Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1774-05-09 00:00:00, page 2

The CITIZEN, No, IV.
Alba, liguflra cadunt, vaccina nigra leguntur.
VIRG IL.
MY readers I presume will find some degree
of entertainment and iriftrudion in perusing
the following epilHe. As it was written by a Afe
groe, it may tend to remove a very unreasonable
opinion, that Negroes are void of sense and under
standing. I exped he will continue his corre
spondence, and he may rest assured, that his fa
vours will be always thankfully acknowledged by
tlie Citizen, who knows no diftindion of persons.
Honoured Sir,
" "rHOUG H lam one of those unhappy
A people called Negroes, yet I hope you can
bare no objection against admitting me as a corre
spondent. It would be cruel indeed to deny me
the exercise of thole faculties, which nature has
bellowed upon me in common with the white peo
ple; el'pecially when I encroach not upon the time
allotted me for my master's service, but am care
ful to dedicate every leilure hour to the cultivati
on of my mind. I have reason to thank Hea
ven for the care and indulgence of my master. He
had me early intruded to read and write, taught
me himfelfthe principles of religion, and seemed
greatly rejoiced when I made any progress. From
this beginning, 1 found my thirst for knowledge
daily encreaie ; 1 read with eagerness; began to
wit draw from my old companions, whom I soon
found grossly ignorant, and every holliday I em
ployed :n reading. My matter Seeing this, usually
allowed me one day every week, betides Sunday,
to Spend as 1 pleased; he constantly furnished me
with books the most proper, insomuch that at
present 1 possess a considerable collection.
“ To what length 1 am now arrived, you may,
Sir, in some measure, judge from this letter. Iff
am not equal in knowledge to the generality of
write men, yet, I am superior to most of my own
colour, who, God knows, have not learned to
read the bible, and in point of sense are scarce dif
tinguilhable from the brutes. How often have
I laboured to convince my intimates of the utility
and pieafure in learning ! —But, alafs,fome plead
the cruelty of their matters, others scarce under
stood what I meant, so deeply were they buried in
the gloom of ignorance. I honour and refped the
white people, and Shall ever bless a kind provi
dence that 1 was born amongst them, yet Hill I
could with, 1 Speak with fubmiffion,that they were
more careful in instructing us poor Negroes. Ex
cuse me, Sir, when 1 fay, my heart bleeds for my
brethren and lifters.—Poor Souls! mult they die in
ignorance, must they only remain in darkness,
when light Shines all around them ! —Good God!
Shall they whom they serve for life, riling ear
ly and fitting up late, not afford them time enough
to prepare even for the everlading concerns of a
future state !—Shall they, unhappy wretches, in
the broad day of gospel-light, for want ofknowing
the firft principles of the holy religion, go down
to the regions of eternal darkness ! At
the fame time that I lament their condition, I feel
my heart glow with gratitude towards thefapreme
beino for thus distinguishing me. My bondage is
now°become liberty. I labour indeed with my
body, but my mind roves free and unconfined;
my thoughts leaving this lower world, travel
through and contemplate the glories of the upper
worlds. —Were the chains of my slavery knocked
off to-morrow, I could not leave the service of my
master: I esteem him aboveall persons on earth, nor
can 1 doubt, but his charitable works, besides the
approbation of conscience here, will meet with an
ample reward of virtue hereafter. —It is a favourite
doctrine with me in morals, that a state of Servitude
is not unfavourable to religion. This, when added
to the profpea of an equality in the other world,
where neither my colour will be an occasion of
disgrace, nor the connexion of master and Servant
any longerfubfift, calms every uneasy reflection ;
and I feel a divine Serenity fettle upon my foul,
far exceeding what any of the heathen philoso
phers ever experienced. It is of little importance
in what condition I Spend the few years of this tran
sitory life.—Here is but the beginning of my ex
istence—the embryo of a future state, where I
hope to live many years an unembodied spirit, and
at length, when the curtain between time and eter
nity is drawn, be united to a more refined body,
never again to be separated.
“ Left I Should seem too impertinent, I Shall
hasten to aconclulion. If this, Sir, is favourably
accepted, I may hereafter trouble you with more.
In the mean time, I am with the greatest refped,
honoured Sir,
Your devoted and most humble Servant,
POMPE Y."
KINGST O N, (Jamaica) Feb. 12.
