ble, the former none at all; but is robbed || of his peace and quiet for nothing..

Of fuch vaft importance to the peace, as well as the improvement of the mind, is the right regulation of the thoughts. which will be my apology for dwelling fo long on this branch of the fubject; which I fhall conclude with this one obfervation more; that it is a very dangerous thing to think, as too many are apt to do, that it is a matter of indifference what thoughts they entertain in their hearts; fince the reason of things concur with the testimony of the holy fcriptures to affure us, that the allowed thought of foolishness is fin.

Literary Gleanings.

FOR THE BALANCE.

THERE was no fcribbler, fays M Mercier, who did not write to Voltaire. He was fo kind as to anfwer all their letters, because they flattered his extenfive felf-love. It was the traffic of vanity, in which much was faid, and nothing meant. Voltaire had been often known to retract, after the death of authors, the praifes he had bestowed on them while living; and difavow, in converfation, the flatteries he fo liberally difpenfed in his writings.There are no lefs than feven authors, known, to whom he had either faid or wrote; I confider you as my heir. You fhall fupply my place. You will be my fucceffor. And other expreffions to the fame purport. Among thefe, fome may perhaps have imitated his manner with fuccefs, but certainly France has not produced feven Voltaires.

Somebody having faid to him, How can you flatter fo extravagantly fuch indifferent writers? Thefe authors, already fo vain, will be quite out of their fenfes with your praifes. What would you have me do? replied he; I have no other way to get rid of them. Would you have me tell them they are magpies, when they imagine themselves eagles? They would not believe me, and I should but arm their vanity against myself.

Situated, like the great, between flattery and malignity, he endeavored to cherish the one, and refrain the other.

All the editions of Voltaire's works contain a great number of pieces which are not his. He fometimes would fay my inventory is already made out, though I am not yet dead, and every one inferts fome of his goods to obtain a fale for them. H lometimes wrote to the publishers: Do not print fuch a number of things afcrib. ed to me, there is no travelling down to

pofterity with fo much baggage. He, who of all our poets is the lighteft and airieft in his style, is most volumnious and heavy in the external appearance of his works. They have been four times publifhed in quarto, and loaded with a great number of things which fhould have been rejectof things which fhould have been rejected. A hungry editor, fays he, is glad of this trafh to fill up a volume, which he thinks not fufficiently large. Such abufes prevail in literature, and almoft every kind of trade. There are merchant fhips, and there are pirates: the world is full of thefe frauds.

All kinds of games, except chefs, appeared to Voltaire infipid. He acknowledged them inventions abfolutely neceffary for those who had neither business nor other diverfion, and who had but that refource.

Soon as the cards appear, behold,

Fop, fool, peer, priest, seer, cit, young, old,
With ardent eye devour the pack,
And stake their bliss on red and black;
Fill up the horrid void of thought,
With battles all by avarice fought.

An author cannot always fubmit to the cenfures of his friends. Somebody hav. ing advised Voltaire to make feveral alterations in one of his pieces, "There are, faid he, conftitutional difcafes; a peifon who has a hunch back, cannot "be cured of it; my child has a hunch, yet he is in very good health."

Voltaire compared the framers of fyftems to those who dance a minuct, who are in continual motion without advanc

ing a ftep, and who conclude by returning to the place from whence they fet out.

Voltaire ufed to relate, as an inftance of the bewitching nature of gaming, that he had known an old woman, formerly addicted to play, and extremely indigent, addicted to play, and extremely indigent, who used to make broth for fome other poor players, for the fake of being permitted to look on.

A patent has been granted for a new inftrument or apparatus for taking the found. ings at fea with more certainty and correct. nefs than has hitherto been done. The follow ing is as correct a defeription of it as the nature of the fubje&t will admit :-The 2pparatus confifts of a founding weight, about 18 inches long, the body of which contains a regifler with two dials, with an iron or brafs rod, twelve inches long, and a tin buoy, air tight about fix inches. fquare, and four deep. To the bottom of the buoy is fecured a pair of fpring tongs, one end of which refts on a hook, and the fpring part of the tongs is fixed to a rotator, or revolving apparatus. This apparatus is compofed of copper, or other metalIC vanes. The tube mufl be air tight, a. bout 12 inches long, and one inch and a half diameter, with a conical point, a bout four inches in length. The vaces are foldered to the tube in a fpiral direction, fo as to produce i rotatory motion round the axis of the tube when fent into the waOn each vane is a regulator, whofe office is to make a rotator perform a certain number of revolutions in a given fpace, TAKING into confideration the difi- correfponding with the calculations of the culty of the paffage of Hellgate at the best wheels of the regifter. The rotators are of times, the lofs of time, and the damage to be adjusted by experiment in water, to frequently fuftained by accidents, it is ve- correfpond with the regifters to the greatry remarkable that no improvement of theeft nicety, that is to afcertain the space the navigation of that place has ever been pro pofe. This paffage might be rendered perfectly fate and easy, by a dam across the river, with a lock for the conveyance

Improvements, &c.

