To convin you of your error, know then (and I am told it is no more a fecret) that warlike preparations are made in fome part of Georgia, either to fly to the affifiance of the town of St. Auguftine, suppoted to be a tacked before long by the English, or to take a previous poffeffion of it and of the whole province of Eaft Florida in the name of the French Republic. Know that, befides feveral recruits of that nation, about fifteen hundred of our own countrymen from the back parts of the fouthern States are in readiness to march on that expedition, under the command of General Clarke, and headed by Spanish, German, and French officers. Know that the monies draughted out of the treasuries 9 y the giflature to pay its priwe ployed by her Agent for clothing, paying, and ning out with arms and ammunitions, that body of men, in joint expenfes with the Spanish Conful. Know, that a certain French Baron, de By, who came laft year to this city from Philadelphia in company with the Duke of Liancourt, under a difguife very often adopted in this part of the world by French fpies, that of itinerant botaniis; and who went back by himself to Philadelphia by land upon the very identical track of Monfieur Gevet, is juft returned again, and landed in this town, where his firft queftion has been, What is the people's opinion about the new Prefident's speech to Congrefs? vare dest to You may therefore conclude, Mr. Porcupine, from the aspect of things in thefe fouthern States, that fome blows are prepared in the dark which will foon endanger their internal peace and welfare; and that if Adet's material body is returned to the land of Pluviofe and Kilialetre, his intriguing genius, like the prophefying fpirit of Elias, remains fcattered among his difciples on this continent. I am yours, 3 CAROLINIENSIS. FRIDAY, 5. FRIDAY, 16th JUNE. Buonaparte's Rapacity and Cruelty.-London, May A letter from Milan of the 21fi ult. written by a gentleman of known refpectability, fiates the following particulars refpecting the fcandalous conduct of the French General in Italy, whofe virtue and generofity we have fometimes extolled in the most enthufiaftic ftrain : "The French owed the Venetians about 28 millions for grain, cattle, &c. as the inhabitants of the continental dominions of the Republic of Venice had chiefly furnished these articles. The French have discharged this debt, by bringing about a revolution in thefe provinces, which are likewife fure to be pillaged in the fame manner as Lombardy. Immenfe contributions will be impofed as the price of liberty; public and private property will be plundered, and all young men forced to enlift, or fly, that, in the latter cafe, their eftates may be confifcated. Buonaparte, at the time he figned a treaty of peace with the Pope, invited against his Holinefs the dutchy of Urbino, which has lately been revolutionized. After having induced the Grand Duke of Tuscany to pay four million of livres on condition of the French garrifon being withdrawn from Leghorn, he has ordered it to be again occupied by a whole divifion. The very moment the ftate of Genoa had ranfomed itself, all its fubjects who poffeffed any property in the Imperial fiefs, were crushed with taxes. Prince Doria has paid 150,000 livres; and the Fiefques, the Balbis, and others, have been faddled with enormous fums, "Buonaparte has extorted from Lombardy 130 millions in money and merchandife, without taking into the account the fpoliations of churches, the pillage of private property, and the robberies committed with arms in hand. Three hours wore fuf ficient for General Maffena to feize on the Mount of Picty at Milan, containing precious effects, to the amount of fifteen millions of livres, and on the chefts of the hofpitals, communities, &c. The fame line of conduct was obferved by the French generals at Bologna, Modena, and Ferrara. All the furniture of the Archduke Ferdinand at Monza has been pillaged. This prince had removed a confiderable part of his effects to Bergamo, a neutral town; but Buonaparte ordered them to be carried off by force, and a piece of furniture worth fifty thoufand livres, with which the late Queen of France had prefented the Archdutchefs, has fallen to the lot of his wife. "Salicetti has by these means raised a fortune of four millions; Buonaparte, a ftill greater; and all the other generals and commiffioners have collected confiderable wealth. "In addition to the robberies committed, Buonaparte has received confiderable fums from Genoa, Venice, and the Pope, on his promifing to spare them. As to the direct contribution in money, Lombardy has paid upwards of fixty-five millions. As the capital in circulation did not amount to more than twenty millions, it became neceffary to dif charge the remainder in merchandife, plate, and with money borrowed at Genoa. Count Litta, after having paid 500,000 livres, has fled for fear of worfe treatment, and Count Grepi to pay 900,000 livres. All the inhabitants of Milan had been ordered, on pain of confifcation and banishment, to return to town; and now the permiffion to withdraw to their villas is fold them for 4000 livres per month. Marchefi, the celebrated finger, having refufed to appear on the ftage, was ordered by Buonaparte to quit Lombardy within three days, and not to return on pain of death. "A beautiful paffage of Taffo's Jerufalem ap pears pears extremely appropriate to the prefent ftate of Italy. It is thus tranflated by the elegant Mr. Hoole : "Shall then a favage race, whose barbarous mind French and Spaniards unite to plunder the Americans.-The fhip Alfred, of Bofton, Captain Afguith, bound from Lifbon to Saffee, with 12,000 dollars on board, was captured by a French privateer, who took out the money, and put it in the privateer, and put men on board to bring her into Ceuta; but on the 14th of April was captured by Admiral Jervis, who liberated her, and defired the Captain to go to Cadiz to feek redress for the money, and on the night of the 6th the Captain ran the fhip on fhore, fix miles to the fouthward of Cadiz. The Captain and crew, on their arrival at Cadiz, were put in irons in the caftle called Santa Pietre. SATURDAY, 17th JUNE. Poft-office Rafcality.-It will be recollected, perhaps, that I fometime ago publicly complained of the injury I was likely io fuftain from the foul play fhown to my paper, in its paffage to diftant places. I then intimated, that it muft certainly be afcribable to the poft-mafters on the road; and I think the following extract of a letter will convince the public,that my charge was not ill founded. Stockbridge, Maffachusetts, 8th June, 1797. "SIR, By the affiftance of Mr. I have "become 66 "become a fubfcriber for your Gazette. I received your papers regularly for two or three weeks, but "fince that, for several fucceffive weeks, the bills of poftage have come, but not a fingle paper. I am "much disappointed, as I valued your Gazette more highly than any other paper we receive, and in"tended to preserve them with the utmost care. I "am not inclined to think that the pofi-mafter at "Philadelphia is fo inattentive as to send a bill "weekly, and omit fending the papers; but it is owing "to the treachery of fome Scoundrel on the road." From the bills of poftage having regularly got to hand, it is clear, that the papers were as regularly lodged in the poft-office here, and as they have not arrived at Stockbridge, they muft have been detained by fome poft-mafter or poft-mafters. I have complaints of the fame kind from the neighbourhood of Fredericksburgh, and from the town of Norfolk, at which latter place, the printers Willet and O'Connor, who have always had a paper regularly fent, without a fingle omiffion, complain of never having received one. To fupprefs fo daftardly and affaffin-like a con, fpiracy against the liberty of the prefs, and fo contemptuous a violation of the law of the Union, I am induced to offer to any one who will give information against any poft-mafter, or deputy, who fhall fteal, or by detention, or otherwife retard the progress of Porcupine's Gazette, fo that the faid poft-master, or deputy, may be profecuted to conviction, the fum of five hundred dollars; and I do hereby offer, and engage myself to pay the faid fum to fuch informer, in ten days after fuch conviction fhall take place in of the courts of the United States of America. WM. COBBETT, any Philadelphia, June 15, 1797. Partiality |