The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1782-07-23 00:00:00, page 2

any cause, be, liquid deuce (hew there wherefore a if
oer^ne. /up d, g n d to end tall mcern wav the th 3r
(quilam,) Joshua efq; againfta* pHz?, rney, by B &c.
'c JAME: July ^ "er. Z R./. 1782, 2
, purfuan? pryrfof paf# &„ he th H no: +o
B ord rof th
bay th, port libelled in laid and fei and t ti^g ^w
: .• : i.. ; .r<•aptnred ger, ny comm uded co a
by :r Delaware the ba T, Ran of celled the arm-a bo
fly Boyer, caked the la lak.n ia vUlel trefla&ron.r ^r —-£
irßanq n, nine oreno a 'Ho k n th' for be 'cal
PhTidHphia, 1 Thursday treaty-fifth July of n the o
port FkiUdelpHa, , rdyharT ~ IT. Pen
may concern, To th w^ora it
papers ; th.t the colonel was dear in* his opinion that
Mr. Chafe was 'guilty, and that he would, in public
or private, give information : that the colonel told
him he was at liberty to mention what he had said,
and that he would bring the necessary. papers with
him, meaning papers to account for his belief of Mr.
Cafe's guilt.'„
Colonel Plater, on oath decided, that he thinks
he does remember, that Mr. Merchant did charge
the delegates of Maryland, with having reveal
ed a secret refol«e, or secret ; that Mr. Chafe,
Mr Henry, Mr. Forbes and himfelf, 'were delegates
in congreft in the year 1778, but does not recoiled
that Mr. Henry was prefect when Mr. Merchant
'made the charge, hut believes he was in town. He
the.<s that he and Mr. Forbes did declare, in con
gre'b that they did not,reveal tbe secret; and that,
at that time, Mr. Chafe was.writing at the table ; and
(at the time) he was of opinion, that he did not attend,
but it appears he did attend, from his publication in
answer to Mr. Carroll; t^at he understood, the
charge related to a refoive for the purchase of flour ;
that he does not remember whether secrecy was en
coined; that @veiy body can form a judgment, whe
ther the # refoive owft to be kept secret ; that congress
did nothing in confeqhence of the charge; the thing
died away. ' He thinks the fads, as Rated by Mr.
Chafe (in his publication) fubftantial'ly true ; —cannot
recoiled whether the charge was made for revealing
h. secret, or an order of congress ;—he remembers
Mr. Chafe fat silent.
The next day colonel Plater informed the house,
that he was, the day before, asked whether the state
of the affair of the secret, as made by Mr. Chafe, in
his defence, was agreeable to his idea; and that he
then answered, he believed it was; but upon reading
again that part of Mr. Chase's defence, he thought it
was not agreeable to his idea, because he was certain
that Mr. Merchant made the declaration, but could
not fay whether it was a secret, though he conceived
it to be so, or Mr.' Merchant, he thought, would not
h. made the char,-;e, and the refolution,/rem tbe na
tweJ it, ought to br ,secret.
Mr. Thomas Stone (A member of the senate) on
OATr declared, that he never saw, or fubferibed
rules in congress; teat when a member moved a mat
ter which he wished to he kept secret, he desired that
it fhauld be so ; and then all members are laid un
der secrecy till the matter is determined ; and when
determined, if a member moves that it be kept fe
<ret (and if not objected to) the president gives the
charge to keep it secret ; ifobjefled to, it is debated,
and f be crair gives direction according to the deter
mination of congress ; —does not know whether notes
of secrecy are made in the margin of the journals.
Mr. Fox, on oath dec ared—! hat when any mat
ter hi congress was to be hept secret, it was marked in
the margin (not with a word) but two inverted com
mas that he was not a clerk of congress, but that the
ficretary put the journals into his hands and explain
ed the matter to him in this manner :—That these
r% ■ trend d for the direction of the clerks;
tiro when t^ journals were delivered to them to tran
*~i : Nation, they might omit those secret
revives marked as above. He is not certain when he
f.i of the public purchase, but believes it was fix
or ^ m weeks after the city was evacuated ; that
hur was v^ eto the ea ftward, but does not recoil' ft
tor orice at Boston, though he knows it was very high.
J (a member of the hoofe of delegates)
on.oath declared, —That Mr. Laurens (president of
congress, in the year 1778) came to breakfaft with his
bro: :er (majrJenifer) and himfelf, at Annapolis ; —
that his br < her aiked Mr. Laurens, if Mr. Chafe had
not been to fee him ; that Mr Laurens answered, NO ;
that he fhouid be sorry t 6 fee that gentleman : that he
did not like to fee a man to whom he could not give
his hand ; that Mr. Chafe had availed himfelf of a se
cret of congress to purchase flour ; that the Maryland
dl, ie- were charged with betraying tbe secret -, that
Mr. Forbes and colonel Plater had exculpated them
fives immediately after the charge was made.
