THE NORTM-ARQLINii';MiNERVA,
A N D
5 -f-G-ff f0yinTg"R-yoiTflB Stat. -
r
OL. V.
217.
PHILADELPHIA, May 20.
ROBERT GQODLOK HARPER,
-:-tO H j s co N s T , tVb nt s.. ...
YESTERDAY, my dear Sir,' Cargr;fa. adjourn
ed, to meet, on the third Monday in November,
at the city c W afliinglon ; henceforth the feat of the
Fe de ral go vern men t . The publac ffi.ce 4vviil, prcba
b'y, be removed thither early in next month.''
'Among the moft important laws of the feffipnvthu3
terminated, 13 the " Banktupt Act" ?,which has long
been anpbjec'l of attentiouiu Congrelif, but hitherto
delayed by the difficulty nd- extent of ths- fubjedt it
felf, or by the preffure of matters more immediately in
tcrcfliijj? ' Its operaiou is confined to merchants and
dealers, antTwillbe rarely felt except in the great com
mercial towns : far a perfon muft
f ind dollars, before it can affect him. J t s object is, in
the hrft place; to fjpport mercantile credit, by pro
tecting, the rigbta of creditors againll the fraud pfdif
honcft, and tne folly of imprudct.t debtors 1 who niay
waft: tr conceal. their pioptrty while the cidinary
Jorros of law ai e going ca . againft thcui : . and fecond
ly, to encourage fair . induftry and prudent condudt ;
.b yJD ablin g JiojaiiL debto r .3 ljeducd.J3yniisfortaner4a
IOpjhjirp
their "debts, and begia. the world anew ; which no
man will ever have the tourags to do, while a load of
old debts is, ha.igiag on him.. v,
Afylletnfo new, exterdive, and operating on fuch
A Variety of uufoiefe-.a tafes, will no doubt, be found
very imperfect at fir ft, and in need offrequcnt revifion
and amendment according to the light which experi-
"''''craioo
and requiring mich confideiation, it wa$ thought btft
to poitpone it iili next Jeffioo of Cungrels. "it will
then, probably, be again bibugbt forward. : "
A tlifput cf ex
the ftate of Georgia, relative to the title of force lands
orrrtheIiffiflippiwhere Georgia thtms -a-rer yree n
iivc and valu'able.tcrrltory,1 Whit h Pne has exprtffe'd a
willingneffjp cede to the United .Stat'ci,""c'immiflioii
cri have been appointed; on the part of th? ynifed
States,' to adjult . i.Wij4rJ i :Ijf.fi.a:f ?J? jbSe". ;
terms of the propofed ceffion fliould it take place, of
which ftrong hopes are thtertaincd, a noft difagree?
ble caiife of contention will be removed, and the Uni
ted States become 'pbfleffed, on terms ..mutually ad
vantage?u8, of a very va'iublc territory. :
In my la It letter I informed you, that a oibiioh was
made early in the feffion, for the reduction of the army ;
which was oppofed and rejected on the ground, that 1
the jtatc ofthig6 Jyai ye unccttain to warrant
luch a meafure, the tendency wlu'ieof, if adopted, in.
the .beginning of a negociation, miift be to rei ser a
fair and honorable cr'jutlnient of differences hfs eafy,
by imprcfling tlri oppofttc' party with an opinion,
that we wete too weak, too avaricious, or too much
divided, Jofyppc
anc?. -Thrfe re;jfon3 had, ia a great decree, ctafeJ
sfctbjcxlofoLthe-fellkML.. ltw.aathe.n.,k.aQwn,
JhaL.MrUQnj
the iota or March ; and conicquently that the fate of
their million, having, in ail probability, been decided
before the middle of May, coujd not be affe&ed by any
thing to be done here atter that period. The late re
volution in France hadjdfo taken place. General Buo
naparte had fupprrfled the Directory and the Jacobins,
and crcftcd his own power en their ruins.' He mabifeft-
tr.ariy inltances : for what human intlitution may not
--icr vet te'd. -Eut-.4he xarnokref .ther-oountrie&
-Tp!ovt8rtbat-to ar trading pcopler a hakrupt-law 13
highly bciitficial, ififot aCfo!ifely neetiriry. . .
