| Citation |
RAG.779.006
28 Jan 1779:22,23 (144)
For the Royal American Gazette, Messrs. Robertson,
It appears by John Holt's rebel paper, that the New-York
rebels were all very happy on new-year's day, when they
celebrated the third year of their liberty. . . New year's
day, for time immemorial has been a day of festivity and
drunkenness among the descendants of the Dutch, and every
place where they had obtained a settlement, when it was
customary for them to smoak tobacco, eat cookies, and to
drink drams till quite intoxicated, they would run about the
streets bawling and hollowing New-year! New-year! to the
surprize of all strangers, and revel in the most wanton
riot, till wearied out with bawling, dancing and hollowing,
nature quite oppressed sunk down into a dead sleep, from
which they awakened to repent of their extravagance, and to
atone for it by a whole year of hard labour and rigid
frugality. . . [2 columns of political diatribe on the
excesses of the rebels]
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