Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1775-06-26 00:00:00, page 2

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arrived at Nev -YoaK, in fiveaverts from Fal
mouth, see bare trr f:l:ow:% 4a^^. .
V E NIC E, March
APR EGADI was held the i^th in the
evening, when the Cheva ier Nani, a man
of great merit, was ele&ed General ofthe Levant.
On the 19th the correctors again represented to
the grand council the project for keeping the gol
den book open for zoyears, and to inferibe there
in 40 families all noble, either Subjects of the re
,public or foreigners, who are pollened of a clear
revenue of 10,coo ducats, and can prove four
degrees ofNobility. This project has been long
determining, but at last the correctors unanimouf
iy agreed to it on the following conditions: I.
That the 40 families Shall be fubjeds of the Re
public of Venice. 2. That thty Ilia'll possess
jo,coo ducats revenue in Fidei-Commis. 3. 7 hat
they (ball prove four degrees of Nobility. 4. That
the women Shall have thequalification required by
law, that their children may be able to enter the
Grand Council. 5. That the fat'd families fliall
live at Venice, for which a term of fix years will
be allowed them ; when that is expired they dial!
pay a treble tax; &c.
Warfrx, April 8. Several magnates do not
seem pleased with the operations of the diet, ma
• ny have been very violent against them, particu
larly Count Branicki, who in a speech summoned
the nation to defend their frontiers sword in hand,
offering to head them himfelf; and the Aid de
Camp Wilczewfki demanded that the Equestrian
order fliould be mounted. The Ruffians are pre
paring/chevaux de frifes, and the Austrians have
entered the palatinates of Cracow and Sendomir.
Some Prufiian Hussars are likewise advanced in the
territories of the republic, and it is faid„that a
camp will be formed near Auguftow, in Lithuania,
of troops of that nation.
The Diet have delivered a note to Baron Stac
kelberg the day before yesterday, requiring again
that the Ruffian troops Should leave this kingdom.
Madrid, April 10. As it is no longer to be
doubted bvt a Speedy and Solid peace will be con
cluded with the Emperor of Morocco, every body
is much furprized that the fitting out (hips of war
Rill goes on with great diligence. The King has
taken a foreign veffelinto his service, and has laid
an embargo on all the transports, Several regi
ments are actually marching towards our sea ports.
Warfvw, April 11. The Diet Separated yester
day after fitting near two years. There are five
Nunciates who have constantly refufedto sign the
new confutations, and they lef the hall protesting
against all that had been concluded upon. The
permanent council is charged with the regulation
of the frontiers.
It is said letters have been received from Mos
cow, which mention, that the Ruffian troops are
to leave this kingdom towards the beginning of
next month, and that orders have been lent them
to be in readiness to march.
We have accounts from Moldavia that the Au
firians have raised two bodies of troops in the
part of that principality which they have occupi
ed, one of which consists of 3000, and the other
of SOOO men.
Vienna, April 17. The Emperor has confirm
ed the treaty concluded between Russia and Den
mark, regarding the exchange of Ducal .Holstein,
for the counties of Oldenburgh and Delmenhorft,
and at the fame time has eroded thole two coun
ties into a Duchy.
L O N D O N.
April 29. The Honourable Mr. Grenville, who
lately married the daughter of Lord Clare, has
fettled 2i,0c01. per aon.° upon his lady.—The
marriage articles are said to have been written on
two hundred fleins of parchment.
May 3. A Gentleman in the city has received a
letter from Jamaica, which brings advice, that a
Spanish man of war, of 70 guns, commanded by
Don Fernandon, had taken an armed schooner
- and two merchant vessels belonging to Jamaica,
and carried them into the Havannah. The account
fays, that Spanith men of war and frigates are
continually making depredations on the Englilh
merchant drips in the Weft-Indies, whom they
plunder of what they think proper.
Private letters from Gibraltar mention, that
the Spaniards are busy in augmenting the fortifi
cations of Malaga, Barcelona, and every sea
port of any confequer.ee within the Streight's
mouth.
intelligence has been received that two squa
drons are failed, one from Cadiz, and the other
from Toulon, said to be bound for South-Ame
rica, where they are to ad in conjunction, in some
important expedition.
On Friday evening last a Dutch galliot was set
onfire by lightning offthe land's end, by which ac
cident foe was consumed, and every person on board
perilled; an Englilh floo, was in company, but
could afford them no assistance.
