The New-York gazette, and the weekly Mercury — New-York [N.Y.], 1775-12-11 00:00:00, page 1

^ Printed by HUGH GAINE; Printer, Bookseller, and Stationer, at the Bible and Crown, in Hanover-Square.
* The earth of cellars, flables, barns, and
out-houses, open to the air, but cohered from rain
and fan, is impregnated with nitre or falt-petre
more or less ; litewij the foil under the floors of
barns, which are rafed from the ground where
fowls, hogs, &r. falter, will afford a large
quantity. —IFetook about an inch and an half from
tbefurfacc.
JUST PUBLISHED,
And to be SOLD at his Book-Store and
Printing-Office, in Hanever-Square,
[llluf rated with a beautiful and accurate Cop
per Plate Plan of the Cit, of New-York.]
G A I N E's
Universal Register,
O R,
AMERICAN and BRITISH
KALENDAR,
For the Year 1776.
CONTAINING,
THE Kalendar ; Royal Family of Great-Britain,
and Extent and Situation of England, Scotland
and Ireland ; Royal Family, &c. of France, Spain, Por
tugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Poland,
Prussia, Russia, Sardinia, Orange, Italy and Turkey ;
English Nobility, Scots Nobility, Archbishops and Bi
shops of England, Privy Council, Knights of the Garter,
Knights of the Thistle, Knights of the Bath, Secretaries
of State, Lords of Treasury, Lords of Trade, Lords of
Admiralty, High Court of do. Postmasters General,
Army, House of Commons, Rank of Army apd Navy,
Royal Navy, Holydays at the Custom-House, Pay of the
Navy, Pay of the Army, Precedency among Men, Pre
cedency among Women, Kings and Queens of England,
—of Scotland,---of Great-Britain ; Itilh Nobi%, Arch
biffiops and Bishops, Enumerated Goods fubje& to Duty
in America, Description of America, General Eftabliffi
ment, Government of Weft-Florid^, —Eaft-Florida, —
Georgia,---South-Carolina,---North-Carolina,----Virgi
nia,---Maryland,---Pennfylvania aad lower Counties of
New-Castle, Kent, and Sussex, upon Delaware, —New-
Terfey, ---New-Yerk ; Corporation for the Relief of the
Widows and Children of Clergymen of the Church of
England, Government of Connecticut,---Ithode-ifland,
—Massachusetts-Bay, ---New-Hampshire, Nova-Sco
tia,—Newfoundland, —St. John's, —Canada ; Ministers
and Congregations belonging to the Revd. Synod of New-
York, &c. Associate Prefoytery of Philadelphia, his
Majesty's Forces at Boston, Governors of New-York,
from the Year 1664 to the present Time, Governors of
New-jersey, Governors of the Weft-India Islands, Staff
of the Airily of the thirteen United Provinces in North-
America, State of the four Regiments raised in the Co
lony of New-York, Royal Artillery raised in New-York,
Officers in the Troop of Light Horse in New-York, In
dependent Companies in New-York, New-Jersey Bills
reduced to New-York Currency, Table of Interest,
Roads, &c.
jure rreraa'v' wffiraiß!ii lot re^ ^CTffl^jte&ffito
Philadelphia, November 14, 177 g.
Experiments made face Friday loft by Capt. Prior,
and Mr. Thomas Pain, for the purpose of fix
% feme ea b' cheap, and expeditions' method of
making Salt-Petre in private Families, in
order to the practicability of a plan, proposed
by Mr. Pain, of forming a Salt-Petre Association
for voluntarily fufeplying the public Magazines
with Gunpowder.
FRIDAY afternoon we sawed an old calk
(of little or no value) in two tubs, and
bored an hole in the bottom of each near to the
fide, of about the size of a common cork, and
ftopt it with a wooden peg ; over each hole we
put a full handful of straw, then filled the
tubs with* earth, taken from the bottom of a
cellar, and poured water thereon, filling it up
as it funk in, till the water flood about an
inch above the earth. This is the fame as
setting a lye tub.
Second, Saturday morning we drew the li
quor off, throwing it up till it run clear, the
quantity was about three gallons, which we
put into a kettle, and boiled to about three
quarts.
Third, We took a little wooden keg, bored
an hole, as in the former ones, ftopt it with a
cork, and covered the bottom of the tub with
cut straw to about three or four inches, on
which we put about the fame depth of wood
ashes, and gently poured thereon the hot liquor
so as not to make hbles in the alhes; after
letting it fland a few minutes to fettle, we
drew it off, (throwing it up again till it run
clear) when it ceased running we put on about
a quart of cold water, to drive out the lye
which the ashes had fucked up.
