The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1784-03-02 00:00:00, page 2

to raise more than is fufficient for the maintenance of
his family; and if he will spend beyond his income,
without a profped of paying his debts (and no such
profped can he have, continuing in such a course of
life) I do, without any hesitation or breach of chari
ty, pronounce him a very great knave. The mecha
nick and manufacturer are equally bound to live ac
cording to their refpedive earnings, or they are equal
ly dishonest. And I think I may venture to assert,
from my own observation, that where one man has
been reduced to poverty, by what the lawyers call the
ad of God, that is, a particular calamity inflicted by
Heaven, in contradiftin^ion to the personal default of
the futterer (which ought always to be taken iftto con
federation) twenty at lead have broke, either by their
want of industry, or their want of ceconomy. And
shall the lazy and the lavish meet with greater protec
tion from the laws than the diligent and frugal? Are
not such laws,'inftead of being a terror to evil doers,
rather an encouragement to the unrighteous practice,
already too prevalent, of b growing money, and other
wise running in debt, without any intention to pay?
A most grdfs and ihameful iniquity. And should not
such profufe and unconscionable caitiffs be considered
by all wife governments rather as proper objects of
criminal punishment, than of particular and distin
guished lenity? To involve one's felf in debt, with
out a profped of paying, is certainly wickedness ; and
with this approbrious name the Almighty himfelf, by
the pen of his Prophet, hath been pleased to fligma
tize it. The wicked, fays King David, ^borroweth
and payetb not again. Ffalm xxxvii. 21. But that
any Legislature, under the Jewish dispensation, en
couraged this wickedness, the Psalmist faith not. And
shall they find better quirter under the purer chriftian
dispensation, that so energetically inculcates the pre
cept of doing to others as we would that they foould
do unto us; and which expressly forbids us to owe
any man, aught but love? So far were these deceiv
ers from receiving any countenance in the primitive
ages of chriftianity, that their insolvency was deemed
fufficient to deserve an expulsion from the church, un
less they could evidently make it appear that it was
merely by the unforefeen and frowning Providence of
God that they were reduced to this extremity. Upon
the fame principle that the church excused them from
ecclesiastical censures, I would wilh, in companion to
the unfortunate, that our laws should exempt them
from imprisonment, on delivering up their offers for
the benefit of their creditors. 1 mean, that no mer
ciless creditor should have it in his power to confine
any insolvent debtor reduced to that condition, by un
avoidable accident, and without Ins own default. But
why should we not imitate the example of the primi
tive church in itc jujifo ac well as in its mercy ? As
I would therefore, on the one hand, extend the laws
for the relief of insolvents to all the innocently utyor
tunate; I think that on the other hand, no fraudu
lent debtor ought to be screened from the terrors of
a gaol. Shall a man, for instance, who, when he
borrows money or purchases goods, never intend to
make satisfaction for either-—who knavishly conceals
his real circumstances from the lender or feller, and
avails himfelf of the confidence which they repose in
bis abilities and probity, to possess himfelf of part of
their fortune —who constantly prosecutes this iniqui
tous plan for a series of years, living all the while in
greater profufion and luxury than his honert creditors,
upon whose fublfance he is thus rioting ; and when ri
gorously pressed by one man for payment, borrows
from another to flop the gap, in order Lill to pro
trad his credit, and disguise his knavery, with intent
determined by a jury. And as surely as the inlolvcnt
ought to be favoured by law in the former case, so
surely ought he to be punched with a gaol, at least,
in the latter ; or we confound all ideas of mercy and
justice, nor make any difference between the compas
sion due to real misfortune, and the puniihment that
ought to be inflicted upon piemeditated covin.