May 4. We are told that on Tuesday an ex
press arrived, which brought an account that se
veral fail of Spanish men of war of the line, and
two frigates, were arrived at Old Gibraltar, which
belongs to the Spaniards, and is within gun-diot
of Gibraltar. They are all clean Ships, compleat
ly manned, have a number of troops on board,
and give out they are going on an expedition against
the Moors.
Yesterday at half after three Lord North arose
in the House of Commons, and in afpeech of full
two hours and a quarter long, delivered himfelf
of his annual budget.
Mr. Hartley observed on several items in the
account, particularly on the anticipation of the
linking fund ; and a drew a very melancholy pic
ture of the probable consequences of ourdisputes
\ ith America; and predicted, in the most posi
tive terms, the interference of France and Spain,
Should those unhappy disputes terminate in a civil
war.
Lord North answered him by observing, that
he could not fee how stating a general account of
debtor and creditor, however drawn up, could
possibly avert the evils he seemed so much ts dread.
± Governor Johnftone contended, though the
Rating of an account had no immediate connexion
with the picture drawn by his honourable friend,
in bis oomion, the Rate of the nation, which ofed
to be generally the Subject of correlation this day,
certainly had.
Yesterday Lord North gave notice, that the
House of Commons would rife on the 25th instant.
May 6. By letters from Cadiz by the last pac
ket, we are informed, that 2OQ transports were
fitting out there, manning with soldiers, to join
the rest of the fleet from Carthegena.
It is certain, that the Spaniards are aiming for
war.
And it is as certain, that our want, of sailors is
such, that even our guard Grips are 50 men defici
ent in their complement.
The Spanish ministry, on being questioned on
account of the late armaments, have declined, it
is said, to give an explicit answer; and reply ge
nerally, that their master is resolved to suit his
armaments, both by sea and lard, according to
the present posture of affairs in Europe.
We are allured that the firft aA of hostility in
America, will be begun by government, as there
are particular orders to secure the Delegates.
It may be depended on that the Spaniards have
at this time at Cadiz, Carthagena, and Barce-,
lona, above fifty men of war ready for sea at a
day's warning.
A report was current last night, that advice was
yesterday received, that an armed vessel having
been appointed to cruize of Cadiz, the Spanish
Commander at that port sent out a man of war,
which took the Englilh vessel, and carried her
into the Bay.
The Lord Mayor's ANSWER to Lord
Hertford's LETTER.
My Lord, Mansion House, May 2, 1775.
IT is impossible for me to express, or conceal,
the extreme aftoni(hment,and grief I felt at the
notice your Lordship's letter gave me, as Chief
Magistrate of the city, " That for the future his
" Majesty would not receive on the throne, any
" address, remonstrance, and petition, but from
" the body corporate of the city."
I entreat your Lordship to lay me with all humi
lity at the King's feet, and, as I have now the ho
nor to be Chief Magistrate, in my name to Suppli
cate his Majesty's justice and goodness in behalf of
the Livery of London, that he would be graciously
pleased to revoke an order, highly injurious to their
rights and privileges, which in this instance have
been constantly lelpeAed and carefully preserved by
all his Royal Predecessors. The Livery of Louden,
my Lord, have approved themselves the zealous
friends of liberty and the protestant succession. They
have fleadily purfoed only those meafares, which
were calculated to secure the free constitution of
this country, and ths your Lordfliip uell knows
has created them the hatred of all the partizans of
the exiled and proscribed family. They so m the
great and powerful body of the Corporation, in
whom mofi important powers are vested, the elec
tion .of the firft magistrate, the Sheriffs, the Cham
berlain, the Auditors of the R< ceipt and Expendi
ture of their Revenues, and of the four Members,
vho'repre sent in Parliament the capital of this valt
Empire. The full Body Corporate never assemble,
nor could they legally a& together as one great ag
giegate body, for by the constitution of the ci'y,
particular and diftin& privileges are reserved to the
various members of the Corporation, to the Free
men, to the Livery Men, to the Common Council,
to the Court of Aldermen. His Majesty's Solicitor
General, Mr. Wedderburne, was consulted by the
city in the year 1771, refpefting the legality of
common Hah's, and the remonstrances of the Livery.
In conjunction with Mr. Serjeant Glynn, Mr, Dun
ning, and Mr. Nugent, he gave an opinion, which
I have the honor of tranferihing from our record.
" We apprehend that the head officer of every
" corporation may convene the body, or any cla's
" cf it, whenever he thinks proper—that the Lord
" Mayor for the time being, may, cf his own au-'
" thority, legally call a common Hall ; and mefee
"no legal objeAion to bis ca ling the taco last —we con
" ceive it to be the duty of the proper officers of the
'' several companies, to whom precep's for the pur
" pose of summoning their refpe&ive Liveries have
" been usually directed, to execute those precepts,
" and that a wilful refufal on their part is an of
"fence punishable by disfranchifement."
