The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-04-17 00:00:00, page 1

MONDAY, April 17, 1775.
CONNECTICUT
AND
"weekly
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
Further Advices by the last Ships from London, (kft
cut of our last for want of Room.)
LONDON, January 23.
A Patriotic Lord has actually obtained some re
cent and interesting intelligence from the
continent, which his Lordfttip intends to make use
Of in Parliament.
A mod superb suit of crirrifoh velvet cloaths is
making for his Majesty, with the diamond buttons
Which were worn by the late King.
In letters from France they Write, that great pre
parations are making there to rtiake the moll early
advantages of the cod fishery on the banks of New
foundland. The merchants h re applied for four
large frigates more to protest their fifhing ships,
Which were immediate!)* granted by the court, who
are highly pleased with the progress made in the
fishery.
Jan. 31. It was proposed at the last Cabinet
Council to fend over fix more regiments to Boftot
with all speed.
February 1. Yesterday the Upper Assembly
was crowded below the bar, in expectation of Lord
Chatham's making a motion refpeding America.
He acquainted the House, that he had a bill of a
conciliating nature in his hand, which he proposed
to submit to their confidetation. He entered very
fully into the main objects it had in view, apolo
gized for the rude, informal manner it was drawn
up, entreated beit indulgence and assistance to mo
del, and bring it into form.
The bill if directed to a variety of important ob
jeds, but th: two main points on which it princi
pally turns are the repeal of the declaratory ad of
1767, which asserts the supremacy of the British
Parliament in all cases whatsoever, and substitutes
in its place a supremacy directed to ads of mere le
giflanon and controul only, and to make it lawful
for a Congress to meet at Philadelphia on the 9th
of May next, where the whole continent of Ameri
ca, (the infant colonies and Quebec excepted)
Should acknowledge this reftrided supremacy, and
grant a certain benevolence or sum of money to his
Majesty, to be under the disposal ofParliament, and
to be employed towards alleviating the public bur
thens the mother country now labours under.
Lord S opposed this strenuously; said he
had received letters a fewdays since, informing him,
that vessels were now loading at Amfterdam'
L'Orient and Rochfort, the cargoes of which were
intended for America ; that all conciliating mea
sures were to no purpose ; and that he should there
fore move, that the said bill be rejected in the firft
instance;
A very able and well ftipported debate now en
sued, after which thequeftion being put there ap
peared for Lord S 4 motion, Contents 61
Proxies; m ail 68. Non Contents 32, so the bill
was rejected by a majority of 36.
St. James's, February g. This day the two
houses of Parliament presented to his Majesty the
following ADDRESS:'
The humble address of the right honourable the
Lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in
Parliament assembled.
Die Martis, 7° February, 1775.
" Mofl gracious Sovereign,
, t ;,''> ^° ur Majesty's most dutiful and loyal
Subjects, the Lords spiritual and temporal, and
commons; iri Parliament assembled, return vour
Majesty our most humble thanks for having been
graciouhy pleased to gemmunicate to tn the several
papers relating to the present ftatc of the British
colonies in America, which, by year Majesty's com
mands, have been laid before tit. We have taken
them into our most furious confederation , and tye
find, that a part of your Majefty'^ fabjefts, in the
province of Massachusetts-Bay, have proceeded so
far to refill the authority of' thefarcra d\%ure,
that a reWon at this time afluall, exists w^in the
said province ; and we fee with the utmost concern,
t.at .bey have been countenanced and encouraged
Open to all PARTIES—-not under the influence of ANY.
by unlawful combinations and engagements; enter
ed into by your Majefty,fubj.& i- several of the
other colonies; to the injury and opprtffion of many
of their fellow-fubjefts resident within the kingdom
of Great- Britain, and the rest of your Majesty's do
minions. This conduct, on their part, appears to
us the more inexcufeable, when we confider with
how much temper your Majesty and the two houses
of Parliament, have afted in support of the laws and
conftrtution of Great-Britain. We can never so far
desert the trust reposed in us, as to relinquish any
part, of the sovereign authority over all your Ma
jesty s dominions, which, by law, is vested in your
Majesty, and the two houses of Parliament: And
the conduct of many persons in several of the colo
nies, during the late disturbances, is alone fufficient
to convince how heceffary tnis power is for protec
f°y°{ the "'" a"" ' ortunes of a 'l your Majesty's
« We ever have been, and always Ihall be, ready
to pay attention and regard to any real grievances
y° ur Majesty's subj,&, which Ihall, in a
utiful and coiiftitutional manner, be laid before
us , and whenever any of the colonies shall make a
proper application to us, we shall be ready to af
ford them every just and readable indulgence:
j time, we confider it as our indifpenfible
humbly to beseech your Majesty, that you
w ,if" e 'he mod effectual mealies to enforce due
°edience to the laws and authority of the supreme
legislature ; and we beg hx,<the molt solemn
panne, to affurc your Majefty,ti;at it i., our fixed
resolution, at the hazard of our lives and properties,
to stand by your Majesty against all rebellious at
tempts, in the maintehance of the just rights of your
Majelty, and the two houses of Parliament."
Mr. Vice Chamberlain presented his Majesty's
answer to the address of both Houses of Parliaments
which was as follows:
My Lords and Gentlemen,
1'"?' '° u ' or "is ver y dutiful and loyal ad
dress, and for the affedionate assurances you give
me of your support in maintaining the just rights of
my Crown, and of the two Houses of Parliament;
and you may depend upon my taking the most fpee
dy a ? deffe&ual measures for enforcing due obedience
to '"' authority of the supreme legislature.
