The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-05-11 00:00:00, page 2

From RIVtNGTON's ROYAL GAZETTE.
N EW- Y 0 R K, May I.
•n Thursday arrived the Grantham Packet, Cast. Bull,
<wbo left Falmouth on the §th of March, by whom ace
have thejollo^ing particulars :
LONDO N.
HOUSE or COMMONS, February 17.
SIR William'Howe rose, and in a short speech descanted
on the injustice which had been done him, both in that
House and without doors, hy the prejudicial opinions en
tertained receding his condaft while Commander in Chief
in America ; opinions soever contradicted, and possibly
encouraged, by those who aloqe had it in their power to
speak from authority on the fubjeft. He in particular
pointed out two assertions which bad been made in Parlia
ment, and which amounted to a charge again ft him and
his brother, of not,having put an end to the American war
when it was in their power; the one wasa declaration by
an Hon. gentleman lately returned from America, that
“ the means were equal to the obied," had the war been
properly conduced ; the other, by the fame gentleman,
“ that the southern expedition, the entering Pennsylvania,
and the marching to Philadelphia, was the cause of every
ill confluence which ensued. Nothing could disprove
these assertions but the letters which had puffed between
him and the Secretary of State for the American depart
ment — He was in hopes therefore that the Hon. gentleman
to whom he alluded, would h4ve set on foot an, enquiry,
which had so frequently been talked of, and which he and
his brother had anxiously waited for ; as however no per
son had thought proper to move for the papers in queftiorr,
he was at length reduced to th^ disagreeable necessity of N
moving for theittt himfelf, and he trusted no gentlemah
would objed, as it would from these papers appear to
whom censure was due, if any were due; and either he
and his brother would stand acquitted or condemned, ac
cording as the fads should come out to beagainft them or
in their favour. He then read his motion as follows :
That an humble address be presented to his Majefly,
that he will be graciously pleased to give directions that
there belaid before the House copies or extracts of all let
ters of correspondence that have been received by the Se
cretary of State for the American department,from Sir Wil
liam Howe, from the 4th of August, 1775, to the 16th of
May, 1778.
Lord Howe rose to second his brother, and spoke fora
fort time in a fimilir manner. His Lordship concluded
with faying, that it was his determination to retire from
the service, and to have no connexion whatever with any
public person ; but that he wished nofto retire with dis
credit un!cfs it should be proved that he merited it.
Ministers had withheld that approbation of the conduct of
the General and himfelf from the public, which they had
both received ffom their most gracious Sovereign ; that
the enquiry which the papers moved for would neceffarjly
lead to, worild afford a proof, whether they were entitled
to the approbation they desired, or whether they must rest
contented, with the shame and obloquy, which a proof of
their not having done their duty would necessarily involve
them in.
Governor Jbhnftone rose in order to answer what had
fallen from the honorable General in his speech introduct
ory to his motion, relative to what he had in a former de
bate said upon the subj.& of the American was. The Go
vernor again declared that he was still of opinion that the
for e sent to America was adequate to the object, and that
the southern expedition was the immediate cause of the
capture of the army under General Burgoyne, arid all the
fubfeqcrret ill success ; but that he meant not to charge
the gallant General, or his ngble brother, as the cause of
these mifehiefs No man refpe&ed both of them more than
hedid: no'man wished more heartily that they would
come off with honor from any enquiry that could be set
on foot refpeaing their conduct ; he did not take upon
him to fay who was to blame, he only thought an enquiry
highly necessary ; it might appear that the southern expe
dition was planned at home ; that the troops were so sent
out, that their arrival in America was such as to render
them ineffectual, and that the whole conduct of the war
was in the hahds of the King's servants, and that they a
lone were answerable. With regard to the southern expe
dition, he knew perfectly well it was the opinion of all
ranks of people in the country (of America) ^hab it was
an unwise and ruinous measure. He did not trust solely
to his own judgment refpefting it; that was too little to
rest upon, and too poor a ground to juftify the House in
crediting his assertions : He had taken the opinion of a
great variety of sensible arid impartial persons on the fub
jeft ; all men of intelligence and reputation, many of them
military men, who one and all agreed, that ^expedition
to Pennsylvania was highly mpolitic. For that reason he
Hill retained his opinion, that the force which had been
sent out by this country was equal to its object ; but yet
he was not so obstinate as to fay, that he would not change
his opinion, if the papers moved for proved that he was
wrong in so thinking. - .
