The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-09-02 00:00:00, page 1

A short VINDICATION of the Religious So
ciety called QU AKERS, a^ainft the aspersions of
a nameless writer in tne Pennsylvania Packet of the
,2th instant,
ALTHOUGH patience under reviling and re
proaches is a chriflian virtue, the exercise of which
in the present times is abundantly necessary ; yet a mo
dest vindication of injured innocence is also a duty war
ranted by religion, reason, and the good of civil society,
and we trust will juftify our taking some notice of the illi
beral abuse intended by an anonymous publication in the
Pennsylvania Packet dated “ August 12th, 17^0,"
Many publications have appeared in the news-papers
to calumniate and misrepresent the people called Quakers,
and it seems to be a system adopted by a few, (it is to be
hoped for the honor of human nature a very few) tocon
tinue such unchristian praHice, imposing on the credu
lous, in hope to accomplish some very evil intention.
Of this stamp is the introduction to the republication
above mentioned of divers epistles, &c. which were before
published by order of Congress in the month called Sep
tember 1777, to juftify or excuse the proceedings againff
several members of our religious society, who after near
eight months imprisonment and banishment were not found
guilty of any crime.
The instigator of this republication seems to be unac
quainted with the rife, progress, and determination of
that affir, or being wickedly disposed has attempted to
deceive the ignorant, by giving his ill meant p rformance
the appearance of the authority of Congress ; but his
concealing his name implies a confeioufnefs of guilt, and
it may be hoped cool recollection will convince him of his
error ; and produce remorse and a sense of shame to him
fell.
The defiant dates of those epistles and testimonies (hew
the occasion on which they were written, and to all per
sons who are acquainted with us and our religious prin
ciples againfl war and blooofhed, which we are convin
ced are founded on the doftrine and precepts of the gos
pel ofCHRisT, such advice as was then given cannot ap
pear ftranpe, nor will any others when they are inform
ed, thatthofe principles have been profeffed by our socie
ty for more than a century pad, think us blameable in
cautioning our fellow members against a deviation in con
du# therefrom; nor do they contain any thing that
can justly give offence to other chriflian profeffors who
do not agree with us in judgment on the fubjefl of war ;
and if tueexoreffiors of attachment to the former go
vernment which are found in some of them are exception
able, can those of the Congress be less so in publications
of theirs about the fame time, particularly in their ad
dress or declaration to the people dated July 6, 1775, and
in their address to the King of the Bth of the fame month,
which are near fix months after the date of the two firfl
of the epistles complained of, when they express them
selves in the latter in the following language, viz.
" Attached to your Majefty'sperlon, family and go
“ vernment, with all the devotion that principle and as
" fedion can inspire, connect'd with Great-Britaio, by
" the firongeft ties that can unite societies, and deplo
“ ring every event that tends in any degree to weaken
" them. We solemnly assure your Majefiy, that we,
“ not only most ardently desire the former harmony be
" tween her and these colonies, may be restored, but but
“ a concord may be established between them upon so
" firm a basis as to perpetuate its blessings, pninter
'' rupted by any future diffentions, to fucceedi:g geiie
'' rations in both countries, and to transmit your Majef
" ty's name to posterity, adorned with that fignai and
" lading glory that has attended the memory of those il
" luftrious personages, whole virtues and abilities have
" extricated States from dangerous convulsions, and by
'' securing happioefs to others, have erected the moa 00-
'' ble and durable monuments to their own fame "
It may not be improper to otfirve that betcre fame of
those epistles were distributed, they were communicated
to the Members of Congress then in this city, and were
not disapproved; had they been deemed (editions or un
warrantable they would undoubtedly have fl.ewn their dis
approbation; nevertheless they were a considerable time
after published in the news-papers with trafpofitions and
the interpolation of an entire paragraph which we utterly
disclaim, for the purpose already hinted, theremerabrance
of which we unwillingly revive, and now they are again
in like manner republiflied with an invidious introducti
on, by a concealed perfoo, who manifefis a disposition
very inimical to cur religious society, without any view
to the public peace; and whether such men are not more
dangerous to civil society than all the peaceable Quakers
residing co the continent, the impartial may judge.
Leaving these epistles and testimonies to stand on their
own bottom, we mail proceed to make a few remarks on
that part of an insidious fabrication, mifehievoufly and
purposely designed by the authors to vilify our religious
society, and irritate the minds cf me people against us,
and here it may be necessary to notify that our members
who were lent into exile, had prepared, while at Win-
Chester in Virginia, some observations on the several
matters which were made the pretext of their bauifh
raent, intending to lay them before the Congress then at
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 17%.
