The Gazette of the state of South-Carolina — Charles-town [S.C.], 1784-07-17 00:00:00, page 3

thought, t, AC Bare hire of fths of a single fri
gate, jo ,f 'd as ike was, could be an object of
any moment to this ftatc; besides many other
cirumftances and curious observations, that will
naturally arise from the very articles of the wretch
ed bargain itfelf, where the interest of the state
seems, almost throughout, to have given way to a
difpoliticn to douceur and oblige. I fay, when all
these things come to be fully known, it will make
the citizens of this state, I am persuaded, flare;
and not a little wonder, how the accounts relative
to her, Should pals the assembly so readily, cfpeci
ally too, when, added to what has been just now
mentioned, the Commander of her had been fa
frequently, so freely, and so publicly talked of;
his unexpected return too, with several officers of
great importance, to the ship, just immediately before
ihe put to lea, must, with vihat followed, appear not a
little mysterious. In consequence of this manoeuvre
by the bye, a very worthy man, long known and
esteemed among us, whether he was pitched upon
to be the Scape Goat or not, cannot be proved, but
that he became so by it, is not now, I believe,
much doubted. It is impoflible for any officer, so
circumjlanced as this gentleman was, to have met
with more candour, more generosity and more dil
patch, in such complicated public matters as his
accounts related to, especially when many of the
members of this very house (which he tells us,
" he knows the generality of the citizens despise
the generality of the members,") well knew, that so
far from being obliged to purchase or hire such a
fliip, so situated, his orders must have been put to
the capstan, and Wretched every fraud to the ut
most, to draw out the interpretation he gave them.
However, as we were all happy in meeting one
another, in the frf assembly after the evacuation,
and unwilling to make any man otherwise, whom
we did not rifted was an enemy to our cause: as
it was not impoflible he might have conceived his in
ftru&ions in that light, and above all, as the
honor of the country was at flake, viewing the
matter as relative to foreigners, to have it speedily
fettled— This weighed much with many of the
very gentlemen, (so Be-Nabob'd by him, or under
his auipices) to throw no impediment in the way of
its quick and favourable settlement. These, 'tis
well known to many of my friends, were my pri
vate sentiments, and induced me to endeavour, as
much as any gentleman in the house, to bring this
Tnoft disagreeable affairto a close as soon as possible.
Tad the house been disposed to have attended to un
favourable reports, with regard to his honor's con
duff in this business, from firft to last, when^fc
table names might have been mentioned, what a
field for suggestion would have been opened, of a
different cast from those blind hints, daik surmises,
fly insinuations, with which this writer has filled his
dirty performance, in order, if possible, to blah, or
at leaf, tarnish the honor and reputation of some as
good and firm friends to this country, as any it has.
This ungrateful man experienced nothing bit mo
deration, kindness and every degree of tender
ness and delicacy from the assembly himfelf, from
that very assembly which he treats with such con
tempt. What kind of bowels too mud he have, so
directly after to use or cause to be used many of his
fellow-citizens in the cruel manner he has? Doesit
pot exactly referable the conduct of the servant, who,
after having been forgiven ten thousand talents by
his compassionate Lord, immediately on leaving his
piefence, took by the throat and call into prison lys
fellow servant, who owed him only an hundred
fence? Again, what danger has this assuming great
man ever shar e d with us ? I believe not a single one.
Was he here in 1776, at General Clinton's and
Sir Peter Parker's attack? Why was he not ? He
was in America, and that attack 'tis well known was
mofudden affair.—Several more very curious ques
tions of this fort, and from as early periods as our
Liberty-tree transitions might be asked —As to his
appointment, very few in the state or indeed upon
the continent in several refpe&s could be more de-
Jirable. M hat uncommon opportunities had he as a
knowing merchant, the years he was in Europe in an
honorable public character from this llate, to know
and fee long before the gentleman in.trade here could,
how our affairs were likely to turn out, and govern
himfelf accordingly > What openings had he to
fettle plans, form correspondences, &c. before he got
the frigate out to sea. Were we half as dextrous at
insinuations as he has (hewn himfelf, might it not
be laid, supported by muchfronger appearances than
any he has suggested, that this engagement for only
three-fourths of a hired frigate, ftwated as die was ;
so difficult to be got to sea; the time when it was
done ; with many other odd miflerious concomitant
circumdances were all mere manoeuvring contrivances
to create delays to flay in Europe as long as witli
any tolerable grace his hmor could, for other pur
poses than the interest of our state required ? And
when he got to sea at last, the leak then having
visibly turned in favour of America, and was almost
daily turning more and more, were not his expec
tations sanguine with regard to prize money ? And
did he not adually take several very valuable ones
without the lead danger, or more trouble th^n per
fops firing a single gun to bring them to'? Though
this we have heard him publicly call his hard earned
prize money! What officer here had any chance
like this of hard or foft earned prize money, or in
deed rz/zy chance at all but that of continual fatigues,
diftrefies and dangers, without any particular prof
,ccl but tnat of his pay, still not got? Has any
officer in this state like this gentleman been able (if
wehned) to be continually buying up conffcated
estates by the dozen as it were? Would not this
open another large field for many strange questions?
