Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume], September 01, 1817, Image 2

About Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822

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(si . ty\ ? Dollar*.
September 1. 181"*
EELKrTRD.
THE SL 3.YD Ell Ell’s TOMB.
Deep in the dreary forest-gloom,
When n it si flower is seen to hi >om,
And where .i poison’d streamlet laves
'i he buck w e. .• di adlynight shade waves,
Is seen the slaudeie* »lonely tomb.
J he *>.ding owlet, hovering round,
Sends forth lor screech of tearful sound;
The tdacK wing'd raven lingers theie,
And bla tini itews pollute the air,
A ad tall upon the unhallowed mound.
For Hun who sleeps in that lone bed,
Ao te.r ol fond i egret is shed ;
No kindrtd dear his fate bemoan,
Or raise the consecrated s'one,
With p"ous hands above his head.
Aiike to heaven and men a foe,
‘I heoi.h joy on earth he knew,
Wss to des r v his neighbor’s lame,
To blight the faire-t, b ightest name,
A; d aim a*, virtue’s bicast a blow.
On bis iiaik.ii.ow scowl'd c-nvy unr,
ilis eyeballs flash’d a baleful liie.
Whilst Malice and envetiow’d Hale
llweit .n hisheait iu sullen state,
Anil swekM it with a hellish i«e.
Story of the Duke of Xevcastle.
At the close of an election, the late
l)nke of Newcastle, was so delighted
with the conduct or a canting voter,
Unit he almost fell U|h*h his neck
and kissed him. * My friend, l love
you dearly, you are the greatest man
in the world! I long to serve you!
W hat can 1 do for you !’ The man
replied, • May it please vour grace,
an exercisemun of this town is very
old : I would beg leave to succeed
him as sm»n hs lie dies.’—* Aye, that
you .‘ha!! with all my heart. 1
wish fur your sake he were dead aud
hurtvd now. As soon as he is, set out
to me. nay dear friend ! Be it night or
d.iv, insist upon seeing me, sleeping
or Waking. If I am ii"t at Claremont
cure to Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields : conic
to court ! If I am not at court, never
rest »il| you find me! Not the Sane*
tuni Sanctorum, or any place, shall be
kept sacred from Mich a worthy good
m«»hI ns you are. Nay I’ll give orders
tor vou to he admitted, though the
Tvi ig and 1 were talking secrets toge
ther in the cabinet.’
Tin* voter swallowed every thing
aviih extacy ; and scraping down to
the verv ground, retired to wait, in
faith, for the death <>f the exciseman,
't he latter took liis leave of this wick
ed world in the ensuing winter. As
Moon as c\**r the Duke’s friend was
Mppi i-ed of if, he set ofT for London,
and reached Lincoln’s-Inn Fields a
bout two o’clock in the morning.
' The King of Spain had at this time
h«.i. 41*17,-rl nitli » diso rder. which
Siipm* of t!i«* English had been induced
to believe, from particular expresses,
he could not possibly survive. A
mongst these, t!:e noble Duke was the
must credulous, and probably the most
anxious. On the very first moment
of receiving this intelligence, lie had
despatched couriers to Madrid, who
were commanded to return with un
usual haste, as soon as ever the death
of his Catholic majesty should have
been announced. Ignorant of the time
in which they might arrive, and impa
tient of the fate of every hour, the
duke would not retire to his rest un
til he bad gi*en the strictest orders
to his attendants, to send any person
to bis chamber, who should desire
admittance.
