Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

To Edward Robinson, Captain, and David Irving, First Lieutenant, of the late Sans Culotte Company of Light Infantry of the City of Philadelphia.

GENTLEMEN,

Observing an address in the Gazette of the United States, last evening, to which your signatures are affixed, directed to the Citizens of Philadelphia, I think I have a right for myself to express to you, through the same vehicle of public information, the great satisfaction which, as one of the Citizens of Philadelphia, I received in perusing this address. The manly and honorable sacrifice of opinion, the noble candour and greatness of mind in disavowing an attachment, once well-founded, though now discovered to be undeserved, which you have displayed in this public manner do you incalculable honor. With you I once viewed the French nation as an injured people, and my bosom glowed with sympathetic ardour for the accomplishment of their liberty: with you I now view them as the vile ministers of ambition, and the insolent invaders of the rights of our dearest country. The avowal of those former feelings and these present convictions as I am conscious it is virtuous in myself, I am happy to honour and venerate it in another. Permit me, therefore, tho' personally unknown to you, to present you my portion of that tribute of applause which you merit from the whole body of our citizens. It is not through ostentation that this declaration is made, it is nothing but an honest ebullition of the feelings with which I was strongly affected in reading your manly address, and permit me to observe that if all are as willing to make the same candid acknowledgment for themselves, and applaud it in others, our country may yet be great and happy, and it may still be an honour to be called One of the Citizens of Philadelphia.