The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-01-26 00:00:00, page 2

Por the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
[The piqfr promised by this author in our last, is deferred
to a future paper, to make room for the following.]
lAMI AM told that the writer or assistant writer of the piece
finned Philalethes, is believed to be a person of the
name of Parke, and that he is fubjeft at times to fits of
craziness. This is not mentioned as a reproach but as an
excuff for him; and being the heft that can be made, I
h^efore charitably apply his disorder as a remedy to his
reputation,What credit or benefit Mr. Deane can expert to
derive from the service of a crazy man, I am at a loss to
onceive; and as I think it quite out of character to coq
teud with such a person, (provided the report is true) I
th all fatisfy myfelf with cjvilly pointing out an error or
<w % and leave the public to think as they please of the
re st.
In my last piece I declared that I should fay nothing
farther on toe fubjed of the supplies till every other person
had done, i shall keep to that declaration; but in the
ineairtime I tnink it necessary that what I have already
written should not be misunderstood or misrepresented.
Philalethes in his last piece has twice quoted the follow
ing expreflion of mine from a publication of the zd mftant,
viz. " The supplies which he (Mr. Deane) so pompously
“ plumes himfelf upon, were promised and engaged, and
'•'that as a present, before he even arrived in France."
That I have used this expression is true, but in a quite
different sense to what Philalethes has used it in ; and none
but a crazy man would nave quoted it without quoting the
whole paragraph. My declaring " that that the supplies
" were promised and engaged, and that as a present, be
" fore Mr. Deane went to France," is one iking, and my
declaring that I have a letter which feys so, is entirely
another thing.Philalethes has crazily applied the declara
tion to the fuppliest emfelves, whereas in the place where
I have used it, it is only applied to a letter which mentions
the supplies. I ihall quote the whole paragraph, word
for word, from Mr: Dunlap's paper of Jan. 2d, and every
man mult fee it in the fame light, and allow that I have
either a crazy or an unjust set of men to deal with. The
paragraph is—
" If Mr. Deane or any other gentleman will procure an
" order frompugrejs to infped an account in my office,
''or if any of Mr. Deane's friends in Congress will take
" the trouble of coming themselves, I will give him or
" them my attendance, and fliew them in a band writing
" whih Mr. 'Deane is well acquainted with, that tft sup
" plies he so pompously plumes himfelf upon were pro
" mifed and engaged, and that as a present, before Mr.
, " Deane even arrived in France."---Philalethes ought to
be obliged to me for aligning his craziness as an eKCufe
for his crime.
Now it only remains to know whether there is such a
letter or not. I agaih declare there is; but that neither
the King of France, by any name or title whatever, nor
yet the nation of France, are any where mentioned in that
letter: and surely the gentlemen of that country might
make, or offer, a present to America if they pleased, with
as much propriety as the merchants and others of London
did to the Corsicans when they were warring against the
French; and perhaps, if we had not had a purchasing
Agents such a present migh r havecome. Having brought
the matter to this point, I shall mention as a proof of
there being such a letter, that I have shewn it to several
Members of Congress, among whom I take the liberty of
naming General Roberdeau, pne of the Delegates of this
state ; and I am confident that that gentleman will, in any
company and on any occafisn, do me the justice to fay
that he has fe@n such a letter, and nothing farther is ne
cessary..
It is evident, that so far frdm my asserting or laboring
to prove the supplies a present, that I did not so much as
form an opinion upon that matter myfelf. My firft men
tion of them is in the paper of Jan. 2d; in these words---
" The supplies here alluded to are thofe,which were sent
" from France in the Amphitrite,, Seine and Mercury
" about two years ago. They had <it firft the appearance
'' of a present, but whether jo or on credit, the service was
" nevertheless a great and friendly one." And in the
paper of Jan. sth I likewise said, "That as the contrail
“ had not been explained by my of Mr. Deane's letters,
" and is left in obscurity by that which he signed the 16th
" of February last, theres re the Jull explanation must rest
" upon other authority." This is the last expreflion of
mine relating to the conditions of those supplies in any of
my pieces intitled ' Common Sense to the Public on Mr.
f Deane's affairs;" and it muff be deartoevery man, whe
ther partial or otherwise, that I even relinquished all pre
tentions to the farming any opinion of my own on that
head, but left.it to be decided by those whose business it
was.•
The point f really set out to prove, refoeding those sup
plies, is effectually proved, and that not only by me, but
by niy opponents, viz. That we are not obliged to Mr.
