The New-York gazette, and the weekly Mercury — New-York [N.Y.], 1775-11-20 00:00:00, page 1

N. B. The above Commits request the Printers of the
federal public papers in the United Colonies to infers the above
for three or four weekefucceflively, and all persons pfeged
cf any facts relative to, or that may threw light on the
above fubjeN, to transmit the fame by them as early as poflible.
In CONGRESS, Wednesday, November 3, 1775.
Refolded, That all letters to and from the delegates of
the united colonies during the sessions of Congress, pass
2nd be carried free of peitage, the members having en
gaged upon their honour not to 'frank or enciofe any
letters but theirown.
November 9.
M- >;; iSy 7:t: iz^^ ^ncefzom London by tLeLfl veflei
wr%„^ that or ezift of August acopy of the petition
to the X&„ which was sent from the Congress by Mr.
X.frean, was sent to the secretary of state for America,
and on the firft of September, the firfl: moment that was
permitted, rhe original was presented to him, which
his Lordship promised to deliver to his Majesty.
His Lordship was pressed to obtain an answer, but
thole who presented it were told, " That as his Majesty
did not receive it on the throne, no answer would be
given."
Ordered to be published,
Extrafl from the Minutes,
CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.
PHILADELPHIA, November ii.
EXTRACTS from the Votes of the Honourable
House of Representatives.
TLXfg% Oflober 31, 177 fr A, M.
A Peti ion an? !Remohftrance from the Committee of
Liv. City of Philadelphia was presented to the House,
and follows in these words, viz.
To the Honours the REPRESENTATIHESof
the FREEMEN of the Province of Pennsylvania, in
General Assembly met.
The PETITION and REMONSTRANCE of
the COMMITTEE of the City and Liberties of
Philadelphia.
Mos humbly Jbencetb,
THAT your Petitioners have seen the Copy of an
Address to your Honourable House, entitled, “ An
Address of the People called Quakers," which, in
the opinion of your petitioners, bears an afpeft un
friendly to the Liberties.of America, and maintains
principles deftrudive of all society and government, and
highly reflecting upon the glorious Revolution, which
placed the present royal family upon the British Throne.
Though we are firmly persuaded that a majority of that
"ociety have too much Sincerity, candour and good sense,
a be influenced by such principles, yet our duty to our
elves, to our country, and to our posterity at this alarm
ng crisis, when every thing dear and valuable is at stake,
onftrains us to use our utmost endeavours to prevent
he fatal consequences that might attend your compliance
rith the above application. These gentlemen want to
itsdraw their persons and their fortunes from the service
f their country, at a time when their country Hands
10ft in need of them.
If the Patrons and Friends of Liberty succeed in the
•efent glorious Struggle, they and their posterity will
ijoy all the advantages derived from it, equally with
^fe who procured them, without contributing a single
mny, and with fafety to their persons.---Is the Friends
Liberty fail, they will rifle no forfeitures, but be
titled by their behaviour to protection and countenance
am the Britiffi Ministry, and will probably be promo
d to office : --This they seem to desire and expert.—
hough such conduct manifeftly tends to defeat the vir
ous and wife measures planned by the Congress of the
hirteen United Colonies, and appears at the firft blush
be felfi'fh, ungenerous and unjust, yet we beg leave
animadvert upon the arguments they have used to in
ce the Honourable House to favour and support it.
be Addreffors fay, " They are of a religious society,
who for above an hundred years past, have declared to
the world, that they could not, for conscience fake,
bear arms, nor be concerned in warlike preparations,
either by perfdnal service, or by paying any fines, pe
nalties or affeflments, imposed in con fideration of their
exemption from such fcrvices.-- -That these princi
ples are founded on the example and express injunction
of Christ our Lord and lawgiver.---That although they
were allured that our Honourable Proprietor William
Penn was united with them in religious profeffion and
principles," yet their ancestors obtained from him a
liter, by which the enjoyment of these principles is
PHILADELPHIA, November 1.
In CONGRESS, Saturday July ig, 1775.
