2,941 swords, 2941 sword scabbards and belts, 10, 107 pounds of rifle powder, 1,733 horseman's pistols, The Date tree. A letter from Dr. Mitchell, dated drums, 570 fifes, 32 bugles or trumpets, 2 brass on the 224 ult. says I congratulate you on the pounders, 32 brass 3 pounders, 15 iron 6 pounders, knapsacks, 9,285 canteens, 8,259 haversacks, 507 success of the effort to naturalize the date-bearing 2 iron 9 pounders, 2 iron 24 pounders, 4 iron 32 palm Phenix Doctylifera) in the United States. pounders, 49 sponges and rammers, 50 ladles and Two gentlemen of South Carolina, one of whom was worms; 44 trail handspikes, 42 lead aprons, 62 ama planter near St. Marys, in Georgia, assured me, munition boxes, 22 tumbrils or powder carts, 33 a few evenings ago, that the great object was se-setts harness, 3,006 round of shot and shells. cure. The seeds of the dates brought from .Arabia Felix, by capt. Henry Austin, and forwarded from New York to Mr. Sinclair, have vegetated as readi ate cure. Felix We respectfully invite attention to the 11th, ing, compared with some members and ex-members number of the address of the Philadelphia society of incorporated companies that I know of; and he for promoting domestic industry, commenced to- had the superior merit of being honest in motive and wards the close of this sheet and to be completed at harmless in conduct. the beginning of our next. It conveys a large mass indeed, of truly valuable matter. The society deserves immense credit for the light it has shed upon the true interests of the United States. Desultory Remarks. The crimes against humanity and the most common principles of honor, honesty and law, committed in the U. States during the last five or six years, make an aggregate large enough to bring whole nations to the gallows, if the amount were divided into hanging-proportions: by this I mean to say, such is the vile principle of things almost every where, Privileged orders-incorporations-drones and leeches that it is the greatness of the villiany which ensures maniac-crimes-hanging proportions-lit-escape from punishment. The little scoundrel who tle rogues and big ones-swearing off-disgrace-seizes upon a pair of shoes belonging to another, prodigality and bankruptcy-town houses and coun- to keep his feet from the frost in the winter season, try houses-morality of the paper system-infamous goes to the penitentiary; but the big one, who plun•fact-insolvent laws-debtors and creditors-robbe-ders the widow and the orphan, and robs labor of ries compared-ordinary and extraordinary times-hundreds of thousands of dollars, to set up a coach, the carrying trade-anecdote of a youthful yan- lay-in his stock of wines and clothe his wife and kee-circulating medium-progress of luxury and daughters with shawls at 500 or 1000 dollars a-piece, immorality-ears may be horns, if such please the is a gentleman!-he has only to go befo:e the proper royal will-embargo-restrictive laws-war-mo-officers appointed to grant him the benefit of the inney plenty, and the people mad-return of peace solvent laws, swear off, and live in future affluence -its effects--revival of reason- a doubt whether upon the property of his wife or children-property rags were money-bankrupt banks-discounts on which he himself recently gave unto them. bank notes-bank of the United States incorporated The cold-calculating dishonesty of many men in -its progress and effects-Patrick Henry-new other places, as well as in much-abused Baltimore,* amblings-the "beast," destroyed-blowing up of who lately held their heads very high, and assumed a. "system"-"management"-accommodations- -first rank in society, is disgraceful to our country-abuses and remedy-Speculation Hull-truth to come and their prodigality has been as unbounded as ia light-exceptions, explanations and exhorta- their means of supporting it were mean and unprinbons-brokers "course of exchange"-payments in cipled. We have mentioned the case of one bankcoin-the policy to be pursued-kings and people-rupt merchant living in a house so furnished as to fashion, dandies, and dogs. be worth $200,000-of another bankrupt whose the 100,000 to 300,000 dollars a-piece-and some, not worth a five-penny-bit, have built palaces in our cities, and insulted the people by throwing open their doors, that the public-any body, might travel through their rooms, and be astonished at the taste and splendor with which they were furnished!-And so it is, that these very fel. is who have reduced It may be accepted as pretty good evidence of private stock of wines were worth 7000, and others the happiness of a people, that there is not any have purchased land in the neighborhood of our privileged order, secular or ecclesiastical, among cities and improved it, so as to have cost them from them: yet these orders may virtually exist, though the constitution knows nothing of them, and abroad attempt to establish any thing of the sort, might subject the base scheemer to universal indignation, if not cost him his life. Such orders do exist in the United States by our ACTS OF INCORPORATION, which wonderfully increase the number of drones and leeches, operating by a common principle of hypocricy and fraud, like government-priests and hereditary rulers, to avoid a participation in the toil necessary to produce that share of the articles of Necessity, or luxury, which their wants require or appetites demand. * Baltimore has been "much abused" by forty or fifty of her own citizens, as well as persecuted by many persons in other places. It is to these few, unhappily however, men who