The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1782-09-14 00:00:00, page 4

°3sit wr% had led a'good way by nnrot the wisest
votes that ever passed; he trafted therefore that it
would be ef^aunted, but he saw no reason for preci
pitat^y avowing the independence. And when he said
this, the house would recollea, that he had been one
of thefirft men in the kingdom to point out the necessi
ty of granting the independence ; he had seen early in
the war, tat it ruuftbe granted ultimately ;he could
not therefore be fyfpeAed as a man now thinking the
dependence of America practicable ; all he meant was,
he was willing to give those experiments for the ob
tairment of peace, which had been already made fair
play With regard to his principles, be Avowed him
felf a whig, and in doing so, he considered himfelf as a
friend to liberty He said, the late lord Chatham had
declared in that house, and in private, that he always
formed his administrations of whig men, and upon
whig measures : how far that noble earl had at all times
tided cotfftent'y to fu h a declaration, was not then
the confiderarion.
Having Bated this, the duke said, he could not fee
any occasion for him to leave the, present mmifters,
merely because the noble earl was m°de firft lord of the
treafuryi Th, noble earl was no part of the former
adminifiration' to which the late secretary of Bate, and
the late chancellor of the exchequer, were with others
the successors; neither was he of any other description
of men, but one of their own body, brought into pow
er upon their own principles, and pledged to adhere to
them ; neither had he been inan extraordinary manner
forced upon them, but advanced to his present digoifi
c deflation on vacancy and death; at the fame time he
declared he would keep his eye upon the noble earl, and
watch every motion of government; if he perceived
the noble earl swerving in the smallest degree from
those principles to which he held himfelf bound, he
mould think himfelf obliged instantly to retire, and so
far from receiving his support, the noble earl should
receive his most determined opposition. His grace press
ed this very strongly, called the prefect represen tation
in parliament, a mockery of truth, and added various
observations ; after which he concluded with apologiz
ing'to the house for having intruded on them when no
question was properly before them.
Lord Shelburne began with declaring, that if the no
ble Duke had thought it necessary to apologize to the
house for freaking when there was not any question be
fore them, it undoubtedly was necessary for him to do
the fame. He could^not however but rife, if it were on
ly to thank the noble duke for the very correa and ve
ry candid manner in which he had quoted his speech of
a few days since. The noble duke had done him Arid
justice, and had given him all the credit he wished from
any man upon the face of the earth. Ail he wished
was to be tried by his aßions and his conduct and not
by any notions adopted by this man or that man,
broached to anfwe'r some purpose of the moment, with
out the least regard to foundation or fad. He under
flood it had been elsewhere said, that with refpeft to
American independence, a conversion had lately been
brought about, and that he had changed his opinion
wholly on that fubjeft He would he declared, be hap
py to fee the man that would tell him of any conversi
on, and to shew him where it was, and in what it con
lifted. He had uniformly held and maintained but one o
pinion, and the time would come, when those eager and
early declarations of readiness to accede to American
independency which had been made, would be proved
to have done infinite mifchief both here and in America.
However people might reason upon the fubjeH, the
]ofs of America would be felt to be a severe blow to his
country, which he had ever presided,He reminded their
lordships of what had passed upon the fubjef t when the
late earl of Chatham (poke upon it, and when the no
ble Duke near him had brought in his bill, which he
said, had never been rightly underflood. On that day,
the only one on which there had ever appeared a shade
of difference of opinion between him and the late earl
of Chatham, he had publicly declared his sentiments,
and had argued neither directly with that noble earl,
nor with the noble duke, but as the earl of Chatham
often since told him, he had flood in the middle between
the opinions of both. His lordship said, he was not
afraid to avow that he had fludioufly endeavoured to
avoid the granting of American independence ; he had
considered it as a measure fatal to this country, and
when it should from the necessity of the times be ad
mitted, he should thank God that the charge of it
should not lay upon his shoulders. His lordship de
clared, that when a late colleague of his resigned, not
one word was said in the cabinet upon the question of
American independency, as if that was the cause of
his resignation, nor did he believe it was the cause.
