صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

CARLISLE, PENN. SEPT. 17. At a court of oyer and terminer, held in this town last week, came on the trial of John and James Carothers, for manslaughter, in taking the life of James Carothers, senr. The trial commenced on Friday morning, and lasted until Saturday evening; the Jury after remaining about an hour, returned a verdict, "Not Guilty."

PHILADELPHIA, SEPT. 8. Number of interments in the burial grounds of the city and liberties of Philadelphia, in the month of August last, viz.

Cramp in the stomach,

1

Casualty,

1

Consumption,

2

Croup,

1

Intemperance,

1

Bilious fever,

1

Dropsy,

1

Hooping cough,

1

Worms,

1

Mumps,

1

Teething,

Fits,

Still-born,

Hives,

2 St. Peter's

Cholera,

17

3 St. Paul's

Diseases unknown,

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

222-72

5

1 Christ church

4 German Lutheran,

5 German Presbyterian,

Adul. Chil.

5 10

3 3

1 3

8 18

39

33

6 Society of Friends,

5 13

7 St. Mary's,

5 12

38

8 Holy Trinity,

3 7

September 5.

9 First Presbyterian,

1 3

Consumption,

2

10 Second

do.

1 6

Old age,

[blocks in formation]

Hemorrhage,

[blocks in formation]

Sudden death,

[blocks in formation]

Bilious fever,

[blocks in formation]

Worms,

[blocks in formation]

Fits,

1.

16 Swedes,

0 8

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Mumps,

[blocks in formation]

Disease unknown,

1

19 Baptists,

Cholera,

15

20 Universalists,

[merged small][merged small][subsumed][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

1 2

0 0

0

0

[blocks in formation]

2 103

0 0

30 50

122 182

69

Consumption
Cholic

17

5

5

4

4

Decay

Dropsy

Fever

Fits

15

Flux

9

Gout in the stomach

2

[blocks in formation]

65

Still-born

Teeth and worms

Sore throat

Drowned and other casualties
Diseases not mentioned

Total

1

is celebrated on this day, as being 1 the first of their month of Messidor, or the harvest-month. The name 4 of Messidor applied to this month shews that the usual harvest-month of France is from the 23d of June to the 23d of July, which is earlier, I believe, by a full month than the harvest in England. This fete consisted of municipal officers, adorned with tri-coloured scarfs, marching in a procession, in the centre of which was a chariot drawn by oxen. In this chariot, which was covered and decorated with green boughs, twisted together to form a shade, were seated four old farmers, having ears of corn in their hats. This procession was attended by the military of Bordeaux, of which there are not more than 500 in this large city.

3

1

1

[blocks in formation]

294 * Of this number fifty-three were orders from the Alms House, and three from the Pennsylvania Hospital.

The number of deaths in the present year, contrasted with the deaths which occurred in the same months of 1802.

1803.

When the procession stopped in the public gardens, the military paraded round the chariot, and the band played the different republican airs. The lower orders of the people are mightily pleased with these processions and fetes, while the higher orders seem to despise them as mountebank mummery, and the foppery of republicanism. The government, however, considers these institutions in the most serious light; they hope from them to attach the passions and pleasures of the people to the republican cause, and to republican ideas. With this view, they give them many republican holidays, set off with republican pomp and repub

622 573 1195 lican music.

1802. Adults. Chil. Tot. Ads. Ch. Tot. Jan. 142 75 217 68 42 110 Feb. 110 60 170 76 35 111 March 100 47 147 66 41 107 April 90 58 148 75 41 116 May 82 59 141 69 41 110 June 96 67 163 78 64 142 July 129 132 261 78 127 205 August 109 153 262 112 182 294 Totals 858 651 1509 Extract from the correspondence of an American Traveller in France. BORDEAUX, JUNE 23, 1798. IN my last, I gave you an account of some of the melancholy occurrences which took place during the revolution; I have now to describe some of those republican institutions, by which the Directory expect to make amends to the people for all the evils which accompanied this great political event. I this day witnessed one of their public fetes, called the fete of agriculture, which

