Gazette Of The United States And Daily Evening Advertiser

Citizen of the United States.

M. Genet wrote last winter to New-York, that on receipt of some good news from France, "Congress could not keep in their sittings." And in Mr. Bache's paper of last Saturday, I find, this winter, Congress could not keep in their sittings, because impelled away by a commencement. For the first instance, Congress found an excuse in patriotism which consists in feeling more strongly for the welfare of foreign nations, than our own. For the last, I could not readily find an excuse, till I read a second time the publication in Mr. Bache's paper. In that will be found many excuses; principally two, viz.—1stly. In the sentence next preceding the speech of JOHN SWANWICK, Esq.—He is said to be "one of the Trustees to the audience." The representatives in Congress, we are told, formed a part of that "audience."

2dly. Altho' in that publication, the sketch and address appear in prosaic dress, it is probable the whole was originally written in poetry, and said or sung, as the inspiration of the moment dictated, "soft music being heard in the intervals." And, since poetry and music have been said to possess powers equal to building cities, raising the dead, &c. why not to call Congress and even "mountains" to listen and admire?

To evince the justice of the idea, that all this publication was once poetry, permit me to note a few of the diction, "On Thursday the 18th inst. a commencement was held of the young ladies academy." "Present, at an examination held as to the proficiency in literature of this rising seminary." "A government "where" peculiar boast. it is that "its" powers rest on the intelligence," &c. "The clauses of the "frame" of government to remain no longer inactive." "The institution will be of the number "who" solicit."

are, among many others, masterly strokes of the prosopopoeia, or in plain English, personification; and the words "whose," "who," and "its," are most poetically introduced.

When speaking of the human race, in plain prose, two sexes, or both of the sexes, are expressions of sufficient extent; but here we find "all sexes are alike to have the growth of knowledge protected in them." . "To offer to a country the brightest trophy of which "it" could be "proud," is the very pride of the muses of "all sexes."

"The revolution of every sun, is peculiarly honored on the present occasion, with a spectacle the most touching."

This sentence is obscure enough to be poetical, and probably is so, or rather was so, as the sense of a period is hardly conveyed in vulgar prose, after it has soared on epic wing.

The foregoing quotations will, I think, call the attention of every reader to the piece, and then to the same conclusion; that is, this publication was once poetry, and has retained many poetic features in its present dress. The people of Philadelphia have interested to know who composed the sketch and speech alluded to in these observations: some think it was the overseer, and some think it was Mr. Swanwick; if the latter, what speeches may we expect next session of Congress? If the Representatives were now incapable of keeping in their sittings, when the trusteeship and musically poetic call were without, what will they do when they are within their walls; or, to use a scriptural phraseology—"If these things are done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"

A Citizen of Philadelphia.
Dec. 22, 1794.