that innumerable towns, and even great cities, will ftretch themfelves along the fhores of thofe mighty lakes -when I confider what an inexhauftible torrent of trade and of riches will never ceafe to teem thro' that channel, towards the Atlantic, and what an irrefiftible incitement it will prove to agriculture, to manufactures, and to population-when I think of the many millions of induftrious and wealthy people, who will float their valuable exports and imports along that mighty chain of waters, to and from the ocean, I confefs my mind labours under the vastnefs of the idea!-But when I farther confider, that if we do our duty, all this will operate, and be effected thro' the medium of this very city-that the prefent comparatively fmall city of New-York will, if we pleafe, be the great emporium of the new world, I am overwhelmed by a conflict of paffions! My dear countrymen, may I be allowed to hope-may I be confident, that we will attend to our own interefts-to the good of our pofterity to the voice of immortal fame? If we do, we will feriously think of now beginning the important work of opening that grand navigation. But if through parfimony or floth, we neglect it, all of that very extenfive trade which in future paffes not down the St. Lawrence to Quebec, will be, by our afpiring rival, carried along the feanty ftreams, and over the mountains of the Alleghany, and will center in Philadelphia.-My fellow citizens, they have fupplanted us of our birth-right-and fhall we fuffer them to take away our bleffing alfo? The fituation of this city with refpect to the trade of the lakes, is certainly a molt eminent and peculiar bleffing of Heaven to us. If we look over the geographical hiftory of the world, we will find that no place ever had fuch commercial profpects, fince the building of Alexandria in Egypt, which the enterprifing genius of its founder intended for the emporium of the then known world. With fuch an endless fource of wealth, of grandeur, and of influence, within our reach, fhall we regard the trifling advantages we lofe by the removal of the feat of government? As foon let us regret the lofs of the moon, when the fun is rifing. The fur-trade alon would far over-balance all our lofes by this removal; and the fur-trade is nothing when compared with the general trade of the lakes: nay, were we never to launch a floop on the principal lakes, the trade with Canada would balance that lofs-I mean if we remove the obftructions in the aforefaid rivers. This would occafion fuch an extraordinary rife in the value of land, and fuch a prodigious increase of population, that the additional taxes drawn from the countries near thofe rivers, would foon amount to much more than we ever can lofe by the removal of Congress. But there feems to be a fnow ftorm coming-I muft quit this fubject, and go look after my cows. Mentioning cows, puts me in mind of a little tale about a cow, which I shall jutt tell you, and retire. A fair-fac'd brown cow, fed on clover moft dainty, That That shortly her ftall mult be fome where fouth-weftward.' The Pennites, conceited, elate and imperious, A NEW-YORK FARMER. ROBERT MACHIN. An ANECDOTE relative to the Discovery of the Island of Madeira. (Tranflated from a Portugueze Work, entitled, Hiftorical Relation of the Discovery of the Island of Madeira.) IN N the reign of Edward III. king of England, a young man, whofe name was Robert Machin, fell in love with a young girl rich and well born, and by whom he was beloved in his turn. Her father and mother, how ever, dreading an unequal alliance, obtained an order from the king to get the young man imprisoned till they had difpofed of their daughter in marriage to a wealthy gentleman; who, foon after his wedding, carried his young wife to his country feat in the neighbourhood of Bristol. Robert found no difficulty in obtaining his release from prifon imme diately upon the folemnization of the marriage: but animated by refentment, and the love he ftill preferved for his mistress, he determined to leave nothing unattempted by which he might fatisfy at the fame time his paffion, and avenge himself of the infult which his enemies had offered him. He accordingly engaged fome of his friends and relations to affift him in his defign: and, for this purpose, conducted them to Bristol; where, foon after his arrival, he got one of his friends introduced into the young lady's houfe, under the cha racter racter of a groom. This perfon did not fail to inform the lady of her lover's defign, and of the meafures which were neceffary to put it in execution. The lady, who had been compelled to give her hand to a man whom fhe did not love, entered without hefitation into the views of Machin; while he having hired a vefiel to pafs over to France, prepared every thing which was requifite for the voyage. To remove all fufpicion, the lady rode out every morning on horfeback. On the appointed day the rode out as ufual, attended only by her groom, who conducted her to the fhore, where he went