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to conceive or prafe, Mr. Haflings bowed,
and replied thus, with a becoming brevity,
and fame embarraflfment, also not } a little be
coming : f! ;
f My Lords, I 4tope I fetl as I ought. I
liave but two impreflions—an equal conscious
ness of my own innocence, and your impar
tial justice.
“ On that justice I now rest, with the mod
sure reliance*.”
Whils the Lord Chancellor and Mr. Haff
ings thus spoke, the whole aftembly were fix
ed in eager gaze, and the most approving
aftonilhment. The scene and its accom
paniments were at the moment irrefiftiblc.—
The heart felt them ! —There were ideas as
well as objects ; —not only Wcftminfter-Hall,
but the British Constitution.
Tull of national pride and individual secu
rity, who could help apoftrophifirtg with
Blackstone. How wi/ely contrived! How
J.rwtly rat fed t How highly jinifhed !
Then the charges were read, and after each
charge, the answer. The Clerks who read
them had been better if they had been intel
ligible The best reading in the country fliould
have been feletlcd ; this was among!! the
worst j or, as it was, it had one effed of a
ventilator—it aired the aftembly ; vast num
bers of the people in it gradually quitting it
soon after one o’clock.
The proceedings of the day closed at half
part five o’clock.
The Queen and the Princefles, the Prince
of Wales, and Dukes of York, Gloucester,
and Cumberland, were present.
Feb. 20.' The following extraordinary
fraud, which was lately praclifed on one of
the firft commercial houses in the city, has
within the last two or three days been equally
a fubjeft of conversation and aftonifhmeut.
A letter dated from Philadelphia, add refled
to the partners of the above house, and fub
feribed by names with which they were total
ly unacquainted, was delivered from the ge
neral poft-ofnee, advifmg, that in consequence
of the very superior reputation of the house in
London, and the number of years it had fuc-
Cefsfully carried on buftnefs, they had been
induced to consign to its principals a cargo
f>f corn laden on board a certain (hip, winch
bad already failed for Europe, and giving at
the fame time advice of bills that had been
drawn in consequence of the aflignment, which
it was hoped, would be duly honored.
The gentleman to whom this letter was ad
dre lied, could not help thinking such a favor
something extraordinary, and waited with
some impatience for the period which would
eftablilh the truth of an event equally flatter
ing and advantageous. Many days had not
elapsed before a bill for seven hundred pounds
sterling, purporting to be drawn by the con
fig.iers on the conlignees, in fa-vor of a third
party in London, was prefeuted for accept
ance ; but as no farther advice had been ob
tained of the fliip, they, as is customary in
such cases, refufed acceptance; but requeu
ed the holder of the bill to leave his address,
and allured him he fliould be sent to imme
diately on her arrival in a Britilh port; this
be immediately complied with, and departed.
On a review of eircutnftances, the supposed
consignees began to entertain doubts of the
authenticity of the information they had re
ceived, and determined to be ftricdly on their
guard, when a fliip letter from the captain,
dated at Dover, containing advice of the ar
rival of the v'eflel, inclofing the invoice and
bill of lading, and requeuing inftruftions for
what port he fliould fail, was received by
the parties. This letter removed every doubt,
and' was, by the fame post, answered, under
cover, to a very refpeftable merchant of that
place, whom they requefled to furnilh the
mailer with whatever might be neceftary to
the port of London.