Deane for them. The letters which themselves have pub
lished of Mr. Arthur Lee, of May 13d, June 14th and 2 ,ft,
all of th m in the year 1776, prove that the contrail was
began before Mr. Deane arrived. Even Mr. Beaumar
chais's letter to Congress in support of Mr. Deane, proves
the fame, for he fays, " Long before the arrival of Mr.
" Deane in France, I had formed the project of establish.-
" ing a commercial house, fufficiently powerful and fpi
" rited to hazard the tifques of the sea and enemy, in CJF
" rying your ftor.es and merchandize for your troops, of
" which I learned you were in great want. I (poke of
" this plan to Mr. Arthur Lee in London," &c.
Now, taking off the honor of Mr. Deane's originally
procuring those supplies, which he has no title to, and I
aft, What where his services in France?
Answer He proposed fending over a German Prince,
namely, Prince Ferdinaifd, to command the army, and
consequently t© fupercede General Washington. Mr.
Deane will not disown this, because it is in his own hand
writing. Fine patriot indeed!
I conceive it perfectly needless to set any thing else to
rights, or to, do it only for diversion fake, and one of the
best replies I Could make to Philalethes would be to pub
lish my pieces over again. Mr. Deane's inftru^ions and
authority from the Committee were as I concisely related
them, and what Philalethes calls a " deteaion" is a con
firmation. Mr. Deane in his publication of Dec. sth, to
the public, fays, " After leaving your papers and mine in
"fafety. I left Paris the goth of March."---Surely I might
• fay so teg-—yetihis crazy man has contradicted me. He
Ukewife tells, the public that the foreign papers were all hi
the hands of the Secretary of Congress, whereas the far
greater part of them were in mine, and I delivered them
only last Saturday feven'night to James Lovel, Esquire,
member of the Foreign Committee. In short, the man is
most certainly crazy, for he does not even diftinguilh be
tween Mr. Deane's being directed by Congress to commu
nicate the Declaration of Independence to foreign Courts-#
and his not being invested vuitb^aproper public charaaer
to announce it in form. A great number of his de^aions,
' as he calls-them, are mere quibbles, of which the follow
ing is an instance:
" Falsehood 16th. Common Sense fays that Mr. Deane
" was'direded by the Committee which employed him to
" engage four Engineers." " Detention. Mr. Deane,"
fays Philalethes, " had no such inftruftion."
This is quibblingly true, because Mr. Deane's infiruc
tidn w'as to engage Engineers net exceeding four. lam
really ashamed to be seen replying to such ridiculous trash,
which can be thrown out for no other purpose than to be
wilder the public, and their own sense must fee it. A
good cause would scorn such wretched support, and such
crazy supporters.
Leaving in this place poor Philalethes, I proceed to take
notice of two real letters published in that piece, the one
signed Benjamin Franklin, the other fames L&vell.
That from Dr. Franklin is a civil certificate in behalf of
Mr. Deane while ailing. in conjunElion with the Doctor as
a " public Minzfler" for the (pace of “ fifteen months,
commencing from the time that the Doctor and Mr. Ar
thur Lee arrived in France, till the time of Mr. Deane's
recal. In that period of fjteen months Mr. Deane could
nob go wrong ; because, lacing " honored with one col
league and Jaddled with Another," he flood fafely between
the two.
But the Doctor is perfectly silent with refpe& to the
conduß of Mr. Deane, during the fix months prior to the
Doffer's arrival; and in which fix months, Mr. Deane
was Commercial Agent with Mr. Thomas Morris, and
Political Agent into the bargain. Here the Doflor is
wholly reserved; neither does he mention a word about
Mr. Deant's procuring the supplies; which, as it forms so
principal an object in Mr. Deane's separate agency, ought
not no have been omitted ; and therefore the omission is a
negative evidence against Mr. Deane's importance in that
tranfadion. In short, the silence of the letter on these
heads makes more against Mr. Deane, than the declarati
ons make for him.
Now it unfortunately happens, that the objections against
Mr. Deane are confined to the fix months prior to the
Donor's arrival, and of consequence the letter does not
reach the complaint, but leaves him just as he was.
