The Columbian informer, or, Cheshire journal — Keene, N.H., 1794-11-25 00:00:00, page 1

IT it certainly feme com penfation fortfee
labors, the watchings, and the fatigues
of an author, to find one's felf be Iquned,
and be praised for one's writings. There
is none of as without a final! tinware of
vanity in our composition.
The tear is Parting in my eye when I
tell my dear reader that I am taking my'
Cleave of him. The following letter is hap
ly comejuftin time to be noticed. 1 at
tirft protefled downright, that I would not
pubbth ii ; but when I receded upon the
practice of my predecoffots, the specta
tor, and other periodical ESayitts, 1 paus
ed ; and when I rcccileded that the joc
key club was gone to the press, I con
sented. But I beg the reader to be affa
rtd that I am blushing as red as a pin
cushion all the time he is reding it ; and
l here promise that if I ihour receive an
hundred such, I never will publish another
as long as I live.
' STONED Nipper, esquire, Author
cf tbe renowned E,J, tailed Tbs Cann-
WAINER.
Honoured and learned Sir,
You must know that 1 have the honour
to tie Secretary to one of Qufe Societies
to which you seem to allude in the left
number of your patriotic ElTays ; and that
I have itin charge to inform you that, in
configuration of the Cervices which you
have rendered to the cause which we have
espoused, by your learned and ingenious
^Effays, entitled The Cordwalner, your
'name is recorded in our Books as an hon
orary member.
And now, having difeharged m, offi
•cial duty, permit me, dear fir, to address
you in mother, and more fi miliar capaci
ty, that of a brother politician, and to
give you some account of myfelf, and the
society to which I belong.
Ifyou wh candid enough to declare
your profeffioffin your firft number, 1
will not be behindhand with you—l am a
Tinker. Believe roe, fir, I was so 0-
(er-joyed at the fight of your firft Essay,
that in my exultation I overthrew and
spoiled a job which had been two days in
hand. Yet why this transport ? Is it so
strange a thing that because a man mends
Shoes, or a pewter-pot, or a pair of bree
ches, he (hould likewise sometimes turn
his hand to the political machine ? And I
appeal to the maker of constitutions and
laws, if they have art always more or left
rents to patch, or cracks to folder.
As to our Society, we are a jovial parcel
of fellows ; but though punch, pipes, and
2 tobacco are '! in regulation,'' yet patriot
dr ism and the public fafety are ever the or
der of the day. To this are all our ope
rations ditched; and not a measure of
public concern, from an Ad of Congress,
or a President's Proclamation, down to a
news-paper-paragraph, but is fan&ioned
or condemned at oar board. It would
have done your foul good, fir, to have
heard our difeuffion of the Neutrality
business, of the Discrimination, the
Sequestration Bills &c.
On the fubjea of the President's Neu
trality Proclamation, some fpiritedob
fervations were made, Mr. Bed-Stone,
the Mason, thought it was lajiug afounda
tim on which future oppreflions would he
6w7z. Mr. Lintel, the carpenter, de
^ c/sred it was opening 4 door for dangerous
usurpation. Neighbour Clover, the
Grazier, difcoversd in it the fair of domi
nation, which might grow to greater length
than was imagined. Mr. Bodkin declsr
ed that in his opinion that the measure
would by no means , republican spirits.
IMifcellany.
[N®. 35. ofVot. ll.]
ts• M?§fatufoUfa Wfi Vfrl 1
the CORDWAiNER—N° 12.
From the WESTERN STAR.
Or, CHESHIRE JOURNAL.
Columbian Informer;
PRINTED and PUBLISHED by HENRr BLAKE, & CO. INKEENE, New-Hampshire.
your Gncere admirer, and
. very humble servant,
Tom Tinumi
So ranch for this talkative correspond
ent. 1 have certainly now ballanced ac
comptswith him for all his Services, by
giving his letter to the public at full
length.
And now, with a heavy heart, my dear
reader, do I again return to thee. This
is the left paragraph thou art going to
read of these my ple*fing labours. Me
thinks 1 fee then, in thy elbow chair, with
one hand holding this goodly sheet, and
with he other wiping the generous moisture
from thine eyes ; and, 1 profcis, the pic
ture hanimoft made a very woman of me.
Well ! the belt friends must part —But a
word in your car, facet-heart ! perhaps,
we may meet again. Between you and
me, I am only going to Ihift my ground.
