The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-07-21 00:00:00, page 1

L ON DO N, Februarv 24.
ON Saturday taft came un bo^o Dadd's
rul, for forgery, at the Old Bailey.
H came co the bar, leaning on (he arm of
the Rev. Mr. Butler-,pale, weak, and in
an uniyerfal tremor, be exceed the compal
fion of the whole court. Lord Chefte field
was prelent, and examined- The evidence
was clear, ad Mr. Juft'ce Wills, in sum
ming it up, made use of every merciful ob
servation in ins power. Ihe jury withdrew,
and in ten minutes returned. The verdift
being demanded, Mr. Elliot, the foreman,
was a few minutes unable to speak ; tears
prevented his utterance; but he was oblig
ed at length to pronounce the fatal word !
The rest of rhe jury we r e equally difbeffed,
and the wretched convid funk down, until
supported by his friends. At this awful,
melancholy period, while a thousand hearts
bled, one infernal spirit, in the left hand gal
lery, rejoicing in human misery, clapt his
impious hands! General indigantion soon
checked his inhuman joy, and the lavage
was obbgedco depart, followed by the abute
of the whole assembly. In the evening the
jury preferred a petition recommending the
Doctor to the royal mercy; it was received
with great fa isfedon, and barked bv the
Alderman Si Charles Afgtll, Woodbridge,
Plomer, and Newnham, who all applauded
the ; r humanity.
M^rch 4. The offer which Dr. Franklin
has made to the court of France, by order
es Congress, is to cede Canada to that crown,
the Floridas to Spain, to allow th^ impor
tation 'fall forts of French manufactures,
duty free, into all their ports •, to lupply
the Wed India blinds of France with pro-
Visions and lumber at fixed rates, full twenty
per cent, cheaper than they ever were be
fore, and to assist France effectually in the
conquest of the Britih Weft Ind es. I^etters
from France adyife, that these propositions
have been agreed to without much difficul
ty, but the return for them has not been lo
easily fettled. Dr, Franklin demanded a de
claration of war againil Great Britain and a
French army of twenty thousand men to as
sist the Congress ; but this had been tri
tered down to a fleet of ten lad of the line,
that to be manned by the Americans, five
hundred thoufanjj Lewis d'ors, and arms
artilery ammunition, for an army of forty
thousand men, to be lodged at Martinico $ at
the expence of the French. This was the
sass date of the negotiator which' Lord
Stormont sent over; but the e have since
arisen many appearances which speak an
im mediate war.
MONDAY, %g di, 1777;
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
It is hardly to be credited what apprehen
sions toe at prefect in Lelahd, left the Spa
niards should lard there, if a war fhoutd
breakout between the two nations; not so
much from the danger of an army of regu
lar troops, but from the general ipfurFe&i
on which would infallibly take place among
all the lower dalles of ' Catholics in that
kingdom, and under circumstances too
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
Printed and Published by EBENEZER TVAfSON) near the GREAT BRIDGE.
which would make it dreadful beyond ex
preffiorr It is upon this account, that ve
ry particular orders have been sent to the
Lord Lieutenant, to attend to the state and
difpoficion of the troops in that kingdom
March 17. Lord George Germaine is not
so firm in his feat ashe was previous to the
arrival of Gen. Clinton from America ; it
was not in the power of office to prevent
the General's having repealed audiences of
his lovreign, which, backed by the New
cattle intereff, have lowered the consequence
of the American Secretary, at least w^h the
Buckingham-house junto.
March 19, A defpaich lately came to Lord
George Germaine's office from Sir Basil
Keith, Governor of Jamaica, upon the
great preparations carrying on by the Spa
niards at the Havanna; they have a whole
army there, and a fleet of four seventy four
gun ships, and three sixty-sour, with fix or
seven forty gun frigates; and the whole is
represented to be in great forwaidnefs. If
this is accurate, we held Jamaica by a very
feeble tenure indeed !
It is now known with certainty, that the
C ngrefs have tome ofth°ir members negotiating
at Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Berlin and Stock
holm ; and that the danger, which is the meft
P re E% w '" arije from the quarter lead ex
pended. ILs Swedifo Majeft, has bis plans of
Commerce as well as his neighbours, and is very
defrous of procuring eftab ilhment in America.