An attempt has alftTbeen anXde to rcvife the Judici
ary iJydein'of the Unittd State winch is found to be
. v.ry inconvenient in practice, ar.d by no n.cans ads"
c .,te to the proper adminiftratioa uf juilice. dt
!:".:n.t there iibotone fiipeiici or ciicuit court of the
thr ted. State, hdd in each flate ; for t lie trial of ci
v.: ,i;-ti i.n;,'an 1 the p mi:h-n..nt of ofsicei,-thro'agUout
ii.e w.7Tole ifate, . The coni"equcnciis,tliut people why
at (ued in the federal court, or prcfecited for offen
ces agaiaft the Unitd. Su.es, are ibligcd,-Trinduy
Cf-fes, efpicially in the large Hates, to attend with
their wi'tnciT.-s, at great dilbnces from home, and
with 'tnuch 'expencc and" inconvenience, Thefe cir
curnilancej have a flibng. tendency-to tr im- the laws
of the United States into neglcd and difreput'e, hy
detertiii6" people from profecuting cfftndeis againlt
them. . In cud.: to rtn ove thtfevi.'s, ??;d render
the adminiftration of jftice more tll'.dual, and kfs
burthcLfome, it was propofed to increafe the ijumbcr
of courts, by dividing the larger Hates into tvo, three
vt four dill ricls wiih a circuit court in each. " '
The Circuit. Courts are now held-tiy the judges oL
the (uprenie cciirt of fhe United Statir, fix in num
ber ; who are obliged, for that purpcdV, to travel,
v ' perpetu ally, from coe ed of the -cci.tincnt to the o-
ther, Thij'immenfe labor trnplovB almoil the whole
ot their time, and prevents them from gmng that ap
plication to the ftujy i f the law wf;icl is nectfTary, ,ir
pyffiM3tqtrrff
The bufinefs of a government fo extenfive as our, ne
ceflarilyj;tquire3 a great nun-ber of occational and
temporary laws j but thofe of a general and permanent
Baturearvfar leu
poiear
order to keep up, rer e v, and enlarge their Hock c f
legal knowledge. The fatigue, moreover, of fuch
"T continuil jjurnits, "isf too great to be borne for any
length of time, by men of that advanced age, in
which the experience, matuiity of judgment and
weight of chaiacler, nectCrti y for a judge of the high-
coiirt in j' the nation, are ufually to be-fbundNr
lllcau it be exptiledithsi rr,eiLof this dcfcription,! will
long retain employintnts,Uhe duties cf which require
them to-be to frcqutntly, and fo long, Tabfent from
their homes, and deprived of their domeftie'eomforts.
Smalt aa the number of circuit courts now U, thefe
. circumftances tender it extrerriely improper to compel
the, judges bf the fupftme court to holdithem. , In
. cafe of the: number being increafed, it wouhl become,
utterly impoffible. This increafe appeared . unavoid-
' "able, fpr the reafohs already llate'd. " .
It was, ithenforc, propofcd, to reduce the number
- of judges of the fupreme court to; five,, and confine
them to the bufinefi of that court, whieff mutT become
.y c ry : io fldcrable -an d will afford them . fuf5 cien t e m,
plojment ; and to tftxcjoifiE a new fet of iudsres, forthe"
imrpffeiIJ4ttldiaflie
tc two fundamental points of the ncwjyflcm which
wa introduced ; fir ft to encreafe "the number .of cir
- cui t couVts ; andfccoilyvl to aonoiat a diftinct fet of
The bufinefs, : however, being of great importaocr,
rope, 'forums newgov2runicnt, by holding out the -ap-.