The Governor said further, that the loss of America, and
the various ill successes of the American war, highly de
manded an enquiry ; that every member of the British Par
liament who had a grain of spirit, or of love for his coun
try, must with for such an enquiry. That he didmoft ar
dently, but at the fame time he wished it might be a fair,
candid and impartial enquiry, without refp#a to persons,
and that the praise or cenfare, which in the result of the
enquiry might appear due, might be distributed with ri
gid justice. Before he fat down, he begged the gallant
General and the noble Lord not to regard him in the odi
ous light of an accuser, but as a member of the British
Parliament, delivering his fentimeMs upon an object of
the firft importance, w^h the freedom that should ever
characterize the members of that House.
Lord tHowe, aftecco nplimenting the Governor bn what
he had fa} d refpe&ng the General and himfelf/ declared
that he hac { underload that he had designed to have mo
ved amenqu ir b andas he probably would take the lead
on the prefer ' occasion, hehoped he would bring forward
the gentleman , °n whole judgement in support of his own
opinion he anain. Gained his afferfiep, "that the foutnern ex
pedition was rut n °uS ^ h d impolitic,.".'> n order that the
House might kno% *what degree ? f aythort) a " d
^ ir ^ ent cai ^ in "' His Lordihip a^. %
in plan oing the eliterprge, and affu^G 3
^ ha f ifthefoL ' thern expiate did not appear to bj
well founded, of infinite utility fo{ progress of the war,
V" exgeedtyg advaq t^om to ^ q^Ug fervi§e ? he
would he contended.fo retire, covered with fame, when
the enquiry was over.
Governor Johnftone replied, and declared th^t he never
intended to have stirred she question, if the Hope Gene
ral, or some other person, had not moved it, but that he
had before promised the noble Lord, tnat he would second
it whenever it was moved, which he had now done.
General Burgoyne rose, and expressed a with that the
enquiry might be general, and might take in the whole of
the American war, including his expedition and the sur
render of hjs army at Saratoga.
The question being read was agreed to unanimously.
Admiral Sir Hugh Pallifer lies daageroufiy ill ofa vio
lent fever, at his country-feat.
Extracts from Lord North's Speech on opening the
Budget.
HOUSE of COMMO,N S.
>Monda y, March i.'
Lord North frofe, and addressing himfelf to the Com
mittee for railing the sum of seven millions for the service
of the current year, on terms which had been reported to
the House and accepted; ittherefo/e, be said, was now
his duty to lay before the Committee propositions for rais
ing the annuity to be paid to the lenders for the loan of the
said seven millions. But before he produced these propo
sitions, he took occasion to mention the diffi ulties arising
in his flation to provide such taxes as would be productive,
and yet neither oppressive or partial. He entered into a
diftinCion between laying new taxes, and making acidify
ons to old ones. With regard to the firft, his Lordship
said, that no Minister could possibly forefee what any
new tax would produce ; as it was new ground he trod
upon, it was impossible to prevent,many unforefeeri embar
rassments, evasions and impartialities, which might ren
der them deficient, fe as to baffle all his calculations : A
Chancellor of the Exchequer in this case could only pro
pose such taxes as he thought would answer the object
proposed, without being burthenfeme to the fubjeft ; but
lie could not ,be answerable es their falling short of the
amount estimated, for no exact calculations can be formed
of new taxes.
But after having proved them to be deficient, it cer
tainly behoved him to try some other expedient, and nd
better could be devised than to lay an additional duty on
articles already taxed; the produce of which being afc'r
tained for years back, accurate calculations can be inide
of the produce of any augmentation.
His Lordship explained the reasons why the two taxes of
Uft year on servants and houses had proved deficient in no
less a fam thah 20,0,0ra1, he said it was owing mistakes
in the mo Ie of appointing the collection, and to prejudices
and partialities. To these and other circamflances he
ascribed their failure, and added, that the public had been
cheated by the fhkmeful evasions of the ads con flituting
these taxes ; that they were not therefore so be given up.
He would not have Gentlemen think he meant to\Shelter
his deficiencies by applying ' to the finking fund to make
them good. At prefect they appeared indeed as deficien
cies; ! *t on a future day hehoped to bring in bills to re
medy the errors in thea6ts, and to put them upon such a
footing that both these taxes will produce more than they
were taken for.
