The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1779-04-13 00:00:00, page 2

^^ ?wo hr. .dred fax indi.* The States couM
bear th? lots cf we^ yt:ou;d» ^ men annually ard
%'rbe ahi: every fncceed ng year to bring greater
numbers into the field 'han they could have done
the year : ©ore. How faHe and g oundlefc there
fce arc all insinuations of open or secret enemies,
that ou' ability or resources for war dwindle, or are
ir any measure dinunifhed ? How vain are all their
exaltations from this quarter ? What can they ex
p:& by a determined and vigorous profreution of
the war with fueh a people whose refoulces are so
great, whose numbers are so rapidly increasing, and
w' ofc allies are so powerful and refpeatble f No
thing but that niadnef# arid cruelty which at firft
drove them to hose tyrannical and bloody measures
^hich they have been so wan only pursuing against
America, can impel them to a profecation of them
another day. Our union, confederation, cousfels,
military praweftand resources at home, and our al
fiance with forego t. ions gather drength and en
lar percent, and grow more complete and finished
every year, and month and day. T ^ great point is
now gained and nothing, according to the ordinary
course of things, unless it be our own mifconduA
can now ruin us.
Wtfdom, firmnefs and ciroumfpeaio^ are how
ever yet highly necessary. Wisdom and found poli
cy are necessary especially to manage our finances
and to pay off the public debt to the heft advantage.
On this let us employ a few thoughts.
Though it now be small and may easily be dis
charged, yet by borrowing money, paying interest
upon interest, and neglecting seasonably to pay it off,
we may render it great and distressing. Great Bri
tain has in this way contrasted a national debt the
yearly interest of which greatly exceeds the whole
debt of America. She has loaded herfclf with an
immaufe everlaffipg debt, and bows down continu
ally with <n insuperable weightof taxes, from which
ihe never can rife, t Besides all her other taxes
which are almost innumerable, fays Blackftone#
" From the year 1693, to the present, a period of
above seventy years the land tax has continued an
annual char e upon the fubje& : above half the time
at 4s. in the pound, fpmetimes at 3 s. sometimes at
2*. twice at Is. but without any total intermission.
The medium has been 3s. and 3 d. in the pound "|
Such a tax in pepetuum distresses and ruins a date
beyond any temporary tax, be it ever so high. The
land tax of 16 s. in the pound in the reign of King
Charles I. did not greatly distress, and was far from
undoing the nation, though it was continued for
three years. The prodigious monthly and weekly
a Seffnr.nts, in the time of Oliver Cromwell amount
ing sometimes to 120,0001. per month and week
were attended with no permanent bad consequences.
But by borrowing mosey on inte r est, and by ne
glcAing seasonably to drfcharge her public debt,
Great Britain has ruined herfelf. Is it possible that
we, with her mad policy before us, ftiould adopt the
fame pernicious m^afuies ? In the last war it was
the wisdom of this state to proportionate her taxes
annually to the public expenditure ; and ffie has ex
perienced thehappy cohfequences of it from that day
to this ; and the fitter colonies universally applaud
ed her policy. Why may not the fame be done
now ? Would not th^ advantages rs it be as great if
not greater than they were at that time ? Is it not
much the eafcft pay ng debts when money is plenty
and all the staple commodities of a country bear the
highefl prices ? Would not a wife man, who owed
a debt of an hundred pounds, catch at paying it
when he could do it only by the salt of one good
ex, or cf sixteen or seventeen bufheb of wheat, ra
ther than run the chance of paying it when it might
cost him ten oxen, or an hundred and sixty or fcven
iy bufhris of wheat, to difebarge only the principal,
and half as much more to pay the interest ? Ought
not dates, with all their wife councilors to aft with
as much precaution and fo^fight as individuals ?
The advana.es of difehar^ing the debt immedi
ately are many and ^reat. It would save the inter
* On fopDofirion t'..e inhabitants of this S ate have
increased in the f ae prep >rtion face the commence
ment of the war, as they did for eighteen years be
i re the inc^afeo numu© would be 21.5)7. Their
proper ion ofincreafe in the last four years has un
doub,edly been equal to what it was iu eighteen
yeart b. fore : for betides seven years of war within
that ten, t'ire were great emigrations to Nova Seo
ra, to S hfquehannah,and uro the Grants. Allow
ing the inczeafe to be what I have fcppefed in this
State only, tim the increase in allthe United States,
^chaning Connecticut to be one twelfth part, would
be 758924.
, Blacktee when he wrote.made the annual taxes
pa ; d in Great Britain to amount to between ten and
eleven millions : aid Dr. P ice reckons them at
about fourteen millions per annum, See the Appen
dix to bis ( bferva+ions, in 1,76.
I Biackflone's Com. Vol. I. P, 512,
est ofa great fare : & 1 ^ ring to the %rTall rhecT
pence oftakim^ monies into the loan offices, of pay
ing off the annual interest of monies borrowed, and
of paying them offfinally, which will be very con
siderable, and every day increases the public debt.
It would prevent the necessity of further emissions cf
continental bills, every emission cf which is attend
ed with considerable expence and depreciates all
former emissions. Should this state pay double, or
treble their proportion, and have it allowed to them
in the final adjustment of accounts between the states,
for which it feeras Congress have made provision,
it would Stimulate other states to go largely into tax
ation also : For they would not chufe to have large
sums with interest to pay back to Connecticut, or to
any other state, when money shall beof much greater
value than it is at present. This w^uld at once de
miniffi the quantity of the circulating medium and
every day increase the value and add to the credit of
it. It will help the army, the needy and all who
live upon their money, It might be a saving to the
country of one half, possibly of nine tenths of the
labour, produce and money which it will take to
fettle the debt in some future day ftiould it now be
neglected. Paying off the public debt rapidly will
ftren;then 'the Bates ; give sensible eclat to their
measures, dispirit their enemies, help them to a more
speedy and advantageous peace, and give them honor
and importance among the nations of the earth.
