The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-08-17 00:00:00, page 1

% be SOLD by Public Vendue,
At the Coffee-houfe, on Thursday the nineteenth in it'
at fix o'clock in the evening,
g CERTAIN tra& of Land containing one hun
-4A dred acres, with large allowance, Situate on the
weffern branch of Great Mantua Creek, called Chefnut-
Branch, in Greenwich township, county of Gloucester,
western divifim of the state of New-Jersey. On said
land is a good.frame house with two rooms ora a floor,
and a good spring near the door; about thirty acres of
And land cleared, part of which is an apple and peach
orchard ; about forty acres of t^/remrinder may be made
into meadow. The place lays within half a mile of a
saw-mid, on a road leading to Smith's Landing, and
within sou milts of said landing, fix miles ol Wocd
berry, and sixteen miles from Philadelphia.
TO BE SO L D,
A NEGRO WENC H.
Enquire of SAMUEL YOUNG, near the Draw-.
bridge, Philadelphia,
Philadelphia, Augufl 12.
WILL BE SO L D,
At the Coffee house, at Twelve o'clock, the 18th of
the month,
g CERTAIN tr:i& of LAND, containing one
' 1 hundred and sixty-two acres, fitwated on Timber
Creek, in Gloucester county and townfllip, sixteen miles
from Philadelphia, well timbered with oak, hickory and
pine fit for boards or fcantling, about ten acres clea,
a house and stable, four and a half miles from the land
ing. The premises would suit well for a Glass-house.
Any person inclining to purchase before the day of
sale, may apply to PATRICK LARKEY, in
Water-street, opposite the Porter Brew House
Philadelphia, Augufi 13.
r, H E- AGENTS for the Fri
gate CONFEDERACY give this public
notice, That they will attend on hoard the said (hip
(lying off Chester) on Tufday the seventeenth instant,
to pay the (bates of Pi ze Money due the Officers, Sea
men and Marines now belonging to laid ship, arising
from the captures of the (hip Poole and fchooher Pat
fey: And on Friday the twentieth instant will be paid
ait the Navy. Office in Front Street, the Shapes of those
who have been regularly discharged from said Grip.
To be JOL Dby Public Vendue,
On Tueffa the 21st 01 September next,
FOUR HUNDRED,ere, of rich LAN D, Situate in
Berkeley county, Virginia, nine miles from Harpen
ferry, The said toft is allowed by all that know it, to
be equal to any in the counts; in the land is a conß ri
large limestone spring, nlfo a dwelling-horde and barn.
Tuere a%e ^bcrut fity acres of fine meadow, a ftre^m
tuns thro' it, and the greatest part may occasionally be
watered ; one hundred acres of level arable land, in
good heart and well fenced, the remainder plentifully
timbered with ash, gum, oak, hickory and locust ; it is
in a very healthy country, and an agreeable neigbour
hood, and joins the estate of Col. S. Washington, The
sale will be on the premises, where due attendance will
be given, by JAMES NOURSE, Jun
Also for sale or Wednesday the Bth September, to the
highest bidder, two lots in the town of Bath, in the a
forefaid county, more generally known by the name of
the Warm-Springs, at which place due attendance will
be given.
HORSES to be S OLD.
*3 SORREL STALLION, seven eighths blood
ed, got by Yorick, the property of Col. Taylor,
out of the Pacolet mare, late the property of Col. Hopp
er, of the Eastern Shore, Maryland ; fifteen hands high,
seven years old next grass. Alfp a MARE half
blooded, fourteen and a half hands high, rising fix years
old. To be viewed at Samuel Hodgson's Livery Sta
blet, back of the City Tavern, Philadelphia.
W A N T E I),
For a particular purpose,
AFE W thousand Dollars in Loan Office Certificates
bearing date in March, April or May, 177'8. Any
person having such Certificates to difpole of, may find a
purchaser by applying to the Printer,
OT@W^&^
Amt.
^^^^^s ^^^
GERMAN ALMANACKS,
For the YEAR 1780,
TO BE SOLD BY
JOHN D U N L A P,
In Market-Sheet, Philadelphia.
G E I N ERAL
TUESDA Y,
[ Price 2s. 6d. fingk, ,2s. by the quantity. Published every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ]
OR
Thursday, April 29.
A MOTION was carried unanimeufly for the
di Speaker to leave the chair, that the Houle might go
into a Committee on the inquiry into the conduct of the
American war, when Sir William Hewe rose, and after
reminding the House, that the juftification of himfelf and
of his noble brother being the grand object for which he
had troubled the Committee to read the papers on their
table, it was now necessary to support a great number of
fads Rated in those papers, by calling evidence to the bar,
and therefore he moved that Lord Cornwallis fhopld be
called in.
