guagc ; and be advised htir. t for his own fcfc •
ty, to leave the town as scon as lie could,
which advice th? Bifbop very wifely followed.
Citizen Anfchne (Mils Anfehne) fitter of
•the brave General ot' the lame name, who al
ready ha«, in feverai rencounters with the
enemy, diftinguifted herielf, not only by
her valour, but alio by her virtues, talents
and love tor the ha* difSlaved in the
army en the Var, tne genius of the famous
Montfoit. She commands an army of J $oo
men, and in the several engagements flat has
bad witu the enemy, flie was always seen
foremoft with her glittering sabre in ker
hand, to encourage her men : and indeed this
amiable and valiant aniazon, who poifclfes
great talents and a tried courage, will ba the
Clorinda of her age. Sue has well dclerved
to iharc her brother's glory.
Domestic Articles.
XORFORK, January 9.
qti Sunday lail arrived here the brig Willi
am Pennock, Capt. Williams, who failed from
Point Petre, Guadalonpe, 011 the 15th Decem
ber. Four day* before Capt. Williams left
the iilanci, the frigate La Felicite arrived at
Dominica, in 35 days from France, and bro't
news of the defeat of the Combined Force ;,
which jet the whole inland tit a fermentation ;
the inhabitants were all quitting the iiland,
in expectation of a fleet coming from France.
Capt. Williams took in 2 3 paflengers for St.
£u(latia, where he arrived on the 18th, and
fouud five more American vefleis from dif
ferent parts of the iiland, full of Fren; h pas
senger ;, and a 'mjuiber more momently ex
pected. St. Euftatia was full of French peo
ple, and fcarcc ahoufe to be got 011 any terms.
At Sr. Martin's on the 2 3th nit. Hkewifp found
several more veflcls frojn Guadeloupe, with
40, 53, and 63 pafTengers on board ; ajfo a
vetfe! from Martiuico, with paiTeotiers, who
info mcd him that that island was in the fame
situation as Guadeloupe, which was conti
nually under arms. A gentleman on boaid
t'ie veTel froni'Marlinicd fa V, 17cq of the in
habitants quitted the lfland, and all kinds of
business was at ast and ; nothing doingexcept
fortifying the iiland, repairing t'he farts, and
getting iii order "to atn\ the negroes againit
the fleet arrived from France wl.ich they ex
pected. In Guadaloupe they purchased 80,300
stand of arms from the other iilands ; and 011
the firft appearance of the fleet, the Planters
were determined to arm their negroes to pro
tect the White Flag. The frigate La Felicite
got information of a French frigate who wore
the White flag, manned with mulattoes,which
the La Felicite gave chace to—<he run into
Back-Staff, Guadeloupe, under cover of the
guhs. The Captain of the La Felicite wrote
toe Governor of Guadalonpe, if he caught any
Aristocratic Flags in the Welt-Indies, he was
determined to fink them—He bent his course
to Dominica, as he could not obtain any fnp
plies in the FreccM Hands.
NORWICH, January !4.
EttraQ oj -i. letter from a gentleman in Charlcßon
fS. i.) to a friend m this tou n, dated Dcum
ber 24, 1.79:'.
" A few days iince departed this life, Hen
K.Y Laurens, Esq. about 70 years of* age, and
his co 1 p!e ire burnt tile third day after His
decease. This was done by his Son, by re
queftof the Father, who made this reserve in
h\s will, that unless his son complied with this
request, lie fliould be cut (hart of any of his
estate, whiph was worth about ster
ling. The allies remaining from the body
wcie taken up and put into a lilver urn pro
vided for that purpose. The reason that Lui
rens gave for this lingular desire, was, that
his body was too good to be eaten by worms.
BAL'fIMORE, January 21
from a correspondent.
