Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-02-25

Printable Estin,Gei!-A queer writer in ths
Pennsylvapia Whig, itscautins on the folly Of
certain calculations and estimates in Which ide
arithmetici.l. often indulge. says, that during,
,ono sea yjyage, he often took the pains to com.
mute the number of his srandf,thers as far bach
as the goth generation, and found that in the
course Of the last seven centuries, he must have
had ,O5S, SIC; he adds:
Tn. number Of my great and great great and
great great great grandathers &c. since the crea.
ton. following it the shortest date. that the COM
putation Of the most Iearoed divines will admit,
say 1886 years, or So centuries as years, or rs
ages, the whole number of my great great great
yrandfa,hers, must have been AZ. 890.4S5, Csc
O59, O26. Az, 6l 998. OS5, 597..
56s, 237, 51S, or, forty seven thousand eight hun.
dred and ninety octIli0ns, four hundred and eighty
FIVE thousand, six hundred and fifty two sepuI.
lions, fifty nine thousand and twenty six sextil.
lions, eight hundred aud twenty three thousand
six hundred and ninety eight quintiIlions, three
hundred and forty four thousand five hundred
and ninety eight quadriIlions, four hundred and
forty seven thousand one hundred and sixty one
trilIions, nine hundred and eighty eight thousand
and eighty five billions, five hundred and ninety
seven thousand five hundred and sixty eight mil.
lions. two hundred and thirty seven thousand
five hundred and sixty eight great grandfather
"a greater enumeration than will be ineligible
to all of the present generation. What trouble
there must have been in the world, just to brlug
in poor old tsherman's grandson:
The Courier and Enquirer some days ago pub
lished. and 1.-The official' at Washington, the
Globe, copied, paragraph intended to vindca,e
Mr.. Van Buren's effort to cOncilate England by
denouncing his own government. by reference to
a pretended analogous case in British history.
Accordingly the Courier and Enquirer made Mr..
Fox the minister who obtained the peace Of Ami
ems, by instructng the British ambassador in
France, to say, that "the French government
must not allow the errors Of the late ministry to
affect the present Negotiations" and sought to
confirm its statement by saying, "see British
state papers," This paragraph, we perceive, is
seriously contradicted BY distant papers. who do
not seem to understand the estimation in which
the facts and knowledge, political and historical
of the Courier and Enquirer. are held here. The
whole paragraph was one Of those off hand frauds
which that paper is ever ready at, and though
showing more than common ignorance, and har
ing no sembance Of truth in it, was doubles,
adopted, by that class of its readers for whomt
was manufactured, and who will never see the
refulation, which editors careful of accuracy have
taken the trouble 10 make of It.
The fact, indeed, Of 'i,e official paper Of the
government at Washington having copied thisn
ragraph might seem Ia justify, and in other days
would have justified. an effort to establish tn.
truth, but the "oiicial'' now is to the full asis
norant. and as careless of the TACT, as its cOad
jutor here. and it is time wasted therefore to a
pose their manifold inventions and suppresslons
~. y finer.