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u-JJ CATSKILL (N sw -Y ork ) i^iffiLisHED by MACKAY CROSWEEL. VOL. I . MO N D ATj Septemb^^ l o , 1 8 0 4 . N o . 1 8 , F or t h e RECORDER. M r . E ditor , ' A • ,y*~\ FEW evenings iincc, after hear ing: fome political difpute, in which however, I took no part, I retired to reft. In a dream I fancied myfelf in a ipacious hajl, with the two difputants, each of whom prefented me with a pifture for examination.. That of Mr, Federalift was a plain, one,, but of an afpe6l commanding refpc<$^, and over it was engra ved this motto j “ F'lefgy as far as is^coniift- ent with liberty—Candor..ih all oaf deilli'ngs',” I was hot lavifii hf ericomiums, as I did not know which party I ftiould join. ' ' Look here i (aid Mr. Democrat, our motto is exhibited in chara£lers,o£ gold ^.^thpi^h to be feen, there are but few whp, ca^^ read p.r underftand it. On examihing^it * 1 ipund it contained the following words/,] <f*^ifS|me Tab, and I’ll kifs you—Popularity at. ihe 'ex- penfe of principles.” This puaufe ' was ^fa ced in a woocien frame, gilt in* an clegifnt manner. That of Mr. Federalii^‘engra\’jen on poUftied marble j but not (like a toy-bocjk) adorned with cuts. Said Mr. Democrat, you fee yi;e have our prcfident, governor, and fub^, ordiiiate officers, though, if you will fuftfr me to add your name to our lift it will |c very acceptable to us, as we wiffi, at Icaft L numbers, to appear refpedable. He thji prefented me wiih a glafs of Madeiraj . i • ^ I enquired of Mr. Federalift what propei- ties a man muft poflefs to gain his approb^ tion. He muft, faid he, be poflefled of prob ity and virtue j he muft put on the ffiield of faith 5 the fword of juftice, and perfevere iii the way of truth. We ’are, and perhaps ev Ihall be in this ftate the minority j but) “ Fc not, little flock, for the great day conitlh.' At this moment a mail arrived .which coi| firmed the account of the^coronation of B\4 naparre, which fo furprizdd. Mr. DemoeVatv that by an involuntary groan he awoke rne^; And belidvt me, Mr.^BdUoTj I have not flept a night fince without dreaming fornething. JFtetfi the Aihany CeiitimL A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE TUBLIG LIFE AND WRITINGS OF GENERAL HAMILTON. ( ContludeA.) M r . Hamilton, in his character of Secre tary of the Treafury, was^alfo one of the couftitutional advifers of the Prefident in re lation generally to the duties of his office^ and I apprehend that few, if any, matters of moment were.tranfaflcd without the faric- tion of his council. The feafon during which he prefided over the treafury department was unufually critical. The French revolu tion progrefled with a rapidity and violence that Ihreaiened to involve the whole civiliz ed world in combuftion and ruin. Not con tent with their own regeneration, the French Tiilcts in 1793, adopted the intolerance of the Koran, and began to propagate their new faith by thefword and to carry on an univer- fal war cither of force or of fraud againft all the unbelieving nations of the earth, & againft all the governments under which they iived^ as being fo many monuments of tyranny and fupcrftition. At this aiiful crifis, a fu rious War is begun againft Great-Britain, and Mr. Geiict is fehtas mihfften to the U. States, charged with fecret iuftru£lions ( which he after watds publfftied, and on which he faith fully a£tcd) to excite the Americans^' cven if their minifters ihould be timid and •wa’Oer- ingi ’to make a common caupt with Franfe m ihe new war flie had then commenced. To thect this important epoch, the Proclamation of Ncuti:ality w a s ifiued by the prcfident. of the XJnitcti States ; and to defend that great meafure as lawful and expedient, againft the prejudices and paflions which the French miniftcT had\ but too fuccefsfully excited, the eflays of Appeared. Thefe ^flays were written and pnblifiied by Mr. Hamilton in the fummer of 1793 j and. of all his prodii£lions none ever appear ed at a molt fcafonablc jun£iure, or were calculated to produce a more aufpicious cf- feft. Their objeft ivas to projre that ^ the prcfident\,ha4 competent authority to, ifiuc the proclaination in queftion j—That it was only a declaration, of what was the exifting law of the land, the neutrality of our govern ment, and that as a conftitutional eXccutot df ’ the laws, it would be his duty to