The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1784-12-13 00:00:00, page 2

O^eber 9.
Extras of a letter from Middleburgh, Sept. 29.
" Vice Admiral de Rynft, who commands in the
.Scheldt, has received orders not to intercept or de
tain any ships that pass up that river under the Impe
rial flag; nor to take any notice even if such vessel
Ihould not lower the top-fail by way of salute ; the
two (loops that were cruizing at the mouth of that
river are also recalled, and ordered to return thither.
" A declaration of the Imperial negociator at Brus
sels, that a stop would be immediately put to any fur
ther treaty of accommodation, if any insult was of
fered to his flag, has been one principal reason of the
States General having recommended the ftrideft ob
servance of tefped,&c. so that we now wait anxiously
to fee how affairs turn out."
" Ihe reasons, it is said, why the fheriffs of this
city have not complied with the requisition delivered
to them' on Friday last, from a numerous and refpe&a
ble body of the freeholders of Dublin, to call a meet
ing for yesterday, are, that having laid the fame be
fore an eminent lawyer (counfellor Whittinpham) for
his opinion, they received only a verbal one, the pur
port of which was, that he thought a meeting so cir
cumstanced an illegal one."
David Hartley, Esq. arrived on Thursday at his
,house in Golden-fq.uare, from Paris, where he has
been for some time as the commissioner on the part
of the British court, to negociate a commercial inter
course with America. It has not transpired what pro
gress he has made in the treaty, or whether any treat,
at all is likely to take place. He is now confined with
the gout.
'1 he Prussian monarch governs his church as defpo
tickly as he does the state ; he pronounces divorces
himfelf when man and wife wish to separate. A priest,
with the utmost submission, one day citing the old tes
tament onthe fubje& of divorces, “ Poh, poh, said
the King, Moses did as he pleased, and I shall do as
I please."
Authentick letters from Amsterdam, dated October
^, confirm the reports from the North, of the Em
press of Russia being dangerously ill. Some of these
advices fay her Imperial Majesty is past recovery, and
that die must soon pay the common debt of nature,
which will make a considerable change in the present
arrangement of European politicks.
The cannon of the ten fioating batteries which were
funk before this port, will shortly be exposed here to
publick sale. Three hundred pieces of different bores,
50 of them very beautiful, 26 pounders, of brass, call
in the years 1778, 1779, 1780, and 1781, at Seville
and Barcelona; 150 others also in brass, very little
damaged, and the rest of different sizes in iron, beside
some old pieces, 42, 26, and 18 pounders, and a great
number of bullets and anchors. The money arising
from the sale of all these will be distributed among
the regiments that were in garrison during the siege,
who have, moreover, 30,0001. Serling to share amongst
them, from the prizes made upon the Spaniards, which
have been given up to them by government. We are
continuing our labours for recovering out of the sea
the rest of the floating batteries.
Extract of a letter from Dublin, September 28.
" Yesterday a prodigious concourse of people as
sembled at the Tholfel, in expectation of the appoint
ment of delegates for Congress ; but the fheriffs hav
ing declined presiding at the meeting, after having
procured the opinion of counsel, the business of course
was laid aside.
THURSDAY, about J 2 o'clock, a most atroci
ous aCt of deliberate murder, and subsequent
suicide, was committed at the pen of Mr. Lewis
Clarke, near Spanish-town.—Doctor Pugh, a practi
tioner of phyfick and surgery, called upon Mr. Clarke,
and after the customary salutations, told him he
wanted to speak to him: Mr. Clarke said, “ by all
means, my good friend ;" called for his hat, put his
arm about the doctor's neck, in a familiar way, and
walked with him across the yard into a field adjoin
ing to the offices ; in an instant Mr. Clarke was heard
to cry out, and the persons in the house saw him fall ;
doCtor Pugh, with the bloody knife in his hand (it
was a surgeon's instrument) stabbing himfelf, and after
come more desperate. A reputable draper was, last
week, upon a charge of importing English articles,
taken out of his house, and dragged by a prodigious
number of people to a place called the Tenter Grounds,
near the Earl of Meath's Liberty, where he was tied
to a poll, and lashed by those rioters till he fainted;
they then tarred and feathered him, and led him thro'
the principal Greets of the city. He now lies so dan
gerously ill, that his life is delpaired of.
KINGSTON (Jamaica) October 2.
American Intelligence.
GIBRALTAR, August 20.
Thursday morning, September 30, 1784.
