j
From the General Ad-oerliftt.
"Those who consult thefecret springs
of the human mind will readily account
for the Secretary of the Treasury's pre
sence with the army. The excise as
the ehild of his own heart, tho' a bas
tard in the foil that gave it birth, has
callcd forth the feelings of the father,
when the avenging kvord was to be
drawn for the puni(hment of its oppo
fert. The Secretary by his presence
with the army will, thro' tlie means of
his talents and influence, Jo forward tlie
views of his fa&ion, afiift in placing the
principle which led to the almost unani
mous exertions against the oppofers of
the law, in a falfe ligat, a favourite end
vith the fa&ion at the present moment.
It is their wi(h to make the friends of
constitutional law be considered as
friends to the introduction into our foil
of all the poisonous exotics of the old
world : But the discriminating sense of
the people of this country will baffle the
attempt, and while they will htld up
their hand against all illegal opposition
to the rrteaflires of government, will also
ever raise their voice against all the in
f.rumental'ity fyttems of the Secretary."
Mr. Fenno,
THE malignant spite and "envy of
some pitiful enemy or enemies of the
Secretary of the Treasury, was never
more conspicuous than 111 a paragraph
of the General Advertiser of this date ;
the meanness of attacking the Secretary ■
behind his back, is of a piece with the
want of candor and truth in the malevo
lent hints thrown out ; for, if the con
stitution fully admits of excise and other
taxes, the tax on ardent spirits is in
truth and real'i y, the child of those who
formed thiit conllitution, and of the
Coi:grefs of the United States wh»*.
sS ira£led"!t. Jx-was certainly the Secre
tary's duty when required, to report
every means of raifmg the needful reW'
nue for support of government, and for
the defence of our country, our invalu
able constitution, and of every thing
dear to >is; and if Congress in their
wisdom, thought proper to ena£l, that
a tax (or excise, as'mcn choose to call
i') be laid upon ardent spirits, it wa*
pioperly amj ultimately their child ;
and, in obvious truth, cannot be called
the Secretary's, for these true and valid
reasons—unless you will call the idea of
a child (ova child in poflibility) a real
child in fubftaiice.
But the authors of that paragraph
were afraid to " lay the saddle on the
horse," and to give offence to the
true patriots and lovers of the constitu
tion in general, and to the members of
both houses of Congress in particular,
aniL w£re.iu»t so tKftcrning (or wilfully
blind) as to fee, that they l ave endea
voured to wound all these through the
Secretary.
They have too long and too often
endeavoured to impose on coming sense,
and on the now enlightened Understand
ings of the citizens of the United States;
but the cloven foot of malice, envy ( and
disappointed ambition of some) has ap
peared ; and a very great majority (per
haps forty-nine fiftieths) of the candid
and unprejudiced inhabitants of the U
nited States, now treat their mal'Vkius
publications with that contempt they
deserve.
The latter part of that paragraph is a
poor fubterfuge, after the many pieces
they have publiflied, tending so raise
In wfalr naA inflammatory
mindSj and to dUcouragcwit fiearis, ano
weaken or embarrass the hands of the
chosen reprefcntatives of the people ;
and puts me in mind of what the Sa
tyr told the man who blovved hot and
cold, " ike devil htmfelf had bed beware
of you." I remain
A Citizen, and true Friend to
the United States.
N. B. A bad use may be made of a
legitimate—but much more probable, of
a felf-created power.
Origin of Ncwfpaftrs in England—from
a late English paptr.
IT may be gratifying to be told,
that mankind are indebted to the wis
dom of Elizabeth, and the prudence of
Burleigh, for the firft newspapers. In
the British Museum there are seVeral
newspapers, which had been printed
while the Spanifti fleet was in the Eng
lish channel, during the year 1588. It
was a wife policy, to present, during a
moment of general anxiety; the danger
of falfe reports, by publishing real in
formation. And the earliest newspa
pers are entitled. The English Mercu
ric, which, by authority, was imprinted
at London, by Christopher Barker, her
Highnefs's Printer, 1588.
The firft newspaper which is preser
ved in this collection is No. 50, and is
in Roman, not in black letters. It
contains the ufeful article? of news,
the London Gazette of th? pre&nt day.
