The Freeman's journal, or, New-Hampshire gazette — Portsmouth, N.H., 1778-01-13 00:00:00, page 1

mailers.
The clima&erick Period is arrived, and we
are now about to join in solemn Covenant, for
the Preservation of our inestimable Rights &
Priviledges, with all the other American
States ; And for this purpose Thirteen Arti
cles of. Confederation are drawn up and de
ftributed throughout America, forthe candid
and impartial Difqnifition of every Friend to
this Country : To be silent at this Time may
bejuftly thought a Want of Attention, or ra
ther indifference,to our public Concern, it is
therefore earnestly hoped that every able Pen
will be imployed at so critical a Jun&ire,
that in the midst of Council we may be fafe.
I have carefully perused and candidly ex
amined these Articles of Confederation, and
find them to be a Compilation of excellent
Wisdom, and the greatest Attention to the
general Interest bfthe United States; they are
the Compofitionsof able and great Politicians,
and in the general appear to have afingle Eye
to the true Interest of the whole, without the
sordid Views of privatcEmoluments;neverthe
lefs 1 must own,they are not wholly free from
Exceptions,which Ihave candidly undertaken
to point out,from a conscientious Attachment
to my Country.
In the Eighth Article the Proportion of
each State for the supply of the Continental
Treasury, is to be estimated by Congress, ac
cording to the Value of Lands in each State,
as such Lands and the Buildings and improve
ments thereon shall be estimated, " in such
a Mode as Congress shall dire& and appoint;"
To this I would observe, the mode of propor
tioning, ought not to be left to Congress, as
they cannot be proper Judges of the Valua
tion of Lands and the Income of Lilates so
well as the States themselves, therefore some
invariable and fixed Rule ought to be fettled
by the general A& of Covenancy.
In the Ninth Article Congress claims the
Right of appointing & establishing Courts for
receiving & determining Appeals in all cases
of Capture.—This is rather of too extensive a
Nature; for ifthe Disputes arise between 2
Persons of One & the fame State, or between
the Subjects of any State, and the fubjeds of
the King of Great Britain, (with whom we
are at War) why Need there be Appeals to
any other Courts, when the Municipal Laws
of each State may as well determine the Dis
pute ; I grant that if the A&ion or Controver
sy happens between two Persons of Different
States, or between the fubjeHs of Foreign
Princes our Allies and the Inhabitants of any
of the American States, then such a Court
_may be proper, but yet with the Addition of
a Jury, of which no Mention is made in the
said Article : — Furthermore, in the
fame Article, Congress reserves the Privi
ledge of appointing all the Officers of the
Port Officefwhich are verymany) this I think'
improper and impolitic, for it inverts them
with too great a Power of Multiplying their
Dependents, and therebv endangering the
States in future. I would rather it fhoald be
OUR Correspondent INDEPENDENS
naving been requeued to give us his full
and tree Animadversions bn the. Articles of
Confederation proposed by Congress for the
United States of America, he has obliged us
with the following.
Salutis communis Interest.
— There never was an £Era recorded in the
Annals of the American History so important
and intererting as the present : We are all
call'd upon,as well individually as collective
ly,to a& our Parts in the solemn Scene ;It is
therefore incumbent upon every Member of
the Community to appear for himlelt and his
Perterity, and determine whether they fliall
^ hcuu-rtty ^ Buffings of Peace. Li
berty and Safety,or become Hewers of Wood
and Drawers of Water to our British Talk-
VOL. ll.]
New-Hampshire Gazette.
The FREEMAN'S JOURNAL,
TUESDAY, JANUARY, 13, 1778.
stipulated that such neceff ~ Offices Ihould
be appointed in each State r id the Prices of
Portage to be affixed by general Rules fet
tled by theCongrels,which 41 have the ge
neralßenefit; allowing to au Printers pf each
State, the free Carriage of leir Respective
News Papers to each other, is heretofore, for
thePrefervation of that in< timable Blessing,
t^eLiberty of the Prefs,wh :by Tyrants are
made to Tremble,and wh I,like the Sword
of justice, is a terror to Evil Doers, and a
praise to them that do well -In the fame 9th
Article an aiLntial alterati 0 murt be made;
tar be it from me to fuggel hat there was a
design in the Penman,or th. there is any Oc
cafior of Suspicion of that autre, but I ob
lerve, teat ii 9u, the — l:^ ^ n p noon
Peace or War, coin Money,emit Bills,borrow
Money, &c. that Number of Nine shall be
binding upon the whole, by which the Nine
Southern may always determine tor the tour
Northern States, as they are so distin
guished ; therefore to remove every Doubt or
Jealpufy, letthe Number be Eleven, and then
two of the Northern States will certainly be
included in all such important Matters.'
In the fame Ninth Article, Congress re
serve the Right of appointing and commissi
oning all Officers in the Navy, which I think
not only impolitic for the fameßeafons as ap
pointing Port Officers ; but it may be found
very detrimental to the public service; for it
is more likely ships of War will be mann'd by
Officers who are chosen in the States where
they are built, than if Officer'd by Grangers
in those States, for I mean to throw out of
fight, every Idea of impressing Men into the
Marine service as being subversive ofthatLi
berty which we have fpilt so much Blood to
preserve inviolate ; if the Officers of the Ar
my are to be appointed by the States, why
not of the Navy, excepting Admirals and Ge
nerals ?
