The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-12-04
THE MADISONIAN.
"REMINISCENCES OF III.

al journal and Weekly Advertiser published
at Boston, Mass, September IL, l777, by .John
Gill, in Court street It's motto is, sThe entire
prosperity Of every State depends upon the Dis
cipline of its armies--The King of Prussia y
II is a sheet Is by 10 inches square, 3 columns
ON page, without column rules, or head lines,
and dashes only between the advertisements
The type is an old blurred specimen of long
primer, and the paper has a carroty appearance,
and IS thin and rotten. What contrast be-
tween this specimen of printing and paper max
ing, and that afforded by copy of the ''NorroN''
now published in the same city! If improve
ments IN other matters have progressed pari
pdssu, what an astonishing stride has been
made in these United States in SO wears! Verify
If John Gill had slept with his Journal and
awaked but now he would not be able by any
social evidence, TO testify that the continent Of
America or its people, is identical with that he
could have sworn 10 in IT. He would see that
the whole aspect Of society, both in its internal
and external forms, is changed. He would think
some magical principle was moving all things
and all people, whose operations he could not
comprehend, and whose effects he could mol
realize.
But however "John. ellis" paper may suffer
IN comparison with the sheets Of the present
day, in point OF mechanical execution. il as
sunes high position when we compare the
substance OF its contents with ours. There is a
pompous proclamation "by John Burgoyne,
Esquire, Lieut.. General Of His Majesty's ar
mics in America" &c. holding out contemplate
inducements to the American rebels to stop the
work OF revolutions, but followed on the same
page by capital and bitter burlesque of the
same. Then follow extracts of correspondence
from Newbern, N. c.. Annapolis, Md, Philadel-
pha, Kingston, Elizabethtown, Fort Schu, Ter,
New Port, New York, Albany, Wilmington,
and the northern army, giving interesting and
particular accounts Of the movements of the
contending armies. The following is an extract
OF letter dated at Head of Elk, August"
Last Sunday morning part ofthe continental army
amounting to about 10000 men, with his Excellency
GENERAL WASHINGTON, at their head, march
ed through this city and Immediately proceeded over
the river Schuykill their way it is SAID to the
eastern shore of Maryland where the enemies fleet
have lately been seen, and it Is thought will make a
descent upoa that State. And yesterday morning
General Nashs brigade of North Carolina forces and
COL Proctor's regiment of artillery, passed through
this city, and we hear TO pursue the same rout in
order to join our most illustrous General
In letter from Kingston, Burgoyne is desert
bed "the chief and director of the X ing of Great
Brltain's band of thieves, robbers, cut-throats.
scapers, and murderers of every denomination,
now iniesting the northern and western from
tiers Of several of the United States''
Then the editor states that one Michael Hyatt,
of New Hampshire, who declared he was in the
battle of Bennington from beginning TO end
"counted Of the prisoners AIS Hessians, 80 Ca
nadans, l73 Tories, and so wounded. That
between two and three hundred were killed, and
that, on a moderate computation, the enemy's
whole loss in that action was al least 1900 men.
One McComb, noted Tory captain, was shot
.hro' the head"
Then follows an account Of Gen. Sullivan's des-
cent upon Staten Island where he had Is skrmish-
es with the enemy, and took British Colonel, a
Major, and about 200 soldiers and story is
told, with much apparent gusfo, of poor militia
man who struggled from the company and met
with British officers chest, where he found a
plenty OF wearing apparel, and lots of dollars and
half joes. Having no pockets, the lucky fellow
stuffed stocking full, and brought the money
off on his shoulder, "being almost as much as
he could conveniently carry"
Then follows a letter signed ''B Arnold be
fore he proved traitor, announcing that the
enemy had retreated from Fort SCHUYLER then
proclamation by 'the honorable Horatio Gates,
Esq, Major General and Commander in Chief
of the Army of the United States in the North
ern Department" threatening to suspend all Of
icers, and TO treat as deserters all soldiers, who
at that "critcal juncture" are found 'ortering in
Boston and other towns of Massachusetts Bay
and New Hampshire"-the an advertisement
by civilian Cooper, town clerk" calling on the
inhabitants TO aid him in ascertaining the da-
mage done to Boston by the enemyn-then de-
claration ofindependence, by "Rosanna Scott .
who seems to have had household war of her
own, declaring that she is divorced from her
husband, and holds him in much contempt
and is able to pay her own debts-then "extracts
from the infamous lying papers published at New
\ ork, Glory it is presumed) giving an account
OF little British ncurson into New Jersey and
the Tory account Of the Staten Island affair.
The editor then gives brief history of scutfle
at Machias, down east, in which the Yankees
killed about 60 of the enemy. Then he gives
the following ''eTtract Of a letter from a gem
Hemdn ia the northern army" which, as il is
interesting to us, we may be pardoned for copy
ing entire:
Among the many Brave Militia who We're in the
Action of the 10th ult., at Bennington, think the
Rev 'Ihnnnna al EnI.I L. 4.