FOR THE BALANCE. THE SHIP-WRECK'D MARINER. STILL did the tempest loudly roar; Still did the restless surges roll; When rising from the sea beat shore, Awoke a helpless shipwreck'd soul: Till ebbing life began to flow; No human form I here behold; No wretch, like me, escap'd from death, My brave companions are at rest: Shall I no more, he frantic cried, The beauties of her mind to trace ? Fell slowly from her faultering tongue. Perhaps, e'en now, with broken sighs, She treads the beach and views the main ; Shali aught of tender love impart, To heal the wound which bleeds for me. Kingston, Ulster County. JULIENNE. FROM THE PORT FOLIO. EPIGRAM. I'VE read your first poetic scroll, Meteorological. can country; but it is humbly fubmitted to wife heads, whether it be not expedi ent that every man who has talents and courage to expofe to the public the intrigues of certain powerful demagogues, fhould be forbidden the ufe of pen, ink and paper; and befides, have their tongues bored through with a hot iron. DR. FRANKLIN had entertained an opinion that our North-Eaft ftorms generally began at the South-Weft. He fuppofed fome great heat or rarifaction of the air in or about the gulph of Mexico; that the air thence rifing, has its place fupplied by the next more northern, cooler, and IN the year 1573, Henry VIII. King therefore denfer and heavier air, and fo of England, invaded France with an army forth, in a fucceffive current, to which of fifty thousand men; which laid fiege current our coaft and inland ridge of moun- to Ferouane, a town fituated on the frontains give the direction of North-Eaft, as tiers of Picardy. The garrifon which they lie North-Eaft, and South-Weft. He confifted of no more than two thoufard was the more confirmed in this opinion by men, defended the place with the utmoft the circumftance of an eclipfe, which was bravery; but at laft were at the point of rendered invifible at Philadelphia, by rea- being reduced to extremities from the fon of a North-Eaft ftorm; but was vifiwant of provifions and ammunition. Havble at Bofton where the ftorm begun fouring conveyed intelligence of their fituation hours later than at the former place. The to the French king whole army lie not far Doctor explains the progrefs of North- diftant, he gave orders to throw relief into Eaft ftorms, and the caufe of their begin- the place. ning latest at the fartheft North-Eaft point to which they extend, by the following familiar inftances." Suppofe a long canal of water flopped at the end by a gate. The water is quite at reft till the gate is open; then it begins to move out through the gate; the water next the gate is firft in motion, and moves towards the gate; the water next to that firft water moves next, and fo on fucceflively, till the wa ter at the head of the canal is in motion, which is laft of all. In this cafe, all the water moves indeed towards the gate, but the fucceffive times of beginning motion are the contrary way, namely, from the gate backwards to the head of the canal. Fontrailes, a moft gallant and intrepid French officer, appeared at the head of 800 horfemen, each of whom carried a fack of gunpowde behind him, and two quarters of bacon. With this fall force, he fuddenly broke thro' the English camp, galloped on together with his followers to the Foffee or ditch that furrounded the befieged town; and throwing down each his burden, they immediately returned on the full gallop, and again breaking through the camp of the Englifh, made their escape with little or no lofs. TERMS OF THE BALANCE. To City Subscribers, Two Dollars and fifty cents, payable in quarterly advances. To Country Subscribers, who receive their papers at the office, Two Dollars, payable as above.. To those who receive them by the mail, Two Dollars, exclusive of postage, payable in advance. A handsome title-page, with an Index or Table of Contents, will be given with the last number of each volume. Advertisements inserted in a conspicuous and handsome manner, in the Advertiser which accom panies the Balance. Complete files of the first volume, which have been reserved in good order for binding, are for sale --Price of the volume, bound, Two Dollars and fif. ty cents-unbound, Two Dollars. The whole may be sent, stitched or in bundles, to any post office in the state, for 52 cents postage; or to any post-of fice in the union for 78 cents. Driginal Ellays. HUDSON, (NEW-YORK) TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1803. Hither the products of your closet-labors bring, Enrich our columns, and instruct mankind. FOR THE BALANCE. A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY IN ENGLAND. IN N the 8th century, a warlike people from Jutland, who by reafon of their northern fituation, were called Normans, invaded France, and conquered that part of it which bears the name of Normandy. William Duke of Normandy, who was the natural