into a longboat, which carried her aboard the vessel that lay waiting for her. Poffeffed of the object of his love, Machin fet fail immediately, in order to avoid all purfuit. The wind was very violent. The crew foon loft fight of the harbour, and the next day the veffel had advanced into the midft of the ocean, where nothing was to be seen but the waters and the fky. No one aboard understood navigation. In this difmal fituation the veffel, without a pilot, was driven about for thirteen days at the mercy of the waves. At laft they difcovered land. The furprife of the crew was very great at seeing a number of ftrange birds perching on the mafts without the leaft fign of fear. They immediately difpatched the long-boat. Some of the failors went to examine the coaft. Upon their return they described the place as highly beautiful and fertile; and added alfo, that it was inhabited. Machin immediately, followed by his friends, landed with his miftrefs. The country prefented itself to their view agreeably diverfified with mountains and vallies; the firft covered with a thousand charming trees, to whofe names and appearance they were strangers; the fecond watered by the cleareftftreams; while a troop of wild beafts pafied under their eyes in the very moment they were contemplating this profpect, without offering them the smallest disturbance. This circumftance encouraged them to advance farther into the country : they arrived foon at a delightful plain, furrounded with laurels, and traversed by a little brook, which, taking its rife at the foot of a neighbouring mountain, rolled along on a bed of gravel. Near this rivulet, upon a little eminence, was an exceedingly beautiful tree, whofe fpreading branches invited them to repofe under its fhade. The travellers accordingly, without delay, began to construct huts for themselves with the branches of the trees. They paffed their time very agreeably in this place, every day making new discoveries, and admiring the ftrange productions of the country. But their happinefs was not of long duration. The fourth day after their arrival a furious tempeft tore the veffel from its anchor, and drove it upon the coaft of Morocco, where it ran aground, and the whole crew were made prifoners by the Moors. Next day Machin and his friends mifling the fhip, thought it had been funk to the bottom by the tempest. This new difafter plunged them all in defpair; and affected the lady for feverely, that he did not long furvive this accident. She died about three days after. Machin was inconfolable for the lofs of his mistress. After labouring five days under the pangs of the most poignant forrow, he at length expired, befeeching his comrades with his dying breath to lay his body in the fame grave which had received the remains of the woman he adored. His friends obeyed his last wishes ; they placed the too bodies in a grave dug at the foot of an altar, which they they had erected under the beautiful tree mentioned above. They afterwards raised a large crofs of wood upon the grave, and placed over it an infeription written in Robert Machin's own hand two days before his death; in which he gave a concife detail of his whole ftory, and ended with befeeching the Chriftians (if any ever came to fettle in that place) to build a church to our Saviour on the spot where he was buried. The friends of Robert Machin, deprived of their conductor, went aboard the long-boat, and fet fail for England. But not knowing the courfe they ought to fteer, they arrived at the very place where their veffel had been stranded, and met the fame fate with their companions, with whom they were imprisoned. The prifons of Morocco were then full of Chriftian flaves of all nations; and among the reft was one Juan de Morales, a native of Seville. This man, who had been a pilot for many years, liftened with great pleasure to the adventures of the English failors, who informed him of the fituation and nature of the country which they had discovered. Some time before this Don Sancho, fon of Ferdinand king of Arragon, had left at his death a fum appropriated for the random of the Chriftian captives of Caltile detained in the prisons of the Moors. A veffel for this purpofe departed from Spain, and ranfomed, among other captives, Juan de Morales. On his return the ship was taken by a Portugueze fleet, equipped by the Infant for making discoveries on the coast of Africa, and commanded by Juan Gonfalva Zara, who, a few years before, had difcovered Porto-Santo by chance, having been thrown upon that ifland in a voyage undertaken to explore the coaits bordering upon Bajador. Gonfalva, upon examining the prize which he had taken, was ftruck with the wretched condition of the Spanish veffel, and permitted it to continue its courfe, retaining only Juan de Morales, who was known for an able and experienced pilot, and whom he regarded therefore as a prefent very acceptable to the Infant, who was then bufted in the purfuit of difcoveries. Morales having learned the reason