Mr. Eastman, on oath declared—That he was at
Philadelphia about.the beginning of August, and heard
from feve^al persons a'talk of large purchases of flour
wanted f^ congress; that he did not get his informa
tion from Mr. Chafe, or any other member of con
gress.
Mr. Stevenson (a member of the house of delegates)
on oat h declared—That he was in Philadelphia a
bout a month aft-r the city was evacuated, and at a
public inn, heard it mentioned by several (not mem
bers of congress) that the public wanted a large quan
tity of flour, but does not remember that he heard of
a refoive.
r°e above is tbe fubflance of jhe evidence concerning
the enquiry into Mr. Chase's comdud before the house
of del-gates. To th fe I beg leave to add those obfer
vati ms and arguments made use of in debate : that the
public may (by having the whole matter before them
in one view) be enabed to form a true judgment of
Mr Chase's conduct as a member of congress in the
year 1778.
It appears by the above Rate offals, that congress
receive e done! Wadsworth's letter of the 23d July,
1778, on the gift of the fame month; that it was re
ferred to a committe to report thereon, and that this
letter and report were the inundation of the refoive of
the 24th of Augufi, in which colonel Wadsworth is
circled to purchase 20,00.0 bls. of four. It likewise
appears from Mr. Chase's declaration in the house,
during the enq.iry, that his firft orders to purchase
were given on the 4th August; and it appears from
Mr. M'Lure's evidence, that their intention was to pur
chase prizes of count d'Eflaing ; or, if that fliould fail,
they had it in contemplation to lend their flour to Bos
ton for a market; as there was a scarcity to the east
ward. At the time, and some time before Mr. Chase's
brft orders were given to Mr. Dorsey, and at the time
he engaged in rhe purchase with Mr. M'Lure, it ap
pears by bit defence, there was a general embargo laid
bv congress, on all provisions, until the 15th Novem
ber, which was enforced by an ad puffed by our legisla
ture in June session, 1778.
No person but a member of congress could or ought
to know, that congress (in consequence of colonel
Wadfwotth's letter of 23d July) had it in contempla
tion to purchase 20,000 bls. of flour ; because, if pri
vate persons engaged in purchases, it would be imprac
ticable for the commissary to procure his full quantity,
without being reduced to the necessity of taking their
purcuafes off their hands at an extravagant price.
Bence arose the propriety and neceffry of keeping the
intentions of congress (concerning the intended pur
chase) a secret.
It appears that Mr. Chase's firft orders to purchase
" e ' e '''the 410 of August, and thit the engagement
with Mr. M Litre was entered into between the ill and
torn ot Augufi ; that Mr. Dorsey began to purchase
as toon as he returned from Philadelphia to Baltimore,
town, whicu was between the 18th and 24th August;
a : d "'^ °f Lure b ^ a " his P urc ^fe between the
, a ? d f ° f ^ ufl: b ^ can any perfun believe
that these purchases were intended, either for the pur
chase of prizes of count d^flai^ or to be sent to
Bottom; as the embargo prohibited the exportation of
provT^s ? Mr chafe knew that he could not lose by
ne^ft% he engaged early in the purchase, as
he couid dispose of the flour to colonel Wadsworth it a
confiscable advance ; and yet he afa, " what motive,
^bat inducement' he cou'd have had t® reveal the le
°et - . was the f^t? Be did not buy prizes of
count a Eilamg, or fend his flour to Boston. but fold
it (as ne acknowledges in his defence) to the commis
sary, at an enormous advanced price. Was.this no
inducement. Was tuis no motive with a (peculator?
but, grant tnat the scarcity to the eastward was pub
ickly ftwn, and that (not^ithftanding the embargo)
he could uavefa^&out h^ flour ; w'at Ins this to
do win the queumn ? Whatever Mr. Chafi ' s s c i erne
was, there is no doubt he expefled to mke a profit,
hut whether his feneme was to purchase prizes of
count d Eftaing, to f nd to Boflon, or to fed ^ the
public, or Whether his gain upon th. foation was
GREAT or SMALL, ^mmateri I. The mention con
stitutes the ertme. This is certain, t e orders were
r e ^ ^^ P ^ C afcs made after the receipt of co
lonel Wa^fworths letter in congress, dand the 23d
July, 778. The purchases in which Mr. Chafe was
concerned, interfered with that which congress had in
contemplation, and prevent! d colonel Wa^t worth from
executing his orders, as appears by nib teller, to con
gress of the 6th September, from Badimore-town • a d
in consequence of this letter it was dnl red by cou
gre.s, tbat the “ kicked feraffices of fffr> bad
created the grea/ef alarm, and endangered the pro
cu^ " e ^"^7 ^PP 11 ^ for the ^„g and
Lid not Mr. Chafe do an injury to the pub ic by
engaging in the purchase abovementio^d? uihis let
ter to Mr. Dorsey (dated after the 24th of August.
that is, after the date of the refoive in queflion, does
P^, 1 ^ raakebi Purchases ^as fan as pof-
^ be f ! to ^ fe "° ""' " and was not Mr. Dorsey
„ ru aed by Mr. Caafe to (hew f ai( r letter to Mr.
