The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-02-20 00:00:00, page 2

genuity and counting ofthe ministry have been on
the rack, in fup r ort ofit. A numerous army of de
pendents, place-men, pensioners and'dreattres, from
the prime reasoner at court, quite down to the pratling
lackey in the liable, have taken the field in defence
of it. They have been routed, drove off, chagrined
and confounded ; rallied again, renewed tie conflict
with the fame fucceis ; at last like a bird hunted from
twig to twig, they have taken wing, and loft fight of
the question. It would be affrontive to your under
handing,to labour a truth, which you believe asfirra-
Iy,and with as much tenacity, as your firft concepti
ons or the intuitions of fciense. But a rara avis in the
Mass. Gazette,under the signature ofMaffachufetten
fis, who constantly presumes upon,and at length more
openly asserts, without proving, the right of Parlia
ment, founded upon a supposed union of the colonies,
in his verbose but fophiriical publications, I hope
will excuse, if not juftify a few observations and
concise arguments upon the fubjedt. I beg your
candid attention. I will make no promises of enter
tainment or improvement. Such as I have I will
give. I wish like a scribe well intruded, I could
bring out of my treasury things new and old ; I will
offer nothing but what is didated by an honest heart
—Of the truth of this you may better judge from
my next.
From the County ^Hampshire.
L O N D O N, November 20.
There is a mhn now living as a livery servant in
Somerset-house, who is in the i 19th year ofhis age.
He has lived in that Nation 98 years.
Dec. I. The Active, Miller, from Quebec, is
arrived atMalaga, having thrown part of her cargo
overboard. The Falkland sloop of war that was
defined for Africa, is ordered to be got in readiness
to carry the resolutions of parliament for Boston.
Dec. 3. Col. Amherftis appointed Lieut. Go
vernor of New-foundland. The Earl of Chatham
is greatly indisposed with the gout at Hayes.
Dec. 10. The India company propose to fend
out in the next fleet 10,000 stand of arms.
The crews of the Pallas and Falkland sloops of
war have both received tWO months pay advance.
Mr. E. Burke in his speech on Monday last, on
the amendment of the addrels, though he was lo
gistically argumentative, was very humouroufly and
pointedly so. Amongst other humourous redacti
ons which he made on administration's buoying up
the new members, by telling them the address was
nothing but avote of compliment, he compared such
a conduct to a designing dissipated lover, who, under
the shew of the most honourable felicitations, firft
squeezes his mistress's hand, then asks her to take a
turn in the park, next to an excursion into the coun
try, and so on step by flep till he dishonours her,
and brings her in the end to that infamy and dis
grace, that what was originally her misfortune, be
comes her shame and disgrace.
Mr. Burke, in the fame speech, mentioning the
prefect situation of America, drew a fine allegori
cal picture of that country, which he compared to a
funeral. Trade and commerce, he said, were the
pall bearers ; the principal merchants were chief
mourners ; the Welt India and African merchants
ctofed the procession ; whilst the army and navy^ at
a distance, looked on in gloomy silence at so melan
choly a fight.
Dec. 13. A number of transports are failed for
Ireland, to receive on board the 22d, 49th, 55th,
and 63d regiments. Major General Howe and Sir
William Draper, are going out as Brigadiers on
the Raff.
L O ND O N.
In the House of Commons, December 16.
MR. Sawbridge moved for a call of the House
for Wednesday, Feb. 1, with the usual for
nralities ; and then gave notice, that he intended to
make a motion for leave to bring in a bill to Shorten
the duration of parliament. His motion for the call
of the House was seconded and carried.
Lord North arrived soon after, when the Speaker
left the chair, and the House went into a committee
on the supply ; when Lord Barrington made a moti
on that 17,547 eff^aive men, including commission
and non commission officers, be employed in the
land service for the year 1775^ This occasioned a
long and interefling debate. Mr. Rose Fuller be
gan by desiring to be informed what forces were em
ployed in the Massachusetts-Bay in New England.
Lord Barrington, though he said the question was
unusual, replied, seven battalions, five companies,
and three battalions more were on their dedication,
but not arrived there Mr. Fuller then observed,
that if so large a force was necessary there, he hop
ed the reafdn would appear by the Ministry's laying
before the House, in the course of this session of
Parliament, the date of affairs in North-America.
Lord North answered, that if no other member had
made the motion, he certainly should, for such was
.t^eunhaj pj situation of that.country, that the as-
Tirs of America Would force themselves into Parlia
rt^ ; he observed, that the measures he had advis
e -he last session, had not been attended with the
fucccls himielf, and some others more sanguine in
mom T-mmien,- mtu e^ptettu trem them ; but
that when the day appointed for considering them
game, and he should move for a day cn purpose after
the holidays, he did not doubt of juftifying them.
