NEW SERIES. NO. 22-VOL. II] BALTIMORE, JULY 25, 1818.

[No. 22-VOL XIV. WHOLE No. 360

THE PAST-THE PRESENT FOR THE FUTURE.

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY H. NILES, AT $5 PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE.

way through it, I have been assured, that for hundreds of miles there is not to be met with any thing which can be properly called a hill. The land lays in long waves, the heights of which are strikingly manifested as you sink into the valley or mount on the top of the swell, by the circumscribed or vastly extended horison presented to view.

EDITORIAL NOTE.— -Publishers of newspapers, wanting something to fill up their columns, or to oblige men whose hints they dare not disregard, and whose communications they cannot refuse, have every license and liberty, privilege or prerogative that they please to use or accept of, to be witty, or silly, about the editor of the REGISTER, as may, in The apparent ocean of water in front is no less their own opinion, best subserve their own views. By a perfection of philosophy, we can laugh at wit, singular then the boundless Pampas in the rear.— like Democrates; or weep at their folly, like Hera- This great sheet of water, called the river of Plate, clites: if happily we meet with the former, often en- from the mouths of the river Parana to the ocean, countering the other. Now this is "confirmation is perhaps one of the largest bays in the world, strong as proof from holy writ,” that the editor is yet it would scarcely average forty feet in depth; the greatest "egotist," the "proudest," most "dog-in some places it is not twelve; and in one part be. matic," the "vamest" and the most "learned" man tween this and the ocean, it forbids the entrance that ever lived, and it is not worth while to say any of any vessel drawing more than eighteen feet wathing more about it-it is "as the tale of an ideoiter. twice told." But this-and this only is requested; that they who feel themselves obliged in any way to say any thing of the REGISTER, will be so kind as to give to their readers the matter stated by us as well as their own comment-if the first be fairly rendered, the latter may be extended as long as rags are used to make paper, and paper is called money!

The last clause of these remarks originated in accidently meeting with the Pittsburg Gazette of the 30th ult. wherein it is positively stated that we said a bank there had been robbed of eighty thou sand dollars in specie!! Indeed-indeed-we did We never supposed that so much monot say so! ney was in the vaults of the robbed bank; and, though the fact was so publicly stated by many--we declared it to be "improbable," and had nearly said that it was impossible.

More than the half of it is very turbid at all times, and about a third part, at the upper end, is quite muddy; yet when it settles or is filtered, is as fine drinking water as any in the world, and the inhabitants of the city use scarcely any other-because all the well-water of Buenos Ayres is strongly impregnated with salt petre or allum. The lunar tides, similar to those of the Chesapeake, in this bay do not take place or are little perceived, but the waters are driven in various rapid currents by the wind. It has been known to dash over and depopulate the lower street of the town; and it is within the recollection of people now living, that it has been blown from its bed so as to leave bare some miles from its usual margin. This great river is so flat along shore, that large vessels cannot come nearer than five or six miles of the landing; and the small river craft lay from a quarter to a half a mile' out. Passengers and goods are landed by means of boats and carts. The cart meets the boat at a convenient depth and receives its load, which is brought on shore. The carts are the most singular machines of the kind I ever saw. The wheels COMMUNICATED FOR THE REGISTER, are generally from six to eight feet in diameter, The following extracts of letters from a gentleman very rudely made, and the body of the cart still to his lady, though silent on political matters, more so; about the whole vehicle there is commonwill interest many by their minute description ly not a bit of iron, not even a nail; the whole is of other things which belong to the people, &c. composed of wood and raw hide. There carts are This place as compared with any of the cities of drawn by two horses, one of which has the tongue the United States, has in addition to its advantages of the carriage fastened to his girt on one side by and inconveniencies many singularities and beau- which he pulls, and the other draws by a twisted ties. The city of Buenos Ayres standing on the strap of raw hide fastened in his girt on the side. margin of this great river Plata, where it is more next his companion and extending to the body of than sixty miles wide, and backed by a treeless, the cart; the driver rides the horse to which the perfectly level plain, in some directions more than tongue is fastened; and it is astonishing to see what a thousand miles in extent, seems, when you look loads two small horses will in that manner bring over it from a lofty tower, to be a large city front-off from the boats. ing on the ocean of water and surrounded by a vast

Letters from Buenos Ayres.

