The Pennsylvania ledger, or, The Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New-Jersey weekly advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-12 00:00:00, page 2

kfyfs. JAMES HANKINSON.
We are informed that lys Majesty has been pleas
ed to nominate William Matthew Burt, Enquire to
Succeed his Excellency, Sir Ralph Payne, K. B.
in the government of these jfiands, as soon as his
leave of airfence expires; which will be some time
next anonth.
Sir Ralph Payne was gone down toCanvafs in
the borough of Morpeth, and it is thought he will
meet with no opposition.
CHRISTIANST.^D. (St. C%) 'Sept. ii.
On Saturday last blew the mod violent gale of
wind attended with' inceflant rain, we have had since
the gift of Anguft, 1772. Eleven fa^ of veflels
drove on Shore by its fcvereqefs in this harbour; moss
of the velßls in Frederickfted obliged to put to tea.
1 he vcffels drove on Shore here we hope will he got
est without any material damage. As so the da
mage the country path received is very confider
abie. ,
Monday morning lad put in here in diftreE, a
small Schooner, Robinson Commander, bound
with an express from St. Christopher's to Antigua,
by whom we have the following melancholy ac
-OGunt. On Thursday morning last between the
hour> of two and three a fire broke out in the town
of Basseterre, in the hoiife of Mr. Stanley, which
communicated i&fclf to the adjacent buildings and
consumed mod part of the ^wn. It continued on
fire till the hours of nine and teh, when all the hou,
les and stores situate on the bay were entirely con
sumed. The fame day three estates near the town
were seen on fire, the names of which we are not
able to inform our readers. His Honor the Corn^
rcander has laid an embargo on all vessels going
from the island, on suspicion of an infurredion of
the negroes, whom it is said fat the town and estates
on fire. There were no lives loft except four ne
groes who were dealing goods out of a cellar. Capt.
Robinson in his w ( ay down saw federal vessels indil
trefs, likewise the wreck of a vessel, who, by her
timbeis he supposed to be Bermudas built; he also
saw the head of a rudder of a large vdfel.
There was before the above accident plenty of
provisions in the town, but after the fire not 20
barrels of any kind to be had.)
A DIALOGUE beiweeen Orator Puff and
Peter Easy, on the proposed Plan or Frame of
Government.
Orator. I^JEIGHBOUR Easy, I am glad to fee
you; I heartily congratulate you.
Peter. On what?
Orator. On the glorious profpe& that we the
happy people of this State now have before us, of
living under such a Frame of Government, as
never was known on this continent before.
Pettr. Why, does it differ so much from the
other constitutions that have lately been formed by
several of the American States?
Orator. Differ! Why it differs as much from
them, as a Crab-apple from a Newtown-pippin—but
it is no wonder.
Peter. Why so?
Orator. Why I'll tell thee Peter— but it is only
between us.—The other States have no such leading
Men in their Conventions as We have in ours —AiicC
what is the more extraordinary, our leading Men
have never had much experience in public affairs.
Peter. That is very Strange.
Orator. Strange as it is, it is true; but so vast
and amazing is the genious of our leaders, that the
forming a Frame of Government, which in other
parts of the world has been considered, when well
Executed, as one ofche greatest efforts of the human
mind, is nothing but mere flat to our Statesmen.
Peter. But let their genius be ever so vast, yet,
as you fay, they have had but'little experience,
what principle did they luckily adopt, that has
conduced them so fortunately through their ardu
ous undertaking?
Orator. Ah! Peter, now thou corneft near to
the point, and since I know thee to be an hopeft,
humble hearted fellow, I will intruft thee, Peter;
I will illuminate thy mind in these imperial tecrets.
The Principle of our political Leaders, is Simpli
city. There, Peter, is “ the head in a Nut-sh 11.'
There is the wonderful MyJlery, th.it us mortals to
the northward or louthward, eastward or wellward
of Pennflvania, ever dreamt of. I will explain the
rican rebels had declared themfdves independent
before he failed.
The following receipt was taken on board the pirate.
I DO hereby acknowledge to have received of
Captain James Campbell of the Enterprise privateer
of Maryland, the sloop Elizabeth taken by him some
days ago, on the following conditions, viz,
That 1 fyHland Mr. Thomas Wil!ock and such
other people as said Campbell Shall fend on board,
at Antigua, and there deliver to the said Mr. TH>
was Willock, all the cargo I hive now on board,
to be by him divided amongst the mates and crew
of the Show fames; abb taken by said Campbell, in
fiich proportion as the 'dd Mr. Thomas' Willock
4hafl find upon enquiry, the laid cargo may be as to
the lots of every individual of laid Show's crew, and
the vclCI to be delivered to the'former owner, which
conditions I promise to fulfill; and de l now hereby
voluntarily fubferibe the fame this f%th of August
v;6. ROBERT'BV°RCHALL.
matter a little more fully to thee. Simplicity,
Peter, means an accommodation, a suiting, an ad
justing of things to common notions, that is, to no
tions that are natural, or common, or most easily
understood, or mod generally approved, which they\
are, became they are common or natural, or Simple,-
or easy, or not troubled with ihuch thought, which
nearly approaches to the true meaning qf natural—
or thou underftandeft'me, Pe/cr ?
