The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-11-19 00:00:00, page 2

the men on board the Roebuck were very sickly, that they
had lolt an hundred knee they left tht c^pes of Virginia.
He allo gave notice tnac preparation 1 iad been made to
attack this poll; that a number of large Ihlps were to come
up and endeavour to fiience cur batteries, while a large body
of troops in boats, which we discovered on the opposite ihore
above us, and endeavour to cut off our retreat; that it was
to have oeen executed this morning, bu the fire prevented.
azd. As no reinforcement could be sent us, we received
orders this morning to remove our artillery, stores and bag
gage, and hold ourselves in readiness to retreat, and before
night raoft of them were removed.
About nine, A. M. we saw the enemy embarking in flat
bottomed boats about two miles above us, who appeared in
^aige numbers on the Ihore, after their boats, about thirty,
were full. Four ships at the fame time came to fail bel.w,
and flood up towards us, but they soon came to anchor again,
and the boats which had pushed off returned back. Had they
came at this time, we must either have retired and left them
large quantities of artillery stores, or fought their army and
navy at the fame time with our small detachment, and that
under every disadvantage, but they thought fit to retire to
get more strength, as appeared afterwards, though they
could not be ignorant of our weak^efs, the men being
paraded every day in full view of them.
23d. At one 0 clock, P. M. having removed every thing of
value, we were ordered to retreat from the Hook. As
soon as we began our march, four flaps came up and an
chored near the Ihore around the Hook, at the fame time
a great number of boats and floating batteries came down
from just above New-York, the latter, ran up into the
cove, opposite the causeway that leads to Bergen. After tak
ing a considerable time to fee that there was nobody to hurt
them, they began a most furious cannonade on our empty
works, which continued till they had wearied themielves.
In a word, they dared to come much nearer, and displayed
the boasted British valour in much brighter colours than ever
they had while there remained a single man to oppole them.
Meanwhile our little battalion retreated, with drums beating
and colours flying, to Bergen, and before night the brave
Britons ventured on shore, and took possession of our eva
cuated works, where they have taken every precaution to
prevent our formidable detachment from returning and driv
ing them from a post which, with so great a display of he
roiim, they have get possession of.
The post we now possess covers the Jerfies. Here we are
reinforced by a number of regiments, more are daily coining
in, the sick are recovering, the troops in high spirits, and
we have no fear but we shall be able to maintain our ground
against all the banditti of George the r —.
REMARKS on the Resolves against the Plan
of Government. [Continued from page 561.]
AN D these legislatures at the fame time administer justice
by judges out of the body, or at least dependant on
tnem, as to salary and duration of commission, who deter
mine without a jury. The great writer last mentioned con
siders the judicial power as well lodged in England, because
a jury of peers, or equals, are the real judges. “In Eng
land (fays he) the jury determine whether the fad brought
under their cognizance be proved or not; and if it be
proved, and the jury so find, the Judge pronounces the punish-
Rent infixed by the law lor such a particular faft, and for
578
I he plan, it is said, deviates unncceffarily from all resem
blance to the former government to which the people have
been accufamed ; they did not desire such strange inn^atzom.
Great alterations doubtiefs offend the habits and the preju
dices of mankind, and the more ignorant a people are, the
greater is the offence. Crafty tyrants, therefore, accommo
date appearences to popular usages. Thus Augustus, when
he meaned to ereft absolute authority over the Roman repub
lic, took net upon himieif the name or offenfive pomp of a
King. The date had been uled, in difficult circumitances, t#
lodge the supreme power in the hands of a Magistrate called
Dictator, for fix months. I his enabled him the easier to
exercise a controuling military authority, whilst the ancient
magistracy and elections continued. Prudence will also re.
ftr&in patriotic legislators in this reived. But this ihould not
hinder them, in a caie like ours, from rejecting all such usages
as were bad before, or would be inconsistent with the new
footing on which power is eftabl.fhed ; or from adopting new
regulations necessary to temper, distribute and enforce it. A
plan of government ought to be a system ; and parts of a sys
tem of government, that may have been ufeful, introduced
into a new plan, formed on different principles, would prove
very dissonant and mifehievous. They would be as the iron
and clay in the feet of Nebuchadnezzar's image. Au example
will illustrate. The late form in this province was in appear
ance democratic and monarchical mixed; the latter admi
nistered by an hereditary Governor possessing a princely estate
in the country, under the King of Great-Britain ; the new
form, we all agree, shall be founded on the authority of the
people only. Hence the maxims, constitution, andlaws, mufi
in some cases essentially differ, as a flavilh adherence to old
usages would deprave the popular eftabli&ment ; for cuftoir
has a perverse influence in this refpe&. For instance, it
this he needs< ^ his eyes." Spirit of Lttus, chap.
'" ar' : } T "' tarthei hint to °ur gemy, who seem
," dillatvfitd with a single legislature, that equality is the
'°" of a republic, and that peihaps the comm >n people will
begin to think them deserving of the censure of their aufho-
Mcnf Montefque, who, on this fubje&, fays " as to
men of overgrown estates, every thing which tides not con
tribute to advance their power and honor, is considered by
tnem as an injury." Spirit of L a^ s , b. v. chap. v. In
the Seven United States of the Low Countries, the nobility,
who jeineo in the revolt from Spain, contented themselves
with representatives in the single legislatures. In Holland
they have eight or nine, the Princes of Orange are hereditary
representatives of the nobles of Zealand, in the states of the
'r'™ ce ° "be old Cantons of Switz, Ury and Underwald,
which are democratic or popular states, were most dittreffed
by their own nobility, who constantly joined the House of
Austria in all its attempts on their liberty. They were in
the end driven out of the country, and the Switzers declared
a free people, by the treaty of Munster, Anno 1648. An
thony Lord Ashley, afterwards Earl of Bhaftfbury, devised a
species of noblefs for Carolina, under the titles of Land
graves and Caciquis; but this order soon failed, they caused
continual struggles for superiority in an Upper House. Gen.
Amherst, it is laid, applied to be created a Baron in America
But these ideas I trust are now banished. Indeed we have no
famines in this country that would not be honored by being
admitted to figure among the Commons if they lived in Eng
land, and it is only the total absence of real nobility that cam
tempt our gentry to assume the language and airs of such a
rank.