The immediate margin of the river all-along in ocean of land, over which pampa or plain, the dry front of the town, has also its beauties and singularlight winds called the Pampero, chilled by the ice ities. At the edge of the water, when at the most of the south pole, in a manner similar to our north-usual height, is a kind of stone or concreted in. westers, sweeps with an amazing velocity, driving durated mud, in which there is some little mixture before it all gloomy vapours, restoring in a few of fine sand; this stratum of earth, called by the hours the most brilliant sky and bringing health Spaniards Tosko, from its roughness, runs through and spirits to the inhabitant and terror to the ma- the whole plain beyond the town at a depth of from riner. The plains are called Pampas, which means three to ten feet below the surface, and is said to in the language of the aborigines, meadows or pas-be that nitrous or poisonous stratum which prevents This Tosco along the ture ground; and they certainly are the most won-the growth of forest trees. derful, fertile and extensive plains in the world. water's edge, is worn or cut into holes or channels With the exception of the immediate banks of some which are filled with water, round which, on a cofew small rivers which creep in a very serpentine vering of sandy mould, thrown up by the water or VOL. XIV.----25.

accident, is a beautiful green sward, interspersed | Baltimore. The houses have an unpromising extewith a species of white flower similar to our Crocus.rior, are built in the Spanish or Moorish stile, and And on this flowery margin of green sward almost all alike, differing only in height. As I wish you all the clothes of the inhabitants are washed-and to form some idea of the splendor of the ball given on a good washing day it seems to be covered by to us by Messrs. Zimmerman and Lynche, as well more than a thousand busy, babbling washerwomen. as to convey to you a tolerably just notion of the The city of Buenos Ayres covers a great deal of advantages of their houses as residences in a warm ground in proportion to its population, which in- climate, and how easily and powerfully they have cluding the suburbs to a considerable extent, | been used here and in Spain as means of defence amounts to little more by the last census than and military fortifications, I have enclosed you a 47000. I have seen but one house in all the town ground plat of the house occupied by Messrs. Z. the front of which at all resembles any of those of and L. which I will endeavour to explain.

