Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-05-13 00:00:00, page 2

To the Printer of ike Pennsylvania Packet.
S 1 R,
WHEN man^ express their sentiments of the pre
sent affecting cause between Britain and these
Colonies, tho' most Ihould advance nothing now, yet
the general sense is the more known; and countrymen's
thoughts may have a peculiar influence, perhaps, on
other plain people, who will not fufpe& us of artful
dressing to commend a favorite caule; so this plain ac
count how I, and many [ converse with in the country,
view these melancholy affairs, may be of some use.
We oft observe, as tyranny and oppression in Britain
drove many to seek relief in these wilds, thro' unknown
dangers and difficulties, en their ovm cost, with leave,
and charters granted to fecufe the privileges they were
io dearly to purchase here; every attempt to disturb
their enjoyment of thole, and defeat all their toils,
muff be perfidious injustice and cruelty. Yet as early
as King Charles 11. the British legislature began to lay
hard reftriflions on the Colonies, and have all along
been encreafing oppressive impositions: As, that certain
produce here should be fold only to Britain; that even
the commodities of other countries, wanted by the
Cronies, they mull purchase only in Britain; that
they might purchase them firft, and then have a profit
from Us upon them :—The wine Colonists buy where it
is made, must be carried an expensive voyage to Bri
tain, and there pay duty, before they may bring it
.here :—Steel, sheet iron, nails may not be made here,
but our iron must be sent there, and bought back in
I hefe articles; people in one Colony must not fell an hat
<T woollen cloth to a neighbour in another, but such
a s want buy from Britain; wool cards are prohibited,
that we may not manufacture what little wool we have;
it mould be sent there, and we buy their cloth. They
Mould forbid us to raise grain, if they could furnifh us
w ith it., and might as justly—so partially are English
t: adefmen favored, and Colonists oppreft.—They oblige
its to buy certain articles only frem them, and theolay
duties on them.=-They prohibited trade with Spain,
&c. to hinder money from coming here; for they well
know we get none by trading with them.
We think they deserve a place in Bedlam who are
not fcnfible that new countries must be fubjeft to hea
vier taxes, and contributions to public uses, than old :
They have government to support, all buildings for civil
and for religious uses; roads, bridges, all to make new,
while few and weak. And betides all this, the Colo
nies contracted a grievous debt, by affixing Britain in
the last war, requiring heavy taxes for many years to
difeharge it: Ye: the Miniffry would persuade the Enp
lifh, that Americans have no taxes to pay. And while
we ray under these burdens, and they had endeavored
to stop the chief resources of money, that was the fit
time they chose for laying taxes to raise a revenue here.
'I his was requiring brick without straw, and clay too;
indeed Britain had ftiil got all the money we could pro
cure; and no force can make a man give more thin he has.
Here we are led to consider the later iaftances of ty
rannic oppreflion firnce last war, as represented to us by
the Honorable Continental Congre's, which are intole
rable, and alio manifest a miuitferial scheme really def
truCtive to us, and vastly hurtful to the interests of Bri*
tain too; as if they had a fixed design, which we fear
is the case, to weaken and enslave the whole empire
tydegrees, or else to betray it to some foreign power.
When all this black roll of impositions is view'd to
gether, what a (hocking series of partial, tyrannic op
preflion do they present! How very differently are fub
jeds in Britain treated! But to compleat the monfler
of'new power, they claim a right ^ lind us by their adls
in all cafesnuhatfaver. So Colonills can call nothing their
own, goods or religion ! They may order as all to turn
Mahometans, and we ought to obey! The Colonies,
with admirable fdbmifhon, bore this long series of unjust
oppression quietly, 'til tyranny was carried so far they
mutt reff or be undone. Arnd now none but beads of
burden can really doubt such refinance was necessary
and just. If any assert all refinance to Governors is
unlawful, they must be bold Jacobites, and are guilty
of treafoßagainft King George, which should be punched
by the Magistrates; for refilling King James opened
the way for the pie s ent family to the throne; and if
refinance was unlawful, they should have no just ti le,
but should refigri the crown to the wronged heir. Yea,
it Teems farther evident, that as the British legislature
'have put off the chara^er of civil governors toward us;
have not treated us as ether fubje&s, they have dissol
ved all civil relation between us; and the Colonies
ought to join issues and difclainl all connexion with
them, but such alliance and regulations of commerce,
as shall be fettled by free treaty and mutual confect.
If the Colonies have thriven under connexion with
Britain, is was as some inductions tenants do under
tep^reffite landlords; they would have been much bet
ter without it, and there is no hope of tolerable living
tnder them hereafter. Who, under proper sense of
their long encreafing oppreffion^, and then, the savage
barbarity of the Ministry. and their butchering tools
to enforce these, could one? think of living under such
merciless tyrants again ? Their heft friends might
tremble at the thought, as the favour of tyrants is ve
rtuncertain, and easily changed to displeasure. The
Colonies must be independent or they are undone.
