The American gazette, or, the Constitutional journal — Salem, Mass., 1776-07-16 00:00:00, page 4

(Continued from the first Page.)
vaged our coasts, burnt our towns,
and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time, transporting
large armies of foreign mercenaries
to compleat the works of death, de
solation and tyranny, already begun
with circumstances of cruelty and
perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most
barbarous ages, and totally unwor
thy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow
citizens taken captive on the high
seas to bear arms against their coun
try, to become the executioners of
their friends and brethren, or to fall
themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insur
rections amongst us, and has endea
vored to bring on the inhabitants of
our frontiers, the merciless Indian
Savages; whose known rule of war
fare, is an undistinguished destructi
on of all ages, sexes, and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions
we have petitioned for redress, in
the most humble terms: Our re
peated petitions have been answered
only by repeated injury. A Prince,
whose character is thus marked by
every act which may define a Ty
rant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a
free People.
Nor have we been wanting in at
tention to our British brethren. We
have warned them from time to time
of attempts by their legislature to ex
tend an unwarrantable jurisdiction
over us. We have reminded them
of the circumstances of our emigra
tion and settlement here. We have
appealed to their native justice and
magnanimity, and we have conjur
ed them by the ties of our common
kindred to disavow these usurpati
ons, which would inevitably inter
rupt our connections and correspon
dence. They too have been deaf to
the voice of justice and of consan
guinity. We must, therefore, ac
quiesce in the necessity which de
nounces our separation, and hold
them, as we hold the rest of mankind,
enemies in war; in peace, friends.
We, therefore, the Representa
tives the UNITED of STATES
OF AMERICA, in General
Congress assembled, appealing to
the supreme Judge of the world for
the rectitude of our intentions, do
in the name and by the authority
of the good People of these Colo
nies, solemnly publish and declare,
That these United Colonies are, and
of right ought to be, FREE and
INDEPENDENT STATES; that they
are absolved from all allegiance to
the British Crown, and that all po-
SALE M; MAssacuuseTTs-Bay :- Printed by J. Roecrrs, at E. Russery’s Printing-Office, Upper
~ End of Main-street : Where all Persons may be supplied with this Paper at Eicur SHiLLINGS per An
num, (exclusive of Postage :) And where may be had,,if applied for immediately, a few Setts of this
- Gagzette, from the First Number. AbpvERTISEMENTS and Articles of INTELLIGENCE are gratefullyreceived
& The PrinTING-Busingss, inits several Branches, still carried on as usual by said RusssLL,
By the arrival of Capt. Williams at Philadelphia,
Sfrom §t. Euflatia, we have the following Lets
ter, avbich was received in this City Yeffer
day Ewening. §
L ONDON, April gth, 1776. :
T will no doubt be entertaining to you to
I know something truely of the plan formed by
saniftry here againlt America, therefore you may
depend on the veracity of the foliowing intelli
geace. Shew this lewer to whom you please (in
Philadelphiz) and it is poflible some persons may
guess the writer. The designs of the British ca
binet are to make the greatest efforis poflible
this year to reduce America to an ungonditional
{fubmiffion, being thoreughly sensible that it is
not in the power of this country to carry on the
war another year, if the present armament should
prove unfaccelsful ; therefore all the wifc men
think that the Americans will keep on the de
fenfive, intrench themselves at every pass, and
mever come to a general decisive engagement
bat whea sure of viQory., They will no doubs’
harrals the Britith mercenaries on their march,
cut off their convoys, and keep them as much as
poflible from all kinds of provifions.—=Sir Peter
Parker failed lait moath from Cork, with Lord
Corawailis, and 3000 men, for'Cape-Fear Ri
ver, in North-Carolina, where General Clinton
is gone from Boiton to take the command, with
10c0 itand of arms from Visginia, to put into the
hands of the Scoichmen fettled on the head of
that river ; and when Cornwallis arrives, they
are either to invade South-Carolina er go down
to Virgiuia, to Peterfburgh, or James River,
General Burgoyne failed from Portsmouth the
4'h Instant, with Colonsl Philips aud €aptain
Foy (who commanded the British Anillery at
Minden) and 3000 Brunswick tioops, the 2zgth
regiment and marines, in all to the amoeunt of
4000 men for Quebec ; 4000 more are soon (o
follow for the fame place. If they can (next
Summer) they are from Cunada to penetrate in
to the Colonies over the lukes. Next month
the Helfian troops and a few regiments from Eng
land and [reland, aie to fail for Boson, whea,
Howeia to Jeave that place, leaving a garrison
there, and to go to Long.lland with about
20.000 men for the grand army ; where, afier
making his giound good, he 15 to subdue the
province of New-Yoik, and fiom thence, through
the. Je:feys, penetrate to Philadelphia,—7o or
80 ships of war from 16 to 32 ard 4o guns, are
to keep continually cruizing on the coalt to
prevent any supplies of arms, &:. and all the
transports have about 12z or 14 guns ; buc as
the mea of war are not above a quarter men’d
with seamen, and the transports hive hardly sea
men eaough to vavigate the fhipe, it is imagin
ed that mamy will be taken by the provincial
privatcers if the Americans will ‘fight like com
mon men. By land itis supposed the Ameri
cans mult be fuccefsful if they have either spirit
or fsgacity ; though adminiftratica depecd a
great deal on the affiltance they are to get from
traitors in North-Carolina, and from the Scotch-
litical connection between them and
the State of Great-Britain, is, and
ought to be totally dissolved; and
that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT
STATES, they have full power to
levy war, conclude peace, contract
alliances, establish commerce, and
to do all other acts and things which
INDEPENDENT STATES may of
right do. And for the support of
this Declaration, with a firm reli
ance on the protection of Divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to
each other our lives, our fortunes,
and our sacred honor.
