The New-York gazette, and the weekly Mercury — New-York [N.Y.], 1777-12-29 00:00:00, page 1

WHEREAS it is confonan: not only to the
common principles of humanity, but
to the wisdom and policy of al well regulated
Fates, in certain exigencies to guard against
the extortion of individuals, who rarfe the
necessaries of life, without which other parts
of the community cannot fulfill; and where
as the farmers on Long-Hand and Staten-
Island are possessed of great quantities of Wheat,
Rye, and Indian Corn, for file, beyond what
they want for their own consumption, and it
is highly unreasonable that those who may
£ard in need of those articles, Should be left
at the mercy of the farmer ; and whereas it is
equally just and reasonable that every encou
ragement should be given to the industry of
the husbandman, and that in all public regu
lations refpedihg the price of the produce of
his lands, regard should be had to that of the
conveniencies which he isobliged to purchase ;
and whereas theprefent rates at which lyheat,
Flour, Rye-Meal, and Indian Meal are fold,
do valliy exceed in proportion the advanced
price of those articles which the farmer stands
in need of purchasing, and I being well fatis
fied from the best information, and the most ac
curate estimates made, that the following prices
upon the articles above mentioned will be libe
ral and generous, have thought fit to issue this
Proclamation, and do hereby order and direct,
that the prices to be hereafter demanded for
the said articles shall not exceed the follow
ing rates, . ~
A^Bufhel of Wheat weighing Fifty Eight
pounds, 'Twelve Shillings, witu an Allowance,
or deduction in proportion for a greater or
lesser weight.
A Bushel of Rye, or Indian Corn, Seven
Shillings,
Merchantable Wheat Flour, Thirty foe Shil
lings per Cwt.
Rye Flour, Twenty Shillings, per Cwt.
Indian Meal, Seventeen Shillings, per Cwt.
And that it may be known what quantities
of the above articles of grain, the farmers
upon Long-Island and Staten-Island have for
sale, I do further order and direct, that they
do, without delay, make a return, according
to the best estimate they can form, to the
commanding officer of the Militia of their
refpedive counties where they reside, of the
quantities they have of the aforefaid refpe&ive
kinds of Grain : and also that they do de
clare how much thereof they think they may
want for the use of themselves and families,
until the ensuing crop shall come in ; and in
order that those who may Hand in need of sup
plies of the above articles, may seasonably have
the benefit thereof, I do further order and di
rea,that the aforefaid farmers do immediately
thrash out one third part of their present crop
of Wheat and Rye, and that another third
part thereof be thrashed out, on, or before
the firft day of February next, and that, the
residue thereof be thrashed out, on, or before
the firft day of May next. And that any
person neglecting to make such return as afore
faid, or to thrash out his grain as aforefaid,
or refwfing to fell such part of any or either
of the said kinds of grain, Flour or Meal,
which he shall not want as aforefaid for him
felf and family, at the refpedive prices above
limited, or any person whatsoever, who shall
either at the city of New-York, Long-lfland,
or Staten-Bland, presume to demand a greater
price for any of the above mentioned articles,
or refufe to fell the fame at those prices, shall
be fubjed to have his whole crop of grain, or
quantity of manufactured Flour or Meal con
cerning which such offence shall happen, seized
and confifcated, and himfelf liable to impri
sonment for such offence.
By his EXCELLENCY
Sir HENRY CLINTON,
Knight of the most Honourable Order of the
Bath, Lieutenant-General o: his Majefly s
" Forces, &c.
A White Loaf of the fineft FLOUR, to weigh
3 lb. 40Z. for 14 Coppers, ad in the fame
Proportion for Loaves of a lesser Wight.
Published January 10, 1777<
Monday, December 29, 1777:
N E W-Y ORK
AND
weekly
ASSIZE of BREAD. Flour at;os. per Cent.
GIVEN under my Hand at the City of Ne^w-
York, the 20th Day of December, 1777, in
the I ighteenth Year of his Majfly's Reign.
HENRY CLINTON, Lt. Gen.
By his Excellency's Command,
John Smith, Sec'ry
proclamation.
Containing tbe eatiieff st^ic^
^ Prnted by HUGH GAINE, at the BIBLE AND CROWN, tn HANOVER-SO tiARF.
