f>s Mifcellaneous Trifles PROSE. PHILADELPHIA: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY LANG AND USTICK. M.BCC.XCVZ* CONTENTS. ?AGE Shipwreck, - 5 Columbian Obferver, No. I. 14 No. II. Modern Improvement, 33 No. IV. Hift. of Mrs.Winthrop,39 Funding Bill, - - - - 55 Life of General Greene, - - 68 Thoughts on the policy of encouraging Migration, - - - - no Theatricus, No. I. Mr. Chalmers, 135 No. II. Mrs. Whitlock, . 133 No. III. Mr. Harwood, 141 No. IV. Mrs. Marfhall, 149 Advantages of over-trading, 158 Obfervations on the badnefs of the Times, - 167 THE SHIPWRECK,* A FRAGMENT. JL I RED with oppreffion in our native land, and in hopes of a better fituation in America, two hundred of us,hale,hearty,andinduftrious,befides women and children, embarked at Londonderry, on board the ****** ? bound for Philadelphia. * I wifti I could foothe the reader's hu* inanity, by informing him that this frag ment is not the child of a fportive imagina tion. Unfortunately, it is literally true. The fads I had from one of the hapjefs fuf , fefers. The drefs alone is mine, B 6 THE SHIPWRECK. From the outfet untoward acci dents awaited us. We had not been ten days at fea, when our Teflel fprung a leak, which, for a long time, baffled all our endeavours. At length, being difcovered, it was (lopped, and we efleemed ourfeives fecure. Thoughtlefs mortals! the difappoint- rnent of to-day never produces the effect of preparing us for the cala mity of to-morrow! A guft arofe ! the elements warred tdgethcr, as if it were the " laft groan of expiring nature." The floodgates of heaven feemed loofed! dreadful peals of thunder rattled on the ear. The {touted: hearts were appalled. The forked lightning THE SHIPWRECK. 7 flruck'our maft, and fet the veffel on re. Befet by two raging elements- die roaring biilo ' s, which lafhed her fides, and feemed ready to fwallo v Jber and us, though they had appeared fo terrific before -now loft their hor rors? and were regarded melancholy alternative! as a lefs tremendous ?enemy than their new auxiliary. With vaft difficulty, the flame was cxtinguifhed but not until it had 'rendered our veffel fcarcely manage able. To complete the xnsafare of our woes, our provifions fell mort. A bifcuit and a pint of water, fetid and almoft as denfe as glue, was the daily portion of each ! Every morning favv two or three miferabk wretches B 2 THE SHIPWRECK. heaved overboard, into a watry grave, in the prefence of their dejefted friends and relatives, each hourly ex pecting the hand of death to clofe his eyes, and free him from his abyfs of jmifery, Father! father!" cries a once beautiful, but now emaciated child, whofe vifage bore irrefifHble evidence of near-approaching mortality, " get " me a drink! I faint I die! for *' God's fake let me have a drop, of c water to quench my third !" " Captain, I beg a little water to fave my child from death." "You " have had your mare for to-day, and " mall have no more." SHIPWRECK. 9 c< Brute! (hanger to the tender feel- " ings of nature had you a child " but you are not worthy of having one you would pity my prefent fituation, and relieve me." The mother of the child, who had fwooned away, juft came to herfelf. She heard his plaintive cries. She joined her voice to his, and befought the father to procure the water. Melancholy, anguifh, and torture* feized the tender huiband's the ten* der father's foul. The big tear rolled down his cheek. " Gracious and all* < powerful God! why vifit your " children with fuch calamities? Pre* " fumptuous man!" added hej reco vering himfelf, "are you to dare fcru-* TO THE SHIPWRECK. " tinize the ways of unerring Provi* " dence? Not my will, O Lord, but " thine be done!" He returned to the fcene he had juft quitted. His beloved child lay breathing his laft. His wife had fwooned away again. The fight was too affliftive. His agonies over powered him. He went to the captain, v/hom he quarrelled with, {truck. The blows were returned. He feized a fword; and the captain, ruming for ward, received it in his bread. He clofed his eyes for ever. Diforder and confufion enfued in the veflel. The failors plundered every thing they could lay their hands upon: and fuch was their irregularity THE SHIPWRECK, II I imbibed from my early age all the ardour and patriotifm of fpirit ufually generated by independence: for it is but. too true, that linud facile emtrguftt, quorum *V- tutibus cbftat Res angufla domu OBSERVER. Jf 5 With a few books, but thofe judici- oufly chofen by a watchful parent, I acquired a fenfe of the " Dignity of " human nature/' Ifav, with reli gious gratitude and reverence, the vaft and unparalleled advantages of our weftern hemifphere. I learned to defpife the fopperies, the follies, and the pretended refinements of the old world. I enjoyed, with rapture, the boundlefs profpe&s of happinefs and virtue, deftined, as I hoped, for re mote pofterity, in thefe extenfive regions. From Alleghany's foot I removed to the metropolis of America, as Phi ladelphia proudly vaunts herfelf. I here obferved manners prevailing, l THE COLUMBIAN which, when I had read of them, as* European, I had defpifed. I faw a few, whofe example muft have a pow erful influence, giving a taint to the general mafs, and appearing anxious in endeavouring to accelerate the arrival of that degeneracy, which the patriot endeavours to delay as far as poflible. Thefe obf creations 9 it may be reaibna- bly prefumed, gave me pain. I dread ed that the afylum, fo much boafted of, would be deftroyed -and that from a ipreading depravity, the ftate of America, the revolution of which " had revived the hopes of good men, " and promifed an opening to better " times, would become a difcourage- i ment to future efforts in favour of OBSERVER. 19 ^liberty, and prove only an opening " to a new fcene of human degeneracy - and mifery," And is there, thought I, no perfon to (tep for\vard, and endeavour to flem the torrent that is gradually Tapping the foundation of morals and manners, and which, if fuffered to proceed un* interruptedly, will bear down every thing valuable in itsprogrefs? 'As I have ever conceived, that even the attempt to accompliih great obje&s is laudable, I chofe rather to expofe my own weaknefs, than be wanting to the public intereft, I de termined to communicate to my fel low citizens the obfervations I might occafiOnally make, in hopes of being COLUMBIAN ferviceable to the caufe of virtue, Happy, too happy (hall I be, if I be come the humble inftrument of mam- ing out of countenance any fingle one of the follies or vices, which are fa carefully tranfplanted from their native foil, and which, like other ill weeds, fiourim apace, and threaten to choke up the valuable plants. Confcious of my inability, ed, to accomplifh, to the extent I de- fire, the grand objefc I have in view, I have enlifted into the fervice a few aids de camp who will occafionally furnim their fpeculations. Hence will arife an agreeable diverfity of ftile and fentiment and that famenejs, fo lia- OBSERVER. 21 ble to difguft the reader, be prevent ed. I invite every man, who is defirous to advance the bed interefts of fociety, to co-operate in this undertaking. Perfonality and fcurrility I defpife, and fhall avoid. But general fatire, however fevere, if calculated to an- fwer good purpofes, fhall be always acceptable. So many times have periodical elTayifts aflumed the pen, and fo great is the famenefs of their fubjecls of difcuffion, that mod: of them are nearly exhaufted : and therefore much no velty is hardly to be expected. Ter- C 22 THE COLUMIAN, &C. ence faid nearly two thoufand years ago, " Nullum eft jam didhim, quod non di&nni fit prills." If this were true then, the reader will probably excufe the want of very novel matter in his friend, SIMON SPECTACLIS, Philad. Feb. 19, 1791. SECOND NUMBER. MODERN IMPROVEMENT. " When flatter'd crimes of a licentious age F.eproach our filence, and demand our rage ; When purchas'd follies from each diflant land, Improve fo faft in young Columbia's hand To chafe our fpleen, when themes like thefc increafe, Shall panegyric reign, and fatire ceafe J" POP E. THE liberality of manners and cuftoms, daily introducing into our country, muft afford the highefl grati- iication to every lover of elegance and refinement. We are as rapidly as hap pily diffipating the rtifl -m& prejudices of pad times, and, with a ipirit of emulation beyond our years, copying P. > 24 THE COLUMBIAN the graces and virtues of England, France, and Italy. To particularize every inftance, in which we excel our anceftors, would require more time and room than I can now devote to the purpofe indeed, it would be be yond my abilities, to do juftice to fo capacious a fubjecl:. I mall, there fore, for the prefent, confine myfelf to one leading feature in modern man ners, wherein their fuperiority to thofe of old times is too obvious not to com mand the afTent of the molt fuperlicial obferver. The feature I mean, is the relaxa tion of the odious reftraints fo ex tremely difagreeable in the married . ftate. Heretofore, when a man or OBSERVER. 25 woman made choice of a partner for life, that partner was confidered as entitled to the chief of his or her cares and attentions. Any breach of this rule was rldlculoufly regarded as a violation of the laws of decorum and propiiety, which entailed difcrediton the offending party. The hufband gallanted his wife, to the theatre, to Balls, to afTemblies, to concerts, and to private parties. The in/ipid mono tony of iiich a life mud be to the lad: degree irkforne and difgufting; as one of the higheft gratifications of human nature is variety. Behold \ what a charming contrafl is exhibited at prefent! In the fafniona- ble world (and muft we not expeft, ' 26 THE COLUMBIAN that this refinement will, in due fea- fon, like every other, defcend to the lower claries?) a man is profcribed from attending on his wife, or appear-* ing in public with her. He may gra tify his paffion for variety by taking a new lady under his protection every day of his life. How ineffably agreea ble, how delightful a change! This will introduce, among its other advantages, an unufual degree of harmony in the married (rate. The chief caufe, if we beleive the writer of that Twsnz/and edifying comedy, the fchool for fcandal, why ladies are fo refra&cry and unmanageable with their hufbands, is the confcioufnefs cf pofleffing what? why thit rldlci^ OBSERTER. 2J Ions, old fafhioned quality, called chaf- tity a quality, which, however fuita- ble to the days of ignorance and bar- larifm, on the firft fettlement of this country, ought to be entirely laughed cut of countenance at prefent. Every thing, therefore, that has a tendency to extirpate this troublefome quality, mud: be productive of peace and har mony. And I believe no man in his fenfes will deny, that the improve ment in queflion will have the happi- eft tendency that could be wifhed, to banifh chaftity and all her troullefomc retinue from our fhores. Perhaps, they may fly for refuge among the Creek Indians, to the court of the pdiffant prince, Alexander M'Gil- C 4 28 THE COLUMBIAN livray. Such antiquated beings are fit only for the uncultivated favages they ought not to difgrace fuch an advanced flate of civilization as we can boafr. " When a lady," fays Mr. Sheri dan, the author of that valuable come- dy I have already mentioned, " com mits a TRIFLING faux pas, me grows cautious, and ready to humour and agrse v/ith her hufband.'* This excel- lent and religious maxim, which I hope no perfon will controvert, eflab- lifhes beyond a doubt my pofitipn, that this new mode will be productive of matrimonial concord. * School'for Scandal page 40, American edition. OBSERVER. 