The New York packet, and the American advertiser — New York [N.Y.], 1776-05-02 00:00:00, page 2

ft ^ Printer of & Xi^York Packet.
SI R,
OU K' coumry's present alarming ftate,,just
ly eu'g'tyTres l bc atteptfoirP' every [auk
andclrifa'rtdfatifong'us. The fununer before
us is big rvith the inoQ important and Interring
events ; it, will, determine, .whether WG are to
enjoy the Tights' <f lreemeai;<at-the price we
hivp aireadypuid for them, or whether they
are to coll us a -ranch diigh^kpurdiafc, both ot
blood and treafur%, for I -have nd idea of lub
mitting to the ypke wf flayery on Bnyteuns:
Fefy if any, btf'wfyVfeel themjelyes; so inte
rested in this grand Itruggle, as to-be felicitous
for the even, ; and it would be flie foigheft flu
pidtfy to bc^orhetwife. 1 This naturally excites
a desire in every break, to contribute his part to
wards securing our inellimrible 'rights, and; fe-,
Coring peace, on' conditutivnarprinci^fy.ffieL
grand obje&s we have all in view ; aiiQ, ifi.yu)
bo di Lausfaction to the generous 'mind' to '^y, , .
rhat he has it in his power to do fometh"ihg [or ~,
thefu important ends; and this every oh% pt e
very rank, has : This is one of these kinds of
butinefs, that every one may do something to
forward.The politician, by-dating the rights of-.-
our country, by guarding our constitutional li
berties. against despotism, on the one hand, and
jicentioufnefs on the other; and by planning
and pursuing the proper measures for their se
curity; the .Gentlemen of the sword, by de-.,
lending fhofe rights at the risk of 'their lives;
and ever/ one, in his refpe&ive sphere, by
lending.hi, aid to tire-forwarding this^at arid
good work.
Buith©e, is yet.another way in which this
grand.caufe niay be,moft effectually served, and
that is,, by reipovipg the . procuring causes of
those evils weeith6r feehbr fear, and by invit
ing down the foiilespf Heaven upon our virtu
ous druggies, for the feourity of our inestimable
rights; this is, in some meafare, in the power
of everv member-of the community : It re-,
quires not the political skill of a fbtefmhn, nor;-,
the mattial prowefsof the loldier :---The htifh
ble sincerity. of the Chriftiarr, in complying with '
the requisitions of our holy religion, is enough
for this purpose. .
And so fcnfible has the Honourable Conti
nental Congress been, of the importance -of this
mode of seeking the redress of opr grievances,
xuu the security of our rights, and of its effica
cy for this end, when properly used, thht they
have with great wifdom.diiedled us to it : This
they did lall year,- by calling all ranks to the
great duty qf seeking the aids of Heaven by
fading and prayer ; a duty this, that with plea
fore we hear them calling us to this year again.
Who can reflect on the many aftonifhirig inter--
portions of Providence, in favour of. the' Ame
rican cause, the year pad, without considering
them as so many answers to the humble and de
vout prayers, offered up by Chridians of all de
nominations, trom opeend: of this vast conti
nent to the-nther? efpeci,lly, on that memor
able day, the 20th of July last; a day the most
solemn these United Colonies had ever seen !----.
Britilh America prostrate at the throne of the
King of kings, humble, penitent and adoring!
Nor was their suit denied. This mode ofdeli
verance from calamity is ancient, tried arid a
vailing, Good king Jehoshaphat and his people
experienced its efficacy, when invaded by the
- and Ammonites, near a thoufhnd
years before the incarnation of pur Saviour;
and even- the profane Ahab obtained a tempo
rary deliverance trom ruin, in this way, about
the fame time. Thousands. have tried- it with
success, in a day of distress, both before and
since ; and, as it comes recommended to us by
the Divine authority Of the sacred oracles, we
have every encouragement. t@ try it in our pre- ,
sent situation. : ^ -^
This, I doubt not, all ranks and denominati
ons will readily do on the approaching 17th of
May, in obedience to the high authority by
which it is enjoined. But, to do it with suc
cess, it is rieceffary to .attend to its true nature
and genuine effects; rhefe,,. Mr. --Printer, a
friend to hiscountry, takes the liberty of Dat
ing to his fellow-citizens, through the ipcQium.
of your press : He does not 'mean toaffuiue the.
character of the Divine, or infringe bhflhe, d^:
ties of the Clergyman ; therefore, shall content n
himfelfwith some general remarks only. & „ ..•,
Fasting is properly art abllinen.ee from food, 0
and religious failing is an abtiinence from iff
for a season, on religious principles, and fat;re- \
ligious purposes. I'o pretend to faft, and yet
take our ordinary food, is-at beff a triflingjyith^
Heaven : True; when a person's state of health
will not admit of a total abstinence, without in
capacitating him for the duties of the day, ?hpt
Cod, who prefers mercy to facrifice, wiff, no
doubt, allow of such use of food, asmay be hc
ceffary for anfiverrn^The ends ' for whichthe clu^A
ty of fatting is at all appointed;, but then it..
