The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-01-29 00:00:00, page 2

ml rule. AR long as this spirit fub^fts, the riches it pro
duces have no bad effect. The mifchief is when excessive
wealth destroys this spirit of cc.rmerce ; then it is that
the inconveniences of inequality begin to be felt.
In order to support the spirit of commerce, it should be
carried on by the principal citizens ; this spirit alone ought
to prevail without being cr ffed by another ; all the laws
should encour oe it; and these very laws, by dividing
the estates of individuals in proportion to the increase of
commerce, should set every poor citizen foI ar at his ease
as to be able to work like the left, and every rich citizen
in such a mediocrity as to be obliged to labour either to
preserve or to acquire his wealth.
It is an excellent law in a trading republic, to make an
equal division of the father's estate among the children.
The confluence of this is, that how great soever a for
tune the father has made, his children bei^g not so rich
as lie, are induced to avoid luxury, and to follow the pa
rent's industrious example. I (peak here only of trading
republics, for as to those that have no commerce, the le
gislator muftpurfue quite different raeafures
In Greece there were two forts es republics : the one
military, like Sparta ; the other commercial, as Athens.
In one the citizens were obliged to be idle ; in the other
endeavours were used to iufpire them with the love of in
dustry and labour. Solon made idleness a crime, and in
fixed that each citizen should give an account of his man
ner of getting a livelyhood. In fad, in a well regulated
democracy, where people's expences ought to extend on
ly to what is necessary, every one ought to have as much
as his necessities require; for how could his wants be o
therwise supplied ?
* In these the portions or fortunes of women ought to
be very much limited.
Of the EXPEDIENTS to get rid of TIME.
THE fveral busy actions of men, and the perpetual
, means they contrive to find themftlves employment,
are only so many arts to get rid of life without dying. We
are in hide to get over the present moment, and grasping
at something future, which, when it comes, will alf® cloy
us. We ±rjw weary of an in ftant enjoyment, after we
had, perhaps, passionately longed for it: And conceive
pleasure in the profped of one at a distance; bat when we
have overtaken it, it grows tasteless, and, as contradia
ory as it may seem, difeontent arises from gratification.
Thus our life lies in hope, and is in a refliefs fuceeffion of
satiety and defied.
But though experience thews us the vanity and empti
ness of our waffles, we are for ever flatting and indul ing
new ones, with as little success ; and our hopes and desires,
though they are continually baffled, are for all that con
tinually rising. The greatest prince lives as much upon
expe&ation as the meanest Have; and, as he has fewer
things to wish for as being already mailer of all things,
he is the more m happy person o r the two ; especially if
he carries in his bosom the restless fling of ambition.
Though he commands every thing in hisown territory,
yet he cannot enjoy it, because it is his; and io with
great daughter and violence makes a prey ofhis neigh
bour's property, which yet does not pall his appetite for
more.
The great business, '' :erefore, and hurry of the world,
is nothing else but diverfico, and a way of wafting the
time; and princes go to war as they do to a hunting
match, to keeptbembivcs in exer ife Great men strive
for feepters and white fl :ves, as children do for whiffles and
bells, only to play with them ; and wheM they plague and
harrafs mankind about these their baubles, they do it but
to entertain themselves. The mifchief and mibry of the
world is, to one of these mighty infants, no more than a
-matter of mirth and amusement. To Alexander the great,
Ccefir, Hannibal, and the like children of blood, fight
ing was like a game at tennis ball ; and when they were
men, they rode upon provinces, as they did upon hobby
.horfes, when they were toys. But whether in infancy
or age, an impatience to stand AT and be quiet begot both
these diff rent exercises. Cutting of throats is as much
a piece of (port to a warrior, as playing at marbles is toa
child. The over-running of provinces, and the plunder
ing of nations, are to him but taking of the ar ; and he
kills, burns, and rv ages to pass away the time.
Th're is nothing more ridiculous in men, or argues
great r ignorance oftbemfelves, than to be crying, ast> ey
frequently do, we will do such a thing, or such a thing,
and then have done. Alas! there is no flopping the pro
gress of the passions without extin?uifhing life : A fire
will as form burn without air. While there is life there
will be desires; an I these being of things to come, it is
impossible to confine them to the present inflant or
any dated point of time : We cannot fay to them,
Thus far go, and no further, since progression is neces
sary to their exiflen e. There is no medium between
death and motion; and when we ceaeto proceed, we ceate
to be.
