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246
for rl)c Columbian fpufcum.
Fellow Citizens ,
‘T'HE time approaches apace, for the
1 choice cf anew legislature, and as
it is become falhionablc to make obfer
rations in the public prints, previous
thereto : Be it remembered, when the
Yazoo aft of ninety-five, was promul
ged, there was scarcely an individual
member in the community, who did not
view this moft diabolical business, with
horror and detection, those directly and
indireftly concerned excepted:However,
the people consoled themselves with
thinking that the convention which was
tofet in a few months after, would give
every neceflary power arid inttruftton,
lor doing away this hateful law. The
convention accordingly met, Sc proceed
ed to business—but what did they do,
touching the pranifcs ( ? See the last clause
of the constitution as amended, called the
article ofconftituted rights—“ All pow
ers not delegated by the constitution, as
amended, arc retained by the people.”
And what idea was this intended to
convey ? Why that no powers, not here
tofore expressly retained by the consti
tution, were prohibited, and of course,
left an opes lidc for legiflaturcs to creep
out ar. What can the confide rate and
judicious man think of this convention,
out that those who were not friends so
the (peculation, were extremely remiss
in, or grofslv ignorant of the duties of
their appointment ? The only hope that
then remained, was in the succeeding
legislature, and the people were lb far
fortunate, as to make choice ot a set cf
men, who patted an annulling law, and
there it was hoped this matter would
have ended. But as the election draw's
near, this business seems to take a frclh
Hart, and appears to have become one af
the principal branches in electioneering.
There goes a Yazoo man, or there goes a
Speculator—he had a lather, brother, or
particular friend, in the legislature of
ninety-five. This uttered aloud in a
croud by fume drunken bully or party
pimp, and aided by the malignant ob
iervations in alow voice, by those who
set the business cm foot—l had thought
something of this before, but knew nor
‘till now, that the people in general
thought as I did—we have fuffered a
great deal by those kind of men ; the
people ought to be very jealous and cau
tious—there is more depending on the
tmfuing aflembly than on the laft—’tis a
pity that fenftble men would not do
better, as they are so scarce—however,
I think we can iruikeout very well with
out them. This, or fomethirig like
this, is iufticient to damn any man, who
offers for a legislator, except in one or
two of the‘counties, where this business
is made a virtue of. Now, fellow ci
tizens, as Yazoo is held out and conlid
cred generally, as a word of abuse and re
proach, it ought to be used caution fly,
left while you are endeavouring to raft
dirt on your enemies, you may probably
spatter fomc of your bell friends. Look
back for a moment, to the late war be
tween America and Great-Britain, and
you will find men, zealously fighting
for their liberties, who had very near
and dear relations and frierfds, in the
opposition ; nevertheless, thefc were
good whigs, and deserved well of their
country. However, upon the whole,
tho’ good words may be used to convey
very erroneous and rascally ideas or iro
prdTnjiis, yet it mutt be conieiied,. that
the people have a right, and ought to
be jealous and cautious, whom they in
trull with the difpofnion of their lives
and properties ; and this brings to our
recollcftion, another set of Yazoo’s, not
yet deferibed, and however it bappebs,
seems to be but little talked cf, viz.
Bounty men. That there has been
something very considerable made by
fome of thefe,ha ve beer, acknowledged by
fomeofthein ; and tho’many worthy and
well refpefted citizens, took their share,
nor thought, nor did, nor was likely to
do any injury thereby, in their private
capacities. But in men of this deferip
tion, making long and hasty ft rides to
the legislature, it is an obieftion, it is a
blot. The man who took his bounty
of five thousand acres, or Id's, would
doubtless have taken a larger quantity
upon the fame, onlowcr terms, provided
the opportunity had served. The fifh
erman who takes anti fares finall fifh,
will never let the large ones pass him,
and ever he can lay hands upon them.
