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six or seven hours time, will have a prodigious Fa. Anthon. Serovita,being on his way thither, effect the earth will begin to tremble, crack and at the distance of a few miles, observed a and smoke, and fire and flame burst through. | black cloud, like night, hovering over the city; Such is the effect even of the two cold bo- and there arose from the mouth of Mongibeldies, in cold ground: there only wants a suf- lo, great spires of flame, which spread all ficient quantity of this mixture to produce a around. The sea all of a sudden began to roar, true Ætna. If it were supposed to burst out and rise in billows; and there was a blow, as under the sea, it would produce a spout. And if all the artillery in the world had been at if it were in the clouds, the effect would be once discharged. The birds flew about astothunder and lightning. nished, the cattle in the fields ran crying, &c. His and his companion's horse stopped short, trembling; so that they were forced to alight. They were no sooner off, but they were lifted from the ground above two palms; when casting his eyes towards Catanea, he with amazement saw nothing but a thick cloud of dust in the air. This was the scene of their calamity: for of the magnificent Catanea, there is not the least footstep to be seen. S. Bonajutus assures us, that of 18,914 inhabitants, 18,000 perished therein. The same author, from a computation of the inhabitants, before and after the earthquake, in the several cities and towns, finds that near 60,000 perished out of 254,900.

An earthquake is defined to be a vehement shake, or agitation of some considerable place, or part of the earth; from natural causes; attended with a huge noise like thunder, and frequently with an eruption of water, or fire, or smoke, or winds, &c.

They are the greatest and most formidable phenomena of nature. Aristotle and Pliny distinguish two kinds, with respect to the manner of the shake, viz. a tremor and a pulsation; the first being horizontal, in alternate vibrations, compared to the shaking of a person in ague. The second perpendicular, up and down, their motion resembling that of boiling.

Agricola increases the number, and makes four kinds, which Alb. Magnus again reduces to three, viz. inclination, when the earth librates alternately from right to left; by which mountains have been sometimes brought to meet, and clash against each other: pulsation, when it beats up and down like an artery: and trembling, when it shakes and totters every way, like a flame.

Jamaica is remarkable for earthquakes. The inhabitants, Dr. Sloan informs us, expect one every year. That author gives us the history of one in 1687: another horrible one in 1692, is described by several anonymous authors. In two minutes time it shook down and drowned nine tenths of the town of Port Royal. The houses sunk outright, thirty or forty fathoms deep. The earth opening, swalThe Philosophical Transactions furnish us lowed up people; and they rose in other with abundance of histories of earthquakes; | streets; some in the middle of the harbour, particularly one at Oxford, in 1665, by Dr. and yet were saved; though there were 2000 Wallis and Mr. Boyle. Another at the same people lost, and 1000 acres of land sunk. All place in 1683, by Mr. Pigot. Another in Si- the houses were thrown down throughout the cily, in 1692-3 by Mr. Hartop, Fa. Allessan-island. One Hopkins had his plantation redro Burgos, and Vin. Bonajutus, which last is one of the most terrible ones in all history.

moved half a mile from its place. Of all wells, from one fathom to six or seven, the water flew out at the top with a vehement motion. While the houses, on the one side of the street were swallowed up, on the other they were thrown on heaps; and the sand in the street rose like waves in the sea, lifting up every body that stood on it, and immediately dropping down into pits; and at the same instant, a flood of waters breaking in, rolled them over and over; some catching hold of

It shook the whole island; and not only that, but Naples and Malta shared in the shock. It was of the second kind mentioned by Aristotle and Pliny, viz. a perpendicular pulsation, or succession. It was impossible, says the noble Bonajutus, for any body, in this country, to keep on their legs, on the dancing earth; nay, those that lay on the ground, were tossed from side to side, as on a rolling billow: high walls leaped from their foundations seve-beams and rafters, &c. Ships and sloops in ral paces.

the harbour were overset and lost; the Swan The mischief it did is amazing: almost all frigate particularly, by the motion of the sea, the buildings in the countries were thrown and sinking of the wharf, was driven over down. Fifty-four cities and towns, besides an the tops of many houses. It was attended incredible number of villages, were either de- with a hollow rumbling noise like that of stroyed or greatly damaged. We shall only thunder. In less than a minute three quarinstance the fate of Catanea, one of the most ters of the houses, and the ground they stood famous, ancient, and flourishing cities in the on with the inhabitants, were all sunk quite kingdom; the residence of several monarchs, under water; and the little part, left behind, and an university. This once famous, now was no better than a heap of rubbish. The unhappy Catanea, to use the words of Fa. shake was so violent, that it threw people Burgos, had the greatest share in the tragedy. | down on their knees, or their faces, as they VOL. II.... 3 M

