The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-12-23 00:00:00, page 2

A Translation of the Gazette of Martmlcc, of Octo
ber 19th, 1780, relating all the Particulars of t^e
Hurricane in that part.
TO trace out the ravages of wrr± the continual dis
tresses of this colony since the commencement of
hoflilities, the epidemical difeafcsof the island, her los
ses in trade, our conquefls,purchafed by thededruction
of the brave defenders of our parent country; these
were considerations which ha unfortunately occupied
the writers mind with the most poignant anguhh and
sorrow. But, ala-! how fltall we now describe the
dreadful 1 feene winch presents itfelf to our eyes and me
mory ? Is it in the power of imagination to conceive
soundly, when the heart breaks in its tendered part ?
where shall we find that calmness of foul so needful to
an historian ? No; there is not a refuge, nay a cor
ner, of this deplorable abode, but bears the mark of
desolation and despair; the wave ft 11 bellows upon
our shores, and our ears Bill found with the dreadful
shrieks of the wretches it has devoured. If there was
in the world a savage foul who could fee our difaGe-s
with a te rlefs eye, or whose falfe compassion would
keep the bounds of vdn and unfruitful marks ; If fel
fifhnefs had brought forth among us those mongers
who, instead of lending a helping hand to their un
fortunate fellow-citizens, would have conceived the
horrid design of railing their profptrity over the pub
fie ruin ; may this fad picture of our miseries, bathed
with our tears, awake in them that firfl fentime^t of
nature that makes the most cruel savage fly to the re
lief of his fellow creatures.
Let us recoiled, that the 10th in the evening, the
fleet of 52 fail of vessels, that left Corunna, had happily
anchored in our road except some firagglers which
toft their convoy ; but, alas! wnt shall become of
them! behold the atmosphere overloaded with va
pours; the paleness of the Moon, reflecting a dread
ful light, seems to pref,ge some melancholy event !
in the middle of the night the wind coming from E.
N- E. began to blow witii great violence, and, during
the florm, some of the feet drove from their anchors
in the morning of the nth, and soon after many ot :ers
had the f..me fare. 0! judge the agony wherein we
were plunged, feeing our reliefs, so long expected and
so much wanted, snatched from off our coasts; those
fuccours that our situation and the happy destiny that
had edipfed them from the enemy, made them so pre
cious to us. Every veflel that the florm bore away,
jealous as it were of our good fortune, seemed to carry
off a part of our exiflence. The passengers of the fleet,
who had landed the day before, are deprived of their
goods by this terrible acci 'ent. Now we were making,
with an unspeakable uneifinefs, the fad enumeration
of our fllips, that were forced from their anchors : then
our eyes, filled with fear, turned on those that bill re
filled the impetuosity of the storm; when the night
darkened the heavens, and hid from us a part of the
agonizing profpeft: scarce were there 12, or 15 vessels
of the fleet in our road, with 30 or 35 other small ves
sels, among which were some th^t ha failed out of
our harbour the fame day. A heavy rain that fell
from 6 to 7 o’clock in the evening gave us some hopes
that the wind would cease to blow, and that the end
of our distresses approached; but vain was our hope !
what we bad seen, what we had fuff red, at the awful
afpeß of our dispersed fleet, was only the prelude of
the numberless calamities ready to rush upon our
heads. After some moments of a perfidious calm, the
winds, blowing from E. S. E. were let loose with more
fury than ever; and now the roofs of our houses
groan and fcreak, every struggle of the storm seems to
snatch them from off our walls; to the drea Iful buflle
of the florm succeeds the frightful noise of the ruins it
drags along ; the trees are rooted up, the roofs unco
vered: the storm has not yet pulled down our houses,
we live, we breathe fti!l : but who knows when or/where
the fury of the tempest is to flop! we shudder at the
thought. In vain the tender husband smiles in these
dreadful moments, to appease the unspeakable fright
of his dear companion; consternation flill fits on fer
brow ; in vain a father, surrounded with his family,
truck with amaze, Graves to remove their fear by
putting on a calm and serene countenance ; the tears
that roll in his eyes belies his firmnefs, his heart breaks,
and his voice dies on his lips ; and even those who af
feft to scorn life, and to be possessed of that floical
Courage that nothing can move or fliake, are Bruck
dumb and abashed. At half pad 11 in the night the
earth shakes, the winds change successively from E. S.