29 Another of the benefits of this ex- panfion of the human mind, is the catholicifm it will introduce with ref- pec~t to children. As a hufband will not in future have the fame degree of certainty, that his wife's children be- long properly fpeaking, to himfelf, he will be no longer fo contemptibly and illiberally contracted in his regards and cares of them, as parents ufed to be, in times of prejudice. Moreover, it is to be hoped and expected, that he will confer the fame favours on his neighbours, as they on him. Hence, a community of children will be intro duced among us, in a much more agreeable way, than that attempted in one of the old republics. HOY/ $O THE COLUMBIAN charming, then, will it be, that a man may point out liienej/es of hlmfelf in the houfes of aim oil all his ac quaintance! The political good ten dency of this is equal to its beneficial moral effects. Among the French, that nation of gallantry and refinement, the Jllff jlarched manners that have hitherto prevailed in this country, have been long exploded. A lady's bed-cham ber, \vhich here has been too gene rally confidered as herfanfiitm fanflo- rum, impervious to every one but the privileged hujband, there yields to the fuperior influence of fafhion and gal lantry. A gentleman has free accefr to it in the morning, before the lady OBSERVER. 3 rifes, and choofes it as the mod pro per place for making enquiries after her health. As the ladies univerfally paint there, perhaps this falhion was introduced in order to give the gentle men an opportunity of feeing, before the application of the colours, what could not be feen afterwards- that is, the ladies' faces in their natural (late. A lady, without the fmalleft cmbar- ralTment, " When from her iheets her lovely form fne lifts, *' She begs, you juil would turn you, while - ihe fhifts."* This elegant, uncorJl rained trait of * Young's love of fame. 32 THE COLUMBIAN manners, will, it is hoped, be adop* ted by our great people, who have fo long and fo happily diftinguifhed themfelves in the honourable^ independ ent ', and patriotic art of imitating the modes and manners of Europe,- which are fo wonderfully calculated for this hemifphere. The next ftep we have to take and which will naturally follow is the introduction of c'lcejleifm from the Italians. I have been much furprifed that the French, who have always paid fuch particular attention to the refinement of morals and manners, have never borrowed this admirable cuftom from their tranfalpine neigh bours. This is the more fingular, as. OBSERVER. 33 it is materially connected with, and feems a necefTary confequence of, the leading features of their matrimonial fyftem. This is one proof, among thoufands that might be produced, of nations in a 'progreffive (late of im provement, flopping fhort, before they arived at the acme of 'perfection . But I hope our moral and political career will not be thus difgracefully marked. I trufr, as we receive here the hardy German, the vivacious Ita- lan, the volatile Frenchman, the grave Englifhman, the hofpitable Irifhman, and the induftrious Scotch man ; that we mail cull from the man- fiers of thefe various nations, an fond of high life and allured by the attractions of the fafhioDable world, he commenced a career of gaiety and dimpation. The mi;U.:;l attachment between him and his wife, which had D 4 44 THE COLUMBIAN fubfifted uninterruptedly, and had indeed acquired new force every year of their connection, while they re mained in this country, was gradually weakened by the courfe of life they led in London. On his arrival, he paid the fame kind of attention to his beloved partner, that he had been accuflomed to. But he was told that it was a mere bore for a married man to gallant his wife that he would be confidered as a mod unfafhionable monfter, mould he be feen in her com pany in public and that any appear ance of fondnefs for her, if difcover- ed, would fubjecl him to the facers andfcorn of his acquaintance. OBSERVER. 45; Thefe leffons he found it very dif ficult to digeft. His ardent love could not brook fuch difguife and dif- fijnulation. For a long time, there fore, he remained unfamionable in this particular, and in fometimes bringing his children into company. But as inceffant exhortations and in- ceflant ridicule will turn almbft any mortal from a purpofe, however fixed ; he at length gave way to faftiion, and as caudoufly avoided his wife's com pany in public, as he would the fociety of one of the furies. Among the gentlemen who beftow- ed their cares and attentions on Mrs. Winthrop, whofe beauty (hone with mod diftin "uiflied 1 uftre, was Sir J ofeph 46 THE COLUMBIAN Middleton, a man whofe fole rule of conduct was the refined fubtle fyftem of Chefterfield. He had, on the plan of his mailer, facrificed largely to the graces ; and his facrifices had not been in vain. To the attractions of a fine perfon, and enchanting addrefs, he added a mofr, refined and highly cultivated underflanding. He had travelled and engrafted the moft elegant of the manners, of France and Italy on thofe of England. Had not his heart been depraved by the {educ tions of fafhion, he would have been an incomparable character. But into moil: of the vices of the times he en tered more, however, from a deter- OBSERVER. 47 mination to be a falhionable man, than from the impulfe of inclination. From the moment that Sir Jofeph fmgled out Mrs. Winthrop as the object of his gallantry, me rejected the reft of the fur roun ding crowd- To Vaux- hall, to plays, to aflemblies, to court, he daily led her, and, before many months had elapfed, almoft entirely eradicated from her mind every trace of love or affection for her hufband. Still was flie virtuous even in thought. She did not know, or allow herfelf to believe, the hold Sir Jofeph daily gained on her affections. He faw clearly, that to proceed with any hopes of fuccefs, it would be neceflary to proceed with caution. Had he, in 48 THE COLUMBIAN . an early ftage of their acquaintance, even hinted at his real intentions, me would have fpurned him from her with the moft profound difdain and contempt. But this he carefully avoi ded, until he was fully aflured of his conqueft. When this was the cafe, he only lay in wait for an opportunity to perpetrate his black defigns. And here, Mr Obferver, allow me to paufe for a moment, and recal your attention to the former fituation of this lovely but falling angel. When pofTefled of virtue, me would have been an ornament to a throne for as the poet juilly obferves, OBSERVER. 49 fi Virtue is beauty but -when charms of mind, ce With elegance of outward form are join'd " When youth makes fuch bright objects dill more bright " And fortune fets them in the flrongefc light- " 'Tis all below of heaven we may view, " And all but adoration is their due." But now her mind is in part clcpra- ved the remainder of Sir Jofeph's vile triumph will coil him little trou ble. One night at a mafquerade ball, he artfully prevailed on her to drink pret ty freely of an intoxicating cordial, \\ hich, aided by the heat and inflam mation of her blood, occafioned by JO THE COLUMBIAN dancing, Toon afcended her head, and deprived her of her faculties. On her return homewards, he gave the coach man directions to (top at the houfe of an infamous minifter of his pleafures. Here, taking advantage of her helplefs (ituation, and vowing eternal love and fecrecy, he robbed her of that inefti- mable jewel, which no tears, no repen tance can ever reftore to loft, undone woman. Sunk now into the depths of infa my, me felt, for a time, the keened remorfe for the crime me had been guilty of. But Sir Jofeph took too much pains, not to remove her anxi ety. Frequent repetitions rendered her fo callous and unconcerned, that OBSERVER. 51 her guilt foon became public, and at length reached Mr. Winthrop's ears. This roufed him from the lethargy into which his blind purfuit of a pre- pofterous fafhion had thrown him. By the agency of a trufty fervant, he gained information of an affignation between them. Ke went to the place, and was on the point of furpri- fing them, but, notwithstanding all his vigilance, a confidante of his wife's gave her notice of his approach, fo early as juft to allow Sir Jofeph time to efcape by a back window. However, he left behind him his hat and part of his clothes, which afford ed fufncient proofs of his villainy, and of the guilt of Mrs. Winthrop. 52 THE COLUMBIAN The injured hufband, in the firft moments of his rage, was on the point of facriScing her to his jufr. refentment. But an inftant's reflection made him determine not to imbrue his hands in female blood. He refolved to take vengeance of the adulterer and next morning fent him a challenge, which was accepted. They met. They fought. Mr. Wiothrop received a mortal wound and expired, exprciT- ing his forrow at having launched into fuch afcene of diffipation, which had deftroyed his happinefs blafted his wife's reputation irretrievably and hurried hirnfelf into an untimely OBSERVER. 53 This dreadful cataftrophe nearly- brought her to a fenfe of her infamy. She caft a retrofpective eye on the fcenes which me had paiTed through (he bewailed the deplorable gulph in which fhe was fwallowed up and made many ftrong refolutions - of reformation, \vhich, for a fhort time, fhe endeavoured to carry into effect. But Sir^Jofeph renewed his efforts to replunge her into her former condition. For a time he was unfuc- "cefsful. But at length, when the poignancy of her grief was fomewhat abated, and her contrition propor- tionably diminifhed, fheMened again to his infinuations and was prevail ed upon to accept the hand of the 38 THE COLUMBIAN, &C. murderer of her hufband, who now calls her his. They are immerfed in all the fcenes of profligacy and vice, which the capital of England affords -and I think you will allow, they furnim an awful lefTon of the danger of adopting modifh manners, and of departing from the paths of -honour and rectitude. L. M. March 1 6, 1791. P. S. I fhould have mentioned to >you, that her eldefl daughter, neglect ed and forfaken by her parents, was lad year feduced by a lord, with whom (he lives as his mlftrefs her fe- cond ran away with a dancing mafter, and her third with a hair-dreffer. [55 ] [From the Pennsylvania Evening Herald, April 2, 1785.] FUNDING-BILL. i Conftable (hall feize, and take into his poffeflion, fuch and fo much of the goods, chatties and effects of faid delinquent, as fhall be neceffary." " And if fufficient effects cannot be found, whereon to make diftrefs, fuch conftable fliall take the body of any fuch delinquent, and deliver him or her to the fheriff, or keeper of the county jail, who fhall detain fuch delinquent in clofe cuftody, without bail or mainprize, until payment made."* IS this, good God!" ex claimed I, " is this freedom? Is this what we have been fo long contend ing for? Is this the fruit of a feven, * See the funding-bill of the ftate of Pens- fylvania, fe&ion 39. % E 2 56 FUNDING-BILL. years war? Farewell to heaven-born Liberty!" A cynical old man, who fat in a corner, his eyes half (hut, and envelo ped in the fmoke which her emitted from his mouth, in large volumes, knocking the dud: out of his pipe, and flaring me ftedfaftly in the face, aiked me if I had read Sidney, Locke, Price, or any of the other celebrated writers on the fubject of liberty, and if I underflood what was the real im port of the word ? My mind being fomewhat untuned, and not choofing to enter the lifts of controverfy with a genius who had fo forbidding an appearance as that which prefented itfelf to niy view, . I replied in the ne- FXJNDIKG-BILL. 57 gative. He then entered into a mod elaborate difcjuihtion on the nature of liberty faid that felf-taxation was its viiry fum and eflence and was pro ceeding in a moil copious and fluent harangue, when, wifhing to indulge a little reflection, I called the waiter, defired him to pay hirhfelf out of a dol lar, for the coffee I hldjufi drank wiflied theharanguer a good day and returned home Here, when I became a little com- pofed, I endeavoured to picture to my imagination the numbers who muft inevitably tafle of the kilter cup of mlfery " by virtue of this act." Sei zures, yen dues, imprifonments, croud- ed on my mind without er.d While ' 58 FUNDING-BILL. I was in this fympathetic frame of thought, the cafe of an unfortunate foldier, my bofom friend, myPylades, fuggefted itfelf to my perturbed imagi nation. My Pylades, as I ufed to call him , in return for the name of Orefies, with which he honoured me, had borne the fatigues and hardfhips, the hunger and thirft, of a feven years war had been in almoft ail the principal engagements had been feveral times taken prifoner, and put on board guard-fhips, where he experienced what would have deftroycd