The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1778-06-06 00:00:00, page 2

From the (London) General Advertiser, Feb. 6.
IT is evident that the present Ministers are
intitled to public favour, by novirtues, abi
lities, prudence, ceconomy, or success. It is
no less evident, that-their want of success is
owing to their want of virtues and abilities. —
They have betrayed consummate ignorance,
" both of the country of America, and of the dis
position ofits inhabitants. They have confeffed
that ignorance, and their want of information.
They found this country great and flourifhing;
they plunged it in a civil war by choice ; they
neglected that war, till theAmericans had raised
armies, procured allies, provided arms, ammu
nition, and supplies of all forts; and they have
• made blunders in every plan they formed, and
in every operation they undertook. Defeat and
disgrace attended every measure. They have
exercised presumption and cruelty, never tem
per and moderation. They sent Commission
ers for peace, without powers; insisted on un
limited submission, and never departed from it,
till it was too late to obtain far more moderate
terms, for which they have since sued in vain.
They prorogued the Parliament, when all the
wisdom of the nation was wanting to retrieve
their blunders ; deceived Parliament at that
moment, by promising to propose peace; and
as soon as the Parliament rose, gave out new
commissions for railing troops, without confut
ing Parliament, as if they preferred illegal mea
sures to legal, and only talked of peace to cheat
the Parliament out of its power and right of
providing for war. They show no favour but
to out-lawed Jacobites; they have violated eve
ry promise they made in their master's name, to
America and Ireland ; have loft the former, and
endangered the latter, and have brought Great-
Britain to the eve of a war with France, after
tamely submitting, for three years, to every in
dignity from the last, which they were in a
much better condition to resent three years ago.
Their cruelties have provoked the Emperor and
Princes of Germany to forbid their transporting
more mercenaries to America ; and they are
begging private fubferiptions for railing troops,
which betrays to all Europe the impoverished
Rate to which they have reduced the finances of
this country.
The advocates of the Administration are de
fied to answer these assertions ; and are called
upon to quote a set of Ministers, who ever loft
such vast dominions for their master, by a series
of such gross mismanagement.
History will relate these crimes and blunders
with indignation, and the patience of an abused
nation with aftoniihment. The present reign
is the most unfortunate in our annals. It be
gan with the fhameful peace of Paris, which
gave up the glories and most advantageous con
quests of the late triumphant war; and it will
be lucky, if even an ignominious peace with
America, can recover some of the advantages
I we enjoyed by possessing it.
PLAINT TRUTH.
L O N D O N, January 6.
An old correspondent fays, notwithstanding
our Ministers aftea to bluster and talk big about
a French war, and would oflenfibly seem to
bully the French in memorials, putting more
(hips in commiflion, &c. it is a fadt, that they
are fecretlf ^iploring the forbearance of France.
As loon as it was known in France, that Lord
Suffolk, in his strange high-toned Ryle, had
made use of some contemptuous expressions of
the French, the whole French court took fire.
Rage and indignation universally appeared.—
Will Lord Suffolk be graciously pleased to fa
vour the public with the copy of a certain letter
written to him upon this occasion, by a Count
and Marshal of France? Lord North was alarm
ed by this new and resenting appearance of the
French Court. His Lordship laid aside his usu
al indolence, and became wonderfully alert arid
assiduous. Among many steps, which he took
to quench or smother the fire, that was on the
point of buifting out, did he not write a lon°-
letter to a private friend at Paris, declaring,
that Lord Suffolk did not make use of the ex
pressions attributed to him ; on the contrary,
that his Lordfllip and himfelf entertain the hiph
eft refped and esteem for the whole French na
tion ; but that Lord Chatham had spoken
strongly against the French, and enlarged upon
the fubje&s ? And did not Lord North fay
further, in this letter, that notwithstanding the
misfortunes of General Burgoyne, there would
not be any change in the British Ministry; that
they had determined to adhere firmly to each
other ; and it was amongst them unanimously
resolved, to profeGute the American war? Such
a letter was shewn to Count Maurepas, as no
doubt the writer intended it Should. Count
Maurepas read it to the King of France. The
effect was dire&ly contrary to the writer's in
tention. The meanest and miserable fears of
the writer were too plain not to be difeovered.
