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p j-ft ANDOL p H Bunch, Si 3E time of the termination of the il ,;nth, and commencement of the n Titnth century, having occasioned |1 jiCubts and exited much difference [| 'nion, I take the liberty of offering |*| Wr obfervatiom thereon. Although 11 ay be deemed by many, a matter of fl uriofity than use, yet it would cer | fatiifadfory to have the question a accurately fettled —but possibly II %<Jay it would be found extremely 1 df« so to fettle it. as to remove all ■ and end all controversy on t.he S| <* foferve in the Sat'annali Museum an ARd&id to be) from a Jamaica paper, WHof which appears fully to have ■ Builder \ himfelf that, the nineteenth I omittcdVlgmeuced with the present year: I looked d*>*Woniiig has not fatisfied my I formed *wmrirrje in the opinion 1 before Jj him tomed, that the eighteenth century ■ from id with the present year, and the I The luijth of cource commence with the I Watkiiot; and this opinion i deduce from I the Crobable manner in which calculations I ace® made and continued from the birth I faviour to the present day. I ,!e j he coining of the Messiah had long been I ! ‘ s Stold and expected, when the important " a 'nt occured, at the fame moment corn **l e rtcecl the chriftian aera—’Tisiminaterial rjL Ollier other calculations,or dates from .ill Mr cr circumftinces, were instantly fuf- or not —This was the most impor ratul remarkable event, that had ever I opened, and when calculations began bi made therefrom, whether it were one o or ten years after, they related back to Il* time of the birth as a data ; or )t int from which to commence; and there f( s no fear of mistake, because perforis diS tainted with the circumstance were in 'lstnce to fix the time of it with accuracy, ig'wfirft notice of this event appears ro nt ,yin>een given to the Shepherds by the l aj .gel who laid “ unto you is born this day ta( 'tbe city of David a faviour who is chrift j n Hord.” From this information they ( j e ted this occurrence,and as they journied ex) fee the child and its mother, the won n *ful birth became a fubjeft of intereft pref, noticed the days which palled after ii^ ei birth; the one fnbfequent to it they theifT'^ c second day, and the next the tlieif* an< * 011 — the amc way they Sc calculated from the firlt, second „third months,and from the firlt,fecond übird years. After the firft year of Ins to'ena B 0:ie *°PP 0^ea person then made ,I :. ranted with tlie event had alked, tlw\ '•okf.l 4^ ie ? he would have been told o the •* ! n kis second, in his third—his time it or >' car according to the faft, mo^c °f calculation would have ftj ){ , ..‘continued as the child grew up. A K jitury being a well known period of ioo | f[] trs, which had before been calculated Ik., m the creation of the world, and from jnher events, began now to be calculated B&m the birth of chrift, the year in which %>f was born was reckoned the firft year,the c xt the fecond,and foontill it reached the -hundredth ; when ioo years were G;omplcated, that portion of time denomi nated a century was accomplilhed, and the /ear joi commenced the 2u century, with he year aoo ended the ad century and with he vear 201 commenced the third century and so on to the year 1700 which com pleatcd the the 17th century, the year 1701 icommencenccd the 18th century, that ;itentury will terminate with the year 1800, (and with the year 1801 will the 19th cen tury begin—that is at the close of the pre- I Tent vear, tßoo years will have palled finee Lour faviours birth, and iS centuries finee wgfre chriftian mra will then have expired. iWk The different modes of calculation ap ißpars to have created all the difficulty on lubjeft—The Jamaica correspondent jfKffl many others are dilpofed to exclude firft year from calculation altogether, Ijgßro take no notice of it till the whole is and then to fav the year one, that is JKnt one year has past finee the event from fophich they calculate; all through the second BKcar they call the year one, till the third |i year commences which they call the year p two, by which their calculation is kept a B year behind the acra from which they be- I gin, which they call calculating by cardi fl nal numbers—whereas