perhaps any other man In all thefe vari ous fcenes, thefe viciffitudes of for-* FUNDING-BILL. $g tune, he had concluded himfelf with a heroifm, a magnanimity, which would put to fhame the vounted fables of antiquity After having undergone all this, he had, a few days previous to the termination of the war, fallen in defence of that country, whofe rights and liberties he prized more than ex igence itfelf. A tender fpoufe and fix lifping children, the elded not eight years old, would, in a fhort fpace, have been bled with his prefence, had not a fiend, in fhape of an Indian, cut fhort his precious life Ifabella, ill fated Ifabella, the part ner of all his joys, andfolace of all his cares, was panting in hourly expecta tion of his long wifhed for return : < 60 FUNDING-BILl. her tender heart throbbed with every breath of wind, and the fmalleft mo tion, which flattered her with the de- Itulve hope of embracing once more the lord of her foul ; never ! never ! to be realized! Notv\ ithflanding every poffible pre caution was taken to prepare her for the direful news, in order to avoid the confequences to be feared from an ab rupt difclofure of her woe, fhe funk liftlefs on her couch, when the luck- lefs tidings reached her ear, doomed never to hear a found of joy! One fit followed clofe on the heels of ano ther for two days fuccefiively and at length, the extreme violence of her grief having fomevvha: fabfided, (he fell FUNDING-BILL. 6l into that (late of torpor and apathy, which too often fucceeds the paroxyfms of madnefs and defpair. Her only not-adored Pylades had expended the little patrimony he was in pofTeiiion of, in fupport of the caufe of freedom and America She was therefore left, in- every fenfe of the word, deflate ; and the final! provifion {he v/as entitled to, as a recompenfe for his ferviccs, \vs.s totally inadequate to the fuppcrt of herfelf and tender offspring !-- And perhaps, fays I, in fomc fhort time hence, the amiable, the engaging Ifabella, with acccr,.ipiifl..nients to ido:n acrov/n, andtofofien and har- mc^ize baibarity itfelf in human fhnne, E5 62 FUNDING-BILL. perhaps (lie fhall feel therelentlefs hand of fome harpy catchpole, " by virtue of the funding bill" The melan choly train of reflection into which this threw me, made me fink into a reverie, in which I conceived Ifabella was arTefTed at a fum, trivial indeed to perfons in affluence, but enormous to her I beheld her borne down by the weight of affliction, lying onthe bed of ficknefs, without a being to adminif- ter comfort to her, except her dear children, the only objects of her care, on whom fhe caft many a \vifhful eye, recommending them to the care of her omnipotent Creator Thus afflicted, thus forlorn, thus woe begone, a man of uncouth form,in the guife of a COLLECTOR, made FUNDING-BILL. 63 his appearance " Madam," he fays, *' I come for ten dollars, the fum at which you have been aflefTed by vir tue of a late aft of afTembly" With faultering accents, and pallid counte nance, fhe articulated an aflurance, that " if her life was at flake for a tenth of that fum, fhe muft incur the forfeit" Well, madam," fald he, " with aperfeft/z^/ro/V, dart ing a moft ferocious look at the heart broken mourner, you mufl abide the confequences." After a tedious interval of forty days, the colle&or made his return to a juflice of peace, who direftly, with out enquiry, iflued his warrant to a confiable to didrefs and difirair^ and 64 FUNDING-BILL. in default, to take the body of the DELINQUENT into cuftody Methought I beheld this (lone- hearted con (table poffefs himfelf of every article the houfe contained while Ifabella lay diflblved in a trance into which his unfeafonable appear ance, and rough, favage behaviour had cad her the two eldeft of her young ones, wailing and lamenting around her, and the others gazing, with childifh aflonifhment, at a fcene, the horrors of which they were to tally incapable of conceiving. A few days after feizure, a public vendue converted her little furniture to money, but fo deftitute had (he been, that there was a deficiency ia FUNDING-BILL. 6$ the fum at which fhe had been affef* fed. My heart funk within me, on con templating the dreadful cataftrophe, which clofed the melancholy trage- The conftable, with a pofTe, came andfeized the unfortunate delinquent! He dragged her, half dead with afflic tion, diftrefs, and defpair, through the ftreets, to a loathfome jail, Here fhe was reduced to have recourfe to abed of draw! She, who had been accuftomed to the endearments, the care, the attention, of a fond, an ador ing hufband, whofe chief ihidy had been to anticipate her every wifh, was now, fad reverfe ! without a being tQ 66 FUNDING-BILL. hand her a draught of water, to al lay the burning heat of a fever, which had feized and was preying on her " And in a few days, DEATH carne to her relief, and called away her ange lic foul, tothofe regions of never-end ing happinefs, which God has prepar ed for thofe he loves. Her breath was clofed in prayers for her infants, and for the forgivenefs of her perfecutors! Gracious Power! (ejaculated I) that watched: over the tranfactions'of this fublunary world, how many fuch fcenes will a fhort time realize, per haps in every corner of the (late ! Is the "-afylum" v.-hich, we fondly fiattered ourfelves, had been prepared " for the diftreiTed and perfecutcd of FUNDING-BILL. 67 " all nations," deflroyed? -Is the pleating iilufion vanifhed ? Have, we been but dreaming of felicity, and do u e now awake to mere " vanity and "vexation offptrit?" Have we all this while been but making a tranfi- tion, from one tyranny to another -: And is there to be no freedom, no happincfs, this fide the grave! HIBEJINICU& C 68 ] [From the Columbian Magazine, Sept. 1786.] SKETCH of the Life of the late NATHA NIEL GREENE, Major General of the Forces of the United States of America. i H I S gallant officer, whofe death is fo generally and fo juftly regretted, was born in the town of Warwick, Kent county, Rhode-Ifland, in or about the year 1741, and was the fecond fon of a refpectable citizen of the fame name, (defcended from one of the firft fettlers of the colony) who was extenfively concerned in lucrative iron-works, the property of which, at his death, (prior to the, war) he left to his children. SKETCH, &C. 69 The General was endowed with an uncommon degree of judgment and penetration, which, with a benevolent manner and affable behaviour, acquired him a number of valuable friends, by whofe intereft and influence, he was, at an early period of life, chofen a member of the a/Tembly of the then colony of Rhode-Ifknd. This trufr, in which he gave the highefl fatisfac- tion to his conftituents, he continued to poflefs, until, and at, the period, when the folly and madnefs of Eng land fevered a world from her em pire. After the fkirmifh.es at Lexington and Concord, when a fpirit of refift- ance fpread, like wild-fire, over the 70 SKETCH or continent, Rhode-ifland was not defi cient in her contributions for the gene ral defence. She raifed three regiments of militia, the command whereof was given to Mr. Greene, who was nomi nated brigadier-general. The liberty, fafety, and profperity of his country being expofed to imminent danger, the pacific principles of quakerifm, in which he had been educated, proved infufficient to reprefs the ardent fbii it of liberty with which his bofcm glowed. He led the troops under his com mand to Cambridge, and v. as prefent at the evacuation of Boftoo by a force \vhich, in England hud been vattnt* irmly dated as treble the n .. GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 71 would be requifiteto dragoon America into unconditional fubmiflion. General Greene's merit and abili ties, as well in the council as in the field, were not long unnoticed by gene ral Washington, who repofed in him the utmoft confidence, and paid a par ticular deference to his advice and opinion, on all occafions of doubt and difficulty. This excited the jealoufy ' of feveral officers, of older date and higher rank, who were not wanting in endeavours to fupplant him: buihi vain the commander in chief knev/ and prized his worth as it deferved. He war. appointed major-general by -ccncrefs, the 26th of Augufr, 1776. .rd: the clofe of that year, he F 72 SKETCH OF was at the Trenton furprize ; and, at the beginning of the next, w as at the bat tle of Princeton, two enterprizes not more happily planned than judicioufly and bravely executed, in both of which he difplayed his talents, ferv- ing his noviciate under the American Fabius. At the battle of Brandywine, gene ral Greene diftinguimed himfelf by fapporting the right wing of the Ame rican army, when it gave way, and judicioufly covering the whole, when routed and retreating in confuiion; and their fafety from utter ruin was ge nerally afcribed to his (kill and exer tions, which were well feconded by the troops under his command. GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 73 At the battle of German town, he commanded the left wing of the Ame rican army and his utmoft endea vours were exerted to retrieve the fortune of that day, in which his con duct met with the approbation of the commander in chief. In March, 1778, he was appoint ed quarter-matter general, which office he accepted under a ftipulation that his rank in the army mould not be af fected by it, and that he mould retain his right to command in time of action, according to his rank and feniority. In this ftation, he fully anfweredthe expectations formed of his abilities; and enabled the American army to F2 74 SKETCH OF move with additional celerity and vigour. At the battle of Mon mouth, the commander in chief, difgufted with the behaviour of general Lee, depofed him in the field of battle, and appoint ed general Greene to command the right wing, where he greatly contribi> ted to retrieve the errors of his prede- cefTor, and to the fubfeqaent event of the day. About the middle of the year 1778, an attack being planned by the Ame ricans, in conjunction with the French fleet, on the Britifh garrifon at New port, Rhode-ifland, general Sullivan was appointed to the command, under whom general Greene ferved. This GEN. GREENE s LIFE. 75 attempt was unfiiccefsful. The- French fleet having failed out of harbour, to engage lord Howe's fleet, they were difperfcd by a (term, and the Ameri cans \vere obliged to raife the fiege of Newport ; in doing which general Greene difplayed a great degree of flail* in drawing off the army in fafety. After the hopes of the Britiihgenc- rals to execute feme decifive ftroke to the northward, were fruilrated, they turned their attention to the fbuthern ftates, as lefs capable of de fence, and more likely to reward the invaders with ample plunder. A grand expedition was, in confecjuence, plan ned at New-York, where the army ciLb^rkcd on the 26th of December, 76 SKETCH OF 1779, and landed on the nth of February, 1780, within about thirty miles of Charleflon, which, after a brave defence, was furrendered to Sir Henry Clinton, on the 1 2th of May. A feries of ill fuccefs followed this unfortunate event. The American arms in South Carolina were in gene ral unfuccefsful, and the inhabitants were obliged to fubmit to the invaders, whofe impolitic feverity was extremely ill calculated to anfwer any of the ob- je<5ts for which the war had been com menced. Affairs were thus circum (lanced, . when general Washington appointed general Greene to the command of GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 77 the American forces in the fouthern diftrict. He arrived at Charlotte, en the fecond day of December, 1780, accompanied by gen. Morgan, a brave . officer, who had difHnguiflied himfelf to the northward, in the expedition againft Burgoyne. He found the forces he was to command, reduced to a very fmall number, by defeat and by defertion. The returns were nine hundred and feventy continentals, and one thoufand and thirteen militia. Mi litary (lores, provifions, forage, and all things necefTary, were, if poflible, in a more reduced ftate than his army. His men were without pay, and al- moft without clothing; andfupplies of the latter were not to be had but from 78 SKETCH OF a diftance of two hundred miles. In this perilous and embarrafled fituation, he had to oppofe a refpedable and vic torious army. Fortunately for him, the conduct of fome of the friends of royalty obliged numbers, oiherwife difpofed to remain neuter, to take up arms in their own defence. This and the prudent meafures the general took for removing the innumerable difficul ties and disadvantages he wasfurround- ed with, and for conciliating the affec tions of the inhabitants, foon brought together a confiderable force, far infe rior, however, to that of the Britifh, who efteemed the country perfectly fubjugated. CEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 79 After he had recruited his forces, with all the friends to the revolu tion that he could afTemble, he fent a confiderable detachment, under gene ral Morgan, to the weflern extremi ties of the ftate, to protect the well difpcfed inhabitants from the ravages of the tories. This force, which was the firir. that had for a confiderable time appeared there, on the fide of the Americans, infpired the friends of liberty with new courage, fo that numbers of them crowded to the fiandard of general Morgan. Ke at length became fo formidable* that lord Cornwallis thought proper to fend colonel Tarleton to diflodge him from the ftation he had taken.