one, mentioned by a sprightly French female, which ran nearly thus: "To Madam, the Countess of C "My dear Creature, "For the love of God fend me the rouge which you promifed me yefterday, for I look as pale as "death. Apropos, my poor dear husband is just "dead." This apropos is very much like Governor Mifflin's "I take this opportunity;" and as fuch I dare fay it was received; for, notwithstanding the wheedling of His Excellency, the Prefident refused to have any "thing to do with the house *. Mr. Pinckney.-Reports are in circulation, that this gentleman has been refused an audience at the court of the Cut-throat Republic. SATURDAY, 11th MARCH. Wilmingtonians.-By a gentleman juft arrived from Wilmington (Del.) it is reported, that General Washington paffed through that borough yesterday, amidst the acclamations of the grateful citizens. If ever public acclamations were pleafing to the ears of heaven, those of the people of Wilmington, on this occafion, were furely fo; for it is faid by Him who cannot err, that, in the celeftial manfions, "there is more rejoicing over one repentant finner, "than over ninety and nine that need no repent❝ance." *It was ridiculous enough to fee a legiflature employed in examining the correfpondence between a Governor and a Prefident on the fubject of letting a dwelling-houfe; but it was, if poffible, ftill more ridiculous to hear the Prefident reject the bargain upon conftitutional principles. "I entertain," fays he, "great doubts "whether, by a candid conftruction of the Conftitution, I am at "liberty". -to do what?-To rent the houfe certainly; for no thing else was propofed to him. This Wilmington (and it is a pity too, for it is a delightful little place), this Wilmington, in Delaware, was the most abominable fans-culotte of any town in the whole continent. They burnt their Senators and Mr. Jay in effigy; they caballed, and harangued, and remonftrated with more industry and virulence than even the virtuous town meetings of Bofton and Philadelphia. I leave any one to guess at their indefatigablenefs in the caufe of faction, when they made fhift to drag the old Pennfylvania Farmer to the field of oppofition, and to prevail on him to take a part in the combat, though a Quaker. People wonder at this factious difpofition in the Wilmingtonians, seeing that they are moftly Quakers, which usually fignifies men mild, peaceable, and obedient to the laws. But the Quakers of Wilmington differ from all other Quakers in America: they frown and look fierce, and, if contradicted in converfation, not honey, but wormwood, drops from their lips; they are a fort of Puritans in a Quaker's drefs. Some exceptions, however, must be understood here. Many of the people, as well Quakers as others, of this pleasant little town, did not ftand in need of French fpoliations to render them friendly to the federal government, or to awaken their gratitude towards General Washington. From the Gazette of the United States. SIR, Department of State, Philadelphia, March 9, 1797, I enclose the copy of a letter which I received the third inftant, from the late Prefident of the United States. The letter itself will fatisfy you of the propriety of its being published. The original, as defired, is depofited in this office. I am, Sir, your obedient fervant, TIMOTHY PICKERING. DEAR DEAR SIR, Philadelphia, 3d March, 1797. At the conclufion of my public employments, I have thought it expedient to notice the publication of certain forged letters, which first appeared in the year 1777, and were obtruded upon the public as mine. They are faid by the editor to have been found in a small portmanteau, that I had left in the care of my mulatto fervant, named Billy, who, it is pretended, was taken prifoner at Fort Lee in 1776. The period when these letters were first printed will be recollected, and what were the impreffions they were intended to produce on the public mind. It was then fuppofed to be of fome confequence to ftrike at the integrity of the motives of the American commander in chief, and to paint his inclinations as at variance with his profeffions and his duty. Ano ther crifis in the affairs of America having occurred, the fame weapon has been reforted to, to wound my character and deceive the people. The letters in queftion have the dates, addreffes, and fignatures here following: "New-York, June 12th, 1776. To Mr. Lund Washington, at Mount Vernon, Fairfax county, Virginia." "G. W." "To John Parke Cuftis, Efq. at the Hon. Benedict Calvert's, Efq. Mount Airy, Maryland." June 18th, 1776." "George Washington." New-York, July 8th, 1776. To Mr. Lund Washington, at Mount Vernon, Fairfax county, Virginia." "G. W." "New-York, July 15th, 1776. Washington, Efq. &c." "New-York, July 16th, 1776. Washington, &c." "G. W." "New-York, July 22d, 1776. Washington, &c.” "G. W. To Mr. Lund "G. W." To Mr. Lund « June «June 24th, 1776. To Mrs. Washington." "G. W." At the time when these letters firft appeared, it was notorious to the army immediately under my command, and particularly to the gentlemen attached to my person, that my mulatto man Billy had never been one moment in the power of the enemy. It is also a fact, that no part of my baggage, or any of my attendants, were captured during the whole courfe of the war. Thefe well-known facts made it unneceffary, during the war, to call the public attention to the forgery, by an exprefs declaration of mine: and a firm reliance on my fellowcitizens, and the abundant proofs they gave of their confidence in me, rendered it alike unneceffary to take any formal notice of the revival of the impofition during my civil administration. But as I cannot know how foon a more ferious event may fucceed to that which will this day take place, I have thought it a duty that I owe to myself, to my country, and to truth, now to detail the circumftances above recited, and to add my folemn declaration, that the letters herein described are a bafe forgery, and that I never faw or heard of them until they appeared in print. The prefent letter I commit to your care, and defire it may be depofited in the office of the Department of State, as a teftimony of the truth to the fent generation and to pofterity. pre Accept, I pray you, the fincere efteem and affectionate regard of, Dear Sir, Your obedient, GEO. WASHINGTON, TIMOTHY PICKERING, Secretary of State. MONDAY, MONDAY, 13th MARCH. General Washington accufed of Murder.-The following moft wicked attempt to blaft the character of the General, is taken from the Aurora of this morning: MR. BACHE, I faw in your laft number a letter figned Geo. Washington, folemnly denying the authenticity of certain private letters dated in 1776, and afcribed to him. For the honour of my country I fincerely rejoice, that thofe letters were not genuine; but I muft fay, that I think Mr. Washington blameable for not having earlier noticed the forgery. I own for one, that his long filence produced on my mind difagreeable doubts. Others have felt them, and I cannot but think, that, as a fervant of the public, it was his duty immediately to have removed fuch doubts, fince it was in his power to do it fo readily. His perfonal pride should have been overcome for the fake of his public duty. The neceffity of public confidence being attached to officers in important ftations, especially in a government like ours, should have pointed out early to him the neceffity, however difagreeable the talk to his perfonal feelings, of ftepping forward with a public denial of the unworthy fentiments attributed to him in thofe fpurious letters. Since he has prevailed upon himself to break the ice, there is another fubject on which the public mind, I think, fhould receive fome light. I have not known it lately to be a matter of public difcuffion, but it has been frequently brought forward in private converfations, and I never could find any one capable of giving a fatisfactory explanation; and probably, from the old date of this tranfaction (1754), Mr. Washington may be the only perfon capable of giving an eclaircisement. The accufation in queftion is no lefs, than having, |