WHEREAS the government of Great-Britain hath
prohibited the exportation of ARMS and
AMMUNITION to any of the plantations, and
endeavoured to prevenrother nations from supplying Us.
Refold, That for the better furnishing these colonies
with the necessary means of defending their rights; every
vessel importing Gun-Powder, Salt-Petre, Sulphur, pro
vided they bring with the Sulphur four times as much
Salt-Petre, Brass Field Pieces, or good Muskets fitted
with Bayonets, within nine months from the date of
this resolution, shall be permitted to load and export the
produce of these colonies, to the value of such Powder
and Stores aforefaid, the Non-Exportation Agreement
notwithstanding; and it is recommended to the Commit
tees of the several Provinces to infpea the Military
Stores so imported, and to estimate a generous price for
the fame, according to their goodness, . and permit the
importer of such Powder and other Military Stores afore
faid, to export the value thereof, and no more, in pro
duce of any kind.
A true Copy from the Minutes,
CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.
In CONGRESS, October 18, 1775.'
RESOLVED, That a just and well authenticated ac
count of the hostilities committed by the Ministerial
Troops and Navy in America, since last March, be col
lected, with proper evidence of the truth of the faeft
felted, the number and value of the buildings destroyed
by them ; also the number and value of the veflels in
ward and outward bound, which have been seized by
them since that period, as near as the number and value
can be afeertained; also the stock taken by them from
different parts of the continent.---That Mr. Deane,
Mr. J. Adams, and Mr. Wythe, be a Committee
for this purpose.
CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.
ASSIZE of BREAD. Flour at 20s. per Cent.
A White Loaf of the fineft FLOUR, to weigh
ilb. 8 1-2 oz. for 4 Coppers.
Published November 2, 1775.
Monday, November 2^, 177% T H Er #
NEJF.ro R Kf}fl^&'^ T T E:
WtEKLY„M E RC U R Y.
Containing the ftescff Ibices foreign and DemeSiri
=========^=======^^ # ^&W^-^^^—Z^^—^^^^^^
^Printed by HUGH GAINE, Printer, Bookseller, and Stationer, ?-t the Bible and Crown, in Hanover-Square.
A Memorial from the officers of the military Associa
tion of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia was pre
sented to the House, and is as follows, viz.
“ If the people called Quakers held these principles
<c upwards of an hundred years ago," and rhe firft pro
prietor of this province the Honourable William Per ^
Esq; was “ united with them in religious profeffi>n and
" principles," which they expressly alledge, it is very
unaccountable to your petitioners, that the said William
Penn ffiould receive a charter from Ring Charles the Se
cond, in^he year 1681, in the 16th fedion of which
we find fi power given to him, his heirs and alliens,
" by themselves or their captains, or other their offi
" cers, to levy, muster and train all forts of men, of
“ what condition soever, or wheresoever born in the pro
" vince, for the time being, and to make war, and to
" pursue enemies and robbers, as well by sea as by land,
« even without the limits of this province, and by God's
" affiftence, to vanquish and take them, and being ta
“ ken, to put them to death, by the laws of war, or
" to save them, at their pleasure, and to do all and every
“ other thing, which unto the charge and' office of a
" captain general of an army belongeth, or hath accuf
“ tomed to belong, as fully and freely as any captain
" general of an army hath ever had the fame."