Should be 110 more than what is barely neceffk
ry for this purpole, and of a let's delicate kind
than usual: This, I presume, is. what the pro^
phet Daniel means byrins •' eating no pleafont
" bread." When giving an account of a.fo-
Ibmn sass he kept before his God, for three full
weeks, in the 10th chapter of his prophecy ;
and farther adds, that “ neither fleft nor wine
" came within his mouth :" It is probable, he
lived during that period wholly on bread and ,
water. This abstinence from food, is deigned ‘
as a practical acknowledgenient/that we. , have
forfeited all right to our daily bread,- and in
deed every other enjoyment of life; and, this is,
its emphatieal language on our part. It is a so
lemn andpradical acknowledgement of the rea
lity, number and aggravation of our fins, the
procuring causes of all our maladies. There is
a propriety, therefore, in confeffing our iniqui
ties before God, on such occasions, with great
particularity and sincerity,.-and oFentcring mi-
To fbe INHABITANTS of VIKGINIA.
I^ius b^ec Yarn culta novalia miles babebit?
Barbaras has fegete, ?
Bin facis cpnfeiimus agros ! ,VIRG,
What?. Shall the impious soldier then enjoy
Our cultivated lands?
?<;.Alas! our fruitlefs toils !
My Countrymen,
SINCE our enemies talk of offering to us
terms of accommodation, and propose, as a
foundation for treaty, the good favour shewn to
their own officers and soldiers in Botlomand its
environs; in granting them liberty to eat pota
toes andfilh; I said it would be but fair to Rate
our demands - on the opposite column. Before
our dillentions were Carried to such a height,
and our injuries multiplied to such an enormous _
degree, for the fake of peace, and to get as well
rid as we could of their insolence, we only rc>
quired them fe repcaTall the a&s. they had -
thought proper to add to the conftitutipp since
the year 176% But chn an American, with
patience, think of buffering them to coalpit
what;ravages they pltyfe, and when they feel.,
their power too W&afc.to accomplish ^11 their ini
quitous projects, then to make up the difference
upon their own terms! Can we condefeend to
accept or afeace,:rhat, however proper it night"
have secH;a lew yehrs ago, in our prefect ejr
cumftances,' can have no colour of equity? Re-<
„rfe& what-'%ir dhormbris expcnee the felonies
have i^cil^d,' n<yw'rti^ theylhave fuff^
tairied by'tbKTifprite,' that in' alfyeafon ought :
to be defrayed by the 'iggfrcffors aguind t^Wi pa-o
blic peace, who hdte'tolnmftted the depute:
tions, and occafoned the expence. lam tooT
remote trom the centre of intelligence to be able
to make an exact estimate at the injuries we 1
have fullered during this war. I,hall ,er.umt<;.
rate some of the capital articles, such as Ihive^
come under every man's obfei va.tion ; and that,
when collected ' and ranged together,.will amount
to a sum which will perhaps surprise common
news-paper readers, who have never taken the
trouble of computing it. To begin, with the
largest sum: I think they are very jtiftly charge
able with the lots of our trade, and of all the
profits that annually accrued from it. These,
isl mistake not, have been generally eftiinated
atm round sum of four millions per annum. A
" loss Which we in this colony iifOft fenhbly feel ;
in; thte alrnoft total want of cash; our Ihplebe
m CoirM an useless lumber; all our other mer-.
chantable commodities reduced, to half price;
and three hundred arid , fifty choufand slaves
u rendered incapable of doing us any essential
fervite. '
Our next configurable loss is the deftrudfion
of the towns of Bolton and Charleftbwn, and
thfir neighbourhood; which, with the other
leges of the inhabitants, we may fairly compute
^at one ^ilfon'fnd fifty thqufand pounds. To
"fylucei'thole to particulars, the burning of about
one thousand houses, valued very moderately,
is one hundredsnd 'fifty thousand pounds; and'
for the defacing of the rest, and deffruftion, of
merchandize, &c, we may reckon double, that
fum'; and the expfences of thirty thousand in,
'habitants driven from their ?.bitations, to sub
-sill a^ they can in the country, because, it makes
"'no difference in the- public loss whether they
support themselves out of their own private for
• tunes, or are provided for by common "charity ;.
