The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-03-21 00:00:00, page 3

FHI L ADELPHI A, March 21.
A correspondent upon hearing that the real errand of the
Commissioners coming from England was to grant Pardons,
from the King, asked, " Whether it would be featherable for
a man to be decoded with one of them in his pocket."
On Thursday the fourteenth in ftant died, in the fixty
feventh year of his age, Dr. PETER SONMANS, a man
who possessed the feelings of humanity in a strong degree,
without the ostentation of them; and on Saturday following
his remains were attended to Christ-church burial ground by
a refpedable number of his fellow citizens.
Extract of a letter from Charleftown,, South-Carolina, dated
February 7, 1776.
" The troubles in the back parts are entirely subsided.
Their ringleaders, with about one hundred and thirty others,
were taken. All to about twenty have been dismissed, and
sent fafe to their own houses, being convinced of their mistake,
and well fatisfied with the treatment they received when
taken. They had been persuaded to take up arms to pre
serve their lives and properties, which they heard had been
fold to the Indians, who were to butcher them all on a fixed
day, when the Liberty People (as they call them) were to go
into forts, and leave them open and defencelefs to the enemy,
to be deftoyed entirely. Some villains swore, before a magis
trate, that powder had been sent to the Indians for this dia
bolical purpose. Upon this they collected a second and third
time, but were attacked by Colonels Richardson and Thomp
son at break of day, after a forced march of twenty-five miles,
in the night, surprised and taken.
" About thirty of. the prisoners worked at a battery fix
miles from town, on Sullivan's island, at the mouth of the
harbour. I did myfelf the honor of going down as a volun
teer with the detachment. Here! got acquainted with several
of the insurgents who were plain, honest, sensible fellows;,
and as I assumed no character above a- digger or. fpadefman,
in which, without vanity, I excelled the whole corps, they
looked upon me as their brother, and. heard me gladly. I
gave them a full and proper account of every thing concern
ing the ground of the war. This, with three or four gallons
of rum, was of infinite service to our cause.
' ' The reason of deferring the battery, on Sullivan's island was,
the Tamar and Cherokee iloops of war lay close along fide of this
island ; which was made a den for runaway slaves, who were
encouraged and protested by the people belonging to the ships.
The departure of them, occasioned by want of provisions
which we refafed to supply them with, the moment.we had
it in our power to prevent them from plundering, gave us an
opportunity of fortifying the island. I went twice down, and
worked the firft time three, and the 2d two days, the only volun
teer. The ships were but a few days gone, when, three others,
sent from England, appeared off our bar, the Syren of twen
eight, Raven of twenty guns, and a transport, .They se
veral times attempted coming in, but the wind for three or
four days prevented them. One of our pilot boats fired upon
their barge, which was several times returned, without damage.
They at last failed for Georgia, where they and the other men
of war are now driving to procure provisions, after which we
expert a visit from them, and are pretty well prepared. We
have above one hundred heavy cannon mounted for the de
fence of the town and harbour, the militia from all parts are
marching into town.
" Upon the return of the Georgia Delegates, the Sons of Li
berty assembled, unrigged all the vessels that were ready to
fail for England, set up a liberty pole, seized upon the per
sons of the Governor and Council, and sent to us for two hun
dred men. Some Tories there, are driving to bring on an
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Indian war, and recruiting for government in the back parts
of that province.
"The town is surrounded with seven batteries, two on
James island, viz. Fort Johnston of twenty, and a new one of
eleven guns, and two on Sullivan's island, one of twelve and
another of four guns, so that we can rake the whole harbour
from the bar. But I suppose this is nothing to what your
Council of Safety has done for the defence of Philadelphia,
which is so eafil.y. defended on account of the length of your
river. You mutt be impregnable by this time. You are hap
py, my dear friend, in not being exposed to the more than
diabolical machinations of government tools, and the dread
of infurreftions from your Haves. Hell would be alhamed of
such mean and more than brutal attempts to destroy us, and
the Devil would blush at the impudence of the man who would
have the effrontery to recommend a reunion with so barberous
a government."
The gentleman who favored the printer with the above ex
trad, adds, " What would he fay had he heard of the Att
and Proclamation to divide cur property ? Yet to the dis
grace of human nature, such are to be found even in the sober
and upright Pennsylvania."
I-T"\ ID y° u not oppose the province of Pennsylvania's tak
ing part with Massachusetts-Bay in the beginning of
the present controversy with Great-Britain?
2. Did you not fay that it would be a happiness to the mid
dle and southern Colonies if the British Parliament would
Ireaktbe spirit of the New-England Colonies ?
3. Did you not labour to prevail upon the Delegates of
the Congress, in 1774, to rest their opposition to the British
Parliament entirely upon a petition to the King ?
4. Did you not oppofethe non-importation and nun-export
ation agreements ?
5. Did you not oppose the arming of this province, and
did you not declare in many companies that the expedition to
Canada was an a&of offenfive war, that could not be juftified
upon the principles of our opposition to Great-Britain ?
6. Did you nobattempt for awhile to propagate a belief
that the Americans fired firft upon the King's troops at
the battle of Lexington ?
7. Do you not fear the independance of the colonies only
because power and influence mult hereafter be derived from
the confidence of the people, and not from the favor of a
few crown officers ?
8. Do you not call yourfelf a moderate man, and have
you not constantly declared yourfelf an advocate for mode
rate MEASURES?
9, But are you not a mod furious, violent, and implacable
enemy to the liberties of this country ?—Or, in other words,
are you not a rank Tory ?
10. Do you not abuse the liberty of the press in your ftric.-
tures upon the character instead of the measures of the Phila-.
delphia Committee?
11. Do you think the citizens of Philadelphia will fuffet
that refpedable and ufeful body of men to be insulted with
impunity ?
12. Does not your conscience tell you that all the above
charges are true.
A GARDENER, who understands his business, and can
be well recommended for industry, hemefly and so
briety, will meet with encouragement by applying to the
printer. *
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