To be doing, therefore, is a confluence of living ; and
idleneE is but a deliberation of what is to be done next.
Old men are generally blamed for laying platforms and
foundations of great works and buildings, which they can
net live to fee finilhed ; but I think the censure is ground
less, fioce by this means they cut out certain bufinefsand
entertainment for therofelves, and open a source of perpe
tual new aßion and observation, and consequently of new
pleasure. Such lading projects are therefore proper me
thods to keep up and encourage expectation, which is the
food and r lief of life. Our whole delight is in proceed
ing.
B^fifa, these gentlemen who undertake great things
when it iscrown late in life, do fildoin or never corfider,
that they must dep riffl'd leave their schemes unexecuted :
They think they have got a knack oflivfng; and as eve
ry man is apt to prefer himfelf to all the rest, he is also
apt to flatter himfelf with the hopes of better fortune, and
longer life, than any other enjoys.
There was a gentlemen in a neighbouring county, who,
after he was fourfcore, planted in a field a row of walnut
trees, which it seems, do not hear fruit in many years
after they are set .• And .when a neighbour fold him, that
the boys would BeH all the nuts, " Oh," fays old eighty,
“ let me alone to deal with the boys." An) Mr. H. in
the ninetieth year of his age, made him a warm winter
coat, which he said must lift him three years, and then he
would have such another.
Tothe PrcPßez ORsof the Hibernian Compendium
or Entertaining Knowledge.
Gentlemen,»
SUCH of your cerrefpondents, as are fond of Natural
Hitlory, may possibly be furprized, that there have as
yet appeared, in English, no Memoirs of the late inge
nious M. de Reaumur. 1 could wish to present them
with an account of his life more compleat than the fol
lowing fhortone, but am not able. They will, there
fore,- be pleased to accept what my prefect scanty mate
rials afford. lam, &c. J. C.
LIFE of M. de REAUMUR.
R ENEANTOINE FE RC HAU LT, Sieur de
" Reaumur, a person difttoguilhed for his laborious re
searches into Natural knowledge, was born at Rochelle in
1683. of a family belonging to the law. After having fi
nifhed his early Rudies in the place ef'his birth, he began
a course of philosophy at Poitiers, and of civil law at Bour
ges ; but soon relinquished the latter, to apply himftlf, ac
cording to his Rate, to Mathematics, Physiques, and Na
tural History. Being corog to Paris, he was received in
to the Academy of Sciences in 1708 From that hour he
was wholly employed in natural hiftcry, to which his in
clination particularly led him, and his inquiries were not
confined to any one part of it. His memoirs, his obfer
vatioßS, his difeoveries on the formation of fheils, spiders,
muscles, the marine flea, the berry which affords the pur
ple colour, and on the cause of the numbness of the Tor
pedo, excited the curiosity of the public, and early pro
cured our author the character of an able, curious and en
tertaining Naturalist. Filled with zeal for the welfare
and advantage of society, and the progress and perfection
of arts, he endeavoured in all his researches, to promote
the public good. We are indebted to him for the difeove
ry of the Turquois mines in Languedoc. He also found
out a fubflance, which is used to give falfe stones a colour,
w ich is obtained from a certain fifh cfled in French Able
or Ablete * on account of its w itenefs, and which is the
bleak or bley of our writers. His experiments on the art
of turning iron into steel, obtained him a pension of twelve
thousand livres; and this reward is to be continued to the
Academy to support the expence which may accrue in
this art . .
He continued his inquiries on the art of making tin and
porcelain, and endeavoured to render our thermometers
more useful than those of former times; he competed a
curious history of rivers where gold dust is found in
France, and gave so simple and easy a detail of the art of
gathering this dust, that pe^ ns have been employed for
that purpose.
He also made curious and important observations on the
nature offimts, on toe batiks of fofil shells, from whence
is obtained ih Touraine an excellent manure for land; as
liKewife on birds and their preservation, on the method
of building nests ; on infeds ; ands great number of other
fubiefts, n. less curious than ufeful.
