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Mr. Smith/ "%
THE great quefion on the fubjea of arming the
Anti-George, by Citizen Rivers, in the port oj
Savannah, and clearing her out for the French ijlancls
under a trench commijjion, Lift May, had, a Jew
days ftnee, after the fulltji investigation of the object
oj'that armament, the circumjtavces of the arrrjt of
Captain Rivers and others, and the allegations au
duiedinthe charge againjt the arrested, a pointed
decifon in the "late Circuit Court held in this town
—giving to the defendants the fulUjt acquittal of the
charge [vnfdemeanor) to the refpedablc and crowded
audience the repletejt fatisj action, as was fully de
mo; fir a led by their animated countenances, huzza’s,
and loud acclamations of joy—Myjelf having been
wickedly included m that charge, ana having hereto
fore fated to the public the whole affair relative to
the mode of our arrejt, and the motives of the prose
cution as iniquitous, malicious and unfounded: and
as that part alone of the community which formed
the rejpetlable and crowded audience at the trial can
as yet be so fully convinced of the falls compre
hended in my statement
It is now incumbent on me for a more general in
formation to hand them to the public through your
impartial paper, that the public may therewith take
a comparative view with the body of the evidence
produced in the behalf of the JtaUs —the def endants
offering no evidence to the court, were cleared on the
points if laws the fates evidences and the opinion
a refbedahle jury entertained cf thojc evidences.
Firfl then,'that Messrs. Rivers and Seymour were
not legal citizens of ike United States-—it so appear
ed to the jury—the pnfecutdrs not being able to fnd
or producefuch record—the jury exercijtd their right
of opinion on the evidence of Robert Greer and the
boy, Carr—on the former of which his Honor Judge
Pendleton is plcajcd to found Rivers’ citizenjhip.
Secondly, that Captain Rivers used his endeavors
to leave the coaf, but being refrained in the flrjt in
flame by a fattion in his Jhip’s company j jtcondly
by being chafed back, and thirdly, by cafling away hu
bejfel in putting back for frejh water. In tkefe points
the jury were clear.
/ having declared the deed of including me in the
general bill, as chicked—it will aljo appear to the
community, peculiarly ungenerous, when l fate the
following fails, from whiih they wild readily deduce
the unjuftifable cause of classing me in that bill with
Messrs. Rivers and Seymour.
Some weeks after my arrest I waited on his Honor
Judge Pendleton, and informed him I Jhould, if per
mitted, produce the evidence of Citizens Rivers and
Seymor, to Jhew I had )lo concern in arming the
Anti-George, or the mofl dip ant xnteref in her—a
fair bill of j ale, as early as the 14 th of May, being
then on record, and on which l Jhould demand my
rdtafe—Anjwer, ‘ No, God forbid I jhould try any
man !’ Few days after this I aJo communicated to
the Federal Attorney jimilar information, and at the
fame time requeued his permission to Lake the interro
gativeS of fever al other people ( invalids ) as evidence
at the trial, but, refujed on a clause of negative law
—hence the probable ad oj including me in the fame
bill of indictment by which I became deprived cf ample
evidence—this, however, with fame curious tranf
adions attending many parts of the proftcuiion will
come forth in an intended prosecution of our much
chagrined prefecutors.
This jlroke of the Attorney-General deprived me
also of firong evidence to invalidate that of Mail fan’s;
Manson having corfejfed he held no animofty aghinfl
any cf the defendants, myfelf excepted, and that he
came forth as evidence out of pure, fpile to ms !—lt
will not be denied that Mr. John Berrien took Man
son into a room Jeparate from that in which, the
Judge then prep ded, where he wrote Manson's depc
jilionp on which his ilonor was pleased to tell me he
founded the warrant of •my arrest—the words were,
£< my privateer,” and 4< the Lafl letters from Rivers.”
Excellent pretence for rmprifomvg a citizen !