He lamented as sincerely as the noble duke the loss the
country had sustained in the death of the late marquis
of Rockingham, of whole fitnefs to hold the highest
office of government he had been so fully convinced,
that he had taken great pains to procure him the ap
pointment, when he might fairly fay it was within his
own reach.
With regard to the two persons who had thought
proper to go out of office, the late secretary of state
and the late chancellor of the exchequer, undoubtedly
their loss would be felt, inasmuch as the great abilities
of the one, and the unimpeached integrity and virtue
of the other, rendered both of them persons from whom
nffiftance was to be expected. He did not, however, con
sider them as going out upon the fame principle; the
late chancellor of the exchequer having as he under
flood, no other motive than a love of retirement, and
an aversion to public life. With regard to the motive
that had actuated the other to take the step which
be had done, he knew of none but a desire to get the
whole government of the country into bis own hands,
contrary to the inclination, and against the wishes of
his majefly. With regard to his opinion, as to the
crown's having the power of appointing to the diffe
rent departments of government, he thanked God, it
was well known, and that not on opinion taken up for
the fake of the moment, bit an opinion avowed by
him before he came into office.
The,houfe would recollect a cant expression he had
formerly made use of, and they would recoiled it for
Philadelphia,. Printed and Sold by D AVID C. CLAYPOOLE, in Market-Street.]
& only good purpose that cant expreflion ought to be
recolleßed, namely to bring back to their memory the
fort of reasoning that accompanied it. Their lordfllip's
would remember that on a former debate he had re pro
bated the idea of treating his majefly like a king of the
Mahrattas, a mere titular monarch, without power
and without prerogative, governed bya Pefhaw, elect
ed by hit nobles for the purpose of keeping him in fub
jedion. He had on that occasion expressly declared,
that he did not underhand the king's being didated
to and ruled by a party, who having forced themselves
into power, infixed upon exclusively nominating from
their own friends and adherents, to every office that
should become vacant. He was Bill of that opinion,
and upon that opinion he meant to build his future con
duct in spite of the ablest party or strongest fadion
that could be formed to oppose him. He was himfelf,
and he had often avowed it, of no party whatever, and
he wished to try the experiment, and fee whether a man
anting ftraighr forward, and in a dired, explicit and
unequivocal mann'er, pursuing such measures as pro
mised good to the country, would not be supported.
One thing he felt comfort from, and that was, he
knew he was afling for an indulgent public; who he
did not in the lea ft doubt would put a fair conftruHiou
upon his conduct, and judge of him as that conduct
(hewed he ought to be judged. Another thing
he was bound in duty 'to mention, viz. that he
served a gracious sovereign, who was as readytto
come into, and as desirous to countenance measures
calculated to forward the interefls, prosperity and hap
piness of his fubjeds, as any one prince that ever fat
upon the throne. Conscious, therefore, of the benig
nity of his sovereign and of the indulgence and candour
of the people, he was not to be affeßed by any abuse
or any attacks whatever. He observed that an attempt
had been made to stigmatize him for having done,
what he thought every way juf i?jable, the granting
an eventual provision to an honourable gentleman (col.
