Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1774-02-21 00:00:00, page 2

Account of FLAX-SEED exported from the
ports of New-York and Philadelphia, to Ireland,
of the growth of the year 1772. viz.
To Newry, from Hhds.
New-York,- - - 7120
Philadelphia, - - 4016
To Londonderry, from
New-York - 1 2575
Philadelphia, - - 5168
To Dublin, from
New-York, - -433°
Philadelphia, - * 878
To Be!fafl and Larne, from
New-York, . . . 13^0
Philadelphia, - - 624
- 1974
To Cork, from
New-York, - - • §OO
Philadelphia, . . . 116
. 616
To Colerain, from
New-York, - - - 800
To Galway, from
New-York, - - - 02
Philadelphia, ^ - 534
To Kil/ibegf, from
Philadelphia, - - - 6co
To Drougheia, from
Philadelphia, ... §B7
Total, 29710
Amount from New-York, 17187
From Philadelphia, 12 5 2 3
Particular Account of FL AX- SEED, exported
from New-Cork, of the growth of the year 1772.
To Newry, Hhds.
Ship Renown, Keith, 1170
Ship Needham, Chevers, 1 1 30
Ship Robert, Russell, 970
Brig William, Steen, 660
Brig Lovely-Peggy, Boyd, 550
Brig Hawk, Sawyer, . 500
. 4980
To Londonderry,
Ship Hannah, Long, 1200
Ship Hill, Marshall, 900
Ship Jupiter, Ewing, 912
To Dublin,
Sh. Peace& Plenty, M'Kenzie, 909
Ship Liberty, Malcolm, 800
Ship Hercules, Norwood, 600
Sh, Countess of Donnegail, Reid, 4.00
Brig Badger, Wilson, 995
• 3704
To Befifl and Larne,
Brig Peggy, Marsh, 600
Su. James and Mary, Workman, 600
To Cork,
Sh. Counters ofDonnegall, Rcid, 68t
To Colerain,
Brig Mary-Anne, Breen, 770
To Sligo,
Brig Dianna, Gillis, 505
Total, 14852
The ceremonies of an Indian funeral particularly de
fcri'ed: General observations on the fubjeft : 4
charaAer found among the Indians to which the
Ancients paid great veneration : A specimen of
Indian cookery, with feverat incidents, 0/ K 1 N G
GrORGE's Island. From Lieutenant
COOK's voyage round the world, publijhed by
Dr. Hawkesworth.
ON the sth of June 1769, we kept his Ma
jesty's biith-day; for though it is the 4th,
we were unwilling to celebrate it during the absence
of the two parties who had been sent out to ob
serve the Transit. We had several of the Indian
Chiefs at our entertainment, who drank his Ma
jesty's health by the name of Kihiargo; which was
the nearest imitation they could produce of King
George.
About this time died an old woman of some rank,
who was related to Tomio, which gave us an op
portunity to fee how they disposed of the body, and
confirmed us in oar opinion that these people,
contrary to the present cuftorrt of all other nations
now known, never bury their dead. In the mid
dle of a small square, neatly railed in with bam
boo, the awning of a canoe was raised upon two
posts, and under this the body was deposited upon
such a frame as has before been described: it was
covered with fine cloth, and near it was placed
bread-fruit, fob, and other provisions: we sup
posed that the food was placed there for the spirit
of the deceased, and consequently, that these In
dians had f me confufed notion of a separate state;
but upm our applying for further information to
Tubourai la naide, he told us, that the food was
placed their as an offering to their gods. They
do not, however, suppose, that the gods eat, any
more than the Jews supposed that Jehovah could
dwellin a house: the offering is made here upon
th^fame principle as the 1 emple was built at Je
rusalem, as an expreflion of reference and grati
tude, and a felicitation of the more immediate
presence of the deity. In the front of the area was
a kind of ftilc, where the relations of the deceased
flood to pay the tribute of their sorrow; and un
der the awning were innumerable small pieces of
cloth, on which thetears and blood ofthe mourn
ers had been (hed; for in their paroxysms of grief
it is a universal custom to wound themselves with
the Shark's tooth. Within a few yards two oc
casional houses were set up, in one of which some
relations of the deceased constantly resided, and
in the other the chief mourner, who is always a
man, and who keeps there a very lingular dress in
hich a ceremony is performed that will be defcri
d in its turn. Near the place where the dead are
.has set up to rot, the bones are afterwards buried.
Account of FLAX- 0 E E D exported from the
ports of New Cork and Philadelphia, to Ireland,
of the growth of the year 1773, viz.
To Newry, from Hhds.
