Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-03-09

4
press; recognizes three dstinc, and indepcn-
dent branches of Government. The pay OF
| the Judges of the Supreme Court is fixed AT
| five thousand dollarsper annum each. Priests
are pretty much excluded from office. &c
morally speaking, this new Constitution is no
thing more than the Constitution of the Unit
ell States adapted to the local circumstances
OF the Territory of Orleans.
P9ru3I'aEhS communicated far the .4rgus.
Quite as much pains were taken half
century ago, to promote inocuation for the
smallpox, in some parts Of Europe, as are
now manifested in ftirtherancc of inoculation
for the kine-pox. The success which the for
mer finally obtained, ought to animate the
friends OF the latter to perscverc. 1t was in
l754 that the Board of Health at Stockholm,
in Sweden, sent Mr.. Schultz to England TO in
form himself of inoculation before wich time
1t had not made much progress to the north
OF the Baltic.
The name Madison seems of English ORR
gin, and much allied TO literature. a British
Chronicle for the year l761, states that Mr..
Madison, of St. Peters College, Bachelor Of
Arts, received from the duke of New-Cas-
tie, then Chancellor of the University of Cam
bridge, one of two gold medals adjudged for
the best classical learning. The name in this
respect, has not degenc, ated in America.
The African mode of swearing To the OBJ
! servance of good faith, is curious. Each of
the parties concerned has a small incision
made lii his arm, the blood is received in a
cup, and mixed with little earth and water.
Those concerned then drink of the mixture,
| and a solemn imprecation is pronounced a.
gainst the breakers of the treaty. The Dutch
OF Surinam, in 1761, in agreeing to the indie
pendence of certain blacks, (after the policy
| of the British in Jamaica,) were compelled to
| perform this ceremony
The old custom of certain churches or re-
| ligious houses being considered as sanctuaries
| from pursuit and apprehension, in all proba
bility, had its origin in very excellent prin-
cipc. In ancient times the multitude were
more ignorant and barbarous than the peo-
| pie are ut present and superstition, it is pre-
| sumable, was broughtinto aid the magistrate
| In the execution of justice, the magistrate
| may have been subject to outrage, from
which nothing could save him but refuge in a
| holy place. The mob of ancient times, how
| ever destitute of reason, were cautious of in
| truding upon the temples of the Deity. This
| is merely offered as a conjecture. The pro-
lection thus afforded to the magistracy, in
! time would be perverted, whence the suisse
| qucnt security these asylums gave to culprits.
| The same thing has taken place with respect
| to Me duel, which was, in its origin, mode
/ of settling CONVERSATIONS of right, and me-
| thod of deciding criminal accusations. 1t has,
at length, been translated into the means of
| private revenge.
The three degrees of mourning, which, in
| succession, prevailin Christian countries, may
be Hkened to darkness, twilight, and broad
| day: They are symboliCal Of sorrow, which,
| howsocver heavily it presses at the moment
of calamity gradually lessens till it entirely,
in most cases, leaves US.
| We often hear persons boast of the capaci-
! ty or their memories; and, indeed, retentive
| memory is regarded as very advantageous to
| its possessor Nevertheless, it is very GER
| tain, that we owe much to the bounty of Pro
| violence for giving memories that are no
| stronger; for if all our Affections were CONT
nualy to flourish fresh in the mind, human
nature would sink under the agony. IF each
one would but look back and consider only
the chief plaques of life, he will be thank
full for the facility offorgetfulness; and a re-
| collection how the pain of the most vielcnt
griefs have passed away, viii enable him to
bear present misfortune with more phiIoso-
ply.
| Some Of the aristocratical journalists of A
merica have asserted that every thing is done
in this country by subscription, denouncing il
as a low republican method ofeffecting an OBJ
ject 1t is believed however, that the thing
has been carried farther in England than in
the United States. In 1761, some London
ers entered into su6scrhtion 10 catch q
| ghost, which was done for five guineas. The
ghost turned out to be a servant, who, to fright
people, used 70 appear in the cloisterS OF
Westminster abbey and elsewhere i'll white
sheet,
The English have great knack of making
the most of every thing. Some years ago, a
| charitable person employed himself in rcleas
ing persons confined for sruall debts in one
of the prisons in the suburbs of London but
to his great surprize, he found that the more
prisoners he released the more appeared tc
be confined. On examination it was ascer-
tanned that, as the charitable person always
gave notice of his coming to the prison, the
jailor generally got the poor people of
the neighborhood to lodge themselves in his
custody, by which means many of them re-
ceived a crown piece for a few hours du-
rance, and were then discharged. The iai-
lor's mother was released in this way sever
al times.
1t would seem that the shock Of an earth
quake may be almost cb-extensive with the
globe. In the year 1761, on the 31st day oil
March, shock W. S felt in Scotland, in Ire
land, in Holland, in Portugal and Spain, in
Macedonia, in South Barbary, at Barbados,