After a long debate, and the Chairman's reading the
question, ' that Lord Cornwallis be called in,' the follow
ing amendment was proposed by Lord North,' to be ex
amined on general and particular points as to the general
conduct of the American war.'
1 his proposition brought on another very warm and
int^refting debate, which lasted till past twelve o'clock, at
which time the Committee divided upon the amendment,
when there appeared for the question 180, against it 155 ;
majority 25.
The Committee then divided upon the main question,
' whether Lord Cornwallis fliould be called ;' and the
numbers were, for the motion 180, against it 158 ; majo
rity 23.
Another motion was made by Colonel Barre, for calling
in his L®rdfhip to give evidence relative to the fubjed mat
ters of the papers before the Committee ; but it was nega
tived without a division, and rhe House adjourned.
Monday, May 3.
Colonel Barre complained of the proceedings and deter
mination of the Committee of Enquiry into the conduct of
the American war, on Thursday night, or rather Friday
morning; and as the Committee in his opinion had net
done their duty, he made the following motion to enable
them to perform it in future, That it be an inftruHion to
the Committee to call in Lord Cornwallis to be examined
on the fubjed matter of the papers.
Lord North opposed it upon the fame principles he had
done; and only added, that as the Committee was a Com
mittee of the whole House, and that a very full one, it
was disorderly to complain of such a Committee to the
House, of which it was in fact composed.
Mr. Dunning, Mr. Townsend, Sir George Saville, Mr.
Powis, and General Burgoyne, Ml spoke warmly for the
motion ; and force hints being thrown out, that, if the in
quiry was pursued, blame would fall upon the Secretary of
State for the Colonies,Lord George Germain rofe,and made
a warm Speech in his own defence ; he said he was sorry
to be forced to do it ; he had not Spoken before , he was a
fraid to trust himfelf, left,he Should fay too much ; but, situ-.
ated as he was, he must call upon gentlemen to speak out
boldly, for he had much rather be fairly accused than ob
liquely attacked : And was ready to abide any inquiry—
and trial. He had told the horse the force was adequate to
the object :So it was at the time he said so; he had sent
the General all the force required ; his own letters shewed
it; he had told the house he hoped for a fuccefsful cam
paign ; this wasat a time when the rebellion was almost
crushed, and when, if the General had thought proper t®
cross the Delaware, Philadelphia would have surrendered,
and he would have been in possession of all Pennsylvania
to New York and the Jerseys ; and with those three Pro
vinces it would have been impossible for the Rebels to have
Rood their ground another campaign. Why the General
did not cross. the Delaware, and why he went t® the Che
fapeak-river, he never could underhand, and therefore he
could never express his approbation of it, whith he fup
poted was one reason for the General's complaining that
he had withdrawn his confidence from him. The General,
no doubt, had.his reasons for his conduct ; but, in his ®-
pinion; this flep prevented putting an end to the war that
campaign. Upon the whole he wished for an enquiry, but
in a proper place; and without explaining the improprie
ty of it in that house, he fhauld content himfelf with vot
ing against the motion on the point offorder.
Mr. Fox was severe in reply : He said; the noble Lord,
of all men living, ought to vote for the motion ; his own
honour, and justice to the General whom he had now
charged, required it.
He freely declared that, if the enquiry went on, he in
tended to bring a regular charge against his Lordifhip, and
contradict his faffs and his representations of the corre
spondence between Sir William Howe and General Bur
goyne ; but unless the com,;tency of Parliament was al
lowed to enquire inorder to found a charge, he would not
proceed.'
He said the noble Lord knew that his noble friend in the
blue ribbon had a majority determined to put a negative
on the present motion, and therefore he took that oppor
tunity of bringing a charge against the General, while
fpeakmg only to a point of order.
Mr. Rigby made a great diftinftion between Sir Wil
liam Howeand General Burgoyne ; the former had been
fuccefsful m every undertaking, the latter had loft an ar
my ; the former, if guilty at all, could be arraigned only
LONDO N.
HOUSE of COMMONS.