But fellow citizens, there i? another
kind of speculation among us, and tho’
of an older date than Yazoo, yet it is
humbly conceived to be extremely pre
judicial to the public weal, and therefore
ought to be done away—Meaning that
abominable traffic of promising appoint
ments, without regard to merit, palling
accounts, <&c. in case an cleftion can be
esrried ; con crafting with fomc popular
Columbian JEufeum, &c.
ignoramus, to fend him to the legisla
ture this year, for the chance of being
preferred to the fame dignity the next,
in direst opposition to fome manor men
of integrity ami abilities ; and this is
commonly done by such who would wish
to be confidere.d as of the better order of
men. The man or men, who can thus
basely facrifice their own be ft treasure
(meaning the judgment) for the purpose
of getting into the legislature, will have
but few qualms of making facrifice of
the public treasure, when seated there.
A word or two more—Do my fellow
when voting for aifembly
men, endeavour firfl to feleft men of the
bell integrity and information, which
the refpeftive counties can furnifh, with
out regard to private pique or party
prejudice—Or do you not choose your
members, as fome men do gowns for
their wives, yea, and oftentimes the
wives alio ? Merely for the fake of an
outward pleafin.g appearance, without so
much as examining into the good or bad
qualities of either. Could not a man
answer lor four out of five, throughout
the ttte, without the alii fiance of the
. black art or divine inspi ration ? Yes,
yes, fellow citizens, it is a melancholy
truth, tlit injuries which wealready have
fullained, or may in future experience,
originated in, and will continue to pro
ceed from, that eternal fburce of human
woes, the judgment oj the pajjions.
A CITIZEN.
ferarc of cDfoigta,
SEPTEMBER TERM, 1796.
Charge of J.ubge Stephens, to the Grand •
Jury of Liberty County.
Gentlemen of the Grand J ury,-
THE oath you have taken, so fully itnprefles
the duty of your appointment , as to make any
very particular obfervaiions unnecessary.
A due regard to good- order, and a faithful
execution oi the Knvs, is as nec.cifary for the
support of government, as to protect the. per
sons, rights, civil and religious of our fellow
citizens, m infringement of those rule* of fo
cietv, as eflablifhed by common confcnt,
ought to meet your hearty difapprobaiion, and
V'Ht re !. uiui to prelent on proper tellinvony,
■iiuurbrrs of the community to ihe end,
■ ‘'■ u a public enquiry he made, and on con
viction, neceflary punifhmcnts inflifted.
Amongst tiie evils that have divided our so
ciety. is a Ipecies ot gaining called lpeculation,
wliich has been carried to the utmoll extent in
this flair, and particularly in lands, to the right
of which, I am rather apprehensive many will
he deceived—.he uncertainty of title, and in-
Ted the want of territory ittelf, have in many
inflance*, proved injurious to the fifir purch
af.-r. Perhaps a foreigner who has parted free
ly with his money, under an idea ot pofTeft
ling valf property, finds himfelf deceived in a
llrange land, wliich he execrates, and thus ma
ligns the government and people generally.—
Hence it is plainly the duty of every friend to
honed indudry, to check this diftruftive vice,
and endeavor to trace out the authors, that the
lligma, may red on the guilty only ; by which
means a proper diferimination will be made,
; and those who have fair titles to lands, p.ftual
ly and bona fide in their poflefliou, will be ena
bled to fell with fafety.
Ihe tax law ot the current year,, expressly
makes it a part of your duty, to present all
those who make default in payment of public
tax. —lt is incumbent on every person holding
property, to pay a proportion ior the support
of government generally, and the particular
advantages of the county where it is collefted.
Great and salutary powers, are vcfb and by
law, in the justices of trie enmity, and particu
larly, in the Inferior Courts.—ls they are not
exer.ifed, it is to be remembered, that the
evils which enfuc, will very properly be attri
buted to them—but of this I can have no dread,
w here good morals and a religious regard to
public and private duties, arc primary obliga
tions.
