The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-05-26 00:00:00, page 1

The American CRISIS, [No. Ill]
(emti^d from our las )
IV.„UT, whi weigh in ft warn aI maw of fens,
i^^^n dretaa moral advantages
mm independence : Ver gad dsieUuen „ <rr« ,
the trades of the old world; and America
ther could, nor can be under the government Bri
tain without becoming a Sharer of her guilt, a
partner in all the difol commirce of death. Ine
Spirit of duelling, extended an a National leal?, is a
proper chsraßer for European wars. have e
dura any other motive than pride, or any suer wje
than fame. The conquerors and the conquered ate
generally ruined alike, and the chief diff#^^ at a
is, that the baa marches heme with his aonom, ant
the ether without them. 'Tis the natural tempers
the Eagliffi to fight for a feather, if they fappofe that
fextltr to be affront; and America, without t a
right efafking why, must have abetted in every quer
rel and abided by its fate.' It it a (hacking fr.ua
to live in, that one country sauft be brought into 2
the wars of another, whether the mesfare be Tighter
wro or whether Iha will or not ; y et °" 3% *
fallen extent was, and ever would be, the iinavoidab e
confluence of the connexion. Surely! the Qua era
forgot their own principles, when in their lata it 1-
mony they called this coKwaien ivith theft military an
miserable appendages hedging teit, "7% haft) ^#-
giitutio*"
Britain, for centuries past, have been nearly
years out of every hundred at war with some power er
other. It certain!, ought to be a confcientioG as well
as political c^nfiderarion with America, not to dip her
hands in the blood, work f Europe. Our fitaarion
affords us a retreat fro^ their cabals, and the prefect
happy unian of .he States bids fair for extirpating the
future use of armsfr^m one quarter of the word ; yet
fueh have bean theineligicub politics es the prefant
leaders of the Others, that, for the fake of the,
farce knew wk&t, they would cut off «very hope es
such a bluffing by tying this Cuerinta to Britain, like
He&or to ihe chariot wheel of Achillas, to be dragged
through all the mifaiies of eudlefs European wars.;
The connection, viewed from this ground, is dif
traffiag to every man who has the feelings of humanity.
By having Britain for per rattier, we became enemies
to thegreateft part of Europe, and thvy to *„' and
the c^^quence was war inevitable. By btrag our
own mattes, independent of any foreign one, we have
Eurapte far out friends, and h^profye^ of an ^ndliifs
peaceamoag ourfAve^. Those who were advocates
far the Britifo government ever theft Colonies, ware
obliged tv limit both their arguments and their ideas
s^ t^e period ©faEaropean peace only : The moment
Britain became plunged in war, awry fap,efed con
venience to us vanished away,-and all we could hope
far was ^t to hi rni^td. Could this 6$ a definable con
dition for a young country to be in ?
Had the French pursued their fortune immediately
afi@r the defeat of Braddock left war, this city and
provides had them experienced the wofal calamities of
being h British fubjea. A feene cf thz fame kind
might happen again ; far America, co^fid^red as a
fetyate the crewn of Britain, w^uid ever have beta
the fiat rs war and ths bone cf contention between ths
two powsu.
On the whole, Ifthe future expulsion of arms fem
one quart,r of ihe world be a dgfirable objeß to a
peaceable man ; - if & freedom ©I tra^e to every part
of it can engage the attention of a man es
bufi^efs ; - if the support or fall us millions of curren
cy ca^ att^t our interest ;--if the eating pi ffeAiea cf
effatss, by cutting off the lordly claims ^Britain over
the foil, d.ferves the regard of landed property ;---
and if the right ofm^king ourown laws uncoutrouled,
by royal or miaiftojal fyies or mandates, be worthy
•our carets freemen ;---then are all man iateefted in
the fepport of Independence, and may he that fapports
it ^4 bedrivea flora the bleffi&g, and live unpiried
banemh the fertile fufferi^g, of h^dalutfa futyaion !
We have beg# amused with the tales of ancient iron
dare; we have read; Red wapt over, th^ hira ies es
©fo^ nation ; applauded, c^nfe-ed, or pined, ?s their
cam aff.add ns.---The fortitude and paricach of the
fi&rars --the juu^f; @f their cauls- -the weight cf
th^ir oppreffi^ns sad apprsfors --the objn& to be fa
-7.44 az loll—-whh all the caafeguenmpf a defeat or a
MONDAY, Ma, 26, i„%
CONNECTICUT
,A N D
WEEKLY
Containing the Frelheft ADVICES,
Printed and Published by EBENEZER WATSON, near the GREAT BRIDGE.
cpaqucft-.-have, in the hour as sympathy, bewitched
our hearts and chained it totheir fate: But where is
the power that ever made w^r upon petitioners? Or
wheels the war on which a world was flaked till now ?