M cure, for. h^s government in his future purchases,
as appears by Mr. M'Lure^ evidence? Did not Mr
Chafe know, at the time he hastened his partners to
mike their purchases, that he was interfering with the
public purchases? And did not his sial knowledge en
able him to detent the intentions of cong rc ( s , and cre
ate the greater alarm, a, appears by the above de
claration?
* It is granted that nothing relating to tbe secret was con
tained in this letter, but it is doubted, whether Mr. Chafe
ever saw the letter after it came to colonel Lloyd's bands.
But M r . Mature, on oath declares, that he left off
purchasing in September, in confluence if the " mur
mers of the people, occasioned by a report of a refoive of
congress having passed for the purchase of flour; and
tbe famecaufes, no doubt, put an end to Mr Dor'fey's
purchase. . If then, the refoive was not a secret, why
did the people „er? If„ o ,so y was „ on . to
public, why did Mr. Mlure and Mr. Dorsey put a
flop to their purchafes?'
From the information contained in colonel Wadf
wortn's letter to congress of the 23d Jul}, it must have
been evident, that congress would be under the neceffi
'CT^g a large quantity of flour to be purcha
sed -and from t e nature of the thing, “ it ought to be
kept jecret ; from whence we may conclude, that se
crecy was intended from the time of the receipt and
re % d % °f said letter in congress; which was on tue
31st of July, 1778.
n/r" hrt' ea " '' .'"' evidence of colonel Plater, that
Mr. Merchant, in congress, charged the delegates of
Maryland with having revealed a secret refoive, or secret
of congress; and that Mr. Forbes and himfelfroleand
denied the charge-, and that Mr. Chafe was pref nt
and was f/m And Mr. Chafe (altho' he asserted in
his publication, in answe r to M. Carroll, that Mr.
He , nr y ", P^J at the time of the charge and like
wise fat relent) acknowledged upon the enquiry before
r ° f dele ^ ates > that Mr. Henry was net prefect.
« V ^' Chase's defence he fays, “ he does not remcm
her Mr. Merchant asserting that tbe secret of congress had
been betrayed by tbe delegates of Maryland, tho' he re
members that Mr. Forbes an i colonel Pliter, rose and
excused themselves; and that he was “silent, because
be did not know but be might have mentioned it in a letter
"to colonel Lloyd." But he has since, he fays, f c en this
setter, and finds there is nothing mentioned in it relating
to ' he "fccret."* Here then he acknowledges he was
“°: because ft was ^ a secret, but because
jf o ', o ^ but be might have mentioned it to colonel
'Lloyd. But “ be does not recollect, nor does he believe
that tbe refoive was ordered to be kept secret:" and he
cannot believe that Mr. Merchant spoke of divulg
ing afecret, when there was none." Here M r . Chafe
afferft there was no secret, tho' in another part of his
defence he fays « as f ar as I can trust my memory, no
such order passed."
If by the rules of congress, as explained by Mr.
Stone, the president, in all cases enjoins secrecy where
secrecy id intended; does it not appear very extraor-
r l "^ ' h . at the pre'de^ (when the tranfaaion was
frefh in his memory) should venture to write two let-
How truly disinterested has the conduct of Mr. Chafe
', u P°° ', (e oecMions! 'Tis a pity the poor planters
andfarmers should not know the person to whom they
are so much indebted, for preventing the (peculation in
which congress would otherwise have engaged. When
they knew the obligations they lye under to Mr
Cnde, they ought certainly to give him their most
hearty pub'ic thanks.
Mr. Chafe lays much stress on the evidence of Mr.
Fox, who informs us that when any matter was to
be Kept secret, it was marked with two inverted com
mas. Ail'd Mr. Paca has informed us by letter, that he
has examined the manufeript journals of congress,
, Th original letters from which tbe following extraSls
were taken, were produced to tbe house and read by Mr.
Smith.'
Extras from president Laurens's letter, to Mr. William
Smith, o, Baltimore Lown, Sept. 12, 1778.
''" ''". acknowledged, that a member of congress
did give the information reffeefling the exportation of flour
" to tbe eofern bates, intending i/only for tbe private in
" formation 0/ tbe governor and council; but that you,
goodjriend, opened the letter, and let tbe contents pass un—
" der the eyes of several merchants and others."
Extractfromfaiu Mr. Laurens's letter, dated Ohl. 14, 177 g
to said Mr. Smith.'
