The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1781-01-09 00:00:00, page 2

of America would begin. Neither would it figni
fy any thing to 2 man whether he be Whig or
lory. The people of England and the miniitry
of that country know us bv no such diftin&ions.
What they want is clear solid revenue, and the
modes they would take to procure it, would
operate alike on all. Their mariner of reasoning
would be short; because they would naturally in
fer that if we were able to carry on * war of five
or fa years against them, we are able to pay the
fame taxes which they do.
I have dlready stated that trie experice of con
au&ing the present war, and the government of
the several. Hates, may be done for two millions
Herlirig^hd the eitabliihment in time of peace;
for three quarters of a million ft
As to navy matters; they flburifh fo-wcllf rind:
are so well attended in the hands of individuals,
that I think it confident on every .principle of
real use and ceconomy; to turn the navy into
hard money (keeping only three or four packets)'
and apply it to promote the fervicuof the army)
We ihall not have a ship the less; the use of
them, and the benefit from them, wii\be greatly
rncreafed, and their expence laved. We are now
allied with a formidable navaFpower, from
whom we derive the afliftance of a navy.. And
the line in which we can prosecute the war, so as
to reduce the common enemy and. benefit the
alliance mod effectually, will be by attending
closely to the land service.
I edimate the charge of keeping up and main
taining an army, officering them, and all expen
ces included, fufficient for the defence of the
country, to be equal to the expense of forty
thousand men at thirty pounds sterling per heady
which is one million two hundred thousand
pounds. , g 1
I likewise allowtfour hundred thousand pomade
for Continental expences at home and abroad.?
And four hundred thousand pounds for the
support of the fcveral date governments, the
amount then will be,
For the army, /,200,c00
Continental expencesat home }
and abroad, j 400,000
Government of the several dates, 400,000
Total, 2,000,000
I take the proportion ' of this state, Pennfylva:
nia, to be an eighth part of the thirteen United
States, the quota then for us to raise will be two
hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling ; two
hundred thousand of which will be our share for
the support and pay of the army and Continental
expences at home and abroad, and fifty thousand
pounds for the support of date government.
In order to gain an idea of the proportion in
which the railing such a sum will fall, I make
the following calculation-
Pennsylvania contains three hundred and se
venty five thousand inhabitants, mer^ women
and children, which is likewise an eightli of the
whole inhabitants of the whole United States:
therefore two hundred and fifty thousand pounds
sterling to be raised among three hundred and
feyenty five thousand persons, is, on an average,,
thirteen drillings and fourpence sterling per head
per annum, or fomethimg more titan one drilling
sterling per month.. And our proportion of three
quarters of a million for the government of the
country, in time of peace, will be ninety three
thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds dcr
bng, fifty thousand of which will be for the go
vernment expences of the state, and forty three
thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds for
Continental expences at home and abroad.
The peace establishment then will, on an aver
age; be five Hillings sterling per head. Where
as was England now to flop, and the war cease,
her peace establishment would continue the fame
as it is now, viz. forty shillings per head ; there
fore was our taxes necessary for carrying on the
war as much per head as her's now is, and the
difference to be only whether we ihould, at the
end of the war, pay at the rate of five Hillings per
head, or forty Hillings per head, the case needs
no thinking of. But as we can securely defend
and keep the country for one third less than what
our burthen would be if it was conquered, and
flipport the governments afterward for one eighth
of what Britain would levy on us, and could I
f I have made the calculations in iterling, be
*caufe it is a rate generally known in all the dates,
and because likewise, it admits .of an easy com
parison between our expences to support the war
and those of the enemy. Four silver dollars and
an half is one pound sterling and threepence
over.
PHIL A D-EL-FirCTDecember' "30.
Ihe General Adembly of this State, at their
l^ft fitting, have passed an a&, declaring the bills
ofcredit itiued the 24th day-of March last, to be
legal tender, and that the fame shall be received
as gold and iilver in all payments. The old con
tinental money is not to be again issued: but, a$
it comes into the state treasury it is to be destroy
ed, and the new continental bills are to be issu
ed in their Head.
