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MR. FENNO, THE Secretary of State, in his Repoit on the fubjefl of eftablifh incj a uniformity in the weight-., measures and coins of the United Srates, has given us an ample testimony of his fcicntific abi lities, and from a scries of public condutt, a proof, that refined fcienee, and republican virtue, arc not incompatible. The idea of using the Pendulum as a univcrfal standard for mca lure, is not new ; but the public is principally indebted to the Se cretary for the general application of it, and making it likewise the basis of both weights, and cubical, or solid mensuration. In order to make a universal standard for any purpose, it will be found neceflary to have recourse to fomc unalterable principle lor that purpose. The Secretary has chosen Gravity, which pro duces nearly the fame efle£ts, over every part of our globe : From ■which circumftancethis importantconclufion refults,v!z. that two* persons, in different parts of the world, will each, by the applica tion of pendulous bars to their clocks, or regulators, of such a length as to produce seconds, constitute the ftarxlard Yard of the Secretary ; and so nearly of a length, that they may be indiicrim inately used for all common purposes; but where great exa£fcnefs is neceflary, it will be requisite to reduce the Pendulum to the ftandaid of fomc particular latitude. This Rod, or Pendulum, the Secietary divides into five equal parts, called feet, these feet into ten equal parts, called inches, these inches into ten equal parts, called lines, and lastly, these lines into ten equal parts, called points. The Standard when thus graduated is compleat. The foot, or one fifth part of this rod, gives the cubical dimcafions of the capacity of the Buftiel, which becomes the Standard, or Radix, out of which all the other cubical measures of capacity take their rife. The inch of this rod, gives the cubical dimensions of the capacity of a vefiel, the weight of which capacity, or cubic inch of rain-water, constitutes the ounce ; which becomes the standard of Weights. The money-unit, or dollar, with the alloy alieady eftablifhcd by the United States, will be equal to the weight of the ounce, or cubic inch -of rain-water. Hence trom this universal standard, (which is nearly as fixed as Gravity,) all kinds of Measures, Weights and Coins, may be re gulated in the most harmonious manner. In forming the stand ard for this plan, there is nothing left to caprice and whim, which circumstance alone must banish discordance, and entitle it to a ilc-cided preference over all the vaiious regulations now in nfe. January 17,1791. E. FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES. IT is a republican principle that, the majority shall Govern : In all communities this majority is composed of the middling and poorei clafi'es of the people; these clafles, united, arefuperior to all opposition ; and whenever they are set in motion, to pursue an objed: on just principles, the general good is invariably promoted their prosperity always includes that of the other class, the rich and independent. I presume it will be granted, that the education of the children of every rank in society, is a consideration of the firft importance, and ought to be an objeA of at- | tention to every man whose bosom glows with a spark of philanthropy, or good citizenlhip. The affluent are so sensible of the advantages of learn- that they never neglect a suitable proviiion for their own offspring ; but this chaiity, which beoiiii at home, is never extended but in a paitial manner. I believe it will be found that no com petent proviiion for an utiiverfal diffufion of the means of education ever was or can be made, but at the instance of those who constitute what is denominated the niafs of the people. Oit the middling and lower clailes then this business de volves, and they are fully competent to the un dertaking. Uniting their strength, and exert -sn<r their force, they may accomplifli the desira ble object. If the peotle fay that a law shall be made obliging every town, consisting of a (riven number of inhabitants, to support afchool or schools, in which the children of every house holder shall have a right to be inftrutfted, it shall be done.—Or if the citizens of any corporation unite in so laudable a design as to provide for the establishment of public i'chools at the expence of the whole community, every individual of which to be benefited by the institution, if they chufe, what is there to hinder the plan from being car ried into execution ? As I laid before, this rnuft be done by the middling class of people—in the country, by the yeomanry, the labourers and far mers—in the fta-poris, by the mechanics, the ar tifls and inferior traders: These are immediately interfiled the rich more remotely, tho efl'enti ally j -but the affluent having it in their power to provide for their tun, it is only from tisesfity,and by bein°- out-vuiid\>y the majority that they will ever be brought to contribute to the support of such competent institutions, which they can do without. We hear much about Charity-Schools—- they are mere illujions by which the poor are di verted from a proper attention to their interett; thpy never were competent to the exigencies of the poor in any country. If by united exertions the free citizens of this country can provide tor themselves, I hope they will never depend on charity. ' , , I conclude the present remarks by a quotation from an ingenious and animated address to the citizens of" Delaware, which appeared in the