The Rhode-Island American, and general advertiser — Providence [R.I.], 1810-03-13 00:00:00, page 2

■ft
pcrionT, U flwt Which fie will stand *
need of in Spain. Thin force he ba* not,
Mr the means wherewith to acquire it.” -
Tor Tub Hhopk-(iUw» Amxwicax.
■ Tub subject <»f a library, which hai> en
gay d the attention of the citiaeos of thia
town, (how extensively I am not acquaint
ed.) 1 hope has originated in motive* too
virtuous and benevolent to pass off like the
common ephemeral emotions of an
' tag** entertainment. A re<pectahie in
stitution of the kind contemplated will un
doubtedly he creditable to the town, and
to the individuals who may liberally pa
tronise it: but those are some of the least
considerations which should induce a bene
volent mind to wish it success. Such an
) mritutton, if the works are judiciously and
Widely selected, will afford to the rising
generation the means of obtaining scientif
ick knowledge, useful and accomplished
literary information in general, and chaste
•nd eatartatatag amusement, at a cheaper
rtite than cauboany other way attained.
. It will afford the means of developing ge
mus and talents from among all classes of
our cittaens with equal facility; and which
' ■ are as likely to be found among those to
whom fort.me has been less propitious, as
those more favoured in her distribution of
property. A small sum, within the reach
trf those ta moderate circumstances, will
|ive their families access to a collection of
. works rendered exteiwive and valuable by
the liberality of the rich. Dr. Axtv, in
one of his excellent series of letter* to his
1 eon, speaking of cheap pleasures, gives the
preference beyond all comparison to those
which are to be derived from books. It is ■
a greet misfortune to flta present youth of
the town, that the books to which they can -
ghost easily huve access, and to which the
present current of fashion leads them, are
Uo generally, if not poisonous,'to say the
'least, but frothy and useless trash. I can
think of no means ta our power mote llkqijr 4,
than such as Institution to turn this cu/rent
in a more useful and profitable direction.
With these introductory remarks my ob
ject ta to endeavour to remove some doubts
and scruples, unimportant in themselves,
but which seem to have operated a little
embarrassment to its progress.
Mamet of men or things never appeared
to me of very material importance ; that
they be easy of pronunciation, and free from
harshness, seems the principal considera
tion : Yet a predilection for those of our
ancestors for our children, and for those of
antiquitv for things of a similar nature, has
been always manifested by many. I pre
sume it must have been from something of
this predilection, (though lam ignorant of
the real cause,) that the name Jitiencum
has been proposed for the contemplated in
stitution. This word is of Greek origin,
as are a great proportion of the technical
terms of our language, the Greeks having
t been the moat eminent precursors of all
the nations of .antiquity in the arts and
sciences; and these having most eminent
ly flourished among them before the era of
t . Christianity, when they were included
‘ among the nations denominated heathen, i
those turns r»;ay be said ta a sense to have
a heatwnish derivation ; yet the most
scrupulous among Christians have never
rejected those terms of art on that account.
The ancients ta general personified the
divine attribute wisdom, and the Greeks
expressed it indifferently by the terms Mi
nerva and Pall** i from which tatter is de
rived the word Palladium, meaning in com
mon fife, as an English word, a munition,
shield or defence ; the English word TAco
feffy is also from the Greek word Theos,
• aad of heathenish derivation, yet are they
used without scruple by all in the most se
rious discourse. The learned and pious
Fxnklon in his Telemachut, personifies
"the divine attribute under the name Mi
nerva, in the true sense no doubt in which
that term was used before the corruption
and depravity nf mankind had mixed ab
surd Rubles with Theology, and given to
the divine attributes a material form, ca
pable of being represented by images; in
tending no doubt to express the same thing,
which Solomon and other writers of the sa
cred scriptures did, when personifying the
same divine attribute under the term which
ta translated wfsdom. The divine charac
ter of the Messiah has, since the days of
the apostacy, by his professed followers,
been degraded ta a similar manner: they
I have attempted to express it with images
with corporal shape and dimension ; yet
we all use the same terms in speaking of
him : the term cross is indifferently used
by professing Christians to express an im
age of wnod, and the self-denying life and
example of our Saviour.
In this view of the origin and use of lan
guage, it should seem there could be no
serious objection to the use of the name
on the present occasion, though
. it had anciently been used as the name of
• temple of Minerva. But this I believe
will prove to be entirely a mistaken notion,
equally without foundation, either a* U>his
torical evidence, or religious or moral scru
ples. the note io Tax Astxkfcaw of the
Sd instant upon the word being undoubted
ly incorrect.