It is lamentable that the late indifpoftion of his
Honor jhould so far have impaired his health, as,
when called on in Court, not to remember any part of
the boy, Carr’s contradictory evidence before him, in
Savannah, although fref h in the minds of byjtanders
who noted as follows: “ Doctor Putnam put a swivel
on board the Anti-George at the time of tier failing”
after, “ not the Doctor but his negro.it, but I know
■not where it came from; yes, I recoiled it cane out
of his jlore, for the door was open.—l received a keg
at Doctor Putnam’s house, and put it on board by
the Captain’s orders— l knew not the contents then,
but few days astir jaw it jor the flrfl time, it w'as
obened, and contained powder-—the keg had no murk
<in it, yet / knew it to be the fame keg. 1 ’
I might have Lfs fear for the dangerous consequen
ces on so sudden a failure of memory, had his Honor
but recoUetied I prefed him to add to Carr’s former
dcbofition the contradictory part of the account he
jjfiT.r of this a if dir, at two fever al examination be
fore urn. ;— ihat. Us Honor rejected my requefl, but
bGin'%l out piv rxoHrfe b; a cross examination at
» "
(Court; that injieaa oj our being taken up by a war
rant from a viagiflrate, as his Honor was vixnjea to
Juggeji to the jury, we were taken up by a militia
officer ( Capt . George Thro op) who jaid his authority
was that, which is vejted in the comnajjion oj a com
mandant of militia, the validity oj which, J fuejtion
ed bejore tas Honor—that Mejfrs. Rivers, hunt and
Seymour were arrejled by no better grounded autho
rity m that particular, viz . the Prejident’s Procla
mation.
BENJAMIN PUTNAM.
NEW.YORK, OEhbcr 19.
A S S A U L r and B A T T £ A Y.
On Monday evening last, a large number of
people collefted near the corner of Chatham Row—
and there undertook a summary investigation of cer
tain matters and things; in effecting which it seems
that one voted_ brothel was entirely levelled, and
all the furniture and feather-beds deitroyed ; another
of like defefiption, {hared the fame fate. Several
musket-charges were bred from the firft assaulted
house, by which feme persons were badly wounded.
On Tuefday evening, the bufmefs was renewed
with a considerable re-inforcement; and after de
stroying another house near the fields, the company
proceeded to the place called CANVAS TOWN,
where they took inch liberties with the houses, fur
niture and feather-beds, as it was thought neceftary
to over-rule. Accordingly, at the word being given
for the support of good government, a large number
of citizens repaired immediately to Federal Hall.
A company of herfe were inftamly equipped and
paraded, which, with the determined citizens, no
i'ooner appeared in force, than the avengers at Can
vas-town thought proper to retire.
The magittracy, with the military, conducted
the business with much decision, while the citizens
displayed a laudable zeal for order and the laws.
A letter from Hamburgh, dated July 26, to a
gentleman in Salem, has the following article ;
“ T here has now arrived a large Ruffian fleet be
fore Copenhagen, to oblige the Danes to join in
the war against France. This fleet may be dange
rous to American veflels that are laden with corn
for France."
TnjurreElion at Guadaloupe.
Capt. Odell arrived at Salem last week from
Guadaloup. While he was there, the negroes on
the plantations rose and embodied, and on the
25th of August marched against the town of St.
1 Ann’s j but the inhabitants went out and attacked
them, beat them off and killed a number. It was
said that about 300 had beendeftroyed at different
times. Among the number taken prisoners, was a
prieft,who in the market-place, had his brains blown
out by four boys, with.each a loaded piiiol, after
which one of them cut off his head with a hanger.
Several of the mere active negroes had been taken
riding from place to place, calling upon the slaves
where they went, to rife, for now was their time.
Such were treated with no mercy, but v/hen
brought to town the inhabitants fell upon them
with their broad-Avords, and cut them to pieces,
leaving their mangled carcases for the dogs. The
inhabitants of the ; lantations were fleeing in con
ftemation to the towns for fafety.
October 24.
Extract of a letter from Bojlon.
<e If a new eulogium was wanting on the eftab
lithment of juries, it would be happily found in
the conduct of a late jury in Boston, who rCjedcd
a bill j.refented by the Diftrift Attorney of Mas
sachusetts against Citizen Duplaine, the French
Consul there, £o( having delivered a commifiion
to the National frivateer the Orlando Euriojo.—
Three times had this bill been presented—and
three times it was rejected.—While juries and not
judges are to determine on the lives and pioperties
of the ci|izcns, neither foreigners, or natives need
be apprenenfive of their security.”
ELIZABETH-TOWN, OEtober 30.
The legislature of this state convened at Tren
ton last TuefJay, and adjourned on Saturday to
meet in January next.
At a joint meeting, Richard Howell, Esq. was
rc-chofen Governor of this state for the ensuing
year, and Thomas Flenuerfcn, Vice-President of
Council.
The Common Councilor the city of New-York
have presented five thousand dollars to the Mayor
of Philadelphia, for the relief of the poor and d li
tre fled of that city.
Six or seven of the inhabitants of this town,
have sent 130 dollars to the Mayor of Philadel
phia, to afiift in relieving the diftreues of the
poor. New-port, in Delaware state, has contri
buted 500 dollars for the fame charitable purpose.
