Jenks' Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1803-1805, 1803-11-19


chuletts, was once invited 10 dine at the
houfc Of an Old charter Senator, who fill
retained the cultom of faying grace while
fitting. When about TO fit down, the
grave old Senator, from motives ofrelpeGt
to the Governor, a{ked which method of
laying grace would be mot agreeable to
his exceIlency. lie carelelsly replied
h" fitting or fanding, any way or no way,
juf as YOU pleaGe. Governor Burnet
was aduated, no doubt, in this initance,
by that philofophic indifference which a
man of a liberal mind will always feel for
matters Of mere form. Bat, be ulagc,
in fact, ever 70 much amatter Of form,
yet, if long efabiihneat has givani. a
fanaion, if general habits Of thinking have
conferred upon it dignity and importance,
fenfble man will treat it with reipc6ffnl
attention, and be wary how he cautelelsly
tram pies il under foot. To act a contrary
part, to be forever cavitling at eaabiihed
formalities, and thriving TO fupercede them
with others, which, though more novel,
are not whit more figni6cant or ufeful,
betrays a dilpofition Of mind, not only
mean and little, but puerile, frivolous
and contemplate. r.. m
notwithstanding the patchwork fyfen1
of innovation, in France, has long 1ince
been knocked in head, a certain great
man, on this fde the water, till fticks 10
to the fluff, and abates not an atom of his
ardor in carrying on the good work.
One would have thought that the practice,
by the PRECEDENT, of making perfonal COM
munications to the two houfes Of Congrei8
on the opening of the felton, practice,
introduced by Warrington, conformed TO
by Adams, and inflated by the feveral
State Executives; practice, which, while
it gave to the aaembled Representatives. Of
the nation an appearance, auguf, lolcmn
and grand, afforded TO the PRECEDENT a
chance for the di(play ofrational and man
ly eloquence, one would have thought, |
fay, that fuch practice woul have re-
ceived, asst certainly meri1ed, ionie degree
of attention from the man who now fits at
the helm of public affairs. But, at the
hour when the Senate and Hou(e Of Re-
prefentativcs have aticmbled together and
wait with impoGn3 dignity for perfonal
addrcfS from the Executive, he potts OF a
boy to them with a written u1eaage. while
he himlelf remains at home. very much
at his own cafe. Some may applaud fuch
condua as philofophic but fcndble men
will not fail to conGder it in its true light,
and condemn ii as the re1ult OF mean
ipirit Of innovation. ~
The menagc to Congrels on the opening
Of the prelent leflon, is principally taken
up with the lubiea Of the transfer of Loui-
Gana 10 the United States,--Butler, in his
celebrated poem, delineates hero, who
could not open his mouth, but out there
few trope. So, too, our Prelident can
rot make out menage, without interlard-
ing il With descriptions Of the grand and
marvellous kind and itnlult be confeded
that he has become highly confpicuous IN
the eyes Of the world, not Only By reafon
of the high altitude Of his pof, but ALTO
in coraequencr of the magnitude of the
fcllemes and projects which, with magical
dexterity, be conjure8 up and fprcads be-
fore Congrefs. One mel1age fpeaks Of
laying up whole navies in dry and iheltcr-
ed DOCKS, iuf as winner flows away
empty caiks in a cellar. A fecond mel-
fage propoles to pay of that mortal can
ker, the national debt, with as little trou-
bic and in as l1ort time, as an enterpri-
fling farmer would pay off ,fnall mort
gage. incumbtance. 4, A third meiiage
fartles us with the invention of buying
up whole provinces and even empires,
IN ,,c .. common broker .Durchafes I'm