To Mr. MICHAEL DE MARIBUS, In answer to his Grammatical Epistle addressed to _Miss_ SALLY SYNTAX.
SIR,
The charitable construction which has been put upon your _grammatical_ epistle, has _rendered_ me _declinable_ to your complex proposition. As your presumptuous address, wholly precludes the necessity of an apology for this abrupt preface; I shall be thereby relieved from an embarra.s.sment, which the delicacy of the subject would have otherwise occasioned. The various contradictions visible in your letter, argue a defect of sincerity. In the first place, you say you would be _superlatively_ happy to _agree_ with me in the _subjunctive mood_; then you seem disposed, with an a.s.suming air, so throw in a _conjunction disjunctive_, and disunite us into various _moods_ and _tenses_. Again you say that you do not wish to be a _noun adjective_; then, that it is the _optative_ of your soul, to become a _relative_.--What is a _relative_ pray, but a _noun adjective?_ You say also, that you trust I will not opiniate you _singular_: if you are not in the _singular number_, you must necessarily be in the _plural_. If, then, you have already formed the _plural number_, by the _interjection_ of a _copulative conjunction_, connecting you to a _noun substantive_, you cannot expect, or even wish from me, an accession to your _proposition_.
I candidly declare to you, that a _noun substantive_ in the _singular number_, is the only _part of speech_ to which I would willingly _subjoin_ a _copulative conjunction_. Lest you should be disposed to charge me with a.s.suming the prerogative of your own s.e.x, I shall pa.s.s over many expressions in your letter, which might properly afford a field for criticism. But let me add, Sir, that as it was an impolite, so was it a very impolitic thing for you to make use of such unwarranted freedom, as to make proposals of so immensely great consequence, to a person, with whom you had so slight an acquaintance. If, previous to the exhibition of your bold letter, you had perfectly learned my _disposition_, you must have been sensible, that it would be far from being _consonant_ with my feelings to admit of a _concord_ with you, upon conditions so disagreeable as those you offered. Beside, it would have been by no means a bad plan for you, to have been a little conversant with my sister _a.n.a.logy_; as she might have been of considerable advantage to you in an attempt of this nature: She might, at least, have supplied you with a _rule_, by which two _noun substantives_ might have _agreed_ with each other, without transforming either into a _noun adjective_.
SALLY SYNTAX.
OBSERVATION.
Sensible objects, which were any way connected with an absent or departed friend, impress their idea more forcibly on our minds, than bare reflections can; and then, like the pressure of the moon on the sea, they create a fulness of sorrow or tenderness, which can only be relieved by flowing from our eyes.
NEW-YORK.
MARRIED,
On Sat.u.r.day evening se"nnight, by the Rev. Mr. Phbus, Mr. ROBERT JOHNSTON, to Miss ANN SWITZER, both of this city.
On Wednesday evening the 8th inst. at West Greenwich, (Con.) by the Rev.
Dr. Lewis, the Rev. PLATT BUFFETT, of Stanwich, to Miss HANNAH LEWIS, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Lewis, of the former place.
On Thursday evening last, by the Rev. Mr. Pilmore, Mr. ALEXANDER COWAN, to Miss MARGARET IVERS, both of this city.
On Sat.u.r.day evening last, by the Rev. Dr. M"Knight, Mr. PETER SLOTE, Printer, to Miss ANN COOK, both of this city.
_METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS._ _From the 5th to the 11th inst._
_Thermometor observed at 6, A.M. 3, P.M._ _Prevailing winds._ _OBSERVATIONS on the WEATHER._
deg. deg. 6. 3. 6. 3.
100 100 Feb. 5 31 42 s. se. clear, calm, do. light wd.
6 40 50 50 50 sw. do. rain, lt. wd. thick fog, do.
7 34 36 w. nw. clear, high wind, do. do.
8 26 38 w. do. clear, light wind, do. do.
9 31 50 42 s. se. clear, calm, do. high wind 10 44 48 se. do. cloudy, h. wd. much rain.
11 40 44 50 n. nw. cloudy, high wind, do. do.
RESULTS OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
FOR JANUARY 1797.
deg. 100
Mean temperature of the thermometer at sun-rise 24 35 Do. do. of the do. at 3 P.M. 32 78 Do. do. for the whole month 28 56 Greatest monthly range between the 9th and 28th, 46 0 Do. do. in 24 hours, the 10th, 20 75 Coldest day the 9th, 0 0 Warmest do. the 28th, 46 0
6 days it snowed, and about eight inches and a-half has fallen.
5 do. it rained, and a large quant.i.ty has fallen.
18 do. it was clear at sunrise, and 3 P.M. or observation hours.
8 do. it was cloudy at do. do. do. do.
2 do. the wind was high at do. do. do. do.
21 do. the wind was light at do. do. do. do.
26 do. the Mercury was at or below the freezing point, at sunrise.
16 do. the do. do. do. at sunrise and 3 P.M.
20 do. the wind was west of north and south at 7 A.M. & 3 do.
21 do. the do. was east of do. and do. at do. do.
SONNET TO ADVERSITY.
Neglected Nymph, that with unpitied sigh Turn"st thy white cheek to every striking gale, While the base crew with wounding taunts a.s.sail, And Worthless Wealth averts his wint"ry eye!
Yet the rich virtues follow in thy strain, Thine is Compa.s.sion"s tear, Submission"s calm, Inspiring Hope, Religion"s healing balm, And mild Philosophy"s instructive strain.
Thine is the plaintive Poet"s touching song, That tunes with melody the chords of Care, To smile forgiveness on the cureless wrong, And heal the wounded spirit of Despair.
Ah, may I ne"er forget thy voice divine, But bless the hour, that made its precepts MINE.
THE VISION: AN ELEGY.
What time the moon, in silver robes array"d, Propt on her lucent throne, majestic sate, With weary steps, I trod the muse-fraught glade, And hail"d the sombre glory of her state.
Still was the air, and solemn all the scene; For there, immers"d in heavenly thought profound, Deep Wisdom rov"d, whose sable robes were seen To sweep with awful majesty the ground.
Bent o"er an urn, pale Melancholy stood, With Pity"s smile soft melting in her eye; Around her feet, in visionary mood, The weeping spectres float in sorrow by.
There Contemplation held her awful reign, And Fear, methought, burst thro" the low"ring gloom: While sounds terrific whisper"d in the gale, And palid visions burst the yawning tomb.
Oppress"d I stood; when lo! from yonder sky; Where charms celestial to the sight are giv"n, Some Seraph"s beauties swept in glory by, Enwrapt in all the radiant blooms of heav"n.