“Extracts from Melish’s Travels Published in Philadelphia, in October, 1812.” Investigator, vol. II, no. 39, 16 Feb. 1813, p. [3]. Readex: America’s Historical Newspapers. Accessed 27 June 2026.
TPHA note 8/18/26: In 1815, John Melish, 1771-1822, published a travel log titled “Travels through the United States of America, in the years 1806 & 1807, and 1809, 1810, & 1811; including an account of passages betwixt America and Britain, and travels through various parts of Britain, Ireland, & Canada”. Further information can be found at the HathiTrust copy of the travel log.
EXTRACTS
From Melish’s Travels:
Published in Philadelphia, in October, 1812,
vol. 1st, p. 64 and 129.
ON the 20th of August [1806,] I was introduced to that celebrated character THOMAS PAINE. He was confined in New-York by a hurt in his leg, and lived in the house of Mrs. PALMER, widow of the late deistical minister in that city. [The gentleman who introduced me was well acquainted with Mr. PAINE, & I was politely received as his friend.] PAINE was sitting in a small apartment, with a number of Newspapers before him, and he gave one of them to my friend to read some paragraphs relative to the negotiations for peace between Britain and France. In the mean time, I cast my eyes across the table, and, from some MSS. which lay on it, judged he was writing on the subject of religion. The title of one of the pieces was singular, namely, “It is I, THOMAS PAINE, that speaketh,” and I could only see a word here and there of what followed; but, by the scope of it, I presumed that it was some sort of religious creed. I was afterwards informed, that it really was so, and that he intended it should be published after his death.
When my friend had finished reading the newspapers, they entered into conversation, in which Paine declared decidedly, that there would be no peace. “The war,” he observed, “must inevitably go on till the government of England fell, for it was radically and systematically wrong, and altogether incompatible with the present state of society.” I reminded him, that there was now a whig administration in Britain, who would institute a reform of abuses, cause the constitution to be acted on in its purity, and probably repair all the mischief that had been done by the tory administrations.—He shook his head, and said that he knew the English government well, and was convinced that no man, or set of men, would ever be able to reform it; the system was wrong, and it never could be set right without a revolution, which was a certain as fate, and at no great distance in time.
Finding we differed on this point, I changed the subject, and took notice of a little essay which he had written on the yellow fever, which had been published in the newspapers, and attracted considerable attention in the southern states. He seemed to be pleased with this, and, in the course of conversation on the subject, discovered a good deal of that literary vanity of which he has been accused; but it must be acknowledged, that this little piece contains much valuable information. The arguments are ingenious; to me, indeed, quite convincing; and I have conversed with some of Mr. PAINE‘s most strenuous political opponents, who have viewed them in the same light.
PAINE is a slender man, rather tall, and has an uncommonly penetrating eye. His face is subject to a scorbutic eruption, which circumstance has probably contributed to propagate the report, that he is habitually intemperate; but I was informed by those who knew him well, that it is not correct. When he meets with a person of his own way of thinking, he will frequently indulge himself to a late hour over a glass of toddy; but seldom carries it to excess. His income is but small; but he is in independent circumstances, having a tract of land, for which he could obtain ten thousand dollars. He is pleasant in conversation, and speaks very much in the style he writes, quite clear and perspicuous.
I continued in New-York, transacting various mercantile business, until the 25th of September; during which time, I again called on THOMAS PAINE, in company with his friend, formerly mentioned. PAINE was still at the house of Mrs. Palmer, but his leg had got much better, and he was in good spirits. News had arrived that morning, that a peace had been concluded between France and England; but PAINE said he did not believe it; and again affirmed, that whilst the present government lasted in England, there would be no peace. The government was committed in a war system, and would prosecute it as long as they could command the means. He then turned up a newspaper, which had recently been established at New-York, and, after reading several paragraphs, he observed that he could not understand what the editor was driving at. He pretended to be a great friend of Britain, and yet he was constantly writing against peace, and the best interest of the country; and in place of being guided by the plain dictates of common sense, he aimed at flowery, embellished language, and glided away into the airy regions of speculative nonsense, more like a madman than the editor of a newspaper. And, after a good deal of general conversation, we took our leave.