In that curious paper there are news s
dated from Whitehall, on the 23d of
July 1588. Under the date of July
the ;6th, there is the following notice:
" Yesterday the Scots AmbalTador, be
ing introduced by Sir Francis Wilfing
ham, had a private audience of her
Majesty, to whom he delivered a letter
from the King fiis matter, containing
the most cordial aflurances of his relolu
tion to adhere to her Majesty's interests,
and to those of the Pcoteftant religion.
And it may not here be improper to
take notice of a wife and spirited faying
erf this young Prince (he was twenty,
two) to the Queen's minister at his
court, viz. That all the favor he did
expect from the Spaniards, was the
courtesy of Polyphenre to UlyfTes, to be
the last devoured." We may defy the
> Gazette of th 4 day to give a more de
corous account of the introduction of a
foreign minister.
Burleigh's newspapers Were all Ex
traordinary Gazettes, which were pub
lished from time to time, as that pro
found statesman wished either to inform
or to terrify thi people. The Mercu
ries were probably ftrft printed in April
1588, when the Armada approached
the shores of England. After the Spa
nish (hips had been dispersed by a won
derful exertion of prudence and spirit,
these extraoi'dinaiy Gazettes very sel
dom appeared. The Mercurie, No 54,
which i 3 dated oh Monday, Nov. 24,
1588, informed the public, that the
folemu thanksgiving for the fuceefies
which had been obtained against the
Spanifti Armada, was this day ftri&ly
observed. This number contains also
an article of news from Madrid, which
speaks of putting the Queento death,
that
were on boaid the Spanish fleet. We
may suppose that such paragraphs were
deligned by the policy of Burleigh, who
understood all the artifice! of printing,
to excite the terror of the English peo
ple, to point their refen.tment against
Spain, and to inflame their love for Eli
zabeth. .
It is a remarkable fail, which- history
Was either too idle to afcerta'm, 6r too
much ashamed to relate, that the arms of
Cromwell communicated^.to Scotland,
with other benefits, the firll newspaper
■Which had ever luminated the gloom, or
dispelled the fanaticism of the North. —
Each army carried its own printer with it,
expecting either to convince by itsreafon
ings, or delude by its faifchoods. King
Charles carried Robert Barker with him
to New Castle in 16; g ; and General
Cromwell conveyed Chnftopher Higgins
to Leith 1654. When Cromwell had
there established a' citadel, Higgins re
printed, in November 1651, which had
been already publifiied at London, " A
Diurnal of some passages, and affairs, for
the information of the English soldiers."
On the 31ft of December 1660, appear
ed at Edinburgh, " Mercurius Caledoni
us, comprising the affairs in agitation in
Scotland, with a Purvey of Foreign intel
l.gence." Thus Scotland was to enjoy
the luxury of a Newspaper, which was of
Scotifh manufacture 5 yet it only continu
ed for ten numbers, which were yfry loy
al, very illiterate, and very afteftedi By
this failrne, there was not a Newspaper at
the aeraof the Revolution. The few had
doubtless inftrufted Hiemfelves, during
several years, fbra the London Gazette ;
and the many had been too busy, daring
the late times, with the affairs of the o
ther world, to be very anxious about the
events of this ; even ten years clapfed af
ter the Revolution, before it was deemed
fafe by the public, or advantageous by an
individual, to print a Newspaper.
The firft private, not Royal newspaper
J .nh/lQn — * « . 11 ,
.162 and
was a week 1.
Ed by other: , under the title of Weekly
Currantoes ; in the civil wars, the Diur
nal and various Mercuries came tdrth,
which were increased in number during
the reigns of Charles and James IF. In
1696, the coffee-houfes of London, ex
clusive of the votes of Parliament every
day,_ had nine newspapers every week ;
but in the reign of Queen Ann, London
tirft enjoyed the luxury of anewipaper e
very day ; 1709 there was adaily paper,
and seventeen other papers j in 1724 three
daily papers were publilhed, and eigh
teen others ; in 1753 the number of news
papers fold in all England, according to
an average of three'years preceeding, was
7)4H>757 the close of the late reign
in 1760, it was 9,404,790 —it was
14.035,939—in 1791, was 14,794,153;
and 111 1792, was; .15005,760. This
forms such a phoenomenon of curiosity, po
litical and ljterary, of riches universally
diffufed, and of enquiry univerlally a
wake, as has not been paralleled in shy o
ther part of the world.
Foreign Intelligence,
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Sitting of the 2d August.