but " I really am afhanied to infelt the public un
derflanding by a recapitulation cf the male-practices,"
that this very man by his .own method of accusation,
with far less circuraftantidi appearances, has with
so much effrontery in this paper insinuated with re
gard to others, and therefore not unjustly to be
fu/pe^ed of dabbling not very cleanlily himfelf. To
retuin, at the very last of this wai the enemy were
not near so rigid and severe to their naval prisoners
of any rank as they were in the beginning ; so that,
had his honor been taken he would not in all proba
bility have experienced any thing like the distresses
numbers did at theftf of the druggie. But this
lucky gentleman was not taken at all, so could not
have re t any ill usage from the enemy to irritate
him, and on his return, has he not received every
indulgence from the state he could pofoly exp-fl ?
What kind of disposition then mull this man have,
so wantonly to occasion such ddtreffes and severe
animadversions on the conduct of others, which he
can have, but from mere tinctured heatfay ? I hope
the tender will excuse my so long attention to this
point, and pardon the manner I have treated it in ;
it was to (hew that his honor ought to have been
one of the last men in the Hate, on numberlfs ac
counts, to take such extraordinary ans upon him,
and to make so very free with others by wholcfale.
We ate tell that " the commander of the
Carolina" was 6 on his own 'credit obliged to
purchase and fit cut the ship, a s foreigners had
not so favourable thoughts of our Nabobs, as
they h*d of themselves, so would not trull
them." f have already (hewn he was not oblig
ed to purchase, and cf confluence net to fit cut
the thip ; that he did it “ on his own credit" (if
ary part was done so) might be owing very probably
to the cautious foreigner on feeing his credentials,
mifhuftirg, and with reason, that the state might
throw the matter on his henor for fetching his or
ders so unaccountably. But it is well known, his
honor was bent on the hire of this ship at any rate,
and as our attorney, being of course obliged to
fgn the articles of agreement, this matter might not
be unwillingly pressed upon him, to have an oppor
tunity to figure away here as prettily as with the
laughable faaggering ribband in Europe : with what
grace codd his honor have refufed bring accountable ?
Would any gentleman in the state with the like
cemmiffien as his honor have refufed io to be, if
desired ? What extraordinary rifle did he run ? Was
he not <n 3 fme scheme, with a sanguine profpea of
prz s, of which he would have a large (hare as com
n,ander and besides the public fourth part in his own
h nds asacount< rSecurity to indemnify himfelfwithal?
3 he words " on his own credit" are so general, that
they seem intended to puff him, throughout the date,
as a mig/ity great man; a^ if he had “ purchased"
the whole of the frigate, and paid for her every far
thing himfelf; but how can that be ' Though we
were unlucky in ^rt of our indigo sent to Europe,
yet some did arrive at his disposal. Besides we
know a gentleman, who had not the least profped
of advantage in any (hape, only as a native of the
state then in Europe, did flake his own credit and
fortune to a very large amount in this matter, al
so happy in an opportunity to tfft the state,
and that too without parade or noise, and we well
know he had a fortune to stake. Add to this, could
not the late gallant young colonel Laurens have told
wj; and would he not have told us, amongst se
veral 0 her things, that he had affixed, very conji
derably too, in fitting out this frigate ? How was it
possible then, that it could be done " on his own
credit ?" in the general unlimited manner loafed of?
But after all, does not the nth article of the agree
ment itfelf fay, that " Sieur G , hath pledged
the public faith of the state, and has engaged and
mortgaged generally all its property, dominions, pos
sessions and revenues, as well as his own, both pre
fect and future in fo'ido," for the compliance of
this bargain ? If all the estates in this country were
to be mortgaged, mud not his own be so too?
therefore what occasion was there for the unnecessary
mention of it at all ? it mull have been inserted either
for form's fake as our attorney, or more probably
for an occafonal puff. But we are told that the
REASON why this great man " was obliged to
purchase and fit out the ship on his own credit" was
“ foreigners had not so favourable thoughts of our
Nabobs as they have of themselves, so would not
trull them." Ihe mod candid reader, I believe,
must be at a loss to apply the word “ NABOBS"
to any persons short cf the whole state. For
was it less than the whole state, by their repre
sentatives that set the business of purchasing the
three frigates (of which the hired Carolina was an
unnatural, forced, feccour, they never dreamed of)
ageing? Had any private peifons, Nabobs or not
Nabobs, any thing to do with it? Is it not then
clearly the whole date, and nothing-less, that can be
sneered at by the word '' Nabobs?" We often
deserve not a few rubs, I confels, on our great
credulity and impetuosity at times. But this our
Dupe-Maftcr General's faering exultation over us
is rather too much: however I hope it will have this
good effect, to make assemblies abundantly more cir
cumfpe& in future, and not fuffer themselves to be
so irdtantaneoufly ballooned into expensive romantic
proje&s as they have been, by artful, specious job
feckers, who generally choose to give us the pre
ference of their ingenious experiments.