- F 5 8O SKETCH OF This officer was at the head of a thou- fand regular troops, and had two field pieces. He came up, on the i yth of January, 1 78 1 , at a place called Cow- pens, with general Morgan, \vhofe force was much inferior, and was compofed of two-thirds militia, and one-third continentals. An erjg; 1 ce ment was the immediate confluence. The brevity of this /ketch will not permit me to go into a detail of the ciifpofitions made on either fide. Let it fuffice to fay, that the brave Mor gan gained a complete victory over an officer, the rapidity and fuccefs of v, hofe attacks, until that time, nr'ght have entitled him to make ufe of tl.5 declaration of Csefar, " vcr:*, ild;*, GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 81 wV/." Upwards of five hundred of the Britifh laid down their arms, and were made prifoners a very confiderable number was killed. Eight hundred fr.ands of arms, two field-pieces, and thirty-five baggage-waggons fell into the hands of the vigors, who had only twelve killed, and fixty wounded. This brilliant fuccefs quite difcon- certed the plan of operations formed by lord Cornwallis. Having enter tained no idea of any enemy to oppofe in South Carolina, the conquer! of which he had deemed complete, he had made every preparation for carry ing his arms to the northward, to ga ther the laurels, which he imagined awaited for him. He now found him- 82 SKETCHOF felf obliged topofbone this deligr.. He marched with rapidity after general Morgan, in hopes net only to recover the prifoners, but to revenge Tarle- ton's lolTes. The Americans, by a ra pidity of movements, and the inter ference of providence,* eluded his * " The Brit'fh urged the purfuit with - " fo much rapidity, that they came to the " ford of the Catawbi on the evening of " the fame day on which the Americans " had crofted it. Before the next day, a hea- " vy fall of rain rendered it impaiTable. " Had it rifen a few hours earlier, the *' Americans would have had no chance of " efcape, and their prifoners would have " been retaken by the enemy. Some time " after, the fame providential interference " took place in pafTmg the Yadkin. A " fucden and rapid rife, after the Ameri- " cans had crofied, prevented lord Corn- <: wallis from getting over." [Vide Ram- %, Vol. II. p. ao6, ao8.] GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 83 efforts, and general Greene effected, a junction of the two divifions of his little army, on the yth of February. Still was he fo far inferior to lord Cornwallis, that he was obliged to retreat northward, and, notwithirand- ing the vigilance and activity of his enemy, he brought his men in fafety into Virginia. In this (late he received fome rein forcements, and had the promife of more on which he returned again into North Carolina, where, on their arrival, he hoped to be able to act on the offenfive. Ke encamped in the vicinity of lord Cornwallis's army. By a variety of the beft concerted ma noeuvres, and by the fecrecy ancj 84 SKETCH OF promptitude of his motions, hefoju-. dicioufly fupported the arrangement- of his troops, that during three weeks, while the enemy remained near him,, lie prevented them from taking any* advantage of their flrperiority, and- even cut oft all opportunity of their receiving fuccours from the royal-, ids. About the beginning of March, he effected a junction with a continental regiment, and two confiderable bodies of Virgin!?, and Carolina militia. He then determined on attacking the Bri- tlHi commander without lofs of tirne^ < being perfuaded," as he declared in his lubfequeiit clifpatches, " that if {t - he v/us fucccfsf J, it \vcdd prove OEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 85 " ruinous to the enemy and, if other- " wife, that it would be but a partial " evil to him." On the I4th he arri ved at Guilford court-houfe, the Jj;i- tifh tlien lying at t \\ elve miles dif- tance. His army confined of about four thoufand five hundred men, of whom near two thirds were North Carolina and Virginia militia. The Britifh were about two thoufand four hundred, all regukr troops, and the greater part inured to toil and fervice in their long expedition under lord Cornwal- lis, who, on the morning of the I5th, being apprized of general Greene's intentions, marched to meet him* The latter diipofed his army in three 86 SKETCH OF lines; the militia of North Carolina were in front the fecond line was compofed of thofe of Virginia,-^and the third, which was the flower of the army, was formed of continen tal troops, near fifteen hundred in number. They were flanked on both fides by cavalry and riflemen, and were polled on a rifing ground, a mile and a half from Guilford Court Houfe. The engagement commer :ed at half an hour after one o'clock, by a brifk cannonade. Afterwhich the Bri- tifh advanced in three columns, and attacked the firft line, compofed, as has been obferved, of North Carolina militia. Thefe, who, probably, had GEN. GFxEENE's LIFE. 87 never been in action before, were pa nic (truck at the approach of the ene my, and many of them ran away with out firing a gun, or being fired upon, and even before the Eritifh had come nearer than 140 yards to them. Part of them, however, fired, but they then followed the example of their comrades. Their officers made every poflible effort to rally them but nei ther the advantages of their pofition, nor any other coniideration, could in duce them to maintain their ground. This mameful cowardice had a great effect upon the iffue of the battle. The next Iine 5 however, behaved much bet ter. They fought with great bravery ; and after they were thrown into dif- SK2TCH CF order, rallied, returned to the charge, and kept up a heavy fire for a long time, but were at length broken, ar.d driven on the third line, when the engagement became general, very fevere, and very bloody. At I. fuperiority of dnclpiine carried the uc-v from fuperiority of numbers. The con- fiict endured an hour and a h:Jf, and was terminated by general Greene's ordering a retreat, when he perceiv ed, that the enemy \vere on the point of encircling his troops. This v/as a hard-foi-ght acfiion. Lord. Cornv r alli3 itatcd his loiles in killed, wounded, and mifji^g, at 532, among whom were fevcral ofF-cers cf confi- derable rank. To ihofe who :;: GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 89 to -ccnfider the thoufands killed in the plains of Germany, very frequent ly without producing any vifible con- fequence on the fate of a war, the number here mentioned mud appear infignificant. But this battle was, neverthelefs, decifive in its confequen- ces. Lord Cornwallis was, three days after, obliged to make a retrograde motion, and to return to Wilmington, fituated two hundred miles from the place of ac~lion. He was even under the neceflity of abandoning a conlider- able number of thofe who were mod: dangeroufly wounded. The lofs of the Americans was about four hundred killed and wound ed. However, this was not fo feverejy G gO SKETCH OF felt, as the defertion of a considerable number of militia, who fled home wards, and came no more near the army. Some time after this engagement, general Greene determined to return to South-Carolina, to endeavour to expel the Britim from that (late. His firft object was to attempt the reduc tion of Camden> where lord Raw- don was polled with about nine hun dred men. The ftrcogth of this place* which was covered on the fouth and eaft fides by a river and a creek, and to the weft ward and northward, by fix redoubts, rendered it impracticable to carry it by dorm, with the fmall army general Greene had, confiding cf GEN'. GREENE S LIFE. 91. about feven hundred continentals. He, therefore, encamped at about a mile from the town, in order to prevent fupplies from being brought in, and to take advantage of flich favourable cir- cumftances as might occur. Lord Rawdon's fituation was ex r * trcmely delicate. Colonel Watfon, whom he had fome time before de tached for the protection of the eaftern frontiers, and to whom he had, on intelligence of general Greene's inten tions, fent orders to return toCamden, \vas fo effectually watched by general Marian, that it was impoilible for him to obey. His lordfhip's fupplies were, moreover, very precarious : and, a 2 Q2 SKETCH OF Should general Greene's reinforce* ments arrive, he might be fo clofely invefled, as to be at length obliged to furrender. In this dilemma, the beft expedient that fuggefled itfelf, was a bold attack ; for which purpofe he ar med his muiicians and drummers, and every perfon capable of carrying a muf- quet. He fallied out on the twenty- fifth of April, and attacked general Greene in his camp. The defence was obftinate, and, for fome part of the engagement, the advantage appear ed to be in favour of America. Lieu tenant colonel Wafhingtcn, who com manded the cavarly, had at one time not lefs than two hundred Britifh pri- foners. However, by the mifconducT: GEN. GREENE S LIFE. 93 of one of the American regiments, vic tory was fnatched from general Greene, who was compelled to retreat. He loft in the a<5lion about two hundred kil led, wounded, and prifoners. Lord Rawdon loft two hundred and fifty eight. There was a great flmilarky between the ccnfequences of the affair at Guil- ford, and thofe of this aclion. In the former, lord Cornwallis was fuccefs- ful but was obliged to retreat two hundred miles from the fcene of ac tion, and for a time abandon the grand objecl: of penetrating to the north vvard. In the latter, lord Raw- don had the honour of the field, but \vas fhortly after reduced to the necef- 94 SKETCH OF iity of abandoning his pofr, and leav ing behind him a number of fick and wounded. The evacuation of Camden, with the vigilance of general Greene, and of the feveral officers he employed, gave a new face to affairs in South Caro lina, where the Britifh afcendency declined more rapidly than it had been eilablifhed. The numerous forts, gar- rifoned by the enemy, fell> one after the other, into the hands of the Ame ricans. Orangeburg, Motte, Watfon, Georgetown, Granby, and all the others, fort Ninety-fix excepted, were furrendered ; and a very confiderable number of prifoners of war, with mill* GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 95 tary ilores and artillery, were found in them. On the 22d of May, general Greene fat down before Ninety-fix, with the main part of his little army. The fiege was carried on for a confiderable time with great fpirit: and the place was defended with equal bravery. At length, the works were fo far re duced, that a furrender muft have been made in a few days, when a re inforcement, of three regiments, from Europe, arrived at Charleflon, \\hich enabled lord Rawdon to proceed to relieve this important poll. The fuperiority of the enemy's force,'- reduced general Greene to the alter native of abandoning the fiege altoge- G 4 f)6 SKETCH OF ther, or, previous to their arrival, of attempting the fort by (lorm. The latter