SUNDAY evening last about 7 o'clock was run
on Ihore off Plumb Island Point, through the
carelefnefs of a Mulatto pilot, the ship Jamaica
Planter, Capt. John M'Fadzean, belonging to Bol
ton, a fine new vessel, elegantly fitted out for this
trade; the ship and most of her cargo it is thought
will perish; the people were all saved.
In rhe morning at day light of the 16th Decem
ber last, being 30 leagues weft from Ufhant, I had
the melancholy profpeeft ofa vessel on fire. I was
then lying too under a reef'd main fail with the
wind at S. S. W. Ate being to windward. Imade
what fail a storm of wind would permit, to the
affiance of the distressed crew ; it was eight o'clock
at night before I came near her; I then lenta boat
with four people with orders if poffibie to save
some of them, if not the whole; after many fruit-
Jess attempts I was obliged to desist, and about nine
o'clock the funk, overcome with the violence of
contending elements, and all on board which were
15 in number perished, (he was a square rigg'd
vessel with a Lyon head, a French Jack at her
foretopmaft head which was the only mast standing;
ffie seemed to be a vessel about 200 tons burtherk
ROBERTSPEARS.
* +s4 $- +* 14+* +4t'* +* + $
To THE CITIZE N.
S AVANN A H, (in Georgia) April 6.
On the 18th oflaft month the Commons Hotife
of Assembly of South-Carolina passed the following
resolution, viz. " Refolded, that this House will
make no provision to pay the expence of victual
ling, eloathing, or ' or presents given to any Indi
ans whatsoever, who may hereafter come into this
colony, unlcfs especially sent for by the Governor
or Commander in chief, on affairs immediately
relative to the colony."
April. 13. Friday last arrivedin town from the
Creek country, David Taitt; Esq; commiffaryin
that nation. And on Monday also arrived, Emif
tee Segoe, headman of Neathlocko, (a great
warrior) and the headman of the Little Talaffees,
both of the Upper Creek nation.
ExtraG of a letter from Augufla, April 1.
" You must have heard of the base murder
committed yesterday week, in the midst of Au
gusta, on the body of the Mad Turkey, the fame
who brought down the young Lieutenant's talk,
and carried back another from the gentlemen of
this place, by means of which a stop was put to a
great deal of mifehief the Indians of some towns
were just ready to commit, by plundering the tra
ders, and who was come down to receive the re
ward promised him for delivering that message
when he was murdered. He flayed at Mr.
Grierfon's, who did all in his power to prevent
his exposing himfelf to any danger, but to no pur
pose, and he seemed to run headlong to his fate.
The suspicion of the barbarous deed lies on one
Thomas Fee, who had bought abar ofiron at Mr.
Rae's, and was seen going up and down the road
with it. By the account of one of Mr. Goodgi
on's Negroes, he invited the Indian to drink with
him, and, whilst the fellow had the bottle at his
mouth, he gave him a stroke with the bar of iron
he had in his hands, and, upon the Negroe's tel
ling him, O, Master, do not kill the Indian, he
gave him a blow on his forehead which set it a
bleeding, and made him run off, and then gave
the Indian several other blows, of which he died
within four hours after. The man has not yet been
taken up that Ifknowof, and question whether he
will, or, if he should, whether he will not be res
cued, for there is a set of men who, having been
drove off from the new purchase by the Indians,
had some of their relations killed, or been ruined
by them, are ready to protest this man, and de
termined to kill any Indian they come across, friend
or foe. These people will surely bring on a war
whether government will or no, regardless of the
consequences, unless some remedy be taken to
prevent it. On the other hand, a Creek trader,
lately come down from the nation, told me, that
he was informed by two Indians that a certain fel
low, whom they shewed him, was the very man
that killed the White Boy's son, or nephew,
through jealousy, after beating and cropping him,
with some of his gang, and that afterwards the
blame waslaid on the white people, and two fa
milies destroyed in consequence of it ; and this he
faith those two Indians declared publickly on be
ing afl<ed at the Town-House, to the truth of
which account he is at any time willing to be qua
lified: and Mr. Thomas Grierfon, who is also re
turned from the Upper Creeks, declares, that the
Big Fellow told him, that he was sure it was not
the white people that killed the White Boy's son,
but some of his own nation, and that he will make
it appear by and by. Mr. Grierfon also observes,
that it is a custom among the Creeks, that, when
one of their people has forfeited his ears, through
incontinence and making too free with another
man's wife, (to which he allows that young fellow
that was killed was much addicted) then they
form a party, and, if they can take the culprit,
they beat him almost to death and crop him, but,
if the man should happen to be killed under their
blows, then the leader of the party must fuffer
death, and nothing can redeem him: He therefore
judgeth that the man died by their ill usage, and,
to avert the consequence from their leader, they
charged the white people with the fad, and rather
than let the guilty fuffer, determined to involve
both nations in a war. Now, as these accounts
agree with and confirm some former reports of
the fame purport, the publick should be made ac
quainted therewith, that the unjust suspicion under
which our back settlers have hitherto lain, as be
ing the aggressors, by their killing an Indian firft,
might be removed. We may also conclude, from
the above relation, that these desperate villains,
who, without provocation, destroyed so many of
our people, will leave no stone unturned to bring
on a general war to escape the punishment dueto
their crimes. How then can a war be avoided?"