fee that neu-- trality faithfully obferved ;—That we were ui?;^er no obligations from extftitig treaties tO become a party in the war :—That confider- ing the peculiar origin and nature of the war fare, the United States had valid and hon orable pleas againft any interfetence:—‘That the obligations of gratitude itnpofed dpon tions the mutual return of good will and be- . neyolence, but were no fufficient grounds for war v..and that ^ o fe obligafioos would more naturally point-tq the, hand from whom ante cedent favorsthad been received, and which in this cafe, was the amiable-and unfortunate monarch whom the revolution had juft fwept from the thrqne. It cannot be denied, that thefe effays were too well written, and addrelTed themfelves too poi^i'erfuUy to the iriterefts and good fenfe of the country, not to have had their influence in rendering popular this important act of adminiftration ; and it is well known tha)' the proclamation received ‘ afterwards the fandtidn not only of Congrefs, but Of the community at large. , In January, 1795, Mr. Hamilton refigned the office of fecretary of the treafiiry, and once more returned to private life. But he ftill felt himfelf charged to vindicate anoth er important meafure of the government, of which he had 'no doubt been a. refponfible advifer ; I allude tib'Mr., Jay’s negociation and treaty wfth Great Briraln. This treaty had to'encounter inveterate prejudices and com^ biiftibie materials, which' fpread- their root as far back as the revolutionary war, but which had bedn enkindled and armed, with tenfold virulence by the peftilential breath of the French revolution. Even at this late day, the temperate hiftorian is admoniflied to tread’ lightly over thefe affies df pariy-fpirit. Mr. Hamilton devoted the fummer of 1795 'to a defence of this treaty J,n a feries of Eflays under the fignature of Oamillus. The firft twenty-nwb nhmbers yvhere appropriated to of this treaty, and which articles continue, to this day the law of the land. The remainder of the treaty was commercial and temporary, and has already expired. The difeuffion of this latter part was not equal in intereft, and bemg written with lefs attention, and by dif ferent hands, was not equal in ability .to the other. But this defence, taken together, muft now be confidered by eVery competent and impartial reader, as one of the moft full and fatisfadtory illuftrations that perhaps ever was given of a complicated diplomatic ’queftion. I prefume there does not^ exift any thing a- motlg the piles of European ftate papers to be compared to it, although one reafon for this may be, that in Europe no fuch precife andvindication of any national treaty has ever Ijeen ‘deemed requifite.. The bene ficial . effedls of this treaty,' and which are known and felt conftantly, have at laft ac- complifiied what argument could not do 5 they have forced an univerfal convidfipn upo^ the public mind % and all the dead fpedlres which were conjured up at the time to terrify the imagination, and blind the judgrtient, have long fince dhappeared before the light of experience. It is to be obferved, that the queftion was not whether the treaty was in all rftfpcdls the moft defirable (for treaties are adls of accommodation) but the true qneftion was, whether the treaty did not ad- juft in a reafonable manner the points in con- troverfy between the two nations, and wheth er ourinterefts did not demand, and our hon* or permit us to adopt it. The fanaion it received from our government, and the gene ral approbation it has ultimately met with, overcoming in its progrefs the ftream of pre judice, and the obftacles of foreign intrigue ?nd menaces, have given the definitive anfwer to the queftion. The articles upon Which Camillus more emphatically bent and ex- haufted the ftrength and refources of hL |nlnd, were the 3d article, and the intercourfe jbetween,the .United States and Canada j and the vdth article providing againft the confif- catlon of private debts in the time of war. I beg leave to recommend thefe t^o heads of his performance, as uncommonly excellent. P’he latter is a finiflied treatife by itfelf, and forms a chapter in the law-of nations, equally accurate, didaflic and moral. |^. vindicates* the trcaty-ftipulation on the gfolBd; of tcafon and principle, of policy and expediency, on the opinions of the moft enlightened jurlfts, and