The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1778-09-09 00:00:00, page 4

The most violent whig will not presume to deny
that we have contrasted an enormous debt by the
prelent war ; and though we are very able to pay it,
(which our Short-Sighted politicians urge as an ar
gument to alleviate the affliction) it is that very a
bihty of ours which, in my opinion, enhances the
misfortune; for as we are able to pay the debt, I
am under great apprehensions we really Shall pay it.
But in this refpeCt Great-Britain has evidently the
advantage, because being utterly incapable of dis
charging her national arrears, it is certain She never
win ditchurge them ; and indeed her incapacity an
nihilates her obligation, it being an indifputed max
im in law, that no one is obliged to impossibilities.
Wnat renders her Situation still more fortunate, and
in which She differs from all other debtors in the
world n-, that She continues to have credit after be
ing .^legally known to be insolvent. But who will
tr mt America after She becomes bankrupt ? Not even
hid molt Christian Majelty himfelf. Would it not,
tmrcto.c, have been infinitely better for us to have
remained in Subjection to a nation that can equip the
molt formidable fleets and armies on credit, and pro
secute endless wars in every quarter of the globe, not
only without any calh of her own, but without the
lead intention of repaying what She borrows from
others for that purpose ? The argument is conclusive.
Again, She Congress, notwithstanding our present
exaitca opinion of that refpeCtable body, may in pro
cess of time, betray their trust, and Sacrifice our li
berties.---But in this perfidious manner the House
o. Commons cannot serve their constituents, because
the people felling their voices to the members on their
election, the latter undoubtedly may, without the
in nation of corruption, dispose of theirs to the
rumiltry, to re-imburie themselves the expenditure ;
and the matter being thus understood by both par
to, bribery in the representative cannot be consider
ed as a violation of his duty. And as to their facri
ficing the liberties of the people, it is nianifeft from
toe electors repeatedly chilling the molt obsequious
ink clients of administration, that they really intend
them to be thus obsequious; and that, Saving to
themselves the precious privelege of calling their king
a .oof, and his mother a w—re, (a privilege peculiar
to Englishmen) the parliament may justly dispose of
the remainder of their rights and liberties as they
pkalc. And indeed I cannot fee how any people
can have greater liberty than that of freely resigning
id liberty whatsoever. It is therefore evident that
<people of England can never be betrayed by par
nent, nor wrongfully abridged of their liberty,
pt only by an express statute against libelling his
cry and his mother, (which, in consideration of
/ resignation aforelaid) is not like to be ever passed.
, e , on the contrary, Shall have reason to complain
f ,i a breach of trust, whenever our delegates in con
^os aft in derogation of our rights, or deviate how
nun peiy Soever from the path of rectitude and inte
ohv; which, from the imperfections incident to hu
in nature, are undoubtedly poflible events.
that the vulgar Should be flattered by our mug-
Jetonian, tatterdemalion governments, is not to be
wondered at, considering into what importance those
whimsical raggamuffin constitutions have elevated the
heretofore despicable and infignificant mobility. But
I am aftonilhed that men of falhion and spirit Should
prefer our hotchpotch, oliverian, oligargical anar
chies, to the beautiful, the constitutional, the jure
divine, and the heaven-defeended monarchy of Bri
tain. For pray how are the better fort amidst our
universal levelifm, to get into offices ? During the hal
cyon days of royalty and loyalty, if a gentleman was
only blessed with an handsome wife or daughter, or
would take the trouble of informing the ministry of
the difafledion of the colonies, suggesting at the fame
time the molt proper measures for reducing them to
parliamentary submission, (the inexhaustible source
of all peace and felicity) he was instantly rewarded
TRENTON: Printed by Isaac Collins. Advertisements of a moderate Length are inserted for Ten Shillings each
the firft Week, and Five Shillings for every Continuance ; and long Ones in Proportion.
To the Printer of the New-Jersey Gazette.
SxR,
C LVERAL essays have been published in your Ga-
O zctie, and in other news-papers, calculated to
prove me Superior excellence of our independence to
that of our Subordination to Great-Britain. But as the
lion told the man, who Ihewed him the Statue of a hu
man figure with that of a lion at his feet, “ that men
" were the only statuaries ; and that if lions understood
“ the art of carving images, they would represent
“ the man proStrate before the lion"---So I may ven
ture to fay that all those essays are the compositions
ot warm whigs, who are intoxicated witli the ima
ginary charms of democracy; and that were the
friends of government to handle the fubjeft, they could
ealily Shew it's Superiority to all our present repub
lican and levelling systems. This talk I have under
taken in a firm reliance of being allowed that free
duln ot Lntiment to which, according to our profef
kd ideas of liberty, every man seems to be clearly
entitled---! Shall, therefore, without any apprehen
sions of expoling myfelf to a legal prosecution, and
with die greatest decorum and impartiality, proceed
to [particularize some eminent advantages peculiar
to tee old government, of which we are molt la
mentably deprived by our independency and repub
hcanitm.
