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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.]