When the voter asked if the Duke
was at home, he was answered by the
porter. * Yes, his grace has been in
bed some time, but we were directed
t«> awaken him as soon as ev»*r you
came.*—1* Ah. fiod bless him ! I know
that the Duke t«»ld me I should
always come by night or by day.—
Pray skew me up.* •
The unhappy visitor was scarcely
conducted to the door, when he rush
ed into the room, and in the transport
of his joy. cried out. « Mv lord, he’s
de u! •* ‘That’s well, my dear friend:
|*w rla'1 of it.with all my soul. When
did he die ?*—‘ The morning before
last, a’nt please your grace.® * What
$i, lately ! Why my worthy gnoderfa
fnv. you must have ffown : the liarht*
eing itself could not Piip* h df »o fast
as j ju Tvil mo how I shad reward
you i*— • All I wish I'ii1' in this world
is, that your gr:a ** would please to re
tnember your kind promise, and ap
point rac to succeed him.*—• You. you
himkhcad! y«»u king of Spain ! What
family pretensions can you have ?—
Lefs look at you.*
By this time, the astonished duke
threw back the curtains, and recog
nized the fate of his electioneering
friend, hut it was seen with rage ami
disappointment. To have robbed him
of his rest might easily have been for
given ; but to have fed him with a
groundless suspicion that the king of
Spain w as dead, became a matter of
resentment. lie was at first dismissed,
with all the violence of anger and re
fusal. At length the victim of his pai
sion became the object of his mirth ;
and when he left the ridicule that
marked the incident, he raised the
candidate for monarchy into a post,
which from the color of the. present
times may seem at least as honorable
—he made him an exciseman.
From the Richmond Compiler.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
One of the mast astonishing exam
ples of the force of perseverance is
to be found in the history of Dr.
j Franklin. The son of a tallow-chan
dler in Boston, his fame has tilled
both worlds. As Mirabe.m said with
such beauty and vivacity ; Eripuit err
lo fulmen sceptrumque tyrunnis : lie
snatched thunder fruin the Heavens,
ami the sceptre from the hands of ty
rants.
I Received by the Royal society at
i London, embraced in the presence ot
| the French Academy by Voltaire, like
[ Socrates embracing Euripides; court
i ed by the grave and the gay ; admi
red by the sage and the fair $ pier
cing the (leavens for new secrets to
extend the regions of science ; and
supporting the cause of liberty at the
courts of the proudest monarchs ;
Benjamin Franklin has given to his
country one of the greatest names
of which Politics and Philosophy can
boast. Tile muse has sung his praise.
One of the most eloquent men of the
age has pronounced his funeral culo
ginm in one of the greatest national
Assemblies which ever assembled.—
The greatest philosophers of the time
have filled th ir pages with his dis
coveries and his praise.
As if to accustom ttieir posterity to
his glory, and to teach his children to
lisp Uis name, some of the most popu
lai* works that'ha.e lately been ad
dressed to the rising generation of
England, have brought forward the
name, of Franklin to their listening
auditors. Dr.Aikin, in that excellent
work, “ Evenings at Home ;** and
Mavon, in his “ Parent’s Assistant,”
have paid him this compliment of
which he was worthy—But the great
est of Juvenile benefactors is the ce
lebrated Miss Edgeworth, who in two
of her • Moral Talcs,* lias introduced
his name.
Forester (says she) most fortu
nately, about this time, happened to
meet with a book, which in some de
g,ee counteracted the inflammatory
effects of Random’s conversation, and
whi h had a hanpy tendency to sober
his enthusiasm, without lessening his
: propensity to useful exertions. This
j hook was me me ui ur. rranunu.—
| The idea that this great man began
! hy being a printer; and whilst he fol
' lowed him, step by step, through his
' instructing narrative. Forester sym
! patliised in his feelings. and observed
h<»w necessary the smaller virtues of
order, economy, industry, and pa
tience, were to Franklin's great cha
racter and splendid success.”
So also, in the •* G«od Aunt,” she
! silences a sneerer at tin* attempt to
improve siuokey chymnies, by saying,
** O. Dr. Franklin's works,” inter
rupted Supine (the sneerer) “ 1 did
not see the name before : to be sure 1
most bow down to that.**
Young man ! imitate Franklin as
Forester did.
