The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-15 00:00:00, page 2

May not this lead people, Peter, to think with mote indif
fererice of the Christian religion than they used to do ? Oh,
Peter, great things may arise from this step of our Conventon.
They are, many of them, bright men—They fee far into futd
rity. It mult be acknowledged that the Christian religion
lone how or other difeourages many bold exertions of the
human mind. Rome and Athens, Peter, were not Christian
commonwealths. [ To be continued.)
SINCE Mr. Randolph, like the dog in the fable, ha s
dropped the Subllance, and Snapped a t the Shadow, I
Should have let the matter retted without farther notice, had
it not been for this frefh instance of his ingenuity in the fol
lowing certificate, to wit,
“ This is to certify, that I, the fubferiber, left this city on
Friday the fifth day of July last, about eleven o'clock, A. M.
on a voyage to Hilpaniola, and that for two or three days be
fore I left the city, 1 heard a report prevailing about that Ar
thur Donaldson had gone to New York, and nad given Ge
neral Howe descriptions of the^ river and chevaux de frife,
&c. and that the Council of Safety had sent some of the light
horse for him. Being afeed what I thought of it, in answer
told that it was hard for any man to leave th:s city without
having his character afperfed in one Shape or other, ana trat
was common amongst ill minded people, and nobody Should
mind any such stories, and as I am going away, 1 expert
nothing but Somebody will fay I am run away, or something
else to my prejudice.
Philadelphia, October 2, 1776. A true copy of what
I delivered Benjamin Randolph.
WILLIAM CONNELL."
• That this did not suit his purpose as well as the following,
from its singularity, quill not admit of a doubt.
" Philadelphia, October 2, 1776.
“ This is to certify that I, the lubferiber, left this city on
Friday the sth day of July last, at eleven o'clock, A. M. on
a voyage to Hispaniola; that two or three days before 1 left
this city, I remember perfectly quell to have heard a report pre
vailing about to<wn that Arthur Donaldson was g ne to New-
York, and had given General Howe a description of the
river and chevaux de frife, and that the Committee of Safety
had sent the light horse to fetch him from New-York, &c. £fc.
J am ready any day to prove this.
WILLIAM CONNELL."
The inexpressible pain he has felt since mis firft publication,
has probably convinced him of his error; no aoub., there
fore, he will produce his forged receipts, as well as the ge
nuine certificate, to prove his innoconce, and relieve the
referees and public from so much trouble. lam the public's
humble feivant, A. DONALDoON.
Philah October 9, 1776.
LORD Chefterfield's Letters, 4 vol. The Young Clerk's
Vade Mecum. Variety of books in Navigation and
other branches of the Mathematics. With several authors
on the Military Art. Also a considerable number of the
Latin and Greek Classics, may now be had at ROBERT
BELL's, next door to St. Paul's church, in Third-Street
Fhilade phia.
qOBE SOLD, by ROBERT SHEWELIT^W^.
1 Street, a lew hogsheads of MOLASSES, and feme
barrels of WHALE OIL.
IX? AN 13 A PLACE, a COACHMAN who can be %ell
YV recommended. Inquire of the printer.
512
The EXAMINER. No. I.
To the FREEMEN of /PENNSYLVANIA,
Countrymen,
YOU have been very passionately addressed of late by
several writers under the ligna.ures of F, Brutus, Ca^
millus, Scipio, &c. and every thing wnich can alarm you
agaioft yourselves is conjured up. I with to addrels you
calmly, and to consult your reason, not your fears.
You by great labour and assiduity obtained what you 6
long wished for, a Convention chosen by yourselves, to frame
a government under your own authority.—They met and
fiam.d a government, and have therein derived every atom
of power with which it is veiled directly from you, and rao
delied it so that it not only returns at proper and dated pe
riods into your hands again, but cannot be delegated so long
into any one set of hands as to render it dangerous. To pre
feive government Simple and free from improper controuls,
they have vested the power of making laws in your immedi
ate representatives; the men of your choice, who can have
no interest independent of yours. This wife, this necessary,
preservative againit tyranny has given very great offence to
some of our gentry, who regard you as their property, their
beasts of burthen, born only to be ruled by these Lords of
the Creation. Think not, my friends, that this is assertion,
and not founded in fad. [have been repeatedly told by them,
tiiat gentlemen would not lubmit to have power so much in
the hands of the people. The people, fay they, are not ft
to be the guardians of theirown rights!
I mean to give the Subject [he utmoftjuftice, and to examine
with cooinef) the merits of , their beloved Legislative Council,
to he whether it would not be a novelty in this state, natu
ral ty leading to tyranny, whether it is not meant to prelerve an
ariltocratical ro >t in the confatution, which at any time might
pollcis itielf of the whole powers of the fate; and whether
this is not what is aimed at by the party, that they may insen
sibly slide into the power which they have lost.—These are
very important m tiers, aid worthy a Serious diicullion—-As
such 1 mean to treat them, if? the gentlemen can prelerve
their temper,rand calmly adduce reasons to overturn what 1 fay&
^hey are heartily welcome-„-This has ever been my motto,
" Slave to no form, I go in quest of truth,
" And in old age correct the faults of youth."
NEWBURY-PO R T, October 4.
It is,reported here, that some days ago an engagement
happened between two of our privateers and the Milford (a
n^ted pirate that lias long inlefted our coast) when, after
warmly disputing the point by hard blows, the latter thought
it prudentt. Submit,, and we hear our people are now bring
ing h er into Some fafe p >rt, after which we hope to give a
better account of her.
vVe hear that a large Ship from the Weft-Indies, with
several families, and considerable plate on board, is arrived
at Cape Ann, sent in by Some of our privateers.
PROVI 1) E N C E, Oftober
On Sunday last Capt. Gideon. Crawford arrived here from
Nantz, in France, after a passage of eight weeks. He in
foims that great warlike preparations continue to be made ir.
that kingdom, where every kind of indulgence is Shawn to
American vessels. He. allo advises, that he saw an account,
in a French paper, of the Marlborough, a ninety gun Ship,'
being blown up at PL mouth some time in July last, and that
great part of the crew periShed.