Camden gazette. (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818, October 24, 1816, Image 2
the one a Genoese, and 'he other a Flor- ]
entine, among tlpse of "distinguished
Americans. ' Tue cmuicncc t >i men, who I
hved, three hundred years before we be
came a nation, will never be received by
the world, as u evidence winch cannot be
rented, that, by a removal to the new
world, man has sustained no deterioration,
either in body or in mind and to furnish
this evidence, i> the professed object OT
the work. If a supposed de:n of grati
tude to these illustrious navigators, in
duced th\j p ??{>? ?etor to bestow u|km them
the honour* of cmzensh /?, he might, wuh
ec) ual jiisitce, have extended the favour, to
Ferdinand and Isabella ; but f r who?e li
berality, perhaps w^ should never have
heat (I ot Coluni u-. Up>n he same pnn
ciple v Queen L? fcabeth and Sir Walter
Rawleign', t>e made to give amp e
testimony, tha 41 the people of the west"
are, in no way, inferiour ?? 10 tnose w.?o
an-; hi-fi in ure eastern hemisphere ? UTTT
we aie disposed 10 think, that *? the new
world" :r.uy stand. win, out any of these
extras \eo us p r >p sj if Jt cannot^ wx had
better not auempi the proposed compari
son.
In the second place, since t lie Lives
have been introduced, without repaid, ei
ther to ai/ifiabeiical order, or to w<i^hc oj
character , (and we commend t he proprie
tor, for not having chosen either of these
modes) we should have been better pleased,
to have seen them arranged, according to
the crd, r ot lime, in wh ch the subjects
of them, Vespec. ively, flouiUhed. This
? rran^eqjt n^, besides being the most na
tural w u!d have been avtentled wHlv^rev-*
eral important advantages to the proprie
tor; it wouM have enabled him, lioni
. knowning, beforehand. what l.vcs would
occupy each successive, volumes to h tve
all- wed to the artist and tht btographei
lull leisure for the perfoi rflance oT iheii re
spective part > ; while, ai'the s uite time, i<
Would have ptfclud d all suspicion oi fiur
tiQlity in tlie selection Under any ar
rangement, the I'orifiat and Lite of
Washington, ought not to have occup.ee
the place now assigned to them.
Various artists of high reputation, have
hi en employed in executing the n&>av
inffa; but we must confess that they hfcve
not, by any means, equalled the- idtas
which we had formed, of the state of the
fine arts in this country. We see none oi
that originality and splendour of genius
Which should have charactt riz d a national
work, bmne ot the portraits, indeed, are
executed in a style but little above medi
ocrity ; particular^ that of Ames, of which
the hand resembles nothing human The
eij-s are also very badly done ; for, besides
that they do not appear to be /cUvioas the
left eye is nearly an eighth of an inch high
er than the right one, giving to the face
the ludicrous appearance of smiling on one
side, and Irownm * on the other. T n the
/mntiif liter we have the stale design of the
Genius of Jm-rica, with a most unmean
ing face, po uring out to the Gtniu* nj Hin
/ory, who seems to look upon the Woi k
assigned to her, wi?h the half suppressed,
sarcastick sin le of ridicule, the busts ot
Washington, Franklin, J (Terson an 1 some
body eise, who, from the rr semblance,
might b^ taken for the tw n b o hcr of
Jefferson. I he face of vV.iinin ;too, can
only oe known 10 b*4 his, from iis ,occrp -
ing the most conspicuous station; f r it
resemb'es that ot a baboon, much more
nearly than it dqes the human countenance ;
and the wh de piece i-> very far infeiiour to
wlvat we have seen fi om I lie hands of the
same artists, tlsewhere. The figure of
History , in the title page, is stiff and awk
ward beyond measure : the ftrmjfs too lar^e
for the hotly ; and the right foot, which is
drawn up into a most uneasy posture, has
exac'ly the appearance of being nailed to
the tieel o~f the tefrwittr w iron spTfce *
The bust of Hamilton is the best in the
book, both in point of extern ion and re
semblance ; and the portrait of Kush.
Which we perceive was not engraved for
this work, occupies the nex? rank.
