The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-03-02 00:00:00, page 2

For the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
A Writer who signs himfelf An American, in the Penn
fylvania Packet of last Saturday, has felefted and
thrown together a variety of circumstances from which no
final conciufioa appears to be clearly drawn. He has ta
ken for granted that which is matter of doubt, and argued
from if as from matter of fad.
The piece is written with a shew of decency and can
dor. But is decency and candor the natural or the mafic
character of the writer? If it be the former, we may con
• elude him Sincere : if the latter, artful. It is necessary, at
this time, that writers as well as writings fliould be read ;
and did I know a man who pays less regard to decency ,
than himfelf, I would name him. The Short character I
have drawn, is that which he affe&s to be proud of; and
as I would willingly please all, where I can do it confid
ently, I have, for once, paid a compliment to ambition.
N * As fubjeds for his address, he has felcaed the three fol
lowing heads.— ^irfi. The taking of Georgia by the ene
my — Secondly, The calumnies raised against Congrefs.—>
And Thirdly! The Symptoms of difeontent exhibited by the
To Governieure Morris, Efqtrire, Delegate of the Rate
of New-York, in Congress.
SIR,
IB EG leave to express to you a few sentiments in the
rough. For truth, like the diamond, is often of most
value in that state: We are apt to take off too much in
reducing them toa fine shape and a high polifli.
Your late colleague, William Duer, Esquire, by inter
meddling with the state politicks of Pennfylvaniay raised
jalousies concerning him which fubje&ed his conduct to
close infpeftion, and, in the end, brought him to the
hatred and contempt of many people of this state. If
you follow his footfteps they will lead you to the fame
situation. He may plead some excuse for his conduct.
Men who he was taught to beleive had weight and influence
in the state, and Who were supposed to be acquainted with
the sentiments of the people, deceived and milled him;
but you cannot now pretend ignorance of the Hate of our
affairs. You have heard near fourteen thousand Freemen
of Pennsylvania, express their di(approbation of any mea
sures to disturb the execution of the present pl in of go
vernment, a number which has never before appeared in
Fennfylvania upon any occasion, and they have appeared
without folicitat on as a free people ought ever to do.
You know, that in General Assembly forty-feven of the
representatives of toe state, have voted for rewinding the
resolution of the House for taking the fen e of the people
refpe&inga Convention, leaving behind them only afoli
tary seven of these men of weight and infiuence, whom Mr.
Duer, and yourfelf have affected to consider as the men
who fp®ke the real sense of the people, to compofethem
felves under the discovery of their want of consequence in
the best mannerthey can. These men can give you no flip
port. Take care, then, what you fay and what you do
in the affairs of Pennsylvania, in which you are no way
concerned, and attend to your duty in Congress, where
there is neglected business enough to employ your whale
time and the utmost of your abilities and attention.
I address you at present in consequence of a piece signed
"An American," published in the Packet last Saturday, of
which you are supposed to be the author. The art with
which the main design of that piece is covered points to
you : It is truly Machiavelian. Butto those who know,
that your favourite objeßs are, to disgrace Pennsylvania,
tafult the President of its Council, and to support Gene
ral Arnold, the design Hands naked and detefled.
Pennsylvania, Sir, will support its dignity; but its mi
litia will never aft while General Arnold has the command
in the city ; or, if they do, their firft aft will be to expel
him from the state. His cendud cannot be borne with
by Freemen: The principles he has laid down as the
rule of his conduct are spurned at with indignity.
, Give me leave, Sir, to fay, that if the Assembly do
their duty, they will soon demand of Congress that he be
removed from command in this city—and if the demand
is made it must be complied with: For the members of
Congress are not Kings. They hold their feats by the
voice of the people, and will be removed whenever they
forfake the interest, or negleft the happiness of the peo
ple..
Congress, as a body, can never be. disgraced. Indivi
duals in iimay, indeed, disgrace themfeives; but their
mifeondua being understood they will be removed:
Their-errors will be fedreffed by wiser, or better, men,
and the dignity of Congress be restored arid Supported in
its full splendor. To make this practicable the proceed
ings of Congress must be published.
ft,s become necessary, that the Several Bates should
know the part their delegates have acted in a late case
wherein Pennsylvania has been wounded, and effectual
measures ought to be immediately taken for this purpose.
