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w :■! ON M A N. iyu ) THE stars of the firmament, the tides of the sea, the bowels of the earth, a --the winds of heaven, the revolutions of S; r e seasons, and viciflitudes of the weather, j t re by the various arts bf observation, fore i flight, and contrivance, fuccefsfully ap i ' propriated to hisconvtnience and comfort. In poflTdfion of such powers and refour ( ces, Its enmity is dreadful, and his friend ihip of cohfequence to all other animals— || and the necelfities of his situation are so I urgent, and the propensities of his nature |jj are so powerful, that hfc cannot but regard I them severally, with qrte or other of I sentiments. He is made capable of fuhfifting equal ly by hunting, by fifhing, or by cultivat ing the ground. He is guided as much by taste, in the manner of feeding, as in the choice of his food: And seldom, like his i, brother animals, devours it, in its natural | Hate-his aft ions indeed are all on a feale. Nature intended him to be the “ architect L of his own fortune*’ and his predominant I. pa (lion is, every where, to better his condi- I tion. He improves the vegetables, and | dretfes tlir meat he wishes to eat: Reftifies | : ami refines the liquid he wishes to drink ; manuiafttiresthe clothes he wishes to wear; and equally fumiflies himfelf with instru ments for the dispatch of bufmefs, and arms for protecting his pcrlon, and catch ing his prty. He deviates so invariably and methodi > cally from nature, and is so totally artifi cial in every thing, that he is without ex \ ception, the fnoft extraordinary phenome non in the whole compass of organifed ex iftencc-—He sometimes, though rarely, tlifcovtrs all the merit and worth conceiv ed in his nature —His manners are simple an I undisguised; his temper kind and con descending ; his sentiments of others libe ral and benevolentand all his aftions*a dprned with clemency and candour—He is then the visible divinity, and the amia ble reverse of all that is savage and unre lenting in nature. His dispositions are as harmless as thofeof a DOVE; his manners ; as gentle as those of a FAWN;; and ; life as innocent as that of_ the LAMB. Nor is the LION more noble, the ELE PHANT more sagacious, the HORSE more manageable, or the DOG more trusty. Why will not truth bend to the feelings of the hiftdrian, and prevent the pangs of fcnfibilityV inseparable from the detail of lifts so repugnant to nature, and difgrace ful tc> humanity ? This alas is but a parti al piftureof man! I'i'ea? him absorbed in Tlrttifimefs, the dupe of pkffion, or a vic tim to appetite. Do not the merest trifles often fire his imagination, poison his affec tions, rankle in hjs heart, pervert his in tentions, and petrify his temper? He is t'inid without modtfty, ineonflant with out pieature, and flagitious without spirit. His antipathies spring from pride, his ma lignity is unrelenting, and all his resent ments are implacable. The airs he af taiv.es art* a burlesque on dignity; the pre t( nfions he claims, a refinement on hypo ci il'y ; and attachments he forms, a Block ing prostitution of the heart—woe unto the objefts of his hatred ! He is never Id's diipofed to mercy, than when mercy is molt in his power—Not all the empha lis ot pity t an once incline him to fpare— misfortune heaves not his bosom with a sigh, nor niomens his eyes with a tear.— The wretch who has once infenfed, has no fafety, but in the impotence of the w ill that would destroy. He gives all his black and treacherous foul to revenge; and then, like unto another monster glutted with nrrv, exults in the ruin he has wrought. Thus he unites in his charsfter, the cun ning of the FOX, and the fawning of the SPANIEL, with the fiercenefs of the WOLF, and the deceipt of the CROCO DILE; the guilt of a SERPENT, and the fleetnefs of a JACK ALL* with the fury of a BEAR, and the cruelty of a TIGER, the tricks of a JACKDAW, and the fo lemnitv of an OWL, with the gate of a GOOSE, the gestures of an APE, and the tln’lnris of an ASS. Thus while hr continues to support the riigtviyv'and obey the legitimate dictates of his own mindL he seems the model or *i minute repr fcntation of all that is amiable 'Vr excellent in exigence. It would then jpßpp’Mr as if he were composed of none Lti* the mod refined materials, and that his f\ stem neccftarly excluded every grofler But the moment he forgets M naif, nul re'.inquifhes this delicate port Jot diftinfthm, the molt awful depredation ftakys {dace. Tue love of goodness cheers fno#lrs heart, unbroken health flows not *n his veins and his countenance retains lfT“Ot - the blufli of innocence. He literally **v' nes more krutish, than the beads I f ’.tt and his whole nature is an » V. ur.s v.-mplecatisin of whatever is moll \‘i ft an : detefra'dc—So that siting up 'll * ' powers lie places him at *1 .