How the bridge, that joined Sullivan's illand
with the main, came to be lugged in here, without
rhyme or rcafon, I cannot conceive. What like?
nefs between that and the frigate, excepting a little
merely in their exit, by the British? But the " suc
cess" of the frigate, as I laid just now, \va.sfcarce
thought of by me; the wretchedness of the bargain
in idelf the revefonary legacy, the new tiring in
troduced amongfh us, and the worse than Pandora's
box, in conference of that new thing, were the
matters I dwelt upon, relative to the frigate. Now,
in the name of wonder, what reverfonary legacy
is to be expected? What new thing is to be
dreaded? what Pandora's box? what mob efta
blifkment does, or can a .single man in the state
apprehendfrom, or aboutthe bridge? The univerfa!
anxiety, and wishes for such a bridge, and the
opinion of Gen. Lee, that the fort on Sullivan's
island might be cached a slaughter-house without it,
would have been as well known to this prudent bird
of passage, this exquifte difeerner of the times, as
it was to numbers of others, had he been here at
the time; and why he was not, has been already
asked? The bridge is left to others to judge, " what
more use, or less expence than the Carolina frigate,
it was of," —I only beg leave to observe, that the
undertaker of that bridge, made no bargain at all
about it, so could not make a wretched one. He
only acquainted the Governor and General Lee,
as was his duty as an officer, in an important mat
ter that seemed to be much wanted, and he thought
himfelf competent to, that if he had a fufficient
number cf hands and materials found him, he was
persuaded he could build such a bridge as was
wished for; his offer was readily and chearfully
accepted; hands and materials were accordingly
found him, and the bridge was built, as he thought,
to general fatisfa&ion, for which he never charged
the public a copper, or would accept of any gratu
ity whatever, for his attention and direction of that
business; neither did he finger, or would finger one
farthing, direflly or indirectly, paid for it, more
than for the wages of some negroes of his own
that were employed about it, at the common rates
allowed to every body else. However, the public
know the utmost of the expence of the bridge,
and 'tis done with entirely, and nothing farther
apprehended. It was certainly of some service at
the time, in giving employ to numbers, and the
money it cost, was all (pent amongst ourselves.
Has that been the case, or any thing like the case,
with regard to the frigate? On the contrary, where
is the Apollo that can tell us when we shall fee the
end of the frigate business, and the embarrassments
attending it, all owing to a manifeft stretch of
power in our sweet bargain-maker^ I am obliged
to the gentleman for indulging me with an expla*
nation, why "a party, a national affair" was made,
with regard to the title of hisfavorite society; But
I must beg pardon for fill thinking, that whatever
orders the" Court of London," or any other
Court, may make with regard to the '• carrying'"
or any other.'• trade' that in short, every thing
national should be left to our legislature and
them only.
The interference of clubs and private societies
in such matters, instead of being of any public
use, only serves, if attended to, to embarrass the
assembly, and split the members into parties. If
one club meddles, may not another, and a third,
and so on, with equal right and propriety? It is
not impoflible too, they may differ from each
other in many material points; what is to ba
done then ? Which club to be followed?
If any society “ with to express their sense" ora
any public matter of moment if it was drawn up
in a sensible refpeElful address, well supported with
proper arguments, and presented to the legislature
when fitting, so highly conftitu ional and ufeful a
Hep might not seldom be of great service, as I
have frequently known such addresses much wished
for by the members of the house on different points,
especially when, as they often do, come suddenly
before them; this would greatly tend to harmonize
and improve public confidence within and without
doors, and be the bed means to prevent mifunder
(landings and jealousies, and bring about many de
sirable points of the greatest confluence that are
much wished for. One was carried in the present
house by the most decisive majority, that I know,
for thirty years past, was in vain attempted in every
assembly, 1 mean the ad valorem tax: this is a
manifeft public testimony, that a generous spirit now
prevails, not wishing to take advantages of eacli
other, but only desiring that every citizen may bear
his part of the public burden, according to his
strength, more or less, and no further.
Our method of balloting at elections is, not only
the most peaceable, but in every refpeft the molt
fafe and eligible; I with our Mob-favourers are not
manoevuring to overfet it; for where is the differ
ence to the public of my landing up, (and at the rifle
of a breken head) openly naming whom I vote for,
or fuffer ing any election-jobber or jobbing-society what
ever, to thrift a vote into my hand, and then to ma
nage me so as to before I put that vote into the box ?
All things of this fort, we ought to be extremely
jealous of, such indirect doings can never be founded
on true republican principles and real public good,
but must be built on what are as opposite thereto as
light is to darkness. Let us then with all possible
diligence and watchfulnefs, jhake off that epidemical
laziness and negleft we are too remarkable for,
refpeding our elections, ading as if we thought it a
matter of indifference whether we voted or not. To
cur remissness in this momentous matter, numbers of
the evils we have endured are to be charged. At