The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-04-06 00:00:00, page 1

Tri HE impertinence and stupidity of- the compiler of
3 .that wretched performance, with the pompous title
of The Magazine of the United States, have, I find, been
the means of my iilly, but certainly harmless, letter to
Miss Franks, being introduced into the New-York pa
pers, and, I am told, of giving much uneasiness to that
amiable young Lady, for whole character, ~ in every ref
pe&t, I have the bi^heft regard. If the consequence of this
foolifh traSh had been only making a noise in this town,
(which is mot an Athens) I Should not have troubled the
public on the fybjffl; but a§ ( perceive it is extended
much farther, gives every day frefh uneasiness to the La
dy ; and as my .motives for writing it have been misinter
preted by the malicious, and mi s understood by the block
heads; to undeceive the public, I mud entreat that you
will insert in your paper the inclofedcopy of a letter which
I Wrote tb the La iy, on being 3 informed that the was bo,th
offended and distressed by my jest, the intention of
which was merely to make her, ?nd a few of her acquaint
ance, laugh for a moment, and then to throw it into the
fire. It is indeed much to be lamented that the compiler
of the Magazine of the Uni'ed States ihould, after fix
months hard labour, not be able to squeeze out of his
brain fufficient matter for his coup d'efiai, even with the
aid of his heavenly muse, without having recourse to such
wretched fluff as my letter to Miss Franks; but wretched
as it was, the compiler of the Magazine, from want of
comprehension and faulty punctuation, has rendered it
ten times worse—the only parts which had- any pretention
to humour are, by passing through his hands, become the
most insipid of the whole. BShall give one in fiance of it—
the original runs thus, I (ball repeat (although, in flrite of
their beauties, lam almofi out of breath veitb repetitions and
parenthesis) but IJball repeat —The raillery here intended
is against my own manner of writing, which has been de,
fervidly laughed at for repetitions and parenthesis, .by
Several who have taken the trouble to read my publicati
ons. But the Magazine writer transfers these beauties,
viz. of repetitions and parentbefis, to the poor knights of
the Mefchianza, Whose beauties were never once thought of.
The postscript he has mangled Hill more horribly; the
chief sarcasm it contained was levelled against the gentle
man who, without leave, had taken a copy and read it
wherever he went. It ran thus— ln all affairs of honour,
as, pi emu# kno^w, it is a rule to observe the flriflefl fitence
until the matter is brought to an issue. I have myfelf been
extreme!) cautious, bating only communicated it to m, truf
t, and confidential friend Dr. *, who has acted with all
the prudence that could be expelled from him, for be has only
revealed it to nine Members of Congress (no mere than four
es cwbom were lawyers, and to seventeen Ladies, no more
than five of whom were old maids) so that there can be no
apprebenfaus of the affair's taking wind as far as depends
on me, and I hope you will be equally guarded. Now,
though the wit of this poflfcript is at best miserable enough
God knows, it certainly is hot deferring of its present un
happy destiny, which is, by a single omission of the Ma
gazine compiler, to be qualified to keep company witli
Van Heft's cave, the damnable traSh imputed to poor
General Moultrie, and, what is still more degrading,
with his own damnable verses, which, if a Christmas
bell-man was to ling under our windows, we Should cer
tainly throw something on his head.
+V* #- $-**** *^+*# * 4-4-4-4- 44
For the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
MR. DUNLAP,
The HIGHEST PRICE
IS GIVEN FOR
Clean linen rags,
B Y
JOHN DU N L A P.
^^^t^^Wo^s^
OR
GENERAL
Philadelphia, January the z%th, 1779.
MADAM,
NOTHING has happened'to me of late that has
given me more concern than the serious light in
which, I am told, you are persuaded to copfider the harm
less, jocular letter I wrote to you ; I fay persuaded to con
fider, because on the firft receipt of it, when you were
directed by your own excellent understanding alone; you
conceived it, as it was meant, an innocent jeu d'efprit.
I do not mean to compliment when I assure you, upon
my honour, that it was the good opinion 1 had of your
understanding which encouraged me to indulge myfelf in
this piece of raillery, which, in effect, is not in the leaf!
directed against you, but against myfelf and a few others.