* :: ;.a of the vdib'e cceaUon, while an -hhws prvdlitution of them, renders nLl'* toner, the mud ..hjeft and worth- Tliougli an animal of prey, snd capa ble of the most desperate depredations, he can live alone or in fociely, but his affec tions are chiefly aflbeiating and political— Indeed the species Aibfift no where but in groupes, regulated by forne general rules, fettling gradually into habits of focicty, 3nd riiing imperceptibly in the arts of in deftry and elegance —but whether fmgle or combined, there are no limits to their acquisitions. Hence the interference of interefl and paftion, the general competi tion for power, the universal itch for dif tinftion, the grasping at wealth and inde pendence, the unavoidable refinements of tattle, and ali the appendages of luxury. Perhaps the mutual attachment of the sexes is not the leaf! amusing part of his (lory. The kind, in all well regulated com munities, is continued by means of politi cal inftitations. Here polygamy is pro hibited on many of the most solid and sa cred reasons. Were it otherwise, the foul eft enormities might be exjiefted. Apart ! from more solemn considerations, the na tural fvmpathies of the paternal heart, are singly decisive on the fubjeft—fuch is the whimfkal humour of these unaccountable creatures, that they must even be forced into a predicament, for which nature de signed them, and which is the flight of all their animal desires. Nor do they often dislike in earnefl, till they find themselves in each others arms; for hatred is some times the offspring of love. In how ma ny ways is wretched man, thus cheated of the fruition he expefts, as if the moment he poflefled a blessing, it were his fate to change it to a curse ! There are, however, some who mingle their ihterefts and hearts from purer motives, and have yes the good fortune, to be singularly happy, where so many are so singularly miserable. In every department and position in which he can be supposed, ambition is the master fprihg of his system, and the con troulingdifpofition of his heart. To some distant objeft all his wishes and aftions are uniformly directed. His mind aspires as naturally as his lungs play, his blood cir culates, or his, pulse beats. Every excel lence that exalts, every grace that adorns every deformity that degrades him, origi nates here. This fills him with ideas of his own importance, and prompts him to exertions of felf defence. So that he is not to be insulted or injured with impuni ty. Nor is he furnifhed with so many ir ascible and indignant resentments, in vain. He occupies a station, obnoxious to the most hostile and and is under the neceflity of .afting on the de- ,< , fen five, and making reprisals by turrjk rt ~ There is not a doubt, that ofufL. perior order, regard him, as the greatest novelty, and miracle, of all that is new and wonderful in earth or in heaven. To them it must be a lpeftacle equally afto nifliing and ludicrous, to behold a little, pert two legged infeftynot yet emerged from its Aurelia state, nor near so flour, and alert, as many of its kindred tribes, thus, by infinite address and perpetual in trigue, ilyly acquiring the , sovereignty of the world, In a savage ftate,h*fe paffionsareftrongand ardent, his appetites insatiable, and his rea son, or intelleft,abforbed in lethargy,or only difeovering nowand then, the faint ernana tions of a barbarous sagacity. Under the afilolute dominiqn of mere animal propen sity, he fatisfies every desire, and follows every indication, without timidity and without re drain t. Yet in the fo litudes where the voice of law is not heard, and the faftions of authority are unknown, he attaches,himfelf to his female, with th* fidelity of the, DOVE, and provides for his offspring with the industry of the BEE; In society, where the frequent collisions that happen, from a thotifand opposite in terefls and inclinations, extraft all the fire and virulence of his compolition, his od dities are still more apparent and fantafti cal: For every diftinft combination of the species is marked with features of peculi ar deformity. Their irfjprovement apart is as tmpraftkable, as their ruin together IVems inevitable. Flagitious example is always most prominent, and MAN is the child ofhrtand imitation—His paflionsare created, by those of others; Faihion mo dulates his taste; and having once imbibed the maxims of folly, he has seldom reso lution enough to renounce them. Every found he hears, and every fight he beholds, whet his curiosity, influence his hope, or alarm His fears. And from the cradle,to the grave heis constant in nothing so much as the pursuit of novelty, and a disposition to change. Indeetl he is hardly of the Tame mind together. The materials of his bodv are net more in a state of trans mutation, than the idea., which occupy his undcrtlanding. The truth is, he aft:; Irom principiesascontradiftory, as the ele