took prominent places up to for on public occasions, and who were looked There is no doubt but that acts of incorporation examples, that we stand indebted for all the sins inmay be properly and legitimately granted, rarely puted to us for wild speculation, sheer piracy and a Our people, in however, to invest irresponsible associations with traffic in blood-the slave trade. money-inaking powers-so may a man take a glass of general, are warm tempered, and never do any thing génerous wine: but excess in the former affects the by halves; their heads sometimes grievously err social body after the manner that excess in the lat-when their heart is right: but they are generous ter destroys individuals. Every thing is seen dou-and hospitable, patriotic and brave, filled with a ble-one house looks like two, and a dollar, in the spirit to accommodate and do kind offices for one eyes of the intoxicated, appears like many dollars. another. Yet so it is, that less than fifty persons, When I have seen people drunken with ideal pros- (of different political sects, but who were esteemed perity, the result of their "management," or reeling of the first rank in life) have so managed their have matters as to cause the reputation of the whole city. with wine, in consequence of indulgence, often been reminded of the story of a certain ma- to be severely impeached-to give indiscreet and niac who, having climbed to one of the loftiest peaks illiberal men the opportunity of heaping upon us of the Highlands, on the Hudson, bawled out-at-all the vilest epithets known to the English lantention the universe!-by kingdoms to the right wheel, guage; charging 60,000 people with the sins of less march!" This poor fellow was quite a rational be-than fifty, in the whole. VOL. XVI.- -23. the mourning widow and destitute orphan to wretch-manner in which the youthful yankee supercargo edness and want,—who have glutted their appetites, served himself, who adroitly cut off a part of the as it were on the heart's blood of honest industry, guager's rod, previous to the measurement of some may yet throw the dust from their carriage wheels liquor that he was about to purchase! The ease to blind those they have ruined! It was was not so, with which any one, especially in the United States; a few years since then, if a man failed in business, could embark in this trade, induced hundreds with. except from some well-known and reasonable cause out capital, to go extensively into it, by the aid of for bankruptcy, he was regarded as he should be, paper. Thus-A. bought of B. 50,000 dollars worth and excluded from all decent company: but now, of coffee, which he shipped, and consigned to the thanks to the morality of the paper system, if a man agent of some house in London, at Hamburg, &c. In will only plunder to a sufficient extent, he is, if not virtue of this consignment, A. was authorized to carressed, at least tolerated, by the very persons draw upon the house in London for upwards of that he robbed! I know a poor mechanic who $33,000 (two thirds the amount of his shipment) humbly solicits an occasional loan of two or three which bills he sold, and at once became a person of hundred dollars for a few days, of a merchant who consequence! As the payment to B. became duc, owed him as many thousand-paid by a "whereas" a like operation was again had, and so it went on issued by those who administer the laws respecting until A. was really worth money, if fortunate, or jusoivencies. compelled to wind up his affairs, by the loss of his We shall now proceed to make a few remarks credit. In all its ramifications, it is probable that upon the insolvent laws, with a view to some future the carrying trade circulated something which pas. essay or essays respecting them. We are decided-sed as money, or performed its mercantile purposes ly of opinion, that no man can be legally exonerated between man and man, to an amount of not less from the payment of his just debts, except by the 150,000,000 of dollars a year, in the United States. act of his creditors. The unfortunate ought to be With this fictitious abundance of a circulating meallowed time and freedom of person, to retrieve dium, prodigality increased: take an instance-it is their circumstances; they should not be harrassed less than thirty years since the "quality," the peoat the discretion of an obḍurate creditor, but re-ple who led the fashion, drank souchong tea, which quired to render an account of the state of their our very negro gentlemen and ladies now consider business, to some high and honorable tribunal, at as not agreeing with their delicate stomachs! There fixed periods, who should decree such dividends of was a proportionate change in our habits in every the profits they had made, or adjudge such penal- respect, and among all classes. Society certainly ties for mal-conduct, as the laws might ordain. The advanced very rapidly to acquire the craments injuries to society are ten thousand times greater and luxuries of life; and our country was more ex from dishonest debtors, than "hard hearted credi-tensively improved, cultivated and embellished, tors," though the latter make so many pretty sto-through the aid of the representatives of money ries in our novels and romances. It is commonly which the carrying trade created-but at an enor the positive interest of the creditor to deal lenient- mous expense of moral rectitude and republicən ly with his honest debtor, and such are generally virtue. Every reflecting man, forty years of age, encouraged and strengthened by those to whom will