The public have been under a great error in
believing that the Duke of Wirtemburg was
able tojufil his engagement of raideg four tbou
fand men for the Jervice of Great Britain, face
the fall is, that before it could well be experi
mented, the French Minister at the Cout of
Stutguard demanded a conference with the Duke,
immediately after which the measure was at an
end. from which it is plain that France forbadit.
. It is whispered that government know so little
what to do with General Lee, that the plealure
of ,uniting him is left, in the inconvenience of
doing it. Ide will be brought, it is said, to no
trial,et, but be retained prijoner till the war
is ended, and then be tried for high treason,
Governor Johndone is very soon to occupy a
post of considerable importance in administration.
The army of France confided on the fourth of
February lad of one hundred Jixt, nine tbcujand
eight hundred men ; forty fix thousand militia
were to be added immediately, their place to be
supplied b, new levies ; fix thcufand infantry
at the fame time ordered to Bred, to serve on
board the men of war fitting out. Ihe prepa
rations for war began earl, in September, and
have not ceased ever free.
February 19 General Clinton has infixed
upon a Court Martial before he will refuse his
command in America, of even bis rank in bis
Majelly's service.
Lord George Germaine pleads, he meant the
garbling General (.Sinton's letter as an all of
frie^dfoip to that gallant officer, declaring, it
contained a variety 0/ intimation that waft have
mate much againfl him ;- —that fall however
remains to be proved.
T H^
11^
— fr
I^ ^M! ^ <
NUMOR^
COURANT,
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCERS
March 3. The refalt of Dr. Franklin's nF
gotions at the court of France will not end, it is
thought, at prefect, in a war between the two
nations. The fyfiem embraced b, the French
Ministry is to go ever, length in fapporting the
Colonies, without engaging in a war. Among
other efliftance, they are to fuimfh fix fail of Ge
noefe built men of war of the line, with every
neceflxr, on board. Ibis is to be done by one
foipat a time ; they are to go to Meirtimco and
St. Lucia, and there be delivered tip to the Ame
rican crews, and captains commifcr.ed by thd
Congress to take the command. Ibe, are also
to be supplied at Cape Francois, a^d Nicola Mole;
in St. Domingo, with whatever powder and ball;
arms and artillery the, ma, want. Payment
for the whole is fettled to be made by installments,
and a cession of territory to France, with very
great advantages in commerce Artillery is
what the, want greatly, as all their heme made
failed them ; —and this is what they will get witfo
great case of the French.
No General Officers are to go out with the
reinforcements this faring ; but all promotions
are to be made from the officers now serving in
America, in order to escourage the service,
Great numbers of private letters are in
town from France and Holland, which speak
in the strongest terms upon the vigor 'with
which all forts of military preparations are
carrying on in the various pairs of France.
Stocks are falling every day in conte
quince of the French news, which certainly*
bodes a speedy war with the two countries.
March 6, General Chiton has had feverat
private conferences with the King, upon the
condod of the next campaign, and has
strongly assured the King, that if the Amc^
ricans aie well fupphed with arms, ammu
nition and artillery by France, all which ar
ticles they want more than courage, they
will be able to make very effective refinance
voids General Howe has a force of at least
50,000 men.
March 7. Incafe afa French and Spanifli
war, the only hope of the kingdom will lie
in the reiliu^; and so dilatory is govern
ment in preparing against the evil day, that
not above two thirds of it were ever railed;
and not five regiments completely difdplin
ed ; bot none of the miniflers allow that
there is any danger of a quarrel with the
house of Bourbon; believing the repeated
afiurances of the French ministry, which
speak nothing but peace, however, certain
it is that they mean nothing but war.
A cor^efpondent begs the public to ob
serve tvvo or three things in the)afl Gaze te/
It makes General Hove calf it " leaving
the puffuit," when Washington had cut off
his retreat from New-York.- ft tells us an
ugly story, when it makes three Hessian Re^
foments amount to no more than 700 men.
Will minihr, allow, that the army is alrea
dy lo reduced, that a regiment contains but!
243, which went over with 650 ? 'lf not fei
reduced, thenthe Gazette tells lies. Why
fnould not a (Lie paper meet with the Lbm
Lr- ?
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.