The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1781-05-02 00:00:00, page 1

J. few Thoughts fubmiited to the honest People
of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA.
" I also will shew you mine opinion." Job.
IT is with much sorrow that I behold the em
barrassments of our publick affairs, and the
many fruitlefs efforts of our publick bodies,
either to prevent or redress the many evils at
tending the present just and necessary war ; and as
every man is prone to excuse himfelf, so we are too
ready to lay all the blame to our publick bodies, as
being either unequal to the talk, or what is worse;
that some of them are designing men and fecrctly
enemies to the American revolution. If either of
these are the causes, we ourselves are to blame, for
they are all our servants and of oar own choosing,
and therefore if dilqualified or unfaithful, may be dii'-
charged at pleasure. It is a common complaint, that
pur virtue has failed : I will grant that we do not
appear to have so much as when the war commen
ced, yet if we make good life of what we have, it
will be found fufficient to finifh the war speedily,
and fccure the growing happiucfs.of the United States
of America.
Man since his fall, was always an avaricious crea
ture, and this principle commonly encreafes with the
growing proipe<ftsof gain, the present times afford
ing many individuals an opportunity of increasing
their fortunes, they have lived too much to them
selves, and consequently loft light of publick affairs,
and without design involved us in many calamities ;
yet you may frequently hear these very persons who
are in great measure the cause of our distresses, com
plain ofthe bad condition of publick affairs, and per
haps, sometimes throw out some hard words against
Congress, Governors or ATemblies.
As we are a people profiling chriftianity, it might
be of afe to us to remember, that one precept of
scripture is, ' thou ftuk not speak evil of the rulers
of thy people.'
Rulers are but Men, and to err is human frailty.
They receive no new degree of wisdom with their new
station/; tney are fubjett to commit mistakes ; nor
can it otherwise be expected, for they cannot cer
tamly forefee future events, which often blah all
their go<al intentions. It will be granted that many
Things have been done by our rulers which have not
anfwereA our expectations, and I am persuaded that
they were equally di appointed with us.
In the beginning of the war, wisdom and justice
-pointed out the propriety and necessity of palling
Jaws to make the Continental Money a legal tender.
These laws continued too long in force, the unhappy
consequence was, that numbers ofthe belt fort of in
habitants fuffeted greatly, while others who were
difaffeded fuffered little or none, as they took care
to realize their money, and some of them thereby ac
quired large fortunes, tho' indeed they deserved none.
As mankind are much governed by interest, this
event soured the minds of some; and others, being
deeply affected to fee the true friends of America fuffer
fc much, gave vent to their distresses by publications
on the fubjed of depreciation.—Some laying the
blame to one set of men, others to another, and
every one proposed methods of redress ; but how
ever bonelily designed, they have hitherto proved
only palliatives, and not radical cures. Our rulers
feeing that the war could not thus be carried on any
longer, have thought proper, as the best expedient,
to call in all the emissions of the old continental
money, and to issue new bills, to be redeemed by
the refpeftive Rates according to their quotas ;
and to give them a more ready circulation, and to
prevent their depreciation, these bills are to draw in
terest annually on Europe. For my own part, I ap
prove of the plan, but muff fay, if these bills depre
ciate, our case will be much worse than it is now,
for these bills involve us in a large debt to Europe,
which we shall find not to be nominal, but real,
when we come to difch^rge the fame.
I would atk the hon_ft reader, What is his opini
on ? Will these bills depreciate or not ? Perhaps the
reader would alk me my opinion. I will freely fay,
if nothing further is done, their depreciation is un
avoidable, and it is better to prevent an evil than to
redress it after we feel it to our great sorrow have
travelled in the winter past, thro' great part of four
states. I have been in all forts of company, and
heard them speak their minds freely on the fubjeft ;
and tho' prudent men speak carefully on a fubjeft of
fiich importance, yet I could find a general fear that
the money will depreciate, and therefore, even by
our best men, it is not received so freely as gold and
silver. What can be the cause of thia? And how
shall this cause be removed ? I confef, these are ques
tions of great importance. Formerly our paper mo-
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
(Vol. IV.]
