The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1782-02-16 00:00:00, page 5

SUPPLEMENT to the^ Pennsylvania Packet,
Philadelphia, Feb. 17, 1782. 11l o'clock, p.m. gi
A Gentleman just arrived from Elizabeth-Town, has favoured us with a New-
York paper of the 14th inftanc, from which we have extracted the following Advices,
the Importance of which, we presume, will juftify us in the liberty we have t^ken, of
laying them before the Public at this time.J
WHEN I last met you in parliament, I acquaint
ed you with the arduous situation of public af
fairs at that time, and I represented to you
the objects which I had in view, and the resolution
with which I was determined to persevere in the / de
fence of my dominions against the combined power
of my enemies, until such a pacification could be made
as might consist with the honour of my crown and the
permanent interest and security of my people. The
war is Hill unhappily prolonged by that restless am
bition which firft excited our enemies to commence it,
and which fiill continues to disappoint my earnest da
fire and diligent exertions to reflore the public tranqui
lity : but I should not answer the trust committed to
the sovereign of a free people, nor make a suitable re
turn to my fubje&s for their constant, zealous and af
fectionate attachment to my person, family and go
vernment, if I consented to facrifice, either to ray own
define of peacfy , or to their temporary tale and relief,
those effentiairights and permanent interests, upon the
maintainable and preservation of ^hich, the future
Strength,a nd security of this country must ever princi
pally depend.
Tire favourable appearance of our affairs in the East-
Indies, and the fafe and prosperous arrival of the nu
merous commercial fleets of my kingdoms, must have
given you fatisfaftion ; but in the courfa of this year,
my assiduous endeavours to guard the extensive domi
nions of my cro*n, have not been attended with suc
cess equal to the justice and uprightness of my views-,
and it is with great concern that I inform you, ithat
the events of war have been very unfortunate to my
arms io Virginia, having ended in the loss of my forces
in that province.
No endeavours have been wanting on my part to
extinguish that spirit of rebellion which our enemies
have found means to foment and maintain in the colo
nies, and to refiore to my deluded fubjefts in America
that happy and prosperous condition, which they
formerly derived from a due obedience to the laws;
but the late misfortune in that quarter calls loudly for
your firm concurrence and assistance, to fruftrate the
designs of our enemies, equally prejudicial to the real
interests of America, and to tho e of Great-Britain.
In the las lfeffion you made a considerable progrtfs
in your enquiries into the state and condition of our
dominions and revenues in the East-Indies: you will,
I am persuaded, resume the prosecution of that impor
tant deliberation, with the fame spirit and temper
in which it was begun, and proceed with the fame
attention and anxiety to confider how those remote pro
vinces may be held and governed with the greatest se
curity and advantage to this country, and by what
means the happiness of the native inhabitants may be
most promoted-
Gentlemen of the house of Commons,
I will order the estimate far the ensuing year to be
laid before you. I rely on your wisdom and public
spirit for such supplies as the circumstances of our
affairs shall be found to require. Among the many ill
consequences which attend the continuation of the pre
sent war, I most sincerely regret the additional bur
thens which it must unavoidably bring upon my faith
ful fubjefts.
My lords apd gentlemen,
In the prosecution of tnis great and important con
test, in which we are engaged, I retain a firm confi
dence in the protection of divine providence, and a per
fect conviction of the justice of my cause, and I have no
doubt, but, that by the concurrence and support of
my parliament, by the valour of my fleets and armies,
and by a vigorous, animated, and united exertion of
the faculties and resources of my people, I shall be en
abled to restore the blessing of a fafe and honourable
peace to all my dominions.
^i? majetty's ship Narcissus, Edward Edwards, efqr.
commander arrived here on Tuesday last, in nine
weeks from England ; by her we have the following
advices.
Extract of a letter from fir Henry Clinton to the right
honourable lord George Germain, dated on board
the London, off Chefapeak. O&o. i,, 1781; by cap
tain Melcombe, of his majefly's sloop the Rattle
snake, who arrived in town late on Sunday night.
Agreeable to the information which I had the ho
nour to give your lordship in my last dispatches, the
fleet, under the command of rear admiral Graves, fai
led from Sandy Hook on the 16th instant, and arrived
off Cape Charles the 24th when we had the mortifica
tion to hear that lord Cornwallis had proposed terms
of capitulation to the enemy on the 17th.
This intelligence was brought us by the pilot of the
Charon, and some other persons who came off from
the shore, and laid they had made their escape from
York on the 18th, and had not heard any firing there
since the day before. The Nymph frigate also arriving
the next day from NewYork,brought me a letter from
,is lordftip dated theisth,the defponding tenor of which
lave me the most alarming apprehensions of its truth,
lire then we have been plying off the Capes with va-
From the London Gazette, November 27.
Weflminfler, November 27.
