The American Republican gazette — Concord, N.H., 1802-11-16 00:00:00, page 4

^ From the Trenton True Amtrican.
THE AFRICAN SLAVE.
TUNE—" BLLBN o'mOORI."
Ye font of Columbia, who taste every blessing
That liberty, Plenty & Peace can bestow,
Give ear to rogatory, & think how distressing.
Ah ! h?er the fad tale of an African's woe!
Tho guiltless my life was, without provocation
1 was torn from my country, companions,
and nation.
And doom'd to the toils of a life's mancipation
Ah 1 such the hard fate is of ITANIKO.
One morn, I my juvenile gambols was playing
No ill did I bode, for no fear did 1 know,
As thro the palm sorest thus cardeftly straying
A prey I was feiz'd by the steel-hearted foe:
Who drag'd me on board, where in fetters
they bound me, [round me,
While pale-vifag'd hell- hounds in horror fur-
I plung'd io the deep, hoping death would
have found me,
They fnatch'd from the billows poor taih.
My father !—I utter'd in wild exclamation,
While life's crimson current awhile ceas'd
to flow—
Awake, O my Country ! in just indignation,
The fwift feather'd vengeance dance from
the bow![qoifh,
In vain were all efforts their power to >an-
What language can piaure my heart-rending
anguish!>
Oh ! such the hard fate is of Itatih.
On board of our ship there arose a dire faction,
I let my curft fiends the conspiracy know :
But mark the reward of this life facing salon,
Aliho' I befriend them, no pity they show ;
For when on the shores of Columbia we land
ed,-
The caitiffs I fay'd, with what infamy brands
ed! [demanded,
The Chriftian' sbafe gold was the boon they
And fold as a slave was poor imih.
You boast of your Freedom—your mild Con
stitution,
See tears undiffembled for Liberty fliw!
Unmov'd can you witoefs such cruel delusion,
Who feel in your bosoms philanthropy
glow? - [created ?
Were we not by the feme COMMON Parent
Why then for the hue of my race am I bated ?
Why, faultlefs, to mis'ry & chains am I fated ?
Ah ! why is thus wretched poor Itetik.?
Each morn, to sash toils, I awake broken
hearted, freaking hoe ;
The blood streaming lash, and the sweat
By Country, by Hope, by all pleasure deserted,
A viaim, alas ! to unfjeakable woe :
O God of Columbia, behold with companion,
The cruelties, infalls, and wrongs of my na
tion; [pre ffton,
And blast from thy justice that tyrant op
That holds from bis country poor fo^ih
fr—— —- * .■■yjy,,* I .gen;
0e Crider.
THE criminal executioner common
ly called Jack Ketch, was lately fum
mondd to the courtof requests, by the
landlord of a public house, for a beer
score ; and on being asked how he
could pay it ? the fellow scratched his
head, and replied, that buftnefs was
very bad of late, they having lent so
many of his Cromers to Botany Bay ;
and really be didn't know how to pay
it ; but, iffobe as how the gentleman
pleased, he had no objection to work
it out for him, or any of his family.
INDIAN WIT.
Two Sachems of the Weftern Indians
dined at the house of a gentleman in
Philadelphia, amidst a splendid circle
—observing mustard on the table, and
not being acquainted with it, one of
them took into his mouth a fpoonful
at once „hr tears soon dreamed down
his rugged cheeks—but in a moment
collecting himfelf, and perhaps no less
ciefirous to conceal his ignorance than,
to fee his companion caught also, on
being allied by bis brother sachem the
cause of his tears, instantly replied, it
was caused by reflecting on the good
ness of his father, who fell in battle !
The company could hardly restrain
laughter—" The mourning sachem kept
an eye on his unfufpeding companion,
who presently took a fpoonful of the
mustard alfo—whichforced "the tears
from his eyes in streams—And what,
said the former, is the cause of ,our
crying, my good friend ? The latter,
with Indian readiness of wit, anlwer
ed—" Recaufe ,@ aw not killed with
your father !" a ,
Pleasing Hiftory;
, PEROUROU:
Or, The'BELLOWS MENDER.
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
[CONTINUED.]
■mat
THE next morning we confer
red together with that circum
fpeaion which, from that mo
ment had governed all our steps.
I employed one week in washing
myfelf night and morning to
clear my ikin ; the most cele
brated hairdreflers in Lyons, ar
ranged and dressed my hair in
the newest taste ; my ten friends
gave me a quantity of superb lin.
nen, elegant habits for all lea
fons, and they attached them
selves io to my perlon, now be
come the work of their hands,
that we were inseparable, every
instant they found themlelves
employed in inftruaing me.—
One learnt me to read, another
to write ; some notions of de
signing, a little music, and some
other studies, occupied, for three
months, my time and my mind-
I soon preceived that this kind of
life accorded perfectly with my
taste ; leven felta desire to per
fea those elements of my new
education. To study became
my governing passion ; nature
had given me the dilpofitions
and a memory so extraordinary,
that my young friends saw with
lurprife the rapid progress of
their new disciple.
At length they found me fit
ted to execute their projeas. I
quitted my elofet to take avast
apartment in one of the most el
egant hotels of Lyons. The
bellows mender disappeared, and
in his place appeared the rich.
