The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1781-04-21 00:00:00, page 2

STATE or PENNSYLVANIA.
£% A CT for emitting the ^um of Five Hundred
frhoufand Pounds in Bill of Credit, for the Support
cf the Army, and for establishing a Fund for the
Redemption thereof, and for other Purposes therein
mentioned.
^l/''' '' n °' to ' e e*?^^, during the
present war with Great Britain, that fufficient
quantities of gold and filter money can be procured or
retained in this state, for the procuring and providing
fufficient (applies of provisions and other articles for
the fuppqrt of the army, and for the purposes of pri
vate dealings ; for which parpofe, and for fuppiying
the good people of this state, with a medium of com
mere© of a fiable and solid nature, for want of wbic,h
they already fuller : And, whereas there are many
and large arrearages and fumi of money due to this
Rate from private persons, for lands heretofore grant
ed and claimed, which ought to be pledged as a fund
of credit, for the relieving the public necessities and
fupplyirg the treasury at this t me:
Beit therefore enaYed, and it is hereby envied, by
the Representatives of the Freemen of the Common
wealth of Pennfy!vania in General Assembly met, and
by the Authority of the fame, That bids of credit,
to the value of Five Hundred Thousand Pounds, shall
be prepared and printed with all poflible difatch, af
ter the publication of this Afl, on good strong paper,
under the care and direction of George Gray, John
Steinmetz, Henry Bill, Samuel Penrofe, Henry Hayes,
and William Harris, the charges whereof fha|| be paid
by the state treasurer out of the monies so prepared
and printed ; which bills of credit shall be made and
prepared in manner and form following, viz. “ Chis
" bill (hall p:fs current for ——, according
to an act of General Assembly of the commonwealth
" of Pennsylvania, passed the seventh day of April, in
" the year one thousand (even hundred and eighty
" one. Dated the day of April, A. D. 1781."
And the (aid bills shall have the date arms as an
efeutchefru in the margin thereof, with such other de
vices as the said George Gray, John Steinmetz, Henry
Hill, Samuel Penrofe, Henry Rayes, and William Har
ris, or a majority #f them, shall think proper, io order
to prevent counterfeits, and to djflinguifh their seve
ral f ind refpedive denominations ; which bills shall be
of the several and refpeflive denominations following,
and no other, that is to fay :
29,077 0 tne (aid bill , the sum of five pounds each*
29,077 Of the f^d bills, the sum of three pounds
each.
29,077 Of f e said bills, the sum of two peundsand
ten [failings each.
29,077 ° : the fiid bills, the sum of two pound# each.
29,077 Of the said bill-, the sum of one pound and
ten (hidings each.
29,077 ° f the said bills, the sum of one pound each.
29,076 Of the said bills the sum of fifteen (hillings
each.
29,076 Of the said bills, the sum often (hillings i^ch.
40,000 Of the said bills, the sum of five shillings each.
40,000 Of the said bills, the sum of two shillings and
fix-pence each.
40,000 Of the said bills, the sum of two Filings each.
20,0q0 Of the said bills, the sum of oae Shilling and
fix-pence each.
20,000 Of the said bills, the sum of one /hilling each.
80,000 Of the fai^ bills, the sum of nine-pence each
80,000 Of the said bills, the sum of fix-pact ea<li.
And 80,000 Of the said bills, the sum of threepence
each.
And the said George Gray, John Steinmetz, Henry
Hill, S muei Penrole, Henry Hayes, and William Har-~
ris, shall use their best c re, attention and diligence,
during tiie making of the paper and printing ot faid'
bills, that the number and the amount thereof, ac
corning to the said several denominations, be net ex
ceeded, nor any cl ndeftine or fraudulent pradices used
by the paper maker or the printer, his or their servants
or others.
And for perfeding the said bills, according to the
true intent and meaning of this Aft : Be it enaded by
the Authority aforefai; That the said bills, the de
nomination whereof shall be ten (hillings and upwards
shall be signed by any two of the perfects herein after
mentioned ; and that every of the said bills, the deno
mination whereof shall be under ten (killings, shall be
signed by any one of the persons herein after mention
ed; that is to fay, Cadwalladar Morris, Jameel Me
redith, James Budden, Joseph Wharton, Jefeph Bu|.
lock, Samu.lCaldwell, Michael Shubert, David H.