Delaware Gazette .of Bth inft. " It is too notorious to need formal proot,that " in those parts of our own and other countries, *' where public schools, and places of liberal << education, are numerous, encouraged, and « amply fupportecf, there without many excepti -4S ons, flourifh improvements in society, and the arts of life, and every thing contributing to " national happiness and prosperity ; there go « \erniuent is Ipirited and energeuck ; there « wealth and eminence rife with equal and ra pid strides ; there is molt permanency and " tranquility. The l'eafon is plain—Every rank " and order of citizens, in the mechanical as well " as the liberal profefiions, are men ot inforniati " on.difcernmentand reflection ; capable not only " of managing their business in such a mariner as " to procure themselves affluence and eaf«,butof " making and communicating such interelling " discoveries and inventions, asfhall be of exten « five utility. Thus may the artill contribute " his mite, with as much fncccfs as the more " splendid character, towards encrealing the " wealth and glory of his country." A MECHANIC. MR. FENNO, As you publijhei the Resolutions of North Carolina in their imtfiaturt state, it will be proper to do it correctly. The Resolutions finally pajfed, areas follovj. Tours, B. C. North Carolina. In General j4tftmbly, December 14, I 790. WHEREAS, the secrecy of the Senate of th< United States, the alarming measures oi the late session of Congress, and thefilence obfer ved by the Senators from this state, in not correl nondir.g with the legislative or executive thereof Irongly impress this general aflembly with th< leceility of declaring their sentiments thereon. Resolved, that the Senators reprelenting thi: late in the Congress of the United States be,anc hey are hereby directed, to use their conltani nid unremitted exertions to have the doors oi he Senate of the United States kept open, thai he public may have access to hear the debates ol he Senate, when in its legislative or judicial apacity. Relblved, that when in Congress they be di ecfted to coi-refpond regularly and conilantly vith the Legislature, but during the recess there if with the executive. Resolved, that they use their endeavours to o have such of thejournals as are not of a lecrei lat ure printed, and transmitted by post or other \ife to the executive, regularly, during eachlef ion of Congress. Resolved, that the Senators of this state use heirutmoft endeavours to effetfi ceconomy in the ■xpenditur'e ps the public monies, and to decreaft he enormousfalaries given to the public officers md others, who, however much they may be leferving of the public gratitude or liberality foi he eminence of past or present services, oughi >nly to be compensated agreeable to republicai economy. Resolved, that they strenuously oppose every rxcife and direct taxation law, Ihould any be at empted in Congreft. Resolved, that the Seuators from this state be md they are hereby strenuously enjoined, to ex ;rt themselves to effect an alteration in the pre et rout of the mail, or to eftablifli another gene al post through the interior'jjarts of this state. jy way of Halifax, Warrington, Hilllborough. ialifbury, and Charlotte, so as to give that faiis action which is not now experienced,but which i: jfl'ential in such a government as that under wliicl we now exist. And whereas, from the present distribution ol he federal judiciary, the inhabitants ofthisilatt lo not receive the benefits intended them by Jongrefs: Therefore resolved, that our Senators >e dTrected to have the diitridt and circuit courts ippointed at two places in this state, to make it -.onvenient to the citizens. Resolved, that his excellency the governor be •equelted to transmit a copy of the foregoing re olutions to Samuel Johnfton and Benjamin Haw ciris, Esquires, the Senators representing this late in the Congress of the United States, and mother copy to the legislature of each state. W. LENOIR, S. S. S. CABARRUS, S. H. C. A copy from the journal of the houfe.of Coin nons. J- Hunt, Clk. PITTSBURGH, Dec. 2j Extratt of a letter from lieut. Ebcnezer Frotbingham, of the Ift U. S. Regiment, to a brother officer, da ted Fort Pitt, 23d Jtine last. " I had determined to write to you very par ticularly from this place, but you will excufeme when you know the grief and pain oi lieui t 1 now feel. I arrived the day before yesterday ; Mr. Ernest informed me that he had the evening before received a packet of letters for me from home ; my heart gladdened in expectation of hear ing from my wile and friends ; but O ! the afto niliiment of my foul, when on opening my let ters I found my clear wife was no more : My faireft, my brightest profpeifls oil this fide eter nity are blasted in the very bud ; flie died sud denly, only five days illness. ; went off in a faint ing fit without a groan. The molt comfortable afi'urance {he palled to her Saviour's arms,,is my only consolation in this my hour of grief and woe : why was (he removed so soon, even whilil my fond heart was anticipating the help and ad vantage I fhoukl receive from her virtue and pi ety ? But (hould I complain, when (he is such an infinite gainer ? Yet I feel as though my lo's was irreparable. May my foul be well prepared 710 to go an 4 soon tojoin her spirit above, wliei-e lin and i'orrow are known no more. " My dear fir, do not place yourhappinefs on calculations in this world, where grief and dis appointments await us. May your hope and mine be beyond the reach of all ti anfitory things." Lieutenant Frothingham being 011 the late