the Gentleman who edited Mr. Boyd's Works defigned to prac tife any delufion on the public. It was natural for him to wifh to exalt the character, and do honour to the memory of his deceased friend, Mr. Boyd. I wonder not, therefore, at his lending a willing ear to the affertion of Mt. Almon, an affertion founded in ignorance, and broached in prefumption; but I cannot but fmile when I find an old fox trapped fo eafily, and obferve a refpetable, well-informed, and experienced writer, like Mr. Chalmers, be come a dupe to the delufion, and take pains to fpread the fallacy. When a fenfible man has once fuffered his understanding to be taken by furprife, he is anxious to make converts to keep him in countenance. This was precisely the cafe with those who gave credit to the authenticity of Vortigern, and the pretended Shakefpeare papers. They were remarkably zealous to increase the numbers of what, like the Mahometans, they chofe to term themterm them felves, the True Believers. "I know the whole of the affertion, that Mr. Boyd was the writer of the letters figned Junius,' to be founded in mifapprehenfion; and, if Mr. Almon were to multiply letters in fupport of his affertion till they fwell to volumes, I fhould feel the moft perfect conviction, not only that Mr. Boyd was not the writer of the letters under the fignature of Junius, but, I am forry the Editor of that Gentleman's Works obliges me to add, I am fatified Mr. Boyd was not capable of compofing fuch letters. I defire not, however, to have my opinion relied on as authority; let the critical reader compare the style, language, and fentiments of The Indian Obferver with thofe of the Letters of Junius, and judge for himself. No "It may, perhaps, be afked, What has Mr. W. Woodfall to do with this argument? Nobody appeals to him; he was not the printer of Junius's Letters.' I have an answer ready for impertinence.---The caufe of truth is every man's caufe, and I would willingly go out of my way to ferve it. In the prefent instance, I do not go out of my way. man living knows more of the conduct of Junius in the management of his correfpondence, and all its relations, than I do, my brother alone excepted. He is, at prefent, at a confiderable diftance from London, and even were he nearer, I know him too well to imagine that he would condefcend to put pen to paper on a fubject fo abfolutely a matter of mere curiofity. It is altogether novel in practice to interrogate newspaper printers as to their correfpondents; and the mifconcep tions of the Editor of Mr. Boyd's Works clearly thews, to what grofs abufe the mere fubmitting to be queftioned on fuch fubjects, leads. “I am, Mr. Editor, "Your humble fervant, "WILLIAM WOODFALL. "Queen Street, Westminster, "Aug. 9, 1799." Author, though he was certainly fecured from the pecuniary penalties, and indemnified from any other inconvenience which might be rifqued as the publisher of them.' This af fertion I have more than once heard, and always contradicted. To my knowledge the printer of The Public Advertiser never afked for any indemnity, nor was any offered him. He was left to the free exercise of his own difcretion, and had he acted on any other principle, though my own brother, I should be among the firft to declare that he had acted moft unwarrantably; because it has ever been my opinion, that a printer who condefcended to receive an indemnity, betrayed a consciousness that he was about to do wrong, and took a bribe to quiet his fcruples. If, after this explanation, any future writer fhould hazard a fimilar affertion with that above stated, I fhall content myself with answering him in the words of Father Valerian, as cited by the late Bishop Warburton, in the advertisement prefixed to his edition of Pope's Works, "MENTIRIS IMPUDENTISSIME." SOLILOQUY ON THE DEATH OF WASHINGTON.. SIR, To the EDITOR of the COLUMBIAN PHENIX. AMONG the very interefting and much admired Eulogies and Orations on the late GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON, written and pronounced by men of distinguished abilities and merit, I have discovered nothing of the kind from the female part of our mourning country, on this lamentable event: I have therefore taken the liberty to forward one of the latter description, which I confider a performance poffeffing confiderable merit; fhould you be of the fame opinion, by inferting it you will oblige, A Sir, your friend and humble fervant, "Our life contains a thousand springs, GREAT Man is fallenthe brilliant Western Star that illumined our hemifphere, is forever fet. The immortal Hero has dropped his mantle of mortality, and the name and virtues are all that remain of the brave, the wife, the juft, the humane, the benevolent WASHINGTON ;---a man juftly idolized as the phenix of Columbia; whofe exalted virtues, if virtue could insure immortality, D d G. S. would have bid defiance to the grim meffenger, and