We shall now make a few remarks on
the Lives which accompany these Portraits.
Tn the preface, the writer takes some pains
to point out the 4 ' uses and advantages of
biography " and, from seeming so well to
understand the deficiencies of Nepos and
Plutarch, leads the leader to expect, all
that can be wished for, in his own produc
tions. But disappointment awaits the
reader, who suffe rs himself to be so mis
led Instead of biogrufihie*% he will see
nothing but hi^h wrought, hyperbolical
eidnftirs which, mutnro numine. are the same,
for every subject. Indeed, the author
proves himself n perfect adept, in the Hit
of exaggeration. Under the magiek touch
of Ins pen, every man becomes a hero,
and t very hero a god. We look, in vain,
for those little foibles and weakness*
whit h are inseparably attached to the na
ture of man ; and we turn aw,?y, in de^
puir, from the contemplation of gieatness.
which so far transcends all power, and hope,
of imitation. Thus, one of the noblest
uses of bi'jgra/ihy is wholly lost. h ninv,
sometimes, answer a rrood purpose, to in
dulge in panegyricks of ?he fivim who, j
b) being made to see the difference between j
their actual merits, and the picture drawn
<>t litem, may learn 10 govern ihcir future
co i ill U- 1 ? by the macular d of excdleuce,
elected by the panegyrist. Hut tmth,
iiak'-d truth, ci i v e -> itci of ail hvpeibole, is
essential lq ilic hiugrafJitr ; not only, us it
respects the true ^lory ot the deceased, but
as it regards the moral instruction to the
inurtg : which is the first, and only IcgitT
muTe, object of biogiupiiy. Ifulogy, When
earned to a height, not warranted by facts
become* satire ; and thu^, has the effect
of d climbing lIic character, which it waw in
tended to exalt. Hy placing ih.tr hero on
an cm nence, to wh;ch it is impossib e to
climb, by human effort; by de^crib ng
him, such as no man ever was, or ever
can be, all emu.ation is desiro\ed ; all de
sneto excel is lost, in the acknowledged
impossibility ()f t|le attempt. Besides,
when a biographer confines himself to the
/ itibiick conduct of h's hero, he cuii tell us
iiOTtnllg new f he ex .il)t;s him only, s>uCh
as we have been alwjys a*, customed to sfce
him, reu'lj Ure sued 10 vecrivc c^rfmny.
_g^1 'l is notint h ejut 1 d , i ; i i h efo . an, o
on the rostrum, tn.it we can become ac
quainted with the m m. We musfTollow
him to his cl >set ; we must *ee him, in the
l>osom of his family ; wr must know, whe
ther he acts the her<* :o fiix valet de cham ?
bre ; it is in these situations only, that we
ran find the motives, that influence his ac
ioi.s ; it is here only, that we can g una
correct knowledge of the individual. .. In
ihe de.ine tli<>n <i i character, it is of as
much impoi tance, to poin: out faults, that
ought to be shunned, as it is to depict vir
tu.es*. that ought to be imitated. . Uut the
eniomust, who prostitutes tiu.h, by giv
mg a loose to the creative powers of a
wanton imagination, confounds all distinc
tion, bet w-^n .-th**- **ood--amd tin- had. and
deprives the publu k of that bem fit , which
> just discrimination would not fa I to pro
duce. A wi i c of this Mesc; iption, is .dso
u (hiced to the Irequent necessity, of con
tradicting himst II c for, it is not possible,
hit rvj j irulividu ds can exist, in the s:tnie
-?gey a- id country, each holding the highest
J'vtnu.jn t lie scale ol excellence; the su
peilative degffce of praise, therefore, whu.li
:s U ue, wnen applied to the one, must be
la'se, when applied to the o' her. ? Ibid.
To be continued.
St. Domingo, or Hayti.
