Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-05-20 00:00:00, page 4

WILLIAMSBURGH (Virginia,) Ma,^.
Last Sunday fe'nnight a tender ceme up Rappahan
nock, and chafed a New-England (chooser, outward
bound, into Hobb's Hole, ff^m whence She carried her
off as low down the liver as Bowler's warehouse, where
file got aground on n oyster bank, and stuck there till
the Tueflay following ; by which time some spirited
gentlemen in the neighbou hood got together four fail
ing boats, and manned them, with a view to retake the
prize, and, if po&ble, to board the tender, which was
commanded by one of bid Goodrich's fon*, and had on
board a large quantity of fail canvass, &c. &c. As soon
as the tender's people saw our vessels bearing down upon
them, they set fire to the prize, and quitted her; upon
which some Small boats from the Shore put off, and ar
rived time enough to extingu (h the fire, without its ma
terially damaging the vessel, having only one or two of
her fai's burned. Mr. Hugh Walker, and Mr. Ri
chard B riks, Who commanded two of the vessels, got
quickly up with the tender, and engaged her at elofe
quarters for at Ie it ±5 or 20 minutes, with firtall arms;
during which a valuable negro man, a pilot on board Mr.
Walker's vessel, was foot thro' the head, attempting to
board, and 3 or 4 61 the tender's people were Seen to fall ;
when, a breeze springing up, Mr. Goodrich tock the ad
vantage of it, and ran off, leaving his pr ze behind, which
is now fafely Secured. During the aftion, Mr. Charles
M'Carty, of Richmond, Mr. John Edmuridfon, and Mr.
Nathaniel Crow, of Essex, Mr. James Montague, of Mid
dlesex, with Mr. Walker arid Mr. Banks, greatly distin
guished themselves by their intrepid and gallant beha
viour; and Capt. Thomas Strafhley, and Mr. Thomas
Bowler, of Essex, who commanded the two other vessels,
altho' they did not get up in time to engage, yet Shewed
much zeal and alacrity, and no doubt, had they been
present would have fignahz d themselves.
Yesterday evening, his Excellency the General, at
tended bv his aids-de cam, and secretary, with adjutant
general Bullitt, arrived at headquarters in this city,
frora Suffolk, having visited Purtfmouth, the Great-
Bridge, and Kemp's Landing; and we hear, that several
effective regulations for crushing the Tory interest in that
quarter have taken place. The town of Porrfmouth
has fufFered in no other nfpeß than that of demolishing
the lodgings, eniirel,, of three noted and difaff-&ed per
sons, and seizing a quantity of ffores, the property of
Tories. Old Captain Goodrich, and Mr. George Blair,
late of Smithfield, are new in Si ffolk jail; sent by the
Council of Safety in North Carolina for trial, hawing
b^en taken on that coast in a p ratical vessel.
To the KING'S Mo^t EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
The Humble Address and Yuiitiun of the Merchants,
Y ade r s, and other principal Inhabitants oj the town oj
Belfast.
MH I Gracious Sovereign,
1 ,E, your Marty's molt dutiful and loyal fubje&s,
,Y the merchims, traders, and other print pal in
habiiaars of the town Fddfut, implore your Majerty to
lend an a te itive and favourable ear to these our hum
ble, tuou^h earned Supplications.
Umveriaily interested in the fate of trac'b, we cannot
but lament the de-ay of it already occasioned by the pre
fent.unnatural State of things ; limited and restrained as
the commerce of this country is by the policy of the Bri
tish legislature, any obstruction in the few channel?
.which have been lert open to our industry, mult be 1 n
fibly felt, and cahoot by anyeffarts of ouis be compeii
fated ; trie injury done to our Staple manufacture, by
the ceffrtion o all intercourse with America ; the dan
ger with which the remains of it are threatened, we con
ceive to be truly grievous and alarming :=m the next
cordiue^ble branch of our exports we are likewise dif
trelfed, by the operation of the lame ruinous cause ; and
to look forward to the probable event of an unfruitful
year, when we may be deprived of that Support, which
this country hath often derived from America, fills
PHILADELPHIA: Printed by JOHN DUNLAP, at the Newest Printing-Office in Market-fact, where
Subscriptions at Ten Shillings per Annum, Advertisements, &c. are thankfully received for this Paper.
bur minds with the most gloomy apprehensions.