He imagined at firft, that a certain varnifli would keep
eggs frefh, but the waste of time and money, &c. Shewed
him the incenveniencies of such a process. He afterwards
adopted the method pradrfed for time immemorial inGreece
and theifhnds of toe Archipelago, which is to keep or
^immerfe eggs in oil, or melted fat; by this means, not
being exposed to the air or to froft, they are well pre
served and contrad no bad smell. Another experiment
flill more important, m# by our author, was, to intro
duce into France the art of hatching fowl and birds, as
praßifed in Egypt without covering the eggs. Active,
sedulous, and attentive, he was early in his fludy, often at
The famous dialogue between Pyrrhus king of Epirus,
and Cineas his prime councilor, is full of inftrudion, and
excellently lets forth the reillefs spirit of man.
" What, Sir, do you propose in this expeditir n against
" the Romans?" fays Cineas. "To conquer all Italy,"
" answers Pyrrhus. “ And what next ?" faysthccounfel
" lor. " Then we will transport ourarmy into Sicily, and
" make that kingdom our own," replied his majefly.
" And what is to be done then ?" continued Cineas.
" Them," quoth the hero, " we will fail to Africa, and
“ bring the country under fubjeßion." " And what re
“ mains to be done alter that ?" fays the statesmen.
" Why ? then," fays the monarch, " we will fit down
" and be merry." “ And what hinders us, I beseech
“ you. S r, from doing to now ?''laid Cineas.,
What answer the king gave to this last queflion, is
either not said, cr I have forgot; but it is certain he
made fighting his constant diversion to the last galp,
and never came an inch nearer to that fame merry hour,
which he proposed as the heroic end and issue of all
his bravery and battles. He was knocked on the head
in an aiiault upon the city of Argos, and so died in his
calling.
Many are the arts and devices pra&ifed by weak mor
tals to difpatcb their time : They are equally impatient
of idleness and action ; every hour is a burden, and they
mud be doing somewhat to make them forget that they
are tired ; and when the expedient itfelf grows also tire
some, as it soon does, then they try another. Thus they
go on in an eternal round of curiosity and weariness, and
fabfift upon 'ooking forward.
The methods of weiring away our days are as various
as diehumours and capacities of mankind. Some, as has
been observed befere, lead armies; feme disturb the
public ina civil way ; feme make Speeches ; and feme
pick their teeth, Snaff has got great and universal re
putation this way, and the takers of it can recreate their
whole body with a little labour of the fingers and the
nose.
Since therefore people will be ever doing Something,
the best advice I can give them is, that while they are a
musing themselves they do not prejudice others. It is
contrary to reason and religion, that one roan should reap
sorrow from the recreation of another. Every one has
a title to make himfelf happy, provided he does it at no
one's expence but his own. Innocent diversions, though
ever so trifling, are lawful; and we have a right upon
these terms to rejoice in our own folly. And whoever
thinks to be severe upon it, will find, that tnofe aniraad
versions can do the world but little good, which are made
upon trifl s that do it no hurt.
* See Belon, 31,. M.Pennant's Zoology, Vol. 3. 315.
To the Printer of the London Evening Post.
SI R,
WHEN Admiral Blake commanded a fleet under
Oliver, some of his officers expressed a diffatisfac
tion, on account of their differing ia opinion with their
gallant Commander in political matters. Blake replied,
" What business have we with State affairs, let us leave
them to others, our duty is to oppose our foreign enemies,
and hinder them from fooling us"
This fiory, hath of late, both in the public prints,
and in private conversation, been exhibited as a piece of
conduct in the officers (who it seems took the advice) as
worthy of irritation at this unhappy crisis. To those per
foDS who Seldom examine below the furface of things, but
rest fatisfied with the opinion of others, because it saves
them the labour of thinking, it may perhaps appear pro
per, and even meritorious, always to assist Administrati
on, without scrutinizing measures, or enquiring how far,
from past conduct, Ministers have reason to expert, or to
deserve confidence and support. To such cyphers in the
Community, who joina mob, holloa, and cry, " God
save the King," because they are bid to do it, I have no
thing to fay ; or to those, whose necessities, or venal de
signs, render them the ready tools of every Minifler un
der every Administration. To such prostitute erratures I
write now ; but to those who love their country, revere
its old constitution, and wish to pref rve that freedom it
was meant to establish; to such I address myfelf.