Peter. Sufficiently.
Orator. This being premised, the next flep was
to determine what noted things wef^ generally fy
greeablc to people of all forts, by being natural 01^
common, or customary in their childhood, or from
it—as I, you know, Peter, have just now elucidated
the master. In determining this weighty point, our
Statesmen loon were convinced that nothing would
tend more to render the new Government agreeable
to the people in general, than making it to resemble
some of the mod common and familiar Games or
Plays. (Peter starts) What <loft fta.rt at, Peter?
Peter. , Nothing. I believe; didst not thou fee a
snake in the grass?
Orator. No.'
Peter. Perhaps I was mistaken then, please
to proceed.
Orator The firft instance I will give thee, Peter,
to confirm what I have said, flall relate to the
general method of ranging the several fe&ions.of the
Frame. Thou khoweft that in the Plans of Go
vernment that hjive been formed in New- Jerfcy,
Virginia, the Carolinas, and ellewhere, the Repr'e
fentatives have purmedin all those States, .one dull,
uniform method of beginning with the principal
"pares, fuel! as their Assembly, Council, Governor.
Prefi/ent, &c* so as to deduce the whole fyllem
from the greater to the smaller branches with what
they tripped to be± regular order. They may dream
'as they please of Order regular, but I fay, and lo
do our Leaders, that it is unnatural; for does not
the \<reat Poet fay, & works of Nature are
“ Confufion regular." Froh i this idea of things our
Statesmen have concluded, that the dilpolition of
the several parts of the cohflitntion in the new Frame
ought, as much as possible, to referable the play of
Chequers.
Peter. <Blefc me! 'How can that be?
Orator. By 'Confufon regular, Peter, that is, by
Confu fion that has a certain object in view, and
^ipp^g i n purluit of the game from one square to
the other, sometimes over one corner, Sometimes
over another, now to the right-hand, then to the
left. Now, Pefer, observe the fimifitude: The firft
three lections mention the Houle of Reprefentati^es,
Prefdent; Coanoil, Supreme Legislative Power, and
Supreme Executive Power. Eley, Pretto ! and be
gone —Where are we now? We hare got to the
fourth lection, which widely provides, that there
Piall lie County Courts throughout the State. I here's
a leap for thee, Peter, from the top of the houje to
the cellar. Thou half read, 1 fnppote, Pope's art
of finking in poetry This finking exceeds the
famous lines
“ And thou Dalthoufy, thunderbolt of War,
“ Lieutenant General to the Earl ot Mar."
Note well the activity of the next jqmp to another
point. In fedion the fihh, the Freemen fall, be
trained and armed for their defence, andthe'Militia
Ihall eteß their Officers; &c. Oh, how lam trans
ported with the velocity of the mental operations of
these geniuses. They ought not to be compared to
any thing but forge leaden bullets, flying from the
muzzles of rifles, hot, heavy rapid, And yet twill
ing to their marks. In lesion the f x th, a fubje&
entirely new again is introduced—“ Every Freeman
twenty one years old and who has refilled a year,
and paid public taxes during that tirot. Ihall enjoy
the rights of an Ejedor, &c,"—and then our States
men, making mere diversion their bufinels so easy
are the molt difficult things to great minds, push
on, as they did, when boys, at play, with-a hop,
Jlep and a jump, to the end oF the chapter, as thou
mayll obfeive, by only reading over the other sec
tions of the Frame, and noting,how curiously mat
ters of different kinds are put together. Thus much,
my friend, for tlie general method. Now to ^ome
to particulars. Prepare thyfelt to hear wonders.
By this new Frame, the whole Power of making
Laws for Pennsylvania is veiled in ov/body.called
the “ General fembly, &c." Here's Simplicity for
thee. All the other States on the Continent have
been puzzling themtelves with two or three Legisla
tive bodies, or bodies veiled with powers to make
laws, wlbo are to be checks upon one another, and
prevent ralh, ill digested, and imprudent determi
nations from being pad into laws—And the great
Men in other States infill, that there is no danger
but much benefit in having power thus distributed;
for all the bodies derive their power from the
people, and are accountable to diem; and they
pretend to quote the learned men who have writ
ten on tlie lubjc&, and appeal to the experience
ot other countries and ages, to prove the great mif
cliief of having tlie whole power of making laws
lodged in one. body of men: But our Statesmen
laugh at all thele whimsies, apd for very fubfantial
reasons will have but one Legislative Body. Where
one perlon, or one body, or one any thing, is fuffi
cient to dilcharge certain offices fay they; why
Should there he pw^or three ? Indeed, I have hoard
it formis'd, that one of our Leaders, and a prodigy,
ous bright man he is, would have thought some of
the works of nature might have been more simple
than they are—as for instance, why should man
have two legs, when one would have done, for then
he might have hopp'd instead of walked —and I must
acknowledge, I never heard this notion fully refu
ted. Now dost thor think, Peter, that it is possible
for mortals to give a higher pfoof of their love of
Simplicity, than thus totally casting out of our sy
stem of Government the examples of other States,
and trampling on the judgments of the greatest men
that have ever considered the fubjed.
