrain them from evincing their enmity. LEGHORN, June x. A squadron of 20 large men of war has just made, its appearance off the Gulph of Spezzia : we are ignorant to what nation it belongs. An English vefiel which entered this port, received Immediate Orders to put to sea again, nnlefs the commander should be provid ed with the news of tlie blockade of Ge noa being raised. The Captain making no reply, the Commandant, ordered the fortrefs to fire on the vefTel, which, af ter receiving some damage, was obliged to put to sea. The French are demo lishing the fort of Saorgio, and pro pose to pursue the fame plan with ref peft to all the other fortieses on the Italian fide of the frontifcf. MADRID, May 11. Our army in Rouflplon,having fnftained considerable lofles, the King ha» called on the whole naton for a levy'of 80,000 men, to be taken by lot; and the recruits are al ready beginning to aflemble. In the action of the 41ft of April, the ttoops which fuf fered the most were the Walloon guards, the regiment of Guadalaxar, and two fquadrofis of cavalry. Six field officers, among ther.i the Marcjuis la Torres, who had a yearly income of 60,000 ducats, were killed. On the fide of Navarre, our troaps have matje an irruption into the French territo ry, and defeated the enemy, whbfe vil lages they burned, And carried off a con siderable"booty. At Barcelona and Cartliagena, 40 fhipa of the line are fitting. They are to carry troops to be debarked on k iecret expedi tion. The German Emperor Frderick 111. earned the five vowels, A, E, I, O, U, to be engraved by way of infeription on the fremtifpiece of the Imperial Palace at Vienna. They fighify Auftriacorum eft imperare Orbi Univerfo, that Is, " The deftinyof the House of Austria is ttrtoin- The Count de Provence (Monsieur J ar rived at Verona on the sjth of May. M. Mocenigo, the Governor, made an offer of hit carriages, and every thing else lie fiiouid have occr.fion for, during his resi dence there. This unfortunate Prince re plied—" That he would be better fuitcd by a little apartment in some obfciire cor ner of the city, being unequal to the ex pence of an inn—because he had no money. LONDON, June 134 At the close of the present campaign, the expenditures of the war will amount to full Thirty Millions sterling. It is a circumflanpe not generallv known, that the Brunfwick had -16 of her guns dismounted in the action of the ift of June. One of the cutler's (hops at the weft end of the town, has a board, on which it inscribed, '' new invented spurs for ladies." Several will informed gentlemen of our acquaintance, a (Pure us, that the ladies of the present day have more occasi on for new-invented Bridles. l aihion, which loves to deal in ex tremes, has now quitted the fantaflic frip pery of France for the drapery of the Turk: and the tempting di eflts of the Seraglio succeed the fantaitic wantonnefs of the. Parifinn Belles. Died, at Edinburgh, in the 30th year of her marriage, ar.d 7 months pregnant Of her %6th child, Mrs Alice Lauranfon D' Afti, aged 45 years. Legislature of Pennsylvania. Hovse or Representatives, September 13. The bill for the fuppreflion of the western irifurrefiion was read a third time, and pafled, Yeas 45 Nays 18. Mr. M'Lene aikec leave to enter a protest on this vote at a future day. It was obje&ed, that the house (hould have an opportunity firll of judging whether it contained no improper re flexions. The question 011 granting leave was postponed. Tlie petition of the Schuylkill eanal company, praying, that the unappro priated money in theTreafury be vested in (hares of said company, or that a a ium be lent them at ah interest of fix per cent, was read a second time, and on motion referred to the confederation of the next legislature. 1 he bill to allow certain freemen of Northumberland to vote at the next election in the town of Swibarv pa ffi-d to a third reading. j Mr. Sw. nwick of the committee an. Pointed, reported a bill for the better prefsrvation of the health of the city 1 ne land office bill was taken up, in «fe XT Mr " Erwi » Tbe firft feaion provides, that after office flail be Ihut again ft rJI a'.'J-Vatf. ons for lands except where a frttleroent ' - a'h ma 1 P rovidcd .nothinfri„ the .aft shall injure persons holding iands the Taa°4r P Th VmentS agre " bl >' to this feftion. 9 committee agreed The second feftion provides, thataf. ter the palling of the aft, all the ,n_ plications in the land office on which the payments Hue are not made, lhall be considered as void. It was moVr . d to make an amendment to this feftion giving a limit# time for making the payments due on those applications. In favor of this motion it was principally urged, that the applications had beert lodged under the expedition ot' credit, and that to declare that credit at an end) without Warning, was unjuil; also, that those applicants who were at the feat of government would have an advantage over those at a diftapce, by making good {heir payments ; and, that monied men might, before the law was finally past, make applications for lands al ready applied for by pcrfons who had at much trouble acquiied a knowledge of them, but who might on the spur of the moment not be able to pay the pur chase money. Against the motion it wag urged ttlkt when the legiflatuir pasted the law rela tive to the land office during the last fef. fion, it was intended, that it ftiould then at a certain limited time exclude the delinquents ; but by a conitru&ion put_iipon the law by the attorney gene ral it was made to extend to only a por tion of the applicatiops, and that that intention; which was well known, but which had been defeated by an improper wording of the law, mult have been a fufficient warning to the delinquents. That the delinquents were chiefly speculators who defeived no indulgence from the state ; that it was a doubt whether the state had land enough to dispose of to latisfy all the applications in the land office, and that if they, should prove not to have enough; it would be unjust that those who had paid and those who had not, fhflnlii fair »P»" iu> _ ■ *>- The motion was finally by a considerable majority, and the fedlion agreed to. The committee then rose, reported progress and obtained leave to fit again on Monday. Adjourned. PHILADELPHIA, SEPTEMBER ij; A correspondent observes, that the speech lately made by a certain Dema gogue, in a certain rcfpeflable Aflembly, must be regarded as a proof of the diflicul ty of corre<fting bad habits : For in the aft of giving his aflent to measures so r.eceflary . to the preservation of his own property, hecould not help lamenting, that a mem ber had been prevented from /peaking out, . or in other words from dwelling upon the identical falfe and mifekievous Topics, which have been so industriously used tti mislead the people in the western counties. It is much to be wished, that the unhappy catastrophe which this kind of J "peaking oat is likely to produce, may convmcrthe herd ofpopularity seekers, of the truth of the old adage, That it iimuchcajier to raise the Devil than to lay him. Extrafl ofa letttr from the Eajltvard. *' Of all the anarchical and antifederal writers, none miss their aim more than those who censure the President; for so great is the affe£Hon of the people towards hiift, and their confidence in him, that they at once conclude such writers are knaves or fool*. Indeed the confidence of the people mutt be well founded, or there never can be con fidence in any ruler; for if a long life of virtuous patriotism, devoted at every ha zard to his country, and filled with fuccefs ful exertions for the will not inspire affedtion and confidence nothing ivi/I. The.PIOPLE dp lore and confide in him, and it is an high evidence of their good understanding.—But who are the men who cepfure the Preftdent ? a few disappointed foreigners—and a very few others, who want promotion, and are unworthy of it." The subscription opened, for the sup port of the wives and families of those persons who may engage in the service of their country, against the infurgents,whofe circuuiftances in life render luch neceflary, is filling fact. The Philadelphia Light Hofy—tht Second Volunteer Trtibp of Light Horfi v " **V / -•>>* 1 »' A "
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