ments which compole his body, and ex hibits on the whole, a very flrange mix ture, of meantxfs and merit. He knows i“Ws of his own system. and ,ycr afftfts those to comprehend of the nniverie. Though unable to did!ft one a;adc of grsfs, he would mcafuit the orb? of heaven : And even, when aliied to the Caterpillar, boasts an affinity with AN GELS. The bodies around him do not more sensibly gravitate to the center of the earth, than his thoughts and desire soar a bove the clouds. Yet thele are totally en grossed by things inadequate to his wifiies, unsubstantial as his dreams, and perilha bleas his frame. . His lile is perilous and precarious, chequered with the strongest viciflitudes of pleasure and pain, and eve ry where at the mercy of the capricious elements. But infignificant as it is, tho’ fore of a better, he adheres to it with a foolifh but inflexible preference. Nay, the last pang which tears him from .misery he forefees, from the firft moment he breathes, and steadily regards with uncon querable antipathy and aversion. Amidst the vast combinations o/ pof- fentiments, attachments, and a versions, which his connexion and com petition with others mud occasion, lie would be wretched indeed, without a con science. His benevolent maker, however, has not left hisframe so imperfect, or his life so destitute, but stamped on every feel ing of his heart the preference and love of Virtue, and the disgust and hatred of vice. This puts him right when rong, decides on the tenour of his condud, and the temper of his mind, and sooths or flartles him, by all that is delightful, or dreadful in futurity. Heinftin&ively therefore takes part with the injured and opprefl’ed: Never fees a generous deed without wishing to have done it, or a bad one, without emotions of diflikc; uniformly fymphthifcs with the lufferer, unless where lome other paflion interferes ; and retains to the last, in spite of imperfection and debility, a love of goodness and detestation of evil, t MAN then is composed of two diftinCt and independent principles, the one fub jeCt, the other superior to the laws of mor tality. Whatever belongs to the body, with the body dies: And death is as natural to the animal, as harvest to the vegetable world. It is the visible and inevitable fate of all sublunary things, to exchange one modification of being for another— : Nor. can man more than any of the creatures beneath him, plead an exemption from the general institutions of the universe. But, in consequence of an event so im portant in the hiftory of human nature, what becomes of those faculties which have no analogy to the known of matter ? Are reflection and sensation des tined to flourifh and to live and Bie together ? May not his mental survive t his corporeal, functions ? Can tha; living • aJpLIIfe giving .principle, which a&s so much , independent of his senses, by the shock of diflolution, become in one mo ment, just as inactive and extinCt as they do ? Does that sacred and sublime lamp of light, which discovers both worlds to each other, and which promised an immortal thus suddenly expire forever ? Are thole fires which mingled with the radi ence of heaven, and which seemed to glow with a flame as lasting and as noble, like the temporary blaze of a meteor, or fub jeCttothe fate of a glow worm? How then, got he acquainted with scenes which have no reality, to pant for a bliss beyond thereach of existence ? Is not that BEING who inspired him with the hopes of im mortality, who interwove with it the firft and tenderest solicitudes of his heart, able and disposed to confer it ? Yes: every sup position to the contrary is just as fiiocking as it is impious. For if, only made like the worms and reptiles beneath his feet, to live this motnentand diethe next, toftrug gle in a wretched life with every, internal? and external calamity, that can aflault his body or enfeft his mind, to bear the mor tifications of malignity, and the unmerited abhorrence of those who owe him the ten derest esteem, and ther fink in evcrlafting oblivion, his fate wc’ild stand, on record, m the annals of the universe, an external exception to all that can be called good. “ Nobile opus nee non niji uni , excogitandum." T „ LONDON, June 10. ■ j-aF k gE .yfe. Jg&ki From the French Papers. Examination of the four Coachmen belonging to tht Margrave of Baden , who were to have driven the French Plenipotentiaries to Seitz. ’ In compliance with the demand of the Subdelegation of Baden, the above men tioned proceeded to the examination of the four coachmen who were yefterdav evening to have conduced the French Ministers by the way of Phmerfdorflf to Seitz. 