E. to the S. and W. they fhift with such rapidity that
they seem to be provoked from all parts; and now the
sea roars from afar; its bellawings draw near, and arc
huddled along together with the winds and storm ; the
mighty wave, that springs from its profound abyss, is
ready to swallow up all that opposes it. We cast our
eyes upon our coasts; we endeavour to pierce through
the thickness of the night, but all we perceive, en-
Creases the horror and defpajrof our fouls. Who Could
give an idea of such confufiori, of that dreadful chaos,
the remembrance of which chills us with horror? The
pale and doleful sailors exert their spirits and courage,
cut their cables, and fly from a deGruflive coast, and
are force I to seek for their salvation in 'he mdft of an
awful sea that opens to them a more frightful abyss.
The screams of rage and despair, which the profpe& of
an unavoidable p ril Grike from the foul of the unfor
tunate who is ready to perish : those shrieks that dan
ger, fear and hope, made t em utter, while they were
suspended and fattened to the wrecks of their vessels,
we heard them all, they tore our hearts, and cur tears
were all we could give for their relief.
Nothing has yet appeared in tcis relation but the
Common effects of the misfortunes to which Martinico
is unfortunately reduced • it is only a fad repetition of
the tragical feene that happened to paß last year under
our eyes. Fate, our cruel fate, reserved for us a feene
flill more dreadful and more calamitous than ever the
memory of man can relate to have seen the example of
in these colonies. ——The inhabitants who lived near
the sea shores, from the walk Dumouibage to the ex
tremy of the Galere, bad yet but the common peril to
dread ; they only thought to preserve their houses from
the violence of the storm ; but now a monstrous wave
comes on a sudden and breaks their doors, another
wore monstrous Kill rises bellowing and flrides over
their roofs; all shake and yield to the ffruggtes of that
raaffy wave: the floors fail under the feet of the un
fortunate who runs to his treasure; a treat’ning beam
flops him as he goes ; the furious wave invests him all
round ; he forsakes the fruit of his labour; he flies and
devotes himfelf to misery : alas! in this dreadful mo
ment, even the miser's fear is death, and death only.
Mothers fly thro’ imminent dangers, (what could flop
a mother ?) nature gave them a dauntless heart; they
take their children in their arms, and, loaded with the
precious burden, where shall they go? what fuccour.
what fafety ? which way shall they turn their trembling
fleps? all that surround them, threaten with an in
fallible ruin; the roofs fink, the walls shake o°^ra;
dreadful fight! alas ! who could represent in liis mind,
without being struck with compassion, the contufton
and despair of these mothers, the cry of nature, " O
save my child"? who could hear the forrowful excla
mations of a father, a husband, a son, who press an 1
bear in their arms the deare ft treasure they have in the
world, and who fee continually new dangers fifing
around them. The neighbours fly to the fuccour of
the unfortunates; they pierce the roofs; they throw
ropes, and ladders are erected ; the courage of the un
happy revive again at the voice of friendihip that lend
them a helping hand. Come forth, ye wealthy men,
ye void of feeling, (if such a monster is to be found in
the midst of our calamities,) come, and fee the vne
rabie old men, the women and children, that one night
has reduced to the most awful misery ; of all the buf
fings that heaven had bellowed on them, nothing re
mains but life: call your eyes over the helps of ruin
that the sea has left on our shores, like so many marks
of its power; fee how frail is the fortune that fueled
your hearts; if this fight does not melt th^m, if you
bar them Bill from the fo'timpeffons of benevolence
nature deceived herfelf in,giving you the fliape of afe !-
mg being; By away and bury yourselves in the middle
of your pofleffions; but tremble lead fate may not le d
you on the thr< ihold of a wealthy man deprived of hu
manity..