On the 2d of August, Barrere made
again feme mention of Robespierre,
Dtffpotifm covered with seeming popn-
said he, hid hardly disappeared
when fertility came forth and diffufed
its balm on every mir.d ; confidence re
vived all hearts, the ciuzenS breathe
and the armies applaud the eourage of
the Convention. From the centre of
Paris to the extremities of the Repnb
lie, it was instantly and sensibly percei
ved in all families, and in every known
fuciety, that Robefpieire was preci
pitated into the giare of conspira
tors.
Ajijuft 5.
Bourdon de l'Oife proposed that all
prisoners, whose arreftation was not juf
tifiedbythe decree of the 9th Septem
ber, (hould be released and that all the
revolutionary cc" if the republic
{hould be obV ' 1P re l®'
tions and frit ids of t!«c pnflrt* 1 with
the cauie and iriot:vesiyt tut arreftati
on. (Under Robefpiiire's govern
ment, it was in the power ot the revolu
tionary committees, to arrest citizens,
without being in the leal! obliged to
inform them of what crime they were
accused.)
The proportion of Bourdon was
adopted.
Baffal desired that the committees of
public and general fafety, and the Re
presentatives sent into the departments
(hould also be ordered, to give a speedy
account of the motives which had in
duced them to give orders for so many
arreftations.—decreed.
Fayan opposed the above decree.
There is a law, said he, that no ptifoner
can reclaim his liberty, before he has
exhibited t certificate of his civifm.
The opinion of Fayan caused loud and
general murmurs.
The days, replied TalUen arc pall,
■when an iron fecptre weighed down
France, and dilated laws to the Con
vention. Onr liberty has been recon
quered in the night*- t>f the 27th and
28th of July ; file displays her favors
again ; we ought not to enjoy them
i alone, The people?command, and will
also enjoy freedom. We are .'ar from
defending aristocrats ffntenced to death
but it is our duty to proteftthe inno
cent who lift up their hands for aflift-
ance.
How can we conceal from these un
happy victims, the horror committed
by the oppreflbrs ?—»why Ihould we
refufe to acquaint thetn with the mo
tives of their ■ imprisonment ? No, no,
was the general cry, we {hall not again
be misled- as heretofore. I demand,
therefore, continued Tallien, the con
( firmation of,the decree just now pafled.
This was agreed to under loud and re
peated acclamations of applause.
Bourdon.—All prance mull know,
that the opinion of Fayan was support
ed by no one.
A member proposed the suspension
of that decree, which ordered the colon
ids of the HStel de Maffiac,. (the name
of the place where they held their fit
tings) to be arretted.
Bourdon opposed this motion ; all
France, said he, is convinced, that these
people have always conspired against
the liberty of the colonies : I demand
the order of the day, which was accoi
dingly resolved.
It wa3 decreed, that every disposition,
order, and judgment, of all deputies sent
in the different departments, ought to be
transmitted with all poflible expedition
to the national convention,becaufe many
of the these commifiioners chosen by Ro
bespierre, were accused to have acted like
independent defpotsuitt ; the(r refpe&ive
TJepartmffms~j~amohg others Uovere de
nounced, and, (it being required
ed his denunciation, that the moll block
ing cruelties were committed in the
southern departments, and that in one
church at Avignon, 2,000 citizens,
whose only crime it was to be worth
15,000 livres. were incarcerated.
PARIS, August 6.
Merlin of Douai in his report on the
new organization of the revolutionary
tribunal, made use amongst others of
the following remarkable expressions.
" The public accuser fliall no more
exercise a despotic authority, and arbi
trarily drag the citizens before the tri
bunal. The accused may again juftify
himfelf, and chufe bi» defender. Those
who are only fufpc&ed fliall be treated
with decency and moderation. The
public (hall no more be scandalized with
feeing a citizen dragged before blood
thjrfty judges for a crime he had alrea
dy been cleared of. The tribunal of
justice (hall no longer referable a den of
cut-tlnoats, whose fentepces were like
those of the second and third of Sep
tember. The conspirators spoke only
ol justice, it belongs to us to exercise
it. We ought to. be inexorable but
humane. Terror fliall no longer pre
side jnftead of justice. Citizens be tran
quil, Sylla js no more."