Extract of another letter from the fameplace, April 4.
" I arrived fafe at this place yesterday, and to
morrow propose setting off for the Okonees with a
few presents for 12 Indians who attended me that
length as a guard. You will of course exped a
great deal of news from me, havingjuft come from
among the savages; I can only inform you that the
nation in general are much against what the Cow
etas have done, and that wherever I have been
among them this winter the Indians were more
kind and obliging to the white people than ever I
knew them before."
/fori! 20. Last Thursday forenoon his Excel
lency the Governor, with the Members of his
Majesty's Honourable Council, met at the Court-
House, where a great number of people also afn
fembled. Emiltee Segoe, the head nan of the
Little Talaffees, Capt. Allcck, St. Jago, and some
other Creek Indians, being present, his Excellency
acquainted them, that the Big Elk was killed by
some white men in the Cherokee country about a
March 12. We hear from Madeira, that the
crew of a snow, bound, from Bristol to the coast
of Guinea, had mutinied and killed the Captain, in
tending to put the Boatswain in command—some
of the hands who were not concerned in mutiny
ing, rose upon the mutineers, and the Boatswain
was killed by the Do&or, upon which they regain
ed the possession of the vessel. There are no other
officers left alive, but the Doctor and Carpenter.
The vessel is so weak and unskilfully handed, that
it is thought they will not be able to navigate
her.
PHILADELPHIA, %9.
On Tuesday last, about 3 o'clock in the after
noon, the effigies of Alexander Wedderburne,
Esq; convided of traducing the Americans and
insulting their Agent, before his Majeffy's Privy-
Council, for doing his duty, and of Thomas Hutchin
son, Esq; Governor of Maiiachufctt's-Bay, con^
vi&ed of an attempt to inccnfe Great- Britain against
her colonies, were put into a cart and conduced
month ago, and that the Mad Turkey was mur
dered about three weeks agoin Augusta, by a white
man who lived in and came from South-Carolina,
whither he made his escape; that he offered a re
ward of tool. sterling to any body thatwould ap
prehend and bring the murderer to Savannah, as
he wished to have got him before they came down,
that they might have been present and seen him
hanged; that he wroteto the Governor of South-
Carolina, who said he had offered a further re
ward of 2ocl. Carolina Money; and that if it
was possible to take him he hoped he might still be
brought to fuffer. After taking notice of the se
veral treaties made and subsisting between the white
people and the red, he said he was sorry that so
few of them had come down, and that the Lower
Creeks would not venture, after he had told them
they might depend upon being as fafe here as in
their own towns; however he was well allured
that they would give attention to what he had to
fay, and faithfully report it in the upper and lower
towns. He then told them that the Great King
would fend us as many soldiers as we should have
occasion for, but wedid not want to quarrel with
otir friends; that the consequences of a war were
very bad and diftrefsful, and we wished to avoid
them, and to live in peace and quietness, to raise
our stocks and plant our ground, and carry on our
trade. He next allied them what they were to get
by a war; he said the trade with them would be
ftopt from all parts, the people all round them now
belonged to the great King George and would
takepart with us; and what could they do; could
they make guns, gunpowder, bullets, glasses,
paint, and eloathing, &c. that their making war
with us in Georgia was the fame as making war
with the Great King, who had soldiers every where
to fight for his fubje&s. His Excellency enu
merated the murders committed by their people,
and infilled that the murderers should be put to
death, that thereby the chain of friendfhip might
be made strait and bright, and that the path might
be white and clean again, and that the blood which
had been fpilt might be washed away, and that We
might fettle our lands in peace and quietness, and
continue to supply them with goods as usual. He
also told them that what had happened must make
the Great King very angry when he hears of it,
and is what he would not fuffer them to do, nor
could he (the Governor) fuffer it to be done, and
as they were wife men he was sure they must fee
the necessity there was for giving fatisfadion, as