The city, my Lord, have been careful that all
their proceedings should be grounded in the true
principles of law and the constitution. Notwith
standing it is the clear right of the fubjeft to peti
tion the King for the redress of grievances ; a right
which so many thousands of our fellow fubjefts,
my Lord, have justly thought it their duty very fre
quently to exercise in the last ten years, yet the
city, from excels of caution, tock a great legal opi
nion in the case, and I find the following words en
tered in their journals by the express order of the
Common Hail.
" The Livery of London, legally assembled in
“ Common Hall, either on Midlummer, Michael
" mas, or any other day, have an undoubted right
" to take into consideration any matter cf public
“ grievance they may think proper. It is Beyond
diftute that the right is inherent in them." A juiy
have likewise declared this in a solemn verdi&.
I have been thus particular, my Lord, on this
fubjed from our records, because I differ in one
point from the latt opinion, which I quoted; for I
know there is no right or privilege of this free peo
ple, or of mankind, but what has been deputed, and
even denied, by petitioned pens and tongues in the
service of the arbitrary Ministers of arbitrary Kings.
Your Lordship I am Cure will now no longer fuf
• fer a doubt to remain in your mind as to the lega
lity of Common Halls, or of their extensive pow
ers, and therefore I presume to lay claim on behalf
of the Livery of London to the ancient privilege
of presenting to the King on the throne any address,
petition, or remonstrance. In this manner have
the addresses of the Livery constantly been receiv
ed both by his prelent Majesty and all his Royal
Predecessors the Kings of England. On the most
exa& research I do not find a tingle instance to the
contrary. This immemorial usage in the opinion
of the ablest Lawyers gives an absolute ii?ht, and
is as little fubjeft to controversy as any fai^and just
prerogative of the Crown.. Other rights and pri
vileges of the city have been invaded by despotic
Monarchs, by several of the accursed race of the
Stuarts, but this in no period of our history. It
has not even been brought into question till the pre
sent inauspicious sera. Lhave an entire confidence
my Lord, that a right left uninvaded by every Ty
rant of the Tarquin race, will be sacredly preserved
under the government of our present Sovereign,
because his Majesty is perfectly informed that'in'
consequence of th,ir expulsion his family was chosen
to protest and defend the rights of a free people,
vAicm they endeavoured to enslave.
I cannot escape your tordrfiip's recolkaion, that
at all times, when the privileges of the Capital were
attacked, veryfatai con sequences ehlued. The in
vasion of the Liberties of the Nation we have ge
nerally seen preceded ivy attempts on the franchifes
of the firft city in the Kingdom, and the (hock has
spread from the centre to the most dillant point of
'the circumference of this wide-extended empire.
I hope his Majesty's goodness will revoke an order,
which might perhaps in this light be considered as
ominous to the people at large, no less than inju
rious to the citizens of this metropolis. Such a
measure only could quiet the alarm, which has al
ready spread too far, and given gloomy apprehen
sions offuturity.
The privilege, my Lord, for which I contend,
is of very ' great moment, and peculiarly striking.
When his Majesty receives on the throne any ad
dress, it°is read by the proper officer to the King
in the presence of the petitioners. They have the
fatisfa&ion of knowing that their Sovereign has
heard their complaints. They receive an answer.
If the fame address is presented at a levee, or in any
other mode, no answer is given. A suspicion may
arise, that the address is never heard or read, be
cause it is only received, and immediately delivered
to the Lord in waiting. If he is tolerably versed in
the supple, infinunting arts pra&ifed in the magic
circle of a Court, he will take care never to remind
his Prince of any disagreeable and disgusting, how
ever important and wholesome, truths. He will
strangle in its birth the fair offspring of liberty, be
cause its cries might awaken and alarm the parent,
and thus the common father of all his people may
remain equally ignorant and unhappy in his molt
weighty concerns.
