United States oracle and Portsmouth advertiser — Portsmouth, N.H., 1802-11-27 00:00:00, page 2

(No. 6)
State of Rhode-fond, %.
Jacob Read of Charleflon, in the state of S.
Carolina,now being atNewport,on oath declares
that he hath known John Rutledge, Esq. from
his early infancy—that he hath often seen him
write, and seen his letters to others, and parties
ularly during several years that the deponent
served as a Senator in the Senate of the United
States ; and the said John Rutledge, as a mem
ber of the House of Representatives, had fre
quent communications with him in writing,and
conceives himfelf to be well acquainted with
Mr. Rutledge's hand-writing ; that the depo
nent hath examined certain letters, produced on
Saturday last, the 18th of Sept inst. (and which
have been published in the newspaper of that
date called theßhode-Ulandßepublican)by Mr.
Farofworth as the originals of the fetters pub
lifted by him ; and the deponent faith he does
not believe such letters are of the hand-writing
of the said Rutledge. JACOB READ.
Sworn to, the 20tb Sept.
Before me BEN, HAZARD,
De,. Seer, and Pub. Not, ex off.
(N 0.
Nathaniel Russel, of Charleston, Esq. being
duly sworn doth depose that he has been acquain
ted with Mr. Rutledge from his childhood ;
that for some years be has been in correspon
dence with him ; that he has an accurate knowl
edge of his hand-writing, and from being fa
miliarly acquainted with it he is convinced the
originals of the letters published at Newport, in
last Saturday's paper, Ggned Nicholas Geffroy,
and addressed to the Prefident,were never writ
ten by Mr,Rutledge; that some words and let
ters in them bore some similitude to the hand
writing of a letter wrote by Mr.Rutledge,which
was shewn at the printing-office, but, in opinion
of the deponent, the letters in question are by
Do means a good imitation of the letter shewn
ac the printing-office, and are very diflimihr to
Mr. Rutledge's general manner of writing.
NATH'L RUSSELL.
State of Rhode-Zfland and Providence Plantations.
Brifol fe. At Bristol, on this eighteenth day
of September, A. D. 1802, pcrfonally came the
within named Nathaniel Russell, and fubferibed
rs to the within deposition, and made solemn oath
to the truth of the fame.
(l. s.) Before me J. RAWSON, Juf. Pam.
(No.g)
/. State of Rbode-fond, &e.
John Ladfon Frazer. St. Andrew's Parish in
the State of South Carolina, and Major Tobias
Bowles, of Charleston, in the fame Sate, being
sworn, declare that having seen two letters
published on the eighteenth inst. in the paper,
called the Rhode-Ifland Republican, and having
called at the office, where the originals of said
letters, published under the title of " Rutledge's
letters" were advertised to be seen, they com
pared laid originals with specimens of the hand
writing of Mr. Rutledge, and are convinced
that said letters were not written by him.
JOHN LADSON FRAZER,
T. BOWLES,
Sworn to tie QOtb of Sept.
(L. s.) Before me, BEN. HAZARD,
De, Sect,, and Pub Not. ex off _ ^
OTCTC not nrftten by the said John Rutledge.
CHRISTOPHER G CHAMPLIN.
Unworn and fubferibed in Newport, the 20tb Sep+
Q.s,) Before me, BEN. HAZARD,
De,. See r, and Bub. Net. ft 4,
„ ° ( No ^)
fteate of RboJe-tyand, ^e.
William Tew, of Newport, being fivers, dte
ehres, that he has had notes and billets from
Mr. Rutledge upon business, and is well ac
quainted with his hand writing—that he has
compared genuine specimens of Mr. Rutledge's
writing with the originals of two letters puh.
lifted on the ifth inst. il the Rhode-lfland
Republican, under the title of" Rutledge's Let
ters," aud is convinced those letters were not
written by Mr. Rutledge ; and if said letters
had been ffiewn to him, with the Signatures of
Mr. Rutledge to them, he should have fufpe&
cd them to be forged.
Sworn to the 10tb Sept, A. D. WM. TEW.
(L. *.) Before me BEN. HAZARD
Dep. Sec'ry and Pub Not. ex off.