Monday, 55 Min. after 8
Tuesday, 52 Min. aftei 9
Wednesday, 35 Min. after 10
Thursday, 21 Mm. after 11
By MAJOR GENERAL
JAMES ROBERTSON,
Commandant of New-York.
PROCLAMATION.
IN order that the poorer inhabitants of this
city may receive some supplies of wood at
a reasonable price, I have appointed John
Thompson, Esq; of Brooklyn, to employ a
number of persons to cut wood on Long liland
for that purpose, and bring it down to the
wharfs raareft to where the said wood is cut:
Therefore such Ferfons as shall produce proper
recommendations will obtain orders from me
to receive a proportion of the said wood, on
their paying to the said John Thompson the
charges of cutting and carting the said wood,
with an addition of four Killings per cord
for his trouble in this service.
BY MAJOR GENERAL
JAMES ROBERTSON,
Commandant of New-York, &c.
A Proclamation.
ALL Makers of Ships or Vessels, coming into
the Harbour of the Port of New-York, imme
diately on their Arrival (and before they haul their
Vessels tc the Wharf) are to enter at the Port-Matter's
Office, an Account of the Powder they have on board,
receive his Directions for storing the fame, and on no
Pretence whatever to haul their Vessels to the Wharf,
till such Entry is made, and the Powder delivered
and stored agreeable to the Port-Master's Orders.
No Ship or Vessel to be hove down to burn, at any
Wharf, without Leave from the Port-Master, who
will appoint Wharfs proper for this Pnrpofe.
No Pitch, Tar, Turpentine, or any Combustibles
to be heated on any Wharff to the Southward of
Totten and Croilfield's Wharf.„
No Fire to he kept on board any Ship or Vessel
(along fide of any Wharf) on Deck after Sunset;
nor below the Deck after 9 o'Clock at Night.
No Pitch, Tar, Turpentine or Spirits to be left on
any of the Wharfs, but to be stored in some fafe
Place, clear of danger from Fire.
No Ba!laft, or any other Dirt, which is liable to
fink, to be hove overboard from any Ship or Vessel
lying alongside the Wharfs, nor to be hove off the
Wharfs by any Person or Persons.
No Ship or Vessel while in the Harbour, to lay
with her Jib-Boom run out, nor Sprit-fail Yards
acrofs#
No Stone, Brick, Earth, or Timber to be taken
off the Wharfs, as Balkft or Fuel.
The Ships in the East-River, and at the Wharfs,
are not to ring their Bells unless to make an Alarm
in Case of Fire.
The Pilots are hereby ordered to acquaint all Mat
ters of Vessels on their Arrival of the above Order
and Regulations. And
All Ferfons offending against all, or any of the
above Regulations, calculated solely for the Public
Advantage, may depend on being severely punished.
GIF E N under my Hand in the City of New-
York, the Twentieth Raj of December, One
Tbnufand Seven Hundred and Seventy-feyen,
and in the Eighteenth Year of His Majeffs
, Reign.
JAMES ROBERTSON, M. G.
And Commandant of New-York.
00000 COOO 00050000 COOOOOOOOOOO COCO COCO COOO 00090000 00000000C000c 000 00000006 0
From the Connecticut Courant.
To the PRINTER.
HAVING obtained a few leisure
hours I now fend you some more
of my thoughts on the present
distresses of my country which we
feel, and its future ruin which \fear.
In my former ! obferv'd that the depreciati
on of our bills is generally attributed to the
merchant ; and it is as certain, that the farmer
who withholds the produce of his farm, and
will not fell either to rich or poor for our
paper bills, agreeable to the observation of a
wife king of Israel, has the unfeigned curses
of the people.
In this 1 shall endeavour to vindicate the
conduct both of the merchant and farmer, so
far as I think they may bejuftificd, confident
with truth and righteowfnefs, let the depreci
ation of our bills center where it will, I will
endeavour honehly to point out the fads as
they appear to me, and let the impartial judge.
James Robertson, M./G.
And Commandant of New-York, &c.
By Command of the General,
John L. C. Roome, Sec'ry.
HIGH-WATER at NEW-YORK, this Week.
ffilM^i^^
,^^^^^^^
Friday, 9 Min. after ii
Saturday, 55 Min. after 12
Sunday, 40 Min. after 1
First ^a. the gtb. ^.
