ANECDOTES. THE DANGER OF INCORRECT PUNCTU ATION. CARDEN relates, that Martin, the abbot of Afello, in Italy, caufed this infcription to be put over the gate of his abbey: execrable tyranny of Robespierre. She often declared to her fifter, Madame Campau, that the never would wait the execution of the order of arreft, rather than fall into the hands of the and that the was determined to die executioner. Madame Campau en "Porta, patens efto, nulli claudaris deavoured, by the principles of moral honefto." "Gate be thou open, and not sbut to any boneft man." The painter however by incorrectJy placing the comma after the word nulli inftead of eto, ("Porta patens efto nulli, claudaris honefto") gave it this meaning: "Gate be thou open to no one, be shut even to an honest man." A pope paffing the abbe, was fo difgufted at the harfhnefs of this infcription, that he immediately deposed the abbot. EDWARD II. AN anonymous writer relates this anecdote. The unfortunate Edward II. lost his life by his Queen wilfully mifplacing a comma in a note the fent to the keeper of the prifon where he was confined. It was this: To fhed King Edward's blood refuse to fear, I count it good." Had the comma been placed after the word refufe, ("To fhed King Edward's blood refufe,-") it would have been a command to the keeper not to hurt the king: but the jailor understanding the Queen's note as it was written, the wretched Sovereign loft his life. SUICIDE. MADAME Auguié, having been perfonally attached to the late Queen of France, expected to fuffer under the ity and philofophy, to perfuade her fifter to abandon this defperate refolution; and in her laft vifit, as if the had foreseen the fate of this unfortunate woman, fhe added, "Wait the future with refignation, fome fortunate occurrence may turn afide the fate you fear, even at the moment you may be lieve the danger to be greatest." Soon afterwards the guards appeared before the house where Madame Auguié refided, to take her to prifon. Firm in her resolution to avoid the ignominy of execution, the ran to the top of the houfe, threw herfelf from the balcony,, and was taken up dead. As they were carrying her corfe to the grave, the attendants were obliged to turn afide to let pafs-the cart which conveyed Robespierre to the fcaffold !! GEORGE L OF this fovereign the following pleafing trait of good-nature is related: Soon after his acceffion to the throne, the Duchefs of Buckinghamshire (nat-" ural daughter of James II.) was refufed a paffage in her carriage through St. James's Park; fhe in confequence wrote a letter to the King, abufing him in the groffeft language, affirming be was a ufurper, that he had a better right to go through the park than he, &c. &c. The King, instead of being offended, only laughed, and faid, "Oh ! la folle, la folle qu'on la laiffe paffer!" "The poor woman is mad, let her pass freely!" and gave orders the should have the liberty of going through the park at her pleasure. H Necrology: OR NOTICES COLLECTED OF PERSONS RECENTLY DECEASED AT HOME AND ABROAD. "Death is the privilege of buman nature, And life without it were not worth our baving." Died, at Albany, on the 18th ultimo, Major-General PHILIP SCHUYLER, in the 71ft year of his age.-A man, eminent for his useful labours, in the military and civil affairs of our country. Diftinguished by ftrength of intellect, extenfive knowledge, foundnefs and purity of moral and political principles, he was a practical, not a theoretical statesman; an active, not a vifionary patriot. He was wife in devifing, enterprifing and perfevering in the execution of plans of great and publick utility. Too intelligent to found his notions of political or civil government upon the perfectability of man, or upon any other views of the human character, than those derived from the experience of ages and too honeft to tell the people that their liberties could be preserved in any other way, than by the wholesome restraints of a conftitution and laws, energetick, yet free. In private life, he was dignified, but courteous-in his manners hofpitable; a pleafing and inftructive companion; ardent and fincere in his friendship; affectionate in his domeftick relations,, and juft in his dealings. The death of fuch a man is truly a fubject of private and of publick forrow. His remains were interred, on Wednefday, the 21ft ultimo, with military 'honours. At Gloucester, 15th inft. in the 78th year of his age, Rev. ELI FORBES, D.D. paftor of the Congregational church in that place. Dr. Forbes was born at Westborough, in the county of Worcester, in October, O.S. 1726. He was the youngest fon of deacon Jonathan Forbes. Nurtured by pious parents, his mind became early affected by religious fentiments; and being naturally inquifitive, it was the predominant defire of his boyish days to become a minister of the gofpel. In October, 1744, he com menced his collegiate studies, and began to enjoy the fatisfaction of advancing towards that object, from the attainment of which he anticipated the best happiness of his life. These preparatory pursuits, and, confequently, his hopes, were, for a fhort time, fufpended, by the neceffity of exchanging his fchool for a camp. In the month of July following he was demanded as a foldier, and, having laid afide his books, he cheerfully flung his pack, fhouldered his musket, and marched more than a hundred miles in defence of his country against the French and Indians. He was however