It is to be lamented, that a failure, in nego
tiating with the Cierk Indians, for certain
lands in contemplation, has liapn-.-ned—and
although we cannot help feeling a great disap
pointment, and particularly as to the manner
this business was conduced and complained of
by our agents, yet nevertheless, we are bound
ilriftly to adhere to the existing treaties with
those people, and for the honor of our common
. country, I am well convinced, that by your
example, and precept, the laws of the union,
and of this ltate, will be enforced as neceflary
for the happiness of the whole. If there are
any defefts, in the fyilem of government, they
can be remedied, in the wav pointed out.
Such information as you may ’require, on
any fubjeft-before you, and the court can give,
will at all times be very clicariully communi
cated.
WF. the jurors for the County of
Liberty : Congratulate Judge Stephens on his
appointment to the office he now hoids, and
are happy in bearing tcllimotiy to his alacrity
and attention, to carrying in force the duties to
_ which he is called, from Iris abilities wc anti
: cipate much good. That the licentious will
be restrained, the guilty punished, and good
citizens protested in their lives, properties and
rights ; we have no doubt under his adtninil
tration of the laws : for his excellent charge
we request he will accept our thanks.
We do mod sincerely lament the very great
height to which land ipeculations have arisen
in this date, it has had the mod ferrous edeefs
towards injuring us in our charafter, asanindc
j pendant government, in the eyes of the wmrld :
Wc therefore do recommend it to our next le
■ giflature, to use their utmodendeavors to ch-ck
this growing evil, which if notdonc, mud ren
der our government contemptible in the eyes
of nur neighbors, and of mankind generally.
The failure of the treaty with the Creek In
dians, ou St. Marys, on the part of this date.
we cannot but in a great meifure attribute to
the conduct of the Federal Conimidioners; the
language held forth by them to the Indians,
ana the rell.riftions laid on our own citizens
within their own jurifefiftion, appears to us to
have been a principal cause ; and from the
language held to the Indians from the execu
tive of the United States, we are fully impressed
with the belief, that all was not done on the
part of the Federal Conimidioners and agent,
to effeft the business of their midion, that
might have been : We therefore do drongly
recommend to our next legislature,- an investi
gation of this business, and such redress as may
be confident with their federal relation.
We present as a greivance of the utmoftcon
fequence to this county, that- part of a law,
palled by the last ledion of congress, forbiding
citizens of the United States, croiTing the In
dian line, when at the fame time, the Indiana
are fuftered to come in amongst us without
reftriftion ; we conceive it partial in the ex
treme, and tending to set the Indians at vari
ance with us. inffead of preventing differences ;
being a frontier county, and having differed
much from Indian-depredations ; and this part
of the law rather tending to encourage these
people, we feel it indilp’ , nfablv our duty, to
present this as of fatal confequsnces, and do
moft carneftly recommend it to our next legif
aturc, and representatives in congress, to nfe
their influence to have that part of the laid act
repealed, or made reciprocal ; that if wc are
by law to be retrained from pursuing, our pro
perty, they may also be prevented com
ing id amongst 11s, and killing our stock with
impunity, and under a fanftion of the laws of
the Union : We are convinced it cannot be
submitted to by .our fellow citizens.
We present the late attempt made in the mid
dle Circuit, a. the present session, by the Gen
tlemen of the bar, to arrest the proceedings of
the C ourts of justice, under the pretence of
the judge of the said Circuit, not being legally
appointed, as arrogating to themselves too
much confeqtiende. and being of a dangerous
tendency. We conceive it lay not with them
to judg*. whether the appointment was legal
or not, and that as the appointment had been
made, it was their duty as good citizens, to
have acqu-efccd, until the letting of the next
Legislature. But we have reason to believe,
too many (if not all) of those gentlemen, have
been aftualed by a ci - fire to produce confufion
in the State, and to call an odium on the last
Legislature, for having annulled the aft, dispo
sing of the western territory. It appears to us
but too plain, that all the unenfmefs produced
in this State, for these two years past, have
proceeded from that abominable Yazoo specu
lation, and which we cannot fufficiently express
our abhorrence of ; but all such attempts, v/c
trust, the virtue of our fefiow citizens, will
ever in future prevent.
