FEDERAL PROCESSION, 24-31 JULY 1788

prompted the action of the mob (to Jeremy Belknap, 27 July, VI, below), and
the French minister plenipotentiary to the United States declared that Green-
leaf's "tasteless joke" led to the destruction of his printing establishment
(Comte de Moustier to Comte de Montmorin, 2 August, below). In Greenleaf's
lengthy commentary on the sacking of his office, he admitted that his descrip-
tion of the procession was a reason for the "unwarrantable proceedings" but
"was not the sole reason." He believed that the action of the mob "was in-
tended, by some artful and designing persons, to ruin him with the public,
and thereby destroy the usefulness of his paper as a free and impartial one."
The "minds of the community," according to Greenleaf, had been further
inflamed by a report that "a HAND BILL, calculated to burlesque the citizens,
had been printed in this office." Greenleaf denied printing such a handbill
(New York Journal, 7 August, VII, below). In his diary for 26 July Noah Webster
commented: "Mr Greenleaf's windows broken The printer opposed to the
Constitution" (Webster Diary, NN). Greenleaf had been criticized for many
months because of his fierce opposition to the Constitution. Because of the
damage done to his shop, Greenleaf did not resume publication of the New
York Journal until 31 July, at which time the newspaper became a weekly. (See
VII, below, for a full account of the mob's action and its aftermath.)
On 2 August the Daily Advertiser printed a comprehensive account of the
procession, written by Noah Webster (below), which was reprinted by every
extant New York City newspaper except the New York Journal. It should be noted
that no reprint of the account has been found for the New York Museum, al-
though only one issue (the 15th) exists for the Museum for the month of
August.
New York Journal, 24 July 17881
Yesterday the GRAND PROCESSION "in honor of the Constitution of
the United States," paraded to and fro, and walked up and down, in this
city, to the novel entertainment of all classes of people. The procession
made a very pompous appearance, and was conducted in a regular and
decent manner. It paraded at eight o'clock, A. M. in the fields; at ten
a salute of 13 guns was fired from the procession ship, when it began
to move down Broad-way, and proceeded through Great Dock street,
Hanover square, Queen, Chatham, Arundel and Bullock streets, to the
parade des fetes champetre,2 where two bullocks and a mutton had
been roasted whole, for their regale, together with hams, &c. &c. These
were served upon ten extensive tables, which were prepared for the
purpose, and which projected, in direct angles, from one common cen-
tre, where was situated, a little elevated, the seat of Congress and civil
and legislative magistrates, strangers of distinction, &c. who had a com-
plete view of the ten seats; the seats were all canopied with canvass,
which, in some measure, screened the guests from the rain, which un-
luckily fell at different periods of the day.

1615