We ^ay not, perhaps, be wife enough to make all
the advantages we ought es our Independents ; but
,hcy ate, avvertheUl,, marked and prafented to us
with every chara&er cf grzat and good, aid worthy
the hand of Him wha feat taem. I look through the
prefant trouble ton time of tranquility, when wo fh&li
have it in oar power to fetap example of peace to all
toe world. Were the Qj^kers really impfeffed and in
flaeaced by the quiet p^acipies they p^fifi tn hold,
racy would, however tney weight disapprove the
means, be tue hrit of all men to approva'of Inde
pendence, b^caufe, by Operating from the cities of
Sodom ana G. marred, it affords an opportunity, ne
ver given to man before, cf carrying their favourite
principle es peace ihie general pradice, by eftab.tifa
ing gavfafaim that ihall hereafter exist without
wars. Oh ye fallen,' cringing prfeft and Pamberum
rigden people ! what more c&h we fay of ye than that
a religions Quaker is a valuable Chara&er, and a po
litical Qj^k^ a real Jeinit.
Having thus gone wver fime of the principal points
in fupp^rgof Independence, I mast now request the
render to return back with me co the period when it
firft began to be a public doariae, and „rraiue the
progress it has made among (he various classer efmea.
The a^ra I me^n to begin at, is the breaking out of
heftitities, April 19& 1775. Until this event hap
pened, the Coniines fc mad to view the dispute as a
kind es kwiai: for a m.<tser of right, litigating be
tween the old country and the new ; mad foe feh the
fame kind and degree cf honor, as if ffia had feta an
oppreffiie plaintiff at the head es a band of ruffians,
enter the court, while the cause was before it, ^d
put the judge, the jug, the defendea; 2nd his coun
cil to ths feord. llzA&pa ame e heart lea coavu.fi
©n never reached & county w^h the tea# degree of
power arid rapidity before, and never ^ay again.
Pity for the fuffirers, mixt with) indignation at the
violence and heightened with appreheaZons of under
going the fame fate, mad# the affair cf Lexington the
affair of the Coannenr. Every part of it fait the
foock, and all vibrated together. A genenApromo
twa of lentiment took place : ThoU wh^ had drank
deeply into Whiggilh principles, that i„ the right
and necessity net &ni, cf oppeiiag, but wholly fetung
elide the power of th# Crown as soon „ it became
pradicali, dangerous (for in theory it was always f)
kept into the firft £gc wf Independence ; while &ac
ihe, craft of Whigi, equally found in principle, but
net ft fangniaeii eaterpriz, attached th&^lehfes the
ftroßger to the cause ana Gil cleft in wiih ths rear of
the termer ; their pertiriQ, war a mere point. Num
bers oftha moderate me±, whofa chief fault,, at that
tine, arose float their tnteruitihg a better opinion of
Britain than Ihe deferred, convinced now of their nrif
take, gava her up and pabiick^, a^dared the^filvas
goou Whigs. Weihs' the lariei, feeing it was no
longer a laughing matter, either flunk i^a filot ob
fcuiity, or qu&tA^d thefcfsives with earning forth and
abating;. Geneva: Gage : hot a fixgle advocate appear,
ad to juhify the adion of that day ; it legmed to ap
ptta.r. to every cue wi,h th* fa^e magnitude, struck
every oat with the fame fifce an& f crsated in every ene
! the lame abhorrence, , : Frqm this period we may date
the growth cf Ixdepuh&ncs.
11 ;^= m%ny circu^kincfs, which happened at this
R^morablu time, ba taken in one view, and compar
ed with each other, they will juftify a conel*Son
wiich fiemb act to be auehded u, I mean a fixt de
sign in the king and mixiary of driving America into
arms, in order the: they might be fsr^i.&d with a
preu race for seizing tie whom Contino ^3 iht imm^-
di^ property of rite Crown. A n©bla plunder for
kungry caurtisra !.
