Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

For the Gazette of the United States.

MR. FENNO,

BY the milk and water observations of the correspondent of a Senator of the United States, which appeared in your paper of Tuesday evening, I take the author of them to be the same puny "Friend to Laws and Freedom" that appeared in your paper of the 14th and 19th inst.

Had the vanity of the writer (who for brevity's sake I shall call the friend) not carried him beyond being merely a scribbler for a newspaper, I think neither he nor the public would ever have heard from me again—But when I hear so trifling a thing tacking itself to the Senate of my country in order to give itself importance, I feel my national pride in a degree insulted—In honor to my country I cannot believe there is a Senator of the United States, who would willingly receive, and thereby become the patron, of a series of letters, designed for publication, so unimportant as the sample we have had.

What does all the writer's declamation in your paper of Tuesday evening amount to? Why, that war is an undesirable alternative; is generally the greatest of evils; and therefore ought to be avoided if possible. There is not a blockhead who treads the streets but what knew this before—and yet the wise "friend" is obtruding this as advice on the Senate.

If his object was, as he attempted some time past, to show that it was impolitic to permit our merchants to arm, he might as pertinently have recited one of Hervey's evening meditations among the tombs.

It is an important question, whether by permitting our merchants to defend their property on the high seas against unlawful aggression, Congress will put at hazard the peace of the country—This all-important question I shall leave to wiser heads than mine to determine. Sure I am, that nothing the "friend" has yet said, has thrown any light on the subject.

One word upon the remarks the "friend" was pleased to make in your paper of the 19th upon my previous observations on his reasoning.

He supposed I would "lay a wager to convince Congress that I alone could think or argue"—I did not write, as he professed to, for the purpose of influencing Congress—I had not the vanity to think my writings would have that tendency— My only object was to expose to merchants (the well informed of whom however did not need the exposure) the absurdity of his opinions—And yet I will confess, that although I never lay a wager it might have been as pertinent on that occasion as the arguments (if I may so call them) of the "friend." Notwithstanding this observation, I agree with him, to treat with due respect, the sentiments of those who differ with me.

If I could possibly be induced on any subject to lay a wager with an expectation of winning, it would be that a great majority of your readers begin by this time to be powerfully impressed with a belief that the "friend" is in some way or other concerned in privateers—If I mistake in this, it is because his writings have not made the same impressions on others they have on me.

Before I part with the "friend" I will take the liberty to give him one piece of advice. It is, out of regard to the honor of his country, either to discontinue his correspondence with the Senator, or to suppress the publication of it.

AN ENEMY TO NONSENSE.

P. S. Since writing the foregoing I have seen the "friend's" letter II, in your paper of last evening—I am not led to alter my opinion of him— I have however learnt two things from it—One is, that he has travelled—The other, that he possesses the art of bombast in the highest degree; or which I do not think General Washington will thank him—It will require more note than his (6) and (7) to make him understood. Do, Mr. Fenno, if he is not above communicating directly with you, ask him what he means by s the un- shaker loftiness (I leave out his parentheses, as it did not explain his meaning, and fill up the gap with my own) when all the passions, a warring world, a popular and favorite subject invited or seemed to offer redress, or at least revenge!

AN ENEMY TO NONSENSE.

December 29.