The Federal mirror — Concord, N.H., 1796-05-10 00:00:00, page 1

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[VOLUME IV.]
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Miscellany.
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“I FORGOT 1T.%
A N excellent apology—it has warded off
A more blows than the Grecian hornet or
Roman freU ; it is as bendy as a pipe toe
Dutchman, and as convenient as the head
ach to a lady with the fidgets, whois under ;
• the necessity frequently of being sick, to pre-I
vent her feeing vulgar company " Why'
did you not bring so to school ?”- [
“ tfo if. Sir.”-" Why did you not go;
to church I Why did you not fend that poor}
widow some wood I intended to, but I
forgot it till it was too late- there is no
hanging a man for having a bad memory.
The latch of a door is broken, and has
been for three weeks—but a chair fee against ;
- it, or a fork will fallen it.-"I with, my 1
dear, you would fend and get it mended ;
that it may seem of little consequence to
you, who are so much gone, yet it is very
troublesome to me."'
" O, that's nothing, it it a mere trifle
bat rather than to have a noise, I'll fend it
t of those days, iff don't forget it *
Now this man maybe a very rich farmer,
and a good patriot, but may we not fufpea
he is not a kind hatband ?/ L '
A certain (peculator wal aiked, in the be
ginning of rite prelent war, why he did not
pay iris debts, as he was full of caffi=" .For
merly, said he, I had not time, and lately I
„ forgotten it."-—Qjery—Ate there
any such at this day ? . . ^
lonce,knew a young man who was in the
habit of going to a certain tavern every night.
J I met him, and observed that he had promis
ed not to rift the anchor that evening—" I
believe I did," he replied. " but I forgot to
ftaj at home." b .
N. B. This was the last stage of a gin fe-
Among men of business, forretfulnefs is
very pernicious. " You promised me upon
the word of a man," said Mr. Prompt, the
merchant, to return the money I lent you on
I certain day—l have disappointed and injur
, dd my friend by your negleß. " I sup
posed," answered neighbor Slack, drawing
out bis words, " three or four days would
make no odds, indeed I forgot it." That^
he forgot he was a man of his word ; is it
Grange if other people often forget it, and he
fold be feed accordingly , 4 "
™As I was bating my horse the other day,
1 stranger came into tavern from the coun
ty, and turning to a man in the room, bc
|pn with the most approbious language while
his anger rolled from his eyes like fl ifhes of
lightning, and demanded why he had sued
him. ne pbor affrighted plaintiff shrunk
up like a fun-fifh.V^ I did mot," said he,
•'ldon't know but I height leave the note
foa lawyer, but I had forgotten it. I
±.^t^ :
"tthought so," be anfoered," a word was
^^f^^^
found (as the attofyty#w ifot there to
ab^for^pbj;:::^^^
think no more of it than they do of damn
^^mrrt# '— ti^
plaintiff has thus flipped his neck out, ana
£ the weight fill on another, they drank
their grog together as though nothing had
"rate not fair, raid I to myfelf; but it is
■e,ld ^„,d I have been toid it is erety
; sol pan Qty
mg, there in f Itet
woa^^forget sometimes. I have observed
have g^Wng "effect upon ।
CONCORD^ TUESDAY, May do, 1796. _
---——L_—LL-M^^^flCTt^^
ter is it ?—We have had fome^hing else to
do, and so we forgot it." Now there may
be no fin in all this ; but there is danger that
when they become marriageable, some fancy
fellow may fay, "J once intended to go there
courting, but now I think 1 had rather let
somebody else do it."
A poor excuse is worse than none, fays the
proverb, and so fays civility.——You may
sometimes fee an overgrowing flatterer, who
thinks nothing is a currency in company but
diffimularion, and therefore has a ffrile and
a compliment for every lady he meets, ad
dressing one for whom be has peithera par
tiality nor esteem, “ I was extremely" sorry
you was not of our party, we had a beautiful
time, we ail depended upon it. I should
have been very proud to have gallanted you
I—but, then, as it happened, who to be sure
—really, ma'am—l aft your pardon—but I
forgot it.
I once heard an anecdote of a gentleman
who could not even remember which cham
! ber his wife slept in—but it was so improba
i ble and so long since, that really I have for
gotten it..
6 A TRAVELLER.
Striking Account of a BURIAL
PLACE, near Palermo,
in Sicily.
THIS burial place belongs ro a co,
vent of Capuchin friars, about a mile
out of the city, tod is indeed a very
great curiosity. It so a raft fobterra 0
neous apartment, divided into large
commodious galleries, the walls on
each fide of which are hallowed into
a variety of niches, as if intended for
a great colteaiod of statues ; these
niches, instead of statues, are all filled
with dead bodies, fa upright upon
their feet, and fixed by the back to
the inside of the nich: their number
is about three hundred , they are ail
dressed in the clothes they usually
wore, and form a most refpedable
and venerable assembly. The skin
and mufclei, by a certain preparation,
become as dry and hard as a piece of
ftook fi&fr@a^ cbany of
them have been here upwards of two
hundred and fifty years, yet none are
reduced to Ikeecons ; the muscles,
indeed, in some, appear to be a good
deal more thru^k chan in others , —
probably because those persons had
been more wafted away at the time
of their death.
Here the people of Palermo pay
daily vifi[i to their deceased friends,
and recall with pleasure and regret
the feenet of their past life : here they
familiarize themselves with their fu
tore stare, and chufe the company
they would with to keep in the other
world. It is a common thing to make
choice of their nich, and to try if their
bc& fits it, that no alterations may
bfleceff^y after they are dead ; and
f(i&times, byway of a voluntary pe
nlnce, they accustom themfelvea to
for hours in these niches.
r The bodies &he princes and firft
nobility are lodged in vqry bandfome
chefti or irunki; some of them richly
=^i^
risen The are keot bv the
I A
their departed friends. N ]
I I W i
^^ty^^p__mcfocc=^^
BT RusmiAND DAMS, CQ#%RD, tmutoutt __Q.
