The Gazette of the state of South-Carolina — Charles-town [S.C.], 1784-09-09 00:00:00, page 1

To Chriflopher Gadfan. Efguire.
MY address to _ou, in Mrs. Timothy's gazette,
(No. 2214) was made with much reluctance ;
and it is with pain that 1 am now conftruned to con
tinue it. I was in hopes that in your cooler moments,
your mind would have looked inward,tipon itfelf,
when a viewof your treacherous condu& towards me,
would (if possessed of grace' or honor) lead you to
penitence and recantation, and when a confciaulnefs
of your having swerved from the truth, wilfully, in
tentionally and maliciously, would have Simulated
you to the resolution (for once in your life)of anting
right, and of healing the wound which you intended
to infiia. But you are truly a&ingjhe part of the
traafgreffor, the part of the remorjelefs malignant,
who, generally, is Wronger in his wrath than the
aggreffed, because of his disappointment. - Disap
pointed you have been, and disappointed you shall
be: for my cause is too good, and your assertions too
infamous to fuffer your escape (as you seem to ex-,
ped) by hanging out your signal of a half truce. If
I am not so profufe in my ammunition, (at the firft
cnfet) as Brigadier-General Gadsden has been, per
haps you will not, in the end, fare much the better
for it.
1 did and do now tell you, that I have proofs
"unequivocally declarative who is the author of all
the Gentle Touches you have had ; and that I neither
direttly nor indiir^ly had any thing to do with them ;
and had you, fir, the sensibility of a man of honour,
you would not have offended without cause; had you
entertained any fufpicioris, you ought firfl to have
possessed yourfelf of proofs; but finding none, you
should have well weighed the confluence of
riiking a contradiction, so pointed, so explicit and so
unmajked as you h&ne. received at my hands. But
perhaps you conceived the flattering idea, that a
bird of faffdge would not dare pref me a reply to
the full-blooded wharfinger; that therefore you bad
only to assert, to do all the mifehief you could in the
propagation of falfioods and forgeries, well known
as such to you ; and leave him to wipe off the stains
as well as he could. Unluckily for you, the Paffdge
Bird, who has warped yet ifo much, is your equal
in every honorable refped: in others, I mull confefs,
you excel him; and to you be the palm offach excel
lence. Has he not, likewise, imprinted on feme of
your afrertions that ver, WORSTfeezes of falftood,
which men tender oftheir veracity, would qnickly com
prebend. 'lhe whole is fufpiclon, engendered by an
incefuous concubinage between the envy of your
heart and the W'eakdefi of your heaß; a suspicion
that would not find place in any reafdna(>le or good
man's bosom. iffr/birions were deemed detentions;
if affections wire equal to facts, we might go far,
very far indeed, in the field of fiifpicioh on your
.honor's conduft, since your releafement from PRI
SON. But time, perhaps, (even the very few
months you quote) may unravel somewhat, is yet
but little known, in which you may be more than
fuftefled, not of being the principal, but the tool, to
a scheme of far greater peri! and detriment to this
country than can arise from any dangerous ideas,
(Ipontaneoufly sprouting out of your distorted fancy),
of the late disturbances that have happened in this
city; disturbances which appear nothing more, than'
what may naturally be expelled.—ls any two or
three men have so < fended their neighbours during
the late war, as to wound their fellings on feeing
them return, is if not the natural result of human
nature? and would it rot hafe been more prudent
for these two or three characters to have kept away
a little longer, than to endanger the peace of the
city ? for although their country had pardoned them,
fill the minds of individuals were too soured, at the
moment, to forget, although they may have for
given—lt one or two mechanics had (as is ah'erted)
petitioned the Bfitifh Commandant, not to fuffer our
patriotic mechanics ' to follow their occupations, Ex
cept they would take protection; they certainly were
the cause of every evil which a rtfufil of prme&ion
could have brought upon them: but it do s not
appear clear, that the present r. -fentment of the
people is against your friend the principalin this
petition. No, fir, it is against bis tools; the prin
cipal hugs bimfell, at feeing the people on a wrong
jeen.t Butwhilll on this topic, let us dive into the
canfes of those disquiets, in doing which, it is pro
bable, you may appear to have had more than a
fingerin the @, If the intelligence which f received
[Vol. XLIIIJ
THE
GAZETTE
b^THE
STATE OF SOUTH-CAROLINA.
