The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1783-02-27 00:00:00, page 2

r-rtHEinaa of a frantic, heated imagination, confi-
L ders patience as flowing from a meanefs of foul,
a dastardly disposition; the last resource of cowards ;
but the man of real sagacity, who can view things
through a difpiffionate medium, difeovers in it all
the genuine marks o' a noble mind It is Supported
by hope, and is entirely unacquainted with every spe
cies of despair, the conflant companion of a lowness
of Sentiment.—Patience is so flrong a barrier agaioft
every kind of disgrace, that a'l our ills lose the greatest
power, by opposing this virtue to them—it combats
all opponents, and every conflict is a victory—it ho
nourably refills the greatest hardihips of this world,
and fweetensthe bitters ofadverfity, in such a manner,
that we Scarce perceive we are miserable.
ft is one of those virtues that constantly carries its
own reward, for the very practice of it makes us sen
sible of its benefits. The emperor Marcus Aurelius,
so famed for his fortitude and patience, often (aid that
Caesar acquired the empire by the Sword, Augustus by
inheritance, Caligula by the merits of his father, Nero
by tyranny, Titus by having vanquished' Judea, but
for his part, though of a low extraction, he had ob
tained it by patience,—Again, whatever crosses or
misfortunes we meet with, and however heavy their
burthen, they cannot overwhelm us, whilst we are not
abandoned by patience; on the contrary, they be
come proportionab'y lightened as we exercise this vir
tue.
As every thing in nature has its contrast, so pati
ence is the opposite to despair, wherefore the chrifti
ans consider it as an heavenly grace, and the philoso
phers of antiquity, pronounced it, the last efforts of a
firm and generous foul. It is very nearly allied to cou
rage, which cannot shine without opponents, io like
manner this virtue disappears as soon as misfortunes
desert us.—Patience is the most generous of all friends,
never appearing in prosperity, but when our miseries
attain a pitch that threaten all our future happiness,
she never fails to offer her affiflance, to those really
inclined to avail themselves of her kindnefs.—ln fine,
if as the English poet fays,
THE ONLY WRETCHED ARE THE WISE;
they alone can judiciously avail themselves of the Pro
per antidote—patience is their birth-right—an inhe
ritance precluded from fools, who are never the ar
chitects of their own good fortune, but frequently of
their own misery.
GOOD NATUR E.
Good nature has been, like Socrates, ridiculed in
the habit of folly, and folly has been dignified with the
name of good nature. But by good nature, Ido not
mean that flexible imbecility of mind, which complies
with every request, and inclines a man at once to ac
company an acquaintance to a brothel at the expence
of bis health, and to keep an equipage for his wife at
the expence of his estate. Persons of this disposition
have seldom more benevolence than fortitude, and fre
quently perpetrate deliberate cruelty. In true good
nature there is neither the acrimony of Spleen, nor the
fullenefs of malice; it is neither clamorous nor fret
ful ; neither easily offended, nor impatient of revenge :
it is a tender sensibility ; a participater of the cares'
and pleasures of others, and is therefore a forcible and
conflant motive to communicate happiness, and alle
viate misery. E.
A NEC D,O T E.
\
Monsieur Bouret, the famous Fermier general, a man
of immense fortune, but flupid even to a proverb be
ing one day in the king's apartment at Versailles,
called L'ceil de boeuf, where two noblemen were engag
ed in a party at piquet—one of them happening to
play the wrong card, and by that loft the game, he
exclaimed, Oh, what a Bouret am I!—Offended at
this liberty, Bou et instantly relented it in these words:
fir, you are an ass The very thing I meant, re
plied the other, with a fang froid, that gave the epi
gram its full poignancy.
A LESSON for KINGS.
Louis the sixth of France, surnamed the Gross, find
ing his end approaching, spoke to his son, afterwards
Louis the Young, in the following manner: " Re
member, my son, And keep it always in thy mind,
that the regal digimy is only a public trufl, of which
thou art to give a Arid account after thy decease."
