The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-06-12 00:00:00, page 1

SATURDAY, JUNE i% f7,s
TRE
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•GENERA L>^S^^m ADVERTISER
The HIGHEST PRICE
IS GIVEN FOR
CLEAN LINEN RAGS,
BY
JOHN D U N L A P.
Philadelphia, June 7.
To be SOLD by Public Vendue,
On Thursday the seventeenth instant, at Ten o'clock
in the forenoon, at the honfe of Robert Smith,
Hatter, at the corner of Third and Market-Greets,
oppefite the Old Gaol,
AL L the Hats and Hatting Utensils late the proper
ty of Charles Mcore, deceased, cor.filing
chiefly of ths following articles, v„z. caftcr hats white
and coloured, wool ditto white anl coku ed, hatters
irons and brushes, about thre p qu rters of a cfk of
pomice stone, cotton cards, looping, bow ftr?n, s, li ings,
buttons and loops, plank and kettle, bo*s, some 1 g
wood, sundry fox and raccoon skins, and many other
articles too tedious to enumerate,
N B. A'l prions indebted to the said estate by bind,
note or book debt, are defined to make payment within
fix weeks from this date: and all persons having any
just dem nds against said estate are like*ife defi ed to
bring in their accounts, properly proved, that they raay
be paid, by order of the Executors,
ROBERT SMITH,
HENRY PRATT.
William and Samuel Dewees,
Have for SALE at their store on the firft wharf below
Chefnut street,
BAR IRO N, Steel, Rum, Spirits, Claret in hogs
heads, Wine in bottles by the dozen, and Tobac
co in hogflheads, of the best quality.
TO BE SOLD BY
Robert and Samuel Lewis Wharton,
At their store near the Drawbridge,
EXCELLENT red Port and Madeira Wines by
the pipe, quarter-calk, dezn or gallon ; Weft
l^uia and country Rum by the hoglhead, Coffee and
Turpentine by the barrel, and a final! quantity of Pig
Iron.
To be SOLD by Private Sale,
THE SCHOONER TERROR, now lyingat
the upper fide cfM'. Fisher's wharf, in the North
ern Liberties. She is well fitted for river trade. For
terms of sale enquire of Richard Broderick, oppo
site the sign of Noah's Ark.
N. B. The one half of said febooner will be fold to any
perlon that inclines to purchase.
TO'BE S O ST
AGENTEEL horse, fifteen hands high,
fix years old, part blooded, fit for saddle or carri
age. Enquire of the Printer.
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS -REWARD.
RAN AWAY on the thirteenth of June, 1778,
from the fubferiber, living n Hardwick, Suff-x
county, New Jersey, a Negro Wench named NANNY,
about twenty-two year, of age, thick built, of a yellow
ish complexion, and pretty lonr hair 1 had on when the
went away, a white linen short gown, a pale blue flan
nel petticoat, an old striped lincey ditto, pale blue stock
ings, and leather heeled shoes. Whoever takes her up
and secures her in any gaol, so that I can get her again,
full receive the above reward, and if brought home all
reasonable charges, paid by
THOMAS HUNT.
N. B. She had two bonnets with her, one black and
the other white. 5
TO BE SOLD BY
JOHN DUNLA P,
AFE W fete of CHESTERFIELD'. LETTERS,
in four volumes.
Leland's History of Ireland.
A few lets of Josephus's Works, neatly bound.
A number of odd volumes of Blackftond Com
mentaries.
Rural Oeconomy.
Dilworth's Spelling Books.
AL S O, /
Adminiculum Puerile: Or, an Help for School. Boys.
By P. Davys.
Greece Grammatics Inflitutm Com,endaria. In ufum
Scholarum. Authors Env. Wettenhal, D. D. )fuper
Kilmer, Epifeopo & Ardag.
[Price 2s. 6d. single, 2S. by the quantity.
From the Caledonian Mercury.
EDINBURG H, December 30.
To Sir William Howe.
SI R,
YO U issued forth, for the codqueft of America, with
the faireft hopes, arid under the most favourable au
spices. You conduced a greater force than the New
World had ever leen, nobly provided in every article,
and fully adequate to the purpose of its deftingtion. Yem
were attended by a most powerful artillery. You were
fapported by a numerous fleet, under an experienced Com
mander, of wnofe Ready co-operation, in any purpose,
you had the most perfect assurance. Your troops were as
distinguished for tueir spirit as any that Europe could pro
duce; and they were to be opposed by a mil tia, at that
time without arms, ammunition, officers, er difcipljne.