We present as a grievance, that so little at
tention has been paid by the last legislature, to
the petition of a majority of the people of this
County, wherein it appears, that above two
hundred ol its citizens, were for moving the
Court-house and Goal to North-Newport, and
not more than iortyfor its continuing in Sunbu
ry; and that, as it appears by theeleftion, ordered
agreeably to a refoive of the, legislature, to take
the sense of the people (of which there was no
neccflity, had the petition been attended to)
there was a large majority in favor of remo
ving the Court-House and Goal to Norrh-New
port Bridge, for the eale and convenience of
doing public business. We do recommend
to our Representatives in the* next legislature,
ns early as poflible, to have the report of the
said cleftion carried into a law, to point out
funds and direst the Commiflioners last ap
pointed to proceed in creftingthc public build
ings agreeable thereto.
Wc present as a grievance, that the road lead
ing thro’ Liberty County toj’ Montgomery! is
left entirely to the ninth Division to work on,
w herebv it lias become extremely oppressive ;
- i/nd'do recommend; that a revifai of the road
aft may be bad by the legislature, so far 3S to
empower the commiflioners ofthe roads of this
County to order out so many Negroes of each
difirift, as to fully effeft the carrying thro’ the
said road to the County line ; and at such time
or times as may appear to them to be lead in
jurious to the inhabitants of the fame.
Information having been lodge with the
Grand Jury, that the River South. Newport,
was more than eighty feet wide, and that no
bridge can be creited-acrofs the fame, agreeably
to the road aft. We recommend a revifai ot
the said aft, and that fome mode may be pointed
out bv the legislature to re-build the laid bridge,
that thereby the communication between this
■ County and that of M‘lntofh, may be facilita
ted. By information of Mr. Thomas Bradwcll,
one of the Commiflioners ofthe roads.
We cannot but lament, that an inttitution of
’ much public utility, the Academy of this Coun
ty has fallen through, owing as we fuppule, to
have been occasioned by the refignatiou ot the
former Commifluyiers, who as far as we arc
capable of judging, difeovered an earned desire
to patronize the eftabliftimerit, by a ilrift dis
charge of the duties of their refpeftive appoint
ments. The advantages arising to society from
the education of youth have been so generally
acknowledged in all ages, that it Ins been the
policy of moft nations, having a proper regard
for their civil, as well as religious liberties, to
give every incouragernent to learning. We do
therefore, moft strongly recommend, that an
application be m.ule by the Commiflioners to
the next legislature, to appropriate fomc more
adequate funds, than those heretofore giaiurd,
or devise foine way by which the ciiablifh
ment may be again revived.
We recommend that the fheriff do employ a
fufficient guard, to take care of the goal of this
county, during the confinement ol th -prisoner
now committed there. And Lhat lie do apply
to the justices of the Inferior Court, to pro
vide payment for the fame. And that the said
Justices do reimburfc the Rev. W. M'Whir,
ihe cxpcncc he may have been at, in guarding
the laid goal, for confinement ot the pritoncr
now committed thereto, agreeably to law.
We present as a great grievance, that the laws
of the State, are not funiifhed the Magtftrates
and public officers, immediately after the fit
ting of lhr Legislature, from which negleft,
great inconveniences do daily arise.
We request that these our prelentments, to
gether with the ]t;ug~s Charge, be published
in one of the Public Gazettes, and laid before
the next legislature.
HENRY WOOD, Foreman.
James Girardeau, John Robarts
U e P t w ‘ n ’r William Baker,
Joseph Way, fen. Andrew Walthour
SimueLJones, Joh n Croft. ’
Simon Fraser, Thomas Br,dwell,
w ‘ am S* 7 '. Charle * lrv ‘A ‘
’ ! 3m Gnatdeau, J. Wilkinson.
