The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1793-11-26 00:00:00, page 1

are out of danger, their paflionace
desire of peace as far exceeds vulgar
bounds, as their ardour in war.
They efleem peace the greatest bleP
Ting under heaven ; and their young
men and maids of fine natural parts
with their bards, or druids, frame
SongS of Peace, while their venera
ble Sachems mention it with such
complacency and triumphant rap
ture, that their speech seems a poeti
cal language or rather a fort of divine
enihufiafm.
they have been known to continue
Tinging their exploits, and triumph
ing in their glorious fate, even in the
midst of torments and the agonizing
throws of death. On the other hand,
whenever their country and liberty
chara&er of them. Whenever their
country or liberty lie at. stake their
heroic ardour and contempt of death,
has often been carried lo far, that
I AMERICAN INDIANS.
T is a very great mistake to
think those people are barbarians,
always thirsting after human blood.
Very different is their chara&er.—
They are the greatest peace lovers,ar
the fame time that they are, per
haps, the fierceftand boldest warriors
on the face of the earth. Their bra
very in the day of battle, and their
constancy in enduring hard(hips,have
never been excelled by the most re
nowned Romans; nor in time of
peace, have the most generous na
tions ever cutfhone them, in afls of
humanity, hospitality, justice, and
sincerity.
Peace they always express by the
emblem of a fair tree, , whole top
reaches to the fun, and whose roots
are extended through all the nations
that are leagued in the fame chain
with themselves. Such nations they
rtprefent as reposing unmalefted un
der the sacred (hade of this tree,
cheered with'the ambrosial dews of
happiness, dropping from its ever
verdant leaves.
Upon the whole, then, this is the
general character of these reputed
barbarians, that they will cheerfully
forego the allurements of eafej and
undaunted, confront the blackest hor
rors of war, whenever liberty and their
country point the way •, and, when
these are no more at ftake,they will as
cheerfully relmqoifh the charms of
conquest, and <y to feaft upon the
private fodal joys, under the Ihade
of their beloved tree of peace : And
herein, perhaps,they may bethought
worthy of the imitation of politer na
tions. They think their whole hap
piness and reputation, as a people de
pends Open fuppcrdng this character;
and their whole policy and public
ceremonies, both at making war and
peace, are calculated to support it.
The night before they go forth to
war, it is their custom to assemble ;
and,having their faces painted in the
most frightful manner,as they always
have in the day of battle, every war
rior, fifing up in his turn Tings the
great exploits of his ancestors, togeth
er with his own. This is accompa
nied with violentgefticulation, work
ed up to such a pitch as would make
any Fpe^ator that is unacquainted
with their customs uneasy. This'is
J I
• , ' ■' - ■ * . . ■ ■ Z
Numerous are the proofs which
might be brought in support of this
Volume VIII.]
The American Herald of Liberty..
EXETER ( New-Hampfr ire) Printed and Published by H^nryßanlet, in Main-Street, at fix frillings and eight pence per annum.
CbaraElerifticks of the
They promulgate peace with the
greatest folemnfties, particularJy the
burying of the hatchet, or ax of war,
the planting of the tree of peace, to
gether with the dancing and Tinging
of peace Tongs-
Their humanity and hospitality
are as remarkable as their other vir
tues. It is known by long experi
ence,. that when £nce they have se
cured their prisoners they never use
them ill, and, in times of the greatest
want, they will rather fuffer them
selves, their wives and children to
starve than to fee their prisoners des
titute of their allowance. Nor is
there one instance of their having ev
er offered the least violence to any fe
male captive.
Strangers, who take fanCtuary a
mong them of whatever nation or
colour, they proteCt with the most
scrupulous fanCtity of honor. Sooner
than deliver up any refugee, or vio
late what they think the laws of hof
picaliry, they will pay his debts for
him or give the value of him in
skins to his master. -Nor do
they rest here or think they have
done enough for- the happiness
of the jierfon who thus throws
himfelf upon their protection until
they have given him lands for a
maintenance, and naturalized him a
mong their nations. What is there
in the primitive ages of virtue and
simplicity, more worthy of admira
tion, than these .well attested faCts I
When any body of people from 0-
ther nations Comes among them, they
offer them settlements. and incorpo
rate them with themselves ; by which
means they strengthened their little
states, and gave specimens of the belt
policy.
With regard to fbms vices and sa
vage customs that prevail among
them we ought not to be surprised
at them, when we put their many
shining virtues in the balance, and
reflect upon the force of custom and
education, which in the politest ha
tion^, has frequently foftened and fa
miliarized the most barbarous aCtions
such as burning children alive in fa
crifice, & persecuting one another to
death for Gob’s fake. ]
these gefticulations,they reprefehc the
manner in which those great actions
were performed, which are the fub
je6l of their song. In the mean
while, all present join, from time to
time, in the chorus, and applaud eve
ry notable a£t. Perhaps, as Mr.
Colden, their hiftory writer, judrei
oufly observes, rude solemnities of
this kind might have given the firft
rife to tragedy.
But further, to avoid digressions,
it is a Ifo their custom to represent
their chief ad ions on trees, near their
dwellings which with these war songs
transmits the hiftory of their illustri
ous atchievemenis from generation
to generation. All this, joined to
that solemn reception, and those ac
clamations of applause (not-inferior
to the honors of a Roman triumph)
which they have On their return from
war, ferveto keep alive that love of
liberty, and spirit of heroism, which
constitute their peculiar charader.
They take as much pains on the oth
er hand, to propagate the love of
honorable peace, as to keep alive a
noble ardor in honourable war.
what is called the war dance; and by
TUESDAY, November 26, 1793.