It ought io be remembered, that the firft petition
. from the Coagiefi was &t this time uuaufweied on the
part of th, British king. That the motion, called
Load North's reGtipn, ci the 201 k es Feb'daty, 1775,
arrived in America die lattw 'end 'of March. This
motion was to be l^id by the fv^l gevefadrs, then
ia being, before.& Affimbly cf erich piovife , &nd
t^efirft Affrably before w&ich it was # hid; was the Af
fimbly cf Punfylvanin in My following. Thh be-
TH^
^^AW ^^ Mto
^kw^^^^t CT
ing a just date of th* case, I then ask, why were hofi
iihtus ccmmeacd between the time of puffing the re
fulve in the House of Commons, of the ^o/n es F^
b. uary, and the time cf th^ Atfembiies meerhgto de
liberate upcu it ? Degrading wad infamous as that
motion was, there is, nevertteefs, reffdn to believe,
mat the k,ng a&d his adhetea;* were afraid the Cole
nici wcu.d agreg to it, ahd l&ft they Ihould tock sf
htruu care ^^y fheeid net, by proveki^g th^m with
hoftfliths in thd interim. Toy had nub the l^ff
doubt at that um es cot queuing America at o^e
blow ; and wh#t they sxpttted to get by a cosqueft
being iwfiritely greater than aky thihg they could hope
to g&: by taxation or accomodation, they seemed ce
teimfad to prevent oeh the peffibitity cf hearing,
each other, left America fficald aifappoiat their gree
dy hopes of the whole, by likening even to their own
terms. On the ®ae hand they refufed to hea; the pe
tit^a of the Continent, and on the other head took
efhaH&l cate the CsmiioMt lhiuld not hear them:
Thaflhe motion of the 2oih of February rad thd
orders for commencing hmitties were both concerted
by the fame person es pylons, a^d not the letter
by General Gage, as was faltiriy im&gih&d at firft; is
evident from anexuna of a letter es hit to ad&i&if
tration, read among other papers in the House cf
Commons ; in which he informs his mafyrt, ^bat
though their idea of bi; disarming cortai# c^tto cuai «
right oKi, jet it r^ireh b,m to be moJitr &, tbi ceswrj, iz
order to eraabit bra to ox^te it. T. is was priar to th#
c^jnraenesraent es hGtihrics, and anfiquenoy before
the motion es the 20th of F.biw&r) c&uia be deliberat
ed on by the leveret Affeablics.
Perhaps itm*y be i&d, why was the motion pfy
if there was at the fame time a pica tn %g&au' t h#
Americans not .© liken tvi? Lord Norti. affigaad can
lesion himieif, which was, a hope of fiiatzg sbe^.
This was publicly tempting thirn to xsjs'&u ; &§ if,
in case, the injury of arms fhculd fsir of p 4 viking
thsm lufficitfidy, the i^lcit es such a a*c,'amfr
Might dllitap. But by pdh*g the ktoticA and get
ting it ^fie;ward> %tt&ui: Agaric*, it enabled tiL,
in their wretched ioen ofp&.irica, a^cag ether tnsß„<
to hold up the GO^ its to foreign powers with e^y
p.ffilhe mark of driobedience and tebelrim They
had applied to those powers not to f^pply the Conti",
neat wit arms, ammunition, &c. and it was ^cefL.
ry the, fhouid iaceafe them agrinft dr, by affigaGg;
on their own part feme fesnring reputabh reai^n uhy.
By uiriding, ithad a tendency to weaken the Su&°
and likswife to perplex the adharchts of America ia
England. But the principal kheae, and that which
has marked thrir cheutterin every pm cf &ir con
du&, was a aefignef precipitating the CGuhio into
fate which they might afterwards derm ^ballicm, and
under that .pretence put 0 end fa Ji future c<m<
pi*int% petitions or rvrns&froc^s, by fe'z.n^ the
Hhole #t °*, Ifey had ravaged one part cf tu«'
globe, till itceuld glut them no logger; their pro
dignity required uiw plunders aed through eta Erst.
India article IKA they hoped to transfer their raping
free that quarter ci the world to this..-- Evoiy defign
#d quanel h^ if pretence ; a^d the feme bubamn
avarice accompanies the Plant to America, which ru
in^d the country that produced it.
Tbi men never itou regu& without tkr&ing fools,
is a maxim feeder or later, wniverfill, trim The
co,me« ~nat of hoflilities, being in ^ beginning,
cf Aril, was, vs all times, the wo-ft chofa^ : The :
Ctugrefs were to meet the tenth of May followia 7,
and this dilbefs the Continent felt at this trapsrclleled
parage gave a Ability to f&r Rod,, whhk ^opiher
circu^ft^ce could h^v, done. It typuffid too all
inferior debates, and bound third 10^ J^ t uy % neesf
fttbrn affis&ion, without giving then, tifo to differ v~
on trifles. The fuffering likewise, f^ftenad the whe^
body of the peopt into & degree es pliability, which
laid tha prixcipi, rcuucktion stone of Africa, order and
gevpvnmer,- ; and which, at an, other time, ra:gh, :
ch'y have fr^% end th< n feded sway UKLoti^d sad
ariwproved r But Providence, wh* bafi kasws how
to tirndher mifterttfuis as mil at her i^a^d^r^ ft
v£ur&, ch-fi this to bo the time: And who dares dis.
puseit?
Ii did not film the difoefitioM es the people sf this
crifie to heepp^i ica upon petition, while the farmer
remained uAriidwertid : The measure, howevc?, mtf
NU MBER 644.
COURANT,
HERTFORD
INTELLIGENCER.
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.