If also none but Quakers came over at firft to this
province with the said proprietor, and the colony was
intended for them, as the. AddrefTors seem to intimate,
your Petitioners cannot conceive that any other pertons
could be made captains or officers, or coold be levied
mustered cr trained at that time, but themselves.—Re
this as it may, your Petitioners beg leave to deliver as
their humble opinion, that felf prefervatian is the firft
principle of nature, and a duty that every man indispen
sably owes not only to himfelf, but to the supreme di
redfor and governor of the universe, who gave him a
being : and that in a Rate of political fociefy and go
vernmental! men, by their original compact and agree •
ment, are obliged to unite in defending themselves and
thufe of the fame community against such as ffiall attempt
unlawfully to deprive them of their just rights and li
berties ;---that those who withdraw themselves from
this compact, cannot be entitled to the protection of the
society „--that the fafety of the people is the supreme
law ;- —that he who receives an equal benefit, ought to
bear an equal burthen ;—-that the doctrine of passive
obedience and non-resistance is incompatible with our
freedom and happiness, and stands condemned by the
conduct of the great Queen Elizabeth, who firft aflifted
the Scotch, and then the French, and to the epd of her
days continued to protect the States, who not only refitted,
but shook off the Spanish yoke, and set up a new form
cf government; by the conduct of her parliaments and
convocations, who gave her sub fidies for those purposes ;
by King James the First bis whole reign ; by King
Charles the First, who in the beginning of his reign
protected the Rochelles, had fopplies from the par
liament for that purpose, and ordered a faft and prayers
to be made for them ; and by the glorious Revo
lution, under which the said society of Quakers, as well
as others, enjoy their present religious and civil rights;--
that it is also against the laws of England, and is repro
bated by two foJemn decisions in the House of Lords,
the firft against Doctor Manwaring, in 1628, and the
other against DoCtor Sachevill in 1710, after the most
solemn and fair trials,---and in a late inflance by the
House of Commons, in the case of Doctor Nowell, and
also by the repeated ads of the assembly of this province.
And your Petitioners cannot avoid thinking that even
the Addreflors of your Honours, though at a distance,
and in cafuiftical reasoning, they may affect to exclude all
refinance, would yet hearken to the voice of nature,
when evident ruin both to themselves and the public,
must attend a ftriC t adherence to such principles, if there
were no ether perfor.s in the community to defend them.
Upon the whole, your Petitioners rest assured, you
will exert every power you are possessed of, for the security
and happiness of the good people of this province, and
that you will do e^ual justice to all your' constituents,
and therefore they again repeat their request, that you
will not, at a time when the united strength of North-
America, and the aid of every individual, is wanted to
preserve our common rights, exempt many of the weal
thier among us from co-operating with their countrymen
in some way or other, for their common fafety.
And your Petitioners will pray, &c.
Signed by an unanimous Order of the Committee,
GEORGE CLYMER, Chairman."
To fee Durable the REPRESENTATIP E S
of the Feeemen of the Province of Penrfyvania, in
General Assembly met.
The MEMO RIAL of the Officers of the Military
Association of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia.
Humbly fanvetb,
THAT your memorWifls have been favoured with
a copy of an address said to be that of the people
called Quakers, containing matter of such importance
to the opposition now so universally gone into, against
minifteriai oppreflion, that your Memorialifts cannot
pass it by with silence, though they apprehend that the
contents of it cannot make the intended impreflion on
the minds of men so enlightened as the repfefentatives
of this province.—But as we know by fatal experience,
that papers of a public nature, coming from a body of
men supposed by the ininiftry to have very genteel influ
encein the province, have contributed to draw upon us
our present calamities, we are constrained to remunerate
against the address ; and this with a view not only of
expressing our abhorrence of the do&rines contained in
it, but of juftifying ourselves from the gtoundlefs asper
sions thrown on us, among the other bodies of freemen,
who, out of zeal for the public service, have presented
secured inviolate for ever, and that they hold the doctrine
of passive obedience and non-resistance :---Your petiti
oners will not undertake to fay how long this society have
held such principles, but they do positively fay, that the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament must be wrested
and tortured, with more than Jefuitical Art, to furnish
a single argument to support them.---They also deny,
that the clause in the proprietary charter, which they cite,
is by them truly construed, and humbly conceive this
will be evident not only by a due attention to the words
themselves, and a consideration of the royal charter granted
to the said William Penn, but also from the aft of assem
bly, entitled, “ The Law concerning Liberty of Con
science."
Monday, 54 Min. after 7
Tuesday, 44 . Min. after 3
Wednesday, 36 Min. after 9
Thursday, 29 Min. after 10
HIGH-WATER at NEW-YORK, this Week.l
I Friday, ^25 Min. after ti
/Saturday, soy Min. after "1 2.
