The Massachusetts spy (Boston [Mass.]), 1771-01-10 00:00:00

The Massachusetts Spy.
VOL. I.]
From MONDAY, January 7, to THURSDAY, January 10, 1771.
[N o . 59.
From the GEORGIA GAZETTE, November 1770.
To the PRINTER.
THE consideration of public calamities is never out of season, and if properly attended to, as they ought to be, they will afford matter of great improvement to the mind that views them as happening by the permission of an unerring divine Providence; and as the loss of eminent and publick spirited persons, who have signally distinguished themselves by serving their country in a free, disinterested and generous manner, is none of the least, so it deserveth a particular regard. In this light I look upon the very much lamented death of the late Reverend George Whitefield, especially in respect to Georgia, for which he has demonstrated, by every means in his power, a most uncommonly warm, affectionate and unabating regard for near thirty-three years past; I say, by every means in his power, because it is well known that until within a few years past, he has been constantly loaded with a heavy debt to support and carry on his benevolent institution the Orphan House , which he frequently severely that had not that God, whom he faithfully served, supported him, he must have sunk under the burden; notwithstanding he was at the same time maligned, traduced and persecuted, with unrelenting virulence, as a cheat, an impostour, and publick robber, who, under the specious pretence of promoting a charitable design, was amassing great wealth to himself; all which he bore with an uncommon degree of patience, and never to my knowledge, said more at these unmerited reproaches than that the great day would shew his accusers their mistake. When he was the stated Minister of this parish, which was before the Orphan-House was settled, his liberal heart devised liberal things and the then inhabitants of Savannah, of the villages of Highgate and Hampstead, and of the other adjacent places, the Saltsburghers of Ebenezer, the inhabitants of Datien and Frederica, who were at that time not inconsiderable in number, all partook of his unbounded bounty to a very large amount, although he then almost denied himself the necessaries of life, with which I was intimately acquainted. In short, it was his whole study, in imitation of his real Master , to do good to the bodies as well as to the souls of all about him. He constantly performed divine service publickly very early every morning, and at the close of the day every evening throughout the year, that he might not interrupt the new colonists in their labour in the day time, when he always expounded part of the first or second lesson. Every Sunday he administered the holy communion, and had publick service four times, and his congregations were very numerous, in comparison of the number of people in his parish, for
though there were many dissenters there were few absenters; besides, he made it his daily practice to visit in rotation from house to house, without any regard to religious denominations or party distinctions , which he often told me he thought a very important and indispensable part of a Minister's duty, as by that means he had an opportunity of frequently dropping a word in season, as well as of being better acquainted with the spiritual and temporal circumstances of his parishioners, and thereby, as far as in his power of assisting them in both. Thus he acted as a parish Minister, considering himself as the Steward of God, and accountable for every moment of time, which he had solemnly dedicated to his service; and it is no wonder, when, by a series of divine providences, his sphere of actions became more enlarged and unconfined, that his zeal and activity were proportioned. These facts of which there are some now living besides myself, who can witness to the truth of them, I think it my honour and indispensable duty to communicate to the publick memory of my very dear deceased friend, in which I cannot suppose I can give any offence. This great, this good man, is now out of the reach of the malignant breath of envy and detraction, and infinitely happy in the approbation and enjoyment of his God and Saviour. Having had singular opportunities of being intimately acquainted with the worthy deceased, I could with great truth say much more, but I purposely confine my observations to his conduct in Georgia, where his memory appears to be deeply engraven on the hearts of its grateful inhabitants. The very honorable, and truly respectful notice the legislature have publickly shewn to it, by causing the parish church in this town to be so decently and handsomely hung in mourning, and their attending as a body last Sunday on divine service, strongly mark their real concern for the loss of the deceased, in which, I believe, they were very sincerely and heartily joined by the very numerous congregation present. The Rector, the reverend Samuel Frink, gave a very suitable discourse in the morning, from the 23d and 24th verses of the 1st chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians, and the reverend Edward Ellington gave another in the afternoon, from the 26th verse of the 11th to the Hebrews, and both of them affectionately remarked the many amiable qualifications of the deceased as a Christian, a Divine, and a Gentleman, and especially his liberality to this province, as likewise did the reverend Mr. Zubly, in his Meeting which was in mourning, from the 3d verse of the 12th of Daniel, for which these Gentlemen respectively deserve thanks. I am told the Legislature have it in intention to be at the expence of sending to New-England for the remains of the deceased, to be deposited in the new and very neat

chapel at his beloved Orphan-House Academy, which is not only a further proof of their regard, but appears to be a measure of great propriety, as he always looked upon that place to be his proper home, and, it is well known, pointed out the spot where he desired to be interred if he died in America. The Orphan House Academy, I hope, will continue to be prosecuted agreeable to the design and plan of the generous deceased founder, notwithstanding it has lost in him its principal visible supporter and friend. God is not bound to instruments and means to effect his purposes, and as I believe he laid the foundation, I am not afraid of his finishing the superstructure, and of his bringing forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
An old and real Friend to the deceased and to Georgia.