—: — - — -- -.. . ^ llr 1 1111 ".--Il — ,III IITInw
horror as one would be apt to imag
ine I even tor ages after &.> they
retain a strong likeness to what tty
were when alive ; so that, as soon as
you h,ve conquered the firft feelings
excited by these venerable figures,
you only confider this as avast galle
ry of original portraits, drawn after
dty life, by the justest and most un
prejudiced band, ft must be owned
that the natural colours are father fad^
ed ; and the pencil does not appear
to have been the most flattering in the
world ; but no matter, it is the pencil
of truth, and not of a mercenary; who
only wants to please. These dumb
orators are, no doubt, of confiderabte
utility to fociecy, and utter the most
pathetic lectures upon pride and vani
ty. Whenever a vain young fellow
begins to ftrur, or to affect the haugh
ty, fopercilious air, he should be feot
co cofiver(e with the dead people in
these galleries ; and if their argu
meats did not bring him to a proper
way of thinking, he fhooid be given
up as incorrigible.
Among the rest, here stands the
body of a ceebrated beauty, who di
ed ata period of life when the was
still the obfea of universal admiration.
Byway of making atonement for her
own vanity, the bequeathed herfelf as
a monument to curb the vanity of
others. Recoiled gon her death
bed the great adulation that had been
paid to her charms, and the fatal
change they were soon to undergo,
foe ordered her body to be preferred
alter death in this moral gallery, for
the infpedion of young maidens, who
are inclined co be vain of their beau
ty. No lesson could be more forc
ible ; for those very features that rais
ed her vanity still remain only disarm
ed of all their power and divested of
every charm.
:"’"""■-' .;. .<. "^T-;:^:
hHE CRISIS.
h 'be People of the Unit. States.
I Fillow Citizens,
HOW can you deep at chit awful
crifit of your affair. ? The prof
ped every where blacken, around you.
How can you remain calm and indif.
fereot (peaarort ? Do you not hear
the thunder roll ? Do yog not fee the
approaching ftor,? Prepare for dan
ger, or awake to industry, and ward
off the evils that are finking down
upon ,0.:, Since the commences
merit of the prefect bloody war in
Europe, a <wftfe ^ ***
ly endeavored to draw uainto the
conffid. Our worthy and rtfpecled
PRESIDENT, by wife and prudent
councils, has hitherto refined their es.
forts.. life purfoed a line of g:
dud, which has edited hi, chy&r
io the eye of every pstrffi Amer,
can. Firmuefa ft and mod
diftinßuifhing Chirac*
teriniCSi. Jpvcry u
pursued, terns dialled '' '° "-ty'
country. But (half all hr sexertions |
Drove vain I sao the plow there be I
interrupt the ri&g prosperity of your
country ?
If war should blaze our, what will
be the condition of your funds ? The
barometer of potife credit will fink
low, and evi's spring up, which will
teriouQy affia every member of the
community. Your public de^r will
be increased, andthofe arrangements
which have been made for its difi
charge te utterl, defeated. The
baneful effect of war are not confin
ed to the prefect generation, but ex
tend themfelvei to those yet unborn.
An bafortunace posterity is loaded
with unpaid millions, through the fol- '
ly and precipitate madoefs of their in
cefters.
But does, not the conduft of the
Houte of Reprefertadves efrihgtyfa
ever, remnant of public confidence ?
When a government it divided a-,
gainft itfelt, its credit is gone. Indi
viduals and nations will not croft
their money to a people, whofc coyn
cili embittered by the enthufiJen of.
party, whose deliberations are disturb
ed by the breath of hdion. It
would be utterly impossible at the
prefect day to negotiate a foreign
loan ; for every idea of fecurit, is ioft
in the confioeration, that the most
fotemn tranfaaions of to-day are con
cealed and forgotten to-morrow —
that the different branches of gov
ernment do not harmonize—and chat
in all probability our piefent ties of
confederation will be cot off forever.
Our present diffi ukift hire alread
y given a stab to our agricuhura ir
rereft. The frmer fees the fronts of
bis ioduftry decline in va'ue ; tie re
laxes in exertion, and ckprecam/he
conduct of his representatives. The
Spirit of enterprise is gone, the trader
retains his capital on hand, unwilling
to hazard his property amidst such a "
pressure of diflftulries and dangers.
Merchants will no longer irfute,
our vtffcU must rot in our ports# out
seamen must be reduced to idleness
and beggary. Our property new
floating on the ocean, will perhaps
never reach the' shores of Americi.
Every source of national prosperity
will be dried up. Let us therefore,
with a unanimous voice, pronounce
in favor of the Treaty being carried
into effefl.y
BRUTUS^
r European Intelligence.
'^^^VIENNA,/!# Bfr
IN contfidiftioo of the reporti,
which fffi that the Court bl Tty &
rim were negotiating a separate Peace
with France, the Official Lettai ma,
terve, accerdfeto which the King
of Sardinia ha# lent Gen. Latour hith
er, for the purpose of verbally agree
^^^ f° p '°f °P¥, ,'
the ensuing campaign, and who has
aduafiy arrived. Even from Lon
don a Courier arrived with
ffy to the ft ff
ecuttoo OT the war, tor?.which hso*
wfFilas ftfu rif• '^ ° ''
[number 185.]
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