1/A '- letters.
L E T T E R XI.
r Amsterdam, Oct. i 7, 1780.
OUR eleventh question will give an opportuni
-■ ty of making some obfervationsnpona fubjedl
that is quiit misunderstood in every part of Eu
iope. I fiiall ani'wer it with pleasure, ac
coi ding to the bell of my information, and with
ihe utuioit candor.
i lie quellion is, " How great is the pr.'J] nt debt
(/J America ? What has J}>e occafton for yearly to
ast defenjively ? Are thoje wants J applied by the
inhabitants themjelves, or by other nations ? If in
'^ e latter cafe, what does America lose of her
strength by it ? Are they not, in one manner or other,
recompensed again by J 'ome equivalent advantage ?
tf J~°> what manner'? What would be required to
a(i off en five ly, and by that means fhorttn the war ?"
All Europe lias amiltaken apprehension of the
present debt of America. This debt is of two
foi ;s ; that v hichis due from the Thirteen Unit
ed States in Congress aflembled ; and that which
is owing from each of the Thirteen States in its se
parate capacity. lam not able to fay with pre
cision what the debt of each separate State is, but
al! these added together, fall far fliortof the debt
of the United States.
1 lie debt of the United States conlifts of three
branches: 1. the Aims which have been lent them
by trance and Spain, and by Mr. Beauinarchais
and Company : These have been for purchalinji
some supplies of cannon, arms, ammunition ana
cloathing for the troops ; for allilling prisoners
elcapedfrom England, and for some other pnrpof
cs ; but thewhole Ann amountstono great thing.
2. I lie Loan-OiTice Certificates; which are
promiflbrv notes given to individuals in America,
who have lent paper money to Congress, and are
their lecurities for the payment of the principal
nndintereft. These the Congress have equitably
determined flinll be paid, according to the value
of the paper bills, in proportion to silver, at the
time of their dates.
3. 1 lie paper bills which are now in circula
tion, or which were in circulation 011 the eigh
teenth day of March last. Tliefe bills amounted
to the nominal ium of two hundred millions of
dollars ; but the real value of them to thepoflef
fors is estimated at forty for one, amounting to
five millions of Spanifli dollars, or one million and
-a quarter sterling. This is the full value of them,
perhaps more ; but this estimation has given fatis
fa<slion, in America to the pofleflors of them, who
certainly obtained tliem in general at a cheaper
rate.
These three branches of debt, which are the
whole, (according to a calculation made last May,
and fern me by a Member of Congress, who has
been four years a member of their Treasury-board
and is a perfe(Jl mailer of the fubjetft) amount in
the whole to five millions sterling, and 110 more.
"1 he national debt of America then is five millions
sterling.
In Older to judge of the burthen of thisdebt, we
may compare it with the numbers ofpcople .They
are three millions. The national debt of Great
Britain is t\vo,hundred millions. The number of
people in England and Scotland is not more than
fix u)inions.--\Vhy fh'ould not America, with three
millions oi people, be able to bear a debt of one
hundred millions, as well as Great Britain, with
fix millions cf 1 people, a debt of two hundred mil
lions ?
We may compare it with the exports of Ame
rica:—ln 1774 the exports ,of America were fix
millions sterling. In the fame year the exports
of Great Britain were twelve millions.—Why
would not the exports of America, ot fix millions,
bear a national debt of one hundred millions, as
well as the twelve millions of British exports bear
a debt of two hundred millions?
We 111 ay compare it, in this manner, with the
national debt of France, Spain, the United Pro
vinces, Ruflia, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal ; and
you will find that it is but final! in couiparifon.
We may compare it 111 another point of view.
Great Britain has already spent in this war sixty
millions sterling—America five millions. Great
Britain has annually added to her national debt
more than the whole amount of her annual exports.
America has not added to hers, in the course of
five years war, a sum eijual to one years exports.
The debt of Great Britain is, in a large propor
tion of it, due to foreigners, forwhich theymuft
annually paythe interest, by lending cash abroad.
A very trifle of the American debt'is yet due to
foreigners.
Lord North borrowed last year twelve millions,
and every future year of tliewarmuft borrow the
fame 01 a larger fuin—America could carry 011
this war an hundred years, by borrowing on ly one
million sterling a year.
The annual expenceof Americahasnotliither
to exceeded one million a year—that of Great
hi itam has exceeded twenty millions some years.
America may therefore carry on this war an hun
dred years, and at the end "of it be 110 more in
debt, in proportion to lier present numbers of peo
ple, and her exports hi 1 774, than Great Britain
is now.
There is another confederation of some weight;
the landed inlereft in America is vastly greater,
in proportion to the mercantile interelt, than it
is in Great Britain. The exports of America are
the productions of the foil annually, which in
crease every year. The exports of Great Britain
were manufactures, which will decrease every
year, while this war with America lalts.