PORTTRAIT of a PERFECT MISER.
THE miser does not consider himself such as he is; if he did, he would rather conceive horror against, than be ashamed of himself: He considers himself a man of excellent forecast, as an œconomist whose thoughts stretch deep into futurity. When we read the Miser of Plautus, and that of Moliere, we are tempted to believe that the distinguishing characteristics of the miser are exhausted. But the following is, perhaps, not less true nor less energetic, than those represented by those great masters.
An original of this species having heard of a famous physician at Paris, whose parsimony was carried to excess, had the curiosity of paying him a visit. He was a faithful disciple who burned with desire to be taught lessons by a renowned master. Having previously apprised him of his coming by a message, he found him about eight o'clock in the evening, in winter, in a smokey room, with a small lamp that scarce gave any light.
He said to him at entering, 'I am credibly informed Sir, that you are the greatest œconomist in the world. I am somewhat of the œconomist myself; but would be glad to be better versed in the art; and it would be an infinite pleasure to me, if you were to befriend me so far as to give me a few lessons of œconomy.' "Is this all you come for?" replied rudely the covetous Doctor, who imagined he was to have a patient consulting him on his bad state of health: "If it be all, sit down there," pointing to an old crazy chair; and with these words he blew out his lamp, telling him: "We have no manner of occasion to see, in order to speak; and, in the dark, our thoughts will admit of fewer distractions." 'Hah! dear Sir!' cried the humble disciple 'this lesson of œconomy is quite enough for me; I plainly see, that I shall never be otherwise than a scholar under the tuition of so great a Master; but I protest to you, that I will profit by what I have seen.' So saying, he withdrew, groping his ways down stairs.
NEW-YORK, January 3, 1771.
ON Monday evening, the last day of the year, the following dreadful and very surprising accident, happened at a house in Division Street, in this city, one Hannah Bradshaw, (who on account of her large size, robust appearance, and bold behaviour, was
commonly known by the name of Man of War Nance, said to be about thirty years of age, has lived a dozen years or more in this city, was a healthy likely looking woman, remarkably industrious and neat in her person and manner of living; but bore a bad character with respect to chastity and sobriety) living in an upper room, which had no communication with the rooms below, occupied by a family; on the evening of the 31st of December, she desired a young woman, who worked for her, and was going home, to come again early the next morning, and about seven o'clock the same evening, another acquaintance of hers parted from her, at which time she seemed to have drank a little too freely. No person lived with her. She was neither heard nor seen again till the next day, when the young woman came to work, who, after knocking and calling, and having waited till past eleven o'clock, with the assistance of the man who lived below, she got through a back window into the room, and opened the door, when looking within a screen, which went quite across the room, and was fitted to reach to the ceiling, she beheld the remains of the unhappy Hannah Bradshaw, the most shocking spectacle imaginable. The body or rather the bones were lying near the middle of the floor, wherein a hole of about four feet diameter was burnt quite away, and the bones lying on the ground, which was about a foot beneath that part of the floor; the flesh was entirely burnt off the bones of the whole body and limbs, except a small part on the skull, a little on one of the shoulders, the lower part of the right leg and foot, which was burnt off at the small, almost as even as if cut off, and left lying on the floor; the stocking burnt as far as the leg and no farther: The bones, some of which were black and others white, like a pipe stem, were so thoroughly burnt that they might be crumbled to dust between the finger; the bowels remained unconsumed. One of the sleepers which lay under the shoulders was burnt almost through: Part of the head lay on the blankets at the hole, and near it a candlestick with part of a candle in it, thrown down, but did not appear to have touched the body, or to have set any thing on fire. The tallow was melted off the wick, which was not scorched by the fire, as also the screen which almost touched the hole. The leg of a rush bottomed chair, and about half the bottom were burnt, so far as they were within the compass of the hole in the floor and no further. The ceiling of the room, which was white washed plaster, was as black as if covered with lampblack, as also part of the walls and windows, and the heat had been so great as to extract the wainscot: after all these operations the fire went entirely out, so that when the body was found, not a spark remained. It is extremely surprising that with such an intense degree of heat as was necessary so entirely to consume the floor, &c. with the body and to calcine the bones, the fire should have stopped of itself without burning the house, or even scorching the screen, which is hardly conceivable, if the Fire had blazed, and if it did not, it is equally inconceivable, that the heat should have been so intense. As there was a chimney in the room, and a cellar under part of the floor, with which the fire opened a communication, it could not have stopped for want of air.