The letters D designate doors from the street, unknown-the house is retired and secure; the into patios, or from one room to another; and the rooms are cool, pleasant, &c.-But on the other letters W designate in like manner the windows. hand, the walls are damp in winter, and the floors, The house is two stories high; over the four stores without the greatest care, furnish harbor for lein front, and over each street door, is a window in gions of fleas. In a military point of view each the second story. Over the dining room, entry, house is a complete fort-and they were found to chamber and nursery, it is also two stories high, be very good ones when this place was attacked but over all the rest it is only one. For the whole some years ago by the British; the inhabitants armof this house Messrs. Z. and L. pay $2000 a year ed themselves and from the tops of their houses rent; but not having occasion for the stores in so annoyed the English who attempted to pass the front, they let them separately, except store No. 1, streets, as to compel them to take shelter in the through which is an entrance to their store rooms. church of St. Domingo; which, like all the other The great entrance to this, as all other houses, is churches, is built of brick with very thick walls, through the great door or entrance from the street, a high steeple, and a roof of brick supported on. which is spacious enough to admit a loaded cart. arches. The steeple of this church is within range The passage between the two patios is not quite of the shot from the Fort; therefore, when the Enso wide. The front patio is closed by large strong glish entered the church it was immediately asfolding doors, in one of which there is a small door sailed from thence-and the English under an ap to admit persons only. The patios, or yards, are prehension that the steeple and roof would be open above and paved. The floors of the house as soon knocked down and crush them to death, surwell in the second as in the ground floor, are made rendered immediately. The fort stands about the of tile or thin bricks and laid in mortar-sometimes middle of the town, bounded by the river on one the front patio and sala are floored with those thin side. It is one of the fortifications erected under square flags of Italian marble, commonly used in the Spanish government, which has been so faBaltimore for laying hearths; and I have seen some mous for military works of this description-withfloors laid with the old fashioned china, or queen's in its walls is the palace in which the vice roy used ware figured tiles, used for the front jams of fire formerly to reside, and where the supreme direc places. But almost all the floors, the stair cases, tor now dwells. It is an awkward old building in roofs and balconies are made of brick; I do not re- the Spanish stile of architecture, which I have just collect to have seen more than one or two wooden been endeavoring to give you some idea of floors in all the town. Instead of an even ceiling, For the ball given to us by Messrs. Zimmer. the joists on which the floor of the second story is man and Lynche, the front patio was coverlaid are most usually left bare and white washed.ed with a canvass awning, to which were susThe walls are from two to three feet or more thick. pended about thirty glass passage lamps, besides All the outer doors, as well as those between the many candles round the walls. At figures 5, 6, principal rooms, are very high and folding, in each 7, 8, 9 and 10, large pier glasses were put up, half of which there is a sash which serves for a and the windows were dressed with shrubs and window, or can be closed by a shutter which swings flowers. Within the entrance, the great street doors The window shutters are constructed in the being shut, was placed the band of music. Over same manner as the doors with sash and shutters. the entrance the United States and Buenos Ayres The windows are closed on the out side by iron flags were suspended, and in like manner over the gratings called rejas, which commonly project door opposite to the entrance. The floor of the paabout a foot from the out side of the wall. The tio, thus converted into a grand sala or hall, was window sills are about the height of a chair from covered with a carpet, and chairs were placed all the floor; so that what with the thickness of the round. It seems the inhabitants of this city, even wall and the projections of the reja, when the large those of the genteeler sort, have been accustomed folding shutters are thrown open, the window fur- on occasions of a ball or entertainment to indulge nishes a very spacious seat,and is so used according themselves in a very impertinent and mobbish, but ly in fine weather by the ladies, who spread over harmless curiosity, by going and crowding into the it a piece of handsome carpeting and seat them-room merely as innocent spectators and gazers, selves in it with their companions, children, sewing without being invited or even known to the person work, &c. It is rare indeed to find a cellar under intruded on. Therefore to keep off such intruders, any of the houses. The walls of the rooms are Messrs. Z. and L. as is said to be usual in such cagenerally coloured or white washed, some few are ses, obtained a guard of soldiers from the govern handsomely papered. The floor according to ac- ment, who were stationed in the store room No. 1, cording to Spanish taste, is covered with a hand-which was the entrance for that night, and in the some mat; the English fashion covers it with a car-passage between the two patios; notwithstanding pet. English furniture is almost altogether in use which, when we went the crowd in the street be and fashion. The roofs of the houses, except a few which are covered with a kind of tile like those made in Baltimore, are fat and surrounded with a parapet wall; so that in many of the best houses the roof of the first story affords a pleasant little yard to a part of the same building which is two stories, and is used for various purposes. The streets are narrow and straight, intersecting each other at right angles: and the principal parts of the town are closely built with houses of this description. The side walks are not wide enough for two persons to

to it.

to walk abreast.

