The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-11-04 00:00:00, page 1

For ^ PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
BY accouT s from Maryland we are happy to be
informed; that tie like spirit of patriotism has
b^en kindled amongit the nomen of that hate as in this
city. Lag* firms h^ve heen presented to the use of our
brave army : part has been laid cut in linen, and in one
town, Baltimore, fix hundred shirts have been made
for the immediate supply of our troops in that article of
clearing.
Mrs. L^e, the lady of his excellency the governor cf
the Rate, hmd early written to women of the feve„l
counties, who-readily engaged, each to be the treafur
eis of her particular dittria. Returns have not yet been
made of tne sums pretexted, but in ionic counties, that
of Dorfet particularly, to the amount of thirty pounds
in specie, has been prafent^d by feme individuals..
In the city of Annapolis, notwriLft-ntting many of
the citizens had removed to their country feats during
the summer season of the year, and made their contri
butions in the refpeaive ditirias of rirfir residence,
yet there has been collected to the amount of sixteen
thousand one hundred and twenty-three debars and
one-third, currency ; some women offering two, some
five, and some twenty guineas in Ipecie.
It is needless to repeat the encomiums that have teen
already given to the females tortheir exertions. Every
whig mind must be fenfibl# tout they deserve the high^ft
praise. Even those who are enemies to the cause must
admit, that the means of Irving it d@ honour to the
f<X. The women of every part of the globe are under
obligations to those of America, for having shewn that
females sue capable of the hi^heft political virtue.
Those of posterity will allo acknowledge that they de
rive happiness and glory from them. I cannot help im
agining, what some learned and elegant historian, the
Hume of those days, when he comes to write the affairs
of these times, will fay on the fubje&.
In a biftory, which we may iuppofe to be published
about the year 1820, may be found a paragraph to
the following purpose.
" The treasury was now exhausted, and the army in
want of the nerefaries of life arid of cioathing, when the
women gave a respite to our affairs, by cne of those
exertions that will lorever do honour to the lex. In the
state of simplicity and plain-ft in which our country
then was, they had not ear-rings and bra.etas to give,
in imitation of the Roman ladies on a like occasion, but
they preferred gold and filvcr, and what (hare of the
paper money hart come into their hands. This was laid
out in linen, and shirts were made by their hands for the
use of the loldiery, &c, &?. &c."
" Mrs. Reed, of Pennlylvanis, thelady of the then
president, a most amiable woman, was the fi ft to pa
tron fc the measure. Mr. Lee, of Mr/land, lady of
the governor of that state, a w^man 01 excellent accom.
plifhments, was in her state tie next to receive the
patriotic flame, and give it popularity amongst her
lex.”
“ Mrs, Wafliington, of Virginia, lady of his excel
lency the Commander in Chief, was ^qtiilly favouring
to it in her state. The Jerfies had been already warm
ed by the example of the virtue ot Pennsylvania and the
females of that Rate, &c. &c. &c."
Wilmington, Odo^er 23d, 1780.
To the PRINTERS of the Pennsylvania Packet,
Gentlemen,
ALTHOUGH these publications are Attended with
some trouble and expence to a perlon of my small
abilities; and notwithftgnding that they may not be
juftified by those who they may affta, since it too often
happens with those who mean not to amend, to be dif
plcafe^ with their corieOors; yet, under all these dip
cousagenents, my endeavours (hall not be wanting to
bring to light and check tranfaftions so injurious to the
public inttreft, and the reputation of the state I have
so long rtfided in, as whispering them about only hard
ens futh men in their vices; when a virtuous man, who
has the inteteft and welfare of his country at heart, is
attacked, or his actions examined into, by designing
men, his charter gains by the enquiry, as will this
gentleman's, if wounded by thole publications, if he
his proofs to advance in support cf his innocence; but
Whilst he continues fuck vicious practices, as to be a
willing iuftrvment in adding calamities to his country,
and turns a deaf car to the wants of the protestors of
of it, by throwing into the hurls of the enemy what au
thority have thought proper and necessary to be re
tained for the use of the people and tie army, to gratify
his own passion for wealth, I shall continue to wauh
him,andto bring his a&icn, before the bar of the public,
let his conneaioi s in trade be what they will, in do'ng
of which the public may depend I (hall confine m,ftlf
to fn&s. It appears that my hit publication on the (ob
ject of Mr. Jo- —n R---d, of this place, rffuming
and aff^rting to the Brrrudi^n captain, that his ir flu
ence was such, cn account of his late partnership with
the £--- —r's brother, as to taint the fyring-head, to
TII E • : #
SATURDAY, ( NU VEM # BE R 4,.1780.