It will be found to have been a common
/ term or name for a place where the an
cient philosophers and others, professing
i w the liberal arts, held their assemblies for
the purpose ot relding and hearing their
worhi, dad communicating informatioa»
of which there were several in Athens be
tide** number under diverge other
particularly for different fcots of philoso
phers. Those under the name vflAehrum
being perhaps more general for the whole
circle of literature and the arte, There
pere similar places at Rome, and I believe
•one ether cities in Europe, for the same
purposes, and under the same name, though
among people speaking a different lan-
The temple of Minerva at Athens, if I
am not much mistaken, was not known by
that name, but was first called Hetatom
fiodon, and after being destroyed by the
Persians, was rebuilt in a more elegant
manner, in or near the time of Pericles,
and called Parthenion. If, therefore, I
am correct, th* ancient name and use of
the Mhentum is not altogether unappro
priate to the purposes of the contemplated
institution.
But -I have not made the foregoing re
marks as deeming the name by any means
material; it is the thing I have at heart
to encourage; and though I think it will
afford the most satisfaction, and in truth
be most creditable to those who are dis
posed to contribute to and promote the de
signs, purely from motives of publick utili
ty, yet I would by no means be under
stood to insinuate that it would be a very
culpable, if not a commendable vanity to
desire to appear foremost, to be considered
the principal movers, and tn give it a name,
provided it be accompanied with afifiro
firiate and exemfilary liberality. Y.
Matmtz, the Austrian Messenger, we
are informed, is not expected to return to
this country, at least at present.
Endeavours have been made with fHat
industry to represent a negotiation with
France as not only actually begun—nay,
some have gone so far as to say that some
of the principal points have been discussed.
No negotiation has been begun. All that
has yet been done amounts, we believe to
this: Austria could not withdraw her Min
ister with any decency from this country
befortfshe had offered her interposition to
restore peace. She has made through her
Minister at Paris, and with the consent of
'the French government an overture, to
which the reply has been returned through
the medium of Prince Stahremberg, the
despatch from the Austrian Minister at
Paris having been addressed to that Prince.
It may be that the reply was not conveyed
by Maynts, but by M. Prevost, who sailed
last Saturday. Maynts may have carried
back to Paris a letter, announcing that the
proposal had been laid before our govern
ment. and that the answer would be sent
by another messenger.
As to peace, it is absurd to suppose that
It can be made at present.
Alarming reports are again in circula
tion, relative to the state of our affairs m
India—they would induce us to believe,
that the whole of the native army on the
Madras establishment was in a state of
open rebellion, and that it had secured two
strong positions, Hydrabad and Seringa
patam. The King’s troops, it is added, to
the amount of 11,000 men, had taken the
field against the insurgents. This regular
force would be further increased by a corps
from Ceylon, and two regiments from the
Cape. Lord Minot had left Calcutta, as
we stated yesterday, to proceed to Ma
dras, in order to confer and concert mea
sures with Sir George Barlow for the re
storation of tranquillity. These reports, we
trurt, are greatly exaggerated—certainly
I we were not prepared to expect sucb in
telligence, after having received the fol
lowing communication from a correspon
dent :
“ The discontents at the Presidency of
Madras are of three <MJnds—the Officers
of the Company’s army are dissatisfied
with the measures of the Governour, Sir
George Barlow, in the military depart
ment of his government. The civil Ser
vants of the Company have observed, with
regret, many of the measuresof Sir George
Barlow in Um Civil Department, and the
free Traders, as well as the Civil Servants,
are surprised and dissatisfied with some
an improper nature. The dissatisfaction
does not, perhaps, extend to all the Com
pany’s Officers, Civil and Military, but is
very general. The military officers have
forwarded a memorial to the court of Di
rectors, and a remonstrance to the Gov
ernour-General; the Civil Servants have
made no remonstrances, or shewn by any
publick act that is known here, their sen
timents. A number of Military Officers
have been suspended the service and or
dered home, for acts connected with the
memorial, as detailed ia a General order
published in our paper; many Civil Ser
i vants, high in office, have been removed
from situations at the Presidency to others'
up the country—the causes of their re
moval have not been stated to those re
moved, and are not here. One of
I the free Traders hat been ordered home,
I and another been removed from his office
Itt Magistrate. From this abstract of the
foreign Intelligence.
interference, which they consider to be of
LONDON, January 10.