fon of Robert the former duke, by a tanner's daughter, made an invafion of England, in the year 1066, with a large fleet and fixty thousand men.In a general battle, which was extremely bloody, he obtained a decifive victory; || flew Harold the English king; conquered the kingdom and ufurped the throne. William afted the part of an imperious unfeeling conquerer. The nation, that had bended under his yoke, fuffered every species of oppreffion, infult and indignity. All the old inhabitants of England, who, befides the natives, were principally the defcendants of Saxons, Angles, Jutes and Danes, were diffeized both of their eftates and offices, which were given to the followers and partifans of William. He gave, for inftance, the whole county of Chefter to Hugh de Abri. na, his fifter's fon; nine hundred and feventy-three manors and lordships, to Robert, Earl of Montague, and four hun dred and forty two, to Allan, Earl of Brittany and Richmond, &c. &c.— The whole realm of England came into the poffeffion of a few Norman Frenchmen, who exercifed towards their vaffals the most horrible rapacity and oppression. The English language was, in a manner, fuppreffed; and was fuperfeded by the general use of the French: none, but French schools were encouraged or tolerated; and all public acts, all judicial pleas and proceedings, and all deeds and other inftruments of contract were, during feveral following centuries, done in the French language.-The defcendants of William have poffeffed the British throne even to the prefent day; and most of the royal families in Europe have a near affinity of blood with that bold and fuccefsiul ufurper. But the ancient Norman nobility is almoft extin&t; their blood, in fucceffive generations, has been poured out on the scaffold. During the long and bloody wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, which were rivals for the British throne, there were very few noblemen of either party, who escaped death, either in battle or from the hand of the executioner; and, at the fame time, the eflates of thofe who were attainted the age, the great fortunes of the barons were gradually diffipated, and the property of the commons increated in England." In these ways, the exorbitant power and wealth of the nobility were confiderably weakened and diflipated. The rife of the commonalty has, however, been principally owing to commerce. Had England been an inland country,the great body of its inhabitants might, even at this day, been transferable as flock, like the Heffians, from one landholder to another, because the lands being in lordships, the peafants or tenants who were originally vaffals, could have found no way to break the chains of their vaffalage, and to rife to any degree of confequence but from commerce principally, there has rifen in the nation a third order, which poffeffes a power equal to that of the king or the nobles. Indeed it would be hazardous for the king and the nobility combined together, to attempt an oppofition to the united power and influence of the commons. By means of the immenfe British navi. gation, which has been employed in and fupported by commerce, multitudes of men of the loweft families have found op and executed as traitors, became fequef-portunities of rifing to great eminence; while merchants and manufacturers at home, by their skill and enterprize, have emerged from their original obfcurity ; have made their fortunes, and been able to vie with the nobility in wealth and fplendor. At the fame time, men of learning and brilliant talents, especially if they bended their minds to the ftudies of jurifprudence, have, from a low and obscure original, become confpicuous and principal actors in the grand drama of national politics. Thus the feudal fyftem in England, tho' originally much more defpotic and oppreffive than in moft other European countries, has been, in a manner, checked and balanced. The modern hereditary nobility seldom difcover a great degree of capacity or enterprife.-Proudly relying on their wealth and titles; nurfed in the lap of floth, & enervated by debaucheries, they are ufually deficient in that energy and thole talents, which are requifite for the difpatch of weighty bufinefs. The younger fons of noblemen, together with many others of fhining talents, who sprung from common families, have, in latter years, been principally employed on the venerable feats of juftice, and as counfellors, minifters of ftate and diplomatic agents. Political. W. FROM THE CHARLESTON COURIER. IT would take a long and laborious life, to collect into one mafs, and display in their true colours, the endless inconfiften. cies and contradictions of the anti-federal politicians and advocates. Here they are found parading in fine robes, borrowed from the federal party when in, officethere we fee them ftrutting in their own dowlas and tinfel. Here contradicting evident