The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1783-08-19 00:00:00, page 2

Mess. PRINTERS,
IN your paper number 968 I observed a piece
signed Solomon Whitman, town clerk, said
to be the doings of a meeting of the inhabitants
of the town of Farmington, in which they have
endeavoured to hold me up to the veiw of the
public as an enemy to my country.
At the earliest period of the present war I
took a decided part in favour of this country
against Great-Britain, have uniformly perse
vered therein, and have never been wanting;
but at all times have done my utmost to aßift my
country against the enemy ; whether internal or
external.
In the character of an officer I served them
four years, and retired from service upon the re
form ofthe army in the beginning of the year
1781, under a solemn resolution of Congress in
titled to half pay for life.
That by the desire of my brother officers, I
have presented a petition to the honourable Con
gress, praying for an adjustment ofour refpe&ive
accounts; and pay, or securities, for the re
spective balances.
That on the 22d day of March last, the honour
able Congress of the United States of America,
was pleased (by their resolution of that day) to
offer and propose, to pay or secure, to all officers
intitled to half-pay for life, five years full pay
in lieu of the half pay for life, provided said offi
cers would lineally accept the fame.
That the officers of this State did accept the
offer and proposal ofCongrefs before mentioned;
and did impower me as their agent to lignify the
fame to Congress, and to fettle their accounts
with the United States, and receive and forward
the pay or securities for the refpe&ive balances.
That I performed the service for said officers
is known in all the public offices, and the man
nerin which I conducted the fame, any one may
know by inquiry.
That on Sunday evening the third of August
instant, I was informed that a large body of men
was collecting as a mob, to take away the securi
ties I had received and abuse mein the most diiho
nourable manner;—l avoided them---OnMonday
morning my family experienced what in some
degree had been threatened against me; disap
pointed of their object, the mob resolved them
selves into'a town meeting, and passed the re
solves referred to.
I am assuredly confident, that no one fact can
be added to the foregoing narrative of my con
dud, as agent for the retiring officers.
Ifit is a crime to ask of Congress a fulfilment
of their most sacred promises: lam guilty in
deed.
If to accept a benefit offered, is dishonourable
I have learned a lesson I before was ignorant of.
If to receive a delegated authority to ad for
others, is subversive of the liberties of a free
people : Down with Assemblies and Congress.
If to ask for our right, is iniquitous and base ;
call on our debtors no more, extinguish all pub
lic and private debts, establish an Agrarian law,
and equally divide the property of the country,
destroy all rule and government, and be govern
ed by mobs : The public will judge.
WILLIAM JUDD.
Farmington, August 14, 1783.
once and fee whether the idol you are courting
be worth the rifque of perdition ? unless you
are resolved to leap into diftru&ion with your
eyes open, sensible of your folly, yet determined
on your ruin.
The body politic is often liable to paroxifms
of madness, and is as fubje& to be seized with
them at town-meetings as an eleptic at the
change of the moon ; especially at such town
meetings as are created by the adjournment of
a mob to the meeting-house. The proclama
tion of Torrington is perfectly diftra&ed; it
does nothing but rave and froth at the mouth.
But yours seems a more rational and sedate kind
of madness. You are not only delirious, but
seem to be sensible of your condition ; you are
sundry times within an ace of coming to your
senses, and your whole difcoufe is full of lucid
intervals.
To the P ÜBLI C.
Ten Weeks hence, or sooner if the phrenzy of
the People should subside, will be published
in this Paper,
A Dissertation on the Times ;
IN which will be stated the impolicy of Inde
pendence—-the happy effects of the present
relaxed ft^ of government, and the Rill happier
effe&s of a total dissolution of the fame. It
will be proved to the capacity of a child, that
Congress are traitors that General Washing
ton is a fool, and every Continental Officer a nui
sance to society That every friend to law is a
puppy and ought to be kicked about the streets—
That all laws are a burthen and-ought not to be
borne by a free people—That any ideot could
have conduced public affairs better than our
rulers have done—That it is unjust to pay pub
lic debts—That public credit is a whim which
no man of sense will support—That national
bankruptcy is preferable to the hardships of pay
ing an annual sum of three Killings That the
confederation is a curse because we are united to
honest neighbours—That other dates ought to
be punished for making a derision of Connecti
cut and growing rich by her folly—That women
have a right to insult public officers, because
such officers cannot or dare not help themselves
—-That the meanest individual in the state has
aright to assume the supreme executive autho
rity when he plcafes—That all power originates
in the people, and therefore every person has a
right to be a tyrant and ought to exercise that
right. These are fa&s no doubt, but as it re
quires some closeness of reasoning to prove them,
it is hoped that people will read with peculiar
attention, and endeavor to find some rational ar
gument in favor of their measures.
N. B. It was in contemplation to demonstrate
that in free states where power is in the hands
of the people, it is right to cut a man's throat
for speaking his sentiments ; but as this point
seems to be pretty well established, the writer
will omit it. Some people have blamed the in
quisition in Roman Catholic countries, for put
ting to the torture, persons guilty of no crime
but differing from the established opinion ; but
it is now found to be perfectly right—-the idea
begins to be realized in our chriftian churches,
with this difference, that we have no regular
court established for punishing political heretics
—the right is exercised by individuals at plea
sure.
BOSTO N, August 14.
The following - Articles are extraßedfrom English
Prints to the ts of fitly, brought fy the Count
d'Graft, Capt. %hnfon, who arrived at New
bury lad Tuejday, in 28 daysfrom London, viz.
AMSTERDAM, June 9.
SOME letters from Paris mention the arrival
in Cadiz Bay, of a French ship called the
Well-beloved Julie, with advices from the East-
Indies. She came from the Isle of Bourbon,
and made the passage from the Cape in 74 days.