through the interpofition of fome worthy clergymen foon releafed, and returning with increased refolution to his ftudies in July, 1747, he became a member of Harvard College.. By his own exertions having defray ed the expences of his collegiate education, and pursued his ftudies to great advantage, he graduated in 1751, and immediately commenced his theological inquiries under the direction of Rev. Ebenezer Parkman, of Weftborough. On the 3d of June, 1752, he became the firft ordained minister of the 2d parish in Brookfield. In the years 1758 and '59, he twice accompanied the provincial regiments under Col. Ruggles, in the capacity of chaplain. In 1762 he went as a miffionary to the Oneidas, the chief tribe of the fix nations of Mohawks, and planted the first chriftian church at Onoquagie, on the river Sufquehannah, about a hundred and twenty miles from lake Ofwego, which is its fource. Here alfo he established two fchools, one for children, and another for adults; and having administered to the infant church the ordinances of the Lord's fupper, he returned, leaving Mr. A. Rice, his colleague, the care of the new inflitutions. On his return from his miflion to the Oneidas, Mr. F. brought with him four Indian children, one of whom he entered at Dartmouth College; and after furnishing them with fuch knowledge as would be most useful, returned the other three to the tribe to which they belonged. He likewife on this occafion brought away a lad who was born in New-York, and had been left among the Indians by his uncle at fo early an age, as completely to have been formed by their example, and viewed by them as one of their children. Having fubdued, with great difficulty, the favage propenfities of this lad, he found him to be of a good difpofition, ingenious, and apt to learn; and, after initiating him into the preparatory knowledge which is required, prefented him at Harvard College, into which he was received. The board of commiffioners at Bofton, being at this time defirous of obtaining an interpreter to a miffionary, he was offered, accepted and, immediately fent to the tribe from which he had been feparated. Here he remained a year; after which, application being made to him by Dr. Wheelock, who had inftituted a school for the inftruction of Indians, he accepted the appointment of its preceptor, and obtained a degree at Dartmouth College. During the revolutionary war, he was appointed by Congrefs to be their agent, for which he was peculiarly qualified by his attachment to the interefts of his country, his great influence with the Indians, and his perfect knowledge of their language. In this office his great fidelity and ufefulnefs were acknowledged; and publick gratitude is due to the venerable nan by whom he was refcued from favage life, and from whom his first inftructions were derived. During the fall and winter of the years 1775-6, an uneafinefs and oppoition being excited among the people of his charge at Brookfield, by the groundless fufpicion that he was a tory, lis life was rendered unhappy, and his labours ineffectual of that good, which it was his earnest defire to produce. In the month of March therefore he requefted and obtained an honourable difmiffion; and after the lapfe of only two fabbaths, by defire of the church committee he preached in Gloucester, where he was inftalled on the 5th of June, 1796, and in which place he died, re vered and lamented by all to whom he was known. Dr. F. published many angle fermons, Whilft at Brookfield, he affifted his wor thy friend, Dr. Fitke, by furnithing feveral numbers which appeared in the Worcester Gazette, under the fignature of "The Obferver," and which, after the death of Dr. Fiike, were collected and published in a different form. But the principal publication of Dr. Forbes was a fmall octavo volume, which he called a family book. The works which he has printed are characterized by implicity and purity of style, by fervent, but uaoftentatious and unobtrusive piety. They are addressed both to the underftanding and the affections; and at the fame time that they evince his judgment and his zeal, they induce, in the attentive reader, .conviction of their truth, and animate to new exertions in the oflices of piety and virtue. In Boston, on the 6th inftant, very fuddenly and deeply regretted, the Right Reverend SAMUEL PARKER, D.D. Bishop of the Protestant Epifcopal Church in Maffachusetts, in the 60th year of his age. Dr. Parker was born at Portsmouth in the state of New Hampshire, in the year 1745. He had from the care of his excellent father all the advantages of education which our country could furnish, and was graduated at Harvard College in 1763. In 1773 he was ordained by the bishop of London, and immediately returned to Bofton, and became an affiftant minifter at Trinity Church. In 1775 the revolutionary war began, he was foon after left alone to ftruggle with all the difficulties of his station, which at that period were reither few nor fmall. The four other clergymen of the Epifcopal perfuafion in this town having emigrated to Europe, although he was then unmarried, and had very flattering offers to remove, he firmly adhered to his duty, and had the fatisfaction of finding his confcientious exertion crowned with fuccefs, and his church thereby fecured from difperfion, and its numbers annually augmented; and he lived to receive the highest honours that can be conferred on that important profeffion