Dear * * * *,
" I pity you from my foul, when I reflect the un
happy consequence that ensues ere many hours are
past. I pity you with a heart that throbs to serve you,
and that can only cease to love when it shall cease to
beat ; but remember, with how much reverence I have
always adored you, even to idolatry ! —ln return for
which I am reproached with a crime my foul abhors ;
and shall now convince you how much you mistake
me, and take my leave of you with mournful pity and
regret, because I can no longer endure to be the spec
tator of a fall (as I thought) of so much virtue.
" You have made one miserable, and yourfelf guil
ty, by woman-like adoring that bauble riches, which
to my own, as well as your sorrow, your letter of
yesterday, as well as your late conduct, relates and
fully declares.
" Loft, loft, unhappy woman !—for the moment
that clears my innocence, will let fall upon thee de
spair and remorse. What a tremendous scene will
that unfold, when these, my last dying words, shall
declare how much you have abused me, at the ex
pence of the mod valuable and sacred vows; know
ing, at the fame time, how often yourfelf, your ho
nour, and every thing that ought to be dear, have
been reposed in my charge, the truth of which your
own conscience will teftify.
" The only atonement I request you will make my
unhappy memory is, to declare how great my wrongs
have been, and how much they required redress on
the may whose perfidy and duplicity will fandify my
conduct and revenge. When law strikes short, jus
tice must arm the hand of honesty, and will, I hope,
plead at that awful tribunal I shall soon approach for
my mercy. It is true, the vehemence of my affec
tion may have but-stepped prudence, yet I hope, in
the opinion of the world, 1 shall be named without
reproach.
" Since mine of last night one or two circumstances
have come to my knowledge, through a channel you
can easily guess, which astonished me as much as your
cool philolophical letter of yesterday, and admits of
no choice, but choice of miseries ! —which my con
dud never merited from any, much less from your
hands. However, I freely forgive all; and may your
next choice be of longer duration than mine has.
" Adieu, from your injured 'friend,
THOS. PUGH."
running a few paces, fell also. So effectually had this
murderer performed his bloody tragedy, that by the
time a Mr. Browne (who, with a lady, happened to
be in the house) could reach the bodies (and the dis
tance did not exceed twenty yards) they were both
senseless, and died in a few minutes. The neighbours
were immediately sent for, and a coroner's inquest
summoned, who brought in their verdiC twilful mur
der, on the body of Mr. Lewis Clarke, and after
wards suicide on the body of doctor Pugh.
We are credibly informed, that a letter was found
in doctor Pugh's pocket, dated the morning on which
he committed the murder, and addressed to a widow
lady in Spanish-town, inveighing in the molt bitter
terms, at her perfidy, in preferring the object of his
resentment, for the lucre of money; and declaring,
he had at last taken that justice which (he had denied
him. The doctor's body has been buried in the high
way.
Oflober 6. The Royal Gazette of last Saturday
contains a copy of a letter, which was found, uno
pened, in the pocket of doctor Pugh, after the late
dreadful catastrophe, which we now transcribe, for the
observation of the readers, who may not have already
seen it.
We shall not make farther comment on this letter,
than to observe, that it appears to be written from
the heart, and with perfect recollection of mind.—
When that resentment has in some measure subsided,
which naturally arises in the human bread, at the
horror of two such atrocious deeds, as premeditated
murder and suicide, some room may, perhaps, be
found to drop the tear of pity over the unhallowed
grave of the unfortunate, but too criminal, Dr. Pugh.
'1 hat unhappy, mistaken man, the late doctor Pugh,
the evening before his bloody purpose was carried in
to execution, intercepted a letter from Mr. Clarke to
his father, in St. Mary's; the contents of which put
a period to his hopes refpeding the lady, on whom
he had unfortunately fixed his affediens, and too fa
tally cherished the belief of his having engaged her's
in return. The fuccefsful rival having been his con
fident in this amour, appears to have been the motive
that Simulated him to revenge, and which was doubt
less heightened, by reading the tragedy of the Myste
rious Husband (borrowed by him from a neighbour
the fame evening) when his mind was in a most per
turbed state at the recent discovery ; several passages
from thence, suitable to the diabolical intent, being
introduced in the letter that was found in his pocket.