A sailor for an offernc committed
at sea, was tried and condemned :
while sentence was passing on him, lie
bit through a piece of tobacco which lie
bad in bis mouth. The Judge piqued
i at bis indifference, asked him if lie
| knew where lie should go when he died
: • No ’ 4 To hell, if yotifdo not repent.'
• ‘ Well.* replied lie,*4 if it must be so, I
liujw God Almighty will give me
strength to be able to bear it.’
ToMu editor of the *ntem Gazette.
j Sir—1 have been a 4 constant rea
! der* and a borrower of your paper
i for several years. A piece in one ol
| your late numbers, set me upon think
i ing that l should like to own a paper
; to lend to others, Ate. Mr. T. the
I bearer of thifuwi!’ ray you one year’s
I advance, nr< '• t "io thank you to put
me on vuur fjhsrriptioii list.
Yours,-.
ALEXANDRIA:
Mf)V/MT. Sirrf.MBEn 1. 181"
From the anticipation of the mischief*
occasioned in all parts of the Union by
the deluge* which have covered it, the
mind recoils in horror. At what we have
already before us, the humane heart must
sicken; and. it is little to be doubted
that the intelligence we have yet to ie
ceive will be equally afflicting. No peo
ple in the world half so opulent or half so
enlightened as the American*, are worse
prepared for casualties of this kind. VV e
are "Teat Trusters « Why have not you
a conductor to protect your house from
light ling ? The cost would be but tri
fling, and your property and the lives ol
vour family may be lost by the neglctt.
This I have said more than ten or twen
ty times to different individuals : “ Oh,
I trust there’s no danger,” has been uni
formly the answer.—That bridge will
some time or other come down under the
weight of a coach, a waggon, or a cart,
and lives will be lost-for you may see
that the work is quite crasv, and that
the posts and timbers are rotting—that
the very na.ls are starting out of their
place*— that the buttresses ire *h»ok, and
| that the abu’ments are mouldering a
j Way.”_“ Ob, I trust there’s no fear—
! it may last a good while yet,” is still the
| answer_But behold the storm comes,
I and the bridge is swept away—or, if the
• _x_Jl.l fl>a KpwlrrJ VrnilM fall
• 91UI III Uiu itvv vvw'i O
! in with age or rottenness.—As to pcr
| suading them to take security against the
! danger, by timely effort, or prudent ex
penditure, it i9 out of the question i—
they must be bruised before they will
' feel for others—I might say, for them
selves. liven corporate bodies find it in*
iiuitcly more convenient to truit the lives
of their fellow citizens to the mischances
of a broken bridge, than to do their duty
by rebuilding it. tor more than two years
I have seen the most pungent satire, in
all shapes of ridicule and reproach, level
led in public priuts against those whom it
might concern in Georgetown, about the
| principal biidge of that place, which has
' for all that time and more tuo, been in so
! ciazy a condition that even foot-passen
gers have shuddered at the thoughts ol
waikiug over it—In fact I never saw it
without thinking ot the miserable kind of
; a mountain budge which Holla, in the
pi*y of I’izarro, breaks down with his sin
gle hand, after lie ha9 passed over it.
But, as insensible to the just demands of
the public, as a cobbler’s lap-stone to the
! stroke ol the hammer and defended by
1 a comfortably thick in egument ot noa
pcrceptiun, from the edge ol the satire,
th<*y have hugged theinse.ves in comforta
ble secui ity, and endeavot ing to apologize
to the pub ic, aud to the slender whis
perings troui within their bosoms, by an
occasional mucA ado about nothing stir
of piecing and patching the flooring and
railing above, left the rest to provide tor
itself; in consequtnce of which the pmp9,
»' if lmlignani ai me partiality 01 our
i bridge-patchers, walked off without cere
! mony. leaving the laoorv of theit honors
j on the part above, to find their way after
them. Fortunately—(l might say mira
culously, since it was seldom without a
load of either carnages or loot passen
gers)—the whole took its depaiture at a
moment when no one was on it;—but had
it happened but a minute sooner, the ge
nius of Georgetown w ould have been pro
pitiated by the sacrifice of a fine plump
tul! grown youth, who had just passed u*
ver it when it was carried away.