39

Public Men.-From the Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 95, September 3, 1730.

him to put himself forward and undertake public business, as being very capable of it. The whole is taken from Xenophon's Memorable Things of Socrates, lib. 3.

were running about for shelter. The ground | England in 1703, by Mr. Thoresby: or lastly heaved and swelled like a rolling sea, and those in New England in 1663, and 1670, by several houses still standing, were shuffled Dr. Mather. and moved some yards out of their places. A whole street is said to be twice as broad now as before; and in many places the earth would crack, and open, and shut, quick and fast. Of which openings, two or three hun- THE following is a dialogue between Socradred might be seen at a time: in some where- tes, the great Athenian philosopher, and one of, the people were swallowed up; others, the Glaucon a private man of mean abilities, but closing earth caught by the middle, and press- ambitious of being chosen a senator, and of goed to death; in others, the heads only ap- verning the republic; wherein Socrates, in a peared. The larger openings swallowed up pleasant manner, convinces him of his incahouses; and out of some would issue whole pacity for public affairs, by making him senrivers of waters, spouted up a great height in-sible of his ignorance of the interests of his to the air, and threatening a deluge to that country, in their several branches, and entirepart the earthquake spared. The whole was ly dissuades them from any attempt of that attended with stenches and offensive smells, nature. There is also added, at the end, part the noise of falling mountains at a distance, of another dialogue, the same Socrates had &c. and the sky in a minute's time, was turn- with one Charmidas, a worthy man, but too ed dull and reddish, like a glowing oven.-modest, wherein he endeavours to persuade Yet, as great a sufferer as Port Royal was, more houses were left standing therein, than on the whole island beside. Scarce a planting house, or sugar work was left standing in all Jamaica. A great part of them were A certain man, whose name was Glaucon, swallowed up, houses, people, trees, and all the son of Ariston, had so fixt it in his mind at one gap in lieu of which afterwards, ap- to govern the republic, that he frequently peared great pools of water, which when dri- presented himself before the people to disven up, left nothing but sand, without any course of the affairs of state, though all the mark that ever tree or plant had been there- world laughed at him for it; nor was it in Above twelve miles from the sea, the the power of his relations or friends to disearth gaped and spouted out, with a prodigi- suade him from that design. But Socrates ous force, vast quantities of water into the had a kindness for him, on account of Plato air: yet the greatest violences were among his brother, and he only it was who made him the mountains and rocks: and it is a general change his resolution; he met him, and acopinion, that the nearer the mountains, the costed him in so winning a manner, that he greater the shake; and that the cause there- first obliged him to hearken to his discourse. of lay there. Most of the rivers were stop- He began with him thus: You have a mind ped up for twenty-four hours, by the falling then to govern the republic? I have so, anof the mountains, till swelling up, they found swered Glaucon. You cannot, replied Socrathemselves new tracts and channels, tearing tes, have a more noble design; for if you can up in their passage trees, &c. After the accomplish it so as to become absolute, you great shake, those people who escaped, got will be able to serve your friends, you will on board ships in the harbour, where many raise your family, you will extend the bounds continued above two months; the shakes all of your country, you will be known, not only that time being so violent, and coming so in Athens, but through all Greece, and perthick, sometimes two or three in an hour ac-haps your renown will fly even to the barbacompanied with frightful noises like a ruffling wind, or a hollow rumbling thunder, with brimstone blasts, that they durst not come ashore. The consequences of the earthquake was a general sickness, from the noisome vapours belched forth, which swept away above 3000 persons.

on.