Sunday, 16 Min. after 1
I Nevj Moon next Wednefdaj.
Humbly bee Leave to represent,
THAT it is with no fmail degree of reluctance that
we are obliged either to approach this Honourable
House with this our representation, or by our silence in
feme measure to acknowledge the claims and admit the
charge of those men who in their late address to this
Honourable House stile themselves the people called
Quakers, a copy of which we have seen.- - —
“ In this extraordinary address we find ourselves and
i“ others represented as men who endeavour to induce
{" this Honourable House to enter into meafuies maoi
§ " folly repugnant to the laws and charter of this pro
'' vince; and which, if enforced, must # subvert that
" rnoft effmtial of all privileges, liberty of conscience,
" which they apprehend will not only endreafe the
“ public distresses ; but occasion the grievous fufferings
c ' of many cbnfcientious people of divers religious de
“ nominations," and also as persons " who" now for
get the equity " and justice of their laws and govern
,“ merit of this once peaceful province, and, by pre
" ferity our own schemes, overlook the importance of
Petitions and Memorials to your Honourable House.—
We cannot but fee wi # h afnifoment, the antiquated
and absurd dc&rire of passive obedience held up in this
age of Science, and that before the representative body
of this province, whole exigence as a conftitutionql
House of Assembly depends on the contrary to this fiaviffi
opinion.—We do in the molt Solemn manner protest that
'we mean not to violate the rights of conscience fswe are
unjustly charged, but cannot from all the lights we are
pcilcfkd cf, discover that, under the idea of conscien
tious Scruples, opinions Should be promulgated fubverhve
of every political principle of that glorious confittution,
to defend which we 1 ave put our lives and fortunes to
the hazard, and tending to throw a damp upon the plan
of oppofit.n which, alone, under God, can save from
destruction this devoted country. We cannot alter the
opinion we have ever held with regard to those parts o:
the charter quoted by the addrelS s, that they relate
only to an exemption from any a&s of uniformity in
worship and from paying towards the support of other
I religious establishments, than those tn which the inhabi-
I tants of this province respectively belong ; we know of
I no diftiuttinns of feßs when we meet our fellow citizens
I on matters of public concern, and ask those confcienti
oully Scrupulous against bearing arms, to contribute to-
Iwards the expence of our oppofitibn, not because of
;their " religious perfua/fon, but because the general de
|" fence of the province demands it; therefore that
I “ partof the charter which relates to people not being"
molested or prejudiced in their person or estate on account
'' of there conscientious persuasion or practice" is totally
out of the question, and has been 1 Id up with a view to
alarm the H^ufe with groundless apprehensions.—Webeg
!%ve to remind the Honbu-able Houle of the cunhant
usage of the provinee, and that in all the wars we have been
engaged in, no exemption from fines and taxation has been
made in Sav, ur of any let of yeople ; but on the con
trary laws and ordinances have repeatedly been made for
the purposes of defence, laying general imposts on the
inhabitants of the province of all fe&s and Societies.—-.