Besides, it would have a good effe— on the morals
of the people. A flood of money has a tendency to
promote gaming,horfe racing, idleness, extravagance
in dress, excels in drinking chambering and wan
tonness, with all kinds of vice ; to be sure when
money is as easily obtained and as little esteemed as
it is at present. As it would have a tendency to
prevent these mifehiefs on the one hand, so on the
other it would promote industry, frugality and good
©economy, which add Length and glory to a com
munity.
Can there be any good man, any true patriot, who
would not wiffi, earneftiy wish, that his country
might enjoy all these advantages, and to be instru
mental of helping her to them ? Does not the pub
lie, and even private interest invite all therefore to
unite, with a generous and noble zeal, in carrying
into execution a measure so necessary, beneficial and
salutary?
Connecticut, March 25, 1,79.
CHARLESTOWN, (S. C.) Feb. 24.
Several Dutch ships full ot soldiers from
Spain, arrived at Havanna about ten days
ago.
March 3. Col. Campbell's expedition from
Savannah to Augusta, with the Highlan
ders and Col. Brown's rangers, has proved
as fortunate as Major Gardiner's to Port
Royal; to escape a Bur goynade he has
made a very sudden and precipitate retreat,
down the country ; leaving us in possessi
on of all the back countries of Georgia;
and his friends, the tories, to fall a Sacri
fice, a whole regiment whereof, which had
with great art and secrecy been three years
inlifting, have already been defeated, and
upwards of 150 of them made prisoners.
March 9. On Friday last, the church
atPonpon was consumed by fire, deGgn^dly
fee to it by a villain on horseback, and
thought to have been done through mis
take, instead ofthe meeting-house, which
contained a quantity of powder.
Accounts received last week from rhe
Southward, inf >rm us, That the enemy
having been reinforced from Ebenezer,
they formed a design of surprising that
part of our army under the command cf
General Ash, who had taken post in the
State of Georgia, which they effected last
Wednesday afternoon, by the extreme ne
gledt of the out-post ; that on account of
their number, the suddenness of their ap
pearance and rapidity of their advances, a
general plan of opposition could not be
adopted in the then unprepared condition
of our troops : that however, Col. Elbert,
with a small but spirited party, gave them
a very severe and ftafonable check, thereby
facilitating the retreat of the remainder of
the troops ; but this gallant c fficer was at
length taken, after a vigorous ard brave
refinance, together whFCol, M'lntofh, in
the Geogrifervice ; and Col. Harris, and
some other valuable officers, are faio co lie
among the dead. It is affirmed, howe
ver/ that the lots of the enemy on this oc
casion will equal, if not exceed that of cur
army, as some field pieces that were well
served, played incessantly on them for a
considerable time. Our loss, by the belt
accounts yet received, isftated atabout 120.
One ofthe letters gives us the following
information, viz. “ Intelligence having
been received, that the enemy were erect
ing a Stockade fort at Hudson's. Bruff,
with 500 men ; eatly on Wednesday morn
ing Major de Braham, with about 150
horse, was ordered out to reconnoitre that
post-.-he went within two miles of Hous
ton's and took Capt. Conningham of the
Highlanders and 7 other prisoners ; he me<,
with the camp the enemy had that day
quitted, and found the heads of 9 Beeves
they had killed. Just as it grew dark, he
returned to Briar-Creek bridge (quite ig
norant of what had happened in the after
noon) and being hailed by the British Gen
tries who were in possession of the camp,
answered, that he was the party returned
from Houston's, whereupon they forbid
his approach, after some altercation they
fired upon him ; still he did not conceive
they were enemies, but imagined they
were some of Gen. Rutherford's brigade,
that had crossed late in the evening and
were ignorant of his having gone off in the
morning ; he therefore went a little lower,
and crossed the ford with his whole party ,
when he had ascended the bank on the
other fide, he found the whole British ar
my drawn up before him with their artil
lery ; they instantly fired upon him as faft
as they could, and his party returned it
smartly, retreating again across the ford.
In the retreat he loft his guides and 5 of
his prisoners, but brought off the other
two with him. A few of his men were
killed, but the enemy did notpurfue a step;
their loss not known."
March 10. It appears by several pub
lications in the London, Weft India, and
other royal papers, so early as the begin
ning of November last, and. from many
other circumstances, That the invasion of
these Southern States has been long pro
, je&ed,---that the enemy have, for more
than three years past, bad a number of pro
perly qualified Agents in the remote, and
some cf the interior, parts of all these State l ,
artfully tampering with the weaker unin
formed inhabitants, flily inlifting them in
to the British service, and then swearing
them to secrecy---and that, on the success
of these men, Sir Henry Clinton has built
his pretence of having been follicited to
fend a fleet and army this way, for the
relief and proteaion of his Majesty's, fub
jefts (such as Kirkland, &c.) who in the
laid papers are pretended to have revolted
and petitioned.--- It is highly proper to
call the attention of the public, to the I t.
tie insidious artifices of his Britannic Ma
jesty's commanders, and to guard the wea
ker of the community, against the certain
consequence of their fufferiAg themselves
to be any longer deluded. It is a well
known fa&, that the British Generals have
introduced themselves into every State on
the Continent, where they have taken up
their temporary refid^nce, with the feme
pretences they have entered Georgia : Bur,
mark the event---though frequently fop
ported by too many deluded people, yet
thev have in, a fhon time,' been obliged ^