The wind continued to blow hard till half piß five
in the morning ; then it seemed toabate its impetuosity,
and we began to breathe when the firft rays of d y
came to light us on our losses; then we saw there wis
but one brig left on the road, a schooner, a boat, a- d
three vessels of the fleet, the cables of which Bill refit
ted the waves. The Jeune Dauphin was drove ashore
in the middle of the night, and had loft but two men of
her crew, who jumped into the sea to fivim ashore, and
all the others got fafe at break of day, after having
remained for a considerable time fattened on their guns,
and on their fliattered roasts, continually beat to and
fro by the enormous waves that almost prevented them
from breathing. The obs rvers of this nightly feene
saw, in the highest fury of the florm, a large boat and.
a snow go bottom upwards : a schooner, that was to
fail next day after for France, had run towards the
coast and was thrown shattered and wrecked in thou
sand pieces upon a new house; and of twenty men,
that composed her crew, nine only were saved. At
half past fix in the morning the three vessels of the fleet
that Bill kept their anchors at some distance of the ro'd,
being ready to be swallowed up or dragged along by
the wave, cut their cables, run off with the help of one
single fail, the extreme violence of the wind not per
mitting them to trim any more to keep up. After
some moments of an awful combat between the sea and
the storm, that seemed to Struggle for their prey, these
three vessels got off; now we shudder to fee them dis
appear, and then come out of the deeps, till the dark
and thick clouds, that overcharged the horrifon, hid
them from our fight. If we were allowed to form any
conjectures upon the fate of the other v* ffels that were
at anchor in our road at 11 o'clock at night, we ihou'd
presume that all the large vessels that got dear from
the coasts will have escaped from the wreck that threat
ened them; but they being forced to run before the
wind, they are apt to be thrown far from our coasts.
As to the small vessels that disappeared, the perils thro*
which they muff have gone are beyond all expression,
but this is a frightful feene on which we must drop
the curtain. We are unluckily taken up by those
feenes which continually Rrike our imagination, the
dreadful effects of which call them back to our memo
ry. From one extremity of the sea shore to the other
it is but a heap of ruins. It will be out of the power
of the Europeans that made some Bay in these colonies,
to form an idea of the wholeextent of our misfortunes ;
they will hardly believe that the fury of the wave pul
led down 63 houses in the quarter of the Galere 2 pri
vate houses in the Fort, tho’ the Fort itfelf had been
always looked upon as to be fafe from that accident;
the quarter of the Canoneers and a great part of the
battery of St Louis, 27 houses were torn down in the
Rue Dauphine, 16 in the quarter Du Figuier ; 11 along
the sea shore from La Calle Boiffon to the hospital, and
36 from the last to the extremity of the anchorage.
One may judge by this fad picture of our losses that
the sea knew no longer its limits, for its elevation has
been from 22 to 25 feet, and in general all the houses,
walls and caufeys which were found at that height,
either threaten with ruin or want great reparations.
The damage that the florm has made on the other
buildings of the Burgh are not great; the roofs have
been even less uncovered than last year, but the sea
pulled down all that crofted its passage. Of 60 houses,
either large or small, that composed the Bourg du
Precheur, the wave spared but 6, which were more
elevated than the others. All the huts along the sea
shore, from St. Pierre to Fort Royal, are entirely de
stroyed ; all that was conßruded 011 the new key at
Fort Royal have been overthrown by the waves. Of
the two English prizes, by our frigates la Ceres and !’
Inconftante, anchored in the bay des Flamands, that
which had on board 400 hogftieads of mor e or cod,
was entirely loft on the point des Negres Even the
dock at Fort Royal, that had been until now a fafe
refuge againf ithe florm, has been so violently agitated
that the frigate la Ceres has touched on a bottom, and
five or fix merchant vessels have been considerably da
maged. We reckon 16 or 17 boats, of which there is
not the lead remain to be seen.
The Intelligence that we received from the country
have flill aggravated our sorrow ; every quarter exposed
to the southerly wind have been destroyed; all the
Q WlFT'sWork*,24.VO&
' Voltaire, m Eng. 3, vs
B^b'. Poets, ,6 vols.
Montaigne Eff<yr, 3 vols.
R ff^u's Works, 10 volt.
En I fhTheatre, iz v-,U.
Look's 2d Voyage, tvs. 4:0
FOR SAL E,
A TWO Gory Brick KITCHEN and Lot o' Ground,
fiu j te on the fowh fide of Catherine-street, be
tween Front and Swanson-streets ; the Lot 18 feet front
and 87 feet deep, fubj'ft to a ground-rent of 455. p*r
annum. For terms appy to ABRAHAM SHOE
MAKER, at his office in Fourth- ftreat, below Spruce
ftreet, Philadelphia.
rA ME to the pasture of the fubferiber,
on the 6th of Augufthft, a small Red BULL.
The owner is dfired to prove his property, p ycharges
and take him away, JACOB SERRILL.