You appeared to me to have been abused, and yet I was not
so clear as to authorize me to write names. .In conversation
with Mr. Forbes, be informed me lately, who said you bad
opened the letter and circulated tbe contents. This gentle
man is now going to Baltimore, and will *be so polite as to
take charge of my letter ; to him therefore I beg leave to re
fer you Believe, fir. from tbe firfl moment 1 heard the in
timation alluded to, I treated it not only with d fcredit, but
indignation, and expr f ff c d my feeling, in tbe very infant to a
particular friend .•I know, said I, Mr. Smith's honor and
bis diferetion are never Jo unguarded as this imputation fame
to imply..'
fersj to Mr. William Smith, of Baltimore town, in
forming him that he had been accused 6f opening a let
ter and disclosing a secret of congress ; unless he was
well assured that the refoive alluded to was a secret.
And is it not equally flrange that Mr. Merchant,
should hazard so gross a charge, and that Mr. Forbes
and colonel Plater, should rife and excuse themselves
unless they knew the resolve was a secret? Is it possible
that the president could in a few days have forgot
whether the matter was secret? Is it possible that he
should so long after this (at Annapolis) assert the con
tents of Mr. Jennifer's evidence, if he did not know
the matter was a secret.
But Mr. Chafe fays, he repeatedly demanded an en
quiry into this affair since he left congress: nay he
has loudly complained for being dismissed from the de
legation at the n w election in November session, 1778
without a hearing. When Mr. Carroll, signed his name
to publications on this fubjeft, Mr. Chafe, exprefftd
hisfa at having found an accuser. When Mr. Merch
ant made the charge against the delegates of Maryland,
no imputation, no suspicion fell on colonel Pater, or
Mr. Forbes; but Mr. Chafe, was fufpeßed. If then,
Mr. Chafe has been for three years past so anxious to
obtain an enquiry into his conduct, relating to mere re
ports injurious to his charter, how comes it that
i "nA" pofaive and pointed charge was made in congress
by Mr. Merchant, he did not acquit himfelf upon the
spot and at the instant? How easy would it have
been to have appealed to congress to determine whether
it was afecret, when the matter was frefh in their me
mories. Can any one be weak enough to believe that
so gross a charge receding upon his integrity would
b^vG been passed over unnoticed, if he had not been con-
Jetous of guilt ? His reasons given to the house of dele
gates, in answer to these observations, are worthy te
be recorded. Here his usual ingenuity failed him ; and
he was 0 billed to have recourse to that native aforance,
for which he is famous, when truth and argument
are opposed to him. “ Blundering Mr. Merchant, fays
he, maae tbe charge, and colonel Plater and Mr. Forbes,
66 burred on, by rfog to excuse themselves. It would
have been a reflexion upon a man of my line of under
-6 fato have made a reply to so ridiculous a charge,
' when there was no secret."
'% Cl ,f e > in his defence, had any such
border passed (meaning the order for tl e refoive to be
kept secret)“ be should not have agreed to it." Yet if
such an order had passed, he would certainly have been
in honour bound by the majority. His reasons how
ever ought not to be passed over unnoticed. Our far
mers fays he, "from tbe beginning of tbe war, had told
« their wheat for a very low price." Granted! Yet tifofe
who know Mr. Chafe, will marcely believe him sincere,
wuen he declares these to be his motives. As afpeculat
°r magnitude, t is more likely he would have
purchased ail the grain in the country, at that very low
T"' ° r ° redit would ha ve enabled him to
do it. Mr. Chafe, indeed allows that the price they
^, f ° r r heat "^ fr ° m ten to fifteen Killings per
bushel, which at the then exchange of f our for one
was. from two shillings and fix-pence to three and nine^
pence per bushel. This is indeed a firong proof of his
companion for the poor farmers. It pu ts me in mind of
hi concern for the real interest of the poor planters up
on a late ocofion, where he advises his partner (Mr.
Jorfy by letter "to keep up tbe appearances of peace,
"to offer tofit tobacco, but toget off 1/ possible tbe contrast
for 4.00 bogjbea Is.
however solicitous, Mr. Chafe, may wifli us to be
lieve he was to obtain a public enquiry into his con
duß, is real apptehehfions have been fully difcovfred
by t e rae and resentment he has shewn in his publi
cations against me, immediately after the hints thrown
out m debate, that I meant (some time during the ses
sion) to move for an enquiry.
Thu rude attack he made upon colonel Forrest, (a
r' ° "° u , fe > for Putting a gen^l question*
1° L " r% , the n Under examination before the
house, ^covered that he intended to deter other mem^
burs as well as the colonel; from asking any more
qurttons. Here comes," f ays he in a rage, my
third prosecutor, &c. &c.
Whether be (Mr.M'Lure) knew any thing relating tQ
ibefubjeß matter befai .tbp house.