The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1780-04-27 00:00:00, page 1

DUNKIR K, Odober 7.
CAPT. Rover, in a privateer of this port,
the Commander of Dunkirk, arrived yester
day. He has ransomed 13 prizes, and bro't
three in ; one loaded with peafe ; the se
cond a Spanish (hip, retaken, from Buynos Ayres;
the other a letter of marque, bound from Liverpool
to New-York, loaded with clothing,&c. for the troops.
Grantville, 08. 10. The (hip Monsieur arrived the
firft inst. and has taken the following prizes:
Aug. 11. Retook a Dutch (hip loaded with 550
calks of brandy for Dunkirk, which had been taken
by an English privateer.
Sept. 2. Took the (hip Villanova, of 2,0 tons,
Capt. P. Tremblet, from Porto to London, loaded
with wine, &c. arrived at Rofcoff.
7th. The (hip Swcer, Capt. A. Brodet, loaded
Mith Madeira wfue, arrived at Brest.
;22d. The Joseph, Capt. 2. Peel, bound to Ma
&ira in ballast, arrived at Rofcoft ~
23d. Retook the Spanish ASo S*° Antoine, from
the Havanna, having been before taken b, an Eng
hfb letter of marque, arrived at St. M^°°
:25th. The (hip Polly, of 300 tons'/ Capt. W,
Sterly, from Jamaica, loaded with sugar, rum, cof
fee, cotton, green hides and logwood, arrived at
G ranville.
Bergen, in Norway, Sept. 21. There has arrived
in this port two prizes, taken by the American cruiz
ers.. They mount 20 and 22 guns each, one is a ves
sel almost new, called the Union, bound fom Lon
don for Quebec, with dispatches for Governor llal.
dimiind, and a cargo of provisions and materials for
building seven vessels, the other is loaded with provi
sions bound from Briflol to New-York.
7b the Merchants of Lloyd's Coffec-Houfe.
Gentlemen, Paris, Sept. 30.
I have obtained an exad lift of the veffeis which
you have thought proper to insert in your Register,
which is open to all that resort your house. I could
have wished there had been more truth and left de
ceit ; you have repeated two or three times the cap
ture of sixty or seventy of our vessels ; without doubt
you have made use of this little piece of deceit, for
that part of the nation who only believe the truth of
fads when they fee them in print, for I suppose you
have too good correspondents for me to imagine, that
you have endeavoured to impose on yourselves.
<When you learnt that our vessels arrived under
convoy without being taken, and that they had ar
rived at our Windward Blands, even in fight of the
Admirals Byron, Barrington and Rowley, you then
perceived it was necessary to fatisfy the people of
England, it was necessary to recur to appearances at
the expence of truth. What have you done ? the
warmest among you loitering only to their passion,
have, examined the map of France; they have fought
for names of vessels and captains ; they immediately
made prizes and conduced them into England : Such
as the Belle of Paris; the Beaujolois ; the La Ferte
fur Aube ; the Pont L'Evcque ; the Carcaffonoe ;
the Cent Livres, privateer ; the Charmont fur Marne;
the St. Dizier; the Villefranche; the Pas de Caux;
the St. Amant; the Frifeur, privateer; Le Vituy le
Francois ; the St. Augouleme (we have never known
% faint of that name); the St. Jean de Lean ; the St.
Tropes; the St. Christian ; the Douceur; the La
Fierte fur Loiac ; the Sorbonne ; the Chalons fur Sa
,% ; the Mirepoix, privateer; the St. yenant ; the
Phillippeville ; the Saumour en Briennois ; the Mont
^vermes ; the St. Menchoult ; the Navarreins ; the
St. Pierre Le Mautier; the Commerci ; the Remire
tont ; the Marchienne au Pont ; and laltly, the Sis-
I-on,' Capt. Durance ; the Vanaiffin Comtat, Capt.
Durance ; the Vignon, Capt. Terrafcon, and an &
finity of others, the enumeration of which would-be
tiresome. . .
If those you pay to give you intelligence of the
prizes taken from us (tor I cannot persuade myfclf
that the Lords of the Admiralty employ their money
so badly) had had a more enlightened zeal, they would
have at lead endeavoured to make deception to have
had the appearance of truth, without searching for
names which are only known in our geographical
maps ; they need not to have gone out of the pro
vinces of Normandy, Brittanny and Quienne. What
an ample collection of names might they have ga
thered, as they only wanted the names qf (hips and
their captains! Y .
