The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-04-10 00:00:00, page 1

Confining the Freshest ADVICES,
L.O N 0 O N.
Mr. Cruger's SPEECH ma Great Assembly, on
American Affairs, on x riday December 16.
Mr. SPEAxER, ~ , „. . ,
I Rife to deliver my fentimehti on this important
fubied, with all the diffidence and awe, which
must strike the mind on the firft attempt to speak
before so august an assembly. Had 1 remained li
lent on this occafot, I must have condemned my-
Ms for deferring a cause which it is my duty to es
pouse.:. I cannot but be heard with candour by
%/fflm^, & when whatloher is dictated by a love
to m^ country:,
1 am far from approving all the proceedings in
America; Many of their measures have been a dif
honour to their cause. Their r/g^r, might have
been averted without violence; and their claims Rat
ed with temper, as well az firmnefs. But permit me
to fay, Sir, that if they have erred, it may be con
sidered as a failing of human nature; a people ani
mated with a love of liberty, and alarmed wi.a ap
prehensions of its being in danger, will unavoidably
run into excesses.
The hiftdry of mankind deciares it in every page;
fend Britons view with an eye of tenderness such a&s
us imprudence, to which their fellow fubjefts in
America may have been hurried, not: (as has been
hid) by a rebellious spirit, but by that generous spi
rit of freedom which has often led their own ancefors
into indiscretions.
A& ^fa^rity are &froat having a tendency to
eradicate jealosies; on the contrary, they muft/ro
duce new fears, and weaken that attachment which
^W^ might have enfared. No country, Sir, has
been more happy in her colonies, than Great-Britain;
cemented by mutual interests, (till the sera of that
,fatal damp ad) they flourished in an intercourse of
%mity, proteftio^, and obedience ; faporting and
'Supported by each other. Before that period, we meet
with no disobedience to our laws, no denial of the
gurifdiaion of parliament, no marks of jealousy and
discontent ; but they loved liberty : That pamon is
coeval with their firft emigration to America; they
were perferuted for,it in this country; they fought
a fahauary in the unexplored regions of that: there
they peacefully cleared their inhospitable wilds;
cultivated their lands, and chearfully poured the
firft fruits of their indattry into the bosom of their
mother country. You protested them in their in
fant fate, and they returned it by consigning to
you the fold benefit of their trade; whatever wealth
they derived from agriculture and commerce, all cen
tered with you. You regulated their commerce for
the advantage of Mis country; and they never dif
tovered an opposition, either to the authority or the
exercise of it: Are these evidences of a spirit of dif
tfdion to Great-Britain; or ingratitude for its pro
tection? Are they not rather proofs, that if the
fame line of mild and lenient government had been
pursued, the fame cordiality and submission had been
continued?
Every Arrterican, who loves America, must wife
the prosperity of England; and that their union
may ever subsist uninterrupted. Ifthe paternal trunk
is injured, the branches must fuffer with it. A fub
tfdination on the part of the colonies is necessary to
his union. I acknowlege' Sir, there must exist a
•'ofer somewhere to superintend and regulate the move
eent^ of the whole, for the attainment and pre
.vatiori of our common happiness; this supreme
bower can be justly and adequately exercised only
by the legilature of Great-Britain. In this doftrine,
the colonies tacitly acquiefeed, and were happy.
England enjoyed by it till the advantages of an ex
clufve trade with them. Why Then strain this
authority so much, as to render a submission
to it impossible, without a surrender of all those li
berties which are most valuable in civil society, and
were ever acknowleged the inestimable birth-right
of Engliflimeri? When Great-Britain derives from
her colonies the most ample supplies of wealth by
her commerce, is it not absurd to close up these channels
for the fak^ of a paltry, inexpedient claim of im-
M ON DAY, April i% 1775,
CONNECTICUT
A N,D
W EE K Lt
Open to all PARTIES---not under the influence of ANY.
posing taxes: which, though a young member, I
will bo bold to aver; never have, and probably ne
ver will defray the expence of collecting them.
The expediency of coercive u,eans is much insist
ed oh by tome, Who, I am ^ry to fay, seem to
confider more the distresses int r , which they will in
volve the.• American; than to. benefits they can
procure 4© this country, from such vindictive con
duct. Humanity, however, will prompt the ge
nerous mind to weep over f verities, though they
may- be even necessary; and a prudent fatefman will
reflea, that the colonies cannot c^ibly fuffer, without in
jury to Great-Britain. The Americans are your cus
tomers; they consume your manufactures; by dis
tressing them, if you do not d. e them to other mar
kets, you will most affurediy disable them from
taking yonr commodities, and fiom making proper
returns 'for what they have taken.
'Let us suppose, for a monient, that coercive mea
sures Jbould reduce them to a recognition of the e
quity of parliamentary taxation, what are the ad
vantages which result from it? Can it be thought that
mankind can be dragooned into a Conviction of
what is right? V<i\\ fe verities ircreafe 'their affeAion,
and make them more desirous of a connexion with,
and dependance on, the Mo- her country? Is it
not, on the contrary, reasonable to conclude, that
the effeA will be an increase of jealousy and discon
tent, that they will seek all occasions of evading
laws imposed on them by violence, that they will be
kLSTfESd under the Y r , arid think them
selves happy in an opportunity of Hying to the pro
teftion of any other power, from the fubjeftion of
a Mother whom they confider cruel and opprf-
The death of Louis XV set the spirits of our peo
• ple in agitation,---the old parliament made reraon,
ftrances; and our clergy murmured on account of the
new regulations Against them.'----It was then Lord
North caused a report to circulate at London of his
being ill, that he might come to Paris incog, in or-
" IYOU are nearly of my opinion, fefpe&ing the
I affair between Great-Britain and her colo
nies.---Believe me, some years have elapsed since the
Scheme was. projected for the alteration of the form
of the Maffachafetts government.--- As soon as the
projeft was resolved upon, the cabinet of Great-Bri
tain used all possible means to procure peace with
her neighbouring nations.-—The fall of the Duke
de Ch 1 was a mark of the highest complaisance
to her. It 1$ well known that this minister (though
iri difgracej directed all, or at lead the greater part,
of the business of our cabinet. Britain was well
enough afftfred that they could keep the house of
Bourbon dill; but Spain had given such inftrudioris
to her Ambassador as would have caused a rupture
had they been observed :-—-Bat Prince Maflararib
was recalled.
fi^e?