FROM THE COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT.

ter.

machine will defcend by every revolution of the rotator. By altering the angles, and the fize of the vancs, the rotator may be made to revolve in any defined fpace.

Laft week we were unexpectedly vifited by one of the bafhaw's officers who in broken English delivered the following la conic meffage-"To night nothing-tomorrow to the castle-good night," which was conftrued thus: that we fhould remain undisturbed for that night, but that in the morning we should be conducted to the caftle. No fooner had the fun gilded our prifon windows, than fpringing from our flinty couches, we packed up our wardrobe, which required but little time to do, as the clothes we wear confituted the greater part of it, and anxioufly expected our guard-our prfon door foon unfolded, and we were conduled amid crowds of gaping people whom curiofity or the hope of plunder had collected, to the moft dreary place imaginable-it was a large and gloomy apartment: the walls were entirely black and dripping with unwholefome damps, and the vaulting ceilings hung with cobwebs the ground broken and uneven afforded shelter to the innumerable vermin that infefted this place: the profpet black and dreary, Stigian darknefs reigned around, and the only light which was admitted, was from a fmall grated window in the roof; which feebly glimmering ferved to make the darknefs vifible. As my eye glanced over the apartment it reminded me of fuch as I have read of in old romances. This place more fit for the abode of demons, than of mortals, was the habitation of our brave crew, this likewife was to be our prifon,

We remained here in a most comfortless condition when by the bashaw's orders we were reconducted to our ancient prifon, a palace compared to that in which we had paffed the day, I never felt fo much pleafure in my life at reaching an old home. We are yet quartered here,

Extract of an other letter dated Dec. 6. "There has been a very violent gale of wind these feveral days paft. Three Tunifian veffels were driven on hore near this town, one of which went to pieces and every foul perifhed-and we were in hopes that our fhip which was moored in

LETTER

FROM MOREAU TO BONAPARTE.

"The letter which we now publish, has been circulated all over Paris for this week, and many thousand copies have been fent into the departments. We reprint it, however, that foreigners may read what this moment excites fo much intereft in France. It is addreffed to

46

"Monfieur Bonaparte, the Firft Conful, by Citizen Moreau, the Victor of Hohenlinden, now a clofe prifoner in the Tenple."

TO MONS. BONAPARTE, FIRST CONSUL.

"From the Dungeon of the Temple, Ventose 10th, Tear XII, March 1, 1804

SIR,

"Since your ambition requires more victims, ftrike, but do not calumniate those you butcher. Wade in the blood of innocence, but fpare honour in taking away life.

the example of Sylla, the triumver; imitate for a month only, Sylla, the private citizen, and you shall be convinced, that the compliments of felfifh and enflaved princes prove no more the standard of merit in a governor, than the flattery of vile courtiers, or the praife of corrupt counfellors.

"But as this will probably be the last time that you will hear from me, confider what I now tell you not as the envious declamation of an imprifoned rival general, but as the genuine effufions of the mind of a dying patriot, who forgives his death and your ingratitude. You pretend that my countrymen are happy, and fatisfied Let it be fo, with your government. though flaves can have no opinion, or at leaft dare not exprefs one. But you are mortal as well as myfelf. If you love Frenchmen, let not their happiness depend upon your life. You have too much fenfe not to know that with you, the Confulate for life will expire in the Bonaparte family, and other pretenders of other upstart families combat for, annihilate or occupy a confular throne, of only a few years flanding. As to your right of appointing a fucceffor in your will, remember that Louis XIV. the royal defcendant of fifty Kings, was, after a reign of upwards of threefcore years, not five minutes a corpfe before his will was overturned; a will approved by the princes of his blood, regifiered in the parliament, and applauded by all his courtiers; and that the duke of Maine was fhut up as a prifoner when he expected to rule as a regent.

"To prevent our children aud grand children from fuffering the wretchedness of their forefathers by turns tormented by anarchy, or crushed by tyranny; and from witneffing thofe fcenes of horror and fcandal, we have feen; recall the legal heir to the throne of France; and limit ieverally his authority; make him a King but not a Defpot. Such was the plan of Pichegru and my felf, and of Georges : and with this plan your prefervation was neceffarily connected, becaufe we wanted your fortune, your talents, and your rank, as well as our own fervices, to watch the reign of a foreigner, who, though misfortunes may have made him prudent, fufferings liberal, and gratitude juft; may, by relatives lefs patriotic than hin.lelf, be tempted to extend his power.