Darby, December 20, 1780.
canes are thrown down, the coffee crop almost entirely
loft, the manufaaures and buildings of all forts Band
in need of repair: but the loss which is most feyerel,
felt in this day of diflrefs is that of the commodities of
the country, a precious resource, but unluckily too
uncert tin, and almost always ready to fail us when we
think to enjoy it!
We hear from St. Lucia, that the English man of war
I'Ajax, of 74 guns, and two frigates, that were an
chored to the Gros-Iflet, were dashed in peices on the
coast : we are assured that al! their crews are saved:
the Blip Vengeance Bruck in the Carenage, so that it
will not be possible to get her off again : the English
frigate le Laurier, of 36 guns, that was Cruizing be
fore our island, was loft on the Cayes du Macabou,
and of 250 men 17 only were saved, who reported that
their captain was ready to efc^pe when a mast fell and
crushed him to pieces. Another frigate, the Andro
meda, went bottom upwards between the Robert and
point la Rose, and almost all her crew perished. We
hear from Trinity, that the carcase of a man of war of
74 guns was found laying on the rocks near Caraville.
This is all we know of the losses of our enemies! Ene
mies ! is there any flill left for us! And did not the
common disasters confound all! Where is the man
among our fellow citizens whose heart was not torn at
this dreadful news : in vain the dog of war divides the
nations; these are terrible epochs that bring down to
the level those diftin&ions, and wherein man fees the
man only in each individual that surrounds him, fub
jed as he is to fuffer under the scourge of nature.
To THE PRINTERS.
TTAVING been informed that an affidavit or affida
vits, or certificates, are to be published in your
paper, to the disadvantage of dodor Shippen, junior,
in his absence, obtained from one Patrick Garvey,
a criminal now in prison ; that the publick may not
be imposed upon by such a witness, you are desired to
in fert the incloftd certificate, and at the fame time let
them know that, by authority from New-Jersey, it ap
pears that the said Patrick Garvey is there charged as
a spy, has changed his name, and is expected to be sent
to that Gate to be tried for his life.
A FRIEND TO TRUTH.
I DO hereby certify that Patrick Garvey was com
mitted to the ga I of the city and county of Philadel
phia, on the 22d of November lafi, being charged with
treasonable and dangerous practices to this Gate, and
remains in custody this day, and committed by his ex
cellency Joseph Reed, esquire, president of the Bate of
Pennsylvania. JOHN REYNOLDS, gaoior.
Philadelphia gaol, December 21st, 1780.
For the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
q- 1 H E winter is near, when we may expeß to be
1 frequently alarmed with the cry of fire. It were
to be wdhed the several comp nies would careflfly fee
that their bag*, baskets, buckets, ladders, and efpeci
aby their engines, are compleat and in good order.
And, considering the state in which many pumps are,
( otally useless) it is recommended, that the compa
nies would apply to the proper public officers to have
the public pumps repaired, and that the members of
the companies which live scattered through the town
would exert their influence to have such private pumps
as are in their neighbourhood put into good order.
o®^m^^^^^^^9
Imported and to be told, By
Joliah Hewes,
In Chefnut fleet, a few Ba , of AUfpice, Madeira
Wine, Weft India Rum, Sugar, &c.
Just Imposed from Europe and the Weft.lndies, and
TO BE SOL D, BY
Mordecai Lewis,
In SecOnd-ffreet, near Spr me ftre+t, a Variety of DRY
GOODS: Amongst which are,
BROA DCLOTHS, Blankets, worsted
Stockings, a large assortment of white Linens, Ger
man Oznabrigs, Raven's Duck, Checks, damaiK'Ta
blecloths and Napkins, Cambrick^, Calicoes, quarto
Writing-paper, an elegant Tea-table Sett cf China, &c.
He has, allo, for Sale,
A few chests of Bohea Te, Madeira Wins, b, the pipe
or quarter-calk, Claret, Port, L fbon and She ry, in
bottles.
FOR SAL E,
A number of Books, elegantly Bound ;
Confiding of
Enquire of the Printers.
English, French, and It^
ban Dictionaries, 3 vols.
Johns m's ditto, % vol?.
Pliny's Letters % vo's.
Roh,ttfon's HiL ofS'OL ±vs
Bacon's Work*, 3 vols. so.
A lar,e General Atlas,