1. Andrew Cafpard declared in hisde polition, that he drove the carriage of the Minister Jean Debry ; that at his departure he had been ordered by the Minister Bon nier to answer, in case he (houid be flop ped arid a Iked whom he drove, that they were the French Ministers ; that he was in effe& flopped by some of the Royal Impe rial Huflars, at the of the vallev of Rheinau; that the aforefaid queftipn was put to him, to which he gave this an iwer as direst; that being aiked where Bonnier was. and the name of the person whom he drove,"he snfivered Bonnier was in-the second carriage, and Jean Debry was in his; that on this information a great number of Huflars rode up to the carriage, and dragged out of it the'Minif ter Debry and the Ladies with him, and immediately attacked the former with their fabres, putted the woman after them, and searched them ; that he himfelf received a blow with the flat of a fabre, on which he dropped down between his horses, that he was then asked who he was, and having answered that he wasthe Coachman of the Margrave, he was allured no injury lhould be done to him. 2. James Ghnweller deposes, that he Jaw Jean Debry receive several blows with fabres, but at the fame time some Hut Tars rode up to his carriage, which W2s the third, and atked him who was in it, that having answered he drove Bonnier, sever al Huflars rode up to the doors on both sides of the carriage and cried, “ Alight, Bonn er!” They iuftantly broke the win dows, dragged the Minister out, and maf faered him before his eyes at the fide of his saddle horsey that they afterwards plun dered the Minister and the contents in the carriage, that he also thought he heard Bonnier make lamentations in Flench, and pronounce the word “ pardon.” 3. James Weiss, deposes that he drove the fourth carriage, in which was the Se cretary of Legation, Rofential; that he saw Debry and Bonnier dragged out of the carriages w hich were before; the treatment experienced by the former happened at too great a diftarice for him to make cbferva tions, but he diftinftly heard the Huflars cry—“ Where is Bonnier r” That he saw them drag Bonnier out of the carriage, strike him at |he time with their fabres on the leg, and cut him to pieces, when he fell on the ground. With refpeft to Ro berjot, the Huflars after the maflacre of Bonnier, galloped to his carriage and cut him to pieces. Robberjot bathed as he was in blood, giving ftili some fignsoflife, a Huflar on foot (truck him fix times with his fabre. 4. The fourth coachman deposes, that his carriage was at the fame time attacked by (he Huflars. He was asked the name of the Minister whom he drove, as he did net know they applied to the servant on ; the coach box, and having learned that it was Roberjot ; they said, Ah ? ’tis he !’* They opened the door, dragged out the Mihifter, and by the order of one of the under officers, who spoke Hungarian, they maflacred him in a horrible manner, drip ped him of his cloaths, renewed their at tacks while,'here appeared t life. Madame Roberjot was “aifo torn out of the carriage, and entreated them repeat edly, in bad German, to put her to death with her husband. (Signed) J. H. W. Muller* Done at Rajladt, 10th Floreal t in the presence of M. Pojfelt. I -■ 1 BOSTON, August 15. Ruffian Firmness. The Muscovites, after ravaging the kingdom of Pruflia, had entered Branden burg, and were advancing towards Berlin, conduced by general Permer. Frederick gave them battle at the village of Zom dorff, and it may be termed a carnage ra ther than an afticn. Neither the fury of his artillery, the valor and difeipline of his infantry, nor the repeated charges of his, cavalry, could compel the Ruffians to re cede a foot, much less to turn their backs. During thirteen hours, from fix in-the morning till feveg in the evening of tbs' 25th of August, they withstood, unmov ed, every effort of the Prussian taffies.— After the (laughter of 21,000 men, they ftili disdained to retreat, and night alone terminate the combat. August 16. The house of Meflrs. Hammond’s at Winchester, was consumed by fire, on the firft instant, and a child, two years old, burned to death in it. NEW-YORK, August 19. On Saturday morning the United States frigate Constellation, failed on a short cruize, in perfuit of the French frigate which lately dilperfed the American fleet from St. Thomas, under convoy of the Norfolk, and schooner Retaliation. The volunteering of commodore Truxton on. this cruize, is a trait in his chara&er which redounds more to his honor than a viffory over an enemy. Should he be fortunate enough to fall in with the French frigate, fight and conquer her, his earthly felicity must be complete. May this be the result of the present cruise. Extract of a Utter from a gentleman in St. ikomas’s, to a rcfpeclaoie mercantile house in this city, dated 2<jth July, ’99. Within five or fix days we have had arrivals from Jacrr.d,and the Cape—at the latter place all is perfectly quiet, and they are waiting with anxiety the arrivals of American veflels on the :ft of August. Tit’s is not the case at Jacmel, its fitr.a-