The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-04-01 00:00:00, page 2

. g. From the printed Journals we might fee a little who
and IVso's together ; vie might know tne complexion of
Delegates: And truly, Sir, I fear the people of America
are miserably ignorant upon this head. I have heard
things from Delegates which, I am sure, would have
blocked their condiments; and, in the way things are
going, it is a great while before a man's constituents can
find him out.
3. It is highly proper that the constituents should know
whether due diligence is used by their Delegates in dis
patching the great lo id of public business which is before
them, or w aether they fpsnd their time in debates about
trifles, or about things they have no business with —such
as the internal affairs of a particular state. If I should
find by their Journals that they fpen. Itheir time about
trifles, whilfl serious business is postponed, I should fuf
pea that a wicked minority, -finding themselves unable
to carry wicked measures, contrive to weary out honest
men, and thus prevent them from doing any good.
4. If we knew rightly what Congress are doing, we
might perhaps some times afford t em assistance from
without. Many important hints might be fugpefled by
persons of leisure, which Congress might make a good
use of.
Ills lift piece of intelligence relates to myen leavours td
wake peace ^irh the Society for propagating the Gospel.
My desire is to be al peace with all good men ; and tuat
Society s corapofed of many of t^e bes men of the church
to wauh I belong. For ramiy years, I have been at peace
with them ; and as that peace would probably never have
been interrupted but through the misrepresentations of
such men as Mr. Hart, I expert to enjoy it again when
sash as he is th JI cease to nave credit with them.
I have now done with Mr. Hunt; and if Mr. T. G.
chufes to consider all those as trimmers who manifeft an
honed concern for their public as well as private character,
he is welcome to class me among the number; although
it midi ha. been probably his wisdom, to have let that
word deep. The confidence of the good people or this coun
try, and of toe other country too, is worth acquiring and
,reserving; but the best place to look for such people is
not, perhaps, among tne furious partisans or interefled
riders of either, ft nas been my lot to fuffer from both ;
and although I could with to leave no reproach behind me,
for my children to druggle with, yet, so far as regards
popularity, I can look fir above and beyond the preient
heited moments, to that cooler and happier period, when
it will be no disgrace to have it said tnrtl endeavoured to
walK through 11 e, superior to the threats or caresses of
party ; true to the principles which in my own conscience I
entemed just, and not uncharitably severe in (canning the
print iples of others
In moderation placing all my glory,
While TORIES call'd me whig, and whigs a TORY.
WILLIAM SMITH.
I am very sensible there are some things which ffiould
hot be published: but the ordinary business es Congress
might as well, indeed mugh better, be publiflied now than
two years hence. Some of the orations too which are made
jn Congress, might be of use to the people; but these I
despair of coming at. 0 d Fashion.
To the Printer of the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
SI R,
IN a country, where every man has a right to offer his
opinion on public affairs, I hope no apology is neces
sary for tue present rem rks.
It has of late been fugefted that Congress ought to
pubidh, from week to week, a Journ lof the r proceed
ings. I have thought much on tmslubjeft ; and really,
Sir, I have almost persuaded myfelf tnit the neglect of
this is the great cause of all our difficulties.
i. Divides.tell us, very justly, that a man ought to aft
under a sense of the presence of his Creator, who will re
ward or punish him according to his conduct. In like
manner it might have a very happy etteH on the minds of
our Delegates, if, inßead of ading in ferret a id keeping
the publication of their Journals two years behind hand,
their proceedings were submitted weekly to the infpe&i
on of their constituents. Honest men <onid rave no ob
jeHion to this , though I nave formerly known fme men
in that venerable body, who have affected to treat any at
tempt to expl iin theirconduH to their constituents, as a
fort of crimen leefee m ,fa is.
I. If I were to exhibit a complaint to Congress, that
one of their servants was plundering the public, I should
be glad to know, within a twelvemonth, what was done
about it : and, if it were delayed; whether it were post
poned to make way for matters of real importance, or
whether it was ffloved aside by some frivolous business.