Confident at last that every thing was right,
the holder of the bill for seven hundred pounds
was sent to, who with much inward fatisfac
lion, understood that it would be immediate
ly accepted. To urge his expedition was un
lieceilary ; in Hum, acceptance was obtained,
and on the very fame day, the clerk to an
cmiucut wholesale linen draper in the city
callc . th the bill, to enquire if the accept
ance was really that of the panics it purported
,c * ftnd >f«t would be regularly paid \to
#u . a ready affirmative was returned,
and thei clerk. went away perfeflly well fatia
<ied. The bill was negociated by the holder
•i.the house iu qutiltou, wh«c ha readily ob-
talned for it, fotffr fiufadred ptftnds in cadi,
and the remaining value io goods,
i. On the second day after this tranfaftion the
supposed consignees received an anfwfcrfrom
,* the niercfcant at Dover, who returned the
letter intended for the captain, and informed
them, that he imagined the {hip, relative to
which he had written to him, was failed for
the towns. Unfortunately, however, for the
acceptors of the bill, the captain, (hip or car
jgo, has never since been, heard of.. Perhaps
it is unnecefiary to add, that they never had
existence.
.
PORTSMOUTH, (N.H.) March u.
On Friday the 15th" of February was dis
covered in Bristol, in the county of Lincoln,
Itate of Maliachufetts, a most horrid and
barbarous murder perpetrated on the body of
Michael Cleary, who came passenger from
Ireland to Borton, with Captain William Ni
kell, 24 years ago, and then left a wife and
one daughter in Mitchieftown, county of Cork.
The deceased owner! a pretty little interest
in land and cattle, and lived by himfeif—
About five weeks ago he took in John O’Neil
out of charity, who was one of the convifts
that were landed last firmmer at Machias, in
llead of Newfoundland. After some time
Mr. Cleary exp relied fears to his neighbours
that he had taken in a bad man, and for two
nights previous to the murder went and lodg
ed with a neighbour. Mr. Cleary had two
half joes and some dollars in his pocket; his
neighbour told him that if the fellow saw
that money lie would perhaps murder him for
it; but he said Ire was not afraid of him by
daylight. Wednesday morning, the 13th,
' Cleary was feeti goinghome to hishoufe.
Shortly after a person went in and saw a sho
vel lying on the hearth, and left Mr Clfary
and O Neil in a dispute about a silver button.
In about an hour after O’Neil paired bv on Mr
Cdeary’s horse, went ten miles off, and told
one Poor that Mr. Cleary was lick, and would
not live long, staid all night, and told the
people he would not close his eyes to sleep.
Thursday the 14th, O’Neil ‘returned. In the
evening a negro lad went in, spent two hours
with him, and alked for Mr. Cleary. O’Neil
said he was gone to take care of his horse. It
is supposed when the boy left him her washed
the wounds of the deceased, and laid him out,
then went in the night to the house ten miles
off, told Mr. Poor that Mr. Cleary was dead,
and had left him by deed of gift, all he had.
ONeil came back, and the neighbours went
*“• J ui T of inqtieft, on examining,
found five wounds on the head, the neck broke,
the left arm black, supposed by fending off
the blows. O’Neil had the deceafed’s money
and silver buckles in his pocket. The jury
brought in their verdift wilful murder, with
robbery. O’Neil is committed to Pownalbo
rough goal, in order for trial at the next Su
perior Court, when it is supposed he will meet
his just reward.
BOSTON, March t7.
On Monday laftthe Honorable the House of
Reprefematives granted a tax of fixly-fa e
ihoujand pounds, to he levied is. upon each
and every poll from 16 years old and upwards
to 20, inclusive; and 3s. upon each and every
poll from 21 to 70 years old, inclusive; the
residue to be assessed on the estates of the in
habitants who are by law liable to pay taxes
agreeably to the principles of the old valua
tion.
Last Tuefday evening the Honorable Senate
negatived the bill for continuing the Tender
Law, fo'called— 13 voting for and i6agaij;ft
it. The coup degrace to this bill was a mea
sure most ardently wiftied by all good men, as
it will tend gradually to prepare the public
mind for the operation of that fyftcra which
effectually {huts the door against every scheme
of fraud and injustice.
The law passed at the hit Session of the Le
gifiature for continuing the Tender Aft ex
pired last Wednesday.
