The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1783-08-09 00:00:00, page 2

'" ail th* ct'.A authentic accounts which have arri
^?H from the Bast Indies, there is no account what
ever of the Du r ch fleet which failed from the Level in
September la(t; wvatev r route they took is not
known, but it is hatdy probable they will arriveat Ba
tavii t.ll June. .
Advicesis received by the Dutch mail, that three
loaded colliers trom Sunderland, were loft in a hard
;Je of wind the iith instant on the coart of Hol
hind ; the crews were all saved. Two others that
were in company were near flaring tl e fame fate, be
:..^ ^oth dihaahcd, and received otner damage.
May 22. Sir Guy Carleton has used every possible
endeavour to persuade the Congress to ratify the treaty
wim America, without wa ting till the troops shall
hl ve been withdrawn ; but his efforts have been entirely
fruttitfs; theCongrefs remained inflexibly bent on fee
ing their country freed from the Br.tifh troops, before
t^y would content to take,the treaty into considerati
on. They refuted to receive a gentleman whom fir
Guy was desirous to fend to them in a public charac
ter; to treat with thenion the fubjed, but they gra
tified him so far as to fend a delegate frotn their own
bocy to NewAArk, who arrived there the beginning
oi April: However, the British general has not been
able to turn tuis circumflance to any particular ac
count, and, therefore, in pursuance of conditional or
d^ which he had previcufly received, he began to
make every preparation fee evacuating New-York,
Loig Idled, Staten Idan', &c. he dispatched a vessel
to, aGmiral Pigot, in the Weft-Indies, with an infor
mation, that, as it was his majesty's pleafuee the Eri
tnh io,ces Should be withdrawn frfrm America as (pee
oily as pofriok, he should have occafibn for all the
iraufpofts the admiral could (pare, to be employed in
carrying away the troops. Sir Guy was pressing that
the transports might be dispatched to him the firft fair
wind, in order that the public might be relieved as
expeditiously as poffibe, from the heavy burden of
lupporting an army, which is no longer of any use in
America. We may, therefore, look soon for the ev&
cuaoou of all the places which the king now holds
wailin the limitsof the United States prescribed by the
provisional treaty. It is singular, that in America no
thing was known of the peace till the 9th of March,
on which day a French frigate brought the news ofit
to Philadelphia.
Tae lrdh piopofe a test aft at their next eleßion, it
being determined not to elect any candidate whbwill
not vote for an frith bill of rights, and a tax upon all
absentees.
By the Irifli mails we learn, a bill is now preparing
for parliament, to redrift the importation of wool and
woo en yarn from this kingdom, whenever the price
©all exceed 10s. a stone. This bill, it is said, will ob
viate the complaint of our manufacturers, of the (car
tuy and high rate of the raw material.
Dr. Franklin is fill greatly caressed by the French
ministry. The philosopher is frequently honored with
private conferences, on the fubjed of a commercial
treaty, from an opinion entertained by count Vergen
nes, that no man is better acquainted with the genius
and ailpofition of his countrymen, the nature of the
American trade, the general produce of their lands, and
their wants of different commodities from Europe.
There will be no general exchange of prisoners,
taken during the war, until the definitive treaties are
figard.
Spain is ufirig her influence to wards bringing about
a peace between Turkey and the nothern powers.
For above three months part, a Spanith minister has
been at Conflantinople, charged with commercial
affairs.
The Dutch make up the°r expences to the winding up
of the war at nineteen millions ; their losses are near
twenty millions more, the greatest part of which falls
on their East-India company ; so that in three years
they have luftained damage to the amount of near 40
millions ; all which might have been prevented by a little
good faith.
