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SATURDAY, July t 6, 1788.
GEORGIA STATE GAZETTE
OR
INDEPENDENT REGISTER.
/ » V t - >s
FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL by JUR Y, to remain inviolate forever. CirJHtuticn of G ter gif
*» ■ ’" ————— 4— ————^’
AUGUSTA-. Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Printer to the State-, Efays, Articles of
Intelligence, Advertisements, &c. will be gratefully received, and every kind oj Printing perfumed.
Mr. PRINTER,
If you can find room in your tifeful paper for
the following loose remarks, and imagine
they will afford either entertainment or ad
vantage to amy of your readers, you are at
liberty to insert them, and will moreover
oblige your conflant reader, &c.
AUDITOR.
ALTHOUGH divines, attormes, politi
cians, and maflers of the healing art
are jtiftly esteemed for their beneficent services
to mankind, there are also other characters
yvhich (if not so immediately connected with
the busy or great world) merit nolefs encou
ragement and refpeCt, as their labours are
equally serviceable to society. Among these
doubtless are men, who having i-V.ily qualified
themselves for the iuftruftion of youth, faith
fully difeharge that important trust in our
public seminaries.
By faithfully difdiarging their duty I do
not mean they thould employ their pupils
wholly in the study of dead languages, and
attending to their elaborate lediures upon the
beauties of the phraseology ; the propriety
and force of the various tropes and figuies to
be met with in them, which, I am well per*
fuaded, neither they nor any men now Jiving
/ully understand. Neither do I mean that the
ingenious youth (bould be tortured by commit
ting whole (heets of monosyllables to memo
ry, to enable him to read Homer, Horace,
Virgil and Ovid (as they pretend) with pro
per quantity and accent : words, of which
(though constantly in the mouths of pedantic
grammarians, and used with great emphasis
too) wh,en applied to what the ancients un
derflood by them, they cannot have any cer
tain or determinate ideas : for, although these
were perfectly underflood in the Grecian and
Roman republics, and I believe constituted
the greatest beauties in their refpeftive lan
guages, yet, having no marks or characters
fufficieutly to explain them, they necefiarily
died with those languages, and notwithfland
ing the grave leftures I have heard and read
from pedants of the present and past age upon
this fubjeft, and all the important nonsense
about the neceffrty of teaching fludents to
make, scan, and read hexameter and penta
meter verses, I am well persuaded if Homer
or Virgil were introduced into the molt
famous European or American universities,
they would think very little of their proficien
cy in these branches; and pity the nation
which, rather than candidly confefs its igno
rance, chose to adapt the most palpable ab
surdities. Should it be asked then what is
the true method of teaching those languages,
lanfwerthat which belt enables us to translate
them most agreeable to the idiom of our own
tongue : as to any thing beyond this I confefs
I am as ignorant as the learned gentlemen
who have lived so long upon those absurdities
(in which refpeft they could not be called ufe
ful) by employing a youth of genius and ap
plication ten or twelve years in the study of
Greek and Latin, when all neceflary know
ledge of them might, by proper methods, be
acquired in tour or five; for I would not be
underflood to insinuate these Ihould fall fin
disuse in our icademies : I think them highly
neceflary not only in compliance to the opinion
of the world, which has connected these with
the idea of a scholar j but absolutely so to
gentlemen of the three grind profeflional iba*
utters,
«- THE
However as we are neither to preach, plead,
or legislate in Greek or Latin, but in Englilh,
it is obvious the fludy of that language ought
to be a principal part of our academic exer
cises.
Rhetoric or elocution (for the exercise of
which republican governments have ever
opened so extensive a field) ffiould be taught
by able profefTors not only in theory but prac
tice; as this art has been in great request in
all governments and in all ages, there is no
doubt but in this country where we are allow
ed the greatest freedom of and the
fulleft exercise of our oratorial talent?, it will
open the road to the highefl honors.
I have been led into thefc tefiefiions from
the opportunity of attending a few days ago
the difeuflion of an important fubjeft by the
Belles Lettrcs Society at Wafiiington, in
Wilkes—the Bill (for so they called it) was
warmly oppnfed and as warmly defended,
and as the house was nearly divided, its fate
was long dubious, and at last decided by a
single vote.
But what gave me the most sensible pleasure
as well as furprize, was to observe, that youth
who two years ago were lying almost in the
field of nature, are now capable of treating
even political fubje&s with perspicuity and
prccifion, (I might add elocution) which
would not disgrace any deliberative affiembly.
What real fatisfattion mull it give every
friend to his country, to refleft that in the re
mote county of Wilkes there i 6 a Seminary so
favorable to the advancement of virtue and li
terature, in which a number of youth are
forming who bid fair shortly to come out in
to the world, not only with capacities to dis
cover, but with virtue and abilities to defend
and puriuc the true intereflsof this rising state.