Whenever any of my colonies shall make a
proper and dutiful application, I shall be ready to
concur with you in affording them every just and
reagble indulgence ; and it is my ardent wish,
that this disposition may have a happy effed oh the
te ™P er an d conduct of my fubjeds in America."
His Majesty's Answer was referred to the com
mQ' u pply, which was adjourned to Monday.
1 he House went into a committee oh the Ameri
can papers, and Lord North moved for leave to bring
in a bill for preventing the Americans from fifhing
at Newfoundland and St. John's, and for prohibit
ing them from carrying on any commerce, either by
way of export or import, but with Great-Britain,
Ireland, and the Weft-Indies. This produced a
very warm debate, in which Mr. Attorney and Mr
Solicitor General, Mr. Stanly; and Mr. Cornwall
bore a part on one fide, and Mr. Dunning, Mr.
Recorder of London, and Mr. Fox on the other.
The principal arguments used in favour of the
proposed augmentation, were as follows : That the
j u "'y refolded the contumacy and defiance of
legislative power in the Americans to be rebellious;
a " d having addressed his Majesty that he would be
pleased to take such measures as 'he ffiould find ne
ceflary for enforcing the laws, it Was, upon a mature
consideration, determined, that an augmentation of
zooo seamen should be made; , That number, it
was apprehended; would be fufficicnt for the pur
pose of retraining the commerce of the New-En%
landers, and for preventing the clandestine trade
which some were fearful would be carried into prac
tice with foreign nations ; that these objects were
very essential ones, and such as must be provided for;
and at the fame time it was also inexfedient to
" eaken the other Landing services of the navy, which
were at present amply provided for, and were meant
T H E
to be left upoh too refoeftable a footing to leave the
lezft apprehensions of any attack from our neigh
b°urs ; that it was designed to fiation a proper num
ber of Frigates in the mod beneficial manner for
commanding the whole coast of North-America ;
and it was to be hoped that when the Colonies found
that this country was filly determined to exert the
"Jr " '° rce in order to secure obedience to
the Legislature, that they would then quit their pre;
lent delusion, and return to their duty;
j n ^ was contended, that the whole con
uct of Administration, from the beginning of this
affatr was ful! of blifodnefs and incapacity : That
been f °r several sessions called upon for h
reduction of the navy estimate : That while there
was np use in the enormous eftabliihment, so long
was it kept up ^ but that as soon as, upon theirowd
ideas and principles, there was reason to forefee a
We f ° und jt reduced, dot essentially
^n effectually reduced; but merely by way of a
expedient to flop the moutli of opposition;
Why was the navy reduced at a time that the Minify
try ought to have forefeen the want that would
probably arise: Every dispatch from America
, P^ ll °f Government ; the hut of the
^inittry changes, like the camelion; With the ob
l a PP roac h it- The augmentation now
d . ls . an experiment; they design it to try
what it will do ;---they forefee no effects ; and in
tead of governing events by the penetration of a
great ftatefmar., they wan with anxiety to kne^ the
their trial : Full of boasts at the moment of
this house tor the money of the fubjeft. vert
would then suppose them looking into the most dis
tant events, and predicting nothing but the cleared
, ex f' e "ions---pcrhaps next month, the,
will be of another mind, and having changed their
tone with the advices they receive, will come for
z °°° men, perhaps five times as many.
Ihat the conduct of the land forces has been up
on the fame principles. At firft three regiments ah
a garrison in Boston were to do all the bufinSfs-^
were to carry the ads into execution, and prevertall
a Pplications # to parliament, presently thai
hopeful plan gave way for another ; five regiments
were found necessary ; the next dispatches made f&
ven necessary, and thus we found the arm- ,run tip
to sixteen regiments, but are assured that' General
Gage wtll then be perfectly fafe ; by and b, we shall
find the fears of Adminiftrrtion speak a different
language ; we shall gradually hear of ao, of 30, and
of 40,000 men;
s The conduct of Adminiftratibn was not only fria.
ringly mtonfiftent and absurd, when examined up
on their own principles, but unhappily those prin
ciples themselves were to the last degree fatal to the
mofomportant interests of this country. In what
are these additional feainen to be employed ? To
destroy and prevent the filing trade of New-Eng
land, and thereby throw into the hands of France
e ?£ oyment ° f 2 °'°'° bailors and fishermen.
1 he fifhery of Boftort, &c. will naturally and inevi
tably go to the French---)ou cannot take it up—
the towris in Britain that carry it oh, it is well known,
ucceed them. 1 hat the Government cannot pro
ceed as if they had nothing,o fear, and ai lif they
Were quite at leisure for the fchem^s of the °reatert
magnitude. Not content with ghvefftirig all the
internal part of America by arms; at a tim.^ whin
they cannot yet go beyorid the gafrifohing d finglc
town, they attack the Americans clandestine trade;
and finding themselves tihable so retrench instead
of annihilating it, they give themselves much lar
ger woik, by declaring all American commerce
contraband ; and thereby enlarging infinitely that
work, which wheri small they could not execute.
That while there was so little forefight, so little
provision for future events ; while the means taken
to execute the greatest works were so inadequate to
the smallest ends, and while the Whole was under the
guidance of imbecility and imprudence, negligence
and incapacity, nothing was to be expected but the
moil miserable attendants on the most horrible civil
convulsions, both at home, as well as in American
both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
(NUMBER 53 {j
COURA N T,
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCER.