of American ladies. I think their predominant defect is want of taste in the disposition of their dress. Their clothes are by no means well put on; and they carry to a great extent the too dangerous and very disgusting practice of reducing the waist, by bracing it as much as possible. The effects of this habit on the other sex are by no means so favourable as the ladies have erroneously supposed; for while it causes a more lavish exhibition of their personal charms, the charm of modesty and diffidence seems entirely forgotten. The Boston ladies walk very ill; they are so accustomed to the uncommonly bad pavements of their city, that they hobble along like the Chinese They are very fond of shopping, or rather of displaying their persons in publick: and they parade for that purpose through the principal street, which they call Cornhill, after our London street, and completely fatigue the shopman about goods which they frequently have no intention of purchasing. Shopping serves as an excuse for young women to show themselves in publick; they remain in Cornhill, often a whole forenoon, overturning half the goods in half the shops in the town, and return home without any other bargain than perhaps a pretty ribbon, or a bauble yet more insignificant. I do not mention this circumstance as an objection to the Boston ladies; on the contrary I am delighted to observe the frequency with which they repeat it. As it is considered indecorous, according to the motherly phraseology of the old ladies, for the young women to be "always in the streets,' the going a shopping answers for a sufficient excuse, and under that guise, they can become the theme of remark among the sauntering beaux, or can be accompanied by them without giving rise to any scandalous stories, which even common civility from a young gentleman is apt to produce among the old maids of the city. I have often remarked how readily scandalous stories are propagated, in a community where there is a large proportion of old maids. The state of Massachusetts it is estimated has about three females to two males, and the males generally continue single, particularly in the city, until they are at least thirty years of age; so that it may be fairly supposed that there are few towns in the world, where a greater number of disappointed prudes and affected belles have ended their career in stale virginity, than this same city of Boston. And certainly there is no city in which a story which may involve the chastity of a fine woman or the character of a celebrated man, spreads with a more rapid circulation than this. I had not been in my lodgings more than two days, before the gossiping tales of the day were begun, believed and disposed of with most pertinacious volubility, by a certain gentleman at the dinner table, whose name, for distinction sake, I shall cali Mr. Gossamer Gadfly.

Gossamer, without a particle of real understanding, has a kind of affected humour, and flippancy of utterance, which renders him eminently well calculated to communicate stories about his acquaintance;

and he is extremely fond of raising a laugh at the indiscretions of his 'friends, by relating with all the force of mimickry and drollery any ridiculous event or particularity by which their lives or manners may be distinguished. This kind of behaviour in him, I have heard attributed to a mere effervescence of youthful hilarity, that it begins and ends in good humour, and that as all his acquaintances, and even his relations experience the same treatment, every body laughs at his jokes, his grimaces, and his volubility without ever once being offended. For my part, if I could discover any thing like sense in all his vivacity, I could readily enough forgive the eccentricity he displays. But under all this exteriour, he has no intellect; his conversation is mere whip syllabub, which, however, seems to please the beaux and belles infinitely more than the solid sense and polite learning of another gentleman, who generally accompanies Mr. Gadfly to all parties of pleasure. Your sincere friend, C. S.

POETRY.

THE opposition of rational religionists to the dangers of fanaticism can hardly be expected to obtain any very remarkable success. The force of reason has but little effect, in counteracting the settled prejudices and determinations of men who are fixed in them by habit, pride, fear and resentment. It is only by little and little, by slow, vigorous and patient attempts, that truth can hope to eradicate errours so deeply rooted in the feelings and passions of mankind. Ridicule is the most effectual weapon left us to frighten away prejudice guarded by fear. A man under such circumstances, can more readily be laughed out of his folly by ridicule, than reasoned out of it by the clearest and most illuminated understanding. Yet under its best aspects, the process is peculiarly tedious though good effects may ultimately follow from frequent repetitions; it seems to resemble that of moistening magnesia, or any other fine powder with water. Though very dry and thirsty it will by no means unite with the fluid at first, but is sure if rashly handled, to run into troublesome knots and masses, or to fl fly up in the eyes of the operator. By adding but a little of the water at a time, however, and carefully and patiently rubbing it up with the refractory pulvil, he may always be sure of effecting an incorporating union and producing a smooth and indissoluble compound of great virtue and efficacy.'

With these impressions, we think the following lines from a celebrated American satire, may well be administered at this time; and be attended with salutary effects.

FANATICISM.

I HATE your hypocritick race,
Who prate about pretended grace;
With tabernacle phizzes,

Who think Omnipotence to charm,

T

By faces longer than my arm !·

O what a set of quizzes!