Many other towns in this and the neighbouring
slates are prt paring to follow their example.
Captain Harvey, of the Alice, bound from
New-York to London, has complained of very
.1 bid usage irom the French Admiral .{Sarceyj
while he lay at the Hook.
The President of the United States has inter
didled the Sieur Antoine Charbonet Duplaine,
Vice-Consul for the states of New-Hamfhire, Mat
iachufetts and Rhode-Ifland, from exerciling or
enjoying any the fundions, powers or privileges
allowed to the Vice-Consuls of that nation, he
having under colour of his said office, committed
sundry encroachments and infractions on the laws
of the land, and particularly having caused a ves
sel to be refeued with an armed force out of the
custody of an officer of justice who had arrested
the fame by process frem his court.
The President has likewise recognized Citizen
Dournery, as consul for the Republic of France
at Bolton.
By a gentleman direst from Pittsburgh, we learn,
that General Wayne had inarched from the Miami,
against the Indians, with 3000 regular troops,
and 1300 volunteers from Kentucky. We also
learn that StitF-knee, a Chief of the Chippewas,
had come into Fort-Pitt, with aflurances that his
nation had refolv;ed to observe a ft rid neutrality.
General Scott of Kentucky, was to have
headed the volunteers, but unfortunately fell
from his horse just as the troops were marching,
and was obliged to remain behind.
If Valenciennes, Liile, and every fortified town
in France were now in the pofleffion of the com
bined despots, yet, fays a correspondent, if the
constitution is accepted, those places cannot, in
the nature of things, prove otherwise than pom
pous fepulchres to decaying tyranny. —Refled on
the American war; Boston, Newport, New-York,
New-Jersey, Philadelphia, the Carolinas and Vir
ginia, alternatively and,almoft colledively in the
enemy's hands, tories and mifereants of ever}' des
cription, courting their approach, and watching
an opportunity to stab their country; our currency
depreciated to a penny for a dollar, and this at
the very period when a British army slushed with
conqueils in the north, was destined to be Corn
wallis’d; to open away for Burgovning a second
in the fouth; a circumstance unknown before in
the annals of man, to take place in one war.
Union enabled our infant republic to defy the
tyranny of Britain, and will enable France to
defeat the machinations of the combinations of
superstition, degenerate nobility, and monarchy.
PHILADELPHIA, OH. 19.
Letters from France mention, that young Louis
Capet [alias Louis 17th) was by order of the Na
tional Convention bound apprentice to a Cobler,
on the 10th of August,
The return of Lord Cornwallis from India \\
postponed. His Lordship is to flay till all the
French settlements in that quarter are taken, and
incorporated with the British territories. This is
not supposed to be a task of such difficulty as might
not cafily be accomplished by inferior abilities;
but it is thought advifeable, that it should have
the fan&ion of his Lordship’s name.
LEXINGTON, (Kentucky ) Sept. 28.
Extra ft of a letter from Major General ANTHONY
WAYNE , to Major General CHARLES SCOTT,
dat ’d Head-Quarters, Sept. 18th, 1793.
Dear Sir,
" I received an express the night before last,
from the Secretary of War, dated the 3d instant,
with positive orders from the President of the Uni
ted States, to make those audacious savages feel
our superiority in arms, and to prevent the murder
of helpiefs women and children. He is confident
that I lhall be well and powerfully supported in this
arduous task, by the brave and virtuous mounted,
volunteers of Kentucky. Advance then my dear
fir—participate of the glory—and produce a co.n
vidion both to him and the world—that, that con
fidence has been well founded. V
“ Prefcnt my bell and kindest wishes to our
brothers in arms, and allure them that there shall
be ample justice done to their bravery and conduft,
; in my communications to the President of the United
: States.
“ Head Quarters, Hobfon’s Choice, 18th of Sep*
tember, 1703.
u Dear Sir, 4 ,
(C Since writing to you this morning, an express
arrived from Colonel Ftamtramck, announcing
that, that fort was attacked yesterday morning ;
there was but thirty Indians seen, who had disap
peared, but after the express had proceeded some
miles on his way, he heard a firing of artillery,
“ Yours friendly,
ANTHONY WAYNE.
Major General Scott."
Oilober 3.
Head Quarters, Hcbfon’s Choice, 26th of Septem
ber* 1793.
Dear Sir,
I have to acknowledge the receipt of vour letter.'
of the 18th, 2zd, and 24th instant, and am mil;'