CHARLESTON: Printed for A. TIM' THY, No. 100, Meeting-Areet.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER "to
from Several gentlemen that attended, the fackfon
bdrough assembly be right, (for I had not the oppor
tunity of hearing you assent or dissent to the con
hfcation all,) you was not a little busy in fixing a.
late deceased worthy gentleman on the proscription
lift; and why? Because he was one of the many
toat tester liked your reliefs, implacable, and viru
lent conduct and temper; and because his fellow
citizens, many years ago, on an, election for this
city,, honored this good and amiable man witli
about twenty botes more than your little Majesty; all '
which cauied your, dislike; nor would you serve
until a deputation from the citizens had called upon
you to comply with their voice; not so much
that they could have conceived your services to be
neceflary, but purely to aid in reconciling two
citizens. Now, fir, what was the error (if We
may so tall it) of this worthy man,—-d tian whole
virtues you cart never approach I' l he bare acceptance
of f?oteflion. And for that you, fir, Was the man
who so industriously aided in laving on him a
jligma which you never can atbne for; and as if the
crime of ingratitudeto many years intimacy, friend
fhip, and effen^al services rendered you, was not
fufficient, you must still blacken it the more, b.y
adding hypocrisy thereto, in adopting that art you
so amply poflejs, by insinuating it was another very
worthy gentleman (who you assert, had flaked his
own credit and fortune to a very large amount,in the
buhnefs committed to my care) that was the cause
of his having been put on this odious lift of
culprits; and so industrious was you in this, that,
until very lately, 4 a near relative of his'(now
officially absent) really believed it to be that very
gentleman, who, beyond doubt, has had merit,
and very great merit too, in nixing so large a part
of his capital, in joining me in his security for the
frate, at a time when our affairs bore a very gloomy
afpeQ, and when no oilier of the United States
Could borrow money in Europe. And pray what
were your motives to fecend (as I am told you did)
the motion for putting others on the lift? Was it
because (as . you fay) you think that men high in
o ^ff.Si°uld f,rft be made examples of? but as I once
officially to,ld you, be general in your remarks,
and look up to every one who,held equal, if not
Superior rank among your own friends and relatives.;
an A f their errors be similar, let the punishment
be so.—But shall I tell you the true, motive? their
greatest crime against their country was, by offend
'n ° y° ur ^^Majefo, by their intimacy with, and
a merited refpe& for a gentleman very high in
office, .whom you ,lfo tool; upon you to dfeuft
many yeats ago; ,and because you conceived that
they paid more attention to that gentleman than to
you, and would not offer up incense at the shrine
of your affirmed cbtfquence.
A further proof of your rancour and partiality,
is to be found in General William Son's case: for, not
withstanding tHOair trial, which, as you lay, lie
bad, and notwithstanding that nothing was proved
equal so the charges exhibited against him, yet, you
^ lL ' persecuted him, and would have joined in any
punishment ; but, alas, with what confiflency and
adroitness? you instantaneously wore jkip, and flood
on ffie other tack, when you perceived yq ur
friends were in danger; and when you found seve
ral members to have infilled, that the justice and
4 honor of theHoufe called loudly for fSnilar fr^fr
rierrts to fin ilarcrimes; and whilst it did not appear
that General Williamson had done more injury to
his country than others, they would net silently fit
and fee him facrificed to the frenzy and malice of an
< individual enemy. Yes, fir, you was the man that
. proposed to facrifice that very General Williamson,
only because he was high in rank; but, (as before
observed,) you took the alarm at the reply, fhud
rdefect for yourfaulty friends, and feared out with
your usual vehemence, you has Satisfied,--you was
fatisfed, —let the matter drop. And whilst on this
. gentleman's case, let me tell you, fir, that on his
, trial, it appeared he bad fought ouf battles with
fucceis; he had fought in reality, and not by Gold
-mg; he never spared his person nor his property;
he peffefTed that influence which merit and courage
will always procure; nor was it proved that he
ever aCled against us, but that after the fall of this
city, when furfounded, when he had but two of
three hundred men left, he surrendered his corps