Had the Ministry lightened our burdens, and dif
pres been accommodated on that footing, yet conti
nued connexion would have been our misery. Ifthey
treated us so ill while submissive, what Would such
proud tyrants, now exasperated, certainly do hereaf
ter? I hey would labour to keep us poor and weak;
prohibit our having arms; have a (landing army here
to keep us fubje6t, and saucily insult us on every occa
sion; they would have the management of the Indians
in their own bands to let loose upon us, as has been
endeavoured now; and the Colonies would have all
the costs to pay one way or other, and being British
fubje&s be exposed to expences and ravages in every
war Britain engaged in. Such must be the effeds of
continued conne&ien on any accommodation, most of
which we have experienced already, and nothing but
independence can save us from them.
While there was hope of accommodation in some
milder way, cautious men advised against independence,
not fufficiently weighing the state of affairs. But
whatever apparent reason there was for this some time
ago, it is vahifhed now ; what might have been pru
dent a while since, might be deftrudtive now, and
should be no longer infilled on. The Ministry have
cut off all hopes of such conciliation ; they will use no
means of reconciling the Colonies, but mighty force ;
and so there is no alternative left, but America must
withstand this (hock, and then they will be independ
ent, and treat with Britain as a ffee people; or else
Britain will conquer, and we must surrender prisoners
at diferetion, and so we and our posterity be as wretch
ed as savage power can make us !
History proves that the distant provinces of great
empires have been mostly distressed, and that even un
der good Princes, by corrupt Ministers and temporary
Governors proudly wantoning in the exercise of power,
and greedily fleecing the people, who have ftiil been
obliged to revolt at last. But now the Ministry will
not mitigate one ofour grievances, they will force us to
bear them, and what more they may please to impose;
they will not treat but conquer, and so lay a necessity
on the Colonies now to (hake off the yoke or be con
quered slaves ; to become independent on the British
Parliament, or submit to mCrcilefs, enraged tyranny.
To support independence there will be what would
certainly go to maintain a British army to oppress us?
the vast sums Britain will elle draw from the Colonies;
freer trade; the fliare we must bear as oft as England
is at war, Ac. so it will be less expensive than connec
tion with Britain, or less burden to support it. But
without this, what nation can or will trade with us?
It fems a pre requisite to open commerce. What else can
be fought by this bloody contest that is worthy of it?
Not, surely, the repeal of some afts; they might soon
be f&cceeded by worse. if in that repeal it were enabl
ed that such or such burdens should not be laid on the
Colonies again, yet next session of Parliament coxld
repeal all. There is plainly no security, but inde
pendence on that legislature.
If declaring for independence now might gain advan
tages to the cause that would render fuceefs surer,
perhaps shorten the struggle, and save blood, then de
lay is hurtful and dangerous; and if it should prove
the cause of failing in the Decenary glorious contest,
would not the authors of it be answerable to heaven
and posterity for so much blood shed in vain, and the
miseries entailed on these Colonies?
A PENNSYLVANIA COUNTRYMAN.
0 $ ss4-6-§#++ ft #-+##¥+ §§<,^
HAMBURG H, Feb. 6.
THEY writ? from Hanover, that at the end of
last month there passed two Couriers from Lon
don to CafTel, with dispatches for Col. Faucitt, who
the British Court had appointed to order the concerns
of taking into pay a body of troops from Germany.
The Landgrave of Hesse CafTel granted, it is f a id°,
12,000 men, and the Duke of Brunswick 5000, who
are to repair to the Dutchy of Bremen, to embark on
the Wefer towards the end of this month, or beoia
ning of March.
There is also advice from Minorca, that the Hano
verian troops are fafe arrived, except one transport
fliip which had run ashore near Dunkirk, and which
having afterwards got off, had arrived at Port Mahon
the 2^th of December last.
L^O N D O N.
Feb. 6. The Horne of Lords were altogether enga
ged in extraordinary affairs the fecoud and fifth of this
month. The House of Commons, on the firft did not
fit but about three quarters of an hou r . It is ordered
on the motion of Mr. Grey Cooper, that there shall be
brought before the House the fla^e ofthe balance found
in the Exchequer on the fifth of January; after which
they adjourned to yesterday, and were then engaged
two hours on state affairs. The Committee of ways
and means have been fucceflively adjourned to the fe
cund, fifth, and seventh of this month; and will be
farther, according to all appearance, until the Minister
is aVIe to determine on the demands and propositions
which are to be their object.
