Newspaper Page Text
>r-
rr
iful UttteiPoem^aayS iife editor
trier) »the production of C*ptkn
„ „ „ officer in the army of the Lmted Stales, npt
ST 11*4“ *“
-^rith additional interest, when the reader is apprised, that
‘tfce author was himself m the battle.]
. A NIGHT VIEW
* or THK FIELD OF
K.VISIN, AFTER THE BATTLE.
Jfhe battle's o’er, the diin is past,
fright's shadow on the field is cast;
The Moon, with pale and sickly beam,
Looks pensive on the bloody stream;
The-Indian yell is heard no more,
And silence reigns on Erie’s shore.
Now is the time, my friend, to tread
'the field on which our warriors bled;
i To raise the wounded chieftain’s crest,
And warm with tears his clay-cold breast,
To treasure up his last command
And bear it to his native land—
ft may one ray, of joy impart
To a fond parent’s bleeding heart,
Or, for a moment, it may dry .
The tear-drops in the widow s eye;
Vain hope, away'—The widow ne’ef
Her hero’s dving wish shall hear!
The Zephyr Bears no passing sigh,
No struggling chieftain meets the eye
Sound is his sleep by Raisin’s wave,
OrE lie’s waters are his grave.
O! send, sWeet Moon, one ray of light;
Across the dusky brow of night,
That 1 may know each warrior’s form
Who sunk beneath the battle-storm.
-Gradual, the heavy clouds^giye way—
The Moon-beams on the waters play;
* See, on the brink, a soldier lies!
•J’ale is his vissage, dim his eyes,
And 1 like a stranded vessel’s sail
His red locks wanton on the gale.
It is the gay and' gallant Mead—-
In peace, mild as -the setting beam
That gilds the tranquil summer stream—
In war, the fiery battle steed.
The foe, no more, shall dread his arm,
His mirth, no more, the ear shall charm;
>But on his low and silent grave,
The laurel, tresh and green, shall wave.
But, who is he, so pale and low,
Stretched on this bloody bier of snow,
Beside the waters’ silent flow?
The fierce fire of his eye is dead,
The ruddy glow, his cheek has fled; .
Yet fair in death his corps appears;
Smooth is his brow and few his years.
For thee, sweet youth! the sigh shall start
In thy fond mother’s anguish’d heart;
For thee, some virgin’s cheek shall feel
-At midnight hour, the tear-drops steal;
And play-mates of thy childhoods’ hour,
Four o’er thy grave griefs’ warmest show’r.
Could modest merit ever save,
Its dear possessor from the grave;
Thy corps, Montgomery, ne’er had lain,
Upon tins wild unhallow’d plain!
But what were modest merit here?
Or what Were virtues’ pleading tear?
The hand that laid that hero low,
The eye that saw his life-blood flow,
Could ga£e, unmov’d, on scenes of wo.
Theft, sleep sweet youth, tho’ faraway
From home and friends, thy lifeless clay.
Yet oft on fancy’s pinions borne,
Friendship shall seek thy lowly urn;
There shall the Zephyr softly blow,
.There shall the billows gently flow;-
There shall the wild flow’r love to bloom;
And shed its fragrance on thy tomb.
Close by bis side, young Me Ivain
Lies stretched upon the bloody plain!
Upon bis Vissage smooth and mild
Death calmly sat and sweetly swil’d;
Y« seem’d his eye, of tender blue.
Moisten’d witb pity’s pearly dew:
*Tis thus the infant sinks to rest
JSerenely on its mothers’ breast.
Yes, pity was his better part,
Bity and ■friendship form’d his heart,
Nor oft was heart so good and kind,
United with such noble mind,
.Here venturous muse, thy flight restrain,
No farther go—the task is vain—
Mere Graves and Allen meet the eye.
And Simpson's giant form is nigh!
And Edmumlon, a warrior old,
And Hart, the boldest of the bold.
These; and their brave compatriot band.