uniform experi fl cnee convinces us that all calculations from B particular events are made in ordinal num- B bcr>, because that takes in time present as B well as past, and makes the calculation In and the fart perfect!v agree —the firft year H *'f an event, of the birth of Christ, for in- H fiance would certainly be noticed—if no- B ticed it would be so called, and ail fc.bl'c ga quent years would conform thereto. So we find in the Mosaic account of the ere || ation, the lame mode of calculation—after fi the fix days of creation were palled, God ccttcvl on the ieventh day—now seven days were not gone, before the day of rest, but , the day of rest was the seventh enumerat ing the preceding ones by ordinal numbers. As to the figures on a dial (stated by the Jamaica correspondent) or that of mile stones &c. the reasoning will no; apply in the way intended; these are not com mencements of particular aras—we know the hour usually underftoodby one o’clock, | that ’tis one hour past meredian or past midnight, here is no ambiguity or fear of miftake —so in travelling when we have gone one mile, we confider ourselves pro greflingon the second ; when we have got nearly thro’that, we cannot surely be ft id to be in the firft mile, or mile one—yet we must be so by the calculation in the Sa vannah paper; for we are there said to be in the firft mile till we pass the ftcond mile stone, then in the second mile till we pass the third mile stone, so that to use a common phrase we travel fafter than we get along. But lavs the Jamaica correspondent, “The word one means something com pleated, whether it be one hour or ofte year ; one inch or one mile”—this is true in speaking of numbers or distances per fectly comp'eated—but does not prove that in all calculations the firft year of an event is excluded in subsequent calculations from that event —and we know in faift this isfeldom the case: We can readily have an idea of the numeral one, as fvnonimous with the firft, without a previous period— diftance—or imaginary cypher from which to commence our calculation. Suppose for instance the years of a centurv were to be reprefcnted by a number of dollars, al most any boy called to number them would begin with number one, and count on to one hundred, and no immnginary cypher would varv the number, and this would be as just a mode of calculating to determine the beginning of a century as the statement in the Savannah paper. Let us imagine the period finee the chriftian aera to be a mighty volume, divided into a number of chapters, equal to the number of the years finee the birth of Christ—the beginning chapter would be called the firft—the ne»t the second, and so on, and we ftiould now l>e entering on chapter 1800. The year in which an event occurs is certainly fomething—lt cannot but be no ticed, nor can it be called otherways than the firft year—so we calculate, the firft, se cond, &c. years of American indepen dence—so was calculated the firft and se cond days of creation, and on to the se venth—so was and is calculated the firft, second, &c. days of the week—and so doubtless was calculated the years of the chriftian aera to the ninety ninth and one hundredth—with the hundredth vearended the firft century, with the two hundredth the ftcond century, and with the eighteen hundreth vear, or year 1800 will end the eighteenth century, and with the year 1801 will the nineteenth century commence. Z. STRASBURG, Otftober 12. We have just received the official ac count of a new viiftory obtained by Maf fena over prince Charles. The official re port received by General Chabran, com mandant of the division of Baste, and which had been publiihed the day before yesterday, is as follows: “ The Auftro Ruffian army, under the command of prince Charles, has just been compleatly beaten by general Malfena, on the borders of the Rhine, and forced anew to recross that river. Malfena has made three thousand prisoners, killed a'general, taken a great number of cannon, and fix colors. “ The corps of Conde has likewise been compleatly defeated at Constance. The loss of the enemy in killed and wounded is 6000 men. (Signed) CHABRAN.” SALEM, December 24. The Frigate Eflex, Capt. Preble, failed from this harbor, on Sunday morning, for Newport. She fired a salute on going out, which was returned from fort Pickering. She failed remarkably well; and, from the abilities of her officers and crew, we anticipate a fucceLful cruise. The late period at which the appoint ment of officers to this ft)ip was made must naturally have retarded her preparations for lea, had not Capt. Waters, the Naval Agent, supplied, as far as the powers of one man could extend, all deficiencies.