We must feel also as members of this once flourishing
Empire, for its preient diffracted and endangered State ;
we few it towards the elofe of your ilhiftrious grandfa
ther's reign, and under the aulpicious commencement of
your M jefty's, railed to the summit of prosperity and
glory; united within itfelf, its magnitude and splendor
awed the world, lie now fee its luftre obf^ured, and the
thighty fabric rent to its foundations.
And we mutt deeply feel as men ; as such, nothing can
give us greater angUifh of foul, than t^e horrors of civil
war, now raging in one ex.enßve part of your Myjefty's
dominions ; but we will to avert our eyes from these, and
raise them up to that royal benignity and mercy, which
we cannot but hope will yet inteipde for the preservation
bf millions; of millions who have been threatened with
deftru&ion, and driven to extremities, by faßguinary
men, for the mere suspicion of political error; and that
in questions So involved and dubious, that many of the
greatest names, many of the wisest and belt men who
have ever adorned these lands, together with large and
important communities of the people, are firm in the o
pinion, that the error is not chargeable on them ; with
such we join in humbly and fervently imploring your
Majesty to (heath in mercy the sword of civil war; thrt
a foundation may be lad for a Speedy and hippy restora
tion of that old constitutional (y stem, under which Great
Britain and her Colonies, united in affection as in inte
rest, grew in Strength, till they became the admiration
and envy of other nations.
Remote as our situation is, inconsiderable as we may
be deemed j we would not presume to approach the throne
with these our fervent prayers, did not our old and ac
knowledged attachment to the free British constitution,
to the Protestant religion, to the principles of the revo
lution, to the illustrious House of Hanover, arid to your
Majesty's molt fecred person and dignity, give us a dis
tin&ion which we are proud of; and embolden us, with
hearts warmly and jealously devoted to the con ftitutiori
and to your Majesty, to lay ourselves at your feet ; pray
ing, that you may be prote&.d at all times, and in all
things directed, by that Sovereign of the universe, by
Whom Kings reign, and Princes decree justice.
Md, 4. We have advice from Portsmouth, that our
troops entered that town without opposition, and have
taken a number of waggon loads ot efte&s, viz. rum, su
gar, mohriLs, and a variety of dry goods, belonging to
perlons who are enemies 10 the American cause; they
hive alio destroyed two or three houses whieh were the
property of John Goodrich, and brought off some pri
foneis. Lord Dunmore is ltron s ly entrenched at I uc
ker's mils, and has a gr-at quantity of cannon mounted,
defended by about 500 men. Hi Excellency Gen.LEE
returned here from Portsmouth lalt Ihurfday evening.
NE W- PO RT, (Rhode Ijiand) Ma,&
Extrarl of a letter from a gentleman in Providence, May 4.
" A cornier arrived this day from Boston, giving the
following intelligence, by a letter from Thomas Cufh
ing, by order of the General Court of the Massachusetts
Bay-#.
“To the Hon. the General Court of the Maffacbufetts-Ba,.
Salem, Ma, 2, 1776.
" The Committee of Salem have this moment received
the following intelligence by Richard Darby, Esq; from
Newbury-Port, who fays, that he this day, about one o'
clock, talked with Captain John Lee, then just arrived in
29 days from Bilboa, who fays, that on the 15th of A
pril, he fell in with, and was on board, a brig from Ply
mouth, in England, bound to Newfoundland ; the master
of which informed him, that three days before, he part
ed with a fleet of 66 fail of transports, under the com
mand of Lord Howe, having on board 12,000 Hessians,
bound to Boston, together with 27 Commiftioners : That
General Burgoyne, with 4000 Hanoverians, failed or was
to fail about the fame time with the fleet above-mention
ed, to go to Quebec: That said Lee read the English pa
pers cn board the brig, by which it appeared, that the
Parliament had voted pay for the foreign troops: That
the King of Profiia's demand on Great Britain had been
paid 1 That the people in England were greatly desirous
of a restoration of harmony; and that the Commission
ers were to use their utmost efforts to that end, which
failing, the troops were to lay watte the country, ' if in
their power.,
“ Isaac Smith, Esq; shews us a letter from Mr. Gaur
doque, brought by Captain Lee, dated Bilboa, March
27, in which is the following paragraph:
“ No news from England, except that 17,300 German
troops were going to Boston and Canada, some of which
were embarking about three weeks ago. May God pre
serve you is my hearty with."
NEW-LONDON, Ma, 6.