Neither could the Doctor know all the circumstances of
Mr«, Deane's separate agency. Mr. Deane arrived in
France in June, Doctor Franklin in December; very lit
tle of Mr. Deane's correspondence had reached America
before the Doctor left it, and on the Doctor's arrival in
France it ceafod, and the feperate agency with it. That
fomethmg was not agreeable may be collected from Mr:
Beaumarchais's letter to Congrefy/or tho' Mr. Deane had
said, that the United States of America were under greater
obligations to Mr Beaumarchais; than to any other than in
Europe. Yet Mr. Beaumarchais fays in his letter " that in
' the affair of the supplies he tranfaßed with no other per
" son than' Mr. De.me, the other deputies (of which Dr,
" Franklin was one) scarcely shewing him the meft di
" fiant marks of civility." Strange indeed if ail is true
that Mr. Deane has told f After this Mr. Beaumarchais
repays Mr. Deane's with an equal lavifhment of praise, and
the . echo concludes the letter. Yet of all these things the
Doftor fays not a syllable, but leaves the two gentlemen
to Mr. Deane to " jufrify himfeh." In my firft piece "on
" Mr, Deane's affairs" December 31st, I mentioned that
the accounts which it was Mr. Dime's particular duty to
fettle, were those which he controlled in the time of his
being only a commercial Agent, which separate agency of
his expired fifteen months before heleftFrance.This brings
it to the period on which Dr. Franklin is filent^
Every day opens something new. The dispatches of
Odober 1777, which were said !o be stolen, are now be
lieved by some and conjeftured,by others, not to be in the
hands of theenemy. Philalethes fays that they contained
no such secret as I have pretended. How does he know
what secret I have pretended as I have not difclbfed any
nor ever will ? The dupli^tes of those dispatches have
arrived since and have been in my hands, and I can fay
thus much that they contain a paragraph which is I think
a flat contradiction, to one half wrat Mr. Deane wrote
while a feperate Agent ; and if he when in conjunction
with his colleagues had to sign something that disagreed
with what he had before written, and declared fince/t was
fortunateJor him that the diftatches were stolen, unfortu
nate that the duplicates arrived.
Another circumftapce is somewhat ftrikinr refpeftisg
thole dispatches, they should have arrived in York-Town
last winter, about the time that Mr. Beaumarchais's and
Mr. Deane's contract was presented to Congress for pay
ment, fortunate a^ain that they v ere stolen. In short had
Mr. Deane or his friend who figns' himfelf W. D. in Mr d
Holt's paper of the.tth instant half as much cause for
suspicion as I have concerning the loss of those dispatches,
they would ground thereon a heavy and positive charge.
I fully expelled after Mr. Deane's return to America that
he would have furnifhed the public, at lead anonimoufly
with the history of this extraordinary theft, instead of
which the whole matter has slept in silence
' Mr. Level's letter I observe has been printed twice in
Mr. Dunlap's paper. A curious circumfiance indeed ! It
is a civil answer to a civil letter and that is the amount of
it. But it fayfy that "Mr. Deme ma, return with re
" newed honor in cotnmiffion to Holland.'/ By Mr. Level's
figurative manner of expression and turn of political senti
ments. I Should suppose that he thought Mr. Deane's
former honors were somewhat decayed. lam persuaded
he thinks so now, and so I believe did ever, member of
the foreign Committee, as well as the Secretary..
It requires a greater degree of dexterity than any of my
opponents are possessed of, so conduit an argument con
fidently that is founded upon wrong or bad principles.
The chief part of my accusations are drawn from the de
fence which themselves have set up. They have enabled me
to convert theirjuftification into a charge,and by prefting
them on one part, they have given evidence against them
selves in another.
To prove something, for I scarcely know what about
the supplies, they have publifhedjhroe letters of the Hon,
A. Lee of May and Jane 1776, in whigh the pafriotifiß
and ardor of that gentleman is so evidently displayed, that
they stand as evidence against Mr. Deane's address to the
public of December sth, in which he^accufes him of de
faftion ; and likewise prove what I have before declared,
viz. that the affair of the supplies was firft communicated
by Mr. Beaumarchais to Mr. A. Lee in London, about
three years ago. And by publishing Mr. Beaumarchais's
letter for the fake of a compliment in it to Mr. Deane, they
have confirmed the fame evidence because that letter like
wise faxs that " long before Me. Deane arrived in France
the project was formed." As to the present or the purchase
I never undertook to ^ive even an opinion upon. It was
the priority of the plan only that I fought to prove, and
that being now fufficiently proved. The puffs given out
to support Mr. Deane are fliewn to be falfe. /The rest I
leave to time and chance.