— To his uncommon exertions, of which we have heard Capt. Preble speak in the (Irongeft terms, it is owing that flic is not longer detained i:i port. , NEW-YORK, January 2. A French gentleman who came pr.f --• 1 fenger in thelloop Louifu, from St. Sebaf- I { tiai's, end who left Paris about the 2 jtl of > j October, informs, that Buonaparte haa ar- lfciLXlCatlC-Ullil»a* ii -- -* • —— ■ - I ■■ ■*■> rw»TTT •■■■HHHBiimil rived there previous to this gentleman’s departure, and that his arrival had occa sioned great public rejoicings; that he brought with him a treaty of peace con cluded by him for twenty years with the grand Seignor, who had ceded to France 2CO leagues of the territory which had been conquered by Buonaparte ; and that a secret expedition was preparing, of which he was to have the command. (Mer. Aclvertifer. ) From a late Paris fa per, received by the Louija, from St. Seba/Uans. Paris, 26 Vendemaire 17th Oct. Buonaparte has left the army of Egypt under the command of General Kleber. Egypt was already under water when he departed from thence, and the Nile never aflumed a finer appearance for fifty years back. Buonaparte flopped at Ajaccio in Cor sica, where he (laid seven days. It was there moßly he learnt the news from France, and of which he had but very little know ledge since his departure. In the paflage from Corsica to France, an Englifli fleet hove in fight, and gavechace to the French division composed of two frigates and a transport. The commander wanted to run ashore on the coafl of Corsica, in or der to escape being taken. Buonaparte fearful of being blockaded in that island, opposed it, and said it was well to give up to fortune. Fortune, which he invoked, was as favorable to him when in fight cf the coafl of France,as it has been when he invoked it in fight of the coafis of Egypt. Night {haded the failing of that fliip which perhaps carried the deltines of France.— They landed at Frijus, where our illuflri ous travellers met with the brilliant recep tion of which we have already spoken. The courier which preceded them, in order to have horses prepared, asked for them every where for Buonaparte ; and e very where in the towns and villages the inhabitants would go to meet him on the roads and accompany him beyond the communes. The croud was such that e ven on the roads it was with difficulty car riages could make way. At night every place through which he palled from Frijus to Paris, was illuminated. Joy was manifefted to the extreme at Lyons, when the inhabitants heard that he was to pass through the city. Every one (hewed a wifli to feaft him. The town was illuminated; a little play, entitled “ The Hero's Return was composed, and performed instantly. The aftors not hav ing had time to" learn their parts, read it. A great croud attended the theatre, to hear this momentary production, which was crowned with applause. However fatigued Buonaparte might be, he was invited to the fpe&acie. He could not refiß the prefling folicitationsof all the citizens; and when he appeared at the theatre, the clapping of hands and other testimonies of joy continued for a long time. January 3. By the arrival of the schooner Four Sif ters, Stanwood, 11 days from Cape Nicho !a Mole—we are informed, that the United States frigate Conflitution, Capt. Nichol son, was cruiflng off Cape Francois for a large French merchantman and a brig with valuable cargoes on board. Congress of the United States. