The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-04-11 00:00:00, page 1

Philadelphia, April 4th, 1789,
NO TICEis hereby given, to all Male White
Inhabitant, between the ages of Eighteen and
Fifty-Three, belonging to the Artillery Batta
lion of the City and Liberties ; That an Election will
be held at the State House on Saturday the 15th instant,
between the hours of 10 and 6 o'clock, then and there
to choose a Lieutenant Colonel, and a Major. And on
Monday the 17th instant, at the fame place, to choose,
for each company of Artillery, one Captain, one Cap
tain Lieutenant, one First Lieutenant, and two Second
Liutenants.
TAKE NOTI C E,
T H AT the Militia of the city of Philadelphia and
Diftr&, are fubjedt to the following days of exercise,
that is to fay, in companies on the two last Mondays in
the month of April, and in battalion on the two firft
Mondaysin the month of May : And the fi.ft bait Lon
sh 11 mutter in battalion on the third Monday :nMay ;
the second battalion on the Tuesday following ; the third
battalion on Wednesday, and so on till the whole num
b r of battalions shall have mustered, according to their
num rci.l rank, or any or every day of the we k, (Sa
turday and Sunday excepted) untill the whole number
of battalions shall have mustered in the aforefaid man
ner : And on the day following, should it not happen
to be Saturday or Sunday, the whole nunber of batta
lions belonging to the City of Philadelphia and Diftrias
annexed, (hall meet in brigade, agreeable to the Militia-
Law of this State.
WILLIAM HENRY,
Lieutenant of the City, &c.
To be SOLD by Public Vendue,
On Monday the 17th instant, at Borden town, in the
State of New Jersey.
AL ARGE quantity of funding and running rig
ing, most part of which is as good as new.
Three large ANCHORS,
Two very good CABLES,
Twc setts of COULORS,
One large Ship's BELL.
A great number of Blocks, Ded Eyes, Chain Plates,
and many other things. The Vendue to begin at 10
o'clock.
FOR SAL E.
A NE W commodious well finifhed house, a good
barn, stabling, chaite house, with every other ne
ceflary out building, all in good repair, latethe proper
ty of Thomas Lowrey, situate in Fleming-Town, Hun
terdon county, New-Jersey, a pleasant part of the coun
try and a very agreeable neighbourhood, a well of wa
ter by the kitchen door, together with about 50 acres
of excellent land, 15 or 16 acres of which it good mea
dow, an orchaed of near zoo apple trees on the fame.
The cohveniency of the fame for either public or private
business is so well known,that it is not neceflay to lay any
thinin favour of it, with the above will be disposed of
if desired, zo acres of wood L,nd well timbered. A
clear and indisputable title for the whole will be given :
For further particulars and terms, apply to Joseph
Hillborn, merchant in Philadelphia, or to the lub
fcriber on the premifes#
AMOS GREGG.
April 4th, 1780.
FO R S A I, E.
A CONVENIENT and well finifhed dwelling
house, in Market street n^r the London Coffee-
House, now in the tenure of Eleazer Lev;, For terms
apply to Thomas Shute in Church Alley.
ALSO : Carolina Indigo, Black Pepper, and a gen
teel chafed fiiver Coffee-Pot and Stand.
THOMAS SHUTE.
April ,ih 1780.
TO BE SOLD^f Private Sale,
Or exhanged for a House in this city.
A VALUABLE Plantation, situate in Green
wich township, Glou^fter county, Weft New - Jer
sey, containing in acres of excellent land, on winch
is a good dwelling house, and a young bearing orchard,
about four acres of cleared meadow and a configurable
quantity more may be made, about 29 acres of the up
land cleared and under good fence, the land is well tim
bered with Oak and Pine fit for sawing, fame Cedar
swamp, and an excellent ftre^m of water running near
the house : This place will probably become very valu
able, a Glass house having lately been ere&ed within a
mile ofit, it is convenient to several law and grist mills,
and within about 6 miles of a good and public landing
on Mantua creek : The place is about so Miles from this
city, and 16 from the town of Gloucester. Inquire of
the Printer.
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GEN ERAL
TUESDAY,
O R
[ Published every Tuesday, and Saturdays ]
To the INHABITANTS OF AMERICA.
My Countrymen,
HAVING in fame former letters lightly touched a
lew principal causes of our pecuniary misfortunes; I
ffiall now proceed to shew how the public credit is to be
eftablifhtu, supplies drawn forth, and economy introdu
ced. These things are the great desiderata of American
politics, they have long been fu,and yet they are not only
practicable, but very easy, if thole whose business it is,
will obey the dictates of plain sense and common honefly.
