The Kentucky Gazette

Extract of a letter from Glasgow, dated September 29th, 1797.

I suppose it needless to inform you of the arbitrary measures pursued by the British cabinet, during their present glorious struggle for good order and religion, against those tyrants and infidels; the French; since these, in all probability have been made public in your country, copied from the English papers, dressed up in the nicest manner that ministerial hypocrisy is capable of; but a truly laughable circumstance which took place not long since in our neighborhood, forces me (who am fond of scribbling sometimes) to present you with an account of one of the measures alluded to, together with some of the consequences which an attempt to put the same in execution, has produced:

You must know then, that our very wise rulers, fearing a visit from our infidel neighbors; and at the same time knowing that such a visit would certainly overturn their already tottering system, issued a mandate by which all the young men from eighteen to 23 were commanded to enroll themselves, so that there might be a powerful militia ready to assist in supporting their glorious laws and constitution. This had a dreadful effect on the already irritated multitude: who, instead of a ready compliance, nothing but threats were thrown out against those who would show themselves active in accomplishing the afore mentioned enrollment; amongst the rest, who were made tools of by government to accomplish this end, the school-masters were called upon to give in a list of all the young men in their respective parishes, from the session books. The young men, by this maneuver, finding themselves completely foiled; and seeing a great band of armed ruffians ready to compel them, were forced, with reluctance to bow to the rod which smote them; but their pacific turn of mind did by no means accord with that of the fair daughters of Caledonia; whose affections some of the youths had already won. They, therefore, to the amount of about fifty, in one place, determined on revenge for the loss, as they thought, of their lovers, who were already enrolled; they accordingly went to one of the school-masters, through whose means it had been accomplished, and having dragged him from his home, declared that their firm determination was to drown him; however, this threat they were induced not to put in execution, on account of the earnest solicitations of the poor pedagogue, who promised never to be concerned in such a mean employment again.

At another place the young men having assembled round a number of well born men for the purpose of enrolling, forced them to eat up every paper appertaining to the business; threatening at the same time, to use club law, if immediate compliance was not given.

Thus you see things go on strangely here. I expect the government will next call upon some method of punishing these rebellious females. I think it would be truly consistent with their bloody schemes, to enroll the women, and send them as a formidable phalanx against the invincible infidels.