Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-06-15

ted aud heroic dead, who once adorned
this ancient seat OF weaiSs, md talrr,,
and socinl elegance aud who now sllni-
ber amid these scenes of placid aud i'm
perishable beauty How imprcssivcly
does IL admoDish Us oi the dangers TO
which popular freedom is most exposed ;
nnd with what eloquen, earnesinnss does
j, exhoit us. by the use Of every insiru
mentality within our power, to save from
destruction what, next to Christianity,
would seem 10 be the great element Of
human progress.
Can we pass. my fellow llzrns, with
out emotions allied To those OF iilIal sor-
row, from upjer the benp.icent dominion
of The old Charter--ihe oldest ronstltu-
tional charter in the world Can we
take our leave of this ancient and cx-
relcnt frame of civil polity, without helng
penetrated with sentiments of gratitude
for the rich blessings ol which il has been
tho parent to this State, through all the
vicissi,ndes her brng Can we ever
lose the con, iciion that this Charter con-
fains principles destined never to perish
Can we ever forget that it was under the
Charter that Hopkins and Ellrry affixed
their signatures TO the immortal Declara-
ton OF American Independence that,
under the Charter, "the Rhode Island
line" stood foremost III fighting the bat
ties Of Liberty that, under the Charter,
ihis State joined the ConIcdcracy estah.
IIshrd by the glorious old thirteen and
finally, that Il was under the Charter,
Tint Rhode island, by The adoption OF the
American Constitution, added the last
link To that cham oi more perfect union
which binds these States together =
How inseparable, likewise, Is The Char
ter from all our memories, not only oi the
deeds, but of the rDeu OF other times -
How yiyidly does it recall TO our minds
doliug guished politicians, who, less than
n quarter of a century since, mixed them
selves 80 largely with our counsels and
our sh,les, and who, II is sad TO think,
have nearly all departed ! How lively,
al an hour like this, are our recollcctlons
oi the cultivated, vigorous, and eminenlIy
practical mind OF James Burr,ll ; the IN
flexible uprigh'ness and varied attain
menis OF Samoel Eddy 1.-THE extraordinary
intellectual and political nseendency,
curly acquired and to the last main,a ained +,
by Elisha r. Potter aud the searching
analysis, the d,aectic skin, the effective,
but never vehement cloquence, Of Ben
lamin Hazard + These recolleclions Of
Note .A--pogs 9.--In ih,s language there
- 40 rxoggeraliun. Bishop Berkeley. soon
after his ARRIVAL a, Newport, IN The year n2o,
spoke ot Newport, IN one of hls letters To q
friend ~ Dublin, as then containing "abOUi
SIX Thousand souls, aud as the most thriving
place in oil America, for bigness." In l77l,
nccording To the ccusus, taken by authority
oi The government, the population was 92Oo,
OF which ,2I6 were blacks. The number oi
persons, however, actually belonging To the
town. nj lha, lime, Is believed, and not with
"or rcason, 10 have been nearly or quite IT,,
Oc0. TINS belief IS founded on the fact that,
~ Tho British muhG of taking census, as
then and now pracllCed IN The United King
dom, temporary residents, strangers, Sc,
were excluded from the enumeration. wh icb
was confined to permanent settlers. THIS
belief IL also corroboratcd by the additional
fact, that the colonial government was inter.
e't"d ~ bringing the population within the
lowest limits, ~ order 10 reduce the rcqnlsl-
tons IN men aud money, which, ~ time OF
war, were propUrlloned TO the numbers re-
Turned. OF The ISl vessels which cleared at
the Newport Custom House, from January J.
1863. to January |, I16l, on foreign voyages,
and OF the 3j2 ~ the coastlng trade, two
thirds, u not three quarters, belonged To
Newport These. with the fishing vessels,
required force ot 2,200 seamen. Her mer-
chants were PRINCES. One of them, Mr..
Aaron lopez, Of the Hebrew persuasion.
owned, at one time, more ,hnn thirty sa, oi
vessels, of different dcscrlpt IONS. The com
mercial prosperity of Newport was at ~
zenith, IN 1Go, or shortly before that period
The manufactures OF Newport were, al
tho same period, quite extensive. Besides
numerous disiIllerle., there were, ~ the town
sixteen manufactures of sperm oil and can
dies five rope walks four sugar rchucrlcs
&c. The manufacture OF sperm oil was IN
troJuccd lnio Newport by the Colony OF
Jews which arrived there, between the years
l7lJ and 1850 These Jews were oil einI
grants from Portugal.
The venerable DIR. Wa'crhouse, himself a
native OF Newport, ~ newspaper article
published IN 1924, says, The island OF Rhode
Island, from It's saubrlly and surprising
beauty, before the Revolutionary War so sad
ly defaccd It, was the chosen resort of the
rich and phIlosophc from nearly all parts oi
the civilized world. In no spot Of the thr-
tacu or rather twelve colonies, was there con
centra,eJ more individual opulence, learning
aud liberal leisure" The Redwood Library
~ still n beautiful monument OF the former
wealth, learning aud public spirit OF New
port. THIS library owes l,s origin to tera-
~ philosophical Society established in New
polf, IN the year 1870. THIS Society wa.
composed Of the most eminent men OF New.
port, and in its discussions, Bcrkley, the in,i
mate friend Of some OF It's members, was ac
customed to participate.
Among the former inhabitantso Of Newport
were about three hundred of the children OF
Abraham, embracing some Of her most en-
terprsing and opulent merchants. "New-
port" says DR.. Wsterhouse, "was the only
place in New England, where the Hebrew
language was publicly read and chan,cd by
more than three hundred of the descendants
Of Abraham" Their synagogue, built N
I762, remains, but not solitary worshipper
Is left behind.
IN the vicissiiudcs OF human affairs, New
part has declined from her ancient wealth
and splendor but, within her and around
hor are Ieil sources OF enjoyment, which