The accounts received by her are, that M. de
Suffrein has taken 50 transports from the Eng
lish ; and that three ships of the fame nation
have perished, and one French, doubtless by a
tempest.
L ON DO N, June M.
By a letter from Spa, in Germany, which ar
rived by yesterday's post, we learn, that war has
been declared by the Emperor against the
Turks.
The foreign prints seem to mention a Turkish
war as a matter not to be avoided, and some of
them have affirmed that hostilities are already
commenced. The scene of murder is no sooner
closed in one quarter of the world, than the
sword of diftruaion is unsheathed in another.
The Commercial Treaty between this country
and America is not likely to be ratified for some
considerable time. Had proper care been taken
to have had the outlines ofthe great plan ac
ceded to before the Preliminaries were signed,
this work would have been long since finilhed;
but there was a supineness and neglect evident
in the negociation from the beginningto the close
of our pacific tranfa&ions; and it is probable
that the loose manner in which matters were
concluded, will occasion differences and disputes
with more powers than one.
Extract of a letter from Elfineur, June 7.
" The Bell, Capt. Humble, is arrived here
in fix days from Petersburg; and reports that
the Admiralty there, with the dock-yard and
all its Bores, was consumed by fire the 27th ult.
leaving nothing but the bare walls, and four
new Blips on the Bocks unhurt."
A letter from Elfineur brings advice that three
American Blips are arrived there, two from Bos
ton, and one from Salem, laden with the pro
duce of that country; these make four ships
which have arrived from those parts at that port
since their independency has been acknowledg
ed.
June 21. The definitive treaty between the
Courts ofLondon and Versailles is not yet sign
ed by either of the contrasting parties, owing
to the following lingular circumstance :---Mr.
Swinburne, who possessed considerable property
in St. Kitts, sustained great losses during the
siege of Brimstone-hill : His lady, a woman of
the firft talents and address, went in conse
quence thereof to Naples, and solicited the
Queen of that kingdom, by whom she was al
ways very graciously received, to interpose her
good offices with the Court of France, in order
to procure some compensation for Mr. Swin
burne's heavy losses. The Queen of France
was immediately applied to, and Mr. Swinburne,
in consequence thereof, obtained “ a grant of
all the uncultivated lands in the island of St. Vin
cednt, to be enjoyed by himfelf and his heirs for
ever."---This circumstance coming out after
the signing of the preliminary treaty, the Bri
ti(h ministers do not think themselves bound to
accede to the grant, on repossessing the island ,
the Cabinet of Versailles, on the other hand, in
fill upon the fulleft ratification thereof—and
there the matter rests for the present.
It is said that the Spaniards have fitted out a
fleet of 80 fail, and are actually gone against
Algiers. -
The tonnage of Dipping taken during the
course of the war from France, Spain, Holland,
and America, is rated at upwards of 270,000
tons, which are distinguished as follows :
America, 57,000
France, 112,000
Spam, 76,000
Holland, 24,000
TO BE SO L D,
At PUBLIC VENDUE,
AGREABLE to rcfelve of Affembty, the estate of ASA
HUTCHINSON, cot fifeated for uttering counterfeit
money, &c. confining of about 70 acres of lard, considera
ble part good mowing, lying near Capt, Benjamin Bucls,
in Hebron, where the Vendue will be held on Monday the
firft of September next, ex^dly at two o'clock in the after
noon, it is incumbered with the right of dowry of a widow
near 80 years of age. Any one inclined to purchase, may
have it giving good security for one year on interest, or for
any obligations against the State for hard money which are
now due, rxcept so much as to pay some debts due from the
estate ofthe late Moses Hutchinson, to m.hom the estate be
longed, amounting perhaps to 20 or 30 pounds, which must
be paid to the fatisfadion ofthe creditors.
BROUGHT on board the sloop Polly in New-York, 1
piece of CAMBRICK—-The owner is desired to prove
property and take it away. JAMES BENJAMIN.
I EaH-Hartford, August 14, 1783.
270,000
Five months from the signing of the prelimi
nary articles of peace expired yesterday ; so that
hoßilities cease from this time, according to the
tenor of the articles, in every quarter of the
globe
June 24. Yesterday morning some dispatch
es were made up and sent express to Plymouth,
to carry them over to Sir Guy Carleton, at
New-York.
Advices from Peterfburgh fay, that no one is
permitted to talk of the operations of the Cabi
net of the marching of the troops, or any of the
affairs of government, so that we do not know
very well what is going on there, but it is said
the Ruffians and I urks are now so near one ano
ther, that hofUlities must begin soon.
Advices received from Breflaw bring intelli
gence ofa meflenger having arrived from War
saw, with an account of war being actually de
clared by Russia against the Porte.
June 27. The commerce of Ireland to Ame
rica will be in coarse woolens, blankets, frizes,
&c. rrom the western part of the kingdom,
which no doubt in time must make cloth their
staple commodity in Bead of linen.
They write from the Hague, that the Ameri
can commißioners cannot give their final assent
to the definitive treaty, till they receive further
inftruftions from Congress, of which they were
in daily expectations when the last accounts
came from Paris, yet a report prevails in that
city, that theist. of July is now appointed for
putting the last hand to the definitive treaties,
every concomitant difficulty being now entirely
removed. The fame advices add, that the
Dutch have at last agreed, that the English shall
retain Negapatham, on the coast of Coromandel,
on condition that every thing else remains in the
fame Bate as before the war.
A letter from Venice fays, that they have re
ceived advices that a fleet of Turkish Blips of war
are arrived in the Adriatick sea, which has
thrown that Commonwealth into great confu
fion. An express is sent offto Vienna to acquaint
the Emperor of it.