Answer to an Evgljjh Paragraph exhibiting tie
aifterevct between the French and American Re
volution., lately puHiJked in fame of the Nev Pa
pers in the United States. Je
FHERP., is that difference between the
French and American Revolutions, that the
latter was not opposed by cunning priests, nor
cruel aristocrats determined to overthrow
every principle of honelty and humanity, for
a emmefa hilled by common sense—A royal
puppet, on this spot, did not dance on the wire
of a band of courtiers, the most despicable and
abandoned wretches that ever difgraccd man
kind—The focus of both despotism and no!«i.
lity was far from this land of liberty, and its
glorious adherents.could not be infected with
the pernicious breath of mad royalty and im
pudent aristocracy. The popular cause was
opposed openlv, sword in hand, and viftori
oufly fought by tile friends to the rights of
men; had the French republicans met with
such opponents, they had not done those ex
ceiles the Kin<r, the Nobles and Clergy have
roused them to by the most perfidiouVtontrl
vances—A King did no t foi swear hinifclf in
America, nor hacl the American people more
t.iai> one Arnold; their tempers were soured
neither by misery nor by a complicated fvftcm
of treachery, framed coolly, and purfuedwith
t.ie gieateft obstinacy—The American people
were not loaded with enormous taxes, that
had reduced millions of their fellow citizens
to the utmost misery, to maintain haughty
pmnderers in sloth and profligacv All this
odds 111 u(I be reckoned by impartial men, to
explain the difference infidionfly delineated
between the two Revolutions, bv f.ime des
perate royalist, or a narrow-minded man.
PHILADELPHIA.
PRICE OF STOCKS,
6 per ttr.n, 20/ i
3 per Cents, i,/, 0
Deferred, 12 ,
Full foores Bank U. S. 34 pcr c \, lUi mem
CONGRESS.
HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES.
MONDAY, January 14.
The memorial 'f officers of fevfrttl lines of
the late army of the United Stales, being un
der corfJeralicn, in committee of the <wha:e,
a motion was made to rijefl the prayer
oj the meinurials.
Mr. SEDGWICK observed that he did not
rife to express an opinion as to any vote which
he might ultimately give on the subjeCt now be
fore the committee. It was undoubtedly an im
portant subjeCt—important, as it respects t£e
character of the applicants, and a* it involved a
consideration of the services which had been
rendered by them. No man had a more re
fpeCtful opinion than he entertained of the hon
orable patriotism of those brave and meritori
ous citizen#, who had ventured their lives in de
fence of their country, No man would more
regret than himfelf, that those Cervices should
remain unremunerated. Thus feeling, he should
be sorry if the motion of the gentleman frotfi
New-Jersey should preclude a difcufiion of the
various questions which might otherwise arise
in the contemplation of this fubjeCt.
He laid he knew several gentlemen who be
lieved that it was impracticable to grant the
prayer of the memorials, without producing e
vils, so many and so great, as infinitely more
than to counterbalance the benefits ntended.
That it would be a criminating reflection on
gentlemen who, with so much warmth of de
clamation, had espoused the taufe of the appli
cants, to suppose that they forefaw those evils and
were not prepared to guard against them, ft
would be indirectly charging upon them as the
motive of their conduit, to give an approving
countenance to an impracticable objeCt, an in
tention ofacquiring popularity at the expence of
the reputation of the government. This was a
charge he had no disposition to make; he would
therefore suppose the gentlemen had digested
feme scheme, in their opinion of practicable
compensation; which, by what they have said,
they have pledged to bring forward to the con
sideration of the committee; but they would be
precluded from doing it, should the mover of
the present queflion perfilt in having the fate
of the memorials decided on his motion.
He laid that, confident in the hope that the
gentleman would gratify the wilhes of his friends,
he would take the liberty of mentioning some of
the embarrafling questions which the commit
tee must meet in the progress of this business.
The whole merit of the present application,
in his opinion, relied on the supposition tbatby
the terms of the funding law the government
had made a saving to itfelf; or, to speak with
more precision, to the debtor part of the com
munity. In other words, that by the terms of
the loan an adequate provision was not made for
the public debt. This supposition is denied by
many gentlemen, who did not hesitate expressly
to declaie, that the provision is ample and ought
to be fatisfa&ory. Others, lie faic, went further,
and even infinuatcd that there exilled a sympa
thetic feirfibility between the majority of Con
gress and the public creditors, injurious to the
great body of the people. This saving confli
cted that residuum of the original contrail*
which was the fubje<ft of the present demand.