For the MASSACHUSETTS SPY.
Mr. THOMAS,
BY giving the following bard a place in your next, you will oblige your humble servant, The TRIFLER.
A C A R D.
To PHILANTHROP.
THE Trifler presents his compliments to Philanthrop, and advises him to rest satisfied with his 600l. sterling per annum, and no longer prostitute his pen to-----
“Earn dirty bread by washing Æthiop’s fair, Removing filth, or sinking it from sight, (Or be) a scavenger in scenes , where vacant posts, Like gibbets yet untenanted, expect
Their future ornaments ;----
As all the lucrative PLACES in the New plan of American Government, are disposed of, and he can lay no claim to those of Honour . January 7th, 1771.
For the MASSACHUSETTS SPY.
Mr. THOMAS,
IF ever the proverb, That desperate diseases require desperate remedies, deserved attention, it most evidently does at this juncture. So open and warm a winter has unaccountably relaxed the solids, and thus proportionably slackened the motion of the fluids ; by which means the inward heat is much abated, the principles of the gall poorly, and sparingly furnished, and this important fluid retained in the liver, till the bowels, wanting its resolvent and detergent operation, get coated over with slime, so as to suffer very little to pass, either in or out of them. This slime is well known to be a proper receptacle for indefinite quantities of air, which, while the body continues cool, lies quiet enough ; but being by any means heated, expands, and forces the stomach and intestines into most violent convulsions. When this scene begins no moment is to be lost, as delays are here if not totally irretrievable, at least so detrimental that a wise physician will ever lament his complaisance to the fond mother, and safe doctor, who expect to relieve the patient, with caraway seed and crabs eyes.
I was once called to a child in this town, who had for fifteen days purged with rhubarb, and crabs eyes added to it, and in all this time the belly continued swelling up, and the nurses wondered how it could possibly happen that so much purging, which passed the bowels freely, should fail to rid them of their contents. The patient manifestly losing strength, I was called, and with smart cathartics brought away loads of putrid matter, which relieved, and for a time encouraged the parents to hope a cure ; but great quantities of the rotten saburrâ having soaked through the intestines into the circulating mass, it continued languid, had a prodigious eruption over the whole surface of the body, and gradually declined till death.
On the contrary, every child which fell under my care before nature was over much exhausted, and was purged thoroughly, and so frequently as to expel the slime and jelly from the first passages, and the acrid bile from the
liver, before the former grew over turgid, and the latter over putrid, very speedily recovered.
The present cool spell of weather, gives a fair opportunity to evacuate the glasiy matter from such persons as may abound with it ; it may be easily got off while the air remains fixed, which it will while the slime continues cool ; but heated, either by warm weather, or a fever, readily raised by the putrid bile, it will expand and produce such symptoms as will give concern enough to all parties engaged for the tortured sufferer.
Boston, January 8th, 1771.
T. YOUNG.
To the ENGLISH NATION.
HOW unsafe are the wicked :---How vain their hopes of happiness ;---and how hypocritical their prayers !---This I take to be very much our present state.---As we have a rumour of war, how fit is it that we reform without a moment’s delay, or as quick as possible, and that we always indeed keep ourselves from every evil thing. No reformation , no salvation , but an aggravated damnation---because we are Gospel Hypocrites. The Scribes and Pharisees were only Jewish Hypocrites. Pray let us reform such open public sins as these :
I. At the east end of our churches, wrote in letters of gold, we have these words, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy : Nevertheless, some of our King’s military servants frequently and needlessly, it seems, play his cannon on the Sabbath day. Early in the morning they will fire fifty or an hundred guns, then go to church, and repeat the Ten Commandments with a great deal of seeming devotion ; and at noon take the sacrament of the Lord’s supper ; by which act they promise on their bended knees to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Besides, is it not great imprudence to waste military stores, necessary in war, especially as the nation is ready to sink with the weight of its public debt.
II. In my understanding, not only the fourth commandment has been violated in a heaven-daring manner, but the eighth also, in making a monstrous national debt aggravated exceedingly, as greater sums have been expended in the time in pride and luxury ; sins as contrary to the Gospel as darkness is to light. If our place-men and rich men are wise, they will cheerfully and speedily turn all their incomes, except for necessaries, into the public treasury, till such time as the enormous, dangerous, groundless, vexatious, scandalous debt is discharged. Something extraordinary must be done ; men of abilities must deny themselves and take their cross ! But why should I call it a cross, for a man to lay aside all needless expences for his body, the worms meat, and to part with only his incomes a few years till his debts are paid.
