The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-08-01 00:00:00, page 2

Philadelphia, July 17, 1780.
To Mr.DUNLA P.
H A V u ^CT the performance in your paper of this
J day, rib nedto ro^ under the signature of J O'H NB.
CUTTi NG. Athe author is unworthy of my no
tice pmm't me. through your paper, todrop a few lines
f r to imo'mat'on and candid c moderation of those, Who
nr y 0 t recoiled, or have not been alr ady acquainted
w'htrepirdcrl rs.
W^ nth nr fopported clam ?urs of interfiled and wicked
m~o, takiopa/r^rage ofthe m?jl ertucafynftee of af
fairs, that America ever experienced, had induced Con
gress, 04 !bar Ac ^^ to vield to them, and contrary to
torir etter judgment, (since fully declared,) to remove
me from t ? place of Dir^or General of the hospitals,
without tee thih'w of a trial, accusation or earing; I
demanded, as my Birth right, an enquiry into my conduct
in that office It was granted, and a Committee of Con
gress appointed for that purpose. Addresses to the free
citizens ere puMifhed in the news papers @f the several
States, inviting and challenging every man, who had any
thing to ail dge againf! my condu&, to step forth and
make it known, that I might have an opportunity to con
fron my accusers. Cons ions of the impo^ncy of their
accufitions, they shrunk from the trial, and the Hono
rable Commute , after a minute examination, reported
to Congress, " that the said John Moreau had in the
" most fat's':a : ?ry manner, vindicate his conduct in
“ every r f,<a, as Dir dor General and Physician in
" Coief, (hewing that the said D reftor General did con
' duff him? I r ably and faithfully in discharge of the du
" ti $ of his office" Of thisCongrefs approved, declared
their fatis'aaion, and ordered that refolutiop to e pub
billed to the worl{ Hence it must appear to every un
prejudiced mini, thet front a conLioufnefs of my integri
ty, as well as Torn a love of my country, I dared to fuo
je€ tmy conI; a tote Ariffe/t fautiny, no ways de
pending ch what this pit : ul Eribierta.T the lenity cfmy
country, for the vindication of my conduct. Can my
fellowcitizens then, thick it incumbent on me,to pay any
regard to the abwe of an angry via, who has chosen to
treat them wit' a r%;.?ui of fdfe o>d, virulence, g fc?-
bade and iqvr&ive on me highly season-d with pa egy
rics on hirnfelf, and that because I hau considered end
treated him as wort. ;. <and unprincipled, and conic not
be indue d with his despicable menaces of 'alteratives.' to
tub y what I had. upon go,d grounds, declared pub
licly re peeling him , or will they suppose it becoming in
me, to UCe- r tee fclemn resolutions of Comgrefs upon
a full ijucthj. on of fads, as a nullity, and account tor
my integrty m office, to fuco an infityificant.
As towaihr.after mutilating his and my letters, and
mifrepie'eiAmg afts, terms inconii fancies, but which in
r'/p, are 11 t so, Ido from ever, c&vfatoatton, hold my
fefatfolved, after this, from entering into any explana
tion with him on th e m, farther han to tell him, the ano
nymeus ;; ithor as he calls him, to whom I referred, is
the g tleraaa who, if Fame fays true, once k—eked ]•
B. C. . troico; : pan,. But, in pari ular> i isbecaufe he
h• been fuhfcrvient to, and employed as a Sub Agent,
Sub Faflor. or fob partner of Dr. Shippen, in ids busi
ness of (peculate, in, buying and Piling hofphal ftofes,
&c. whilst they bo:h held commiffi ns iothat department,
which has been fully proved in a Court-Martial, :ni of
whirl, when the proceedings on Dr S lippens trial tome
to be publifhad, every one will be convinced.
A la?e Packet of yours informed the public, ' thatthe
' officers or the line and Raff in the wcft.ro army, diflin
' gaifliin^ filch perlons who hold comm ffions by the dif
' graceful epithet of (peculator, who fnah be directly or
< indirectly concerned in those practices of buying and
' felling, have declared they shall not be spoken to on the
• footing of gentlemen; and that tbofe who counten, 11 e
< them, shall be treated with the like scorn and conum,t.l
I do therefore, in an especial manner, deem it highly im
proper for me to take any further notke of him.
The public I fruit will excuse me mr undeceiving them
im reject to a gross impufiti'n 1 e ins,attempted to faften
upon them, by declaring " Dr, Wm Shipper, jun to
be honorably acquitted of all thecharges hr >u^ht againit
him " This my fellow cozens, is a total departure from
truth anl at once demonstrates ih• consummate est and
unernb^ rraffed condufl of this man, who thus .. res to
palm an untruth upon you, and thews what credit is to ct
givet to h-saff/rtio^. Sorry lam to be obliged, from
t'hi insinuation ofhis, thrown out to aufwer very irean
prrpofes, and to mislead the public, to fly one vord on
thefubj^a whilUit Tyet under coefider tmn ofC-n
---grefs, to whose impartial dec To I chearfuJy submit, and
it is hoped the public will (upend theirs, t'll itis known.
