writers on different governments will give different answers. Sir William Blackstone will tell you, that in Britain, the power is lodged in the British Parliament; that the Parliament may alter the form of the government; and that its power is absolute without control. The idea of a Constitution, limiting and super. intending the operations of legislative authority, seems not to have been accurately understood in Britain There are, at least, no traces of practice, conformable to such a principle. The British Constitution is just what the British Parliament pleases. When the Parliament transferred legislative authority to Henry VIII. the act of transferring, could not, in the strictest acceptation of the term, be called unconstitutional. To control the power and conduct of the legislature, by an over-ruling constitution, was an improvement in the science and practice of government,' reserved to the American States. Perhaps some politician, who has not considered, with sufficient accuracy, our political systems, would answer, that in our governments, the supreme power was vested in the constitutions. This opinion approaches a step nearer to the truth; but it does not reach it. The truth is, that in our governments, the supreme, absolute, and uncoutrolable, power, remains in the people. As our constitutions are superior to our legislatures, so the people are superior to our constitutions. Indeed the superiority. in this last instance, is much greater; for the people possess, over our constitution, control in act, as well as in right. The consequence is, that the people may change the constitutions, when ever and however they please. This is a right of which no positive institution can ever deprive them. These important truths, are far rom being merely speculative. We, at this moment, speak and deliberate under their immediate and benign in. fluence. To the operations of these truths, we are to ascribe the scene, bitherto unparalleled, which America now exhibits to the world—a gentle, a peaceful, a voluntary, and a deliberate transition from one constitution of government to another. In other parts of the world, the idea of revolutions in government, is, by a mournful and indissoluble association, connected with the idea of war, and ali the calamities attendant on wars. But happy experience teaches us to view such revolutions in a very different fight to consider them only as progressive steps improving the know. ledge of government, and encreasing the happiness of society and man. kind. Oft have I viewed, with pleasure and admiration, the force and preva lence of this principle throughout the United States, that the supreme pow er resides in the people; and that they never part with it. It may be called the Panacea to politics. There can be no disorder in the community but may here receive a radical cure. If the error be in the legislature, IT MAY BE CORRECTED BY THE CONSTI dis TUTION-if in the constitution, it may be corrected by the people. There is a remedy, therefore, for every temper in government; if people are not wanting to themselves: for a people wanting to themselves, there can be no remedy from their power, as we have seen, there is no appeal-and to their error, there is no superior principle of correction. There are three simple species of government MONARCHY, where the supreme power is in a single person.— ARISTOCRACY, where the supreme power is in a select assembly, the members of which either fill up, by election, the vacancies in their own body, or succeed to their places in it by inheritance, by possession of property, or in respect of personal right - or Mr. Saurin, on the trial of Doctor Sheridan, said that such matters was better understood in England, than in any other country. or qualification. And a REPUBLIC, or DEMOCRACY, where the people at large retain the supreme power, and act either collectively or by representatives. Each of these species of government has its advantages and disadvantages, The advantages of Monarchy, are strength, dispatch, secrecy, and unity of council. Its disadvantages are-tyranny, expence, ignorance of the wants of the people, insecurity, unnecessary wars, and evils attending elections or successions. The advantages of Aristocracy, are -wisdom, arising from experience and education. Its disadvantages aredissention among themselves, and oppression to the lower orders. The advantages of Democracy, are -liberty; equal, cautious and salutary laws; public spirit, frugality, peace, and opportunities of exciting and producing the best abilities of the best citizens. Its disadvantages are dissentions, the delay and disclosure of the public councils, and the itabecility of public measures retarded by the necessity of a numerous consent. A government may be composed of two or more of the simple forms above mentioned. Such is the British Government. It would be an improper government for the United States, because it is inadequate to such an extent of territory; and because the United States are not suited to an establishment of different orders of men. A more minute comparison between some part of the British constitution, and some part of the plan before