The Ruffian police, in spite of the original ha r ba
rifm of the country, is the bed contrived of any in
Europe. In the city of Peterfburgh, it is said, persons
may perambulate the city at any hour of the night
with the greatest security. Robberies are not often
heard o', and murders still much less frequent. A thief
is punished; but should he have added any instances
of cruelty, his punishment would be most exemplarily
Severe; he is tortured for a considerable period. Mur
derers are fuffered to die in the mos tmiferable anguish,
by hanging upon a gibbet, by means of a hook flock
in between the shoulders or the ribs, where they hang
for four or five days often before they die ; and any
person found guilty of accelerating their death would
have the fame punishment. The hook is Rlfo barbed
like an arrow, so that the attempt to remove them
niuft cause incredible torture. They have a nightly
watch who are a fort of militia; if robberies are com
mitted the police must make it good, and the guard in
whole beat it is committed are Severely punished. But
there is one thing which contributes much to the pub
lic security; felons are never pardoned, and once con
demned for a capital offence, their punishment lasts for
their lives; the only alleviation is being sent on board
the men of war or other (hips, from whence they are
never permitted to come on shore. No ftrange r can
come to fettle or quit the place without public notice
ten days before of his name, occupation, &c. all these
contribute to the security of persons inhabiting this
An ESS A Y on P ATI ENCE.
On Friday the 6th inflant, an American pilot-boat
schooner, arrived at Green bay, in St. Martin's ; the
captain of one of the forts desired him to warp under
his guns for protection. Intelligence being brought to
captain Arthur Cumbs, of the Lion privateer, of this
island, he weighed anchor in the night, went ashore
at Green-Bay, St. Martin's, with part of his crew,
took thefort by furprize, (piked up all the guns on it,
and over Set them from their carriages; he then laid the
Lion along fide of the American, the crew of which in
a panic jumped overboard; capt. Cumbs then cuther
out, notwithstanding an inceffaot fire from three bat
teries, and some hundreds of musketeers on shore, and
brought her in here trie next morning. She has 88
hogsheads of best James River tobacco on board. The
velfel and cargo are, at the lowest computation, worth
between io and 12,000!.
BARBADOES, (Bridge Town) Jan. It.
On Wednesday lad, about eleven o'clock, arrived
in Carlifle-Bay, his majeftys ship Anson, from London,
in 33 days ; on board her came his excellency David
Parry, efq ; whom his majesty has been pleased to ap
point governor of this island.
St. PIERRE, (Martinique) Jan. 15.
The interefling news which the American frigate Al
- brought us, being inerted at the end of our
last publication, just upon the arrival of the vessels, it
is with pleasure that we now, for our readers fatisfaHi
on, embrace the opportunity of giving that intelligence
more particularly, from the account of captain Barry,
who commands her
The Alliance having in her cruise taken several of
the unfortunate Jamaica convoy, and sent them into
different ports of France, the captain intended to con
tinue his cruise on the coast of England, to pick up
some of the remains of that Scattered fleet ; in which he
would undoubtedly have met with the desired success,
had he not been forced by the blowing weather, which
had done his ship a good deal of damage, to put into,
port I'Orient ; the time which was necessarily taken up
in refitting, rendered it too late for him to pursue
that design. When the marquis de la Fayett® (who
had been once a passenger in this vessel, and particu
larly knew and efleemed captain Barry) heard of his
arrival, he went to fee him at I'Orient, and there in
formed him that there was a grand expedition prepar
ing at Cadiz, and asked him the favour to carry him
there, in case he should net be in time to overtake the
fleet at Brest.
Captain Barry was afterwards informed, that that
young nobleman had arrived in time at Brest, and
that he had embarked for Cadiz An American
packet-boat, which the congress had sent from Phila
delphia to France, was lying at I'Orient when the Al
liance was there; the captain of the packet received a
letter from Dr. Franklin, oa the 6th of December, in
which this mirifter ordered him to hold himfelf in rea
diness to set out at a moment's warning, faying he was
going to fend by him his diSpatches to the congress,
announcing the Signing the preliminaries of peace, on
the 2d of December ; and adding that he would also
forward him at the fame time an English paffpert. capt.