Barre) whose friendfhip had made the happiness of his
life. If he had in his various and continued endeavours
to serve the public, done any good, that good was to
be attributed to the honourable gentleman in question,
who had con flantly ad vised and urged him to take the
part the public had so long wifheffed his taking. With
regard to the eventual provision in question, that was
altogether the aft and the proposition of the late mar
quis of Rockingham, and he happened to have it in wri
ting under his hand. He was himfelf, in faR the re
ceiver rather than the granter, for it was an accommo
dation given for his dispensing with the pay-office. But
what was it? an eventual provision for an honourable
gentleman, who had been deprived of all his military
employments, for the part he had taken for the pub
lic in parliament, for twenty years together ; and who,
had he continued in the army, would by this timehave
gained, and in all probability have been long in posses
sion of twice as much ! When it was proposed by lord
Rockingham, his honourable friend declared, he had
much rather go back to the army, or have fomethirig
in his own profeffion; but he accepted it, that hemight
not seem in any degree to impede government. After
all, his lordship declared, he was willing to take the
whole responsibility of it upon himfelf. The public
knew the fad, they knew his price ; he did it openly
and fairly, and did not, like others, recur to the low
habits of looking about, and providing in a more co
vered way for his own relations, and for his own fami
ly. Having boldly defended the measure, his lordship
again adverted to American indi pendency, and re
minded the houfe,that he had formerly used some mark
ed expreffiops upon the fubjeA. He had said, The fun
of Great-Britain was set, when the independency of
America was avowed. He had endeavoured to pre
vent that Sun from being wholly set, in order to light
up another day, that this country mightbave another
fun, and another, and another, and another day yet to
tome.
His lordship declared himfelf an advocate for peace,
peace, unfortunately he said, was a matter which ne
cessity called for, peace therefore mnf lbe obtained
With regard to himfelf, from communications recently
made to him while in his late office, as well as from what
he had formerly known, America was not the tefs wil
ling to treat with him upon the fubjed, on account of
the doßrines be had so repeatedly maintained upon the
fubjeft of their independence; so far was he from
shrinking from those doßrines, that he had often wish
ed to be brought before congress to argue the point; if
he had any trfents as a public (peaker, be assured their
lordships, he would have exerted them te lay those
doctrines down in a much stronger manner than he had
ever done in that house, in hopes of bringing Congress
over to his opinion. He repeated his declaration, that
he wished not to have loft the assistance of the late se
cretary of state, and the late chancellor of exchequer,
but he hoped with the eight who did remain in office'
with him, to be able to do the public some service.
Much as peace was to be desired, he said he did mot
think there was the smallest occasion to fuffer France to
dilate humiliating terms, or to let her confider Great-
Britain, as a country on which she might set her foot
and trample out her exiflence whenever she pleafed.'
There was something so advantageous in the situati
on of this island, and in a thousand other circumftan
ces that gave him hopes, there was yet in our power
the means of doing ourselves justice, so far at least as
to prevent our submitting to any other peace than
such as should be perfectly fafe and honourable. We
had not forgot that we had been a great nation, we
had Hill a brave people, and there wanted nothing but
good management of the resources that remained, and
a wife and vigorous exertion of our strength to put us
again on a refpeßable, a happy, and a prosperous
footing. In the course of his speech his lordship said,
he was not in habits that led him to much company
or to be publicly known ; he had been bred, however,
in whig principles, a friend to loyalty and liberty ;
and as to his ideas of a wife and salutary fy flem of go
vernment, every principle of that nature he had learn
ed from the late lord Chatham. His lordship also spoke I
with some contempt of the rage, the eagerness and the I
avidity, with which the treasury was looked at, and
declared he thought that reform ms more neceffar,
than ever, “ becapfe, if those who have been for years
talking against corruption, and arguing for cecenomy,
when pressed to the bone and truly tried, declare that
government cannot be carried on without the treasu
ry, it pretty clearly evinces that an entire new fyfteni
ught to be eftablilhed, to the total deftrudion of all
such principles"
As soon as Lord Shelburne fat down, the duke of
Richmond rose again, and said, he mufttrouble their
lordships with a few words upon one or two points,
touched upon by the noble earl. His grace then took
notice of something that had fallen from lord Shelburne,
about a whig party (which we do not correctly recoi
led.) His grace defined his idea of whiggifm to be a sin
cere love for the constitution, as fixed upon the princi
ples of the revolution ; he said he himfelf was a whig
of that description, but whenever a party arrogated to
themselves the absolute dominion of their sovereign, and
insisted upon dictating every appointment, so as to
leave the king no will of his own, he no longer consider
ed that party as whigs. His grace also spoke again,
refpeding his ideas of American independence, and
explained his meaning to be, that if the Americans
chose, and were willing to be governed by and be de
pendent upon this country, in that case, there certain
ly was no occasion to avow American independence,
because their dependence was an aft of their own con
sent ; on the contrary, if they refufed to be governed
by this empire, he contended, that it was unjust in the
British government to lay claim to the dependence of
America. He observed, that lord Shelburne was wil
ling to grant American independence merely as a thing
of necessity; he considered the granting it, as granting
a claim founded in right and justice. His grace declar
ed, he could not be content without faying thus much,
for fear on the one hand that he should be mistaken as
a friend to any thing like principles which lead to pas
sive obedience and non refiftance'; and for fear on the
other that any man should conceive he assented, in the
most diflant manner, to renewing the mad war with
America.