THE
That the merchant as fopn as our ports were
shut, raised upon their rum from 3 to 6, then
to id, and soon after to; 12 s. per gallon, is a
fad too notorious to be deny'd : But before 1
proceed to exculpate the merchant, or blame the
farmer, to remove all suspicions of sinister
designs, I declare upon my honour I am not
a merchant, or any ways connected with any
one in trade, but afarmer, and one who im
proves his small interest by hired labourers,
and whether what I may fay upon the fubje6t,
has any weight, I mull leave to the imparti
al to judge.
Let it be remembered therefore, as fern as
our ports were shut up by order of Congress,
all vessels (those only improved by Congress)
were laid up in our ports to be eaten by worms,
or rot in our rivers, the merchant was thrown
out of all business except the disposition of the
goods he had on hand, and reduced to the ne
cessity of living upon his flock, to work on his
lands if he had any, or to starve.
Now let the farmer calmly confider, if the
Congress had seen it necessary for the public
good, to have reftrided the farmer from plow
ing or sowing his lands for the space of one
year, which necessarily must bringon a scarci
ty of the necessaries of life, would he not
think himfelf at liberty, not only to lay up a
competent supply for himfelf, but to ask a
higher price for the remainder left on hand,
in proportion as the demand for them increa
sed: in times of greatest plenty, if there is a
foreign demand for provisions of any kind,
the price is kept up in that very country, that
produces them in the greatest plenty, and
sometimes even rises above the common and
ordinary price; it is the scarcity or plenty of
any of the necessaries, or even conveniences
of life, that determines the price, and the
rife and fall, 'in proportion to the demand, and
to a lesser or greater plenty. Thus an asses
bead was fold one day for fourfcore pieces of
fiver, and the very next day 4 measure of fine
flour was fold for a fakel, and two measures of
barley for a fbekel in the gates of Samaria. By
this piece of sacred history it appears, the
owner of the asses head did not withhold it, even
in a time of famine, 'but fold it, and that even
for money, he did not insist upon bartering it for
some other article he might want ; the price it
is true was great, but that was occasioned by
the scarcity of food, and the great demand
for something to support life, but high as
the price then was, the very next day, a mea
sure of fine flour was fold for a Jhekel, and two
measures of barley for a Jhekel in the gates of Sama
ria. This sudden fall of the market, was
eftefted by the great plenty that succeeded,
occasioned by the sudden flight of the army of
the Syrians, but this sudden fall of the market
in SamarMwould have been prevented,had mono
polizers, engroffers and sharpers been permitted to
have pra&ifed such arts upon the peopleof Sa
maria, but such barefaced villainy in a time of
scarcity and general distress was despised even
by the Samaritan lepers, who firft entered the
camp, and might have inriched themselves
greatly, by er.groffing the plunder, but this their
humane and generous fouls despised, under the
then present distress of their country; and by
this example it appears the scarcity of any of
the necessaries of life render them dear, and
consequently that a competency and much more
a fulnefs, ought to fink, and not to raise
the price.
The case of our merchants was truly this,
our ports were shut up, their business by
which they got their bread at an end, their
vessels rotting in our harbours and rivers, freffi
supplies of foreign commodities for the present
cut off, and the merchants obliged torfpend on
their docks; they at firft fell their goods at
double, then at treble, and as the scarcity
encreafed, and the demand for the commodi
ties they had on hand doubled, they raised
their price four fold, until they had fold all
the goods they had imported, except some
avaritious wretches of the fame spirit and tem
per of the engrosser, who withhold felling at any
price, and this the merchant fays he had a
right to do. to make him good for his loss of
trade, decay of vessels, &c. &c.
But the farmer fays the merchant ought to
have fold all the goods he had on hand at the
price he fold for when firft imported, with the
addition of wastage, and intejeft; let us for
once to fatisfy the farmer examine this matter.
A merchant now possessed of 20 hogsheads of
rum fells them for 3s. per gallon, with a pro-
Wheat per Bushel, 9s. od.
Flour, : 30s. od.
Bqo.wn Bread, 2^, od.
Wed-India Rum, ^ ^s. 6d.
r New-England do. i"^ °d.
GAZETTE:
THE
MER CU R Y.
PRICE CURRENT, in NEW-YORK.