I shall conclude this paper with remarking on thelhoclc
ing depravity of moral principle with which Mr. Deane
and his partizans conduct theiraffairs. They prove no
thing ; but exert their whole force to blast the reputation
of every one who hands in their way or makes a doubt of
their designs. The heat and error produced in the public,
by Mr. Deane'© address of December sth, must have long
ago subsided, had it not been constantly fed from some
monopolizing poisoned spring. To keep up the flame
they had unjustly raised has been the studied bnfinefs of
that party. Every morning opened with a lie and every
evening closed with another. The fun has risen and gone
down upon their falfehoods,in the multitude of which they
have bewildered detection. Still no man appears to own
them. Who will listen tefa tale withouta name, or give
credit to inventions which themselves are alh.med to fa
ther? A report neither proved nor owned becomes a falfe
hood contradicted. If their cause is just, if their object is
honorable, if their intentions are really for the public good
why do they hide themselves from the eye of the public
like Adam from the face of his maker? Why do they
skulk under the darkness of anonimous signatures ; or why
do they rest their hopes on the ruin of another's fame ?
By cutting, mangling and curtailing they may prove
treason from the law, and blasphemy from every page in
the bible, and if they can draw any comfort from serving
my publications in the fame manner, they have my free
consent.
The public have seen Mr. Deane's address of December
sth; in which he likewise endeavors to ruin the character
of two gentlemen who are absent, and in order that the
hitherto fair fame of those absent pe,fons may be effectu
ally destroyed, without the chance of proving their inno
cence ot replying to their accusers, a most infernal friend
of his (for I will call him such) has converted all Mr.
Deane's insinuations into falls, and given them with the
most heated language to the inhabitants of the state of
New-York in Mr. Holt's paper of January 1 ith ; and
that the public may know the barbarous and unjuftifiable
means by which Mr. Deane is kept up, I shall republifo
that letter in Mr. Dunlap's paper of Thursday next ; be
ing confident, that every man in America who has the
least spark of honor or honesty left will feel an abhorrence
at such detestable principles and practices. No character
can stand, however fair, no reputation can survive, how
ever honorable, if men unheard and in their absence are
to be anonimoufly destroyed.
The letter has net the least reference to me. lam per
haps intentionally left out, that the charges it contains
may be luppofed to be both uncontradi&ed and undoubted
and my design in republishing it is to expose the black
principle on which it is conftrufted.
It is dated Orange county December 31, and signed W..
D. If any person in this city (for I dare not call him a_
gentleman) should find it convenient to remove fnfpicions'
of his being the author, I thus give him notice-of the time
of republication.
COMMON SENSE.
Philadelphia, January 25, 1779.
THOUGHTSIon the PAPER CURRENCY,
QREDI T i^ founded on principles as fixed and uniform
~ as any nature; and, whether applied to individuals or'
nations, rife's and falls with the profpea of their being able
to pay their debts, with this additional circumstance, when
applied to the latter, of their being also willing.
It was impossible but the credit of America should run
low and her bills fink, so long as her independence was
doubtful, and the odds apparently against her that she
would fail in the present contest.
But the profpefl is changed. The independence of Ame
rica now refis on sure ground, ana is so ffiablifhed and
confirmed that it can neither be overthrown nor given up.
Great-Britain has fully tried her ftrqngth and her arts
upon it, but to little other purpose finally, it seems, than
that of setting Europe in a blaze, and cutting out work
for herfelf All the troops she can now raise are called for
to Gibraltar and the Weft-Indies, and she is obliged to
embody militia for her internal defence and fafety.'
But let the rage of Great-Britain spend itfelf how or
where it may, America has learned to despise it. America
now finds herfelf in a proper state of defence. Hergovern
merits are at length established and vigorous; her coun
sels united and firm; her supplies for war plentiful; her
army inured to the field, and, in prowess and difciptine,
superior to those who taught them the art of war. Her af
fairs also stand well abroad. Her Ambassadors are well
and honourably received ; the most iliuftrious and pow
erful,Monarch in Europe is avowedly her friend and ally ;
and she is well secured in the principal interests of that
quarter of the world. The fate of America is no longer
doubtful. Her emancipation is complete and her empire
established. It is the Lord's doing, audit should be mar
vellous in her eyes.
Talking now of her not being able to pay her debts, is
talking merely by the force of habit. And to fay that the
credit of her bills will not rife, is as perfectly idle as to fay
the fun will not; and as much against the course of nature.
However weak and credulous men may have been delud
ed and imposed on, the truth is, that there is not now a
man of sober thought and forecaft but fees that the bills
shortly will and must rife. The event is as certain, from
the nature of credit and prefect state of affairs, as that men
will continue to love gain, and have difeernment enough
to find out where it lies. Was there any room for doubt
in this matter before, there can be none now that the
voice of America has been taken, and the Resolutions @f
Congress of the id of January have passed, establishing es-