Signed by ORDER and in BEHALF
of the CONGRESS,
JOHN HANCOCK, Presi.
Att. CHARLES THOMPSON, Sec.
N E W.Y OR K, July 1.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,
That the Brigan
tine ELlzasuTn and Car
-20, (Peter Ram/ay, late Mas
ter, bound from Ba‘h’n to
Halifax ) retaken and brought
into this Port by Commo
dore MaxLy and others in
) --~ United Colonies, are to com
mence invoicing at Portsmouth, the Twenty
fourth Day of this Toftsnt July, (in Preparation
for Sale, agreable to a Resolve of the Honorable
ConTinenTaL Congress) and to comtinue
until the whole is compleated. '
ALL Persons legal Claimants to
any Part of said Brigantine or Cargo, are de
sired to attend on said Day,- that their Interest
may be feleCted. —Those Persons imterefted and
negle@ing to attend duly, wiil be deprived the
Bencfit of claiming, as all Goods that may not
be legally claimed, will be invoiced for the
the Use of the Continent and Captors, and fold
accordingly, 5 '
Josu. WenTworTH, Agent.
~ Portymouth, New-Hamppire, July 1, 1776,
N. B. There were Four Negroes taken
with said Brigantine, viz. A Negro Man, named
Adam, Jobn Rowe, Esq; Owner ; a Ditto, nam
ed Scip, Harrison Gray, Esq; Owner ; a Negro
Woman, named Bilinder, Benjamin Auflin, Elq;
Owner ; a Ditto, named Brade, Widew Kit<
cath, Owner. G
men in Maryland Virginia, and’ the Carolinss,
—An old and expgrienced Geteral, said the
other day that the Americans werd wifeiin. ufiog
the pick-ax and spade, for by intgenching. them.
selves always they might save many lives; and if
they followed the wisdom of the Roman General
Fabeus in opposing Hannabal and the Carthage
nians, the Americans must be fuccefsful in the
end.—ladeed it appears now that America has ne
other alternative but to submit to more than Tur
kish Slavery,or declare ixfelfindepepdentnfGﬂ%
Britain ; in which case many of the European pu-ic’
ers would be glad to afford herali the affifiancein
their power. We have thisday a report thai &
vessel from Philadelphia, bound to Bordeaux,
with flour, &c. has been brought into Briftel, the
crew having seized and confised the Captain.
This report wants conformation.
Remarks on the obooe Letter (AMSTERDAM)
Sir Peter Parker’s floet was dispersed, half of
them put back to Esgland and Ireland, and those
that were not loft, arc but lately failed agsin 3
thould they all arrive at Cape-Fear-River, and be
joined by 1000 men there from that Province,
will any man that is acquainted with that country,:
{ay, they are able to march 2506 miles to Charles«
Town, South-Carolina, or 350 miles to Virginia,
I fay the climate and distance is more than they
are able to stand, if no opposition. If Quebec
is in the hands of the Proviucials before Burgoyne
gets there (as { think it will) his Bodo men will
have work enough next year. Howe with hig
20,000 men on Long.lfland, will find double thae
number to oppose him from Conne@icut, New-
Jersey, and Pennsylvania, without a man from Bos
ton (those that are now with Lee, excepted) Vir-.
ginia and Maryland will be able to defend them
selves. [am very sorry to confirm theréportofa
veflel from Philadelphia to France,being in Briflol.
Meflirs, Bayard, Jackson, and Co’s letter of the
13°h of January 1776, to. Captain Mefton, is pub
lithed in all the News-Papers of the 12th of
April, and the villains have told of fix ather Cap
tains that failed with them on“the fame account,
and the signals they are to make at the Capes of
Dalaware on their retorn.
Extradl of a Letier from St. Enflatia, May 7.
¢¢ I take the liberty of acquainting you with
the arrival of a ship from=——==with go tons of
powder, and a parcel of fire arms. ’l‘wt other
veflels were to follow with the fame articles ;befides
these, near twenty fail are expeéted from Amster
dam, all of which will bring more or less ; so that
if it is yet wanted in America, you will know
where it may be had in plenty, ;
¢¢ The demand for America prodnce seems to
increase daily ; and as the call for such, for the sup
ply of the neighbouring Islands, has taken sway
all that we had for our own use, we have s very
melancholly profpet before us, if we have no arrie
vals with those articles form you.””