The New-England chronicle — Boston [Mass.], 1776-05-23 00:00:00, page 1

Colony of Rhode-l/land, &c.
In General Assembly, May Session, 1776.
An ACT repealing an Adi entituled, " An A& for
“ the more effectual securing to His Majesty
" the Allegiance of His Subjects in his Colo
" ny and Dominion of Rhode-Inland and Pro
" vidence Plantations ;" and altering the Form
of Commissions, of all Writs and Processes in the
Courts, and of the Oaths prescribed by Law.
WHTZEAS in all~<'^
Compact, Protection arid Allegiance are
reciprocal, the latter being only due in Confo
quence of the former : And whereas GEORGE
the Third, King of Great-Britain, forgetting His
Dignity, regardless of the Compaq molt solemn
ly entered into, ratified and confirmed, to the In
habitants of this Colony, by His illustrious An
cestors, and till of late fully recognized by Him;
and entirely departing from the Duties and Cha
racter of a good King, instead of protesting, is
endeavouring to destroy the good People of this
Colony, and of all the United Colonies, by
fending Fleets and Armies to America, to con
fifcate our Property, and spread Fire, Sword and
Desolation, throughout our Country, in order to
compel us tw submit to the most debasing and de
testable Tyranny; whereby we are obliged by
Necessity, and it becomes our highest Duty, to
use every Means, with which God and Nature
have furnifhed us, in Support of our invaluable
Rights and Privileges ; to oppose that Power
which is exerted only for our Deftruaion.
Be it therefore EnaCted by this General ffonbly,
and by the Authority thereof it is Enabled, That an
Adt entituled, " An ^ for the more effectual
securing to His Majesty the Allegiance of Hi, Sub
jects in this his Colony and Dominion of Rhode
lu^id and Providence Plantations," be, and the
fame is hereby repealed.
And be it further EnaCted by this General Affem.-
ily, and by the Authority thereof it is EnaCted,
That in all Commissions for Offices, civil and
military, and in all Writs and Processes in Law,
whether original, judicial or executory, civil or
criminal, wherever the Name and Authority of
the said King is made Use of, the fame shall be
emitted, and in the Room thereof the Name and
Authority of the Governor and Company of this
Colony shall be substituted, in the following
Words, to wit : “ The Governor and Company of
the English Colony of Rhode-Ifland and Providence
Plantations ;" That all such Commissions, Writs
and Processes, shall be otherwise of the fame Form
and Tenor as they heretofore were : That the
Courts of Law be no longer intitled nor consider
ed as the King's Courts : And that no Instrument
in writing, of any Nature or Kind, whether pub
lic or private, shall in the date thereof mention
the Year of the said King's Reign : Provided ne
vertheless, That nothing in this Aft contained
shall render void or vitiate any Commission, Writ,
Process or Inftfument, heretofore made or execu
ted, on Account of the Name and Authority of
the said King being therein inserted.
And be it further Enabled by the Authority afore
faid, That the Oaths or Engagements to be ad
ministered to the Officers appointed in this Co
lony shall be as follow.
[Here follow the Form of the several Oaths
emitting the Name and Authority of the King, as
above direfied.]
LO ND ON, January I@.
The following is extracted from a pamphlet lately
published, entituled, " A Second Appeal to the
" Justice and Interests of the People on the
'' measures refpefiing America."
THE conclusion from the foregoing confider
-4 ations,duly weighed,will,l conceive,be found
and decisive, whether it be for War or for peace
and reconcilement. The queflion is great. A
greater never before called for our attention. The
fate of empires hang upon it. The Protestant re
ligion, the BritifEconftitution, the prosperity, the
opulence, the existence of Great-Britain, depend
1 HE
NEW-ENGLAND CHRONICLE
BOSTON : Printed by SAMUEL HA LI, at his Office next to the Oliver Cromwell Tavern, in School Stre
(Vol. VIII.)
THURSDAY, Ma, 23, ,776.
upon the issue. Let us then give it that atten
tion, which its high importance merits.
The armament ^ 'it year against America,
was 10,000 soldiers aidqooo seamen. It was
then supposed, the Ar er cans would not resist.
The event has proved riy rill. That armament
is half consumed, wi 'fit effecting a single thing
of any confequenc.e 1 have conversed with no
officer on the fubjet who thinks a main army
of less th< ~3C, X n©', with an adequate train
/fr'ii^^rn f - par:,
theContinent, and lO,COO sea-men including
marines, can open the campaign with possibility
of success. This estimate I purposely state as
low as possible.
Forty thousand land forces will be £.1,000,000
Ordnance service — 500,000
Transport service 600,000
Ten thousand seamen, including marines 600,000
Staff and hospital 70,000
Building and repairs of ships 100,000
Forage, bread,&e. for the fleet and army 1,000,060
Extra expence 600,000
Total for the American war £.4,470,000
It must be remembered, that the peace eita
blifhment, together with the interest of the na
tional debt, entirely exhausts the prelent supplies ;
that the finking fund is almost emptied ; that the
debt already incurred for the war we have carried
on with America, cannot be less than 2,000,000!.
and that the necessities of the civil lift will call
this year for 5,000,000!. At the lowest compu
tati n then, if we are to continue this war, the
additional exigence of the ensuing year will be
7,000,000!. which mult be provided for, by ad
ditional taxes. Let us then confider, what we
shall lose in revenue and commerce, during the
continuance of an increase of taxes, to furnifn the
extraordinary supplies for this unnatural war.