G B N E RAL bffi ^ AD\ERTISER
[ Published every Tuesday and Saturday.)
procure a licence, cont'nry to the laws of the state, to
load out his vtfcl with provisions, provided the captain
would let him have his cargo or fait 00 his terms, and
allow him a commission cn the purchef* of the cargo of
provisions, &c. has bad so far the defir^d effYt as to
caule Nlr. R el to take the matter up, and to call
cn the captain to know ifgie was the ?u hot of that pub
!ication,& . who answered in the negative, at the iaine
tone puuhckly declared that it contained nothing but
the truth, which he was leady to prove on oeth, if rp
quiied, which caused some alteration between those
gentlemen, and Mr. R d, in his ufuzl way, in hopes
to silence the captain, as being a flrarger in the place,
made another attempt to commence buily, but he no
sooner difeovered that the captain was ready to answer
han in any way he chble, provided he would lay aside
his former law cricks, to recover dnd pocket the dam
ages, Mr. k d thought belt, lead he Ihcuid have
the mortification of another dfeipune, to let the matter
rest, and submit to the sneer of the fpe&atcrs add the
iufulr received, by which it fully appears, that his cwn
adions were the cause of what be complained of, and his
behaviour on this eccafion confirmed it to the perlons
present, beyond a doubt, or why let flip so favourable
an oppe rtunity to vindicate his character, and thole
whose names he male use of to support his tr3n@& ° r&
I am led from this gentleman's behaviour, on he furo
go ng and former occ^fions, to take notice cf a traa'ac
rioa of his of a later date, anThis present exertions to
take an advantage of an expiring, law, that prohibited
the expo ration of provisions for a limited time, which
he would never allow to be binding on him, by which
the public nhy j^dge, how far he will go to carry his
point, by making the laws to fait his purpefs for accu
mulating wealth, even at the expend cf the reputation
of his employers, and those conceded with him, who,
perhaps, are more delicate in appearing to be con^rned
in matters so injurious to the public, the reputation of
the place, and the authority of the state. It must be
frefh in the memory of every person in the place, and
numbers in the city, that this man was denaed by a
body of gentlemen, some time ago, in making u e of his
employers names to export ^bur co^taryto law, for
bis own private emolument, yet, however flange it
may appear, be has given out that he has now permiffi
oa to purchase for the fame perfoas; and the better to
eff*a his purpofts, by dr wing a more fpecdy comroif
fion, notwithfanding he will, by every way and m:ans in
his poster, evade the laws h'mfeif, he catches at the
law above, Whjgh I have reason to believe w*s not in
tended to prevent goods puffing through the state, and
made use of it by flopping a quantity of slur lent from
Laneriter county to a perlon in this pl cc, to be for
warded to Philadelphia, for the use ot the citizens or the
array, as might be wanted, being the ufuai and cheap,
est conveyance; and obliged the person, by threats, &c.
to take it out of the fhriYp and to flere it, till the
o^ner was rebutted to the necessity, as many othe s from
Maryland snd elfswhere were, of felling their flour to
h^m at hij own pric% th/re bring no other purcba^rs
or perf ns permitted to export flour out of the itate,
notwithftanoing it is notorious, that live ftotk, arid all
forts of provisions, the produce of the Rate, were feot
out of it frequently, and no doubt, to this gErrtUman's
knowledge, but it suited his purposes better to attack
those at a distance. If such great and manifold in
stances of partiality and inlults, are ptfl@ over unno
ticed in this man, and that he is fuffererf to aflame to
himfelf such airs of consequence and-power by his con
ne&ions in trade, as he has affarted, and ta trample, at
pleasure, on the laws of the state, and that the people will
tamely Submit and pass them ever unnoticed, the con
sequence will be, that all such interested, unprincipled
persons, by different aits and contrivances, (and he is
peffeffed of more than a (hare of tham,) will continue to
prevail, and rhe talk will become harder to restore
things to a better complexion.
A REFORM ER.
P. S. I may, at a future dav, extend my views to
the Marcus-Hook contra& with the French Captain; the
Newcastle (peculation, and the letters produced 0? list
and the like occafiors, the better to cover his defines;
but his partners in the latter affair, not being fu hard
ened in vice, acknowledged the f &, which proved his
guilt, notwithstanding ail his coverings, teflons and af
feitions to screen his actions, so much talked of at
that time, and may proceed to take some notice ofthe
money extorted, and held contrary to promise, for cer
tain damages, and his second attempt now depending
for the fime purpose.
Doctor Morgan's Continuation.