with some lucrative appointment, his own difqualifi
cations and the maledictions of the rabble notwith
standing. But how is a gentleman of family, who is
always entitled to a fortune, to be promoted to a post
of profit, or Station of eminence in these times of un
fubordination and ffth-monarchynifm ? Why, he mult
deport himfelf like a man of virtue and honor, (which
abridges him of a thousand innocent liberties) and
devote as much time to the difeharge of his office as
would in almost any other employment yield him ten
times the amount of his emoluments. He must more
over pretend to be a patriot, and to love his country,
when we know there are no inch things in nature ;
and he must consequently be a hypocrite, and att
under perpetual restraint, or he is detected and dis
carded with infamy. Belides, it is not only the small
ness of our salaries, and the necessity of having an a
dequate degree of merit to get into office, (a condi
tion never exacted by the generosity of monarchs)
but the comparative Scarcity of offices themselves,
that must make every man ot laudable ambition eter
nally regret our revolt from the mother country : For
the present governments being manufactured by the
populace, who have worked themselves into a per
fualion of I know not what, of public weal and pub
lic virtue, and the interest of one's country, it has
been ridiculously imagined that there ought to be no
more offices in a State than are absolutely requisite
for what these deluded creatures call the benefit of
the commonwealth. Under the old constitution, on
the contrary, whenever the crown was graciously
disposed to oblige a gentleman, (and the royal coffers
at the happy juncture of princely munificence hap
pened to Shew rather too much of their bottoms) an
office was instantly invented for the purpose; and
both land and water, earth and sea Should be ran
sacked, but his majesty would create a Surveyor of
Woods and a Sounder of Goafs. Thus every humble
suitor who had a proper introduction was always
sure of.being genteelly provided for, without either
consulting a mob, or losing any time about the wild
chimera of public utility.
The article of religion is another thing in which
the BritiSh constitution has manifestly the advantage
of ours. For notwithstanding our boasted genero
sity on that momentous Subject, and all our pompous
declarations of leaving every one at his option to
chufe his own religion, our gentlemen of distinction
are now obliged, in order to co-incide with the po
pular prejudice, to give some presumptive evidence
of their being neither atheists nor deilts. Whereas,
in England, and indeed in America, before our un
happy defection, the belief of chriftianity as a qua
lification for any office was entirely out of the que
stion; nor did any public personage, or gentleman
of faShion, think himfelf under the least obligation to
give any proof, even of his faith in the exiitence of
a Deity, except only that of profanely swearing by
his name. Nay, amidst all our parade of catholi
cism, it is well known that not a lady in the land,
let her be as whiggith as the Congress itfelf, can now
enjoy the liberty of conscience of wearing an inno
cent head-dress of three feet in altitude, without fall
ing under the suspicion of being dilaffeded to inde
pendency, and perhaps exciting surmises still more in
delicate and uncharitable. Nor can it be denied, that
many truly confeientious persons have been roughly
handled for only conveying intelligence to the Britiln
troops, and others for Supplying them with a trifle
of provisions, (according to Scriptural precept of
feeding our enemies) tho' they made the most solemn
profeffions of their peaceable neutrality, and even of
their friendly difpolition to the United States, which
is beyond all question downright perfecutien tor con
science fake.
We have irretrievable loft, by our fatal revolt, an
other important advantage, 1 mean the late ufeful
and uninterrupted influx ot the English gallantry, and
all the politeness of the Court ot London. While we
received our governors and other principal officers
immediately from the fountain-head of high life and
polilh'd manners, it was impossible for us to dege
nerate into our primitive clowniihnefs and rusticity.
But these being now unfortunately excluded, we Shall
gradually reiinmerfe into plain holpitality, and down
right honest Sincerity; than which nothing can be
more inlipid to a man of breeding and politef'e. Alas,
how often Shall we recal to mind those jovial and de
licious hours, when our bucks experienced the in
imitable conviviality, and our belles the not-to-be
told-of endearments of a Dunmore and a * Sparks !
And with refpedtto that unnecessary and rebellious
innovation in the ancient and confitutional colour of
the British military uniform, which Congress have
wantonly transformed into all the multifarious dis
* A most accomplished royal governor in the Weft-
Indies, who, by his peculiar tenderness for every thing
in petticoats, whether feme sole or feme covert, occa
sioned a most unnatural conspiracy of a number of hus
bands and fathers, who rujbed into his room and trai
teroufly flew him upon the spot. —An indignity to the
regal appointment, which Great-Britain from her pa
rental affection for the colonies, plantations and pro
vinces, was too indulgent topuniJh as a rebellion against
the supremacy of parliament.
colorations of j'ofeph's coat ; I pertef, were I a wo
man, I Should instantly turn tor, in revenge of the
dismal profped: of our not having, by next Christ
mas, a Single red-coat on the continent.