Ask the sedate Historian’s hand—
Mine only strews the fading flow’rs
Which tnem’ry calls from friendship’s bow’rs
Ilis shall entwine immortal bays,
Which Brighter glow thro’ future days.
ANECDOTE OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS
TITLES.
James M‘Ardell, the mezzotino engraver.,
having taken a very good printfrom the portrait
of Rubens, came with it one morning to sir Jo
shua Reynolds, to inquire if he could inform him
particularly of the many titles to which Rubens
f»d a right, in order to inscribe them properly
under his print; saying he believe that Rubens
had been knighted by the kings of France, Spain
and England; tvas secretary of state to Flan
ders, and to the privy council in Spain; and had
been employed in a ministerial capacity from the
court of Madrid to the court of London, to ne
gotiate a treaty of peace between the crowns,
and that he was alsoa magistrate of Atwerp, &c.
Dr. Johnson happened to be in the room with
air Joshua at the time, and understanding M‘Ar-
dell’s inquiry, interfered rather abrutly, say
ing ^pooh! pooh! put his name under the print,
Peter Paul Rubens, that is full sufficient, and
more than all the rest.”
This advice of the Doctor’s was accordingly
followed.
nance
W °A* ENwMA.^At a banquet, wbenjsolving
igiuas was one of the diversions, Alexander
,oia to his courtiers^ 4 What is that which did
not come last year, has hot .come this year, and
will not corae’next year?” , /A distressed officer,
startingup, said—‘*Ii cirtiiinly i*u*t be owtar-i
rears of pay.”* The king ’fras so diverted, that
le commanded him to be paid up; and also in
creased his salary.
AN EXTRACTS.
Tacitus says early marriage,makes us immor
tal. It is the soul and chief prop of empire.—
That man who resolves to >ivi without woman
and that woman, who t<-* *•- • to live without
man, are enemies to the tohii' :. ..y in which they
dwell, injurious to themselves, distinctive to
the world, apostates from nature, and rebels
against heaven and earth.
Fynti Cobbett’s Weekly Register May 25;
John Bull’s Ambassador to America was,
it would appear, disappointed at the reception
he met with on his landing in your country.—
My authority is the following paragraph; pub
lished in our newspapers.
“The Narcissus, captain G. A. Croftoii, ar
rived at Portsmouth, on Thursday, from Hali
fax and Bermuda. The Niger, captain Jack-
son, had arrived at Halifax, having landed the
honorable Mr. Bagbt, ambassador to America,
at Annapolis. Mr. Bago^ had no reason to feel
flattered with the reception he experienced. It
appeared to the officers of the Niger, that the
Americans were apprehensive, should they
even suffer their natural curiosity to be gratified
at the moment, it might give a degree of eclat
to the arrival of the English ambassador; they
therefore shut themselves up in their houses.—
They could not fire a salute,as their guns up
on the 1 fort were out of order. Eight of the
Niger’s men deserted from the boat, and no au
thoritative aid could be obtained to discover
their retreat. The Niger, so soon as she had
landed all the ambassador’s suite, proceeded to
Halifax, and was there preparing to receive on
board general sir John Sherbrook, for Quebec,
he having been appointed governor of Upper
Canada. The Narcissus was 18 days from Ber
muda. She has sailed for the river to be paid
off.”
What flattering did Mr. Bagot want, I won
der? Did he expect you to run out and prostrate
^yourselves before him, and lick his hand, or
nis shoes? What! these “officers of the Niger”
expected, I suppose, that the people of Anna
polis, were to range themselves in two lines
with bare heads for the honorable Mr. Bagot to
walk through? He ought, I suppose, as they
thought, to have his way strewed with flowers
to the city of Washington, that grand scene of
the exploits of Ross andCockburn? “Eclat” in
deed! what eclat should the people of Annapolis
make upon such annccasion? What cared they
for the honorable Mr. Bagot any more than for
another man? And what should they care? I do
not believe, however, that they “shut themselves
up in their houses” to avoid him. They are
not such fools. But it is one the follies of John
Bull’s gentlemen, that, wherever they go, they
are surprised if all the world do not run gaping
after them, and pulling off hats to them. The
people of America care nothing about
people.” If the “officers of the Niger” had
wanted a shouting mob at the hhels of Mr. Ba
got, they should have taken out a detachment of
the bullet-proof-coach rabble, and such as those
who followed “old Blucher” about. But, in
order to have effected their purpose in a hand
some manner, they should have carried out a
dozen ton of strong beer as well as the rabble.