So effectually had this doctor Pugh ftifled every feel
ing of humanity, subdued the flings of conscience, and
with adamantine bars, forever elofed the doors of re
morse, that he appeared all the forenoon perfectly
cool and collected; was not only cheerful, but exhi
bited some degree of mirth at breakfaft ; visited his
patients, returned the play he had borrowed, went
about his avocations as usual, and then deliberately
made the necessary difpofitious for rushing into the
presence of an incensed God, with the innocent blood
of a fellow creature reeking in his remorseless hands,
as related in the Gazette of last Saturday.
Nov. 3. Saturday evening Benjamin Johnson, one
of the Pirates concerned in the murder of five per
sons on board the schooner Friendship, Captain Lew
is, bound from Portsmouth, in Virginia, to St. Tho
mas's (of which an account was given in two of that
day's papers) was apprehended in Luke Lane, by two
constables ; he had his coat wrapped up in a handker
chief, and was hastily making his way towards the
sea fide, having probably heard of an account of the
horrid tranfadion being received here; the next morn
ing on being examined before several magistrates at
the court-house, he freely confeffed having, together
with Morris Keaton and Joseph Twentyman, entered
as passengers on board the schooner Friendihip, about
two hours after her leaving Portsmouth, and that near
the latitude of Bermudas they made themselves matters
of the veflel, by securing, binding and gaging, firft the
mate and a seaman, who had the watcliupon deck,
afterwards the captain and Mr. Wilkinson, a merchant
and passenger, who were asleep in the cabin, and last
ly, the rest of the people below; that these four per
sons, with one other seaman, were by them immedi
ately thrown overboard, as was afterwards a negro
man, who for some time they employed as a cook ;
and that off Manchioneal (at which port they disposed
of the veffcl and cargo) he and Twentyman being dis,
fident of their bloody associate, Morris Kenton,°they
murdered him also. Johnson, when under examina
tion, appeared to be a hardened villain, with great
composure giving answers to every question that was
put to him by the magistrates. He was dressed in a
double-faced blue frock with anchor buttons, and had:
much the appearance of a matter of a veffcl ; probably
he perfonated captain Lewis at entering the veffcl, as
likewise in the felling her and the lumber with which
the was freighted.
Captain Bartlet, with a lieutenant and a part of the
town guard, went to Port Royal on Saturday fore
noon, in quest of these mifereants, where he met with
Johnson s two chelts and a bundle, containing linen
with the marks of captain Lewis and Mr. Wilkin
son ; and receiving information that Twentyman was
probably lurking on the Palifadoes, that expensive
spot was traversed by him and the party the 'follow
ing morning, and every veflel in the harbour searched,
but without success: (he magistrates having tince re
ceived information of Twentyman having set off for
Montego-Bay, they have sent Afton, the head consta
ble, in pursuit of him ; it may therefore be reasona
bly expected this villain will also be shortly secured
and brought to justice.
We should not do justice to captain Bartlet if we
forbore to mention, that his going to Port Royal on
this emergency, was his own voluntary ad ; and that
he speaks very refpeCtfully of major Lawson, of the
artillery, who obligingly offered every afliftance in his
power cm the occasion.
I he unfortunate captain Lewis was well known to
many persons in this illand, having failed from this
port during the war, as a lieutenant in one of Mr.
Nevil's privateers.
BERMUD A, Nov. 13.
Sunday night last the sloop Friendship, Captain
Richard Blake, from New-York to Curacoa, laden
with soap, candles, butter, &c. ran upon the rocks off
the Weft end of these Islands, in a hard gale of wind,
and soon after filled with water. The Captain and
crew are saved, as is most of the cargo, but the veflel
is loft.
The brig Sally, Captain Smith, from New-Lon
don, is put in here.
BOS row, Nov. 24.
We learn by Captain Roberts, in the ship Lydia,
who lately arrived here from Bourdeaux, that on his
outward paffige, the 21st of May last, in lat. 34, 23,
North, long. 71, 20, he difeovered the wreck of a
white-bottomed brigantine, her bowes only above
water, from which they sawed a final! figure head,
newly painted; by which it appears to have been the
brigantine Lively, Captain Chourot, that failed from
this port for Port-au-Prince, the 12th of April last.
It is probable the crew and several passengers that
were on board, must all have perished, as they never
have been heard of.
Nov. 29. The last tax granted by this Common
wealth, and which is now in collection, is for the sole
purpose of paying such of the notes issued to the offi
cers and soldiers of the Massachusetts line, for nine
months service in 1780, as are made payable in Janu
ary, 1784 and 1785.
To make the payment easy, and to supply the place
of money, the notes themselves are made receivable
in difeharge of this tax, and every person may pay his