The ships Alfred and Columbus, and the brig Cabot,
(part of the Continental Fieet) are arrived at Providence
from this port.
PHILADELPHIA, Ma, 26.
Extras of a letter from New York, dated Ma, 13.
" Friday lalt information was given to our Congress,
that some men near Coal-Spring, on Long-Island, were
counterfeiting the Continental currency ; a party of our
militia were ordered out in the afternoon in search of
them: They are all taken, with what cafli they had
itruck off and their tools. They are expe&ed in town
this day, and hope they will be provided with a halter or
sent to Simfbury mines. Inciofed I have sent you the
copy of an a£f :of General Assembly of Rhode- Island,
which was received yesterday by General Washington
from that Colony :
Colony of R HODE-ISLAN D, &c.
In GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Ma, Sefons, 1776.
An ACT, repealing an Act entituled, “ An Act tor
the more effectual securing to his M jetty the allegi
ance of his fubje&s in this his colony and dominion cf
Rh/de-Lland and Providence Plantations," and alter
ing the form of commissions, of all writs and procelles
in the courts, and of the oaths prescribed by law.
WHEREAS in all states, exitting by compact,
protection and allegiance are reci proca, the latter being
only due in con fequepce of the former : And whereas
George the Third, King of Great Britain, forgetting
his dignity, regardless of the compa& most solemnly en
tered into, ratified and confirmed to the inhabitants of
this colony, by his illustrious ancestors, and till of fate
fully recognized by him—and entirely departing 'from
the duties and character of a good King, inttead of pro
te&ing, is endeavouring to destroy the good people of
this colony, and of all the United Colonies, by lending
fleets and arm es to America—to confiscate our property,
and spreadffir,r r , sword and defolati^n throughout, our
country, in order to compel us to submit to the most
debasing and detestable tyranny; whereby we are obliged
by necessity, and it becomes our highest duty, to use
every means, with which God and nature have furnifhed
us, in support of our invaluable rights and privileges;
to oppose that power which is exerted only for our de
ftru&ion.
Be it therefore enacted by this General Assembly, and
by the authorixy thereof it is euaded, that an aft enti
tuled, " an aft for the more effectual securing to his
Majrfty, the allegiance of his fuhje&s in this his colony
and dominion of Rhode-Ifiand and Providence Plantati
ons," be, and the fame is hereby repealed.
And be it further enacted by this General Affemblv,
and by the authority thereof it is enafted, That in ail
commissions for offices, civil and military, and in ail
writs and processes in law, whether original, judicial or
executory, civil and criminal, wherever the name and
authority of the Aid King is made use of, the fame fhal!
be omitted, and in the room thereof, the name and au
thority of the Governor and Company of this colony
shall be fubttituted, in the following words, to wit,
“ The Governor and company of the English colony of
Rhode-Inland and Providence Plantations:'' That all
such commissions, writs and processes, thall be otherwise
of the fame form and tenor as they heretofore were, that
the courts of law be no longer intituled nor considered
as the King's courts ; and that no iriftrument in writing,
of any nature or kind, whether public or private, (hall
in the date thereof mention the year of the said King's
reign : Provided rieverthelcfs, that nothing in this aft
Io th'e Printer of the Pennsylvania Packet.
SI R,
As our brave Sons of Libert, in America, who now are
rijking their all in the service of God and their country,
need ever, affiance that truth and justice can give, tie
f llowing representation being both just and true, and,
tending to animate our spirits while we put otar trufl id
God to crown our flrugfes with the wisted for fuffr'
,our giving it a place in ,our paper lam persuaded will
answer a good end, and much oblige,our conjiant reader;
A CORREoPONDEN i.