An embarkation of @ very considerable body of
the enemy's forces has lately taken place at New
l ork, but where they are defined we have not
yet learnt. It is said the infamous traitor Arnold
willhave a command on this intended expedition.
k^traa^cj a letter of the 6th of December, from
Major-General Greene.
Fhe enclosed papers, number 6 and 7, con
tain the reports of General Sumpter's lad atriion,
and Lieutenant Colonel Washington's stratagem,
by which he took'ColonelTugely and his party."
General Sumpter being wounded, the following
is the report of Colonel Middleton of the acti
on, which happened at Black -stork's, on Ty
ger-river, the 20th of November lash
About 4 o'clock, P. M.the videts in frontap
prized us of the enemy's approach by the dis
charge oftheir pieces, and in a few minutes after
they appeared within 400 yards of our camp, dis
mounted their infantry and formed in a field.
I he General detached 2 parties to fkirmiffi with
them, while he formed his line upon an emi
nence, and polled some men behind the houses
and fences at the foot of it. The parties detach
ed kept up a loofc fire, and the enemy retired to
a wood, under cover of which they made their
difpqfition of cavalry and infantry for an attack,
and immediately advanced to th^ charge. The
conflict was warm, and the enemy were repuls
ed ; they rallied, made a second charge and were
repulsed again : they made a third, and our peo
ple in front were obliged to yield to the impressi
on, but the fire from the eminence gave them
such an effectual check, that they quited the field
in disorder and retired with the utmost precipi
tation : We pursued, but the approach of night
prevented our taking any advantage oftheir flight.
They left 92 dead and an 100 wounded on the
field. The loss on our part was but very incon
frderable, only 3 killed and 4 wounded ; among
the latter is General Sumpter in the £houlder.
find a rtrifer whose lieart never felt the emotion of
a spark of principle, even that man, uninfluenced
by every love but the love of money, and capable
of no attachment but to his interest, worild and
must, from the frugality which governs him con
tribute to the defence of the country, or he ceases
to be a miler and becomes an idcot. But when
we take in with it every thing that can ornament
mankind ; when the line of our interest becomes
the line of our happiness ; when all that can
chear and animate the heart; when fenft of ho
nor, fame, character, at home and abroad, are
interwoven not only with the fecurfty but the in
crease of property; there exists not a man in A
nferica, unlef§ he be a hired emiff^y, who does
not fee that his good is connected with keeping
up a fufficient defence..
t I do not imagine that an inftanee can be pro
du'ced in the world, of a country putting herfelf
to such an amazing charge to conquer and enslave
another ar Britain fas ' done- The sum istoo
great for her to think of with any tolerable de
gree of temper f and when weconfider He bur
then she faltainr as well as the difeofttion she has
Ihewn, it would be the' height of folly in U 3 to
luppofe that He would not reimburse herfelf by
[e ni °^ rapid means; had fix once more, Ame
rica within herpotfer; . With such an opfirifion,
of expence, what would an empty conquest be to
her ! what relief unde/ such .circumstances could'
flie derive troin a victory without a prize ? It was
money, it was revenue, she firft went to war for;
and nothing but that would fatisfy her. It is not
the nature of avarice to ' be finished with any
thing clief ,Every pafßon xh.it a&s upon man-,
kind has a peculiar mode of operation. Many of
them are temporary and fhiauating; they admit
of cessation and variety : But avarice is a fixed
uniform passion. 'lt neither abates of its vigor
nor changes its 6bje& ; arid the reason why it
does not is founded in the Nature of things, for
wealth had not a rival Where avarice is a ruling
palTion. One beauty may excel another, and
extinguish frem the mind of a man the pictured:
remembrance of a former one : But wealth is the
phoenix of avarice, and therefore cannot feck a
new objefy because there is not another in the
World.'
ETo be continued..]
mediate surrender.
With very fincefe degar'd,
[remain,.
Your most obedient,
<Humble fervanQ
, r , WILLIAM SMAIXWOOD.