But ; so far as it concerns them to be set to rights a^d
to >e acquainted with tie opinion of the Court-Martial
in oppefiron 0 t e barefaced assertions of J B Cutting,
I think it m> duty to tell them, without urtlur waiting,
that the Court has declared br. Sni, pens condud as a
{peculator in hospital fibres, wbilfl he was Purveyor Ge
neral, tobe htfl improper, and jtf, reprohenfible. Such
E fentecce in all diffi; lined armies and amongß all men
of honor, is uni^erfahy construed into a (entente of guilt
and condemnation, w ich to a man of rhe lead ftnfijili
ty, is worse tCT n death. So far is <fton an honorab e ac
quitil, that fhuuld Congress, in pity, (pare him, and
wave ? j^, reprebenfion of such high, improper conduct,
an 4 'f there is that virtue in the army, which the before
mentioned patriotic resolve implies there is after the mi
fries and hardfliips to wnich this country has been expo
sed from public defaulters and (peculators in the army,
whilst the brave officers and soldiers, with whom honor
is held as the most (acred attribute of possession, have
drunk deeply of the bitter cup; neither Shippen as a
Principal, nor Cutting as an Agent in his (peculati
ons can longer remain in service, as being unfit company
for officersand gentlemen.
After the depreciation of our credit and our currency,
and the load of taxes we groan under from this cause,
that {peculators in the army an a few dollars a day pay,
contrive to live like Prince?, and amass wealth
from the sweat of the poor, the honest and industrious,
I am bold to pronounce if these iniquities are not (pee
dily removed, and grievances redrerfed public calami
ties and heavy judgments must visit a guilty land, and we
shall become an undone, a ruined people, fit only to held
our necks to the yoke of Lordly Makers. But I have
the highest opinion torn the virtue and wisdom of Con
grefs, that 11$ deciders on this important affair,will prov^
the salvation cf the country, aswell as just and honora
ble to themfeives.
JOHN MORGAN.
[From Gaines Next: Tot kan I Riving'on's Ro,al Gazettes rs
July 24 endzh, 780]
VENIC E, April 26.
E have accounts from Naples, that the British
Minifler at that Court, has presented a memorial
to request two free ports in favour of his nation, where
prizes may be brought in and fold, and the English vef
fe!i be provided with all they want ; founding hi# request
upon the example of feme other powers, which pave grant
ed the fame liberty to the veftels of his nation, particu
larly Genoa, Leghorn, and Civita Vecchia. We are cu
riout to know what will be the aufwer of the Court of
Naples.
P A R I S, April 24,
COUNT D'Eftaing is set out for Madrid, and it
is laid he will go from thence to Cadiz immediately,
to take upon him the command of the grand fleet, whi <h,
with fevera men of war expeded from Toulon, will con
sist of 30 fail of the line; after which he will alio take the
command of the two livifions under the command of the
Count Du Chaffault and Moos. de Bougainville. Count
D'Eftaizg will hoist his fl 1g on board t ie Terrible of 1.10
guns, but pierced for 120 ; there will be ihret 11bps of
that force in the fl-et All the privateers have orders to
be at Ereft by the end of this month ; theie amazing pre
p rati ,ns, toother with those on tpe coalt, m k* it im
agined that .h. I mg intended invafi n of the B-ritifh dn
manons will certainly take place this campaign, Count
D'Edaicig commanding the fleet, and Count de Malle
bois toe land f >rces. It is allo laid, that fr Count de
Rouiamueau wRi second the operations of the fleet with
his ?rmy.
'ioulo^ April ir. The frigate I'Aurora, commanded
by M. de la Flett' whicu failed "from Mal g 1 on the 28th
of Marc, with a convoy of fix Ih ps from Martmico,
arrived iir? yesterday. She took, on the gift, thr Nep
tun, a Mahonefe privateer of fix guns,' :nd 42 men I A
violent wmd dfperfed the convoy ; but none o( the snips
here received any damage.
LOND O N) May 6.
Lord Sandwich was with the King so early as five o'clock
yelterday morning, and had a conference with him till
near naif past nx, on naval matters of the greatest impor
tance. On h:s return to the Admiralty, messengers were
sent to the commanding ffi.ers at Poitfmouta, Plymouth
and Chatham.
