The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1783-01-16 00:00:00, page 1

Philadelphia, Jan. 16.
On Tuesday evening major Burnet, aid
de-camp to the honourable major general
Greene, arrived here, in twenty-one days
from Charleftown, with anpatches from the
General; of which the following is an ex
tract.
Extras of a letter from major-general Greene, to his
excellency the prefiJent pf congress, dated head
quarters, Dec. 19, 1782.
“ I have the honour to communicate to your excel
lency the agreeable information of the evacuation of
Charleflown, and beg leave to congratulate you upon
the event,
“ The enemy compleated their embarkation on the
14th, and the fame day fell down into Rebellion road,
and on the (eventeenth crossed the bar and went to
sea. It is said the Hessian troops are bound for New-
York, and the British for the Weft-fndia inlands.
“ General Wayne, with the legion and light infan
try (as general Gift was absent, and too unwell to con
tinue his command) had been before the enemy's works
for several days previous to the evacuation. General
Leslie, by his adjutant general, hinted to general
Wayne, through Mr. Morrice Simmons, one of the
citizens of Charleftown, his apprehensions that an at
tack from us might lay the town in ashes, and that if
they were permitted to embark without interruption,
every care should be taken for its preservation.
“ Knowing the impossibility of doing the enemy any
material injury on their embarkation in a fortified town,
and under cover of their shipping, and being well in
formed, that some attempts had been made by some of
the refugee followers of the British army before the
place, I directed the general to make the fafety of the
town the firft object ; and that if a treaty was necessa
ry for this purpose, to enter into one, rather than ex
pose the place, for the little advantage which might be
obtained over the rear guard. The general accordingly,
from the intimation of the adjutant general, very judi
ciously agreed to let them embark without moledati
on, they agreeing not to fire upon the town after get
ting, on board.
" The conditions being underflood by both parties, the
town was evacuated and possessed without the lead con
fufion, our advance following cl fe upon their rear.
The governor was conduced into his capital the
fame day, the civil police established the day fol owing,
and the day after the town opened for business.
" This important event gives uscompleat possession of
all the southern Bates. The firuggle and conflict has
been long and severe: but when it is considered that
the enemy had upwards of eighteen thousand regular
troops, besides several thousand militia and negroes,
employed for the reduction of the southern Rates, I
hope it will be found that the progress of the southern
army has been no less honourable than important, and
that it will merit the approbation of congress through
every flage of its operations
" I should be wanting in gratitude to the army, was
I to omit expressing my warmest acknowledgments for
the zeal and adivity with which they attempted and
persevered in every enterprize, and for the patience
and dignity with which they bore their futferings.
Perhaps no army ever exhibited greater proofs of pa
triotism and public virtue. It has been my conßant
care to alleviate their distresses as much as possible, but
my endeavours have been far short of my wishes or their
merit.
" The secretary at war and major Burnet, one of my
aids, who will have the honour of delivering this dis
patch, will Communicate to your excellency, such far
ther particulars as you may with to know of the force
and situation of the army under my command.
Published by o+der of Congress,
CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.
A vessel is arrived in our river from Oftend, which
file left in company with the Cutter mentioned incur
laftto have arrived at Baltimore. We do not expert
later accounts by this vessel, than we have already.
In our last we were promised to be able to lay be
sere our readers, the motives which occasioned Mr.
Miller's visit to the continent of America
MR. Miller, though a young man, is a veteran
in politics. Connected with, and possessing the
full confidence of the independent and virtuous part
of the English nation, most of its illustrious patriots
aaed in concert with him, and the paper he printed,
The London Evening Pof, was made the channel ei
the r to inform or to alarm. Mr. M. entered on his
THURSDAY,
VOL. XU Published every TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SAI UPDAY.—Price Six-Pence.
wO^ttit^ fi)^^^^ dcftct
GENERAL ADVERTISER.