Mr. Glover, whose knowledge and accuracy is
undoubted, estimates the revenue arising from
North-America, actually received, at 300,0001.
per ann. Besides this, the taxes, which are in
volved in the price of the manufactures we furnifh
them, and which must fail with the failure of
our exports, cannot be estimated at less than one
million. The neat revehue arising from duties
and excise on Weft-Irdia productions, is seven
hundred thousand pounds, half of which cannot
but fall in consequence of this dispute. Your
exports to North-America were three millions
per annum, which were paid for in raw mate
rials that trebled their value upon being manu
faftured, and entered deeply into the whole system
of your manufactures and commerce.
Upon this estimate then, observe what must be
your overtaxed and ruined situation.
Additional supplies for the year 1776 £.6,470,000
Deficiencies in the revenue 1,650,000
Total equivalent to an actual ink ' -
crease in taxes of 8,120,000
If we add to this the supplies for the
current service of the year which
amount to 11,000,000
The sum total will be £.19,120.000
This sum far exceeds the«burthen of any year
during the last war. The ruinous consequences
of it are plain and inevitable. There is no man
in his senses, who can fit seriously down and shew
by what resources we can supply such an enormous
demand. L is an absolute insanity to suppose
our funds will survive the shock. Nor is it more
rational to suppose, that a less force will fuffice ;
or that such force can be supported at less expence.
Indeed the ministers have already thrown out in
Parliament, that 40,000 men will be requisite.
A less number would,be an army ts inability and
irritation. Nor have I indeed an idea that such
a force, though formidable, will be effectual. It
may check, but it cannot conquer America. A
war at more than 3000 mi: s distance, against an
enemy we now find united, a&ive, able and reso
lute : Where every foot of ground is to be won
by inches, and at the fame fatal expence with
Bunker's Hill ; in a country where faftnefs grows
upon faftnefa, and labyrinth on labyrinth ; v,b.
a check is a defeat, and a defeat is ru.n.— It 1 .
war of absurdity and madness. We shall &.
pluck the moon frorr her sphere, th n corct.
such a country. But when we con 1 der ril,
circumstances, that such a war is to be wag GJ .
a nation so exhaufled of men that we are obli; .
t hire foreigners, so overburthened with de<
'at we are finking under its weight ; divided ai_
rafted among ourselves, while they are kibi
"'-^ ^ .!"' a ;? rong men, with v^t £/.: of
enthufiaflic liberty, ®ne sense of grievance and
universal defperatiom ; I knew not with what
name offolly and infatuation to brand the attempt.
It is agreed that the grand American army amount
to 50,000 chosen men, led by experienced Ge
nerals, animated by every motive that can inspire
undaunted and heroic valour, disciplined to all
the advantages of the country, comforted' and
confirmed by every assistance which the attach
ment, the interest, the zeal of the inhabitants can*
minister, and capable of being recruited or rein
forced with the utmost facility. Against this
army are we to contend under every possible dis
advantage. Our Generals unacquainted with the
particular country, our soldiers uhanimated, I
will not fay dilgufted, by the nature of the service,
embarrafled by the natural obstacles of an jm-
p r a&icable country, harraffed and difrefkd by an
irritated, hostile pe; ntry, recruiting difficult,
reinforcement imp;'Under these infuperalle
obstacles, what ca „ie from th 6 attempt but
rout and ruin ? w fr^ e ministry state to us a
plan ? I do not 'eq^. : it should be practicable,
let it only be plauh^e. Till that is done, Ive
shall be warranted to retort upon administration,
General Gage's charge against the Provincials —>
and call the attempt an ad of phrenzy.
L O NU ON, fan&ary r~.
The follow); ^ ifrtr!lig&nc^ -^^#<opr.jufr ra
ted by an officer 'd: unk in the army : Govern
ment have sent over to Germany to engage ißco
men, called Jagers, people brought up to the use
of the rifle barrel guns in boar hunting. They
are amazingly expert. Every petty prince, who
hath forefts, keeps a number of them, and th<y
are allowed to take apprentices, by which means
they are a numerous body of people. These men
are intended to aft in the next campaign in A
merica, and our ministry plume themselves much
in the thought of their being a compleat match
for the American ^fle men.
Feb. 19. Yesterday evening a young recruit,
who had been enlisted in the country for a soldier
when in liquor, in order to prevent h^ going to
America, at a public house near Chelsea, with a
large earring knife, chopped off his left thumb
and two fore fingers.
Lord Howe is invested with unlimited military
powers, which, it is said, he positively demanded
previous to his accepting the chief command of
the King's forces in America.
A letter from the Hague, dated Feb. 16, fay%
" It is said that the Amfterdamers have not only
consented to cede the Scotch brigade in the Dutch
service to Great-Britain ; but have proposed to
the States of Holland that it should never return
to this country any more."
Feb. 24. Ihe King has given orders to put
a stop to any of the officers belonging to the three
regiments of guards felling out, so that those who
dislike the business of going to America, though
they have purchased their commissions at high
premiums, can only resign.
The value of goods entered for exportation to
the British Weft-India iflarads the last month at
the Custom-House, exceeds the sum of 5t,00c1.
which is more than have been entered for some
time past.
Extract of a letter from Portsmouth, Feb. 23. 1776.
" Arrived the Carcass bomb, which failed from
Cork the 12th inst. with Sir Beter Parker, and 42
fail of men of war and transports, with whom h'
parted company on the 18th in a gard gale cf
wind, when Sir Peter had but 25 fail left with
him. The Careafs has loft her mizen-maft, and
thrown many of her floret &v,r board."
(Numb. 405.)