acknowledge the truth of these remarks, and they owe money, instead of being oppressed or im- it is not worth while to enlarge upon them. peded in their progress to obtain a livelihood and When our carrying trade was assailed by the Bri provide for their families. It is only these that de-tish and French our vessels captured on the high serve the protection of the law. The moral evil is seas by one, and seized in the ports of their destijust as great, if I lost a thousand dollars by a man nation by the other, and things had arrived to that that I confidently trusted, and who gambled it away point which the hare apprehended, when he said, or spent it in any sort of prostitution, as if he had that "his majesty," the lion, might easily mistake robbed me of it upon the high-road. Nay, it is the his ears for horns, the royal beast having issued an greater evil--because it sours my temper, and order in council" or an "imperial decree" against causes me to adopt more or less the dirty rule of horns-the "long embargo" was laid. Money at "dealing with every one as if he were a rogue." this time, appeared to be plenty in the U. StatesThe fact is-and it is known to every body, that in because great confidence existed, and vast internal ordinary times, where one honest and industrious improvements were making, to give it a free circu man takes the benefit of our insolvent laws, there lation. Besides, it afforded a pretty reasonable exare at least twenty prodigal fools or infamous ras-cuse to our merchants and dealers for not paying cals who "pass through the mill." I say in ordinary times, that the full force of my remarks may not apply to the present, which are extraordinary, through the general effect of the state of trade, and of the "paper system." their foreign debts; and though business in our seaports, of course, was very dull, there was not much distress-the people easily falling into the habit of bearing and forbearing with one another, and of accommodating each other; and perhaps, we may venThe evils which just now afflict the people of the ture the assertion, that the United States were im United States from one extreme to the other, had proved quite as much during the period of this em their real origin in what are called the days of our bargo as in any other of the same length which we commercial prosperity," when the carrying trade, seen. After raising the embargo to gratify, as the as it is termed, took the place of a plain and honora-writer of this then thought and still thinks, a senseble commerce. This trade has been much pursued less clamor, sundry restrictive laws were passed, by the British and ourselves, without much regard which partially operated like the embargo, or causto moral justice or a sense of truth. Perjury ed large emissions of paper to represent money and and deceit were held fair, if successful-false oaths fill up the quantity required for circulation. War were made by hundreds in a day, and accepted by soon followed, and then the great disbursements those who administered them, as being "custom for government-purposes, &c. still kept money plen ry." False papers were as publicly trafficked in,ty, as it is called, in most parts of the union, until a and advertised in the London gazettes, as bales of little while before all the banks south of the Hudcloth or cotton. But the evils of these things have son, stopped specie payments. In anticipation as fallen heavily upon us and the British-after the it were, of this fatal event, or immediately upon the heel of it, any half a dozen persons who could people-and injure those of its stockholders who get enough of the circulating medium to pay the had bona fide paid their money into it, with a string engraver and paper maker, felt authorized to erect of et ceteras long enough to fill a whole page; and a bank, and become lenders of money; and many that the apparent prosperity of those who had sped sets of them did so. "Then the people waxed mad" culated in its stock, over-drawn on its funds, or bold. -those of the country were as crazy as those of ly put their hands into its vaults to take out just the towns-100, 150 and 200 dollars per acre were as much as they wanted, led others, thus having paid for farms, the whole produce of which at fair access to other banks, to do the like-so that the prices, if well cultivated, would not pay the interest whole together affords a melancholy proof of such on the purchase money, at six per cent. nothing a debasement of character as no man in America being left to support the cultivators and their fami- ever expected to witness. In the mean time, while lies! Well, after a year or two more, the war ceas- these things were going on, the productive classes ed--still the excitement was kept up by the hope of were oppressed, their usual accommodations ruthdoing a large business, as theretofore, with foreign lessly denied, and all were called upon to "fall down Countries; but the merchants, farmers and others and worship the beast" of management. But some who calculated thus, soon found themselves to be would not-they passed through the fiery furnace, miserable deceived the state of the world, as bear- "though "heated seven times more than it was wont ing upon our trade, having essentially changed: to be heated," without "a hair of their head being pur old customers either rejected us, or were una- singed,"-they discovered the "footsteps of the ble to pay us, as their carriers, and every thing priests," fattening, with their wives and children, on began to flag except the demand for our cotton, the