From this digression his Lordthip returned to the bufi
nefe of the day. ,
The sum wanting te pay the three per cent, annuity,
and the additional terminable annuity for twenty-pine
years, is 47215001. In orfoto raise this, his firft propo
sition was an additional five per cent, on the produce of
all cuftomsand excises; and.he declared this to be a cer
tain productive tax on which he could depend for the :
, amount he intended to take if, but alfoa very light tax,
- and advantageous to the state, as it would require no new
officers, but would be added by the officers in the respec
tive departments of the customs and excise, with one dash
of a pen to the foot of an account made out to merchants
or dealers for the duties or excises they were before liable
to on every commodity.'
kis Lordihip friewed on what articles it would fall
heaviest, viz. oh wines, on sugars, on British made lovt
wines and spirits; on beer, soap, candles, and hides for
shoes ; but,as any further excises on the common drink of
the labouring people, or on soap, caridtes and hides,
would alarm the common people and the manufacturers
though without reason ; for it would not make above the
tenth part of a farthing on a pot of porter, nor a farthing
in the pound 00 candles, soap or leather; yet as the brew
ers had once before taken the advantage, and laid a half
penny, when government did not impafe a farthing, he
Should propose another tax to fapply the deficiency.
His Lorkhip then gaveadetail of the produce df the
cuQomsand excises Separately for three years back, and
stated the average produce of each. The ,customs at
2,590,0001. or thereabouts-; the excjfes at 5,500,000!. or
thereabouts, annually. And he made the net produce of
his new tax of fiveper cent, t® produce 315,000!. allow
ing the b6ar, candles, soap and leather to be taxed ; but if
these were to be excepted, it would make a deficiency of
3% oocl
His second proposition was gd. on every horse for every
stage to all persons travelling post in post chaises, to be
paid by the traveller; and a halfpenny per mile, on all
diligences in, and a halfpenny out, that is to fay for their
journey and return, to be paid by the owners.
The above lax be said being a new one, he would not
pretend to warrant its produce, but from the best inform
ation he cowld,obtain of the number es chaises and horses
let out for hire, exclusive of London and Middlesex, he
had reason to conclude that it would produce 164, bosh
which added to the „4,c501. the amount of the five per
cent. would,make the sum to,tal 478,000!. by which there
would be a surplus above the payments to the annuitants.
However, if the Committee should agree to except the
beer, candles, &c. there would be a deficiency of 32,0001.
which he proposed to fapply, by taking away the privilege
of franks, only allowing the letters to members ,a short
tim^ before, during, and a fliort time after the session, to
be freed, or if it was thought more eligible, he mould pro
pose a bill to repeal the prohibition of cambrics, and to al
low the importation of that article, subject to the former
duties, which produced 35,0001. and to the new duty,
These are the out-lines of the remainder of the. Budget.
What his Lordmip said further, by way of explanation,
we mail give in concise terras : —
No one he believed would think an addition of Forty
Stillings ou a tun es Oporto wine any hardship, after the
vintners had so far imposed on the public as to raise a brit
tle from is. to is, 6d. because government had laid one
penny per bottle, by their tax last year. ®u coals, the
new duty wriuld be about ^d. per chaldron, which he
thought very light. On sugars, it would not make a
farthing a pound, and could not give any colour for the
importer to raifethe price on the consumer.
As to the tax on travelling pot, it would affect only
these who could well afford that convehiency, which was
greater in England than elfefchera; it was the luxury of
travelling. His Lorkhip computed that there are 4200
post chaises kept for hire op the roads, exclusive of Lon
don and Middtefex; and 16,000 horses who perform two
Rages a day, one day with another. With refpea to re
sources, he declared, we are not yet near the end of our
tether..
Mr. Pulteney Fpoke very lon%, notin dire& reply nor
oppofitiou, but to make propositions of his owu, affecting,
-it would be better for every man to make a declaration of
hisproperty upow oath. and to pay 25 Killings fox ;every
lock .than to adopt the ruinous method of loans, and such
taxes to pay the interest. He quoted his own pamphlet,
and. mith bn the wealth of nations, whom he 'extolled
above all the writers of the present age.
Mr Burke could not by any means allow ofMr. Pulte-•
ney's reasoning. He made 119 material objections to the
tax%; but thought travellers mould pay so much per
mile. Upon thus hint, Lord North made an alteration in
his motion rdpeflipg this fax. It now sands at one pen-,
ny per mile, for every pair of horses travelling post in a
chaises and ^ inn keepers and others to have licences for
letting horses, and to pay five Killings a year for such li
cences. They are to have stamps for every stage printed,
fr m the Stamp-Office, expr,effing the number of miles,
and the money collected; they are to give them to tra
vellers, who are to deliver them at the turnpike gates, as
a voucher of having paid the money."