us, may, perhaps, find a proper place in subsequent period of our busi ness. What is the nature and kind of that government, which has been proposed for the United States, by the late convention? In its principles it is purely DEMOCRATICAL: but the prin ciple is applied in different forms, in order to obtain the advantages, and exclude the inconveniences of the simpe modes of government. If we take an extended and accu. rate view of it, we shall find the streams of it running in different directions, in different dimensions, and different heights; watering, adorning, and fertilizing the fields and meadows, through which their courses are led; but if we trace them, we shall discover that they all originally flow from one abundant fountain:-IN THIS CONSTITUTION, all authority is derived from THE PEOPLE. Character of Counsellor Emmet, From the Shamrock, New York. During the present session of the Court of Errors, the public have again been gratified with the arguments of this justly celebrated Counsellor, Amongst the characters who shine with unexampled lustre at the bar, Mr. Emmet holds a distinguished and eminent rank. He is marked for force in argument, and for eloquence in enforcing his sentiments seldom witnessed. These in addition to the pleasing manners which are evident in his private intercourse, render him justly popular. Under the smiles of fortune, he cannot fail in time, of becoming peculiarly distinguished for his usefulness, and, will find peace and consolation in this hospitable clime of strangers. An exile from a foreign land, escaped from the chains of despotism, and the iron hand of persecution, he has taken refuge in this last asylum of persecuted freedom. He here finds repose from the storms which once assailed him, and from the sword whose side is dim with the blood it has shed, and whose edge is battered by the flesh it has severed--Resting at present under free and independent government, where the mind is not shackled by the tramels of restraint, and where the most obscure citizen may rise to preferment and honor, Mr. Emmet, is exercising those powers which were kindly and will admire the man whose know ledge and peculiar talente, reuder him an honor and an ornament to the American bar. New Albany, VALERIUS. From the Mact wistopedia. ON BULLS. "Thou wear a lion's hide! Doff it for shame kindly lavished on him by nature, and the lights of his genius are opening with full splendor here, to plead the cause of justice, and the oppressed; nerved and animated, whilst remembering the wrongs of his injured and insulted country. Who then cannot but rejoice at his success? In him, (without flattery it may be said) the righteous may find a Curran to defend them, with all the concomitants of an irresistible eloquence-In him the poor will discover an advocate that shall paint their afflictions in the glowing colours of Raphael-In him the oppres sed shall find a Counsellor whose heart can biced afresh for their wrongs— whose pulse will beat with fervor, and whose eyes will dart forth their liveli est glances of indignation-What auditor whose heart is not callous, and whose feelings are not entombedWhat auditor can hear him, without sensations indescribable? Is he opposing the torrent of arbitrary power?— His whole soul is wrapt in the subject, and a Felix would tremble in his presence. Does injustice and tyranny call forth his powers? Conspiracies are clothed in awful forms to guilty man — Does liberty constitute the theme?— The voice of freedom swells her melodious notes; the Patriot is filled with rapture, and eloquence presents an impregnable barrier round the immortal citadel. In these scenes, history unfolds her pages-the persecution and proscriptions of ages, are introdu ced, and this land at last rises, like a star in the east, amid the universal wreck of empires. During his investigations no facts relative to the subject, are omitted, but the secret edicts of time, are brought to light, to support that torrent of eloquence which explains the whole. The author of these remarks, thus publicly testifies Mr. Emmet's worth, and is delighted (as were the astronomers of old in the natural world) to discover another bright constellation in the hemisphere of science. Fully persuaded that we must And hang a calf skin on those recreant limbs. SHAKESPEARE “Thou sayest they blunder; so thou dost myself; Then hang the BULL'S HIDE where it ought to be." HUM WHANG, BULL, the male of black cattle, Pope's edict, a blunder. ENTICK. BULL, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. JOHNSON, JOHN BULL, the representative of the majesty of the people of England. EDGEWORTH. These are all very good definitions, that is, when there are none better; but if any person wishes to hear a first rate definition of this word let him read the works of the learned HUM WHANG, who was the cotemporary of Confusion, or as a Frenchman would pronounce it Con fu-zi-ong; or as he is now commonly called Confucius. When Hum Whang was asked, what is a bull?" he answered, "a male cow," and this in my opinion, is the best definition of the word that has ever been given, because it is an excellent bull itself, and therefore