Your duplicity, Sir, on that occasion will, ofcourfe, form
a conspicuous part in the representation, next to his whose
practice it is to retire from a question he dare not openly
support, and, by retiring, destroy the vote of the state he is
sent to represent: Contempt is too flight a punishment
for fetch con,dud. You, and afew others, may sport and
trifle with our most important affairs once too often. You
may smile an infiduous sneer, and General Arnold may
grin ; but Pennsylvania weeps—and I with, from my foul
I with, her tears may not turn to blood—ls they should
ftand from their falling or they may clot upon your
head..
The President of the state has the full confidence of the
peopleever whom he presides. His difiinguifhed abilities
are acknowledged by all parties. They know him to be
brave, to be honest gnd firm. They have seen him tried,
and therefore groundless insinuations will neither remove
nor shake that' confidence which they fee! he deserves.
They will support him because he pursues what they esteem
to be ffie true interest of the state.
General Arnold's conduct is tpo well known and under
flood to serve any purpose of yours in this state, and it
will be further explained or I am mifinformed ; but if you
by some aft which will not bear the light have linked
your fate with his falling reputation, I will not attempt
to break the chain which unites you.
If, as you fay, " Billingsgate language marks at most
“ a Billingsgate education," yours modi have been finish
ed there. For you are said to possess and to use more of
it than any other man living.
T. G.
To the Right Hon. John Earl of Sandwich, and the Lords
Commifioners for executing the Office of Lord High Ad
miral of Great Britain. - \
My Lords,
„„ HE Freedom which I now take to address your Lord
-1 lhi,s in this public Manner does by no Means pro
ceed from the sinister Intention of intruding falfe and alarm
ing Reports upon the Public to the Detriment of private
Character; and the injury of the public Service, but anxi
ous for the Honour of my King, and sincere in my best
Wishes and Endeavours for the Good of my Country, I
could not excuse myfeff from offering to you© Lordship's
Consideration the following Faffs relative to the Island of
Bermuda, which I am to give from personal Acquaintance,
and the most authentic Information, and have this additi
onal Reason to plead your Lordihip's Excuse and Indul
gence for this Address, the small Inland mentioned being
more out of the usual Course of official Information than
most of our other Settlements abroad. Perhaps in none
of the Colonies in actual Rebellion is the seditious, libell
ous, and unchristian Spirit of tumultuous Clamour and
Rebellion come to a greater Height than in the above
Island. To give your Lordihips my Reasons for theabove
Affection, I beg leave briefly to mention the following
' Fads By a secret Combination amongst the seditious
Ringleaders in this Island, who are mostly connected, by
kindred or otherwise, the King's Powder was clandestinely
flolen from a House adjoining to the Governor's, carried
off, and shipped on board a small sloop for America, the
Colledor of the Customs going in his barge to board her
in going out, a vast number ofboats from all parts of the
Island, turned out to hinder his getting on board, and to
wed the sloop away with all expedition. A Sloop Letter
of Marque, by Commiffien from the Governor, having
seized some vessels belonging to the Island, with American
property on board, and brought them into St. George's
Harbour, a riotous Assembly besetting the Governor's
House by For e obliged the vessels to be given up. By a
feigned complaint of distress from want of provisions,
which they pretend they can get no where but from Ameri.
ca, they had the address to have the Nautilus and Gala
tea men of war called off from that flation in January last,
• which mips had been remarkably a&ive in suppressing their
clandestine trade; finer whicE time I beg leave to assure
your Lordfaips they have traded in the most open manner
with America, without any molestation: Small schooners
and sloops of ten, twenty, thirty, forty and fifty tons bur
then are daily going to America, laden with faltand good,
clandestinely sent from England to that Island, and in re
turn bring tobacco, indigo,' hams, and all forts of pro
visions, greatly to the Emolument and advantage of the
importer. How much the Applying the rebellious Col
onies with an article so very material as salt is to their ad
vantage, and thedetriment of his Majesty's service, I hum
bly submit to your Lordhrip's consideration. 1 shall not
troubly your Lordships with an account of their scandalous
and inhuman procedure on the late unhappy Shipwreck of
the Lord Amherst armed Ship on the rocks of that Island,
but beg leave to submit one observation more to your
Lordship's consideration. If a few of the proper frontier
towns on the Continent cf America were garrisoned with
troops, with vessels ready to tianfport them, to make
what excursions might be judged neclfary at a distance,
and a proper number of small sloops and frigates of war
Rationed in different latitudes along the toast, it would be
found to be an easy, certain and infallible way of cru fli
ing this rebellion,, and I flatter myfelf we should have force
enough remaining at home to humble and crufli their abet
tors to atoms.
