The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1782-11-20 00:00:00, page 1

Mr. Printer,
CONSIDERING how many good writers
on publick affairs we have had in times
past, it may perhaps be thought prelump
tious in a plain farmer to obtrude his home
spun sentiments on the publick. I have long felt
the full force of this observation, and been blent.—
But as Hortenfius and others, from their long si
lence, I presume are otherwise engaged; and as I
mean to address myfelf principally to those who are
farmers like myfelf, I hope my observations, though
plain as the coat I wear, may nevertheless, like it,
be both substantial and ufeful.
When people are engaged in any matter of great
importance, it appears to me botli prudent and ne
cessary, often to look back to the place we started
from, as well as forward to the place we wish to ar
rive at. By attending to this, we not only can de
termine whether we are in the right line from the
one place to the other (which is very necessary, be
cause every deviation encreafes the distance we have
to go) but it also thews us how far we are advanced,
and what more we have yet to do to fulfil all our
willies, and to crown our past labours with triumpli
and success.
AZETTE.
In the beginning of this glorious contest, liberty,
the greatest earthly bleffing,courted our acceptance;
and, in the mean-time, pointed out to our view the
ugly Egyptian fiend, slavery, with her iron teeth
and talons stalking close behind us. Fools and cow
ards would have fell prostrate before the beast ;
and, like the Indians of old, and the tories now,
worfhipped the devil from fear. With men of wis
dom and courage there was no hesitation.—We
slashed indignation in the monster's face, and defied
its keepers, the King and Parliment of Britain.—
Not ignorant, that the purchase of every good thing
is difficult, in proportion to its value,,we fclemnly
engaged to rifle our lives and fortunes to secure to
ourselves and our posterity, PEJCE, LIBERTY AND
safety. We rushed to arms, with an eagerness
and enthusiasm, that nothing but the justest cause,
an influencing Providence, and an approving con
feience could inspire. We reversed the scripture ;
we beat our ploughfhares into fwords,and our prun
inghooks into spears ; we turned out alternately in our
monthly tours of military duty; the endearments
of family connexions, and profpeds of present gain,
caused no delay ; we scorned all fneakiog contidera
tions of interest, and, without any present profpeXs
of procuring more, we freely parted with what pro
perty we had, for the fuppoit of the army, and
other publick purposes. Though sometimes overrun,
and at all times ulmoft surrounded by hob of ene
mies, we were once, and but once deprelied, and
that only for a short time. United in heart, firm
and determined in out purposes, we forced our way
through ftreights and difficulties, under a conduc
ing and approving God, that, in the carnal eye of
human prudence, would have appeared infurmdunt
able. I avoid being particular, the recital looks
like panegyrick. Thus^in spite of numberless em
barrassments, we have run the glorious race set be
fore us for above seven years, with a rapidity and
success unexampled in all other revolutions of the
like kind. But alas! a burthen, the longer it is
borne, the heavier it seems to grow, without the
access of any additional weight. 1 ant sorry to fay
it, we seem now to flag in our prosperous career,
with the goal full in view, almost within our grasp,
when a few, a very few spirited exertions mote,
would triumphantly close the feene forever. From
the interposition of some adverse accidents, which
could neither be forefeen nor prevented, such as
shutting up our ports by the enemy, and the chas
tising hand of Providence in the late most extraor
dinary drought, the payment of taxes is become
difficult, though, I humbly apprehend, by no means
generally impracticable. A review of our past fuf
ferings, I think, will convince us that the burthens
we have already borne, and cheerfully too, were
really much greater than what we now bear. To
prove this, I would wish that every good whig would
fairly count up the loss he sustained by his attend-
WEDNESDAY; November 20, 1782.
ance in the militia. You all know, my brother
farmers, that the success of our winter crops mate
rially depends on the fufficient and timely culture
given to the fallow; and on feed-time and harvest
all our hopes depend: and as to the furnmer pro
duce, the seasons of sowing and planting are no
less critical; and the giving or withholding the after
dressings, for one fortnight, will mark it for a whole
or but half a crop. At these important seasons,
how often have the alarm guns summoned us in
stantly to the field of battle. Under such circum
stances it would have been madness to have at
tempted cultivating more than half our usual quan
tity of ground. Notwithstanding our being thus
every way abridged of our common encreafe, the
neccllitics of the times impelled us to part with
more of those gleanings of a crop, as 1 may call
them, to the publick, than our private consumption
could well spare, though sure to be paid in money,
the value of which evaporated in our hands, and
left little more than a bit of pasteboard behind. I
purposely omit mentioning the rifle of life, for that
admits of no valuation. All this we did, and fuf
fered for years, accompanied with this mortifying
and provoking circuftance, that the tories, and par
simonious vapid whigs, bore no other Share of the
burthen .than some trifling fine in continental mo
ney, which they must have considered rather a con
venience than an expence, as it rid them of what
little money of that fort might happen to be.forced
upon them against their will. Such, my neighbours,
has been our situation. Let us then candidly ex
amine what it is now. Every man fitsin fafety under
his own vine and figtree, with a moral certainty,
that he will never be stripped to the f<in by the
enemy again, as many of us have been heretofore.