"Cunningham, Jacob Barge, Philip Ecehm, John Pur
viance, J^feph Dean, John Miller, Jonuhan Mifflin
Isaac dowali Richard Bache, John Bayamon, Tench
Francis, David Shaffer, femur, Thomas Pryor, Ro
bert Knox, John Meafe, Jacob S. Howell, and John
Patton ; who are hereby nominated and appointed
figoers thereof and who shall, before they receive or
sign any of them, take an oath or affirmation to the
eff<a following, viz." That they shall well and truly
sign and number all the bills of credit, that shall come
to their hands for that purpose, according to the di
rections of tnis A& ; and the fame, so signed and num
bered, will re-deliver or cause to be re delivered unt#
George Gray, John Steinmetz, Fenry Hill, Samuel
Pourofe, henry Hayes, and William Harris, or any
Ox them, pursuant to the directions of this Ad."
And, to avoid t e danger of embezzlement or mis.
application of any of the said bills of credit, B~ it
ehafrd by the Authority aforefaid, that th®" fa d
Georg 4 Gray, John Steinmetz, reary bill, Samuel
Fenrote, ^t^y dayes, and William Harris, aft<r the
laid bills shall be printed, shall deliver, from time to
lime, so many of them to the signers aforesaid, by
parcels, to be figaed and numbered, a s they Ihall judge
proper, for w ich the aid signers, or some one @f
t,em, Ihall give receipts, that is to fay. that not more
than three thousand pounds of the said bills, shall re
main in the hand; or any two of them at the fame
time, and so from time to time till the whole of tre
said bi Is be signed ; of all which bills of credit, (0
delivered to be signed and numbered as af^refaid, a
true account shall be kept by the signers, who, upon)
„delivery of each er any parcel of the said bill,'by
them signed and' numbered, shall have the receipt of
the said George Gray, John Steinmetz, Henry Hill,
Samuel FenroF, Henry Hayes, and William Harris,
or any two of tnem, to charge them before any Com
mittee of Assembly appointed to enquire into the
fame.
And each of the said fibers shall have fifteen foil
ling. for every thousand of the said bills by them
signed and numbered, and no more; and the said
George Gray, John Steinmetz, Henry Hill, Samuel
Penrof; Henry Hayes, and William Harris, shall fe
verdly receive five and twenty (hillings for every day
they shall be employed in the said business, and the
treasurer of this hate shall, for receiving and paying,
have and receive two Shillings and fix-pence per hun
dred pounds, for his care and trouble, to be paid out
of the monies emitted by virtue of this A&.
And be it en i&ed by the Authority aforefai 1, That
the bills of credit, hereby dire^ed to be prepared and
made, as faft as the fame shall be signed, numbered
and parleyed as aforefaid, (hail be delivered to toe
treasurer of the date, b, the said, Geerge Gray, John
Steinmetz, Henry I-ii.l, Samuel Penrofe, Henry Hayes,
and William Harris, or any of them, who (hall give
a receipt or receipts for the fame, and shall iffueand
pay the fame according to the draughts of the Gene
rai Assembly, or of the president or vice president in
council, for public use..
And be it enabled by the Authority aforfaid. That
together with the guarantee of the honour and faith of
Penufylvania, which is hereby givw, so much as shall
be efficient of the arrearages and sums of money due
to this state, for lands heretofore granted or claimed,
by virtueof warrants, locations, surveys or any other
tit e that might be deemed goad and valid, according
t© the law, custom or usage in force wndrr the late go
ver. ment, (hill be, and hereby is pledged and de^
clared to be a fund, out of which the bills of credit
afotef id sh II b$ redeemed and cancelled, within the
term of tivey^rs, from the passing of this A&, in
the manner following, that is to fey, the one 6 th part
thereof yearly and every year, unrill th, whole &ail
be redeemed and cancelled as aforefaid.