The extraCi fromDr ^ranklin' s life,
and which the 14 patriotic” printers
are requested to republifli, was writ
ten in France, when France was unn
der a government, whose friendlhip
for the United States was evidenced
by deeds & not merely by the barren
plauGbilicy of words ; a government
which sent us gentlemen forAmbaffh
dors, who strove to conciliate the at
feCtions of their aliies > &whose deport
ment was worthy of the dignified
sphere in which they moved,who kept
no hostile guards round their person,
nor lent recruiting officers throughout
the continent ; who scorned to de
feend to a newspaper scribbling 5
who kept no secretaries in pay to a
buse the most virtuous and patriotic
officers in the government they were
fenuo ; and whose agents were di
rected to be subservient to the laws
of the nations in which they resided,
and not screen rebellion under the
cloak of inviolability. It was that
France and thole men, whole friend
ffiip for America is celebrated by
Dr. Franklin ; and his wishes were
re-echoed throxighout America’ But
the murder of one American, and
the whipping of another, added to
the contumelious behaviour of other
Agents of the Republic, mdy possi
bly have altered those w;flies •,
and were the American philosopher
now to tell his tale; our ears would
be saluted with vary different lan
guage.
ExtraEi a letter from Dr. Franklin,
“ HIS powerful nation (speaking
of Fraice) continues its friendfhip
for the United States. It is a friend
fhip Ot the utmost importance to our
fecuriry, and (houkl be carefully cul
tivate!. Britain has not yet well di
gefte^ the lots of its dominion over
us -, ind has still at times some flat
tering hopes of recovering ir. Acci
dent! may increase those hopes, and
encourage dangerous attempts. //
Ire ado between us and Prance would
infal\bly bring the Englilh again upon
our lacks ; and yet we have some
wildbcafts among our countrymen,
who are endeavouring to weaken that
connexion.
On reading the id volume of the life of
the American Patriot, the late Dr.
Franklin, the following paragraphs
in his letter to Dr, Mather, dated
Paris, May 12, 1784, are peculiar
proper to the present times, and are
* therefore re published. The elegance
of the diElion, and the justness of the
sentiment, jo remarkably charaEierif
tic of our deceased friend in all his
' writings,render any comment unnecefr
Jary. The knowledge andiuforma
tion of the Do El or in all the secret po
litics of Europe, give a validity to
his prophecy.
“ Let us preserve our reputation
by performing our engagements ;
our credit by fulfilling our contracts,
and our friends by gratitude and
kindness, for we know not how soon
we may again-have occasion for all
of them.”
to Dr. Mather, dated Paris,
COMMUNICAI IONS.
. May, 1 2 th, 1784.
A London paper Jays^ a most wond^
erful curiojity has very lately been sent
to John SelwandyE'q, Portman Jquare
—lt is a hawk of a very large Jize,
caught at the Cape of Good Hope— ■■ —
round its neck is a gold collar, of curi^
ous workmanjhip, on which have been
difeovered the following words : This
godlie Hawke doth belong to his majedie
James, kinge of England, A.D. 1610.
The hawk still Jhews a degree of vigor,
and the only symptoms of old age dis
coverable is, dimness of fight, and a
change in the colour of the feathers
round the neck, from brown to white.
It is a circumstance little known— .
that this Song which has been so pow
erful an engine in the French Revolu
tion, had its origin in a faying of the
celebrated Dr. Franklin. When he .
was in France, and wat informed of
any disastrous event that had occured
to the Americans, he always said, “ I
expelled it, but nevertheless, ca ira.”
As the Dr, became popular, the words
became remarkable ; and at lafi when
a fang was wanted for Revolution pur*
poses, this faying was chosen for the
ground-work of it,. - v
Wanted a Toting Woman, who under
finds cubing—-needs no Jcclding—^nor takes fnuf--
—of a good difpojition-r-faithful—honeft and of good
^aratier— Good wages will merit. Ex quirt hert.
J
Donations in money, received by
the committee for the relief of the
poor and afflicted citizens of Phila
delphia, October 29, publilhed by
order of the committee : Dols. Cts;
From the common council
of the city of New York, 5000
From the citizens of Phila
delphia, in and our, e 455^ 4^
From New-Jersey, 863 87
State of Delaware, 500
Montgomery county, 386
Delaware county, 12 45 2 5
Franklin county, 474 44
Lancaster county, 1018 19
Chefler county, 13'
Bucks county, 16
14069 21
' HEfeefing mind has,for a length
of time,been engaged for the diftrefles
of our lately unhappy - brethren of
Philadelphia, lately Ifay,becaufe we
have every reason to hope that their
distresses are now in a great measure
removed—a very general emulation
seems to prevail in the neighbouring
Town! and Villages, who (hall be
firft in aiding them in their affliction
by contributing in some way or other,
to their relies—provisions have been
sent them—clothing (we hear 200
fmts) have been sent them—money
have been sent them—in short, it ap->
pears that no exertions have been
wanting to give them every poflible
aid —but the gift that will add more
to their relief than all others is the late
great gift of Heaven—we have been
bountifully supplied with refrefhing
rains—the Heaven that was as Brass
over our heads, and the earth that was
as iron under our feet are now moist
ened with the heavenly dews—if this
divine benevolence has extended to
that once flourifhing City, it will, we
hope Jo alter the complexion of things
as to enable the perfected inhabitants
to return, in a (hort time, to their for
faken habitations.
CA IR A I
[Nuinb. 21