The fodorvu if particulars rrs/iccting this /*/
and, are taken from a letter , duced ihe
1 6th ( f June , 1816.
u vv lien a vessel arrives in the harbour
of (.ape Henry, no person is peinnftU to
iand until the ship has been visited by a
Ooat from the shore. Shortly alter coming
to anchor, therefore) the visiting boat came
oti to us with a military officer, an inter
prete r, See. ? 1 heir appearance was by no
means prepossessing ; their dress consist
ed ot wide checked trow^ers with boots a
bove them, a long blue coat laced with red,
and out at the elbows, With a huge cocked
hat, with a red feather, at least two teet
long, and a dragoon sabre by their s':de?
give their black faces a very formidable
appea ance. i hey wete however, very
polite ; inquired the news from Kurope,
swallowed cheese, ham, he, by the lump,
washing all down with wine, gin and por
<er; they then conducted ?he captain and
all the passengers to the Governor the
Duke de M umalade, a blackmail, about 60
> ears of uge, a native of Africa, mild in
his manners, and exceeding well liked both
bv natives and foreigners. He ineu ly in
quired our names our business, took all
our letters, paper*, fee. in order to have
them translated for his majesty, and then
ordered us to wait cn baron I)upuy> a man
of color, abntt 50, private se< retaiy to the
King, and reckoned a second Talleyrand ?
He certainty is a man of addies*. I was
afterwards introduced to Prince John, the
King's son, who is a good young man. but
Ims no abilities I was, however, much
pleased with him, and received many kind
ties es from him.
4 On one who has seen nrgrocs and co
loured people only in the degraded situa
tion in whicti they are in the colonies, it
has a singular effect when he goes among
them where they only have command and
control ; and, although from my short re
sidence in this quarter of the world, and
from my general feelings towards them,
as a people who are and have hern cruelly
and unjustifiably ill used, still I telt some
thing like an ill natured contempt for their
assuming an authority over me. The de
solation which surrounds you in i he town
of Cape Henry serves to ke< p alive this
feeling, and is, on first landing, perhaps
the most impressive scene I ever witness
ed. It formerly contained 60 or fO&OO
inhabitants, built upon a plain, in the most
regular order, ail the streets in? effecting
each other at right angles, and ruining in
st night lines K. and W. and NL and S.
The buildings have been uniformly elegant.
Picture to yourself such rpllce? the
houses completely sacked, and only the
outward wails and Iwilconies remaining
1 rees ind shurbs growing within and upon
the walls? -and ^rass growing upon the
? treets ? and you have something almost as
mc lane holy as the rvppecirar.ce of Ca'^c
Henry.
?' l'o complete, iht picuue, J
you must conceive a climate uniformly
serene, a kind of splendour in the b.iu;..t
-blazing sua, and ihe lively verdure ail
around, and something so impi essivcly s.ui
L?? appearance ot the ? nartiai occupa
tion of t lie ruined houses, wmcti heie and
FfuTi e conta'n a family of blacks and mu
lattocs, that word* cannot convey uuv ade
quate desci iptmn of tie scene.-? You ttt^r
ctmunuaUy reminded mat others than H ose
you now see in a eoilltr oi what has Ineu
a pi inceiy mansion, raised Hand dwelt in
it : and, tor aught you can tell, the very
persons who huddle up in one corner of i'.
may have cut the ihroats of the foi mei
owners. The houses of the few Lnghsh
and American residents are exception* lo
this, as aie also ti e few occupied oy tlie
nobili y. 1 hese have been completely it
paitcvU and just survt- in how splendid
a p. ace it must have ht en when all tlie
others we i e in the same staie. 1 he same
_J ! 5 rj ption w lll_apply_io the country ?
had an opportuniy of travelling from Go
ha.ves across the cupe a distance of 60 or
70 miles. On eve;y side I could see the
luins ol fine houses and plantations, and.
trom tiie appearance of the country, i
have ijttie doubt but the assertion of tin
1 r? nch is coi i eel, * t < ? at their possessions
in St. Domingo were once wot Mi ah the
toionies in the West Indies' I had no
opportunity of seeing ChrUtophe, winch
was very sorry lor, for he k pt hinise.l
^o aloof from the Cape, that 1 might haw
com inu< d i hfct e three inont'is without ln>
being once in it; and even then perhaps
not visible."
.
Ml.XICO.