Capt. Luttrell complained of the absence of the
country gentlemen upon this important question,
rind said he was sorry to find the number 01 feafnen
reduced and not the army.
Mr. Thomas Tewnfhend wilhed to know, whe
ther the forces now required for the land and sea ser
vice were all that the Ministry would require : If
they thought themselves strong enough with this
force, for all events, in case of no conciliation in A
merica ; if they declared this, he would join in
thanking them for the reductions, but not if they
meant afterwards on any pretence to ask further
supplies and grants of Parliament, before the end
of the sessions.
Mr. Van, member for Brecon, was nearly of the
fame opinion. Governor Johnftone seemed to think,
that we should not have Sufficient force left in the
kingdom if rigorous' measures were continued a
gainst America, to defend us against an invasion ;
and said, that it would be very practicable, if ever
a rising genius in France should seriously set about
it ; and then introduced acomparifon between Ame
rica and Ireland ; this enlarged the debate, and ex
tended it digressively from the motion before the
committee, to American affairs.
Mr. Cruger, the new member for Briflol, an A
merican by birth, in a most pathetic speech expatiat
ed on the fatal breach between the mother country
and the colonies ; he asserted the supreme authority
of the British legislature, and maintained that it was
fully acknowledged by the Americans in all com
mercial points, and in every other, the right of tax
ation excluded ; he condemned the measures taken
by administration ; but with great tenderness added,
that he did not doubt they were such as seemed belt
at a difficult and delicate crifis,---^^^^ est errare,
he applied in a home but refpedful manner to the
minister, and hoped he would now fee his error, for
severe measures might drive them into the arms ofa
foreign power, to avoid the cruelty of an unrelenting
mother.
An expreflion drop rd from a Member, seeming
to reflect on Lord North, as it he had said America
Jbould be brought at our feet ; his Lordship, with be
coming dignity and coolness, vindicated himfelf,
and desired that when any expression, liable to mis
represen tation, fell from any of the Members, they
might be explained in the House, and complained
of the cruelty of misrepresenting them out of doors,
as well as the mifehief they occasioned, particularly
fpecifying such a piece of injustice in an American
pamphlet. He acknowledged he had made use of
the words above-mentioned, or to that eflea, in a
session of the last Parliament, when the Bostonians
had refolded on a non-importation plan to force
Great-Britain to repeal certain Ads of Parliament,
but he had explained them to the fatisfaflion of the
whole House, before he left it, and therefore tho't
it ungenerous that it should be mentioned again.
As to the question, if the forces now demanded were
fufficient ? he declared they were, unless from the
conduct of the other colonies it should be judged ne
cessary to extend the line with refped to them ; in
which case it would not. Mr. Charles Fox moved
to have the American papers laid before the House,
previous to the day of taking the affairs of that
country into consideration ; and then the question
being called for, this and sundry other supplies were
agreed to.
Governor Johnftone having in the course of his
speech mentioned something ofa comparison be
tween the Rate of America and Ireland, Lord Clare
was very warm in reply ; and was followed in the
fame spirit by Sir William Mayne. They were
both answered by Mr. Rigby and Mr. Fox, who
contended generally that the supreme power of the
state has a right to exercise a power of legislation
over every part and parcel of the British empire.
BOSTON, (Thursday) February 16.
Yesterday forty-five lords of Wood were brought
to town from Milton, being a present from that
town to the fuffering poor of this.
A correspondent has sent us the following, viz.
" The Lively frigate of war, is lately Rationed at
Marblehead, in order to harrafs and impress the fea
faring inhabitants of that town. It is said to be by
order of Admiral Greaves in confequeuce of the mif
condud of his purser, John Williams, who had two
boxes consigned to him in the ship Champion, Capt
Fellows, which arrived there from Great-Britain
between the firft of December last, and February in
stant. These packages, agreeable to the continen
tal association, ought to have been reshipped, or de
livered to the committee of infpedion for sale, or to
be stored during the continuance of the association,
but instead hereof Williams utterly refufed to com
ply with the association, and with some other inferi
or officers of the navy demanded the boxes, alledging
that they contained candles for Admiral Greaves;
the committee as well as the town, thought the do
ings of the Continent too important to be thus treat
ed by a common purser, and the matter was so re
guiatea um Oil cai&n were octaneo, intxi ijpli
cation was made to the committee in the name of the
purser, fcr felling the iame, and the association was
fully complied with, for this infiance of fidelity in
the committee ahd town, in that community tonfift
ing of about seven thousand inhabitants, mostly de
pendent on trade and navigation, thus arbitrarily
treated ; which must convince the American colo
nies, that had they not nobly resolved to maintain
and defend their rights and liberties, the most infig
nificant officers of the crown would have been au,
thorifed and encouraged to inful, them. The crew
of the Lively are not fuffered to land by the inhabi
tants of Marblehead, who seem determined to defend
themselves against these unjuftifiame proceedings.''