ON the third of October, 1770, I dream'd I was in
the town of B riton, and honoured with the com
pany of the Rev. Meffis George Whitefield, Samuel
Foxcraft, Jonathan Dickenfon, Jonathan Edwards, Sa
muel Davis and Aaron Burr; when a stranger came in
to company and asked these reverend and learned Gen
tlemen, if they had heard of the Itange and very
aftonifhing.phenomenon that now appeared in this town
of Boston ? They asked, what was it ? The ft anger re
plied, that a certain bird which called herfelf the Pelican,
that came over from Europe into this wilderness of A me
rica, at the dueaion of the Almighty, and nourished her
young with her own blood, but that a set of barba
rous, inhuman beings, actuated by a lust of power aid
a thirst for blood, had murdered her young ones which
flie, this Pelican, had thus nourished in this wildernef,
with her own blood ; that the had complained of this
murder to the powers on earth, but in vain, for they
would not hear her complaint or do her justice ; that (he
was now going to heaven to carry her complaints thither
to obtain a redress of her grievances, and justice done
her for the great injury the had sustained ; and if they
would step out into the streets, they might both fee and
hear this bird. Accordingly we all went out, and I
thought I saw a bird flying up the skies heaven-wardy
and complaining with the voice of a human perlon id
great distress, in strains so affecting that it might melt
the heart of a rock to hear her, viz. " I am the Pelican
that came over into this wilderness, under the direction
of the God of heaven, and nourished my young with my
own blood, and ye have murdered them ; a set of blood
thirsty, proud, cruel tyrants have pursued me over into
this wilderness, and have murdered my offspring.—l
have cried to earth in vain to revenge the innocent bleed
of my young ones on the head of the murderers ! I have
said, O earth cover not their blood 1 Ye have murdered
my young ones ! Ye have murdered my young ones ! I
now carry my complaint to the impartial, just, omnipo
tent, omnifeient bar of the Great Judge of all ! O thou
Great Being who art able, ready and willing to redress
all wrongs, avenge me of these my cruel bloody adver
saries, &c. and let not this my just complaint pass unno
ticed." I did also obfeive in my dream, that the higher
she flew the louder were her complaints, until flie flopped
on a sudden, and after a short pause there issued a mighty
clap, or peal of thunder, which fheok the whole frame
of nature, to rouse our sleepy world to a sense of the di
vine resentment for their cruel, inhuman treatment of
the Pelican ; after which immediately Jehovah birofelf,
with a voice of Majesty like a God, said, from his fyh,
imperial throne in heaven, “ I will avenge your biped,
and the blood of your murdered offspring, on the head
of the murderers." I then awoke in very great surprise
what could all this mean. I was so affected with this
dream, that I committed it to writing, leak I should for
get it. As the imprtflion of it continued with solemnity
on my mind many days, I related it to some of my par
ticular friends, who were fprprifed at it as well as my
felf, and desired me to publish it : I forbore until now,
and your readers may depend upon it, that I do not im
pose on them a pretended instead of a real dream for I
assure them that these things as above related did pass
through my mind when I was asleep.
In common I regard dreams as little as any ore, for
should we allow ourselves to be guided in common by
nhem, we would open a wide door to the enemy of man
kind to lead us astray ; we have a lure word of prophecy
to which we do well to give heed, as to a light shining
in a dark place. But nevertheless, when any very ex
traordinary revolution is about to take place in the
world, I cannot fee it inconsistent with the chara&er of
the omnifeient Holy Spirit, the author of the Holy Bible,
to give some premonition of it in a dream. I however
modestly submit the whole to the judicious reader, and
am the Public's humble servant,
Ma,^,i„S. THEOPHILUS SCOTUS.
§^4*+ +++ p+<b+-r-T ^4-H- 4-# §
Kent County, on Delaware, April 2, 1776.
TWENTY SHILLINGS RE^^RD.
RAN AWA Yfr^m the fubfertber, near Dover, on
" Monday the ntb da, of March laji, a mulatto Jiave
named PETER (calls bimfelf Peter Brownberr,) about
40 , ears of age, flout andivell made, is a native of the Weft-
Indies, has a good countenance, dndfpeaks proper English:
Had on when he left home, a felt bat, a tow linen Jbirt,
two jackets, one o'd the other new, a pair of new bree bes
of bomefpun fulled cloth, black and white mixed, and Jiri; ed
across with white, a pair of white yarn flockings and half
worn jboes. He has been used to the water, and being well
acquainted with the channel in the river Delaware, ma,
attempt to get on board some of the enemy's ships to afl as d
pilot : The inhabitants along Jbore are requeued to bit
watchful. Whoever secures tbejaid jlave so teat his mafler
ma, get him again, Jball have the above Reward, and rea
sonable charges ij brought home, paid b,
f THOMAS IRONS.
WAS FOUND last fall, between John
Roberta's Mill and the Gulph Road, a Silver
WATCH CASE. The owner proving his proper
ty and paying charges m^y have it again y applying to
the fubfcribei, near laid Mill.
J SAMUEL ROBERTS.
contained fliall render void, or vitiate any commiilion,
writ, proctis or instrument heretofore made or executed,
on account of the name and authority oi the said K.ng
being therein inferred.