P. S. I am told that, in my last piece on Saturd y last,
my endeavouring to shew a m in's ignorance of the English
tongue, by feeding a word as it was spoken, has been
made use of to irritate ^me of a very refpettible body of
men, to whom I have o;hn given mmilefl proofs of my
aifectiop and esteem. I cab only fay that as no offence
was in& hd, foil I had forefeen any, I would rather
have led twenty words necessary to my own defence, than
have inferred one that could be mifconfirued or mistaken.
For the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
To the P U B LI C.
ON Monday evening and Tuesday morning last,
William Smith, of this city, Broker, one of the
men who were removed from the city by desire of Con
gress on the approach es the enemy, as being of a charac
ter not to be permitted at that time to join the enemy,
had propagated a report of an engagement between the
French and British fleets, in which it was insinuated that
Count d'Eflaing had loft eleven men of war—which flory
he said he had from Abel James, of this city, Merchant,
and that it was in a New-York paper of the 24th instant,
which was then in the city. Had Smith's character been
unquestioned before, the air, manner and countenance
with which he told it, would have Efficiently shewn that
he was pleased with the flory, however he came by it—
and it was eagerly spread from tory to tory through eve
ry part of the city, affording greatjoy to them, and oc
casioning exquisite pain to some good whigs, who feared it
was true. ' Foreseeing the consequences which were likely
to rife out of this flory, I went to Mr. James to enquire
upon what ground it had been taken up, and was surpris
ed to find that he absolutely denied having told Smith
such a story, and declared he had seen no such newspaper
as Smith had mentioned. Satisfied that the whole was a
In GENERAL ASSEMBLY of Pennsylvania,
Tuesday, March 30th, 1779.
The bill intitled, “ An aft to amend an a& of General
Assembly, intitled, An act for the regulation of waggons,
and the supplement and further supplement to the said
aft," being read the second time, and debated by para
graphs, was ordered to be tranferibed for a third reading,
and in the mean time printed for public consideration.
Extract from the minutes,
John Morris, Junior,
Clerk of the General Assembly.
An ACT to amend an ad of General Assembly of this fate,
intitled, An ad jor the regulation of waggons, and the
supplement and further supplement to the said a&.
WHEREAS in and by the a& of General Assem
bly, intitled, " An aft for the regulation of wag
gons, carriages and pack-horses for the public service"
passed at Lancaster on the second day of January, One
thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight, it is enafted,
that " upon application to the Waggon-Mafter General
of this state by the Quarter-Master General, he ihall issue
his order to the County Waggon-Mafter to furnifh the
number of waggons and teams that may be wanted, tak
ing care that, as far as circumftanc@ will admit, they per
form the said service in rotation, paying due regard to
those whose waggons have already been in the service ;"
AND WHEREAS the very liberal conftruHion, that
has been given to the authority vefled in the Quarter-
Master General of the federal army, has been such, as
to enable his Deputies to call forth the waggons of this
state, in such numbers, and for such lenghty and diflant
fervice^, as to greatly overburthen a»d oppress the huf
faifehood, I returned home, and found fitting in my par
lour with my son, who i^ a lad under age*, Thomas
Fisher, of this city, Merchant, another of the men remov
ed from the city by desire of Congress, son of Joshua
Filher, and brother of Samuel R. Fisher, now under arrest
upon a charge of having written a treasonable letter sign
ed with his name, and addressed to Jabez Maud Fisher,
another brother of theirs, now with the enemy in New-
York, wnich was intercepted at El zabeth-Town ; and
also John James, formerly of the county of Chefler, and
some time since of Charleftown, South-Carolina, who was
named in the warrant issued for arresting the men remov
ed, as aforefaid; but he being unknown to the person to
whom the warrant was directed, he was not arrested, and
it is believed that he puffed backward and forward to and
from the city during th© time the enemy was in possession
of it Ibis Thomas Fisher and this John James, I. found,
upon enquiry, came to " deal with" my ton for bearing
arms in the defence of his country ! The world will judge
what I ought to have done in such a case— It is my duty,
in order to prevent misrepresentations, however reluctant
ly, to inform the public what I did do in a case the firfl of
its kind which has happened in the world. I turned them
both out of my house and gave them in the open fireet,
in full measure, but not without mercy, the chaflifement
which their audacious impudence demanded and thus ex
torted from me.