the. ufage ofxiations* . The Isft great occ^ifiDn which called Mr. Hamilton forward Upon the thjittire of public a^dlion, cxifted in the fpring oT the year 1798* It will be recolle^iedj, thal France had. been long making piratical depredations upon ojir commerce ; that negociation, and a pacific adjuftertent, had been repeatedly attempted on the 'part of this country without fucqcfs 5 and our minifter had been refufed ah audi ence } that three minifters extraordinary had been treated With the grofleft indignity, and ihOn^y the UuiteA-iStateS ort terms the mbft‘ degradiing. The dobts hi reconciliaton being thus barred, we had no honbrable alternative left, but operi and de termined refiftance. And what was the poWeir that had thus ufed us ? It was a power the moft terrible in 0tength, the moft daring in proje.fl, the tti^ft unchecked in means,^ihe moft fa;al to ks victims, of Sny that a righteous providence had liitherto permitted to exift upon this globe; for the awful chaftifement of the human race. All the ftates, even of the republican form, tliat fell within her widc-fpread grafp;, the U- nited Netherlands, Geneva, the Swift Can tons,' Genoa and Venice had already been proftrated by her arms or her flrili more for midable eareflVfs. She was at that moment bufy in her fchemes of univerfal domination, and was fitting out a vaft armament in the ports ot the Mediterranean for fome diftant expedition of conqueft and plunder.* At this pGrtentoiis periodj Mr. Harniiton publilhed The Standf or a feries of Eflays under the fignitUre of Tituf^Man/iuSf /with a vfeW to . roufe’the people of this country to a fet»fe of their impending danger, and to measures of defence, which ffioulld be at once vigorous and manly.', ' In thefe effays he pourtrays with the glow and coJqring“-of k mafter‘-artift) the condudl of teVolmiohizing France towards her own people^ and towards other nations j and he fliews that idbe had undermined the main pil- Fats ofxiivillzed ibciety j ah<l tha|*ffie betvayed of mathematic^, geometry and chcmiiiiy, of which he was particularly fond. And ffioiil^ any crifis have arifen in the future deftinier of our c o u n tr y , in w h ich fome h e r o o r ftatef- man Would havo been wanted in refilling mifehief ot cffe0Ling ’goqd,” the eyes of A* mcrica Would up doubt have been conceni trated on this hrft and faireft of her fonSju But alas ! thefe dreams of confolatlon are gone. He has fallen by the hahds of a bafe affaffin. Accept yenbrai»le ffiade this bute of a fric« 4 , who regard# thy lofs. % great'natidna^l^rcalan'iity,\ sfid. recoile£ls thy tllents and virtues .with .the pureft reipe;^ and the fohdeft devotion ! ....1 '• L ' 1’ n. ^ . .■ by atterhptihg to deftroy all religious opin ion) and pervert a whole people tq atheifm | that hef m paffioas were ambition and fanaticiCm and that fhe aimed equally to profelytfe, ubjugate and debafe every govern ment withiut diftinftion) to effect: the ag.^ gfandizenneFt of the « Great Nation !” He thci gave a detail of the accumulated injuries aid infUlts we had received from France, ana fliewed that her objeSl wals to degrade aid humble oiir-government) and prepare thi way for fevolution and conqueft. He cOneltded as the refult of his work, that w'e ought. l> iufpend our treaties with France, fortify, ouf harbors, defend our commerce on the ocan, attack their predatory cruifers on ouf epafts, create a refpe^^able. naval force, anq raife, or organize and difeipline a conjideral !e af^y as an indifpeiifible precau tion agmjft . attempts at .inyafion, which might pul in jeopardy our very exlftence as ? natffin. He confidered that militia alone Would be a very inadequate and fallacious reliance 4ja|hft veteran troops, hea.ded by fome entelprizing chijef, but that ,when we had madejthe deftnfive preparations he had recommeided, we would then meet their ag- greffions In' the attitude of calm defiance. $0 urit^niable were all thefe fadls, fo irre- fiftible W6re the conqlufions which he drew from them, that in the fummer of lyp'S thefe meafures fuggefted by Mr. Hamilton were all literally carried into execution by Gongrefs, and received the warm and hearty fan^l'ioq of the nation. An honorable, proud and manly fpntiment was then enkindled and pervaded tbc continent 5' it reflected high honor pn our national ,chara 6 1 er, afid that chara^er was tranfmitted