? The tsdkors of thcMercantile Advertis
er were yesterday favored with a tiansla
tion ol the following interesting intelli
gence Ire in Mexico. The fact here stated
of the i evolutionists having taken posses
sion of Matagorda, is confirmed by the
repoit of Capu Fowler, fiom New-Ui
leans.
4i Mrs Excellency Hon Jose Manuel de
i lerrera. minister plemjKiJt ntiary from the
- Republican Government of M xico, to
? he L nut d States, has coinmun'caten un
del .date ot 24th Au^u->t las!, from the
port of] Matagorda, to a respectable person
at 1 hilade.phia, the following information :
The Republican army of the piovince
of Vera Cruz, under the command of
Citn Vntoria laid siege on the 10th July
last, to the cities of Cordova andOnz b,,
which were then on the eve of surrender
ing. The Cammancler in Chief of the
Republican troops of the province Puebla
Teran, was endeavoi ing by torced march
I es to occupy ihe ports of Guazacualcos.
which was without means of deleting ( :^Tt,
Hastamente had been victorious over the
I Hoy a lists as often as he had met them, ami
| was pursuing them with all haste, (ien
Arrcdondo, commandcr in chief of the
interor provinces, for the (loyalists, had
1 fallen back with the few forces under his
orders on Monterrey, the capital of tlu
new kingdom of Leon, in consequence ol
the Republicans having occupied the port '
of Matagorda, where they had foitified
themselves, and where th< y were daily
augmenting their strength. Subsequent |
to the possession of that port has been the
evacuation of St* Antonia de Bazar, capi
tal of the province of Lexas which w^
garrisoned by the regiment of Estrema
dura. one of the most famous corps of the
Royal party.
44 I he representatives who are to com
pose the next Congress, are named by tlie
people, and by the present time will have
oponed their session . It affords great plea
--fcttre to ste the joy and enthusiasm which
pervaded the Mexicans on the day of elec
tion. A person who was witness to this
interesting scene says, that in the province
of Valadolid, there were various likeness*
es of Washington and Franklin, which
the people carried in their processions, ac
companied with music and songs allegori
cal ol the occasion*
?? Between Washington and Franklin,
some carried the resemblance of the Gen.
Cora Balgo, the first who had the glory
and courage to raise the standard of l.ber
ty, who was afterwards made prisoner, and
shot by the cruel Spaniards at the age of
seventy.
44 Never has the Mexican cause present
eel so favourable an aspect. The next Con
gress, formed of men of influefice, will
remove all those difficulties* which, until
the present moment, have paralized that
rapid progress wh c.h was looked for in a
revolution created by the unanimous and
express will of the people.
1 he immence resources which our
beautiful country contains, will hencefor
ward l?e administered by a government,
which, meriting the public confidence,
will give a new impulse, and will cause it
self vo be felt by the physical and moral
qualities of the republic*
44 The next campaign will be an ebjeef
of lively interest to all men who are really
lovers of the sacred rights of humnnity ;
it will complete the emancipation of that
fine country fiom the oppressive band ot
despotism. I l.e inhaoiiants of Mexico
wdl Ivet^aiWe to enjoy and par
ticipate equally the precious gifts nmiU
which iu-iurc ha-. Luourvd them."
By the l,a*t Mails.
Sfanisb Out) live.
NkW-( ) l< L h AN>, S'Jpt. 17.
NV e have Ht received vuch inform a
i 'ii i\ Li i\ e lo i he ou'.iu^e lately i o.omii
uu n ihc Anitn.Mf) !lag bv the Spauiauis,
as may !>c i\.lnd upon. Expecting to re
ceiv* some ltuoi mat ion. \\c forel>orc any
al.UMon to the subject in yeatetdu) 's ga
zelle. I he I i< ebrand was not in com
P,m> ^vi'?..i anv o: her ve^-cl wht-n ^1'e Ttr ? i in
with the 3 Spanish corvetu s. When iired
upon, Liem. C-unningham shcwt.il hisco
_ i()| s, and hai !td I tic coin mod' h e ? mention
- 4-ke? c +huth ^ e r o f ? hts \ v s vxtr ? ,A frer
coivtiniuiM* i lie" fire some time, the Span
iaids sent an oil c.r on hoaro tiie 1 uebranc!|
Lq whom Cmimngham';,
w.;* shgAvn, and aherwauW Mv* Ctmipbett,
second in command of the Fit ebi and was
sent en board tiie corvette, on the requi
sition of the Spanish cap'ain.
