380 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



ral pai-t oF thein ; the more 1 disco- 

 vered of tlie former, the more I ad- 

 mired them ; the more 1 know of the 

 latter, tlie more I am disgusted 

 w ith them. Men, I find to be a sort 

 of beings very badly constructed, !is 

 they aie generally more easily jiro- 

 voked tlum recojiciled, to do mis- 

 chief to each other than to make re- 

 paration, much more easily de- 

 ceived than undeceived, and ha\ ing 

 more pride and e\en pleasure in 

 killing than in begetting one ano- 

 ther ; for vvith(mt a blush they 

 assemble in great armies at noon- 

 day to destroy, and when they 

 have killed as many as thoy can, 

 they exaggeiate tiie number to 

 augment the fancied glory ; but 

 they creep into corners, or cover 

 themselves with the darkness of 

 night when they mean to beget, as 

 being ashamed of a virtuous action. 

 A virtuous action it would be, and 

 a vicious one the killing of them, if 

 the species were re.iily worth pro- 

 ducing or preserving ; but of this 

 I begin to doubt. I know you 

 have no suclt doubts, because in 

 your zeal for their welfare, you 

 are taking a great deal of pains to 

 save their souls. I'erhaps as you 

 grow older, you may look upon 

 (his as a hopeless project, or an 

 idle amusement, repent of having 

 nuirdered in mepliitic air so many 

 honest, harmless mice, and wish 

 that to prevent misch.ief you had 

 usecF boys and girls instead of 

 them. In what light we are view- 

 ed by superior beings, may l)e 

 gathered fiom a piece of late 

 West-India news, .\hich possibly 

 has not yet reached you. A young 

 angel of distinction being sent 

 down to this world on some busi- 

 ness, for the hi St time, had an old 

 courier-spirit assigned him as a 



guide ; they arrived over the seas 

 of Martinico, in the middle of the 

 long day of obstinat e fight between 

 the fleets of Rodney and De 

 Giasse. ^\■hen through the clouds 

 of smoke he saw the fire of the 

 guns, the decks covered with 

 mangled limbs, and bodies dead or 

 dying; the ships sinking, burn- 

 ing, or blown into the air; and 

 the quantity of pain, misery, and 

 destruction, the crews yet alive 

 were thus with S(i much eagerness 

 dealing round to one another ; 

 lie turned angrily to his guide, 

 and said, you blundering block- 

 head, you are ignorant of your 

 business ; you undertook to con- 

 duct me to the earth, and yini have 

 brought me into hell ! No, Sii-, 

 says the guide, 1 have made no 

 mistake; this is leally the earth, 

 and these are men. Devils never 

 treat one anotlier in this cruel 

 manner; they have m(>re sense, 

 and more of what men (vainly) 

 call humanity. 



TO MRS. BACHE. 



On the proposed Order of the Clncin' 

 nnti. Hereditary Nobility, and 

 descending Honours. 



M\- Dear Child, Passy, Jan. 26, 1784. 

 Vour caie in sending me the 

 newspajieis is veiy :igreeable to 

 me. 1 recei\ed by Captain Harney 

 those relating to the Cincinnati. 

 My opinion of the institution can- 

 not be of much importance : 1 

 only wondei' that, when the united 

 wisdom of imr nation had, in the 

 articles of confederation, mani- 

 fested their dislike of estaiilishing 

 ranks of nobility, by authority 

 either of the congress or of any 

 ])a! ticuUir state, a number of pri- 

 vate 