matter of fact, there contradicting themfelves. Yefterday afferting that black is white, to-day that white is black. Now denying to the late administration the smalleft particle of merit-again, in the eager. nefs and impetuofity of felf-applaufe, confefling what they fo denied. But this inconfiflency in inferior agents is harmless, when compared with that dif played by the leading man of the country. The people of America are fo well aquainted with the fentiments of our Prefident, and his partizans in the fenate, on the subject of the judiciary fyftem, that it would be ufeiefs trefpafs on the time of our readers to repeat them: They have feen that judiciary receive a fevere wound; they have feen its right called in queftion and denied; and a majority of the Legiflature deciding in conformity to the arguments and principles of thofe who denied it. Now let them compare thofe opinions with the principles laid down in 1776 by our Prefident himfelf-then plain Mr. Jefferson)——in a let. ter to Judge Wythe, of Virginia, written in reply to one from that Judge to him, when the Conflitution was forming. THE EXTRACT. independant upon both, that fo it may "be a check upon both, as both should be "checks upon that. The judges, there The dignity and flability of government in all its branches, the morals of 66 66 64 fore, fhould always be men of learning "and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmnefs and "attention; their minds fhould not be diftracted with jarring interefts; they fhould not be dependent upon any man, or body of men. To thele ends they "fhould hold eftates for life in their offices, or, in other words, their commifons fhould be during good behavior, "and their falaries afcertained and establifhed by law. 66 66 66 66 folemnly difavowed by his fovereign, and that ample fatisfaction will be made to the United States for the infult, as well as for the injury they have fuffered by his order, The friends of our adminiftration have been ready, as might naturally be expect. ed, to take great credit to themselves for thefe apologetic papers, from the two for. eign minifters. To the nation it is of no immediate importance what was the really operative caufe which induced the Mar quis, and, what is yet more, the Citizen, thus to humble themfelves, and their gov. ernments, before the rifing fpirit of our country. But it may fairly be remarked, that thefe diplomatic balfams were not applied, nor even prepared, until the meal. ures propofed by the minority, in both houfes of Congrefs, and the general exal peration of the public, out of doors, had forced our reluctant Executive into the o "For misbehaviour, the grand inqueft "of the colony, the house of reprefenta-pinion, that all was not peace and friendtives, fhould impeach them before the governor and council, when they fhould "have time and opportunity to make their "defence; but if convicted, fhould be re"moved from their offices, and fubjected "to fuch other punishment as shall be thought proper." 66 TH: JEFFERSON. Now how is this change of opinion to be accounted for? Was Mr. Jefferfon fo young and inexperienced in 1776, that he was incapable of making up his mind upon principles ? Certainly not-and that opinprinciples? Certainly not-and that opinion of his, is a proof of it; for fo far as it goes, it is a juft one; indeed fo juft that he could hardly look into a book upon the fubject of conftitutional rights, where the fame principle is not laid down. Then what can it be, but a determination to make every principle bend to the purposes of party, and to his political defigns? The people will know what value to fet upon men who can thus play faft and loofe with principles, as it fans their convenience, and anfwers their private views. THE two letters which have been officially publifhed, from the Marquis de Cafa Yrujo, to the Secretary of State, and from the citizen Pichon to the governor of Louifiana, must be truly gratifying to the feelings of every genuine American. If they are not abfolutely conclufive to prove that the intendant of New. Orleans acted without authority from his Court, in depriving our citizens of their right of depofit there, at leaft they give us fubftantial reafon to expect that the enjoyment of this right will inmediately be reftared to us ; that the procedure of the intendant will be hip towards us, abroad-had compelled him to affume fome appearance of that vig. our, which manifefled itfelf, in fuch energy, throughout the country, and had o bliged his adherents, in the national fenate and houfe of reprefentatives, to fubftitute, at least, fomething, for the fpirited refolutions and efficacious meafures propofed by Mr. Grifwold and Mr. Rofs. Had the minority in Congrefs, and the people in general, been as tame and indifferent, under the conduct of the Spanish intendant, as the head of the Union appeared to be, until lafhed into