!^_WKfr^
I j^t/^^L I
THE
M^W&^
ADV.E R'TISER
for error in judgment, the latter for mifeonduH ; he was
thoroughly of opinion, that 10,000 men could not be loft
without a fault somewhere. But since he boldly threw
down the gauntlet, and defied adminiftratiou, he would
certainly fuffer the parliamentary enquiry to go as far as it
could, ^hich was ®nly to an address for a Court-martial
ifground for a trial fliould appear. The latter General
might then perhaps find the difference between an error ia
the other General, which did not cause the loss of an ar
m„ and that conduct which had reduced him <0 the ne
ceflity of piling up British arms, and delivering them up
to a parcel of Rebels, who certainly were far from being
regular soldiers, though their numbers were now so greatly
fivelled, and their cowrace so exalted.
, Sir. William Howe acknowledged, that if he had had a
efficient force to leave in New. York, he could certainly
!?" e £ u l an e ? d to the r@b ^ iien i but; that being wanting
, c °" ld not be produced. He denied that he had
laid vvalhington was in force at Wilmington; he had said
shatf hat there w as a corps there. Walhington's army he
insisted was much firpnger than the noble Lord had imagin
ed; he had made it a point to watch the rebel General's
motions very close, in hopes he would have marched to
the northward against General Burgoyne ; he would then
h^ve sent a flrong detachment after him, while with the
remainder of his army he could have reduced Pennsylva
nia. As to the French accounts of his failing to Brilon
they had eriginated from himfelf ; for he dispatched a let!
ter directed to General Burgoyne, by a man who he knew
would deliver it to General Wafhirigton ; he had therefore
mentioned Boston in order to deceive the rebels. He was
very glad the noble Lord was so little averse to an enqui
ry, watch now became the desire of all parties, and must
confequentiy be agreeable to them.
Lord North, the Attorney^General, and Sir Adam
Ferguson, all spoke against the enquiry ; at 12 o'clock the
question for inftrucling t^e Committee to call in Lord
Cornwallis, was carried without a divifion,-and the House
adjourned.
Friday, May 7.
A fter , the private business had been concluded, the House
resolved itfelf into a Committee, Mr. F. Montague in the
chair, to examine witnesses relative to the conduct of Sir
William Howe, while at Ve head of the army in America.
Major General Lord Cornwallis was the firft witness calb
ed, and, as a Peer, was allowed to fit within the bar. He
was examined by Sir William Howe. Mr. De Grey, Mr.
James Luttrell, Commissioner Eden, Mr. G. Onflow'
and others; but the greatest part of the queltiens put to
him relating to mere matter of opinion, his Lordfliip de
cline® answering them, and confined himfelf to matters of
fact.
The issue of a very long examination was a clear and ho
norable juftification of the military operations of the ar
my and of the fleet; his I.ordfhip declared he knew of no
delay, nor of any opportunity loft to bring the enemy to
action ; and it appeared that the General's humanity was
equal to his wisdom ; he would not Slaughter men for the
sole purpose of deftraying them, without answering any
The next evidence was Major General Grey/who fern
pled not to give his opinion as often as it was called for ;
and among other things he said, in order to shew that the
Commander in Chief could not advance with that rapidity
which might have been expeHed after victories, that the
country was so full of wotods, convenient for ambufeades,
and afforded so many advantageous situations for disputing
the passage of an army, that the rebels might have difpu^
ed every hundred yards o f ,ground.
Tuesday, May 11.
After the private business was fettled, the order of the
day was read for a Committee of enquiry into th? condud
of the American war; Mr. Montague took the chair ; and
Lord Howe moved, that Sir Andrew Hammond of the na
vy fliould be called to the bar. His Lordship found him
felf obliged to call upon this officer, in order to oppose
his evidence to the imputation thrown out against Sir
William Howe by Lord George Germaine in a former de
bate, f@r having failed to Chefapeak-Bay, when he might
have landed his army on the banks of the Delaware.
Sir Andrew, in the course of bis examination, asserted,
that very great danger would have attended a landing in
that river, as well from the rapidity of the tides, which
fle # three miles and an half an hour, as from the force of
the enemy, which consisted of half a dozen frigates Ration
ed in different places, twelve row gallies, and between 25
and 30 fire rafts. The gallies he had fought two day suc
cessively, one day for five hours, the other fix. From
these difficulties and obflruHions, and from the motions of
Waflimgtdn's army towards Wilmington, he thought the
expedition to the Head ®f Elk very expedient and very
prudent. He, however, admitted that the Commanders in
Chief must have been acquainted with all these difficulties
before they failed from New-York for the Delaware ; he
admitted that an army might certainly have landed in the
Delaware ; but while he admitted the possibility of such a
measure, he denied the expediency of it.
Sir Andrew being aiked, Whether Washington might
not have marched from Wilmington to oppose thqfending
AUG USt 17, ~-,
THE