Then Mr. Bagot would have been most cordial
ly welcomed. “Fire a salute,” ineeed! What
should an American fort fire a salute for upon
such an occasion? What subject of joy was it
to America, that an English public envoy had
arrived? The silliness of all this surpasses even
its conceit and impudence. Was it because
is quite enoi
accotfht of the tatei
ygmHhat
_ „ ithouta nfew War on
rdftyqfthe people of Anna-
BEATTIE & VOLTAIRE.
There is a remarkable fine allegorical picture
painted by sir Joshua, representingthe portrait
ot Dr. James Beattie. The Doctor is in his uni
versity dress as doctor of flaws, with his vo
lume on the immutability of truth under his arm.
'The angel of truth is going before him 5 ; and beat-
-*> ing dowp the,vices, envy,! falsehood, &c. which
are represented by a group of figures falling at
his approach, and the principle head in this group
is made an exact likeness of Voltaire. When
Dr. Goldsmith called on sir Joshua and saw this
picture, he was very indiguarit at it, and remon
strated with him, saying, “It very ill becomes a
mao. of yourtemineui-e and character, sir Joshua,
to condescend to be’a mean flatterer, or to wish
. to degrade so high a genius as Voltaire before So
c-’ mean Jwmter as Dr, Beattie.^—for Dr. Beattie
0*^4 together, will, in the,space of ten
yeata^hUt he known ever to have been in exis
tence,but your allegorical picture, and the fame
of Voltaire, will live forever to your disgrace as
a flatterer.”
Useful Knowledge.—-The celebrated Mil-
ton, while he was a youth, preparing to enter on
hisfrsvels over Europe, asked advice of sir Hen
ry Wooton, as to the general manner of conduct-
fog himself; who gave .him the following rule:
“Keep your thoughts close ? and your counte-
Mr. Bagot was the son of a Lord that all this
piece ot work, all this eclat, was to take place?
Just as if the Americans had not seen lords, and
knights, and honorables, before! Just as if they
had not seen Sir George Prevost, Sir James Yeo,
Sir Alexander and Sir John Cochrane, Sir E.
Packenham, and the ever memorable Sir Geor
ge Cockburn, to say nothing of Sir William
Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, and Lord Cornwal
lis? Smyth tells a story of the capture of Lord
Percy, now Duke ofNorthumberland,ator just
after, the battle of Lexington. The Yankee
Soldiers had put his lordship in prison in a
room of what we call a public house, and what
you call a tavern, in some country place. The
people of the neighborhood, who knew nothing
of Lords except by hearsay, crowded to the ta
vern to see the Noble Personage; when a youtig
girl, who was looking through the window at
him, exclaimed: “What! is that a lord, you?
Come away Jemima!” The people of Annapolis
have, I dare say, something else to do than to
stare at Lords, or Lords’ sons, or at any such
people. I’ll engage, that there were very few
of them who knew who Mr. Bagot was, and not
one who w ould have shut himself up in his
fiouse for the sake of either avoiding him, or for
any other purpose connected with ms arrival
But, pray, when did the people here give any
eclat to the arrival 'of an ambassador? And es
pecially an American Ambassador?— When
did we fire salutes upon sucli an occasion? Oh!
we are big^John Buill Verily, this insolence is a
little ill-timed as to America. It may do wjth
regard to the poor, erawling r lousy wretches in
Spain, Portugal, and Naples, and the other
countries that are under the dread of England;
but it will not do with regard to Amenta, ex
cept, indeed as far as relates to the Cossacks of
New England* who, -perhaps, might have been
willing to crawl upon their bellies to give eclat
to the arrival of a Lord’s son.