exertion by his political opponents at home, we fhould, in all probability, not have feen, at this day, thofe humble deprecations of the Marquis, and thofe anxious expoftulations of citizen Pichon, which have ornamented the columns of our newspapers. Viewing the fubject in this light, the real American patriot muft rejoice at that fenfibility, and that vigour, which flowing from the circumference to the centre, infpired the government with animation not its own, and fhamed our national ruler into fomething like refiftance. They have indeed, while hurried along by the torren of univerfal feeling, complained that was rushing into war. But those letter which they now publish, exhibit lucid de monftration, that a bold and undaunte fpirit was the true line of pacific policy, lefs than of national honour. There is a moft effential advanta which the Union will derive from t temper difplayed by the minority. Congrefs, and by the great majority of t people on this occafion. The Marqu tells the Secretary of State that, from t firft, he was fatisfied the intendant's or was unauthorised; but, to remedy this a knowledged injuflice and injury, he th only remonstrated to the intendant, a difpatched a letter to the governor gene at the Havanna. The refult of these 1 pedients has fhewn their inefficacy. "But now, (fays the Marquis,) I fhall take upon myfelt to adopt measures which must infure to the United States, the enjoyment of all the rights ftipulated in the twentyfecond article of the treaty, ON THE arrival at New-Orleans of the dispatches, which will be forwarded under this date. [March 10, 1803.] the iffue of remonftrance, and, in the meantime, formally to boast, in a speech to Congrefs, of the continuance of peace and friendship abroad. Is there a man in these United States who can believe, that if the notice taken by our government and nation of this flagrant outrage committed by the Spaniard, had refted there, we should ever have seen the Marquis's letter, of the 10th of March or citizen Pichon's letter to the governor of Louisiana? If there be, it is furely a man who judges of events by other principles than thofe of experience, and of men by other foundations than their conduct. No, Sir. There is an internal evidence in the very history of these transactions, which fpeaks louder than all political prejudices, or all fophiftical argument. While the rulers of our nation were tame and pufillanimous, and humbly intreated the Marquis to remonstrate, to dispatch a letter, to-do nothing at all; their fuc. cels was exactly correfpondent to their expedients. The intendant received the minifter's remonftrance, and treated them with affected contempt. affected contempt. When the temper of the nation was apparently roufed, when the minority in both houfes of Congrefs had If it is in the power of the Marquis, now, to interfere, in a manner paramount to the authority of the intendant, and to open the navigation of the river, notwithstanding any oppofition by him, it must have been equally in the Marquis's power to have done the fame thing, when he difpatched his first letter of remonftrance; that is in December laft. If fuch was then his power, why did he not exert it? Mr. Jefferfon has told us, that the produce, from our Western country, has ufually defcended the river in February. Had the Marquis's firft difpatch to the intendant been peremptory-had his meafures then been fuch as to infure our enjoy. ment of our ftipulated rights, the obstruction would have been removed, fo that he produce might have come in its accustomed period. By delaying his irre-fuggefted and advocated measures rather fiftible injunctions until the 10th of March, the Marquis has co-operated with the intendant to deprive us of the benefit of navigating the Miffiffippi for one entire feafon, and, by the acknowledgment that this obftruction was "without the colour of a pretext," he has recognized the claim of the United States upon his mafter for ample indemnity from this injury. It is to be hoped that our government will properly infift upon, and obtain this indemnity; that they will take the benefit of that dignified and honourable spirit manifefted by the country, however afhamed they may be to acknowledge it; that they will fee and avail themselves of this demonftration, that the way to obtain juftice, from foreign nations, is to difplay the firm refolution to obtain it. When they confidered the occlufion of New-Orleans as the mere unauthorised act of the intendant, it feems the only thing they thought of asking from the Marquis was to remonftrate, to dispatch a letter. And the good Marquis, who knew very well he could do more; that he could, if he please, interpofe with measures which fhould infure to the United States the enjoyment of their rights, was by no means difpofed to works of fupererogation-He did what they required of him, and attempted nothing