Dubok dc CrwtT
m*#>%
fvfeid he, cnt»vte«toh«t tf«y design**
am»cd, ; »ith a -dagg«i "** JJ.
hangn&n had
inf o tyg«3, I
have dfiirercdthe republic <£both mp
ftcra vlio tyra sized over b&. Let tu
' turn, fa* h tbe 3T.»P' flw '
arotftD faff' 1 ' tithtf'iingi tußattr Mr
Hraut. The affcm!»fy rtffc aodtOok th»
llcmn baft. Th« feews wh«t, the
i£6mbi*ff m»y hope *«>«*
fate change. Dubowde Cram* a fg'
WM b 6 fArted. .fj
LONDON, Sept. 4.
The Spanish government have pub
lished an address to the People, for the
avowed pnrpofe of tranquilizing their
minds with refpeit to the present situa
tion of affairs. The Address itfelf, so
far from being of a quieting tendency,
only goes to prove that the, Spanish
Court are themselves undef the influ
ence of the most serious alarm !
PHILADELPHIA,
NOVEMBER 6^
Says a Qorrefpondent,
There i* in each of our large towns,
at least one newspaper constantly em
ployed to expose our own government,
the government of the people, to the
contempt and hatred of our own citi
zens, and of foreign nations.
Are not these Printers in the pay of
fame foreign nation? It is well known
that when the peace of 1783 was fettled,
more than one European Government
wilhed to clip the American wings, to
narrow our territory, to funender the
Cod Filhery, and to make us Colonies
once more, with the name of Independ
ence. British influence is a cant word ;
if it exists, (hame on the dupes who
yield to it—(hame on him that yields to
any foreign influence.
But what influence is it that brings
out the uuexhaulted calumny on the
President, the officers of government,
the administration, and the constitution
—Is it American influence ?
j Honor thylelf, is a maxim for Ame
rica. The General Advertiser, the In
dependent .Chronicle, apd the Patriotic
Register, inculcate another—Abase thy
i felf--as if they brought the guvernhient
: down to the leval of their notions of pa
j triotilm, by making the world think
meanly of it. The late rebellion (hews
that the. people of the United States
have not formed their estimate of the
rational fyflem from the mifrepretenta
tions and caricatures of those licencious
Gazettes.
Letter from Hamhtrgh, dated ZO Augufl,
1794, To a merchant in this City.
SIR,
THE French have conquered all the
Austrian Nether land*, & are now attack
ing Holland with a very formidable Ar
my. These lich and important pro
vinces are defended by what remains of
the allied Armies ; the Troops are how
ever not only much harrafled, but also
so greatly reduced in number, from the
long and bloody ct.nteft, that there re
mains little doubt they will also be obli
ged to yield here to the superiority of
their viftoiious, always encreafing ene
my. Tile probability of this event has
naturally occalioned general alarm in
Holland. Tra le is there totally at a
stand, and much property removing to
this place. Several of our friends at
Amsterdam and Rotterdam, have come
to the resolution to land no more goods,
and have in consequence sent foiward to
us, different (hips, which we are now
• discharging. This place has thus be
come the Asylum, atid, in a manner,
the Emporium of the Noith. Such an
important arid sudden increase of trade
must naturally at firft occasion a glut
and great deprefTion of prices, however
as the quantity of the imported articles
is not augmented, but only the channel
of their importation altered ; the con
sumption will soon follow, and take off
the Redundancy. Trade will then re
vive with redoubled vigour and encreafe
the importation and corifumption of this
market confidtrably.
As to the prices of our articles of ex
port, they continue, a few excepted,
the fame as quoted in our former price
currents. It theiefore becomes unne
cefTary to trouble you with a copy.
You will only be pleased to remark
that, from the great demand for hemp,
iron, Ruflia and Westphalia linens,
these articles have experienced an ad
vance. Petersburg dean hemp cannot
be put on under L. StcrL 28 a
■ ton, Sivd.fh assorted iron L. Sterl. ig
itirffia a. 0 Westphalia linens -ftcm ic to
40 p. C. dearer than our lad quotation.
By this Day's Mail.
NORFOLK, OAofeer iB.
By the brig Molly Capt. Gould LinnelL
from Madeira, -we are informed that on
the jyth September, 111 commemoration
of our present happy Conftitiition, Mr.
Pintard, the American Conlul at that it
land, gave adinner to all the matters of A
merican vefTels then in port, thirteen in
number—to wit:
Capt. Goodrich, of the brig Eliza, of
New-York. Capt. M'Collon, of ihe
Catherine, of Philadelphia, Capt. "1 ra
vers, of the Martha of Balti
more. Capt. Kcan, of the tagie of do.