Sir, I would not be understood to deny the good
intentions of Administration. The abilities of the
Minister, are, it seems, universally acknowledged ;
but I must add, humanum est errdre. Though an
American, Sir, I must applaud hisjealoufy for the
dignity and authority of Parliament, and think the
impolicy and inexpediency of the late measures may be
reasonably imputed to the difficulty of the occasion;
and the unjettled and undefined nature of the depen
dance of the colonies on the mother country; but
fine® by fad experience they have been found totally
inadequate, since they have widened the breach,
instead of closing it, diminilhcd the fubjeaion and
obedience of the colonies instead of confirming them,
increased the turbulence and opposition, instead of al
laying them, it may be hoped that a different plah of
eonduA will be pursued; and that feme constitution,
fomefrm and liberal conftitation, will be adopt
ed by the wisdom of this House, which may feeure
the colcnifs in their liberties, whilst it maintains the
juftfupremgcy of Parliament. ,
A TRANSLATION or an extract of a letter from
a gentleman in the service of a principal officer of
Hate at Paris, to his friend in Newport.
“ My dear Chevalier,
rH L
f^^F&i&J! ^iff^^^v
▼ffiftfyfcMmtfWPE'fw Iff tol wl W
both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
der to ascertain himfelf of the disposition of o^'r
court. He remained there but tw,o days, which time
he spent in cenfertences with the ministry, who, like
other Danaes, were tempted by the British gold scat
tered by Jupiter North — His policy was seducing,
and retained us in the fame state of ina&ion we now
continue; that he might be at liberty to set your
part of the world in confufion.
; “ Assure yourfelf Great-Britain is not much more
quiet than you are---it is almost the general opinion
here that a revolt will take place in England, if the
trade be interrupted between that kingdom and the
colonies!
“ The royal family of England i$ too numerous
for the taxes of the nation to maintain them alone:
Besides the great debt under which they now labor,
they expend much for the support of Hanover; this
accounts why King George thinks himfelf obliged t@
deal with America as Fredrick does with his neigh
bours.
“ ---Orders are given atthe^e tf&;for the trans
port of 4,000 men, in two frigates and three ships of
the line, to our colonies , I cannot tell you their
destination.
66 We are b. f to complete all the regiments that
are deficient---the King has caused a general state of
liis marine force to be laid before him---the Queen's
pregnancy is declared and, to conclude I assure you
that a rupture between Span and England is at no
great diftance."-.?--
A.s the inters of the North 'm^nent of America may be
greatly affected by t»e conduct of any one CoAdy, and ifo e
Assembly of New-York lately refufed even to confider
the Proceedings of the Continental Congress.;
it is thought proper, previous to remarks intended to be
hereafter publijbed, to give a lift of the present Legisla
tors of that province, which has been lately Obtained
from a well informed friend.
The Lieutenant Governor.
CAD WALLADER COLDEN, now in his 88th
year, and well known for his zeal for issuing
the damped papers in 1765.
The C OUNCIL.
Mr. Horfemanden, The Chief Justice, with a fala-
r Y °f £• 's°° sterling per annum, out of the Ameri
can Revenue in the Boston Box, and f. 300 per an
num allowed by the Assembly, both which he re
ceives.
Mr. Watts, A Merchant, and native ' of New-
York, agent for the,money contrast, and brother
in-law to Brigadier De Lancpy.
Mr. De Lancey, Brigadier General of the militia,
and farther-in-law to Sir William Draper, arid bro
ther to Lady Warren, whose daughter married Col;
Fitzroy, brother to the Duke of Grafton.
Mr. Apthrop, A native of Boston, son of the late
Mr. Apthrop of that town, and formerly a Con^
tractor.'
[NUMBER 53,.j
COUR A N Tj
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCES.'
Mr. Morris, Formerly a Lieut; Col. in the army,
came here with General Braddock, married Judge
Philips's daughter and then fold out.
Mr. Smith, A native of New-York,---a Lawyer,
---son of Judge Smith, deceased, has a son-in-law
in the army, is uncle to Mrs. Maturin, widow of
General Gage's late Secretary, and has a brother
in-law at present Brigadier Major toGeneral Gage.
Mr; Wallace, A Merchant from Ireland, greatly
conneded with the army.'„
Mr. White, A Merchant from England, former
ly Agent Victualler for the Navy, and one of the
late Agents for vending the East-India Company's
Tea at the port of New-York.
Mr. Axtel, A native of Jamaica, defeerided fora
Col. Axtel, who guarded the High Court of Justice
at the trial of King Charles the First.
Mr. Cruger, Son-in-law to Brigadier De Lahcey,
a Merchant.
Mr. Jauncey, Son of one of the City Members.
Master of the Rolls. Married a daughter of Mr.
Elliot, Collector of the port of New-York, brother,
to Sir Gilbert Elliot, one of the Carlton House
junto.