In the mean time they continue their warlike pre
parations. The fleet defined to aft in America, will
consist of sixty-seven vessels, viz. seven of §0 guns,
two of 44, seven of 32, twelve of 28, five of 24, five'
of 20, two of 18, fix of 16, two of 14, four of 10
three of 8, and twelve other armed vessels. But if
they did give attention, that they have more than
twenty degrees (three hundred common leagues) of
coast to watth, they might easily judge thdt their talk
will not be very easy. Viscount Howe, Vice Admiral
is to command the sea forces; the Vice-Admiral
Shuldham, who succeeded Admiral Greaves, being
recalled. This Viscount, and the General Howe, his 1
only brother, who replaced General Gage at Boston,
are brethren to Viscount Howe, who was slain at the
attack of Ticonderoga, fifth of July 1758, and to
whose memory the Americans have erected a superb
monument. The land forces, it is said, are to be di
vided into three bodies, one of twelve thousand men,
under General Carleton, on the River St. Lawrence ;
the second, also of twelve thousand, under General
Howe, at New-York; and the third in Virginia and
Carolina, will be of eleven thousand, and commanded
by Generals Clinton and Cornwallis. These bodies
to be supported and reinforced as needful by a reserved
body, whose station is not yet fixed. This armament,
however, meets with many obstacles, from a disin
clination to the service in America. Many Captains,
Lieutenants and Ensigns, on half pay, who were ap
pointed the fourteenth of August, to serve in the new
companies added to the old regiments, not having yet
presented themselves to the War-office, have been
Summoned anew, on penalty of being erased from the
lift. They are not a little embarrassed to equip the
tranfporis destined for America. Even the guard-
Ships are obliged to lend their hands to do the work
on board these vessels.
The Count de Guignes, Ambassador from France,
has taken leave of the King to return to Paris. The
Prince de MafTerano, Ambdffador from Spain, has
been very ill for some days past of an apoplexyj but he
begins to grow better, and is thought to be out of
danger.
February 20. About one o'clock the Lord Mayor,
attended by Aldermen Wilkes, Bull, Crosby, Thomas,
Efdaile, Rawlinson, Plomer, Hart, Hopkins, &c. to
gether with the two Sheriffs, afeended the hustings,
when after the Common Crier had opened the business
of the Common Hall, the Recorder came forward arid
acquainted the Livery with the occasion of their being
afTembled. Ihe Recorder described to them in general
terms, that the qualities for this important office were
justice, firmnefs and appkcition.
Mr. Alderman Wilkes then addressed the Livery as
follows^
^SPEECH o f Mr. Alderman Wilkes, from the
Huflings at Guildhall, February 20.
" Gentlemen of the Livery,
" BEFORE we proceed to any business, I believe
you will agree with me, that there is a tribute of gra
titude we ought to pay to our late worthy Chamber
lain, Sir Stephen Theodore Janffen, who with great abi
lity and integrity, has filled that important office up
wards of eleven years. His whole life, indeed, has
been a continued series bf real and essential services to
this city and country. On some of the most critical oc
casions in our times, he has exerted himfelf with equal
zeal and fuceefs in the public cause. One part of the
late Chamberlain's conduct among us I particularly ap
, ove, and desire to imitate. I mean the application
of a part of the income to the payment' of his debts.
If I have the honor of being his successor, I assure you
Gentlemen, that a third at lead of the whole income
of the office shall be faithfully applied to the extinction
of all remaining debts, and of all just demands. The
conduct of the late Chamberlain, Gentlemen, wculd
be to me a most pleasing subj:& to enlarge upon; but
it is well know?,, and needs not the aid of my feeble
endeavours. His very superior merit is universally ac
knowledged. He has formerly been lighly approved
as your Representative in Pari. ament, °as Alderman;
Sheriff and Mayor. He has now elefed the feene as
your Chamberlain in the most distinguished manner,
and retires from public life fuller of honors than of
years. The heart of every Liveryman of London lam
lure will go along with me in the mori n, which I now
beg leave to submit to you.
" Refolded, I hat the thanks of this Common Hall
be given to Sir Stephen Theodore Janffeo, Bait, late
Chamberlain of this city, for his various and important
services as Representative of this city in Parliament,
as Alderman, Sheriff, Mayor and Chamberlain, and
for his uniform zeal and activity in promoting, on every
occasion, the true interests of this metropolis.
The other motion in my hand is, Gentlemen,
cnly in compliance with the usual mode of business:
“ Ordered,
" That a copy of the said resolution be fairly tran
scribed, and signed by the Town Clerk, and by him
delivered to Sir Stephen Theodore Janffen, Bart."
' Gentlemen,
' This unanimous mark of your approbation of this
iluftrious citizen, is peculiarly (hiking and honorable.
If I am so happy as by your favour to succeed him as
Chamberlain, it will be my great ambition to merit
the like faction of your applause, and to finish my
public life with such endearing proofs of public re
gard?
Mr. Hopkins supported Mr. Wilkes in his el@g'um
on the late Chamberlain, and concluded by fecondirg
his motion.'
Mr. Luke Stavel@y then came forward, and begged
leave to address the Livery in a few words ; but here
a mixture of such hilling and clapping succeeded, as to
prevent his speaking: After some time, however, he
fpcke for about five minutes; but the clapping aed