Lord Shelburne rose once more and said, the noble
duke would do him great injustice, if he imagined he
in the most diflant manner alluded to him, in what
he had said of a party dilating to the king, and ruling
the crown; nothing was further from his thoughts
the noble duke, he asserted, by his clear definition of
whiggifm that day, had effectually proved himfelf a
true whig, and he had proved himfelf a real friend to
his country ; by facrificing in some fort, private ha
bits to public principles. He had shewn that real
whigs were friends to the constitution, as eftablilhed
on the principles of the revolution, and that when they
attempted to go beyond those principles, and to make
their sovereign a slave, they were no longer to be re
garded as whigs.
With regard to what the noble duke had said on the
fubjeß of America, he was glad 'of that opportunity
of declaring publicly, that he thought whoever at
tempted to carry on such measures in America as
should render it necessary to draw the sword again
there, would aR in such a manner, that he ought, be
the minister who it would, to be made highly respon
sible. Enough mifchief has been done already by the
fatal fyflem of war in America; and he hoped never
. to fee the day when that system fliould again be pur
sued. His lordship and the duke of Richmond both
spoke to a great variety of pants, that we have paffeef
by, because we did not clearly underfland in what
manner they applied to the general drift of their respec
tive arguments, which we conceived to be on the part
of lord Shelburne to defend his own conduf t in accept
ing of the place of firft lord of the treasury, and to
open his principles a^ a minister, and, on the part of
the duke of Richmond to,affigh his reasons for conti
nuing in office, after his relation, Mr. Fox, had
thought it became him to resign.
%^.M^W.*:^*+^
An English and Mathematical Academy,
BY JOHN HEFFERNAN, formerly of the College
and latterly of ihe University of Pennsylvania, ig
just opened, in a commodious apartment, on the north
fide of Cvrre's-Greet, between Third and Fourth-Greets,
Philadelphi —Whee Children, Youth and Foreigners
may fpredily be per fe&ed in the rudiment# of the English
language, and all the practical branches of mathema
tics ; particularly English grammar, reading, writing,
arithmetic, bosk-keeping, geography and use of the
gl^h^s—Fra6Von% decira^, duodecimals, logarithims
and extra&ion of root?—Mensuration, gauging, sur
veying and navigation of every kind— The elements of
geometry, plane and spherical trigonometry, algebra
and flux ; on< ; with their occafion#! application to alti
metr v , lopyimetrv, rivil and military archite&ure, co
nic-faions, proj^ailes, dialling and astronomy .• —to-
gether with the conftruaion and use of all such tariffs,
fcales^ tables, plane, maps, charts and designs, as may
be thought anywise nectilary to embellish or illustrate
the whol-.
N. B. Said HEFFERNAN will wait on young La
dies and Gentlemen, between school hours, as usual §
and pay the utmost attention to the mora's and man
ners of the Youth and Children committed to his tui
tion and car# Doctrina sine Moribus vana.
Philadelphia, Sept. 3, 1782.
To be Sold or Exchanged for Dry Goods,
A likely Young Horse,
full 16 bands high, trots and canters, and goes well
in a chair. Enquire at A. WALKE's Livery-Stable,
in Church-alley. Sept. 11.
Ready furnifhed Lodgings to
be LET, in a pleasant part of the city. For further
particulars enquire of the Printer. Sept. 11.