If then there was no saving there was no residu
um—no fubjcA of diflribution. On this idea,
the application is to the generosity, not the jus
tice of Cosgrefs. On this ground the memori
als, he presumed, were not advocated by those
gentlemen. Should it, howevsr, be demonstrat
ed that the contemplated saving had been made
to the public, he aiked whether this wa« the
only description of creditors to whom injuflice
had been dbne ? and would not the fame argu
ments which should detr.onftrate their rights
prove equally the title of every otber original
holder to further provision ? Was there any dis
criminating principle by which it would appear
that these men alone were entitled to redrel's for
a violation of justice ? These queilions were
important, and being obvious, they must have
occurred to the gentlemen; who, it might rea
sonably be presumed, had come prepared, if not
with fatisfaaory, at lead with plausible answers.
He said, that among the evils which had been
. endured during our struggle for freedom and in
dependence, was a lapse of public credit, by
which there had been apportioned a severe tax
011 the citizens; and although this was not in
exa£ proportion, yet it was generally more e
qual than probably any re-apportionment would
make it. It was said, at lead by some, that by
comparing the relative circumf.ar.ces of the ar
my before and since the war, with the commu
nity at large, it might be presumed that they
had not contributed to this tax beyond their pro
portion. If on the whole, the claim of the ar
my could not be diftinguiflied from that of the
other original creditors, and if justice required
the provision contended for, then it would fol
low irrefiftably, that an account was to be open,
ed with each original creditor; that even if a dif
tindion could be discovered which would au
thorise a difference between the army and every
other description of creditors, it was, he said,
further alked, by gentlemen who believed the
projefi tobe.impraaicable.whetherit was intend
ed, by a further diftinaion, to separate the offii
cers from the soldiers, to provide for the forflier
and not for tha latter ? If one part of the di
lemma was chosen it would eperate manifell in
justice, if the other the government would open
those sources of fpcculation which seemed to
threaten to inundate the country with enormous
evils. He said, gentlemen who were disposed
to afford a favorable countenance to tbe present
applications had undoubtedly considered these
effe&s, and had alio considered the means of pre
venting those evils, and candor required that
they Ihould be indulged with an opportunity of
exhibiting their system.
H« said that it was further objeaed that the
proposed measure would materially alter the
274
funding fyftcm, a strait adherence to which
was guaranteed to the public by an almost una
nimous vote of both Houses.
He said the objc&ions he had mentioned were
among the most important of those which had
occurred on this fubjeil; that a difcuflion ot
them would open an cxtenfi/e field of argument.
He thought it would 1 e of public utility that
they {hould be difcKffed, he therefore again fo
licitcd the gentleman from Ncw-Jerfey to with
draw his motion, that an opportunity might be
afforded to gentlemen to bring forward a di
gefled fyltem.
Mr. Boudinot assured the committee, that he
had determined not to trouble them on this fub
je*fl< and he ihould have carried that determina
tion into execution, did he not find that the
question was likely to be taken in a manner not
altogether pleasing to him. He had expedted
that the claims of the officers would have been
fairly met, and if decided in tbe negative, those
gentlemen, would have gone away fully fatisfied
that their claims had received a fair and candid
difcuflion : But he feared, from the arguments
of gentlemen, that the idea that the United
States had unjustly. failed in performing the con
trail with the army, would take place, and an
ungrounded imputation ofpartaility (at least in
the minds of the petitioners) would be left on
the government, when Mr. B. thought, a fair
flatement of the matter would undoubtedly put
a very different face on the whole bufmefs. 'l he
officers ef the army had come forward as credi
tors of the United States in a decent arid becom
ing manner, and presented their claims founded
on former contracts, which they conceived had
not been fulfilled, and therefore they called on
government to do what was right and just on
the occalion. Congrels were the independent
representatives of the whole usion, to whom e
very citizen ought to have free access, and where
every citizen was to be considered as equally en
titled to an impartial hearing. If on examina
tion it (hould appear that justice required a far
ther eompenfation to the petitioners as a claf's of
public creditors, when considered on a general
scale, no man in the house would be more ready
than himfelf to give his voic« for such a measure.
But if it should ap.pear that th<J contrail on the
part of riie 1 public had been complied with, as far
as distributive justice would permit, he wished
the petitioners to be convinced of it, and that
those losses they had met with, were such as had
been equally borne by other creditors of the uni
on, and therefore a general burthen, by which
he hoped they would receive full fatisfa&ion on
this fubjedl.