"If you expect from me the fupplicant's petition, read no farther. In this dungeon where your tyranny has plunged me, I am more elevated than you upon your ufurped throne. So fay all juft men of contemporaries, and future ages will confirm their fentence. No, Sir, on the border of eternity I call you to account for your treafon against my country and againft my felf. Do you remember our mutual agreement on the 8th November, 1799? Talleyrand, Sieyes, and Le Fevre were prefent.-I promifed to die by your fide in the attempt of moving the Directorial tyrants. You fwore to establish a government, not depending upon the life of one individual, nor tyranical but firin, flable and liberal; beflowing fredom on Frenchmen, and worthy to obtain by gratitude from foreign nations, that confidence and fleem, which your predeceffor and yourself bave commanded by the dread of your bayonets. When I fhortly after-reign of a wards went to lead armies-diforganized and defeated-your last words were:-1 know your love of your country; be vidlorious, and France fhall force admiration, even from her rivals and foes, by the liberty fhe enjoys at home, and the generosity of her external negociations! How have you fulfilled thefe great promifes? How have you refpected thefe oaths? In my degraded country, I fee nothing but cring ing flaves & proud tyrants; bafe placemen and infamous fpies. Every where in Europe, from Sicily to Mofcow, yourfelt are alike feared and detefted. Deny thofe fats if you can! You have long followed

"I dety your grand judge and his borde of fpics to prove any thing contrary to this affertion. My wife, my mother in law, and my brother, know nothing of this loyal undertaking. I fhould regard the day of my death with greater fatistaction than thofe of my triumphs, could I but hope that it ferved to make my country flourishing, my fellow citizens free and profperous, and worthy of liberty and profperity." "MOREAU"

IT

The Election.

T is now afcertained that Morgan Lewis has fucceeded in his election by a very large and unexpected majority-by a majority that will render him doubly proud and vain, if it does not add a fingle iota to his refpectability.

As we have confidered this as a very im portant election, we cannot but regret that it has terminated lo unfavorably to the caufe of true liberty and independence. We regret that the times have become fo bad, that an eminent fatefman may be blown from public life by the peftiferous breath of an outcaft foreigner, while an infignificant partizan can rife into power and office, by the mere influence of family and fortune. We regret that," in a free country, two opulent, powerful and extenfive families, without the leaft claim to public favor, can form a league fo frong, and lay their plans fo deep, as to rear and fupport a formidable aristocracy." We regret that the people have not "fpirit and independence enough to refift the firft inroads upon their liberties, and to defeat the ambitious projects of the unprincipled invaders of their rights." Finally, we regret that the federalifts, particularly in the northern part of the ftate, have viewed the late contest with fuch total indifference. We did believe that Col. Burr would receive the general fupport of the federalifts; and we gave our reafons for this belief previous to the election. But perhaps our federal friends. were not convinced of the neceffity of oppofing the election of Judge Lewis. Per haps they did not reflect that he was fe

lected from one of the moble families, as a man calculated "to cherish the interefts of party." Perhaps they were not apprized of the perfecuting fyftem that would be likely to follow the election of fuch a candidate. Perhaps, too, there were fome good people in this ftate, who were not fufficiently acquainted with the Judge's || comfortable doctrine of libels. Therefore, not fenfible of impending danger, they have flept upon their poll, while the enemy has entered, and taken poffeffion of the citadel.

Under thefe circumftances, prudence might dictate a humble and fervile fubmiffion to the conqueror. To fome it might appear right to fawn round the feet of his highnefs, and implore mercy."When you get your hand in the mouth of a lion (faid an old man to the editor) you had better withdraw it as easy as poffible."

As the editor of this paper has not been in the habit of wearing falfe coloursas he has never hesitated explicitly to avow his fentiments-as his political opinions were the fame yeflerday as to-day, and are likely to continue the fame to the end of his life, he will neither truckle to the enemy-nor dress up his countenance in fmiles, while his heart is fwelling with indignation.

I have put my little bark in trim, and have launched into the "tempeftuous fea of liberty." No fooner do I find myfelt clear of the breakers around the fhore, than I am furrounded by a hoftile fleet of fupe. rior force. On one fide, a black and heavy ship is opening her ports upon me-on the other, I am annoyed by a tiim and faft failing frigate. Over my bows I difcov

APPENING to flep into a democratic printing-office a few days fince, I caft my eye over the table, and collected from a medley of fcraps of manuscripts, the following

CROSS-READINGS.

The republican ticket has carried at the late election an unprecedented majorityFor Sale, a likely Race-Horle.

The method obferved by Mr. Burr and his adherents will, if not ftrenuofly oppofed-N. B. Wanted on hire, a horse and cart,

...