Important truths, my Lord, were the founda
tion of the last humble address, remonstrance, and
petition to the King, refpe&ing our brave fellow
fubjects in America, The ^reatnefs as well as
goodness of the cause, and tne borrows of an ap
proaching civil war, juftified our application to the
throne. It comprehended every thing interesting
to us as a free and commercial people, the firft
principles of our common liberty, and the immense
advantages of the only trade we enjoy unri
valled by other nations. I greatly fear, that your
Loidfliip's letter immediately following his Ma
jesty's unfavourable answer to the remonstrance,
will be considered as a frefh mark of the King's an
ger against our unhappy brethren, as well as of his
displeasure against the faithful citizens of his capi
tal. The Livery, possessing the purest intentions,
the nioft noble and exalted views for the public
good, will comfort themselves with the appeal to
that justice in the Sovereign's heart, which cannot
fail of soon restoring them to the royal favour, but
the Americans may be driven to despair, unless a
merciful Providence should graciously interpole, and
change the obdurate hearts cf those unjust and wic
ked M;nifters, who have been so long permitted
by divine vengeance to be a scourge both to us and
our brethren. The true friends of Liberty I am
sure will not be remits in their duty. I doubt not,
my Lord, from that love of your country, and zeal
for his Majesty's glory, which have equally distin
guished your Lordship, that the Livery of London
will have your hearty concurrence with them, as
well as your powerful intercession with the King for
the revocation of the late order.® Sucii a conduct
will secure to your Lordship the esteem and affection
of all good men, and add to the unfeigned refpe&,
with which I have the honour to be, My Lord,
• lour Lordfllip's most obedient humble Servaut,
JOHN WILKES.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Hertford, Lord
Chamberlain of the King's Household.
WILLIAMSBUR G.
To his Exacllency JOHN Earl of DUNMORE,
his Majefo's Lieutenant and Governor General
of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, and
Vice-Admiral of the fame.
The ADDRESS of the House of Burgesses.
r^7E his Majesty's dutiful and loyal fub
+VV jeris, the Burgesses of Virginia, now met
in General Assembly, have taken into cur con
^deraticn the joint address of the two Houles of
parliament, his Majesty's answer, and the reso
lution of the Commons, which your Lordship
has been pleased to lay before us. Wishing no
thing so fmeerely as the perpetual continuance of
that brotherly love, which we bear to our fellow
fubjeris of Great-Britain, and still continuing to
hope and believe that theydo not approve the mea
sures which have so long oppressed their brethren
in America, we were pleased to receive your
Lordfllip's notification that a benevolent tender
had at length been made by the British House of
Commons towards bringing to a good end our
unhappy disputes with the Mother Country
Next to the pofleffion of Liberty, my Lord,
we should confider such a reconciliation as the
greatest of all human blefiings. With these dis
positions we entered into consideration of that re
lolution , we examined it minutely; we viewed
it in every point of light in which we were able
to place it, and with pain and difappointinent we
must ultimately declare, it only changes the form
o ' oppreflion, without lightening its burthen.
We cannot, my Lerd, close with the terms of
that resolution for these reasons.
Because the British parliament has no right to
intermeddle with the support of civil government
in the Colonies. For us, not for them, has go
veinment been instituted h ere. Agreeable to our
ideas, provision has been made for such officers as
we think necessary for the administration of pub
lic affairs; and we cannot conceive that any other
legislature has a right to prescribe either the num
ber or pecuniary appointments of our offices. As
a proof that the claim of parliament, to interfere
in the necessary provisions for the support of civil
government, is novel and of a late date, we take
leave to refer to an ad of our Aflembly, passed
so long since asthe thiity-fecond year of the reign
of King Charles the Second, entitled, “ An ah
“ for railing a public revenue, and for the better
“ Support of the government of this his Majesty's
“ colony of Virginia." This ad was brought
over by Lord Culpeper, then Governcr, under the
great Seal of England, and was enabled in the
name of the “ King's most excellent Majesty, by
“ and with the consent of the General Assembly."
Because, to render perpetual our exemption
from an unjust taxation, we muff fiddle ourfelvcs.
with a perpetual tax adequate to the expectations
and fubjed to the disposal of parliament alone. -
Whereas we have right to give our money, as the
parliament do theirs, without coertion, from time
to time, as public exigencies may require. We
conceive that we alone are the judges of the con
dition, circun, fiances, wnd Situation of cur ft„.
ple, as the parliament are of theirs. It is for
merely the mode of railing, but the fieedem cf
granting our money for which we have contend
ed. Without this we possess no check on the royal
prerogative; and, what mutt be lamented by du
tiful -and loyallubje&s, we should be ftript efthe
only means as well of recommending this country
to the favours of our most gracious Sovereign, as
of strengthening those bands of amity with our
fellow fabje&s, which we would wifli to remain
indifloluble.
