The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1781-03-24 00:00:00, page 1

Ordered, That te Bill for amending the Aft for
eftablifning admiralty iurifdidion, and the Supple
ment thereto, be printed for public consideration.
Extract from the minutes,
SAMUEL STERETT, clerk.
An A CT to amend' an Aft intitled "An Aft for re^
gulating and e ftabliffiing Admiralty Jurifdi&ion,"
and to am nd a Supplement to the said Aft, so far as
the said Aft and Supplement contravene the ninth
feftion of the articles of Confederation.
W^ , H EREAS it is provided by the ninth feftion
of the articles of confederation of the United
States of America, that thp said United States, in
Cougrefs assembled, shall have the foie and exclusive
right, and power of determining in what manner pri
zes taken by land or naval force, in the service of the
United States, shall be divid'd and appropriated:
And whereas the general authority Aven by the above
recited aft .and the Supplement thereto, to the marshal
of the court of admiralty of this ffat% to fen and dis.
pole of all prizes after condemnation, without except
ing such as are or shall be taken by the vessels of war
of the United Stats, contravenes the above recited
part of the said ninth fefEon of the said articles of
confederation, and may tend to obflruß the operati
on of such aft; as are or shall be made by Congress,
under the said authority referred to them as aforefaid.
For remedy whereof, be it enabled, and it is here
by enafted, by the Representatives of the Freemen of
tie Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assem
bly me, and by the Authority of the fame, That so
much of the above recited Aft of Assembly and'of the
Suppl ment thereto, as empowers the faid' marshal to
fell or dispose of any prize or prizes, taken or rap
tured by the vessels of war of the United' States, or
by the public vessels of any of them (other than of
this State,) be and the fame is hereby repealed and
declared void.
And be it further enabled by the authority afore
faid, That where it shall, in such manner as the law
directs, be made appear to the judge of the said court
of admiralty, That the cargo or cargoes of any veffel'
or vessels, or any part thereof, taken as prize or boo
iy o r war, by my ^rmed' vessel or vessels, in the fer.
vice of the said United States, or of any them, (ex
cept as before excepted,) is in a perishable condition,
the said judge shall, and he is hereby enjoined and
Required, (on security being given, as the law in
such ca:e direUs,) immediately to 'iffue his warrant,
directed to the marsh I of the said court, command
ing him forthwith to deliver such perishable cargo or
cargoes, or such part thereof, as shall in manner
aforefaid be found to be in a perishable condition, fo fr
the agent or agents of. the United States, or to the
agent or agents of such slate or gates, to which the'
armed vessel or vessels, making such capture or cap
tures, shall belong, to be by them fold or disposed of,
agreeable to the directions of the said United States,
or of the state or dates in whose service such armed
veflel or vessels shall be, as the case may require, any
law or usage heretofore to the contrary in any wife
notwith Banding.•
And be it further enabled by the authority afore
faid, That in all cases, immediately after condemna
tion in the said court of admiralty, of any vessel or
cargo as legal prize or booty of war, taken in man
ner aforefaid by any armed vessel or vessels in the ser
vice aforefaid, and where delivery thereof shall not
have been made in manner aforefaid, the judge of the
said court of admi alty shall and he is hereby enjoin
ed and required to iffae his warrant, directed in man
ner aforefaid to the marshal of tie said court, coot
manding him in like manner forthwith to deliver to
such Continental or state agent or agents, as the case
foa, require, all such vessel or vessels With their car
goes, to be by them fold or disposed of in manner
Aforefaid, any law or usage to the contrary notwith
standing.
And be it further enabled by the authority afore
faid, That where any prize or prizes shall be taken
by any continental or state vessel or vessels of war in
company, or jointly with ^y privateer or other arm
ed vessel or vessels, that in Inch case delivery shall be
made in manner aforefaid, either before or after con
damnation thereof, as the case may require, to the
agent or agents aforefaid, of such Share or parfthere
of, as the kid United States, or any of them, and all
perfous in their employ and interefled in the said cap
ture, shall be entitled to.
Provided nevertheless, That so much of this Afi as
relates to any one or m^rfa of the said United States
and not to all of them, shall not take effect, or be hi
force, unto such state or Rates fhsl enact a law or
laws, directing delivery,o- be made? in manner afere-
VOL. X. 1
STATE or PENNSYLVANIA.
In GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
Saturday, March 17th, 1781.
SAI URDAY,
GENERAL ADVERTISER.
Published every TUESDAY and SATURDAY.
IN every country there are three classes of people ;
the highest class, the middling, and the lowest.
In Britain, the firft cl^fs coffins of the court, the
nobility, and a part of the gentry; this whole tribe
are generally the greater villains in the nation.
With us, the firft class Consists of commercial pro
jeff^rs; those who make enormous gains of public
confidence; {peculators, riotous livers, and a kind of
loungers, who are to be found in every place but that
where their business calls them.—ln this class are to
be found a number of those men who are rid of old
faihioned prejudices.—Governor Johnftooe's friends
are chiefly of this fort —Benedit Arnold and his
companions in this city held, for a long time, the mod
unquestionable title to a high rank in this class. These
people are so complaisant to each other as to call them
selves the better sort of people: and the
greatest part of them having little else to do, they are
pretty fuccefsful in establishing the title.
The second class are a set of honest sober men, who
mind their business ; very little regarded at present,
excepting, as they are the prey of the firft and third
classes.
The third class are thieves, pick-pockets, low-cheats
and dirty-sots —These are not restrained by principle,
but only by the want of wealth and public trust, from
beingof the firft class. Every day, however, in these
happy times, furnifhes examples of these men emerging
from their obfeurity and rising, like scum from thelees,
into sudden consequence and splendor; they are then,
immediately, the better sort &f people. "A
fellow who could chqpt at cards, ora wretch that
could betray private confidence, needs only to be en
trusted with a few millions of Continental property to
become, instantly, one of the better sort of
people. —A highway-man, in some Situations, would
have (hone like a star of the firft magnitude; and one
of the better sort of people, who glories in
his debaucheries, and pretends, seriously, to ha
rangue upon the doUrine, of private vice being pub
lic benefits, I can't but think, that the highway man
deserved equal confidence from the public : But, alas,
Hr! All men have not the fame luck.
We are but a young country yet ; and therefore the
different classes a r e, at present, a little jumbled, some
of the middle class appear to be at top ; but this will
never hold ; we are ripening faft to maturity; and, I
think, in a Short time, none but the better sort
of people will have any power:
These refleaions arise not from the circumflances
of out own country alone; they are Supported by naa
ny examples. Among the inhabitants of Otaheite, in
the South seas, there was found a praAice of forming
themselves into large societies, where the women Were
all in common, and' the children put to death as soon
as&orn : any woman that refufed to kilfher infant was
b'anifhed the society. The historian assures us, that
this prance was confined to the better sort < f
people. The vulgar had no participation in their
pleasures or their honours. The OtaeFriTans had/
certainly, attained to an extreme d? gree of politeness;,
I think we are not yet in- a condition to rival them ;
but time works Wonders. Hour's,
WILBRAHAM.
To the CITIZENS of PENNSYLVANIA.
TO you'r configuration have your representatives
submitted a Bill, “ For the support of govern
ment, and admin^ration of jufiice." This they nave
published in the Rinfylvania Packet of Saturday tht
>oth, and in the Gazette of Messrs. Hall and Sellers,
of the 14th in ftant ; supposing you sre possessed of one
or the other of these prints, I shall proceed to lay be
fore you some ftriHures on the bill.
In the preamble the Hoofe assign sass reasons, arid
acknowledge proper principles on which to found such
aibill, and my only remark upon it shall be, that how -
ever-good the reasons and pertinent the principles
there set forth; the preamble is inconfiffent with the
body of the bill, as will be shewn by proceeding to
the enabling part.
The fe&ion immediately following the preamble di
real's, “ That the following annual salaries shall be
allowed to the several officers of slate herein after
mentioned, to commence on the day of and to
continue for the space of three years, and until the
fame shall be altered by the legislature, .to be paid to
them feyerally on their receipts, draughts, &c.
1 On this I would observe, that annual salaries fixed
at this time for three years to come, in m°ney flrange
ly connected with the old continental currency, by an
said, to the agent br agents of this slate for that pur
pose to be appointed, of such prize or prizes as th,all
be taken by any armed vessel or vessels, in the service
of this state.
To THE PRINTER.