But before I enter on the fubjea, give me leave, just to
take a transient view of public affairs, at the time of the
above tranfaflion of Blake. The mad folly-ot an arbitra
ry King, intoxicated with prerogative, had plunged the
nation into a civil war, that ended in the t ; rant's own de-
Erudion. Our ancestors had too much fiern courage,
tamely to fuffer the injuries from Kings, which their Re
generate sons meanly crouch under from Ministers ! Crom
well, though not royally, born and educated, had, notwith
standing, a kingly third for uncohtroled power; and he go
verned at home something in the manner of a lory King,
with unlimited sway; a condua, which would undoubted
ly have terminated in his ruin, had he not diverted rhe at
tention of the nation to his Adminifiration abroad, which
was wife, great, and every where fuccefsful. It was
crowned with a glory never exceeded, scarce ever equal
led, unless we except the lad Whig Adminifiration under
the late King, The Whig Ministers, under the present
King, were too fliort a time in office, and were too much
fettered in the execution of their patriot views; to com
pleat the noble plan they had lain down, and in part exe
cuted, of restoring tranquility and confidence through the
whole empire. Strange infatuation ! to remove Mini
sters, because they were too honest. and had no de6gnß
but those of promoting the glory and welfare of their
King and country! Had Lord Rockingham's Admici
flration happily continued to this time, most afiuredly we
flieuld have eftaped those calamities which now tremendu
oufly threaten put very ex^nce as a , rear and indepen
dent nation. Rivers of blood would have remained un-
fix in the morning, Ex-R in his experiments @nd ebfet
vations, he let no circumstance escape him. His writings
must be of great use to future Phjiofophers. In fociet, 9
he was distinguished thro' life lor his modest nd agreeable
behaviour. His probity, benevolence, goodnrfs of heart,
and other amiable qualities as well natural as acquired,
endeared biro to his countrymen. He died in (he 76th
year of his age, on theißth of Odob t, {1757, and left
this world filled with sentiments of piety. His death was
the consequence of a fall, which happened at the castle of
Barnard iere on the Maine, where he went 10 pass his va
cation. He bequeathed to the Academy of Sciences his
manefcripts and all bis natural productions. His works
are, 1. A very great number of Memoirs and observations
on different p;rts of Natural History ; they are printed
in the collections of the Acad;my of Sciences. 2 A large
work printed separately in 6 volumes in qto, entitled, A
Natural History of Inf Cis.
This important work contains a description of vast
numbers of caterpillars, moths, gall infers, flies with two
and four wings, lady birds, and those 'ephemeron flies
which live only in that form a few hours ; and lastly, of
these lingular and wonderful infeCto, which are called Po
lypes, which being cut into several pieces, each piece lives,
grows, and becomes an infest, and offers to cur eyes a
great number of prodigies. The works of M. de Reau
mur are exact, curious, interesting, and very ingenious.
They are written with much candour, clearness and ele
gance; but it must be acknowledged, his manner is some
what too diffufe. But we must not deceive the reader ;he
often raises our expectations, and does not give us all the
fatisfaClion we promise ourselves from his writings. His
method of railing poultry, in particular, ratherdifappoints
us. He spared neither care, time nor expence to render
it practicable : He flattered himftlf and his countrymen
with the greatest hopes, I ut notwith flanding his afflnous
inouflry, and vast charge,, it proved abortive. Tur late
M. I'Advocat recommended him to obtain better infor
mation from Egypt on the fubjed, and ifpoffble to pro
cure a person verted in the art to in ftruC thim in it , but
his death prevented the completion of the scheme; Ha
native of Egypt bad arrived, shewed M. de Reaumur a
better method than hisown, and praclifed it with success,
as in his country, the community would have been bene
fitted ; cn the other hand he would have fe^n, had it fail
ed, that the climate of France was ret proper for such ex
periments M. Mail'er. Consul at Cairo, to whom Mons.
the Regent had written to obtain the art, offered to fend
over a native of Egypt, ifthe government would pay the
expence of his voyage, and allow him a pension of 15^0
livres. M. Maillet rightly judged, when he preferred
this method of proceeding. M de Reaumur was not ig
norant of the design ; but be flattered himfelf, that bis ef
forts would be fuccefsfcl +ituout farther aid, and thought
he should acquire fomehonor. He certainly had great ta
lents, indufiry, sagacity, and every other reqriifite, which
are necessary in such attempts; but it is morally impoffi
bl% that a finale man in a different climate, can attain
such knowledge in an art, as these who live in a mere fa
vourable country, and have had the experience of many
ages to profit by : However M. de Reaumur may have
been unfuccefsful, posterity is indebted to him fcr bis re
peated trials. He has removed foroe difficulties in the
road ; and those that travel it may discover what he only
saw at a distance.