The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-04-08 00:00:00, page 2

LONDON.
HOUSE of COMMONS, Dec. 23.
THE House having co ne to a reflation to adjourn
till the 24th day of January.
Mr. Burke protested that he had nofhare in the appoint
ment of so long an adjournment. At the present crisis,
to run away into the country and to spend all bufinefe
and attention to public affairs, looked not like a want of
public spirit, but like downright madness. At a time
wuen the King's arms had begun tn make fomeimpreffion
on nor enemies, and when commifTrmers for peace and
conciliation with America were actually in Europe, who
can, without furprizebud aftomifhment, think of the ad
journment of Parliament until the 24th of January ? And
to take so important a step with fo;litrle ceremony, witn
so much inbff rence, in so thin a Haufe, scarcely a House
at a", appeared to him a deplorable proof of how little
importance in the eye; of gentlemen, is rhe fafety of the
nation, when placed in a balance with Christmas pies.
Mr Towefhend foli, that 'he w.:¥'rihT iiHhe 'Ho^^
th?nm w.ien a motion was made for so long an adjourn
ment ;if he had, he would hhve opposed it as much as he
could. He reminded the H>uf^ of the fatal eonfequences,
that had follows I their adjournment this time two- years.
Hov could gentlemen answer to their canftituents, to
their ova confeie^es. to GJJ, for abaridoing the care
of the nation at # fj ahr®ieg Y a crifify ftrlhe&LT o 4r
mufi rg thgmfelvesat their houfa in tpeicbuntry? f
Captain Whitworths said; that the, motion wis atrfeady
agreed to, arid that, if the, were to e&'re ch perpfelyes
within forms, they mi^hc five them'elve^ toe trouble of
difeuffing a matter which bad been already decided. But
warethe queffion as opti to debate as it is in converfa;
tion to censure or to juft,nation, he did opt fee any
ground for conde nine the adjournment, which w?s not
longer than ufud It is affirmed indeed^that there are in
Europe Commissioners from Amer ca, with terms ,f peat@
and conciliation f hope thereare, laid Mr jrjit werth;
I dope tmir terms of accommNation ?re Suitable and
hdriwabie'for both parti,-, and i they are; f hope they
wII meet with success. But »hate o er private information
gentlemen may have, the H jufe of Commons knows nd,
thing of meffen^rf having arrived either in Biitain or in
France from A nerNa. No offi ;il accounts of this event
hh/e b^eptrauf netted to the Huufe. If the adiourament
that is now ^raigne I would hive been unexceptionable a
week, or long ago, it is unexceptionable still. For the
House has received no manage in that time, no ofli idl
information that could possibly be a ground of proceeding
one way or 'hector,.
Colonel Hirtleyfud, that although this House Lai re
ceived no official ,ci:ouats, that there were messengers of
peace from Aneri a, yet there were some persons who
knew ofthis event ; a deferable one. if rightly improved,
but ^dim^tous, it mifenproved, by beinc mrfconftiuaed.
Let Minify loos to themselves, let them anticipate in
tneir imaginations that dly of reckoning, whuh may,
anl.it is hoped, will come. If they neglect to seize any
opportunity that may occur, of putting a period to the
calamities of this country, and if thole calamities fti!l en
creafe, the time may come, when they fhiil repent of
taeir wickedness or of their folly.
Mr. Burk? congranrated the gentleman over the way,
who thouiJbe in the Blue Ribbon, for defending Mini Pry
in their absence, with the fame arguments but in a better
fire and manner? than they would have used themselves,
hid they been prefect. Tse gentle nan has acquitted him
fel in his new department exceedingly wed, said Mr.
Birke aaJ entered into the very genius of the Mi ider.
H- has a dwered the objections of gentlemen on tbis fide
th: Houf, and waved th, cunfi -ration of natiir I cula
m ties And dinger's, with such a degree ,f humour, of
pleafan,y and mirth, as caftupt fail of being very agree
a'-leto the Minnlry, wuofe r prefcntative he now is, and
alio to his f- - -n. " irisv?ry true, fays the on rable
gentlemen, we may all know of meffehgefs bom America
when we are out of tfre H>u(e, but does it follow that we
are to kao v the fin? truth when vieare in the Hwfe ?
'Do the fame fNuitifs; rhe fffie' notinrry and conceptions,
tie fame principles poifeß and regulate a man in this
House, that inform audguid^ him out of it ? No, no;
there is an inverfi 9, a ch^n^e in all t>efe things, very
often when we are in this House ; con frequently, we
ought not, to reason from what is known without doors,
tuthat which may be Known within door . In flier', the
gentleman feemsinfiwred by toe very fp rit-if the Minis
ter ; and I adinre his taLrit f>e mimirkry or unit .tion.