The people were zealous in the cause for whi^h you was
to fight You were known to be a brave mm, and their
withes had formed you into an accomplish d Gener 1.
You were placed in toe greatest situation that could ani
mate a human 1 foul ; for the fate of the British empire de
pended on your conduct. Success would have inrolled
your name wi.h that of Hawke and Wolfe. It would have
found a monument in the gratitude of your country, more
precious th in gold, more permanent than marble. The
eyes of all men were upon you. The beams of Royal fa
vour flione upon your outgoing, and it was predicted that
your course would be a track of glory.
Permit me, Sir W. to confider how the confidence of
your country has been repaid, and its expectations fulfil
led. It is, at all times, the duty of a good citizen to scru
tinize the conduit of men in public employments, in our
present situation, indifference is a crime, and even moder
ation approaches to a fault.
The attack on Long-Efland was the firft essay of your
military talents. The imprudence of your enemy, in ex
pofiag a corps of 10,000 to the fury of your whole army,
their neglecting to seize on some important passes, joined
to the superiority of regular over undisciplined troops,
presented you with an easy vidory. Flushed with fuc.
cefs, and undiminiflied by loss, your gallant army were
rushing to the trenches where the flower of the rebels
were collefted. Tremor and dismay, heightened by the
rout of their advanced detachments flying on all hands
bleeding and dispersed, already rad begun to thin thei;
lines. Your soldiers, in some parts, were actually with
in their trenches ; the vi&ory was already gained, and
the fate of America decided. A retreat is founded ; and
after repeated orders, the soldiers, indignant and relud
ant, are dragged back to the distant Randard of their
General.
By what arguments, upon what pretences, can so afto
nifliing a refolutioh be defended ? Do not iirfult us, by
pretending that it nas di&at,ed by regard to the fafety of
your men. To embrace a profpea of success, as you
youifelf declared infallible, or rat, er to prosecute a viao
r y already commenced, was mercy and l umanity On
other occasions you have not been so fp iring of their blood.
The Hessians, Sir W. at least since the affair of Red-
Bank, will not admit of this defense. Did you think it
was impossible for the rebels to retreat, while you should
advance to their lines by regular approaches ? Or did you
imagine, that the gaining of these lines was of more con
feqnence than to destroy t wr army? No, Sir W you
could not think so. A moment's reflection must have
shewn you, that an opportunity of this kind was invalua
ble. You might faftiy have ventured to conjecture, that
the ruin of their army, in its very entrance upon action,
would difU.rten the people, break their force, divide their
councils, and at once annihilate the rebellion. You must
have seen, that delay would revive their hopes ; that time
would give them discipline and experience encreafe their
military skill. You could not but perceive, that to pro
long the war was attended with disadvantages ; that' the
country itfelf was as hostile to you as its inhabitants ; that
your recruits would be distant, and your subsistence diffi
"", There were indeed advantages upon the other hand,
which it would seem you neither overlooked nor neglect
ed. We are compelled, Sir W. to defend your iinder
fianding by an accusation of your heart, and must impute
to avarice, or worse, what the largest allowance to your
folly seems inefficient to explain.
Your next object was the reduction of New-York
There were two ways in which this might be accomplish:
ed: The one an immediate attack upon this place, which,
as the island was every where strongly fortified, appeared
to be hazardous, and, if fuccefsful, left the retreat of its
defendants to their limes at King's bridge, free and unmo
lested. The other a descent upon the continent of New-
York, and a circuit to the flank and rear of these lines.
The success of this, which, as the enemy was unprepared
for it, you cou{d not reasonably doubt, reduced them to
the necessity, either of evacuating their lines, with the isl
and 0 New York, and retreating in your presence up
along the Hudson's river, or of retiring into that island,
and defending it according to their power. The former
part oft is alternative, if you advanced with expedition
it was almost imp< ffible for them to execute. A general
engagement must, at any rate, have been the conference
Published every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ]
of their attempting it. In the latter situation, besieged on
the, one hand by yourarmy, and blockaded upon the other
by toe fleet, a miracle alone could pref^rve tiem from
flawhter or captivity This plan of operations, though
strongly recommended by many officers particul rly by
Sir William Erskine, you thought proper to reject You
adopted the 0t1,% hie resolution fems somewhat incon
sistent with yotir former caution, but my be traced to the
fame principle. Ihe American's, as their own accounts
confefs, hadnot yet recovered from the impression of their
recent defea. ! hey fled with precipita ibn trom their
batteries as Mon as attacked, and abandoned New-York
to yen, almost without refinance.