was more agreeable to his enter- prifing fpirit: and an attack was made on the morning of the 29th of June. He was repulfed, with the lofs of one hundred and fifty men. He raifed the fiege, and retreated over the Saluda. Dr. Ramfay, to whom the writer of this (ketch is indebted, for mod of the facts herein contained, fpeaking of the (late of affairs about this period, fays, " truly diitreffing was the fitu- ation of the American army : when in the gnifp of victory, to be obliged to expofe themfelves to a hazardous aiTault, and afterwards to abandon the fiege : when they were nearly mailers GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 97 of the whole country, to be compel led to retreat to its extremity : after fubduing the greateft part of the force fent againft them, to be under the ne~ ceility of encountering ftill greater re- infoi cements, when their remote litu- ation precluded them from the hope of receiving a (ingle recruit in this gloomy fituation, there were not wanting perfons who advifed general Greene to leave the ftate, and retire with his remaining forces to Virginia. To arguments and fuggeftions of this kind he nobly replied * I v/ill reco ver the country, or die in the at tempt.' This diflinguifhed officer, v;hofe genius was moft vigorous in thofe extremities, when feeble minds 98 SKETCH OF abandon themfelves to defpair, adopt ed the only refource, now left him, of avoiding an engagement, until the Brhiih force mould be divided/' Some fkirmimes, of no great mo ment, took place between detached parties of both armies in July and Auguft. September the 9th, general Greene having aflembled about two thoufand men, proceeded to attack the Britim, who, under the com mand of col. Stewart, were polled at Eutaw Springs. The American force was drawn up in two lines: the firft, compofed of Carolina militia, was commanded by generals Marian and Pickens, and col. De Malmedy. The fecond, which confided cf ccn- GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 99 tinental troops from North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, was com manded by general Sumpter, lieut. col. Campbell, and colonel Williams ; lieutenant-colonelLee,with his legion, covered the right flank ; and lieuten ant-colonel Henderfon, with the (late troops, covered the left. A corps de referve was formed of the cavalry, under lieutenant-colonel Wafhington, and the Delaware troops under capt. Kirkwood. As the Americans came forward to the attack, they fell in with fome advanced parties of the enemy, at about two or three miles a-head of the main body. Thefe being clofely purfued, were driven back and the action foon became general. IOO SKETCH OF The militia were at length forced to give way, but were bravely fupported by the fecond line. In the hotted part of the engagement, gen. Greene ordered the Maryland and Virginia continentals to charge with trailed arms. This decided the fate of thq day. " Nothing," fays dr. Ramfay, " could furpafs the intrepidity of both officers and men on this occafion. They ruflied on, in good order, thro* a heavy cannonade, and a mower of mufquetry, with fuch unfhaken refo- lution, that they bore down all before them." The Britifh were broken, clofely purfued, and upwards of five hundred of them taken prifoners They however made a fiefh ftand, in GEN. GREENE S LIFE. IO1 a favourable pofition, in impenetrable fhrubs and a picquetted garden. Lieu tenant-colonel Wafhington, after hav ing made every effort to diilodge them, was wounded and taken pri- foner. Four fix pounders were brought forward to play upon them, but they fell into their hands ; and the endeavours to drive them from their ftation being found impractica ble, the Americans retired, leaving a flrong picquet on the field of battle. Their lofs was about five hundred; that of the Britifh upwards of eleven hundred. General Greene was honoured by congrefs with a Britifh ftandard, and a gold medal, emblematical of the IO2 SKETCH OF engagement and fuccefs, (( fcr his wife, decifive, and magnanimous con- dud, in the action at Eutaw fprings, in which, with a force inferior in number to that of the enemy, he ob tained a mod fignal victory." In the evening of the fucceeding day, colonel Stewart abandoned his poll, and retreated towards Charlef- ton, leaving behind upwards of fe- venty of his wounded, and a thou- fand (lands of arms. He was purfued a confiderable diflance but in vain. The battle of Eutaw produced mod: fignal confequences in favour of Ame rica. The Britifti, who had for fuch a length of time lorded it abfolutely in South Carolina, were, fhortly after CEN. REENE'S UIFE. 103 that event, obliged to confine them- felves in Charlefton, whence they ne ver ventured but to make predatory excurfions, with bodies of cavalry, which in general met with a very warm and very unwelcome reception. During the relxationthat followed, a dangerous plot was formed, by fome turbulent and mutinous perfons in the army, to deliver up their brave gene ral to the Britifh. This treasonable defign owed its rife to the hardfhips, wants, and calamities of the foldiers, who were ill paid, ill clothed, and ill fed. The confpirators did not ex- ceed twelve in number : and a provi dential difcovery defeated the project. IO4 SKETCH OF The furrender of lord Cornwallis, whofe enterprifing fpirit had been by the Britifh miniflry expected to repair the lofles, and wipe away the difgrace, v/hich had been incurred through the inactivity and indolence of other gene rals, having convinced them of the im practicability of fubjugating America, they difcontinued offenlive operations in every quarter. From the begin ning of the year 1782, it was cur* rently reported, that Charlefton was fpeedily to be evaucated : it was offi cially announced the feventh of Au- guft ; but did not take place until the feventeenth of December. GEN. GREENE S LIFE. 1QJ The happy period at length arrived, \vhen, by the virtue and bravery of her Tons, aided by the bounty of hea ven, America compelled her invaders to recognife her independence. Then her armies, quitted the tented fields, and retired to cultivate the arts of peace and happinefs. Among the reft, general Greene revifited his na tive country, where he proved himfelf as valuable a citizen, as the Carolinas had witnefTed him a gallant officer. DiiTenfions and jealoufies had extend ed their deftruclive influence among the Rhode Iflanders, whofe animofity had arifen to fuch a degree, as to threaten the moft ferious ill cor.fe- cuences: general Greene exerted IO6 SKETCH OF hlmfelf to reflore harmony and peace among them once more ; and was happily fuccefsful. In October, 1785, he failed to Georgia, where he had a confiderable eftate, not far diftant from Savannah. Here he pafTed away his time, occu pied in his domeftic concerns, until the hour of his mortality approached. 'Walking out one day in June 1786, he was overpowered by the extreme heat of the fun, which brought on a diforder that carried him oif, a few days after, on the iQth of the fame month. When the melancholy account of Ills death arrived at Savannah, the people were ftruck with the deep eft GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 107 forrow. Ail bufmefs was fufpended. The (hops and (lores throughout the tov/n were fhut : and the fhipping in the harbour had their colours half- mailed. The body was brought to Savan nah, and interred on the 2Oth. The funeral proceffion was attended by . the Cincinnati, militia, &c. &c. Immediately after the interment of the corpfe, the members of the Cin cinnati retired to the coffee-houfe in Savannah, and came to the following refolution : " That as a token of the high re- fpect and veneration in which this fo- ciety hold the memory of their late iilufhious brother, major-general H .toS sit ETCH or Greene, deceafed, George Warning- ton Greene, his eldeft fon, be admit-* ted a member of this focity, to take his feat on his arriving at the age of 1 8 years/' General Greene left behind him a wife, and five children, the eldeft of whom was about 1 1 years old. On Tuefday the 1 2th of Augufr, the United States in Congrefs afTem- bled came to the following refolu- tion : " That a monument be erected to the memory of Nathaniel Greene, efc[. at the feat of the federal govern ment, with the following infcrip- tion :- GEN. GREENE'S LIFE. 109 Sacred to the memory of NATHANIEL GP.EENE, Esq. who departed this life, the ipth of June, 17863 LATE MAJOR-GENERAL in the fervice of the United States, and commander of their army in the fouthern department. The United States in Congrefs afiembled, in honour of his patriotifm, valour, and ability, have creeled THIS MONUMENT, H THOUGHTS On the Policy of encouraging Migration. L.MIDST an exuberant variety of fanciful and new-fangled opinions, lately obtruded on the public, and de fended with all the dexterity that cafu- iflry can afford, there is none more abfurd than that of thofe perfons who decry and endeavour to prevent the migration of Europeans to America. A paragraphifl, in one of the late pa pers, in fupport of fuch conduct, tells us that " water and oil may as eafily " be made to unite as the fubjecls of " monarchies with the citizens of the " republics of America." An intelli- THOUGHTS, SCC. Ill gent reader muft find it difficult to de cide which is the more contemptible of the two, the il liberality of fuch an idea, or the grofs ignorance of the writer, who dared to advance a falfehood, which a fchool-boy could detect. Un der what form of government was the gallant Montgomery born and ear :a- ted? Under " a monarchy." The marquis de la Fayette, the marquis de Rochambean, baron Steuben, ba ron de Kalb, count Pulafki, count d'Eftaign, general Mercer, general Stewart, general Gates, and an innu merable band of other heroes and pa triots, whofe exploits during the late war, have immortalized their names, and muftj in thefe dates, render them 112 THOUGHTS ON facred to the lateft pofterity, have " united 'With the citizens ofthefe repub- lies" and been efEcacioufly inftru- mental in eftablifhing their founda tions, although they were the " fob- " jeffs of monarchies" Nine-tenths of the firft fettlers of North-America, and of all the emigrants who have fince arrived here, were " fubjecJs of " monarchies. 9 ' To pafs from this \veftern hemifphere, let us touch upon the bright condellation of worthies who grace the annals of liberty in the old world Let us contemplate and emulate the virtues of Brutus, the fcourge of the Tarquins; Tell, the deliverer of Switzerland; Doria, the deliverer of Genoa; Guflavus Vafi* MIGRATION. 113 the deliverer of Sweden; Paoli, the hero of Corfica; Hambden, Sidney, Price, Montefquieu, Raynal, Becca- ria, and thoufands of others, whofe bofoms have been warmed with as pure and hallowed a fpirit of liberty, benevolence, and philanthropy, as ever animated the moft zealous repub lican. Thefe have been the "fubjefts " of monarchies " or (flill \vorfe) archducal, ducal, or ariftocratical tyrannies. ^ Yet who is there in " thefr " republics" that would not efteeni it the fummit of his ambition to merit and attain the reputation they have juflly acquired? TtAsfage politician afks in a trium phant ftyle, " How few of the men H 4 114 THOUGHTS ON " who have come among us fince the " peace, have affimilated to our man- " ners and government?" With much more foundation and juflice may it be demanded, how few are they who have not thus allimilated tbemfelves ? Had " thefubjefts ofmonar- " chies" who have given this genius fo much uneafinefs, been excluded from thefe fhores, the aborigines would have poffefTed them to this day unmoleded. If no plants are to be grafted on the old (lock, but fuch as " fource" from republican extracStion, vain have been the endeavours of the American Solon and his coadjutors, who framed the conftitution, and wifely in that held out inducements ta MIGRATION. II migration. Few, alas! are the repub lics of Europe : and from thofe few, emigration is extremely rare. And it may be made a queftion, whether the abject (laves or lordly ariftocrats of Venice or Genoa, would be much more eligible perfons to naturalize here, than the " fuljccts of monarchies " however defpotic. Thofe Germans to whom Pennfylvania owes fo much with refpecl to agriculture, improve ments, indudry, and opulence, were tranfplanted from the moft defpotic foils. Here they became meliorated, and have furnifhed fome of the moit active and zealous friends and fupport- ers of America's independence. The fame will hold equally true of thofe H 2 Il6 THOUGHTS ON numerous fwarms of Irifhmen, who both before and during the arduous druggie, came into this country.