If it contains any satyr, you are obvioully the vehicle,
not the object. My acquaintance with you is too {lender
to admit of my taking any liberties which,border on fa
miliarity ; and unless I had been taught to believe that the
liberality of your mind and chearfulnefs of difppgtion,
were such that you would be pleased with any effort to
make you laugh for a moment in these times, I declare,
upon the word of an honest man, that I would foener have
TUESDA Y,
[ Price 2s. 6d. single, 2s. by the quantity. Published every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ]
put my hand into the fire than have written it. Thauk
God, I have not that petulant itch for Scribbling, or vain
ambition of passing for a wit, as to
Give virtue (candal, innocence a fear,
Or from the foft-eyed virgin steal a tear.
Weak, corrupt, or tyrannical Administrators of the pub
lic affairs; ignorant, blundering, and conceited Generals,
are undoubtedly the fair game of every writer in a free
community ; but in justice to, myfelf, I can venture to as
sert, that there does not exist a mortal who holds in
greater abhorrence than I do the calumniators of indivi
duals and disturbers of the peace of private families ; but
those who wantonly wound the tranquility of persons of
your lex, I comfider as the most detestable es the whole
infernal species. In this point I push my Quixocifm so far,
that for instance I should think myfelf morally obliged,
(if the scoundrel could be difeovered) to cine through the
public streets the author ®f that infamous ribaldry, which
he is pleased to'call characters, wherein so many refpe&a
ble Ladies arebafely and cowardly traduced; indeed, I
think a whip should be put into every honest hand to lath
the rascal through the world. There is one confelation,
however, which is, that his ftupjdity, if poftble, sur
passes his malignity. With refpe& to my harmless letter
(for so I thought it) I once more beg leave to repeat, I
had not the most distant idea that it co< Id have been so
grofly misunderstood, or that you could have been in any
measure considered as the object of the satyr (such as it is)
but merely as the vehicle. I entreat therefore, that you
will divest yourfelf of the opinion (if ever you entertain
ed it) that it was my with to give you a single uneasy mo
mpnt; but that my foie view was to afford matter of a
little temporary mirth to you and the Ladies who form
your circle. I have spun out this dull letter to a greater
length than I intended, and hope that its dulnefs will be
attributed to its proper cause, the sensibility (which upon
Illy llOllUui io no: ailc&lvu) of liaviv— locco lausvcimly ILA
cause of giving pain to a young Lady, for whole good
qualities and character no man has a higher refpe& and
regard,, than nas, Madam,
Your most obedient humble servant,
CHARLES LE E.
P. S. I have just now had a fight, in Mr. Rivington's
Gazette, of Miss Franks's pretended answer to my letter
---I declare solemnly that Miss Franks never did write,
nor can any body who is acquainted with that young La
dy, think her capable of writing, a single syllable of such
abominable Grub-Street. It is probably the production
of some gaping expectant for an office, who has absurdly
flattered himfelf that he fliould recommend himfelf to his
Excellency by any feurrility on me. A fceundrel of this
species was lately detected at this dirty work in the Jerseys,
and the fruits of his labours have been a most horrible fright,
a precipitate flight from the horse-whip of one of my Aid
de Camps, the contempt of the whole army, of his own
townsmen, and of General Washington's family, to
whom he thought he had been paying his court. How it
Should happen that so refpeßable a name as Mr. Cyrus
Griffin's Should be put to this forgery, it is difficult to
conceive ; for even if that Gentleman had not given his
honour that he had no concern, in it, no man would be
lieve it possible that he Should, as the composer must bo
not only a very great rascal, but evidently a consummate
fool, and I have never heard either Mr. Griffin's parts or
integrity called in question.
*<# ff+ggQQQQggQ 444.4.4.4.
Philadelphia, April 3.
AL L persons having any demands against
thl estate of Thomas Tisdell, Rope-maker,
of this city, eccalcd, are hereby notified to bring in
thrir account# to the lubferiber, proved according to
law, that they may be paid; And all those indebted to
said estate are desired to make payment on or before the
fifteenth day of May next, otherwise their accounts
will be put into the hands of an Attorney, by
JOHN DIAMOND, Administrator.
TO BE S O L D,
By the fubferiber, living in t%rminffer Town Ship,
Bucks County, ne?f the Cross Reads
AY OUNG NEGRO MA N, twenty-three years
of age; he understands farming in the best man
ner. ROBERT MILLER.
Kerjington, Abril 1.