If they will fairly bid adieu to fineffe and fubtility. Nei
ther is any degree of patriotic enthusiasm necessary. En
thusiasm is too frail and ihortlived a thing to place any
reliance on. He whose labors have added a blade of grass
to the Common flock,has done moreto recruit the finan
ces of his country, than all the enthusiasm of all the enthu
siasts in it. Under a proper administration therefore, no
thing further is requisite than that rhe people fliould be
actuated by that regard to private interest, which has been
ineffectually written and preached and prayed against,
from the fall of Adam to the prefect hour. It is frequent
ly asserted, that we have nothing to fear, but from the
state of our finances, and that patriotism has given way
to the love of gain. Happily for us, une of these evils may
be overcome by the help of the other. I beg therefore,
it may be under flood; that I have an utter contempt for
every scheme which supposes the least degree of patriotiirn
in the people. On the contrary, I aik no more than that
every man get as much as he honeflly can. Neither would
I desire him to fell a single barley corn if he does not
chufe it. On these plain requisitions shall I build, taking
man as he is, without pretending to be wiser than his Ma
ker, or fuppefiag my countrymen to be better than tnofe
of other people.
Some indeed there are, whose facrifices in a virtuous
cause, would entitle them to any thing the world can
give, if the world could give any thing comparable to the
internal sense ofreditode. And there is one among them,
whose modesty in declining apphufe, is only equalled by
the great and good qualities which deserve it.
Names like these, shall be recorded in the annals of
time, on materials more durable than the brazen monu
ments of glory. Names like these, will render the title
of American %ear and sacred to succeeding generations.
But it would be a celd and uncharitable idea that other
nationsare barren of talents or virtue. Let us then be
lieve that we stand on the common level of humanity ; and
let us adopt chose things which experience hath shewn to
be useful among men.
Some time ago nothing more was necessary to fix the
value of our paper, than that government fliould have un
done what had been ill done. Had this been the case,
the people would foon,by general consent, have brought
it just whereit ought tobe,nor would they then have com*
plained that it was too high or too low. One object of
these papers, was to inculcate that conviction which the
writer felt of the inutility of ajLptoje&§ and to prevail,
if possible, that no more fliou'e be tried. But the time
is past, and nothing shall be said on that fubjeft, not only
because it would wear the appearance of acrimony satire
or reproof, all which are very far%om his intentions, but
because feme things which have since taken place, have
rendered this easy remedy inefficacious, wherefore there
can be no use in displaying its advantages. It has now
become necessary, not only to wipe off the blots and blun
ders of theformer day, but to adopt a regular, equitable
and prudent system, fueb as will stand the test of time and
the (hock of fortune. Not a little temporary expedient
to eke out a ftarvling campaign. A life of expedients is
a life of folly and meanness, it is feeding on the beggarly
scraps and parings of revenue, instead of the full feaft.
In matters of finance there are certain principles to be
combined together, the want of which in any system would
render it miserably defective. Thus all plans of this fort
fliould be founded in the nature of man, not or ideal no
tions of excellence. They fliould be such as will tend to
produce public wealth and prosperity, not luch as for a
present supply will dry up the refeurces of future taxati
on. And they fliould be such as are consistent with the
principles of freedom and virtu", not such as will overturn
the liberty of the present generation, urder a salacious
hope of fecuriog that of poflerity, ordeftroy the morals
of the people, to come at their wealth.
To these general maxims must be added some others
more particularly adapted to our situation. And firft our
plan fliould be plain and Ample, so as to be understood by
every body, and convince every body. Nothing can be
more contemptible than the affectation of secrecy arid
misery on this fubjeCt, for manly sense and truth and jus
tice disdain concealment. Diffident in our paper as the
people are at present, they must know all deeply concern
ed in it, they ought to know all, and inquisitive wife and
free they will know all. Anything therefore which can
not be fully communicated, will not answer the purpose.