Our printers, I am confident, will universally join
me in my lamentation over our unfortunate fecelhon.
These gentlemen, in conformity to the principles of
our civil eftabliShments, (probably indeed coincident
with their own, but that renders foreign restraints
not the less arbitrary or irksome) are cruelly restrict
ed to plain truth and decency ; while their brother
craftfmen in the enemy's lines, with the whole ty
pographical fraternity on the confitutional illand, are
generously permitted to range uncontrolled thro' the
boundless fields of imagination, and to exert all the
powers of inventive genius in embellishing their pub
lications with the mavellous; which has ever been
deemed a capital beauty in composition, and affects
the mind in the most agreeable manner, by its un
expected furprize and novelty.
Thus have I endeavoured to point out the most
essential defeats of our republican governments, and
have, in my humble opinion, offered Sufficient rea
sons to induce every difpaSSionate American to with
for a speedy reconciliation with theparent Rate, con
fident with that union of force, on which the Jafet, of
our common religion and liberty depends.
I ought, however, candidly to acknowledge that
many gentlemen are ot opinion that we have gained
one very material advantage over Great-Britain by
our Separation from her, I mean that no persons em
ployed by the States are mistrusted for imitating Lwr
example in peculation, and defrauding their country
in any the departments committed to their manage
ment, and that all continental property is husband
ed with the greatest economy; but this, without
any predilection for Old England, I Shrewdly fufpedt
wants confirmation.
HORTENTIU S.
TTAVE for sale, at their Store next door to the
Court-house in Morris-town, Rum, sugar, Bo
hea and green tea, coffee, pepper, alfpice, copperas.
Snuff in bladders, indigo and brimstone by the cask
or Smaller quantity; gun-powder and wool-cards —
Hollow wane, such as kettles, potts, pye-pans, &c.
of all Sizes; logwood; linen, drilling, fattins, pe
longs, cambrick, gauze, handkerchiefs, Stockings,
threads, pins, ribbands, fciffars, &c. &c. They
have no objection against taking money of the State
of New-York.
Old Jamaica SPI RI T and Barbados RU M,
By the hogfbead or less quantity ;
Best London lump WHITE LEAD; black HORN
BUTTON S;—And
An excellent FARM of about 500
acres, lying at Raritan,
To be fold by ABRAHAM LOTT, at Beverwyck,
near Morris-Town ;
From whom may also be had, in exchange for all
kinds of Country Produce,
The ver, ^ROCK SAL T.
August 29, 1778. 5* e. w.
q'HE several Assistant Commissaries of Issues in the
I Middle Department are requested to transmit to
my office, in Front-Street, their refpedtive monthly
returns, up to the firft instant.—A necessity to fettle
the public accounts to that time, requires a Strict
compliance with this request, and a neglect will com
pel a prosecution of the bonds of the delinquents.
Philadelphia, THOMAS JONES,
Aug. 21, 1778. 2 Dep. Com. Gen, of Issues.
r HE Commencement of Queen's-College, in New
-A-Jersey, is to be held at New-Brunswick on
Tuesday the 15th day of September. The Trustees
are desired to meet at t',e fame time and place—As
some necessary business is to be dispatched before the
exercises of the day begin, it is expected they will
give their attendance early in the morning. It is
hoped the Trustees will generally attend, as some im
portant matters refpeding alterations and amend
ments in the charter, will be submitted to the con
sideration of the Board.
Jacob R. Hardenbergh, Clerk
The Advertisers of the Grammar-School at Raritan
beg leave to inform the Publick, that the price of
board therein mentioned was regulated according to
the price of provilions, as limited by the Regulation
Act of this State: But as that ad has Since been
suspended, they count themselves no farther respon
sible for that part of the advertisement. 3$
r l'o be fold, a PLANTATION, lituate in Hunter-
I don county, Weft New-Jersey, ten miles distant
from Trenton, up the River road, containing 370
acres land, 200 thereof cleared, the remainder rough,
but remarkable good wood land, 20 acres good mea
dow made, about ten more may be made, well fenced ;
on the premises are a good stone dwelling-house two
Stories high, a done kitchen adjoining, a large Dutch
barn, a young orchard ; and the whole farm plenti
fully watered. On another part of said tradt are
other convenient buildings. For terms enquire ot
the Printer.
Ogden and Curtis