We are left at liberty to pursue our several employ
ments without interruption ; and, under the Smiles
of Providence, with our usual success. We ought
to lock on the bright fide of things, and not to be
hooting and foreboding like these political fcreetch
owls the tories We Should conlider that if the
burthen is heavy, and heavy it undoubtedly is, and
of necessity must be for a little while, yet we have
the correlation to know that every man's Shoulder
is under it now, which did not use to be the case:
tories as well as others bear their equal share; and
I have my suspicions that it was from that quarter
the present uneafihefs firft began. Rivington, their
oracle, tells them and others, in his papers, that
they have it in their own power to rid themselves
of the tyranny and opprellion of Congress at any
time; they have nothing to do but to withhold their
purle Strings, and they instantly fall into nought,
they are taught this tune from New-York, and
they hum it all round the country. Some, who af
fect to be whigs, and who ought to know better,
but want their interest upon Jo v/c occasions, fug
it too. And some, who love their money very
much, -and do not know the absolute necessity of
parting with it on this occasion, like to hear it,
perhaps join in chorus, and croak away as loud as
the rest, without adverting to what company they
are in. Upon examination, I believe it will be
found, that the fighting active whigs, who have all
along Suffered most in their property, do generally
pay their taxes well, and without murmuring.—
And why? becauSe a willing mind, with industry
and ceconomy, can do wonders. And who are the
delinquents, considered as counties, townihips or
individuals ? Where-ever difaffeXion molt prevails,
there you will find them, by an alarming majority.
T he very, name of taxes grates on the ears of most
people, because they are generally, throughout the
world, the demands of pride, ambition or avarice,
levied by tyrants and their creatures, and mifpent
or perverted to the worst of purposes. It is not so
with us: the present publick calls upon us, for a
part of our property, ought rather to be termed the
voluntary contributions of a brave and free people,
to secure to themselves and posterity the only
earthly bleflings that are worth a good mao's while
to live or to die for. They are freewill-offerings
at the shrine of liberty; and not the rackrents of
THc
cruel taskmasters wrung from the sweat of slave
I might here add the absolute necessity of heavy
taxes for a year or t.vo at present; that it is every
man's intfref, singly considered, to pay them, be
cause it will save him money in the end, with sun
dry other observations ; but I am unwilling to trel
pafs too far upon your patience at once. Should
these few hints be received with the fame benevo
lence they are given, as the business of the sum
mer is over, and leisure with winter is coming on,
you may perhaps hear farther from
A Somerset Farmer.
November 7, 1782.
Just PUBLISHED,
And to be fold by ISAAC COLLINS, at his
Printing-Office in TRENTON,
An elegant AMERICAN Edition of
JULIA DE ROUBIGNE,
A SENTIMENTAL NOVEL
in a Series of Letters,
By the celebrated Author of the Man of Feeling,
and the Man of the World,
In two volumes, faperbl, gilt and lettered, bound
in one.
Price TEN SHILLINGS.
THIS performance has been so very universally
I and justly admired, that it needs but little re
commendation from a publisher. The story is high
ly interesting; the language elegant, harmonious,
pathetick and impaffioned.—lts charaderi Ricks are
an amiable philanthropy, and peculiar delicacy of
sentiment, conspicuous through the whole.—While
it entertains the fancy and delights the imagination,
it has an irresistible tendency to improve the heart
and impress on the mind the noblest and molt ex
alted sentiments.
To those who contemplate with pleasure the dig
nity of human nature supported with manly firmnefs
amidst the reiterated attacks of adverse fortune, it
will afford the highest entertainment—And to the
foul of sensibility, which " melts at evety human
woe," and finds a luxury in indulging the fympa
thetick tear, this tender tale of foft distress will be
an unrivalled favourite.
Just PUBLISHE D,
And to be fold by ISAAC COLLINS, at his
Printing-Office in TREN TON,
[Price HALF A DOLLAR.]
A
LETTER
ADDRESSED TO THE
ABBEE RAYNAL
ON THE A
Affairs of North-America.
IN WHICH THE
Miftakcs in the Abbe's Account
OF THE
REVOLUTION of AMERICA
ARE CORRECTD AND CLEARED UP.
By THOMAS PAIN E, M. A.
of the University of Pennsylvania, and Author of
the Pamphlets and other Publications, intitled,
“ COMMON SENSE."
"JUST PUBLISHED,
And to be fold at the Printing-Office
in Trenton, the New-Jersey
ALMANACK,
For the Year of our Lord 1783.
CONTAINING,
Besides the usual Astronomical
Observations, a Variety of"
ufeful and entertaining Mat
ter in Prose and Verfe^l
[Numb. 256.]