There are some lefrr Matters which I ra
ther pass by than recommend any other Al
terations to be made in the general Plan; but
I am very jealous of inverting any one Man,
or Body of Men, with too much Power which
is a Captivating and bewitchingPaffion.
The Majerty of the People should ever Have
Afcendency, and all Power must be consider
ed by their servants as originating from them
And only delegated for a Time; and as we
have considered the British Nation Undone,
by the avaricious Thirst of Placemen and
Pensioners, from all such, may the Lord de
liver us. INDEPENDENS.
BURLING TON, (New Jersey) Dec. 5.
To the Officers and Soldiers of the Militia
in the counties of Hunterdon, Burlington,
Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland.
Friends and fellow Soldiers
THE enemy have thrown a considerable
force into your State, with intent to pos
sess themselves of the post at Red Bank,
and after clearing the obftru&ions in Dela
incurfions into your country.
them from effecting either of
these purposes, I have sent over such a num
ber of Continental troops as I trurt will, with
spirited exertionsof the militia, totally defeat
their designs, and oblige them to return to the
city and Suburbs of PhH^^^ia, which is the
only ground they poffeis upon the Pennfyiva
nia shore, and in which they cannot fubfirt if
cut off from the supplies of the plentiful State
of New Jersey.
I therefore call upon you, by all that you
hold dear, so rife up as one man and rid your
country of it's unjust invaders. To convince
you that this is to be done by a general ap
pearance of all it's freemen, armed and ready
to give them opposition, 1 need only to put
vou in mind of the effect it had upon the"
British army in June hit, who laid aside their
O R,
BOST ON, January 8, 1778.
A letter from Lieut. Bourchier of the Druid
Hoop of war to Mr. Stevenfion, secretary of
the Admiralty fays, That on the 7th of Sep
tember last in Lat. 43. Long. 50, they fell
in with two American ships, one supposed to
n 4 o g uns , the other 20—that the
Druid sloop of 16 guns was on the weather
quarter of the fleet,repeating signals and en
deavouring to bring down the merchantmen
to the convoy,which was then 5 miles to the
eeward-the Weafle sloop of 10 guns was at
r/ V me ° n the fame service to leward, out
of the Camel of 24 guns, commanded
by Capt. Finch was the convoy— that the
largest of the two American ships bore down
and hail'd the Druid at 5 o'clock P. M on
which they engaged until 6 o'clock, that then
the American ship made fail& left the Druid
after having killed and wounded 32 men a-'
mong whom was Capt. Trott of the Druid
! ur ^° n ' s m^t e , &c.~that the'
yruid had 4 feet 10 inches of water in her
hold, and was otherwise cor.fiderably shatter
ed—that the two American ships continued
in fight of the fleet three days, during which
time they Were obliged to keep all hands at
quarters in expe&ation of being attack'd.but
does not mention any particular l o ss the fleet
sustained.
V ! he " ft instance a British Crew of a
Vessel bound from Grenada to New- York
with 70 puncheons of rum and fix hogsheads
of sugar for the use of the enemy's troops
some time last month difpoff e ff p d the marter'
of command, and carried the vessel in+ o
Charleftown, South-Carolina.-The vessel
and cargo were adjudged prizes according to
a resolve of Congress. °
The Rauleigh, a Continental frigate, of
36 guns, we hear is fafe arrived at France
from Portsmouth, New-Hampshire. On her
intentions of marching through the u r)Der
part of your State, upon feeing the hos
manner in which you w^ re prepared to
"hi'hf°i?' ^°h k a <'°^ the ^° ri ° us effc ^ts
which followed that fp lr i t of Union which a p
peared among our brethren of New Yorl C
^>!¥ nd ^ "^ by , the b ? ve affine
which they afforded to the continental armv
obliged a royal one, slushed with their for-'
mer victories, to sue for terms,and lay down
a m$ '"u'^ most ^bmiffive manner-
Reflea upon these things, and I am convinc
ed,^ e . ver y man wh ° can bear a moiket
T 1 ' ta ke it up,and, without taped to turn
class give his service in the field for a few
weeks, perhaps only for a few days. lam
Your sincere Friend and Countryman,
Gentlemen,
C°Y LD ! P !l fUa ? e m y felf th ^y°^ want
ed any further inducement toexertyour
leives on the present occasion besides the a
m°,ves pointed at in his excellen
cy s address, I would 'conjure you by the re
membrance of the lawrels you have latelv
gained, by the love of yobr country your oof
terity and the honour of New Jersey, to furn
out with alacrity, at a time when Providence
teems to have presented you with a glorious
% por , n "y'° r Defeating the common enemy.
Trenton, Nov. 23 WIL. LIVINGSTON
fize ' fr ° m the Westward,
this harbour, supposed to be from
New York, bound to Newport.
A few days since 130 tories from the Weft
end of Long Island, commanded by one Col
Ewlet, came down to Southold, Oyster Fond
fee. and robbed the honest inhabitants to a
arge amount in money , cloathing,grain, cat
tle,&c.from one man they took i zol.in cash.
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