The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-04-25 00:00:00, page 2

LONDON, December 17;
WEDNESDAY his Majesty went to the house of
Peers, attended by the Duke of Northumberland,
and the Earl of Oxford, and gave the royal assent to the
land tax, the malt-tax, the American habeas corpus,
and the Italian silk bills.
As soon as his Majesty left the House, the Duke of
Richmond moved, that the juftifying Ihememorial of
the King of Great-Britain, in answer to the Expose des
Motifs, &c. be laid before this House. This motion
passed. His Grace then moved, that the Expose des
Motifs of the King of France, and the manifefto of the
King of Spain, be laid before the House; which was
also carried.
Lord Shelburne, in one of the most eloquent, as well
alarming speeches that we ever remember to have heard,
awakened their Lordfllips to a sense of the situation of
this country---a situation from which nothing but a
thorough change of fyflem, and reformation in every
department, could possibly extricate us. A great and
powerful genius might perhaps contrive fqme efficacious
remedy for the fore ; but no plan, no sy stem without the
aid of the proportion which he intended to lay before
their L rdfhips, he would be bold to fay, could produce
the desirable end. It had been the good fortune of this
country, that there existed a set of men, at a time of
dangerous incroachments of the prerogative on the con
stitution, who, combating every obstacle, had with zeal,
energy, and spirit, perfilled in this glorious struggle, and
had brought about the revolution.
To thrfe men this country was under obligations that
could never be effaced from recollection ; but it was
ftran. e that those men, possessed of wisdom equal to their
bravery, should, while they destroyed the baleful influ
ence of prerogative, have instituted on its ruins a scourge
ten times more dangerous, ten times more fatal to the
constitution, than any prerogative could possibly be that
was pretended to be founded on the principles of Magna,
Charta ; ---he meant, the eftabliihment of a civil lift, and
the too great licence that was given to the crown in the
expenditure of the public money; cn that had been
created, nourished, and matured, that enormous influ
ence, which had broken down almost ever, barrier of
the confutation.
This great evil, however, had escaped them ; and the
only confblation, the only hope, that he entertained,
amid the gio #m in which this country was at present in
volved, aro'e from the knowledge that there existed now
a set of men, with the fame zeal, with the fame deter
mination, With the fame spirit, who had combined them
fdves together, by the closest of human ties, with the
glorious resolution to probe this wound to the bottom,
and to restore this bleeding country, if possible, to its
ancient vigour.
It was a moment indeed of the most terrible peril,,
and nothing but fundamental applications would pro
<urh our deliverance. Oeconomy alone could produce
that vigour, which was necessary to the accomplish
ment of fuccef3j and it was on the propped of uniform
reformation and general oeconomy, that that set of
men, who had now con eftd themselves; had deter
mined to prosecute the deliverance of this country.
His Ler bhip then went into a Statement of the enor
mous debt that had been incurred in the progress of the
four years war. He Rated, that the nation had already
incurred a funded debt of 26 millions and odd ; and that
the funded and unfunded expence of the present wa r
amounted to upwards of 42 millions. A perpetual in
terest of 1,800,000!. a year followed from this expence.
He particularly enumerated the extraordinaries of the
present war, and compared them to all the sums that had
been expended in former wars since the reign of King
William. They had amounted in four years time to
upwards of eight millions of money, and on this enor
mous fam Parliament had no adequate check nor con
!roul. 'This sum was required, not for the pay of the
regular forces--the transportation of tf.oops--the pay of
renerd officers--the maintenance of hofpitils--but was,
in fad, and indeed, the civil lift of Lord North.
His Lordihip enumerated the several leading articles
of the immense sum, amounting on the. average to three
millions per year. The contrails for rations was the
principal object In the last war this contrail had been
given to Sir William Baker, at 6d. per ration, includ
ing every contingent expence, and in the present war,
the contrails are divided between twelve persons of
parliamentary influence, and it costs the nation betwixt
iid' and i2d. per ration.