these, I lay, we cannot rate at left, upon an.a
---: verage, than twenty pounds per man, annually ;
which makes a charge of fix hundred thousand
# pounds; -and the whole amount is one .million
and fifty thousand pounds, as above. But to put
off all objection; let us rate it at a million, which
will bedue to. us at the beginning of Alay
instant.,
nutely into their various circumstances of ag-,
gravatip,# jfhitys IfwdhtyfO turrit us to that -
furrow for them, -and hatred to the,?, that en-•
ters'o deep into thrqwure. of tru^penitence of
heart—the genuine temper of relizows falling.
This is one of the principal parts of the duty of
prayer, on fuch.occasions ; a duty that liquid :
employ no fmall.firire of theft Ton allotted for'
this important bulineh: In this w<, are to ac-.•
knowledge, that Go.! is just in all his ways, and
righteous in All his Works ;that He is punch
ing us fefs than our iniquities deserve ; that the
evils we deprecate are our juft.demerits, and
therefore.,we implore the intreies of pardon and
deliverance on ~the plan ofr unmerited favour,
thro' the atoning blood of a Mediator, and no
other. And this suggests an idea, th it, with
all due deference to the Gentlemen of the Ctef
gy, I beg leave to mention, that as it is the du
ty, of people to make confidence of attending on
'public worship, on days of falling and prayer,'
the sermons preached on such occasions should
be, not on political fabjecls, as they 'too often '
are, but principally.on. the nature arid eficrtls of
fin, its just demerit and sure consequence, it
persisted in, both in; a national arid a personal
view, with.the nature and necessity of that re
pentance God requires for our salvation, as a
people, or .individuals,, together witiv the.'en
couragements He sets. before'us in the go'pdof
his Son, to- excite and animate us thereto;
These, and fobjefts of this kind, are calculated
to form their heaers to.that temper and cofr'fj
du% vrinch are the genuine nature, and ends of
religious fading; and without which, this great
duty will be neither acceptable or availing.^
The remainder of this fabjpH is referred for
another paper. , ' F:7
i CHRISTIANUS. #
Ifcu-fyrl 4^,' 29, I 776;/•
1° From the Virginia Gazette.'
Next to this we may place the burning of
Norfolk, and some small towns in New-Eng
land. The damage may be elfitfiated at four
hundred.Qou4and pounds ; and other incidental
^ Sum total £. 7,850,000
Almost eight millions of pounds, or eonfider
ably above twenty millions of dollars continent
al currency. And in this reckoning I have not,
mentioned the whole estates of the proprietors
of Bolton, and the other towns, that will pro
bably be for ever 101 l to their right owners ;
^ thf.cxpences attending the removal of the
r.i!h habitants of this and the other colonies, near
the lea coasts and harbours, into the remoter
f parts of the :cobtrtry; rind all the other com
putatian^are made with the greatest moderation,
loVcr ty.far than our real loss. So that the
~whole may_.be reckoned at twenty-four millions
of dollars, the bell common standard of reckon
ing,for the whole continent. What a prodigi
ous sum for the united hates of America to give
up for the fake of a. pegee, that very probably
. .itfelt would be one of the greatest misfortunes!
For /the , government of Britain, rifhamed to be
: bailed in a favourite project, would doubtless
employ all the wicked arts of policy, of bribery,
1 corruption, places and pensions, in which they
at e well Ikilled ; unhappy arts, that have already
brought that nation to the brink of ruin; that
they might deal from us too what they were
unable to wrest by open violence. Who with
, the spirit of a man, that is able to level a gun,
will submit to such a mortifying degradation;
we had taken arms in our own defence, and be
fore the whole course of government was remov
ed out of its usual channel. And measures that
might have been wife and prudent then, would
now carry on their face the most glaring impro
priety. I wuft in God,, that the guardians of
the public interests of the continent will have
wisdom and integrity enough not to betray us.