These kind of holidays have, I believe, never been introduced before in any country. I remember nothing like them in ancient or modern history; if we except the annual rejoicings of the Egyptians on the retiring of the waters of the Nile, and the annual custom of the Emperor of China holding the plough, as an example to his subjects, and as a mark of respect to the first of arts. It appears to me, that the idea of these national holidays was first suggested to the French philosophers and literati by

Marmontel, in his historical romance called the Incas of Peru. The Peruvians are there represented as having annual feasts of the sun; fetes for youth, for marriage, and for old age. The Directory have instituted annual fetes for youth, and fetes for old age; and as for marriages, having seen their republican marriages, I think the subject too important to pass it over without a particular description.

I was in the cathedral last Decade (which is the republican sabbath) and saw ten or twelve couple married. A part of the church was inclosed for the purpose, with seats at each side, and an altar at the extremity, to which one must ascend by steps. Upon the altar lay a basket of flowers, most of them the common flowers of the fields; at one side sat the brides and their female friends, all in white, with garlands of white flowers (natural or artificial) on their heads, the same in their bosoms; at the other side sat the bridegrooms and the male friends. The inclosure was taken up exclusively by the parties to be married and their friends; but from the outside of the inclosure, I saw distinctly what passed within. After the company had been some time seated, the noise of the fife and drum at the church door, and the display of military standards, announced the arrival of the munipal officers. The appearance was not much superior to that of constables of the watch in England: they were distinguished by tricoloured scarfs, and wore their hats on during the ceremony, which is considered by the law as a mere civil contract.

Every couple knew the order that they were to go up in to the altar. At the signal, which is given by the roll of a drum, the first couple, with two or three friends on either side, who attended as witnesses, went up to the altar and signed the marriage contract; they then descended, and signed their names in two more books or registers, which lay upon

a table in the centre of the inclo sure.

They then salute the municipal officer; and a short republican hymn, appropriate to the occasion, is sung. That couple then retires from the church with their friends, and another roll of the drum gives the signal to the second couple to come forward, and go through the same ceremonies. With such a display of military standards and military music, you would almost suppose, that the government meant to consider marriage as a military institution; but the real cause is, that, of all shews, a military shew is the least expensive, and government wishes to have as much shew as possible at a small cost. Before the ceremony had begun, I particularly noticed among the females, who were within the inclosure, one of about nineteen years of age, who peculiarly attracted my attention by the superior fineness of her form and eves, and the great degree of sensibility and soul which marked her countenance, which was noble and interesting in the extreme.

She was, of all the females within the inclosure, the most carelessly dressed, not having the usual ornaments of flowers in her hair. She was so remarkably unadorned (except by nature), that I rather wondered at her coming to this feast without a wedding-garment. For a considerable time she seemed easy and careless, but a roll of the drum (awful to her as the last trumpet) seemed to harrow up her whole soul; she stood up, burst into tears, and dropped down again upon her seat. It was with the utmost difficulty that she could be supported to the altar, where she stood drowned in tears, and hardly knowing where she was, or what was passing. From the men's side of the inclosure there hobbled out an old fournisseur, or contractor of the army of Italy, who was to be her spouse. Then what there was before of mystery in her deep affliction became apparen; then one could trace her sorrow to its secret source, where it lay con

cealed among the warm wishes and natural desires of a young heart, formed for enjoying and communicating perfect happiness.

She went to the church, and was sacrificed at the altar, in obedience to the advice of friends (which has more weight with the girls here than in England); but, when arrived at the altar, she could no longer govern her affliction, or restrain her tears. I have seen different executions, and have, in different countries, witnessed very barbarous military punishments, but never did I see any thing more affecting than this human sacrifice of a forced marriage.