Because on our undertaking to grant money,
as is proposed, the Commons only resolve to for
bear levying pecuniary taxes on us; still leaving
unrepealed their several a&s passed for the pur
poses of retraining the trade, and altering the
form of government of the eastern colonies ; ex
tending the boundaries, and changing the go
vernment and religion of Quebec; enlarging the
jurisdiction of the courts of admrelty, taking
from us the right of trial by jury, and transport
ing us into other countries to be tried for crimi
nal offences. Standing armies too are still to be
kept among us, and the other numerous grievan
ces of which ourselves and filler colonies, sepa
rately and by our representatives in General Con
gress, have so often complained, are still to con
tinue without redress.
Because at the very time of requiring from us
grants of money, they are making disposition to
invade us with large armaments by sea and land,
which is a stile of allying gifts not reconcileable to
our freedom. They are affo proceeding to a re
petition of injury,by palling ads for restraining the
commerce and fineries ofthe provinces of New-
England, and for prohibiting the trade of the
other colonies with all parts of the world, except
the islands of Great-Britain, Ireland, and the
Weft-Indies. This seems to bespeak no intenti
on to difeontinue the exercise of this usurped
power over us in future.
Because on our agreeing to contribute our pro
portion towards the common defence, they do
not propose to lay open to us a free trade with
all the world; whereas to us it appears just, that
those who bear equally the burthens of govern
ment, fliould equally participate cf its benefits-
Either be contented with the monopoly of our
trade, which brings greater loss to us and benefit
to them, than the amount of our proportional
contributions to the common defence; or, if the
latter be preferred, relinquish the former, and do
not propose, by holding forth, to exad from us
double contributions. Yet we would remind go
vernment, that, on former emergencies, when
called upon as a free people, however cramped
by this monopoly in our resources of wealth, we
have liberally contributed to the common de
fence. Be assured then, that we Shall be gene
rous in future as in past times, disdaining the
Tackles of proportion, when called to our free
station in the general system of the empire.
Because the proposition now made to us, in
volves the-interest of all the other colonies. We
are now represented in General Congress by
members approved by this House, where our for
mer unien, it is hoped, will be so strongly ce
mented that no partial applications can produce
the slightest departure from the common cause.—
We confider ourselves as bound in honour, as well
as interest, to ffiare one general fate with our lif
ter colonies, and should hold ourselves base de
serters of that union, to which we have acceded,
were we to agree on any measures diftind and a
part from them.
There was indeed a plan of accommodation
offered in parliamant, which, though not entire
ly equal to the terms we had a right to ask, yet
differed but in few points from what the General
Congress had held out. Had Parliament been
disposed Sincerely, as we are, to bring about a re
conciliation, reasonable men had hoped that by
meeting us on this ground, something might have
been done. Lord Chatham's bill on the one part,
and the terms cf the Congress on the other,
would have formed a balls for negotiation, which
a Spirit of accommodation on both Sides might
pe haps have reconciled. It came recommended
too from one, whose fuccefsfal experience in the
art °f government should have ensured it to some
attention from those to whom it was tendered.—
He had Shewn to the world that Great-Britain,
with her colonies, united firmly, under 'a just and
honest government, formed a power which might
bid defiance to the most potent enemies. With
a change of ministers, however, a total change of
measures 'took place; the component parts of the
empire have from that moment been falling a
sunder, and a total annihilation of its weight ia
the political Scale of the world, seems justly to
be apprehended.
"Mefe, my Lord, are our sentiments on this
important fubje&, which we offer only as an in
dividual part of the whole empire. Final deter
mination we leave to the General Congress now
fitting, before whom we Shall lay the papers your
Lordship has communicated to ns. To their wis
dom we commit the improvement of this import
ant advance; if it can be wrought into any good,
we are assured they will do ir. To them allo
we refer the difeovery or that proper method of
representing cur well Funded grievances, which
your Lordfltip Abates us will meet with the at
tention and regard fojuftlydue to them. For
ourselves, we have exhaufled every mode of ap
plication, which our invention could suggest as
proper and promising. We have decently remon
ibated with parliament, they have added new in
juries to the old ; we have wearied our King with
Supplications, he 0 has not deigned to answer us;
we have appealed to the native honour ard juttice
of the British nation, their efforts in our favour
have been hitherto inefAAua l . What then re
mains to be done? That we commit our injuries
to the even handed justice of that rieing who dc/h
no wrong, earnestly beseeching him to id.mAnue
the counsels, and profiler the endeavours of thefo
to whom America hath confided her hopes: A :
through their wife direction we mayapA n f : +
united the blessings of liberty, property, aim.
mony with Great-Britain. '''