Secondly, the plan mufi be flridly just Mean paltry
pitiful fhifts of villainy cannot more effectually injure the
character of an individual, than tricks and deceptions
'ffra/llaiO^&i^a^^
T H E
I^O^WW^
advertiser.
will ruin the reputation of a republican government. If
kings deceive, yet when the faithlefs monarch dies, new
hopes from a virtuous fucceffar inspire new confidence,
but a diflionefi republic is irreclaimable, and no prudent
men will trust it. But if integrity is necessary in gene
ral, how much more so in particular circumflances of
distrust, and how indifpenfibl e when in such circumflances
a part of the community labor to impeach the general
Credit. If there be an object in the world for which the
very exigence of a republic fliould be flaked, it is for the
preservation of htf public faith, particularly an infant
republic just emerging from fubjeßion, and claiming the
aid, alliance, and confidence of other powers. The go
vernment of such republic fliould guard her honor with
the delicate solicitude of Casar, so that it should nor only
be unsullied but unfufpetted.
The last object I shall mention, is the preservation of
our FceJeral Union, which in my poor opinion will great
ly depend on the management of oi t revenue. The ar
ticles of confederation were formed ha moment when the
attachment to Congress was great and warm. The fra
mers of it therefore seem to have been only felicitous how
to provide against the power of that body, which by
means of their provident tofefibgt and care, now exists al.
most by meer courtesy and fufferance. This is an evil
which cannot at present be remedied ; but if in addition
to this a number of long accounts and quotas and pro
portions be left for fcttlement, until the enemy are re
moved at a diftahce, and the fear of them also removed,
these will afford so much matter for litigation, and occa
sion such heart-burnings, and give such room for the in
trigues which Great-Britain has already attempted, and
which will doubtless be carried on by her or some other
foreign power, that our Union will become, what our ene
mies long since declared i r was, a meet rope of sand. Con
gress then, like (hetraveflers coat in the fable, after ha
ving been hugged close through tne flormy hour of dan
ger, will be call aside as an ufelels burthen in the calm,
and funfliine of peace and victory. Surely the consequen
ces of such a measure, the struggles, the convulsions, the
miseries need not be pictured to a sensible and difeerning
people.
Having premised thefegeneral cbferva:icns,l shall proceed
to sketch a few outlines of a plan which may perhaps be so
improved as to produce the desired effea. I fluff give
the outlines only, fcr altho' much will depend on the de
tail, yet entering into detail would too much diftrad the
readers attention, besides it is the business of proper mi
nisterial officers whom we shall take notice of hereafter.
Our firft object fliould be, how to fix the value of our
circulating paper medium, for until! this be in some mea
sure accomplished, it is impassible either to tax with ef
fed, expend with (economy or even a& with justice. It
becomes therefore both our duty and interefl, while at the
fame time the fubjeß is so delicate that the utmost cau
tion must be used to prevent even the appearance of force
or injustice.
The circulating paper is of three kinds, one bearing
a flirling intefeft, one an interest in currency, and the
third no interest at all. The two firft do indeed go by a
different name from the last, being called Loan. O
ffice Certificates, but odinfyeaion it will appear that these
Certificates are transferable from hand t? hand and pay
able tothe bearer in like manner with the Bills of Cre
dit, and the fad is, that they are actually so trans^
fared.
Poverty will be at a loss for the motives which ^ifta
ted the form of these Certificates, unless memorandums
are kept for their use. I sincerely with that every tiling
of this fort may be buried in oblivion, and therefore ffiali
fay nothing about th<m, But it muftbe remarked that
instead of taking money out of circulation more of it was
thrown in, tending to depreciate the other by reason of
the quantity, and also of the difference between them,
that one bore interest and not the othef. But the Certi
ficates were at firft in the leffe rrepute of the two, for caw
fes not necessary now to be enumerated, as tl e fa& is frtfli
in every ones memory. At that time it was truly ludi
crous to fee the solicitude of many wellmeaning men, to
pay the public debts with these Certificates instead of the
common paper, and even to give an advancein purchases
to those who would accept of them. Nay, it was no un
common argument in favor of a large grant, that some
: considerable part of it was a warrant which was to be li
quidated by Loan Office Certificates. Strange as it may
seem, it is nevefthelefs true, that a hope was then che
rithed by some persons, that the depreciation might be
Checked by these Certificates, which would, they imagin
ed, be hoarded for thefake of the interest. This rea
soning was founded on what was called a parallel in fiance
among the Eastern States, relatively to their old tenor
arid new lawful reasoning which was deemed conclusive,
although the reluctance with which the Certificates were
accepted, and the.difcountat which they were fold, clear
ly evinced the contrary, and although it was at the fame
time a common argument of the fame persons in favor of
their present form, that unless they were transferable,
people would not lend money to the public. But it wat
evident from another quarter, that they mufi have det
APRIL 11, 1780.
TH E