peatace, at lealt of a jutind pacific fyHtra, if not by
adopting-it in resity. -1 his --plan- would ftronly in
cline him to a reconciiiation a,, fair and honorable
teimi with America ; the qurrJ with which waFatf
ways unpopular in Fraucc, cind had become much mote
U, l;rCtf Trie difpiaya uic'will and thi means of iciill-auce.ji-idJince
ibt clTecTof her meifures had been felt
in the French commercial towns and cdoiirs. Htnce
it aa to he prtfuniul, ivn thK ,.f..!: of the rtgocia
tion -vould be favorable ; ami feverai meafures of a na
ture to co'nfiim this opinion, and to fhev.that the new
government wiflu-d to be on good ttnus 'wiiii this cdu:i
try, were known to have been adopted by it.- If, cr.
the other hand, the re.uk of the negociMiun lhbu;d
prove unfavorable, and our quarrel 'with TYduce con
ti:rue, it was to be prcfumed tHat.Gencri'l Buonaparte's
failure and misfortunes- in Egypt, would render him
very cautious about attempting ts attack a country
more dittint, farmore powerful, and ' which Jrs.d ma-.
mfeile4.a,detcrminatioio,a
feel the-Tdifpolicion, jet the .form ijblc combiriarion
againil him in Europe, "ould find him full employ
ment for all the means which his country, in its pre,
ftnt exhauftal Hate, could urnim. Jnd in cafe of a
newchat gejn t!texo.ernrnfentvhieh: mit'-place'theTja
c;)bihT ag-;in in power r of a tide 'of Tuccefs, which
might revive the former fpirit of conqueft, dominion,
au d i nj u ftjceXe 31 M. Jy.A3 warning fufiicient ly long,
to enable us to provide anew for our defence ; which
the fpirit and aLcn'ty formerly difplayed by the coun
try, when threatened wi th at tack, gave "the ut mod
affurance of our being able very fpeedily to do,- Ihould
tbe danger return.
This change in the fta
ginning and the end of the ftflion, indutfed the perfons
who oppofed the motion for difbanding the army, ai
the former period, to be of opinion that the meafure
might be fafely adopted at' t hrlatter. T
a la w. The difcharge of the t roops is to take place on
or before ttl 15th of June.
..Butasfhofe troops are to be difeharged Tuddenry, and
foooer than was expected et the time when they were
raifed; it was thought reafonable and jult, to make
.them an allowance of th;ee month's pay; after their
difcharge fo aato enable them to-look about them at
their return home, and fupport themfelves till they
can get into new occupations. This "was net only a
juft meafiire, but a very wife one ; fince it will ope
jate as a iVong encoufagernent to perfons to enter in
to fife fcrvcer on ary futuie pecafion, when it may be
j e ccuat y topr epat e tpr-ce leneei
FfaTice an'oTNuTTaeTn
N-efBe4al or-di4 eel accounts ha vejrLreccived
!lrom our CouiUiilTioners fince their arrival in France
It is, however, kliown from the publicprint?, that
thty are in Paris ; that they were . received with great
; ccMaJMjy. thTp
:refpedt by the government ; and that General Buona
parte hjasappointedvthree Commifiionera to treat with
them, one cf whom is liis brother. It alfo appears,
that the French, in a great meafure, abftain, at-pre
fent, from molelling our veflels, except in-cafes where
they are author ifed to do fo by the laiv of natiotis j and
that feverai w hich were detained improperly, bavebeeu
rrlcafej. -Thus the fpirited conduit, and wife roeafurc
,oL iui govn n ? n t, a i
age of the.nahon, ie likely to produce their natural
and ufual eff:, of avoiding a fciious and deftruftive
war oh one hand, and maintaining cur rights and h-j-nour
on the other. . "
Appearances in Europe are, more .favorable to the
..hopeoagmeraLfxac Ic
feems certain that the Ruffians, latisfud with having
-cbtd.the-m?.grcixiif France .to.wjiMiumfdLj:m
.pire, and cTtailed her power and her co'nquttls, and
perhaps diftruitful ol'tfie views of lo1me6f the coihWiT""
ed powers, have withdrawn tlieir armies, and proba
bly fcparatedthemfelves entirely from the coalation. If
this be true, Aurtria will, in all probability focn Gnd,
that more is to be got by dividing the fpoil equally.
with L ranee, than by continuing to contend for the
whole of it ; an J in that Cu'fc, as France will probably
foon be expected to take T'lice between them. En
glaud, .who, notwithftandiivg. the great; expences of
the warj has gained more by it than any other power,
will then have no rational pbjed for its continuance ;
and will, molt probably, avail heifelf of the fitfl I'fc
and favourable opportunity of making peace.