But with refpeCt to ex post fafto laws upon this
extraordinary occasion, what shall we fay? Why,
they are what we do not choose to fay. The fubjeCt
knowing, or, in legal contemplation, being presumed
to know, the laws of his country, is supposed to trust
every debtor according to the law then extant; and
so far, it is granted, that he trusts him at his own
rifque and peril. But perhaps the next year succeed
ing the contrast, another law is made depriving the
creditor of the remedy he had against the debtor at
the time he trusted him ; and the courts of justice then
open to every citizen in his case, are now shut against
him. Is this right? Is this a constitutional object of
eafilv guarded against as the open robber—ihall he
.be excused from imprisonment as an unfortunate man,
when the other is hanged like a dog, and no Legisla
ture thinks that he mifbtcomes the gibbet? Surely
the fd, whether an insolvency is occasioned by pro
vidential disaster on the one hand, or wilful knavery,
idleness or extravagance, on the other, may be easily
further to impose upon others who are ignorant of
his pennylefs situation —shall such a mifereant, 1 fay,
w%o is worse than a highwayman, because he adds de
ceit and imposture to his other villainy, and is not so
legislation? Is it the office of Assemblies to give one
man's property to another? Can creditors be sup
posed to elect representatives for this purpose ? Or is
. the Legislature to reprelent only a parcel of fraudu
lent debtors to the exclusion and ruin of all honest
creditors ? Might not the fame law which fays that
the man who owes me a hundred pounds, shall not
pay me because it doth not suit his circumstances, fay
with equal justice that he shall have a hundred pounds
of my money, because it better suits his circumstances
to have it than mine to keep it? For where is the dif
ference between depriving a man of a hundred pounds
due to him from a certain debtor in necessitous cir
cumstances, and of obliging him to give a hundred
pounds of bis property to another in circumstances
equally necellitous? In either case, the encroachment
upon the property of the innocent man is the fame;
and the plea of necessity or indigence in both, equally
well founded ; that is to fay, not founded at all.
Upon this fruitful source of iniquity, I could, in
stead of a short eflay, write to the tune of a German
folio, to shew the pernicious consequences of such ge
neral indemnity to the greatest pests of society. But
I may probably trouble the publick with another pa
per on this important and interesting fubje&.
SCIPI O.
Foreign Intelligence.
MA INHEI M, November 15.
THE letters from Nunich cannot fufficiently extol
the polite and affable conduct of the King of Swe
den, during his abode in that city. On his arrival, the
Monarch alighted at the city gate, and walked up to
the house where he was to lodge. On calling for the
hoil, he asked him for the apartments intended for
the King and his suit. Being informed of the price,
'' You ail< too little (said he) Kings do not come eve
ry day to lodge with you." Upon this the host re
plied, “ The honour done me by the Monarch fills
my heart fufficiently; why Gould I make him pay
more than another?" Some persons who occupied the
firft and second floors of that house were preparing to
quit them ; which the King perceiving prevented, fay
ing, " I hat his Majesty had good legs, and could ve
ry well get up to the third story." At the fame time
the Monarch's retinue arrived; and honeit albert (the
host) found with furprize that he had been speaking
with the King in person, The King went to the play,
the host gave a bail, at which was present upwards
of 200 perions. The King spoke with great affability
to the Widow of the learned Gofterwalt, who was
present. On his departure, his Majesty made a pre
lent to the host of a gold watch and chain, and twen
ty-tour ducats.
Mr. Didot, the elder, has oflate brought the beau
ty of his types to a singular degree of perfection; he
has eftablilhed at Annanay a new manufactory of pa
per, the beauty of which corresponds to the lingular
elegance of his characters. Nothing in Typography
can. exceed his edition of the Ancient Moralists, and
of many other woiks. He has just received from the
King a letter, which has greatly flattered him, and is
a pleating reward for bis talents and ingenuity. '1 he
letter precedes an order to print, with his new types
and paper, all the claflicks, the works of Corneille and
Racine, and particularly 1 elemachus, in order to
serve for the education of the Dauphin.
Nov. 17. We are allured that on the 13th instant
the Farmers General lent fix millions to the Caffe
d'Efcompte, to demonstrate their joy on their re-esta
blishment ; all the debts of the bank will be liqui
dated about the end of December next. 'I he Admi
nistrators and Stockholders met on the 13th and 14th,
and resolved to add to their stock 1000 new actions
of 3500 livres each, which will foim an increase of
the funds of 35,000,000 livres. This will serve with
what is adding, to give speedy fatisfa&ion to the pub
lick.
Nov. 27. We have accounts from Bourdeaux, that
several failures have happened there, said to be occa
sioned by the suddenness of the peace, which left ma
ny speculators, who imagined the war would last till
1785, overstocked with merchandizes, for which
there is now but an indifferent market.
PARIS, November 3.
The new. Arortatic machine which M. de Montgol
fier is conftruCting, will take fix hundred French yards
of linen to cover it ; it is extremely solid, and is now
rain-proof, by means of a triple coat of varnish; its
form is that of a tent, sixty feet high, forty feet in
diameter ; it will contain 4.0,000 cubic feet of gaz,
and will be able to lift up a weight of 1200 pounds.
The machine which was conftruCted at Versailles, un
der the infpeCtion of the King, raised itfelf to the
height of 200 tpifes, or 1200 feet, and fell about half
a league dirtant,
A beautiful medal has lately been engraved, after
the model of the famous tioudon (a name dear to the
arts) it most faithfully represents the heads of the two
brothers, Stephen and Joseph de Montgolfier, in
ventors of the droftatic Globes.
