The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-24 00:00:00, page 3

PHIL ADELPHI A, O&ober 24.
Extract of a letter from Shrewsbury, dated O&ober 19, 1776.
“ Two Ships of war are now passing our quarter, and stand.
ing along Shore to the southward. We suppose they are bound
to the capes. A fleet of Sixty four fail new lies at Sandy hook,
inward bound."-
We hear from good authority, that the inhabitants of Lan
caster county are greatly disgusted at the proceedings of the
late Convention, and are determined to take measures Similar
to those already taken in this city.
A correspondent fays, the only method to have a perfect
Union, will be to set aside the oath for the elected as well as
that for the electors..
Extract of a letter, from a gentleman in Maryland, dated the
15th of October, 1776.
“ The frame of government established by your Conven
tion (in Penhfylvania), has not only, alarmed the friends of
liberty and of America, in your state, but also in this. The
baneful influence of your weak counsels has extended beyond
your State. It is the duty of every honest American to expose
the absurdity and fetal consequences which will attend your
state in particular, and America in general, -by a submission to
the government, or rather fyltem of Slavery, propefed by your
late Convention."
The POST from Head Quarters was not arrived when this
paper went to press.
Mr. Towne,
If you will allow the following letter a place in your paper,
'v^hich is intended for one of the public Speakers at the State
hcufe in this city, on Monday and Tuesday the 21st and zzd
of this inst. you will oblige your humble Servant..
SIR,
IWAS much surprised, a few days ago, at the conduct of
some gentlemen whom I greatly refped, in their bringing
& number of hasty resolves to be Swallowed by an inconsider
ate multitude. For men warmly inspired by popular ha
rangues may be brought almost to do, or assent to any thing.
The attack was against a new,formed Plan of Government,
which has its imperfections, but which, with,them all, is
possibly no? much inferior to any on the continent. It
- was termed by a great number of honest, upright, and fer.fi
ble men ;-and feme of them very refpe&able for their learn
ing and wifdrm b . and knowledge of state affairs. Their
Bill, of Rights, as was publicly acknowledged by those very
gentlemen, does them great,honor.; and is equal to any thing
of the kind now extant in the various governments that we
know in the world. And to traduce, or vilify them, when
we certainly know that they were veiled with all the powers
of the good people in this province, to frame a new Plan of
Government, and that, they have hooefily and uprightly dis
charged this, great trust, according to the measure of their
abilities, is very wrong and unkind.. They were not expected
to be infallible, and their plan, like all other human per
formances, may be mended ; but it ought to be mended or set
aside, in whole or in part, by a Convention delegated by. the.
people for that purpose, and not by.an Assembly.
For if a diffatisfied junto may at any time, be allowed to raise
a-cry againh our Confutation, or Charters, and Plan of Go
vernment, and call on the populace to invent the Assembly
with powers to pluck up the foundations, and to new model
®ur Constitution, we can never have any liable Constitution,
or Plan cf Government ; but eve, new Assembly may be
called on. to alter or mend our Charters, and Constitution, or
to make a new one,— The Magna Gharta or Great Charter es
531
Britain, and the Bill of Rights exhibited at the Revolution, ar®
not touched, nor allowed to be touched, by their Parliaments,
and we at this time blame them, and bear arms against them,
because they have deprived us, and still attempt to deprive us
of the privileges of that Constitution.
Our old and much admired Charter and Constitution was,
not to be altered, without the confcnt of the Governor, and a
great majority of the Assembly ; and in some cases refpefting
religious liberty, it was never by them to be altered.
This new plan had all the authority that the people could
give the Convention to make it; and if it was mot to their
minds, on trial, they had a power, when they pleased, to
call a new Convention, to alter and mend.it, or to lay it
a side, and to mend the old one, that we so much esteemed.
But if a few discontented demagogues have at any time 4
power to make a noise, and to call on their frighted fellow
fubje&s to invest the Assembly with a power to alter or destroy
our Constitution, or Plan of Government; and if the Assem
bly take this liberty,,we shall never have any stable Conftitu,
tion to depend on. .There is nothing in the new plan so de-
Hruaive to our happiness as this ill timed piece of conduct,
that must let all afloat, and fill this once happy province
with anarchy and confufion.. And lam persuaded. that none
that have appeared on this occasion, to invest Assemblies with
this power, would have taken this course, had^hey considered
the consequences that must attend it..
The present Constitution as soon as publiflied, has all
the force and authority of the people, as much as if it had
continued m&py years.. And the freemen of this province,
who commissioned the late Convention to alter or set aside our
good did Constitution, and they only, should, on due delibe
ration, appoint another Convention to alter, or amend, or set
this aside, but some plan or Constitution must be fixed, not to
be altered when ever an Assembly may b@ hurried into such
measures, by pride, or passion, or venality and corruption.
[The remainder will be published as soon as pqffible.]
Vendue by, William Adcock,. on
Tuesday next at one o'clock.
I'° ' e SOLD by public vendue on Tuesday evening
A 95"' the 29th of O&ober, at fix o'clock, at the
'9 L ^° n Ceffee-houfe, .a BRICK HOUSE three Tories high,
a few doors below Spruce-ttreet, on the well fide of Front
ftreet, next door to Mr. William Filhb.ourn, in qood repair,
and lately rented for forty pounds per annum. The lor is
sixteen feet front, and forty feet in depth, free of all incum
brances. Ihe terms will be madecafy to the purchaser.
'- Philadelphia, O&ober 22, 1776.
FITS is to give notice that David Buchanan, tailor,
living-in Spruce -street, -next house but one to Second
ftreet, on the north east fide, buys and fells all forts of
WEARING APPAREL for ready moneys
A Complete parcel of HOMESPUN LINENS remarks
ably neat, and well bleached, and a few pieces of FO
REIGN WHITE LINENS, to be fold at CALEB and
AMOS FOULKES's Itore, on the north.fid.e of Market-ftreefy
near Fourth-street. O&ober 24,
WANTED, to hire, a SERVANT that can drive a car
riage, and wait in a family. Inquire of the printers