Negligence ot this kind, involving
such very serious consequences, is in all
cases ct#iinaL. but is infinitely mote so
in a place, wheie a pursy population are
perpe.uallyemploycd inutging aristocratic
pride to its extreme verge, and straining
luxury to the top ot i:s ber.t in multipli
ed ed Gees, or rather goigeous palaces,
li r private accommodation.
God forbid that such a thing should
happen! but hail it happened, would it
not have the air ot poetical justice, if tills
indefensible drama we allude to had ter
minated with the tragical catastrophe of
one ol those phjetonic higlt-flvers ot the
money-bag being precipitated, coach,
ho:*e»&r,«i all, troiu the vky height of the
rotten Boor of tint ndable bririge, down
into t'r.c flood below r—We say it again,
we should lament suck a catastrophe,
yet it would in all probability produce
tli s good—It would stimulate thoie whom
it mij concern to that exertion which
they owe to tlie public... fur iw,J 1 ,a ^
Hie world. ..no, not on the e*eh."PeS of
Antwerp or Rotterdam, or ath" uC ,n
habitants of the m nories iq L n’
more unqualified deference pawl '•,l,e <n'
vereignty ot wealth than in ®e;la®c
speak of.
If it could reasonably be e%jv'u'd ,hat
they who do not feel for tlm the
limbs and the property of their
(:zen«, could be sensible to nat»w‘l Pr,,le’
we would urge our bridge mfna
over the union to recollect what id>'rre*
dit tlie bridge*, or rather those pepping
planks called bridges, must, in •*JCs
of all foreigners, appear to saeli ipr0"d,
opulent and powerful nation.;»n<! v,e
would endeavour to awaken tho>< really
worthy and well meaning, a* %«■ aS a*
Lie legislators, who in the fervtur'l a Pa
triotism which we donut calf in ration,
are in such a violent hurry to TiTToo*
the face of the unioi with #Upe.rogato
ry roads and milita*y high-ways to t|e
consideration that ihuse road* we .Neatly
have are rendeied extremely ir^rf-ct
and often impassable by the wan ^‘“k
bridges, and that they had better poS
jKine in every ca>>e the making<• roa'i-.
up to the banks «t rivers, till thf have
made secure of the means to caw the
travellers over.
•See the description **f Otabeiie
DISTRICT BANK.*
It is with great pleasure f e stati. for
the information of our western idlers
particularly, that the notes of the inks
of this town are now at a p^?alw»ith
t*. notes of the banks in tlte rc |iiivc
cities to the north and south this W e
have been long unfairly degraded iy *
nominal difference of «chau« whi&has
exposed the holders ot boiapeioHUik
notes to much inconveiiieoc*ai.d na
tion, and to the extorliuu of fcoue ex
changer* ; but we hope this At fil of
the war has terminated Our ftulwave
resumed their former interttftrstvi’li
their dis aat correspondents, ind heir
paper enjoys an equality in tmluivith
the banks of Richmond. Biltithorand
Philadelphia, in those cities. Vtcan
not state a‘ confidently that arr^pcents
have generally extended as lar is • N.
York, aldiough we art a-va ijkj the
notes of the Bank of Aietundwaave
lor some time been cheerfully recei J bv
the Manhattan Bank, and prabal by
| >thers of that ity.and we pre»f*ruch
: I- nr wi;l he the ca>e ia aspect t# her
hanks. A
We have much satisfaction in titan
nunciation. It is creditable to |fer »n
—important to our commerce—4nd ;e
resting to the holders of bank ndiel. ho
need no longer appiehend subjnctfe.to
the pat rnent of a discount. 1 b*i« not
mentioned among the happy change-in
the aspect of nur affairs, within J2 or 8
months, a more fencitory circ»m^t«.f, I
than the equalization ot ou: interior u
change. To the bank ot the Unitt
Statu-, we owe many obligations, fur t,
liberality of its views, and the wtsdutBij
its measures in effecting this event, b j
much remained yet to employ the effort
of the Mate banks, anti we rejoice tile
have consulted the public convenient*
and united it* interest with their own
The revival of their correspondence aac
connexion, is impoitant in many points o:
view, and in none more so, than, by pre
se ving their respectability, ar.d by pro
moting, somewhat, a community of inte
i rcMj mev ilia/ maintain, iu a h *
balance in the monied influence of the1
country, theieby obviating an e'il not
entirely imaginary, that of a vast finan
cial monopoly or consolidation.