CHRISTOPHER LUDWIG, chief baker to t>e army,
being fwern before the court, deposed,
r r HAT bring at Lanedter, about the time when a
* gnat uoife was firft made of the riles of levers!
pipes of Madeira wine from the dores of the genera!
Bofpitil, by doctor Shippen, director general, to the
tavern keepers at Lancaster and Reading, and that the
lick of the hospital fuff,red and died for want of it; he
made it hi, business to enquire into the matter, and had
the truth of those reports confirmed to him by the sick,
and by the tavern keepers themfelve#, who purchased
the wine: that, in particular, being at the house of
John Hartman, tavern keeper at Reading, he called
tor a bottle of wine, but was asked a price that he
deemed very extravagant, and thereupon reproached
the landlord as contributing, by it, to the depreciation
of the currency, and as an extortioner; but he assured
him that do&or, Shippen, from whom he bought it,
made him pay such an advanced price, that he could
not afford to fell it cheaper ; that he went out of ihe
house, and meeting debtor Shippen at the door with a
number of the inhabitants of Reading, he told him of
it, and what people said of his fellingthe hospital wince,
aiding, •• Debtor Shippen you will be hanged for it ;"
that doftor Shippen replied, " Well I acknowledge I
" did fell it, and what is that to you; the Congrem
" knew of it:" but tock him on one fide and laid,
" As I have fitisfied the Congref„ what need you to
" concern yourkit about it."
The court, upon this information, forbore to pro
ceed in any further enquiry of Mr. Ludwig, eo do&or
Shippen's representing that this was a new wirnefs th&t
he had no previous notice of, and begging that he might
not b% allowed to proceed, which was granted. The
court then adjourned for five weeks, -and Mr. Lud
wig was out of the v^ay when the court met again, fa
that Iris further evidence was loft.
This Mr. Ludwig was the man, cn whose testimony
a baker was convicted of peculation and fraud, for fai
ling flour " proper for the department," in a court of
civil juftict. It is no wonder if do&or Shippen felt
trembling alive at the appearance es so upright and de
cisive a witness against him. From refpt& to the ex
alted rank of members of Congref*, and the dignity of
charader, and inflexibility of justice, and impartiality
it is incumbent on them to support, I perluade,m,fel£
that no one perlon of the fev^n ftate# that voted foe
dc&or Shippen's re appointment to office, knew that
he had thus dared to involve any of that honourable
body in an imputation of bring sharers in his guilt, or
of bring capable of countenancing and protesting him
in it.
The latter part cf the fourth charge against debtor
Shipoen is, making falfe returns to the pufident of
Congress, of the state of the hospitals and of the sick.
I ffiau content myf»lf, on this part of the charge, with
referring to dc^ok Shippen's letter cf January 19, 1778,
to the president of Congress, in which he reported
" That the hospitals were then in good order, that
few died, and that no fatal disease prevailed at the time."
This was opposed by the taftimony of dc&ors Rufli and
Brown, phylicians general, and of doctor Jacob Hall
and others, who declared on oath that report to be
falfe, and asserted the bekreri, morality and contagion
to be then at the greatest height; that the hospitals
were then in the werft order, the sick in want of many
neceffmes and comfort#, which it was the duty of doc<
tor Shippen to provide, which were easily procurable
with money, and quite confident with a soldiers life :
that one half of the men that died might have other
wise been saved • that the holpi al fever then raged
with the most violence and proved most fatal, the num
ber of sick being only diminished by the great number
of deaths; and that the men perished with circum
dances (hocking to humanity.
g* sa-o@+ g*4* ** *o*4'****
FOR SA L E,
A PH^TON and a Pair of B AY,
HORSES.
Enquire of the Printers.
Twelve Hundred Dollars
REWAR D.
OTOLFN or fir^yel from off the Commons, three
° M ARES; one a dark brown, about 13 hunds high,
rising 7 years old, with a long fwitrh tail; was loft
some time la&March. The other a black, 9 years old,
about 13 hands high, has a f?w white ba rs on her fore
head, had a leek on one of her fore feet, with a log or
wood hanging to it ; was loft lift June. The other
white, -bout 14 hands and a half high, with a switch
tail, rifin t 7 years old ; was loft about the 10th of Oc-'
tober. Whoever gives intelligence cf any of said Mares,
so as the owner may have them again, (hall have One
ilundred Dollars for each of them,and if Rohn, Three
Hundred Dollars for e-ch one, paid by me, JAMES
DURANT, Butcher, living re^r the New Piay-houfe,
or WILLIAM WESTON, Butcher, at the corner vi
Walnut and Firin l&^u, Philadelphia.