why he was detained, offered, without hefitation, to enter into the fervice of the Infant; adding, that he did not doubt of answering the intentions of the prince. He then gave Gonfalva a fhort hiftory of the ifland newly discovered by the Englifh, and fupported his recital upon the authority of the ftory of the two lovers. Gonfalva, upon his return, informed the Infant of this lucky difcovery; and foon after departed with a small fleet to afcertain the truth of what Morales had afferted. Upon his voyage Gonfalva touched at Porto-Santo, where he learned from the Portugucze whom he had left there two years before, that to the fouth-weft of the ifland they conftantly saw a thick and impenetrable darkness extended over the furface of the fea, and which afcended even to the clouds: that it never diminished; but that fometimes there proceeded from it a great noife, which was heard even at PortoSanto. They added, that for want of neceffary inftruments, they confidered it as impoffible to return from thence except by a miracle. Their ignorance of the nature of this diftant object was fuch, that fome called it an abyfs or bottomlefs gulph; while others thought it the entry of hell, according to the opinion of certain timid divines, who pofitively affirmed that it was the ancient island of Cipango, in which they believed that the Spanish and Portugueze Chriftians had fhaken off the yoke, and delivered themfelves from the oppreffions of the Moors and Saracens. In confe confequence of this opinion, they reckoned it a crime to attempt to fathom this fecret. Gonfalva beheld from a mountain of Porto-Santo this horrible phantom, which Juan de Morales judged at first glance to be an undoubted fign of the land for which they fought. But his reafons could not banish the terror which had feized every one except Gonfalva, who was perfuaded that this darkness proceeded from natural caufes. Morales fupported the opinion of Gonfalva, by obferving that the country being continually fhadowed by thick and lofty trees, a very copious exhalation of moisture must be the confequence; which, rifing in vapours, fpread over the atmofphere, and was the true caufe of that darkness, which at firft fight had infpired fo much terror. These reasons determined Gonfalva to weigh anchor, and fet fail for this gloomy region without informing any of the crew of his intention. The nearer they approached the New-York Mag. Vol. II. No. ■. cloud, it appeared the more dreadful; and it was not till after many ftruggles that he could prevail upon the pilots to advance. But on ap proaching the east coast of the island, they faw the cloud begin to diminish, and foon discovered land. The firft thing they perceived was a little neck of land running into the fea, and to which Gonfalva gave the name of Cape-Laurence. After having doubled this cape, Morales went in a long-boat to examine the coaft, and arrived foon at a road which anfwered the defcription he had heard from the English. He landed accordingly, and found the tomb and the other monuments above mentioned. He then returned to Gonfalva, whom he informed of the difcovery. The whole fleet now landed, took poffeffion of the island in name of King John and the Infant Don Henry, and erected an altar near that already raised to the memory of the two English lovers.* *The above firiking fory, which we have prefented to our readers, is perbaps fcarcely equalled by any thing in romance, even the romance of Chivalry. In a publication fuch as ours, it is allowable to throw out hints, and even flart thoughts at random; and in confequence of this privilege we must observe, what we believe will be obvious to almoft every reader, that the ftory of Machin affords an excellent fubject for tragedy. In the hands of a poet who does not feign, which is too frequently the cafe, but who feels the paffion of love, it could not fail to be pregnant with the trueft pathos, conjoined with the nobleft flights of fublimity. Defcription, for the fcene is new and grand; fituation, for no fituation can be more interefting; terror, for what more terrible than the dangers of an unexplored and boundless ocean? the very madness of despair, for what defpair can equal that of Mackin when he hears his migrefs beave ber laft groan?-Every thing, in short, that is awful, majeftic, and terrible, every thing that is pathetic at once and fublime, that rare union fo prized by Longinus, is mingled bere as in one group, concentered as in one point, to ftrike in one united force the astonished mind of the spectator. The story of Machin in the hands of Shakespeare, would have furpaffed his Lear in fcenes of terror, and eclipfed his Romeo and Juliet in fcenes of love; while bis defcriptive powers might have ranged in a field boundless as the extent of his own imagination. We can fee but one objection; it might be difficult to preferve the unities. Perhaps a poet of the Grecian school might overcome, and that too without the lofs of a fingle incident, this seeming obstruction. |