Content ourselves, Gentlemen, I beseech you,
with the .eal prizes you have taken to this time,
without swelling them by imaginary ones. If we
cannot flatter ourselves with the fame good luck, we
t^ake our reprisals in another manner, we attack the
Qec at the root, we take your inlands.
J Politician of the Ro,al Palace.
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. lII.]
THURSDAY, April 27, 1780.
For the New-Jersey Gazette.
"'Nos in mare proximum,
" Gemmas et lapides aurum, et inutile
'' Sammi matteriam mali,
'' Mittamus." Hor.
IN all countries where war has been carried on by
a subordinate state against the supreme and super
intending power in a contest for liberty, the evils and
misfortunes which such inferior dates have fuffered
before they attained their point, have been innume
rable and almost inexpressibly great. In the long war
between the seven United Provinces and Spain, the
Dutch were often worsted in battle, and the Prince
of Orange obliged to leave the country; which was
over-run by an army inured to plunder, and the most
cruel and inhuman devastations. The Prince, how
ever, collected his broken troops, recruited them,
and, after repeated attempts, at length forced his
way again into the Provinces, which had been rava
ged by the enemy; the cities Were plundered, the
fields laid watte, and the inhabitants murdered and
destroyed by that inhuman monster the Duke of Alva,
who boasted that he hau put 18,000 persons to death
during his administration.
The Swiss Cantons also obtained their liberty by
t6eh" courage and conduct in the wars they had with
the ik'hfe of Aoftria, with whom they fought sixty
battles When I ronfider these fads, and compare
the happy Ration X America with, the miserable
state of those countries ^their contentions for liber
ty, I am sincerely grateful to the all-wife dilpofei
human events for the manifold infantes 0. his pro
tedion extended to us.
In the course of the present just and neceffar, war,
the situation of our affairs forced us upon many expe
dients, in order to our defence, one pf which wa^,
as we had no treasure in silver or gold, to strike pa
per money to defray the expences of the military ar-
rangements.
At that time it would have been imprudent and
impolitick to have taxed in order to raise funds for
this purpose. I look upon it that it was a master
stroke of policy not to have attempted it ; for as the
sources of trade were almost dried up, and our com
merce greatly interrupted at sea by the enemy's
cruizers, the money which lay in the pockets of the
people was thought necessary to their affairs ; and as
the event of the experiment we were about to try was
then very uncertain, it was thought bed rather to
carry on the war by emissions of paper than by taxes.
The recommendation of Congress tq the frveral
Rates to make this money legal tender, ^tyijuft^d
proper at the time of passing it, becaufethe conti
nental money was at par with silver and gold; but
the moment it began to depreciate the resolve (hould
have been qualified so far that it should not have af
fected the honor and mutual faith of parties, pledged
to each other in their private contracts, to which the
old laws were guarantees: It should have said that
every contract of a private nature made heretofore,
at, and after this time, (ball stand on its own nature
and principles, and the performance be enforced ac
cordingly. For there is nothing more dangerous to
a state than to fandify by formal ads the breach of
the faith of private agreements and contracts. Be
tides the injustice and cruelty attending such practices,
it has a most pernicious effect in destroying the prin
ciples and morals .of the people, the maintenance of
which is the chief design and end of all good govern
ment ; by degrees rooting out every just principle
from the minds of men, and of course all liberal and
noble thoughts ; it aims a deadly blow at liberty itfelf.
Even those laws, deriving their force from the law
of nature, ought ever to cease to be as soon as they
cease to be necessary ; and it is as contrary to the law
of nature to enforce laws when the reasons of making
them cease, as it is to cnaCt laws for which there is no
cause at all, or an ill cause. And to do this, as an
eminent writer fays, “ would be to fubjeCt reason to
“ force, and to apply a penalty where there is no crime."
From this principle then I assert that the tender law
ought to be repealed, instantly repealed, that justice
may be enforced by the laws, and that wicked and
designing men may be prevented in future from draw
ing advantage to thcmfelves from so iniquitous and
unjust a power with which this law invests them.
Before the war, when money was lent on bond or
mortgage, it had some kind of standard value when
compared with the value of lands and the necessaries
of life ; and the honour qf the obligor or mortgagor
was tacitly pledged to make this value good: For,
“ the offence of right and wrong does not depend
.“ upon the words and clauses inserted in a code or
'' statute-book, much less upon the conclufiqns and
“ explications of lawyers and statesmen, but upon
66 reason and the nature of things."