more. Mr. Jefferson, eyer willing to repofe upon the pillows of peace, ever lending a ready ear to the foothing lullabies of the dulcimer, and ever fhrinking with horror from the hoarfe excitements of the rampet, and the rattling terrors of the drum. was content to wait more energetic, when the French and Spanifh minifters became convinced, that the nation would act with more vigour than its Executive dared to speak, then we see them both not only take the proper fteps to remove our cause of complaint for the future, but confent to the publication of their letters, to calm, by apologies and excufes, the rifing, and juft indignation of the Ameri can people.. Balance Closet. LIBERTY OF THE PRESS. No. X. IT is deemed unnecessary to add any comments concerning Mr. Spencer's attempt to shackle the press with previous restraints, by laying the junior editor under heavy bonds to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. The fact speaks for itself; and Mr. Spencer's motives are well understood. Had the object been attained, the junior editor would have been debarred from following his business, un less he would have consented to act the part of a democratic printer, and never publish any TRUTH concerning the officers of government. One circum stance, however, is deserving of notice. It should be recollected, that Mr. Spencer contended for laying the defendant under the above-mentioned bonds on the ground that he was a libeller; and that, tho' he had not been convicted of publishing a libel, still that the grand jury having found a bili against him, was a strong presumptive proof that he was a libeller. Now, if the reader will also rec.llect how a certain grand jury was once formed, and how a cer tain bill was once found, he will be enabled to discover a strong presumptive proof" of duplicity (not to call it by a worse name) in the character of a certain great man. What will be the final result of the prosecutions against the junior editor, we know not; nor do we wish, at present, to hazard a conjecture. His case involves a question of great magnitude; and on its decision rests, in a degree, the Liberty of the Press. It is a question in which every member of the community is deeply interested; for if the publishing of truth concerning the elective officers of our government is a crime, punishable by every inferior state court, the press is in serious danger. Silence or falshood must be the only resort; and in such a situation of affairs, how long can the people expect to retain their liberty? But we must indulge a hope that Mr. Spencer's attempts will be unavailing. Whatever may be our own fate, we are still compelled to believe, that our Attorney-General cannot even by the weight of all his power and influence, prevent the circulation of truth among the people. Nay! we believe it is as much impossible for him to smother the voice of truth, as it is to stifle the inward whispers of conscience. The first will, in thundering accents, address him in public, whilst the latter will hover round his pillow, and haunt his private reflections. He may possibly, by multiplied and malignant persecutions, crush one press-he may destroy one paper-he may ruin one printer. And does he ima gine, after he has done this, that his conduct will be secure from scrutiny? No! Let him rest assured, that, however grating it may be to the ears of tyrants, THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD! and the destruction of an individual cannot arrest its progress. An attempt to shackle the press is but a miserable proof of a man's integrity. Surely, the plan that shrinks from the rays of the sun, must have sprung up in a cloudy day, or under cover of the darkness of night. So the man who shudders at the voice of truth, can thrive only when the political horizon is overspread with clouds, or when darkness and delusion overshadow the earth. The wise, the honest and truth-telling Bee, says, "The federal party exulted mightily and croaked "loudly, at the failure of the attorney general at the "last election. How will they bear the mortifica"tion of losing the election of Mr. Van Ness?" It is strange that our potent attorney-general cannot keep the Bee from running its head into such unlucky scrapes. Even Mr. Spencer's political ene.. mies have forborne to say a word about last year's election; but since Mr. Holt will be meddling, he must be noticed. Last year, Mr. Spencer was placed on the democratic ticket to give it weight-the. weight was so great that the whole ticket sunk under it, and the attorney-general was actually the lowest of the side, by a number of votes. This year, Mr. Van Ness had the highest number of votes, on the federal ticket; and indeed the whole number of votes given for him were sufficient to carry his election; but by placing several ballots in the wrong box, and omitung the W in others, he failed. It