We are however of opinion that Speculative disputes
. Should not now be gone into. The enemy are desolating
our country and dagger daily awaits us. Cur situation
therefore furniShes us with arguments drawn from the
laws of nature and reef on which transcend all local efta
bliShmeniß. From these laws and the general principles
of cwi)f ciety it is undoubtedly certain, that all perlons
who enjoy the benefits Should also bear their proportion
of the, burthens of the State.—We cannot conceive it to
be confident with a reasonable confeience to acquire and
'cugrofi considerable property in any country, and not part
with some of it to defend the rest.---We farther think that
those who apply taxes ahl not those whom the exigencies,
of the Stateand the weight of a majority oblige to pay
them are answerable for the con Sequences of such applica
tion. We conscientiously believe that no member of so
ciety Should be exempted from paying a reasonable propor
tion of his ptop-rty t wards the general defence, though
he may be exempted from actually bearing arms ; (and
in Such case by payinga fine tor such exemption, he is
in a better Situation than one who rifles his life in the
firvice) and if the wealthy members of the society of
Quakers are permitted to withold their proportion, it
will in some degree be an invasion of our.liberty of con
science by denying us the means of to effectually making
a warlike opposition against our oNceflors, which cannot
be done without money. Wt know notiwhat “ schemes"
. these addreffors allude to Fur our parts we have none,
but to defend cur lives, liberties and property, and by
every lawfill and leaf^nable mode, to obtain an equal
and general contribution for this purpose from all racks
of people. We pray the House to recoiled the mifehie
vous confequenecs which have arisen from a former pro
duction said to come from the whole body of the people
called Quakers ; but which, as we have reafen to believe
(like that now before your Honourable House) flowed
froma fro individuals who affirmed to themselves the
prerogative of fpeakihg the Sentiments of the whole soci
ety : and that your Honourable House will rejed from
their minutes their present address wliich tends to Shew a
difuuhn am r ng u r , and therefore may be of fatal conse
quences to our cause. — And, as we fear the people will
not longer fahmit to fee the public burthen so unequally
borne, we earnestly beg, to preserve the peace of the
province, and the consequence cf your Honourable House
(which we would, wife to govern us in this important
struggle in preference to any other body) you will be
pleased to take into your consideration our former Memo
rials relative to the association, which we engaged in from
the best of motives, and which has been solemnly ap
proved of by a vote of your Honourable Ihcdeceflbis.
By order es a Board cf Officer',
Daniel Roberdeau, Chairman."
Philadelphia, 31 017. 1775.
A representation from (he Committer of privates of
the afibciarion belonging to the city of Philadekhla,
and its diflri£b, was pretented to the House, aid follows
in these words, viz.
To the honourable the REPRCSEN c TTI I L'ES of
the FREE M E N of 'he F^ni^e of Pennsylvania,
in General Assembly met.
WE the COMMIT TEE of the Privates of the
ASEOGIATIO N belonging to the City of Phila
delphia and its Diftiias,
Wheatper Buffiel, 6s. gd.
Flour, jßs. od.
Browr Bread, 1 gs. od.
Weft-Indie , Ruffi, 4s. 6d.
New-England, do. 2S. 6d.
PRICE-CURRENT, in NEW-YORK.
Mufeovado Sugar, 60s. od.
Single refin'd ditto, is. 2d.
Molasses, 2s. od.
Beefper Barrel, 60s. od.
Pork, 655. od.
!" inviolably maintaining and supporting the principle#
" of civil and religious liberty."
We beg leave to assure this Honourable Houfty that
Iwe1 we are far from wilhin'g to do any thing which would
ihave the remotest tendency to encreafe the public dis
; tieffes or to oceafion the grievous fufferings of any con
ifeientious people of any denomination whatever, and
I are utterly at a loss to comprehend how the prayer of
our petition could interfere with the confeiences of reli
-1 gious men.
In our petition we prayed the Honourable House in
their wisdom to recommend to their constituents some
general plan of a militia law, which Should equally ex
tend to all the good people of this province, and that
any indulgence which might be thought necessary to be
granted by the Honourable House to any of the Free
men of the province might be equally open to all, and
granted upon such terms as this Honourable House might
thinly adequate to the many difficult and dangerous ser
vices of those, who were willing to hazard their live#
and fortunes id the defence of their country.
How this prayer, founded on the moftcertain and
evident principles of equity and justice, could be con
firued into an endeavour, to induce this Honourable
House, to enter into measures manifeftly repugnant to
the Jaws and charter of this province, and which if en
forced, must subvert that most essential of all privileges,
liberty of confeience, surpasses ail the ideas we had ever
formed of the power of religious prejudices.
- That religion which teaches to deny the demand of
justice and equity, cannot be of God; nor will the
conscience which is influenced thereby meet with his
approbation.---Those who believe the Scriptures must
acknowledge that cioil government is of divine institu
tion, and the support of it enjoined to Christians, and
it is not cenfenant to the divine wisdom to enjoin agd
forbid the fame thing at the fame time. As your Ad
drapors have not pointed out any law of the province to
which the prayer of your petitioners is so manifeftly re
pu nailt, we beg to be indulged with the liberty of
doubting the ex.iftenc,e of any such, arid as to the thirty
fifth fetyqh of laws agreed upon in England, the fifth
day of the third month one thousand fix hundred and
eighty-two, we would pass it over as a fe&ion which
we apprehended none but your Aidr&Tors would apply
to the present purpefe.