The Honorable Senate have passed a bill,
which was on Friday read a second time in the
House of Representatives, to prevent the ini
quitous and inhuman prafticc of the Slave
Trade, and for affording relief to the families
of those persons who may be kidnapped or
decoyed from this (late.
PROVIdTncTeT March 8.
The Honorable Feleg Arnold, aud the Ho
norable Jonathan Hazard, Efquuei, two of
1 th£ delegates of this state, Were direffed
proceed and take their feats in Congress, and
grants made to defray their expeqees.
A number of the Continental invalids ap«
-peared before the House, and after'a
fentation of their wretched condition, instead
of being obliged, as heretofore, to receive
the paper bills of credit of this state at their
nominal value, in discharge of their several
pensions, liberal grants were made to each of
them for prefect relief, in hills of.fredit on
account, to be hereafter adjusted.
CHAR LEST ON, April 23.
At four o’clock on Monday afternoon, 4
fire was difeovered in the front cellar of Mrs.
Mary Edwards’s house, South Bay; it had
made considerable progress in the interior
part of the house, prior to its difeovefy By
some carpenters at work for Mr. R. Izard,
and by whose indefatigable exertions it was
extinguished. The fire proceeded from
place where no person had been for fix weeks,
and it evidentlyijppears to have been defigned
lyfetonfire.
, ■- •- -
SAVANNAH, May 8,
On or about the night of the 25th ult. Mr.
Burnet, mentioned to be wounded, and then
remaining at his fort on Turtle River, having
1 his two lons, a Dr. Wicham, another white
, man, and two Negroes, with him, was sud
denly attacked by a numerous body of Indians,
who took possession of the fort, and compel
led Burnet’s party to retire to the block house,
after fealping one of the Negroes. A smart
aftion then commenced, which ended with
the of the Indians, after wounding onfc
of the young Burners, and several balls brush
ing the clothes and hat of the Doftor.
Last Sunday fe’nnight some negro men were
carried off from Col. Maybank’s plantation,
in Liberty county, by the Indians. Col. Max
well has since been over the Alatamaha with
a party ot men, and returned without being
able to come up with any of the savages.
A letter from Sunbury, dated yesterday,
mentions, that a. few days ago at Sapelo, a
man was fired at while milking hie cow ; the
cow was killed, but the owner fortunately
< elcaped unhurt.
A U G U S T A, May 24.
HOUSE of ASSEMBLY,
Friday, January 18, 1788.
Mr. Joseph Haberftiam from the Committee
on Finance brought in a report, which being
amended, was agreed to by the House, and
is as follows
Your Committee find tnemfelves at a loss
to get an accurate statement of the amount of
the general tax for the year lygtf, owing in
a great meafuie to the Clerks of the counties
(except thole of Waftiington and Effingham)
not having made their general returns agree
ably to law, and lodged them in the Trea
fury.'
The following fuins appear to have been
paid into the Treasury by the refpeftive Col-
Jeftors of the tax :
For Chatham, - , 2,598 18 o 1-4
i Effingham, - 335 18 9
Liberty, - - 1,060 1 2
Burke, . - 561 14 9
Richmond, - 1,506 15 7
Wilkes, - - 2,027' 12 7 i-;j
Greene, - - 15 8
Add to the money received
from the Sheriff of Rich
mond, by Mr. John We
reat, and not included in
any return, - - 23 0 9 1-4
£•s>s77 3 4
_»
VV afiiington and Franklin paid nothing for
1786.
That in addition to the above-mentioned
sum of eight thousand three hundred and fief—
venty-feven pounds three {hillings and four
pence received for taxes, there appears to have
been received two thousand five hundred arid
• sixty-two pounds seventeen {hillings and three
pence one farthing for duties on tonnage and
tax on vendues amounting in the whole to ten
thousand nine hundred and forty pounds and
seven pence three farthings, which make the
whole receipt on account of public revenue
for the year 1786.
That the following sums have been received
l>y the late and present Treasurer on account
of the general tax for the year 1787 1