If I have succeeded in giving you an idea of the houses, you will readily perceive some of their advantages and disadvantages-Fire, and the alarms and distresses incident to a cry of fire, are

fore the door was very great. There were about one hundred ladies and double the number of gen. tlemen. There were but two kinds of dances practised; the old minute and the country dance. The minute is the same as that once in fashion with us; but the country dance differs materially from ours; the partners heave through the dance very much as a pair of waltzers. All their dancing seems to be calculated to cultivate and display graceful movements; they have no cotilion or jig steps, hence they always dance on a carpet, are very little fatigued by being up ever so long, and the ladies acquire very erect and graceful attitudes and a handsome manner of walking. The dresses of the ladies were very much in our fashions, but more finery and theatrical tinsel about them than

ball I ever was at.

ours would admire. The supper was served up in bay. Judge Minot's account of it is this:-"The the Comedor and Sala, and was abundant and tast-remonstrance offered to the governor was attended ful. In shore it was altogether the most splendid with aggravating circumstances. It was passed, after a very warm speech by a member in the house, and at first contained the following offensive ob. servation-For it will be of little consequence to the people whether they were subject to George or Louis, the king of Great Britain or the French king. If both were arbitrary, as both would be, if both could levy taxes without parliament."

The ladies of Buenos Ayres are very gay and easy in their manners. Their walking dress is said to be that of old Spain. It is almost universally a black sattin gown fringed about the tail, and so short as to expose the ankle more than our ladies would deem entirely correct, white silk stockings and white sattin shoes, and a lace veil or shawl over the Though judge Minot does not say it, the warm head so as to cover the ears entirely or nearly so, speech was from the tongue, and the offensive oband to cross over the bosom-and a fan. I have not servation from the pen of James Otis.-When seen a cap of any sort on the head of any female these words of the remonstrance were first read in Buenos Ayres, young or old. The ladies are in in the house, Timothy Pain, esq. a member from general well formed, dark brunetts and have pret-Worcester, in his zeal for royalty, cried out "treaty feet and ankles; there are a good many very son! treason!"-the house were not however intipretty, but I have not seen one who was beautiful. midated, but voted the remonstrance with all the The climate of this country is at present treason contained in it, by a large majority-and it delightful, and it is said to be less so the whole was presented to the governor by a committee of year round. The cold of the winters, which usual- which Mr. Otis was a member-Judge Minot proly produce ice about the thickness of a dollar, is ceeds: "The governor was so displeased with this said to be very severely felt, particularly by Euro- passage that he sent a letter to the speaker, returnpeans, a great many of whom have fire-places in the ing the message of the house, in which he said rooms; but the houses of the Creoles have no fire- that the king's name, dignity and cause, were so places but in the kitchen-wood of all kinds and improperly treated, that he was obliged to desire for all purposes is very dear. The wild-fowl, are of the speaker to recommend earnestly to the house various kinds, all abundant and fine. The market that it might not be entered upon the minutes, in is also well supplied with various kinds of good the terms in which it then stood. For if it should, fish-vegetables and fruits are plentiful, all he was satisfied they would again, and again, wish equal and some finer than those of our country, ex- that some part of it were expunged.-Especially if cept potatoes. This is the paradise of horned cat- it should appear, as he doubted not it would when tle, and yet veal is rarely seen, and butter is very he entered upon his vindication-that there was dear, very scarce, and very bad. not the least ground for the insinuation, under color of which that sacred and well beloved name was so disrespectfully brought into question.

President Adams' Correspondence. Upon the reading of this letter, the exceptionable

Quincy, April 5th, 1818.

Mr. Niles-Permit me to dedicate a copy of the following letter to Mr. Wirt. I am sorry it was not originally addressed to him, mutati mutandis,

from his humble servant,

JOHN ADAMS.

DEAR TUDOR. In Mr. Wirt's elegant and eloquent panegyric on Mr. Henry, I beg your attention to page 56, to page 67, the end of the second section, where you will read a curious specimen of the agonies of patriotism in the early stages of the revolu

tion.

"When Mr. Henry could carry his resolutions but by one vote, and that against the influence of Randolph, Bland, Pendleton, Whythe and all the old members, whose influence in the house had till then been unbroken; and when Peyton Randolph, afterwards president of congress, swore a round oath he would have given 500 guineas for a single vote, for one vote would have divided the house, and Robinson was in the chair, who he knew would have negatived the resolution."

clause was struck out of the message."