-^ Their valour and conduct were dif- played by fea and land and hiflory will bear the moft honourable tefHmo- ny of their heroifm. What then becomes of the random aflertions of this \vriter ? What end can he propofe to anfwer but to divide the people of this country, and create difTentions and ill blood between the old citizens, and thofe who are on every occafion fpoken of with a kind cf fupercllious and impertinent oblo quy and contempt as new comers new comers ? Are not the unhappy divifioLs beuvcen conftitutionalius and rcpubJi- MIGRATION. 117 cans, enough to impede and prevent the welfare and happinefs of the (late ? Mud more diftinc"tions and differences be created, in order to counteract the efforts of true patriots to promote the common good? The monitorial page of hiftory warns mankind inceffantly^ to beware of the fhoals and quick- fands to be dreaded from inteftine divifions. The death-bed maxim of Micipfa, given to Jugurtha, " By unanimity weak dates gather ftrength; by difcord, powerful ones fall to ruin," has been wifely adopted as the motto of the United Provinces, and is equally applicable to the United States. To what was owing the fall of Carthage, of mighty Rome, of Mexico, of IlS THOUGHTS ON Peru ? To inteftine-divifions. What' fixed the power of the Macedonians in Greece ? What eflablifhed the Romans in Greece, in Gaul, in Bri tain, and in almoft all their conquefls? What fubjeaed Wales and Ireland to England ? What crowned Henry the fifth of England in Paris ? What proftratcd China to the Tartars ? What enabled three royal robbers to plunder Poland, and to (trip it of fome of its mod valuable territories, and five millions of people ? The in- tefKne divifions of the inhabitants of thofe various countries. In fine, let hiflory be carefully examined, and it will appear, that few empires, king doms, icates, or republics,, have ever MIGRATION. IJ9 been deftroyed, without internal dif- cord being one of the primary caufes. Surely, then, he muft be a moft dan gerous enemy to this country, who, endeavours to excite jealoufy and di union here, from which fo many evil confequences muft naturally and ine vitably arife. Let all fuch perfons meet with the deteftation and fcorn they merit. Let the Americans, to ufe the words of this paragraphiir., " give a preference to our old citizens,'* whenever their merit and abilities en title them to it. But fhould the new comer be found to poflefs thofe qua lities in a higher degree, let him not be expofed to neglect, abufe, or fcur* rility, merely becaufe, actuated by a I2O THOUGHTS ON love of liberty, he has grven this country a preference to his own, and abandoned his friends and relatives to coalefce with the inhabitants of Ame^ rica, who, as general Waftiington de clares in his farewel addrefs, " HAVE OPENED AN ASYLUM FOR THE OP-. PRESSED AND DISTRESSED OF ALI, NATIONS." As this is a fubjecl on which many well meaning perfons have been led to form very erroneous opinions, by the artful infmuations of defigning men, it will be allowable to purfue it a little further. In Europe, the im portance of preventing emigration is fully underftood ; and in moft dates no pains are fpared to chain the in- MIGRATION. 121 habitants to the foil. To entice ar- tifts and manufacturers from Britain is a high crime and mifdemeanor : and, according to Chambers, in the fame country, artificers in iron, fieel, brafs or other metal, or in wool, going out of the kingdom into any foreign country, without licence, are liable to be imprifoned three months, and fined any fum not exceeding one hundred pounds. And thofe who go abroad, and do not return on warn ing given by the Britifh ambafTadors, are difabled from holding lands by defcent or devife, from receiving any legacy, &c. and are deemed aliens. It is the fame in feveral other dates of Euroe. Edward the third 122 THOUGHTS ON eftablifhed the woollen manufacture ia England, effected it by enticing fome weavers from Flanders. Such was the origin of that trade which forms the bafis of Englifh opulence and commerce to this day. May not fome of the emigrants from Europe, efta^ blifh manufactures here which in time will prove equally lucrative and bene^ ikial ? The impolicy of Lewis the fourteenth in revoking the edict of Nantz, and the confequent emigration from France of hundreds of thoufands of valuable artifb and manufacturers, imparted various arts to Germany, Holland, and England, whereof France had had an almofl entire monopoly. Among thefe we may MIGRATION. 123 enumerate the manufacture of paper,- filk, looking glades, &c. &c. The expulfion of the Moors from Spain tended greatly to the impoverifhment of that country, and to the abridgment of its manufactures, trade, and com merce. Are not thefe and numerous other inftances which might be addu ced, fufficient to prove how far fage policy requires America to hold out every poflible encouragement to indu- ff-'v us perfons to migrate here, with their acquirements, their property, anr 1 their families ? What then mall w- fay of thofe who are incefTantly heaping fcurrility and abufe on them ? The anfwer is obvious. They rnuft be either ignorant, illiberal, and 124 THOUGHTS &C. mean perfons : or thofe who have fome felfifh or party purpofe to an- fwer by fuch a vile condud. If the former be the cafe, they claim oar pity or contempt : if the latter, our hatred. " When caps among a crowd are thrown, " Each man is lure to take his own." Philadelphia, Aug. 30, 1786. C 1*5 ] [From the Philadelphia Gazette.] THEATRICUS. NUMBER. I. 4 Carelefs of cenfure nor too fond of fame, * Still pleas' d to praife yet not afraid ' to blame. : Averfe, alike, to flatter or offend.' POPE* Mr. CHALMERS. no JL HIS gentleman is, in fome refpecls, the firft performer in Ame rica. In others, he is fecond to Mr. Hcdgkinfon, who, as a general ador, (lands undoubtedly at the head of his profeffion. In genteel comedy, the palm mufl be given to Mr. Chalmers. In this 126 THEATRICUS. department he (lands unrivalled. Jitis Belcour cannot be excelled. He fhines with diftinguifhed luftre in this character, which is drawn in the happieft manner, and with all the fire and animation of a Congreve or Far- quhar. To the violent paflions the punctilious fenfe of honour the mag nanimity of this fon of the torrid zone, Cumberland could not wiifh more complete juftice done. His Belville, in the fchool for wives, is nearly equal to Belcour* He afTumes the variety that marks this character, with the utmoft eafe and propriety and is by turns an affectionate, though a diflblute hufband an abandoned feducer and a man of fuch true THEATRICUS, 127 honor, as to refufe to raife his arm, except in felf-defence, againfl him whom he has endeavoured to injure In the tendereft point, his lifter's \drtue. His Modely, in the Farm Houfe, gives the fulleft expreflion to thq. author's ideas. The licentious man ners, the depravity of principle, the fafcinating affability of this well-drawn portrait, fit on him as eafy as the drefs he wears. In the Clandeftine Marriage, h$ does ample juftice to the excentri- cities of that variegated character, Lord Ogk'by to his gallant and amiable attentions to the fair fexrto I 2 128 THEATRICUS. his vanity to his generoiity and to his affectation of priftine vigour, while groaning under the excruciating tor tures, arifing from his diflblute life. His Vapid, in the Dramatift, is by no means inferior to the former. To this character and that of Marplot, in the Bufy Body, it may be objected, that they are not within, they are beyond nature. They carry the improbable confpicuoufly ftamped on their foreheads. Mr. Chalmers, however, by his excellent perform ance, almoft induces the fpectator to believe thefe perfonages not only probable, but actually before his eyes. THEATRICUS. 129 In no character, perhaps, does he fhine to more advantage, than in Pe ter Puff, in the Critic. To equal him in this, is difficult to excel him, irnpofiible. This part requires incefTant exertion ; and the fpectator is loft in aftonifhment, at the un abated life and fpirit, difplayed for an hour and a half, during which mind and body have hardly a moment's relaxation. The humorous extem poraneous flights in which he occa- fionally indulges, give the higheft pof- fible feafoning to the intellectual feafl. He has feldom attempted low co medy. But when he has, his fuccefs has been confiderable. His Trappanti, in She Would and She Would Not, 13 JjO THEATRICUS. is perfectly natural, and puts in thq moftconfpicuous light all the roguery, cunning, and humour, that Gibber {>e flowed on the character. I have but feldora feen him in tragedy, and am therefore not fully competent to pafs an opinion on him as a tragedian. So far, how ever, as I have feen, his abilities in this line are inferior to thofe he dif-. plays in the former. In awful or terrific fcenes, he verges towards rant he works himfelf into a degree of violent paffion, which often affrights, but fometimes fails of exciting the fen- fibility of the fpeclator. His Hamlet is, however, extremely \\Q\\ performed. In the interview THEATRICUS. 13! with his mother, he is truly great and likewife when the players repre- fent their tragedy before the king and queen. His La Motte, in Fontainville Fo re ft, is not equal to the former. This character is hardly natural, and is therefore the more difficult to re- prefcnt. However, the ftorm of conflifting paflions, by which he is impelled forward to the perpetration of the crime that threw him into the power of Lord Montault, is fully and forcibly exprefTed in his countenance and manner. To conclude, Mr. Chalmers pof- fefles all the efTential qualifications that conflitute a capital performer. 14 132 THEATRICUS. His addrefs is eafy and unconftrained he hardly ever requires the Promp ter's aid his delivery is equally becoming and natural in the volu bility of Peter Puffthe airy flights of Belcour the fedu&ive fophiftryof Belville or the tardy but monitory repentance of Beverly. March, 1795. THEATRICUS. 133 NUMBER JI. Mrs. WHITLOCK. PERHAPS i fhaii not be charged with injuftice or partiality, when I venture to pronounce this lady the firft ac~lrefs in America. In Tra* gedy, (he (lands at a great diflance from every rival ; and her abilities in genteel comedy are very great, far beyond what are ufually met with in thofe who excel in the former department, In the terrific, the awful, the pathe tic fcenes of highly flnifhed tragedy, flic has an unlimited command ove? 134 THEATRICUS. the feelings of the fpeclators. And it not unfrequently happens, that hardy veterans, un appalled in the field of battle, bear teftimony, by the trickling tears, " courfmg each other down their cheeks," to her aftonifhing powers. I have never. feen a performer, not even excepting the far-famed Mrs. Scddons, who has been able to excite in me fuch highly pleafurable emotions, as I have repeat edly experienced from the excellent performance of Mrs. Whitlock. In that unfeeling character, Lady Macbeth, me difplays, in its genuine colours, that headlong ambition, which flifles the voice of humanity, of loyalty, of honour, and of female timidity. THEATRICUS. 