Barry, the 2d commodore of the continental marine,
and an officer worthy of credit, Saw this letter in the
captain of the packet's possession, they read it over and
over several times. He further gives an account that
before his leaving I'Orient, they had got intelligence
of the fafe arrival in the different ports of France, cf
the fleet which failed from St. Domingo, the 2d of
OHober last, under convoy of the Palmier of 74 guns.
—The letters from London I ok upon the Ville de Pa
ris, Centaur, and Glor'ewx as loft, and they had cer
tain information of the Ramillies of 74, and the Jason
0(64 guns having been abandoned, and afterwards gone
to the bottom, by the damage they received in the
gale of wind on the 17th of September.
Some days before the failing of the Allian e, there
was a general talk of peace, and they were informed
there were two new commissioners arrived from London
at Paris, and that the king of Great-Britain had, con
trary to custom, prorogued the parliament to some
time in December, no doubt with a view to givefuffi
cient time for signing the preliminaries before the o
pening o f rhe session
The Brest squadron failed the 4th of December, it
confifled of 10 ships of the line, and a considerable
number of merchant and transport vessels, having on
board 7000 regular troops; it was supposed they would
reach Cadizabout the uth or 12th of December she
combined fleet would then consist of about 50 fa'il of
the line, under the command of the vice-admiral
Comte d'Eflaing, the comte de Barras, and the comte
de Basset.
In was the general opinion that the fleet would be
ready to leave Cadiz by the 20th of December, having
on board nigh 30,000 regular troops; and that they
would neverihelefs put to sea without regarding the ne
gotiations for peace; for which they assigned this rea
son, that the expences of fitting out this expedition
being already incurred, it was a matter of indiffer nee
whether the provisions should be made use of at an
anchor or at tea ; and that this fleet becoming more
formidable the inflant they put to sea, would contri
bute to render the terms of peace more advantageous
to us, and would also accelerate the fame.
Captain Barry on his arrival to the windward of
Barbadoes, intended cruising there for some time but
was chafed for 24 hours by an English 50 gun ship
A merchant who arrived last Friday at Dominique in
a Dantfh schooner from Barbadoes, brings an account
three hours before his leaving that place,
the English ship of war the Anson of 64 guns, com
manded by captain Rodney, had arrived from Europe
in 32 days, that she brought the news of the signing
ANGUIL L A, December ?.
of the preliminaries of the treaty of peace, on the 2d
of December ; that Mr. Parry, who was appointed
governor of Barbadoes, came out in the Anson, and
that admiral Pigot's fleet fired a salute a short while
after the arrival of the Anson, but it was not known
whether it was to complement the governor, or on ac
count of the news of peace. It is likewise added that
the Anson on her passage fell in with a French frigate
and a sloop of war, which she would not give chafe
to. However it may be, there now seems to be no
further doubt of the preliminaries being signed at Ver
sailles.
TRENTO N, February
On Sunday last the body of Thomas Kelly, an old
inhabitant of this place, was found in the race between
the griff a, d paper mills, where it is supposed he wasf
drowned on the right of the 23d of December last as'
he has been miffing ever since. He was fond of flrong
liquor, which perhaps was the cause of his untimely
death, and w^ich it is hoped, will be a warning to all
others fubjeC t to this failing.
'', ° ''.°." ''' (Virginia) February 15.
Tuesday lilt being 'he birth-day of his excellency
gen. Waihington, was observed in this city, with eve
ry public aud private femonftration of joy. At noon
minute difeharges of thirteen pieces of cannon were
fired at the Hate-house, and at 4 o'clock in the after
noon, the fame number from the Dipping at Rockets's.