New-York, - - 4980
Philadelphia, - - 3300
To Londonderry, from
New-York, - - 3012
Philadelphia, - - 349°
To Dublin, from
New-York, - * 37°4
To Belfaf and Larne, from
New-York, - - - 1200
Philadelphia, - - 1150
To Cork, from
New-York, - 681
Philadelphia, - - 1250
3 1
To Co 'erain, from
New-York, ... 770
To Gatwav, from
Philadelphia, - - 57°
To Sligo and Killibegs, from
New-York, - - . 505
Philadelphia, - - 1550
• 2 °55
To Lette^kenny, from
Philadelphia, - - 850
Total, 27012
Amount from New-York, 14852
From Philadelphia, 12160
Particular account of F L 4 X-S E E D exported
from Philadelphia, of thegrowth of theyear 1773.
To Newry Hhdf.
• Ship Hope, M'Clanachan, 950
Ship Minerva, Lindsay, 950
Ship Jupiter, Brown, 750
Ship Betsey, Kyle, 650
• 33°°
To Londonderry,
Ship Alexander, Hunter, 1050
Ship Mary, George, 850
Ship Role, Currie, 600
Shp George, Pinkerton, 620
Brig Nancy, M'Caufland, 370
To Belfof,
Ship Prosperity, M'Culloch, 950
Brig Betsey, Russel, 200
To Cork,
Ship Jenny, M'llvaine, 600
Brig Bofcawen, Caldwell, 650
o Galway,
Snow Prince George, Campbell, 570
To Sligo and KiPibegs,
Ship Friendship, Jan, SOO
Ship Philadelphia, Winning, 750
To Letterkenny,
Snow Dickenfon, Johnston, 850
Total, 12160
What can have introduced among these people
the custom of exposing their dead above ground,
till the fle(h is consumed by putrefadion, and then,
burying the bones, it is perhaps impossible to guess;
but it is remarkable, that ALlian and Apollonius
Rhodius impute a similar practice to the anrient in
habitants of Colchis, a country near Pontus in Asia,
now called Mingreia ; except that among them this
manner of disposing of the dead did not extend to
both sexes : the women they buried ; but the men
they wrapped in a hide, and hung up in the air
by a chain. This practice among the Colchians
is referred to a religious eaufe. The principal
objects of their worship were the Earth and the
Air ; and it is supposed that, in consequence of
some superstitious notion, they devoted their dead
to both. Whether the natives of Otaheite had
any notion of the fame kind we were'never able
certainly to determine; but we soon discovered,
that the repositories of their dead were allo places
of worship. Upon this occasion it may be observed,
that nothing can be more absurd than the notion
that the happiness or misery of a future life de
pends, in any degree, upon the disposition of the
body when the state of probation is past; yet that
nothing is more general than a solicitude about it.
However cheap we may hold any funeral rites
which custom has not familiarized, or superstition
rendered sacred, most men gravely deliberate how
to prevent their body from being broken by the
mattock and devoured by the worm, when it is no
longer capable of fen fation; and purchase a place
for it in holy ground, when they believe the lot of
its future exigence to be irrevocably determined.
So strong is the association of pleating or painful
ideas with certain opinions and a&ions which af
fed us while we live, that we involuntarily aft as
if it was equally certain that they would affect us
in the fame manner when we are dead, though this
is an opinion that nobody will maintain. Thus it
happens, that the desire of preserving from re
proach even the name that we leave behind us, or
of procuring it honour, is one of the most power
ful principles of a^ion, among the inhabitants of
the most speculative and enlightened nations.
Posthumous reputation, upon every principle, must
be acknowledged to have no influence upon the
dead; yet the defife of obtaining and securing it, no
force of reason, no habits of thinking can subdue,
except in those whom habitual baseness and guilt
hare rendered indifferent to honour and shame
while they lived. This indeed seems to be among
the happy imperfections of our nature, upon which
the general good of society in a certain measure
depends ; for as some crimes are supposed to be
prevented by hanging the body of the criminal in
chains after he is dead, to in consequence of the
fame association of ideas, much good is procured
to society, and much evil prevented; by a desire of
preventing disgrace or procuring honour to a name,
when hothing but a name remains.
Perhaps no better use can be made of reading
an account of manners altogether new, by which
the follies and absurdities of mankind are taken
out of that particular connection in which habit
has reconciled them td us, than to confider in how
mahyinftanecs they are essentially the fame. When
an honest devotee of the Church of Rome reads,
that there are Indians on the banks ofthe Ganges,
who believe that they shall secure the happiness of
a future state by dying with a cow's tail in their
hands, he laughs at their folly and superstition;
and if these Indians wete to betold, that there are
people upon the continent of Europe, who imagine
that they shall derive the fame advantage from
dying with the flipper of a St. Francis upon their
foot, they would laugh in their turri. But if,
when the Indian heard the account ofthe Catholic,
and the Catholic that of the Indian, each was to
reflet, that there was no difference between the
absurdity of the flipper and of the tail; but that
the veil of prejudice and custom, which covered it
in their own case, was withdrawn in the other,
they would turn their knowledge to a profitable
purpose.