Mr. Boudinot, while he acknowledged the
patriotism and virtue of the American army,
and fubferibed fully to their eminent fervice3
and patient fufferings, he could not join in de
crying the efTential services and fuiferings of the
other public creditors of the United States, who
in the day of her distress had administered their
property, to the support of that army and the
defence of the union. All public creditors who
presented themselves in the day of distress to the
relief of the Union, were equally entitled to the
attention of Congress; but as the officers in their
memorials had applied in behalf of the army
alone, he wished to consider their in the
firil instance, abftra&ly, without conne&ing it
with any other class of creditors, and then com
pare it with others of their fellow-citizens.
He undertook, therefore, in the firft place,
to state the public condudt towards the army
from the beginning to the commencement of the
preient government—He would then examine
the conduit of the preient government, and
lastly, fuppoGng their claim just, enquire into
the practicability of it.
The committee were well acquainted with the
rife and progress of the late war. At the fir 11
alarm the patriotic citizens of the colonies flaw
to their arms and formed in the field, without
terms or stipulations as to their services. In 1775
Congress turned their attention to the army as
the firfl great obje«sl, and having organized it,
fixed the pay at the rate of 50 dollars for a colo
nel, and zo dollars for a captain. In 1776, de
sirous of encouraging citizens who were so zeal
ous in their country's service, they gave a boun
ty of 20 dollars to each private, amounting in
the whole to upwards of 100,000 dollars, be
sides a promifc of 100 acres of land, and to the
officers at the rate of 500 acres to a colonel, and
the reft in proportion. In October of the fame
year, desirous of keeping up the zeal of the of
ficers, they increased the pay in proportion of
75 dollars to a colonel, and 40 dollars to a cap
tain, and gave a suit of clothes per annum to
every private, or 20 dollars in calh. In Dec.
*777> Congress shewed their desire of encourag
ing the service, by giving a month's extra pay
to the army. The officers, anxious for their fu
ture support after the war was over, exprefTed
an earnelt desire of having foine provision of this
fort anticipated, and Congress in compliance
with their delires, after a consideration of three
months or more, agreed in May 1778, to give
each officer half pay for 7 years after the end
ol the war, on condition that they did not
hold any office of profit under any individual
state, and 80 dollars to each private. In Novem
ber following they gave to each supernumerary
officer one year's pay extraordinary, and increas
ed the allowance for every retained ration to
as. 6d. in money. The army, not being fatisfi
ed with this provision, in Augufc 1779 a com
mittee appointed for the purpose reported far
ther provision of half pay for life, without any
condition in favour of those who should continue
till the end of the war, and recommended to the
Hates to provide for widows of officers and sol
diers who should be killed in the service. Con
gress likewise increased the allowance of month
ly fubiiftence for officers to 500 dollars for a
colonel, a captain 200 dollars, and a private 10
dollars, and added to all this, Congress allowed
the officers to receive from the public stores one
nat, a watch coat, body coat, four vests, four
pair breeches, four shirts, four stocks, fix pair
{lockings, four pair flioes, per annum, nearly at
former prices, and the foldler. in proportion
The half pay for life was adopted, to the great
offence of individual states, who lent fnrwa .
petitions against the measure as impolitic and
unjust. The war continuing, the distresses of
the country iiicreafed, which reduced tin
credit so low, as to produce great uneafinels a
mong all classes of public creditors, both in the
army and country.
The gentleman from P< nnfylvania (Mr. Hart
ey) in his argument represented (in Mr.B'so .i"
"ion) his own feelings 011 tin <>ccafion,r«hJ
than a comparative view with the fufferjn?s of
the citizens at large ; for it a not uncommon
when gentlemen are cunire&cd with a ji art i cil .'
Ur class of fuflerers, to view what he lees a , l( j
hears .sail exclufivc and peculiar evil, without
considering what paflen elfewhcre. Thus tie
loluicr confidcrs the facrifice of the army a, t|-~ c
only intolerable burthen, while the merc^an
knowing his own losses heft, considers other's'
complaints as trifling to his; and the Carm.-r
who earns every farthing by the sweat cf fii»
brow, blames the government for not eivii y
him the firft place in all tlieir fyftcms. Yet the
fair coriclufion is, that the burthen has been gen
erally nearly equal, and a common tax for th
defence of our country—And although Mr '!
