The American Republican gazette — Concord, N.H., 1802-11-30 00:00:00, page 4

PEROUROU :
Or, The BELLOWS MENDER.
WRITTEN BY HfMSBLF.
[Continued.]
I WAS well aware that the e
vent of this affair would be terri
ble for me; but still had not
considered it in all its circum
stances of horror. The engrav
ers, in the whole course of their
inftruaions to me, had been cau
tious of putting it into my pow.
er to difeover theth. They car
tied back with them what they
had given us, and we remained
like the fpe&ator at a play, who,
after the illusion of some en
chanting' scene, fees the curtain
fall, and the charm is gone.
The unhappy Aurora had seen
nothing of all this. The en
graver had continued talking to,
her, for some time (he was inca
pable of attending to him, and
when they disappeared, (he was
in a state of insensibility. Judge
then of the situation I was in, re
coiled that the inftrudions 1 had
deceived, and^the new kind of
life 1 had led for a considerable
time, had begot in me all that
sensibility and delicacy of mind,
she feeds of which had been (own
.inme by nature. Alas! in this
critical moment I trembled at the
thought of losing the woman I
adored, as much as I dread to
restore her to sensation. I paid
her every fond attention, and
lometimes almost wished they
might have no effea. For a
while these criminal wishes seem
ed to be realized. At length,
however, with all the assistance
we could give her, Aurora came
to herfelf again for a moment.
With wild and frantic looks her
eyes met mine :—" Monster"
she exclaimed, and instantly re
lapsed into her former condition.
I took advantage of this feeond
fainting fit, to remove from the
scene the bystanders, confiding
chiefly of women, whole tawny,
withered,fun.bufht viffages made
them resemble Hecate's troop.
I laid my groaning wife upon a
little clean straw, on which was
laid an old hair matrefs of my
father, which had been spread o
ver it by the neighbors. Being
come to herfelf, I lignified to
those about us we wanted to be
alone, that I might have no wit
nffs of the painful confeffions
1 found myfelf compelled to
, make.
When the crowd separated I
took Aurora in my arms; I held
her to my heart, and bathed with
my tears her cheeks. At length
(he opened her eyes; she fixed
them on mine, & the look smote
me with horror. The firft words
(he uttered, were to request me
under pretext of deep, which we
both much wanted, to defer un
til the following day the fright
ful relation of the plot to which
she had fallena facrifice. I yield
ed to her request, and retired,
leaving her with the curate'sniece
whose affeaionate attention she
seemed to receive with regard &
pleasure. How (hall I describe
thedreadful night which fucceed
edl Fallen from a refpeaable si
tuation, money and oppulence,
into a inferable village which as
forded no relief, having only a
few guineas left ; and my wife,
the adorable Aurora, in the firft
bloom of life and youth, accus
tomed to the plealures of a cir
cle of acquaintance, of which she
was the brightest charm and or
nament, now to find herfelf re-
I duced, by a most accursed plot,
to remain in the hut of a poor
. old man, refpeaable tis true, but
in a state of the meanest indi
gence. As I knew myfelf to be
:the principal cause of all this mi
sery and mifchief, the accomplice
in all this wrong and deception,
what was Ito do? How was it
possible for me to soothe a heart
thus wounded 1 I could not im
agine that all my profeflions of
attachment,or my fondeft caresses
1 could restore her to happiness.—
Such a presumption would have
been madness. I saw the inevit
able fatality of her destiny and
my own. As for myfelf I had as
yet experienced no reverse of for
tune. Born in misery, I was ha
bituated to every want ; but my
tortured heart, this heart of too
much sensibility, announced that
1 (hould have yet to undergo the
severest trials which fall to the
lot of human nature. I (hould
not only have to bear the cold in
difference of the object in which
I had found complete happiness,
to find myfelf banished from a
heart, whole affections (upported
my existence, and to read aver-;
fion in the eyes of a woman on
the possession of whom the peace
and life of my foul depended ; but।
I had allo the killing refleaion,/
that my punishment would not 1
end merely in her hatred or in-•
difference ; but that contempt
would render it still more terri
ble. And further, I reflected,
that I should be considered an ob
je& of horror as well as of con-I
tempt. Hated by her I almost |
worfhipped, 1 (hould not even
have the consolation of complain
ing, and' no doubt remained that
the sting of a wounded conscience
would close the period of my tre
mendous destiny. How many
tormenting thoughts diffracted
me at once I Had I not been the
(ole cause of all Aurora's misfor
tunes ; had I not thrown a (hade
over the brilliant horizon of her
liter had I not enveloped her in
a night of misery & misfortune ?
and was I not the wretch who
had plunged a dagger into her
bosom? Perhaps her only asylum
must now be the grave. Perhaps
her last breath may only be re
ceived to curie me ; or if pity
(hould induce her to grant me a
generous pardon, her pity, and
even her pardon, will be more
excruciating to me than her cur
ies, and more bitter than the fe
vered reproaches ! Such were
the terrible apprehensions which
tortured my mind, and prevent
ed me from enjoying that repole
Ifo eagerly, (ought. At length
to make my situation still more
gloomy, a deluge 'of rain over
flowed the crols road which led
to, Montelemart, and rendered it
impaflable for several days. This
prevented me from fending to
that town, as! had intended, for
a coach to convey Aurora to less
mortifying lodgings.
