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THE REFLECTOR. MILLKDGEVILLE, G. TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1S1B. XU. S3. Weary $ fine arts. GRAMMAR. study of this art lias been too much ed; which undoubtedly is the chief f the solecism and impropriety often ound in polite conversation itself, am^ inaccurate and slovenly sentiment anu ion which frequently disfigure the of great authors. It is impossible to any language with propriety and ele- , without studying it grammatically, ed intercourse, and reading of the most ved models, may improve and refine aste and stylo; but they are inadequate m a correct and pure composer. To well in any language, it seems to be ab ly necessary, in the first place to be acquainted with its principles and its tore ; in the second, to study with care Tories of those who write it with most •iety ; in the third, to acquire by pro -1 the habit of composition. The first oi l throe expedients is the foundation oi thcr two. .Without a competent know- • «f the structure of language, we ran or perceive nor relish the refined merits if ompositions of others, nor realize these ts in compositions of ottr own. Indeed e of these expedients will succeed with- c aid of the rest: combined, however, contribute to form whatever is elegant, te and unexceptionable iu mental effort, h(1st the scholar will recognize the ne- itv of an attentive study of the gram 's of the ancient languages, he will see the priety of a thorough knowledge of his n, abounding, as we have seen it docs, h peculiarities and variations requiring a arate ami distinct investigation ; and ubly important is this knowledge to those situated as not to know the analogies of ssical instruction. A inind unacquainted tli the principles of English grammar, lias ucli to fear from inaccuracy. Such ignor es would be unpardonable in a. schoolboy, d betrays an insensibility to the merits of r native longues, which it may be truly id, is the vehicle of more sound wisdom, re genuine philosophy, and more pure re ion than any othe r.—Ana. Magazine. GEOGRAPHY. The. progress which has been made in this poHant and necessary science in the U tCS within ten years, is unexampled in a country. Like our own country, it li.is ned on us a new world, and promoted the owlcdgc of the old. The interest excited the grand military operation^ of the rench revolution, propably was the inait*. ring of this excitement. We may perhaps, ithout improper pride, presume that the urora has had some share in exciting to to study of this elegant and interesting sci- in which every step taken affords re- ■wed and augmented pleasure. Mi*. Mclish, of this city, hits however, nc more to bring tho accommodations for udy and usefulness home to our threshold, an any other person. His numerous maps handsomely executed, and ftiany of them rapidly brought forth under the exigencies the moment, during the war, tended very tich to enlarge the sphere of public know- dge, by bringing at once to the eye scenes which the heart took the deepest interest. Mr. Mclish has lately issued a new map f the United States, or.rather of tlie whole f North America, which surpasses in cx- ellcnce of execution and comprehensive use, ;iy thing of the kind hitherto published any here. The engraving rivals the celebrated ardico dor minuteness and beauty. This ap comprehends frogi 23°to 53° mirth, thus inprehendiitg the, whole west coast of North merica from QueenCharlottc’A island in the to the southern extremity of California ; thence crossing Mexico eastward, emhra- 'ng the gulf of Mexico, part of Havana, d the whole cluster of Bahama* and the hole face of Florida, and the Atlantic coast Spiny Island on the Labrador shore. He bas to the geographical lately added c geological picture of the same surface, dapting to this valuable map, tho geologi- al delineations of William Maclnrc, esq’r. Jlurom. MAP OF THE WORLD. “We have boon highly gratified by the pe- usal of a map of the world, on Mercator’s rejection, about to he published by John Wish* geographer, and Samuel Harrison, ngraver, in this city. The map exhibits at a glance, a view of c whole world, Including all the latest dis- overirs. It is so minute, that it exhibits e United States subdivided into states and rritorios : and Europe subdivided agreea- y to tho arrangements made by the congress f Vienna. The engraving is beautifully cx- -uted, and the wliolo so harmoniously ar- nged and in so compact a form, that it resents to the eye a very beautiful picture, jiitable for the parlor, the library, or tho mpting house. A very important Statistical Tabic, show ing tho length, breadth, area, and population of the several countries of the world, is at tached to the map $ together with a triangu lar scale of great utility for measuring dis tances, and it is ornamented by a Vignette Title, executed in