These flingy Printers, and News-paper
readers, never pay us petty paragraphias
a farthing, and you know we have empty
bellies, as well as—heads; and may with
equal propriety adopt the plea of the
preacher,
" For 'us with grief of heart I tell ye,
" Haw much this writing fcoors the bel
ly."
I am determined therefore to consoli
date the remainder of my literary labours,
and have them bound in Calf; and I
know very well who Hands ready for the
job. Farewell!.
+ , —— -
AS the French Jacobins artfully
brought into use two abftrad
terms. Liberty and Equality, to save the
trouble of defining or understanding a
true Republican Canftitution of govern
ment ; so with great address they gave
themselves the name of Patriots, and their
oppofers in general the name of arifto
craft. A patriot in France, has been a
man who has fallowed themoft violent de
magogue of the day, firft La Fayette was
a patriot, then Dumourier, then Brifrot,
Pache, Bailly or Petion, then Danton, and
Marat, then Roberfpierra—and now T#l-
And your brother Craftfman, Andrew
Awl-Blade,after recapitulating the fob
ilance of the preceeding observations,
begged leave to de/t the debate by moving
a refoive, “ that the said Proclamation is
inexpedient and unconstitutional;" which
was carried by a refpadable majority ; and
it is not, perhaps, unworthy of serious
remarks, that this RESOLVE still remains
in full force, unreverfed, on record.
It were dull sport, yen know, if we
were all of one sentiment ; there would
be little scope for our speeches and our
arguments. ^ have also a Minority;
and you are not to suppose that our debates
upon jour political labours have paffe^
without the occurrence of fomethiag like
a NORTHERN INTEREST. There have
not been wanting among as fame %lo
have called in question the orthodoxy of
your principles, and could difeover marks
©f arihocracy lurking in your heart. I
have with difficulty been able to fatisfy
federal that yon are a real crafifmau.—
" Do but mark that ariftocratieal sneer,"
they would fay ; “ it is as plain as the
nose in one's face. And then do you ob
serve these chips of latin ? I warrant he
has made ten bonds and indentures to one
pair of (hoes;"
1 have flood forth in your defence, &,
to the last. If you conceive my honest
exertions in your behalf merit any return,
pray give this letter a place in your Essays;
or make honourable mention of me and
our Society in such manner as you think
proper ; and permit me to subscribe my-
CANDID OBSERVATIONS
ON THE
REVOLUTION IN FRANCE.
[/ROM THS MINERVA.]
TUESDAY, November 25, 1794.
by the friends and foes of La Fayette,
that be has never changed his system or
his condud—he rilked life to bring about
a reform of government, and he swore
to fapport that reformed government—he
adhered to his oath—he a&ed the part of
an hoeeft man. But fix months after, a
new fadion springs up, and proposes fur
ther reforms in the government. These
Jacobins fay, we must throw aside the
constitution of i7gi,& down with the king,
though in direct violation of their oaths.
The Jacobins bring over the populace of
Paris—they in an infant change their
tone—La Fayette is an aristocrat and a
traitor. Why ! He is not changed—it is
the people who have changed—hie con
dud was patriotism yrjhrda, bet to da, is
treason, without any change in the man.
Is there then in France any fiandard by
which patriotism can be known and de
termined ? Not at all ; patriot and arif
tecrat are terms of no definite meaning—
their fer.fe is changed from day to-day to
suit the whims of the most capricious
populace in the known world. ,
The fame tale may be told of Petion, of
Pache, of Bailly, of Roland, of Dumour
ier, of Briffot, of Hebert, ofDanton, and
of Roberfpierre. Each of these leading
then has been hailed as a patriot one day,
and the next, denounced as a tyrant, a
traitor, a conspirator. Why? Simply
because there is in France no constitution
paramount to the wills of men—no fixed
standard of political right and wrong. If
the populace to-day can be persuaded to
believe the constitution of 1791 the best
for France, then its advocates a fad suppor
ters are patriots. If to-morrow some de
magogue can make them believe, theta
federal republic is best for France, then
La Fayette is an aristocrat, a traitor, a
conspirator, and Briffot and Roland, are
patriots. If the next day Marat and
Danton can turn the populace of Paris
about, and make them believe that a re
public one and indivifHc is the only
good government for France; inn mo
ment Briffot is a traitor, a ctfpirator,
his head is cut off, and Roberfpierre is
the patriot. If another day, Tallien can
make the populace believe Rcberfpierre
has too much power, or is aiming to ob
tain it, ina moment the popular eg is
land eg red upon,by the people of France,
h'^m it is by the Chinese or Tartars.—
; Msli Frenchmen agree in opposing the
•mies of the combined powers, and fa far
/are patriots, but whether Condorcet's, or
Briffot's or Rdberfpierre's ideas of a good
government far France, are right and pa
triotic is not fettled or afeertained.•
The term arittocrat is of still less cer
tain import. It is a name that incurs o
dium ; it answers its purpefe, of exposing
any man that the demagogue of the day
wishes to get rid of, to popular relent
meat and fury ; and hiftary will hereaf
ter recount numberleft instances of men's
falling a facrifice to that tingle word, fix
ed Upon them by a jealous rival, without
committing the least crime agaiaU their
country.