(NTT)'
Personally appeared before me William Lit
tlefield, of this State, who being duly sworn,
depofeth that he has known Mr. Rutledge five
years, intimately, and often received letters and
notes from him ; that he thinks he knows bis
hand writing well, & believes the letters shewn
at the printing office, signed Geffroy, Were nev
er written by Mr. Rutledge. When this de
ponent commanded at a garrison in Georgia, he
there paid a sum of money to Mr. Rutledge,
which he had collected from the soldiers of his
company, for payment of articles they had
bought when Rationed in this town of Mr.
Geffroy and Mr Boss, and took a receipt, pro
mifiog to pay this money to Mr. Geffroy and
Mr. Boss. This receipt, which the deponent
saw Mr. Rutledge write, is as dissimilar as can
be to the hand-writing of the letters in question ;
and the word Geffroy, not in the least similar
to their signatures. This receipt the deponent
hath lodged at the office of Ben. Hazard, Esq.
WM. LITTLEFIELD.
Sate of Rhodefland, &c. Sworn to the 2Ctb. Sept'
(l. a.) Before me BEN. HAZARD#
De,. See'ry and Pub. Not ex, off
(N^f)
Personally appeared before me, Stephen T.
Northam, who being duly sworn, depofeth, that
moving known Mr. Rutledge in Charleston, on
his arrival here offered him his services ; hath
done much business with him ; hath received
many written notes, orders and letters from
him ; knows his hand writing well ; and docs
not think that the letters shewn by the printer,
signed Nicholas Geffroy, and which he the de
ponent hath examined, were written by Mr.
Rutledge. S. T. NORTHAM.
William Price of Charleston, in the state of S.
Carolina, Esq. being duly sworn, declares, that
in consequence of a publication of two letters
this day made in the paper called the Rhode
inland Republican, signed Nicholas Geffroy, and
addressed to the President of the United States,
which letters were said (in said paper) not to
be written by said Geffroy, but by Mr. Rut
ledge, he, the deponent, called at the office of
Oliver Farnfworth, printer of said paper, and
compared said tetters with writings of Mr.
Rutledge, which were genuine, and after an at
tentive examination he found said letters to be
unlike the hand-writing of Mr. Rutledge, and
was convinced they were not written by him.
WILLIAM PRICE.
State of Rhode-If and. Wc, Sworn to the X&b Sept.
(L. S.) Before me BEN. HAZARD.
Dcp. Sec'r, and Pub. Not. ex of.
State of Rhode Island &% Sworn to the aotb Sept,
(t. s.) Before me BEN. HAZARD.
T>eg. Secry and Pub. Not ex cff.
(No. 8,)
But while I beheld with pleasure the
dawn of liberty rising in Europe,! saw
with regret, the lu&re of it fading in
America. In less than two years from
the time of my departure, some distant
symptoms painfully suggested the idea
that the principles of the revolution
were expiring on the foil that produc
ed them. I received at that time a let
ter from a female literary correspond
ent, and in my answer to her, I expres
sed my fears on that head, in the fol
lowing pensive fbliloquy:
" You touch me on a very tender
point when you fay that my friends on
your fide the water,cannot be reconciled
to the idea of my abandoning Ameri
ca,even for my native England. They
are right, I had rather fee my horse
Button eating the grass of Bordentown
or Morifania, than all the pomp and
shew of Europe.
" A thousand years hence, for I must
indulge a few thoughts,perhaps in less,
America may be what Europe now is.
The innocence of her character that
won the hearts of all nations in her fa
vor, may found like a romance, and
her inimitable virtue as if it had never
been. The ruins of that liberty for
which thousands bled, may just furnish
materials for a village tale, or extort a
sigh from rustic sensibility ; whilst the
fashionable of that day enveloped in
dissipation shall deride the principles
and deny the fad.
" When we contemplate the fall of
empires and the extin&ion of the na
tions of the ancient world, we fee but
little more to excite our regret, than
the mouldering ruins of pompuous pal
aces, magnificent monuments, lofty
pyramids and walls and towers of the
moftcoftly workmanffiip: but when
the empire of America shall fall, the
fubjed for contemplative sorrow will
be infinitely greater than crumbling
brass or marble can inspire. It will not
then be faid,here flood a temple of vast
antiquity, here rose a Babel of invisible
height, or there a palace of sumptuous
extravagance ; but, here ! a painful
thought ! the noblest work of human
wisdom—the grandest feene of human
glory, the fair cause of freedom rose and
fell. Read this and then ask if I forget
America."