I'¥,'my Lords, with the greatest Refpefl,
Your Lord Ship's most obedient Servant,
Philadelphia, March 1, 1779.
In the address to Mr. Deane in the Pennsylvania Packet
of Feb. 16, instead of " Mr. Deane had been a traitor to
" Mr. Arthur Lee, and broke open and suppressed some
" confdurable information of Mr. Lee's to Congress some
" considerable time before," read, " Mr. Deane had
" been a traitor to Mr. Arthur Lee, and broke open and
" suppressed some confidential information of his to C®n
" grefs some considerable time before."
Executive Council of Pemifylvania. The Fir,4, he admits
to be true. And the Second and Third he endeavours to
explain away.
That an enemy after threatening the unconditional con
quest of Thirteen States, should at last make their attack
on the weakest and rtmoteft of them all, is Inch an evi
dence of wafted firength and despair, as needs no other
exposure than to be told—And with this simple remark i
dismiss the firft of his heads.
As to the calumnies against Congress, I know, but of
one, and that is to be found in Mr. Deane's address of Dec.
sth. viz. That “ the ears of the representatives mere fout
agamf him " But will the writer of the American, tho'
a member of that House, fay, that he was not privy to the
libel before it was published ? And will he now desert the
libeller as an apology for himfelf? Confiflency has some
pretensions to character; and I would recommend it to
the American to flick to his friend, and his friend to him.
If the one can juftify his conduct to his constituents, and
the other to the public, it will be well for both.
Mr Deane now wants to get off the Continent, and has
applied to Congress for leave es absence. His retreat may
be as convenient to Several members of that House, as to
himfelf. But should a man, whose public accounts are un
settled ; who has made charges against others, without of
fering to support them ; and has had charges laid against
him, te which he has made no reply ; who is fufpe^ed of
having carried on a elandeftine trade, of embezzling pu
blic money, and suppressing the public dispatches, be, at
this time, permitted to depart?
The state of things does not admit of that sleepy qui
etude and unlimited confidence, which the writer of the-
American nofj wishes to promote. And as it cannot be
the interest of the States to be imposed upon, either by their
delegates in congress or their ambassadors abroad, I shall
colled, and throw into one view, the substance of what has
been already published on Mr. Deane's affairs, with the
letters I have written and fnt into that body while the
matter was depending, and their condud thereon.
COMMON SENSE.
From the St. James's Chronicle.
ERITANNUS.
8,6 S T O N, February if
CAPTAIN M'Neil brought dispatches for Congress
whi.h, it is said, contain matters of great importance,
ft is said the Spaniih fleet had failed from Cadiz in or
der to join that of France at Ereft ; and that the two fleets
when united would make a formidable fyadron of near
eighty men of war, and it was thought they were soon to
proceed on some very important enterprize ; and as a nu
merous army of French troops were encamped on the coast
of France, perhaps an invafibn of Great Britain or Ire
land is intended, the former being under terrible appre
hensions of it, have for feme time past kept a numerous
body of their militia on the English ceafi, which lie near
to that of France.
The French have a superior number of men of war in
the Mediterranean, t > that of the English.
The sloop Union, Zebuion Whippe, commander, fai>
ed on or about the 30th of December last from Nantz bound
to Virginia. On the zzd December arrived at Nantz the
sloop Charles, Jenkins, commander, from Virginia, be
longing to Nantucket, all well;
• Thursday last a Continental Brig arrived fafe in port,
from Cadiz, the mafler of which informs, that he left at
that port upwards of thirty Spanish ships of the line, te
fides frigates, ready for sea at an hour's warning.
Same day arrived fafe in port a topsail fehooner of about
80 tons, laden with dry filh, prize to the Hazard.
Last Saturday night was brought to this town one Ne
hemiah Webb, late of Sandwich, taken in a brig bound
from Halifax t^Surinam, laden with filh. This is one of
those tory spies who some time ago came from Newport
to Sandwich, and left a quantity of counterfeit money a
mong their friends, and returned to Newport again.
