The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-12-05 00:00:00, page 1

THE
TUESDAY, D ECEMBE R 5, T 7'°^
&A^^ i filti^w^'^ i*w y%^A. i^^fo& Ipllpl friM ^M
THE
UK % ^&^ftj&^^j t r
G F/N E R A L ^^^ ADVERTISER.
To the Honourable the Members of the G,E N E
RAL ASSEMBLY of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Gentlexlln,,
T N the Gazette of yesterday I obferved'an address to
your honourable body, the fubjed of which was
the bill lately published for consideration, refpe&ing
the troops of the Pennfylvama line. In this address
I find the author has laboured to inculcate a princi
ple, which is not only truely original in its nature,
but replete with such good consequences, that I have
reason to believe it will meet with a fufficient number
of advocates to ehablifh its doffrine. lam as fintere
a friend to the army as the author of the address can
possibly be: I agree with him, that they are ' brave
" veterans," " virtuous soldiers, who have brav'd eve
'' ry difficulty and dapger of the field," “ men who
“ would spurn at measures which would involve their
" country in ruin." I cannot help agreeing with him
hlfo, that, notwithstanding any solemn flipulation to
the contrary, which may have been heretofore enter
ed into with THEM, they fliould not, at this time,
nor till an " honourable ' peace took place," nay nor
till the found of the lass trump itfelf, be entitled to
or receive a single farthing of pay, or any kind of re
ward for their pad services.
I beg leave here to subjoin my reasons:
First, Because the slate will be “ Squandering a^ay
" the public funds."
Secondly, Because the officers and men of the Penn
fykania line, whom we, all know to be foolifhly generous,
hospitable and preceto sociability, will be enabled, by
receiving their arrearages of pay, to mifpend^ their time
in taverns, at gaming houses, and public as well as
private places of resort, to the great injury of their
constitutions, as well, perhaps, as the total' ruin of their
fouls; which laftconfideration, alone, should certain
ly induce your honourable body to give the bill " all
" the maturity of consideration provided for by the
<c constitution." nay, this is not all, I beg leave to
mention another falut r.y consequence which will evi
dently arise from /general e'ftablifhinent of this doc
trine : —
If every man, or body of men, who are in debt,
shall not be compelled, either by law on confeiente, to
pay the fame, then society will, happily, get bid of a
certain FRATERNITY, of which great disputes have
arisen in all ages of the world, refpeeling the real uti
lity and benefit derived'from it by mankind—
But here let the irony cease.
The author of the address fays: " Suppose the law
" passed ; the commissioners in camp; and the certifi
" cate granted': what can the soldier get for it when
" in his possession ? It will not purchase him the mod
" trifling estate, appropriated to reward him: he
" wants a razor to shave his.beard, a pair of shoes, or
" a drink of grog: will this certificate procure them ?"
In answer to all this, I would alk the gentleman a
few quefiions; for this is a mode of argumentation war
ranted by the scripture itfelf: pray would the gentle
man's scheme, as promulgated in his address, procure
a razor to (have a soldier's beard? No: At lead he
cannot be Slaved till the end of the ,war. I will do the
gentleman justice by reciting his own words: " When
" an honourable peace renders such funds to support
" your credit unnecessary, pay them what you owe
" them for paE depreciation, and pay it with interest."
Will this mode of payment purchase the soldier a pair
of shoes? add pray how much grog will it procure
him?
The gentleman has prescribed another mode in his
address, founded upon adulation and future promises:
let us examine it. He def/res your honourable body to
,assure them (meaning the soldiery) “ that the slate is
" deeply sensible of their m^rit, and will reward it as
" soon as in their power: that their just complaints ate
“ heard, and the causes of them fliall be removed."
Alas! this gentleman, I fear, has never borne the
soldiers fatigues nor distresses. He has never marched
thro' the derr sos winter without a coat or due. He
has never put his foot in the breach, and with reputa
tion maintained his pofl, without even the necessary
provifons to gratify the cravings of nat ; re, or a tin
gle Billing by which he could procure them; else sure
ly he would not attempt to feed the virtuous soldiery
of America with empty promises alone; however the
gentleman may plead Prcccdent in this Case: for
lam warranted in faying, tiiat the army have, with a
degree of Roman virtue, served 'their country for near
t^ee years out of five, without receiving any compen
boion for their services, unless resolves of Congress or
law. puffed in the different fiates, reflecting finance and
paper currency, shall be efteemfd a compensation.