the only thing that could preserve peace between
us and prevent their people from committing more
murders. He concluded with telling them that
many murders had been committed by their peo
ple which had been passed over without fatisfaAion,
as we did not want to quarrel with them; that
they knew that soon after the great congress at
Augusta in November 1763, when all their former
offences were forgiven by the Great King, 11
persons were killed at the Long Cane settlement
in South-Carolina, and in the year 1770 two more
were killed at the Okonee river, and several others
at different times, and all passed over, but these
things could not be Offered any longer, and now
he expeded fatisfadion for the late murders, which
would be accepted of for all that had been com
mitted since the great congress in 1763; that as
their people had made the path bloody it must be
ftopt, and no goods could be carried to their na
tion till fatisfaCtion was given, nobody would ven
ture to go amongst them, nor would he allow
them to do it if they would venture, audit would
be the fame in all the other provinces, and the
Great King would not fuffer his people to supply
them with goods unless they punished those who
had murdered so many of his fubjefts.
Emiftee Segoe told the Governor he fliould
make his talk known in the different towns, that
he might exped an answer in three moons, but
whether it would be good or bad he could not tell.
He complained much of the trading in the woods
with Indians and purchasing horles in the nation,
laid the blame of die murders committed wholly
upon the Cowetas, and said the trade carried on
with the White Boy at the Coweta town, on the
Oakmulgee river, had been the principal cause of
the late disturbance.
His Excellency having informed him that he
knew what he complained of to be well founded,
and that he had done all that lay in his power to
prevent the irregularities of the white people, and
that he would continue to do so when the present
differences were accommodated, &e. produced
the white flag and white wings, also some white
earth, beads, and tobacco, which the Upper Creeks
had sent down to him as emblems of peace, and
told the Indians he accepted of them as such, that
he desired to remain in peace and friendfhip with
all the red people, and that he should return them
tokens of the fame kind; after which he lighted a
pipe and smoked, then gave it to the chief Indian,
who also smoked and handed it round.
It appears from his Excellency the Governor's
talk to the Indians last Thursday that, without
any cause or provocation whatever the Creek In
dians have killed 15 white people and two Ne
groes, and wounded several more, since the 24th
of December last.
Besides fatisfaftion for the above murders his
Excellency has demanded from the Indians, all
the Negroes now in their country, and the hor
ses stolen since the commencement of the late de
predations.
The Creek Indians who have been in town for
ten days past are to set out this day on their re
turn home, and will be escorted through the set
tlements by Capt. Elbert with a party of the
Grenadier company, as also a party of Capt.
Neitherclift's Light Infantry company under the
command of Lieut. Yonge.\
through the streets of this city. On the breast
of Wedderburne was the following label ^
" The infamous WEDDERBURNE.
" Apert prime Prater, of afabby race,
" Guilt in his heart, and famine in his face.
Churchill, altered.
“ Simil/s Proteo mutet, at faiacior Catalina.
" Hunc vos, Britanni Gavete!
" He availed himfelf of the licence of the bar
to insult the venerable Dr. Franklin, whose
knowledge in philosophy, universal benevolence,
just sentiments of liberty, and indefatigable la
bours to promote harmony between Britain and
her colonies, entitle him to the esteem of the learn
ed of every nation, the love of 'all good men, and
the sincere affection of every honest Briton and
American.
“ But the base-born Sollicitor, whs at
tempted to turn his learning, benevolence, and
patriotism, into ridicule, is (like Hutchinson) a
parricide ofthe firft rank, who would facrifice his
country, his liberty, and his Ged, and delight in
the carnage of the moll faithful British fubjeds in
America, to gain promotion at court.
" Such horrid monsters are a disgrace to hu
man nature, and justly merit ourutmoft detenti
on, and the GALLOWS, to which they are
aligned, and then burnt by Electric Fire."
