The New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

NEW-YORK, December 5.

Extract of a letter from a Member of Assembly, at Richmond, to his correspondent in Winchester (Virginia) dated November 8, 1788.

"I have not time to write long letters, and shall therefore observe in general terms, that you may expect every evil from this assembly that anti-federalism can produce: the following facts among others induce this belief: when members of Congress were chosen, there were 39 votes against Mr. Madison's holding his seat for the remnant of time which that body is to exist: and this day, on the ballot of our federal senators, the number stood,

For R. H. Lee, 98
William Grayson, 86
James Madison, 77
Votes for persons not nominated, 63

"Those who know the abilities of Mr. Madison, who know that his whole life has been devoted to the service of the public, and that he has so conducted himself as to avoid every cause of offence in his public speeches and private conversations to any man or description of men! that envy itself, or the jaundiced eye of faction have never imputed to him interested or corrupt motives--might be at a loss to account for such marks of neglect or disapprobation: but, sir, the conduct of Mr. Henry, on the day of Mr. Madison's nomination, fully explains the mystery: in a well-informed speech, he made a pointed attack against him in the house, taking for the ground of his opposition, Mr. Madison's attachment to the federal government. I felt much for Mr. Madison, but more for my country, for I considered this as the trumpet of discord, a daemon which I fear will destroy that domestic peace and happiness which unanimity of sentiment has hitherto secured to us, as well during the late arduous conflict, as since its happy conclusion. Hereafter, when a gentleman is nominated to a public office, it is not his virtue, his abilities, or his patriotism we are to regard, but whether he is a federalist or an anti-federalist; a distinction which might well take place whilst the new government was under consideration, but which ought to cease as soon as it was agreed to. In a free state there can be no government if the voice of the majority is not submitted to; it is as essential to the existence of liberty that ninety-nine should obey an hundred, as that one should submit to ninety-nine; the only difference is, that where the majority is small, a door of hope is left open to ambitious men, that by fomenting the discontents of the people, they may gain the ascendency, subvert the government, or aggrandize themselves. You will understand, that I do not mean to disparage the gentlemen who are on this occasion preferred, the ground on which the preference was given is what I disapprove. The most important business now before the assembly is a bill for dividing the state into districts, for choosing electors of a president; this has passed the house of delegates, and each district is composed of two senatorial districts; this mode, altho' unequal and unjust, was adopted on account of the shortness of time for the promulgating the law, and accomplishing the business. A bill for dividing the state into districts for the purpose of choosing delegates to Congress--this is referred to a committee of the whole house, and will undergo great investigation. A bill to disable certain officers of the state government from holding offices under the general government, this is also before the committee of the whole house,

Dec. 11.