When Jove resolved to send a curse, Then peace forsook this hapless shore; Imperial Rome from scoundrels rose; So sprung the mighty Congress. When insects vile emerge to light With freemen's rights they wanton play; With poverty and dire distress, Whole troops to Pluto swiftly press, Time-serving priests to zealots preach, At the command of Congress. The world's amazed to see the pest And tries the strength of Congress, O goddess, hear our hearty prayers! See, see, our hope begins to dawn; Dejected is the Congress. Clinton, Burgoyne, and gallant Howe, See noble Dunmore keeps his post; That hair-brain tool of Congress. There's Washington and all his men- Prepare, prepare, my friends prepare, And curse the haughty Congress. Huzza! Huzza! we thrice huzza! BOLD HAWTHORNE. [The Surgeon's record of the Cruise of the "Fair American," Captain Laniel Hawthorne, Commander. 1777.] THE twenty-second of August, Before the close of day, All hands on board of our privateer, Then our departure took for sea, From the isle of Mauhegan shore. Bold Hawthorne was commander, A man of real worth, Old England's cruel tyranny She, with relentless fury, Was plundering all our coast, And thought, because her strength was great, Our glorious cause was lost. Yet boast not, haughty Britons, Of power and dignity, With valor can equip their stand, Now farewell to fair America, And to preserve our dearest friends The wind it being leading, As the Gulf of Florida; Where we fell in with a British ship, Bound homeward from the main; We gave her two bow-chasers, And she returned the same. We hauled up our courses, Then having sprung our main-mast, And had so large a sea, We dropped astern and left our chase Till the returning day. Next morn we fished our main-mast, All hands made for engaging We cruised to the eastward, We gave her chase, and soon perceived She was a British snow Standing for fair America, With troops for General Howe. Our captain did inspect her With glasses, and he said, "My boys, she means to fight us, But be you not afraid; All hands repair to quarters, See everything is clear, We'll give her a broadside, my boys, She was prepared with nettings, And bore directly for us, And put us close on board; When the cannon roared like thunder, But soon we were along-side And grappled to her chain. And now the scene it altered, The cannon ceased to roar, We fought with swords and boarding-pikes One glass or something more, Till British pride and glory No longer dared to stay, Our case was not so desperate The valiant and the brave, Ten other men were wounded And our good privateer. PERCE Lindley Murray. BORN in Swetara, Penn., 1745. DIED near York, England, 1826. THE HAPPY AND VIRTUOUS MORAVIANS. [Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Lindley Murray. 1827.] DERCEIVING that neither the springs, nor the situation, produced any beneficial effects, and travelling being one of the means for the recovery of health, which had been recommended to me, we left the mountains, and bent our course toward Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, a healthful and pleasant town about fifty miles from Philadelphia. Thisis a settlement of the Moravians. The situation of the place, its refreshing and salutary air, joined to the character of its inhabitants, made a cheering impression upon us; and we took up our quarters at the inn with pleasure, and with the hope of advantage. There was here much to occupy the mind, and to gratify curiosity. The different houses appropriated to the single brethren, the single sisters, and the widows, with the various economy of the society, were subjects of an interesting nature. The spirit of moderation, the government of the passions, and the tranquillity and happiness, which appeared to pervade every part of this retired settlement, made on our minds a strong and pleasing impression. We several times visited the different departments; and, at our inn, received occasionally the visits of a number of their most respectable members. They were very communicative, and attended, with liberality and good-humor, to the ideas which we suggested, for the improvement of particular parts of their economy. Among other observations, we took occasion to inquire, whether the practice of the elders and elderesses in selecting a partner for a young man who wished to marry, was not sometimes attended with serious inconveniences. But they seemed to have no doubt that this regulation produced more happy marriages than would be effected by leaving the parties to choose for themselves. A lively and sensible person, with whose conversation we were particularly pleased, took occasion to give us his own experience on the subject. He expressed himself to the following effect: "When I wished to change my situation in life, I applied to one of our elders and communicated the matter to him. He asked me whether I had any particular young woman in view. I replied in the negative; and that I wished my superiors to choose for me. Pleased with my answer, and the confidence reposed in them, he assured me that the greatest care should be taken, to select for me a partner who should be, in every respect, proper for me. The elders and elderesses consulted |