This has increased, and confirmed, ail the for
mer contempt the French had of him.
Feb. 11. His Majesty has Ren Lord Cornwallis
but once since his return from America, and. was
then very cool to him. It is laid and credited, that
his Lordfllip has expressed General Howe's wiffie s
to come home if Lord George Germaine is to con
tinue Secretary of State for America. It is Singular
that Lord George can neither give nor execute or
ders properly.
It is laughable enough, fays a correspondent, to
hear tha brazen faced effrontery of such men as
Nugent, Rigby, Jenkinfon, Harley, Ellis, and others,
who are most of them grown grey, as well as fat,
in fpunging upon the public, now boasting of their
unbiased sentiments in the House of Commons. They,
worthy good gentlemen, gratefully thank God, that
their circumstances are such, as that the, are quite
independent, and vote, not according to the fenri
merits of any man, or sett of men, or ministers, but
according to the clear sense of their immaculate
consciences ! —lt would not, indeed, be very fur
prizing, if, in a short time, we were to hear even
Wedderburn and Thurioe making a like declarati
on, and thanking God that their circumstances were
quite independent, although it is do well known
that feurvy Sawney, the pert, prim prater of the
Scottish race, with treachery in his heart, and fa
mine in his face, was, but the other day, fcaree
worth a single guinea. Lord Geo. Minden too
thanks God, in the House of Commons, that his
circumstances are io independent that he needs not
the emoluments of an office he was persuaded, much
against his will, to accept. Lord North and Grey
Cooper may also thank God that their circumflan
ccs are rather bettered by offices, which, however,
they excepted sorely against their inclinations. Jem
my Twitcher too, if he has minded his hits as well
as they lay he has, may begin to thank God that his
circumstances are become rather more independent
than they were in the last reign; of eourfe, Miss
Ray may put up an ejaculation or two for her easy
circumstances in an employment that she holds sore
ly against her inclination. Madam Swellingbourg
is alio very much at ease in her circumstances, for
which the gratefully thanks God. Governor Hutch
inson is also thankful. In short, it is a period for
the highly-favoured to manifeft their sense of gra
titude; and, it is to be hoped, the contractors, agents,l
and others, who, in consequence of the present glo-I
rious war, are become independent in circumstances,
will not be deficient in their acknowledgments, but
thank God for^what is past, and hope for what is to
come.
The Admirals Byron and Gambier are ordered for
immediate service, under Lord Howe, in America,
and two fillips of the line are getting ready for them
with all possible expedition.
February 17. The King of P # uflia hath lately re
newed his claim on Great Britain.
Lord George Germain appointed the Howes.
He is now removing them. He conducts the mea
sures of Government. Should the Minden Hero
voachfafe to command our armies in person, what
a flattering profpeA for further future successes to
this country in its present zenith of glory under his
honourable direction !
Lord Talbot, the other day, at Court, told the
King, that he verily believed the Opposition would
receive any v amongst them to make one. His
Lordfllip, to be sure, did not then recoiled that his
Majesty's chief adviser, nay ruler, in our present for
lorn fituatien with America, was taken, in a man
ner, out of the condemned hole, loaded with more
real infamy than any other person whatsoever a
mungft his Subjects.
BALTIMORE, May 26.
Extras of a letter from New Jersey, dated May 12.
bably hear of the miserable fixation we have been.in
at Bordentown. Mr. Borden's house, and all his
stores in and about the town, have been burnt by the
enemy as also Col. Kirkbride's dwelling-house, the
Ferry Tavern, and all the rest of his buildings are
utterly defrayed. The officer enquired for your
house, but on being told you had fold it, he ordered
his soldiers not to burn it. For my part, I escaped,
with my children, on the top of a baggage-waggon,
about half an hour before the enemy came in.—They
were all in fight, and I saw the two frigates at.