In addition to this F would observe, that the old a
dhge, " one bit-din the hand is worth two in the buffi,"
is doubly true when applied to the soldier. 1 very man
who has the mod diftaut knowledge of the uncertainty
of the soldiers life must allow, that a single guinea, or
an acre of confiscated or ualocated land, will be efteem
«i of more real value to him, and its goods effects will
[ Published every Tuesday and Saturday.]
be more sensibly felt by the soldiers distressed farpdy,
t an all the empty promises which the mod refined po
licy can possibly frame.
ibe author of the address seems extremely fearnl
that your honourable house will divest yourfelv^s of
the necessary funds, if you enact this bill into a law.
In ardwer to this I ihaii just observe, that no fund is
nece.ia.ry to be eftabljfhed with regard to your paying
toe troops their arrearages of pay, if you vest in them
confifeated and vacant lands to the amount of their
refpe&ive accounts, which, on every principle of juf
tice and policy, you should do ; for by this means you
not only immediately relieve a sett of virtuous men
from their distresses, which is an aft of justice, but you
make them part of the yeomanry of the country, which
will consequently attach them to its defence; this
certainly will be an aa of policy.
It has been objected by the author of the address,
that for want of public funds credit cannot be given
to future emissions of paper currency if this bill in its
present form is profscuted: this I totally deny, well
knowing that the surplus of unlocated lands, after pay
ing your troops fully, together with the specie to be
borrowed abroad, will damp as much credit upon any
future paper currency, as if every foot ofmnlocated and
unappropriated land within the slate was ftiil continu
ed in possession of the slate.
The author of the address, not contented with usual
and common language in conveying his objections
aginf l the bill, breaks out into the follo ving pointed
and (if I may use the term) enthufi hie expreffons.
" My blood runs cold and I shudder with horror,
" pn reading this clause in the bill. And be it fur
“ therenaded by the authority aforefaid that in c'fe
" the connfeated and other lands herein before men
" tinned, should not amount to the arrearages of pay
“ found due as aforefajd, that then and in such case
"the slate will provide other and fufficient funds for
“ the full payment in specie and discharge of the notes
'' given as aforefaid.".
Why should the gentleman be firuck with horror,
or why his blood forget its native heat? Is it more
than justice in the frate to pay the residue of the debt
due to the soldiery, in specie, on condition that the
tonfifcited and unlocated lands are inadequate to the
putpofe? Imuft differ with the gentleman in opinion,
and I am confident your honourable body will do
the fame, as well as the major part of the community.
I shall now crave a moment's leisure of your ho
nourable house while I fiate my sentiments refpefting
this bill; and in doing this, I shall speak; the general
opinion cut of doors, mine being perfectly consonant
to their's.
In the firft place then; I am warranted in declaring,
that the officers now in town, tho' confident That no
thing but specie can give immediate reli f to their ac
cumulated distresses, yet they are clearly of opinion
that a more eligible mode cannot be devised, than that ,
adopted in the present bill, and so much reprobated by
the author of the address: this is also the current sen
timent of your conflituents.
I beg leave further to remark, that these certificates
being, the sole and exclusive tender i.n payment for the
lands set apart for the troops, will in all human proba
bility command specie for their amount, there being a
number of persons possessed of specie, who would wil
lingly purchase these lands, which they are prohibited
from doing unless they have notes or certificates
amounting to the value of the lands. In addition to
this, the lands are to be eflimated as they would have
fold in the year 1774, which will likewise enhance the
value of these certificates. And left (peculators should
attempt to take undue-advantages of the honest soldi
er, I am happy in perusing the following clause in the
bill, wh'ch I find is likewise calculated to prevent
counterfeits.
" And be it further enabled by the authority afore
" said, that in order to prevent the said notes or certi
" ficates from being counterfeited, no transfer or as
" fignment of the fame shall be good and valid in law,
'' unless attefled by the captain dr officer commanding
" a company, or a field officer of a regiment in the
" said line." In this case the efficers wilkhave an op
portunity of enquiring into the principles on whicn
the soldier transfers his nos?, and whether he has re
ceived an equivah nt for the fame, Ac.