The contrast for the purchase of Portugal gold-the
contralllfor rum--the unconftitut ; onal licence given to
Governors to draw on the Treasury-the licence given
to every office through all its branches to bring in bills
of contingencies the immense sums paid for the subor
nation of the Indians-the sums paid for the hiring of
foreign " troops- the sums paid for douceurs to a lilt of
names which he held in his hand, but which he could
not read from motives of compassion--all were parti
cularly defended by the noble Lord, and he pointed
out the scandalous and unconstitutional proceedings
that had occurred, and which had partly been detect
ed in the am dEng of the sums, These different articles
were produced without any vouchers, save the item
of the expence.
Having gone through their several heads and describ
ed them severally with the most pointed and critical
precision, he called upon their Lordships to fay whether
an immediate examination was not necessary, and whe
ther the nation could exist in its present career, with for
favifh a waste, and so deftrullive a plan of expenditure,
lie had two propositions in his hand, which he thought
would be the means of searching into the bottom of
the evil and providing a remedy for it. The firft was,
" That the alarming increase of the enormous nati
" onal debt, in the article of extraordinaries for vari
^ ous services, requires an immediate check and con-,
“ troul; the expenditure of the public money, beyond
" the grants of parliament, being at all times unconfii
“ tutional, and highly detrimental in the present re
<' duced situation of the landed and mercantile interest
" of this country."
Second motion,---Refolved, “ That a committee,
« confiding of such Members of both Houses of Par
“ lament as do not enjoy any pensions or offices of
" emolument, be appointed to infpell into the expen
'' diture of the public money, and to report in what
“ articles savings may be made, what places may be
6< abolished, what Salaries and perquisites may be ra
" duced, &c."
His Lord Ship enumerated a variety of precedents,
from the nine of Charles 11. in the year 1676, regularly
to the year 1717, viewing that Parliament had entered
warmly into the investigation of these extraordinaries,
and that a commission had been appointed for this re
gulation. He threw out several means that occurred to
him, and several proportions that had been made, by va
rious great bodies in thiscountry, for providing against
the necessities of these extraordinaries, and for reducing
the national expenditure. These were, that all sums
that could poflibly be reduced to estimate should be so,
and that the experience of former years should be taken
as a guide for forming such eflimates ; that all con
tingencies should be prohibited ; Governors prevented
from drawing for money without previous estimate;
that all unnecessary places, offices, and reversions,
should be abolished, and all necessary ones retrenched,
&c.--.He said, he wilhed his fedond proposition to be
laid upon the table, that their Lordships and Britain
at large might confider it, and be able, before the
meeting after the recess, to propose all such regulations
as should occur to them either collectively in bodies,
or individually, for national salvation. He said weon
ly could^ be second to the enemy in this reform, for they
had already adopted it. He concluded with moving
his firft proposition.
Lord Stormont objected to the motion, because it im
plied a censure without enquiry, and without dating as
a fall, that the expenditure of the Public money was
not already fubjelt to check and controul.
Lord Hillfborough said, that every article of extraor
dinaries was in consequence of some grant of parliament,
and included in the votes of credit of the other House ;
he, therefore, thought the latter part of the firft motion
falfe in fall. As to the second, he considered it as a
measure calculated to subvert the confutation, and to
sow jealousy and disgust between the two Houses.
These curious arguments were replied to with a force
of the most confounding reasoning by the Dukes of
Richmond, Grafton, and Manchester, Lords Effingham,
Coventry and Shelburne.,
The Duke of Manchester warned the Lords how they
rejelled the motion ; for a cloud of distress was ap
proaching, which would involve all persons, from the
cottage to the throne, unless ftrill oeconomy prevent
ed it in time—At ten o'clock the House divided, and
the motion was rejelled by 67 ag^inft 37.
Lord Shelburne then moved his second proposition;
and the House agreed to the following resolution:
That the motion already mentioned be taken into con
sideration on the .Bth February next.