And be it enacted by the Authority afocefaid, That
the bills of credit emitted by this Ad, be, and ar
hereby declared to be legd tender to all intents and
purposes whatsoever, and shall be taken and received
m payment m all bargrins, contrasts, purchafrs
agreements, dealings, debts, dues and demands, ac
co ding to the sum specified in said oil! . to be taken
and received at the r te or value of fifteen killings for
every two dollars, and so in proportion for a larger or
less sum, and of equal value, in the payment of such
bargain, centrad, purchase, agreement, dealing, d bt
due and demand whaffoever, with tRo Spanish milled
dollars, tach weighing Tventeen penny weight and fix
grains ; and sixty drillings of the emission aforesaid,
mail be taken and received at the rate of, or equal in
value to one gold half Johannes of Portug I, weighing
nine penny, weight, and in the like proportion for all
other gold or filter coin; any coutrad, agreement or
bargain, between parties co the contrary in any wife
notwithllanding '
And be it enaded by the Authority aforefaid, That
if any person or peffons, bodies politic and corporate,
from and after the publication of this Ad, shall re
fuse to receive any of the said bills of credit, when
tendered in payment of any debt, bargain, control
er demand whatsoever, provided the whole of the said
debt or demand be so tendered, such petfon o r persons
bodies politic and corporate f. refufing, shall be f^
ever barrel from fuirg far or recovering the fame be
fore any judge, or in any court of this stat«
And be it enaded by the Authority aforefaid, That
if any person whatfuever (hall, after the passing of this
Att, retufe to take and receive any of the bills of
credit aforefaid, in payment for any live fleck, neces
sary ot life, commodity, maoufadure, article or goods
whatsoever, which he or (he shall fell or expose to sale
or offer tne fame for a less price or smaller sum of
money, to be paid in gold or filter, than in the bills
o; .edit emitted as aforefaid, or that ihall give or re
cene a greater nominal sum of said bills of credit for
a I^B in gold or filter, every such person, being there
Legally convided in any court of general quarter
feffio, of the peace in this fate, (or before one jus
tice of t e peace, in cases where the forfeiture shall
not exceed five pounds) (hall, for every offence, for
feit and pay the value of the article er articles so fold
or expoled to sale, one moiety thereof to the p^rfon
or perlons giving information of tue fame and profe
cuung the offender to conviction, and the other moi®
ty fer tne use of thf poor of the city, diftrid ®r
township where the offence shall be committed
, A l] d be if furth © r enabled by the Authority afore-
Idid, That the party giving information as aforefaid,
mail be admitted a Competent witness on the trial of
Lenders agamfl this Aft, any law, custom or usage
to thv contrary in any wife notwithflanding.
And be it further enabled by the Authority afore
faid, That from and after the publication of this Ad,
if any person or persons Ihall, within this ttate or
elsewhere, prepare, engrave, flamp, forge or print,
the counterfeit refemblnice of any paper bills of ere
^ T^^' 11 b l if l ue ^ emitted and made in virtue
of this Act, or shall counterfeit or sign the name or
names of tee signer or signers of the Did bills of cre
dit to such counterfeit bills of credit, with an inten
tion that such counterfeit bills of credit th ill be pas
fed in payments or received as genuine and good bills,
Waegner the fame be so passed or receded or not • or
it any person or persons shall, i x this state, pass, 'pay
^tender in payment any f ucn counterfeit money, 9r
deliver the lame to any other person or persons, with
an intention t tat they be passed, p dd or rec < iv^, as and
for good and genuine, knowing the fame to be formed
or counterfeited, every such person, being thereof°ie
gilly convicted or attainted in any court of oyer and
terming within this flat% by verdict of a jury or con
eihon of the party offending, or bring indicted thereof
Ihall rand mute, or not directly answer to the indict
matt, or shall peremptorily challenge more than the
number of twe ty persons, legally returned to be of
the jury for the trW G s luch offender, hull be ad
judged a felon, and shall fuffer death without benefit
of clergy. And, if any person or persons shall coun
terfeit any of the said bill's of credit, by altering the
denomination thereof, with design to encreafe the va
lue of fu.h bills, or shall utter such bi Is, knowing
them to bs so counterfeited or altered, as aforefaid,
and shall be thereof legally convicted in any court of
record in this state, such person or persons shall be
sentenced to the pillory, and have both his or her
ears cut off and nailed to the pillory, and ke pub
licly whipped, on his or her bare back, with thirty
nine iafhes, well laid on: and, moreover, every such
offender Ihall forfeit the sum of two thousand pounds,
lawful money of Pennsylvania, to be levied on h s or
her lands and tenements, goods and chattels, the one
moiety to the use of the state, and the other moiety
to the difeoverer; and the offender shall pay to the
pirty grieved double the value of the damages thereby
sustained, together withcofts and charges of prosecu
tion; and in case the offender hath not fufficient to
fit.sty the difeoverer for his or her damages and char
ges, and t) pay the forfeiture aforefaid, in such case
tile offender shall, by ord=r of the court where he or
file fh^ll be conviaed, be fold as a servant, for any
term not exceeding seven years, for fatisfaßion.