III. We oppress our fellow-creatures, American Gentiles enslave African Gentiles, so often as we get them in our power, not suffering them to enjoy either liberty or property. In the first place, we steal their children, or receive them of those that do, from hard to hand ; and frequently kill the parents to come at the children !-----Is this christianity ? Is oppression, fraud,

violence, theft, and murder, parts of it ? If our mariners when they go on shore should only steal their sheep or cattle, it would be full bad enough. Custom is a mighty tyrant.---When people are habituated to a vice, so that it becomes fashionable, it is almost as hard to convince them of their error, as it is to change the skin of an Ethiopæan. From a Fellow Probationer.
TIMOTHY PICKERING.
Salem, New-England, December 20th, 1770.
EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE
LONDON, November 3.
A LETTER from Constantinople says, That the Grand Seignor has at last taken the field in person, sets out with the stile of The Master of the World. He is the only Turkish Emperor who has headed his own armies since the time of Solyman the Magnificent.
Yesterday a man was brought before Mr. Alderman Sawbridge, by virtue of the press-warrants ; when the Alderman, without the least hesitation, discharged him at the same time declaring that the execution of such warrants in the city were illegal.
A report is spread here, that two corps of the Russian army, after having passed the Danube, and environed the camp of the Grand Vizir, had made prisoners that chief of the Ottoman army, and were in possession of the standard of Mahomet.
During the late war, a Lieutenant of a press-gang imprudently laid hold of an officer belonging to the Lord Mayor of the City ; upon which action was commenced against him, and he was sentenced to stand in the pillory, to pay a fine of 500l. and to be imprisoned for the space of seven years.
The plague by accounts from Warsaw is said to increase rather than diminish in Poland ; and the inhabitants of Warsaw are continually alarmed by the attempts of the Confederates to set fire to that metropolis.
It is assured the Spaniards have now at the Havanna and Hispaniola eighteen ships of the line, ready manned and equipped for sea besides a number of land forces.
The High Lands in Falkland's Island, from their vicinity to the rich mountains of Chili, are thought to contain some of that precious metal with which all the world is enamoured, which is supposed to be the reason why the Spaniards are so unwilling to suffer any other power to settle there.
To the Printer. I HAVE sent you the following recipe, which I accidentally met with in an old manuscript book, where it is called "A most excellent medicine against the plague ;" and at the bottom is this note, "Keep this as your life, above all worldly treasure ;"
in time of plague (under God) trust to this, for there was never man, woman, or child that it deceived." At this time when the plague rages in distant parts, and perhaps may soon make nearer approaches to us, I thought it my duty to make it as public as I could, therefore hope you will insert it in your paper. I am, Sir, your humble servant,
A Friend to Mankind.
RECIPE TAKE three pints of muscadine wine boil in it a handful of sage, and as much rice, till a pint is wasted, then strain it and set it on the fire again, and put in it long pepper, ginger, and nutmeg, of each the third part of an ounce, beat together to a fine powder ; let it boil a little, then put in it two ounces of treacle, one ounce of mirthridate, and a quarter of a pint of Angelica water ; dissolve the treacle and mirthridate in the Angelica water before you put them in.
Directions for taking the above medicine.
TAKE one spoonful of it warm both morning and evening in your bed, or two spoonfuls if infected, and sweat after it ; but if not infected, a spoonful a day will be sufficient, half in the morning and half in the evening, to prevent infection. This is good also for the small-pox, measles, surfeits, or fevers.
November 5. Lord Bute, it is confidently said is now at the Court of Madrid in disguise.
AN exact List of Blanks and Prizes in Fanueil-Hall Lottery, to be seen at the Printing-Office opposite to William Vassell's, Esq; the head of Queen-street.
Ebenezer Bridgham, at his Staffordshire and Liverpool Warehouse, (the store lately improved by Mr. Thomas Lee, in King-street) has just received a Large and Elegant Assortment of CHINA, GLASS and EARTHEN WARE, consisting of almost every article of those manufactured, which he will sell very low for cash only.
TO be sold, a NEGRO about twenty-two years of age, who has had the small-pox, and is a Workman at the SHOE-MAKER's Business. Enquire at the New Printing-Office, in Union-street, near the Market, of ISAIAH THOMAS.
THIS is to forewarn all persons from trusting Sarah the wife of me the subscriber, on my account, as we have agreed to live separate.
Boston, Jan. 3, 1771. LAMBERT BRUMET.
AMES's ALMANACKS for 1771, to be sold at the New Printing-Office, in Union-street, near the Market.
BOSTON: Printed by ISAIAH THOMAS, at the New Printing-Office in Union-Street, (near the Market) where this Paper will be regularly published every MONDAY and THURSDAY, ; and where Subscriptions, Articles of Intelligence, and Advertisements, &c. for this Paper, are taken in ; and PRINTING, in general, done in a neat Manner, on very reasonable Terms.