The old fournisseur was so stupid as to appear quite insensible of the great aversion of his young bride, and to consider her tears and agony as the mere common effects of youthful bashfulness and maiden modesty. In France, the unmarried girls have usually not so much liberty as in England, while the married women take more: this makes young girls impatient to be married; and, when marriages are made without much previous acquaintance, and without mutual affection, in a country where gallantry is somewhat the fashion, husbands must be prepared for the consequences. This, I believe, is a principal cause which gives the French woman the reputation of being rather loose in respect to the point of female honour. I am convinced, that when they are united to a man from choice and their own inclination, they are as affectionate and agreeable companions as any in the world, as constant, and as much attached, as ready to share his fortunes, and to make any sacrifices or exertions for his interest. There are many persons here, who are not content with a republican marriage, but get themselves also privately married by a priest, according to the forms of the Catholic religion. This not only satisfies every conscientious scruple, but makes the marriage binding in case of a couneer-revolution, which is a case, as

they consider, by no means impossible.

The people here are, at present, very much divided between Decade and Sunday: government will not allow the shops to be shut on Sundays, as they consider that a direct opposition to the republican calendar, which will not admit of the Christian era. The people, on the other hand, will not shut their shops on Decades, or voluntarily acquiesce in the new calender. The consequence of this opposition is, that the Bordeaux shopkeeper keeps no holiday, or day of rest, and drudges the whole year round.

I have seen the celebrated Barrere, who appears very publicly here, and is much respected on account of his private character, notwithstanding the places he held in the Committee of Public Safety. He is a smart well-looking little man; his air and manners easy and genteel, his complexion, hair, and eyes dark, and his countenance expressive of sensibility and imagination. The government must have connived at his escape from prison, or he would not venture to appear so publicly. Drouet, the celebrated post-master of Varennes, who stopped the royal family, and afterwards was taken prisoner, and lay many years in the Austrian dungeons, was suffered to escape at the same time. When he was taken by the Austrians, his friends, the Jacobins, had the government of France; when he was released, he found his friends proscribed by the re-action which took place after the death of Robespierre, and, as an Austrian dungeon was no school of philosophy or politics, it was but reasonable to expect that he would come out of it with the same political principles with which he entered it.

BRITISH POPULATION.

THE act directed that a general enumeration should be made on the 10th March, 1801, in England and Wales, and in Scotland as soon after as possible. The summary

[ocr errors]

of the enumeration appeared to be mounts to 8,872,980 persons for as follows:

In England.
-Wales

Scotland.

Army and Militia..
Navy and Marines

Merchant Seamen
Convicts

England and Wales, to which numPersons. ber an appropriate share of the 8,331,434 soldiers and marines is to be added. 541,546 These appear to be about a thir 1,599,068 teenth part; the existing population 198,351 of England and Wales is therefore 126,279 in the following table taken at 144,558 9,168,000, and the population there1,410 in attributed to the other years is given in proportion to the average medium of baptisms at the respective periods.

Total....10,942,646

The total population of Great Britain is supposed to exceed the above number, as from some pa

rishes no returns were received.

The number of houses in Ireland has been nearly ascertained, by the collection of the hearth-money tax, from which it has been computed that the population of that part of the United Kingdom somewhat exceeds 4,000,000.

The islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, and Sark, the Scilly islands, and the isle of Man, were not comprised in the enumeration. The total population of these islands has been usually estimated at 80,000 persons.

On these grounds, with a moderate allowance for omissions in the returns, the total population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, appears to be as fol

lows:

Persons.

England and Wales... 8,872,980

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

1,599,068

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Allowance for omissions

Soldiers

Sailors..
Convicts

77,354

[blocks in formation]

14,629,402

[blocks in formation]

198,351

[blocks in formation]

270,837

[blocks in formation]

1,410

[blocks in formation]

Total....15,100,000

The abstracts of the registers of baptisms, burials, and marriages, all concur in shewing that there has been a gradual increase of the population during the last century. It appears from the above accounts, that the enumeration of 1801 a

REMARKS ON FEMALE DRESS.

IT has been a matter of some surprise among the curious, and of still greater concern among the benevolent part of mankind, that the present light, airy, and highly unsuitable dresses should prevail among females at this inclement

« السابقةمتابعة »