Dec. 30. Letters from France mention the arrival of
monsieur Gerard (who has been succeeded in his em
bassy by the Chevalier Ie Luzerne and of Mr. Jay, with
his secretary, Mr. Carmichael, appointed to the Court
of Spain. They failed from Philadelphia in the Con
federacy American frigate, the firft of C&ober; and a
day or two after their failing, Mr. John Adams was
appointed, by Congress, a foie commissioner to Europe,
to treat for, or to receive terms of peace; Mr,
Francis Deane is his secretary ; and they are to reside
at Paris, in order to be near the place of any future
negociations for peace among the belligerent powers.
They failed from Boston in a French frigare of 40 guns,
and are said to btarrived at L'Orrent.
Feb, 5. Government are certainly of opinion, that
Gibraltar has not been fuccoured without a previous
brufn with the Ferrol squadron.
Yefterjay it was repotted in the city, that govern
ment had received certain advice, that the Spanish ships
which were captured by admiral Rodney, were taken
by a fleet of French frigates and carried into Breft.'
The grant of the Savoy which Lord North receiv
ed two years ago, was worth a hundred thousand
pounds to him, and yet he declared in the House cf
Commons. " that he had not bettered his fortune one
milling in his Majesty's service." Before the young
Duke of Rutland came of age, this bribe was offered
to him, through the medium of Lord Mansfield, in a
thousand different shapes. That spirited young Noble
man. rejelled them with contempt.
The protestant inhabitants of Rochefler, Chatham
and Stroi d have formed themselves into an association
for the repeal of the all lately passed in favour of po
pery in England; and unanimously agreed to petition
Parliament, and to inftrul ltheir representatives to
support their petition. James Hafts, enquire, alder
man of the city of Rochester, is ekcltd Chairman of
the association.
Y O R K, December 30.
At a very numerous and refpe&abte meeting of the
firft perlons of confederation and property in this
country, held here this day, the following petition
and resolutions was agreed to :
To the honorable the Commons of Great-Britain in
Parliament Assembled.
The Petition of the Gentlemen, Clergy, ar d' Freehol
ders of the County of Yok.
Sheweth,
" That this nation hath been engaged, for many
years, in a most expenlive and unfortunate war ; that
many of your valuable colonies, having a&ually de
clared themselves independent, have formed a ftri&
confederacy with France and Spain, the dangerous
and inveterate enemy of Great-Britain: the conse
quence of those combined misfortunes hath been a
large addition to the national debt, a heavy accumu
lation of taxes, a rapid decline of the trade, manu
factures, and landrents of this kingdom.
" Alarmed at the diminished resources and growing
burthens of this country, and convinced that rigid
frugality is now indifpenfibly necessary, in every de
partment of the state, your petitioners observe, with
grief, that notwithttanding the calamitous and impo
verished condition of the nation, much public money
has been improvidently squandered, and that indivi
duals enjoy sinecure places, efficient places with exor
bitant emoluments, and pensions unmeritted by public
service, to a large and still encreafing amount; whence
the crown has acquired a great and unconstitutional in
fluence, which, if not checked, may soon prove fatal
to the liberties of this country.
“ Your petitioners conceiving that the true end of
every ligitimate government is not the emolument of
any individual, but the welfare of the community ; and
considering, that by the constitution of this ^realm,
the national purse is intruded, in a peculiar manner, to
the custody of this honorable House; beg leave farther
to represent, that, until effellual measures be taken to
redress the oppressive grievances herein stated, the
grant of any additional sum of public money, beyond
the produce of the present taxes, will be injurious to
the rights and property of the people, and derogatory
from the honor and dignity of Parliament.
''Your petitioners, therefore, appealing to the jus
tice of this honorable House, do most earnestly re
quest, that before any new burthens are laid on this
country, effectual measures may be taken by this
Houle to enquire into and correl lthe gross abuses in
the expenditure of public money; to reduce all exhor
bitant emoluments; to rescind and abolish all sinecure
places and unmeritted pensions; and to appropriate
the produce to the necessities of the state, in such man
ner as to the wisdom of Parliament fball seem meet.
And your. Petitioners shall ever pray, &c."