Lord North arose and put lbs proportions, excepting
porter, candles, friap and leather, from the general tax,
which were federally agreed to without a division.
Further particulars from Lord North's Speech. ,
He,faid, that though'th^ war mould be continued,, we
Should still have the means of carrying it on with vigour,
and be enabled to procure «s much as we might leant. If
the terms of theloan were hard, owr credit was good, and
in high reputation ; and though it might not be thought
necessary or proper in the future profechtion of it to conti
nue borrowing and Ending, means might be devised for
taifing the necessary supplies within th^ year. Such a plan,
he was fatisfied, would too.productive of mdny benefits,
nay, singular advantages, ft would tend to raise the value
of the funds already in being;, it wiuld rouse the people
at large te the most vigorous exertions; it would folly re
store public credit. He did riot pretend to determine ex
a&ly, whether such a plan was, or was not, practicable.
He thought there was nothing very difficult in it, if there
was a full confid,nc€ in government, accompanied with an
approbation cf their measures. lie allowed, if confidence
®as wanting; if a diversity of opinions prevailed in that
House, and among the people at large, that such a dispo
sition would tend to throw Almost insurmountable difficul
ties in the way. gut tig hoped that would hot be the case;
he hoped that the nation in general retained a proper sense
of their own injuries, and of tee perfidious condud of
France; and that as America was the original cause ofali .
our calamities, the people fee '@ necessity of prosecuting
the war to an issue; and that, considering France, and
America as one enemy, ah union would take place, fuffi
cient to inspire us with the most vigorous and fuccefsful
exertions.
He said that he k^ew further, that Mr. Netikar did
not approve of the present war, because of the real state of
the finances; and so far from their credit being high in
other countries, they could not procure a loan in Holland
an the terms proposed by them, but were obliged to go
without it. A great deal had been said of their turning
their whole attention to their marine, rind ne, keying their
military establishments. it might be true, but he cauld
hardly believe it. Their filiation Was Rich as required a
very great military force; the genins and inclination of
the nation led that way; and he never could be persuaded,
until the event proved it, that France meant to rival us as
a maritime power. Such an attempt would be unnatural,
when the gehius of the people was considered ; it would be
impracticable, when her fixation and view 6 on the conti
nent were taken into the account.
His Lord&ip fat down, after being up two hours and
forty minutes.
March 3. It is now asserted, that a Great Personage, $
inßead of inviting Admiral Keppel to a conference, was
applied to by the latter to be admitted into his presence.
The request was granted, when the Admiral figzified to
his.Majefty, that he was ready to offer his service to his
country, but that, at the fame time, he must insist on a
change of men at the Admiralty Board. His Majesty re
plied, that he could not think of turning off old servants,
without some manifeft rnifiondu&, especially when they
were such servants as had approved themfelvas qualified
for their department; and that he was,therefore sorry he
could not accept of ths Admiral's proffered services on
such terms. Upon this, it is said, the Admiral delivered
a p^per to his Majesty; but, not with standing what has
been said to the contrary, we do not know exactly what
time he was pleased to give his Sovereign to confider of a
surrender.
General Clinton har sent to the Secretary of War a let
ter he has received from General Washington, desiring
the return of General Burgoyne, and every other officer
above the rank of Captain, that has been_releafed without
exchange; and it is said that a copy of General Washing
ton's letter has been inclofed to every officer in England
that is 09 his parole.
Last Friday ev^ningan express arrived ^t Lord Suffolk's
from Sir R. M. Keith, his Majefly's Ambassador at the
Court of Vienna, with di(patcnes, dated Feb. 15, and
containing the important news, that the differences be
tween Austria and Prussia were at last happily fettled and
concluded, according to the proposal of his Prussian Ma
jesty, and that the treaty of peace would be formally sign.
cd in a few days.
The particulars of this happy event are thus shortly
stated: “ That in cpnfequence of the mediation underta
ken by the Courts of Peterfburgh and Versailles, his Ma
jesty the King of Prussia had declared his ultimate qnd
invariable resolution not to listen to any proposal of peace,
until the Court of Vienna, shall consent to reftere the elec-