May 15. On Saturday fe'nnight, Captain Gowland ar
rived in Londbs from Calcutta with dispatches for go #
vernment, which he brougt tby sea to B flora, nd from
hence by load through Aleppo, Alia the L is, Constan
tinople, and Vienna. Is his way from Baffora to Alep
po, being accompanied only by fix guards, a (orvan f ,
and an interpreter, he was attacked three times by trie
wild Arabs, against whom re defended himfelf § but with
in a day's journey of Aleppo, he was lur'ouaded by a
hundred barbarous people called Rafliwans by whom
he was plundered of his money, cloata and other
effects Captain Gowland saved however, his cif
patches by fi: ing upon them, and (wearing he would
orly (urrender them with bis life. The obj aof the dis
patches is to urin^ the complaints both'of t e Bridfh and
native inhabitants of Bengal agaioft the Supreme Court
of Judicature The Ei gl ih law in particular, oi atrNis
anti bail, is so tonally contr ry to .he ideas or the people
of the East, that it is regarded -by th+-m as in the nigh
est degree odious and < ppieffive
There will be no troops encamp d at Coxheath or War
ley com non the ensuing funujer, but the militia troops
are to oe formed into eleven divifioas ; 6500 are to be
entail pel near Pi mouth, a divifi • •is to be quartered
at Liverpool, 10,co a: Dartford, and the remainder are
to be en?: raped on different parts of the oalt
Tee carrw . j< to be formed at Dartford is to be
com ^...:.' üby General Fitrfon, and he f.yiral officers
of th^ militia orop, have ' rec iked inftru€tons from the
C° r r^ijn„tr m Chief, of the places appointed for the dif
ferent encampments the enfuin, summer.
The pe^tion 0; 1 e Brit,fh inhabitants of Bengal, Ba
har, and ODff , to Parliament, which will be fliortly pre
frn^d to te Home of Commons, has f r its cbjeft the
refhiHioc of the enormous powers exeicifed by the Su
preme C urt of Judicature; and not, as inserted io a
in a morning paper of yesterday, the abolition of the
Court. Ir is chiefly confined to the following objects.
'I 0 obtain a trial by jury in all cases where it is by law
established io England.
To limit the retrofpeaive powers of the court to the
time 0 its eftablhhm:nt in Bengal.
To define, beyond the power of difcretienal diflinaion;
the p rfons who are, and who are not amenable to the
jurildidiou of the court.
To deci re what flatute^ shall, and whit statutes shall
not, be in force io Bengal,
To appoint diftind and operate judges for the law and
equity ft es of the Court.
To lodge a power of flaying an execution in crimin.l
cases, till his Majesty's pleasure be known in the Gover
IlfGeneral and Council.
May 18. There remains a good deal of public bufiaefs
for Parliament yet to do, but as th' most material ft,ps
towards finifbing it, have already been taken, it is nt
imagined that the house will fit much longer, especially
as opposition in the lower house at least mean not to at
tempt any new Parliamentary manoeuvres this Sefficn..-
Mr. Burke is as anxious to get rid of hi# bill, as tee Mi
nifler can be, being heartily tired of rol ing the stone of
Sisyphus up bill.
Lord Harrinton's regimentis diffembark'd at Plymouth,
but the regiment is to be replaced by an equal number
of men from the new levies.
By a gentleman just arrived from Dublin, we are in
formed, That the spirit of volunteering beghis a little to
Cool ; and that they are removing into th? principal towns
of Ireland, a fufficient number of regular forces to mount
guard,and do the other duties of the military, which some
months ago were all performed by the volunteers.
Orders are gone to Portsmouth for the (hips that lie
there, to comeup immediate), to Spithead, and take in
their provifious, that they may join the grand fleet.
The Assurance m n of war of 44 guns, launched a few
days since, is nearly rigged at Deptford, and read) to
pro eed down the river to Woolwich, to take in her guns
and (lores, the Fortitude, a new ship of 74 guns, has
nearly coffipleated her rigging at Chatham, and will
drop down to Portsmouth in a few days to join the grand
fleet.
They write from Cadiz, that the St. Trinite of roe
guns, on board of which Don Lois de Cordova, the
Commander in Chief of the Spanish fleet, had his flag lift
year, isdifmafted and laid up, A'l her guns and floret
have been taken out in order to equip two other ships of
war now fitting there, so great is the scarcity of flor s.
May 22. The Committee of the H mfe of Commons, on
theCvil Establishment Bill on Thursday last, agreed to
the rlaufe, evading tnat the places of Lieutenant an 4
Ensign, and a I>t er inferior officers belonging to the ba
dy of the Yeomen of the Guards, after the determina
tion of the offices refpeftively in the present peffsfrrs,
and also, that ad Comnliffion asd other officers belong
ing to the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, shall not be
fold, but filled by officers of the army and navy on half
pay, of firteen years service.