The only objection to this reasoning is this,
that America is not used to great taxes, and the
people there are not yet disciplined to such en
ormous taxation as in England. This is true; and
this makes all their perplexity at present: But
they are capable of bearing as great taxes in pro
portion as the Engliih; and if the English force
them to it, by continuing the war, they will re
concile themselves to it: And they are in fact now
taxing themselves more and more every year, and
to an amount, that a man who knew America on
ly twenty years ago would think incredible.
Her wants have hitherto been l'upplied by the
inhabitants themselves, and they have been very
little indebted to foreign nations. But on ac
count of the depreciation of her paper, and in
order to introduce a more liable currency, she
has now occasion to borrow a sum of money a
broad, which would enable her to support her
credit at home, to exert herfelf more vigorously
againit the English both by sea and land, and
greatly aiTlft herin extending her commerce with
foreign nations, especially the Dutch. America
would not lose of her strength by borrowing mo
ney, but, on the contrary, would gain vallly.
It would enable her to exert herfelf more by pri
vateering, which is a mine of gold to her. She
would make remittances in bills of exchange to
foreign merchants, for their commodities ; and
it would enable many perfonsto followtlieir true
intei elt in cultivating the land, inflead of attend
ing to manufactures, which being iiidifpenfible,
they are now obliged more or less to follow, tlio'
less profitable. The true profit of America is
the continual augmentation of the price and va
lue of land. Improvement in land is her prin
cipal employment,her belt policy, and the princi
pal source of her growing wealth.
The lall question is easily answered. It is,
" 11 hat would he required to a(l offensively, and by
" that means shorten the -war ?"
To this I answer, Nothing is wanted but a loan
of money and a fleet of ships.
A fleet of ships, only fufficient to maintain a
superiority over the English, would enable the
infant Hercules to flrangle all the serpents that
em non liis cradle. It is impoflible toexprefs in
too ltrong terms the importance of a few lhips of
the line to the Americans. Two or three French,
or Dutch, or Spanish ships of the line, Rationed
at Rhode-Island, Bollon, Delaware River, orChe.
fapeake Bay, would liave prevented the dread
ful facrifice at Penobfcot. Three or four ships of
the line would have prevented the whole expe
dition to Charleßon. Three or four ships of the
line more, added to thp squadron of the Chevalier
de Ternay, would have enabled the Americans to
have taken New-York.
A loan of money is now wanted, to give liability
to the currency of America; to give vi<r OU r to
the enlifhnents for the army ; to add alacrity to
the fitting out privateers ; aJid to give an ample
extention to their trade.
The Americans will labor through, without a
fleet, and Without a loan. But it is ungenerous
and cruel to put tliem to such difficulties, and
to keep mankind embroiled in all the horrors of
war, for want of such trifles, which so many of the
powers of Lurope wish they had, and could so easily
furniih. But if mankind inuft be embroiled, and
the blood of thousands mull: be shed, for want of
a little magnanimity in some, the Amcricansmuf
not be blamed, it is not their fault.
„ 1 h ave the honor to be, &c.
MR. CALKOEN. JOHN ADA MS.
LIFE or CALLIMACH iTs!
C[Srom the French of Le Ftvm.l
ALLIMACHUS was ofCyrene, a city of Africa,
and lived under the reign of Ptolemy Philadcl
plius, and alio under that of Ptolemy Euergates, as
maj be easily provedby some paflages in his works.
I his poet was one of the wisest men of his acre •
and perhaps it would be difficult to find any au
thor, who hau written a greater number of po
ems. But he did not love long productions ; there
fore he never wrote but one piece of a tolerable
lenth which he entitled The Causes. And
when lie was aiked why he was so fond of what
could be only termed mere effufions, he replied,
A pond ious volume is a grievous thing."
We find the fame thought at the end of one
i.s , ymi „ j s exprefled in a manner
v-ould E r K e,U: ; T? V° mh] y that manner
would not be unacceptable to the reader. << The
Euphi ates, fays he, "is anobleriver; but for his
fn-m.V Pl 'i efer th ° fe Utt,e ' and
fountains one drop of which is more precious
than all the mud and citron of that great river.''
Nothing of lus has reached us exccpt some epi
grains and a few hymns *. His style is Z and
nervous. Catullus and Oropertius have frequftu
lv imitated ; and fomctimes (lb high did their ad
miration of him rife) even translated him!
*Hu hymns were ,legally trained by the uufcrtunate Dr. Dodd.
Ne \v -York. November j 8 u
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Sep"' £ g
GENERAL ACCOUNT of ANTICIPATIONS*
A MOUNTof Orders drawn hy t 1 ' htfScrperin
! Cnda,, . t , of ,/'?" *• " P» JDol
inent herewith, No. I.