Ration as a watchman for t f e people, about the
commencement of the Grenville administration. His
industry to detect and expose (in the several adminis
trations that followed) the subtle doublings and wind
ings of that secret and baneful INFLUENCE which
more or less pervaded every one, is well known. —
When the subjugating principle of Gebrgean, Bu
tean, and Mansfileao politics was so much laid open,
to make it not fafe for miaiflers to aft ostensibly, and
it was determined by the king that the people them
selves, through their representatives, should become
the forgers of their own fetters : Mr. M. Rood forward
to convince a corrupt parliament, that that unlimit
ed and indefinite power which had been submitted to
while assumed, and exercised for the glory and inte
ref lof the empire, would be refilled when exerted to
subvert its liberties. To the conflitution and to the
law he appealed—his country smiled approbation—
and he triumphed, gloriously triumphed over a despot
and his paracided inftrumenti—a venal house of com
mons. The variousand painful Cornells io which Mr.
M. was engaged during the above periods, did neither
difeourage him, nor abate his zeal To the public
good inexorably firm, he was not to be tempted by
the glittering offers of corruption, nor deterred
by its menaces and perfection. When the plan
of subversion failed at home, and became trans
ferred to the continent of America, Mr. M. did
not cease instantly to inform his countrymen, that
however darkly disguised the motive, the object was fill the
fame —an aim of a weak prince at the giddy
glory of despotism ! And though the delusion too
generally took place, and too many Englishmen ceased
to deserve the name by unworthy and dishonest attempts
on the liberty and property of their American bre
thren —(falfe to freedom fought to quell the free, and
broke the firm band of peace and sacred love) — yet M r .
M. continued daily to prove to them not only the
injustice but the impolicy of their condua. This
perfever^nce was productive of the wifhed-for fffea,
for the public more and more were Satisfied of the real
views of ministry. When the wickedness, mad
ness and folly of England, had spurned America
(in the ad of Supplication) from her, and forced their
brethren to (hake off all connexion by a declaration of
independence, he them unceasingly exhorted them, as
they valued their exigence as a people, to grant
what they themselves had occasioned, and from which
it was impossible for America ever to recede. And
although his attempts at that time, as they before had
been whenever he ridiculed the idea of subjugation,
were treated by the majority of the people as delusive,
not worthy of attention [but by the honefl part ho
noured and adopted] yet be has since had the fatisfac
tion of feeing the fame peop'e sorely repent their folly
arid untimely pbflinacy.
It is to be lamented, that Mr. M. when under his
l^ft difficulty, in ajnornent of unfufpicious confidence,
was infiduoufiy deprived of that press (the London
Evening Poll) by which he had so long and so often
spoken daggers to venal, profligate ministers, and been
continually employed in thundering truths e'en into tre
ear of a deluded, and deluding monarch.
At the time just mentioned, Mr M. was und r pro.
fecution, by the immediate direfton of the king
himfelf, for a paragraph copied inadvertantly into his
paper refpefting the Ruffian ambassador. As hi' ex-,
celieocy not only totally disavowed the measure,but ev n
expressed a disapprobation of it, 'twas apparent to the
world the motive was to intimidate — to glut the king's
vengeance on the press. Mr. M. ever Beady to his
purpose, made an immediate public declaration, ex
horting the virtuous part of trie people not to b- dis
couraged, for that a regard to consequences, in the
line of duty, as it never had, so it never should influ
ence nor deter him.
After having been, through minifleria! mac inatio°,
robbed of his press, and his property blocked u.,
Mr, M. was invited to print The London Courant.
Through this channel he had the inexpressible plei
sure of publishing :he discove r y he made, rTpefyng
the unparalleled ill treatment the nondurable, far.
Laurens was receiving in the tower cf 'omfon, f r ,m
disappointed ambition and malicious prid•. The
fads, refpefting his usage, were so nove, ex raordi
nary beyond credibility, that evn Mr. M.s own
friends could not be brought to give them assent. Mr.
M. persisted, flaked his veracity on the proofs, and
dared ministry to a contradiction. At length an en
quiry was indituted by Mr. Burke, in the house of
common . [lt is worthy ofnene, that upon this occa
fion lord Germain had the fhimelefs effrontery to aft
fert, that he had seen a letter from Mr. Laurens, ex
pressive of his fatisfadion of his treatment ; but, when
pressed as to its date, covered with coofufion he was
obliged to acknowledge it bad been written twelve
months before. This letter contained nothing more
OR, THE
THE
than his determination not to accept any favours what
ever from miniflry.] Dreading an enquiry, which
would have exposed as dark a plan of black revenge
as ever came before a civilized or enlightened nation,
miniflers shrunk from it, and reluctantly consented to
Mr. Laurens's enlargement.—Mr. M. had hardly the
fatisfaClion of feeing this great business accomplished,
which afforded him as much happiness as any one
circumflance of his life, e'er he himfelf was torn front
his family and friends, and immured in the King's
bench prison.
