The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1777-11-29 00:00:00, page 1

L AN C A S TER.
[,, ^0 NG R E.S 3, Number 18, 1777.
1I;H ERE IS' Congress is informed <ha< there
W V is now in YcArvwr a certain John Browr,
who Her the etemy tock p ff ffian of Philadelphia
Ci,,re ^t of that eit\ ,as he fa v s, on private bifinds,
and ofaiocd I&ve fram our General to pass into roe
county; that after going through a parr of this state
b: thrfaid John Brown returned to Philadelphia,
and i°ngain come cat without a flag or a : pa:s from
any General, or other eilhr, in the service of the
"ri:?| Stat.'S, prete ding that he is c atged with a
verb' theftge to Ceng e:s from Genual Hwe:
AM Sherers furl- r-An^abpi^ sju^.> i^ < c
or i:p : :ji that he is employed by the eneny for
parties inimical to the-e States:
Reived, That the Board of War cause the said
John^own to be arrested and sept under guard to
the 'ixerx-.-ve Conn:d of Pennfy'vania, to be dealt
with 4they in their ni^om may de m fir and proper.
OrQred by the Board otlVar, in virtue or the above
Refute of Congress, That the said John Brawn he
delivted to the care and custody of W ham Hen y,
E q; ioe of the Council of the Cud state, who is to
candid the laid fohn B#o<Vn to the Honorable the
Conn# &r Lancaster, to, be dealt with agreeable to
the id Refoliation of Congress,
By order of the Board,
RICHARD PETERS, Secretary.
War "fee, York, Nov 19, 1777.
InCOUNCit. of S AF2 T r,
Lancifer, November 21, 'ill
TN^;UAU^ri^^ ^ ''^^
Order the fa^d John Brwn was brought before the
Cound, and after c< ^ir^ on was confronted to
thecifhon goal of the counts of Lanc/Lr, for
aidingnd afn-i p the memes fthis comuonwealth,
and timing combination with them for betraying
the Uited States into their hands.
Ordef Ihar the examination of John Brown be
infers is the Minutes of this Council, and is as
fallow
The.Flotation of John BrswN, late of PbHadeß
phia, tub? faith,
7 tA T he left the city an the sh of November,
inft.^ in confi.queoce of the application of Mr.
Thons Willing, who shewed this examinant a note
from general Howe, reqpefting to fee him (Mr. Wil-
Hoj;) That Mr. Willing old this examinant that
Gened Howe defined to accommodate the difference
and „erit the efifion of human blood; that he and
tsb;her had full power to t r eat with Congress as
Co if'' ° r *°Y ra " 'hey ihould appoint, provided
they >uld rescind Independency; that he (General
Hoy/ dr fired this to be made known tt some mem
ber oCong&fs, and Mr. Willing defined this exa-;1
mioai to be the mefcngef; that he (General How^ .
woa#put : 'them in the fame Rate they were in i^
1 7'6 i%%'l give them more privileges than tri^hd^
everJ{@d; that he did not deiire us to .'sy dew;
rearms, mor cease from our preparation: till ma, >
ters ere accommodated; that upon facri acc?mr&-
'da/i he wunld withdraw Ws fleetand a.^v, andp
ft.@g^.my.(hou!d bck.pt up in this country, nd
03$€:paper currency fficu/d be eftablilhed; r fet
fon,jf;thefe articles, of „bich the last was oft
%r,deled upot Mr. Wiring's returning to General
in -consequence of this examinant's hesitating
to pefeut without them, upon which this exami
nanb^ertoakthe hufinefs, and engaged not to com
r^ate-bis business to any peffon, until he ihoud
t rfcft communicated it to some member of Cou
fel that this, examinant puffed the Schuylkill in
c^uence of a paffyort from an Ail de Camp of
Ghaf Howe; that he p^ffid General Poster in the
,vH& without cominuricaring his business to him
or wwirg a pals from him, and travelled up to the
ho of Mr. Robert Morris at Manheim, and there
v^d from Thursday evening to Saturday evening
folri 13 for the arrival of Mr. Morris, aad when he
THE
OR + t THE
GENERAI, 32» ADVERTISE°.