to Europe as a Rfcans if refpe^f and a pledge of fecurity. A raw provincial army, confifting how ever or but twelve regiments of infantry, and fix trepps of light dragoons, was ordered to be injmediately raifed, and Mr. Hamilton, upon the exprefs arid pointed folicitafions of Geneial Wafliington, was appointed tnfyeU- ot-QetieraL ' Qn the death of that great man, he mcceeded to the office of Commander-ift and continued in that charai^eT for a few ‘months and until this little army was dilbanded in the fummer of 180O. 3 t>urlng this military avocation General [Hamilton btftoWed. indefatigable efforts to organize and difeipline. the troops, and be improved Inmfelf greatly in the ftudy of the Tariiculars of the Capture and deJlruBioh of Maksy, a Mqlc^ fettle nient on the Coajl of Sumatra^ , ■ .On the 13th of April, two large Englifii .{hips and three brigs came to anchor in Mak- ey Rpads cldfe in ffiorc. They were well armed, and had on board from 3 to 400 Sea- poy troops, commanded by European offi cers. The expedition was fitted out in Beh- coolen. The commanding officer iniiiledi- ately made the following demands. ift. That the natives ffiould pay. one hun dred thoufand dollars for the dcftruHion o f a armament by the Frerfch in Pulo Bay, neuf Bencoolen, about fix months prev^i- 6us, which arffiament was defined againft Makey. 2d. That a feoond hundred thoufartd dol lars fhould be paid for a dofs of a country ffiip near Makey, Which the Britifli ailedged had been plundered by the Malays. 3d. They demanded another hundred thou- fand for .the experice of the fecond fleet, then before the port. Thefe demands i^ere addreffed to the Chief, Uattoo'Sabillepn, and. 4 o’clock P. M.'fixed for a definite reply.' ' The fetdement was to^ tally unprepared for’ defence. No cannon .rnounted,, -and there Were no troops, to 'def€|id .it. * arffwer bking returned ial the., a’hpfimted tlrne^ tffe EhgllfH ■cbmmehced the attack, by firing on the town from < all their veffels. Many natives wefe killed before a fingle ffiot was returned. In the night they hove Up banks of fand, and planted a few cannon, and in the morning of the 15th re turned the fire. A warm engagement con tinued for about 6 hours. The Engliffi loft about 20 men. The Captain of one of the brigs was Wounded. The firft (hot from the ffiore killed three men on board one of the (hips. Finding little could be done by con tinuing in their veffels, the Engliffi landed the foldievs, and attacked the entrenchments. Here there Was a bfave refiftance, but finally the natives abandoned the ground,- flying in all directions into the country. Dattoo Sa- belledn, the Malay Rajah who bravely de fended tl.*^ place, was fuppofed to be mor tally wounded. / . The Engliffi flow entrehelied themfelves in turn, built a fort, and took poffifiion of the country, and fearing the natives might poifon airthe ftreams and wells in that neighbour hood, landed 200 calks'of water from the (hips. They deftroyed the town of Makey, burning all the houfes to the ground, aqd plundered the natives of all the pepper vvhi h had been collc€led fpr the feafon^ The quan tity is ftated to be five ffiip loads, the Amer ican veffels in port took no part on either fide. A few ffiot from the Engliffi veffels paffed over them but did no damage. Not having completed their loading, application was made after the furrender of the place, to the Britifti refident for permiffion to pur- chafe pepper, but the anfwer was that it was againft his i)niftru<P:ions,i and no more pepper could be fold to foreigners. One of the* Engliffi brigs, on her return to Bencbolen, . was. fallen in with by a French privateer, esptured^ ?ind fent to the Ifle of France. Salem Regi/ler, FROM AMSTERDAM. It appears from Dutch papers received at Portfaiouth, (N. H.) to the 3<dth June, un der the Paris head of the 25 th June, that Georges and eleven othefs were guillotined in the for® patt of that day—that thofe eight which were cbndlmned to death and to whom the Emperor has extended his mercy, have been condemned' to be confined in the State’s Prifon for four yearsy and after^ that to be tranfported ; that Jules Pelignac, has alfo ! • _ V . . t* i'Z . . , j . r . .. ’j '■ j , / S ill ‘ I i i ■ ■ .’.j i 'ft ' t 1 % « -- ! t ^ •'V i i ' . \>i A . i feitnee of^\?ar, jnd of ihe kindred feiences; been fentiiiccd to two years iniprifonment I