It will naturally be supposed
that I frequently enquired after
I my unfortunate companion.—
I The answers I received were fa
tisfadory ; the attention I paid
her had a return something like
complaisance I was even given
to know that I might be admit
ted to her the next day ; that her
mind (hewed a firmnels of char
after, a strength and courage,
which in the Shocking situation
in which (he flood, would afton
ilh and confound her despicable
enemies. All this infori nation,
which seemed to be attended with
an air of mystery, did not add to
Imy confidence of mind This
terrible next day brought terror
and dismay along with it. This
fatal interview seemed to me more
dreadful than death, and I fought
several pretexts to evade it, when
the door of my room was thrown
open, and the ever engaging Au
rora made her appearance. I
threw myfelf at her feet, and ba
: thed one of her hands with my
;tears. She, for some time, look
ed steadily on me, while in this
j humiliating posture; then, mak
ing me rile, (he laid to me with
I all the dignity of the most invin
:cible pride of spirit, “ lou bale
}deceived me ; but remember that
your pardon depends on your future
'conduct. If a Jingle generous Jen-
I timent remains in your beart, if
! you are unwilling to confgn me to
I new misfortunes, take care that you
'no longer assume the title you bave
I usurped. Mademoiselle.......
l offers me a decent retirement in ber
• uncle's bou/e. J bave accepted ber
offer, becauje it alike suits my Jitua
tion and duty. You may come there
whenever you please : we will con
cert the means of quitting this mif
-lerable place, and providing some
; source for our future Juftenance ; —
I leave to my honor the care of defend
ing your own."
Tobe mliuttui.
aHram3=££^^z===^=======^=^==±==rcMrc:
BANK STOCK.
Philadelphia, Nov: 8.
The United States bank Jhares have
been a fubjed of much mistake and
of some groundless uneasiness. It
has been asserted, that the sale was
injudiciously effe&ed. Suppose
Pennfylvapia had adopted the plan
of a new Improvement Bank : Would
the United States bank flock have
fallen or risen ? Suppose the quarrels
about German indemnities or about
the division of Turkey, had brought
on a new war. All or any of these
things would have affeaed our bank
flocks and public flocks. The sales
might^ave been rendered flow, and
. difficult, and even impossible at so
great an advance upon the cost.
There may have been many things
unfavorable to our flocks and banks,
known to the cabinet miniflers of the
general government, which may have
influenced the secretary of the treas
ury.
The sum fold was avail one. No
American purchaser or company
would or could buy so great a num.
ber of (hares at once, in the moll
plentiful state of money matters. But,
it would be more difficult in the midfl
ofthe embarraflments among trading
men on the late fudcien peace. The
farmers never could command money
for such great purchases, and the gen.
era! fall of produce has made money
more scarce among them than in
1801.— Besides, if Jo much flock had
been brought for sale at once inAmer--
ica, it would have lowered the priqe
instantly. Had the secretary openly
and publicly offered to fell, the very
knowledge that he was going to dis
pose of such avast sum would have
. made every body hold back, and the
bank flock would have fallen greatly
i& the market, to the injury of the
United States, and of all private hold
ers. The foreigners would then have
got our bank flocks at very low pri.
ces. There would then have been a
great clamor against the secretary that
he could not keep his own fecrecs 'till
be bad made his bargain.—-But
this is not all.—The obj^a ofthe sale
was to raise a large sum of money to
pay debts in Europe. Had Mr. Gal
latin gone into the market to buy
bills of exchange, to so great an
amount, he mull have railed bills
as much as he must have low
ered bank flocks. When bills are
railed on the merchants by the public,
it is a great injury to them, and they
raise the prices of goods upon the peo
ple. All this would tyave been put
upon the shoulders of the secretary.
It would have been justly laid, that
he had raised the prices of our cloth
ing and of all kinds, of European
goods. The importers of dry goods
and the wearers and confirmers of drv
goods would all have had cause to
complain. By felling to a great Eu#
ropean concern (which unites the
Dutch Hopes & Co. and the English
Barings, and a number of their Eu.
ropean and American connexions)
and by stipulating pay in bills atpar
(or without the lead advance or pre
mium) it is clear and certain, that
the secretary has avoided a great re.
du&ion of the price of bank stocks
and a great advance in the price of
bills. It is probable that good fafe
bills could not have been bought to
such an amount in America at one
moment in addition to the necessary
demands of the merchants. If a
•large sum of bills had proved bad,
what would have been said of the fed
eral government ? This vast risk (al
ways greatest on a sudden peace) has
been avoided, and every merchant
knows it to be no pretence. In these
times of unbounded enterprize and
fpeculaiion, merchants and bill draw
ers of the greatest credit fail monthly
in every country. Had the bills prov
ed bad, the public Credit of the Unit
ed Sates, never so high as in the time
oJtheprefent actyniftration, must have
been deeply wounded by the conse
quent failure to dilcharge the interest
of the due part of the principal of the
Dutch loans.
There is another>confideration of
some importance, in this case. The
government of the United States, by
ceasing to be interested in the bank,
leaves the institution in a more fafe
situation. There is no bottom so
pleating or so solid for a bank, as
numerous private Or individual flock
holders. Most of the banks, which
have been injured or ruined in Eu
rope, have fuffcred from their too
great connexions with the govern
ments. which from their vast (hares
and influence led them astray. The
stock holders of the bank ofthe Unit
ed Stales, and of all other American
banks, are under real obligations to
Mr. Gallatin for so managing this
great and important tranfa&ion as to
keep up and help to produce the preb
ent high price of bank (hares. E.e
ry man of judgment knows this to
be true : and every candid man will
acknowledge it with pleasure. It will
be found, that the republican ad
ministration of the union and of the
ftate# have lrved the cause of prop
erty, both public and private, by
their economy, by good management,
and by its fteadyddefence.
NECKER