Fourth, We boiled this second liquor to
about a pint and an half, then poured it gently
off, into a bafon, leaving the scum and fedi
inent behind; after it had flood a quarter of
an hour to fettle, we again poured it into two
earthen soup plates, set them in a cool place
till next morning, at which time the sides and
bottoms of the plates were beautifully covered
with crystals of Salt-Petre sprung up like large
blades of grass, being in quantity about a
quarter of a pound.
ASSIZE of BREAD. Flour at 20s. per Cent.
A White Loaf of the fineft FLOUR, to weigh
ilb. 8 1-2 oz. for 4 Coppers.
Published November 2, 1775.
Monday, December it, 177%_ T H
NE IP^rORKta&MIC AZETTE:
AND THE
W E E K L Y IDMot M " R C U R Y, i
Containing the fresco 3ouiccs foreign ant iDomcfticL
First EXPERIMENT.
Second EXPERIMENT. ,
As tyh judged we had not got all the Salt-
Petre from the earth in the tubs, we poured
thereon (i. e. on the fame earth) some boiling
water; on Monday we drew it off, and pro
ceeded with it as before ; on Tuesday morning
it proceeded a larger quantity of Salt-Petre
than in the former experiment, and about two
ounces of common salt.
N. B. The lye which terrains is called
mother of nitre, and is to be put by and boiled
up with the second lye of the next process,
wnen it comes from the ashes.
As these experiments were made to promote
the public good, it is hoped the several printers
will give them places as soon as rhey can.
From Purdie's Virginia Gazette, Nov. 17.
I Remember feeing an account of Captain
Creffop's rifle company Looting at a shin
gle that was held in one of the men's hands,
and (hot through by his brother. This was
mentioned to be a very extraordinary thing,
as indeed it was ; but it is no more than what
has been frequently done by the Virginia ri
flemen. I have known many people to do it.
At the distance of two hundred yards two men
have shot in the fame hole, in a paper not
digger than a dollar, and this Mr. S. Athawes,
of London, can aitelf, for he saw it done when
he Was in Frederick county, Virginia, and
carried home with him the paper, through
which it was but just difcernable that two
balls had passed. The riflemen now in our
regiments declare that they can hit a man
every shot within two hundred and fifty vard<,
a*! his head if within one hundred and fifty.
As some proof of this, I can mention what
happened a little while ago on one of the
creeks near Williamsburg. A man had got
into a canoe, out of a boat, upon feeing the
riflemen, and was padiing off, when they
hailed him. On his refufing to flap, they
fired ahead of him, and the man kill continu
ing his flight (thinking that by this time he
he had got out of their reach, as he has since
confeffed) the . officer ordered his people to fire
at him, which three of them did, when one
shot went through the canoe, another through
the man's waistcoat, brulhing a button on his
breast, and the third through his hat, within
half an inch of his head. And laic summer
our riflemen under Col. Lewis gave convin
cing proofs that their dexterity in (hooting
was not confined to mere buts and marks, or
harmless game, but could be applied with in
credible truth when aimed at the bravest and
mod formidable of all enemies, for in that
engagement there were more Indians killed
than there were of French and Indians in
Braddock's defeat, and more than I heard were
killed in any engagement during the last war.
And although the Indians, according to their
manner of fighting, never fire twice from the
fame tree, and can very seldom be seen in an
engagement, and when seen discover buttheir
head and breast, or shoulders, yet great num
bers of them were killed and wounded, and
it is said that all the dead were found shot
through the head or breast. I wish that some
abler pen was employed to celebrate the prai
ses of our men in that engagement, and in
Major McDonald's. It would then be seen
with how much justice they said, in their glo
rious resolves, that they could march and
(hoot with any troops in the world.
Please to insert the following tranfaflion in
your ufeful paper, and you will oblige many
of your customers.
Thomas colden, High sheriff of
Ulster County, having received the
King's proclamation with Governor Tryon's
subjoined, Gave public notice, that he in
tended reading said proclamation at St. An
drew's church in Ulher county, on Saturday
December the second, 1775. To all such
officers, both civil and military, and all
others that choose to attend ; Whereupon the
Committee of Hanover precinft, (tire place
of his refider.ee) met and judged it their duty
to oppose every measure that would have a
tendency to strengthen the hands of Minifterial'
tyranny, and that would, on the other hand,
weaken or difeourage the promoters and fop
porters of American freedom, and thereupon
applied to the Commanding officer of the regi
ment of Militia to which they belong, who
immediately ordered four companies of Mi
litia, to march to the above mentioned Church,
where all the officers, (Captain Cadwallader C.