The best way, upon such occasions, is for the
Blue and Buff to hold their tongues. They can
not complain with any effect. They can obtain
no redress; for, I can assure them, that John
Btjll, conceited gs he* is, is not prepared to add
We hundred millions tq his debt; and twenty
millions a year to his taxes, in order tb‘ave
this pretended slight to the honorable
C John will have to pay the
t’s Salary and the expencei
polis. No, no! “the officers ofthe Niger” will
not succeed in otirring Up atrife between the two
countries upon this -account. The history of
the events of the last war is stin before us.. -
But; they must Italic; they must send forth pa
ragraphs; they must let'their anger haie vent.
What in all the world but an Unconquerable
propensity to do this could have induced them
to publish to the world, that “Eight of the Ni
ger’s men deserted from fov boat” which^land -
ed the Amba'SSador? This must have been near
ly the whole of theboat’3 crew. Now, what
could be the cause of this? These were not.
pressed men; for the ship was manned with pen
ile enlisted since the peace. - It is well known,
indeed, that she lay a good while waiting for
men. We never hear of any American seamen
deserting* At any rate, why was this fact told
to the world?—Were the men bad men? If they
were, it is well known, that the best of a crew
are generally selected for such services; and
what, then, were the rest of the ship’s company?
And could no better men be enlisted? If they
were good mep, what could make them leave
their boat? Was the temptation so strong? If
so, ithat was that temptation? What a country
must that be, where such powerful temptations
to remain exist?—These eight men, it seems,
werfc not discouraged by the cold reception of
the Ambassador. They 'clearly expected a dif
ferent sort of reception. When our seamen
and in Spain and Portugal, or any other of the
Social Order countries, we never hear of their
running away. The land ot America seems to
be spread over with bird-lime; or, else, the
people must have love-potvd«!r to give to our fel-
ows.
Be the cause what it may, however; the best
wav would be, in all such cases, to hold our
tongues; for, the complaint, which the statement
of this fact was intended to introduce, was, that
‘no authoritative aid could be obtained to dis
cover their ret reat.” This is the jet of the nar
rative. This was the object principally in view.
As if the government, or nation of America had
in this case, committed an unjustifiable act
against us; against England. In the first
place, what should the people of Annapolis w ant
these men to desert for? What good could their
desertion do any of the people of Annapolis, or
any other of the people of America? Why
should any Governor, Justice of the Peace, or
any body else, wish them to desert? And in the
next place, how should any of the people have
any thing to do in the inducing of them to de
sert, or in the secreting of them, seeing that “all
the people had shut themselves up in their
houses?” No “authoritative aid could be ob
tained,” certainly, because no Justice of the
Peace could grant a warrant for any such pur
pose. The moment the sailor was landed, the
It
■of
aw protected him, I presume, and I am sure it
did, unless breach of contract could be urged in
this case; and then, the affair would require le
gal investigation. How was any magistrate to
issue his warrant for discovering the retreat of
these men? For, I would hare the English nation
bear in mind, than an American’s house is real
ly his castle, and is not to be stormed with impu
nity. Suppose one of “the officers of the Ni
ger” had forced his way into a house in search of
any of his men, and had been shot by the owner
or his servant, or by the sailor, by the owner’s
command: do “the officers of the Niger” think
that this would have been murder? I can assure
them that itwould not. And, as to searching
with a warrant, upon what ground was the
warrant to be granted? What was the oath to
express? It could not alledge, that the man to
be searched for had committed any crime against
without such al-
♦L' I i ro J Jgh i th ^ d,afl ^ of f t deial (say*
the National Advocate) we hear of late, many
accounts of the defeat of the Patriots in b 0 utq
America. We lament to observe, that adis.