in the U n'ted States. As bishop of the Epifco pal Church in Maffachusetts, he took his feat in the ecclefiaftical convention Holden at New York in September, and this was the only official act he was enabled to perform in that character. As a parith minifter his labours were faithful and exemplary. He taught the doctrines of chriftianity in their primeval purity, and practifed the firft and fublimeft of its moral precepts with a fincerity and ardour, which feeling hearts alone can appreciate. Mr. DANIEL CROSBY, aged 67, who had been Clerk of Trinity Church in this town upwards of 40 years. In Carver, 17th ultimo, Rev. JOHN HOWLAND, Paftor of the Church of Christ in that town, in the 84th year of his age, and 59th of his ministry. STATEMENT OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS IN BOSTON IN DECEMBER, FROM THE RETURNS OF 20 PHYSICIANS. BIRTHS. Males....42 Females....38 Still born....6 Sex not returned Cynanchi trachiolis, 7m., STATEMENT OF DISEASES FOR DECEMBER.. The town has been fo healthful, that it is difficult to indicate any prevalent difea fes during this month, except flight coughs and catarrhs. There have been fome cafes of pneumonick inflamma-' tion; of quinfy; of acute and chronick rheumatifm; of eryfipelatous inflammation, fatal in two cafes; of abfcefs, in which the preceding difeafe has not unfrequently terminated. An inftance of typhus has now and then occurred. Vaccination extends ftoutly, whilft the fmall pox is within a few miles of the capital. A view of the births and deaths, during the last fix months, préfents a difference in favour of the health of Bof ton, which few large cities can boast. This will appear more remarkable, if compared with the births and deaths. of the fouthern cities. MEMORANDA. 1 Deaths in Philadelphia during the month of October, 165-November, 133-December 22d, 125. In New-York, during the month of Auguft, the births were 297-deaths, 296. October, births 287-deaths 208. November, births 276-deaths December 22d, 135 deaths. 192. 2 14 16 on the paper figned Medicus. Although this writer, to whose observations we gave a place in our last number, commences his attack upon us, in the character of Reviewers, he foon changes his mode of addrefs, directing the whole power of what little argument and wit he exhibits against an imaginary individual, whom he entitles “fir." Had he observed the laws of decorum ever fo fcrupulously, and written ever fo well, we should not have felt ourfelves obligated to give him an anfwer; for we might thus establish a precedent, which it would be an endless piece of bufinefs to follow. Not finding reafon to alter our opinion of the "discourse" reviewed in the Anthology for August p. 467, we invite judges of the subject to compare principles advanced in the Review, with thofe contended for by our refpondent, and to form a decifion for themselves....... But as Medicus, leaping from principles to motives, has accused us of" want of candour" and of " mifrepresentation," we shall say a word more. The " Difcourse delivered before the Humane Society," put into our hands for review, was carefully perused rather with a de fire to commend the whole, than to cenfure any of its parts. Its opinions we found diametrically oppofite to our. own, and those which rest on the refult of the very best experiments. We produced our reafons for differing from the author in a style of fair argumentation, without any attempt at unworthy wit or illiberal farcafm. If, of what we are not fenfible, we misunderstood the author, we are ready on conviction to acknowledge the errour. We think however our apology is made by Medicus himself; for on the most important part of the « discourse" this writer ob ferves, "His meaning appears to be this," &c.; and afterwards that what Dr. Howard means "is difficult to comprehend from the expreffion." He adds, "It has not that remarkable clearness fo confpicuous in the rest of the difcourfe," We are ftigmatized alfo, 23 « foolish" or "infincere," because we lament that, the author has in an unqualified manner infulted fome of the greatest philofophers of the age, when he says, that the doctrines of latent and fenfible heat were "invented for the exigencies of their employers." Had he adduced in support of his opinion one folitary truth, in oppofition to a crowd of evidence, we should not have lamented, but rejoiced, for the literary honour of our country. But no fuch truth was brought; we reviewed a baselefs fabrick; and we must continue to lament the circumftance, though we incur the harsh allegations of "folly” and "infincerity" from writers like Medicus. We fufpect the Author finds little reason to glory in a defender, who expofes him to animadverfion by the introduction of irrelevant perfonalities We think Harvardienfis too bitter in his complaints, but far less exceptionable than Medicus. By the ready admiffion of thefe writers into the Anthology, we hope we have forever established our claim to be confidered impartial Papers on Duelling No. V. in our next. F Mrs. Knowles was not feasonably reThe pertinent extract respecting ceived for the prefent number. We are glad not to be forgotten by our female correfpondents. "A." is received. It is our intention to deliver the Anthology early in the month. We there fore repeat a requeft, that communications defigned for a particular number may be fent us immediately after the appearance of the number preceding. December 81. |