M lll.am I. Baker, J as . M ; ColWh
Francis Ross, 4
ARMY OF ITALY.
Head-quarters., Rtrverbollo, J u ty c .
Buonaparte, Commander in Chief to
the Executive Direftory. * *
“ Since commencement of the
present we have taken from
the enemy :
Heavy Artillery, 60 pieces.
Sieging Artillery, 619 ditto.
Total 679
I have given directions for drawing
i °P inventories of all the stores take*
; P°fteffion ot by the Republican annv
to be transmitted to the directory.
Roverhollo, ‘July 6
“ After the battle of Corghetto, CL
t!7,en s Directors, the enemy retreated
to the high mountains, in order to de
pute with us the defiles of Tyroleie.
■ 1 htcy have drawn lines, which thev
have fortified with infinite labour from
me Lake ci Garda to the Adi (> e. G p n
Maflena gave diredions to Gen, f OU -
to attack the enemy by ihe Bochet
ra di Champion. Marchand, Chief of
Battalion, was immediately difpatchcd -
lie turned the enemy by the right. This
was the signal for attack. Qnr brave
lc’luiers, with their arms in their hands,
and without firing a Angle (hot, climb
mg up a deep and rugged rock, killed
100 men, and took 2.00 prisoners, with
tents, and all their baggage,
“ At the fame time Recca, Chief of
Battalion and an officer of tried courage,
turned the enemy by the left, carried The
excellent position of Bologne, killed 300
men, and took 30 prisoners.
Ihe enemy have, in consequence,
abandoned intrenclunents which we could
not have conflrudted and fortified in lefi.
than fix months. AH their designs are
fruifrated, and their fortifications arede
mohfhed ; and our exertions have, in
one inttant,.accomplifhed an object which
might have consumed a month’s labour
: and fatigue.
“ This is the firft battle that has ta
ken place between the two armies, since
the new General has taken the command,
I purpose proceeding immediately toat
. tack the Auflrian squadron which is
charged with the defence of the Lake of
Garda.
; M The following are fome of the gal
i lant deeds which the Republicans per
formed in that action.
“ Claude Keche, a Carabinierof the
2d company ofthe baif brigade of light
infantry,, was the firft who icr.ped mtu
the enemy’s entrenchments, killed the
officer, and without attending to hi;
watch, or any other of his fpoil.t, seized
his sword, cut down one Auflrian and
made three prisoners..
“ Jean Cerrin of the fame company
met twelve Auflrian?,.whom he attack -
ed sword in hand; and cut off an arm of
the firll he could reach,, the others fell
on their knees and fur rendered.
“ Ardiennc, second lieutenant ofthe
fame company, and the fame who, with
. about 20 men took a 13 pounder at Borg
hette, was the intrenehments always at
the head of the Carabiniers, and taught
them by his example to brave every dan
ger.
(Signed) [“Buonaparte.”
LONDON July 12.
Peace—or War With Spain.
It appears now almost certain that we
shall have peace, through the interfer
ence of Spain, or war with Spain itfelf.
This cannot be doubted, if the Mad; i
date paper, published in this day’s 1 crie
. graph, be genuine.
From what has hitherto transpired,
we cannot hesitate in the pronouncing
the views of the Spanish court to be up
on Gibraltar. The ceffionof this for
trefs is moft probably what they allude
to, when they fpcak of their legitimate
rights ; and certainly Spain has a right
as natural to Gibraltar, as England has
to the Isle of Wight j.er indeed more so
as Gibraltar is not separated by a.i arm
of the sea, but forms a part of the Spa
nish continent.
The demand, we have *
doubt, will speedily be made, and t- o
only question then will be,is our govern
ment ready to submit to these presen
lions, or to add Spain to the number c
our enemies? 5
We think that it would be gooo -
found policy to give up Gibraltar, ratl
than to involve ourselves in a war -
another formidable maritime power, a
thus hazard ot only the prolpetirv, -
No. 62,