The case put by the author of the address, in refpeft
to officers pocketing the reward of the private soldier,
is in no wife admiffib^e ; theofficers being bound by the
nicest ties of honour; and havihg, (happily for this
country,) always afted as guardians, nay, fathers to
their men: I fay happily for this country; for had
not the officers and soldiery been united by the firong
eft chain of friendfhip, arising from the fufferings and
c families so often experienced in the American army,
from our illustrious commander in chief,
down to the common soldier, there-needs no ghofi from
the grave to tell us, that, long 'ere now, this army
mus lhave difoaaded.
A CONSTITUENT.
Number 685.
GRAN D-L ODG E,
Philadelphia, November 2,, 1780.
YUE different Lodges under the jurifr
' <h&ion of the Grand- Lodge of Pennsylvania, are
requeued ta take Notice, that the Monday preceding
St? JOHN'S Day, happening, this year, tn be Christmas
day, the Grand Communication will be held on Men
day the Eighteenth day of December, in the Grand
Lodge Room, Lodge-alley, at Ten o'clock in the Fore
noon, and it is hoped the different Officers who, by
the wholfeme Rules of Masonry ought to be present,
will he pu.&uai in their Attendance, as Matters of ve
ry general Importance to the whole Fraternity will be
laid before them.
By order of the Right Worfhipfull
GRAND MASTER.
W.M, Moore Smith,
Dap. Grand Secretary.
_ Just Imported, and To be Sold, by
Bunner,. Murray and Company,
On Mede's whaiff, below the Bridge,
¥, USSIA Sheetings, Ravens Duck, Dutch Dowlafs,
*% Loaf Sugar, Rum, Table Knives and Forks, Bar
lew Penknives, Pistol capt dit. Buck-capt dit. Scifftrs,
A 1-blades, Common end W!)%-chapp!e Needles, &c.
ALSO, To be S Id, A Quantity of Red Oak
St.^s and Knockdowns, Ctu-r and pine Boards,
Plank and Scantling.
TENCH COXE,
Has for Sale, at his dore in Walnut street, the third
door eatt of Second-street,
C@ O ARSE Cloths, Linens, silk and Cotton Hose,
a Lawns, Cambricks, Muffins, pink and sky-blue
Gauze, Calicoes, silk and linen Hankerchiefs, Bindings,
Threads, Dimities, Nankeens, Ginghams, SJempoLs,
Havannah Snuff, Dutch Stoves, genuine old Madeira
Wine of the moss excellent quality, fberry Wine, bot
tled Porte 8 , English Cheese: Also, a Hand Organ of
four barrels. Dec. 2d, 1780.
Port of Philadelphia, Penefyhania, ff.
To A L L whom it may concern.
NOTICE is hereby given, That a Court of Admiralty
will be held at the Admiralty Office, in Arch-street,
between Third and Fourth streets, in Philadelphia, on
Wednesday the Sixth of December, instant, at Ten
o'clock in the foren< on of the fame day, for the Trial
of the Sloop POLLY,lately commanded by John Camp
bell, burthen aoout 50 tons, captured cn her intended
voyage Ircm New-York to Charleftown, feat into this
port and libelled against by MATTHEW LAWLER,
(qui tarn, &c.) To the intent, that the owner @r own
ers, or any persons concerned therein, may appear and
shew cau'e, if any they have, why a decree fliould not
pass pnr:u^t to the prayer of the libel, &c.
By order of the Judge,
ANDREW ROBESON, Register.
"| HE Subferiber begs leave to inform
R his Friends and former Customers in particular,
and the Public in general, that he continues to carry
on his Eufinefs, of a T AYLOR, in ail the various
branches of the trade, at his house, the south fide of
Market street, and next door to the In ban-King, where
all these who please to favour him with their commands
mv depend on having their Cioaths cut and finished
off in the neatest and best manner, for Calh only, as the
pefent difficult times prevents his giving any credits
He has provided himfelf with an assistant, and a number
of gcod journeymen, which enables him to carry on
Business with the utmost Dispatch ; and he makes no
doubt but he shall give general Satisfa& on.
The Public's humble Servant,
JOHN MARTIN.
N B G^od wages will be given to Journeymen who
ar- cemadeat at the taylbr's trade, and two or three
Ap; rennces would be taken, if well recommended.
A Capable and industrious PERSON,
LA wuo has beon engaged in the active feenes of bu
finefi in this city, who understands accounts, and can
be.well recommended for sobriety, will meet with good
enecuragement; by applying to the Printers.
Wants a Place as a Wet Nurse, A
Woman Qh a good Character,
That can be well recommended both for her honesty
and sobriety. Enquire of the Printers.