I have now before me a pamphlet printed in 1762, by Edes and Gill, in Queen street, Boston, entitled "A vindication of the conduct of the house of representatives of the province of the Massachusetts bay; more particularly in the last session of the general assembly-by James Otis, esq. a member of said house," with this motto

I

Let such, such only, tread this sacred floor, Who dare to love their country, and be poor; Or good, tho' rich, humane and wise, tho' great, Jove give but these, we've nought to fear from fate. wish I could transcribe the whole of this pamph. let, because it is a document of importance in the early history of the revolution which ought never to be forgotten.-It shows in a strong light the heaves and throes of the burning mountain, three years at least before the explosion of the volcano in Massachusetts or Virginia. Had judge Minot ever seen this pamphlet, could he have given so superficial an account of this year, 1762? There was more than one "warm speech" made in that session of the legislature.-Mr. Otis, himself, made manya dark cloud bung over the whole continent,-but it was peculiarly black and threatening over MasMy remarks at present will be confined to the sachusetts and the town of Boston, against which anecdote in page 65.-"Cæsar had his Brutus, devoted city the first thunderbolt of parliamentary Charles the first his Cromwell, and George the third" omnipotence were intended and expected to be -Treason, cried the speaker-treason-treason- darted. Mr. Otis, from his first appearance in the echoed from every part of the house. Henry finish-house in 1761, had shewn such a vast superiority of ed his sentence, by the words-"may profit by their example."—

And you will also see the confused manner in which they were first recorded and how they have since been garbled in history.

"If this be treason make the most of it."

In judge Minot's history of Massachusetts bay, vol. II, pages 102 and 103, you will find another agony of patriotism in 1762, three years before Mr. Henry's. Mr. Otis suffered one of equal severity in the house of representatives of Massachusetts

talents, information and energy to every other member of the house, that, in 1762, he took the lead as it were of course. He opened the session with a speech. A sketch of which he has given us himself. It depends upon no man's memory. It is warm, it is true;-But it is warm only with loyalty to his king, love to his country, and exultations in her exertions in the national cause.

This pamphlet ought to be reprinted and deposit. hundred men for the present campaign, and upon ed in the cabinet of the curious. The preface is a another requisition, signified by sir Jeffery Amherst, frank, candid and manly page, explaining the mo- to give a handsome bounty for enlisting about nine tive of the publication, viz. the clamors against hundred more into the regular service. The cothe house for their proceedings, in which he truly lonies, we know, have often been blamed without says, "the world ever has been, and ever will be, cause; and we have had some share of it-witness pretty equally divided between those two great the miscarriage of the pretended expedition against parties, vulgarly called the winners and the los- Canada in queen Anne's time, just before the infam ers; or, to speak more precisely, between those who ous treaty of Utrecht. It is well known by some are discontented that they have no power, and those now living in this metropolis, that every article, who think they never can have enough"-Now it that was to be provided here, was in such readiness, it absolutely impossible to please both sides, either that the officers, both of the army and navy, expres. by temporizing, trimming or retreating; the for-sed their utmost surprize at it, upon their arrival. mer, justly incur the censure of a wicked heart, To some of them, no doubt, it was a disappointthe latter that of cowardice, and fairly and man-ment; for in order to shift the blame of this shamefully fighting the battle out, is in the opinion of ful affair from themselves, they endeavoured to lay it upon the New Eng. colonies. I am therefore clearmany worse than either. ly for raising the men, &c. This province has, since the year 1754, levied for his majesty's service as soldiers and seainen, near thirty thousand men, besides what have been otherwise employed. One year in particular it was said that every fifth man was engaged in one shape or another. We have raised sums for the support of this war, that the last generation could hardly have formed any idea of. We are deeply in debt."