But, relying on their virtue as much as'it de
serves, it will be a useful expedient to keep a
rilive the flame of liberty and public spirit among
the people at large, never to neglect the exer
tife of the undoubted prerogative of freemen
to inftrud their representatives ; and every wife
and honelbman among' thim will take a plea
sure in hearing the opinion and advice of his
countrymen. It will give th m confidence, and
alacrity in planning wife and decisive measures,
.when they know they are also the voice of the
public, and. when they hear you engaging to
. fupporrtheip in the execution of them with
tyour lives and fortunes. Inilru& your repre
idrimtives, therefore, to agree to no peace,
vor even fruce, with Great Britain, without an
,'entire reimhurfement of all lofles, and the abfo
. lute iind. unconditional repeal of all the has of
charges, fol piracies, tol beries rmd sheep-Dealing
(which, by the bye, would have been reckoner
felony in England)at fifty thbuiand.
Add to these the expences of the /ar, which
I know no better way of estimating than trom.
tfe bill's of credit that have been emitted for
the frippoiting ot it, and which, in our present
circumitancts, must unavoidably be so much
public iofs, when this money comes to be re
deemed. This sum is pretty ealily come at;
the Cobgrefs have issued three millions of dol
lars ; the Convention of this colony three hun
dred and fifty thousand pounds; and all the 0-
ther colonies together at lead one million and
fifty thousand pounds. To bring these differ,
ent ettimatek together into one sum,
For the lots of trade, £. 4,000,000
Deilruhtion ot Bolton, Charles
town, &c. 1,000,000
Burning Norfolk, &c. 400,000
Incidental charges, by theft, &c. go,ooo
Continental bills of credit, nearly, 1,000,000
Virginia ditto, 3^0,000
The other colonies ditto, 1,050,000
and to a loss of a very large proportion of all
the property in the country?
The date of the controversy is very different
now from what is was aTe.w years ago, before
pendent republic. Many to whom this lan
guage is new may at firft be startled at the n^me
of an independent republic, and be ready to re
present to themselves, that the expences of
maintaining a long and important war will ex
ceed the disadvantages of submitting to some par
tial and mutilated accommodation. But let these
persons point out to you any other alternative
than independence or submission. For it is im
pofiible tor us to make any other conaeffions,
without yielding to the whole ottheir demands.
We have not armed from one end of the con
tinent to the other, and expended so many mil
lions, merely to drown a chest ot tea; but to
Qppole the dangerous authority the English
house of representatives has usurped, pretend
ing a right to bind us in all cases whatever;
which it we admit, either in whole or in part,
immediately draws after it an endless train 6f
miseries. Shall we then, after reluctating so
effectually against this yoke ot oppreflion, be
contented now, almost in the midst of our fuc
eefo to receive it entire on our necks, rather
than separate from a.country to which we have
so long been supposed to be in a date of fub
je&ibn, when we ought only to have been coh
lidered in a date of alliance? For this mull be
the neceflary effect ot an accommodation on any
other principles than 'rhofe I have laid down.
Their proposition is so invidious that every (in
gle part involves in it every other. And if we
think to swallow any of them with fafety, we
shall only be undeceived, by being fairly and
effectually choaked by the whole group. Where
is the wiidoni of this squeamishness about in
dependence, pretended by the Aflembly of
Pennsylvania, or by any • other Assembly or
Convention on the continent ? There appears to
be moderation in it indeed; but it is the mode
ration of a spaniel dog, that grows more tame,
the British parliament injurious to the legillation
&' commerce of America, as well before as since
the year 1763,01, it their poverty or their pride
will not comedy with the firfl of these conditions,
till they acknowledge us to be a free and inde-
in proportion to t^ill^ge he receive. Audi
tor the expences..we are.likely to incur by the
war, what fooportien will they tear to the e
'normous fuins that will he necefo, to gratify
halt a faillioij ofstarving villains,, who cannot be
provided wyh penlion^ enough in England,Scot
land arid Ircluj'd, jo glut their voracity? What
_proportion,wilf thyr.ocar to the eno: mou s fuma
.that will, be, expended,to enable some of the
.meai^t'wiqfcto ,pf the ipecacs, among our
selves, to, roll in state over all the cultivated
lands in the country ; to impose new quit-rents,
to raipack land .offices, to annul patents and
grants of lfli@,,to. 4Ppiy immeufe quantities to
their ohnjwfe(fyd 10-exact .exorbitant fees, for
permitting the.proper owners ,to enjoy the left ?
