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♦WovuVan, Auwe
* P'P On the 4th July next, nthnlf
~410 o’clock A. M. an oration will
he delivcted at the Fort, by Uhaui.ks
Esq. The citizens will
t',en repair to a dinner prepared for
tliein on the public square in the town
us Macon.
The practice of bathing in the river
at or near the ferry in thin place,which
we understand is followed up inces
santly, is at once so improper and in
decent, that we trust those who are in
the habit, on observing this hint, and
t ikfn"- a second thought on the subject,
will at once sec their error and desist.
Ladies of respectability often have oc
casioii to cross the river at the ferry,
a nd we understand some have been un
der the necessity of waiting an hour
m- two for persons bathing to come
out and dress. We say no more at
present.
COMMUNICATED.
Mr. Robertson,
In the Messenger of the 9th
inst. we are accused at this office ol
having detained, through negli
gence, the bag containing the pack
ages for Ft. Hawkins, on Monday,
the 2d inst. That this default may
be attached to those deserving the
censure, I will endeavour to state
the facts as they have occurred :
On Monday the 2d inst. in over
haulingthe principal mail, for pack
ages directed to this office, the Ft.
Hawkins bag was taken out, for the
purpose of enclosing a packet from
this office, after which it was again
enclosed in the mail, and forward
ed in due course, altlvough no spe
cial care was taken to put it on top.
On its arrival there, for the want of
diligence, the bag was overlooked
and sent on to the Creek Agency.
Mr. Stallings happening to be at
Fort Hawkins on Tuesday, was as
ked “ Why did not our mail come
yesterday ?” He replied that it had,
for he had seen it at Clinton, or, if it
h;ul not,it must have been left there.
Which consequently allowed them
to circulate the report. Again in
overhauling the mail at the Creek
Agency, the bag was stopt and sent
to Fort Hawkins in the return mail,
but was not opened there ; it came
to this office and went to Milledge
ville, apparently in the same situa
tion it left here on Monday. How
it could have passed the second
time undiscovered, wc cannot com
prehend. Was it not for the purpose
of preventing their negligence be
ing discovered, by opening it when
coming from the contrary way;
therefore allowing it to pass by,
that it might screen them from the
censure already put upon us ?
1 he above statements are correct
and your readers may judge where
the negligence was occasioned.—
Should your mail again be detain
ed, wc hope your informer may
first find the guiltv, and no more
reprimand the innocent.
Wm. Brewer, Ast. P. M.
Clinton June 18th, 1823.
A town meeting was held in Darien
on the 31st May, to make arrange
ments for the purpose of opening a
road from that place to Macon. It is
proposed to cross the Altamaha as near
•is practicable to Darien. An engin
°er is engaged to survey the proposed
route, and a committee, appointed to
’ examine the nature of the swamp,
opposite both to Clarke’s and Reed’s
‘‘lull’s ami endeavour to ascertain the
practicability of making the aforesaid
road.”
The store of Messrs. Gaudrv &, Du
iaure, in Savannah, was robbed a lew
tights since of art iioiTchest, contain
ing upwards of 814,000 in notes, &c.
ail( * Si 156 in bank notes and specie.
Htson Tea. — It is stated in the
Payettville, N. (\ paper that genuine
Hvson iYa was successfully caltiv*
‘■ed in that state tne last season ; a id
1 nit several plants in a state, of for
wardness can now be seen in a garden
m that town.
Three buildings in Darien, inclu
ding the building of Mrs. b’itzspa
trick and the dwelling of Mrs. I.os
v‘er were destroyed by fire, sup
posed to be communicated by an
,! 'etidiarv, on Tuesday inorn'n'T.
COM V .v/c AT&Q.
“BLUE LAWS.”
