fhould be made to avoid a rupture, confiftent with the duty we owe ourselves. She is undoubtedly endeavouring to destroy our independence, and requires us to fall proftrate before her: that I would not do, but I would open an avenue for her to retreat if the fhould be fo inclined. If I thought an envoy extraordinary would be more acceptable to the Directory than a minifter plenipotentiary, I fhould have no objection to gratify them. I believe, however, they are not playing fo childifh a game; they are aiming at effentials, and it is our duty to let them know, that, although we have borne a great deal, yet there is a point beyond which we are determined not to go. If France is determined to quarrel with us, The will do it whether we fend an envoy extraordinary or a minifter plenipotentiary. It is indifpenfably neceffary therefore to make vigorous preparations for defence *."

American Anecdote.-A Frenchman being lately in company with an American, the converfation turned on the difference between their countries. The Frenchman was a little on the high ftrain of enthusiasm, and faid his country would make the Americans do as they wish, as they did the Italians in Italy. The American very promptly replied, that the Americans were men and were warriors, and the Italians only fongfters; that they had never been cut out for wielding the fword to defend their rights. [If this man had confulted certain members in Congrefs, they would have told him he should not make use of fuch irritating language.]

* Why not fay for war? What fort of a nation is that which does nothing but defend itself? Such a nation must ever be like a town befieged, and nine times out of ten it will capitulate or be taken.

SATURDAY,

SATURDAY, 3 JUNE.

Modes of Corruption.-A correfpondent fuggefts that there are various modes of obtaining influence by corruption; one may be, giving a large fum to a lawyer as ftanding counfel for the French Republic; another may be to release the captured veffels of a friendly merchant; another to withhold payment for a large fupply of leather, or other articles, furnished the Republic by contract, until the contractor gives the proper evidence of civifm by juftifications, apologies, conceffions, and abufe of Great Britain *.

Jefferfon.A curious contraft might be displayed, by exhibiting the letter of Citizen Jefferson to Citizen Mazzei in one column, and by its fide the fpeech of the Vice president of the United States to the Senate, on taking the oath to fupport the conftitution, a conftitution in form like the British conftitution. It is faid that an ingenious work of this kind is now preparing. The work would be more complete if the author would fubjoin, in a third column, Citizen Jefferson's letter to Citizen Benjamin Bannecker, the black man.

In the course of the prefent and preceding year, the merchants of the United States of America are fuppofed, on a moderate calculation, to have loft by the unjuft captures of the French nation on the high feas 13,000,000 dollars. During the present feffion of Congrefs, one of the members, a country gentleman, noways concerned in trade, brought forward a refolution to call on the French nation to pay our merchants for the cargoes which had been taken from them; and, extraordinary to tell,

* Proofs of instances of all thefe modes of corruption could have been produced very easily.

Mr.

Mr. Livingston, the representative of the city of New-York; Mr. Swanwick, ditto, Philadelphia; and Mr. S. Smith, ditto, Baltimore; oppofed the motion, and declared the French ought not to be asked fuch an unreasonable thing.

MONDAY, 5th JUNE.

Remarks on Congrefs.-After spending forty thou fand dollars of the public money, in a confultation of two weeks on a piece of business which a jury of twelve well-informed honeft men would fettle in two days, and treading over the fame ground twenty times, in order to confuse a subject which is one of the plainest that ever came before a legislative body, the French partifans in a great affembly are at length driven to declare themselves. The refult of their tedious deliberations is this; they are willing, citizens, to fubmit all your complaints against France, of intrigues, infults, and fpoliations of property to the amount of twelve million of dollars, to the juf tice and honour of the French Government; they are fo very polite as not even to mention these inju ries in their communication to the Prefident, although that was the very bufinefs for which they were called together; fome of them, indeed, seem fo terrified, or fomething worfe, that they declare it is much better to lose all the money, than to risk the displeasure of the terrible Republic, by talking about our loffes, even among ourfelves, for fear her agents fhould overhear us. But when they speak of French merits and the caufes of French complaints (which God knows are both non-entities), every man talks like a Cicero or a Fisher Ames. The French, they fay, are the faviours and guardian angels of this country. Our treaty with them, and all the other treaties we ever made with any nation

on

on earth, fhall be laid at their feet, that they may pick and choose out of them. This, citizens, is the manner in which thefe daftards, if they do not deferve a worfe name, have debased themselves; and may the curfe of cowards light upon them, as furely as they are endeavouring to debase us all. These fervants of ours are willing not only to part with our money, but they are ready alfo to throw our honour into the bargain. 3

TUESDAY, 6th JUNE.

The Lyon of Vermont.-To-morrow morning at eleven o'clock will be expofed to public view the Lyon of Vermont. This fingular animal is faid to have been caught on the bog of Hibernia, and, when a whelp, transported to America; curiofity induced a New-Yorker to buy him, and moving into the country, afterwards exchanged him for a yoke of young bulls with a Vermontefe. He was petted in the neighbourhood of Governor Chittenden, and foon became fo domefticated, that a daughter of his Excellency would ftroke him and play with him as a monkey. He differs confiderably from the African lion, is much more clamorous and lefs magnanimous. His pelt resembles more the wolf or the tiger, and his geftures bear a remarkable affinity to the bear: this, however, may be afcribed to his having been in the habit of affociating with that fpecies of wild beast on the mountain: he is carnivorous, but not very ferocious-has never been detected in having attacked a man, but report fays he will beat

women.

He was brought to this city in a waggon, and has feveral days expofed himself to the public. It has been motioned to cage him-as he has difcovered much

unea

uneafinefs at going with the crowd*. Many gentlemen, who have feen him, do not hesitate to declare, they think him a most extraordinary beast.

WEDNESDAY, 7th UNE.

Debt of Gratitude to France.-Clearly as it appears to every candid mind, that we neither do, nor ever did, owe any thing to the prefent rulers of France, the falfehood is ftill repeated, not only in all the democratic circles, but by fome members of a great and very refpectable affembly. If any thing can equal the stupidity of this conduct, it is the obftinacy with which fome men perfift in it. Suppofe, for a moment, there was a debt of gratitude due to Louis XVI. and his Court, there can be no juftice whatever in transferring this obligation to his murderers; to men, who at that period had no more concern in the act of affifting America, than the flaves of Algiers.

Thefe ufurpers (for fuch they are in the worst and fulleft fenfe of the term) were, at that period, most of them too young, and all of them too poor and infignificant, to have any thing to do in the business. Country lawyers, infidel philosophers, ftage-players, mendicant abbés, and others equally defpicable, who acquired power in the revolution by intrigue and violence, can never be the legitimate heirs of the Bourbon family, or the true reprefentatives of the landed and monied intereft of France. No; the revolution has been complete, in a phyfical as well as a moral view; not only the government, but the palaces, the warehouses, the fields, and the treafures, have all fhifted hands. The rightful owners

* It will be seen in the proceedings of Congrefs, that this beast asked leave to be excufed from going with the rest of the Members to wait on the Prefident.

VOL. VI.

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have