In the evening there was a numerous and brilliant af-'
fembly of ladies and gentlemen from this city and the
neighbouring c untry : upwards of one hundred ladies
and an equal number of gentlemen being pre ent- the
ceconomy, decorum and propriety of which, could on
ly be exceeded but by the feftive mirth and social hap
piness, which appeared in every countenance, affording
the surest testimony of unified regard to the charac
ter of the illustrious Washington, whose years may
Heaven multiply with encreafing honours until it (hall
peafe the Great Rewarder of virtue, to tranflatehim
into happier feenes of endless glory.
Arrivals. Fhe ship Rambler, captain Love't, the
brig , captain Pearce, and the brig Don Galvez,
captain Jones, from the Havanna, belonging to New-
England, is arrived in this date; the two firfl menti
on'd in James river, leaded with sugars and about for
ty thousand dollars, and the last in York river, loaded
with wines, and bound to Baltimore.
The Galloon, a Spanish ship of the line, bad arrived
at tie Havanna from Mexico, with Seven millions of
dollars, and a very valuable fleet of merchantmen.
Capt. Hopper in a schooner from James river, capt.
Green in the continental ship of war Lauzun. and capt.
Keith, in a new ship from Philadelphia, had arrived
before the above vefft Is left the Havanna.
Fourteen Spanish fail of the line, were ready at the
Havanna, under the command of don Solano, to join
the combined fleet (who are on their way from Europe
in an expedition against Jamaica. ''
The Jamaica fleet under convoy of a ship of thelini
and two trigates, passed by the Havanna on the 20 uft
In consequence of which, admiral don Solano orderec
his fleet to pursue them, but a flrong noth erly wine
prevented their getting out soon enough to intercep
them, or they mu st inevitably have fallen into thei
hands.
On Thursday arrived at Gros Islet, the Diana fri
gate ; me was cruising with the Pegafe and Bombay
Castle, in the bay of Biscay, and dispatched from thence
with the intelligence of a French fleet of forty fail of
traafports, under cover of eight fail of the line, being
seen Peering to the westward, whom she dogged for
some days. She had been some time from England be
fore her leaving the bay.
We are informed that his majefly's ship Dolphin had
chafed the American frigate Hague, of 36 guns, and
run her ashore at Guadaloupe.
We hear that the Raven sloop of war was taken yes
terday by the Refolue French frigate, and carried into
Martinico.
Jan. 25. Accounts from Martinioo, yesterday, re
port, that dispatches were received from the court of
France, by the Venus frigate, after a passage of
days, that a Separate peace had adually taken place
betwixt Great-Britain and America ; and that the ne
geciations between Great-Britain and France were
entirely broke off.'
On Tuesday last arrived here, the Porpoise sloop
with troops from CharleOown, South-Carolina the
British troops having evacuated that place, they were
embarked on board of vessels for different places -the
remainder of the division for this island, are expeded
here momently, as the Porp ife parted with them in a
gale of wind, a few days before she made this island.
CH A." " A M, February i,,
It is with pain and regret we mention the death of
lieutenant colonel Barbar, who was unfortunately kil
led at camp the nth inflant. The circumstances that
led to this unhappy catastrophe, we are told, are as
follows : Two folders were cutting down a tree at the
instant he came riding by it was falling, he did not
observe till they desired him to take care, but the
furprize was so sudden, and embarrassed his ideas so
much, that he reined his horse to the unfortunate spot
where the tree fell, which tore his body in a (hocking
manner, and put an immediate period to his existence
in this life. Panegyrick is too commonly paid to deceaf.
ed persons in news-papers, and many have often had
characters bestowed upon them when dead which they
never possessed when living; but in justice to colonel
Barber we cannot help mentioning that he was, in do
mestic life, a most tender and affectionate husband a
kind parent, an entertaining and improving compani
°n . a $ to his military abilities, either as a soldier
or disciplinarian, none excelled and but few equalled
him, for he had arrived to the top of his profeffi
on, and was particularly ufefulte the a r my in general
who fad y deplore the loss of so worthy a charader so
untimely flain.'
CARENAG E, (St. Lucia) Jan. 18.