A most beautiful style, by Mr. Murray. The map is to be accompanied by a des cription, giving a view of the leading fea tures of tuc geography of the world, illus trated by a set of valuable statistical tables. We are informed in the prospectus, that it was the desire of the author, that this map should serve as a work of general reference on ail leading points of geography ; and as a companion to his map of the United States —the one being the picture of a country be come one of the most interesting on the globe —the other giving a general display bf the' world at a gl tnec. From a perusal of the specimen, \v>- have no doubt but his desire will be fulfilled, and have no hesitation In re- | commending this map to the attention of our llow-citizcns.— I me. CeiUikel. MISCELLANY. >• LETTERS FROM 1'HE SOUTH.” The subject of slavery never occurs to our tourist without proprr comments. His sen timents arc alike honorable to his head and heart, lie observes very justly in vindica tion of the holders of slaves, that the fault belongs not to them. This is an entailed e- stale which we cannot easily alienate. Bat we know, from much personal observation, that those unfortunate beings arc in a far bet tor condition than is generally believed.— This meliority is particularly to be seen ir. Maryland, out of the city of Baltimore.— That metropolis, besides other evils which we can indicate when time serves, nourishes a parcel of right worshipful gentlemen, call ed trading magistrates s that is, they are so termed because they are suspected of shar- spnils with their constables, and the con stables are iu league with a gang of wretches who seem to have contracted for the sup ply of Georgia and New Orleans. The jai lor of course comes in for a participation in the plunder. Here we shall fortify ourselves by quoting a letter from a Quaker to a mem ber of the house of delegates of Maryland, which has recently appeared in the public prints : “ it in order to communicate some of tho information which has come within my know ledge upon this gloomy subject, that I make the present communication to thee, under the hope that it may liavo a tendency to excite thy attention to it, and bu the means,in some measure, of removing so great an iniquity from our country. There -.re at this time in the city of Baltimore, exclusive of the pub lic jail, several private duugeons, appro priated as depots or receptacles for negroes which are stolen or bought up for the south ern trade. These places are in confined, re tired situations, with small close grated win dows, and in them the miserable victims who fall into the power of these traders,are chain ed, crowded together in tho most obscene and indecent manner, without regard to sox or condition, until a sufficient number are collected to form a caravan, when they are from time to time taken off, connected to gethcr by iron chains, and drjvcn through the country, or carried away by water The persons engaged in this trade, arc, it is believed, united hy art extensive connexion which reaches from hence to tho southern states. When a stolen negro is found upon them, they commonly exhibit a bill of sale from some one of their accomplices, who in the mean time lias made bis escape, so that, although many Stolen negroes have been re covered from tltem in this city, yet such is their dexterity in eluding the laws, that scarcely an instance has occurred, in which any of these miscreants have been brought to punishment. The African slave trade, has, oh account of the cruelties and suffer ings which it indicted, received the univer sal disapprobation of every enlightened go vernment of Europe, and the general exe cration of the benevolent, in every country upon the barth, who have had an opportu nity of becoming acquainted with its charac ter ; yet it is a fact, which cannot be con troverted or denied, that the internal slave trade now carried bn in this free and enlight ened country, a country blessed with a larg er portion of civil and religious liberty, than any other on tire globe, is characterized by the same horrible features, consequence and tendencies, as the African slave trade ; the same painful separation* of husbands, wives, children, parents, and friends j the same op pressions, outrages, barbarities and suffer ings ! With what mournful presages, then, must every pious reflecting mind look for ward, to the future consequences of such ac cumulated wrongs beiug permitted, nay, le gally sanctioned in our country.” We shall complete this outline, by a des cription of one of these caravans, which we find in the “Letters” under consideration : “ Jogging alone from the house where we left the caitiff, who will one day, 1 fear, bring down some great calamity on the country of his birth, it was our fate to incot with ano ther example of the tricks men will play be fore high Heaven, when