Marquis De Rouperon, one of
the largest proprietors of the
mines of Dauphiny. It was un
der this title I presented myfelf
to the piaure merchant as an
amatuers who regarded but little
the price, provided the articles
were such as he approved of. An
exa& imitator of my learned
masters, I had learnt to turn
my rings, to make my watch to
repeat the hour, to Ihew forth
with a thoughtless air a superb
brilliant, to open an elegant box
on which was a fancy portrait,
which I modestly laid was that of
a sister very (fear to me ; in a
word 1 fought to please, and I ea
sily Succeeded. But it was not
fufficient to deceive the father, to
fulfil the views of my prote&ors,
it was further necessary to dupe
the daughter. While I was re
fleding on the means taarrive at
this, the merchant informed me
in anote, that he had just receiv
ed from Rome a superb collec
tion of engravings, and begged
me to step to his house in the
morning, as he did not wish to
expose them to sale until I had
firh made my choice. I went
without forefeeing the fate which/
awaited me. In place of being
received by the father, as I had
hitherto been, I found the daugh
ter, or rather beauty herielf ap
peared to my eyes under the form
of this adorable girl.
A gross exterior often inclofes
a sensible foul ; mine more sus
ceptible of passion than libertin
ilm, felt all the power of beauty.
A new universe dilplayed itfelf
before me ; I soon forgot that
the part I played was paid for :
a single sentiment abiorbed all
my foul, a single idea enchained
all my faculties. The charm
ing Aurora perceived her tri
umph, and appeared to hear with
complaisance the disordered ex
pressions which escaped my lips
in endeavouring to paint my
rising passion. This interview
fixed fofrever my destiny ; all ob
stacles disappeared before the e,
motions which my heart felt.
This Jingle instance inspired me
with the resolution of devoting
my days and nights to ftudy,l
that I might, by my abilities, be;
less unworthy of the happiness to;
which 1 aspired.
Every morning I found some;
pretext for visiting thejnerchants
shop, every morning I had some I
trinket to shew Aurora, or some;
objed of Bate to consult her up-I
on. It was the season for flow-:
ers, I hastened to offer boquets
cornpoled of those which appear
ed to me best to agree with her
color ; and my friends often|
'joined to them a fonneftor a;
madrigal, oi which I had all the;
honor. Sometimes I surprised
the eyes of this charming girl
fixed on mine with expressions
of tender approbation.
Six months pafled in this way.
The engravers, jealous of com
pleting their vengeance,' would
not,, by too much precipitation,
rifque losing all the fruit of it.;
Every evening they asked from
me an exa& recital of my con
, du&, and appeared so Satisfied
that they furnifhed me with
more money than my part re
quired.
One day I received an invita
tion from the merchant, to as
lift at a feaft he was to give in
the country, and of which I flat
tered myfelf I was thehero. This
beauty so vain, received me with
kindness, and paid me so many
delicate attentions, that, drawn
by her charros which heightened
the beauty of her dress, I seized
the firft moment we were alone
to give up a sentiment I could
no longer contain : I threw my
felf at her feet, and made an of
fer of my hand. She received
my proportion with dignity ;
but a tear which escaped from
her charming eye, convinced me
that pride was not the only sen
sation which agitated her heart,
I dilcovered/ that I was belov
ed.
After having deceived the daugh
ter on my birth it was easy to
blind the father on my fortune.
Having but little penetration, he
gave full confidence to the hifto
ry I gave him.—My father lived
on an estate, situated at the ex
' tremeity of Dauphiny : his age
and his infirmaties took from
him the hope of attending his
son to the altar, but he content
ed to my marriage so much the
more easily, as the riches of his
house were conliderably increaf-,
ed by the interest I had in the
mines of the province. I sup
ported with secret complajfance,
the resolution I had formed of
not accepting a dowry, adding,
that my fortune was too confide
table to require augmenting it
by that of a wife. Before the
end of the conversation we were
perfedly agreed, for I left him
absolute master of the conditions
—I only asked him to omit all
useless shews, as the family of
Aurora and mine were distant
from Lyons. It was agreed
that my marriage should take
place in a fortnight, and (charg
ed myfelf with drawing up the
preliminary articles.
Having with some difficulty,
obtained leave to quit Aurora, I
§ hastened to Lyons, to inform my
; friends that the play was near
ending, and recounted to them
|what had passed. They loaded
; me with so many praises, that
had 1 not possessed a small fliare
! of vanity, i should have believed
; that they mocked me ; but the
leventI event proved that they were fin
cere.—Tne thirst of avenging
themselves on the haughtiness of
Aurora became more ardent and
more whimsical- This lame day,
to complete the deception of the
; father and the daughter, they
I sent in my miftrels, a magnificent
,boquet, accompanied with a
[watch, bracelets of jewels, and
laces of the greatest beauty. To.
wards the end of the week they
drew up the contrast ; I took
care to sign my true name, a pre
[caution which I have found in
§the end to be of great use. By
Ithis contraa I made a fettelmerit
on my wife, I was far from
thinking I should be ever able to
realize
I deceived her without doubt ;
but, Heaven is my witness, it
was not without remade. When
I was with Aurora, love permit
;ted me to think of nothing but
her ; with my jovial friends,
their pleafantpes, their agreeable
manners, the kind of dependence
in which they held me, the leflons
the services I had received from
them, nothing permitted me to
reflea either on the present or
the future : but, in the silence of
solitude, my passions, my sophis
tries disappeared, and I law noth
ing but a frightful perlpe&ive be
fore me. " When I conne&ed the
idea of Aurora with that of the
coarse mattress of chaff which
was soon to be her lot ; when I
figured to myfelf her delicate
hands destined to prepare for us
the coarleft food ; this beauty,
which merited a palace, forced to
inhabit the cottage of my fath
er, I recoiled with horror, a mor
tal coldness froze all my fenftf.
Thus situated, I a thousand times
was on the point of throwing
myfelf at her feet to acknowledge
my crime, to cover myfelf with
that shame and infamy due to a
man capable of fa far degrading
himfelf. But, felf love and pas
sion came in their turns to succor
and prevent me :—enchained by
the attritions of the present, my
imagination spread rays of hope
on the obicurity of the future,
tfyfftow^