As to our internal concerns, the moll important (
them, and the only .one whith feemj likely to agitate
the public mind, i the approiching Vie 1 ion cf i'leii""
dent. Mr. Jefferfon it ag.in brought fu'wardnn op-
ppiition to Mr.' Adams, and the uttn- ft txeitirus ;
ina je to eiifiirc his fuceefs. Thrfj who have be-?? ; ...A
the coolant habit of oppofirg
rciraiiiutciiion, from - .tie .u'la;
pdopted by General ':;); :.:
the crefeut time, wi;l :ij z . '.t
. s . 1 -t : ,
g.yo tiuuo 10 u. ;i
tain the ii.sr.s:;-. uti
pre en?
: a f: 1 tat. !:.' ,y
; t.:.;.V;h'-:
it - '.vn: o.vyvv,;-
be Krr.er.Lbered, bv r--;r cf fin', i-id
thtyhavc beiti employed, for "ten y.Mt-s
-iault -vmth and f ppoliug every rnrai ure of r-u - federal
gov'eromenjt ; that many TfUnofe" m vafd-es whic h ' f
eii:iKureu-iiioU -againit, have been -.appioved by txue
rience, the only unecring judge in matteis of thij kind :
lhat the Dnufiii eatv, .-
- - - - - - -
rThis reduction of t! ie annv will nrobablv ronftitute
fa isgpfbbW t woillionH
year. ,
Many othcrafrs werepafled during the feflion, but
e.icy rc not lumcienuy important to be detailed here.
temporary nsture, or intesded for particular purpofes.
: a w h i e li they pr ed tel e d
s, has fecurcdTlijus far,
Lllie moft 'direful confequences
the peace of the country, v-ith that uatiqa. ; has given
" i'r t ihc itr.ii: j :"ii .y. uerore wiin
lield from us'; ant!" ha? put all cur fornicrrcifff icncf n.
a train of amicable' adjuftmcnt;, jThat cu co!:merce,
the ruin of which was i confidently ' 'prcdicled'.'YrQm the
operation of that treaty, his, fince its adoption, flcii
nflicd mor e than ever : Thatrilr? nieafureg- adcfted
toward s France, infiead 'ofbringing cn osjhe exem
pliy vengeance of thathaciun, with which they never'
ctafed to threaten u?, have, on the contrary, enfured
to lis better treatment from i;, than any other people
has received ; and are now, apparently, in a fair way1 '
of producing an honorable and fatisfidtary accommo--dation
: That our Davy, which thofe perlons.cppofed
to the utmoft, cried out again (I as too expenhvc to be
fupp6red, arid ridiculed as too inconfiderab'e to do
any good, has pjotecled our commerce, raifed our na
tional character, and taught the French to refpeft cm
rights : That fince thc .eftabliihmtut of this navy, cur
Commerce has recovered from the dept ciTion into which
- the depf edatton9.jacr' had plunged it,v and be-:
j come ntore profperous th,an brfore : That our national '
credit, the ruin of which they Jqretqtd, u high and
firm : And finally that the army, which they charged
the fuppbttcrs of adminittratioh with having raTfea for
fiuifter purpofes, islaid dowii by its authors them--felff,TfooTas
Ihercway
licve that it had become unnectflary.
veir-ofenfedrenearoniltTeeollec
.cumtlancw.i and they' will afk themftlves, what more
could any adminillration have done i Party-men, who
are heated by-ebnftant oppofition to all that has beeo
r w-e vtf yt fuag wth-a-fu:eju4ied-ey j(d!L
t
I
v..
v.