The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1778-02-18 00:00:00, page 2

5T^ flowing is tie for:: of prayer, male
i',e of by the Rev. Mr. Duels, in the
Cougrefs, after Independence was declared.
C% LORD! our heavenly Father,
/ high and mighty, King of Kings
2nd i ord of Lords, who do'it from thy
throne behold all the dwellers upon earth,
and leigneit with power supreme and un
con:rolfd over all kingdoms, empires and
governments. Look down in mercy, we
beseech thee, upon these our American
States, who have fled to thee from the rod
of the opprefiers, and thrown themselves
upon thy gracious protection, desiring to
be henceforth dependant only upon thee :
to thee have they appealed for the righte
ouihefs of their cause; to thee do they
now look up for that countenance and
lupporr, which thou alone cantt give;
take them therefore, heavenly Father,
under thy nurturing care; give them wif
dom in council and valour in the field;
defeat the malicious designs of our cruel
adversaries; convince them of the un
righteousness of their caule, and if they
frill pofft in their sanguinary purpoles,
O! let the voice of thine own unerring
justice, founding in their hearts, condrain
them to drop the weapons of war from
their unerved hands in the day of battle.
Be thou present, O! God of wiidom, and
direct rhe councils cf this Honourable As
iembly ; enable them to fettle things upon
the Left and lureft foundations, that the
icene of blood may be speedily dosed,
that order, harmony and peace, effectually
be restored, and truth and justice, religi
on and piety prevail and flourish amongst
thy people; preserve the health of their
bodies and the vigour of their minds;
ihower down upon them and the millions
they here represent, Rich temporal bkls
ings as thou feeft expedient tor them in
this world, and crown them with everlast
ing clorv in the world to come. All this
we ask in the name and through the me
rits of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Saviour.
Amen.
CHARLESTOWN, December 3, 1777.
r, H E dtitreffes of mankind claim the
attention of the affluent, and afford
them an opportunity of exercising their
benevolence in actions, the recollection of
which is ever attended with pleasure. At
prelent, when a cruel, unnatural and
bloody war is ravaging part of our coun
try, when thousands are reduced from
ease and wealth, to poverty and want, the
unhappy fufftrers in a particular degree
excite and demand our companion. A
very recent instance has occurred : The
town of Kingston, in New-York, has
been reduced to ashes by a detachment of
the British army, under the command of
General Vaughan, whereby many of the
miserable inhabitants are deprived of their
all, and exposed to every rigour of an in
clement season. In order to alleviate
their misfortunes, a number of gentlemen
in this town propose, that a general con
tribution be made at the doors of the ie
veral churches and meeting houses thro',
out this State on Thurlday December 18,
the day appointed for a Thanksgiving to
Almighty God, for the many signal fa
vours he has vouchsafed to us. The
Church-Wardens will take upon them
selves the trouble of receiving the bene
fadions, which, it is hoped, will be li
berally and cheerfully made by every
friend to the cause of their country and of
humanity.
NEWBURN, (N. Carolina) January 2.
Yesterday arrived here the sloop Heart of
Oak, Captain Dennison, from Martinico,
schooner Sam, Capt. Davis, from St. Fufta
tius, a schooner from Bermuda with file, a
French fenooner from Hispaniola, two fehoouers
from the northern Rates; and a French fao#
is arrived at the bar from Cape Francois.
PORTSMOUTH, (N Ha%/hire) fan, 20
LaR Tuesday arrived here the flip Portf
rßouth, John Harr, commander, in nine weeks
from Bourdeaux. On his passage to this place
he fell in with 2nd took the following vessels,
viz. brig Emperor of Germany, laden witn beef
and butter; brig George, laden with dry fihi ;
brig Swan, of 8 carriage guns, laden with beef,
butter and herrings ; and letter of marque Ihip
New Duckinfield, mounting 20 carriage guns,
laden with dry goods, wined, &c.