ex pedition against the Indians, was killed in bat tle ; his friend thought proper to publish the above extract, in order to lhew the great piety and.Christian dependance of Mr. Krothingham, and liowfearlels he must have met death. January i. The arrival of Mr. Robias at this place from Sandm'ky, and the accounts brought by him of the difpoiition of the Indians, is rather unfavora ble. It appears that they are early in the spring to turn out for war, and commit depredations on the frontiers ; that they are greatly elevated with the ill'ue of the late cam paign, and (when speaking of it) fay they are more than men. It may be neceilary forthc in habitants 011 the frontiers tolceep a watchful eye, although there may be no great danger', as a re port of this kind never loses by frequent re peating ; and we flatter ourselves their attenti on will be called toa more diitant quarter, 1 in or der to proted: themselves. The navigation of the Ohio has been closed this sometime, so that all communication,by that channel, is for the present stopped between this country and Kentucky. HARTFORD, Jan. 10. Some of the public creditors in Pennsylvania, have presented COngrcfs with a petition, the stile of which, in imitation of Gib bon, is most sublimely and elegantly obfeure, but the design of which is to induce Cougrcfs to the funding fyftein and give iix per cent, interest on the whole public deot at once. They call them (elves the patriotic viclimt of the war; when in truth three fourths of them are [peculators, who have purchased most of the public paper for less than half its value. They begin their tedious address with charging the Secretary of the Treasury with in recognizing the justice of their claims m the utmost latitude, in the beginning of- his report, and then recommending a plan of funding the debtat less thanjwas ori ginally promised. They proceed to charge Congress with having lojl the disposition to do jujlice, altho they had acquired the power. After fouie common place remarks on the moral and political obli*- gation of contratts and the importance of public credit, they enumerate the many promiies made to the creditors by Congrcfs under the confederation, and then charge the present lcgiflature of the Uni on, with having clandeflinely obtained an unreasonable concejfion from the creditoes, and with having infringed the original contract ur.d de flroyedits principles. They charge the indire&ly with be ing callous to their merits and fujferings, and tarnishing the glories of America with broken contrails and violated faith. i hey declare the old Congrels to have been a wife and virtuous body, v/bopratlfzd right, as far as they were able ; but the present ast for vilion for the public debt, thi-v fay. is nv thepnbHcfaith, a flriking controfl to the il'ujlrious example of the Cengref, and a dangerous infraction of the- fundamental laws 4fjujiict. In short, the whole petition is bui a round about way ot leiling, Congress they area nefl offcoundrels. CHARLESTON, December it Johoßoydcll, Esq. hie Alderman of Cheap Ward,..w.as elefl ed lord Mayor of London, on the 29th September. EDINBURGH, September 30. Thurfdav laftarrived at Greenock., the Peggy, Captain Mar quis, from Leghorn, on board of which came pafTenger, Charles Colville, a native of Arbroath, from Algiers, from whom we have received the following information:—ln July, Ihip Dolphin, O'Bryen, matter, belonging to Philadelphia, was captured by ail Algerine xebec, and the crew, consisting of .15 men, carried into slavery, four of whom belong to Scotland, the above Charles Coiville, John Robertfon, lon of John Roberi l in, cooper in Glasgow, George Smith, of Portfay, and William Paterfon of Aberdeen. The three lad still remain in slavery, and fix of the reil were cut off by the plague about two years ago, at which timeabove 800 christian slaves fliared the fame fate. Col ville obtained his liberty, upon his friends paying 3501. as 2ran fom, part of which was obtained by a contribution set on fooc by that ornament of mankind, George Dempfter,'Efq. of Duni chen, who negociatcd the whole business with Charles Logic, Esq. the liritilh consul at Algiers, as appears from the pass granted Colville from that gentleman. He left Algiers,-in July lalt, and has brought letters from the above mentioned persons to their Iriends. CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TUESDAY, Jan. 11. In committee of the whole, on the bill repealing after the last day of next the att laying duties oil difiitkdfpirits, ire. and impofitig others sa tbzrf flead_. r pH£ 1 Jth fetftion was read, which refpetfts the Jl duty on spirits distilled from materials the growth or produce of the country. Mr. Jackson moved that this fectioil {liould be (truck out. He observed that this he conceived to be the (tage of tlve bill in which aftand ought to be made by its oppofers ; this clause respeCts the produce of the country —and here the friends | of American manufactures and produce ought o make their exertions to defeat the bill. Het read a particular estimate, by which he falu appears that the proposed provision was emi ufineceffary. He then, offered some general fervations 011 the bill: Direct taxation, faia 1-» has been objetfted to —this power is as fuJJy " cognized in the conditution as the right of .■ ing excises—those therefore who are oppof «< the latter, have as good a right to offer the' jecftions as those opposed to the former. Secretary fays we ought to leave direift taxi a rcfource for a future emergency ; but is it 1 better to have tiro resources than one.? The