When Mr. C. arrived on the deck, he
was insulted by ihr most opprobious abn^e,
and a s ntinal was placed over him; his
i>'Mt\ erewwas aUo compelled to go on
board ? m media; el v put in 'urns, ni d then
ruel?\ b aten. li is added, that M . Cun
,,|;,-h*m repeatedly assured the Spanish
cap?. that be had struck his flap;, that h;
considered the h ire brand- as a prrze^to his
catholic majesty, and entteated that shv:
nught I >e taken |>osse*sion of agreeably to
the usages tit belligerents,
I his was declined by the gallant cham
pion of the inquisition ? but he still detuiii
c(i Mi. Campbell aivl ^ s boat's crew.
At the expiratir.n eft four hours, how
ever, a sail appeaivd^at a distance ; the
permitted <0 depm by the redoubtable
Don, who did m* fail to load her com
mander witb ihf foukst reproaches, and
protested that hr had orders lt> drive every
American vessel from the Gulf of Mexi
co.
We shall accompany the preceding facts
with no observations ; the buse recital is
sufficient toarouse tiie indignation of evciy
man who Us an Ameitcan heart, or a heart
that spunks cowardice, and its constant as
sociate, cruelty. We feel confident,?
knowing intimately, as we do, the (flic- is
ol the Firebrand, that they offered no pro
vocation to the vessels of afilendly nation,
and that in whatever circumstances they
be placed, they never would dishonor ei
ther themselves or their cotintrV.
4
Tht Infanruiit Slave- T.a<U^-*-Ry a mc.
morandum ol arrivals at the Ilavanna, it
<pp ais, that j fiftem hundred *luv>a had
been brought there from jijricd? from the
5th to the i2th September inclusive! ? in
4 vessels, each of them averaging above
300 Humanity shudders at this ubomina
lion. 1 he spirit of the age denounces it
m a voice ol thunder ? ."The Almighty
has no attribute, which can lake vide"
with such an aUrocious heresy ?Jitiq.
_ t
IMPOR T ANT.
Pm 1LADKI.PHI A, Oct. 10.
Arrived ship Madekna. Welden,of New.
York, 36 days from Tenenfle. with wines, .
8tc. On the 27tti August, four days lie
lore the M sailed, the British pat ket Bra.
zil, arrived Off the port in 1 1 days from (iib
tal ar. bound home ; and her commander
stated, that the I)cy of Algiers find been
fixit to death, and hia son proclaimed Huccm*
nor ? that, on assuming the reins of gov
ernmcnt the son imo.r'iiattlv annulled the
treaty which his father had made with
C om. Decatur? that the American and
British squadrons were to unite in the at
tack upon Algiers ? and confirmed the ac
count of the capture of the British Pack
et VValcberen, b) an Algerine cruiser.
Sufi finned Bombardment of Jtfgier*
Capt. Evans, of the ship Ann Maria,
arrived at this port last evening in f>0 clays
from Leghorn, informs, that on the 15th
and I 6th of August, he heard a heavy can
nonading in the direction of Aluiers, and
supposed it to be Lord Exmouth's fleet
bombarding that city. ,
Un ha fifty Cataatrnfihe.? Yesterday morn
ing, between the hours of 9 and 10 o'clock,'
f obi as Liar Esq. accountant of the
War department, put a period to his ex
istence, by shooting himself through the
head. We have not as yet learnt the
causes which led to the perpetration of
this unhappy deed. Mr. Ltnr was na
turally cheerful and pleasant , on the fatal
morning, Mr. L. breakfasted with his fa
mily in his usual good humor, and was
proceeding as they thought to his office,
when the rejmrt of a pistol was heard from
the back of the yard ? Mr. Lear, son of
the deceased, immediately prcceeded to
the spot from \xh '*rce the sound appeared
to issue, and found his father welter imj in
his blood. Grorgef',v/n /a/l. Oc:, 1 3.