By a gentleman la ely from Halifax, we have
the following intelligence, That in converfari
on with tome officers of the British navy, rela
tive to the Convention entered into by General
Gales and General Bugoyne; they said that
the Conventi >n would not be carried into effect
on the part ofGen. Burgoyne: But that Gen.
Burgoyne with his aim, would again bear arms
in America, as soon as they should be freed
from their present confinement. The gentle
man replied, “ The Convention would be ra
tified by the King of Britain, and the American
Congress." He was answered, the King would
have nothing to do with either the Convention
or Congrefs.—Quere, Does not the above con
versation well accord with Gen. Burgoyne's
conduct at Cambridge? Why else ihould he
early take an opportunity to declare in black
and white, that the Convention was broken on
the part of the Americans? Wisdom would
probably tell us, it was that he mightavail him
felf of such a declaration, when it should suit
his purpose.
Str William Barnaby, Commander of one of
the Britifti frigates upon the American Ration,
observed, that so long as the Americans remain
ed united, and supported the credit of their
money, so as to py off their soldiers in the
field, it would not be in the power of Britain
to conquer them,
BO S '!O N, January 22.
1 riday last a privateer sloop of 10 guns, com
manded by Capt. Connelly, of Mancheßer,
returned to Salem from a cruize. About a
month ago he fell in with and engaged a ship of
20 guns, with 40 men, during which the ship
blew up, and all the hands but nine were loft.
She was bound from London for Antigua, with
a very valuable cargo, estimated, as the hands
fay who were taken off rhe wreck after she
blew up, at upwards of 80,0001. They fay
allo there was a lady of an immense fortune on
board, who also perished.
Since our last arrived at a fafe port a prize
ship of 2^o tons, mounting 14 carriage guns
and 12 Iwivels, and navigated with 45 m^n,
tak n by the Cumberland privateer, belonging
to this place, wi.h the following cargo, viz
30 Piped Port Wine, 4 Hogsheads Ditto, 4
and half Hogshead Lifbcn Ditto, 166 Pipes
Adadeira Ditto, 78 Hotheads Do. 68 Quarter
Casks Ditto, 300 Boxes Claret, 13 thefts
Green I ea, 40 lon Pig Iron, a quantity of
Gin, Brandy, &c.
We hear the ship Pertfmoutb, of 20 guns,
returned to Portsmouth laR Thursday from a
cruize, during which she took two prizes, and
carried them into Boston, and on her return
she took two more, one of which was a 20
gun ship with 40 men, bound from London to
New-York, laden with woollens, &c. to the
amount of 8,0001. prime cost, which last prize
she parted with only four days before her ar
rival. The other a brig, laden with provisi
ons, is arrived in a fafe port.
PROVIDENCE, January 17.
Col. Barton, of this State, who took Gen.
Prefcot prisoner, is promoted by Congress to
the rank of Colonel on the Continental Lfta
b.ifhmeut.
NEW-HAVEN, 'January 21.
The Committees from this and :he other
New England States, and from the States of
New-York and New-Jeifey, have come to
town, since our last, for the purposes recom
mended by Congress.
N E Vv-Y OR K, December 21.
Saturday arrived the Andrew, Cap™. Clever,in
fix weeksfrom Quebec, with 7; lebel prifonrrs.
Governor Curlarn had keen preparing tn em
bark fol England, but on receiving an account
of General Burgoyne's misfortune, he deter
mined to stay the winter unLE he was relieved
by the arrival of General Haldimand.
T y A N CAS t E R, February 18.
Extrafl ®f a letter from Baltimore, February 12, 177,.
“ By a gertleinan who came to town to day, im
mediately from Charlettown, (Souh Carolin) ue
have the melancholy account of the deftru.t^n of
about half that city. oscUioned by a bake-hoTe tak
ing lire. As the houses are chiefly built of wood,
and the wind b ing very high, rendered it impossible
toextirgniri the flame, before it had cor limed every
house from the place where it firit cauyh, to the li
mits of the city. Most cf the go & ds that were there
were confuted before they cou.d he got off."