FORTY DO LLARS REWARDS
0 FRAYED or S TOLEN tom the fubferiber, a
' dark brown M AR E, about fourteen and a half
hands high, ten years old, four white feet, Shod before,
wall eyes, a long flitch tail, quarter blooded, trots and
canters. Whoever takes up said mare and gives in
formation thereof, Shall have Sixteen Dollars reward,
and if Stolen, for mare and thief the above reward.
WILLIAM BOWER.
^^™"^^^^^^^^^^
I^^^^^^^^
THE
THE
ADVERTISER
WANTE D,
Far a Match,
A BRIGHT BAY HORSE or MARE,
fifteen hands high. Any person having such a one
to dispose of, may hear of a purchaser and a good pries'"
by applying to the Printer.
Just printed and to be fold by
STYNER AND CIST,
At the north raft corner of Race and Second-Streets, by
Dr hundred, dozen or single,
THE NEWEST AMERICAN PRIMER.
Also the N EW-ENGLAND PRIMER
enlarged.
TO BE SOLD BY
P E LATIAH WEBSTER,
In Water. Street, a few doers below Chefnut Street,
AY OUNG hearty Negro Wench, country born,
fit for town or country; also a ton of Country
Steel, a few quarter chtfts of Hvfon Tea, and a parcel
of Dry Goods ; Tanners Oil, Russia Duck, &c.
Hanover, Morris County, March 10.
STOLEN, on Friday night, the fifth instant, a roan
MARE, about fourteen hands high, seven years old,
has a flit in one ear, a large star in her face, long hinder
fetlocks, with a little white round the hoofs. A bright
bay MARE, about fourteen hands high, nine years old,
has a snip and bufliy mane. Both mares %re with foal,
trots and paces, and each twice branded with the Conti
nental mark C A. A dark bay FILLY, twenty months
old, has a long tail and very bulhy mane.
Whoever takes up Did Mares, Shall have ONE HUN
DRED and TWENTY DOLLARS reward, or in pro
portion for either ; and for the thief or thieves as much,
on their being delivered to Mr. William Semple, in
PGUdelphia, or to the fubferiber in Morris-Town.
TO BE SOLD BY
JOHN DUNL AP,
Wholesale and Retail, bound or in Sheets, for the emis
sions called out of circulation,
The following BOOKS, in the German Language,
elegantly printed, viz.
Large family bibles,
TESTAMENTS,
PoaLM-BOOKS,
Marburg HYMN-BOOKS,
PSALTERS,
Lutheian CATECHISMS,
Calvinist CATECHISMS,
,h e above Books are also fold by Ludwig Lauman,
Loafer; Mr. Bilmire, York Town ; Mr. Hower
Frederick-! own Maryland; Mr. John Spangenberg,
Eafton; Mr. Joseph Heister, Reading ; and Mr. Chris
topher Loughner, Philadelphia.
PARCH M °E
Of the best quality, SOLD bv
JOHN DUNLA P.
Philadelphia, Ma f cb 20.
TWENTY DOL LARS REWARD.
, AN AWAY on Dburfday morning the eighteenth
instant, an Lilli servant bey named WILLIAM
MJRPHY, about fifteen years of age, Short and thick
set, has loft one of his foreteeth ; took with him a pew
mixed coloured nap coat and half worn breeches, a final!
round hat, and cocked beaver ditte, blue yarn Stockings,
and a pair of new Shoes. Whoever will secure him so
that hit raafteT may have him again, Shall receive the
above reward and reasonable charges.
JOHN LARDNER.
Philadelphia, March 'll:
1' EAS Jacob Weiley obtained a
¥Y bond from the tofcriber for about two hundred
pounds, in the year 177 , and the said Weiley being
deceased, the Said bond is now in the hands of Jacob
Ritter, Adminiftratqr 6 And at said bond has been paid
eff, and over-paid to the amount of feventy-five pounds,
the fubferiber therefore forwarns all persons from taking
said bend, expecting to recover the fame, from
THOMAS STILES.
MELCHER and VANDEREN,
Have for sale at their ft©re in Second-freet, next door
to Mr. Funk's tavern, between Arch and Race-streets,
Philadelphia, by wholesale and retail,
RU M. and Spirits, Loaf and Mufeovado Sugars,
Green and Bohea Tea, Bar and Nail-rod Iron, a
neat assortment of Iron Castings, Holland Stone Ware,
Geneva in cases, Indigo by the barrel ; also a quantity
°fL""°'r' & c ' ^e.
APRIL 6, 1779.
WALTER BUCHANAN.