readily fubferibed to the great iu.Tcrkigs a'u<i
patriotic exertions of the army, yet the-/ihou!d
also give credit for the attention of their coun
try, to the utmoll of her abilities. As the gen
tleman irom Pennsylvania is be ft acquainted
with the line of his own llate, Mr. Boudinot
undertook to mention what was done by Pcnn
fylvania for her own officers in addition to the
allowances of Congreft.—Duringthe war,ftores
were provided, from which they received'a par
tial fuppiy at the hard money prices; The de
predation of their pay was fully made uo to
them ; at the falesof the confifcated estates thdr
certificates were received as hard money; the
fame for lands in the lanii-office ;-*-lhu iut«vH
of 6 per cent, was paid 011 their cercili■ ares for
a number of years;—an additional bounty of
land was given to them, ready furveved and
free from expence; and when the fundiiigfyftem
took place, they had their 3 per cent, and de
ferred debt made good to 6 per cent, by addi
tional certificates from the Hate, which were
afterwards tedeemed at about jo and 37 per
cent, in hard money.
In August 1782, a memorial from the fiatc of
Pennsylvania called loudly on Congress for frelh
exertions towards the settlement of all accounts,
and making provision for the paying off the pub
lic debt. It is supposed the army took the hint,
and in December following, a deputation of field
officers with a llrong memorial on behalf of the
army, waited on Congress. The substance of
their requcft was, ift. some prefenf pay—2d.
a settlement of their accounts and fecurityfor
their balances—and 3dly, a commutation of their
halt pay for life ; as they found that the meainre
was odious to their fellow-citizens, and would
prevent the happy intercourse they expe&ed on
their return to private life. The present pay and
settlement of accounts were immediately provid
ed for, and astofecurity for the balances, Con •
grefs relolved, u as to what relates to the provid
ing of security for what shall be found due on
such settlement, that the troops of the United
States, in common ivith all the creditors of thefame r
have an undoubted right to expe<sl such security,
and that Congress will make erery effort in tfteir
power to obtain from the refpe&ive states sub
stantial funds adequate to the objeA, &c. &c."
As to the commutation, it Was urged on the
part of the army, that five or fix years full pay
was but a reasonable sum to make good their fuf
ferings, not only on account of the deficiency at
their pay, but also on other accounts, and that
it wiukl be more agreeable to their fellow-citi
zens, than that they ihould be pensioners for
life. Mr. B. mentioned this from his memory,
which he said was confirmed by the Journals of
Congress of February 1783, when a resolution
proposed, was prefaced in this manner: "Where
as in consequence of the faithful services of the
officers «f the aimy of the United States, and of
their great [offerings y not only on account tf the defi
ciency of their pay, but on other accounts, Congress
have, by divers resolutions, promised them half
pay, &c. &c. The want of money having been
raised as an objection against this measure, the
officers contended, that they expected nothing
more than certificates for their balances, in the
fame manner as other creditors of the United
States had received. Congress finally determined
to grant their request ; but to prevent the army
from alienating their certificates at an under
rate, and ( thereby affedting the public credit, it
was proposed that they (hou'd not be made tranl
ferablc. As soon as the delegation from the ar
my were made acquainted with this, they spurn
ed at the idea, and juflly a Iked if they were not
freemen—if the balances were not their own
property ; whether they had not the fame right
to diipofe of their property as they pleased, with
every other citizen ? They therefore insisted to
be put on a footing with every other creditor
who had received certificates. The r afoning
was too forcible to be anlwered with propriety,
and therefore Congress on the 22d March 1783,
resolved, 4< That such officers &c. lhall be en
titled to receive the amount of five years full pay
in money or securities on interest at 6 per cent,
per annum, as Con grefs {ball find nwft conveni
ent, instead of the half pay promised for life; the
faidfccuriiies to be such as Jhall be given to other crt
driors of the United States, provided it is at the opti
on cft.be tines of the rtfpehiveflqjes to accept or re
fufe the fame." " That with regard to the retiring
officers, the commutation, if accepted by them,
Jhall he in lieu of -whatever may be norv due, as ivelt
as what might hereafter become due. This
commutation amounted to 4,500 dollars to a
coloncl, and 2,400 dollars to a captain.
(Debate to be continued. J
Wednesday, January 23.
A communication from the Executive of the
ftate.of Maryland was read, by which it appears
that William Hindman, esq. is clewed a repre-