Colden, jun. excepted) and most of their men
attended, together with three companies of
NEW-YO R K, December ii.
Mr. PRINTER,
Monday, 4.4 Min. after 12
Tuesday, 27 Min. after 1
Wednesday, 6 Min. after 2
Thursday, 51 Min. after 2
HIGH-WATER at NEW-YORK, this Week.
Friday, 32 Min. after 3
Saturday, 13 Min. after 4
Sunday, 55 Min. after 4
Lafl Quarter the iQb.
Mr; GAINE,
IWAS much furprized on reading yotir
paper of the 20th ofNovember latt, to find
that you was assured, " That Major Skene,
the younger, who was released from close
confinement oh his parole of honour, lately
made his escape from Connecticut," &c.
This assertion being entirely groundless; so
hr as it refpe&s my parole of honour, I think
it my duty to inform the public thereof, in
older to remove any impressions which so base
<n aft must have made on them. It is out of
ly power at present to give any farther proof
of my innocence, than by appealing to the
Committee at Hartford; for the truth of what
I here declare, and which I am positive they
will not contradict.
I am. Sir your humble fervart,
ANDREW P. SKENE.
Asa, yb Dec. 1779.
,Ship DUTCHESS of GORDON;
New-1 orb Harbour, 4th Dec. 1775^
SI R,
" I desire you will lay before the Corpo
ration the inclofed Paper, containing my Senti
ments on the present convulsed State of this
Country, and that you will please to make the
fame public. Jam, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
Wm. TRYON.
To Whitehead Hicks, Efq;7
Mayor of the City of New-York.)
“ T Take this public Manner to fignify to
I the Inhabitants of this Province, that
his Majesty has been graciously pleased to
grant me his Royal Permission, to withdraw
from my Government ; and at the fame Time
to assure them, of my Readiness to perform
every Service in my Power, to promote the
common Felicity.
If I am excluded from every Hope of being
any Way instrumental towards the re-eftablifh
mentof that Harmony, at prelent interrupted,
between Great-Britain and her Colonies, I
expeft soon to be obliged to avail myfelf of
his Majedy's Indulgence.
It has given me great Pain, to view the
Colony committed to my Care, in such a tur
bulent State, as not tc, have afforded me, since
my Arrival, any Profoefl of being able tb
take the diipafuonatc and deliberate Voice of
its Inhabitants, in a constitutional Manners
upon the Refohition of Parliament for com
posing the present Ferments in this Province:
A Resolution that was intended for the basis
of an Accommodation, and if candidly con
sidered, in a Way which it will be most pro
bably Succefsful, and treated with that Deli
cacy and Decency, requisite to the Cultivation
of a sincere Reconcihation and Friendship,
might yet be improved, for the Purpose of
referring the general Tranquility and Security
of the Empire.
I owe it to my Affection to this Colony, to
declare my Wish, that some Measure may be
speedily adopted for this Purpose ; as 1 feel an
extreme Degree of Anxiety, in being Witness
to the growing Calamities of this Country,
without the Power to alleviate them. —Calami-
ties that must increase, while so many of the
I DO hereby acknowledge that I have a&ed
in such a manner as to draw the resentment of
all those that have appeared friends to the true
interest of the United Colonies, and supporters
of the measures of the Continental and Pro
vincial Congress ; and that I am sorry for it,
and that I will for the future aft and behave
as a friend to the measures adopted by the
United Colonies : And that I will hereafter,
when ever required by the Committee, where
I reside, be aiding and assisting in carrying
into execution the resolves of the Continental
and Provincial Corigreffes, on all Occasions,
as Far as in me lies. Given under my hand
at St. Andrew's Church, in Hanover Precind,
in Ulfef county, the 2d day of December,
'775-
Signed. THOMAS COLDEN, Sheriff.
Minute men, at which time and place, the
following declaration was offered to the Sheriff,
and then read to the seven Companies then
and there present, who unanimously accepted
thereof, as full fatisfa&ion for the fifft public
offence ; which declaration he publickly signed
at the head of the seven Companies then under
arms, and in the presence of a great number
of fpe&ators assembled on the occasion, who
thereupon were dismissed and Separated with
out the least confufion or disorder.
To the Inhabitants of NEW-YORlt.
Wheatper Bushel, §s. gd.