I The piedilection for the notes of the
Bank of the United Statrs, so very uni
versal, was natural during the prevalence
; of an unfavorable inland exchange; but
we confess that wi h all our respect for
and perfect confidence in the intelligence
of the very distinguished gentlemen who
now direct the operations of (Ins power
ful machine, we do not desire this pie
lerence to become more decided, not can
it, we presume, »l»et» it is sufficiently
known iliat the ytate or independent
banks extend every facility in the trail?
mission and exchange of money which
can !e given by the Bank of the United
States and its branches.
This we believe to be in a great dc
i gree the case at pr esent, anti readily per
form our dutv in contiijutiug to make it
koown.
.
•We use this head, to direct the at
tention of our rradeis to the observations
which follow, in preteience of the more
limited one of “ local banks/’ as we have
, no doubt, although we have not as ac
. curate information, that the banks of
'Georgetown ami Washington have r«
I newetl their correspondence with north
' etn banks and those of Virginia.
THE SEA SERVESr.
Uostotiy Jiugunt 23.
I he ear li* it account which the inha
bitants of Glouce.tor received of their
snake visitor was from the ma-ter of a
coasting vevel. He went on shore and
i mentioned that a horrid monster was dis
I covered by hint, with instead round the
box, am) appearing to bo resting upon
tl.e w4ulu—ins body extending u|(n„
hides and pussirg beyond the stern u'tfcJi
vessel, which n.ea ured about 80 or **
inns. So li.de belief ua awarded t0,[j
Mi.ry, that the master was glad to !eeu.
refuge f oot ib ri'ion on boawl b;» tj, * ’
j A subsequent account, liowev, r ,,j
I by a credible p.-rsni), who lives umi. ./
* xti eHio |*o.i t r.f the hat Lor, excited -U
cui unity, tin ugh it was not calculattd I
remove the doubts of tne inhabitant!. u
described ihc monster as elevafis ii l,;! •'
head 8 feet from the surface of t|,r '
dashing it majestically about him’ »,d ’
moving through it with astonMiix^
terrific rapid tr. ®
A few il.-ys afterwards doubt w.r
<° cei tainl v—-" wl at ycstei.lay3**
today is doctrine,” anu the people ,f
Gloucester have seen die tnursre, ther
fivers. T he follow it g desc.ption, ho,*
all the information which could be nb'a;
cd at the place, i> 5, accu.ate as the c 1
cumMar.ces would admit, and is not con-’
tradicted by any testimoi v of a W tr
ti»o:dinnry character.
He seldom swims with his head eieva
ted; but it Ins been ptrtially seen bv
some persons, and wholiv by a feu- i‘
is a frightful enject. I:s‘ color is a dark
brown, mued with some Mr. aks of a
l., ht r hue, and resembling, b on, it, larij
ur.d scalv appearance, -u weatherbeaten
rock J t is b. tad, and of the sj7e ol *
H.r.gham bucket; the shape is round; in
fiont, the coiiionnattor, of the upper j w
is something like a spaniel’*, ti.e under
die like a shaik’s, and both are armed
Willi formidable teeth. The side of l»j*
month is about nine ind.e* Wg 5 but r j*
well known the mouth of the serpent ha.
gieat capacity ol extension, on account
ol such u stretching muscular skin which
holds the joints toother. that he fin
gorge a prey much thicker than liubodv.