L O N D O N, Nov. 25.
By letters from Madrid we learn, that a very ex
traordinary report is current there, namely, that it be
ing fettled by the definitive treaty, that every thing
was to be in the fame situation as before the war, Ge
neral Elliot had sent notice to the Chief Commander
at St. Roche, to demolifli the works raised in the
front during the siege; the Spanish officer answered,
that he had received no orders for their demolition,
but that he would fend an express immediately to
court about it, to which Governor Elliot replied,
that he would not wait the return of the courier, but
would make himfelf master of those works in twenty
four hours, which was accordingly done.
The last letters from Lisbon mention, that a shock
of an earthquake had been felt there, which lasted
two minutes, but did no material damage on shore,
nor to the ships in the harbour.
A difeovery has lately been made in the medical
world, which is likely to prove of great publick uti
lity. Ihe best Peruvian bark having been found to
flourifh only about Loxa, in the 4th degree of South
latitude, Don Ortega, profeffor of botany at Madrid,
conjectured it might be met with at a similar distance
from the equator in a Northern latitude. This has
actually been accomplished, two species of the red
bark having been received by the royal medical socie
ty at Madrid, which were lately discovered in the pro
vince of Santa he, which is situated between four and
five degrees of North latitude.
In consequence of this intelligence, the Spanish Mo
narch has directed his Minister for the American de
partment to order this valuable remedy to be culti
vated at Santa fre, as it can more easily be conveyed
from thence to Europe, than from Loxa, where it has
for some time part been far from plentiful.
Dec. 6. 1 his day the following numbers were
drawn prizes at Guildhall, viz. No. 42,221, 28,300,
21,820, 28 895, 9,708, 43,602, 26,184, 3 0 7> an d
42,725, prizes of 501. each.
YefErday the tollowing numbers were drawn prizes
at Guildhall, viz. No. 10,006, 8,529, a,j, and 37,206,
prizes of icol. each , No. 7,612, 18,137, and 41,505,
prizes of 501. each.
We are happy to hear, that the Committee ap
pointed by the House of Commons for enquiring into
the abuse of smuggling, have already discovered means
of preventing, or of cruihing the abuse, by which a
recovery will be made of duties to the amount of two
millions a year and upwards—an accession which, in
our present circumstances, must be highly beneficial.
In the House of Commons of Ireland, on Friday,
Nov. 28, Mt. Foster reported from the Committee
appointed to take into consideration the petition of
Captain Robert Brook: “ J hat it would be expedi
ent for the nation to lend him on security 25,0001. in
Exchequer-bills, payable in ten years, and for which
he is to pay interest, for the puipofe of carrying on
and extending his manufactories at Prosperous, and to
enable him to give employment to the distressed arti
ficers of Dublin, and its liberties."
This report was ordered to lie on the table. Mr.
Foster also prelented a bill to advance the trade be
tween Ireland and the United States of America.—
Read a firft time, and ordered for a second reading
next day.
Lord Chariemont has given a demonstration of his
sincerely concurring in every measure which can pro
mote a reform in the Iriin Parliament. On the 20th
of this month he waited on several of the principal
Volunteer Delegates, and requested them to inform
their Constituents, that as far as his private interest
in Boroughs was concerned, he should be happy to set
an example of facrificing it to the liberty and happi
ness of his country. That he neither wished for, nor
would accept of, any compensation for such of his Bo
roughs as it might be deemed proper to disfranchife ;
what he had held by prescriptive right, he would
yield without a murmur to publick utility. These de
clarations were received with gratitude, and the De
legates immediately apprized their Constituents of
such patriotick proposals.
Nov. 28. The Duke de Chartres, willing to cele
brate the day on which the human race firft travelled
in the air, and returned to give an account of theif
journey, has resolved to ereCt a pyramid on the spot
where the late Air Balloon alighted, and thereon to
inscribe the name of Montgolfier, who conftruded the
airy vehicle, together with those of the two bold tra.
vellers who dared to take a journey to the third re
gion of air.
Letters of authority from Vienna confirm the ac
count that the Emperor is going to take a journey to
Italy, from which it is concluded there will be no war.
American Intelligence.
St. JOH N's (Antigua) Ors. zy, 1785.
WE have authority to fay (from a very modern
traveller, of great learning and philosophy)
that the Palma Altiflima, better known here by the
name of the Mountain cabbage tree, is the most pow
erful conductor of lightning that has ever yet been