Th many things, in nofl.things, I amperfuad-J he would
exceed the Mnifter; and L-hope hi; appear mce to dar,
in the character or a minifUrja! fubilimte, hooly a pre
lu le to trier? honorable preferment' ' x,^l r o fee him
in a Blue Ribbon himfelf, anj no fu d..>,v @rimage of a
Mauler, but hims If a real and fubdiotial Modifier. I
Ihou'd tninkhe wool 1. acquit himfelf better in that rfgh
ftitiou, than he who has long so unfor-kaately filled it,
avi, now the hobdays are com og, and left vs without
the anNion and dignity of their prince like a few boys,
like fa many ch Idren. Tae ancient Curiftiaos;ii the time
ofChriftmas, had t : w.r Episcopes Puerorum, and the an
ti,r>rHeathens taeir Rex Puarorum, and we have our
Meiller Puerorum; and rough we annst reverie the
high and nked degree of adjourning till the 24th of Ja
nuary, we may taket' e liberty of children in the holidays,
of talking of great things, of imbarin, great men, of
looking up to o^r M gift r Puerorum, of whom, from the
fpeci nec. ^e has this day given.of his abilities, lam in
ci.ned totroe that ne h fitter to be a Mmifler Virorum
than the noble Lord i -,whofa he has now represented with
so muen archneß and dexterity.
Geirit Prevpft is to have the next vacant Red Ribbon,
and a regiment; and Captain Moncreif is promoted to a
Majofity in the train, and ordered a compliment of 3000
gir i^s out of the royal purse.
Te Hutch Ambassador nas given notice, to all persons
in toe naval or military line, firhjifts of the Republic, to
return home imme fiat ly, to regime their employments
in ine service ottheir own country.
PHILADELP H I A, April 8.
OiThurfday Igft the High Court of Errors and Ap
peals, was opened in the Council Chamber, and adjourn
ed til Saturday the 15th infant.
We hearthat Council, unanimaufy, have appointed
the Honorable GEORGE BRYAN, Esq; a Judge
of the Supreme Court of this State.
A Copyofthe following confidential letter to Lord George
Germaine was taken with a number of other d'fpatch
es, and duplicates of dispatches, from Sir Henry
Clinton, on board a packet, by one of our Eastern
privateers Our vessel had the peculiar address to ap
pear as a New-York privateer till Ilie gained her pur
pose. As the letter contains, in particular, a ftite of
our Southern affairs, of which we have been slmoft to
tally in the dark for f>mr time pad, we flatter ourfelve#
we shall gratify thecuriofity of our readers by its pub
lication; and, as coming from the enemy, we cannot
dowbt but the in formation is perfect, as far as it refpeHs
themselves.
PRIVAT E. No. 15.
Savannah, (in Georgia) January 30 1780.
My Lord,
IH A D the honor to address your Lordship in my offi
cial capacity, on the 20th of December ultimo, dated
at New-York, in which I gave a special detail of the re
giments and corps then embarked, referring you for the
naval operating force, to Admiral Arbuthnot's dispatch.
From the time f was honoured with your LorjQlip's
inftauaions to evacuate Rhode lflatid, and to condense
and dispose the King's troops, on such a scale, as would
afford the most fubftaotial proteaion to New-York, and
(yqhfljtq depeqdencie&, as might be held confidently
wjhthe force to be withdrawn, for the propQ fed southern
operations ; tiji the moment of embarkation, no oppor
tunity whatioevtr p^s offered itfelf to strike any part of
the,enemy, er evei to venture upon any incursion that
RtyWifcd advantage fuperipr to the rifque. 'Befides, as
I. communicated in my lift, the violent demonflrations of
the rebels, which threatened a determined attack 6f the
post at New- York, in epojunaion with a large naval and
Lndarmament under Count D'Eftaing, then difeaing
itfelf againfl the garrison at Savannah, necessarily turn
ed our whole endeavours to defeat so alarming a combi
44ti°n<.
The regular troops under General Washington, a
mo,anted it this period to fifteen thoufarid met) ; to which
is to be added, the army commanded by General Sulli
ivin, then on its return from a fuccefsful expedition a
gity.fi our Indian, aides, and but very little diroinifhed
by the campaign. T,?is give him a force of twenty
thousand effectives : But your Lordfllip will be able to
form a more perfeß judgment of our measures, when you
combine with this army, the militia of Runfrivania,
New Jersey, New. York, Connecticut and Maffach^fetts,
which were ready to be drawn together cn the fhortefl
notice, and whose fpir ; ts were peculiarly exalted at this
crisis, from the prefect of a city, full of wealth, and
devoted to plunder; and by the flattering idea of ending
tie war, by its capture.