In the las war, the Bruffcls Gazette obtained the cha
racter of the Lying Gazette ; Mr. Rivington's paper is
none j^fb, called the New-York Lying Gazette ; in that
infamous paper of January 26, are the following para
graphs. " That the popular faflicn at Boston, appear
" to lose ground and some capital defedion will be Joon
'' heard of from that party." A Falfhood ! There ne
ver voas greater union among the friends of liberty in this
province, at -which the enemies of their country are con
founded. " Their new treasurer, Mr. Gardner, from
" motives of discreet difeernment, has refufed to afl in
" that capacity." Utterly falle !be is now ever, da,
receiving money from every part of the province.
" Since the execution of the las Joldier, Ferguson, not a
" man has defected from the army." Another falffiood!
" Income counties, their minute men are dismissed, yet
" ff the mad men ofJlarblehead are preparing jar a n earl,
" campaign against his Majeflfs troops, without wait
" htgfer the rejult of the congress's measures inEngland."
As gross a slander as it is a fallhood. The minute-men
in every count, are indeed diligently preparing end quali
fying themselves to defend their lives and properties when
attacked, but they are to annoy no body, if no body annoys
them ; and the people of Marblehead, are among the
foremoft for adhering most confeientieuf, to the recom
mendation of the Congee,s, not to aft offenficely, unless the
conduct of cur enemies will juftify such a measure to the
continent, our mother country, as Jbe was once called, and
tbe whole world. Rivington, in bis paper of February
gtb, republijbes the account of the late riot in King Street
from Mej/rs. Fleets and Edes & Gill's papers, the truth
of whic» has not been controverted in this town, tbe evi
dences thereof being near at band. This is followed with
a relation of that riot from " tbe other fide of the quef
" tion," wherein it is said that tbe towns, eople began
b, " infalting an officer, and damning tbe King, Gover
" nor and army, that tbe watchmen kick'd and beat him
" little fart of a quarter of a mile, to tbe wateb-houfe"
then follows, " the spirit of tbe people of Boston fams to
" jubfide, but that in order to keep it up, tbe vaga
" bonds, of tbe town ark employed to insult thg troops;
" which tbe, do daily, in order to bring about another
“ massacre." All this is utterly.devoid of TRUTH, and
a frikingfpecimen of what her fans are to expedl from
one who has lold himfelf to do wickedly.
Extract of a letter from ChArleftown, South-Caro
lina, dated January 11, 1775.
" lam ver, sorry that public affairs appear with such
a gloom, afpeA with ,ou. I heartily wife every thing
may be fettled to tbe mutual fatifaAicn of both parties,
and that matters may not be carried to greater extremities.
Our provincial congress are met this day ; it is not certain
that they will choose the fame delegates ; mart, people are
very much diffatisfied that rice Jbould be excepted in the
non-exportation agreement at tbe last congress, and let
who will be chosen they will have pofsite inftruAions to
put a flop to tbe exportation of that article in September,
when tbe non-exportation agreement takes place ; this
no doubt will be looked upon as a noble facrif.ee of tbe
planters of this province, which it certainly is ; they do
this, in order that there Jbould not be the leaf cause of
jealousy given to the northern colonies. I fineercl, wij'b
ever, colon, on tbe continent may be as firm and Jlead, as
South-Carolina, who cheafuli, give up more than any
province on the continent."
Extract of a letter from Charleftown S. Carolina
December 28, 1774.
" I am glad to hear our company is esteemed in
your part of the world. I assure you they deserve
praise, as they have behaved well on many occafiors
lately ; particularly at a dreadful fire we had here
lad night, when Capt. Steven fon's and fix other
houses were coufumed in 4 hours. The governor
desired his thanks to be given to the officers and men
for their good behaviour on the occasion. We re
cruit faft, and improve greatly in discipline: People
who may fee this, may think I pass too g^eat enco
miums, but permit me to tell them King George
has but few better soldiers. We are completely pro
vided with an ammuni.i&n-chrft, which contains foo
dozen cartridges, with ball, spare ft nts, &c. in Ihort,
he who won't die for the liberties of America, don't
deserve to live in freedom.
N. B. Had a review of the three companies last
week ; their behaviour had the grratcit applause ;
many Europeans beheld with astonishment, and laid
that General G--- niuft have a few more thousand's
sent him before he can subdue the Americans. A
troop of horse is jult raised ; the grenadiers, a find
company, just complete."