N. B. The Belles Lettres Society was at
firft composed of the Students belonging to
the Wilkes Academy and Mr. Blatkbcurne
only j but at present is augmented by the prin
cipal gentlemen (especially of erudition and
the piofeffienal charaflers) in and about
Washington, who, it is said, benevolently
devote part of every Friday to promote the
interefls of this excellent iiiftitution.
LONDON, March ip.
Two fail of the line are ordered to be equip
ped and commissioned at Chatham, as part of
a squadron of fix fail that are to be got ready
immediately. It is supposed they are to form
a squadron of obfervaticu in the Mediterra
nean.
20. Ireland daily improves in commerce
and in legislation. By an act of Henry VIII.
no native of that country could fill the office
of Viceroy; by a statute, originating in a
meffiage Tom the Crown, that ad is now
about to be repealed.
The gold coinage in Queen Arne’s reign
did not exceed ten millions. In the present
reign it has already exceeded forty millions.
24. A man made his third experiment at
Paris, on the 16th inflant, of favu.g H e most
valuable effiefts cut of a house set on fire on
purpose. Prmcfled by an incc n.l uftible dress
of his own invention, he went and returned
with the greatest case and composure through
the flames fevcral times, and made use of hit
limbs as in ported fafety. The intent or an
nounces that the dreft is not very tapeufive.
The Academy of Arts and Sciences there havt
approved it.
26. The Jews resident in Rome have of
fered to the Pope a very er.otmous sum, if his
Holiness will allow them to turn the flreara
of the Tyber, and clear the bed of the river,
piefumiug that they will then find inline aft
riches in flatuary, coins, and other things.
This, however, is much opposed by the Car
dinals Berromce and Albany, who have pre
ferred a memorial to the Pope, slating, in tile
firft place, that they believe it impracticable,
and, if practicable, the gieat danger there
will be of occasioning a plague in consequence
of the flench that will arise in the hot season
of the year from the bed of the river These
reasons will piobably occasion tho fchen.e to
be rejected.
A late difieCtion at Mr. Cruickfliank’s, in
Windmill-fireet has occasioned much tpecu-
Ja ion amongst the gentlemen of the faculty,
there being no well attested defeription in the
anatomical annals of this or any other coun
try of such a phenomenon. The intestines
are all revet fed, the heait, &c. being on the
right fide, and the live! on the left. In every
other refpeCt, but situation, the parts are
Complete. It is very pro table the perfua
himlelf might live without a confcioulhcfs of
such a diffidence in the internal ftruCture of
his body.
Extra£i cf a letterfrem Paris , March'll
“ The LdiCt ordciing the demolition ot fafe
of the Royal feats, Vincennes, Blois, Ls
Muette, and Madiid, was regifteted by Parr
liament on the 14 th inli. and publiflied on
Thursday last.
“ The reforms in the Queen of France’s
household will produce a favmgof i,ic6,600
livres (about 50,275 b) No less than 173
places are fnppteffied.
April 1, Two Ambaffiadors from Tippoo
Sultan to his Most Christian Majesty had ar
rived at the Cape when the Ravenfworth was
there, and weie ieceived with the greatest
marks of attention and refpeCt.
There is fume talk of a commercial treaty
with Spain, and that is the main purpose of
Mr. Eden’s mission to/Madrid.
Every letter from France contains a para
graph to this amount, that the late commer
cial treaty is iheie universally execrated. The
French, by their exportation, have been able
to do no mifebie^bete. The Engliftr by theirs
have luined whole branches cf manufactures ;
one article, cabinet of the finer work, is now
every where in prodigious quantities, and
j fetches a good price ; in the article of hard
wait the French do not j retend to cope with
us. The disputes between the King and Par
liament are near a crilis ; he has peremptorily
ordered them to reiT.onftiate no mote; and,
they, of course, must turn their thoughts to
feme other mode!
A Swiss has imenterJ an irftmirent wh : ch
will difeharge 500 balls in three minutes ; it
requires only ten men towoik the machine.
By the evidence of Mr. Acflie, ot Devizes,
and Mr. Charles (laphom, of Leeds, given
in to the < r nmittte of th« House of Com
mons, refpectmg the exportation of wool, it
appeals that upward? of jj.cce packs of wool
are annually fn nggled into France.
1 h# Duke of Bruufwiek has lefigned all fill
militaiy <n ployments to the King of Prufla,
and retited entirely from public life. Whaf
410 have oua/ioiifd this fuddeu and turavr*
[No. XCVI.]