O R, THE
THE 1
arbitrary and untrue exchange, is liable to certain
and unavoidable debasement and depreciation : where
the fault of this arbitrary valuation lies, 1 will not
fay : but it ihould be noted, that the Assembly, in
December lass, by assuming the price of hard money
to be as one for seventy five of the old paper, when in
sass and in truth it was one hundred, laid a difficulty
of the firfl magnitude in the way of future regulati
ons, which from and after the firft of February they
empowered the Council to make monthly. This was
manifeft, and observed at the time.
The course of the war had banished the continental
money from Georgia ' and South-Carolina. This, with
the lot's of credit, which followed, depreciated its va
lue in North-Carolina and Virginia, and it became ±
profitable remittance to Philadelphia, or, as the cant
phrase is, “an object of (peculation." This innun
dation of these depreciated bills upon us was heighten
ed^y absurd and fraudulent emissions of new paper
in some of the southern slates, which have had the
fate, ever following an extravagant overflow of mo
ney or of any thing else, that is to fay, a proportion
able fall in the value thereof- Some may think that
the epithets here beflowed on these southern emissions
are too harsh ; but after the experience the Americans
have had formerly, and still have, is there a man
among us, that doth not know, that the too great
quantity of circulating money will infallibly debase it,
and that no affociatibns, regulations or laws, can pre
vent the evil. Indeed the interference of power only
serves to precipitate it ; for if the regulation of mo
ney be built on the nature of things, it will Hand
without such guards, nor can the artifices es tories
or money changers be able to undermine it.
The hanging of this mill stone ofithe old continent
al about the neck of the slate money, emitted in April
last, on the firm basis of landed security, is still more
extraordinary. That the ad of the present assembly,
which provided funds for finking the new CoDgrefs
bills, amounting to one million two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars in fix years ftiould make no provifioa
against depreciation, but fuffer the taxes to depreci
ate with the money, and yet prove nominally fuffici
eut, is not to be wondered at ; for thus they n ay hope
to make the depreciation prove a tax on the monied
property of the citizen to the eafemedt of the landed
interest ; (the' the late mutiny of the troops, and bill
for making the depreciation, would on the least reflex
ion fllew the folly of such financeering,) but why in
volve the Rate money, which is to be redeemed by the
sale of land, with gold and silver, in this ruin ? If de
preciation must proceed, why ffiould we not confine
its operation to the hopeless old paper ? Why' involve
our new money with it? And thus, again encounter
all the evils of a broken and wavetin± measure of pro
perty ? Much farther in this blundering career we
cannot go. By governing too much in the bufine;s of
money, or rulers are on the point of looting all credit
in the issuing of paper, little more is needed to make
every honest man execrate bills of credit in every
shape and resort to gold and fiber, l as the only mo
ney confident with fair dealing.
After making these remarks on the monies with
which our legislature propose to pay the slate officers
for three years to come, I shall apply them to the
present fu'bjed, and observe teat annual salaries fixed"
at t'his time, for three years to come in money, which,
is thus situated, cannot be a reasonable compensation
to those who dedicate their time and abilities to the
service of the public. They are neither '' reasonable
competitions," as the preamble sets forth to the of
ficers in general, nor to the jnftices of the supreme
court in particular. It is at least certain, they are
not the fixed salaries, directed by the constitution to
be fettled on these judges. For that can never be a
fixed salary which changes in value every hour, nor
can he be rendered independent, who possesses it while
its value is uncertain ; and whether he live or starve
on it, rests wholly with those on whom it was intend
ed to make him independent. The con ftifution meant
that'thefe important officers should be independent,
but altho' their commissions for (even years has ren
dered them independent of the supreme executive
branch of government, yet the provision held out in
the bill leaves them mjfchievioufly dependent on the
next house of assembly, probably on the very next
fitting of the present house, for by the minutes of the
last sessions it appears, that the voted allowance to
many of the officers was at that time much more than
is at present held out by the bill. Has our money
become more valuable within twefe three months? or
have the house changed their fentinaents on the fub
jeft ?
The Constitutions of Virginia and Maryland assume
and repeat the principle of the great Montesquieu,
that rhe judicial branch ffiould be,independent of +he
legislative as well as executive. Ours, without men.
MARCH 24, 1781.
[ NUMB. 718.