I now know from the information I
obtain upon the spot, that the impres
sions that then distressed me, for I was
proud ofjAmerica, were but too well
State of Rbode-Ifland, ^c
Cleland Kinlock, being duly sworn, maketh
oath, that he is and has been, several years pad
well acquainted with the hand-writing of Mr.
John Rutledge: that he has examined the o
riginals of two letters publilhed on the 18th inst;
in the paper called the Rhode-lfland Republican
Under the the title of" Rutledge's letters ;" and
that he is firmly convinced that the said two
original letters were not written by the said
John Rutledge.
CLELAND KINLOCK.
Sworn to the 20tb September,
(l„ S.) Before me BEN. HAZARD,
De, Set'r, and Pub. Not. ex off
gßmßtromrcraroß 3w«z ^^ ra. -drexju^—-—-==•_•«_..-—_—_
From the National Intelligencer.
—©—
THOMAS PAIN,
To the Citizens of the United States.
—o—
— THE FIRST.
AFTER an absence of almost fif
teen years, I am again returned
to the country in whose dangers I bore
my (hare, and to whose greatness I con
tributed my part.
When I failed for Europe, in the
spring of 1,87, it was my intention to
return to America the next year, and
enjoy in retirement the esteem of my
friends and the repose I was entitled
to. I had stood out the florm of one
revolution, and had no with to embark
in another. But other scenes and other
circumstances than those of contemplat
ed ease were plotted to me. The French
revolution was beginning to germinate
when I arrived in France. The prin
ciples of it were good, they were copi
ed from America, and the men who
conduced it were honeff. But the fu
ry of faction soon extinguished the one,
and sent the other to the fcaffold. Os
those who began that revolution, I am
almost the only furvivor,and that thro'
a thousand dangers. I owe this not to
the prayers of priests, nor the piety of
hypocrites, but to the continued pro
te^ion of Providence.
(No. TO.
1, Thomas Lowndes, of South Carolina,being
duly sworn, make oath and fay that on Satur
day the xßth inst. the Rhode-lfland Republican
edited by Oliver Farnfworth (printer to the
State and of the Jaws of the United States) be
ing put into my hands containing two letters
to the President of the United States, under
the signature of Nicholas Geffroy, and the pub
lication of which letters was prefaced with the
declaration of their being "Rutledge's letters.'—
I went to the office of the said editor and saw
the original letters,and from my knowledge and
long acquaintance with the hand writing di Mr.
Rutledge, and also from a comparison of them
with letters of Mr, Rutledge which were there
produced, I am enabled to state with confidence
that they were not written by him ; but are on
the contrary, a poor imitation of his hand
writing, and will, upon a flight examination of
any person accustomed to discriminate hand
writings be difeovered to be a forgery.—The
superscription of one of the letters, is not only
in a Ryle of writing unlike Mr. Rutledge's but
superior to what he ever wrote.
THO'S LOWNDES,
State of Rhode-Inland, ttfe. Sworn to the 20tb Sept.
(l. s.) Before me BEN. HAZARD,
Pep. Sedry and Pub. Not. ex of.
(No. 11.)
Ifounded.—She was turning her back
; on her own glory, and making hasty
I strides in the retrogade path of oblivion.
But a spark from the altar of seventy
six unextinguilhed and unextinguiffia
ble through that long night of error, is
again lighting up in every part of the
union, the genuine flame of rational
liberty.
I have no occasion to ask, and do not
intend to accept any place or office in
the government. There is none it could
give me, that would be any ways equal
to the profits I could make as an
author, for I have an established fame
in the literary world ; could I reconcile
it to my principles to make money by
my politics or religion. 1 must be in
every thing what 1 have ever been, a
disinterested volunteer ; my proper
sphere of a&ion is on the common floor
of citizenship, and to honest men 1 give
my hand and my heart freely.