What if we mould' be obliged to encumber our
selves with double the load of. our present ex
penecs ? A few yearsyof fr<e and uriiverfal
trade would enable us to redeem it all; as well
as all the lofles we have sustained, or are likely
to sustain by .their piracies,, robberies, thefts,
plunders, assassinations, or murders.
The fears of many, left we fliould not be able
to provide fufficient funds for the support of an
expenfiVe war, has been the reason why they
have been so reluctant to break that connection
with Britain, which has been the source of so
many evils, and may probably incline them to
fperid foat time in NEGOCIATION, which
they o,tight to employ in action ; but a little
attention to the advantages that we shall derive
from unrestrained commerce may dissipate their
fears, arid point out to them an ample compen
sation tor all the expences, the dangers and the
toilsof the war. I shall only produce the trade of
this colony as an example, with which you are
bell acquainted. This has hitherto been almost
wholly managed by foreigneis, and in foreign
bottoms; and will be so again, if, by any Ne
goc/tion, our enemies can betray or bribe 'us
. to an accommodation on their own principles.
"You are without merchants, ships, seamen, or
ship-builders ; and thus want several very abun
dant sources of wealth, as well as nurseries of
arts, and of numerous ufeful fubjefts to the
date. Your trade is confined to a single spot
on the globe, in the hands of the natives of a
distant island, who fix the market ot all com
modities at their plcafure, and we may be very
sure will rate your's at the lowed,.and their own
at the highest prices, they will in any confid
ence bear. Every article of merchandize, that
is not the produce of Britain, must firft pay its
duties to the Crown, perhaps mud be increased
in the price a very large advance.per cent, there,
and then be re-exported to Virginia, and under
go an additional advance of 75, and sometimes
near 150 per cent. here. This disadvantage is
much more fcnfiblc by those who ar acquaint
ed with the trade of the northern colonies,
where they are ndl altogether so fhamefully
gulled as we have been from the frit plantation
of this colony. You can there buy linens and
broadcloths from the retail merchants at the
fame price your factors here tell you they ob
tain them at prime cost in Britain. By this
means you fairly lose 751. currency on every
tool, sterling worth of merchandize you im
port from Great Britain that is not native to
that country. If we luppofe your imports from
thence annually to amount to 700,000 1. fler
l'ng (which can be no extravagant supposition)
and suppose upon one half of that sum you lose
in the proportion which I have already menti
oned, there will be 101 l 262,5001 . per annum,
which might be f..ved by a free and independent
trade; or, to be sure that we are within bounds,
fix it at '200,000 1.
Let us next advert to the amazing injury you
sustain in the dependent trade, by your mer
chants being all foreigners. This is a tituatioa
not peculiar to you, but affefts all the southern
colonies, from Maryland to Georgia.
I am not well enough acquainted with the
trade s, Virginia to know exactly how many
foreign houses, or companies, have an intern'd
in it, or how many factors arc employed by
them to manage it; but 1 mppofe 1 shall be far
enough within bounds isl lay fifty of the for
mer, and two thousand of the latter. Whether
I am right or wrong in the numbers, the prin^
ciplcs^t my calculation will be equally just
and may be very cafily applied to enlarge and
diminish the profit or loss to the merchant and
the country, by readers who are better acquaint
ed with the fubjed than I am.
It is not unr< afonable to fay, that every house,
or company, makes i5;000l. a year, neat gain,
by the trade ot this colony ; and consequently
fitly houses will annu dlv export 7 50,000 b ster
ling to Scotland and England, which will be
just so much saved to the colony whenever , its
own natives shall become its merchants. And
allowing to the factors, on>uaverage, an hun
dred pounds each per 'annum, as some have
much more, and others perhaps may have I'efs;
it, put of this annual income, we suppose them
to spend thirty pounds in. the country, there
will be feveaty pounds a year-laid up for their
own uie, and expended in Britain, for what
they cannot, or do, not,choofe to purchase in
America. But because they pay taxes, and are
of iome, other small service to the colony, as
long as they ft.y in it, we.will rntetheir gain at
ten pounds lets, and suppose them to lay up
sixty pounds a year, which is so much taken out
of the trading dock of this country, and only
waits for a fufficieut addition, to be carried oft
and expended beyond fca,. Here is another loss
of i2o;op.ol. per annum; and the whole toge
ther amounts to 870,000!. fierling pec annum
that we lose by foreign.merchants ; betides the
great number of ufeful art! t tat are ctofely con
nected with the management of commerce by
the natives of any country.
(To b (toßgma in "our next.)
A PLANTER.