Peter. No; it is not only a high but a bold
proof ot their love of Simplicity, and their resolution
to reform mankind.
Orator. I thought thou wouldst answer so—yet,
Peter, I will produce another instance of their love
of Simplicity, and their boldness too in avowing
it, that exceeds that which we have been speaking
o£ more than 'the Alleghaney Mountain does 'a.
Mole-hill in height.
Peter. 'Tis impossible!
OratoF. Listen and judge. Thon fhouldft not be
so positive, Peter. Thou knoweft that this country
is inhabited chiefly by Christians," and that here
tofore no person could be a member of our Assembly,
ualefs he was a Christian: Well when our
Statesmen were considering this point and had our
book of Laws and proceedings of former Assemblies
before them, by which they found that no man
could be a member, unlefs,he solemnly profeffed his
faith in that religion, mentioning particularly the
- articles thereof, they thought that re
ligion was not simple enough for a Commonwealth,
and that m, mbers of Affcmbly, and other Officers
of the State, ought not to be hoppled with that old
falhioned Creed of believing in the “ Three that bear
,Record in Heaven," and, therefore, by the tenth
fedioD of the Plan firft publilhed, Members were
only to.declare in these words, “ I ^0 believe in One
the Creator and Governor of the Uniyerfe."
But this fe&ion caused so much noise, that in the
Frame that is now fettled, the expression has been a
little altered. However^ our Leaders have been too
cunning for the narrow minded people who made
the racket, for they h/ve only added these words—
the Rewarder of the Good and Punisher of the
" Wicked. And Ido acknowl dge the Scriptures
" of the Oid and New leftament to be given by
“ divine Inspiration." Now to comprehend the
ingenuity bl this management, Peter, I Would have
thee, in the firft place, observe that, the Convention
has not in any part of the Frarpe ordered ony Offi
cers whatever to make even this flight declaration,
except Members of Assembly; but have only care
fully provided “ chat, no further or otller religious
" tefl, ihall ever hereafter be required of any civil
“.Officer or Magistrate in this State." Secondly,
the word " holy," which in the former qualifica
tion by the Laws of Pennfylvanta, was put next be
fore the word " Scriptures," is ' omitted in this
new frame. Thirdly, the other words in the for
mer qualitcation, describing briefly, the Christian
Belief, and " prof effing Faith" therein, are also left
out ot this frame ; and only tlie loregoing ' 'ac
knowledgment," without any “profession of Faith,"
is put instead ; which leaves people who do not be
lieve the Cbrflian Religion to put what,conftru&ion
they plealc 011 tltat “ acknowledgement." For it is
well known, Peter, that thole who do not believe
the CbriJiiad Religion, think the books written a
gaind it, are “ g ven by divine Inspiration" as much
as the " Scriptures." 1 hey can easily reconcile
themselves to that “ acknowledgement," by fa yin %
that the ingenuity and genious of the author's of the
“ Scriptures" where the 66 divine Inspiration" they
meant in^afang the " acknoyledgem nt, because
that ingenuity and that genius were “ given by"
their Creator. Fourthly, this point is made clearly
to be the intention of the Convention, because in
the second fidion of the "Declaration of
4\.lg hvs, tis exprefly asserted tliat ''no man, who
acknowledges a lupreme Being, can bojuitly del
“ prived or abridged of any civil Right as^ citizen
(that is as a member ot tlie State) on account of
\ws religious Sentiments or peculiar mode of religi
“ ous \voiShip. Ihus, thou feell Pe/er, thatby the
express letter of the proceedings or tlie Convention,
Qeism is made the established Religion of
Pennjylvania, without a fngle frflable being menti
oned throughout the whl, ot the Christian Re
ligion, but on the contrary, alfthe art toed which
our leaders, bold as they are, dared to employ, to
throw a flight and contempt upon it; arid now,
CeijL, jews, Mahometans and Indians, by putting
then own glois and equivocation bn the foregoing
“ acknowledgement, may hold the fir/t Offices of
profit and trull in our free thinking bluffed State.
Well, Peter, what sayest tliou now, does not this
instance exceed the other.
Pete^. kes, beyond all comparison, if thott
reprefenteft the matter right,
scratch Right—Why, look here at the printed
copy!
Peter. Tliou art right! But cannot these strange
clianges be cprre&ed and altered when tlie new As
sembly meets?
Orator. No, that is impossible. For no altera
tion cau be made, according to the n§w frame, un