I hate your wretches, wild and sad,
Like gloomy wights in Bedlam mad,
Or vile Old Baily culprits;
Who with a sacrilegious zeal,
Death and damnation dare to deal,
From barn-erected pulpits.

I hate that hangman's aspect bluff,
In him, whose disposition rough,
The porcupine's surpasses;

Who thinks that heaven is in his power,
Because his sullen looks might sour

A barrel of molasses.

A stupid wretch, who cannot read, (A very likely thing indeed)

Receives from heaven a calling;

He leaves his plough, he drops his hoe,
Gets on his meeting clothes, and lo,
Sets up the trade of bawling.
With lengthen'd visage, woe bedight,
An outward sign of inward light,
He howls in dismal tone ;→→

'I say, as how, you must be d-d,

1

Straight by the sect 'tis blaz'd about,
That she's inspir'd beyond a doubt,
And has her sins forgiven ;

How can the wretches hope for bliss,
Who palm such foolish stuff as this,
Upon the God of Heaven?
Such doers of the devil's works,
Are sure than renegado Turks
Worse foes to real piety;
And though we would not persecute,
By dint of ridicule, we'll hoot
The wretches from society.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

4. Letters to the Rev. Thomas Belsham, on his Sermon after the death of Dr. Priestly. By the Rev. John. P. Smith. Izmo. Boston, Farrand, Mallory & Co. This little book, neatly printed from the London edition, is a dispassionate effort to maintain the Trinitarian, or Arian, system, in opposition to Unitarianism. The letters, though not containing much weight of argument, are embellished with some beautiful allusions to the Roman classicks, particularly the writings of Cicero.

5. The Christian Monitor, No. IX. containing an earnest exhortation to a holy Life, and a Letter to a young Lady on Preparation for Death. Boston. Munroe, Francis, and Parker. This work, in a concise manner, unfolds the great obligations of Christians, and urges the motives of the gospel towards a diligent and persevering discharge of them.

6. The Panoplist, No. X. for March. Beside the usual quantity of paper wasted in promulgating the Calvinistico-Papistico-Hopkinistico ebullitions of the editors, they have added to this number eight pages, to give room for a review of the Christian Monitor, No. IX. Though these reviewers profess to be actuated by pure and conscientious motives, it is impossible for a disinterested reader to discover, throughout the whole production, any thing but a spirit of religious intolerance and a most diabolical malignity, that would disgrace the annals of the papal inquisition. They are extremely angry with the Monitor, because it is entirely cleared of every appearance of the arch-fiend,' a double portion of whose spirit seems to rest upon themselves.-' I declare, (quoth my uncle Toby) my heart would not let me curse the devil himself with so much bitterness.'

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. "A PATRON," from Newburyport, is received. more communications to make, upon matters which he will please to pay the postage.

If he has any concern not us,

SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1809. [Vol. 1.

POLITICAL.

"Let statesmen, then, reflect on these things; and in the present awful crisis of affairs, let them often ponder upon the priciples which should direct their publick conduct. Without neglecting the increase of their internal resources, by wise regulations, and gradual improvements of the civil and military constitutions of the countries intrusted to their care, let them constantly look from home, and remember that each state forms a part of the general system, liable to be affected by every derangement which it may experience; and of necessity, obliged to trust for its safety to a concurrence of other causes besides those which domestick policy can control."

RIGHT OF SEARCH.

AN authentick history of the negociations in relation to the treaty which Messrs. Munroe and Pinckney formed with the British ministers, Lords Holland and Auckland, would afford the American citizen abun dant proof, not only of the insincerity with which that ministry were treated by us, but of the apparent determination of Mr. Jefferson's government, never to ratify any compact, which might be agreed upon by their ministers extraordinary. In considering the correspondence of Mr, Madison upon the subjects intrinsically connected with the discussion of that instrument, we are forcibly instructed in the absurdity of his expectations of British concessions; concessions which could never have been made to us without a sacrifice of the most vital interests of the maritime supremacy of Great-Britain, by means of which she had been enabled to stand alone and immoveable amidst the tempests which surrounded her, and which had rendered her alike the safeguard of the liberty of the suffering world, and the wonder and terrour of her enemies.

It is very well understood, that the principal difficulty which impeded the progress of the negociations, which protracted it for several years, and which ultimately caused its rejection by Mr. Jefferson, was the determination of Great-Britain never to agree to our claim of the universal immunity of the American flag in merchants' ships. Under the treaty commonly called Jay's treaty,' we experienced a growth of prosperity more rapid than that which any other nation had enjoy ed. The democratick party in the United States, by their rebellious excesses in opposition to the ratification of that treaty, had pledged Vol. 1,

C c