In the United States, the average proportion of his earnings, which each citizen pays per annum, for the fupport of the civil, military, and naval establishments, and for the difcharge of the intereft of the public debts of his country, &c. is about one dollar and a quarter. In Great Britain, the taxes of these objects, on an average, amount to above two guineas per annum to each perfon. Hence it appears, that in the United States they enjoy the bleffings of a free government and mild laws, of perfonal liberty, and protection of property, for nearly one tenth part of the fum which is paid in England for the purchase of fimilar benefits, too generally without the attainment of them. The American citizen likewife has the profpect of the taxes, which.he pays, fmall as they are, being leffened, while the subjects of all the old. European governments can have no expectation but of their burdens be ing increased.

SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI.

This fociety, inftituted immediately on the clofe of the war, in 1783, has made so much noise both in Europe and America, and has derived fuch dignity and importance from the characters who compofe it, that it is thought proper to infert the inftitution at large, for the information of the uninformed, and for the gratification of the refpectable members of the Cincinnati, who wish to have their friendly and charitable intentions fully understood by all claffes of their fellow citizens.

It originated with General Knox, who, with the good intention of reconciling the minds of his military brethren to the private life on which they were foon to enter, projected the plan. Knox imparted his propofals to certain officers. They were afterward communicated to the feveral regiments of the refpective lines, and an officer from each was appointed, who, with the generals, fhould take the fame into confideration at a meeting to be held on the 10th of May, at which Baron Stuben, the fenior officer prefent, prefided. At their next meeting on the 13th, the plan, having been revised, was accepted. The fubftance of it was "The officers of the American army do hereby, in the moft folemn manner, affociate, conftitute, and combine themselves, into one Society of Friends, to endure as long as they fhall endure, or ANY OF THEIR ELDEST MALE POSTERITY; and in failure thereof, THE COLLATERAL BRANCHES, WHO MAY BE JUDGED WORTHY OF BECOMING ITS SUPPORTERS AND MEMBERS.-The officers of the American army, having generally been taken from the citizens of America, poffefs high veneration for the character of that illuftrious Roman,

LUCIUS QUINTIUS CINCINNATUS, and being refolved to follow his example, by returning to their citizenship, they think they may with propriety denominate themfelves The Society of the Cincinnati. The following principles fhall be inmutable-an inceffant attention to preferve inviolate the exalted rights and liberties of human nature, for which they have fought and bled-An unalterable determination to promote and cherish between the refpective ftates, union and national honour-To render permanent, cordial affection, and the spirit of brotherly kindness among the officers-and to extend acts of beneficence toward thofe officers and their families, who may unfortunately. be under the neceffity of receiving it. The general fociety will, for the fake of frequent communications, be divided into ftate focieties; and thofe again into such districts as fhall be directed by the ftate focieties. The ftate focieties fhall meet on the fourth of July annually, and the general fociety on the firft Monday in May annually, fo long as they fhall deem it neceffary, and afterward at least once in every three years. The state focieties are to have a prefident, vice-prefident, secretary, treasurer, and affiftant-treasurer. The meeting of the general society shall confift of its officers, and a reprefentation from each state society, in number not exceeding five, whofe expences fhall be borne by their respective state focieties. In the general meeting, the prefident, vice-prefident, fecretary, affiftant-fecretary, treasurer, and affiftant-treafurers-general, fhall be chofen to ferve until the next meeting. Thofe officers who are foreigners, are to be confidered as members in the focieties of any of the ftates in which they may happen to be. As there are and will at all times be men in the respective ftates eminent for their abilities and patriotifm, whofe views may be directed to the fame laudable objects with those of the Cincinnati, it shall be a rule to admit fuch characters, as honorary members of the fociety for their own lives only: provided that the number of the honorary members do not exceed a ratio of one to four of the officers and their descendants. The fociety fhall have an order, by which its members shall be known and distinguished, which shall be a medal of gold, of a proper fize to receive the propofed emblems, and to be sufpended by a deep blue ribbon, two inches wide, edged with white, defcriptive of the union of America and France."

The fociety at the faid meeting directed, that the prefident-general should tranfmit, as foon as might be, to each of the following characters, a medal containing the order of the fociety, viz, the chevalier de la Luzerne, the Sieur Gerard, the count d'Estaing, the count de Graffe, the count de Barras, the chevalier d'Eftouches, the count

de

de Rochambeau, and the generals and colonels in the army; and fhould acquaint them, that "the fociety do themselves the honor to confider them as members." They alfo refolved, that the members of the feveral ftate focieties fhould affemble as foon as might be for the choice of their officers; "that general Heath, baron Steuben, and general Knox, be a committee to wait on the commander in chief, with a copy of the inftitution, and request him to honor the fociety by placing his name at the head of it." They likewise defired general Heath, to tranfinit copies of the inftitution with the proceedings thereon, to the commanding officer of the fouthern army, the fenior officer in each state, from Pennfylvania to Georgia inclufive, and to the commanding officer of the Rhode Island line, requesting them to take fuch measures as may appear to them neceffary for expediting the eftablishment of their ftate focieties. Circular letters were accordingly written; and the plan of the Cincinnati carried into execution, with out the leaft oppofition being given to it by any one state, or body of men in any.