Flour, 18s. od.
Brown Bread, 15s. od.
Weft-India Rum, 4s. 6J.
New-England, do. zs. 6d.
PRICE-CURRENT, in NEW-YORK.
Mufcovado Sugar, 6@s. od;
Single refin'd ditto, is. 2d.
Molanes, is. od.
Beef per Barrel, 60s. od.
Pork, 655. od.
It is said General Montgomery, on the 1 ith
Ihftant, crossed the River from La Prairie to
St. Paul's Island; where he was hospitably
received by the Inhabitants ; and the next
Day he landed upon the Island of Montreal^
at a Place about a Mile from the City, upon
which the Inhabitants, the Ministerial Troops
having all abandoned it with Gov. Carleton,
sent out a Flag of Truce.—The General re
quired them to Surrender within four Hours,
which not being complied with, he marched
into the Suburbs, when they were kindly
entertained by the People; and upon the
Articles of Capitulation being agreed to in
me Evening; the following Morning, after
the Guards were relieved, the Army took
poffeilion of the City.
" We have Persons of Credit come to Town,
who, on their Way from Detroit, met Colonel
Butler and some others, in their Way from
Montreal to Niagara, at Ofivego; he asked
them whether it would be fafe for them to
return to Tryon County; he (Butler) informed
them, that Governor Carleton had told him,
he had received a Letter from Home, that
there were two Noblemen coming over to treat
with the Congress; that he expected Matters
would be fettled in the Spring, and while the
Negociation was on Foot, the Troops would
be removed from Boston to other Parts, as it
was supposed their Stay there, during the
Winter, would be pernicious to their Healths."
That there being great Plenty of Woollens
to be purchased at a reasonable Rate, the
General intended to give the Soldiers new
Cloaths, they having fuffered much by the
Severity of the Climate, which they submitted
to with a Patience and Resolution worthy theif
Cause, particularly in their march from St.
John's to Montreal, the Road being half Leg
deep in Mire. That a Party was Rationed at
Point Sorrel, and another at Le Chien, in
Hopes of intercepting Carleton and his Ad
herents. That the Schooner and Galley which
were funk before St. John's, have been raised
by Capt. Cheefeman, with a Party of three
Hundred Men; and neither of them have
received much Damage ; the Schooner had
her Stern Pott knocked off, nine Shot through
her Hull, and three in her Mast; and the
Galley about five in her Hull. We are alfd
informed that the Canadians are well affected
to the Cause of Liberty.
At a Court of Oyer and Terminer, held last
Week, at the Court-Houfd on the White-
Plains, Wefkheiter-Ccunty, one Joseph Shep
pard, a Vagrant, well known about New^
York, was convicted of Grand Larceny, in.
stealing from the House cf Mr. Abraham
Merrit, a Sum of Motley some Months ago.---
Sheppard is a y,oung Man, with light brown
Hair, and has a remarkable Scar on his Fo.e
head.
We have just ^eard the following verbal
Account, brought by the Eahern Post, viz.
That one of pur Provincial armed Vessels had
just taken and brought into a Store Ship
from England, from which they had taken the
following articles, said to be as suitable for
our pihfent Occasion, as if they had been lent
according to an Invoice from the Continental
Congress; and that General Washington, when
the foil left Cambridge, had sent Waggons,
&c. to bring them to the Camp, viz.
Inhabitants withhold their Allegiance from
their Sovereign, and their Obedience to the
Parent Country, by whose Power and Patron
age they have hitherto been sustained and
proteded.
Wm. TRYON.
^^, Dutchefs of Gordon, Harbour]
of Nehu-York, Dec. 4, 1775.)
Several Gentlemen who left Albany last Fri
day Week, inform us, That as they were coming
away, a Serjeant Major belonging to General
Wooster, just arrived from Montreal, assured
them, that just before he left it, an Express
arrived from Quebec, which brought the
agreeable News of its having surrendered to
Colonel Arnold ; that a Party was detached to
cut off Carleton's retreat, with a Number of
Gondolas, and that the Express heard the
firing, but what was the Success of that At
tempt was not known;
W Tons of Cartridges,
2500 Stands of small Arms,
2 Brass 24 Pounders,
2 Ditto 18 Pounders,
*1 13! Inch Mortar,
Some smaller Mortars, &c.
The whole Hbmated at p^Qol. sfef. value.
Extract cf a Letter from Albany,
Fine Salt, gs. 3d
Coarse Salt, 3s. gd
Indian Corriper Eu.gs. 6d