S A T URDA Y, N OVEMBER 29th, 1777.
arrived communicated P e matter firft of all to him;
that Mr. Morris then eGed >n Mr. Deer, another
member of Congress, «. .these were the firft persons
to whom he revealed tre bufiaefs; aod froty Man
heim he returned to Lecafter, when he was firft
called before this Couacri, and bailed by Mr. Mor
ris aad Mr. Duer to foto York, and that he has hi
therto communicated th business only to Mr. Mor
ris, Mr Duer, and ncv to the members of this
Council, but that be no iftood the matter had been
111 utioned by Mr. Mouri and Mz. Duer, or one of
them, to other members of Congress at Yerk, and
was there freely 'p k? ♦; but this examinant was
r- ' IDE- e is rets, asj that this exami
naur haj no writing, fi% .1 public teffimocial, re
lative to this business :n% General Howe, or others
in Philadelphia, except w it puffed by word of mouth
between him and Mr. Willing, as herein before is
mentioned aid set forth. And this examinant far
ther adds, that he recoil &: Mr. Willing old fin
that General Howe affur^d him (Mr. Wi ing,) that
Great Britain would never give way to the Indepen
dence of North America- that more men would be
out in the spring, ad that they wou d harrafs our
trade so that we cou d not go on.
JOHN BROWN,
Ta^en before me,
THOjia: WA4^Tlf %7. President.
(C OP T)
TFT E bife artifice '‘ tyrants are not le's dan
gerous th-M thel rms. Of this truth the
ore eit conted is ane ^i^og a thousand examples.
^ SAd' ; 1 e s fog proved themfekes affy
bloody and ctecrriGl.
The faith f padie proclamations, and even the
words and facrei honor of th ir chiefs in person,
mod fblemnly plighted to individuals for the protec
tian of their propertf; have been violated. The mi
serable wretches starving in the goals of New York
and Philadelphia, were tempted to ealift with the
enemy by affarancei that General Washington had
refufed to exchange them, when in truth General
Howe had broke the cartel which he had fettled, and
had eluded every offer he had afterwards made as faft
as they were complied with on our part.
But above all, the repeated attempts es eur ene
mies to seduce the people of this country from their
virtuous efforts, by the falfe ideas of peace and re
conciliation, which they never meant, are highly in
fidions and delusive.
The IM year General Sullivan, then a captive,
was sent by Lord and Several Mowe from Long-
Island re Philadelphia, with very priuGHe 'erm,;
hut when a Committee of Congress waited on the
RtiG Commilhoners, they receded from everything
they had told him: The opportunity, however, was
very diligently improved for the double purposes of
blasting our negociations,in Europe by assurance, to
foreign Courts that the quarrel was fettled, and of
Driving to debauch the minds of the Americans with
the pretence that Congress was averie to peace. Thus
at the very infant that their emeries were buzzing
about in this country th < Congress refuted to listen
to the moftreafpnable te ms of accommodation, Lord
Stormont was very iigMrioufly pledging his honor
to the Court of France that the treaty was far ad
vanced if not finally ratified. No loorier was the
world undeceived on this head, than the attempt was
renewed through the means of the unfortunate Ge
neral Lee; but still the Commiffijners declined to
pledge themselves for iny thing; nothing appears
from tfem; nothing io suiting is feat forward; but
the Comm ffi ners we p e'rtri< liberty to retract and
deny every thing as I<. A as the, had aulwerid the
end ofrmheading the f^-;>iehete and .imofog foreign
nations.—And now, io! Mr. John Brown is em
ployed to tell a ridicu<,us tale of peace, and at the
fame time a large number of emilfofo are let loefe
to propagate the story through thettate; hill nothing
appears in writing : r A mere verbal .&.,< from Mr-1
Willing, that he (Mr. Willing) had a ta k wih Ge
neral Howe. Were we a tribe of favagts ihis<ak
would at Icaft he accompanied with a heh of w/m.