not only custom, hut the laws, sanction oppression. The Sjm was shining out very hot,—-and in turning an angle of the road, wo encountered the follow ing group : First, a little cart, drawn by one horse, in which five or six half naked black children were tumbled like pigs, together. The cart had no covering—and they seemed to have been actually broiled to steep. Behind the cart marched tlirco black women, with licadv neck and breasts uncovered, and wTSl- out shoes or stockings : next came three men bare-headed, half naked, and chained toge ther with an ox-chain. Last of all came a white man,—a white man! Frank,—on horse back, carrying pistols in his belt, and who, as we passed him, had the impudence to look us iu the face without blushing. I should like to have keen him hunted by bloodhounds. At a house where we stopped a little further on, we learned, that he had bought these mi serable wretches in Maryland, and was marching them in this manner to some one of the more southern states. Shame on the state of Maryland ! I say,—and shame on the stale of Virginia !—taud on every state, through which this wretched cavalcade was permitted to pass ! Do they expect that such exhibitions will not dishonor them in the eyes f strangers, however they may be reconcil ed to them by education and habit?”—P.Folio being able to throw a stone with sufficient force to sink into the giant’s head. On this he appealed to the company, and in particu lar to a grave gentleman of the denomination called “ Quakers,” who sat silent in one corner of tly: carriage. “ Indeed triend,” replied he, “ I do not think it all improbable, if the Philistine’s head was as soft as thine.” PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. KISSING. The women of England, says Polydore Virgil, not only salute their relations with a kiss, hut all persons promiscuously ; and this ceremony they repeat gently touching them with the lips, not only with grace but, without tho least immodesty. Erasmus writes in rapturcb on this sub jeet to one of his friends :—did you but know my Fau/Kus, the pleasures which England a fiords, you would fly here on winged feet and if your great folks would not allow you you would wish yourself a Dscdalus. T mention to you one among many things, her' are nymphs of the loveliest looks, good hu moured, easy of access, and whom you would prefer cveh to your favourite males. Her also prevails a custom never enough to b commended, that wherever you Come, every one 'receives you with a kiss, and where yo take your leave every one gives you a kiss when you return, kisses again meet you.- 11’ any one leaves you, they go within kiss if you meet any one, the first salutation is kiss ; in short, wUercvor you go, kisses eve ry where abound ; which, my Faustus, did you but once taste bow very sweet and how very fragrant they are, you would not, lik Solon, wish for a ten years exile, in England but would desire there to spend the whole of. your life. Antonio Perez, secretary to the embassy liom Philip the Second of Spain, writes thus to the carl of Essex : “ I have this day, ai cording to the custom of your country, kis rftetl at an entertainment seven females, all of them accomplished in mind, and beautiful in person.” It would be as ridiculous to place this custom among the manners of the pre sent day, in England, as it was absurd in the editor of the Monthly Magazine to repre sent the ladies of Philadelphia, as never wearing shoes or stockings but on gala oc casions. It may not be amiss to add that, the salutation which delighted Polydore Vir gil so much, is very freely indulged oA our stage, and that the actors and actresses, with probably not muro than a single exception, are from England. The practice is an of fence against decorum and ought to be dis continued.—Port Folio. Lord Chatham.—Mr. Grattan novel 1 light ed the fire of his eloquence into a more splen did blaze, than when he pronounced a pane gyric on the great lard Chatham. Grattan said of lord Chatham, “ his eloquence was an mra in the senate peculiar and spontanc. ous, familiarly expressing gigantic senti ments and instructive wisdom ; not like tli torrents of' Demosthenes, or the splendid conflagration of Tully ; it resembled some times the thunder, and sometimes the music of the spheres. It lightened on the subject, and readied the point by the flashings of the mind, which, like those Of his eye, were felt, but could not he foilovvcd.—Upon tho whole, there was In this man something that could create, subvert, or reform ; an understand ing, a spirit and an eloquence to summon mankind to society, or to break the bonds of slavery asunder, and to rule the wilderness of free minds with unbounded authority : something that could establish or overwhelm an empire, and strike a blow in the world that^hould resound through the universe,” Infidd wit repelled.