Not a moment was to be left in such a critical conjunc
ture ; for every moment was important, and expelled
to come with the amount 0 D'Bftiing's appearance be
fore our harbour. The works at Brooklyn, and on Go
vernor's Idan.l were enlarged and improve i. Naw works
wer- e(faed m the W Bering Place, and Sandy Hook ;
the King's buttery at New York was repaired and mount
ed with heavy ordnance ; and places marked out, and de
fences provided, to cove r 'he thipp ng along the Sounds
Tnefe preparations employed the whole labour of the ar
my; and i cannot but observe, in cd .'ition ro what I
have said in my ffi ial letter, the general readiness in
most of the Refugees, to facilitate these important ob
jeft,.
I flatter myfel', after this enumeration, your Lord-
Blip will concur inthe?mpraai "ability of effayin?, any thing
againh the < n my. Wash^-ton remained in his faftcef
fes at the Highlands; and so posited as to use the Hud
lon tothe g^eateft advantage, in making his impression
otrourrieft; while every advantage of water was also in
his powr r by the Sound, and under protection of the
French fl et, expend us to the most perplexing embarra f
menu. —Affidlaßle in so many points, and every instant
expect ng D'Dftaing, we had but time to look towards,
and take meatu.es fer own defence; and the occasion re
quired us to put for ward our best exertions
Ido not reckon, my Lord, am r ng the kffer misfortunes
of the last year. & operations of D'EHaing on the A
merican coast . •The vast relief thereby given to the rebel
trade,and the injury which it 1 roughs upon curs : The im
preffiop it carried tome to the minds of the people, of our
loft dominion of the sea, and the difppfition of the French,
to give them every fiffitlance reconciled le with the gene
ral objects 3f the war, to complete our ruin on the Con
tinent:: T e reduction of the King's force in Georgia,
by the com med operations in that quarter, and its con
frquent effects : F rahhough6^r brave garrison esca
ped, yer a g'e.-t.-r detMCimeot from N^w-York became
ntfifpen'abk, than w.cs at frft intended ; and neeffarily
pl el it in a c.uiJri n. much below your Lordship's ex
pcGo as : Tie Kpeuce it hasaccumul ited by the fink
ing of th ^ to obtfrud tne entrance into toat harbour ; and
the railing rs new works and improving of old ones, which
writ eu fiefs, unit's and army as large as what was then
at N^v-Yo k, mould bekepr there for its defence These
coefi leratioHS, my 1/rJ, while tley fill me with t e ut
mjft mor iticat on, will convey te your Lordship, the
cautes t^at delayed so oag the entrance cn the execution
of a pan, with which I have the honor to be intruded.
Inthe official letter of he 25m instant, you will find a
derail of the diftreffid and fluttered slate of the fleet,
by a succession of t e most severe storms. I enumerated
the ft verai transports with troops, taken by the enemy,
as ar as they had come to my knowledge ; with our los
ses in Acre Clips, horfee, cavalry, and the military atta
rail, abfoluttly essential to the enterprize against Char'ef
town : But a very few of the miffing vessels have arri
ved since.
By this last misfor'ane, oar affairs are not only de
ranged, but nearly at a stand; pressed by my inclination
logo forward ; Circulated by the danger which hangs o
ver the Floridas, to advert to their proteClion; unwilling
to divide a force in i's prefect situation, incompetent to
the original purpose ; difirafled between, calls the most
urgent ; our numbers deer afog by the unhealthinets of
the climate, even while I am writing to your Lordship.
In such a situation can I, my Lord, but express myfelf
feelingly ; and I trail your sympathy is not to be the
only coufolation I am to exped from my country : Hi
therto a train of incidents, peculiar and beyond human
forefight, have set in againfl the arms of my royalmaftrr;
but as they were beyond our foreknowledge, no precau
tions of ours could have cbunterw&ed rhera ; it is this
which will be our apology, for what ne have not done ;
and I flatter myfelf, that when we come to a&, we (hall
want none for what we shall do.
But, to be in a capacity to proceed on therriginal plan,
I have difpitched a packet-boat to New York; with a
demand on that garrison, cf which the incloftd is a co
py. Your Lordship will per elve, th?t the fucccur of
men only, is made provifionrii 1 hesitated on the mea
sure I have taken; I hesitated, between the danger to
which New York would be expend, and the necessity for
prosecuting the views of government, in such a manner
as to give them a moral certainty cf success; and I can
not but perfume myfelf, that my de ifion on this matter
will meet the fanflion of your fentimenis
Till the result of this dispatch is felt, I fear le°ft every
move we shall make, should fall fhert of the original pur
pose; and in this case, every move will be a real mis
fortune e And yet, unhappily as we are circurnftaneed,
it appears of the utmost expediency that we should do
something; that we should approach Charleftown, and
either makea sudden attack upon the place, or await fa
vorable conjunctures, in its vicinity: We are preparing
for this purpose, and with every possible expedition, for
every day raises frelh bars to our expectations.