position is manifested by this party in the Unit
ed States to discourage and discountenance the
efforts of that enslaved and unfortunate por
tion of America to acquire liberty and indepe n
dence. We are at a loss to conceive why 0n "
unfavorable sentiment should exist towards the
patriots. Subjected as South America has been
and now is, to the barbarous and inhuman sw av
of a most detestable and abhor ant tyrant—lab<!)
ingunderacode oflaws as bloody as thatof Draco
—c ivi fixation, humanity and learning, are banish
ed the land --torture, flam es and inquisition aree/
tablished; promoted and encouraged; it wcuM
seem that the feelings, the philanthropy and rj
cordial co-operation of a neighboring nat-on f
freemen ought to be enlisted in their behalf."
We should not take up arms against the cauJ
liberty, and declare the noble efforts ofemancL° l
tion to be fruitless and unavailing. It is not th
favorable sentiments of the people alone u eni.h
to see enlisted, we are dtesirous that the *overn
ment should countenance their efforts jtis
sistent with our policy and institutions. \yl
should favor the cause of others as we were f a
vored while we w ere struggling with the p PT '.
plexing difficulties ol a revolutionary war. Had
we sunk under those struggles—had we des
paired ol success—Imd we tamely submitted to
slavery—had we permitted misfortune to depress
our energies—had W e sunk into submission, the
new world would have continued a wilderness
and the Voice of the republic M ould not have
been heard and respected in the cabinets of
Europe. South America once independent; nd
this independence must eventually happen gov
erned by a constitution which guarantees civifand
religious rights, equal liberty and equpllaw, the
continent will asume a rank which Will place Eu
rope at defiance, and the United States wi\\ derive
the greatest benefits from contiguity of situation
and a reciprocity of feeling.
The extracts of letters which we occasionally
see in the federal papers against the cause of the
patriots, are the works ofthe agentsof Ferdinand
the fthinthis coutitry, who are anxious to pre
vent any assistance being given to them, or any
favorable sentiments evinced in their behalf.
*The sloop Schoharie, eapt. Forsyth, from St.
JagodeCuba, spoke on the 12th inst. a ship from
Havana, the captain of Which furnished the fol
lowing intelligence: St was reported at Hava
na (though wim caution) that Bolivar had re
cruited his army with 2000 men,and had made a
descent on some part of Spanish Maine, (place
not mentioned) and had been completely suc
cessful over the Royalist troops. Mina (lately
from"PhiIadclphia.)'had landed on he east end
ofthe Island of Cuba, with a considerable force,
and the inhabitants in large numbers w ere Hock
ing to his standard. Captain F. gives this only
as the report communicated to him. As such
we give it to our readers. There is nothing im
probable in the substance of it.—Charleston
Southern Patriot 18th inst.
the laws of America; and yet.
legation, I am very sure, that no search warrant
could be le,
O » m w is
peace in America. What do these officers
mean, then, by their complaint? There was no
legal authority' to assist them. Did they want
to suspend the settled laws of America? The
sailors who had deserted had as good a claim to
be protected by the law as the Ambassador him
self had. Not that they did right in deserting:
for they had voluntarily entered; but the laws of
America were not to be suspended for the sake
of Hieir being taken back to their duty. A jus
tice of the peace, in England, has no legal au
thority to issue a warrant to search for an Ame
rican deserter, if such a man should ever exist
in England. Why, then, should we think of
claiming 9uch interposition in America? Are
the laws of all countries to give way at our nod?
In short, it is impudence and ignorance that sug
gest the publication of articles like this. You
will, I am sure, stick to your laws.
- V*
A correspondent at Philadelphia, under date
of the 3d inst. says—“Girards’ having taken the
balance ofthe United States’ Bank\ Stock is at
present the only topic of conversation in this city.
Indeed, he has completely overset the plans of
a number of our speculators. As soon a9 the
books were re-opened, Girard, having previous
ly prepared his papers, claimed and obtained
the whole of the unsubscribed balance; while
others, intending to subscribe largely and not
suspecting Girard’s project, were most wofully
disappointed. I know of four persons who in
tended to subscribe each two hundred thousand
dollars^a.nd a fifth one hundred thousand. They
had all purchased their specie at 11 or 15 per
cent advance, and it is now not worth 10.