•J* bo.dJ» ulw,,‘ comparing all accounts
of him, is at least 9u feet long—peil ans
H’O, and nearly of (he size of a floui bm
iel in his ia-gevt pait. which is about ten
or filteeu feet from hi* head. It is il l
da k brown, coveied with large scai-i,
which, when he is in motion, appear rife
w i ll life, and arc at angles wi'h ihe line
of incurvation formed by big folds.
His common motion is uudulatorv,
making curves perpendicular to the sur
face <>i the water, which has given rise
to the account of his presenting the ap
pearance of a succession of casks stung
together. The flextuies of his b<-dy a
bove, have alternate spaces of water be
tween them, which have correvpmidir g
depressed bends undermath. A serpen
tine motion of tlie hand up and down will
be an accurate indication of his move
ment. \\ ith amphibious snakes, the
w indiugs on ear th are perpendicular and
in tile water tie parallel to the suifact*
this animal lias the vertical inot.oo in the
water. He makes very short, sodden,
and rapid turns, so that in bringing his
In-ail and tail wi'hio s tew feet ot cadi
other, he resemblrs a pair of reins. He
U sometimes seen it test with his back
out of water; but the celerity ot his ruc
tion underneath the suffice is much
greater than when any pad of his body
is exposed to view,
Whether the people ol Gloucester will
ever be able to destroy him is very uncer
tain. They hare fhaik hooks a (ached
to tight casks for buors, bailed with va
rious kinds of food—boats are placed up
on the watch, and it he shouhi gorge a
hook cf this kind, we think he will be
certainly taken, though not without much
difficulty. '1 hey will in that case be a- .
ware of the place ut his situation, and
profit by the embarrassment of his mo
tion; bu at picseut the. have no clue to
guide them to him; dunce only can
give them an oppportunity of seeing him,
ti d they are not able with their best
' 'Oats to equal his rapidity.
The. Serpent.—The Bust n Evening
id vert is* r, under date of Sunday morn
ig. states, *• iliti a party well prepared
roceedcd to a'tack the gieat »ta s>er
jtnt, if he could be found: oc Friday
*uie firing was neaid troui Salem, acd
sue Unit hopes were entei tamtd that a
‘•ces-.lul attack had been made upon
hti. Several persons from Boston have
f<e towards Cape Aon in hopes Sc*
. ot u.e mounter.”
^rom the Charleston City Gazette.
SOUTH AMERICA* AlfAIRS
.gentleman has politely lur lushed Uv
a ti.ng letter liotn his triend u*
*i:>ton, Jam. from which we h-ve ct
F'^the following extracts. Tney throw
*®“ further light upon the operations o!
iti toi arms of South America :
Kingston, [Jam.) July 1?«
“ he affairs, or rather, in other wind?,
Uie din cal situation ol Venezuela, l
®f‘,*‘er in a piospeious advancement to
<‘bu: its complete ami permanent i»de
P®1^'- e. The cities of Uuayna la > se*
! j^*J^\ugustura weie taken by the at my
I * lh< Patriot* under the command *1
1 r*®fiPiar the 6th May last: the ofc
i 2* K of which you may have seen ere
| -2* he *miy ol *jid gea. Piar cvin
;“4it* * upwaida oi 5.M0 men. Jhe
! *■ gei.eial Paez, which i' i[J u,e
i ■***uo*it.e plains) near C’alabozu, con
i J-1? Oi!v500 men ; the greatest propor
*2 *“«•> Being cavalry And thkC
I *ri^ ’'general Santiago Marino* wU
ls *** ‘pointed bv the government as
|c#Pfemer*l, and final cl.icff ol (be
I 4-ll?4. ue tepub.ic, which lately^kCCL*
t j” , rov'uce of Cumtna, now V> si: -
.•£ **r* ^uiri*. in consequence • I art
i sustained or. the ‘W
and W.,f Juoe |tUl ilh the arm.™
n
m