Robert Man Esq; a Lord of the Admiralty, who, it
is expeded, by those who pretend tobe in the secret, will
fueceed to the command of the fleet, is the fecondjn the
lift of Vice Admirals of the Red ; he formerly command
ed on the Mediterranean flatioi), and is said to be a very
brive and exper eoced officer.
The main view in appointing a Commander in Chief
to the Channel fleet, is to choofea man who is beloved b,
the seamen, and in whom they can trust. No old Cour
tier, no Bern Martinet, will be obeyed with alacrity in
the hour of a&ion. The men may fight in ieed for their
own honor, but they will exert themidves beyond the
Ariel boundary of duty, when under the command of a
man they love for his humanity, and venerate for his
bravery.
Government have for some time been in expectation of
good new# from the Manillas, which, it is thought will
fall an easy conquest, as they are io a very weak Rate of
defence, and nofrefb troops have been tent there from
Spain for some years.
Yesterday Capt. Wiffon of a troop of volunteer li. ht
horse of Ireland, set off tor that kingdom ; the ab ve
gentleman nas gained great repute, and likewise a plent
from bis Mijefty for a new invented b under^ofc, which
fixes in the manner of a swivel to the pommloi thetad
dle, and carries 14 balls. It can be loaded and dfbarg
ed with such remarkable fwiftnefs that several nav# been
already made in the Tower on the original plan.
May 14. Yeflerday noon an express arrived from P!y
mouto, at the Admiralty, with an account that his Ma
jefty' sfllip the Ard nt, taken off that town in the month
of August last, was retaken, and brought in toere, after
an obstinate engagement, by hi# Majetys ship tne Ju
piter, Capt Reynolds, in company mth a rigate. Our
correspondent has sent us no particulars, but that it was
a warm contest, and that tee frigate raked rhe Ardent,
whip the Jupiter plied plentifully along-fide.
We can assure the public, that Francis Geary, Esq;
Admiral of the White, is appointed to the command of
the grand fleet defiined for service to the westward. The
Admiral will nave for hi# firft Captain, the illustrious Capt#
Kempenfdt, who was employed in the fame character un
der Sir Charles Hardy, and he will also have under him
Vice Admirals Barrington and Darby, and Rear Admi
ral# Digby and Rofg.
As a Commander in Chief is now appointed to the
command of the grand fleet, it is hoped that 00 delay will
retard its failing ; for it matters not our having a r<fprc
table fleet at Spithtad, when it ought to be in the Chan
nel and either block up the French fleets in their own
ports, or bring them to a general engagement.
On Sunday died, in Burling-ft reel, the Honourable
Thomas rowrifheod, one of the oldest Tellers in the Ex
chequer, and father of Thomas Townfhend, Esq ; Mem
ber for Whitechurch.
Orders are gone to Plymouth, for the ships that lie
there, to c^me up immediately to Spithead, and take in
their provisions, that they may join the grand fleet.
B O S T O N,' July
By an officer from Albany, we are informed, that a
few ours before he left that place, an express had arri
ved there from the Oneidas, giving an account that #
considerable body of the enemy, supposed to be 7 or 800,
chiefly savages, commanded by the noted Butler and
Brant, had been difeovered near the old Oneida castle, a
bout 20 miles from Fort Schuyler; and that it was sup
posed their intention were to destroy that cattle, and then
avoiding fort Schuyler, to proceed down the Mohawk
river, in order to cut off the remains of that defencelefs,
and yet important part of the country for grain, which it
fems, ir John Johnson, in bis late notable expedition,
by reason of fie haste he was in to carry off his own plate,
had not fufficient time to effect.
On the Bth instant, arrived at Falmouth, a prize ship
with ,00 hhds salt, captured by Capt. Page io a fmali
febooner belonging to Salem, which schooner, it is (aid,
has tak/n two other ships, ladened with the fame cargo.
The French army we hear have encamped on the south
fide of R^oie Island, and are as a fine a body of troops,
as ever were rolleded together. Nptwithftanding their
tedious passage of above ten weeks, we are well assured
there are not 3@o unfit for immediate duty.
STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS -BAY.
By the honourable the Major part of the COUNCIL of
the State oi Maffachuftt&Bay, in New En land.
A PROCLAMATION.
\AJ HE REAS we have received authearic intelli
v' gence of the arrival of the French fleet at Newport
in the State of Rhode Island: Ard it being of the last,
importance that General WASHINGTON mould be
prepared immediately to co-operate with the forces of our
Illustrious Ally 1
Therefore the Brigadiers and Superintendantsof the fe
vera! counties ,in this State, and all Militia Officers, Se
le&men and Committees, are refpeaively called upon in
the most pressing manner, as they regard the honour and
(afety of their country, and as they would avoid the pe
nalty of the Law ; to cause the battalion and Militia
men, that they have been ordered to enlist or draft, and