I have some manufeript works to
publish of which I shall give proper no
But, in the midst of the freedom we
enjoy, the licentiousness of the papers
called federal, (and I know not why
they are called so, for they are in their
principle antifederal and despotic,) is a
dishonor to the character of the coun
try, and an injury to its reputation a
broad. They represent the whole peo
ple of America as destitute of public
principle and private manners. As to
any injury they can do at home to those
whom they abuse, or service they can
render to those who employ them, it is
to be set down to the account of noisy
nothingness. It is on themselves the
disgrace recoils, for the reflection easily
presents itfelf to every thinking mind,
that those who abuse liberty when they
possess it, would abuse power could they ob
tain it : and therefore they may as well
take as a general motto for all such pa
pers, We AND OUR PATRONS ARE NOT
FIT TO BE TRUSTED WITH POWER.
There is in America, more than in
any other country, a large body of
people, who attend quietly to their
farms, or follow their several occupa
tions, who pay no regard to the clam
ours of anonymous fcrlbblers, who think
for themselves, and judge of govern
ment, not by the fury of newspaper
writers, but by the prudent frugality
of its measures, and the encouragement
it gives to the improvement and pros
perity of the country, and who anting
on their own judgement, never come
forward in an eledion but on some im
portant occasion.
When this body moves, all the little
barkings of scribbling and witless curs
passes for nothing. To fay to this in
dependent description of men, you must
turn out such orfueb persons at the next e
leftion, for they have taken off a great ma
ny taxes, and lessened the expences of govern
ment, they have dismissed my son or my broth
er, or myfelf, from a lucrative office, in
•which there was nothing to do, is to shew
the cloven foot of faction, and preach
the language of ill disguised mortifica
tion. In every part of the Union this
fa&ion is in the agonies of death, and in
proportion as its fate approaches, gnafh
efits teeth and Rruggles. My arrival
has struck it, as with an hydrophobia,
it is like the fight of water to canine
madness.
As this Letter is intended to announce
my arrival to my friends, & to my ene
mies, if I have any, for I ought to have
none in America, and as intfoduftoiy
to others that will occasionally follow;
I shall close it by detailing the line of
condud I shall pursue.
As the French revolution advanced,
it fixed the attention of the world, and
drew from the pensioned pen of Ed
mund Burke a furious attack. This
brought me once more on the public
theatre of politics, and occasioned the
pamphlet Rights of Man. It had the
greatest run of any work ever publith
ed in the English language. The num
ber of copies circulated in England,
Scotland, and Ireland, besides transla
tions into foreign languages, were be
tween four and five hundred thousand.
The principles of that work were the
fame as those in Common Sense, and the
effects would have been the fame in
England as that had been in America,
could the vote of the nation have been quietly tak
en,or had equal opportunities of confut
ing or acting exited. The only differ
ence between the two works was, that
the one was adapted to the local cir
cumstances of England, and the other
to those of America. As to myfelf, I
afted in both cases alike ; I relinquish
ed to the people of England as I had
done to those of America, all profits
from the work. My reward exited in
the ambition to do good, in the inde
pendent happiness of my own mind.
But a fadion anting in disguise was
rising in Ameica, that had loft fight of
firft principles. They were beginning
to contemplate government as a profit
able monopoly, and the people as hered
itary property. It is therefore no won
der that the Rights of Man was attack
ed by that fadion, and its author con
tinually abused. But let them go on,
give them rope enough and they will
put an end to their own infignificance.
There is too much common sense and
independence in America to be long
the dupe of any fadion, foreign or do
mestic.
Such are the accounts from the de
voted island of St. Domingo :—After
making all the deductions which the
exaggerations of consternation ; and
the practice of trade allows, to affe& the
markets—the situation of affairs there
appears distressing to humanity ; and
places the profped of tranquillity and
regular commerce at a great distance.
Gen. Le Clerc, we underhand, daily
expected a reinforcement of 20,000 men
under Gen. Macdonald ; which may
give affairs in that quarter a different
afpeft.
The inhabitants of this unhappy island, are
loaded with taxes. They have just been taxed
nineteen millions of livres, under the pretence
that these different duties arc for the mainte
nance of the army charged with re-eftablithing
order in St. Domingo.