Having observed that bread-fruit had for some
days been brought in less quantities than usual,
we enquired the reason; and were told, that there
being a great show of fruit upon the trees, they
had been thinned all at once, in order to make a
kind of four paste, which the natives call Mahie,
and which, in consequence of having undergone
a fermentation, will keep a considerable time,
and supply them with food when no ripe fruit is to
be had.
On the loth, the ceremony was to be perform
ed, in honour ofthe old woman whose sepulchral
tabernacle has just been described, by the chief
mourner; and Mr. Banks had so great a curiosity
to fee all the mysteries of the solemnity, that he
determined to take a part in it, being told, that
he could be present upon no other condition. In
the evening, therefore, he repaired to the place
where the body lay, and was received by the
daughter of the deceased, and several other per
sons, among whom was a boy about fourteen years
old, who were to assist in the ceremony. Tubou
rai Tamaide was to be the principal mourner; and
his dress was extremely fantafßcal, though not
unbecoming. Mr. Banks was Gripped of his Eu
ropean clothes, and a small piece of cloth bei^g
tied round his middle, his body was smeared with
charcoal and water, as low as the shoulders, till it
was as black as that of a negroe : the fame ope
ration was performed upon several others, among
whom were some women, who were reduced to a
state as near to nakedness as himfelf; the boy was
blacked ail over, and then the proceflion set for
ward. Tubourai Tamaide uttered something,
which was supposed to be a prayer, near the body;
and did the fame when he came up to his own
house: when this was done, the procession was
continued towards the fort, permission having been
obtained to approach it upon this occasion. It is
the custom of the Indians to fly from these pro
cessions with the utmost precipitation, so that as
soon as those who were about the fort, saw it at a
distance, they hid themselves in the woods. It
proceeded from the fort along the shore, and put
to flight another body of Indians, confining of
more than an hundred, every one hiding himfelf
under the firft shelter that he could find: it then
crossed the river, and entered the woods, palling
several houses, all which were deserted, and not
a single Indian could be seen during the rest of the
procession, which continued more than half an
hour. The office that Mr. Banks performed, was
called that of the Nineveh, of which there were
two besides himfelf; and the natives having all
disappeared, they came to the chief mourner, and
said imatata, there are no people, after which the
company was difmifTed to wash themselves in the
river, and put on their customary apparel.
On the 12th, complaint being made to me, by
some of the natives, that two of the seamen had
taken from them several bows and arrows, and
some firings of plaited hair, I examined the mat
ter, and finding the charge well supported, I pu
nilhed each of the criminals with two dozen laflies.
Their bows and arrows have not been mentioned
before, nor were they often brought down to the
fort: This day, however, Tubourai Tamaide
brought down his, in consequence of a challenge
which he had received from Mr. Gore. The
Chief supposed it was to try who could fend the
arrow fartheft; Mr. Gore, who best could hit a
mark: and as Mr Gore did not value himfelf upon
Footing to a great distance, nor the Chief upon
hitting a mark, there was notrial of skill between
them. Tubourai Tamaide, however, to shew us
what he could do, drew his bow, and sent an ar
row, none of which are feathered, two hundred
and seventy-sour yards, which is something more
than a seventh, and something less than a sixth
part ofa mile. Their manner of (hooting is some
what fingulat; they kneel down, and the moment
the arrow is difeharged, drop the bow.
Mr. Banks, in his morning walk this day, met
a number of the natives whom, upon enquiry, he
found to be travelling musicians; and having learnt
whete they Were to be at night, we all repaired
to the place. The band consisted of two flutes
and three drums, and we found a great number
of people assembled Upon the occasion. The drum
mers accompanied the mufick with their voices,
and, to oUp great furprize, We discovered that we
were generally the fulled of the fbeg. We did
not expert to have found among the uncivilized in
habitants of this sequestered foot, a charader,
which has been the fabjed of such praise and ve
neration where genius and knowledge have been
most confpictious; yet these were the bards or
minstrels of Otalieite. Their song was unpre
meditated, and accompanied with rriufic; they
were continually goingabout from place to place,
and they were rewarded by the matter of the house,
and the audience, with such things as one wanted
and the other could fpare<
An accident about this time was, notwithftand.
ing all our caution, very near embroiling us with
the Indians. I lent the boat on shore with an of
ficer to get ballast for the flrip, and not immedi--
ately finding stones convenient for the purpose, he
began to pull down some part of an inclofure
where they deposited the bones of their dead: this
the Indians violently opposed, and a messenger
came down to the tents to acquaint the officers
that they would not fuffer it. Mr. Banks imme
diately repaired to the place; and an amicable end
was soon put to the dispute, by fending the boat's
crew to the river, where stones enough were to be
gathered without a possibility of giving offence.