was not in the year 1803 that a candidate for member of assembly, gave a FIVE BOLLAR BILA for a very bonorable purpose. Agricultural. FOR THE BALANCE. ON WASHING AND CLEANSING THE STEMS ROBERT ger; and have therefore cause to fear. Medical. From Poulson's American Daily Advertiser. IMPORTANT. How to vaccinate several hundred persons with the matter of a single ordinary Vaccine Pock. A MEMBER of the London VACCINE INSTITUTION mixed the fluid of a fingle cow-pock with a drachm measure of water of about the temperature of 70 of Farenheit. Of three fubjects vaccinated with All this diluted matter, two took the difeafe in the ufual way. The remaining third was yaccinated in each arm, with one puncture with this diluted matter, and alfo in each arm, in like manner, with undiluted vaccine matter, but all thefe four punctures failed to produce the difeafe, the fubject being an adult, and probably having had the {mall pox. Man, exalted by reafon, and ftill more by religion, fhould in this, as in all other refpects, act a higher part than the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. thunder-tempeft prefents one of the fublimeft fcenes in nature; and its fublimity is blended with a degree of awfulness proportionate to the danger to which it expofes the precious life of man. A thoughtlefs, and much more, a frolickfome levity, during fuch a scene, tho' becoming birds, would be highly unbecoming men and wo men. OBERT MARSHUM, Esq. (England) having mentioned fome experiments which he made in washing trees, obferves, that all the ingredients in vegetation united, which are received from the roots, ftem, branches and leaves of a moffy and dirty tree, do not produce half the increase which another receives, whose ftem is well cleanfed. He thinks it clear that this greater fhare of nourishment cannot come from rain; becaufe the dirty flem will retain the moisture longer than when clean; and the nourishment drawn from the roots, and imbibed by the bran-kind; and their general tendency is to ches and leaves must be the fame to both trees. It is the opinion of this writer, that a great fhare of vegetative ingredient is conveyed in dew that the mofs and dirt, which furround the ftems of trees, abforb the finest particles of the dew; and alfo at as a kind of fereen in depriving the tree of that fhare of air and fun which it requires. Monitorial Department. To aid the cause of virtue and religion. FOR THE BALANCE. ON THE DREAD OF THUNDER. BEASTS EASTS difcover a confcioufness of danger at the approach of a thunder On the other hand, they fhould not difcover the ftupid amazement, or the frantic fright of brutes. Thunder and lightning are neceffary a- fave life, rather than to deftroy it. By The fear arifing from thunder-ftorms *It is the practice of fome people always to rife from their beds, when thun. der tempefts happen during the night The above is extracted from Tillok's Philofophical Magazine, and is of fo much importance to extend the bleffings of vacci nation, that the Printers of Newfpapers it is hoped will generally republifh this article. The vaccine inoculation continues to make rapid progrefs in Spain and Italy. In Catalonia, 7000 perfons were inoculated in the course of nine months; and by its means, the fatal ravages of the small pox have been stopped in the department of Milla, where, during three months only, 12,000 perfons have fubmitted to the vaccine operation. [Monthly Magazine for December, 1802. Discoveries, USEFUL AND CURIOUS. From DOMESTIC ENCYCLOPEDIA. MR. BOULARD, architect at Lyons, has lately invented a very fimple preparation, attended with little expence or trouble, and admirably calculated to defend wooden materials from being confumed by flames, though expofed to their influence for two hours. After many tedious experiments, tempeft: they leave their food; and their Jeafon; whereas a bed, filled with feath he found that a folution of pot-afh is the looks and poftures betray symptoms of fear and amazement. But birds, fhielded from the fatal boks by their feathers, are fearless. While the thunder roars, and the dark and heavy cloud is moving on towards them, they are often feen in a playful frolick fome mood. Both are guided by an unerring inftinct. Beafls are fometimes ftruck dead by lightning: they are in real dan ers, is the fafeft found. APHORISM.-He, who is led by the paflionate, has three enemies to cope with during life-the contempt of the good. the tyranny of his leaders, and rankling difcoment.--Lavater. moft efficacious liquid for refifting the action of fire, longer than any other fluid. That obfervation induced him to apply that fubftance in a kind of paint or coating on wood, which was completely rendered fireproof, in the following eafy manner: diffolve fuch a quantity of potafh in cold water as that fluid is capable of holding in folution, wash or daub with it all the boards, |