Extract of a letter from a gentleman at Nantz, dated Dec.
1?, 1778, to a merchant in this town.>
" Six mips of the line of 74 guns and two of 40 guna
have failed from Brest, as well as a large quantity of pro
visions, for our Islands. When this squadron shall be
joined to that of the Count D'Eftaing, the Englifli will
not have an equal force to oppefe us. This situation
gives us the hopes that we shall soon hear of the reduction
of the British Iftands. We have near ir,oco British pri
soners in this kingdom, the greatest part of which have
be r n ta^en in privateers. The two squadrons had no en
gagement, feut cur ships and frigates have taken a great
many privateers and a number of British frigates. The
King of England has lent a Commissioner to treat upon
an exchange of prisoners. Our King has answered he was
very willing, provided there be ado an exchange of the
Americans, and that he would give man for man. The
English will not hear a word of our Allies, and our Court
will do nothing unless they are included. All our ships
and frigates wiil be completely armed by the spring. The
three new ships of the line at Toulon, and these which
were repairing, are fitted out with the fquadren of M.
Fabry. This squadron will consist of twelve ships of ts e
lins, and as many frigates and xebecs. We have at Roch
fort three new fliips of 74 guns, which are to join the Brest
fleet. It is supposed that this fleet will be superior next
spring to what it was last year, so that we are very easy.
War has not yet been declared, but we do not take the
less for that."
Tho British papers observe, that the French ep+ef so
warmly into the interest of their Allies, that Te Deums
,are fang upon evary capture of importance made by the
Americans, who find a friendly and ready market for their
prizes in all the French ports.
By a gentleman lately from the Island of Bermuda we
learn, that the inhabitants are in the greatest distress for
want of provisions, and are on the eve of experiencing
every calamity that can arise from famine. That all the
remaining American prison ers were released from con
finement, and that the French were feat in a flag to Mar
tinico.
The worthy inhabitants paid the utmeft attention to
all _the American prisoners bro't in there. Each one are
striving who shall be the most forward in shewing them
the greatest civility and kindness.
The decrease in the exportations of hard ware in Eng
land has become so great, that besides the numbers lately
gone into the sea and land service, more than three hun
dred people in that branch of business are out of era ploy.
The Mifflin in her passage hither, t®ok a Bdtifh priva
teer of sixteen guns and eighty men. The Captain and
all the crew were laid in irons, for renewing the fight after
they had flruck.
The accounts given in a letter from Amsterdam, of Sept.
30, printed in our last, are confirmed by the Mifflin. The
most authentic advices assure us, That the Dutch are de
termined to fuffer no interruption in their trade with
France, and to make no commutation for the naval fiores
lately captured by the English, but insist upon a fpecific
reftjtution; enforcing their demands by a fleet of thirty
faven men of war, which they have lately ordered out. The
Danes and the Swedes are determined to a& a similar part;
by which means the trade of France will be fafe in neu
tral bottoms, and much insurance saved. While her sea
men are employed in the King's service, and on board,
privateers. Britain, if she would prevent this, must enter
into a war with all these nations. The distress of the ma-
Aufaanres in Ireland is great, if we may judge by the ci
ty of Dublin. The number of linen looms, fays the Eng-,
lifh papers, in that city, is exactly one thousand fix hun
dred and twenty-seven, of which one thousand three hun
dred are absolutely at a stand. The Britifli ministry lhow
a design of extending the land tax into that kingdom. The
alarm is given, and much opposition preparing. Their
expences are daily increasing ; the companies of men rais
ed by private fubferfptions, for the defence of Ireland,
are said to amount to seven thousand men. While the
Roman catholics have lately been raised there by ads of
parliament; the old hardships have been left in full upon
the Protestant dissenters; ®f this they loudly complain.
They fay, it is bqcaufe they are fufpefted as friendly to
America ; they speak with the highest eulogium of the
land of liberty beyond the Atlantic, and many of them
hope soon to become inhabitants of it. Birmingham, a
mong other manufacturing towns, after r.ll her loyal efforts,
complain now of the war, and gave poor Burgoyne the
small fatisfaftion of ringing her bells as he lately passed
through that place. Several letters are addressed in the
London papers to the Prince of Wales, upon the loss of
America, and the present perilous state of the nation•
from which it seems as if the Whigs had some hopes of
finding a patron in this young prince.