FERDINAND AND JOSEPH II.
The paragraph of the late news, relative to the
rupture of foe matrimonal negotiation for some
time oa foot between foe courts of Spain and
Portugal, if true a circuumstance of which we
have some dout, may be considered of much im
portance to foe independent cause of South Ame
rica. It was no doubt an object with Ferdinand,
iff the union which he proposed, between himself
and brother and two of the Brazilian Princesses,
to secure the friendship and assistance of Joseph
II. against theinsurgent* of BuonosAyres,&«-—
Qf the causes which haye fed tft this rupture, ; we
aH hAt informed—yet eyed if it leads, to a W
’ sen the two Ugfimates. we cannot s^y but we
most sinserelyreioi.ee atit-i
Matagorde, which the patriot Mexican fleet
under commodore Aury, is said to have taken,
is a Spanish port, about one hundred ar d twen
ty miles to the southwest of the Balize, the
mouth of the Mississippi. It is conjectured,
that they will attempt to extend their conquests
to the whole of that coast, inclusive of Pensacola
—the last would prove incalculably serviceable,
as a depot for the privateers, which hover around
the Havana.—Richmond Compiler, September 10.
Every one has heard the school boy spouting,
“Oft has it been my lot to mark.” Many con
sider the reptile there described as altogether fa
bulous, and used only for foe purpose of expos
ing a conceited pertinacious traveller; but a late
writer has added his testimony to foe reality of its
existence and powers. “Chameleons are very
common in the gardens of Rosetta, and upon the
island in the midst of foe river (Nile) where ve
procured two, that lived with us until we finally
left Egypt. These were large, and of a most
vivid green color when first taken. Afterward/
their ordinary appearance was that of a common
lizard, and we found, as they became unhealthy,
that their power of changing color diminished.
Indeed this effect, is seldom rapid or instanta
neous. It seems always the result of sudden
apprehension or surprize, whence the poor de
fenceless animal, having no means of resistance,
gradually assumes the color of some substance
over which it. passes, beings thus provided by na
ture with foe means of concealment. Frogs and
toa ds appear to possess this quality in a certain
degree, although it may have escaped the ob-i r-
vation of naturalists. After these reptiles have
remained a certain time upon a recently turned
border of earth, their color so much resembles
that of the soil that they are not easily perceived;
and sometimes among grass, when alarmed by
foe sudden approach of any other animal, they
assume a greenish hue.”—Port Folio.
The Baron de Grimm relates an extraordinary
instance of foe insensibility of this eccentric au
thor, in his historical and literary memoirs and
anecdotes, which places the character of this lit
erary veteran in no very agreeable point of view.
Fontenelle was particularly fond of asparagus,
but, preferred them very much dressed with oil.
“One of his friends, I think th® Abbe Ternasson,
going in one day intending to dine with him, M-
ae Fontenelle, said that he would make a great
sacrifice to him and have half foe asparagus
dressed with butter. Before the time of dinner
arrived however, the visitor was taken ill, and
fell down after a few moments in an apoplectic
fit; M., de Fontenelle, on this ran with great
haste tio foe kitchen, calling out, all with oil, all
with oil, But the most horrible part of his sto
ry is, that a short time after, being at dinner with
lord Hyde, when & dish of asparagus made a part
ofthe bill of fare, he observed that what he bad
said, Seemed to have brought them very much in
to fashion?* Fontenelle lived to the age of nn
hundred years, and retained the faculties of his
mind to the last, almost unimpared. He was
dean of foe French Academy, and of th® Ac*"
deiqies of science and inscriptions; and was th®
anfoor ot several philosophical works, whichiFjd
* transmit h*s na*ie tptheiatest posterity-—T* 7-
-—
Li.
mrnm