—A gay youngspavk of a dejslical turn, travelling in a stage coach, forced his sentiments on the company hy at tempting to ridicule the Scriptures ; and a- niong other topics made himself merry with the story of David and Goliah; strongly urg ing the impossibility of a youth liko David, STATE OF SOUTH AMERICA. Report ot' the Secretary of State, transmitted by the Pre sident to the House of Representatives, on the 25tli ult. The secretary of state, to whom lias been referred the resolution of the House of Re presentatives of the 10th of December, has the honor of submitting the documents here with transmitted, as containing the informa tion possessed at his department, requested by that resolution. In the communications received from Doa Manael II. ile Aguirre, there are referents to certain conferences between him and the secretary of State, which appear to require soifte explanation. The character in which Mr. Aguirre pre sented himself was that of a public agent from the government of La Plata, and of private agent from that of Chili—his com missions from botli simply qualified him as a- gent; but his letter from the supreme direc tor Pucyrredoh, Vo the president of the Unit- d States, requested that he might be rereiv- (I with the consideration due to his diploma tic character, lie had no commission as a public minister of any rank, 'dor any full lower to negotiate as such. Neither tho ttcr, of which he was the bearer, nor bo himself, at the first interviews with the se cretary, of state, suggested that he was au thorised to ask the acknowledgment of Ins government as independent—a circumstance which derived additional weight from rbc» fact, that his predecessor, Don M ;-trn Thompson, had been dismissed by the direc tor Pucyrredon for having transcended his powers ; of which the letter brought by Mrs. Aguirre gave notice to the president. It Was some time after the commencement if the session of congress that ho mad this demand, as will be seen by the dates if his written communications to the department; in the conferences held with him on th.d sub ject, among other questions which it nat i r rally suggested, Were those of the manner in which the acknowledgment of his govern ment, should it he deemed advisable, might he made ? and what were the territories which he considered as forming the state or nation to be recognized ? It was observed, that tho manner in which the United States had bceh acknowledged as an independent power by France, was by a treaty conclud ed with them, as an existing independent power, and in which each one of the states then composing the union, was Uistim tly named : that come, thing of the same kind seemed to be necessary in tho first acknow ledgment of a new government, that some definite idea might be formed, not of the pre cise bbundaVies, but of'the general extent of the country thus recognized. He said, the government of which he desired the acknow ledgment was of the country which had be fore tho revolution, been the vice royalty of La Plata. It was then asked} whether that did not include Montevideo and the territiwy occupied by the Portuguese : thcTjanda Ori ental, understood to be under the government of General Artigas, and several provinces* still iii the undisputed possession of the Span ish government. He said it did ; but oiis i v- od, that Artigas, though in hostility with the government of Buenos Ayres, support 'd however, the cause of independence of Sp un —& that the Portuguese could not ultimately maintain their possession of Montevideo. It was after this that Mr. Aguirre wrote the letter, offering tmenter into a negotiation for conducting a treaty j though admitting i hat he had no authority to that effect from his government. It may be proper to observe, that the inode of recognition by concluding a treaty had not been suggested as the only one practicable or usual, but merely as that which had been adopted by France with the United States, and as offering the most con venient means of designating the extent of the territory acknowledged as a new dominion. The remark to Mr. Aguirre, that if Bue nos Ayres should be acknowledged as inde pendent, others of the contending provinces would, perhaps, demand the same, had par ticular reference to the Banda Oriental.— The enquiry w as, whether General Artigas might not advance a claim of independence for those provinces, conflicting with that of Buenos Ayres for the whole vice inyalty of La Plata ? The Portuguese possession of Montevideo was noticed in reference to a similar question. It should be added that these observations were connected with othefs, stating the rea sons upon which the present acknowledgment of the government of La Plata, in any mode, was deemed hy the president, inexpedient, iirrcgard as well to their interests as to.those of the United States. ' JOHN QUINSY AEA^3.