And be it further enabled by the Authority afore
faid, That from and after the firft d y of Jone next, no
money shall be received in taxes, or other public dues,
in this Bate, other than gold or silver, or bills o'credit
by law equivalent thereto : And that the treafmer of
this state be, and he hereby is authorized and empow
ered, to Jet apart the sum of two hundred thousand
pounds, of t e money to be emitted, in perfuance of
the directions of this Aft, for the purpose of exchan
ging o'd continental bills of credit, the common
wealth money, emitted by an Aft passed the 20th of
M rch, 1777, and the money her # tofore emitted by
the revives of the Affembhes of Fennfylvania, accor
ding to the rate of exchange, to be declared by the
irefident and Supreme Executive Council, agreeable
tothe powers veiled in them by an Aft passed the 23d
or December, 1780; and in order to accommodate
the people possessing any of the said old continental,
commonwealth, or refolve-meney^ in the several coun
ties of this itat^,. the state treasurer is hereby autho
rized to employ the several county treasurers in ex
changing the fnme,ac ording to the fiid rites declared
by *!''•. Supreme Executive Council, and under such
rehriaions as they m:y judge proper and necetfary.
S gned by order of the ' ouf
FREDERICK A. MUHLENBERG, Speaker.
Enacted into a Law at Phifade'-
phia, on Saturday, , the fe
vento day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1781.
Samuel Stekett, Olerk
of the Assembly.
Philadelphia, April 21.
Accounts were yesterday received from Martioico,
that 14 (ail of French and $p aii(h (hips of the line fell
in with a fleet from Co r k, confiding of about 130 Dil,
and that the greatest part of them were taken. A cut
ter which Est the Cork fleet, and arrived at St. Lucia
about the 12th of, February, brought this news.
Tuesday lift arrived here the (hip Chatham, captain
Smith, from Hispaniola.
Same day arrived a prize sloop, the Northampton,
Moses Ventris, late commander, from Charleflowa
bound to New York, laden with tar, rice, &c. She
was taken by tne Fair American privateer, captain
Jackways.
Yesterday arrived the brig Neptune, captain Bur
rows, from Cape Francois.
We hear from Fish-Kill, in the fiate of New-York,
that on Sunday night, the Bth inflant, a party of the
enemy, of thirty men, plundered the koufe f Peter
Jay, esquire, within five mips of that place. They
arrived between nine an 1 ten o'clock, and immediate
ly planted centinels round the house. They then
searched every room in it, broke open all the closet?,
drawers, trunks, &c. took out what they liked, pack
ed up the plunder, and continued thus employed, and
in regaling themfeives, till two o'clock in the morning,
when they went away ; having robbed the family of
all their eloathing, except what they had on, linen,
plate, and every thing else that was valuable and
could be conveniently carried off.
Extract of a letter dated at general Greene's head quar
ters, colonel Ramsey's, Deep river, March 30, 1781.
" I wrote you on the 23d instant from Buffalos
Creek, fiace which we have been in pursuit of the ene
my, with a determination to bring them to a&ion again.
“ On the 27th we arrived at Rigden's ford, 12 miles
above this, and found the enemy then lay atßamfey's
Mill, from which it was imagined they meant to wait
an attack: our baggage was accordingly left under
proper guard in our rear, and the army put in motion
without loss of time; but we found the enemy had cros
sed some hours before our arrival, and with such preci
pitation, that they left their dead unburied on the
ground. Our men had fuffered so much for want of
provisions in this exhausted part of the country, that
m^ny of them fainted on the march, and the difficulty
of procuring any immediate supply, prevented our fur
their pursuit. The enemy are on the route to Cross
Cr-ek and Wilmington.
' From undoubted information we learn, the enemy's
loss, in t e battle of Guilford, amounted to 633, exclu
sive of officers, and most of tueir principal officers were
killed or wounded.
" Nothing but bloed and (laughter has prevailed
among the whigs and tories, and their inveteracy a
gainst eicH other muff, if it continues, depopulate this
part.of the country.
" Since we re-crossed the Dan river, we have taken,
at different times, upwards of 120 Eritifh prdoners,
and several officers.
" Theenemy left 70 of our wounded, who had fallen
into their hands in the aDion of the 15th, behind them ;
except these, they have taken but few prisoners: not
so many as we took of theirs, uotwithkaading they
kept the ground.