Air. Robertson —ln your last paper
I noticed a piece, published “by re
quest,” purporting to he the “ Blue
Laws of Connecticut.” I stm aware,
Sir, of the troubles Editors must ex
perience in attemping to please all
who make requests of them. I think
it olten must be the case, that, in your
opinion columns of matter are thrown
away in attending to them—and yet,
if they arc neglected, your interest,
your popularity, and the good will of
your friends arc all at stake. As you
have complied with the request of one,
(I know not how much to your own r >a
tisfaction,) 1 must, for once, hope for
your indulgence, even if my commu
nication should, (in your opinion,) be
of the character of those 1 have men
tioned. The person who communica
ted the piece, no doubt had been amu
sed by it, and wished to amuse others ;
and for mere matter of amusement,
there might have been no harm in it*
So, perhaps, thought the one who man
ufactured it, (as I see it was from a
Manufacturers’ Journal, printed in It.
Island.) I have no doubt but the ma
nufacturer of it was “without malice
in his mind,” and only thought of its
creating a hearty laugh among the
loungers of a tavern-piazza or a grog
shop,—without ever calculating its tra
velling to Georgia, and by the way,
becoming Law, true as Gospel. But
it seems that this has been the case,
ami the consequences are too evident,
to need an allusi-m to their nature.
It was, Mr. Ed itor, my intention in
commencing this aiticle, and it would
be doing no more than ample justice,
to examine particularly what has been
passed off upon the public as being, or
having been the Laws of Connecticut.
But the length to which this would ex
tend it, must cause me to study every
possible brevity in the detail. The
laws that appear in the publication,
are many of them entirely without
foundation, and from the pen of a mo
dern manufacturer —others did exist
for a while, —and the spirit of a re
spectable number of them is now to be
found in the laws of every state in the
Union. As one of them stands, it ap
pears that the rack was used to ex
tort confessions in what might be mi
nor cases of criminality, or even sus
picion of it. Who ever before heard
that such a horrid practice as “ rack
ing,” or torture in any shape, ever ex
isted in our country? I would inform
him who wished to amuse the public by
publishing such tales, that a rack, an
inquisition, never existed in Connec
ticut ! Many of these laws carry such
an absurdity on their very face, that it
would be a waste of words to mention,
in order to contradict them. To oth
ers is attached all the effect of colour
ing. Suppose we were to pick out of
any body of laws here and there a line,
and incomplete sentence, how ludi
crous might they be made to appear ?
and how far from their real meaning ?
It is the fact that such liberties have
been taken with the laws of which 1
am speaking. As an instance, to show
how easy this may be done, I will
mention a Resolution in the last Jour
nals of the Legislature of this state
and in the volume of Laws and Reso
lutions, authorising the Governor to
purchase a certain number of “Geor
gia Justices, and distribute them among
the new counties.” With as much ‘
propriety and truth might it be pub- j
lished elsewhere, that “ Justices” in ■
Georgia are sold at three dollars per |
head, as a majority o f those laws palm
ed upon the public, and only innocent- j
ly intended for their amusement!
I would not be thought to deny that!
there were laws, which now appear lu
dicrou.t, owing principally to their ex
treme minuteness, and cognizance ol (
trilling circumstances. There were;
those also which were intolerant, inas-;
much as they were calculated to co-,
crce individuals in their private opin-j
ions. In defence ot such I have no
thing further to say, than that it the
circumstances which led to their
adoption were as well known, as it is
that the laws existed, they would fur
nish very little matter lor amusement.
The laws against Quakers, winch are
so frightful at this time, are not with
out some palliation. In every authen
tic history ol New-Engiund, lronyCot
ton Mather to Trumbull, may bclound
recorded that they were guilty ol
practices little to be expected b*ni
people, (as they now appear,) of tiieii
mildness of manner, and strict pro
priety of action. In Boston they
openly profaned the Sabbath by sei -
vile employments }”and nothing could
more irritate the feelings of the strict
Puritanic inhabitants. I need cite
but one instance of their indecency to
prove them not altogether blameless
this is, that one of their females walk
ed through the streets on the Sabbath,
entirely uncovered. Gne ol the Qua
ker leaders was called on for his opin
ion respecting this circumstance he
gave only in defence of it, that * It was
a moving of the spirit injier so to do,
and must not be resisted. ’ I will ask,
who would wish to sec such “ moving*
<>i the spirit” permitted with impuni
ty r Other circumstances, (such as re
fusing to defend themselves against
the Indians, then a powerful and dan
gerous enemy) could be mentioned,
but i will desist.