THE
0 R § o^^ I THE
GENE RA L ^ili ADVERT!SB'
[ Published every Tuesday, and Saturday.
York-town, fully confuting this ill meant contrivance,
and in order to remove toe misapprehensions and preju
dices conceived against them in particular, and the reli
gious society of which they are memoersin general, which
some unexpected circumstances interposing prevented their
delivering, and being shortly after sent for by the Coun
cil to Lancafler, where toey again foiicited to be heard
for clearing their characters, which was not allowed, but
they were told they might have certificates of their dis
charge, which after some hesitation they accepted, find
iugit was to no purpose to urge their felicitation for a
hearing further, and being thus left at liberty to return to
their families, they looked upon their difeharge as a clear
aquittance of impeachment against them, and that the
occasion of their defence was removed, and have therefore
declined making it public; nor Ihould we have chosen to
revive a matter which has so long passed over, but that
justice now appears to require a more full explanation
than has yet been given of the intelligence transmitted by
General Sulivan, the following being a state of the
fds:
That General in a letter, dated " Hanover, August
25, i777>" informs the Congress that "among the bag
gage taken on Staten Island the zed of that month, he
found a number of important papers, a copy ofthree he
enclosed for the pnufal of Congress, the one from the
Yearly Meeting of Spanktown, held the 19th instant, he
thought worthy the attention of Con refs."
The firft of those three papers are a set of queftione,
which at firft view appear to be such as muff come front
perlons seeking intelligen e, and not .': :m those w. 0 were
to give it: They may probably have been inftruaions to
the officers of the Britdh army to diref! their enquiries in
case they should meet with persons capable of g vfag in
formation, but be they what they may, they have no
mark of being the work of any member of cur society,
and we may also declare t e time of the third.
The second is the paper said by General Sullivan to be
" the one from the Yearly Meeting at Spank own," and
a# he has thought it worthy the attention of Congress, it
requires more particular notice from us
lathe firfl place the signature naturally produces a fuf
picion that it is not genuine, an.l the General must have
had a very mean opinion of the understanding and pru
denceof the members of such a meeting, if he believed
they had fubferibed the paper in so unguarded a manner ;
but further, there is not, nor ever was a Yearly-Meeting
of the society called Quakers held at or near Spanktown,
and this any person might have known, had he looked
into a Penufylvania almanack, whereinuur Yearly Meet
ings with the times at which they are held are inferred:
We allow that a Quarterly Meeting is held at Railway,
a place to which toe nickname of Spanktown has fore
times been given, but nevrfo called in any of cur pro
ceedings. The minue wh*ch is published in the news-pa
per immediately preceding General Sullivan's letter, (hews
the stile of that meeting to be " our Quarter y Meeting
at Rahway,” which meeting was held and ended on the
18th day cf that month, and of course could not give in
telligence on the 19th.
Besides this want of knowledge of the meetings of the
society, the names by whicn they are celled, and the
times when they are held, the paper in question has an
evident contradidion in its date, which totally destroys ail
its credit.
The firft article it contains is in these word* ;," It is
(aid, General Howe landed near the head of Cnefapeak
bay, but cannot learn the particular fpet, nor when :"
This piece of intelligence n (aid to be given from SpahK
town, on the " 19th day of the month called August,"
and therefore could not have happened later than the 17th;
for it is at least one hundred aim thirty miles from any
part of Chefapeak to Rahway, and two days is as short-a
time as can be allowed to travel that distance, if an ex
press had been sent for the immediate purpose; now by
recurring to the news papers about that time it appears
that on the 17th of that month, General Howe and his
army were en the Atlantic ocean, that they entered the
bay of Chefapeak on the 19th, that be arrived near the
head of the bay on the zzd, and the sirs t intelligence of
his being in Chefapeak was brought by express to Phila
delphia on the twenty-third, which might have reached
" Spanktown" and Hanover on the twenty-fourth or
twenty-fifth, before which t.me the paper in question it
is not |Q,bable could have been formed : It is therefore
unfavourable to the contriver of this piece of forgery, that
he had not obtained better information and attended a lit
tle more to the dates of events. We therefore submit
these undeniable fatly to the confederation of the public,
not doubting they will acquit our society of being the au
thors of it, whatever opinion they may entertain of these
who were so bale as to attempt the deception.
The Yearly Meeting which was held in Philadelphia,
in the ninth month 1777 ; sensible of the malicious de
sign of the author of these papers, and desirous of pre
venting the impressions which they might make to the
prejudice of our religious society, drew up and printed a
proteflation against it, and appointed a Committee of fix
members to wait upon General Walhiugtoo, who was then
encamped about thirty miles trora the city, in order to
clear up this matter ; which they did in such manner,
that the General and his officers who were pr sent at the
conference appeared fatisfied; and other measures were
also taken to flop the current of calumny which was in
tended to be propagated against us.