•V, ' • v r’3KSF ’ ’
•Ute of Mffaive at Madras, it i> obvious
that there is no insubordination among 4>c
troops, either native or European; that
Officers in India are not con
(Uted, nor have taken any part in the
proceedings of the Company’s Military
Officers. The troops said to be going out
cannot, therefore, be intended for the pur
l>oae of checking insubordination among
the troops, because none exists. An an
nual embarcation of recruits to fill up va
cancies is always made, and often of regi
ments, in exchange for those ordered
home in rotation. No measures of con
ciliation have, as far as is known here,
been adopted by Sir George Barlow or
Lord Minot, and there is every reason to
believe that the Court of Directors have
confirmed most of those which Sir George
Barlow has deemed it right to resort to.”
From the London Courier qf January 6.
(A Ministerial Paper.)
The remainder of the documents laid
before Congress contained in American pa
pers of the Ist of last month, have been re
ceived. They bring down the correspon
dence between Mr. Jackson and the Ameri
can government, to the abrupt rupture of
the negotiation, and Mr. Jackson’s subse
quent removal from the seat of govern
ment. x
We must confess that thia closing part
of the Correspondence is more satisfactory
to us than we expected it would be—we
thought, considering the peremptory asser
tions of the American government, that
Mr. Jackson’s conduct had been so gross
and insulting, that no farther negotiation
could consistently with dignity or decency
lie carried on with him, that some strong
oose would be made out against him—
though even then we should have thought
the American government acted with little
wisdom in shutting the door against nego
tiation, with such pettish abruptness. But
really we find nothing in Mr. Jackson’s let
ters that could more justify the American
government in breaking qff with him, than
would have justified Mr. Jackson in break
ing the American government.—
The MT perpetually recur to the disa
vow al hFMr. Erskine’s arrangement—
Was our Minister to remain silent, and
skulk from rescuing his court from the im
putation of having acted unjustly ? No—
He was to shew that the arrangement was
disavowed because it was made without au
thority.—The American government then
recur with the same frequency to the as
sertion, that if Mr. Erskine’s instructions
did not authorise hip to conclude such an
arrangement, that fact should have been
distinctly stated. Here too, we suppose it
will be argued, that our Minister was to
abandon his court, and for fear of offending
th« American government refrain from re
plying that the feet waa known to them.
No, he acted with more fidelity to his
court, and with the manliness becoming
his country and his character. He stated
that Mr. Erskine’s instructions were in
substance made known to jhe American
government, and he added that Mr. Ers
kine himself had stated, the terms which
he was actually Induced to accept, were
| substituted by the American Minister in
lieu of those originally proposed in pursu
ance of his instructions. Beaten on these
two grounds, the American government
have no resource left bnt to suppose that
Mr. Erskine had two sets of instructions,
one which he did shew, not authorising
him to do what he did; another which he
did not shew, Hording him complete au
thority and justification. The absurdity of
this supposition is evident. Mr. Erskine of
course, would not have concealed such an
authority had he been in possession of it;
but Mr. Jackson not stopping to expose its
absurdity, contents himself with the more
powerful answer, that Mr. Erskine had
not two sets of instructions—that he had
only one, which was made known to the
American government, and which did not
authorize him to conclude the arrangement
he did conclude.
To all these points the American govern
ment recur over and over again, and we
do therefore insist, that Mr. Jackson was
perfectly right, nay that he * ould have
violated his duty, if he had not, as often
as they were pressed given that decisive
-wnd convincing •ffswer which he did give.
The soreness of the American government
upon these points is something like the
soreness of the. woman in the play, who
could not bear to have her want of chastity
alluded to, ” Touch any subject but that,
and I am as gentle as the lamb—but when
ever you provoke me upon that, I am ready
to tear out your eyes, villain.” The Ameri
can government seem to have thought
they had played a moat dexterous trick in
inducing our Minister to sign an arrange
ment so contrary to his instructions ; they
were in haste to execute it, that is, to se
cure the advantages it afforded them ; and
then finding the trick of no avail, they cry
out against us because we would not be the
I dupes of it.