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1781.
ney palled as currently as gold and silver. Why
should it not do so now ? It ought, it furcly will', if
we only do what is in our power ; and if we do not;
it will be lamented when it is too late. We have
virtue enough, if laws were provided to govern us,
and we never had virtue enough to live without laws.
Let it therefore be recommended by the honourable
the Congress to pass laws in each state, makingit a
capital crime to fell or buy hard money on any pre
tence whatsoever. Let laws be made also to forfeit
all the estate and imprilonmeut during the war, for
fending any hard money cut of the United States.
Let faithful guards be placed by sea and land, and
vessels seized and condemned that are found carrying
any hard money out of the United States —Let the
Captains be imprisoned, without bail, who arc found
guilty of a breach of the law. If such laws were
enacted, and icverely executed, without favour Dr
affeftion, we shall hc4rno more of depreciation: but
while men are fuffered to buy hard money with im
punity, and to lend it cut of the States, all penal
laws are vain, and lerve only to distress and discou
rage the virtuous and innocent part of the commu
nity. Let trends to America be once more encourag
ed, and they will discover their noble fouls. We
have not lolt our virtue, it has only been buried in
trade and difeouragemem.—Our greatest enemies
now arc ourfelves —we pay the Britilh army to tight
against us—we cause our men to detert from us to
them, by lending away our bard money, and keeping
that only which in the end proves nominal. Let us
make it valuable, and it is in our power, if we make
life of our authority ; and if we do not, it is ourselves
that continue the war, and altcrwards foolilhly com
plain of our calamities, it is probable that two
dalles of men wall object to what has been advanced
on this lubjed ; the one are real, but secret enemies.
No wife man at this time can be of this class, for
whether it was right or not at lirli to begin the war,
it is surely right to have no connection with a hungry,
cruel and bloody kingdom, that has long supported
. iticlt by robbery and villainy. Such as are friends to
this kingdom ought to leave the United States, or be
prosecuted with greater leverity, for our lenity has
been almost our ruin ; but our fufieiings will teach
us both our iptered and duty? The other ciafs that
may railc objections, are our merchants. This is a
clals of men that I refpeft, but perhaps they are not
all so honest and uecdlary as is commonly thought.
I am far from being desirous of cramping trade, but
publicly good mult be preferred to private advantage ;
and indeed trade is never carried on rightly, except
the balance is in favour of the country. — Ourimports
ought not to exceed our exports, or we mult be a
reduced people in the cud. In our present distress,
1 will grant that our imports shall exceed our exports,
and at the fame time will not allow one hard dollar
to be lent out of the United States ; and this mcafhre
shall allo promote frugality in the country, whereas
it we allow hard money to be lent away, the honcit,
laborious inhabitants will be discouraged. One of
the greatest articles for exporting is Hour, and this
will lind ready lale as long as it is customary to eat. —
Farmers are dilcouraged in railing this article, be
caulc, after all their toil and hard labour, they re
ceive a currency lor it that aufwers very little purpole
except paying their taxes. Betides this article, there
is lumber, hemp and tobacco—ls these were called
for by our merchants, the country would soon flou
rish ; whereas it is now rather languishing in every
branch of trade, and the morals of the people grow
ing worse tor want of proper excitements to indnftry.
Perhaps some merchants will fay that al /these arti
cles arc not a lufiicient barter tor the necetlary de
mands of America. To this I would icply, that too
many of our imports are so far from being necessary,
that were they prohibited for the present, we Ihouid
fuffer no real disadvantage, as they conlift of un
necessary finery. But pray confider how large a sum
is to be added to the produce of the country, arising
from the interest of the loan-office certificates issued
before March, 1778, and the interest of all the new
money now palling in the fevcral states. If the in
terest of these two, added to the produce of the
country, is not a fufficient barter, then it is evident
that our trade is too large and mull be curtailed, or
we must be a ruined people in the end. These fcn
timents are fubmited to the judgment of my country,
from no other motive than I think them necessary.
What reception they may meet with I know not. I
envy no body of men, but wish all to enjoy the
greatest happiness. A Pennsylvanian.
St. PIERRE, (Martinique) Feb. 15, 1781.