The trial by information, ex officio, so often resort
ed to since the accession of the present king of England,
is a relick of Bar-chamber tyranny, and totally sub
versive of the conflitution. Mr. M. wishing toexcite
the public attention to this arbitrary mode of pro
ceeding, totally disregarded the process he had been
served with. Judgment, as ufnal and proper in civil
caf-s, was also in this infiance arbitrarily taken by
default ; but when cited to receive sentence, Mr. M.
not attending, an order was made to take him up, and
he was accordingly thrown into prison. Upon this
Mr. M. moved for an habeas corpus to be brought
into the court of King's Bench, which he was on the
28th of November 1781 : he requeued to be heard, but
was opposed by the attorney general; the court how
ever over-ruling theobjeftions, Mr. M. addressed lord
Mansfield as follows.
My Lord!
YOU have before you one of the most honest and
boMeft Printers that ever lived!—A profeffed enemy to
all the enemies of old England, and to all Scotch ene
mies in particular!—l do not come here to intreat mer
cy ; J cannot be served worse than my brother Printers
have been ; unless justice chufes to make an example of
itfelf as well as me ; for it will then become a caprici
ous, arbitrary Tyrant, instead of a dispenser of jus
tice; if I should be puniihed worse than others similar -
ly circumflanced
Hence, then, am I to go to the King's Bench prison
for a year—and to increase the punishment—l am to
be debarred the society of my wife and children—a
new species of oppreffon, not known io any ember
country in the world !
I know the worst !—Neither exhortation nor pun
ishment will produce any alteration in me; for 1
promise to go 00 whilst 1 have hands, without any
attention to my ears, in the great line of duty as an
English Printer —a character the most refpedable.
I shall Bill keep a faithful watch over the conduct
of public men, where I conceive their measures may
affed the public interest or the public liberty !—The
Roman Goose was not more watchful over the Ca
pitol, nor the cock over Peter!—l shall both crow
and cackle when 1 think it right, without asking any
leave, or waiting any other approbation, than that
of the public ! In this condud, I own, I may feme
times give a falfe alarm, but it shall be through er
ror only, and not through defign!—ln the present
instance, all that can be laid to my charge, is the
hasty adoption of a current report. Were the re
port true, I could not answer to my confeience not to
publish it— Were it ill founded, it could do no harm —
Men of good chara^er are little hurt by bad re
ports.
A™ to the idea of embroiling the nation, it is too
ridiculous to call for a serious refutation,—What!
the empress of all the Ruffias go to war with the
king of Great Britain, because John Miller told a
lie about her ambassador! —Her imperial majefly
would certainly have been fatisfied with an apology
for the surmise ; and so should her ambassador be—
fo he has been —and which I am now, and at all times
ready further to make.
In civil process it may be fufficient to give a man no
tice, and if he does not appear, to take the charge pro
confeffo. In such cases there is no prefuniption in his
favour. But, by the law of England, all men are in
criminal matters presumed innocent, till they are found
guilty There are but two ways of finding a man
guilty; one is by his own confeffion on record ; the
other is, by a verdict of twelvemen. Butin both cases
he must appear and plead Now, I have never appear
ed, nor ever pleaded !—I may be guilty of a con
tempt—punifn me for that, if you pl^fe. You might
indeed have proceeded to outlawry againd me —but
you have not done fc —yet you fay, I am attained of
(For the Remainder fee the fourth ?3ge.)
I Bill fay, I am not guilty ! I call for proof, and de
mand a trial!
What is it to me that a piece of paper was left at
my rouse?
This is a criminal proceeding.
—Butif I am proceeded againß juridically, I claim
at least judicial forms to be attended to. I am not
to be called upon to confefs guilt, unless the confeffion
would produce me some favour.
JANUARY 16, 1%
[NUMB. 990.