On Saturday the court-martial fat at the Horse-
Guard% and puffed toe following sentence on lieutenant
colonel Cockburne :
“ The court-martial, having duly considered and
weighed the evidence given in support of the firft charge
agaiuft the prisoner, lieutenant colonel James Cock
b^cne, with that produced in his defence, is of opinion,
that he is guilty of the whole of the said charge : name
ly, of culpable neglect while commanding in chief his
majefly's forces in the island of St. Euflatius, in not
taking the necessary precautions for the defence of the
said island, not withstanding he had received the fulleft
intelligence of an attack intended by the enemy upon
the fame ; and of having, on the 26th day of Novem
ber, fuffered himfelf to be furprized by an inferior ben
dy of French troops, which landed on the said island
without an opposition ; and did mod fhamefully abandon
and give up the garrifous, ports, and troops, which
were under his command; and this court do'adjuge,
that he, the said lieutenant colonel James Cockburne'
be therefore Cashiered, and declared unworthy offervin^
his majefly in any military capacity whatever, and
that the fame be notified to him publicly at the head of
the 13th and 15th regiments of foot, who yve r e under
his command at the time of the said furprize, if that
may be convenient : and the court doth, for the fake
of example, further adjudge, that the charge of which
the prisoner has been so fully convicted, together with
the sentence pronounced against him, be declared in
public orders, and circulated to every corps in his ma
jesty's service.
May 24. Yeflerday letters were received from Han
over, mentioning that, pursuant to orders from Eng
land, the troops of that eledorate had been reduced to
the usual complement of men in times of peace.
May 26. Letters are received at the East-India
house, which mention that a treaty is concluded be
tween governor Hartings and the Marhattas. By the
above letters intelligence is likewise received, that fou
lhips had received failing orders for England, and four
more were to fail soon after.
The above letters further fay, that governor flatt
ings had sent 200,000 bags of rice to Madras, as also a
great quantity of money to that place and Bombay.
We further lenrs frem tie f : re letter,, tlat general
fir Eyre Coote was extremely ill when the above intel
ligence left India.
Extract of a letter from Mr. John Sibbit, commander
of a vessel taken on her passage from Boston to France,
by the Bellifarius, captain Graves, dated the 9th of
March, 1783, to a friend in London.
" On the 26th of November, 1782, being in com
pany with the Jupiter, in lat. 23, 10, N. long. 81,
20, W.at Ax A. M. discovered a fail in the south weft
quarter; chafed per figna! from the Jupiter, continu
ing the chafe till five P. M. the 27th, when we disco
vered a fleet of 29 fail coming out of Havanna; left
off chafing the brig, and hauled our wind for tin land,
to prevent our being difeovered by the said fleet. As
soon as it was dark we made fail and flood for them,
and the fame evening captured two ships, the one a
French and the other an American ; Jupiter in com
pany. At four ATM. came up with and engaged an
American ship of 20 guns, called the St. Helena, of
Philadelphia, the Jupiter not being in fight, after an
action of two hours captured said ffiip. I being sent
on board to take charge of her, found her rigging
much cut, and mizen top mast disabled ; having only
fix men on board, were not fufficient, without more
affirtance, to get the top-mast down and a new one up,
I therefore employed the people in knotting and Spli
cing the rigging. At five F. M. 29th, captain Stan
hope sent his boat with <rn additional number of men
to assist in getting up the top mast, who were employ
ed during the night. At nine A. M. having kept to
the number of 11 to work the ship, by order of the <apt.
sent the boat with the remainder to the people on board
the Lively, being in as good a condition as I con'd fit
her at that time, except some of the running rigging to
splice, which kept the men I had on board employed
during that day. The 29th, at eight P. M. I divided
the people into two watches ; ordered the watch below
to get a (pare fail on the quarter deck, that they might
deep thereon, being so much fatigued through hard du
ty and want of rest, I could scare keep them from fall
ing a sleep in the day • ,according to orders from cap
tain Stanhope (who hailed me that day)l made fail up,
and hove too on the Jupiter's quarter, the Lively like
wise on my bow, two of the prizes a stern, and two on
my larboard quarter. At nine, one Palmer, the se
cond mate, seized me by the throat, clapped a pistol to
my breast, and told me if I spoke a word I wasa dead
man; having to the number of eleven prisoners on
board, and they to my great furprize under arms,
threw me into the light-room, placed a centinel over
me, and in a few minutes the rest of my people were
brought down and confined in the fame place with me ;
here we remained till the ship was out of fight of the
fleet; I was then ordered up and confined in the cock
pit, with a centinel over me, and the people soon after
ordered up and put in irons. At half part eleven, A.