,IMufeovado Sugar, # sl. 10s.
, jSingle refin'd ditto, zs. zd.
,I Molasses, zs. 6d.
J Beef per Barrel, 90s. od.
/Pork, . fl. 10s.
foreign uni )DomeUidi.
It is well known our farmers generally pay
their day labourers by provisions of every
kind —and as such who have families, com
monly support them in part by their labour,
they are better suited with such pay, than
with money, and when provisions arc scarce,
they will Sooner labour for such provisions
as they want to support their families, than
silver or gold, consequently no farmer ought
to be faulted, for keeping a fufficient store to
pay the day labourers that he usually em
ploys, he is so far from being blame worthy,
per allowance for wastage, and interest, lays
out the neat proceeds in produce, ships them
in his own vessel, or upon freight, and after
paying the advanced price of hands, wages,
or the present freight, insurance, &c. bow
many hogsheads of rum can it be thought he
will have in return ? I answer not more than.
, ten, what is theeffe&s of this voyage, will he
not apparently fuller the loss of to hogsheads?
But the farmer fays, he would willingly pay
a price, that would afford a handsome profit
on his voyage—but should it so happen which is
not impossible ; but truly we do not deserve
thus the favours of Heaven, that the camp of
the Syrians should flee 6way, and that a com
petent supply is imported by either Dutch
French, or even the Eng/ifh islands, by which
thedemand is lessened, will any think them
selves bound to purchase my ten hogsheads at
a price that will afford me a profit on my
voyage, or will they not think themselves at li
berty to buy where they can have it cheapest ?
Will any apply to a farmer who has loft his
crop by blast, or jfome other accident, and
give him a price beyond the market, so as
that he may be paid for his tillage ? or will a
farmer who is bleft with a plentiful crop in a
time of general blast, which is often the case,
fell below the market price ? certainly no,
he will not; but tell you that two years ago
his crop was blasted, and that he was obliged
to fell to his blacksmith, &c. at the mar
ket price fixed by the demand that there was
for wheat at that time, and that he expeds
to rife and fall with the market; very true,
and well spoken, and muff not the merchant
do the fame ? yea verily—so that it is not a
high price simply considered, that may jullly
be term'd extortion, or that depreciates our
bills. I have it from good authority, a yoke
of working oxen was fold at Long Island
not two months past for two hundred Spa
nish milled dollars, is Spanish dollars depre
ciated ? or was that price occasioned by the
scarcity of oxen ? I answer it was for the
fame reason that the asses head was fold for
four score pieces of silver in Samaria. The
Man wanted them greatly, he could not be
supplied elsewhere, and he judged the oxen,
would do him more good on his farm, than
two hundred dollars in his chest, and for that
reason bought them: but the merchant that
% r °fls rum, sugar, molasses, or any of the
necessaries or even conveniences of life, in
this time of general distress refufing to fell,
even under the distresses of sickness, to his
neighbours perhaps in the very town where he
has amassed his thousands and at the fame time,
affignin^ the low credit of our bills as the rea
son, which gives a mortal flab to the credit of
them, which at all events must be supported,
or our cause is loft, cur army (which under
God is our defence) mull return home upon us,
and our lives, liberties, and properties, left
to fall a facrifice into the hands of, our most
inveterate enemies; such men I think must be
deem'd ingrates to their God, and trai
tors to their country. They effedually pre
vent the fair honest trader, from purchasing
such articles, and retailing them at a raifona
ble advance to the farmer, as his profits'ari
firig on the sale, added to the firft purchase,
would not purchase the fame articles a second
time, so that the engrofer, and not the fair
trader, who would be glad to purchase and fell
at a moderate advance is the one principal
cause both or the high price of foreign produce
and merchandize, and the depreciation of our
bills of public credit, and not the importer who
fold them readily andfreely for Continental bills,
although at a higher price than when firft im
ported, as the demand for them increased.
I shall in the next place enquire, how far
the farmer ought to be acquitted from the
charge brought against him, for withholding
the produce of his farm, and refufing to fell
at any price whatever for Continental bills.
,/Fine Salt, ^s. od
,Coarse Salt, Bs. od
llndianIIndian Corn per Bu. 6s. 6d
,I Coffee, is - od
J Chocolate, z6£.prr Do.
[No. 1366,