‘1 he statutes of which 1 have been
speaking are called * Laws of the State
ot Connecticut.’ But they never were
State laws. They existed more in the
nature of a family compact and rules
of practice, than civil law. At the
time of their formation, there was two
small colonies (Hartford and New-
Ilaven,) in what is noiv known as the
state, consisting of, perhaps, one hun
dred freemen, each having their own
laws, and head, or Governor. At this
time (what may be termed) the Legis
lature consisted of the whole body of
freemen : a few years after, the in
roads of the Indians rendered it ne
cessary for the colonies and scattered
settlements to consolidate, when a re
gular State government was formed.
Guilder such circumstances, is it not
reasonable that the laws would be
quite different from those coming from
a more enlightened legislature, to go
vern a larger people. ? Besides, they
were aiming at what never can be at
tained ; —a complete system of cus
toms, and actions, and a pure slate of
morals. Y’hcy had “ fled from oppres
sion,” ami wished to be a community
entirely to themselves, where they ex
pected to enjoy a perfect state of so
ciety. Buts icli is not. the fate of man :
—the inea.is fhey took to attain their
object, only drove it farther from them.
In attempting to strike at the root of
religions opposition, they were with
out malice to other sects. It was not
the spirit of persecution in them that
led to extremes, but a wish that among
themselves there should be but one
system, one mind, and one people.—
Their intention was good, but their
conduct must ever be lamented by
more enlightened Christians. After
the erection of a State government, a
body of law's was instituted, as perfect
as those of any other state, (except in
a very few points ; I might reduce the
exception almost to a single one,)
no matter at what enlighened period
they were formed.
In proof of what I have said as to
the non-existence of those laws, I
will mention, that about two years
since a catch-penny book-monger pro
posed publishing the ‘ Blue Laws of
Connecticut.’ Much interest was ex
cited ; and all those who “loved to
laugh” were on tip-toe with expecta
tion. Their organs were drawn up a
month beforehand for a loud peal at
the very sight of the title-page. The
person employed to copy them, faith
fully gave them all the interest that
could be attached to their quaint style,
obsolete words, and ancient orthogra
phy. After ransacking the oldest Re
cords of Hartford and New-Havcn co
i lonics, bis materials were so few that
! to make out a meager duodecimo vol
ume, lie found it necessary to resort to
the report of trials under those laws.
Here lie was so successful as to find
one case sufficiently smutty to be sin
gular—and another tor a man’s spit
ting tobacco juice in his neighbour’s
face. \S ith a few such tilings the work
was completed, and made its appear
ance—but every oqe was disappoint
ed.—And not even the publisher had
reason to laugh at the success his work
met with. Suffice it to say, that scarce
a law which appeared in the Messen
ger was found .to exist on the records.
The term lllue Laics, scents to have
become an epithet of mighty import
but in its origin was simple and harm
less. Such is the important tact, that
most of the paper in those days was
blue ; and the laws of Connecticut
were unfortunately printed on such
paper. It hardly seems reasonable
that the colour of the paper could give
a character to the laws, —-but so it is.
Front this circumstance I am led to
believe that the want of success of the
volume spoken of in the preceding
paragraph lav, no deeper than that it
was printed on fair white paper.