Divers of our brethren who reside at and near Rahway
in East-Jersey, were seized and detained under confine
ment soon after the Pennsylvania news-papers reached that
neighbourhood, but after a candid examination before
General Smallwood, then fir,tinned there, he was so well
assured of t: eir innocence and convinced the story was ut
terly groundless that he dismissed them, and they returned
home, where they have since continued unmolested on this
account, and had General Sullivan believed it to be true,
he would doubtless have taken some measures to appre
hend the authors, who if it was genuine it was probable li
ved on the spot, and might have been brought before him
to annver for it.
In fine, the prejudices excited by this evil device, would
long since have fubfifed, had not great iimuflry been
nfed by persons ofa malevolent difpofiticn to kindle jea
kufies, by infinuatious against our religious society, who
are delirous by our conduct and conversation to promote
peace, and concord amongf jour countrymen and man
kind in general.
Signed in and by diredion of a Meeting of the Re
presentatives of the people cal ed Qyakers ,of Penn
sylvania and New Yerfey, held ~in Philadelphia
the 24th of the eighth Month, 17^0.
JOHN DRINKER, Clerk.
Doctor MORGAN's APPEAL to the Faas
Citizens of the United States cf AwefiCa, on
the fubjeß of Doctor SHIPPEN junior's im
peachment and trial by a Court-Martial.
Friends and Countrymen,
I A M sorry to be obliged to appear again before you,
in the cban&er of an author : But my reputation,
and, what is more, your interehs have made it ne
cessary. A Court-Martial has passed a cclJ and ununa
nimous sentence by which Dr. Shippen is partially,
and I may f:iy,drb3%cab4 acquitted of the charges pre
ferred against him. General Washington without appro
ving referred it to Congrefe, and Congress after three
days debate has put the flrongeft mark of disapprobation
in is power on the sentence of the Court, by refusing to
approve it. That honorable body having no power to
alter the sentence, has left the praise or dispraise ofhis ac
quittal to the Court. Upon a motion to postpone the
motion for difeharging him from his arrest in order to
bring in another, which was read for difmifflng him from
the service, five States were for it, five States were against
it, and one divided by which the motion was loft *, and
that because many of the members were of opinion, ihcald
that motion pass, it would be aHing < cunter to the prin
ciple adopted by Congress, viz. not for set aside the sen
tence of a Courf-Matti 1. On that footing alone, ray
countrymen, unacquitted by Congress, Dr. Shippen is
^charged from his arrest, yet by the fentesce ol the
Court, he is held forth undt r the character ofa (peculator
in hospital fibres, whilst he aHed in the high rank of Di
rector General and Purveyor General of the hospitals. *
I know the pdos I have taken to bring this man to jus
tice have been attributed to unworthy motives. But this
has ever been the plea of guilt. Wh#can.h~ar of a coun
try robbed of foidiers enlifled in the cause of freedom
and virtue, dying from the want of neceff^rits expended
upon schemes of pleasure or (peculation, and not frla
glow of resentment against the author of such caumitirs;
the reading cf which failed forth tears of distress ?om-a
Sympathizing and companionate CoogreP, whilst they
were sensible it was not in its power to dismiss him, with
out a breach of the rights of the fubjed. I rejoice, my
fellow citizens, that my exertions in the pause of civil li
berty have been crowned with fu^h a glorious tffeft, al
tho' it (belters Dr. Shippen. Yet, my countrymen, it is
besaufe we have felt too little resentment against public
(peculators, that we now sigh over an exhausted Treasury,
and bewail our country on the brink of ruin.
As an acquittal at any rate, however dfcraceful the
circuraftances attending it are, to one loft to all the finer
feelings of sentiment, is a matter of triumph, when resto
red to a power of making himfelf amends at youcexpence,
and may delude the ignorant into a belief that the charg
es against him were gronndlefs, I think it my duty to lay
before the bar of the public, the occasion of the impeach
ment, and a short extract of the proceedings on the trial
till Congress fee fit, as usual, to publish them at length,
by which every man will be able to judg? whether the
profeeution has been malicious and grounolefs, or whether
it was virtuous, honorable and deferring the approbation,
of the community, to whose candid and impartial de&ifipn
I (hall willingly submit my own judgment
To state the grounds o' this prosecution, it win be ne
cessary to inform you of the following iffls. Er. bmp
pen was impeached before Congress of felling hofyi/al
* This is left out of the Minutes of the Proceedings
cf Congress.