With several others, among which was the fol
lowing lines from Hudibrafs:
So a mild Tartar, mhen hefpies
Al man that's handfeme, valiant, mife,
If he can kil him, thinks t'inherit
His quit, his beauty, and his Spirit :
As if jufl so much he enjoy'd.
As in another is defray'd.
Governor Hutchinson, who was represented
with a double face, had affixed on his breast the
following label : " Governor HUTCHIN
SON, whom we now consign to the gallows and
flames, as the only proper reward for double-deal
ing and treachery to his native-country.
After being exposed for several hours, they
were hung on a gallows erected near the Coffee-
House, set in flames by Electric Fire, and
confcimed to allies, about 6 o'clock, anudft a vast
concourse of people, who teftified their resent
ment against the originals by the loudest acclama
tions.
Captain Biddle, from Hispaniola informs, that
a French frigate had seized and condemned two
whaling sloops, which were lying at a place called
the Platform, about five leagues from the Mole
of St. Nicholas, where they had put in to get a
supply of water, one of them is the Abigail, Cape
Snow, of Boston; the other is the Sally, belong
ing to Rhode-Ifland; out of the latter of which
they took 6 or 7 free Indians and Mulattoes, whom
they are determined to fell as slaves, unless there
is certificates of their freedom produced in fix
months.
Captain Bunner, from Georgia, on the rft inst.
in lat. 37 : 40, long. 74, spoke a sloop, from
Charleftown for Rhode-Ifland, on the 4th, in lat.
37 : 53, long. 74 : 30, spoke a brig, from the
Weft-indies for New-York, out 38 days, but
could not learn who (he was.
Captain Bunner, on his passage, loft one man
named William M'Neil, he being out of his sen
ses, jumped overboard and was drowned.
Captain Hathorn, from Bristol for this port;
is ashore in our Bay, and full of water.
With Captain Dean, arrived here from Liver
pool, came passenger, Mr. John Warder^
merchant, of this city.
On the 29th of April last his Honor the Govern
nor was pleased to appoint Benjamin Chew, Esq;
Chief Justice ofthe Supreme Court, and one of the
Justices of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and
General Gaol Delivery for this province, in th:
room of William Allen, Esq; who resigned. At the
fame time his Honor also appointed John Lawrence,
Esq; second Justice, Thomas Willing, Esq; third
Justice, and John Morton, Esq; fourth Judice of
the said courts.
At an annual meeting of the contributors to the
Pennsylvania Hospital, held according to
law, the 2d instant, the following members ofthat
corporation were duly eleded Managers and Tua l
surer for the ensuing year, viz. John Keynall, IT
rael Pemberton, Samuel Rhoads, Joseph Morris^
James Pemberton, Thomas Wharton, Daniel Ro
berdeau, William Logan, Isaac Coxe, Edward
Penington, Robert Strettle Jones, George Ro
berts. Managers.
Joseph Hillborn, Treasurer.
On the 2d inst. was held the annual election of
the Library Company of Philadelphia, when the
following gentlemen were chosen for the year en-"
firing, viz. Directors, Robert Strettle [ones,
Joseph Parker, Josiah Hewes, Sharp Delany,
Francis Allison, John Kaighn, Joseph Pafchall,
Matthew Clarkfon, Reynold Keen, Philip Benc
zet. Treasurer, Joseph Hillborn.
To JOSEPH BORDEN, Efa STAGE
MASTE R.
SIR,
AFTER doubling, (Lifting, working, and
trying at an, rate to divert the attention of
the public from the nfain object of our dispute, you
have at length, staggering under the weight of
evidence adduced against you, - attempted to con
vince the world you are fill a man of " literacy
abilities," of the "flrißeJl vetacitr, of the most
" unsullied honour, ofa " calm philcfophic temper,
and “ perfeal, innocent at least as to the point in
question."
Your profe^ions, indeed, are large, and your
affertiont are bold and ptftive, but Whether they
will “ bend the inflexible bars of truth" andinva
lidate well eftablifbed facts, is the present subject
of inquiry.
The proofs you called upon me for, have been
candidly laid before the public. It fully appears
that my letter to Mr. Imlay was delivered at ,ort
boufe, to be conveyed to him by, ourfa,c —that he
received a copy of it instead of the original, which
was difeorered in yourpofcfcn broke opCTerd whi< b
you detained several d^ys, though civilly requeu
ed to tranfinit hto m , but inLad of doing this,