Capt. Wooldridge, of the Aurora cf
Marblehead. Capt. Allen of the Pallas,
of Boston. Cap. Linnell of the the Mol
ly of Norfolk. Capt. Prowers, «f
the George, of Portsmouth, Capt. PaH v
mer, of the Providence of New-York.
Capt. Prince, of the Prihce and Liberty,
of do. Capt. Dyer, of the Ranger, of
Penobfcot. Capt. Gore, of the Loran
cy, of New-York. And Capt. Benjamin
Ward, of the Enterprize, of do.
Mr. Pintard on the evening of the 26th
requeflcd the Captains ot tlie dilftrent vel
fels to hoist their colours at fun rife, and
give three cheer», and gave to each of the
Captains a lift of tht veflUs, am; when
they were to cheer, beginning from the
brig Eliza, Capt. Goodrich, who lay
the westernmost vefTel, and ending with '
the Enterprize, Capt. Ward—Capt Ward
was at Mr. Pintard*' houfc and received
the lift from with apparent fatisfaction,
but on the morning of tke 17th. when
the other vefTels hoiited their colours and
cheered, Capt. Benjamin Ward did not
think proper to hoist his colours. This
conduit greatly surprised every American
in port, and it was intimated to Mr.
Pintard that Cpat. Ward was dil'pleafcd
at being put down laftonthe lift. Mr.
Pintard immediately wrote him a letter,
copy of which Capt. Linnell has favored
us with—Capt. Ward took no notice of
it. The next day, "on the 18th when he
went to clear out at the Consul's office.
Mr. Pintard with great pohtenefs alked
Capt. Ward to explain what he meaut by
not hoisting his colours, to which Captain
Ward answered with irr.p.rtinence, that
he Would not hoist his colours but when
hepleafed. The American matters in
port were so enraged with Capt. Ward's
conduct, that it was with difficulty they
: wer« rcftrained by Mr. Pintard, from
taking his yards from his mails.
The following are the toasts that were .
drank at Mr. Pintard's table, on the
17th September.
1. The United States of America.
1. The PreCdentof the United States.
3. The Vice President.
4. The Senate and House of Reprefen.
tatives—may they never forget the true
| interest of their conftitueuts.
5. Mr. Jay and success to his erobaiTy.
6- The French Republic.
7. Success to the Poles in their glorious
struggle.
8. Our unfortunate countrymen in cap
tivity at Algiersi and a fpeedyrelief to
them.
9. The 4th of July, 1776—may Ame
ricans remember it with pleasure, aud ty
rants tremble when they think of it.
Jo. The Fifteen Stripes—may they ne
ver be entrusted to any one who is afham
td or unwilling to lhew them.
11. To the memory of the American .
heroes who have fallen in the cause of li
berty.
19. The friends of liberty throughout
the world.
13. The American Fair.
14. Col. Humphries, oqr minister rc
lident at the Court of Portugal.
15. The day and all who honor it.
Ottober 29.
Extracl of a letter from Liverpool, It a
gentleman in this town, dated dugujl
27^,1794.
_ " The Fame, Capt. Qavis, an Ame
rican (hip, which had laden with tobac
co in Rappahannoc river, fry this port,
was taken ten s•o by I French fri
gate; but Capt. D, sand his men rose
upon the 1*:-;iiih ;<iize-mailer and 1 »
crew, ret ai"J brought her in
fact. h; re yJtfrday. Capt. Davis fays
hf saw tiie Captain of the French fri
gate s orders, Which were to lake all A
merican veflels bound to England, or
elsewhere, without refpefl to their car
goes. This will be a serious matter for
the Americans." ■
From an Engli/h paper.
ROBESPIERRE'S WILL.
The following is cilciliated" as the
last will and testament of the late Max
imilian Robespierre:
I, Maximilian Robespierre, citizen
of Paris, and member of the republic
of France, one, indivisible and unim
prcffible, knowing the uncertainty of
all things, and, in particular, that of
human life, do make this my last will
and testament in mannc and form as
follows:
Imppmis—l resign my foul to him
who has of late infpited me with so
many capital efforts in favour of li
berty, Equality, and the Rights of
Man.
My body I commit to the earth, and
knowing I ftiall be buried at the public
i