After which the following Resolutions were proposed
and unanimously agreed to, viz.
iff, Resolved, That the petition now read to this
meeting, addressed to the House of Commons, and re
questing, that, before any new burthens be laid upon
the country^ effi dual measures may be taken by that
House to enquire into and correl lthe gross abuses in
the expenditure of public money; to reduce all ex
hor Litant emoluments; to rescind and abolidi all fioi
cure places and unmeritted pensions; and to appropri
ate the produce to the necessities of the state, is appro
ved of by this meeting.
2d. Resolved, That a committee of fixty-cne gen
tlemen be appointed to carry on the necessary corre
spondence for effellually promoting the objtH of rhe
petition, and to prepae the plan of an association, on
legal and conftiturional grounds, to support that
laudable reform, and such other measures as may con
duce to restore the freedom of Parliament, to be pre
sented by the chairman of the committee to this meet
ing, held by adjournment, on the Tuesday in Ealter
week next ensuing.
IRELAN D.
From the DUBLIN EVENING POST.
The following FORM of PRAYER was Wrongly re
commended to be used on the late PUBLIC FAST
by such a 3 approved of it.
O LORD! who knoweft our hearts, and what is best
" for us, thy will be done in all things. We know
not what to pray for as we ought.
To ask thy blessing on our arms, our rulers, or our
selves, if engaged in an unjust or unnecessary war, were
the highest and most daring presumption. To expelt
thy favour without repentance and amendment, Would
be the most dangerous delusion.
As far therefore as thou feeft we are right and sin
cere, grant us thy assistance and forgivenefs. Wecan
not be wrong in confeffi^g that all have erred and Gray
ed from thy ways like loft sheep : That his Majesty has
finned, and come far Ihort of the glory and virtue that
were expelled from him : That certain minivers, states
men, and mercenary majorities, placemen and pensi
oners, are miserable fingers.
Touch the hearts of these, and of all sinecure plun
derers of thy poor country, with true penitences
Have mercy upon and remove them speedily, that they
may have time for contrition, and do no more mifehief
to thy people.
May a change of men and measures soon take place,
and the virtuous efforts in both kingdoms to be free and
happy--.be crowned with success.
May the sincerity of thy peoples profeffions be evi
denced by newness in life, and a resolute defence of their
religious and civil rights. Preserve us, we beseech
thee, from the designs of wicked Kings and Minifiers ;
from all civil and ecclefiaflical tyranny, from badland,
lords, covetous agents, elelliou jobbers, and vile par
ricides.
Put an end to war and bloodshed, to bribery, per
jury, and corruption ; to gaming, luxury, and every
evil work. And oh ! do thou lessen the number of
placemen and pensioners among us, also of sinecure of
ficers in church and state. Increase the number ofho
neft senators, lawyers, and attornies, of fkilful, hu
mane physicians, of upright judges and magistrates, of
free and virtuous citizens in every part of these king
doms.
Save us, we humbly pray, from invasions and ' the
horrors of war; from a land-tax, fianding armies and
unnecessary taxes, or whatever may impoverish and
enslave thy people. Support us under heavy burdens,
and speedily remove them. Revive our spirits, trade
and manufactures; give bread and employment to our
poor, and may the hearts and purses of the great
and opulent be opened wide for their relief.
Grant us freedom of commerce to the uttermost
parts of the earth ; may all slavish laws andieflraints
be banished for ever from us.
We recommend to thy care all uninfluenced, Inde
pendent Volunteers, who, if tried, would resolutely
defend their country, and maintain her constitutional
rights; increase their number, and may they be ter
rors to all our enemies, foreign and domeflic. To this
end, do thou drive from among them all time servers,
mean dependents, with falfe or timid hearts. May they
in the day of danger, play the men for the people,
and the fair cities of our Jerusalem!
Grant true repentance to all ranks and denominati
ons of men among us: May they live and love like bre
thren ; and may all governors become the ministers of
Heaven to us, for good. May his Excellency promote
public spirited measures only, and continue to repre
sent our wants and wishes faithfully.
May spiritual wickednesses in high places, be no
longer Hen in Ireland: May pride, bigotry, and avar