Our readers will remark with the pride
of Britons the manifest advantage which
Mr. Jackson has in argument and fact over
the American Secretary. The latter evi
dently dares not enter the lists with him—
he shifts hia ground, and conceives our
Minister to have urged pretensions which
are distinctly and unequivocally denied—
He says 11 it it understood that hit Britan
nick Majesty perseveres in requiring as in
dispensable conditions on the part of the
United States, an entire relinquislunent of
he right to trade with the enemy’s colo
nies, and also a permission to the British
navy to aid in executing a law of Congress.”
This statement Mr. Jackson distinctly
denies ever having made, either by word of
mouth or m writing. Not a word, too, is
said in reply to Mr. Jackson’s letter of the
27th October, about the terms of satisfac
tion offered for the attack on the Chesa
peakenay, with almost unparalleled dis
ingenuity, Mr. Smith argues as if no such
letter had been sent and no reparations of
fered.—After reading it, the most strenu
ous advocate of the Americans, will hardly
deny that the reparation we offered was
ample, most ample.
If there be any who contend that the
points pressed by Mr. Jackson were not
necessary to be pressed, could do no good,
and might do much barm to the negotia
tion—that the correspondence ought not to
have been retrospective, we reply, be it
so—Yet if the American government began
by taking that retrospective course, our
Minister could do no otherwise than follow
them, and take the line he did.—But it is
not easy for us to believe, after an atten
tive perusal of the concluding part of the
correspondence, that the reasons given for
breaking off all negotiation with Mr. Jack
son were the real ones—they seem only to
have been the'ostensible ones—and this,
we dare say, we shall see very shortly.
It is a fact, that the Elisa Packet brought
out between 7 and 8000 letter*—and such
was the press al the post-office yesterday,
that ia was impossible to assort the pack
et’s letters in time for the southern mail
which left this place yesterday! ' The de
spatches for government, however, were
forwarded.
Mr. Guest, who arrived here in the Brit
ish packet, was the bearer of voluminous
despatches from Mr. Pinkney to govern
ment—these despatches went on in yester
day’s southern mail.
January, 1810.
“ I am informed by Mr, Preble of Paris,
22d December, that there is almost a cer
tainty of the Intercourse between France
and the United States being renewed.—
Even vessels boarded will be admitted.
Pot-ashes, barilla, and dye-woods, were
falling.
“ The British Order in Council of 11th
November, must however be repealed, be
fore the trade • can be permitted with
safety.”
■We have seen a letter from a highly
respectable source in London, of the 12th
of January. This Letter, after speaking
with a degree of uncertainty relative to
the result of Mr. Jackson’s dismissal, .con
cludes thus
March 8.
Extract of a letter, dated London, 9th
“ If we are still in time to write again
by the Packet to-morrow, we may have
some news to communicate, as a deputa
tion of Merchants, has to-day gone up to
wait on Ministry.”
The Spanish Junta, by a decree, has re
leased from prison all the French residents
of Spain, and restor.d their property.—
Such is the information given in letters
from authentic! sources.
The following publication has been ad
dressed to the inhabitants of the Island of
Cuba, by his Excellency the Governour-
General. M F. Gaz.
of Cuba.
The insatiable and fatal ambition of the
oppresser of makind made us foresee that
Spanish America would enter into the plan
of his usurpation, as I indicated to you in
my proclamation of the 12th of March last,
and I ought now to inform you, that he has
effectively begun to realize them by the
same insidious means he practised in Eu
rope.
I am positively informed that the intru
sive Joseph Bonaparte, the faithful exe
cutor of his sanguinary and subversive de
crees, has sent an emissary to the United
States, accompanied by incendiary satel
lites, encharged with spreading the fire of
division and discord amongst us, the fa
vourite weapons of the treacherous tyrant,
which has obtained him laurels enamelled
with robberies and innocent blood.
It Is true, that after his impious and
atrocious operations, and in consequence of
the sublime loyalty and patriotism insepa
rable from the Spanish name, not being
able to entertain the least hope of finding
or gaining partisans in these regions; but
the resources of his infamous arts being in
calculable, which a fatal experience has
shewn us, it is to be presumed, he will take
the oblique course of involving us in intes
tine dissentient by means of impositions,
calumnies and seductions, in order to be
numb our co-operations in favour of the
glorious national insurrection, to interrupt
the advantages which the he
roMc English nation derives from our com
merce and applies towards the expenses of
Mott faitfful inhabitant! of the Itland.
25p ttje IRailsi.
NEW-YORK, March 6.