It is very remarkable, that these Indians appeared
to be much niofre jealous of what was done to the
dead than the living. This was the onlymeafure
in Which they ventured to oppose ps, and the on
ly insult that was offered to any individual among
us was upon afimilar occasion. Mr. Monkhoufe
happening one day to pull a flower from a tree
which grew in one of their sepulchral inclofures,
an Indian, whose jealoufv had probably been up
on the watch, came suddenly behind him, and
struck him: Mr. Monkhoufe laid hold of him,
but he was inftantty refeued by two more, who
took hold of Mr. Monkhoufe's hair, and forced
him to quit his hold of their companion, and then
ran away without offering him any farther vio
lence.
On the 20th, Oberea presented us with a hog,
and several other things, among which was a dog.
We had lately learnt, that these animals were
efteemec iby the Indians as more delicate food
than their pork; and upon this occasion we deter
mined to try the experiment: The dog, which
was very fat, we Configped over to Tupia, who
undertook to perform the double office of butcher
and cook He killed him by holding his hands
clofc over his mouth and nose, an operation which
continued above a quarter of an hour. While
this was doing, a hole was made in the ground
about a foot deep, in which a fire was kindled,
and some small stones placed in layers alternately
with the wood to heat ? the dog was then singed,
by holding him over the fire, and, by scraping him
with a (hell, the hair taken of as clean as if ha
had been scalded in hot water: He was then cut
up with the fame instrument, and his entrails being
taken out, were sent to the Sea, where being care
fully washed, they were put into cocoa-nut (hells,
with what blood had come from the body: When
the hole was fufficiently heated, the fire was ta
ken out, and some of the stones, which were not
so hot as to difcolour any thing that they touched,
being placed at the bottom, were covered with
green leaves: The dog, with the entrails was
then placed upon the leaves, and other leaves
being laid upon them, the whole was covered with
the rest ofthe hot stones, and the mouth of the
hole close flopped with mould: in somewhat less
than four hours it was again opened, and the dog
was taken out excellently baked, and we all
agreed that he made a very good dilh. The dogs
which are here bred to be eaten, taste no animal
food, but are kept wholly upon bread-fruit, cocoa
nuts, yams, and other vegetables of the like kind:
All the flefh and fifh eaten by the inhabitants is
dressed in the fame way.
ofc s#ofeofoo& ofo*^cfcfocfo#^
BRIDGETOWN, ^Barbados) Jan. 14.
Extract of a letter from Antigua, Nov. 20. 1773;
" have at this time a most noble profpea
VV for a crop throughout this island, having
been blessed with frequent showers. lam sorry to
fay, we are very sickly all over the country, the
yellow fever reigns with violence, and people die
very faft."
St. GEORGE's, (Grenada) Jah. 1.
John Melvill, Esq; formerly of this island, and
now of Tobago, planter, has contrived a method
of making sugar-boilers to boil on iron furnaces
and frames, for which he has obtained his Ma
jelly's patent. The invention will, in all likeli
hood, be attended with great advantages, as the
furnaces are so contrived as to save a very consi
derable expence in mason work and fewel. The,
will last for many years, and if a boiler gives way
in tithe of crop, it can be replaced in an instant;
with another cast in the fame mould.
Orders are lately arrived from France, to carry
the edids against smuggling in the Weft-Indies
into the ftrifteft execution, which has been done
so effectually, that the Dutch at St Euftatia, art
deprived of the most valuable branch of their
commerce. At Guadaloupe every master of a
Merchantman is appointed a Custom House officer;
and as it is their interest to prevent illicit trade,
they are so vigilant that a smuggler dares not ap
pear on the coast. Were similar measures taken
here, we should not have so much reason to com
plain ofthe dullness of trade, and the scarcity of
money; as the immense quantities of prohibited
goods, especially dry goods, which are daily
poured into this island, and publickly hawked
about the country, cannot fail to drain us of our
Cash, as well as be very detrimental to the fair
trader, and to the manufactures of the Mother
Country.
CHARLESTOWN, (South-Carolina,) Dec. 24.
We have the pleasure of informing the public,
that the merchants of this town have formed them
selves intoa society by the name of the Char/eflowl
Chamber of Commerce : An institution which can
not fail of being highly advantageous to the inte
rests of the province. John Savage, Esq; is elid
ed President. Miles Brewton, Vice President,
David Deas, Esq; Treasurer, and Mr. John Hop
ton, Secretary, of the said society.
A Schooner named the Dove, from Africa,
with about one hundred Negroes on briard for Sr.
Auguftihe, was loft in the night of the 18th of
last month 6n the coast of East-Florida, about a
league to the foutb ward of Smyrna; the Master,
two mariners, and about eighty of the negroes
Were drowned, the others (warn affiore. The
fchboner went immediately to pieces.
We are informed from St. Augufline, that two
launches are immediately to be built by govern-