135 Her madnefs is admirably counter feited. In Milton's Mafque of Comus, me adds new dignity, by the force of the mod excellent delivery, to the exal ted fentiments of that great writer. Who, that has feen her Mrs. Be- verley, in the Gamefter, can with hold admiration and applaufe, at the tendernefs, the fenfibility, the diftrefs, fhe fo naturally exhibits in the various (lages of this ufefal, this in(lru6tive tragedy ? Eliza RatclifFc, in the Jew, is by no means fo interefting as the former character ; however, her fenfibility and terror, on the rupture between her hufband and brother her perfect reli- 136 THEATRICUS. ance on the honour of the former, when he folemnly promifes to avoid any further quarrel her refpedfal behaviour to Sir Stephen Bertram, in their interview her anxiety and fuf- pence, when (he apprehends his con gratulations on her fuppofed fudden good fortune, are only ironical re proaches of her real poverty and her joy at the happy reconciliation between her hufoand and his family, are exprefFed with great juftice and propriety. In the Orphan, fhe performs Moni- inia, in a capital manner. Her well ,: jci love for the gentle Caibilio, and difliL-j for fhe brutal Pclydore her agonizing torture at the fcorn and THEATRlCUSa 137 contempt (he experiences from her, hufband her horror at the difclofure of the inceftuous, but involuntary con nections with her brother-in-law-r and her fubfequent madnefs and death, cannot fail of receiving the loudefl tributes of applaufe from every judi cious fpedlator. And could excel lence of acting compenfate for the grolTeft fundamental errors of a dra matic compofition, Mrs. Whitlock in Monimia, Mr. Chalmers in Chamont, Mr. Whitlock in Acafto, and Mr. Moieton in Caftalio, might warrant a repetition of this tragedy. But the grpfmefs of many of the fentiments exprefTed by Polydore the difguft- ing incident on which the entire inte T 138 THEATRICUS. reft of the piece turns and the multi plied butchery v hich clofes it, ought to confign the Orphan to eternal ob livion. . Jn that finifhed portrait, Lady Elea nor Irwin, in Every one has his Fault, fhe appears to as much advantage, as in any of the characters flic afTumes. Filial tendernefs and afTeclion fpurned to the ground by an unrelenting and hard-hearted father, cannot pofTibly find exprefiion beyond what fhe exhi bits. The corroding cares of a tender v/ife, whofe loved and loving hufband is in danger of an ignominious death, are moft pathetically dcpi<5ted in her countenance, and by fympathy affecT: the fpeclators with a portion of her THEATRICUS. 139 diilrefs. But what can be beyond the grand fcene in which me difco- vers her long-loft fon, and f bug gies between her regard for him and her love for his father, whether, at the cxpenfe of the former, fhe mall keep the fatal pocket-book, or reftore it, to the danger of the latter ? This exquifite treat for feeling minds is hardly equalled but certainly not excelled by any fcene ever written in our language ; and to the praife of Mrs. Whitlock, it muft be faid, that the merit of the aclrefs is at lead equal to that of the author. To conclude. Mrs. Whitlock has a dignified carnage ; her pronunciation is animated ; her voice and her coun- 140 THEATR1CUS, tenance are capable of every inflection neceflary to exprefs the mod oppofite emotions and paffions, with the utmoft promptitude her memory is fo good* and her application fo ailiduous, as to leave her little indebt to the prompter's aid and, except her perfon, which approaches towards the mafculifie, fhe has every qualification delirable IQ, $n aclrefs. THEATRICUS. 14! NUMBER. III. Mr. HARWOOD. .L KIS gentleman, who, perhaps, ranks next to Mr. Chalmers, among the male performers, is in high favour with the amateurs of the drama At his entre here, he attracted little attention but fuddenly came forward with great and unexpected eclat. The firfl character in which he made a confiderable figure, was that of Dr. Lenitive, in the prize, or 2, 3, 5, 8, in which he charmed the fpec- 142 THEATRICUS* tators, by his humour and originality the avarice of this difciplc of Galen, his grofs ignorance, his ridiculous pedantry, his upftart pride, on his fup- pofed good fortune, were mofl admi rably perfonated. The fpeclator was led into that agreeable delation which deceives him into a belief, that the tranfient fcene is acting on the great ftage of the world, which conftitutes the chief merit of a good performer. His Fretful Plagiary is even fupe- rior to Lenitive. He does complete juftice to the teftinefs of this literary (hark, and to his affected indifference for and agonizing torture under the cauterizing criticifms of the newf- paper writers. THEATRICUS. 143 His Walter in the delightful after piece of the Children in the Wood, is well performed, but inferior to Hodgkinfon's. However, he has improved confiderably in the fucceflive reprefentations. His fong of " Doro thy Dump" is extremely well fung, and accompanied with natural and highly humourous geftures. In the interview with Oliver, whom he en deavors to diiTuade from his intention of murdering the infants, and in the fcene where they are brought in by their parents, he is equal to Hodgkin- fon. The parts in which he is inferior, are, when he is difcovered by Sir Rowland, and throughout in his ccurtfhip with Jofephine, which Mr. K 144 THEATRIC US. Hodgkinfon reprefents with more true nature and grace* His Sir David Dunder, in Ways and Means, gives great fatisfaclion. His articulation is particularly adapted to the volubility of this hofpitable knight ; as likewife to that of Prattle, in the Deuce is in Him, in which his performance was extremely natural. His Jabal in Cumberland's Jew y was received with great applaufe, a& he filled the character with perfect propriety. In the Baron of Oakland, Haunt ed Tower, Fulmer in the Weft-Indian,. and the Planter in Yarico and Inkle, he appeared to no great advantage. THEATRICUS. 145 In the firft, the affected dignity of the bafe ufurper did not feem to become him. In Old Barnacle in the Romp, he difplays the rough noli-me-t anger e manners of a boifterous fon of the waves, extremely welL His Canton, in the Clandeftine Marriage, is as good a reprefenta- tion of the finicking, fantaftic, and fawning manners, befrowed in moft JEnglifh plays on French characters, as any I have Teen. But it is to be hoped, that in " this country of good fenfe," we will rife fuperior to the defpicable and odious vice of holding ap the inhabitants of any country, or profefibrs of any feel, as objects of 146 THEATRICUS. ridicule, to gratify our over- weening vanity by the flattering comparifon. His Mayor of Coventry and Jef. fery Latimer are judicioufly pjayed and command great approbation. From his great fuccefs in humour ous characters, it was hardly fuppofed that his powers were calculated to do juftice to the tendernefs of conjugal love. But who enjoyed the exqui- fite pleafure communicated by the interview with his Sail in the Purfe, that did not inftantly acknowledge how egregious was the miflake ? Gar- rick himfelf could hardly have ex ceeded him in this fcene, had he played the part. It was affecting to the highefl degree. The foul that THEATRICUS. 147 can be unmoved at fuch a capital dif- play of the moft interefting emotions of the human breaft, muft partake largely of the nature of " the rugged rhinoceros, or the Ruffian bear." In deed, throughout the \vhole of the Purfe, his performance is highly juft .and natural. To conclude. Mr. Harwood is an extremely valuable actor. His merits in many characters are of the firft rate. He can aflume as great a variety of countenance and manner as any per former in this city. His articulation is either rapid as the falls of Niagara, or flow and irately as the meandering Sufquehanna, according to the charac ters he reprefents. He is, however, 148 THEATRICUS. often indebted to Mr. Rowfon's ai4 which, whether it arifes from defect of memory, or want of application, is certainly a confiderable drawback on the gratification received from hiss performance. He is young, and im proving, and bids fair, at no very diftant period, to arrive at a very un common degree of reputation in his profeilion. THEATRICUS. 149 NUMBER IV. Mrs. MARSHALL. JL HIS enchanting little a<5trefs poflefTes as high a degree of favour as any performer that ever appeared in America. Nature has been uncom monly liberal to her. She has a plea- fing figure, and a prepofiefling coun tenance, which, if any dependance is to be placed on phyriognomy, is " the title page to a mod captivating vo lume." Her voice is fweet and har monious. She (ings agreeably, and more naturally, than fome%vhofe vocal K 4 150 THEATR1CUS. powers and execution are far fuperior to hers, in the opinion of the amateurs. Her performance of the Country Girl has been pronounced by compe tent judges nearly equal to that of the celebrated Mrs. Jordan, who, in Eng land, is regarded as having arrived at the acme of excellence in this charac ter. The craft and artifice, beflowed by native inftinct, to counteract the felfiih and bafe defigns of her fuper- annuated guardian, are Admirably co vered by the mod natural and impo- fing fimplicity. Her Edward, in Every One has his Fault, is equal to any of her cha racters. She divides with Mrs. Whit- lock the merit of that mod admira- THEATRICUS, l$l ble fcene, in which the mother and fon difcover each other. Her well- fupported fufpence and anxiety, while torn with rival pajHons gratitude to her grandfather for his protection, and irrefifiible filial love for her mo ther cannot be too highly praifed. The diftrefs (he difplays, at parting ;with her grandfather, when love tri umphs over gratitude, is highly natu^ ral. In the Spoiled Child, me is always received with unbounded applaufe. Never did pert ill-mannered boy with more nature, naivete, and fpirit, har- rafs an old-maidifh aunt, or play on the foibles, and take advantage of the blind fide of a doting fond father, 152 THEATRICUS. than this aclrefs. She affumes the drefs, and with the drefs the genuine manner of the young tarpaulin, with the utmofl eafe. And in this difguife, one time of performance, me recei ved as genuine a tribute, as was ever beftov/ed. The ftory has been alrea dy told in the' papers; but I mall, I hope, be pardoned for repeating it here. A fai!or in the pit, was fo charmed \v ith the air, the manner, of her fmging the fong " Yo yea," that he emptied his pocket of his laft dollar, which he threw on the ftage, to teftify his fatisfaclicn at the perfor mance of " the little gem'man," as he termed her. But, poor fellow, he THEATRICUS. 153 was rather roughly handled ; for the action being miflaken for an infult, he was driven out of the houfe, amidft the hifles and abufe of the fpeclators- In Emily, in the Deuce is in Him, her performance is natural and fpirited. But nature, in choofing the materials for her compofition, threw in an over proportion of the rifible. Humour and merriment are, therefore, her predominent qualities. Nature fome- times triumphs, in fpite of every effort to difguife or counteract her. This was never more perceptible, than in the interview with her limping lover, colonel Tamper, whofe awkward and disfigured appearance fo completely tickled her fancy, that me could not 154 THEATRICUS. refill the impulfe to laughter, at a moment when me wifhed to appear in the utmofl diftrefs. The fame cir- cumftance has occurred on fomeother occafions. It is hoped the little char mer will attend to this friendly hint, and in ferious parts, lay in a fuitable frock of gravity. In Prifcilla Tomboy, fhe is hardly equal to Mrs.Hodgkinfon,who fliines in this character. Her Jofephine is extremely well performed, and I think fuperior to Mrs. Ilodgkinfon's. In the lover's altercation, and in parting \viih the children, her meiits are very g;cat> In Lydia Languifa, flie roprefen'.s to advantage, the novel-reading ruiis. THEATRICUS. 15? The disappointment of her fcheme of an elopement -her chagrin at the mor tifying profpect of being thrice called in church, and kifTed by the greafy church-warden *and her refentment at the impofition practifed upon her, are unexceptionably well played. Her Moggy M'Gilpin, in the ^Highland Reel, is truly excellent. Her Page, in the purfe, is highly jnterefting. Her fong of " When I was a little he," is enchanting. The difplay of affec tion for her mother, on the perufal of her letter, and the pathos of her in- treaties for a continuance of her pa* tron's friendfhip, are chefs d'ceuyre, Ij6 THEATRICUS. In fine. Mrs. Marmall may, as a general aclrefs, afpire at a firft rank in America. The degree of favour me acquired on her arrival here, be-? ing founded on the bafe of intrinfic excellence, has gained additional flrength in proportion as (he has been the fubject of critical examination. She can with equal eafe, grace, and propri ety aflume the forward, pouting airs of an awkward country minx the im pertinence of a rude boy, better fed than taught the ftaid manners of a well-educated lady and the foftnefs and tendernefs of a Juliet. In all her extensively variegated line of acting, me meets with well earned plaudits. And it is to be hoped, that me will THEATRICUS. l^ ever bear ftrongly impreffed in mind the large (hare of efteem fhe has at ftake and be as careful in preferving, as fhe has been happy in acquiring, the unanimous good wifhes of her libe ral patrons, the citizens of Philadel phia. ADVANTAGES OF OVER-TRADING. In a Letter to a Friend. EEJR SIR, X OU have afked my opinion refpe&ing over-trading, of which you feem to be highly afraid. But I hope fo clearly to point out its advantages, as to remove all your fcruples, and to induce you to purfue the fteps of fo many of your fellow citizens, who enjoy all the comforts and conveni ences of this laudable practice. OVER-TRADING. 