Gazette Of The United States

FROM THE GENERAL ADVERTISER.

There are situations in life, which, being conspicuous and elevated: never fail to bring with them as attendants,—envy and jealousy. It will be needless to enquire into the effects which spring from these interested, restless and black passions. It is well known, that those whose hearts are tainted with them, are watchful and eagle-eyed, and that they do not always miss, with their pernicious darts, of wounding the most upright and patriotic.

There are others who may appear, from their station in life, to be divested of these corroding passions, or at least to have no motive originally of their own, but still, from a desire to support their favorites, or from mere wantonness, or a kind of sportive malignity, will join the rest in a hue and cry, till the object of their chase is well worried, or altogether destroyed. It is the latter, by being most numerous, that are to be dreaded.—The former give the signal, and if they are powerful, enough will join their standard.

Although success does not always crown men of the above description, and happy for mankind that it is so: yet it cannot fail of being frequently productive of bad consequences to the person on whom the attack is made. His character must at least suffer for a while—and why should innocence bear with one pang inflicted by the hands of that demon—Envy? Such however, is the lot of mortals, that to live is to suffer. But let us hope for the best.

We have seen the people artfully, and with uncommon perseverance, misled for a time; but no sooner has reason and cool enquiry resumed her just station, than the man whose reputation was but the other day blasted, rises in estimation, as his integrity and patriotism are known and understood, to the shame and confusion of his enemies.

A man whose early and decided conduct in the cause of his country, whose great learning and abilities are acknowledged even by his opposers—a man whose integrity, probity and patriotism, have secured, and as they are still in existence, will continue to secure the approbation of his country—a man whose disinterestedness, mildness, and native good disposition—I say, this man, and with these qualities, which ought at least to have procured him civility, has, in the most open and unprovoked manner, been loaded with a torrent of abuse. His opposers, in the most dogmatical manner have asserted him to be the author of a reply to Mr. Paine's rights of Man, The author, in his last number, has in the most unequivocal terms declared that the Vice President had no concern whatever in the publication. His adversaries, therefore, ought to be covered with confusion, and the public should resent the injury done to a faithful old servant. Notwithstanding the declaration of Publicola, there are those who affect to believe the Vice President still to be the author, vainly hoping, by this feint, to gain a little respite from the shock that this untoward circumstance has thrown them into. To them no doubt it has been a most unfortunate discovery! Their pens were already dipped in the gall, and they were resolved to employ the remainder of the summer in exhausting the stock.

ANTI-CALUMNIATOR.