On the 8th of September, A. D. 1762,-the war still continuing in North America and the West Indies, governor Bernard made his speech to both houses, and presented a REQUISITION of sir Jeffery Amherst, that the Massachusetts troops should be continued in pay during the winter.

Mr. O is made a speech, the outlines of which he has recorded in the pamphlet, urging a compliance with the governor's recommendation and general On the 14th of September the house received a Amherst's requisition; and concluding with a motion A committee message from the governor, containing a somewhat for a committee to consider of both. was appointed, of whom Mr. Otis was one, and re- awkward confession of certain expenditures of pubported, not only a continuance of the troops alrea-lic money, without appropriations by the represendy in service, but an addition of nine hundred men tatives of the people,-that such appropriations with an augmented bounty to encourage their en- were unconstitutional, arbitrary, and therefore tylistment. If the orators, on the 4th of July, really ranical, had became popular proverbs-they were wish to investigate the principles and feelings become common place observations in the streets. which produced the revolution, they ought to stu-It was impossible that Otis should not take fire dy this pamphlet and Dr. Mayhew's sermon on pas. upon this message of the governor. He according sive obedience and non-resistance, and all the docu-ly did take fire and made that flaming speech ments of those days. They have departed from the object of their institution as much as the society for propagation of the gospel in foreign parts have from their charter. The institution had better be wholly abolished, than continued an engine of the politics and feelings of the day, instead of a memo. rial of the principles and feelings of the revolution half a century ago--I might have said for two cen

turies before.

which judge Minot calls "A WARM SPEECH❞—without informing us who made it, or what it contained. I wish Mr. Otis had given us this "warm speech," as he has the comparatively cool one at the opening of the session. But this is lost forever. It concluded, however, with a motion for a committee to consider the governor's message and report. The committee was appointed and Otis was the first after the speaker.

The committee reported the following answer and remonstrance, every syllable of which is Otis "May it please your excellency:

This pamphlet of Mr. Otis exhibits the interesting spectable of a great man, glowing with loyalty to his sovereign, proud of his connection with the "The house have duly attended to your excellenBritish empire, rejoicing in its prosperity, its triumphs and its glory, exulting in the unexampled cy's message of the eleventh instant; relating to efforts of his own native province to promote them the Massachusetts' sloop, and are humbly of opinio all; but at the same time grieving and complaining that there is not the least necessity for keeping up of the ungenerous treatment that province had reher present complement of men, and therefore deceived from its beginning from the mother country, sire that your excellency would be pleased to reand shuddering under the prospect of still greater duce them to six, the old establishment made for ingratitude and cruelty from the same source. said sloop by the general court-justice to ourselves, and to our constituents obliges us to remon

Hear a few of his words and read all the rest.

"It is, in short, annihilating one branch of the legislature-and when once the representatives of the people give up this privilege, the government will very soon become arbitrary.

"Mr. Speaker-This province has upon all occa-strate against the method of making or increasing sions been distinguished by its loyalty and readi-establishments by the governor and council. It i ness to contribute its most strenuous efforts for his in effect, taking from the house their most darling majesty's service; I hope this spirit will ever re-privilege, the right of originating all taxes. main as an indelible characteristic of this people, &c. &c. "Our own immediate interest, therefore, as well as the general cause of our king and country, requires that we should contribute the last "No necessity, therefore, can be sufficient to penny and the last drop of blood, rather than by any backwardness of ours, his majesty's measures justify a house of representatives in giving up such a privilege; for it would be of little consequence should be embarrassed; and thereby any of the en. terprizes that may be planned for the regular troops to the people, whether they were subject to George miscarry. Some of these considerations I presume or Louis, the king of Great Britain, or the French induced the assembly, upon his majesty's requisi-king, if both were arbitrary, as both would be, it tion, signified last spring by lord Egremont, so both could levy taxes without parliament. Had cheerfully and unanimously to raise thirty-three this been the first instance of the kind, we might