159 With all my partiality for it, I freely acknowledge, that its benefits do not appear very evident, but at particular feafons, and during times of ftagnation. When bufinefs is bride? one is tempted to overlook the advan tages. But he rnuft be a mod: incor rigible fceptic, that can doubt its blef- fings, when money is fcarce, when trade is dull, when banks curtail dif- counts, &c. In the fir ft place, during the winter and fummer months, when bufinefs is at a (land, and nothing doing, what refource can a man have, who has not over-traded, to keep himfelf employed ? None. He is devoured by vapours, by ennui, by liftiejTnefs, l6o ADVANTAGES OF Time hangs on his hands a heavy burden. But mark the contraft. The man who has run himfelf comfortably in debt, to the amount of 15, 20, or 30,000 dollars, has not an unemployed vacant hour, day or night. As foon as he rifes in the morning, he has to exercife himfelf in walking over the city to borrow a few dollars here and there-What a charming opportunity it gives a man to fee his acquaintance ! How acceptable mud his vifits be, which are certain title-pages to a begguny requefl: for money ! What a touchftone he is to prove the fincerity of his friends! When he lies down at night, (lumber flies from his pillow, OVEPv-TRADING. l6l and his whole attention is turned to devife fifcal arrangements for the fol lowing day. As times grow worfe, thefe com forts increafe. You have the pleafure fometimes of borrowing daily, to pay the fucceeding morning or afternoon. What a refpedable fight it is, to behold you or your clerk, fneaking to the bank after the directors have gone away, to anticipate, by a few hours, the knowledge of their decifion upon the notes you have offered! What a mournful countenance ,you exhibit, when your notes i\re returned to you, hanging out of your book, with the mark of the bcaft on them ! HOY/ you pufT and blow rttnniag about L l62 ADVANTAGES OF from flreet to ftreet, to borrow money, and get intobankbefore three o'clock I What a number of promifes you make,, impoflible to be performed! As the climax rifes, new fhifts open to your view. To over-draw is a mod capacious one. It flays for a while the impending torrent of dif- trefs. What a charming exercife for your dexterity, to keep your book out of the hands of the clerks, left they mould feize it, and expofe how frequently the balance is on the wrong fide ! When borrowing is at an end, and the clerks of the banks grow too wary to allow you to over-draw, a.. further advantage arifes. You are OVER-TRADING. 163 introduced to the acquaintance of that very worthy and confcientious race of men, who Teem born for the relief of perfons in diftrefs. I mean the friendly clafs of ufurers. You may at firfl hire money of them, at one per cent, a month afterwards at two and, as their charity grows 'with your diftrefs, it will probably :rife to four or five, if your fufferings fnould be fo great as to excite an -extraordinary degree of Tympathy in -.their tender hearts. You will probably think that this "is the ne plus ultra of the advantages of this mode of doing bufmefs. So did I at fir ft . But I foon difcovered my ;miftake. Rats, they fay, defert a -L 2 164 ADVANTAGES OF finking fhip. They are warned by the Indincl bellowed on them by mother nature. The ufurers pofTcfs an infiincl: fimilar to this and generally fmell out a (inking firm, from which they contrive to make an early efcape. Then your acquaintance extends fur ther. A worthy man, whom they Call a notary public, kindly calls on you, brightens up your recollection of a note you forgot to pay at bank, and demands payment, which you are not able to make. This vifit, fup- pofing you are poffefTed of any fenfi- bility, difplays your countenance to great advantage. The pleafing mix ture of charming red with which it OVER-TRADING. 165 fuitufes your cheeks, heightens your natural beauties to the utmofr, degree. . I have not noticed the amount of the intereft you pay. Suppofing you to have the moderate fum of 1 2,000 dollars of bank money in trade, you do not pay much more than 1,000 dollars a year. This is a mere baga telle, unworthy of notice. Indeed, were it not for fome fuch drain as this, it would be impoilible to find employment for the immenfe profits of trade at prefent. Another advantage which I pafled over, is, the improvement in polite- jiefs and good behaviour, which you derive from your cringing vifits to directors and prefidents of banks L 3 l66 ADVANTAGES, &C. your dancing attendance at their levees your requefts, they will be fo kind as to pay attention to your notes, &c I might extend the enumeration much farther but mail conclude for the prefent with the obfervation, that the man who involves himfelf by over-trading, has, in the fulleft fenfe of the words, " taken up his crofs" . a crofs which half a life may be too little to enable him to lay down. again. I am, with efteem, Yours, &c<, OBSERVATIONS ON THE BADNESS OF THE TIMES. ARE IQ, the prefent times, really and lonaf.de) as diftrefling and calami tous, as they are univerfally faid to be ? This queftion, which to many \vill appear as ridiculous as to de mand, does the fun prefide over the day, is afked with all the coolnefs and gravity of a ftoic, and a ferious anfwer is requefted. Locke has fome- where obferved, that a want of at L 4 l68 ON THE BADNESS certaining with precifion the ideas con veyed by words in general ufe, is one of the moft abundant fources of hu man ignorance and error. Perhaps, without incurring the charge of para dox, it may be added, that the mod familiar terms are often lead under- flood. The ignoblle vulgus, (with " reverence due and fubmiffion" be it faid, five-fixths of mankind) pick up a fet of phrafes, which they repeat, parrot-like, by rote, without con ceiving any clear idea of them, or being able, if required, to define their meaning, Left, therefore, our ideas of diftrefs and calamity mould not co incide with thofe of our readers, we will afk a queftion or two. What is OF THE TIMES. 169 diflrefs? What is calamity ? Some folk, very probably, think it mighty diftrejjing, that a man who begins bu- finefs with a flender capital, or per haps on the broad bottom of a patched- up credit, cannot keep his country houfe, his phaeton, his chaife, or even his pair of horfes ; that he cannot have above half a dozen dimes fmoak- ing on his table every day nor en tertain his friends en homme comme il faut. This is all the fault of the damned bad times ! It is, indeed, mighty calamitous, that the blind god- defs Fortune mould have been fo unkind to many funny boys, hearty Jelloivs, jovial fouls, fpnghtly lads, and others of that noble fraternity, as 170 ON THE BADNESS to have made them fons and heirs of poverty and empty purfe, at the fame time that " Nature indulgently en- * c dowed them with all the innocent (( dejiresy appetites^ vui/Les andfaffions, " of dukes and earls ;" fo that while they have all the faculties and talents requisite to mine with 'wonderful eclat % in the fporting away fomc thoufands per annum, they are obliged to confine themfelves to the obfcurity and infig- tilficance of their (lores What a piti* able cafe ! It is alfo dreadfully dif- treffing, that a clerk or fhopkeeper, \vho is charitably and innocently dif- pofed to provide for a female friend^ in fome retired country fpot, fuch as Kenfington,Gerrnantown, 8cc. ride OT THE TIMES. 'I'7t out ten or a dozen miles to dinner on Sundays play a few games at billi ards now and then keep it up two or three nights in the week and in dulge himfelf in various other equally harmlefs modes of recreation, mould foe obliged, by the general dullnefs of the times i to ftupify himfelf plodding over his ivafle-books, his journals and his ledgers i or warming his toes, kick ing the threfhold of his employer's door and all this owing to the dead- nefs of the feafon, bad times, fear city of money, Jlagnation of trade, &c. - Is it not alfo a mojl lamentable conji- deration, that an artizan or mechanic, \vho could find a thoufand laudable of recreating himfelf at billiards 9 172 ON THE BADNESS bsiuls) tennis ) all fours-) &c. or over his glafs of cherry bounce^ his brandy ^ Jling, or his bowl of bub, fhould be obliged, by the mere feverity of the times, to work fix days in the week, at fo very low a rats, as five, fix, fe- ven, or eight dollars ? Hard muft be the heart of him who can hear of Jill thofe unparalleled miferies and dif- treffes, without fhedding tears of Hood. We may juftly cry out with the Mantuan bard " >uis, talia fando, temper et a lac ry mis ?" A truce with irony or(asthefour cynic will fay) with nonfenfe. Do not people in general live comfortably here ? Have not bankruptcies (the pipft infallible criteria of bad times) OF THE TIMES. 1J$ fubfided for a confiderable time paft > Do not manufacturers ordinarily find a ready vent for all the goods they make ? Is not the number of unem ployed mechanics very fmall ? If the intelligent reader (hall anfwer thefe queftions in the affirmative, it is an obvious inference, that the pre- fent times cannot, in ftrift propriety of language, be called calamitous or diftreffing. Whoever purfues this very intereft- ing reflexion to a greater extent, will probably agree, that of the few who give themfelves the trouble of think ing, by far the major part have only confufed ideas of even the mod fami liar terms ; whence all their premifes 174 ON THE BADNESS and conclufions are, involved in a chaos. This is the only mode of ac counting for the univerfality of the outcry againft the mifery of the times. That there is vaftly lefs money here at prefent than immediately fubfe- quent to the conclufion of the late war, is inconteftible : but with nations as with individuals, happinefs de pends not upon wealth. Is the cit, pofMed of his tens of thoufands, or the planter, owner of boundlefs acres, and numerous corps of the fwarthy victims of his avarice and pride, in- trinfkally happier than the merry cobler, who fits in his flail, finging, " I care for nobody, no, not I, If nobody cares for me !" OF THE TIMES. 1J$ Are the lazy enervate fons of Mexico and Peru, who annually deluge Eu rope with their gold, filver, and pre- 'cious (tones, happier than the hardy y innocent, and poor inhabitants of Switzerland ? In the fcale of reafoo and common fenfe, doubtlefs not* To purfue this analogy : " Reafon's whole pleafure all the joys of fenfe ' Lie in three words health, peace,, and competence." So fung Pope, relatively . to the happinefs of individuals : what is true of them will equally hold with refpeft to aggregate bodies for whatever conflitutes the happinefs of one man, fhouid ecually conduce (whim and 176 ON THE BADNESS caprice excluded) to that of his neighbour and fo on, ad infnltum. It is unnecefTary to add, that if each member of a fociety be happy, the fociety itfelf muft confequently befo. What is deducible from this ? That Pennsylvania, poffeiling a healthy climate being in the enjoyment of peace and producing more than is neceflliry to procure a fupply of all thofe articles (ifanyfuch there be) which (he muft have recourfe. to fo reign nationsfor, [i.e. in other words, being pofTciled of a compelencc~\ if me be not really happy, me mutt charge it to the account of her own folly, imprudence, and party fquabbles. THE E N D.