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innovations in religion, and are, to a man, tenacious of their religious privileges. Sir John Ketch is appointed chairman at the next general congrefs.

There has been very little bufinefs done at the Bridewell Bank for fome time. Our funds are at prefent very low. The three per cents were done last week as low as thirty, owing to the general alarm of an invafion by the English. That treacherous and perfidious nation may, perhaps, find us better prepared than they expect.

Several promotions have been made in our army. General Squad has taken the command of the Fieldlane light troops. Captain Macheath has been promoted to Major in the fame, and Lieutenant Picklock is promoted to Captain, vice Major Macheath.

Dyot Street County, Sept. 28. Notwithstanding the alarming ftate of affairs, and an immediate expectation of hoftilities, our theatre fucceeds amazingly. Laft night the Beggar's Opera was performed by our company, and received throughout with unbounded and univerfal applaufe. No acting could be more natural, and the fongs were executed in a stile of excellence feldom found on other theatres. The church of St. Pillory was opened last Sunday, and a most excellent fermon preached by Dr. Atkinfon. The text was, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn."

ADVERTISEMENT

STUCK UP AT CHARLESTOWN, CAROLINA, BY A
GERMAN WHO HAD LOST HIS HORSE.

HE is run avay agen, mine little plack horse; I rite

him two tays en midle de nite; and ven he not vill fee fhumting, he fhumps as if te divel vas int, an he trows me town; I not have fich fall fince pefore I vas pornt. I buy him top on Jacob Shintel Clymer;

he

he hav five vite feet pefore, mit von plack fnip on his nofe, von eye vill look plue like glafs. He is pranded mit John Keifler Stanger, on his pehind fide py his

tail.

Whoever vill take up de faid horse an pring him to me, top on mine houfe near Congaree, fhall pay me two tollars revard; en if dey vill not pring me mine borse agen, I vill put de law in force ginft all the peoples.

QUIDNUNCKERY; OR, THE LOVE OF NEWS. [From the Morning Herald.]

MR. EDITOR,

Our

GREAT as the change has certainly been in manners, arifing from the military arrangements of the prefent day, honeft John Bull has not entirely quitted his ancient purfuits. It was always obferved, that the tendency of war was to increase the number of politicians; and the prefent has been fò happily contrived, that John's political bias yet remains, although every town is a garrifon, and every field a camp. His attachment to quidnunckery is as conftant as ever. general fyftem of defence, while it puts arms into the hands of the young and active, allows perfons above a certain age to remain at home, and contribute their wisdom only to the public fervice. Hence, while the young are learning to handle the mufket, or trail the pike, the older, who are unfit for fuch robuft manœuvres, are brandifhing reports, and grappling with conjectures; now fitting in council on the probability of invafion, or calculating by figures the moment of its approach; now decyphering the enigmas of a Margate letter, or, with philofophic curiofity, taking the gauge and depth of a newfpaper paragraph.

Luckily for this ancient love of news, this defire to know the iffue of what has never been contrived, and the event of what has never happened, the papers,

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while they acknowledge their ignorance of the real ftate of affairs abroad, draw moft plentifully on their invention, to fupply the place of facts, well knowing that the political appetite, while it is as ftrong, is lefs delicate than the natural. A true quidnunc is never truly fed, although he may fometimes allow that he is fatisfied. He is all appetite, and no digeftion." There have been few battles that have lafted more than a day; and the largest West India island is feldom more than a breakfaft. Hence it becomes neceffary for his caterers to ftudy French cookery, make a little go a great way, and ferve up the fame articles under different fhapes. At prefent, they magnify or diminish the invading force, according to rules which it is impoffible to understand, and which therefore afford wonderful food for domeftic politicians, or for those more fagacious gentlemen who frequent coffeehouses, and whofe opinions are fuppofed to have great weight, because they are delivered with a loud voice, and who think they are unanimous, only becaufe they all speak at one time. It may be remembered that when we were at first threatened with invafion, the enemy's gun-boats amounted to eight thousand, each capable of carrying one hundred men! This was a force with which, as our form of prayer ftates, the enemy might "have fwallowed us up!" it could not therefore laft; becaufe they who thus obligingly furnished eight thousand gun-boats, with eight hundred thoufand men, found themselves unable to fupport their exiftence. Curious people naturally afked, where were the harbours for the boats, and the camps for the men?" and it not being eafy, even by private correfpondence, to answer these questions, a cypher was ftruck off the number of the boats, and eight hundred fucceeded pretty well, while the men disappeared in fuch numbers,. that we have never heard of one fourth fince. Of late, however, even that number of boats has decreased fo confiderably,

4

confiderably, that at the moment we are writing, the beft-informed of our papers are not quite certain whether the invafion is to be attempted in boats at all!This is but a flight sketch of the vast variety of rumours with which John Bull, fenior, has been tantalized for fome months paft. We might add, how fre quently Minifters have been cenfured for not doing that in which they were occupied, or for doing that which they never intended. The younger branches, however, of the family have, with more wisdom, been preparing themfelves for any force that may appear, and have been more anxious to number their own battalions, than the enemy's boats!

Yours, &c..

C.

ORIGINAL FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. [From the British Prefs.]

ORACLE OFFICE, FLEET-STREET.

Dunkirk, Friday, One o' Clock, 30 Min. 15 Seconds, A. M.

BONAPARTE is just arrived in a balloon, and all his

generals are expected in an hour with the telegraph. Sixty thousand cavalry under General Davouft are ordered to man fixty fhips of the line. Thirty regiments of dragoons, thirty frigates, and one hundred regiments of huffars, are in requifition to manœuvre four thoufand gun-boats. The flat-bottomed boats are to be carried over to England by the light infantry, and the grenadiers are to fix the floating batteries to protect the paffage. Telegraphs are ordered to be erected in the middle of the British Channel and in the German Sea, half way between France and England. All the guides are ready ballooned, and a parachute is attached to Bonaparté's wooden house. The Firft Conful's bed is fixed in a life-boat. Mad. Bonaparté, and her maids of honour, are all full

dreffed

dreffed in cork jackets; and the Senate, Council of State, Legislative Body, the Tribunate, with all the minifters, prefects, bishops, cardinals, and the whole Legion of Honour, have put on jack-boots lined with cork. The flying artillery is ready, and waits only for a fair wind to blow it over to England.

Health and fraternity.

CITIZEN PUff.

P. S. Two o'Clock, A. M.-The Council of State is now deliberating whether it will be fafer to carry the gun-boats in the balloons, or the balloons in the gun-boats; to fend the flat-bottomed boats with the telegraphs, or the telegraphs with the flat-bottomed boats.

SIR,

LITERARY ROBBERY.
[From the fame.]

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

YOUR conduct is moft atrocious. On Wednesday

night I wrote a private letter, dated Dunkirk, Friday, one o'clock, 30 m. 15 fec. A. M. Of this letter, which I fent to the Oracle, you must have robbed my meffenger, for I cannot conceive in what other manner it could have come into your poffeffion. To add to your guilt and unparalleled effrontery, you inferted it yefterday in the British Prefs verbatim as I intended it should appear in the Oracle.-The paper was, in confequence, obliged yesterday to make an apology to its readers for the cruel difappointment thus occafioned, and I have been put to the trouble of writing another original communication from Dunkirk, which will appear in the Oracle of to-morrow.

I remain, Sir,
The much-injured

No. 300, Grub Street.

CITIZEN PUFF.

P. S.

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