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the general mass of the national navigation, it looks forward to the protection of a maritime strength, to which itself is unequally adapted. The east, in a like intercourse with the west, already finds, and in the progressive improvement of interior communications, by land and water, will more and more find* a valuable vent for the commodities which it brings from abroad, or manufactures at home. The west derives from the east, supplies requisite to its growth and comfort-and what is perhaps of still greater consequence, it must of necessity owe the secure enjoyment of indispensable outlets for its own productions to the weight, influence, and the future maritime strength of the Atlantic side of the union, directed by an indissoluble community of interests as one nation. Any other tenure by which the west can hold this essential advantage, whether derived from its own separate strength, or from an apostate and unnatural connection with any foreign power, must be intrinsically precarious.

While then every part of our country thus feels an immediate and particular interest in union, all the parts combined cannot fail to find in the united mass of means and efforts greater strength, greater resources, proportionably greater security from external danger, a less frequent interruption of their peace by foreign nations; and what is of inestimable value, they must derive from union an exemption from those broils and wars between themselves, which so frequently afflict neighbouring countries, not tied together by the same government; which their own rivalships alone would be sufficient to produce, but which opposite foreign alliances, attachments and intrigues would stimulate and embitter.

In contemplating the causes which may disturb our union, it occurs as a matter of a serious concern, that any ground should have been furnished for characterizing parties by geographical discriminations: northern and southern. atlantic and westernwhence designing men may endeavour to excite a be

lief that there is a real difference of local interests and views. One of the expedients of party to acquire influence, within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart-burnings which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection.

All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations, and associations under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, controul, counteract, or awe the regular deliberations and actions of the constituted authorities, are destructive of the fundamental principles of our government, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction; to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put it in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprizing minority of the community; and according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the illconcerted and incongruous projects of fashion, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans, digested by common councils, and modified by mutual interests.

However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men, will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reigns of government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

How far in the discharge of my official duties, I have been guided by the principles that have been delineated, the public records and other evidences of my conduct must witness to you and to the world. To myself the assurance of my own conscience is, that I have at least believed myself to be guided by them.

THE ORATOR.

Part III.

PIECES IN POETRY.

RULES FOR READING POETRY.

Rule I. As the exact tone of the passion, emotion, or sentiment which verse excites, is not, at the commencement of a piece with which we are not ac"quainted, easy to hit, it will be proper to begin a poem in a simple and almost prosaic stile, and so proceed till we are warmed by the subject, and feel the passion or emotion we wish to express.

Rule II. Pronounce poetry with that measured, harmonious flow, which distinguishes it from prose. Avoid, in humouring the smoothness and melody of verse, all monotony sing song, and bombastic cant, which too often usurp the place of graceful and harmonious reading.

Rule III. In verse, every syllable must have the same accent, and every word the same emphasis as in prose. If by observing this rule, some poetry should be reduced to prose, the fault must rest with the poet, not with the reader.

In the first example which follows, the word as should have no accent, because it is a light syllable in both lines the word excellent in the second, and eloquence in the third example, must have the accent upon the first syllables, and not upon the last, as the verse requires ;

Ff

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RULES FOR READING POETRY.

Eye nature's walks, shoot folly as it flies,
And catch the manners living as they rise.
Their praise is still the stile is excellent;
The sense they humbly take upon content.
False eloquence like the prismatic glass,
Its gaudy colours spreads on every place.

Rule IV. The vowel e, which is frequently cut off and supplied by an apostrophe, as th', every, gen'rous, dang'rous, ought to be both written and pronounced. Such words as giv'n and heav'n, should have the e in the last syllable written but not pronounced. To should not be written t' but to and also pronounced. Why the present poets write looked, loved, asked, instead of look'd, lov'd, ask'd, when the verse neither admits of them, nor are they ever so pronounced in prose when it is properly read, is a query I leave to themselves to solve.

Rule V. In familiar, strong, argumentative subjects, the falling inflexion should prevail, being more adapted to express activity, force, and precision: whereas light, beautiful, and particularly plaintive subjects, naturally take the rising inflexion as more expressive of such sentiments and feelings.

Rule VI. Sublime, grand, and magnificent description in poetry, frequently require a lower tone of voice, and sameness of inflexion approaching to a monotone.

Rule VII. A simile in poetry must be read in a lower tone than that which precedes it.

Rule VIII. Where there is no pause in the sense at the end of a verse, the last word must have the same inflexion it would have in prose.

Over our heads a chrystal firmament

Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colours of the flowery arch.

NARRATIVE PIECES.

Section I.

THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES CONTAIN VERSES, THE SOUND OF WHICH IS AN ECHO TO THE SENSE.

Soft and Rough.

Soft is the strain when Zephyr gently blows,
And the smooth stream in smoother number flows:
But when loud surges lash the sounding shore,
The hoarse rough verse should like the torrent roar.

Slow Motion.

When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, The line too labours, and the words more slow.

Swift and Easy.

Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o'er the unbending corn and skims along the main.

Felling Trees.

Loud sounds the axe redoubling strokes on strokes : On all sides round the forest hurls her oaks Headlong. Deep echoing groan the thickets brown; Then rustling, crashing, cracking, thunder down.

Sound of a Bow String.

.The string let fly,

Twanged short and sharp, like the shrill swallows cry.

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