After the detail of these horrible convulsions, the reader will have but little curiosity left, for the less considerable phenomena of the earthquake at Lima, in 1687, described by Fa. Alvarez de Toledo, wherein above 5000 persons were destroyed; this being of the vibratory kind, so that the bells in the church rung of themselves: or that at Batavia in 1699, by Witzen: that in the north of

rous nations, as did that of Themistocles. In
short, wherever you come, you will have the
respect and admiration of all the world. These
words soothed Glaucon, and won him to give
ear to Socrates, who went on in this manner.
But it is certain, that if you desire to be ho-
noured, you must be useful to the state. Cer
tainly, said Glaucon. And in the name of all
the gods, replied Socrates, tell me, what is
the first service that you intend to render the
state? Glaucon was considering what to an-
swer, when Socrates continued.
design to make the fortune of one of your
friends, you would endeavour to make him
rich, and thus perhaps you will make it your
business to enrich the republic? I would, an-

If you

be well to do so, said Glaucon. It comes into my mind, too, continued Socrates, that you have never been at the mines of silver, to examine why they bring not in so much now as they did formerly. You say true, I have ne

swered Glaucon. Socrates replied: would not the way to enrich the republic be to increase its revenue? It is very likely it would, said Glaucon. Tell me then in what consists the revenue of the state, and to how much it may amount? I presume you have particular-ver been there. Indeed they say the place is ly studied this matter, to the end that if any very unhealthy, and that may excuse you.thing should be lost on one hand, you might You rally me now, said Glaucon. Socrates know where to make it good on another, and added; but I believe you have at least observthat if a fund should fail on a sudden, you ed how much corn our lands produce, how might immediately be able to settle another long it will serve to supply our city, and how in its place? I protest, answered Glaucon, I much more we shall want for the whole year; have never thought of this. Tell me at least to the end you may not be surprised with a the expenses of the republic, for no doubt you scarcity of bread, but may give timely orders intend to retrench the superfluous? I never for the necessary provisions. There is a deal thought of this neither, said Glaucon. You to do, said Glaucon, if we must take care of were best then to put off to another time your all these things. There is so, replied Socradesign of enriching the republic, which you tes, and it is even impossible to manage our can never be able to do, while you are igno- own families well, unless we know all that is rant both of its expenses and revenue. There wanting, and take care to provide it. As you is another way to enrich a state, said Glau- see, therefore, that our city is composed of con, of which you take no notice, and that is above ten thousand families, and it being a dif. by the ruin of its enemies. You are in the ficult task to watch over them all at once, why right, answered Socrates: but to this end, it did you not first try to retrieve your uncle's is necessary to be stronger than they, other- affairs which are running to decay, and after wise we shall run the hazard of losing what having given that proof of your industry, you we have he therefore who talks of under- might have taken a greater trust upon you? taking a war, ought to know the strength on But now, when you find yourself incapable both sides, to the end that if his party be the of aiding a private man, how can you think stronger, he may boldly advise for war, and of behaving yourself so as to be useful to a that if it be the weaker, he may dissuade the whole people? ought a man who has not people from engaging themselves in so dan- strength enough to carry a hundred pound gerous an enterprise. All this is true. Tell weight, undertake to carry a heavier burden? I me then, continued Socrates, how strong our would have done good service to my uncle, forces are by sea and land, and how strong said Glaucon, if he would have taken my adare our enemies? Indeed, said Glaucon, I vice. How! replied Socrates, have you not cannot tell you on a sudden. If you have a hitherto been able to govern the mind of your list of them in writing, pray show it me, I uncle, and do you now believe yourself able should be glad to hear it read. I have it not to govern the minds of all the Athenians, and yet. I see then, said Socrates, that we shall not his among the rest? Take heed, my dear Glauengage in war so soon: for the greatness of con, take heed lest too great a desire of power the undertaking will hinder you from mature- should render you despised; consider how danly weighing all the consequences of it in the gerous it is to speak and entertain ourselves beginning of your government. But, continu- concerning things we do not understand: what ed he, you have thought of the defence of the a figure do those forward and rash people make country, you know what garrisons are neces- in the world, who do so; and judge yourself, sary, and what are not; you know what num-whether they acquire more esteem than blame, ber of troops is sufficient in one, and not sufficient in another: you will cause the necessary garrisons to be reinforced, and will disband those that are useless? I should be of opinion said Glaucon, to leave none of them on foot, because they ruin a country, on pretence of defending it. But, Socrates objected if all the garrisons are taken away, there would be nothing to hinder the first comer from carrying off what he pleased: but how come you to know that the garrisons behave themselves so ill? Have you been upon the place, have you seen them? Not at all; but I suspect it to be so. When therefore we are certain of it, said Socrates, and can speak upon better grounds than simple conjectures, we will propose this advice to the senate. It may

whether they are more admired than contemned. Think, on the contrary, with how much honour a man is regarded, who understands perfectly what he says, and what he does, and then you will confess that renown and applause have always been the recompence of true merit, and shame the reward of ignorance and temerity. If therefore you would be honoured, endeavour to be a man of true merit; and if you enter upon the government of the republic, with a mind more sagacious than usual, I shall not wonder if you succeed in all your designs.