credulity of the people, and they blew up the and tobacco, and [partially] flour. The people beast, saying, behold the god that we were com saw that trade was seeking its natural level-they manded to worship! The paper system, by which looked about themselves, and severely enquired if we mean issues of promissory notes by banks or in rags were money? The derangement of the cur- dividuals unsupported by capital, is drawing to its rency had been patiently borne, either because dur-end-and I trust, that those days in which a speca. ing the war it was held to be patriotic that the banks|lator could get accommodations to the amount of a should not pay their debts, or on account of the fa-million when a productive man could not get a cent, cility w.h which paper money was obtained. But have passed away, never to return: Nor will the the case was altered: it was no longer thought pa-time very soon be again, when a directorship, cashtriotic that the banks only should have the priviiership or even portership in a bank, may enable a perlege of being bankrupt, and yet of making enor-son to spend three times the amount of his income, mous dividends of profits; and as, by decreased ac- and get rich besides! But we are told, there are tivity in business, their notes circulated more slow-other clerks as well as bank clerks, who can do this! ly, they seemed to have acquired a greater value, Yet, nevertheless, some such still maintain their and the losses upon exchanging them at different power to appropriate nearly the whole credit and places were considered as serious grievances. funds of their institutions to their own purposes; Sundry projects were set on foot to remedy or and the bank of the United States aspires to the restrain the "paper system,” until at last we had authority of setting a price upon every acre of land the bank of the United States incorporated. This in the republic. We shall see what the result will was to do every thing-to restore the golden be-we venture to predict, that every local bank age, and strew the highways with silver dollars; mismanaged as just above stated, and diverted from few thinking of the remark of Patrick Henry when its public offices to the aggrandizement and support he said, "what, is it proposed then to reclaim the of a few, will fail; and that the sufferings of the com. spend-thrift from his dissipation and folly, by filling munity will force upon congress the passage of an his pockets with [the representatives of] money. "act to reject the bills of the bank of the United This bank, it is true, imported some specie by send- States in the payment of duties, and cause a transing into foreign countries and selling them there, fer of the government deposits, all which may be the evidences of the public debt of the U. States, lawfully done* and must be done, if its present poli which, in their redemption will cause a return of cy is pursued. Then might the stock be worth less the specie from whence it came, with interest and than sixty dollars per share, and the stately edifice costs upon it; and its bills being receivable every building at Philadelphia, which is to cost a million, where on account of the revenues of government, be prepared to be fenced-in as it now stands, and they assumed, generally, a higher rank of value, shewn to strangers as the ruins of Speculation Hall. though intrinsically less valuable in many cases, Some parts of the preceding, as to the crimes of than those of the local banks. One great-per-banking, may appear too highly colored to those haps, we may call it a solitary good, resulted from who do not mingle much in society; but in fact, the establishment of this bank-it rendered specie language is wanting to give a full representation the test of value for bank notes, and which if held of the bare-faced things which have occurred in the on to, will soon relieve the people, by severe suffer-banks, and especially since the establishment of the ing indeed, of some of the most abominable gangs of incorporated rogues that ever fattened on the sweat of industry, or cheated honest labor of the bread which it earned. So far, the bank was well-but in regard to its own internal construction, it was soon discovered that it had mightily increased the amount of ideal money-that its stock, which was to have been composed of the precious metals and national securities, was in a great degree paid by promises to pay-that it had introduced a new system of gambling to demoralize and defraud the We are sorry to have to remark, that the demand for these articles bas ceased. bank of the United States. Before the 1st day of January next, we are bold to assert, that the people will say, we have not told or insinuated any thing like the amount of the frauds committed by soul-less INCORPORATIONS. Before we dismiss this subject, however, we wish to say a few words more about incorporations for money-making purposes. They are beneficial, if properly restrained as to numbers and rightfully conducted; but the temptations that they present to all who manage them of making money easily, are *See WEEKLY REGISTER, Vol. X. page 35; 14th and 16th sections of the act incorporating the bank. commonly too great to be resisted even by well-dis- | a complete revolution in business. Labor is not in posed men; and they are monopolies, investing a few demand, and money is so difficult to get, that those with an undue and unsafe influence over the inte- who lived comfortably six months ago are now hard rests of many; being also nearly irresponsible for put to it to live at all, and