The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-05-12

FOR TIE ENQUIRER.

-xxsraes sf a Ietn~ frofn Ti~sshy Rseas h.hare
TO hisj,.end IN the soYnfry, dated City Of RicA-
nsond, Nay 9rA.
''You have read, my friend, the merry advoh-
tures OF Tristram Shandy-where Sterne de-
scribes the appearance of the man with the ione
nose, who raised such a COMPOUNDED dust in
Strasburg. =" This stranger had not got half
league on HE way towards Frankfort before all
the city OF Strasburg was in an uproar about his
nose. The Coinpline Bells were just ringing to
call the Strasburgers to their deSotions and shut
up the duties of the day i'm prayer mo soul i'm
all Strasburg heard 'em--the city was like q
swarm OF bees--men, women, and children fy.
ing here K therein ut one .oor, and out at ano.
ther-this way and that way-long ways aud
cross ways-ap one street, down another street
LIN ut this alley. out of thatdid you see it did
you see it did you see it o! did YOU see it
Who saw it who did see il, for mercy's sake.
who saw iti-In the hurry & confusion every thing
had been in the night before, the bakers had ali
forgot to lay their leaven--there were no buter-
ed buns to be had for breakfast in all Strasburg
tho whole close of the cathedral was i'm one e.
ternal commotion-sucit a cause of restlessness
and dis1uietude, and such jealous enquiry into
the cause OF that restlessness, had never happen
ed in Strasburg since Martin Luther, with his
doctrines, had turned the city upside down"
Such were the words that burst from my lips.
after had been but one hour in this great CITY.
the mart OF commerce, and the s,etyobolis of
D.
(ect OF contention-the whole city was miracu.
lousy turned into logicians and philosophers
the streets swarmed with theirint sbitants, wran
Cling, demonstrating, Turning, flaming, dispu.
ting, reasoning, and last of all, Cthe ulti,1a rat;s
OF Virginian , betting that they were right
Such cause OF restlessness had never been in
this modern Strasburg, since the times wher all
ut them were disputing zvhen the 18th century
ended, Or hovu to multiply & 10 1885, IL by r 70
ies IL !. The raising OF the Embargo was no.
thing al all to 1.-THE imperial order for the ex
portation of grain was but u DIVERT to ir-'rbe
love OF pelf was feeble, in comparison, of the
love o. disputation. The merchant had almost
forgot his specific hum of business was almost
drowned III philOsoPhy-the passenger was stopt
inthe street to listen & the clerks in the compt
lighthouses, exchanged their pens for the scale &
compasses. Every one was at it-every man in
Nchmond was deep IN IT, yet most wonderful to
tell, the fair sex, whose proper sphere is n ton
asd yoiublty, were free from the contasion-
:" Fire IN each eye, and pa .cr i'll each hand" The
whole city was running mad after Cart Wheel
Does every part OF it move alikc-does the up
per pare move faster than the ioyyer-hoU "a III
howisit o. What do ycI think of it Such
confusion, such clashng, such din was kept I'M
on this philosophical occasion, that my very brain
began to turn around in sympathetic movement
with that OF the subject, which was thus rcyol-
wing
Would you Believe il :, This eayt-qvb.ei ,ao,;o
ken-bets are Inade-some even swear to stake
the r Whole estates upon their opinions. Luck
iiy. the whole controversy has been carried on rs
yet in pretty good humor. No dt,e,s have arisen
none have fallen martyrs to their faiti,--no one
:. has sealed his doctrines with his blood On the
contrary, il kas rather soothed the spirit of DIR
tics-poiitics have for moment ceased to be the
I" rage OF the day" Wheels have taken tho
place of newsstand should not be SURPRISED TO
see even the newspapers enlisted OH opposite
sides of the question, and presenting for distan,
posierity this ephemeren of a day-In place OF
3ederalists and republicans, new parties have n
risen in the bosom OF the republic. The Equalisfs
sontend, that every part Utthe circumference of
the wheel Moves with eolnsl veiocty-th.t the
kvnT1,sf cannot move faster than tha lowcr-as n
shrexd fellowvery Witty said, it was pull Dick
pull Devil witt, them. The 9uick.ys hold "a
most horrible heresy y that the upper moves f,s
ter than the lower-tlrat is, you draw a diane
ter horizontally through the wheel, a point
abose it moves faster thar the opposite point BE-
lou it, or III other words, that the part which
touches the earth, in moving over the quarter
circle, goes up with less rapidly, than the point
upon the top descends through its quarter circle
~ The hort ontal diameter
my friend, that from ny youth up
lways had a slsange 4dgctine itch
pes, experime,J., or Whatever
Igll tb-na. NY friends have
Er-yet all their laughs and
eformed me. 1t has been IN vain
prosed me day after day with
satire on the projectors Of La
to extract n-beams out of Gu
their stockings out of cobwebs
will never change my propt nsi.
obiens md experiments. Litte things
|hetimes TIE materials OF Srent discoy cries
they are welded by the great triHei6Ies.
IN have sometimes ATTEMPTED to MASTER
TAT inquisitive spirit, which prompts me to ex-
kine every thing see, does no doubt often de-
nerate INTO ridiculous triaes-but perhaps. one
these days i may stumble uron some valuable
sc0y.ry. Was it not ChIld's Kite, which en-
pied Franklin to draw Lightning from heaven ,
Aeto eyipaf .fVl'nen. May not some game vet
yprihs ~, in my path, Like the man who. in
searching for his turkey, most fortunately light
sptp his cow No wonder, then, that so ardent 8,
semIper as mine should easily catc! fire, from
che combustion that ragged around me- / could not
but i7niie at the simplicity OF this subiect-yet
6ou)d not but sgsnfa,hise with the enthusiasm
wlsict pursuedit. mingled in all the fury ofthe
Eight, and scattered my arguments amongst the
thckest Oh the combataits Other feeIin,,s
I succeeded I was delighted with the giimDses of
genius, the fetches of thought, which occasional
)y emanatct from the inh Ibitants around mc-but
for the life OF me, in spite of nay own heat aud
enthusiasm, could not help now and then sitrl,
!. iDg TO reflect, that the same minds which ,yer.
illuninjng the motions Of cart wheel.
hab,tuahy dedicated to more pro.
atoms.
collected, however, the business
ght me 20 the city-and AWAITED