A pamphlet was at length published, figned CASSIUS, dated Charleston, October 10, 1783, entitled, Confiderations on the Society of order of Cincinnati; with this motto, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion." It was thought to have been written by Edanus Burke, Efq. one of the chief juftices of South Carolina; and is well executed. The author undertook to prove that the Cincinnati erected two diftin&t orders among the Americans-ft, A race of hereditary nobles, founded on the military, together with the powerful families, and first-rate leading men in the ftate, whofe view it would ever be, to rule: and 2dly, The people or plebeians, whofe only view was, not to be oppreffed; but whose fate it would be to fuffer oppreffion under the Institution. Remarking upon the reason for the members being called the Cincinnati, he exclaims-" As they were taken from the citizens, why in the name of God not be contented to return to citizenship, without ufurping an hereditary order? or with what propriety can they denominate themfelves from Cincinnatus, with an ambition fo rank as to aim at nothing lefs, than Otium cum Dignitate, retirement and a peerage? Did that virtuous Roman, having fubdued the enemies of his country, and returned home to tend his vineyards and plant his cabbages, confer an hereditary order of peerage on himfelf and his fellow foldiers? I anfwer, No; it was more than he dared to do. When near the end he fays,-With regard to myfelf, I will be candîd to own, that although I am morally certain the inftitution will entail upon us the evils I have mentioned; yet I have not

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the

met

most distant idea, that it will come to a diffolution. The firft clafs, or leading gentry in the ftate [of South Carolina], and who will always hold the government, will find their intereft in fupporting a diftinction that will gratify their ambition, by removing them far above their fellow citizens. The middling order of our gentry, and substantial landholders, may fee its tendency; but they can take no step to oppose it, having little to do with government. And the lower clafs, with the city populace, will never reafon on it till they feel the fmart, and then they will have neither the power nor capacity for a reformation."

The alarm became general, the extreme jealousy of the new repub lics, fufpected danger from the union of the leaders of their late army, and especially from a part of the inftitution which held out to their pofterity the honour of being admitted members of the same society. To obviate all grounds of jealoufy and fear, the general meeting of the fociety recommended an alteration of their institution to the state focieties, which has been adopted. By this recommendation it was propofed to expunge EVERY THING THAT WAS HEREDITARY, and to retain little else than their original name, and a focial charitable inftitution for perpetuating their perfonal friendship, and relieving the wants of their indigent brethren.

The INSTITUTION of the SOCIETY, as altered and amended at their first General Meeting at PHILADELPHIA, May, 1784.

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IT having pleased the supreme governor of the universe to give fuccefs to the arms of our country, and to establish the United states free and independent: Therefore, gratefully to commemorate this event to inculcate to the latest ages the duty of laying down in peace, arms affumed for public defence, by forming an inftitution which recognizes that most important principle-to continue the mutual friendships which commenced under the preffure of common danger, and to effectuate the acts of beneficence, dictated by the spirit of brotherly kindness, towards thofe officers and their families, who unfortunately may be under the neceffity of receiving them; the officers of the American army do hereby constitute themselves into A fociety of friends and, poffeffing the highest veneration for the character of that illuftrious Roman, Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus, denominate themfelves THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI.

SECT. I The perfons who conftitute this fociety, are all the commiffioned and brevet officers of the army and navy of the United States, who have ferved three years, and who left the service with

reputation;

reputation; all officers who were in actual service at the conclufion of the war; all the principle staff-officers of the continental army; and the officers who have been deranged by the feveral refolutions of Congrefs, upon the different reforms of the army.

SECT. II. • There are also admitted into this fociety, the late and prefent minifters of his most christian majefty to the United States; all the generals and colonels of regiments and legions of the land forces; all the admirals and captains of the navy, ranking as colonels, who have co-operated with the armies of the United States in their exertions for liberty; and fuch other perfons as have been admitted by the refpective state-meetings.

SECT. III.

The fociety fhall have a prefident, vice-prefident, fecretary, and affiftant fecretary.

SECT. IV. • There shall be a meeting of the fociety, at least once in three years, on the firft Monday in May, at fuch place as the prefident fhall appoint.

The faid meeting shall confift of the aforefaid officers, whofe expences fhall be equally born by the state funds, and a representation from each state.

• The business of this general meeting fhall be-to regulate the dif tribution of furplus funds; to appoint officers for the ensuing termand to conform the bye-laws of ftate meetings to the general objects of the inftitution.

SECT. V. The fociety fhall be divided into state-meetings: each meeting fhall have a prefident, vice-prefident, fecretary and treasurer, refpectively to be chofen by a majority of votes annually.

SECT. VI. The ftate meetings fhall be on the anniverfary of independence. They fhall concert fuch meafures as may conduce to the benevolent purposes of the fociety; and the feveral ftate-meetings fhall, at fuitable periods, make application to their respective legifla tures for grants of charters.

SECT. VII. Any member removing from one ftate to another, is to be confidered, in all refpects, as belonging to the meeting of the state in which he shall actually refide.

SECT. VIII. The state-meeting fhall judge of the qualification of its members, adinonish, and, if neceffary, expel any one who may conduct himself unworthily.

SECT. IX. The fecretary of each flate-meeting shall register the nanes of the members refident in each ftate, and tranfinit a copy thereof to the fecretary of the fociety.

SECT. X. La order to form funds for the relief of unfortunate

me:nbers,