My advices from all quarters serve only to confirm what
I farefaw, previous to our landing in this province. We
no longer rest upon eur sirs lfoundation. Our bad for
tune has afforded Carolina leisure to think, and to adopt
itfelr to the degree and nature of the danger with which
it was threatened . •It has received aids , from North-Ca-
Irofina: Reinforcements of cavalry have alto arrived from
General Washington ; and wbei reinforcements are also
on their march. Lincoln has bees induOriQus and fue
cefsful, in putting Char eflown in the best poflure of de
fence: A very refpeftable lineof abattis is nearly com
pleated.: The advanced ditch is enfiladed op right and
left by 24 pounders ; and its fearp armed with fallen trees,
the trunks of which are obl qutly funk into the earth,
in the manner of a praife-werk : The pre files of the bat-,
teries are of the firtl rate, and the whole formidable by
its artillery.' Trie approach on either fide of the neck,
will be opposed by a number of armed vessels and move
able batteries, capable of giving us ex&me annoyance-
A descent on the foirthern fide of the town can only be
attempted in flat-bottom boats; and in the face of a nu
merous artillery, and without any on our part to c&ver
the debarkation. When we have f reed the passes of Aih-1
ley river, and formed thefiege. Thefearc but a few of
toe obfruaions we must encounter in a land attack : But
should we faceted in deProying the naval strength within
the Bar, ^e shall have little to apprehend from these.
The garrison in this case must evacuate the town, or be
come prisoners. The naval force of ice harbour cenfift#
in four Continental frigates, two French armed Blips,
two Provincial Ships, and fix vessels, mc>A qf which
are mounted with heavy cannsn. Now, my Lord,
the Continental frigates only, anchored within dif
tasce for defending the Bar, art atleaft formidable, if not
foperior, to any naval force that, can be brought against
them. Your I.or'fh pis well informed that nothing lar
ger than frigates c^nenter with their guns on board, and
even frigates must approach finely, and be fuce ffively
fubjea, for a confiaerabie time, to the broadsides, which
will rake them fore and aft; while the least falfe move
ment is (efficient to throw them, on the breakers.
This, my Lord, is but an incomplete fpecification of
the change in their circumflances. The policy which you
so much dreaded, is at length embraced by Sou h-Caroliua.
The people seem to have got over their vain apprehensi
ons, and have refolvd on making soldiers of a proportion
of their working negroes. They now perceive, that their
fears on this head were vifienary, or founded on thedefruc
tive principle of felf iotere f ? ; which yields even less tt an
the widow's mite with reluctance. They are now con
vinced, that a fup<ri,r influence in the officer, will in
every conjundure, be the fame over men of a I lack co
lour, a^ over t;ofe of a different complexion. Nay, that
this influence will have a greater scope, as the intellects of
those it dinHs have been deprived of tt@ advantages of
improvement. That there are no better reasons for pre
suming that the negroes would be averse from refusing
their old employments in the field, than that the men
which composed the American army, would net at the
conclusion of the war, return to their former occupations.
That, while the black fo'diers would augment the milita
ry strength ofthe rebel State, they, at the fametime,
would guard tie rile iam e ofthofe that retrained on the
farms . •An so far from leading to their defertich, that
they wou'd ftanJ as an unfurmcuntable barrier between
them and us. That the blacks on the plantations would
be flattered, by feeing a part of tl eir brethren, sharing in
the dangers and h nors 0 the whites: And that, while
this would .f rve to reconcile those at home to their situ
ation, it would form those who were to become soldiers,
to sentiments ol country, by interefling them in the foil
wh ; ch they w-re called out to defend.
Thus, my Lord, are we deprived of another principal
support : But you may be assured, that all and each of
these sentiments have been ffierally and feparatciy com
bated; and that all and every means have been praßifed
against what has happened, and that necessity, more than
the reasoning of our enemy, has forced the me fureupon
Carolina. There are moments which will operate to the
good of a community, notwithstanding the utmeft policy
to the contrary.
Under the prefect circumffances of this people, even
the lofi of Charleftown will but inconsiderably asst& the
province. In this case we should only have gained a
healthy situation for an unhealthy one ; hr a place where
we might spend the hot months with least interruption.
If we cannot, my Lord, deftruy the spirit and refotircee
of the province, by extending ourselves to the utmuft li
mits of your Lerdfhip's inftrudions, we shall accemplifh
nothing fubftaotial for Great. Britain, The firength of
North Carolina, and the neighbouring provinces, will
keep gathering round us, till we shall become contempti
ble in the eyes ofEurope, or fall an easy prey to a com
bined operation.
In these my confidential communications, I would hope
to beconfidered, as caly difeharging a part of my duty
to the State; I may regret, I may lament; but it ill be
comes a servant of his Majefiy, and an Engiifhman, to
misrepresent.
It is necessary, my Lord, that I should attach to the