The commodities, goods or animals of every
person whatever, are put into requisition; and
when payment is asked for,the plaintiff is laugh
ed at, and after having poured on him a thou
sand injuries, they roughly pus hhim out of
doors. Every day such a fcenc is renewed.
The very inhabitants who are overloaded
with such enormous taxes, are compelled to go
upon guard fifteen times a month, often to go
out of the city to night in the mountains, where
they are font to be murdered by the rebellious
negroes.
Every body privately complains of the des
potism of the commanders, and of the general
oppression, but alas! no one dare to raise his
voice, and only laments his doom in silence.
This is, in a few words our deplorable situ
ation. Hence nineteen out of twenty inhabit
ants of the colony would be very glad to leave
it. Far from having any chance to better our
situation, we are but too much convinced that
they only want to take from us the few dollars
left us by the negrfo.
OfST. DOMINGO. On Sunday
Capt. Appleton arrived here from Cape
Francois, which he left the 16th Oft.
He informs that Port de Paix had been
burnt by the blacks, and many whites
massacred : and that the fame fate ap
peared to await Aux Cayes:—That on
the 14th October, a smart action took
place between the French and blacks
near the Cape ; in which the blacks
had the advantage ; in which a num
ber of Americans who were in the
French ranks, were killed and wounded;
and in which the blacks took a fort :—
That on the evening prior to the battle
1500 blacks deserted from Le Clerc,
and joined their countrymen ; and it
was expected that Christophe, and his
adherents would follow their example :
— That report dated the negro army
at 15,000 strong ; while that of Le
Clerc was reduced to about 4000 ; with
which, however, he remained outside
the city ; but had directed the sick and
wounded to be removed ; and had giv
en permission to the women and chil
dren to depart :—That the American
Consul (Mr. Dodge) had embarked on
board a Portsmouth vessel ; that busi
ness was suspended ; and that the in
habitants were removing their valuable
effects on board the (hipping :—That
the American vessels were embargoed,
and ordered off the bar ; but Capt. A.
being cleared out was permitted to de
part :—That from these and other cir
cumstances, it appeared that the French
had doubts of being able to hold the
place ; and Capt. A. adds, that a few
hours before he failed, he was told by
the Proprietor of the American Coffee-
House, that it was reported the black
Commander had agreed to an armistice
with Gen. Le Clerc, on condition that
the French troops Ihould leave the i(l
--and in three days.
tice, and fom§;mechanical affairs to
bring forward, that will employ all my
leisure time. I shall continue these
Letters as I fee occasion, and as to the
low party prints that chafe to abuse
me, they arc welcome. I Ihall not an
swer them. I have been too much used
to foch common fluff to take any notice
of it. The government of England
honored me with a thousand martyr
doms, by burning me in effigy in every
town in that country, and their hire
lings in America may do the fame.
THOMAS PAIN.
City of iVaJhington.
Letters received at Baltimore from
Port Republican, by the Nautilus,Capt.
Bishop, represent the island to be in the
most deplorable state. The coffee plan
tations are generally laid waste by the
contending armies, and the present
crop is nearly all destroyed. The
blacks continue their ravages, and are
fuccefsful in almost every engagement
with rhe white troops. They are well
supplied with arms and ammunition
have taken L'Arcahaye, and surround
and menace Port Republican, which
it was supposed they could make an
easy conquest of, were they acquainted
with the weakness of the place, and the
dismay of their, opponents. Three hun
dred women and children and a few
men had arrived at that place from
L'Arcahaye, but not an officer escaped
death—and several boats,over-crowded
with fugitive women and children, had
funk, raffing L'Archeve, the blacks
were keeping up a continual fire on that
town, the houses appeared not to be
burnt, and no firing in the country near
the town. On pacing St. Marks, saw
four schooners crowded with women.
West-India Affairs.
Liberty of St. Domingo.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, OCT. 21.
0
BOSION, NOV. 24.