tens of thousands that an exercise of the privileges granted to them, no lately earned a plentiful subsistence,are about to bematter how badly they may conduct their business, come objects of charity-for it is our wisdom to pay or how much they may pervert the original pur- foreigners for every thing that we want, so far as poses of their bank. The banks of the United States, we can, rather than make it for ourselves! The established previous to the year 1810, with a few following real anecdote may exemplify the nature solitary exceptions, were really useful to the pub- of our condition: a director of one of our banks, the lic, though in some cases their funds were impro- other day, met the writer of this, and said to him, perly lent to the race of blood-suckers commonly "well, Niles, you have got the banks low enough, known by the name of shavers-the meanest of and now intend, I hope, to cease writing about mankind; of whom we well know some very pre- them." "You honor me over much," said 1-"but the cious anecdotes. But no human institutions can cure is not perfected; let the physic have its course be perfect, and vice, though hated, will exist in it is wholesome." "Consider that the people suffer them. A few of the more recently established as well as the banks," said the director, "and what banks, merit all the praise for honor and honesty can be done to relieve them?" "It is pleasing," said that belong to any of the elder ones. Still, with 1, "to hear a bank director speak of the people-but such happy exceptions, the system may be esteem-when KINGS go to war, it is their subjects that must ed corrupt-most of the incorporations being as suffer; you have been kinging it long enough, and common sewers for the benefit of rogues within and we design to accomplish a revolution which shall rogues without, the nursery of brokers and others bring banking to its original principles, and teach who prefer any means of money-getting to avoid the whole of you that you are not gods, but the general lot of man, when it was decreed by the men," and then we parted. But let us be pasweat of thy face shalt though eat bread." Eight tient-this state of things cannot last long-the or ten years ago such a thing as dealing in bank spirit of pride and monopoly is now receiving notes was hardly known-perhaps there were not a most righteous punishment, and it is some comfive shops for the purpose in the United States; fort in our own miseries that many of the aubut now every place cursed with a bank, has also thors of them are more severely afflicted than ourits open-shaving shop, and they abound in our selves, and a cheering hope that as they sink hogreat cities, making very large profits to their pro- nest men will come into estimation. In the mean prietors, through semi-partnerships with bank pre- time, let us pay off our old debts as fast as possible, sidents, directors, cashiers and clerks, and the wants and be careful to make no new ones, except for in. of the people, who must sell at a discount what dispensable commodities-to wear our old coats six they receive at par, for money. These folks call months longer than usual, and to buy new ones of their shaving the "course of exchange!"-do they domestic cloth at 3 to 6 dollars per yard, instead of suppose we are such fools as to believe, that right-foreign cloth at 10 to 12, and so on, in every thing ful business in the United States has so altered in else. A single year's attention to such matters, will eight or ten years, as to create differences of 15 and do us more positive good than all the banks ever 20 per cent. between places which were then on were worth, without the least abatement of our an equality? It is impudence to talk so. Instead comforts or pleasures. But it is hardly to be exof being called the "course of exchange," the prices pected that we can get into such a system at once current of bank notes should he headed rates of-yet necessity will lead into it, and we shall be the swindling. The brokers, however are only the sa-happier for it. hen will a plain dress become fashitellites of the system. The folly or crime of it onable, and the time we hope arrive, that a person rests with our legislators for granting acts of in- dressed in British broad-cloths will be regarded as corporation, and thus sanctioning by the authority we now look at those things called dandies, a few of states, the wicked designs of individuals. of which still parade our streets, though the law to For myself, let my situation be as it may, I serious-restrain puppies from running at large went into ly promise that I never will vote, or support any effect last Sunday.t man that I believe will vote for, the incorporation of any new company, with money-manufacturing powers; or to renew, under severest restrictions, the charters of more than a fourth of those that now are-or to give any facility by paper-money, in time are no longer receivable in the land office at Jeffer Scraps about Banks, &c. of peace, except in some season of extraordinary sonville, Indiana-Union bank of Baltimore, MechaBlimo e banks. The notes of the following banks calamity, such as famine or pestilence, to any of them,nics' do. Merchant's do. Marine do. Franklin do. to avoid the payment of their debts in coin.. It is Commercial and Farmers' do. Farmers' and Mechathe only check we can have upon their misdoings,nics' do. City do.-Louisville paper. and we will not part with it. Let the people con sider this-for an attempt will be made to do some-have marked in italic, and the Union Bank is not shall |