M. I was permitted to go on deck for the benefit of
the air, being then about fix leagues diflant from the
Moro Cadle. On the 30th, at one P. M. the people
were ordered on deck, seated in a row, with a rope
reeved through their arms and faftened at both ends;
neither was I permitted to ceme on the fame fide
the people were on. In this situation I remained till
we were within pifiol (hot of the More, and preparing
to come to anchor, when this fame Palmer, being
the only American then on the quarter deck, except
the man at the helm, the others being forward clear
ing the anchor, I immediately embraced the opportu
nity and seized Pa'mer, who was the ringleader, with
his cutlass and pistol, and called on my people to a
rise, which they did beyond expectation, and then a
fcuffie ensued, in which f received several blows with a
cutlafr, but Providence ordered it so that I received no
material damage • ,when fortunately the fourth mate
making a lunge at me, ran Palmer through the body,
who expired in a few minutes afterwards, with whose
pistol I knocked down the fourth mate; by this time
my people got off their irons, confined the remainder of
the prisoners, and hauling our wind to the northward;
then in fight of fourteen failof the line, lying at an
chor in the harbour, and made all the fail I could.
The 2d of December, Cape Florida being north, dis
tant four leagues, fell in with a cartel from Jamaica,
bound to Cepe Francois, into which I sent the prison
ers, and made the best of my way for St. Augustine,
at which place I arrived the sth instant, and delivered
the ship in^o the hands of Meffts. Moss, merchants,
to ad for the benefit of the captors."
DUBL I N, May 22.
Farmers from all parts agree, that they hav^ never
known a more favourable pMofpe& than the prefect sea
son affords, of a mos labundant produce of all the fruits
of the earth.
Veflerday morning an English mefferger, with dis
patches to his excellency the lord lieutenant, arrived
in the Befborough packet, Goddard, from Holyhead.
Letters from Paris advise, that the reduction of the
army has already taken place throughout France, in
conference of which, thirty thousand End forces will
be disbanded. Government, however, has taken care
that this great number of men shall not be thrown
idlers on the public, by providing full employment for
such as are able to labour, at Toulon, Havre, and
Dunkirk, on the new works conftrufling there. The
seamen rated able, that served in the. royal navy last
war, are to have a pension of sixteen livres each, until
celled upon again. The commissaries of the several
departments have a fund provided for that purpose to
pay them with.
From the Edinburgh Evening Post.
On the Advantage and Amusement derived from the
reading of News-papers.
IT has been often observed, that there is not so in-
Consistent, <0 incoherent, so heterogeneous, although
so ufeful and agreeable a thing as a public news-paper ;
the very ludicrous contrafl in advertisements, the con-'
tradidory substance of foreign and domeflic paragraphs,
the oppofitive opinions and observations of contending
effayills, with premature deaths, fpurigut marriages,
births, bankruptcies, &c. &c. form a fund of enter:
tainment for a world, of which it is in itfelf no bad
epitome.
A newspaper is so true a type of that caprice and le
vity,for which our countrymen are remarked by foreign
ers, that it may be juflly flyled an Engb/hman's coat
of arms; and o6r modern heralds would do well to
adopt so firiking an emblem of our air, foil, and con
flitution; and yet the Turkish alcoran is not half so
sacred to a rigid Mahometan, a parish feaft to an o
verseer, a flreogth-difpenfing haunch to an alderman,
or a general eleßionto a freeholder, as a London Ga
zette extraordinary is to an English politician. He
en ers upon it with all the pomp and veneration of the
firft, (wallows and gorges it with the voluptuous a
vidity of the second and third, and concludes with the
intoxication of the last. If the deleftable paper is an
account of a naval atchievement he toasts the admi
ral and captains in half-pints a piece, gets drunk with
loyalty, and goes to bed with his headfull of feventy
fours, sixty-sours, fifties, frigates, transports, and fire
fhips.
A news-paper, whose magnitude is much superior,
and where the chief of its contents are not fandified by
royal or official authority, is obliged to become the
receptacle of invention and embellishment, hence it is
made a museum of, we hear—they write— it is said—a
correspondent remarks—with a long lift ofifsand fup=
pofec—that at once serves to please, amuse divert, and
inform; and yet the evils of Pandora's box do not
operate more powerfully, or diffufe themselves more
extensively, than these paragraphs do over the face of
the whole earth. I have known,a we hear, alter a man's
face as the weather would do a borometer; and an it is
said distort ehis features with the force of an electrical
shock. I have seen an if make a man cry; while on
the contrary, a suppose has provoked his rifibi'ity.