This day at noon hjs majesty went in state to the
house of peers, and being in his royal roles, seated
on the throne, with his usual fo'emnity, his majefly
was pleased to open the session of parliament with
the following most gracious SPEECH.
WHITEHALL, November 27.
N E W-Y O R K, February 14.
My lords and gentlemen,
PRINTER BX DAVID C. CLAYPOOL&
1781.
Last evening the enemy carried my two advanced
redoubts on the left by florm, and during the night
have included them in their second parallel, which they
are at present busy in perfecting.
My situation now becomes very critical, we .dare
not Ihew a gun to their old batteries, and I expeß their
new ones will be open to-morrow morning. Experi
ence has ihewn that our frefh earthen works do not re
fill their powerful artillery, so that we shall be foou
exposed to an assault in ruined works, in a bad ,0-
fition, and with weakened numbers.
Admiralty-office, Nov. „, 1781.
Capt. Meleombe, of hit majefly's sloop the Rattle
snake, arrived at this office late on Sunday night from
North America, with dispatches from rear-admiral
Graves to Mr. Stephens, of which the following is an
extract :
London, at sea, Oft. 19, 1781.
In my last letter, by the Lively, captain Manly, 1
desired you to acquaint the lords commissioners of the
admiralty, of my having passed the bar of New-York
with British fleet, with 7000 of the army embarked,
to go to the relief of earl Cornwallis, at York in the
Chefapeak.
The fleet accordingly failed the moment the troops
were put on board, and proceeded the fame day (the
19th) for the Chefapeak.
The 24th we received intelligence from a black man,
who was pilot of his majesty's ship Charon, a white
man who belonged to the quarter-mafler-general's de
partment, and another black man, who had made their
escape together from York, that lord Cornwallis had
capitulated on the 18th instant the day before the fleet
failed from Sendy-hook.
The 26th one of our boats brought off some people
from the shore near Cape Charles, who gave the fame
report of the capitulation.
The 25th his majefly's (hip la Nymphe joined us
from New York, and brought dispatches from lord
Cornwallis, dated the 15th, a copy of which is eaclofed,
and leaves littleroom toqueflion the truth of the other in
telligence.The 3 people being flill on board and questio
ned again,and known for what they reported themfelve#
to be by several persons, helped still to corroborate : I
therefore determined to detach the Rattlesnake for Eu
rope to give the earliest information to their lordfllips,
that government may be prepared to receive the par
ticulars.
riable and hard gales of wind, to the present hour,
without being able to procure any further information,
except from two men taken in a canoe, whose report
exaaly cprrefponds with the former.
Comparing therefore the intelligence given by those
people, and several others since core® in, with the pur
port of lord Cornwallis's letter, a copy of which I have
the honour to enclose for your lordship's information,
we cannot entertain the leafl doubt of his lordship's
having capitulated, and that we are unfortunately too
late to relieve him ; which being the only object of th&
expedition, the admiral has determined upon returning
with his fleet to Sandy-Hook.
I beg leave to mention to your lordfllip, that the ar
my is under the greatest obligations to the admirals, th®
captains, and the officers of the king's fllips, for the
chearfulnefs with which they submitted to many and
great inconveniencies for our accommodation on this
service.
Copy of a letter from earl Cornwallis, to his excellency
fir Henry Clinton, dated York, Virginia, Odo. 15,
The fafety of the place is therefore so precarious,
that I cannot recommend that the fleet and army should
run great rifque in endeavouring to save us.
I have the honour to be, with great refpea,
Sir, &c.
LONDO N, December ,-
Wednesday marking the Dutch admiral Byland fail
ed through the channel, with four men of war and two
frigates, and as commodore Stewart is failed to meet
him it is highly probable an aHion will ensue.
The following is his majefly's answer to the addrefe
from the house of lords on the king's speech.
My lords,
N E W-Y O R K. Feb. 14.
The Itiarciffus failed from Plymouth on the Bth of
December last, at which time ten fail of the line, feve
of which were three deckers, were ready to fail from
Portsmouth for the Weft-Indies, under the oouMßind
of fir George Brydges Rodney, K. B.
I should bave been happy to have tried every possi
ble means to effea a relief, could we have arrived in
time; that profpea being at an end, I determined to
leave this flation, and return to New York.
N. B. The copy of lord Cornwallis's letter, above
referred to, is the fame as that printed in the fore
going dispatches from fir Henry Clinton.
I thank you for this very dutiful and affectionate ad
dress. The affurauces of your cheerful concurrence
and support in the prosecution of the great and im
portant contest in which we are engaged, gives me the
highest fatisfaaion, and must have the most falutar,
effeas. It shall be my conflant endeavour to make the
best use of this support for the attainment of the sole
end which I have ever in view, a fafe and honoura
ble peace.
The foreign mails bring an account of the death of
compte de Maurepas, miniher of France, at 81 yearn
of age ; and of the emperor's accession to the armed
neutrality-