Thus Socrates put a stop to the disorderly ambition of this man: but on an occasion quite contrary, he in the following manner exhorted Charmidas to take an employment. He

the sea-coast in a smuggling country, one had frequent opportunities of buying many of the expensive articles used in a family (such as tea, coffee, chocolate, brandy, wines, cambrics, Brussels laces, French silks, and all kinds of India goods, 20), 30, and in some articles 50 per cent. cheaper, than they could be had in the more interior parts, of traders that paid duty.-The other honest gentleman allowed this to be an advantage, but insisted, that the seller, in the advanced price he demanded on that account, rated the advantage much above its value. And neither of them seemed to think dealing with smugglers a practice, that an honest man (provided he got his goods cheap) had the least reason to be ashamed of.

was a man of sense, and more deserving than | advantageous on this account, that, being on most others in the same post; but as he was of a modest disposition, he constantly declined and made great difficulties of engaging himself in public business. Socrates therefore addressed himself to him in this manner. If you knew any man that could gain the prizes in the public games, and by that means render himself illustrious, and acquire glory to his country, what would you say of him if he refused to offer himself to the contest? I would say, answered Charmidas, that he was a mean spirited effeminate fellow. And if a man were capable of governing a republic, of increasing its power by his advice, and of raising himself by this means to a high degree of honour, would you not brand him likewise with meanness of soul, if he would not present himself to be employed? Perhaps I might, said Charmidas; but why do you ask me this question; Socrates replied; because you are capable of managing the affairs of the republic, and nevertheless you avoid doing so, though in quality of a citizen you are obliged to take care of the commonwealth. Be no longer then thus negligent in this matter, consider your abilities and your duty with more attention, and let not slip the occasions of serving the republic, and of rendering it, if possible, more flourishing than it is. This will be a blessing, whose influence will descend not only on the other citizens, but on your best friends and yourself.

At a time when the load of our public debt, and the heavy expense of maintaining our fleets and armies to be ready for our defence on occasion, makes it necessary, not only to continue old taxes, but often to look out for new ones, perhaps it may not be unuseful to state this matter in a light that few seem to have considered it in.

The people of Great Britain, under the happy constitution of this country, have a privilege few other countries enjoy, that of choosing the third branch of the legislature, which branch has alone the power of regulat ing their taxes. Now whenever the govern ment finds it necessary for the common benefit, advantage, and safety of the nation, for the security of our liberties, property, religion, On Smuggling, and its various species.—tain sums shall be yearly raised by taxes, and every thing that is dear to us, that cerPublished in the London Chronicle, No- duties, &c. and paid into the public treasury,

vember 24, 1767.

SIR,-There are many people that would be thought, and even think themselves, honest men, who fail nevertheless in particular points of honesty; deviating from that character sometimes by the prevalence of mode or custom, and sometimes through mere inattention; so that their honesty is partial only, and not general or universal. Thus one, who would scorn to overreach you in a bargain, shall make no scruple of tricking you a little now and then at cards: another, that plays with the utmost fairness, shall with great freedom cheat you in the sale of a horse. But there is no kind of dishonesty, into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall, than that of defrauding government of its revenues by smuggling when they have an opportunity, or encouraging smugglers by buying their goods.

I fell into these reflections the other day, on hearing two gentlemen of reputation discoursing about a small estate, which one of them was inclined to sell, and the other to buy; when the seller, in recommending the place, remarked, that its situation was very

thence to be dispensed by government for those purposes; ought not every honest man freely and willingly to pay his just proportion of this necessary expense? Can he possi bly preserve a right to that character, if, by fraud, stratagem, or contrivance, he avoids that payment in whole or in part.