The following articles of news are
copied from the Bridgetown (Barba
does) Mercury of the 9th of Oct. "The
schooner Porcupine, with the remain
der of Government (lores, arrived
on Thursday from Martinique We
under Hand that the colonial system of
French laws of 1789, which has been
declared to be in full force there, has
already been aCted upon with refped to
the coloured inhabitants,none of whom,
whether free or (laves, are allowed to
wear (hoes or Lockings, and by procla
mation of the Commander in Chief are
reftrided in their dress to linen (hirts,
short jacket and pantaloons. The on
ly duty yet laid on commerce is im
posed upon the Americans,who are con
fined in their importation to the arti
cles of flour, fi(h, and lumber,on which
they pay a duty of 2 1-2 per cent and
gon exports,being compelled to receive
a proportion of produce in payment,
and are allowed only two hours to la,
off the harbours without coming to.
Slaves have been imported in French
vessels, and an English Guineaman;cql
led the Merfex had been permitted to
fell her cargo under the national flag.
The English who are dill there receive
every attention from the French Officers,
but they are very rigid towards the na
tive inhabitants ; the troops who are re
presented to be sale cochons, are very un
healthy, and die four or five daily, and
the garrison already much decreased.
At St. Lucia, we learn, an insurrec
tion hasbroken out among the Negroes,
instigated by a party of miscreants who
have long been concealed in the woods,
and who have already burnt several
estates, and by their approaches menace
the Caranage.
——o
Capt. Dove, arrived at Philadelphia
from Guadaloupe, communicates the
following Intelligence—“ that the Fe
ver has greatly thinned the rankrof
the French, in that Island ; that a great
number of negroes, were Hill in Arms
through the Country, and that the
French could make but little head a
gainst them, and unless they have a
pretty large reinforcement,it is thought
the Blacks will get possession of the Ifi
and. The military duty impeded on
the white inhabitants is severe indeed.
La Croffe Hill commands there and is
almost daily hanging or (hooting fonre
of the blacksunder suspicion of treason.
That theie has lately been a massacre
of 14 or 15 whites at a small village by
the blacks. That a white planter of
the name ol Claveaux, was apprehend
ed for writing to the black general not
to surrender, as neither he nor his peo
ple would be fafe,let the French prom
iie what they would ; in consequence
of which he was hanged ; on the fame
gallows a mulatto woman was executed
for speaking her sentiments of the cru
elty of the army.
Capt. Bunten, arrived at Newbury
port from Guadaloupe, informs, that
the situation of the island is horrid in
deed ; confusion, pillage, bloodshed and
murder are the order of the day, the
insurgents do actually gain ground,
an+Capt. B. speaks of it as his opinion,
that if freffi troops do not Shortly arrive,
the blacks will have possession of the
island. To minute the (hocking tranf
aCtions that daily occur would be too
tedious. They have not extended their
ravages to Point Petre, but at St.
Ann's, a small town about 15 miles
from there, a massacre of the inhabit
ants, without regard to age or sex, took
place about the middle of October—
hanging and (hooting of the blacks has
become so common, that the fpedator
there is hardly actuated by emotions of
astonishment at the feene—lßo of these
wretches were executed at one time, at
Baffaterre, about a week before Capt.
Bunten failed.—The Fever is still mak
ing its ravages, not only among the*
French troops, but on the Americans
there—Markets are tolerably good.
WILMINGTON, (DIL.) NOV. 12.
W^ a considerable degree offatis
fadion inflating thatthe calamity
which has for some time ravaged the
Borough of Wilmington, has entirely
subsided. No case of disease has occur
red for more than a fortnight. The
citizens have returned to their occupy
tions, and all idea of infection is given
up. We sincerely hope that the town
may not witness such feenes as the last
few weeks have produced. "The pesti
lence that walketh in darkness, and the
sickness that destroys at broad noon
day,"raged the streets in the lower part
of the town uncontroled. The atten
tions of the physician or philanthropic
were equally unregarded, No care of
friends or relations could save from the
fhafts of death several whose loss must
long be deplored.
NEW-TORK, NOV. 12.
ExtraS of a letter from fonftorougb. (7.) dated
Oa. 6.
" A number of reports are in circt
lation in this and the adjoining coun
ties, which, if true, we think a rupture
with the Cherokee Indians not far dis
tant— It is reported and generally be
lieved, that the Indians have pofiffrely
refuted to give up the murders is rs
Domestic Articles.