The Pennsylvania Packet and the General Advertiser was an American newspaper that was founded in 1771.

It was based in Philadelphia, except during the British occupation of the city between 1777 and 1778, when Dunlap published the paper in Lancaster.

In 1825, the Marquis De Lafayette granted an interview to "Poulson's Advertiser" during his famous visit to the United States.

[4] Poulson ran the paper for almost forty years; at the end of 1839, he sold the publication to the owners of the recently founded North American.

To the extent it can honestly be traced past this point, the final successor of the Packet can be said to be The Philadelphia Inquirer.