preferved him forever from the fhock of diffolving nature; but, in the zenith of his glory, while his benign influence, in its meridian splendour, was vifible both in the cabinet and the field, and extended its rays far. beyond the narrow confines of the American States, he received a divine mandate to quit his earthly post, and guard one far more fuit able country;" and if his valuable life had been prolonged to his age (76) he might have left Amer ica, if not all the world, at peace,"--but the world we trust was at peace with him; nor can . Columbia's fons fay as the Romans did of that Emperor, that been born, or had never died," fince the existence of this great Perfonage, has proved (under Heaven,) the falvation of Liberty, and that diffolution is the only paffage to eternal reft: and in his death we experience this confolation, that "he felt not like Alexander its terrors, but with the firmnefs and able to his dignity in the armies above---where angels and feraphs, with their golden harps, falute him: departed faints and heroes congratulate his arrival---celestial fpirits bid him welcome---and the Supreme Architect of the universe, who with the "eye of Providence" encompaffes the hearts," it had been well he had never of all at one view, hails him with the heavenly benediction of, "Well done, good and faithful," the pafsword to that glorious temple, whofe fabrick he inftructed his fraternal brethren in imitating, by his excellent example, while on earth---and afcended upon the fteps of Justice, Love and Mercy--clothed with the jewels of Wif-compofure of a SOCRATES, his last dom, Strength and Beauty, and conducted by Faith, Hope and Charity, to the royal Arch of Safety--tiled by Religion and Piéty; at whofe entrance, an Eaftern Monarch, a Tyrian Prince and a Martyr Brother, offer him the cordial hand of Friendfhip, with the badge of their order, not confined to their figurative number, in the Grand Lodge affembled in the realms of blifs; whofe hall is perfect Harmony, its walls bounded by Philanthropy, cemented with Peace, Unity and Concord, and its tapestry woven by meek-eyed Charity. Here a Cincinnatus, a Marcus and a Scipio, whofe bravery in war, wifdom in counfel, and induftry in their fields, has immortalized their fame in the annals of Rome will give place to a WASHINGTON { And the Carthaginian General (Hannibal) will no longer be celebrated as the greateft that "the world could eyer boaft." With Auguftus the name of Washington will be united as the "Father of his prayers we trust were for his country, and closed with the petition of that philofopher, that his departure from earth might be eafy, and his journey happy; and the refponfe we expect will echo from every corner of the globe where the name of WASHINGTON refounds ! "The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, though juft;" and "fhall prefumptuous man dare to arraign them?" attempt to trace the mazy windings in the labyrinth of divinity, wish to revert the order of Providence, or unlink the great chain of events? Could the immortal WASHING. TON have continued upon earth until he had obtained a paffport from his grateful country, his eve ning fun would have declined in the western horizon, until age or debility (the lot of humanity). forced him to exclaim, "O that I had wings like a dove, then would I fly away and be at rest." But that Being whofe ways are unfearchable, who fuffers not a "fparrow to fall" without his knowledge. was 6000 knowledge, plans in infinite wif dom; and the guardian angel of this "favoured of Heaven,' commiffioned to pronounce, that "time fhould be no longer,"that his days were numbered and finished;" and in the full enjoyment of apparent health, ftrength and usefulnefs, he received a gentle fummons to the manfions of repofe; and ere Phoebus had twice withdrawn the curtain of night from his fick couch, the lamp of life was extinguished, and WASHINGTON (like the prophet of old) had afcended in a chariot of glory to his native fkies; and his mantle of virtues (we fondly hope) dropped upon the Columbian fhores, to extend its borders throughout the rifing States of America, difperfe cowardice and treachery from the field, prevent difunion in the cabinet, and difcord, duplicity and fraud, among the various claffes of cítizens. Dear Sir, accept the momentary effufions of the pen of your friend upon the mournful tidings, that the Man who reigned in the hearts of the people was no more! the affecting intelligence was announced in a pathetic letter from one of your honourable colleagues, and proclaimed through the village by an unusual found of folemn bells. Every countenance portray ed a mind deeply impreffed with unaffected forrow, upon this melancholy cataftrophe, and filence was more expreffive of accumulated diftrefs, than the eloquence of a Cicero. And when grief was meliorated by reflection, with united voices the citizens