We now demand, Sir, a detail of yourempldyment froth ,
this period, till your celebrated expedition to the Conti
nent. Making the most liberal allowance for the n^uch
infitted on delays, arising froi pthe necessary preparations,
there will remain, between the 1 <th of September,. when
you took possession of New York, till the 28th of Octo
ber, when you firft viewed the enemy upon the White
Plains, a considerable space of time to be accounted for.
A very mort time must have, been fufficient to inform you,
whether an attack upon th& king's Bridge, from the quar
ter of New York, was practicable. If you once intended
to proceed against them upon that plan, we are yet to learn &
why that intention was abandoned. Ifyou juiced it un
advifeable, why was not tais manoeuvre for enck sing them
immediately executed ? In your situation, when so much
of the season had el.pfed, and ne dec five blow had as yet
been fhuc<, inaQivity was a fault, which-candor cannot
explain, nor generosity forgive. W.ence arose the flow
nets of your progress from the time of your landing on the
Continental Frog's Neck*? Whence that dose connected
march, thofa compact encampments, that wonderful degree
of caution and forefight, on which ybtir friends expatiate
with (0 much pleasure? That caution was folly. Expe
dition was every thing to executing your design There
was no enemy to oppose you on your march. Your ene
my were in the lines at King's Bridge. This dilator,
conduct enabled them to quit their lines with order, to
convey their baggage to a place of fa ety, to change their
front, and form a face of camps alon^ the Brunx, in op
position to you.°.
Y °° a PP' ar ' d u P°n the banks of that river on the 25th.
of October. In your march from that place to the White-
Plains, whither the enemy had retired^ a space of four
miles, you were occupied during the three days. You
arrived upon the Bth in all order and regularity, without
any oppefition. Fortune had once more, as if in opp.fi
tion to your wishes, placed your enemy within your reach-
Your soldiers lay upon their arms for that night, in full
drfire and expectation of being led to victory at day break.
It was difeovered in the morning, that the enemy had
strengthened their lines by some additional works; and
you thought proper to fumraons a reinforcement from New-
York. The day after that reinforcement arrived§. An, 1
other night succeeded. Ihe morning proved „et, and
tue attack was deferred ; as if the conqwefi of an empire
were a party of pleasure, and there were no difference be
tween the gaining of a battle, and the parade of a review
For shame ! For shame! Was an opportunity of such im
portance, so long expelled, so ardently desired, to be thus
thrown at your feet ? Tis in vain, Sir, to tell us , the issue
of an action may depend upon the circumstances c.f wea
ther-, Intrepidity and enterprize have often despised it
with success. You were possessed of many advantages to
counterbalance it. Your troops were superior in numbers.
They were healthy and in high spirits. Your enemy were
d/fheartened by misfortune; they were thinned by deferti
cn and disease. Bifides, the circumflance of weather was
equal to yop and them. Were they, like another race of
rebels, rifely conducted through the waters ? If your
niufleets ~ere unferviceable, were your swords rusted in
their sca bba rds ? and was there nothing in a hedge of
British bayonets to appal the prowess of America ? °
d ° "an to P ursue y° u , Sir , through the painful
history of your campaigns, It is enough for my purpose
that I trace the spirit which directed them. I owe my in!
formation almost entirely to your own letters; and," I must
confefs, that the ideas derived from this source are not al
ways of that clear nature which would enable me to reason
with accuracy on each articled your ednduft. lam net
a military man, and I am willing partly to impute to this
cause, that I do not altogether umderftand your letters.
A plainer narrative, however, would bespeak more confi
'e°ce '" your conduct and intentions, as well as more con
viftion of the success which you boasted. The language
of victory, like that of innocence, is short, simple, per
fyicuohs, and exprefiive. It goes direCtly to its obied
dan exhibits the event, connected with the chief causes that
produced it. It will not trace the combat, in tedious pro
gression, from the firft movement of the march to the last
drfcharge of musketry. It disdains a long detail of frivol
ous all-Importantcircumftances. It rejects the vain
On the nth oj Goober. From the tab to tbs \ltbk
remained at ref, availing for fores.
§ This reinjercement, itff be obfted, performed 4
Xb^'X":^' "'"'" °""^"'^ € Generalfrorn the