THE
The tender law, so inadequate to the purpose of
keeping up the credit of the moneys so full of injus
tice and deftruftion of moral hoaefty, is roeverthejefs
continued in force, to the terror of many wei laffect
ed families whose sole dependence, nay, exigence, is
upon the mercy of the debtor. And what is hill more
insupportable, there are yet many creditors, who if
paid in the present money, will be ruined ; or, if not
paid, will become bankrupts, from an incapacity to
fulfil their contrasts and difeharge their debts. What
is this but putting, as it were, a two edged fwoid in
the hands of the debtor against the naked and defence
lefs creditor. In truth the tender law is, at this
time, the most iniquitous of all laws. lam inform
ed by a gentlemen of the bar it amounts to an anni
hilation of all debts under an hundred pounds, where
the debtor refu fes payment ; for the fees and charges
and expences of attendance at court, arming in the
course of a suit at law for such sum, (no inconlder
able one, if an old debt) actually swallow up the
greater part of it : So that the dreadful have ck made
of fortune, acquired in a course of honed industry, by
the wicked and unjust part of the community is truly
deplorable, and demands a speedy and effectual reme
dy from the legislatures of the federal dates.
I have heard I confefs with horror the language or
some interefled men, in opposition to the repeal of
this law. They alledge that the mifebief^ marl, at
an end, and for this reason 'tis unnecessary.- I his
mode of reasoning may suit some fort 0? people, but
does not comport with the character of honesty or
feeling, which if those persons have not, *hey o°ght
for the honour of humanity to aflett.—l there is one
man in this state (and there are thouiaiK^) wbois to
unhappy as to be in this dreadfid predicament, he
Jias a rfeht to effectual justice in his case.
I have I'eard of another reason again!, tee repeal of
the tender jaw in a neighbouring Hute, which, if
there be any foundation for i% is ^m^r^f
upon the reputations of some oft ^ Q the
legislature : It is, that they ^
because they have not yet difchargr G „'' 1 P i
debts. I wifli and hope this may be ill
that it may be fully (hewn by their conduct at tbefly
fitting. This law has been long since repealed in tu&-
minds of all hopgft men, who will not, who cannot,
take advantage of it, and lies open to rogues and
knaves only ; which is giving a license to the Wor^
men in the community to d^roy the best.
I will now bellow a few words on the new plan of
finance lately adopted by Congress,
Two hundred millions of dollars at one for forty
falls to the inconsiderable sum of five millions qf doir
lars; I call it incosfiderable, becauie it is of no con
sequence when regarded as a national debt upon the
thirteen Rates.
After the taxes for the next twelvemonth have berm
collected, little or none of the present money will
remain in circulation, and the new money to be issued
upon the credit of the relpe^Lve states must of neces
sity preserve its value ; because considerable sums will
be annually funk by taxes, which will ever keep
down the quantity.„
At this time, when the continental money is sixty
for one, Congress resolve to receive it in taxes at for
ty for one, which is giving an advantage of one-third
or half a crown in each dollar. And by a table just
framed by Congress, it appears that the ftrideft ge
neral justice is done the holders of certificates for
loans of money to the publics pay, an advantage is
given them which few private men would allow.
I shall only mention here one instance of the truth of
what I have said ; which is, that it appears from this
table that money lent to the public in January last,
when the exchange with refpett to gold and silver was
fifty for one, is valued at 35 ,55 continental tor one,
hard money, which yields a profit to the lender (not
reckoning the fradipn) ofeight /hillings and fix-pence
in the pound, or forty-two pounds ten (hillings in
the value of every hundred pounds hard money placed
in the funds at that period ; so that the monied man
who inverted five thousand pounds continental money
in gold and silver, could purchase no more with it
than one hundred, whilst he who lent it to the public
will have the fame sum of five thousand pounds cod
tineptal estimated at one hundred and forty-two
pounds ten drillings hard money, and no doubt re
ceive the usual interest for it.
It's true Congress h^ye promised the lenders of
money to make the sum good in the terms of the bills,
and had a peace taken place about that time, I do
not entertain a doubt it would have been done : But
the continuance of the war, the art; of the difaffeaed
and intere/ied, adde? to the inexperience and incapacity,
of public bodies, and particularly the wrenched arrange
ments of tbe Jlaf of the army, many of t^ subordinate
[Numb. 122.]