The privateer Holker, of Philadelphia, of 16 fix
pounders, failed last week on a cruize, and returned
THE
St. E U S T A T I U St
To their Excellencies the Commanders in Chief of
his Britannic Majesty's Navy and Army in the
Weft-Indies.
May it please your Excellencies,
TO permit us in the name, and on the behalf of
ourselves and others of the people of the He
brew nation, residents in the island of St Euftatius,
humbly to approach your Excellencies, and with'
heart-felt anguish, to Lay our grievances before you.
Yesterday a veffcl arrived in eight days from Bar
badoes: She informs that a fleet of vessels arrived at
that island from London, and those defined for the
other islands, were to hive failed the day after flic
left them.
The above fleet was convoyed part of the way by
a 74 gun ship, and several frigates, but having cap
tured two rich Dutch East-India ships, the line of
battle ships returned with them to England, and khc
frigates convoyed the fleet out The news by the
fleet is, that the English had captured 350 vessels in
the Channel belonging to the Dutch, before they
failed.
into this port on the 12th instant, with an English
cutter, the Hypocrite, of 12 nine and 4 twelve
pounders, which file took the day before, between
Grand Terre and Antigua, after an action of three
quarters of an hour. The cutter chafed the Holker,
who affefted to run from her till the cutter came up
within close ihot. The gutter had failed from St.
Kitts on the Bth, had feyen men wounded and four
killed, among the latter is the Captain ; the Holker
had three killed and one wounded.
A cutter lately arrived from England at St. Lhcia,
and tailed immediately to join Admiral Rodney, and
brought an account that a Cork fleet defined for the
islands, under convoy of three ships of war, fell in
with a French fleet, about 400 leagues from the
islands, from which the cutter escaped with difficulty.
Two American frigates, one of 26 guns, from
New-London, and another of 36, froin Bolton, have
just arrived at this port. The Captain of a vessel
from Holland, which they retook off this island, and
sent to New-England, informed them, that 43 days
ago he met a large French fleet, and two days after
an English fleet of transports, convoyed by one ddp
of the line and three frigates. The Captain thinks
they must have met each other.
February 22. By a Holland vessel lately arrived at
Amsterdam from the Halt-Indies, we ate informed,
that some French men of war have taken and carried
into the Cape of Good Hope, three of the English
India ships.
The privateer Holker, of Philadelphia, left this
harbour on Sunday last, and' has taken an English
brig, which left St. Lucia that day, and sent her in
here. By persons on board the brig we learn, there
were 13 ships of the line at St. Lucia ready for tea,
and three others laid up. Rodney left 600 men at
St. Euftatia.
March 1. The noted privateer Holker, commanded
by Capt. Kean, came in here on Monday hit, with
a ship of 16 guns, the cargo of which is valued at
between two and 300,000 livres. This rich prize
having failed from Glasgow, touched at Cork, and
has been about fix weeks from the last mentioned
port. Capt. Kean met her to windward of Ahtig'ua,
and took her after a single difeharge of his mufquetry,
without the loss of a fingie man. According to the
report of the Captain of this prize, a large fleet had
failed from the Thames three weeks before he left
Europe, and a report prevailed in Ireland, that it
had fallen in with the fleet commanded by our Vice-
Admiral, Count d'Estaing, who had fuffered very
few to cfcape.,
A small force was lately sent to furprize Defeada,
but their stratagem failed, and they were taken pri
soners and sent to Guadaloupe.
We are informed that 25 fail of merchantmen and
transports are arrived at Lucia, which left Europe
under convoy of two frigates. We know not whe
ther they weic part of the great fleet which failed
from the Thames, but it is taken for granted in the
English islands, that Count d'Estaing has raade a rich
capture. It is asserted that he took the ships of war
which convoyed the fleet. Passengers lately arrive
ed in a flag of truce from Montferat confirm this ac
count.
By a vessel which left Bayonne, Jan. 7, and arrived,
here yesterday, we hear, that on the 26th of Decem
ber, the Prince of Nafl'au had executed his project
of a defeent on the islands of Jersey and Guerhfey
with 12,c00 men.
ANT I G U A, Feb. 22;
[Numb. %.]