The kgiflature of Rhode-lfimd and Providence
Plantations are a&ckly coining 48 ooel. money
cf New England, equal to 60 occl. FemOlvania
currency, by pre 'ent taxes. Tois Sta'e is of very
narrow extent. It never contained, of whites and
blacks, sS,%oinhabitants. The c:pi & al, Newport
a town of one thousand dwellings, to r e her with
Rhode I sl .nd, is in the p. OLa of the enemy. This
island lies imbay^d in the midst of the State, and af
fords easy recon fe to the shore of t^e main land
encircling it, and several fmallerinlands for a^ extent
of perhaps So miles, if the windings of the land be
Considered. To guard this coast against an enemy
most advantagecuflf polled, and without covered by
their (hipping, harraffes the militia with constant fa
tigue. and yet the country is not secured fr m the
ravages of the enemy. How ipiri'ed, then, muff
be rhe temper cf the people of this Srate, who can
in such circumha ces submit to levies of money so
large and bordeofome: a mode of Supporting the
credit of paper money, that is solid and certain,
whilst at the fame time, i; manifeds their full deter
mination to defea 1 the country as them own.
In C ONGRES S, "January 2, 1728.
Corgref; having no further occ div., for the service
of Elek Hopkins, Esq; wh> on the 22c )December,
1775, was appoin ed Commander in Chief of the
Fleet fitted out by te Naval Committee. Fefolved,
That the said Elek Hopkins, E q; be dismissed from
the service of the United States.
Extras from tie Minutes,
CHARLES 1 HOMoON, Secretary.
To the Printer of the Pennsylvania Packet
S I R,
The fo/lo^i^ Extr .sis of a Letter from an fyeriern
Gent eman cffifinflion to a Member f'Corcrefs are
f° Jft a type of the /entiments of , mericfm before
the pertinacious cruel, of Greit Britain rendered
our separation from her efentia! to our exigence as a
free people, and at tie feme time brestbe such a pro
phetic feirit ^th refteft ts Mr. Burgoynes Jate, that
they % not be unacceptab etc man, ofyour readers.
Paris, October 8, 1777.
' ? ^ n between two and three months
in hrar.ee. havrh g quitted 3 country which from
my infancy 1 hav.„locked upon as my own, and for
which I have had the mc^ unbeunCed affc&ion. If
cruel experience did not demonftra^e the fad, it cou'd
uardiy be ciedueu, that the Ministry and Parliament
could have adapted, and with so steady and invari
able a Cep pursued inch measures, a< should make it
abfdutely necefi.ry f^ : us to abandon England, and
to attach ourie yes to the imerefts of France. It
seems as if r. were intended to (hew to what extre
unities of wickedness and folly, 2 f,t ofhuman crea
tures veded with great power, and vainly imagining
themselves p feffed cf much greater, could arrive.
I tiuft, however, that the wisdom and virtuous ex
ertions of a free people will humble the arrogance of
their oppressors.
“The approach cf Mr. Burgoyne into the neigh
bourhood of hurt Edward, cannot be a very agree
able ciicumftance to you. It is not impeffibF but
he may experience the fate of Charles, Duke ofßur
guody, whole bones 1 saw about three years ago
mingled with thole of his countrymen upon the barks
of the lake of Morat, in the canton of Bern, in Swit
zerland. He, as well as Mr. Burgoyne, had ad
vanced confiuerably into the country of a free and
virtuous peepe, with the impious design of over
throwing their liberties; but w.,s by them de'eated.
and (lain, together with the grea est part ofhis army.
A chappel is erected over the bones, and a modest
ir.fcripti<,n records the fad. After relating what
Charles bad done, it concludes thus, Hoc rnonumm
turn rfiquit."