4*
the holy war. and by thia order of thing* to
prepare the Subjugation <4 Spain, the coo
quest and desolation of England, and final
ly the dominion 'and slavery of ll.e Ameri
cas. In the knowledge thereof we should
be criminals of the most abandoned na
ture, if, by considering his designs imprac
ticable, we were to forget taking the ne
cessary measures to apprehend the above
mentioned satellites, slopping the fire In
its origin, and perhaps preventing it, only
by taking anticipated and seasonable mea
sures. '
] flatter myself, that the chiefs, magis
trates, and all classes of inhabitants, will
endeavour to excel each other in watching
and prosecuting them, that.they may not
be able to conceal themselves under any'
disguise ; and in order to insure greater
success, I order and command ;
Ist. That the Governnurof Cuba, the
Lieutenant and other Justices, shall make
known by Proclamation, or in any other
way, not to permit any person whatsoever
to disembark in their district, who shdbld
come in a vessel proceeding from a foreign
port, without his being first visited by the
proper officer or person appointed to that
effect, under the penalty of 1000 dollar*
to the contravenor thereof, as well to the
Captain, to be applied to the expenses of
the war; and if it should be proved that,
any person is an agent «»f the French, he
will incur the utmost rigour of the Uw.
2d. In the act of visiting they will exam
ine minutely the manifest, roll d*equipage,
passports of the crew and passengers, and
endeavour to observe and apprehend who
ever should come disguised.
3d. They will inquire the nature and ob
ject of the coming of the passengers, with
out permitting them to disembark, unless
they give the necessary security answera
ble for their conduct. '
4th. They will collect the letters in their
possessions, which they will deliver to the
persons they are directed to, obliging them
to shew that part which relates to the. ob
ject of their arrival, to compare it with the
verbal information of the bearer of said
letters, respecting the motives of hi*
coming. s
5 th. They will give me information of
said passengers, their property, the object
of their voyage, and the observations they
mey have made in the act of visiting the
vessel, or afterwards.
6th. They will encharge the Captains of
vessels to give them daily advice of the ex
istence of their crew, that in case any one
should disappear, he may be taken up im
mediately ; also taking care that all should
return in the same vessel.
7th. As respects vessels proceedingjjppmf
our own ports, they will take care xßx
amine the passports of the passengers, in
quire the object of their coining, observe
i heir and advise me thereof, ae
ordered in article sth. ,
Bth. They wdLendeavour to enforce, wfrh
great exactness articles 82 and 83 of the
ordinance of ponce, wherein it is decreed,
that every person who hires a house or
room, or whosoever takes boarders, shall
immediately give the information thereof
to the police officers.
9th. Finally, as it is but justice tore
ward generously and conformable to cir
cumstances, those who should denounce
and apprehend the aforesaid perfidious
agents, and in order that a great number
of zealous patriots may participate in so
meritorious an act, a subscription will be
opened for shares at 10 dollars each, and
the said gratification will accordingly be
paid by the subscribers in proportion to
their respective shares, having subscribed
myself for one hundred of them. And that
it may be made known publickly, this Pro
clamation shall be published and circulated
in the accustomed form.
I The Marquis de SOMERUELOS.
Havana, sth February, 1810.
Note.— No Frenchman whatsoever will
be admitted into the Island of Cuba, al
though he should produce documents
proving his naturalization, either in Ame
rica or any other country.
SALEM, March 9.
Confirmation qf Bonafiarte't friendekifi.
We are greatly obliged to a gentleman
in Marblehead for the following important
intelligence communicated last evening.
The schooner Endeavour, J.Power, mas
ter, has just arrived from Gijon, 45 days
'passage—confirms the accounts of Captain
Widger as to and detention of
all Americans Spanish ports in pos
session of the French. A letter from
Madam O’Brien, at St. Andero, states,
that on the sth January, the schooner Bri
■ tannia, of Salem, arrived at St. Artdero,
and was immediately seized by the French
General. The American Consul demand
ed the reason of the seizure, and was told
by him that the Emperour’s orders were
to seise all Americans ao they arrived, and
consider the crews as PRISONERS OF
WAR. Schooner Two-Suns, Warner, of
Marblehead, at BUboa, ready for sea
the next day, was DISMANTLED and
GUARDED.
The American Consul at had, in
consequence of the above aeta, despatched
a launch with 19 men. to cruise off Cape
Pinas, to giee notice thereof to theAmsii
can abound In.