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. January 1. Mr. Macon prefenteda petition of fun drv inhabitants of the Miffilfippi territory, residing on the Tombigby and Mobile ri vers, praying for a confirmation of their title to certain lands, and for the free na vigation of said rivers—which Mr. M. moved to have referred to a (tied com mittee. Mr. Jones objected to tfye house legifl.it ing on this fubjeCt, on the ground that iu involved a of the Rate of Georgia t<P the jurifdi&ioti of that territory; and that as commissioners had been appointed by aCt of congress to fettle all existing diffi culties as to the jurifdiCtion of that Rate, it would be improper for the house to hold forth any encouragement to the petitioners —an encouragement which would only prove delusive, because this house had not the power to grant the relief prayed for— He thereiore hoped the petition would be ordered to lie on the table till the claim of the Rate of Georgia to that territory fliould be fettled. Mr. Talliaferro and Mr. Nicolas advo cated theopinon of Mr. Jones. Mr. Gallatin thought it was bringing a great and important queßion before the house in a very indirect wav. Before we decided uponthe claim, a committee ought to be appointed toenquire what progress has been made by the commissioners ap pointed to fettle the claimsof Georgia; and if the queßion came before the house in any lhape, it ought to be in the only prep - ■ --■ 11 !»■ \ jjililif ~ 'ln ~liw llj f r cn .7, “ l ° «’hom does this terltorvbe • on => ■ Mr, G. was decidedly agair.ft reference of the petition to a felcft cnn! mittee. w Mr. Claiborne said, the petition con tamed otr.er objetfs than the rfrht objefl ed to by Georgia The navigation of^ 1 ombigby and Mobile rivers, of which they were deprived, was essentially necef Tarv to the commerce of that part of th world, and their claim to this was certain ly worthy of attention. The commit m their report might be silent as to aRv fubjeft which would involve the objeft on urged against the reference. Meflis. Macon, Sewall, and Rutledr e were also in favor of the commitment.!. After a long debate, Mr. Macon wavedlk moden, so as to have the petition referred to a committee to whom was committed a similar petition on the 24th ult.—which was agreed to. Adjourned. BALTIMORE, January 7. Captain Gardener of the Hoop Maria whoarrived atNew-York from Trinidada’ informs, that a large ship from Alexandria’ capt. Sewel, with a cargo valued at 2c 00’ dollars, on her pafTage from Trinidada to Curracoa, has been captured by a French privateer of 12 guns, and carried into Ma greto. The schooner Spartan, Captain How of Baltimore, has been taken and carried into Guadaloupr. Captain H. writes cap. tain Tenant, his owner, that he was fev. eral days confined in goal, in irons, but has been exchanged by captain Murry 0 f the Insurgent. The commiflion efiablifhed by the kina of Prufiia to examine the invention 0° Klaproth and Achard, of making f U g 3r from beets, has made its report, the re/ult of which is that 1500 weight of beets will make 398 lb. of an agreeable syrup, from which may be made 57 lb. of white fu*ar. The process is easy and not expensive. 0 SCOTT, & Co. Have Removed to the brick-house, next door to Mr. Kennedy’s. They have Received from EUROPE by late Arrivals. A large £7 well chosen Afibrtment of i Seasonable GOODS, Which they intend felling low. ON CONSIGNMENT. JAMAICA Sugars in Hhds. & Bbls. Ditto Rum in Hhds. Northward do. in Hhds. and Bbls. Molafles in Hhds. Apple Brandy in Bbls. Brown Stout in Hhds. Porter in ditto. Glasgow Bottled and Port Wine in calks. K# 3 The Highest Prices allowvdfor TO BACCO and COTTON, and liberal de ductions wade to those who pur chafe by the PIECE or PACKAGE, January 8. John Bacon, & Co. HAVING JUST RECEIVED Per the Helen, Julius Pringle , and other latt arrivals from England. A HANDSOME ASSORTMENT OF European GOODS, SUITABLE TO THE PRESENT SEASON, Which they are now opening and dispo sing of at the mod reduced prices for cash and all kinds of produce, in the Store lately occupied byMcfirs.Drrw Wallace , second door to John Wilson, & Co. Broad-street. They have likewise an AJfortment of GROCERIES. December 25. (ts. 24.) s3* REMOVAL. David C. Neal, BEGS leave to inform his friends and the public, that he has removed to Dr. Montgomery s neve Brick Building , oppo site T. Cumming, Esq. Broad-Street. WHERE HE IS OPENING, An Elegant and well chosen AJJorlment'/ DRY GOODS, And GROCERIES, which he is detern ined to fell at the most reduced prices for cas4 of country pro duce. January 8.