White-Hill, in a blaze before I set off. We had no'
alarm at Bordentown, till they had passed Burling
ton. They declared their intention was to have got
up in the night, and bayonet the inhabitants in their
beds; but the wind, not favouring their design, pre
vented. —Our Militia turned out heely from every
part.—Could we have had the alarm sooner, some
thing clever would probably have been done, but we
are always too late. The enemy bayoneted and tab
bed two of the inhabitants, who are since dead, and
committed many other ads of cruelty during their
short stay. Some they have plundered of every thing,
leaving them entirely ruined. Several houses in the
town took fire, but no person dare stir to put them
out till the wretches had got below the hill, and then
the women exerted themselves in extinguishing the
flames. But a guard was put round Mr. Borden's
house whi it it was burning, until they saw the roof
fail in. The Captain of the party, and federal of the
officers informed, that Miss Polly Riche, (daughter
of Mr. Thomas Riche, who lives opposite to Bor
dentown) made them promise to burn Col. Kirkbride's
house, before they returned from the expedition.
She has been some time in the city with the enemy.
My heart hath been wrung with misery and anguilh,
but it was a great comfort to roe that you were cut
out of the way, and in a place of fafety; and that
you could not know our fufferings till they were all
over, at Last for the present. They may, perhaps,
make another attempt, as they threatned to burn
Trenton; but the Militia collected so faft, that they
were obliged to retire.—They are more like Devils
than Mem."
The Indians, we are told, have murdered eleven
women and children, last week, within five miles of
Bedford. Congress wdl pursue them to Detroit and
put it out of their power to do much more mifchief.
Ignorant lavages as they are, they merit Severe cor
rection.
Secret Intelligence transmitted t, America, a Corref
Mnient fays, by one of the Clerks in the Secretary
of State's Office, in London,
LORD NORTH depending entirely on the
success of the campaign 1777, was extremely
mortified to find all his (anguine expectations, and
the fruits of his labour, rewarded with the capture
of Philadelphia only. This he was very sensible,
was far wide of the object he aimed at, and would
by no meaus answer the large assurances he had
given the King and people. All he could hope for
in such a Situation was, to fall on a method by which
he might fare in some degree, the honor of the
nation, and his person from the resentment of the
disappointed multitude. For this purpose he wrote
in January, 1778. to Monsieur Girard at the court
of France, 'earneftly soliciting him to exert his in
fluence with the King to acknowledge the indepen
dence of America—lo which Monsieur Girard
replied—" that his royal master would, as he hath
always done, regulate himfelf by the principles of
juftiee and true policy—That whatever advantages
the court of Great-Britain, or bis Lordship, might
derive from this conduct of the court of France, he
was sure the King would not alter his fyflem, merely
for the purpose of disappointing his Lordflhip—That
it was more than probable the independency of
America would be acknowledged ; and he had no
objection to his Lordihip's tiling such an event, Ihould
it happen, as a screen for his own conduct, or an
excuse for not prosecuting the war with fuc
cels but that these were objects of no importance
L to him or the grand monarch."
lOn the declaration of the court of France soon
after, and her entering into an alliance with the
Congress, Lord North, and his adherents, took
great pains to inculcate, amongst the people, an idea
that the conquest of America was a certain event -
that the measures taken by Administration would
have insured success, and that every circumstance
tended to a happy conclusion of the war, had not
the perfidious French openly espoused the cause of
rebellion.
B O S T O N, May 21.
Last Saturday arrived here the brigantine Hazard,
Capt. Sanipfon, from Martinico; on his passage thi
ther, he took a schooner and two brigs, one of which
we hear arrived there, the others were retaken. On
his return he took a brig from France, bound dired
by to Lord Howe, laden with wine, brandy, &c.
which he parted with about twenty days ago; also a
ship from Bristol bound to New Ydrk, ladeq, with
salt, cordage, glass, nails, &c. which arrived fafe
in port last Sunday.
Since our last arrived in port a prize ship letter of
marque of 20 guns from Bristol, bound to the Weft-
Indies, with a valuable cargo; she, in company with