Amount of Warrants drawn by the lite board of 93:46 * **
Treasury, remaining unpaid, as pr. particular State
ment herewith, No. 11. 0
15 9.g06^
Treasury of the United State*. ' "' hj 395 63
Bfgjlir's OJite, Sept. 1789.
The Secretary of the Treafur.y ) <° SlP > ! *V»,,
oj the United States. £
No. J.
A particular STATEMENT of ORDERS drawn
by the late Superintendant of Finance, on ie
veral of the Receivers of Taxes, remaining
unpaid, and were comprised in the Estimate
made by the Secretary of the Treasury, and
by him reported to the House of Representa
tives of the United States.
Date of Orders. n> ,
March o, 1784. ON William Whipple,Receiver '
for New-Hampshire, in favor of
Capt. PhilipLeibert, beingbalance
o!f>ay due him, 10 - .
March 8, 1784. On do. iu favor of Capt. An
thony Sclin, being do. 210 r
Sept. 30, 1784. On George Olney, Receiver for
Rhode-Island, in favor of Timothy
Pickering^Quartermafter-General,
for the ufc of his department,
3>°oo
Deduct so much paid, 1,053 68
—1.946 28
Ditto. On Thomas Tillotfon, Receiver
for New-York, in favor of Timo
thy Pickering, Quarter mailer Ge
neral for the ule of his depart
ment, 50,000
Sept. 30,1784. On do. in favor of Abraham
Skinner, late Commiflary-General
of Prisoners for the payment of Af
fumpfions made by him for the
Board of Prisoners at Long-Island, 38:892 75
Ditto. On William Gcddes, Receiver
for Delaware, in favor ofTimothy
Pickerijig, Quartermafter-Gcneral
for the ule of his department,
5,000
D.'dust so much paid, 2,700
— 2,330
Dollars, 93,463 29
Treasury of the United States.
Regijkcr's Office, 24 th Sept. 1789.
No. 11.
A particular STATEMENT of WARRANTS
drawn by the late Board of Treasury on Mi
chael Hill eg as, late Treasurer of the Uni
ted States, which remain unpaid, and were
comprised in the Eflimate made by the Secre
tat-y of the Treasury of the United States, and
by him reported to the House of Representa
tives of the United States.
Warrant, f Ao " [| Department, a{'/[7r"what draun. | M
CIVIL LIST.
1786.
oa. to. 5 22 EDWARD CHINN, Comm.f
fioner for adjusting the Accounts
of Rhode-Island, for his own and
Clerks Office-rent, See.
from the ill of July, to 30th Sept.
1786, ■ 46415
Paid in part, 50' —4M J 5
1787- 804 Arnold H. Dohrman, late agent
Nov. 19. for the United States, at the Court
ofLifbon, his salary, 15,600
Paid in part, 2.562 46
— 13>°37 44'
1788. 927 Elizabeth Wallace, for the pay-
J ul X 5- ment of a Rcgifter's Certificate in
favor of Robert Patton, pr. act of
Congress, 24th of June, 1788. 557 l *
943 Jonathan Burial), Aflignee to
John White, late Commiflioner
for the States of Pennsylvania, De
laware, and Maryland, for salaries
and contingent expences from lft
January to 3d of March, 1788, 7°i 35
944 Do. Aflignee of William Win
der, Commiflioner for the States
of Virginia and North Carolina,
for salaries and contingent expen
ses of his office, from lft of Aprilto
#oth June, 1788, 1:354
Sept. 3. 979 Dunlap and Claypoole, for print
ing the Resolves of Congress, ad- .
vcrtifcments for contrasts, See. Jl s 3
980 Jeremiah Wadfworth, Aflignee
of Jonathan Trumbull, being for
the principal and interest of a Re
gifler's Certificate, pr. act of Con
gress, 28th July, 1788, 2,383 45
Deduct so much paid,
as appears by the Re
ceiver's Account, 2.000 38345
984 Jonathan Burrall, Afligi 'of
John White, Commiflioner for the
States of Pennsylvania, Delaware,
and Maryland, salaries and contin
gent expenses of office, for one
quarter, ending 30th June, 94
2 7* 985 Ditto, Aflignee of do. being an
advance on account of said White's
salary, 6 °°
Oft. 9. 956 Joseph Hardy, Attorney to
George Reed, Commiflioner for
South Carolina and Georgia, for
salaries, quarter ending 30th June, 34
Dec. 19. 1038 Edward Chinn, late Commis
sioner for Rhode-Island, for sala
ries and contingent expenses of of-
sice, one quarter,ending 30th Jnne,
(To be continued.) Dollars, ,7