What should we think of a companion, who, having supped with his friends at a tavern, and partaken equally of the joys of the evening with the rest of us, would nevertheless contrive by some artifice to shift his share of the reckoning upon others, in order to go off scot-free? If a man who practised this, would, when detected, be deemed and called a scoundrel, what ought he to be called, who can enjoy all the inestimable benefits of public society, and yet by smuggling, or dealing with smugglers, contrive to evade paying his just share of the expense, as settled by his own representatives in parliament; and wrongfully throw it upon his honester and perhaps much poorer neighbours? He will perhaps be ready to tell me, that he does not wrong his neighbours; he scorns the imputation, he only cheats the king a little, who is

very able to bear it. This, however, is a mistake. The public treasure is the treasure of the nation, to be applied to national purposes. And when a duty is laid for a particular public and necessary purpose, if, through smuggling, that duty falls short of raising the sum required, and other duties must therefore be laid to make up the deficiency, all the additional sum laid by the new duties and paid by other people, though it should amount to no more than a half-penny or a farthing per head, is so much actually picked out of the pockets of those other people by the smugglers and their abettors and encouragers. Are they then any better or other than pickpokets? and what mean, low, rascally pickpockets must those be, that can pick pockets for halfpence and for farthings? I would not however be supposed to allow in what I have just said, that cheating the king is a less offence against honesty than cheating the public. The king and the public in this case are different names for the same thing; but if we consider the king distinctly it will not lessen the crime: it is no justification of a robbery, that the person robbed was rich and able to bear it. The king has as much right to justice as the meanest of his subjects; and as he is truly the common father of his people, those that rob him fall under the Scripture wo, pronounced against the son that robbeth his father, and saith it is no sin.

Mean as this practice is, do we not daily see people of character and fortune engaged in it for trifling advantages to themselves?Is any lady ashamed to request of a gentleman of her acquaintance, that when he returns from abroad he would smuggle her home a piece of silk or lace from France or Flanders? Is any gentleman ashamed to undertake and execute the commission?-Not in the least. They will talk of it freely, even before others whose pockets they are thus contriving to pick by this piece of knavery.

complice in the crime, and assist in the perpetration.

There are those who by these practices take a great deal in a year out of the public purse, and put the money into their own private pockets. If, passing through a room where public treasure is deposited, a man takes the opportunity of clandestinely pocketing and carrying off a guinea, is he not truly and properly a thief? And if another evades paying into the treasury a guinea he ought to pay in, and applies it to his own use, when he knows it belongs to the public as much as that which has been paid in, what difference is there in the nature of the crime, or the baseness of committing it?

Some laws make the receiving of stolen goods equally penal with stealing, and upon this principle, that if there were no receivers, there would be few thieves. Our proverb too says truly, that the receiver is as bad as the thief. By the same reasoning, as there would be few smugglers, if there were none who knowingly encouraged them by buying their goods, we may say, that the encouragers of smuggling are as bad as the smugglers; and that, as smugglers are a kind of thieves, both equally deserve the punishments of thievery.

In this view of wronging the revenue, what must we think of those who can evade paying for their wheels* and their plate, in defiance of law and justice, and yet declaim against corruption and peculation, as if their own hands and hearts were pure and unsullied? The Americans offend us grievously, when, contrary to our laws, they smuggle goods into their own country and yet they had no hand in making those laws. I do not however pretend from thence to justify them. But I think the offence much greater in those who either directly or indirectly have been concerned in making the very laws they break. And when I hear them exclaiming against the Americans, and for every little infringment of the acts of trade, or obstruction given by a petty mob to an officer of our customs in that country, calling for vengeance against the whole people as REBELS and traitors, I cannot help thinking there are still those in the world who can see a mote in their brother's eye, while they do not discern a beam in their own; and that the old saying is as true now as ever it was, one man may better steal a horse, than another look over the hedge. B. F.

Among other branches of the revenue, that of the post-office is, by a late law, appropriated to the discharge of our public debt, to defray the expenses of the state. None but members of parliament, and a few public officers have now a right to avoid, by a frank, the payment of postage. When any letter, not written by them or on their business, is franked by any of them, it is a hurt to the revenue, an injury which they must now take the pains to conceal by writing the whole superscription themselves. And yet such is our insensibility to justice in this particular, that nothing is more common than to see, even in Plan for improving the Condition of the Free a reputable company, a very honest gentleman or lady declare his or her intention to cheat the nation of three pence by a frank, and without blushing apply to one of the very legislators themselves, with a modest request, that he would be pleased to become an ac

Blacks.

THE business relative to free blacks shall

be transacted by a committee of twenty-four

*Alluding to the British taxes on carriage wheels, and on plate.

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