I should, perhaps, have passed over
this string of puiported laws with as
little attention as they deserve, but
for the circumstance of hearing the
question several times asked, “ it they
existed at this time r” This, Mr. Edi
was too much for patience ; I have ever
expected to find circumstances given
their due weight. I have found that
laws which at one time arc w holesome
and necessary, by the changes of so
ciety become intolerable, in the in
fancy and simplicity ot society, laws
may be commendable to keep out vi
ces which will afterwards become fash
ionable. Such laws may then seem
intolerant. But is it not of the tivo
evils better to err on the side of vir
tue ? Is it not better in an inlant
community to be too strict, than with
out a guide ? 1 do not wish to make
any retaliation that excited feelings
might prompt me to, or attempt to
strengthen my argument bv crimina
ting others. But let me ask, (and ev
ery* one may answer as he pleases,) Is
it not better to be subject to such laws,
than without any—than to have nei
tlicr God or Crcsar before our (’yes,
and to walk in the feeble light of our
understandings? Is it better that blue
lows should aim at the very semblance
of evil, or that it should grow to its
most frightful shapes,and Paddy Carr's
be left to execute judgment without
delegation or law.
Is it in Connecticut alone that in
tolerance has been known, or ludi
crous laws enacted ? 1 venture to say
that in almost everv other state that
was colonized from Europe, similar
ones maybe found. In support of this
I will only quote those of Virginia,
and should better authority than mine
be wanted, reference can be made to
the writings of her great and venerable
statesman, Mr. Jefferson. He says—
“ The first settlers of the Church of
England, shewed equal intolerance
to the Presbyterians of Xew-England.
Quakers were imprisoned anil ban
ished, and tor a third return the pun
ishment was death. It was penal to
refuse to have children baptized. He
resy’ was punishable by burning; its
definition being left to Ecclesiastical
judges. The denial of the Christian
religion was punished by incapacity to
hold any office.” Such was the in
tolerance of Virginia, yet we hear of
no blue laws but those of Connecti
cut. Is it because she was more for
tunate in the selection of her paper
that her laws are not reprehensible ?
while those of another State, in no way
more extraordinary, are the bye-word
and jest of the whining school boy, the
unlettered cracker, the village nui
sance and story-teller, the bladder
headed lawyer, and would-be wit of a
Judge. But the subject has been
pursued far enough. 1 hope I have
done no one injustice, or wandered
from the truth.
CoNXECTICUTENSIS.
In the Othello, arrived at New-
York from Bordeaux, our distin
guished. countryman Mr. Fosyth,
late Minister to Spain, has returned
home. The intelligence from the
French invading army by this arri
val is to the 18th April. So far
there has been very little opposition
to its progress. The Priests, who
had lost by the revolution property
and power, which, along with the
instrument of their vengeance, the
inquisition, they hope now to re
cover, recieve the invaders with
open arms. The patriotic party in
Spain has to encounter not only the
armies of a powerful enemy, but
the disaffection produced by its own
priesthood, whose influence, parti
cularly over the inferior classes, is
not easily counteracted.
Recorder.
—
We learn that the British Gov
ernment has appointed Mr George
Jackson (brother of M>. Jackson,
formerly the British Minister to the
United States) Commissioner, and
iMr. M’ I'avish, Arbitrator.
under the first article of the
vention of July 1822, with Greaj
Britain, (for the settlementofclaimj
for slaves and other property car
ried away by British vessels at the
close of the late war.)
Mr. M’Tavish is already in thh
country, and Mr. Jackson was tc
sail, we understand, in the April
packet, from England, and may be
daily expected. On his arrival, as
there will be no impediment to
the immediate organization ot the
Board, they may be expected to
proceed forthwith to the discharge
of their duties. Nat. Intel.
‘Die F.nglish gun brig Argus took, a
short time since, two fishing schooners
belonging to Portsmouth, N. H. in the
harbour of Shelburne, N S. where they
put in expecting a storm. Five of
their crews arrived at Eastport on the
21st ult. from St. Johns, on their wav
home, destitute of clothing, &c. having
every thing taken from them except
what they had on.
Late foreign papers state that the
Emperor of Austria has been de
clared a Bankrupt, and has been
under the necessity of compound
ing with his creditors. Ihe precise
sum he will pay in the pound is not
stated.
It is said that the Greeks have
taken the important Island of i ha
so, and that they have made a suc
cessful descent upon the coast o
Macedonia. Their fleets still ride
triumphant, and have blockaded
Tripoli and spread alarm all along
the coast of Barbary.