It really affords us great pleasure to find our pafl con
duct cceptable to you ; and assure you, Sir, that our en
deavors shall not. be. wanting to merit the esteem and con
fidence of a virtuous President and Legislature, under
whose auspices we hope to fee unanimity, wisdom and
public interest flourifh, and a government that will be the
duty and interest of every individual in the state to Tup
port.
As this tranfaHion will undoubtedly form a page in
“ the book of fufferings," and as Mr. Fisher and Mr.
James represent the stick used upon the occasion as a very
heavy one, and a mere cudgel —to prevent the exaggera
tions common in that book, it is necessary to fay, that my
horse-whip being out of its place, I was obliged to use a
smallish middle- fixed walking flick, which I have usually
c rried in my hand for several years pafl, and the Meet
ing for Sufferings may, if they please, fee, in the handsof
Mr John Dunlap, Printer, a piece of the identical flick
one foot in length, which measures on the thickest end
fix-tenths of an inch in diameter. To my country I ap
peal for a judgment in this case; and by their judgment
I will stand or fall—making this single remark, that it is
the firfl time in all my d.ys, that I have been provoked
to firike a man by any thing less than a blow.
* The fame lad that attended lafi fall at General Ar
nold's quarters as orderly jerjeant 0/ the militia.
J A MA I C A, December 26.
Last Wednesday fe'ennight the transports with two bat
talons of loyalists, and a battalion of Waldeckers, filed
from Port Royal for Peafa ola, under convoy of the Sole
bay man of war. When several merchant vessels took
the benefit of that convey.
PHILADELPHIA, April 1.
The following Address was yesterday delivered to his
Excellency the President es this state to be laid before the
Council, which was accordingly done.
Milfone Camp, March 17th, 1779.
SIR,
DE EPLY impressed with the truest sense of grati
tude, we beg leave, in the name of all the offi, ers
and troops of the state, to return your Excelled y and
the Honorable Council and Assembly our most sincere and
hearty thanks for the generous resolves passed in our fa
vor. \
And when called forth to the field, rest assured, Sir,
we fhdl exert every nerve to advance the honor and dig
nity of the state to which we belong.
With every sentiment of esteem and tefpeft, we re
main your Excellency's and the Honorable Council
and Allembly's most obedient and very humble ser
vants,
JAMES CHAMBERS, Colonel ft. Pennf. Reg.
RICHARD BUTLER, Colonel ,th. ditto.
T. CRAIG, Colonel 3d. ditto.
WILLIAM WILLIAMS, Lt. Col. 3 d. ditto.
JOS HARMER, Lt. Col. Com. 6th. ditto.
T. P. MENTGES Major in. ditto.
JOHN MURRAY, MTor td ditto.
THOMAS L EYLES, Major 3 d. ditto.
J. GRIER, Major 10th. ditto.
His Excellency Joseph Reed, Esq.
T. MATLACK.
bandmen thereof, and to hinder the tillage of the country
and the supply of bread, as well for the use of the fcederal
army as the fuftentatjon of the inhabitants; For remedy
whereof,
Be it enabled, and it is hereby enabled by the Repre.
fentatiues of the Freemen of the Commonwealth 0, Fenn-
Jjlcvania, in General Assembly met, and by the authority of
the fame. That from and after the publication of this aft,
110 waggon or waggons, team or teams, be furnished by
the Waggon-Matter of t e state, or any of his Deputies,
to the Quarter-Master General, or any other officer tor
the public service, unless with the approbation and war
rant of the Supreme Executive Council ®f this state, who
are hereby authorifed to judge of the number of such wag
gon and waggons, team and teams, length of service not
exceeding thirty days, and distance which such waggon
or waggons, team or teams, may be employed and lent.
Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall
extend to repeal the authority in the said recited a& given
to officers, who have in charge the public records or pa
pers, and to Lieutenants and Sub-Lieutenants of the feve
rai counties, to demand waggons and teams for the pub
lic service, as heretofore.
and be it further enabled by the authority aforefaid, That
if any person, from and after the publication of this a&,
Ihall, on any pretence whatsoever, other than to supply
the demands of the officers, having in charge the public
records, and the Lieutenant and Sub-Lieutenants afore-
Hid, seize, take, or impress any waggon or waggons,
cart or carts, team or teams, horse or horses, or any of
the gears, harness, or any parts, furniture or accoutre
ments of any waggon or cart, without having firft obtain
ed an express warrant from the Supreme Executive Coun
cil for that purpose, signed by the President or Vice Pre
sident in Council; every person so offending shall, upon
prosecution by indidment in any Court of Quarter Ses
sions, being thereof convicted, forfeit and pay to the use
of this state, the sum of pounds; and
the party grieved shall also recover of such person so of
fera^mg, in an action of trespass, treble damages, together
with treble costs of suit.
AND WHEREAS the waggons and teams of this state,
drawn out for the public service, have been, through the
peculation and fraud of dishonest men, misapplied and
perverted to the purposes of conveying and transporting
private property, to the manifeft oppression of the good
people of this state, by increasing the burthen of this fa
t^ng service, and to the waste of the public treasure,
and the great disgust and disquiet of the good people of
this state. Wherefore, for effeaual remedy thereof,
Be it enacted by the authority ajorefata, That - from and
after the publication of this afl, if any officer in the ser
vice of this state, er of the United States of America, or
any other person, Iha 1 transport on any waggon, cart, or
horse, drawnrout for public use by virtue of the laws of
this state, or carry, or cau e to be transported or carried,
an y goods and merchandize, or other private property, not
belonging to the United St, tes, or one of them, or to this
state, other than the baggage a^d other accommodations
allowed by Congress, or by the Commander in Chief of the
federal army, or the Supreme Executive Council of this
state, to the officers and soldiers, and other persons em
ployed in the public service; such perlons so offending,
shall, if convifted thereof upon prosecution by indictment
for the fame in any Court of Quarter Seftons, forfeit the
sum of to the use of this state:
And every Justice of the Peace, Constable, and every other
person, is hereby enabled to seize for his ewn use and bene
fit ail such private property, except as is before excepted, so
carried or carrying, transported or transporting, within this
state, and to prosecute the fame te condemnation, in any
Court of Common Plea in this state, by information in
rem, and that no claim for the fame fltali be admitted
by the Court 'till fufficient security be given by the person
claiming, to answer all ofts to the seizer, in case the said
claimant shall fail ; or if the said private property, so car
ried and transported as aforefai I, be removed, the value.of
the fame shall be recovered, to the use of any person who
shall sue for the fame, by aftion of debt in any Court of
Common-Pleas in this state ; in which information in rem,
or aflion of debt, the onus probandi shall lie upon the
claimant or defendant ; and for the more thorough cor
reHion of this public abuse, the owner and owners of such
waggon, team, cart or horse, upon the conviction of any
person or persons as aforefaid, of any such perversion or
mifapplicatien of any wag on or waggons, team or teams,
cart or carts, horse or horses, in transporting or carrying
es private property, as aforefaid, ffiall recover treble the
pay or hire of the fame, as allowed by this aft, together
with costs ; if not exceeding ten pounds, in the mannetyn
which small debts are recoverable; if exceeding tea
pounds, by an action of trespass.
And be it further enabled by the authority aforefaid, That
from and after the publication of this aft, the pay of a
waggon and four horses with a driver, drawn out for the
public service, shall be p e r diem,
the owner thereof finding forage for the fame; but if the
publie find forage, the sum of
And that the pay of a waggon and two horses and a dri
ver, shall be p er diem, if
the owner thereof find forage for the fame; but if the pu
blic find forage, the sum of
And that the hire of a pack-horse, without forage, shall
be per diem• , but if forage
be Applied by the public, only
per diem.
And be it further enabled by the authority aforefaid, That
if any person shall be sued or prosecuted for any thing
done in pursuance of this a&, he may plead the general
issue, and give this aft and the special matter in evidence,
&c. and if the plaintiff difeontinue, be non-suited, or
fail, &c. the defendant shall recover treble costs.
fori**-* +##+**+ ++ ~Hh,-***
TO BE SOL D,
A QUANTITY of
P A P E R,
Of the best quality,
Properly manufaftured for Musket Cartridges.
Enquire of JOHN DUNLAP.
A small quantity of CANNON CARTRIDGE
PAPER to be fold. Enquire as above.