The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-05 00:00:00, page 1

Philadelphia, October 2, 1776.
I HOPE the public will indulge me with a short reply
to Arthur Donaldson's narrative in last night's Evening
Post (which, by the bye, is the fame he formerly pub
lished in a hand bill) and I assure them it (hall be the
last time I will trouble them upon the fubjeft.
The firft thing which may appear to the public uhanfwer
ed, is, to use the words of the narrative, " as my charafter
has been greatly injured both in this city and New-York, by
malicious and designing performs, and, as I am informed, was
even carried to the ears of his Excellency Gen. Waihing
ton, &c." In order that this may correspond with the rest
of his work, I shall here insert a certificate the Gen. was
pleased to fend me.
"Sir, New-York, Sept, 7, 1776.
" In answer to your letter of the third inst. I can truly fay,
to the best of my recollection; I never heard you mention
the name of Arthur Donaldson, or that he was directly or in
directly concerned in giving drafts of the cbevaux de frife,
or other information to the enemy. In jultice therefore to
your request, I cannot withhold this certificate, and am, Sir,
your very humble servant, G. Washington."
Before I publilhed my reply, I called on Arthur Donald
son for his informant, if any he had, that I might make him
known to the public with the author of the narrative. This
he refufed, therefore the public is left to judge how far it
corresponds with the rest of his production.
The truth of the reply I made to Mr. Williams, I am ready
to prove any day he or any other person shall call for that
purpose. I did the fame to a person of undoubted veracity,
who interrogated me about it, repeating the report of the
confinement of the said Donaldson, who well remembers to
have heard it circulated long before my return from New-
York. •
But firce my reply to the narrative appeared, at least
twenty persons have told me that they heard the report long
before I was charged with being the author of it. The tes
timony of one of them I beg leave to insert, for the public's
full fatisfadion, and which, from its singularity, will not
admit of a doubt. It is as fellows, viz.
" Philadelphia, October 2, 1776,
“ This is to certify, that I, the fubferiber, left this city Oh
Friday the fifth day of July last, at eleven o'clock, A. M.
on a voyage to Hispaniola; that two or three days before I
left this city, I remember, perfectly well, to have heard a re
port prevailing about town, that Arthur Donaldson was gone
to New-York, and had given Gen. Howe a description of
the river and chevaux de frife, and that the Committee of
Safety had sent the lighihorfe to fetch him from New-York,
&c. &c. lam ready any day to prove this.
William' Con n^ul."
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
In the preamble he charges me with attempting to afperfe
evidences. If he means the evidence of Francis HOpkinfon,
Esq; I was authorised this morning, by that gentleman, to
tell the public, that what he asserted in his narrative, refpefr
ing Mr. Hopkinfen's evidence, is not true, but is as i as-
Verted id ray reply. If he meansGapt. Smithers's evidence
Vol. ll.j
Price Three Coffers. Published every Tuesday, Tburfday, and Saturday Evenings.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1776.
495
For the PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST
TH E computations of the value of the Free States cf
America by Conti — and Doria, in the Evening Post
of Sept. 21, rather prove that value to be immense than re
duced it to a' certainty. Perhaps another method of com
putation might be admitted, viz. from the quantity of land
within the present inhabited part of those states, which is at
least two hundred millions of acres, and worth a dollar per
acre ! should think at least, some fay two or three dollars, and
perhaps the personal estate may be computed at as much more,
which I do not think is reckoning high, and will make the
amount four hundred millions of dollars. All these computa
tions prove with certainty enough that the funds, on which
the Continental money depends, are fufficiently great to support
a very much larger quantitythan is already emitted. I would
farther ebferve that the American States owe nothing to any
body but themselves, and employ no (hips, soldiers, &c. bur
theiro^n, so that they contrast no foreign debt; and I take it
to be a clear max+tn, that no ftatbcan be ruined, bankrupted,
or indeed much endangered, by any debt due to itfelf only ;
nor can it ever be much impoverished by any war, if the war
and other caftraltiesdo not diftroy mankind fatter than the
women produce them, and the people that are left at home
can furnifh the proviftons, clothing, &c. / neceffhry for the^
felVes and the fold iery, together with all .other necessary stores
and implements of the war.
There requires no more to preserve filch a state in a war of
any length of time than good economy in bringing the burden
(for there was but two at firft) I can only fay if Capt. Smi
thers afperfed his own evidence, I am not chargeable with
that, for I ffri&y inserted his own relation of the matter; as
taken before evidences.
The next thing worthy notice in the preamble is, that tho
public are desired to apply to the referrees for farther parti
culars. This, I confefs, appeared to me .as troublesome for
the public as the refpedable gentlemen, who have already
had too much trouble; Therefore, to relieve the referrees
and public from so much trouble, I have taken it upon my
felf, to whom it more properly belonged, and waited upon
them this morning, with both papers, as I did before I pub
lished my reply, or, as I think, I Ihould have acted a bale
part. Mr. Reese Meredith is of opinion, that when we got
warm, at the time we met at his hodfe, he did not tell us to
go out of doors, but remarked that they had, out of friend
ship to us (as I verily believe) endeavoured to reconcile and
fettle matters between us, but feeing it was out of their pow
er, he desired we would walk into the other room. In short,.
I cheerfully agree that any gentlemen inform themselves bet
ter from the referrees, who are so good as to lay they will fa
tisfy as far as they know of the matter.
I must acknowledge it has given me inexprefible pain, at
this time of public calamity, to be under the necessity of
troubling the public with private disputes, for which I beg
their pardon, as well as those very respectable gentlemen,
whose names I.have been obliged to mention, and remain their
most obliged humble servant, BENJAMIN RANDOLPH-
[Num. 267.