Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1809-08-14
Communication.
FOR THE GAZETTE.


man j, is no npiea6ng ipecuiation to conld.
er the variety Of ways IN wh ch ~ operates in
different parts of the world, aceo din, 10 the
d,ttereat Temperatures of the c,inGe, or PEN
ius of the inhabitants. Sometimes it breaks
oat IN a kiad of lcrocty, and d,itfuit of tran
gers at o. he's it sHnmes milder afpeCt aaa
ia very psofsfe IN Its invitations to foreigners
IL partake ef.lhe benei,s Of the itaie by na.
surslizst,oa. la fome countries the leaf be
triended by nature, this pailion r...s to
more en,huGaiiic height han in others that
lie ualer the influences Of more ndulgcnt
sky. Evea thoie nations that live under she
molt diiad vantage.us forms of government,
watch over the few privileges they ENJOY with
70 jealous an eye, that they take the alarm at
the leait appearance of any encroachment.
The Swfs are 70 remarkable for an attach.
ment their country, that, when detained
abroad, they are ieized with the Hlimvei, or
what The French call he d,fcnper Of tbs country,
which wonld prove fatal TO rhem unlets they
had the liberty of returning home The fol.
lowing letter to phyiician in Switzerland,
from native OF that country, tor many years
relideni in B..s''.se, give a natural picture
of the prejudices Of foreigner, who is aflidu-
ous to detect any toible in the inhabitants of
Oll3er climates, WHICH DtAfS 1Dtne dnafDUY anu
refenblance to thole he has heard remarked
In his own countrymen How far the fenti-
ments contained in this letter are true, we
leave TO the dilcernment and good judgment
Of the public to determine.
"DEAK sIs,
"The indifpoi,ion which has hung upoa
me ever hnce my arrival in this part of the
globe has denied me leveral opportunities of
fu veying the manners aud cuftoms of the A
niericans with the attention I could have
wiihed. To iupply in fome meaiure the want
of better information, have entertained my.
FELT with the perufal of the public prints,
which, for fome time paf have turned entire.
iy upoA political affairs ; and nun confefs
it is no fmal conlo alton to me to End that the
Swiis are not, as ms generally imagined, the
only people in the world whole concern for
their country turns to difeate. This paf.
hon operates with fuch violence among the
Americans, that il often traniports them into
kind of political phrenzy; the principal
characteristic of which, is perpetual inquie-
sude, which at the fame time that it deprives
the patient of ref, wonderfully dfpofes him
10 diiturb that of other people. When this
maady frreads among the populace, 1t dif-
plays itfelf in mock proceflions and exhibitions
of the mott worthy characters in efigy win.
dows are broken, and houies demolifhed tor
the public good. Among ,he higher ciailes,
groundlefs inveetives againft government,
pamphlets flied with the mon incoherent
ideas, conveyed in a ayle equally extravagant,
are certain indications thar the diltemper ra-
ges with equal violence, though /, appears in
lefs formidable lhape. | fha only mention
a fymptom or two more, which you will
doubslels thiuk extremely hngu'ar. Could
you conceive that patient of yours. who had
nervous fever, fhoud oe 10 unreaiona5e as
to entertain the mott inveterate malice az .in1
his neighbor, rauie he happened TO have
one that was inllammaiory Yel this is the cafe
wilh rhe American vse5udinarians in poll
tick. The diitine1ion of Fedesanlt and Jaco
bin, a. far as | can diicover. is nothing efe bur
al invention of the natives, to denote the
different effects produced by this diitemper in
different contributions yel 10 far is this cir
cunnauce frop, creating the bmpathy that
might be expected between perlons Iaborin1
under the fame difesfe, that they can icarce
be brought 10 conlder each other a. of the
"a ipecies Another remarkable peeuliati.
ty is, that whereas the hydfophobia in other
kinds OF madnefs is deemed a certain lign thar
the patient Is beyood ieeover. the dread of
hatet has been known TO operate fnrp,ihng
" towafds cure of this diio5der, in its moil
malignant fate; and is accordingly coniidcr
ed 10y the learned as a fure prognolt,c of ito
tenoency towards a happy crih" am al
moil afraid, that by this time YOU will begin
to look upon me as a true traveller and alter
the wonderful defcription of the fymptoms of
this diforder, will douhtlefS expect fhould
preierve my eharaGter by giving you mar
velous an account Of the methods employed
in this country for the removal of it,
" The hrit remedy uiualy preleribed upon
iheie oeeaiions is change of fiusiion. This is
fometimes performed Ivy placing the patient
on wooden emnsuce to which he is atten-
dcd by iome public officer. His neck being
urrounded with hempen cord, provided
for that pnrpole, he is expelsd TO the view of
tie companions of liberty, who need little ad
monition to exert their belt endeavors for his
recovery by pelling him with all the rubbilh
the ftree,s can afford. II happened more than
oace during my re.itence in BE, that
the sopuisce beng Infected themlelves, have
not only declined administering The doie with
the requifte iegerity bur have haitered the
patient in his diemper with all manner OF en-
ceuragemont Other alternatives have there.
fore been iied, aad an office has been of pro-
digieus efficacy in ailayiGg thele feimentS IN
,he blood. There is an iniisnce OF ,his in 4
certain pa,riot, Whole extraordinary cafe iome
tme ago excited the puelie attention. Never
were iyinptomS 60 variable. TIE poor gentle
man was a; irii ie,zed with an anipathy to
every thug our Of his own country. The We
~ mtution OF .oreign connections, almoR
threw him INTO convuiIons. Theie il was ho-
ped would be elcctu4lly removed by his aa-
vauceuent 10 20 au ennent Office III the
cate Bat alas Es d.iordes returned with
grraier violence st.an ever, though in differ