The Bitish Government have
authorized the payment of five
shillings in the pound, to the in
habitants of the Canadas, for losses
sustained by them during the late
war with the U. States.
‘Observer,’ No. IV, and ‘Cen
sor &Co.’ So. V. arc received, but ow
in;r to the length of anothercommuni
cation,(w hich was first handed in,) toey
are unavoidably postponed till next
week.
DIED—In this county, on the 31st
May, Mr. GEO. WILSON, about 40
years of age.
Terondei, iUVison, &. Cos.
\RE now opening in the Town of
Macon, a very general assort
ment of
AMONG WHICH A R F.,
Super blue and black Cloths and
Cassimeres,
2d quality do. do. do.
Y'ellow Nankeen Pantaloons,
Black and colored Bombazetts,
Irish Linens,
Super London Prints,
Printed Muslin,
Calicoes (handsome patterns,)
Mull and Jackouet Muslins,
Plain Book do.
Sprig’d do. do.
Needle-worked & Loom-sewed do.
Elegant needle-work’d Muslin robes
Black and col’d Crapes,
Col’d Crape Scarfs,
Black and col’d. Crape robes,
Black silk Velvet,
Black sinchew Silk,
Black Sat tin,
White and Green do.
Green Florance Silk,
Black Canton Camblet,
Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s silk hose,
Kid and Castor Gloves,
Large shell tucking Combs,
Side do. do.
Mock do tucking do.
Cotton Cards,
Emerson’s and Poratoy’s Razor
Straps
Spanish Segars, superior quality
Men’s Ist quality fashionable black
and white Hats,
2d quality do. do. ‘
Youths’ Hats,
Men’s and Boys’ fancy do.
White Wool Hats,
Common do. do.
Fine Straw Bonnets, dressed, and
undressed,
Straw Bands and Straw Strimming,
Men’s Ist quality Calt skin Boots,
Do. do. do. Shoes,
Do. 2d do. do. do
Ladies fine heeled morocco pumps.
Ladies Leather walking Shoes,
Misses’ and Boys’ do.
Shot Guns,
Lancaster Rifles,
Sugar and Coffee.
June 23. 14—4 t
- tterry Redd. 3
fT appearing to the Court by the
Sheriffs return in this case, that
the defendant is not to be found : On
motion of the plaintiff's attorney, it is
thereupon ordered that service be per
fected by publication in one of the
public gazettes of tiiis state, that the
defendant appear at the Superior
court to be held in said county, on the
fourth Monday in September next.and
make his defence, and that tnis rule be
published monthly for three months
previous to said court, according to
iaw.
A true copy from the minutes.
\\ ILKIX3 HUNT, Clerk.
those,
i
>
’ Rfizor
1
ality
le black
1 -.9,6th March, 1823. m3m—B
LAUV.iu.
PROSPECTUS,
For publishing a Translation of the
Five Codes \iv\>o\eon.
SEVERAL gentlemen of eminence
in the profession of the law, and.
others, who are equally well versed in
the science of legislation, having advi
sed me to translate from the French,
into the English language the Five
Codes Napoleon, I take the liberty ot
announcing to the literary characters
in the United States of America, that
I have completed the performance,
which I am now employed in collating
with the original, progressively wri
ting its index. To those of my fellow
citizens who have not had the oppor
tunity of reading this work in French,
which is so much, and 1 believe, de
servedly admired every where,and es
pecially in America and in England,
whose systems of jurisprudence are
the subjects of emulation of every ci
vilized community, l would observe,
that it is on record, that Napoleon
took more pride in this compilation of
his than ia all his other achieve
ments.
[Here follows several respectable
testimonials.]
The Codes will be contracted to be
printed in two Bvo volumes, which, it
is believed, will contain from 400 to
500 pages each. The types will be
those which printers denominate pica ,
and the contract will stipulate for the
paper to be good. The volumes will
be bound in calt-skin, and endorsed.
The price of the two volumes will be
six dollars, payable on their delivery.
JONAS FAUCHE.
Greensboro, Georgia, June IT.