La Fayette, in 1789 land 1790, was
the best of patriots. The popdace of
Paris, id thousands and ten thousands,
thronged aroued him, with rise fa Fay
ette. This man accepted the Conflitu
tion of 1791, and took a solemn oath to
.maintai* t. It so admitted on all hands,
doubtedly a friend to his country, but what
kind of opinions such a man muff have, or
what form of government he must advocate
is never ^ fobjeft of enquiry with the mul
tifade ; sad that kind of government
wh?ch is ball for France and whicha rial
friend to that country ought to espouse, is
no more defined or underflood, or fettled
The great mate of people annex no
clear idea to these terms. Patriot is an-
lieu, Collet and Billsnd. All who fup
p^t the luliag party, are patriots; all
who oppose them are aristocrats.
Fampeluna in Navarro remains altoge
ther undisturbed, notwithstanding what
was asserted in our left accounts from Bil
bos.
In the latter city every apprebenfion
has fubGded ; in consequence of which an
order has been issued for the ships which
had been loaded with fores, &c. prepar
atory to their departure in the firft mo
ment of alarm, to unload ; as also it has
been fignified, that the port is again o
pen for trading veffe'dof every defcri,
lion.
The levy of i,o,cco men being near
ly completed, a grand attack of the ene
my was expeded to take place daily,—
The French army is behind Tolofa —
that place is not takeui
^orug/n. cTrttel/^mGd.
NGLA N D.
LONDON, SEPT. 17.
Spanish Affairs.
BYthe Corunna Mail of this morn
ing, we have letters direaly from the
Spanish head quarters in Guipufcoa,
dated August 28, which confirm oar late
ftateraent in every particular, and add
that the enemy had made no further prog
ress.
1 HE Christian Citizen is full, con
vinced that your customer in your Inform-,
tT,No.^fois troubled quitbtbe blind bead rich
as he discovers evident symptoms of the
blind Staggers ; in what he hath written.
While he labors under this difea/e, bis il
lumination and conviction is not so much
expected, as;defired : Yet for the benefit
of others, the following comment is of
fered upon the words of the proclamation,
viz. “ That the LORD whose true know
ledge is defoed," is not the LORD our
Righteoufnefe io the MEDIATORIAL
sense, according to the juU coattruaion of
the PROCLAMATION. For in the
whole proclamation there is mentibn bids
only of the firfl person io the Chriflian
Trinity, termed, “ The LORD, and Be
nevolent Ptrent of the Universe : The
CREATOR, Preserver, and bountiful
Benefactor, the Sovereign LORD, AL
MIGHTY GOD, The PARENT."—
His infection of rigbtemfafi in crotchets#
and his quotation of St. Paul are ncithat
of them to his purpose. The Christian
Citizen complains,and many good people
of this State join with him therein, that
there hath beena cautious and it seems a
designed omiim of the name of the
GREAT MEDIATOR for years past in
the proclamations of this State ; which is
looked upon ar a grievance,if not a deitti
cal insult, face there to mo denomination
of Worshipping Christians in this State
or throughout the whole world, whatever
apprehenfioas the, may have of the per
sonal nature and dignity of the SON OF
GOD, but what worship the one only
SUPREME GOD the FATHER,
through his MEDIATION. The
Christian Citizen therefore still recom
mends it to the free Ele&ors of the States
to take care in season against such future
impositions bv the us friends to the
RIGHTS of CHRISTIANS.
A CHRISTIAN CITIZEN.
changed from Vive Roberfpierre, to aa
aristocrat, a tyrant, a village; and his
head is off. Yet these men have never
been proved traitors. The truth is,there is
no Randard of patriotism in France, bat
the whim of the populace. The peo
ple with for liberty, but know not what
farm of government will fecare them
that liberty.
For the Columbian Informix, &c.
Massas. Printers,
[IT HOLE No. 87.]