pum, I at t< us hot event c fhthteftukc. <.} vvors. %
lakd. 7he sole word of John Browc is again result
ns into a sham treaty, which is again to be forced
throughout I uropt, to defeat cur mod premifipg
hepes from that quarter; and a ein to deceive ad
mrflead our own people, w ile his Excellency is?gainl
icady to unsay all that he is pretended to have told
Mr. Willing to tell John Brown, and to laugh at the
milchief he has made. Friends and Counrryrur,
be not deceived: If General Howe has anything to
propose to Cm grefs, the way is open to him ti:
he usual channes He cm lend a & got truce, he.'
is under no necessity of fending out an ot r cu e perlon '
like a thief or a !py, to deal thro'uur cop without
paffpo is, without licence. He could fend afl , o '<
defi e General Washington to prevent the ctrurgef ~
booking cloths. Dus the fttli g oreat, of p^c^
require lets cererciny? no, bit a meffigein m rc g:
by a flag of t uce is not so etiiy era. D. G % c-rU.
Howe night be loth to deny his hand writrig, tha*
it seems he has not ljtfitared to deny Ds woicis.J
France and Spain aie likely now to take a decisive -
part in our quar e : ; a few months perfiverance wid *
eftab ifh our Liberty and IndepKner^e forever If
we are not sale to curie ves, if we are not driven to
and fro, and dece red by every idle artifice es < nr
per6di <us enem es; trufhog in Providence, we may
look forward wth confidence to the hope of being
speedily and forever ae/vered fom if - perfidy rf s,
tyranny of Britain; from the bloody and vimiMM
mance ox ver cvd tonnes. r ur^yc# , ^r^r vs
Council, JaCOB S DOWELL, Sec. pro
Camp at AamenJin^ October <2. 1777.
AT a Court of E/quirv held at M/jnr Gene
ral Lord Stirngs quarters, by older of his
Excellency General Wathmgr n, to examine into
the conduct cf Major. General Sullivan, in the expe
diti n commanded by him to Staten-llhnd, in tte
month of August lift:
PRESENT
Major General Lord STERLING, Piefident.
Brigadier General WDOUGALL,)
Brigadier General KNOX, /Members.
Colonel SPENCER,(
Colonel CLARK, )
The Court after hearing the evidences aga^ft tie
condud of Mij r General Sullivan, and : De pro
duced by him in his defence, and coly co; firrig
the fame, are unasimoufly of opimum, < at the ex
pedition againll the circioj.nn S.au. ' 1;
eligible, and promised g r eat advantage :, die c^ ?fe
of America; that the expedition was well conduc
ed, and the orders for the execution proper, ard
would have succeeded with reputation tothe G<„e
ral and the troops under his command, h^d itnt
to some measure been rendered abortive b : ^tci& $,
which it was cut of the power of the Generz' to
forefee or prevent.
That Genera! Sullivan was partivdHriy ^ re in
embarking the troops to the riland, &d^,l c&ury
precaution in his powerto b r ag th r a iff. br
That he made early brevifioo at Elizabeth Tb*%
for refreshing the troops of his div fios, whenDuy
returned to Jersey ; arid that upon the nvirtfr n .
fideration of the evidence in p-^lll/6 ui ti ,< Qonrr,
General Sullivan's conduct & planning ard.^eru
ting the expedition was inch, in the a,him ? f the
Court, that he ceferv/s $e approb^ion Gh^a crui
try, and not its ce^ure.
The Coun therefore.are unarimorfo -f ,^ r : n,
that he ought to folftpi~;Jfy,d(,}r:r.^ri
uGoldiunke cuodud, in the ,xpelvva to oSten-
Island. STERLING,
ALEX. M DOVGAI L, HENRY K-VX,
OLIVER FENCER, T. CL-.RK.
Published by birder tfC%?&b,
JOHN HANEOI K, ?,efc'Gi-