amounts to no more than this, that a buli is a bull. So when a cobler was once asked, what is pain? He caught the interro gator by the nose with his pincers, which gave him a more sensible idea of On Bulls. of pain than if he had spoken on the subject with the eloquence of a Cice ro or Demosthenes. The best definition, then, that can be given of a bull is to make one, but nevertheless it is necessary to bear in mind the remark of the same Hum Whang. "Chan quee aysas; escou, tum es," which is as much as to say, that an expression which would be a capital bull if used by an Irishman would be passed over unnoticed, had it came from the mouth or pen of an Englishman. An example will serve to illustrate this; an Irishman seeing a large iron roller in a field in England, observed that he never had seen such a large iron rolling stone before. Now if this is true (and true it must be, for it is copied from one of John Bull's jest books, and Johnny is very fond of jest books, and has moreover a great many of them) it was certaily an egregious blunder; but why has not Jonny introduced the following lines from Pope, into some of his jest books? "And hem'd with bristled spears the A brazen bul ark, and an iron wood." The reason is, that Englishmen are them. Addison notices many of Milton's blunders, but calls them only little blemishes, and quotes Horace, who charges all such errors to "pardonable inadvertency;" but on no account will Su John allow this pardon to be extended to the Irish. "A boat, your honor, is a thing that people sit down in when they walk across the river. Pat. "Mails and other coaches to all parts of the united kingdom. John Bull. At the first of these bulls Johnny would almost split his sides with laughter, but he would let the second pass unnoticed: never considering that Ireland is a part of the united kingdom, and that it would be as difficult for him to drive a mail coach across the channel as it would be for Pat to walk across the river. Many more examples might be given to shew the truth of Hum Whang'e assertion; but for the present we shall omit them, and proceed to notice another beautiful and equally correct remark, of this truely-great philosopher. "Ques chop, ache, esque quefus," which litterally translated means, that bulls and blunders are not confined to any nation or people-According to custom, we will proceed to make this saying self-evident. A student at Cambridge, calling upon a friend, and observing in his "what he could want so chamber a large quantity of oranges, inquired, many for?" "To make lemonade of them," was the answer.-The author of the above perfect bull was an Englishman of high classical attainments. A Scotch farmer sent his man Douald to market with a load of hay. Donald on the way, overtook a distiller who was carrying a keg of whiskey, and engaged, for the compensation of a shiling, to conceal it in his load of hay. It was not however concealed so well as to prevent an excise officer with the horse and load of hay, which from detecting and seizing it, together Donald made the following eloquent he took to his own house, where and moving address to him: "Ye may tak' the whiskey, sir, an' the deil gang wi' it; but dinna tak' my master's horse, or he'll put me in jail, before ever I leave this house." a Welsh Directions inscribed on finger-post; "This road is no road, he that cannot read, must enquire at the smith's forge." An successfully and got nothing for my trouble; and see your honor my feet and hands are both bare-footed, Enough has been said to make this last saying of Hum Whang's, as selfevident as any problem in Euclid: we therefore for the present quit the subject. We are busy translating from our favorite author, an article for your excellent MACTWISTOPEDIA, which you may expect to receive next week, or the week after, if not sooner. From the Shamrock of New York. MR. GILLESPY, Seeing in your paper of the 228 inst. an account of the battle fought near the Isle de Leon, and of taking the French Eagle, by an Irish soldier of the 87th regiment, I beg leave to give you some information of the persecution of that man ere he joined that regiment, at the time of the defenders in the province of Connaught; Masterson being somewhat implicated, was obliged through fear to join the Roscommon militia, to avoid prosecu tion. During his time in that regiment, he was once or twice flogged for being suspected of disaffection, (for suspicion then was sufficient from their lunteer into regular regiments from the officer to punish or deter them to vo militia) and he charged his captain (Mills) with cowardice in an engagement with the rebels in the county of Wexford in 1798, after which Mills was determined to be revenged, had him brought to a court-martial, and received 350 lashes, previous to his time being elapsed in that regiment, in the city of Cork, where two more were shot at the time, being charged with circulating seditious papers among the regiment; his time being expired, he returned home, but could not get much rest, he was again persecuted by the Rev. Maurice Mahon of Strokestown, son to one of the Union Lords, Hartland, and sent to Roscom 2 mon |