Hon/.Gen. Greece.
Pubtifhed by order of Congress,
CHARLES THOMSON, Sec'ry.
NEW-HAVEN, January 4, i; Bi.
On Saturday morning last, a party of the ene
my from New-York, of about one hundred and
fifty horse and foot came out as far as Bedford,
where they made the moft.wanton deftruHibnof
houfhold furniture,„and did great damage to the
buildings. They took several of the inhabitants
prisoners,- and drove off a considerable number
of cattle; but a-few of the militia coming up
with their rear, recovered 30 sheep, and three
oxen.
The forte that attacked, cenGßedof ;•© caval
ry of Tarlton's legion, 130 of the 63d, and 100 of
the 71st regiment ; befidcs these, joo of the 71st
were considerably in the rear with a piece of ar
tillery, that did not get up to the action.
(COPY,) Camp December 6, 1780.
Dear Sir,..
Receiving intelligence, on theist of this in
llant, tnat parties of tlie tones were advancing
from the out posts of the British, up to Cane and
Lynche's-creeks, with a view to intercept our
waggons and avail themselves of the flipplies in
thole settlements; from whence the principle sup
port of the advanced troops under my command
had been drawn for some time pall.
J detached General Morgan with 500 infantry,
arid Lieutenant Colonel Washington with 100 ca
valry, to cover a number of waggons which were
ordered down in that quarter after corn and pork,
and if pollible to intercept the tones.'
The enemy, gaining intelligence ofthe advance
of our troops, retreated, and whilst the covering
party remained on that duty, Lieutenant Colonel
Washington with the continental and some mili
tia horse; reduced Colonel Bugeley, Major Cook
and 112 tory officers and Soldiers (in alogged barn,
on Rugeley's plantation,Wrongly secured by aba
fis) to surrender at diferetion,' without firing a
Ine Colonel s address and' stratagem, on the
occasion, deserve applause ; having no artillery,
he mounted a pine log; and holding , put the ap
pearance of an' attack with fi&d-bitc&y carried his
point, by fending in a flag ariddumanding aribn-
KINGSTON, Jamaica) November 4.
The schooner Five Sifters, Campbell, having
been driven from he armhors at St. Kitt's the
i ith ult. in the late hurricane, arrived at Port-
Royal on Tuesday.. On her passage down, die
daily saw the wrecks of veflels, and picked up the
head of a large French ship. She afterwards
met with a number of masts, yards, &c. which
from their size and appearance, they judged to
belong to some large French ffiip of war.
The brig Lowther and Senboufe, Capt Hinde,
arrived here from Liverpool the 21st inst. she is
last from Milford Haven, being obliged to put in
there by contrary winds :—Capt. Hinde failed
from the last mentioned port the 26th of O&.
and was off Sandy Hook in 6 weeks and 4 days,
but then met with calms: he has brought no
prints, but fays the British and French fleets were
both in port, and that it Was supposed the Em
press of Russia was endeavouring to bring about
a peace between Great-Britain and the otlier bel
ligerent powers.
By a brigantine from Havarina, prize to the
Arbuthnot privateer (taken by her cutter in Che
fapeak) we learn that a formidable armament
intended against Pensacola, on their passage to
that port had felt the dire efteQs of the fame
tremendous hurricane which desolated the north
fide of Jamaica. Many of the transports foun
dered with their crews, most ofthe men of war
were difmafted, and the whole fleet was so crip
pled as to occasion the enterprize to be laid aside
for the present ; federal ofthe men of war and
transports had got back to the Havanna.
N E V-I OR K, December 1?.
The Hip General Midrir, of 20 guns', and
y;o men, is taken off Charleftown, by his Ma
jelly's ship Rawleigh, as also two prizes she had
in her possession that belonged to the Cork fleet.
We hear another rebel privateer called the Sa
ratoga, is taken by his Majesty's ship Roebuck.
Dec. 2;. Left Thursday morning Brigadier
General Arnold, with the troops under his com
mand, failed from Sandy Hook upon an expedi
tion.