and himfelf as prifoven of war, and quietly waited
for events, to agairf fefve his country, which he
did by timely advices, atid by the Jupplies of medi
cine, then much wanted; nor did he, like unto
your relations, a& with violence, as a protection
examiner, under the cruel British Board of Police;
and I am bold to assert, that until the fall of this
capital in May 1780, he (General Williamfonjwas,
at lead, of as much service to this state as you ever
was, or ever will be; and that his errors had never
prejudiced the peace of this community, as much
as your late ones. }"
" no '' l , diiking infiance of your inconfifency
and partiality, was, when a gentleman (by me
always revered) was about to be put on the con
fifeation lift, (for reasons I am a flranger to) what
Was your conduct? If , 0u p ut that old gentleman,
who is my solid fR IB Rd, (fay you) on the lift, I
^ll afuredly move that your old and your young
Broad-street friends be put on the lift also. 0
^r/% chinpromife! % O rare see-saw patriotism;
how conspicuous artlhou not in this case ' How
inimitable and unrivalled in that felfifh a&? Scratch
me and I will claw you: your country will receive
this, it is hoped, as another proof of your upright
conduit.in the legislature.' 6
l et, whilst all this was in agitation, what pains
did you not take to fkreen your active relative,
more aflive in qualifying and disqualifying (for
protection) than ever he was at aught else, before
or after; and one whole name flands the fifth, in
the following addiefs:.
To lieutenant Colonel Nefbit Balfour, of his MajefoG
23d Regiment, for Royal Wcl/h Fufileers) Com
mandant of Charleftown, &c. &c. Gc.
The Memorial of sundry Loyal inhabitants of
Chailes-Town, on behalf of themselves and
others,.
Humbly sheweth,•
1 hat they aruehtly v?\{h properly to diflinguifli
" themselves from the difeontented and rebellious
"fathon here, and to give a permanent proof of
" their loyalty to the best of Princes, and attach
'• rnentto the most mild and free government in the
• worid; as well as of their detestation and. abhor-.
“ rence of the mod cruel and unnatural rebellion
" that ever disgraced the historic page; after the
“ laudable example of their truly brave, loyal and
“ virtuous brethren of New-York., .The memori
aliffs, on behalf as aforefaid, therefore crave
“ your patronage and pepniffion to embody, arm,
" and uniform themselves, in a Volunteer company,
" and to be corhmaiidcd by, such officers as they
“ shall choofe' ftomamoyg themselves, for the defence
“ of his Majeftfs.gobernment, and this capital : and
“ your memorialifts (relying on your known incli
« nation to promote his Majesty's service, and
" encourage the Loyal inhabitants in this province,)
“ MOST earneflly pray, that leave may be
''granted them so to embody, .arm, and dfei
“ feline themfelves,for, the purposes aforefaid
" and that you will be pleased to appoint
“ proper persons to jnfpe& and regulate the
" embodying and arming your memorialifis and
“ others as aforefaid.
“ And your memorialifis will ever pray, &c."
Charla-Town, 13th August, 1780.
We hear, that in consequence of the foregoing
loyal and spirited petition, " the incorporating and
regulation of the militia of this capital, will be an
obje& of the Commandant's immediate attention."
, As you are a curious character, I must leave no
opening for doubt, and therefore tell you, that the
original of the above, as well as an afomed lift of
the subscribers to the horse, to be railed by some of
the former citizens of this state, are at hand, to
gether with sundry other authentic papers,)and
pariitularly addresses, as a D.oomSday record for the
pen of some future historian. , On the face, of the
foregoing address, you will not be able so find the
name of any one,of the before mentioned gentler
men; an address which, by its bad example, had
more pernicious effells to this country, than half
of Cornwallis's army, as you, may fee by the
memorandum of the hritifh, at the foof of it: for if
the Town Militia had been incorporated, (as your
Tory relative prayed for) is it not obvious that it
was not necessary to keep many Regulars, whilst
there Were to be found Traitors that would do town
duty, and garfifon it; and that thereby many
Regulars were at liberty to be added to the force,
which was , intended by Cornwallis and Tarleton,
to make incursions into the country ? Although
those two charges were too notorious to have been
denied; and although no charge of the kind was
made on the other gentlemen, yet you laboured to
fkreenyour friend and relatives, while you drained'
[No. 2227.]