And thus do they operate, like physic, according to the
conflitutions, tempers, and principles of the patients.
AbHrafled from politics, the general tenor of our
domeflic information is not a little curious: whether it
arises from accident or dffign, I know not; but I have
frequently seen, after a paragraph reciting the elegance
of an entertainment, a commission of bankruptcy has
immediately followed : after a city ftaft, I have often
seen a melancholy account of a sudden death of an
aiderman by an apopledic 6t: after an advertisement
of the art of fencing, taught by Monsieur Longsword„
the circu niftances of a duel followed, wherein one of the
combatants had been run through the body ; after a
marriage, a divorce; and thus have I seen these part
graphs as naturally follow, in the fame uniform order
in the news-papers, as their consequences do in real
lie...
Our curiosity may be extended by observing the va^
rious effects the different articles of intelligence have on
different persons. Thus a marriage will mortify the
breast of an old maid, and hurt the pride of a young
one, while it gives consolation to many a poor dejected"
hufbahd, who reads that another has fallen into his si
tuation. A death, if it is a wife, will make husbands
envy the widower, wives and widows pity the deceased,
and, hurt at the hufoand's good fortune, exclaim a
gainfl the monster for not (hewing a proper degree of
sorrow on the occahon, while one of them, perhaps,
married him in a month after. If it is the death of a
young virgin, flie is indeed generally pitied (except by
a rival) and her fate is attributed by females, to force
cruel, hard hearted brute whom (he was too good for,
and whose ill-usage had broke her heart. A para^
graph of an accident gives, if the object is rich, plea
fore to the surgeon, caution to the world, and anxiety
to his relations and friends. A commission of bank
ruptcy deals out hope and fear in equal succession:
indeed, all the passions incident to the human frame,
are elated and put in motion by a newspaper. It is a
bill of fare, containing all the luxurious, as well as
necessaries of life, politics ere now the roaJ lbeef of the
times, and a dilh equally sumptuous to the king and
the cobler ; poetry is plumb pudding, and palatable
only to the lovers of the muse. There are others that
aft as vegetables; to complete the course; while our
mails from France and Spain serve up nothing but
kickfnaws and fricafees.
The four winds (the initials of which make the word
News) are not so capricious, or so liable to change, as
our public intelligencers ; we have on Monday morn
ing a whifp'r—on Tuesday, a rumour—on Wednes
day, a conjeßure—on Thursday, a probable—on Fri^
day, a positive—and on Saturday, a premature. And
thus are our hopes and expectations,!^ five days regu^
larly, and almost mechanically increased, till the sixth
compliments us with a total disappointment.
Its defefls, however, bear no comparison to Rs
beauties, which are equally celebrated in the court as
on the taylor's (hop-board. It is a caricature, happi
ly calculated to hit the ordinary and unbounded pre
judices of society. One person's affeflions lie in the price
of flocks 6 and the arrival of our East and Weft-India
fleets; another's in a dreadful battle, either by sea or
by land, in which he solaces himfelf that he can read
the account free from its dangers; a third places his
delight in a curious anecdote; a fourth in a tale of
scandal; a fifth, in horse-races; a sixth, in theatrical
intelligence; a seventh, in songs and poetry; and [
really know a person, of an humane disposition, whose
inward feelings a r e gratified in a degree proportioned
te the bloody circumfiances that accompany the rela
tion of a murder. Fhus is a newspaper, a magazine,
or toy-shop, where every one has his nobby-horfe ;
and thus all capacities and descriptions are periodical
ly furnifhed with inflruaion, amusement and informa
"°n° '"Without it, ceffee-houfes, ale-houses, and bar
bers fllops, would undergo a change next to depopu
lation; and our country villagers, the curate, the
excifeman, and the blacksmith, would loe the felf fa
tisfaaion of being as wife as our firft miniflers of fate.
—° N
Genteel ready Furnished Lodg
ing*: confixing of a handsome Dining Room, two
Bedchambers, a Room for Servant, the Us e (fa Kiteh
cn, and a large C;dar. Enquue oi the Primer.