exclaimed, What tokens of refpect fhall be paid to the memory of "the Man whom the people delighted to honour" Alas! can fculptured marble, or impreffed metal ftamp an image equally durable with. the ftatue erected in the breafts of millions of freeborn patriots ? No And WASHINGTON not only lives enthroned in glory, but in the hearts of a grateful and independent people, who will tranfmit his name to future ages, entwined with a laurel wreath that shall retain its verdure when the fcythe and glafs of time melt with the fervent heat that diffolves this terreftrial globe: the canopy of heav en expands its hidden myfteries unvailed, and a boundlefs eternis ty difclofes. My laft, if you obferved the date, Sir, was addreffed upon the eve, and penned perhaps at the moment, that the last particle of fand forfook the glass of our great and illuftrious Chief, while guardian angels wafted his ærial spirit to the blissful fhades. The fubject of diffolution, which I wish not, without a recent occafion, to introduce into the focial parlour of a friend, twice intruded: I apologized, dropped my pen, and retired to reft. Morpheus waved his wand, and I was in a moment encircled with a furrounding multitude. I inquired the reafon of their affembling; was answered, a funeral, and I must follow as a mourner. Although not naturally fuperftitious, I am almost confirm. ed in opinion, that we are fome. times vifited by fupernatural or invifible agents, and their dictates I obey, and with the tender feelings of fenfibility fympathize with the bereaved Confort of our greatly beloved and fincerely lamented WASHINGTON. To his ami able companion, the sharer of his domeftic happiness, his lofs cannot be be repaired, or the wound clofed, and her only confolation refts in the bofom of her God. May we all feek it there, and, with the deepest fenfe of affliction, accompany this diftreffed Lady (in heart) with the mourning relatives, to the filent tomb,-and when the fraternal brethren have deposited the emblematic role, with the never-fading caffia, let us bedew the fprig with the tear of refpect and veneration, join in the refponfalfo mote," and leave it to be tranfplanted to the garden of the heavenly paradife, where it will flourish in immortal bloom; and may we often vifit this facred urn, with the recollection that it contains the remains of an ineftimable jewel, lent us by a Benefactor and Friend, who had a right to demand it when he pleafed, and unite in offering up the facrifice of grateful hearts for the loan, and adore the goodness and condefcenfion of a beneficent Being, who in the midft of judgment remembered mercy ;-and when internal foes fought from envy and avarice to crop the flower of American glory while the bud was expanding, enlightened a ftar from the Weft on the altar of liberty, to guide our armies to the field of battle,-illumine our councils, and difpel the darknefs that enveloped the land in the day of calamity and diftrefs! And what adoration is due to the Supreme Governor of the Universe for his incomprehenfible goodnefs in continuing this great Light, while numbers of leffer magnitude were extinguished before the revolving fun had fcarce marked their annual progress, by shielding him in the hour of danger, and preferving him through the various cafualties : And al that attended a cruel, diftreffing and unnatural war; and finally in making him the happy inftrument of establishing a peace upon a foundation that remains as firm we trust as the pillar of the Patriarch, and will difplay a lafting monument of his magnanimity to future ages; and, like the gourd of the griefworn preacher, prove a fhade from our enemies abroad, and preferve a unity at home, which the canker-worm of diffenfion cannot undermine or deftroy and although "affliction cometh not forth of the duft, nor troubles fpring from the ground," let us not repine at the difpenfations of Providence, left, like the Jewish murmurers, we offend the Deity. though it is the duty of every clafs of citizens throughout the United States, male and female, old and young, bond and free, to be truly fenfible of their inexpreffible lofs, and to embalm the memory of the Saviour of their country with every mark of grateful respect; it is likewife our unbounded duty, ta render thanks to the Father of mercies, that his life was fo long, and fo providentially preferved. If he had met with the untimely fate of those brave heroes that fell at the early period of the war, his parting breath would have exclaimed, "O my Country!" and if the prayers of the people, like the prophets of Ifrael, could have lengthened his days, the infects might have "become a burden,” or his virtues lain dormant"Whatever is is right :" "God fends not ill, if rightly underflood, Or partial ill is univerfal good.” While we take a retrospect of the past, let us anticipate our future profpects. When a Phenix is confumed, |