With regard to arguments drawn from our charter we
would observe, that the great law of felf-prefervation is
eqt Jly binding with the letter of written charters, nor
can it be fupfcfed that a people will be reafened out of
their liberty and every thing they hold A ear by an over
nice (canning of them.
Never helefs, with regard to that clause of the char
ter of privileges on which they ultimately found their
claipa to a total exemption from contributing their just
proportion towards the public expence incurred in defence
of our privileges.
We would with all clue submission and deference re
present to this Honourable House, that the Honourable
and worthy proprietor William Penn, had no right,
pow-r or authority to grant privileges further than was
graded to him by the royal charter, and that the royal
prer grtive of the King of Great-Britain does not com
prehend any right or authority in the crown to grant
any ixmtption from supporting the constitution and Go
vernment to arv man or set of men on any pretence
whatever. This is a power unknown to the crowa,
and therefore could never be granted by the King to the
worthy proprietor who granted the charter of privileges.
Liberty of confeience is so sacred a thing that it ought
ever to be preferred inviolate, and we will always re
joice to fee any body of men afl'ert their right to it.
But when under pretence of this liberty the very ex
istence of civil government is struck at, we beg leave to
represent that either the liberty claimed must be given
up or the government dissolved ; and this we apprehend
to be the case when any of the members of a commu
nity, from a claim of religious liberty, refufe tb support
the society to which they belong, and under which they
claim this very privilege.
That the clause, which they quote, never did nor
could, extend to such exemptions on any pretence what
ever, is plain from itfelf, because the persons, who
have a right to claim the liberty granted therein, are by'
that very clause nfade to “ profefs themselves oblig'd
" to live quietly under the civil government," which
cannot pcffibly be when they refufe to support the mea
sures often necessary to its very existence.
Moreover, it is plain that the worthy proprietor, who
granted this charter, never meant nor intended, any
such hing by the liberty of confeience therein menti
oned, inasmuch as it would have been contrary to the
16th ft&ion of the royal charter granted by the King,
ad accepted by the proprietor, who, as they inform
this Honourable House in their address, was united
with them in religious profeffion and principle, which
is as follows: " And because in so remote a country,
“ and lituate near many barbarous nations, the incur
" fions, as well of the savages themselves as cf other
" enemies, pirates and robbers, may probably be feared ;
" therefore we have given, and for us, our heirs and
“ successors, do give power by these presents to the said
" William Penn, his heirs and assigns, by themselves or
" their captain, or other their officers, to levy, muster
" and train all forts of men, of what condition soever,
" or wheresoever barn, in the said province of Penn
" fylvania, for the time being, and to make war, and
“ to pursue the enemies, and robbers aforefaid, as well
& by sea as by land, even without the limits of the
“ fad province, and, by God's abidance, to vanquish
'f and take them, arid being taken, to put them to
“ death, by the- law of war, or to save them at their
“ pleasure, and to do all and every other' tiling,, which
“ unto the charge and office of a captain general of an
“ army belongeth, or hath accuftomrd to belong, as
“ fully and freely as any captain general of an army
"hath ever had the fame."
This fe&ion of the royal charter, together with the
clause in the charter of privileges, which the Addref
fors have quoted, shew evidently that the Proprietor
William Penn never intended to grant an exemption
from paying their just proportion towards the support
of any power necessary for the good government f the
province, whether civil or military, and therefore can
with no degree of decent modesty be pleaded in the
present, or any other case of the fame kind. Betides
it is well known, that no such claim of exemption from
contributing their just proportion towards the fuppcs
p'ortbe Remainder fee the fourth Page.)
Fine Salt, 3s. 3d
Coarse Salt, 3s. gd
Indian Cornper Bu.gs. 6d